If you could...

If you could be on any t.v. show, what would it be, and why?

I would want to be on TLC's "Adoption Stories" but I don't think they would ever do a story that included embryo adoption - even though they have had several gay and lesbian couples on their show before. I feel like we would have lots to say on that show... we have done foster care for 12 years, and adopted 4 kids - 2 through foster care and 2 through embryo adoption.

Other than that, most of my favorite shows are not on the air anymore - Friends, Everybody Loves Raynond. I do like CSI Miami, and Law and Order SVU.

I also would love to see a reality show about foster care. I don't know how they could do that with HIPPA/Privacy Laws, etc... but I would love for the world to see what it is really like. That all foster parents are not horrible, how rewarding it can be, how hard it can be, etc.

Ok... so what would you like to be on??

scripture for my thoughts

Hebrews 10:35-36

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Penny for my thoughts...

I'd be rich tonight.

Counting my blessings... I am rich, indeed.

My favorite Bible verse:
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you" Jer. 29:11
I am glad that God knows the plans He has for me, because I can't keep up with myself.

I am just so overwhelmed with life... with all of the blessings God has given me; seeing Him work in the little things in my life; watching and waiting with anticipation for the plans He is working on in my life right now. Sensing the presence of God, wanting to bask in it - just like the satisfying,peaceful,wonderful feeling of warm sunshine on my skin. Anger and frustration at the world, at sin. Feeling frustration over wanting to change the world for Christ; knowing I am called to do my part in serving Him, but I am helpless to "change" people or "change" bad situations... knowing Christ gave His life for us, and loved us enough to give us the free will to choose for ourselves whether to follow Him or not. Wanting to heal peoples hurts, wanting to make bad situations better, wanting to take away the worries and sadness of people; wanting Christ to return, yet wanting others to change their ways first and wanting to see my children grow up, waiting to see what God does in and with their lives... praying they follow Him whole-heartedly. Wanting to guard my heart, but knowing I have to give it freely to God to do with as He sees fit. Knowing in the end I will be more satisfied than I could have ever imagined. Missing people I love. Wanting to heal hurt relationships. Wanting to hold onto ones in jeopardy. Knowing God holds each of these details of my life in His hands, and He is gently placing each situation right where it needs to be. Loving Him for who He is, wishing I could trust Him more, following Him even when I don't understand. Failing Him, serving Him, trusting Him, holding back from Him, longing for eternity with Him, yet longing to see His plans for me and my loved ones completed here and now in this time.

Lord, I am yours. What I have to offer is not much, but I WANT to follow You. I want to please You. I have a heavy heart for several situations, and I know you see and know my every desire. Help me to trust when I don't understand. Help me remember to thank you for all of the joy I have had in my life lately. Many thoughts, little understanding...all of me Yours - help me to let go when I try to hold on. Loving You, enjoying You, wanting more of You... You know the plans You have for me, hear my heart tonight Lord, hold me in Your arms and hold me tight. Help me to serve you and love you more and more each and every day of my life.

A Tale of Tails continued

Dinosaur clip Matt was talking about in his response to the previous post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD6dnHtU2n8




and just for laughs... our all time favorite clip from friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEfSf-JQ1IQ

A Tale of Tails

First of all, I have to warn you... this post may be offensive or shocking to some people. I am rating it PG13 for some crude language and mildly gross content. ;)

