Saturday Morning, At Last..

Now that the kids are settled in and feeling better, it's so cool to see their little personalities blossom. They really do play well together and are sweet as can be. They are 4 1/2 and have their moments but none of the incidences to date have sent us running for cover.

Jill is definitely big sister (she will proudly inform you she was born first) and is all girl. She is baking cakes this morning (Lego's) for all and we sang, "Happy Birthday" to her and Jack. Their real birthday is in July but we celebrated DH's this past week and I do believe the idea stuck. She takes care of all her dolls (some caught her flu and need extra attention) and was over the moon happy when DH told her she will be a wonderful Mommy when she grows up.

Jack is all boy. It looks like a Matchbox factory threw up all over the family room with a few loopty loop tracks thrown in. He enjoys crashing stuff, things that have the potential to blow up and I'm certain will be covered in mud this summer. He has already spied the snowmobiles and informed me that as soon as he gets his helmet he and DH are going sledding.

DH couldn't be more proud.

A Sweet Award!

My wonderful bloggy friend Melissa (with the totally awesome name) from Multi-Tasking Mama bestowed this lovely ditty upon my little ole blog:

Here are the rules for receiving the Lemonade Award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Here we go...
1) Kadi @ Womb
2) Kim @ What's That Smell?
3) Kristin @ An Ordinary Life
4) Beth @ Blessed Life
5) Bridgette @ The Not So Blog
6) Cherie @ Meet The Robinsons
7) Amanda @ Amanda
8) Nichole @ Not The Usual Ticking Clock
9) Lana @ The Kids Did What?!
10) Tiff @ Still Seeking Sanity

Thankful For Our Blessings

I wanted to take a moment out of our spinning life to throw out a huge, "THANK YOU!!" to Nantie for taking this journey with us. Tomorrow will be a week since the twins moved in and we know without a shadow of a doubt we couldn't of taken this on without her.

Nantie, we love you dearly and consider you a true blessing.

A New Badge & A Big Day

I think I earned a new badge last night (if there is one for getting barfed on). Jack didn't eat much all day yesterday but had a hearty dinner. We were so proud of him. Afterwards on the couch they were taking their meds (the icky one they hate so much) and he gagged a bit. I was ready for him to urp a little up but no.. here came dinner. ALL.OF.IT. Poor little guy. By the time round 2 came on I was ready and caught most in a paper towel. A heck of a save if I do say so, myself.

Cousin Kadi has since given me some stellar advice on strategic garbage bag placement.

Today Nantie is taking the twins to the County office for their visit with Bmom. A worker will meet her outside, take the kids in and meet her back in the parking lot an hour later. The visitation is supervised, of course. It's common for kids in foster care to have really tough evenings after visits (meltdowns, etc) so we are on pins and needles over what is to come.

I'm back at work wishing I was with them..

Ride That Couch.. YeeHaw!

4 Days and counting of nasty tasting meds, coughing, sneezing, boogers, et al. All things considered, they have been little troopers.

The twins have done really really well in their transition. Jill will eat just about anything, Jack is the picky one. We're slowly learning what he'll eat.. it's a process. So far we haven't had any real issues.. they mind and are sweet as can be. However, we are still in the "Honeymoon Phase" and they are sick. Once they get to feeling better and life starts to sink in there is no doubt we'll hit all kinds of bumps in the road.

They have monitored visits with Bmom twice a week but we cancelled today's for obvious reasons. They have an evaluation on Thursday and we're hoping to get them feeling good enough to go. It's in the afternoon so at least it won't be a morning scramble.

I go back to work tomorrow and Nantie will be here all day with them. I ran errands yesterday for just a couple hours and called the house a gazillion times. Gosh only knows how often I'll be bothering them being gone all day... I'm really going to miss them.

A LOT.

Perfect Moment Monday

Last Sunday evening I wound down with a glass (or two) of Merlot. This weekend it was all about shots.. of Children's Tylenol, Motrin and some other nasty stuff. I ate dinner after bedtime stories and putting the kids to sleep. Not a wine glass in sight.. sigh.

My perfect moment is stopping to realize our new little corner of crazy is pretty darn cool. Laughing at the plethora of meds we're taking is my Perfect Moment!

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

(PS.. Did I mention it's my 200th post?!??? Woohoo!)

10 Things I've Learned In Two Days

1) It takes wads and wads of toilet paper to clean poop off an eensie butt.

2) Pinocchio still rocks (and they say, "Jack ass" in it.. missed that as a kid).

3) Girls eat their food, boys make catapults out of a fork and spoon.

4) It takes an hour and a half to bathe, moisturize, blow dry and get twins into bed.

