We have been doing a lot of stuff lately, keeping busy. The kids love riding their bikes outside, Anderson loves riding his Diego scooter. We went to our friend Leslie's house last night for a bbq. Alice and Rose just take to other people so well. Rose loved swinging with Greg and talking with Leslie while Alice really got attached to Courtney and Danny. It is so cute to see this interaction since the kids don't have aunts and uncles around, I think that is the way it would be if they were around. on two different occasions, both Alice and Rose tried to walk in the house and walked right into the closed sliding door. I told Leslie, her doors are too clean, ha ha. They were crying and I was trying not to laugh bc it was pretty funny. On a day like today, Lisa, respite provider, will come and help out, I have a Dr. appt, and then Alice and Rose have school. I am also working at Bath and Body Works tonight as a seasonal employee so that will be fun. I found a piece of paper with some stuff jotted down, I will note it on here.
Roman- said Moma real clear on 7/20/08, stood on own for 10 seconds 7/21/08, walked 3 steps 7/10/08, 8/16 not crawling at all, walking very good
Rose- finally said I love you on 8/17/08 :)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
HALLOWEEN
We had a great day today trick or treating for Halloween. Alice was a witch, Rose a flower fairy princess, Roman spiderman, Anderson superman. We had a party yesterday at Rose and Alice's preschool. Roman stayed home napping but Anderson came with me to the party and he had a great time, he participated in all of the activities as if he was a student in the class. Alice will be starting pre-k next week at her same school. This will be great as it will prepare her for kindergarden next year as well as help Rose build her independence and self confidence. Alice is very smart and perceptive. She knows her upper and lower case letters, can count to 20 and knows her shapes. She can also write her name pretty well. We plan to get her tested into kindergarden early next year since she misses the cutoff by 21 days. This will allow for each child to start kindergarden one year behind the other, helping to support their independence and make their own friends. All of the kids are so great, each one has their very own personality. Roman and Anderson are now saying back "I love you too" when I ask them to, it is so cute. We have been doing a lot of activities for the fall, we went to the pumpkin patch, participating in mom's group at church, we also go to the gym a lot and they play while I work out. We are barely ever home, I try to entertain them all day long. My housework does suffer for it but at the same time I fell like, before we know it they will be 18 and going to college so I just try to spend every moment treasuring the time I have with them and I feel so blessed to be their mom. I love each and every one of them so much.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Round and Round
Round and Round we go, where it stops, nobody knows....
Just had a little incident with the kids. We just got the carpets cleaned and they decided to run in a circle with sippy cups of water and spit it on each other and all over the floor. It is so hard sometimes to get over the respect factor. It is hard because they are kids and they don't understand that we just paid money to get the carpet cleaned and you spitting water on the floor then walking on it will make a stain. Oh well, I guess when you look at it in hindsight, it is not a big deal, kids will be kids.
On another note, Roman will be 2 yrs old tomorrow. They are growing up so fast. I just keep trying to hold on to every moment that I have with them and feel blessed that we have these beautiful children to share our life with. Roman is singing his ABC's and saying so many words, phrases, sentences, etc. that I can't even count. He is so smart. Everyone even says so too, for instance when he is in childcare at the gym or church they remark on how smart he is. Roman and Anderson have a special bond, they love being around each other and at times one can't do something without the other. Other times they do fight but that is normal. Alice and Rose are the same. In the morning they all hug each other and are happy to see each other. Alice and Rose just started preschool about a month ago. They go three days a week 2 hours a day. It is an academic preschool so they are strictly learning. We will move Alice to a Kindergarden prep program once she turns four this month. We plan to get her tested to start kindergarden next school year. We have it planned so that each child will start Kindergarden separately, that way they will have their own friends and independence. In addition, Rose will definitely need another year to prepare for Kindergarden after Alice starts since she is younger. The girls can both spell their name aloud and are learning to write their name. They are also counting really well and able to identify the letters of the alphabet really well. They still have a lot to learn this year but it is exciting to see what a difference a month makes in preschool. Last year they only went for a couple of months to this preschool and before that they were at Kindercare which was primarily a daycare but it kept them stimulated during the day. Once we adopted them, we longer got assistance for Kindercare so that is why we have them in a shorter program now. We are blessed with having respite care so I have our respite worker come a few times a week so that I can go and run errands or just do things for myself, like today I got my haircut and had lunch with my friend Cherrie. Yesterday I had a Dr appt, etc. so it really helps to have some help with the kids. The kids love her, she does crafts with them and is nurturing with them. Today she brought Roman a birthday present and they made cupcakes for his birthday. Also once a week the kids are going to camp at church while I attend a Mom's group. This has been a great way for me to talk with other mom's who also have preschoolers as well as have the kids in an activity. Other than that we usually go to the gym and they play in the kidcenter while I work out. So we keep pretty busy all the time. Mike and I try to go out on a date once a week to get some time by ourselves to talk and reflect on our life and this has been really nice. Here are just some tidbits for the kids:
Alice loves pink and Hello Kitty
Rose loves purple and Princesses
Anderson loves Spiderman
Roman loves Diego and Cars
both boys love to play with matchbox cars now and the girls are still into their babies.
When I ask the girls who they want to pray for, they say Hello Kitty and Princess
Also when I called my mawmaw Alice yesterday, Allie said "can I talk to her, she has the same name like me" I said, "Yes baby, that is how we got your name" Then we also talked to MawMaw Paula and Paula asked Alice if she remembered her and she said "yeah, we swing at your house and go on the slide and ride in a pink car (pink barbie jeep). " It has been 8 months since we saw them and she still remembers all of this.
Also another thing that Alice remembered recently is that I showed her a picture of her bio mom and asked her if she knew who it was and she giggled and said her name and said she always cries when she sees us. She hasn't seen her in a year and I can't believe she still remembers that. Well I will close for now, hopefully I will be able to write sooner next time. I love you Roman, Rose, Anderson, and Alice. You will never be able to fathom how important you are to me and Daddy. You are our heart and our world and we live for you everyday. Love you so much, love mommy
Just had a little incident with the kids. We just got the carpets cleaned and they decided to run in a circle with sippy cups of water and spit it on each other and all over the floor. It is so hard sometimes to get over the respect factor. It is hard because they are kids and they don't understand that we just paid money to get the carpet cleaned and you spitting water on the floor then walking on it will make a stain. Oh well, I guess when you look at it in hindsight, it is not a big deal, kids will be kids.
