175?!

I have posted 175 times already?! I still remember when my friend Jill told me about blogs and convinced me I needed one. I am so glad I listened to her!

Last night my sister- in- law Danielle called us to say thank you. It's been a year since she went into rehab, and a year since we went to Texas to get her boys. When I think back to all that went on during that time- I am so thankful for promptings of the spirit. When I started feeling like I needed to call Danielle's Bishop, Darrell felt like I was crossing the line- he was in a hard spot. He knew something was not right with his sister, but other family members had already made it very clear that they were aware of what was going on and it wasn't as bad as it seemed. He knew if I contacted the Bishop there would be problems between him and his Mom, not an easy position to be in. I finally told him I had to call- I couldn't ignore the promptings anymore, he told me to do it, but he was staying out of it. After getting online and finding out her ward, Bishop, and Bishop's phone number- I was left with a choice. Do what I feel is right, but cause problems with family, or just wait it out like we had been told by family members. I finally called the Bishop. What he told me broke my heart! I knew the addiction was bad- what addiction isn't? But when he told me of things he has seen and had to help with, it made me so sad. He also told me he was going to have to call Social Services to get the boys, since there was no family close.

After the conversation with him, Darrell and I talked and he agreed we needed to do something. We prayed and felt like we should take the boys in our home until Danielle could get the help she needed, and her husband could work and not have to worry about finding someone to watch and care for the kids. This was not an easy decision for us. I had just started feeling like I was recovering from the 2 miscarriages- and didn't know if emotionally I could handle the changes which would take place in our home. I spoke with Danielle and asked her if she would be willing to let the boys live with us while she got help, I think she knew she needed help, but was so messed up with the pills that she didn't know what to do. She did finally agree to talk to Josh and see how he felt.

A few days later Josh called and asked us to come get the boys. A lot of things happened that night, which resulted in Danielle being taken to the hospital for taking too many pills. I think Josh realized how out of hand the addiction was. Darrell flew out the next day, and I waited to make arrangements for our girls- I flew out a day after Darrell did. Darrell told me one of the hardest things he's ever had to do was what he did that first night he was there. He had to go to the hospital and tell his little sister she had two choices, go into rehab and we would take the kids until she was ready to have them back, or if she chose not to go to rehab the Bishop would be calling Social Services to come take the boys away, and most likely they would be separated.

We could not have done all we did with out the help of so many friends here. We didn't have anything for the boys, not even beds. Friends kept our girls for us so we could get the boys, arrangements were made for us to borrow bunk beds, people brought bedding, clothes, and toys for the kids. We even had money come in the mail which helped so much with the added expenses. Someone even mailed us a check to cover the flights to Texas, we had put all 4 flights on our credit card, and they knew we didn't want to do that. We felt so much support and love from everyone here!

Getting the boys and bringing them home wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. We hadn't seen the boys in 2 years, they didn't really remember who we were, but we all sat down and explained they were going to live with us while their mom got better. They were so excited to fly on an airplane- they didn't care where they were going! Telling Danielle good bye was hard, she looked so sad, sick, and just not herself- but I knew she would be so much better the next time we saw her! I was a little nervous on how to take care of the boys, and we finally decided we would do exactly what we do with our kids. Our kids were really excited- they kept saying it was going to be like they had brothers now!

There were a lot of up's and down's for the 2 months we had the boys. We all learned many lessons. I think it shocked poor Chase that I don't mess around with running away and trying to escape. In his house they had locks on every door- pantry, fridge, EVERYTHING! He wouldn't listen to his parents if they told him no. When he came here, he would try things, and immediately I would put him in a time out, even in the grocery store. He kept asking, they even have time out corners here? I told him they are everywhere! In the first week he quit trying to run, we don't have a fence and he never ran out of our yard, he never tried to sneak outside, and he never got into the food when he wasn't suppose to. Danielle jokes that she needs to send him back here because lately he has been running off again.

Caleb and Chase are good boys! We love them so much and were so glad we were able to give them a home for that little while. I question how I handled many situations that came up, but I know we did the best we could. When it was time for the boys to go home it was very bittersweet. I was so relieved to go back to my 3 girls, they had felt the changes and were ready for our family to be back to normal also. But when Danielle and Josh drove out of the drive way I wondered if having the boys here was the right thing. At that point Darrell's mom was barely speaking to us, we all handle things different, and I said many hurtful things to her at times. I just kept wondering if we really helped, or if we just made a bad situation worse.

I know now that we did what we were suppose to do. We followed the promptings and the boys needed a home that was secure since they were leaving their own home. I know I didn't handle things well with some of Darrell's family members and we are still trying to rectify and fix those problems.

Danielle is doing great. She is working, and I know she is proud of the huge hurdles she overcame to get her life back. I think one of the biggest things that helped her was when she found out she was pregnant. They have a little girl now, and Caleb and Chase love being big brothers.

It was a very humbling experience to go through, and I didn't think I'd make it through at times. But the Lord was aware. When I was at my breaking points, someone would offer to take the kids, another time our Bishop offered to take all the kids so Darrell and I could go on a date, just little play dates helped me feel like I can keep going. Darrell was traveling a lot through that time- that was when it was the hardest! But with many prayers we all made it through! Thanks again to all of you who so willingly stepped in and helped us! We feel so blessed to be in a ward that everyone helps each other carry the weight of hard situations.

All the kids Easter moring

Caleb turning 6!

Easter egg drop- they drop egg's out of a helicopter and the kids get to pick them up