Yes, there was screaming, chix-n-dumplings, and feeling a little bi-polar!!

Why children make you Bi-polar... or at least my thoughts.

I've been comtemplating this for some time now...how I am either a very happy momma or an angry mean one and I've come to the conclusion, I will not take any responsibility for it. So last night after enduring 3 kids 2 & under screaming and fighting at the dinner table for well over an hour, because they didn't want to eat Chicken & dumplings (I mean come one, it's chicken, and yummy little bundles of bread floating in GRAVY essentially!!!) I was G R U M P Y ! Yes, really! Then much later on, after all the little kids were asleep, I put on my headphones and MY music, that I never get to listen to and became....happy! I happily sang and cleaned laundry, dishes, bathrooms, etc. etc. My teenager who had witnessed this transistion turned to me and looking at me like I was crazy for singing said, "Mom, you are bi-polar!" I guess she's not used to seeing me relaxed and happily enjoying my never-ending chores and tasks of being a homemaker. I really like being happy. I really like having fun. However, as I explained to my 14 yr. old, I am not bi-polar, I am real. I really do get upset when children repeatedly do not listen, repeatedly argue, repeatedly negotiate, repeatedly fight. I think the mother who stays consistently the same with her emotions during such tribulations is, well, on drugs. Maybe I should get some, but why? When I am simply a victim of circumstance. I really like feeling emotions. I mean when I am experiencing something that would make the average person sad, happy, glad, angry, frustrated, excited, anxious, and so forth...I want to feel. So until my children become little mindless robots that do exactly what I want them to do, I will be seen, as spoken by my teenager, as bi-polar.

So, here is the infamous recipe that made everyone scream:

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used only two)
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces (I used my bisquits whole.)

What I Added...
2/3 bag of frozen veggies about the last 1 hour 15 minutes prior to being done.
3/4 cup chix broth (you made need to add more later since the bisquits will soak up some of the
broth. So if you want a more soupy consistency, this might mean add more
broth later!)
Seasonings (as you like): Salt, Pepper, parsley, garlic powder, cumin...

Directions

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Valentine's Day.... My way.

The kids helped make cinnamon popcorn to take to their primary, nusery, & YW leaders. We
LOVE the teachers that devote their time to teach our kids! (and give us 2 hours of free
babysitting! lol!)


Straight from the oven!

Bagged & tied with Valentine's cards!
After the kids went to bed "cupid" came and decorated the dining room with L O V E ! Heart

tablecloth, hearts dangling from the chandelier, and cards and candy from mom.

Each card said "I love you beacuse..." and had a personal message for each member of the

family.

Even baby Savannah had a card and candy waiting on her high chair!

I think we'll leave this up for the entire month of Feb.

It's not Valentine's Day without chocolate covered strawberries. So Yummy!

There was enough chocolate left for Frozen chocolate covered bananas.

"These taste better than the fair, MOM."

Wow, thanks kids. My food taste better than the fair.

My lovely Keeleigh enjoying!

And again.

And this is what it's all about. Working hard making "special treats", something out-of-the-ordinary, for my special, not-so-ordinary family to show them I L O V E them! We had fun!

Savannah's First Birthday!

Well, maybe I will get the hang of posting pics to a blog, but here they are in backwards order. Savannah was not happy about all the people watching her eat. But who is? Would you like 20 + people watching how you ate your cake?

She was slow to start and finish!

An entire cake to herself... I'm such a great mom. She barely made a dent and I would

have let her keep going. Like I said...mother of the year!

Luckily we got a free cake for her birthday...

See she was happy at times! I mean it's cake after all!

We had an amazing time for her party...

Even got the American Idol Wii game going and adults singing and dancing. Thanks Curtis's!

17 kids were there in all and perhaps that is why we didn't get any great photo shots of my little darlin. But isn't that the way it goes? Tons of pics for the 1st kid, and by the 4th... too busy to take many. Luckily she has a big teenage sister that adores her and takes tons of photos of Savannah on her cell phone camera. But even as doting of a big sis Faith is, she too was busy chasing kids!

So here are a few pics ( up above since I am retarded at this blogging and computer stuff) we were able to salvage.

There's something about Sunday... I should call it my "learning day." Maybe call it learning and relearning, remembering, reflecting day.

1) Family is what you make it.

