Our stake has a rule that if men bless or pass the sacrament they have to stay up front for the entire meeting. I was so proud of Dave when, after the sacrament was over, he walked straight over to our pew and sat with us. Apparently, after he did that, the stake president changed his mind about that rule.
T threw a few tantrums and I didn't know how to handle them. We left church early and planned on driving around to get T to fall asleep. As I was putting T in her seat, B said, "I think I love you." I said, "I love you too."
After T's tantrums, I told B I needed a five-minute break. I sat in the car and tried to answer the million texts of congratulations I had received several days ago and hadn't had a moment to respond to. When I came in the house with T, B had been tidying up the kitchen!
I put a lot of posts on Facebook about how wonderful it was to finally be a mom:
"On Thursday two darling sisters, ages 8 and 2, came to stay with us. It has been a whirlwind of laughter, cuteness, and so much more fun than I ever imagined! The dreams that Dave and I have had for years are finally being fulfilled. Hide and seek, bedtime stories, playing in the bath tub, walking with a stroller, cuddling, making dinner together, helping with reading, girls' movie nights, waking up in the middle of the night, decorating bedrooms, carrying a diaper bag, trunk or treating, hairstyling, playing dress up, peek a boo, play doh, coloring books, and toys strewn all over the house. We don't know how long they'll be with us, but we're cherishing every minute."
"Trick or treating, carving pumpkins, putting up Halloween decorations, making Halloween treat bags, the school Halloween parade, Jungle Jim's Playland, clothes shopping, giving the dog a bath, impromptu Would You Rather games, family movie night, play cell phones with secret texts to each other, late nights wandering the house with a toddler nuzzled against my chest, and family dinners full of laughter with the girls have made my life blissful."
"Let me just tell you that the girls in our home are not the kids in foster care you typically hear about. They are polite and respectful. They help out around the house. They try whatever food is put in front of them. They get along well with each other. They are outgoing and make friends easily. They are very affectionate. They are kind to our dog. They behave just like other 8- and 2-year-olds. They just need a place to stay and a lot of love. We're happy to give it to them!"
"Let me just tell you that the girls in our home are not the kids in foster care you typically hear about. They are polite and respectful. They help out around the house. They try whatever food is put in front of them. They get along well with each other. They are outgoing and make friends easily. They are very affectionate. They are kind to our dog. They behave just like other 8- and 2-year-olds. They just need a place to stay and a lot of love. We're happy to give it to them!"
At dinner we would play Would You Rather? B would come up with the most disgusting scenarios, usually involving drinking bath tub water. It was so delightful laughing together as a family each evening.
One of my favorite memories with the girls was Halloween. My dad kindly offered to give out candy at our house so that we could all go trick-or-treating together. T refused to wear her costume. I carried her around most of the night and she was delighted each time someone gave her candy. She always said, "Thank you" in the cutest toddler voice you can imagine. Everyone fawned over her. Dave generously offered to carry B on his shoulders when she got tired. The two of them made up silly songs together and just laughed and laughed together all night long. I remember thinking that my dreams had finally come true. Life couldn't be any better than this.
At bedtime, Dave would sit in B's room and tell her funny stories. If you know Dave, you know he has an incredible repository of hilarious stories and he's the absolute best story teller. B just ate it up. Every time someone came over to our home, she would ask him to tell them one of his stories. She would tell them to her friends. It was so sweet how they connected over bedtime stories. Then he would sing her his favorite French lullaby and stay there until she fell asleep. I would read stories with T and have her fall asleep on my lap in the rocking chair or I would drive her around in the car until she fell asleep. She had always slept in a bed with someone else, so getting her to sleep alone in her room was a major challenge.
After two weeks of living in our home, T finally let Dave pick her up. It was such a sweet moment.
The girls both came to us with health problems. In fact, most of the first Saturday we had together was spent at a clinic. It was really wonderful to see how the girls' health improved while living in our home for only a few weeks.
Five days after the girls came to us, we had court to confirm that there was good reason for the girls to be removed from their home. I met the girls' birth mother and she told me that she had a relative who would be taking the girls while she couldn't care for them. I was devastated. We had already fallen in love with them. I had already been bargaining with God to let me keep them.
One of my favorite memories with the girls was Halloween. My dad kindly offered to give out candy at our house so that we could all go trick-or-treating together. T refused to wear her costume. I carried her around most of the night and she was delighted each time someone gave her candy. She always said, "Thank you" in the cutest toddler voice you can imagine. Everyone fawned over her. Dave generously offered to carry B on his shoulders when she got tired. The two of them made up silly songs together and just laughed and laughed together all night long. I remember thinking that my dreams had finally come true. Life couldn't be any better than this.
At bedtime, Dave would sit in B's room and tell her funny stories. If you know Dave, you know he has an incredible repository of hilarious stories and he's the absolute best story teller. B just ate it up. Every time someone came over to our home, she would ask him to tell them one of his stories. She would tell them to her friends. It was so sweet how they connected over bedtime stories. Then he would sing her his favorite French lullaby and stay there until she fell asleep. I would read stories with T and have her fall asleep on my lap in the rocking chair or I would drive her around in the car until she fell asleep. She had always slept in a bed with someone else, so getting her to sleep alone in her room was a major challenge.
After two weeks of living in our home, T finally let Dave pick her up. It was such a sweet moment.
The girls both came to us with health problems. In fact, most of the first Saturday we had together was spent at a clinic. It was really wonderful to see how the girls' health improved while living in our home for only a few weeks.
Five days after the girls came to us, we had court to confirm that there was good reason for the girls to be removed from their home. I met the girls' birth mother and she told me that she had a relative who would be taking the girls while she couldn't care for them. I was devastated. We had already fallen in love with them. I had already been bargaining with God to let me keep them.
I met the girls' aunt and a few of her sons at a meeting with the caseworker, nurse, and other social workers. They had a great family and a strong relationship with the girls, so that made me feel a little better.
The three weeks with the girls just sped by. Dave and I spent many evenings looking at photos we had taken of them and talking about how wonderful, sweet, and adorable they are. And then we cried, thinking about them leaving us.
The three weeks with the girls just sped by. Dave and I spent many evenings looking at photos we had taken of them and talking about how wonderful, sweet, and adorable they are. And then we cried, thinking about them leaving us.
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