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With summer well under way, I have come to realize that young boys like to do stuff. They don't really care so much what, as long as it involves movement, sound and a chance to be better than every other person in the universe. When I see just a wall, they see a challenge to climb faster than Spider Man and certainly quicker than all their brothers. With a group of boys here this large, things can happen.
Did I specifically say not to take the keys out of neighbor's parked riding lawn mowers?
If you take all your stuffed animals outside and hide them in your fort for a week, they will smell worse than zoo animals.
I never gave permission to have a yard sale and sell all their toys and buy their friends toys when their mom had no clue either.
I could go on and on.
I try to have lots of planned activities. We swim in the pool every sunny day, go to the park and take family walks, play games, etc. And all this doesn't seem to touch their need for doing stuff.
So for the next 3 weeks my boys will be doing the VBS tour. 3 different churches - lots of games and crafts...they'll be happy - not to mention me!
And if any of you are working in a VBS this summer, anywhere in the country, let me tell you something.....you might be the front line between mom's and their summer sanity!! So THANK YOU!!!!
Our last two sons to reach adulthood have left our home in a rather undesirable manner. They caused much pain and sadness on their departure.
But yesterday was different- a reason to celebrate!
We drove David to the airport to head to Texas for Basic Training in the Air Force. He wants to follow in his father's footsteps and be an officer in the military.
I am sad to have him leave...but it's the right time. Just looking at the last family picture, he and I joked that he was "too big for the nest" and he remarked that he had stayed so long in the home oven that he was darker than the rest of the blue eyed kids.
With David gone, the house will be cleaner (much cleaner) and quieter and we can't wait till he returns!
Happy Independence Day
Our summer has been going swimmingly....literally. We started off the season with a large number of boys sporting "swimmies" to stay afloat in the pool. They were bobbing every where you looked. But all that has changed! With just a few hours of instruction and aided by the all powerful male ego, they boys have shed their swimmies and are doing the real thing. We have diving board jumpers and touching the bottom and front flips and lots of good old swimming.
So our very large pile of swimmies is sitting untouched and I'm sitting poolside most days playing lifeguard. 
Come over and keep me company!
My husband celebrated Father's Day this weekend in an unusual way. He and I drove 7 hours to pick up one of our sons upon his release from prison. We brought him an outfit to wear on his release, but forgot shoes. Our first stop was at Walmart so he wouldn't have to walk around in socks. We then drove him 3 hours to a place that had a program to help get him back on his feet. It was great to hug him and sad to leave him far away once again. We gave him pictures and our love and promises to call.
Not a normal Father's Day weekend but one only a father would do.
Three of our boys joined our family in October of last year. We were told at the time that they were "adoptive". That was perfect for us. We've been in foster care for over 20 years and I'm ready to stop the in and out traffic. The older I get, the harder it is to let the kids go. Shortly after the boys moved in and we formed our family, the social worker informed us that their mom was actually still on an improvement period and was working diligently to get them back.
Okay.
We worked with mom and realized that "going back" for the boys would not be good. And everyone agrees with us....the boys, and the entire social work community. Today we had our 2nd "this is really the day when the judge decides" day. And again, he didn't decide. We now wait another month and I can't begin to tell you how hard this is on everyone. It would seem to me that when you hire an array of professional social workers and they perform their job by spending time with the families involved, that you would rely on their opinion of the disposition of the case.
In the meantime, we go back to being a temporary family.
Stinks.
Yesterday my daughter Kara arrived in Chad, Africa to visit her sister Kirsten and family. I know the two of them are as happy as two sisters can get right about now. Kara is the first of our family to make the long journey over there and she goes with not only suitcases of goodies from all of us, but our love and wishes to wrap everyone of them in the tightest hug ever. While Kara is being our ambassador to Africa, the Grandmas and Poppas get to enjoy the grandkids she had to leave behind.
Here at home, I hear the voices of brothers and sisters arguing and it reminds me of a time when those same voices were that of Kirsten and Kara. There were moments while they were growing up when I thought they hated each other. I would plead with them to get along and love each other.
Now, all these years later it turns out that the greatest gift I could have sent to Kirsten would be to have her sister by her side!
