BIG DAY RECAP

Excuse my shouting out the headline but I am so excited it is my birthday. I have had a really really good day. First of all THE WHOLE FAMILY was home this morning and I got a lot of "Happy Birthday Noodles" and "Aren't you the MOST special girl?" That was cool. I got all GUSSIED up with a Red, White, and Blue necklace.

Molly and Moose also dressed up for my big day
















I also got a very special BREAKFAST today

Stella & Chewy Duck Duck Goose and Blueberries

And I got the bestest present from my Mommies. I am ONE LUCKY PUGGY, I tell you. Happy Birthday to me and Happy Birthday to the USA.

Now BRING ON THE FIREWORKS!

Moose! Moose! Moose!

Moose is 3 years old, part Yorkie and part
Chihuahua

Guess who is visiting us this SUMMER? It's Moose. You might recall a while back when we had our FURiend Pablo and his new brother Moose over. That was only for a week. This time it is just Moose and he is here for FIVE WHOLE WEEKS! Isn't that exciting? Moose's family went to France and they took Pablo. Pablo has been to FRANCE 8 times in his 8 years, so he really knows how to travel and what to expect. Moose, on the other hand, barely tolerates car trips much less plane rides. So Mommy #2 told his mommy Auntie L that we'd love to have him stay with us. He will get all the attention he can ask for and a fair amount of treats. So Auntie L said SURE.

He was so unhappy here

Moose was so confused yesterday when he came. First of all, he knew something was up from all of the to-doing at his house. Suitcases were out and people were stressed. Then Mommy arrived and he was really confused because usually she and Auntie L just go to the backyard and drink coffee. THEN everybody AND the suitcases AND the 2 dogs piled into the car. This was very unusual. It got worse for Moose. Mommy pulled up to this BIG building with a lot of people wandering in and out. Then the humans all got out, even Mommy and she took the suitcases out of the car. Then Pablo was taken out of the car but not Moose. He was getting upset and started to yip a little. Mommy got back into the car after she said her goodbyes, and she and Moose took off leaving Moose's family at the airport. Moose yipped and whined a little but then quickly settled down in his bed (on the back seat floor). He was good all the way home, according to Mommy.

Feeling comfortable enough to sit on MY
Star Trek bed

He was a little upset all the rest of the day and insisted on sitting by the front door. He was sure his humans would walk in any minute now. He was okay friendly with everyone but his tail was down indicating he was unhappy. BUT nonetheless, he was a good boy. No inside accidents so far and he ate his dinner like a good boy. Today is a whole 'nother story. He is happy looking and his tail is up and wagging. He is still insisting on sitting by the door but he is clearly more comfortable than he was yesterday. I think by the end of this week he will be handling it all so much better and be a happier puppy. NOT that he won't still miss his family; but at least he will be used to OUR routine and know we love him a lot.

My BIRTHDAY is in 2 more days

That Was SOME Celebration!!!

Photo by Emelia Hamilton

Oh My DOG!!! I gotta tell ya. That was some party the country threw for me yesterday. I mean, have you ever seen or heard of anything LIKE IT? There was an estimated one explosion per SECOND in my hometown. That is COOOOO-RAY-ZEEEEEEE!

My day started off pretty normally with a trip to HOME. As you might recall, My Mommys and Me are staying at Auntie B's Mom's house for a while. After Mommy #2 picked up some sunscreen, we headed to FREMONT to meet Auntie B. The Fremont Parade included a tribute to Auntie B's late cousin because he was such an integral part of their community. It was pretty special. So we drove to Fremont which is all of 15-20 mins.

The parade was pretty cool since it is a small town. It was very personal to a lot of people there. What I like best about Fremont is the diversity of the people living there in harmony. Really a wonderful feeling.

What a wonderful way to celebrate this nation and what it stands for - Life-Liberty-and the Pursuit of Happiness. I know I was feeling all THREE.

Then we came home and I played with Molly while the rest of the family went over to Auntie D's house for a bbq and swimming. They had fun and the weather was pretty perfect with the warm temps and cool ocean breeze. They all got home just before dark so I opened my birthday gift from my BFF Max - Auntie B's grandpup.

Hi Max

OMIPUG can you believe these toys, How did
Max KNOW I love Star Wars?

After choruses of Happy Birthday and sufficient cake . . . 

we sat to watch a movie and wind down from all the excitement. Only the FIREWORKS started off about then. It was very very loud and scary and I barked, jumped up and down, and panted for THIRTY MINUTES until Mommy #2 used her foot wrap to create a substitute thunder shirt for me. It worked - eventually - and I finally calmed down and fell asleep on the kitchen floor.

Remember me telling you about the peaches in Auntie B's Mom's yard? Well, I discovered them almost immediately and on Friday night I ate so many I got a tummy ache. Mommy was a little worried. But she gave me something for my tummy and I settled down. NOT that I stopped PEACH PICKING. . . Ah..... but Mommy dashes out ahead of me and grabs anything on the ground. Here is her weekend take. Some of the green ones will be ripe by tomorrow. White peaches - YUM.

Thanks for all the BIRTHDAY wishes, everypuggy. They mean the world to me!

Today's Affirmation

My FIRST Hotel Stay

For the Fourth of July AND my Birthday, the whole family packed into a small car and headed to Sacramento. There we visited with FRIENDS and met some new FURiends. It was fun. We stayed at a La Quinta in their area.

It was my first time in a hotel. I had a lot of fun with all the smells in that place (although to Mommy it was not smelly at all (which she said is a good thing). They had a nice area to do our bidness and we got two long walks each day so we wouldn't be too restless in the room. And the beds were so comfortable. I could sleep ALL DAY on them.

As you can see from the picture above, we had a room with a view. . . a view of the road but it was at some distance. There were some nice trees in front that blocked the less pretty stuff.

