Three Years Ago Today...

...Emmet Otter arrived on the planet to spice things up a bit!!

Emmet was not born to be the most well behaved dog in the world.

Emmet was not born to obey every command.

Emmet was not born to lie around and watch life pass him by.

Emmet was born to have fun, to live every moment like a puppy, and best of all - Emmet Otter was born to be my best play buddy.



Emmet doesn't have quite the crazy history that his big sis, Trix has - he did not witness a robbery, was not dognapped, nor did he not survive a near fatal allergic reaction to a vaccine. Emmet has a much more innocent, naive soul.

He did, however, endure a loooong three week, lamp shaded recovery from eye surgery.

Mommy said that the lamp shade broke his spirit. He was a very sad pup for three weeks. After the lamp shade was removed, though, his eyes were better and we had our crazy, energetic, ADHD pug back!!

Before that hardship, Emmet was only a year old when he had to learn to share Mommy and Daddy with their newest baby - ME!! Emmet was a magnificent friend - even when I was too little to play with him. He was never too far from my bald little head!

Since Emmet and Trixie are both May babies, they share their birthday celebration with a trip to Rita's for some yummy custard.

I think they might love custard more than I do!

Emmet - you may not act like the perfect dog, but you are perfect to us. We love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

They're Hitched!!

This past weekend, my awesome Aunt Jill took my former boyfriend, Emar, off the market by marrying him in a beautiful ceremony in Wells, Maine. Instead of 'boyfriend,' I must now refer to him as 'Uncle Emar.'

I was too little to travel to the wedding extravaganza, but Mommy and Daddy told me all about the weekend when they returned last night (and, yes, Mommy was somehow able to make it through the three day weekend without her little angel, the most perfect little girl in the world!)



Mommy said that Jill didn't stop smiling the whole weekend. Would you stop smiling if you were this gorgeous and this happy?!

When I get sad thinking about losing my boyfriend, I just look at this photo and realize how great Aunt Jill and Uncle Emar are together. Then I don't feel so sad!


Mommy said she had so much fun hanging out with Aunt Jill and all the girls of the wedding party throughout the weekend. Yes, there are really 9 bridesmaids and 1 matron of honor. Mommy had to count them for me - I can't count that high!! That just proves how many people love Aunt Jill and Uncle Emar!!


Here are Mommy and Aunt Janelle after the ceremony. Mommy said that Aunt Janelle made one of the sweetest, most heart-felt toasts she has ever heard at a wedding.

This is Daddy, Aunt Janelle and Uncle Rick hanging out after the ceremony, excitedly awaiting the ride on the giant limo party bus.









Don't Mommy and Daddy look great together?! They clean up quite well!


I love this photo - (well, except for the fact that the cutest family member is not present!) - it's a great shot of my New England family. Welcome to the family, Uncle Emar!

After riding the giant party limo-bus to the reception, Mommy was able to steal a moment of the bride's time for this photo. Mommy and Daddy said the food at the reception was delicious. Mommy's (and especially Uncle Rick's) favorite part was the chocolate fountain!


Daddy tends to get a little silly after a few beers and after dancing to a few hip-hop songs for an audience. Mommy is disappointed that she didn't get any photos of Daddy busting a move to "Rump Shaker" or of Uncle Rick shocking everyone with his hip hop flava on the dance floor!

Mommy said there was no cake-in-the-face action - would you want to smash a cake that looks this good into someone's face?

Daddy and Aunt Jill were sad when the reception ended, but they were excited to ride the trolley back to the hotel to continue the party in Aunt Janelle's room.

Mommy had to rub it in that she got to sit next to Uncle Emar on the trolley. I would have made a better trolley buddy than Mommy!

Since it is my blog, I had to include ONE photo of Your Royal Cuteness. This is a lobster sippy that Mommy and Daddy brought me back from their trip. They also bought me a stuffed lobster (or a stuffed 'bug' as my Uncle Rick calls them in his best Maine accent), but I wouldn't let Mommy take my photo with it.

Mommy and Daddy said they were honored to be a part of such a wonderful celebration of love. While they "missed me so much it hurt," I know they were happy to be with everyone this weekend. Every part of the wedding weekend was special.

CONGRATULATIONS AUNT JILL AND UNCLE EMAR!! Have fun on your multi-island honeymoon!!

Ode To Blankie

I love my blankie because...


It is very cuddly,


It can be used as a pillow,



It is portable and can go anywhere,





It is lightweight and can withstand the elements,












It provides camoflauge when hunting bunny wabbits,



It smells like roses when it comes out of the dryer,

My blankie is so great that everyone else wants to be near it, too.

Thank you, Carol, for the best blankie a little girl could ever want!

***My blog might not be updated for about a week. Mommy and Daddy leave for Aunt Jill and Uncle Emar's wedding up in Maine tomorrow. That means that I get to spend the weekend with Nana and Gramma. I'm so excited to be with them this weekend, but that means I might not get a chance to update the blog.

Aunt Jill - I hope you have the most magical weekend. You are going to be such a beautiful bride. I can't wait to see the photos!!

Aunt Janelle - I know you are going through a very rough time right now. I wish I could give you hugs and kisses to make you feel better.

I hope everyone has a great time at the wedding!

Greatest. Invention. Ever.

Two words: Tub crayons.

Last week, Aunt Sam brought me the greatest gift ever. They're called tub crayons, and I don't know how I ever took a bath without them.

They come in all sorts of colors (although Mommy and Jessi Barnak think that maybe the brown shouldn't be made for smearing on the side of a tub), and I can write all over the tub and not worry about 'staying on the paper.'


I can create a new masterpiece everynight. Now my inner Picasso is not limited to a tiny piece of paper or coloring book page. The whole tub is my canvas!!


