Then we lost the cat and gained eight legs....

2012 was a good year to visit Jason's family but not a such a good year for Jason's lovely kitty. Bianca disappeared in the spring. We looked for her but never did find her. She had enjoyed the backyard and had been with us since before there was an us. Jason was devastated to lose a pet who had been such a close friend for so long. We will miss the cute little cat that was filled with lots of spunk.

She put up with us very well for a cat. She even let me dress her up in the winter.

She loved being in the sun the backyard. Often she would hunt for critters too, but she wasn't much of a killer.

After we returned from the trip to the Big Apple we decided our lives were lacking something with the loss of our kitty. Jason agreed we could finally get dogs so I set about looking for the perfect puppies for us to adopt. See I am a dog person and Jason is a cat person so this was a big deal being allowed to find and add dogs to our lives. It took some time but we finally found two adorable sisters to bring into our lives. They were so cute, even the cat guy couldn't say no. We have no real idea what breed they are but they are rescues so mutts for sure. As Jason likes to say, they are the kind of dogs you pick up in a hardware store parking lot, but we still love them. Here is a series of pictures to tell some of their story, growing up with us.

The first day at home the puppies fell asleep in the garden after running around like crazy dogs. Aren't they so cute sleeping like angels. Sleeping is something they are really good at.

The girls already had their own personalities from day one. This is them playing in their pen. Roxy, the dark puppy, is kind of ninja-like and likes to hide from her troublesome and bigger sister, Rambles, the light puppy.

Rambles likes to hide as a plant, and often trying to get out of trouble by being something she is not.

The girls like to play in their dog houses. Rambles trying to start stuff though Roxy generally wins. I think Rambles just likes to see what her sister will do.

See after the little fight they get along like perfect little sisters.

Rambles even tries to help us train Roxy to walk on a leash. Roxy is very good at putting up with her sister.

They loved to play with very non-traditional toys, like the water bottle we used for walks at the time. Rambles would help during walks carrying it for us.

Roxy is my puppy, sort of. She is a lover and just wants cuddle and belly scratches. She does not chase balls or play but belly scratches are her favorite.

Rambles is a water dog, in more ways than one. If she finds water she will get in it and find out how she can play in it. They even used to have a fountain to play in.

She played so much she would fall asleep all of the time.

As they grew up they both enjoyed to play in the fountain and water when they could. Roxy would attack her sister from this height, sometimes to see what would happen.

Roxy found out the hard way that bees are not delicious. Good thing she ended up just fine. It looks funny now, it was scary then.

The girls really enjoy walking with us around the lagoon. They get a three mile walk as often as we can and they love it!

The girls love their dad and they play well with Jason. Both of them are very active and enjoy lots of fun the backyard.

They even enjoy to drink from the fountains. I guess the water is better when it is moving.

Roxy, from this last summer, being a glamorous girl.

Rambles, also this summer, being a pretty girl.

Here is a video of Rambles playing the leaves last fall with her father in the backyard. Rambles is a flying dog!

Roxy and Rambles sleeping in our bedroom. They put themselves to bed regularly and love sleeping near mom and dad.

2012 was a good year for our home and family. It is so nice having these two wonderful girls to add to our family and they really enjoy being part of our family. We look forward to many more years with these lovely girls. Now on to 2013!