Oklahoma, where the wind goes sweeping down the plains…..

I don’t know about the wind sweeping down the plains but the sun sure shines hot on the ground. We went to visit Don’s Uncle Pete and meet up with his mom and sisters in Tulsa for a couple of days. It was a great visit and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Sean was very excited to go on the plane. He really understood that he was flying and loved it. We got a direct flight and it was only two hours so it was not bad for his two year old attention span.

Don’s mom, Darci, Addie and a friend Felicia came from Illinois. Don’s sister Dava, Alexis, October and Ashton came from Kansas. Pete and his wife Nancy have a gorgeous home and fantastic back yard with a pool. The gorgeous home and the pool made me a little nervous with Sean but he didn’t destroy anything and he didn’t drown so all was well.

Pete and Nancy have a big house but there were still people sleeping here, there and everywhere!

Sean playing with Aunt Nancy's "zoo animals"

This is Dava telling Darci that on the 27th of August Mars will look as big as the moon in the sky. You can’t really tell but Darci’s eyes are rolling back in her head! (Actually that conversation happened in the pool at night, but it was funny enough to recount.) This is apparently a rumor spread via the Internet just to make science teachers crazy!

The girls had all sorts of pool tricks! They were very athletic.

Don, Sean and Darci hanging out by the pool. Sean eating a bowl of rice. That kid loves rice.

We spent most of our time just visiting and swimming. Sean and the girls were fish. It was a laid back couple of days. Dava was only there one day and had to get back to Kansas because her grand kids had a rafting trip planned. Darci was feeling pretty tired and on Thursday was having so much difficulty breathing she had to go to the ER. They kept her overnight but released her in the morning. She had a couple of stints put in her lungs on Tuesday to help her breathe so they treated her for blood clots and gave her some antibiotics because they didn’t know what else to do but she was breathing better when she left. We went bowling Friday afternoon, Pete and Sean beat the rest of us!

Dava and the girls.

Uncle Pete, Don and Sean lounging.

Pete, Don and his mom

Sean and Nancy's dog Ivy. This is the coolest puppy. She's six months old and never been around little kids but was totally patient with Sean. He would pull the hair on her head and growl at her and she would just lick him and come back for more. They have a little mutual admiration thing going on. I don't know who loved who the most.

One of the more humorous moments involved a toad. Ivy, the dog chased a toad out of the bushes. Sean has never held a toad so I had Don catch it so Sean could see it. The toad got away and Ivy chased it out of the bushes and into the pool. Addie saved it! Darci said if you lay a toad on its back and rub it’s tummy it goes to sleep. Pete laid it on its back and rubbed its tummy and it made funny little toad noises.

Addie saving Mr. Toad from drowning. Ivy trying to figure out how to get hold of Mr. Toad.

Last Saturday at the Lake

Saturday I woke up agitated over the hearing on Friday and I was thinking I want to go to my “happy place” which is lying under a tree on the beach at the lake. As I laid in bed contemplating going to the lake “again” when Catherine called and said her family was headed to the lake for the day. Of course at that point we had no choice but to go to the lake and take the boys out on the boat. It was very relaxing and cleared my head. I’m glad we went.

Jameson, Tyson and Sean ready to go.

Jameson and Sean sat on the back of the boat for a long time before Sean fell in! He was crying but as soon as I got him out he said “that wasn’t scary.” Hmm, it scared me.

Captain Don and a boat full of boys.

Harrison doing his Sponge Bob imitation.

Jackson looking cold. It was a hot day but the water is still cold. They spent a couple of hours at the pool before we got there.

Tyson digging in the sand.

After the lake we went to a sushi restaurant where you can get all the bad sushi you can eat for $18. The food was bad but the company was good. Lucky for me I don't eat sushi good or bad.

The DCFS hearing

It’s been 10 days since the custody hearing with DCFS. The one I was subpoenaed for. Enough time for me to quit being crazy and write about it. The whole experience was very unsettling. The girls were subpoenaed. How do you subpoena a 3 and 4 year old? After we all arrived at the court house the assistant AG concluded he had made a mistake in subpoenaing them and they weren’t needed. It was good to see the girls. They looked cute and happy. Kylie had a bruise on her chin. She fell out of bed. The foster family was mortified by it! The foster family wanted to stay for the hearing and the girls couldn’t be in the court room because their mom was handcuffed and shackled so Don stayed out in the hall and played with them.