5) No ifs ands or buts about it, I need to wear a bathing suit at bath time.

6) Nothing is cuter than a rendition of ABC's sung by two 4 1/2 year olds and a 46 year old husband.

7) Kids are so beyond strong and resilient it's not even funny.

8) Grape Children's Tylenol tastes way better than Motrin (so says the twins).

9) When Jill cries at night and asks me to keep rubbing her back because it makes her not feel scared, my heart breaks.

10) Sponge Bob is evil. PURE evil.

Official Members of The Urgent Care Club

Jack and Jill arrived with their workers at just after 10am. They were in good spirits and happy to see us. Sweet relief. They came with bags and bags of toys, clothes and shoes. Their family didn't have much but really doted over the children. Bless their hearts for sending everything.. all that is familiar really helps.

Jill had a runny nose yesterday and was pretty sick today. The workers said to keep an eye on her and if we felt uncomfortable at any point, head over to urgent care. She was pretty wiped out and was snuggled in on the couch watching cartoons, in and out of sleep. Jack brought some toys out and made himself at home.

She just seemed to feel worse and by 4pm we were headed to urgent care. Nantie stayed home with Jack. Jill was hot as heck and just miserable. It hurt to look at her and she just clung onto DH or myself. Poor little eensie thing.

She hadn't peed since we had her (although we were making her drink water) and that was a concern. Urgent care wanted her to go before we left (willing to give her another hour) or we were off to the emergency room for dehydration. Her temp spiked to 104. They did a strep test, looked and listened to everything and tested for flu. They gave her Motrin and it was a wait and see. All the while she was sipping as much water as she could.

Can I just say for the record, she was an absolute darling, never once fussing or refusing. The tiniest little trooper I've ever met.

She was curled on my lap under her blankie (clutching her Teddy) when her head suddenly popped up and she declared, "I HAVE TO PEE!" Those words never sounded so good. We high fived as she pottied and her spunky little personality started to peek through. She was ready to come home to chicken noodle soup that Missy L had prepared.

Another hour seemed to drag on as her fever came down. 100.1 .. sweet! The verdict was in: INFLUENZA A. Seriously, she's got the FLU. Oy!!! We're now all on various prescriptions (hers to get her better, Nantie, DH, Jack and I to keep from getting sick).

By the time we got home she was really much better. We ate and crashed on the couch.

At 8:30 we started winding down for bed. Pj's, tooth brushing, bedtime stories. They are used to having the tv on in their room all night long and not so happy that's not the case here. With big yawns, tucked in with old and new toys, they drifted off. I peeked in once, Jack was totally out but Jill couldn't sleep. I spent a few more mins rubbing her back and she drifted off. They wanted the light on the bedside table left on.. hopefully they'll sleep through it.

NOT the first day I imagined but we survived and so did they. I guess that's really all we can ask for..

Dinner, A 1 Year Anniversary & The Big Move

Dinner:
Last night our dinner with the family went well. I had shown the kids pictures of our family members while they were here and they proudly announced they knew DH and told him his first name as soon as we arrived.

What's that puddle on the floor? That would be DH.. he had melted. LOL.

We brought over pizza and had light conversation. We have not yet met birth mom (that meeting will take place at DSS somewhere down the line) but feel very good about establishing a relationship with the local family members. They are truly kind people that want the best for the kids and wish to be part of their lives. We will do everything in our power to make sure that happens.

After dinner, Jill proceeded to bring ALL her baby dolls out to the front room and then wanted to show DH her room. When they were done, Jack also wanted to show him the room (same one but the tour proceeded just the same). When I popped in the kids were laughing with DH and he and Jack were wrestling and playing on the bed.

There were tears and hugs as we departed. We're all going to ask the county if we can arrange to meet once a week all together once the kids are settled in. All they asked is that we take very good care of their babies and love them enough for all of us. If that doesn't make your heart break what will?

A 1 Year Anniversary:
One year ago this very day, DH and I began our two day training course with the county. To say it was intense is an understatement .. life changing would be much more accurate. When Nantie completed hers (which is now THREE days of training.. I can't even imagine!) she was thoroughly convinced EVERYONE should take it. Fostering, adopting or even just having kids of your own the courses taught were just plain awesome.

The ride home after the first training day, I held my breath not knowing where DH "was at" about the whole thing. We were spinning and exhausted. On tables throughout the room pictures of available children were placed and he had taken time to walk by them and read their stories. I finally couldn't take the suspense any longer and asked. His response, "I think we should fill the paperwork out tonight to get the process started.. and go for two siblings".

