Poor Marshall

This was one of the most commonly heard phrases at the cabin.

I'm not quite sure if Marshall actually enjoyed being outside in the snow, or if he just stayed out there for long periods of time to get away from the harassment of the girls. He was such a good boy the entire time and was so patient with my little monsters as they chased, sat on, tugged at and antagonized him nearly everytime he was in the room.

Marshall will forever have a fear of shopping carts, I think. Lucy's favorite form of Marshall harassment was chasing him with her little pink shopping cart and when given the opportunity, running him over with it. Poor Marshall did his best to run away from her but he wasn't given much room on the main floor and with the wooden floors his little paws were constantly slipping. Therefore, poor Marshall was hit more times than not. He did get smarter as the week went on but then so did Olivia, who saw how much fun Lucy was having at this game. We gave him frequent breaks by putting him outside or letting him downstairs to relax for a bit.

Lucy also instigated the Marshall sitting. I still think ultimately she wanted to ride him but never managed to hang on long enough when he tried to stand up. Marshall would be resting on carpet and the girls would crack up as they took turns sitting on his back. He was such a good boy and usually let them have at least a few minutes of fun before he moved. Poor Marshall.

If they weren't chasing or sitting on him and were pretty wired when he made an appearance, they would pull his tail and follow him around the house. Overall Marshall was such a patient puppy with the girls. Even though we were diligent about watching both him and them, we were so happy that they all got along so well. Marshall enjoyed having little fingers and mouths to lick and plenty of dropped crumbs to clean up. One night when I went to give the girls a bath they even said he paced around outside the bathroom door until we came out. He was definitely enjoying having the girls around.

Even though we've been home for a few days now, every once in awhile I still hear this conversation between the girls:

O: Where Marshall go?

L: Marshall be right back.
They miss their little buddy.