Weekend Window Plus

I've just taken a whirlwind trip to Panama City and back (a 7 hour drive one way), so my brain is a little fried. I thought I'd do a little "bullet list" update on our weekend and my clan--so here ya go:

* The trip to Panama City was productive. My friend (and writing partner) Sandy and I went to present and network at a workshop for teachers.

* DH was home with the kids. I'm so thankful for this man and his willingness to be such an important part of our family and the day-to-day running of our home.

* DS 2 and I talked when I was driving north. I drove right through the town where they live. It was HARD for me to know that he was right near the interstate when I was driving by and I had to keep going! He spent the weekend at a retreat in preparation for his upcoming mission trip to Nicaragua. I am so excited for him to go. I know it will be a blessing for him.

* DS 1 and I actually connected on my way home. Sandy's daughter and SIL live in the same town...so we stopped and took the three of them to dinner. SO nice to visit with them even if it was just briefly. DS 1 is doing well...he LOVES attending all the sporting events at the University. He had been at a fencing tournament earlier in the day and even told me he went to watch "Underwater Hockey"...not sure how you watch that...but OK.

* DS 3 continues to be quite busy at school and at church. He is now transitioning to run sound and seems to enjoy it. Track season has begun and he is planning to pole vault again. I have to tell you, he amazes me at his determination with this. I am praying he has success getting over the bar this year. He has been working out a lot at the gym and really is focused on his goal. I love that about him. He knows how to keep his eyes on the goal and focus.

* DS 4 spent the last three days of last week in bed. He had a horrible cold. He seems better now. In a week's time he's asked to be homeschooled, switch classes, and/or switch schools. This made me think perhaps something was happening at school. We've dug and talked and asked and questioned. Last week he told his Dad...and today out of the blue told me...I just don't like getting up as early as we have to. I will like it better when I can get up a little later. I want to say "Welcome to life son!" The middle school years have not been my favorite with ANY of my boys...so as we face them...I covet your prayers. :-)

* LG has had a great week. She continues to adjust well and brings us all such joy with her cute little personality. I had to laugh as she played Hide-n-Seek with DS 4 yesterday. It was so sweet to listen to them as if they had been together for ever! She actually had a crying spell one night last week. I know it doesn't sound like that's a "good thing"...but I have not seen her cry once since she moved in. So...this tells me that she feels comfortable enough with us to share what's going on in her heart. It also reveals that she's a normal little girl who has had to endure some very grown-up circumstances. No one wants to be removed from their family. No one. We expect that there will be an ebb and flow of emotion anyway. I'm just glad to see it surface. I think it means that we can continue to help her take the road to stability and security.

Well...friends, that's it from my neck of the woods today. Perhaps I'll get back to more substantial "thought-blogging" one of these days. Who knows? It's a strange season I'm in. Still, I'm thankful for this outlet...even when it seems a bit superficial.

As the Year Winds Down...

I know, I know...I've been off in blogging...AGAIN! Life has been so busy and I've been neglectful. I have so much to say, but haven't taken the time to say it. Soooo...here's a recap of the last 17 days in photos and words:

It was no small miracle that the trees and decorations got put up. It's such a process at our house and this year, it was in the midst of a very busy schedule.

Things were up just in time for DS 1 to come home and enjoy a moment under the tree with DS 3 and LG.
We had a day in Tampa to take pics with family. This is a picture that DS 3 took of my DH and Me.

And here's one of our family.

My Mom gave us tickets to spend one day at Busch Gardens before the holiday. I took DSs 2, 3, and 4 and LG and some of their friends for a day up there. It was a nice day and we had a blast! DS 4 even rode his first roller coaster.

DS 3, LG and I went out one night to look at holiday lights. We found this display at a local church where the lights are synchronized to music. They had hot chocolate and cookies after you walked through their huge display.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve Service and a quiet celebration at my in-laws. Grandma was quite creative in her gift giving this year! The boys and LG loved opening each of their presents that were filled with so much LOVE!

Once again the boys indulged me and let me get them all Christmas PJ's. It is always a fun thing for me to shop for them. This year it was a little difficult because I had to also find something that would work for LG. Still...she had a blast in the mix of all these guys!

We spent Christmas Day at my Dad's house. As always it's filled with laughter, great food, and family fun!

