I guess he wanted some raisins

I guess he wanted some raisins.
Don't judge me. We pick & choose our battles & climbing on our family table is not one of them. Our kid is full of energy. He has to touch & climb on everything. At least he's safe about it. No worries we won't allow him to climb on your table if you let us visit. ;)
That being said isn't he cute! I love how he smiles

Fostering another baby? We must be crazy!

Yes we decided we want to foster another baby. Are we crazy? Maybe, it's just so rewarding. 

I'm sure that we will have many placements before we can adopt another. That's okay, it's part of fostering. We would love to adopt but that's not the main reason we want to foster. 

Everyone deserves the right to "repent" so to speak or be given the opportunity to change their lives for good. We would like to provide a safe nurturing environment for a child so their parents can have that opportunity. If the parents don't change we would like to adopt their child. Then provide a safe nurturing environment where that child can thrive & grow forever. Either way we get to bless a child's life.

Last time we weren't prepared for an infant. When G came to us we were given 3 hours notice. So we borrowed the essentials from good friends & ran to the closet store to buy everything else. We will be prepared this time. Here's the cradle & infant car seat. Exciting isn't it!

The canopy covers the whole thing! 

I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to carrying one of these around with me everywhere we go. The lack of sleep doesn't thrill me either but the benefits significantly outweigh any of that.

Daddy's Little Helper

 

We bought a new office chair today since the last one broke. Daddy had a little helper. Notice he is putting a screw in the chair just like daddy. These are some of the sweetest moments.

It's official we are a family of 3!

Okay so this post is late for my blogger friends. Better late than never right ;)
4 weeks ago we adopted our foster son. He was 2.5 months old when he came into our home, in sad shape. He didn't cry & drank his bottle in probably 30 seconds. It was obvious that he didn't get a bottle very often. After only being in our care for 6 days he gained 4 lbs. I could go on but you get the picture. Fast forward 15 months & we have a completely different boy. He is generally very happy & super smiley.
Adoption Day was very tender. The judge decreed he is ours & gave him our last name, YIPEE! So yes, after 13 years of marriage we are now officially a family of 3!!!

 

Adoption Day. 

This was a defining moment for sure. It will be celebrated for the rest of our lives.

 Sealing Day! This is the day he was "sealed" to us for all eternity. That means we will be together even after this earthy life. Pretty special day for us.

 

Meet our new family :)

House #4

Meet our 4th house. This morning it officially became ours. It will be an adventure living on an acre. Can't wait for our 1st visitors!

I'm not a failure afterall ...

I found out this week that G is sensory seeking. This explains so much. Yes he is a normal child but there are some slight differences that made me wonder what I was doing wrong. Like the fact that he doesn't sit still in church, doesn't respond the word "no" or knows when he's not suppose to do something but does it anyway. When we try to correct inappropriate behavior (like playing with the TV cords or oven buttons) & get after him as soon as we let him down he goes back to the cord etc.
G is constantly moving jumping & going. He has 1 speed & that's FAST. I love that about him but it's not always appropriate. When he gets older we should be able to get more help specific to him but for now I will let him jump, touch & go go go. He can't concentrate if his sensory needs are not being met. We will have to constantly adjust our parenting style & let him be the best him he can be. That's my goal at least. Boy am I glad that I have patience. It took 12 years to get it & he's going to need every ounce of it.
I love this kid & am thankful he is in our lives!

Every toddler needs their own roller coaster, right

I think G needs his own roller coaster. The other day I ran across someone selling their old one on Craigslist. Brant wanted me to look into it to make sure it wasn't recalled or anything. Turns out toddler roller coasters are legit! Step 2 makes them & with the way G likes to feel the wind in his face I think he would LOVE this! Where were these kinds of things when I was a kid?

Bath Time Fun

I love it when G discovers new things. Yesterday it was fart bubbles in the bath water. He did it accidentally then immediately started to hold his breath and push. To his delight, he was able to make a few more bubbles in the water. Funny little man :)

Families are an amazing thing

Well, we changed our blog name instead of going private. Sorry if this caused any inconvenience.

I'm going to try to post more frequently. Let's see if it works ;)

A few weeks ago we celebrated the 1 year anniversary when G came into our home. I can't believe how much he has thrived and grown since he's been in our care. We just adore this kid and can't wait to adopt him. It looks like that will happen at the end of January or by mid February at the latest. 

This time has been sweet and sour for us. Sour that his mom loves him but, because of her addiction, can't care for him. Sweet because we waited a long time to become parents. 

Recently we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. I love the time we have had just the 2 of us. Those 12 years allowed us grow incredibly close. This past year I've witnessed my husband becoming an amazing father. It's made me fall more in love with him than I could have ever imagined. Families are an amazing thing.

Results from listening to my doctor

This is Brant again wanting to update everyone.

I lost over 20 pounds and dropped my triglycerides from 1890 to just above 200 in under three months. What is awesome is that I lost the weight about 2 months into it and have been able to keep it off.

I hope everyone else is able to keep their new years resolutions. I just bought P90X2 to help me stay motivated.