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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Sunday Snapshot - The Christmas Gift

There were lots of gifts this year.


Lots of wrapping and


unwrapping and yays and thank yous and WOW's and "you shouldn't have's"

well, maybe not that last one!  Hehe!

There were baby dolls and (sigh) Barbie dolls and Squinkies (huh?)


There were Leggos and video games, clothes and footballs!

The best gift of all, however, was this...


This was from my amazing hubby and while I am not quite ready to explain, I pray that one day soon...

I will be explaining and praising and Thanking our Father,



Thank you Kim!

To see our attempt at a Christmas pic, go here - always entertaining!  Hehe!


Merry Christmas and good night!

To read more Sunday Snapshots go here,


Sunday Snapshot

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!!

So, I really cannot believe that Christmas is already here!

Ya know as a child, Christmas seemed to take foooooorever to arrive but somehow as a grown up, it seems to arrive, well about as soon as the Halloween candy has been consumed!

It doesn't help that the stores all start peddling their Christmas wares before the Halloween candy has even been dispensed!  Ugh!

This year, heck every year, as soon as the kids are sprung, ways to keep the troops entertained includes things like, well - FOOD - making food and consuming food!

We usually start with our traditional "Reindeer Food."


Talk about a sugar rush!  This is what we leave out (what's left of it anyway) for Santa's reindeer...


to help them fly!



I always tell the kids that they are welcome to eat it but they are NOT allowed to fly! 


Email me for the recipe cause...

It is good, y'all!

Next it was time to make Christmas cookies only I waited until the very last minute to buy the sugar cookies and guess what...

They were all out!

No kidding!

There were NO more sugar cookies to be had!

Seriously - none!

So...


we made Christmas brownies...


with icing....


LOTS of icing....




at Mom's house - thank goodness!  Hehe!


no one seemed to mind



the lack of sugar cookies cause believe me


there was LOTS of sugar!  Heh!



So after all those full bellies it was time for...


Gulp!

The annual Christmas picture!

It is the same every year


We get ONE decent picture


out of about


Oh I don't know...


maybe about


well...


this much!


I really don't mind though because...


THIS is our life and...


I wouldn't have it any other way!


Merry Christmas everyone!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Danielle's Story

Outstretched Arms: Danielle's Story: Please scroll down and read about these other kids (especially Kyle) that NEED families.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Time...

There is just not enough of it...

especially with this ole guy...


Our sweet Kendall


who came into our lives late in his years


who came into our lives with an already grey muzzle and a crooked smile from years of seizures...

who came into our lives with a great loss but also with a heart ready to love and be loved.

He never demanded attention but was always there for a pat or a hug or a dropped morsel of delicious people food.

He liked to bark (at nothing) but he loved his family and had his own very special way of protecting us.

Kendall first came to us in November of 2008, when his elderly owner passed away and the (so called - harumph) family decided to send him to the pound.  He stayed with us for 9 terrific months, until a family was found for him and we said what we thought was goodbye to our sweet old soul.


That very sweet family kept him for almost a year and a half until they could no longer care for him and that is when our Kendall came back to us, for good, in March of 2011.

Grateful Goldens asked us to be his permanent foster family and there was NO way we were going to let him go again!

Kendall was home for good.

Kendal came back to us a good bit older and a good bit rounder and needed "encouragement" to make it up the stairs - every day.


but he was much like our Lizze, a very determined old soul and up until the end, usually made it up those steps!

Kendall also needed meds to help with his seizures, every day but with his love of food, that was easy:)

Most of all though, Kendall needed love - every day and we were more than happy to help him with all his needs because...


He was Kendall, the sweetest, gentlest, wisest, most loving old soul, who even liked the cats!

Heck, he even liked the kids!!!  Hehe!

He was my ever faithful and loving shadow and I had to say goodbye to him today.

It was hard...

so, so hard but it was time.

He had a tumor that had spread to his spinal cord and had paralyzed him from the shoulders down but even in his confusion and with his broken, precious body, he looked for me, he listened for me, he reached for me and I pray he found comfort with me.

His head was in my lap, his eyes were fixed with mine and as I stroked his wonderful, crooked, grey muzzle, he peacefully slipped away.

