Happy Bitey-Face, erm, Boxing Day!

Bitey-face is like boxing, right?  Sort of?  Maybe?  Oh, Mom just said that Boxing Day has nothing to do with pugilistic activities, and has more to do with tipping one's servants.  Does that mean Abby and I have to tip Mom?  I bet if we both jumped on her at once, we could knock her down.  Which would sort of be like tipping her...


*ahem*

Regardless of what Mom says, Abby and I are CERTAIN Boxing Day is celebrated with bitey-face exhibitions. 

We've got our anti-gravity boots on here!

This Boxing Day stuff is pretty cool!

But let you think we do nothing but bitey each other all day, let me assure you we do other funballs things, like chasing each other around The Bush.  (Ignore the shovel - that is Mom's 'waste management tool' - also known as the Poo Flinger...)

We could do this all day.  And frequently do until Mom gets cold and calls us in, and then we come running!

Heehee!  We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays - and thanks for all the wonderful cards from all our bloggie friends!  We got WAY more cards than Mom and Dad did!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Merry Christmas!

We have been preparing for the arrival of Sandy Paws by demonstrating what Good Girls we are!

We share stuff...

See, we're totally sharing the Frisbee!  Heehee!

And we've been exercising in preparation for all the Christmas goodies that are sure to come our way...

And we've been Extra Good in showing our sisterly affection for each other....

Yep, we're totally prepared!  Heehee!

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends across the world!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

PeeEss:  Don't forget to leave out scotch and chew-toys for Santa and his Reindogs!  (If you don't know about Reindogs, be sure to read Mogley's Most Informative Post - the reindeer just have better press agents, while the reindogs are doing all the work!)

Abby's Birthday and a Turkey-Hotdog Refresher Course for Mom

Well, it looks like we are doomed to posting once a week for a while - something to do with Mom leaving at o'-dark-thirty, and it being sort of dusk-y when she gets home, making for non-optimal photo time.  Mom has been saying something about how she has never been so excited for the Solstice in her life as she is this year - even if it is only a few minutes a day, she wants to know the days are getting longer.   But, Mom has assured me that she is going to try to post once a week.

Which is a good thing, as well have All Sorts of Exciting Things going on.

First, Abby took Mom to Petco for a refresher class on how to feed turkey-hotdogs as Mom has been slacking in the turkey-hotdog department for a while.  

Abby, being Abby, had to go suck-up to Jessi, first thing, and then go make friends with the two little Westies who were finishing up their class...

After the little dogs left, Abby got her private lesson (of which there are no pictures, because Jessi was really focusing on Mom's turkey-hotdog-delivery technique).  At the end of the private lesson, Mom's technique wasn't totally perfected yet, so Jessi invited Mom to continue to practice in the next class of the day, whose only member was Mogli, a 9 month old Newfoundland.

Abby greeted Mogli modestly, as usual.

Okay, so Abby really doesn't DO modesty....

And then they got back down to the serious business of Mom feeding turkey-hotdogs in such an enticing manner that Abby would run through Petco looking for Mom and her turkey-hotdogs.  First Mom practiced by just standing at the end of an aisle and offering her turkey-hotdogs.  Then Mom was hiding behind things, and Abby proved too be too clever.  So Mom thought she'd be Super Clever....

Let's just say Abby had the last laugh!

However, we think Mom is now crate-trained!  Heehee!

Mom got her revenge, however....  You know how I mentioned that this last Monday was Abby's birthday, but we were holding off on the celebrating until this weekend?  Well, after the Crate Incident yesterday (Mom says she got in there voluntarily, but I think Abby lured her in with some turkey hotdogs!), Mom decided to do the birthday thing today.  Which meant that Abby had to wear The Birthday Hat!

Abby is looking rather pleased with herself because Mom is hold bits of ham just off camera.  But I almost feel sorry for the poor girl - I mean with a birthday in December she's subjected to the elf hat, and the antlers AND the birthday hat all in the same month!  I least with my birthday in July, I get to spread out the, ah, glad tidings!

Mom made cake (well, mini-cakes) for both of us.  Although keeping true to the 'second-child-is-an-afterthought' maxim, Mom didn't actually have a birthday candle for Abby, and had to, ah, improvise!  (And get the card off the candle before it caught fire!)  But the cake was quite tasty!