My afternoon:
We had our house alarm installed today, and right after the installer left, we left the house to go meet Matt and go to Sam's - shopping for tomorrow night's church dinner. When we left Sam's the plan was for me to go grab pizza for dinner, because I am still not feeling great (have had flu/cold symptoms off and on for over 2 weeks now), and Matt had to go to the south end of town to pick up some photo's that were ready. Then I had to go put the groceries away in the church, and we were going to meet back at the house. As I was getting in my car after unloading the groceries, it hit me - "what if Matt opens the door, forgetting we got the alarm installed today, and I haven't told him the code yet"
SO... I quickly drove to the house and found him standing at the front door. He waved for me to drive up to the front door because it was raining so much. He helped get the twins out, and Madi and I got the baby out as fast as we could because he has an apnea monitor (which IS electrical) and it was raining.
We make it inside and find out Duke has pee'd inside. This upsets me greatly...not because of the mess, that can be cleaned up easy enough; but Duke will be 12 years old in November, and he is 1/2 Rottweiler & 1/2 Lab, he has pretty much outlived his life expectancy already, and his age is really showing lately. He hasn't had an accident in the house since he was 6 months old. He has gone 24 hours without going to the bathroom because he wouldn't let the guy in that we had arranged to walk him while we were gone one time for a full day. This was just another sign that he is getting old. If you don't know me very well, you don't know how much I love my dog, and if you don't know Duke, you haven't met the sweetest dog EVER. I didn't mean to say so much about that...oh well. anyway - we had a big wet spot in the floor that needed to be cleaned up.
Tyler and Lauren were wound up tight, they were running all over the place. I am trying to get the pee cleaned up and deal with Tyler and Lauren, Matt is looking at the new alarm system and wanting me to tell him the code and show him how it works, etc. etc. I say to Matt "I will be right there, just let me wash my hands first"
So... I go to the kitchen sink to wash my hands and I see a white/pink lizard in the sink. I don't mind baby lizards, I will pick them up. But when they get to a certain size, I would REALLY rather NOT touch them. They move too fast, they look too much like snakes, etc. Madison had already refused to get it, and Matt does not do lizards at all. We have a system... I get out frogs and little lizards, he kills bugs, spiders, and snakes. So I am working up the nerve to catch him. I am standing there, staring at him, waiting for just the right moment, get the courage, ok I can do it - and right as i reach for it Matt screams "GET IT"!! I jumped a mile high, the lizard ran, and I gave Matt an evil look. I find the lizard again and pick it up this time. I can feel it wriggling around in my right hand and i have my left hand underneath to try and hold it. When all of a sudden I see AND FEEL it drop it's tail, it falls to the kitchen floor and runs under the dishwasher, and the tail is still moving in my hand. In the moment, I am completely startled, scared, and feeling ickky - without thinking I say "Oh s**t" with Tyler and Lauren and Madison standing right there. I have to say, I do not normally curse, I promise. And to those church members who read my blog - I am sorry. I am NOT perfect, and this incident proves it. SO... if any of my children should repeat the new word they heard today... I am VERY sorry!!! I look back at Matt and he is trying very hard not to laugh. We never found the lizard. I threw it's tail in the trash. And I pray the lizard doesn't crawl on me while I sleep tonight; and I pray that my children don't pick up on my bad language today :0
Later, I am taking a shower, and come out to see Matt taking a picture of a wasp he killed. He made fun of me for looking scared when he screamed at me while trying to catch the lizard, but I reminded him that he wouldn't even touch the lizard's tail, much less catch the whole thing. So he killed a wasp while I was in the shower, and took pictures of it to show that he was "the man". On his facebook he posted "killed a wasp and saved my family" - lol.
And that was just about 30 minutes of my afternoon today. :)

BTW - the picture at the top is the wasp Matt killed, and the tail of the lizard that I temporarily caught :)

new foster baby

Well, we "were" on a break - lol. But when they called me with a newborn, I did something I have never done before. I said "yes", without even talking to Matt. He was sitting next to me on the couch and when I hung up the phone, I looked at him and said "can we get a baby?" He said "Well it doesn't really matter now, does it" :) He is just as excited as I am though. I can't post face pictures on here, but I thought I would put one up of his feet. I just have to post something :) He is a REAL sweetie!!!! We have all fallen in love already.

By the way, Lauren lost ANOTHER tooth tonight. I will have to post another pic soon :)

blog proved useful

This morning, Tyler and Lauren were arguing; Lauren was saying that the reason she keeps coming to sleep with mommy and daddy in the middle of the night is because tyler puts his hand across her face. I said "I know, but you cuddle with him too... AND if you wake up, just roll over and go back to sleep" Tyler said "I don't put my hand on her when I sleep" And Lauren said "I try to roll over but he keeps moving towards me" SO... I got the pictures out and SHOWED them the proof (see blog from last week for pictures). And I told them how I kept moving Lauren away, so her face wouldn't be covered and SHE kept moving back towards Tyler. 3 times I moved her before I gave up and left them that way (but her face wasn't covered up when I left).
So, there you go... my blog solved an argument this morning, because I had proof :)

Just in case you are wondering why they are sleeping together. I will explain - but not defend. I say that because when we were doing foster care they tried to tell us that because they were over the age of 3 that they had to have sepeate bedrooms (a rule for foster kids, but not supposed to apply to our own kids). Matt and I just feel that this is our personal business. If they were older, it would be different. But,when they told us that, to comply - we moved Lauren into the room with Madison, and gave Tyler his own room. Tyler has a queen size bed, and the girls have bunk beds. That was 2 years ago. We send them to bed in their own rooms/beds and they either cry until we give in; or they wait till we go to bed, then get in the bed with each other. Most of the time, we just tell them that if they will quietly go to sleep they can get in the same bed. Madison even goes in there. They just like to be close to each other. They all sleep with shirts and shorts - Tyler's rule - lol... I would make them anyway, but he tells the girls that they have to have shorts on to sleep in his bed - hee hee. When I was growing up my sister and I slept together until we grew up and moved out of the house. They all just like to be close to each other, and feel safer sleeping in the same room. Some nights one of the girls will end up sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor. The thing is... I like that they are close to each other. Obviously at some point they will all have to stay in their own beds; but for now it just isn't a big issue to us.

Well, gotta go get ready. Matt is off today, and we are having some family time :) I am so excited! We are always so busy, we don't get to have family days very often.