If I was sitting in a chair and not riding in the car, I would of fallen out of it. I was hoping for ONE and he wanted two? Seriously??! We spent the evening sipping Baileys and filling out the official paperwork. And so it began.

Fast Forward to today... later this morning the social workers will be moving the children over. My what a difference a year makes!

The Big Move:
In about an hour the kids will arrive with the social workers. DH and I are ready to receive them and Nantie is expected about an hour later. She will get to know them as we muddle through paperwork.

After that, we're flying by the seat of our pants..

Please keep the kids, their family and us in your prayers.

Thursday's Game Plan

At 11am I'm going over to get the kids and bring them to our house. The plan is to introduce them to the little dogs, show them their rooms, pictures of our family and hang out. Then, off to McDonald's.

The family members they are living with now will send some packed things with them. They have tons of clothes and toys and my hope is having some familiar things around them will help in the move. I'm open to just about anything I can do within my power to ease their hearts and minds.

Tonight, DH and I are taking pizza over to their house and having dinner with the family. He hasn't met the kids (nor seen pictures) and is pretty darn excited. Guess who got more sleep last night? That would be ME! Ah HA!

Not living in the county we're certified in has it's downsides. No assistance with transportation, farther drives, etc. The upside we figured would be chances were less likely to run into family members while out and about with the kids. What a nightmare, right? Although Bmom lives in the county we are working with, her family does not. They live about 15 mins across town from us! Does anything EVER go as planned?? Um, no. Another good reason to build a relationship with them.

BirthMom is being told about the move this afternoon at her visitation. The general consensus is, although she knew it was inevitable, she is not going to be very happy.

Sigh.

Jack & Jill

I had read in one of my gazillion adoption books that most of the time when you meet your placement it's not love at first sight. That was a relief and actually took a lot of the pressure off. I don't know why, it just did. Going into the meeting today I had little expectations of feeling anything other than empathy for the kids.

You can imagine my surprise when my heart melted as soon as I laid eyes on them!?

Jack and Jill. Small for their 4 1/2 years but where they lack in stature they make up for in personality. When asked, she proudly announced SHE is the oldest and I do believe runs the show. Smart and sassy. He is a bit more reserved but once he got comfortable was all boy.

I cannot discuss the meeting only to say it was emotional on many levels. I got to spend time with some of the family members (on birth mom's side) and we hope to establish a relationship. For the kids as well as one another. They are unable to take the kiddos for reasons even I'm not privy to. Please do not judge them... they are good people.

I'm picking up the kids tomorrow morning and we're going to hang out for a few hours. I purchased new car seats (the ones loaned to us were for infants and we needed to up it a size or two). She has a pretty pink one and he has a manly dark blue.

Friday they move in.

Like the past 2 nights my head is spinning. At least I've got faces in my mind's eye to put with the names. The one thing I know for sure is it's going to be crazy around here in Tminus 12 hours.

The Rest Of The Week..

Is going to be insane.

I meet the twins today with a slew of social workers. Tomorrow they want me to spend more time with them (go to the park, McDonalds, etc) and Friday they move in. Blam-o. It's not the way a transition is supposed to go but time is of the essence.

DH and I were up until the wee hours of the morning talking. This time, even he couldn't sleep. We're excited and scared to death. It's going to be a very traumatic time for the kids and we're hoping to dig deep and do our best by them. Nantie will probably be joining us on moving day.

A year ago this Friday was the first day of our 2 day training class. My what a difference a year makes.

Please keep us in your prayers!!

GOT THE CALL!

Meeting the twins TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay Tuned!

Calm, Cool & Collected..

NOT!!! (My picture in the sidebar pretty much hits the nail right on the head).

Last night I got about 2 hours of sleep. My little mind was spinning (still is, as a matter of fact). The call we are waiting on could end up being life changing. Totally epic. When DH got home tonight we talked about the day and I told him how beat I am:

DH: Why?

Me: Um, the twins. (insert internal eye roll and big fat, "Duh" here).

DH: (still perplexed)

Me: Well, if we do get them it's huge.. LIFE ALTERING HUGE! For one thing, because of the age range we've chosen I've had to hold off on decorating and their room is fairly bare. If they do come I will have almost zero time to make it comfortable...

On and on I ranted, all the while DH cocking his head to and fro like our dobe when he hears a high pitched noise.

DH: So you're stressing about stressing over something that may not even come to pass. Yes?

Me: Yes.

DH: Backs away slowly.

I've already popped 2 Tylenol PMs and hope they kick in soon. Must.stop.thinking.now. It's in His hands and whatever will be will be.

I'm getting slleeeeppppyyy.

The Call.. Er, Kind Of..

