July Birthday's Continue!

It is Jayden's birthday and he is 12! I can't believe he is that old but I guess they do grow up. Jayden is the one I struggle with right now, it seems like they all get a turn at that, but he is the one that gets on my nerves the easiest. I hate to admit that but I am just being honest, he has challenges and I have challenges with those challenges. Then I sit myself down and I have to remember that, God doesn't expect me to be perfect so why do I expect him to be? God loves me with all my many flaws and there are a lot of them, and I need to love those flaws in Jayden.

We adopted Jayden when he was a baby. W decided to adopt through foster care and everyone I talked to said it could take years to get a child that was ready to be adopted so we started the process when Ryan was about 16 months old. We also requested a girl, and so when we got a call 2 months later that there was a baby boy at the hospital that needed a home and they said, "We know that you requested a girl but can you take in this baby boy until we find a home for him?" My reply was, "What if we fall in love with him can we keep him?" We brought Jayden home from the hospital when he was 5 days old. He was hooked up to a heart monitor and a breathing monitor and within a week he was thriving and taken off of both machines. We had Jayden for about 4 weeks and then his grandmother got custody of him. On the day that we were to take him to the office so he could go live with his grandmother I spent the day rocking him in the rocking chair, nothing else mattered at that moment I wanted to hold him for as long as I possibly could. As I was sitting in the rocking chair I had a distinct feeling come over me that I would see this child again. I thought, "Ok I might run into him at the mall or school or somewhere in town." But the feeling was stronger than that, yet, I reasoned again that his grandmother is getting him and she has a couple of his siblings so he will be with her.
Two months later we got the phone call asking us if we wanted to take Jayden he was back in foster care, and the rest is history.
So although I struggle with Jayden I know that he is where he belongs, that this is the family that chose him and I would do it again. So Happy Birthday Jayden we are so glad that you are part of our family!

Jayden had a slumber party with his buddies although there was not much slumber going on last night. I sent Scott down stairs at almost 3 am to tell them to go to bed and I think they just became more quiet. Then the gang decided to go outside at 7:30am and ride bikes and scooters around our driveway which is right under our bedroom window waking me and probably all the neighbors up way too early for a Saturday morning. So if Jayden looks like he is sad it is just the lack of sleep coming through.

But he perked right up when it came time to open presents. We took him shopping this afternoon and he was walking around like a Zombie barely coherent but he got some new shoes and clothes for his birthday, so I think he was happy.

Sun in Seattle

The girls were having fun in Seattle! We made a pit stop in Seattle on the way back from the airport yesterday and the girls had a great time playing outside by the water fountains and outdoor eating area. We did a little shopping and eating too. What was even better was the weather was perfect, finally summer has arrived, and keeping our fingers crossed that it will stay!

The Small Choices Do Matter

I am really liking my new job, not really liking the fact that I need to go to work but since I do this job really suits me. As I was thinking about why I like my job, I was thinking about the flexibility of my job, I can choose to take a case or not, I can schedule my job so that it works with my schedule at home for the most part, and I am not just sitting in an office doing the same thing over and over, but I am out and about driving around and even sitting at parks enjoying the sun, when it is out. But what I was nervous about was dealing with the parents, these were the people that were doing "bad" things and had to have their kids taken away from them, I was not so sure I would be "comfortable" dealing with them. What has surprised me the most was that I really do like most of the parents that I deal with. As I thought more into that I realized that "these" people are really not that different from me.

We all have the ability to make choices and somehow when I made bad choices when I was younger I had something or someone to pull me back and make the course corrections to get back on track. I made a few good choices along the way and for me that kept me going and has brought me to where I am today. For some of my clients I am sure they probably started out making some of the bad choices I had made but there was no one there or nothing there to bring them back on course. They kept making one bad choice after another until they were so far off the course they got into trouble and put the lives of their children at risk.
The difference is those little choices that I got right started to out weigh the bad choices that I made and pretty soon I was back on track. "They" continued to make little bad choices and those snowballed into bigger and bigger things that they were no longer able to control. All of my clients didn't say to themselves "I think I will have kids and then let the state take them away from me!" They had good intentions I am sure, they love their kids, they just made a lot of bad choices and didn't get the course correction at the right time and they are getting it now.
It is hard to watch kids that want to be with their parents so badly but can't because it is not safe. It is hard to watch parents try to answer the "why's" their kids ask. It is also rewarding to see that these parents are trying their best to get their life back on track so that they can get their kids back home, and it is sad to see when this doesn't happen.
I am not defending the parents or saying what they have done is not their fault, and as a disclaimer I get to see the good side and don't get into the particulars of the case, but maybe by stepping out of my comfort zone and getting to know my clients I have become more aware of how the little things and the choices we make really do make a difference.

That Darn English Language!

Destina is coming along with the English she understands almost everything we tell her and what she hears. She is talking up a storm as well and we are having some great conversations, like the one today...
I had to work all day and when I came home she was so excited to tell me that McKenzie took her to the movies today when I asked her what movie she saw she said, Pee and the Pooh! I said, "Um do you mean Winnie the Pooh?" and she just started laughing.

It is nice to know that my kids will pick up the slack for me and go out of their way to be "good big sisters" to the girls while I am gone. Thanks McKenzie I am not sure I could have endured Winnie!

24 Years!

24 years ago today I married my best friend. I would love to say that they have been 24 years of bliss but I have to say they have not all been easy, but we have stuck it out and enjoyed the good times and worked through the hard times.


Through it all we have remained best friends.

I am on the Fence!

I am on the fence....I am not sure how I should feel about Scott's ability to make a boat out of Pepsi bottles. Should I be proud because the guy is beyond creative and this thing really does float.

