Holy Cow, We Didn't See That One Coming!

So, yet another twisty in our ever-changing case. Silence was broken yesterday as I received a call from one of our workers. Turns out, Mom does not have the things in place she claimed to (tried to pull a con, really) and the kiddos will not be returning to her anytime soon. She is keeping her nose above water level and doing the very minimum they are asking. Her rights will not be terminated so now other avenues are being visited for placement.

Turns out, Plan B is to have them return to another family member's home. One we had totally not expected. After the shock wore off we contemplated the positives. Although not the most stellar household, it is still way more stable and safe than had they returned to Mom. We know they are very much loved by these people and that is a source of comfort.

We had a falling out with said family members several months back. It caused a ruckus (to say the least) but I think they would be willing to mend fences for the sake of the children. More so than Mom would, anyhow. We will ask to do respite (county term for babysit) for them a weekend a month.. we'll see...

I have been asked to attend a meeting discussing this placement. They want our input and suggestions. Our bond with them is great and our opinions actually hold water. They want to hear about the changes that have taken place with each child since they arrived in January and also what our concerns are in regards to the new home. I consider it a privilege to be invited and find comfort in knowing what I will say will be on record. Nothing I say will prevent them from leaving but perhaps suggestions made will aide in some factors of their safety and well being.

I will be preparing all weekend for the meeting. It's probably one of the most important speeches I will ever give and I want to knock it out of the park.

So, the long and short of it is this transition will happen in the next two weeks. Although nothing is set in stone just yet, we are at peace with the decisions being made. I joked with the worker that I've chewed and mulled the case over and this scenario was not what I had ever imagined. Her, either. Prayers do get answered in ways we never see coming.

The one true constant in foster care.. expect the unexpected.

Silence

I'm sitting here at the table in the still of the morning. All doggies and people are sleeping soundly (except for DH who has already left for work). I hear the ticking of several clocks and the whir of the laptop. Near silence.

A rarity here lately.

Life in our little village has been rough. Jill has been acting up more than usual and you really never know what's going to happen next. She is defiant, back chats and has mood swings like you can't imagine (just to name a few). In the heat of the moment we remind ourselves this is not how our little darling normally acts.. she has a lot of stuff jumbled up inside and is trying to deal with it all.

Jack hasn't been acting out nearly as bad (yet).

No word from The Office. No phone calls, no emails. Total silence. My nature is to second guess why it went from a 9-1-1 must-get-the-transition-started-NOW to nothing. Ziltch, zippo, nada. Trust me, I'm the Queen Of Over-Thinking and my mind has been spinning. The reality is, it's a big group of workers that need to participate and I bet they are having a tough time getting everyones schedules to jive.

No complaints. We'll take whatever extra time we have and run with it.

Here at the table I know I will soon long to see their little bed heads bobble down the hallway each morning. I know I'll remember the sounds of their laughter wafting downstairs and all things Disney playing in the background. I'll miss their incessant chatter and bantering. I do believe I will then rue the silence.

Bring on da noise!

Attn All My Bloggy Friends!

If you're a friend of Full Circle and have a button, please email me the code (myfullcircle at gmail dot com). I'm afraid I'm going to miss someone if I don't do a shout out.. Yes, I'm that lame. If you don't have a button, no worries! I'm doing links, too. Just leave a comment here and I'll get it.

While you're at it, feel free to grab my new one!

Thanks!!!

She's Baaaaacckkkk!!!

And funnier than ever. Surf over and say, "Hey!" to cousin Kadi!!

Pretty Cool New Digs, Eh??

So, here we are. I'm still getting settled in and happy to show you around my new little home. There are a few elements that are cool that I would like to share..

First up, a huge hug and, "Thank You!" to the amazing (and patient) Lindsey at Sour Apple Studio. Working with me is no easy task. She took what was in my head and viola! Here it is. Please check out her web site and blog.. I HIGHLY recommend her work!!



Then there's our caricatures. They aren't just random iStock people I chose from that look like us. Illustrator extraordinaire, Sara Showalter, took pity on me and actually drew us from description. Not only that, as children come we can add to our illustration! How cool is that?

Home really is where our heart is and a very important part of our family. It's our sanctuary from the crazy that lies just beyond our drive. I'm really happy to have it shown in the header. Of course, we live at the base of the amazing Colorado Rocky Mountains which we love and the smattering of paw prints represents our herd of canines. Kadi's thoughts on the flowers representing Mama is PERFECT (thank you, darlin'!). Orangey-red, like her auburn hair, petite and pretty.

So, I'm still shuffling stuff around and will be adding to my tabs in the coming days. It's a wonderful distraction to our reality (one that's still in limbo, by the way) and I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.

Yay!

Ta Da!!!

Okay, it's just coming together now.. it's not quite done yet but is the new design awesome or what!?? We've got Nantie, DH, Jack, Jill and I represented.. plus some other stuff that is meaningful..

More in a bit!

Big Changes A Comin'..

To this lil ole blog, that is.

I've been working with Lindsey at Sour Apple Studio and she has created the most darling design ever. Stay tuned, we should be live sometime tomorrow!

Perfect Moment Monday

Auntie MooMoo always finds the cutest stuff for Jack and Jill and this past week was no exception. Now bath time officially rocks cuz we have, "the bestest towels ev-er"..

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

(PS.. To answer the burning question of the day.. she bought them at Kohl's!) :o)

TOWANDA!

Anniversary Gift

DH finally got home last night from his business trip. As many of you know, he missed our wedding anniversary earlier this week. He was traveling with his boss (the best boss ever, I might add) and I had high hopes DH would be influenced once again by his impeccable taste. I scored a Coach purse and clutch one Christmas because they had traveled together and DH was pressured (er, talked into) buying them for me.

Unfortunately, Boss departed a few days early.


Not exactly the diamonds or turquoise I was expecting but I did get a good laugh just the same.