Sorry, I have not written in a couple of days; it has been busy.  A wonderful family from st. Francis visited the other day.  I know that they are going to be ecstatic with their puppy.  The babies have been doing great with the potty training!  The accidents are just about non existent in the morning.  The puppies are like little Pac Man; everything goes in their mouths and they have very sharp teeth….ouch!  They are eating hard food now with out it being mixed with water and I have to say they eat a lot!!  They are so active; we bring them in from outside a couple times a day and then they go back out to go potty.  Tango (Kahlua; black & white, male) likes to romp around in the pen.  Dixieland Tea (Trixie; liver & white, female) likes to play hard with Cosmo Katie (Trixie; white & liver, female). Bahama Mama (Kahlua; black & white, female) lets us know when she needs to go out to go potty; I know her family will have a blast with her.  Bazooka Joe (Kahlua; liver & white, male) loves pheasant wings, he carries them around with his head high in the sky.  Whammie (Kahlua; black & white, male) is also doing great with the wings, he too like to carry them around.  They have loud voicees and they use them; we hardly have a moments peace here and, that is the way I love it.  They are so precious and it is wonderful to see them grow and develop into wonderful, cheerful, ambitious little puppies.  Charger (Kahlua; liver & white, male) is just a little guy with great big loving expressive “Springer” eyes…watch out he will be able to get away with anything with those baby blues.  Eliminator (Trixie; liver & white, male) likes to play with Diesel (Kahlua; black & white, male) who I might add like to chase Eliminator until Eliminator turns around and “gives” it to him…..  Like I said, who needs TV when you have your own little puppy soap opera unfolding right before your eyes.  Tim likes to take them out at night before bed time and sit in the grass next to the house and let them go potty; then he calls them and they all pile on him to get into the tote to go in…they don’t want to be left behind.  Captain Crunch (Kahlua; black & white, male) is quite the little puppy; he is very animated with lots of hunting potential…if I have my way I know exactly who should get him.  All in all it has been busy here with puppies and dogs and friends ( all the necessities in life you could say).  I played with the babies on the floor tonight in the kitchen and I need to wear slippers next time because my toes have about a million punctures wounds….not to serious, I should survive.  They are chasing around one of their rattles as we speak….those toys are loud and can catch you off guard when all of a sudden you hear a clash and are not expecting it but, the puppies love it….they love loud noises.  Mini is on break for right now, she is a little mad at me because she doesn’t get to train but, I have to wait until her foot heals from surgery.  SoBe is doing good.  Miata is getting a lot of yard work, especially the command, “come”.  She gets selective hearing in the field sometimes so, I am putting a stop to it before it gets worse.  Tyrael has been spending the nights out guarding our top steps to the second floor. Trixie roams the house at night; she has been unsuccessful as far as counter surfing (that is a good thing).  Ace hangs out with Tim as much as possible in the house.  Baker guards the puppies outside and sleeps when he is inside.  Mini and I are inseparable right now; I have to keep and eye on her to make sure she does not lick her wound.  SoBe spends most of her time laying down in the pool…she looks like a mop along with Kahlua.  Kahlua is excited to have SoBe around because SoBe like to play with her.  I find apples in their crates all the time….I have apple trees in my yard and Kahlua and SoBe like to “pick” them and carry them around…they think they are disposable toys.  Jimmy hangs outside in the dog house mostly sleeping and occasionally barking at the neighbors cat.  All is good in the Gorecki House….

I went to bed late last night so, I am extremely tired.  We had visitors this morning from Willmar.  They came and saw their puppy with their grandson.  We put the puppies back outside in their pen and Baker decided he needed to guard them through the fence…it was so cute.  He fell asleep next to the fence with his nose through the link and Whammie (Kahlua; black & white, male) had his nose pressed up against Bakers….precious!  The babies spent a bunch of time inside today.  Tim toted them in and out to go potty.  Less and less accidents on the floor and none last night in the crate.  Mini’s foot looks good after surgery….it was a little red yesterday.  Mini slept up by our heads where the pillows were last night and it worked great.  I did not feel like I was sharing the bed with a 90lb dog….she hogs the covers as well but last night was nice.  Jimmy is hiding in the office from the babies.  He is sleeping on his back with his feet in the air snoring.  He is very comfy.  Mini was upset that she was left behind today while I went to train in Brandon with our training group.  She pitched a fit.  Training went good today.  SoBe ran twice and Miata ran once.  Miata got about a 75 yard retrieve…pigeon; it was awesome to see, she nailed it.  SoBe ran good; I made some mistakes but, I learned from them today.  “Progression not Perfection,” Chuck Nelson; Doorcreek Springers.

