Yup, she's mine

Last week Kati got in the van from school overly excited.
 "Momma, guess what all the 3rd graders got at school today!" 

"What's that Bug?"

"Everybody got their own dictionary and we get to keep them!"

"For like ever or you have to give it back at the end of the year?"

"Forever!"
When of my favorite Christmas presents of all time what a book set my mother got me.  It had a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a spelling book.  I still have them today, nearly two decades later.

Another way I see that she is mine;
Recently I walked past Kati's room after she was sent to bed and saw her reading a book on a school night.  That's nothing new but I had her put the book away because she is a cranky pants in the morning and I think it is from her late night reading.  The next night I passed her room after bed time and peeked in at her.  Sound asleep, or so she appeared.  It usually takes Bug awhile to fall asleep so I decided to call her out on it, "Where's the book Bug?"  I saw a mischievous grin spread across her face as she raised up on her elbow and pulled a book out from under the covers.


She is defintly Jeff's too. 
"Momma, guess what.  At school today Ms. so-and-so gave us a tricky math problem and only three people got the answer right and I was one of them!"

I am not at all surprised.  I hear things similar to this very often. "What was it?"

"We had to figure out three, three.  I can't remember the word but it starts with a c.  Three something numbers-"

"Consecutive?"

"Yeah, that's it.  Three consecutive numbers that add up to 90.  Me and two other people were the only ones who got it right.  Then Ms. so-and-so had us go around and help other people!"

Me-deep in thought, eyebrows knit together, crickets quietly chirping.......

Yup, she is Jeff's too.  I knew enough to start by dividing by 3 and past that my brain would go no further.  I worried when she got into the gifted class I wouldn't be of any help and it looks like I was right.  At least she has her dad to help her when she gets stumped. 

Don't forget

It can be easy to just see the bio family as the "bad guys" and most people would agree.  Our MAPP class spent lots of time trying to get us to "build the bridge", meaning to build a relationship with them.  It sounds kind of nuts but when remember that the states goal is reunification (being returned to their family) it doesn't seem so crazy anymore.  These children are brought into your home and you fall in love.  When they are, possibly, returned to their family if you have any hope of seeing that child you will need to have built that relationship with the family beforehand.

That thought is somewhat easy to come to in class but once you have the children in your home sometimes it can be forgotten when you see the effects on the children from being "raised" by their bio family.

God doesn't want me to forget that when we were going threw our classes that I prayed our family would be a light for Christ.  Just recently while going threw my bible study I feel Christ was trying to remind me of my original goal of being a light, "have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" James 2:4b
Also I read, from Beth Moore's book, "When He who was, who is, and who is to come sees each one of us, He sees who we were, who we are, and who we will become."
It just reminded me that no matter my thoughts of their families God loves them still.  Hard fact to swallow but true.

If you are reading this in the morning please be in prayer today, thank you.

Big Green Hug

Too help Mr. with bonding and attachment issues he gets swaddled 1-3, or more, times a day for at least 10 minutes at a time in a large green sheet.  When the kids saw this they wanted to be a part and get their turn too.  It didn't take but one turn for them to decide the swaddling part wasn't for them.  So it went from a swaddle to just green covers and from there to getting to read books with me, usually in the morning before we start our day and at night before bed.  The kids love it!

Two of a kind

These two boys just love playing with each other.  It is so fun to watch Bo be a big brother.  He takes his job very seriously!  He, of course, has to pick on Mr. but he also sticks up for him if someone else bothers him, claiming "Hey, that's my brother!"  He also feels personally responsible for laughs, or I should say lack of laughs, coming from that chubby face.

Never want to forget

Very often while we walk to school the kids play "Mario".  They find berries and make them "fire pluckers".  They imagine "the big red meany", he is the flying red mushroom.  While they walk atop the barrier lava flows below them.  Bowser always lurks somewhere nearby.  There is lots of jumping and running and sound effects.

I pray my forgetful mind chooses these memories to hold onto.

Two months

As of today we have had Mr. Cuter Tooter for two months.  What a two months they have been!  We have seen him grow and it is such a blessing. When he came to our home he could say about 3 words clearly.  Since he has come to stay with us he has learned a few more words and is understanding the concept of signing and can sign a few things on his own.  He can sign hurt, more, bread and food.  He tries to sign help, water and sometimes thank you. He understands our signing (without speaking) medicine, food, more, and I believe drink.

Mr. has delays and other things that need addressing.  Ordinarily it takes months before "services" can be put into place.  It is such a blessing but he is already being evaluated for services.  Jeff and I are so grateful.

Wanted

"You know I'd fall apart without you
I don't know how you do what you do
'Cause everything that don't make sense about me
It makes sense when I'm with you"

There is no way I could do all of this without God and Jeff.

I am so blessed to have a support system.