From 2 to 4

Our lives have gotten a little more crazy recently. As all of you know, Jarred and I had two little boys move in with us in March in order to adopt them. We have finally got that adoption finalized and now Landon and Devin are officially our boys. The adoption was finalized on December 19th!

Back on September 19th, Jarred and I were called about possibly getting two more kids. One is a 12 year old boy, S, and a four year old little girl, K. We didn't know much after that initial call so we didn't talk much about them. Then in October we were called and officially asked about fostering to adopt the two kids. Jarred and I took some time to think about it, but eventually we decided that we would try it and see how it worked with our family.  On December 13th, S was able to move in with us and started school in our school district. His sister moved in on December 16th. Before they moved in we got to spend every weekend with S and one weekend with both of them. They get along really well with the boys and they are such a great addition to our family. It is a crazy thing to go from 0 to 4 kids in one year.

Our Christmas this year was so much different then what it has been. I really liked having kids to buy for and especially little kids. It was neat to wake up and open presents with them. We did have a crazy time for this holiday break though. We went to Jarreds parents to have Christmas on the 23rd and Christmas Eve with his extended Jagger side. Then after the Christmas Eve dinner we drove home so that our kids could wake up at home on Christmas Day. Before going to bed the kids got to here The Night Before Christmas story on the iPad. We woke up on Christmas Day and read the bible Christmas story. Then we had the kids go downstairs and sit on the couch while we made cocoa and toast for breakfast. They all really loved having it. Then they were able to open their stockings and presents. After all presents were opened and we were ready we drove to Anderson in order to spend time with my family. Before leaving for Anderson I got a text from my oldest sister Daisha, she got engaged! We stayed in Anderson for two nights. It has been a great Christmas this year. Now we are getting ready for Landon's birthday party which is in four days.

Fall

We have had so much fun this fall. We have been to may football games and to the park a lot also. This weekend Jarred and I took the boys to Exploration Acres in Lafayette, Indiana. This place if very kids friendly and have so much going on. Great entrance fee compared to everything they have for kids to do. The boys got to play in hay, play on a teeter toter, play on tricycles, peddle bikes, duck race, and hay maze. Then we took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch where we let the boys pick their own pumpkin. They had a lot of fun!

We have also been to the park a lot lately. Last week I took the boys to the park and we had a picnic dinner and then got to play for a while. They loved it! Hopefully the fall will continue to be fun. Jarred and I have some flowers to plant and should get doing that soon. Otherwise we will be doing it when it is super cold. YUCK!

Crazy Times

On Tuesday September 6th I started new charts with the boys. They are working on collecting stickers each week and then at the end of the week if they have 5-7 stickers they get to do something that they chose. D did okay for one of them until Sunday, but L did really good with them. He gets to go play at the park soon. Hopefully they will both get to understanding the charts a little more and they will do a lot better throughout the week now. 

Well this weekend was jammed packed with things that we were doing. Friday night Jarred had to work the gate for the football game so we went to the game until half time and then we left and started our drive up to South Whitley, IN. We were driving there so that on Saturday morning we could go to the Fort Wayne Zoo with Jarred's family. We got to his parents house around 10pm and the boys were asleep so we took them down to their bed while we stayed up and talked to his parents.  We got up on Saturday morning around 6:45 and by 7:20am we were on our way to Fort Wayne to eat at Cosmos. They have good breakfast foods and both of the boys ate A LOT of food. We left there and headed to the zoo, arriving there at 9:48am (according to the zoo receipt). We walked around most, if not all of the zoo, leaving around 12:45 or so. We had a lot of fun and the boys seemed to have fun. We then went to eat lunch at Hall's restaurant. It was really good and the boys ate A LOT again. Jarred and I were originally going to stay around until dinner time to go eat at Oriental Buffet, but we decided to go ahead and leave. We left and headed to my parents house, half way point, and stayed there for dinner. We left after dinner and came home.

