Puppies Out Our Ears

Our other female dog, Rita, had eleven Labradoodle puppies! They are now almost five weeks old, and we are trying to find good homes for them before we leave for Alaska May 15. There are lots of puppies around here! They are super cute, and lots of fun, tho. Gabe just can't stop talking about them, and when we come into the puppy pen, all eleven puppies come running over to us, wagging their little tails and barking their cute baby barks.

I have been having a blast naming the puppies. There are two black ones, five red, and four brown. I named the brown ones Mocha, Cocoa, Frappe, and Latte, and the red ones are Apricot, Rose, Patch, Rusty and Rojo. When I got to the black ones, I had run out of good ideas, so they are just Curly and Coal. Puppies are fun! They are listed for sale here, and we have already found new homes for two of them.

And, as if my life isn't busy enough with a toddler and a two-month-old, I started a new job on Monday! 

I am answering calls, emails, and texts for a guy named Henry who has a puppy business. He is pretty much a pet store, but he specializes in puppies. He finds good homes for about a thousand puppies a year!

So some days, like yesterday, (my first day :/) it is crazy busy with calls and texts peppering you in the midst of everyday busy-ness, but then there are days like today, where I've only gotten two emails  and one call all morning. Life feels a lot more relaxed today than it did yesterday!

With all the learning going on for this job last week and also this week, it sometimes feels like my head is about to explode from information overload! I had never had a smartphone before, or a Bluetooth, or an Ipad, but suddenly I had to learn how to use all those things besides learning all the information to tell people looking at puppies. Shipping information, payment information, puppy personality information, the difference between dog breeds - my head felt like it was swimming yesterday, so it's really nice to have a slow day today.

This was a job we were going to start when we moved to Alaska, but the person doing it up until now suddenly needed to quit, so Henry asked us to start the job a month early. Andy has been very busy lately fixing up things we need to sell before we move, car, camper, etc, as well as doing his job helping plow and plant here on the farm. He's hoping to have the crops in for his dad before we move. So him taking on an additional job really wasn't an option. Therefore that left me!

I enjoy answering calls and texts very much, although it can be stressful when Jasmine is crying and Gabe needs his diaper changed, and it's time for supper and nothing is made yet. (yesterday was this way.) But in the midst of the hassle, I have been trying to focus on spending quality time with my children whenever there is a break between calls. I don't want to be too busy for them, even if it means missing a call sometimes and just calling the person back. The nice thing about my children is that they are young enough to still take naps and then I can get a lot done!

Last night after supper, Gabe got out his little toy phone and began jabbering excitedly into it about puppies. Just like he saw Mommy do all day! Children are so precious. :)