Scraps of Home

Slow But Steady

2012-01-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

We continue to see Shane make slow but steady progress in reading and math. He enjoys the computer math program and the new easy reader books we got him (all three letter words or less), but often forgets material he learned just a month before. I know it's frustrating for him to see his younger brother, Kevin, advancing at a much faster pace in reading. Kevin surprised Daniel this week by reading a polar bear book that we had no idea he could read yet.

Meanwhile, Shane says he has made friends with the boy who was bullying him at the Options program. But yesterday, when I picked the kids up, I was told that the solution seems to be to ignore the bullying and let this boy take whatever Shane has. I told him to be nice to the boy and super friendly in the hopes that he would stop being so violent. I also tried to get the school involved, but their solution was to have a school assembly about bullying that didn't really make much sense to the kids. The principal brought dogs and talked about the fact that, even though the dogs are very different and have different jobs when they are hunting, they don't bully each other and treat each other badly because of their differences. The only problem is that bullying isn't always about kids treating a "different" kid badly. Sometimes it's just bad behavior. I was hoping they'd spell out direct consequences and lay down the law, but instead it was handled in a "let's just all be nice" manner.

He seems happy, though, with the way things are going now. I'm trying not to be a "helicopter mom" hovering over him and zooming in to fix everything. At least he has his brother in class with him as support and an interpreter when trying to talk to teachers. His teachers have told me he's doing well in class. Here's hoping it all works out okay.

A New PHAD

2012-01-01T21:26:00.002-07:00

A lot of people have gotten into the "picture a day" fad, where you take one photo every day to document a year. I'm jumping on the bandwagon... but not on this blog. I don't want to have to comment on every photo for the whole year. So, I'm trying out a separate blog, just for my "Photo a day" or "PHAD". If you want to see our family's daily photo starting with today you can find them at Scrapsofhome2012phad over on Wordpress. I've always wanted to try a different format. It's a lot more complicated over there. But then again, the new changes that Blogger has been making are not for the better. Daniel says he's going to encourage me with the photo a day challenge. As a matter of fact, he took this first photo on his cell phone at church this morning. Wish me luck! I'm hoping to get a great 2012 memory book out of this.

Another Fabulous Year 2012

2011-12-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Our first ever New Year's Eve party was a success. We had two families join us (which is plenty when you add in all our kids) and we celebrated at 10pm which is when the New Year arrives in New York.

We played Minute to Win It games that came in a board game that Daniel got me for Christmas. The kids had to do things like toss a shoe right side up onto the coffee table with their toes, balance an egg on their heads, and generally do funny moves that we all enjoyed laughing at. Daniel did a few of them, too.

Then, at midnight, we used our computer to watch the ball drop online and then Daniel and another dad dumped balloons and confetti on the kids. It was a really fun party, but I think the preparations were just as fun. We blew up 75 balloons, decorated the house, took photos of each of the kids in a fun New Year hat and made silly appetizers. The kids used mini cookie cutters to cut shapes out of bologna and I divided biscuit dough into thirds to make little sausages into mini pigs in a blanket. It was the best New Years we've ever had.

Merry Christmas 2012!

2011-12-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Can you spot all 11 kids?

Christmas Eve Fun 2012

2011-12-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

We were so excited that our former foster daughters, Molly and Lina, got to join us for Christmas weekend. Their family is Buddhist and does not celebrate Christmas, but they didn't mind if we included their girls.

On Christmas Eve we went to church about 4pm for a short service. Or, I should say, Daniel and nine of the kids went. I got stuck at a Supercuts waiting for Molly and Kevin to get hair cuts. We came in ten minutes before three. They said we could get done by 3:30. They didn't START until 3:30. So we missed most of the Christmas Eve service at church.

The part we did get to enjoy was very nice, though. It was fun having all our kiddos there, although we were all missing our other two girls who left in August. Afterwards, we went home and opened our traditional Christmas Eve gifts, which are always new PJs so the kids will all look nice on Christmas morning. "Hoops" especially loved her Pink Panther PJs, jumping up and down, smiling and laughing. She said it was the best Christmas ever... before it was even Christmas yet.

We also did a special family lunch. I prefer to do the big meal on Christmas Eve so that we can all relax on Christmas day. I spent most of the week leading up to it wrapping presents every night until midnight and then most of December 24th working on it, too. Christmas was much more relaxing.

The Reason for the Season

2011-12-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

So many people talk about remembering the Reason for the Season every Christmas. They put up little manger scenes in their homes and yards and make sure they send out Christmas cards with some sort of Christian message. And yes, Christ's birth is important. But if He'd only been born and lived and died, there would be no "good news", no salvation from sin and death, no eternity in heaven with our Lord. This year, I'm reminded even more of the importance of what Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection means. Because this year, my son Kevin asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. This very night, my only begotten son has also become my brother in Christ. And just like the night our savior was born, there are angels rejoicing in heaven this very night.

Fun with Friends

2011-12-22T23:25:00.001-07:00

My friend, Deanna, called yesterday while Daniel and I were out Christmas shopping. She invited our whole family over for a play date today. Now, anyone who willingly and without nudging, invites a family of 11 to their home, is a good friend and should never be turned down. It's not like we have droves of people asking us to descend with our horde upon their house. Deanna's house is not overly large, either, which makes it interesting when we arrive. Just getting in the door can be tough with that many kids trying to get out of snowy boots and coats.

The kids had fun playing dress up and Wii with their friends. Katie and "Happy" had some difficulties sharing with two year old Elizabeth, but they worked it out. Katie especially loved taking care of nine month old Braeden. She held him and fed him some baby cereal. She played with him in his walker. She's going to be a very good mommy someday.

Braid Envy

2011-12-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

I've been spending so much time braiding "Hoop's" and "Happy's" hair these past couple of months, I think the other girls are starting to get a little envious. It's true, their hair needs do mean that they get hours of one-on-one time with me weekly. Just recently, Brianna and Danya asked if they could have their hair braided special, too. I gave it a shot, although it's really not anything like braiding the other girls' hair. What I'd really like to try is braiding all six of my girls' hair in the same style sometime. Maybe I'll do it on a Saturday night, so they can match on Sunday morning.

Tbone Talent

2011-12-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Danya, my little trombonist in training, had an end of year test of sorts. She had to perform a piece, all by herself, in front of the class, accompanied only by a background CD. She was nervous, but she did fine for a first year player. I was very proud of her.

Options Music Concert

2011-12-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Danya's drum class performed a special for Christmas. Danya played the drum that she designed and built herself. She painted a bible verse, Matthew 4:9 "He who has ears, let him hear", on it along with suns that swirl around the base. She stretched the hide across the top and wrapped the ropes herself. The bottom is PVC pipe and the top is a flower pot. Danya even had a solo during one of their pieces.

Brianna also performed with her Hands on Music class. She did a little dance and played the hand bells. The auditorium was dark, so it was hard to get good photos. They both had a great time, though.

Occupational Tree Therapy

2011-12-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday, "Happy" has occupational therapy with Miss Christine. She works on things like fine motor skills and sensory issues. Last week, Christine tested "Happy" with finger paints. Apparently, this is something that "Happy" used to have an extreme aversion to. Now, although she doesn't smile while touching the paint, she does allow Christine to press her hand into it.

After "Happy" made a finger paint Christmas tree with sequins for decorations, Miss Christine allowed Katie to make one, too. Katie gets so excited watching "Happy" during her therapy sessions. It's hard for her not getting to participate most of the time. During speech therapy we have to remind Katie not to tell "Happy" the answers to questions. But during occupational therapy, Miss Christine often asks Katie to demonstrate how to do something. Then "Happy" will follow her example. I think Katie has been a very good influence on "Happy". Miss Christine agrees. She's only going to come every other week from now on, since "Happy" has improved so much. She's amazed at "Happy's" progress. We are, too.

Yarn Extensions

2011-12-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

I attempted a new style this month. We put in extensions using black yarn. Yup, that's yarn. It's just your basic cheap soft Red Heart yarn from Hobby Lobby. But when they wear it, it's hard to tell that it's not their real hair until you look up close. You can tell my first attempt on "Hoop's" hair was a bit uneven. About a week later we redid the short ones so that they're all more uniform in length.

Both girls really love the extensions, although, after three weeks, "Hoops" is ready for a change. I still can't believe we got "Happy" to sit still for the hour and a half this style took to put in. That's not even counting the time it took to take out her previous style, detangle and wash her hair first. She swings her extensions and grins so big her face may split. And she doesn't mess them up, either, which is nice. This may be my new favorite hair style for "Happy".

Hair Bravery

2011-12-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to do slightly more interesting styles on "Happy" lately. I feel guilty when I just leave it in poofs. But it's intimidating. She moves so much while I'm trying to do her hair and it just doesn't seem worth all the effort when she's going to ruin it the first day.

I'm also trying a few ideas of my own, rather than just copying straight off the internet. This is a new style. I did three flat rope twists on each side going back into double pony tails. It took about 40 minutes to do. We'll see how long it lasts this time.

Drama Drama Drama

2011-12-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

So, I was informed on Tuesday that my three girls' drama performances were actually scheduled to begin at 4pm, not 4:30. Which meant that there was no way I could be on time. You see, normally, our babysitter Shannon comes to our house after school on Tuesdays so that I can pick 5 of our kids up at 3:30 from Options and she can be home with the two youngest when our other two kids arrive from the nearby public school at about 3:45.

That wouldn't work this time, because we wanted all the kids to get to come to the performances. So I arrived about 10 minutes late (it's a 30 minute drive) and was immediately bombarded by a teacher coming to tell me that my son Shane had an accident and had a giant goose egg on his head from colliding with another kid.

Then I went up to see the show. But "Happy" was not so happy and kept fussing and climbing and squirming. Kevin and "Lego Man" wouldn't stay sitting where I put them. I couldn't get a good photo of the stage without getting in front of people. Ugh. It's so hard attending events without Daniel.

