Whoa!
I just found this blog...and I had seriously forgotten that it existed. It's crazy to read back on the posts that I made 9 years ago.

Life is so very different now. We adopted A and changed his name to Jesse. He got to choose his name. Life with him is...well....a roller coaster. He's a great kid, but still carries a lot of baggage and has much to work on.

All of my girls have grown up and moved out. They are all on their own paths....and I'm praying that they all find happiness. I sure love them.

Tosh and I are now in real estate together, with our own business. It's great and we love it.
I'm still teaching firearm classes, but hoping to slow down a bit soon.

My dad and my brother both passed away last year...within months of each other. Rich in May and Dad in September. It was a really, really hard and heartbreaking year for me. I was overwhelmed and feeling that I just couldn't handle anything stressful, so I gave up my horses. Ace went to live with Savannah and Annie, my mare went to live with my friend Meleah. I miss them terribly, but it's also good to not worry about them constantly. My dog died last year too. She was hit by a car.
I have never been so glad to see a year be gone in my life.

We are planning to go on a cruise to the Caribbean early next year. This time, we are taking Jesse and Savannah. (We already took the other two girls on one.)
My goal is to lose 40lbs before I go. It's a huge goal....but I'm determined.

I'm sure there are a million things that I could blog about that have occurred since I last wrote....but I won't. Suffice to say that life is good...and we are all still here.

Wonderful News!

I had something happen last week that left me at a loss for words.

On Wednesday, my foster son's birth mother asked me to adopt him.

....Wow. I found myself feeling every emotion possible.

Of course, I said, "Absolutely"....and then I gave her a big hug.

Despite her personal issues and addictions, I have never had it in me to

dislike her. This little boy still loves her and THAT is so important to me.

I was SO touched when she told me that she could see how happy he is with

us, and that she knows that he needs a mommy AND a daddy...and that

she wants him to stay with us. I feel very honored that she trusts me.

Is that silly? Should I be honored that an addict who has lost all of her

children thinks I'm a great mom?

Well, I look at it like this:

She still gave birth to him...and she clearly loves him, as much as she's capable,

and in her own way. I think the "MOM" in me just really hurts for her...and

I'm so grateful for this little boy. I love him...SO dearly.

In other news, I have a fantastic, stunning new mare! Her registered name is

"Leo Pocos Sonny Dee", but I call her "Fancy". I'm working her every day and

she is going to be awesome! The picture above is her, but it doesn't even do her justice!

Lisanne

Long Time Gone...

Yes, it's been a long time. So much has happened and there is just no way for me to catch you up...but I'll give you the hi-lights.
Things are going well with A. He has been here for 10 months now...and we adore him. We are on the adoption track with him...and while there's a slight possibility that we could lose him, it looks very good for us. Life with a boy in the house has been...well, interesting. To say the least!
Having had 3 girls, "boy stuff" is so different to me. He giggles uncontrollably at the words "butt" & "fart". He pushes every button his sisters have and delights in it with unabashed glee. He keeps me thoroughly amused and I love him as though I'd him all of his life.

Let's see...I am no longer riding on the drill team, but have recently started Mounted Cowboy Shooting! Well, at least I have "signed up" to start. See, I broke my arm badly in November. Not just a minor break, mind you...and certainly not by any means glamorous. I didn't fall off my horse...or my motorcyle...or anything really cool. Nope....I just tripped. On a concrete floor. I smashed my elbow and broke my ulna and radius all the way through . I had surgery and a large metal plate & screws installed. It's ugly. I broke it on November 13. Friday the 13th, to be exact.
It's now Feb 2nd and I'm STILL healing and still quite sore and swollen. Oh...and did I mention that the hospital gave me a parting gift? Yessiree...since they were charging me thousands and thousands, they gave me pnuemonia to make me feel better! Lucky me.
I rode my horse today for the first time since my fall. It was glorious!

I do have a new buddy! His name is Cash and he is a Lilac Crowned Amazon parrot. I just love him. He adores me and talks to me constantly. He's 8 years old. I have always loved birds:)

Daughter #2 is in military school...long story, but I am happy to report that she is doing very well there. Her grades have changed from straight F's to A's & B's...and she even got her driver's permit today! She thinks she's a pretty big deal right now:)

That's all I can think of for now. I'll try to write more often!

Lisanne

Tubes and Hearing!

We went to the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist on Wednesday and "A's" hearing was tested by first the doctor, then an Audiologist. They decided that it was bad enough, with his current complaints of ear pressure/pain, that he needed immediate surgery. On Friday morning at 5am, I loaded his little pajama-bottomed butt into the car and took him to the hospital. He was in sugery for about 30 minutes...then in recovery for an hour. On the way home, the change in him was extremely evident. I could talk in a NORMAL voice with him for the first time, without facing him so he could read my lips! I spoke to him quietly and asked if we should grab some ice cream...and he heard every syllable! It's an amazing transformation. I can't believe that in 5 years, nobody else noticed this or did anything about it!
I will miss some things about his lack of hearing though. Last week, when I was feeding the finches on my porch, he said, "I sure like those little birds, but I'm not allowed to say their name." HE thought they were called "bitches"!!! The boy sings like a little angel. He can really carry a tune...but he always sang the wrong words, because he couldn't hear them! No more cheap entertainment for me!!!
He was SUCH a trooper at the hospital. I'm so very proud of him!

