Snow Day?

Last night the weather got a little crazy, for Texas anyway. It started sleeting around 5pm and continued off and on through the night. At some point we even got a little snow! All schools were delayed for 2 hours at first, but then around 6am on Friday, they closed. As I was getting comfortable in bed thinking I was going to get to sleep in, Joshua busted through the door asking if it was snowing! Good bye to sleeping in! The other two littles followed soon there after in getting up. The older two wanted to go outside so bad, and who am I to say no, even if it was 7:00am. I knew it wouldn't last long and soon would start melting away. They loved it! There wasn't a lot obviously, but they didn't care! That's the beauty of children, they didn't care that is was not covering the ground completely or that it was freezing, all they saw was a chance to play in the snow. I couldn't take the cold anymore, so they moved to the backyard and continued their fun. They eventually came in and Joshua declared it was the best "snow day" ever! So the sleet/slow is starting to melt away and we are spending the rest of the day inside, taking it easy and enjoying our "snow day"!


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M.I.A.

I can't believe it has been 4 months since I have blogged.  Man, alot has happened in these past 4 months.  I am not going to recount everything that has gone on, but highlight the big stuff, like Joshua is halfway through Kindergarten, we celebrated 3 birthdays(2 were 4 days apart), Halloween, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New years.  Part of the reason, why I have not blogged in a while is because I feel quilty

posting only about Joshua.  Since the girls are foster children, I can't post any pics or use their names.  I know how much everyone loves pictures and lets face it, that is a huge part of blogging and what everyone wants to see.  I have 3 kids and if I can't post about all of them, then I don't feel it is worth it.  I am just being honest here.  The other reason is I just either run out of hours in the day or I just run out of energy.  I know I have said this before, but it is the truth.  By the time I can sit down to blog, it is usually 8:30 or 9:00, and all I want to do is either sit and watch TVLand or go to bed.  I suppose I could get up early and blog but I cherish every single minute I can have my eyes shut.  We have done alot of fun things and I have tons of pictures to document said fun times, but I can't post any of them, because of the rules for fostering. 

I will say that everyone is doing well, and we have a sweet, and very busy 15 month old and a tinkerbell loving 4 yr old who is a girly girl through and through and a 6 yr old who thinks he is a ninja turtle or spiderman(depending on the day).  All 3 keep us very busy! The blogging has taken a backset for many reasons, but I will try to blog again before 4 more months go by. 

How the Other TWO Spend Thier Day

So, there are two more still at home while Johsua is at school, and I thought I would let you all in on their day.  Sorry, there will be no pictures as I can not post pictures of them on the internet, because they are foster kiddos.  Believe me if I could post pictures I most certainly would!!

Here we go:

Wake up when Big brother does, because we all get the pleasure of taking him to school.  Get home from taking brother and then there is the big decision on what to eat for breakfast.  The oldest, who is 3 starts off with saying she wants cereal, after I get said cereal, she then changes her mind and says she wants waffles.  I make her waffles and when they are placed in front of her she proclaims they are not her favorite  and then I proclaim back that "I don't care, and its what she asked for so she needs to eat it!" Her response, because she always feels she has to have the last word is, "I asked for cereal!! 

