We are home!

Yes we made it home, and Bianca is with us. We are still busy getting life back together at home, so I don't have much time to post. I'll try to get a post with some picts together in the next few days. Just know that we are safe, healthy, and happy with our newest family member. We traveled well with only a few small mishaps and nothing major.

It is shocking to suddenly be home with only 10 days till Christmas! We have much to do, and adjust to. We'll try to stay in touch over the next couple of weeks, but I don't expect life to feel normal until well into the new year.

Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas, and thank you for all of your love and support!

Ready to go! And Happy Thanksgiving!

We've worked out all of our funding issues, and today I am making the last reservation. We are so blessed! A trip that was originally supposed to cost more than $5000 is now costing us just $3000. We have been able to work out every problem. It has been amazing to see so much generosity from everyone around us. We are so lucky to know such amazing people. On Sunday several people at church gave us donations, and we went home with over $700.

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One family who has 4 children and have been struggling with a job change gave us an envelope that said, "We wish you the best of luck with your training. May the Lord bless your family. After hearing about your needs, our children rushed to their banks to contribute. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to share." Inside was $108 and several quarters, nickels, and dimes. That family moved to Boise on Monday. They were in the middle of a lot of their own problems and stress and they took some of what they had and shared it with us.

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Dallon and I fly out on Friday afternoon. I am anxious to get going. I'll try to find a computer to post to while we are in Ohio to keep everyone up to date. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped us on this journey. We are overwhelmed by how blessed we are to have been able to accomplish the the task of raising over $15,000 in only 8 months. We will never forget this experience and the lessons it has taught us about faith, gratitude, service, love and hope.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Dallon

Each child going to training receives a letter from their dog. We were the only special needs placement, so we were the only ones to know who (and what) our dog was before yesterday. We were the last in our class to receive our letter, which was fine because we already knew who our dog was. This is the letter we received late last night from Bianca.

Dear Dallon,

Finally. I thought it would never be my turn. Well I guess someone had to be last but really those guys sure took their time! I am so excited that finally I will get to meet you. I have been dreaming about you every night. Really it has been cool because while everyone was waiting for their matches I kept humming to myself and thinking there are advantages to being special like knowing who your match is months before the rest! I am so glad you looked at me and decided to accept me as your partner. I am so blessed to have you. I have been working extra hard because every time when I am working I am thinking, I am doing this for Dallon! Now all that hard work is coming to an end and we will be together and all will be perfect. How cool is that! I think you already know I am a Black Lab and my birthday is 4-18-2007 and I am a girl. I don't have to ask if you mind because you picked me just the way I am so I know you do not mind I am a girl. See ya really soon, up close and personal and a kiss in your face! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo Bianca

Poor Jace!

So apparently we aren't finished with injuries at our house. First my foot, then Dallon's arm, now poor little Jace. Yesterday we started our first fire in the wood stove, and although Jace acted like he understood that it was hot and dangerous (he would walk wide around the area, and seemed cautious) he ended up touching it anyway. I'm guessing he tried to put a toy on the top of it, and burned both wrists and the palm of one hand. I was a wreck trying to find all of the "hurts" and he fought against all of the first aid I tried to do for him. He wouldn't stop rubbing his burns on anything and everything and cried constantly for an hour. I broke down, called Chris, and we were lucky enough that the Dr in our ward was still at his office and was willing to see us at 5pm so we didn't have to wait 2 hours at the urgent care clinic or the ER. By the time Chris got there, Jace had already popped some of the blisters with his rubbing--so we were glad we didn't have to wait forever to get him into a Dr. He fought the bandaging really hard, but once they were on he seemed like he understood they made him feel better. These are pictures from this morning, he seems content to keep his bandages on and has been smiley and happy since we got back from the Dr yesterday. We go again today to have them look at the burns and cut away any extra skin so Jace won't pull it off and make things worse. I'm hoping he'll keep those bandages on until this afternoon when we go in.

Halloween, a week late

The boys were 2 Musketeers this year (it would have been 3 if Chris would have been up for it). I made their pull-overs, and got the foam swords at Walmart. They thought it was great!

Jace would say "keteer" with an angry voice and swat you with his sword. He was way into the character.

Dallon was loving it, too. He had to have a belt to hold his sword so he could pull it out dramatically to fight.

The day before, Dallon's class took their annual pumpkin patch field trip. Chris had the day off, so we all went. Dallon picked out a nice pumpkin and loved they hay ride.

Dallon and his classmates.

They had a corn maze this year, so we walked through it. After we made it through, Jace decided he didn't want to stop and kept wandering off back down the path.

Looking for a way out!

The weather was great for Halloween this year. The boys did their thing Trick or Treating and loved eating the candy as they went.