At the beginning of this week, we loaded up DS2 and what remained of DS 1's stuff and moved them to Gainesville. Here is DH and his co-pilot LG ready to drive the truck!

DSs 1 and 2 got a very nice apartment and will be living together this semester. They seem excited to take this venture. I am reminded of when they were little...they told me they'd never be able to be apart because they were used to sharing a room. So...here they are moved in and once again, sharing living space! I'm glad they're such good friends.
After we dropped them off, DH, DS 3, LG and I went to Orlando for a couple of days. We enjoyed the Ice! Exhibit at the Gaylord Hotel. It's such an amazing thing to see and LG was simply fun to take through it!

Shoot, it was fun just having her at the hotel. She'd never been on an escalator and was THRILLED with that experience! Then, we did the glass elevator which amazed her.

While in Orlando, we met DH's brother and his family for dinner (and to pick up DS 4 who stayed with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of days). It was a lovely visit.

Yesterday, we took the family to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios. It was JAM PACKED and we ended up leaving early. There's no sense trying to get it all in when you're a Floridian and you can get up there in a non-peak season. Sooo...we dropped off my niece, had a nice dinner and headed home.

Knowing she'd never been on an escalator, you can imagine that the moving sidewalks at Universal were also a novelty for her!

That pretty much brings us here...to New Year's Eve. I had good intentions of getting Christmas completely down today, but I didn't. I have enjoyed a nap. I enjoyed the quiet. I enjoyed doing pretty much nothing.

There's no question that this has been a busy few weeks. Heck...it's been a busy life! My goal for 2010 is to learn to sit still and just enjoy some quiet moments.

I hope your December has been just as memorable and that your New Year is filled with much love and joy!!

Some Weekend Highlights and a Thought...

What a BUSY weekend!! It was filled with church stuff, family, and holiday festivities for us.

Friday, DS 1 came home for his National Guard Drill weekend. While sitting here talking to us, at about 8:00pm, he realized that he left part of his uniform at his apartment (almost 3 hours away). So, knowing that he HAD to have it, and there is no "loaner" program, he drove BACK to his apartment and BACK to our house that night. Six hours!

I had a training all day on Saturday at our school. It was good, but it was hard to get up and get there. It was a steady rain outside and honestly, I'd have rather just stayed in bed with a good book!

Saturday evening, LG and I met a team from our church to pass out goodie bags and bubble necklaces to kids at the holiday parade. I have to tell you that I had a total meltdown because five of the youth dropped off the team at the last minute. That frustrates me! My friend, Sandy, stepped in to help at the last minute. I love having sweet friends who will help like that. Here's a picture of Sandy with LG ready to go.

Anyway, we had a BLAST at the parade and kids (and their parents) were blown away that they were getting FREE stuff for no reason! It's another great outreach opportunity and way to have a positive impact on the community.

LG and I stayed at the parade with our friend Kate and her two girls. It turned a bit colder that evening...but it was PERFECT for a holiday parade. I have to say that NOW I'm feeling more like it's December and Christmas is right around the corner.

Below is a picture of LG and me at the parade I love it!

On Sunday, we had another outreach at church. Our church is providing Christmas for 16 needy kids from my school. We had a great time sorting and wrapping and preparing the gifts for these children right during the service!

While a team sorted and wrapped these gifts for local outreach...our youth pastor shared about his recent mission trip to Ethiopia.

I love it when we do this sort of thing. It's a picture of what I think the church "should" be--active and involved in the community and the world.

Sunday afternoon, I took LG to visit her younger siblings at a local park. We had a great time talking to the family they are with and playing together. It was good to see the kids. I am always amazed that LG doesn't push back when we go to leave those visits. She loves going and loves visiting, but she also loves coming home.

Sunday evening, DSs 2 and 3 helped us get out the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic. My guys are totally used to me at this time of year and just indulge me as we I decorate. Seriously, they help a bit. I love it that they just "do their thing" to help make it happen--and don't mind my mini-"moments" that sometimes occur during the process. I've got one tree up and a few more to go. The boxes are sorted into their rooms for decoration. I am feeling pretty calm amidst that chaos.

To sum up our weekend: It was busy, but fulfilling. VERY fulfilling!

Holiday Reflections...