This morning I had to get up and head to Frankfort for the freshman class float decorating. Before leaving I had to talk with D about poop that was all over the bathroom. Jarred said he found some on the toilet, that makes since because of getting off, but there was some on the tub also. D wouldn't tell me anything and I had to leave. When I got back Jarred told me later that D told him he wiped it on the side of the tub. We had dinner and I was taking him up for bed and making L use the toilet and found that there was poop smeared all over the floor in the bathroom also. This means that D was playing in his poop. YUCK! Hopefully he doesn't do that again. Now Jarred and I are going to relax before we go to bed in an hour or so.

New one for us new parents

So today we had a new parenting experience. Yesterday we drove to my parents house to get the boys. I noticed that L was a little hot and took his temperature. It wasn't to bad, so I gave him some children's Tylenol and had him lay down and relax. I would say within two hours it had went back down and he said he was feeling better and ready to play. The rest of the night he did just fine.

This morning we get up and he seems fine, but just a little after he gets up from his nap he is feeling hot again. I take his temp and give him some Tylenol again. We get ready and leave so that we can go back home. We get about half way home and L pukes all over himself. This was new for us because we haven't had to deal with a sick kid yet. When he piled he was playing with the iPad and I told Jarred to grab it first. He did get it and somehow L had totally missed the iPad but the puke went everywhere else. Now we are home and he is feeling okay. His temp is down and he is just sitting with mommy. I need to weed our yard but I would rather sit with L. Oh well, it will get done sooner or later.

Daidra

Another School year

Well, Jarred and I are going to be starting another school year on Thursday. Tomorrow, Tuesday August 16th is our first teacher day, but we were both at school today for meetings and had to take the boys to daycare again. It was kind of weird to not have them all day long and we both kept asking ourselves where they were and what they were getting into since we didn't hear them. I think/hope that as time goes on we will get use to it again. On the way to daycare this morning D said "Whenever you drive the trees go backwards." It was so funny! Then we went over a hill and he said "that hill scarred my belly." He has grown up so much in just the little time he has been with us. I don't want either him nor L to grow up anymore because they are so cute.

On another note, L is starting to get potty trained. He has been using the "little" toilet a lot and will sometimes tell us that he needs to go to the bathroom. It is so cute because he gets so excited about it. We are hoping that by September everything will be final and I will start using their names.

This school year has approached very quickly. Jarred is now in his 6th year of teaching and I am in my 5th year. Next July we will have our Masters of Education Degree completed and then will just focus on the boys and our teaching. We are also hoping to start the process of adoption for a little girl! Please keep us and everything going on with us in your prayers and we will do the same with our family and friends.

It's been a while

Where do I start.....

It has been a long time since I actually posted something on this blog. I started it thinking that I would be able to post at least once a month but that hasn't been the case. The last time I posted anything was on April 30 and a lot has happened since then.

Jarred and I met with a lawyer towards the middle of May to start the adoption process. The lawyer was really nice but so far nothing that we know of has been done. I emailed him and am hoping that things will speed up soon.

On June 19 Jarred and I took the boys, with my parents and Christina, to the Day Out With Thomas in Connersville, IN. The boys had so much fun and enjoyed the time they had on the train also. We have a bunch of pictures up on Facebook for that day.

On June 23 we were able to take the boys to the fair in Anderson. This was a lot of fun. We went with my sister Daisha, Christina, my cousin dean, and then my little sister Devoney and her boyfriend plus some friends came also. The boys really loved riding the cars they had there and also this boat thing they had. The youngest got made a few times because he was to short to ride some of the rides, but that just meant that we took him on more truck rides and he was okay with that.

On June 29 I left for my European Heritage trip for people to people. I was gone for 20 days. It was so much fun and the trip was so neat. We traveled through six countries. We started in
London and then went on to see France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and ended in
Switzerland. The whole time I was gone I missed my boys, but I had a lot of fun with the other leaders also. Next year I am scheduled to travel again and will be gone 19 days in three
countries. I will be going back to London and France, but I will get to see Italy this time. These trips are fun and the best part is that they are free for me. This makes seeing the world easier because the only money I need is for souvenirs and any extra snacks. The rest is included.

