National Independence Day - 2010!!!!

After a relaxing Saturday at home, that allowed us to catch up on some much needed sleep, we packed up to get ready for our adventure planned for the national holiday. A good time was had as we took advantage of the three day weekend for Janelle and I to run up north and visit one of our favorite stomping grounds and site of our wedding, one Bellingham, Washington. We had a great room in the Fairhaven Inn; a very cool older building directly in the center of the historic Fairhaven area just south of downtown Bellingham. After checking out the sweet folk dancing and local music scene happening in the courtyard just across street from our hotel, we visited one of our local favorites for lunch in the form of the Colophon Cafe. All of the fun cow motifs, one yummy homemade milkshake, and some great sandwiches set us up for the rest of the festivities. Following the sandwiches we heard a little more from the local music talent and headed back to the room for a little R&R prior to the rest of the evening. Following the quick rest we headed through the familiar streets of the "'Ham" to hit another of our favorite dining locales with the always cool Boundary Bay Brewery. I proudly wore my "Save the Ales" sweatshirt as we dined on a great BBQ sandwich and some chicken enchiladas (Love the Southwest Style Mexi food in this town!!) and sipped on some of the unique and quite delicious home-brewed beverages. After perusing the in-brewery shop for possible gifts and fun clothes we decided to brave the crowds and head out to the site of our wedding and the site of the 2010 July 4th celebration for the locals. We got a prime parking spot just on the outside of the park and trotted right in with our large blanket and lawn chairs to experience all of the fun. After scoring one of the choice spots near the waters edge we cruised through the sweet vendors at the park and admired the small stage and beer garden that had been placed directly on the same site where Janelle and I stated our vows just a little more then a year before. There was a great small-town feel to the whole proceedings that fit just fine with the two of us. Great views, some amazing people watching, and a gorgeous sunset as the sky grew dark kept us content as we waited for the annual pyrotechnic show. Despite a little drizzle just as the show began, and lasting throughout the show and some following, there was a a wonderful display with many "oohs" and "ahhs" as the colors flared. Following the show we were able to hit a gas station for some snacks on the way back to the hotel and enjoyed lounging on the uber-comfy bed as we snacked and watched some TV to cap off the evening. In the AM we hit the continental breakfast and enjoyed a few waffles before cruising through our favorite Bellingham toystore and plant store. A great visit, and a fun way to spend the 3-day weekend in one of our favorite places in the Northwest; that holds a special place in both of our hearts. Till next time!!! ;-)

Our Jungle

So the weather here has been everything but summer like in the past few weeks. As a result we haven't been able to get out to the yard to weed or cut the grass, and its gotten pretty wild! Missy enjoys being a "jungle cat" though!

Finally on Saturday we got a nice break and had a gorgeous day! Tony even ventured out.


Other exciting Tony news is that Janelle had a friend, Kasie, from Bellingham come down for the weekend and Tony hung out in the living room for a long time while she was there! Progress!

Otherwise, the past few weeks have been pretty crazy, Janelle went through an extensive interview process for a job and was finally offered the position! Unfortunately part of that process included needing to move the baby we had placed with us because there was a conflict of interest with having that specific child an this job. So again we had just a three night placement.

Janelle put in her two weeks at her current job last week, which she is glad on many fronts to be leaving, but it is bitter sweet since the families she works with depend on her so much and she knows it will be difficult to say good bye. But she will not miss the long hours, unsupportive environment and being on call 24/7! The new job is a pretty significant pay cut, but at this point it is worth it to minimize the extreme amount of stress Janelle has been under.

So there have been a lot of changes lately, but we are both confident good things are in store for us!

Speaking of a baby in your arms....

Matt is right now sitting with the new baby sleeping in his arms. She ended up being placed with us tonight and as usual we learned more after the fact. She will likely be with us a lot longer than the last little one, but the plan is still for her to go to her dad. So time will tell...

She is again super cute, has two or three little curls right on the top of her head and an adorable smile. Fun!

Janelle has already made a rookie move as a parent. She needed some baby supplies so decided to make a run to target. She brought a few diapers in the car, but only brought one into the store. She decided to change the baby since she was wet and Janelle wanted her to be comfortable for the shopping trip. Janelle got her settled into the cart and off they went to shop. Fast forward five minutes later and the undeniable sound of a major major blow out! Yikes, Janelle frantically threw the items she needed in the cart as she watched the baby's clothes turn a lovely shade of brown.

She checked out, ran out the car, grabbed another diaper, one of the new outfits she just bought and went back in to Target for some damage control. Note to new parents, no matter what always bring more than one diaper and a change of clothes....

And the Roller Coaster Ride Continues...

Well after our last experience being foster parents, we weren't sure if we could do it again. BUT, we're back in the saddle. We talked last week about whether this was something we wanted to continue or not and decided we wanted to give it another shot. As was the case last time, Janelle got several calls immediately when she let the licensor know that we were ready. Since we were heading down to Portland and would be out of state, none of them would have quite worked out. On Thursday, Janelle got a message from one of her co-workers in Tacoma asking if the Seattle office had an adoptive home for an 18 month old girl. Janelle knew nothing more than this all weekend, but of course the wheels started turning as to if this would be a good fit for our family.

We talked seriously about it and decided that if there were no major medical or developmental issues, we would do it. But Janelle talked to the social worker today and learned a lot more information including that the child did in fact has some significant delays and a medical issue. There is always a little bit of a feeling of disappointment because there is excitement around the idea of having a child in your home, but we knew this really wasn't a good fit for our family.

But low and behold a call came in a few hours later for a six month old baby girl in need of a home. She has already been in care for a while, which means it has already been determined of her need to be in foster care. So she won't go home after just a few days this time. As you may remember from last time, nothing is certain until that child is in your arms, but its looking like tomorrow we may have another baby in our home!

To Be Continued....