Jonah | All the Little Grubbs

A New Year

Foster, foster care, gratitude, Jonah, Katie, marriage, memories, Parker, Theodore January 5, 2021 Leave a comment

As a whole, humanity seems extremely happy to put the year 2020 behind them and move into 2021.

Personally, I feel the same! Some really great things happened in 2020 but the high amount of stress and anxiety has overshadowed it all.

I began walking for exercise in 2020. When our first required quarantine began in March, I decided to try and start walking for exercise and it turned out it was more needed for mental health than anything else!

I had some very consistent walking months, started gaining strength and losing weight. Then we got a call from DCS and our year turned from confusing and stressful to a chaotic mess.

Our little Chatterbox showed up from being up all night in the ER and DCS office. She had on some clothes that the DCS office had on hand that were too large and the wrong season. She slept for hours on our couch where the DCS worker laid her.

I didn’t have anything for her. DCS had sent a bag of random items that a local church or non-profit had made into an essentials bag. Unfortunately, there were no clothes, no pajamas included.

I had been planning to go with some friends to lunch and shopping that day. Instead, they went without me and did some shopping for me since I didn’t have another adult here to stay home with Chatterbox.

Another positive of 2020, has been seeing how people are willing to love on Chatterbox (and us by extension). They’ve sent her clothes, gifts and brought us meals during some rough patches. If it wasn’t for Covid, I’m sure I could have called on them to babysit.

My kids continued to meet milestones!

Foster was able to get his license and become the proud owner of his first car.

Katie started high school and participated as a member of the local public high school cross country team.

Theodore broke his arm and showed just how tough and resilient he really is. He was cracking jokes almost immediately.

Parker has bonded with Chatterbox and will do anything to help her laugh and feel better. His soft heart is evident.

Jonah has shown that ART is life. He’s creating from the moment he wakes up until the very last moment his eyes are open. He received 7 blank sketchbooks for Christmas and he couldn’t have been more excited.

If I had to pinpoint one thing, though, the most positive from 2020 would be how much closer Chris and I have become as a couple. And how much stronger our marriage is. The stretches of time he’s had at home have been beneficial for all of us. I’m very grateful to be married to my best friend. Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of our first date. I’m so thankful for the past 20 years and plan to savor the next 40+ together.

Christmas 2019

daddy, Family, Foster, gratitude, holiday, Jonah, Katie, Lego, memories, Parker, Theodore, Uncle Anthony January 3, 2020 Leave a comment

Christmas break has been just the right amount of slow with small spurts of busyness. It’s been full of sweet surprises and moments and laughter. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with this family of mine!

Thanksgiving 2019

Family, Foster, gratitude, holiday, Jonah, Katie, memories, Parker, Theodore January 1, 2020 Leave a comment

img_8625-animation

Ms. Debbie’s daughters (Becky and Amy), Bethany’s family and my family attempted to get a quick photo shoot in for a surprise Christmas gift for Debbie and Al of all 10 grandkids. We had to pull it off quickly on Thanksgiving day because some of the family members were in from out of town, the weather was chilly and there were 2 four-month-old babies involved.

I’m glad we took the time and money to do this and look forward to ten years from now when we can re-create it (possibly with some great-grandkids!).

Then once we yelled at our kids to smile and stop squinting and “act like you like each other” for a few minutes, we headed to Aunt Diane’s and Uncle Walt’s for Thanksgiving dinner and time with family.

I didn’t take any food pictures or family pictures that day, but I should have! Aunt Lele and Uncle Mark and Cousin Megan, Jordan and little, sweet Rylan were in from out of town. We don’t get to spend nearly enough time with them since they moved to Nashville several years ago.

I am so thankful to Aunt Diane and Uncle Walt for always opening up their home. The Grubb family traditions are my favorite parts of the holidays.

Jonah turns 7…and 8

birthdays, Jonah, memories November 24, 2019 Leave a comment

8th…

7th…

Homeschool Year 10 – A Day in the Life

blessings, children, choices, faith, Foster, God's goodness, gratitude, homeschooling, Jonah, Katie, memories, Monday Memory, motherhood, parenting, Parker, priorities, siblings, teenagers, Theodore July 30, 2018 Leave a comment

I have an app on my phone that causes me to have the competing emotions of happiness and sadness daily. You may have heard of Timehop? After beginning our tenth homeschool year last week, a few pictures from 7 years ago came across my screen. 2011. Foster was in 2nd grade, Katie in 1st grade, Theodore was almost 4, Parker had just turned 2 and I was 7 months pregnant with Jonah.

