Good-Bye Princess

Carolyn had a hard week last week.  Her dog passed away unexpectedly, in the night, Saturday.  Princess was her companion for the last almost eight years, as Princess would have been eight on March 23.  To me, it looked like Princess died from some sort of seizure, she had in the night.  Carolyn had stayed up watching movies with Elizabeth, until almost mid-night and held Princess the whole evening, as she always does.  When she put her to bed, all was well with her. It was a shock to us all, in the morning, to see she was gone.

When Carolyn was a small child she was enamored with Chihuahuas.  She was amazed at how small they were and how people carried them around in purses and such.  She wanted one badly for years.  For her eighth birthday, a friend of the family offered to give her one of her puppies, that was recently born from her Chihuahua.  It was hard on Carolyn to wait the six weeks, till the puppy she chose, was ready to come home with us.  We went to visit it regularly untill it was old enough.

On the day that Princess was delivered to our home, we were surprised to be gifted a sister to Princess as well.  Roo Baby.  Roo Baby became Zeke's companion dog. 

Carolyn did a great job and was ready for the responsibility of raising and potty training a puppy. 

She would get up many times in the middle of the night, when the puppy cried, to take it out to potty without complaint.  She would clean up accidents and have puppy play times, before bedtime, to wear them out before bed, so they would sleep thru the night.  Even though it was a lot of work for a little girl, she loved it.

I spent a lot of time with Roo potty training her.  Carolyn helped me with Roo as well, as Zeke was to young to do it.

Carolyn loves to mother things and Princess and Carolyn became inseparable and very bonded together. 

Princess became Carolyn's best friend. 

She was a therapy dog and companion dog.

She was a great emotional support to help Carolyn with her anxiety and insecurity issues.

When Carolyn was at home, they were always together.

I know most people don't allow dogs at the table but often my children eat with their dogs on their lap or next to them.

She was one of the best dogs we have ever had in our home.  If Carolyn was doing school work they were together.

If Carolyn had a task to do, she would set Princess on a stool or chair close by, so they could still be together.

Princess had been looking older and grey in the face the last year or so.  She had lost a few teeth too but we never thought we would loose her so soon.

Carolyn was just devastated and grieving badly.  After the second day of seeing her struggling to get through every moment... Tim and I decided to go ahead and get her a puppy.  I know there is no way to ever replace a person or pet in our lives but she could not even sleep.  It was a good decision and has kept her very busy with potty training and the business of puppy hood.  She still cries and is missing Princess terribly but her arms are full again and she can sleep. She named her Bella.

A worried Carolyn at Bellas first Vet visit.

Chihuahuas are not my favorite dog breed.  They are commonly a bit to barky and possessive of their owners for me but they are Carolyn's favorite kind of dog, so that is what we got. Bella is a rescue and a chihuahua mix of some sort.  Princess was very sweet and calm and Bella seems to be too.  Wonderful lap dogs and I pray Bella lives a very long life to share with my sweet Carolyn.

We love you Carolyn and pray you learn to remember Princess with joy and feel comfort in Bella.

Luke 12:6-10  Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Love mom and Dad


   

Zeke's First Day's Of School

When Tim and I got married 20 years ago, we prayed and decided that home schooling was the best decision for our children.   When Tim asked me to marry him, he not only gained a wife but a son.  Tim did not want me to work outside the home, so I became a home maker.  When I married Tim, Stephen was 8 years old. 

Stephen always struggled with the style of learning used in public school.  He was very bright, bucked authority and was quite bored.  Not soon after Tim and I got married, I pulled Stephen from public school and started home schooling him.  Stephen flourished in home schooling.  I could take into account his way of learning and modify our day, schedule and things, to the way he personally learned best.  He graduated by age 16 and went on to our local college.  By the time William was born, we knew that this way was best for him as well, with his special needs.  I was discouraged by the local school system, to home school William, as they said I was not educated in how to teach a child with his special needs but I kept him home anyway and he did very well.  That was the year God blessed us with Antonio, so I home schooled them together.

As we started adopting children who were medically fragile and had special needs, I saw how beneficial it was to keep them home and help them learn in ways I saw that they learned best.  I am not totally against public schooling.  William and Faith Anne went to their preschool program, for children with special needs.  This is just what has always worked for our family, our children.   It has often been a long, hard, road for me, with a lot of work on my end but they have all blossomed and done very well.  If I had it to do all over again, I would do it the same way in a heart beat.  The results, by the grace of God, has been well worth the hard work it took.

