It's easy to get out of the habit

It's easy to get out of the habit of writing.  All it takes is one day, and you find other reasons not to do it.
I really need to keep it up and keep it consistent.
Today was cool.  I took the girls to the dentist, they did great.  I Got Lucas and got the adoption papers to sign, then signed them. :)  18 more ays and he's all ours.
H had a bad day at school, and it continued at home.  S also had a bad day, but her problem might be that she's finally finding her voice and she's got to learn to control it.
I took Lucas to Canyon to attend Kacey's senior trainers banquet, then came back home.
Tomorrow is going to be at least a bit easier.  I only have to keep the baby and go get my car looked at.
I've got to get it fixed, and I think it's the struts that need fixed.  When I go after 65, the back end vibrates bad. If it's not the struts, it's gotta be the tires.  But then I haven't replaced the struts since I got it.

Yikes, another baby.

My friends and I were playing D&D in the front room, when my wife came in and asked, "How close to being finished are you?"  Since my wife never asks that question, unless it's important, we all looked at each other and  said, "We are done for the night, what's up?"
It turns out that we were expecting a new placement.  We'll call him V, for now.  He's hispanic, he's about a month old, and he came into care, because his mother threatened to kill him.
So, we have a newborn baby in our house, and he's going to stay for a while.

The hardest part about this is not being able to show pictures.  Oh well, I guess it's okay.

My fearless boy, except......

My boy is absolutely fearless, except when it comes for a bug in the floor, then he suddenly starts crying.  Gotta love kids.  He'll go outside, run and play, and get into mud, and dance through water, but one bug and he's skirting the sides of the wall.  Imagine that. :)

Just thinking.

It's been a quiet couple of days.  The girls have visit tomorrow, so I'll drop them off at their ride, then come back to the house.  Kris has a CPS thing tomorrow, and we'll head to Tulia about 3.  

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, about putting an application to be a dog handler at work, about joining the Texas State Guard, about maybe entering a shooting competition or something.  It's gotten to where when I'm at home alone, I get bored.

I also keep meaning to get back to writing more in my book, but keep procrastinating.  I do know that FaceBook games have become rather boring, and I just need something to fill my time.

It's 29 days until we get to adopt L.  It's a month until Kacey's sports banquet, and I'm thinking about going.
May 1st is the girls final hearing, and you know who hasn't been you know what, so they are considering taking the baby away from her.

See, this is what I don't get.  Being a parent is a rewarding profession, and if for some reason, my kids got taken away, I'd be doing everything CPS wants me to do, plus some.  My kids are everything to me, and I would so want them back.  Man, I'd work so hard that CPS would think there is something wrong with me.  But then, I'm just a parent, I love my kids.  I love my family, a lot.

Tomorrow is Shaleigh's Birthday.  She'll be 6.  At least I'll get to go to this one.  I missed Cody's because of work.

Shaleigh and Cody

What's in  it Grandmom?

It's Empty, but I don't care

Interesting times incoming

Interesting day today.  They told us today at work that ACA was incoming, and gave us the dress code for the three days the auditors will be prowling around our unit.  Dress A's, as if we had to be told.  So, after that, I got drive circles for 4 hours, then go inside for the remainder.

I got my evaluation today, I met expectations and got a nice note. "Mr. White is professional, ethical, and gives his all."
They announced that there was a job opening for a canine handler at work, and I've been thinking about it off and on all day.

Enough of work.  I fixed the turn signals in my own and Kristie's vehicle last night, and worked on the hot tub a bit.

Heard that Dick Clark died today and took a few minutes to wish his spirit well.

Well, that's about all.  Oh, btw, it's 30 days away from adoption day.  Then my boy is all mine and I can post pictures.

Later guys

Explanations, repairs.

After re-reading my blog post from yesterday, I realize that I need to explain some things.  I do love Kacey, and she's beautiful, and I didn't mean in any fashion to come down on her.  It's just that I tend to get excited when Kacey comes down to visit, and the last few times, I got to see her for such a short amount of time.
I go pick her up, bring her down here, and see her for about three hours, then she's off with Kristie for the next two or three days.  Then I get to take her back home.
In a lot of ways, I admire Kacey.  She's smart, she's thrifty, she doesn't waste money, and when I do get to spend time with her, she's fun to be around.
I'd love to spend more time with her, but I don't get to spend as much as I'd like.  If I made it sound like I resent her, I apologize for making it sound that way.

Now for today's fun.  I changed the filters in the hot tub, now it's warming back up.  I shocked the water, I fixed the back turn lights on my car and my wife's van, and did the usual household stuff.  In addition to that, The desk in L's room is down.  It was easier than I thought.
So, the kids are in bed, I'm relaxing, Kristie is out with Venus at W-Marts, and things are good.

