New Morning

Our Valley is GORGEOUS!! Sky is blue, the cherries are in bloom, the sunflowers on the mountain are in bloom, the grass is so green. So thankful.

We solicit your prayers still. The going is rough for Buddy's mom. Dragged her out for a walk by her toenails this morning. She was angry and crying and did not want to go. I told her I would not force her, but I knew it would help. She cried for a bit walking down the road, but then her mood started to lift. Later she asked me to take her again sometime...  She's asking for prayer. I told her friends were praying around the world.

Yesterday, church went very well. The sermon was a beautiful, needed sermon on forgiveness. Buddy's mom cried through it all. After potluck we went to her NA*'s family picnic. Later she told me they are the most struggling group of people I have ever met or ever will meet. It's so sad. Some beautiful people, but struggling and trading one addiction for another.  Definitely might be in recovery, but not healthy. Heartbreaking. Pieter and Oscar's family members were there as we had it okayed with CPS to let them enjoy their children while we were there. It turned out to be a very bad place for Buddy's mom to be. EVERYBODY SMOKES. She was miserable and she caved, but we couldn't leave because of the other family and our foster children. It was a good thing for Pieter's family to meet all of us and to be able to start to build some sort of .... well, not sure what it is yet, it's not a friendship at this point. But they do know their babies are safe with us. Buddy's mom was feeling worse and worse and by the time we got home she was more than exhausted. People there at the picnic mistook Vanessa and me for sisters. They found it incredulous that I could be old enough to be her mother.  Well, huh. There might be some ways to stay young . . . 

I always thought Missy was the intense brain drain on me....  Since James has been gone I realize HE is SUPER intense and my biggest stressor.  I didn't know. We have 7 little kids in the house and because he is gone it feels like we have half. Poor kid, he is fearful, and anxious, and in your face, and on the verge of crying for any and a thousand reasons all day. He needs constant attention. He is subtly picking fights with other children and is an undercurrent of conflict always. Missy has not been an issue at all. The relationship between the two together could be half her problems. She needs space from him. Steve took Missy skiing today. It's the last day. He's on patrol, but I'm sure he'll have plenty of one-on-one time for her. They are having a flamingo hunt on the slopes for fun. He'll pick up James tonight. I need to go make Peggy and Lui a pie or something as a thank you.

The Lord has been good to us. The temps have never dipped lower than 40 degrees on any night since I transplanted the tomatoes a few weeks ago and took them to the greenhouse. Usually I am carting them up and down the hill morning and night. It's one less job to do. Which is good as there are more than usual this year.  I still cover them with frost cloths because there is NO heat in the greenhouse at all.

Sigh... Oscar has figured out how to climb out of the crib, so into a pillowcase he goes. It's nap time!