happy birthday TRISTAN!!!

my big 7 year old lost another tooth today, on his birthday!

woman sings praise in labor

this is the sweetest video. i completely teared up!!
enjoy :)

not happening

well the door has closed and this is not our placement. there is a ratio issue for 9 hours of the week for the next month, and the worker wouldnt budge on that, so it's a no-go.
i think it is good when a door closes firmly, because it lets you know God is working on your behalf.
so no pregnant teen for us this time!

pregnant teenager?

we have gotten a new referral , for a 15 year old-pregnant with her second. we are seriously considering this placement. i have a heart for teen moms. i will , hopefully, get to meet her this week to see. any advice out there> lol probably not- there is not much in the way of resources for foster parents of pregnant teens!

more wimberly picts

from two weeks ago- we went this weekend, but didn't get pictures...
otto snuggling with me his auntie:


me keeping everyone afloat:



lucca:

tristan:

kiryn:

sebastian:

doing hair:

sweetpea's lovie

none of my children have ever wanted or needed a lovie. they have always had my cheast ..lol
so here comes this little who LOVES soft blankies to pull over her face. my aunt gave sebastian a little girrafe blankie when he was a baby. i tried and tried to get him to use it, as it looked so much like my blanki from babyhood. to no avail. but sweetpea wont sleep without it!
So this weekend we went to wimberly and i went into a little baby shop called baby bacon. i spent over 80$ !!! i figure i must spoil her because thats why they give me a reimbursment right? i got her a purple organic kimono set, a haba pacifier clip, and a new little girrafee blankie , pink with pink and brown spots. its ever softer than the other. here is how she is sleeping in daddy's arms as i type.

paternity tests, musings

so today sebastian turned on the tv- this happens over and over, because buttons are cool, lol. anyhow, what was on was maury and i was tranfixed for about 10 minutes.
see, i am waiting on two paternity tests to happen. one with me and my dad, and one for sweetpea and her "dad".
musing one is- why on earth is it so hard for CPS to get my baby her test done?? she is five months old!it was supposed to be done over a month ago, but we are still tapping our feet. In my case thier are a plethra of choices available for paternity tests. from same day appointments, 10 minutes and 400$ to swap, down to running to your local walgreens and doing it at home and mailing it for 150$. so if it's this easy, what excuse does CPS have???????
second musing is , sheesh these people on maury are MEAN! the woman are MEAN when the dad turns out to be the dad. The men are mean when the baby turns out not to be theirs (and before they know wether or not). i mean this one lady is SOBBING because he was not the daddy, and he and his new wife are screaming over the top of her, calling names ect. i mean, talk about kicking someone when they are down..
i know that in niether of my upcoming tests will this be the end result. thank GOD for that!!!!!

making diapers

i have been busy, changing my diapering habits. my cloth diaper system is not a system, it is a manaserie of crazy odds and ends. i am selling/giving away a ton, and making ones to better suit my needs- the needs of two potty training babies .

dinner of the day 6-19-08

mexican mix-
brown rice, canned diced organic tomatoes, green chilies, organic corn (forgot that tonight), black beans, turkey meat-(i cook a whole turkey and use the meat for several recipies), onion, olive oil, topped with cheddar.

kids LOVE it, i LOVE it, Gabe LOVES it. SUPER easy, pretty nutritious

I met him !!!

First off- Praise to God, who has orchestrated this whole thing...

I met my father, for the first time since i was 8 (19 years ago!) today.
I have to say i think it went quite well, after a few akward minutes, and a spilled mocha. lol
But he is easy to talk to and i like to talk :P . he is a kind and good man, which is great, and i enjoyed spending time with him.
I can't belive how good God is .He has blessed me over and over. To be able to have a broken relationship restored, and to heal such old wounds- only God can do these things.
i am in awe!

happy father's day

to my WONDERFUL hubby- who's really is the worlds greatest dad!!!!

