It Begins

Tomorrow we have our first hearing for the baby, who we are now calling Liam.  Since finding out he will be TPR'd, we decided to start calling him by the name he will receive when he is adopted.  He never really responded to "Ty," and the first time I said "Liam," he looked right at me.  We knew that was his name!

Tomorrow's hearing is the initial appearance for the TPR.  In our other TPR cases, we have come in midway through the process; so I have no idea what to expect from this hearing, other than that they will schedule the trial.  I also know that both the GAL and the Caseworker (and probably the DA) will be asking that visits be suspended until after the trial, but we aren't getting our hopes up.  The CW told me it will be easy to prove that the visits are not in Liam's best interest, but that we still can't expect anything, since most judges won't do it, simply because they don't want to risk putting the outcome of the trial in jeopardy.

Up through late last week, I had a good idea of how things were going with BP's; but since then, I haven't heard any updates.  As of the last I heard, BM wasn't doing well (as expected - she has a very predictable MO), but not having heard anymore about it is making me a little nervous.

More to come after tomorrow...

Friday Quick Lunch!

So on Fridays, I always have a hard time figuring out what to make for lunch.  On Monday through Thursday, we eat our hot meal for lunch and have sandwiches for supper.  On Fridays, we have pizza for supper.  I know, I know; I should just make sandwiches for lunch.  Well, truth be told, sometimes I do.  But many Fridays, I really just want to do something different.  Now, it IS Friday, so I want it to be quick and easy.  But different.  Whenever possible.

So today I made something new.  Actually, it wasn't totally new; I altered a recipe I've made many times in the past in a pie pan.  Today, I made it in muffin cups.  

Start with a 12-cup muffin tin (or two 6-cup tins.  Or however many you want.).  Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Save yourself a headache later, and SPRAY YOUR TIN.  Trust me.  You want to do this.  (Have you guessed yet that I forgot??)

In each cup, put several pieces of broccoli.  I put enough to fill up almost half the cup.  I like my kids to have lots of veggies.  Then, spoon about 2 TBSP of cottage cheese in with the broccoli.  The cups will look almost full.  That is A-OK.

Scramble up a dozen eggs (or one for each muffin cup).  I started with six, thinking there was no way I had enough room in each of those cups for a whole egg.  WRONG.  I had exactly enough room left in each cup for a whole egg.  I scrambled mine in my pyrex two-cup measuring cup, so that I could just pour them right into the cups.

Pour egg into each cup.  Pour SLOWLY.  The egg white will want to find its way down between the cracks, but since it's all connected, if you pour too fast you will have egg all over the tin.  Fill the cups all the way to the brim.  I made two passes, since it took a few seconds for the egg to fill in all the cracks and empty spaces.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  There will be some water runoff from the broccoli; don't worry about that.  Then sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top (I used mozzarella) and stick it back in the oven for another two minutes.

Voila!

Separate them from the edges of the cups with a butter knife, while they are still hot.  Use a spoon to scoop out onto a plate or bowl.

Enjoy!

*When I've made this in a pie plate, I have used several variations, including ham, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, chicken, and I'm sure a few other things I can't remember right now.  I used this one today, because my kids are broccoli snobs.

If you try this with any other variations, please feel free to share!

1 dozen eggs, scrambled

Broccoli (or other veggies/meats)

Cottage cheese

Shredded cheese (any kind)

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray muffin tin(s).

Put several pieces of broccoli and 2 TBSP cottage cheese in each muffin cup.

Slowly pour egg into each cup, allowing egg to fill into spaces.  Fill to brim.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese on top of each cup and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

K3 Update and Planning for Fall

The trial for K3's TPR was adjourned until October.  There is nothing more to say on that, except please pray.  Thanks!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We will be starting summer school soon (as in, next week).  Summer school at the Shan Clan Manor consists of crafts, games, music, and a few academic subjects based on what each child needs to brush up on before the next year of school begins.  For Hunter this will be geography and math and typing, and for Kaleigh it will be reading (although she is doing VERY well with her reading) and writing and math.

As I mentally plan for this, I have inevitably begun thinking about beginning school in the fall, and I have to say, it struck me yesterday that I have had it pretty easy with Hunter these last two years.  This year I will have a pre-preschooler, a first grader, and a seventh grader. 

YIKES!

I am definitely going to have to kick the discipline level up a notch.  Or seven.  I may even find myself buying - GASP! - a lesson planning book.  EEEP!  