What a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday we have had! Of course, I was a bit whiny that my colleagues in other counties had the entire week off...but we made the most of having three days and the weekend.

Thursday morning, I took LG over to her Grandma's to visit with her brothers and cousins that she hasn't seen since she moved here. She and I had a visit with her Grandma and we've visited her younger siblings. But she had not seen her older brothers and cousins.

I have to be honest, I wondered what this would be like. I had never been to Grandma's home. This was the place she and the other kids were removed from a little over a month ago. And, honestly, if it were me in my 8yo body, I probably would not have wanted to leave my family and return to a foster family.

But there was none of that. She had a great time visiting. We took pictures so she can have them for her own scrapbook/room. It was nice talking with the boys and her Aunt/Uncle who have them. And Grandma was happy to share some of the things she wanted LG to have as she prepares to move to a smaller home.

LG and I came home in time to visit with our family and begin our own celebration. It was a great day shared with the blessing of family. DH did a great job preparing the turkey as usual. We served up buffet style and brought tables in to the living room so we could share the meal together.

This year we bought "real" glasses for the mashed potato bar. The kids seemed to enjoy doctoring up their potatoes and preparing them for eating.

Here's part of the group settling in to the meal:

And here's the other part of the group:


After dinner it was great fun playing corn hole and enjoying the beautiful weather! One of the blessings this year was having DS 1 home. Last year he had just begun Basic Training. This year he was able to be here for a good portion of the weekend with us. I know DS 4 enjoyed it--he really misses the guys when they are not home.
LG and DS 2 enjoyed hanging out on the back porch and visiting after the meal.
DS 3 played corn hole in his "special outfit". Do you suppose it helped him? I think they won...so who knows for sure??

We paused to take some family group shots. I think this one is going to be our Christmas card this year. It CRACKED me UP and says quite a lot about this zany family of mine!



I hope your holiday was also filled with special memories and moments!

It might be November, BUT...

I'm celebrating MOTHER'S DAY!

What a weekend I have had! It's been one that has taken my mind to that day in May when I remember just how proud and blessed I am to be a Mother.

Friday night my entire family (minus DS 1 who is away at school) went to the David Crowder* Band Concert. It was awesome! Although I didn't get a great pic of all of us there, you can see us there seated and ready for the music to start. While watching the kids interact, DH leaned over to me and said, "If you didn't know, you wouldn't know." He's right.

Saturday, LG and I went to an appointment for her in the morning and then to the Farmer's Market. It was as natural as could be for us to be walking downtown and enjoying the fresh fruits and veggies down there.

In the afternoon, DSs 2, 4, LG and I went to the aquarium to help DS 2 get some homework done for his Oceanography class. I loved it when LG thought the eel was saying her name. Here she is mimicking the eel's mouth movement "saying her name": Saturday night we had a wonderful dinner when DS 1 stopped over. It was the first time that we ate with all five kids at the table. For me, it was a very special moment watching the natural ebb and flow of family conversation over dinner.

This morning, we went to church and LG came out afterward and handed me a card she made for me during kids' church. I have to share it cause it absolutely speaks for itself (I covered her name in the second photo:


After church, DS 3, LG and I went to lunch and enjoyed some time together. They helped me run a couple of errands.

We closed out the weekend with an evening trip to a brand new park in town. Here is one of my favorite pictures of LG and DS 4 playing there:

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We enjoyed ourselves. We enjoyed each other. The family thread was woven through each moment. For me, the Mother in our house, it was just perfect and, in the words of LG, filled with LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

It was BEAUTIFUL...

Our weekend was simply wonderful! The weather was GREAT! It was mild and sunny with no humidity. It's the weather that people who live in Florida brag about at this time of year.

Beyond the weather, though, it was a great time for our family.

Friday, DS 1 came home. It's so nice to see him and spend time visiting with him. He and his brother (my DS 2) played in a Ultimate Frisbee tournament on Saturday.

Saturday morning I took LG to an appt. with a new counselor. They use play therapy to help work out thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. The counselor gave LG the option to have me in the session or not. She asked me to come.

While watching them work together, I was once again amazed at the power of play! I've seen this sort of session before when we had other foster children. But I just love watching it. These counselors use toys and conversation to help kids get into their own heads.

