It'a Monday!

My Monday started early, about 5. My son is hauling a load of sheep to UT. He talked his wife into going with him. I get to baby sit!!!!! :) So we switched kids. They took MN to town with them at a few minutes after 5 to help her other brother sort his buying over the weekend. While I spent the early morning with my grandson... alone since all the others were still napping. This is God getting me back in the swing of things for when we get the 5! It was a wonderful time. I read my Bible to him as he played and sat with me.

I had two learning experiences I want to share. Soap making and roasting green chilies. I discovered how to make soap easier. I have my zote grated already. So I divided it into thirds. I added this to my vita mix, then added enough hot water to have it about 1/2 full. Once the zote was blended well with the vita mix still running I added 1/3 cup of soda and borax. Then dumped it in my 5 gallon bucket. I used my sprayer to rinse the vita mix out and repeated it until I had done it three times. Then I rinsed and used the sprayer to finish filling the 5 gallon bucket. If anything it is mixed better and thicker than it usually is.

Last night I picked several green chilies. I am out of frozen green chilies. So I put them in my cast iron skillets. I had just enough to cover the bottom in two of them. Then I put them in the oven on broil. Soon the whole house smelled wonderfully like roasted chili. After they were well roasted with me stirring along I put them in a covered sauce pan to hold the heat in and sweat them. They look just like the ones you buy! I can freeze them in zip locks for what ever. I had one this morning in eggs!

I have another sick child today! He made it down at 8 am, in night clothes. We went to the barn did chores, made a loop on the back side in the ranger and came back. He came back down stairs with shoes in hand. Doesn't understand why he is "sick". He tried everything to make be believe he was ready earlier. NOT! He even tried to tell me he was reading the chore list..... it had to be last weeks since I hadn't printed this weeks yet. Which was nice I just took him and MN off the list for today, and they get a LOT more tomorrow while the other two have almost none tomorrow.

Plans for today aren't very solid. We were going to get wheat from a friend but that got changed until tomorrow. MJ should count his blessings that it got changed. He wouldn't have been happy in PJ's on a friends couch! Yes, I would do that.

My baby chicks aren't doing to well. They were just to long in shipping. We have lost 13. I called and they are shipping 1/2 as many again. I would rather of not lost any. I hope these don't take as long since it is a holiday weekend! I have discovered that T loves the chicks. She spends lots of time watching them.

Off to see what I can do besides laundry. That is 1/2 done for today already!

First you spend the Money

Then you prepare.......

Then you wait...........

Then you wait another day............

and still ANOTHER day............

Finally!

They arrive! 50 baby chicks! Only one day late!

You peek in the box to see all the rainbow of colors........

Time to put them in the pen!

Success! Only about 3 weak ones that may not make it! For three days shipping in 100+ degree weather the were in great shape!

What kind you ask? 25 assorted pullets and 25 assorted bantams.

I love bantams, can't resist ordering them!

Accomplishment!

I AM embarrassed to show you this. This was our garage June 1.
this is the south door.


This is the North door.



After less than a month of hard work. We have THIS!



This is the South side. The yellow shelving is pallet rack. I will be leaving it where it it is. The bottom shelf is boxes I still need to organize. The top two racks are crafts/sewing stuff organized.



Few from inside the North door. The pallet rack in the middle still needs to be removed. It will be on the North wall.



Few from the South door. The right pallet rack will be moved, while the left one is IN PLACE!

View straight from the North door to the kitchen door. The wall on the right will have 2 pallet racks on it, the one on the left and one more. This will be the computer area.

View of the North wall. It still has a few things left to move. The boxes will be used to pack school room stuff to lug out here.

Quite an accomplishment if I do say so myself! We have lots left to do, but it is easy to see we have done a LOT.

Do you see what I see?

Look close! Look closer...



Yes, it IS a peahen.

Look some more.
Look a lot closer
Have you spotted it yet?

Keep looking...........

Give up?

Scroll down for a closer view.



Now you can go back and find it in the picture above.

As to how many? I was moving water and heard a cheep cheep so went to looking and out popped this little head. I didn't investigate further.

Since I was posting I decided to share the sunrise this morning. This was my view when I got up. I grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures.

