Happy Father's Day

I would like to wish my Hubby a Happy Father's Day!!!

To the man that has done so much for everyone.
To the man that, when we had been seeing each other for 2 weeks, after working 18 straight hours putting out sand during an ice storm, drove 35 miles each way to bring Blaine (who was an infant at the time) some Tylenol and Pedialyte when he was sick.
To the man that, when I was pregnant and had insomnia, would play his guitar for hours at night until I fell asleep.
To the man that, when Garrett was a baby and was fussy, would play his guitar to calm him down.
To the man that, stepped up to be a Daddy to my son when he didn't have to, and treated him fairly and loved him as his own.
To the man that, helped bathe, feed, take care of his children.
To the man that, helped me fulfill my dream of having a daughter.
To the man that, coached soccer, attended every football, baseball, soccer and basketball game, attended awards programs, went to school parties.

To the man that, spent 2 days putting together a swingset for Blaine for his 3rd birthday.

To the man that, worked 3 jobs so I could stay at home with the kids when things were really tough for Blaine.

To the man that, taught my kids to throw a football, throw a baseball, swing a bat.

To the man that, puts the needs of his kids before his own.

To the man that, does so much for his children.

Any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a Daddy.

It isn't near what he deserves, but for Robert's Father's Day present he went fishing last weekend. He didn't win any money but he had a good time so that is all that matters. The boys got him some shorts and a hat (lame, I know!) and Princess Ruffle Bottom made him a handyman work apron thingy (or should I say the daycare lady made it). We took him to Razoo's for dinner (his favorite restaurant) and had a blast. We laughed, we talked, we cut up, we acted silly, we ate way too much.... we had a great evening.

Here are some pics...

from dinner (couldn't post the one with Princess in it for privacy foster care reasons)

and Princess Ruffle Bottom's present to her Daddy....

little bit of everything

I haven't blogged in a while. I totally feel like a songwriter or REAL writer these days. When things are good, you just don't have that creative spark to write anything interesting (not that anything I wrote before was interesting! ha). So I wanted to take a minute to update on us....

My Mom is in Maine with my Aunt. I was supposed to go on this trip. I had the flights picked out, prices, waiting on Robert to let me know when I could book the trip... and then we got the news that Ruffle Bottom was coming. Well, I used about all my vacation time when she got here, so I am not in Maine right now. :-( (major pouting going on right now) My Mom sends photos of the beautiful places she's visited... and I pout some more.

Soooo, with my Mom being gone, Ruffle Bottom is in daycare. She is in an in-home daycare that my good friend's daughter is in. The first day was torture... Robert was out of town, so I was here by myself to drop off this precious baby with a stranger. Lord, I don't know HOW I did it with my boys. Oh yea I do.... that is why I spent my lunch break for 6 months visiting Garrett in his daycare next door to my work! :0) Well, back to Ruffle Bottom, she is really enjoying the daycare. But she told me the other day she would rather be in Maine with Mammaw. hehe She has 2 more days of daycare left and Mammaw will be back to report for duty. I miss my Mom so much, it was nice to get to see her every morning and to get to chat with her.

Robert decided he wanted to finish laying the flagstone we bought two years ago under my pergola. He picked today, the hottest day of the year, to start. Ugh. Anyways, the poor man worked for 8 hours in the blazing sun and heat to finish what we started two years ago. Ummmm, the month of March or April comes to mind... Oh well, it is done and it looks great. My Man is wayyyyy sunburned, and I am lathering him down with aloe vera lotion. But anyways, here is a pic of the pergola....picture the grass growing through the sand (eventually) and don't pay attention to the faded stain on the fence please.

So, the boys are doing good. They are both in football conditioning throughout the summer. They are enjoying it. Blaine is still looking for a job. And Garrett is just enjoying being out of school.

FIVE THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. My Hubby that does all the back breaking work around here. I love ya' man!

