Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend is supposed to be about taking a break from our "labors", therefore we get an extra day off of work.  The funny thing is; as a mom of 6, being home from my 9 - 5 job is much more "work" than being there.  It's definitely a labor of love!  Today my sister, Shelby, came over with her 3 kids.  We cleaned the house, washed the dogs and worked in the back yard.  House work and yard work are so much more fun with help.  Here are the cousins hanging out together. 

                                                                     The Girls...

 

The Boys...

 

The Captain....???!!!???

 

Looks like Steve's "got a little Captain in him"!  Working hard, or hardly working...???

 

Ahh, then we eat!  What a great summer meal.  Chicken wings on the tri-pod cooked over a bonfire, (per special request from the boys, it's a camping favorite!), fresh cucumber salad with cucumbers from the garden, corn on the cob, watermelon, and homemade buttered noodles, yummm!  Of course there were S'mores for desert while sitting by the fire.  It doesn't get any better than this. 

 

Sitting around the fire after a long, crazy day, sippin' on a Twisted Tea, talking, laughing and making memories with my family....priceless! 

 

From Dr. King to President Obama

On an August afternoon in 1963, Dr King, the Baptist preacher and civil rights leader, drew the largest crowd the country had witnessed as he delivered his "I have a dream" speech, a call for racial equality that resignates still to this day.

Yesterday, under rainy skies, America's first black president stood on the same spot; at the same time of day, to reflect on the progress that has been made towards Dr. King's dream exactly 50 years later.

This is an important day, an important historical event.  I am not making a political statement of any kind.  I'm thinking about this event from the perspective of a mother of children growing in a world where the color of your skin can shape how you are viewed and treated.  

I wonder how Dr. King might have felt knowing that within 50 years of his speech an African American president would be standing exactly where he stood addressing the American people on the issue of race and equality; just as he had.  Would he be shocked at our progress?  Would he be proud of where we are today?  Or would he be enraged that we still have so far to go?  Would he be saddend that the topic of racial equality pertaining to jobs, income, representation in positions of power, representation in prisons is still such a dominate issue in our society today?  I can only imagine.

One of my favorite exerpts from Dr. King's, I have a Dream speech is this:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

As a mother of 2 African American daughters this is one of my biggest concerns.  At times I worry that my girls will have to have that much more strength of character to receive the same treatment in the world as someone with white skin.  I'd like to think this is just me being sensitive for them, but I know, in some ways, this is very true.  And this weighs very heavy on my heart, this huge responsibility to somehow teach and mold my girls so that the world will see how amazingly wonderful they are on the inside when many will never be able to get past the outside. 

            50 years ago, Dr. King also said;

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." 

 

This is really what it's all about.  This is the one thing that has been the same 50 years ago, 50 years from now, and forever. 

 

 



 

Holding onto Summer

Sunday the girls and I went to the beach to enjoy the sand and surf.  It's been hot here and the beach is such a great place to spend an afternoon.  None of the guys wanted to go with us, their loss I guess. 

We played in the sand and built sandcastles.  Didn't they turn out nice?  M had started a two tower castle in a different part of the beach.  She spend almost an hour quietly building and shaping, and decorating her castle with shells and rocks.  Then two little boys, with their parents watching, ran over and destroyed her castle..  :(   The mom snickered at the boys but did nothing.  M ran over to me and cried.  It was a great teaching opportunity about kindness and forgiveness.  Thank you Lord for these opportunities!  We decided to build another castle together away from the boys. 

 

We think they turned out pretty awesome! 

 

This particular free beach even has a playground we like to run around on while we dry off before going home. 

 

 

 

(ok, so I need to figure out how to rotate my photos, always new things to learn.  I'm open to instructions if anyone knows a quick and easy way)

 

Summer doesn't last very long where we live.  We need to take advantage of every sunny day we are blessed with.  This was a perfect way to do just that! 

 

Later that night when we were getting ready for bed, M ran up and gave me a big hug saying, "Mommy, I'm never going to leave you!"  to which I replied, "Honey, I'm never going to let you go."  and squeezed her back. 

 

Thank you Jesus! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Years Ago and Today

 
 

   

Ten years ago I had 4 boys in my living room on any given Saturday afternoon.  They were 11, 7, 4, and 3.  My house was full of Legos, hot wheels and dinosaurs. Kids were sword fighting with paper towel tubes and hunting tigers behind my sofa.  We've seen entire cities build of Legos, raging wars between dinosaur heards, and boobie trapped forts strewn across the yard.  Ten years ago my biggest fear was someone getting hurt physically.  My biggest frustration was stepping on sharp little Legos in my bare feet and the boys jumping off the furniture.  My biggest joy was watching the boys together, bonded as a family unit no matter what they were playing.









                              

Today it's Saturday 10 years later.  The boys are not home, they are all off with friends or working.  Today I have two little girls playing in my living room.  They are 5 and 8.  Instead of Legos, Hot Wheels, and Dinosaurs; I have Barbies, Polly Pockets, and Princesses all over the house.  Today I see a fashion show on the sofa, a tea party in the corner and a castle under the dining room table.   Today my biggest fear is someone getting hurt emotionally, my biggest frustration is sassy tone in a voice and stepping on sharp little Barbie shoes in my bare feet.  Today my biggest joy is watching my two little girls play together, bonded as a family unit no matter what they are playing. 

