This afternoon I was doing what I do all the time - waiting on one of the kids. I spend 99 % of my day enabling my kids to live their life. Not complaining...just saying.
This time I was waiting on Anna while she learned piano and it was one of those mild winter days. The car was cozy and warm and quiet and no one needed me.....heaven inside a van. Nothing I brought to read was even remotely interesting so I picked up my phone and sent a text to my oldest daughter.....in Chad, Africa. Just, "Hey Kirsten". A few seconds later she texted me back, "Hey Mom". We chatted a few minutes and then the piano lesson was over.
It struck me as I drove away that I just sat on a little street in a little town in West Virginia and typed some words into my phone and it traveled to an even smaller town on another continent.
Do we have the coolest technology or what!
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Unbelieveable
So if I were raising your children and you passed me in the Wal-Mart wouldn't you ask me how they were? Would you just say, "Hi Kate?"
I'm just asking.
I'm just asking.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Open for Interpretation
Our kids go to an Awana program at a local church and they LOVE it. Not only do they play games and hang out with friends, but they have a great verse memorization program.
Jeremiah has been working on John 3:16. In King James version.
We practiced last night while I was tucking him in. He got the first part right...
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only.........." there was a long pause.
"Oh yea, he gave his only bee cotton sun."
I asked him to clarify on that one.
He said, "You know that white fluffy stuff that comes out of a bee's butt when it's sunny."
If he says it real fast, they might not notice.
Jeremiah has been working on John 3:16. In King James version.
We practiced last night while I was tucking him in. He got the first part right...
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only.........." there was a long pause.
"Oh yea, he gave his only bee cotton sun."
I asked him to clarify on that one.
He said, "You know that white fluffy stuff that comes out of a bee's butt when it's sunny."
If he says it real fast, they might not notice.
Monday, 16 February 2009
Plain Old Normal
Something small happened yesterday, but it was huge. Our boys got invited to a sleepoever.
The mom was happy to have them over because, "your boys are so nice."
This was like tying me to a ballon and flying me to the world of normal. I hung up the phone and almost cried.
We've had a long, long, long string of really wonderful and really hard and really weird foster kids. The kind that the bus driver sits right behind him and the teachers want to help and everyone admires you for taking care of them and nobody EVER invites them over to play, let alone for a sleepover.
I packed them up and I missed them and when they got home I looked at their regular little faces and I prayed my 19th prayer of thanks for just regular stuff.
The mom was happy to have them over because, "your boys are so nice."
This was like tying me to a ballon and flying me to the world of normal. I hung up the phone and almost cried.
We've had a long, long, long string of really wonderful and really hard and really weird foster kids. The kind that the bus driver sits right behind him and the teachers want to help and everyone admires you for taking care of them and nobody EVER invites them over to play, let alone for a sleepover.
I packed them up and I missed them and when they got home I looked at their regular little faces and I prayed my 19th prayer of thanks for just regular stuff.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Baby It's Cold Out Here
Every morning when I walk with "the girls", Whit begs to come along.
It wears down some of his puppy energy....which means he races through the house 1/3 less.
So here he is, styling his new bombardier jacket.
Wouldn't boots look cute?
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Heart to Heart
Every Tuesday we take our 3 little guys to visit their mom for an hour.
She has them for that hour in a little room that has a camera running so that the social worker can supervise their interaction.
Personally it would drive me crazy just to be in that little of a room with the three boys for an hour. Sometimes our neighborhood seems to small for those three! But to know that your time is being critiqued....
She misses them and brings bags of treats every week and apologies each time to me, "I hope it's not too much candy." What else can she do? And it's hard for her. It hurts her when they call me mom or sit on my lap or talk about our life that doesn't include her. And every week that they're here she loses a little bit.
And I care about her because it means something important to the boys when I do.
Today while she was waiting for her ride I invited her to sit in the car with us and wait. We talked and laughed.
Tonight when I tucked Jeremiah into bed, he said, "Remember when both of you my moms were in the car together? (big smile) Can we do that again? I like that."
I pray that I can continue to feel compassion for her, as it is in me, to not. I really want to hate her and find the bad and keep record of wrong and rejoice when she falls. As always, it comes back to trusting God to work out the situation and doing what is right in the mean time. Big job for this small person.
She has them for that hour in a little room that has a camera running so that the social worker can supervise their interaction.
Personally it would drive me crazy just to be in that little of a room with the three boys for an hour. Sometimes our neighborhood seems to small for those three! But to know that your time is being critiqued....
She misses them and brings bags of treats every week and apologies each time to me, "I hope it's not too much candy." What else can she do? And it's hard for her. It hurts her when they call me mom or sit on my lap or talk about our life that doesn't include her. And every week that they're here she loses a little bit.
And I care about her because it means something important to the boys when I do.
Today while she was waiting for her ride I invited her to sit in the car with us and wait. We talked and laughed.
Tonight when I tucked Jeremiah into bed, he said, "Remember when both of you my moms were in the car together? (big smile) Can we do that again? I like that."
I pray that I can continue to feel compassion for her, as it is in me, to not. I really want to hate her and find the bad and keep record of wrong and rejoice when she falls. As always, it comes back to trusting God to work out the situation and doing what is right in the mean time. Big job for this small person.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Out of Season Sync
The girls and I went shopping this afternoon for summer clothes, and in particular, swim suits.
Does that seem wrong to you? It's the beginning of February and there we were filling the cart with shorts and summer jammies.
I've learned this lesson the hard way. I went shopping for snow gloves in November and the store clerk acted like I was retarded. "Oh, we haven't' had gloves in like - forever." My boys barely escaped frost bite during the last snow storm.
Well, with this many kids, I knew I had to be on top of my game and get a jump on summer. If I didn't, my kids would be swimming in their underwear.
And were we the first smart shoppers to get their bathing suits? Not even close. In the woman's department all the women with bodies like mine had beat me to it, leaving rack after rack of size 3 bottoms and size 10 tops. I need the reverse of that.
And if you haven't started thinking about summer shopping, you better hurry....back to school clothes will be out soon.
Does that seem wrong to you? It's the beginning of February and there we were filling the cart with shorts and summer jammies.
I've learned this lesson the hard way. I went shopping for snow gloves in November and the store clerk acted like I was retarded. "Oh, we haven't' had gloves in like - forever." My boys barely escaped frost bite during the last snow storm.
Well, with this many kids, I knew I had to be on top of my game and get a jump on summer. If I didn't, my kids would be swimming in their underwear.
And were we the first smart shoppers to get their bathing suits? Not even close. In the woman's department all the women with bodies like mine had beat me to it, leaving rack after rack of size 3 bottoms and size 10 tops. I need the reverse of that.
And if you haven't started thinking about summer shopping, you better hurry....back to school clothes will be out soon.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
What He Learned in College so Far
If you sleep in as late as possible,
and shower and eat breakfast in 3 minutes
and leave your books in the car
and search for your keys hidden under the clothes piled in your room
and are by now running really late for class
and jump into your car in a panic
and drive really fast up to the stop sign after it snowed slightly the night before....
you do this.
Education isn't cheap.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Settling
We packed up all the kids early this morning and drove 10 hours round trip to visit our 16 year old daughter in her new placement. That would be driving with two teen girls and 3 elementary age boys. And it was great.
Our new car has a built in DVD player. I don't know the name of the person who first thought of putting them in cars but I know they went on a trip with their kids and decided to either hang themselves or invent something to keep the kids quiet. It's a miracle. It's better than winning the lottery. I used to be the kind of mom that sang songs on car trips. Maybe teach the kids to sing different parts. I insisted that the kids look out the windows and notice our great country as it rolled by. Car rides were a time to talk and get close.
Now I'm tired. I just want the kids to be quiet while we drive. I look back in the rear view mirror and they're all staring at the screen hanging from the ceiling with a vacant, mindless look. I don't mind that. They didn't see any of the scenery, and I got to enjoy it in peace. They were in their little movie world and I was having no interaction whatsoever.
I've sold out. I'm not proud but I'm very happy.
Our new car has a built in DVD player. I don't know the name of the person who first thought of putting them in cars but I know they went on a trip with their kids and decided to either hang themselves or invent something to keep the kids quiet. It's a miracle. It's better than winning the lottery. I used to be the kind of mom that sang songs on car trips. Maybe teach the kids to sing different parts. I insisted that the kids look out the windows and notice our great country as it rolled by. Car rides were a time to talk and get close.
Now I'm tired. I just want the kids to be quiet while we drive. I look back in the rear view mirror and they're all staring at the screen hanging from the ceiling with a vacant, mindless look. I don't mind that. They didn't see any of the scenery, and I got to enjoy it in peace. They were in their little movie world and I was having no interaction whatsoever.
I've sold out. I'm not proud but I'm very happy.
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