Mr. Baby Arrives and We Have a Party!

I didn't know what to expect when Mr. Baby arrived.  Of course, I love Meg and Derek, but I don't have any baby experience to bark of.

Turns out, I worship him!  He is the greatest thing ever.

Phil's friend Peter came over, so they had a couple of beers.  Mr. Baby is longingly looking after some of Phil's drink.

That looks refreshing, Grandpa!

I decided to get on his good side, right from the get go.  You can see that he already loves me and I am as gentle as can be.

Janet made a bunch of stuff for the Monteith Street Party.  They had Artichoke Dip with Juanitas, Cambazolo and Carmelized Onion Tart, Sushi and a couple of other appetizers some neighbours were kind enough to bring.  For the main course, Janet had made 20 pounds of pulled pork on buns with coleslaw, Caesar Salad and Greek Salad.  For dessert, Janet made an Espresso Gingerbread Cake she got from our Aunt T's blog, a Cheesecake with Toffee Sauce, Pecan Pie Brownies and again, a couple of desserts some kind guests brought.

One guest at the party was Finleys BFF, Robby.  Robby is a bit older, so he can turn the kitchen cabinets into a pint size climbing wall.

And turn Rockers into a pint size pony.

You can tell it's Rockers because of his left Club Paw.  Mr. Baby says he has the exact same little pleather booties.

Finley has this giant contraption that his Handlers set up in the living room.  He will bounce and bounce and bounce some more.  He loves it and Janet just loves the way it looks in the living room.  Janet insists it's OK to leave it up in the living room 24/7, but for some reason, Meg and Derek always put it away when it's not in use.

Mr. Baby wants to pay his fair share of expenses, so was perusing the help wanted ads in the paper for a part time job.  All job postings seemed to require the applicant to be able to walk and talk, so he might have to wait a bit.  He wanted to do the cross word puzzle as well, but no one would give him a pencil.  We doggies think he might be Mensa material.

He was the only one who was lucky enough to open a gift on Christmas Eve.

See how Mr. Baby's sock is partially off?  That drives Janet nuts.

Not only do I love Mr. Baby, but I covet his toys as well.  Is that wrong?  He's got a super cute squeeky giraffe that is apparently called Sophie and is the toy du jour for babies.  I really want it and if they would just leave him in his high chair with Sophie and look the other way for two seconds, I know for sure I could have.  But, no!  His handlers keep a firm grip on Sophie, so that's not happening anytime soon.

Come on, Buddy.  Get your Man Handler to move that book out of the way and swing Sophie to your left!

Long Walks

When Janet stays with me in Portland, every second day we drive the car to Blue Lake and go for an hour long walk.  Here, Noodles and Rockers go for a short walk and I go for a long walk.  If Janet is by herself, she has to do this in two stages.  She fears a disaster will occur if she takes all three of us at the same time.  A disaster, in Janetland, is a cat or a squirrel.  In fairness to Crazy Lady, Noodles says several years ago, Janet was holding onto three dogs that bolted for something, threw her to the ground and broke her arm!  Plus, she was younger and stronger then!

Unfortunately for Janet, I am a reluctant participant in the "you wait here, Pashy, and I will be right back to get you" program.  I always try to make a bolt for it and Janet says I'm like greased lightning!  I bark and cry until they get two or three houses down.

She and I walked along Beach Drive and we admired the skill of this semi truck driver at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

Not only did he have to back this big truck down a narrow entrance to a parkade, it's curved! 

This doggie lives on Beach Drive, close to Camp Canada.  Janet thinks he is super cute and check out his Paws Kringle collar!

Against all odds, Noodles tried to initiate some playing!

I've got her in a choke hold!

Now I have her in a Half Nelson!  Rockers was quick to recognize my superior wrestling skills and quit.

Janet made two little Christmas projects on her sewing machine.  The first was an "old school" Christmas stocking for Briana and Ted and the second was the same thing for Meg, Derek and Mr. Baby.  We didn't post the one for Briana and Ted as Janet and Phil sent a Christmas parcel and wanted it to be a surprise for them.  Personally, I don't think they are up to much, but Rockers says they are the same style as the stockings our children have had since they were little, and are oddly enough, much loved.

This took her the better part of the morning.  Even though the bottom "M" is a bit crooked, she was pretty stoked!  Now she wants to try something else.  Sure hope the next project is a success or the bad words will be flying like crazy!

Janet says Mr. Baby is coming today.  I have never met him, but Rockers says Noodles really loves him.  This should be fun!

We are also having the Block Christmas Party, so Janet is busy.  She made Pecan Pie Brownines.

