A few weeks ago, we were at Office Depot buying some things we needed at home. M wanted, desperately, a green dry-erase board we saw there. Daddy and I were in an impatient mood (it was the day before Allie died and I was anxious to get home to her) and we didn't buy it for M. That dry-erase board has been weighing on me ever since. She's such a good kid (as is A), and they've been through a lot the last few weeks – Allie dying, me being in Montana, transition to lots of new activities, etc.) and I just feel that they each deserve something special. So I went to Office Depot over lunch and found the green dry erase board that M wanted, and got A a blue one.

I will give them to the girls tonight. I told M on the phone that I had a surprise for her, and she said "Is it a present or is it edible?" When I said it was a present, and she thought about it and said, all excitedly, "Is it my head gear?!" I had to laugh. The orthodontist took out a device that scared the heck out of me and Daddy, and M is clamoring for it. I think she'll be excited about the dry-erase board.

Then I talked to A on the phone. I have found a few dogs over the last few weeks tht I want to adopt, but I've lost out on all of them. There is one I especially liked named Tina. A asked me tonight if we were really going to get a dog, and I said yes. I said that I wish we'd gotten Tina. Then she said this: "Well, maybe Tina wasn't the right dog. We can't really tell what a dog is like until we meet her, and maybe the one we think is the right one will end up being different than we think, or will have a different attitude. So it's OK that we didn't get to adopt Tina." So mature! I am so proud of her. The whole dog adoption process is hard, and she's taking it really well. I know she wants another dog as much as I do. We are having a home visit this weekend and there is a dog fair of adoptable dogs on Sunday that I will go to. Plus I found a really cute little beagle online who is still available – I put in an application for him too.

Must go get the girls from ballet now – they get out at 7:45.

Update: here is the first thing A did with her new dry erase board: