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.