And puppy makes FIVE...

Bodie has been begging for a dog for a couple of years now. Actually, full out campaigning is more like it. He wanted one more than anything in the whole world. We held off, mostly because our life has so many moving parts and so much uncertainty already that we just couldn't justify adding another living being to our chaos. But a couple weeks before Christmas, I really started feeling the pull for a dog, feeling in my heart like the time was right. A day or so after I started feeling it, Dusk came home from work and told me he had been feeling like it was time. Clearly, God was moving both of our hearts in the same direction. Kinda futile to keep resisting at that point. ;-)

We managed to keep it a secret from Bodie until Christmas, where we gave him a box with a bone and leash in it. If you have a tissue handy, you need to watch this video - especially starting around the 45 second mark, where it all starts to come together. 

(If you're having trouble viewing the video, the link can be found here)

It was worth every second of keeping it a secret!

Once we got back to LA after Christmas, we started looking in earnest, hitting up many of the local shelters. Nothing felt quite right and we were feeling fairly discouraged. And then, we happened to find the most amazing little guy on Craigslist, of all places! 

A wonderful woman had a change in her life circumstance and needed to rehome her year and a half old Corgi Mix. The kids and I went down to "just to meet" him, and fell in love instantly. We walked back in the door a few hours later with the newest member of our family (and all of his belongings that his former owner graciously gave to us as well!).

Meet Maxi.

(I'm campaigning to change his name to something a touch more masculine, but Bodie appears to be sticking with the name his former owner gave him, so apparently, Maxi it is.)

He officially joined the Bennett clan on January 3rd.

Not exactly a "puppy" (he'll be 2 in March), but I'll be darned if we didn't end up with a dog that will forever look like a puppy! At around 20lbs, he's fully grown and the cutest thing EVER. We're not 100% sure what he's mixed with, but we're guessing Chihuaha. 

He is obsessed with me. We laugh that we got Bodie a puppy, but somehow Maxi didn't get the message and thought we got ME a puppy.

But there could be worse things. Maybe I needed someone to think I hung the moon, since I don't exactly get a lot of daily positive feedback on the whole homeschooling gig. ;-) 

But he loves everyone (ok, LOVES LOVES LOVES the kids and I, and is getting there with Dusk - but always picks him to snuggle with first in the morning), and is really bonding more and more with Bodie, which we LOVE seeing.

He goes to bed with Bodie, and oftentimes falls asleep with his head right next to Bodie, sharing his pillow.

He LOVES to dive under the covers and snuggle up any chance he gets - and smothers you with kisses the second you walk in the door (even if you just went out to the car to get your cell phone charger).

He lives for treats and is such a quick learner. The kids have already taught him to sit, stay, shake, dance on his hind legs, turn around on his hind legs, and give hugs. Bodie is having a blast.

He and the cat are getting along - more or less. He chases her. She screams. And then comes back for more. And then she hits him in the face over and over and gets mad if he walks away while she is "playing" with him. I stopped defending her some time ago, once I realized she's actually enjoying it!

He LOVES to be with us, wherever we are - on walks, snuggled up on the couch, exploring in the backyard, playing ball and going on car trips (he's already been to both Palm Springs and the Central Coast). He is the silliest, sweetest dog ever.

He gets spooked, especially by men (not sure what that's about), but has finally stopped barking at Dusk in the middle of the night, so we're making progress. I predict that these two will be besties eventually. :-)

 He's settling in nicely, and we expect that nervousness to continue to diminish.

In the meantime, we are all falling in love with the sweetest addition to our family - and wondering how we got so lucky to get this little guy!