Moses.

It's done.  After over two months of being terribly ill, Moses is asleep.  For good.

I can't even tell you how Jake and I have agonized over this decision.  Moses first showed us he was sick the week before Thanksgiving.  He mouthed his food and dropped it - which was so out of character for this oink of a dog.  We thought he had a tooth problem, and it wasn't until the diarrhea started that we started to worry.

{Yes, I said diarrhea.  I'm sorry.  Diarrhea has been our life for over eight weeks.  The word no longer makes me squirm.}

Weight started melting off of him, and we knew we had a serious problem.  The doctor did her best to diagnose him, but just couldn't figure out what the problem was.  We put him on every medication - every treatment - even did an exploratory surgery.  Nothing helped.

Eventually his appetite dwindled to nothing, and his hips started bothering him.  Jake did a Google search, and came up with something called Addison's Disease.  He called the vet, and she agreed this was a likely diagnosis.

We never did the testing for Addison's.  The vet believed it was Atypical Addison's, because it didn't present on lab work like Addison's usually does.  Atypical Addison's is very costly to treat, and treatment would be life-long.

That just wasn't an option for us.  And we had to make a decision.  So we did.

Monday, we agreed, would be the day.  Why wait until Tuesday?  Why delay the inevitable?

As I was doing the dishes Monday afternoon, Moses slithered off the couch and assumed his position - directly behind me, back against my legs.  This is something he hadn't done in many weeks.  It felt so...normal.  And I knew it would be the last time.  No more slobbery kisses - no more walks - no more trips to St. Germain - no more chasing bunnies - no more food sneaks from the counter.  Break my heart.

I always imagined Moses growing old and gray with Carter by his side.  They were meant to be buds, and now....well, you know.

This picture.  Oh, this picture.
Taken in St. Germain this past summer, Jake made it into a canvas for my birthday.
It hangs in our living room now.  Sweet Moses - next to his buddy - looking off into the distance.
Break my flippin' heart.

It was time, and Moses was such a trooper.  He laid so nice while the tech's made several attempts at finding a vein.  He didn't even blink when they had to stick him over & over.  Dude knew it was time.  Finally, they found a vein and the doctor came to inject him.

Moses got up - looked around - and gently fell right into his daddy's arms.  And that was it.

We sat there for a few minutes, and pet our little furry friend.  Every bone in his body stuck out, every rib was traceable.  This is not our Moses.  This is not the Moses we'll remember.

+++++

In all of this, I've been looking for the good.  I found it.  Here it is.  On Monday, we said goodbye to our dog.

Our dog.  Not our child.

Thank you, Lord.  It could be so much worse.  The pain we've experienced has been gut-wrentching.  Because of the love we had for our dog.  Our dog.  Not our child.  We are so, so blessed.

It could be so much worse.  It can always be worse.

And that's all I care to say about that.

One Thing I Know For Sure: "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." - Andy Rooney

Year in Review

It's that time again - I can hardly believe it.

The year is coming to a close, and it's time to reflect.  I have so much to share - so much to be thankful for.  I'm just going to dive right in...grab your coffee and sit with me for a while.

+ CHANGES.
Something is happening inside this boy that is so beautiful to watch.  He's not just growing - he's flourishing.  He's not just changing - he's being transformed.  So often, Jake and I look at each other - amazed.  We say that he's turning into a 'real boy'.  The way he talks (yes - he is starting to talk) - the way he communicates - the way he loves - the way he plays - it all resembles something like a real little boy.

 Growing - changing - flourishing - so very beautiful to watch.  So blessed to be a part of it all.  It brings to mind a verse we have sang many times over the past month....

"...wonders of His love, and wonders of His love - wonders, wonders of His love..."


+ MAYBERRY.
Jake and I direct the Christmas program at our church each year - and this year we used a compilation of our favorite scenes from The Andy Griffith Show - and we turned it into a Christmas program.  Every year we love being a part of a new cast of people who are willing to sacrifice a whole bunch of time and energy around the Christmas season.

If you're not up on your Mayberry characters - you're looking at Otis Campbell (sitting), Barney Fife (stooped), and Andy Taylor (in background).


+ CHRISTMAS.
How do you determine whether your Christmas was successful?
Did you break your budget?  No?  Success.
Are your kids grateful?  Yes?  Success.
Did you spend loads of time with people you love?  Yes?  Success.
Was your heart filled with joy as you remembered the very first Christmas?  Yes?  Huge success.

