Prettiest Princess Ever and one priceless moment

Okay, I had to post these, even though these for Favorite Photo Friday. I was struggling to figure out what would be my protocol for Favorite Photo Friday, when in reality, my fav photos might get snapped on a Friday... as will likely be the case with Halloween being tomorrow. Anyway, so I decided to include THOSE fav photos in next weeks Friday post. So... Fav. Photo Friday will be Friday through Thursday and I can guiltlessly post photos, knowing tomorrows pics will be for next Friday's post.

Anyway, thank God for digital because at this rate, my hubby would have to take a second job to develop all the film required around here. :) This is not Meg's official Halloween costume, but the other kids were wearing theirs today, so I put her in the princess dress. It was so precious, I might actually have to skip the costume she was going to wear and go with this one. I won't spill the beans on the real costume, in case I decide to unveil it tomorrow! :)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the photos of Brian and Connor learning to write his name, especially the one of just their hands. Ummmph, that one will be priceless in years to come, I can already tell.

Not Me Tuesday????

Wow! Has ANOTHER Monday really come and gone without a Not Me post? I am aware that some of you come looking for it, but whew, life seems to be flying by right now. If the first three months post-adoption seems like you're driving in the right lane and everyone else is in passing mode, then I guess the second three months seems like I've entered the Auto Ban.

You know, something really weird happened. My mom sent me an e-mail about a coincidence that happened between her and another "adoptive grandmother" and in that e-mail, she was saying some things that I had already written for this particular blog post. So I guess there is just coincidence floating around today. Or maybe this one is just stating the obvious, but anyway, here is what my mom and I were both thinking.

I had asked my friend Marina if she would translate some stuff for me to send to the orphanage. I really want to write a letter and send some photos of Meg and just thank them for the excellent care they gave her. Some of the behaviors she has, I know, are inherent in her personality. But some of them are things that she learned from the ladies who cared for her. I honestly can't find one thing I don't like about this child. She's so perfect for our family. Which got me thanking God last night for His infinite wisdom in bringing us together. Which ALSO got me thinking about how much I like to control things and how often I doubt that things are going to work out the way I want them to. I spent hours obsessing over the little girls on that Russian database. Literally, every morning I would wake up, pull up the database on my computer, and pray for each and every little girl in our age range that I thought MIGHT be our daughter. I don't regret praying for these children as I am sure that God heard those prayers and blessed them and me through that process. I would always start by saying, "Good morning girls." :) Anyway, in that process, I fell in love with a few of the little faces. I even had my friend, Marina, call the MOE representative in St. Pete and inquire about one specific child. I absolutely obsessed about which one I thought would be my daughter and which ones I wanted to be my daughter. For whatever reason, Meg's photo was not listed in the group of girls under my search criteria. I don't know if she hadn't been released, if she wasn't categorized correctly on the database or what, but I wasn't able to find her until after I went searching for her once I had my referral. So, in all my praying and falling in love and obsessing, I never even saw a photo or knew of Meg's existence. It just proves, once again, how much more capable God is than I am of controlling the circumstances of life for my good. I mean, as I was praying last night, I just thanked God for how absolutely perfect this child is for our family, how much I love her in every way, how well she fits in and how well she has adjusted (all things considered.) I marvelled, really, at how many details He provided for us that we wouldn't have dreamed were possible. She is more beautiful, healthier, happier, better adjusted, less affected by life in an institution, and more of a personality fit than we ever would have dared ask for.

This is not to say that children who are not healthy, well adjusted, etc. are less of a blessing. We've been that route too. We've done every therapy known to man, I promise. And through those trials, I was blessed too. God brought us so much knowledge, so much patience and stretched us so far with those experiences. I believe we are refined and closer to our God because of all the trying experiences we've had in all three of our adoptions. But for where we are now in our life, it's a breath of fresh air for me that we could have this experience to compare to the others that we have had in the past.

I look at all four of my kiddos, healthy, happy, well-adjusted, and all four of them doing their absolute best at what they do as individuals and I realized that in my wildest dreams, I couldn't have orchestrated a more perfect family for myself. It's beyond what I deserve and beyond what I imagined possible for myself 10 years ago when we were in the throes of infertility. From that darkness, to this light, is 1,000 miles apart and a journey that has blessed me beyond measure.

So what if I'm too busy to post to my blog on time for Not Me Monday! I did not have a successful party last Friday night for Jack's birthday. The weather DID NOT cooperate at the last minute (and once again, proving God could provide better than I could.) I did not have NO access to my computer until last night at 9:00, at which time I was NOT already asleep because I was exhausted. The reason I was exhausted had NOTHING to do with the Monday Night Titans game I had been to the night before and I had NOT stayed out past 11:00 on a school night, GASP! I have not been missing all the action on all the blogs this weekend (due to said internet failure), I did NOT even think about them one single time. I did NOT think about MckMamma over the weekend, knowing her delivery date is oh so near. My mother in law (you know, the Martha Stewart one) is NOT in town for a whole week and she did NOT bring dinner for our whole family to eat together last night, only to have to ditch it at the last minute because my niece had a last minute melt-down. We did NOT go ahead and eat that dinner without her and love every single bite! :) I would never do that, what kind of person would eat a meal prepared for someone else when that someone couldn't attend? I am not loving every single crazy, insane, and out of control minute of life with my four little monkeys! And I am NOT running off right now to re-caffeinate before the bus comes to drop off the big boys. I certainly don't need caffeine in the middle of the afternoon... those three cups of coffee and large Coke I've already had today should be plenty.

Isaiah 25:1
"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."

Favorite Photo Friday

Another Friday has rolled around. I can't believe it. Well, for you night-owls, I know that technically it's still Thursday, but the fact of the matter is that we are having Jack's birthday party tomorrow night and I know I won't realistically get around to posting this tomorrow. So I am delaying the start of Grey's until I get this done.

Speaking of Grey's, I am really torn up about watching tonight. I am almost done with Ahab's Wife and I am dying to go get in my bed and finish it tonight. But I know I won't be awake long enough to read AND watch Gray's, so I guess it's going to have to wait for the weekend. And I guess that means the late fees at the library will have to rack up a few more days. Ugh!

Anyway, it's Halloween central around my house, as you can tell from the "fav photos". I don't know why I get all these decorations that look so cute when they are in the store, but when I put them together at my house, they look like a hodge podge of junk. Why can some people take a few simple decorations and make their homes look like a Southern Living cover (remember kids, we've already discussed my Southern Living-wanna-be'ness) and I can take a handful of the same stuff and it looks like the Great Pumpkin puked on my lawn. Egad!

As I have already mentioned, I am no Martha Stewart. Unfortunately or fortunately for me, whichever the case may be, I married into a family of entertaining southern women. For that matter, I was born into a family of entertaining Southern women. My mom and Brian's mom can both put on a spread like you wouldn't believe with no more notice than a five minute drive home from church. I, however, did not get the "kitchen gene" in my family. I can whip you out a pair of groovy pants or a funky T-shirt in about an hour flat, but don't ask me to cook or look like Martha Stewart when I entertain you. I'll offer you something to drink (if you're lucky), but it will be from a can, not something made on the stove and then put in a pretty hand-painted pitcher. Anyway, why am I rambling (on and on and on) about this? Because I have about 30 people coming to my house tomorrow night for this party (and did I mention all three of the entertaining in-laws will be here) and I had it all figured out how I could look like the best hostess ever as easy as pie. I had planned a hot-dog roast... I was lighting the firepits in the back yard, I bought orange lights to string around our new deck railing... I have 48 hot dogs ready to be roasted over an open fire... and the weatherman is predicting torrential downpours! HELP! What the heck am I going to do with 30 people INSIDE my house and 48 hot dogs that haven't been cooked? Oh dang, looks like once again I'll be ordering pizza for a birthday party! :)

 

I thought this was going to be my fav photo because it's Jack helping his little brother with his pre-school homework. It's priceless.