This chair was so comfy and I spent a good chunk of the morning lounging here and watching tv.

Mommy #2 went to the store for something and this is where I sat until she came back. I missed her for the whole 30 minutes she was gone

We only stayed overnight this time. But it was such a positive experience that we will definitely do it again.

Thank you La Quinta for being a great place for PUPS and PEEPS to stay.

Celebrate WITH ME! I am Five Years YOUNG today!

I'm FIVE today

Five years ago TODAY I was born. My mother, Fiona, had 4 other puppies that day - all boys. NOT ME! I was the only GIRL in the litter. So as you can tell, I was SPECIAL from the start.

My Mommys wanted a GIRL PUG even though everybody told them a BOY would be easier. They are never ones to take the easy route so they INSISTED on *ME. They were told I was headstrong, energetic, and uncontrollable. My fold had not developed and my tail was too low, they said, so I would not be good for showing. My Mommys didn't care, they weren't looking for a show dog. They wanted me.

*SIDE NOTE: We couldn't do rescue because there were 2 kids under the age of 10 in the house and so no one would adopt to them.

I fooled them! My tail is NEARLY perfect (I have 2 awards to prove it) and my fold. . . well you can see from the above picture that it developed just fine. I am, in short, BEAUTIFUL.

This is all ancient HERSTORY, though. Today the NATION comes together to celebrate ME. I am humbled and honored.

Next week is Molly's SECOND birthday so we are celebrating today with CAKES and PRESENTS.

I'm gonna be TWO

I am so excited. I think I will go on a walk to calm down. But first. . .

We are ready to PAWTY

FINALLY. . . HAPPY THING #100: YOU

I can't think of anything happier than my FOLLOWERS

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYPUGGY

Get YOUR VOTES IN BY Midnight

Click this link to go to the picture page

Sunrise through the Haze

Hi Every PUGGY! Thank you so very very much for all of the BIRTHDAY wishes yesterday. It sure made me feel very special.

I had the best BIRTHDAY ever! I received so much attention and a lot a lot of FOOD! I am not sure My Mommys realized that they were feeding me almost NONSTOP yesterday. A taste here, a snack there. I was in PUGGY HEAVEN, I tell you.

We went to Auntie D's house for a BBQ and a SWIM. Above you can see me in my swimsuit.I love the look, don't you? Anyways, it was MEGA HOT in my town yesterday and even the humans (who DON'T have 3 layers of fur) were having a hard time staying cool. Lucky for me, Mommy brought my pool along (no dogs OR pugs allowed in Auntie D's pool) so Molly and I were able to get nice and wet.


 I was totally digging the pool. . . Molly, not so much. It made me feel so much better. And Mommy made sure my back got wet as well as my tummy. I was one COOL PUG!

Once the sun started to go down, it cooled off a little. We sat around the table outside and played Bananagrams while Auntie T fired up the grill and put the pizzas on. I was an ADVISOR for the game since I am so good that no one wants to play with me.

After dinner, the presents and CAKE came out. Cousin E made this DELICIOUS bone cake for me out of brown rice, carrots, yogurt and peanut butter. It was the MOST tasty thing I had ever eaten. Well, maybe not, BUT who knows! I don't normally linger over my food TASTING it. No! I wolf it down like any self-respecting PUG would do. But for my birthday cake, I took my time (could have been all the pre-cakes snacks) and actually tasted every little morsel.

Then it was time for presents. Mommy is holding hers until my party this weekend. But Auntie B and Cousins E&C gave me this wonderful present. I loves loves LOVES it.

AS THE SUN SET SLOWLY IN THE WEST. . .

How the fireworks looked

The fireworks displays started up all over the valley. Because we were on a hill we could see a lot of them. I don't mind the sparkly lights all over the place. The are kind of whimsical and fun. But the BOOMS! Oh My PUG! They sent me into overdrive! Some of the neighborhood cherry bombs and whatever else they were setting off almost made me hyperventilate! It was awful and made Mommy worry a little. She eventually found me a spot away from the loudest booms and I was able to calm down and fall asleep.

Next year she said she is buying some CALMING pills. 

How the fireworks will look next year

Toss a Firecracker! Today is MY Birthday!

Today is MY birthday! Yes, as you all know, I was born on July 4, 2009. That makes me FOUR YEARS old today. I have learned so much in my FOUR years - how to PAWty like there is no tomorrow; how to WORK a costume for a prize; how to maximize my treatage while maintaining my superb PUGGY body; and so on. I have also learned to power of the written word via Blogville; the power of the paw; and the power of LOVE. It has been an amazing journey so far and I know it is JUST BEGINNING.

A couple of things are happening today - in addition to the CITY-WIDE fireworks display in MY HONOR, that is. Firstly, the whole family is venturing over to my Auntie D's house to swim and BBQ. We try to do this every year and it is always so much fun. I am not allowed in the big pool - something about my fur clogging up the filter. But Mommy always brings my small pool so I have someplace to cool my paws as the temperatures at Auntie D's are a bit higher than our side of town.

Secondly, this will be Molly's first time at Auntie D's house. She is in for a treat, I tell you. Along with the big yard to explore, Auntie D has 3 cats! They do not like dogs OR PUGS - a concept Molly just does not understand. I will have to make sure she stays clear of those cats. They are not mean - they just get scared.

THEN in three days from tomorrow we are having MY BIRTHDAY BASH! I will be slinging back the jello shots with my fellow pugs and a few non-pugs in honor of my big day and MOLLY'S! That's right. Molly has a birthday as well. Her big day is July 13 and she will be 1 year old. Unbelievable.

I better take a NAP in preparation for all that FUN we are going to have.

Have a happy Fourth of July!! Be safe!