M & L Productions

Negotiations

2010-08-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, after our beautiful Brier-Rabbit passed away I knew that I wanted another big bun. They really are sweet creatures. I remember one time Malachi was sick. He was about 2 and a half and really feeling puny and had been needing to be held for most of the morning.
As the day wore on, Solomon and I were getting hungry and I needed to do at least 1 load of wash. I said, "Kai? Mommy needs to put you down for a little bit, OK?"
He was upset, but got down. Then he proceeded to get the couch pillow and his blankie, open the sliding door and trek through the yard. He laid down on his pillow underneath the big pine tree and called, "Waaaabit!" Low and behold her head popped up on the other side of the yard and she hopped right up to his head. She made him giggle by jumping back and forth over him and nuzzled him with her nose. A few minutes later she burrowed into his side and they both fell asleep. It was beautiful.
So, enter a few nights ago where, on a whim, I Googled, "Flemish Giant", which I happen to know is the largest domesticated rabbit breed. Even though I had assumed I would get another French Lop, I fell in love with these rabbits. I found a breeder a mere 4 hours away.
Then I showed Micah the picture.
He wasn't nearly as excited as I was. Matter of fact, he was dead-set on not getting "a poop machine of that caliber in my yard".
Let the negotiations begin.
Pout face with lower lip extended? No dice.
"Pleeeeease, Baby?" No dice.
"Don't I deserve it?" Marterdom was a no-go.
Micah says, "Max out your pigeon population at 5. No more than 5 at any time."
Eeeeeeeek! I'm at 9! I'd have to re-home 4 of my babies! FINE. I have a friend who's asked about them.
"Done."
"AND you have to be RELIGIOUS about "poo-poo-patrol". Without fail, Nee`. I' don't want to have BBQs and there be little farm balls all over the yard."
Big sigh, "Done."
SO! We were agreed!
And what he WAS happy about is the fact that His Aunt Angela and Uncle Daniel and their 2 girls live about 25 minutes from the breeder, giving us a perfect excuse to make the drive and visit. YAAAAY!!
So here's a picture of Gideon and his litter mates whom we'll be picking up next Friday. I also Facebooked that she had 1 remaining buck available and, as long as I was making the drive, if anybody wanted him I would pick him up, too. My friend Lisa decided she wanted the last bunny, so she's getting Gideon's brother.
Oh, and the name? Mr. "I-don't-want-a-big-poop-machine" named him.
Because my name wasn't good enough, "Pfffffft! Shiloh? Shiloh is a hotel chain". And, apparently it's very important that we don't name bunnies after hotel chains.
So my name was unanimously nixed by all the men in the house in favor of a more macho name that means, "Destroyer or feller of trees". Because we don't want rabbit to get some sort of complex by having a sissie name.
Anywho. At least I'm getting my bun!
Picture by: Get Er Done Rabbitry @
http://johnsonsflemishgiants.webs.com/litters.htm

Summertime is Wrapping Up.

2010-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Whew - what a fun Summertime we've had! With the exception of the death of our beautiful French-lop, Brier-Rabbit, our days have been full of joy. Here's a quick overview on what's been going on in the Lewis lives:

Rosie is now 6 months old and that half a year has FLOWN by. She's now sitting up pretty well by herself, with only a few "tilt and tumble" episodes.

She's also trying all sorts of Gerber! Some she likes, and some.....welll.....

One of the advantages to having older siblings is that, if you flash your smile and baby blues at them juuuuust right, they're apt to give you a lick of their blackberry fruit pop. An advantage to drooling excessively is that said sibling will probably not want it back afterward and just give you the thing.

So Mom turns around to see a very happy 6-month-old child eating a pop-cycle. Oh, well. Since they've been talking about a return home for her this Fall/Winter, we really don't care about not spoiling her. She gets everything she wants. My first kid didn't get a cookie in Safeway until he was 2. Rosie's? 6 months. I guess I just feels that we probably won't be having to deal with the consequences of spoiling her, so why not? If she weren't so darn cute, it would be a lot easier.

Let's see, we've done a lot of camping, too! Mama doesn't do tent camping when we have one under a year, so we've fount that yurts are a good choice for us and even found one with a microwave, fridge and heater. Yeah, we really rough it :)

It was so fun to be close to the water and some of our friends rented the yurt across from us. We went in together and rented a boat, as well and were able to goof around and fish, play cards and Mama read some of her book. I was really glad that we had the accommodations we did, as it rained the whole second night and third morning. My hubbs also took the 3 biggest on a Father-son Camping Trip with our church and had a good time.

The boys had a good time on July 4th, too. We went next door to our awesome neighbors' for a BBQ, then did some (legal and not-so-legal) fireworks. Rosie slept right through it all. Zephan did much better with the noise and lights this year. We still used the ear-protectors, but now he loves them and even uses them when the vacuum or lawnmower is going. His over-stimulation/social anxiety is either lessening or he's managing it better. He's such an amazing guy and we're so thankful that God has seen fit to heal him of any issues from his past. GOD IS GOOD!

Our DHS also put together a beautiful baseball game package for fostering families. This included admission to a Volcanoes game, $5 coupon per child to spend at the food vendor, a t-shirt and tons of give-aways and prizes at the game by different companies who each ran a booth. They also had fire trucks, ambulances and police officers on hand to show kids around them. The night ended with a huge fireworks show. MUCH better than what they did last year. It was great!

AND.....Malachi turned 7!!!! We had a party for him at the splash park and got him some things he's been wanting.

After his party he and his brother tested for their orange belts and passed. This was the most intense test by far and I walked out with an upset stomach. They're to the level where they get large sticks swung at them relentlessly and one boy got hit hard in the face. Another boy got hit in the thigh and the class stopped as he began to cry. They were both fine, but I've been having my hubby take the bigs to class as much as possible because it's difficult for me to watch. Unfortunately he's going to be back in school here pretty soon, so Mama will have to suck it up or stay in the van.

So, I guess the last new-ish thing is that I finally did something with my hair. I usually (and by usually, I mean for the last 3 years) just throw my hair into a messy top-knot and call it good. But I was pretty sick of it, so I "went all 90's on it" and got a perm. Most of the comments I've been getting are something like, "Oh! I didn't know that you had long hair..."

Well, I hope you're summer is going great. I'll leave you with some archival pics of our beloved bunny, Brier. Malachi was especially close to her and he misses her (as a matter of fact, the only pics I could find are of her when she's with him) quite a bit. She sure was a sweetheart and we really enjoyed the time we had with her!

Rabbit-Kisses!

I'm Back!

2010-06-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi, there! I know, long time, no see. Summer is FINALLY here!
So, updates: Zephaniah is POTTY TRAINING *insert strained smile*. He's nearly 3 and still not "saving it up" too well. He tends to squirt a tablespoon or so every 25 minutes. This is frustrating, as it's just enough to wet his underpants and leave a small stream down his leg. After 5 pairs of underwear dirtied in this fashion, I just stripped him to what God gave him and sent him outside to play. This is my first boy to have this problem and I don't know how to teach him to hold it! He goes EVERY TIME I put him on the potty (about 2 tablespoons worth) and then has wet drawers 15 minutes later! Suggestions?

The older 3 boys went to their annual Junior Master Gardener Day Camp and had a ball as always. This was the first year that Levi was old enough (well, they're lenient, so he was actually still a year too young but they let him come with his brothers). Zephan had a difficult time without them and cried buckets, just like Levi did last year. Soon enough I'll be taking all 4 out there.

The rest of our time has been filled with growing kiddos and summertime. Rosie's parents had court this morning. I was hoping to go, but a summer cold hit the house and so I missed. The caseworker sent me this message, though:
"Court went well. Judge feels parents are making good progress. We are proceeding with caution, obviously due to history. Hands on parenting classes were discussed. We have been exploring this but I have not been able to find one that starts before September. I shared one of Rosie's adorable photos with the court, everyone loved it! (Rosie's attorney) gave a nice update about Rosie as she just saw her yesterday. The next hearing is set for September 30th at 10am. "
Sooooo.....I guess we'll know more come September.
It was after we found out that her heart is fine that the doctor noticed that she has "blue sclera", meaning the whites of her eyes are a pale blue instead of white. They said this can be a genetic marker for muscular or
connective tissue problems. That coupled with her extremely easy-going nature and a couple of other little things are worrying the docs a bit, so they're planning on running a syndrome check soon. I guess this just means some blood work, not too bad, but hoping everything checks out OK. She continues to be such a good baby and now has 2 little teeth on the bottom.

We got a couple of things done around the house here, including Dad's purchase of a playset from Costco. It
was a pain, but Daddy and our neighbor pounded it out in 2 days! We also got the flower baskets up on the clubhouse (but not the door or steps, yet)
and I got Rosie's Alice in Wonderland pictures framed above her crib. I also found a stencil that says, "Curiouser and curiouser..." to put around the top of her walls. In my spare time. I even found a big pink and purple sign board that says, "We're all mad here!" for above her closet. I just have to find a good white rabbit stuffy for her crib :)

Ooooo! Big news: My hubby finished his first year of Nursing School! He's an LPN now and this time next year, if all goes well, he'll be an RN! We're enjoying some time together this Summer before the harder year (harder than last year, we hear, but HOW? Eeek!) year begins and life without him home resumes. :(

My big guys are enjoying their swimming lessons every Saturday. Nana is so good to take them. Their first week-long camp is in August and there are lots of water activities, however they both have to pass a swim test to be included in those. I was dreading the lessons as I would have to sit and wait with the 3 smalls (hubby works weekends) while the bigs have their lessons, then figure out how to help them shower and change afterward with babies in tow. I would put them all in lessons, but all 3 littles would need to be in the "mommy-and-me" class and I can't hold onto 3! So, Nana saved the day and sacrificed every Saturday morning THE WHOLE SUMMER to take them. Whew! That was going to be a hassle for sure!

Well, I'll get off here now. Sorry for the scanty posts, but they very well may continue as these kids are so very busy! We're looking forward to camp, berry picking, VBS and Zephan's birthday in September!

Why, oh why....

2010-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

.....does she have to be so cute? Happy 3 month mark, my sweet Rosie - you are truly a joy!

That's The Game

2010-05-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, Rosie may be going home. I was surprised, too. So, a couple of developments have happened: 1) Mom, Dad and Grandma have moved in together and are working as a team to get Rosie home. They have committed to staying together in the home to raise her as a family unit. Which DHS is considering. Grandma is also now visiting with Mom and Dad.
2) The adoptive family of Rosie's sisters have stepped up (after viewing a picture I took and seeing how much she looks like their girls, they changed their minds) and the concurrent plan is now that she will go to them, should reunification fail. They are out of state, however, so they can't do a foster-to-adopt type of placement with them.

DHS has decided that they will let Mom/Dad/Grandma work a reunification plan for 9-12 months and then assess their stability and parenting skills. They don't want to do a reunification sooner than that, as they feel that Rosie is too vulnerable for any screw-ups. She has another EKG on Wednesday and that will probably clue us in as to whether or not she needs to see a specialist for her little heart.

So, that leaves her with us until around her first birthday with basically no chance of adoption, as there is already a concurrent plan with her sisters' family. D'oh.
And yet, when I heard all this, I had a strange sense of peace. I guess I've been in this business long enough to know that it's just the game. Also, because of how merciful God was in guiding us, we know for sure that this is where she's meant to be right now. Today she is supposed to be here, in this house, with us. I'm quite sure of that. And we're all really enjoying her!

Now, there may come a day when I'm packing her things to go home. When the little girl we've had since she was 18 days old will be leaving us. On that day I may throw a tantrum. I've told God that. And also apologized in advance and told Him how much I've enjoyed being her Mama and that it was all worth it just to have her for a time, and thanked Him for the wonderful opportunity. I'm so glad God "gets" me. Because I felt Him smile in that moment, and I knew everything would work out. I mean, do any of us know how long we have with any of our children? They are a gift to be enjoyed a predetermined number of days. So, I will enjoy my baby today. And I choose to be happy and have faith.

Job 1:21
God gives, God takes.
God's name be ever blessed.

Random Pics and Stuff

2010-04-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

OK, here are some of my fave pictures this past couple of weeks! The ones of Levi sleeping in head-slap position and the dog on the computer were on the camera when I uploaded. Micah must have taken them. Cracks me up.

So, I'm back from a long weekend at the coast with my fellow homeschool moms. All year long I look forward to our retreat. We shop at the outlet mall, play games, SLEEP, soak in the hot tub and talk. A fellow homeschool mom whose kiddos are nearly grown (and used to own a pizza restaurant) volunteers to cook us foods that our kids wouldn't dream of eating, like chicken pesto & mushroom pizza and broccoli-cheddar quiche. She's such a blessing to the moms who have wee ones and need a break!
This was the first year that I went to the outlet mall with a list of girl items our household needed such a headbands, tights and a few springtime shirts. Aaaaaah, so fun!

Nana volunteered to keep Rosie so Micah wouldn't be overwhelmed and everybody enjoyed their weekend. My hubby decided to take the boys to an Agricultural Festival and said, "I just kept counting to 4 over and over..." It CAN be a challenge having 4 little guys who are going in 4 different directions! But Daddy made sure they all rode a pony, saw a sheep being sheered, did lots of hands-on activities and got a souvenir. And, my favorite part....he came home with all 4 boys :) The pic with Malachi and his cat was taken while I was away - apparently my spot in bed was up for grabs.