I can even draw on different sides of the tub at the same time!

Pruney toes and fingers, cold bath water, possibly cutting into 'Elmo's World' time...none of that matters anymore. Bath time can never be long enough.


R.I.P. Jet Ski Diego.


While we're on the topic of bathtime fun, I have to say thank you to Gramma for buying me this great pink step stool. Now I can brush my teeth at the sink like a big girl.



Everytime I pass my bathroom now I want to run in, climb up my step stool and admire my cute face while I brush my teeth.

I'm going to have the cleanest 8 teeth in the world (maybe brushing them this much will help the rest of them finally grow!!)


Did I miss a spot?!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs (and Dance Parties!)

What a weekend! Besides the fact that it was Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day to all mommies of the world!), it was a very busy few days for me.

First, the Barnaks were finally able to come for a visit! Noelle has been sick lately, but on Friday she had her adenoids removed and ear tubes put in. She was as good as new by Saturday morning, so they drove out to our house on Saturday to spend the night. We had a yummy barbeque for dinner, and then Ally, Noelle and I had a few dance parties in the living room.

I shared my tub with both Ally and Noelle, and we made a big mess with the tub crayons Aunt Sam bought for me. Then we were off to bed so the mommies and daddies could have something called margaritas and play an 80s trivia game.

Thanks to Jessi for taking this photo of me. I didn't stand still long enough for her to get more, but this one is beautiful, don't you think?!


Here is a video of Ally and I having one of many dance parties. As you can see, I like to entertain my guests with loud, thumping music and rave-like dances. First Avery, now Ally and Noelle! Thanks for a great weekend, girls!!




After the Barnaks left, it was time for a visit with Auntie Tara!
Auntie T invited me to her zoo - I mean her parents' house to see her and all their animals.
















It was fun seeing Auntie T, but all I wanted to do was play with this kitty. Patches is almost 20 years old, so she wasn't too thrilled about me hanging around her. Mommy and Auntie T told me a story about how they delivered her baby kittens a long, long time ago alone in Tara's basement. They said Uncle Ferg was pretty traumatized by the whole event.


Here's another one of their kitties, Jack. He is much younger than Patches, but still didn't seem to happy about me wanting to play with him.



Mommy was too busy making sure I didn't get knocked over by the 500 pounds of dog that were in the backyard to take many photos, but here is one of me with Dixie the Horse. Auntie T says she is an Irish Wolfhound, but she looks more like a horse to me!

Although the biggest of the bunch, Dixie was also the most gentle. All she wanted to do was get belly rubs! Her belly is bigger than my whole body!

I wasn't the only munchkin getting knocked over by two tons of doggies. This is my new friend, Mia. Isn't she a cutie??


After a long and exhausting play session with the kitties and doggies, I decided to head to the back of the yard to enjoy my snack and juice. I needed a little alone time after my visit to the zoo.



Thanks for coming to visit me, Auntie T. I can't wait to see you again! I also had fun with you this morning at Market. I'm sorry I wouldn't pose for any photos. That man statue was scary and creepy!!

Seven Years Ago Today...

...Trixie was born!!!

Trixie has had an adventurous seven years. The first four years of her life, she was queen of the house. She was Mommy and Daddy's only child. Trixie was very spoiled!

During those first four years, she survived an extreme allergic reaction to a vaccine. She watched helplessly as Mommy and Daddy's apartment was broken into (if only she could tell what she saw!) Even more amazing, she managed to get home to Mommy and Daddy after being stolen out of their car 24 hours after those terrible people dognapped her. She experienced more in those first four years than most pugs.


Then came Emmet...

None of the obstacles that Trixie overcame those first four years could have prepared her for Emmet. Her life hasn't quite been the same since.



Trixie only had a year to recover from Emmet before I showed up in her life. Now she wasn't Mommy and Daddy's only little girl.


Trixie has been very kind about sharing Mommy and Daddy with me. She doesn't mind being one of Mommy and Daddy's little girls.




Even though you don't like to play with me a lot, I know you're always looking out for me.


And while you outwardly seem uncomfortable when I hug and kiss you, I know that deep down you love it.


Outwardly and deep down, I love you Trixie. Happy 7th Birthday! I can't wait to take you for your birthday custard!

The Next Shirley Temple

Trying to become the next Shirley Temple isn't easy. It takes hours of hard training every single day. This is my tap dancing regimen:

1. Wear pink jelly sandals for optimal tap sound and style.
2. Place kitchen mat on back deck for the best dance surface.
3. No need for music - use nature sounds (birds chirping, pugs snorting, snarling and barking) as your soundtrack.
4. Bounce, wave arms wildly, and tap your little heart away.

Happy Birthday Aunt Janelle!

Today is my cool Aunt Janelle's birthday. I hope your day is special!!

Two Peas in a Pod...

...Or a Recliner. My cousin Drew and I love to smoosh our little hineys (one of my favorite new words to say!) together on recliners. Whenever we're together, we always end up sharing a chair. Maybe that's why I have boy cooties - I sit too close to Drew and they rub off on me!





Hey Drew - did you notice that everytime we sit together the paparazzi show up and start snapping photos?


































Let's give the paparazzi a good show. Kissing cousins - that will be on the cover!!


































Sitting close to Drew gives me the opportunity to polish his style a bit. I think you need to button one more button for a more clean look, Drew.













Here I am protecting my bear from Drew. You know what they say - keep your friends close and your klepto cousins closer!

Alright, Drew. This sharing a chair thing is getting dull. Wanna go try on other people's shoes?

We don't just share recliners. We had been sharing this bench at Great Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house admiring the fish when I noticed Drew looking unrefined with his open buttons again.

Normally Drew is very dapper, but he needs a little help with those buttons!

Bye bye! Have a great day!