Update

So tomorrow has been two weeks since our family has grown by 25%.  I figured I should probably try to give a little bit of an update, even though I don't know just how many (or few) people are even looking at this blog anymore.  Maybe it's just Garrett and Nancy and I!  Maybe this blog is mostly for me...
Either way, A and B have been with us for a couple of weeks, and we're learning each other every day.  They're definitely full of energy and life, and I've played more Old Maid in the last two weeks than ever before in my life!  It's a wee bit crazy in our house for sure at this point, but there is also a lot more human interaction going on than before.  I have to be more involved in life now, and that's also a pretty good thing.  I can't come home and just sit on the couch and talk to my kids anymore, I need to be playing a game or engaging someone a lot more, which is tiring but good:).  A eats like a horse, almost rivaling his oldest brothers in what he can put away, as long as it's not vegetables!  (still working on those, neither has a lot of experience with veggies so far!).  B also puts away the food, and we're definitely going to need to up our food budget to make this continue to work!  Bedtimes are a good time for us to connect, cuddle, and show the kids we love them, but they usually take two of us.  Having their own bedrooms is a really good thing, it makes night time much easier to manage and allows for some one on one time.  A and I are working on reading both superhero books and his new Bible from church, and it's fun to share stories with him that he's never heard before.  Both kids love to help Rhonda cook, and we are working on taking turns at that.  A is pretty coordinated and rides his two wheeler well, while B is still waiting for us to get her a two wheeler with training wheels so she can get going too!  Outside play time is a must each day, and again we're thankful for the house we bought, with three acres to play in and lots of nature to learn about!
Life has not been without it's challenges of course.  Veggies at dinner isn't always an easy process, and has resulted in a couple of nights of frustration.  Being the youngest in the house also means that they go to bed earliest, and sometimes A isn't happy about being younger.  Our bio boys are at times getting worn out with all the requests to play games, etc., and sometimes need a break.  It's just such a change that I think all of us are relieved once 7:30PM comes and the new kids are in bed, and we can rest a bit!  Little B is used to doing some whining it seems, and so we're working on that as neither of us is really excited about whining:).
I told the youth Sunday School class last week that one thing God is really teaching me right now through this experience is just how selfish I am at my core.  I've been seeing how much I want my time to be mine, and how hard it is for me to just love on a child that I didn't have a hand in making.  I'm finding I really need to keep praying and asking God for patience, or maybe a "bear" (2 Kings 2) just kidding (read it if you don't know it!).  God has been faithful, and I have been able to do a much better job this time around being loving and practicing all the attachment techniques we've been learning through the Empowered to Connect conferences.
All said, I think Rhonda and I are both glad that this time around foster care is going better than last time.  It helps that last time was so difficult that we came into this time with REALLY low expectations!  It won't all be perfect, and isn't at all perfect now, but we're working on blending together to become a happy family of 8!  Now to find a bigger vehicle...