 

 

 

 

But then I saw these and I couldn't resist posting them. #1 because I laugh when I see the flower on the floor next to my feet in the photo with Connor... I told you I'm not a housekeeper and I'm not lying.

#2 because I'm actually IN some photos for a change... my children WILL have evidence that I actually exist.

#3 because everyone just looks so happy and it's such a fun time for our family that I had to show off my cutie pies!

Have a great weekend. I'm sure I'll have tons of "Not Me's" for the Monday post after my rain party! :)

Did we have fun?

We're back from the beach. Did we have fun? Here's the best of the best (I will spare you all 346 photos!) It's always good to be home, but time together with just the six of us was totally priceless!

Headed South....

Pardon my absence for a few days while I put some sun on these lilly white legs and just enjoy sitting in a house that doesn't need to be cleaned (at least not by me!)

I couldn't get it together for "Not Me, Monday!" yesterday. Sorry everyone... I have so much fun doing it, but I just couldn't work it up this time even though I thought of about 1,000 not-me's throughout the week. It's funny how participating in that carnival makes you really look at some of the outrageous parts of every day life a little more humorously... but still be sure to check out MckMamma's blog for the other not-me'ers.

Brian and I have instituted a "no tv on vacation" plan... we'll see how long it lasts. I'm taking the under on about five hours. But it's a nice thought anyway. I told him there is no way he's applying that rule to me because I'm not missing Gray's Anatomy for vacation... that's a mini-vacation in itself.


Well, that's about it. We're all packed up and the fishing poles and kites are waiting to go into the Rocket Box when Brian gets around to packing the three things he's responsible for. I love how he asks me why getting ready for vacation stresses me out... oh, I don't know... I only have to do about ten loads of laundry, pack for FIVE people, get all the beach stuff together, pull together ever electronic gaming device in the house and then locate the actual games that go to them. I only have to rearrange car-seats and clean out the car and pack snacks and go to the grocery and..... This time tomorrow, I'll be having a margarita on the deck of our condo, eating some smoked tuna dip from the fresh catch store, and listening to a Kenny Chesney CD. :) I can't tell you how much we all need this little adventure. I found this verse in Isaiah that says it all. I can't wait... y'all carry on in my absence.

Isaiah 44
"For I will pour water on the thirsty ground and send streams coursing through the parched earth. I will pour my Spirit into your descendants and my blessing on your children."

Happy Birthday!

I have been affected today in a way I didn't anticipate. Today is Jack's (my oldest) and Meg's (my youngest) birthday. Obviously, I have shared many birthdays with my children between four kids over eight years. However, there's something really profound and moving for me that my first baby and my last baby were both born on this day. There is definitely something very special about the day, beyond the fact that it's a birthday. It's like an affirmation for me that God had a plan and saw all the events of the future, even before the first one was set into motion. Jack was born 5 weeks early. Meg was born one week late. Both so that they could share this special day and fulfill God's promise to us to fill our home with the laughter of our children. It's so fitting and perfect that Jack shares his birthday with his sister, above the other siblings, because he is the one who is most enthralled with her. He is the one who dotes on her and adores her. She also loves him in a way that only a little sister can love a big brother. It reminds me of the stories my MIL tells of how Brian's younger sister idolized her big brother and wanted to sleep in his room at night and go where he went. It's precious to me that they have this relationship because I see the relationship Brian still has with his sister and I know it's something that will be special for the rest of their lives.

I am one very blessed Mama, and today, I am overwhelmed by the enormity of that blessing! I am overwhelmed with how undeserving I am of these precious and perfect souls that have been entrusted to us by a loving and merciful God!

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

And because I missed Favorite Photo Friday, here's the best of the week:

Three months home and 2 year check-up!

Yesterday was Meg's two year physical. That in and of itself would not be blog-worthy except for the miraculous thing that occurred during the visit. Dr. Heil (our beloved, in case you missed that point in earlier posts) pronounced, "I can't find a thing wrong with her." To which I quickly retorted, "Really?! This is our first spin around the 'nothing's wrong' PI block." Seriously folks, if there is a therapy out there, I've done it with someone (and still am, with some, by the way!) I have never even heard of anyone coming home with NO issues. Now, I realize that I am jinxing myself. I realize that tomorrow the spawn of the Alien will wake up in place of my once healthy and beautiful daughter. I realize that simply by posting this, I am totally tempting fate and something will bite me in the butt... hard! But, just for a moment, for a fleeting glimpse of a second, I just have to revel in the deep breath I took and know that for once, I am not facing a mountain of paperwork, government forms, tests, and therapy appointments. Folks, I need this... have you seen my schedule? As my friend, Kendra, said, "I need a flow chart to figure out who is going where."

That's not to say that we don't have some things ahead of us. Dr. Heil does want us to have her hearing tested. He says it's a requirement for all IA kiddos in his practice, so we'll be heading off to the audiologist for that soon. But according to her speech development, he feels sure she will not have any hearing issues. He believes that possibly I am wrong about her speech and that she does, indeed, have 50 words (which would put her on target for her age.) I don't think so, I could only think of about 20, but he said the fact that she is stringing together 3 words makes him curious that she doesn't have more and he thinks within three more months she will have 100 words. Folks, 50 words is what a normal two-year-old is supposed to have. 100 words is what a normal 2 year, three month kiddo is supposed to have. Do you know how amazing it would be to me to have a kid come home and be "normal" within six months. (Even our bio son was not in the "normal" range for speech at age 2.) I've never seen it in my house and I still can't let myself believe it will happen. I am sure there is a therapy out there waiting to jump up and grab at me... you may remember that I am somewhat of a doubting Thomas. But anyway, for this particular dot on the timeline, I am just going to sit and marvel at the possibility of "normal."

The little string-bean is 85% for height (same as she has been since six months of age.) She is 14th % for weight. Her head circ. is "average." Again, a first for our family as I've never had a kid hit the chart inside of two years post adoption. I have always heard stories of folks adopting "chubby" kids or really tall kids, but I could not attest to it personally, until now. Of course, you realize that this means I will have sons who are 5'5" and a daughter who is 6'5". :) Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Okay, also, our baby girl has been home three months already. I can't believe it. I've reached the "I'm not drowning anymore" point. Do you remember the analogy I gave my clients about the first year home? First three months, you're going under, you don't even look like you're keeping it together, you're definitely bobbing up and down and gasping for air on the infrequent trips to the surface. Three to six months you're starting to tread water. You're not making forward progress, and your paddling like h-e-*-* under the water, but the view from above is at least your head is out of the water now and you can gasp for air when you need it without fighting for it. Of course, you're panting from the long time you just spent under the surface. Then there's the six to twelve month mark that's still out there ahead of me. It's when you actually start to make some progress toward the shore. It's when your strokes aren't necessarily pretty, you might be dog paddling rather than doing a Michael Phelps 'fly, but you're getting there nonetheless. The closer you get to shore, the smoother your strokes become. So... it's monumental and worth recording that we've hit the head above water stage. And you know what, I feel it. I definitely feel my head is now above the water. It's really not that there is a magical timeline, it's just apparently that three months is about what human beings require x 24/7 to get to really know one another and develop a norm. I'm very much looking forward to the next three months. This is my favorite time of year, I love Halloween, I love when summer relents and gives way to crisp weather, I love Thanksgiving, and there's nothing more magical than a little person's first Christmas. We have some fun ahead of us in the next three months, and knowing that when all that fun is over, we'll be almost to our six month mark makes it even more exciting. Whew! That's a big ol' collective sigh of relief.