Our Christmas was quiet - simple - mostly homemade - and filled with joy and love.

I have to throw this in here.  See these two beautiful girls?
Don't let their adorableness fool you.  They're both BRATS!
Turns out, sitting in front of them was a poor choice, because
I HAD A BOW ON MY HEAD OR BACK IN EVERY.SINGLE.PHOTO!!!!!
Meanies.  Payback is coming.  When you least expect it, little girls!

Our gift for Carter was SO fun to give.  Jake has been working on it since Thanksgiving.  It started out like this:

And Christmas Morning, it looked like this:

We were a little concerned that with all the time we put into it, Carter wouldn't be interested at all.  HA!  He loves it.  He mixes, scoops, washes his hands, dries dishes, bakes, sautés, and broils like a pro.  And when he gets tired of that, he sits in front of the little refrigerator and opens - closes - opens - closes - opens - closes a few hundred times.

Needless to say, mommy likes this kitchen, too :)  It keeps Carter very busy!

I'm sure you've seen things like this floating around Pinterest - we got our inspiration {here} and {here} and {here}.


+ POOR DOGGY.
Moses is sick.  It started the week before Thanksgiving.  He was not interested in food - SO unusual for this hog of a dog.  From there, he declined gradually until about 10 days before Christmas - he absolutely looked like he was on death's doorstep.  We called the vet and thought we'd be saying goodbye that same day.  They gave him meds and sent him home, assuring us that he would be just fine.

Just a few days later, we were back at the vet.  This time she was certain there was an obstruction, so she performed an exploratory surgery.  Guess what?  No obstruction.  Just gas - which led her to believe THAT was the problem.  For a good week, he was slowly improving.

Which brings us to today.  Again, he is declining - and I have such a heavy heart just writing this.  I don't know what our next step will be.  But I am finally trying to prepare myself for the worst.

And that's all I will say about that.


+ SWEET HALEIGH.
She has just weaseled her way into my heart - I can really say that I LOVE having her here each weekday.  She usually is here Monday - Thursday from about 11:00 to 5:00, and usually all day on Friday.  Haleigh and Carter are buddies - they play together, they follow each other around, and when Haleigh isn't here - Carter lets me know!

She keeps me laughing all afternoon with her silly sense of humor, and her ability to say just the right (or, wrong?!) thing at the right time.  My favorite?  When we're grocery shopping, and she pushes Carter in the cart - and she cups her little hands around his cheeks and says 'Hi little buddy' in the most tender way.  Or when they're riding in the double-cart at Target and I catch them holding hands.  Makes this mama's heart melt.


+FRIENDS.
Rachel still comes to play with Carter - usually one afternoon a week.  I love the break, and I think Carter does, too!  She is such a sweet young lady - and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!

She is more than a 'babysitter' - she's a true friend.  We sure do love our Rachie!


+ CHRISTMAS 2011.
Everyone tells us how much bigger Carter looks.  We don't see it as much, of course, because we see him every day.  It wasn't until I looked at his Christmas photos from last year that I realized the AMAZING changes that other people are seeing!

Last year:

I can still see some hopelessness in his eyes & there's still some orphanage grime (or actually, at just 6 weeks home, a LOT of orphanage grime!).


Last year:

Such a little baby!  So unsure of his surroundings!!


This year:

Big boy!  In love with life!


This year:

He looks like he's a well-loved, cared for, cherished & adored SON, doesn't he?

God sets the lonely in families, indeed.  Praise Him!!


+ MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I had so much fun making our Christmas Cards this year - I have to share them here!

Praying your 2013 is filled with much joy - peace - revelation - blessings - hope - and loads & loads of love.

One Thing I Know For Sure: Reflection - good stuff!

Forfeit.

For about a month or so, Moses and I have been battling.  He seems to think that a certain little Elmo toy is his.

It's not his.  

Moses grabs it out of the basket, I chase him down, screaming & yelling, and put it back in the basket.    Sometimes the screaming & yelling is accompanied by some arm flailing and my angry face.  After a few days of this, Elmo gets washed.   This cycle continues over & over & over & over & over.

Well, no more.  I give.

Love the look of terror on Elmo's face.

Moses - 1, Mama - 0.

Some battles are just not worth fighting.

Moses - enjoy your new Elmo toy.  It's all yours.

+++++++++++++++++

In other Moses news - as I was cleaning underneath the refrigerator today, I found what I thought was a small animal.  Don't worry - it was only a humongous glob of Moses hair.