Today we celebrated Savannah's 1st birthday. With family 2,314 miles away, we wanted to celebrate Savannah's birthday with others outside our family of 7. We turned to our "ward" family to commemorate this occasion. Now whether all in attendance really wanted to spend their Sunday afternoon with my crazy family, I'm not sure. But we all do things we don't necessarily want to do when we show our love and service for one another.

2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is TRUE!

Where in the world could I go and find people different from me, but bonded by our love of Christ? There's the old adage that states "You can't pick your family..." Well, I am pretty sure if the crew of guests at Savannah's party could pick us for their "ward family" or friends, they would NOT have picked my husband and myself. Every time a member of my ward gives my family or myself service, I am deeply moved and inspired. Why would anyone be so kind to me? Even something so small as holding my 5 yr. old and making her feel special, playing with my foster kiddo and giving him individual attention and love, bearing testimony and giving guidance to my teenager...none of it goes unnoticed or unappreciated. The Christiansen's, the Smith's, the Wallace's, and the Curtis's...you reward will be in heaven, of this I am sure.

3) Progression is crucial to our time here on earth.

Our foster kiddo we currently have has been challenging to me. My job as his foster mother is to provide a nuturing and safe atmosphere for him. He is consistently injuring himself. I don't think I will ever be able to pinpoint the cause of his danger seeking, fearless, inability to realize cause and effect personality. Is it environmental, was it due to physiological intrauterine drug effects, or from falling on his head too much (no joke, he has taken more falls and hits to his head in the last month, than anyone I've ever seen)???
So I had a revelation while chatting with someone today about the difficulties I am having with teaching my foster kiddo with his developmental delays. Having this challenge in front of me has made me again more grateful for my biological children's health and mental facilities. I always thought I could be a Special Ed teacher, but this experience has left me questioning my patience, abilities, and talents. This person said to me something along the lines of, "Yeah, after teaching a child for a year and not having any progression...I think I would quit. It would be frustrating." This made me think about how our Heavenly Father might feel with us. I mean, I am not a drug baby, I was not neglected, and I do not have any learning disabilities (enter pun here.) and yet some years I probably have progressed a nanometer. Our Heavenly Father doesn't quit...maybe he gets frustrated. He's given us a free country to live in where I can exercise religious freedoms. I've been blessed with the true gospel in my life and have accepted it! So why would I not progress? THAT would be frustrating. So now I know I need to make sure I am moving forward, not backwards, or stagnant. Also, I have a new outlook on my foster kiddo and our progression.

Superbowl madness

So to party on Superbowl Sunday or not? I am always looking for an excuse to throw a party and cook for others. But football, really? I love me some college football, but the NFL, not so much. And there's the debate of keeping the sabbath day holy. Is it bad to have get together's on the sabbath? This will require more study on my part, but of course I would like the answer to be "no, it's ok, have your party!"

The other reason to have a party is because my baby is turning 1. The baby bug has not hit, thankfully. When I think logically of my baby no longer being a baby, if I were to be prego right now, then that WOULD be a good age gap between the two. And yes, more kids, would be great. And I am getting older...I don't want to be an "old" mom. But I am so busy with my terrible 2 yr. old and our newst foster kiddo, I can't even imagine having another. Plus, my husband says no.

So back to partying! Without family close to celebrate this occasion of "my baby turning 1!" It would be nice to invite members of my ward family. Family, that is a holy thing. And when you have to, make your own family. I am grateful for those that have been so kind to me and especially my children. So YES there will be a party! I can't wait to start cooking!

So here we go....AGAIN!

Ok ya'll,
This is now my 3rd attempt to have a successful blog. I have to say, I did NOT want to be a follower and blog about my day, my family, my feelings...or whatever it is people like to blog about. However, as I reflect on all our insane stories, crazy adventures, and think of the 10 foster kids we have had in the last 1 1/2 years, I have REGRET! Regret for not capturing those moments.
Now, I am not trying to be a hater, but I just don't want to do what everyone else is doing. The Twilight series I REFUSED to read because they were Trendy! I am a rebel by nature and just don't want to go along with the mainstream. I mean, look at who I marrried (lol).
So here I sit really wanting to be a succesful blogger. I am a facebook junky, so you would think this would be easy. I LOVE reading everyone else's blogs, so maybe I have been a hater. Here I go and join the kool-aid drinkers (nothin' but love to you all).