Chaotic, but blessed.

I barely have time to sit down and write this and even as I do, I can think of a million other more productive things I should be doing.

 

Oh well!

 

I've been thinking about blogging for weeks now, but the time is just never right. If I do manage to have a gap in my day I have to go to back rehab. If bio parents fail to confirm their visits, that leaves me time to volunteer at the girls' school. If my two littles actually take a nap at the same time, I suddenly have time to log community service hours or put together a tryout packet for cheerleading. It's never ending and always changing.

 

It's been interesting to see my life change so drastically over this last year and it has changed so much, in fact, that I find myself reflecting on it a lot. Gone are the days of sleeping in and homeschooling my girls according to whatever schedule best suited our lifestyle. Hello are the days of 6:00AM wake-up calls, taking kids to school, heading straight to back rehab, home in just enough time for a surprise home visit with our CCM, a quick load of laundry before maintenance comes to fix our toilet, rushing off to a cheerleading planning meeting, having Johnathon pick up the two little ones from my meeting to run over and pick up the twins from school, relieved to remember that I planned a somewhat easy dinner, homework and bed!!

 

Are you exhausted just reading that? So am I.

 

Madelynn has mastered how to take her picture with the webcam.

 

*Please ignore my untidy house and the fact that I am using our high chair as a plant stand.*

 

Oh, yeah, Madelynn got bangs. I asked the lady for thick side swept bangs because of her many cowlicks. Instead we got thin blunt bangs. :(

 

I try to style them as I dry her hair and it seems to be working for now. She is still precious!!

 

Madelynn wants so badly to go to school, but she is enjoying her time home with baby D and myself. She is still head-over-heels in love with D and spoils him rotten on a daily basis. We've been practicing our letters and their sounds when we find time and she seems to be picking them up quickly. Honestly, she doesn't have a huge interest in it. That makes things a little difficult, but what's new? That's Madelynn for you!



Alyssa and Allison are thriving at their new school and I am thankful every day that we were able to find this school and become part of such a wonderful community. We have all made some amazing friendships and for the first time since I moved to California 7.5 years ago, I have a sense of belonging and 'family' around us. The girls are singing songs to us in Mandarin, building shoebox animal dioramas and asking to have sleepovers and playdates. I think they are pretty happy as well.

Baby D is still in our home. He will be 7 months old soon and hitting so many milestones. There isn't too much else that I can report other than we have a court date soon approaching and that should bring with it a few decisions in the case. We are aware of what the recommendations will be and at this point, we agree. The decisions that will be made on this day are genuinely what is in the best interest for D. From that point on, I'm not enthusiastic about where the case may go, but only time will tell. Johnathon and I appreciate your prayers as we continue on this journey as foster parents. 

Life is busy, but great.

Stressful, but rewarding.

Chaotic, but blessed.

 

xoxo

You say crazy, I say fun.

Hello!

Alyssa and Allison have been at their new school for 3 weeks now (they had a week off for Labor Day) and are loving it. They each love their teachers and so far, the uniforms are still a huge hit.

They started learning Mandarin yesterday and it just dawned on me that it won't be long before they are having private conversations behind my back and I won't have a clue as to what they are talking about.

*forehead smack*

Wish me luck as I attempt to piece together a completely unfamiliar language just off of their take-home papers. :)

Madelynn is doing well also. She will be four years old in October and I have noticed her maturing over the last few months. I'm not sure if it is just her age, or maybe the fact that she is now a big sister to the cutest baby EVER. Either way, I'm enjoying this change in her.

She has been my little partner-in-crime through this whole foster care process and has even taken a liking to D's bio dad. I think she looks forward to his visits because she gets to go with me to a new place with new toys and she has my undivided attention while D visits with is dad. She's not a huge fan of D's bio mom and unfortunately, she let her know last week.

AWKWARD!

Baby D is just as perfect as possible.

I started making his baby food two weeks ago and it has been a HUGE hit with D. He started with a little sweet potato mixed with brown rice cereal and loved it. Two days ago we introduced avocado mixed with brown rice cereal and he no longer entertains the idea of sweet potatoes. :)

I made the mistake of telling my social worker last week that things seemed boring with D's case. I felt like I had gotten used to the case and the visits were somewhat consistent. For the first time in 5 months I felt like we had found our groove and things were running smoothly.

