With a mere week to go before Christmas, I wasn't looking for anymore gifts. Everything I intended to give was already bought or made, neatly wrapped and lying under my tree. Sometimes the very best gifts are the ones we're not expecting.
We were on our way home at the end of a long day, and just needed to stop at the local grocery store to refuel the car. I wasn't even planning on getting out. As I sat staring, making a mental list of everything left to do that evening, my eyes landed on some movement in the back of a truck.
There sat a little white-haired woman, with two adorable puppies. "Puppies!" I cried. "Can we go look?" my youngest asked, but I was already unbuckling my seat belt and opening my door. She followed suit. In a few short seconds we were each holding a sweet, soft, wiggly puppy and of course we couldn't agree on which one to take, so we took both and drove home listening to Sia's Christmas album, specifically Puppies Are Forever, and indeed they are.
I'm glad we took both puppies. They're sisters after all, even though they don't look it, and sisters shouldn't be separated. We arrived just in time too, because as soon as we agreed to take them, two more people showed up, each wanting one. "Sorry," the lady said, "they've just been adopted." The would-be pet adopters walked away saying something along the lines of what a great gift a puppy would have been, and while I had a moment's hesitation, thinking maybe we should give them up to these other people, in the end I couldn't part with them.
Lizzie and Lulu have been a wonderful addition to our family. Lizzie (short hair/stoic) is quiet and reserved; Lulu (fluffy bum/wiggle pup) is rambunctious and full of fun. I don't know if puppies are a great Christmas gift unless you enjoy taking them for walks when it's below freezing or losing sleep on your winter break because they're chewing everything up and scratching at the door, but they are a wonderful gift. Even though they take a lot of work, they've also brought so much joy to our home and our lives.
Yesterday we were all bundled up by the fireplace watching it sleet and snow. This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland and in honor of the puppies first snow, I thought I'd take them out for a little romp through the winter wonderland and try to get a few pics before they're grown.
Lizzie doesn't like to be picked up. Period. It makes her feel scared. Even if we're sitting on the floor. But she also doesn't like to be left out. Instead, she wants you to sit down and let her climb into your lap while leaving two feet on the floor. After which she promptly falls asleep.
I like to hold Lulu because she grunts and "talks" the whole time and if I hold her close she tries her best to cover me in puppy kisses. I only just managed to get this one photo of her looking at the camera instead of trying to lick me. These darling girls have been such a joy. More pics to come.