Play in the living room with the oldest and youngest. Babies, tents, its up to her.  While trying to play with her, the baby plays her own little game of hide and seek.  Once I discover her and put her where I can see her and continue to play with the oldest, the littlest is off again this time I find her under the side table with all the magazines pulled down.  This is actually repeated several times through out the day. She thinks its the best game ever of course, I feel like I am on a never ending hunt and find mission.  Almost always there are tears from both the oldest and the littlest one.  Over what, you might ask?  I would like to know, myself, but when I ask the 3 yr old, she proceeds to tell me nothing every time.  Baby takes a nap or maybe not! I try to do a little bit of work or maybe not! Lunch is another one of those tough decisions.  Luckily the baby will eat just about anything I put in front of her, because I have to fight the battle with indesisive over what she wants for lunch.  It usually ends with PB&J and a banana.  Naptime for the oldest goes smoothly for the most part unless I forget to say quiet time and instead say naptime and then there is more crying, which only proves that she needs to take a NAP!!!  Baby sometimes decides to treat me and take a nap at the same time, which is HEAVEN!!!!  My "heaven" usually last about 45 minutes.  The baby gets up and starts demanding a snack.  The baby is only 10 months old, so when I say demand, I mean she asks using her signing of "more" and then if the food doesn't magically appear, she begins to slam her hands on the high chair and squeal, which eventually turns into a scream!  The oldest wakes up just in time for us to go pick up Joshua from school.  Load em up and move em out!  Baby screams and fights me because she doesn't want to get in the carseat, and the oldest forgot something that she just has to have for the 2 min car ride.  Finally, get to the school only to wait in the dreaded car pool line, to which should be faster, but it isn't.  There is not a groove to the system yet!  The baby falls asleep but then wakes up because the car stopped moving and proceeds to scream for the next 10-15 minutes while we wait, which I get to hear from the oldest, she is crying so loud, stop crying baby!  Oh, thank you for that!  I wasn't aware that there was a screaming baby directly behind me!!!  Big brother gets in the car and we head home or to therapy depending on what day it is.  You can see that it is quite eventful here with us 3 while brother is at school!  We all love when daddy walks through the door! 

We Survived The First Day of Kindergarten

 I have "We" in the title of the post, because I am including myself as having survived the whole day with minimal tears while he was at school.  The alarm went off at 6:00 this morning, but I was up around 5:45.  I woke Joshua up around 6:20 and I was a little nervous, because he is not the happiest person first thing in the morning, and pressuring him to hurry and something makes matters worse, but he did well with getting up and moving.  My nerves were all over the place, but I did my best to hide them.  When it was time for us to start loading up, he looked at me as he held his blankets and said "Mommy I am scared!"  I actually had to open the fridge and pretend to look for something while I tried to get myself under control, because I told myself not to cry in front of him.  Not because I dont like showing emotion, but it makes him nervous to see me cry and I didn't want that the first day.

 So we walked out the house around 7:15, took the famous first day of school pic, which he hammed it up for me!  We then loaded the car as a family of five and headed to take Joshua to school.  They can enter the school starting at 7:20, and we happen to be in walking distance, so it didn't take us that long to get there.  The front of the school was crowded!! Joshua squeezed my hand super tight, but I didn't mind, because at least he wanted to hold my hand( I know the day will come when he want, so I will take the circulation being cut off for now).  He seemed excited and kept smiling and jumping and giving me loads of hugs (sweet boy).

 After we walked in and signed into the office for our "vistor" tag, we walked to the cafeteria, this is where I think we both began to feel the reality of what was about to happen.  His table with class and teacher was right when we walked in.  We took 3 steps in and he froze.  Like his feet had glue on the bottom and he would move.  I knelt down and said it was going to be ok, we needed to go say hello to Miss Zuris, and sit down.  He still didn't move.  Finally, Dan was able to coax him forward.  He hid behind me the whole time, but eventually sat down.  His school provides breakfast for all the kids, so, even though he had already eaten breakfast at home, he chose to have some orange juice while he waited for the bell to ring. 

 Finally the moment came where we had to say goodbye.  I gave him a hug, ok I gave him like 3 long hugs, and then had to walk away because the water works started.  Dan assured me that when he looked back, Joshua was fine and drinking his orange juice.  The look in the picture below was what we got when we told him it was time for us to go and he had to stay all by himself.  Say What?!?!

I went on about my day, trying to keep myself busy, which wasn't too hard.  My schedule stays pretty full.  Joshua seemed to have a busy day as well(the class schedule looked busy, but fun).  2:30 couldn't come fast enough.  The carpool lane drove me absolutely insane.  I was the 6th car in line, and it was so chaotic that I saw Joshua come out, but I couldn't get out to get him.  So I waited and waited.  It was so hard seeing him sit there, but not be able to get him.  But, rules are rules and all that matters in the end is that I got him.  His teacher finally saw me waving and brought him to the car.  She told me that he had a great day.  When I asked him, he told me he didn't want to talk.  I was expecting that.  I am sure his brain was buzzing from everything that he had done today.  He finally told Dan that he had such a fun time on his first day of Kinder!  Tomorrow will be a whole new day, with me dropping off all by myself, and I think I will park and wait out front instead of sitting in the never ending carpool line.  So, I only cried the one time today, pretty proud of myself for that.  Joshua didn't cry or meltdown at all either!  So, I call that a win for everyone.  YAY for surviving the first day of school!!!