And oh yeah, the bonus of hitting that six month mark will be that this d#@* election is behind us and I can stop worrying about and talking about and hearing about that for another FOUR WHOLE years! :) Wow, four years, Meg will be in school the next time we elect a president. That will be a nice long break from politics. :)

Psalm 85:8
"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people... "

Not Me Monday

I did NOT have a conversation at the dinner table that calmly involved these words, "Do not stab your brother with that fork."

I did not go to bed early three nights this week so that I could read more of the library books I checked out. I'm not a reader, why would I do that!

I did not get so engrossed in The BFG by Roald Dahl with my third grader that I read past his bedtime. What kind of mother lets her kids stay up past their bedtime?

I did not have ten discussions this week with my best friend about why we are so entitled to sell our Monday Night Football tickets (against our hubbies' wishes) as long as they are going for a hefty enough price. That would make us fair weather fans, and we are definitely not fair weather fans (just in need of a little redecorating cash!:)

I did not breathe a sigh of relief when our big school fundraiser was over on Friday and now we can cruise until after fall break. I mean, who doesn't love school fundraisers, I wish we had them every day! :)

I did not get strep throat this week, only the busiest week of school. And while I was at the doctor being diagnosed, I did not let Meg open EVERY single sucker in a dum-dum bag, taste them, and then wrap it back up and drop it in my purse. I would never do that. I'm a good mother, I wouldn't use candy to pass the time waiting, even if I was sick, which I'm not, right?

I did not offend one of the dearest people in the world to me this week over something totally stupid. I was not close minded and I did not do exactly what I HATE in others and just go on and on about something without considering her feelings. What kind of friend would I be if I did that. Plus, I'm totally self-aware and I never say anything without thinking how it will affect others and I certainly wouldn't do this to someone so important. I hate people like that!

I did not get excited to log into the blog today knowing that I could read everyone else's "Not Me" posts! :)

Sibling Rivalry...

One of the things I like least about becoming a parent for the second, third, fourth time is the Sibling Rivalry that rears it's ugly little head! It makes my baby a big boy (all three times), it makes a child that I left the house feeling was the most precious, gentle, adoring, adorable son in the world become the most passive-aggressive, jealous, mean-spirited, defiant little brat I have ever seen. Truly, adding a sibling seems to bring out the very worst of all my kids. The good news is, it only seems to happen once, so when Jack was displaced by Liam, he didn't feel the same level of angst when Connor came home and Meg, etc.

Connor definitely falls into that passive-aggressive category. I witness him walking past Meg, supposedly very innocently, and just "accidentally" knocking her down or stepping on her toe. The infractions are sometimes very subtle, but sometimes just very blatant, like today when he said, "Watch this mom" and then proceeded to hit her in the face with a sink plunger. Egad!

Not surprisingly, though probably a little late, I broke out the Siblings Without Rivalry book by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish that has walked me through two other little misplaced toddlers to see what I could glean. I re-read what I consider to be one of the most enlightening exercises I have found regarding how siblings feel about one another and what brings out this "meanness." Following is a direct quote from the book:

"Imagine that your spouse puts an arm around you and says, "Honey, I love you so much, and you're so wonderful that I've decided to have another wife just like you." When the new wife (husband) finally arrives, you see that she's very young and kind of cute. When the three of you are out together, people say hello to you politely, but exclaim ecstatically over the newcomer. "Isn't she adorable! Hello sweetheart... You are precious!" Then they turn to you and ask, "How do you like the new wife?" The new wife needs clothing. Your husband goes into your closet, takes some of your sweaters and pants and gives them to her. When you protest, he points out that since you've put on a little weight, your clothes are too tight on you and will fit her perfectly. The new wife is maturing rapidly. Every day she seems smarter and more competent. One afternoon as you're struggling to figure out the directions on the new computer your husband bought you, she bursts into the room and says, "ooooh, can I use it? I know how." When you tell her she can't use it, she runs crying to your husband. Moments later she returns with him. Her face is tear-stained and he has his arm around her. He says to you, "What would be the harm in lettering her have a turn? Why can't you share?" One day you find your husband and the new wife lying on the bed together. He's tickling her and she's giggling. Suddenly the phone rings and he answers it. Afterwards he tells you that something important has come up and he must leave immediately. He asks you to stay home with the new wife, and make sure she's all right."

Isn't that the best! When you throw adoption into the mix, it means that you not only bring home a "cuter/younger" version, but you also bring home a child who's already mobile, already into all their stuff, already "behind" in their needs for your attention. Losing your place as the baby of the family is HARD enough to an infant (a.k.a. blob) who stays where mom leaves them, sleeps 16 hours a day, and can't bother you when you want to be left alone. But displace the baby with a child who needs to securely bond and all the implications that brings with it, along with the fact that this new little person is getting into all your favorite things. Your mom is a stress case because now she has to worry about your new siblings physical, motor, and emotional development and attachment while trying to keep your needs met and you have a recipe for an early afternoon cocktail, for sure! (For mommy, not new sibling or brother, of course! :) Anyway, this too shall pass, we hope. I only half joke when I say that Jack is still not over the fact he's not an only child. He would probably be perfectly happy to have one sibling... Meg. Liam and Connor are the best of buddies, those two I don't ever have to worry about, but Jack is constantly riding Liam even to this day. And we already heard the issues Connor has with his sister.

Well, if that doesn't make you want to run out and have a baby/adopt a toddler, I don't know what will! :) The only thing I can tell you is that the rewards, even in light of all this, for both you AND your older child are far greater than if there never was a sibling to rival. It's worth it, but boy, do I ever need a Savior!

Psalm 69:1-3
"Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters and a flood overflows me, I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God."

Favorite Photo Friday

 

Okay, I'm a total copy-cat. I am ripping this idea right off of Adrienne's blog. I'm not even trying to make it my own, I'm stealing it lock, stock and barrel (and name too.) I actually tried all week to think of a catchy DIFFERENT name for it so I wouldn't so blatantly be mimicing Adrienne, but in the end, I decided I could not improve on perfection.

Today was Moore Miles, our big school fundraiser. After Moore Miles, all the over-worked volunteers get together for a block party/let-down (i.e. the work is done) party. I couldn't pick just one photo, but they are both of the same thing. The boys had to get "tight" for the occassion. (Apparently tight is a new word to say when something is "cool". I'm so old and not with it that I'm not actually sure of the appropriate usage, but I heard the kids saying "that's tight" ALOT while we were hawking their hair! :)

 

Tagged!

