Called to His Purpose

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NKIV)

Monday, July 25, 2011

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

Saturday, April 30, 2011

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!

Monday, March 7, 2011

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!

Friday, March 4, 2011

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!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

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!

Monday, February 21, 2011

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.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

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.