Too busy!

Christmas Eve was fantastic! We loved the food, Santa and the company! The kids loved opening their gifts, pajamas and slippers from mom and dad, nice toys and Sunday clothes from Uncle Jerry and Aunt Cindy's family.

JJ got Lightning McQueen pajamas and slippers, he started to dance and sing holding them up in they air!

Josie, JJ and Paige had a table all to themselves.

Cameron was the only one who sat on Santa's lap...he got the most presents in the morning!
Just kidding, JJ did!

It is New Year's Eve and we are home from the hospital with Cameron! What a snow storm! It snowed the whole way there on Tuesday night and the whole way home today! He is back to normal, except with arm restraints on to keep fingers out of the stitches. I hope to get photos soon!

Thanksgiving

We had so much fun at grandma and grandpa's house for the Thanksgiving weekend! I didn't get any photos, but there was lots of family and food...isn't that what the holiday is all about? We are happy to have our missionary nephew/cousin, Aaron, home from the Philippines...he was at the airport at 6pm Thanksgiving night (3 hours early).

I am thankful for our houseful of children, our home, our transportation, our food, our clothes and the love of others who are taking care of our family that grew by 2s.

Too many goings ons...

We've had a few weeks to calm down and find a daily schedule that worked for us. The kiddos have been doing great together and I enjoy watching them while they are playing. Their imaginations are amazing. This was hair do day...each of them were doing the hair in front of the other, including the bear!

Who doesn't love a good soak in the tub?

Aunt Julie has been busy sewing Christmas clothes for the kids...Thank you so much for their beautiful clothing!

Some of the biggest news is that last Tuesday, JJ's birthday, November 17th, Paige and Drake joined our family. We don't know a lot about them as of yet...we have found them to be very affectionate and they are very ticklish. Drake has some food allergies that we don't know at this time...he is on an elimination diet and rice and corn are all that he can eat right now.

Here are all 6 kiddos:

JJ had a great time at the Children's museum with family and friends for his birthday! Thank you to all who came and played with us!

Interesting story about JJ's party day...He woke up because he threw up in his bed....we went to Costco to get his cake and he threw up there....poor kid, he was so sick the day we had his party!

It's birthday time around here!

Josie turned 4 September 17th and Mikey is now 3 years old. Thank you to grandma and grandpa Freeman for hosting Mikey's party! It was a lot of fun to see our family that was close by! Josie is still waiting for her big present! She is getting a daddy and daughter date to the movie theater...we are looking for a movie that she would like to see. Mikey received lots of noisy toys and some much needed clothing. I hope to get my computer and my printer on the same page soon...can't seem to find the disk I need to get the printer up and running so I can post the photos...not much else is going on. JJ will be having a big blow out of a party in November when he turns 3...hope to see a lot of you there!

We are still alive...

As you can see, we have been busy this summer and I haven't blogged for ever! Here are some favorite photos of Yellowstone, the family reunion, and our new foster kiddos...Mikey and Cameron. We are travelling to Yakima every Friday for Cameron's doctor appointments until he has the surgery for his cleft lip. We are also playing really hard outside everyday and time is flying by...where did the summer go? I personally am not looking forward to my favorite time of year, autumn. I don't want summer to be over yet, we are having too much fun!

Photos of trip to WY

JJ's cousin Lily is sharing a drink with him. We were able to spend some time with Jared and his girls. (all 5 of them)Uncle Jared in his Sheriff's uniform with Kayley, Hannah, Emma, Lily, Josie and JJ.

This is at Mesa Falls.

Here we are at Independance Rock in WY...We started to meet family for the reunion here before we began at Martin's Cove...More photos later.



Pig chores with my cousin Kelly and his family. JJ loved the piggies and won't stop talking about how much he loves them.

We're home!

We've made it home, now the fun begins as we clean out the van and clean up ourselves from all the camping.

A few quick highlights: The TREK!!! We had a great time at the Martin's Cove and the Willie Company sites in Wyoming. I have never had a connection to the pioneers that came in wagons and on foot in the 1800's before, now I really appreciate who they are and what they did for the church's beginnings in SLC. I am also so happy to know the stories of Jason's ancestors that were a part of the Willie Co. It is exciting to have that rich heritage for my children to grow up with.

We had a great time visiting with family...Jared and Rachel and the girls in Idaho, Uncle Leif and Aunt Dianne with their family in WY and all 170+ that attended the Freeman Family Reunion. I feel like I am finally getting to know some of Jason's extended family. I hope to get some pictures developed tomorrow so I can post more.

Jason is 40 today!

