I'll love her each day that I'm granted

"Don't get attached" They told me. "I could never do it" They said. "My heart would be broken!" "When she leaves.... I'd be dead!" "The system is messy, You'll end up depressed. Think of the behaviors She will spread to the rest. A good friend I am being, When I give warning to you. They will come with such issues You're a fool to pursue." In one ear and out the other Clearly you are not a foster mother. One look at the child in my care. How can I think about "what is fair?" This baby has suffered so much in her life How can I turn my head, when I know of her strife? My heart is wide open with no guard to protect it My faith is in God and I know He'll direct it. When I look at her face, her potential I see... I know that she is relying on me. I'll hold her and love her unconditionally. And if the time comes, that goodbye I must say I'd hope she would carry our love, on her way I'd pray that she's happy and that I did enough, I'd plead with God to watch over her from heaven above. IF....His plan is that mine forever, she'll be? I'll be honored to cherish her for eternity.

Kyles baptism......

How can I put into words how proud we all are of Kyle? On November 10th Kyle was baptised a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints..... It was a beautiful day!

Kyle wanted his cousins to play the piano for the service and we even had kids conduct the music, it was very simple and sweet.

I was so proud of Kyle that I though I was going to burst with emotion.

Daddy baptised Kyle and confirmed him a memebr of the church. The day was perfect!

Kyle told me he felt the spirit, and it gave him "happy tears"

Since Kyle has been baptised, he has had the opportunity to really feel the direction of the Holy Ghost in his life.... recently Kyle shared this story with me.... It was just before bedtime when Kyle came to me and told me that he wanted to share something with me....... At school that day his friend hit him. It happened just as the teacher walked into the room, she immediately got the boy into trouble and gave him a yellow card. Kyle said he sat in his chair feeling awkward and guilty all afternoon and finally he plucked up the courage to go to the teacher and tell her that he had hit the boy first. (he said they were playing a fighting game but he had hit his friend before the teacher saw) I am so proud of Kyle for his integrity and for telling the truth even though he thought he would be in alot of trouble! I seriously love my boy!!! I could not ask for a better boy!!!

heart-throbs

Brody-" Kyle we have a problem! You know that thing where boys and girls don't like each other? Well in my class the boys don't like the girls but the girls still like us and I have like 6 girls with a crush on me!" Kyle-"what's the problem? Are they not pretty?" Brody-" no seriously, I had to climb up a ladder to get away from them but they were all waiting at the bottom of the ladder!" Kyle-" we'll at least if you lost your balance, they would break your fall!!!" (Conversation between my boys!! Oh my goodness I am in trouble!!!)

I love them!

Brody~" when I take my glasses off, you look like a zombie. but when I put them back on, you look like a pretty princess!!" me~" those are some magic glasses son!" We were watching the super nanny, Brody said-" mum you've got to admit, we are way nicer than those kids!" trying to make a plan with mark ... well its ridiculous..... "me~"what time are you coming home?" him~"when I get home" me~"what time will that be?" him~"when it happens" me~"where are you just now?" him~ "in my truck!" me~"ok...where is your TRUCK?" him~"on the road!" me~"which road???" him~"the freeway!" Me~ "can you give me an idea of when to expect you?" him~" you can expect me, when I arrive home!" Me~" and... when will that beeeee?" him~"when it happens!" me~ "will it be soon?" him~ "probably will, probably wont!" me~"that doesn't even make sense" him~" maybe not in Scotland, but it makes perfect sense in America!" Me~ (getting frustrated)... no it doesn't!" him~"why are you in a bad mood?" Ava would like to make a public apology for the smell in the woman's bathroom, although she denies any knowledge of how that poopy diaper got on her " it wasn't me mummy, it was a boy!" — at Barro's Pizza Owen-"mum.....why do you got that face?" ME~ (singing at the top of my voice)"this girl is on fiiiiiiiire, this girl is on firrrrrre" Ava~" I don't like you be on fire mum!" Owen~"mum my poop is trying to come out!" Me~"well,go to the toilet then!!!" Owen~"I can't, cos I don't have a heart in my tummy!" Me~"you do have a heart, now get to the toilet quickly" Owen~"No I don't have a heart, cos I didn't eat one!" just rocked my baby to sleep in my arms and looked at my perfect sleeping angel, my heart was brimming over with pure love and adoration, and then.... without notice her eyes sprung open, she jumped off my lap and ran away, she pooped on the floor, as I was cleaning up her poopy mess, she was in the bathroom spreading toothpaste all over the mirror, as I was cleaning the bathroom, she was in her bedroom spreading (expensive imported) diaper cream all over herself and all her toys!!!!! this is a true story..... what an emotional roller coaster this girl provides to me on an hourly basis!!! owen~" mum, I dont like my eyes be off" me~"huh?" owen~"I dont want my eyes be off mum, cos cos that will be a pwoblem, when my eyes is off, then I won't see, and that will be awkward"

but I dont want my mum be put in a cage!

Last night I got a call from the sheriff department saying there had been a 911 call from our house. I assured him that everything was fine as I discovered a very guilty looking Brody holding the phone. He said he would have to send a car round so they could evaluate the situation. I told the boys that the police was on their way. "Are you serious MUM??" Brody questioned. "Yes! so you better get this playroom tidied up fast!!!!!, never have I seen the children tidy up so willingly and fast!!!! When the policeman arrived Owen told him... "but I don't want my mummy be put in a cage!" Brody was disappointed that it wasn't a fireman!

clean house versus happy home?

The plan....It was the day before "back to school", I had soo much to do to get the boys ready. I had big plans to completely clean the house from top to bottom, organise all the clothes etc, prepare a lovely dinner and make homemade cookies. I wanted the children to be bathed early, pj's on, and I wanted Mark to be able to give them a blessing, we would read stories,sing songs, kiss them and tuck them into bed early so they would be well rested and ready for an early morning. That was my plan!!!! What actually happened?..... I offered to babysit for my favorite little 4 month old twin boys. I figured I could still get everything I wanted done, while helping our cousins out at the same time. Sooo....... I tried to clean as best I could amidst the craziness of 6 little people. Every time I got one project done, The toddlers had created a new one for me to tackle! The older two were tearing the couch apart to make a fort, while little Owen jumped on the oven door like a trampolene! Milo the dog made a suspicious puddle, while one of the babies let me know it was time for another bottle. It was certainly busy!!! By evening I was starting to get a bit frazzled, I could not make the meal I had planned on, because the oven door would not close properly (due to the previous jumping incident) we ended up eating taco bell! I was trying to fold up the mountain of laundry while Ava kept knocking over each pile. There were no warm chewy homemade cookies, and the children were not bathed and they did not smell of coconut lotion. (more like dried mud and smelly socks). Nothing had gone at all like I had hoped for. Almost at the end of my patience, I snapped at Mark... lets just get the blessings done! Mark pulled over a chair into the living room and began saying the prayer... I could barely hear him because Owen was hitting Ava over the head with the tv remote. I was about to completely lose it and give up on the whole idea, when something amazing happened............. I looked over at Kyle, he was quietly sniffling to himself in the corner of the couch. I ushered him over to my lap and asked him why he was crying. He told me he felt very happy inside and it was giving him "happy tears". He said his heart felt warm. He was feeling the spirit! Everything changed in that instant! Suddenly it didn't matter to me that the house was a mess, the oven was broken, we didn't have the perfect meal or fresh cookies, none of that was important any more. All that mattered were the precious little people who have been entrusted to our care. Their feelings, their happiness. For amidst the craziness, the loudness, the chaos.... Four little people are growing. They are watching us, They are following our example, they are building their own character and gaining a testimony of their own. I am grateful for yet another lesson taught by my child.

3 boys and a.....nother boy!!!

After three boys, I anxiously awaited the birth of my little girl, Finally, someone to dress up pretty, who wouldn't burp the alphabet, talk about farts or wipe their nose on the couch. She would be a little lady who was clean and polite....... hmmmmmmm........... Look What my little princess found......

introducing our newest addition....... "lizzy"

Me-" Brody, I think he is dead!!!" Brody-" yeah we know but we just want to pretend he's alive!!!"

I actually just said the sentence "can we please take the dead lizard off my bed!!"

Brody~"mum... it hurts my feelings when you say my friend is disgusting!!!"

Mum there's a problem.... I just dropped lizzy in the laundry pile!!!

Apparently the boy gene has taken over! I look forward to many more years of lizards, frogs and mice carcass fun! farts, wedgies, forts and smelly socks! I love my life!!!

happy birthday brodio

Brody is SIX!!!!! I can hardly believe it!! What a brilliant boy he is!! here are some pics of his party.

Brody is a wonderful little person! He has a happy nature and very playful. He is quick to make people laugh! He loves school, and is really good at football/soccer. He has always been a cautious boy until recently.... He loves an adventure, I took the boys to a swim park recently and Brody was the first to slide down the HUGE slide!! He loves to please others and is a kind hearted and sweet little boy. We LOVE our little Brody!!!

two birth parent reunions in one weekend

July 2012 was a monumental month in the fairy tale we call life. ***Ava's reunion*** On Thursday 12th July, Ava got to meet her birth mother and bio sister for the first time!! I was soo excited to see "T" and to finally meet Ava's biological sister.

We went over to Mayte's house and let the kids all play in the water together. It was very comfortable and lovely to spend time together and to see Ava interact with her birth family. Ava of course loved all the attention and performed to anyone willing to look her way.

We were able to have a nice big family dinner with all of the Pugmire family and most of Ava's biological family, it was very special to see everyone together. Ava's birth mother, sister and Puertorican grandma, grandpa, aunt and bio cousins were all there along with her adoptive family, cousins and grandparents.

It was just amazing to see how much love surrounds her, and how adoption truly is a miracle!

Our precious gift from Heavenly Father, given to us through the love of her birth mother.... we will never forget what we have been blessed with.

. . Kyle's reunion.... Bright and early the next morning, we set off on our road trip to Texas, to meet Kyle's birth parents. It was a long journey and involved MANY stops off at the side of the road, and several gas station encounters. We ate waaay too much fast food and watched aLOT of movies, but finally we arrived in San Antonio Texas. We arranged with Shannon and Patrick to meet up at IHOP first thing in the morning. The following morning I woke up early but it was still dark so I went back to sleep, I woke up every 15 minutes but I knew it must still be really early because it was still soo dark in our hotel room, finally a thought dawned on me "blackout curtains???" ooooooh nooooo.... I jumped up and opened the curtains, allowing the sun to fill the room, all of a sudden I felt panicked, we were late!! I urgently awoke everybody and called Patrick's cell phone to apologise and make a plan. We really struggled to understand each other on the phone with our accents. We decided to meet up at the Alamo.

there's a 2 year old in the house......

My baby girl is growing up!!! where has the time gone???? I have never known a child that has as much energy as Ava! She never stops moving! no exaggeration! From the moment she wakes up, she is busy busy busy. She loves to spend as much time as possible sitting in the sink (preferably fully dressed) she also enjoys water activities provided by the toilet (this also acts as a great source of drinking water!) She has a fascination for my make-up (preferably the more expensive items. I did give her a chapstick that she could play with, but this was not as exciting as my clinique lipstick! She loves cereal, it is a multi-functioning snack. She enjoys emptying the entire box on to the carpet and jumping on them. She also loves to be outside playing in the dirt, she takes off her clothes and takes a mudbath at any given opportunity. She especially loves to do it right after I have dressed her all cute and am ready to take her out somewhere. I am amazed by her speed! and her thirst for adventure, she is daring and brave. She is amazing! She is sociable and happy all of the time, she LOOOVES people, she adores babies and everything to do with them. She loves to give cuddles! She is always getting into trouble. She get's called.... monkey, tornado, firework, etc She is very petite for her age, weighing only 21 lbs. This makes it easier for her to wriggle out of seatbelts, stroller, highchairs,etc Recently out little princess turned 2!! we had to celebrate!! where would we be without our girl??? She is the life of the party and we just couldn't be more in love with our little Ava Grace......

having a bit of a pouting session.........

yummy tacos.....

birthday girl in a bucket

princess ice-cream cake (that I ate a ridiculous amount of!!!)

happy birthday darling girl

yeeeah more baby dolls!!!!

adventures in a public bathroom..........

This evening we decided to surprise the kids and take them to Amazing Jake's for family night. First of all can I just say... It is not quite so amazing if you are beyond the age of 7. (I am clearly several years beyond the amazingness of jake's) My children however, were having a marvelous time, and riding/playing/climbing everything in sight. It was in the goofy golfing area that Brody announced (rather loudly) That he did infact need to do "a poo poo" I could tell by his body language that it was an urgent situation. I left the 2 boys with Mark, and with Ava on my hip Brody and I hustled to find the bathroom. When we reached the ladies room, Brody argued that he was a boy and needed to go to the men's bathroom, it then dawned on him that he might not have time for this discussion, and fearing he might have a bigger problem on his hands, he gave up his debate and accepted the toilet on offer. Brody is a dreamer, Brody is a mellow dude, Brody is chilled, Brody is never in a hurry, today was no different! He sat on that toilet for no less than 20 minutes as he happily chatted through the door (and to the audience) about the history of some of his famous poos, he made comments about the size, shape and smell of several bowel movements, he told of one that.. "looked like a skateboard" I was getting impatient and decided I might as well use the toilet while I waited on "Mr Share-it-all" it was at this moment that my lovely, darling Ava decided to unlock my door, open it wide, and run out of the bathroom, Stunned, red-faced and mortified, I scuffled out the bathroom after her, buttoning my jeans as I ran laps around this "oh so fun" place. Finally I retrieved my little hooligan, I headed back to check on Brody's progress. He was still in the pushing phase. "come on Brody PLEEEASE!! come on!!!" Why is everything such an adventure with kids?? I love my little rascals......

I believe in angels...... yes I do!

Tonight after a busy Sunday, we just cleaned up dinner and put the baby down to bed. I settled the three boys on the couch with a movie and sat down to the computer for a few minutes. I was happily browsing through the pictures of Marks cousin's wedding, sipping my diet coke.... when all of a sudden I had an impression to "check on Owen!!" I kind of brushed it off (he was fine, just sitting watching a cartoon with his brothers) Then I felt it again... "Go and check on Owen!!" I casually went through to the family room and discovered that he was not where I had left him. I walked through the house and he was not there!! I opened the front door and scanned the neighbourhood from my doorstep... no Owen!!! I ran around the house again shouting his name. I could not find him!!!! I pulled Mark off the toilet and told him I couldn't find Owen!! I started panicking! I ran around the corner of my street, yelling for him, but he was not there!! Then I thought... "The car!!" I raced to the car, I tried to open it but the doors were all locked! but through the window I could see his bright blonde hair, he was lying on the floor of the car not moving. Frantically I scrummaged for the keys, and grabbed him. He was fast asleep!! I ran inside with him and gave him a big drink of water, The car was very warm, but Owen was perfectly fine!! "I don't like water!" he said sleepily. This whole experience had happened in maybe five minutes... This could have been tragic. I am so grateful to know that there are Heavenly eyes watching over my babies and helping me to keep them safe.

the parable of the dog.....

Almost a year ago, a scruffy, stray dog wandered into our neighbourhood and life. We decided to keep him on a temporary basis, while we tried to locate his owners. a few weeks passed, one family came to see if he was their dog, he wasn't!! Kyle and Brody stared at me with hopeful eyes, (they had just moved to a brand new school and were struggling to make friends) My heart melted. We named him Milo (after much gender, identifying confusion.) At first I struggled with him since he was not potty trained, he was messy, and annoying. One day he snapped his teeth at Ava! (she was sticking her fingers up his nostrils) I had had enough of him. He was pooing everywhere, and the babies were too rough with him, so he would get irritated with them. It was time to let him go. I put something on facebook, offering anyone a free dog. It was a few weeks before someone came forward with a request to have him. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't let him go! I said "sorry, we are going to keep him after all!" Sometimes, he is annoying.... but mostly he is sweet. He sleeps every night on the boys bed. he loves company, and he guards the kids bedrooms at night. He is actually a good dog. And as hard as it is for me to admit.... I care about him! (yes me.... the one who finds even a goldfish to be annoying,) On Sunday, One of the deacon's came to our house to get the fast offering. He told Mark that a while ago he lost his dog, he then went on to describe Milo to the tee. Then he saw him and was sure that he was his long lost dog! I spoke to the young boy's mother, and told her that if they were sure it was their dog, that they should have him back. She arranged that she would come by after work the following day. I looked at my little Kyle who's eyes were red, with tears swelling up. This was tricky. The rightful owners should have their dog back. He was theirs! He should be returned. Their little boy missed him, he deserved to have him back! That is justice! But what about mercy? How do I tell my children that Milo was going to have to leave them? Then what about the dog? What was fair for him? Shouldn't he get to choose where he would prefer to stay? Were we going to have to have a custody battle over this dog? What would judge Judy do? Was King Solomon going to have to cut him in half? The next day, the lady came to identify her dog. All the factors seem to add up, same breed, same size, same gender, wasn't wearing a collar,...... she took one look at him (we all stared at her in anticipation for her dreaded response) but to our surprise she said ....... "nope, that's not him!!" "PHEW!!!" Milo was getting to stay!! I was not going to have to buy 2 hamster's to replace him! I am sure their is a conference talk within this story somewhere, but for now...... we are grateful that we are getting to keep our favorite dog in the world... "Milo Pugmire" To celebrate, we took Milo to the groomers for a wee trim....... I will add pics tomorrow (P.S when did I become one of these pet worshipers that write blog entries about their animals???") This won't happen again!