Big News!

Our family will be getting a little bigger in July. I am pregnant with child #7 and am due on my birthday, July 16th. This was unexpected but we are happy with the news. I NEVER thought I would have a big family. There was a family in our last ward that had 7 kids and I thought that was a rather large family. I remember being in their home and wondering how they did it. Well, now I will be living in their shoes. We have a few things to figure out with our car and sleeping arrangements but I know it will all work out. What makes me the most nervous is not having 3 in diapers 3 and under but having to raise 3 teenagers at the same time again.

Shopping is Done

I am so relived to be done with all of my Christmas shopping and after everything is wrapped I can sit back and really enjoy the holiday season. On the evening of Black Friday I was watching the news and so surprised at the way people act as they are shopping. 3 years ago I decided to simplify the gift giving in our family. We have a large family and are slowly running out of room. Plus the kids really don't need all that stuff that usually just sits there after the excitement is over. This will be the 3rd year that my kids will get 3 gifts from us. We use a guideline based on the gifts that Christ received from the Wise Men. They get a garment-clothing (gold) gift, a fun (frankincense) gift, and a mentally stimulating(myrr) gift, such as a book or puzzle. Santa also gets them 1 gift. I have found that this has made my shopping for them more meaningful. In years passed I was always worried about making sure everything was even and just ended up buying more and more. The first year I started this I had a few people chuckle at me and wish me luck saying their kids would not be happy to only get 3 gifts. My kids responded well and I hope our tradition lasts through their childhood. Last year I started having the kids draw names so that they were able to buy a gift for a sibling. This worked well and we will do this again this year.

Mama Mia

Our family enjoys listening to ABBA. After the movie Mama Mia came out I was able to get the soundtrack free from CVS. We have listened to it in the car a few times. The other day I was running errands with Lucas and Jackson and I was listening to talk radio. Jackson became cranky and Lucas started chanting "Mama Mia, Mama Mia". So I turned on the CD and looked behind me at the boys and got big smiles and Jackson began rocking out. That little boy LOVES music. We listened to the songs Mama Mia and Dancing Queen over and over until we got home and they were so happy. When I asked Lucas if he was a dancing queen, he said no that JJ was. He may not be a queen but he sure enjoys dancing.

Scarred & A Little Smarter

I didn't baby proof the house until we had child #5. I thought my older kids were smart enough to know better. When Lucas was born I made sure that I had all of the outlets covered up and we have never had a problem. Well, last Sunday at church Matthew decided that instead of listening to his primary teacher he would stick a bobby pin in the outlet. There was a loud pop and a flame feel to the floor. Then his class could smell his burning flesh. He now has 3rd degree burns on his thumb and index fingers. He will have nice scars on his fingers for the rest of his life and I hope he has learned a valuable lesson.

Happy First Birthday Jackson James

Wow! A year goes by so fast. It is hard to believe that a year ago today I was at the hospital having Jackson. He weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was the cutest thing ever and still is. Jackson was a very cranky newborn, but now he is just the happiest kid ever. He is usually all smiles. We often call him "Action Jackson" because he just loves to play and is always on the go. He puts up with his bully brother Lucas but gets back at him when he is asleep. If Lucas falls asleep on the couch or in the car, Jackson will pull his hair. Jackson is an excellent eater. He can use some help in sleeping through the night but that is slowly improving. It is so amazing how much a little one grows and develops in the first year of life. Happy birthday Jackson James!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jackson LOVES Chocolate Ice Cream & Helping Matthew With His Homework

Kenny enjoys a bowl of chocolate ice cream in the evening after work. He will often leave his bowl and spoon on the table next to the recliner. In the morning the first thing Jackson does is get the spoon and lick all of the yummy ice cream off of it. Well, this morning I was up before Jackson and did some cleaning up so there was no spoon for him. He went over to the trash can and found the lid to the ice cream container. He enjoyed his breakfast of chocolate ice cream.

