Their Dream

This might sound like a goofy post but of course again I have something to say....

When children are young they dream of becoming something. To them it might be something very important. Maybe a princess, a mommy, doctor or a teacher. The one I hear the most from girls and boys is a firefighter.

Well, when my dad was little his dream was to become a farmer. So he did. Then my brothers decided to follow him and also become farmers. I remember in High School I wanted to be a Lawyer... I could be making some pretty big bucks if I would have done that but I wasn't the type of person who liked school work. Honestly I did not want to go to school as long as I would have to become a Lawyer and my Social Studies teacher with the gross arm pits was nice enough to tell me I would need to take alot of Social Studies classes in College. I really disliked Social Studies.

Anyways, this post is not supposed to be about me. Its supposed to be about the Farmers out there that are struggling. The ones who hear people complain that they paid $3.45 for a gallon of milk. What do you think that Farmer got for that milk if you only paid $3.45? Don't forget the middle man who makes a cut as well. Stop and think about what that Farmer had to do to get that milk from the cows in his barn. Yes, he had to go out in the cold and feed them and milk them. He probably at some point this winter had to deal with a tractor that wouldn't start because it was too cold or maybe a water pipe broke in his barn and he had cows standing in water and had to pump the water out of the barn. Sometimes we forget to think about why we pay $3.45 for that gallon of milk. Times are tough for these Farmers right now. They can't afford to buy feed for their animals because prices have gotten too high and they are not getting enough money for their milk. Its a hard job and not everyone can do it.

It saddens me that my dad has to quit Farming. That is his dream. It also saddens me that my brothers are also going to quit Farming. Thankfully my Brother T is finished with College and Brother M will finish this Spring. How they managed to go to school and have their own Herd of Cows I will never understand. That's what they wanted so they made it work. I hope once all is said and done they can find a job/ career that they really do enjoy. They have come to the point because of the economy you can not make a decent living in Farming and its hard work.

So on March 14, 2009 they will sell their Cows at a combined Auction (if you do not know Auction details I can email them to you). Feel free to come and buy a cow or two! Maybe you want the one in the picture up top that you can ride like a horse!

It does sadden me they will quit doing what they enjoy. I will say though I am excited that they will have some time to also enjoy other things like spending time with Family. My dad will help my mom re-open the Cafe. My Brother T will actually fly to Texas! Yesterday it was 95* there. Oh how I wish I could go. Just in case you don't know. My grandparents are in Texas. Last winter T drove with them out there and spent a few days having fun with Grandma and Grandpa and then flew back. This year he will fly out and help them drive back home! Then there is Brother M sounds like he will finish school and he is already looking for work.

Don't get me wrong here, there are times I am glad they are quiting. This will give my dad more time to spend with the grandchildren. Hopefully it will give my brothers the opportunity to meet new people, like maybe a GIRL! Kind of hard to get a girlfriend when all you do is stand in a barn and milk cows!

So with all this said the biggest thing for me is never tell a child they can not do something. The Dancer wanted to be a princess at one point. She was just a little girl. She had her heart broken when some goofball boyfriend of her birth mother told her that being a princess was stupid and not a career. We all have hopes and dreams for our children but we must never break their hearts.

What I want...

I want SPRING! I wanted it yesterday. Instead I am getting more snow.

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful

Today I am extra thankful my Husband has a job! I am thankful his job offers great health insurance! On Friday they laid off 30 employees between the 3 shifts at my husbands work. One of the guys had been there 13 years and he has 2 kids. Another family I know has 3 kids and he had worked with my Husband for 10 years. Their youngest is just a few months younger than Sweet Baby Girl and has special needs.

So today I am thankful my Husband has a job! I could not imagine him home everyday watching me work. I am sure he wouldn't be very willing to change diapers.

The Haircut

It was time for Rose to get her haircut. I was thinking a nice trim but she had other ideas. She told me what she wanted and she then told the haircut lady. After the lady was all done cutting Rose's hair she asked her what she thought. Rose told her it was beautiful! It turned out really cute. I was a bit worried at first.

Here are the before and after pictures!

My name is Momma

For nine months I carried a precious baby in my tummy. I got swollen feet and ankles, lots of stretch marks, ate too much food and gained alot of weight, and had to pee way more times than anyone should ever have to. So because of that I want to be called Momma! Now after my precious baby arrived not only did I have joy and happiness in my life I also had some sleepless nights. One being lastnight. So because of that I want to be called Momma. I mean after all that don't I deserve to be called Momma. I love my Sweet Baby Girl and she could not be any more precious but I want to be called Momma. She is calling me Amy. I think its time to quit my daycare job or start having everyone elses child learn to call me Momma so my Baby will call me Momma! Oh and I forgot to mention all those diapers I have already changed. She should really thank me for that. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't trade her for the world! I just want one thing- to be called Momma!