Then, as I was rounding up kids and costumes and clothes and accessories, I saw a strange man talking to some of my kids. He was telling them that he'd taken lots of photos of them. ?!*? I asked him how he knew them and he said he wasn't a parent or a teacher... but he had a nephew there. Still didn't explain why he was taking pics of my kids... But it turned out that the nephew was named Lucas and was in Shane and Kevin's class. That's the name of a kid who has been bullying Shane since school started! I had the man point out Lucas and his mom and went over to meet her and see if we could find a solution.

Turns out, it was the wrong kid. There are two boys named Lucas in the class. Okay, not a problem. So, I talked to the mom a few minutes. She told me about another kid in the class who has been fighting with her son and asked what was going on with Shane and the other Lucas. We laughed about something my 2 year olds were doing. Then I left. No big deal, right? Apparently, though, the lady and her husband told the director of the school a very different story. I got a stern email saying she hoped "none of the other students had witnessed" what happened and that she expected parents to set an example. HUH?!? I have no idea what the mom must have said, but I do know the uncle had jokingly said that for a minute there, when I'd gone to talk to the mom, he thought I was going over to hit her. Who even thinks that way?! What kind of adults do they normally associate with? I'm baffled. I explained the situation to the director who apologized for pre-judging and I let her know she could give my email and phone # to the correct Lucas' mom so we can set up my plan of play dates or something so the boys can become friends outside of class. I'm starting to miss the old Options program. Much less drama.

Unexpected Christmas Surprises

2011-12-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

Good surprise? We really wanted a bigger better Christmas tree but couldn't afford a new one. Then we found out some friends were selling theirs for $50!

Bad surprise? We found this lovely little note on our front door. He smashed in the grill on our 15 passenger van. But on the plus side, we took it in for an estimate and the guy said we could go to a parts place and replace it ourselves for under fifty bucks. At least our next door neighbor was nice enough to tell us he did it. He wrote on the back of his business card so we can get in touch with him... because walking over and knocking would be awkward?

On the Nice List

2011-12-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

The kids have been bringing me their Christmas Wish Lists written on 3x5 cards so I can easily carry them in my purse. Clever idea. The not so smart part? Putting things on the list that we can't possibly afford. Try explaining to a five year old that he's got a $100 total gift budget. This year we're including our former foster daughters, Molly and Lina, so we're looking at a minimum $1,400 bill. There is no room for a new Nintendo DS because your old one has a cracked screen. And you're not getting a puppy or a pony. Why do I suddenly feel like the Grinch?

Cancelled Cookie Party

2011-12-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

I got up before six am on a Saturday morning to start getting ready for the mother/daughter cookie swap at church. The girls and I spent hours mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating three dozen cookies. It was my first time ever making these, and we had several unfortunate failed attempts. I learned that you need extra flour to make them solid enough and that you shouldn't lay wax paper under the rolled dough.

I also learned that if you try to add candy cane hooks so that they can double as ornaments, you must make sure the candy canes are in the oven for less than a minute or they will melt and harden onto the pan so that you need a jackhammer to remove them. Kind of frightening to

think what they do inside your stomach after you eat

them. Anyway, after all our work, Daniel pointed out that it had been steadily snowing all morning. He took the van out for a test drive around the neighborhood and declared the roads to be too dangerous to drive. We were literally bundled up, carrying our containers of cookies, ready to walk out the door, when he came in and made this announcement. It was quite a disappointment. But then we thought about it... and realized that we would get to eat all three dozen of the cookies we'd made and not have to give them away. Ah, sweet disappointment.

Home Made Ornaments

2011-12-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

We baked our own ornaments this year out of flour, salt, and water. The kids enjoyed rolling out the dough and cutting out designs. We had so much fun that we decided to make sugar cookies the next day. They painted them and then waited anxiously for them to dry.

Conveniently, their Wednesday night church AWANA club was having an ornament contest the following week. Danya entered her angel. Gloria decided, instead, to crochet an ornament. It was a neat little red and green ball. She filled it with coins so that it would jingle. I'm constantly impressed by the things she makes.

Poor "Hoops". Her ornament broke before she even got
to paint it. "Happy" dropped it on the table.

Snow, Right on Time

2011-12-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

I was really hoping we wouldn't get snow for Thanksgiving. My wish was granted and we had absolutely perfect Fall weather. It didn't even rain until the drive home. Then, a week later, we got a perfect snow. The kids were able to make snow men and throw snowballs, but it wasn't so bitterly cold that they didn't enjoy being outside. It's days like these when they really enjoy being homeschooled. We can put the books aside for an hour or two in the middle of the day when the sun's nice and warm and just go play. I'm looking forward to next year when all our kids will be home. "Hoops" and "Lego Man" missed out on some serious snow fun. But "Happy" and Katie had a blast. The kids favorite activity? Eating snow, of course.

My 34th

2011-11-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

34... not nearly enough years to have enjoyed this wonderful life yet. Plenty of time to feel blessed and happy and thankful.

Post Thanksgiving Party

2011-11-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, technically, it wasn't supposed to be a party. But we invited two large families of our friends, there was food, and a pinata. What would you call it?

My best friend from high school, Glenda, brought her crew of four (and a half if you count the one on the way) and later our former youth pastor and his wife brought their five (or was it six?). Daniel and I became friends through that youth group when we were teens. We didn't go to the same school. Glenda and I also met there. It's hard to believe that was about 18 years ago.

CJ and Lisa were a really great youth group leadership team. I find myself repeating a lot of the wisdom they taught us to my daughters. I was also happy to see how quickly our son "Lego Man" made friends with their 8 year old son, Benjamin, and Glenda's two boys who are about the same age, also. They were inseparable almost within minutes of meeting each other. Glenda says that her sons have been asking when they'll see my son again. The feeling is mutual.

Big Crazy Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was quite the event. I figured out that Daniel, all by himself, brought 15 people to his parents' house this year. Then his sister, Robin, brought her crowd of 10, and his brother, Ben brought another 5, and then Daniel's parents' invited a friend from church. We had quite the full house!

I had prepared my mom ahead of time, letting
her know that our soon to be adopted daughter is 9 years old, but she's as tall as a
preteen. So, my mom walked in and saw

Grandma Nancy's young African American guest. She said, "Jessica said you were tall! I'm your new grandma!" and she gave her a big hug. Whoops! Oh well, everyone was laughing as they explained who was who. "Hoops" instantly liked her new grandma and wanted to take pictures with her. And my mom, known as "Granny Jo" to the kids, managed to get "Lego man" to let her give him bear hugs and sit on her lap on the couch while they got to know each other a bit. My dad, a shy man in big group settings, grabbed some pie and went out back for a tour of

Grandpa Wayne's green house.

I have to say that it felt a bit like the miracle of the loaves and fishes where Jesus feeds a crowd of 500 with a little boy's lunch. Somehow, what didn't look like nearly enough food, managed to stretch to feed everyone and still have some leftovers for dinner that night. I'm always amazed how that works out. Guess I'll add it to my "Things I'm Thankful for" list this year.

We heart Oklahoma!

2011-11-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

There is just something magical about Oklahoma in the Fall. It's my favorite season there. And Grandma and Grandpa's house is the perfect place to be. They're just far enough out in the country to enjoy the wide open spaces, and just close enough to town to be able to run to the convenience store. Far enough away that you aren't tempted to pick up McDonald's, but close enough that there's a park to walk to. We all especially love the horses that roam the neighbor's pasture!

One of the absolute best things about their house is the yard. They have three acres that are beautifully maintained, including a mini forest that they keep mowed during the summer, so you can stroll among the trees and play in the leaves during the Fall. Grandpa's new green house is interesting, as all his projects are. They have a

boat and playset and toys in the backyard and of course the obligatory tree swing. The kids would live out there all week if we'd let them.

The very best thing, though, about their home, is the love and the welcome that's always waiting there. I know that's why our former foster daughter, Molly, enjoys coming back with us each year. She pointed out that Daniel's parents will be her baby's only living great grandparents... and what GREAT
great grandparents to have!

Off to Oklahoma!

2011-11-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

This year we made the 12 hour drive to Grandma's house in Oklahoma with 11 kids! I fully expected it to be a nightmare. We had two 2 year olds and one pregnant teenager with us. I figured we'd be making bathroom stops about every 30 minutes. Instead, everything went smoothly, there was almost zero complaining or fighting, everyone played nicely together and enjoyed the activities we brought along for the trip.

The only bad thing that happened was that, when we stopped for lunch at McDonald's, I left Danya to guard my phone while I took "Happy" to the bathroom. She messed with it without permission and ended up accidentally putting a coded lock on it. We couldn't figure it out. We called the phone company who couldn't help us, either. All they could do was tell me how to do a complete reboot of the system.

Everything was lost. It wiped my sim card (which I forgot to take out first) and deleted all my apps and downloads. I had just bought a new $13 e-book. That was gone, too. I almost cried. Then I got over it. And started the slow process of trying to get my friends' phone numbers again. I'd like to point out that I've had a cell phone for over a decade... but I've never lost all my phone numbers until we decided to buy a phone that had games on it that my kids actually want to play. Thank you very much, evil technology monster.

First Hair ART

2011-11-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to be there for my son's first hair cut. I did, however, make sure I was the first one to take him to get some super cool "hair art". You can see the before and after photos here. I searched online and asked several hairdressers for recommendations. The important thing was to find a place that really knew how to cut African American hair. The place we found was "Freddy's Barber Shop" in Westminster. They have a whole book of designs to choose from, or you can bring in your own drawing or clip art. "Lego Man" was nervous at first, but he really liked it when it was done. The sad part is that it only lasts about a week and a half before the hair grows out too much to see it.

We got this done the day before we were supposed to leave for our trip. At the same time, Daniel took our big 15 passenger van to get new tires. We knew it was going to cost about $600. What we didn't know was that the shop was going to find a wobbly ball joint and say it would cost another $900 to replace it. Eeek!

