Toby Turns FIVE!

This February 2nd a famous groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter (as if we've had one this year) AND... but most importantly, our first born furb turned FIVE! Our independent, strong-willed puppy celebrated his birthday by enjoying several extra treats, his choice of couch space, turn down service with his favorite blanket... so a typical day in the Zellner household. But as always this boy was loved. Five amazing years of "puppy parent-hood." We love you sweet boy!

I can eat a bow if I want to...

Teaching the Kiddos to Share?!?!

It's always fun to try to rationalize issues with your furry friends. For some reason they don't understand the term "share!"

Maybe one day he'll learn to play nicely:)

Love,
Alicia

Wordless Wednesday!

Here is my cute little kiddo, Toby... I think this picture says it all. On cold gray days like today, I would want nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a nice warm blanket.

Love,
Alicia

Toby is THREE!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sir Toby the Red!
Feb 2, 2010




Love,
Mommy

King Ranch Casserole & A Chicken Thief!

Last night at the Zellner home, I decided that I would cook one of my family's favorite meals... KING RANCH CASSEROLE!

Now Ray and I have a long standing disagreement as in how to prepare it. His family has always used crushed tortilla chips while mine has used corn tortillas. Both are very good... but I will always think that my mom's is better! She's my mom... come on:) Anyway:) I decided that last night I would try one more time to convince him that my way is better.... and it may have worked:)

Our Family's Recipe: Again King Ranch has been done so many times and while it is not a family secret, I sure could eat this up all the time! (we did condense the portion size since I was only cooking for 2) The night before I boiled 2-3 chicken breasts and placed in the fridge. This will also cut down on the prep time.

You will need: 2 ppl
2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 Can cream of celery soup
1 Can of Rotel
Cheddar cheese (to your liking)
6-8 Corn tortillas

Cook: 350/20-25 minutes

(You will be able to tell I don't really write too many recipes:) ha!
In a medium size casserole dish place 2-3 corn tortillas that have been cut in fourths (like a triangle) Cut up chicken breasts into small pieces and place on top of of tortillas. Drain juice of Rotel and place on top of chicken. If doing two layers scatter 1/2 a can of Rotel on top of chicken. Place 1/2 can of cream of celery on top of Rotel and smooth over layer.



Place a layer of cheese on top of soup. Repeat tortillas, Rotel, and cream of celery. Place third layer of tortillas and cover with cheese. (Review picture)




Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and
ENJOY!





Chicken Thief!
So I came home last night all ready to make my very yummy dinner. While preparing for the meal I set my cooked chicken aside and turned my back for nearly a second. When I came back I was almost one chicken breast short.

So mommy was angry of course and blocked off the kitchen so Mr. Chicken Thief couldn't return. This is what he did. He kept trying to shove all 40 lbs of himself under our dinning room chair to get in... and of course... he did.

Gotta love 'em!

Love,
Alicia

Bottoms Up!

Hey there Kiddo... caught you!
Toby says, "I know if I do'd it I get in troubles... but I do'd it anyway!"

How can I get mad at that!!! I can't believe our pup will soon be three next week! They grow up so fast:) Happy Monday!

Love,
Alicia

Snuggles!

Snuggle Time
at the Zellner home!



Love,
Alicia

Dinner Time?!?

At the Zellner House...
We got some hungry tummies! And when you say dinner... you get EVERYONE'S attention!




PS: Isn't our little family seriously too cute?!?! Love it:)

Love,
Alicia

Sick Puppy!

Today we are exhausted from a night at the animal hospital...
Poor Toby had a Seizure...


At 1:38AM I heard the strangest noise which sounded like horrible scratching and something hitting the wall. I had thought earlier maybe I heard one of the puppies get sick but when I looked up I thought both had been accounted for. What seemed like minutes later, the noise woke me up. It was this time that I saw Toby against the wall and knew something was wrong. I realized only a few seconds later that it was a seizure. His mouth was open and jaw clenched. He was shaking horribly. His eyes were fixated. He had even pottied and gotten sick on the floor... I felt so helpless. I honestly thought I was going to lose my puppy. And I know he's a dog but in my heart he is like my kiddo... my first and my baby!

After maybe 5-10 minutes (even though it felt like forever), Toby had come to. He was still shaking and a little bit off. When it first happened, Ray immediately called the Animal hospital only a few blocks away. We took him in and by that time he seemed to be doing ok. He had blood work taken and even received a clean bill of health. After 3:00AM we returned home. And while I am so thankful that nothing is internally wrong that we know of... it is still so hard to think that my puppy had a seizure. I NEVER want to see that again. The vet said this may be something that never happens again or could be a regular thing... so all we can do now is watch him.


Our baby's first ever picture! He'll be 3 in February.

Hopefully no more will have to be posted about this, but for now we are so thankful that he's ok... doing well... and resting at home! We love you Sir Toby the Red!

Love,
a very worried Mama

Letters from Orion: Reindeer in Training

Dear Mommy and Daddy!

I Ruff You sooo Much!

So yesterday I received my letter jacket and antlers at puppy camp... I'm officially a REINDEER in TRAINING!

I'll be honest... I was a little unsure at first about the whole idea... but after seeing my friends dressed up in their new accessories... I figured it was all OK and I was super excited about it! So excited in fact...

Here are some pictures: ENJOY!

Not too sure...


Aunt Alicia crowning me with my new antlers... Love'n it!