I think there were about 6 pictures but I found myself analyzing everything. The place we lived at the time, the school books they were working in or toys they were playing with. It was a homeschool day-in-the-life but I wanted more! I wish I’d taken a picture of myself with my ginormous belly. I barely remember those days. I remember them but I can’t transport myself back to feeling the same, when I only had one child who was beginning to read and still had someone in diapers. When I had fatigue and hormones and very little patience. When we were still adjusting to the loss of Chris’s mom and the fact that his dad was about to remarry. When Chris was new to his job at the airport and our purse strings were pulled extremely tight. Scraping by to feed and clothe and house a family of 6 (almost 7).

It’s the looking back that affirms our choices. We can ponder and speculate all day long the “what-if’s” of life and try to feel confident in what the future will hold, but the looking back reassures me that while at the time it felt too difficult to be good, that God did honor our choices and is continuing to care for us and give us an abundant life. If someone had said to that tired, overwhelmed, burned out, struggling momma that she’d be mentally and emotionally strong enough to become a foster mom, I’m sure she would have said you were crazy. Or that she’d have the courage to homeschool her children through high school! At that time I was still trying to figure out how to get someone from reading c.a.t. to reading chapter books. Oh the stress!

Today I stalked my children and took some day-in-the-life photos. In another 7 years, I’ll be able to look back and praise God for what He was doing, what He was teaching all of us on those days.

=============================================================================

==============================================================================

Jonah turns 6

blessings, children, Grammy, Grandad, Jonah, memories November 21, 2017 Leave a comment

Jonah turned 6 years old on September 28th. He is a smart, sweet little boy with an active imagination. He loves to help his older siblings and he really enjoyed being a “big” brother while Pipsqueak was here. This is his Kindergarten year and he’s eager to learn to read so he can get his own library card like the big kids. Some days he takes advantage of his status as youngest but most of the time he’s pretty mature for his age. He has several “friends” that he drags around the house with him like his little, satin brown lovey, his Mickey Mouse and his other animals daddy has brought home from trips. His big brown eyes and sweet smile light up my world. We love you, Jonah-baby!

Jonah turns 5

children, foster parenting, Jonah January 7, 2017 Leave a comment

Jonah-baby turned 5 in September. When we refer to Theodore, Parker and Jonah around here we usually say “the 3 little boys”. Now that they are 9,7 and 5 they aren’t so little but Jonah is technically the baby of the family. Well, he was until 4 days before his birthday when Pipsqueak joined us. Jonah is…SWEET. He has big brown eyes, precious little verbal and facial expressions and loves to cuddle. He tries his best to do everything that all the big kids are doing. He is well-behaved and quick to learn if he gets in trouble. He is a little bit of a daredevil but he’s made it a whole year without a trip to the ER so that’s a plus. He’s recently gotten the chance to see what it feels like to be the “big” brother and he has excelled at that role. I’ve been surprised at how nurturing he is toward Pipsqueak. Since she’s been here he’s started to care for his Mickey Mouse the way I care for her. When we went to the dentist the other day he insisted on having a bag for Mickey’s stuff and that Mickey needed a diaper and a bottle. As I suspected at the beginning of the school year, he has excelled in his K4 year and knows many of his letters, phonics and numbers. He isn’t catching on with handwriting yet but we have time! In this house, you get to be a little boy first and a student second.

18,799 words, stitches out, expander in

3 year olds, daddy, Jonah, Katie, writing November 13, 2014 Leave a comment

So my word count for NaNoWriMo2014 is at 18,799 and it’s feeling so good. I wasn’t sure my characters were going to get off their butts and do anything but tonight they did. So exciting.

Jonah got his stitches out of his toe. His temper tantrum from 10 days ago left him with 4 stitches in his big toe. It was gross, bloody and black. He screamed like a crazy person getting those things in but of course, daddy took him to have them removed and NOT ONE TEAR was shed.

I love the irony that he was wearing a shirt that says “Mom’s Happy Camper” when in fact if mom had taken him he would not have been a happy camper. Go dad go.

Katie had to have an expander put in at the orthodontist today. She’s getting the fun of spacers, impressions, appliances all at the ripe old age of 9. Bless her. But the experts (who never heard her high-pitch crying baby screech) say her mouth is too small and room must be made.

She did well with it today. It’s making her talk a little funny and she doesn’t appreciate when I laugh at her so I’m trying not to do that. Hey, don’t judge, I had braces for 3 years, I know it sucks. We keep telling her she’ll get used to it. Hopefully she will.

Jonah’s 3

Jonah October 12, 2014 Leave a comment

Jonah had a nice family party here at our new home. I tried not to focus on this being the last baby we have that will turn 3. He was sweet and in a good mood all day, he wanted to thank everyone and give them hugs. He is a little rascal and we all love him so much!