Now that I am home it feels great. My boys missed me and I sure missed them. Jarred picked me up from the airport and went to eat with some of the families of the students who were in my group. It was good but I was ready to be home by the time I got there. I unpacked and then went straight to bed. Jarred and I got up the next day and headed to my parents house because that's where the boys were. I stayed at my parents house until Saturday afternoon because I had to wait for my truck to be finished. Jarred left on Thursday and headed to his brothers house because he was going to a cubs game with them on Friday. On Friday my dad called around 5:45 and said he was going to the hospital. He had fallen off the back of his truck, he broke his wrist in three places and compressed his back so that L1 vertebrae was messed up. It was horrible seeing my dad in so much pain. He has never complained off pain to much and has never had to have someone take care of him. I'm super glad that I was already in Anderson because I was able to go to the hospital with my mom and sisters.

Now I am home and resting up. Pretty soon, like tomorrow, I will be heading to school to start stuff for the new school year. I am not ready to go

Wow!

Well it has been a long time since I have wrote in here. Jarred and I have been so busy with the boys, teaching, softball, and taking our graduate classes that I haven't had time to be on the internet much. The boys are doing great and we love being with them. They keep us busy that's for sure!

The youngest boy has finally started using the potty a couple times. The first time that he pooped in it he was funny. I went in there and looked straight at me and said "Mommy, I pooped." It was so cute. He did it again the next day. He has also peed a couple times in the potty, but he never gets too excited about that.

The oldest boy is basically potty trained. There are some days when he will pee his pants on purpose, but we haven't figured out what we are suppose to do about this. He continues to ask about going to the bathroom most of the time, but boys will be boys.

Both boys tend to love going to day care. I am not sure how they will do in the summer when they are not going at all. They get up in the morning and get dressed, but then they are ready to go to day care. That is a good thing during the week, but on the weekend we have to remind them that day care is closed most of the time. Sometimes they want to stay home with mommy and daddy also and those are the best days.

Jarred and I only have 4 weeks and 1 day of school left for the school year. We are of course ready to be out, but will have a busy summer visiting family. Looking forward to more time with the boys though!

First Day Home Alone

Today was the first day I have been alone with the boys all day long. We got up around 7:30 or so and they ate breakfast. They then just got to play with their cars and stuff downstairs. I had to change the younger one of course because of going number two in his diaper. I also decided to potty train the older one now and then will work on the younger one when the older one is done. The younger one hasn't showed to much interest yet, but the older one does. He has done a great job all day so far. The case worker that Jarred and I have from the children's bureau came to visit today. While he was here the boys played, talked, and ate a snack. They liked having a visitor. I ask the older boy every fifteen minutes or so if he has to go to the bathroom. While my case worker was here I asked him and he said no. I said "remember don't get woody wet." My case worker thought I was saying something nasty at first. I had to explain that his big boy pull-ups have woody and buzz light year on them. It was hilarious.

Finally I was able to feed them lunch. The boys love eating sausage and eggs so that is what we had. After lunch it was nap time, so right now they are sleeping. When they wake up we are going to go to WalMart. The boys love going there, but we also need to get some juice, bananas, and grapes. They are excited about our trip to WalMart.

I am so glad that they are finally moved in. We didn't have to worry about taking them back down south on Sunday and that was great. The boys and I went to Anderson to visit with grandma, grandpa, aunt day day (Daisha), and Christina. We all went bowling! The boys did a great job. The older boy scored a 122 by his self. We had the bumpers up and a neat thing that they could use, but he did an awesome job, especially since he got 2 strikes! The younger one did great also. He scored an 86 with help from my dad. The love grandma and grandpa Gordon plus there aunt Daisha, and aunt Devoney.  I can't wait until they meet the Jagger side!

MOVIN' IN

Well the boys came to move in with us today. The foster mom brought them to us and met me at school in the parking lot. From there we went to the daycare that we are going to use for the remainder of this year. The boys got to see which room they would be in, the younger one even got to meet some of his teachers. It was great for them to see where they would be. Of course they are excited about going to daycare already. They loved going to daycare in their foster home.