Also, Rosie had a consultation for her little heart. I can't remember if I already wrote about this, but we found out that 2 siblings have severe heart defects and have had several open heart surgeries each. The docs decided that her EKG isn't worrisome at this point, but she may need to see a specialist, so they'll continue to keep an eye on that. Other than that, she's 100th percentile for weight and 50th for height and is doing well. I picked up a few things for her room, as well. I don't want to commit to a girlie nursery, but sleeping her in a Noah's Ark room is bothering me (oh, what truly important problems this American mom has, right?) so I found a way to use the blue and brown colors and got her a new crib set from Craigslist. I'll add a few accessories and call it good. Pics to come, of course :)

And, thank you all for the gentle and encouraging replies to my last post. Every one was so very appreciated, that you would have such confidence in me!
And, Jill, are you on Facebook or anything, girl? I keep losing track of you and I think of your family often! It's so funny, but when you've followed a blog through the challenges of the foster care system and adoption, you begin to see these ladies as fellow warriors and friends. My hubs calls them, "my wife's imaginary friends". But, ladies, we're in this special little sub-category of parenting together and it's priceless knowing that I'm not alone. Someday I know I'll meet most of you, even if it's after our journey here on earth is complete. Or when we retire and have an itch to travel in our pimped-out Winnebago.....

Quit Faking It

2010-04-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Alrighty. It Spews Forth inspired me with a very real, no nonsense post about real stuff. I'm going to follow her lead.
So, Rosie's Dad got out of prison. He's having bi-weekly visits with mom now. I asked if Dad was being considered as a possible placement. DHS said no. So far there has been nobody to step up for this child. Which leaves us. Only one problem: Rosie is a girl. We ALWAYS lose our girls. I had decided that we were a strictly boy household. Obviously she won't be staying. Our girls never do. Right?
OK, for the first several years we were open to either gender. All our girls left. Then we were blessed with a beautiful boy, our Levi. Who stayed. Then we opted to only accept boy placements. 5 months later we were blessed with our boy, Zephaniah. It seems to be in the stars.
Even when I called the breeder I had chosen to buy my Pomeranian. Only pup left was a boy. Malachi recently adopted a Guinea Pig. He decided on a girl and chose a pig from the female enclosure. We get the thing home and discover it's obviously a boy. Both cats? Boys. Same with our rabbit. There were 2 from which to choose, a male and a female. I chose the female. We got home and, come to find out, there was a mix-up. We had come home with.....the boy.
Over and over and over this happens. And I adore my boys, but I don't think I've given myself a chance to develop the desire for a girl. After Rayna left I constructed a sturdy wall against baby girls. They're cute, but not for this family. And I let my love for my boys absolutely take over and turn into a passion that hid any hint of a desire for a daughter. Eventually I may have to do something about this wall. IF this case evolves to look like she may be forever.
But I'm looking into the blue eyes of this beautiful baby girl with much speculation. Could I raise a girl successfully? It scares the pee out of me. I remember how I was as a teen, so emotional. Crushes on boys and crying when I started my period on my 10th birthday (sorry, TMI), lip-stick rules and rebellion and battles over too-short skirts and talking on the phone for hours at a time. It makes me tired just thinking about it.
I'd much rather deal with stupid pranks (embarrassing confession: I LOVE the Jack Ass movie and, although he has a potty-mouth, I find Bam Margera charming and funny) and wrestling and wet dreams and skateboards. I have a well-thought-out plan for those! I'm good! I know how to raise boys and seem to be good at it. And my hubby is the martial arts dude who loves camping and paintball and all things manly. What in the world was I thinking when I accepted this placement?!? She'll be doomed to grow up with a intimidated mom and a Dad that has no clue!!
So, that's my "Real" post. I will let you know if I have any epiphanies. Until then, I'm just loving this little baby who has stolen my heart against my will and is hard at work chipping away at my big ol' wall.

Visiting the Tulips

2010-04-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Rosie:

Solomon:

Malachi:

Levi:

......and Zephan. Sigh.

He is The One. The One who will bring my gray hair. The One who puts my stomach in knots near bodies of water. The One who causes the most mischief. The One who tests me. The One who drives me to my knees in prayer, "Lord, give me wisdom!". The One who manages to find my buttons. The One who makes me shake my head in amazement at his antics.
He's also The One who can melt my heart with a look. The one who causes me to belly laugh. The One who says, "Mommy! I missed you when I sleep!" The One who has an infectious giggle. The One who keeps me flexible. The One who likes to be rocked. The One with a killer sense of humor. The One who wrings his little hands and looks worried when Rosie cries.
He will be The One. The One who's a really big man. The One who's fiercely protective of his family. The One who has an amazing testimony. The One who's boisterous laugh reaches the sky. The One who leads his family with faith and commitment and compassion. The One who will reach the hurting for Christ. The One who will STILL be a mama's boy. The One who can reach the person that no one else can. The One whose smile will light up the whole room. The One I tell unbelievable stories about to his kids. He will be a great man.
The One I loved, love and will love. My boy.

Birthdays, Hospitals, Easter and Pneumonia

2010-04-05T11:48:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been a while! Things have been...eventful. Shortly after my last post (on Solomon's birthday, actually) Rosie began to be fussy and drink less of her milk. Now, if you know Rosie, you know 2 things about her: 1. She's not fussy, 2. She loves her groceries. By the end of Sol's birthday party she was running a temp. I tucked in my birthday boy and his brothers and we were off to the ER for what I was sure would be an in-and-out appointment just to ease my conscience. By the time we got there, she was at 101 degrees. Because of her hazy medical history, they decided to admit her. She had an IV put in, urine samples, an RSV test and even a spinal tap. By 3:00am we were both exhausted and fell asleep in our room. We were there for 3 more days and, ultimately all the tests came back negative. It was just a nasty virus. The one complication (other than Daddy unexpectedly having the boys by himself for a while) was that I was exposed to and contracted Bacterial Pneumonia. This TOOK. ME. OUT. folks (I'm still on antibiotics and hacking up blood).
Not to mention, in the middle of all of that, we all (except Zephan) got a fantastic stomach bug. Our Spring Break was filled with coughing and puking and fevers. I was so lucky that Nana took one look at us and packed Rosie an overnight bag and took her home. She even took days off work to keep our delicate girl away from all those yucky germs so she wouldn't have to go back to the hospital.
In other news, Rosie is now sleeping through the night!! WOOT!! She's recovered nicely and I've just cleaned out her drawer of all the 3-6 months clothes. It's all 6-9 months for my little 2-month-old! Dad had criminal court on April 1st, but I've yet to hear what happened there. There's a Family Court Hearing this Thursday and I'll probably get the scoop then. So far, Mom is making all of her visits but DHS isn't willing to place Rosie with her as she's, "Low functioning with an IQ of 59." So far, maternal grandma has come forward as a resource, and they're considering placing Rosie in her home with Rosie's mom living there, as well. But Mom would have to have some sort of "wrap-around support system in the home in order to place with Mom". We don't know that Grandma is up for this magnitude of a commitment, since it would be an 18-year arrangement to caring for both Rosie and her Mom. I'm also wondering where she was during the open cases of Rosie's 3 older siblings who are now adopted?
As far as we know, Dad will be serving some time "for thuggish-type crimes". I'm wondering what he was doing with Rosie's mom, seeing as she's obviously developmentally delayed to a fair degree. His parents are estranged and really didn't raise him, so it doesn't look like they'd be a resource for this case. I could really see this case going either way, but feel sympathy for Rosie's Mom and wouldn't mind working with her in the future.
Easter was fun for us all! I got all the boys in shirts and ties (the above pic is the best one we got, even though Malachi looks like he's about to puke and the littles look feral). There was a surprise baptism at church, a teen-aged girl who we usually sit in front of. Her grandparents are real sweethearts and they were so proud. Grandpa wanted to baptize her himself and our pastor was pleased. Grandpa and Grandma cried as their Granddaughter professed her faith. It was beautiful. Afterward Nana made a whole lunch spread with baskets for the Grandkids from "The Nana Bunny".
Rosie's first portrait session is coming up now that she's smiling and cooing up a storm. She looked so pretty on Easter with her little dress and tights and I even found a newborn bracelet with pink pearls for her tiny arm! So fun!
Well, I better get some schoolwork done with the boys. Our virtual school called with concerns that Sol & Kai are finishing the school year early. They want the boys to slow down even though they enjoy their work and make their way through it quickly. This is leading us to a schooling change for next year. They need something they can truly go their own pace and something accelerated. I'm thinking of the ACE system. We'll see....

Rat Tragedy

2010-03-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well, as many of you know, Malachi has a rat. The rat's name is Margo and spends a majority of her life on her boy's shoulder. She gets scraps from meals and has tunnels and mazes and forts built in her honor. She is kind and funny and sweet. Margo also has had tumors growing out of her foot, a condition called Bumblefoot. For the last couple of weeks I've noticed the foot getting worse. Hubbs and I would shoot each other uncomfortable glances as Malachi consoled and petted her. Friday night my conscience won and I decided that it was time to put Margo down. It's amazing what you can Google nowadays and my search for "humane way to put down rat" rewarded me with a gentle method. After Malachi fell asleep I brought Margo's cage outside and thanked her for being such a wonderful pet to my boy. I gave her her favorite snack and placed the cage behind the tailpipe of the van. I was relieved that it was so quick and gentle. She yawned, stretched and went to sleep. I bleached the cage and returned it to it's spot beside Malachi's bed. The next morning after all the boys were up except Kai (he's like me, the last one to get dragged out of bed) I went in and layed on his bed with him. He woke and I told him that his pet passed away peacefully in the night. He sobbed. My poor little guy. I told him that, when he was ready, he could come to me and we could talk about a new furry friend for him. 20 minutes later he "felt ready" :)
He chose the ugliest Guinea Pig in the store, even though we went in to buy a hamster. The heart wants what the heart wants, right? We brought her home and Kai named her Mocha. He's really enjoying her. So long, Margo. Thanks for the memories!
In other news, it's starting to looklike Spring around here! Nana, Auntie Julie and cousin Bree met us at the park today for a picnic and it was lovely! Dad also put the hammok up and you can catch any number of boys inside it at any given time. Daddy and Zephan are known to take their naps out there, it's too cute! Rosie's doing awesome. She sleeps 4-5 hours at a stretch at night now and it's fantastic! At a month, she's in the 90th percentile and weighs over 11 pounds. All the 0-3 month clothes I was so thankful to borrow from friends are too short. I did some shopping and bought all 6-9 months and up. Micah looked at the little tennis shoes I bought that won't fit her until at least mid-summer and said, "Hopefull thinking, huh?". I guess so. I figure, even if she leaves before then, I'll have some things to send home with her. She came with so little. But, I must admit, I want to see her in those cute pink shoes! Only God knows how long we'll enjoy her, but I know that He put her here. He heard my prayer, "God? Next time I really need a mellow one!"
Oh, and, this is interesting: I took her to a well baby appointment. She's been with the doc since birth. Doc was asking questions about her situation and asked where Dad was. I told her that he's incarcerated. She said, "Well, that must be very recent because he and her Mom were both here at her last appointment, just a couple of days after her birth." Hmmmmm. That's interesting. So, between 2 and 19 days he completely slipped out of the picture? And his family isn't being persued? There's deffinetely something fishy going on.

Shelter Hearing

2010-02-25T21:19:00.001-08:00

Well, Rosie's bio mom had court Tuesday. Since this was technically a shelter hearing (the initial court date after a child comes into care when the judge decides if the child should stay in foster care or that DHS jumped the gun and the child should be returned with a safety plan implemented) the judge did decide that she will stay in care. The judge also gave Mom a 2-hour visit per week and enrolled her in a "Baby Bonding Group" to take with Rosie. Zephan did these with his bio-mom and it's supposed to support confidence and accountability. The teachers of these groups are really good and I'm glad she and her Mom will be taking these classes. Caseworker is holding her cards close in regards to the birth dad. When I asked if he'd be visiting I got a, "Nope." and when I tried to ask a bit more about him, I didn't get any answers. I think there may be something fishy going on with this birth dad. I asked if he was incarcerated and got, "We think so." We think so? They haven't looked? This is odd. I know caseworkers are all as different as any individuals who make up any group, but this particular one is very business-like and doesn't like to chat a whole lot. She may just be that way, or there may be some interesting things going on here. Maybe both. I'd sure like to know if they're doing a relative search, though...
Anyway. She's doing great! Such a sweetheart. I DO admit: IT'S SO FUN TO DRESS A GIRL!! All the tights with frilly hinders and ruffles and headbands and fancy little socks and size zero Mary Jane church shoes. Augh! It's killing me!
She usually wakes to be fed 2-3 times a night but is content to go right back to sleep until the household wakes. She's really starting to look around and hold her head up. Zephan has shocked us by being either interested, loving or ambivalent about her and hasn't shown any negative behaviors whatever. Shocker! Seriously.
The older 3 smile and coo at her and I'm sure when she gets a bit more interactive they'll attach more. They're curious about why she isn't with her parents and it has opened up a nice space for dialog about choices, drugs, alcohol and choosing Godly friends.
Levi has begun asking some questions, as well, and we've had some of our first "adoption talks" about how God can bring families together in all sorts of ways. He's now grasping that he has a birth mom and that she loves him. I hope God continues to guide my words to him to enforce how dear he is to us and tell him his story in a positive light.

Well, that was Quick!

