Adoration

For both trips to Michigan last month we took our two dogs with us, because of the convenience and the sheer fact that my niece adores them. She has two little daschunds of her own, but for some reason she is obsessed with our big dogs. She loves to hug them, play with them, and, as you can see, nap with them. She passed up on many fun activities Christmas week (including bowling with her cousins, seeing Happy Feet and Charlotte's Web, and going to Chuck E. Cheese's) because she preferred to stay home with the dogs. She said she didn't want them to be lonely.

We're happy that our dogs are great around kids. They are incredibly patient and kind, even though we can tell they sometimes get a little tired of being "toys." The cat doesn't make these trips because my sister is allergic to her and, even though she doesn't know it, she's better off not going. Unlike the dogs, she is not a fan of little kids and she runs at the sight of them.