Some Camping Fun

Today was my first full day of camping.  And when I say full, I really mean from 10am-5:30pm.  Once I got the babies dropped off and settled, I headed to camp with my people.



A hammock burrito!

I'll just say that hammock business takes skills I don't have.  It's not as easy as it looks on Gilligan's Island.  The first time I attempted it I flipped all the way over and landed on the ground.  And I can't tell you how disappointed my kids were that they missed it.  The next time, I had Christian help me.  I didn't flip out, but I wasn't good at it.  You have to balance and adjust and .... just whatever.  I'll take a lawn chair thank you very much. 

We walked down to the lake where my kids scared me half to death climbing rickety trees and jumping on unsteady boulders.

And look at his new braces!  Isn't he just adorable?  I love him.

We did a lot of sitting around the camp fire and eating camp food.  I also did a lot of sitting in the camper and talking with my man or playing cards with my girly.

The best part of this trip is having all my big kids with us.  Laney works a lot these days so it's especially great to have her here.....even if she is a goofball with oreos.

We took a hike and followed some trails.



We also fixed the camper door that wasn't working quite right.


Meanwhile, the babies were having fun and doing great at my friends' houses.  There were a few times I did miss BlueEyes because I know there were lots of things he would've loved.  Maybe we can take him for the day another time.  But this time it was awesome to only have potty trained kids.  

Goodbye Jay, Spring Break Plans, And A Push For FFSS

You should see my living room.  It is littered with chunky plastic toys of primary colors.  But today there are a few less because our sweet Jay went to live with his brothers and grandmother yesterday.
He was one of our easiest and friendliest babies.  So easy to love, and like.

I'm proud of his grandmother for stepping up and taking her grand kids.  No doubt it will be super hard.  Single grandma.  Full time job.  6 kids and the oldest is only 10.  I hope she will do well.  And I hope his parents do well.  This morning I am praying for them all.  And praying for his day care workers to see how special he is and show him favor and extra attention.

So now we are back to two and the life of twins is over.  I see now why God never gave me real twins of my own.  Because OH MY GOODNESS!!

This is Spring Break for us.  This year that means camping!!
The weather so far has been very cold but no rain so my campers are not complaining.  We are camping close to home and I've been going back and forth with babies.  But today everything changes.

I have 2 friends heroes that are taking the babies for 3 days.  I'll drop them off after breakfast and pick them up before bed.  3 days in a row!!  We will all be camping together.  Just us.  No diapers. And even though they deserve a million dollars, they will not accept any money.  So I'm baking muffins and dinners when we get home and taking things to them in the morning.  They are awesome.

This is a part of foster care that you don't hear much about.  It's called Foster Family Support System (FFSS) and each foster family is supposed to have at least 2.  They are allowed to watch the kids for up to 72 hours.   It's easy to get approved....just background checks and one walk-through.   They are very important, sorely needed, and hard to come by.  And they are a huge blessing to every foster family.  So when I hear someone say they would love to help but they can't foster, I'm quick to tell them they could be a FFSS.

Anyway.

Today I will enjoy lots of campsite fun with my kids.  Everybody is off work and school for the whole week, except Meg.  And she will come and join us after work.  I'm so excited!!

A Little Bit Of Lately Because My People Haven't Noticed I Slipped Away

Alrighty.  Can I just say that 3 babies is just a little over-the-top?  I have always admired Michelle Duggar, but at this point she is my hero.  Because how on earth?  She's had so many babies and 2 sets of twins.  My youngest two are 4 months apart but developmentally they are exactly the same.  It's what I imagine having twins would be like.  And Oh My Goodness.  

Now and then I just need to escape.  Except that it's never long enough and rarely uninterrupted.  

So this.  

We've had a ton of rain.  Most days I don't go anywhere and we can just enjoy it all.  

We have been so blessed with gifts lately.  Lots of folks sharing their hand-me-downs and a new bunk bed set for the boys.  The bunk bed they had before was the metal kind.  Soooo squeaky and wobbly.  But this is a nice sturdy wood set with drawers underneath.  We love it.  

In addition to putting together a new bed, my guys also worked on some of the small engines that have been giving them trouble.  They've been taking an engine repair class and learning all kinds of ways to trouble shoot.  They even got the neighbor's lawn mower and fixed it.  I can't even tell you the excitement when it actually started!!  My neighbor didn't want it back and told us to sell it.  And we already have a buyer! 

Not The Same

We were dangerously low on dish soap so I texted Honey and asked if he'd grab some LIQUID dish soap on the way home from work. And I was sure to say LIQUID to differentiate between the kind you use at the sink and the kind to put into the dishwasher.

He came home with this.

2 different kinds to make sure to cover his bases.

So I called Laney and asked her to pick up some LIQUID dish soap.

Me: "The blue stuff that you use at the sink. Like Dawn. Not the kind you put in the dishwasher.

Her: "Yeah Mom, I know. I got it."

This is what she came home with.

So I went to the store myself.

He's BACK!!

You guys!

Yesterday was a day.

It was a day when I feeling so sad missing my baby boy.  I had grabbed his blanket to use in the car for Jay.  And I just never know what will trigger those teary eyed, I-will-most-likely-never-see-him-again feelings.   The blanket was the one someone gave me just for him.  I never sent it home because just in case.  I also never used it for another baby.  So grabbing it quickly was kinda like admitting what I hated was probably true and maybe I should just move on and pray for him extra hard.  And pray for him I did.  And I told Honey to pray for him too.

