Foster Parent Month

You see them, in movies typically cast as society misfits, religious nut jobs, or psycho serial killers.  The dad is usually aloof and the mother dresses the children in matching potato sacks.  They are in league with "the state" in keeping the children away from hard working parents.  They are foster parents.  I know I know I might be a smidge over dramatic, but my goal is to sell a plot to the Lifetime movie network, and roll in the Direct-to-DVD dough.  

She was fostering......a horrible secret!!!  *groan*  starring Jane Seymour

Hmm...let me get back on track here

May is Foster Parent Month, at least i hope it is, Facebook generally has sketchy information.  I wanted to share from my heart, some thoughts on foster parenting

-Foster Parenting a child sure beats foster parenting a lion
-Buy lots of spare keys for all your vehicles, and while you are at check with your neighbors
-Really don't buy new furniture for awhile
-Don't expect your kids to come with instructions, be patient and speak softly
-Get help you need support, if possible from other foster parents
-Family will let you down, learn that quick and work together to change that
-Be thankful for the little things, that little one who just finally started to eat may have been weeks without a decent meal, that one syllable is a symphony to the one who does not speak
-The successes greatly outweigh the failures, the smiles defeat the frowns
-Be consistent to love and resistant to anger
-Forgive Confusion and Ignorance, reject favoritism and ridicule
-Make sure the potty....is clearly marked
-Get over yourself if you are in this for the praise or money, don't even bother, please you will do so much more harm than good.
-Put on a puppet show, sing songs, read stories, be creative, use some imagination.
Being a foster parent, means making a difference in a child's life, for if just for a moment. 

Trust me I struggle with ideas of failure, and ineptness alot to my kids.  I am not perfect.  If you have questions don't hesitate to ask me.

Winter and Pretty Blue Eyes

This is a story for my daughter Payten, who received a hermit crab from her Aunt Colleen last night.  Payten loves animals more than people at times it seems

The Hermit Crab walked gently across the sand and carefully examined his new home.  He found the palm tree to his liking, and there was even a bowl with some yummy treats inside.  I am going to make sure I climb everywhere, he proclaimed and off he went.

Climbing up the tree, he found it not to his liking as it crashed into the food bowl.  I am most certainly not a snack! He crawled toward the door and using his claws tried to open the door.  Oh this will not do, I want to roam free.  He looked up the the sky and saw the bars and was very surprised to see two blue eyes staring down at him.

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!  My name is Payten Maree, or Pay-Pay for short, would you like to be my friend?

The hermit crab heard the sounds but could not understand as Hermit Crabs don't understand kids till they get out of Hermit crab school.  He clicked his claws to say,  let me out right now!!  Payten smiled and said "I bet you want out don't you, Id really like to sleep with you but I cant fit in the cage (Payten knows a little hermit crab).  Hermit Crab began to realize his situation and started to go back into his shell, when it began to rain.  It was coming from the eyes of the little blue eyed girl.  Oh no!  this will never do and out of the shell he came and cried out "You are making my home a mess, please don't cry!" 

I'm sorry if you are sad but I will take good care of you mister hermit crab I promise.  Ill keep you away from my daddy as he killed my rainbow fish.  (The author did not).  I will name you winter because you look like a snowball, but I wont put you in the freezer! (Nor will the author)

As Winter now looked up and saw her his heart grew warm as her pretty blue eyes comforted him.  I think I will like it here, and he scooted over to pretty blue eyes and let her pet him on the shell.  They were very happy, then the earthquake came....rumble rumble rumble.  That's my brother Collin..... we better run!    The End!

Father to Son

Dear Collin,

Hey best buddy its daddy happy 4th birthday!  I love you!  Were you a good boy today?  You are my Stinky Boy!!

When you came to us, it was unexpected we thought there would be no more after you.  We wanted more kids, and I had hoped that maybe someday I might have a son.  I need you to know some things son about me just a few thoughts I have.  I don't expect you to understand right away, but someday when I am no longer here you might find these words and remember.

Always love others, even when they hate you

Show compassion whenever possible there are billions of people on this planet,

Be slow to anger, you cant take back the words after you speak them

Quick to help, if you can volunteer do so

Look someone in the eye and listen to them, even if you don't agree

Don't be scared to stand up for what you believe in, but be willing to listen (listening is a theme you will be made aware of alot during your life) to what they have to say, nobody gets anywhere by yelling your wrong and walking away.