I LOVE YOU SNUKUMS!!!

great lyrics

i have not heard this song in a long time. i really love it
it's called free by ginny owens
here are the lyrics
"Making big deals out of small ones,
Bearing gifts as if they're burdens,
This is how it's been.
Fear of coming out of my shell,
Too many things I can't do too well,
Afraid I'll try real hard and I'll fail -
This is how it's been.
Till the day you pounded on my heart's door,
And you shouted joyfully,
"You're not a slave anymore"

You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even joyful noise is music to me
and you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I have set you free

My mind finds hard to believe
That You became humanity
and changed the course of history,
Because You loved me so.
And my heart cannot understand
Why You'd accept me as I am,
But You say You've always had a plan,
And that's all I need to know.
So when I am consumed by what the world will say,
It's then You're singing to me,
As you remove my chains

You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even joyful noise is music to me
and you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I have set you free

Free from worry, free from envy and denial
Free to live, free to give, free to smile

You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even joyful noise is music to me
and you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I've set you free"

returning from bible camp

some parents have kids that cry upon leaving them, cling to them for dear life, mss them terribly. not our Kiryn! he was thrilled to go off to bible camp, thrilled! but now, 5 days later, upon return he is grief stricken! sobbing as soon as he exited the car :( im like is it that bad here??? he says , but ~sob~ they had a LAGOON there ~sob~ and ZIP LINES!
this is him at dinner , still crying ..poor lad







and then he has me read to him the note rucked into his bible. the counselor was praising him for being so obedient..umm does that read right? my kid? ummmm ok
cool

in random reading (bible)

i came across this immediately:

1 Peter 3 :17

Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. ¹⁷ Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!


Amen!!

gym? YMCA!!!

did i mention i am attending our local YMCA>? i know , it's crazy, but now i can ?DROP OFF ALL of my kids for 1 hour and work out, and swim and even sit in a hot tub if i want !!! wonders of wonders.
but seriously Yall, i am out of shape!!! whew. ouch i hurt. one yoga class i am busted up :(

but i will go back on thursday, i will!!

love love love lifehouse video

saw this a long time ago. i love it !!!!
video

comfort

today at 4 pm , Lucca fell asleep on the couch with my bible for a pillow! as my dear hubby said upon seeing her- some people take a great comfort in their bibles.
hehe

sometimes

sometimes Lucca does look like me! lol
usually she is her daddy's clone- check out the proof she is mine-










here's another cute one-

last weekend in wimberly

we went to visit gabe's prarents last weekend, and my sister inlaw got a migraine, so i was blessed with getting to care for her beutiful baby boy otto, who is 8 months old .
here is a pict of me slinging both my babe and her's-named Otto







this was him (Otto) in november, when he was born at 34 weeks!







he is much bigger now, at a whopping 18 pounds!!! sheesh, my back was killing me!

why you shoudl always invite me to your party..

lol... cause i give good home made presents!
at birthday partys i sew clothes, capes, aprons, dolls ect, and for baby showers here is what i usually give-
a reversable pouch sling in the mama's colors and size, and a pair of 6-12 month vegan baby shoes. this usually goes over well.

i love sewing gifts!

sweet pea update

well not much to update- they still havn't done a paternity test..sigh. "dad" seems to have lost interest, as he keeps canceling visits..of course he does this 15 minutes before when i have already drove the 30 minutes there..sigh.
but as for her, sweetpea is doing great!she is hitting every milestone right on the nose. she is just over 4 months and can sit up (resting on her hands) for about 10 seconds. she is a very personable baby and loves to laugh and laugh at our silly antics!

my friend Autumn sent me this-

HANDY LITTLE CHART
God has a positive answer:

YOU SAY
GOD SAYS
BIBLE VERSES

You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

another respite

last night we got a four year old little boy and he will stay till friday evening. he is a doll. very sweet and funny. we are having a blast!

if you give a toddler a carrot

my version of "if you give a moose a muffin"

if you give a toddler a carrot,
he might want to stick it in his shirt.
if he sticks it in his shirt,
it will probably fall out.
if it falls to ground,
your basset hound will probably try to eat it.
if your basset hound is not fast enough,
your toddler will the carrot back up and eat it,
dog spit and all!
-liz

if you are reading this

if you are who i am talking to- i want to hear from you.. why don't you email me? tell me how things are going. i want to see pictures. here you are reading about me and my kiddos and all i have is some 20+ year old photo of you. i dont know if they look at all like me. i don't know if i will hear from you again.

our respite placement

we had a respite placement night before last. she is 14, and her foster mom was with her other foster daughter in the hospital over night. this girl was a dream placement. sweet, kind, fun, great with the little kids. her foster mom told me they are trying to find a new home for her before foster mom moves at in three weeks. the problem is, she is long-term foster care. no adoption. i can't see myself staying inside this whole system for another 4 years.