Zeke has always done very well too.  He has autism and the best way for him to learn is on the computer or using manipulatives.  He has always been a good boy and worked his hardest for me.  There is A LOT of repetition to his work, to get him to learn the simplest of things but he works hard and is very obedient.  There were years, when he was younger, that his behaviors were hard to work with but over the years, he has matured and learned to cope and handle so much, without melt downs and repetitive type, self stem, behaviors.  He is not a hard child to have in our home or to home school because he tries so hard to please me.  I have always enjoyed working with him because of his determination and interest he shows, whether he understands or not. 

Over the last few years, I noticed that Zeke had really stagnated in his learning.  He has the mentality of a five year old.  We have been doing Kindergarten and first grade work for the last three years.  He just can not seem to get past this level.  He was also becoming more and more withdrawn into only wanting to make videos in his spare time.  If he is working on a video and we try to get him to come start schooling,  come to a meal or do his chores, he would get very upset and take a long time to get into a good mood again.  He was grumpy a lot as he just wants to play alone. 

I have always hated it when people say to me that because my children are home schooled they are not well socialized.  First, we have a huge family that excels in constant talking and communicating.  Secondly, we do home school functions, with other families, when we can.  Lastly, we try to encourage the deep interest of our children, if they have any, so my girls do ballet and William does archery.  Zeke however, has not ever found a niche or outlet he has enjoyed, that would get him out.  He just wants to stay home and not socialize outside our family.  I felt he does need something more than what we have for him here.  Tim and I had prayed all last year about this and heard of the program at our local school for children with autism.  The more we heard, the more I knew that this is what would be best for Zeke, if he qualified.  When school started back this year, I signed the necessary paper work to have him tested.  They did the whole psychological work up and extensive testing.  They came out to the house and observed him in our home.  Finally, all the test results and opinions were in.  In January we had a meeting with the school system and they said Zeke did qualify for this program. 

Zeke does not like change, so Tim and I have been talking about this school program with him every since this school year started.  He did not want to go at first but by the time the holidays hit, he was starting to think about it and looking forward to possibly going.

Zeke started his very first day of school the end of January.  It has been a very smooth and wonderful transition for him.  He looks forward to it every day.  He likes riding the school bus.  He enjoys helping me decide on what he will be taking for lunch.  (He is on a casin free gluten free diet.)  He has, for the first time in his life, made a few friends.  His class room has four students, a teacher and two para-pros.  He goes to three main stream classes, with a para-pro, and modified work.  They are working on his normal education, but also life skills (which we do at home as well)  And job skills!  If he stays in this program, starting next year in 9th grade, he will have a part time job.   He will be assigned to a local business and be taken there with a supervisor to watch over him, as they train him to do tasks around their work place.  Our local Ingles, Chick-Fil-A and Walmart, are just a few of the places that are in partnership for this program.  If all goes well, he can stay in this program till he is 21 years old and then they will have a transition plan for him to either, further his education... (We have a college an hour away from us, that has a program for special needs education, they even have dorms.  There are children in that program with many special needs, including Downs syndrome and autism) or move into a job.

One of the hardest things for us, is that we have all missed him terribly.  Especially Carolyn, as they are very close in age and very bonded to each other. 

The other thing is he has missed his dog a little.  She has lived in his arms for the last eight years. 

She is getting older and sleeps A LOT, so I don't think the transition has been to hard on her.  She has been sleeping the day away, till he gets back home.  :) 

So far we have been very impressed and excited to see all the things they are doing daily with Zeke and how well he is adjusting.  We thank God that this program is available for him.  We are very excited about his future.

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Blessings,

susan

A Whole Farm of Animals!

I had a few people tell me, after my last post, that they didn't realize we had a parrot or other animals in our home.  I guess I rarely write about our animals.  I really don't know why as they are such an important part of our life.  We enjoy them all so much.

We live on 10 acres of land in the North Georgia Mountains.  My dad lives at one end and we live on the other end of the long property.  It is a very good arrangement for us all.  My dad enjoys us living so close and we all work together to keep up the property.  On this property, we have a few farm animals that we have for food and enjoyment. When I was younger and had fewer children we had so many more such as geese, ducks and horses but as I have gotten older and my spare time is more limited, we have scaled back to just what is necessary and easily cared for.

I have a farm blog, that I write posts for, when I think I have some important information to share.  It is not kept up as this one is but many visit it for information on goat care or contact me for advice.

We love living here.  It is a very good place to raise children and a healthy way to live life.  We have dairy goats that keep the pastures ate down, keep the weeds and brush down, are fun to care for and a great source of milk and manure for the gardens.

We have a few bucks!  They are very stinky boys but a necessity, in order to arrive at the end product of a doe in milk production.  :)  It is very hot here right now.  I took this around 10 in the morning and they dug into the dirt, to reach cool soil to lay on for the day, under the trees.

