Happy New Year!

Lateisha and Jordan left today. We had a wonderful experience. It goes without saying it was a very emotional day! It was REALLY trying at times. They both need so much. They would talk to us non-stop. Our kids actually benefited in a great way. However, we were really nervous that Lexi and Tyler would pick up on bad habits before we could correct the others' bad ones. The boys and girls made great playmates outside of the house.

We spent the majority of the day disciplining, which they craved and needed, and reassuring them with love. Despite being in our lives for a short time we do feel a real love for both of them. It is unlikely we will ever see them again but we will think of them often. They certainly made a memorable Christmas. We will pray that they will find a place that can give them permanency and love. It's what they need. You can see it in their eyes...A kid shouldn't have to worry about where they will sleep and wonder who will love them. They deserve it as much as our kids deserve it.

So the big question is will we take them back given the opportunity. Unfortunately, it just is not a good fit. Going into this we wanted to focus on kids that are younger than ours. We can work on kids that are younger than ours without damaging our own. In other words, if our kids were 10 and 9 it would be a better fit to have a 3 and 5 year old come in. We will be getting another 3 year old girl this Saturday for one week. It is the same situation where the current foster parents will be traveling.

Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a great Christmas. It was really the first Christmas where Tyler really understood. Lexi caught on quick as she slashed open gifts. The biggest gifts were; Tyler got a racetrack, Lexi a great dollhouse which she could sit at for hours, Jordan got a new bike, Lateisha got a bike and some Cinderella dolls. My Uncle Tom came on Christmas Eve. We went to church and had a lovely service with spectacular music. It was really the most memorable Christmas Eve service. That night we put together some toys and just had a quiet, peaceful night. It occurred to me that we will only get 4-5 more years of Christmas's where our kids buy into Santa.

Truthfully, we talk much more about the day being a celebration of the birth of Christ. In fact, when I asked Ty on the eve of Christmas what tomorrow was he said "It's Jesus' Birthday". On the flip side I asked a teenage girl that works for me how her Christmas was. Her response was 'Oh, it was the best Christmas ever....I got everything I wanted!'. I thought she would say thatnsomething wonderful happened to someone in her life. Instead, it was that she got the new iPhone.

We had planned on going to a neighbor's house for New Year's. However, neither of us had the energy to sip wine given the day we had. Lateisha and Jordan ...Thanks for being a part of our lives...even if for a short time.

I will end each blog with a quote that has captured my attention.

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

- Gandhi

Foster Children

As most of you know, we were recently licensed to be foster parents. Today we got our first glimpse. We are providing respite care for 2 children. Respite care is when foster parents watch foster kids in place of the appointed foster parents while they travel.

We will have Jordan, age 5, and Lateisha, age 3, through the end of the year. They are both black. Jordan is a cute little guy with super thick glasses that look like they have been stepped on. Lateisha has long braided hair with beads. She says that she wants a red sucker (lollipop) for Christmas. They are both very 'urban' sounding in their grammar. They have two younger siblings. Those two are together with another foster family. The mother is currently in the 'hospital' (the kind that has bars). Other than that we don't know a whole lot. It is probably not that important since they will only be with us a short time.

The one thing we were warned of while going through the training classes was to not have too much anger towards the biological parents. It's tough...here is a mother who has 4 children 5 and under and probably no skills at all in parenting.

We took them to the park pretty soon after they arrived and brought pizza with us. They loved it. They showed very little inhibitions towards us and the kids. It went really very smooth. They were in awe of the playground. I don't think they have spent any time on a swing in their whole life. Jordan would just giggle the whole time he was on it. Lateisha gives me a huge smile every time she looks at me. She really takes in everything Mary Sue says.

While getting ready for bed, Lateisha had to put on a nylon cap to keep the beads in place while she sleeps. Ty noticed and said he wanted one...

The kids will be here for Christmas. Jordan is getting a brand new bike (paid for by 'Toys for Tots') and Lateisha is getting one of my old cell phones (she loves playing on the phone). In fact, the kids will be getting much more bought for them through charities. They will probably get more than the Ryan kids. Good for them...

I thought it was tough putting 2 kids to bed. Gees!

Trip to PA

Well, we had a wonderful trip to PA. We flew to Pittsburgh and drove to Philadelphia the next day. We spent half our time on either side of the state. Quite frankly, they were both cold!

Truthfully, we had a great time and I am joking about the weather. The kids really enjoyed the snow and it never really affected our traveling. We were really reminded how little we get to see all of our family and how many great friendships we have made over the years. We saw so many new babies and saw a lot of kids that had grown so much. When you know people well it is easy to pick up where you left off ... no matter how much time has passed. As I age, I really appreciate the notion that life is all about the relationships you create and nurture. Glad to have seen all of you.

On this trip Lexi has really been exposed as the little girl we know her to be. She is boisterous and has long lasting energy. She is charming and delightful. I look at pictures of her from six months ago and I hardly recognize her. She now has long BLONDE hair and the tannest legs in Florida. The rate of change in her is frightening...especially for her father.

Upon our arrival in Pittsburgh we got about 3 inches of snow. We went out for quite a while. We made snowballs and threw them against the window. The kids fell 100 times on the deck no matter how many times I told them it was slippery. That afternoon I took Ty to his cousin's house. They have a great sledding hill. There was no stopping Tyler. He did not even wait for the sled. Straight down on his keyster. The hill was very steep at the top and when I finally got him in a sled I was so scared to let him go. He loved it! Kids are saved by their ignorance.

Days later the temperature rose and made the snow easier to build a snowman. Pops went out with Tyler and one of his cousins, Maercy, to bring Frosty to life. He got a scarf, a hat, gloves, 3 pieces of coal as buttons, and seashells for his eyes. Lexi was asleep during Frosty's evolution from a snowball. When she awoke she LOST IT! Wearing shorts, a jacket and boots she ran out side screaming 'Frosty the Snowman'. She ran up and hugged him. Keep in mind, my kids love the movie. We had it TIVO'ed last year and the kids continued to watch it until the summer. Tyler is still telling me we have to take Frosty to the train station so we can get him to The North Pole.

Tyler has really grown. He can be the sweetest little guy. He is affectionate and craves approval. When we were at Me-Mom's Tyler was playing Simon Says. When it was his turn he stated 'Simon says fold your hands and pray'. He led in prayer every chance he got. He really enjoyed playing with all of his cousins. He even got a few chances to hold his newest cousin Andrew. Maercy got to boss him around. Both loved it. Tyler was his little wig model.

There was one picture I regret I was not able to get. Grandpa Eddie was out on his little front-end loader. I ran Tyler outside. He could hardly believe he was getting the opportunity to ride it. He raised the bucket and moved mulch. He was allowed to steer the machine outback to his thrill.