McLife

We had our monthly visit with the adoption caseworker today. She always comes at 4pm, which is the busiest time of the daycare day, but it works with her schedule, so we do it. Luckily, the kids were content playing in the basement during that time because Sissy came over to watch them. All went well. We have decided to get a referral for counseling. It's not as easy as calling and making an appointment. The caseworker has to find an agency that can see them and then get approval. It should all go through, it will just take forever. I would like to have all of the kids go to counseling at least for an initial evaluation. My oh-so-wise mother made the point that just because Halie is the only one demonstrating her inner "junk" through negative behavior, it doesn't mean that the other kids don't have it. So, once we get approval, I am going to see about Chloe, Carter, Brice and Halie starting counseling.

Brice, Halie and Jasmine got to go over to Grandma Nancy's for a sleepover last weekend, and it was such a blessing! I never know if those interactions, whether in person or one the phone will make Halie happy or sad, but this time it was ALL GOOD! They had fun for two day, and there were no tears when I picked up, on the way home, or during the past week. I think that Halie might actually be starting to believe us when we say that she will get to see Grandma Nancy. I sure hope so. I want her to trust us and feel in her heart that she did not lose Grandma and Grandpa, but that it has just changed.
While on the subject of Grandma and Grandpa, I must say that Nancy and Mike are phenominal people. They are truly a family that puts the children first. They would drive to the end of the earth to visit with these kids, I believe. Even though they have no legal responsibility to these children, they want to continue to love them and maintain a relationship with them. We are adopting the kids legally, but they are adopting these "grandchildren" out of pure love.

We are all getting excted about the holidays. You would think that adding three more kids to Christmas would be stressful, but we have discovered this new concept called a "budget" ;-) and it has made it much easier than I anticipated. We can't wait to celebrate as a whole family.