And last but not least....

A puppy!  The kids have been asking for a puppy for a while now, so we surprised them by printing a picture of the one we had picked out 6 weeks earlier.  They thought at first we just gave them a picture of a cute puppy so we had to tell them he was theirs.  Then there was lots of excitement on Jack's part and Ava didn't really understand for a while since he wasn't actually there.  So we picked him up Saturday and brought him home and he has done surprisingly well adapting.  He's a little nippy sometimes, but we are working on that and of course the potty training.  So anyway, meet Jock, a name the kids arrived at by combining ones that were on our approved list (dramatic story).  He is half Labrador, half golden retriever.  It is stressful having a puppy and potty training.  However, ADORABLE!  So fun.  The kids have experienced every emotion too - surprise, joy, happiness, excitement, fear of puppy teeth, discouraged, encouraged, happiness again, and finally (I hope), we are settling down.  And I can't stop taking pictures.  One day he will be all trained and calm and I will miss this cuteness.  My favorite comment from Ava was, "Mommy, he keep chewing me."  And that's getting better too. Little by little!