Other Cuties

Self-portrait.  I love this little face.

Is that a smug, pleased look?  I’m cracking up!

Possibly another self-portrait.  They are getting older and taking liberties with my camera.

Ellie made treats.  She enjoys being in the kitchen with me the most.  She’s also the most dramatic, shown here.

Earthbound Organic in Carmel.  Too bad the corn maze got ruined in a rainstorm.  The pumpkins were plentiful though.  So many kinds and I love the pumpkin etching!

Carmel River State Beach.  It was a picture perfect day to remember.  The kids could have played all day, but we didn’t bring enough sun protection.

We made a sort of lean-to for a shady spot.  It was better than nothing.

The kids go through phases of getting great joy out of surprising me with breakfast on Saturday mornings.  They will get Niya out of bed and feed her a banana or Cheerios and take on baking something.  Most recently it has been German pancakes.  They look the recipe up on allrecipes.com and then carry out the whole project, unassisted.  Oven, mixer, etc.  Yes, the kitchen is a disaster afterwards, but just look at those little tea light candles on the table.  They didn’t forget the eggs, blueberries, or bananas either.  They are a bit humble and don’t want the picture, but I insist.

Niya Beth

Our little Niya Beth.  She loves shoes of all sorts, with a special affinity for flip-flops.

She loves all the big kids and they love her too, but Ellie loves her in a special way.  Ellie reads to Niya, hugs Niya, and puts Niya to bed just because she wants to.

I was previously not supposed to post pictures of Niya on blogs, Facebook, etc.  However, now that her biological mother and father’s parental rights are terminated, we got the green light.  Here’s to adoption, which is currently scheduled for Dec 28, 2011!

She is a true cutie pie.

Birthday ballerina

Niya, how old are you?  “Two.” (She can’t quite fold the thumb down yet.)

Standing next to the picture of herself the night two nervous strangers came to the women’s shelter to take her to their house.  That was 14 1/2 months ago at the time of this photo (now 16 1/2 months ago).  She was 9 months old and a very tiny 13 pounds.  Now she is “average” on the growth chart.  In this case, average makes us happy.  I think she is happy too.

Fake smile.

Repeat.

 

Shutterfly, Shutterfly, Happy All Day!

Did you ever hear that Barney song: “Butterfly, butterfly, fly, fly away.  Butterfly, butterfly, happy all day.” I think you really could make many people Happy All Day with Shutterfly cards, books, and other photo gifts.  I was just looking at some of their items. 

Being a military spouse, the Fleece Photo Blanket struck me as a good gift for children who have a parent on deployment.  I wonder which of my kids would get the blanket?  Maybe we would have to rotate each night!  Do you think Chris would want one with a picture of the kids and I?

Can you believe November is half way over already?  That means it is my Momma’s birthday, and that much closer until Chris’ return in December.  Yippee!  It goes without saying, but with December comes Christmas and with Christmas comes cards.  I’m not normally “on it” when it comes to Christmas cards, but this year, OH YEAH.  I feel like the little planner because we actually thought ahead enough to have our family photo done in SEPTEMBER before Chris left.  I know.  Very un-Wendy.  Now, I probably won’t have these in the mail the first few days of December like some of you manage to do, but I still feel like I’m moving in the right direction. 

Have you checked out the assortment of Christmas photo cards from Shutterfly lately?  They have no shortage of options, and very customizeable too.  I love how you can adjust the photo size, text, and even colors.  The variety of styles and layouts is practically endless!  The hardest part will definitely be deciding which one to choose.  Thankfully they have a handy refine option to help narrow it down.  For example:

What dimensions would you like?  Flat or folded?  Color?  Number of photos?  Photo paper or card stock?  Economy or a bit more special?

I just discovered Shutterfly’s thank you card assortment as well.  I am glad I did!  What a fun way for the kids to write their birthday and Christmas thank you notes on their own personalized stationary.  These aren’t limited to having the words “thank you” on the card so they could be versatile for corresponding with friends, etc.  The wheels are churning for Christmas gift ideas.  One Auntie has already asked what the kids want for Christmas.  In my ideal world gifts are practical as well as useful and personalized stuff is always a hit!

I don’t know how long this coupon will last, but I saw a 40% off code on the website.  Use it while you can!  CARD40

***While I am receiving Shutterfly credit for this post, all opinions are my own and I do love Shutterfly!***

Something New…

As you know, we have been a home school family for forever. . . until today.  The kids went to school in a school building, with other students, wearing uniforms, and having new teachers for the first time.

They didn’t notice the tears in my eyes as I kissed them good-bye and whispered last minute reminders in each child’s ear.  They were too excited about their new surroundings to think of how sad mom might be to send all three of them off on the same day.  Nobody wanted me to take a picture of them in the new classroom.  Boo.

