NOW WHAT?

With our first placements happily home with their mom, we couldnt be happier ourselves. It's the strangest thing... neither of us (Josh nor I) have cried or been in a depressed state since they left. I believe my joy is complete. We could not have asked for a better outcome - the reunification was beautiful and the mother's joy was absolutely contagious. I've known the mom since she started having separate visits with the kids. We were already on a first-name basis and we shared stories, brief greetings, and she was sweet to offer us any of the kids clothes that they had outgrown. Josh and I liked her. It wasnt hard at all to see how much she loved the kids and was willing to do to get them back. She was a super mom... determined and purposed to get her act together and welcome her children back into her life/home. Big Brother never once showed signs of anxiety or disappointment in visiting his mom... it was always 100% excitement. He was pretty much 100% about EVERYTHING :-)

I have told our family and close friends, "I'm just so busy being happy for the mom, I can't seem to get sad for myself".

Josh's timely hospitalization has helped (oddly enough). The kids went home Friday, Aug 15th... and Josh went into the hospital (in Austin) on Monday, Aug 18th. Not much time to get depressed over an empty and quiet house... especially if you're not there. I've been with Josh at the hospital every day since and God really has a way "working all things" to His plan and our good. Being here has allowed me to focus on JOSH (for once) without having the distraction of two little ones dependent on me. I went from being busy and preoccupied with the kids and the house, to being busy and preoccupied (with lots of down time too) in the hospital with Josh. God isn't giving me any time to sulk, feel sorry for myself, or pout. :-)

So... NOW WHAT?

Well, our "plan" (haha...as if ANYTHING EVER goes according to plan) is to be in the hospital for about 10-14 days (that's normal time for Josh), get released, go to the FORGE Conference and have a blast (http://www.forgeministries.org/), and then be ready (and THRILLED) to receive placement calls again by Sept 8th!

Hope our plan works! (But the Lord's will be done, not ours)

Until then, I'm reading up on some more parenting books - as suggested by my new friend and favorite blog http://www.5kids6months.blogspot.com/  

 LOVING this book! Keep highlighting and reading parts aloud to Josh

I'm re-reading the top book, but all the others are new to me.

Picture Review of 6 months with Big Brother and Little Sister

 Day 1 with us

 Trekking the property with Josh and meeting "Patches"

 Bad Weather Day - no school - so we aquadoodled at home :-)

 Big Brother seemed happy to sleep ANYWHERE

 Little Sister's comfy spot

 Hiking with Daddy Josh at Buckner

 Can barely see their silhouettes at the top

 Makes me wanna whistle the Andy Griffith theme song

 feeding wildlife (the very domesticated park ducks)

 At the Rodeo with Poppy and Nana

 Time with GiGi

 Listening to music (a little too close?)

 Visiting PawPaw Otter- complete with many attractions:

his awesome property with pond,

nearby aquarium/fish hatchery,

and toy closet to explore with Aunt Christie

 When Poppy and Gigi visited, we went to our local airfield and museum

 Pushing Little Sister around the track after school.

Mom realized it was better to park and walk to school to pick up Big Brother

rather than wait in a car line forever

 Second visit to PawPaw Otters (on our trip to Galveston)

PawPaw had an "auction" so that Big Brother could spend his hard-earned money

He mostly wanted a telescope...and he got it! 

He out-bid Aunt RayRay and won it for $15!

 Little Sister...

 Also one to sleep anywhere and in any position

 fishing at Buckner with daddy Josh

 GiGi and Big Brother playing "Noah's Ark"

 During Poppy and GiGi's 4th of July visit, we took Big Brother

to a RC Airshow. He actually got to fly a remote control airplane himself!

(With the help of a professional with a master control, lol)

 (Below) Big Brother sure loved visiting the library

as a reward and fun errand. He really enjoyed the kids' computer

 My grandparents paid for us to take Big Brother to the Austin Childrens Museum,

the Thinkery, during one of Josh's Austin doctors visits. The Museum is right across the street

from Dell Childrens Hospital where Josh has dr appointments. 

 It was a BLAST!

Big Brother loved the water room!

 Josh and I were so impressed with the museum that we're

determined to take ALL our future foster kids there too!

 Most wonderful note I've ever received.

A letter from the Birth-Mom! (just a week or two before reunification)

 One last visit from GiGi -

included trips to the park, thrift store, restaurants, etc

Good memories!

2 Days till the kids leave!

 Big Brother was excited about going home...

AND having a "Thanksgiving/Reunification Party"!

Truly prepared to go out and fight the battle for Christ.

His favorite hymn?

 "SOUND THE BATTLE CRY"!