Well, today I am officially a year older.  It is my Golden Birthday; I am 27….wow, I am old.  My wonderful, caring husband took care of the babies this morning and brought me breakfast in bed; he made waffles.  There were no accidents in the crate last night so…..yeah!  They are starting to really learn and pick things up at this age.  Their personalities are there.  We can already tell who is the rambunctious one, the calm one, and the one who likes to think.  Cosmo Katie (Trixie; white & liver, female) was screaming up a storm last night so, Tim picked her up and took her outside and she went potty.  He put her back in the crate and she went right to sleep. She is very good about letting us know what she wants.  Baltimore Bracer (Kahlua; black & white, male) is a calm cute little guy.  The puppies sleep in one big pile outside and while they are sleeping Bahama Mama (Kahlua; black & white, female) crawled right on top of everyone and plopped down.  I did some individual work with pheasant wings with some of the babies today to see how their noses and skills are coming.  Tango (Kahlua; black & white, male) did good.  I threw the wing for him, not far, and he went to it and picked it up.  That is awesome; half the battle with retrieving is getting the puppy to want to pick up what you threw for it.  I was happy with that.  Captain Crunch (Kahlua; black & white, male) did fantastic.  I threw the wing for him, he ran over and picked it up and carried it around in his mouth with his head up in the air.  He was like, “look what I got, I am so proud to have this wing.”  I am so excited with that.  Bazooka Joe (Kahlua; liver & white, male) did good.  I dragged the pheasant wing all over the carpet in the living room and he tracked it all the way to where it was.  He has a good nose.  He picked it up as well.  Like I said, picking it up is half the battle.  Cosmo Katie (Trixie, white & liver, female) did good.  She worked the floor like Bazooka Joe did.  She as well picked up the wing.  She did not exactly want to bring it back but, that is ok…that is to come.  She wanted to hide under the couch with it; that is normal.  My neighbor, Peter, brought his dog over today; his name is Jack.  Jack played with puppies so gently it was cute.  Well, I am going to go train tomorrow in Brandon with the guys….Mini will stay home and I know that she is going to be very mad at me but, I can take the “rath of Mini”.  She can melt ice with that glare!  Keep cool and remember your poochies still need heartguard…the misquitos are still out!

Puppies played outside this morning; we brought them in and let the play in the tub for the first time and once you have them in the water it is just as easy to give them a bath so, we did.  Tim and I are getting smarter about playing and bathing them in the tub.  We now form an assembly line.  He dries them first with one towel and then hands them to me where I dry them again with another towel.  I then throw them into the kitchen to play.  We take one out of the tub at a time so, we don’t have 11 very wet puppies running around in the bathroom drenching the place.  They are soooo fluffy when they are just dried after bath time…it is so cute!  Along with them being all squeaky clean, we took new puppy portraits for the website (under Trixie, Kahlua Puppies).  It is always the event to take new pictures because I only need two pictures for each puppy: front view and back view.  I end up with about 60 extra pictures that I don’t need.  They are not the easiest to capture on film at this age….they don’t still still at all.  It is like trying to take a picture of scenery that is flying by at 60 mph.  The good news is that Tim and I got it done!  What the accomplishment….now we will be back to tackle the task in a week.  The babies still had a little accident last night but, every night is getting better.  My little brother, Aaron, is going home today.  He needs to go back to my parents house and get ready for school.  I can’t believe that summer is about over and school is already starting….wow.  Tim and I will miss having him around; he is a great help.  The babies played in the kitchen for the rest of the day.  They are making great progress with their pheasant wings and rattles.  Mini is giving me the I am really tired look and wants to go to bed.  Good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite!

I took Mini into the vet this morning and it was confirmed that she needed surgery on her foot due to a foreign body that was under her skin.  I was a little hesitant about it all but, it needed to be done.  She had the surgery and the vet has able to get it out…it was a piece of hard, dried, stem of some sort of weed or grass that is in the field…..it entered between her toes…OUCH! Mini is not able to run for 7-10 days and has to wear a Mediboot on her leg…she hates it but, it is a better alternative than the cone. The babies spent lots of time out in the sun.  They still had an accident last night but, it is getting better.  Tim came down last night to a screaming puppy; let it out, and then he came back to bed.  It has become second nature to us to get up with the crying babies.