I'm also going to do some searching to see if I can any curricula for certain subjects, like social studies and science, that have lessons that can be taught to different age groups but worksheets geared to the different ages.  Might be a pipe dream.

Well, off to start breakfast and enjoy a day at home before starting up with all the chaos!

Waiting...

There was a pretrial hearing for K3's TPR hearing this morning at 10 (allegedly).  We opted not to go because the drive to Children's Court is an hour, and we were told the DA is going to be asking for an adjournment because one of her witnesses is unable to testify next week.  It didn't make sense for Randy to miss a day of work and for us to drive an hour just to hear them ask for an adjournment.

However, that leaves me sitting at home waiting to hear from the Case Manager to find out how it went.  What I'm most anxious to hear about is when they adjourn to.  I really hope it isn't months out, though I'm concerned it will be.  

Will update when I hear something.  I'm kind of wondering if they are behind today (they often are), because it would be unusual for this hearing to go so long, unless the judge still wanted to take care of pretrial matters.  Which I suppose isn't completely outside the realm of possibility.

Update on Littles

Well, I had a worker from K3's GAL's office here last week, and I had Ty's case manager here yesterday.  K3's case manager was also supposed to come last week, but she was getting over a bout with pneumonia and wasn't able to make it.  

I know I promised an update, but the truth is, there is very little "new" to report.

But for those who aren't up to date with what's going on (I know I don't share as much here as I do in "real life"), here's the skinny:

K3 came to us with her case already in TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) with the court.  Her pretrial conference is next week, and her trial is the week after that.  We are praying everything goes smoothly and quickly, while also being realistic and remembering that truly, anything can happen (we know this from experience!)  It's strange to know that her case could be finished before Ty's, and that potentially, she could be adopted sooner.  However, it's also strange to think that her case could be over sooner, but he could still be adopted sooner, since we can't adopt her until she's been with us six months, which happens to be October 14th!

In June, Ty's case was referred from the case worker's office to the DA's office for TPR.  Then I found out that at the hearing in February, when Ty's grandmother got legal guardianship of his 2-1/2 year old brother, the court had also ORDERED the TPR on Ty.  Why it took them so long to refer it, I have no clue; in fact, his worker quit at the end of May, and it was the new worker who referred the case to the DA's office, her second day on the job.  Sort of ridiculous.  I think maybe the previous worker was trying to give the bp's (bio parents) a chance to straighten up before she sent the referral, although it was clear from our conversations that she knew that was never going to happen, so I'm really not sure what the hold up was.  Either way, the DA is in the process of filing the TPR with the court now.  His permanency hearing has been scheduled for August since February, so hopefully the TPR will be addressed at the same time.  Of course, we are also hoping that his case goes quickly, as he has now been with us 8 months and is definitely a part of our family.  It's obvious that even he knows it, as he is sometimes clingy with me and at times will not go to anyone else.  

K3's visits with bp's have been nonexistent, due to reasons I cannot disclose here.  However, due to a change in one of those circumstances, her bd (bio dad) is in a position where he began asking for visits again.  The case worker had no way of getting around it, even though she really didn't want to give him visits again; so she gave him one visit a month!  I had to laugh.  If the trial goes well for K3, bd will get one visit, and that will be it.  As of right now, bm will get no visits, as her circumstances for not having visits have not changed.  K3 has no bond with either of them, doesn't talk about them, and doesn't acknowledge them as her parents, even to her case worker or therapist. 

Ty's visits, for all practical purposes, have also been nearly nonexistent.  In February, his visits went from 3 per week per bp to 2 per week per bp, because they kept canceling visits.  Starting next week, they go to 1 per week per bp, for the same reason - they miss more visits than they attend.  So I'm really glad about that, because never knowing until the last minute whether a visit will happen or not is just you-know-what on the daily schedule - especially Fridays, when I try to plan fun things with the kids.  

So that's the update on those two.  Soon to follow: an update on our summer - past, present, and future! :-)

Brave(?)

I keep telling myself I'm going to blog more.

It doesn't seem to be working.

Maybe I'm not taking myself seriously enough.

Or maybe I just have a few too many kids to chase around the house all day ;-).

I am still thoroughly enjoying Mommyhood-of-Four.  I'm enjoying it so much, in fact, that I ventured 750 miles from home with the four of them WITHOUT MY HUSBAND.  Several people told me how brave I am; I'm pretty sure it's just the final proof that I am absolutely insane.  

