It’s hard to believe it, but our puppy girl is four! And, in typical crazy, dog-parent fashion, we had to celebrate!
I’m super excited to share a few photos from Hattie’s dog birthday party and a recap of our sweet goldendoodle’s fourth year of life on the blog!
Hattie’s Fourth Dog Birthday Party
We’ve always acknowledged Hattie’s birthday, because we’ll take whatever excuse we can get to buy Hattie treats!
But, last year was the first year she had a dog birthday party. I mean, she turned 21 in dog years. Having a 21st birthday party for a dog was too much fun to pass up! (You can see photos from Hattie’s third birthday party here!)
For Hattie’s third birthday, six of Hattie’s best dog friends came and played in our basement, ate cake, and played and played.
This year, due to a Purdue game and several of our friends now having babies in addition to dogs, only Hattie’s friend Hugo (who belongs to Lauren of Lauren McConihay Photography) was able to make it. And, coincidentally, it was Hugo’s birthday too! We thought it was so sweet that they got to celebrate together!
You can see a few of Hattie’s birthday photos (Yes. I took birthday photos of her!) and some cell phone shots from Hattie’s fourth birthday party below!
Zach, thanks for being a good sport about your photos! Side note: These photos might look cute, but they were mildly stressful. I think it’s important to remember that a photo can say 1,000 words, but they don’t necessarily tell you everything that happens behind the scenes! After shooting these, Zach said, “Next year, let’s take her birthday photos in the summer. This is nuts.” Just a little insight into our lives!
Hattie & Hugo of course needed a dog cake! I combined this cake recipe (I cut the edges off) and this frosting recipe to create a dog naked cake!
I also couldn’t help buying this rose gold birthday balloon set from Amazon this year! It was just $10. Unfortunately, I made a bit of a mistake with the latex balloons. I thought balloon stayed inflated for a few days. I was wrong. I had them filled the day before the party, and by the next morning, the balloons were on the floor. Live and learn!
Goldendoodle love! How awesome is is that Hattie and Hugo aren’t related by share the same birthday?! And, we do dog birthday parties in our basement. There’s more room to play, and we aren’t nearly as worried about messes!
Just like her mama, Hattie loves cake!
I think they liked it! I’m almost tempted to make baking for dogs my new hobby. You get the fun of being in the kitchen, and nobody complains about what things taste like. Everybody wins!
Such good puppies!
A Recap of Hattie’s Fourth Year of Life
At this point, you might be thinking that I’m absolutely insane. Heck, before I had Hattie, I’d agree with you!
But, this sweet pup brings us so much joy and plays a huge role in our lives. We’re very thankful for her.
While I wish dogs lived as long as people, someday, I know we’ll be without her. And, as a result, I never feel sorry that my phone and computer are full of Hattie photos. When she’s no longer with us, these photos will remind us how much joy this crazy pup brought us.
With this in mind, I can’t help sharing a recap of Hattie’s fourth year of life!
Side note: Most of these are just cell phone photos. Despite what many people think, my “big camera” often stays home. Just a heads-up, because I recognize that some of these photos aren’t the best. But, they’re still memories I want to preserve!
Having an in-home session with New Adventure Productions is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ll forever treasure these photos with the man and dog I love most.
Zach insisted that this be the biggest photo on our Christmas card this year. LOL!
In addition to being in front of the camera during her fourth year of life, Hattie also had several haircuts at Simon & Halle’s. We adore this small business and are so thankful for how they treat our girl!
We also found out that At Home is dog friendly. Super dangerous! And, Hattie hung out with me while I read lots of books this year.
We don’t fly with Hattie. She isn’t a service dog, and being stowed underneath a plane wouldn’t be good for her anxiety. But, if we’re going on a trip where we can drive, we take Hattie with us! And, our girl took a few road trips this year.
Hattie went to Chicago with us for Kavan and Katie’s engagement session. She also went to St. Louis with us to ring in 2020. And, when it was warm enough and we could do date nights outside, Hattie sat on several patios in Lafayette, Indiana.
We also took Hattie to the beach for the first time this year. She loved it! And, yes. She’s wearing a dog life vest in these photos. LOL!
When we couldn’t travel with Hattie, she stayed with our friend Angel and her pup, Stanley. While we were in San Diego for J.R. and Lizzie’s engagement photos, Hattie got to hang out with Stanley and his cousins for Stanley’s birthday!
Hattie would always rather sit on my lap in the backseat. Occasionally, I give in. One of Hattie’s favorite outings is going to Home Depot with Zach! This happens pretty regularly, and some of the employees even know her by name!
Hattie’s favorite activity is snuggling. This includes snuggling both people and dogs, like Ginger!
As a puppy, Hattie was always the first one up at our house. However, as of this year, she’s the last one up. And, if it’s cold outside, she doesn’t get out of be until she absolutely has to go to the bathroom. Can’t say I blame her!
Hattie enjoyed a few pup cups from Starbucks this year and is always my ice cream partner in crime. I mean, if we’re walking right past Igloo, there’s no reason not to get a cone, right?
Hattie has a lot of good traits, but her begging reached an all-time high this year. Zach can’t resist giving her a few bites when she works the puppy eyes! When it’s warm outside, Hattie does a cool down walk with me after I run. This photo was actually taken the day after Christmas. We weren’t sad about a 65-degree December day!
Hattie went to nearly all of our family Christmases this year—like she always does.
It was exhausting, but she loved it!
Hattie is the closest thing I have to a business partner. Not a photo is edited without her by my feet or snoozing on the coach in the office. She’s a pretty great office mate and was even pretty quiet when Jasmine of Jasmine Norris Photography and I hosted webinars this year!
Happy birthday, puppy girl! Thank you for being the best dog and friend a girl could ask for!
