May fun with Corri

It was our last month with Corri!  We had a good time!

He finished pre-school.  His teachers were so sad to say goodbye!  He had such a great year!  This is Ms. Kristen!

Daddy fixed his bike - again - and he got to ride it a little before it broke once more!! ahhh....

He even went with us to the Annual Texas Conference for UM Pastors.  He was a hit there too!  He loved the day care at the "new church" and made lots of new friends!

He pretended he and Sugar were good friends for a picture, but Sugar knows it could change any second!  At least she is a good sport!

He LOVED the lake and riding on the tube.

He especially loved doing whatever his big brothers were doing!  BTW, he did not ride like this!  This was only while we were anchored!

And, of course, he loved being with Sissy!  She is so good with him!

Big Brother Returns Home

Big brother has been staying with mom the past two weekends, and it has been great!  We enjoyed some quieter times with just the little one, and big brother loved being with his mommy and daddy.

Both nights he returned home were a little emotional.  He would lay his head in his hands and weep saying, "I miss the other mommy and daddy."  But, he almost seemed shameful about it because he was so happy to be back home with us too!  It has been difficult to see his little heart torn between two families whom he loves very much.  However, each time I have told him how great it is that he misses the other mommy and daddy because that is who he should be with!  I have reassured him that we all love him so much but that the other mommy and daddy loved him first and that they have worked so hard this year to get better so he could come home.  He shakes his head in agreement and feels a little better.

He also kept telling me that he wanted us all to see each other...."I want Thomas, Mary Frances, Chase, the last daddy, and you to come to my new house." and "I want the other mommy and daddy to come to this house." and "I want you to keep seeing the other mommy and daddy."  It is obvious that his main concern is that he may go back and never see us again. 

So, yesterday was the big day!  I had already sent most of his belongings home over the past two weekends because he has accumulated A LOT since arriving in our home 336 days ago!  We've been talking about it here and there for two weeks.  The bigs kids gradually said their goodbyes since they would not see him before they left early for school.  We took Shamrock sugar cookies to school so he could celebrate with all of his friends, who were so sweet to him!  His teachers gave him big hugs and told them to come and visit.  I washed his bedding that he got at Christmas to take home with him and packed up the last of his clothes.  Our CPS worker (who is AMAZING) arrived at 2:00 to pick up both boys for their regular visit.  Only little brother would be returning later.  My mom came over to say goodbye (and to be moral support for me).  We gave big kisses and said "I'll see you on Wednesday!"  (He has a psychiatrist appointment tfor diagnosis and possible medication for treatment, and the ad litem asked me to attend).  He said goodbye, and they were off!  I told my mom I couldn't watch as they left.  That would just make me too sad!

My husband is overseas for two weeks - not the best timing for a child to leave! My mom stayed with me for a while to be sure I was okay, but I never got upset!  I told her I was fine and would probably have a good cry later, but I never did!  I wondered if something was wrong with me.  A child I have loved for almost a year has just left my home for good!  How could I not be upset?  Then, I reminded myself that there was just no reason to be upset.  We opened our home to him so he would have a safe place to stay and be loved while his parents were recovering.  He blossomed while he was here.  He has done great in school.  He sleeps peacefully through the night now and wakes in the morning with a joyful heart!  He has been prayed for my too many people to count.  His parents love him and can now provide him with a safe place to stay.  They have healed in many different ways and are prepared to be better parents.  AND...we get to continue a relatipnship with him!  What about that is sad? 

I'm sure I will have my moments, but this is definitely not what I expected!  I'm still waiting for the floodgates to open, but I am not as convinced that they will.  This is good.  This is really good!  We have all accomplished a major feat for the benefit of everyone involved!  That is something to shed joyful tears over!  Go and do big things Big Brother!  We are all behind you!

Weekend Visits

It worked!  Big brother starts weekend visits with his mom in one week!  I am so excited for him.  He wants to be home with his mommy and daddy very badly!  He loves our family very much, but even after almost a year, he still identifies "the other mommy and daddy" as the real deal, as he should.

My body literally shook for two days as I waited to hear what happened in court when the discharge papers were announced.  The ad litem said he would begin transitioning, and everyone finally agreed!