A Letter to My Kindergartner

Dear Joshua, as I sit here tonight on the eve of your first day of Kindergarten, I can't help but think back almost 6 years ago, holding you in my arms, just a few weeks old and thinking to myself Kindergarten seems so far away right now, but here we are!

                                These past 5 years have flown by!  I really do feel like I have blinked and now you are entering your first year of school.  I hope that your dad and I have taught you enough to feel confident with yourself, to know who you are and to stand up for what you believe in.  Your desk at school seems so big to me, but I pray it is the perfect size for you and that you become great friends with the ones that sit next to you.

 I hope that you shine brighter than the sun inside and out this year!  I pray that your sweet smile and spirit show others what a great friend you can be and are.  Your so funny and have the best spirit that spills out and takes over a room.  You brighten our day and I know you will brighten everyone's day you come in contact with.

 To be honest I am nervous for you, as a mom, I just want what is best and I wish that I could be with you the whole day.   I want to be there to protect you, to make sure that you eat your lunch and play well with your new friends.  It pains me that I can't, but I know this is one of those stages that I need to let go and let God!  He will be with you every step of the way, and I have to have faith that he will protect you like I know He will. 

It is your turn to shine, sweet boy!  I hope that you have the best first day ever and that your year is filled with fun, learning and laughter.  I pray that your dad and I did the very best we could these past 5 years and I know there are many more years to come and many more milestones to cross, but at this moment, for this year, I hope we did you right, and that you can walk in Robertson Elementary tomorrow, Aug. 26th with your head held high! We love you with all our hearts and we will be praying for you!  Mommy will shed a few tears, ok alot of tears, but I want you to know that you are my shining star and I am so very proud of you!!!!!

Oh How I Love Summer!

 

So far we have had a pretty good summer!  Lots and lots of things keeping us busy.  We work hard, but we play even harder.  As you can tell from the pictures above, we have gone to seaworld, gone swimming(lots of swimming), fed dolphins, tended to a garden and celebrated a friend's birthday!  We have a lot more summer left and therefore a lot more fun to be had!  I love swimming and the fact that my kids love it too and that when they get home they crash!  So, nice!!  I would have to say that this has been the busiest summer so far, but we are having fun! It could be a little bit cooler, but we are staying cool in the pool! :-)

It's A Zoo!!

 Above: Joshua and his friend Finn feeding the sheep

Below: Joshua with the chickens

 Above:  Joshua loved the baby goats!  This one was a twin!

Below:  Cutest boy holding the cutest goat I have ever seen!!

Joshua's little program or school that he attends had a petting zoo set up for the kids on Monday!  Joshua was extremely excited about this!  He kept asking me if there were going to be cows, horses and goats?  I told him that I didn't know what would be there, we would have to wait and see!  He told me that he thought there would be goats there for sure!  He was right!  All the animals in the petting zoo were babies!  Baby goats, bunnies, sheep, pigs, and chickens.  The chickens were older, but they were still gentle.  The kids in his class had a ball!  Joshua was not afraid at all, he was very anxious to get in there and get started petting all the animals!  This did not surprise me, because we have been to a couple of petting zoos before and he seemed very relaxed.  He was all over the place, feeding, petting and even holding a baby goat!!  The goat in the picture above was super cute and so gentle!  Joshua even got to bottle feed the goats and sheep!  I thought he would be a little nervous about that because they all came at him at once, but he just laughed and kept backing up.  I love that he is not nervous and was able to get excited about this activity.  He doesn't get excited about much, so it makes me happy when he does!!  This program has done wonders for Joshua.  I will post about that later.