Wherein Malachi Finally Succeeds in Knocking out his Tooth

Well, as you may recall, 5 months ago Kai fell and not only put a gaping hole through his tongue but managed to shove his 2 front teeth back up into his jaw.

Yesterday was act 2.

This time he busted a tooth all the way out. I scooped him up and brought him to Urgent Care and then to the pediatric dentist who confirmed that the tooth was MIA. We wondered where it went. We went out for treats because we survived the day amongst pain, blood and 2 infants who missed their naps. We then headed with our swollen Kai. As we walked into the door, Alexxander was happy to see us return, as usual. A few minutes later I noticed him "sucking" on something. Moving it from cheek to cheek. I forced his jaws apart and found Malachi's tooth. Why he didn't swallow it? No clue. Maybe he was just keeping it safe....

Backtracking a bit...

Thought I'd drop in some pics of our recent warm wheather. Get you all caught up on our 3 boys before we move into posts about life with 4 boys!

Daddy and Levi soakin' up the sun.

We went to Zak's birthday party and they had one of those tiny little motorcycles. Finally after much cajoling and begging, I agreed to let Solomon ride the thing. BUT with full protective gear. AND on the slowest speed. AND the training wheels on. WITH Daddy holding a teather attatched to the frame. But I'm not paranoid or anything.

Whew! What a big, fun day! Time to cuddle on the couch and relax!

It's a(nother) Boy!

Well, it's been quite a day over here! The first happening was a visit from Levi's caseworker. She had asked to come over and I was a bit apprehensive to say the least, as we're a week away from our 6 month mark. What was she coming over to say? Well, she said......drum roll, please........

They have ruled out Levi's relative as a potential placement!! Great news!!

*****

Want some more? Levi's Dad finally realized that he would not be able to parent successfully and signed parental termination papers. Our boy is legally free! We're now moving into current caretaker adoption!! We're so excited as the stress of the last 5 months dissipates into relief and joy.

******

As we were enjoying our good news, our caseworker called. There's an 8-month old baby boy who needs placement. It's legal risk and the case is at the very beginning. But, it could very well move into adoption, as well. We thought about how much Levi loves his baby cousin Bree and is always kind and gentle with her. The last placements were older than Levi and he didn't do well. We decided that a younger child may work out well. Half an hour later, "J" joined us!

As you can see, Levi is really smitten with "baby". We shall see where God is leading us in regards to this child's life, but for now he's safe and we're all enjoying having a little one in the house again. We'll keep you "posted"!

Just a Few More....

As always, thanks to Jay Leno's website. It documents these so folks who don't stay up until the wee hours of the morning can enjoy them:

OoooooKaaaaay.

Toilet Tree Bag, eh? For holding all your various Toilet Trees?

And another from the crime blotter. Fred has successfully foiled all those scary potential seaker-up-oners. Way to go there, Fred.

Now this is just a picture clicked at the right moment as the dog was licking his upper lip. Made me laugh, though!

Alas, this ad will probably go unanswered.

Oh, my. How....er.... dainty.

AHAAAAHAAAAA!!!

Yeah. Our team may need a little more work. Better postone it.

In case it's too small to make out, it reads, "Part of the morning will be spent searching for slugs in the forest. The children do not need a snack that day."

Now, if it's your job to sweep for mines, shouldn't you have the children walk behind you?

Just for your information.

And another ad solidifying our place within the homeschool community.

Ready for Some More Headlines?

Thanks to Jay Leno for these beauts:

Needs a ride to Cincinnati?

And I thought I was taken when my "tea cup" Pomeranian reached the 14 pound mark. These poor customers are going to be sadly, sadly disappointed, I'm afraid.

Ahhaaaaaha! That's just hilarious.

This spunky lady was asked what she'd do if she discovered her hubby had been unfaithful. I love this woman.

Brielle's !1

Summer's Comin'

Swinging with his friends!

Here's just a few miscellaneous shots of the warm weather fun we've been blessed with the last little bit. It's due to get just plain hot here the next few days. There's even rumors of record-breakers coming up. I'm sure hoses and swim trunks will make their first appearance of the year which will be good times!

