The Targaryen Litter, born October 27, 2017 a Maine Photographer

First let me apologize for the year long absence.  No excuses.  Life is busy.

Six months ago my English Cream golden retriever baby had 4 puppies.  Violet went the same route as her mother, through artificial insemination.  Thank you so much to my BFF Kathy who accompanied me to Cape Cod for the day for the adventure of introducing Violet to her stud male Theo.  When I posted a facebook photo of Theo and Violet, a friend commented that we would have a Targaryen litter.  If you are a Game of Thrones fan you would immediately understand the comment to mean "white hair" and since both my husband and I are fans of the show we thought the litter name was appropriate.  Today the puppies turn 6 months old.  Although I have been missing from this blog, I did post regular photos on facebook during the 2 months that this litter blessed our family.  Here is a little catch up.

I had a little maternity shoot with my girls :)

October 27th, the puppies arrive!!

 ...and begin to grow quickly!!

and, then came the visitors.  Much puppy therapy was provided November and December at the Minor house!!

 and kids always find a creative way to play...

Celebrating Nana Chloe's birthday!!!!

 YES, we visited Santa.  Yes, I need to provide a behind the scenes look ;)  HUGE thank you to my friend Darlene who accompanied us to help keep everyone safe on our outing!!

And possibly my favorite photo shoot of all time.  My husbands idea to bundle the puppies up and take advantage of the time of year and do an LLBean photoshoot.  Yes, we left at the crack of dawn.  Yes, it was zero degrees outside.  Yes, it was once in a lifetime!

So, today the Targarey Litter is 6 months old!!

I am super lucky that 2 of the puppies in this litter are living local, right here in my city, and both of them have remained a big part of my life!!  Brady and Cody, 3rd and 4th born pay a weekly visit to the Minor house.  Their personalities differ slightly, but Matt and I love them unconditionally.  

Brady is part of the Knight family, and he actually lives on my road.  Lucky Lucky me!!  Lucky Brady.  He is a joy!  Definitely a puppy!  He loves to visit with his Mom and Nana!  He looks so very much like his Mama, upon a quick glance it can be tough to tell them apart...and he is SUPER fast!!

He learned to pee outside, in the snow, and last I knew would travel clear across the yard to find it!!

and his human Mom Suzanne brings him by for quick visits, sometimes when his brother Cody is visiting, and she always carries treats!!

This is Cody.  (#4...Orange)  He was the last born.  First at everything.  First to jump out of the whelping box, first to drink from the water dish, first to pee on the pee pad.  He also visits weekly.  He is super sweet and very gentle, but he's sneaky too.  Found the bedtime treats we give to the girls and helped himself.  Both Mom and Nana were horrified of his braizeness and were looking at me in disbelief that I was letting him get away with it!!  Super funny!  Super smart!  He's a puppy for sure!

Since Cody visits often, Josh and I recreated one of our favorite poses!

 Nana Chloebutt is always in charge.  Violet behaves like her offspring and loves to play with Cody and Brady.

 Missy, the only girl of the litter lives in Bangor with David and his family.  David tells me "She is the sweetest!" She loves to ride in the car and goes everywhere with her human Mom.  She is an absolute joy and we thank you for choosing us as her family.  She has more toys than we had as a kid.  Spoiled!!

Joanne talking here...love letters from home always make us smile!!  Happy 6 month birthday baby girl!!

 And another love letter from Ricky Baker, the future STUD of the litter.  Ricky Baker lives in Brewster MA and he is the chosen one to continue our family pedigree.  First we called him "Two" because he was the second born, then we called him "Blue" once I received the colored collars.  He wanted to be claimed by all who met him.  He truly is every definition of a stud.  His human Mom Diane writes "Ricky Baker is so good natured!  He's happy, smart, friendly, gentle with all animals and people, and very well-behaved.  He loves to romp with other dogs, hike, swim, and gnaw on sticks.  Sending you sincere gratitude for your part in getting him started in life!!"

Oh Diane, my family sends so much love and hugs right back at you and Ricky Baker!!  I cannot wait to watch him grow!!

 Thank you everyone who stopped by to read this, it's been a long time coming.  What a blessing for Matt and I to get the opportunity to experience an English Cream Golden Retriever litter from conception to homeward bound!!  Thank you Rushell of Snowypaws golden retrievers, we look forward to doing it all again in 2019!!