I met with "The Teachers" for Savannah. ONE of them is a very good, very caring teacher. The others....well....better to just shut up. It's no wonder that she doesn't do the work. How can you be motivated by a slug??? Seriously, doesn't God GIVE them a personality????

Okay...I'm exhausted and going to bed now. Night!

Answers & Hope

Over the past month I have noticed that "A" often doesn't seem to hear us. I mentioned this to the caseworker, who okayed taking him to the doctor. Well, today we discovered that he only has 30% hearing in both ears. He is profoundly deaf. I suspected that it was bad...but not this bad! The good news, is that it's caused from fluid build-up and we can cure it with tubes placed in his ears. He will go to an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist on the 29th and we will create a plan of action. I can't wait until he can hear! I'm sure that many of his "behavioral issues" are caused from his lack of hearing.
This week was pretty good, except for Tuesday, when he was supposed to visit his grandmother and she forgot. He was really upset. I had an appointment scheduled and when I called her, she said that she wasn't even dressed. I told her that not coming for him was NOT an option. I dropped him at the DHS office in the playroom and told her to pick him up there! I like her and I know that he loves her dearly, but that is just not fair to him.
His sisters are struggling with all of the separations and new foster homes, but they seem to be thriving and learning to be little kids again. It's so heartbreaking to see them all hurting. When we have visits, his sisters all cling to me, hugging and loving on me, begging for attention and love. Part of me has to wonder why God allows this kind of pain for children. How can they ever understand that any good came from it? *SIGH*

Savannah has been missing way too much school because she was sick, so I have a meeting with all of her teachers on Monday. Wheeee...that oughta' be loads of fun.:(

Cheyenne turns 21 on May 7th. It's so hard to believe that my baby is that old...and "legally" an adult now! It seems like just yesterday when she was toddling around learning how to walk and talk!
I do have to say though, that if we end up with our little guy, I think I'll be done raising kids. I wanted a boy...so if we get to keep him, I'll be happy! If not...then who knows? We just have to wait and see.

Well...it's off to bed for me.
Night!

Long Days With a Small Boy

Wednesdays really suck. Every time we have a visit, we go through about 2 days of hell afterwards. I wonder what things go on in a child's mind that cause them to act out so much.
I get so upset and frustrated, because "A" has such a burden that he carries. First of all, he believes that he cannot go home because he is bad. This idea is reinforced by his bio family when they tell him that "when he learns to be good", he can come home.
Secondly, he believes that he is the "big brother" and he has to take care of his 4 sisters.
He feels responsible for them and often tells me that he needs to take care of them.

All I can do is love this child SO much. I try to love him enough to counteract all of the negative stuff. I tell him what a great kid he is and how much I love him:)

He is currently driving me crazy because he doesn't hear well at all...and we are always repeating or shouting. I am making him an appointment to get his ears checked. It seems weird, but by the end of a day with him, I am SO sick of repeating myslef that I could just scream! It's exhausting.

Tomorrow, I have to go into town and pick up the new piglets so we'll have meat this year! Mmmmmm....home raised pork is SO good. I hate raising the pigs...but I do love the meat!

I'm going to the coast to teach a class on Saturday, then driving up to Newport to visit my mom. I'm excited. I don't get to see her enough.

Lisanne

Rescuing Everything.

I think that I have spent my whole life rescuing. Even when I was a kid, every stray found it's way to my house.
I brought home baby possums. raccoons, cats, dogs, birds...you name it! My parents always groaned about it,
but they knew that it wouldn't stop me! I don't know why I feel such a responsibility to "save the world", but it's such a part of my make-up that I can't understand how most of society can turn a blind eye to the suffering that I find so often. How does
one walk away, rather than reaching out and helping? I seriously CAN'T. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "Lisanne, you can't save the world!", but that doesn't come to mind when I see a cat, dog, horse, child, etc...starving to death, or dying from abuse. I just act. I just DO.
There are times when my heart breaks from it and I feel like I can't ever do it again...and then another poor soul comes along and
there I go again. Just doing.
It is both a part of me that I love, and I hate. There are times that I wish I could walk away and feel no responsibility, no guilt, no shame. But that isn't me. I'm the one who will stop traffic to remove a dying animal from the street. I'm the one who will risk getting bitten to keep a wounded animal from suffering. I'm the one who will allow my heart to break over and over again just to ease their pain and make their lives better, if even for a short time.
If I look back on all of the creatures, both animal and human that I've "rescued", I can honestly say that although it's painful (and exhausting!) at times, those rescues have enriched my life and touched me so very, very much. I really should have been a Vet!
(By the way, did I tell you all about the young "Osprey" that I "rescued" after it flew into my car last Summer? Well, as it turned out, he died...but I took some pictures of him and was very excited to tell my husband about him. You should have heard him laugh when he told me that my "Osprey" was a Buzzard!!!)
Yes, I'll rescue ANYTHING!