Got Sleep?

I am laughing to myself right now because our first night together, I was prepped. All of the bottles were cleaned and set out...the laundry was done, the dishes were done. I had cooked and even baked dessert. Seriously? Three kids. No problem. I think it was even early...maybe 9pm? 

It is now our fourth night together and at 11pm, I decided to take a nap until she was ready for her next bottle (I had one left) because I was exhausted. It is now 1:15am and all of the bottles are finally clean, the dishes are put away...laundry? Not sure.  

Got sleep? Cause I'd like some:). 

Annual Father/Son Bike Ride

I think it will become a tradition and therefore, I name today as their "Annual Father/Son Bike Ride."

Lee, David, and Anthony took off this morning on their bikes and didn't come back until later this afternoon. They rode about TWELVE miles together!

Don't worry, they took breaks to eat lunch and cold snacks - see?

While they were out, I was busy doing this:

It is a tough job, but someone has to snuggle the baby...

My muddy boys went straight into the shower when they finally made it home. After getting cleaned up, David promptly sat near the baby and stared at her. I'm not sure Anthony is quite as enamored as David. He seems to be more perplexed about how she can sleep as much as she does. Perhaps it is because it is difficult for him to just sleep through the night?:)

Anyway, I was so proud of my boys for the long adventure they took together. Can't wait to see what they do next year!

Baby Girl E

David's quote for the day: "She's just so precious!"

And she certainly is. 

Sad News - Permanent Goodbye

In our many years fostering, we have been incredibly blessed to stay in touch with almost every single child whom we have had the privilege of welcoming into our foster family. 

While there is a very slight chance we might still maintain some long distance contact, it is unlikely that we will see Little D again after our goodbye visit. He will be leaving the country. 

Please pray for his safety and for his heart...that his love of life and trust in others remains despite the many changes he has had to experience in his first three years of life. 

Baby Girl E & Little C Surprise

Baby Girl E comes tomorrow and stays for 8 days!

We are ready:).

Tonight after dinner there was a knock on our door. I assumed it was the neighbor kids wanting to see if the boys could come out to play. When I opened the door, who did I see??

Little C (formerly Baby C) and his parents!! What an amazing surprise. The absolute BEST surprise.

The boys played together - there was much laughing and rough housing. Little C is growing up so fast.

They brought us a formula dispenser for us to use with Baby E. Tomorrow we'll head over to borrow their baby bathtub.

They are the best. I am SO thankful they are in our lives.

Library

"Can we PLEEAASSE go to the Library again today?"

says my son who reads 3+ chapter books a day.

It amazes me because this is the same son who could barely attend to a book for longer than one minute as a young child.

It's Been a While

Hi!

It has been a while.

I am going to blame my lack of writing on my lack of picture taking this summer.

We were at Hershey Park on Friday.

Did we bring a camera? Nope. Didn't even bring our phones.

We told the boys to take pictures with their minds so that they don't forget the memories:). David suggested that we keep the map and write about the trip in their journals so that we have proof that we went.

We were in NY this weekend and saw a beautiful firework display on the lake.

Did we bring a camera? Nope. Didn't even bring our phones.

The boys drew pictures about it, though. Haha! Good thing they enjoy art:).

Here are two pictures for you...

Boys swimming at the pool with our good friends. David continues to be quite strong with his swimming and Anthony picked up again quickly too.

We will be caring for a newborn baby girl in just a few days! She will be with us for eight days. We can't wait. Here is a picture of the boys holding the adorable outfits I just HAD to buy for her. I'm pretty sure Lee thought I was nuts, but you have no idea how excited I was to buy for a baby girl for the first time - ever.

Anthony and David are growing up so fast. David turned 8 yrs old last month and it is fun to watch him mature! The boys are now able to have disagreements and resolve them independently. That is a big deal. They have both developed a love for reading and yesterday Anthony was begging me to take him to the Library. Last week, we went three days in a row. He will read at least three chapter books in one day. That boy is a fast reader.

Next month, David will be taking a basketball class. He has been asking for months to take a class that teaches him the rules. He is constantly jumping and pretending to shoot baskets. Anthony will be taking a soccer class. If they are really into it, we'll try to get them on a team.

Anyway, hopefully it won't be so long before my next post! I'll have to at least update with pictures of  cute little baby feet or something:).