I didn't know about this Camp Canada tradition until recently.  When the cookie container is being filled up, the Guys rush to the door and wait for it's arrival.  We can select a cookie (or two if you are Noodles!) right from the container.  Camp Canada is a lot of fun.

In case you can't guess, that's naughty, naughty Noodles pushing the envelope in the middle.

It's Party Time!

To quote Janet's new favourite TV character, Frank Gallagher from the British version of "Shameless", it's time to paaaarty!

Noodles and Rockers turned 12 this week!  Fun!

They made special hats that we all got to wear.  We are lining up for the big excitement.

Here we go!

Turned out, it was a problem to keep all three of us organized for the photo op.

I tired of my hat quickly.  Do you think they look like Dunce Caps?  Noodles and Rockers didn't seem to mind too much, so maybe I am wrong.

Bad news, for everyone except Janet.  She has been after Phil for months to put an IP block on her iPad so she can access U.S. and British TV.  Who, in a million years, thought she was clever enough to do it on her own?  Certainly not "Mr. It's Way Too Difficult To Do".  There were four seasons of Shameless on Canadian Netflix and now there are nine on U.S. Netflix!  She is super excited as she loves watching is addicted to this show.    Not to mention, a whole host of shows she wants to watch.   Then, Phil showed her how to take the shows from her iPad and put them on Apple TV so she can watch them on the kitchen TV.    Game on!  At this point in time, Christmas is looking increasingly like Swansons Hungry-Man Dinners.  Ouch!

Frank Gallagher.....Janet loves him!

                                                 

Sleeping Doggies!

When we arrived back in Camp Canada, Rockers was "gifted" with my sectional sofa.  He loves it.

The rest of us have to make do with whatever is left over.  Me, Pashy, on the lumpy bed.

Noodles on the sofa.

And finally me...back on the sectional!

Janet decided to surprise Phil and have some people in for his 65th birthday.  First, however, she wanted the Christmas tree up on Sunday, 08 December.  Phil made invitations to our block Christmas party a week ago last Sunday.  Janet wanted to deliver them that day, but Phil wanted to wait a couple of days so he could put his calendar with them.  Two days...no biggie, Janet says.  Turns out, as usual, two days in Johnny-On-The-Spots land is actually 7, which means he is delivering invitations and bullsh*****g with all the neighbours.

When it is discovered, much later in the day that nearly all the lights for the tree are burned out, Phil offers to go to the store and get more.  When he gets home, he thinks Janet should have told him not to bother and is annoyed that he had to go.  Many, many bad words were exchanged and Janet told him she wanted the tree up for his friends coming to our house on December 10.  Whoops!

Janet neglected to take any photos of the party, but here is the appy she made.  She had helpers!

Not in a million years will you guess what Janet did!  She had Phil take her trusty Janome Memory Craft 4000 sewing machine to Sawyers and have it overhauled.  She wanted to make a couple of small things for Christmas.

Phil came home with the machine and last Saturday Janet gave it a go.  As Janet hasn't sewn for at least 25 years, it was a bit of a challenge.  She managed to find the instruction manual online.  It was so overwhelming Janet said it may as well have been the manual to launch the space shuttle - with Janet firmly in control of the start button.   She nearly gave up, but after more than an hour managed to fill a bobbin and thread the machine.   She was, however, pretty stoked after her little project was completed.  Please, oh please, don't let her think this is the beginning of bigger things!

Janets' pathetic little collection of sewing supplies.

We Are Busy In Camp Canada!

Wednesday started out like any other day.  We slept in, had a potty break and ate breakfast.  Then, Phil called only me to the front door.  Of course, the other two morons followed.  Looks like we are all going somewhere!

From the right hand side; small, medium, large.

Wrong!  This is so cool....I am being given special treatment!   I am the only doggie going with Phil!

Should I be worried?  We are getting into the Volvo.  Is my trip to Camp Canada wrapping up?  I have been on my best behaviour (aside from a couple of potty accidents when I first arrived, but no one seemed too upset by them).  Turns out I haven't outlived my welcome.

Oh no!  It's the Doggie Beauty Parlour!  Have I ever been before?  I don't think so.

Janet used a lot of "code" words with Phil, so it wasn't obvious to Noodles who would have given me a heads up.  Having said that, Noodles was probably pi**ed off that I got to leave the house and she didn't.

This is why I had to go.  Plus lots of too long fur that needed to be trimmed.