I got to sleep in late today…my wonderful husband took care of the dogs and puppies this morning.  There was an accident in the puppy crate last night but, that was expected….it was their first time sleeping in it last night.  It is all part of the potty training routine. Tim hauled them all out this morning at 8 am.  We are going to get the babies on a set schedule so, things go smoothly for us and when they go to new families.  Aaron and Tim took the whelping box out of the kitchen today; JOY!  No more paper shavings all over anymore…I can give my vacuum a much needed break.  The babies played outside today.  Cosmo Katie (Trixie; white & liver, female) has been playing hard with Whammie (Kahlua; black & white, male).  Diesel (Kahlua; black & white, male) has been hanging out with Charger (Kahlua; liver & white, male) a lot, they like to sleep together.  Tango (Kahlua; black & white, male) has been having a great time with Bazooka Joe (Kahlua; liver & white, male); they romp and chase each other around the puppy pen.  Dixieland Tea (Trixie; liver & white, female) fell asleep in the food dish after everyone was done eating.  Ace, Trixie, Mini, and SoBe spent most of the day lounging with us inside today…it was a veg out day after all the activity of yesterday….I still need to find my lucky socks…..I can’t compete with out them!  My husband thinks it is funny that I am pitching a fit over a pair of socks but, you could say that I am a little superstitious.  Baker is going to sleep with Aaron (my little brother) tonight.  Ace had a great time being in the house today…he mostly stayed glued to Tim’s side.  Ace is the most happiest when he is with Tim.  Tim cleaned Ace’s ears today and he loved it.  Ace gets vocal when his ears are cleaned…he moans and groans leaning into Tim while he is wiping out his itchy ears…it is quite the event to watch.  Andy, Tim, Aaron, Ace, Mini, Trixie and I all watched a few episodes of Band of Brothers today….what a great series!  I am still exhausted and not feeling the best so, I am heading to bed.  I am taking Mini to the vet tomorrow to remove a seed from the top of her foot early in the morning so……I am going to find another warm dog to bring to bed and hit the hay….Tim and company will probably be up a while still.

The day started early for me, at 5:30 am this morning. I did have a little problem…I could not for the life of me find my luck socks that I always wear for field trials and other dog events.  I felt a little nervous with out them but, I found another pair of pink knee high socks for the day and was on my way.  My friend Andy came with me today while Aaron wanted to stay at home with the older dogs and Tim went to the pet expo in Parkers Prairie.  The hunt test went good.  Mini and SoBe both passed.  I ran with 10 dogs and I believe only 3 dogs passed including mine.  I got to see all kinds of Spaniels work today…It was great!  I met a wonderful gentleman and his wife that are into Boykin Spaniels.  I found out that he is very successful at Tournament Hunting Challenges…..his little dog is a 6 time national champion…how cool is that!  I am excited to talk to him later on in the week about tournament hunting!  Tim took all the babies along with Miata and Ace to the expo.  He informed me that one of Mini’s babies was there.  His name is Ace….we called him Adams when we had him.  I hear that he is doing great and they love him bunches….that is all that matters to me; that people love their new member of the family and that they are happy with them.  Tim took the puppies after the expo to Becker, Minnesota for some great people to look at them.  The people played and had a wonderful time!  Andy and I took Ace, Mini, SoBe, and Miata back to Cyrus after picking them up in Parkers Prairie.  Mini and SoBe were exhausted and rightfully so, they worked hard for me today.  Aaron did a great ob of taking care of the other dogs that were left at home.  Mini and SoBe hanged out with us in the house until it was time to go to bed.  Tim go back with all the babies and put them in the whelping box.  I believe that they stayed in there for all of 30 seconds before all of them where wandering around the kitchen.  Well, it was great while it lasted…the whelping box will go away and the puppies will now start their crate training.  Tonight is their first night.  I do expect a couple of accidents but, that is how they learn.  I am exhausted and so are my babies (Mini and SoBe) we are going to bed.  Way to Go Girls; You did it!

The day was great and full of activity.  The puppies are getting more and more active….in other words they are becoming more fun to play with and watch!  I had a wonderful family come and visit their new puppy today from Apple Valley (Apple Valley was actually my rival in high school; I went to Lakeville).  They got to play, cuddle, and ask questions.  Asking questions is a great thing because, I can help with anything they might need and I wont now what that is if they don’t ask.  The puppies played with pheasant wings again today.  Diesel got lots of attention..that is the families new puppy.  He is a great little guy with a wonderful disposition…I know that they are going to be pleased with him.  I am getting a little nervous for my hunt test that I have tomorrow;  I will be running Mini and SoBe. The test is at Rice Creek Hunting Preserve in Little Falls, Minnesota.  Tomorrow, Tim will be taking the puppies to Parkers Prairie for the “Pet Days” at Shooting Sports Outlet.  Well, Mini is giving me the signal that she would like to go to bed and I need to hit the sack because 5:30 am rolls around early in the morning.  Mini is with me and Jimmy is with Aaron.  Wish me luck!