Friday's Thought

"O God, You are my God,

earnestly I seek you."

Psalms 63:1

Thought for Today and Morning Excitment

The greatest happiness of my life is

that I am loved by the Lord Jesus and

can fellowship with Him every day.

Now on to the morning excitement. MN went to check the black berries to see if they were ripe. Instead she found a 3 ft rattlesnake. I don't think she ever found out if the were ripe. She came back and told me very calmly, "Mom, we have a rattlesnake by the pump house."

I have to say it is really nice always carrying. I didn't have to go find a gun, find ammo etc. I just got up and off I went to fill the area with lead. Our big tom cat was watching him. Snake was singing to the cat. I shooed the cat away and started shooting. I was about 4 ft from it. I know they can jump over half their length if they want. I want to be out of that range at ALL times. I don't know how many times I hit him. I counted at least 5 holes after the fact. I had him very disabled, but hadn't gotten a head shot. To me a rattlesnake isn't dead until the head is smashed totally. So I did the grandmother thing. "Get me a HOE." A few blows with the hoe and I carried him out of the garden with it.

After we all checked it out and I talked about the fact if they poked themselves with a fang, even from a dead snake they would be "bit" I took it out in the drive way and left it. I figure when my older son stumbles this direction later he will be wide awake by the time he gets to the house. :)

The bummer is I shot half the rattles off :( I didn't bother to save the two or three left attached.

This is three days in a row I have used my "toy". Two nights ago we were setting on the porch after dark and along comes this very long bushy tailed black and white kitty just on the ground from us. Less than 5 feet away. He was very undisturbed by us setting there. I on the other hand practiced my fast draw, well it wasn't very fast but it was smooth in I didn't forget to take it off safety or put a round in the chamber. I was glad someone didn't have to run for the gun, unlock the case, unlock the ammo case, come back and shoot the stinking thing. My yard/front porch smelled rather strong for a couple of days.

Yesterday morning we had a big turtle coming out of the pond. For those that like turtles you haven't watched them pull baby ducks down and drown them. I like ducks MUCH better so they are fair game around here. I ask T if she wanted to play with a turtle? She took the dogs out there and they all played for a bit. Then I went out and made sure it won't be back in my pond.

Life in the country is never dull!

Thought

"Am I spending time in His presence?

Everything depends on this."

Sick Child.............

T didn't get up this morning. She was "asleep". Yet both other girls said she raised her head and looked at them. So I am ASSUMING she is sick. I will treat her accordingly. She managed to get up to the sound of the vita-mix for hot chocolate, yet missed chores.

Since she was to sick to get up on time she can rest today. No getting dressed. No playing. No swimming. Only sick people food. I sweetly tucked her in on the couch and kissed her head. She will rest ALL day on the couch, just getting up for the potty. I told her how sorry I was she was sick. I assured her she would feel MUCH better by tomorrow and be able to get up with the other kids.

I will be attentive to her need today. I will make sure she gets plenty of rest and doesn't get distracted or excited about anything. She can just watch as life goes on around her. I will see what I can find to feed someone SOOOOOO sick. Since we so seldom get sick finding sick people food around here will be tough. Some dry crackers and I may fix some veg. soup for her. I will keep it very bland so as to not upset her sick condition.

Anyone want to take guesses on how fast she will recover? Or how long before she is to sick to come down in a timely manor?

Thought for Today

"My source of power in prayer is the Vine.

If I am the branches abiding in Christ'

He will supply the power."

Update of sorts

They did have the staffing. But, they didn't really do anything. Everything is on hold as we wait on the appeal process. The parents are appealing on the grounds they didn't have enough time to do the program, (18 months or so). My understanding is they didn't do anything toward it. This is stuff like rehab if drugs are involved, parenting classes, housing, jobs, anger management classes..... I have no idea what these parent's program looked like.

What upsets me is that the kids don't have a voice, or at least I don't think they do. Our case worker didn't think so either. They didn't have a CASA worker at the staffing today. She said the lawyer that represents the kids in the termination is released when it is done. She wasn't sure how it effected that when the case is appealed. I will be doing some more research on that!

Upside is they really really want to place the kids with us. The were very impressed with our kids. We did this really cool collage of pictures with each child picking the pictures for their page then writing a about them and their feelings on adoption in the middle. She said they thought our kids were awesome. I agreed!