On another note, Roman will be 2 yrs old tomorrow. They are growing up so fast. I just keep trying to hold on to every moment that I have with them and feel blessed that we have these beautiful children to share our life with. Roman is singing his ABC's and saying so many words, phrases, sentences, etc. that I can't even count. He is so smart. Everyone even says so too, for instance when he is in childcare at the gym or church they remark on how smart he is. Roman and Anderson have a special bond, they love being around each other and at times one can't do something without the other. Other times they do fight but that is normal. Alice and Rose are the same. In the morning they all hug each other and are happy to see each other. Alice and Rose just started preschool about a month ago. They go three days a week 2 hours a day. It is an academic preschool so they are strictly learning. We will move Alice to a Kindergarden prep program once she turns four this month. We plan to get her tested to start kindergarden next school year. We have it planned so that each child will start Kindergarden separately, that way they will have their own friends and independence. In addition, Rose will definitely need another year to prepare for Kindergarden after Alice starts since she is younger. The girls can both spell their name aloud and are learning to write their name. They are also counting really well and able to identify the letters of the alphabet really well. They still have a lot to learn this year but it is exciting to see what a difference a month makes in preschool. Last year they only went for a couple of months to this preschool and before that they were at Kindercare which was primarily a daycare but it kept them stimulated during the day. Once we adopted them, we longer got assistance for Kindercare so that is why we have them in a shorter program now. We are blessed with having respite care so I have our respite worker come a few times a week so that I can go and run errands or just do things for myself, like today I got my haircut and had lunch with my friend Cherrie. Yesterday I had a Dr appt, etc. so it really helps to have some help with the kids. The kids love her, she does crafts with them and is nurturing with them. Today she brought Roman a birthday present and they made cupcakes for his birthday. Also once a week the kids are going to camp at church while I attend a Mom's group. This has been a great way for me to talk with other mom's who also have preschoolers as well as have the kids in an activity. Other than that we usually go to the gym and they play in the kidcenter while I work out. So we keep pretty busy all the time. Mike and I try to go out on a date once a week to get some time by ourselves to talk and reflect on our life and this has been really nice. Here are just some tidbits for the kids:
Alice loves pink and Hello Kitty
Rose loves purple and Princesses
Anderson loves Spiderman
Roman loves Diego and Cars
both boys love to play with matchbox cars now and the girls are still into their babies.
When I ask the girls who they want to pray for, they say Hello Kitty and Princess
Also when I called my mawmaw Alice yesterday, Allie said "can I talk to her, she has the same name like me" I said, "Yes baby, that is how we got your name" Then we also talked to MawMaw Paula and Paula asked Alice if she remembered her and she said "yeah, we swing at your house and go on the slide and ride in a pink car (pink barbie jeep). " It has been 8 months since we saw them and she still remembers all of this.
Also another thing that Alice remembered recently is that I showed her a picture of her bio mom and asked her if she knew who it was and she giggled and said her name and said she always cries when she sees us. She hasn't seen her in a year and I can't believe she still remembers that. Well I will close for now, hopefully I will be able to write sooner next time. I love you Roman, Rose, Anderson, and Alice. You will never be able to fathom how important you are to me and Daddy. You are our heart and our world and we live for you everyday. Love you so much, love mommy
Friday, July 17, 2009
Time Flies
Time is just flying by. Rose and Roman still take a good solid nap, while at times it is easier to just keep Allie and AJ awake and not fight to get them to sleep and interrupt the good 3 hour nap Rosie and Romo will take. So I sit here in our bedroom contemplating folding clothes as I watch Allie and AJ take turns covering up each other and pat each other's back and I think, "wow, where has the time gone". Our youngest child will be two in September and there are no more babies. I feel as though sometimes the growing up part is worse for us because we missed a big chunk of Allie, Aj, and Romo's earlier life since Allie was 1 yr old, Romo 8 mos old, and Rosie 2 yrs old when they came into our lives. In some ways it is nice not having babies anymore so that we can do more things, for instance, we will go on our first camping trip at the end of the month or like in a few years when we can get nice things in the house and not have to determine how it will be damaged by the kids. It would be difficult and like starting all over again if we had another baby. At the sametime I feel as though I want to have another baby to do it all over again and cherish it since our situation we have now happened so fast and it was more just being in survival mode all of the time. Well I could dwell on this everyday or I could just be at peace and try to enjoy each and every moment with the kids and not try to rush to the next thing. I choose to enjoy it and want to just make their life as great as possible so that when they grow older they would have had good guidance and great childhood memories. These kids are a gift from God. There was a time when my life had no purpose and I thought I would never have children and I still can't believe we have four beautiful healthy children that are all ours and I never want to take that for granted.
In closing there is one thing I really want the kids to know: Roman had the worse diapers out of all of you, and I mean BAD! His room still smells from the one he had this morning so Roman, you owe me big time, and the other kids should make you wipe my ass the most when I need it.
So some new things Roman says, "a mess", "spongebob"
Anderson says "look Allie, you" while showing Allie a picture of herself, also "little bear"
In closing there is one thing I really want the kids to know: Roman had the worse diapers out of all of you, and I mean BAD! His room still smells from the one he had this morning so Roman, you owe me big time, and the other kids should make you wipe my ass the most when I need it.