The day was full of fun and exciting events.  The puppies are really starting to become independent.  You can tell what kind of mood they are in by looking at their tails.  Their tail talk is becoming more and more pronounced.  The puppies feelings can be interpreted by their activity of their ever moving and wagging tails….I love it…they are like little furry flags that just don’t stop!  Eliminator (Trixie; liver & white, male) and Dixieland Tea (Trixie; liver & white, female) were the escapees from the whelping box this morning…they both were wandering around the kitchen when I got downstairs this morning.  The whelping box is staying more and more clean everyday because the potty training is going well.  I think that on Monday the puppies will start sleeping in a kennel, hence, beginning their kennel training.  Dixieland is a little girl with some drive…just now in the kitchen Tim put her back in the whelping box twice, I put her back twice, and Aaron (my little brother) put her back twice!!  Smart little girl!  Aaron spent the day with Miata; he read his book today while she sat with him; I have to say it is the only time I have ever seen her sit still longer than 5 seconds.  Jimmy slept with us last night along with Mini.  Trixie I believe ended up sleeping next to Aaron in the office on the futon.  My little brother is sooo good with the dogs.  He can even tell them all apart;  which I might add is a pretty big feat!  Mini, SoBe, and Miata went with Tim and I to go train in Brandon with our training group.  Mini did good…no barking while questing for birds.  She had two pick ups (the planted pheasants did not fly, she brought them back to me).  SoBe had a shot bird for her first bird.  She was sent on the retrieve and brought back her second bird that was not shot so, I gave her a “ger back” and she brought me back the first shot bird.  I am very happy with her run today.  Miata did great; we quartered her and she trapped two of her pigeons and finally her third pigeon flew…it was shot for a very long retrieve for a little puppy but she brought it back with a BIG smile on her face and let me tell you there was a huge one on my face as well.  I did some get backs with Mini and SoBe.  It went ok….I am preparing for the upcoming hunt test on Saturday.  Tim, Kenny, and I then went to the lake and worked on water retrieves…it went awesome no complaints!  Mini is going to sleep with us…it should be interesting who else will be joing us in uor bed….Tim gets to pick the second and third dog that gets to sleep with us.  We have the family who bought Diesel coming for a visit tomorrow; it should be fun!  Wow, it is windy outside!

Puppies spent the day outside….the weather was great.  The puppies are loving the grass and the wind.  Their personalities are really starting to shine!  Aaron feed them once in the morning and again in the evening.  Cosmo Katie (Trixie; white & liver, female) spent most of the day asleep in the food dish (it is a glass cake pan).  Whammie (Kahlua; black & white, male) sleeps by himself in the middle of the puppy pen while the other puppies sleep in the little doghouse.  The babies are little fur balls with very sharp teeth.  They are at the age that everything goes in their mouths.  Tim and I cut their nails today.  He crawled in the whelping box and I sat on the foor and we just started to grab puppies and trimmed their nails.  The ones that I cut behaved very well for me Bahama Mama (Kahlua; black & white, female), Bazooka Joe (Kahlua; liver & white, male), Tango (Kahlua; black & white, male), Eliminator (Trixie; liver & white, male)….Tim’s on the other hand were a little wownd up and did not want to sit still.  We used a finger nail clipper.  They are so active!  While Tim was sitting there in the whelping box he had every puppy biting and tearing at his jeans….every now and then he would yelp because on got through the denim and, like I said, their teeth are like little needles.  Puppies are very active dreamers by the way…they run and bark in their sleep. Mini and SoBe worked very hard today on water retrieves.  Tim and I first took them to the pond in town and threw a bunch of buoys.  Mini swam hard with some barking.  SoBe did great with lots of energy.  We then took them to the river where they had to retrieve across the river to land on the other side.  Mini protested a little bit by being vocal but…it went well.  SoBe did awesome!  I hope all goes well at the hunt test this Saturday, August 23.  Mini is snoring right now..she worked hard!  SoBe in playing outside still; I can hear her barking…she has a lot of energy!  I stepped on Trixie the other morning getting out of bed…I felt bad; she gave a yelp and moved.  Tim brought Ace in all wet to wake my brother Aaron up this morning; he was a little resistant to get out of bed.  A wet, active dog will make anyone move unless you are dead to the world.  Jimmy is wandering around the house and is being good.