And Granny and Grandpa had sent us some Most Excellent sweet potato snacks which we checked out - 4 paws up!  Thanks from both of us (because Abby will share, I promise!)!

After the birthday celebrations, Abby and I ran off our cake with a little bitey face. 

And a little frisbee time.

And, a little Sitting In The Snow Looking Regal.  She's a Hippobottomus, what can I say?  Besides, she did get Mom to crawl in that crate, so that's totally deserving of a little lazing about!

And finally, a gratuitous picture of me, because the ratio of Fi:Abby photos is way out of balance!  Heehee!

 *kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Ho-ho-ho (Or the Things We Do to Amuse Mom)

As you may (or may not) know, Abby and I have the sickies.  We've got 'kennel cough' or the flu, or something - apparently whatever we've got is going around.  When Dad came home from skiing on Thursday, I was coughing and hacking up mucous-y stuff all over the place, and he called Mom (who was on her way to work after her first day of skiing for the season), who turned around and took me to the vet, who diagnosed me with a 'respiratory infection' and put me on antibiotics and vitamin C.  That same evening Abby started coughing and hacking (although not as bad as me), and was also put on antibiotics and vitamin C.  Mom has been told we'll make a full recovery in 'no time'.

Being the sneaky, opportunistic person that she is, Mom took advantage of our sickies to *gasp* dress us up for Christmas photos.   Granny and Grampa thought we'd be 'dashing' in antlers and elf hats so they had sent us one of each, and Mom has been waiting for 'just the right moment' to take photos.  Apparently when we're sickie is 'the right moment'.  Thanks, Mom.  We'll wait for the 'right moment' to leave some surprises for you...

Abby was not amused.

However, there were treat involved...

And when there are treats involved, I can be persuaded to pose.  For a bit, at least.

Don't even THINK about adding a red nose!

This means I'll get lots of goodies from Santa, right?

Mom, you'd look pretty funny with antlers on, too.

This puts me on the 'NICE' list forever, right?

Abby was also coerced into participating in the Christmas photos...

Heehee! That's one happy looking reindog, dontcha think?

Awww.... She makes such a CUTE reindog!

Heh.  Talk about a grumpy-looking elf! Maybe she should stick with the reindog look!

The photo session was a bit tiring (even with Mom taking us out one at a time so we wouldn't attempt to bitey each other, and with Dad collaborating by providing the treats), but it amused Mom, and occasionally we have to do things to amuse her...

Oh, because of our sickies, Mom is thinking about postponing Abby's birthday celebration for a few days.  Abby turns 2 on Monday, but she wants us to enjoy the birthday cake (Mom's got a doggie cake recipe, complete with cream cheese and peanut butter frosting!), so she's thinking about holding off until next weekend.  Besides, a birthday party AND antlers and elf hats might just be too much excitement for one weekend!  Teehee.

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Time to Beat the Servants

*sigh*   Mom really has been slacking on the blog thing (and my toes are way too big for the keys on her keyboard).  First it was "the new job is keeping me busy" (yeah, but you get home at 4pm most days....) and  now it's "but I've got Christmas cards to mail, and I've got to make your annual calendar so it can get shipped in time".  Yeah.  Whatever.

In spite of all of these 'things' Mom has to do, she managed to eek out a little time to drag us to the groomers on Saturday.  

Don't let our newly-shorn smiling faces fool you: Mom was holding up some cheese!

Apparently, Mom thought we were getting a little 'woolly.'

Us? Woolly?   Naw.

We're not woolly; we're just getting ready for winter.

Mom thought that turning on the air conditioning in the bedroom because we were hot was a bit excessive, just because it was 18 degrees outside and she and Dad were already freezing... *sheesh*

So once we got back from being de-shag-ified, we immediately went out to get the 'new dog' smell off.

Abby, doing what she does best; being goofy.

Today, Mom and Dad took us on a bunch of walkies, but instead of helping us catch up on our friends' bloggies, Mom has been combing through the photos from the last year, trying to select the Top 48 for our calendar.  Here are a few possible choices....

Mom is still working on the calendar, she's (clearly) got a million choices!  In the meantime, Abby and I are going to go back to winter tug-of-war.

For those of you who were paying attention last winter, we have several frisbees - one was 'retired' after a vigorous winter of tug-o-war, but we've got 3 more that are still putting up the good fight!


We'll try to get around to bloggies, but Mom wants to ALSO get the Christmas cards mailed out, so have some patience with us!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus