Appointments, phone calls, court, visits, more appointments, more phone calls....well I guess you get the picture. Have you noticed my posts are getting fewer and farther between? On top of all the things mentioned above I think I hear my name, although pronounced differently (Hammy) about 1,495,765 times a day. Of course I'm exaggerating but it sure feels like it. They say it about 12 times before I can even give them an answer. Crazy kids! However, they are super sweet, super cute, super loving and a lot of fun!
Whew it has been quite a week and I would be lying if I said it was easy. This has probably been the hardest week since the kids have been placed with us. I've just been feeling stressed and overwhelmed and wanting things to slow down. We've had so many things going on I think my feeling rundown is starting to catch up with me. Preschool, potty training (which is including lots of extra laundry), clothes shopping, all those appts, phone calls, paperwork. I'm sure many of you reading this have experienced this, but have you sat in the Dr's office for over an hour with a toddler for the Dr. to come in and spend 2 minutes with you?
I'm hoping within the next few weeks things will continue slowing down but we shall see. We've been enjoying having them with us. They are learning new things, opening up more and more and hopefully having lots of fun! We're praying that we can settle into a routine soon and continue to show these kids love and attention and fun and teach them about Jesus!!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Life Is Different Now...But A Good Different
Wow...what a difference a week and a half makes. Going from 0 to 2 kids in a matter of a few days has been crazy busy. Lots of phone calls, appointments, running here and there and everywhere.
So far things have been going very well. We have definitely fallen in love with these little guys and they've captured our hearts! When they are being silly, Aaron and I just look at each other and smile. They seem to be attaching/bonding well with us and our family so we are thankful for that. They are so sweet and so loving. I've heard people that have fostered before say this is the "honeymoon phase" but I'm praying they stay sweet and loving! They are super good eaters and eat pretty much anything we put in front of them so we happy about that. I'm the pickiest eater I know but they aren't picky at all.
The first few nights we just had the one and he had a little trouble going to bed but thats understandable. I ended up rocking him to sleep in the chair and then carrying him to his bed. The little one just cries for a few minutes when we put him to bed then he's pretty much out. There have been two nights that he has woken up but he seems to just be having a bad dream and goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I seem to now have 4 extra feet following me everywhere which is a test of patience but I keep reminding myself how badly I wanted to have those little feet following me around. They helped me bake cookies the other day which was fun. We ended up with flour and sugar all over the floor but turns out the one boy loves vacuuming so he took care of it for me! It's so sweet to see how excited they get over baking cookies or helping you do something. They want to empty the washer/dryer, load/unload the dishwasher, carry in groceries. Aaron said we should enjoy this because eventually they might not be so willing to help.
We have just been so thankful for this opportunity and this chance to love on these little guys! They make us smile and laugh and even though it has been tiring and lots of changes and less time for ourselves we've been enjoying having them here! They bring tears to my eyes when I see their faces light up when we tell them we're proud of them for behaving or going on the big boy potty or learning their colors and abc's. After telling the little one we're proud of him he will point to himself with a big smile on his face and say, "Proud of me?"
So many nights I prayed/cried for a child or children and wondered if it was in God's plan for us. Back a year ago or maybe even a year and a half ago a friend from high school asked me about foster care and if we would be interested in that. At that time I thought oh no way could Aaron and I do that. We talked about it a little bit but decided that we didn't feel ready for something like that. Over time God opened our hearts to it and we felt more led in that direction. We thought that maybe we could go ahead and take the classes to just be prepared if we decided to switch agencies and pursue foster care. The classes helped us realize how blessed we were by the families we had and that lots of kids out there don't have that. We wanted to help and make a difference even if it was just temporary.
Our church family has been amazing with support and encouragement! We have had people bringing meals this past week and also this upcoming week! It has been super encouraging for them to meet the boys and also bring a super tasty dinner. I've received lots of emails/texts/messages with words of support and prayers that have given me strength when I've been so tired from cleaning up messes and going potty and washing hands 75 times a day!!
I've thankful for this path that God led us down and I want to remember to cherish every moment with these boys because we don't know how long they will be with us! We will love on them for as long as we can!
