Another Year in the Bag

Ice cream cake for the win! Welcome to year 32!

Floor-doration

I love our new floors so much;  Nicholas Sparks will probably write a book about it. 

Give me a couple days and I'll try to get some pictures up with our furniture, too!

 

Outfit of the Day

You choose!

 

Ballerina Explorer?

 

Spring Ski Bunni? 

 

Or Grandpa's work hat with Tony the Tiger Hands? 

Veni Vidi Vici

I'm hesitant to blog about our trip to Missouri because I know if I re-live it I'll just need a nap. 

 

We took elevator selfies.

 

We had our first picture of all the cousins.

(Sorry, Baby Lily that my scarf was smothering you.) 

 

We generally looked cute.  Unless it was between the hours of 4:30 to 7:00 am when everyone (in shifts) woke up with coughs, requests for water, bathroom needs, cries of "I'm cold!", or general yippy screaming.  Then everyone wasn't looking quite so cute.

 

We got to meet Baby Darling and ooh and ahh over her.  

 

Lily definitely had celebrity status.  See that hand from the paparazzi reaching up for her??!

 

We also got to celebrate with her!  Lily was born with hip dysplasia and has been wearing a soft then hard harness since day two(ish) of her life.  While we were visiting, she had a doctors appointment where the ultrasound showed significant change in the right direction!  We were happy to celebrate with her and thank God for answered prayer! 

 

We hung out at our cousins house where Shawn put at least three dog toys in his mouth.   

 

We got super excited about swimming. 

 

 

 

Later when I asked each kid what their favorite part about vacation was, Ollie said, "the hot tub".

 

We went to grandma and grandpa's farm where Ollie and Jaylynn rocked some ski masks.  Then they played in the greenhouse, coming out when their heads were soaked.  

 

Seth also played with a dead snake.  Vacation highlights, baby!!! 

 

We sat out and enjoyed a warm spring day.  Unfortunately, there were also plenty of bees out that were attracted to Shawn and Jaylynn's bright shirts.  Some how they both got stung on the hand within 30 seconds of each other in completely different parts of the yard.   

 

Some eager helpers went along with grandpa on his chores. 

 

And of course we ate out in our pajamas.   

 

 Overall we had a blast, are exhausted, and were bummed that we didn't get to spend more time with girl of the hour, Lily, and family in general. 

 

 

Conspicuous Families Anonymous

I'm killing some time outside my in-laws' house while Shawny boy finishes up a car nap. Good a time as any to blog, eh?

We don't eat out that often in our regular life.  But we all know vacay holds no bars. 

Without fail, every time we went out to dinner on vacation (and a few different times while swimming) we got comments on our family.  These comments were all very positive, sweet, and kind. 

It's just, dang. We stand out. 

And not just a little bit either. I mean we stand oooooout.  

For starters, we are a multi racial family. I'm encouraged, because almost every where I go (seemingly with the exception of Christian schools- don't even get me started...) I see other multi racial families. 

And we have what seems like a whole slew of young kids to your average onlooker.  The youngest communicating almost entirely in screams of delight or frustration. 

Plus those aforementioned kids are all in their pajamas at dinner in some restaurant because we have spent the afternoon swimming, have taken baths around 5 or 6 o'clock, put our pjs on and have then tromped out to dinner.  People, don't even start. I'm not going to take off four (five if you count my own) wet swimming suits, bathe everyone, find clean clothes for everyone, and then forty minutes later put all these same people into their pajamas. No. Just stop. I'm getting tired even thinking about all those outfit changes within 90 minutes. 

The icing on the cake for our stand outedness has got to be the accident prone nature of certain members of our posse. For instance, the mom (who shall remain nameless) feels like she needs to be constantly hurrying, thus spilling a whole cup of Apple juice all over Ollie at the hotel's breakfast.  I would guess at some point in their lives my kids will peruse these chronicles, so I will leave out incidents of a certain six year old (who shall also remain nameless). ;)

I grew up in a very get in, get out, get on with your life kinda family. No drama was appreciated.  I greatly embody this as an adult as well. Then I married a guy who is very easily embarrassed. I probably didn't  know that when I married him, it probably came up after I sang along to the radio in public or something like that.  

We've kinda gotten over all that, but double your kids and go on vacation and you may just notice that you are standing out even a little bit more. I don't really have any where I'm going with all this. I don't really even know if it's a pro or a con to really stand out, it's just kinda weird.

I would loathe being famous. 

And on another weird, people approaching me in public topic, twice in the last week, older women  have approached me to tell me they like my hair cut. Coincidentally, both of these women looked similar. Both had very thick, white or gray hair, cut about two or three inches below their chin that kinda curled under. Really, very nice hair. 

