Friday, February 01, 2008
Complete Turnaround!
Ok, so yesterday I talked about how the girls may not be able to be adopted after all. But Shawn just called me and the judge has ordered mediation, which means that we will be having a meeting with the girls' mom and basically trying to come to an agreement that would make it possible for us to adopt the girls. maybe we would agree to some kind of contact, like letters and pictures, or something like that. So we will see! Shawn got to testify... I am sure it was a scary experience!! I'm glad it was him and not me! Anyway, I am much more optimistic about everything now :)
Court Date
Today is the girls' court date at 11:30. Shawn is there to see what happens and possibly testify... We'll see what they say.
I found out that my friend Brandy is going to have her reception on March 22, 2008. They got married December 22, 2007 in a small ceremony that I was able to attend! And she is expecting again! Leigha is going to have a baby brother or sister :) She called me last night and was wondering about a book I read once that she wants to read. It is The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. I really liked it, it was straightforward and honest, and biblical. That is a good combination...
I found out that my friend Brandy is going to have her reception on March 22, 2008. They got married December 22, 2007 in a small ceremony that I was able to attend! And she is expecting again! Leigha is going to have a baby brother or sister :) She called me last night and was wondering about a book I read once that she wants to read. It is The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. I really liked it, it was straightforward and honest, and biblical. That is a good combination...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
They grow up so fast!
I know everyone says so, and it's because it is true!! A week ago Bryce was terrified of showers. Now that he knows we have a handheld shower head, he begs to take a shower "in you shower, mom" He loves it! And he is talking about everything now... He just told me "I almost slipped on that, mom. It's macaroni!" He is now calling me mom. Mature for a 2 year old, don't you think? It is of course because of his older sisters. Oh well, maybe Henry won't catch on :)
Henry is crawling all over the place and now he's pulling up on everything, too. While Bryce was playing in our shower, he was pulling up on the side of the tub watching all the fun, and begging to get in. It sounded like this "Ta-ta? Taaa-Taa!" He's just so cute I could eat him up. Seriously, he is the cutest baby ever (since Bryce of course). He is laying on me right now sleeping and I have the computer almost too far away to reach, but its propped on my knee and I am typing two-handed. Pretty good if I do say so myself! Shawn is in Odessa without us, eating pizza and watching movies. I am jealous!
Henry is crawling all over the place and now he's pulling up on everything, too. While Bryce was playing in our shower, he was pulling up on the side of the tub watching all the fun, and begging to get in. It sounded like this "Ta-ta? Taaa-Taa!" He's just so cute I could eat him up. Seriously, he is the cutest baby ever (since Bryce of course). He is laying on me right now sleeping and I have the computer almost too far away to reach, but its propped on my knee and I am typing two-handed. Pretty good if I do say so myself! Shawn is in Odessa without us, eating pizza and watching movies. I am jealous!
Reading blogs... interesting
Wow, I have been reading a lot of blogs lately! I have mainly been reading foster care/ adoption blogs. Hearing everyone's stories is somehow comforting. We aren't the only ones dealing with everything in "the system." Shawn is in Odessa as we speak because the girls had a court date and we didn't want to miss it. All this time it seemed termination of parental rights (TPR) was imminent, but now the judge says "it has been too long" and the case they had 2 years ago is no longer going to work. Their mom apparently does care for them, she just isn't able to take care of them, if that makes sense. Which I understand. I just wish the girls could have permanency instead of having to be foster kids til they are 18!
The sad thing is that the girls are now not going to be able to be adopted. They will be under permanent custody of CPS (and hopefully us) but they are still kind of in limbo. Adoption means something, even if they are going to be with us, it just isn't the same if they don't have our last name and they aren't legally ours. For one thing we can't parent them the way we feel is best because of all the things we have to adhere to as foster parents. Plus we will have to keep everything locked up indefinitely... I was kinda hoping to adopt them and then not have to do all the "foster parent stuff" anymore. I was looking forward to FREEDOM! Inspections, caseworker visits, psychological evaluations, it never ends! And God forbid you don't turn in a form that says they had their yearly physical. Ok, the court date isn't even til tomorrow but all this info is from their new caseworker...
On a different but related note, their sister may be coming to visit over Spring Break for a few days...
The sad thing is that the girls are now not going to be able to be adopted. They will be under permanent custody of CPS (and hopefully us) but they are still kind of in limbo. Adoption means something, even if they are going to be with us, it just isn't the same if they don't have our last name and they aren't legally ours. For one thing we can't parent them the way we feel is best because of all the things we have to adhere to as foster parents. Plus we will have to keep everything locked up indefinitely... I was kinda hoping to adopt them and then not have to do all the "foster parent stuff" anymore. I was looking forward to FREEDOM! Inspections, caseworker visits, psychological evaluations, it never ends! And God forbid you don't turn in a form that says they had their yearly physical. Ok, the court date isn't even til tomorrow but all this info is from their new caseworker...
On a different but related note, their sister may be coming to visit over Spring Break for a few days...
Freecycle
I just got the coolest thing for free! It is a little swingset for toddlers. It has a swing and a little fort area with a slide. It's so cute, and I got it free off of freecycle!
People give away all kinds of free stuff. I have given away clothes, and all I did was send out an email to my group, and the first one to respond I told them where to come pick it up. It is great!
People give away all kinds of free stuff. I have given away clothes, and all I did was send out an email to my group, and the first one to respond I told them where to come pick it up. It is great!
