Today Might Just Be the Day...

What happens in the daily life of the family.. the drama of foster care, the adventures of parenting, & pictures to share with everyone!

Good news!

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So, we had court today.

And it was *good* news!!!

Our little guy is now legally free for adoption. There is a chance that an appeal would happen, but it’s a very, very, very small risk.

He’s now been in foster care for two and a half years. And he’s been with us for 27.5 months.

Unfortunately, our wait isn’t over yet.

Next, we’ll get transferred to the adoptions side (should take about a month or so). Then, we will apply for subsidy (another month or two). Then we will wait for the courts (who knows how many months that will be).

But, this is progress.

So, today is a day to celebrate!

One.step.closer.

I swear, I used to have follow through.

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Really.

And I *used* to be able to remember everything.

Those days are long gone.

Sometimes I miss my sanity, but I think that it’s gone for good.

So, it’s time for me to make good on a couple promises. I have some very cool links that I always promise to send out. So, now I’m just going to pop them on here. Then, I can just create a few more viewers for my blog 🙂

This first one is for the *easiest* little apron. I have only made one (that whole follow through thing), but I am going to make them for Bethany’s preschool class….

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts/dish-towel-apron-667580/

This one should be in high demand for any moms who have girls. I found this a couple years ago, but haven’t used it nearly enough. It’s directions for how to make all sorts of different hair bows. I have made a few of them and had really good results. The only tip that I have that isn’t on here, is to use a beauty supply store to find the best prices on alligator clips.

http://www.girlythingsbows.com/

This link is for directions on how to make a pillowcase dress. I’ve made four of these. They are super easy and very cute!

http://www.everythingsewing.net/pillowcase_dress_how_to.htm

That’s all that I have for now, but I know that I’ve promised these links to at least a couple people.

Happy crafting!

With this ring, I thee wed…

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Marriage is an amazing thing. It’s life changing. It’s a process of loving and growing and compromise.

When people marry they get all sorts of “things”; a new last name, new home, new family. When I married, I gained something else—a football team.

Today, therefore, is important to my marriage.

Go Cowboys!

I was running, Jenny.

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Well, as I am looking for a photo for this post, I find that I have done a really good job of hiding from the camera. And I can’t say that it was an accident. With each child that comes to our family, I gain baby weight. And then, when they leave, I gain another 20 pounds. Thankfully, I only gained for one kid with both of our last little ones. That still leaves me with another 30 pounds or so that I didn’t have before. And even before this, I had a few that I needed to get off.

So, as the new year starts, I will be the cliche. I did a last hurrah dinner of Rosatti’s (our favorite pizza) with Brian. And I didn’t stress over calories during our party, but I am back on the wagon.

I have no clue why, but the new thing this year is, “resolutions never work, I’m setting goals this year.” I have heard that from about a dozen different people. I don’t know that it really matters what you call it, but I call it some determination and I think that’s a good thing. My “goal” is to either jog or walk or run a mile every day this year. I don’t know that it will help with the pounds, but I do know that it keeps the inches at bay. And I know that I enjoy it. Isn’t that odd? I really like jogging. I know that I don’t look like the typical runner, but I think that I will be there at some point.

If I do want to shed the pounds, I know that my diet is the key. I am going to try my hardest to at least journal what I’m eating. I think that while I will be making big strides with the treadmill, I’ll settle for baby steps as far as my diet.

I certainly do not want this to be the focus of my blog, but it’s top of mind so I wanted to share. And, now, I have a few more people to keep me accountable. (Thanks for that, by the way…)

Normalcy…

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So, the question has become, “will you have more foster kids?” And the answer could be a simple “yes”. But, nothing about fostering is simple.

And adding a child to a family–as easy as we make it look–is not something simple.

So, I think the real answer is not right now.

This week the kids will go back to school. And I am looking forward to a little bit of “normalcy”. I have a craft room that is stacked and piled layers deep. I have weeks and weeks of projects. I am going to train for a 5k. I haven’t used my coupons in ages. I am ready to go back to normal!

That being said, the simple answer was a “yes”. We *do* want to foster still. Honestly, I love babies and would love to have another added to our family tomorrow. But, right now is not the time. We want to focus for just awhile on our family.

Be scared, be very scared!

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I *am* a medium. Ha!

At least, that’s what the psychic said. I thought it would be fun to go see a psychic and what better time than the new year. So, yesterday my dear friend Jessica treated me to some insight on the upcoming year. Some other things that I learned; I’m going to get my PhD; I will be in need of some rest and relaxation at the end of January (I think that’s a constant need… but that’s just my opinion); Our little guy will have some issues and be frustrated; I will write a book or two–but they won’t be my words, after all, I *am* a medium.

So, if I seem to know what you’re thinking before you do, or, if I *appear* to be talking to myself, just know that I might just be the most gifted person you know.

Ha!

Bears and Deers

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Thankfully, we did not come across any bear this trip to the mountains. But, the deer were beautiful. And they were so close to us! Grandpa David (Brian’s dad) feeds the deer by his house so they simply think of people as feeders–not hunters. It was amazing…

And our Christmas was quite merry.

David is learning that there’s no such word as “gots” and I think we may have convinced the kids that they can say deer for one deer or more.

I don’t even know what else to say.

I’m glad that we are back home. And I’m ready to get back to “normal” (as if that exists).

I am so grateful that our kids get to travel. And we are so lucky to have our families. It’s nice to see someone else spoil our kids.

I will post photos later.

Grandma Ruth

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As some of you know, a week ago today, my Grandmother died. She had lived a very long and good life. It wasn’t a surprise to any of us, but it’s never the right time.

 

I really don’t have time to post much, but I will share a couple photos…

How did that happen?

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3 years?!?

How is that possible?

Our Sweet Baby

Our Sweet Baby

I missed the anniversary of our “Gotcha Day” in my travels. But, I thought it was worth going back for. How were we so lucky that we got that call those years ago? Our sweet little Bean was born on 12/5/06 and came to our home and family on 12/7/06. It would be a lie to say that we knew that she’d be ours forever. But, every.single.second we hoped that that would be true. She was so small that we had to buy a couple preemie outfits for her.
Renee thought that her nose was a little off. Grandpa David was worried about her sucking her lip. Brian and I were worried about the sounds of her breathing… and when we couldn’t hear her breathing, we worried even more.
Such a sweet doll! She was worth the sleepless nights. And she continues to be worth the tantrums.
I love you my baby Bean!