Michelle (my adoption rock!) just tagged me! Okay, six random facts about myself.... well, that's hardly going to be entertaining, but here goes.

1. I first felt the "call" to adopt while I was on-line late one night looking for information on how to adopt a retired racing Greyhound. It was about 2 AM and I was a terrible "googler" (Still am) and came across photo listings of kids instead of dogs. I went and woke Brian up out of a dead sleep and made him come look at all the pictures. He should have known then he was in trouble, we had only been married about a month. Still, here we are 11 years and three adoptions (one birth) later, and he survived it all! :)

2. I grew up on a semi-farm. We raised beef cattle. My dad used to break horses as a second job and we had an arena in our field beside our house. One time, he broke horses for Loretta Lynn's dude ranch and I got to go with him to deliver them back to her after they were broke. I didn't meet Loretta, but I met her husband Mooney. I was only six or so, and from that point on, Loretta Lynn was like my most favorite person in the whole wide world. I loved her dresses and thought she was the bomb! Another thing we had on our farm was a bull riding practice arena. All the cowboys from the UTM rodeo team would come to our house to practice riding bulls. This was NOT a bad thing for a high school girl. The only drawback was that it was my responsibility to water the bulls (and horses and dogs and cats) and I was TERRIFIED of the bulls!

3. I have brought home homeless animals all my life and often used to lie to my parents and make up stories about where these animals mysteriously appeared from! :) I'm still a sucker for homeless pets and foster dogs (from Middle Tennessee Golden Retriever Rescue) still have a way of "showing up" at our house, much to my sweet hubbies chagrin.

4. When B and I were in Fryazino adopting our second son, we met a little African boy who stole my heart. We took pictures of him and the nanny's paraded him in front of us every day, showing us his fine motor skills, etc. and asking if we could help find him a home. I gave the photos to a few folks who have a strong heart for adoption, and a friend of a friend of a friend decided they wanted to pursue his adoption. He now lives one street over from me, but I didn't know the family at the time they saw his photo. He is a doll and I am SO thankful for God allowing me to be part of his coming home. And I'm so thrilled that he lives around the corner and is one of four kids in an amazing family!

5. I actually know TWO people who know Bono and one person who knows Sting. :) I'm practically famous!

6. Brian and I lived in the East Bay area of San Francisco for a VERY short time right after we got married. I LOVED it! It was collectively some of the best months of my life and I have the fondest memories of there. It was a great way to start a marriage.

So here are the rules if I tag you...
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random facts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the taggers know when your entry is up.

And I am tagging:

Barb in Finland (thanks for the Nestle research and I'm PRAYING hard for our little Sophia) who's adopting from St. Petersburg any day now.

Becky, super cool chick who just taught me to make the little linky thing in my post body... and she's created a monster, I use a link in almost every post. Also, she is the mother to Meg's possible future husband because I am all about arranged marriages!

Grace, my sweet sister-in-law, who always comes through for me EVERY time I need her. And did I mention she's the best aunt in the entire world! :)

Heather, the only other suburban mom I personally know (not counting cyber friends) who actually HAS a blog!

Katie, who is a personal hero of mine. And if you haven't checked out what God can do with a young life, then you really need to check out Katie's blog. I am tagging her because I am very, very interested to see what six random facts she will have to say about herself!

and Nicole, who I don't know, but she left a comment on my blog and I know she's getting ready to leave for China and just needs about one more thing to think about before she goes... and for some reason, I really connected with her "not me" list so I want to see what her six random things are! :)

Thanks for playing! :)

Not Me Monday

Okay, I'm participating in this carnival blog at MckMama's site for the first time. I've been stalking these other Not-Me participants for a while, but my not-me's seem pretty boring in comparison (plus, their embarrassing), but it's more fun if you get in the game, so here goes:



This week, I did not stalk everyone elses blogs and find about ten more that I am now addicted to reading.

I did not almost miss the bus today because I was reading other Not-Me posts and I did not have to run in my barefeet to meet Liam so he wouldn't know I forgot him. Nope, not me, because that would make me a really bad mom, right?

I did not lay in bed sick all day yesterday and make my husband stay home from the Titans game to take care of the kiddos. No, I would never do that.

I did not get inspired by all those other new blogs I found and go change the title of my blog in hopes of finding some new readers. That would make me a copy-cat and I am never a copy-cat... not me!

I am not at all jealous of all the bloggers who get like 250 comments a day on their blog, Not me, that would be really lame if I was jealous of someone's blog, right?

I am not now totally ignoring my kids so I can finish this post. I mean, how ridiculous would it be to ignore my children just off the bus to post to my blog? That is NOT ME!

I am not dying to see an updated photo of my friend, Nicole's, new baby girl, just home from Russia on Saturday.

I am not praying for my friend, Karen, whose little girl is waiting for her in Russia and in need of surgery. That would not be very much like me to be praying for someone who is in turmoil about their child in an orphanage.

And, finally, I am not hoping that all of you who read this will leave a comment, because comments on the blog are just no fun at all. I don't like reading them anyway and don't stalk my own blog hoping someone has stopped by. No, not me, because that would just be pathetic!

Sweet Dreams

I took this photo tonight as my little angel was sleeping. Poor girl, she fell asleep in the car today on the way home from Jack's game, which gave her a 15 minute power nap and there was no turning back. You know how it is, if they fall asleep in the car, you either have to commit to a 2 hour drive or suffer the loss of the nap for the day. At $4/gallon, I decided to suffer the consequences. Anyway, that's not what this post is actually about. Later on today, my friend Sonja and I took our boys to the skate park and then out to dinner and all this resulted in Meg being out 1) past her bedtime without a nap and 2) eating dinner about an hour after she is normally in bed (all without a nap.) She was a total trooper through the whole thing. She really never fussed or cried, she just went with the flow. Have I mentioned how blessed we are that God chose this specific little angel for our family? Anyway, that is also not what this post is about. What this post is about is that for the first time since Meg joined our family, she fell asleep in my arms as I was rocking her. It was SO precious. You have to know as a Mommy I just eat that up. I have always loved to rock a sleeping baby and it was cause for celebration the first time each of them slept while I held them. Tonight, I was just trying to drink in every second of the precious moment I was having with my daughter, knowing that at 2 they are few and far between and knowing that with her being my last baby, these moments are truly precious and not to be taken for granted.

It was a perfect storm, of sorts, that likely won't happen again for a very long time. Many forces combined to permit this special moment. I already told you about the nap. And then also, Connor was out tonight with Brian so I didn't have him wanting my attention or coming into the room every three seconds to ask me a question.

But, THIS is what this post is about.... While I was drinking in the bliss of the moment, a very sad wave washed over me. I realized that this was probably the first time in her little life that she had ever been held and rocked to sleep. And the first time that anyone had ever held her WHILE she was sleeping just to revel in the perfection of her being. I realized (I, of course, have known this on a cerebral level) that no one has probably taken the time to just marvel at her. No one has ever enjoyed holding her just a little longer. No one has ever been totally overwhelmed at the love they felt for her and how amazing and perfect and meant to be she really is. No one, until now! Most likely, her birth mother had these feelings when she was born. I am sure she looked at this perfect child she had brought into the world and wished with all her heart she could hold her tenderly for the rest of her life. But that was not to be. My dear, sweet daughter, I can't give you back all those nights you were left to put yourself to sleep, but I can make up for lost time by being absolutely over the moon in love with you. I can breathe in your smell and stare at your angelic face and thank God every day for the rest of your life that He gave you to me.

