Kevin update

If anyone (besides Matthew) cares, Kevin got his cast off today. His leg is not healed so he's not supposed to put any weight on it until they recheck next week. He had some fluid build up on his other shoulder because we've let him move around too much. So he's back to being confined to a crate except for eating and litter box using.

Kevin takes a Fall

Meet Kevin, our 2 year old barn cat who got a rough start to life after being left to die by his mother at 3 weeks old.  He came to us with a broken tail and other minor issues.  Bailey adopted him, took care of him, bottle fed him and taught him how to be a cat.  So he really is her baby! Seriously, she LOVES this cat more than most of the people in her life.  So when Leul found him lying in a crazy pose by our back door on Wed, we all panicked. We rushed him to the vet and discovered that both his front legs were badly broken. 

At the vet on Wed morning.  We had no idea what had happened to him but he could not move out of this position. He just purred as we pet him and waited on the vet.  Sweet boy!

The vet does not think he was hit by a car.  Rather that he fell off the house or out of a tree.  It would have been nearly impossible for him to make it any distance to our back door in the condition he was in.  The vet  performed surgery to repair both legs and inserted pins and plates to keep the bones in place.  He also got a nifty green cast.  We go back at a later time to get the cast off and pins removed.  In the meantime, he'll be pampered more than usual and fed whatever he will eat.  I hope he doesn't get used to that nasty canned cat food because he'll be back to his regular food soon!

Mazie (dog) and Harold (cat) greeting Kevin.  He was happy to see his buddies!

8 Months

"Aren't you done with Leul's adoption yet?"  That is the question I am often asked and, frankly, I wish I could say "YES!".  I can't but I hope to be able to very soon.  Moving has set us back some but we are already getting the paperwork started for SC and should have it all complete by next week!  Then we wait.  Again. 

In the meantime, enjoy a quick update and a few pics of our sweet boy who is growing and maturing at a rapid speed now.

• He is very comfortable asking for affection and time together. He wants to be close to someone all the time.  He doesn't like having his own room because he feels lonely.  We think it is good for him to be okay by himself.  He knows he can come to us if he's scared and he does. He's doing great!
• He is not nearly as independent as he first was and isn't too proud to ask for help like before.  If he doesn't understand something he has read or heard, he asked us instead of saying "I know" or pretending he gets it when we try to explain.  That is a big step for him. 
• He is still totally obsessed with TV and video games so those are seriously limited.  
• He loves Rainbow Sherbert.
• He loves Bill Cosby and has memorized all of Bill Cosby Himself (1983).  He favorite line "Oh God. My head!" which he repeats several times a day!  He sounds just like Bill!  Crazy boy! 
• He loves country music but don't tell him I told you that.  
• He still hates getting his hair cut but he'll be begging for a haircut in a month or 2.  He'll be getting one this week but not as short as I would like.  It is his hair so...
• Oh and he changed his name spelling to Leul.  Go figure.  I think there are a million ways to spell it really but he likes this one better than Le'oul. 

I walked by his door earlier today, a few of his favorite things were laid out on his bed.  Diary of A Wimpy Kid book (he has them all), a soccer ball pillow (also used in dodge ball on the trampoline), a pink blanket his birth Mom made for him, a book from Layla House (his orphanage) which contains many pictures of his friends and himself, Harold (his cat), his quilt and fleece throw and his bear pillow. 

 

Just a note about the blanket and Layla House book:  This is part of his story we are blessed to have and he was very excited to get them in the mail today.  Laci found them tucked away and knew he would want them.  He spent a long time quietly pouring over the pictures in this wonderful book before wrapping it up in his mothers tiny blanket and taking it to his room.  I am teary just thinking about how happy it made him to see those familiar faces and remember.  Even more how he was able to put it away go on with his day like normal. 

Anything Uncle Kenny has/does is amazing!

Just Dance.  Leul is good. Sage, not so much.

Candy is his favorite. Nevermind the moving mess in the background.

He has started napping every once in a while.  He can finally relax!

Catch Up

This is my attempt to catch up quickly so I can put in some other good stuff later today.  It might be a marathon blogging day!

• We have mostly settled into our new home with just a few boxes that need to be gone through.  Some boxes and toys will stay in the garage until they are needed but we are mostly done.
• We have been out and about A LOT, getting acquainted with our little town and the surrounding area.  
• We have seen many friends and family too!  
• The weather is fabulous!  I mean, anything about 40 is fabulous to us but 60's are grand!  Sage has had on shorts since we got here, even on cooler days in the 50's.
• Dale is settling in at work and getting used to the grueling 4 day work weeks.  I love having him around an extra day to get things checked off the "honey do" list spend lots of quality time together.  
• I am back to making cookies and working on a lot of changes to Cookie Capers to make it better and grow!
• We are church "shopping" which we all hate!  Prayers appreciated in that area.  It is so important to us to be plugged in to our local body of Christ!

Looking forward to catching you up on the latest happenings as we figure out what God has in store for us back in SC!  As promised, here are some pictures of our first couple of weeks.

The first weekend we were here, we met up with my brother and had lunch.  Uncle Kenny is a celebrity at our house and Leul is fascinated by him.  I'm not entirely sure this is good but I do love my baby brother and I love having my boys  (and girls) getting to know their crazy, truck driving uncle a lot better!

The child could not contain himself!  He absorbed every word Uncle Kenny told him about the truck and repeated it to us in the car on the way home.  He wants to drive a truck just like this one!  His awesome uncle endured his bazillion questions with matched excitement and even let him blow the air horn!

2 Peas....it's a little scary to tell the truth!

Sage is too cool to look as excited as he really was! 

Bonding.

How did he talk his 18 year old sister into getting into our new trash can in the store parking lot? I don't know but she liked it. That worries me a little.

We made it!

This post is a little overdue but we did make it safely to our new home. We give God all the glory for keeping us safe and giving us a peaceful ride in "The Ark". All 13, yes 13, animals were great in the car! They were so good that neither hotel had a clue that they had that many animals in their rooms! Sneaky? A little. But we had to sleep and they had to sleep so...

Dale's family came down to see us on Saturday and the Bishops came up from Charleston on Sunday. Sydney left with the Bishops and we drive down to Charleston to get her and spend the day at Upward Basketball. We saw lots of friends and plan to go back in a few weeks for an overnight.

It's great to be back but we already miss our MN church family and friends! Now it's on to find a church! I hate 'shopping' for churches but I love being part of Gods family!