Daniel called our friend, James, who told Daniel to meet him at a different mechanic shop. That place told us that the ball joint had been incorrectly installed originally. They just reattached it and tightened it... for no charge! God is so good. We're so thankful for the friends He's brought into our lives through our church who have helped us out in so many ways.

Giving Thanks in Kids' Church

2011-11-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Danya and "Hoops" were chosen to help with the weekly presentation during Kids' Church on Sunday. The lesson was about giving thanks and honoring God in all circumstances whether we have a lot or a little. They looked very cute up on stage.

What you may not notice in this photo is the small cluster of musicians to the left of the photo. That's where I'm supposed to be sitting, holding my trombone, and watching it all from behind the scenes. But when my kids are picked to go up on stage I can't help myself. I have to sneak off the side of the stage, grab my camera, and catch a quick photo.

Just a Pack of Cards

2011-11-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

"Mommy! You're breaking them! We don't bend cards!" These were the shocked cries of my children as I calmly brought out two brand new decks of playing cards and proceeded to fold all 52 cards (and jokers) from one deck. But when they saw me begin making towers, they quickly joined in.

Highlight of My Day

2011-11-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

According to the hair dresser I have "virgin hair" which means that enough years have passed since I last dyed my hair that I basically have all new hair. Therefore, I can honestly say that the "before" photo is my natural hair color. I got my hair cut right before that photo and then had highlights put in just a couple of days later. So, the style didn't change, just the color.

I really like it. After all, I was blond my entire childhood until I entered my early 20's. So this feels more like me when I look in the mirror. Meanwhile, my former foster daughter, Molly, is asking us to take her to get her hair cut VERY short.

I've advised her not to, but it's up to her. I told her that it's totally normal to have an irrational desire to do something drastic to your hair when you're pregnant. It's because you are stuck in this condition for 9 months with no real control over the situation. That makes a pregnant woman want some sort of change, any change, and therefore they make terrible hair style decisions. Sometimes I think that pregnant women shouldn't be allowed to get hair cuts without first consulting a psychiatrist or pastor, lol.

Family Portraits Fall 2011

2011-11-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

An amateur photographer employee at Daniel's work offered free family portraits to everyone at his office. We jumped at the opportunity since we haven't had professional photos taken of our family since Kevin was born five years ago. Usually it's just me hitting the timer button and running to dive in front of the camera. We decided to go all out with new matching outfits that we had to search a few different stores to find. We also wanted to avoid our usual red, white, or green colors so that the photos would be useful all year long. The photographer gave us a whole CD full of the photos that she took and retouched. I wish I knew how to do tricks like blurring the background when taking individual photos. The photos came out nice, I got them printed as Christmas cards and addressed... now if I can just get some stamps.

35 and Lovin' Life!

2011-11-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Sweetie! Danya's card is absolutely right. You are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very loved! Now, let's go play your new LEGO Harry Potter 2 game.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

This year, on November 11th, 2011 we decided to take a photo of our 11 year old. Danya has the fun of being born in June of 2000, which means that she was 7 years old on 7-7-07 and 8 years old on 8-8-08 and so on up to this year. Next year is the last time that the months will line up since there are only 12 months. We originally planned to take a familly photo, too, since there are now 11 members of our family, but the timing didn't work out since two of our kids were at school in the morning and Daniel leaves for work before they get home. Basically, four days a week, they only see their dad for a few minutes before leaving for school. I'm looking forward to this school year being over. Next year, our newest three will be adopted, and we can legally homeschool them all. That means they'll have "daddy time" for the whole morning on his work days.

Where in the World?

2011-11-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Gloria and Brianna are taking a geography class at the Options program called "Where in the World?" Gloria says, "We aren't learning anything, we're just making crafts from different countries." Oh well. We do our own history and geography program at home, so this was just supposed to be supplemental fun.

The whole Options experience seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. It allows homeschooled kids to get a taste of the public school experience without as much of the hassle and it's only one day a week. But every class comes with its own frustration. For instance, all three of my homeschooled daughters are in a drama class. But my oldest, who should have had a large part with lots of lines since she's one of the oldest in the class, ended up with just one line, while my youngest, who has speech

difficulties and a very bad memory, had multiple lines in two different plays. The reason? The teacher simply handed the plays to a third grade boy and told him to hand out the parts... which he did, randomly. So, Danya has been sitting through class, week after week, doing basically nothing.

Some of my kids have art class with a very unusual teacher who comes up with complex projects that you would expect high schoolers to be doing. But he's terrible at classroom management. Which means my son, Shane, gets bullied in his class almost every week.

On the plus side, my kids are making lots of new friends, getting invited to birthday parties, participating in clubs, and generally enjoying the experience. And for my peace of mind, the classes are taught by teachers who will not indoctrinate my children in evolutionism or require them to check their faith at the door.

Rainbow Birthday

2011-11-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Brianna wanted to have a rainbow party for her 9th birthday. Daniel and I found a bunch of rainbow things on sale at a craft store. Daniel is so clever. He thinks of ideas that are "outside the box" all the time. He found this rainbow polka dot border strips that were designed for teachers to use on their bulletin boards. He took one look at them and figured out they'd make great rainbow crowns.

Brianna and I made rainbow cupcakes together. All the guests got a variety of rainbow things including glow sticks and candy jewelry. They made some rainbow craft projects and then went outside to hit a colorful cupcake pinata. The pinata was a last minute idea that came as a total surprise to Brianna. Her face just lit up when she

saw it. She was so happy the whole day, giggling like crazy and practically dancing every step she took. It's hard to believe she's already nine years old. She joined our family just before her sixth birthday. She was such a wild little thing at five years old. Her hair was down to her waist, all different lengths and completely untamed. She had extreme mood swings and difficulty speaking. She's grown and matured so much since then. She's leaving her little girlhood behind and becoming a beautiful young lady. Happy Birthday, Breezy!

Solo Halloween

2011-10-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

For the very first time ever, I was on my own for Halloween this year. Daniel had to work. We took the kids, in costume, to the pumpkin patch together on his day off. That was a muddy experience. But the actual night of Halloween was just me and the kids.

It went good for the main part of the night. We went up and down a few blocks collecting candy. "Happy" was not so happy, though. She rode in the wagon and cried when I took
her out and cried when I didn't take her out.

We also changed her costume at the last minute. She just kept losing the overly large purple princess skirt. So we put her in a fluffy white dress and called her a bride. The other kids were an artist, two rock stars, a 50's girl, a pilot, Super Girl, a Pizza Hut delivery guy, and "outer space". Then we went home for a pit stop because Super Katie had to pee super badly and "Happy" had a 10 pound diaper.

Well, we walked in the door, I was trying to change "Happy" in the living room, the doorbell rang with trick or treaters crowding the doorway, my older kids were fighting over who got to be first to hand out candy and just then Katie started shrieking at the top of her lungs.

She'd had an accident right in the entry way. And joy of joys, my neighbors were gaping from the door way at our chaos. Oh yeah. I could see the "Mother of the Year" trophy being handed out right then.

Fishy Birthday

2011-10-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's official! My Glo Worm has reached double digits! Gloria wanted a swimming party with an aquarium theme for her 10th birthday this year. We rented a room at a local rec center and invited several of her friends to come swim with us and then come to our house for a sleep over.

We bought one of those inserts for a fish tank that goes along the back wall to make it look like the ocean. We hung it on the wall and let Gloria and her friends take pictures in front of it making fish faces. That was a hit. She also loved her cake and helped pick out the decorations. The rocks at the bottom of the "fish tank" are actually chocolate! Then we added Swedish Fish and gummy octopi.

We were all happy that our former foster daughter, "Junie B.", got to come, too. The girls played a silly "Truth or Dare" card game down in the basement and ate junk food and pizza until they were ready to pass out from a sugar coma. Gloria declared it one of her best birthdays ever!

Happy 11th, Lina!

2011-10-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Selina was our foster daughter from October of 2008 to July of 2009. We had really hoped that we would get to adopt her and her older sister, Molly. They arrived just weeks after Brianna and Shane came to us and left just weeks before we adopted them. Fortunately, their dad has allowed us to remain a part of their lives. So, each year since then, we've tried to do something special for Lina's birthday. We also try to help out in any way they'll let us. This year, we had cake and presents at a McDonald's playland and then

went to the Children's Museum.

The lady at the desk questioned our using our family membership with 11 kids, but in my heart, Lina and Molly will always be our daughters, too. We recently learned that 15 year old Molly (16 in December) is expecting her first child. We're going to be grandparents! Somehow I didn't expect that to happen in my early 30's...

Molly has asked us to take a larger role in her life now, so we get to take her to prenatal appointments and help her get set up with WIC and hopefully Medicaid soon, too. She's such an amazing young woman. She's always been a peer mentor at school and excels in all her classes. She's a natural artist and constantly smiling. Her nick name is "Smily" among those who know her. I'm so proud of her for accepting responsibility and deciding to raise her daughter. Molly is half Cambodian. She told me that the Cambodian word for Grandma is "Yay". That means everytime my grandbaby comes to see me she's going to yell "Yay!" I love it!

Vaseline and Toddlers Don't Mix

2011-10-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I would never buy Vaseline. I have no use for it. But my girls' former foster mom apparently thought they needed it because she packed an almost full jar with their things. When I was unpacking their bags I simply stored the jar under my bathroom counter. Much to my surprise, I learned that our 2 year old, "Happy", knows exactly what Vaseline is for. It's to lock moisture into African American hair. She proved her knowledge by sneaking into my room, entering the master bathroom, removing the jar from under the counter, opening it, and then applying large goopy handfuls of the disgustingly slimy substance to her hair and face. Oh... and some on the floor and the counter and the cabinets and the side of the tub and the bathroom rug...

Daniel was horrified. I grabbed the camera.