Meg, tonight when you were asleep in my arms, Jack came in and looked at you and said, "I think she is the prettiest girl in the world. Every boy is going to want to be her boyfriend." My darling daughter, that's about as close to gushing as you'll ever get from a third grade boy. You are adored, you are cherished, you are loved! And you are ours! Sweet dreams, little angel!

Before I go, I just have to show you the photos from today. This is part of the reason Meg fell asleep in the car, because I am so in love with my town (Franklin, TN) and the sky was so blue and gorgeous (doesn't it look fake?), I just had to stop and take some photos of our small downtown.
 

I loved the contrast of the red shop front against the blue sky with the green trees.... makes me want to get my muffler fixed!:)

 


Proverbs 3:24
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

Pardon my rant, but some people... UGH!

Can I just say that sometimes other people's intolerance is just INTOLERABLE! I mean, I know that me being irritated by other people being intolerant is an oxy-moron of sorts, but this particular one really gets me going.

Today I had to take Connor for his four year old appointment with Dr. Heil (have I mentioned how much we love that man?) Anyway... digress digress, get to the point, Ondrea! So, Connor had his heart set on going to Barnes and Noble this morning to have an "Ice Krispy Treat" (as he says) and play with the trains. I didn't tell him we were going to the doctors office because I wanted to spare myself the crying as long as possible. So when we pull into the parking lot, he realizes where we are and he is NOT happy. But he complies with getting into the building without any drama. Then, some little girl happens to push the button to the elevator and all hell breaks loose. From that point on, there was no recovering for Connor. He couldn't pull it together. The trauma of not getting to push the button combined with the angst of the shots ahead was more than he could take. He dissolved into tears and proceeded to cry VERY loudly for the next 20 minutes. Here's where I start to get chapped. We go into the lobby and I am trying to comfort him AND stand in a five person deep line as we are already 10 minutes late for our appointment. I finally give up on trying to shut him up and I sit him down in a chair for a "time out." There is a dad in the office, probably ticked off because he had to take off work to bring his sick daughter to the doctor, and he keeps rolling his eyes at Connor (I hope he's a blog reader and his face is turning really red right about now... you know who you are!) Then he starts putting his magazine up in front of his face, whispering to his daughter and shaking his head very disapprovingly at me. Now granted, it was VERY loud. So loud, in fact, that the receptionist put us directly into a room to alleviate the other patients of the stress Connor was inducing in all the other kiddos. I get it, he was loud and it was obnoxious. But I also know enough as a mom to know that there are certain times when you just can't get your kid to cooperate. Anyone who's ever parented for more than 24 hours will tell you that there are situations when kids just don't obey, no amount of bribery, threatening, or comfort and coercion will deter them from their demonic possession. What parent, at one point or another, hasn't had one of those moments in public where they just want the ground to open up and swallow them whole?

What did this guy really think he was accomplishing with his "holier than thou" looks and "tsk, tsk"-ing? I mean, seriously, did he think humiliating me was going to make Connor more compliant and relaxed? Did he think passing judgment on me would make his wait in the waiting room more pleasant? Did he feel better about himself as a parent because his 12 year old'ish daughter was sitting nicely while my four year old son was melting down? I SO was about to go over there and say something to the affect of, "You look like you disapprove of his behavior. If you have some suggestions for how I could parent him better, I'm open to hearing them." Or maybe, "I'm sorry that my four-year-old's anxiety over his coming shots are disturbing you. Would you prefer that I take him into the hall to wait for the nurse so that you don't have to be inconvenienced?" Or how about this one, "You obviously haven't EVER had a moment as a parent where your child did something you didn't want her to, please excuse those of us who are obviously not as good at parenting as you are." Or how about just walking up and giving him the finger?

I know you might be thinking I am overreacting to this, but you just had to be there. All the other mothers in the waiting room were giving me the sympathetic, "I've been there" look. The lady on the appointment desk asked Tina, the receptionist, if she could get us to a room. I mean, this was LOUD shrieking, cry, drooling and sobbing. I didn't really feel sorry for Connor because he was being totally unreasonable. He didn't even cry when got his actual shot... it was the dread of the shots and the offense of the whole button thing. Which in itself, I realize, is ridiculous. In life, sometimes other people are going to push the button, but you can't imagine the knock-down, drag-outs we've had between the three boys over who will push that @&*# button. It reminds me of the old "shot gun" running battle I had with my siblings over who sat in the front seat. And I can tell you there were more than a few punches over that between my sister and myself. She always won, even at 8 years younger than me, she could whip me on a dime!

Anyway, that's the story today from the trenches of motherhood. I got into the exam room, and it took everything I had not to cry myself. By the way, I didn't get a chance to say any of those rude things to this guy because he got called back while I was gathering up my stuff and dragging Connor out of the waiting area. No matter, his daughter probably did something really embarrassing today anyway! It's just that as parents, I think we're all in this together most of the time and when I see a mom with a melting kid, I make it a point to pat her on the back and say "Hang in there, we've all been there and this too shall pass."

Whew, I feel much better now... I'm moving on!

Proverbs 20:22
"Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord and He will deliver you."

What's not to love?

I just keep uncovering things I love about Meg (well, all my kids, really, but right now, Meg is the most "undiscovered", so I learn new things about her every day.)

I love that when we are dancing in the living room, she throws her head back as if she's just relishing every moment of being twirled and swayed across the floor by her Mama!

I love that she gets hair "do-ies" and puts them in her front teeth because this is what she sees me doing.

I love that when her cousin Reilly comes over, Meg thinks they are always supposed to have a bowl of Cheerios together because Reilly did this ONE time a few weeks ago and now Meg thinks of Cheerios every time Reilly is over.

I love that when she wants to go outside and play, she says, "oook", which is her version of "Luke" (our foster dog.)

I love that she loves girly stuff. She likes to put on bracelets and necklaces and goes straight for the high-heels in the dress up bin in the nursery. I love that she wants to sit with me in the morning when I am putting on my make-up and pulls various items out of my bag and pretends to be putting them on.

I love that she LOVES her big brothers.
Today we went to school to eat lunch with Jack and when she saw Liam she ran to him calling "Ny-Ya" (her version of Liam.) Of course, this thrilled him! And Jack was the hit of the lunchroom with his friends because they all wanted Meg to give them five, "pound it", sit by them, sit in their lap, etc. etc. At one point Jack commented that she was like a rock-star because all the kiddos that sit at his table were gathered around her vying for her attention... of course, this was fine with Jack because that meant that he was inadvertently getting attention and he was beaming from ear to ear!
Anyone who thinks that the differences between boys and girls are either 1) clothing or 2) learned environmentally should come to my house. In all likelihood, my daughter was never treated like a "girl". She wasn't given specific girl toys to play with, she wasn't taught different demeanor or treated differently from the boys in her group because she was a girl. All twelve children in her group lived by the same rules, followed the same routine, conformed to the same expectations, and played with the same store of toys. It's probably as near a gender-neutral environment as you can get. However, she is inherently a girl. She came into our life with no interest WHATSOEVER in any of the thousands of boy toys we had at our house. We quickly went to stock up on a few things like baby strollers and tea sets as it was apparent that she was at a loss for what to do with a dinosaur that roars or a remote control 4X4. Yet, she goes straight for the tea set every single day. She pushes her baby in the stroller, kisses her "ba-ba" (baby) every night at bedtime and then wants me to tuck the baby in with a tiny blanket, next to Meg with her regular sized blanket. She instinctively mothers things. And she is instinctively FULL of D-R-A-M-A.

