I'm still here!

It has been a while since my last post, but I am still here!!  Things get really crazy around the holiday season at work and at home. 
I work with 24 little people and you never know what is going to happen next.  We had an awesome Thanksgiving potluck and the children sang a couple of generic thankful songs.  We met in a new place having outgrown our previous location.  It went well.  There were many compliments on the singing for which I refuse to take credit for.  I can't sing to save my life.  My boss despairs and laments over my lack of rhythm, timing, tune, pitch, you name it.  I can't say that I blame her.  I have many talents.  Singing just isn't one of them.  But the children don't care and I lip sync at events.  After a horrible bout with vocal polyps and the fear that I was going to loose my voice permanently I don't really give two figs over whether I can sing or not!

On the home front I am in my full element.  Baking season is here!!!  Well, it is always baking season around here.  Just more so over the holidays.  I have become obsessed with pumpkin.  I have made pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin sauce for pasta, pumpkin soup, and my newest addition is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  To be honest, they didn't turn out cookie like.  They are more like a muffin or bar, but Marvin just polished off his third one so I think they taste fine.  I bring a lot of my goodies into work as I have a very picky eater for a husband and Marvin doesn't need tons of junk food.  So far it gets eaten pretty quickly.  The cookies/bars/muffins/I don't even have a clue what to classify them as go into work next week and home with some dear friends this evening. 

Some things have been happening on the adoption realm.  The first is that our last home study is either this Thursday or next Tuesday.  Yay!!!!  Our teen worker comes to our home, looks around, checks our pantry (I'm not kidding they will do that) and looks at where we will stash a kiddo or two.  Yes, two.   They are pushing for sibling groups and seem to think that they will be able to cram a couple kids in here.  I told them good luck.  If they try that I may have to move out!  Then we complete legal paperwork, I muster up the courage to go get a physical where they will check me out like I am some sort of farm yard animal (also not kidding, you should see the list), and then they put it all together and we find out if we are approved or not.  I am guessing we will be, but people are funny. 

Another thing that has happened is that I have been trying to faithfully post children who need homes.  One of the children's social workers remembered me from when we were adopting the first go around.  She has been in touch with me and has a couple of kids that she thinks we will love and may be a good fit.  That's the good news.  The challenge is that they are teens.  I am not opposed to taking a teen in, but it will have its challenges.  Shannon and I would like something a bit younger.  But you know the old saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."  So what God wants for us and what I want may be two different things. 

We have also been contacted about a little boy with autism.  Again, not impossible, but it can have its challenges.  I enjoy working with special needs and find true satisfaction in my calling to do so.  But I worry that a child may not be fully accepted and loved by some of our family members.  I would understand.  After all, many family members freaked out the first time we did this.  Then we got Marvin.  And peace and joy was restored to the kingdom.  But for all Marvin's needs he is so normal.  Only glasses and a few slight developmental delays mark the tragic start he had.  Any child would be loved and nurtured in our home, but I can't keep them sealed in a bubble forever.  They would have to interact with family eventually.  And if they are treated badly because of something that isn't even their fault, that would be so super hard for me.  I would be beyond angry and hurt.  Shannon says he no longer cares about what the family thinks, but I am super sensitive. 

So only time will tell.  For now I am going to relax and enjoy the rest of my holiday before I start going berserk over the last visit.  I am thankful for my son and the traditions we are creating during this special time of the year!