The Kindness of Others..

When we got the call for Mannie and Little Miss Sunshine we literally had a couple hours between the the time I hung up til they arrived on the doorstep. Jack and Jill had only left a mere 4 days prior and we were spinning (to put it nicely). The biggest concern?

We needed baby stuff real quick like.

We had plenty of toys for Mannie and even some clothes if needed but nothing (zero, nada, zippo, ziltch) for baby. Above and beyond what she came with (diapers, clothes, toys and a can of formula) what about a crib? Stroller? Bounce chair? Playpen?

Fail.

My coworker (and honorary little sister) Michelle came through in a huge way that very night. As our new social worker filled out paperwork at the table 'Chelle and her kids unloaded baby clothes out the ying yang, the playpen, a bounce chair, binkies, bottles and toys. Auntie MooMoo put the word out and her wonderful friends Chris and Debbie came through and loaned us a crib, high chair and baby back pack.

Life savers one and all!!

Thank you everyone for your amazing generosity! To say we would've been in a massive pickle had it not been for your wonderful support is an understatement. I did bake 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies with the intent of giving them as a humble thank you gift. Er, I'll be baking another 3 batches again this weekend an I PROMISE this time they will be delivered.

There are blessings and angels everywhere!!!

More Fame Claims!

Set your DVR's, Tivo's and VCR's.. my unstoppable cousin Kadi (from WATI) and her beautiful daughter, Miss Marlie, are on Dr Phil today!!!

Am I running with a famous crowd or WHAT?!

One Of My Claims To Fame..

A wonderful bloggy friend, the uber talented (THAT'S RIGHT I SAID UBER!) Amber Johnson (from Crazy Bloggin Canuck & founder/editor of Mile High Mamas) was featured in a segment this evening on CBS4Denver. She was talking about how influential Mommy Bloggers are.. and well.. Aw heck, watch for yourself..

---> CLICK HERE TO WATCH AMBER'S INTERVIEW!! <----

Thanks Amber for representing the Mommy Blog Nation so dang well and CBS4 for giving the opportunity to get the word out!

Now if I could just get her autograph..

Perfect Moment Monday

Yes, more male bonding (this time it involved Mannie, Casanova and the movie, "Cars"). Both were happy as little clams..

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Male Bonding..

DH, Mannie & Clifford (The Big Red Dog) snuggle in for a bedtime story..


So much for princess stories.. humpf!

Jack & Jill ~ Inquiring Minds Want to Know..

I've had tons of emails and comments asking about our little twin darlings. For all the new readers, Jack and Jill were 4 1/2 year old twins placed with us in early 2009 that moved in August. They now live permanently with family members. Little Mannie started attending their preschool a week or so ago and the burning question is.. Have We Seen Them??!

The answer is YES!

Apparently they were all over Nantie like white on rice and had smiles that went on for miles. They hugged and kissed on her .. completely over the moon excited. They looked healthy (Jill is actually as tall as brother now!) and happy and that's really all we can ask for.

Prayers answered.

(P.S. And for the record .. Yes, I cried when I got the news.. sweet relief!)

Signs Signs Everywhere There's Signs..

*Constant drooling

*Major irritability

*Hands in mouth

*Mood swings

*Waking at night

*Really in need of meds

.. wait that would be me!

(and Little Miss Sunshine is officially teething, too)

Perfect Moment Monday

My entire life is sprinkled with very fond memories of my Auntie J. With a twinkle in her eyes everything we did together had a sense of adventure. She is quick to laugh and never fails to have a story to tell..

My Perfect Moment was a mirror image of the wonderment of my childhood. I sat back and watched as Auntie transformed a stroll around the neighborhood into an exciting nature walk.



We curently have an ever expanding centerpiece on the table proudly created by Mannie.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Bottoms Up...

Crawled all over God's Green Earth? (Okay, it's just green carpet)
CHECK!
Drooled on every inch along the way?
CHECK!
Laughed at goofy Big People making funny faces?
CHECK!
Blew raspberries at aforementioned peeps and made them laugh?
CHECK!
Took a big walk around the neighborhood with brother and Big People?
CHECK!
Ate a ginormous lunch and have a full tummy?
CHECK!!

What's next?

Bottoms Up!

First Day of (Pre)School

Our darling Little Mannie started school today (we believe for the first time). His schedule is packed with visits and various appointments and Fridays are the only day that works for both us and the school. We're stoked to have him attending the same (wonderful) school we had Jack and Jill in (who are still there, by the way--the family decided to let them stay).