2010-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Well, our CW called. "I have an 18-day-old baby for you, if you want.", she said. She proceeded to tell me about a case that was developing and it was sounding like what we were looking for. I said, "Yeah! This is all sounding pretty do-able!" She then says, "but there's one little thing.....it's a girl."
A girl?
She explained how she knew we wanted a boy, but this little one came in and she just felt that she needed to call and ask us if we were interested. I wasn't sure. I called Micah. He told me that he wasn't, in fact, surprised that we were offered a girl despite the fact that we firmly stated we'd only take a boy and asked for no calls for girls. Seems that he's had several "hints" that we would be caring for girl next, but he figured that, if that was indeed what God wanted, we'd know somehow.
So.
Here I am, sitting with my new foster daughter, "Rosie".
She's awfully small and sweet. Her 3 older siblings have been adopted out in another State and her Mom relinquished on all of them. We know that this will likely be a long-term placement, but permanency is, as always, indefinite. Now, I'm going to be drinking a bunch of chamomile tea and try to zen over the weekend in preparation for my annual, "We got a new placement panic attack". Without fail, within the first week of a placement, I have a HUGE anxiety attack. I don't know why, exactly, but it happens without fail. I FREAK OUT amidst the re-arrangement of school schedules, re-organizing, figuring out a new routine from everything to getting loaded into the car to meals and bedtimes. Everything just has to settle back into place and it takes a little bit.
All this time I'm falling in love with a baby who may be taken from me. During one of those first nights I will lose it. I will call my mom. I will cry in the tub. I will wonder if I can do this. I will remember scary things like SIDS and Colic. Then, after a hug from my wonderful hubby and hearing him telling me,"You're not alone in this. WE will do fine." and my Mom gushing about how proud of me she is and assuring me that she's right across the street whenever I need her, THEN I'll settle down and chill out and enjoy myself. I'm hoping that maybe by expecting my little meltdown and preparing myself for it, that it will be easier for me to adjust quickly. Here's hoping! Little noodle has court next Tuesday and we'll know a bit more about her story, but for now...I'm off to make some Chamomile tea and rock a little one :)

Officially Waiting...

2010-02-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Well, our meeting with the caseworker was a success! She's a really neat Christian lady with her own adoption testimony. She adopted through foster care system, as well, and has been a foster parent to multiple placements so she can relate to all sides of this. She was very supportive of our desire not to be a "revolving door foster home", but to prayerfully consider each placement before they come to us and focus on attaining permanency. Will there still be drama? Yup. Are the stakes high? You betcha. But, foster parents are greatly needed especially as of late. Our State doesn't pay for/reimburse daycare expenses (and full time daycare costs about $150 ABOVE the monthly foster care payment) and, in this economy many Mommies are being forced back to work. One income isn't cutting it, so Mom is going back to work. DHS won't pay daycare, so the family has to give up the kids. This is leaving a deficiency.
So, all that to say; we get to help fill in the gap in a system that's in need, give a kiddo a safe place to be and maybe even grow our family. And they'll help out a bit with diapers and groceries. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Because we're being so selective in our placements, the wait may be a long one, but sometime this year we should get our call.

Chickenpox and Caseworkers

2010-01-31T15:28:00.001-08:00

So!
Here's our house 2 days before Solomon came down with.....The Chickenpox!!

Oh, yeah. It was an awesome time of many playdates with 10 children in our house. Needless to say, because Chickenpox has a long gestation period, all of these beautiful children were exposed. Luckily 2 of them had been vaccinated. But the rest were not. I made my rounds apologizing to parents. Now, thank the Lord, Sunday morning we skipped church as he wasn't feeling well. He wasn't spotty, yet, just feeling yucky. If we had gone he would have exposed the entire church! Anyhow, all the families were very understanding and, as a matter of fact, 8 children (including my niece) arranged for a playdate specifically to contract Chickenpox, thus getting them over with for their little ones while they're still small. I haven't heard back whether anyone has broken out yet, but I'm sure all the shared sippe cups and lollies will have their desired effect! Solomon's much better now and none of my others got it. My littles were vaccinated before they came to me, but I don't remember OKing that one for Malachi and he's still clear. Interesting. Guess time will tell as it can take 7-14 days to manifest.
Levi was the most disappointed with the whole thing because we'd planned to go to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday which was to be the day after until the spots appeared and spoiled our plans. He still managed to have a good time with a riegn check for ChuckE's and a smaller party at home. Most of the adults in the family were able to come and there was cake with candles and neat gifts. His favorite was the Darth Vader costume which I've just finally been able to peel off him and wash :)
Tuesday our new caseworker comes out to meet us. We've spoken on the phone and I have to say, I like the lady. Now, this may be in part because our old caseworker (the one we like and has been with us forever) may have had some pull in who she gave our case to. I got the feeling she was comfortable with who would be working with us from here. New lady seems very nice and we talked pretty in-depth about our family's needs, strengths and wishes. She understands our wish to adopt and, although we're both aware that this IS foster care, she's aware of our goals to attain permanency in at least SOME cases. So, after Tuesday we'll be officially "on the list". I was mentioning my "empty hip syndrome" now that Zephan is so big and grown-up. She assured me that my hip would soon be occupied.
It's making me smile as I write this because, although Zephan has all but retired from being carried, when I pick up a friend's baby, he immediatly regresses. Suddenly it's of utter importance that he be help RIGHT NOW. I'll have to arrange lots of one-on-one for my poor retired baby.
Anyway, at the tail end of all this Chickenpox nonsense, the family caught a nasty cold. So, I need to get off here and make my rounds refilling juice and chicken broth, handing out cough drops and garbaging snotty tissues. I'll leave you with a pic of Furgus falling asleep to the aroma of Kai-Kai's hinder. These 2 are so funny!

Bureaucracy.

2010-01-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

I may have several posts with this heading! The reason bureaucracy is a real itch in my craw this particular time is because they're forcing us over to a new caseworker. After having the one we love for 8 stinkin' years. Management is redistributing case loads this year. Some rules are changing. Also, in our state, there are 2 routs to placement:

A) Foster care. This route may or may not end in adoption. The journey to an adoption includes the parents having approximately a year to work a case plan. If they can't get it together, a relative search is initiated. No family? Widen the search to include other siblings who are already in an adoptive placement. Does the family who has the sibling(s) want this child as well? No? OK. They'll then consider letting the child stay with the foster parents.

B) Adoption Committee. We would look through a notebook of children already freed for adoption and looking for an adoptive home. 3 families are chosen for each child/sib group. These 3 families prepare a photo album telling all about their family, hobbies, lifestyle, etc. A Committee is called, including the kid(s) caseworker and they decide which of the 3 families are most suitable to raise the kid(s). Each of the family's caseworkers go to these committees to represent their perspective family. 1 family is chosen and the children transition to them almost immediately.

Now, we've gone the Committee route before. The problem is, even if we do get selected (which we have several times), we don't win Committee because we already have children. Childless couples and families who only have 1 (or 2) are almost always chosen over the families who already have 3 or 4 children. It would be a long road of losing time after time. After time.
We may EVENTUALLY get lucky. Now, we may have better luck once hubbs graduates Nursing school and we attain a larger house, but for now it would be a slim chance.

Which leaves good ol' fashioned foster care. Which was what we were doing, but with a twist: our caseworker was primarily an adoption worker. If she heard of a child who needed placement and was pretty much a sure-shot for permanency, she would call us. This was great. We lost the triplets, and there was some significant drama, but were able to adopt 2 beautiful little boys this way and it was all very worth it.
Now we have a regular caseworker whose job it is NOT to match a family with an adoptive placement, but to get children into foster placements. The primary goal of their jobs are so different and they totally focus on different things. We've had some interesting experience (before the worker we like so much) where we felt that the Caseworker was saying what we wanted to hear in order to get us to take the child. Now we really have to filter these cases for ourselves on a case-by-case basis. That's scary for me.
That having been said, we did make the decision to go the foster care route. We'll give that until Micah finishes school and we get a bigger house (about 2 years, give or take). If we haven't attained permanency by then with another little one by that time, we'll probably pursue a sibling group through Committee.
I'm feel excited and nervous. Gosh, I hope we're doing the right thing. Hubbs HATES drama with a capital H. I don't mind it so much, but the loss. Ugh, the loss.
So, that's where we are tonight.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the coolest thing: My hubbs threw a surprise party for me the day before my birthday! I was clueless and it was bliss. My friends gave me gifts of Reeces PB Cups, Starbucks, Dutch Brothers and dark chocolate. My hubbs cleaned out my Amazon Wish List (Ohmifrekingosh!!!!!Squeeeeee!!!!) . There was a huge chocolate cake that said Best Mommy Ever. There were balloons and party horns and hugs, laughing and toquitoes with guacamole. I just LOVE that guy. Seriously.

Mixed Emotions

2010-01-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, we're enjoying the snow and the fact that Zephan is legally ours! DHS wants to know......"what are we doing with your certification, now?" meaning are we open to another placement. They don't have a specific child for which they're asking, but just want to know if they can call us if there's a need. Although I'm feeling ready (and excited) for a new little one, Micah is anxious.
Heck, I'm anxious.
Are we ready to jump back into the drama and potential heartbreak? As a family, here's where we stand:
Solomon says he's ready and understands that the baby will, in all likelihood, be going home. Our default response is, "We're trying to get Baby home. But if there's no home for Baby, we'll be happy to have another Lewis!" He understands more than the others and is willing to risk loss.
Malachi has mentioned how difficult it will be for him to give a baby back. How it wouldn't be fair and he would be sad. But he's willing to share his home and family. Sharing and compassion are a non-issue for this one. It's the loss.
Levi is enamored with little folk and will be happy to have a wee one. He's a happy guy and will, in most likelihood, sail through all the issues. He's just not one to worry and is a very secure guy.
Zephan shoots the dog dirty looks if he's on my lap for too long - VERY possessive and aware that he's the baby. Being de-throned will be quite an adjustment for him. He's going to be a challenge, for sure!
So, there we are. It actually helps to write the run-down and assess "on paper" where we are with this decision. It's an exciting and frightening one and we've really begun praying about it. Things are so CALM right now! Everyone's happy and I'm not overwhelmed with the workload. Do we rock the boat?
On the other hand, I'm really feeling the pull. I do want more children and I don't want a ton of space between Zephan and the next one. Micah is open to more, as well. But probably just one more in this relatively small house. After nursing school we may have to move as we're quickly outgrowing this cozy home of ours.
Well. I guess we'll continue to pray and see what happens. For now, we have a great caseworker. Not many folks can say that! She's really a blessing. I trust her judgment...and she really filters the cases for us (as best she can) in order to give us the best shot at permanency. I guess we'll see what God does in 2010! I trust Him completely.

Finally Final!

2009-12-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

Almost the whole family showed up for the Adoption Ceremony on Monday. It was just too cool. The courts were running a bit behind, so we had some time together in the hall to chat, take pics and let the cousins play.

The judge signing the Decree of Adoption, "...and this child, Zephaniah Henry, shall now belong to Micah and Lynee Lewis as if born to them." My favorite part. My second favorite part of this particular ceremony was the part when the judge asked Zephan if he was hereby willing to accept and reside by the rules of his new Mother & Father. To this he replied, "No want it." When we had Levi's ceremony, he answered with "Yes, Sir."
Such very different boys! Both crack me up.

Inroducing Lewis 4.0, the ultra-cool newest version:

Now, back to the house to PARTY!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!

2009-12-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

I just got a call! Merry Christmas to us!! We're finalizing Zephan's adoption THIS MONDAY!!!
Our ceremony will be at 4:00 and we will officially ring in the new year as a legal family.
Thank you, God!! It's just what I wanted.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you are enjoying your families today! This season has been so fun for our family.

Here's our ultra-natural Christmas tree ornaments (we went out and grabbed some birds to decorate the tree. They loved it and sang and cooed - it was so pretty) I told Malachi one day that the twin chicks still didn't have names. Malachi's usually the one who names everyone, so he contemplated thoughtfully as he held one of the babies. Then he said, "Well, this one pecks at my hand a lot, so we should call him Little Pecker." He didn't understand my laughter, but took my advice when I recommended another name. He ended up settling on Shade and Shadow for them :)Micah's on Winter break from school and we've been having some much-needed time together. Our church went to the carousel by the river to sing carols and munch cookies and let the kids ride. It was a ton of fun. Even Zephan, who was rather freaked out by the carousel, enjoyed the ride once I found a 2-seater bench for him and I to ride on together, instead of a horse.My niece brought her Mom and Dad, too and she loved riding the horsies. Bree is the opposite of Zephan in the area of new experiences. He melts down and she dives right in. We've also been baking and visiting friends and enjoying Christmas lights and songs. Micah and I even got to go to the movies together. We saw Avatar in 3-D while Great-Gramma Reyna stayed home with the boys and listened to Zephan cry for 3 hours. He DID NOT want to be left that day. But Avatar was FANTASTIC!! It was my first 3-D movie and I was very impressed.

We also got to mutt-sit our favorite (other than Lexx) doggy, Bentley. My boys ADORE this dog and sleep with him when he stays with us. Lexx and him get along great and they enjoy one another. Someday when we get a bit bigger of a place I know I'll pine for a big dog. There's nothing like them.
Well, Merry Christmas to you! I was hoping for the off-chance that the courts would call and tell us that they'd magically fit us in before year's end, but God's in control and I'm trying to be patient.