Seriously, though, it was a really good time.  We went down to my grandparents' house in El Dorado, Kansas, where we spent three days and were able to celebrate my great aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary and my grandfather's 80th birthday!  It was such a blessing to be able to be there and see what God has done in the longevity of these special lives and relationships.  It was also very awesome to see so many family members that I haven't seen in a year or more - and some of those that I "saw" a year ago, I didn't get to spend any time with, so the chance to spend more time with them made the trip extra special.

After we left El Dorado, we spent three days in Kearney, Missouri (just northeast of Kansas City), with my best friend from college, Shannon.  It's been a year since we've seen her, too, so it was a really good time.  

Now that we're home, Randy has the week off work, and we have plans to get some home projects done this week.  We also have a few family plans in mind.  Actually, we carried some of those plans out today - we picked up sandwiches at a local sub deli and went out by the lake for a picnic, then took our library books back (and got new ones, of course!)  Tomorrow my mom is coming over to stay with the baby while we take the big kids to see Brave.  Tomorrow night, Randy and I are going to get some painting done, and then my family is coming over Wednesday for a cookout.  

Tomorrow morning, the worker from the GAL's office is coming to see K3.  After that, I will have a post with an update about both the kids' cases. 

Life As We Know It

Life as a Mommy of four is busy, and fun, and rewarding, and scary, and CRAZY!  And I love it.  Not every minute of it maybe, but I do love it.

K3 has very quickly become a true Shanahan (no, her last name has not changed yet).  She is still learning and adjusting, and I know it will continue to be a process - as growing is with every child.  Her biggest struggle right now is obeying.  I get the feeling she never was really told what to do before.  That and she is definitely testing for consistency.  (I think you can guess what she is finding there, too.)  Her social worker told us before placement that she didn't have much consistency or discipline follow-through at her previous foster home, and that is definitely obvious.  But we are working on it, and she is learning, albeit slowly.  Potty training has gone GREAT, after a rough start.  She has now been dry for a week straight, including nights.  Today we went from trainers to regular underwear (ditched the pullups two weeks ago), and next time we're at the store she'll get to pick out some "special" ones (the ones she came with are pretty plain).  I also decided a little over a week ago to quit using pullups at night.  Since coming here, she only wet once at night.  I don't really want her to get into a position where she regresses at night, which I think happened with Kaleigh.  So, there you have it.

My littlest monster has really been a monster these last couple of days.  He is suddenly teething like it's going out of style.  Tooth #2 broke through Saturday morning, and tooth #3 just popped through this morning.  On top of that, he is going through some separation anxiety right now; I can't even leave the room without him starting to throw a fit.  This is making naps somewhat difficult.  For example, right now.  When he is happy, though, he is such a joy.  He is eating solid foods now, sitting up really well in the Bumbo, interacting with all the toys on his ExerSaucer and bouncing himself around in it, and laughing at almost everything.  He is such a sweet boy.

Kaleigh is also still adjusting to having another little girl around.  At times, she is loving and leading and sharing and is just a very good sister.  At other times, her need to control comes out and she tries to be the boss instead of the sister.  I am trying to help her learn that she and K3 are equals in this house - she is not any higher up on the chain than her sister or anyone else for that matter.  She knows it, but does not want to accept that she does not get to make the decisions or control anyone else.  It has been quite the frustration, this past week in particular.  I continue to pray for wisdom, grace, and more wisdom.

Hunter turned 12 almost two weeks ago now, and is also working at changing some behaviors.  Overall, he has done much better these last few weeks than he had been doing in previous weeks.  We continue to remind him that privileges are earned; they are not rights that one receives simply by reaching a certain age; and that they can be lost very easily and have to be re-earned, which is not nearly as easy as losing them.  He is doing well in his schoolwork, and I decided to be done with math for the year (we will still do some review over the summer).  He has almost finished his third reading workbook this year, and then he will be done with reading for this year as well.  That leaves science, grammar, and vocab to finish up before he is done with 6th grade.  I am pretty sure we will be working on all three during the summer, so I will just need to pick a good "stopping" point at which we can say 6th grade is over. 

I guess that's it from the kiddo side of things.  Randy and I continue to squeeze in time alone together whenever we can - which is sometimes next to never with our weekly schedule.  We did have a very nice weekend, with some good family time and good couple time and lots of just plain relaxing all around.  Randy is transitioning into a new position at work - which I know he will do a fabulous job in! - but we are about to see him a little less during the weeks for awhile as he works on getting things straightened out and in order and learns the ropes of the new position.  So our weekend family time continues to be as important as ever.

There are some updates I want to share regarding the status of the kids, but this entry is long enough, so they will have to wait for another entry.  

Happy Monday!