Samson- Year Two

Dear darling sweet stubborn regal Sir Samson "angry cake" Spektor Morris,

It was your birthday a few months ago, and I let it pass by without a blog mention!

But we DID celebrate with you by taking you on a fun hike up to Dog Lake.

Since your "whelp day" I've been brewing a blog in my head about all the things I particularly have loved about having you in our family this year.

Lets see how many of them I can actually remember, now that I've sat down to write about you! 

I love how sleepy you are during the day! Anyone who knows you exclusively in the evening can't believe that you spend your days lounging around, napping, and cuddling.  I love your cute sleep faces!  Most of the pictures of you during your year two are of you sleeping, because you are so darn cute! 

You've made a lot of new friends this year, especially since I have started teaching cello at home instead of at the Music Studio.  It has been fun watching you start out so protective and wary of strangers, and eventually learning to love everyone that comes over.  I wish that you would learn to not yap at every stranger that walks, runs, or bikes past our house, however.  

You are such a good therapy dog.  When I was feeling so crappy at the beginning of being pregnant with Clementine, you cuddled up with me every day and made me feel better.  

I love it when you want to play.  We play chase and fetch and tug.  You love belly rubs and ear rubs and leg rubs.  You HATE it when I tease you by blowing inside your ear.  

You and Nathan play darling games of hide and seek. You love your big dog, your leopard, your skunk, and the tail of your fox, which is all that is left of it.  :)

We've read lots of articles about how to prepare you to be a good dog brother when Clementine is born, and many of the articles have suggested that we talk to you about it.  We tried it, and I know it sounds crazy, but I swear you really listened and understood what we were saying.  I hope you are ready! 

I love how excited you are to see us!  When ever we come home from work or the store or where ever, you are waiting for us at the door with love and kisses.  Its so much fun to come home to you, even on a bad day. 

You love hiking, and everyone on the trail is always so impressed with your stamina and energy for such a little guy!  

You think your a big dog and love playing with all sorts of dog friends. 

When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you want to do when you get out of your kennel is find Nathan and give him love.  It's darling how much you love him.  

I love your fur!  Everyone comments on how pretty you are with your cool spots and your multicolored eyes.  And you have cute little cowlicks all over that make your fluffy fur stand out at weird angles.  You like being blow dried after a bath.  You're kind of prissy, I guess.  

You know this super cute trick called "show me your paws" where when you are laying on your back, we can ask you to show us your paws, and you will reach your two front paws up toward our faces as far as you can reach.  Its so funny.  

You get tuckered out when we go on walks that are longer than 2 miles.  Which is weird, cause you could hike for hours!  But when we are walking, and you are ready to be done, you drag and pant and act so miserable.  

This is why there are so many pictures of you asleep, because when I try to take pictures of you when you are awake, they just turn into a string of blurred samson-colored streaks.  When you are awake, you are on the move! 

You love hanging out at the front door and watching what goes on outside.  You protect us from strangers and announce the arrival of cello students. You get upset about birds that like to hang out on the lawn.  

When you're not sick of walking, you are a pretty awesome walking buddy.  You've gotten good at "leave it" and "slow" and "wait."  You love being able to walk without your leash on.  

You are a little beggar, which I don't love, but it's a big part of who you are these days.  You whine for food, and are pretty stealthy at stealing nums from unsuspecting victims.  When we are eating dinner, you wait on cue for when we start saying the dinner prayer, and then you cry throughout the whole prayer- Satan dog.  

You got kind of chunky in the winter and so we put you on diet food- which you now love even more than the not diet food.  And your looking so fit and healthy these days.  

You love Greenie dog treats.  And its so cute to watch you scarf them down as if they're not good for you.  

Remember how you fit into our stockings your first Christmas with us?  No chance of that happening Christmas 2012!  You've grown so much.  But your still so little and puppy-ish, which I love.  

You loved sitting on top of the heater vent all winter long.  Or in front of the space heater.  And it's so cute.  

You particularly love sitting like this on top of Nathan's legs.  His legs are the perfect length for your long body, and any time he is sitting like this- watching football, doing homework, reading a book, etc, I can find you right in that spot.  

Sam, basically it has been a joy having you with us this year.  I don't remember how boring our life must have been before you came into it, but you make us so happy.  You melt my heart at least on a weekly basis.  This year is going to bring lots of change to your world with a new baby in the family.  Hopefully you two will be pals, and not enemies.  We are going to do our best to help you feel like you're not replaced or left out or forgotten.  Because even though we're going to love this baby Girl like crazy, as Regina said in your song, we "loved you first!"