When Nantie dropped him off this morning he was shy and just wanted to play with toys alone. Worried Mama Hen (aka-Moi) called an hour later and was relieved to hear he quickly came out of his shell and was participating with the other children.

Yay Mannie!

He was excited to start school and make new friends. He so needed to be around other children and we have no doubt he will blossom even more ...

Stay Tuned!

Livin' La Vida Loca..

.. Sans Ricky Martin, unfortunately.

Mannie and Sunshine have settled in nicely. He's no longer Mr. Manic Hyper (the anxiety is gone) .. just a normal, 3 1/2 year old spaz. They are both beautiful, loving children. We have had our share of rough nights with Mannie (up crying) and last night was no exception. It's the most heartbreaking wailing you've ever heard and he just has to cry it out. All we can do is rub his back and speak softly to him until it passes.

Although they came to us with the agreement it was a temporary emergency placement things have changed a bit. It's looking like the 4-6 week timeline could become longer as the "blips" needing to be ironed out aren't as insignificant as originally perceived. Investigations are stalling, people aren't checking out, etc.

Go figure.

If a plan isn't in motion to place them back with family within the intended time frame the county (knowing we took them in short term) would've started to look at transferring them to another foster home. There is concern we didn't get enough of a break after Jack and Jill left (remember, it was a whopping 4 days). Nantie, DH and I have discussed the situation and decided (as fragile as Mannie is) it would not be in their best interest to move them to another foster home. We honestly adore the kiddos and would be sick with worry. Now what kind of break would that be, anyway?? So, we very well may have them longer than initially expected.

Latest Lesson Learned: Even if the county truly thinks something will happen in a smooth and timely fashion know it so ain't gonna happen.

So Who Won The Lost & Found Family DVD??!!??!??

Drum Roll Please...

And the winner of a copy of



IS....

Rachel from The Demille Family! Yay Rachel! Please drop me an email at myfullcircle at gmail dot com with your address so I can get your copy sent!

For everyone else, thank you for participating!! The DVD is released today and if you click on the link above, you can purchase your own copy!

Congrats again, Rachel!

Lookey Lookey!

See anything new?

:o)

Updates done by my girl Lindsey at

Full House

As Friday was winding down at work, I was thinking how great it would be to have a relaxing, hang-out-at-the-house kinda weekend. The biggest event planned was a quickie hop over to the grocery store. That's it. Although a short work week (thanks to Labor Day) it was still insane.

I was baked.

My cell rang at around 3pm but I let it go to voicemail. Unless it's the county I try not to take too many personal calls. It was from my Auntie J in CA and I figured I would call her back on my drive home. Then she called at work and THAT meant something is up.

My heart flip flopped.

For all my readers that follow Kadi at WATI, my Auntie is her grandma (if you're keeping score, Kadi and I are 2nd cousins). My dear Uncle passed away a year ago this past February and Auntie just hasn't seemed to be able to completely get through the grief. After 40+ years of a solid, loving marriage, I don't know how it's done and we've all been concerned about her. Sometimes she seems fine and other times not so much. This is a woman of great faith that lives out loud and to see her wilt is almost unbearable.

SO.. Auntie says she is in a blue funk, needs to get away and asked if she could come out for a visit. Well OF COURSE! That's a big Duh George. I say, "When!?" and she says, "ASAP". Arrangements were made Friday night and she'll be here TODAY for 2 weeks.

Holy Cow!

This is totally out of the norm for Auntie (she's not a fly by the seat of her pants kinda lady) and never asks for help. I am grateful she feels she can reach out to us and pray this trip helps her regroup and feel better. I know she is going to adore Mannie and Sunshine and looking forward to spending time with our CO family.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!!!!

This coming Thursday, Uncle JoeJoe and Auntie D (DH's younger brother and his lovely lady) are driving in from out of state for the weekend. DH's company contracts with the Cleveland Browns and he invited Uncle JoeJoe to assist when they fly into town for the football game. Next Saturday they will meet the team plane at the airport, unload equipment and set up at Mile High Stadium. On Sunday they will be on field pregame shagging punted balls for the kickers. During the game, they're to "look busy".. holding the coach's headset cord, picking up towels, etc. After the Broncos win they'll load back up and may even score a game ball. It's a chance of a lifetime and both DH and Uncle JoeJoe are beyond excited.

Bottom line: Our home is gonna be full and rockin'. At the end of the day it's all about family and it's as it should be.

Remembrance

We Will Never



Ever



Ever Forget



God bless the families of the fallen, the brave heroes that risked their own lives and our beautiful country.

Still Wanna Win A Copy??

Only 5 Days Left To Enter To Win!!!!



