Not the Beginning

I hadn't really planned on just jumping in and starting this blog. I had planned on some sort of an introduction..... so, although it isn't coming at the beginning of things.... here it is:

We are the Pool family. There are five of us not including varmints, critters, and various pets we have acquired recently... I will get to those in a minute. Ryan and I have been married for almost 11 years. We have lived in San Angelo, TX until last August when we moved to Del Rio for a job relocation. The move has been a big deal for us because it was our first time away from home. We have three beautiful children; Sarah who is 7 1/2, Maya who is 6 and Benjamin who is 4 1/2. I will give regular updates on each of them because they are the most interesting things in our life! We are a homeschooling family with a heart to train our children to live with a passion for Christ.

I will begin with our critters, varmints, and pets and then introduce each of the children to you in the days to come. We were a one dog family until a month ago. Our first pet is a white lab named Oso (means "Bear" in Spanish) whom we adopted from an animal shelter a year and a half ago. He is a wonderful friend and companion for the children and I when Ryan is out of town (and even when he is not!) Then, in December, we had a cat literally dropped in our laps as someone from the apartment complex we were living in brought an abandoned kitten to us and asked if we could please take him. We fell in love immediately and named him Whisper. Then, in March, a very dear friend of ours gave us a Miniature Daschound (sp?). We named her Hope (more on her later). Ryan found a baby goat kid abandoned and we began bottle feeding him in April. Maya thought we should name the goat "Toots" and since he is a boy we had to add "Billy" so now we have a "Billy Toots". A few weeks later, the school here called us and told us they had found another abandoned goat kid (goats do NOT make very good mothers) so now we have a "Billy Snow" we are bottle feeding as well! Then, last but not least, another neighbor gave us three chicks from one of his hens that he just thought the kids HAD to have. They are named, "Reepicheep", "Chicky", and "Edmund" respectively (yes, we are big Narnia fans!). My sister-in-law has asked me if she needs to begin packing-- are we building an ark? :) We have a lot of fun with all our animals and it is teaching the children to be responsible! It is also a huge testimony to how God can change hearts since I have never really been an animal lover. The children actually love taking care of them and each take turns feeding, making sure they have fresh water, and walking them. They have decided we are the "Animal Rescuers". (cape flapping and applause appropriate here!)