Wordless Wednesday

11 MONTHS!

Wow where does the time go? My baby is 11 months old today. Over the weekend she started getting one of her front teeth. And now she is working on the other front tooth. So she has almost 7 teeth! Does she sleep at night? NO. She used to sleep from 10pm until 7am. It worked out really well. For about a month now she has been getting up alot at night. She loves to cuddle with mom. She is rather spoiled! She has been trying alot of new foods and sometimes will eat more than her sister Rose. Then other times she won't eat anything. She can say Momma, Ba Ba, Da Da, and Bye Bye (but not to often). She has learned to wave also. I have been trying to teach her to blow kisses. So far we haven't mastered that yet.

Over the weekend we had spent some time at my sisters house and my parents house. I had said to my sister that it sounded like she was saying Me Me. That is what alot of kids say at first when they try and learn to say Amy. Of course being a Child Care Provider I hear my name all day long. Both The Dancer and Rose also call me by my name alot. More so The Dancer than Rose. So anyways, we were sitting on my parents couch and all of a sudden it sounded like Sweet Baby Girl said Amy. My mom, dad and I all looked at each other like "Did we really hear what we think we heard"? She hears my name alot so I am sure there will be times she isn't sure what to call me.

She is a sweetheart!

In this short video the first set of pictures are from Tuesday. I was invited by Rose to go along with her to Preschool for Parent/ Child day. It was so much fun! We spent the time doing what the kids normally do at school. We had free play, circle time, and Stations. After that the parents went to the gym and waited for all preschoolers who came out and did a program for us. They sang about 5-6 songs. She did such a great job. They even did some sign language. I didn't post a picture of the actual program just because there are other kids in the pictures with her. Then there is a picture of Rose in her Pj's listening to the Ipod. Did you know she can sing? Well sort of. She asked dad to use the Ipod and as soon as it was on she started dancing and singing.

There are a few pictures of The Dancer and her birthday cake.

The last pictures are of Sweet Baby Girl who was trying to tip over the clothes basket the other day after I folded clothes. She pulled some of the clothes out of the basket. So I decided to put her in the basket and let her play! She seemed to like it for awhile.

Hope you enjoy!

Alot to talk about

So there will not be a Wordless Wednesday today. I got things to say! Those of you who know me well are probably sitting back thinking when doesn't she have something to say!

Therapy!
Therapy for the girls has ended! They went last week one day and after spending an hour with the therapist the lady told Hubby they no longer needed to come back. She felt they are wonderful happy girls. They are a bit sad but they will do fine. The girls came home very mad at their dad they he canceled their next appointment. They wanted to go back and play.

The Report!!
Wow, is the first thing I have to say. I never really knew what to expect when we finally got to read the report from our Guardian at Litem. We finally got it yesterday! My phone calls paid off, about time. We found out some interesting things. Basically after reading it I have to say this:
The girls had a good mom. She did love them and I know she still does. She always tried her best to give them what they needed. However there was a day she made a not so good choice and she left a man into her life that did no good for the girls or for herself. After reading the report I have come to believe that our Gaurdian at Litem was very fond of their mother and not so fond of the boyfriend. He came with alot of issues according to the report. I feel that if their mother would have asked her boyfriend to leave and not come back we would of had a much different outcome today. It was stated in the report that their mom feared for her life if she left this man. With the Guardian at Litem being a mandated reporter I am not sure I understand why she didn't do more for their mother when she heard this. Or for that matter remove the children that were in the home. It was stated in there that their mom wanted me to have the girls. She could have cared less about Hubby or what he wanted. She felt I could provide a stable home for the girls because I also came from a stable home. I am greatful for that. This wasn't about winning or loosing. This was about two young girls who deserve the best possible life. A happy life. She loved those girls enough to give them that. She loved the girls and new that the situation she had gotten herself into was not a healthy one for them. She wanted the Guardian at Litem to grant me full custody but that was not something she could do so at this point her recommendation for the court is that both Hubby and I have Sole Physical Custody. If anything should happen to Hubby the girls will be able to remain with me. This also means if we get divorced like their mother said we would I would have just as much right to the girls as Hubby would. The second recommendation was that if their Birth Mom should come back at any time and want to see the girls she will need to go through the court system to get that right.
So the next step is we wait for the judge to sign off on the recommendation that he agrees.

IRRITATED

I am so irritated today. First I have had a migraine headache since lastnight at 9:30pm. Normally I take Excedrin and go to bed and wake up feeling better and refreshed. However I can only take Tylenol right now and that does not help. I so did not wake up feeling refreshed this morning.