When we left the daycare we drove back home in order to unload the last of their stuff. Luckily they didn't have to much because we had been bringing stuff back with us or the foster parents had be bringing stuff when they brought them to us. I didn't know how the foster mom would react, but she seemed to be alright and was glad to be leaving them with us full time. She was excited that they were starting their new lives and at a place where they can finally call "home." Most of us don't really know what that would feel like, never really having a home, but these boys I am sure do.

Jarred and I then buckled the boys in and headed back to school. I had a sectional basketball game to work so he and the boys were going to watch the game. They didn't stay to long and the boys were already to go home because they were tired. By the time I got home they were in bed.

We started a tradition today to remember the time that they moved in with us. We took them to their favorite restaurant to eat. Can you guess what it was.......? We plan on doing this every March 4th from now on. The day before my BIRTHDAY!

Last "shared" custody weekend

Well, we got the boys Friday around 4:00. Since we didn't end up having school because of all the snow we got Jarred and I ran some errands before they showed up. We spent some of the wonderful gift cards that people from school got us for the boys. This helped us buy items that we really needed for the boys and thought we should get before they got here. When we got home Jarred and I started going through the toys and clothes that the foster family have been bringing us since visit number one. We got what we had separated and put into their rooms in baskets. This made our front room look so much nicer.

When they got here we got to play for a while with all the toys they have downstairs. With the shower that we had a week ago the boys got so much that they love playing and are entertained for hours. This is nice because I was able to start dinner then. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, and waffles. This is one of the boys favorite meals. After dinner we played a little longer and then it was time for a bath. The bath is always fun. The boys like to play with the bath toys that mama got them. There are a few toys that mama got that they are still a little to young for, but we try them out each time they take a bath. I was so glad that there wasn't a poop accident this time!!!! After the bath the boys got ready for bed. Before bed we let them watch a Thomas show. The boys were in bed and asleep by 9:00. Shortly after that Jarred went to bed and I watched a few of my shows that were recorded. I then went to bed also.

At 4:19 in the morning I was awaken by the younger boy crying. I went to his room and rubbed is belly for about five minutes before he went right back to sleep. I then went back to bed also. The boys were up for good around 7:30. Jarred and I had a lot to get ready because we were heading to Anderson for my mom and dads surprise anniversary party. It took us about 2 hours to get everything ready and for us to finally be on the road. From the time we left, 9:30, to the time we got to Anderson, 10:45, my dad called us four times to see where we were. He was so anxious to spend more time with the boys. We arrived at mom and dad's house around 10:45 and had lunch. The boys really love sausage so papa cooked them some. After lunch it was nap time and the younger boy went right to sleep, but the older one didn't want to sleep at all. He was in a bad mood almost all day and probably spent more time in time out then actually playing. Around 4:30 I left to go to my aunt's house to start getting the food ready for the party. Around 6:00 everyone started showing up and she had a houseful. At 6:30 my parents showed up and my mom was really surprised. Previously in the day my sister and I had to tell dad because he had to help us get some things to take to my aunts. It was a lot of fun and of course the boys loved it. They got to meet my aunt and uncle and many other people also. There were a whole bunch of cousins to play with also. Jarred and I finally left to give the boys a bath and put them to bed. Then it was time for us to go to bed.

The older boy woke up at 6:30. That is soooo early! Jarred was up with him for a while and then my dad got up. The younger boy woke up around 7:15. My dad was up by then so Jarred and I got to lay back down for a couple hours and the boys spent some quality time with papa. They love him so much! The boys ran in the room and woke us up around 9:15. We then played with the cars and they played with my dad. They really like to wear other peoples shoes, it is especially funny when they wear my dads shoes. He wears a size 13 or 14. They look like they have clown feet one! The boys both fell asleep around 10:45 for a nap. They were so tired. When they got up we had sausage gravy for lunch, played a little, and then got ready to leave. Jarred was packing the care when he noticed that we had a flat tire. Dad had to change our tire before we left to take the boys back to the foster home. After dropping the boys off at home Jarred and I were finally able to make it home to do school work and of course for me to write this blog. We had a great weekend!

I am SO glad that this is the last weekend we have to worry about taking the boys back to the foster family. On Friday they move in with us for good and we are so excited. It is especially exciting for me because that is just one day before my BIRTHDAY!

