By coincidence, our actual blogiversary (which was last Friday) landed just days before what we affectionately call a “dogiversary.” Burger’s birthday was this week (yesterday), and he turned four years old. Happy birthday, Burgmeister!
Here’s the old man now, in tribute to his sister’s weekly photos:
We celebrated his day the way we usually do—an extra-long walk, more playtime, and a special treat from Three Dog Bakery. This year we also dug out old home videos to watch Burger as a true puppy: all two pounds of him. The footage turned out to be a fun peek at our home circa 2006—before the blog existed—and we couldn’t keep it to ourselves. If you can forgive shaky camera work, comfy sweats as wardrobe, overuse of high-pitched baby talk, and a few slobbery dog kisses, you’ll probably enjoy it as much as we did.
Keep an eye out for these decorating throwbacks in the background:
- Sherry’s original makeshift office with a desk skirted by a wrinkled sheet
- A glimpse of our old laundry area/entryway with bi-fold doors
- Our original floor plan. At one point Burger runs through the doorway that’s now closed off between the kitchen and what used to be the dining room (now the nursery).
- A yellow and ice-blue den color scheme, with silver ornaments on blue vases and a fireplace screen painted white (we later repainted it black).
- Lots of old furniture, including our original den couch shown both slipcovered and uncovered.
- A very bare living room before we realized it needed to function as both living and dining space.
The video is a great reminder that homes and their decor evolve over time. Rooms rarely look perfect from the start—ours took roughly four and a half years to reach its current look, and we learned as we went. If your house still feels like a work in progress, take heart: it will get there.
Ready to watch? Enjoy the video below.
What do you think—what was our biggest decor misstep? Was Burger not the cutest pup ever? How has your home evolved over time? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
P.S. Although the footage is only about four years old, it was recorded on a ten-year-old mini-DV camera, which is why it looks grainy. We recently upgraded to a Flip Ultra HD and have been happy with the picture quality and price.
Also: check out our BabyCenter post of the week—we talk about how our house can look like a daycare one minute and then be stashed away to a more orderly, less chaotic look the next minute.