The second thing I am irritated about is the Court System. On February 2nd my hubby called the court house in regards to the letter we got stating our Guardian at Litem had been dismissed from our case. He had called the Gardiam at Litem the Thursday before that. Nobody has called us back yet. So today I call and again I got no answers. The first lady I spoke to said she does not deal with custody cases so she transferred me to another lady. The second lady tells me she can not give me legal advice. I wasn't asking her for legal advice. I just wanted to know if we even had a court date or what we needed to do to finish what was started. She tells me to call the Guardian at Litem. Ok the Guardian at Litem is no longer getting paid to work with us. Why would she want to call us back. She never called us back when she was getting paid to work with us. Its all so irritating. So she ended up transferring me to a lady who's daughter owes me money for watching for little girl in my daycare awhile back....hmm, oh can't wait to talk to her. Awe she isn't in the office and couldn't tell me when she would be. She works for other counties. So its a waiting game now to see if she calls back. I also called the Guardian at Litem and am now waiting for her call back. It seems like a never ending process. Yes, the girls are happy. Yes, they have a safe place to sleep at night. The biggest thing though is what if their birth mom comes back. She has legal custody at this point. Which is a crock of you know what....she leaves them here and hasn't made any effort to see or parent them in over a year and she has legal custody. Now how is that right? What if something happens to my hubby??? What happens to MY girls then?

Happy Birthday to the Dancer

Today the Dancer turns 7! Her dad bought her an Ipod when we went to the Mall of America for her birthday. Hmm, a 7 year old with an Ipod. I thought she was a bit young but I didn't have the final say. I felt bad she had already gotten her present and felt she should have something to open today. So I got her a much cheaper gift. I found $50 Hannah Montana boats on clearance. Let me tell you the deal I got. 75% off! What a steal I paid $12.49 for them and she loves them. I got more excitement out of her than her dad got when she opened the Ipod. Its funny how excited a girl can get when they turn 7. I lost interest in my birthdays along time ago.

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On another note- Yesterday Rose and I were watching my Soap Opera. Yes, she was watching it with. How do you think I got to watching it? I watched it with my mother. No she doesn't watch it with me all the time but I was too lazy to find her something else to do. Anyways, the lady just had a baby. So Rose looked at me and said "well, I think its time to have another baby. Maybe just one". She was so serious about it. I just laughed and said "Oh Rose if you only knew"!

Today was my appointment and the doctor said I was her first returning patient at this hospital. She came to our hospital in Jan. 08. I switched to her when I was pregnant with Sweet Baby Girl at that time. Hmm, probably not too many women who have their children so close together. She confirmed I am 11 weeks along. Due around August 27, 2009!

another wordless wednesday

weekend review

Wow it was a busy weekend. We had out first respite care family here From Friday late afternoon until Sunday morning at 10am. It was 3 kids. So we had a house full. I felt everything went really well. Alittle bit better on Saturday but I am sure the kids were just overly excited on Friday night with all the toys and new kids to play with. My husband on the other hand didn't seem to feel it went as well as I did. He said it felt like too many kids in the house. So we'll see.

My husband traveled on Saturday about 2 hours from town leaving me home with 6 kids. Thankfully it was a nice day out the kids played outside some. My hubby went to a meeting with some fish guys he talks to on-line. I thought it was rather strange when he told me he was going. I do talk on a website with other child care providers in MN and I guess it would be the same as me meeting them. They are great to talk to. Hard sometimes to talk about work and get others prospective on different things if they are not in the same field or have the same interest. So I guess I see why he went.

Yesterday after our guests left we headed to my sisters house for lunch. Its so good to eat someone else's cooking! We had mashed potatoes, meatballs, ham, corn, and dinner rolls. My brother in law's sister was there (who I actually graduated high school with) and had brought a yummy tuna salad. My brother in law just got a new blender so he tested it out and made everyone shakes. Well actually I think he got the blender out and my sister did all the work! Typical huh, the women does all the work!

Well lastnight was a bit tough for me.... My mom has closed her Cafe. Saturday was the last day it was open. Talk is its a temporary things unless maybe someone would come along and want to buy it. Its a tough economy right now for little business to make it in. You can only raise your prices so high before people will complain. So she decided to take a break. She needs a break! She deserves it! I just felt she needed to have something to cheer her up. So I told her she could keep my Sweet Baby Girl and Rose for the evening. Its killing me. If I had a different job where someone could easily fill in for me I would be leaving here at 8am to go get my girls. They have stayed before but this time was tough. The Dancer and I went lastnight out to supper at Applebees and then rented a special movie. I felt bad she didn't get to stay but she has school today.

So tonight as soon as 5:30 hits we are hopping in the van to go get my girls. We are meeting half way at a Dairy Queen and will eat supper there. I can't wait. All the kids better be gone or they will have to wait outside.... my baby needs me!

No I would not really make kids wait outside.