Sunday, May 30, 2010

EmBARKing on the journey of puppy parenthood...

Believe it or not, there IS more than Kumeu going on in our lives. However, those other things don't result in such cute pictures, so once again... here's Kumeu!

He already knows how to sit, lay down and come (well, sometimes anyway)...

My favourite trick is "Kisses for mommy!" He's soooo good at that one...

He's awesome on the leash already (considering he's 9 weeks old)...

He helps Mama make the morning coffee...

He'll chew pretty much anything and everything (not so charming at times, but we're workin on it)...

He's an adorable little snoozer...

He already had his first bath...

He LOVES his doting Auntie Carlynne....

And he's just overall so dang CUTE...

Okay, I realize that we may be going a TAD overboard with Kumeu pictures, but we don't have a kid (and he'll only be this small once)... so GET OVER IT!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dear Mr. Weatherman,

Puppy Kumeu is experiencing his FIRST SNOW and IT'S MAY 29TH! Please stop forecasting this ridiculous stuff- it's nearly summer. He loved it and looked super cute playing in it... but still. IT'S THE PRINCIPLE!

Sincerely,
Julie


Friday, May 21, 2010

Why "Kumeu"?

Kumeu (KOOM-you) is where Lowell and I lived in New Zealand.

Next door to a strawberry farm...

Down the road from produce stands...

Seconds away from vineyards AND our favourite Thai restaurant...

And home of the annual 'Kumeu Show'...

More importantly, VERY special friends of ours reside in Kumeu...

Mama & Papa Gw and Lance & Nat became wonderful friends while in New Zealand- more like family, in fact. Lance & Natalie don't actually live IN Kumeu, but Nat grew up there (as she is indeed Ma & Pa Gw's daughter).

Overall, puppy Kumeu was named to commemorate our year abroad including all the spectacular places we saw and especially all the fabulous people we met. NZ remains very much a part of lives, so we thought it was only appropriate to name our puppy after it.

Plus it's pretty much the cutest puppy name ever (except for that these Westerners have trouble pronouncing it!)

Now onto the star of the show... puppy Kumeu is growing SO FAST. Too fast in fact. Before long, we won't be able to sling him over our shoulders or tote him around like a purse....

Another thing about Kumeu... remember when I said that he was a little angel? Well, he CAN be. But now that he's totally feeling at home, he loves to display his hyper side...and trust me: it's HYPER. This pup has got a LOT of energy!

People told us that raising a puppy would be just like having a baby... I think they were right (except babies don't bite quite as much). It's been a lot of work, but SO worth it... and who couldn't love THIS face??...

We sure love our little baby...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Introducing...

PUPPY KUMEU (koom-you)!!!

(more about the name to come later...)

May 14th was a glorious day indeed! Not only was it PUPPY DAY, but we picked up Carlynne, Dan, Marc, Kylie & Ty from the airport AND saw every member of BOTH of our families save one sibling/family on each side.

After a wonderful visit with cousins Steve & Alison in Calgary, we headed straight to Grandma's farm where the puppies and breeders (aka Lowell's parents and Grandma) were awaiting our arrival.


The most common question we've been asked is: "How on earth did you choose Kumeu out of this litter of cuties?!"

Well, firstly, we wanted a darker coloured male, so that narrowed it down to three. It was between red collar, blue collar, and black collar.

Next, we did a series of "tests" with them. Here Lowell is doing the "crash test" with one pup...

The tests didn't really narrow anything down because let's be honest... they're golden retrievers. Each one is as good as the last. The blue-collared pup, however, seemed a little more interested in a hole than people, so we nixed him (poor pup). That narrowed it down to two: red and black. Basically, red had solid gold paws (versus white tips) so we went with him. VERY SCIENTIFIC, I know.

The pups were pretty exhausted after the strenuous testing...

So, Kumeu said good-bye to his birth mother (Bonnie), and headed to Lowell's parents' farm with his NEW parents (i.e., us).

He was so good in the car right away...

At Lowell's parents' farm, he met his papa (Beau) for the first time...

CUTE!

He also spent some quality time with Lowell's family...

Before long, we headed to Julie Anne's for supper then to the airport to pick up the G sibs!

Let me tell you, if you ever want a LOT of attention, walk through a crowded airport with a puppy AND a baby!

So. Much. Attention.

We joked that the boys should head off with Kumeu and Ty (without the girls) and see how many numbers they could get. CHICK MAGNETS!

We all hopped in the van (that we borrowed from my parents) and drove the van full of happiness to Lethbridge.

We got home around 1am, played with Kumeu and introduced him to his crate, then turned in for the night shortly after 2am. Kumeu was a little angel! He didn't cry at all. I woke up just before 6am, so I took him out for a piddle and we started our day.

We made a sod box for him to eliminate in, but he has decided that it makes a more comfortable bed than potty spot...

Oh he's just so dang cute.... we love him so much!

So far we've taken roughly 650 pictures... you will definitely see more of them in the very near future...