And Christmas for the boys

Part of their present was catnip and they were not so well-behaved.

Merry Christmas, Bella, from Santa!

New bed, new toy

Some fun photos from Christmases past

Like when I insisted the boys needed to dress up for a Christmas photo. They didn't agree.

Best buddies just hanging out together

But the clean clothes are not doing so well.

Bella and Cynthia

My cousin Cynthia [who is more like my sister] visited last week and Bella was in love.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful for the babies I have with me.

Missing the ones I don't.

Sean is still working on the concept of "hiding"

Riley has an appreciation for the finer things in life

I was watching a video of a parrot dancing and Riley came over and watched the whole thing with me.
Here's the video. It makes me smile every time I see it.

And here's Riley watching it.

Silly Sean

Sean "hiding".

Oops, you found me.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Bella.

This morning:

When she was 5 months old and supposed to be a cute little pumpkin:

New plantings

It was finally the time of year when it was safe to plant new trees in the backyard to replace the saguaro and the palm tree that we lost earlier this summer.
I went with a willow acacia, a mesquite tree, and another pineapple palm tree.

Homeopathy

I admit I have no clue why homeopathic medications work. I have read explanations. I think I understand it has something to do with the energy of your body. Beyond that, I am pretty clueless. But I do know that it works. I have been taking something homeopathic for my allergies and I feel so much better.
And Riley has been on two homeopathic medications that are helping him. He has been on one medication for cystitis ever since he had that trouble last year.
And recently we started another homeopathic medication to improve his appetite because he just wasn't eating enough and was losing weight. It seems to be working too. He is not a porker and not back to his old weight but I can now feel more fat on him and his energy level is great.

Oh, to be this relaxed

Bella, sound asleep.

New haircut

Bella plays very hard in daycare. She also loves their pool. I have watched her when I drop her off. In less than a minute she is in the pool and wet up to her neck.
With her beautiful long thick double coat, she is soon a big soggy mess and never dries quickly. Consequently, after a day or two of that she starts to - how can I say this politely? - she stinks!
Poor thing - I wash her face constantly, brush her teeth, wipe her down with deodorizing wipes - and she still smells bad.
So I decided the only way to solve this was to either stop daycare which I knew she wouldn't like - and I wouldn't either - or change her hairdo.
So this week we opted for a shorter 'do.
It will take getting used to but I think she looks really cute. She needed reassurance. I think she knows she looks different and was unsure of herself. But I heaped lots of praise and attention on her and she is coming around.

BEFORE

AFTER

So I put a new bed inside Bella's crate

See any problem?

Is there anything sweeter?

The boys

Friends in high places

Riley just loves to climb.
I was in my office when I heard the distinct sound of something falling - never a good sound. So I went in search of the cause.
I couldn't find anything, which confused me.
Then I walked into the laundry room and was surprised to see Riley looking down on me. He had managed to climb up on one of the shelves. I knew he had done this before because I had found things on the floor that used to be on the shelves but never caught him in the act.
And he was quite content and pleased with himself.
And totally unremoreseful. I tried to get him down but he tried to bite me. Clearly, he intends to stay for a while.
He's safe there. There is nothing he can get into trouble with. The noise I heard was just a plastic cup that I use to fill the iron with.

Riley + box = happy Riley

Dressed up my gas tank

I just love these guys

It's apparent they love each other, too.
And they are so photogenic!

Early morning visitors

I ran into these guys while I was driving Bella to the dog groomer this morning. They were visiting an apartment complex a few blocks away from my house.
Of course, I had to stop and take their picture.
I just love that we live so close to wild life in this town.

Sleepy baby

Bella loves sleeping on the tile. I guess it's cool to the touch during these hot AZ summers.
She doesn't like the rug to get in her way and pushes it aside.

Thank you for your life, sweet saguaro

This morning our beautiful saguaro fell. It had to have been over 150 years old. I'm thankful no one was hurt and only minimal property damage. It's scary to think that Bella and I were in this very spot less than an hour before it fell.
I will miss this sweet soul. For 22 years it has been in the view from our dinette. Birds nested in it every year. It was actually one of the reasons John and I were attracted to this house.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

We miss you and love you.

So cute - for now

 Last night they were biting each other. This morning they are best buds. Go figure.

Brothers

Summer blooms