I was working on supper  when I got a super important life-changing call.  It was from Baby's grandma.  Baby's mom was arrested and Baby was back in care.  I felt so shaky and ready to cry and eager to hear everything.  I got the sketchy details from her and frantically called all the placement/case worker/supervisor DHS numbers I had.  He was still with the investigator at the doctor's office and she was more than happy to have him placed immediately.

Meanwhile, my family was scurrying around getting ready for his return and Honey and I were figuring out how to make it happen.  Could we change our numbers to be licensed for 3?  Should we find new placement for Jay?  Would we be considered on overload?  Didn't really matter.  We would do anything ANYTHING necessary.

Fast forward a couple of hours and we had our Precious back with us!!  He was super hungry, had a rash that covered 1/2 his body, scratches, bug bites, and had lost 4 pounds.  Things had not gone so well for him and it makes my stomach hurt to think of his suffering that the investigator described.

But he's here.  He's safe.  He's happy.  He's getting better.

Both DHS and his ad litem are in agreement to recommend a fast tract to termination considering the circumstances.  I am all for it.

However, I've been hopeful about a baby's future before only to be utterly disappointed by the justice system.  It's ok.  At least for now.  God is greater and our baby is safe.



So now we have a 2 year old, a 1 year old, and an 8 month old to snuggle and love.  And while it sounded a little overwhelming, I knew God could do it.  I can't.  But He can.  He can give us the strength, energy, and wisdom for all the things He has in mind for us to do.

And you know what?  Today was so much fun.  The babies were happy.  The house is decent.  School is done.  Dinner is made.  I even made a special afternoon treat for the big kids that they went wild over.  And it is all God.

Today has been so awesome.  I can't stop smiling.

Our Saturday

Seventy degree temps on a Saturday in February....GLORIOUS!!

So we had to take the cat for a walk.  Really y'all.  Carmel is the most patient cat ever.  

And a bike ride in her flip flops.  

Meg came to spend the day and so did Nana.  

We stopped in Zoe Bugs because we had never been. Weird since there's only like 10 businesses in this little town.  I totally loved it.  And I don't usually enjoy fancy little shops....or even non fancy big stores that don't have the word "thrift" in their name.  

Nana bought me a new shirt to wear to church today that my man said, "Looks like a football.  I like footballs."  He's such a charmer.  

We played outside, visited my neighbor who just had knee surgery, wrecked the house, and I removed the entrance reducers and mouse guards on my bee hives.  

My boys had a birthday party to attend, 2 girls had a fancy school thing to do, and my dad came to visit on the porch.  

Earlier in the day, my friend Misty called to tell me someone had left something for me at the library.  I couldn't imagine..... 

But LOOK!!  

I tell you, some people are just over-the-top generous and thoughtful.  I am so humbled and grateful for all the love God has poured into my life through my family, friends, church, and community. This was totally, completely unexpected.  A huge surprise!  

So we took the kids to Subway and had the best time.  THANK YOU to the family who anonymously blessed us!!  

We ended the day with a movie night and watched Ice Age.  Our new baby looks just like the baby on Ice Age except with better hair.  I think we should've nicknamed him Pinky or Lumpy.  

Chapstick

Tracy is my friend that's just good at stuff. 

She texted me last week to ask about my Chicken Poop Chapstick.  And I'm like FINALLY I have a convert!  Finally someone will agree that this really is the best stuff ever.  Most people won't even try it, and if they do they hate the lavender/orange combo. 

But no.  Turns out she was working on a copy cat version because like I said, TALENTED.  

So I told her of all the greatness as if I were trying to sell a truckload of it.  Because it's just that good. Chapstick is not the hardest thing in the world to make, but it does take a lot of tweaking to get the consistency and flavor just right.  I had no doubt she would nail it.  

Then a couple days later I got a package in the mail and guess what it was?!

AWWWWWWW, isn't she the sweetest?  

It isn't exactly the same as my CP but it is a close second.  And I would say that I even like the flavor better.  More orange, less lavender, and better smell.   

This is the one that I will keep in my nightstand drawer to use right before bed.  I love it!  And I feel so loved!! Thank you Tracy! 

Welcome Jay

Since Pumba went home, the crib has sat empty.  Unless you count BlueEyes' tiger that goes in and out of his "cage".   It was really unheard of.  As soon as my empty bed gets keyed into the system, I've always been called immediately.

I certainly wasn't complaining.  We needed a little time to recover after Pumba's unfair court hearing.  We needed some time to rest.  Sleep.  Clean up.  And concentrate on BlueEyes.  It was nice having only one baby to consider.

Yesterday afternoon the placement unit finally called.  They picked up a sibling group of 6 and wanted us to take the baby.  Both parents in jail and all kids being split up.  So sad.

I asked a bunch of questions and talked it over with my man.  I called the foster mom who took him in the night before and asked her about him.  And I'll just say that even though my arms were feeling a little empty, I was also feeling scared.  Could we give him our all?  Are we being stretched thin?  We've learned some placements are easier than others and some are just downright hard.  But after some discussion, we decided to say yes.

Welcome Baby "Jay"!  He came in the evening just in time for a bath, some snuggles, and bedtime.
He is absolutely precious.  He has a crazy mass of thick curly hair that I just can NOT stop touching.
And (thank you Jesus!) he is not a screamer.