2. That my kids are happy and healthy.

3. That my Mom will be back in a few days. I miss her!

4. A nice peaceful place to sit and enjoy my back yard.

5. To have a home to do updates to. So many are losing their homes, losing their jobs, I am so thankful that I have a place to call home.

Our visit with B this last weekend

I finally have time to sit and write about our visit with B and Grandma this last weekend.....

I was a nervous wreck near the end of the week. The enemy was putting all these negative thoughts in my head about this meeting, about everything to do with Baby Girl, about meeting the bio family, etc.

So Friday night, I stay up until 1 packing and getting everything ready. Baby Girl decides at 2:30 she wants some "mommy time". She wasn't hungry, she wasn't cold/hot, she just wanted to babble to me. Ugh. I LOVED it, but I was soooo tired. She finally went to sleep at 3:45... I had to get up at 4:30 for our trip Saturday, so I just stayed awake.

So the trip started off with me having AN HOUR AND A HALF of sleep. I don't do well on no sleep. Put that on top of my nerves... and.... well..... let's just say I had to work really hard to not bite anyone's head off on the way down there.

So we get to San Angelo a little earlier than expected. And it's a good thing. We had just enough time to go through a drive-thru for lunch, change in the car and get to the CPS office.

We got to the CPS office and met the Supervisor, the CASA worker, Grandma and little B. We introduce, shake hands, exchanged gifts (I had brought stuff for Little B and she had brought about 20 outfits for Baby Girl) and I hand the baby over to Grandma for her to hold her. Baby Girl did NOT like that. She screamed and screamed. After a few minutes, Grandma handed her back to me and she immediately stopped crying. So I got her comfortable and handed her back to Grandma. I didn't know it, but this was the first time she got to hold Baby Girl. That made me sad. She was not allowed to hold this precious baby in the hospital.

Meanwhile, little B is stuck to Robert like glue. It was cute. Little B and the boys played with the toys there in the CPS play room while we talked and got to know each other a little.

I have to say, I was very impressed with Grandma. I had all these "ideas" of her in my head, and she is exactly the opposite of what I had expected. And that's a good thing.

So, after our meeting, we went back to the hotel to unload the car. (we had to so we could fit B's carseat in the car). We got in the car to take him to the park and he fell asleep. I mean a DEEP sleep, slumped over in his carseat, snoring, we COULD NOT wake him up. So we sat at the park for almost an hour.

Then it was time to meet my cousin and some family for dinner. We went to a pizza place (kind of like Chuck E Cheese) so the kids could play games. We had a nice time with the family. Little B WORE ROBERT OUT. :0)

After that, Grandma met us back at the hotel room and took B home. She hugged me too many times to count, she thanked me for taking care of Baby Girl, she gave me her cell # to call in case we ever needed anything. She was really sweet. If we get to adopt Baby Girl, I will definitely maintain contact with this sweet woman.

And Little B.... he is absolutely adorable. He is 2, all boy, it was his naptime, he was wayyyyyyyy overstimulated, probably nervous about these strange people he was with. I would love to spend some time with him that isn't so rushed, and where we can gauge his true colors.

Then I took the boys swimming and we called it a night. Got up the next morning, went to the visitors center to take pics and got back on the road.

In Dallas, we met some friends I had met online through the adoption support forum. It was so nice to finally get to meet some of these ladies (and their kids) in real life!

Then we finally got home about 7:45 Sunday night. A quick, EXHAUSTING, and fun trip.

I haven't heard from the caseworker or anyone about the visit. I'm not sure if no news is good news. I just worry so much that she fell in love with this baby and that she will want her. I am praying that is not the case, but I just don't see HOW she wouldn't want her. I find myself jumping everytime the phone rings, just imagining the caseworker calling to say they are coming to get her (like they did to us with T&T).

Ugh.... But I signed on for this, whether it be a season or a lifetime.