When Janet and Phil came to pick me up, the Groomer Lady told them three times what a good girl I was.  I couldn't see them, but I could  hear them talking to her and I was as quiet as a church mouse.  Janet says Noodles and Rockers start to go ballisitic as soon as they hear their voices.  All in all, it wasn't too bad and Janet says my fur is as soft as puppy fur and that I look really pretty!

See how beautiful I look?  Phil thought if I had a bunch of fur trimmed away, it might make me look slimmer.  Didn't happen!  That's OK...Janet has been taking me for lots of 60 minute walks.

A doggie pedi!

Janet made Butter Chicken for dinner last night.  She's going to have it tonight as well as Phil has gone to his office party.   Janet is a major cheap skate, but she pales in comparison to Phil.  It costs $50 to take a guest to the party, so it may as well have been $5000.  He wasn't going there.  This was sad for Janet as she lives to chat to other realtors and thinks the DFH Party is super, super fun!

Today it snowed!  To make matters worse, Janet and Phil went to Costco today and then to purchase their Christmas tree as well.  They were on their way home, on the far side of downtown when there was a power outage, which included Oak Bay.   No more traffic lights!  It took them forever to get home and Rockers was having a meltdown as the alarm on the freezer was beeping.  Janet walked through the front door and started looking for the flashlight and BAM....the lights went on!

I'm Back!

It's me...Pashy!  I'm back in Camp Canada and have strong pawed Rockers out of his position of doggie with the most to say.  He always gets to blog.  Even Noodles barely gets to blog!  Noodles and Rockers are pretty old, so once I set my mind, I can boss them around like crazy.

I was a little bit nervous about coming here as I have only done a couple of big car trips and have never stayed in a hotel before.  Turns out, it was pretty fun.

Phil thinks our diet is really important (Mrs. Lazy Ass Janet would feed us kibble if Phil weren't around!) so here is his massive undertaking for three doggies:

This is only a portion...there were more on the other counter.

Here we come for our dinner:

My favourite spot to rest is under the table, while Janet is reading the paper or looking on the computer...which appears to take up a long time.  Doesn't she have to go to work or something?

Rockers actually has a new bed....which WAS my bed.  I'm not afraid of Rockers, but sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs (get it!) lay, so I make out like it has always been his bed.

  Janet says it looks like a sectional sofa, it's so large.  Janet says I can get another new one at home.  I'm a bit worried about this because Janet is a major cheapskate and may substitute my fancy bed with one of the cheap lumpy ones they have.

We live to help out, so we lent a hand for the rake leafing and Christmas Light set up.

Two Years and More Camp U.S.A.

The bad news.  This is again, mostly about Janet and Phil's stomachs.  All we doggies did was hang out and chill.

Janet just  remembered that today marks two years of her sharing our riveting lives with all of you.  Thanks for reading about us - it makes us really happy!

See how pretty the sunset was?

Saturday, everyone headed out for lunch.  We chumps said a very blurry goodbye.

They went to a new brew pub at the new windsurf launch sight.  It was called Pfraim.  It was delicious!  Janet had mussels and frites and Phil had Bratwurst with warm Belgian Salad.  Today, Phil sashayed home with some bratwurst from The Whole Beast and told Janet if she really, really loved him, she would make some warm Belgian Potato Salad.  Janet did her best to comply, but has only two middle fingers, so we aren't sure if he got the message.

If Kim Kardashian can do selfies, why can't we?  Kim says the most important component of selfies is to hold the camera above eye level.  How is it Janet knows this s**t?

The next day, Janet spent a couple of hours cleaning out the flower bed.  It was getting dark, so she had to quit.

On Monday, they went to their favourite Mexican restaurant in Hood River.  It's way more fun in the summer on an outside table in the hot sun.  Food, however, was still delicious.

It's a little desolate in the winter.  See the back left hand corner - that's where we hang with our people while they eat great Mexican food and swill back Margaritas and Coronas.

On our last day in PDX, we stayed at home, as usual.  Phil and Janet ran some last minute errands and had delicious lunch at Podnahs, a great BBQ place.  Phil had two rack of ribs and Janet had the Tex Cobb Salad with Brisket and house made blue cheese dressing.

Turns out the reason we went to Camp U.S.A. was to bring Pash back to Camp Canada because Mike and Bronwyn were going on vacation.

Pash was pretty excited about her big adventure and her very first hotel visit.  We stayed overnight in Port Angeles so we could take the first ferry home on Wednesday.  Upon reading the fine print at check in, Janet discovered only two doggies are permitted in each room.  Janet, the Rebel thought WTF; we have no other option now, so we skulked in under the cover of darkness.  We were all good and quiet doggies, so no one else knew.