A big day in Dorval history!!!

Well, folks, it was a pretty important, big day here in the Dorval household today!

The Red Sox win the World Series for the second time in my lifetime - sweeping the Rockies, no less - AND Mr. Fred turned the big 4.

First, on the topic of the Sox - I will have to give a proverbial ppppbbbbffftttt to my family in Nebraska. I hate to do it, but Uncle Larry felt the need to flaunt the Rockies clinch of a World Series berth while the Sox were behind 3-1 in the ALCS, taunting Mom with the possibility of NOT seeing any more post-season play from the Sox. Well, Uncle Larry, not only did we get there, but we also CLEANED UP! As in, SWEPT. As in, the Rockies may have won 21 of their last 22 prior to the Series, but all that doesn't matter if you lose four in a row at the big show!

We had a great time watching the game with our friends Beth and Zach, their baby Donavyn (who somehow got to be a month old already!), and our friends Mary and Keith, and their kids Joshua, Megan and Daniel. Minus a small dog scare for Megan and Daniel as they walked in the door, we had a great time watching the game, chatting and eating some of Jason's fabulous chili. Jason will probably be disappointed to know that my favorite part of the meal was the pie Mary brought over, though... It was GOOOOD!

So, CONGRATS to the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox!!!! I don't think that will ever get old!

Now, moving on to more important things.... Mr. Fred turns 4. Of course, looking at him, he looks like he's 85 or something, but 4 in dog years is older anyway, so we'll give him that. Keeping with the annual tradition, Fred had to have some kind of special treat today for his big day. In the past, living in crazy dog people land, we've always just gone to a local dog bakery or fancy pet store and bought him some kind of special cake or cookie. Surprisingly (or not), Kodiak does not have such a place, so it was up to me to provide. Thanks to the internet and another CG spouse, I now have a recipe for a dog-friendly cake, which I baked up special for Fred, and topped with a fabulous frosting of all natural plain yogurt "frosting."

Forced to wait until the cake was cool enough to "frost," Fred started getting antsy soon after the cake came out of the oven, popping up from his perch on the ottoman everytime I was in the kitchen to see if it was time yet. Of course, this came AFTER I let him sniff the cake and put it back on the counter. I'm mean.

So here come the pictures.....

First up - the completed, unfrosted cake, with container of yogurt in the background. I gave him about a sixth of this to eat tonight. The rest is the in the fridge for leftovers!

Next is the finished product, with "frosting" and just a touch of red sugar sprinkles. He couldn't just have a plain cake, now, could he? There's no sugar in the cake - only honey and peanut butter for sweetness, so the little bit on the top won't hurt!

Next, in keeping with the normal way we feed Fred, we even made him wait for his cake. Mom, would YOUR dog do this?!?

We finally let him have at it. First the frosting came off - who knew a dog would enjoy plain yogurt so much!!?

Next, if you look very closely, you'll see a small bit of cake sticking out of Fred's mouth in this picture. The reason why only a small bit is sticking out is because he ate the whole thing at once. Yes, that whole hunk of cake. A small piece fell off when he picked it up, so it wasn't technically the whole thing, but he tried.

And then, to insure he got it all, he spent some quality time licking the crumbs off the plate and the floor. I still had to vacuum when he was done, but I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself for thinking to make him eat it in the kitchen.

And, last but not least, we (and by that I mean, I) take a portrait of Fred every year on his birthday. So this is the latest installment. He was busy watching the kids at the house behind us throw a ball up over the top of the line of sight of the fence, so I got good alert looks from him!

So that's it from the Dorval's big day. Fred is waiting for his presents, but he can be patient. He's a big fan of the Booda brand cornstarch bones. Mostly he likes the nubby minty ones... just in case anyone wondered. (Just kidding of course!)

Stay tuned for the next installment in Jason's life in exciting places - he slated for a trip to Cold Bay again this week... I'm sure he'll have something sarcastic and facetious to share after he's been there for about a half a day or so! I just might chime in out of the sheer boredom of the second week by myself in such a short period of time!

Hope you enjoyed Fred's birthday!
GO SOX!!!!!