My children thought it would be nice to give their Daddy a puppy for Christmas! He's been wanting another dog for quite some time now, and I was the one who kept saying "please, no." We have a dog. A very sweet old dog. A dog that I have loved very much in spite of my "no dog" rule.

So, to bring in another puppy, to me, just didn't make sense. Puppies are like babies. They cry and poop and pee and need to be fed and cared for 24/7. I knew I had lost the battle when at Christmas time, a friend of my daughter's dog had puppies. Black lab/German Shepherd puppies. I finally gave in when the kids said, "Dad doesn't ask for much, ever, so we think we should listen when he asks..." So the kids took off to go choose the puppy for their Dad.

It seems that life has been hectic and crazy since Christmas and I've not introduced you to Lex's new love. This is Jake... He is hysterical and yes, he's a mess. He is a very good dog, though, and although I was against it, watching a grown man cry when his children handed him their gift to him changed my mind.

I guess I'm just destined to always have a dog around. It's one of those marriage compromises we make because it makes the other person very happy.

It's worth it.