In moments like these, I just keep repeating to myself: "I love my dog.  I love my dog.  I love my dog.".    The desire to list him on Craigslist usually only lasts a few minutes.

One Thing I Know For Sure: As Poppy would say "Oh, but he's such a gooood boy....".  Yep.  Uh-huh.  Sure.  :)

10 on 10

1.  Our day started with the usual bedroom sabotage.  This time, he went for the wipes.  Good OT I guess :)  He also spent time carrying his shoes around in pairs, and putting them in random places around the house.  I'm guessing he sees another man in our home do the same thing :)  

2. This is what it looks like outside our window today.  Total yuckness.  I read a blog today of someone who lives in a happy, normal climate and her photos of their outside time did NOT look like this.  Not at all.

3.  I caved today.  I stopped at Starbucks and thoroughly enjoyed my Caramel Macchiato.  And the design on the cup made it that much more special :)

4. Little boy enjoyed looking at my RealSimple magazine.  I haven't finished it yet, but I have a feeling he'll get to it before I do.  I wonder if he read the section about 'organization tips' - and how an organized house requires effort from every single person that lives there.  Yes, even the little ones.

5.  Well, apparently he did read the section about swiffering floors.  This kid can swiffer like nobody's business.  He takes it to each room and waves that thing around like Cinderella's fairy godmother.  Bippity-boppity-BOO - the room is now clean.

6. Moses.  Oh, Moses.  How you annoy me when you dig your nose in the garbage.  How you get on my last nerve when you must itch each ear with vigor right as Carter is drifting off to sleep.  Seriously, you drive me nuts most days.  But during nap time, when I see you chillin' on the couch watching 'House Hunters'...I somehow forget all the ridiculous things that you did all morning.  And I love you again.

7. Usually after about 2 or 3 hours of sleep, I can hear Carter fiddling around in his crib.  And this is the reaction I get, just about every day.  These moments make mommy hood extra special :)

8. Carter likes his mirror.  A lot.  And he likes the other kid, too.  Apparently, it really, really needs some windex.

9. Dada came home a little early, and he plays with Carter in a way that Mama just can't do.  Believe me, I try during the day.  But Mama just doesn't cut it when it comes to rough-housing.  This boy loves his Dada.  Just ask him - he'll sign 'Dada' for you.  He'll 'call' Dada on the play phone.  He walks to the window to wave bye-bye all morning long - because that's what we do when Dada leaves.  Buds.

10. I have started playing old school episodes of Sesame Street - I found them on YouTube...and Carter loves them!  This is his usual Sesame Street position.  And I think it's adorable.

And a freebie.  Because I just can't get enough.

That was our day - in 10 photos!

++++++++++++++++++

Okay, I've got to say that up to this point, it has been torture for me to chit-chat about my day when I have SO many more exciting things to share.  More on this tomorrow.  But for now, I have something very, very special to share.

Let me start by saying this.  When you're in a foreign place - physically, spiritually, emotionally - the Lord always sends something to make you feel at home.  Sometimes you don't see it, because you're busy being scared.  Sometimes you miss it because you're so focused on what you don't have.

Thank God we didn't miss it.

The first day in Ukraine - literally in the shuttle bus at the airport, these people immediately reached out to us.  "Where ya'll from?!"  - I can hear it now.  Jake and I looked at each other, like "Seriously?!  Here - in Kiev?!  Lord....you've gotta be kidding me.".  With that, Jake & I breathed a huge sign of relief.

And it was the beginning of something special.

Bryan & Alecia had adopted from Ukraine before.  They held our hands and guided us when we didn't know where to go.  In those first days when I was so, so very homesick - Bryan & Alecia called to see if we wanted to hang out.  They were missing their kids back home, and we were missing.....well, everything.

Being in the trenches together creates this bond that is indescribable.  We didn't spend more than 2 or 3 afternoons/evenings together.  But God knit our hearts together so much so, that I can say I really, truly miss this family.

Well - Jake and I have been home from Ukraine, WITH Carter for almost 3 months.  Incredible, I know.

But all this time that we've been settling in to our new normal, Bryan & Alecia have been waiting.

Yes - in Ukraine.  Waiting for everything to be final.  Waiting for everything to be official.

Waiting for their 2 new kids to be able to come home.

