WOW, this week went by fast!

Overall, it’s been a great week…if you cut out Monday…yikes.

When I picked up Biggest Brother from school yesterday, he got in the car and said, “Mom (yes, he calls me Mom all the time now), some people at school asked me if I’m adopted (apparently they noticed we don’t have the same skin color), and I said no. Then they asked who you were, so I just told them you’re a friend. Is that okay? I don’t want them to know I’m a foster kid.”

“Yes, that is definitely okay.”

I can’t believe it’s already Friday again! This week has flown by and Christmas will be here before you know it. Then, all of a sudden, it will be 2010, January, a brand new year with spring just around the corner. Why does life speed up as we get older? This is when things should slow down so we can savor every sweet moment, every memory of our kids and loved ones, and all the fun things in life. Why does it go by so fast? Is it because we fill it to over flowing with activities, commitments and appointments? I wish I had been alive in the days when neighbors regularly ‘stopped by’ to say hello. I would invite them in for a glass of sweet tea and we’d talk for an hour. Then I’d say, “well, it’s already 5:00, why don’t you stay for dinner?” They would oblige because, afterall, they don’t have anything else planned. What a lovely time that must have been.

Okay, back to reality. I need to get a shower so we can go to the grocery store, stop by the church, be back at the house by lunch, and clean up the house before getting the boys from school because we have friends coming over for dessert and games tonight….FUN! 🙂 Busy, but fun!

Happy Happy Friday!!!

~audrey

Ughh!

I can’t stand it when I open the door to my house and it smells like I’m walking into a life size diaper genie!! GROSS!

Owen and Baby Girl both had ‘surprises’ for me first thing this morning and somehow the smell penetrated every room in the house.

I’m in the mood for some major cleaning today. Joshua and I got lots of school work done yesterday, so I think I’ll bust out the rubber gloves and heaven scented chemicals and get this place back to ‘nose-pleasing’ status.

I really don’t have much else to say for today, except I can’t believe tomorrow is already Friday again! This week flew by!

I got Jesse all excited and dressed up in his field trip shirt yesterday…for a field trip that apparently isn’t happening until December 10!! Ooops! 🙂

~audrey

Where There’s Smoke…There’s Fire.

Here’s another one: When it rains…It pours.

What a day we had yesterday.

What. A. Day.

By 7:30pm, I could hardly hold my eyes open.

It all started when I realized Baby Girl had spots on her skin that were bleeding because the eczema was getting so bad. She looked absolutely awful, so I had to assume she felt pretty bad too. I made an appointment to take her in yesterday morning.

I also HAD to take the van to the shop. The brakes were SO bad, the mechanic said he didn’t even know how our van was still STOPPING! We also needed a new belt and two new tires. However, with six children, doctor’s appointments, and two different schools to pick up from, there was no way around renting a vehicle while mine was in the shop. SOooo, I called Enterprise, and they picked me up! 🙂 They met us at the car place, picked us up, and took us back to Enterprise so I could sign the papers. Sounds pretty easy right? Wrong. When I walked into Enterprise, you would’ve thought I had just walked into an American Airlines ticket line and all their flights had just been cancelled. I waited for FORTY-FIVE minutes just to sign a paper and swipe my card…..with FOUR kids……so frustrating.

Then I rushed home, by now it was 9:40am and Baby Girl’s appointment was at 10! All I had to do was grab a few diapers and snacks and run back out the door. Suddenly I remembered that the appointment was at 11:00 and not 10:00, so I had a little while to get ready and pack up the kids. I always leave my bedroom door open when I’m in there, so I can hear the kids and keep an eye on them as well. I turned my flat iron on in my bathroom and began to smell something strange.

“Is my flat iron dying? It smells like something is burning.”

Do you ever do that? You think you smell something, so you stop for a second and breathe in through your nose several times to see if your mind is just playing tricks on you.

Nope, no tricks, something was burning.

As I opened the door into the kitchen, all I could see was smoke!! I knew this day would come. One of the toddlers had turned a burner on (I have a forty year old, avacado green, push button stove…very easy to tamper with). On the stove was a cookie sheet full of beautifully decorated Christmas cookies that we had made over the weekend. Sugar cookies and ginger bread men, all dressed with icing, sprinkles, gum drops, the works! Now, they were in flames, reduced to a giant pile of gray ash with colored edges, probably from the sugary sprinkles. Yes, my kitchen was officially on fire. I blew and blew and blew until the fire went out (yes, I do have a fire extinguisher, but for some reason, the thought never even entered my mind!?). Then I opened the window in the kitchen and ran out the back door with the charred cookie sheet. I looked over at the window and smoke was billowing out. “Oh please Jesus, don’t let anyone see the smoke and call the Fire Departement! I really don’t have time for firemen this morning!”

