Benjamin, Henry & Luna didn’t get to do anything fun this weekend because we got rain, rain and more rain. We got up early on Saturday morning to cut the grass and do some yard work. After we finished up the pugs played a bit in the yard, but then it started to rain and it rained for the rest of the weekend.
So, they caught up on their beauty rest and lounged about the house. They didn’t really mind that it was raining except when it was time to go potty. Then Benjamin and Luna were miserable. I tried to do my best and take them out when it was only sprinkling as opposed to when it was pouring down rain, but they didn’t get so lucky on Sunday night. There just was no break in the rain. I have never seen Benjamin & Luna poop so quick before.
Even though the weather sucked, I enjoyed the weekend. We really needed the rain and sometimes it is nice to have an excuse to spend the weekend lounging around the house.
The boys’ birthdays got us reminiscing about old times and thinking about all the crazy things that we have done with the pugs over the years. The things that seemed to be the most memorable were the embarrassing moments or the times when our parenting just wasn’t up to par. So, I thought I would share some of these stories over the next couple of weeks. If I have any pics I will share them too, but I don’t think I have too many pictures of these events as I am glad that most of them went undocumented.
Luna’s Face Plant
Adopting Luna was a very exciting time for us. We were literally giddy with excitement and we couldn’t wait to welcome the little girl into the family. Part of welcoming her into the family, for us, was to take her to do all the things that we enjoyed doing with the boys. One of those things was going to the beach.
So, shortly after we adopted her, we made plans to go to the beach. When we arrived at the beach, we went for a little walk along a boardwalk trail. A walk that the boys had been on a countless number of times. But, watching Luna learn her way around made the walk new again. At the end of the boardwalk path is steps leading down to the beach. The boys know this and this is usually when they get most excited because they can’t wait to get to the beach. In all our excitement to get to the beach we all start to run. The boys hit the stairs at a full sprint and Luna, feeding off the energy of her brothers, is not far behind. We are almost to the bottom of the steps and I notice that the last step is going to be a big jump as the ocean has washed away much of the sand and now the steps don’t quite go all the way down to the sand anymore. No problem. It is certainly not a huge jump, it is just a bit longer so it breaks the momentum. The boys see the difference and make the leap to the beach. Luna doesn’t and she lands smack dab on her face. We make the jump, pull her up out of the sand only to see that her face is covered in sand and so are her eyes. The little girl never even blinked.
At this moment, we realize that the water we brought is in the truck. So, one of us stays behind to try and wipe the worst of the sand off her face, while the other sprints to the truck to get the water so that we can flush her eyes.
We get the sand out of her eyes and Luna is really no worse for the wear. She is ready to start running around on the beach. But it is at this moment, that I start looking around because I am certain that someone is about to come take Luna from us. She has been with us all of maybe three days and look how we are treating her. Clearly we are not fit.
This was our wake up call to Luna’s vision issues. We found out the hard way that the girl really can’t see all that well. It was a process learning how Luna sees the world. Over time we found out that Luna doesn’t really see that well looking down and that she can’t see much of anything at night. After the face plant incident, we took things a lot slower with Luna as we had to figure out what she can and can’t see.
It was a wake up call for us and made us realize all of the things that we took for granted with the boys.
To this day, every time we go to the beach, I think about Luna sticking her head in the sand. Lucky for us they let us keep her!
Today, Henry celebrates his 6th birthday! The boys are just one week apart in age and they have been causing a ruckus with us since Benny was 13 weeks old and Henry was 12 weeks old. Like I did with Benjamin & Luna, I would like to share some of the things that Henry has taught me over the years.
It’s OK to ask for help
Because of his hip dysplasia, Henry has never been much of a jumper, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to get up on things. While Benjamin and Luna easily leap onto things like the bed, Henry quietly sits by the edge of the bed and politely asks for a helping hand. We are always more than willing to help him out.
Sometimes, we just can’t do it all by ourselves. And if you ask for a little help, people are usually more than happy to oblige.
Blaze your own trail
When we lived in Maryland, we frequently went to a park where we could hike through the woods. When we would get to a certain point, we would let Benjamin & Henry off their leash. Benjamin, always stayed right with us and trotted along the beaten path with us. But, Henry, however, was always making his own way. The path was boring and he would always stray to the right or the left of the trail to see the sights that others missed by following the tried and true way.
To this day, he is still like that. He will always choose the path less traveled.
Stretch
Henry starts every morning with a big stretch. Just when I am about to move him to make the bed, he gives me a big ‘ole stretch. What a way to start the day. With a little something just for you before you are consumed by the stress of the day.
Think Things Through
Henry is not a pug to jump to conclusions. He likes to make sure he is right. For example, if someone is in the kitchen, Benjamin and Luna will come running. Henry, on the other hand, will wait and watch and listen to what you are doing. If he hears sounds like bowls clanking or the treat jar opening, he will come running, but he isn’t one to jump to conclusions.
While it is easy to be overcome by excitement. It’s still a good idea to think things through because things aren’t always as they seem.
It’s not about being the best, it’s about doing what you love
Henry loves to swim and out of the three pugs he is by far the worst swimmer. Benjamin and Luna could swim laps around him, but neither one of them really want anything to do with the water. Henry certainly doesn’t like to swim because he is superstar swimmer. He swims because he likes splashing around in the water.
There have been so many things that I have given up on or not even tried because I knew I wouldn’t be any good at them. Henry has helped me learn that it isn’t always about being the best. It is about doing what you like to do because it brings you happiness.
Now that they are six (almost six in Henry’s case. Today is Henry’s last day as a 5 year old) their late night bone chewing marathons really take a toll on them in the morning. They sure aren’t teenagers anymore!
In keeping with the boys’ birthday celebrations, I thought I would pull a photo from the archives for this week’s Caption This. Here we have Benjamin and Henry at about a year old gazing out the front door in Maryland.
One of the things that I love the most about Baby Benny is his cowlicks. He has a cowlick on each one of his shoulders.
They line up almost exactly and I am always tempted at Halloween to buy one of those gag arrow through the head costumes for Benny with the arrow of course lining up with his cowlicks. That way, I could say that Benny was shot by Cupid’s arrow. Cupid being our cat, of course.
I know it has been a long, rough winter for many of you, but hopefully signs of better weather are starting to show up here and there. My question for all you pug lovers out there is what are you most looking forward to doing with your pug this Spring?
Here are some of the things I am looking forward to doing with Benjamin, Henry & Luna:
Swimming: The pool water should be warm enough for swimming soon. Weekend afternoons splashing around in the pool are my favorite.
The Beach: It is warm enough to go to the beach now, but the ocean water is still too chilly for me. I love going to the beach with the pugs and floating with Henry, up and down over the waves, on the boogie board.
Long walks: Spring is good weather for the pugs because it is not too hot. As soon as summer comes along we have to cut our walks way short because it is just too hot for the puggies.
Playing in the yard: In good weather, after work, I like to grab an insane amount of toys and plop them in the backyard. Benny, Henry & Luna run around, chasing each other and picking up toys that are in their path. Plus, since none of the pugs are any good at fetch, it gives me lots of toys to throw to have them chase without me having to constantly fetch the toy myself.
