Monday Morning With Da Kids

I like to wake up early in the morning. But, whether I like it or not, having dogs means that more often than not, I HAVE to get up early in the morning. After all, the break of dawn is the best time for a banana, didn't you know?

That's how Laverne & Shirley roll. I am "gently" paw-slapped awake from my slumber, always by Shirley. I feel her whiskers tickling my chin as she nuzzles my neck, and hear her tail thumping madly against the wall/bed/table. That thumping brings Battleship Lavernicus out of dreamland, so she trots over to my side of the bed too. And so it begins....

I stumble to the other side of the house, open the back door, go in the kitchen, peel a banana, L & S sit (automatically), share the banana, I wash my hands, and they run out back to go potty. (Milo is still sleeping in our bedroom, oblivious to his sisters' shenanigans.)

Here is where Laverne & Shirley part at the fork in the road. Shirley will trot back to our bedroom on other side of the house and promptly fall asleep again in her warm spot. I make some tea or coffee, turn on the news, while Laverne patiently waits for me, following my every move.

Then, I settle in on the couch in the family room and read or watch the news. Laverne curls up at my feet while I'm on the couch, and as I massage her she falls asleep. It melts my heart when I see her curled up like a widdle, widdle baby. So much so that I grab the camera---
I am in absolute love with her chunky fat cat paws.
Seriously, when my doggies are sleeping like this, I want to gobble them up. Their cuteness is just too much for me. Just. Too. Much. She looks like an infant!
Pretty soon, the sound of the news brings Milo D. Bear out to the family room. Since Vernie is hogging up all the space by my couch, he just makes himself comfortable against the sofa. It is his favorite spot in the house. He falls asleep again, promptly. Keep in mind it is just before 6 a.m. at this point.
A few minutes later, guess who shows up? Yup. The Bird herself. She trots out, sees that her brother and sister have beaten her to the party, so she tries to squeeze in behind Vernie trying to reach me. I tell her "no" gently because I don't want her to wake the Battleship.
So, Shirley Bug reluctanly lies down on the other side, but her velvety brown eyes melt my heart. Now, I feel bad. But, if I'm very, very quiet, and move very, very slow, I can sit on the floor and give Shirley Pie some Mommy Massage time.
Shirley is not happy. Can you tell?
Success. I was able to carefully make my way to the floor without waking Milo or Laverne. You see, once they're all up, they ALL want petting & love & attention at the SAME time. It gets to be a madhouse, honestly.

Anyway, Shirley promptly crawls over to me and puts her head on my leg, and the massage begins.
Pretty soon, my leg falls asleep, so I transfer her pretty little head to papa's pillow. That pillow case is part of Ed's "big boy" sheet set from childhood. He's had it for over 35 years. Shirley falls asleep on her papa's pillow as I continue her massage time.
This lasts for about another 10 minutes or so, but pretty soon, the zoo begins to come to life. Milo is just beginning to sense something is amiss...
Uh-oh. Houston, we've got a problem. Laverne stirs.
She has bed-head and is none too happy with the turn of events. Time to reclaim Mama...
I couldn't get photos of the chaos that ensued because Laverne came over and climbed all over Shirley to bury her head in my lap, which in turn woke Milo completely, who commenced barking about the unfairness of it all. I was his mama first after all.


I love early mornings with my babies, even they are a handful at times. Here's a snippet of the peace and love amongst the beasts, before they begin their war over mama. I can't think of a more perfect way to begin my work week.