Caution! Kids at Play!

The girls are just too much fun lately. They are always saying the funniest things. This morning while they were still in their beds I was getting their bag ready to go, I was listening to Bekah on the monitor. It went something like this:

"Mommy? Mommy! Bekah's stinky!!" something inaudible, "What Darlin'?" said two or three times. "Ok, Mommy Chachel's up now, come oooonnnnn!"

Then tonight when they pulled down Daddy's bead curtain, Rachel says, "Oh! Dear me!" HAHAHA! I think that one came from a Pooh toy they have.

Tonight while I was making dinner Fred called me into the playroom. This is what I found.
Bekah had cleared all the books off that shelf and decided it would be a good place to hang out, I guess.
Rachel was busy playing with their farm animals. Here she is laying on top of the play table.

They are just so much fun right now. I wish I could just put things on pause for a while and enjoy this all for a little longer.

Bekah's Big Day

Today a major thing happened in toddler world! Bekah pooped on the potty! HOORAY!!!! At first she didn't seem to understand. She said "Uh Oh!" and seemed concerned she had done something wrong. We really cheered for her and I think in the end she felt ok with it, but I don't expect this will be a regular occurance yet. But I am excited none-the-less.

In other news I have agreed to run the race for the cure in October with a couple of girls from my new job. One is currently pregnant and due at the end of June. I figure if she can do it, then I should be able to. So, I am going to try this running "thing" again. I guess I better go find my Couch to 5K running plan and dust it off. I have to say tho, until it's really spring (we are expecting snow tomorrow) I am not even going to attempt it. I'm just a wuss. =)

Testing...Testing..1..2..3..

Does this thing still work?!

Well, I just finished a huge marathon reading tour this last week. A wide variety of subjects from domestic violence to poverty to the history of our agency. This morning I had to take a test on all of it. It's been quite a while since I have had to take a test so I was a little nervous. I wanted to do really well because the results for the class are emailed to every supervisors with students in this class. I missed 6 out of 58 and scored a 90. Not bad, but the perfectionist in me is not that happy. I had three of them right and second guessed myself and ended up missing them, BLEAN! Oh well, I guess a 90 will suffice.

I am behind on my Bible reading by about two weeks, but I am hoping I can catch up. I am also catching up on laundry and housework and everything else -- and I want to go back to school????? Makes me a little tired just thinking about it.

No other news really. We finally got nearly two inches of much needed rain this weekend. Hopefully it will abate the high fire risk we have been under for so long.

And for good measure, a Bekah funny:
Grandma: "Bekah, can grandma have a bye-bye kiss?"
Bekah: "No, it's all papaw's! ....Bekah's weally punny" (cute giggling)

I'm no Chicken....

Cook, that is. I have such a hard time cooking chicken?! I don't get it?! For some reason I always seem to either end up with "blackened" chicken or it's just not quite done. UGH! I really enjoy eating it, I just don't know why I can't seem to find a good way to make it. Steak I can do, veggies, bread made from scratch...I've got it down. Chicken, however, seems to be the bane of my cooking life.

I was making it last night and ended up with a smokey house. So, I invite everyone, if you have some good ones, please share your chicken cooking tips with me. Poor Fred can't take much more of it! =)

The new job

I started a whole new life (work wise) on Monday. I am totally and completely swimming in a sea of regulations, rules, and work. I start my training on the 20th, but before I can do that I have a long list of things to read and do. Just the regulations of law alone are enough to make me insane. Not to mention I have to take a test on it all the first day of training.

I have been shadowing workers all week as they do different things. I have been to court to watch workers like myself testify before the judges and DA's about whether the parent (most of the time, mother) is completeling her drug treatment plan and testing negative for drugs. I have supervised a visition between parents and child, and then today I visited a local hospital that had called for the third time today to report a baby born who tested positive for Meth.

I have to say it is going to be very difficult to find that place within myself where I can get over my anger and be empathetic enough to try to get the parents to a place where they want to help themselves enough to be responsible parents. Unfortunately, the caseworkers tell me that more often than not, parental rights are terminated. I cannot even imagine.

This morning when I dropped the girls off with my mom Rachel had the first ever "Mommy don't leave me" meltdown. I supposed I should count my blessings we made it this far, but by the time I actually did get out the door I was crying right along with her. As a drove to work after that, I thought about all the things I had seen in just my two short days on the job. I was so afraid I was being a dissapointent to Rachel, as a mother, and here I was working with mothers who felt no remorse for subjecting their poor unborn children to a life sentence of debilitating problems. It's going to really take a lot of learning on my part to understand the process of thought of some of these people. Well, understand may not be the right word. I don't know that I will ever understand, but you get the idea.

I fear the hardest lesson will be the one that comes with no instructions, regulations or books, and that will be the emotional lessons. Getting past my indignation and anger and finding compassion enough to try to help these mothers. I think the thing that is going to humble me the most is thinking that Christ not only gave his life for me, but He did the same for that drug addicted mother sitting across the table from me. If He can love her that much, I can learn to do it too with His help.

A Perfect Day

It is a most glorious first day of March! The sun is out, the wind is only slightly blowing and it's 86 degrees! What a shame to be inside. I went out for about 15 minutes just to enjoy it. They are renovating an old hotel across the street. Looks like they are restoring the original facade and it's going to look nice.

I am down to only four cases left here at work. Everything else is all squared away and delegated out. My office is really looking sparse. Little by little this week I have taken home most of my belongings. I still can't bring myself to take the pictures off the wall. =)

Not much in the way of other news. Well, we are finally getting our hot tub rewired after our move two years ago. It's just been sitting outside, loney and neglected all this time. Life has really changed from two years ago! I am sure we'll still have some chilly nights to get some good use out of it. After all, this is Oklahoma and if there's one thing you can count on with the weather, it's inconsistent. HA!