Is This Narnia??

I think this must be Narnia... You know, the land of eternal winter and never Christmas!

Last night when I went to bed, there was no snow in my front yard.

This is what I saw out my front door this morning...

 AAACCKKK!!

And it wasn't done snowing yet!!

However, there was one (and only one) beautiful moment in more of this white stuff...

 V left a note for me on his way to school... :)

Okay back to reality and a quote from little Miss T...

"NO MORE SNOW! SICK OF SNOW!"

Bad Dreams

I was woken up early this morning by a very sad little girl. Her face was wet with tears as she said, "I can't find my 'other mommy'".

This breaks my heart! She knows we love her. She asks me all the time, "I your little angel?" But it seems that there will always be a hole in her heart for that "other mommy".

DH handled it so well! He told her, "One mommy is right here and the other mommy is with your grandma!" Still, she needed more cuddles and reassurance. She has referred to this dream several more times today... so I know this situation is weighing heavy on her heart. Please pray that she will find some peace.

Hubby's Bathroom Reader

I think the title says it all...

When children have chosen another way | Mormon Times

An excellent article that I happened upon this morning. Just wanted to share...

When children have chosen another way | Mormon Times

Now, back to caring for my sick little one...

Three Things I Am Grateful For:

1. My children! I love them! I raised them on my own for many years - and I am still grateful for that experience. They mean the world to me!

2. My little one does NOT have pneumonia... just needs a little more rest and meds to get better. :)

3. My own health has been on the mend... and it's about stinkin' time! :)

Child of God

Just a quick one tonight. Heard the little one in her bed tonight singing, I Am A Child of God. Here's a sample of what I heard... (please forgive my attempt at the baby talk spelling!)

"I a chi-ad a God. (Child of God)
He send me heew. (Sent me here)
Has give me a earf-we home. (given me an earthly home)
And pawents kinda deew" (parents kind and dear... Not just "kinda dear")

So stinkin cute!

I love her!

Can It Be So Long Since I've Last Written?

It always amazes me how much time passes between my posts. It's not because I don't have a sincere desire to write... I think about it all the time! There are many times I don't have the time/peace/quiet to sit and write and, very recently, many times that I'm afraid what I write will be misconstrued. (I don't know about you other bloggers - but this happens to me a lot!)


Recently it was suggested to me that I waste far too much time worrying about what others think of me. This caught me a little off guard, as I've normally been one who doesn't give a rip what others think of me. However, in talking further with this person, I learned she was right.


I have spent a great deal of time trying to show certain individuals that I'm not the terrible person they think I am. It didn't matter what others have said to the contrary - this particular group of people dislikes me and blames me for things not in my control - and I have let them get the better of me. Now I must work hard to rid myself of this toxic thinking and stop trying to impress people who do not have any interest in the well being of me or my family. 


This whole things was driven home again within the last week, when a very serious decision had to be made by DH. Although it was not my decision, these people blamed me, called me names, and falsely accused me of terrible "atrocities" - again. 


The irony? In the end, everyone wanted the same thing - but they all had to believe it was their idea before it could be implemented. 


The perk? I've not felt this kind of peace in a very long time. I'm ever so grateful that DH made the choice he did and I hope he will feel the same level of peace about it that I do. 


Now I am working on relearning things I'd forgotten... like, for example, that those who try to control others through threats and lies are really very sad people. 
(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE - AND SO DO I!)


And, if I let them push me to do things I don't want/need/have to - it is ME that lives with that consequence - not them. 


I hope and pray that DH begins to understand this too as we head in this new direction, and these same people try to make him regret his choice. He needs to be supported in this decision. Actually, we both do. So if you're the praying kind, could you say a little one for us? 


Three Things I'm Grateful For

1. My support circle (my kids, my mom) has been amazing this last little while. Thank you for loving me through this last little bit. 
2. I'm feeling a little more like myself this week. Finally!
3. DH loves me! 

Very Special Day

I know it's been awhile... and there is so much that has happened... but I couldn't let this event go without a record. Our dearest little Mr. T. was baptized, confirmed and ordained a deacon last night! 


