Fun & Drama

We had a great party. Cupcakes were delicious and a hit. Got to visit with lots of family and friends. Rough Nut and Tough Nut came! No Hiccup. My niece was in good form for the whole party, digging in dirt and running around with all her cousins, not throwing any fits. Love her so much.

The drama was mostly unrelated to the party. I don’t feel the need to rehash the whole situation on this blog ( or anywhere) but the heart of it is that certain Members of our extended family have hateful, unloving feelings about my family and generally disapprove of our entire life. It isn’t rational, it isn’t pretty, I love them dearly so it hurts. But that’s ok, Jones and I have been learning over the years that our life decisions aren’t or shouldn’t be based on others but rather on what we are feeling led to do or not do by our Father/savior. I am hurting for our family right now but even more so for the members who are I flicking this pain on us. They must live in misery everyday, in darkness. It’s sad. And if somehow it is more fitting to this blog to relate this to our foster care/ adoption journey…they disapprove of us havering anymore children period. They feel we have no business adding to our family?!? Whatever.

Party & cupcakes

In the years before our fostering beginnings I had a pretty busy business of cakes. I have put that joy down for now since I don’t know from day to day what my life will look like. However, when someone in the family or our close friends ask for cake… I deliver. That’s what is happening today. My sweet niece is turning two! Birthday cupcakes here I come.

Surprise weekend of 6

I haven’t been blogging quite as often. I have felt like I needed to try to absorb as much as I can while we are still mommy and daddy to little Hiccup. She is growing so fast now and doing so much. Rolling and giggles, talking and playing with her toys, having her own sweet preferences about how she is fed and how she sleeps. I love watching as her little personality emerges.

Our surprise weekend of six is in full swing! Got a call two nights ago from relative asking if we could keep the kids for a long weekend. A sudden family emergency gave them need for so help and we are thrilled to able to. I spent my day driving here and there for visits and picking everyone up from school. Then we had a fun afternoon together.

It has been so easy to have them this time. All the pressure is off and most of the rules that are sometimes unnatural when you are a foster family don’t apply now that they are out of the system and we are just friends/family. It has given me such pure delight to just enjoy and love these sweet hearts. It also still causes my heart to ache seeing how easily we all fit together as a family. I try not to linger on that thought though and just praise God he is allowing us to play even a small role in their lives.

The only other thing that is going on is that we have court in a little less than two weeks. We have been told two different expected out comes now and so I find myself in that same familiar feeling of being in the dark. The judge has all the power and who knows what he will decide. We may be spending our last precious moments with our little Hiccup….or not.

Ikea rocks!

We know there is a huge possibility that there will be a baby in our home soon. We’ll call him Hiccup.
Our old crib was disposed of this week, it couldn’t be put back together an it had the old drop sides anyway.
Ikea Store has this economical crib that we saw this summer when we visited the store. It is very well made, simple, nothing fancy but exactly what we wanted/needed. Jones ordered it last week when we were told to prepare for a baby. It came Saturday! Thing 1 helped Jones get it out of the box and I put it together, so easy.  I love Ikea!

 

The first, first visit.

Our first visit was also an over night visit. We are in the process of a transition from a family placement to a foster care placement (that’s us!) We have a unique situation, but who doesn’t. We came about this placement because we actually know the person who has the children now (birth mom’s relative is also my relative through marriage). They have had the children for awhile, at least a year for youngest and possibly four years for the eldest. They love them dearly and have taken very good care of them. The issue is age and what that would mean to the future of these sweet children. I say they because there are other family members who also help, a lot.
I feel like that is enough information for now, at least enough that you can understand the circumstances of our first visit.

The call came Thursday. The visit was set for Friday. I have never felt nesting so strongly in my life and I have carried and delivered three babies. The house was clean. The extra room was set up. That involved me moving the twin bed from upstairs to our downstairs spare room, alone. Nesting turns a normal woman into a super woman. I moved a full size bed also but that one didn’t require stairs being navigated. Matching pjs were hanging in the girls room and in the boys room. Matching water bottles had been purchased and were waiting on the table. We were set and ready.

At 5 o’clock we were just waiting, one hour to go.Thing 1,2,and 3 were standing at the door waiting and watching, so excited. The phone rang and we found out that they were ready and couldn’t wait any longer so they were coming early if it was ok with us! Of course!

Twenty minutes later “Rough Nut” ran to the front door and let himself in! Not shy at all he came right on in and we made sure he knew everyone’s names. Right away he noticed we have a wii. Thing 1 and Rough Nut played wii while I let the rest of the family in. Tough Nut was a little more reserved but it didn’t take her long to warm up.

They are both beautiful children with big personalities. All the kids got along as though they had always known each other. It was beautiful. I was able to connect with both Rough Nut and Tough Nut (these names are just picked from the movie and do not reflect them at all).

All in all the first visit went well. There were a few curve balls but nothing to complex. Of course sleeping in a strange place with extra adults made it a little tricky but it worked out and no one was upset or went without sleep.

The next day the family needed to go run some errands and such but allowed Rough Nut to stay with us at his request! After several more hours of play the family came to pick him up. He didn’t want to leave and cried. It was tough even at this point to let him go knowing he wanted to stay.

We know that the family they are with right now love them dearly and want to keep them. They plan to appeal these decisions. We also know that that has nothing to do with their delight in our willingness to welcome the children into our home. It is a confusing situation but Jones and I feel confident that at the very least we can be a help while they make their appeals and if God intends it to be more than that, it will be in His time and in His ways.