Have you missed me?  Muah ha ha ha!  I finally have a working computer and am able to blog again.     Didn’t work too well trying to update the blog from the phone.
Get ready for a recap of what we’ve been up to lately.  So much to report!

Trey just wrapped up a 12 show run of MidSummer Night’s Dream at Bloedel Reserve.   What a production it was!  I was so proud of his dedication and how seriously he took his role.  Very different from a cast of many kids as he’s been in the past and quite the intricate storyline, too.  After seeing it 9 times, I think I may actually have an idea of what the show was about.
It’s a fun one, that’s for sure.  Many laughs and such a great venue.  Picnic dinners with friends, then watching the show.  It was a treat!

The time has come for us to pack up 13 years of memories and stuff and move.
It is completely bittersweet and I don’t think the reality of it all has truly hit me.  The boxes and minimalist living makes me logically know it’s happening, but I can’t even grasp not having our daily life in this house.
It’s helping that we are moving into an incredible home; one that shares a driveway with my parents and has enough space that the boys will have their own bedrooms, a giant kitchen (yay me!), a built in 12 foot dining room table, a tv/game room for the big kids and a play space for the little kids, a washer and dryer INSIDE (no more walking down into a creepy, wet basement to wash clothes) and so much more to look forward to.   Seriously, the only drawback is that we will have to pay almost double of what our current rent is.  It’s completely fair, just what the going rates on the island are at.
   The big day is March 1st, so if you are in town and want to schlep a box or two, we would love the help!   A lot is done already as we have been able to store boxes in my parent’s garage but a move is a move so still work to be done.
   As we navigate the last three weeks in our home, without a stove and dishwasher and amidst boxes, we will remember the good times.  This house will always hold a special place in our hearts, we got married here, brought all of our babies home here and have created so many wonderful memories.  I can’t wait until the work is done and we can sit in our new home and just breathe.

I can’t tell you what a joy it has been to watch Trey light up on stage in Peter Pan.  It’s a fast moving, fun show and I think my boy has talent!  The songs stick with you, too.  I can’t tell you how many times Erin has asked to sing “I Won’t Grow Up” or Hook and Peter’s “Oh My Mysterious Lady”  It’s been quite an experience.  I have taken Erin twice and the first time she adored Peter (didn’t realize until after the show that Peter was a GIRL) and she was terrified of Hook.  The second time she had a plan, she was going to dress up as a pirate and overcome her fears and talk to Hook but then when she met him she would make a tick-tock noise so Hook would be afraid of her!  She’s a smart girl.

We will all be sad to see it wrap up this weekend, the cast is an amazing group of people that Trey now calls friends.  So thankful Trey has been a part of it.

 Today, in the midst of all of our housing drama, when it seems our world is a bit unstable and the idea of change is unsettling, I got an email reminding me that it is time to renew the scholarships for the little girls in Guatemala that Carlos raised money for and has sponsored the last couple years.

To be honest, my first thought was that we have already done a lot, that our life is crazy and the timing is bad so maybe we could find a co-sponsor.  I told Carlos that money was due ($720 in the next month) and he didn’t skip a beat.  “I’m on it” were his words.  I suggested that we find a co-sponsor and he wouldn’t have it.  He is determined to raise the remainder of this money and continue to sponsor these girls.  I am a very proud mama and yes, of course that’s what we are going to do.

If you want to read more about Carlos’ efforts – click here or here for the Inside Bainbridge story.  

If you want to donate, know that your money will help Louisa and Irma go to school another year.  Included in that they will get new shoes, nutritional supplements and school supplies and  an education that will change their futures.
 

Carlos has raised over $2,000 to help support these girls and their family over the last couple years.  Along with schooling, Carlos wanted to  spend some of the money to help improve their daily life.  Little things like a birthday gift or food basket for the family. 
Their family now has chickens, a table and chairs, gardening tools, beds and their kids are going to school!  It’s pretty amazing.

 So our girl has a glitch – nursemaid’s elbow.  It is not such a fun thing to deal with as it is basically her elbow becoming dislocated without much having to make that happen.  First time was me taking her pajama sleeve off, another when a brother was helping her up, my mom putting pajamas on – you get the idea.  It’s fixable (I have learned how to put it back into place) but it’s incredibly painful.
After 6 dislocations, we knew something had to be done. A visit to Seattle Children’s and the orthopedic specialist landed her

This year I was asked to write a little something about why the Island School was so important to our family to encourage people to donate to the Annual Fund.  Sounds easy, right?  We LOVE it and are so incredibly blessed to have our kids be getting this education and more than that, the foundation for just being great people. 
As I sat down to write, though, I realized that it really is hard to put into words what this school means to our family.
Dee and I have made life long friends with other parents and the faculty, the boys have become amazing, confident, free thinking little people, Erin already thinks it’s her school and feels welcome to snuggle up on a couch and read and ALL of our foster babies have been showered with love there.
I can’t imagine being anywhere else and feeling the same way. 
So what does it take to get people to contribute?  That’s my question.  I want what I write to inspire.  This school has 100% of the Board and faculty contributing but it’s always like pulling teeth to get donations from the parents.  That I just don’t get.  It’s not about the amount (of course the bigger the better, right!?) but participation. 

So our family is in a bit of transition – the house we have rented for the last 13 years is now up for sale and we live day to day not knowing how long we will be able to live here.  It’s odd, we have truly made this our home.  We have clearly always known that we don’t own it, but the arrangements we have made with the landlord have been that we do the maintence and upkeep and pay reduced rent for doing so. 
The thought of leaving is strange.  We love it here and even with its quirks, it has been a perfect fit for our family.  We worked a ton to get it perfect for our wedding last year, we brought all of our kids (55 of them!) home here and despite the size and one bathroom we have made it work well.
If you know me, you know I’m not a fan of “limbo”  I’m organized to a fault at times, and like to have my ducks in a row.  I’m also not a fan of change, even though I believe that change can be a great thing.  A lot of me is in denial, I hear myself telling others that maybe it won’t sell and he will pull it off the market.  A lot of me wants to believe that will happen.  Another part of me thinks maybe this is the time we will find a perfect situation to live next door to my parents so we can help them/they can help us as things come up and be even closer than we are.  I would love that!
In all of this, we have been overwhelmed (there is no other word for it!) by the support we have been given.  The kind words of encouragement when we run into people at the store, kind posts via Facebook.  A friend even started up a fundraiser for us and it’s shocking that people are willing to donate to us staying in community and continuing to foster babies.  It honestly brings Dee and I to tears to think about how incredibly lucky we are to live where we live and to have so many amazing people in our circle.  We are truly blessed!
For now, we remain in limbo and doing all we can to shelter the kids from our stress and dreading calls from realtors asking to look at the property.