So There Was This Dog....

And since our family seems to be the current animal shelter we seem to inherit every stray thing that exists in our county. Since we already have 3 dogs all tipping the scales at 80 lbs and over I was most definitely not in the market for a new canine. This girl has been running around town as a stray for 4 wks now. And given how very tiny our town is there was no question or doubt as to whose home she came from. After our children finally rounding her up and winning her trust over they quarantined her within welding husband's shop. I had visions of a flea infested, tick ridden, mangy, malnourished, scoundrel dog that we had neither time nor funds to deal with. Children took off for owner's house in which they denied all ownership of this girl. Contact was made with GSD rescue friend. Arrangements were made to either transport her to Dallas and, if all else failed, tote her off to the pound. After spending some time with her though, we discovered that there was not one flea or tick to be found on her, she is extremely intelligent and knows many commands, has manners that rival what we work on instilling within our own kids, and as gentle and loving as they come....along with being amazingly housetrained. She tolerates cats, loves our other 3 massive dogs and quickly won over everyone's affection....including not so entirely dog partial husband's admiration. So, to make a long story short...she's the newest member to our menagerie. We're up to 4 dogs, 6 cats, the few hundred pet chickens, and 2 horses....as we're now boarding mother's horse as well.

The crowd's cheered as the final ruling came down that we could indeed keep her. And, since not too lenient daddy allowed them to keep her...and, in fact, in the end was actually siding with kids and trying to convince me why we should hang onto her....he was given the honor of naming her. Her previous owners bobbed her tail for some awful reason so he christened her......NOTAR. And yes...it's supposed to be all capitalized. It's the aviation term for No Tail Rotor on helicopters. So lovely. And so fitting of a name he'd come up with. So, NOTAR it is....pronounced no-tar.

And since I'm on my way out the door to town, this whole entire post is going to be cut short. I've only been trying to post it for 4 days now. It was supposed to be a lot longer and funnier but I can't even begin to think for the baby in my lap, the 2 yr old flopping around behind me in the same chair I occupy, the 3 yr old trying to squeeze in with the three of us in the same 12 inches of space all while playing with baby in lap, the incessant talking of a 5 year old, the 70 lb dog laying on my feet, the begging of a 6 year old to bring home crap from town and the fighting between the handwashing dishwasherer and the dryer he's been assigned. On a side note....I'd like to say my children wouldn't ever dream of fighting and be this super amazing wondrous mom that has the anwer for all sibling rivalry....but they do, I'm not and I don't and if I said that's the case it just wouldn't be reality. So, the end.

It didn't take long to make herself at home

The children have an affinity for doing dishes with babies...and babies have an affinity for falling asleep while in tow.

What they do when older ones are doing school and I'm out talking business with town residents. The white on the left would be all natural sea salt, in which Gavin ate a heaping spoonful...or 2, and the brown on the right would be Rapidura, the all natural sugar, in which Ivye was all to eager to spoon in....and play in.


The Rapidura eater

And yes...we do have more kids than just this one....but she happens to be inseparable from the dog and always around when the camera was out the last few days.

They learn early around here. And he's the baby with no teeth yet...while his twin has 4. Guess his brother's been teaching him.

Once he started crawling...not much stops him....including his twin. Jiu jitsuing husband says they were born for the mat.

His 1st tooth. Growing up so fast.