When God Answers Prayers and Hunting Cabins...

We live in a neighborhood where most of our neighbors are pretty conservative. We are not the only trans-racial, adoptive or single parent family. However, the majority of the kids in our neighborhood have good daddies. Daddies that are involved in their kids lives.

My boys have really struggled with watching the neighbor boys go hunting with their dads. (the majority go hunting in the woods surrounding us) They have begged and begged me to take them hunting...

I am a tomboy. There are a lot of things I will do. But hunting is not something I am willing to do.

My late husband was an obsessive hunter. From Oct to Dec, nothing was more important then hunting. We had a hunting cabin. He shot 4-5 deer every year. He hunted locally and at the mountains.

My boys have pictures of him with his deer in their room. They wished over and over that God would have healed him from cancer so that he would take them hunting. (he died before I adopted them) My heart ached for them. But sometimes a momma can only pray...

Several weeks ago, one of our friend/neighbor/landlords called to see if my boys could go to the hunting cabin with them.  (they did not know that my boys were begging me to go hunting, altho they did know that my boys are little wannabe hunters)

These friends have 2 boys, one who is a good friend of my sons....My boys were over the moon with delight and excitement!They almost couldn't bear to wait 2 weeks!! They were going to "hunting"!! They got together with their friend and made lists of all the "supplies" they needed.

From a single mom viewpoint: my boys  need good male role models. They need to see what real men do. For a variety of reasons, some role models we had in the past were no longer present. This opportunity to go away for the weekend with 2 families (very involved fathers) was such a gift from God.  The gift that these men gave my boys will make a lifetime of difference. 

My camera broke so I have very few photos...
But they packed up their clothes, sleeping bags, bb guns, hatchets and camo clothing! They were THRILLED to be able to ride up in a big truck with the men. They had a fun weekend full of all kinds of fun adventures and came home last night, exhausted, cold, filthy and absolutely full of joy! 

Meanwhile us girls stayed home and attempted a girl's weekend.. which involved taking 4 kids to the 3rd specialist appointment for the week, a stop at the grocery store for junk food (So mom doesn't need to cook), lots of princess movies and Saturday night church.

Cherry Crest

Lady

I am a firm believer in animals are a great teaching tool for kids. Feeding, walking, grooming and loving a dog are all excellent ways to teach responsibility for another living creature.

My boys have lots of animals outside and they do GREAT at taking care of them. They are responsible beyond their years. 

Elizabeth has in the past had cats and she bottle fed Ben, our steer. She is very responsible and loves animals.

But Fayth.. this is a first for her. She is finally at the place where she is ready to care for a living creature. She is doing very well so far, cuddling her, grooming, making sure Lady is fed. The girls take turns having her sleep with them. They love to take her with us in the car. She even has her own carseat.

My girls walk this dog in the cold and the rain. They go to great lengths to make sure she doesn't have accidents in the house... They are learning to sacrifice their own comforts for someone/something else's.
They do this all without complaining. Mostly because their brothers would be more then happy to take over the care of lady.  

My goal is to teach my kids to love and treasure life. To be responsible for something/one other then themselves.

 They were hiding from the dog catchers aka big brothers. 

The dog story.. now we know all things we own have a story. I had been searching for a specific dog for quite some time. I wanted a dog that was fully trained, gentle, kid friendly and easy to care for. Something clean and tiny. I needed for the dog to be hypo allergenic and really good with all kinds of kids and choas.
I also have a very limited budget.

So for the last 6 months or more I have been reading online, researching what would work with our needs AND wants. We decided on a bichon frise. They are hypoallergenic if groomed and cared for properly. They are GREAT with kids and need lots of love.

We searched the local puppy advertisements but finding a full grown dog, fully trained for an affordable price is nearly impossible.

A couple months ago we noticed "lilly" on the local website. I just wasn't sure. She was not that cute and I assumed she had been a puppymill momma.

Finally several weeks ago, I realized that Fayth had made great progress in her school work and her willingness to be a helpful, respectful member of our family. IT was time for a big reward.

The kids and I sat down AGAIN and scoured the puppy websites. We decided to call about "lilly" late on a Saturday evening. She was owned by an amish guy that lived 2 hours away. Her price tag was higher then what I wanted.
We prayed as we waited to hear back from the owner. We called the landlord for permission to have a house dog. We scoured amazon for the perfect collar and leash.

Monday afternoon I spoke to Mr. L who owned "lilly". He was selling her because she was a family pet, but due to family circumstances he needed to sell her. Yes, she was great with kids, even toddlers. She was sweet, well trained and quiet. Plus he was willing to drop his price by almost 40%!! This was so perfect. The only glitch, I was not looking forward to that far of a drive just to buy a dog.

But when we discussed, he mentioned that they were traveling later that week and would be in my area. PERFECT!

When we finally met "Lilly" at the amish farm, we were delighted. She had an awful, hacked up haircut, but she was still adorable, so ladylike and sweet. Plus the "grandma" who was babysitting the kids and dog that day, almost cried when she had to let go of this dog. She had been in the family for 7 years. The kids promised to write her letters with an update on "Lilly" once she was settled in.

We brought "Lilly" home and the kids were over the moon with happiness. They all love her dearly already and she them. She thinks she needs to go with us, whenever we go anywhere.

I have been pleased to see the girls take responsibility. They take turns, each having certain responsibilities each day.  I do very little other then checking in to make sure she is fed and cared for properly.

Yes, God even cares about dogs, especially for his little girls..