Happy Birthday to Jason...he has been working all day (6am-7:30pm) and the kiddos have been waiting all day for him to come home to show him the birthday cake they made for him. They chose and made a marbled cake with chocolate icing. JJ has continued to sing Happy Birthday as he ate the icing off of his cake. Josie loved it and ate 2 pieces.

Jason, we love you and we are very grateful for all you do for us. You have many traits and talents that I hope the kids pick up on as they grow and learn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

My arm moves too much when I use my phone to take photos...sorry it is so blurry!

Count down to Freeman Family Reunion

The count down is on for the Freeman Family Reunion. I am working on our costumes and Jason is getting the van ready for the trip. Jason and Uncle Ray fixed the brakes on the van last Saturday, so there is no more noise as we drive around town! So happy there wasn't a bigger problem, we were expecting it to be the wheel bearings. Yippee!! Thank you for the trip you made, Uncle Ray and Aunt Diana...we appreciate your time for us and all the help. While they were here, they visited the temple and Aunt Diana began to make her costumes for the trek and I was able to sew most of my 2nd one. I still need to get Jason's started as well and JJ's pants. The possibles bags are 1/2 done at this point.

We are just enjoying everyday life and the kiddos are outside in the water all the time.

We have enjoyed some time with the Norr family recently...Scott graduated High School and Seminary!!! Good job, Scott. Michelle and Samantha have completed their recitals as well. I really enjoy the dance and piano concerts!

"She not modest"

Josie taught our neighbor a new word the other day. She was playing with his 2 daughters and showed him a doll without clothes. Josie said, "Nick, she not modest." Nick looked at his wife and mouthed, "what is modest?" She explained that modesty is when you are covered with clothes. Good job, Josie, our big missionary girl!

Happy Memorial Day

It has been a great weekend! Saturday we visited with a lot of friends and family at a memorial service in Basin City. Yesterday we were lazy and spent the day with Uncle Ray's family. Today, we went to a Ward breakfast and were fortunate to hear the Star Spangled Banner by a professional trumpet player/police officer. We are about to head to Grandma and Grandpa's house for another barbeque and to catch up with all they accomplished in CA with Grandma Santos.

No news is good news?

Well, we haven't heard anything from DSHS yet about our Foster Care license...that probably means the fingerprint background checks have not been returned yet. We keep an eye on the mailbox and continue to wait impatiently.

We had a busy day today. The kiddos went to the park with our friend Danielle. They took their scooters and played while I went to Wal-Mart by myself. Then, we ran to Jason's work to pick up the check stub...we saw 3 of the USF trucks, one of which was Jason and we followed him for a few minutes. JJ fell asleep on the way home. Josie was in a hurry to get home because our neighbor Bella was waiting for her to play.

After naps and lunch, we went to the Children's Museum to play. Josie loves the princess dress-ups they have there and JJ enjoys driving the school bus, ambulances and fire trucks. It was an eventful day and we are so glad we are home in bed now.

Do I still blog?

I don't remember how long it has been since I have sat down to write. We really haven't been doing too much lately because we are all coughing and feverish. We are getting a lot of family time at home though. (Jason was even home from work one day and 1/2 when his boss sent him home early.)

Our part is over!

Woo Hoo!!! Our part of the licensing for Foster/Adopt is over! The knots in my back and shoulders can go away now! Our new licensor is Trish and she spent 2 hours with me today. The home inspection passed all the requirements and we did another huge questionaire. We are just waiting for the back ground check to be turned into Trish. (that could take months) When she gets that report, we will be receiving calls from social workers to place children in our home. Oh, we will be licensed for 5 children...our 2 and three more that are 0-3 years old.

Easter

Easter seemed to come really fast...it was just Christmas the other day. We attended the Ward's Easter party the Primary put on. It was a lot of fun. It is obvious that Josie and JJ had a great time.

A neighbor gave us a bike for Josie that her daughter had outgrown. I was really excited because the Easter Bunny could give a huge gift this year. As Jason and I discussed JJ not having a gift yet, I thought it would be great not having to buy 2. Well, the Easter Bunny was coming on Saturday morning and the gift was not purchased yet...I was ready to jump in the van and run to Wal-Mart for either a bike or scooter for JJ. Jason wanted to come with so we got a babysitter. While shopping I was talked into 2 scooters...instead of just one bike. We got home and to make the story really short...Josie and JJ saw them in the back of the van Friday evening and the surprise was ruined!

Eagle Scouts

We were honored to attend the ceremony as Andrew and Scott received their Eagle Scout Awards.

Count down to Home Study...

Irma will be here to inspect our home on Thursday. I had these grand plans of my schedule working out perfectly and the house being completly ready when she arrives, but Josie and JJ have had other ideas. It seems that I am just following behind Josie and JJ as they destroy what little had been cleaned up before they got there. They have even found the garage and our food storage has been a great place to find something to occupy their over energetic minds and bodies.