So we WAIT! We continue to walk in faith and prepare and stand in agreement that this will be a very small hiccup in the life of these children.

Monday's Thought and a Praise, and a Prayer...

"May every sight of those in need help urge me

to cry out to God who alone can help."

This weekend I got to see God's hand move in my daughter. It didn't start out praise worthy. She was mad at us and with some prodding and pushing and guessing admitted that she was planning on going back to AR when she turns 18. Of course this is heart breaking to me. We both tried talking to her and she is just not receiving. Finally we give up for the night.

I go to bed praying that God will open her eyes. That she will be loosed from being blinded by satan. I continue to pray this Sunday morning. I am not in a great frame of mind. I do what needs doing but just am not in a chatty mood. Finally I get free where I can go set on the porch in the swing and just have a nice cry and cry out to God. As I am setting she comes out and ask to talk.

She sets down beside me and starts by telling me she is sorry she was ugly the night before. I point out if that's the way she feels, it's the way she feels. I just want truth. As we talk I share that if she had came an said she was joining the military or job corp or peace corp I would be sad and miss her but would tell her it was good. I couldn't do this on her moving back to AR.

She said she didn't know why she wanted to go back. She wants a relationship with her bio mom. I understand that and have never denied her that. I have stopped contact because she isn't strong enough to deal with bio's junk. As we talked what came out is she has this fantasy dream of going back and having our relationship with her bio mom. Mom that will set on the porch swing and swing and listen and care. Mom that has her best interest at heart. .....

Finally I ask her to shut her eyes. Then I ask God to take her and show her what her life would be like if she went back to AR. I just started thank Him for revealing this to her. As I held her hand I watched a ton of very painful emotions flicker across her face. I watched the tears flow. I just kept quietly praying that He would speak truth into her spirit. That He would open her eyes. I bound the devil from interfering with what God wanted her to know. As she sat there the tears flowed. I held her hands but allowed her freedom to feel and see what God was showing her.

When it was done she fell in my arms sobbing. After I held her and allowed her to cry she shared. It was so much a Holy Spirit experience. What God showed her in part were things I had never thought of as arguments against going back. He told her that they didn't want her other than to use her. That since she would be 18 they would involve her in illegal things and when she was caught they would tell her it had been her choice she was 18. They wouldn't try to help her get out of jail, but just go on with their life. He showed her that she was something to be used, not loved. That they wanted her but not for who she is, only for what she could do for them. When she could no longer be of use to them then they wouldn't want her. That her life would be a living Hell if she went back.

It is amazing to see God work. It is amazing to watch as the Holy Spirit speaks into a person. The emotions on the face are so raw and real. I have no idea what else He spoke to her. After we talked she promised she wasn't skipping out on us at 18. She belongs here. I pray that as what happened was soul deep when satan comes along whispering she should go back she can stand strong.

The little girl in her so wants "mama" to nurture her. To be there for her. Sad to say it won't ever happen. We talked about who would she call if she needed to talk, if she needed someone to listen? She didn't even thing twice. She would call me, not bio. Yet, in her dream bio is there for her. Yesterday, she grew, she accepted at some levels that as much as bio does love her, she loves her self more. That as much as she wants to be a mom, she never could get it together to be a mom. The best she can hope for is a relationship that is on her terms with S not trying to get needs met through bio. Bio just can't meet those need, never has been able too. This is a hard sad fact of kids from the system.

She is reading the book, "Three Little Words" now. I am hoping it will help her understand that there can be a relationship, but it won't be the one she dreams off. The lady in the book does have a relationship with her bio, but "MOM" is the lady that adopted her.

So this morning I am praising God that He is faithful! I am thanking Him that He loosed her heart to truth yesterday. That in the pain of seeing a God truth He was there to comfort her and bring her heart to a new level of healing.