Sidewalk Chalking

Happy Alexxander

Little boys in trees

****

In adoption news:

3 weeks and 1 day until we reach our 6 month mark with Levi! After 6 months we'll have the same legal rights to Levi as his bio family. That means that the Uncle who's wanting custody would have to go to Committee against us to get him. Which very well may happen if Uncle's homestudy goes through and he's approved as a viable placement option. The kicker is if his homestudy comes through BEFORE we reach our 6 month mark. If he's approved BEFORE our mark, we have no legal rights and Levi will be moved. If it comes through after, we get to go to Committee against him for Levi. We happen to know that Uncle's homestudy is nearly done, so we're trying not to get ulcers waiting to see if it comes through before June 6th. The state still has to review the homestudy to see if the family is eligible after all the paperwork is complete, so we may be OK. They may not even be approved - there are a few snags that may disqualify the family. Stressful, though. We don't want to lose our boy. Too much loss for us of late. But we feel that God will have His way. We're trusting Him!

We're Back!

Sorry for the hiatus - our camera broke! And what's a post without pics? Anywho, we're all still alive and well over here. Although one or the other of my guys has been sick for a couple of months now, they just bounce junk back and forth between them. They seem to be on the mend now. Let's see ...what else is new?

Last Sunday we went with Micah to Riverfront Park. His team had practice for Dragon Boat Racing. They'll compete next month, I think. At one of the big festivals where there's booths of all sorts, dance and song performances by local bands and you eat too much deep fried food. There's a beautiful playground and carousel over there, so we decided to grab some shots of the boys for the homeschool yearbook. Some of my faves:

Buds & Brothers

Richard Malachi

Curtis Solomon

Anthony Levi

Oh, and we went to OMSI with our bestest friends and caught Walking with the Dinosaurs and an IMAX production about space. Again, some of my faves:

Best buds Kai and Cayman

Ready for the IMAX show!

Stenciling with Zion

My big kid

...and why we had sand all over the. whole. car.

"Sol! Get outta the sand table for Pete's sake!!"

And, tomorrow my darling niece is having her 1st birthday! It fell on Mother's Day this year - how cool is that? This time last year she was taking her sweet time joining us but her delay caused her to arrive on Grandma Ruby's birthday. Grandma went home to the Lord 4 months earlier, so it was very special that she has her Great-Grandma's birthday.

Oh, and we had our homeschool co-op's annual Easter Egg hunt & BBQ. It rocks that they have it late - all the Easter stuff goes on clearance, so the moms stock up while the prices are LOW, there are tons of eggs to be found and great prizes to win. Also, our Oregon weather tends to be more cooperative in May and the kids can play and egg-hunt without rain. It's a huge pot-luck and everyone always has a blast. My guys look forward to it every year (thanks Joel & Lisa!!). Pics to come...

Foot in His Mouth

Well, Solomon has his first loose tooth. The day it falls out I'll probably cry. He's just getting really big. His Daddy deemed that it was time to sign him up for Shao Lin Kempo. We weren't sure if Kai was ready, but try putting Solomon in and telling Malachi to sit and watch...I dare you. Anyhow, picture the typical class. Kids wearing their cute little uniforms, the Sensie issuing instructions:

Instructor: "Now, everybody sit down, this is called a Butterfly Stretch: put the bottoms of your feet together, like this, and bend down like you're smelling your feet. Yes! That's right! Good thing we all have clean feet, huh? Raise your hand is you have clean feet!"

Every kid raises their hand. But one.

Instructor: "Don't you wash you feet, Solomon?"

Solomon: "Yes, when I take a bath I do, but my Mom didn't give me a bath today."

Nice. Thanks, Solly.

Same is Good (for now)

Uh, so. As you may have noticed, the prior post was taken down. We did decide to take a foster placement of two great boys with the ultimate goal of also integrating their 3 sisters. 5 in all.

The boys are wonderful and sweet. But we have decided that we won't be able to be a permanent resource for this sib group. Micah and I have always wanted a big family and still believe that this will happen for us. But it has to happen when all members of the household are secure and healthy enough to proceed or our foundation won't be healthy.

Levi has only been with us for 4 months. I tend to forget because it seems like he's been with us forever. But he hasn't. He had a tumultuous life before he graced our home. A life wrought with constant change, little consistency and safety issues. He was doing so great we tend to forget. We tend to forget that he needs us to continue to provide that constantly same environment until he's strong enough for change. Until he's healed. We're officially putting our search for a larger family on hold. For right now he needs us the same. So the same we will be. Until he's ready.

Committee

Well, the Dream Team has new parents. Unfortunately it's not us. We have another loss. Our caseworker says we're going to move on and pick up the pieces. But I fear that soon there may not be any pieces left to pick up.

And I haven't blogged about this as it's too depressing to even think about, but a paternal great-uncle has popped up and is pursuing custody of our Levi. It's possible we'll lose him as well.

