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!