Life is K-R-A-Z-Y!!!

For the next couple of weeks for sure, my life is on a non-stop crazy train!  Next Tuesday, Mike's mom is having surgery.  That is possibly the least convenient time in all of the world for me, but hey - what's a girl to do.  All next week, Rachel has rehearsals for her dance recital, we've got Mike's mom's surgery, Mike has his first aid class, Tanner has softball, and I have meetings and work all week AND company coming.  And let's not forget I have NINE PUPPIES who are about to start on solid food this weekend and will need to start potty training.  God help me get through the week.  If I can make it til a week from Saturday night with my sanity, it will be a miracle.

As for our adoption stuff, we still just lack Mike's first aid training then we're done and can be licensed for foster care.  We're also going to do an adoption home study.  They've done the foster home study already.  Why are there two, you ask?  As Michelle so eloquently put it, it's a government program and therefore is inefficient.  But if we're going to play the government's game, we have to play by their rules.  Therefore, we are going to do an additional home study.  The foster home study will allow us to be licensed as foster parents with the option of adopting if and when the parents rights are terminated.  This, however, limits us to our area of Arkansas.  They try their best to place foster children in their original county.  It makes sense because of travel issues that might arise with court dates or visitation that will inevitably come.  However, if we do the adoption home study, we would be opened to the possibility of going directly to adoption with a child anywhere in Arkansas that met our criteria and were ready to be adopted.  It might take a little longer with that, but it might be a shorter process in the long run.  We're now just praying for God's wisdom in exactly what we need to do.

For today - I just want to bury my head in the sand with all the stuff we have going on in the next 10 days!  Once May 9th gets here, it should be smooth sailing for a while.... knock on wood!!!! :)

Tomorrow

Our County Lady comes out to visit tomorrow.  She will do the final inspection of our home, make sure we've done everything we've been required to do, and let us know if there's anything else to do before opening our home.  I'm cleaning today and tomorrow - mostly because the house needs it, not just because she's coming.  Mike still has to do his first aid class and that won't be until the first part of May.  I'm not sure how strict they are on stuff like that and if he will for sure have to finish it before we can have our home open.  It makes me very nervous, but excited, to know that we could have a child in our home very, very soon!  Yikes!! 

The Puppies Have Arrived

Life has been so busy that I haven't taken the time to sit down to my computer to update this poor little blog.

The puppies arrived on Saturday, April 3rd.  There were 9.  That's right.  I said NINE.  That was from ONE rendezvous.  All the puppies survivied.  That's the first time in the three litters that she's had that all them have survived.  They are all doing well.  There's not really much for us to do with them right now except look at them and hold them every once in a while.  Copper pretty much takes care of their every need..... for a couple more weeks anyway.  Then it will be up to us.  So spread the word - if anyone needs a wonderful family dog, we have 9!  In our previous litters, we've had dogs go to several of our family members and friends and have been able to keep up with them.  If it wasn't so hard on Copper, we'd continue to have puppies to provide awesome pets for people.  Our puppies have turned out to be fantastic dogs!  I'm really proud of them!  I'll post pics of the little darlings soon.  They are on my camera, but not on my computer yet.  That's for another time...

Mike is going to complete his CPR this week and the County Lady will come out next week to open our home... I think.  She'll do the final inspection and other than Mike having the First Aid course, we're done.  It's a little crazy to think that we could have a child in our home so soon!  It's exciting, but at the same time, it makes me a little nervous. 

I'm cleaning house today.  Well, not actually right now since I'm typing on my blog, but that's what I have been doing and will continue to do.  I don't have anywhere to be today and I have to say, it's GLORIOUS!  I love days at home like this when I can get a bunch of stuff done and don't have to get "ready" for anything.  I've got on my grubby cleaning clothes and my do-rag.  My eyes are all allergy shot and I don't have a stitch of makeup on.  You talk about looking HOT!  Woohoo.  But who cares, really?  I'm busting tail today and am getting my clean on with my windows wide open to bring in some of that fresh spring air.  I love spring!!!