So, I declared this the summer of fun! I decided that I was going to put everything else aside and focus on getting lots of quality time with the kids because I realized how much I miss them when they are at school. The summers seem to fly by and I wonder where the time went.
To start the summer of fun off right, we went to the water park with our friends Kat, Sami & Skylar. Emma had earned a free ticket through a reading program at school (I love that she's earning me free stuff! Start 'em young!!) so we decided to go on the last day of public school since Emma go out a few days early and we thought maybe it wouldn't be too crowded. We were right!! It was a little chilly first thing in the morning but of course the kids didn't mind and pretty quickly the sun came right out and by the end of the day we were all sun burned!
We were excited to have our friends with us for the day and it worked out super well. Emma is tall (big surprise huh?!?) so she is able to ride on the big slides but Jackson & Sami aren't quite there yet, nor would Jackson even think about going on a big slide! So, Kat and I took turns doing fun things with the bigger kids while one of us stayed with Sky or the other two little ones. It turned out to be a SUPER FUN day and a great way to start out our "summer of fun!"
Other activities in the summer of fun so far have been, swim lessons every day, followed by swimming at Grandma's or a friends house, bowling, watching daddy fly an airplane, SEVERAL trips to McDonald's, fun home school activities, sprinklers, bike rides, trampoline wars, a trip to Toys R Us, summer reading program at the library, buying garage sale toys, not sure what else but there's not tons of pictures because I'm trying to participate in the fun instead of watching from behind the camera :)
Jackson came to the end of his first year of preschool. As you read from the post earlier about him turning five, he is very smart and ahead in a lot of areas as far as academics go. We did however, decided to give him another year of preschool this coming year so he'll be entering kindergarten when he turns six. We had a lot of opinions from people both ways on this but our ultimate decision came down to prayer and talking with the preschool & kindergarten teachers and the principal at DMC.
So here we end the Jackson's year at DeMotte Cooperative Preschool. I still hold fast that this program is amazing in so many ways. I absolutely love the fact that both of my kids got to be in this program and work with a whole range of different kids made in God's image. I love that fact that even though their friends in class might not be exactly the same as them, be able to learn the same, some communicate in different ways, and some might have wheelchairs or other special devices to help them get around, they are all kids and all have that same spirit God put in them. My proudest day was when the teacher told me that Jackson ended up going to speech therapy with one of his little buddies because his friend was scared and Jackson popped right up and said "I'll go with him so he won't be scared!" My little guy does seem to have different eyes for kids with special needs and I'm so thankful for that.
Relay Race at Field Day
All the friends enjoying their Field Day snack
They put on a cute little program and Jackson was a scary bear!!!
So Jackson, I just wanted to say how extremely proud I am of you and all the wonderful things you learned this year. You have really been growing up so much before my eyes this past year and I love to watch how big your heart is for others. I look forward to seeing how you grow this year in Mrs. Friend's class and I can't wait to start hearing all your memory verses and what you're learning about God right along with your academic studies! I love you buddy!!
I had in one of my posts a few weeks back that we were going to be doing some respite foster care for a family with a two year old girl. Well, the week before she was supposed to come they called us with another respite placement for the whole week leading up until she came. Phew!..... I get exhausted just thinking about it again!
Well, these were three cute little ones that had just come into care about three weeks before. They came at about 10:30 on a Friday morning and by 11:30 I was getting angry phone calls. Long story short, our White's family specialist didn't communicate very well with the county social worker and the lady from the county and the children's biological mother and grandmother were pretty much furious and taking it out on me. Since we've never had a permanent placement of our own, I had never dealt with birth families or county social workers, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Would've kind of been nice not to have to be thrown straight into the deep end but I handled it pretty well I think. Both the family and the social worker were upset that they weren't told sooner (as was I because they called less than 24 hours before dropping them off but had known for three weeks that they needed someone) and they somehow misunderstood and thought the children and been permanently moved to us. It was a mess. I finally got everyone straightened out and all was good..... at least for the first few days.......
We got to experience this time what life is like and how these kids go through the "honeymoon" period. About midway through church Sunday morning "M" decided to flip her switch and see just how far she could go. Thinking that she could get away with anything because there was a big crowd, she went full force. Well, little did she know that Miss Angie could care less how many people are around and rules are rules no matter where you are. Then came the glass breaking screaming fits from little "m." Never heard so much screaming in my life and there was nothing I could do for him. When my kids were little and went through the fit phase they learned pretty quickly not to because I would simply put them in their room and say they could scream all they want in there but I wasn't going to have it out for me to listen to. Well, he would scream all the louder (didn't even think it was possible) and climb out of the crib and start tearing things up. I tried holding him, distracting him, taking him out of the room, but nothing worked. God bless his current foster mom for putting up with that! "N" was the oldest and he was a pretty easy going kid for the most part.
