Roo update

It looks like Roo (now known as Rudy) has found a new home.  Last week, I took some pictures of the big guy in the backyard, posted them on Facebook and within 14 minutes, he'd been spoken for.  He'll be joining his new family on Wednesday.

As far as dogs go, Rudy was a great one for us to start our fostering experience with.  Matt has already said he doesn't expect any of our future fosters to be so good.  And he may be right.  Other than his sitnky breath, Roo has been an amazing dog to have in our home.

I hope he gives his new family as much joy as he's given us.

Roo

Giving up Missy has created a hole in our home.  I don't know about anyone else, but I was missing the company.  When the boys go to bed, the house becomes a quiet place.  Missy was a great comfort to me.

Matt and I discussed adopting another dog.  We discussed breed, gender, size, age, hair length, everything really.  But in the end, we decided we may not be 100% ready for our ideal dog.  Instead, we decided to enroll in a foster program with a local shelter.

How it works is we tell them what we're willing to have in our home and then when a dog comes into the shelter that matches us, we get a call that we can foster that dog.  We're responsible for his or her care until it comes to be that the dog can be placed in a permanent home.

On Sunday, the woman from the shelter brought us Roo, a seven year old male mini-dachshund.  So far, he's fitting in really well.  He is pretty low key, doesn't chase balls or want to play too much.  He barks when left alone, which is annoying, but over all he's great.  He hasn't destroyed anything and seems to be adjusting to the house well.  He only had 2 accidents the first day he was here and he's been great since then.  At night, he likes to cuddle up on the couch and bury his nose in the blanket and pillows.  If I'm close by, he'll curl up next to me.  And, he's pretty good with the boys.  He has no issue with them either way, although he's more interested in Payton than Maxwell.

If you're interested in adopting Roo, just give me a "holler" and we'll get you in contact with the right people! :)

And so it begins...

Today was like any other day, until we were checking out at the grocery store. Then, my world changed. Not in a big drastic way. The sun didn't stop shining and no one died. It was more a slight shift. Entering a new level if you will.

As we stood at the check out, Payton was entranced with the young, beautiful, 16 year old girl bagging our groceries. I watched him stare at her for a moment and I heard him say "What's your name?" with measurable flirtatiousness in his voice. She giggled and told him. He said "My name is Payton." I was pretty sure this would be followed with "Here's my number, give me a call sometime", but luckily his brain is still 7...not 17.

I thought that was cute enough. And I got a good chuckle out of it. But as we were walking to our car, Payton proceeded to tell me the details that he was enamored with in this young lady.

"Mommy, I like that girl. I liked her hair. And her face. And she looked nice in that blue shirt. She had pretty eyes too."

It was then I knew - my boy had suddenly realized girls were pretty. And they are great to look at.

I'm sure this the first of many girls...and a lot of drama and heartache...but it was super cute. And I love that I was there and he shared his moment with me.

Another Photo Shoot

We had nothing to do on Sunday, so I took the boy on a park-a-palooza.  I had alterier motives, of course.  Why else would I put my kids in polos to "go to the park".  I wanted photos.  They are changing and growing so fast lately.  (And I really like Max's hair right now.)  Here are my favorites.  Remember you can click any image to make them bigger.

 

Sam & Shamus have arrived!

We stopped into the library today for a visit and I noticed some teddy bears in backpacks on top of a book case. After reading a bit, I realized their "Traveling Teddies" program was a take home teddy that you could chronicle your adventures with for a time. Too bad we didn't see them before we went on vacation, but we could still do it now, right?! Of course, the librarian said.

So this week, with Matt gone to Ohio until the 1st, we have to visitors: Sam & Shamus. Sam, in the green bandanna, will be under Payton's care, while Max is loving up on Shamus. The boys were very excited. We immediately took a picture to start our journal and now they're watching movies and sharing popcorn with the two new boys.

This should be a fun week!!

It's fun to be a grownup!

The last few days, Matt and I have enjoyed each others' company without the kids around.

We went to Cedar Point on Monday with a group of my "work friends". We had an amazing time with everyone and really enjoyed our time together. It'd be at least ten years since we'd each been to CP and we've never been there together. It was fun to ride the rides together, and when I needed him, Matt was always there to reassure me that I could do it. Some of those rides are a lot scarier than I remembered!

Today, we spent the day running errands, going to the dentist and just enjoying each other. We had a great day, just the two of us. It was much needed, too! Tomorrow, Matt goes to work and I won't see him much until Sunday, August 1st!! He has to be in Ohio for a lot of military training. I'm not sure how much we'll get to see him before he leaves and we won't see him at all while he's gone.

Every moment I spent with him the last few days reminded me of how much I love him and how compatible we are. And how much we need each other. I really find a deeper love when we spend time together like this!