Sometimes Kenzie Gets Headaches

But don't worry ... we don't really let her take the Advil.

On another note, Mackenzie is now 8 months old! And I've been thinking about how it is such a fulfilling experience being puppy parents. No, it's not always easy, of course. Kenzie has peed in our bed a few (several?) times at night, costing us extra quarters for all the loads of laundry, has given us a scare running down the stairs outside our apartment without her leash on, we've had to clean up some things that we'd rather not, she can be a bit over-excited b/c she's so personable, and she tends to balance out her cuddliness with play bites that don't feel good!

But, even in the frustration, I know that I love her. Even when she's disobedient (every day) or difficult to deal with, she's still our puppy — the one we thought was so cute (and a little frail-looking) online as a tiny baby, the one who licks Ryan's face in the morning to show how much she loves him, the one who snuggles under the covers next to me and curls up with a sigh, the one who has the cutest expressions and the softest, floppiest ears that will forever endear her to my heart, the one who still whines and whimpers a bit when I let her out of her crate at lunch time, the one who takes off running in a crazed frenzy when she's actually exposed to a yard full of grass, the one who loves to run off with my socks and various "unmentionables" when I'm doing laundry, the one who wants to be petted and rubbed and feels like it's the end of the world if she has to be separated from us (especially for discipline!), and the one who depends on us, daily, for ... everything.

I love our little Kenzie, and feel so blessed to have her! If this is how I feel about a dog, I can't imagine the wealth of emotions and blessing that come with actually having a child. This is just a tiny glimpse, I'm sure, of how God's miraculous creation, and the cycle of it, enriches life so much.