January 16th marked Kylie's 8th birthday. If you know Kylie and me, you know we love any excuse to celebrate and do so multiple times throughout the year--birthdays, gotcha days, and ampuversaries all nicely spread out throughout the year and each with its own special set of traditions and celebrations. Yesterday was no exception, so we thought we'd share with you some of the ways we celebrate big days:
Ice Cream Cake
After I adopted Kylie, I quickly recognized her taste for ice cream. Trips to Graeter's (if you're from Cincinnati you know what we're talking about) frequented our weekends and Kylie was well known on the patio as the dog who brought her own bed and got her own cone. When her first birthday with me came around, I knew an ice cream cake was the logical choice. I called our local Coldstone and ordered a petite cake with no cake layers (only ice cream) with all her favorite add ins--peanut butter, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbles. I'm sure whoever made the cake thought we had a WILD palette.
I remember thinking Kylie would just dig in when I presented her with the cake, but instead, she waited patiently for me to cut her a slice before daring to take a lick. One of the few moments where her sass didn't take center stage. Fast forward four years to yesterday--her 8th birthday and she continues to be the patient pup she's always been. Posing with her cake, but not daring to take a bite until presented with her individual cake in her clear, Pyrex bowl.
Raising Cane's
Like mother, like d[og]hter, I always say and boy, is Kylie my fast food twin. Much to my delight, Kylie has acquired quite the taste for Raising Cane's chicken fingers. Back when it was just Kylie and me, we had a weekly Cane's tradition, rolling through the drive-thru after the greyhound meet and greets every Saturday. Now there's no urging Kylie away when she smells Cane's in the air.
Everyone knows that the birthday boy or girl gets to pick the restaurant on their birthday. And without fail, Kylie chooses Raising Cane's every year. So we hop in the car and order her a kid's meal of her very own. It's probably her favorite part of the day, let's be honest.
New Styles
We all know Kylie is our resident fashionista, which of course means every birthday she's gifted new styles. Year one it was a new coat with toucan fabric (she loves birds), which ended up being perfect for the snow day we had. Year two she got another coat with a matching color. Year three was a third coat. Year four was a matching collar and leash. And this year, we took it up a notch and made her a matching leash, collar, and pajamas. I think she's rocking them.
If you're loving Kylie's birthday look this year, the collar and leash are available on our site. Kylie doesn't have to be the only fashionable houndie this January.
Birthdays are a big deal in our house and we love to celebrate with Kylie. We know our years with her are limited and strive to make sure every milestone is a true celebration. Do you and your houndie/s have any birthday traditions? We would love to hear them! Share them with us in the comments. 
Well, we’re partied out and in need of a good nap. We’ll catch you in the next blog post! Until next time!
xoxo,
kylie and me