Friday, October 31, 2008

and then there were 8 ???

well ...
i have a good dear friend who has a 12 year old sister who might be coming into care. i am going with her other sister to court on monday to (hopefully) convince this judge to pull the little sister into care and out of the terrible situation she is in. i will also be presenting myself as a placement for her (already discussed and approved with husband and agency)
this does not negate the placement of MaMa and Cupcake. we will already have to be a group home to take them in. a group home can have up to 12 children! YIKES

so monday is another big, maybe bigger (lol) day!

a phone call reveals..more waiting!

so for the sake of simplicity i am going to give the two children "names"-
big A (the 16 yr old mama) will be MaMa
little a (the one year old daughter) will be Cupcake

so, MaMa and cupcake had court on Thursday. The CPS worker FINALLY called my placement worker this morning, who called me. here is how it went down:
MaMa wants to come here. her case worker, and Cupcake's worker want them to come here.
CPS has been looking for over two months for a foster home that would take both, we were the second nibble ..in two months. the other home was even further away and MaMa didnt like them, and they felt like they would be uprooting her.
The judge wants them both to go home to grama/mom in February-ish. so until them they have to be in foster home. However when presented with our home, judge was unhapy because we are not in Round Rock (outlaying area of austin) we are 15 minuted from there. and sweetpea's case is also in Round Rock. we drive her there for visits ect. i don't get it!
so judge tells workers A and B to "exsaust all possibilities of a afoster home in Round rock" what ever that means! seems like looking for two months IS doing that!
so now we have to wait till mon/tues to see if she will come here. and she'll have to move during the school week instead of on the weekend. i am telling you i just don't get the system.
So we spent yesterday assembling a bed and crib and getting the room ready.


MaMa and cupcake- we are ready for you!

Thursday, October 30, 2008


this.. this is my phone. my NEW phone. just got it a little over a week ago. one of the first things i did? = set a really great ringtone for the referral line at my agency- so that whereever i was if i heard that noise i would KNOW they were calling with a referral. sigh. now RING darnit! i am waiting for news about big A and little A's court date. will we get both? one? none? i am not a paitent person...sigh.
RING

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

sebastian tribute!

you are two today my big boy!

when you came out, you had your little hand in your mouth so it took a little manouvering (on your part) to get that big head of your out.

Lucca was right next to the birth pool when you were born and she screamed out in delight "look mommy, he just jumped out your tummy!"


daddy made sure you got your sleep


kiryn never missed a phot op!

and then there were 4 !


your favorite place to be!

all the boys!

I love you sebastian!

Monday, October 27, 2008

court


well court is over. everything went (mostly) how i figured it would. everyone showed(except mom, as she is incarcerated) . i actually was able to stand up in front of the judge with everyone else, and speak. Grama turned in her homestudy (for adoption) paperwork over 2 weeks ago, and has not gotten even a call yet. she has already lined up childcare for sweetpea for when she returns to her care. i asked the judge to expedite the homestudy (meaning get on the ball and get it done within 30 days) because it in sweetpea's best interests to move quickly if she is going to be moved to gramas. there is no benefit in prolonging it. i also was able to get them to set up visits for grama, to which we (grama and me) got them to agree to let me be in the visit too, so sweetpea would not cry and could get to know grama in a nonstressfull way.
yikes. if she passes (which with what is going on with texas cps right now she almost undoubtedly will) my baby will be leaving my home within two months...

and on the other front (the teenager with child) the child's worker and her attorney were in court right behind us- we were there early and overheard them saying there names, so i introduced myself and got to hear more about the case. apparently teen is out of time and her mother will not give a PMC to the state (permanate managing consevitorship) and the state doesn't have enough to terminate, which means teen has to go home BUT baby cannot return home because grama isn't safe with baby . so, we might end up only getting baby . i hope not though, because it would be heartbreaking for teen mom who loves baby and is very devoted.
this morning really is court, pray for us!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

fostering- can YOU do it? if not what CAN you do?

i am going to give my HUGE endorsment to a friend's blog here:
please read:
i can't be a foster parent because (part one)
i can't be a foster parent (part two)
i can't be a foster parent (part 3)
you cant be a foster parent but you can

these were SO very spot on. i encourage everyone who reads my blog to read this series!!!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

met the teen!

it went super well!
she is with her head on her shoulders certainly. she was very good with her daughter, and very articulate and reasonable. i really think it will be a great match- if she comes here that is. she has court on thurs -at which point may go home. if she does not she decided she would like to come to our house
and the funniest part of it is how much she really would fit in. she even already has attended OUR church for over a year(with her mom)! hoe uncanny is that?
At one point she asked me how i felt about piercings (because she has her tounge and wants her ears done) and i couldn't help but laugh, seeing as at 16 i had 5 piercings!
her hobbies are the exact same i had at her age, art photography and she wants to learn guitar.
oh and her daughter ADORABLE. 16 months and cute as a button!
i will let everyone know more when we do!