So some new things Roman says, "a mess", "spongebob"
Anderson says "look Allie, you" while showing Allie a picture of herself, also "little bear"
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Kids Quote
Some things Roman says at 22 months
I Got It, Sorry, Get Down, Fun, Okay, a bee daddy
In the car the other day we were listening to a Kelly Clarkson song that says "cause we belong together now..." and Alice said, "Mom, that song says, Cause we belong together now, and we all belong together too"
I Got It, Sorry, Get Down, Fun, Okay, a bee daddy
In the car the other day we were listening to a Kelly Clarkson song that says "cause we belong together now..." and Alice said, "Mom, that song says, Cause we belong together now, and we all belong together too"
Monday, July 13, 2009
SPECIAL KIDS DAY
Now that we have respite care, I have been able to spend more individual time with the kids so one day last week I took the girls to the Children's Museum. They had a blast, we packed our lunch and hung out for a while. Then another day I took the boys to play at McDonald's and Roman had a Dr. appt for his follow up with his ear tubes, which that wasn't fun but he still liked it. Now I am trying to do one on one time with the kids so today I took Anderson with me to run errands. All of the kids are growing up so fast and having this one on one time with them as allowed me to be more attentive to them and notice things that I wouldn't normally such as words they are saying, things they are doing, etc. I took Anderson to the mall to have lunch, ride the carousel, and play in the kids area. It was like he was so proud and confident to just be there with me. We also went to the Sprint Store to get my phone fixed and went to the cleaners to get hangers. While at the cleaners there is a fountain outside that he got to play in and we also got to see some firemen jump into the firetruck and run off with the sirens. Anderson said something today I had never heard him say, it was "mom, hold my fries" too funny. Anderson is such a mommy's boy, did I mention that he sleeps on our floor in our bedroom every night? I love it, I love having him right there with me but I am scared that he will never grow out of it, haha! Every now and then we can convince him to sleep in the girls room but most of the time we just don't feel like fighting him and will just let him sleep with us. Following this will be pics from the girls at the museum and Aj's day with mommy today from the sprint store and the fountain.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Roman Speaks
I can't believe all of things this boy says for his age, I will not be able to write them all but here goes some
I did it, look balloon, Dora, mine, potty, peepee, yucky poo poo, bath, diaper, cup, eat, food, I want some, Daddy, Allie, Rara (AJ), Rose, Boudreaux, Mommy, bed, Shoes, where, this, there, cheese, cracker, juice, milk, sorry, your welcome, thank you, car, truck, chair, swimming, I'm coming
This is all at only 21 months, he is way more vocal then any of my other kids were at this age so it is just amazing to me to see him so little saying all of these things. He is the cutest and sweetest little boy, I love him so much.
I did it, look balloon, Dora, mine, potty, peepee, yucky poo poo, bath, diaper, cup, eat, food, I want some, Daddy, Allie, Rara (AJ), Rose, Boudreaux, Mommy, bed, Shoes, where, this, there, cheese, cracker, juice, milk, sorry, your welcome, thank you, car, truck, chair, swimming, I'm coming
This is all at only 21 months, he is way more vocal then any of my other kids were at this age so it is just amazing to me to see him so little saying all of these things. He is the cutest and sweetest little boy, I love him so much.
To Pee or not to Pee
Well today I started to potty train Anderson. I wanted to give it a try to see if he was ready but it seems as though it will be more of a challenge then I am prepared for. I had the babysitter come this morning to watch the other kids while I worked with Anderson. He woke up with a dry diaper and he went on the potty and peed. After that, he kept having accidents and also would pee on the potty if you sat him on there so all in all, he just wasn't able to tell when he had to go but if he just sat on the potty he would evenutally pee. As the day went on, he started having tantrums and not wanting to go on the potty and then I just thought about it for a while and decided not only is he not ready but more than that, I am not ready. I am not ready for the struggle, the accidents, having to bring three to the bathroom in public, traveling with three having to make potty breaks. I just got Rose out of pullups at night and here I am trying to go right into training Anderson, I need to just wait. I really need a step by step guide on how to do this because I don't have the confidence to just wing it so here is my plan. I was told about the 3 day potty training guide that gives step by step, day by day instructions with my name written all over it. My plan is to wait until I have enough respite hours to just have the babysitter come all day long with the other kids for those three days and then just focus on Anderson and try to get him trained. I also am going to wait until I am in the right mindset to give it my all which I am just not right now. On another note, Roman says potty so I bring him and he pees, afterwards he says "I did it Moma" maybe I should start with him :)
Playing Catch up
I can't believe it has been this long since I have written. I am understanding the importance of having all of this documentation for the kids more and more everyday. Life passes by so fast and you start to forget things. I feel like a bad mom sometimes because I don't have a baby book for them to write important things down and even if I did, when do I find the time. I guess that is why it is so great to have all of the technology we do today because typing is much quicker. Just a brief rundown since last I posted. The adoption was final on 2/12/09 and we also withdrew our foster license due to the law being no more than four under the age of 6. We are still trying to get used to all of the adjustments involving the kids being offically ours such as name changes, adding to medical insurance, added expenses, etc. We have been enjoying them nonetheless but they do keep us on our toes. Alice and Rose just had their first dance recital on June 5, 2009. They did really well, we were so proud of them first of all that they were brave enough to be on stage in front of all of these people. Of course I cried. Secondly, they actually did the dance fairly well. We are continuing to keep them in dancing year round because they love it so much. The girls also started going to a accelerated private preschool and are now off for the summer. They have really learned a lot just the few months they went, they are actually writing their names, (not perfect) but still really good. Alice also knows her last name and my full name which is great if ever she would get lost or something. The kids just finished their refresher lessons with ISR as well. I will not be doing that again, it is such a hardship to bring four kids to lessons everyday, this time for four weeks straight, not to mention it cost us $1000. On the flipside, Anderson is loving swimming in the water which is odd for him, he is so bashful. He swims to me underwater and gets my hand and then swims back to the step, too cute. Rose does the same and she did last year too. We also just started receiving respite services for the kids so I am able to get a break a few days a week and go run errands and Mike and I are doing a date night every weekend so that has been fun and relaxing.
Final Adoption
January 21, 2009 - Wednesday
Final Adoption
So we will offically be adopting all four kids on 2/12/09. I can't believe it is finally going to happen. For Allie and AJ, it has been 2 years in the making. Rose and Roman has been 8 months, it just worked out that it is all happening at once now. At the same time, Mike will get his MBA in February and AJ turns two so we have a lot to celebrate in February. We will end February by going on a cruise and then back to our life in AZ with finally, some stability. We are not sure what the future will hold as far as more kids, maybe we could get another sibling of Rose & Roman, or Alice & Anderson, but definitely not anything for two years, hopefully. We need to get some in grade school first before taking anymore babies. For now we will focus on our careers and family life and just keep living. Thank you to all for your love and support. Whoo Hoo!
