Ian and Olivia at "Donald's"
Pretty girl ready for church!
Olivia and Ian in their new (to them) ride on jeep!
Birthday Cupcakes!
New matching potties--need I say more?Wow! Has it really been two weeks since I blogged? I can't believe it. It must be a season in life at the moment. But here I am today--ready to catch you up on all of the happenings around here.
We had a successful visit to the in-laws house. It makes me wonder if one should never attempt a visit to the in-laws without anti-depressants, because in almost 8 years of married life this was the best visit ever. No doubt due to the change in my attitude! Yay! We had a very restful and enjoyable time. I cooked and laughed with my MIL, laughed with MIL about FIL, played with the kids, did lots of Sudoku, and didn't feel anxious once in 5 days. That was amazing! The kids had a glorious time. They love their Nana and Poppa and didn't want to come home. They even slept well the whole time we were there! That was a first! Of course it didn't hurt that we built in play time on the way down and the way home. That makes the 5.5 hour drive on winding one lane roads tolerable for two little people.
DH has picked his thesis topic (new one) to finish up his Master degree. I finally convinced him to pick a topic that he is passionate about so that he will want to do the work. He is going to research bi-cultural ministry, Maori and European (Pakeha). It is even relevant to our lives in Northland and our community. We got up at 4 am the day we left for the in-laws to have a meeting with an advisor at school, but she was no help. Wrong department. Finally, the administrator got him on the right path. So, not a wasted expedition.
What else? Bubba is talking a lot more! Yes, he is. He turned three on Wednesday. And he is starting to act and talk like a 2.5 year old. It's so funny. We are still waiting on our appointments for specialist evaluations, but he is talking more. While we were at Nana's house he said two or three complete sentences. He is doing pretend play all of a sudden and his behaviour is becoming more manageable. Other than getting really wobbly when he needs a nap--he was so much easier to manage at Nana's house. He even minded Nana and Poppa (a first). That's all very exciting.
We didn't get to church this morning because he woke-up with a fever and a runny nose. It's hard enough to take him to church when he feels well, I wasn't going to attempt it with him not feeling great. I have noticed that his room is the dampest and seems to get moldy in the window. So today I have scrubbed his window, bed, walls, sheets, and curtains. I need to put the dehumidifier in there every day.
Oh--we are officially foster parents now. We have gotten our final approval. I have no idea when or if we will get kiddies, but we are ready. We have an extra car seat, a crib, a play pen, and baby toys. Any one who wants to send us baby clothes from size 0-2 in boys and girls, and size 3 in girls, would be loved forever and ever! :-)
Cooking a corned beef roast in the slow cooker today. Nana cooked one for us and the kids loved it! Go figure. So, I am trying it again here. Last night we ate salmon croquettes with fried potatoes--definitely one of their favourites! Still struggling a bit to get Ian to eat any fruit or veg, but we keep trying.
We got our new potties last week--so need to get busy potty training--AGAIN! I am going to try to do both of them at the same time. I figure the competition might help. They are both so competitive. We just need time at home to do it. Struggling with that a bit at the moment. Since Bubba turned 3 last week he now qualifies for 20 hours of subsidized child care. So, their hours have gone from 12-18 with their child care lady. They love it and it gives me time to work. I should know at the end of the month about my registration status and can begin building a client base.
Nothing else new to report. I will try to blog more regularly. I miss doing it everyday. It's such a nice record to have, even just for myself. I have added some photos and video from a play at "Donalds." It was one of those moments where we were having so much fun, and I was so in love with my kids and they with me, that I thought I never want to forget this time. Very nice.
[Sorry Blogger won't let me upload photos at the moment. I'll try again later. Finally got them to work--one at a time.]
We had a successful visit to the in-laws house. It makes me wonder if one should never attempt a visit to the in-laws without anti-depressants, because in almost 8 years of married life this was the best visit ever. No doubt due to the change in my attitude! Yay! We had a very restful and enjoyable time. I cooked and laughed with my MIL, laughed with MIL about FIL, played with the kids, did lots of Sudoku, and didn't feel anxious once in 5 days. That was amazing! The kids had a glorious time. They love their Nana and Poppa and didn't want to come home. They even slept well the whole time we were there! That was a first! Of course it didn't hurt that we built in play time on the way down and the way home. That makes the 5.5 hour drive on winding one lane roads tolerable for two little people.
DH has picked his thesis topic (new one) to finish up his Master degree. I finally convinced him to pick a topic that he is passionate about so that he will want to do the work. He is going to research bi-cultural ministry, Maori and European (Pakeha). It is even relevant to our lives in Northland and our community. We got up at 4 am the day we left for the in-laws to have a meeting with an advisor at school, but she was no help. Wrong department. Finally, the administrator got him on the right path. So, not a wasted expedition.
What else? Bubba is talking a lot more! Yes, he is. He turned three on Wednesday. And he is starting to act and talk like a 2.5 year old. It's so funny. We are still waiting on our appointments for specialist evaluations, but he is talking more. While we were at Nana's house he said two or three complete sentences. He is doing pretend play all of a sudden and his behaviour is becoming more manageable. Other than getting really wobbly when he needs a nap--he was so much easier to manage at Nana's house. He even minded Nana and Poppa (a first). That's all very exciting.
We didn't get to church this morning because he woke-up with a fever and a runny nose. It's hard enough to take him to church when he feels well, I wasn't going to attempt it with him not feeling great. I have noticed that his room is the dampest and seems to get moldy in the window. So today I have scrubbed his window, bed, walls, sheets, and curtains. I need to put the dehumidifier in there every day.
Oh--we are officially foster parents now. We have gotten our final approval. I have no idea when or if we will get kiddies, but we are ready. We have an extra car seat, a crib, a play pen, and baby toys. Any one who wants to send us baby clothes from size 0-2 in boys and girls, and size 3 in girls, would be loved forever and ever! :-)
Cooking a corned beef roast in the slow cooker today. Nana cooked one for us and the kids loved it! Go figure. So, I am trying it again here. Last night we ate salmon croquettes with fried potatoes--definitely one of their favourites! Still struggling a bit to get Ian to eat any fruit or veg, but we keep trying.
We got our new potties last week--so need to get busy potty training--AGAIN! I am going to try to do both of them at the same time. I figure the competition might help. They are both so competitive. We just need time at home to do it. Struggling with that a bit at the moment. Since Bubba turned 3 last week he now qualifies for 20 hours of subsidized child care. So, their hours have gone from 12-18 with their child care lady. They love it and it gives me time to work. I should know at the end of the month about my registration status and can begin building a client base.
Nothing else new to report. I will try to blog more regularly. I miss doing it everyday. It's such a nice record to have, even just for myself. I have added some photos and video from a play at "Donalds." It was one of those moments where we were having so much fun, and I was so in love with my kids and they with me, that I thought I never want to forget this time. Very nice.
[Sorry Blogger won't let me upload photos at the moment. I'll try again later. Finally got them to work--one at a time.]
Bonnie, I cannot tell you how very excited I am for your whole family and what a blessing it was to read this post. You are just shining, do you know that? I hope it continues and that your new foster children are not traumatized by what they have gone through. Pray that if they are temporarily in your lives that they leave with more love and happiness than they came with. Praying that your forever babies are kept as safe as they can be until it is time... I know they will come to you out of a bad situation but I am praying for their minds and their ability to forgive and love and trust again.
ReplyDeleteYou are ready! Wheee, that is so exciting!
Ohhh, you finally updated! :D So happy.
ReplyDeletePlus, I'm excited you got approved. Before you know it you'll be like the Duggar family and have tons of kids. Tee hee....