Matthew loves to play with the little boys. After school he rushes to finish his homework so they can play. This is what I caught them doing today. I just love how close my 3 youngest boys are. I think they will be the best of friends:)

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew turned 10 on Thursday, October 9th. We celebrated his birthday with a Pirate-Survivor party on Saturday. It is the first party that we have had for him. The boys seemed to have a lot of fun. I decided to have the party at a park and boy I am glad I did. Boys that age can be quite loud and hyper, plus the clean-up was a breeze. Matthew said, "Thank you Mom!" as we were heading to the car to go home.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Chicken Pox & Jackson Walking

Lucas came down with the Chicken Pox. On Wednesday I noticed a bump on his thigh that looked like mosquito bite and thought nothing of it. Later in the day I saw another bump, so I lifted up his shirt and there were bumps everywhere. I did some research because he was vaccinated when he was 1. The vaccination is only 80% effective and those that get the pox after the vaccination have a milder case. The next day he had bumps everywhere from his ears to the bottom of his feet. He had no fever and nothing itched. Part of the day he was running around the house in his diaper as happy as can be and his skin looked horrible. I itched just looking at him. The good thing about being vaccinated is that the bumps are now just fading and not becoming scabs. He should be able to return to school Tuesday. He has been miserable being "quarantined". Now, I hope Jackson does not come down with the Chicken Pox. He gets his vaccination when he turns 1 next month.

Jackson has started walking. It is just the cutest thing to see:)

I Miss My Car & A Leak

Monday our Suburban started sounding funny so on Tuesday we took it into the dealer to have it checked out. We figured it would only be in for a day. When we called the next day to check on the status we were told that they just removed the transmission and that we could get a rental car. Since our car is a Chevy and the rental will be paid for through the warranty we had to rent a Chevy. All that was available was a truck that will only fit 6. It's a good thing that all of us haven't had to go any where this week. Sunday I will have to find a ride for a kid or two. The truck smells really bad too, much worse than the smell of rotten milk that our car sometimes gets when a sippy is left in it. We were told to call on Monday to check the status. I hope it will be done by then because I really miss my car. I love my Suburban. I never thought I could drive such a big vehicle. I used to have a little Honda CRX that I loved to drive. I was afraid to drive anything bigger than it. But now there is nothing better than driving a big car. It makes me feel powerful. With gas prices so high I "try" to take Kenny's car to run my errands (he is home during the day). Sometimes I take Lucas with me just so I can justify driving the Suburban (that is where his car seat is).


As I was typing this, my ceiling started leaking water out of the vent. Big drops of water, one after an other. The boys were taking showers in the bathroom above so I'm sure it is from that. I have no idea what to check other than the floor in the bathroom. It will have to wait for Kenny to get off tonight at 10. Thankfully it has stopped dripping now. Why is it that everything seems to go wrong when it is just me here at home to handle it?

I Never Thought I Would Be One Those Moms

I never thought I would be one of those moms. You know the ones that have their kids dressed in only a diaper, their clothes don't match, they are dirty with boogers in their nose, misbehave at church, etc. Whatever! Jackson is lucky if he gets a onesie on and very lucky if it gets snapped. Sometimes it is just easier to leave the booger in their nose then fight to clean their faces. Tonight Jackson went to bed with unmatching pjs because I can't find the other pieces. Last Sunday Lucas was rolling around in the middle of the aisle at church and I really didn't care because at least he was quiet. Sometimes I even let the little guys eat snacks off the floor.

The other day I took Lucas' diaper off so he could sit on the toilet. I got busy getting things ready for Kenny to go to work. Lucas likes to go outside and wave to Daddy when he drives off to work. When I looked at Lucas outside I thought to myself, "What are the neighbors going to think, my kid is out here with only a t-shirt and a diaper." Well, as he is waving good bye to Daddy he is peeing in the grass. I forgot he didn't have a diaper on as his t-shirt was kind of big. Oh, well. I know they are going to be just fine. Being a mother has certainly changed my perspective on other mothers.