Final Adoption
So we will offically be adopting all four kids on 2/12/09. I can't believe it is finally going to happen. For Allie and AJ, it has been 2 years in the making. Rose and Roman has been 8 months, it just worked out that it is all happening at once now. At the same time, Mike will get his MBA in February and AJ turns two so we have a lot to celebrate in February. We will end February by going on a cruise and then back to our life in AZ with finally, some stability. We are not sure what the future will hold as far as more kids, maybe we could get another sibling of Rose & Roman, or Alice & Anderson, but definitely not anything for two years, hopefully. We need to get some in grade school first before taking anymore babies. For now we will focus on our careers and family life and just keep living. Thank you to all for your love and support. Whoo Hoo!
August 17, 2008 - Sunday
I Love You
So here is the story with Rose. When she first came to us, she could not speak really clear. She was talking but not articulating her words age appropriately as well as she would mix spanish with english. We have been working with her and got her a speech therapist and she has come a long way. Well I would always try to teach her to say "I love you" and she would repeat each word after I said it but had a hard time saying it all together. Today out of the blue she was laying on me and she looked at me and said "I Love you", I was so proud of her and so touched that she really knows the meaning of it. It is so sweet and I tell you once she got it she really got it because today she hugged Roman and said "I love you" and then she was putting her baby dolls to bed and she told them "I love you", too cute. On another note, Alice and Rose are always hugging and kissing each other but Anderson is macho man, well today Anderson actually let the girls hug and kiss him and he hugged and kissed them back so that was really cute. Then Anderson went up to Roman and hugged him after. These are the moments that truly define our happiness with the kids.
I Love You
So here is the story with Rose. When she first came to us, she could not speak really clear. She was talking but not articulating her words age appropriately as well as she would mix spanish with english. We have been working with her and got her a speech therapist and she has come a long way. Well I would always try to teach her to say "I love you" and she would repeat each word after I said it but had a hard time saying it all together. Today out of the blue she was laying on me and she looked at me and said "I Love you", I was so proud of her and so touched that she really knows the meaning of it. It is so sweet and I tell you once she got it she really got it because today she hugged Roman and said "I love you" and then she was putting her baby dolls to bed and she told them "I love you", too cute. On another note, Alice and Rose are always hugging and kissing each other but Anderson is macho man, well today Anderson actually let the girls hug and kiss him and he hugged and kissed them back so that was really cute. Then Anderson went up to Roman and hugged him after. These are the moments that truly define our happiness with the kids.
Living in AZ
August 3, 2008 - Sunday
Living in AZ
I will make this brief because my hand is hurting from typing so much. So far we have been in AZ for two years. We love it here, it is much different then Louisiana, good and bad. Some of the things I miss about Louisiana is my family of course, but also the culture. Some of the things I don't miss is the rudeness of employees everywhere you go, family drama, hurricane evacuation, the humidity, misquitos, and many more. Overall, Mike is advancing in his career, we were blessed with four beautiful children, we live in a close family oriented community, all four seasons are only a road trip away, we have made some great friends, and most importantly we love each other and are happy with our decision to move here. I can't say what the future will hold for us but for now we will remain in the good ol desert.
Living in AZ
I will make this brief because my hand is hurting from typing so much. So far we have been in AZ for two years. We love it here, it is much different then Louisiana, good and bad. Some of the things I miss about Louisiana is my family of course, but also the culture. Some of the things I don't miss is the rudeness of employees everywhere you go, family drama, hurricane evacuation, the humidity, misquitos, and many more. Overall, Mike is advancing in his career, we were blessed with four beautiful children, we live in a close family oriented community, all four seasons are only a road trip away, we have made some great friends, and most importantly we love each other and are happy with our decision to move here. I can't say what the future will hold for us but for now we will remain in the good ol desert.
Dancing School
August 3, 2008 - Sunday
dancing school
Okay so here goes my thoughts on dancing school. Well I am so excited that Rose and Alice will be starting dancing school next month, not only because I love the art of dance but because they love to dance, and I think they will just have a blast. I think it will be a special bonding time for us to share this together and I am really going to enjoy watching them blossom. It was very important for me to send them to dancing school because when I was little I started when I was 3 years old and I LOVED IT, unforunately after 2 years I had to quit because that is when my mom and dad divorced but I always wished I had been able to continue it. I wished so much in fact that when I was 17, a senior in highschool, and made my own income, I enrolled myself back into dancing school and I paid for everything myself. I was finally able to go back to what I loved to do if only for one more year. To this day, I love to dance, I may not be the best dancer but I like to get into the groove. Needless to say, if it is something that they choose to do and they love it, great, if they don't like it, I won't force them to go but I just want them to have the opportunity that I did not have growing up. Isn't that what parenting is all about, you always want more for your kids then what you had.
dancing school
Okay so here goes my thoughts on dancing school. Well I am so excited that Rose and Alice will be starting dancing school next month, not only because I love the art of dance but because they love to dance, and I think they will just have a blast. I think it will be a special bonding time for us to share this together and I am really going to enjoy watching them blossom. It was very important for me to send them to dancing school because when I was little I started when I was 3 years old and I LOVED IT, unforunately after 2 years I had to quit because that is when my mom and dad divorced but I always wished I had been able to continue it. I wished so much in fact that when I was 17, a senior in highschool, and made my own income, I enrolled myself back into dancing school and I paid for everything myself. I was finally able to go back to what I loved to do if only for one more year. To this day, I love to dance, I may not be the best dancer but I like to get into the groove. Needless to say, if it is something that they choose to do and they love it, great, if they don't like it, I won't force them to go but I just want them to have the opportunity that I did not have growing up. Isn't that what parenting is all about, you always want more for your kids then what you had.
