I talk a lot about Mr. Harrison Thomas and Baby J, proper name Jonathan Brooks. But our oldest baby is our fur baby, Sawyer Francis. Let’s talk a bit our oldest referred to most frequently as Soy Soy.

Sawyer joined our family (i.e. just me and Nathan) the year we got married. About a month after we got married. We hadn’t been talking about getting a dog, but on a Friday morning in November, Nathan sent me the sweetest pictures of baby golden retrievers. By Friday evening, Nathan had convinced me to drive to the middle of nowhere Missouri just to *look* at these little puppies. And by Saturday afternoon, we were driving home with the most precious puff ball.

Like I had any chance of not coming home with that sweet face?! (Nathan knew that going into it, though…)

Freshly home as a brand new family of 3!

I’ve never had a dog before Sawyer. But despite that, I took to being a dog mom quite quickly. My Sawyer is pretty much my constant shadow.

She spends most of her day snoozing in her bed by my office desk.

Her favorite time of day is meal time for Jonathan, where she eagerly camps out right underneath his high chair, quick to help him finish off his food.

Then come evening, she transitions herself to her living room bed for some TV watching.

She enjoys eating pretty much any last thing you’ll give her. Except for green vegetables and carrots. So, she’s pretty much the equivalent of a third toddler.

She believes strongly that people only sit on the floor because they want to pet her. No personal space is necessary ever at any time.

Her backyard is Sawyer’s domain and she will bark and protect it from all dogs living on the opposite side of the fence. But will gladly allow squirrels, possums, and any other creature to roam free in her yard.

She’s regularly used as a jungle gym by her little brothers, and eagerly awaits their bedtime each night so she can have Mom to herself.

While the gate to the yard has been left open many times, she’s decided that there really is no point in leaving. The food and the family in this house is more than enough for her. And we love her for it!