Better, but still crazy!

With the great weather that has come our way, the kids have been spending a lot of time outside, which is awesome! They go in and out the doggie door, and they play in the rocks and little playhouse. The only drawback is that I usually don't go with them (because of Noah) and I watch from the windows, but the kids fall or something and think it is the end of the world, so they cry; very loudly!
As for life with Noah, it is still very hard. I really hope that a family member will step up and take them into their home. That may sound selfish on my part (maybe) but really the whole guilty feeling I feel everyday is not worth it! Noah requires 24 hour constant care and holding (minus the sleep, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad); Ayla sure takes a lot of attention also (she is a complete mama's girl!) and then Colton requires a minimal, but still a good amount of attention to keep him occupied. That adds up to a whole lot of hours for Tyler and I!!! Those of you that have more than two kids, I commend you! Also, Mom and Dad, thank you so much for taking such good care of us and not giving up on us!
It is so different having a child in your house, that you are responsible for caring for, without them being YOURS. The brain is a miraculous thing, but I still can't wrap my mind around the reality. A kid is such a precious thing, that you are constantly failing in some way, but for the most part, you can hope that they learn a little from your mistakes!
Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday... so far so good for us (except for my HUGE headache!)

And the sickness continues!

Yes, it is true... we must have pretty weak immune systems around here! Just seem to be sick constantly... although I have to wonder if it has a little to do with lack of sleep? Last night, Noah did his share of keeping us up (when will we learn to go to bed before 11pm?) since he has a stuffy nose, and breathing while lying down seems to be agonizing for him... but Colton did his fair share of wake-ups, and amazingly, kept calling for Mommy! This is only weird because he is pretty consistant at calling for Daddy... well, he called me into his room saying there was a monster under his bed at 3 in the morning! Kids have such an imagination, but it was too cute to be annoyed with, so I just told him that the bear by his bed ate the monster and would protect him from future monsters, and this seemed to appease him - for a little bit. He eventually came in and slept with us at 5am.
Tyler went to the doctors this morning (for the first time since we moved here actually) and he might have a case of strep throat.. so that is the sickness that is continuing... who knows how long it will last.
Now on to a very prominent subject in our home... foster care and what it has done to us as a family. Noah has only been with us a little over two weeks, but we feel that we have learned so much about ourselves and our family as a whole. Even though he is only about 11-12 pounds, this little guy has brought out the worst in us at times and probably brought out the best in us at times. Patience was something that I thought I had my fair share of, but come to find out, I am completely lacking in this much needed area. I find myself at wits end multiple times a day, wondering if I can make it until bedtime! There are feelings coming out of how this will affect Colton and Ayla when they are older, and this is a huge struggle for me! Are we doing the right thing for our family? Is it worth it? Then I look at Noah, and realize how little and innocent he is, and my heart melts to think about what this little guy is receiving from us... stability, round the clock care and love from us (even though at times it is hard to express it to a 2 month old!) The unknown in most foster care situations seems to be the biggest struggle... you don't know how long this child will be a part of your family, and you don't know enough about this child's past, and you probably won't know much about their future either. You are only their caregiver for THIS moment, and you can't expect any more or less. But getting through the jumble of feelings is difficult, and sleep is hard to come by around here, but we are doing the best we know how to, and we intend to keep it up. But we may change our foster care profile to no more newborns for the future! They are pretty tough for the majority of the time.
Especially when you have to overcome the ever present obstacle of them not being yours.

Our Missoula trip

We decided to all go to Missoula kind of last minute on Wednesday till Friday. Tyler had a training thing down there... I thought 3 kids would be tough, but it really wasn't that bad! The kids and I spent Thursday going to the Children's museum in downtown Missoula, and then hung out in the hotel room until Tyler was done... then we went to dinner, but had to make a quick stop at the CAT dealership for Colton, while Noah got fed. Kids had a cheap blast! Friday (today) Tyler got done early and we headed to the nearby carousel and park... had a great time! Kids did not want to leave! They were going down slides all by themselves! It was a great trip and good change of scenery... even though I love the scenery around here!
Noah is doing great.... just a normal 2 month old. But he is so small! I weighed him in today at about 10.5 lbs fully clothed! Just a little bundle of smiles!

Noah Kincaid

We welcomed our first foster child yesterday! His name is Noah Kincaid, and he is 2 months old... born on Jan. 11. So far, so good. I forgot what sleepless nights were though! The kids like the idea of him, but seem to be more needy now... as expected! So... wish us luck!

A giveaway and foster care update

Sofa in a cute pose... (just thought I'd share!)

So I was cruising around looking at different blogs and I came across a wonderful one called Blue Corduroy! She has such beautiful pictures and makes really wonderful crafts. I love finding crafty people. So I am writing about in my blog because she has a giveaway for a beautiful crochet hat that some might find irresistible.

We had another interview for foster care today, and despite the sleepless night last night (and I mean pretty much sleepless!) we were pretty talkative and the kids just love showing off. I go through days where I am so excited to do foster care and then the next, I am doubtful that I will be able to give people their precious children (who I will undoubtedly fall in love with) back! But ... I have high hopes and try to remain positive, and remind myself that every foster parent or prospective foster parent goes through the same exact doubts!

Inauguration, kitties, and puzzles

Colton is completely obsessed with puzzles! And he is amazingly good at them... he did the one below all by himself, and he has a couple others that he does over and over and over and over and over again! What fun!

No, this is not cruel and unusual punishment... he climbed in there himself, and I think that Ayla closed the door, so Tyler decided to take a picture... Jack is a kitty that likes to climb into anything, so we really have to watch it! (and Sofa just watches!)

While we watched history take place today, Ayla sat almost still on my lap mesmorized for 20ish minutes with President Barack Obama... it was amazing! I can't believe how important this day is for our Country and I am so excited and nervous with the changes that I believe will come. Granted they won't come tomorrow, but I do believe that they will come and they will be mostly positive. Obama seems to encourage hope in the darkest of our midst... amazing....

Oh, and today, we had our first homevisit for our upcoming certification for foster care. We actually could be licensed this week and get a call for some kiddoes in need! We just needed to get a fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detector, and we did today at the Home Depot... so we are all set! Exciting, but I am full of nervousness too. It will be a daunting task, but I believe it is a very worthwhile one. Wish us well!

Halloween!

Well, it's pretty early, we're trying to make an effort to get up before the kids so that we have a little time to prepare! ha! So we get up and make coffee and putter around until 730am or so, and then Ms. Ayla wakes up!
So I had a hard time sleeping last night. I had been trying to finish this story in my book about the foster system, and it was so sad! The girl was barely 19 years old, and had already had 5, yes 5! kids! I cannot imagine! Then they were all taken away and put in foster care also! I am anxious for our paperwork to go through so that we can maybe help out a couple little ones! I know that they never come from good situations, and they always would rather be with their actual parents, but I am willing to do what I can! I hope that we are making the right decisions with our kids being so young, but I believe that we will be able to be realistic in the situations, and decide against it if we can't handle it.
I remember when my parents did foster care when I was 5 and 6 years old, and the kids left such an imprint on me, and I remember hearing their stories and wondering why? Why did these kids have to go through this? And why do so few people choose to help them out? Most, if not all the time, it is not their fault! But, I guess it is easier just to pretend that these problems really don't exist. I really hope we are able to do something.