On December 2nd, my siblings and I were surprised with something quite amazing: a puppy! My parents had bought him without us knowing and had brought him to live with us. We all immediately fell in love with him, but quickly realized how much was going to be changing with this new edition to our family. Here are some of the lessons we've learned in our first week as a dog-owning household.

1. "Some dogs will pee on their own beds" -Bill McMurry

That was the main lesson my dad came up with. It is definitely quite a change to have someone living in the house that doesn't know what a toilet is...

2. "You can't just leave stuff around anymore" -Emma McMurry

My little sister, Emma, had been begging for a dog for months. She mentioned it on every occasion, shed some tears, and spent crazy amounts of time with every dog she could. She even wrote an essay. Now he's finally here and Emma has learned a lot about responsibility and patience. She has learned how to care for a living being, and, of course, to not "just leave stuff around anymore".

3. "I was unsure about dogs, but then I met Cooper" -Ali McMurry

To everyone out there who is on the fence about getting a dog, we have learned in this week just how easy it is to absolutely love one. From the minute Cooper strutted his way into our lives we have loved him. Even those of us who were not so sure they wanted paw prints in the house.

4. "Puppies smell better then adults" -Mike McMurry

One of my favorite things about having a dog, outside of his energy, warmth and love, is the wonderful puppy smell. I know that might sound kind of creepy, but puppies smell wonderful.

5. "All this is definitely a lot of work, but look at all the happiness he brings. It's well worth it." -Kim McMurry

As much as we all quip him peeing on the floor and playing with whatever is on the floor, Cooper has brought unspeakable joy to our family. We have had so many moments full of laughter in this past week. Just last Saturday, my mom looked at the 7 members of the McMurry family sitting together and laughing and said "Look at this, everyone is home on a Saturday!". Though it was a casual observation, I think it encapsulates quite a lot.

Through all the ups and downs of it, Cooper makes all of us, individually and as a family, happier than ever. He is a wonderful edition to our family and we cannot wait to see what else we learn and experience with him. We love you, Cooper. Welcome home.