We have gotten to the point again when I start questioning the wisdom of living in Texas in the summertime. I like Texas in general, but summers are just not always fun. So what do you do with this many dogs when it's too hot to even go to the beach? 
Pool Party Time!
It had been a while since we had brought out the kiddie pool, and we weren't even sure if they would remember it. They pretty much just picked right back up where they left off last year.

Unfortunately pool parties don't last very long at our house because as soon as they've played in the water for a few minutes, they are nice and cool and ready to play. So this happens:

Then this happens:

Then this:

And the water ends up looking like this:

Luckily there's plenty of entertainment inside too. There's napping, kitties, napping with kitties. 

Of course, in all fairness, the kitties nap pretty much everywhere.

Kitty B takes first prize for napping in odd places. She decided that Dad's computer was pretty comfortable. While he was trying to use it.

I think that Winter decided that Texas wasn't worth visiting this year. For the past few weeks, it's been cool some evenings and then other evenings we need the air conditioner. The past couple of days, we have been able to wear shorts around the house.

After sitting outside in the afternoon and after a nice brisk walk, Miss M prefers to cuddle up on the couch in the nice air conditioned living room.

This past weekend, Mom left the puppies home with Dad for a few hours to go to a baby shower. The puppies are going to get a brand new two-legged cousin soon. Mom can't wait to see how the puppies react to an actual baby. They love kids, but they have never actually seen a real baby. The closest thing to a baby that they have seen was when we saw a toddler at Petsmart one day. Miss M and Mr. C were walking along with us and saw a group of kids sitting by the lizards. After a few seconds, a little girl who was probably only 18 months old or so, stood up and started walking toward Miss M. Miss M wagged her tail and was excited but didn't know what to do. She was a little scared of the little girl and hid behind my legs. 
Mr. M met the neighbor girl in the driveway one day. She is about 4 and was a little bit nervous about him. Mr. M was a perfect gentleman and walked up to her and smelled her and let her pet him. He was super happy- tail wagging all over the place- but he never tried to jump on her. He just sat down and let her pet him on the nose.
So we are really happy that Mom's brother and his wife are expecting a baby and can't wait to introduce the puppies to her.

I had very specific ideas on what she wanted in a couch for the new place. It had to be comfortable, and it had to be large enough for both of us to fit, while still also being big enough for several of the puppies to sit on it too. Before we had the puppies, I was never in favor of having animals on the furniture. Of course, I was also okay with the idea of leaving them in the backyard alone for several hours at a time. Then we actually got puppies, and my opinions of things changed. I actually kind o like having a puppy or two sitting by me on the couch. I would never think of leaving our puppies in the yard unsupervised- not even for a minute. I have heard too many stories of people who left their pit bulls in the backyard only to return to an empty backyard.Apparently, they are stolen quite often. I guess I am a helicopter puppy parent. Needless to say, our puppies are a little on the spoiled side.
So, back to the couch. I found one that I liked, but it wasn't in stock. We went ahead an pre-ordered it, and the company agreed to waive the delivery fee since we were having to wait. Today, the couch finally came in. We are very happy with it, and the puppies L O V E it. Miss M claimed her spot immediately. Miss B was so glad that we let her on the couch that she didn't know what to do.

Miss B and Mr. M decided that toys are still more important than furniture.

Mr. M still prefers to sit on Dad's lap.

Mom likes that the couch is as long as it is.

Miss S and Mr. C rearranged the pillows so that they would be more comfortable. No respect for throw pillows.

Kitty S is completely unimpressed. I think the casts are playing hard to get with the couch. I'm sure they will wait until we are asleep to enjoy it.

I think this picture pretty much sums up how the puppies feel about the new couch.

We think we might be in for a chilly winter. The cats have been putting on quite a bit of weight lately. We are glad. They were so skinny when we got them that they looked funky- especially Kitty P with her crooked tail.. They are finally starting to look like normal cats. They have been pretty cuddly lately too. They jump on the bed with us every chance they get- much to the delight of Miss M.

Miss B and Mr. C have been trying to nap on the bed every chance they get as well. Most of the time I just let them. They don't sleep on the bed at night. They have their own pillows in our room. So being allowed on the bed is a special treat.

I know that most people will tell you that cats are easier to take care of than dogs, and in certain aspects, that is probably true. You don't have to take cats outside for exercise or to do their business. You don't need to take them to any training classes. They don't need quite as much attention on a daily basis. But that is pretty much where the easiness ends. You don't usually need to bathe cats. This is true, but when you do have to bathe them, the situation is extremely unpleasant. They seem to hate baths, and on top of that, they were probably super dirty and super smelly for you to want to bathe them in the first place. They also aren't as good with going around to visit other people as dogs are. 
Today was an excellent example of how cats are not easier than dogs. The kitties had their first vet appointment today so that we could get them started on their kitty shots. We took the puppies along too so that they could be weighed for their heart worm prevention medicine, which is given by weight. A short way into the trip, we started smelling something rather foul, and one of the cats started meowing. We were really hoping that one of the dogs was just gassy, but the smell didn't go away. In fact, it seemed to get worse. The puppies all started crowding as close to us as they could- I think to distance themselves from the cats and the trouble they felt would follow. We were very early for our appointment and decided that it would be best to stop by Grandma and Grandpa's to  clean off the cats and wash out the carrier instead of taking poopy cats to the vet- kind of like when you brush your teeth before going to the dentist.
Seriously. Cleaning cat poop off of two long haired cats and out of a small kennel makes you really appreciate having dogs. The smell was so bad that I had to even close the bathroom door and open the window to get the smell out of the bathroom but not let it into the rest of the house. The cats had poop all in their fur. I couldn't just wipe them off with a paper towel because it wasn't coming off. I ended up washing them off in the sink with hand soap. They were not happy at all. I was wishing they were dogs at that point.
Another way dogs are easier than cats is that when you go to the vet, you don't have to keep the dogs in a kennel. Our puppies are a little different than most of the dogs we have met. Our puppies absolutely love going to the vet. They get super happy as soon as we get there and pull us toward the door to go in. When they were young, we couldn't take them in public yet because their puppy shots weren't done. So going to the vet was a total treat. They got to visit with other people and see other puppies. Everyone at the vet's office pays attention to them when they go there. They get petted and talked to, and sometimes they even get treats. The vet office is awesome.
The cats don't really seem to agree. Kitty P was okay with the vet- except for the fecal sample part. Kitty S was not really enjoying her time there. She did not appreciate the exam or the blood sample, and especially loathed the fecal sampling. Other than that, they were fairly indifferent and went about cleaning themselves the rest of the visit. I could hear the puppies in the waiting room with Dad visiting with everyone. Apparently, the puppies were very concerned that Mom took the kitties in the examining room and kept trying to go check on them.
After the vet visit, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's. The cats pretty much just slept in their kennel the whole time. The puppies made themselves right at home after saying hi to everyone and giving them puppy kisses. They now know where Grandma keeps the plastic jugs that need flattening and went ahead and got all of the flattening out of the way- anything to help Grandma. Then Grandma made popcorn. Mr. C was intrigued by the air-pop machine. It was loud, but stuff kept coming out. It looked promising. After all, Grandmas seem to be very good at sharing. 

All of his patience paid off. Again and again and again. As it turns out, the puppies really like popcorn.

Mr. M got a little sleepy but didn't have his normal nap spot. So instead, he cuddled up next to Mom's purse and outer shirt. Miss B crawled up into Dad's lap but found that it was just too small to make a good napping place.

The puppies were very concerned about the kitties and kept walking over to their kennel to check on them. When we got home, the puppies went straight to the kitties' area to check on them and make sure that they were still there. I think that they were worried that the cats might not be there anymore. Even though the cats don't always want to play with them, the puppies have decided that the cats belong here. The kitties were okay about seeing the puppies too. Kitty P even played with Mr. M through the child gate. I've never actually seen her play with the dogs before. So I guess they are okay with the puppies too.

Sometimes a girl just feels like a nap. Miss M is finished with her puppy shots and has her very own microchip. Notice the big-girl bling.