Back in August when we got called on the sisters, we made the heart wrenching decision to decline. There was a huge twist in the case and our gut reaction was it was more than we could handle. I must say, being completely honest with yourself (and mate) downright stinks. It was at that time we dug deep and came to the realization that going from zero to two kids all at once was biting off more than we could chew. We decided to change our file from 2 children to 1 child. We would keep our certification current and adopt again a few years down the line. Since then the phone has been silent.

Until today.

Folks, when the county calls on a Sunday during a 3 day weekend, you know somethings up. Color me a rocket scientist. The call was for a set of 4 year old twins. A boy and a girl. I told her about us changing our status five months ago and come to find out, our file had not been changed. Sigh. Although the twins are not a match for us, I told her if she was unable to find a home we would take them in as an emergency placement.

Turns out, this is no ordinary case (not that there is one). There is no time for a presentation, the 24 hours to make a decision or even a transition period. No time to hang out with the family and get a feel for the ebb and flow. Placement needs to happen asap. Like, Tuesday or Wednesday. Holy cow.

The social worker called back and said there was a good chance they will be needing us take the kiddos. She had gone to the office and made some calls. It was looking bleak. She asked if we understood that this could take 2-3 months. We do. I asked her to please let us know right away and immediately called Nantie when we were done.

So, our little family is on Red Alert. Although it may not be the final placement God has intended for us, we may be in for our first great adventure.

Stay Tuned!

News From Around The Blogosphere!

Since my little world is really boring at the moment (RINGPHONERING!) I thought I would pass along some exciting happenings around BloggyLand:

Tune in to TrueFemme tonight at 6pm PST. Kadi and Danielle are celebrating the launch of Uncorked and prelaunch of TrueFemme. No doubt it will be a laugh riot!! Joining them is our friend Trish from MomDot. I have my wine glass and fav bottle of Merlot ready!

Michelle at Eat, Sleep, Create! has some exciting news to be announced soon.. stay tuned!


Looking to strengthen your marriage?? Toni from Daily Dose is launching a new blog dedicated to the book, "The Love Dare". The journey starts on February 14th and I'm in, are YOU?!


Keep praying for Abby. The following is an email sent to our Facebook group:
Abby made it two days after getting chemo… she’s being admitted to the hospital today. Her spinal pressure has shot up again… she is also showing the beginning signs of this intense chemo… throwing up a lot, the shakes, tired, feeling very poorly….


Corrine at My Haiku finally revealed how many snowflakes there are!

I'm working on a new series for The Classy Closet.. Stay Tuned!

Our friend Cherie at Meet The Robinsons found out they are having a baby boy and all indications show he's healthy!

Ann Again.. and again is hosting a Virtual Girls Night Out Tonight! Put your jammies on and join the fun!! I'll be stopping by for sure!!


I'm sure there's more exciting news out there.. Please send me your announcements and button codes and I'll add it to the post!!

*RINGPHONERING*

Happy Friday, Ya'll!!!!

Nantie Is Thiiis Close ------> <--------

... To getting approved! The last bit of paperwork needing to be turned in (her physical) was completed today. She's dropping it in the mail to "D" tomorrow and, once received, she'll be a card carrying club member. Unlike our process she does not need to go in front of the board for review.

Now, if the dang phone would just RING...

Attn Readers In The South Bay of So Cal ~ Totally OT!

This is a shout out for my BFF Bren (you all have had the pleasure of reading about our trials & tribs). She was caught up in the economic spiral a few months back and has been pounding the pavement for employment. If any of you in the South Bay area of Southern California know of a job or have a job to offer, leave a comment and she will gladly email her resume. She worked for 12 years as an Exec Asst and also has retail experience as a Kitchen and Bath Designer. Any and all leads would be SOOOO APPRECIATED!

We know return to our regularly scheduled blogging..

Our Countdown

I try not to look at The Countdown on the sidebar but today it caught my eye and actually gave me a good giggle.

Praying For Abby

One of the cool things about the blogosphere is all the amazing people you "meet" along the way. I've been inspired and brought to tears yet again and I would like to introduce you all to Miss Abby. At three months old she was adopted from Guatemala and is now 4 years old. In July of 2008 she was diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Certain genetic complications have put her chance of surviving the treatment at about 20%. I am praying for her and her family... will you pray for them, too?

You can find out more about Abby here: The Riggs Family Blog

The List & A Legacy

I've been pondering a post I wrote for The Classy Closet. It was about how much I believe we are affected by the environment we grow up in. For some of you stopping by my little blog for the first time, I found out just shy of my 30th birthday that I was adopted. Almost a year after Mama passed away a family friend unknowingly mentioned my adoption in a hastily written note. She obviously thought I had been told.

