Christmas Present....Before and After

Ty had asked me several times if he could dye his hair black. I gave him permission (and the dye) for Christmas. Here he is before and after lol.

Merry Christmas

It's a day late I know but I hope you all had as good a Christmas as we did. The boys loved their presents and were really good, both at dinner Christmas Eve at my parents and here on Christmas when I hosted a turkey dinner for my parents, brother, his gf, sister, and BIL. All in all...it was probably my most favorite Christmas ever!

Whatever you did for Christmas...I hope you had a joyous and wonderful time!!!!

Have You...

This seemed interesting so I thought I'd do it.

PUT THE THINGS YOU'VE DONE IN BOLD.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
27. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing/repelling
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted/sketched
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish count, right?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
101. Fallen in Love

As usual anyone who wants to can do this!

Christmas Tag

I saw this on a friend's blog so I thought I'd do it.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both but mainly wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? About a week before Christmas

4. When do you take the tree down? Jan 1st or 2nd

5. Do you like eggnog? I love it!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I can't remember getting a gift I didn't like lol. My favorite was probably a specially made doll bed my parents got me.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents. When they want something they just buy it. And they never really even WANT anything enough that they buy it.

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep!

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Who emails Christmas cards???

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I think I've liked everything. I'm easy to please and the people who know me well enough to get something for me know what I like.

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story or Polar Express

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually early November but I sometimes pick stuff up throughout the year.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I can't pick one thing! Christmas cookies, fudge, chocolate covered cherries....

15. Lights on the tree? Colored

16. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Now that I'm back in my hometown we go visit Grandparents and all but don't travel.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas day? one on Christmas Eve (usually new jammies) and the rest on Christmas

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Grumpy people

22. Favorite ornament theme or color? no theme...lots of kiddo made ornaments though

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey or ham dinner

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? to have my boys be satisfied with what Santa and I can do this year LOL and for a real present maybe a new chair for the living room

25. Favorite thing you look forward to doing every year? All of it!

Tag

My friend Kathy tagged me for this...go to your 4th picture file and post your 4th picture in it!

This is Ty in the pool at a motel we stayed at for a get away last winter.

I tag anyone who wants to do it.

A Rant

Head's up: This post is going to be quite the vent I think. Life with the case, and with J especially, has been stressful lately. The whys of that have led me to a very hurt and angry place right now. You're going to see both those things if you read on. And because I can't get TOO detailed about J or the case (or especially the CPS)the anger will out more.

I'm hurt and broken hearted right now. J has been displaying some unsafe and destructive behaviors as a result of his past. It's been pretty much on-going but has been getting worse recently. Some of you don't know this but the judge recently ordered visits be resumed with J and L's family but ONLY with L. (This is what I mentioned in a previouos post that might cause backsliding.) And it seems it has. These things might mean he can't stay here anymore. It's that serious and that close to the edge. He might NEVER be able to overcome the obstacles these issues and behaviors are causing him. I am so scared for what lies ahead for him and devastated to think of losing him because of this.

I'm going to go into a bit of detail here to make what I think is a very important point. J's problems are due to abuse he suffered at the hands of his family. It started with his parents and when they were done they passed him around until he ended in his grandfather's care for almost 3 years. Where he was TORTURED on a regular basis during that time. Given this I don't ever want to be told that adoption is not an option again. That there aren't some times when it IS the best choice. I'm sick of it. He stayed with his family for 6 years and look what it got him. Do you think he gives a rat's arse that they look like him, walk like him, have this talent or that like him? The kind of people they are he'd have been better off not knowing.

I know that there are parents and adoptees out there who will bring up the fact that he might have been abused in an adoptive home too. Some would intimate or even come out and say that foster or adovitve parents are MORE likely to abuse. For all I've read that nonsense on some blogs I have never seen one statistic to back it up. As my friend Kathy has said...people are people and no matter how you come to a family they aren't going to be perfect. Foster/adoptive parents are no different that way. In this case, though, his parents knew their own limits and what options they had among family (apparently none). So...the family is always best argument is DONE. FINISHED. THE END.

Another thing I'm tired of hearing is that God doesn't want us "Infertiles" to have children and that's why we can't. Really? That's the best ya got? The way I see it if only the people that were supposed to have children could there would be no need for adoption or abortion because there would be no abuse, neglect, or unwanted children. Every child would be born into a family who was willing and able to parent him or her.

I guess I'm ranted out but just let me say that I don't believe that parents who place are going to abuse their children if they don't. I already said I don't think either type of parent is more prone to that. The whole point I was trying to make is that adoption IS necessary. In a perfect world it wouldn't be. In an almost perfect world only those parents who should NOT have children would place them (and that would never be to abusive parents.) Anyway, that adoption is necessary is FACT. Those negatively affected by it can deny it til they're blue in the face but there it is...pure and simple.

Steps to Manhood

Cory took one last night that was more like a leap than a step. Aside from moving up to Middle School this might be the most noticeable step to maturity he's taken. He shaved! It started 2 nights ago when he said to me, "Mom, I hate my mustache. Can I PLEEEASE shave it?" I really couldn't say no to that so yesterday I bought him shaving cream and a disposable razor. He let me give him tips but wouldn't let me take any pictures lol. He proudly allowed Ty to watch too.

All of this lead to the following conversation this morning.

Cory (to J and L): "You guys didn't even notice I shaved last night."

J: "Let me see." Pause. "Oh yeah! Now I see. It's all red and bumpy."