A Dog named Breezie....

Luke and I finally decided to try out an inside dog for our family.  We were FINALLY approved for the ARFA organization for rescues.  My gosh, I've never been turned down from so many places trying to adopt a dog before.  Not to toot my own horn- but to turn us down from rescuing a dog?!!  Seriously?!!! 

So, a lady is bringing Breezie out to meet our family on Saturday.  I actually allowed myself to get excited about it yesterday.  I went to Target and bought her a bed.  I've been looking at collars and crates to see what would work best.  She's a Yorkie/Dauschand Mix.  I've never had either of these breeds before.  I really wanted a Cocker Spaniel, however, it seemed like the Lord didn't want me to have one right now! 

I'm not sure how she's going to do with the kids.  It will be a trial run for sure.  Luke expects her to stay- so I'm allowing myself to think that way too.  I've missed my Madison for 4 months now.  I still cry when I think about her and miss the companionship so much!  All of our outside dogs are "special needs" and older.  I think having a young one for the kids to grow up with will be awesome.  She only weighs 8.5 lbs.  I've NEVER had a dog this small- we are big dog people.  It's amazing how small everything is for her!  I'm hoping she'll be a great travel dog as well!

Here's to hoping she's Breezie Williams soon.  She's got to have a middle name though- all of ours do!

Funny Sayings from Kids...

The kids have been saying things off and on that just crack me up.  I wanted to write them down so I could remember them.  Also, we've had some really sweet things said to us that I'd like to remember too.

1.  Our little boy looked horrified at Cracker Barrel when I ordered catfish.  When it came to the table, he asked me, "Mom, are you eating Cat or Fish?" When I told him it was both, he said, "Oh you're eating George and Aly?!!!"  We tried to explain to him that Catfish were actually fish, but I'm not sure if he got it or not.

2.  Popeyes- otherwise known to our little boy as Poke-ies.  He asked if we were going to eat at Poke-ies.  Ummm....no.

3.  When I took our little girl to the foot dr. the other day.  We were looking at all the gross videos and pictures.  She looked on the wall where they had items for sale.  Her eyes got huge and she said, "Oh no Mom!  Someone's foot fell off.  I bet that hurt a lot!"  I was trying not to laugh when I noticed a foot model for Diabetic socks.  It was a plastic foot!

4. Our little boy has been saying, "Ummm, Ahhh" before every sentence and thought.  We told him the other day to stop saying that because it was really annoying.  He paused and said, "Ok, I'm just going to say Umm Ahh in my head. Ok?"  Yeah sure, whatever!

5.  After a really rough night with our little boy, he came in the next morning and said, "Mom, I wish I had lived here since a baby.  I wish you'd had me as a baby."  After I picked my heart up off the floor, I told him that I did too.  I wish all the bad stuff hadn't happened to him.  I told him that that would never happen here at our house. However, all the bad stuff that happened to him would one day make him a better person.

Court...

Luke and I drove over 3 hours to get to court yesterday with the kids.  We were set up with snacks, a timer, reward charts, and a portable dvd player.  It was a great day for behavior with the kids.  They did wonderful considering the circumstances of spending all day in the car.

When we got to court- we weren't surprised it was running late.  Well, we didn't know how late.  We waited over 3 hours- without being able to go get lunch.  I was so thankful I had packed many snacks in the car.  It was very hard going into that court room knowing that this is where it all began for our kids.  This is where they lost their parents, found a wonderful foster mom, and yesterday were able to set up their forever family date.

It was also extremely stressful for me and Luke.  Not only were we terrified of running into their bio family- we don't even know what they look like or who they are!  So, everytime someone would look at the kids, I was immediately on the defensive.  I felt like we were a deck of cards- only I didn't have any cards or even the upper hand!

We saw many people and situations yesterday that were hard to take in.  Our little boy immediately shut down as we walked into the court house.  He was back to his shy self and only nodding his head.  I was just trying to hold it all together.  They sat in our laps most of the day.  The sweetest thing I saw was our little boy laying his head on his Daddy's shoulders and just resting. 

When we finally were able to go into the court room, I was a nervous wreck.  My poor stomach was in knots, I had no idea what to expect.  Our little girl never let go of my hand the entire time.  The judge was SUPER nice and soft spoken.  They read over what the kids had been through as far as the court system went.  He told the kids that he was sure things had definitely changed for the better for them.  We set up our "gotcha" date.  The social worker wanted it set for 8:30 am.  she told the judge I loved Branson- and she wanted us to make a weekend out of it.  He just laughed, looked at Luke and said, "I think your wallet is going to get a little lighter."  And with that, it was over.

We walked back to the car hand in hand- as a family.  We immediately went to Sonic where the kids got Corn Dog Wacky Packs.  Luke and I had trouble eating as our stomach was still in knots.  My root beer and I had a moment in the parking lot.  I was finally able to breathe again.

We headed home and stopped only once to eat at a Chinese Buffet.  The kids were once again their new selves full of laughter and picking on one another.  I hope someday they realize how blessed they are- but in the reality of things, it's really Luke and I who are blessed!