Turn signals, No test, Darned Remotes, photos, home

Don't ya just hate it when something doesn't work right?  Before you answer, let me explain what happened.
Today was Kacey's big driving test.  She and Kristie drove my car all weekend long, and never reported a problem.  We drove up to the DMV office at 10am, got the paperwork done, and moved the car around to the lane to get on the road, and didn't get started.
Apparently sometime between 10pm last night and 10am this morning, the right turn signal bulb busted, although I'm guessing it happened just as we pulled into the DMV.
Since the bulb was out, the test couldn't be conducted.  And of course, since it's scheduled, we couldn't just go get a bulb and come back for the rest of the test.  We have to come back again.
So, I'll fix the bulb, do some more work on the rest of the car and let her try again in May, or June. (sigh)

We drove to Tulia, stopped by Kris (my Sis's) house and tried to get a stupid universal remote to work.  I couldn't get it figured out.  Then over to Dad's to try to figure out what was wrong with his computer.  Part of it was an easy fix.  Just move the backup pictures to a regular file and go to work.  However, Dad kept going to the backup file and trying to work from there.  (Sigh) Maybe I wasn't getting through to him, or maybe he wasn't listening, because he wouldn't go to the regular file.  Maybe I'm not geeky enough to figure out what the squad did.

To Canyon, back to Lubbock, and a nice evening to D&D with friends.

Total cost of the weekend.  $200 bucks for a prom dress for Kacey, $35 bucks for blonde hair extensions (I've never paid for clip on hair before, usually it's the other way around.)  And I kept thinking, "What am I getting out of this?"   I guess it's that she was here for four days, and I got to see her for one and a half.  I would have liked to have spent more time with her.  But, that's the breaks.


Oh well, one month and a half, and we get a live in slave around the house.

So another busy day done, and another to go.  Oh, did I mention that my captain called for my testimony on a major case and I couldn't get hold of him to give my side?  I tried calling five times and each time got put on hold and disconnected.

Tomorrow?  Oh, just more work, bulbs for cars, drive to Ricky's to check on Struts, trash, hot tub cleaning.

Day's off?  Who gets 'em?

Blehhhhh

Have you ever had a day when your head was so stuffed up that you wanted to puke?  Well, that's how my day ended up.
I woke up this morning, feeling okay.  I got to work, and 4 hours into my shift, my sinuses got so stuffed up that I seriously wanted to puke.  I felt light headed, dizzy, and for the lack of a better word, blehhhh.
I hate this constantly changing weather.  One day hot, one day cold, one day calm, one day winds from hell.  I want a constant and stable environment.  I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

Join with me, and send good vibes to Kacey as she takes her driving test tomorrow.

Until next time.

Kids, No Nap, Time out, Prom Dress

This has been a long day.  We started out by taking Simon to the vet to get a rabies shot.  Now, that's out of the way for another year. 
Without Duke around to cause trouble, Simon was a much more relaxed dog around other animals.  If I take enough time to watch him, he seems sad and lonely; I predict a new dog in the future.  Kacey is talking about wanting a dog.

Kacey and Kristie went shopping for a prom dress, and it's beautiful.  I wish my camera on the phone worked, so I could take a picture of it and show you.  But, that's messed up and it'd probably take a new phone to get a new camera. 

K&K were gone from 11am to 8pm, and in that time, the kids were all mine.  Normally, the kids are good, but for some reason today, they had no intention of taking naps.  My boy did, as soon as I Put him in his bed, but the girls were going to have no part of it.  So, somewhere about 3pm, I gave up trying to get them to take a nap, and simply put them in the hall and put them in time out. 

See, Kristie had told them that if they'd take a nap, they'd get to go to the park, and because they never took a nap, there was no trip to the park.  Oh well, Actions have consequences.  They spent from 3 to 7 in time out.  I'd have let them out, except for some darned reason, they kept disobeying.  I'd tell them to sit down, they'd stand up and tell me no, or they'd throw a little fit, or they'd act like they just got here today. 

What I found so amusing was that normally, they want me around, but today, all they wanted was Momma.  Maybe that's because she wasn't here to put them in time out.

So, at 7:00, I fed them (Ham sandwiches and milk,) told them to put their pajamas on, and sent them to bed. 

Okay, it was a busy day, I'm tired, and I have to work tomorrow. 

Kristie has the kids tomorrow, and I work, and on Monday, Kacey goes in for a driving test. 

Join us next time for the further adventures of my life, same dad time, same dad channel.

The Teenager, The DMV, and interesting news.

Today (Friday) was the day I went to pick up the teenager.  First, however, I had to clean out the car, then get gas, and then finally go get a new insurance card for the car. 

Then, after an hours worth of driving, I hit Canyon and took the printed proof of Driver's Ed to her house, so her mother could sign them, and get them notarized.