This morning he didn't get up for the day until 11am (!!) and we have spent the day getting to know him.  We haven't gotten many smiles just yet, but he is pleasant.  Mostly he wants to be held.  He acts scared to be out of safe arms.  In fact, I can't even assess his skills yet.  He doesn't seem to be able to sit and balance as well as he should and I'm not too sure about his crawling.  I'm hoping he'll be more secure in the next few days so we can see what he can do.

I found out today that his first birthday is coming up.  That'll mean 6 birthdays in 6 weeks for us!!  It's about to get super fun around here!

Chester Drawers, Pizza, And A Few Other Faves

Tonight we are having a FAVORITES party at church with our ladies group.  You bring a new version of your favorite thing and at the end we will have an exchange so we can all go home and try something new.  Doesn't that sound like fun!?  I'm taking 2 faves.  My Chicken Poop chapstick and Papermate Flair pens.

But I also thought I would share some of my favorites of late right from my phone.

Jesse quizzing Zeke on his piano flash cards.  Jess is hoping to teach piano and earn some money soon.  He's practicing on his siblings.



Ain't this the truth?  We just did it last week.



Nathan got some new camo gear from my friend who was selling some of her son's outgrown clothes.  Happy boy.  He wants to go rabbit hunting with his brothers.

Speaking of.  We have enjoyed this small town living for 3 years now.  My boys love going in the woods behind our house and fishing and hunting with the neighbors.  It's a common sight to see a few boys walking down the street from one house to the other in full camo with guns slung over their shoulders.  Christian commented on how if we still lived in the snobby neighborhood our boys would have the cops called on them.  Here, folks look out the window and say, "What good boys!"



Homemade Pizza.  Always a crowd pleaser.



A big batch of granola cereal.  Takes care of the What's For Breakfast question AND most of my kids can make it by themselves.

A couple of weekends ago we cleaned out our garage and posted several things for sale on the FB garage sale site.  The things were in great condition at a great price.  I'm always careful to make sure they are clean and the whole area is clean before I take the pictures.  But WE NEVER SELL ANYTHING!!  We are so bad at selling stuff and I don't get it.

Then on the same site on the same day someone posted this.

She listed it as "Chester Drawers" and immediately got 2 comments.

Whatever.  

My Surface Pro 3

THIS will make blogging so much easier!! 

Thank you Honey!

10 Things I Know About Foster Care

1.  It's so hard to say no.  Even if you want to.  The Placement Unit calls and you get a few details.  And immediately you start to get a mental picture and all of a sudden you are ALL IN and they just can't get here fast enough.

2.  Go to court.  Don't miss it.  That's where you find out the truth in the case.  And for heaven sakes don't leave early.

3.  You only have to ask permission for the first hair cut.  After that you're good.

4.  Nothing strikes fear like the words, "I think he may need stitches."  Trips to the ER with your fosterling is a different thing than with your own.

5.  DHS does not want your kids.  Homeschoolers, do you hear me?

6.  When people know you foster, you become some sort of hero.  That's crazy.  It's  living life with extra people except that you are certain to get your heart broken.

7.  Thrift stores are a gift from God.

8. Foster moms need a secret chocolate stash.  They do not need to share this and it should never run out.

9. Other people's babies require more chocolate than your own babies.

10. No matter how much it hurts, it is worth it.  It's not about me and that baby is worth loving.

Of All The Wrongness

It's 4:30am and I'm surprised I slept at all.

I spent 6 hours in court yesterday for my youngest foster son, Pumba. And really I'd much rather just tell you his name but to protect his anonymity (and no one else's) I will just stick with Pumba. His parents named him after a ridiculous Disney character, which I thought was the stupidest thing in the world… until what happened yesterday.

Court began with DHS requesting to change the goal from reunification to termination of parental rights. This case has been open two years, which is twice as long as the law recommends. But apparently there was some mistake. The hearing was listed as a review hearing and not a permanency planning hearing, so the judge would not allow it. Instead, we did a combined review hearing for his 2 older brothers plus an adjudication hearing for Pumba.

So 6 hours in court listening to several subpoenaed witnesses testifying against these parents for abuse, neglect, and addiction. There were doctors, family, school principal, and the lady from the shelter where mom was kicked out for disobeying the rules KNOWING AHEAD OF TIME that by doing so she would lose her kids.

The day was filled with emotion. The witnesses clearly hated being put in that position where something they might say could change these kids' lives forever. And to make it worse, Pumba's oldest brother was present to hear it all hashed out. But the parents sat as calm and collected as ever, as if they had not a care in the world.

The parents' attorney was as obnoxious as usual. I've never liked him. The ad litem seemed determined but not necessarily for the kids that she was supposed to represent. I thought DHS did a good job in presenting the case. And this judge has always seemed reasonable to me.

It was getting late and my case worker was on the stand requesting again for a change of goal and going over some of the nonsense of the past 2 years. Those very same issues that were going on 2 years ago are still going on today and nothing has changed. Or I should say nothing has changed for the parents. The older boys have been drug through the wringer, so to speak, with different placements, shelters, ranches, doctors, etc.

It was during this testimony that the oldest brother lost it. He completely shut down and started sobbing. And the judge called for another recess.

