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| There is lots going on. Most families add kids one at a time and have around 9 months to prepare. This afternoon we met the two children who will be part of our family for the next year or so. The oldest, is a 4-year-old girl, but she will be 5 in February. The youngest just turned 3 in December. As soon as he saw Jesse, he jumped into Jesse's arms, gave him a big hug and sat on his lap for quite a while. They are both adorably cute with very blond hair and bright blue eyes. We met at McDonalds so that the kids could play in the Playplace. They had fun. On Sunday, they will come to visit our house so that they can see where they are going to live. Then probably early next week (maybe as soon as Monday), as soon as the legal papers are all sorted out and in place, they will be placed in our home for at least a year (at least, that is the current plan). Pray for these two kiddos as they make yet another transition. Pray for us as we are suddenly parents of 2 traumatized children with some pretty severe emotional and behavioral issues. And they really are beautiful children! By the way, I am all the way up to 1985 in my Newbery book readings! P.S. Does anybody have any advice on potty-training? | | |
| ...that it has again been a long time since I posted. I say that every time. And I said it again! Anyway, here's what we have been up to...
*We bought a house! It is about 3 blocks away from our old apartment, .01 miles from my classroom and about .5 miles from the Library. Please come visit. We have lots of room for you. In fact, we probably have enough room for everybody who reads my Xanga to come visit all at once.
*We moved. I hate moving. Going to a new place is fine, but the packing up and cleaning and more cleaning and unpacking and stuff is not so enjoyable. There are still boxes and such all over. BUT, there is definitely progress being made. Once we get stuff more or less in order, I will post pictures.
*We finished our DHS foster care training. Yay! We still have some paperwork to do, and they are coming on Wednesday for our Home Study. Which means that we should have the house in inspectable order before then. It is a good thing that Wednesday is a whole 3 days away, huh...
*We started our Therapeutic Foster Care training. We are going to be so well trained...and so well paper-worked.
*I have GREAT kiddos at school...they are cute and nice and smart...they get most of that from their teacher, I think!
 This is one of my little angels, right after eating an ice-cream sandwich. I am not so sure how much she ATE and how much she WORE, but I am sure that she enjoyed it either way!
*We got a pet ferret. He was a present from somebody who didn't want a pet ferret. His name is Sir Merit the Ferret. He is cute, fuzzy and very social. Many books that I have read compare ferrets to "ADHD preschoolers on double espresso". Who does THAT remind you of?
*Jesse is taking 6 hours worth of class, I am taking 6 hours worth of class, we are both working, both going to foster care class, both working on getting the house moved into, and other such things. It is fun, but we are about ready for things to slow down a bit. Or maybe a lot...
*I am up to 1960 (Onion John) in my Newbery Book reading. Somehow, I haven't had that much time to read recently...at least, not read fun books. I have read "How the Brain Learns", "How the Special Needs Brain Learns", "Behavior Management that Works", "It's Not All About Me", and "Exceptional Lives", though. So I guess I have been doing plenty of reading lately.
*I have homework to do tonight, so I should get busy...Leave me notes!
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| CONGRATULATIONS, JENNY AND DAVID!
 (I can't post a real picture, but I am sure she is cuter than the rattle!) 
CONGRATULATIONS, SETH AND JULIE!  Awww...
In other, somewhat less exciting news, I have finished a whole week of school, and so far, I have great kiddos! For example,
 On the second day of school, these three worked together to build a fairly impressive city. When they were finished, they worked together to put all the blocks back on the correct shelves!
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| YAY! I am all finished with my summer classes (for a grand total of 15 hours, out of the 35 required...almost halfway done!). So far, so good... Happy Anniversary to us! We had our SECOND whole anniversary. We celebrated by going to class (me) and work (Jesse). That really wasn't the celebration. We really celebrated by skipping Bible Study and going to Chick-fil-a at the mall. The nice Brazilian restaurant that we planned to go to had closed. But we did go get steaks from Calahan's on a different day. So we actually went out several times! Happy Anniversary MONTH! Happy Birthday to me! Charity and Laura and Tina made a surprise party while Jesse and I were watching a movie. We came back, and POOF! Balloons, cakes, and ice-cream makers! It was great! That was actually the day before my birthday. On my actual birthday, we celebrated by sitting in foster care class all day. And then it rained and poured that evening, which was very pretty. We are all done with foster care classes, except for one, which will be at the end of August. And we still need a car. We are re-arranging our house. It is a BIG mess right now (if you come visit, you have to come in only one door, as the other won't open currently). We had to move our big giant desk downstairs so that we could set up the bunkbeds in the kid's room. That way, we have a room for foster kiddos. Anybody want to buy a queen sized mattress? We have to make room down in the living room for the giant desk, so we are moving all the furniture around. (Which is why you can't use the other door...the table is up against that temporarily) On Saturday we are flying away to Colorado! Fortunately, nobody can break in while we are gone, since they can't get the door open...hehehe! Actually, we plan to have the house clean by then. And we get to go to Seth's wedding. And see lots of people. And then it will be time to come back and start getting ready for school again. So much for summer! P.S. Did I tell you that I am reading all of the Newbery Award books? The first one (The Story of Mankind-1922) is not very fun, so I skipped it for a while. Except for that one, I have read through Thimble Summer-1939, except for Waterless Mountain-1932, which the library did not have, but Jesse got it for me for my birthday, so I am going to read it as soon as I can convince myself to finish The Story of Mankind. :) | | |
| You know, summer is not overly fun when you have to go to class all day long! Mary, you are my hero for putting up with so many grad classes! Of course, I shouldn't whine, because I only have 10 more class periods left. But seriously, class from 8-1 shouldn't really be counted as only one class period. Why is it that spending 8 hours a day in a classroom with 20 4-year-olds is MUCH less tiring than sitting in a classroom listening? Not that I am not learning lots, because I am, and really it isn't that difficult of work, and it is pretty interesting too. But it just isn't a lot of FUN to drive all the way to Bentonville every day and listen to your professor who is in Searcy. Did you know that there are about 250 miles between here and Searcy? We started our foster care classes...finished 2 of them, so there are only...um...7 left, I think. And I think we are getting a bunkbed Friday. Now all we have to do is make room for it! PLUS, it hasn't even been 20 days since I last posted...aren't you proud of me? | | |
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