Mommy and I are going to mess up alot, be patient because you will to :-)

Love your sissys, they will knock out the bullies

Whatever happens today, ends tomorrow (easy to say hard to do)

Praying never hurts

Your heart will be broken but...(see above) you will get through it

Love and respect your mother for she loves you and takes care of you in ways that I can not.

Don't worry if you don't have the best stuff, everything breaks eventually

Don't be afraid to be wrong

There are true friends out there...you will need to be a friend to find them (after all you are named after one of them :-)

There is one friend above all I want you to know and that is Jesus, when you have questions I will do my best to answer them.

We have more adventures ahead I know, and I cant wait!  I love you son, thank you for loving me

We did NOT build a zoo!

So Matt Damon came out with a movie called "We bought a zoo"  I haven't seen it but supposedly its somewhat family friendly.  That is the thought that crossed my mind as I came home to 7 children in my house.  As the father I felt it my duty to complain as I entered that "we seem to be running a hotel"  Erin is in the kitchen making spaghetti and my children are playing the fun family game "Smack each other in the back and run away (Not licensed by Milton Bradley).  We have recently taken in my 6yr old nephew Connor for the time being and let me say he is a sweet kid.  However he loves playing games on my phone, so as quickly as a ninja my phone disappears from my hand and he scurries away.  I then turn the corner to find the child of a family friend laying in my floor, suffering from droopy drawers syndrome.  I tell him to pull up his pants, and he exclaims "I need to poop"  I tell him that is terrific and I sit down as I see my son attempt to put his sister in a headlock while singing his multi pedia-sure selling song ("poop and pee, poop and pee, hey its poop and pee).  Matt Damon gets to fly away in his jet after the movie, my only hope is to lock myself in the bathroom.

My journey into grouchiness complete, I couldn't lift my fork to eat and my thoughts drifted to if i could barricade the steps leading to the downstairs, there was the possibility of making my stand there.

I then hear my wife say, "why don't you go take a drive, I have the kids".  Her words were like soft kisses against my cheek, except that i was chewing the inside of it already.  At this point I prepared to jump off the back deck and then the phone rang.  There was Jeremy offering an escape route, and into the car i went, feeling defeated and exhausted.  Super amazing wife 100  Heel Husband -23

A couple of hours with Jeremy righted the ship and Erin called to make sure I was fine.  Came home and kissed her and went to bed and there laying in my bed asleep was my son, tired I'm sure from recording his "poop and pee" song.  I laid down and he turned around and said "there you are best buddy" and gave me a kiss.  I thought of my girls and where we started from, my son and his physical problems, my nephew, my nieces, my wife.  Then lastly I thought of my dad was he in this spot before, did he stay awake wondering if he was failing, wondering where the magic book of parenting solutions was.  I know what he did, he got up the next day and kept moving, kept working, kept trying.  Mr Damon can keep his "zoo"  Ill take my life anytime.

The revolving state of road repair

Greetings and well met.  I trust while I was away everyone was nice to each other and everyone ate their vegetables said their prayers while getting ready to battle the Iron Sheik and Kamala in a steel cage.

It is hard for me to write, on one had I like the idea of expressing thoughts, no matter how bizarre (see above) they may be.  Then I wonder, who would want to read this I have a really boring life by my estimation, no parties, no journeys to foreign lands or political ideas to express (I pray for our leaders and vote).  Any call to action from me is tempered by my own flaws and imperfections as I strive to be more of a father and husband to my family.  I simply listen to others and provide my thoughts if asked, don't have to take any of my advice and simply love lasting friendships even if we disagree.  All of this to say if there was ever a time I needed solid relationships its now.  Physically each day seems more of a struggle and since dad's passing the road is still a road but its got these huge pot holes in it.  Mentally I feel that I am earning credits for a counseling degree while trying to find ways to relax.  I am weary but not broken, and trying to fill those potholes ever so slowly with my wife by my side.  Just need more people with shovels I guess.  Just random thoughts for today, make an effort to be a help today however small to someone.  Maybe this will be some motivation to get me to write more :-)