The Magical No-Pooping Dog

I love dogs. My dog in particular. But, when you purchase a dog you sign up for some not-so-appetizing tasks that, left undone, will leave your yard smelling like our beloved Willamette River.

The last few days had begun to warm up and the children were taking notice. I knew that tomorrow would be nice enough to play in the back yard. With a sigh, I went to get a pair of disposable latex gloves and a Wal-Mart bag. It had to be done.

As I meandered out into the yard for my first "Poo-Poo Patrol" of the year (I know, I know, it had been far too long) I noticed something strange. The yard was clean. I spun around, searching the ground in confusion. Well, he must have been using the play area. Darn it! He knows not to go up there. Up the steps I went, muttering admonitions to my dog who had seen me outside and quickly joined me, all smiles. I looked around. No poo. It seemed I had the world's first magical no pooping dog! Fantastic!

Just then Lexx began sniffing around and walking in quick circles. Curious, I stood and watched as my pooch trotted toward the fence in the back and pawed at one of the boards. It wiggled and he pushed it to the side with his muzzle and squeezed through to our neighbor's (very nicely manicured) back yard. My eye found a hole in the board just in time to see Alexxander doing his business. In his usual spot, it appeared. My happy dog then squeezed back through his secret passageway, quite pleased with himself. Mouth agape, I charged inside to Micah, "You know what your dog (he's only my dog when he's charming and sweet) is doing?! He's squeezing through to Ryan and Brandi's back yard for his morning constitutionals! There's 3 months worth of poo in their yard!" My husband squatted and turned to Lexx, "Who's a good boy!? Yes! He's a gooood boy!! Yes he is!!"

The Haircut

Yes. That's Alexxander. I had noticed a bit of matting going on in my Pomeranian's fur, but had been putting off grooming him until the weather was more accommodating for a short-haired dog. Then I thought I would feel better leaving town if I knew that he was comfortable and tangle-free (no more worries on that front - he will be tangle-free for quite some time). I confidently pulled out the grooming clippers I bought on Ebay along with a how-to-groom-your-dog-at-home-and-save-tons-of-money video.

By the time we were done, Lexx was looking at me as if to say, "You cheap jerk! Look at me! Next time do me a favor and spend the $30, will ya?!?"

As he walked pathetically toward his dog door, head bowed in embarrassment, I could almost hear the murmuring,"....just GREAT........all the neighborhood dogs laughing their butts off............stupid mom........I'm so chewing her favorite Doc Martens tonight......"

Feeling Better

Well, thanks for all the prayers! Levi is doing much better (as you can see below) and we're all getting a lot more sleep. We're getting ready to take our trip to San Diego to visit Micah's sister, "Auntie Cyn" and will be celebrating Solomon's birthday at Sea World! Nana is flying down, as well, so we'll all be together to ring in the eldest's big #6. I can't believe he's almost 6 years old. He's such a huge blessing to his family. I just love that kid.

Furgus faithfully tending his sick baby. Not sure having a cat curled up in your face helps the breathing go any easier, but at least he was wheezing with a smile...

It's torture being stuck in the house when the sun is actually shining and your brothers are living it up. He was so happy to finally be let out! Freedom!

The first mud pit pic of the year! Solomon and Malachi were quite excited to initiate Levi into the right of passage that is...The Mud Pit.

The baby was carefully introduced to the fine art of digging. Trowels were shared. Spades were passed. Digging was done. Pats on the back were issued. Words of encouragement were heard. Hinders were muddied.

Good times.

Taking a sec in between breathing treatments...

Sorry so long, no post. I'm behind on my e-mail, too. Please have patience with me! Lesson we've learned this week? RSV is a horrible, horrible thing. My poor little Levi.
I'll update you more when I can disengage myself from a clingy, wheezy, cranky, fever laden, relentlessly hacking but oh-so-brave baby boy.

We Love Weekends

My studly little guitar hero:

Cutest hinders ever.

Goof-ball!

The eldest and the prodical

Sweet sleeper

Committee Update

Well, friends, our caseworker just called - seems we're going to Committee for the Dream Team next month!! Although we're very excited, we understand that the compitition for these little ones is fierce. Actually I believe that the biggest reason that we're one of the final three families at all is divine provision. When our caseworker called to tell us about the Dream Team, she asked if I would like a bullitian and their pictures to puruse with Micah so we could make a decision whether or not we'd like to be considered. I informed her that they sounded like a dream come true (thus their little logo:) and that, yes, definitaly we would like to be considered!

"Sight unseen, huh?" was our caseworker's reply, to which I said, "Absolutely. Whoever gets these kids will be just so incredibly lucky." Well, I didn't know until that point that the Dream Team's caseworker was there in the room and had heard my excited eagerness. She smiled and said that she would put us in the final 3.