Today, yes - TODAY - Aliyah and Aaron will be home.  They will get off that big airplane and step onto American soil for the first time.  There will be tears.  There will be hugs.  There will be "nice to meet you's" and "we've been praying for you's".  And these two kids will be home.  For good.  For ever.

Home.

Wow.  I've got chills just thinking about the rejoicing that will be going on in Oklahoma in just about a half hour.  I can't say that I didn't try to calculate on MapQuest last night how long it might take for me to drive to Oklahoma.  Only about 13 hours.  Today, Jake said 'do you think we could still get tickets out of Appleton and get to Oklahoma on time?!'.  Oh how I would love to be there.  How I would love to wrap my arms around this mama & papa who have battled to get their kids home for over 4 months.

Home.  Family.  Forever & ever & ever.  Beautiful!

++++++++++++++++

Like I said - more, LOTS more tomorrow.

One Thing I Know For Sure:  The Father of the Fatherless loves to set the lonely in families.  Living proof in Oklahoma tonight....

A Boy & His Dog.

So many people have asked us how Carter is doing with Moses since this post and this post.

This was taken in St. Germain last summer.  How could anyone resist this cuteness?!

Let me put it this way - we had to return the baby gates that we had ordered.  Does that answer your question?!

Well...if you're still unsure - take a peek at this  :)



Yep - things are going pretty great.  Moses still gets the occasional scream from Carter - because sometimes Moses just doesn't know when to stop :)  I guess it's the 'dog' in him :)  When Moses is 'in' - he's ALL 'in'.  And sometimes, Carter just doesn't like the feeling of his skin being licked completely off his face.  Weird, I know...ha.

I think it's too soon to say that they're pals...but it won't be long.  After naps, Moses has to stick his nose between the bars of Carter's crib to check on him.  And Carter almost always gives a smile.  Moses has also learned that if he sits underneath the high chair really nice, Carter just might toss him a pea or a carrot.

Friendships take time to develop...and this one is no exception.  Before we know it, they'll be snuggled up on the floor, and running through the yard....TOGETHER.

One Thing I Know For Sure:  Moses is ready when you are, bud!

One Week!

++This was supposed to post yesterday - but, alas - mommy duties called, and so you're enjoying this (very long) blog post one-day-late.  Happy Belated One Week, little love.

Today, Carter has been home for one week.  And it feels like he's been here all along.  Yes, we're still adjusting (although we've got the bedtime thing down pat!).  And we have a long way to go - but it feels like Carter has always been a part of this little family.  

A little sneak peak from our Homecoming Photos :)

That's how God works, I guess.  That's how He binds us together, supernaturally.  What a beautiful, incredible thing.  

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Two nights ago, Carter started sleeping in his own bedroom instead of in our room.  This was much, much sooner than we had expected - but he sleeps in his bedroom at nap every day, and seems to sleep better in his toddler bed vs. his pack & play.  So - we thought, why not?!  He did great.  He even slept until after 6:00a!  

Of course, I was up at 4:00a, just waiting for his cries to come through on the baby monitor.  Well, our little guy surprised me.  He just slept right through.  THAT is a gift.  And I'll take it!

Last night, well...that's a bit of a different story.  We woke up at 2:00a to the sound of Carter doing his favorite 'ahhh - ah - ahhh - AH.  ahhh - ah - ahhh - AH.'.  Never a good sign, much like Moses' prancing. So I came down, only to find that he got out of his bed.  He was on the floor, rockin' it out in front of his fan.

Ohhhh no.  I am NOT having this!  After about an hour, he was back asleep, and slept until 7:00a.  I guess the toddler bed is changing back into a crib -  in the very, very near future.

Lord have mercy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Carter got his first 'real' haircut yesterday!  He did GREAT - hardly moved!  Well...as long as I was shoving cheerios in his mouth :)  Whatever works, right?!

+++++++++++++++++++++++

It's official.  Moses is HOME.  Dwelling in the same house as Carter.  On Thursday, there was a teeny, tiny bit of us that thought this might never be possible!

For the past few days, we've been showing Carter videos of Springer Spaniels on Youtube.  The first time - he was terrified.  He screamed.  He clawed at the computer.  But each time, he became a little more comfortable.

SUNDAY.
We decided that today would be the day.  Eventually, they had to be reintroduced, and today was it.  We realized that even if we waited 6 weeks to reintroduce them - Carter would still be scared.  So, we might as well just do it.