His time had come but I find myself feeling a little bit cheated out of all the years I missed with him and wishing for more, more time.

I am missing my faithful shadow tonight but I am comforted in the prayer of my sweet Lizzie.

"Dear Lord, please love Kendall and help him to play with Dingo and Maggie and Cricket and Tippy and Grace, oh and please help him to see Gada again.  Amen"

Amen sweet girl.

We miss you Kendall and loved you far more than 19 months could ever hold.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Sunday Snapshot - Chopsticks

I learned pretty quickly when I was a child, not to underestimate my brother.  Not only would it make him mad but it was a complete waste of time.

Not only could he do anything and everything that he put his mind to, but he could usually do it better than me!! 

Now, with our Lizzie, it does not even occur to me that she might not be able to do something that she either wants or needs to do.  Most of the time I honestly don't even think about the fact that she is missing fingers and that her precious, beautiful hands are quite a bit smaller than other 5 year old and y'all...

She doesn't either!

Now, tell Miss Lizzie that she is cute and you may have to take cover! 

Not really, but she does not like being so small and CUTE!

I tell her constantly that she will grow but that she is forever stuck with CUTE...


Cause y'all, she is, just so stinkin CUTE!!!!!


Anyway, the fact that her hands and feet don't look exactly like other kids' hands and feet, doesn't seem to bother her much at all, cause...

She can do anything she puts her mind to so...

why sweat it!

Take chopsticks for instance!

We got them out the other night and it never even occured to me that she might not be able to use them...

Good thing too, cause...


She was hungry and wasn't going to let a couple of chopsticks stand in her way!  Ha!

The Lord chose to move my heart through my brother and his life and because of that, our hearts were opened and moved for our Lizzie. 

I have already seen how our Lizzie is moving the hearts of those she meets and those she loves. 

I have seen the Lord use this tiny little package of courage, deternination and yes sweet girl, I have to say it - CUTENESS - to move the hearts of those who simply meet her. 

Can you imagine how she moves the hearts of those who love her?

I expect great things from our sweet Lizzie and from those who love her, namely those amazing siblings of hers who have never, ever put limits on her either, who love her with a fierceness that just blows me away sometimes, who will use this love of her to do great things with their awakened hearts.

To read more Sunday Snapshots, go here




Sunday Snapshot

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Curiosity...




                                                           WET the cat!!!!  Hehe!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sunday Snapshot - What They Want For Christmas

They don't want toys...

They don't want pretty clothes...

They don't want Ipads or Ipods or Kindles...

They simply want a family.

Please pray that each of these precious children get what they want most for next year for Christmas...

a family!!

Please go here to read more Sunday Snapshots


Sunday Snapshot

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

WHY????

THIS is why!!!!

This is Xiaoyun's testimony.

You might remember Xiaoyun as the 13 year old on my advocacy blog who was aging out and aging out FAST! 


Xiaoyun has severe scoliosis and would not have survived without a family. 

But Cindy...

Cindy and her family heard the Lord's plea for this child and brought her home - just in the nic of time - days before she aged out forever and lost her chance for a family, for life!

This is Xiaoyun now...


after love, after a family, after hope for a future.

Now, Xiaoyun shares her testimony and it is amazing!!!!

Please go here to watch this very special child give her testimony and find out why we do what we do, why we feel the calling so strongly, why we adopt when the rest of the world thinks we are crazy!

THIS is why!!!!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Sunday Snapshot - Request

This is a rather odd Sunday Snapshot...

It is about pictures...

but pictures with a purpose, maybe...

pictures for a purpose and ...

a picture request.

I am working on a little something for Christmas and I need help.

I need pictures!

If you would like to send me a picture of your family at Christmas...

with your children and ...

if you could just include a note letting me know their first names and when they got home...

it would help - so much!

It will go on my blog and FB page so if you do not feel comfortable with that, I get it!!!

However, if you are jiggy with it

THANK YOU!!!

Just email me the pic and info to 5puppies@comcast.net!!!

I will leave you with some of this year's decorating pics.

Apparently it takes a village, y'all

and the pets



and a ping pong tournament



to decorate our tree!!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

To join in more "normal" Sunday Snapshots (hehe), just go here...




Ni Hao Yall