Lucas Started School

Lucas started school last week. He will be going for 1 hour 3 days a week. He did better than I expected. He just whined a little when I dropped him off but stopped as soon as I left. The first day he cried when we got in the car to go home. I think he just kept his emotions inside until he felt safe to let it out. He has already shown more of an interest in letters and numbers. I am really impressed with the school he is at and am looking forward to him going for the next 3 years. Jackson will be starting school there next year! I was not able to get any smiles for the pictures but I think he's still a cutie.

Recent Fun

Jackson's first piece of pizza. He is an excellent eater. I just hope it rubs off on Lucas. He has even stopped drinking from a bottle and only has sippy cups.

Nathan and Matthew are great big brothers and the little boys just love them.

The first day of school. I had forgotten how quiet it can be here at home. I try to soak it all in before the craziness starts at 4:00.

Matthew, Myranda, and Susie participated in our stake Roadshow this weekend. They had a lot of fun. Myranda had a speaking part that she got last minute and of course she did great! I forgot to take a picture of them:)

School Starts Wednesday

School starts for my older 4 kids on Wednesday. I have mixed feelings about this. A lot of people have asked if I am counting down the days. Actually, I'm not. My older 4 are very helpful with the little boys and the household chores. With Kenny's new job he works 4:00 p.m.-12:00a.m. So with school in session he does not see them at all 3 days out of the week and he is not there to help me in the evening. He also has been working a lot of overtime and has not been feeling good, so most days it is up to me to handle everything. I am not looking forward to homework and getting up early. And hopefully I do okay with the little guys during the day. I have not had to do any errands with both of them all summer. I have also decided to have the kids start some activities. Lucas has been doing swim lessons and he will start pre-school in September. The girls will be involved in the Museum Youth Club at the County museum. Myranda did that last year and it was a good program. Nathan will be starting basketball at the YMCA if I remember to sign him tomorrow when I'm there for Lucas and Susie's swim lessons. Myranda will be starting piano lessons again on Monday. (Myranda's previous piano teacher stopped teaching right before I had Lucas. I thought I would just take a little break and then find her a new teacher. Well the break has been 2 and a half years. It's about time because she really has talent.) I'm not sure if Matthew will be doing anything. He just finished a month of swimming. I was complaining yesterday about all that will be going on. I was thinking about not letting the girls do the Museum club, but then I decided that I can just suck it up and run myself ragged for 5 more years or maybe only about 3(I may have 2 drivers by then:). Wish us luck as we dive into a new and busy school year.

Yummy Calamari

Kenny and I went to eat lunch at Cafe Sevilla in Riverside. It is a Spanish restaurant. The meal I ordered had calamari. I chose to eat the other meats that were in the dish. I could not bring myself to eat the squid that had the tentacles still attached. I thought it would be fun to bring my leftovers home, with the calamari included, to see if any of the kids wanted to try. I got Matthew, Myranda, and Lucas to try it. Yes, I said Lucas. My pickiest eater ate calamari. He won't eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but he will eat squid. He ate a whole one and part of another. He was just chowing it down. Matthew and Myranda only took a bite.

Busy Summer & Lucas Talking

I have not posted in so long. Summer has been busy. We have had girls' camp, scout camp, swimming lessons, deep cleaning rooms, summer school for the boys, doctors appointments, and Kenny has been working a lot of overtime.

I have been getting concerned about Lucas not speaking well. He seems to be having a language problem not a speech problem. I don't know at what point I need to take him to the doctor or if I need to at all. He will be 2 and a half next month. There are many words that he does say, but so many more that he doesn't. For instance he will repeat "Baja Beach" all day long but will not say milk. For milk he just whines "mu" and sometimes makes the sign. Maybe he is just being stubborn or lazy? I often find myself laughing because I can totally understand what he is saying while most would not. Last night he went in to the girls room and said, "Zee, no boo ba Lala." Which means, "Susie, don't fight with Myranda." Me Lu Man (Lucas) seems so intelligent so hopefully one day he will get this talking thing. In the meantime it is cute and funny.
You would think that with child number 5 I would know what I'm doing. But I have no clue. This is the first time I have been a parent to a 2 year old. I have so much to learn.

