All Aboard

Nope. No train ride here. I'm talking about potty training. 

See with Stella being 2 and the twin puppies in the house, 38% of us here in Drosche Land cannot consistently use the restroom at the right time and in the right place. But we are working on it. 

We began potty training Stella the week we returned from Disney and all has been going well. Very well in fact. She has been ready for a while so Amy and I were pretty confident that it would be an easy task. It's a little different with Stella though than it was with the boys. See, Amy single-handedly potty trained the boys in a few days. I just stayed out of the way and gave verbal encouragement to everyone involved. But with Stella, somehow I became fully invested in the process. At the beginning Stella really only wanted me to take her to use the restroom. This was surprising for both Amy and I, but we went with it. We are about a month in now and she is nearly fully potty trained. In fact, there is only 1 diaper left in the house and she has only been wearing them at nap time and bedtime, keeping them dry during those times. This will be the last diaper in the house for a while. That is of occur ruse, completely depending upon whatever placement we get. We could be totally thrown back into diapers. We will just have to wait and see. For now though, diapers are off the Costco list!

The puppies have also been surprisingly easy!  This is great because it's been about 3 years since we had a puppy. Both Lucy and Rex were extremely easy to potty train but the twins are younger than either of them were. Yet, they have proven to be fast learners. When Rex goes out, they go too and they have learned what to do when outside. Nor inside accidents are. Lessening and they are using the training pad somewhat. Plus, like I mentioned before, the accidents of 2 4-pound dogs are basically nothing so that's nice. 

Easy going as it has been though, we have been potty training someone for the bulk of the summer. Hopefully everyone involved will be fully (or nearly fully) trained by the time school starts. Then we will be back to 100% here. For a while at least. 

So, it may not sound like the most exciting thing, but it has been an adventure here this summer. Teaching everyone to go when needed in the correct location. 

All is well, in training, in Drosche Land. 

Double Trouble

Yes. The above happened this past week here in Drosche Land. 

Finally, some news on huge adoption front. Well, one of our adoption fronts. The pet one. See, we'd been debating getting a new dog for a while. We desperately missed Lucy and needed some grieving time. However, we also thought that Rex was lonely. He needed a companion. My parents watched him when we went to DisneyWorld and he loved hanging 

out and playing with her two dogs. Then we went on vacation with my family and again he enjoyed them. So, Amy and I decided to bite the bullet and get a new dog. 

Truth be told though, it was Amy who was ready first. Randomly one day she was researching and looking online. The next thing I know she was doing a great job lobbying on behalf of getting not one, but two dogs. Two?!  I wasn't so sure about this. Especially since we were looking at puppies rather than older dogs. Two?!  I mean, I've always wanted twins, but two puppies?!  At the same time?!  After some serious convincing I found myself with the boys on the way to a shelter. Amy had found two puppies and we'd fallen in love with their pictures. 

As luck would have it they were available when I got there. In fact, that was the first day that they'd been available for adoption after their initial inspection, doctor's visits, and spaying/neutering.  Plus I was the first person to inquire about them since I got there first thing. The boys and I were instantly smitten. About an hour later we were headed home with two tiny puppies in the truck with us!

They're miniature schnauzer mixes. We personally think they look like they are mixed with dachshunds.  If this is so the technical name for them is, I kid you not, schnoxies!  However, I prefer my own term - schweenies!  So that's what we are going with. Originally we were looking into chihuahuas or chihuahua mixes. But after some research we figured they were not for our family. So mini schnauzers it was. 

Their names at the shelter were Hannah and Hamilton. As cute as those sounded we decided on Mickey and Minnie since this was the summer of Disney!  They are 8 weeks old and each weigh just under 4 pounds!  So far they have gotten along so well with Rex. In fact, he is so timid around them and Mickey chases him around often. Rex is so mild-mannered and timid in nature anyway. But he has become very protective of them and always stays where he can see them. That or he just doesn't want to be snuck up on!

We are in the process of potty training them and even when they make a mess it is so small that it is not remotely difficult or stressful. They also sleep through the night without crying so that is great.  So, overall they have been a great addition to our family and have brought a lot of fun and excitement into the house. The kids love them and Are great, we are working with Stella on being gentle though since, she is two and in that rough and tumble stage, she can be a bit heavy-handed. 

So, there's our second big adventure of the summer. Last year it was the pop-up and the Sequoia. This year it was my truck and twin puppies!  It's always an adventure here so we will see what next summer brings. I shudder to think!  :)

All is well, now with puppies, in Drosche Land. 