**********

So, divine orchestration, I believe.

**********

That having been said, this caseworker had to painstakingly narrow down potentially hundreds of applications for this sibling group to just 2 other families. We want our friends and family to know that our chances of being matched with these beautiful kiddos is slim. If the call comes that we weren't chosen, we know that God has our children picked out for us already. The match is already made! We just have to have patience and perseverence. I think that it's a good thing that Committee will be held while we're in California (we're taking the boys to SeaWorld for Solomon's birthday, but more about that later). It will be a nice distraction for us!

**********

Also news is that we've been selected for another Committee. It's a sibling group of 2 little brothers aged 2 and 9 months. We'll call them "J" and "F" as they aren't totally legally free. We're keeping an eye on this case because of this fact that the parents are still involved on some level and the placement would be a legal risk for our family. Also, we would have to drive the boys to supervised visits with their parents. In Portland. Ugh. It would be just until the case resolves a little more, so, we'll see.

Family Portrait

What I hear from the other room:

Solomon: "...I think the Mommy and Daddy should adopt MORE kids!"

Malachi: "Yeah! How 'bout a monkey? They don't got a baby monkey yet..."

Levi: "Aahepbah!! Doo GOT D'OH!!"

Solomon: " ...and let's put him right here, next to his new big brother..."

Malachi: "Now they got lots of babies!"

Levi: "YAY!"

Solomon: "Mommy! Come and look at the Tiger and Cheeta's big family! You should take a family picture for them! It's cool they have lots of brothers and sisters."

It's a beautiful family. Don't you think?

Brave, Brave Kitty-One

Here are our various pets hunkered down together. Lately the Brier-Rabbit has been hopping her bunny buns into the kichen in the evenings and spending the night on the rug in front of the sliding door. She's been known to do this on occasion, mostly on very cold nights, but recently she's been reluctant to graze in the back yard at all after dusk. We'd taken notice of this but not read into it on any level. After all, she's more than happy to return to the yard in the morning and hasn't been having any accidents. No big deal.

**********
Then one night she had decided to stay outside for the night. She hopped through the doggy door while I was fixing breakfast the next morning. About a third of her ear was torn off, and the rest was bloody. This majorly got my panties in a bunch. Anyone who has seen my rabbit know that, well, she's a really cute rabbit. I really like my rabbit. This simply would not do.

Then things got worse. The cats began coming in with owies. First Kitty-One developed a nasty open wound on the base of his tail, then we discovered a abscess on Furgus's chest. I dutifully cleaned the wounds and dressed them, applied hot compresses and anibiotic ointments.
**********
Well, just the other morning, Kitty-One came inside bearing the worst injuries yet. He had 2 puncture holes above his eyes and one baby blue was swollen shut. Great. Just great.



Later on as the boys and I were playing in the front yard I caught a glimps of something furry - and big - laying on lava rocks beside the house:

Yes. That would be a big. dead. opossum. I estimate his (yes, I did check the gender. Don't ask why) weight to be about 12 pounds.

**********

It seems Kitty-One had valiantly finished off the mysterious threat. I stood there answering the questions that a mother of sons is confronted with upon discovering something dead, such as: "Whoa! Mom! Can I step on it?!" and "Can I poke him with a stick!?"
**********

As we went into the house I said, "Wow, I can't believe Kitty-One took that thing out. It's huge! He must have understood that it was dangerous and when it got too close to the house, he decided to defend his family."

**********

Solomon promptly went over to his cat who was snoozing on the couch, burrowed his face into white fur and whispered tenderly, "Oh, brave Kitty-One! My brave, brave Kitty-One!"

Snow Day!

We had been hearing about upcoming snow for weeks as we listened to the weather forcast. It never seemed to come, however, and was always due tomorrow or just a few days away.

Well, we FINALLY got our snow!

It was almost bedtime when it really started sticking. Luckily the boys already had warm fuzzy jammies on so we just threw on coats and hats and ventured out.

I don't know if Levi had ever seen snow before. If he had, it seemed that he'd forgotten about it because it seemed a novelty to him. I wish I knew more about his first 2 years of life. Was this his first time playing in the snow? Did he have his first birthday cake Sunday? Is he riding his first tricycle right now? I guess there will always be holes in what I know about my son's early experiences, but this I do know: This was his first time playing in the snow with his brothers. Sunday he had his first birthday cake made special for him by his Mama. And that tricycle? I taught him how to work those pedals.

Happy Birthday, Levi!

We had a family dinner for Levi's second birthday on Sunday night. We're so blessed to have him. I can't believe it's been almost 2 months...it seems like he's been here so much longer. Maybe it's just that there was a hole in our home and hearts saved out just for him this whole time. We're so thankful that he's here, filling that spot that only he can fill!

