time to catch up

Wow it is has been so long. Time seems to get away from you sometimes. We are trying to get Tyler ( our 2nd son) graduated from High school. HE is of the opinion that homework is not important, therefore leading to not such good grades. Unfortunately for him, the school system does think it is important and therefore requires him to pass government , English and Math. Imagine that. Anyway ... I will just need to keep highlighting my hair to mask all the grey I am gaining. I still have FOUR more to go after him. Goodness!

Tyler has been accepted into SUU and as long as he graduates, will be able to go in the fall to further is education.

Our two little friends went to their grandmas, and we are taking a break from Fostering right now, to be able to focus more time on our family. I have realized that I am not wonderwoman, and was losing myself to all of the craziness of kids, and visits, and paperwork, and Association business etc.

Being a foster family is very rewarding, but is also a bit overwhelming at times.
Serra and Abi deserve to have their mommy and daddy's full attention to get them through some difficult times.

Where to begin.....

It has been such a long time sinc I wrote, it is hard to know where to start. One of the challenges of Fostering, is that you don't have a lot of free time. At least while you are awake.

Our big news is that we finally adoted our little ABI on Nov 5th. and went to the temple on February 6th the day after her 3rd birthday.

Most all of our family was able to come, and although it was rainy, we had a great day celebrating her becoming an official member of our family.

In our hearts, she always has been.

Where has the time gone?

On November 5th 2009 we officially adopted ABCD Drake and she is now Abi Kay Stephens. She is such a blessing ( although a challenge as well) in our life. We could not imagine our lives without her. It is three months shy of her third birthday . What a journey it has been.





We had Halloween and got WAY too much candy. IT sure was fun going around with the kids though. Nathan and Brooke even came with us. Eva just hung out in the stroller while the boys took turns pulling the Little ones in the wagon. Good times!
WE carved lots of Pumpkins.
One for each of the kids. 7 little pumpkins graced our porch.
Abi and Jorge weren't much into the "cleaning out" part.

Can't say as I blame them. It is slimy and stinky!


Fall is a wonderful time. Cooler weather . Lots of outside play time. Falling leaves. And LOTS of family activities.

These are a few of my favorite times......

Bed time, and nap time, and bed time, and nap time.

Is that bad that I look forward to those times?? I hope not, because some days I SOOO look forward to them. With 4 5 and under who all have their own little issues, some days it's all I can do to keep it all together. When they are asleep, they are so cute!! so innocent and sweet.
They aren't unrolling the toilet paper, Coloring themselves with marker,
Feeding the dog fruit snacks ( that she will later barf up) , filling all the play dishes and kitchen with water there-by soaking the carpet in the playroom, cutting someones hair, asking me five hundred times Where is Abi? Is that Abi? .......Can I have a snack ?
Or how about flooding the kitchen floor with cups of water that they can fill up from the refrigerator dispenser, whining and crying and

"He touched me, She scratched me, she has my toy. "

It really is a constant flurry of activity ... Unless they are ASLEEP.

Before you get your panties in a wad, Yes, we love them,

but gosh some days don't you just look forward to 8:00???

Maybe that's just me.

Back to School...

Well it's been about a month, but it's been a crazy and a good one.

Tyler is a junior at Shadow Ridge and Kyle is a freshman at NWCTA, Kayla started Middle school and Serra started kindergarten.MR J is in PRe-K which is in the afternoon I might add.(Serra is in the morning)

Needless to say, WE have to get two boys to two different seminaries by 6 am.Thank heavens for friends and carpools! Kayla has to be to her bus by 7:20 Serra between 8:45 and 9:00. Serra gets out at 11:30 and Mr J goes at 12:40. Kyle gets off his bus at 1:42 and Tyler at 1:47 . They can walk home, although they don't really like it. Kayla has to be picked up at 2:30 and MR J 's bus brings him home at 3:20.

Then we start , piano, Hollywood kids, scouts, activity days , meetings, etc etc etc.....

Thank Heavens for an awesome husband who has really been try ing to be more engaged in helping with all of this, and has been a GREAT help!

In between all that we have doctors, Therapies, grocery shopping and all the other Little errands. Some days it is just mind boggling to keep it all in line, but for the most part, we are surviving it all. Our children are such a blessing and I know all too soon they will be gone ,and we only have this brief time to be a part of their lives and help them to learn and to grow .

Although MR Wesley says we just keep getting more, so we will never be out of kids!!!!

WE will be going to kindergarten when we are 70. Well , maybe not, we just take it one day at a time, and try to do what Heavenly Father needs us to do. For right now, it is taking in more children and providing them with the best family life that WE can.

Grateful for a priesthood holder

I wanted to write about this after Sunday, but with Back to school and everything, it just didn't happen.
WE have a freshman and a junior at two different High schools and two different seminaries. Kayla started 6th grade ( middle school) Serra is in morning Kindergarten, and Mr J is in afternoon Pre-k. That is just school, then we have piano, musical theatre, Ovation, scouts, activity days, foster parent meetings etc.

Anyway, on the Sunday before school starts, my husband gives our children a fathers blessing. IT was very touching to see him exercise his priesthood and authority as their father to pronounce a blessing , individually for each child. Even MR J and ABi wanted to have a blessing from dad. Abi doesn't sit still for much of anything, but she sat quietly through her whole blessing. Even though MR J is only three, I think he could feel the spirit and know that we loved him, as well as his Heavenly Father. How grateful I am for a husband who honors his priesthood and is able to bless our children's lives in such a simple way.
We are not a perfect family by any means, and we have many things to learn in our blended family and as we work with these special children, but it is wonderful to have the blessings of the gospel and to be able to share that with those who come into our home... for however long.

My "real " mom

WE faced a tough hill this week with our little Serra. Somehow the conversation came up regarding "coming out of mommy's tummy" Now we have had the adoption discussion before on many occasions, but she still referenced herself as coming out after Kayla.

I explained again that she did not come out of my tummy, but that her mommy could not take care of her and we "chose to have her be part of our family" Usually this pacifies her, and off she goes.

This time was different she sat for a moment then said
" My real mommy wouldn't tell me what to do"
My initial reaction was well, this mommy loves you and I will tell you what you need to do.( she is 4 turning 12)
Then today in a session with her PSR ( psycho social rehab counselor) as we were discussing this, she said " you only take care of your real children, not me"

Even though this is not true, it really hurt, that she would feel that way. I am not quite sure how she even gets that, since so much of my time and energy is taken up with her and the other foster kids. I guess I always knew that these types of conversations would come up, and we would have issues to face with her adoption, but I don't think I was quite as prepared as I thought.

We had our last appointment with our adoption worker this week, and hope to get a court date for ABI's adoption in the next 30-45 days. We love her to death, but it is a little scary to approach this again seeing what we have been through with Serra. There is no way to predict the outcome with the drug and alcohol exposure that these children have faced.
In those quiet moments when I ponder all of this, I am reminded that these are Heavenly Fathers precious little spirits that he has sent to us. Not in the traditional way, but he has entrusted them to us, and he has carried us through some very difficult times, and I have to hold on to the faith that he will carry us through any others that we face, because we certainly can't do it alone.