She is so funny when she starts talking because you really can't make out a word she is saying, but she will carry on a one sided conversation, cocking her head to the side, pointing her finger, and batting her eyelashes. Daddy, watch out! :)

Now, I have to send props out to my friend, Becky, who is a rockin' chick in every way. But this particular day, she taught me how to imbed a link in my posts so that now you can just clickety click on the word rather than having to cut and paste! :) Yay, Becky! See, anyone with any technical prowess is worth awe in my book, which pretty much puts my hubby up there next to Bono in the rock star category, but HE isn't very helpful... he's always mumbling something about tech support and "reboot" nonsense. Becky on the other hand is technical AND helpful! :) Plus she has an adorable little fellow that I'm trying to work an arranged marriage to Meg. Anyway, thanks Becky! You rock!

Okay, it's after nine and there are TWO hours of Grey's Anatomy calling my name from our DVR... gotta run!

1 John 2:10
"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble."

Funniest Video (possibly) Ever!

HELP we're out of gas CLICK HERE

Okay, if you don't live in Nashville, this might not be funny to you. But it's been mayhem here for the past week or so as NO ONE in the city had gas. And those who DID have gas had a line wrapped about two blocks of cars waiting for gas. I have one friend who witnessed fights on a lot over who was next in line. Anyway, it's been total bedlum on the gas front here and some genius out there (I don't know the person who made this video OR the girl who blogged it, but my friend Sonja sent it to me and I had to share) put a very funny spin on it. It's four minutes of FUNNY STUFF.

In other news... look how adorable my boys are in their scout uniforms! :)



Also, Meg is counting to three. I have always counted to all my kiddos in both Russian and English. So that's what I do with Meg too. I count her toes, I count the steps in our house, I count the pushes on the swing, etc. etc. Tonight I was counting her toes and I first counted them in English, then I started over, counting in Russian. I said, "Adeen, Duva, Tree..." and when I got to three she said, "No, ooooonnnnnneeeee, twooooooooo...." :) So cute.

One other funny thing that happened today was that we were looking at some photos I had gotten in the mail (some = 377 because I haven't ordered pics in so long.) She was looking at them, putting them in a nice neat stack beside her. When I got to the Russia photos, we came across one of her caregivers with a group of kids in a stroller and holding hands beside her. Meg stopped in her tracks, stared at that photo for a LONG time in an almost trance-like state. She just sat there staring and I was beginning to wonder if she was going to fall asleep. Anyway, eventually, she kissed the picture and put it down. This was very sweet as I was worried about what emotion that photo was going to bring out from her. I didn't know if she would register any memory at all, but obviously it did. It concerned me a little because I am reading a book right now called Silent Tears by Kay Bratt and the treatment she describes in the orphanage she worked in is less than ideal by any standard. I am sure that some of the same practices happen in Russian orphanages. I don't think it's to the extreme she describes in her book simply because I know the kids don't spend all day in cribs, etc., but I know if you went to certain orphanages and certain locations, that would surely be the case. Anyway, I'm diverging (again) but the bottom line is, I was afraid it would scare her or bring up bad memories or something, but she seemed to remember and then move on... hallelujah! Maybe that's what we're all doing... moving on!

Now Nashvillians, go watch that funny funny video.

Love ya!

Tidbits of Life

I'm heading off to a scrapbook retreat for the weekend, so I didn't want to leave both of you loyal readers hanging without an update before I go. I know what you're thinking... Scrapbook retreat, how LAME! Well, honestly, it is a tad bit lamish, but the truth is, this group of girls I am going with are far from lame and it will be a blast. And the place we are going is a very girly bed and breakfast that caters to ladies, so I am scheduled for a massage and lots of good gal pal time with my close friends! I can't wait! Plus, I might actually get caught up, or at least into this decade, on my photo albums. Seriously, I think the last thing I scrapped was Connor's second birthday, oops!

This was such a BUSY week! Monday night Jack had a baseball game and his team won! Yay! Go Jack!

Wednesday was Liam's first ever Tiger Scout meeting. Look how ADORABLE he looks in his uniform. Can you tell how proud he is? :)


Today some friends of ours did a lemonade stand to benefit the Hands and Feet (www.handsandfeetproject.org) project in Haiti. They raised a pretty good deal of money for an orphanage there, which was nearly destroyed by the last three hurricanes and is in need of $100,000.

I keep wishing that I had an e-mail address for the director of Baby Home #12 in St. Petersburg. I wish that the ladies in Group 4 could see Meg now! She is so stinkin' funny. Tonight we were getting ready for bed and she was totally trying to stall the whole process. This works with her daddy, but not with Mama, so it was just pretty much a failed attempt, until.... she got up as if she were going to get her blanket and mid-step she turned to look at me and started dancing. Too funny! I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, this only encouraged her more, but it was one of those moments where you just know the moment itself is worth more than hitting the pillow on the dot of the hour and so I relished in her blossoming personality for a few minutes. She is so much fun, all girl, and full of drama-rama! I took her to a clothing trunk show today and she tried on every piece of clothing and then would stand with her arms out for me to see what she looked like. Let me tell you that this is inherent! Not one of my boys would have tolerated this for more than two minutes! And I'm sure it's not like the baby home was putting on alot of fashion shows with the kiddos, so obviously, she just likes clothes and knew all eyes were on her so she was hamming it up. I just love being the Mama of a little girl! :) All you boy moms out there, if you're wondering for a moment whether it's worth it to just go for it and have a girl... the answer is YES! It's FUN!

One thing I do know is that I am going to have to nip the budding fashionista into some semblance of color coordination. She had on this adorable pink and green outfit the other day and insisted on wearing her brown boots with them... luckily we weren't going into public or else I would have had to wrestle them off her and make her put on the cute new white Mary Janes. All you people can save the "choose your battles" and "eventually she won't want to wear that stuff" speeches... I do choose my battles and believe me, after dressing three boys for eight years, this is one I am willing to fight. As long as I am bigger and stronger, she'll be dressing in bows from head to toe! :)

The last thing I want to get on record, and show you a cute photo of, is Connor's bubble bath adventure. Last night we bathed him in my big tub and turned on the jets (a rare treat since the boys usually make a huge mess of the floor.) At some point we added bubbles and boy was that the recipe for joy! Look at the mountain of bubbles we produced with about a teaspoon full of baby shampoo!

It's a big secret, don't tell anyone!

Okay, since I know you won't tell anyone, I think it's okay to share this story with you.

Liam has a girlfriend. I am not saying too much because I don't want to give away her identity and I also don't want to make him mad, but it's the cutest thing you've ever seen. He is in L-O-V-E with this cutie pie in his class. He comes home and looks at her photo in the yearbook and kisses it. Funny! And he apparently talks about her on the bus non-stop. And he knows she rides bus 40, which I think must mean she lives in Maplewood? Anyway, he's smitten. This is how the conversation went last Thursday.