Normally, our children would be baptized at 8, but because the adoption is not complete, Mr. T. had to wait until his twelfth birthday to get this done. Also, a baptism usually takes place on a Saturday. However, this Saturday, the youth from our ward are going to the temple to perform baptisms. Mr. T really wanted to go to this, we were able to get the baptism done on a Wednesday. Mr. T would also need to have the priesthood in order to attend the temple, so that was taken care of last night too. 


I've got to tell you, this was one of the most incredible baptisms I've ever had the pleasure of attending. My own children's were special - don't get me wrong. But Mr. T had waited four extra years. He'd had to get permission from the government - if you can believe that. They won't allow any religious decisions until the age of 12 - and until the adoption is complete - he is still technically theirs. 


The spirit was so strong there last night. I'll bet there were close to 100 people in attendance! Which was great because Mr. T could see how much love and support he had for this decision. It was hard to contain all the emotions we felt. I think the only time Mr. T wasn't smiling was when he was shedding "tears of joy" (as he called them) while he bore his testimony. 

When we got home, he said he just "felt different". He was the sweetest happiest boy! His bedtime prayer was one of the most sincere, as he offered thanks for all he's been blessed with. I'm so grateful that he has come to be part of our family! I know I have learned so much since he and his brother came to be part of us. 


We are all truly blessed! 


Three things I'm grateful for:

1. That Mr. T was finally, FINALLY able to be baptized because it was his decision and no one else's. 
2. Our new little foster daughter. She is wonderful and funny! I am loving the hugs and kisses and teaching her new words, to count, and sing... but I am NOT enjoying the potty training!
3. My husband. He is a wonderful father, husband, and friend. I'm so grateful that he has the priesthood and is able to bless each of us. It was wonderful for him too, to be able to perform each of Mr. T's ordinances last night too - especially because he is so afraid of crowds! He did it perfectly, and I love him so much!

Baby Mixups

We're in between fostering little girls at the moment. The one we had left for a 3 week "visit" to make sure everything was going to go okay. Everyone had worked so hard to get this little girl home and we were sure that this was going to be one of the rare "happy endings". 


So I called her case worker today, to see how things were going and to see if we could open up the bed for another child. The case worker began to tell me that baby's mom had gone to court and confessed that she didn't want to be a mom after all. I was shocked!! This was not the ending that we were hoping for. 


It got worse - 

She went on to tell me that mom had decided to give up all her rights and when the judge started yelling at her - she bolted from the courtroom! This was so far from where everyone had hoped this would end up. So I asked the case worker when we might be getting the little one back, to which she replied, "Don't you  have her?!"


This is about the time we figured out that she thought I was a different "Kerry the foster mom" and had given me the story ending for the wrong baby! Terribly sad for the other poor little girl - but what a relief from our end! Whew! We'd worked so hard to get our last little babe home safe and healthy. 


So we continue to hurry up and wait... wait to get our little one back - or wait for our next little family member. 


Three Things I'm Grateful For

1. Our little foster baby is actually with people who want her and love her!
2. We think we've found a temporary solution to a very pressing problem. Woot!
3. Our oldest foster boy got permission to be baptized on his birthday. Hurray!

Singing In The Rain

I've been kind of down in the dumps for about a month now... Been hard to write anything positive even though so many wonderful things have happened. But tonight, I watched this movie with one of my little guys, and it put me in a great mood! Haven't felt this way in so long - but I'm grateful for it. I loved this movie (I'm going to buy it tomorrow if I can find it) and so I thought I'd share one of my favorite scenes with you...



Three Things I'm Grateful For...

1. My family is back from vacation and camping. Not all of my children are home - but they are close and I love them!
2. My husband is good to me and loves me. 
3. I loved being a church today. Really lifted my spirits. 

Ammon & The Lamanites

How do you keep a room full of ADHD kids interested in a topic for any length of time? Get down to their level and include them!

We have some great elder's serving in our ward right now and they came over to teach the kids a quick lesson from the Book of Mormon about Ammon and the Lamanites. Here's what happened...

The elders be back in two weeks, and I can hardly wait to see what they've got ready for us then. :) 

Three Things I'm Grateful For:

1. My testimony of the gospel. I've done a lot of thinking, reading, and researching lately, and I am so grateful for the peace that comes when following the Lord's commandments. 
2. My family. I have a good husband that tries so hard for me - and for our kids... even when they don't acknowledge or appreciate it. 
3. I got two notes of praise from our foster baby's parents. THAT meant a lot!