Bart and Rosie

Happy Birthday, Bart and Rosie! It's hard to believe that our babies are 3 years old! Has it really been that long since I sat up all night helping your sweet mama bring you into the world?

With all of our kids grown and sort of gone, Papa and I didn't exactly set out to raise another family, but what fun we would have missed if Bart and Rosie hadn't come into our lives! Their little mama (affectionately known as "Baby" and pictured below) is my dearest friend and closest companion. She and I have been through a lot together in the last nine years!

She wasn't supposed to get out that Saturday night in the summer of 2004, but... well, these things happen, you know. Even though I went up and down our country road in my nightgown well after bedtime that night looking for her, puppies happened. A whole adorable litter of them! It wasn't easy to give any of them away, but after plenty of begging, Papa relented and let two of them stay with us. He's nice like that, you know. ; )

Stephen chose Rosie to be the love of his life, his sweet baby girl. She's the little white one. Rosie is our Barbie doll, drama queen. She's sneaky, too! Don't let her delicate appearance fool you. This little girl is ten pounds of trouble!

















Jamie chose the little black one, which her then boyfriend named "Bartimaeus". That's what we call him when he's in trouble. Most of the time he's just "Bart". Originally, he was the naughty one, but let's just say he responded to training better than his sister. Now he's a cuddly thirteen pound teddy bear.

We still think of them as "the puppies" even though they're three years old. Most nights you will find them curled up in our laps as we sit and talk or watch tv. They like my lap best for snuggling 'cause I'm such a softie, but sometimes it gets a little crowded with 3 dogs and 2 cats. Papa is their favorite playtime friend. He's more fun than I am! Can you tell how much he loves them?