Today is a new day! Today maybe we will learn if we will have 5 new kids. Today I walk in faith that if we are to have these children God will open the doors. That all road blocks will be removed and He will bring them to us. I trust Him in knowing what is right. That if these kids are meant to be ours nothing the devil or CPS does will change that. His power and authority will rule. Today I bind satan in any and ever ruling concerning these children and their placement. He has no power or authority over them. I take authority over satan and in the might name of Jesus I bind satan from maniuplating anything, anyone concerning the placement of these children. Today the paper work will be in order. Today the needs of the children will be all that is considered. Satan's games, his attempts to drag the process out, his attempts to steal these children for the kingdom of darkness will stop! I claim these children for God's kingdom today! I claim them away from the powers and principalities of darkens that wants them stuck in foster care and their life on hold while adults play power games over them. I demand in the might name of Jesus the parents reconsider the appeal and drop it. I ask Jesus to come into the parents lives and hearts and transform them and renew them so when the children are older they can have healthy relationships with their bio's. So that the bio's live long enough to see their children again and be proud of them. I thank God for all He is doing in the lives of these kids today! I await phone calls today filled with praise and news. I thank Him for it! Amen

I ask each of you to stand in agreement with me in this prayer!

Sunday's Thought......

I am getting all of these thoughts from "199 Treasures of Wisdom on Talking with God" compiled from the writings of Andrew Murray.

"If I seek fellowship with the Father

I will find Him in His word."

Driven In by the HEAT!

Yesterday we worked in the garage until 11AM. Then the heat just got to be to much. We were about 105 give or take a degree or two yesterday. Today is suppose to be the same. Today I only lasted until about 10:30 before I gave it up.

I have two girls that have lost their mind. They decided to go with dad today. He is at a farm equipment auction. I would have loved to have went, but I wanted the garage cleaned. This sale is about 2 hours east of us where they have had thunderstorms the last two nights. The temps there should be about the same as ours, 100+. There are NO trees or shade! He explained that they would be staying WITH him. No playing no running around etc. They still went! The other two think they are crazy! I think they have GO fever. They are like the dogs that hear the ranger start and run jump in. They don't care where they are going just so they get to go.

While the other two are going to go swim soon then MN said she is going to do Monday and Tue. school so she can go to her volunteer job on Tue. She has started helping at a therapeutic riding place. She went last week and loved it. She will get to walk and lead horses or walk beside kids and stabilize them as they ride. Then she gets to brush horses and pet them. Heaven to her! But, she has to have school done for Tue. or she has to stay home. She is taking NO chances on life happening and her not getting to go. I like her thinking ahead!

I am really enjoying the book I bought Thursday night. The title is Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416948074/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=304485901&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1416948066&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=08Q1P5XS6F5R61FP4ZVC I would recommend anyone that wonders how the life a foster child differs from a child that has a family is. It isn't a hard read or terribly graphic, but it is very real. You will walk away with a much deeper understanding of what it IS to be a foster child.

Since I am talking about foster and adoption here are some statistics for everyone to think about:

Of all youth aging out of the foster care system, national statistics indicate:
56% are unemployed and face poverty within two to four years
They represent 70% of all homeless youth,
They constitute 88% of incarcerated youth and young adults,
40% receive welfare within two to four years,
40% do not graduate from high school, and
60% of teenage girls will have a baby within two years.
-Adopt America Network

So when some one mentions adoption support them! Help them in anyway you can! It really does change lives!

I know I have talked before about the trash sack luggage foster kids have. In this book that is something she talks about, each move all her worldly possessions were stuffed in trash bags. Or quite often not all, but what ever the foster family could find or wanted to send with her as she moved. So when you have luggage that you don't want, donate it! It might make a kid feel less like trash!

I see my older daughters in this story. Both of them in different ways. S more holding on to the dream that mommy really will get it together and come rescue me. Mn more in the if I push them away first then I am in control and I get to leave BEFORE I attach.

Now to go finish my book and avoid the heat the rest of the day!

Saturday's Food for Thought

Let this be my chief object in prayer,
to realize the presents of my Heavenly Father.
Let my goal be:
"Alone with God."

Walking in Faith......

Is HARD!

Last night the two oldest girls and I went to an awesome talk given by an adoptive young adult. She is 23, ya adopted at 12 and had been in 14 foster homes. It was great.