I felt like we were playing Russian roulette with this little life, but we had to push this along!  The courts have just taken too long!  If the parents had not moved their case into "drug court" they would already have the kids back because they had already fulfilled the requirements for CPS.

Anyway, it is over now!  It worked, and he is going home within a month!  Hallelujah!  He needs to be home and I desperately need a break!

Little brother will begin weekend visits two weeks after Big Brother returns!  It's going to be an interesting ride, but we are ready!

Discharge Papers

I am so torn this morning.  This past month has been very difficult.  I am having a very hard time with the four year old's behavior, and I don't know if he is really getting worse or I am just fed up with it.  He is only four, but it seems like the whole family is walking around on egg shells trying to avoid a confrontation with him.  He gets mad if someone tries to play with him at a time he doesn't want to play, if a different person gives him juice than the one he asked, if we take away a toy because he hit someone or threw it after we told him not to.  He's very testy and it is difficult to tell how he will respond sometimes. 

I feel like he needs us because we have given him a stable, loving environment for ten and a half months now.  He feels safe.  He is a perfect student at school, but he starts his screaming and fussing in the parking lot outside of the school.  I just don't know how much more I can take.  It is so sad to admit, but I look forward to him going to school, going to visits, or going to bed every day.  Like...I count the time between each.  I feel like I just get little breaks while he is in those places from the craziness. 

He has such a sweet heart, and I know he wants to please us, but I feel like I am being beat up every day.  Our agency says it is time to turn in discharge papers on him.  They are setting a 30 day time for him to find another home.  I am distraught and relieved at the same time.  My own children are going through so much right now and need more of my attention.  I am busting my butt to give everyone what they need, and I am spent. 

The thing is that the boys should have been back with their mom months ago!  They told me at the beginning of August, when her case was moved from just CPS court to Drug Court (FIC Court), that the boys would be going home in 30-60 days.  It is almost the middle of February now!  A few weeks ago, I was told that they finally approved weekend visits and now they are pulling back on that!

The people in charge of this case (and there are a lot of them) are just being too unreasonable.  I realize I don't know everything, but I know a lot because of my relationship with the parents.  She has worked it out to stay with her mother and grandad in a home that is big enough for the family.  It is not a permanent situation because she doesn't want to stay there, but it works for the time being.  As she said, she is "legally married to the biological father of the children who wants to help" and yet the court is requiring her to move back into "a more controlled enviornment" at the rehab facility so they can watch her with the kids better.  The first problem with that is the dad is not allowed on that property!  She won't have access to a car or qulaity childcare there, either.  She would have to ride public transportation with an overactive four year old, a two year old, and an eight month old!  Where is the sense in that?

I do not want our boy to go to another home!  I want him to go HOME to his mommy and daddy, but the court is just dragging it out for some reason.  She has been clean for 10 months, has completed recovery and is ready to be reintroduced to life with her boys.  Dad has been clean for 8 months and has almost finished his services.  What is the deal?

So, now I am stuck in a very difficult place.  If the courts do not let this child go back home in the next month, CPS will move him to another home.  It will not be good for him, but it is not good for the other 6 people in our house for him to be here!  How do you reconcile this?  My heart is a mess this morning.  On top of all these feelings, I have to call the mom this morning and tell her what is happening before she hears it in court this afternoon!  How do I tell her I am giving up her child?  How can I give up a child?  What kind of person does that make me?

9 Months and Counting

We have now had the boys for nine months!  I am quite surprised they have been here so long, but I have learned that no one has any idea how long these things take.  I have been told they were going home within the next 30 days since August!  While I love them and want them to go back to the best situation possible, I must also admit that I am tired and anxious for some "me" time.  This jump back into the preschool years has been pretty overwhelming, but I would not trade this time for anything.

The boys are both sleeping through the night with only an occasional night terror (like once a month or so).  Little bit is sleeping in a "big boy" bed, and the baby bed has been put away.  I can control them much better when we go outside to get in the car now, as well.  I can trust that big brother will actually walk to the car and get in rather than running away - most of the time!  They are also aware of the need to be careful around the road and in parking lots.  I mean, they still need to be watched like a hawk because they will still run, but it is a major improvement from 9 months ago. 

