Monday, May 31, 2010

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.

Friday, May 28, 2010

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?

Friday, May 21, 2010

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.)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

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!

Monday, May 17, 2010

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?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Monday, May 10, 2010

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!