The Dentist

Today was our semi-annual trip to the dentist. Josie and JJ did a great job holding still during the cleaning! Josie was the attending big sister and held JJ's hand as he received his cleaning. She was so cute while she took care of him.

After the cleaning, they were the dentists and brushed an alligators teeth. It was fun to watch them get so involved with the care of something else.

JJ wasn't to happy to have the dentist start his poking around and kind of gave up at that point. Over all...the dentist was the highlight of our day! Before that my little scoundrels dumped all my sugar on the kitchen floor. After the dentist, we ran over to Wal-Mart to get the egg coloring stuff so the Easter Bunny will have something to hide tomorrow morning!

Highlights from our trip to Boise for Allison's baptism.

We had a great time visiting with cousins at Allison's baptism this weekend. Josie and JJ decided to "clean" the bathroom in the nursery with Macy and Jayda. They worked really hard and got soaking wet!

On our way home, we were stopped near LaGrande, OR for over an hour while the freeway was closed. (we heard it was an accident)

We are fingerprinted!

Woo Hoo!!! We have one more thing done. I have 1/2 of my TB test done, the Dr. still needs to read it. Jason had more work that he thought yesterday so he couldn't get the TB test done yet.

We got a call from Irma yesterday asking if she could come do the home study today about 3...I said sure, then found out she was just trying to figure out who the appointment was with and wasn't coming here. That was good, because we didn't have all the beds we needed to be licensed yet and the house is a disaster. She would have had to make another trip over to see the bed we received from a co-worker of Jason. Now, we are loaning our toddler bed to Jason's dispatcher because he is getting 4 kids this weekend and needed beds for them. (They have already adopted 2 kids through this system and plan to adopt 1 more...they are brave to take in 4 at this time!) We are going to borrow their crib so we can have 4 beds in the house and be licensed for an infant too. The home study is the last thing we need to be licensed.

The fingerprints will take 2 weeks to 2 months to get to Irma. The home study is the only thing left...hopefully we are in compliance with everything they require to license our home. When Irma receives the results of the fingerprint check...we could have kids in our home within 3 months. Wow! That is kind of fast!

It's springtime!

I love seeing the beginnings of our flowers coming up! I was about to believe that spring would never arrive. Josie and JJ have been outside for most of the last 2 days and I have a sunburn to show for it. My dad would ask if I am bragging or complaining...I am bragging! I am so happy the sun is out and we can be outside a lot. I have been out pulling up more of our lawn for a flower bed I began last fall. Jason has talked about getting a flag pole to put near the fire hydrant.

The kids wouldn't come in yesterday to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom...all they wanted was to be outside with the neighbor children. It is so much fun to play all day. We are looking forward to playing in the water and our little pools. Josie has been putting her bathing suit on the last couple of weeks asking to go swimming. (20 degree weather doesn't permit that) Today it his close to 70 degrees and I am loving it!

References

Wow, I sent in my paperwork to the DSHS last week with every intention of contacting the people I hadn't for references and come to find out...they already have their paperwork to do. I guess now I ask for forgiveness instead of permission. It is amazing how fast time can slip away as we are working on every aspect of getting our family's additions.

We are also working on spring...I was beginning to wonder if it would ever arrive.

No more training!!!

Oh, sigh of relief...no more "training" to become licensed. I received a phone call at 7 this morning from the state saying they got my packet and the fingerprinting appointment is on its way to us. We also received the name of our licensor, Irma. It will be fun getting to know her as we go through this process...she will be the one to do our home study and check up on any accusations that come our way through the CPS office. The social worker assigned to the child(ren) placed in our home will also be doing checks on us and our home if there are other accusations coming our way. Jason and I are now mandated reporters for the state. That means if we see anything that appears to be child abuse (in our opinion) we have to call CPS or 911 immediately. I was joking that the calls are going to be there about us already because of our recent trips to the ER with the kiddos. Hopefully there won't be more ER before we can adopt the children.

Rice Krispies

Josie and JJ decided that dumping rice krispies on the floor would make a great sand box while the weather didn't permit them some time outside in the sand. It amazes me that they can do so much while I take less than 2 minutes to use the bathroom. They even had some toys to play with in their pile.

Chuck E. Cheese

Josie and JJ finally filled their potty charts with stickers and we took a trip to Chuck E. Cheese last night to celebrate. They were really tired, but that didn't stop them from running between games and rides the 1 1/2 hours we were there. Josie would take a bite of pizza then run to play on something with a token...back for another bite and token when the game was over. They each got something special to bring home with them and remind them that they need to continue to use the bathroom if they want more prizes later. We had a great time and we are very happy that Josie wanted something enough to work for it!