First Toddler Shower

This weekend Jarred and I didn't get the boys until Saturday morning. Friday night we had planned on going to see a live theatre show at Beef and Boards in Indianapolis. We got to see Hairspray! It was fantastic.

On Saturday morning Jarred and I left and met the foster mom at a McDonalds in order to pick up the boys. We got them around 9:00 and then headed back home. Once we got home we fed them lunch and put them down for an early nap because of the toddler shower we had to go to.  They went down with no problems and we had to wake them up. We woke them up around 11:30 or so in order to make sure we had enough time to get them and us ready. Around 12:30 we left and headed to the Fortner's house. The Fortners were the ones who threw the shower for us. We got to their house and it was great. They had gotten sandwiches ready, got chips, drinks, and a vegetable plate ready. It was great! People started showing up and just never stopped. It was the best thing ever to see how many supporters we had from school. My parents and little sister also showed up. Another person was my best friend from college. We had a great time and the boys go so much stuff. They enjoyed opening the two they would, but other than that they didn't want anything else to do with them. In the first two presents they got some cars and that was all. We had a blast at the shower and the boys were so tired afterwards. We drove to Frankfort to have dinner with my friend Kendra and her son at Ponderosa. We had a great dinner.

We finally got back home and got the boys ready for a bath. Finally they were ready to get in the tub. We had all these new bath toys that their "grandma" got them. They got to play with wall crayons, paint on yourself markers, and finger paint for the bathtub. My favorite toy was the one that has suction cups to stay on the wall and you can push buttons on it. It also has a white board on it so that you can write. This bath toy sings the ABC, tells numbers, sing the music scale, and a song about cleaning up. Other things on the toy include colors and shapes. It was great! One toy we tried was the swimming dog. It was interesting to see this little body dog with a huge head swim in the bathtub. I was getting ready to wash them up and wash their hair when the older boy said "poop". I asked him if he had to poop and he said "no, poop, poop, poop" as he was pointing on the other side of the tub. I got up and went over to the tub and saw a HUGE turd in the tub. It was so gross. I asked him who did it and he said his brother did it. Wow was that a crazy thing that happened. After this I took the boys out of the tub and took them to a different one in order to finish their bath. I got them cleaned up and dressed. Then they went to bed.

In the morning we got up and went to church. The boys love going to the nursery and playing with the trains. After church we came home and had lunch. Once lunch was over the boys went down for a nap because we had people coming over to play with them. Around 3:00 the Blount's came over. Aaron had such a blast playing with the boys. Jess had fun just watching the boys play. We then had to take them back to the foster family. It is so hard to take them back each weekend. Luckily we have one weekend left of taking them back and then they move in with us. MARCH 4 is approaching quickly and we are definitely excited about it.

First Full Weekend

Well on Friday night, February 11, Jarred drove to pick up the boys. This was going to be our fist time having the boys for the entire weekend and we were both excited. I had a sectional game to work so Jarred had to go by himself. After picking up the boys he came back to school to watch the basketball game. It was interesting watching him with these two little boys and trying to get them to pay attention. I could see them upstairs climbing and running around all over. I left the gym at half time and was able to spend some time with them. Once we left the game the boys were put to bed.

On Saturday we got up around 8. I cooked breakfast, eggs, waffles, and ham. The boys love to eat and especially eggs. After eating breakfast we played with the boys for a while and then we watched some dvds. We put the boys down for an early nap because we decided to take them to the Children's Museum, so around 1 we got them up to get ready to leave. We arrived at the Children's Museum around 2:00. The boys really liked going to see the dinosaurs and the trains. They loved both and they kept asking to go back. We got home around 4:30 and I started dinner shortly after that. While I was making dinner I put together a plastic train track that they brought with them. This entertained them for a while and it was great to see them so interested in the train set. By the time the spaghetti was over my parents, little sister, and friend Vinny were here. They came for the first time to meet the boys. It was fun to see how they interacted with the boys and how the boys interacted with them.  The boys did call them grandma and grandpa, but wouldn't say Aunt for my sister. Instead they just called her Devoney.