This was definitely the hardest time we've had so far but we made it through and learned some things for sure. We have definitely decided that to take on three is too much for us. We're technically not supposed to have more than two considering our square footage but I know sometimes they make exceptions. I just don't think I'm a mom who's cut out to have more than 4 kids at a time. We each have two hands so that seems logical :) The other thing was that these ones were very young and it was a lot to have so many kids under 5 at the same time. When we kept the other three in January for two weeks they were a little older so getting in and out of the car was easier when you could just tell everyone to get their shoes on or to get dressed. This was definitely tougher.
So we made it through the week and Thursday came and these three left and 45 minutes later "L", the two year old little cutie came to stay for the weekend. This was by far the best respite placement we have had yet. One of the first things that made it so nice was because it was set up ahead of time and the current foster mom actually kept in contact with me and even emailed over some instruction the day before she came. She has medical issues so it was necessary to have things written out but even so, I haven't had that kind of communication from any of the other foster parents. The other thing that was nice was that her foster mom called and checked in and enjoyed me sending pictures via cell phone. It was just very nice to see how much they cared. Some of our other respite placements didn't even call one time and sometimes it was for two weeks! I know they need respite help to be able to get a break but I would still have a hard time not calling for that amount of time! I call my mom to check on the kids when she only keeps them for the weekend! To each their own I guess.
We took this sweetie with us to Jackson's preschool graduation the night she came and then out for McDonalds
Friday night we had a campfire and had a few friends over. They all just kind of stared at Jack and I with these smiles on their faces. They all said afterward that they couldn't believe how we just worked together as a team to take care of her. That was definitely one thing that I was so thankful for. It was like a dance that neither of us knew that we knew the steps to but yet when the music played we just picked up and did it. (OK, there's my poetic moment for this blog! ha!) I wondered how much responsibility he would take with her and how much he would leave as "mommy duties" but honestly he was just so excited about her that he jumped right in.
"L" pretty much spoiled us in every way over that weekend. She slept through the nights without getting sick which normally doesn't happen, we decided to take her to the lake on Saturday to stay overnight and the whole 45 min drive there and back she didn't get sick, she just looked at the kids and laughed and smiled as they sang her the ABC's. My dad tends to hold back a bit when we have foster kids for respite because he knows he'll probably never see them again but after about half a day this little one just tugged at his heart and there he was making a whistle out of his hands trying to get her to smile at all his kooky bird call noises.
I think we have found our calling. Our office asked us last fall to pick a specialty and we prayed and chose medically fragile children. We went to every training we could get our hands on because neither of us have a medical background (except helping out with grandparents) so we weren't sure what God had in mind and we're not sure what the future holds but again, we've found our calling. Not many people are willing to take on this challenge but we're thankful that God has given us different eyes and different hearts for this. It is truly a blessing. We didn't want to see her go.
"L" - you definitely have a special place in our hearts.
(pictures without faces and names left out to protect privacy)
Three years ago I started this blog because I felt like I needed to document the fact that we were so blessed that I had both moms and all my grandmas still in my life and I was able to share at our church's Mother Daughter Banquet with all of them. Well three years later the blessings are still flowing!
What an amazing thing that my daughter has been able to truly know her great-grandmothers! Each and everyone one of these ladies has and will continue to have an impact on my daughter's life forever. There is such a dynamic between all of them and they are all so loving and have so many different qualities to bring to the table. Many things have happen to these ladies over the past couple of years; losing husband, major health issues, losing grandchildren. Yet, all the while they have kept their faith and been such a great example to all of us. (also, if you don't know me well enough, in-law isn't in my vocabulary so when I speak of all the moms and grandmas, I'm speaking of the ones I have by marriage too)
This year was a little more tricky because Grandma Hamstra had a stroke and has trouble communicating and walking. I spent the week feeling pretty sad about this being the first one without her and then I decided I just wasn't going to do that. I went and picked her up from the nursing home and she came right along with us. She wasn't able to talk and share in some of the games but I think she still had a very good time and I never want to get to the point where we don't include her unless it is completely impossible. Love her too much and just can't not have her there! (not sure if that's grammatically correct but that's how it came out ;)
Me & my Mom
Jill and I wore the same shirt in different colors and Emma & Jaylyn matched :)
My mom & my Grandmas
Jack's mom, sister & Grandmas
Emma and I in our wacky fashion show.
