Rene (or as we have come to call him: Ne') and August

What this weather does is make me grumpy. And makes my dog shed like it's a contest with all other dogs. Oh, and she's winning. I find myself vacuuming up small piles of hair sometimes twice a day. I could have easily created 3 or 4 golden retrievers with the hair Bailey has lost. You may be muttering under your breath that this could easily be dealt if I just left the dog outside. Yeah, but that'd just be cruel. You don't leave a golden outside in 100 degree weather. At least, I don't. She's my other kid! I can deal with the hair so long as my Dyson holds out...

Brooklyn and Evergiste

We're on about week 5 with our Rwandan, Rene, and we're really really enjoying life with him. He's officially family. And as an added bonus, this week, we have a second Rwandan living with us. His host family is on vacation, so he's here with us for about 10 days. His name is Evergiste, a French name that I have most definitely never pronounced prior to one week ago.

Rene is a dog-magnet.

He has a completely different personality than Rene, and I think his presence is forcing Rene to be a little more vocal and outgoing. To accommodate transportation, we actually had to borrow my mom's Suburban! We just couldn't squeeze another person between those back row car seats.

Despite the heat outside, the blessings inside this house are too numerous to count. We love our new boys, love hearing them laugh and play with the kids. I taught them both how to vacuum yesterday! The looks of concentration on their faces was priceless. Kyle and I also introduced them to Savers - nothing like a pair of jeans for $5.99! Oh, and for those who will understand the significance of this, I have to share that Rene bought 2 pairs of shorts and is wearing them!!!! (Evergiste wears shorts, so I think Rene felt like it was ok). I really can't complain, even though it seems like I spent the first few paragraphs doing just that. Hang in there, everyone. Eat watermelon and drink lots of water!