They are still throwing everything, and big brother still refuses to eat most things.  We use timeout and a behavior chart to control tantrums the best we can, and those really have helped, but meltdowns are still a daily event in our house!

Right now, I am feeling that my biggest accomplishment is the relationship I have built with mom and dad!  I have become like a mentor - especially to mom.  We are able to discuss all kinds of things about what it will be like when she gets all of the kids back.  She already has the baby whom we had for only 6 weeks but ADORED!!  She uses me as a sounding board when making decisions about the baby.  I love that I can be that for her.  I tell her that is exactly what my mom does for me.  Even though she has her mom, their relationship is not the type that really supports that type of trust.  She asked me to be the emergency contact at the daycare because I am "the only person she trusts"!  That was the point at which I gave her my phone number - 8 months in!

After much prayer, advice and discussion, we invited mom and dad to our home for Christmas evening and then to my parents for dinner.  My agency was very upset with me for doing it, but we just had to weigh everything for ourselves and decided it was the best decision for us all.  We are 100% aware that addicts often relapse, but with them being 6 months and 9 months clean, we feel they are in a place where we can help by showing them love and support.  We had a wonderful evening and wish we could have had more time.

I am looking forward to how we can continue to be one of the their support systems as they continue to recover!  It is so heartbreakiing to me to see how big of hole they have dug and have to climb out of with very little encouragement from family!  I desperately want them to have their children back and believe they are great parents who got involved in some bad stuff!  My prayer is that God does miraculous things in their lives and uses them to make a difference for others!

Six Months In

It has been six months since the boys first arrived.  Life is most definitely different in the Hughes home, but everyone has adjusted well.  The big kids are a huge help and love having the kids here (most of the time)! 

It amazes me to think back to those first days they were here and to realize how much they have grown.  We had a hard time getting big brother to go to sleep...especially in a bed.  Now, I can lay him down, kiss him, and tell him I'll be back to check on him in a few minutes, and all the littles are in bed by 8:00!  What???  The first four months it took us 2-3 hours to put them to bed every night and one of us fell asleep with big brother almost every night.  Those nights were difficult, but we are in a good routine now!

Little brother was talking quite a bit when he arrived but mostly like a parrot...repeating words we said.  However, there are a few things we are really missing now that he is starting to talk in sentences:

"some" is what he said as soon as he heard a drive thru bag enter the car (he was rear-facing)
"bite" is what he said ANYTIME someone had food because he wanted some too!

And we could not get that little guy to say his name for anything! He was convinced his name was his brother's.  It was really about three months here before he would finally say HIS name!  We were all so excited.

He was so precious and sweet.  I would tell everyone that he was just as sweet as he was cute...and then he turned TWO!! WOW!  Some kids move through the twos without much notice, but this one jumped in full throttle!  He hits, throws and pitches a tantrum with the best of them!  Now, I have to keep reminding myself of how sweet he really was!  He still has his moments, but they don't call them the Terrible Twos for nothing!

When we got the boys, we knew that mom was pregnant and due in June.  As much as I wanted to take her, my husband just finally put his foot down and said "no".  She was born only two days before I left for Europe for two weeks, and everyone thought she was going to have lots of problems due to the circumstances of the pregnancy.  However, she was born PERFECT!  The boys and I were able to see her at visits every once-in-a-while, but she wasn't always there.

Fast forward to August when the kids' attorney called me and asked if I would be willing to take baby sister temporarily since mom would be getting her back very soon.  I told him we could but only temporarily.  It took weeks for him to make it happen, but the judge eventually approved the move, and we got her mid-September.  It was a nightmare, though, because CPS and my agency were not happy about the judge's orders and tried desperately to have them overturned.  Every day was an adventure as I was getting calls from all those involved, and no one seemed to know what the others were doing.  I told several of them that I just didn't understand why they couldn't all communicate!  Why did they need me to get everyone on the same page?  It was a communication nightmare, and eventually I just told them all that I felt like my parenting was being questioned since they didn't want the baby to come to me.  I told the CPS worker that baby belonged in my house more than anyone else's (except her parents) because I had been praying for her for months before she was born and already loved her family.  In addition, the boys needed to understand that she was really their sister - not just a baby they saw every once-in-a-while.  Finally, I got her, and she is amazing!

