Friday, January 25, 2013

Fun Times!

I recently bought us a family membership to the zoo. The kids love to go, we can use it during the spring before the water park opens and best of all, you can bring in FOOD! I hate places (like the water park) that don't allow you to bring in food or drinks. The food they serve is pure slop and I don't like feeding it to my kids. The food is also usually CRAZY overpriced also. We took the girls to the zoo the week after we brought them home, the baby was too young to enjoy it & to be honest I think Everly was still in a trance. She didn't really enjoy herself. This time all three of them had SO much fun. We got there before lunch and saw a few exhibits then we grabbed a picnic table and had lunch outside. The weather was really beautiful and it was a great way to spend a Sunday!
We also had a VERY unpleasant experience with my sons school this week. I won't list it by name, even though I would LOVE to, for his privacy. My son gets picked up by his daycare everyday except Mondays, when the school bus brings him home because my husband is off on Monday. Well when the daycare got there to pick him up on Tuesday it appears they had accidentally sent him home on the school bus, to come to our home, which was EMPTY since we were at work. To make it even worse the school NEVER caught their mistake. The daycare worker asked where Tuck was & the teacher told her that he took the bus home, not to worry. The daycare worker told her we hadn't called the daycare, he should be there & the teacher told her " Tuck rides the school bus home on Mondays", that's when the daycare employee informed her it was TUESDAY. By that point he was already almost home. The teacher called to tell my husband, "oh are you home, I put Tucker on the bus". We were both at work over 30 minutes away, thank God my husband was able to get a hold of a neighbor who went outside & got him until we could get there. The scary part isn't the mistake, its the fact that had the daycare not pressed & questioned where he was, the school wouldn't have caught their mistake & called us. Our son would have been locked outside alone for 3-4 hours. I wouldn't have known until I got to his daycare to pick him up! Can you imagine the feeling of a daycare telling you your child isn't there, the school is already closed by that point, so we would have been out searching for him. The bus stop is a block away, and one house over is a registered sex offender. Before you say it, YES they can live that close to a bus stop as long as they aren't on probation or "high risk". It was terrifying and I was LIVID. I was at the school the next morning when they opened. Turns out his teacher didn't even tell the principal or report her mistake. That made me even more upset. It is basically a parents worst nightmare. I will also be filing a complaint with the school district as well. We have talked with him about what to do should this ever happen again and have put safeguards in place as well, to ensure he be safe!






Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Everly Turns Three!

Sorry its been so long since I posted, I did really well there for awhile posting weekly! Things have been so crazy, Everly had her birthday last weekend and then I started back to school today.  Everly had a Lalaloopsy birthday party and it was over the top! The picture above is her sitting in the gift table in our dining room. No that is not a backdrop... here's a wide shot, she's sitting on the table on the left!

Everly had lots of fun and I pretty much spent my whole Christmas break from school making decorations and stuff for the party. I made her bow & her skirt to match a shirt I had made by https://www.facebook.com/shopthelionandtheunicorn . I just asked if she had anything in Lalaloopsy & she was able to find this cute pattern & even added Ever's name.




I was lucky enough to find just a few party supplies that were Lalaloopsy! Everything else I pretty much pieced together and made. It was totally worth it for her very first Birthday party. We have recently been in contact with a member of the girls' bio family and it was confirmed she never had a party. I really hope she remembers this party & how much we love her!



That brings up that last part I slipped right in. Yes, we have been in contact with a member of their bio family. Just saying that makes my heart skip a beat. We have been so careful to keep their new lives anonymous from them and to make sure their bio family wasn't able to "trace" them back. I made the decision to contact a family member that had advocated for the girls, but ultimately decided they were unable to keep them. I used an anonymous email address & we have exchanged photos. I haven't told them the girls' new names, or even my name. I did ask them to please not share anything we tell or give them with anyone else, as the girls' safety is our first priority and they agreed. They haven't been in contact with the girl's bio parents in awhile and have distanced themselves from the sickness that troubles them. The only thing we asked in return was for them to let us know if they had another child come into custody. Well, no sooner did I ask that than they emailed me to tell me they had recently found out the girl's bio mother was pregnant again. She told them the baby didn't make it, but I have my doubts. They said since then their mom has disappeared and hasn't been in contact with them. This isn't a good sign, to me it indicates she is trying to hide the fact that she is pregnant because she wants to keep the baby. She is still using drugs and the baby will test positive when born, and will immediately be brought into custody. I just pray she isn't pregnant, and she doesn't bring another child into this world that she can't take care of. No child deserves to be born into illness and chaos. All we can do at this point is think of whether or not we would be willing to take the baby if it turns out she is pregnant. And, to be honest at this point as much as it saddens me to say, I don't think we could do it. I guess we will wait and see, only time will tell!




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Years, New Adventures!

I am really excited for this new year! Every single wish we had for 2012 came true! Just 3 weeks into the year we were matched with our daughters, and less than 2 weeks before it ended we finalized their adoptions! I'm not sure you can really ask for more! We spent a quiet night at home with the kids last night & just enjoyed our little family. I thought I would share a couple videos, the first one Delilah had found a cake on the dining room table & decided to help herself to it by pulling it off onto the floor & eating it.
Daddy got her & cleaned her up. I guess my scolding wasn't enough, because 5 minutes later I look over to find her sitting on TOP of the table helping herself to some cupcakes. My favorite part is how when Daddy asks her if she really wanted them, she babbles, points to them, then nods "yes"!
This week the bigger 2 kids started gymnastics. Tuck took gymnastics before for over 2 years. He stopped taking classes because he was bored in the small section & isn't allowed on the main gym floor until he was 6. Though he turned 6 this summer, Everly wanted to take a class also, and the only class they have at the same time as Tucks class was for 3 year olds. So I waited until she was 3 so her & Tuck could take class at the same time, our schedule is just so crazy getting 2 kids to class at 2 seperate times just wasn't possible. Tuck really enjoyed being on the BIG floor & he did really well. Everly LOVED her class also. She has the little gymnast build and can be very fearless about things like that.
In other news Everly's 3rd birthday is this week & we are having a party on Sunday. She asked for a Lalaloopsy party & I happily obliged. I have a feeling she hasn't had a birthday party before, her first birthday she was in her biological families home & I seriously doubt they did that for her. Last year she was in a previous foster home. Her birthday was 2 weeks before they disrupted due to divorce & when I got the few photos they had from her time there, her Birthday wasn't in any of the photos. So to say we went a little over the top is an understatement! I've spent my whole Christmas break from work making decorations, favors, her skirt, her headband ordering & organizing! I want her to really enjoy herself & remember this Birthday! I will do a blog post full of photos etc of the party! Last year I had a resolution to purge the negative people from my life for good & I feel that I was able to achieve that. Negative & judgmental people are like the bad apple in the bunch, it spoils everyone! I've realized some people can't be happy for others because they aren't happy with themselves. I hope for this reason I teach my kids to be happy with who they are & what they are & to appreciate those things in others. I hope everyone has a blessed year for 2013. I am excited to see what this year has in store for our family!