Puppy Love!

OK, if you know me much at all, you know I love dogs. I enjoy training them & studying their behavior. You will also know that I was devastated to lose my German Shepherd, Hunter, to a horrible illness a few months ago. He was a very good boy & we had earned his Therapy Dog International license together, so he was also my "work buddy".

Well, I've been looking for a new doggie-love for about a month now, & today I finally met "the one".  Juneau is a two year old, female, Labrador/Rottweiler mix & is very, very sweet, responsive & kind. She is coming home to us tomorrow & I am really looking forward to having her with us.

Nathan

Our little Nathan has a big personality!  He loves to be funny & to be the center of everyone's attention. The bigger his audience, the more animated he becomes. He also has a tender heart, especially toward animals. 

Last week we found out Nathan has to have surgery. It's considered a minor procedure, but to parents, no medical procedure for the kids is minor! So, would you please pray for us all as we prepare for Nathan's hernia repair surgery?

Nathan & Penny

Nathan has a special connection with horses. I love to watch him with them because he is so natural & unafraid & the horses seem to feel he is someone special too. Love it.

(This is at our neighbors' place today.)

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

This is a new Schnauzer friend of ours who stayed with us for awhile. Isn't she cute? Nathan loves to get inside the dog crates & thought it was a great joke to get his picture taken that way! He LOVES to be funny & is very good at it!

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I have been thinking about getting another dog for awhile now. I love having two - they are such good company for each other. Plus, I just plain love having dogs around. So, I have been talking back & forth with a rescue group & we are going to go meet a few potential dogs this weekend. They are Rottweilers, which is a change from our beloved German Shepherd breed, so we will see... We will spend several hours at least doing some careful & prayerful (I pray about everything) temperament testing. We're all going - Mom, Dad, kids, Ben (elderly dog) & even a "test chicken"! We're taking this decision to look for a new doggy family 

member seriously. 

Back Yard Long Jump

The boys have been practicing the long jump at one of their gym classes & they ended up practicing in the back yard today. 

I can't believe how far they can fly!

Thinking About Race

I helped teach Luke's Sunday School class. One of the kids took him aside & asked him how I could be his Mom since we look different. Luke handled it super well by just saying, "I'm adopted." but then he came & told me about it as if to see if he did OK.  He is such a serious little boy sometimes that I thought I'd take a light approach & suggested next time he is asked he should say he drank a lot of chocolate milk & hmmm...look what happened! (We have already discussed what makes our skin different colors so he knows the scientific explanation already - don't worry! :) He thought that was a great joke & we shared a giggle & then he went on.

How much does race actually matter? I often forget that we, as a family, are "unusual" at all but going out in public always reminds me. I'm not complaining about negative attitudes because we RARELY get any. Even a sweet smile & an interested glance remind me though. And I guess that's OK really. I guess I'm still just getting used to it.


So, does race matter? YES! It does. As long as we live in a world where people can see at all, race is going to matter. I love my kids. I see them for who they are, not for their physical attributes (although I think they are all gorgeous!). Not everyone else is as biased & adoring as their Mom though! Darn! 


How can I better prepare my sons for life? Mark has green eyes and light hair and skin. Luke & Nathan have brown eyes & skin & curly black hair. Will the way they look affect their futures? It's NOT at all FAIR, but I think I might be naive to think otherwise. 


These are the things I am thinking about these days. I don't want to answer with "pat" or "run of the mill" solutions/ideas either. I want to really listen & to consider & to learn so I can equip my precious boys to grow up to be the awesome men they were created to be. 


Right now I am directing them to the truth of Psalm 139 - that God creates each of us with a plan & a purpose - that we are all valuable in His sight. 


Any other Moms out there thinking & working through this?

Two Brothers & A Sprinkler

More Beach Trip

First Mother's Day As Mom Of Three

What more could I ask for than a week at the beach with my three favorite guys in the world? It was such a good time to relax & play & also for John & me to parent as a team more than ever. We were able to really work on a few things with the boys & to pray together & strategize together more for our kids... pure blessing for this Mom!