Listening to Ryan made me all kinds of nauseated. He was telling the G.A.L. how he had applied to SLCC and was going to start in the fall and he used to work for Duncan Electric until he hurt his hand and got laid off. He failed to mention he only worked there two weeks before he got drunk and fell through a window and severed and artery and some tendons after which they didn’t want him anymore. Every time he opened his mouth untruths came out. It was all I could do to keep my eyes from rolling clean back in my head.


The actual hearing was almost 2 hours late. Jenny’s hope that DCFS wouldn’t find out she was in jail didn’t come through for her. I told her they were bound to figure it out. Apparently the judge didn’t find out until this morning and they put in the order to transport from the jail in at the same time. They threw out the abuse charges regarding Brie, stating that there was too much time between the injuries and seeing a doctor. I felt so much animosity towards Ryan’s attorney. I know she was just doing her job but please!! She said Ryan was “bewildered and confused” by the fact that his children had been taken and the fact that he didn’t have a “real job” or a “real lease agreement” or a “licensed daycare provider” was no grounds for keeping his children from him. It was all I could do not to scream. The judge lectured them both for the domestic violence but in the end gave Ryan unsupervised visitation. I can’t even begin to describe how sick to my stomach I was. Jenny’s attorney said Jenny was in favor of Ryan having the girls. That made me so mad at her. Kudos to the G.A.L. who advocated to no avail on behalf of the girls, I could tell she really cared.

Speaking of Jenny. She was sentenced to a year in jail for D.V. the sentence was suspended and she has two years probation. During those two years she is supposed to have no contact with Ryan. I can’t wait to see how that works out. She is still in jail for the new charges. While I was in Oklahoma I got a message from bail bondsmen on her behalf. Needless to say I didn’t return the call.

Costa Rica

Aric went to Costa Rica for ten days this month. Yes, he flew! Yes, he flew by himself. He doesn't like it when I talk about him so I will just post a couple of picture and say that he described it as "a life changing experience." I'm not sure if it was Costa Rica that was life changing or the girl in the pictures.

Aric and Steph

There are several "active" volcano's in Costa Rica. Sounds a little scary to me!

Collect Call: SLC Metro jail inmate

Yep, let the collect calls begin. Jenny was booked last night on aggravated felony assault and failure to stop at the command of a police officer and an outstanding warrant. This is a warrant from last month for a fine she didn’t take care of since she got out of jail. On the phone she was saying “I’m this close to getting the girls back. I just need you to call the case worker and tell her that I can’t make my visit on Tuesday and bail me out before Friday. I’ve got everything together. I have a job. I have an apartment lined up….” Oh yes, I’m sure. Her story is last Sunday she and Ryan had a fight about the girls and money and he called the police and said she was harassing him. Then yesterday she was with Todd and Kristin and they got pulled over for expired tags the police ran a check on her and arrested her.
I tell you the drama never ends.

I texted her on Friday and told her I had been subpoenaed because I was stressed that she didn’t know we were going to be at the hearing. I guess if she’s at the hearing she will be there in shackles unless by some chance she makes bail. I can’t believe Ryan is denying the charges and getting everyone dragged into court. Even Kylie and Brie were subpoenaed. What they plan to get out of a 3 and 4 year old in a court room I don’t know. Ryan should just admit there is a problem and go about trying to fix it. Jenny’s solution for my subpoena: “I just don’t go and they don’t send me to jail.”

Off to camp for David

David did not want his picture taken but I did it anyway! David has had too much time on his hands this summer. This last week we’ve had him doing yard work and this week we’ve sent him to summer camp. It’s an outdoor camp at Westminster College. Outdoor is probably not the best description because they are staying in the dorms. They do outdoor activities everyday: rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, the ropes course. I think it’s going to be a great experience. He already told me he’s not going to take any pictures.

Sean and his Sisters

Sean got to play with his sisters today! It was a great time. We met the ENTIRE foster family at Sugar House Park. I was so impressed that all the teenagers and even a boyfriend showed up to meet Sean. That’s a devoted family. It was so cute to see Kylie and Sean hugging each other. The girls are very happy and look great. They have a wonderful relationship with all the sisters and brother. I am very happy knowing they are with the family they are.