That didn't last long.

The next day I received a call from someone who had been mostly MIA throughout the entire process, an email from bio-family and someone else missed a visit for the first time in WEEKS. It has just gotten more crazy since then. I've come to realize that I am on more then just an emotional roller coaster, I'm on someone else's "where are my priorities today?" roller coaster.

I wake up in the morning having no idea what my day will be like. One simple phone call could snowball into 15 phone calls (literally) and the lack of a simple phone call could change ALL of my plans for the following week. It's been difficult, but I am doing really well with this learning process. It's not always easy, but I try my hardest to take it one day at a time.

I'm pretty sure I know how this case will end, but we are just waiting out our time until we go to court in December.

Johnathon has been very busy with work lately.

It's funny, when Johnathon first told me about his orders to CNATT-U, I was excited at the thought of having him home at a decent hour everyday and getting to spend time as a family. I should have known my husband better.

When he sees early hours and an opportunity, he takes full advantage of it. I can't complain. He's usually home by 4PM and is able to have dinner with us, but that is followed by more work at home. To top it all off, he won Senior Sailor of the Quarter a few months ago and his Senior Sailor of the Year board is just days away. He also went up for President of the First Class Association and WON!!

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48

Johnathon is still volunteering like the world depends on it and doing much more than what is expected. He has been given so many great opportunities during his career, but they were each earned with great dedication.

He was honored to have the opportunity to do an interview about his dedication to volunteering. You can read about that HERE.

As for me, I'm as busy as ever.

On top of being an active foster parent and attending visits (at least 3 a week), I am an active part in the EPO at my daughters' school, on the Fall Festival committee, a room parent for Alyssa's classroom and attending back rehab 3 times a week.

Some say I'm crazy.

I believe those people! :)

Happy Wednesday. xo

Just Another Tuesday

No, Johnathon isn't home. This random picture was from his last trip to Illinois. I just thought I would show proof that I do in fact have a husband. ;)

I'm pretty sure I'm over this whole 'We're strong, we can handle being long distance' thing. Don't get me wrong, it's soooo much better than a few months ago when the girls and I were in California and only seeing him once or twice a week, but this sucks too.

I'm just a cry baby, huh?

I suppose I am just ready to be a family again and actually be able see, touch and be with the man that I married. Long distance is a challenge, but if two people can do it, it's us. We seriously should write a book on the subject because we are able to maintain such a great relationship while doing it...minus the little tiff last night over Facebook. tehehe!!

My mom is still in the hospital but doing fabulously!! She is getting her temporary chest catheter placed today at 1pm and then we will figure out when she can go home. Hopefully that will be soon.

Johnathon will be here exactly one week from today and I couldn't be happier. The girls ask me 'How much longer, Mommy?' every.single.night.

The girls? Oh, they are great. After a few rough nights, Madelynn slept 11 straight hours last night and only woke because Allison was yelling 'Mooooooooooommy, where arrrrrrrrrrrrre you?' at 7am this morning. Thanks Allie-gator!!

The twins only seem to want to color lately. Their other toys seem boring, I guess. My little Madster is like my shadow and just enjoys following me around and doing what I do. I pulled up a chair the other day and let her help me with the dishes, AKA: play in the bubbles and splash me!! She loved it.

I broke my favorite serving tray. :( It was this dark plum purple and I used it for everything. I'm currently on the hunt to replace it. It's depressing!

I've been making hair bows like a crazy person. I currently have almost 200 of every size and color you could imagine. I just haven't had the time to photograph them all and put them up on Facebook yet. Sorry! I did add a link to the Facebook page under the header. If you ever need a cute and cheap bow...you know where to go! :)

I think making the bows was the only way to keep my mind clear while everything was going on with my mom. It really helped to have something to focus on.

Homeschooling starts in a few weeks and I am starting to FREAK OUT! I've always had a fear that I would be inadequate at teaching my children. I'll be pulling out the curriculum soon and making copies of our worksheets, pre-reading some of the books, figuring out coordinating craft projects and preparing myself for this next chapter in our lives. I pray it all works out. I'm really looking forward to this.

