Happy Birthday #3, Pao Pao!

Today the pugs got a special treat--these gorgeous snowflake cookies, sent to me from my Lovely Sister #1. They look almost too pretty to eat:

But they got eaten, because today, December 17, is a special day for this character:

Pao Pao, my youngest pug, turned 3 years old today! Here he is (on the left) with his brothers, waiting for the command to attack the birthday cookies in their bowls:

Pao Pao is the only one of our three pugs that we've known since infancy. Before he was old enough to rescue, we visited him, his momma, and his siblings. The Boy adored Pao because the puppy put up with this sort of nonsense (he's the one on the top of the stack):

He wasn't much bigger than The Hubby's hand when he was ready to come home with us:

I remember him sitting in my lap on that first car ride home, and how his fur stuck out in the sunlight:

 He was so darn cute!:

He and The Boy totally bonded:

Of our three pugs, Pao Pao is the "funnest" one, the one that's up for any adventure, from swimming in the pool:

 To meeting Giant Doggies:

To taking a bath without fear or complaints:

To going along with my silly schemes, like wearing jewelry:

And costumes:

From the beginning, he adored his two big brothers, although they took a little while to warm up to such a pest:

He was a cute, tadpole-shaped puppy for about 2.3 seconds.

 

 Then he blossomed into a tall, rangy adolescent with the heart of an athlete and the soul of a clown:

 

  And now he is one of Los Tres Amigos, my potatoes, my dear hearts.

Happy birthday, dear Pao! You are my little princess.

Er, prince.