The News... sorry so late

Phone call yesterday informed us that we will have a phone interview with the representative from A Family For Every Child, the group that does the heart gallery in Oregon. YAY! This will be sometime the week of May 11th!

then.................. the Committee will meet May 27th!!!! This is awesome news! We will know that day if the committee agrees we are the family. Everyone says there is no reason they should not and we are still the only family contending. Our SW, once again, is awesome and I mean that. She is a praying lady and has been in prayer with us since we met. D and I have already discussed a trip to West Palm Beach in the future just to meet her face to face. She isn't our original worker. She works for a different branch of One Church One Child of Florida and "met" us through paperwork, pictures and phone calls. Still, we know her and she us we feel.

Keep up the prayers and know they are appreciated. We love all of you and can't wait to introduce you to our new additions - soon!

I've been sew, so busy!

Yep! I said sew! I've started and I'm hooked and I can't stop. Granny gave me a sewing machine and I was off into this new adventure. I've always dreamed of making little dresses and bows but B and R would never have worn them... ok, ok, I wouldn't have let them. I see these cute little dresses in stores and think how easy it must be to make that and NOW I FINALLY AM!! I started with my God-daughter and made her the first one. Cute, simple pillowcase dress with a soft pink ribbon closure. WOW! It looked decent. I went to KMart and picked up several more pillowcases, some with a little pizzaz and a couple soft white ones. I've whipped up a few; another for my GD, one for my littlest cousin T (she's turning 4 May 1) and a couple more I made from actual fabric that I'm hoping will draw the attention of some eBay mommies. I made 'em all different sizes and made hairbows to match. I can't wait to have these little girls! N also of course! I picked up some cool racecar material and fashioned N and R some pillows for their bedroom. Very cute! I'll put some pictures on here as soon as I take them. I never thought I would be blessed like I have been.

I have more news, but I want to tell D first so.... you'll have to wait! I'll post again tonight, promise ;)

Love to all!
~K

YAY!!!

We got word today that we CAN send N a birthday card! Maybe this isn't a big deal, but it is for us. We are excited to be able to acknowledge his big day! Ok, that isn't exactly what the YAY is for.......................... the SW said our date will be in late May! That's atleast a time frame. We can probably travel in early June if all goes well. (PRAY ALL GOES WELL)

We are stepping up our fundraising efforts now! Although the contributions are not coming through the ChipIn on our page, we have some amazing people who have blessed us! Yard sale SATURDAY April 25 if no rain.

On another note. I preached tonight and I think it went well. I felt like myself again and frankly, I needed it after some recent stagnant moments I have been feeling. Not lacking in faith, rather lacking in fire. I was suffering from a mild case of burn-out BUT - I'm back! I wish D could have been there, but he had to work. I think I have been overwhelmed a little with having more of the adult responsiblity as well as the kids. I prayed for God's wisdom and I think I've got it now. I'm managing my study and prep time a little differently and it's working. This is something I should be able to continue even when the little ones come. I can't wait!!!

Love to all!
~K

N is turning 3 years old.... without us

Everyone hates missing their child's birthday I am sure. N is turning 3 on April 25th and it's killing us that we can't be with him. We aren't sure if we can even acknowlege it with a gift or card. We have an email in to our SW and hope we will hear something soon.

Still no confirmed committee date and waiting is getting harder and harder. We've been doing a lot outdoors lately and not having them with us (although we never have) seems to make a void. We can imagine their blonde hair being lightened by the sunshine and their eyes sparkling as they build sandcastles with B & R as the experienced architects..... (raise your hand if you think I've lost it)

I was in Target the other day and I saw a lady struggling with her little boy; she blasted him out and gave this excuse to those who were now watching because of the attention she had drawn to herself. "He's autistic - I can't help it!" I. can't. help. it. What about him? Whether this little boy had the capacity to know it or not, his mommy had just humiliated him. My mind immediately raced to N and the conversation with his Foster Mom. She said they seldom go anywhere because of N. I've prayed about this. God has already shown me so many things and I trust His wisdom. I don't usually lose my cool and when R was little I dealt with all kinds of "incidents". I can remember looking at him and once we finally made eye contact I could speak to him in a small voice and tell him every thing was going to be ok. I don't know what was going on in his head, but it was more than disobedience. R was never diagnosed with anything thankfully. I imagine this working with N too as soon as he knows we're his Mommy and Daddy and we love him. Did I mention before that we got an updated report about E and N? N is doing so much better and they are pleased with his progress! Way to go Foster Mom or Abuela (grandmother) as she wishes to be called after the adoption. I LOVE THIS!