Upon coming home without them, I had a sad, empty feeling inside.  Niya was asking about Adeline for much of the morning.  She missed them too.  We got along okay and a walk with my neighbor friend helped me feel less teary.  Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and the baby’s nap.  I managed to tidy up a bit and had a quick phone chat with another friend.  Suddenly the time was over and it was back upstairs to get Niya so we could go get the big kids.  Back to the school we went.  At 10 trips to the school per week, surely I’ll be able to do the 6+ minute drive in my sleep before long.

The after school report was very energetic.  Each had lots to tell and was pleased with the first day.  They unanimously want to go back and agree that it is going to be a great year!

7

How did my little Aiden get to be seven already?  I love this little face!  I love that he loves his baby sister and is best friends with his big sisters.  I love his excitement & energy.  I love that he loves to be active outdoors and is good at anything with wheels or sports related.  I love that he will still run to me for a big hug and kiss when he has hurt himself and I love that he wants to be like his daddy.  Oh, and those freckles, dimples and red hair are scrumptious too!

8

8 is great.  Even if you just cut off your own eyebrows and eyelashes.  Obviously it didn’t inhibit her birthday fun.  Thankfully they have grown back as good as new and hopefully it will be a year full of more wonderful learning opportunities.  Actually there was a sort of self made hickey smack in the middle of her forehead recently.  It was from a shower suction cup.  You know, the kind that holds the shower accessory holder firmly to the wall.  Yeah.  I hope she doesn’t keep experimenting with her face.

10

There is a 10 year old in our midst.  Well, it’s been 3 months, but I couldn’t fail to mention it.  I chose this photo (and cropped a whole lot) even though it wasn’t with the cake or a gift because this is Adeline’s true smile.  It often doesn’t get documented since there is a camera smile too, you know.   But it isn’t as lovely as this.Here’s the secret to her smile.  She loves animals and is a wonderful big sister too.

 

Yummy

This is the photo I wanted to put at the bottom of the Feb 6 post.  Thanks to my husband’s incredible computer problem solving abilities I can now share it with you.

Court Report

This is a pretty old court report, but I had referred to it in February and then never updated.  I’m bad like that.  Things went in our favor after a few week delay from the mother contesting the findings in February.  However, her reasons were unfounded and then she failed to show up for the rescheduled hearing in March.  That may be confusing, but the bottom line is they are no longer trying for family reunification because birth mom made no progress on her case plan.

Birth mom dropped out of the picture shortly after that in March.  We haven’t seen or heard from her since.  There haven’t been any more visits between her and Niya since she has been out of contact.  I thought the visits would taper down as we neared adoption, but since she went missing it was cold turkey instead.  This came unexpectedly to me as she had been regularly in the picture from July through March.  She missed about 50% of the time, but had always come back eventually until then.

I am sad for her loss and her whole life situation.  However, this makes things more easy on us.  There isn’t weekly drama with the latest development and why we will or won’t have a visit, etc.  It is sad that she didn’t use the resources they gave her while they were available to make a change in her life.  Those resources may still be there through this or that agency, but not as easily accessible as they were while trying to “win” or “work” back her daughter.  She probably felt defeated and just gave up once they ruled that the possibility of reunification was over.  It is sad since she could have continued visiting Niya at least through the fall.

I’d be dishonest though if I didn’t repeat how it simplifies our weekly routine.  We were constantly waiting for a phone call to see if the visit was on or off that morning.  On visit days always waiting to see if it would be plan A or plan B.  (Plan A if the visit goes as scheduled or Plan B if she doesn’t call and it gets cancelled.)  So many people to connect with and make sure nobody got the call from birth mom.  “Oh, that person isn’t calling by 9 a.m.  I better call to make sure.  She didn’t answer.  Maybe this person knows.”  It was very time consuming.

The next court date is June 22.  It is scheduled to terminate her (& his) parental rights.  Also, to name us as the people pursuing the adoption.  That is nothing new to us, but not all foster parents are adoptive parents so it is the next formal piece in the puzzle.  Things are progressing in our favor and as mentioned previously, adoption could be finalized as early as the fall.

Friends

A lot can happen in four months and that is precisely why I’m never quite sure where to pick up again after such a long while away from the blog.  It is also why I delayed starting a blog for so many years in the first place!  However, I always go back to how much I enjoy seeing my friends update their pages.  I love seeing how the kids are growing even though we don’t get to talk in real life as much as we did when we lived right around the corner.  Obviously this blog isn’t as much for the friends next door, but the ones we wish were right next door.

Have you ever been blessed with an excellent neighbor?  I hope so.  I know I have.  You know the one.  The kids play together.  You need an egg.  She needs some milk.  You know their daily schedule and highlights on the calendar because it ebbs and flows with your own.  You call them first with news or a quick question.  An exercise partner.  A lawnmower borrower.  A blessing, no doubt.  We have neighbor friends like that now.  It has been about a year since it all began and will characterize the way we remember this assignment.  I have friends like that from each place we’ve lived.  They aren’t always immediate neighbors, but it is icing on the cake when they are.  Treasures from Heaven.  Dear friends.  I hope you have that too.