One in a Million!

Well I'm a little behind on posting.  The last couple of weeks have been very busy and with good reason.

The department began looking for a permanent home for K-dub a few weeks ago.  They read through lots and lots of home studies to find a great family.  They narrowed their list down and interviewed a family.  They were very impressed with them and gave them the opportunity to talk to me on the phone to find out more about K-dub.  I was very nervous.  I had some very specific ideas about the kind of family I wanted him to become part of.  I was scared that he wouldn't get everything I wanted for him.

The first time we talked, all my fears were put to rest.  I felt very good about them.  I am happy to say that they too liked what I had to tell them about K-dub and they wanted to pursue adoption.  A few days later, a meeting between all of use was set up and very busy days followed.  The O family is an amazing family.  We spent almost everyday together for two weeks and I can say without doubt the that Lord listens and answers prayers.  Not only mine, but theirs too.  I can't say enough good about them.  I am very blessed to have met them and to be apart of their life and K-dub's life. 

Last Friday, we made the official placement of K-dub in their home (the adoption won't be finalized for another 6 months).  While there, the O family gave us this gift.  I have no doubt that our friendship will continue forever.  A one in a million boy for a one in a million family!

More Teeth & Cookies!

K-dub is teething again.  He had 2 teeth when he was placed with us.  The first month he was here, he got 6 more!  And after a short break, he's teething again.  I'm pretty sure he is working on everything that's left.  Every spot that doesn't already have a tooth is swollen and I could feel a molar had just broken through or was about to.  Needless to say, he has been very grumpy this week.  He just follows me around the house crying and fussing.  Holding him doesn't help.  Motrin usually works but today it didn't.  By 7:30 tonight, I was ready to go bonkers.  And to top it off, I had a sugar craving.  Bonkers and cravings tend to go together.



Yep, that's drool!



So, I decided I'd whip up a batch of my favorite cookies, Chocolate Chip-less.  For those of you that don't know what that is, it's mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe, minus the chocolate chips.  These are my absolute favorite, even if my intestines and gluten have an ongoing disagreement.  I have never been able to convert these to gluten free and have them turn out.  Trust me I've tried.  They either taste horrible or bake into a paper thin rock or both.  So when I really crave them, I make them.

My favorite is right out of the oven, and ever-so-slightly undercooked.  I don't know how my love for these started.  I would assume that it has something to do with being the youngest of 5 children.  Picture this with me if you will.  You come home from school and mom is baking cookies for everyone.  The oldest kids (Brian and Jeff) call dibs on the first batch of cookies to come out of the oven.  These cookies are loaded full of yummy chocolate chips.  They eat them and run along.  The middle kids (Steve and Lisa) call the second batch to come out.  They too have plenty of chocolate chips in them.  They eat their cookies and run along also.  Now it's my turn.  Mom is scraping dough that is stuck on the sides of the bowl to get enough to make one or two more cookies.  If I was lucky, there might have been one chocolate chip left for one of the cookies.  She bakes them up and because she is trying to clean up with all 5 kids home, she puts them in for the minimum time.  She doesn't give them that extra 30 seconds to a minute more that they need because she's ready to load the cookie sheet into the dishwasher.  And there you have it.  My love for chocolate chip-less cookies begins!

Those of you that are the youngest in your families completely understand this sibling hierarchy.  I have a similar reasoning for why, as a child, always took cool water baths!  Still to this day, I don't care for real hot showers.  But all said and done, I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything.  I love my family and love to laugh at our stories.  I hope my children will think so highly of their childhoods when they get older. 

Here's my mom's recipe if you're lacking some yummy goodness in your life.  It's an older Hershey's recipe and is not the same as on the bag of chips today.

1 cup crisco

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Cream together then add:

2 1/4 cups flour (a little more if needed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Add 2 cups chocolate chips (optional!)

Bake in pre-heated oven at 375* for 8-10 minutes.

Ahh-Oh! We're in trouble now!

Look at what I caught K-dub doing!  We are definitely in trouble now.  Guess I will buy a gate this week.  He can't get his knee up on the step yet, so we have a few days.

Okay, I was wrong.  I had gotten this post ready yesterday, but had it scheduled to post this morning.  Not even an hour after he stood up for the first time, he got his knee up and was able to completely climb the first step.  And of course he fell and bonked his head on the wall. Gate time!

Weekend Fun

Well it's been a little longer between posts than I've wanted.  K-dub keeps me pretty busy.  Since he has been with us, he has gotten 6 new teeth.  That right 6 in the last month.  And I think he's getting more.  He also started crawling last weekend.  Now he can track me down pretty quick.  I will have to get a gate for the stairs soon.  I'm starting to get a good routine with him now and he has definitely gotten comfortable with us.  He loves Jake and Ellie.  They can always get him to laugh.  He also loves Wayne.  When he hears the door open from Wayne getting home from work, he always stops what he is doing and looks for him.  It looks like we will have him for his 1st birthday next month.  I'm excited to have a little party for him.  He is such a great boy and it is a privilege to have him in our home.  Even with teething, he is a happy boy.  I can't wait to see how happy his is when those teeth stop causing problems.

This weekend Ellie, K-dub and I went to Mountain Home to craft with mom for her birthday.  We made some great projects and had fun visiting.  Donna and her friend, Lisa, joined us too.  The four of us always have a great time when we are together.  If you want to see what we made, you'll have to check out my Bokeh Creations blog.  I'll be posting those projects soon.

Wayne and Jake decided they would go camping since the rest of us were going to be gone.  They went to Idaho City to camp and ride.  But their weekend was cut short.  Jake got hurt Saturday morning.  He wrecked on his motorcycle and injured his wrist.  It's pretty swollen still.  He got behind on pain relievers today and was in quite a bit of pain come dinner time.  I will be taking him to the doctor tomorrow to see if he broke it.  Keep your fingers crossed that it's not!  I'll blog an update when we have one.

 

New Little Guy

Last Sunday, we got a call from the department again.  We took in a 10 month old boy.  He is a fun, happy-go-lucky boy.  His smile lights up the room and is contagious.  We find ourselves all smiling.  He is such a joy to have.

The first week was crazy busy with appointments and phone calls.  At first, it looked like he was going to be moved to family, but on Friday morning we found out a move would be unlikely.  Yesterday, I attended a meeting where it was decided that he would stay with us for sure.

To make the last week even crazier, we went camping Friday for a long weekend and didn't get home until Tuesday afternoon.  It's been a while since we camped with a little one.  We didn't take the stroller, but quickly realized we really could have used one.

Wayne and the kids rode motorcycles and shot guns, while little guy and I hung out at the camper.  Little guy loved watching Ellie ride back and forth on her four wheeler.  He would bounce on my leg in excitement.  We also found time for a couple rounds of Skip-Bo.

Ellie liked shooting Jake's bb gun.  By the end of the trip, her aim was pretty good.

Things should slow down now.  The kids start school on the 25th.  I'm very excited about this.  They are getting the "end of summer boredom syndrome".  Most of you parents know what that is.  Symptoms include fighting with siblings for no apparent reason and laziness!