I look at her every day and am amazed at how perfect she is after being exposed to so much in utero.  I tell her how precious she is and how much she is wanted and loved!  She coos back at me and gives the best smiles and giggles!  We are having so much fun with her! It is like playing with a baby doll since we know she will only be here a little while longer!  Everyone wants to hold her and help with her.  She barely cries, and smiles ALL the time!

They are a precious sibling group!  I am so happy we have had the opportunity to foster them all.  They will be going home soon, and it will be difficult, but we have covered them in love and prayer!  I am confident that God will protect them and draw him to himself as they grow because I pray, almost every night, that no matter how they are raised, they will always be pulled toward doing the right thing and having a relationship with Him! 

Quiet Reflections

It's the first morning since the boys arrived that I have gotten up before them!  It is so amazingly quiet.  I have just spent time with God and am drinking my coffee.  This is the way I LOVE to start my day!  I go back to work tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to it.  I thrive on routine, and there has been no such thing the last 6 weeks.  We are working on it, but we just aren't there yet!

The boys' attorney came to visit a few days ago.  It was the first time I have met yet.  He stayed for almost 2 hours, and we had a wonderful conversation about the boys.  He was so impressed with their improvement since the last time he had seen them.  He couldn't believe how well they were doing.  He said Little Bit wouldn't even look him in the eye before, and he had been concerned that Big Brother needed to be tested because he didn't seem to know what was going on around him.  I was actually shocked at that.  I immediately told him that Big Brother is extremely smart, but I have discovered that he was just not exposed to the world around him.  For instance, he loves dinosaurs but didn't know there were different kinds.  He is loving learning about the different ones and their names.  When I took him on the cereal aisle, he didn't recognize any of them - not even Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops.  I told the attorney that I think most of what he had learned was from television, but that he is learning very quickly now.  In fact, I told the older kids that they could teach him anything because he is like a sponge and learning everything!  (By the way, I trust the kids to teach him appropriate things.  That wasn't an invitation to really teach ANYTHING!) :)

Both boys slept through the night last night!  That could be because they went to bed later.  Maybe I need to reconsider bed TIME!?  Big Brother is still sleeping in our room on his own bed.  I don't plan to move him until after my trip to Europe next month.  I think it will be better for things to stay the same for now.

Little Bit is a "parrot".  He repeats everything we say.  I can't count how many new words he learns everyday!  My biggest problem with him right now is hitting - me, in particular!  He slaps us in the face constantly.  I was having a hard time figuring out how to change the behavior, but I think I've figured it out. I tell him "no" very sternly every time, and then I put him down.  He loves to be held, and he understands that it is a big deal if I will not hold him as a result of the behavior!  I have also been teaching him how to touch "nicely".  So, he has been rubbing our faces MORE than hitting.  He is getting it, but it is a slow process!

Side Bar:  My 11 year old just came down with a card for me!  I forgot it was Mother's Day!!

Night Terrors in Foster Children

Night Terrors....I've never experienced them before, but I have learned a lot about them in the last few weeks!  Here are some things I've learned and put to use:

1. Anyone can have night terrors, but they are much more common in foster/adopted children.  So, what is it?  It is similar to a nightmare, but the person does not wake up during it.  They can last 2-30 minutes, and they can be scary to watch!

2. You should not wake up a child having a night terror because it could make the situation worse.

3. You can't really prevent them, but they will eventually go away (so I'm told...we haven't gotten that far yet) with careful attention and encouragement.

4. You can break a night terror by taking the child to the bathroom.  Apparently, they usually need to go anyway, and the act of having to do something brings them out of it a little bit - sometimes!

5. You should just reassure the child that they are safe and you are with them.  You should also make sure they are in a safe area because they may pace or thrash around.  They may have their eyes wide open but still be asleep!

6. If you can catch it as soon as it starts, it ends more quickly.

7.  They usually happen 30-45 minutes after falling asleep - in the deep stage of sleep!

So, here is what I have figured out for our three year old!  After being in our home for 5 weeks, we moved a twin bed into our room.  His bed is about 3 feet from my side of the bed.  His first night terror is usually 40 minutes after he goes to sleep.  So, I am not in bed yet.  However, moving him downstairs allows me to hear him sooner and get to him more quickly.  I've been able to comfort him before he gets out of control.