Super Katie at Chuck E. Cheese

2011-10-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

We wanted to go to the Denver Art Museum, but we didn't realize that it was closed. Then we ended up having to drop off some last minute paperwork at the Children and Family Services building down in Arapahoe County. In the end, all we had time for was an hour or two at Chuck E. Cheese. Thanks to the modern wonder of IPhones, we were able to pull up an image of a coupon and just show it to the ticket person. For about $25 we were able to entertain 8 kids and 1 Super Katie at a brand new Chuck E. Cheese that we'd never been to before.

"Punkin' Head"

2011-10-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

I call this the pumpkin style, because the lines remind me of a pumpkin viewed from above. It's the fastest style I know for "Happy's" hair. I just divide it into fourths and then divide each fourth in half again. It's very nice for those times when we're in a hurry and she just won't sit still. It's become my fall back or "go to" style. And she looks pretty darn cute, to boot! I call her my "Punkin' Head" when her hair is like this and Katie has started calling her that, too.

Most of the styles I'm doing come from a very creative mom at "Chocolate Hair, Vanilla Care" a blog for moms of African American daughters.

Beads and Braids

2011-10-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

I ordered a whole bunch of different styles and colors of beads online and a useful little tool to put the beads on with. So far, I've managed to break two of the plastic beaders, so I may try another method. I learned that the trick is to make the braids very small. When I try using the beader with a braid that's too thick, it jams inside the beads and then breaks when I pull.

I've also learned a few different ways to do the "veil style" shown in the second photo. There are other names for this style, but I like thinking of it like a bridal veil. The beads came out really cute, but it took for-EVER. I have "Hoops" put the next set of beads onto one beader while I'm using another to put the beads onto a braid. I also let her watch episodes of "The Cosby Show" on

Netflix while I'm working on her hair. It really helps to alleviate the boredom. Daniel says he thinks "Hoops" keeps intentionally taking so long to wash her hair each week that I end up doing her hair right at bedtime. He says she likes getting that one on one time with me after the other kids are in bed. I originally planned to wash hair on Friday nights and style it on Saturdays. Instead we've ended up doing it all on Sunday nights. I'm hoping to back it up to Saturdays eventually.

Secret Keeper Girls PJ Party!

2011-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

My oldest four girls and I went to the Secret Keeper Girls Pajama Party about an hour South of here back in October. We also brought Gloria's friend, Julia, along. Danya and Gloria are the only ones who have been working their way through "8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters" with me. We're stuck waiting for date six, which will be a group date organized by another mom with several other families.

It was a really fun night. I got my girls matching PJs for the event and we received a lot of compliments and comments about how cute they looked. There was a lot of dancing, some praying, and some seriously funny moments. The girls learned about modesty, but more importantly, they learned to appreciate their unique God-given beauty.

There was a request, at one point, for all the adopted girls in the auditorium to raise their hands. It was about a quarter of the crowd! "Hoops" raised her hand and grinned at me, as if to say "I will be soon!" And she and Brianna seemed to share a bonding moment right then because they both became a part of our family through the adoption process.

The absolute best moment of the night? "Hoops" decided to give her life to Christ! We were all so happy! I told her that she had just become my sister (in Christ) before officially becoming my daughter! I noticed a change in her heart and attitude in the days after and have felt like we can connect on a much deeper level. She's asking me lots of questions about the bible and heaven. The only bad moment of the night was when we were leaving. Gloria took a tumble down a few steps and twisted her ankle. We feared at first that she'd broken it. I called Daniel, who was waiting outside in the van by then, and he came inside to carry her out to the van. We all prayed for her in the van and laid hands on her. She was able to walk into the house by the time we got home an hour later. I went to bed that night thankful to God for many reasons!

Wrangling a 2 Year Old

2011-10-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Getting a 2 yr old to sit still for 30 minutes to an hour while you carefully section, comb out, and braid her hair is like trying to get a cat to hold still so you can put nail polish on it's claws. Every time I'm barely managing to keep a tiny strand of hair between my fingers, she decides to suddenly turn her head to look at something utterly fascinating... like a fly zooming by.

"Happy" has the attention span of a gnat and the curiosity of a mongoose. She cannot sit still to watch an entire episode of Diego, but she does take the time to check and see how many different types of objects around the house can fit down the toilet. From toothbrushes to toys, she's an equal opportunity flusher. She even likes to occasionally dunk her own head in there. "Happy" may help me to increase my exercise since I spend most of my day chasing after her or panicking when I don't see her in my immediate line of sight. I know that she's capable of self control, however, because she slips out of her bed at nap time and manages to play extremely quietly in her room for an hour before I discover her. All I can say, lucky for her she's cute. It's impossible to be mad about my hair brush in the toilet when she's hugging my neck and saying she loves me.

First Corn Rows

2011-10-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this was my first ever attempt at corn rows. What are corn rows? Pretty much it's just french braiding, but instead of moving the two outside strands to the middle, you move the middle strand to the outside. It gives it that raised look. They came out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Then again, it helps having a beautiful (and patient) model.

Lego Obsession

2011-10-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

My boys have developed a new obsession for LEGOs in the past few months. They want LEGOs for their birthday, for Christmas, for rewards, and any other reason they can come up with. Although I think Kevin's skill level still leans more toward DUPLOs, they now have LEGO kits for several Disney Cars characters and some scenes from Harry Potter. OH! And don't even get me started on Kevin's obsession with Harry Potter. I'm starting to regret ever letting him watch any of those movies. I've only let them see the first four, but Kevin would watch them over and over if I'd let him. I've been conveniently "losing" movies 2 through 4, so all he gets to watch now is the first one. Yesterday I was quizzing the boys on digraphs and held up a card with the letters "sp" on it. They had to pronounce it and then think up words with that letter sound combo in them. I said, for example, "spell". Shane grins and says, "Like Harry Potter!" No, Shane, I meant like as in "to spell a word".

World Drum Ensemble

2011-10-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

At Options this year Danya has decided to take a drum class. While they learn new drum routines and techniques on practice drums, they are all working on making and designing their own personal drums. Danya has been painting, twisting ropes, stretching goat hide across the top and generally impressing me with all she's learning. I'll admit. I rolled my eyes a bit when I heard what class she wanted to take. A whole YEAR of banging a drum? But it's turned out to be more of geography/history/music appreciation class. And she's having a great time, which is what really matters.

TNT Bike Ride

2011-10-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

The older AWANA girls are part of the TNT group which stands for Truth 'n Training. Their group had an all girl bike ride one beautiful Saturday morning. Checking and Loading four bikes for our older daughters shouldn't have been too hard, but two of them needed major tire work. Also, we had to remove the back seats from the van in order to get them to fit. Daniel was amazing and somehow pulled it all together.

Still, our girls almost missed it. He pulled the
van up next to a huge group of girls all

casually pedaling along a few blocks from the house we were supposed to have met at. Daniel unloaded right there and waved as the girls took off trying to catch up. They had a really good time, but I think "Hoops" had quite a bit of difficulty. We realized later that her tire had gone mostly flat about half way through the ride. She thought she was just out of shape, but she was forcing the bike to roll on a flat tire.

Afterwards, they met back at the house and had a picnic lunch of mostly snacks and desserts. Danya ran around taking photos of herself with her friends. I picked them up when it was over and all four girls, Danya, Gloria, Hoops and Brianna were sweaty but smiling.

One-Upmanship

2011-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Friday that our children all finally moved in was September 30th. We picked up our son, "Lego Man", first and (after getting lost a few times on the way back) dropped his things off at our house and then hurried to the girls' foster home to pick them up. At that point we still weren't 100% sure that the kids wouldn't have to go back to their foster homes. We thought we had approval from their attorney, though.

We took them to the park to play and all the kids decided to play "Look at me, Mom!" That's the game where all nine of them take turns doing ever more hair raising stunts in an effort to steal my attention away from the other kids. Part of that is due to the fact that I'm the one holding the camera. No crazy stunt is official until it can
be immortalized on film. And, of course, if your sister or brother does it... you have to prove that you can do it better.

Big Hairy Deal

2011-09-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

For weeks before our new daughters joined our family I obsessed over their hair. I watched videos on line and checked out helpful websites. My favorites, by the way, are Chocolate Hair, Vanilla Care and Keep Me Curly, both are by moms like me who adopted transracially and had to figure out how to take care of a different kind of hair. This photo is of my first attempt to work with 2 year old Happy's hair. It was in puffs already. We only had her for the day. So I didn't wash it or anything, I just separated it a bit and tried some braids. She was very patient with me, but wiggly. The next time I did her hair we washed it and detangled it first. It looked a lot better.

Hat Mania!

2011-09-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I've been making crochet hats as fast as my fingers will go. The blue one is my 4th one, a new style I found in a book. The kids have asked me to make one for each of them, but I don't know if I'll manage to accomplish that. Meanwhile, having our newest daughter, "Hoops", who is interested in all kinds of crafts, has renewed all of our interest in crochet. We find her working on something she's crocheting or knitting (yes, she does that, too) or finger knitting and the other girls and I get inspired to grab some yarn and a hook so we can join her. I'm pulling out old blanket projects that I left by the wayside half-finished years ago and working on them. The girls even take turns working on them, so they are getting done much faster than they would have with just me trying to do it. I'm loving having so many older daughters!

Another Hat, Another Visit

2011-09-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

We got to pick up our new daughter, "Hoops", after school on Monday. She had stayed the night with us on Saturday and went to church with us the next morning. Monday was a little sad, because we couldn't get her brother since he lived over an hour away and the foster family wouldn't let us have her little sister. (We got that fixed right away so next time she not only came, but both girls got to stay the night)

However, we took the opportunity to get to know her better. The older girls and I all had some girl time working on crochet projects on the couch. I helped "Hoops" figure out how to make a granny square and we made plans to start a big blanket as a group where we'll all make squares and then sew them together.

I also made another crocheted hat. It's the one that Brianna is wearing in the photos. She really loves it and wore it every day everywhere for about a week. She especially likes telling people, "My mom made it!"