Keep On Truckin'

Hey. So we are on vacation with my family right now. It's the heat of the day which, here in Texas in July, is a good portion of the day. Today we are spending this time inside the camper. Amy and Stella are napping, the boys are having some relaxing time with their Kindles, and I am here catching up on blog reading and now posting. Nothing fancy, but relaxing nonetheless.

We try to limit the kids' video game/Kindle time throughout the school year and even during the summer. Although summer and vacation times are a but more lenient. They get some time each day with it though, I mean after all everyone needs a little down time to veg out right?  But that's not the point of this post, so on with it. 

Back in June we traveled to Disney World. It was amazing. Yes I know my promised posts about it all have yet to materialize, but patience dear readers, hopefully they will come while the summer is still current!  Anywho, we stayed at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. We took the camper with us and had a blast. The Sequoia though, did not have as much fun. 

She's a great vehicle and we love her. In fact, today is the one-year anniversary of when we bought her. She hauls around our brood comfortably and reliably.  She was bought for her roominess and her towing capacity. But that was back when we had the pop-up. Sure, she could pull the Fireside just fine, but gas mileage was brutally low. Also, we have grand plans of traveling to the mountains someday, maybe next summer. All the hills though may be too difficulty for our beloved Sequoia. So we began looking for a larger, more powerful tow vehicle when we bought the Fireside last spring. We researched. We toured lots. We compared. We talked. We prayed. We decided. 

A few weeks ago we took the plunge and bought a truck!  We'd originally looked into used as we had with the Sequoia, but given the fact that it will serve as a day-to-day vehicle as well as a workhorse tow vehicle we decided to go the new route. To save an wear and tear and get the most out of it. 

What did we get?  We happily bought a Ford F150 with a crew cab so we could have the room for everyone.  Our one an only requirement was that it have a gat tow package, anything else that it came with in our price range was icing on the cake. I'm lucky to have Amy who is such a savvy researcher. She was able to find the perfect truck, in the exact color I wanted - Denim. 

I'm still in love. She is wonderful and we could not be any happier. One first outing with her and the camper didn't go as expected (forthcoming post) but we brought her out for this one and it was so much better towing with a truck than the Sequoia. So, that's our crazy purchase for this summer. Last summer brought the pop-up and the Sequoia. Next summer?  I shudder to think!  :)  If you're in June marks for a truck I highly suggest Ford. It's my first Ford but when we compared the big 3, Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge, Ford just seemed to have everything we needed and wanted at the perfect price point. Plus they are known for their towing abilities and power. Nuff said. Love it. 

All is well, truckin' along, in Drosche Land. 

I'm Still Here

Well, I'd like to say that the reason I've been absent for a while was because we'd finally received that much-anticipated phone call. I'd like to, but alas that is not the reason. 

We actually did receive a phone call the day after we met with our DePelchin people. It was a placement call. However, CPS did not choose us so it was a no go. Since then we've been waiting and waiting and waiting some more. For that next phone call. The one where we will be chosen. Finally. 

It's an odd feeling actually. Technically the reason we'd receive a phone call is because children needed us because they'd been removed from their home for some reason. So really I feel guilty as I bemoan my waiting.  But I do. We knew the process was long yes. But I guess in my mind I'd imagined that once we got to the Matching process the wait would be over. Instead it has just changed to a different kind of waiting.  I don't do waiting well, as I have mentioned many times before, and am trying not to drive myself or Amy crazy throughout this whole process.

But life has gone on around the waiting here in Drosche Land. It is July?!  Wait, what?!  Summer is now half over, which is totally crazy. We've been enjoying a relaxed schedule and have been keeping ourselves busy. I have some other posts mentally being written about some of the goings-on here, and I still want to post more about the Disney trip, but I will get to those another time. This post was just to return to the blog and provide an adoption update.

Tomorrow we head on a family vacation with my family. Hopefully that is. Jackson was not feeling well at all this afternoon and threw up several times. Weird. So now we are in a holding pattern until tomorrow morning when we can reassess the situation and decide for sure.  So I'd better head to bed so we will be ready to go in the morning. 

All is well, 2 weeks of waiting and counting, in Drosche Land. 

Ring Ring Ring

That's the sound we are waiting for now.  A phone to ring.

Yesterday we had our first Matching meeting at DePelchin.  We met with both our Straight Adoption worker and our Foster Care worker.  It was a good meeting, productive in the sense that we got to meet them face-to-face and vice versa.  Productive in the sense that we were able to clarify our needs and wants, what we are looking for and what we are capable of.  So that was good.  However, that was about all the meeting provided.  No more answers or forward movement, not that we were expecting it.