Thanks to all who are praying for us. Continue to pray for a committee date to happen soon. We want to meet our children and bring them home. Love to all.
~K

It's going to be a great summer!

  Well, we are still awaiting a definite date for the commitee meeting.  Meanwhile we have just been daydreaming of what it will be like to load up 5 little ones for a trip to the beach, or day trips to Tallahassee or Destin.

  I am so proud of my boys for getting things prepared for the little ones and already planning how they will help them to adjust to their new home. I know they will be great big brothers, always looking out for the safety of the little ones.

  It's going to be a great summer! 

Just a quick one...

I wasn't feeling well earlier and the boys missed Jr. Deputies. They were bummed at first but they quickly found something to occupy. They're getting along so well! I figured I'd take a moment to update!

We had a great weekend in spite of the fact we attended the funeral of my Great Aunt Pauline on Saturday. She was in her 80's and endured a painful bout of bone cancer. To quote her pastor from her service, "She ran to win and she won again!" She was a very Godly woman and what a legacy she left behind. I admire her life and will definitely draw from it.

The Easter Basket sales went well. I had some minor difficulties with the last 4 that were ordered but aside from that they turned our beautiful and we're happy we made about $100! Not too shabby!

Easter Sunday was wonderful. The children did a drama to the song "He's Alive" and it was great! B was a roman soldier and R played the part of Peter. (Watch it here!)
After church we went to my aunt and uncle's house for our feast and what a feast it was! Most of the family was there and some friends who have adopted themselves in. It was nice. If I can get the pics off my memory card I'll post them.

Still no word on the adoption. We're in wait but not still. We are racking our brains to develop multiple streams of income and as I type the boys are launching their new business venture.
The Brady Way Brothers Lawn care! It's precious. They made fliers and are already negotiating their cut and their contribution to the little ones homecoming fund. I love it. (Proud mommy here!) It's going to be a school project for them and we'll offer if free for as long as we can.

This morning I made some hair bows, very cute and the boys wanted to help. I was shocked and when I asked why they said because it's for their little sisters.... (mushy moment) I held back my smile, but these guys really, really love their little sibs already. They take such care in their things already and want to include them in things. For example, we went to the $ Gen store and they brought over sippy cups, diaper wipes and clothing items for the littles trying to convince me we should buy this and have it stocked up. This sure beats an episode last month when R tried to pull a guilt trip over wanting a toy he hadn't earned... " you're buying things for THEM!" I was not pleased with that, but could immediately see his remorse. He later told me he was sorry he said that and hoped it hadn't made me change my mind about adopting. All is well.

They want to start a neighborhood newsletter. We have a cheesy desktop publishing program that we've come to love and they want to do it, so I'm not holding them back. It will be good for them to gain some experience. We're passing our little packets to the neighborhood with a letter about us and the adoption, fliers about D's computer services, the boys lawn care, and I'll come up with something as I've always got some ideas up my sleeves.... hmmmm. I may offer some evening baby sitting, occasionally of course, or advertise my grocery shopping service around here. Now that's a thought! It was very successful with vacationers. I can't commit myself to anything permanently because the kiddos will be here soon and I can't take on something that will take me away from all of them.

Today was beautiful and tomorrow promises to be. The breeze is intoxicating and we had the windows opened to invite in through the house today. It made the mood around here mild and lazy. I can't wait for tomorrow. It's D's day off and we're hoping to hang at the state park for a little while. We are attending a Tax Day Tea Party in the afternoon and then church. I am glad D is off to be there. I feel like it's gonna be a good service. I pray so anyway.

Til later. Love to all.
~K

Here we go again... Bad weather! Uhggg!

Today is another soaked and saturated day. We're under tornado warnings and nickel sized hail is in the forecast. It looks gloomy and feels cold in paradise today.