I take him to the bathroom right away when I get to him.

By doing just those things, I have been able to cut the time from about 10 minutes to less than TWO minutes!  And, I believe that has helped him to sleep through the night better.  Before we moved him down, he was having at least one night terror each night AND waking up another 2-3 times each night!  Not only was that a problem for him, but he was also waking up his 1 year old brother which made my night REALLY difficult!  Now, he is rarely waking up after the first night terror! 

This has been a great solution for us, and I think he is feeling much safer in our home.  My hope is to be able to move him back upstairs into his bed in the next month or so! 

Adjusting to a New Home and Family of Seven

The boys have been here for two and half weeks now.  They are part of our family, and we love introducing them to all of our friends and family.  My parents are in love with them.  My granddad thinks they are precious, and my sister can't wait to see them in person.  They have called us mommy and daddy since the first day.  The baby even loves naming everyone in the pictures - including my parents and granddad!

It has definitely been a roller coaster, but we are doing what God has called us to.  So, we just remind ourselves of that when it gets difficult.  Baby C is super snuggly and talkative.  He definitely talks more than most kids his age.  He has made a pretty smooth transition.  He is very easy to put to bed.  When I say "It's time to go night night.", he says "night night" and lays his head on my shoulder.  He's usually asleep in 2-3 minutes, and I can lay him down in the bed with no issues! He wakes up many nights, but I just hold him for a few minutes, and he goes right back to sleep!

Big Brother has had a more difficult transition.  He appears to have never had a bedtime routine before.  He goes until he literally falls asleep.  He prefers to sleep on the couch or floor, but I tell him each night that little boys should sleep in beds.  He's started to get that the last few nights.  However, the first week was ROUGH at bedtime!  We tried to get him to bed for 2-3 hours every night.  Some of those nights, we were holding him the majority of that time while he was fighting us, but we just gently whispered to him that it was time to go to bed as we bounced him around.  By the end of the first week, I was able to rock him for 5-10 minutes without much push back.  He still won't let me sing to him, and it's driving me nuts!!  He doesn't want anyone to lay down with him, but he will let me sit in the rocking chair and watch him go to sleep.  That is after I have rocked him for 5-10 minutes.  I think he likes that now.  He is definitely enjoying the attention!

The older kids are in love with both of the boys who really have a thing for Thomas!  The older kids get up early in the morning so they can get dressed in time to play with the kids!  Then, they play with them when they come home!  That is so nice for me, but the little ones really look forward to seeing them at the end of the day!

We are currently struggling with the decision about whether or not to take baby sister who is due in 6 weeks.  I'm just not sure I can handle it, but I want to make the best decision for everyone - not just me!  It's hard to know how to pray, too!  I really do believe that reconciliation is the best choice IF mom and dad can get their lives straight and provide a good home.  However, I love these babies, and a good home just isn't good enough for my babies!  I want a great home for them!  A home where they are adored, trained to be great people, and taught to love God and love others - to be people who make a difference in the world!  So, I am praying for God's will because no matter how much I think I know, God knows best and he loves the boys more than I do.

The adventure continues.

Big Day

It's going to be a big day.  The dog is having surgery to remove a large cyst on his chest.  Mary Frances is home sick.  Thomas and Mary Frances have a musical this weekend with 4 different performances.  The first is tonight.  Chase has 2 football games tonight and then goes to a friend's house for the night because they are leaving at 5:30 tomorrow morning for a baseball tournament two hours away. AND...the CPS caseworker and two representatives from our agency will be here any minute with our first two foster kids!!!  This is what I've come to call "The Hughes Way".  We do things big and all at once!  Why not, right?

Anyway, I am surprisingly calm even though I have not cared for little ones their ages (18 mos and 3) in 8+ years!!!!  I am a little nervous, excited, and anxious - but calm over all.