For example, LG was playing at a sand table. The counselor told her it was a story table where she could make her own story. Then she opened this drawer with a ton of toys inside...animals, trees, people, and other things. She watched LG arrange them in the sand and listened to her words. Every so often she'd ask probing questions about the characters, setting, or problem of the scene. Through these questions, the counselor (and even I) was able to get a glimpse into LG and her thought process. Fascinating.

Saturday afternoon we had our church's Fallfest. It was a free outreach event for the community. We had food, games, prizes, and inflatables. It was great fun. Here are a couple of pictures of that event:

The picture above is DS 4 trying out my "fall scene" for photos.

Here's LG giving it a try.

And DS 3 is dreaming of being in the sky rather than at the festival!

I have to tell you when my team leads these things I always worry. What if no one shows up? I mean that's a little scary! I explained to the team that it didn't matter if ONE person showed up, it was about being a presence on the corner where we are located. It was as much about the perception of the cars driving by. And it was a good time to minister to a few people and get to know our own church family.

It wasn't an overwhelming attendance, but it was a constant flow.

The thing that was so exciting was to see just how many people showed up for the church service yesterday! This is not the total purpose of the event, but it's nice to know that it was an entry ramp for some people.

The rest of Sunday was spent cleaning and digging out in some of the rooms in our house. (We steam cleaned the carpets in two bedrooms. It was quite productive.

So, there you have it, a glimpse into our weekend! I hope yours was just as lovely.

Like a Glove...

In so many ways, LG fits into our family like a glove--a missing puzzle piece found. It has been a HUGE blessing to see her interact with each of the boys. I think she loves all the positive attention that she receives from them. And I also think that she loves "helping" me overcome the HUGE problem of being the only girl in the house! :-) She told my DS 3 last week, "It's a good thing [Susan] has another girl in the house so she doesn't have to shop alone!" I love knowing that there's someone else who "gets" me! (LOL)

It was a BUSY week last week, thus my blogging waned. I am sorry.

Friday and Saturday she spent the day with my niece, H, my DS 4, and DH's Mom and Dad. Wow, did LG have a BLAST! She barely wanted to come home! Here they are blowing bubbles in the driveway.

And here are the girls playing "Polly Pockets" and "Littlest Pet Shop"...a great thing for LG. We are still collecting "girl" things in our house for her to play with. My wonderful MIL saved the day with these finds!I have to say that LG's village is just as much of a blessing as the boys!
Friends at work helped pull the Cinderella costume together in a BIG way! It's so nice to know that there are so many people wanting to reach out and breathe positive into this young girl's life. The drama teacher had the top. LG and I found the bottom (a bridesmaid dress from Goodwill) and my sweet friend Sandy hemmed it up for us. Our ESE teacher accessorized us to the nines!
We held a Block Party/Open House at our house on Halloween night. There she was able to meet even more of our extended family. Here she is with my nieces and nephew ready to hit the street for treats! She and my niece, K, were both princesses. So fun!

DS 1 came home for the Frisbee Nationals this weekend. It was fun having him around too! Here he is in his "Ultimate Frisbee" Halloween costume!DS 3 put on his 80's Outfit from spirit week at school last week. He CRACKS me UP with all of his spirit costumes! I need to make him model each one so I can get pics. They are hysterical! Honestly some of his family have been asking if he's been abducted by aliens. He's having a blast, though, and that's what matters!DS 2 had the all important job of going to the airport to pick up DH. He's been gone for 17 days and honestly we were missing him! He did pose for a picture with his Aunt before he left the party!Here are some of my sweet friends from church who came to help hand out cold water, "adult sized" candy bars, and treat bags to more than 200 people who dropped by throughout the evening! And here are the kids "trying out" the church treat table in our front yard!

Of course, we have the annual "I-show-off-my-loot" picture! LG had melted down and turned from Princess to "wicked witch" by this time (which is a whole OTHER blog), so only DS 4 was willing to oblige me and my camera for this picture. Gotta love the beach look on Halloween!
So, there you have it...a brief update from my neck of the woods. Honestly, this whole turn of events has reminded me just how blessed I am! I have much for which to be thankful. Our extended family have opened their arms and hearts to LG as if she's always been here. My friends continue to support me in unexpected and sweet ways. Our nuclear family is just abounding with compassion and joy.

I'm telling you, there are no riches worth more than that kind of love!