Birthday Girl!!

I am sure that by now everyone knows about my furbaby, Riley Banks Brown. She is the sweetest dog. I don't even LIKE dogs!!! But this baby girl has my HEART!

Robbie and I discussed time and time again getting a puppy and trying to figure out if we were ready for the responsibility. So we did lots of research and we decided we wanted a lab puppy. It is actually funny because since the beginning of our relationship, Robbie always said that we would have a big dog and I always said heck no, that is disgusting to have a big dog inside. But here we are. We found a breeder near our hometown who had just had a litter of puppies, and he had ONE female left! So on a cold April day, we drove to Rocky Mount to meet our little baby.

The first few days were ROUGH. My sister slept on the floor in front of her crate one night, Robbie the other. I would joke that I had postpartum depression because when she woke us up in the middle of the night crying and I would just sit on the couch and cry myself!

But she is the sweetest girl now. Through the years we have had to replace many things...carpet, linoleum, countless toys...but nothing compared to what the books told us we would replace (couches, tables, cords, etc).

The reason for the post is our baby turned four years old on January 18th!!! We cannot believe that we have had her for four years! We celebrated by giving her a new toy and a couple of treats!! She is still a handful and still reminds me of a puppy each and every time she furrows her brow when she is concentrating, or pounces on her toy or recognizes herself in the mirror and growls. She loves going home to Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house and spending time with Grandma Jennette, Aunt Hannah and her favorite canine, Ella.

I *know* that she understands many words...Grandma, "wanna go for a walk/ride/bye bye", treat, cookie, Ella, Hannah, Grandma, potty, etc. She is soooo smart!!!

And she is a true princess!!! Only a precursor for what our children will be like!! She has monogrammed beds, monogrammed bags, food mats, and a Coach collar. She definitely is preparing us for a human baby one day!!!

So to end this rambling, I am so happy I gave in to my hubby and we followed our heart in finding this adorable baby who makes us happy each and every day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET RILEY!!!!!