2 down, 2 to go...

2 more Foster classes are done...2 to go. It was a long weekend and a lot of information is running around in my head. Not only from the state, but Stake Conference also. I went to the Saturday evening session and Jason took the Sunday one while I was at the Foster class in the morning. I took home the message that we need to pray more often alone, as a couple and as a family...being very specific and using JJ and Josie's names while we pray for them individually. Missionary work was also a very prominent message during the sessions.

Josie and JJ are feeling the effects of Jason and I being gone so much...today there has been a lot of craziness. They are pushing every button they know about me to see what will happen to them. I have run out of ideas to keep them distracted and entertained. Coloring, TV, wii, and just a ride to the Dr. to remove a staple from JJ's head is not doing anything to keep them happy today.

To top of the craziness in our home...it snowed, hailed and rained for a bit this afternoon. Yippee!!

One more Foster class down...

Woo Hoo!!! We completed one more class and there are 4 to go. We received a lot of information last night as we work toward expanding our family. We also received paper work and more paper work that we need to fill out. There will be finger printing to do and so much more, but we are ready for it.

It's March!?

Wow! Where did February go? If you haven't already heard...Jason and I are taking the lessons so we can become Foster Parents. We would like to have 2 more children so we are going to adopt through the foster care program. We would like children that are younger than Josie and JJ, but not really wanting an infant. We have already taken the CPR/1st Aid training that we needed and we have 3 more classes this week. The finger printing and background checks are coming up as well as the medical release. We will keep you posted as we progress toward the additions to our family!

JJ didn't have to get stitches...

JJ got a staple to close his gash in his head. (Close your eyes or don't scroll down if you are squimish.) I think he was just too groggy after his nap and fell onto the bench in his room. This time he did a better job than the last time. The cut was a bit longer and deeper.

Jason was called into the office on Thursday...

...and his boss asked him what was needed for Jason to go back to his old run, going North. Jason wasn't very greedy and only asked to be kept at the 6:30am start time. That will give him overtime hours nearly everyday. The businesses will be much happier with a driver that aims to please (instead of one that complains and doesn't make all the deliveries). I think Jason will also be happier. He liked the North run, although when the weather does not cooperate it makes for a really trying day.

Which was funner? Swimming or dusting?

It seems that I just will never be able to catch up with let alone get ahead of my destructive duo! Yesterday when I came out of my room, all I did was change my clothes so we could leave the house, Josie and JJ were swimming on the kitchen floor. Josie had been getting water from the fridge's spout and pouring it over their heads. They were laying on the floor making the motions for a terrific breast stroke when I caught them.

Today, I didn't even leave the room...I was on the other side of the counter and heard the giggles. There was flour everywhere...inside the cupboard, on the stove and under everything else!

If I didn't love them so much, I don't know what I'd do!

Valentine's Day

It has been a great day! We were fortunate enough to receive free tickets to Playhouse Disney's Live Tour from the radio station and a Red Robin gift certificate for my birthday, so we were living high on the hog today!!! (Yep, I illegally took photos at the performance and that is part of the reason that they aren't very good! Mickey Mouse is about the clearest character I was able to get during the finale.) It is a bit unconventional to take the whole family out for Valentine's Day, but we loved every minute of it!

Joise is using the bathroom on her own!

Well, Josie has finally found something she wants more than wet diapers!!! She is working really hard on toilet training for a trip to Chuck E Cheese's. She has been asking over and over and over to go and I finally said, when your potty chart is full of stickers. She is going on her own now and I am really happy that there is something to motivate her! Now we just need a bit more consistency!

Trying to ignore the big 40!

I can't believe how fast time flies! It seems like Christmas was just yesterday and now Valentine's Day is so close. Jason did a great job of putting together a birthday party for me. He invited friends and family over for cake and ice cream last Saturday.

This week has been kind of easy going. We didn't leave the house on Monday or Tuesday. Needless to say the house was a disaster for the week. Wednesday we did some grocery shopping and not much else. Yesterday we had an opportunity to play with friends while their mom went to the temple. That was a lot of fun! Today we went out to do some errands, but stores were not open when we got there...it is hard to remember that not everyone is up and shining brightly before 6am. (we were wanting to be in Sears about 9:30ish, they don't open until 10) While we were in the tub, Grandma called to say she was in town and needed a ride. She was dropping off the van to get it ready to sell and didn't want to sit there for a few hours. We picked her up and the kiddos fell asleep. I was able to get the house cleaned up and Grandma was able to catch up on Burn Notice. It was a lot of fun to get some time with her. We are looking forward to the time spent with grandparents tomorrow!