Sleep Tight Little Susie

I would say "wake up" little Susie, but our little Susie has no trouble with that.  From 6 am till 10pm she is one happy go-getter.  We find her energy level is highest when she is anxious and she does settle when she is not stressed.  Like any child though, after vigorous play she can get over stimulated, and needs to be forced to calm down with a little crate time.  Tomorrow Susie will go in to be spayed and have her vetting done, but today, we managed to capture her spirit and energy in video:

Memorializing

The three day weekend for Memorial Day could not have come too soon.  I met with Lori Elam of Noah's Ark Society on Friday to talk to her about a horse rescue partnership.  We are meeting in person in a couple of weeks to talk about it with our group, and get all the details ironed out.  In the process, Joel and I brought home a foster dog.  Her name is Susie Q and she is a Golden/Border Collie mix who has endless oodles of go go go.

This is little Susie Q:

Unfortunately, Susie is not entirely cat safe, so her stay with us will be a little truncated.  We are keeping her and Sebastian separated for now, but Wednesday Susie will probably go in for her spay, and she will finish up her foster time with a different family.

We didn't take any photos, but we also spent a little while fishing in our pond.  I caught two bass, but both were too small to keep so we threw them back in.  We keep seeing one that is about 18 inches long, but so far, he has evaded the hook.

Today, Joel and I went to the Memorial Day picnic with our church.  Joel pondered the state of the environment:

I made gluten free brownies that were so far beyond delicious that the entire tray disappeared in a matter of seconds---and I think I was the only gluten free person there!  We then took a moment to pose together, but separately beside the lake:

On the adoption front, we have our home study currently submitted for two children.  Tegan is 7 and in Colorado and Hunter is 6 and in Michigan.

Tegan

This is Tegan's biography that was posted online:

Get ready for Miss Tegan! This loveable and bright schoolgirl is hoping to find her way to a family who is committed to helping her thrive and grow. Tegan is full of energy, and enjoys doing karate, playing golf, going to church and dressing up! This highly sensitive and perceptive little girl absolutely loves being the center of attention. Her imagination is vast and she is happy playing with her dolls by herself during quiet time.

Tegan is excited about first grade, where she hopes to make new friends and show off her reading skills. She benefits from counseling, which will need to continue after placement.

The caseworker prefers a two-parent home. Tegan is at her best when she is the youngest or only child in the family; however, all family types will be considered. This youngster needs consistent structure, patience and repetition, combined with love, laughter and acceptance.

Hunter

This is Hunter's biography:

Hunter is a very active young boy. He is a ball of energy that needs to be moving all the time. Hunter describes himself as “a happy kid.” His favorite meal is pizza with chocolate milk. Hunter likes to play sports like soccer and t-ball. When he grows up he says he would like to be a farmer.

The ideal family for Hunter would be a family that is very active and likes to be on the go. The family will need to provide Hunter with a loving and consistent home in which he can have reliable rules and structure. The adoptive family must be willing to seek out any additional support services that would be beneficial to Hunter’s needs. Hunter would do okay with other siblings, however, he would benefit from being either the youngest or only child in the adoptive home. The family must provide Hunter with guidance, encouragement and consistency to help him achieve his goals.

 

Fun For All

It is amazing how busy we have been.  The guest room is really coming together to be ready for the child we will hopefully one day adopt.    The bathroom in the hall is done.  Our bathroom is done and we have moved upstairs.  We have spent hours working on homework, horse chores, and even found plenty of time for play.  So, to put some of it in photos:

We are loving Molly and Lady and making sure that they get more attention, not less with all of our hustle and bustle. 

We adopted Checkers, who has become Joel's favorite cookie monster, and a reliable riding companion for me:

We took in our first, born in the wild, Mustang foster horse, Addie: 

......who promptly became best friend's with Checkers (they are practically twins!):

Unfortunately, Jewel lost her baby, but she is much healthier and happy now, so we feel that it was for the best.  We still get to enjoy a little filly, since Evangeline and her baby, Aurora are fostering with us.  Little Aurora's antics keep us smiling, and her panelled paddock keep her safe and out of trouble:

Sebastian hasn't been overlooked either.  We gave him a bath over the weekend, so he is not quite ready for his close up right now.  Baths are not his favorite thing.

Saturday morning Douglas came over ride a horse for the first time.  His nerves let up after awhile, and he loosened his grip to wave at his Uncle Joel.  After dinner that night we went to his house and played Rock Band together as a family.  Lots of laughs all around.