Before Moses came, Jake and I were just dying of laughter.  It was one of those moments that you wish you had on video...but if you did, you would never, ever share it with anyone else :)  Picture all three of us in front of the computer.  Jake is dancing around the chair with a stuffed puppy singing 'sweet puppy, good puppy, nice puppy, cute puppy!', I'm petting and kissing the computer screen - both of us saying 'ohhh....thats a nice puppy....' in our cheesiest baby voices.  All while we're watching a video of Springer puppies, set to the tune of 'Glamorous'.  Seriously?!  Is this really happening?!  Haaa....oh man.  We had a good laugh.

Carter went down for a good nap around 11:45, so we decided that Jake's mom should bring Moses during nap time and let Moses get used to the new smells, etc.  When Carter woke around 3:00p, we would change him, and slowly bring him out into the living room where Moses would be casually laying on the floor, screaming 'come and pet me' with his adorableness.

Everything went exactly as planned, until I sat down on the floor with Carter, and Moses' nose touched Carter's foot.  Barely.  And Carter lost it.  The next hour or so was Carter screaming, and Moses being the sweetest, quietest dog ever.  As the night went on, Carter eventually calmed down and even sat on the floor a few feet from Moses, playing contently with his toys.

After bath, Carter was laying on the floor with his blankie, and Moses was inches away.  Progress!  By bedtime, Carter was exhausted, and went down without crying at all.

MONDAY.
Carter woke at 5:30a, I took him downstairs to change him, and kept Moses locked up for a while.  When we did bring Moses out, Carter was in his room with the baby gate up so that Moses couldn't get in.  That will be his 'safe place' for a while.  Carter did GREAT with this.  He didn't fuss at all, even with Moses peeking his head over the top :)

Later in the morning, I brought Carter out into the living room where Moses was.  He wasn't on a leash, so he immediately came to greet us.  Carter didn't like this so much - but really, he's just going to have to get used to it.  I let Moses lick his face - Carter screamed, but he's going to learn that Moses is nice - he's gentle - he's soft....and eventually the fear factor should fade away.  At this point, I don't know how long 'eventually' will be...but I'm hoping it will be 'days' and not 'weeks' or,  Lord have mercy - 'months'.  Lord - help me!  I know that this will take time, and I know that eventually they'll be buddies - but right now, it's hard.  Just plain HARD!

I talked to Jake and told him that I think we need more baby gates.  It would be ideal to section off the kitchen for Moses, and let Carter have free reign of the rest of the house.  Then at least Moses is near Carter - which will hopefully help him get used to Moses.  When Jake got home, he ordered baby gates.  They had to be ordered, because the stores don't carry 6ft gates.

And they'll be here December 8th.

Are you kidding me?!  Ohhhh....Lord.

TUESDAY.
Carter has been fine - as long as Moses is behind the baby gate.  Although, at one point I brought Carter out of his room into the kitchen - Moses sniffed his feet and Carter was able to keep his cool.  That's a huge step.

Even after Moses was locked up, I set Carter down and he was constantly scanning the room for Moses.  This is not just a 'stubborn toddler' thing (like bedtimes were).  Carter is truly scared of Moses.  It breaks our hearts to see Carter so scared...but he will have to learn that Moses is gentle and safe.

So - we'll just keep taking it slowly - step by step.  Eventually, they will be buds.  I just know it.

Where it stands now, Moses gets a huge sparkly gold star.

Heck, he can have a gold bone.  He's been amazing.  He has absolutely hit it out of the park.  He's totally rockin' this 'big brother' thing...and we could NOT be more proud of our furry boy!  Big Christmas presents for Moses this year!  Way to go, bud.  Way to rock it.

WEDNESDAY.
We brought Moses in as Carter was eating his breakfast.  Carter paused - gave Moses a few sassy sniffs, and kept on eating.  After he was done, I kept Carter in his high chair, and let Moses wander around.  Carter did GREAT.  He covered his eyes a few times, but there was no screaming, no clawing to get away....it was super.  Way to go - Carter!

Progress!!

One Thing I Know For Sure: Soon, they'll be pals.  I'm convinced.

Phew...!

The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind!  I've been taking advantage of having Jake home - he goes back to work on Monday, and I'm totally bummin'!  So I've been trying to get lots of little projects done now, so I don't have to worry about them next week.

On Thursday, we went to introduce Carter to our boy Moses.  Well...let's just say it was a total disaster.  Terrible with a capital 't'.  Carter absolutely freaked.  Screamed bloody murder.  We could not get Moses out of the room quick enough.  It was bad.