Since I was in the presents of MANY knowledgeable people about the appeal process I started asking questions. I hit up the person I know has been at this the longest, she has been an adoptive worker for 30 years and is now in the supervisor area of adoptions for CPS. I could have messed up talking to her, since she didn't like the group home idea. I told her not mess this up. :) She said she wouldn't. I have known her for over 20 years. So I either stirred the pot to the better or worse. We will see.

Today I still haven't heard any more. I just keep repairing and praying. I want to walk in God's will on this. I do not want to be out of His will. He can open any door. He is bigger than legal issues or CPS. In our faith walk He found us 2 twin beds and a day/trundle bed with out mattresses for $100 today. We are to get them on Sunday after church. We do have one twin mattress in storage so we will just need one more. That will give us enough beds with borrowing toddler beds for the babies.

Wed. morning God and I had a long talk about van verses bus. When we enquired on the sibling group of 3 I told God that if He brought these kids into our home He would need to supply our needs in a 15 passenger van. Since He is a God of specifics I was VERY specific on what I wanted. I even named the COLOR! But, on doing more research I discovered I wasn't sure if what I "wanted" was best. So I ask God to do which ever He thought was better a van like I ask for or a bus. I just totally gave it to Him. I went on with researching and looking when I got on the net that morning. In just a short time I found a 4x4 BUS! It is a 15 passenger with space behind the back seat for luggage. It is on a 1 ton dually pick-up chassis. It is 25 ft long, that's 5 feet more than my excursion, and 10 ft tall. Not sure how I will do with that part. Guess I would learn. I do think it would be much more comfortable traveling with the bus. for the kids. Either way or no way I am trusting God to bring what we need to us when we need it, at the price that we can handle, or that He shows us how to handle it.

Thought for today

Even as a father and his child enjoy

being together, so I must have this

intimate fellowship with God each day.

Thought for Today

"Time alone with the Lord Jesus each day

is the indispensable condition

of growth and power."

Monkey Wrench~Prayer Request

Parents have appealed the Termination of Parental Rights! Our cw doesn't know on what grounds yet. They still want us to take them. They want it enough to bend er streach er come up with a plan to have us listed as a "group home" so they will all fit. They will have to go to PS, unless I can find a loop hole for foster kids to be home schooled. I really think there is, just not sure how to find it.

The upside of it is she thinks that if we do the group home the state will help us upgrade our car to what we need. The funny side of it is that our old CW who in 2 years NEVER send us one child to consider is freaking out. She is involved because she is over Foster care. She ask our CW if we planned on stopping at 9? Our CW was laughing as she told me. She said she hadn't ask us. I told her to pass on to the this gal, that we are looking at a 15 passenger bus. My friend says if we get a 15 passenger anything we are obligated to fill it up. She said that she will freak out even more. Which is why I said it. Truth is if we do or don't adopt again is totally in God's hands.

I ask that each of you stand in agreement that this is a God thing that will quickly work out. That before school starts in the fall the kids will be listed as ADOPTIVE only! Not foster to adopt. Then we can homeschool them. I ask that you stand with us in the Might name of Jesus!
Nola

Wed. Morning of Waiting...

"I must take time to come into God's Presents,

to feel my weakness and my need'

and to renew my fellowship with Him."

I bought a new book called "199 Treasures of Wisdom on Talking with God". I am going to start sharing one almost every day. It was a .99 book. Just filled with short one or two liners that make you go Wow!

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We had a friend and her kids over. It was great. I told the kids last night it was a sample of life to come IF we get the kids. We had 12 under 18 around here. I do have to say that the difference is she has VERY well behaved children and I'm sure for a while our new ones will be lacking in that area. Kids all had a good time playing and visiting and exploring. I had a wonderful time just fellowshipping and hanging out with a like minded mom.

I have made a little more progress on the garage. One more ranger load of trash ready for the dump and a small stack of give away stuff. I told kids if they would work today who ever finishes school gets to drive the ranger. Motivation! I hope! I did explain to DH what I want to do with the "computer" area. I told him he was in charge of lights.