Every where we go to feed the ducks lately it's Seagulls! It's kind of strange, I don't remember it being that way in the past.

That's Tammi, Bryan and two of the sisters. The little one is Brooklyn. I can't remember all the other's names.

The girls were happy to see Don!

The geese were so tame they would eat out of your hand and let you pet them.

A couple of the foster sisters and the kids. Did I mention how nice their kids were? I think I did!

The lake

We seem to be spending a lot of time at the lake, then again why not? Friday we went to a Peruvian festival in Centerville. That was fun. We ate Peruvian food, listened to music and watched dancers.



We weren’t planning on going to the lake this weekend but went up on Saturday. My niece Jaclyn and her family spent the night so we decided to go up for a couple of hours and take the kids out on the boat. It was fun. It was hotter than the weekend before.

Don, Sean Sonia, Laila, Jaclyn and Marin

Laila was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of months ago. A really crappy thing to have to deal with at any age much less three. Jaclyn has been a trooper and while the diagnosis kicked them all in the face they haven’t let it slow them down. Did I mention Laila is a twin AND Jaclyn has a baby. I guess that makes Jaclyn Superwoman.

Sonia taking a swim

Marin and her mom. That is one cute baby but I am here to tell you she does not like me! I don't know why, I've never done a thing to her. Laila holds me responsible for her diabetes because I was the first one to poke her but I have NEVER poked Marin! I haven't even pinched her cute little cheeks but if I try to hold her she screams. I try not to take it personally because her momma says she is the only one she likes.

And they're off for a ride. 

Spiderman is Carefree

Sean found a box of pantie liner pads....Oops, I mean Sean found a box of stickers. He gave Spiderman a new look and was more than happy to strike a pose. How cute is that?

Dinosaur Park

I was having anxiety yesterday despite pharmacological intervention so I decided we had better get out of the house. I told Don we were going to Dinosaur Park. He suggested we take Sean’s little friend Ethan who lives next door. I didn’t think Ethan’s mom would let him go to Ogden with us but sent Frida over to invite him. Ethan’s mom had a new baby last week. Frida said she was surprised because she didn’t think his mom would let him come but when she asked she didn’t even think about it she just said “I’ll get his shoes!” It was a win win! She got some sleep and Sean had an excellent time at the park with his friend.

Checking out the dino vision glasses

Not only was Dino Park great fun it was a great value. On Tuesday I bought a $40 family year pass at Tracy Aviary and that pass gets you in free to Dino Park on weekdays! Dino Park is a little pricey, $8 per adult and $5 for each two-year-old. Four more bucks and my pass has paid for itself! I planned to spend and hour there. After three and a half I had to pry the kids away with the promise of ice cream.

They spent a long time sitting under this dino playing with rocks.

 

I wouldn't have tried taking two kids to the park without Frida.

Future paleontologist at work! Ethan has allergies and usually has a runny nose. There was a kid about six digging next to the boys who asked Ethan "Do you want to be a paleontologist when you grow up?" Ethan looked at him and said "uh huh." The little boy just started talking "I am already a paleontologist. I do important work...." All the sudden he stopped talking and started stuttering and I could tell he was totally disgusted" you have stuff, shiny stuff, it's on your (searching for words)  you need to wipe your face." This kid can say the word paleontologist but not the word snot! It was cute. The poor child was so traumatized by the snot on Ethan's face he had to leave the area!

What is she on?

I went to see my family doctor today about my anxiety. (This is the same doctor that got subpoenaed along with me in regard to the girls.) I’ve been off of Lexapro for three years but have decided it’s time to go back on because my anxiety is really getting the best of me. I am having trouble sleeping and am worrying compulsively. I’ve always been a worrier it’s a family gene but it’s out of control.


The point of sharing my personal pharmacologic needs is to point out an irony.