My friends attire...


Toby: "This better get me a treat. Did someone say it would... seriously I want one!"


Ok! One more picture!!! Mattie: "But daddy did say treat right?"

I've been such a good boy. Mommy and Daddy you'd be so proud.
Merry Christmas Eve from puppy camp!

Paws,
Orion

Letters from Orion!

To my mommy and daddy,
I Ruff You!

Doggy Camp has been such a blast! I get to see my friends all day... and play and play and play... until I crash... and then I play and play and play some more!!!!

On the ride to camp, Uncle Ray Ray let me drive... ok maybe not drive... but I got to have the best seat in the car. I saw some weird noisy "drivey thing" that t I did not like and barked at him. He quickly sped away. I am a great guard dog! You would be so proud:)


I even have a girlfriend over here... Sometimes she plays a little hard to get...




But its ok because I also have my best bud.... and even though he talks really loud and likes to bite my ears... I still love him!


Yesterday after playing, uncle Ray Ray and Aunt Alicia took all the kiddos on a walk... I was so good!


I'm having so much fun over here at camp! I've been such a good boy and play with my friends! I keep them company and we all sleep very hard after a long day! Uncle Ray Ray and Aunt Alicia give me tons of hugs and kissies but I also like to return the favor!

Paws,
Orion

Mattie's First Year

Mattie Mama is one year older!
(sorry I'm so late writing the post!)

While we are very unsure of her exact age or birthday, it has been over a year since our cute little girl was brought into our lives.

November 8, 2008 was an amazing day. It was a day that we took a chance. A day that we decided to see what it would be like to make our small family of 3 into a larger family of 4. It was one of the best decisions that we've made and we couldn't be happier.

Now I know you may be saying she's simply a dog, but we love our puppies like they were our kiddos. Her story is a little different and we are so thankful to have her in our lives.

On November 3, 2008 I had received an email from my boss at work. As an avid dog lover, his wife had found a sweet little puppy wondering the streets of Dallas. Her words: She is a very sweet and loving, a little timid at first but then wants to be close and cuddled. Such a pretty girl!

Immediately I forwarded the message to my husband and asked for his thoughts. I honestly never believed in my wildest dreams that he would want her. I think I was looking to him to be my voice of reason, but it didn't exactly happen that way. He said: Oh I want her.

This is not what I had expected. I don't think I ever really thought that we'd have a second dog. Not that it is a bad thing to have multiple, but it just never was something that crossed my mind. After speaking to Ray I just knew we had to see her. Toby could have a sister to play with. She simply needed food and lots of love as well as a new home. All the things I knew we could provide. So the very next day (I believe as this story takes place a year earlier)... I went to Matt to Petropolitan (a wonderful grooming and boarding facility for pets... I LOVE THIS PLACE)... and there she was. She was the sweetest little girl (a mama to be exact). She had just had puppies but sadly there were no signs of them where she had been found. She just was so loving and decided to take the next step. That Friday, November 8 we were set to take her home and puppy sit for the weekend. It would be in those few days that we would ultimately make our decision if she would be a new addition to our family.

From the very beginning she was a lover. She was the sweetest puppy that simply wanted a warm lap to sit in and someone to love. The only problem was... she wanted NOTHING to do with Toby. And to my surprise he was very interested in her. So here was our problem. We couldn't take on another puppy if she wouldn't be happy with our first one. So I went back and forth for days as to what to do and in the end the puppies made their decision. On Sunday evening they started to play and from that point on I knew it would work out. I called Matt and told him that Mattie officially had a home.

Mattie Mama loves to play. While we weren't sure what her home life was or even if she had had one previously it was like everything was new to her.... toys, long walks, play time, puppy beds, and so forth. I loved seeing her get so excited over the smallest thing...

But then we got the news: On Monday morning the day after we dropped her off at the vet to make sure she was healthy and to sign the papers, we found out she was sick. She had heart worms! There was no way to tell how long she had had them. And if you aren't aware heart worms are horrible for doggies and eventually kill if not treated. We had wondered why she was always so tuckered out and why she was such a heavy breather. We just didn't know that the worms had already affected her heart and lungs.

When I spoke to Julie, Matt's wife, about the situation I think she thought that we wouldn't want her now that we knew she was sick. It was the exact opposite. I just wanted to know how we could help her and when we could take her home. She was our little girl and we couldn't imagine leaving her at this point.

Treatment began! The only problem is treatment is really hard for animals and some don't make it. They have to stay very still, void of excitement or exercise. We knew this wouldn't exactly work at our home. Our beagle is very active and is still in constant play mode. It was then that the amazing owners at Petropolitan said they would keep her FOR FREE! They said that they had fallen in love with her and wanted to make sure that she was happy and healthy. So for over a month I picked her up almost every night and dropped her back off in the morning. Without those people I don't know how we would have done it. She's alive because of all of them:)

Well long story short... our Mattie got well and she is happier than ever! Here are some pictures of her first year with us...


Mattie's new bed! (She rarely ever sleeps in it b/c she'd rather sleep with mommy and daddy:)


Play time with big younger brother Toby:)


Mattie's first Christmas: All dressed up!


Park Time with Mama!


Giving Daddy Hugs!


Zellner Family: Mattie Christmas #2

We are so excited for this first year and can't wait for so many more to come! So if she's 7 or 2: We'll compromise and say Happy 3rd Birthday:) hehe!



Love,
Alicia