             

Life is different in may ways today from 10 years ago, yet in many more ways it's still the same.  I feel so blessed to be able to have these experiences as a mom, both ten years ago and today.  Ten years from now my kids will be 31, 27, 24, 23, 18, and 15. I wonder what my living room will be full of then... 
 

Camping

 

Camping

 

 

Camping went better than I expected.  Below is a picture of Kam and his 2 little sisters.  He can be so good with them.  He's even wearing Harmony's sunglasses because she told him he looked good in them.  We're not allowed to share images of M until she's adopted so this is the best we can do for now. 

 

M loves to be outside, she swims like a little fish, and even slept well through the nights.  We had our first big meltdowns while camping.  Lucky for us they happened at our cabin so we could go inside and wait her out.  All of us handle these so much better this time around.  We knew they would come so we were expecting them.  It's actually a good thing.  It means M is starting to feel comfortable around us and safe enough to loose control with us.  The recovery after a melt down allows us to show her that we still love her no matter what she does.  This is how we become a family. 

 

 

She's home

                                                   

She's home!  Talk about 0 to 60 in no time flat.  We were planning on picking M up tomorrow to take her on our camping trip for the next 4 days.  Foster mom called me last evening stating that M's therapy session on Monday didn't go so well.  She was crying and saying that everybody is leaving her.  She ran out of the room and wouldn't go back in.  When foster mom was telling me this, my heart was heavy.  It was heavy for M who was obviously struggling with all the changes in her life.   And here I am praying for yet another change, moving to our home.  I know we can give her a good home, a strong faith and as much love as she can hold, but first she must face yet another move, another loss of a family she has grown to finally trust and love.  This makes me sad, as I already cannot understand why this precious little person has had to endeaur so many losses and hurts in her little life.  And now I have to put her through that pain one more time.  My solace lies in knowing God is good and will guide, love, protect and heal M and the rest of us for as long as he allows us here on earth.  We prayed and prayed and prayed about this decision to embark on this journey again.  It's not an easy journey for anyone involved, yet Steve and I both felt called to do it again.  If God calls us He will help us.  He will give M the strength she needs to get through this move, and us the strength to love her through the storm.  This will be her last home untill she is grown and chooses to leave on her own. 

When I heard that therapy wasn't going well and that M was really struggling with this transition, I thought for sure we would be told to slow the process down for her.  To my surprise, foster mom next said, "I say, if your going  to take her for 4 days, you might as well keep her".  What???  Really??  I said that we were 100% willing to take her, but had to follow the SW plan.  Foster mom called the SW, who called me and said that she was fine with us keeping M after our camping trip!!  That was yesterday.  Last night we worked till 10:30pm putting the bunk bed together and making room for M, as we were not expecting the actual move for another couple weeks.   We didn't get everything we wanted to get done, done but that's ok.  M won't know the difference or care.  She will be safe, and loved that's what really matters.  The rest we will figure out in time.  For now, she's home and my heart feels complete.  Thank you Lord for all of your amazing blessings! 

waiting with glow pets

Another day of waiting.  It's now been 4 days since we've seen M.  I am trying to be patient, but the more we get to spend time with her, the more we bond.  It gets harder and harder to let days go by without some sort of communication whether it's how she adjusted after a visit with us, or just if she's having a good or bad day.  I try not to be too pesky with the SW's or foster mom, but it's just hard.  Yesterday was M's 5th birthday.  We gave her a birthday gift on the 4th when we had her.  It was a glow pet.  We thought it would be nice for her first night in a new place.  Harmony's birthday is just 10 days before M's.  Harmony had been asking for one of these for months.  She also received one for her birthday.  So the girls had "sister glow pets".  They both took them down to the park to watch fireworks.  Harmony's is the seal and M's is the unicorn. 


        What a great stuffed animal this is.  It's filled with LED lights so they never get hot and the lights are so small you cannot feel them.  They even have a timer option so they will go off once your little one falls asleep.  M and Harmony love theirs. 

Anyways, back to the waiting... yesterday I texted foster mom to wish M a happy birthday and to ask how she was after our visit.  No answer all day.  Then this morning I texted again, how was M's birthday?  Was she ok after our overnight?  No answer.  Then this afternoon I texted, "Is something wrong? "  Maybe I'm being pushy, but it was our first overnight and that can be a big deal.  How M handles that is important.  I called the SW to see if she had heard anything.  She had not, but was going to check for us.  Later this afternoon foster mom finally texted, "Everything is fine".  Ok, that's all I was asking for, I guess. 

                                                 

The judge gave his written decision of TPR on the 3rd.  Today M has therapy and is going to be told that she will be moving to live with us.  I don't know what time therapy is, but I'm praying she is ok.  As much as we are excited about this new adventure, I know she is afraid and sad to know she will be leaving her foster family.  It's bitter sweet really.  I know that this fagile little girl has to go through one more big loss and hurt before getting to us forever.  That breaks my heart. 

Hopefully tomorrow the SW will call and let us know the final plan for visits and a move.