First Family Adventure

2011-09-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

We used our new family membership to the Denver Aquarium for our first official outing with our new kids. Our son, "Lego Man" had stayed the night with us the night before, and we picked up the girls from their foster home that morning.

All the kids were a bit hyper and it was obvious that, although there was some awkwardness, they were all trying really hard to become instantly close. We only had two rough patches,
once when we couldn't find 2 yr old "Happy"

for a minute, and once when "Lego Man" had a moment of sadness and needed to be comforted. It was especially tough for him. He'd been moved four times in a year and a half, so this was kind of scary... hoping it would work out, but not really trusting that this was going to be "forever".

It was all kind of bittersweet. The kids were finally united, but only for the weekend, since we wouldn't get official move-in approval for another week. But they were also sad to be leaving families that cared about them and school friends. I still think that it almost instantly seemed like these kids were made for us. And all the things their foster families warned us about turned out to be no big deal for us. God definitely seems to have His hand on this match.

Adopting Again!

2011-09-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

We decided that we were ready to adopt again this year and be done with foster care for the next decade or so. After months of searching online (and wondering if the two girls we were fostering for the first 8 months of this year would become adoptable) and submitting our home study to case workers all over the United States, we were starting to lose hope that anyone would ever choose our family. We heard a lot of "you already have

your hands full with six kids" and only seemed to get serious responses from caseworkers who had neglected to mention in the online photo listing that the children had terminal illnesses or major problems like blindness or extreme violence.

Then, on the same day that our two foster daughters left (and the kids and I were crying like babies on the couch) we got an email that said we were matched with a sibling group from Texas. They had some serious problems, but we were so relieved to finally be chosen that we were willing to move heaven and earth to make it work. But then, for some reason, their caseworker never called again and would not respond to phone messages or emails. A month later we were contacted about another group of kids in a nearby county and told we "might" be the right match for them. A "Wednesday's Child" video had just been made of them. Click the link, then type in "Yuriah" in the search bar under the video thumbnails.

A day or two later, we got ANOTHER email from a different nearby county saying we'd been matched with another sibling group. This group was very similar to the ones in the Wednesday's Child video except that instead of a two year old there was a 17 year old. In the end, we chose the first group. I'm very glad we don't have to wait for an interstate adoption to go through. We met them at a McDonald's on September 22nd. We liked them right away. They had been placed in two separate homes, the girls in one and the boy in another. I think, since their names are published with the Wednesday's Child video, I can probably use them online. But I'm trying to be careful until we have official permission. Meanwhile, I intend to call them "Hoops" (the 9 yr old girl), "LEGO Man" (the 8 yr old boy), and "Happy" (the 2 yr old girl).

Vegetable Overload!

2011-09-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

My homeschooling group friends said, "It's so much fun! The kids each get to pick two bags of vegetables, straight out of the ground. They get to ride the hay wagon. If you can't come, just send your girls and we'll take them." I knew it sounded too simple. Obviously, I should have gotten a little more clarification.

What they actually meant was that my three older girls would get to pick two bags each at every one of about 10 stops. So we ended up with six bags of potatoes and six bags of corn and lots of bags of veggies that I have no idea how to cook much less store for the winter. It's not even legal to can your own food as a foster family. It's in the regulations that home-canned food can't be fed to foster kids or stored in the home because of the risk of botulism... Who even knows what that is?! So, here I am, two months later, with five bags of potatoes and some green beans and carrots and corn slowly rotting in my garage. But I feel guilty just throwing it away.

MBM: Made By Mom

2011-09-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I made that hat. I've been able to crochet for 15 years and during that time I haven't made anything more interesting than a scarf and blankets. But this year, I learned to make hats. Why? Because I was motivated.

You see, my good friend, Brandy, got cancer this year. She was facing a lot of challenges from chemo, to trying to continue homeschooling her five children through it all and to top it all off, her husband lost his job. I felt pretty helpless. I don't even cook well or live nearby, so joining the meal chain in our Sunday school class was pointless. But then I saw this display of yarn and a free pattern for making hats. It was pink with a ribbon and said the money went to support cancer research.

So, I got a booklet on how to translate the crochet terminology and struggled through it. I had to redo it a few times and made

some mistakes, but I finally made a hat. It was perfect and I even made a little flower to go on it. The only problem was that it was so small that the only person it fit was 2 year old Katie.

But my second hat was just the right size. It's not much, but like I told Brandy, that hat wasn't made out of yarn... it was made out of love.

I Love You, Stinky Face!

2011-09-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

We found this book at some store the other day. I don't even remember where we were. The kids brought it to me. I thought I'd get away with reading it to them really quickly and then leaving it behind. Boy, was I wrong. I could not put this book down. It was just too adorable. I don't spend that much on one book, ever, and I never buy board books new, only at yard sales. But this one was a rule breaker. If you haven't read it, you should. And it will seem perfectly normal afterwards to tuck your child into bed at night, give them a hug and kiss, and whisper, "I love you, Stinky Face."

Joining the Denver Aquarium

2011-09-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

We finally got the money from the adoption tax credit... only about 8 months after we applied for it. I'm not complaining, though. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say. When we adopted Bri and Shane we had no idea that two years later the government would decide to make a credit, that was originally useless to us since we don't normally owe anything in taxes, suddenly refundable. We used it to pay off our big 15 passenger van, making us entirely debt-free again except for our house. And we bought a family membership to the Denver Aquarium.

Probably the only time we'll ever be able to afford it.

We used the two guest passes it came with to bring Daniel's parents along since they were in town. It was so much fun! Not really worth the exorbitant cost, but still really good. We rode the 3D adventure ride, petted starfish and fed stingrays, and took a ton of photos. Danya and Gloria even got to climb a different form of rock climbing, on palm trees.

Homeschooling with Grandma

2011-09-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

When beginning homeschooling, I always recommend having at least one supportive set of grandparents. I just wish ours lived closer. One of the wonderful things about Daniel's mom is that, every time she visits, she doesn't just bring gifts... she brings educational gifts. She can be counted on to bring new books, puzzles, math games, and even hand made journals that practically read like a geography book documenting travels that she and Grandpa Wayne have been on. Sometimes, I think just talking to their grandparents is an educational experience for my kids. They've been all over the world and lived such amazing lives.

Letters from My Son

2011-09-05T16:00:00.002-07:00

Kevin, our five year old son, is starting to bring us daily letters and drawings. I've been hanging them on the fridge, inside cabinets, on the windows and bulletin boards. Someone who came to our house for the first time might think we only have one kid since 90% of the drawings have his name on them.

These drawings and letters serve an important purpose in our family. On those days when Kevin comes home from church with another note saying that he disrespected his teacher, wouldn't obey, hit someone, or refused to speak and on those days when his Tuesday school calls me to say that Kevin tried to run out of the building and had to be restrained by no less than four adults and locked in a room and can we PLEASE come get him right now...

on those days it's very important for my sanity, for my relationship with my little boy, and for my son's continued existence that I see lots of signs that there is a sweet natured child in there who will eventually show that inner sweetie to the rest of the world.

Spoon Bread

2011-09-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to try a new recipe. Wait, did I just say that? Those words seem so foreign in my mouth. Well, okay, believe it or not, I do occasionally cook something new. I know my kids probably don't believe it, either, but it's true.

Quite by accident, I discovered that there are a LOT of videos on Youtube where people actually show, step by step, how to prepare food. This is one of those things that make me so thankful to live in the technological wonderland of today.

I made brown beans and spoon bread. The explanation for the name seems to be that the bread is soft in the pan that you could literally spoon it up to eat it. As far as I can tell, though, it's really just a sweet kind of corn bread. The kids loved it and begged me to make it again some time. No problem. I'll put it on my list for the next time I try another non standard recipe... How about December?

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

2011-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In our house it goes more like a family walk to a destination way too far away begins with one crazy mom.

Ever since we moved here a year ago I've been curious to see if we could manage to walk all the way from our house on the 100 block up to our friends' home on 117th. One ridiculously hot morning, on the first day of September, I talked my husband into trying it. We forced... uh, bribed... uh, I mean got our kids excited about going, too.

By the time we made it to 104th we were thinking it might have been a bad idea. As we crossed 110th I knew for a fact that it was a mistake. Don't get me wrong. I did prepare in advance by dropping our second vehicle off at our planned destination, a playground near our friends' house. We only had to make it there, not walk all the way back. But there were a few little details I didn't take into consideration.

There were no side walks most of the trip. We were constantly snatching our more foolish children from the jaws of death at the side of the road as large trucks blew past. There was nothing to look at, so we couldn't even take fun photos along the way. This explains the photo of Gloria crouched down next to one of the only flowers we saw. It was excruciatingly hot and there was no water after we drank the bottles I'd brought. Even worse, there were no bathrooms past 104th. But most importantly, I'd forgotten to check with my friend to see if they'd be home. So there wasn't even anyone to play with once we arrived at the park.

My kids gave our family walk a universal "thumbs down" and made me promise not to suggest this walk again at least until the sidewalks connect all the way.

Weird Science

2011-08-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I think it's neat that Danya is taking charge more and more of her education. She's learning all about chemistry in her "Properties of Matter" science book and doing the experiments mostly on her own. What I think is weird is that she needs to know the effects of certain chemicals on things that she would NEVER normally put them on. Yes, seeing a chemical reaction is good, but why give kids ideas like "putting household chemicals on your food is fun" when we spend most of their lives teaching them not to touch those things and never eat anything that might be contaminated by chemicals or cleaners?

Danya has become quite the little scientist lately. More often than not I have to read her science lesson before I can help by answering any questions she might have. Many times I have to do a little research online, too. Maybe she'll find a career in this direction. Clearly, I never will.