Update - hello again and goodbye

Well you haven't heard anything from me for quite some time. How could I neglect writing for over four months!? Well simply because these two precious munchkins have kept me busier than ever! But as I say "hello" again and assure you all that the past months have been full of joy, Hardships and learned lessons...I must also tell you that our time as "mommy and daddy" to Big Brother and little Sister is ending. They will be fully reunited with their birth mom on Aug 15th. Wow! The past 6months have FLOWN BY! This little baby girl was 6 weeks when we first welcomed her into our heart and home. Her big brother was 5yrs old. "Little sister" is now a "big girl" rolling over, babbling,  wiggling all around and showing real personality - she'll be 8 months old next week! Big Brother is bigger than ever and maturing before our eyes! He's 6 yrs old and will talk your ear off. He loves Bible Study each morning and singing hymns- Holy, Holy, Holy, Amazing Grace, and Sound the Battle Cry are his favorites. He knows 11 verses by heart and loves reciting them to family, friends, and perfect strangers in the HEB parking lot! Little Sisters too young to understand the upcoming events of reunification (birth mom hasn't had her since she was a week old)...but Big Brother is thrilled about going to live with his mom! He's telling everyone the good news and is getting so anxious he often says he's going back home "in the morning". Not quite...but time has always been hard to grasp.
I will have more time to update everyone later and hope to include more details and pictures. For now, things are still too busy to sit down and give it my full attention. After the kids go home Josh is anticipating/planning a two week hospitalization (before we get more placements). Its been a year and a half since he was last in, and it's a good time for a "re-boot ". :-) I'll take time then to fill you in. Once we're out of the hospital (beginning of Sept) our doors will be open again for more of God's precious blessings!!! We LOVE fostering!!!!!!

GLAD FAMILY update

Life has kept us busy lately (hence the long gap between updates and pictures).

Big Brother is doing great and we are working on issues at school with hopes that he'll be able to succeed and thrive like a normal Kindergartener. His birthday is coming up soon and "time" is a very hard thing to explain to a 5 year old...especially when his "Birthday!" is on the line! :-) He is determined to have a Lightning MacQueen ("CARS") themed birthday party and Mommy is still working out the logistics of what day to have this awesome celebration. He has mentioned wanting a Tiger Shark for Christmas, so I'm hoping he doesn't have similar hopes for his Birthday present (although mommy and daddy have discussed maybe getting a fish tank with a little "shark"). No definite decision yet. Big Brother continues to love the library and we check out about 30 or more items a week... reading several a day (and several times each!). I try to get lots of Non-Fiction books and he seems to love what I pick out. Whales, Fire trucks, the Titanic, the Hindenburg, Cars, Trains, Alaska, Snakes, Coyotes, Volcanos, etc. etc. etc. Whatever the subject is, becomes his new infatuation. Right now we are focused on tornados, sharks, and volcanos. So of course, he requires mommy to draw him pictures of these things. They usually involve the Tiger Shark biting a tornado or jumping over a volcano (and similar scenarios). Pretty dramatic stuff. We're really into natural disaster stuff and its pretty cool to hear about how God makes lightning, thunder, tornados, etc. We have a SUPER STRONG God! :-)

Baby Sister is thriving and sleeping good at night. There's been a few nights with only one feeding and this makes Mommy VERY happy! :-) She is still looking "pretty in pink" and has the smile of an angel! I have been updating family with pictures and everyone agrees that she has the sweetest smile and the brightest eyes! She's beautiful!

 

We are enjoying Spring Break and Big Brother has been WONDERFUL for me throughout the day (with a few exceptions which require "redirection" and "focus time" - sitting in the hall facing the wall). We have added CHORES to his routine this week and he is excited about "earning quarters"... he already knows how he wants to spend it... *on GUM* (of course!)

Tomorrow evening we are headed to see Poppy and GiGi on the coast and plan a trip to the beach and an aquarium (shhh...it's a surprise!). We have lots of shell-collecting to do, because we've promised shells to just about everybody we know (teacher, CPS and CASA worker, other mommy and daddy, etc).

We have made cookies for the Firemen twice now and the first time we delivered them, Fireman Chris let Big Brother sit in the drivers seat of the BIG RED FIRETRUCK and HONG THE SIREN!!! So exciting! (*Mommy has decided Fireman Chris is super cool). :-) We delivered some again today to them and also to the local Police and Big Brother got to give the Policeman a "high five". Not knowing all the details about these kids past, we are trying our best to reinforce to Big Brother WHO the "Good guys" are. Policemen and Firemen are brave and strong and protect us. I have baked and delivered cookies to the police and firemen before in our community, but it means so much more coming from a kid who can look up to these men and say, "I'm super strong too Mommy! Like a firefighter! I wanna be a firefighter!"

(Neat!)

 

***The kids' Court Date is March 21st, so please keep them in your prayers and pray that the Lord will give the Judge wisdom in his decisions. May God's will be done.****

 

Please enjoy the pictures I've attached, and know that our family feels your prayers and needs them daily! We send our love and THANKS to each of you and hope your month will be filled with rejoicing in the Lord!

 

Big Brother loves to "wash dishes" (another way of saying "playing in the sink for an hour")

 

Big Brother watching a movie (an animated book) for having a great report from school!

Gotta love the germ-infested-playgrounds at your local fast food restaurants :o)

 

Daddy and Baby Sister

(she holds her head up so well!)

Another cute photo from the Rodeo

Daddy, Big Brother, and (the other) Poppy

(Every man in this little boy's world is "Poppy")

Couldn't get this image to turn, but you can get an idea of the sort of drawings Big Brother likes.

Here is one that Daddy drew (at Big Brothers dictation)...

Mommy and Daddy are bottom left watching a tornado.

PawPaw Otter (that's GiGi's dad...My PawPaw) is riding and "roping" the twister,

and GiGi is watching from the ground (her hair is being blown around from the high winds).

 

He has quite the imagination! :o)