Our new puppy: Gunner

About eight weeks ago I got a phone call from my mom (in Ohio) asking we would want a chocolate lab/german shepherd puppy. They were just born and the owner wanted to give them away for FREE!

We said YES right away. Not knowing any details about how we were going to get the puppy and when we could get him. 

We would get pictures every few weeks of the puppies and an update of when we could get him.

When we were in Ohio after our Costa Rica trip picking Carly and Emma up from my parents, we went and saw the puppies. We met the dad and mom of the puppies. The dad is huge, the german shepherd. The mom is the chocolate lab and was quite a big lab. So we will see how big he gets!

The lady with the puppies said that she wanted them all placed in homes the weekend after. Yikes! I was thinking about driving back, meeting my mom half way, or flying the puppy. Well, my sweet daddy and super helpful sister drove the puppy to US! They picked him up Friday night and drove him to us and got here Saturday morning. (Like the Saturday morning we were going to the Field of Dreams with Jim Pitchforth=Crazy and exciting weekend for us). 

Emma first meeting Gunner.

Even after their bath the girls wanted to be outside with him.

watching him eat.

We try and let the girls 'walk' him around the yard so he gets used to listening to them and used to walking.
They love it! And so much that they fight over who gets the leash.

Carly loves her puppy.

They love putting sticks, mulch, flowers, grass all over him. He doesn't even mind. He just lets them do it, gets up and shakes it off.

We had ANOTHER visitor over the weekend. My little brother, Clayt, just graduated BYU-Idaho and was on his way home to Ohio. He stayed for the weekend as well. I mean, slept on our couch and helped with the girls. I snapped this picture before he took off Monday morning. 

He loves to snuggle up next to someone and fall asleep. This time he chose my back. Usually it was on our shoes/feet, under our legs, or the kitchen table.

My life. Two girls and a pup. 

Emma loves to climb into Gunner's doghouse to play. He followed her in and licked her. I couldn't help but take this picture before saving her. The first few days she was so scared of him. She is just at the right height that he just knocks her over and licks her. Or if she is already on the floor he will just nip at her fingers and lick her face.

Even during his nap she loves to pet him.

Gunner is under the slide and the girls went down together!

She is warming up to him! She actually seeks him out to play and pet him.

I never thought I would hold him so he could fall asleep on me.
It was adorable.

Rain won't make us stay inside!

Ugh. trying to spot clean the carpet. Our white carpet.
With taking him out every 30 minutes to go pee there is a lot more dirt that gets tracked in.
(We would stay outside all day, but these last four days have been rainy).
And not to mention the number of times he went pee on the carpet. Ugh.

Sleeping by the sliding glass door.

Diaper changes for Emma just got harder for us!
I usually have her on the couch now just so I don't have to worry about Gunner making her upset.

Jeremy got on the floor and Gunner would come and jump on him.

Sleeping by the sliding glass door again.

Emma playing tug o war with Gunner. 

If you can see it, he is black so it's hard to see in pictures, but he is all sprawled out.
Just sleeping away.

Emma letting him lick her. This is a HUGE step for her.

I didn't know how hard a puppy would be! I am just constantly worried about him peeing and pooping in the house! He will be an outside dog once he gets a bit bigger and stops whining when we put him out! Two days ago I had a really good puppy day. NO accidents inside!!!! It was awesome. But that day was not a good mommy day :( Emma got her hand smashed and burnt. Both while I was taking Gunner outside. So because I had all my attention on Gunner, my girls were suffering :( 

Emma is healing and Gunner is getting better. Right now he still sleeps a lot, so after he wakes up I just take him out right then. It is a big change for us! But in the end, the girls are totally obsessed and that's the first thing they want when they wake up. Gunner!!!!