could be great!!

I just got a call from our case worker that there are three little girls (one a newborn) that need a placement. OMG! That would be so awesome! These kids have no visits and are not going to be reunified with family. The caseworker is just trying to work out the logisitics with the licensor about whether or not they can be placed here before the other three leave. Please God... you know our hearts.

Not good news

So we found out yesterday that our foster kids will be going home in the next few weeks. The case worker admits that it is probably not a good idea to send them back to that, but they made so many mistakes in the biginning of this case that they really have no choice. The other lawyers would eat them up if they tried to terminate parental rights. So now we get to pack up the kids and send them back to an extremely unsafe situation. This sucks. Unfortunately, as a foster parent you have to accept what the judge says. Even though he never meets with us or the kids. That is just wrong.
So I guess we will be bringing in a new placement in the next few weeks. That is always so difficult. We manage to get through somehow, but it is difficult. We are really pursueing the adoption thing, though. We have put our name in for several cases. I just hope that it happens quickly. I pray and I pray and time keeps going. I know that I am just feeling down right now, but I just feel like I am very alone in this.
Miranda is currently standing in line for Jonas Brother tickets. She is with a friend and they are trying to get good seats. I think this is a huge step for us in letting her do this. We trust her so much, she has earned it. However, as a parent I want to keep her safe and I can't do it in a situation like this. I keep trying my best to cover all the bases though.
Cadi is with her dance team at adjudication. They have worked pretty hard, but Cadi would says they should have put in a lot more effort in this case. I am sure they will do fine. She was feeling so sick with this cold though. I felt really bad for her having to go and spend about 12 hours down there while she is feeling so bad.
Chey is at work. At least we hope so... She continues to do the same old behaviors. She really is a good kid, she just does not see the consequenses of being a major slacker. When I say major I mean major. This kid does her best to do absolutely nothing. I just don't understand her. She is very different than all of the kids or myself.
The little ones are spending this cold day watching movies and playing.
Me? I am trying really hard to get the laundry caught up and the house back in order after a long week of having a guest and not feeling my best.

missing in action

Sorry I haven't been around, but... you know how it is in a big family. First, I got sick and spent a day in bed while my house completely fell apart. Now to the unpracticed eye, the house would seem fairly clean and orderly even though I was not running around trying to keep things in place. However, I spent two days cleaning after I recovered. Oh well, things weren't bad they just were not the way I like them.
Mark's dad came on sunday and spent a few days with us. He wanted to take the older kids skiing, but most of my girls are not fond of the cold. Miranda did go on monday. She had a wonderful time. She is very excited about this new sport. She has always been into that type of stuff more than the others have been. So, I guess she will want to go skiing every weekend now. Mark got to go skiing on tuesday. He also had a wonderful time. He had a very big smile on his face when I saw him tuesday evening. They had planned to go on wednesday as well, but we were hit with a major snowstorm that dropped about two feet on us in less than 24 hours and the roads were horrible.
I spent all of those days running around taking people to group and school and doctors and tons of other appointments. I hope things slow down a little. I have been feeling a little tired. Sometimes I get to doing to much stuff and forget to sleep.
There is so much snow outside that it looks like a huge sea of white. I am already sick of winter. I can't wait to see the grass again and maybe a flower or two. I am such a warm weather girl at heart.
We are considering bringing Sydnee and Miranda home again for homeschooling. They have asked and we have not been happy with all of the influences and wasted time that takes place in the classroom. Oh well... we will see what happens.

Conservatorships

Today we have been running around trying to set up the conservatorship for Cheyenne. We are finally getting things together after the accident a year and a half ago. I will be so glad to have this part over with.
Cadi seems like she may be getting serious about applying for schools. I hope so. She has so much potential. She doesn't give herself nearly enough credit.
We went out and got one of those fire and water proof safes to keep all of our important documents in. I am so glad. I have been wanting one of these for a long time.
I am planning on going through all of our photos and getting them in some kind of order. I am tired of having to look for hours through all of these different files.
The rest of the day should be filled with taking Joe to speech and doing laundry. Sound like fun?

First Post 1/2/08

I have wanted to do this for awhile, but finding the time is always difficult. I am the Mom of five wonderful, fabulous, amazing kids. Plus, we have three amazing foster kids that have been with us for the past 10 months. We have done foster care for almost four years and are hoping that this placement will lead to an adoption. I know we are supposed to be all about reunification, and usually we are, but this time these kids would not be safe returning home to bio family. We go to our second permancy hearing on the tenth of January. I am told that anything could happen. All the power lays in the judges hands and he never speaks to the foster parents. Oh well, that is the way it works.

My oldest is eighteen and I can not imagine what I must have put my mother through when I was her age. It is so hard watching them make these huge decisions with very little real world experience to draw from. I guess we all have to go through it though.

My youngest is only two and he is our only boy. It has been such an amazing experience learning how to mother a boy. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking the differences between boys and girls is learned. From birth this little boy has been completely different from all of our girls. A challenge but a good one. I think I needed him to come along and mellow me out a little. He has been a lesson in not letting the little things get to me. He has taught me (an ongoing lesson) that my house does not have to be spotless at all times.

The kids returned to school today after their Christmas break. I don't think any of us were ready. We homeschooled for a while but returned the kids to regular school about three years ago. My sixteen year old daughter only attends one class at school and then does the rest at home on the computer. This works best for her ADHD mind. She has been a challenge, but well worth it. My husband, Mark, is thinking about finding a second job to help with the finances. He just wants to get ahead. I can understand that, but I know how tired he gets working his full time job.