Now and Then

This is Kevin last Saturday night at the Rampage Game with his dogs Lazaurs and Moses.


That was Kevin with Suzie, his canine buddy when he was just a pup himself.

What cuties!

Pucks and Paws

Mom and Dad took us to a real hockey game on Saturday. We got to park in a special place and there were lots of dogs and people waiting to greet us there. I was so excited to go into the area where lots of tables were set up and people had treats for me. After we walked around for a little while, I started to get hot and we went inside this huge building. It was nice and cool in there. We went inside another area and I saw ice! I haven't seen ice since I lived in North Dakota. I used to play hockey and actually met some of the Fighting Sioux team when dad had them in his class! They liked me because I was a cute pup. Go Sioux!

I personally did not like this interior area. The music was WAY too loud for my ears and I tried to back out of my collar and run out. Unfortunately, Mom must have suspected I would do this because I had my no slip collar on...I didn't even notice her put it on in all my excitement to get inside. See my picture of me hiding under the chairs. We had good seats though! Moses seemed to like watching the game. He sat right next to Dad and watched the players skate and hit the puck. I guess the music didn't bother him, but I sure didn't like it.

Mom took me back outside and entered me in a fastest return contest. Mom walked across the stage and everyone watched how fast I came to her when she called me. The audience gasped at my speed. I am really good at coming back to her when she calls. I always get a treat for it too! Mom said she was proud because there were lots of distractions and I was very focused on returning to her when she called me.

All in all, it was a fun night!

-Your pal, Laz

Florida Trip

I made my somewhat usual trip to Florida for Spring Break this year. I got to go to two Spring Training Baseball games with one being to Vero Beach to see the Dodgers in their last year at Dodgertown. I also went to the beach once and did some body surfing. I also spent time with my Mom and Uncle and we all went to an antique auto show on Saturday morning. Not surprisingly, my favorite vehicle was this vintage scooter from the 1960s. The weather was great while I was there, but I was glad to return home and be back with the pack.

Kevin

Just wanted to make sure that everyone saw Lazie's great jumping!

Swimming in February!

We were able to go swimming last weekend at the Comal River. With air temperatures in the high 70's and water temps in the low 70's, a refreshing dip was had by all members of the pack. Laz LOVES to leap into the water after his tennis ball. He is so sweet though because when one of the humans jump in, he watches and makes sure we come up OK. If we take too long under water, he comes looking for us. What a sweetheart. He is really starting to get some distance when he jumps in.

Moses is now comfortable with long retrieves. He has also started a new habit of swimming to the opposite shore to chase whatever is over there. Luckily, it is a wooded area, and he romps around over there until we can convince him to come back. He is starting to open up his paws to go faster in the water (his paws are webbed like a duck for swimming). Laz has already mastered this skill and is an extremely fast swimmer.

Of course, Kevin LOVES swimming, any time of year, and especially loves swimming with his water dogs. Be sure to click on the pictures to see them up close. It is worth it. Laz shaking off is especially funny.

Valentine's Day

Kevin and I attended a Sweetheart Dinner and Dance at our church for Valentine's Day. The event supported missions here and abroad. The dance raised over $5,000 dollars through a silent auction and offerings from attendees. Fortunately, one of our meal choices was pasta with meat sauce that was very good. We got to sit with our friends, Felicia and Matt, and Jamie and Dale at our table. I think all of us were a bit concerned about the median age of attendees for the party that ran from 5:30- 8:00. However, it was a good mix of people and we danced to some slow songs and got to speed it up later. It is often difficult to transition into a new congregation, but our transition into the St. John's flock has been smooth and rewarding. Praise God!

-Julie

"Moses" with Claire

This is Claire Garrett with her "Moses" toy. She is getting used to Moses as a toy, before she meets him for real. What a sweetie Claire is!!

Moses' Favorite Spot

Moses loves to sit and sun himself on a little hill just beyond our back patio. He likes the higher ground because he can view his surroundings, and it gets some good midday sun to keep him warm. Because he never spent a whole winter up north, he much prefers the warm weather compared to Laz who likes the temperature around 45 F. A great afternoon for Moses is to chew a bone on his little hill in the Sun with a gentle breeze and a 75 F temperature.

Kevin

Happy Birthday President Lincoln

To celebrate President Lincoln's 199th birthday, Kevin baked a yellow cake and David, Kevin and I went to Chisholm Trail BBQ for lunch. Lazarus and Moses especially love the yellow cake (as did I). Note Mosi's drool!

