My sweet Bella

Bella getting a little back/booty scratch from Ashley

Modeling her Christmas t-shirt this year

My favorite pic of our sweet Princess!

One year ago today, I picked up our sweet baby Bella. She's a Schnoodle...schnauzer/poodle mix. Having never grown up with a pet, much less a dog, I was somewhat terrified of what our life could be in store for with a new puppy but was excited nonetheless. We all fell in love with her immediately (I had to hide her for 2 days with friends before presenting her to the kids on Christmas Eve) and it didn't take long at all for her to become a member of the family! Over the past year, we have been blessed by her unconditional love and we all simply melt everytime we see her.

Now, I know that I could be slightly biased, but who wouldn't absolutely LOVE a puppy who was completely potty trained after 2 weeks, sleeps in her crate without complaint every night, goes into it eagerly when we need to leave her at home alone, has never had an accident in her crate and can even go a full 12 hrs overnight without accident, doesn't chew on anything but her toys, and never barks...seriously!

She makes us laugh on a daily basis with what I call her Schnoodle Shuffle as she races around and around, slipping and sliding on the hardwood floors. She looks like a little rabbit as she hops and pounces when we play fetch and can fly through the air like you wouldn't believe! She can't eat her food without having to burp immediately afterwards (very un-ladylike), but also has to test the rain or snow with a paw before going in with all four paws because she really IS very ladylike. She turns into a Bella Belt anytime her Daddy is home and she refuses to be anywhere but on his lap. When Daddy's not home and it's her and Mommy, she's the best nap partner and snuggle bug ever! One of our favorite things about Bella is to watch her dart straight home (to her crate) the second the tv is turned off at night no matter what she's in the middle of doing. She does the same thing every morning when she sees us getting our coats on with keys in hand ready for school and work.

We know that one day we will be without our sweet Bella and the thought makes us all so very sad, but she's only a year old now and we are enjoying every minute with her that we have! I always thought about how wonderful it would be to have a dog for the kids, but I never truly grasped what a pull they would have on my heart as well. I think Bella has as many Christmas gifts as the kids do this year and I really think I'm just as excited about her first real Christmas with us as I am about anything else!