We recently added a new member to our family.  He is furry and runs on all fours and sometimes answers to the name of Ivan. On other times he answers to the name Eisen-Howard (when Sid says Ivan it sounds like Izen) and yet other times he chooses not to answer at all.  He is a crazy fur beast with a perpetual smile on his face.  He looks like a Russian Wolf Hound mixed with an Alaskan Husky then crossed with a Golden Retriever.  He is a a nut (did I mention that already?)  The best part, however, is that he adores Solomon and Sid and they love him!

Ivan came from the Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue from up in Wasilla.  It is a great organization of volunteers who house the dogs themselves until a permanent home can be found for them.  It was great for us, too, because we were able to meet with him in a home environment to really get a better impression of his personality. We were looking for a love sponge who would entirely tolerate two little boys and this silly puppy completely fits the bill.  He is a non-stop barker and the fastest thing on four feet that I have ever seen.  He loves to sleep upsidedown with his paws in the air and he has two ice blue eyes with a hint of brown in one.

This past weekend we took him out for a walk around the lake which is now pretty solidly frozen.  We’ve been dog sitting Mookie for the past week and had him join us for the jaunt.  The boys careened around the lake in the sled and the dogs just played and played and played.  It was a perfect little family adventure on a cold November day.

I had the pleasure of photographing this little girl before she was even born when we captured her mother’s maternity session. A few weeks later she surprised her parents with an early arrival!  She chose to make her entrance into this world during the middle of an important football game and to commemorate the occasion her parents brought along some team spirit to to use for props (both teams!).

Happy Birthday sweet baby!