Enter The Tree

2009-12-15T16:16:00.001-08:00

It's Christmastime! As you can see above, we've been downloading Christmas movies (the one my fellas are watching happens to be A Christmas Story - one of my faves). It's also time for the annual finding of the tree! We were disappointed to discover that the farm we usually visit to get our tree is closed during the week. Which was the only time Micah's schedule was un-hoarded by school/work. We really love this place as they have an adorable little tractor-pulled train that takes a scenic route up a mountain and drops you to find the perfect tree. It comes back when you're done and the tree gets loaded onto the caboose and everybody gets another ride down the mountain. Then, as they load your tree for you (major score here) the children are treated to hot coco and cookies. Total cost? $25.
Yeah. They rock.
But this year was almost as fun. We still got a ride on an ATV-pulled cart, and they also had cookies and cider. What was adorable, though, was the shop dog who accompanied us through the forest to the delight of my boys. We're dog-lovers and "McKenna" was a welcome addition to our adventure.

Find just the right one! GO!!
Found it!!

Then it was time to participate in another family tradition: discovering that the tree is, in fact, too big for the space in which it's supposed to fit. Then comes the chin-scratching and moving around of furniture until....it finally fits!

Yay!
So, the living room will stay this way for approximately 12 minutes. You know what kids say when you're caught staring? Well,
I DID take a picture.
So it would last longer.

Let's see. What else. Oh! The twins hatched just a bit earlier than I estimated:

and the boys are quite enjoying them, but once they're weened, their Daddy is going to gain his independence as there seems to be only one thing on his little mind ;)

Not a whole lot new, other than that. Christmas shopping is done. Levi's gifts are especially amusing as he's asked no fewer than 11 times for a princess. EVERY time we pass a Disney Princess item, he's just so impressed. He's so used to (and loves playing with) his brothers' Star Wars guys, I think he just loves the colors and sparkles in contrast to all the black and gray. So, anyway, I bought him Princess Jasmine and Snow White. They're the same size as their other action figures and each come with an extra gown and shoes.
Now, seeing as I'm in charge of the Christmas shopping (yes, that's the reason, isn't it?) I didn't see the need to tell Micah that I bought his son "girl toys". I mean, I didn't keep him apprised of all the other gifts, right? You know, I don't even think he wants to be bothered with every little detail. And, he'll probably be so distracted on Christmas morning that he won't notice, right? And, hey, even if he does, those Star Wars guys need girls to marry, right?
It's only fair!

And it's SO not a big deal.

...and so on.
So, yeah. We'll see how that goes over. If it makes any difference, I also got him the Play Dough set he thought was cool, and a Transformers reel for his View Master.
Well, if I don't get back on here before Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Oh, and by the by, Zephan's adoption paperwork is still sitting at the courts waiting for the Adoption Ceremony which they haven't called to schedule yet. It doesn't look like we'll close by the end of the year. Which would have been really nice. But, oh well.
Take a lesson from Brier-Rabbit and stay cool.... until next time :)

The Worst Thing I Ever Did

2009-12-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not the worst, but pretty close. And let me tell you, I will not be making the same mistake again. I knew Levi's hair was getting out of control. It was taking more and more time to get him ready to go, and the tangles were causing too many tears. I asked Levi about a hair cut and he seemed excited. I debated. I sought council. I found a salon catering to ethnic hair needs. And we set his appointment. Then we went in and I told the lady. TOLD her how I adored his curls and how nervous I was to cut them.

She showed us how long it would be if we took off 5 inches, then 4, then 3 (keeping in mind that, when stretched out, his hair WAS 7 inches long). I said I was comfortable with 3. And she began to cut. And I grew worried as I saw chunks of hair fall to the floor.

It was looking waaaay to short by the time she said, "Now we need to blend the sides..." I knew. I knew I would cry. I knew the nearly 2 years of hair growth would be a long time in coming back. That the famous curls were gone. I listened as they said how much older he looked and was sad when they turned him around in the chair so that he could see. His eyes were huge as he asked me if I would buy him some new curlies.
Then she asked if I wanted Zephan's trimmed, too. I hope I didn't say, "NO!!!" as loudly as I think I did. I paid the ~~butcher~~ lady her money, said thank you and left, Levi fingering his short locks.
Now, you may think I'm being too dramatic, but he bounced and giggled his way around this house all day long with those long georgous curls boinging on top of his little head. I've always taken such pleasure in it. Is he still adorable? Absolutely. Does it really matter in the grand scheem of things? Nope. But, I will tell you this: I will never trust another salon (and a fairly expensive one, at that!) with this child's hair. He'll be lucky if I ever cut it again.

Now I'm done complaining. Thank you for listening. Next post will be something filled with Holiday cheer and a better attitude, I promise!!

Rambling on about Pigeons

2009-11-25T15:23:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!!

Here's the boys goofing off with Brighten. I've learned my lesson with the (sweet) mongrel that is Brighten and always check her Mom & Dad's nest for eggs when I change the aviary water. As much as I love birds, 7 is just perfect for the size of enclosure we have, so I've been vigilant about checking that nest and removing any eggs laid during the night.
Well, I know they say that Pigeons are stupid, but Mr. Moo & Mrs. Grays' pea-sized brains went to work on outsmarting me. They made a second, hidden nest. By the time I became wise to their game and found the twin eggs, they were, I suspect, about three-fourths of the way "done". Looks like we'll be having twins for Christmas.
This makes me realize that we'll need to do something about this prolific pair. Maybe, once springtime comes, I'll liberate Moo. Although I hate to do that as he's one of my prettiest birds. I would rather release Gray, but I wonder if Moo will then just take a new wife and our quandary will continue? Brainstorming chastity belts for pigeons......Anyway. Blathering about birds probably isn't why you stopped by, so here's another picture of my darlings asleep. I may have more shots of these 2 with their eyes closed than open!

Speaking of pictures, my kiddos is going to be in one of my favorite magazines, Adoptive Families (www.adoptivefamilies.com)! They're pretty excited that their picture was chosen as we often look at this magazeen together. It's got some really good articles about all sorts of stuff. It's second only to my Family Fun subscription.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day with those you love!

Guess Who Signed Adoption Paperwork Today?

2009-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

WE DID!!!

Here we are waiting in the lawyer's office

Zephan and Daddy

Signing the petition to adopt!! This will now go to the judge's office and his staff will set up a ceremony date for us. After we see the judge it's a done deal! He will officially be:
Zephaniah Henry!!
I think it's cool how, even though this adoption didn't go through "on time", we'll finalize at Christmastime just like we did with Levi. It makes this time of year extra special for us. So much to celebrate! Last year it snowed on Levi's "Gotcha Day" which was oh so beautiful and such a treat. The memory of the boys running down the courthouse steps in the snowflakes is burned into my memory. And how this flood of relief and awe washed over me that nobody could take him away, now. He was MINE. We went out for dessert down the block afterward and I watched both sides of our families enjoy one another and chat while the boys giggled and ate their danishes. It was a perfect day. And now I get to do it again with my 4th son. The little stinker will be MINE.

How blessed am I.

November? Are You Kidding Me?

2009-11-06T10:01:00.001-08:00

My little Supermen and Ninjas:

Happy NOVEMBER! Can you even believe it? We're officially into the holiday season. I'm in shock. October went super fast and ended with the Pumpkin Party at church. My guys had a blast and this was the aftermath:
What was that? You want a closer look?

I seriously don't understand how they sleep like this! Levi is usually cuddled up on the foot of the bed with the dog. Lately they've been asking for Zephan to join the mix, but he tends to get Levi riled up and subsequently ends up back in his crib. Maybe someday we'll need the crib for somebody else, then we can debate the pros and cons of the dog pile sleeping arrangement with yet another brother.
Speaking of baby, I'm once again pining. Zephan is waaaay too big and is more enthused about playing (even cooperatively - gasp!) with his brothers than he is about being my baby.

Micah is still in the "rolling his eyes stage" of our discussion about another placement.

I say, "I know you, you old softie. You'll fall in love with a new one just as quickly as you did with our sons." to which he says, "Yeah, like I did for our daughters, too. Remember them? Rayna? Savannah? Secilia? Selina?"

Sigh. I remember. All to well. And I don't blame him for wanting to shield us all from the pain of loss. Especially Solomon who has such a soft heart and tender spirit. It would be really difficult for him to lose a child who he had come to view as a sibling. And, hey, we've attained permanency twice in a row - we're due for a good old fashioned heart-break, right?
Sigh.
It's hard to know what to do.
So, I'm praying for wisdom AND PATIENCE. When it's time we'll BOTH know. In the meantime I'm finishing up some projects. Pre-nesting, you might say. The boys decided on a color scheme for the Cluhouse (with surprisingly little input from the Mama) and we ended up with this Americana-type look:

We stuck some hay bales and ropes inside and threw together some super-easy festive curtains. You know, the kind that only need a tension rod, a yard of fabric and a package of plastic rings. We'll make some for Christmas, too. It's just too cute of a detail to pass up :)Micah just needs to put in the door and steps and we'll be all set! He's also talking about finishing the inside, but we'll see. For now they're having fun graffiti-ing the walls with their crayons. It makes me smile.

Fall Fun!

2009-10-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Happy harvest, everyone!
We're all enjoying ourselves over here. We were invited to my niece's Grammy's house for a pumpkin party last weekend and had such a great time! We got to spend the night out on the farm where they have an assortment of rescued critters, lots of land to play and run and awesome gardens. Here's Lana helping the kiddos pet Phillis the Hen:

Above is Sneakers and below are the hens:
We brought our own pumpkins to carve, but we didn't need to, as there were so many that had grown right there on the farm. There were long tables set up with all manner of carving instruments, cider on the tap and a fire going. It was a pot-luck and there was soooo much yummy food!

There were tubs of warm water at the end of the tables to rinse slimy hands and towels to dry them - a great idea! Here are some of our creations:

Below is Solomon's Bumkin Pumpkin

and above is Malachi's Arachnaphobe Pumkin:

Mommy did a bat and moon

and Uncle Shawn did this spooky guy :

and our collective work for the evening:

It was so peacefull and pretty and in the morning Solomon and Malachi helped gather eggs for a french toast breakfast. I adore their hen hut! Saturday we have a party at our church but it's early in the afternoon which frees up the evening to settle in with a hot cup of coco.

Oh, and the boys and I made these fall leaves to bring to share. They're made out of basic pie dough and painted them with food coloring and egg. They were very pretty - too bad I left them sitting on the counter. D'oh.

More random updates...

2009-10-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

The month is going waaaay too fast! Micah's fully entrenched in Nursing School now and working full-time as well. It's busy, and we squeeze in every moment we can with him.
We got the Zephan's full DHS file/medical records and were shocked at the extent we didn't know. Keeping in mind we DID know about the various cocaine, alcohol, pot, anti-psychotic overdoses during the pregnancy and also the severe beating she endured while carrying my son. I am IN AWE of God's protective hand over this child. I will also try harder to remember that the strong will I sometimes battle is the same strong will that refused to give up in-utero. He's my miracle.

Malachi impressed us all by earning his yellow belt!! He did great and it was so cool to watch him, the littlest in his class, work his ninja. He's got his Daddy's talent. And he's adorable.
As it's been getting cooler outside, I've been finding him and Furgus cuddled up. Those creatures are kindred spirits!

As the weather changes, we're also finding other creatures cuddled up in different (and slightly stupider) places:

We've also had a mass infiltration of Blue Birds. They're SO big and beautiful! And really noisy. The boys love to shred the heels of bread and scatter them out in the back yard. The wait is always worth it when the birds visit :)

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-01T16:54:00.001-07:00

Here it is, Fall again, and the weather was beautiful for our annual trip to Bauman Farms. The last 4 years have been rainy, so we found ourselves over-dressed and having to strip off layers. This seemed like a milestone year for me for several reasons; Solomon & Malachi took their buddies and a flash light and conquered the Dark Maze. And when they say dark, they mean DARK. Hay bales make up a HUGE maze which is then enclosed, letting in no light. Most folks take 45 minutes to get through it. My eldests and their buds emerged on the other side, all smiles. Way to go, bigs! Also, this year Zephan wasn't in a sling or a front-pack. I had 4 walkers (runners?) to keep eyes on, but we're falling into a system and my littles are learning to stay close by. This is a good thing!
Zephan really liked the train ride and the apple cider donuts, but all the activity and people (120 from our homeschool group alone) sent him into several over-stimulation meltdowns/panic attacks. I ended up toting him a lot and making several trips back to the van to sit quietly with him for a few minutes at a time, which settled him fairly quickly. Then he was ready to go again. All in all, a very good day was had!
This was the cider room. A big ol' machine presses the apples until the juices flow and they put the fresh cider right on the shelves from there. It's SO good. Right, Malachi?
Then on to the animals. This place has everything cute and cuddly. And I managed to get pictures on this leg of the trip as Zephan was willing to get down and interact with the critters!

I wanted to covertly stash a bunch of these critters in the van, but you know how Micah is about illegal farm animals/more poop in the yard. Kill joy.
And then, of course, we had the huge castle built of hay bales, ginormous swings, obstacle courses and treats aplenty. Tomorrow they're going to lift a 500 pound pumpkin up into the air with a helicopter and drop it on a car. All proceeds donated for watching this event is going to The Make a Wish Foundation.
Cool, cool place.

Brothers: Can't Live with 'em, Can't live without 'em

2009-09-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

They were quarreling quite a bit today and I had had enough. "Little boys! If you can't play nicely together and share, Mommy will separate you! Zephaniah Henry, go outside and play in the back yard. Levi Anthony, you go to the nursery and play in there."

10 minutes later:

Levi's looking longingly out into the back yard and Zephan's dragging a table across the yard and putting it under the nursery window in an attempt to break in from the outside.
Sigh.