On Sunday we got up to go to church in the morning. When church was over we had a Valentine Lunch that we stayed for. This was fun! The boys got to listen to music and interact a lot more with some of our friends. Since we stayed at church for so long both of the boys were really tired by the time we got home and went straight to bed for their nap. They didn't wake up until around 3:30, so around 4 or so we headed out to take them home. On the way we stopped at WalMart to buy a few things and then took them to dinner at McDonalds. It was great to be out with the boys. We finally took them back to the foster home and stayed for about an hour asking questions and getting more information from them about the boys.

We  have had fun every time we have them. We are looking forward to having them for good. We set the official move in date as March 4th! We are excited about this and are ready for it also. Yesterday, Monday Feb 14, the foster mom called me to tell me what "my son" did at the dinner table. She said that he picked up his plate and licked it. She asked him why he did this and his response was "well Devoney did it." That is my little sister who was here with them for a while on Saturday. I called her once I got off the phone and she said she never actually licked her plate while she was here. It was still really funny. For the first time yesterday I referred to the boys as "my kids." I caught myself after I did that and it was kind of strange to think of these two little boys being "ours." I can't wait until we are the ones that the boys go to when they get hurt or want advice. I'm looking forward to seeing them grow up and mature.

First Overnight Stay

Well this weekend has been very crazy. Friday started out with us going back to school for the first time since Monday. We had so much snow that we were out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and had a 2 hour delay on Friday. That totally messed up all my teaching plans and I am sure others also, but that's okay. After school was over Jarred and I stayed because we had a basketball game that I was working. We got home around 9 or so and watched some television.

Finally it was Saturday morning and we got up around 6:30 so that we could leave to meet the foster parents and pick up the boys. We picked the boys up at 9:00 and then headed home. On our way home we were talking with the older boy. One thing we also ask is what our names are. He can say Jarred really well and always wants to go to "Jarred's House", but he doesn't say Daidra very much. Because of that we have started asking what our names are. On the way home he called Jarred by name, but when we asked him what my name was he said "mommy Jarred." It was so funny! He called us "mommy" and "daddy" a couple times this weekend and it was neat to hear that. Once we got home we played with them a little bit. Then around 11:00 we fed the boys a snack. They weren't really tired so they didn't take a nap. Instead we headed to the basketball game at Frankfort that Jarred was working. It had been snowing so it took us almost 45 minutes to get back to Frankfort. This was the first time that I had to take the boys anywhere by myself. I parked the car and got the boys out and was finally on my way up to the doors. This took me about 10 minutes longer than it normally would. The snow was so deep that the older boy could probably have disappeared in it. Once we were inside the boys were super excited about seeing a basketball game. We started walking in and on our way to sit down the younger boy tripped over wires on the floor, but we finally made it to our seats. After sitting down the boys were very interested in where the ball was and what the boys playing were doing. The older boy kept saying "go basketball game" and "watch basketball game." It was funny because we were watching the game already! During basketball games you have the referees who blow the whistles and you have the timer who pushes the button for the horn, both of these were the boys favorite people. When the horn or whistle would go off one of the boys seemed amazed and asked "again, again". It was funny! We split our time between the big game and the game Jarred was working.

Around 2:30 the games were over and we headed home. At this time the boys were both tired because they didn't really sleep much earlier. That means that they fell asleep on the way home. When we got home we gave the boys a snack and then played. Around 5:00 I started dinner and we got a call from Landis, a teacher at school, about watching her two boys. After dinner I took both boys up to get them ready to take a bath. This was a good thing because we had our first "explosion" with the younger boy. He had stuff running all the way down his leg and all over the place. IT WAS DISGUSTING!!!! While I was getting him cleaned off I had bath water running for the older boy to get in. Then when the little boy was clean he was able to get in the bath water. Now I was able to let them choose a coloring changing tab. They chose blue so we put this in their water and after about 3 minutes they had blue water. They thought this was really cool. They really liked our "big floor tub" and loved playing with the cups in the water. While I was giving them a bath Landis brought her boys over and Jarred entertained them. Once the baths were over the older boy asked "can we see our friends?" We went downstairs and they played with the other boys. Around 8:00 we were putting the younger boy to bed when the older one started climbing up the stairs. When I asked what he was doing he said "I'm tired I'm going to bed." This was great because the boys were REALLY easy to put to bed. They slept in their own rooms with the doors shut and within about 5 minutes they were asleep. Jarred and I stayed downstairs with the other boys until Landis came to pick them up. Those boys were very good and it was great to have other kids around with ours.

