Stay tuned

Wowsers, where has the time gone. I feel like I've been running in circles. It took me almost a week to get 6 people packed to go on a long weekend trip to Taos. Socks, gloves, multi-layers, and a big thanks to Linda & Kim for letting us borrow. Madeline looked like a fashion queen on the slopes. I hear from her dad that she's really a great skier for this just being her second time. I survived, or rather, Camille survived a week of the flu. Was diagnosed last Monday & got the ok on Thursday to go on the ski trip. Eleven hours in the car and we made it. Todd is absolutely in love with snowboarding. Lucas tags right along. They are the cutest snowboarders with their floppy blonde hair hanging out from under their helmets. The van made it via chains on the front tires. A & Camille played in the snow. A loved it. She wasn't sure when Lucas started pelting her with snow balls, but she did give it right back. A true member of the family. I was dreading the trip. Don't like the cold. If I'm going to have to keep up with a house, it might as well be the one I live in. But. . . it wasn't so bad. Still a lot of work, but the sun was shining, I didn't get cold, and the views were spectacular. I won't be buying a snowboard anytime soon, but I guess I can keep the fire going.
Got home on Monday night, thanks MLK for the day off on Monday. Yes, we did take time out from video equipment to mention the significance of the day. Kids back in school on Tuesday & I took A to see her parents. We brought pics for them to see & they were so thrilled she had a great time. I always see genuine warmth, compassion, and thankfulness when I see them.
I asked my kids when I got home that night what my fav store is. "Target?" Well, a close second. "Home Depot?" no, "Lowe's?" YES! And I felt like rushing to my fav store after A's visit because I learned something new. Lowe's is helping A's parents get their home in order so that it will be safe for A to return to. Not sure how the 2 partnered up but I am so thankful. There are 3 churches that are also pitching in to help get them back on their feet. I give thanks to all those helping A's parents. It seems like everything is going so well.
God whispers in my ear again on Tuesday when the case worker tells me that A's brother & sister will not be able to stay at their relatives house anymore. Can't go into the details only can say that this is the 3 & 5 year old that I get to see almost every week at the supervised visits. I keep picturing in my mind going to the animal shelter and playing with the puppies. Who can leave without wanting to take one? Anyway, I left the visit struggling with what I am suppose to do. God has clearly guided me along this entire journey and I knew He would provide in this instance, too. Got home after doing a sidetrip to see Camille at dance. That girl is such a great dancer. As I was thinking about adding 2 more to the mix I still didn't know what to do. You know, if I had a big ole school bus, I'd probably not even hesitate. I kept picturing myself & 6 kids in the van and poor Todd having to follow behind in his car (all by himself) since my van only holds 7. I called case manager this morning and said that I felt like the best thing to do was for us to take a back seat and see if she could get a couple of other family members to take the kids. That was this morning. At 4 I got the email from A's attorney, also KK & Z's (KK= big sister, Z=lil bro)attorney asking if we could keep the kids for a couple of weeks while they get a home study completed for a family member. I knew that once again, God has given me a clear answer on what we are to do. I've got a thumbs up from every member of the fam, even Camille. I'll give case manager a call in the morning, and we'll see what happens next. Stay tuned. . .