Then, before getting the paper's signed, I went to the school to pick Kacey up.  She was excited and had been waiting since 11am.  It took 25 minutes to find her and for her to sign out of school.  Good Lord, the young woman is 18, she shouldn't need a parent's permission to sign herself out of school.  

A quick trip back across town, and some papers signed, then to the notary to get it notarized.  The only notary we could find was at Wells Fargo in Canyon, and after getting the papers notarized, the employee of a bank suggested that the 18 year old be given a credit card.  

It was a good thing that I was facing the door, instead of the cubicle, because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You just have to get her a credit card.  She needs to create a credit score."  Instead, what I heard was, "Yes, enslave your daughter with outstanding debt, so she can never keep her money and grow wealth.  Worship at the altar of the FICO score."  But then, this was Wells Fargo, a bank that was now answering to stock holders, which demanded blood money.

I was very impressed with Marie as, when she left the bank, she said, "Kacey is never getting a credit card."  It seems to me that her mother doesn't want her to be a slave to the bank.

After an hours drive back to Plainview, we pulled up at the DMV and walked inside.  I was a bit speechless, the DMV was empty, with only a single attendant there.  When I asked if a person could take a driving test, she muttered the words that shocked me.  "Do you have an appointment?"  

For a moment, I was surprised, I had never expected the DMV to make appointments.  My wife had mentioned something about it a few weeks ago, but we had thought it was just a Lubbock thing.  I guess the DMV, trying to relieve some of the congested waiting rooms had started setting appointments for written and driving tests.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was an efficient use of time.  So, since we didn't have an appointment, we left to head back to the house.  On the way, I called the Lubbock DMV and asked how to set up an appointment, and they gave me what they called a long URL.  For those of you interested, the URL wasn't that long, it was a bit.ly url.   

So, now the teenager is set up for a driving test monday morning at 11am.  She misses one day of school, gets her driving license and goes back home.  

When my wife came home, she suggested that I get the desk out of the back room and set up the other crib.  It seems that CPS might take away the girls baby sister from mother, mainly because she's not doing her services.  If they do, then they should place the baby with us, and we'll have four in the house.  Kristie also mentioned that we might get little one back, if that home study doesn't meet CPS's high standards.  If so, then our family will go from 3 to 5.   If we do end up with five, I would actually endorse my wife quitting her job and staying home with the kids.  Otherwise, we'd never be able to afford daycare for all of them.

In other news, she said she had negotiated with CPS and we'll be getting my son's stipend until he's 18, he'll have full medical coverage and college will be paid for.  At least that's off of my mind.

So, it was a full day.

On the schedule for tomorrow (saturday.) Kris and Kacey will go prom dress shopping, while I stay home with the kids.  May god have mercy on my soul.

Peace, quiet, paper target

Today was an excellent day, though it started off odd.  I woke to the sound of a baby crying and for the life of me, couldn't figure out where it was coming from.  Imagine my surprise when I walked into the living room and found little one laying there in the bouncer, crying. 
I must have looked at my wife strangely, because she quickly explained that it was a respite thing, and that the little one had been there since yesterday afternoon.  I guess I was so tired from work that I didn't even notice.   In my defense, I had totally forgotten that we were doing a one night respite.
Cut to this morning, and after getting the kids to school, I walked back to the house and relaxed for a bit.  After lunch, I gathered up my rifle and went to wal-mart to get ammo, then went to the Rustic Range in Slaton to shoot.
First of all, I love shooting.  It relaxes me.  Second of all, I like the rifle.  It's a colt .22 caliber M-16.  The only problem I've got with it, is that the back sight ring is a replica of a 5.56 or .223 M-16, so the Windage and elevation knobs don't really work right.  That's easily fixed.  I just need to buy a back ring sight for a .22 caliber weapon, and it would only cost a Ben Franklin.  Needless to say, I was only off a little bit on each shot, but it was something that was easily corrected.  I shot two types of targets.  One was a Man sized black silhouette target at 50 yards.  I shot 40 shots and hit 38 times.  The second was the smaller black and white ring target.  I used 3 of those targets and shot 20 times at each target at 25 yards.  I hit 20 for 20 each time.  If that had been on the man sized target at 50, it would have been concentrated around the 9 and 10 ring.

So, all in all, it was a good day.
Tomorrow, I go and pick up the Teenager and take her to her driving test.  God have mercy on my soul. (actually, I don't mind helping Kacey, she's a great young lady.)

Rain, Rain, Rain.

On the way home tonight, the skies opened up and it rained, rained, rained.  It rained so hard that for a short mile, I couldn't see two car lengths in front of me.  Instead of panicking, I simply enjoyed the ride.
It's not everyday that you get to see nature at her worst, or best.
You actually need to see the full splendor of a storm in the making to understand just how wonderful this world is.