This has me thinking of the babies and wondering how their day is in Oregon. I do this a lot. I go to the weather channel and check out the forecast there to imagine what they might be doing.... If it's rainy (which foster mom says happens a lot there) then they're probably inside playing. I miss them, can you tell? I have begin to imagine our every day life plus 3 and think about the adjustments we'll be making to include them. Recently I laughed at something my 10 year old nephew brought up. The boys love having their cousins stay over and Saturday nights are particularly hard for me when D is working because getting them all ready for church Sunday morning is more time consuming. So, I crafted my answer "Not tonight" and stated the reason above as why another night would be more suitable.... If you know C you can probably imagine his comeback... "Aunt K, how to you expect to do it with 3 more kids then?" My response, "get in the van." So they won and it made me think about a lot. Can we handle it, oh yes. We always do.

Anyway, here is a look at the weather where the kiddos are.

Cloudy
45°F Feels Like 41°F

I'm shutting down as the winds are picking up the the TV is blarring an alert tone that has the boys in a tither.... love to all.

~K

Progress!

COMMITTEE PENDING!
No longer accepting home studies

It's getting closer! Every day I go to the Lane County Heart Gallery to see the faces of my little sweeties and long to see the words above. That means a special family has been chosen! This is a big deal!!! A long awaited exhale............... and we still wait.

Hopefully we'll have a date soon.

Little Mama

Got word today from our SW. Our little girl, the oldest, E has been engaging in "play therapy" as a way of learning to express her emotions. The information we got today in a nut-shell says that E feels the need to be motherly. It's natural for little girls to have a motherly instinct, but sometimes children who have been removed from their primary care givers do it to a fault and it becomes abnormal.

I deal with this a lot with some of the little girls in our church who have been forced to grow up too fast and parent their siblings. I always have to reassure them that they don't have to be responsible for anyone but themselves when a responsible grown up is around. It seems to relieve them but I can't help but notice how they take care to notice my every action toward their sibs. It's kinda sad sometimes. I think all children should have the chance to be a child and some of them just don't. I'll have to be sure we make E feel content that we are adequate in our parenting abilities and she can relax. I want her to enjoy all the things that little girls love!

YAY! N is making progress! This is great news. We are hoping some time with his new brothers will help him too.

I'm off to church! Love to all.
~K

Everything is ready

Well, everything is ready at the house. The girls room sits ready, beds made, clothes in the closet, the walls just waiting to echo the sounds of little girls laughter and giggles. I can envision getting invited to little tea parties and getting down on the floor and playing along. I am sure that the girls will provide a great balance in our home, as well as our new little boy.

Our new little boys room is ready as well, with toy cars, trucks and a new big brother anxiously awaiting his arrival. There will be so much for him to learn from myself and his older brothers, after all they are 10 and 12 and have experienced all there is to experience in the world of boyhood. With skateboarding, bike riding, baseball, swimming, etc. they can teach him all he needs to now. Of course, as dad, I will keep a watchful eye on him and help him out when the boys are participating in games that he might be too small for.

For now I continue to pray that all goes well and our three little blessings will soon join our two other blessing.

Rainy Days...

It's still a rainy mess here in our part of paradise. We've experiences some torrential rain storms and lots of wind and flooding. Thankfully it hasn't directly affected our home or that of anyone close to us, but there is still too much happening for my contentment. Here's a glimpse....

Ehhh... not so nice day at the beach. On the bright side- we're all here, safe and together. Stormy weather just promotes togetherness so all is not lost. For an adoption update to keep this blog true to its purpose.... I called our SW today for a weekly check in and still nothing. Just her pleasant voice with encouragement to wait and pray. We are.

I went shopping yesterday at the local goodwill store and got some fabulous finds. Brand new clothes! Most of it anyway. The rest was in very good shape and the way kids grow these days it's no wonder. Here's what I ended up with.... 11 outfits for less than $30! Dave Ramsey would be proud. Dennis was and the boys are loving the suble introduction of frills into our laundry. The dresses are so darn cute and little. We bought hangers today for their clothes and the boys have enjoyed laundry today. "Mom, was our clothes ever this little?" Yes, yes it was. Funny the things we forget. Anyway, more to come later, for now I'm going to transform myself into the snuggle monster and make a surprise attack on the family. Love to all!

~K