Wishing for Success

While I was working with DCFS, I thought about the kids that were on my caseload and wondered if they would ever learn or accept the help that was offered to them. I felt a sense of pride when some of them would accomplish something, participate in a recital, or do something that might seem simple to us but is a huge feat for them. I would also feel a sense of sorrow or anger for the mistakes and choices that they made. In a sense I had a sliver of what their parent might feel.

Since I no longer work for the state, I still wonder about the 30+ kids that I worked with over 5 years.

Well, this evening as I was turning on the news, the first story that I heard shocked me once I realized that it was one of my previous kids that I had worked with for 3 years. It did not shock me that he was on the news, but that they aired it. This kid use to go awol/run from his placements ALL THE TIME! And he was constantly in trouble with the law when he was still a minor.

The thing that makes me sad is realizing that this kid is not going to learn from his mistakes for the time being. In fact, he will more than likely add it as "another notch on his belt" because he made the news.

I truly hope that eventually he will start learning to make better choices. I hope that I will hear success stories from my "kids" later when I am in heaven.

Resolution

I know that a lot of people have been posting their New Years resolutions. A cousin of mine posted that she feels that she read somewhere that resolutions should be made in September with school starting and the changing of the seasons. I think that any time is a good time to make goals.

I have to say that I have made some goals for myself over the past few months. I have been doing very well with them (better than I have with previous New Years Resolutions).

And no, I'm not telling you what they are because then you will hold me to them. :)

Good luck with your New Years Resolutions!

Holiday Happiness

Over the holidays we had so much fun.

Visited with Great Grandma Lewis.

On Christmas Eve, Natalie understood how to open presents.

On Christmas morning, she knew how to open presents even better.

And by Christmas afternoon, she really had the hang of it and wanted to help others open their gifts too at Grandma and Grandpa Lewis'.
Natalie also enjoyed sledding at Grandma and Grandpa Lewis'. After I took this picture I got on with her so we could go faster and not worry about her dumping out. Let's just say that it was Mommy and Daddy that were cold and wanting to stop and not Natalie! She wanted to keep on going!

And we also got into some New Years Eve mischief.

Happy Holidays!

Hope yours was wonderful!

Loves Christmas Except...

...Santa. That's right. Natalie HATES Santa!

At our ward Christmas party on Saturday night she freaked out when he walked in. He was half a gym distance away and she was still frantically trying to climb over Mike's shoulder to get away from Santa.

She eventually calmed down and I stood in line with her to see if she would sit on his lap. She was fine while we were in line (even when she saw him), but as soon as we were the next up she started crying, screaming, and climbing over my shoulder to get away from him. So, this is the best that we are going to get this holiday season of Natalie sitting on Santa's lap.

Other than Santa, Natalie loves Christmas! She loves looking at the lights, the tree, etc. We decorated our gingerbread house the other weekend. I made the gingerbread house from scratch (just as my mother did for us growing up). Natalie loves the licorice on it!

This Christmas will be fun with Natalie when it comes to opening up presents. Hope you all are getting in the Christmas spirit!

P.S. All is well with Natalie's arm. It must have just been sprained.

A Sad Sight

Natalie had a little accident on Tuesday. She fell off of a little neighbor girl's bed and hurt her arm. She hardly cried at all. I observed her throughout that afternoon because I suspected that something was wrong. She didn't cry when I felt her arm, but she sure didn't want to use it.

So we went to the ER to have it checked out. They could tell that about mid forearm Natalie didn't like them touching or turning her wrist to rotate it. The x-rays revealed nothing. So they called it an occult fracture (or hidden fracture) and sent us home with a splint and a sling.

We go to Natalie's pediatrician tomorrow to see what they think and see if another x-ray needs to be done. She's been using her arm more since yesterday afternoon. And her poor little hand is swollen from the fall. Natalie's a good sport and doesn't mind the splint or sling too much.

Pink Puff and White Stuff

Having a kid makes you feel more like a kid. I get all excited when I think of things that Natalie can experience. So when it snowed about 8 inches Saturday night I couldn't wait to take her out in it the next morning.

I just love Natalie in her winter coat! She looks like a big pink puff marshmallow. When she is wearing it, it reminds me of the little brother in A Christmas Story where he can't put his arms down.

See the resemblance!

I think that Mike liked the white stuff too because he was able to use our snow blower for the first time. It sure was a back saver considering how wet and heavy the snow was.

But we also put Natalie to work too!

Falling

The other week Mike was cleaning up all the leaves in our yard. Natalie loved watching him blow all the leaves into a pile. But she sure wasn't happy when I put her in it for pictures.

We found out the next day that we think that a spider must have crawled up her pants and bitten her thigh. That may explain why she wasn't too happy being in the leaves!