Foster Kids Christmas Party

Well it was time again for the Foster Kids Christmas Party.  Our licensing worker Kelly talked us into going to this again.  Rachel always has a great time and so we go so she can sit on Santa's lap.  This year they had Santa and Mrs. Claus.  Rachel handled it really well and we didn't have to wait in line for to long.  They ended up having crafts for the kids to do so I went out to get the kits so Rachel and I could do them.  The food wasn't that great this year and Rachel hardly eat.  Rachel did end up getting a stuffed bear and the game Chutes and Ladders.  We got the pleasure of playing this game several times for the next few days.  It was good for me though because I've never played it and have always wondered how you actually play it.

 Telling them she wants a candy cane full of M&M's.  They were like oh really that's all you want and she was like yep.  I just laugh when she says this.

 Somewhat looking at the camera.

Scott's Procedure

So Scott had to have an endoscopy to make sure he didn't have anything going on with his stomach since he has been on medicine for acid reflux for so long and was starting to have heart burn again. 

 Hanging out before the Procedure.

 They gave him some good sleepy meds (Versed and Fentanyl).  The procedure took all of 10 minutes.  I was on the phone with my mom when they came out to say he was finished.  I was like oh okay.  He was really groggy.  He kept asking me if I had his wallet (4 times actually) and what the Dr. said about his procedure.  He doesn't remember the Dr. talking to him about it or how he got dressed or how he got to the car. He also doesn't remember that we stopped at Calico for me to do something really quick.  He remembers us stopping at Arby's for lunch but not that he eat all the french fries before we got home.  He did say it was the best sleep he had had.

2012 Christmas Letter

Well it’s that time of the year again to write the family Christmas Letter.   Scott and I talked about it and Scott says all we need to say is same stuff different year.   We have had some changes so I decided we should expound.    We as a family have been growing and trying to figure out this new time in our life.  We were able to get our home studies done for Health & Welfare and LDS Family Services.  Since these are done we are in the “searching” phase.   Please keep us in mind if you come across anyone who is thinking about adopting.

Scott has been in school all year long.  The spring semester he was sent to Garden Valley for his clinicals.  That wasn’t too bad because he was able to stay in an apartment above the clinic and was only usually gone for two days.  We also had Skype so we got to still see him each night.  Summer he was in summer school so there wasn’t any vacations that weren’t quick two day camp trips.  The fall semester saw Scott going to Twin Falls to do his clinicals.  We ended up figuring it out that if he would go Sunday through Thursday he could get all his clinical hours finished in 7 weeks.  So he hauled the camper to Twin Falls to live in.  This was really hard on Rachel and me.  We didn’t have the Skype capability because his Wi-Fi connection wasn’t very good so Rachel only got to see her dad once or twice while he was gone and she missed him so much.   He has loved every clinical site that he has been sent to.  He has one semester left and then will be a Nurse Practitioner.  We can hardly wait for that day. We see the light at the end of the tunnel.  He is still a clinical supervisor at St. Al’s Nampa in the Emergency Department. His boss is really sad that he is in school.  She doesn’t want to lose him when he graduates.  He is still the Music Chairman in the ward and likes this calling because it works so well with his work, school, and clinical schedule.  

I actually did end up leaving ISU to be a stay at home mom.  It was a really hard transition for me to make.  It took me about six months to finally figure out how to do it.  On those days when we’ve had a rough night, someone is sick or we have to leave town it’s so nice not to have somewhere I have to be.  I did add some extra jobs to my life but they all work around my schedule.  I do medical billing at a pediatric therapy center one day a week.  I also work as the HR Specialist for Need a Nurse Medical staffing.  I find people to work health screenings that happen every few months.  I was released from my calling in the primary and am a teacher in Relief Society.  I love this calling so much.

Rachel has been very busy as well.  Rachel is in preschool and a music and movement class.  She loves both of them.  She has flourished with the knowledge that she has gained from preschool.  She knows all her letters.  She has started to learn what words start with which letter.  She has also started to rhyme words together.  Music class has brought her to singing all the time.  She will even make up songs just so she can sing.  She loves to cut with her scissors and glue to make crafts.  She loves dressing herself and changing her clothes all day long.  She is almost potty trained during the day.  This has been a challenge but she is finally going in the right direction.  There is never a dull moment in our house.  Rachel is always coming up with funny things to say or do.  We never know what she’s going to come up with next.

We want to wish everyone a Very Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year.  May the Lord bless you and your family in the following year.

Love,

Scott, Susan and Rachel

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October/November Accomplishments

Well October was so busy I noticed that I hadn't posted any accomplishments and so I am going to combine both months together.
1.  Her new movie is Mary Poppins.  She will watch this show over and over all day long.
2.  I've shown her a quick blurb of Pete's Dragon and so now she likes to watch the You Tube 10 minute blurb everyday also.
3.  She's gotten really good at her Peter Rabbit computer game.  We don't even have to help her get it going any more or get it to the different activities.
4.  She is our change artist.  She is now changing her outfits three or four times a day.  Her favorite outfit right now is this one: http://s-sschaffer.blogspot.com/2012/11/rachels-favorite-outift.html
Yes she even matches.  She first found the red shoes to match.  Then she found the red tights to match and she has also gotten a red necklace out of all her necklaces that matches to.
5.  She's a fashionista.  She matches her clothes and is wearing dresses more and more each day.
6.  She's become a chatterbox.  She never stops talking or singing.
7.  She makes words up so she can laugh at herself and how funny they sound.
8.  She's starting to get the hang of potty training but isn't totally trained.  We still have accidents when she is to busy and won't stop to go.
9.  New word this month - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.   Yes I am really serious she can say this word.  It took her a few weeks to get it right but it finally all came out correctly.  It's hilarious to her her sing the song and how the other words she makes up as she goes.  She is a silly little girl.
10.  She has started to learn about words that rhyme.
11.  She knows letters A-J.  What sound each makes and words that start with each letter.  She adds words to this all the time.  She likes to stop and think and then will say something like "B starts with Bailey".  We laugh and tell her, "Yes Bailey starts with a B".

Rachelism's
Christmas and Kristi they sound similar.

Rachel:  Mom my bum hurts.
Mom:  Rachel why does your bum hurt?
Rachel:  Because it pooped to much today. 
ha ha ha I laughed so hard at this one.

Dad:  Rachel it's time to get up to go to preschool.
Rachel:  Dad get out of my  room and leave me alone.
Dad:  Rachel you have to go to preschool today.
Rachel:  I know dad.
Dad left the room and 10 minutes later she came right out and said, "Hi Dad" happy as can be.  She's like her father in the sense she needs time to wake up in the morning.