you should meet stella....

our beautiful dog:

she waits at the top of the stairs for us.
with her ball.
waiting for one of us to toss it or kick it down.
we pretend she's the soccer goalie.
we are the team desperate to score.
often she wins.

if she is not at the top of the steps,
she is often lazing around the house.
all snuggled up like a big pillow or throw blanket.
that the kids can hardly resist.

stella is as much a part of our family now as any of us...

so i thought it was time to introduce our furry family member.

we bought her from the human society, 

on oliver's 8th birthday the summer we moved into our house in portland.

he now has a special connection with her because of that.

mostly, he uses her as a pillow

and in exchange cleans up her "deposits" in the yard.

i love being a dog family...

even though i would say i'm not a huge dog person,

i do love my own.
and having a dog in the house is on the same list that my piano is on.
just like music, a good pet brings life into the home.
i love the companionship she brings to each one of us individually.

i'm pretty sure that we couldn't have created a dog that's better suited for us.

she's fun to take places too.

like the snow:

(she looks like a wolf in this one, eh?)

or camping, or the coast, or on a hike, or to the store, or park, or school.

she's just fun to have around.

like right now.
as she sleeps beside me while i work.