Fire Safety 2011

2011-08-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

We went to the fire safety day for foster families this year. Instead of the smoke house that the kids normally get to crawl through, they got to actually use the fire hose. They sprayed water onto wooden flame cut outs. Shane was so excited he couldn't even come up with the words to describe it. It just came out like "Oooh! And them and I and Mommy! Pwshhh! Yah."

The adults got to use a fire extinguisher to put out a gas fire on a portable stove. It looked fun, but it was hard to breath with all the white dusty chemicals in the air. I thought I did good when it was my turn, but the fire man said I should have aimed more at the base of the flame. Oh well. Hopefully I'll never need to test that skill in real life.

"Family" Passes

2011-08-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

I like the Children's Museum in Denver. The main reason is that they understand that a family does not consist of just two adults and two kids. They don't charge us extra for our larger family, and they also don't make our foster children feel like they aren't part of our family by charging extra for them. They just note it in our file that our number and ages of children will change.

They don't do that at the Aquarium or the Art Museum. Both of those places treat you like you are either A.) a freak or B.) a con artist trying to scam them. Are there really so many large families or foster families out there that the place would lose too much money if they actually included the whole family in their "family pass"?

We also used to go to Fazoli's every Tuesday night for Kids' Night because they gave discounted meals for kids with the purchase of an adult meal. Now they've changed it to be like every other restaurant and only allow two kids meals per adult meal. So we don't eat there any more. In America today there is a growing number of people who act like it's bad parenting to feed your kids McDonald's. There are even certain cities that don't allow new fast food places to be built in poor neighborhoods because they supposedly make poor people fat and unhealthy. That seems odd since I keep hearing that schools have to feed kids breakfast and lunch (and in some places dinner and weekend meals) because poor parents won't feed their children.

Anyway, I can't help but think that the reason McDonald's makes so much money is not because their food tastes the best, but because they provide a necessary commodity... cheap food in a family friendly environment. If you offer a dollar menu and a playland I'd eat almost anywhere. I wish that instead of demanding more regulations to stop fast food places from advertising to kids or selling Happy Meal toys or to change their menu, people with the money and imagination would create their own restaurants with play areas for the kids, inexpensive healthy food, and a fun educational toy in every box. We'd practically live there... as long as they don't sell tofu.

Double Respite

2011-08-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had back to back respite placements at the end of August. We enjoyed having two brothers followed by two sisters. The girls were a handful, but the boys were non-stop mayhem. We really enjoyed the boys, but they were loud, constantly in motion, and loved to rough house. Their foster mom was a no-nonsense kind of lady, but that was probably just what they needed. We bumped into them again at the Fire Safety training class about a month later. The kids were all super excited to see each other. Sometimes I think that if we adopted every kid our family ever bonded with we'd look like we were running an orphanage.

Here I am to Worship

2011-08-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Since joining the praise team a few years ago, worship is very different experience for me. I used to lose myself in the music, with lots of pauses for prayer in between songs whether everyone else was still singing or not. It felt cathartic, releasing my cares to God, relaxing in His presence, renewing my spirit for the week ahead.

Now, instead, I'm counting measures and rests, trying to follow the drummer, and make sure that I'm in tune with the trumpet players sitting next to me. I still sing along when I can and really do enjoy the experience, but it's not the same. For awhile I felt the loss profoundly. Until I realized that church isn't about me getting my once a week connection with God. If I'm walking with God the way I should be, then I'm reading His word, praying, singing worship songs and working on our relationship all week long, not just on Sundays. Sunday is a day for learning and fellowship. Through my participation on the worship team I'm helping fellow believers to draw closer to God and also to each other. I'm creating an atmosphere of worship and lifting up a joyful sound unto the Lord.

Now that my daughter, Danya, is learning trombone, I'm hoping that she will join me on the praise team in a year or two. As for me, I will worship God with my life... not just on Sunday mornings.

He Brings Me Flowers

2011-08-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

When Daniel and I were younger I used to hate it if he brought me flowers. They died so quickly and then I had nothing to remember them by. When our first child, Danya, was born, Daniel remembered and brought me silk flowers. They were beautiful and I kept them for years.

As I got older I developed allergies to flowers with lots of pollen. It got to the point that I had to be careful where I walked in a grocery store, in order to avoid the flower department. The only flowers that consistently were safe for me to be around were roses. When we lived in Owasso, Oklahoma our house had rose bushes in the back yard. I first began to enjoy them there.

When I was a little girl I remember lots of years when it would be my parents' dating anniversary (they didn't marry until I was in my late 20s). My dad would usually forget until just before he walked in the front door. Then he'd stop and cut some roses off my mom's rose bushes in the front yard with his pocket knife. I can't imagine why, after the first time, he ever did it again. She hated them. It symbolized to her the fact that he didn't care enough to think about a gift ahead of time or to take the time to get her something special.

Daniel, however, has found my weak spot. Not only does he get roses in unique color combinations that spark my interest (this year the pink ones called to him) but he includes a card. He's figured out that a handwritten note, no matter how simple, as long as it's heart felt, melts me every time. He could tie a love note to a pencil and I'd be thrilled. I save them all. Some guys are really bad at gift giving. Maybe Daniel should tell my dad the secret of love notes?

Love you, too, Kev

2011-08-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Kevin is at such a strange stage right now. One minute he's hugging me and telling me that he loves me, making pictures for me and snuggling with me on the couch. The next he's slamming doors and raging, covering his ears so he doesn't have to listen to teachers and running out the door of the classroom.

He wants to be included with big kids and be allowed to ride further on his bike. He's doing third grade math and reading simple books. But at the same time, he's afraid to be in a classroom without his brother, Shane, by his side. He cries at night telling me that Shane wouldn't play with him on the playground. I know there are some people who would say, "See! This is how homeschooling makes a kid lack social skills."

Fortunately, I have plenty of other successful kids so that I can be sure that I'm raising well adjusted, confident kids. The truth is that some kids are just naturally shy and insecure and younger siblings in big families often become dependent on older siblings always being there. I can see a strong personality in Kevin, so it seems clear to me that in the future he will become a leader. His excellent speaking skills, compassion for others, and quick mind will serve him well. In the meantime, I like to say that Kevin is God's way of keeping me humble. I often get compliments on how great my kids are, so well behaved. Kevin gives me a reality check and reminds me that my heavenly Father is the reason for any good results I see in my children. And He will be the one that deals with Kevin's heart to turn him into the mighty man of God I know he will someday be.

15 Years and Still the One

2011-08-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

(When I first saw you, I saw love.
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.
And after
all this time, you're still the one I love.)
Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

- Shania Twain

Imagination Welcome Here

2011-08-23T20:29:00.001-07:00

One of the things I always hated about school when I was little was the way that they stifled my creativity. The teacher would present us with an art project and make all 25 of us do it exactly the same way. I'd get in trouble for coloring outside the lines or making the horse purple or gluing something in the wrong place. It was all about "learning to follow directions" which is valuable, but not at the expense of creativity. I saw this great book the other day "Eric Carle The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse" which is about the author and artist of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "The Very Busy Spider" and so many others of my all time favorite books. It talks about his discovery of a different kind of painting and learning that art isn't about following someone else's rules.

Through homeschooling, I hope to maintain my children's creativity, their imagination, and their enthusiasm for play no matter how old they get. I don't want them to ever feel like they must hide their uniqueness for fear of ridicule from other kids or that they are "too old" to dress up and imagine that they live in another time period. As Dr. Seuss said, "If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."

Lake Beauty

2011-08-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

We went back to Cherry Creek Lake, just our family, a couple of weeks later. This time we brought rafts and shovels and buckets so we could really play. The kids got filthy, covered in sand, half drowned from all the times they fell off a raft, and generally had a fantastic time.

We got Katie a new swimsuit, too, since her old one was getting pretty snug. I'm still amazed at how much she is growing up. She took off on potty training finally. I guess the M&Ms were a good motivator. She also loved the dances and silly songs I would do when she was successful. Even now, every time she comes out of the bathroom she sings at the top of her lungs, "I went pee pee in the potty!" She's got a rhythm to it and sort of a rap tone, too. She does the funniest accents some times. I know she gets it from me, but somehow it's even funnier when she does it.

Passing on the Legacy

2011-08-14T20:10:00.001-07:00

I don't know if she chose trombone because she knew how happy I'd be, or because it would mean we'd spend more time together, or because she really wanted to. Either way, I'm thrilled!

After calling three different local middle schools, I finally found one that would let a homeschooler into their 6th grade band program. We drop Danya off at 11am so she can have lunch and recess with her friends and then go to band. Then we pick her up at 12:25. It started out being five days a week, but after we finally got into the Brighton Options program, she now goes there on Tuesdays, so band is only four days a week for her. She's the best trombonist out of the 10 in her class. The only one with a private music teacher at home. She even comes with me on Sunday mornings to sit next to me during church band rehearsal so she can learn to follow the music and understand all the musical terms on the page. I'm so proud of her my face literally hurts from grinning so much!

Meeting Batman

2011-08-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Shane and Kevin were invited to their friends' Batman birthday party this year. Batman himself was there! Apparently, my friend Ruth knows a guy who dresses up as Batman for parties in his free time. I have no idea what his day job is, but in this case, he could definitely stick with the Batman routine. Daniel took the boys to the party and says Batman was fantastic with the kids.

Down on the Farm

2011-08-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

The boys were doing a unit study about farms and farm animals, learning the names of the mothers and babies. They were making a file folder display project and the older girls wanted to participate, too. Part of the fun of homeschooling is that you are never to old to join in on the fun. Not only do lessons get reinforced both directions as the older kids get to hear previously learned lessons again as I teach them to their younger siblings, but the younger ones also learn a lot before I even officially teach it to them because they hear me teaching the information to the oldest kids and then the middle ones. Kevin often can tell me all about a lesson before I teach it. He'll say, "I know, Mommy. I heard you tell Brianna (or Shane, Gloria, Danya).