My Baby is Growing Up

Jackson is 8 months old today. Time goes by so quickly. It amazes me at how much a baby grows in a short amount of time. In the last month Jackson has:

-Started to crawl
-Got his first tooth
-Feed himself Cheerios
-Clapped his hands
-Rocked his head to music
-Said Dada (but not at his daddy)
-Started to put everything small he can find on the ground in his mouth
-Started wearing 12 month size clothes
-Started physical therapy for his neck
-Has been out of the country
-Has visited his great grandma (Nana)
-Went swimming for the first time and loved it :)

I sometimes wish he could stay my little baby, but at the same time I am eager to see how much he will grow in the next month.

Me Lu Man

Lucas has started to call himself Me Lu Man. For the longest time, when we asked him his name he would say "me". Then we tried to get him to try and say Luke. He would only say "Lu" and it became Me Lu. While we were in Baja someone taught Lucas to say "I am the man." When we asked him who he was he would say, "Me Lu, I am the man." Well, now he has shorted it to "Me Lu Man."

The kids are now calling him Me Lu and sometimes I find myself saying it too. The kids also have started calling each other the names that Lucas uses for them. Nathan is Nay Nay, Myranda is La La, Susie is Zee, Matthew is Mapoo, and Jackson is J.J. We just got a Wii and the kids made Miis for themselves with their new nick names. I just love it when Nathan calls himself Nay Nay.

I have a chore chart and the 4 older kids have 2 chores to do most days. I usually ask, "Who does the dishes? or Who takes out the trash?" The kids will then check the chart to see who it is for that day. Everyday someone takes out the trash. This evening I pulled out the recycling can from under the sink and asked Matthew to take it out. Lucas picked up the can and walked over to the chore chart. He pointed up to the chore chart and said "Me Lu." Then he walked to the door to take it out. He is such a little helper. I hope this continues. When the kids complain that Lucas doesn't have any chores(which luckily is not very often), I remind them that when he is their age it will just be Lucas and Jackson doing all the chores that the 4 of them do. After tonight though I think I might add Lucas to the chart with some easy chores. I often complain that Lucas and Jackson can't so their laundry yet. The older 4 do all their own laundry from start to finish.

A while back I complained about Lucas' sleeping habits. Well he is back to being my great sleeper. Like tonight-he had a bath, drank his Instant Breakfast(since he won't eat anything good for him), brushed his teeth, we read 3 books, kissed and hugged, and then he stayed in bed and went to sleep. Now I need to work on Jackson. He still is waking up at least 3 times a night to eat.

We went to Baja over Memorial Weekend. Lucas had a great time. Since we have been back Lucas begs to go to back to Baja Beach. Some nights when it is time to go to bed he whines a little that he wants to go to Baja Beach instead. If I am going somewhere he thinks I must be going to Baja Beach and he wants to go too. Out of the blue he will ask if we can go to Baja Beach. He rides his tricycle and car around making motorcycle sounds. If you ask where he is he says "Baja Beach".

I am really enjoying witnessing this stage of a child's life. It is like his little personality has exploded and he is becoming his own little man. I enjoy just sitting and watching both the little boys discover new things. I missed it with my older 4. Oh how I wished I was there and I don't see how anyone would want to give that up.

Happy Father's Day

Pictures From Baja

Our Trip to Baja

We went to Baja over Memorial Weekend. Kenny's parents have a house right on the beach a few miles south of San Felipe. Kenny's parents, 4 of his siblings and their spouses, and 14 nieces and nephews were there. That means that there were 32 of us there. We all had a great time. The 7 hour drive down there and home was great. You would think that driving with 6 kids would be stressful, but the only problem was the girls fought a couple of times about what movie to watch. I feel lucky to have great travelers. The kids had fun playing in the sand, swimming at the beach, and going on quad rides. I enjoyed not having my daily chores and actually reading a book. I was able to read a book all the way through for the first time since being pregnant with Lucas. I read "Twilight" and enjoyed it. Kenny was glad to finally have a paid vacation. I know he was really excited to go to Baja because he was kind of giddy on the way there. Nathan's arm was feeling better, so the last day there he was able to play rougher. All of the kids enjoyed spending time with their cousins, playing games, and getting to know each other better. It has been a week since we have been home and Lucas has asked everyday if we can go to Baja Beach. I think that all of the kids will have fond memories of the trip and I hope to return to Baja Beach again soon.

