Benefits of a Stay-at-Home Mommy

During the last two weeks, Kenzie's life has changed dramatically. Thanks to my career status change, she has become increasingly spoiled and accustomed to the following:

- Sitting or sleeping in mommy's lap when she's at the computer, instead of locked up in the crate
- Getting the occasional extra bone or treat to occupy her so that mommy can get some job-searching done
- Going for walks or jogs in the park on a daily basis ... hooray!
- Taking naps on the couch, on her favorite ottoman, in mommy's lap ... anywhere but the crate
- Getting to watch mommy try new recipes, or sew, or become other sorts of domesticated
- Taking more naps

This last one, to me, seems like such an optical illusion! Is Kenzie really that long??

Why can't I sleep with them?

Weekend visitors! Kenzie was so excited that Aunt Ashley and Uncle Scott came to visit. In fact, she was so thrilled to have their attention that it took her over an hour to settle down and go to sleep in our room last night. She was whining at the end of the bed, or sat staring at the door, desperate to go find them in the other room! Silly dog... here's their parting pic. She was impressively alert. Thanks for coming, Scott and Ashley!

Kenzie's New Friend

Kenzie loves company, and knows other dogs are lots of fun. But babies - that's a whole other story! Our friends came over tonight with their PRECIOUS nearly 1-year-old daughter and Kenzie thought they all came just for her. She loves being chased. So having a laughing baby crawling after her made her night. Kenzie's new friend did pull on her tail some, play with her paws, and occasionally body-slam her (unintentionally, of course -- learning to stand and walk is not easy!), but Kenzie didn't seem to mind (and gave her fair share of sniffs and playful pursuits). But mostly, she enjoyed the extra attention... Thanks, Lana, for coming to play!

Saturday Morning Snooze

Kenzie loves to sleep on Mommy's side of the bed ... sometimes pillow and all!

This was a couple of weeks ago. Kenzie on her favorite ottoman, all bundled up and sleeping peacefully.

Kenzie's Life in 2010

Kenzie Bean woke me up at 5:50 this morning, no doubt because she wanted me to finally update her blog, which hasn't been touched since November! Kenzie is a very privileged puppy and gets to sleep in our bed, usually right in the middle or under the covers somewhere, or snuggled up against one of us. This is what she does when it's bedtime, so we'll lift her up onto the bed.Our bed's not that high, but she wouldn't dream of jumping up there. She did, however, miraculously develop some jumping skills right after the Christmas break! Took her almost two years, but now she jumps right up on the couch like it's nothing. Or the ottoman, one of her favorite spots when we're watching TV.This is right after I got back from Christmas and picked her up at the kennel - what a happy reunion! She was glad to get all her Christmas gifts. :)As much as Kenzie loves lounging around, she couldn't be more excited to hear the words "walk" or "park." She just knows something good is coming up. We tried out Lake Balboa recently and she tried to make friends with a duck. Too bad she was on her leash!

When I went to New York for work back in February, I got to see Kenzie's Golden Retriever friend, Ari, and he sent her back some delicious hot dog treats! Things were a little light in the friend department since our move, until some of our neighbors got the most adorable long-haired black and white chihuahua named Patches. Kenzie and Patches bonded instantly. Kenzie cries when she sees him and they run toward each other like there's nothing else in the world.