Every good and perfect gift is from above...James 1:17

Monday, April 28, 2014

It's Better To Have Loved And Lost…

When you're in the midst of loss, it's hard to believe that old saying.  We're rapidly approaching the 'lost' phase of our puppy love story.  It was easy asking people if they wanted a puppy.  Now that I have one solid owner and several possibles, it's not so fun.  I need to make the phone call to set a date for the owners to come get their little puppy.  I can't make myself do it.  I actually got teary-eyed just thinking about doing it today.  I started the text once and erased it.

Not to be ungrateful.  I am thankful to the family who is taking our little fur ball and promising lots of love, as well as to the families who are considering the others.  

It just stinks being a grown up sometimes.  My head says I can't be the crazy dog lady, but my heart says nnnnnnnnooooooooooo, you CAN'T let them go!  It's probably a good thing that I have a husband who follows common sense as opposed to a big ole pet lover's heart.
As I watch the three little babies playing and frolicking outside with their mommy and siblings, just being blissfully happy, I feel incredibly guilty that I am about to rock their world.

So before these precious little things go and I get all sad, I want to pay tribute to each of them, because they are all special in their own unique way.  Much like our human children, you love them all, but appreciate each one for who they are, and love them how they need to be loved.
The oldest of the crew and the man of the canine house is Sweet Potato Pie, whom I sometimes call Georgie Porgie Puddin Pie.  He is the lightest in color and the only one with wirey hair.  He is most like  his mother in that he likes to be by you all the time.  He gets scared easier than the girls and needs a good cuddle to calm down.  Sweet 'Tato also likes to chase the kids on their bikes and run after us as we go by.
Next born was Oreo Pie.  Named so because she is mostly dark with some white in a few places.  She has the softest hair ever, and it's longer and wavy.  Her little face reminds me of a wookie.  Little Furball loves a good cuddle, but she also likes to roll on over on her back and have you rub her tummy or scratch her neck.  Her little face peers up at you and has such sweet innocence.  She comes running to greet you when you enter her space.
 
The youngest little girl is Chocolate Pie, due to her dark color with no white whatsoever.  However, she is mostly called Fatty McPatty, as she is a big girl.  She is the bravest of all and quite the adventurer.  She is always the first to wander off, though she always comes to greet you when you come near.  She is probably the class clown, being the most playful of the group.   When she runs she bounces up and down, looking cuter than ever.
 
All of them come running to greet you anytime you come near.  Their little tails wag like crazy and they try to bat at you with their little paws and kiss you and love you.  They are the best alarms for the kids in the morning; the children actually wake up happy when the little things are sniffing their ears and licking them.  
Although I have had the joy of raising these little guys since birth, I often find myself jealous of the families that get to bring such a cute little thing into their home and be their forever families.  What joy these little boogars will bring to some lucky families' lives!
***
A few days after I started this post, I brought the puppies to school, hoping to find new owners.  One little girl wanted one and when I told her to ask her mom she came running back saying yes.  She grabbed little Fatty McPatty and was going to take her home right then and there.  I squeaked, "We're not ready," and immediately began crying…in front of both Zeke and Daisy's teachers.  Embarrassing, to say the least.
And now that these sweet little things are 7 weeks old and leaving our house, Frito Pie is no longer terrified of them.  She has finally decided she likes being Aunt Frito.
God placed Lil' Punkin Pie in our lives so these little puppies would get a good start on life.  They are destined to bring lots of love and happiness to their furever families.  They did ours.
 
 

Monday, April 21, 2014

He Is Risen!

We enjoyed a wonderful week leading up to Easter Sunday!  Amidst the fun, brightly colored, candy-filled eggs, we tried to focus on the real meaning of Easter.  

We started with some nightly reading from Resurrection Eggs.  Then Daisy and I 'egged' ourselves on the front porch one rainy Sunday.  Each kid actually wants to find the empty egg (which reminds us of Jesus' empty tomb).
They sought the thrill of the hunt
 (at a couple places, actually).
My fearless trio tested their climbing skills at one celebration.
Thanks to Aunt Sister we hunted some goodies in our own backyard.
We tried our hands with a Pinterest recipe with our friend Keira.
Not 100% success, not 100% fail; with Pinterest activities, that's not a bad outcome.
Without complete Pinterest failure, we decided to give it another whirl.  This time with Empty Tomb cookies.  After reading scripture to go with all the ingredients, we put them in the oven and sealed it, just like Jesus' tomb was sealed.
The cookies were left in the oven all night.  We morning came we rolled away the proverbial stone.  The cookies were supposed to be hollow and empty, just as Jesus' tomb was after he had risen.  
Pinterest fail.
At least they tasted good.

Of course the Easter Bunny left his fun, brightly colored, candy-filled eggs.
The dogs helped themselves.  I kept finding empty eggs outside with candy wrappers near by.
And Mommy and Daddy gave the kids a little 
somethin-somethin.
All that excitement and we still made it to 9:15 church on time.
We enjoyed making Resurrection Rolls, which did turn out empty like they were supposed to.
Easter Sunday--time to flip the cross around…
and take some pics.
We sure do love these puppies!  Not that they have anything to do with Easter, but they were a part of our celebration.
 
Next we had Easter lunch with Grannie, who gave us another egg hunt.
 
What a great celebration of Jesus' redeeming work on the cross!
He is risen!  He will return!