Meet Maverick!

Okay, so I haven't been blogging recently because Steven and I have been busy being parents! :) That's right, we have our very own baby now! But before you get too excited, the "baby" is our new Jack Russell Terrier puppy, Maverick Griffey Hardebeck! Ever since Steven was a little boy, he has always wanted a Jack Russell and we've wanted to get one for some time now. This month we will celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, so we figured this would be a good time in our marriage to take on the responsibility of a puppy. We got Maverick from a breeder in South Carolina who has been amazingly informative and helpful. We picked him up at the airport at 1 AM (yes, 1 AM) on Saturday morning, June 23rd. The poor little guy was shaking like a leaf from his trip. But once we let him out of his crate on the grass outside, he started wagging his notched little tail and licking our hands to let us know he was so happy to meet us. We took him home with us and played with him for a while before finally getting to bed around 2:30 in the morning. We've had him for about a week and a half now and I must say that I am so proud of him. He is doing extremely well! He is very much like a little baby, which is good for us. Since all of our friends are having babies, we thought we would see how we do as the "parents" of a puppy. :) You should see my house, I have puppy toys all over my floor and his big wire crate with his bed in it in our bedroom. Very nice decor, I'm telling you.. But this little guy is so much fun! He is very sweet and laid-back (yes, a laid back Jack Russell). But he's still very playful and has a ton of personality. He loves his little stuffed animal duck and the other day he "killed" one of Steven's socks. He makes the cutest little squeeking noise when he yawns and he loves to cuddle. We've been taking him everywhere we can with us so that he really feels a part of our lives. We've even been getting up with him at night to take him out to go to the bathroom. The breeder let us know that if we want to potty train him right, that is what we'll need to do for the first month. At first he was getting up at 2:30 and 5:30 every morning. Now he is sleeping through the nights until about 5:00 or 5:30 every morning. Improvement! And on the 4th of July when most dogs freak out, he played all day with the other dogs and even slept through the big fireworks show on Lake Sawyer! He is amazing us! Some people were really nervous that we were getting a Jack Russell since they are so high-spirited, but we are committed to training him and paying him lots of attentions. Jack Russells want to be a part of your family, so that's what he is! And they LOVE the water, so with us owning a boat and living on a lake, he is the perfect dog. We are so blessed with him and just love him to pieces and want to share his adorableness with you! So... HERE'S MAVERICK!