latest updates--Mon Nov 20, 2006

Forgive me if some of this is repeat info.  I can't really remember if I've already covered all of this, and I am seriously just too busy/tired to go back & re-read everything to find out.  :)  How lazy am I??
As I posted last week, our Aunt Sandy died on Nov. 9th (my birthday--bummer!).  We made the trip down to the Houston area for her funeral & time with the family.  Larry did the service.  Although the trip was pretty hard on him physically & he is having to work to get back to where he was recovery-wise now, we wouldn't have missed it for the world.  The service was beautiful & was such a neat way to remember Sandy.  Her husband & kids are handling things pretty well, but her mother (Larry's grandmother) is still having a rough time.  Obviously I can understand WHY, but it's hard to watch such a sweet woman struggle after burying her only daughter.  Please join us in prayer for Sandy's entire family as the healing process continues.
I don't think I ever posted pictures of the kids from Halloween night, so those are here (above).  Savannah was a Barbie Pumpkin Fairy (not sure what that is, but she thought it was pretty, so we went with it!).  Andrew was The Thing from the Fantastic 4 movie.  Samuel was the Hulk.  Kourtney was a fairy princess.  Sarah was Strawberry Shortcake.  We had a great night at the church carnival despite the fact that it got really COLD while we were out.
Right before Larry's surgery (late Oct), A&K's dad was finally sentenced.  This has been a long time coming.  We are glad to see that it's over & done with now.  He received a sentence of 10 years.  He will be up for parole at the 2 1/2 year mark.  Since he's already served nearly a year, that means approx 18-20 months from now he'll be offered parole.  Larry said that most inmates are not granted parole on the first shot, so I don't know how that will turn out.  He said that they are reviewed for parole again about every year to 18 months after the first shot, so if he doesn't make it the first time, he will have more chances later on.
Larry & I have mixed feelings about the sentence, but overall are just glad that it's done.  The great anguish (for me anyway) comes with considering what it will be like to {possibly} lose the kids after having them in my home for so long (by then).  They are already such a big part of my heart, I can't imagine handing them back.  I'm 100% certain that G will want to take them back when he gets out.  I'm not sure that he is really capable of caring for them, though.  I know he loves them & really does want them to have a good life, but I strongly believe he will want to get them back when he gets out.  I really can't let myself "go there" emotionally, though, as the feelings run way too deep on that issue.  G will have to spend about a year (at least) finding a job, getting a house, hiring a lawyer to file all the proper paperwork to get custody, etc before it's even something we have to think about, so I know it's wayyyyyy down the road, but it's still sad just the same.  I keep having to remember the Natalie Grant song "Live for Today" because that's truely what we have to do at this point.  If I think too much about the future, it's overwhelming & I just can't let myself do that.  So for now, I'll focus on what I can do here & now and trust God to cover all the rest.  (The lyrics to that song are below.)
I wrote to G this past week & suggested that he consider (when the time comes) paroling to our little town instead of to the one where he's lived most of his life & where he is currently in jail.  Moving around, re-acquainting themselves with their dad, starting a new school......that would all be a lot for a kid to handle all at one time.  I sure hope it's something that he at least considers when the time comes.
It's fun to see the kids' relationships continuing to grow.  While they're all still siblings (so to speak) & they still argue & bicker like cats & dogs, the truth is, they really do love each other.  I've had the best time watching the kids all work together to help Larry in his recovery since surgery.  Every time we go somewhere, they all fight over who gets to get Larry's walker out of the back of the van for him....and who gets to take him his glass of tea when he's watching TV......and who gets to carry his cane to him.  Tonight we were playing a Memory game & Sarah kept having bad luck at finding matches.  She started crying.  Andrew quickly grabbed up all of his matches & offered them to her to make her feel better.  A couple of weeks ago, Andrew was upset about something & Savannah went over to sit by him & pat him on the back & offer her condolences for whatever it was he was upset about.  I watched that little conversation which ended with her running to her room to get a 'gift' for Andrew (some empty soda cans she'd saved him from school----because she knows that he likes to shoot at cans when we visit Pappaw Jim's house).  It's fun to see them pull together & love each other so sweetly.  I know that most social workers say 2 years is the time frame for everyone feeling like a family, and I tend to agree.  We're coming up on 1 year and things are going very well relationship-wise these days.  Boy we've come a LONG way from the first few months when I thought I'd have to strangle Savannah & Andrew.  :)
Please join us in praying for 2 little struggles we continue to have.  Andrew tends to lie about things on a regular basis.  Right about the time we think that he's doing better & telling the truth about things, he sneaks one in on us that makes us lose our trust in him all over again.  It's not about 'big things'.  He lies about little dumb things.....whether or not he's wearing socks, whether or not he put the trash bag into the trash can, whether or not he brushed his teeth.  Of course, I realize that most kids will sometimes stretch the truth to keep from getting in trouble, it happens so often & so much here that we really can't trust him at all.  We're working on this & Andrew's counselor gave us some ideas today to deal with this.  We're going to give it a shot & see if it works.  Since nothing we've done seems to have made a dent in the problem yet, we're willing to give it a shot!
The other issue is Kourtney's lazy-ness.  Part of me believes that she's just lazy...and I know to some degree, she is.  But a big part of me knows that it's an attention issue.  Andrew has ADHD & takes med's for it that reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy help him.  I really don't think that Kourtney struggles w/ the hyperactive part of it, but she most definately has some ADD-type of issues.  Have you seen the movie "Finding Nemo"?  Remember the little blue fish with short term memory loss (Dory)?  THAT is Kourtney to a "T".  You tell her to go into her room & put her shoes in the closet...she picks up the shoes & makes it 1/2 way across the room before she gets distracted, drops the shoes & goesoff into la-la land.  I hate to have to stay on her all the time, but without constant reminders & redirection of her attention, she just can't stay focused on anything.  She constantly bounces from one project/toy/game/TV show/interest to another.  She is totally impulsive & never considers the outcome of anything before doing it.  She fits all the "symptoms" so much!  We talked to the counselor's office today about having her tested & they agreed that they have someone there in the office who can do it.  I am anxious to see what they think!
:::yawn::::  It's getting late.  I have to work tomorrow.  The kids are all going to day care for the day since they're out of school this week & I'm not.  They will have a ball---they get to go bowling & eat pizza!  By the time I get off work, they'll be back from the bowling alley & done for the day.  The timing will work out perfectly!  They're all excited about it.  I'm anxious to see how it goes.
I know I'm missing something......and after jumping around from one topic to another this entire post, I hope you're not dizzy & seasick.  Enjoy the song lyrics before.  This is one of my favorite Natalie Grant songs.
Live For Today Lyrics
Sittin' in my room staring at the wall
Wonderin' about the meaning of it all
Why is it this thing called life
Has got me goin' crazy?
So I open up your Word and let it speak to me
The purpose and the plan that you've designed
Is clear to see, and I believe

Chorus:
I'm gonna live for today.
I'm gonna follow in your way.
I'm gonna let my little light shine
Like there's no tomorrow.
I won't worry about the past.
I know my future is intact.
So I'll choose to live my life one way-
I'm gonna live it for today.

You told me not to worry
About what lies ahead,
So I am gonna focus on today instead.
Making every moment count and counting
Every single blessing.
I'm gonna set my mind on the
Here and the Now
This is what I want my life to be about
And this is How...

Repeat Chorus