Twelve years ago the Wilcox clan added a new family member; a furry little bundle of joy that originally fit neatly in my handbag.  Matt was going to college in Daytona Beach, and needed a companion to keep him company in his litte river-front house.  He called her Maui.  Several hurricanes later, he moved to a hi-rise condo that wouldn’t flood.  Of course, Maui wasn’t allowed there, so she came to her permanent human mother in Houston.  That would be me.  Robert and I raised her as our own for five years until Tres and Laura married and moved into a new house.  They had no kids yet, so they needed a dog.  Maui was such a well-trained dog, and easy for a new family to care for.  It was a no-brainer.  She became their fur baby in Austin. Now, two young toddlers later, Maui is approaching 12 years young.   The grandbabies love their dog, but she’s pretty small to handle toddler-abuse.  On my last grandbaby visit it became apparent that Maui needed to come full circle, back to her original human mother.  As you can see from her smile as she settled onto my bed for the night, she’s adapting well.  She will miss picking up the scraps from under the hi-chair tho:)