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December 30, 2015

Love, Bravery and Dinosaurs

My in-laws (!) hosted a full house over the holidays. Included in the growing family is my three-year-old niece and my year-old niece and nephew twins. The dogs love the kids. Actually, they didn’t pay the kids themselves much mind, but Eko and Penny love what kids leave in their wake.  
My in-laws (!) hosted a full house over the holidays. Included in the growing family is my three-year-old niece and my year-old niece and nephew twins. The dogs love the kids. Actually, they didn’t pay the kids themselves much mind, but Eko and Penny love what kids leave in their wake.  

Food. Lots of food.

“Don’t mind me….”

“Just cleaning up after the pups”

But Molly and Matt (Emily’s sister and her sister’s husband) don’t have a dog, so the experience was quite novel for their kids.

Cecilia, their oldest, has chatted up Eko and Penny over Skype plenty of times. Ceci is a fellow dinosaur-lover, so she eagerly watched my dinosaurs play from the window.

Jurassic Bark

Ceci desperately wanted to get closer to the dogs but she was understandably nervous. Watching my two wrestle across the lawn is one thing. Getting up close is a serious act of bravery. Especially when the dogs are about three times your size!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was helping Ceci find that bravery.

At first, Ceci found the dinosaurs a bit frightening

6

But her fear was quickly replaced with awe

Then a smile…

And finally, roaring laughter!

Ceci, our budding paleontologist, insisted Emily bring her in for a closer look

In between contagious smiles, Cecilia pet Eko and called her family over to do the same

I barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so I certainly don’t remember the first time I saw a dog in full gallop. Or remember the inevitable mix of fear, awe, nerves and excitement when I first pet that dog.

Sharing that experience with Cecilia was such a joy. Through her I saw and met dogs for the first time all over again.

By the time we left for Chicago, I’m pretty sure Cecilia liked the dogs better than she liked me. But hey, who wouldn’t?

Comments for Love, Bravery and Dinosaurs

  1. maybe next christmas your niece will bring a fourlegged friend too? I bet she would like to have such a friend too now :o)

  2. coastingnz says:

    Great set of photos of Emily and Ceci – something to treasure for them both. Eko would have to be one of the best pups to introduce a child too – big snuggle pop.

  3. Elyse says:

    What a great introduction, and so smart for you to introduce your kids to human kids. The interaction is 99% wonderful, I’ve found. All our dogs have loved kids, because we always go out of our way to introduce our dogs to kids. It’s important for both to know about the other!

    And your SIL and BIL are wise to not have a dog right now — we had Goliath when we adopted our son Jacob. He was followed by Charlie after Goliath passed. Jacob was 14 months old. It was a busy time, I cannot imagine having 3 kids + a furball (unless perhaps, grown, trained and, perhaps stuffed!)

  4. T&S says:

    I think it was a great adventure for the kids.
    Our friends kids are crazy about our dogs and they about them (kids come with treats 🙂 )
    Havent been around lately, so we wish you and your family great Christmas holidays and happy New Year.
    Now we have to catch up on what you have been doing lately 🙂

  5. We like to jump up and hug mini humans which usually scares them. These days, most of them are at least in grade school, but we always knew where they had been sitting when we visited and were happy to clean the floor. Mom only remembers she did not like dogs as a kid, and she even wrote about it in school, a paper she still has in her box in the basement. It’s hard to believe, but true. Now she can’t live without dogs!

  6. What a fun time with the kids and the dogs!

  7. That grin is infectious! So adorable!!

  8. Cupcake says:

    Cecelia is super cute! I am the first dog-touch for a lot of kids when I do my therapy work at the library. I try to sit still the best I can so I don’t scare anybody. But sometimes I lose my mind and try to taste their faces. There’s a lot of giggling.

    Love and,licks,
    Cupcake

  9. Kismet says:

    Throw a saddle on Eko and ride, Ceci, ride.

  10. The wonderment and openness of little kids to experiencing dogs is so heartwarming. What great memories for her and you and Emily. Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

  11. beyond precious!!!!!!! Another dog lover has joined the ranks thanks to you and Emily and Eko and Penny!

  12. Ogee says:

    Eko and Penny are the perfect Dino-Ambassadors! (Not to mention, vacuum cleaners!)

  13. harrispen says:

    Cecilia will probably put a dog on her Christmas or birthday wish list now.

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