Just Complaining

Wednesdays are the hardest day of the week for me. They are just really busy. There is homework, dinner, scouts, and mutual. Wednesdays used to be Kenny's day off. They were still busy, but much easier. He has had to work the last 3 Wednesday evenings. It is up to me to get homework done, dinner cooked, and the kids driven back and forth to church. Today the older kids were doing a service project and had to be at the church at 5:00 and they were going to be done at 7:30. Then Matthew has scouts from 6-7 at the church. I was planning on picking Matthew up at 7:00 and just waiting at the church for the older kids to be done. I was dreading having to wait 30 minutes at the church with the 3 younger boys. It would be past the little ones bed time and Lucas gets pretty wound up.
Nathan called me from school today to tell me he hurt his arm and asked me to pick him up. He was unable to move it and it was pretty swollen. I called Kaiser and they had no appointments. Urgent care opened at 6:00 and the appointment center made us an appointment in Pediatric Urgent Care at 6:00. We got there at 5:30 hoping to get in first at 6:00. We were called in at 6:00. Then the nurse told us that the doctor was running late and would not be there until 6:20. When the doctor showed up she said that they cannot see injuries in "pediatric" urgent care and that they should not have made us an appointment there. She said that we would have to go to the regular urgent care. (Now, I forgot to say that I had all 4 boys with me. I dropped the girls off at the church on our way.) So we went down to the regular urgent care. The wait to see the doctor was not too long. She looked at his arm and sent us for a x-ray. Then we had to wait a while there. Lucas is starting to be a bugger and Jackson is getting tired. After the x-ray we were supposed to go back to the urgent care and drop a paper in the box by the door so they know we are back. I did that and saw a nurse pick it up. We waited and waited. Lucas screamed loud and a lady moved away from us. I notice people who did x-rays after us get called in. Then we get called. The doctor asked if we put the paper in the box- YES. She said that she knew we were done because to x-rays were there but they could not find the paper. They later found it on a desk. Well, he does not have a fracture. He has a contusion of the elbow, which I think is just a bad bruise. We then had to go to the cast room so they could make him a splint. We were out of there at 8:30. I feel bad for Nathan because he can not do any physical activity or get his splint wet for 2 weeks. We are going to Baja Friday. He will be unable to swim and ride motorcylces. With 4 boys this was bound to happen sometime. I'm thinking of buying some bubble wrap to wrap the boys in before they go outside. I wonder if they sell it in bulk at Costco? I think that after today normal Wednesdays won't be so bad.

Father & Sons Campout

Jackson's Head & Crazy Hair

Since Jackson was a newborn the right side of his head has been flat. The doctor just keeps saying that it will round out as he gets older and that we should keep him up as much as possible. We have been trying to keep him up and worked on getting him to sleep with his head turned to his left side. For the last 2 months he has actually been sleeping on his left side. He has also started rolling over and spending more "happy" time on his tummy. He can sit up for the most part too, he is still a little wobbly. But his head looks the same. I took him back to the doctor a few weeks ago and she referred Jackson to a plastic surgeon. The plastic surgeon said that his flat head was mild. I don't think it's mild. It looks bad to me. Then he looked at Jackson a little closer and noticed that he tilted his head to one side just a little. The doctor then moved Jackson's neck around and Jackson was not happy. The doctor said that Jackson's neck muscles were really tight and this can cause the flat head. Jackson will begin occupational therapy and hopefully the neck and head will improve. If his head does not then the next step would be a helmet. The doctor said that if Jackson's neck stays tight and he tilts his head to one side, that when he starts to walk he will have no balance. I am so glad the doctor noticed this because I did not. What makes Jackson's head look worse is that he has very little hair in the back. He has some really long hair in the front that looks like a bad comb over. One hot day he was sitting under the ceiling fan and his hair was flopping in the breeze. It was so funny that I had to take a video. Lucas gets a little jealous and wants to be in too. Enjoy!:)

