The Early Valentine's Day Surprise....

So I have been saying for YEARS that we are not getting a dog until they make a breed that is poop free. It has been no secret that I just wasn't ready for the extra work- because you know it falls to the mom after the novelty wears off.

A friend of ours posted around Christmas that their beagles had puppies. I have been secretly researching different dog breeds that are great with kids. Beagles were up at the top. I asked Darrell a few weeks later what he thought about getting a beagle puppy= he said no, he wants his boy Labrador.

I decided I was ready to get a puppy, and it so happened my friend was giving pure bred beagle puppies for free.

The Friday before Valentines day I told Darrell and the kids I needed to run an errand really quick. When I came home I surprised everyone.. even Darrell with these

The girls were shocked to say the least, and Darrell looked sick.:) He looked at me and said, "What did you just do?" I told him I didn't buy these two cute puppies, but we were borrowing them to decide which puppy would get to come live with us. He looked a little less panicked and the kids were jumping up and down.

We had the two puppies for a couple hours so the kids could play and we could see which one we thought would be a good fit for our family. And, to see if the kids all handled the puppy ok- allergies and being brave. Everything went well, and the decision needed to be made of which one was ours...

Lexi and Carly wanted this puppy- she was a little more interactive and fun.

Ashlee and Baylee wanted this shy, scared, sleepy puppy.

It was not easy, but we chose the shy, and little more lazy puppy. If you know us you will know we like more calm things.:)

I took the puppies home, and it surprised me how sad I felt- I wished we had been ready to keep her right then. The plan was to pick her up Valentines day, but we changed our minds. The next day we got a crate from a friend, and bought all the things we thought she would need. We picked her up that afternoon!

The above pics are from my phone, my camera is charging..

After much discussion and debate we decided to name her Belle. She is a good little puppy- no major issues. Because she hadn't been separated from her family before the nights were rough for her and us. We have finally figured out the night thing- two weeks later.:)

Our friends the Bingham's found out we got one of the puppies and they also fell in love with Belle's brother. They took him home and named him Leo. I will say they did it in the right order. They have a fence, and bought all the stuff they needed, then waited a week before picking him up so he could be separated at night from his parents and be adjusted to it.

Here are some picture's Nicole took of them playing.

We have now had a fence built, and a dog run. It will our turn to host puppy play dates now too.

Adjusting to a puppy hasn't been too hard. She really is a good puppy. I did have to rescue her  the other day. She tried to fit through some slats on our swing set and got her behind stuck. I felt bad because it's hard for any girl to realize her booty is too big to fit through something!!:) I had to run and grab the toolbox and take the slats out to let her out. I was a hero for a bit!

Our little Belle has a nervous bladder we have realized, a few accidents have happened because of loud noises or her getting startled. But she is not allowed on the carpet so the messes were on the tile- which made for easy clean up.

The girls are all being very responsible for her. We have been training her and she can now fetch and bring the toy back to you. She is learning how to walk on a leash. She is learning to sit, and not jump.

One of my biggest fears was that I would regret bringing her home a few days after we got her. No regrets so far!