Yes a picture with my dog counts as a one of my 52 pictures with my kids. She was my kid before Mike so she counts.

Yesterday was her 10th birthday. Her real name is Ariella Pasquatina. She is an awesome dog. Ask anyone that knows her and they will tell you. She is loving, funny obedient and sweet.

She is for sure, part of our family. All of our pets are from her, to the Cat Boys to our fish. We talk to them like they are human and understand. Well, they do understand.

Ariel never slept on the beds. That is until her cousin Salty came to spend two weeks in the summer while her family was away. Salty slept with us every night. Now I come home to find her passed out cold on my bed, or Mike's bed or the guestroom bed, depends on her mood.

She is happy to see anyone come into the house. The kids' friends, grandparents, aunts, neighbors, the mail man, the milk man, the pizza guy....

She likes to have her two cookies in the morning and dinner by 5:30 pm please. She doesn't look to go out first thing in the morning like a normal dog. She goes out when she feels like getting up.

She plays dead if you have a treat in one hand and say "BANG" with the other.

She loves kids (especially her own) but not too many at at time thanks, otherwise she is outta there. She is not too thrilled with little kids but will sit patiently and allow them to pet her and call her "doggie" and then she's outta there.

She sneaks cat food when no one's looking, she loves bones, peanut butter and her Christmas stocking.

She WILL catch a squirrel before she dies. She does not think other dogs are allowed to walk past our house. She rarely barks. She just whines really loud without moving her lips. She is a ventriloquist.

She loved her uncle Harry and misses him still I think when Nana and Poppy come over without him. She loves her cousin Willie now although she used to want to bite his face off. She tolerates her new cousins Salty and Pepper. And is not sure what her cousin Chi Chi is. (he is a "so ugly he's cute" chihuahua) She dislikes her neighbor Sandy "the pug who thinks she is s pit bull" immensely and will not allow her in her house. She likes her other neighbor Logan from a distance. A year old lab is too nuts for her. She is intrigued by her new neighbor Eli and not sure if he is a dog or a cat or what. (he is a tiny Jack Russell pup)

She is as happy to see you when you get back from the bus stop as she is if you have been out all day. She loves to ride in the car. She is most happy when she gets home from the groomer with a new do. I think she feels pretty. She will turn her head and roll her eyes at you if you are reprimanding her. She hates Fourth of July and water. (baths, pools and the like)

She is a stray that Poppy found nine years ago and asked us if we wanted her. We were thinking about getting a dog, and when she took to the kids immediately we knew we were goners. She had a few shaky months in the beginning with the eating of the couch and the communion favors and two huge black garbage bags full of stuff that her sitter told me to just throw out and not even look. But we stuck it out and have never regretted it for a minute.

Dogs are part of the family and we are glad she is part of ours. Happy Birthday Ariel!!!

Jenn's two cents: Happy Birthday to my favorite dog (after my two, of course) If I could clone Ariel and bring her home I would!

Sam used to love the Where's Waldo books. Do you remember those? You would look at a picture with a thousand different things and have to find Waldo in his striped hat and scarf? It was a great game. We can play the same game looking through the photo album only call it Where's Mom? As Moms we are the ones always taking the photos and never in the photos. It is time for that to change, even if it's just a little. I found a great Blog, Forever in Blue Jeans and she has challenged all the moms out there to take 52 pictures of themselves with their children in a year. One picture per week with one or all of your children. You can click on the button on the right of the page to go to her blog. What a great idea! I am sure there are years that have gone by where there are no pictures of me with my children. There are pictures of me with my girlfriends... my husband... me on a horse... or me by myself that my kids and friends take - but very few of me with them. I won't be here forever and I want them to remember "us" and how much fun we had at the pumpkin farm or the baseball field or just sitting and reading a book. So Cara and I are taking on the challenge One picture per week of us with our children. My first is on my Family Fun post...Me and the girls in the Pumpkin Field. I hope you will take up the challenge too - and let us know... we'd love to see pictures of all the moms out there enjoying their families.

Cara's two cents: I think more of my problem is not just taking pics with my kids but me being in pictures period. Thank God for digital cameras now so I can delete the really bad ones. But after going through my most recent family albums I see that I am missing...a lot. So I am up for the challenge. I put AA batteries on my shopping list today so my camera is ready next week 'cause I guess it's my turn.