Thank you to each and every one of these ladies for the love, laughs, hugs, support and especially....... baked goods :)
My baby boy turned 5 on May 5 this year. Being our 05/05/05 baby, we had to throw him a special party for this momentous occasion. (and since we only do birthday parties for milestone birthdays)
I was looking all over at different ideas for a cheap party where we could have a lot of people. All of the ideas like a bowling alley or child fun center we priced per person and that can get very expensive when you want to include everyone. My friend Chanda told me about a party she threw for her son one year and it turn out to be perfect. And so began the planning of the carnival birthday :)
Everyone was so impressed with this party but honestly it really didn't take much time or money. We made all of the games ourselves with things we had around the house and ordered most of the prizes off of the Oriental Trading company website. Anyway, enjoy the pictures from this super fun birthday party!
I now my current youngest is five years old! I can not believe it! He has grown up right before my very eyes yet with him being the youngest, I think I still consider him a lot younger than I did Emma when she turned five. He is a complete delight and I am so glad God blessed me with him and has shown me a different kind of love that a son has for his mommy. He has such a tender heart while having a very mischievous knack for knowing just how to get to his sister :) Here's a current list of thing that make Jackson who he is.
He is a boy's boy through and through. The word toilet, poop, pee or butt will immediately send him into a laughing fit.
He is definitely daddy's boy with a wonderful mind to take thing apart and fix them. I'm so thankful for this.
He didn't like school very much this year but is looking forward to going in August to his new preschool. I sold him on the idea when I mentioned that they have cowboy dinner at the end of the year :)
When the kids turn five the blankie goes away and while he was very attached to it, he was very prepared and handled it like a champ.
He is very smart! I actually don't know exactly how high he can count because I lose interest when we get well over 300. Guessing he could probably count to 999.
He is beginning to read. He can read several of the books in the beginning section of our early readers.
He is getting braver int he water this summer and we are very proud of him for putting his face in the water this year.
He has learned to ride on two wheels and is very excited about his bike that his friend Kohler let him have.
Again, he has a huge heart and loves babies and other smaller children and is always willing to help with them. He also sometimes bursts into tears if I get firm in voice with him and cries "you're mad at me!"
He's amazing on a computer. Still amazes me how quickly kids pick those thing up!
He loves to find worms in the yard and carry them around in his hand.
Does the little boy thing of changing his mind all the time whether he wants to be a fireman, police officer or, of course, work on airplanes when he grows up.
Has been very tender hearted when we've had different foster children visit us. He doesn't like screaming or fit throwing. He's very uneasy about it.
Loves to get mail and checks every day to see if there is anything for him.
I just want to say that I love being a mommy. Some days are harder than others but I really learned this year with Emma being in school full days that our time is so short and I am trying to make the most of every minute I have with my children because you just never know. I love you Jackson, lil' buddy with everything that I am.
If you remember my post several months back, we were very excited to announce that my friend Amanda had found a wonderful man who completely adores her and they were getting married. Well, here we are months later and I am happy to announce that wedding went beautifully and we are all so happy for both of them.
Amanda is more than a friend. She is a part of me. It's interesting the way our friendship developed because the first we knew of her she was a member of our youth group, then she started babysitting for us, then she started staying overnight to hang out, then as the years grew on, she became a part of our family. Amanda and I have had a very unique friendship. There have been some incredible times and there have been some very, very tough times but looking back on all of it, we have seen God's hand in every step and He was building us into sisters rather than friends.
So, as you can imagine, I was ecstatic to be able to go through this journey of planning a wedding with her. Jack was AMAZING over the past six months, never complaining when every other weekend I traveled to Michigan and left he and the kids behind as we went to flower shops, checked out the location, made centerpieces, shopped, shopped, and shopped some more. ;) I was so young when my sister got married that I didn't really get to share in the planning of her wedding so it was a great joy for me to be able to do this with Amanda.
Well, the time finally came for the wedding and we had tons of fun! The day before we set up all the decorations then all the girls went to get manicures and pedicures. As you can see from the pictures below, Emma was very excited to be doing "grown up things" with the girls.