Sean saw his dad today for the first time in 3 months. This caused me a lot of anxiety. I haven’t seen Ryan since April. We agreed last night that he would see Sean today. Last night Ryan texted that he had to work today and couldn’t see him in the morning because he didn’t get off until four. That didn’t make sense since he was seeing the girls downtown at 10. I told him I could meet him at the McDonalds near the DCFS building at 9 or he could meet me at Kangaroo Zoo in the evening. At 8 this morning he texted and asked if I would bring Sean to his house. No, I will meet you at the McDonalds by DCFS. He texted me back and said he didn’t have any money because he just paid his rent. I told him Sean didn’t care if he had any money. In the end we met at the McDonalds over by the SLCC building and he and Sean had fun playing out front. Sean was confused at first but then became a chatter box. When I went over to DCFS with Ryan to meet Jenny we briefly saw the girls. They look GREAT. Sean and Brie got a little tearful because they wanted to play and couldn’t. I was worried about letting Sean see them when I knew it would just be in passing but last night Sean was sad and said “Brie is lost on an airplane.” I think it was good for him to see that Brie still IS even if he doesn’t get to play with her. He got over it pretty fast when we went to the Aviary and he got to ride the rides.


To the irony… Jenny is unemployed (though she tells me she has a job), couch surfing, she’s lost her kids, is facing sentencing and under investigation for fraud and she is sitting across from me just as calm as ever. I asked her “are you feeling depressed or anxious” and she said “no, not really. Sometimes but not most of the time.” What the crap? I am having major anxiety and feeling like I’m not coping and she is sitting there looking like she doesn’t have a care in the world. How can that be? I know she lies to me all the time but I honestly believe her when she says she’s not depressed. How is that even possible? What is she on?

A day at the lake

We went to the lake on Saturday. Alex and Loreal were there too.

Sean was driving the boat... around in circles. It was funny to see his face when he realized he was really controlling where the boat went. He became very serious. By the time he's 4 he will be driving like an pro!

Alika came from Wyoming for a visit and her birthday. She is having a great time at Yellowstone. There are people from all over the world working there. She has a roommate from Tennessee. There are workers from Russia and Jamaica. She looks happier than I have ever seen her. It’s kind of funny; Alika the vegetarian who would picket at rodeos and the circus is now eating meat every day and going to rodeos. I am waiting for her to call and tell me she has run off and married a cattle rancher. Sean was really happy to see her.

We went to "The Oaks" our favorite place to eat at the lake! A 40 minute wait but worth it.

Alex and Loreal’s puppy has to wear a collar because she has a sore on her face. Poor thing keeps trying to run behind couches and things and getting bounced around.

Sean and Empress and other stuff

Sean’s cousin Empress (Sabrina’s daughter) spent the night last Friday. Sean was so excited and they played really well together. When I took her home the next day Sean said “her want to stay with me!” We enjoyed having her over!




I picked Jenny up yesterday (Wed) and we went to Tracy Aviary so she could spend time with Sean. Tracy Aviary was a lot nicer than I remembered  (Except for the people in biohazard suits cleaning oil out of the river) and we had fun.  We weren’t able to stay long because Jenny had to meet with an attorney. She mentioned several times that she needed $40 to take a domestic violence class as part of her requirements to get the girls back. I didn’t go there despite the number of subtle hints. I could giver her ten thousand dollars and it wouldn't fix her problems. (But it would buy a lot of beer for Ryan) She was supposed to meet today with the fraud investigator for WFS. I have no idea how that went. I asked her if she wanted me to invite Sabrina and Empress to our next outing and she said NO! She talked a lot about getting a new job and moving to an apartment with Kristin and how she had one year to get the girls back. I thought your one year is now ten months! She refers to one year as if it has no starting point. She talks and talks but I don’t see much in the way of positive action. She spends a lot of time talking to attorneys thinking they are going to somehow solve her problems. Sean was throwing food to the ducks and she said “I wish I was a duck, they don’t have any problems.” I guess she didn’t see the guys in biohazard suits cleaning the oil spill 100 yards away from the ducks. The ducks just don’t know their problems.



I talked to the Attorney General’s office yesterday. They can’t do anything about Sean’s case because it is totally separate. So, if parental rights for the girls are terminated we will have to file our own petition. I called to talk about the abuse trial I have to testify at (which gives me anxiety). The attorney is supposed to call me back next week to talk about what is going to happen.

And one last stressful thing. Ryan texted and wants to see Sean. He hasn't seen him since April and hasn't asked since the no show visit. The tentative plan is for him to see him Tuesday.