This morning we got up around 8:00. We didn't know how long it would take us to get ready now that we had two extra people to get ready also. Jarred got up and took a shower, then I got up. We checked on the boys and they were already awake in their rooms just walking around. We took them to our room, changed their diapers, and started getting them dressed. I then started breakfast! They ate scrambled eggs and sausage. Man, can these boys eat! Once breakfast was over we finished getting them ready and then left for church. I was one of the volunteers in the nursery today so I was with the boys all morning. They loved playing with the train set that we have the especially the buses. After church we went home and ate lunch. Right after lunch they went down for a nap. The younger boy had to be changed again because of his "explosions" and then I had to lay down with him in our bed to get him to take a nap. After about 10 minutes he fell asleep. While I was trying to get him to sleep Jarred was getting everything ready to take them back to the other house. Around 3:00 Jarred drove them home.

This weekend was a lot of fun! We both enjoyed having the boys around and are really learning about how it is going to be to raise two boys that are so close in age. My mom and dad were going to come meet them, but with the weather they were unable to make it. Next weekend we will get them on Friday and have them until Sunday. It won't be long now and they will be with us FULL TIME! We are very excited, but nervous.

Looking forward to every minute with them.

The Boys

This past weekend the boys came up and stayed with us for quite a while on Saturday. Jarred was left home by himself for about the first 2 hours or so because I had plans with someone from school. During this time Jarred made them lunch and then put them down for a nap. By the time they woke up I was home and we got to hang out with them. The boys are very rambunctious, but are fun to be around. We did so many things that it is hard to remember. We played with their toys, watched some tv shows, and just ran around with them for a while. We also ended up taking a walk in our neighborhood in the chilly weather. The boys really liked that and wanted to stay out longer, but it was getting a little too cold for that so we came inside. We had a lot of fun and can not wait to see them again on Saturday!

Our "soon to be" Boys

Today Jarred and I got to see our "soon to be" boys again. The foster dad met us at our house today. He also brought some of their things with them. After showing them the house and talking a while we left and headed to a bowling alley. The boys are 2 and 3 but have never been to a bowling alley before. This was something we thought would be fun and exciting to do for the first time with them. All five of use get ready, Jarred and I decide to take turns with the boys to bowl. I went first with the older boy and it was so funny. He was excited from the time we walked in because of all the balls that he saw in the bowling alley. We went up there and rolled the ball. It was fun to watch them roll the ball down the lane and see what they got. Neither of the two boys were remotely interested in the pins, but rather in rolling the ball down the lane. Each boy tried running down the lane at least once. Jarred and I were able to catch them before they got too far so that was luck. I went up to bowl with the younger boy once and let him try by himself. He pushed the ball and it just got stuck on the lane. It kept rolling back and forth and then finally stopped in the center, one of the workers had to come out and get the ball off the lane. From then on I tried to help him push it down the lane so that it wouldn't get stuck.

After bowling we went to eat at McDonald's. Of course being so young they love McDonald's. We had fun just being with the boys and the foster dad. The foster family that they are with are great and we really enjoy being with them. So far the time we have spent with the boys have been great. I can't wait to spend MORE time with them or even for them to move in with us. Jarred and I are already attached to them a little. 

ADOPTING!!!

As all of you are well aware of, Jarred and I have been on the path to adoption. We have been through the up and downs and have been very discouraged. We have now been through four interviews. The first interview was the worst one because we were so nervous and it was a weird situation. The next three got better though. We knew what to expect and understood the process a little more each time. Just about every interview we went through was for boys. There were two that involved at least one girl, but normally they were boys. Our first interview was in October, the second one was in November, third in December, and the last one was today. The first three we were not chosen as the parents. I would get so discouraged and never understood why we were not being chosen. I thought we were a great family and very open to having children in our home. We were READY! For some reason GOD chose not to give us what we really wanted and had us waiting. Well today we had our interview for 2 little boys. They are very young, but very cute! We got home today around 4:10 from the interview. By 4:58 they called us and instead of hearing the news "sorry, but we chose another family" we finally got the goods news of "were glad you are still interested because we chose you." That was the best news ever.

