The Rough Life of a Toddler

Being a toddler is rough.  Literally.  That poor dear is hard on everything, including herself.  She's really going through a stage right now where she hits things when she's feeling frustrated.  I hope it's a stage at least.  She has hit everything in sight this week, a kid on the playground, me, several inanimate objects but tonight was the kicker. 

Tonight, the dogs were eating, this is one of Reese's favorite things because it's one of her chores to feed them.  Then she makes sure no food flies around that they might miss.  But tonight Reese changed it up a little.  She grabbed a hold of Miller's tail and swung around by it.  She pulled and tugged so hard that when she broke free it knocked her to the ground with momentum.  He was so scared that he wouldn't even eat, but he didn't snap at her.  He probably wanted to though.

Next, she decided to take her frustration out on Natty.  I was cooking and I heard a couple of hits but I never dreamed that she was beating the dog to death.  I went in to check and he was hiding from her in the corner.  She had quite a timeout after that.

But what goes around comes around because the poor thing got the wrong end of a kitchen drawer tonight too.  She went face first into it and now will have quite the black eye.  That just nearly broke her heart, and ours.  Being a toddler can be hard, in more ways than one, for her and for those around her.  This too shall pass, I hope.

And the Saga Continues....

The saga of the war between the white dog and me.  As I may have mentioned before the dog has an issue.  He hates when his best good friend is gone; Daddy that is.  He gets so anxious that he cannot contain his fear and he just marks himself all over the house. 

But this is another problem entirely.  This problem has more to do with entitlement. 

He believes firmly that he is entitled to all food in this house.  I don't mean food Reese drops or the dog bowl kind of food but now he has broadened his horizons to counter tops.  Two incidents happened where I suspected he had taken food but I couldn't be certain but last night, well, he was caught.

Reese and I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies yesterday and I let them cool on wax paper on the counter top.  They were really soft so I just left them there instead of breaking them and putting them on a plate.  I assumed because I pushed them all the way back they would be fine.  Sure Miller had allegedly snatched a couple of things before but that was meat, these were oatmeal.  I was sure he wouldn't be interested.

I was wrong.

About 10:30 last night I heard a distinct sound of something hitting my cabinets and I popped up saying, "If that white dog stole my cookies......"  So my loving husband trudged into the kitchen looking for a fight.  What he found there makes me laugh out loud even now thinking about how it must've went down.  I suspect he heard Dustin coming so he quickly tried to "get into position" but he was still a little greedy.  He just couldn't get the wax paper back to it's rightful spot quick enough and he couldn't refrain from licking his lips of all the tasty goodness of the oatmeal cookies.  A scuffle ensued and quickly Miller came running through the bedroom, tail between his legs, knowing he was a bad boy.

We ended up with quite a dent in the cookies.  And I'd say Miller had a little bit of a pit in his gut because he ate a lot of butter.  Maybe the white dog learned a lesson about entitlement and how he doesn't have it.  Maybe he learned a lesson about not licking his lips like a gloating little pig.  And maybe I learned a lesson about putting food in air tight containers.  But either way, we all enjoyed a few oatmeal chocolate chip cookies last night.

Miller's Favorite Pasttime

Miller loves fetch. He stands vigilantly for hours over a ball. He can catch a frisbee in mid air. His only problem is that his brakes aren't always the best. He tends to roll or slide when he gets to his destination. Which in turn causes him to get huge grass stains all over his white coat.

Anyway, Dustin is also really in to golf. He's been chipping in the back yard which serves two purposes. First, he is able to practice his shot and second, Miller gets a great workout. This morning, Reese and I decided to head outside to watch the ordeal and I couldn't help but capture the moment.

Popcorn

Here is our well-trained, no table food eating, beautiful white lab whenever there is popcorn within a 3 mile radius. He loves it. I don't know how he could even taste it, he is only allowed 1 piece at a time.
But he goes absolutely nuts over it.... maybe I'll use it to teach him how to open the refrigerator door and get me a beer!

In this one you can even see the drool if you look close enough.

Oh Miller, how you entertain us.

My Miller Time

Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job. ~Franklin P. Jones

Oh Miller, all he wants is a little love and we just don't give him near enough. Occassionally he gets a little scratching from me but not often. This weekend he was in hog (ahem, dog) heaven!





But sometimes he is really lucky and gets a little love from Reese too. His dad is rubbing him down and Reese is hanging out on his belly. Seriously, this is Miller's Heaven.....

And Baby Makes....

Five, because apparently dogs count in this too if you ask my husband. He thinks we don't have to count Natty but he does live in the house too so he gets counted.

Those poor dogs, I never thought they would drive me to pet adoption but they are getting close. As soon as I put Reese down they run into the room, shake out their ears and wake her up. If I'm up, they're up and under my feet. They invade my space and drive me crazy. Yet, I still love them.

I can't wait until they come to love Reese as much as we do. I can't wait until Reese gets big enough to ride Miller. The day will come when they are the best of friends. Right now they just need to live through the wrath of a sleep-deprived mom.