Liam: Mom, I'm getting married.
Me: Great! Tell me about her.
Liam: Her name is X and she told me she wants to marry me. She said she thought alot about it and she just has to follow her heart.
Me: That's the cutest thing I've ever heard!

Then on Friday it went like this:
Me: Liam, how was your girlfriend today?
Liam: We broke up!
Me: Awww, why?
Liam: First I kissed her and she fell down on the grass and fainted. I kissed her right on the lips.
Me: Is that why she broke up with you?
Liam: No, she broke up with me because... ummm, I don't want to tell you. (he finally did end up telling me, but it was something that only made sense to a first grader.)

Today's conversation went like this:
Liam: X and I are back together.
Me: Oh good, she decide she couldn't live without you?
Liam: No, she said she was going to give me one more chance because she really wants to marry me. And oh, we played together on the playground, which helped her change her mind!

Oh my gosh, don't you wish all disputes could be settled so easily? You get mad (just like in first grade, it's usually over something stupid) and then you just sort of forget why you were mad because you're so busy having fun together. It would probably help if we were all as cute as Liam and his little crush, but nonetheless, I think there's a lesson here for me! :)

Connor's Birthday Party... another failed attempt at the Martha Stewart award!

Yesterday was Connor's birthday party. Yes, yes, I know, it's over three weeks since his birthday, but we have a crazy life and anyway, it took me two weeks to decide what weekend to host it. Turned out we picked a good one because it was so nice out yesterday. I was able to have the ten or so pre-schoolers (mostly) out in the yard for the majority of the party, which really made for a nice relaxing time for everyone. The five moms who stayed were able to visit and enjoy ourselves most of the time.

I am very thankful for good friends who give me alot of grace. I am probably the worst Southern hostess in the history of Southern women! I just can't seem to get it together. Scarlett O'Hara would be appalled at my party-giving abilities, for sure. Yesterday these awesome women that I have surrounded myself with did things that I obviously wasn't thinking to do... like get the drinks out of the fridge, take out the trash and get a garbage bag for wrapping paper and cupcake holders, find the Superman napkins that I had bought but forgotten to put out, etc. etc. etc. (Never mind that I bought Batman plates but never got those out... we'll be using Batman plates for dinner for the next two weeks! :) I know this comes as no surprise to alot of my family who has been put out if not down-right embarrassed for years over my lack of concern for the comfort of my guests! :) It's a joke in the neighborhood that you could sit at my house for an hour before it dawns on me to offer you something to drink. I told one neighbor that if she sees me out and I don't speak to her, don't take it personally, it's not that I don't like her, it's just that I'm not very thoughtful! :) Anyway, like I said, thankfully, I have friends that just take me as I am and don't hold it against me. And even pitch in to make me look "not so bad". Truly, I'm an okay person, I'm just a bit of a party-giving airhead.

But I do have to say that I get the mother of the year award compared to my husband, who slipped upstairs to watch a bit of college football at the beginning of the party and promptly fell asleep. He woke up 15 minutes after the party was over, missed the cake, presents, everything. hehehehe So... I can't say I blame him for not wanting to hang out with five neighborhood moms.

The good news is that Connor never noticed any of our blunders. He got to feel special for two hours, got alot of fun presents (which to a four year old is really what the party is about anyway) and had a blast with his friends! There were only two girls invited, it was like a pack of bear cubs wrestling and giggling for two solid hours.

Here's the evidence of a thoroughly successful celebration, enjoy!

Conversations in the car

Here is what I overheard on the way home from the lake on Sunday:

Brian: Who can tell me one organ of the body?
Liam: HEART!!!
Brian: Yes, good job. What does the heart do?
Connor: Pumps your blood.
Brian: Yes, who can tell me another organ.
Silence
Brian: Can you remember another organ?
Liam: Balls!
Snickers from me and Brian in the front.
Brian: Well, that's not exactly an organ, but what do the balls do?
(Okay, I might have used this opportunity to correct the terminology, but whatever.)
Liam: They hold your babies.
Brian: That's right, Liam, when you get older, that's what helps you make babies.
Connor: Does mom have balls? (Again, I'll resist the urge to point out how big my "balls" must be to take on four kids, but whatever.)
Brian: No, mom has a uterus.
Connor: Hey, no fair, I want a uterus!
More laughter from the front.... more laughter. And now we are dissolved into tears and trying to recover because Connor sees he's gotten a laugh and is saying over and over again, "I want a uterus."

There's just nothing in the world like hearing your four year old son say the word, "uterus". Now, I wonder what this is going to do to their concept of gender as they grow? :) I promptly ordered them a book called, "My Amazing Body" that has all sorts of information on the "organs" of the human body! :)

Watch This!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

Well, if you have watched that and you can still tell me that you believe Barack Obama is an honest Christian man and he is a man of faith and conviction, then I think the God I serve and the god he serves are vastly different entities. There is NO way that a Christian can justify this type of stance. I don't care where you stand on the life issue, I don't care what your convictions are, I don't care which side of the aisle you sit on or what you tell yourself about abortion so you can sleep at night or so you can vote for your preferred candidate... if you can watch this and still support him, I would sincerely and honestly like to understand why! I have had alot of discussions lately about single issue voting. I would like to think I'm not a single issue voter. I care about the poor. I care about the globe, not just the US. I care about our economy and about Social Security and about people having access to healthcare, particularly for their children. I care about so many issues, but in the end, I guess I am single-minded in that you can be right on all those above mentioned, but on the wrong side of the pro-life fight, and I can't support you. I can't think of another medical situation that takes power from God. Life can't be created or sustained without intervention from the Creator of all life. But life can be taken. It's never His will that babies would die at the hands of a doctor, in my opinion, but the procedure described above is reminiscent of Hitler. How telling that Hillary and even a radical pro-choice group took a "neutral" position. Anyone who doesn't believe Barack is more liberal than Hillary, just stay tuned. I'm fearful for our country when this is the value our proposed leader would place on innocent life.

Let me show you my moves AND the reason we wear helmets

Yes, it was another day at the fun factory, as we like to say around here. Before 8:00 Liam had split his wig on the concrete in front of our house. For some unknown reason (most likely the draw of a possible round of Lego * Wars) Liam was up and dressed at the crack of 6:45. So he got to play his video game for a little while, but then eventually I shooed him outside to get some fresh air before school starts. The bus comes at 8:00 this year, so he went to ride his bike (which I wasn't aware of because I was in the house arguing with Jack over what he was going to wear to school, but that's another story.) Anyway, the next thing I know, there is a scream that must have woken the neighbors and possibly Spring Hill as well (we all know Liam's propensity for drama) and I knew something was really wrong. I find Liam, head bleeding, laying at the bottom of the stairs and I was totally confused as to what had just happened. After alot of coaxing and loving I figure out that he was riding his bike (without his helmet) and fell off and HIT HIS HEAD on the sidewalk in front of the house. I started to lecture him about wearing his helmet and as it turns out, his dad told him it was okay to skip the helmet if he isn't on the street. Anyway, as life just taught him, this is not the best advice dear old dad ever dispensed and probably he will choose the helmet from now on. I'll have a talk with Brian about this later, don't worry. Of course, there had to be some mileage out of a goose egg before 8AM so Liam got to skip the bus and ride into school with me when I went to my meeting around 9:00.