It is likely that we will end up going the Foster Care route even though we are Dual Tracking.  But that is ok.  Amy and I have talked and prayed extensively about this and we feel that He has a plan for us and we are doing our best to listen and wait.  Wait.  Ugh.

So basically we are on-call 24/7 now.  Our phones are always on, never silenced, and we took off the Do Not Disturb function for night.  Just in case.  Every time the phone rings I jump.  Usually I do not answer my phone if I don't recognize the number.  That has changed as well now.  While we wait.

That's the only adoption update I have.  Nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering, just another small step forward.  And more waiting.  Of course.

In other Drosche Land news Disney was amazing!  I want to write about it all and share pictures but this week is VBS at school and we have been busy with that.  We also had some fun news on Monday so I will have to get to that soon as well.  But those are posts for another time.  For now I'll go and check my phone for the 1,000th time; even though it is sitting right here next to me.  :)

All is well, awaiting a call, in Drosche Land.   

Trippin'

We made it to Disney World!

It was quite the eventful trip. We left early yesterday morning and ended up spending 14 hours in the car (several breaks and a too-long lunch) driving 656 miles. It made for a long day. A very long day. Stella watched Frozen 5 times. 5.  Now not only do I know all the songs (ok yes, I knew them well before today) but now I know a good portion of dialogue as well!  We stopped somewhere in Florida at Falling Waters State Park. We basically hooked up electricity and water, ate, and slept. That's all we had the energy for. 

This morning we left a little later so it was good to sleep in a bit. We only spent about 8 hours driving and only got in 2 viewings of Frozen.  But we made it in good time. After hooking up and unloading Amy and I took the kids to meet with a friend from college and her family. It was good to visit since we hadn't seen them in 4 years!  Yikes. Then back to the campsite.  Any plans for exploring the grounds and amenities tonight were cut short by rain. Lots of it. Apparently that's what it does here in Florida. Rain. Right now it's a light rain and between that and the fact that everyone is sleeping the camper has a very soothing and relaxing sound. Ahhhhh. The forecast for tomorrow says clear skies until rain in the evening. Hopefully it's not as much as today. But we will see. Can't complain though because we made it to Disney!

Also got to experience quite a number of camper firsts this trip so far. Driving it for so long. Pulling through gas stations. Backing into the spot here at Disney (we've stuck to pull-through sites thus far).  All in all though it was a great trip. Long but any good road trip is.  The real fun starts tomorrow though  and hopefully it'll be dry!  Especially since were headed to Animal Kingdom. Safari time!

All is well, at Disney, in Drosche Land. 

Last Minute

You know how it is. No matter how much you prep and plan for a vacation, the day before is hectic and filled with a whirlwind of activity as you get ready to leave. 

Today was no different for us as we are leaving super early tomorrow morning for the drive to Disney.  However, our first errand handed us a nice little setback. See, we had to cool the fridge and put stuff in the camper. But the fridge wouldn't turn on. Ugh. Propane was ok so it had to be the battery. Next up, impromptu trip to Camping World to get it checked out. However, they were anything but helpful; providing us with only further frustrations. Luckily we were able to just drive up the road to Holiday World and turns out the battery just needed to be charged.  Score!  So it's there while we spend the rest of the day planning. 

I'm currently blogging from the waiting area at Kwik Kar (I LOATHE stupid spellings of business/product names, must be my inner teacher) blogging while The Beast gets her oil changed. Despite my loathing for the name, the place it close to home and the price is right so I can turn my teacher eye for a bit.  The Beast by the way is our name for the Sequioa. I wanted a name for her, I like naming cars. Weird I know. We couldn't decide on once so this one stuck. It fits. She's huge, she works hard, she puts up with a lot of Drosche Land craziness.  The Beast it is!

So, after this it's back home to finish cleaning and prepping food. Clothes are all packed and loaded into the camper so that's done. Tonight we pick up the charging battery and drop off Rex with my parents who are being awesome and dog-sitting for us while we are at Disney. Woo hoo!  Then it's early to bed so we can early to rise. 

Vacations are awesome and this one is going to be epic since it's our first Disney trip. But they are so much for to prep for, not to mention the recovery work that will come next week once we return.  Such is life. Everyone's vacations seem to be that way. Totally worth it though. Stay tuned for copious amounts of pictures!

All is well, Disney bound, in Drosche Land.