Tacos

Dear Tasha,

We had tacos for dinner last night. It reminded me of you because tacos were your favorite thing to have for dinner. It was one of the first meals we had together; you stuffed yourself with six whole tacos and had a stomach ache afterward. Later you told me that the reason you like tacos so much is the conversation they create around the dinner table- there are so many toppings sitting all over the table, that in order to get what you want, you have to ask, "will you please pass the ____" and, "could you pass the ____ please." This interaction and passing around of food was appealing to you. I always thought that was endearing.

Little things like this remind me of you on a daily basis. I'm not the only one who remembers. Lillian saw a blow dryer in the YMCA bathroom a few days ago. As she blow dried her hair she said, "Tasha have a pink one!" She frequently asks me, "Where Tasha? Where her bed?"

I ask myself the same questions. I wonder where you are, who you're with, how you're feeling, if you're safe....if you're thinking of me. If you know that I'm thinking of you.

I miss you.

My relationship with you made me a better person and it made our family stronger.

I wish I knew how you were doing.

No matter how much time goes by, I will always want to hear from you.

I love you,
Amanda

Photographer In Training

Lillian is a budding photographer! All of her practice is paying off- no more knee shots or cut-off foreheads! Here is some of her recent work:







Here are some that Mommy and Daddy caught:



So...who's ready to book a session? :)

State of Emergency

I found this photo on my camera today. It's from a couple of months ago.


Holy smokes! It looks like Hurricane Lillian passed through in full force. President Obama must have declared a Federal State of Emergency that day. I'm still waiting for relief efforts to arrive . . .

Poo-Pee-Palooza

Sydney has been on a roll lately. Yesterday she sprinkled me with a fountain of pee while I was changing her diaper. Later that afternoon she soaked her carseat with pee (in her defense though, she was wearing a swimmie diaper because she was on her way to the pool....proves every mom's theory that swimmies don't hold a darn thing).

But today was the kicker. I finally got the girls and the jogging stroller loaded in the car and we were heading out for a nice, leisurely jog down by the river. I heard Sydney grunting in her carseat behind me, which was soon followed by the unmistakable smell of poo. No big deal, I thought- BEFORE I saw the mess. Sydney blew the poop straight out the right side of her diaper, all over her leg, her arm, and even some on her face!! Ewwww! I drove right back home, stripped her down and put her in the bath tub. So much for my jog. Too bad the effort alone isn't enough to burn the calories.

Adoption

I got an urgent phone message from a case worker from the foster agency that we used to work with. Our file has been closed for about seven months, but they were desperate for help. They have a little boy who just turned five who has been living with his very elderly great-great grandma and great grandma (70 and 90 years old). The agency and the state don't think that's a good environment for the little boy, so they want to place him in another home. His mother's rights have already been terminated and his father has an abusive record. No one else in the family is able to take him in. He's already been bounced around four or five foster homes. The little boy is Caucasian, so they want to place him with a Caucasian family who is interested in adoption. We were the only Caucasian foster family on record with the agency. I wish we were in a position to help, because it breaks my heart to think about that little boy and the situation he's been forced into. I just want to wrap my arms around him and make him feel safe and secure.

I know this is a total long shot, but I'm just wondering if anyone knows anyone who is interested in adoption and would be interested in taking this little boy in as a foster child (with the possibility of adoption). Unfortunately, I don't know anything else about the little boy, except that the case worker said he doesn't have any medical conditions (I don't know if that includes psychological/behavioral problems). I do know that if you go from foster care to adoption, the state will pay for all of the legal fees associated with the adoption. They will also expedite the process of approving you as a foster parent.

If anyone is interested, please let me know and I can put you in touch with the case worker who called me.