I thought we were almost done. I thought she would finish up, the older brother would testify, the judge would rule, and it would be done in a matter of minutes. I thought it was clear that nothing would be happening for little Pumba right away.

I slipped out during this recess and went home in time to kiss my kids goodnight and give everyone a briefing of the day's events. I would call my case worker tomorrow to see what I missed and get the next court date.

My phone rang at close to 10:00. And I thought it was super nice of her to go ahead and call and get this wrapped up. And a bit unusual to tell the truth.

I would've never guessed in a million years what she was going to say. The judge had ruled the immediate return of Pumba and his oldest brother to their abusive, addicted, neglectful parents. In-home trial placement tonight. TONIGHT.

Nobody could believe it. My case worker had some colorful words but asked if we'd be willing to meet the parents somewhere to drop Pumba off.

Um no. I won't. I was sick of dealing with them before this happened because they repeatedly requested so many extras from me. They were sullen, not remorseful, blaming, and continually trying to one-up me and prove themselves as better parents. I was sick of them before this and I was certainly not going to deal with their smugness tonight. So no.

At this point I gave the phone to my man to work out the details of where to meet the caseworker. By this time the whole family was gathered in my room. We worked together to pack up all of Pumba's clothes, WIC checks, and the medicine his mother will never give him.

And then.

We had to wake our sweet baby up from his warm and safe crib, pray over him, cry over him, and kiss him goodbye so he could be delivered to the mom who willingly forfeited her time with him in the first place. And to the drug addicted dad who beat Pumba's grandmother IN HER WHEELCHAIR.

There has never been anything more wrong.
He was just starting to get well.
He was happy and warm and safe.
He had no diaper rash.
He was clean and had real clothes and good shoes.

Laney spent the night with Meg and neither of them got to say goodbye. BlueEyes slept through it all and will wake this morning to be the only one in his room.

How did this happen? Why was the ad litem working for the wrong side? How can the parents' attorney sleep knowing he perverted justice? What did the judge hear??  Why the baby?  And how come the middle son gets to remain in his current placement?

I don't understand. And it's all wrong.

I imagine my sweet boy will be handed over to his day care worker in dirty diapers this week and the sour milk in his bottle that we heard about in court.
His parents threw a fit with me in the doctor's office about his meds so he won't be getting those. He won't wear real clothes in the cold because his mother claims he hates them.

It's all wrong.

Lying awake, I kept thinking about all that God says about the wicked. They will NOT stand in the assembly. And eventually justice will be served.

In the meantime I am praying for mercy and protection over these kids. I'm keeping his spot open, waiting to see if Pumba will return. And the CW said I'd be the first to know.

Still. It's all wrong.

A Few Things Of Last Week

I got this off FaceBook last week and I've been loving it since.  I saved it as wallpaper on my phone.  But then Bentley came and well.....now I have new wallpaper.  :)

This verse has been singing through my head because I find that I can be a very good babysitter, maid, cook, and chauffeur.   But this is not what I want my life to be.  When I take those same tasks and do them with love then I'm a mom and wife and friend and daughter and it all means so much more.  Same work, different attitude, happier people, and healthier family.  

Here's another one.  Perfect for those days when I feel like I'm losing the fight and what does it matter.  It's on those days that I have way more to say than I should.  So keeping silent is a good plan. And trusting the Lord is even better. 

Here's what happens when your Walmart is closing and the whole store is on sale.  It's actually a little dangerous on the budget.  But we stocked up on the stuff we buy anyway....like diapers.  We bought them all in our size.  

And since the whole store was on sale, Honey and I both picked up something new for ourselves.  Why do I even bother?  Why do I always think there's going to be some amazing chapstick that I don't know about that I'm missing out on?  Why don't I just pledge my allegiance to my favorite and move on with my life?  I don't know.  

But I hated all 3 of these and now Laura Beth has 3 new ones in her purse.  

This is what my man bought.  Roast Gross Beef Hash.  AND HE ATE IT!!!   Surprisingly he didn't die.

When Bentley Visits

We've been a little busy lately.



On Friday I got to pick up our boy and Bentley stayed with us FIVE glorious days! 

And there was a sigh of contentment throughout the house because Bentley was home and it was all as it should be.

You guys.  He is perfect.  We love him so much.

So we had a 7 month old, a one year old, and a 2 year old.  All hands on deck and it all went very smoothly.  Well....church was a little rough but that's to be expected and I should've stayed home.

But then it was time to take him home.  I had to take some time to think and pray.    I'm so very grateful for the five days...and the 5 months before that.  Thankful for the sleepless nights and midnight feedings. Thankful for all the spit up and laundry and poopy diapers.  Thankful for slobbers and tears and smiles and giggles.  EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT ALL.   But it is so hard to let go.  And I had to make a firm decision to trust God and remember that God loves him more than I do.

My mind kept going back to his new jammies.  When we picked him up he was wearing a tank top that was way too small and was barefooted.  No clothes packed...just a bag of baby food.  He went home with medicine that he needed and lots of new clothes.  New clothes that God provided for the one He loves.  I just got to be a part of it.  And God kept telling me "Tonight he sleeps in warm jammies".

I still cry as I run across random little things he left behind......a half empty baby food in the fridge, a onesie in the dirty clothes, his favorite blankie I keep here for him.

But tonight he sleeps in warm jammies.  And it's enough for now.

Until next time. 