Thomas has built a train track upstairs with several trains waiting to ride on it.  Mary Frances is finding Disney, Jr. so they can have something familiar on when they enter.  Chase has prepared his room so both boys can stay with him.  The house is as clean as its going to get (or ever be for the next many months, probably)! Their doctors appointment has been made for this afternoon. One car seat is installed, and I don't have any clue how to install the other.  I have Baby Magic, juice, and goldfish, and I guessed on their diaper sizes.  I have no clue what they are coming with other than a huge need for love and attention.

So, I am ready for what is about to walk in the door, I think.  I can only imagine how scared they are - coming from the home they have known for only the last 4 months.  This is going to be an adventure - for all 7 of us! I just keep reminding myself that we aren't doing it for us.  We are doing it because there are children in need, and we can do something about it.

So, here goes...

I'm Back...

I'm thinking it might be time to bring this blog back to life!  We are preparing for some new people in our home through foster care, and this has always been the best place for me to gather my thoughts and record our "family history" - serious and funny!

So, look for more posts coming soon as I process my feelings about what and whom we are opening our home to!

Color Me Rad 5K

I'm back !!!  I just started worrying about not documenting all of these fun things we are doing and how much the kids are growing!  So here goes...

All five of us (and Jessica) ran the Color Me Rad 5K a few weeks ago at Sam Houston Race Park!  It was so much fun!! We all finished, but Chase finished 2nd in the whole race!  Of course, Ray C. jokingly told him that just meant he was the first loser which Chase almost prefers because, at least, it means he's first at it! :) 

 We started out all clean and wearing white.  At the end, we were afraid to get in the car because we were so messy, but we can't wait for the next one!

 The picture of Mary Frances and me is my favorite of the day!  How can she look so old?  Time is flying, but I am loving my babies and this next stage of life!

 Thomas is getting ready to run cross country in 7th grade next year.  We are all ready for this new adventure!

 I wish there was a picture of me at this spot to show the difference in personalities!  I had my arms up and was twirling around to be sure it was evenly distributed! :)

 I love this man!  He is a fun guy and does a great job of encouraging our family to be active!

That's Thomas...summed up in one pictures!  Bring it on!

Thankful for Summer...

I woke up 45 minutes early this morning.  I guess I'm excited/anxious about starting back to school today.  It has been an amazing summer!  As I was doing my mom jobs last night..laundry, making dinner...I was thinking about how grateful I am to have a job that allows me to have the summers off.  It allows me time to recharge, focus on my family and projects that I want to do at home.  I can sleep in, get everything done without rushing, and work on things that I don't have time for during the year.

I am so thankful to have the time off with my children to get to know them more intimately and to be able to help them develop into the people God has created them to be.

This summer I have traveled to Europe, been to a family reunion in Arkansas, cheered on my son in the World Series in Dallas, visited family in Florida, partied at Ray C.'s class reunion, read six books, learned to geocache with my children and their friends, exercised, concentrated more on healthy eating habits, laughed with my children, prepare my son for middle school, caught up with old friends, discovered how much I love my children, strengthened my relationship with my high-school-sweetheart husband, built a bookshelf/desk in my bonus room, partied with friends and family at my surprise birthday party, and I have been reminded of how truly blessed I am to have my family living so close.  I'm sure I have forgotten things, but suffice it to say that it has been a great few months.

Today, I go back to school.  Sadly, it is not the school I have been at the last two years, and it is not the team I have come to adore at Smith.  However, I am ready and excited.  Today I become an Anthony Raven.  I am "opening the school" with the rest of the staff.  I have the opportunity to work in a brand new state-of-the-art school.  (It isn't actually ready yet, but we should be ready enough for students next week.) I am looking forward to setting up my room, planning with my new team, and getting ready to welcome my precious little 6th graders on Monday!

Am I sad summer is over?  Not really.  It's been fun, but I am ready for the school routine.  I love what I do as a teacher.  I love that I am making a difference in the world 160+ students at a time!  I love that I get up early, work, and then can be home when my children return from school.  I am still a mother first and foremost.  It is the most important job God has given me.  We are molding three little people to go out and change the world.  I can only do so much as one person, but when these three kids grow up to love God and His people, they are going to go out and do so much more that Ray C. or I can do alone!

This summer I have had the opportunity to really see into their hearts, and they amaze me.  They are all caring and generous. They all love the Lord.  I have absolutely loved spending time with them and my husband this summer, but today, I am charged and ready to go out and do what God has called me to do in the world.  Teach!

