New Puppies

We would like to introduce you to our new puppies, "Soda Pop" (on the ground) and "Cream Soda". I think our girls were thirsty for something sweet when naming the puppies.

Manon's says there is nothing better than rocking a puppy in your arms while laying in the hammock.

Henna was a little timid at first but has warmed up. She now loves to take care of her little Soda Pop and sometimes she calls him "Baby Jesus" for a nick name. She then calls Manon's white dog "Mary." The girls decided the other day that they need a kitten to be the shepherds and a guinea pig for the wise men. Every family needs a pet nativity!

If you know Monty and me very well you probably know that we really don't like little dogs. We often refer to them as "yappy little creatures" and believe that if you want something small then you should probably get a cat. So, you might be wondering why we got our girls little dogs. Well. . .there is a great story behind it. The men who have been working on our house made friends with our family. Manon and Henna began learning words and phrases in Chinese and loved to practice on the workers. The workers actually listened and would grant their requests like when they said they wanted candy or fruit. Manon decided to tell them that she would like a puppy and the next day they showed up with a puppy! Once Henna warmed up to the new four-footed addition, she wanted to hold it but Manon would not let it out of her arms so Henna cried. Then the workers did not like to see Henna unhappy so the next day they brought her a puppy. So, now we have TWO puppies. The workers bought them at the market (in the meat section) for 5 yuan each (80 cents each). Needless to say Monty and I have warmed up and actually like these little yappy dogs. Every day the water buffalo walk by and they go crazy barking. I am not sure what they plan to do to the big buffalo since they are the size of their hooves but it is funny to watch them. They have given us a good laugh and Manon and Henna give them lots of sweet affection.

Manon and Henna enjoying the swing Daddy hung on our porch.