Should I be mad because of all the hours this boat took and the list of honey do's is long and while he was building this boat he didn't get much else done.


Or, should I be embarrassed that he actually drank all the Pepsi that it took to build this boat?

July Birthday's Round Two

Our little Katie bug is 18! My how the years have gone by. She is getting ready to head off to college in the fall and we are excited to see what her future holds for her.

Katie wanted Steak for her birthday, my camera battery was dead so by the time it was charged this is all that was left of the steak! We don't get steak very often at our house so this was a real treat for everyone!

Katie also wanted chocolate pie for dessert and we did not have 18 candles so we made due with 6!
Katie only had one present to open and that was disguised in this great little box! Katie was happy to get some funds to go toward the new laptop she is wanting. We will be helping out with that for her birthday present from us! McKenzie gave her a day trip to Vancouver to go shopping and to see the New Harry Potter movie so her birthday is being spread out a little. Happy 18th Birthday Katie we love you!

July - The Month of Birthday's

First up is Kelsie she is now 15 and counting down the days until she can start driver's ed. She has been such an easy teenager, she has been gone a lot the last couple of weeks and we really notice that she is gone and we really miss having her around. Our birthday tradition starts by letting the birthday person choose their favorite dinner and then there favorite cake. Kelsie loves ice cream cakes so that is what she got and her favorite dinner is BBQ pizza!

We love to make pizza out on the grill it turns out so good and Kelsie could eat this for every meal.

Kelsie was surprised to have gifts since her gift from us this year is drivers ed. She wasn't expecting very much but while she was gone all day Kenzie and I went shopping. The little girls picked out some flip flops and tank tops for her, with a little help of course. McKenzie went all out and almost bought Kelsie an entire wardrobe of new summer clothes. That whole bag is stuffed with new shirts, shorts, and even shoes. When I asked Kenzie why she was spending so much money on Kelsie's birthday her reply was that, "She has shared her room with me all year and has not once complained and she has just been a really great sister and I want to do this for her."
Kelsie loved everything Kenzie picked out for her and it really was a great birthday surprise!

My Little Helper

If I am in the kitchen then Avrie is in the kitchen "helping" too! She has been doing this for almost as long as she has been home but lately she is taking it to a new level. She wants to help make dinner, wash the dishes, and tonight she unloaded the dishwasher but after she set all the cups on the counter she looked at me and said, "I did it mom, but I can't reach to put them away."
Every time I am in the kitchen she runs to her room and grabs her stool and her apron, so that she can be bigger, she grabs the stool to help me cook insisting on stirring whatever it is I am cooking. She thinks she can do whatever I can do and she sure tries, after she does something she looks at me and says, "Mom! I'm a good helper!" Yes, Avrie you are the best helper ever, wink, wink!

4th of July Fun!

We love going the the small town parade in Blaine WA each 4th of July it is like stepping back in time about 50 years. The crowds are small, so to speak, and they throw lots of candy so the kids love it. There are not many fancy floats but a lot of different people in the parade make it interesting to watch. Avrie was so happy to get a flag and waved it around forever or at least until they started throwing candy.
Destina would rather hold a baby than play around waiting for the parade to start. She loves her new cousin at 4 months old he weighs as much as Avrie did when she came home at almost 3. He is one chunky baby!


This was the first time McKenzie was able to come with us every other year she has been gone or working. You can just see the excitement bursting out of her, but we were happy to have her along.

Now these too were wondering when the parade was going to start because sitting in the street is really not that much fun. But once the candy started coming Destina turned to some pretty good begging skills for the candy and it paid off. Avrie had to take a few lessons from her but by the middle of the parade she had the routine down too.

But by the end of the parade and wandering around the street fair and car show she was tuckered out and slept all the way back to the car and all the way home.

She found her second wind in the evening with all the fireworks and wasn't quite sure about the sparklers but wanted in on the action like the big kids.

It is really nice to have a parking lot right by our house to light off fireworks Ryan took some of his hard earned money to the reservation and bought some cool fireworks, we sat on the deck and watched all the action around the lake and made S'mores.

The girls had a lot of fun with the little fireworks and Destina said it was such a fun day, I would agree all except the family pictures thrown in during the middle of the day!

Note to Self....

Don't try and take family pictures after your family spent 3 hours at a parade, they are hungry, we were in a hurry, and it is hot outside. This picture was not even a set up Kelsie went to set the timer and took a picture instead, can you just see how happy everyone is. Family pictures were a failure this time and the worst part is we are going to have to go do it all over again!

My New Job As a Food Critic

I thought that since we got a "HUGE" discount on the crab cruise I would write up a review and encourage the locals to go out and enjoy the great view and good food. I ate crab for the very first time tonight it was ok I am not a huge sea food fan so that was a big step for me. I stuck to the chicken. I know crazy! The cruise was packed tonight but the food was good, the views were spectacular, and the company wasn't so bad either. They serve a cracked crab dinner along with chicken and 2 different salads and dessert all while cruising up and down the Chuckanut Bay.

The weather was actually nice today so it was the perfect evening to go out, even catching views of Mt. Baker in the background.


The crew did a great job there were only 4 crew members to work the boat serving tables, making drinks, they really did run all night long, as I sat there a little chilly they were running around sweaty. It is a proud moment to see my daughter with her bachelors degree making drinks...but that is another story, they sure did work hard all night long, (and that would be the very serious boyfriend in the background).

We had these great seats by the window but the boat was pretty full and a party of 5 came in and since we were freeloading, we kindly moved to the center to let the larger party have our bigger booth by the window. It was a really fun night hanging out with Scott's brother Dan and wife Lynn, Dan is leaving for a month so it was fun to get together with them and have some "adult" time and good food too!