This & That

2009-09-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Our school year is off and running! (Furgus likes to keep a careful eye on the students :)
I'm teaching 1st grade, Kindergarten and Pre-K this year with lots of field trips planned.
Micah's starting Nursing school in less than 2 weeks and we're enjoying as much time with him as we can as the next 2 years will be full time work AND full time school for him. I'm apprehensive about the amount of work he's taken on, but so proud of his attitude of faith and determination. Even financially, he's planned as well as possible and where he sees (sometimes very scary) gaps in incoming money and expenses, he says, "God's got it. We'll make it!" I'm so blessed to have that guy! Let's see. Updates:

Our little bird, now named Brighten, is growing into an insufferable pest due to all the attention she's received from the boys since her hatching. She'll be our tamest bird by far, although her mixed parentage has made her a bit of a mongrel.

I found Zephan a new shirt which I think fits him nicely as he moves his 2's in just a couple of weeks.

The Clubhouse is coming along nicely...it has a roof now! Micah's trying his hardest to get the door up and siding on it before school begins, but time is getting away from him with school preparations and working overtime.

I've had a few fun craft times with my boys, including beading their Converse, making breads and fun snacks, and doing this to the big boys' socks:

"Why?", you may ask? Because their Sensei spends 10 minutes each class correcting the boys on their right and left feet. I kept hearing, "...now, step forward with your left foot. No, Malachi, your OTHER left." So, I brainstormed and got out my tempera paint and alphabet sponges. Worked great! Sensei LOVED it!

And our first field trip of the year was at the beautiful Oregon Gardens for Homeschool Day. It was gorgeous.

I wish I could have taken more pics, but my little guys need both of my hands. They're such good little guys, but with so many ankle-bitters running around, it's easy to lose track of mine!
It was a great day of hiking, friends, and afterwords we went to House of Dragon, Solomon's favorite restaurant, and shared a couple of Sweet and Sour Chicken lunch specials. Zephaniah's fortune cookie said, "You deserve respect and you shall soon get it."
The kid already shows signs of being a future Mafia don, all he needs is encouragement from a stupid cookie.

Wedding

2009-08-30T15:12:00.001-07:00

We went to a wedding yesterday and had a blast. It got me thinking how short of a time we really have to raise up and enjoy these little guys. We were sharing a table with a single dad who has 2 children who have just left the nest. He was saying that he had to put a boom box in his sons' room and play it continuously so as to distract his brain from the hole they left. How he absentmindedly makes meals for more than one and then realizes that it will only be him in the dining room. How his house is quiet as he comes through the door. He's having a difficult time.

This morning Micah and I woke up to boys laughing, little feet jumping on the couch, a baby pleading for his sippy of milk, a boy who needed help getting a bowl, another who had a dream he wanted to share with us. We hit the ground running (when they finally pry us loose) and get so busy that I forget they will spend the majority of their lives away from me. I'm going to approach today with joy and gratitude for my little guys. It's easy to do when they're THIS cute, though:

Thank you, Lord.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

2009-08-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

So, if anybody even comes around here anymore (I've been so lazy about sitting down and posting since the weather has been so awesome!) Here are the end-of-summer-ish updates, in chronological order :)

It got to be REALLY hot for us Oregonians - 107 degrees! The sun chased us to the beach where we enjoyed time with Nana, overcast but warm conditions and just a perfect day in general. The waves were georgous, the boys played and then Nana treated us all to lunch at The Spouting Horn, right on the world's smallest bay. We watched the boats come in and ate bacon cheeseburgers until our hearts were content.

The kids are great and we're gearing up for another year of homeschool. All their curriculum came in the mail and supplies are bought. Levi will be starting Pre-School this year and I'm excited to see how quickly he picks things up!

On the Zephan front - the adoption still isn't finalized (I WOULD post that, no matter how nice the weather!) and his caseworker told us that there was a little legal issue they had to clear up but they didn't want to worry us as it's not a big deal. Hmmmmm. This beautiful pic was taken after he fell and broke his lip open. We e-mailed the worker to let her know what happened and she mentioned the amount of supervision he requires. We'reconsidering having him evaluated to see if he would be elligible for the next higher bracket of benefits, for kiddos who require more assistance. I think this guy would qualify, but I don't want it to bite us in the butt when we apply for a new little one. Will they think we have enough as it is and not place with us? I don't think so, but we need to think a bit more about it....

Let's see. What else. Oh, our pigeons didn't waste any time "getting to know" one another and produced these 2 lovely eggs. Of course, because they're fertile, this means that we don't have all females (duh). And, of course, we can't have this going on continually, but it's a cool life-cycles lesson for my boys and I was thrilled to get the 3 eldest out of bed last night so they could watch the babies hatch. Congrats, Moo & Mr. Grey!

Solomon tested and passed for his yellow belt! We're so proud!

I tried my hand at cornrowing Levi's hair, and I think I could become proficient at it. I missed the curls, though, and lamented the fact that it made him look older, so I soon took them out. He really liked them, though, so we'll maybe experiment some more.

Micah is building the boys a clubhouse! He's trying to get it all up before school starts...we'll see. They're already having fun with it! Micah was able to find cheap windows and even a skylight from a place that sells things that are still usable from tear-downs and slightly irregular building supplies. The clubhouse is the big topic of conversation around here and discussions are being had concerning exterior paint color, flooring options, and if we'll be able to find a small section of kitchen cabinets to install inside. They're happy as clams about it.

Well, soon school will start and we'll have more structure and with more structure will come more posts, but until then....I'm off to finish enjoying the sun!

Where'd You Go?

2009-07-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hey! Loving My Amazing Life! Where did you go? Your blog was shut down, and because of the current circumstances plaguing your family, I worry.
Leave me a comment, lady!

Major Hiatus

2009-07-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the utter lack of posts lately - summer has scooped us up and has had us going and doing!

So. Updates: We got all sorts of big fancy pigeons for the aviary. They're beautiful and the boys and I are really enjoying them. What was cool is that the bigs and I made our way to the Pigeon Show (anyone who knows Zephan knows those birds dodged a bullet when I left him home with Daddy). Once the sellers were made aware that we weren't breeders or showers, we just wanted some pretty birds to enjoy, they began handing us free "imperfect" birds. They didn't want these in their breeding lines because the crest is too high or the eyes are the wrong color, and their fellow breeders didn't want them either! So folks were just handing us different breeds to take home! Perfect! We spent a whopping $5 for our "slightly irregular" birdies.

So, this is what I usually see while I'm doing dishes: One or more boys in the aviary, one or more cats waiting vigilantly on the roof, praying to God that one of those kids leaves the door open, and the dog supervising the whole arrangement.
Kids have been cute as ever, see below:
We had a fun week with Auntie Cyn visiting and my little Malachi turned 6. We met a bunch of his friends at the splash park and then in the morning.

Then, later on we had family over to eat Alien Cakes :) Can't believe that kid's 6! Combine that with camp for the bigs, tons of activities and swimming weather and you get zero blog posts! Consider yourself updated! Looking forward, this next school year is going to be crazy. Crazy exciting, crazy busy. God is doing a new thing in our little family - wait and see!

Happy Birthday, America!!

2009-07-07T10:51:00.001-07:00

~Cousins~

We spent the 4th in relaxed bliss in Grants Pass with our family. Auntie Angela has a huge jet tub that she stocked with any kind of bath product I could could want. Uncle Daniel is king of the BBQ and blessed us with awesome dinners. The boys' cousin, Edan, was excited to share her toys and house with a horde of little boys for a few days. Goga and Papa drove down, as well. They live beside a big mountain and our evening walk brought us into the domain of beautiful deer (I was holding Zephan as we saw a baby deer and whispered, "Fin! Look! What's that?" He whispered back, "Chihuahua!")
It was such a great time of chatting on the patio together, watching movies and just enjoying one another's company. We're very blessed to have them.
This is everybody watching the fireworks show in the back of the truck:

Mommy's Helper

2009-07-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get caught up on laundry (hahaha) before we head out for a fun weekend with Micah's Auntie and Uncle. Goga and Papa are already down there and we're heading out in the morning. It'll be a great time - have a wonderful 4th everybody!!
I'll be back with pics....

Space for Rent

2009-06-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the Aviary is in full bloom and I'm jonesing for occupants. Chickens are still illegal in my neighborhood (stinkin' bureaucracy!) until the zoning commission has it's 45 days to talk it to death. Then it goes back to the commissioners for another vote. By the time the bill ratification is complete they estimate it will be February 2010. All that just to change the wording so that 3 hens per family are allowed inside city limits.
And we've been fighting for 18 months already!
So, so stupid. I mean, my neighbors can have a pack of Pit Bulls and I can't have a couple of hens? Anywho, many folks around here have found a little loophole in our law. It allows pigeons.
Heh, heh, heh (rubbing hands together in a diobolical fashon).
So, the NW Pigeon Fanciers is having a show next month. The place will be brimming with fancy pigeons and doves.
I'm so there.

Just in Time for Fathers Day...

2009-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Micah got his acceptance letter.....to Nursing School.
Wow.
The next 2 years are going to be CRAZY!! But at least it's only 2 as he's got all the pre-recs done. I am so proud of this guy, let me tell you. It's an expensive and intense program and he just jumps in with his whole heart because he feels that it's something he should do. That God is calling him there. How we'll do it? He doesn't know....but God does.
"It'll be fine!"
As long as we're together, hon, it will be!

Wine instead of Whine

2009-06-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

These cute faces will be missed. The noise that comes out of these cute faces? It'll be nice to have a bit of a break from that, I'll admit it!
Nana (bless her brave soul) volunteered to wrangle them so Micah and I could spend a whole weekend at the beach. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary a couple of weeks ago and are going to celebrate by relaxing in a room I don't have to clean and eating meals I don't have to fix! And, yes, we invested in a lovely bottle of wine to enjoy by the ocean :)

Fishin'

2009-06-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaah....summer fishing. It's just not officially summertime until I have to wash worm guts and crusty fish scales of my sons after a beautiful day filled with fishing poles and laughter. We recruited Jeff & Nep to come help and piled in the van headed for Sandy. It was the perfect weather and so gorgeous there.
All together, we caught about 10 fish and BBQed them up on a beautiful grassy area. Micah stuffed them full of lemon, honey and spices - they turned out soooo yummy!

Solomon's prize!

Reel it in, Levi!!

YEAH!! Got it!!

Patiently waiting...

Kai's got one! Grab the net, Solly!!

Waitin' for a bite :)

"Fish over dayr!"

Beautiful Littles

Relaxing after lunch.

The Zoo...er...Park

2009-06-09T19:38:00.001-07:00

So, we woke up this morning all excited to go to the zoo for "$2 Tuesday!" with 3 other homeschool families. We met up and proceeded to drive an hour to the zoo. We pull into the packed parking lot and were told that it was full. As was the over-flow parking lot. We needed to go to another parking site and then we could be shuttled back to the entrance.
Well, the alternative site was a decent drive away and when we arrived and saw the massive line of folks waiting for the shuttle, we decided that "$2 Tuesday!" wasn't the best idea. What a crowded mess!
3 moms (and one dad) stood between 2 vehicles containing our collective 18 excited kids. We stared at each other. What should we do? None of us were particularly thrilled at the prospect of trying to keep eyes on our kiddos in this huge mass of people.
Well, long story (kind of) short, we ended up finding a great park a few towns back the other way. No crowds and FREE! We played all afternoon, enjoyed our picnic lunches and the homemade Cinnamon Rolls Christi made for us all. We and had a great day. We'll definitely be going back. The pic above is Micah with our collective kiddos minus one (he was feeling a bit "done" :)

Daddy and his wet baby!

Zephan splashin'

This thing was ultra-cool, there was another set of steps behind us and more neat waterfalls.
I don't have a clue what they were doing, but it looked fun!

Our beautiful Levi

These were the kind that rise and fall in patterns - Kai loved them!

He's a bit concerned but warmed up to the water quickly.

This is a lot taller than it looks.

...and my wrinkled-nosed and exhausted baby :)

Headlines

2009-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Aaaah, June. The wedding month. All this sunshine and warmth made me itch for some Headline Weddings. Here's some with a couple of other funnies thrown in. As always, thanks to Jay Leno for the laughs. I'll miss ya, buddy.

".....Releases in dolphins, the body's natural paintkiller." Who the heck proof-read this?

Wonder why?

Gotta watch out for those miracle cures, folks!

So, we have alcohol, firearms and underaged kids. What could go wrong?

I do. I really, really do.

Here's a nice article on preparing your child for surgery. As hard as it may be, Mom, you gotta keep little Johnny out of the snuff.

What has the country come to?!?

Isn't it funny how one little letter can make all the difference?

Baby Mama Drama

2009-06-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we found out that the home Zephan's mom has been living in was shut down. The tenants were given very little notice to move (like, 72 hours) and our baby's mama has been staying at the Salvation Army off and on.
I'm so torn on this mama. I worry for her and think about her a lot. But she's struggled so hard with substance abuse and I don't think it would be healthy to include her in Zephan's everyday life.
She's probably going to try to get visits with him negotiated in the adoption mediation. Micah will have no part of that, so it isn't even open for debate. I'm kind of glad he feels so strongly on the matter because it takes the responsibility off me. I see families like It Spews Forth and Together We Have It All and I get even more torn. These families have successfully incorporated birth family members into their extended families.
One of those Mommies was pleased to let her son (and her husband!) be in his birth dad's wedding. The other family's kiddos talk to/spend time with their birth families with great success. I hope both Micah and I will learn and grow in this area. It may not be the best thing for our child to be involved with relatives who are making bad choices, but I want my sons to lack nothing. I also don't want to hold them back from family who would be a good influence in their lives just because of my jealousy. And that is an issue for me. I would have a very hard time with Zephan calling his birth mom, "Mommy". I would be seeing red. I know it's immature, but there it is. God, help me grow.