Ever have one of those days that feels too big to digest, to muddle through?

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow's the big day for the Dream Team. They get new parents!

I have to admit, we're all really hoping that we get chosen. I don't know how we size up next the the other 2 families. Maybe they make more money. Maybe they have a bigger house. Maybe they're childless. Maybe they're bi-racial (the Dream Team is bi-racial).

We do have strong points, though: We've done foster care off and on since 2001. We've done respite care for medically fragile infants. We currently have a bi-racial foster son who we love and who is doing beautifully in our home. Micah is home 4 days per week. Nana is just across the way and always ready to lend an extra set of hands. And we've been waiting for nearly a year.

I'm hoping we look good on paper. Because potential families don't get to go to this meeting, their caseworker represents them and brings a photo album to show snippets of home life. It's a real shame I don't take many photos :) Luckily we have a really good worker who professes to enjoy the tangled and chaotic Committee process. I think she'll do an awesome job representing us tomorrow. She's certainly seen us through thick and thin this past year!

***

So, please add to your prayer list:

A set of great parents for the Dream Team,

and please also pray for my friend who just had surgery today. 6 complicated pregnancies and equally complicated deliveries eventually caught up with her. Time for some damage control. We're praying she mends well and quickly.

And that she REMEMBERS NOT TO LIFT ANYTHING. Lori.

Just 3 more days, just 3 more days, just 3 more days...

"Ugh. Just 3 more days. 3 more days until I can sleep through the night. 3 more days of purgatory. 3 more days of wondering, wishing. 3 more days..."

***

I'm trying to fight valiantly against worry but it feels as if worry is winning. I've been in this place before and I'm really trying to do better this time around, to keep an attitude of faith and joy. To choose joy. To cast off my anxiety to God, who can handle such burdens without my help. I know He's got this. I just have to keep knowing. Every minute.

Phil 4:6 -

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Amen.

Maybe We'll Take a Sick Day, After All:

You know you're in a homeschooling house when you hear a child from the kitchen desk, "OoooOOOh, my TUMMY!"

And a Mommy hurrying from down the hall, "Not on the math book!! It was expensive!! Grab your bowl! THE BOWL!!!"

Yeah, it seems that our yuck is still circulating, so that's discouraging. On the more encouraging side, we only have 7 more days until Committee. I'm to the place where I just want it over. The case has (you guessed it, ONCE AGAIN) taken a strange and painful turn which I may go into later after Committee's done. We'll see.

Seriously. This could only happen to us.

Again.

I will leave you on a high note, as spring is in full swing and everything is beginning to bloom, here are some new projects my various sweeties are involved in:

My niece is walking folks. She honest to goodness started at 10 months. I saw it with my own eyes. I've heard people say, "Oh! My little Suzie started walking at 10 months!" To which I always responded with rolled eyes after the proud, but obviously exaggerating mother turned her back. I mean, c'mon. 10 months?

Well, I am officially issuing apologies to most of those women. But not the ones who say they had little Suzie potty trained at 14 months. You women are obviously delusional on several levels.

Micah is building the breakfast nook and I can tell it will be just lovely. He's making it large and sturdy enough to withstand several wee ones abusing it on a regular basis.

My handsome Levi is doing quite a nice job on those pedals and his language has exploded into actual. distinguishable. words. It's awesome.

Well, I'm off to fix dinner, but I'll continue to keep you "posted"...

Disturbing.

So, I found these rugs on a site called Blame it on the Voices. Creepy. Really, really creepy.

Never fear, they are completely fake and no dogs were harmed, but the craftsmanship is gut-wrenchingly superb. Are folks actually buying these? I don't know what disturbs me more; the name of the website or it's merchandise.

Easter

Bree's Mommy helps her get her basket from the Nana-Bunny.
Kai finds his...
Solomon was the last to find his. Ah, the thrill of the hunt!
Levi likes his eggs!

Thought I'd bless the boys' viewing public with some fun Easter pics. You don't want to see poor Solomon today. 2 words: stomach flu.

We thought we had it contained with Malachi, but forgot the The Virus Infantry's First Mandate : "We shall only move to infect child #2 once child #1 is nearly well and the groggy parent/guardian is excitedly expecting a much needed full night's sleep."

Actually he seems to be doing considerably better than he was this morning. Which means, of course, that Levi should begin vomiting within the next several hours. Leaves me wondering as we sit in wait of possibly adding 3 to the numbers - how do big families manage with stomach bugs? Hmmm. Invest in lots of buckets? Fantastic.