swim lessons
August 3, 2008 - Sunday
Swim lessons and Preschool
So many of you know that the kids were in swim lessons. It is a little different from learning the backstroke. If you want to know more, go to ISR.com
It is the Infant Swimming Resource program and it is a survival course. Basically they learn what to do if they were to fall into a pool or jump in to get a toy or something. They learn how to flip over and float on their back for air as well as swim to an exit. It is TOTALLY amazing, I can't even explain it. Kids can start as early as 6 mos of age. It is so intense that a session is 5-6 weeks long, monday thru friday so imagine this, I have one week left and then by then, I would have been going to swim lessons for 12 weeks Monday thru Friday with four kids. That means, washing beach towels every day, marking down what the kids had to eat, when they ate, when they slept, when they took a piss, and when the had a poop. Also washing bathing suits and swim diapers, getting all of this packed everyday along with dry diapers and a change of clothes, packing a diaper bag, getting all four kids fed by a certain time because they can't eat two hours before their lesson, loading all four kids in the van, unloading all four kids, having to sit in the hot sun while the lessons went on, get the current students dressed once out of the pool while constantly fussing the other two to stay by me and stop touching other peoples' stuff, then load all four kids back into the van while they are by now tired and hungry and crying (where are my earplugs) and getting home, having to hurry and make lunch so I can stop getting screamed at and then putting them down for a nap. Okay so now that I have vented, I can not explain to you how glad I am that we did this for the kids. Roman has one week left, all the other kids have graduated so once this week is over, I will be home free, literally, I can actually have some days where I don't have to leave the house and we can all stay in our pjs all day if we want to. Doing this for the kids has already proved itself to be rewarding when we went to two pool parties last weekend and I didn't have to have an anxiety attack worrying about if the kids would fall into the pool when I wasn't looking. Not to mention, it is so much fun to have them in the pool swimming and they are so proud of themselves. Roman at 11mos and float on his back and when put in the pool face first and rolls over onto his back. Also, all of the kids hold their breath when underwater and if they do get water in their mouth, they spit it out and they don't swallow it. This will also be great when we go to the beach in Sept. I am proud that we did this for them because all of the effort and money is definitely worth it when you consider that it may potentially save their life one day. Just a side note, no one who has completed the ISR program has been a victim of drowning.
Okay so now onto preschool. Since we are finished with swim lessons for the two girls, they are now going to be going to preschool three days a week. Alice started last week and starts this week. I felt like at first that I was being mean for sending them somewhere when I am a stay at home mom and it is not necessary, but Mike and I talked about it and felt that they need some stimulation outside of the home, they are too bored here and as a result, they get into things and just don't know what to do with themselves. It is actually a great thing for them because they get to play with other kids, learn letters, numbers, songs, crafts, etc. Also once they turn three we are going to enroll them in an addtl program at preschool and someone will work with them one on one for 30 min, three days a week to learn numbers, letters, spanish, court, etc. I gotta confess, when Alice was gone three days last week, it was like a big weight was lifted off of me, I think it is healthy for both of us because she is the worse when it comes to not listening and being defiant so it will teach her better discipline and structure to be away as well as allow me to breath so I will have more patience when we are together. I fall in love all over again when she is gone and we are reunited. When I brought her on Friday, I hugged her and she said "I'll miss you" awww.
Swim lessons and Preschool
So many of you know that the kids were in swim lessons. It is a little different from learning the backstroke. If you want to know more, go to ISR.com
It is the Infant Swimming Resource program and it is a survival course. Basically they learn what to do if they were to fall into a pool or jump in to get a toy or something. They learn how to flip over and float on their back for air as well as swim to an exit. It is TOTALLY amazing, I can't even explain it. Kids can start as early as 6 mos of age. It is so intense that a session is 5-6 weeks long, monday thru friday so imagine this, I have one week left and then by then, I would have been going to swim lessons for 12 weeks Monday thru Friday with four kids. That means, washing beach towels every day, marking down what the kids had to eat, when they ate, when they slept, when they took a piss, and when the had a poop. Also washing bathing suits and swim diapers, getting all of this packed everyday along with dry diapers and a change of clothes, packing a diaper bag, getting all four kids fed by a certain time because they can't eat two hours before their lesson, loading all four kids in the van, unloading all four kids, having to sit in the hot sun while the lessons went on, get the current students dressed once out of the pool while constantly fussing the other two to stay by me and stop touching other peoples' stuff, then load all four kids back into the van while they are by now tired and hungry and crying (where are my earplugs) and getting home, having to hurry and make lunch so I can stop getting screamed at and then putting them down for a nap. Okay so now that I have vented, I can not explain to you how glad I am that we did this for the kids. Roman has one week left, all the other kids have graduated so once this week is over, I will be home free, literally, I can actually have some days where I don't have to leave the house and we can all stay in our pjs all day if we want to. Doing this for the kids has already proved itself to be rewarding when we went to two pool parties last weekend and I didn't have to have an anxiety attack worrying about if the kids would fall into the pool when I wasn't looking. Not to mention, it is so much fun to have them in the pool swimming and they are so proud of themselves. Roman at 11mos and float on his back and when put in the pool face first and rolls over onto his back. Also, all of the kids hold their breath when underwater and if they do get water in their mouth, they spit it out and they don't swallow it. This will also be great when we go to the beach in Sept. I am proud that we did this for them because all of the effort and money is definitely worth it when you consider that it may potentially save their life one day. Just a side note, no one who has completed the ISR program has been a victim of drowning.
Okay so now onto preschool. Since we are finished with swim lessons for the two girls, they are now going to be going to preschool three days a week. Alice started last week and starts this week. I felt like at first that I was being mean for sending them somewhere when I am a stay at home mom and it is not necessary, but Mike and I talked about it and felt that they need some stimulation outside of the home, they are too bored here and as a result, they get into things and just don't know what to do with themselves. It is actually a great thing for them because they get to play with other kids, learn letters, numbers, songs, crafts, etc. Also once they turn three we are going to enroll them in an addtl program at preschool and someone will work with them one on one for 30 min, three days a week to learn numbers, letters, spanish, court, etc. I gotta confess, when Alice was gone three days last week, it was like a big weight was lifted off of me, I think it is healthy for both of us because she is the worse when it comes to not listening and being defiant so it will teach her better discipline and structure to be away as well as allow me to breath so I will have more patience when we are together. I fall in love all over again when she is gone and we are reunited. When I brought her on Friday, I hugged her and she said "I'll miss you" awww.