My New Bumper Sticker

2009-06-01T16:56:00.001-07:00

For my boys who adore Superman.
We have the best dressed mini-van on the block!

Because Simpsons has been pre-empted by Stupid Chick Flicks 3 Sundays in a Row,

2009-05-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

....and I miss it. Here are some of my favorite chalkboard writing assignments that Bart has had through many years of detentions:
I will not waste chalk

I will not skateboard in the halls

I will not burp in class

I will not instigate revolution

I will not draw naked ladies in class

I did not see Elvis

I will not call my teacher "Hot Cakes"

Garlic gum is not funny

They are laughing at me, not with me

I will not yell "Fire" in a crowded classroom

I will not encourage others to fly

I will not fake my way through life

Tar is not a plaything

I will not Xerox my butt

It's potato, not potatoe (a reference to Dan Quayle)

I will not trade pants with others

I am not a 32 year old woman

I will not do that thing with my tongue

I will not drive the principal's car

I will not pledge allegiance to Bart

I will not sell school property

I will not cut corners (written only on top line, with hatch marks “ “ on subsequent lines)

I will not get very far with this attitude

I will not make flatulent noises in class

I will not belch the National Anthem

I will not sell land in Florida

I will not grease the monkey bars

I will not hide behind the Fifth Amendment

I will not do anything bad ever again

I will not show off (written in Olde English font)

I will not sleep through my education

I am not a dentist

Spitwads are not free speech

Nobody likes sunburn slappers

High explosives and school don't mix

I will not bribe Principal Skinner

I will not squeak chalk (squeaks the chalk while writing this)

I will finish what I sta (on one line; the rest is blank)

"Bart Bucks" are not legal tender

I will not fake rabies

Underwear should be worn on the inside

The Christmas Pageant does not stink

I will not torment the emotionally frail

I will not carve gods

I will not spank others

I will not aim for the head

I will not barf unless I'm sick

I will not expose the ignorance of the faculty

I saw nothing unusual in the teacher's lounge

I will not conduct my own fire drills

Funny noises are not funny

I will not spin the turtle

I will not snap bras

I will not fake seizures

This punishment is not boring and pointless

My name is not Dr. Death

I will not defame New Orleans (after the city of New Orleans complained about the opening song in "Oh, Streetcar!")

I will not prescribe medication

I will not bury the new kid

I will not teach others to fly

I will not bring sheep to class

A burp is not an answer

Teacher is not a leper

Coffee is not for kids (each line becomes less and less legible; the last line is a scrawl)

I will not eat things for money

I will not yell "She's Dead" during roll call

The principal's toupee is not a Frisbee

I will not call the principal "spud head"

Goldfish don't bounce

Mud is not one of the 4 food groups

No one is interested in my underpants

I will not sell miracle cures

I will return the seeing-eye dog

I do not have diplomatic immunity

I will not charge admission to the bathroom

I will never win an Emmy (Seen in the first episode after 1992-93 Emmy nominations were announced, the first time the show was eligible for "Best Comedy Series," but wasn't nominated. The show had won "Best Animated Series" Emmys in the past.)

The cafeteria deep fryer is not a toy

All work and no play makes Bart a dull boy

I will not say "Springfield" just to get applause

I am not authorized to fire substitute teachers

My homework was not stolen by a one-armed man

I will not go near the kindergarten turtle

I am not delightfully saucy

Organ transplants are best left to the professionals

I will not celebrate meaningless milestones (in the 100th episode)

There are plenty of businesses like show business

I will not re-transmit without the express permission of Major League Baseball

Five days is not too long to wait for a gun

Beans are neither fruit nor musical

I will not use abbrev.

I am not the reincarnation of Sammy Davis Jr.

I will not send lard through the mail

I will not dissect things unless instructed

I will not whittle hall passes out of soap

Ralph won't "morph" if you squeeze him hard enough

Adding "just kidding" doesn't make it okay to insult the Principal

"Bagman" is not a legitimate career choice

Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does

Next time it could be me on the scaffolding

I will not hang donuts on my person

I will remember to take my medication

I will not strut around like I own the place

The Good Humor man can only be pushed so far

I do not have power of attorney over first graders

Nerve gas is not a toy

I will not mock Mrs. Dumbface

The First Amendment does not cover burping

This is not a clue...or is it? (in the episode rumored to contain clues to the identity of Mr. Burns' shooter)

I will not complain about the solution when I hear it (in the episode where Mr. Burns’ shooter is revealed)

"Bewitched" does not promote Satanism

No one wants to hear from my armpits

I am not a lean mean spitting machine

The boys room is not a water park

Indian burns are not our cultural heritage

Wedgies are unhealthy for children and other living things

I will only do this once a year

I will stop talking about the twelve inch pianist

I am not certified to remove asbestos

I did not learn everything I need to know in kindergarten

I am not my long-lost twin

The truth is not out there

I am not licensed to do anything

I will not hide the teacher's Prozac

A fire drill does not demand a fire

I no longer want my MTV

Everyone is tired of that Richard Gere story

I did not invent Irish dancing

I will not tease Fatty

There was no Roman god named "Fartacus"

Rudolph's red nose is not alcohol-related

Shooting paintballs is not an art form

Pain is not the cleanser

Silly String is not a nasal spray

I was not told to do this

My butt does not deserve a website

I will not demand what I'm worth (a reference to the holdout of the cast for more money)

I will not mess with the opening credits (in place of the couch opening; the rest of the family runs into the classroom)

I am not the new Dalai Lama

I was not the inspiration for "Kramer" (in the episode after the series finale of "Seinfeld")

I will not file frivolous lawsuits

No one cares what my definition of "is" is

I will not scream for ice cream

I am not a licensed hairstylist

"The President did it" is not an excuse (shown the day after President Clinton was impeached)

My mom is not dating Jerry Seinfeld

Sherri does not "got back"

I will not do the Dirty Bird

No one wants to hear about my sciatica

Hillbillies are people too

Grammar is not a time of waste

It does not suck to be you

I cannot absolve sins

A trained ape could not teach gym

Loose teeth don't need my help

I have neither been there nor done that

I'm so very tired

Fridays are not "pants optional"

Pork is not a verb

I am not the last Don

I did not win the Nobel Fart Prize

I won't not use no double negatives

I can't see dead people

I will not sell my kidney on eBay

I will not create art from dung

I will stop phoning it in

Class clown is not a paid position

Substitute teachers are not scabs

My suspension was not "mutual"

A belch is not an oral report

Dodgeball stops at the gym door

"Non-Flammable" is not a challenge

I am not here on a fartball scholarship

I will not dance on anyone's grave

I cannot hire a substitute student

I will not obey the voices in my head

I will not plant subliminal messages

I will not surprise the incontinent

I am not the acting President (a reference to the 2000 Presidential election, whose winner had still not been determined when this episode aired)

I was not the sixth Beatle

I will only provide a urine sample when asked

The nurse is not dealing

Science class should not end in tragedy

Network TV is not dead

I will not "let the dogs out"

I will not hide the teacher's medication

I will not publish the Principal's credit report

The hamster did not have "a full life"

I will not buy a Presidential pardon (a reference to President Clinton granting Presidential pardons to people who made donations to his campaign)

I will not scare the Vice President (reference to Dick Cheney's hospitalization with a heart condition)

I will not flush evidence

Fire is not the cleanser

Genetics is not an excuse

Today is not Mothra's day (aired on Mother's Day, 2001)

I should not be twenty-one by now (Bart would be 21 in the 12th season if he was 10 in the first season, which ended in 1990, and he aged normally)

Nobody reads these anymore

A burp in a jar is not a science project

Fun does not have a size

I am not Charlie Brown on acid

I do not have a cereal named after me (when this episode aired, he did - Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch)

I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers

The giving tree is not a chump

Making Milhouse cry is not a science project

Vampire is not a career choice

I will never lie about being cancelled again (a reference to Matt Groening commenting in an interview that the show was "closer to winding it up." Groening later claimed he was "misquoted")

Fish do not like coffee

Milhouse did not test cootie positive

This school does not need a "regime change"

I will not (Bart then chops up the blackboard with an axe)

My pen is not a booger launcher

Sandwiches should not contain sand

Over forty & single is not funny

I will not speculate on how hot teacher used to be

Poking a dead raccoon is not research

Beer in a milk carton is not milk

A booger is not a bookmark

Does any kid still do this anymore?

I am not smarter than the President

Teacher was not dumped -- it was mutual

I will not laminate dog doo

I will not flip the classroom upside down (classroom is upside-down while Bart writes)

I will not leak the plot of the movie

Je ne parle pas Français

Have a great summer, everyone

Frankincense is not a monster

Global warming did not eat my homework

I will not look up what teacher makes

Pearls are not oyster barf

I will not wait 20 years to make another movie

The Wall Street Journal is better than ever

I am not an FDIC-insured bank

There is no such thing as an iPoddy

The Pilgrims were not illegal aliens

The capital of Montana is not "Hannah"

Teacher did not pay too much for her condo

The art teacher is pregnant, not fat

A person's a person no matter how Ralph

This punishment is not medieval.

The Boys LOVED this!

2009-05-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Mill Creek

2009-05-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

We went to Mill Creek today. It was beautiful! My favorite photographer (link to her in my side bar) actually took on the project of photographing all our co-op kiddos for the SHE year book. Every child got a head shot for free and if we like how they came out, we can purchase a CD so Grandparents can have one for their wallet. Neat-o!
And while we were there, I took some candid shots with my camera. We had a beautiful time, except, Zephan has absolutely NO fear of water, quickly moving and cold or not. He was getting so frustrated that I wouldn't let him jump in!

Mud Pit

2009-05-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

Well, there's 4 little boys excavating the mud pit this year - we need more trowels! I remember when there was only 1 little one out there, playing quietly all by himself.

Makes my heart happy. But not my washing machine. :)

Done 2

2009-05-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is a quote from Owlhaven's (there's a link to her on my sidebar) new book (YAY, Mary!!), and I love it. This lady is a mom to many and was so caring and supportive of our family when we went through Rayna's situation. The pain of losing that girl was horrendous. This lady encouraged me to keep on keeping on. That my next baby was surly on their way to my arms. And he was.

I know I'm not solely responsible for the world's
children. Each time we have adopted, we have not done it out of some
misguided savior complex but because we wanted another person to hug at night,
another face at our table, another little one to teach to talk and walk and ride
a bike, another person to rejoice over as she or he grows and
learns.

And yet, when and if my husband declare that finally we're
done...whether we care to face it or not, we are also closing a door in the face
of a real living child waiting somewhere in the world who could be
ours.

Call me nuts if you will, but I'm not ready to close that
door. Not just yet.--Mary Ostyn, A Sane Woman's Guide to
Raising a Large Family

Here are a couple of pics of kiddos that are waiting for a family in Oregon:

Are all your kiddos home today?

Learning to Come at them Like a Spider Monkey:

2009-05-11T16:44:00.001-07:00

Just some shots of the boys at their Ninjitsu class, getting their ninja on.
Because they love it. And thus I love it.

Done

2009-05-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Daddy and I were sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of fruit between us. Zephan was playing on the floor and, even though millions of babies were playing at that moment all over the world, ours was definitely the cutest. We were smiling smitten little grins, just watching him and snacking on our fruit.
Daddy (referring to the fruit): "Are you done?"
Mommy (not referring to the fruit) "Nope. I think I'd like more. You done?"
Daddy (glancing at the fruit, then the baby) "Nope."
We smile and eat more fruit.

Apryl? Is that you in the second row?

2009-05-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

So, on March 23, more than 200 dancers surprised the folks traveling through Central Station in Antwerp. It was orchestrated by a Belgium TV station, who was selecting the actors for the re-make of The Sound of Music. The peoples' faces are just great! The cool thing is that they only had 2 rehearsals.

The Haircut

2009-05-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

Last week:

Yesterday:

8 inches cut off. Wow. We're all getting used to it, but I think when we do, we'll like it. How did this come about? Well, one of the last straws was certainly at Little League as Solomon hit the ball and a (well-meaning) spectator yelled out, "GO!! GO, SWEETHEART!! 'ATTA GIRL!!"

Insert Diobolical Laugh

2009-04-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

Before:

After:
His opinion:

Oh, my sides! My poor dog! We take such joy in our animals - for days to come, everyone in the household will laugh every time he enters the room.
And, since he's constantly cold now (stifling a chuckle), he's ultra cuddly. Poor Alexxander. I'm pretty sure even the rabbit is laughing at him!

Cutting Class

2009-04-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

One of the best aspects of homeschooling is that, when the first warm day of the season comes, you can bite your thumb at your schoolwork mid-way through and head for the beach. I'm torn on what it teaches my sons; either it's the "Family and togetherness is priority, if you have the chance, seize the day!" or, heaven forbid, "It's OK to renege on responsibilities if it's sunny and you'd rather play".
Hopefully, since we made arrangements to re-schedule schoolwork and got the green light from their teacher to have an "enrichment" day, they learned to only ditch your work if you're able to make arrangements with those to whom you're accountable.
Whatever lesson we taught or didn't, boy, was it a good day!

