Month Nineteen - Christmas Time and Saying Goodbye Part 8

We finally got some news this month on what is going to happen with our foster son and his case--I'll save that for the end and start with the fun stuff. We were still able to fit in some of our traditional Christmas activities this year even with the addition of our new little guy. On my Birthday (the big 28!) we loaded up all three kids into the Flex and headed to Prescott for a nice little day trip. My awesome sister Morrie joined us and was a huge help. I love visiting this town during Christmas time. There is a fantastic gingerbread house display and the courtyard is decorated super cute, it's a must every Christmas season! Ivy enjoyed showing Bubba around.

Playing hide and seek with dad.

Jake and Ivy had a fantastic time watching the Nutcracker at the Phoenix Symphony. It was Ivy's first time and I wasn't sure how well she would do sitting through the whole thing... she loved it! It was fun hearing about her favorite scenes and dancers. Love that this will be a new tradition for the years to come!

Ivy is loving having two brothers. And Bubba loves the new baby too. Still haven't had any jealousy issues, so thankful!  

Ivy and some of her aunts and uncle decorated a gingerbread house together a few days before Christmas. Ivy takes this task pretty seriously.

And Maccoy slept through it all, no matter how hard we tried to wake him up! Bubba slept through it too, no surprise there:)

We had a wonderful Christmas. Ivy woke up nice and early and it was fun capturing her excitement.

When Bubba finally woke up a few hours after Ivy we tried to teach him how to open his gifts. 

He wasn't very interested... but did enjoy Ivy's new umbrella. He walked around the house with it and a big smile on his face:)

Bubba is in the total toddler stage so I haven't even attempted getting a picture of all three kids, he is constantly on the go. Ivy has been pretty great letting me get some shots of her and the baby, and I love them!

The day before Christmas Eve our case worker finally came over for a visit. The last time we had seen her was in September. We were informed that Bubba's mom is doing everything she needs to be doing in order to get her kids back, which is great news. His mom and I have been e-mailing and she has been asking me questions about Bubba which has been very encouraging. It's CPS that has been slow moving. Bubba finally got a visit with his mom on Christmas Eve and visits in the future have been scheduled. This means things are really starting to happen now. Once again we were told that he should be returning to his mom in about two months. This is what we have been told every month since September but now that visits have started up again I think this could be the truth. So, sometime in February-March if everything goes as should. 

At this point we have accepted that Bubba is leaving and are really rooting for his mom and their reunification. It didn't come easy getting here because the case plan changed to reunification so suddenly. Since we were told from practically the beginning that Bubba would not be going back to a biological parent it was definitely a struggle wrapping our minds around the fact that he actually is now. We have had to accept that we have done our part for the little guy and now all we can do is hope and pray that his mom will continue to make good choices and do whatever she can to make him feel loved. Visits will eventually become more frequent towards the end and there will be some overnight visits before he goes to live with her. Hopefully two months will be a good amount of time for them to begin to bond. At this point the sooner the better for Bubba and the beginning of his new life with his mom and siblings.

Ayden 6 Months

This sweet boy recently turned six months and he is a cutie! I always love to see the changes that take place in the first six months of a little one's life. I have been taking pictures of the Dennett family before this little one was even in the picture and it's been so fun to watch their family grow! Ayden was a happy boy during this shoot, loved all of his sweet little smiles and expressions.

Will end with this shot of Ayden and his dad:) Have a Merry Christmas Dennett family!

Month Eighteen - Saying Goodbye Part 7 and Life With Three Kids

Life with three kiddos has so far been pretty great. It's definitely lots of work and we are super tired but there is also so much joy with a full household. Bubba's reaction to his new little brother has been so positive! Whenever we are downstairs he waddles over to the swing with a huge grin on his face and makes his little squeaky noise which means baby. He hasn't shown any signs of jealousy when Jake and I are holding Maccoy, he just smiles and points. It's been a little over a week now since Bubba came back from respite care and we are getting into a nice little routine. Ivy went through a bit of a rough patch just before Bubba came home, I think she was missing having him around. Since he has been back and we have all spent a good amount of time together everyone is doing really well.

I literally have zero updates to give concerning Bubba's case and plan for reunification. He is still not having visits (it's been over two months now) and we still do not have a date for when he will be returning to his mom. I have come to the realization that it's just going to take way longer than we have been told. At this point my mind is set on his transition taking place in the spring. I am just preparing myself for the long haul of silence so I won't be surprised if/when that happens. So this post will just be an update about our family life.

So very thankful for this smiling face whenever Bubba is around the baby. I remember thinking before the baby was born and before we knew the gender that it would be really fun to have a boy because he would be so close in age to Bubba. Of course this was also before we knew that Bubba would be leaving us sooner than we had anticipated. I would think about them growing up together and being best buds. That part of the daydreaming won't be happening but I am thankful that at this moment they do get to be together and so far they do like each other:) I haven't taken many pictures of the boys together yet because Bubba has had a cold since coming home and we have kept a good distance between the two. Hopefully soon the Bub will start feeling better and can hold his brother for the first time.

Ivy has been a great helper and big sister. Having a brother was just what she hoped for and it has been so sweet to watch the two of them bond. This is pretty much what she does every day after school, asks for some cuddle time with the baby.

There has been a good amount of coffee drinking going on in our home lately! We have a picture almost exactly like this one from when Ivy was a newborn:) I don't know what I would do without Jake. He has taken on the role of getting Bubba ready in the morning so I can get Ivy ready for school and take care of Maccoy. He also does all the diaper changes at night. I love him and am one lucky wife!

We have also been super blessed from all the help we have received from family. From coming over just to spend time with us and get some baby cuddle time in as well as taking the two older kids from time to time to give us a little more peace and quite. I am truly grateful! 

We have SO much to be thankful for and are soaking up this season of our life!

Maccoy's Newborn Session

The day after Maccoy was born we had a photographer come and take pictures of our family at the hospital. I am SO GLAD we decided to do this! I am thrilled with these shots and they will always be some of my very favorite. Chelsee Bingham at www.poppyseedphotographycb.com did an incredible job and I would highly recommend her. Now that I have cut back all of my previous clients should definitely book a session with Chelsee. Here are my favorite pictures from our session, I just love them!