Today this sweetie is two years old. Man, oh, man -- the difference a few years can make!I love it when she sleeps with all her paws in a pile like that. Just adorable. I'm gonna be honest and tell you that I had high hopes of photographing her with cupcakes and candles and the whole shebang again this year, but the babysitter fell through today and I need to spend every moment that Ezra is napping working on my paid client work instead. (Sad trombone.)The good news? That this kid is napping at all! I'll take it!But don't worry! I will still get Magda her cupcakes. We celebrate dog birthdays very seriously around these parts. It's just that my natural light will be gone by the time I accomplish said task, and so you won't get photos. But this girl here? She'll go to bed happy, I promise.And for your internet share, it looks like someone made a print of my life mantra. Yup.
Oh you guys, I have so many awesome baby hats around the house these days. Magda loves to steal them for her nests. I love to force her to pose in them. As you can see, I am winning this game (for now).For your internet share of the day, I'm sharing 
This weekend I was prepping for my holiday shoots in my studio (8 families in 8 hours!), and I wanted to test the holiday lights in photos. So.... Magda got called into duty. She was not very pleased. But the good news is that treats weren't even needed because once you begin wrapping her in electrical wiring, she freezes! Great survival instincts on that one. Oh, and don't you worry, she got her treats anyway.And for your adorable Magda story of the day, I had Ezra in his bassinet in my office while I was working this week. He was sound asleep, Magda was on the first floor, and I ran across the hall to use the restroom. When I opened the bathroom door, Magda was standing over his bassinet wagging her tail. I ran over to make sure all was OK, and she had gently laid two of her toys on his feet while he slept. She wanted to play. ADORABLE. I cannot wait to see these two grow up together.For your internet share of the day, check out 
I have mentioned before that since we came home with Ezra, we have made sure Magda got her usual time snuggling in bed.What I haven't mentioned is how her time in bed has changed. For some reason, she now prefers to sleep under the covers. And unlike this photo, she likes to sleep 100% under the covers. Preferably down by our feet. How she breathes is a mystery to me, but I will admit that our feet remain toasty on cold nights -- which is a perk.This weekend, after being up for an hour or so and then wandering into the bedroom to find my slippers, I spied this. It looks like she finally broke for air, but still stayed mostly covered. I thought you would enjoy it.Truly, so many people have asked how she is doing with Ezra around, and I'm here to tell you that, amazingly, she is fantastic. She has turned into such an wonderful dog, and when I think back to those other families who returned her as a puppy, I am just reminded that all anyone needs is love and support and consistency to turn things around. And training. There has been a LOT of training. But it all worked out, and I'm so glad we didn't give up on her.For your internet share of the day, check out 
I'm going to be honest here, I shot this photo last week. I was walking Ezra and Magda with some girl friends, and we stumbled upon a yard full of leaves, so they worked with me (and the handy help of a saltine cracker) to get this shot of my girl.But if I were shooting something today (which I don't really have the energy to do), I would be photographing Merlin. That boy was up sick again last night. Really, really sick. To where I was inquiring about... certain measures that could be done in our home this week.I couldn't sleep because after waking up to him being so ill, a) I was worried sick and b) I couldn't breathe through my nose because I'd been crying so hard. Oh. And c) I had a baby who wanted to be fed.So this morning was filled with lots of tears, lots of emails to vets and some of the planning that as a pet owner you never want to do.And then?Then we left Merlin outside today (in case of more illness) and he ran around the yard barking and wagging his tail and even trying to wrestle and play with Magda. Those are not the actions of a dog on his deathbed. So... now we are back to where we were.I tell you what, nothing is harder than when a dog nears his end. And yeah, you're probably about to get an onslaught of Merlin photos. Mags got the spotlight today because I had this photo in the can, but tomorrow? It's his day.
Oh this girl, she continues to steal my heart.She has been so well behaved despite being cooped up in the house with the family during such great weather. Wait, don't get me wrong, she is getting some nice, long walks. But she hadn't been to the dog park in ages for some good old-fashioned running and chasing of other pups. So we took her there this weekend -- even with Ezra in tow using the Ergo. And what fun we had!What was interesting though was that Mags enjoyed the other dogs just fine, but she was more excited to play fetch with her dad or chase him around the park. Maybe she's maturing after all...And besides her exciting trip to the dog park, as seen above, she has been quite the snuggler. She burrows into my side at night after I put Ezra down to sleep and most nights she falls asleep in my arms. (This is the part of the blog post where my father and grandmother grimace and remind me how filthy dogs are and how many germs they carry.)For your internet share of the day, it's like 
I remember back before I was knocked up (oh, doesn't that seem like ages ago?) that I would hear stories about new parents who had kids and their love for their dogs would wane. They of course still loved their furry family members, but the dogs/cats just fell a bit in ranking, and they would get fewer walks and not as much attention. And I have had friends who have volunteered at dog rescues or humane societies who have taken in many surrendered animals because of a new baby in the household. I even rescued a 6-year-old sheltie when I got out of college who was given away because she wasn't as good with the grandkids as her parents had hoped.So you can imagine how nervous I was about this baby coming home. I mean, we all know that I *adore* my animals... and I didn't want to become someone whose priorities shifted. These guys were my kids for years before I got knocked up, and I hoped that my love for them would not diminish.You guys? I had nothing to worry about. AT ALL.If anything, my heart swells even more for Magda and Merlin as I watch them welcome Ezra to the family and quietly approach him, offering sniffs or gentle kisses. Magda was terrified of infants before Ezra came home, and now she's happy to lick his ears and feet (and anywhere else where we might allow -- which isn't much). Sure, making time for the daily walks requires much more planning. But seriously, look at those eyes up there? I am still nutso for that crazy girl. Even if she did get into the trash twice today.Yup. Still madly in love with a trash digger. Who knew I had it in me? 
Oh man, today was kinda rough. Well, actually, it was last night that was rough.Ezra woke us up to feed, and about 40 minutes after that, Merlin began having serious, um, we'll call it "intestinal distress" in the bedroom. Rugs were taken outside, fans were turned on to circulate air, and then right as we were heading back to bed... Ezra needed feeding again. And then we got him settled in and... Merlin needed to go outside STAT. And then we came back in and ... Ezra needed changing... and feeding... and oh hey, he vomited all over me. And then? Then Merlin needed back outside immediately. Are you understanding the evening? Because you guys I am ZONKED.Luckily, through all that Jamie was able to get a *little bit* of sleep since he had a presentation with his company's CEO today. I made it through the day because Ezra is pretty dang easy, and sweet, sad Merlin got to spend most of the day outside while his intestines tried to work things out. Poor guy.We are hoping this is just a bug. Because that guy up there? In his condition if it's anything more serious, then we are going to have to start having large, tear-inducing discussions around our household. And a household lacking a collie is not one I think I'm ready to face just yet. But at the same time, I want this lover to die with the same grace that he showed throughout his life.So yeah. Today has been hard. We'll be taking samples to the vet tomorrow and seeing doctors later this week. Keep your fingers crossed for us.