It's nice to receive a compliment. 

It also makes me wonder if the 60+ crowd enjoys my hair more than the under 60 crowd. Or maybe all age demographics like my hair equally well it's just that the 60+ crowd is more likely to approach a stranger with a compliment than the 60 under crowd?  Or (Jon agrees with this theory) a 60+ woman sees us, and having raised a brood of her own immediately thinks, Dang, that poor woman needs a little encouragement... I know I'll approach her about her hair. 

Please know I welcome your theories (and compliments) as well. 

Vacay: Day 3

A Schulte Sighting!

On the Road!

Type A vs. Foster Care

Alternative Title:  We have a new niece and are determined to meet her!!
Alternative Title: Thank goodness for good secretaries.
Alternative Title: If you understand all the hoop-la in this muddled mess, congrats.  You are probably also a foster parent. 

I am a planner.  A deep down planner.  I texted Pearl a few months ago in January asking if the gifts I had for her boys next Christmas would be to her liking as well.  She texted back an eye roll.  We can all agree it was deserved. 

We are headed to Missouri on Tuesday to meet this cutie: 

Lily the Darlingest!

The plan to get to MO and hold baby cuteness has been in the works for a while.  Approximately 6ish months when we got these shirts. 

I'll tell ya what will throw a wrench in your travel plans, though.  Not knowing if you should be planning for a family of four or a family of six, or a grumpy week stuck in Lubbock.   

We tentatively started planning MO spring break before the J's were with us.  After the J's we figured we would take them, and started planning this trip with four kids.  The first ten days with the J's was no sleep city, so we decided that we would get respite and resumed planning with our two kids.

We set up respite with Family 1, but they work full-time, so Family 2 was lined up for daily babysitting.  Then Family 1 Wife texted and said Family 1 Hubby set up a little surprise vacation for Family 1.

By this point, everyone is sleeping well in Motsinger compound, so we figure what the heck.  We will take all of 'em. 

Then the beginning of last week, our social worker with Buckner starts to mildly freak out because the judge for the J's hasn't approved out of state travel.  Which, for the record, is totally unusual.  So we all figure it's in everyone's best interest to line up respite.  Our Buckner Buddy is totally on the ball and calls everyone she knows, but it's hard because it's spring break and tons of people have travel plans.  Finally we get Family 3 set up, but they can only take one J, and Family 4 plans to take the other J.  This falls through faster than I typed that last sentence. 

Family 5 is then secured.  But, Family 5 can only keep the J's until Friday afternoon, where upon Family 6 will keep them Friday night and Saturday night.  Then our Buckner Buddy finds out that Family 6 is going to Ruidoso, New Mexico for the weekend and just planned on taking the J's with them.  Well, that brings us back to the original problem, out of state travel still has not been approved, so obviously Family 6 is out.  We toy with using Family 5 in conjunction with Family 1, but surprise vacation has also been extended and Family 1 is completely out. 

At this point, Jon and I start praying harder that the judge will just approve travel.  This has long since turned into a logistical nightmare.

It is looking like Family 5 is the winner, and four of us will travel, but we will have to cut our trip short. 

You know what's going to happen next, right? 

Yep.  Family 5 is out because they just found out that the girls they currently have in their house are not going to be reunited with family as quickly as they were once told, and now can't take the J's at all because of state ratios. 

By some miracle Family 7 is contacted and they can do the whole dang week for both J's.  I want to cry, I'm so grateful.  At this point, the trip would have to be cancelled, or as Jon said, we would take the J's out of state anyway, then just lose our foster license and be done with all this madness. 

Family 7 tells me that after 10 years, she decided to stop fostering.  I'm surprised, because I know she had a couple of boys as recently as December.  I find out she needs to do a couple of things to get her house back in compliance.  It really wouldn't be any big deal, but I don't hold my breath.

By then our usually calm Buckner Buddy is getting pretty worried.  The J's are not from Lubbock, so she does not have all the usual back doors available to her to figure out what in the heck is going on with this judge. 

In the end, she googles the judge's secretary's number, calls and explains the situation, the secretary digs up the papers, the judge signs them, and this most helpful secretary does this all while on the phone with our Buckner Buddy.  Two business days before we leave for MO. 

Whew.

I'm too tired to pack or plan now.  :)

But look out KC!  Mots, party of six, are headed your way!!!! 


 

!!!Sneak Peek!!!

 

 

Draw Two

Selfie a Trois

Camera Upload

Lookie here, I found an old gem from December...

 

I Scream, Shawn Screams, and You Know the Rest