This One...

It's a good thing Ginger is cute, because these puppy shenanigans are exhausting!  

We are in love with Ginger and doing our best to adjust to puppy life.  The girls have been a huge help and a big shout out to Mark who is basically the primary caregiver of this little furry addition to our family!  

But seriously, she is in to EVERYTHING. Plus, she is fast and impossible to catch when something is in her mouth. It takes 2 of us to catch her and rip things out of her mouth.  Shoes, slippers, remotes, barbies, barbie clothes, Lego's,  PJ's, socks, sweatshirts, flip flops, boots, backpacks (which are too heavy for her to carry) bathroom rugs, blankets....my hair...you name it!  

I thought this was cute.  Mark did not.  I have to agree with him, it won't be cute when she is full grown...but it's cute now! 

Lauren took this picture of Ginger all cozy in the blankets...right before she started chewing them.  

Oh, and grass, and sticks, and rocks, and my flowers.  Ugh.  We just planted bulbs last fall and I was teaching the girls about planting bulbs in the fall and how they will grow in the Spring.  Well, they grew and they have been eaten.  Every last crocus.  The hibiscus are blooming now and she is after them as well.  This dog. 

Almonds?  I found out almonds are not toxic to dogs if eaten.   Good thing.  She only had one.  

And I caught her just before she started nibbling on my boots.  Isn't she just adorable?  Don't let her fool you. 

She loves to be in our closet.  However, she has started pulling my PJ's out of the basket, running off with my slippers, and laying under my clothes nibbling on them.  

She loves to ride in the car, but is pretty crazy.  Soon she will be big enough to sit on her own and look out the window and hopefully not jump out!  

She is adorable.  We absolutely adore her! 

I am sure her and Mark will be buddies for a long time since he is the one who takes care of her the most! 

Lauren has grown to love her as well and is a huge help trying to catch her with toys, take her outside, and playing with her when I am trying to get ready for work! 

Addison is finally starting to love Ginger as well.  Especially when Ginger is a little more tired and calm Addison just adores her.  

We know that Ginger will be so much fun and joy to our lives for many years to come.  We are trying to enjoy this puppy phase, even though it is completely exhausting most days. She is the cutest little thing and will be full grown before we know it!  

Meet Ginger

A few weeks ago the girls and I headed up to Cedar Falls, Iowa to pick up Ginger.  Ginger was a very special Christmas gift from Santa.  She was born on January 4th and we finally got to meet her on February 27th!  She is a golden retriever (just like Zoe) and a great little puppy!  

This is about the only way I can get a picture of her!  Sleeping.  She moves to fast to try and catch her in action.  

I did grab a picture of her here...what you can't see if the swifer vacuum she was barking at...it was plugged into the wall charging.  It can be a very scary vacuum! 

But let's back up to the weekend road trip the girls and I took!  Mark had to go to Omaha for his Mom's 70th birthday party, so it was just me and the girls and the minivan!  

It was an awesome road trip.  We stayed the night in Des Moines Friday night at the Embassy Suites.  The girls were very impressed and all I wanted was the free breakfast and happy hour.  After we arrived, we swam for a little while, then played in the hotel room and headed to bed.  

The girls were up bright and early, ready to head to Cedar Falls to pick up Ginger.  We enjoyed breakfast, did some exploring around the hotel, then headed northwest 2 more hours :)  

When we arrived there were 2 girls left to pick from.  Yellow collar and red collar.  Yellow collar seemed to really loved the girls.  Red collar was the louder of the two and seemed to have a little more energy.  We face timed Mark so he could help us pick her out, but it was a pretty easy decision.  Yellow collar was ours!  

Then it was time for the 5 hour drive home!  I was so surprised how smoothly it went.  We put Ginger in this laundry basket and we were off!  The girls took turns holding her and she slept a lot as well.  

We stopped at 3 rest stops on the way home and that was all.  We gave her water and played with her for about 15-20 minutes and got back on the road again.  

At one point, they were all asleep :)  The drive home went really well.  Even though it was 6 hours, it went by very fast!  

The first evening home was rough.  She peed in the house 5 times, chewed on everything, and was full of energy.  This picture here is her watching TV.  I turned it on, laid on the hardwood floor, and she just stared at the TV.  It was so funny.  

She crawls under chairs, tables, beds, you name it! 

She sleeps a lot! It is the only way to capture a picture of her.  Anything on the move is just a big blur. 

It took Addison a few days to get used to Ginger's crazy ways.  Her sharp teeth, her jumping, her chasing, and chewing.  But, she has definitely grown to love her! 

She will go 100 miles an hour, then will just crash anywhere.  

This is probably my favorite sleeping picture.  The first few weeks at home with her she will even cuddle up in our lap and go to sleep.  She will stay asleep for a very long time.  It can be so relaxing!  

I took her to the vet when we first got her and one week later.  In one week she gained 2 lbs!  Wow.  She will probably be about 65 lbs and I know she will grow fast. 

She has a basket full of toys and she loves all of them.. She also loves the trash in the trash can.  Rugs in the bathroom, clothes on the floor, shoes on the floor, and Barbie dolls. She is scared of the vacuum and the swifer mop.  She has barked at herself in the mirror several times.  In the mornings when I am getting ready for work Addison sometimes sits in the bathtub to stay away from Ginger.  Ginger will jump up on the side of the tub, bark at Addison, and try to get in.  

Lauren has done an amazing job with Ginger.  She will go outside with her, watch her in the house, play with her and really help us out.  Addison will too, but Ginger needs to be a little more tired for Addison to handle her.  Ginger has a lot of energy when she is awake.  

Her kennel is in our closet, but she seems to enjoy sleeping on my gym bag.  Mark usually gets up with her in the morning while I shower, then he brings her to me to watch her while he gets ready.  It is certainly an adjustment and we are very tired some days, but it is so worth it.  She is so much fun.  

So here is Ginger.  The newest little fur ball in our family.  We love her to pieces already.  We know this puppy stage will be short lived so we are going to soak up every minute that we can of it!