Limbo

2011-08-09T19:14:00.002-07:00

Limbo is the worst. That period when you know your foster kids, who you love dearly, will be leaving soon, but not quite yet. Wondering if there will be a last minute change in court, secretly hoping there will be. Nodding and smiling when the family member they are going to live with says they'd be happy to have you remain a part of the kids' lives, but knowing it might just be lip service.

We tried to do as many fun things with "Junie B." and "Boo" as we could before they left us to go live with their former uncle-in-law. It was heart breaking, knowing that we might never see them again after hoping so much that we would get to adopt them. They fit so beautifully into our family. One of the things we did was go to the Children's Museum again. They had some fun new exhibits and some beloved old ones. The kids especially loved the bubble room.

I felt like I needed to take tons of pictures of the girls because the phrase "this could be the last time" kept repeating in my head. But I was also trying to get their scrapbook albums caught up so they'd have a wonderful treasure to take with them. That's a little hard when you keep taking more pictures. We said goodbye to them the day after these photos were taken. Daniel left for work and the rest of our family just had a great big cry on the couch, holding each other and praying for the girls' safety. Some days, being a foster family is very very hard.

Love Hate Relationship

2011-08-08T18:14:00.003-07:00

The Broomfield library is such a contradictory place. They have a huge selection of books, but the first thing you see as you walk in is a big room full of educational toys. Don't get me wrong, we love the toys. But my kids are not thrilled to be dragged away from them after 30 minutes to go look at books. Then, as you walk into the children's book area, the first obstacle is the row of computers loaded with kids' games.

It's just frustrating since the reason I go there is to give our kids a larger selection of books and to impress them with the wonder of an entire building full of books that we can read for free. I loved the Stillwater public library as a kid. When I was a young teen my mom or brother would drop me off there in the morning and I would stay until they closed, snuggled down deep between towering shelves with only a Jessica-sized space between them, the sun light barely filtering in through tiny windows.

I loved the smell and the quiet. My house was always so noisy with TVs blaring in every room and everyone shouting at each other all the time. The library was an oasis to me. Later, that library was sold several times. It's a beautiful old tan brick building. When I was 18 and just graduated from high school I got a job there with the computer software design company that owned it at that time. I was a tester, trying out all the buttons and drop down menus to see if they did what they were supposed to do. It wasn't the same sitting in a cubicle, but I could feel the bones of the place, and it felt good to be back. Hopefully, I'll be able to instill that same love for libraries in my children. It probably won't be at the Broomfield library, though.

Denver Art Museum

2011-08-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Denver Art Museum in August for the first time ever. It was much better than I thought it would be. They have a lot of exhibits designed just for kids. We went as part of the "8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters" book that I'm doing with Danya, Gloria and "Junie B."

We were there to learn about the power of the female body and how a boy's mind will "finish the picture" when we show parts of our body. It really is an interesting book and worth doing with daughters ages 9 to 12.

Cherry Creek Friends

2011-08-01T18:02:00.001-07:00

On Colorado Free Day we were invited by my friend, Kirsten, to go to Cherry Creek Lake. We had never heard of it. Turns out, it was exactly the kind of swimming spot we've been looking for these last four years or so.

It's a man made lake with a huge sandy beach and a swimming area that stays fairly shallow all the way out. There's even a changing room and bathrooms that are modern and clean. We had a great time together. Kirsten and I got to swap foster parenting stories and information. The kids just enjoyed getting to spend the day together. The weather was absolutely perfect. What a great day.

Pirates Ahoy!

2011-07-30T17:56:00.002-07:00

For Shane's 7th birthday this year we threw a huge pirate party. Everyone dressed up and we handed out eye patches and fake mustaches to those who needed them. We dug for buried treasure, threw plastic balls off the balcony into our living room to hit the "sharks" (balloons) down below, and then launched water balloons off the back deck to hit the toy ships in the yard. We ate a pirate cake covered in sand (brown sugar) with Captain Jack Sparrow on top, too. Everyone declared it a great party!

Scrapbooking a HUGE EVENT

2011-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

After our week long staycation I had an enormous stack of photos to scrapbook... times 7. I make an album for each of my kids and then another for Daniel and I together. If I did separate layouts about each event I'd be doing something like 15 layouts per album. I simply don't have time for that.

So, what I did was design one layout plan, incorporating a significant photo from each event, with a mix of group photos and close ups of the child whose album I'm working on. Then I simply duplicated it for each album. I attempted to add a little bit of uniqueness in the center of each layout with different stickers and accents, but otherwise they are identical. This way I was able to get away with only making seven layouts, each taking about 30 minutes to assemble. Total time to scrap a week long activity packed vacation for 8 people? 3 1/2 hours which is about a weeks worth of scrapbooking time for me if I make it a priority.

Number 5!

2011-07-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Kevin's 5th birthday turned out to be fun despite a few set backs. He wanted a Thomas the Tank Engine party at the splash park. The first problem we had was that it cost too much to rent a pavilion there, so we had to just set up an awning (like a tent with no sides) on the grass. And, of course, it rained that day. Luckily, it was mostly just sprinkling.

The cake was a disaster. We had planned to shape it like a train, but I didn't buy enough cake mix and we ran out of time. Then "Junie B." knocked a can of icing out of the cabinet and it fell right in the middle of the cake! We did our best to cover the huge hole with icing, but it still looked bad. Then we decided to buy a Thomas the Tank Engine toy and place it over the hole. It worked! So we set the cake on a little table under the tent while the kids played.

Then disaster struck AGAIN. Despite the rain, it was a hot day. The cake began to melt. The Thomas train (which was battery operated and made sounds and talked) fell over backwards getting completely dunked in icing! The cake, though it looked horrible, was actually pretty good. In spite of everything, Kevin declared the party to be a success.

Neat Freak?

2011-07-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Some people compliment me on my amazingly clean home considering how many children I have. I smile and thank them, secretly cringing at the thought of anyone ever looking into my closets or my bedroom. If they only knew...

Whenever company is coming, or a case worker, or the kids' attorney, or their CASA, or therapists or our certification worker or or or... okay, we get a LOT of people coming to check on our kids and our home every month.. but anyway, when someone's coming, we clean the house top to toe. We clear off surfaces to make it look like a show home. We scrub doors and walls and counters and floors. We shine the windows and mirrors and sinks until the whole house is magazine shoot ready.

Or, at least, we do that in the public areas. We do the living areas, kitchen, bathrooms, and the kids' bedrooms. But our dirty little secret is the master bedroom. We clean it so that it looks nice if you just open the door and glance in. But if you actually entered, you would see piles of stuff we grabbed out of the main areas of our home and piled haphazardly in corners of our room and hid in our walk-in closet. We throw the kids' toys into buckets and stack it in the game closet. We clear the bathroom counters by tossing hair accessories under the sink. It's all a mad dash to simulate an immaculately clean home. And it works rather well!

But then, every three months or so, I start to get annoyed with the hidden clutter. Then I tackle all those frightening little spots around the house and clean and organize them until I throw out my back from all the unaccustomed manual labor. This photo of our toy/game closet is exhibit A. Will it look like that a few weeks later? Definitely not. Will it look like this again in a few months? Yes it will. You'll know when you see me limping to church that a cleaning demon possessed me that week.

Thanks, Grandma!

2011-07-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Shane and Kevin both have July birthdays. This year they received a double birthday package in the mail from Grandma Nancy. She knows them so well! Shane got a Spiderman shirt and Kevin got Lightning McQueen. I keep thinking the boys will outgrow these favorites, but it's been three years now and they still love them.

4th of July Spectators

2011-07-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

This year for Independence Day we didn't get to do our fire works. That was really tough on the kids since they look forward to it each year. (Thanks, Oklahoma, for banning them in one of the last legal states) Instead, we accepted an invitation to watch the Broomfield fireworks show with some homeschooling friends of ours. We met at their house for a cook out and then walked about a mile to the big grassy field. It was fun, and a novel experience, although the show wasn't as good as the Thornton one we could see going on behind it. The kids made instant friends with each other. They even came to Kevin's birthday party a week later!

The funniest part was this lady, a friend of the hosts' that we'd never met before, who took the kids around the block freeing rabbits from cages their HOA had put up everywhere. I guess it was Independence Day for the bunnies, too.

Park Posers

2011-07-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

We went to the park for a picnic after church on the final day of our "staycation". Sarah and Shannon, our babysitters, met us there. They have a standing invitation to join us for lunch every Sunday. We used the opportunity to take some group photos of the kids on the playground equipment. They actually came out pretty good!

Staycation Day 3: Panda Express

2011-07-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

During our staycation we added a few things to our "to do" list that the kids wanted to do but we normally say no to due to the cost. "Junie B." and Danya had been asking for months if we could eat Chinese food. The only Chinese food I really like is at Panda Express, but it costs about $7 per plate, so most of the time it would be way too expensive to feed a family of 10. This time we were able to say yes!

We divided into pairs and shared plates to keep the cost under $40. The kids loved the fried rice and the fortune cookies. Kevin tried to be bold and try some of the more unusual looking foods, but he didn't like them. Egg roll is apparently not something I should add to our home menu according to Kevin.

Staycation Day 3: Thornton Rec Center

2011-07-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

The kids wanted to get wet as much as humanly possible during our staycation, so we went to the Thornton Rec Center pool on Saturday. The main features there are the wave pool, lazy river, big slide and giant crab slide. Shane was so excited to finally be tall enough to climb the crab slide by himself. He would go again and again, even though he got a face full of water every time. Some of the girls got Daniel to swing by a Dollar Tree store so they could use their allowance to buy water goggles. One pair broke right away, but the other girls had fun looking at the bottom of the pool.

The best part for me came at the very end when I got to float in a tube holding Katie while she slept as we went around and around the Lazy River. It was very peaceful floating and holding my sleeping angel baby.

