Baby's Best Friends

Kate loves animals. She sleeps with her froggie and often her duckie too. Her teddy bears line the shelf in her bedroom. Her turtles and ladybugs greet her on the changing table. Her giraffe is downstairs every morning waiting for her affection. Kate also loves books that have pictures of animals. She knows most of her animal sounds - she roars with the lions, moos with the cows, and quacks with the ducks on a daily baiss. Just last week, Kate informed us that she knew the word wombat! (I guess Baby Einstein's trip to the Outback was educational!)

Shayla is Kate's best playmate. And the older Kate gets, the more fun she has chasing Shayla around the house. Kate even likes to wrestle with Shayla from time to time. (Don't worry we're very close by when this happens.) Shayla often wants to find a safe hiding place from Kate, but in general she is very gentle with Kate.

Yet, my brother's dog, Maddison is a gem of a dog. This huge Saint Bernard is any child's best friend. The kids climb on her, pull her fur, ride her back, yank her tail and even nap on her. Maddie takes it all with a gentle stride. Kate and Collin played with Maddie for quite awhile the other day. Here are a few shots from their day with the dog.