This week potty training is going to be my job. Prayers please!!!
A site I never thought I'd see...little shoes!!!!
So far things have been going very well. We have definitely fallen in love with these little guys and they've captured our hearts! When they are being silly, Aaron and I just look at each other and smile. They seem to be attaching/bonding well with us and our family so we are thankful for that. They are so sweet and so loving. I've heard people that have fostered before say this is the "honeymoon phase" but I'm praying they stay sweet and loving! They are super good eaters and eat pretty much anything we put in front of them so we happy about that. I'm the pickiest eater I know but they aren't picky at all.
The first few nights we just had the one and he had a little trouble going to bed but thats understandable. I ended up rocking him to sleep in the chair and then carrying him to his bed. The little one just cries for a few minutes when we put him to bed then he's pretty much out. There have been two nights that he has woken up but he seems to just be having a bad dream and goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I seem to now have 4 extra feet following me everywhere which is a test of patience but I keep reminding myself how badly I wanted to have those little feet following me around. They helped me bake cookies the other day which was fun. We ended up with flour and sugar all over the floor but turns out the one boy loves vacuuming so he took care of it for me! It's so sweet to see how excited they get over baking cookies or helping you do something. They want to empty the washer/dryer, load/unload the dishwasher, carry in groceries. Aaron said we should enjoy this because eventually they might not be so willing to help.
We have just been so thankful for this opportunity and this chance to love on these little guys! They make us smile and laugh and even though it has been tiring and lots of changes and less time for ourselves we've been enjoying having them here! They bring tears to my eyes when I see their faces light up when we tell them we're proud of them for behaving or going on the big boy potty or learning their colors and abc's. After telling the little one we're proud of him he will point to himself with a big smile on his face and say, "Proud of me?"
So many nights I prayed/cried for a child or children and wondered if it was in God's plan for us. Back a year ago or maybe even a year and a half ago a friend from high school asked me about foster care and if we would be interested in that. At that time I thought oh no way could Aaron and I do that. We talked about it a little bit but decided that we didn't feel ready for something like that. Over time God opened our hearts to it and we felt more led in that direction. We thought that maybe we could go ahead and take the classes to just be prepared if we decided to switch agencies and pursue foster care. The classes helped us realize how blessed we were by the families we had and that lots of kids out there don't have that. We wanted to help and make a difference even if it was just temporary.
Our church family has been amazing with support and encouragement! We have had people bringing meals this past week and also this upcoming week! It has been super encouraging for them to meet the boys and also bring a super tasty dinner. I've received lots of emails/texts/messages with words of support and prayers that have given me strength when I've been so tired from cleaning up messes and going potty and washing hands 75 times a day!!
I've thankful for this path that God led us down and I want to remember to cherish every moment with these boys because we don't know how long they will be with us! We will love on them for as long as we can!
This week potty training is going to be my job. Prayers please!!!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wee Hours Of The Morning
Its 1:30 in the morning Thursday. I can't sleep its been such a crazy day. The day started off just like any other day. As far as having things planned, Kya had a grooming appointment at 12:30 and I had just a few other errands to run. I was already running slightly behind the schedule I had in my head. I was driving to my next errand when my phone went off and it was the ringtone I have for our foster agency. Our worker was on the other end of the line and said she had a call on a placement. It was a 4 year old boy and his 3 year old brother. We felt hesitant because just a week ago we had a placement that didn't work out. It was so frustrating, exhausting, challenging. Since that placement we lowered our age range to 0-younger than 2. We also said we would only take in one at a time. I spoke with our worker about these changes on Monday and she said that was fine. Therefore, when we got the call today we were hesitant. Knowing what we just went through and what those kids just had to go through by being moved again, we didn't want to end up in the same situation.
I got as much information as I could and said I would call Aaron. She said that was fine but to call her back ASAP!! I called Aaron and he didn't answer so I texted him the words CALL ME NOW! When he gets a text like that he knows its something regarding a placement. He called right away and we were both so hesitant but at the same time wanted to say yes. We were trying to remind ourselves that we didn't just go into foster care with the intent to adopt. We also went into this wanting to help children, provide them with a temporary loving home when they desperately need that. Our worker said that they would work on a "back-up" family in case this didn't work out. She knew we were a little hesitant. She said they wouldn't pull the kids from us though if it did end up working out.