Our New Laundry Sorter Thing

This happens every day.  Laundry piles up sooo fast around here.  I do laundry every day except Sunday.  

Several weeks ago I started a new system that's working so much better than before.  Since my kids are old enough to do their own laundry, we have 2 days a week of girls' laundry, 2 days of boys' laundry, and 2 days of mom/dad/baby laundry.  When it's your day you have to do all your laundry plus any laundry that is already in the laundry room, fold, iron, put away, and clean up the laundry room.  The iron and clean up the laundry room part hasn't happened consistently...but baby steps.  

There have also been weeks when we've gotten behind for whatever reason and we just do an everybody laundry day.  But for the most part, we stick with the plan.  It's also encouraged my boys to re-use their bath towels since they will be the ones washing and folding.  

I've had my eye on this at Walmart since before the holidays.  Our laundry room is always a wreck and the only organizational tool we have is the standard laundry basket.  The space we have is long and skinny and I didn't even know if it would fit.  I thought about measuring but in my real world that would never really happen.  It was a risk but I decided to splurge and LOOK how perfect it is! 

It is the best $10 I've spent all year.  

The REAL First Monday

So remember last Monday didn't count because I was sick.  And my parents were here and we had to do some important visiting and eating and crafting and watching tv.

As you do.

I also spent a good part of not only Monday, but Tuesday-Friday napping, blowing my nose, and feeling sorry for myself.  I didn't finish my book or send notes to my foster's moms.  In fact, it was nearly impossible to get any work done because my rigorous nap schedule.

So this is the real first Monday of 2016 for me.  I feel WAY better and I'm ready to get on with life.

I woke up with a big list and a determined attitude.  Honey's car wouldn't start this morning so he took the van.  He also took the babies' car seats.  That meant I couldn't take kids to piano and writing and we had an unexpected day at home.  OH HAPPY DAY!!!

Unfortunately, my kids didn't share my enthusiasm.  They acted like it was the biggest surprise of their lives that they had school today.  I don't even get it.

So needless to say we've had a rough start.  Or rather, they've had a rough start.  Because my day has actually been great.  We've tackled some formidable attitude issues and learned some new rules. We've practiced some anger management by doing jumping jacks, running laps around our 2 1/2 acre property and writing extra sentences in nice handwriting.  The babies have learned that life doesn't end just because Momma said its play pen time.  And my teenagers figured out that chores have to be done before tinkering with the go cart.

I'd call that some fine productivity!

So my goals for this week are kinda the same as last week's....

~finish my book.

~read 2 lessons of OPE (Outdoor Power Engines)

~contact Pumba's momma because she left me a note in the diaper bag.

~check the bees

~implement some new year's ideas

~re-write and post a new schedule

~try 2 new recipes

Looking forward to a great week!!

Her First Sewing Project!

One of Mallory's favorite Christmas presents was a real sewing machine from Grandma and PawPaw.

It's so fancy looking and even has a carrying case.  

Grandma makes beautiful custom quilts for a living and her other grandma was also a professional seamstress.  So it runs in the family, except it apparently skipped a generation.

Anytime I've ever made anything, the machine breaks.  And I mess up the project.  And I have to rip it out and start over.  Again.  

I've had my mom and my mother-in-law try to teach me.  I even have friends that have sat by me patiently as I was determined to make this "simple" project.  But no.  Sewing makes me say bad words.  

But lucky for Mallory, her Grandma came and gave her a lesson.  

And look!!

By the end of the day, we had a happy girl with a pretty doll quilt and a tired Grandma! 

Thank you Grandma!  

First Monday of the New Year

Monday!  

Do you love it or hate it?  

For some of us it means not only going back to work after the weekend, but also going back to work after vacation.  That's us.  We've been off for 2 weeks and today was the day to start it all back up.  

There've been times when I was ready because I missed and craved routine.  Not this time.  I'm pretty sure I could just keep this slower pace forever.  It was an awesome vacation of home time, but now it's over.  

I used the time to write down all sorts of ideas for school for the new year.  And I was sorta excited about implementing some of them.  But I've been fighting a cold for a couple of days and today it decided to show itself STRONG.  

So I've felt crummy all day and barely got anything done.  It doesn't help that a couple of kids are sick too and didn't we just do this anyway??  It's the first cold I've had in several years so I can't complain.  Or maybe its the other way around and since I haven't been sick in so long I'm entitled to whine and feel sorry for myself even more!  

Anyway.  

Over the break, we celebrated Christmas and New Year and got a new foster baby!  I'd say that's pretty fantastic.  I've spent a lot of time with my adult kids and was reminded of just how much I like who they have grown up to be.  Of course I love them....but I really like them too.

Meg and Ethan and Christian left for a post holiday cruise.  I know they are going to have so much fun.  And they both took oils for possible sea sickness.  I knew Meg would because she's a fellow oil lover.  But my son?  I was super surprised because it was his idea and most of the time he feels like he probably knows better than his mom.  Hmmmm.  

Here's my goals for this week...

~ Knock out this cold.  And if that happens, just maybe I can get some other things done.

~My parents are coming!  That means I'm still kinda on vacation.  Fine with me.  

~Finish a book and continue with my Bible study. 

~Do something fun with Mallory...she's COW. 

~Write notes to my foster kids' moms to stick in the diaper bags.  

~Nail down my menu for all of January.  

And maybe, just maybe I'll re-watch some Downton Abbey. 