Middle School

Today is Sabercat Express.  It's the 6th graders turn to go up to the school to get their schedules, PE clothes, planners, spirit shirts, etc. and to walk their schedule and learn their locker combination!  Thomas is so excited.  He is looking forward to seeing friends he hasn't seen since school ended and other friends that he missed when he changed schools last year!

So, last night I asked him what he was planning to wear, and his response was "cologne"!  What?  He has cracked me up all summer long.  He cracks jokes constantly.  However, this wasn't a joke.  It's just a sign of him growing up, which, for now, is fun and exciting to see.  I love that he is going to middle school this year.  I stressed all last year about it as I watched my own 6th grade students, but he is ready for it now! Bring it on!

When He Grows Up...

Chase drew this picture in church last week.  It's him on the stage in our sanctuary...preaching!  I really would not be surprised if God called him to follow in his daddy's footsteps!

A Letter to Thomas (not originally published)

My sweet Thomas,

I love you with all of my heart. Today is a day I have been dreading for a long time, and unfortunately there will be more like it. Today, I had to let you go to kindergarten. I am sure you will never understand how difficult this has been for me as your mother.

For six years, I have eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner with you. I have put you down for naps and quiet times every day. I have taught you almost everything you know at this point. And this morning, I turned you over to someone else for 7 hours. I just can't imagine being without you the majority of the day. I am jealous that your teacher gets to spend so much time with you, and I am praying fervently that she will treat you with the love and respect you deserve.

You have such a sweet spirit. I have prayed for years that you would have teachers who understand the way God has uniquely made you - that they will be drawn to your sweet spirit, and that they will be able to lead you in the direction you need to go even when it is difficult.

You are so smart. I am amazed at all the things you know and remember. It has been so much fun to teach you, and I will continue to do so.

Last night as we were eating dinner, I realized we hadn't discussed prayers at school. In your preschool last year, you said a prayer before eating, but all of the sudden I realized that you would be expecting that and it isn't going to happen.  Of course, that made me sad, too. When I explained that the teacher can't pray with you, you didn't understand, but I told you to say your own prayer if you'd like!

I can't wait for you to get home on the bus to hear how your day went and what you thought. We will be eagerly waiting your arrival at the bus stop!

Thomas, I am in love with you! You are an amazing kid. My prayer for you continues to be that your love for God and your eagerness to learn will mature as your mature physically - the older you get, the more you love God! Although, I am happy to wait for you to grow up, I am looking forward to seeing how you allow God to mold you into the man He has created you to be, and I hope that He will continue to let me be a part of it!

I love you, sweetheart!

Love,

Mommy

20 Years

It is hard to believe that Ray C. graduated 20 years ago!  We celebrated with half of the class this past weekend at the Country Club in Monticello.  It was so much fun to see old friends.

Jill, Stuart, and Ray C.    

 Kurt told the boys that he was the guy that protected their daddy on the football field!  He was an offensive lineman, and Ray C. was the quarterback.  You can be sure there were LOTS of football stories!

I was excited to see Rosalyn & Jill.  We've been friends since Ray C. & I started dating!

Here they are....looking great!!           

           

  I think we look pretty good too!    One of Ray C's oldest friends - K.C. Cooksey!    

                                                   ...and Gerrick

School clothes shopping

Well...I just dropped a load of money on school clothes today!  I got great deals, and no one got an outrageous amount of clothes.  But, shopping for 2 preteens and a fashion wanna-be son was not cheap!

I went in to Abercrombie for the first time ever!  I want to make sure my new middle school boy looks sharp, and he will!  He'll even smell good because he requested cologne! However, we couldn't find anything appropriate for girlie!   We had to shop Justice for that!

So...for now, all the clothes are on my bed with the tags still on just in case my hubby comes home and flips!?!  

New Photos

Mary Frances needed some new pictures for her next play audition.  So, we had a little photo shoot around the neighborhood.  I can't believe how much she has grown and matured!

Frontier Camp

All three kids went to Frontier Camp again this year!  They had a blast, and we had a relaxing week of date nights!  I'm so glad they have the opportunity to go to such a wonderful camp!