Happy Birthday Chipper Dog!

Yesterday was Chipper's 4th birthday!  I can hardly believe that our pup is that old...shoot, in people years (or is it doggy years...I always get this confused) he's basically my age now. Usually I love birthdays, but Chipper's always make me a tad sad.  Not to be pessimistic but dogs certainly have a much shorter life span than us...I just wish Chipper wouldn't age!  At least Chipper is absolutely showing no signs of slowing down.
 Here's the thing about Chipper...he can be an absolute pain in the ass.  He is in constant need of attention and with two little brothers around, that isn't always happening. To make up for it, Chipper spends his days taking things he's not supposed to (flip flops, the boys' socks, underwear, the boys' toys, etc), prancing into the room to show us he's got them, and then literally smiling at us in hopes that we will either chase him or give him a treat.  I've honestly made him watch those starving dog commercials and tried to show him how lucky he is.  Every family has a problem child; Chipper is ours.

But Chipper is also one of the sweetest, most loyal, most loving dogs there ever was!  Even if I only step out of the door for a minute, he will greet me with a wagging tail, a round of kisses, and enough enthusiasm to think I have been gone for years.  Chipper cuddles up to me as soon as the boys go to sleep and comes bounding into our room once Josh leaves for work in the morning.  And best of all, Chipper is absolutely amazing with his brothers.  He lets Colton (and Levi hast started now as well) pull on him, jump on him, whatever and he just takes it.
Chipper is Colton's very best friend, my cuddle buddy (especially during those pregnancy insomnia nights both times), and our family would most certainly not be the same without him.
In our family, birthdays are a big deal.  And I wanted to make sure Chipper got the very special treatment.
As in past years, we started off the day with Chipper's very own special pancake breakfast.

Usually we take Chipper to the dog park, but I didn't know how smart of an idea that was with a toddler and infant in tow.  So instead the boys and I took him to Nene and Papa's beach for some play time.  I don't know if Chipper or Colton was more excited at this idea!

Once Josh got home, we gave Chipper his presents (some treats and a special toy Colton had picked out from Target).

And finally, the boys concluded the big birthday celebration with a special cupcake for each of them.  I debated making Chipper his dog-friendly treat, but decided that would just be really wasteful.  Luckily, a local bakery happens to make Chipper-friendly treats along with regular people-friendly cupcakes, so the boys each got to enjoy something yummy.

Not only did I want to give Chipper a special day, but I also wanted to make sure that Colton understood it was his brother's birthday now that he understands birthdays and all!  He started off the day by saying "me" each time I said birthday, but by the end of it, he was saying "day Chip, day Chip" (which I'm thinking must be "Happy Birthday Chipper!"  Mission accomplished.