My (short) Reading List

I did not read nearly as many books as I had hoped to last year.  I also didn't write down the ones that I did manage to read.  I made a cute page in my art journal for just that purpose and it ended up with like 2 books on it total.  Oh well.  New year.  New list of books.

My favorite book of 2015 was Wherever The River Runs  by Kelly Minter



I loved this book!  I love the way Kelly writes and how you feel like you are right there in the jungle with her.  It's far more that just a missionary story.  It's also how it affected Kelly when she came back to the states and how she was able to put her rediscovered love of Jesus into her life here and now.  And if you just read one book this year, THIS IS IT.



I always like to have some sort of meaningful or matching bookmark for each of my books.  For this one it was a Verse that Mallory had copied a couple of years ago and my favorite picture of Big Boy.

For this year, I'm still trying to come up with my book wish list.  But these are the ones I'm starting with.....

Flash by Rachel Anne Ridge

I can't remember where I learned about Flash.  But it sounded cute and I put it in my amazon cart for someday.  Then one day this week the UPS truck came and my man had a big smile on his face.  He bought it for me as a surprise!   It's a much lighter type of book than I usually read, I'm enjoying that so much.  Also, I had to make sure the donkey didn't die first.  I CAN NOT DEAL with an animal book where the dog dies at the end and I've fallen in love with him way back in chapter one.  No.  So to make sure I don't walk around the house crying for 2 days straight, I always have to make sure the animal is still alive and well at the last page.

I didn't have any donkey bookmarks so I made a silly one for fun.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People  by Stephen Covey

We recently moved a bookshelf into the house that was in the garage.  That meant a whole bunch of "new" books I hadn't seen in a long time.  This was one of them.  I read this book about 20+ years ago and Honey even went to a workshop that taught the Covey method.  I had forgotten how much I liked it until I started it again.  I'm about 1/2 through and this time I'm underlining and taking notes and coping quotes.

Here's one of my favorites:
"Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behavior of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them.  Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions,by their environment.  Proactive people are driven by values-- carefully thought about, selected, and internalized values."

It's made me realize how reactive I am and how I want to make changes in that area.

My bookmark for this is just a plain white coffee filter that is folded in half.   WHY???  Why am I being so boring?  I don't even know.

Big Truths For Young Hearts is a book I'm starting with the kids next week during our morning meetings.

What Love Is by Kelly Minter is my new Bible study.  So far so good.

This is a short list that hopefully won't take very long.  So I need some more suggestions!  What was your favorite book of 2015?  What are you reading this year?  

My Recap Of 2015

This was the first time in forever that I didn't send any Christmas cards or a Christmas letter.  I really really wanted to but it just never happened.  And what's worse is that we didn't even get a family picture done!!  We tried.  But by the time we figured out how to coordinate everyone's schedules, it was too late, too cold, and everybody got sick.  And I do mean EVERYBODY.  Except Ethan.  He was the lone survivor.

But here we are at the new year of 2016 and I didn't want to leave out the highlights of last year.   It was a full, busy, fun year......

~We started out on a sad note when our precious Gram went to Heaven.  And although I know she is having the time of her life in the presence of Jesus, I sure miss her.  And Christmas wasn't the same without her.

~We took 30 hours of PRIDE training classes, 4 hours of CPR, unearthed countless important documents for our home study, filled out tons of paperwork, and readied our house to open for foster care!

~We celebrated Meg's 23rd birthday!

~ We celebrated Laney's 21st birthday!

~We celebrated Joshua's 14th birthday!

~We celebrated Christian's 19th birthday!

~We celebrated Nathan's 11th birthday!

~And to end the birthday run with a bang, we celebrated Zeke's 8th birthday and welcomed our 1st foster son (Blue Eyes) on the same day!

~We started a new business.  NewFire Athletics was launched in the spring.  We hosted two very fun seasons of soccer.  We had a great turn out and a lot of good times.

~Joshua's chickens hatched their own eggs.  Not with an incubator, but with a REAL LIVE chicken sitting on top of them!  I decided we were pretty good farmers after all.

~Except we still didn't have a good garden.  So never mind on the good farmer part.

~Our 2 bee hives came out strong in the spring and we doubled our apiary to 4 hives.  We were able to extract some honey and get some new equipment.  I even got to help a friend with her bees this year too.  I love beekeeping!

~We welcomed foster baby #2.  Strawberry Princess stayed only 2 weeks until she got to go to her grandmother's.

~We welcomed foster baby #3 and fell HARD IN LOVE with a newborn that grew into a chunky love of a baby.  Bentley stayed with us 5 months and got to go home to his momma.  Now I get babysitting privileges and the chance to spoil him, and kiss him, and love him, and squeeze him all over.  Really, I just can not get enough.

~Zeke's baseball team won 2nd place in the championship tournament!  Love that first baseman!

~Nathan got glasses and he is the handsomest 11 year old ever.   This month he will also get braces.

~Meg and Laney got wisdom teeth extracted.

~Christian and Laura both bought their first car.

~Joshua had a fun year rabbit hunting with friends.  Then he got to take a trip to Texas to hunt with Grandpa and Nana.

~We celebrated my 46th birthday!

~We celebrated Honey's 48th birthday!

~We celebrated Ethan's 24th birthday!

~We celebrated 27 years of marriage and even took a small day trip!

~Christian entered into a relationship with Haley.  She is a sweetheart.