-Julie

Palmetto State Park

On Sunday instead of watching the useless Super Bowl, we went to Palmetto State Park near Gonzales. Ellen, Ross, and Jack came too. The park was virtually empty and the dogs got to burn off a lot of energy. The park is set along a low point of the San Marcos River and it is a swampy area which allows Palmettos to grow in the natural environment. As you might expect, Lazarus and Moses found the River and swimming the most fun part of the trip. Then, we had a late dinner over at Ellen and Ross's house and watched the 4th Quarter of the Super Bowl. As someone who detests the NY Giants, I was not happy with the outcome, but at least they beat a team I have no affection for. The league has been trying for years to get the Giants a championship from giving them 9 home games to awful officiating in the Cowboys game-- and the fix worked. The most important part of the day was how much fun we had at Palmetto State Park.

It's about time for baseball!

Go Rangers!

MOSES is 2!

Happy Birthday to Moses!

I turned 2 and to celebrate, we had a Birthday Party! I invited all of my neighborhood friends to come over and have treats and cake. 38 of my human friends came and 15 of my canine friends. I think Chili and Laz had the best times. Chili likes to come over to my house and get cake and treats. He is the Weiner Dog in the photo and he jumps up and down even though he is 15 and has a broken back. He normally isn't quite that nimble (of course I am always nimble and able to jump very high). Chili and his sisters Whoopi and Maggie also had fun playing with the kids that were too little to play with me, which was pretty much all of them... but I got to play a little. There was this one little boy Alex, who I was able to push over so easily. He is much easier to knock over than Dad, which I find very interesting. I need to do more testing on this idea that some people are easier to knock over than others.

Anyway, I got to see Sarah who sometimes takes care of me and it was GREAT! I've missed her because she had a baby, Claire! My friend Dave and Kelly came by, and Kelly brought Emma who liked playing with Laz. Laz just kept running after his ball. Over and over again, throw and fetch. He would chase it for a n y o n e ! He was extremely tired afterwards. Oh - my vet came... she promised not poke or prod me so I allowed her to come in. I really like her, especially when I see her outside of the vet. Also in attendance were: Skye, Pudgin, Jack, Diva, Ginger, Mylie, Schnitzel, Sammy and Kacey. There were 3 Chocolate labs, but no other Pointers.

Mom made the cake that the dogs ate, and Dad made the human cake. My cake had carrots, honey, peanut butter, eggs and flour. The frosting was cream cheese! The human cake was shaped like Texas with a location marker where I am located.

Mom and Dad say I am starting to mind more - whatever that means, and I am getting to go swimming off my leash now. My birthday party was fun, but you don't need a party to come visit me!

Love,
Moses

Lazarus Lincoln!

Here are a few pictures of Lazie's latest caper. The substance is flour. A 1/2 full bag of flour was left on a counter in the kitchen while we went out. A hungry Laz thought the flour would taste as scrumptious as the final product that flour makes (cakes), but was stupefied to find that his equation was ineffective. He destroyed the whole bag in his haste to find good eats in the ingredient bag. We did not need a CSI team to figure out the guilty party!

-Julie

Fight On! SC

After being horribly dissapointed after the loss to Stanford, Kevin and I broke our previous USC rock that we had sitting in front of the house. It has sat broken since that game and with a victory in the Rose Bowl, we felt it was time to replace the rock and restore the outward expression of our school spirit!

Kevin also built a retaining wall to show off our new rock and house numbers.

I think Kevin did an excellent job!

Mosi for Claire

We found this adorable stuffed German Shorthaired Pointer toy that looked just like Moses for Claire for Christmas. Claire is about 5 months. Moses and Laz are excited to meet her, but until then she can play with Moses' alter ego Mosi. According to Mom, "Claire loves her Mosi!" Unfortunately, Laz and Moses wanted to keep Moses for themselves. Here are some pictures of us trying to show Mosi and Mosi's likenesses. Note the one with Mosi's leg in Mosi's mouth. Oh - I even docked his tail to look like Mosi's!

Julie

Time for my birthday!

Hey, Mosi here.

I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that my birthday is coming up and we are having a party as usual. I am turning 2! Dad and Mom have been talking about how much better behaved I have been lately and how much I have matured. Laz says that means that they might bring home another dog (He says they got me when they said that about him when he was 1 1/2). I do not think that will work though because Laz and I are so needy and desire so much affection. Anyway, my main "point" is that my party is coming up on January 26 and I will be fired up for it. We will have all the burners going on our new grill!

Moses