Field Trip

Last Friday the 2nd grade went on a field trip to the Science Museum Oklahoma (aka The Omniplex).  We go there every year and it's pretty much the same experience.  Get the lunches.  Talk to the parents.  Get on the bus. Pass out arm bands. Set them free. Check on the kids. Talk to the my teacher friends. Supervise lunch.  Check on the kids. Round them up. Get on bus. COUNT the kids. Back to school. Go to bed early! 

But this year was different.  Not because anything crazy happened - it has in the past - but because of something else. JOY. Joy on the faces of my kids.  As I walked around and watched them experience these things I saw pure joy.  Many of them had not been there before and everything was new and fresh and amazing to them.  I was teary eyed watching some of them see a dinosaur or go down a huge tree slide.  We had no arguments, talking back, running off.  They loved it.  It just reminded me that this is why I do it.  Everyday trying and trying to make a difference even when I might not feel like it.  For moments like these in the middle of a field trip!

Cute Shirt

Macie has a friend's birthday party tomorrow so I made this as part of her gift.

I think it turned pretty cute - although I didn't really mean for it to look like an m&m!  Freezer paper is so amazing!!!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was fun! 

This is what the girls' woke up to above their beds.

 

 Their sweet daddy put hearts up in Macie's room when she was little and in our room above the bed.  It was such a sweet memory!  He wanted to do it again this year so I helped and it was kind of like Christmas anticipating what the girls would say when they saw it!  They love the hearts and want them up to stay.  (We also do this on their birthdays with the # they are turning.)

*Twinkle Toes*  These were the hit of the day!  Mark buys the girls a gift on V day and this is what Macie got - she was very surprised and wants to wear them all the time!  Mollie got a Leapster game - the batteries died when we put it in and we didn't have any so she had to wait until after church to play with her present, but she loved it!

Here they are in all decked out in hearts!  I used freezer paper stencils to paint their shirts and pants and I loved it because it was easy and looked great!  We had a good day - I liked going to church on Valentine's Day.  That night we went out with Ang and Drew (Mark's sis) and the girls played with cousin Abby. 

We also saw Blind Side and cried our eyes out!  Good Times!!

 

Fun

The girls have a "new"  favorite video to dance to.  I really love this song - you can't stop yourself from singing along!!
The white socks on the dancers crack me up!

Books

The other day I went to the Edmond Library to check out some books on foster care.  One of my friends called me a dork for this, but whatever. :)  Anyway, I found a few and have been reading them. 
One is a autobiography written by a girl who was in foster care for most of her life.  It's called Three Little Words  .  It is very eye opening and humbling to read all she has been through and her perspective on it all. 
Another book was like a case study on foster care and contained a lot research and lots of true accounts from foster mothers about their experiences.  Reading that one made me feel scared, sad, hopeful, encouraged and again so humbled by the huge responsibility and selflessness that is involved.
Reading these books made me think back to jr. high school when my friend Kelli Adams and I would check out books about homeless people, runaways and halfway houses.  Our big plan was to run a halfway house for people and save the world.  Looking back on that now it seeems strange that we even were intrested in those things.  It makes me feel in a way like this desire that is in me has been here a long time. 

Stirrings

Things are stirring here. We are thinking and praying and taking tiny steps toward what we think God is calling us to - foster parenting. We aren't ready yet, but we kept saying "someday we will" and I just started thinking "why not now!" Who knows what will happen and how things will play out - the big picture, but we are in the game and want to play. There are so many things that we don't know and we have so many questions, but we are taking it step by step. I have the application for on my dresser waiting to be filled out...