~Blue Eyes moved out of his crib and into a big bed.  This move brought a world of challenge but we are doing better.

~My parents bought a house about a mile away!  This meant that we got to see them a whole lot more last year and hoping for even more this year!!

~Laura Beth played volleyball for Charleston High School for the first time.

~Joshua started piano lessons.

~We entered the county fair and struck it rich.   Mallory won a blue ribbon for cookies.  I won a blue ribbon for honey and we both won fifty nine cents!  Joshua won 3 first prize and 2 second prize for his chickens.  Strangely enough, he did not win fifty nine cents though.   We also hosted a booth for NewFire.

~Jesse and Joshua both played football and we spent many Thursday nights cheering on our Tigers!

~In addition to Laura's job at the school, she also started teaching tumbling once a week.

~Most of us are beginning a new venture and studying to be able to repair outdoor engines.  We are hoping to start business #2 this year.

~A new children's home opened about 2 miles from our house.  It was fun to get to watch and be a small part of it from the beginning.  Now Laney and Ethan are both working with teenage boys at Maggie House.

~We celebrated Laura's 18th birthday!

~We welcomed foster baby #4.  Ellie came to us at 6 days old weighing just a little over five pounds.  Such a tiny little baby girl.  She stayed with us 6 weeks until she was moved to another foster home with her sister.  Her new foster mom and I text and Miss Ellie is doing great.

~We celebrated Jesse's 13th birthday!  4 teenagers at once.

~We celebrated Blue Eye's 2nd birthday!  A fun party with the family AND his sister!

~We celebrated Mallory's 10th's birthday!

~My nephew, Tate, came to visit all the way from Arizona!

~Laney and Christian finished their 3rd semester of college and Laney was accepted into the graphic arts program.

~My parents came for Christmas for the first time!

~And right before Christmas we welcomed foster baby #5.  Pumba is a sweet one year old that loves to snuggle.  Blue Eyes is starting to have fun with him.   He came to us sick and we all caught it just in time for Christmas.   And even though he has felt horrible most of the time he's been here, he has still been a sweetheart and hardly cried.

So that's it for us and 2015.  Thank you for being a part of our great year and for reading about it all the way to the end.  We love you all!!

An Almost Christmas Post

I've taken a month long blogging break and I think I'm ready to jump back into it!
Kinda weird to jump back into something at the end of the year I know.

Anyhoo.

It's Christmas time.  And I was thinking about how our family has expanded from 12 of last year to 17 this year.  This includes our fosters, Christian's girlfriend Haley, and Bentley's family.  So much blessing! And to add to it, my parents came here for Christmas this year!!  It was a first.  And I don't know about them, but we had such a great time with them.  Plus they cooked all the food.  ALL THE FOOD!!

A couple weeks ago a great thing happened for this guy.  His case was closed and now he's with his mom and brothers for good!  And I can also show him off.....

This is Bentley.  Our precious. 

And even though he is finally back home, he likes to come for sleepovers.  Isn't he lovely?  I am totally in love with this little baby.  He gets absolutely anything he wants when he's here and never touches the ground.  

About the same time our sweet Ellie got moved to a home with her sister.  So we were down to just BlueEyes for a couple of days until placement called again. This time it was for a one year old little boy who had been bounced around for a few days and needed a permanent placement.  And a place to spend Christmas.  And some love,  

So we welcomed Pumba into our lives Monday night.  He's the snuggly-est little guy with blonde hair and big brown eyes.  He's not feeling good right now but you would never know it.  He's a sweetheart and has been a dream of a baby.  

So yeah, Christmas morning is going to be awesome with these little people.  And big people too.  

My man is on vacation for the rest of the year and we are just being home, wearing out the XBox, and kissing our babies.  

Smiles Of This Week

Have I told you lately that my family is AWESOME?
Honey and the kids took the late night feeding last night.  Then Christian came in late/early from a movie and took the next feeding.  And that meant I got to sleep until almost 5am!

Now everyone is still asleep.  The house is perfectly quiet.  I was able to read my Bible, write a couple of emails, and now blog a little bit too.  I might even get a bit of menu planning done if I can be quick.

Here are a few things that made me smile this week....

A costume party at Meg's!  Since we are not Halloween fans, she decided to host the first annual costume party complete with games and food.  The catch is that nobody could spend more than $5 on their costume so we all had to be super creative.

I was proud of how my kids pulled this together ALL BY THEMSELVES with what we had at home.
And even though Honey and I weren't really part of the party, we knew it would delight the kids if we dressed up too.  So we came up with this Incredibles outfit that I made from red t-shirts and a construction paper logo.   I kept it super secret all day so they were very surprised!

Aren't these flowers pretty?  

Meg bought them for me last week and they are still beautiful.

Now I know I'm not supposed to post pix of my fosters on social media.  But does my blog count?  I don't know.  Besides, he's not really my foster baby anymore anyway right?  

So this guy got sick this week and his mom took him to the walk in clinic where Honey works.  He went down and held him for about an hour while his mom filled out paperwork and waited.  I could look at this picture forever.  I love it.  Look at his poor sick little eyes.  

Remember when Mally and I won ribbons at the fair for cookies and honey?  Well who knew there would be REAL MONEY involved?!

It's true.  We both got a check this week for fifty-nine cents.  FIFTY NINE WHOLE CENTS TO SPEND ANY WAY I WANT!!  Honey said the bees were finally bringing in an income!