Moses?  He was great.  Didn't even mind Carter's blood-curdling scream!  Way to go, Mose.  Soon, you'll get to come home and be with your family.  Just a few more days, bud.  Or maybe weeks.  We'll see....

But can I be honest?  We were so, so sad.  Really - pretty crushed. We miss Moses so much...call us crazy, but we just want BOTH our boys home.  Not sure where to go from here - but after Carter's reaction, it's pretty clear that we can't just try to reintroduce them.  We're thinking about taking video of Moses, and having Carter watch it at home, where he feels safe.

Who knows.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Carter wanted to show you all his Green & Gold pride :)  Pretty adorable, if I do say so myself!

C'mon...even if you're not a Packer fan, isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

We also took Carter out of the house for the first time.  He likes his carseat, and the car seems to put him to sleep almost immediately.

If you look closely, you'll see his hat has little ears!!  So sweet, right?!

He's been enjoying his bath time even more at home than at the apartment - this bathtub is like an olympic swimming pool compared to that crummy shower in Ukraine!

++++++++++++++++++++

And me?  Well...I've been enjoying the simple things.

It's true, babe.  When we're together - every day is a snow day.  It's been so good having you home...and it will be so hard when you go back to work.  Miss you already :)

I've also been thoroughly enjoying songs like this (yes, I'm a closet fan....) and this....I never knew how fun it would be to dance around OUR house, with OUR three-year-old, to this music.  Pretty great.

The simple things, right?!

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Most of the time, Carter is an absolute honey.  Nothing but hugs, giggles, and snuggles.  Really - 90% of the time, he's an angel. But every so often, he loses it.  Take nap time, for instance.  In Ukraine, naps were no problem.  Here?  Huge problem.  Like, screaming for an hour before he falls asleep.  It's tough, ya know?  Because we don't know if he's crying because he wants to keep playing (like any 3 year old) or if he's scared.  So right now, leaving him in his crib to fall asleep while he's screaming isn't really an option.  Because if he IS scared, it would be detrimental for us to just leave him alone (abandonment/loneliness/anxiety/etc).  On the other hand - if he just wants to play, and we get him up every time he cries, then we're teaching him that all he needs to do is throw a little fit in order to get his way.  Also not good, right?  I can't say that I'm not tempted to let him sleep in the bath tub.  Ha :)

However, we're fairly sure that Carter is just a typical, stubborn 3 year old.  Because he throws the same fits when one of us is in the shower - and he wants in, too.

Yea.  Like I said - this stuff is hard.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

After 3 days home, the laundry is officially done and put away, and....well - hmm....I guess that's about all we've done since coming home.  I could kick myself for not doing xyz before we left...because that means that I have to do it now.  But - I guess those things will get done in time.  It's hard for me not to worry about the cabinets being organized...or other random, equally ridiculous things.  Maybe I have a problem...I don't know :)  In all seriousness, though - I think the hardest part about staying home will be for me to just let it go.  It's okay if I don't fold the laundry the minute it's done.  It's okay if my floors aren't sparkling.  They weren't really sparkling before, anyways.

Darn you, June Cleaver.  This is your fault!

++++++++++++++++++++++++

One Thing I Know For Sure: I burnt some apples on the stove today, Carter had a massive fit before nap, there might be dishes in the sink....but Carter got more love than he knows what to do with!  I'd say it was a good day....!

A Letter to Moses

Dear Moses,

We are missing you SO much! You are the best puppy we could have ever asked for (you do know you're a dog, right?!).  Even when you do naughty things, like sneak a piece of pizza off the counter, or eat kleenex out of the garbage, or curl up on the couch when nobody is looking...we still think you're the sweetest furry friend to ever step foot on this planet.

What you don't know, is that your life is about to change in ways you'd never imagine...

No more being kenneled up for hours each day...

No more looking at us with lonely eyes, because your life is so boring...

No way!  You're going to be one busy guy.  Licking food off a 3 year olds face...playing out in the yard...stealing someone else's stuffed animal off the changing table (oh wait...you already do that...!).

He's a chicken.  Because he loves to chase grandpa's chickens around the yard.
He thinks it's a great disguise.

Yep...life is going to be sa-weet!

Just a few more days, buddy.  Just a few more days until you have your very own boy.

One Thing I Know For Sure: Moses will make a great big brother...