Of course we are SUPER excited now, but also nervous. Everything about our lives are going to change with these two little boys in our family. However, we are ready for it and understand what has to happen. Our lives are going to revolve around these great two little boys. We are going to have the best family ever. I will keep you updated, but as of right now we are suppose to have them moved in with us by March 10th! Just one week after my birthday!!!!!!! What a great birthday present for me.

Another One

Well Jarred and I have had three interviews so far for kids. We haven't been chosen as the family for any of them, but has scheduled another one for January 19th. We are always glad to have another interview, especially when it means starting our family, but they are so hard to go through just to get denied. This time we are going to have an advocate from our case workers office go with us. I hope that this advocate can help make people see how great we are. Everything works out for a reason and I know that, but it is hard to follow everything just to be saddened again.

We are talking about trying another thing to have our own kids. I have already done the basal body temperature thing, tried clomid, and have been to the doctor for check ups to make sure that everything was okay. The next step is to possibly try the IUI. These are not as important as IVF and may be something that we could do. This also means that we must start going back to the specialist that we had before and see what he has in mind. Please keep us in your prayers as we are going through all of this. It would be so much easier if we were rich and could just adopt a baby! Things aren't meant to be easy though huh?

We are back in school after our break and so far it has went well. We had a snow day yesterday and that was nice, but I always hate making them up. Jarred and I went around and got things going for our passports. We are both going to be people to people leaders. We are leading a group of students around six different countries with two other adult leaders. I think this will be a great time and especially since it is free. 

Hope everyone has started the new year off right. Mine didn't start out very good, but I am hopeful that it will just get better.

Welcome to 2011

Well this year has started out pretty good. Of course we are just starting day 2, but it has been good. Jarred and I brought in the New Year at Beef and Boards this year. In the past we had been doing things with family and friends or just sat at home a couple years doing nothing. This year we wanted to start out differently. We went to Beef and Boards for dinner and a theatre production. We had dinner before the show started. Then we saw the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at Beef and Boards. It was hilarious and kept us laughing the whole time. Then after the show they set up for the orchestra to play and there was some singing and then couples were dancing. I did get Jarred on the dance floor a couple times. We put our ball room dancing lessons from college to use by doing some swing dancing. It was fun, but it was so hot with all those people on the dance floor. Then we watched the ball drop on the screens they had up. Once the ball dropped they had some more music and dancing. Finally around 1:00 or so we had a breakfast buffet. We finally left around 1:15am. It was a good time. Then on Jan. 1 we didn't really do to much. Jarred ended up staying home all day, but I went shopping with a gift card that I got from my parent's for Christmas. I was able to get a lot of new clothes.

This is our year! I believe that this year is going to be the year we finally get chosen for some kids. We are excited to start and know that things are going to happen in his time. It is hard to be patient, but I know that we must be in order for things to get done. We have another interview on January 4th and are excited about it. We know that these children may not be for us, but it's always worth a try and we know that some will be for us eventually.

This year we are also both in with the People to People Leader program. The trip that we are suppose to be leaders on are traveling to six different countries. I am excited about this and will hopefully be able to go. Right now we have about 30 students signed up, which means I will be traveling. If we get 10 more signed up then Jarred will be traveling also. However if we end up having some kids by that time then Jarred decided that he would rather stay home and have me travel. Since I will be traveling this summer I have to go through the process for my passport. I did this once when I was around 16, but of course my parents did most of it and now it is up to me to do it. Hopefully we will be leaving the end of June or beginning of July. This trip is a 20 day trip and I am excited about all the possibilities. Of course if I go I will be updating a bunch of pictures on my fb account so make sure you look for them.


HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone! I hope everyone has started your year off great.