I was like my parents in so many ways to say I was shocked is an understatement.

DH and I may not share DNA with our adopted child(ren) but how we raise them will have an impact on their lives. What we expose them to can become lifelong interests and memories. I've been thinking about the things my parents encouraged that I hope to pass on:

**A Love For Reading. I was the kid that spent summer nights under her covers with a flashlight devouring books. My imagination was transported by "A Wrinkle In Time", "Charlotte's Web" and I could hardly contain my squeals of laughter from "Mrs Piggle Wiggle". I loved the library and B. Dalton bookstores. I think it's a shame the aroma of Starbucks overwhelms the smell of books at Barnes & Noble.

**Sports. I was an over the top tomboy and loved all things sports. They (almost always) kept me out of trouble and focused.

**Music Appreciation. Honestly I sucked at playing instruments. I gave the violin and clarinet a whirl in elementary school and was a total failure. I couldn't play but learned to love and respect music just the same. For the record, I did find out later in life I have a pretty decent singing voice which is now reserved for future lullaby's.

**A Love For Man's Best Friend. DH and I were raised with dogs and our herd is part of the family. Some of the most stressful times of my life have been soothed by a smile from our mastiff-lab-goofball mix or a nudge and kiss from our husky. Bad things seem to melt away after a long walk with a true companion.

**Faith. I will train them up in my faith and what they decide to do with it as adults is up to them. Like Mama, I will pray they stay the course.

**Take Road Trips. We never flew as a family.. we always drove. Some of my best memories started in the wee hours of the morning leaving our home in the '68 Dart. Mom, Dad, me, 2 toy poodles and Goldie (our gold fish.. I couldn't bear to leave her behind).

**The Value of a Dollar. DH is the hardest working man I've ever met (next to Dad) and we're both cut from the same work ethic cloth. In life, we believe it's very important to pull your own weight.

The list grows daily as more things come to mind. DH and I may not be able to give our adopted children our heritage but we sure can leave them a legacy.

Are You a Go-To Parent?

Or Know Of One?

The makers of Supernanny are looking for stellar parents for an upcoming reality show. Please check out Miss Christy's blog (Butterflies In The Car Line) for more details!

The Call That Didn't Come

During Nantie's last home study visit, "D" asked if we had gotten any calls for emergency placements. For the record, we have not (trust me, ya'll will know). Come to find out, "D" had heard they were going to call us on a set of 3 month old twin girls both with broken bones. If that isn't hearbreaking I don't know what is. They were working hard to place the girls with family and were obviously successful.

Please keep the defenseless, innocent ones in your prayers.

I'm A Classpert!!

You heard me RIGHT!


The lovely ladies at The Classy Closet have bestowed upon me and our dear friend Bridget (of Don't Blink) a very distinct honor. We have been named, "Classperts" and we're going to write about all things classy. Thanks, Classy Lassies, for giving us the wonderful opportunity to be a part of your amazing team!!

Now ya'll surf on over and join us for some classy fun, ya hear?!

Nantie Goes To The Board & We Stay Home

I have to laugh at how quickly Nantie's home study has gone (compared to our 7 month timeline). "D" is presenting her to The Board for review less than 2 months since the start of the process. If all goes as planned she should be certified in a weeks time. Yay!

Things are already different for 2009. To conserve vacation time to be home with our little one when "The Call" comes, we've cancelled all our annual vacations. DH has a couple trips planned with his coworkers but he'll bow out if need be. Sacrifices we're happy to make.. trust me!

2009 is going to be a stellar year.. I can just feel it!

Perfect Moment Monday

On Friday instead of answering phones, putting out "fires" (IE: handling problems) and dealing with customers, we were sledding along amazing trails up in God's Country. Lucky for DH, Missy and My Kiwi we do not have voice activated communicators in our helmets and they were spared my renditions of, "A Bright Sunshiny Day".

It was a perfect day.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Snow Fun

It's not officially a day of sledding until someone gets stuck:



It was a fantastic ride.

Happy New Year.. We're Here!

DH, Missy, My Kiwi and I made it to the lodge with minimal issues yesterday afternoon. Aside from the raging winds, the only drama we had was a deer deciding to jump into the front passenger wheel of the motor home (denting the hubcap and taking 3 lug nuts with her). Don't worry, although it gave us a fright she actually hopped away, unharmed.

We kicked back last night watching movies and are now getting ready to ride the trails. We're parked just ahead of the web cam so you can't see us..


Here's Missy kicking back last night watching "Rudy":


.. AND, we're off..