Some one ask if I was planning a younger kids area. Yes, I may have forgotten to include that. I want to have a section for the littles to play. and then I have 2 or 3 small desk for them. I have a cubical that is three foot high and maybe 12 foot long. I want to use that as room divider or section divider. The cubicles are full of craft stuff, so if I turn it where the babies area is the back then I can put the chalk board on their side and have the stuff on a side that is easier for me to monitor. I wish I had more of those cubicles, but this was bought many years ago at a school sale. I have 2 or 3 small desk for them. That way they can do school too. Anytime they want they will have colors and paper and such like they can set at their desk and work. The 6 yo will have to set and do some, but not the hours and hours of structure that they have in PS. He is a reluctant learner at this point. I hope to change that with less structured learning and more fun learning. Doing is ABC's in chalk on the floor and lots of fun things that teach. I have a 24 yo reluctant learner! I have walked that road before.

We are still car shopping. We have looked at 15 passenger vans and since I do like to think out of the box we have looked at shuttle buses. We are really leaning that direction. I would love to drive one. I have driven a 1 ton dually pick-up. Since the buses we like are built on the 1 1/2 ton dually chassis I have a feeling they will drive about the same. I have also driven the ambulance a few times and it is also built the same way. That was stressful driving. I tended to be on the radio going we are headed where ever GET ME A DRIVER! So we are just praying and researching and asking questions and waiting.

Planning.........

Ideas wanted:

Our garage is 32x25 with the 32 side being solid walls. One one end there are the two garage doors, on the other there are two doors right in the outside corners and centered in the middle is the wood stove chimney, which looks like the back side of a brick fireplace.

I have 2 pallet racks 32inches x 12 feet and one 38 inches x 12 feet. My plan is to put the two 32 wide pallet racks on the inside wall for desk. I will adjust the bottom shelf to table high, or maybe short table high for the kids to work. with their computers. Top shelf will be high enough not to bother and will hold crafts and other crated material that we don't use as often. I may buy contact paper and do each child's work space in a different or checker board color so that they KNOW just how much of that 24 feet is their space. This will be for the 6 older kids.

The other larger pallet rack I want across the room on the other wall. It also will have 2 shelves. The bottom one will be for crafts and sewing machines. That wall will also have the other sewing machines. In between we will have two tables and desk for the 6 yo. plus my desk to supervise it all. One corner will have a futon/couch day bed for naps setting and such.

This is all going to happen either way on if we get these 5 or not. It will just have to happen faster if we get the 5, since I will need the school room for babies.

What am I forgetting in this project? Ideas? Suggestions?

Latest news: "There is an adoption staffing scheduled for (sibling group) Monday June 15th at approximately 10:30 am (the time is only approximate and may vary due to preceding staffings). "
Our case worker is to be apart of it. She feels we are the only famly and will probably be getting them. It ISN'T a done deal! It will be a LONG week!

Prayers please!

Our Sat. In Pictures!

This is what our ranger bay looked like this morning................... EARLY






I know this one is blurry, but I wanted the picture of the wheels OFF the ground!

I tried to get one of him with his tongue out as he concentrated on what he was doing.

Finished! Smooth and ready for step two!

Here it comes!

Time to dump it!

Down it went!

Straight with the world! My OCD child nearly went nuts when I told her we were leaving it just like that!

Time to straighten!

Dad pulled

While Tommy pushed





Now for the final touches on the other end.

Is it straight yet? My dh didn't take my word for it! They MEASURED!

One final push and it is in place!

Checking out the inside! Come on I know all of you have always wondered what a sea container looks like inside!

Next assignment...................

The GARAGE!

Five O'clock came and went and...

No news!

On the upside we got a wonderful haul from our produce co-op. We are eating wonderfully this two weeks. We have black berries, Cherries, Rainer even! Cantaloupe, watermelon and strawberries besides the usual avocados, peppers potatoes onions squash apples (28lbs) and such. We also got green beans for a nice change.

I think I will make a black berry cobbler for supper tomorrow night. Or maybe let girls. The cherry's are going fast. We only got one case, 16 lbs. They won't last the weekend. The watermelons are small. I think cutting one in quarters will give each child enough watermelon not to be satisfied but enough.

I can't wait to have green beans. These are really long and skinny, not sure what kind but bet they get eaten. When you consider all we got it is amazing our bill was only $134. This is about 90% of the fresh we will eat in the next two weeks. I love our produce co-op!

Day two of WAITING...........