Monday, January 21, 2008
It's Been A While, Again...
Well Christmas and New Year's came and went. On to another semester at school. I got a great Christmas present this year, a digital SLR camera. It has been a lot of fun, I am still learning but already have taken lots of great pictures. The camera really does make it a lot easier to get some good shots. Here are some I like a lot:
I decided last Wednesday (before I got strep throat) to dive back into the world of html... I haven't gotten too far yet, but it is interesting to design a webpage from scratch. I'll have to share when I get something cool made. I never really like the templates I find, so maybe I can do better.
I really want to open a photography business and quit my "real job." I hope someday that happens :) My mom offered to buy me a backdrop and some lighting for my birthday to take a family portrait. Sounds like fun! I am hoping this summer maybe to put up a website to promote myself. Shawn might even join me. He is an experienced studio photographer and is interested in creative photos of outdoors stuff: leaves, animals, etc. I am more into pictures of people just being themselves. So, we'll see what happens! We have already decided on a name and I have been playing around with logos, mainly just cause I get bored and have nothing better to do. (Ok, I have tons to do, but I'd rather play with logos.)
Good news yesterday! My sister took her NCLEX-RN test to be a registered nurse and she passed! I knew she would, even though she was skeptical! She is really smart and a very hard worker!! I knew she would do well. Seriously, I am lazy compared to her. That is one reason I am hoping she will come help me pick out colors and paint some rooms in my house sometime soon. Come to think of it, I might need to invite several friends/workers ;) I have a lot of walls to cover in a weekend.
Shawn decided I could do what I wanted with the house, but he didn't want to be there for it. I decided that sounded good, so sometime soon he will go away for a weekend and come back to a newly painted house.
Ok, back to my class now...
I decided last Wednesday (before I got strep throat) to dive back into the world of html... I haven't gotten too far yet, but it is interesting to design a webpage from scratch. I'll have to share when I get something cool made. I never really like the templates I find, so maybe I can do better.
I really want to open a photography business and quit my "real job." I hope someday that happens :) My mom offered to buy me a backdrop and some lighting for my birthday to take a family portrait. Sounds like fun! I am hoping this summer maybe to put up a website to promote myself. Shawn might even join me. He is an experienced studio photographer and is interested in creative photos of outdoors stuff: leaves, animals, etc. I am more into pictures of people just being themselves. So, we'll see what happens! We have already decided on a name and I have been playing around with logos, mainly just cause I get bored and have nothing better to do. (Ok, I have tons to do, but I'd rather play with logos.)
Good news yesterday! My sister took her NCLEX-RN test to be a registered nurse and she passed! I knew she would, even though she was skeptical! She is really smart and a very hard worker!! I knew she would do well. Seriously, I am lazy compared to her. That is one reason I am hoping she will come help me pick out colors and paint some rooms in my house sometime soon. Come to think of it, I might need to invite several friends/workers ;) I have a lot of walls to cover in a weekend.
Shawn decided I could do what I wanted with the house, but he didn't want to be there for it. I decided that sounded good, so sometime soon he will go away for a weekend and come back to a newly painted house.
Ok, back to my class now...
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
I am excited about decorating for Christmas this year. Shawn and I went to Wal-Mart and got some maroon and silver christmas ornaments. Gig 'em Aggies! And I even made a wreath out of come cedar branches I cut off of a tree out by our house. I put a red bow on it. It looks a little scrawny, but I got tired of getting scratched up by the cedar. Oh well! We are supposed to get our tree this weekend, so that will be fun. Shawn is going to cut it down at a Christmas Tree Farm.
Shawn has some big ideas for what he wants to get Ashilee and Brytini and Bryce. We'll see what happens!
Shawn has some big ideas for what he wants to get Ashilee and Brytini and Bryce. We'll see what happens!
Misty's wreck
There has been a lot going on lately. Recently a good friend, Misty, (the twin sister of one of my best friends) was in a car accident. She fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree. She was in ICU for a week or so, and she had a cracked pelvis and a sliced spleen. She had a lot of mucus in her lungs, so she was on a ventilator for about a week. Things seemed to be getting better, though, and they moved her to her own room and after two weeks of being in the hospital she was moved to a rehab facility nearby. That was on Thanksgiving.
The very next day she was moved back to ICU. Her lungs filled with fluid. She had pneumonia. One of her lungs collapsed, and one of her lungs had a blood clot in it. (Not sure if it was the same lung or not) She is only 25, and she is fighting for her life. They said they almost lost her Friday night. Anyone that reads this, please pray for Misty!
Brandy (her sister) is set to get married December 22, and we are not even sure if Misty will be out of the hospital by then. We aren't sure what is going to happen. It is heartbreaking. She had been driving back and forth to school and that is when she fell asleep while she was driving.
The very next day she was moved back to ICU. Her lungs filled with fluid. She had pneumonia. One of her lungs collapsed, and one of her lungs had a blood clot in it. (Not sure if it was the same lung or not) She is only 25, and she is fighting for her life. They said they almost lost her Friday night. Anyone that reads this, please pray for Misty!
Brandy (her sister) is set to get married December 22, and we are not even sure if Misty will be out of the hospital by then. We aren't sure what is going to happen. It is heartbreaking. She had been driving back and forth to school and that is when she fell asleep while she was driving.
Friday, November 02, 2007
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