We ended up saying yes and an hour later went down to the agency to pick up the 4 year old. The 3 year old should be joining us sometime in the next few days. It was crazy trying to get to the agency on time to pick the older one up. I still had to run an errand for my grandma, run home and get our booster seat, drop the dog off (in case it took a long time at the agency). I stopped to run the errand for my grandma and thinking I would just run in quick I left the dog in the car. Well, it's been beastly hot out but she had just got groomed so she was with me so I had to leave her in the car. I thought about leaving it running but figured I would be back in under 2 minutes. Poor thing had to sit there for 10-15 minutes while I picked up the stuff. When I got back to the car she was definitely hot and panting. I made it home, got the booster seat, met Aaron at home and just right back in the car. We dropped the dog off hoping she would be fine and cool down quickly and then ran to drop stuff off at my grandmas. By this time we were running about 10 minutes late. Once we finally get close to the office there was construction. We ended up showing up over 15 minutes late but it worked out.
Once we left the office we ran and got some gas in the car (light came on while stuck in construction), picked up some Mcdonald's for dinner and headed home. Once we got home he had a hard time coming into the house. He would walk just on the door step and then stop. He didn't want to come inside, so we ended up eating dinner on the front step. We played outside for a while and then managed to get him inside.
My in-laws came over for a while and my mother-in law and I along with the little guy ran to Wal-Mart to get clothes, shoes and food. He only had 1 pair of pjs, 1 pair of underwear, and 2 left feet for shoes.
So far this placement has been totally different than our last one. So far it seems to be working out much better! We'll see how the rest of the week and weekend goes. We'll probably be trying to stay low-key and hang around home.
We're so thankful for this opportunity the Lord has given us.
I got as much information as I could and said I would call Aaron. She said that was fine but to call her back ASAP!! I called Aaron and he didn't answer so I texted him the words CALL ME NOW! When he gets a text like that he knows its something regarding a placement. He called right away and we were both so hesitant but at the same time wanted to say yes. We were trying to remind ourselves that we didn't just go into foster care with the intent to adopt. We also went into this wanting to help children, provide them with a temporary loving home when they desperately need that. Our worker said that they would work on a "back-up" family in case this didn't work out. She knew we were a little hesitant. She said they wouldn't pull the kids from us though if it did end up working out.
We ended up saying yes and an hour later went down to the agency to pick up the 4 year old. The 3 year old should be joining us sometime in the next few days. It was crazy trying to get to the agency on time to pick the older one up. I still had to run an errand for my grandma, run home and get our booster seat, drop the dog off (in case it took a long time at the agency). I stopped to run the errand for my grandma and thinking I would just run in quick I left the dog in the car. Well, it's been beastly hot out but she had just got groomed so she was with me so I had to leave her in the car. I thought about leaving it running but figured I would be back in under 2 minutes. Poor thing had to sit there for 10-15 minutes while I picked up the stuff. When I got back to the car she was definitely hot and panting. I made it home, got the booster seat, met Aaron at home and just right back in the car. We dropped the dog off hoping she would be fine and cool down quickly and then ran to drop stuff off at my grandmas. By this time we were running about 10 minutes late. Once we finally get close to the office there was construction. We ended up showing up over 15 minutes late but it worked out.
Once we left the office we ran and got some gas in the car (light came on while stuck in construction), picked up some Mcdonald's for dinner and headed home. Once we got home he had a hard time coming into the house. He would walk just on the door step and then stop. He didn't want to come inside, so we ended up eating dinner on the front step. We played outside for a while and then managed to get him inside.
My in-laws came over for a while and my mother-in law and I along with the little guy ran to Wal-Mart to get clothes, shoes and food. He only had 1 pair of pjs, 1 pair of underwear, and 2 left feet for shoes.
So far this placement has been totally different than our last one. So far it seems to be working out much better! We'll see how the rest of the week and weekend goes. We'll probably be trying to stay low-key and hang around home.
We're so thankful for this opportunity the Lord has given us.
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