I've asked my dad to build us a set of 3 little lockers and I am very excited about that. Each girl will have their own little cubby to place their backpacks, which will be full of current projects that they are working on and any color pages (or the like) that I give them for 'homework'. The girls see their cousins going to school and wearing backpacks, getting homework and riding the bus. They keep asking me when they will get to do all of that and I feel bad every time I say, 'Sweetie, you aren't going to public school. Remember, Mommy will be your teacher.' It's important to me to make sure that they don't grow up resenting me or wishing that they had gotten to experience certain things.

I can give them backpacks, no matter how unnecessary they are. I can give them homework, no matter how redundant that may seem. I even told them that one year they may be able to ride the bus to vacation bible school just for fun!! It seems to be working for the moment.

I bought a new book the other day, Married to the Military. It's a fantastic book for anyone who is dating or married to a man in the military. It's for all branches so it is very general and touches base on everything. A lot of it I knew, a lot of it I didn't know. It's educational, easy to read and sometimes it's just nice to see and hear someone acknowledge what you do for your husband/family.

Enough for now. xoxo

Weekend Updates

I was bored for about .5 seconds and decided to changes things up.

You like the new look?

It's been a busy week, to say the very least. Things went from fast paced to crazy in one phone call. I'm hoping to share more with you on why my life is so chaotic, but unfortunately it's not my story to tell. With any luck, you should know more by next week.

My family may need some serious prayers so I appreciate your patience.

In other news, my mom had a minor surgery on her arm this week, it went great.

My little ladies spent three straight nights with my in-laws. They loved it and I know that they are always showered with love while they are there. It makes for a happy mom who can focus on the tasks at hand while her kids are away. Thanks again, guys!! I hope you know how thankful I am and how much you are needed and loved.

After a week out to sea, Johnathon is on land and I got to talk to him. It was amazing and much needed. He is doing great and even staying in a friends guest house for free.

I just have to say how lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives.

The reality is starting to set in that our new apartment is 'home' for awhile. I just can't help but feel like I am staying in someone else's home. I guess it's only natural considering it technically IS someone else's house and 90% of the furniture is simply being borrowed until ours arrives from California...don't even get me started on that!! I have yet to make an emotional connection here and I am hoping that it happens soon. I feel a little lost in this place and I miss our house in California. I guess this is just another thing that all military wives must deal with and get used to.

It's an adjustment!

I am taking the girls to get their picture taken this week. Wish me luck!

Hopefully I will have something to pass out by Easter.

I recently picked up a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More and I can't even explain to you how nice it would have been to be able to read it BEFORE the twins were born. Unfortunately, it only came out in 2009.

My niece, Emma, spent the night with us last night. She is becoming such best friends with Alyssa and Allison. It just tickles me to watch them play.

As you've probably noticed, I've gone back to watermarking my pictures. I got lazy for awhile and when I didn't have time to add one, I posted the pictures anyway. It is my goal to not let that happen again. I need to protect my girls' privacy.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Useless Information

Having two 3 year olds has got to be the highlight of Christmas. Everything is fun and exciting to them and I am loving the sparkle in their eyes.

Reindeer food has been mixed and is sitting by our front door waiting to be tossed over our front yard.

1 C. Oatmeal
1 Jar Gold Glitter
1 C. Fruit Loops
A few M & M's (whatever the girls didn't shove in their mouths first)
And whatever else was in arms reach today!! :)


It finally stopped raining today and Johnathon was able to take the girls to the park for the first time this week.

We made sugar cookies the other day....they didn't last 24 hours.

I kept reading on everyone's blog that their 2 and 3 year olds knew everything about Santa and that he brought gifts and everything else. My girls are just not like that. Of course they know who Santa is and that he has reindeer...the basics. As far and him sneaking into our house and leaving gifts during the night was unknown to them...until last night.

I made the mistake of telling an ornery Allison that Santa could see her not listening to her Momma and that she was still awake at 11pm. I told her that because she was acting so poorly that Santa may decide to put her on the naughty list and she wouldn't get any presents like her sisters.

WRONG. THING. TO. DO.

She freaked out! Sobbed! She began screaming and begging me to call Santa and tell him that she was sorry. She told me that she would go to sleep and be a good girl if I would just call Santa. She then started looking around her room trying to figure out how Santa could be watching her. It was awful.