We also have a herd of lovely easy to milk does.  They do not smell and to me act a lot like dogs.  They are very friendly and make great pets.  Very sweet girls.  I do not  milk them all at once as they would produce way more milk than we could consume and use.  I usually milk two at a time.

We always keep a small flock of chickens.  After years of having all different breeds, the most economical are the commercial White Leg Horns.  They give the most eggs, for the longest duration of time, for the smallest amount of grain given.  I usually keep a few Bantam Silky Chickens as they are very broody.  If I want to hatch any chicks out, they are more than willing to sit for me and do that.  We have a chicken coop for them up on a hill.  We have two rat terriers that live with them to protect them and kill or run off any predators.  They have killed snakes, possums and rats.  They have run off many other things including raccoons and barked to alert us to stray dogs.

There is also a huge stray dog that showed up several years ago, that stayed.  He thinks he is guardian of the property.  He is a great dog.  His story is here.

We also have several barn cats on the property.  If a new stray shows up, I trap it, get it fixed and release it.  I don't mind feeding all the strays.  I just don't want them having kittens everywhere.  No matter how wild they are when they come, they always are my friends when I milk, as I usually pour some warm milk out to them before leaving the barn.  Needless to say we have very few snakes and mice around.  :)  One of our cats is 15 years old and another barn cat 17!  I guess all the fresh milk every day!

The children have many pets.  I think pets are a wonderful way to help keep stress levels low in a home.  I also believe they are very good for all children, especially children with special needs.  Our children are all very bonded to their pets and they are a great source of pleasure and comfort.

We have a rule here...You can ask for a pet and if you take good care of it you can keep it.  If you wanted another, you can  have it because you proved you are responsible.  If you don't take good care of the pet you wanted, than it goes to a new home and you can not ask for or get another pet for a long time.  I do not have time to care for so many animals.  I do check behind all the children to make sure they are taking proper care of all the animals they have but I don't personally care for hardly any of them. The only animals I am responsible for are the female dairy goats, my poodle,

our parrot Kiwi

and my little reef tank.

I also care for any of Antonio's animals because being in a wheel chair, he can not.  I have so many other responsibilities in home schooling, child care, the upkeep of our home and usually have the care of a garden each year, that I do not have the time to care for pets.  The children all have chores and work together to care for the farm animals.

We have had many pets over the years.  Especially, great dogs that have been faithful family pets and companions.  If my children are able, I try to let them each raise and have their own lap dog to enjoy for their childhood.  It has worked out well here and very few children were unable to care for one of their own.

Antonio loves reptiles.  He likes to watch videos about turtles and lizards especially.  Antonio is unable to do very much so any animal he wants I try to get for him and care for it for him.   He does not ask for much in life.   He has had fish tanks, hamsters and birds over the years but  his favorite, he always comes back to, is reptiles.  He asked for turtles for his 8th birthday.  We got him two thru the mail and he named them Antonio and Sid. He still has them today 13 years later!

He loves to watch them swim and sun themselves.  If I find a garden worm I bring it into them and his turtles swim frantically to get it and eat it.  Antonio's other pet right now is a leopard gecko named Franklin.

All of Antonio's pets are right in his office so he can watch them all the time.

William has his own room.  He has his little dog Dixie.  She is so young and active, it is hard for me to get a clear picture of her!

William also has a fish tank he has taken care of and kept going since he was 9 years old.

Carolyn is a very loving, tender and nurturing person.  She would have 100 animals to care for if I would let her.  I have to put a limit on what she has.  She raised up her dog since it was a six week old puppy.  Her name is Princess.  They are inseparable.

She also has a beautiful pony she totally cares for and rides very frequently named Millie.

She also has a very old hamster named Marcy and a beautiful little blue parakeet named Tom.

Having pets has helped Zeke tremendously with his Autism.  In his ability to give and receive love.  It has also helped him learn responsibility and compassion.  He has a little dog that is almost always in his arms named Roo Baby.  It is like his security blanket.  If Roo Baby is not in his arms she is in a little dog stroller that he keeps in his office next to him.

He also has a pony named Dixie.  He got Dixie when he was a small boy and out grew her but refuses to sell her to get a larger pony he can ride.  He loves her so much he would rather just enjoy her as a pet than replace her.

Elizabeth is not very consistent in caring for her animals.  Animals such as dogs that require a schedule of consistent care long term, is something she does not do well.  It becomes an area of rebellion and stress for all over time.  She however has been taking very good care of her parakeet she has had for two years now named Charlie.

And her little 10 gallon fish tank in her office area. 

The foster children are not old enough to have or care for pets yet but we did get them a little pony to start riding soon named Buck-a-roo.