Friday, October 24, 2008

i should be freaked out right?

i should be, but i am not. i came to rest in the Lord on this issue with sweetpea's grama a few weeks ago.i surrendered to the Lord. After all, it is up to him no matter how much i fret and worry.
i have gone through so many highs and lows over this last 8 months. at the highs i threw myself into being sweetpea's mama, and planning for her future with us( playing a pretend game that never included anything sad). the low times i retreated slightly. not in action, just in heart, planning for her to leave... Now i really feel neither. it does not matter what happens tomorrow, for today she is mine. my baby. the baby i smell her head and swoon, the baby who greets me with a two-toothed grin and a chuckle.my baby who wraps herself around me to snuggle. she will always be mine, no matter where she is tomorrow...
we are never promised another day, for any of our children or ourselves. I just praise the Lord he gave me today with all my children. He has been so good!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

not so good news on sweetpea

grama turned in homestudy paperwork, so they have begun the homestudy process. i am hoping we know more at court on monday.
:(

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

more

so we found out a little more. she is not happy about going to a foster home, as that will mean she is officially in foster care, and not just staying in a shelter for a few weeks. she works very near our house, making us a good match..lol
we are going on sat to the shelter to meet her- so i will let you know more when we do!

another teenager referral

she's 16 and has a one year old daughter.
i think we might say yes! we are waiting for more info- so far we know the shelter has had no issues with her, she is a good mom and has a job and goes to school.
i would officially be the youngest "grama" ever! lol

Sunday, October 19, 2008

cute kids and gourds


our finished gourds

sebastian after painting himself *er gourds

this morning sebastian got himself "dressed" for church,

Friday, October 17, 2008

pioneer farms

we have started volunteering here on fridays. what a blessing it has been! we all get to dress up in pioneer clothes and cook food over an open fire pit, and tell bunches of school groups all about life "in the olden days" as kiryn says! we are going to start reading the "little house on the prairie series to compliment this real life experience.

sleeping babies on a cornhusk bed

kiryn tending the fire

Lunch!

lucca plays marbles

my pioneer "housemate" and her son

Thursday, October 16, 2008

my cup overflows



flowers brought to me by my sweet children.
it's funny how a day can start off on such a bad note, but end on such a good one...
i started my day in a "don't even look at me in the wrong way" kind of mood. but, thanks to God and few ladies at my bible study i am feeling ,for the most part, refreshed. and then sweet little Lucca and Sebastian bring me presents.

Monday, October 13, 2008

bitter sweet

Bubbles will be leaving noon tomorrow. she will be moving into her Aunt's home. this was expected, but took MUCH longer than we/anyone anticipated. She has grown comfortable here, and my kiddos are fond of her and visa versa. i just had to explain to Lucca that she was leaving tomorrow, and she took it pretty well.
it is, i beleve a good move, but she will be missed!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

the pumpkin farm


sebastian with his BFF Eden behind him

Lucca swinging away


lucca , sebastian and three of amy's kiddos !

Friday, October 10, 2008

your full quiver -part one

i especially like #3 and #5!!

copied from quiverfull

Ten Great Reasons To Have Another Child

1. Have another child to join with God in the creation of an immortal soul.

Parents are given the incredible opportunity to assist God in the creation of an immortal soul. As the late Cardinal Mindszenty said, even the angels have not been given such a grace.

“The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body...Even the angels have not been given such a grace! What is more glorious than this—to be a mother.” Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty Reason

2. Have another child to bring joy into your life.


There is no joy like the joy of welcoming another child into your life. You will marvel anew at how perfectly formed your little one is, and over how quickly you will fall head over heels in love with him. You will be enchanted with every tiny aspect of her appearance. The color of her hair, the shape of her nose, and the winsomeness of her smile will occasion endless happy debates about from which side of the family (yours, of course) she got that adorable trait.

The birth of a child will bind you to God more tightly than ever before, in awed gratitude. “She was the most miraculous thing that had ever happened in my life,” Whittaker Chambers wrote about his new daughter in Witness. And in the lives of most of us.

I thought that one day
I would be a famous artist
and create great works of art

Instead, God made me a mother,
and my children are His masterpiece.

The design of their lives
will live on after me.
What is painted on their hearts
will last an eternity
- Anonymous

3. Have another child to grown in holiness and virtue.

For those who marry and have families, children are the primary means God uses to help them grow in holiness and virtue. Children teach their parents patience, perseverance, charity, and humility. They give their parents the opportunity to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. They come into the world , and we clothe them, hungry and we feed them. Thirsty, and we give them drink. All of the things that we are required to do for the “least of these our brothers,” we do first and foremost for our own children. St. Catherine of Siena once had a vision in which God took her to a roomful of crosses and told her to pick one. St. Catherine went to the largest, heaviest cross in the room and would have chosen it. But God told her that it was not for her: That was reserved for the parents of large families.