Now, it's off to wash 8 loads of sandy laundry and vacuum out the van and carseats...

Little League

2009-04-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

So, this is the first year we've done Little League. Both the eldests were allowed to be on the same team, so that's a big plus. Each team has 2 practices and 1 game per week, so I don't think I would have been able to cope with each boy on a different team (4 practices and 2 games per week - yikes!) .
Plus they have Ninjitsu 2 nights per week, so we've been going. A lot.
I now remember how much I like to be home.
HOMEschooling..... HOUSEwife...... these are things that require a person to actually spend some time at HOME :)
The funny thing is, I thought it would be a struggle to "wrangle" the littles while the bigs were practicing. But, with some careful trunk packing, I've managed to have some good one-on-one time with Levi and Zephaniah. I bought a huge jug of bubbles, a big ball, and packed their tricycles. Luckily, practice is at an elementary school with a playground covered area for when it's rainy. The babies actually have a good time, and, with all 4 boys happily playing, it's worth it!

They both saw the same ladybug at the same time :)

The Story of the Broken Elbow...

2009-04-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

...is a simple one for those of us with several small boys living in one house: playing is to blame. Actually, Zephan was playing with Daddy when it happened, so it just goes to show that accidents can happen even if you're watching them closely. He fell back and tried to brace himself with his arm out in back of him and turned it funny.
The scary thing was that we almost didn't bring him in! He settled down quickly after the fall and was even giving us the high-5's we were asking for (to see if the arm was bothering him). But, when he reached for his Baba with his left hand....we figured we should get him checked out, just in case.
And, low and belhold, there was a fracture on his elbow. Now, we as foster parents, promptly FREAKED. OUT.
"Oh, what will the State say?" This child was just in Dornbecher Children's Hospital in December for swallowing a stinkin' nickle! And now, this.
But, after visiting the orthapedist today, it seems the fracture is little and the healing should take only 3 weeks. He won't even require the permenent cast we were dreading. And his caseworker seems understanding. Our caseworker, we love and know fairly well - so that's a blessing. Thank the Lord. Seriously.
Now the question this prompts is: Are we sure we want another boy next? :)

Sigh.

2009-04-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

9:00am:

9:00pm:

I'll fill you in more later....

While Looking for a clip of a frog eating a bug for school...

2009-03-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Solomon!

2009-03-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

When Toys Attack

2009-03-25T11:03:00.001-07:00

Sounds like a new show on the Discovery channel. But, in our home, it's a reality. On any given day, an average of 38% of my children fall victim to an unprovoked toy attack. Those are scary numbers, folks. Toy attack awareness and prevention needs needs to be top priority in more homes as these percentages continue to climb. Or more innocent children will continue to suffer through this disastrous epidemic.

Scripture Sunday

2009-03-22T09:53:00.001-07:00

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

If You Fall Asleep at Our House

2009-03-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Say you happen to come over to our house to play some video games with the Husband and a few rounds of Bananagrams with the clan. Then you indulge in enough yummy snacks that you feel satiated and content and decide that, yes, you will stay just a wee bit longer and watch that new movie. And if, as the movie wears on and the kids are quiet and snugly, your eyes begin to feel heavy and you decide to close them for just a minute, you will wake up in the morning like this:

See, the children will see that you have no blanket and will be generous enough to collect them from around the house and pile them on top of your head, which they seem to think is cold. They'll also provide you with extra pillows, although they may be placed on the wrong side of your head. And since the blanket didn't quite reach your feet, they'll pile some of their favorite stuffed animals there. Then they'll stand back and realize how silly you look, and this will be the first thing you see when you open your eyes:

Just so you know.

I Nominate...

2009-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

...www.LovingMyAmazingLife.blogspot.com for the Sisterhood Award! I was nominated by Queen of the Castle, over at www.savingstarfish.blogspot. She rules her home with grace amidst the chaos and is a fine example of perseverence.

Now I'm choosing LMAL as my nominee. This award is given to foster mamas who have a great attitude or show great gratitude. That's sometimes tough in the business of fostering (especially with unbalanced former foster parents stocking a new placement). LMAL desserves this award for juggling all this and still managing to make her own laundry detergent.
Yeah, you read it right: Make.

I'm also nominating www.largefamilymomma.blogspot.com. This woman. Wow. 26 children through birth and adoption. Most have some really challenging special needs. Need I say more?
And, D, over at www.blakesmeme.blogspot.com. For dealing with RADishes and Baby Weepy who was so horribly treated before he was given to her family. His healing will be slow, but he's in the perfect place with a fostermama who's up to the task.
These women and their families do good work every day and I appluade them.

You go, girls!

Now:
1. grab the award and stick it on your blog.
2. Nominate others
3. Link your nominees to your post
4. Let your nominees know they've been nominated
5. Link to the person who nominated you

Note From Birthmom

2009-03-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

The caseworker hauled Zephan, kicking and screaming, out of his house and to his weekly visit with his birthmom. When he came home a few minutes ago, this note was in his diaper bag:

"Thank you for caring for him when I couldn't. Thank you for stepping up to be his mother. I'm grateful to you and your husband. I know that he'll be guided and loved, no matter what. I love you guys because you love JJ."

I'm speechless.

Special Needs

2009-03-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, my goodness.
Look at them.

God did some amazing work when He created these guys. You know, it's funny, we bought Turbo Tax and Micah was working on our returns. He says, "Babe, I thought you said that there was an adoption tax credit of some sort...."
Me: "Yeah, there should be."
Micah: "Nope. It's not on here. Hmmm."
Me: "It says on the box that it covers adoptions!"
Micah: "The only thing I can find is the Special Needs Adoption Tax Credit."
Me: "That's it!"
Micah: "Wha...? That's not it. It says, 'Special Needs'."
Me: "Yeah, that's how State adoptions are classified."
Micah: "Nuh-uh. Really? But they're not really special needs..."
Did you guys know that a child is qualified as special needs if he or she is a minority? Or part of a sibling group? Or if they're in foster care at all?
Every child without parents has special needs. I would pray that every family truly seek God with regards to these babies. I believe every Mom and Dad needs to ask God if this is a path He has set out for them. Not as a last resort to parenthood or as a special ministry, but as a Christian. He may say, "No.", He may say, "Not right now." or He may say, "Yes. One of your children is waiting for you to claim them. They are scared and alone and they want their Mommy. Will you allow Me to lead you to them?"
People don't know what they're missing by not seeking God in this. These children bless our home every day.
Are you sure all your children are home today?

John 14:18
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

My Eldest is 7!

2009-03-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that Solomon had a better birthday than he did. He and Levi both came down with the stomach flu. We didn't know that Levi had it until he projectiled in Wal-Mart. Twice. But at least we got the Sprite.
And, of course, I had told Solomon that he could pick out a movie at Hollywood Video. Needless to say, he didn't want to skip that, as it was the silver lining for his otherwise pathetic birthday. So, we went to rent a video. The trip consisted of me waiting on the curb with the puker while Solly and Kai ran in and chose what he wanted. The they came out to sit on the curb with the puker while the baby and I ran back in to grab his choice and check out. Luckily this worked because the storefront consists of huge windows through which we could see one another during the whole process. I think the clerk was a bit confused, though!
Then, as we headed for home, Levi let 'er rip all over the van.
Perfect end to a perfect birthday.

For My Friend Today.... I'm Thinking of You.

2009-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

The Boys New Favorite Video - Sleepwalking Dog

2009-03-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

Bowling

2009-03-04T14:00:00.001-08:00

Big Brother

2009-02-26T12:47:00.001-08:00

So, here's your quota of cute kids for the day. I got this shirt for Sol at the outlet mall and he wears it proudly. This is my kid who wants another baby, "a real little one". He's a cuddler and loves to hold sleeping babies. As you've probably surmised, Zephan is not a cuddler and refuses any of Solomon's efforts to hold him or snuggle him.
He's got a better shot with Malachi or the dog.
So, when he sees babies who cry to be held and receive comfort from being snuggled he gets envious. Even if we thought we were done having children we would probably reconsider for Solomon's sake! I'm very excited about the potential for many Grandchildren coming from my eldest and his wife. He's a wonderful big brother and will be a wonderful Daddy and Uncle in due time.
But, in the mean time he'll have to sit tight and be happy with the brothers he has, because.....drum roll please.....
Micah has applied for the Nursing Program. We won't know if he's been accepted until June. Why it takes them 3 months to decide? I dunno. But, if he gets in, we probably won't be adding any more little ones to the mix until he's done. Which is 2 years. Do I want that much of a space between #4 and #5? Not really. Buuuut....do we have room for any more in this house? Not really. So, we'll see what God does with all this. Well, the boys have a cold and it's naptime, so I'm off.

"Soooo, you like rats, huh?"

2009-02-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

So, there I was, petting my dog on the floor, watching Discovery channel. When my cat popped through the cat door with a huge, dead rat in his mouth. I took little notice of him until he practically laid the thing in my lap. Then I noticed.
Boy, did I notice.
Micah later said that I made an odd yelping noise and he thought to himself, "Uh-oh. That's not a normal sound." He rushed into the front room to see what was up. We figure Furgus was thinking 1 of 2 things in his kitty brain:
"Oh! They like rats in the house now! I'll earn my keep and add to the collection!" -OR-
"Stupid, selfish humans refuse to share their rats? Fine. I'm perfectly capable of obtaining my own, thankyouverymuch."
Either way, it was gross.
I grabbed Lexx and begged Micah to handle the situation. But, of course, he had to grab the camera and snap a pic (making sure to get the rat cage in the background, for irony's sake) before he disposed of the poor guy.
Blah.

Introducing...

2009-02-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sable and Margo!

Solomon & Sable

Malachi & Margo (and Sable)

...and, yes, they named their rats with the first letters of their names on purpose. The rat sisters came to us from the boys' cousins, Nikki and Edan. The girls enjoyed the rats but their parents were concerned that the family was traveling too much. Plus work/school all day and activities. They began feeling guilty about leaving the rat sisters alone so much of the time. Now, for those of you who know my husband, this will surprise you: they asked Micah about adopting the rats and he was the one who approved.

And meanwhile, my weekend away at the Homeschool Mom's Retreat was so refreshing!

This was our view on the deck (where I drug the Lazy-Boy recliner and my blankie and read my book - yes I go to great lengths to relax).

And this was the view out my window (where I lounged on my bed, drank tea, chatted with homeschool buddies and....read my book.)

We also watched movies and played board games and soaked in the hot tub. And since we all go in together to rent the house, it only cost $60 per person. Including the awesome homemade breakfasts and dinners Shelley and Liz make every morning and evening.

Nothing like coming home from a full day shopping for bargains at the outlet stores to a beach house that smells of freshly baked garlic bread from scratch. We ate on the deck and laughed and listened to the sounds of the waves and watched the sunset. It was such a refreshing time with good friends traveling the same path.

I'm already looking forward to next year and will begin putting $5 in my (now empty)"retreat jar" every paycheck!

This Chick's Outta Here

2009-02-12T20:11:00.001-08:00

Well, tomorrow I'm off to a big ol' cabin at the beach with my fellow homeschool moms. We always rent the place over Presidents Day weekend because the outlet mall in the town has amazing clearance sales on all their winter stuff. Now, if you live in a state where it rains 9 months out of the year, you covet your sweaters!
This beaut was one I got 3 years back and it has stood up through Solomon, Malachi and is now looking great on Levi.

I paid $1.99
Score. This far out-weighs the day after Thanksgiving sales!
We also enjoy way too much food, play board games, sleep in as long as we want and relax in the hot tub that overlooks the ocean. It's so layed back and nice. I plop $5 bucks a paycheck in my special jar throughout the year in anticipation.

I'm excited, but I worry about Zephan a bit. I don't want him to feel abandoned. But, his brothers are all here to give him the sense of sameness. And it will be nice for the boys because Papa & Goga are spending the night. They're so excited about their slumber party with Papa! And Daddy has a special bowling outing planned for the 7 of them.
I know we'll all have fun.
See you Monday!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-11T19:37:00.001-08:00

The boys had their Valentine's party yesterday. Fun times! Too fun to get a decent picture of the 4 of them as they were playing games and eating cookies. They even all had little temporary tattoos on their cheeks. Dad always rolls his eyes at that tradition. Guess he doesn't like his boys wandering around with butterflies and hearts on their faces.

Look at Zephan's hair, though - it's coming in curly on top! Finally! For so long all the curls remained in back. I'm so glad he's looking more balanced.

Oh, and, here's one: Zephan's caseworker confided in me that she was puzzled as she watched his birth mom in a recent visit. It's a group visit, set in a classroom-type of environment with activity tables and such. This offers more accountability as multiple supervisors roam around and keep an eye on things. Well, it seems that birthmom began eating the snack I packed for Zephan. Then, it seems that she also....wait for it....drank his juice from his sippy cup. Like the no-spill kind with the screw-on lid. For babies.
Weird.
Well, so next visit she sends a note home in the diaper bag, "Please pack the baby more snacks. He is mooching off other kids and my food stamps go towards rent."
Excuse me?
Keep in mind that this is the only note she's ever written me despite the fact that on that very visit I sent a package with about 30 new pics of the baby, an update and locks of hair from his first haircut.
A thank you?
Nah.
I'm just ordered to send more snacks for her to eat while her child gets hungry enough to "mooch off other kids".
I know that she's immature, but sheesh!!
So. next time I'm making sure he has a full belly before he leaves and I'm not packing him a thing. If he gets fussy, well, she'll have to deal with him being fussy.
Welcome to my life.

