11.04.09: Creating Silliness

I think I was tricked somehow. In the afterglow of an amazing Wednesday night service, I felt compelled to run to the pet store to pick up a bag of treats and a toy for each of the boys. Thumps a squeaky toy lover and Dudley’s a bone lover. In and out in 10 minutes, tops. More like an hour - and I actually stopped at second store to get something else for them. Read on…

This is what I came home with. I wanted to take the time to photograph them BEFORE, because after today I have a sneaking suspicion they will never look like this again. For sure the loops, eyes and fur tufts will be gone when I get home tonight. I almost feel bad...almost.

Mr. Fleecy V (the 5^th) is a staple in our home. It ends up being the one toy Thump will drag with him anywhere. He's even succeeded in sneaking him out the door when we go on our walks. I don't know how that happens. It’s his “security blanket”. For sure he has issues…

This is Mrs. Lambkins III (the third). She was an overwhelming winner when Thump discovered there was more than one place to pull the stuffing out of -  and her legs in particular offer him a challenge. Oh the carnage.

Monkey Man (which is NOT the name I decided on yet) was actually MY brain child. For sure the “10 out of 10 on the flappability scale” tag sold me. 

I pictured countless hours of laughter watching the boys play tug of war, or slap themselves in the face with the many monkey appendages as they wrestled it into submission. They may have been in sensory overload last night, but this guy didn’t even warrant more than a sniff or two.

Last, but certainly not least is this gal. I’ve teetered back and forth on whether it’s a boy or girl, but I think it’s a girl. But I need a name….any suggestions? I bought her because I broke out into laughter at the store the second I saw her. To sweeten the pot, she has multiple squeaky toys in her!!! I am immune to this noise now. Well, let me rephrase that – I am immune to the squeaky noise as long as it’s before 9:30 pm. There use to be a shelf in my closet that they would sit and lust after…a shelf with all their squeaky toys that I was done with for the evening. Luckily, I am learning tolerance.

So here’s the “Everlasting Treat Ball” that I decided to try out. A bit pricey, but I chose to believe the “hours of fun” and “stops destructive boredom behaviors” tags on the packaging. Suckaaaaa…… 

To drive my point home as to how big of a sucker I am, 

I checked the time stamp on the photos. 9:06 is when 

I gave both of them this “everlasting” ball. 

Here’s Thump trying to figure out which angle is best for getting 

at the treat..."Ok, I think I've got it...

"....maybe if I try it from THIS angle..."

Not Dudley. 9:09 is when Dudley freed his nirvana and 

would not let me with 10 feet of him after that. 

I think he really liked it..and the "challenge".

What I was not able to capture on film was about 20 min. after the reality of the money I just wasted, set in. 


I started a movie, turned off the lights, crawled into bed and proceeded to hear nothing but: Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp lick lick chomp chomp chomp lick chomp...they were finishing off their treats. 


Which was then followed by the post treat “denial maneuvers” (That’s it??? That’s really all there is????) of: sniff sniff sniff sniff lickcarpet sniff sniff sniff wanderwanderwander sniff sniff lickmyhands (cause they smelled like the treats) and finally…resolution…there will be no more treats tonight. 


A solid plop on the bed from contentment - one on either side of me - then I realized I was pinned beneath the covers. After that, a huge sigh of exhaustion. 


Sleep tight my sweetie pies.