In other news, the girls went to the ENT today and they said that the girls ears are clear and we just need to keep working on them with speech therapy.

I think I may go out to the range and shoot tomorrow, and tomorrow night is D&D.  Friday I go and take the teenager to her driving test, Saturday her and Kris go prom dress shopping. It looks like it's going to be a busy weekend.

Just 'nother day.

There is nothing quiet like the smile of a child to put a person at ease.  Just the "Daddyyyyy," call from my kid can make me smile.  It's especially cool when he starts looking for any ball and says, "My Ball."
As much as it pains me to say this, my kid might be an athlete when he gets in school.  As much as I don't like sports, probably because of how I was treated by shortsighted coaches, I'll support him all the way and even take him to games.

I do love my kids.  I wish all three were my forever kids.

My Family has returned

It's Monday Morning, and all is right in my world.  After three days of being gone, my family returned last night, and I got the low down.
The Girls gave my sis a run for her money Friday night, and only went to bed when Mommy told them too.
Saturday morning was a bit chilly, so the younger kids didn't get to hunt eggs at the big hunt.  My Older girl got to go with her cousin Shaliegh and hunt Eggs.
Then, I heard that my boy has the plastic egg thing all figured out.  The smaller egg hunt was at my Parents house and had a mixture of colored hard boiled eggs and plastic eggs.  My boy, being my boy, would pick up an egg and shake it.  If it didn't rattle, (a sign of goodies inside,) he'd throw it back down.
Part of me found that funny, but part of me was a bit disappointed.  Already my kid is learning that things are more important than other things.  Oh well, there's always time to get rid of that sort of thinking.
I heard my oldest girl did a great job at Church on Sunday, sitting down and behaving.  I'm so proud of her.
I wouldn't mind if we got to keep them forever, though my wife has other thoughts.
The baby girl that we got to do respite for, spent a weekend getting hugged and held by my family, and she goes back to her foster mom today.  I'm hoping that since the foster mom doesn't want her, that the agency will decide we get to keep her.

On Easter Egg Hunts and irreligious people

It's Easter Sunday, and I'm sitting at home alone, while my family is in Tulia, getting ready for church.  It's times like this that I don't like my job so much.  I'd much rather be with them, than here, waiting to get ready for work.
My two year old son is undoubtedly waking up, asking for Daddy, and I'm not there.
So, I browsed through Facebook today and amongst the Easter wishes, I came across the usual Atheist nonsense.  "Christ is a zombie," "Christ is a liche," "Religion is all about control," and I found myself thinking about how lucky we are, to live in a country where people can insult religion without having to worry about instant death at the hands of the religious police.
I'm also reminded that people of simple faith reach out to others, donate to the poor, take care of widows, take care of orphans, send money to help the poor in Africa, and seek to free the oppressed.

On this Easter Sunday, I wish the world Peace, joy, and happiness, and want to pass along this song.

Big House Empty

The only problem with having a big house, is that when it's empty, you can hear the echoes all through the hallways.
It's the day before Easter, and I know that my kids are at Aunties house, hunting eggs.  I know that it won't be a repeat of last saturday, when adults ruined the fun for children.  But, when you put stupid golden eggs out in the bunch, some parents become as childish as children.
I can't wait to see the pictures of what's going on.
As I posted yesterday, holidays don't mean much when you are alone.  I miss the hugs I get in the morning, and miss the sounds of the kids playing.
Tomorrow is Easter sunday, and I wish I could be there to spend time with my family, but someone has to watch the idiots and make sure they don't climb over the fences.

To all those out there:  Have a happy Easter, and spend it with your family.

Work, Home, Holidays

So, today marks the first month of us in the new house, and I love the feeling of not being cramped up anymore. This house is bigger than the one in Keller.  I think the thing I love the most is the hot tub in the back yard, it makes coming home from a stressful day at work enjoyable.
I spent the last week feeling sicker than crap, and I finally broke down and went to the doc.  Yeah, I know, I don't like clinics.  However, this doc was good.  She diagnosed me with a minor sinus infection and water behind my ears.  She prescribed some medication that put me to sleep yesterday. So, as a result, I spent most of the day lounging around.

Moving on to the holiday.  This is Easter, and last night, my wife accused me of being just like my dad, and not liking holidays.  That's not true, I love holidays, but the only problem is that I work this weekend.  And while I'll be at work, my wife will take the kids and run off to Tulia, to spend the whole weekend with my Mom, Dad, and Sister's family, instead of being here with me.  So, in a way, the thing I don't like about holidays that I have to work, is that my family won't be here to enjoy it with, so there's no need to make a big stink out of it.

I'll talk to you guys later, and I wish everyone a happy Easter.