Magnolia

Magnolia is my dear sweet puppy.  Gill and I rescued her from the pound the first winter we were here in Charlotte.  That was over 3 years ago, and I still call her my puppy.  For a while, she was also my "baby".  Gill and I often joked that we would see if we could care for a dog before we thought about having children.  I ran my business from home, so Maggie and I spent all day, every day together.  She was always curled at my feet, sitting on my lap or bringing me a ball to play with.

When we got pregnant, Maggie enjoyed that too.  Especially when I was required to lay down for 3 hours every afternoon!  She and I would cuddle on the couch in the middle of the day, it was great!  Maggie would always lay right next to me and rest her head on my stomach.  Until, one day, my stomach grew too big and she couldn't put her head there anymore.  It was hysterical to see her try and even funnier when she did and one of the babies kicked her!  She started barking at my belly, it was great!

Magnolia was curious, but not so interested when we first brought the boys home.  I believe she was annoyed that they were getting so much of my attention, but she seemed to pretend they weren't there.

Now, it's a totally different story.  

With toddlers comes toddler FOOD -  Snacks all the time that drop on the floor.  

Magnolia has found herself 2 best friends.  

Finnegan loves to play with Maggie.  He gets her toys and throws them to her.  He

chases her around the couch and they both have the best time.

Patrick enjoys feeding Maggie.  

He even tells her to "sit" before showering her with goldfish and animal crackers.  

I love that my boys love my puppy.  These days, they may argue that Magnolia is their dog and no longer mine, but that's alright with me.  I believe that every child should grow up with a dog, and we've got a great one!