Happy Birthday Paisley!

Our sweet puppy celebrates her 3rd birthday today! Noah got her a couple of toys and even made her a card - such a sweet boy!

Happy Birthday Paisley!!

P is for Paisley

During summer camp Noah seemed to really enjoy painting, so the other day we broke out the water colors and he painted a few pictures. His art is rather "abstract" since he doesn't have the best fine motor skills so he was pointing to one of the paintings and signing "dog" meaning Paisley. I thought he was trying to tell me that the painting was OF Paisley but then I realized he meant it was FOR Paisley. How sweet is that? 

So, he wanted to put it in his room, which is where Paisley's toys and doggie bed are and I came up with an idea that he loved. When his painting was dry, we turned it over and I traced a P on the back of it using a stencil. Then I cut out the P for him. I got a cheap frame and cut a purple (apparently purple is Paisley's favorite color) piece of cardstock to fit the frame then we glued the P in the middle of the cardstock and popped it in the frame. 

This was seriously so simple to do and would be cool to do for Grandparent gifts, teacher gifts, etc. You could cut out any type of shape or letter out of the painting. It took me less than five minutes but Noah thinks it's awesome and adores it because HE made it. 

And now it is hanging above Paisley's doggie bed and toy box in Noah's room. 

Updated on 9/14/11

We also made a birthday card for my Mom using one of Noah's other paintings but I couldn't share it before because we hadn't given it to her! Again, I just flipped the painting over and traced butterflies onto the back of the painting and then cut them out and adhered them to cardstock. Cute, easy, and meaningful! 

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar

Noah and Paisley

Noah and his puppy Paisley have a really awesome bond. Before we had her, I wasn't overly keen on the idea of having a dog but I knew it would be good for Noah so we moved forward with the idea. And over the almost two years we have had her, it has become so clear to me that getting Noah a puppy was a great decision.

Having Paisley has given Noah a sense of purpose and responsibility that I really couldn't provide him with if it weren't for her. While he can't care for her all on his own, he does help when it is time to give her water and food. Often times, when we are at Walmart, he will want to go over to the pet section and pick out a treat or a new toy for her. When he does things for her, he loves for us or parents to tell him what a good pet owner he is. I think it's really good for his self esteem. 

Every morning once Noah is dressed and ready for school, I put Paisley in Noah's room and shut the door so she doesn't try and run out of the house when I take Noah to the bus. Noah follows me and (without prompting for me) he will blow Paisley a kiss, tell her he loves her, and then wave bye to her. If for some reason he is not right there with me when I am putting Paisley in his room, he will go back and open the door so she can get her kisses and he can tell her bye. He will not go to school until he does that! 

My favorite Noah and Paisley thing is the way he calls her. Noah doesn't verbally say very many words but he does a distinctive "grunt" (for lack of a better word) when he wants to call Paisley and she recognizes that grunt, knows it's her boy calling her, and runs to him. He does this every single night when it is time to go to bed. 

Ever since Paisley joined our family, I have been taking her with us to Noah's Miracle League baseball games. She was still a teenie tiny puppy the first time she went to a baseball game with us. The kids all flock to her and love on her. She is so good with them and doesn't seem to mind them petting her. 

I may have been skeptical at first, but now I can see all the benefits not only for Noah but for our family of having a doggie and I can't imagine our lives without our little Paisley Pooh.

Photo Note: This photo was taken last year but remains my very favorite photo of N and P to date. I have been trying lately to get a good photo of them for this post but every time Paisley sees me coming with the camera she runs off!

Birthdays Galore

This weekend we traveled to Summerville, SC, where my brother, Andy, lives. He recently bought a house so we went to see his new house and to celebrate birthdays - several birthdays!

Andy's birthday was July 27th so we celebrated his birthday with a yummy caramel pie. 

Andy's puppy Hansel turned 2 on July 16th and our puppy Paisley and my parent's puppy, Blitz, both turn 2 today so per tradition we celebrated their birthdays together and Andy made them a doggie friendly cake complete with yogurt "frosting" and crumbled bacon "sprinkles." 

Here's a few pics of the birthday festivities!

Andy's 32nd birthday

My parent's dog, Blitz

Andy's pup Hansel

Saved the best for last 

Our sweet pup, Paisley

A Boy and His Dog

I  love how much Noah and Paisley love each other. She is always SO excited when he gets home from school. She really misses him while he is away.

Cute story - The other night at bedtime, I called Paisley (she sleeps with Noah) to come to bed. She didn't come. I called her again and no Paisley. Noah whined and I suggested he try. He can not say Paisley but he will verbally try and call her. So he called for her and what do you know, she immediately comes running. I told him that it doesn't matter that he can't say her name the way others can, she knows when her boy is calling him. He was so proud. 