It was about 49 degrees outside, but I opened every window in the house, packed up the kids, and left for the doctor. I never did use my flat iron! Haha!

After spending TWO and HALF HOURS at the “doctor house”, as sweet Owen calls it, we found out poor Baby Girl has bronchitis, EXTREME eczema, and an ear infection. She’s now on antibiotics and oral steroids. They’re also referring her to a dermatologist. Hopefully she’ll improve quickly while on these meds.

When we finally got home, the house smelled like toasted marshmallows and my hair and clothes smelled like I’d been camping.

I picked both boys up from school, dropped my three at a friend’s house and took Biggest Brother and Four Year old to the dentist. We were there for an hour and a half. Baby Girl was very good and both boys got a perfect report from the dentist! 🙂

I had just enough time to pick up my kids from our friend’s house, pick up Josh, pick up OUR van from the shop, and drop the rental back at Enterprise…before grabbing fast food and heading to church for Christmas practice…….

Ahhhhhhh, now you see why I was exhausted!?

I slept GOOOOOD last night.

Moral of the story: If you want that nice woodsy smell but don’t have a wood burning fireplace…just set your kitchen on fire for a few minutes and the smell will last for weeks to come.

(DO NOT REALLY DO THIS…THERE ARE PLENTY OF CANDLES THAT WILL SAFELY SIMULATE THIS SMELL). HAHA!! It definitely could’ve been much worse.

This day cost me over $550.

And after all that, I’m still smiling! Remember my motto?

LAUGH IT OFF OR BE CONSUMED!

Happy Wednesday people! 23 Days until Christmas!!

I think we’ve come over an important ‘hump’ in our transition period. I feel like we’re out of survival mode and slipping nicely into a routine.

Saturday, when I finally stated to feel better and began cleaning like crazy, I noticed that the boys’ bathroom (used by four little boys who rarely AIM!) smelled DISGUSTING! I mean seriously, WHERE is that SMELL coming from?? I cleaned the bathroom like I normally would (toilet, sink, mirror, bath/shower, floor) and it STILL smelled like PEE!! YUCK!! SOOooo, I took down the shower curtain and threw it in the wash, along with the big rug in front of their sink. Amazing! It smells SO much better in there now!

If I could just get the four year old to pee IN the toilet instead of ON it!

It’s the end of our first ‘month’ and I have TONS of paperwork to fill out for the kids. I didn’t realize how much ‘red tape’ you have to push through each and every month.

I have several people that have offered to ‘get cleared’ to babysit for us, through the foster agency, but I just found out they each have a whole packet of paperwork, clearances, and tests (medical/drug) to pass/complete before anyone can babysit for us. Good grief, we may not have a date night for a very long time. I already can’t remember the last one.

Errands to run, people to pick up, etc, etc.

Happy Monday!

~audrey

I think I’ll call today “sickie Sunday”. See, somehow I came down with the flu on Thanksgiving and spent most of Thanksgiving and ALL of Friday in bed with a fever and terrible body aches. Since then, Owen, Baby Girl, Jesse, and Biggest Brother have all developed fevers and ailments of some kind.

In fact, Josh and I had decided that it would be best if I stayed home with the toddlers and Jesse while he took the other three boys to church. However, an hour into church, Biggest Brother was feeling pretty yucky, so Josh brought him home. He looks and sounds pretty puney, so he’s in bed now….unfortunately, one of the things I was doing while they were at church was stripping the beds and washing all the linens…oops. They aren’t quite done yet, so he’s laying on a mattress cover, a bare pillow, and is covered with a blanket from the living room. Poor guy. I do like taking care of sick kiddos though. They’re extra sweet when they’re not feeling well and just wanting their mommy.

I wonder how ‘mothering’ their real mom is/was. I wonder at times like this, would Biggest Brother have been left to fend for himself, of would she have been by his side, just like I have, checking for a fever, offering fluids and blankets, making sure he’s comfortable and all of his needs are met.

He now not only calls Josh, Dad, but he also calls me, Mom.

