My very first baby

My first baby was born on November 13th, 1999.  Twelve years ago today.  We had been married less than 6 months and we decided it was time to add to our family.  So we drove to Houston, Texas on December 17th and picked out the loudest and most playful 5 1/2 week old German Shepherd puppy.  Her mom's name was Angel and her dad's name was Devil.  He was scary but liked Brent.  We drove all the way back to College Station with her laying on the floor board wimpering.  It was pathetic.  She quickly stole our hearts.

This little girl weighed a whole 5 1/2 pounds when we got her.  She now weighs about 98 lbs.

We have come a long way together.  She had the run of the house and our lives for 3 1/2 years.  When we added her sister Rosie to the mix, life got crazier but she had someone to play with.  They love each other.

This girl is a fighter and a trooper.  She's had two major back surgeries, has had stitches in her foot, has endured two little boys who love her way more than she loves them and is still our baby girl.  We can't imagine our life without her.

Tonight we celebrated her 12th birthday with a fantastic doggie dinner full of table scraps and then sang happy birthday to her while she inhaled an ice cream sandwich.  This was a huge treat and I think she was afraid that our momentary lapse of sanity was going to end before she could eat the whole thing! All of the "kids" were excited about the celebration and the ice cream!

Here are our newest family pictures that I promised would be coming soon in this post, The Bathroom.