July Fourth Followup

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July! We had a great weekend. Thursday night I put steaks in a marinade so they were ready to go on Friday. We grilled sirloin steak and had baked potatoes, baked beans and salad with it. It was sooooo good! Afterwards, we took the kids to see the Fireworks. It was a great night!

On Saturday, we went swimming at my sister's house. The kids had fun and The Hubs and I got to introduce them to the game "Assasin". So much fun! We had church yesterday and that was pretty much our whole weekend!

The Hubs and I did make Toad in the Hole for the kids for lunch yesterday. It was a real winner! Princess - who is incredibly picky about her food - declared it delicious! We call that a win! Definitely in our repertoire of meals for the future. That's handy since our kids are so picky about their food.

I'm not normally one to play Facebook games, but I have recently become addicted to one I recently discovered called Township. I love it! But kind of hate it at the same time. I enjoy playing it, but it moves very slowly - it's one where things are made over time and I'm currently up to it taking several hours for things to be made. I know this is done to encourage you to purchase additions with real money, but I flat refuse to spend money on something so silly. I guess I'll just play til I lose interest and then move on to the next game.

Have a fairly relaxed day planned today before the chaos starts again tomorrow. Getting ready now to start school shopping for the kids since school starts in less than a month!!! Have a great day folks!

July Fourth Prep

I have no huge plans for today, but I do have a few things I need to get done. First off, I need to finish purchasing the materials for our Fourth of July meal. I've already purchsed the steaks and hot dogs we'll be grilling. Today I need to get potatoes to bake and salad. After that, I need to clean house and then I have some peas to shell. I actually like shelling peas, so that will be fun.

I plan to go ahead and get head to the supermarket before the kids get up. My mom will watch them while I'm gone to the store. It'll be a pleasant break to head out by myself. Of course, I'll also be glad to get back to them after I've finished my shopping but it is nice to have a small break. But....I do have to make it out of the house before they wake up first!!

It'll be good to have The Hubs home for an extra day this weekend! I can't wait to go with him and the kids tomorrow night to see the fireworks. It's always my favourite part of July 4th and it's been our custom for the last 8 years to go see the fireworks at the same venue. So much fun!

Guess I'd better get going. Time to get one more cup of coffee, finish watching the rerun of Charmed I'm watching and get a shower to get ready to head out. Have a great day!

Interesting Phone Call

I received an interesting phone call yesterday. It was from Monkey's birthmom's boyfriend's mother. She wanted to let me know Monkey's bio sister had been born and to express her concerns about the baby's safety. She also had some questions about why Monkey was placed in foster care.

Without going into details, Monkey's birthmom had told her boyfriend's mother that the reason Monkey was put into foster care was completely innocent reasons and an unfair and illegal placement. She also failed to tell her that she voluntarily gave up her rights to Monkey. And that Monkey at 22 1/2 months old only weighed 18 pounds when he came to us. Basically, her version was that she was completely innocent and her child was ripped away from her for no reason.

This was simply not true. There were some serious neglect issues behind Monkey's placement.

I explained some of this to the boyfriend's mother - what I could at least without violating privacy issues. I basically told her if she had concerns that she should report it to her local Child Protective Services. As much as I have my own concerns, I have seen nothing with my own eyes. I only have hearsay knowledge. She, on the other hand, has witnessed the things she has concerns about. Therefore, she will need to report it herself.

I'm not sure what will happen with the whole situation, but I hope they find the best living situation for that child. She deserves a good life.

Our Lost Baby

Something happened recently that I haven't yet reported on my blog. Our dog we've had for 12 years passed away on June 13. It was a devestating loss for us.

We got Pog (who's real name was Isabel) on October 5, 2002. She was a rescued dog. I remember the date she came into our lives so clearly. It was the day I got my wedding gown. We went to the shelter to choose a dog. We were looking for a small dog who could stay inside and be with me while The Hubs (or The Fiance at the time) was at work. She was one of many dogs we saw that day and she was not the dog most people would have chosen. The Hubs' dad and step-mum were with us. She would not come to the front of her pin to see us when all four of us stood before her. However, when The Hubs and his dad and step-mum moved on, I stayed behind. That sweet little girl inched forward and licked my hand then. I was a gonner!

She went home with us a few days later, after she had been given her shots and checked over by the vet. She was my comfort during those days in England when I was so homesick! She kept me company during the days when The Hubs was at work. It was so great to be able to get out with her and take walks. She was a wonderful companion. She was very protective of me; she kept me from walking out in front of traffic when I looked the wrong way (I was an American girl in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road from what I was used to, after all. And, not used to walking much of anywhere, as I was also raised in a rural area where you have to drive to get where you want to go.). She was such a great friend.

When our life changed and we immigrated to the USA, it was simply unthinkable that she wouldn't come with us! So, we got her paperwork all done and she flew on the same flight we did and became a US pup. She enjoyed living in the USA because it was a lot easier for her to get more outside time. She could even go outside off her lead! She acclimated very well.

She was our first child. During the dark days of infertility, she filled a bit of the void our childlessness left. I can't count the number of times I held her and cried into her soft fur. She was great for snuggling when you were feeling down. And she always knew when you just needed to hold her. She never tried to wrestle away from you when you were feeling down. She just stayed still dand received the love you were giving while returning the cuddles you needed.

When our children came to live with us, she was so jealous!! We had to transition her to being an outside dog because she growled and barked at the baby so much. Over time, she came to love him and they had a great relationship. Monkey loved her so much! Since she's been gone, he has talked ceaselessly about "my Izzy Belle". Whenever we watch The Wizard of Oz (one of his favourite movies), he always points at Toto (whom Isabel Pog resembled) and asks for her. It's been a hard time for him, as well as for us. During Vacation Bible School last week, one of the lessons was about Jesus being our treasure in Heaven. The children were given little plastic coins to represent this and when Monkey put his coin in his bag, he pointed at it and told his daddy "Isabel is in my bag". She's his treasure in Heaven.

The other children didn't get an opportunity to become as close to her as Monkey did, but they loved her as well. I think, when you've lost so much in you young life, it's difficult to add another thing to that list. With that being said, although The Hubs and I would have preferred to wait a while before getting another puppy, we decided it was better for the kids to go ahead and welcome a new puppy into our home, thus Sophie came to live with us. She'll never replace Pog, but we'll love her as well.

Here's to our beautful Pog Dog who will be forever loved and never forgotten!