Trial
August 3, 2008 - Sunday
TRIAL
So what first happened with Alice and Anderson's is that they have been in care for 15 or more months and when that is the case, the state has to come up with a permanent plan for them. Which this happened last November and they changed the case plan from "family reunification" to "severance and adoption". The parents then have the right to contest the case plan which did in fact happen and then they are entitiled to a trial in which they have to argue why they should be able to keep their kids. Well we finally started the trial a couple of weeks ago, it was quite an emotional rollercoaster in ways that I could not even explain. The thought of them never being in foster care and being raised by their birth mom was so heart wrenching in itself. Not to mention that the birth mother's sister, whose name is Elizabeth Ann too btw so we will definitely be changing Alice's name, and the birth mother's grandmother was there and made a remark to us that they think it is ridiculous that someone has to steal other people's kids. What? Are you kidding? So it has nothing to do with the fact that the bio mom messed up and lost her kids. It is not like we made her do the things that she did so we could get the kids. Needless to say, they just have to blame other people for their own mistakes and Mike and I found this amusing so we just let it roll off of us. Some other comments were made in the court room in front of the judge about us but we will just leave that alone because it is not even worth the attention. Okay so I can't get into too much detail because it is all confidential but basically you only need one ground to terminate the parent's rights and the state has three grounds. So the trial was still not finished, they still had more witnesses so we had to schedule it two weeks out which was this past Thursday. In the meantime, bio mom suggested that she would agree to severance if we would agree to send letters and pictures a couple of times a year and allow one visit with her per year. This would require us to sign a post adoption agreement but it could be broken if we found that it was not in the kids' best interest. The other thing is that we would have had to sign our names which would have been court sealed and then everyone would have got a copy with anonymous in our signature area. Just to clarify, the birth family does not currently know anything about us including our name. Okay so here were our concerns, or rather more me since I overthink everything.
1. Absolutely no personal visit, out of the question, are you crazy? For one thing, it is too disruptive to the kids and could affect their emotional wellbeing, also it is not safe, especially considering birth mom's past. Again, Are you crazy? I would be embarrassed to even ask something like that if I were her.
2. I would have been fine with sending pics and letters if it meant to get this over with right now, but then I started thinking about the times when I would have to sit down and write those letters and be reminded that these are not our bio children when we want to raise them like they are no different then if we would have created them ourselves.
The other thing about this which the kids' attorney agreed is that we will have an advantage that they are going to grow up and their looks will change but if we send pictures, she will know what they look like.
Furthermore, I didn't want to sign something that is legally binding and have us be the victim if we broke the agreement when all we are trying to do is provide a normal upbringing for these kids. Also lets not forget the fact that people make mistakes and that the court could send the wrong document out that had our names on it and then she would be able to track us down.
Okay so on the flipside, if we don't sign an agreement and she doesn't agree to severance, we run the risk of going to the trial and the judge ruling that she get another chance to raise her kids. Either way, agreement or no agreement, once the trial is over, she can still appeal the ruling and prolong everything another year.Well I like to say that I let God lead me on what to do because it is so hard, it is really like gambling. It was worth it to send letters and pics to get it over with and not have to go through an appeal but at the same time, it was worth it to go through the appeal to not have to send letters and pics and have contact with her so that we could get on with our lives and be in a healthy state of mind for the kids. Well what ended up happening is that the attorney told her that we would agree to send letters and pictures but that we wouldn't sign anything and she didn't agree so they went on with the trial and finished. The judge has 60 days to make his ruling. For now we just sit and wait and pray.
If the judge rules to terminate the parent's rights, the bio mom can appeal that and then it will take some time, mostly for paperwork for that to be addressed. There is a 1% chance that the judges' ruling would get overturned, but with all the documentation he will have to support his decision, I feel sure that we will be in 99%.
TRIAL
So what first happened with Alice and Anderson's is that they have been in care for 15 or more months and when that is the case, the state has to come up with a permanent plan for them. Which this happened last November and they changed the case plan from "family reunification" to "severance and adoption". The parents then have the right to contest the case plan which did in fact happen and then they are entitiled to a trial in which they have to argue why they should be able to keep their kids. Well we finally started the trial a couple of weeks ago, it was quite an emotional rollercoaster in ways that I could not even explain. The thought of them never being in foster care and being raised by their birth mom was so heart wrenching in itself. Not to mention that the birth mother's sister, whose name is Elizabeth Ann too btw so we will definitely be changing Alice's name, and the birth mother's grandmother was there and made a remark to us that they think it is ridiculous that someone has to steal other people's kids. What? Are you kidding? So it has nothing to do with the fact that the bio mom messed up and lost her kids. It is not like we made her do the things that she did so we could get the kids. Needless to say, they just have to blame other people for their own mistakes and Mike and I found this amusing so we just let it roll off of us. Some other comments were made in the court room in front of the judge about us but we will just leave that alone because it is not even worth the attention. Okay so I can't get into too much detail because it is all confidential but basically you only need one ground to terminate the parent's rights and the state has three grounds. So the trial was still not finished, they still had more witnesses so we had to schedule it two weeks out which was this past Thursday. In the meantime, bio mom suggested that she would agree to severance if we would agree to send letters and pictures a couple of times a year and allow one visit with her per year. This would require us to sign a post adoption agreement but it could be broken if we found that it was not in the kids' best interest. The other thing is that we would have had to sign our names which would have been court sealed and then everyone would have got a copy with anonymous in our signature area. Just to clarify, the birth family does not currently know anything about us including our name. Okay so here were our concerns, or rather more me since I overthink everything.
1. Absolutely no personal visit, out of the question, are you crazy? For one thing, it is too disruptive to the kids and could affect their emotional wellbeing, also it is not safe, especially considering birth mom's past. Again, Are you crazy? I would be embarrassed to even ask something like that if I were her.
2. I would have been fine with sending pics and letters if it meant to get this over with right now, but then I started thinking about the times when I would have to sit down and write those letters and be reminded that these are not our bio children when we want to raise them like they are no different then if we would have created them ourselves.
The other thing about this which the kids' attorney agreed is that we will have an advantage that they are going to grow up and their looks will change but if we send pictures, she will know what they look like.
