Oscar the Grouch meets Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

I gotta say, most of the time things are pretty sweet around here. By sweet I don't mean like, "Dude,sweet!" but puppies and rainbows kind of sweet.  Wait, on second thought... with two teenage boys, sometimes it is more of the "Dude, sweet!" But, what I mean is, life with 3 kids and 2 dogs is 90% joy, 10% something less than joy.  Those are pretty good stats, I'd say.

Since Rooney came into our lives he has certainly only increased the joy.  Even with all of the trials of puppyhood, I feel as though we are riding out these days with patience and humor. How could moments like these not exponentially increase your happiness quota?

Please note: The Santa jammies and pink bicycle helmet are not necessarily relevant to this discussion, they merely increase the cuteness of this post.  I apologize for the indiscriminate and unabashed use of adorable children and puppies to manipulate the viewing audience.

And normally, even when the adorable scamp manages to slip out the backdoor with his blankie- that is supposed to remain in his crate- my reaction is to grab the camera rather than scold. (I am also even willing to overlook the fact that life with two dogs has left us with a backyard that will never be photographed for Home & Garden unless it is as a cautionary tale). 

But there are days... and here is where the discussion part comes in, because I'm hoping I'm not the only one...

Yes, there are days.. and yesterday was one of those days when this adorable pup, whom I love beyond all reason...

...had all of the behavior, mannerisms and personality of something more like this...

And I, someone who works very hard to maintain a sense of humor in the face of chaos.  Someone who fancies herself a bit of a modern day Mary Poppins, singing included, found herself spitting out words like, "What is wrong with you today!" and unintelligible sounds like, "Aaargh! Grrr! AAACK!" and nary a word about a Spoonful of Sugar or how Supercalafragilistic everything is.

In fact, rather than looking like a put together, slightly uptight, lovely Julie Andrews... I looked more like this:

Please... I know this site is full of true blue Doodle lovers...true blue dog lovers.... The level of dedication, time and affection I see poured out on this site is truly inspiring to me.  And on most days, I am right there with you.  Today, I am right there with you.  But, yesterday...I admit, I was a little grouchy with these furry members of my household.

Please tell me you have those days too. Or, could you at least fib a little and say you do?

P.S. If you could indulge me in one more photo... Reagan is getting really jealous about all the press Rooney receives.  I'm tired of hearing all the "chopped liver" comments and how he's "been around for 8 years and nobody ever wrote a blog about me..."  So, I give you the Old Man himself, our Reagan.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Saved by their cuteness almost every hour! 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Come on Lori, you know full well there is no such thing as a bad day in Doodleville, it must be you!

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

That's EXACTLY what I was afraid of!

[Bonnie and Kona]

hahahaha!

[Katie and Sophie]

oh we have had days like this.  The other day Soph and her sister Jade had to get not one, not two, but three baths in a 24 hour period because they just couldn't manage to stay out of duck poop pond. (named for the way they smell after they get out) 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Ummm... I am really glad there is nothing resembling a "duck poop pond" anywhere near our house.  That would not make me happy.  Oscar might make a few too many appearances if Rooney were needing 3 baths in a single day.  Yikes!

[Katie and Sophie]

haha we were visiting the future in laws and it is behind their house, so luckily it is not a daily thing for us.  They just can't resist those ducks :)

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

What cute pictures and so glad things are back to normal! It's good to see a picture of Reagan! Your family is adorable!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Adorable pictures of kids, dogs and the "old man".  However, your Tazmanian devil day sounds like a normal day at my house with Tigger and Roo.  So I am a bit jealous.  Today, however was not the best day at all, however.  Roo lfted his leg on the chair/rug in the living room.....I mean WTD?  He has never done that, he's four.  Then Tigger, who has his dim moments, ambled over and did the same thing on a different chair/part of the rug.  Really??????  I was NOT pleased.  It is nearly a full moon, but I don't think that accounts for it.  Our living room now looks like it has just undergone either a break-in or a drug search.  Both chairs are tipped up and drying from the cleaning/ nature's miracle and the affected corners of the rub are lifted off the floor on a mountain of towels for the same reason.

I have kept the two darlings prisoner with me in one room or another.  I am not too excited to go back to tying them to me.  Oh .....Please tell me it was a one time offense.

 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Oh my, Maryann....you sure know how to put things in perspective. I'd be deep into a glass of wine after a day like that! :) I really do hope that Tigger and Roo will give you a break and be on their best behavior for the weekend!

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Great blog. Love pictures of your kids, young Rooney and "old man". Reagan reminds me of so much of my golden retriever, Busoh.

Sadly, Busoh passed away 2 years ago at age of 10. Here's a picture of our dearest "Bu"

After Bu, we decided to get a labradoodle instead because my husband has mild asthma, but doodles and retrievers have very similar temperaments which is why I love them so much.

I totally understand that 10% which "shall not be named". Chewie's vice is chewing on tissues, cotton pads, cotton buds (q-tips) from the basket in the toilet and having a go at my slippers!!

 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Kimmy- Thank you for sharing that photo of Bu. What a beautiful boy... Sadly, Reagan has a number of health issues so we don't know how much longer the Old Man will be with us, but we are trying to cherish our days with him. It's amazing how these dogs who can cause so much aggravation in their younger years (and believe me, Reagan caused MORE than his fair share) still manage to worm their way into our hearts to where we can't imagine life without them.

Rooney loves Reagan so much (sometimes Reagan wishes he'd love him a little less). He is going to be sad when his crotchety Uncle Reagan goes to Dog Heaven. :( Hopefully that won't be for another year or more...