Tonight....

2009-02-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

We're celebrating our win at Committee!

Looks like we'll be finalizing Zephan's adoption in April! And after the session his caseworker told us she'll give us a call regarding his farewell visit with birth mom! YAY!!

Cake & Committee

2009-02-04T18:01:00.001-08:00

Well! I think I forgot to mention that we have Committee for Zephan tomorrow! That's where they'll "designate placement" by the board (and potentially schedule his farewell visit with birth mom? please?). Since it's pretty much a sure shot, we're bringing him with us to meet the board.
This may or may not be a good idea since the little guy, who has a double ear infection and pneumonia, is on a med containing steroids. This is making our little angel a bit...volital.

The doc warned us that these meds may cause frustration and irritability.
Ya think? Sheesh, it's nearly as bad as the stupid Red Bull incident. And he's got 3 more days of it to go! Anyway, I think we'll still bring him, if only just to force the board to hurry up and sign the paperwork and let the cranky baby go home.

In other news, my sister (www.javadragonadventures.blogspot.com) e-mailed us this easy recipe for making little cakes in coffee mugs. You probably have all the stuff in the kitchen already, there's only a few ingrediants. The boys each made one this evening and really enjoyed both the process and the end result. Yum!
Here's the link in case you want to let your kiddos try it: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cake-in-a-Mug

Another Gold Star Moment

2009-02-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

So, one of Solomon & Malachi's favorite classes this year is sign language. Every class they learn a few new commonly used signs and are tested on their knowledge of prior signs they've been taught. Today one of our signs was, "Excuse me".
We practiced the sign several times until we were proficient at it. I looked over at my eldest and was surprised to see the look of contemplation that graced his face.
"Whatcha thinking about, Sol?"
"Well. I'm wondering why we have to learn how to say, 'excuse me' when deaf people can't hear me fart."

Sigh.

Just a heads up...

2009-02-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

If you happen to have a 16 month old meth affected child who already has the frustration tolerance of a jackal, make sure your husband puts his open Red Bull up high.
Very, very high.
Remind said husband that said baby is now adept at pushing various toys around the house in order to make convenient steps for reaching shiny objects which entice him...
or you will have a very difficult morning.
Very, very difficult indeed.
Holy Guacamole.

Happy Birthday, Son

2009-01-28T23:33:00.001-08:00

Nursery!

2009-01-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yay. It's finally done. The stupid dresser required 4 coats of paint.
4.
Ugh.
Getting a pic of the complete finished project is difficult, but here's the gist:

And here's his Noah's Arc hanging above the crib, the sheets match it:

Ooo - and this is cool - remember macrame? Well, I have a groovy neighbor who makes these macrame plant hangers. Any sort you can imagine.
I think it adds a touch of hippy to my baby's room.
It's far out.
It's bitchin'.
But, best of all, IT'S DONE.

Pasts

2009-01-23T11:03:00.001-08:00

Levi got his first letter from his birth dad yesterday. It was....interesting. He seems to think that he'll be found innocent of all charges against him and walk out of that prison a free man. He said that he, "didn't do this crime". I wanted to say, "Which one? The assault with a deadly weapon? The attempted manslaughter? The theft? To which are you referring?" He wanted me to understand that that he always tried to be a good father for his son and did everything for him. He apparently doesn't know that we know as much as we do about the sitch. That we've done our homework. That I'm a terribly curious person, downright nosy about my sons' pasts. Like I've said, these letters will go into a box for Levi to read when he's a well established adult, sure of his identity. When he understands that his parents created a child but it's up to him to create a man. That his identity doesn't lay in his blood, but Jesus's. My #3 son will turn 3 on Sunday. It's been over a year since my son came home. Gosh, I love that kid!

"Don't call us that."

2009-01-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

It's funny. The white cat was named by Micah. He declared him "One of One" because he was the only one in his litter. Later we got the tabby and named him "Furgus". Somewhere along the way "One of One" became "One-ee-Bologna" and now answers simply to "Bologna". Similarly, somewhere along the way "Furgus" became "Gussy-Pants" and now is doomed to a life of being called, "Pants". Lately (I think I may have started this one but forget exactly how it evolved) the boys have been calling Alexxander, "Sausage".

A Pomeranian named Sausage. And his kitty-brothers, Bologna and Pants.

No wonder the cats are less than thrilled.

Oh, and please don't tell Micah that they were on the counter. I did shoo them off. After the picture. Even scolded them a bit, "Who are these baaaad boys on Mommy's counter? Who's a bad booooy? Yes! My boys are bad boys! Yes day are!"

Nurface Becomes Nursery

2009-01-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the boys helping me sand my Great-Grandmother's old dresser so we can paint it. Just a few days ago the HUGE desk that inhabited half of Zephan's room made it's big move to the garage. Up until now the room has been half nursery and half office: we affectionately called it "the Nurface".

Now the big ol' desk is in the garage and the dresser is moved in. We still have a bit more work to do (notice the mail slots are still on the wall) but the move is more conducive for 4 small ones sharing 2 rooms. They have more space, although my poor hubby has now completely lost his office.

It was inevitable, I suppose...

Levi is still bunking with Solomon and Malachi, however. He's not about to relinquish his big boy status, thankyouverymuch. The nursery is for babies. Although, he will visit Zephan's room periodically to play and pillage.

In other, adoption-related news, Zephan had a visit with his birth mom today. The first one in 10 weeks. The agency couldn't find her for a time, but did finally track her down. I guess she gets supervised visits, "until placement is designated". Which is basically some paperwork to send here and there for signatures and nods of the head from the mucky-mucks.

The caseworker picked him up, kicking and screaming and brought him back 2 hours later, puffy-eyed and snotty with a garbage bag of belated Christmas gifts. There was a card that said, "Merry Christmas. I sure miss you, but I know you're happy...and that's all that matters." She signed both her first name and "mom". Made me sad for her.

Zephan's been clingy and dazed all evening. I hate it. I'm glad that Micah's home to tote him around while I fix dinner and do dishes.

I'm looking forward to the end of these - why are they prolonging these visits? It's hard on all parties.

We also sent off the PO Box address so that Levi's birth dad can write him twice a year as stipulated in our adoption mediation. Those letters should be interesting. They'll probably just go into a shoebox until he's....let's see......retired? Yeah. By the time he's eligible for social security we should feel OK about giving them to him. And it's nice that our mediator wrote that we can ditch the letters and shut down the box if we deem, for any reason, that they aren't in Levi's best interest. And we don't have to send pics. Which is good as we found birth dad's myspace page. It's written for him to spread the news of this poor innocent man's unjust incarceration. It also has pics of Levi and him and Levi as a baby and says his birth name. I will not have new pictures of my son on that stupid page. Makes me mad.

"And this is the last picture taken of my little boy before they came and took him..."

Cry me a river.

Didn't want to mention any reasons they would take your child into protective custody, huh? Because they probably just came to your doorstep and demanded that you hand over your beloved firstborn with absolutely no reason.

OK. Calming down, now. Taking breaths. Levi's just fine now. Running around in his Superman jammies with his little 'fro bouncing on top of his adorable little head.

Still makes me mad, though.

I'll keep you "posted"....

The other song my boys love (that I'm also sick of)

2009-01-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

The new song my boys all love (and I'm so sick of):

2009-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

Blizzard '08

2009-01-03T22:01:00.000-08:00

...or, as close as we've ever gotten here in the beautiful Willamette Valley. Here's some pics of our recent snow days:

and the same spot, later on:

WOW! 12 inches! It's the most snow our city has seen in 35 years!

And how we spent the time in between warm baths, hot cups of Peppermint tea and snowball fights:

Solly sleeping with his leg warmers!

Laughter

2008-12-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for some chuckles, how 'bout y'all? I very much agree that laughter is the best medicine and is an incredibly healing outlet for sadness and stress. So. Have some headlines on me:

"...as we commit our cows to each other..." Them southern folks are so sentimental.

Yum! Man nuts!

By, "many stains" do you mean, "many stains" or "many stains"?

Oh, my gosh, can you imagine installing one of these in your shower!?!

Those are some talented deer!

Well, that explains a lot.

I am a sucker for honesty.

Oh! What a nice touch!

Hilarious.

This is a Christmas tree that was sent to the White House. Some small town Christmas tree farmer has absolutely no faith in our officials and their staff! They're probably from our neck of the woods, too!

"Just in time for Santa!"

In Memory

2008-12-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Richard Malachi's namesake, our Gramps, passed away last night. He was a great guy. Worthy of naming our son after. I'll post more later, but I want to post these pics of our favorite grandpa.

We love you Gramps.

See you later.

The 2 Richards

always sneaking ice cream

Gramps & Gram

When Micah was doing his internship.

Finalization!

2008-12-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

T'was the night before finalization
and all through the house,
all my babies were sleeping sound as a mouse.

The sweaters were laid on the bunk bed with care,
In hopes that they'd be worn without complaints or glares.

Then the big morn arrived and with it much glee,
as we drove to the courthouse for the adoption decree!

The judge, with a smile, announced to the hall:
This boy is a Lewis now, once and for all!
He signed the magic paper and closed the magic book.
And out into the snow, with smiles, our new son we took.

This precious gift we've prayed for, God graciously did give.
Now our darling little Levi we're giving back to Him.

We promise, Lord, to raise him in the path of knowing You,
And teach him the beauty of Your word, that in his life You may shine through.

There's no better present then a blessed son at last,
One given to us in adoption today, One in a manger in the past.

So merry Christmas everyone, let your hearts be light!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Conclusions, Candy Canes & Cousins

2008-12-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

(Zephaniah's first candy cane!)

Well, Zephan's bio-mom had court today. Somehow I didn't know about it, but it's just as well because (drum roll, please).....she signed relinquishment papers. Our baby is legally free! We'll begin his adoption paperwork after the holidays!

I haven't missed any of his case court proceedings, so did I forget to write this one down on the calendar? Did I get the usual reminder letter and not open it? Did it get lost in the mail? I'll probably never know, but I'm relieved. It would have been really difficult watching my son's sobbing birth mom sign her rights away. Maybe it was divine providence that I didn't have to deal with all that. Now that she doesn't have a reason to stay sober and clean though, I worry for her. Especially come Christmas. There's a little guilt there, that on Christmas day we'll be enjoying the little booger while his birth mom is probably crying her eyes out. She has no family. If she was making better choices I would consider arranging something with her, but I can't have her around my little guy when she's battling these addictions. And visits seem to be hard on him, anyhow.
Please pray for her?

(This is Zephan and his cousin, Bree. I'm just posting it because, well, they're really cute.)

What Child did This?

2008-12-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

Baby Jesus has been MIA for a while, now.

Micah smiles and says He must have ascended to heaven already.

I personally think he ascended to the chubby right hand of a mischievous little baby I know.

Does anyone else find it a bit odd that he only took baby Jesus? I totally would have pegged him for the cow who's missing an ear. It makes me smile to remember all the baby boys I've chased away from this manger scene. All the little chubby faces. Some run smiling, some run crying, but they all run; little diapered hinders disappearing down the hallway. Some drop the wise man, some hold their forbidden treasure close as they try to escape.

We usually happen upon one or two kidnapped figurines around May (although, sadly, the donkey has never been found and is presumed a casualty). And back in the closet they go to wait for the next baby boy who will inevitably try his hand at the Annual Manger Gauntlet.

It's SNOWING!!

2008-12-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to go out into the snow:

In Celebration...

2008-12-13T10:34:00.001-08:00

...of Micah being done with the term (he now has a couple of weeks off before the beginning of next term), we decided to open one set of gifts early.

Most of the tags read, "To: Daddy From: Daddy",

but a few were just for the boys to enjoy, like the Lego Star wars.

And Mommy even got in on the whole mess by getting the Wii Fit. I don't do video games, folks. I would much rather read a book. That having been said, this smart-alek Wii Fit has been a blast. It keeps track of your weight, BMI, workout time, and offers tons of fun training that really gets you moving (and laughing). One of my favorites where my children line up on a soccer field and chuck balls and shoes at me (you actually make Wii characters that look like each member of the family). I have to dodge the shoes and smack the balls with my head. The yoga is cool, too. And because you're standing on this special mat thingie, the system actually senses if your doing it right and helps you do everything correctly. It even berates you if you miss a day, like yesterday when I logged on, "Well! Hello, Nee! Too busy to train yesterday, huh? Well, I guess I'll have to try harder to motivate you." Then it shows me my weight.

Jerk.

I was in the hospital with my baby, OK? Stupid machine?

But, I love it.

M & L Productions

2008-12-12T10:42:00.001-08:00

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Our stay at Dornbecher...

2008-12-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

...was actually very nice. I couldn't be happier about the staff and the care my little one got there. If it's necessary to spend a prolonged period in a hospital, the beautiful view, sweet nurses, built-in Starbucks, playrooms (both indoors and out) and even Christmas carolers of Dornbecher's make it relatively easy.

Here's Zephan getting ready to head out the door while Mom and Dad gear up for the drive and stay. He's such a toughie.The view outside the surgery unit was so beautiful. We were waaaay up high.

Daddy and Zephan watching Kung-Foo Panda on his cool little TV while waiting for the anesthesiologist.
He likes the crib. Before the surgery, that is.

Here's our slightly inebriated baby just after the surgery. He hadn't had anything to eat in about 22 hours and he. was. hungry.

The culprit:

and Zephan the next morning, all better!

"FEED ME, WOMAN!!"

"Protected treasure of God". It just works on so many levels!