Matthew Lee

I wanted a little boy around the age of 5 to complete our family. I knew that Nathan had a 5 year old brother that was in the process of being adopted. I secretly hoped that it would not work out. Well, one day in March 2004 we got a call asking if we would be interested in fostering Matthew. He had been in a home with a gay couple that were interested in adopting him but Matthew insisted that he wanted a mommy. Of course we said yes. We met Matthew before he came to our home. He is the only one that we met before joining our family. The social workers wanted us to do a few visits with him before he was placed with us because he had already been to so many foster homes. He had been in at least 10 and he was only 5 years old. We felt so right about it that we asked if we could just place him immediately and they agreed. Nathan's adoption was not yet final so Matthew was added to our file. Before the adoption could proceed the court had to terminate the birth parents rights. Their mother showed up to court and asked for a visit. The judge agreed to a visit before proceding with the termination of parental rights. A visit was set up. She didn't show, so another visit was scheduled. Before the visit we reminded Matthew that his birth mom would be calling Nathan his given name. He looked confused and said, "Oh ya, I have a brother named so and so." Not thinking that they were the same person. The boys had 3 other siblings that they visit with every so often. Matthew and Nathan had not lived together for quite a while. The visit went okay. It was awkward for Kenny and me. In the middle of the visit Matthew said, "Oh ya, I used to live with you." We had to do a couple more visits before her rights were terminated. At the last visit she told me that she was glad that the boys were in a good home and gave us her blessing. The boys' adoption seemed to go a lot better than the girls. We had social workers that knew what they were doing. We did have one snag at the end. Before a court date to finalize, some paperwork had to be sent to Sacramento for approval. Well, the clerk that was supposed to send it left it in a pile on her desk. I called a few times asking if things were ready to go and I was told that they had not heard yet from Sacramento. It took a while to realize that the paperwork had not been sent. After that things went quick. I found out I was pregnant a few months before the adoption was final and was worried that it would be a problem but it was not. Everyone was happy for us. The adoption was final on October 25, 2005. The boys were given a name and a blessing at Nathan's baptism. We were sealed in the Redlands Temple on December 3, 2005. It was an awesome experience. The girls got to be there too.

Matthew is a fun loving kid. He enjoys to play and he plays hard. I think that he must roll around in the dirt at school because he comes home filthy. He likes to do a lot of the same things as his big brother Nathan. Right now I can see him outside rollerblading backward. Matthew is a bright kid. He would do better in school if he didn't want to rush through everything so that he can play. Matthew enjoys primary and cub scouts, especially if treats are involved. He is also an excellent big brother. He likes to make Lucas and Jackson laugh. Matthew is a great addition to our family.

Nathan Lee

Soon after the girls' adoption was final, we told the foster agency that we were interested in a boy around the age of 5. We were always told that it was best to bring in a child that was younger than the children you already had. When we started doing foster care I was teaching, so we asked for children between the ages of 5 and 9. I did not want to place the child in day care. Well, one day in while teaching I got a call on my cell phone. The foster agency was calling to let us know that they needed to place a 9 year old boy that day. Myranda and Susie were 7 and 8 at the time so I was not sure if I wanted a 9 year old. I called Kenny and we talked about it for a while and decided that we both felt right about it. I called that foster agency and told them we were interested. After school I drove right to the foster agency to pick Nathan up. (Nathan was not his name at the time.) Kenny met me there. Nathan was very upset about being moved to a new home. He had been in at least 10 foster homes before ours. Nathan joined our family in November 2003. It was a hard transition but things have worked out. After Nathan had been in our home a little while we decided to adopt him also. Our boys were out of a different county than the girls so things were a little different and went much more smoothly.

Nathan is in 7th grade and is only 4 months older than Myranda. He enjoys riding his skateboard and playing basketball. He is becoming more into his image than my pocketbook can allow. He wants just the right skate shoes or nothing at all. He is an excellent older brother to Lucas and Jackson. Lucas just loves his brother Na Na(long A). Nathan rushes every Sunday to be the one that picks up Lucas from nursery. He is currently doing well in school and has significantly brought up his grades. Nathan is a hard worker around the house and does not complain. Girls are begining to take interest and I don't think I am ready for this. It's hard to see him grow up.