----> CLICK HERE NOW! <---- for details!

What are you waiting for? GO for crying out loud..

Captive Audience..

Tuesday Toot

Today's Tuesday Toot goes to Nantie's darling grand daughter for giving me the best backrub EV-AH over the weekend. See the paper towel? That was for drool.

No joke.

THANKS, DARLIN'!!!!! Love you!

Perfect Moment Monday

Just Relaxing..

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

First Day

Saturday was my first full day with the kiddos and I'm stoked to report all went well. Mannie was very helpful and sweet and Sunshine wasn't too darn fussy. He has heart stopping dimples (and believe you me he works it) and her toothless laughter melts me every time.

Typically our Labor Day Weekends are spent toiling around the homestead.. yard work, housework and a family bbq thrown in somewhere along the way. Sadly, I had to miss out on all the slave labor (er, work) and hung out with the kids. I did root DH on from the window, however. Did I score brownie points?

Um, no (but I'm over it).

Mannie has gotten more comfortable doing things on his own (watching tv, playing with toys, etc) and doesn't need constant attention. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be taken from everything I know and put in a strange place. That takes great courage. He has said on several occasions he likes it here and that is a huge relief. He is settling in just fine.

Thank God.

Nantie's grand daughter is flying in from out west this morning and we're so excited to see her. It has been several years since the last visit and we just adore her. We're having a family brunch here in a couple of hours and the whole crew is coming over. It'll be a wonderful time and I have no doubt the house will be rockin' with family and kids..

As it should be..

Little Mannie & Little Miss Sunshine...

This placement is a whole new ballgame, people! Holy moly.. Poor Nantie is running like a madwoman from sun up to sun down. I'm thinking of starting a "Send Nantie For A Spa Weekend Getaway" fund raiser. Are ya'll in?? She is a saint!

Little Mannie is nonstop and in constant need of attention. Way overly hyper at times, as well. He had a massive meltdown after seeing Mom (on the ground kicking and screaming) and we thank God a worker was here to see it. They are reevaluating the number of visits per week to lessen the trauma and that should help settle him down. Poor little guy has a lot of stuff jumbled up inside and doesn't always have the words to express it. It comes out in fits and you just have to wait until it passes.

Then it's back to dimpled grins and giggles.

Little Miss Sunshine is the happiest eensie morning person I've ever met. Is there anything cuter than a toothless grin and cooing first thing in the morning?? Nope! We quickly realized she was being underfed and have doubled the amount of formula and cereal. Although we don't know how much she weighed when this all started we're sure she'll be packing on the pounds here soon. She's a much happier little chicklet for sure.

We were thrilled to hear our mostest favorite-ist worker was assigned to the case (she laughed and cried with us on our journey with Jack and Jill) and are certain she will look out for our best interests. She is concerned we didn't have enough time to grieve and recover from J&J's move and is doing everything in her power to keep us healthy. She has rounded up respite (other certified families for babysitting) and is advocating to get the kids' family certified as quickly as possible.

It's what is best for all and hopefully there won't be any glitches.

All that being said, at the end of the day, both Mannie and Sunshine are sweet children. He is a wonderful helper and smart as a whip. We're hoping to get him into preschool (two 1/2 days a week) and are sure he'll be a social butterfly and blossom. With the right tools in place, the sky is the limit!

Although we anticipate this to be a rough ride, it was the right thing to do. Since the county was unable to find a family that could take both kiddos, our worker said they more than likely would've been split up. Mannie adores his baby sister and I don't even want to think about how traumatic if would've been for him not to be with her.

Keep the prayers for strength and peace coming our way, please!!!

10 Things I've Learned In Two Days

**Formula stttiiiiinnnks.

**Babies spit up every place you don't have a towel. They know. I'm convinced.

**Changing a diaper on a wiggle worm that crawls away is a feat in and of itself.

**So is putting on jammies with footies. Talk about feeling completely inadequate...

**Intelligent 3 1/2 year olds cannot be trusted. Especially if they have realllly cute dimples.

**Little boys with casts make me melt.

**So do babies that smile and coo.

**If we lose Little Miss Sunshine's binky, we're in deeeeppp doodoo. That thing is priceless.

**3 1/2 year olds that adore their little siblings is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. Nothing beats pure, genuine love.

**Babies and little kids are HARD WORK and Nantie is THE ORIGINAL Wonder Woman. Oh wait, we've known that all along. Nantie.. thank you and WE LOVE YOU!!!

That's More Like It..

Clean Shmean..

It's 4am..

Guess what I'm doing?

The good news?

It's the first time she got up!

YAY!