I thought I'd try and summarize some of the highlights of the two week handover for all of you who have been drenching us all in prayer these past two weeks!  Thank you for that, as you will see TONS of prayers have been answered!

   I went in to the handover not really convinced that these people were right for Superfudge. Just some aside comments they made during the two meetings we had with them, but they bothered me alot. We were really before God that if this wasn't right HE would intervene. So I was a bit nervous to start with to say the least!

   He reacted really well at the first meeting and even gave hugs to all three of them and kisses to Big Brother and Daddy as they left! He thoroughly enjoyed having tons of extra attention for all these new people to play with! For a child who I called 'an attention junkie' this was his idea of Heaven!!!

   We  had one outing together as the two families to get him used to going out with them while we were along. Then they started taking him out on their own. Some days they came with his Big Brother along, some days just Mummy and Daddy came. He left with them happily each time though often ran to me on getting back shouting 'Mommy!' (ouch!)

   We took him to his new house for the first time he let us happily leave after only an hour with him there. The following night he went for an overnight and did really well too! That weekend we had Monkey's party and Superfudge went out with his new family before and they brought him to the party with his Big Brother and then took him out for dinner afterwards bringing him back for bed time.

   From the fourth day they did bedtime with me and two nights later they did it on their own. He was upset about that to put it mildly!!  But they DID do his next story in the Beginners Bible and do prayer time with him.  (this is where I need a smiley guy who does cartwheels!!)

   Mummy came down and asked me to write out his bedtime prayer since she couldn't remember how it went and he looked at her funny after she finished as if to say 'What was that?' LOL! So we wrote it out and she used it every night there after!!! She also commented on how reading from 'that book' as she called it really calmed him down when he was screaming! (Thank you Lord!!)

   On the last Sunday morning our church had a little 'blessing' for him during the service where they presented him with his own Beginners Bible and prayed blessing on the whole family as they became a new family together and for us as we said goodbye! (cue the tissue brigade! ) His new Mummy was deeply touched by the service and gave me a hug when we sat down saying how very lovely that was!! They were overwhelmed with the love shown to them and Superfudge by the church family.

   We had a lovely farewell party on Sunday afternoon at the church with some of the people who have been closest to him during his time with us. One 'Auntie' who was his respite carer while he was with us asked if she could make his cake and did a wonderful cake with a three dimensional drumkit made out of iceing and chocolate - it was perfect for him!! Another dear friend agreed to do all the catering for the party so I could just turn up and enjoy it.

   Sunday night when I put him to bed I was crying a bit and he noticed the tears on my cheeks. As he pointed to them I told him that I was 'leaking' and the people 'leak' when they love someone and are going to miss them! He pointed to the tear on each cheek and said 'Deedee leak' and then put his head on my shoulder for a hug!

   Monday morning he was full of beans! He came in for a cuddle early and then carried on with a normal morning. He helped me pack his things in the suitcases, and in his toy box but didn't want to talk about what was coming - he would change the subject! He was a little withdrawn as the social workers started arriving - he knew what was coming!

   His parents arrived and while I gave Mummy some last minute explanations, Daddy loaded the cases and toybox in the car (most of the rest of his stuff had already gone with them earlier during the week). We had some hugs and kisses on the floor together and then I told him it was time to put shoes on. He started throwing one of his tantrums, but I held him firmly on my lap and grabbed his kicking feet while quietly talking in his ear and telling him it was time now and he needed to settle down and be a good boy for his new Mummy. When I got both shoes on he gave up fighting as if he had resigned himself to it.

   Mummy put on his coat and I zipped it up, gave him one more squeeze and kiss and told him 'I love you and I'll miss you and I'll pray for you every day!' I was 'leaking' again by now!  Then I handed him to his Mummy and they walked out the door to the car. He got in and we waited till they pulled away. He was waving and smiling as they pulled off!

   At that point I pushed past everyone to run to the back door sobbing!  Dh took the boys into the living room and Superfudge's social worker went to help him and our social worker came after me and held me tight while I cried! After about 20 minutes I realised that my nose was running all over her top and started to laugh! I apologised and told her that people were going to think it was the kids and here it was the foster mom's snot all over her shoulder!!  

   I then told her that this is the 'stinkingest job in the world and yet strangely the most rewarding one too!' How is that for a quote? Anyway, it kind of sums up how it has been this week. I AM missing him alot, but that morning and during the past two weeks it was like a watching a family being born! It was exciting!! All my fears were laid to rest. They were really good with him, they took all our advice on board and were holding firm to all the same rules to give him stability and they were even tightening up on the rules they had for Big Brother (which I was worried were to relaxed for a six year old!) to make it easier on Superfudge.

   They really seemed to listen to us and came to understand his needs and how to meet them best. They kept thanking us for all we had done for him and they gave me a beautiful bouquet of roses and lily's to say thank you on the last morning. They were so sweet!

   This couple also like to keep in touch with their children's foster carers!  Yippee! So we are planning to get together once or twice next summer after he has had time to settle in with them. And they want to keep in regular contact too! That makes it all easier too - knowing we will see him again!

   So I think that about sums up the handover. Well done to anyone who has read this far!! LOL! I know some of you were really praying for us and interested in how it all went, but I also wanted to record most of this for my own sake. It was an amazing, exhausting, emotional, exhausting, rewarding, exhausting, exciting, exhausting, and manicly busy time (did I mention it was exhausting?) But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

   God was so evident throughout the entire time and we believe that He still has His hand on Superfudge and his new family too! Our prayers will continue to be for their salvation as a family, and for them to settle in quickly all together as well. He was there all the way through reminding me of things I had to tell them about, giving me wisdom in loads of situations, and with Superfudge as he came to terms with the change that was coming!

   God is good! And He showed that again these past two weeks in so many ways! Thank you once again for all the prayers on our behalf - they were felt and answered!

   And ......... now on to round two! Believe it or not we had a phone call the next day and early next week we will be having a four year old boy and his two year old sister arriving!  Yes, really! So this weekend we are rearranging the guest room as we have been planning to do as soon as Superfudge left to add a high/low bed that will sleep two children. So we have a busy weekend ahead! I just wanted to make sure I posted all of this before my memory becomes a blurr!

   I'll keep you posted as to ETA for the siblings! Fun, fun, fun! Actually it seems to be helping the boys to know more kids are coming. McGee has been better since he was told. I think he prefers it with others in! That kid was born to be the oldest of a big family! He thrives on it! (like his mother I guess! ) Anyway we find out more tomorrow about the siblings as our social worker is coming around with all the info. Take care!