On Thursday afternoon we headed over to the State Fair with my in-laws, David ended up meeting us after he got off work!

I love the fair but I knew I didn't want to go on a weekend because it would just be too much, you try maneuvering a massive stroller and a toddler through those weekend crowds so we went on a week night.  As with most fairs it was just huge, unless you have a full day to be there there's just no way to see everything plus the main reason we go to these things is for the kids since Hannah is finally at an age that she can do more of the activities!


First up was the animal tent...everything from a GIANT giraffe to pigs, goats and a mini horse!  You can tell Savannah was just thrilled to be by the pig right?  Next door was a smaller tent with smaller animals like chickens and rabbits, I'm really thinking of getting Hannah a rabbit, I had one when I was younger and she seemed really interested in them!


I was able to take Hannah on a couple of the rides like a mini toddler roller coaster and the carousel...she was a little hesitant at first but then she got the hang of it once it started moving and liked it a lot more...Savannah was quite content checking everything out from her stroller...she probably does have the best seat in the house!


 Finally we took a family ride on the Ferris Wheel...OMG! I hate these things but I did it for my family, I'm just not a fan on heights and with an almost 1 year old who won't sit still I was freaking out!  We had a great afternoon and evening as a family and it was really great to get out and enjoy the fair.

Growing up I didn't have a dog and to be honest I think I missed out on a lot, the responsibility, the bond that animals provide and the joy they can bring to a child's life, that's why it was essential to me that we have dogs in our household for our girls.  Everyone told us we were crazy when we found out that we were having Hannah to be getting a dog, a Pit Bull furthermore but David and I were under the mentality of "if we can't care for a puppy together, how can we raise a kid together?", so we started our search to find a new puppy.

I honestly just remember being at work and responding to craigslist ads for pit puppies, ranging from VA to WV to MD.  The first one to respond was this lady who said she was affiliated with a rescue but they were moving and couldn't bring their dogs (should have been flag #1) and she had some pit/rottweiler mix pups that were 8 weeks old.  When David got home that night I showed him the photos she had sent me, it was like 5 PM and we jumped in the car thinking "if we don't like the puppy we don't have to get it"...how spontaneous of us right? :)

The probably hour and a half drive we arrived at the house, it was totally sketchy (flag #2) but we went on in.  There were 2 baby girl pups and 1 boy, the boy had a hip issue so they couldn't adopt him out plus we knew we wanted a girl most likely, plus the pups were more like 5 weeks than 8 (flag #3).  David knew Whiskey the moment he saw her, I probably asked him a dozen times before I signed the adoption papers, "are you sure that's the one?", he always responded with "yes".  We scooped her up, paid a whopping $45, signed the papers and headed to PetsMart for a crate, food, leash...you know all the goodies. 

This is our little (well not so little now) Whiskey River the night we got her...she was so sad and scared and just needed so much love...
Lots of love and affection brought this baby girl to life...this is Whiskey around 6 months, she just melted my heart with her face...
Now, I couldn't imagine a better choice for a dog, we love Whiskey, she's only ever been away from us when we delivered the girls in the hospital.  She loves our babies and is so patient and caring with them (she's got a face licking fetish that I try to keep in check) and our girls love them...here's a picture of Whiskey with Hannah probably around Hannah being 10 or 11 months...



When we knew we were having baby #2 (now Savannah) we knew it was essential to get Whiskey a partner of her own.  David didn't need another girl in the house so we looked into a boy this time and we found him through Bully Paws Rescue located out of the Fredericksburg area, his mom had been a seized dog when the police arrested the owner on a drug raid, she had been mistreated and bred several times over.  Thankfully this great organization took them in and raised her and her pups.

Titan and I met while David and I were actually looking at getting his brother Cowboy.  When I picked Cowboy up he was all wiggly and wouldn't love on me so I gave Titan a shot, and boy let me tell you, that dog chose me...as soon as I had him in my arms he laid his head on my shoulder and just sighed like "ahhhh, this is home"...he's had my heart ever since.  He's a beautiful blue color with stunning eyes that are a yellow green, every time I have him with me I get nothing but compliment after compliment on how gorgeous he is.

Here's Titan as a pup and Titan on the day he and Whiskey first met...


Titan is now Whiskey's partner in crime, they love each other and most days I can't figure out if their relationship is more of a "mother/son" or "boyfriend/girlfriend" but they are happy and that's all that matters.  Titan also loves our girls and he really is a great fit into our family, we love him, we love them.  Our dogs are our family, they are an extension of us and I'm so grateful that these 2 amazing dogs get to be best friends to my little girls and teach them to love and to cuddle with them at night and lick every tear they shed.

Our beautiful blue pittie Titan turned one year old on June 13th! We love having him as apart of our family and my girls love him unconditionally.  He's just the most amazing addition to our family!  Please always consider ADOPTION before buying a puppy from a breeder.  There are so many puppies and older dogs in shelters and rescues that need loving and caring homes!  Plus it's usually 1/2 the cost of a breeder and they come with all their shots and spayed/neutered!!

Yesterday I took Hannah and Savannah to the Petting Zoo at the Short Pump Mall in Richmond.  We needed a little time out of the house so we gave it a shot.  I really thought Hannah might get frustrated because she wouldn't be able to interact with the animals but she was able to which made me happy!  We paid $1 for a small cup animal feed.

We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes which I thought Hannah would lose it but she was surprisingly patient, which is a HUGE blessing :) Savannah was awake and in the stroller, again, for some reason they were both being so good and I was crazy surprised!  While waiting in line a worker came out with a baby bunny and Hannah LOVED petting it.  She squeezed it at first, but once I showed her how to pet it she really enjoyed loving on it.




As you can see it was a great day for us all, after the petting zoo we went to get some lunch with one of the other mom's from our mommy group.  I think we may try to go back later in the weekend with David since he couldn't join us but this trip showed me that Hannah might even be able to handle going to the actual zoo and seeing those animals.  I think there is a petting zoo at the real zoo so I'm excited to try that too!