Yesterday was great. I was finally feeling better, my energy was back, it was a beautiful day and I was in full-force-attack-mode on my yucky germy house! I got lots of cleaning done and what didn’t get done is getting done this morning while three are still at church. Lots of laundry, toilet scrubbing, floor mopping…ahhhh, it’s been wonderful. I now have a Christmas candle burning and a second pot of coffee brewing. That’s right, this is a two pot kinda day. The first pot was normal, I shared it with Josh (only about a four cup pot). Now, it’s time for business, so I’ve got three or four more cups brewing, filling my house with the fragrance that makes me smile…which I guess is also mixing with the Christmas candle, dryer sheets, and lemon scented pinesol. Oh well, it all smells delicious to me!! haha! This morning’s cleaning is in preparation for Sunday lunch followed by decorating the tree, making Christmas cookies, and watching movies. …

I did a bunch of online research this weekend for Baby Girl’s eczema. She’s covered from head to toe. It’s terrible. Everytime I change her clothes or diaper, she scratches like crazy. When we stay at home, I keep her in footy jammies so she can’t scratch. Over the weekend, I bought All Free and Clear to wash her clothes and linens with, Eucerin for covering her skin three times a day, Aveeno Oatmeal bath to bathe her in every other day, and Cetaphil cleanser as well. I also read in several different places that adding a liberal amount of yogurt to her diet can also yield great benefits for the eczema. Only time will tell.

It looks like Biggest Brother will likely be staying home from school tomorrow and that also means I will probably have to take him to the doctor so I’ll have a note for his school.

Thanksgiving break has been a really great time for all of us to transition from ‘new kids’ to ‘part of the family’. Biggest Brother has improved in every area that once concernced me. He’s doing wonderfully and seems to thrive more and more with each additional day of structure and consistency.

God is so good.

I’m hoping I got some great pictures at the Christmas tree farm! More on that later.

~audrey

To be quite honest, I don’t have anything profound for this Thanksgiving Day post.

I’m exhausted, Jesse and Owen have a stomach bug, and baby girl is being VERY ugly this morning.

I could write for days about the millions of things I’m thankful for, but really the only thing that really matters is Jesus. I’m thankful for Jesus. I’m thankful for forgiveness, eternal life with Him, new mercies every day, grace, abounding love, my identity in Christ, and His sacrifice on the cross.

I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful for a godly husband who loves me for me. I’m thankful for incredible, godly, supportive, encouraging, loving parents (mine and his!!). I’m thankful for sweet, loving children who already desire to know God at an early age; they love one another and enjoy serving others. I’m thankful for a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I’m thankful for two vehicles and the freedom to come and go as we please. I’m thankful that I live in a country where, at least for now, I am free to worship the ONE TRUE GOD however and whenever I please.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to invest in the lives of three little children that I would never have met in any other circumstance and I’m thankful that they are softening up to us more and more each day.

I’m thankful that in a house full of six children, I get about eight hours of sleep at night.

I’m thankful that our table has never been empty and our pantry never bare.

I’m thankful for friends/sisters in Christ who make me laugh and lift me up on those days when “I’VE HAD ENOUGH!!” 🙂

Cheesey as it may sound, I’m thankful for Christmas music, Christmas decorations, tradition, the smell of mulling spices, holiday dish towels, scented pinecones, candles, and HGTV. The little things in my everyday life often bring me the most joy.

I’m thankful for sweet, slobbery toddler kisses, “I love you”s from my beautiful boys, delicious hugs from sweet-smelling kids after bath time, the way my hubby looks me in the eyes, tells me he loves me, and kisses me good-bye each morning.

I seriously COULD go on forever, but I have to get my casserole in the oven!

Happy Thanksgiving Ya’ll!

~audrey

I guess it should say “A Changed Woman”, but that just doesn’t sound as catchy. 🙂

The last two weeks have surely changed me already. I see my children through a different light now. I value and appreciatate my “normal” family structure more than ever before. I squeeze my kids a little tighter now with each hug. I give extra kisses every chance I get. I read extra stories at bedtime when asked. I’m a little more patient and a lot less critical.

Everyday I force myself to imagine what it must be like to be in our foster children’s shoes. Ripped from your parents, your home, your school, the friends you’ve known all your life; and three months before Christmas. I try to put myself in their parents’ shoes as well. Sure, they made some bad decisions that resulted in them losing their children temporarily, but surely they must anguish over how their children are being cared for. Whether their children are feeling loved and protected. Those things help me through the rough spots, when the foster children are mistreating my children in my house. That is hard to handle, but kids will be kids. These children have experienced a serious, traumatic event, or number of events. They’re going to act out at some point. I can’t even imagine how intolerable my children’s behavior would be if someone stole them from me and placed them with strangers.

Anyways, all that said, I am looking at the whole situation differently now; hopefully for the better. I want them to be able to look back on their stay at our house as one of the best times of their childhood. A place where they felt safe. A place where they knew no matter what they did, they would still be loved. A place where we defend and forgive one another and don’t let the sun go down on our anger. A place where the presence of the Lord is felt in every room.

This is it. The last day of school for the week. Thanksgiving break. Yikes. I’m praying for good weather. I’m trying to think of good creative things to do with the kids: baking, crafts, ornament making, finger painting, scavenger hunting, game playing. It will be a good week. A mere taste of CHRISTMAS BREAK! Do you have any creative suggestions? Do share!