FIVE THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. That for the last 2 days, EVERYONE in this house has been happy. Robert is going fishing this weekend, so he is not so stressed right now. The boys are getting along great (and that is RARE). The baby is happy. And when THEY are happy, I AM HAPPY.
2. That the meeting went well.
3. That we had a safe trip.
4. The free tickets to Hawaiian Falls that an old high school friend gave me today, I have the day off Thursday for my summer day and was trying to find something free/cheap to do with the teens and the baby. This was a true blessing, $60 worth of tickets for FREE.
5. My boys helping me out when I get a little overwelmed. Little things like doing the dishes, vacuuming, putting the pacifier in the baby's mouth when she is crying and my hands are full.

Our week

Well, I can finally say.... that drama reahearsals/play is over.... soccer is over.... spring football is over.... and school is almost over! Hip Hip Hooray!!!!!

We had a great weekend. Friday, Blaine's girlfriend came over and we watched movies. She seems really sweet. She isn't drama filled like the last one, she is even keeled, she is respectful and quiet.

Saturday was supposed to be an easy day that ended up being kind of hectic but it was nice anyways. We were supposed to JUST have a soccer game and football game that day. Faith ended up having to go to the Vet again (and another follow up tomorrow for her dang ears), after that we got ready, left to go to Garrett's soccer game, met a lady off of Craig's List for a carseat, met a lady at 7-11 to give away free formula we received and can't use, then Garrett's soccer game. This was the last game of the season and they played so good, the best they've played all season. Garrett was AWESOME! Then back home to eat a bite, and then off to Blaine's football game. Back in time to bathe Princess Ruffle Bottom and put her to bed.

Can I say, this girl is a trooper!? She was awesome all day! She REALLY enjoyed the football game, watching the people (she and I will get along GREAT!), watching the cheerleaders, watching the movement on the field. She dozed a few times here and there, but she was great.

Sunday, I cleaned baseboards, doors, light switches, swept, mopped, vacuumed.... FUN!!!!!! I felt like Cindarella all over again. I know, wah wah wah.... I just wish I didn't have to spend my one day at home all day CLEANING. But that's life, right! I also did my own photos for PRB's 3 month pictures. Last month we went to Walmart, paid $60 for a few CRAPPY photos, had to deal with a weird, uncooth man... and it just wasn't worth it. So I did my own and they turned out GREAT! Sent them online to Walmart to print and $29 later I have three times more pictures. I pick them up tomorrow, so we'll see if this will be our monthly photo option.

Monday evening we had an appointment with ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) for Princess Ruffle Bottom. She is on target or advanced in all areas (like I KNEW she would be)! You go PRB! She is rolling from her belly to her back, she can scoot a 180 degree turn on her belly, she is shrieking when something makes her happy, she is discovering her feet, she is trying to roll from her back to her belly. She is going to be running around here before too long! And she gained 2 pounds this last month and 2 inches in length!

Now we are getting ready for a visit with PRB's 2 year old half-brother and maternal Grandmother on Saturday. I am excited, nervous, scared, anxious, happy, and unsure all in one. This could go so many ways, so if you feel compelled, please say a prayer for us. We are fine no matter what the outcome is, we just need some prayer for clarity, direction, wisdom and strength. We are driving to San Angelo early Saturday morning and coming home Sunday. A quick trip, but one I hope will be great just the same.

FIVE THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. My Mother, the love she pours out to this baby each and every day, the fact that I leave for work with peace knowing the baby is in good hands (I remember dropping my kids off at daycare just crying many days), the sweet things she does for us, the sweet person that she is.
2. That school is almost out, that drama, soccer and football are over. They are fun, I want my kids active in things, but near the end of it I am sooooooooo ready for a break!
3. The antibiotics I found in our medicine lockbox. I am fighting a horrible sinus infection, and these will help until I can get in to the Dr.
4. That summer days start next week at work.... My boss is awesome, he gives us a day off each week during the summer so we can do something with the kids. Awesome I tell ya'!
5. The kids, dogs, Hubby that keep me so busy around here... I get frustrated, I get tired, but life would be sooooooooooo boring without them!