Oh yes, we did.

Not only did we hold true to our promise to Mar made nearly a year ago, we went one better.

Meet our newest additions, Jack and Ava.

(Both names tie back to our beloved Ace, who you can read about here.  Mauri named Jack, since an Ace is a playing card, and so is a Jack; Shilo named Ava, a three-letter name that begins with A... just like Ace.)

We will never forget!!

Jack is our feisty blue-eyed boy,

and Ava is our mild mannered (at least for now), black and tan girl.

We've had them less than 48 hours.

Apparently, when it's picture-taking time, they're asleep...

We do a lot of sleeping around here, too, so it all works out.

I was mentally prepared for one -- we'll see how two go.

Yes, it was somewhat spontaneous (although we were ready to get a puppy a year ago -- then we hit a few bumps in the road -- like a job loss and two weddings).  Bill had mentioned a few times in the past couple of weeks that we should carry through on our promise to get a dog.  ASAP.  Mar's friend from school, Paige, was getting a new puppy, and Mar couldn't wait to see him.  Next thing you know, Paige brought the puppy to our house.  I fell in love with him, and asked Paige's mom for the info on the breeder, who just happened to live nearby.  We took all the girls over to play with the puppies, checking out the two remaining available dogs.  Of course, we loved them.  Who doesn't love puppies??  But of course, we couldn't come to a quick consensus on what adorable dog to take home.  We decided to talk about it, and come back the following day.  That evening I received a text message from Paige's mom.  Paige and her brother had allergic reactions after playing with their puppy, so they had reluctantly made the decision to NOT get him after all.  Of course, I was thrilled ecstatic happy, since I thought their little guy was fabulous.  I told the girls, and we decided that we would play with the puppies one more time, then they could make the decision on what puppy to get.

They chose the little black girl.

Hmmmmmmmmm.... she WAS super sweet.

Then the breeder offered us a deal on two, and we took it.

Just like that.

I'm sure there will be a few "What were we thinking???" moments, but hopefully they are few and far between.  We bought a book.  We signed up for puppy training classes.  We purchased food, a crate (we will need another one eventually, but right now they both fit in one), doggie treats, chewing bones, and toys.  We have learned (thanks to our trusty guidebook) that the next 4 weeks are CRITICAL in learning behavior they will have for the rest of their lives.  So much pressure!

The only hiccup so far -- they like to eat the deer poop that is all over our yard.  Like it's kibble.  Yuck.  We are a tad worried that it could give them some kind of nasty disease, so a clean-up is in order.

Wish us luck!