Staycation Day 2: Mall Fountains

2011-07-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

After Chuck E. Cheese we took the kids to the fountains at the mall in Westminster. It was early afternoon by then, and it wasn't as warm outside any more. So, the kids thought the water was a bit too cold. Still they were willing to run through and hop over the fountains. Shane managed to launch a plastic cup into the air. We walked over to the nearby ice cream shop and bought hot chocolate for everyone to help them warm up.

Kevin kept doing this funny little routine where he would sip his hot cocoa and then run around waving his arms yelling, "Hot, hot, HOT!" He got such a laugh the first time from everyone that he kept doing it just to make us laugh. He's such a ham!

Staycation Day 2: Chuck E. Cheese!

2011-07-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

It had been about 6 months since we'd been to a Chuck E. Cheese. We love using their online coupons in combination with the free token coupons they send our kids for their birthdays. So for about $30 we had somewhere around 250 tokens. Brianna hit a jack pot on one game and won 100 tickets! There's a new feature on the little virtual roller coaster ride that allows everyone else to see the faces of the people on the ride. It was so funny seeing Kevin and Katie's expressions while they laid back in the little vibrating seat.

Icecream and Orcs

2011-06-30T16:43:00.001-07:00

For all three nights of our staycation we had a Lord of the Rings marathon. We watched one movie each night, staying up way too late. The first night we also had a banana split party. The kids were so tired, though, from a long fun-filled day, that they were falling asleep over their bowls of ice cream. We also let them buy "movie theater candy" for the second night and had popcorn the third night. "Junie B." and "Boo" had never seen the Lord of the Rings, and the other kids got to see it with fresh eyes due to greater maturity this time. Daniel and I saw the very first LOTR movie in the movie theater with Danya when she was just six months old. She slept through the whole thing.

Staycation Day 1: Brighton Rec Center

2011-06-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Our plans to go to Oklahoma for the 4th of July got cancelled at the last minute because the county where Daniel's folks live decided to ban fire works the night before we were going to leave. So, instead, we took the money we would have spent on gas and fire works, about $700, and used it to have a massive staycation right here at home.

We sat the kids down and explained our decision. There were some tears because everyone wanted to see grandparents and cousins. Then we made a list of fun things we'd all like to do. Top on the list was going swimming. First stop, the Brighton Rec Center pool. It has a huge slide that kids over 7 can go down alone and younger kids can go down with a parent. It also has a little alligator slide and a shallow play area with fountains for the little kids. The part that Daniel and I like is that we can get the whole family in for about $30.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Video Game Junkies. There's no cure. Today (8/20/11) I overheard this from my boys who were playing LEGO Star Wars III.
Shane: "Oh yeah! Show me what you got!"
Kevin: "I just killed you, Dude. You should be sad."

Peter Pan Park

2011-06-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Some friends invited us to join them at this splash park one Wednesday morning. I don't know it's real name, but it's known locally as the Peter Pan Park because it has a large clock tower, a pirate ship, a rope bridge, etc that is reminiscent of Peter Pan. It also has fountains and a stream running through the middle that's just deep enough to cover the kids' feet. Katie Grace likes the hollow logs you can climb inside.

True Date Night

2011-06-27T09:51:00.002-07:00

With a family as large as ours and a schedule that seems full no matter what we plan, the times when we have a babysitter are usually not so that we can have couple time. Often, we end up getting groceries, or things for someone's birthday, or attending foster parent training, or supplies for a project, or a host of other things.

But every once in a while we get a chance to go on an actual date. To see a movie, or eat at a place that doesn't have a dollar menu, or just do something fun together. It's fun, but we always feel guilty about the expense. If you add up a few hours of babysitting, plus a meal or movie tickets, it adds up fast. Sometimes we ask the babysitter if she'll just play with the kids at the nearby park, or downstairs, so Daniel and I can watch a DVD or play a video game in our room. Sometimes we park somewhere a few blocks away and then take a long walk around the neighborhood. I've tried planning special time when the kids are asleep, but someone always either wakes up or ends up being sick.

It's almost impossible to plan time in advance. We never know when someone involved in our foster kids' cases will call and tell us that they need to come see the kids in our home or we need to take them somewhere or we need to rush paper work over to them. During the school year it's even worse, because the school adds it's own list of things that we MUST do. Recently, "Junie B.'s" caseworker signed us up to participate in a study by Denver University psych students. After the interviews are over, if they choose "Junie B." to participate further, she'll have two nights a week that she has to be at workshops with other "at risk" kids. On top of parent visits and counseling, that will leave one day a week for her to do all her home work and will mean that she doesn't have a day left to participate in AWANA. And this is supposed to be beneficial to her?

I don't know how other foster families make it without a good list of babysitters to help them get an occasional hand with the insanity that is their weekly schedule.

New Babysitter

2011-06-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're breaking in a new babysitter named Alexis. She's 14 years old, a home schooler, the oldest in her family, and very responsible. Best of all, she knows how to be fun, but firm with our kids. I told her to be prepared, because some of our kids might just be on their best behavior the first few times she watches them, and show their worst once they feel more confident that she's not going to hurt them.

It takes a special person, and a very special teen, to be able to handle 8 kids. We've had adults who have watched them once and politely declined to ever watch them again. Not because they were bad, but because it takes a lot of patience and energy. Alexis did really well and the kids have all said they'd love to have her back. We're trying to be prepared since our regular babysitter is starting her senior year this Fall and won't be as available any more. I'm looking forward to the day that Danya turns 14 and is old enough to occasionally watch her younger siblings. It would be nice not to have to hire a babysitter just to get groceries. Sometimes I take the kids when I go, but it's a lot bigger job with that many people to manage.

Yard Sale 2011

2011-06-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

We had our first yard sale in our new home at the end of June. It went well. There was supposed to be a neighborhood wide yard sale, but we only saw one other one in our area. We let the oldest girls be in charge of the money. By the end of the second day we'd made over a hundred bucks. We possibly could have done better if we'd sold kids' clothes, but we had so many bags and boxes of it out in the garage, that I really didn't want to mess with it. So we loaded them all up and took them in two trips to the Goodwill. We even sold our old light fixtures. My garage seems much larger now. I also used the opportunity to clean the garage out.

We went through every single box, including ones that had never been opened from our last move, but had been transported to our new house. It was amazing how many bags of trash we took out. I even found two old pay checks that I had never cashed. One of them was from the 90's! Probably no good now, but it definitely showed me that not taking care of my paperwork is hurting me. It was a relief to be done with the garage almost 9 months after we moved in.

Sadly, I had set aside several books and things that I wanted to keep and put them on top of a plastic box near the big garage door. Then the kids left the garage door open after riding their bikes when the yard sale was over and we had a massive thunderstorm come through. Everything got soaked. Maybe it was God's way of telling me that I didn't need to save any of the junk we found out there if it wasn't worth taking immediately into the house.

Tooth Two

2011-06-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Shane is losing teeth fast now. He thinks it's great. It's not helping his speech any. But he sure looks cute.

VBS DRIVE!

2011-06-25T09:02:00.001-07:00

This year, our church's vacation bible school theme was DRIVE!. It was about pushing on to win the race to receive the reward that God has for you if you live a life dedicated to Him. The kids had a fantastic week. On the last day Danya brought her friend Alecia. There were some seriously fun and funny moments. I enjoyed the one on one time with Katie. Since Daniel was working during VBS, I couldn't volunteer because I needed to be available if any of my kids had a problem.

During the day, before VBS, I was working on getting through school work with all the kids. We home school year round, and now with "Boo" and "Junie B." also doing math and reading with us, I've found myself rather busy. I run from one kid to the next trying to help everyone. I've learned that it's best if I tell the older kids to skip something they don't know and come back to it after I'm done working with the younger kids. Otherwise I can't focus on one task long enough to get anything accomplished. It's been slow but steady progress with "Boo", Kevin, and Shane's reading. With Shane especially it's been two steps forward, one step back. He has trouble retaining knowledge that he had a day or sometimes even hours before. "Boo" can read a word correctly three times at the top of a page, but by the time she gets to the bottom, she no longer recognizes the word and has to tackle it as if it were new to her.

Kevin doesn't really have any trouble with the actual reading, but he has a bad attitude and will often refuse to try. Shane gets overwhelmed at the slightest difficulty and breaks into tears and starts whispering his answers. Thank goodness the older girls have gotten to a point where they can work independently with just a little direction. Although, Brianna will often do an entire page of work even though she has no clue what she's reading. She seems to just write random answers and we end up having to erase it and do it all over again when I check her work.

Odd Father's Day

2011-06-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

This year the youth group at our church had a Father's Day cook out and classic car show as a fund raiser for their upcoming mission trip. Since we normally don't do anything specific on Father's Day, we decided to attend. Afterwards, since I had failed miserably at finding time to get Daniel gifts, although we had made some homemade ones, we ended up going to the mall.

The kids were very excited since we only go there a couple of times a year. First Daniel got to pick out some new used video games at the Game Stop. Then we had lunch in the food court. But, oddly enough, we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon looking at curtains and shopping in household goods areas to try and find what Daniel really really wanted for Father's Day... new pots and pans.

Yes, my husband is the main cook in our family. I have a few tried and true dishes that I can make, but Daniel enjoys the process much more than I do. Unfortunately, all the cookware we found that was large enough to make a meal for our family of 10 was also too expensive. Daniel's quest is not yet over.

Cookout with Friends

2011-06-18T08:41:00.001-07:00

Our friends, Brandy and Jim, invited us over to spend the day and have a cook out. They are such amazing people. I feel like I learn something every time I talk to them. And they aren't overwhelmed by out large family. Their five and our 8 get along so well together.

So long, Music Man!

2011-06-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

Irish Blessing:
May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

We said good-bye to "Music Man" at the Children and Family Services building. We got to meet his father who he will be living with in another state. What must it have been like for that man to suddenly learn he had an 8 year old son? He said he's not sure how to raise a boy, since he and his wife only have a preschool age daughter. His caseworker says he's a good guy and will do fine. I hope so. For "Music Man's" sake. He's had enough heart ache for one life time.