“Mary gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.” Luke 2:7

4. Have another child to help end abortion.


When Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked by a young mother about the best way to proceed with pro-life work, she responded emphatically, “Have a big family. That is the best way to end abortion!”

How this works is not difficult to understand. As children become more rare due to contraception, sterilization and abortion, whole segments of society become less and less familiar with the sense of joy and hope that only babies and children can give. In this climate, contraception and abortion feed on themselves, as the increasingly selfish few further reduce their number.

By having another child, you demonstrate once again to the world that children are God’s greatest gifts. “Children build up the life of the family and society,” as Pope John Paul II has said. “The child becomes a gift to its brothers and sisters, parents and entire family. Its entire life becomes a gift for the very people who were givers of life and who cannot help but feel its presence, its sharing in their life and its contribution to the common good and to the community of the family.”

The more children there are in society, the more pro-life that society will become, and the easier it will be for the great evil of abortion to be eradicated once and for all.

“Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

5. A) Have another child so your sons will have brothers and your daughters will have sisters.


Children who have siblings learn early to share. They learn to take turns and to put the needs of others before their own. The bond formed between brothers and sisters is lifelong, and stronger than the bond between the closest friends.

“How good it is, how pleasant, where the brothers dwell as one!” Psalm 133:1-2

B) Have another child so your sons will have sisters and your daughters will have brothers.

Boys who have sisters learn the dignity of women. They learn to treat other s and women with respect, as they consider how they would like their own sisters to be treated. s who have brothers learn the complementarity of men and women, both fashioned in the image and likeness of God.

“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones—the ones at home.” Mother Teresa

6. Have another child so you (and your parents) won’t be lonely in old age.


People who have children don’t have to rely upon strangers to care for them in their old age. Children also become the parents of your grandchildren. Grandchildren bring joy, happiness, and laughter, while still allowing you to get a good night’s sleep! “Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their parentage.”Proverbs 17:6

7. Have another child because people are our greatest resource.

Humans are blessed with the gifts of an intellect and free will. It is human ingenuity that discovers creative solutions to the problems which confront us. People without children should remember that it will be someone else’s child who will become the doctor that performs their life-saving operations. Someone else’s child will become the firefighter that saves their house. Someone else’s child will become the railroad engineer.

“How can there be too many children? That’s like saying there are too many flowers.”
Mother Teresa

8. Have another child to contribute to the economy.


Families with children are fuel to the economy, purchasing houses and cars and college educations. Without young people to enter the workforce, social security systems fail. Without children to attend school, teachers are jobless. Many industries, from fast food restaurants to toy stores, obviously rely heavily upon business from and for children to stay in business. But ultimately the whole economy does.

“Like a fruitful vine your wife within your home, Like olive plants your children around your table. Just so will they be blessed who fear the Lord.” Psalm 128:3-4

9. Have another child to counter global depopulation.


Anyone who has traveled from coast to coast in the United States and seen the vast empty spaces should know that America is not overpopulated. In fact, the entire population of the world could live in the state of Texas, in single-family dwellings with front and back yards. Fertility rates are falling everywhere. The world’s population will never again double. If current trends continue, world population will peak by the middle of this century and then begin demographic freefall. Our long-term problem is not too many children, but too few children. Having another child will help offset the coming population implosion.

“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.” Genesis 1:28.

10. Have another child to help populate heaven.

The child that you and your spouse have been generous in accepting from God was created to return to Him, after a life of love, service, and obedience on earth, to spend eternity with God in heaven. Our Lord Himself said that there was plenty of room for those immortal souls. There is no overpopulation problem in Heaven!

“There are many mansions in my Father’s house.” John 14:2

Thursday, October 9, 2008

so

things with sweetpea are on hold, but bubble's case is more dynamic-
first they say she's moving, then NO WAY is she moving and now it's "She's probably moving on monday" sheesh! poor little thing has her head spinning.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

it is official

we have the WORST CPS worker EVER.
she told me and my case worker that court was today , so we drive 45 minutes away, only to find it is NOT today, but the 27th. so i wasted half my day and now have to wait around anxiously for the next few weeks!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

YIKES!

court for sweetpea is tomorrow morning!!!
i am getting nervous!

Monday, October 6, 2008

babysitting

last night we (mostly I ) watched the twins. wow! what an experience, here are some cute pictures. you have not had your hands full until youve held three babies at the same time!!





Saturday, October 4, 2008

longer placement?

i talked to bubble's GAL yesterday. apparently she does not approve of moving bubbles to aunt's . aunt has no job and has two other kids to support (5,2)...so she said prepare for a much longer haul. of course the caseworker said that she would definantly be going to the aunt. there is a court date mid oct- i think they will duke it out then!
meanwhile here's what storytime looks like at our house.