Cousin Brielle and Auntie Julie havin' a good time!

Uncle Chad claims the seat closest to the cake. We're watching you, fella.

Nana and Solly

Levi, Mommy &Kai-Kai

Brothers deliver the stash.

"My favorite - hats and trucks!"

Happy birthday, Mr. Bup!

Finally (almost) Done!!

We finally got our counters in! Although we (and by "we", I mean "Micah") still have some trim work to do, the kitchen is fully-functional and much more conducive to larger-family life than before. Micah has decided to build a breakfast nook in the corner (in the bottom right of the picture). That way we'll keep the open space we like.

The boys were such a big help during the process :)


These are Solomon & Malachi's desks, although it's also where they prefer to eat. I'm really thankful that Micah let me claim this wall for homeschooling.

A Late Announcement...

Introducing Bryonia Shalom!

(Let it be known that I've held off on the announcement until her family was sure that her name would "stick".)

Zion, Cayman and Ava got to stay with us for a few days while their Mommy was busy bringing their sister into the world. After a long and difficult labor, we got the call that Baby was here! We loaded up and headed for the hospital to take a peek...

Welcome to being the youngest of 6, little one - hee hee!

**********

That was in late November, and here she is at her brother's party on Sunday. Look how much she looks like the birthday boy!

Bryonia:

Cayman:

Happy Birthday, Cayman!

Malachi's best friend, Cayman had his birthday party on Sunday. It was a Noah's Ark costume party. It was just so cute! Solomon went as a dinosaur, Malachi went as a giraffe and Levi went as a zebra. They ditched their masks very soon into the party, though.

**********

Cayman and his brothers also had lots of costumes to share, so there was much trying on of different animals. Malachi was forced into chicken garb and photographed by an excited Mommy. and Levi made an adorable albeit apprehensive "KidyCa".

The baby goat, Honey, came in for a visit and a quick snack. Levi wasn't so sure that he wanted to give the Baba to her. It seemed a tease, as he just kicked the Baba habit recently.

"Kissin' kids!" (Mommy went as a kitty...)

There was a bouncy tent - check out Malachi getting some major air!

We stayed until after dinner and, as usual, everybody was asleep 5 minutes after we got into the van to head home. What a fun day!

CupCake Cones

Today we brought Cupcake Cones to Science class for Levi's birthday! I did bring my camera to catch cute shots of him and his friends in the pre-school class enjoying their treats...but 6 eager toddlers plus a full can of Ready Whip equals a Mommy too preoccupied to play photographer. So, here are some cute shots of Levi enjoying one of his cones after dinner.

*********

They ended up being really simple and the kiddos loved them. You just fill the cones half full of cake batter and bake them. Then you frost them and they look like ice cream cones. We used Ready whip instead of icing so we could spray it on right at class (and there's less sugar). That way we saved having to transport sticky cones and get frosting all over the car. We also dusted the tops with sprinkles. They turned out really cute!

**********
Next up is his birthday party on Friday, but before that we have his 2 year portrait session on Monday. I hope to get at least one decent picture of my 3 sons together. It seems in every picture I take, one or another of them inevitably has a funny/silly/gross/stupid look on his face. The other 2 always look great. Sigh. We shall see...

It's the real him

Today we had a full afternoon of yard work that left us cold and longing for a bath and our jammies. My oldest sons are very much tea connoisseurs and we all agreed that a warm cup of peppermint sounded great. I had never offered tea to Levi, figuring that we would prefer his milk. Tonight he saw me pour his brothers a steaming cup and wanted a go at it. He took one sip, looked at me in shock, then proceeded to scold his sippy cup fiercely,

"No, no! No, no, no, Baba!" (we've finally convinced him that his sippy cup is really the same thing as his baba and managed to ditch the bottles. He still calls them 'Baba', though).

**********

Sol, Kai and I got a major case of the giggles as he continued to shake his finger at his cup and berate it unmercifully for this piece of evil sorcery that morphed his milk.

He later gave it another shot. After all, brothers weren't keeling over dead, it must be OK. He began to take more sips while eyeing Solomon and Malachi and getting some brotherly encouragement in return. I snuck off to get my camera and took this picture. I just love it.

**********

Just above it is the picture of the three of them on Levi's first day home with us. I think the 2 pics really represent the difference we've seen in our new little guy as the weeks pass, like in the first picture he's sitting nicely at the table, picture #2? Well, that's the real him. I also put the pic of him the first day home, and tonight. That reserved little smile is saved for strangers now. We rarely see it. We get the real him. How cool is that.

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now: