December

Has been B U S Y!

My two foster kiddos returned to their mom, I got two new ones.
An 11 year old and 2 year old. I have forgotten how much work it is chasing a toddler around. These kids are the sweetest ones. I thought the previous two were good. These kids rock. Their situation is so. sad. The older boy is so appreciative. He and his brother came here with just a few articles of clothes. What two year old only has two outfits. Really?
We went to a foster parent group Christmas Party. It was very well planned. There were over 100 kids.

The boys really weren't happy about me taking pics with Santa :)

(Sigh) Hubs made it home from Idaho. The boys have enjoyed him being home.
Sunday we went to my mother in laws for Christmas. It was fun to watch the cousins interact with each other.

Too bad we had some kind of flu bug that went thru and half of us got sick. Like me and Andrew. On our way home. Thank goodness Matt drives. I had to pull over and have him drive. I didn't feel good. Whatever bug it was, hit us at once. Andrew was sick all day Monday.
Christmas eve morning he said he felt good. He at least had color.

Christmas eve my dads side of the family was here. It was great. This year we did a white elephant gift exchange. We had a blast. IT was funny watching the kids decide what to take when it was their turn. I had bought king sized candy bars. Those were a hit. I think I will do the same thing next year, but I want to throw some home made gifts into the pile as well.

Christmas day we spent at home. I made roast beef for dinner.
For lunch, we had finger food. I made crackers from scratch. They were good. The hardest part was rolling the dough out thin.
I have more pics, I will have to download later.
For now, I must tackle my desk. The paperwork is taking over!

Saturday.

I got two new foster kiddos today. Both boys,2 and 11. They live in this area, so no having to deal with out of district transportation! The daycare I like to use provides transport.
I have no idea how long they will be here. They are really sweet.
My only complaint is that the two year came with one set of pjs, 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants.  His brother came with 4 pairs of underwear that are two sizes too big, and has a ack pack that is literally, falling apart at the seams. I went to the the sports store,as the had back packs on sale and got him one, I went to a kids second hand store and picked up more clotthes. Some of the items were brand new. I just need to get the older boy some socks and underwear, and they will be set.
We are getting ready for Christmas. Andrew and Ryan cleaned out their room. I have been working on mine. My goal is to tackle my desk and the garage. The garage is super scary. Jon and Tom worked on putting the tools away that they borrowed when fixing Matt's car. I am planning on making a dump run,so I want to get my money's worth.
I want to do one more thing tomorrow too. I want to try to make crackers. I love crackers. I have read that they are easy to make. We shall find out.

good news!

The social worker just called me. The kids will get to go back to their mom Friday after school. He is on his way here now to pick up their belongings ( the older boy and I packed most of them last nite).
I am happy for them. I was hoping that they would be reunited by Christmas. Its great to have an answered prayer!

this week

I will be glad when this week is over. I'm already beat.
The two fosters should go home tomorrow or Friday. We spent the evening packing their belongings. They are excited. I just wish I had an exact date. I know that social workers are busy, but IF mom has a place, and you are doing your walk thru today to make sure it is appropriate, and mom has an appointment to sign paperwork, then I should have a date. I doubt he will help with transportation either. He hasn't come to my house. At all. By the way, in Washington the social workers are SUPPOSE to come to my house once a month to check up on the kids. And people wonder why kids fall thru the cracks.
This weekend my boys' boy scout troop has what they call "amazing race". One of the kids patrol are sleeping here Friday. Need to make sure I am stocked up on milk...
Saturday is also the Christmas Rush. Andrew has done this race for 4 years. He loves it. Ryan will also do it. He is hoping to be able to jog it. It is a 5k. Ryan has bronchitis, I took him to the doctor yesterday. I am hoping that he gets better by Saturday. He also has basketball practice that begins on Tuesday. He is on the same team as his friend Nelson. Ryan's basketball playing skills should have improved with wearing his glasses. We shall see.
I have been up since 1 am, Ryan's coughing woke me up. I have all the laundry done. I am trying to get motivated to vacuum. I hope to take a nap later.
The cub scouts will be making gingerbread houses today. I am hoping to remember my camera this time :) I didn't get any pictures last year. This one is from 2011.

I am making the frosting. Its super easy. I bought this powdered meringue powder made by Wilton at Walmart ( its cheaper there than at JoAnnes). Mix a couple tablespoons with powdered sugar, add some water and voile- you have "royal frosting". This will be the 4th year we have done this. The cubs have a lot of fun with this. I bring my standing mixer to make the frosting. We put it in ziplock bags with a corner cut off. Each scout gets one. The ziplock brand bags work better than the generic. The generic just don't hold up with all the sqeezing.
Hope everyone has a great week!