Furthermore, I didn't want to sign something that is legally binding and have us be the victim if we broke the agreement when all we are trying to do is provide a normal upbringing for these kids. Also lets not forget the fact that people make mistakes and that the court could send the wrong document out that had our names on it and then she would be able to track us down.
Okay so on the flipside, if we don't sign an agreement and she doesn't agree to severance, we run the risk of going to the trial and the judge ruling that she get another chance to raise her kids. Either way, agreement or no agreement, once the trial is over, she can still appeal the ruling and prolong everything another year.Well I like to say that I let God lead me on what to do because it is so hard, it is really like gambling. It was worth it to send letters and pics to get it over with and not have to go through an appeal but at the same time, it was worth it to go through the appeal to not have to send letters and pics and have contact with her so that we could get on with our lives and be in a healthy state of mind for the kids. Well what ended up happening is that the attorney told her that we would agree to send letters and pictures but that we wouldn't sign anything and she didn't agree so they went on with the trial and finished. The judge has 60 days to make his ruling. For now we just sit and wait and pray.
If the judge rules to terminate the parent's rights, the bio mom can appeal that and then it will take some time, mostly for paperwork for that to be addressed. There is a 1% chance that the judges' ruling would get overturned, but with all the documentation he will have to support his decision, I feel sure that we will be in 99%.
Overview
August 3, 2008 - Sunday
overview
I am going to write an overview of what has been going on in our lives and then I will get more specific with each topic that has a * by it and post different blogs about that topic. Me being an organized freak, it would figure that I would have to organize the way I write a blog too.
So currently we have four foster children. Rose who will be 3 in Dec., Roman who will be 1 in Sept, Alice who will be 3 in Sept, and Anderson who will be 2 in Feb. We plan on adopting all four if given the opportunity. Currently we are going through *trial with Alice and Anderson to get birth mom's rights severed. Rose and Roman also have a caseplan to terminate the parents rights but they are a few court hearings behind Alice and Anderson.The kids have all just about finished *swim lessons. Rose and Alice will be starting *dancing school next month. Rose and Alice have also started going to *preschool three times a week.
As for Mike and I, we are just loving these kids, they drive us crazy sometimes but they are a lot of fun and so loving. Mike is currently in school getting his masters' degree in business management and I am still at home running the household. We are coming to New Orleans August 27th-I think Sept 10th or so. Out of that time, we will be in Florida for about a week. We hope to get together with as many of you guys as we can. We will be driving 24 hours in our van with four kids. We will see how that goes. I am off for now, going to a baby shower but I will write more about all of my main topics and feelings, as well as how life is in *Arizona
overview
I am going to write an overview of what has been going on in our lives and then I will get more specific with each topic that has a * by it and post different blogs about that topic. Me being an organized freak, it would figure that I would have to organize the way I write a blog too.
So currently we have four foster children. Rose who will be 3 in Dec., Roman who will be 1 in Sept, Alice who will be 3 in Sept, and Anderson who will be 2 in Feb. We plan on adopting all four if given the opportunity. Currently we are going through *trial with Alice and Anderson to get birth mom's rights severed. Rose and Roman also have a caseplan to terminate the parents rights but they are a few court hearings behind Alice and Anderson.The kids have all just about finished *swim lessons. Rose and Alice will be starting *dancing school next month. Rose and Alice have also started going to *preschool three times a week.
As for Mike and I, we are just loving these kids, they drive us crazy sometimes but they are a lot of fun and so loving. Mike is currently in school getting his masters' degree in business management and I am still at home running the household. We are coming to New Orleans August 27th-I think Sept 10th or so. Out of that time, we will be in Florida for about a week. We hope to get together with as many of you guys as we can. We will be driving 24 hours in our van with four kids. We will see how that goes. I am off for now, going to a baby shower but I will write more about all of my main topics and feelings, as well as how life is in *Arizona
Our Expanding Family
May 17, 2008 - Saturday
expanding family
Well to make a long story short, well that is acutally not possible so I will tell the whole story and cut it off when possible.
We were waiting for another placement and got several calls for newborn babies that fell through and then we started considering taking a teenage mom and her baby because they are hard to find homes for and we felt like maybe we could make a difference. My licensing worker with my agency was telling us about this age for months because there was so many in shelters. The idea is that they are in shelters right now and if they age out they are pretty much on their own for the rest of their lives but if we fostered them, then they would have a family forever and we would be able to teach them independent living skills, how to get a job, apply for college, help out with the baby, tell them to dump their looser boyfriend (just kidding), etc etc. so we felt like this would be great and there were two girls in shelters at the current time so I told my licensing worker with my agency to find out background info and get back with me and then we can think it over and see if we can see ourselves taking this age. Well this past Monday I called her to see what she find out and low and behold, ironically they had been placed in another home. My licensing worker couldn't believe that she had finally got me to consider doing this and then there wasn't any to take. So I said "well that's okay because I wasn't sure and God made up my mind for me so he must have another plan for us" Then she looked at her list and discovered that she had a 2 1/2 year old girl Rose and 9 mo old boy Roman that needed an adoptive home. They are bio bro and sis and were currently in other homes separated but both families were not interested in adopting. I told her we would be interested and again give us some background to see if something clicks with us. So because two other families were interested, we had to get on the ball and decide. We went to meet them that day and fell and love, when the connection is there, it is there. We have them this weekend and then they will start transitioning them to get with us for good by the end of the month. Rose is a cakewalk compared to Alice and Roman is pretty independent so all is well so far. So needless to say, I am amazed that I have time to type this while FOUR kids are playing behind me. The kids are one step behind with court proceedings than Anderson and Alice are but it looks like we will probably be adopting 4 kids at once. Yes that is our limit and then at least one bio kid for us. What scares me is that if the bio moms have more babies, whomever has their siblings have first pick to take the infant which means down the line, we may end up with more of their kids, because I am sure they won't be responsible enough to use birth control so we will just have to see what life brings us. Be careful what you wish for, that is all I have to say. Anyway, wanted to let you all know what is going on in our life and I will be sure to post pictures soon. Love ya, Rachel
expanding family
Well to make a long story short, well that is acutally not possible so I will tell the whole story and cut it off when possible.