Thank you Father for family!

~audrey

I’ve never loved Mondays quite as much as I do now.

Weekends are hectic and it’s quite a challenge keeping six kids active and occupied so they don’t kill each other. 🙂

Sundays are good. Church, a liesurely lunch, rest, and family time before bed.

Ah, but Mondays. Mondays are still my favorite. Like a blank sheet of paper, I get to start a new week, fresh and clean. I leave the worries of last week behind and set my sights on the potential that lies ahead.

Today will be filled with laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. You know, I do at least three loads a day and I have yet to see a house full of empty laundry baskets! How is that?

I run the dishwasher twice a day and I do so many pots and pans by hand that my fingers a cracking.

I’m in a routine now, fluently moving from one task to the next. School work, meals, cleaning, snacks, laundry, errands, picking up kids from school. Somehow we’re making it work.

Someone said to me at church yesterday, “I’ve heard once you have three children, it’s no big deal adding more. Have you found that to be true?”

Um, no! I think that only applies when you add them one at a time, from birth! Haha! Doubling your children over night is not quite as simple. 🙂

Okay, time to add fabric softener and get Joshua started on his school work.

Happy Monday!

~audrey

You just don’t understand how much fun I’m having with a little girl in my house after seven years of BOYS, BOYS, BOYS! Don’t get me wrong, sticks, rocks, mud, bugs, and frogs are tons of fun, and boys are VERY easy to please, but come on, can you put a little boy in tutu jammies!?

~audrey

MY God sent me three hungry foster children with one hour’s notice and hardly any groceries in the house, but I had JUST enough bread to make three sandwiches for their dinner.

I didn’t have one spare moment to go to the grocery store the first two days the new children were here, but MY God knew that and sent an absolutely wonderful, plentiful dinner through the hands of one of my dearest friends.

MY God knew that I’ve always wanted all boys and ONE girl….so, how cool is it that He gave me exactly what I’ve always wanted, in our first foster placement…five boys and one girl, all under MY roof!

Our foster children came to us with almost nothing. Within 48 hours, MY God provided more than four bags of clothes for the children and a few toys as well; all through the hands of His saints.

We desperately need a freezer for our garage to contain the extra groceries that we’re now needing. I prayed that I had enough scrap gold to sell at a gold party so I could buy the freezer from Sam’s. The freezer is $175….my gold sold for $210!

…but it doesn’t stop there!

What I really wanted was an upright freezer. They’re easier to organize, so you can see what you have, rather than the chest style freezers where you just pile everything on top of eachother. However, upright freezers START at $400, so I was going to be thankful for a 5 cuft. chest style freezer for $175. As I got out of the van at church this morning, our worship leader approached me and asked if we were still looking for a freezer. I told him yes, but that MY God had just provided the money to buy one. He said, “Save your money, someone at church was going to sell theirs, but they heard you guys were looking for one and they want to give it to YOU…It’s a big upright model.”

OH MY GOODNESS!? SERIOUSLY!?

Last week, I found out that because of a change that our agency made in their pay periods, I would not be getting a full ‘paycheck’ (which includes the children’s “boarding” allowance that helps with groceries, clothing, etc..) until December 30! You mean, I have to pay for DOUBLE the groceries, DOUBLE the water usage, and DOUBLE the Christmas gifts on our current income?!? Ok Lord, I hope you’ve got this!

SOOooo, I got a phone call on Monday afternoon from a lady I go to church with, but hardly know. She works at University Hospital and called to inform me that some ladies she works with would like to ‘adopt’ our foster children for Christmas! They will take care of all their Christmas needs! MY God is THAT BIG!

I stressed about the DFCS worker, from the state, coming to ‘inspect’ the house today. But, to be honest, I really didn’t even have time to get the house picked up and get baby girl’s room looking decent. When the man showed up, he was wearing leather biker gear, with a big smile on his face. He walked in, laughed with us for a few minutes, asked a few short and easy questions, thanked me for my time and left! MY God gave me favor with that man and as a result, our agency had perfect inspections all day!!

I sure am glad that I serve a God who cares for our EVERY need, down to the tiniest detail.

MY God cares enough about me and my family that He hand-picked our foster children to fit perfectly into our home.

I’ve never been in such a place as this. I wake up each morning, relying on TODAY’S manna from heaven. I am surviving on His new mercies for each day. And each and every day, I receive, from the outpouring of His love for me, his child. I am a daughter of the Most High King. My Daddy owns the cattle on a thousand hills. My Daddy’s resources aren’t affected by a failing economy and He continually provides above and beyond our basic needs.

I Love you Father God!

~audrey