Linking to Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

and Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Moms

Paisley's Note

Yesterday while Noah was at school, his puppy Paisley wrote him a little note. Yep, I know she's a smart doggie! He's been behaving exceptionally well at school lately and Paisley just wanted to let him know she was proud of him too. 

He loved it. I think she'll have to write him more notes in the future!

Wordless Wednesday: Protective Pup

I love how protective she is of her boy. She lays on his feet while he sleeps and usually she falls asleep too. He's protective of her too. In fact, we had to create a new rule: Paisley only gets "tucked in" 3 times. She was coming uncovered and he would call me back in his room to cover her and I think he was just using it as an excuse to delay bedtime. 


For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Wordless Wednesday: Watching Christmas Movies

Noah and Paisley all cozy on the couch watching Polar Express. 

Notice that Paisley is covered with a blanket too. Noah always tells me to cover her up so she doesn't get cold. So sweet!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Paisley's Gotcha Day

When we brought Paisley home a year ago, it was not planned. Well, it was sort of planned. We had been talking about getting a dog but I wanted a dog and not a puppy. I wanted a dog that was about a year old. I thought that with a dog about  a year old they'd have some of the hyper puppy-ness out of them and be better with Noah. Ending up with a puppy just kind of happened but in hindsight I am so glad that it happened that way.



She's growing up around Noah and special needs kids and has so much patience with them. In the beginning, she did jump on Noah a bit but she quickly learned not to jump or lick his face. She's grown up going to Miracle League games with us and I'm always amazed and proud at how good she is with those kids. Sometimes they might not be the most gentle hands to pet Paisley but she patiently just sits there and lets them pet her. She's never tried to bite or snap at any of us, well except when playing. 

Noah loves her pieces. We all do. She has captured a special place in all of our hearts, turned me into "one of those people," and I'm very glad she came into our lives one year ago today!

Wordless Wednesday: Paisley Watching Over Her Boy

Noahie fell asleep on the couch and I snapped these pictures of Paisley watching over him before I  moved him to his bed. So sweet!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, and Wordless Wednesday Headquarters.

I Heart Faces: Pets

The theme for this week's I Heart Faces photo challenge is pets. Of course I had to use a photo of my girl Paisley. I have lots of photos of Paisley and even thought of taking a special one of her in her "Miss America dress." But ultimately I decided to use this one of Paisley and my Mom's cat, Katie. Paisley is outside staring at Katie inside and Katie is inside staring at Paisley. 

Go check out I Heart Faces for more pet photos. 

Sitting with Her Boy

Ever since Noah's surgery, he hasn't wanted too much to do with his puppy Paisley. Before surgery, Noah and Paisley were best buds. I know he just hasn't had the energy to deal with a little puppy with boundless energy yet. Last weekend, Paisley jumped up in the chair while I was holding Noah. He didn't immediately push her away as he has been doing and my brother snapped this picture. 

She was so happy to be sitting with her boy - even if it was for only a few minutes!

Wordless Wednesday: A Boy and His Pup

I know I've posted pictures of Noah and Paisley for Wordless Wednesday before but they are so darn cute together I can't help but post more pictures of them.

Disclaimer: No puppies were hurt in the taking of these photos.

I love his huge smile in the first photo. Love it so much I used it in the 2nd version of the Card Drive flyer. 

(If you are a first time visitor or have no clue what the Card Drive is all about, check out this post.)

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, and Wordless Wednesday Headquarters.

Happy Easter!

Usually I'd posted a picture of Noah all cute and in his Easter outfit but getting him to just sit and attempt to smile for pictures just hasn't been happening lately. I'm going to try again tomorrow but for now, here's our adorable pup Paisley in her Easter finest!

Happy Easter!

All I need to know I learned from the Easter Bunny.....

 

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. 

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

There's no such thing as too much candy.

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.

Some body parts should be floppy.

Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.

Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Wordless Wednesday: His Best Furfriend

"A child and their best furfriend is a beautiful thing."

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs,   and  Wordless Wednesday Headquarters 

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Cuties

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs,   and  Wordless Wednesday 

One of Those People

On Tuesday night, I put a little jacket on our puppy Paisley. As I put on her little jacket/sweater (it really was to help keep her warm because she shivered while at the Miralce League game the week before) I giggled to myself when I realized how darn cute she looked in her little jacket. (Which J picked out by the way!)

I suddenly realized that I'd turned into "one of those people." You know the people who put sweaters/jackets on their dogs. I'd always thought it was kind of silly and never quite understood why someone would dress their dog. I get it now.

In route to the game, I texted a few friends saying I'd turned into "one of those people." My BFF's answer was stellar as she replied with, "I think it was in you all along, you just needed a cute little puppy to bring it out of you!"

And a cute little puppy she is!

Wordless Wednesday: Meet Paisley

Introducing the newest member of our family, Paisley Penelope....

 

 

 

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Moms, Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs,   and  Wordless Wednesday