Our NEW family ~

Country Farm Adventures

"Daddy, I want to get in there."

"Look Mommy, he can lick you."

A Kiss for Daddy before we go on the field trip at Bubba's School. How sweet!

Joshua & Dakoda LOVED petting the animals, especially the little bunnies!

And playing in the dirt after our picnic lunch was fun too.

He liked talking to the horse, of course.
And again to Gavin ...
Kris & Dennis
Joshua and Gavin (age 7)
~~~ 1st grade friends ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We took "Little D" for his 1st haircut this week. He was VERY well behaved and sat up in the chair like a pro. He didn't complain one bit! We were so proud of him. In the end, he decided that Daddy needed to have some of the hair he had cut off and put it on his head. It was so cute! Actually, everything he does and says is "so cute" to us. : ) We are very happy to have him with us, and we are very blessed to be his Mommy and Daddy.

"Here Daddy, you need some hair too."
* Saturday Afternoon
May 5, 2007

We had a visit from Uncle Dee and Ant Rachie today. Here are some family photos taken by them while they were in town visiting.

Dennis * Kris * Dakoda * Joshua
Playing Football in the front yard at home.Dakoda is VERY sporty and can throw a ball really far! I LOVE YOU DADDY! ... Dakoda, you have brought so much happiness into our lives. It is an honor to be your Daddy. I promise to ALWAYS be here for you from this day forward. Love, Daddy
Hungry Hippo ... a "Welcome home" gift from Uncle D and Aunt Rachie. "Get the ball Mommy."
Hey ... no tackeling! ha ha
RUN Little D, RUN!!! *****
Here are a few photos (below) from Saturday morning play time. I found the boys playing "Army" in Joshua's room. They were wrestling with each other, and so very cute together! At one point, Joshua was "pinned down" and he said he was having a hard time breathing (ha ha).

Now, Dakoda is calling out "build a bear, come here" .... "Bubba, do you see my build a bear?". We took the boys there last night and let them each make a bear. Dakoda made Winnie the Pooh and Joshua made a new army bear. Dakoda had not been there before and had a blast! I better go help him find his "Birthday bear ... build a bear". :)

What a fun Saturday it is turning out to be for us.





----------- Friday Photos / Joshua and Dakoda

Dakoda and Joshua

Dakoda *** Kris *** Joshua

Mommy and 2 sons

Daddy and 2 sons
Dakoda, Joshua, Kris
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THE PAULSEN FAMILY: Dennis, Kris, Joshua & Dakoda

(Day #1 as a family of 4 - May 2, 2007)

This was the photo that was taken 5-2-2007 at DSS right after meeting Dakoda. We walked out very slowly to our car and he was a bit nervous, but quickly calmed down.
"Carry me Daddy," Dakoda said as we walked out. He held on tight. They bonded really fast today. He is definitely a "Daddy's boy". :) Here is Dakoda in the car on the way home, a few minutes after meeting him for the first time. He was chatty and happy and didn't cry at all. He seems to be able to adjust to new situations really well. He is a strong little boy! We stopped at San Jose Restaurant for lunch after picking Dakoda up.

"Here daddy, eat a chip" he said. He ate a beef taco and some chips and dip. We let the kids have soda once in a while (like today) ... and he seemed to like that too. Our restaurant friends who also want to adopt came over to meet Dakoda, and to congratulate Joshua on becoming a BIG brother.

Later ...

We came home and went swimming! The water was 90 degrees and felt great. Dakoda loved watching Joshua do all of his "tricks" for him in the water. Dakoda does not know how to swim yet, but did start to trust us more as the day progressed. He is such an amazing child! For someone who has been thru all that he has, he is very resilent and just a joy to be around. He showed up today wearing the same exact shoes that Joshua had on, and shorts and a shirt that Joshua has in his closet too. What a coincidence that was! He giggled as they played all day. By the end of the day he was saying "GOOD NIGHT BUBBA, I LOVE YOU!!!". It was so sweet to hear them yelling out to each other from one room to the next.

Joshua and Dakoda & Daddy had a great time making sand castles today on the beach. Also, the boys LOVED the trampoline together. Joshua had to "take it easy though" since Dakoda seemed to be new to a trampoline. He is tough though, and weighs 38 pounds at just under 3 years old. Joshua is 45 pounds, so they are very close in size. It's been such a wonderful day! : ) Words can not express how happy we feel!

A hug for "Bubba". Too cute!

Finally, around 7:30 pm we started the bedtime routine. Dakoda wanted to lay with Bubba for a while, but Bubba quickly grew tired and needed some space of his own since he "has school tomorrow". Dakoda understood and went with us to HIS room. He looked around and said "this is a very nice place". We smiled at each other and tucked him in. We layed awake for a while listening thru the baby monitor in case he needed anything ... "Daddy, hey Daddy could you come here for a minute - I need to poop" came over the monitor. Oh, back to "those days" again for us .... Dakoda did this 5 more times realizing that it made us come into his room. In the end, all it took was me laying next to him while rubbing his back and he went off to sleep by 8:30 PM.

He is heaven sent and such a precious gift to our family. :)

Good-nite for now. We have so many fun times ahead as we get to know each other and learn how to be a family of 4. We are THRILLED to have this opportunity. Not ONE day will be taken for granted!

A VERY special THANK YOU to Detra, Trish, Heather and Donna & to all others who have been involved in Dakoda's case. You truly are his guardian angels!!! Also, Tim and Tiffany who had Dakoda for over a month in their Foster care prior to placement with us. She came with a car load of toys and clothes and other special belongings. She was so kind and very instrumental in the transition today. For that, and for so much more, we will always be grateful. Thanks Tiffany for all that you and your family did while you had Dakoda for those weeks. You have been a true blessing in his life and in the lives of so many others! We will never forget you. : )

Dennis * Kris * Joshua * Dakoda * Tiffany (his prior Foster Mom)