Susan Marie

After Myranda had been with us for a little more than a year we decided to add to our family. I called our adoption social worker and told her we were ready for another placement. (I had already told the foster agency but that day I felt like I should call our county worker.) She said that she had a girl named Susan that she needed to move that week. Once again with limited information we agreed to foster Susie. We picked Susie up in August 2002 at a McDonald's in Hesperia. She was there having a sibling visit with 4 of her siblings. Susie was 6 at the time. Her transition to our family was a little harder than Myranda's. She had been in a few different foster homes so it took a while for her to feel secure with us. But we knew right away that we wanted to adopt Susie also. Since Myranda's adoption was not final yet, Susie was added to our file. Susie's birth parent's parental rights had already been terminated, so we did not have to wait for that to happen. She had been in a family prior that was planning to adopt her, but she had to be removed. When Susie first arrived I was a little worried about her education. She was in first grade and the year had already started when she came. Her teacher said that on her first day Susie just leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk. She was not able to read yet and was not at all serious about school. Boy has that changed. She is very intelligent. We still had to wait a while for the adoptions to be final. When it looked like things were getting close our case was assingend to a new social worker. This social worker was an intern and did not know what she was doing. It took many phone calls and calls to supervisors to try to get things moving. The social worker are supposed to visit the children in their home once a month. Well one time this intern social worker made an appointment to visit at 3:30. She did not show, so we went on with our normal evening activties. We had dinner and the girls took a shower. Then after 7:00 the doorbell rang and there was the social worker. She said nothing about being late. The county was often very frustrating to work with. Finally everything was in order for us to go to court and finalize the adoption. The adoption was final on June 12, 2003. The girls were given blessings and Myranda was baptized. Then we were sealed together as a forever family in the Los Angeles Temple on June 28, 2003.

Susie is now 12 years old and is in 6th grade. Susie is very intelligent. She is part of the GATE program at her middle school. She takes her time to do her school work because she wants it to be right. Sometimes this is not such a good thing because she often does homework until bedtime. She gets good grades and always scores high on any testing. She has a very curious mind and has many interesting questions and ideas. Susie is my number one helper with the little boys. I don't think I could do it without her. She is very nurturing and loving with them. She will be an excellent mother someday.

Happy "Half" Birthday Jackson James

Jackson is 6 months old today. I can't believe how fast time goes by. Soon he will be running around and getting into things. He went to the doctor today for his check-up and all is well. He did great with getting his shots. He is in the 25th percentile in height and weight. I don't know why people always comment on him being so big for his age. He is smaller than Lucas was at this age. Happy "half" birthday Jackson James, aka J.J.

Myranda Marie

Myranda joined our family in June 2001. She was 6 at the time. With just a phone call from the foster agency and limited information we agreed to be foster parents to Myranda. We picked Myranda up at the Ontario airport. Previously to joining our family she was living with an aunt in Colorado. That was not working out so the county needed to find her a new home. We were instant parents to a very spunky, outgoing 6 year old. We were informed that adoption of Myranda was a possibility and we decided to go through the process. We were assigned an adoption social worker from the county who did a complete home study. She told us to not try to have a baby until the adoption was final because many adoptive parents end up getting pregnant and return the foster child back to the system. Now, the adoption process is very slow or should I say the county is very slow. In order for the adoption to happen the birth parents parental rights need to be terminated. There would be a court day set to do this and it would just be continued for whatever reason. We waited patiently hoping that things would work out.
Myranda is now 13 years old. I can't believe I have a teenager. Myranda is very artistic. She is excellent at drawing, singing, and playing the piano. The picture above was taken before her school choir performance. She is in the audition only show choir at school. Myranda is also very smart. She does well in school and is in Honors English. She loves to read and write stories. Myranda is very outgoing and friendly. If you were to meet her, you would be an instant lifelong friend.