Lately

Oh, hey, we have a dog!

To be honest, it was totally irrational.  The kids have been begging for a dog for over a year.  We kept telling them when the babies turn five they can get one.

But.

Sister. Sissy Lou. 

She just loves dogs more than she loves her baby dolls.  She plays "puppies" all day long, takes care of her puppies (otherwise known as August and Elias), feeds them, walks them, etc.

And then at night, when the twins head to their crib and the older boys hit their bunks, she sits in her room listening to them both chat away, best of friends.

And that tugs my heart.

She needed a pup.

So we started watching Craigslist.

Insert: Poor Jason.

I have this wee bit of a weakness. And it's called dreaming.  And when it's involving the children I tend to make it worse by dreaming with them and including them in the process.

Which makes anything hard to say no.

So when wisdom should come into play, Stuart comes instead.

The kids and I prayed and watched craigslist.

The boys emptied their piggy banks and created a list of the new responsibilities that they were willing to take on.

Then we came across Stuart, who was needing to be rehomed.

He was the first dog that every one of the kids fell in love with based on his picture.

I had a Pomeranian years ago and he was a good little dog (due to training).

So, knowing that Stuy was half pom, half Shih Tzu, I kind of knew what to expect.

He has the sweetest little temperament.

So tolerant and attached to the kids (And I love that they can all easily carry him).

So far, it's as if he's always been here, little Stu!

We haven't really had to potty train him and he's very sensitive to tone, so he's been a great little dog!

And Sissy has a little friend to spend time with. 

I love how now he's just apart of the scene with these kiddos.

 We have been in such a good routine with school at home that we haven't treated ourselves to any fun locations lately.  We decided to take Stuart to this orchard twice in one week!

The kids worked on math with each other and found all kinds of bones and nature findings.

We had a full day of science documenting their findings the following day.

I am loving this. Right now.

They are too. 

I'll never get these moments back. 

I'm so grateful for this time with them!

 The twins have started making real distinctions in their personalities as far as what they wear. They now pick their outfits.  August tells me he wants to look like a farmer or a cowboy. He prefers overalls every day and some sort of boot.

Elias, on the other hand, would wear red head to toe if we had it.

He also is very sports-obsessed and wants to wear anything that looks like athletic wear. All the time.

He's worn this outfit for four days in a row:

 Gosh I love him.

And that's lately.  

Kids and a dog. 

Apples and math. 

Overalls and soccer shoes.

 Loving every minute.