I let her calm down a little bit and then explained to her that I would TRY to get a hold of Santa (the man is busy this time of year, ya know) and talk to him about what happened. She fell asleep pretty quick after that. :)
I finally found a doctor and learned what I need to do to get on birth control. Words cannot express my relief and joy!! For those of you who are new to my blog, I have a blood clotting disorder so most doctors don't feel safe putting me on anything. The few that do, my insurance won't cover the $600 for it.

With any luck, it will be a few years before we add another little pebble to the Stone family. (Haha...get it? Pebble...stone....I just crack myself up!)

Madelynn is such a goof. I took over 30 pictures of just her the other day and THIS was one of the better ones. {sigh}

Johnathon is home until Tuesday and I am loving it. I've been sleeping in everyday, slipping out of the house for appointments and even grabbing a few last minute gifts. It's amazing! What he gives me in sleep, I repay with fabulous home cooked meals. It's a pretty fair trade!! :)

I am out of butter and must make the dreaded trip to Wal-Mart tomorrow to pick some up. How did I let this happen? It's going to be a mad house out there!! Oh well, duty calls! Santa needs cookies and we can't make those without butter.

Wish me luck!!

God Bless and have a safe holiday!

That Mom

I've been trying to deny it.

Put it out of my mind.

No matter how hard I try...

I am 'that mom'!!

Yep, I'm that mom so consumed by the chaos that is her life that I don't even realize when I send my three year old to church in a dress...but NO panties. Uh huh, I'm 'that mom'.

I am that psychotic mom who thinks she can discipline her children by putting fear in them. That's right, come to my house on any afternoon and you will probably hear me screaming, "Get your hiney back in this house RIGHT NOW. If I catch you opening this door again without Momma or Daddy, you will be SO sorry. Do I make my self clear? Yes what?" Then you may hear my child quietly respond 'Yes, Ma'am' while trying to fight back their tears.

I'm that mom who finally talks her husband into going to the store to buy milk after she has done without ALL DAY, just to bite her tongue as he walks through the door with NO FAT MILK!! Hello?? Our two three year olds still weigh 25lbs...we need WHOLE MILK genius! *sigh*

I'm the mean mom who cooks ONE dinner. "If you don't like, don't eat...and I better not catch your Daddy sneaking you snacks later"!!

I'm that crazy mom who isn't scared to shop alone with my three kids. You know 'that mom'...she's the one with one baby in a sling across her torso and not one, but two other children in the cart screaming to get out. Don't think I am above bribery...there is always popcorn at the end for whoever doesn't break something. True story!

Now don't get me wrong, I also sit at a table for hours everyday while my girls play with play-doh and color. I'm the mom who puts at least one huge bow in each of my daughter's hair ever time we leave the house...it's a MUST! I put up with Dora and Diego all flippin' day long. I take multiple trips to the park all day long by the demand of my kids. I love them! I would do anything for them! I just choose to survive while doing so! :)

. . . . . . . . . .

We've recently changed Alyssa and Allison's bedtime from 9pm to 8pm...and what a wonderful difference that makes! Mommy and Daddy are both much happier now that they get an extra hour of sleep!

I caught a random guy going through my neighbors trash cans. I scared him so bad, I thought he may pee his pants or collapse there on the spot. Weird!

Johnathon found another pair of the girls' panties in the kitchen sink. In the garbage disposal to be more exact! We MUST find out who keeps doing this!! My guess is that the pair he found was also the pair that was supposed to be on Allie the morning of church! I'll be keeping a close eye on her in the future!

I keep telling myself that we are done with Christmas shopping...until I find another cute 'something' to buy my girlies! :)

I've started making lots and lots of hair bows. They're super cute, cheap and just begging to be worn in YOUR daughter's hair. I'll post the link to my etsy shop later this week.

I have a HUGE blister on my finger as a result of the before mentioned hair bows. Ouch!

Johnathon has transformed our utility room into a craft room for moi!! Isn't he the sweetest?

Enough for now...

11/04/10 Alyssa {and everything else}

Is anyone else amazed that it is already the fourth of November??