We were waiting for another placement and got several calls for newborn babies that fell through and then we started considering taking a teenage mom and her baby because they are hard to find homes for and we felt like maybe we could make a difference. My licensing worker with my agency was telling us about this age for months because there was so many in shelters. The idea is that they are in shelters right now and if they age out they are pretty much on their own for the rest of their lives but if we fostered them, then they would have a family forever and we would be able to teach them independent living skills, how to get a job, apply for college, help out with the baby, tell them to dump their looser boyfriend (just kidding), etc etc. so we felt like this would be great and there were two girls in shelters at the current time so I told my licensing worker with my agency to find out background info and get back with me and then we can think it over and see if we can see ourselves taking this age. Well this past Monday I called her to see what she find out and low and behold, ironically they had been placed in another home. My licensing worker couldn't believe that she had finally got me to consider doing this and then there wasn't any to take. So I said "well that's okay because I wasn't sure and God made up my mind for me so he must have another plan for us" Then she looked at her list and discovered that she had a 2 1/2 year old girl Rose and 9 mo old boy Roman that needed an adoptive home. They are bio bro and sis and were currently in other homes separated but both families were not interested in adopting. I told her we would be interested and again give us some background to see if something clicks with us. So because two other families were interested, we had to get on the ball and decide. We went to meet them that day and fell and love, when the connection is there, it is there. We have them this weekend and then they will start transitioning them to get with us for good by the end of the month. Rose is a cakewalk compared to Alice and Roman is pretty independent so all is well so far. So needless to say, I am amazed that I have time to type this while FOUR kids are playing behind me. The kids are one step behind with court proceedings than Anderson and Alice are but it looks like we will probably be adopting 4 kids at once. Yes that is our limit and then at least one bio kid for us. What scares me is that if the bio moms have more babies, whomever has their siblings have first pick to take the infant which means down the line, we may end up with more of their kids, because I am sure they won't be responsible enough to use birth control so we will just have to see what life brings us. Be careful what you wish for, that is all I have to say. Anyway, wanted to let you all know what is going on in our life and I will be sure to post pictures soon. Love ya, Rachel
disappointing, yet exciting
April 10, 2008 - Thursday
disappointing yet exciting?
We were supposed to going to trial on April 21st for Alice and Anderson to get the birth mom’s rights terminated so that they are free for adoption. Well we just got an e-mail yesterday that it has been rescheduled until July 14th, bummer. We waited 5 months for this day and just when we are one week away they put us back three months. It would have been better to know from the very begining that we had to wait 8 months. I am sure that this will put our adoption back till next year since it takes about another 6 months after severance of parental rights. Better not to dwell and flip it around and believe that God has a plan for everyone and I am EXCITED to have that a ha moment and realize what the reason is for this to occur three months from now, he has proven to me so many times that there is a reason for everything.
On another note, it looks like Destiny R. will be reunited with Family by the end of this month going to live with her paternal grandparents. It is almost a year that she has been with us already. We will be fine with the loss of her because we know it is the best thing
We got on the list for another foster placement since Destiny will be leaving, we are licensed for four so we are open to a sibling group so we shall see what happens. There is not a whole lot of kids coming through lately which is a good thing because that means parents are staying out of trouble so it may be a while before we got any other kids but you know their pictures will be slapped around on my page as soon as we get them.
Love you all
disappointing yet exciting?
We were supposed to going to trial on April 21st for Alice and Anderson to get the birth mom’s rights terminated so that they are free for adoption. Well we just got an e-mail yesterday that it has been rescheduled until July 14th, bummer. We waited 5 months for this day and just when we are one week away they put us back three months. It would have been better to know from the very begining that we had to wait 8 months. I am sure that this will put our adoption back till next year since it takes about another 6 months after severance of parental rights. Better not to dwell and flip it around and believe that God has a plan for everyone and I am EXCITED to have that a ha moment and realize what the reason is for this to occur three months from now, he has proven to me so many times that there is a reason for everything.
On another note, it looks like Destiny R. will be reunited with Family by the end of this month going to live with her paternal grandparents. It is almost a year that she has been with us already. We will be fine with the loss of her because we know it is the best thing
We got on the list for another foster placement since Destiny will be leaving, we are licensed for four so we are open to a sibling group so we shall see what happens. There is not a whole lot of kids coming through lately which is a good thing because that means parents are staying out of trouble so it may be a while before we got any other kids but you know their pictures will be slapped around on my page as soon as we get them.
Love you all
ahhh, I love you too
March 13, 2008 - Thursday
ahhhh I love you too
My little girl, Alice, told me she loved me on her own the other day for the first time, here is how Alice "I’m happy moma"
Moma "what? your happy?"
Alice "Yeah, I’m happy moma"
Moma "ah that is so sweet of you to say that"
Alice (gives her I know I am so cute look and says) "I love you Moma"
(mom sheds a tear and wipes away very discreet)
Moma "I love you too my baby"
and Alice gives her smile and tilts her head back and forth again saying I know I am so cute and loved so much and then she runs off to continue playing
AAHHHH this is the life.
ahhhh I love you too
My little girl, Alice, told me she loved me on her own the other day for the first time, here is how Alice "I’m happy moma"
Moma "what? your happy?"
Alice "Yeah, I’m happy moma"
Moma "ah that is so sweet of you to say that"
Alice (gives her I know I am so cute look and says) "I love you Moma"
(mom sheds a tear and wipes away very discreet)
Moma "I love you too my baby"
and Alice gives her smile and tilts her head back and forth again saying I know I am so cute and loved so much and then she runs off to continue playing
AAHHHH this is the life.
The Beginning
This will probably be so assbackwards, excuse my french, because I am just too darn tired right now to tell the history of our life. Not to mention, I need to go take a bath before Anderson comes crying to get in bed with us. I want to start this blog to dictate what goes on in our lives as it passes by in a glimpse. So much time has already gone by since we have had the kids and I already feel like I am forgetting those special moments so I am going to just start off with this entry, post some old blogs from myspace and then go on from there and maybe I will tell our story little by little throughout.
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