My dad thinks he looks like a punk rocker!

God originally created us to tend the Garden of Eden and care for all the animals created.  I think that is why so many people love having animals around them and enjoy caring for them.  God is so good to have blessed us with such a place to live and enjoy.  A wonderful place to not only raise children but allow them to have plenty of space to play and have the experience of raising animals. It makes for having happy family memories as they grow up.

Psalm 34:8  O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Blessings,
susan

  
  

A New Friend

As many of you know, William lost his dog and good friend Will a few months ago.  They were very bonded together and inseparable when at home.  She was a good therapy dog for William.  He needed her in his life as much as she needed and loved to be with him.

William wears a back brace most of the time because his back bothers him from helping me lift Antonio so much.  Bless his heart.

William has many health issues.  Autism and the learning disabilities that come with autism, are the hardest to cope with daily.  Part of him having autism, is that he has very high anxiety.  Anxiety that most of us would not understand having to live with.  Often, when someone has autism, they have certain things that bother them tremendously all day long.  Irritation they have to learn to live with.  For example...nails on a chalk board irritate and hit a nerve in certain people?  It would be like living with that sound, going on all day long around you.  Certain sounds, clothing textures, change in his routine and also trying new things are some things that bother William.  Plus, he is a worrier.  He worries about everything.  Things like, how he will pay for a repair on his truck if it were to happen and such.
 

We try to keep Williams (and Zekes, who also has autism) life as low key as possible.  We try to stick to routine as much as we can.  But yet gently encourage them to get involved and do new things.

This anxiety and worrying plays into the health issues he has been struggling with for several years.  When he works to hard, goes out into the heat, gets stressed or does anything that gives him a heavy anxiety load, it causes his cortisol levels to plummet and his blood sugar to fall.  It plays into his chronic hypoglycemia.  When this happens, he has trouble thinking, talking, walking, he gets exhausted and can not drive or function.  He calls these episodes crashes.  We have not found out all that is wrong with him but the anxiety plays heavily into it all.

Tim and I have seen a lot more anxiety and health crisis, while his dog was sick and since she passed away.  We have been waiting for him to go thru the process of grieving but he has not seemed to be able to get through it.  He has been very low all the time, has had daily "crashes" and I have had to drive William every where he has needed to go for the last several months.  I think he has taken the trash to the dump for me four times and that is all the driving he has done.  

I decided that it was time to try him with another dog (friend) and see if that helped him.  I have been searching for a month for the perfect match for him.  I have been searching for a small, young, indoor dog that is calm and would make a good therapy/lap dog.  I checked our local animal shelter daily as well as  many other rescue sites.

Last week, I heard of a situation where a couple had rescued two young dogs from a bad situation.   They had heard whining coming from a small outdoor kennel in their neighbors yard a few months ago.  They went to see what was happening and two, small, puppies had been put out there. A female miniature long hair dash hound and a small male chihuahua.  They had no food or water so the couple fed and watered them.  They regularly heard whining out there and went out to check on the dogs.  They regularly had no water and food that was often covered with ants or wet from the weather.  There were two small pieces of ply board put up like a t-pee for shelter for them by the owners.  The couple started to daily feed and water the dogs.  When the temperatures started to fall for winter, they asked the owners if they could have the dogs.  The owners said yes.  The couple took them to the vet and found out that the young female was pregnant.  So they worked on house breaking and socializing the two dogs until the female had her puppies.  I learned of the situation when they were trying to find homes for them all when the puppies were weaned.  The dogs are both only about eight months old now.  The dashound had five puppies.  The couple told me what a wonderful personality the dashound has.  Very laid back, gentle and sweet.  They said we could bring her home with us for a visit and see if she was a good match for William.  William and I went to pick her up at the beginning of the week.
 

William and Dixie have hit it off wonderfully. 

I can tell he is much more relaxed and Dixie is so bonded to him that when he is not home, she finds his shoes and sleeps on them till he gets back. 

She is very sweet and loving and has the softest red fur. (Very snugly and lovely to pet.)  Her eyes are a deep chocolate brown and soulful. 

Tim and I saw a difference in William right away.  He has been focusing on her and her comfort and happiness. 

Friday night, movie night.

He seems happier and less stressed.  William was able to drive to town, to the GED program he is enrolled in, alone and do some errands all by himself with no issues by the end of the week.  God is so good!

We are going to give Dixie a month to settle in and then take her in to have her fixed.  She is a very sweet girl and I am grateful to God that William has made a new friend in her.  William is such an obedient, kind and helpful young man.  He loves the Lord and serves Him in all he does.  He still misses his old dog Will but it is good to see him happy again.

Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

blessings,

susan