Yeah... about the dog....

Well, it saddens me to say that Max really wasn't meant to be a McNeill after all. I can't tell you how bummed we were. How mean is that to give a kids and puppy, then take it away??

He was the sweetest little guy. Until he wasn't.

We noticed on his second day here that he began growling at the kids when they would try to take his ball from him. I chalked it up to "being a puppy". Surely, he was just playing, right?

So Ken and I sat down with him that night after the kids were in bed. We were playing with him and I wanted to test him a little and see if it really was a growl. Well, I tried to take his bone and he tried to take my hand. It wasn't pretty.

He didn't hurt me because he's such a little guy, but he made it very clear that we would very easily bite if provoked. Then Ken tried to pick him up when he wasn't even holding the bone, and he tried to bite him, too.

We lost alot of sleep trying to figure out the best thing to do. How do you tell kids that the puppy can't stay? But Max will be a very big dog, very soon and we just can't take the chance that he will bite someone.

We called the breeder we got him from the next morning and discussed it with her. She said that it is possible that we just happened to get a particularly aggressive dog. She told us to bring him back and she would work with him some more. Though it was a tough call, we returned Max to the place from whence he came.

It made the kids feel much better that he was going back to be with his mother and brothers again. And surprisingly, they weren't as sad as I thought they would be.

It seems that 2 days was enough time for them to get a good taste of how much work a puppy really is. Although they were disappointed, I was glad that they could see that this was the best thing for our family... and for Max.

So the dog hunt is back on. Hopefully, this time we can choose a little more wisely. We're hoping to adopt from the local shelter when the time is right. But, after a few days with Max, I for one don't mind waiting a little while.

the newest McNeill

The McNeill family has a new member.

This is Max.

It's not a real baby... but close. Max is a Golden Retriever puppy that joined our clan yesterday. He is a 10 week old bundle of cuteness, fur and love. And trouble. But aren't all puppies?

We just thought that we weren't really busy enough right now, so perhaps we could train a puppy in all our free time.

The kids adore him.

Except when they don't.

(Those pictures totally crack me up because 1) they were taken literally 2 seconds apart and 2) because of the mismatched camo paired with one pink shoe?)

We had been telling the kids that once we moved and got settled in that we could get the puppy that they have been so desperately pleading for. Well, we're not settled in, but we have moved. And I think Max is going to make a great addition to our family.

Yes, he's going to be a whole lot of work. But as my sweet friend reminded me today, aren't all good things a whole lot of work?

Welcome to the family, Max.

happy day

So happy to report that I just got a camera in the mail!

Thanks to our wonderful homeowner's insurance that covered most of what was stolen, I was able to purchase another camera. Apparently, they no longer make the camera I had before... so I had to upgrade. I was a little bummed because I loved my camera. But now that I have my hands on the new one, all black and shiny, I'm kinda over it.

I'm still charging batteries and working on getting the right memory stick, so no pictures just yet... but I'm closer than I was. Happy day.

Speaking of cameras, I had the take my oldest 2 girls to the dentist this week. (Sorry, but a smooth transition there just wasn't possible).

Anyway, Grace had to get 2 baby teeth pulled to make room for the big ones. They were starting to come in high in her gums and it wasn't going to be pleasant. Hannah also had to go in for a filling.... bad mommy, I know. Anyway, as is our usual MO, I had all 5 little ones in tow. After waiting in the waiting room with children 3 thru 5 for over an hour, Grace comes out... all stuffed full of gauze and feeling a little woozy. I immediately recognized the look on her face and we headed for the bathroom where she threw up everything, gauze and all. Apparently this "happens sometimes?" I did not know this. Now I do. Anyway, I take children 2 thru 5 to the car while we wait on Hannah and just told them to come get me when they were done. They did, but the whole process for Han took nearly 2 hours. For one tiny filling. Really?

Needless to say, we were so done with the dentist by the time we left. Obviously, I felt bad for G and all that she had been through. And I could help but think of how hard it must be for Hannah to sit there and be worked on for that long. Sitting still isn't her forte under the best of circumstances. Doing it under threat of drill and needle is, I'm sure, much worse.

As we were driving home, Hannah tells me that she just kept repeating 2 verses in her head. One about suffering being temporary (I can't remember now which one she quoted) and the other being Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Those words, brought to her by the Holy Spirit, to comfort her in her time of need. What a blessing as a parent to see, so tangibly, God working in the life of your child. I couldn't be back there in that chair with her. But God was there. His Holy Spirit was there to comfort her, to bring those words to her mind, the words that He had sealed into her heart. God's Word truly is living and active. Wow.

my tween

It seems that somehow, overnight, my oldest has gone from being a little girl to a tween. I don't really like that word because of all it's negative connotations, but what else can you call it? She not really a little girl and thankfully not yet a teenager.... she's in between. And what a beautiful place that is turning out to be.

Not the eye rolling, foot stomping, too-big-for my britches attitude that you usually think of when you hear her age. But the older, wiser, "can I help you Mom?" kind of attitude that assures my heart.

Today, she slept in until nearly 10am. My girl, who has been up with the chickens since birth, suddenly delights in sleeping. And she got her braces off yesterday. What a beautiful smile she has. And today, when we rolled out the summer right of passage, the slip-n-slide.... I walked outside to find her siblings splashing tirelessly. She was laying on her towel on the deck. How does she even know about sunbathing?

Of course, a few minutes later she was splashing with the best of them. But just for a moment... she was a little bit beyond that sort of fun. I see it happening slowing and quickly altogether. She is growing up.

I know that soon hormones will rage and eyes will roll and feet will occasionally stomp. But then she will laugh or help her brother or cook dinner and I will smile. I will still hear her pray and know her heart and lift her up, knowing her Father will sustain her the same at 16 as He did at six. I pray that the temptations will not be too much and that her heart will always be at Home.

She's always been the one to sharpen me, as iron sharpens iron. I have no doubt the coming years will be no different. But I will hold each day as a treasure. Whether she be big or little... or somewhere in between.