Goodbye, Sugars and Dab Dab

So Tuesday I finally got the call. Sugars and Dab Dab, who have been in our care for almost a year, were going to go and live with their grandmother until their mother could get custody of them. Just like it did when those two marvelous creatures entered our world, our lives changed after that phone call. While we are happy for their family, our hearts break for the loss of a son and daughter, a brother and sister to our son, a niece and nephew to my siblings and a grandson and grand-daughter to my mother. We spent most of the remainder of the week in mourning. I would start to cry everytime they would do something cute because I knew that after this week, they wouldn't be with us anymore. I would start to cry if they did something that would normally drive me nuts because I knew that even though it did drive me crazy, I would miss it when they were gone.
Today we said goodbye. This is my farewell blog to these two beautiful children who changed our lives so dramatically.
Goodbye Sugars. You were only 7 months old when you came to us but you were such a happy baby. You looked just like a little cabbage patch doll. Your temper was something to rival even mine. You were quick to laugh and sometimes quick to cry but you were a constant joy.
Goodbye Dab Dab. You were 17 months old when you came to us and you were all over the place. When you came to us you wouldn't really look us in the eye. It took a while to gain your trust and even longer to gain your love but we will cherish it forever. We will miss your constant attempts to make our heart stop by doing things that could hurt you. We will miss your giggles and your dancing blue eyes. We will miss your wet, sloppy kisses.
God speed, our little ones. We hope that you will continue to carry the love we gave you and that, while you may not always remember us, you will remember our family and the fun we had.

Attached is my favorite picture of them. Even though I am not in it, to me this pic captures what family is all about. This is my husband Charles holding our son Eli in his lap with Sugars and Dab Dab on either side of him. Our dog Zoey, who passed away this past summer, is on the couch behind them. This was taken Christmas Eve last year as Charles read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Fostermomma, insanity is my name!

So preschool started yesterday for the kiddos. Bunny was signed up for Mon-Thurs, Dab Dab was signed up for Tues and Thurs and Sugars is supposed to go Mon and Wed. I go to drop off Bunny and Dab Dab yesterday and, because my pill of a stubborn son Bunny refuses to go on the potty, he can only go two days a week this month. If he isn't potty trained by the end of this month, he will not be able to go to school there. No pressure, right?
We started trying to train him when he was 2. We bought him a potty chair that played songs when you made a "deposit" in it. He was terrified of the little cup that they put on there for boys to help keep the bathroom from being painted in pee pee. We took that off and then he was scared to sit on the big boy potty even with a training seat on it. I guess in his mind something is going to come up and grab him or something. Anyway, we got "Potty Time Elmo" and he loves the songs and will watch it with such intensity that you would think that something is getting through to him......Nope! He will now sit on the potty with no problem. He will sit for hours. He will watch 5 movies, read war and peace and balance our checkbook but HE WILL NOT GO ON THE POTTY!!!!!! As soon as you let him get off and put underwear on him, THEN he goes. I don't want to push him too hard but gee whiz!(pardon the pun)
Dab dab had no trouble in his class. The only time he pitched a fit was when they were out on the playground and the teachers said that it was time to go in. That was when he did his "throw himself down on the ground and sob hysterically Scarlet O'Hara and the oscar goes to" fit that he (and his sister) like to perform. When they came back inside it was time for snack so he was all good.
Sugars' first day was today. She had a great first day but I swear, after I picked her up, she had a little bit of an attitude. It was almost like she was the popular girl and I was the nobody geek who she "allowed" me to be near her and carry her books. She just through she was the shizzle!
Of course, with Sugars being at school, that left the boys at home with me. I believe that the last time I counted, we watched "Blue's Clues" 6 times. No, not different episodes. I am talking about the SAME episode! Needless to say, I set my TIVO to record some different episodes tomorrow. We got along pretty good. They got along better than I expected. Of course, even though our house looks like a toy drive exploded, the boys always manage to try to covet the exact same toy.
Then it was off to pick up Sugars from school. When we got back home, the kids decided that it was now three against one (actually five against one if you count the two puppies). I looked at them. They looked at me. It was on like popcorn! The endless stack of laundry that I folded obviously looked too neat because Dab Dab toppled it over. The toys I picked up and put in the toy box? Why would we do that when Bunny is the best about relocating them all over the place. Sugars posed the age old question...."Why can't I dance on the dining room table?".
Listen, don't get me wrong. I love these kids with all of my heart but being a SAHM is hard! I never realized how easy I had it working full time. This may be the toughest job I have ever had but I am determined to master it. Now, excuse me. I need to go and pass out now.
TTFN