I could write for hours about how thankful I am for my first born (by a whole 60 seconds!!) and how much she means to me. BUT I'll just stick to the key points today. :)

1. She has my personality...enough said!
2. Not one meal is made in this house without Alyssa's assistance and approval. She has taken a liking to pulling up a chair to the counter and 'helping me' chop, stir and cook! It's adorable and I love it!!
3. I call her the 'Sparkle' in my life. Everything is 'fabulous', 'delicious', or 'so so so wonderful'!!
4. She knows how to strut her stuff down our imaginary catwalk...she even has a fierce pose at the end!!
5. Little miss attitude always has her hands on her hips and is pointing her finger at someone.
6. She manipulates her sister into watching what she wants by explaining that "tomorrow we can watch what you want, Allie. Today it's my turn." Unfortunately, tomorrow never really comes for Allison, but she is fine with that. :)
7. She knows when someone around her is upset, and that upsets her in return. She is so gentle hearted.
8. Last night she ate four...yes, FOUR...bowls of stir-fry and rice for dinner. She is Mommy's little girl for sure!
9. She still sucks her thumb...and I secretly think it's adorable!
10. No matter how hard I try or how many times I tell people she is just like me...She is her Daddy through and through. I've got a 100% Daddy's girl on my hands. {and I love it!}

. . . . . . . . . . .

Our life has done a complete 180 since Johnathon's hours have returned to normal and we are enjoying every minute of it. He is now home around 3:30 everyday and has the whole evening to play with his girls. The older girls are just now getting to a place where they are okay when they wake up and realize that 'Daddy is on the ship', because they know that he will be home later.

Madelynn had spaghetti for the first time the other night and then ravioli the next day. She is becoming quite the little toddler! Today she slept in until 9am...always a perk!!

My mind is in a million different places...enjoying having my husband home, sad that Alyssa and Allison are turning into such big girls, planning my sister-in-laws bridal shower, helping her with the wedding, Christmas shopping that is about 90% complete, really wanting to get out and take pictures, missing my mom, just enjoying this chapter in my life!!

God bless.

{ Thoughts }

Johnathon is no longer out to sea, but he might as well be! He is out of the house by 5am and walks back through the door around 8pm. It makes for very long days for the girls and I. Especially with this cold gloomy weather we are having, (which I secretly LOVE) it is hard to get out of the house and take our trips to the park. I've tried to fill our days and evenings with fun things like...painting bird houses, making paper plate spiders, baking, more baking and organizing toys and clothes.


The bird houses tuned out great and really showed the girls' different personalities. Alyssa completely covered hers in paint. Not one inch was left untouched. Allison took her time and made designs on hers, but left some of the side blank. It was a lot of fun.


This week alone we have made dinner rolls, french bread, homemade cupcakes & icing, banana nut bread, and doughnuts. We've been busy!! I also made my own colored sugar to put on top of the cupcakes and it turned out fabulous!! I just mixed a little sugar with some of my gel food coloring in a Ziploc bag and viola! It turned out great and the girls have enjoyed a spoonful of orange sugar in their cereal each morning. I think I will keep a nice stock of pink sugar (aka: fairy dust) on hand 24/7 from now on. *If you use liquid food coloring then you may need to let the sugar sit on wax paper after it is mixed so it can dry out.


In many ways, I feel like a single parent. It's too late when Johnathon gets home for him to deal with any maintenance around the house or help out with anything, so it's just me. I deal with everything from a loose toilet seat to heavy lifting to putting laundry away, which was his only chore! :) I did draw the line when it came to the dead rabbit on our back patio. It was headless and had some 'unmentionables' hanging out of it's neck hole. GROSS! I made him dispose of it around 9pm last night. He is so good to me. :)


Johnathon did a little fancy work and got a duty switch with a friend for Halloween. Now he will be able to join me in taking his 3 little beauties around. We are all so excited!! We also found out that he didn't win Sailor of the Year. :( Afterall, he can't win every time. ;) He is still just as motivated and working hard.


Like a light switch, Madelynn decided to take her sippy. I'm thrilled and will no longer offer her a bottle. As of right now she is still on a baby food/oatmeal mix for every meal. She has 5-6 'meals' a day and they are usually 2 jars worth of baby food. She gets milk 3 times a day, but I only allow water in her crib. It seems to be working! She is also in love with blueberry puffs and gets giddy when she sees me grab them. She is pro at crunching them with her front teeth and devouring them. She is not as good, however, at eating the small part of a candy wrapper that she puked up yesterday!! I'm assuming it was from a candy bar that one of the twins snuck out of the Halloween candy bowl while I wasn't looking. More than likely they dropped it in the play yard with Madelynn so I wouldn't see the evidence...ornery little girls!