2019: A Year in Review

January: 

-Blackwells visited (Hannah was 7 months pregnant)

-Vasectomy

-Beautiful day at the beach to celebrate Luke’s new job,
which he began on 1/30

-PU A and M from school 2x/week

-Joined a Cookbook Club that stopped about as soon as
it began

-A and I began spending the night regularly like 1x/week

February:

-Winter Light Festival

-Access to Midwifery Care Lobby Day in Salem

-Breastfeeding Model at Birthingway

-Dahlia gymnastics class at Community Center

March:

-Night at Breitenbush with Micah while Dahlia had a
sleepover with the Eads

-A and I move in after doing weekend respite for them
for months (whirlwind of visits, appointments and folks
on their team to work with, home visits, CASA, visits with
their family)

- Liz/Joe’s wedding

-Music Together Class

-DHS Allegation

April:

-Easter in Vancouver at my parents- egg hunt in their
back yard

-Rockaway Beach for Ama and Gdaddy’s 40th
anniversary

May: 

-Wildflower Hike in Mosier

-Lots of time with Karen who wasn’t working

-Rainy Memorial Day camping by Peterson Prairie/
Mt. Adams

June:

-Girls moved back to their family

-J high school graduation

-Explore Fostering in Spanish panel

-Eat/kayak down by the river after work in nice weather

-Visit Zephyr Farm for the first time

-Portland Pride Parade

-First ever Strawberry Festival at Orchard

-Treehouse was built

-Uncle Ed died

-Raffi concert

-Luke play jazz at New Seasons

-Naked Bike Ride

-Started regularly attending Access Covenant Church

July:

-4th of July Camping at Timothy Lake with Rogers/Jake

-Church in the Park

-Roseburg for Luke’s work

-Oregon Country Fair

-Cathedral Park Jazz Festival

-Typical summer fun- concerts in the park, river days,
park playdates, splash pads, Sugarpine 

-Walk with Immigrants and Refugees

Father/Daughter Camping- with Brandon/Finley at
Siouxon Creek

-Erin here for visit

-Kat beach with siblings

August:

-Cousin Scott/Katie wedding, Seattle fun, hotel, dancing

-Erin sleepover- Bella’s pizza, Cloud City, meeting Micah,
connecting with Dahlia

-Camping at Cape Lookout with family and neighbors

-Marta moved in

-Maupin, which Luke went on to work in Warm Springs. 
I hiked Frog Lake with the kids, played in Hood River,
got ice cream, pizza and then drove home.  Luke beat
me home and had to break into the house since I had
his keys. 

September:

-Labor Day- helped Eads move, then celebrated
anniversary by going to the river and Sugarpine 

-Woody Guthrie Apartments street painting

-Started picking up Mateo daily from school, Dahlia
naps in wagon/nap bed

-Me/kids fly to chicago to be with Tati/kids for long
weekend

-Dahlia Festival

October:

-7th annual apple party the first weekend, apples from
Home Orchard Society; hard cider

-MCC sale in Albany with Ama

-Pumpkin Patch

-Gdaddy Bike Accident

-Gymnastics class at community center

-Halloween- mail carrier/lobster

November:

-Friends Camp at Rockaway

-Meal on Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad’s

-Blackwells arrive, another meal at Yellow House
on Friday

December:

-Florida trip- Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Atlantic
Ocean, pool/hot tub, treats, gum on plane, exploring the
house, both kids getting sick

-Cookie Party

-Luke- jury duty

-Christmas- mom and dad for brunch, Eads for
afternoon/supper
-My dad got his left knee re-replaced

Each month, we spent lots of time at the local library,
and Dahlia learned how to put books on hold,
as well as play games on the ipads.  We continued
working at the neighborhood orchard. Luke
continues as a monthly volunteer for Foster Parents
Night Out. Kat tries to volunteer at
Harvest Share as frequently as she can with the kids. 
We began a weekly dinner with friends. We saw friends
get married, friends get divorced, friends struggle to get
pregnant, children get adopted, children return to their
biological families, families move, friends buy their first
homes, friends go back to work after a season of being
home with their small children.  

Our calendar looks wildly different whenever we have
a foster placement.  When we do have extra kids in our
home, our days are full with appointments, school support,
meetings with attorneys, doctors, and CASAs, emails to
case workers.  Evenings are spent trying to encourage
family meal times and then keeping everyone entertained
until bedtime routine. Then, crossing fingers and hoping
everyone sleeps through the night.  Waking up and doing
it all over again! When we don’t have a placement, our
days fill up doing all the things that might be a bit more
challenging with an extra. Our family gets outside a lot
more, camping or on the river.  We spend a lot more time
doing nothing or just relaxing, in the garden, or taking
bike rides. We spend a lot more time with our family. The
balance is all needed to allow us to keep saying yes.