But speaking of the bees.  I'll give you a quick update.
My favorite way to winterize is to surround all the hives with hay bales stacked 3 high on 3 sides.
We doubled our apiary this year to 4 hives and all that hay was pretty expensive.  A couple days later we looked out the window to see my neighbor's horses sticking their necks through the fence and feasting on my bee's hay!!!   Next year I'll have to think of something else.

We got into all the hives to check their honey stores before the cold set in.  Everybody looked strong and healthy with plenty of honey.  But just to be sure, I added some dry feed to the tops in case I can't get back in there for awhile.  I was also able to pull 4 full frames in a super they weren't able to finish and froze another frame that was 1/2 full.  I'll extract those frames this week and I already have buyers for the honey. 

Here I go again with another possibly forbidden picture.  Just in case, you might not want to mention it to your friends at DHS.

Anyway, a lot of our kids have a cold and couldn't come.  But for Funday Friday I wanted to take some kids to the lake.  These were the only 3 that were able to come.  We didn't get to stay long because it was colder than we thought and BlueEyes had a short fuse.  But it was a fun few minutes! 

What's Up With The Babies

A LOT has been up with the babies!  And most of the reason I just can't blog as much as I'd like.  My afternoons are not what they used to be.

I'll start with sharing what I posted on Facebook.  A little lazy?  (sorry) 

Everybody says they couldn't do foster care because they would never be able to let the kids go. You guys, IT IS REAL. Today we say goodbye to our sweet baby boy. However, I am hoping that this is just the beginning. God has allowed me to slowly build a relationship with his mom over his four months of life. We text back and forth, send pictures of Little Man, and she asks if I'll babysit (YES!!!). She even texts about other things in her life.

I can't even tell you what an amazing blessing this precious baby has been. And now I'm looking forward to a continued relationship with him AND his mom. Everyone knows someone with a foster care horror story but God has allowed us to be part of a success story.
My heart is selfish and mean and it is nothing we have done but EVERYTHING He has done.

It still hurts. But God sure has a great way of softening the blow.

I am so grateful for all the support we've received on their behalf. A friend gave me bags of clothes with lots of winter clothes that I can send home with him. Another friend gave 2 twin beds and new bedding. Someone else has donated a bag of clothes just for the mom. And notice the great 31 Tote to pack up his clothes. And none of these friends have ever met her!! That's not to mention all the prayer support and love. Thank you all for loving us so well and loving our baby and his mom!

Update:  He's doing great and he got to come over for sleepover last week!  Oh how we missed Mr. Chunky Love.  

We had a week with just us and BlueEyes.  I was enjoying the slower pace, the little extra minutes in the day, and not having to tiptoe to bed at night.  I told everyone I'd probably just keep it like that for awhile.  

BlueEyes is a work of his own.  We've had a few HUGE poop smearing parties that have left me furious and done for the rest of the day.  The bedtime battles have been intense and I've had to give up the fight for naps.  We fight over face cleaning and getting in the car.  And getting out of the car.  And if my hands are on the shopping cart or stroller.  A typical almost 2 year old except with some extra drama. So we installed a spy cam in his room.  Seriously.  

But then there are those blue eyes.  And that blonde hair.  And those cute little words.  And those times when he brings me books and kisses me and leans back on my chest.  

Our days are spent taking turns with him outside, trying to talk him into using the potty, and answering "no" to the 100th request of "eat?" after he just had another snack.  We read books, sing songs, play cars, and have conversations about moving him back to a crib.  And we clean up a lot of poop.  

His family situation is still very much unsettled though it does appear that Mom is trying.  

So yeah, I had decided that was probably enough for awhile.  He is so much work and I want to be available to babysit our cutie pie if his mom needed us.  

Then the placement center called.  

And ya'll.  I didn't even hesitate!  I acted like I had been waiting for them to call all day.  I am so ridiculous.  

The first call was for a 3 week old baby girl who was placed in an foster home that was on overload.  Everything was fine, it's just that the family was full.  But when I called that foster mom to ask about Baby's temperament/habits/schedule, she had NO IDEA they were going to move her.  She had just bought all new clothes and was looking forward to her staying for awhile.  

I called the placement center back and they decided to leave baby where she was. 
A couple hours later they called again and I wondered if they'd changed their minds.  Nope, but they were looking for placement for a 1 week old whose mom got picked up for theft.  

My man's response?
"We can't help them all.  But we should help the ones we can."

OK then.

One of my favorite things is waiting for a newbie.  Of course this is only my 4th time but it is SO EXCITING!!!  I can hardly sit down.  We start thinking of what we will need.  Wondering what she will look like.  Thinking of what we might call her.  Because her name?? NO.  Just no.

Hours later the investigator comes with a tiny 5 pound baby girl with lots of pretty brown hair.  I didn't even ask her birth weight so I had no idea she'd be so small!  She's the tiniest baby I've ever seen in real life.  So petite and thin.  But yet so strong and healthy.  

"Ellie" is just perfect.

I wish I could show you beautiful baby girl pictures because she is just gorgeous!!  We are all in love.  Again.

This afternoon I got a text from Mr. Chunky Love's mom.  Can we babysit Thursday night?  Another sleepover?   9 bios, a 2 year old, a newborn, and a 4 month old?  Well yes.  Yes we can!