As of about 1 pm Yesterday, I had a phone call from our CW (case worker). She had already gotten an email back from the AW(Adoption worker). AW had a couple of questions. One was just old information on status of where my son and DIL live. Not WITH us, but next door. The other was Would we be willing to send the kids to school for the waiting period? I calmly said that wouldn't be what we wanted to do. I didn't say no, but sure didn't say yes. I did then follow it by we would be seeking a waiver. I went on to tell our CW to share that I am not new to homeschooling. That my track record of 17 years speaks for it's self in my grown sons and in the blossoming of the 4 we have now. I also shared I would be willing to provide computer generated updates from the computer based curriculum we would be using for the older two. CW emailed that information to her. We will see what happens now.

Since it was after 8 before our CW would have gotten our email and she had a reply waiting when she came back from lunch does anyone think there are 3 families interested in these children? DH and I talked last night and I said I didn't know what I would do if they said we have to do the school thing. He thought a minute and said we wouldn't accept them, and the fight would be on. So please stand in agreement with me that this is a dead issue. That God has taken care of this in the case workers heart and head. Also pray that we hear TODAY. I don't want to go all weekend without knowing. Not that knowing will help me sleep! But, waiting and wondering sure doesn't do much for my sleeping, while my dh snoozes beside me like a baby!

As to ages of the kids, they are babies! 2, 3, 6, 9 and 10 GGBBG. I find it interesting that two are older than my youngest, who is 8. She is 2 months into 4th grade. The 10 yo will be starting 4 grade in the fall and the 9 yo is going into 3rd. My 8 yo is the only one of my kids that has never been to PS. She is 2 grade levels ahead as she has an after Sept. birthday. She makes mainly A's unless she decides she doesn't want to take the time to read lessons, just guess at answers. Then she makes C's usually, which aren't OK. Maybe she is getting it figured out that redoing her C's really takes more time than reading the lesson and doing it right and getting an A. Of the other 3 that have been PS'ed I have two behind. One almost a year behind as he failed in PS, and one well she is making great strides at catching up. MN is slightly ahead of her grade, she "should" start 6th in the fall an she started in April. I guess by the time PS kicks back in the fall she will be 1/2 through with 6th.

"We are in it this far why stop now"

I really do have an amazing husband. Yesterday our case worker called me bubbling over. She was so excited, she ask me if I was setting down. By then I had figured out who I was talking to and the goose bumps started to rise. She said we had been picked as one of the three families to read the in depth information on a sibling group of FIVE. Yes you read that right 5-FIVE!!!!

I read him all the stuff on the kids pointing out the bad side I saw in each one. Over all there isn't to much bad IMHO. Only one of the school age ones on meds. Normal ODD and depressive stuff that is "normal" and to be expected in kids in foster care, again IMHO. We talked off and on all evening about it. At one point he said, "They do make a 4x4 15 passenger diesel van. I checked on line today." His last words about the subject before he went soundly asleep was, "We are in it this far why stop now." The poof he went to sleep. Did I mention I didn't sleep well last night? I put bedrooms together, schoolroom, you name it I thought about it, then dreamed about kids and picking "MY"kids out of a bunch! But they had all changed colors! I was looking and looking S had one of the babies, but I couldn't figure out which others were mine. It wasn't a scary dream just frustration that I "thought" they were Hispanic and what I was finding were older and black or white.

Since we are in it this far, I will be telling our worker after reading the summary on the kids that we are still interested. I have talked to my 4 until I am blue about the work and responsibility that 5 more will bring. In some ways they get it. In some ways they just want to share the stability they have with others. Because S's adoption is fresh and for MN it was hard I remind her how hard it was and still is at times. Her answer is, "I know but". Please keep this in prayer.

God could still easily shut the door for us. They were to pick three families to read the information. So there could be 1-2 other families wanting these kids. Our case worker doesn't really feel that they have people beating down the door to adopt a sibling group of 5 so we could be the only ones, who knows! I will just walk in faith and ask God to shut the door and I won't beat it open IF that is His will. If He wants these kids in our family then I know He will provide all the things we need.

If anyone knows of a 4x4 diesel 15 passenger van for sale let us know. I don't want to spend money until we know for sure and then want to do it as cheap as possible.This is exciting and scary all at the same time.