We had a wonderful rehearsal and God held off the rain just for us :) Love this picture of the kids :)
The morning of the wedding all the girls went to get their hair done together and as you can see, Emma was very excited again :)
Here's my little stud of a ring bearer :)
We bought Emma's dress in Chicago at the American Girl Place on the night that Stephen and Amanda got engaged. Amanda surprised Emma at the rehearsal by giving her the matching dress for her doll so she and Kit could match on the wedding day.
So I mentioned above that God held off the rain for the rehearsal. Well, the wedding day wasn't looking so promising. It rained all morning a very light misty rain. We spent a lot of time looking at the radar. Everyone was saying that we should just decide to move the ceremony indoors. Stephen knew how much Amanda wanted it to be outside so he finally made the executive decision to have it outdoors. The radar showed a break in the clouds and just as God had done before, He stopped the rain about 30 minutes before the ceremony. The ushers quickly wiped down all the seats and it actually made it so beautiful with a sort of Irish type feel with everything being freshly rained on and sort of a hazy mist in the air. Thank you God for showing us that something that seems like a disaster to us and come out the other side so beautiful. (so many things other than the rain come from that statement.)
I'm so proud of Amanda & Stephen for the amazing faith that they have and the wonderful way they made Christ the center of their marriage ceremony. They said from the beginning that they wanted it to be all about the commitment they were making to each other and to Him as they made this covenant that He established. They started the ceremony out with Emma reciting 1 Corinthians 13. She was such a trooper! When she came down the aisle, she slipped and fell because everything was wet from the rain. She got right back up and kept going and threw her big handful of flowers up in the air. She went straight to say her verse and she held her composure like a professional while toward the end of it her voice started to crack as she so badly wanted to cry but didn't. When I asked her if she was hurt and that's why she was crying, she said "no, I don't know why I started crying." She's her grandma Mary's girl ;)
They also had a foot washing ceremony in their wedding which was something I hadn't ever seen before. It was such an amazing testimony of how they will put each other above themselves and serve each other in the most humble ways following the footsteps of Christ.
Once the ceremony was over we partied at the reception, cleaned up, then went home and crashed!
I'll close this blog today with a picture of my sister Amanda and I and part of the speech I gave at the wedding which describes the amazing, wonderful, brave, Godly woman she has become.
Fearless
FEARLESS" is not the absence of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, FEARLESS is having fears. FEARLESS is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, FEARLESS is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. FEARLESS is falling madly in love again, even though you've been hurt before. FEARLESS is walking into your freshmen year of college completely on your own. FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again...even though every time you've tried before, you've lost. It's FEARLESS to have faith that someday things will change. FEARLESS is having the courage to say goodbye to someone who only hurts you, even if you can't breathe without them. And when someone apologizes to you enough times for things they'll never stop doing, I think it's FEARLESS to stop believing them. It's FEARLESS to say "you're NOT sorry", and walk away. I think it's FEARLESS to fall for your for a person who is completely broken and taking the time to wait for them to heal. I think loving something despite what people think is FEARLESS. I think allowing yourself to cry on the bathroom floor is FEARLESS. Letting go is FEARLESS. Then, moving on and being alright...That's FEARLESS too. But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in it. You have to believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after.
A few years ago there were terrible storms and flooding not too far from where we live. We always hear about things far away and want to help in whatever way we can but we tend to forget that there are people hurting and in need right in our backyards. Our friends were looking for a way to earn a free ticket to Disney with their "Give a Day Get a Day" campaign they put on at the beginning of the year. My friend Jen, being the go-getter that she is, started researching and found that there was an organization that's helping people here in our own "backyard" so quickly she was on the phone with them trying to set something up.
Jen & Kevin decided to share this experience with the whole church once they found out that there were still thousands and thousand of people who were still displaced from their homes from the flooding that had occurred two years ago! We're always quick to jump on a plane to help another state or another country but there are people right here that desperately need help too!
I wasn't able to go with on this because I had wedding details to attend to with Amanda but Jack jumped right on board. This is SOOO his thing. He was very excited to be able to help with this and put his skills to use. He has such an amazing heart to help others. I'm so thankful for that in him and that God has blessed us both with that so there's no jealousy from either of us when we want to give our time, money, and resources to others. What purpose did God give it to us for in the first place, right?!?!
Romans 12:6-8
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to hisfaith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it.
*Note: the date on the camera wasn't set correctly. My husbands not so good with the electronics but he can swing a hammer with the best of 'em ;)