Speaking of meetings, today was the first PTO meeting that I led as Chair. It was fun. We had a GREAT turn-out, probably 40 people, and everyone was very high-spirited for a PTO meeting. Yay!

Now for the funny part of the day. Jack had a scrimmage tonight at the baseball fields so we took the t-ball stuff for the little kids. Connor and Liam got up a game with a couple of the other boys there hanging out and this one kid, probably about five, was really good. He was pretty much dominating the entire thing and it was him against the other three kids that were playing. Anyway, after a while, Connor had had enough of his batting over and over again (because they couldn't get him out.) So Connor walks up to him, takes the bat and says, "Let me show you some of my moves." I thought I would wet my pants. You just have to see Connor, every ounce as big as this five year old, with his absolute lack of talent, whack at the ball, miss the ball altogether but sends the Tee flying into the air and says, "Yeah, baby, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Gotta love it!

Rainy Day Blues?

What do you do with four kids on a rainy day? Well, play in the rain, of course. It was actually very impromptu. I was on the phone and it was really loud in the house so Meg and I stepped onto the front porch to sit in peace, watch it rain, and finish my conversation with Amie. Meg walked out into the rain and I told Amie I needed to go get Meg out of the rain because she was getting wet. Amie said, "So? Let her." Wow, yeah, I hadn't thought of that.

Next thing you know, Jack had put on his swim trunks, Connor had shucked off his shirt, and Meg was drenched to the bone, clothes, hair and all. I ended up out there with them. There was a little stream of water flowing down the hill and into the storm drain (yeah, the same storm drain that contains one of my pieces of silver! But that's a whole other post.) So Connor and Jack are laying down in the water and Meg and I are dancing around in the street to "I Like It, I love it..." Apparently only Liam has the sense to get in out of the rain because he was not about to join us.

I'll post pictures of it in the next couple of days. I don't have time to download the camera right now because I have about a ten foot pile of laundry to go fold, but I had to get this on the blog before it gets pushed by the wayside and I didn't write it down. :)

I'm Not that Smart!

Brian took Connor to get his hair cut. Apparently they were having some really good conversation and Brian told Connor, "You know, you are really smart!" Connor looks up at Brian and says, "Not that smart. I don't know what dog starts with." :) How cute is he? Honestly, he is obsessed with how things are spelled. He must ask me 100 times every day what different words start with. I don't know where the fascination came from. He also asks me 50x each day how old he will be when Liam is x age old. Anyway, he's a sweety! I am so ready for school to start for him. I am afraid he's terribly bored at home. He needs the extra interaction and stimulation of school.



I've been having to focus so much of my attention on Meg that it's hard for him to get any one on one. Therefore, my house is a pig-sty because I play with him when she is napping rather than work on the house. I feel bad for him that he is sort of getting the shaft in this deal lately. Meg has shown a few concerning signs of trying to control her environment, charming us when she is in trouble (and in the psychology world, charming is not really a good term, think about it for a minute and you'll realize why.) Anyway, we know that her attachment is far from secure and just because she is showing good signs of being comfortable with us and knows that we are the ones who are here most of the time, she is by no means ready to be turned loose with a babysitter or have others doing any major caregiving for her. I have been so much more lax with her than I was with the boys. I have been too lax, mostly because I just need the break. So when others are here, I let them hold her, dress her, feed her, take her on walks, or let her stay for short periods of time at other houses with family or close friends. But I am realizing that this is a mistake. She has definitely gotten more controlling the past couple of weeks, so we'll go back to our hyper-vigilent state. I am amazed at myself, how many times in my life have I "known better" but allowed myself to think "this time it's different"?

So, on a totally unrelated note, I am up at midnight because I am pretty sure I am either having a heart attack or I have a hiatal hernia. I have the most intense "heart burn" I have had since pregnancy. I have been getting these bouts of INTENSE burning (like, my ears feel like they are on fire and if I could just throw up I would be SOOOOOO happy) and I absolutely can't sleep. It doesn't go away when I sit up, but it definitely feels better than when I lay down. I've taken Tums like candy, but still no help. So, I am miserably tired, dying to lay down and be asleep, but I can't lay down so I left in bloggerland! What do they do for these hernias anyway? I mean, can't you just take some medicine or something? If so, sign me up tomorrow because this is the pits!

P.S. Have you EVER seen a boy this excited about a birthday present? We got him Leg0 St*r W*rs for the Weeee and WOW, wish they all got that excited over all their presents! :)
P.S.S. Notice the "Gold Medal" he has around his neck. He got it for doing "banastics" at the little gym he goes to ocassionally.

Goodbye Three, it's been good!

 

Connor and I decided that today would be a good day to make birthday cupcakes. I told him that these are not four year old birthday cakes, they are "goodbye three" cupcakes because this is the last day of his life that he will ever be three! (boo hoo)

 

So that inspired me to make up a little song as we were stirring the batter and filling the cupcake papers.

 

I was singing to Connor about all the little things that three have been and all the things that four will bring for him. So here goes:

 

Goodbye three, you've been very good to us. You've taught Connor how to potty. You've taught him how to brush his teeth. You taught him all the sounds that the letters make. You taught him about having sleepovers at someone elses house. You brought him lots of new friends, like Matthew and Bennett and Luke and Carly. You taught him about sleeping in a big boy bed and not getting up in the middle of the night. Three, you taught him how to be a big brother instead of just a little brother. You taught him to swim. You taught him to ride a regular bike with training wheels. Three, we love you because you have been so kind to teach Connor many things he will need to know in life. So many of the things he learned from you were essential to the rest of his life. However, now it's time to say goodbye to you. It's time to kiss you goodnight and put you into the photo album for eternity. Our baby is turning four tomorrow and though there is a part of us that is very sad to see you go, we know that Four will bring alot of exciting new adventures with him too. Four will teach Connor to ride a bike without training wheels. Four will usher him out of Mother's Day Out and into Pre-K. Four will introduce Connor to his first year on the swim team. Four will be the year for alot of learning and new and exciting adventures. Four will build another story on the house that Three laid the foundation for. So, Three, we will miss you, but we must say a final farewell to you today. But don't worry, we'll welcome you back to our house when Meg has her birthday next year, so this isn't quite our final hoo-ra!

We love what you've done with Connor! Thanks alot!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy! We love you!

Mom and Dad

On the first day of X Grade....

 
 


Do you know that song by the Veggie Tales, "On the first day of first grade I'll tell you what he did..."? That's been going through my head all morning as we get the boys ready for first and third grades.


It continues to confound me as a mom how to successfully parent two children who are so polarly opposite. Jack was up before I came in the room this morning, dressed and checking himself out in the mirror. He got completely ready, ate his breakfast in a hurry and ran outside to catch Ms. Pat on her first pass by the house. We call this the "early bus" because Miss Pat actually passes our house twice and Jack likes to be on the first time so he has more time to chat with his buddies.

Liam, on the other hand, had the covers over his head and the moment I started singing our "Rise and Shine" song he started to say that he was too shy and he didn't want to go to school. His nerves continued all morning and he asked to be a "car rider", so Brian took him to school this morning. I am so much more like Jack than Liam that sometimes it's very hard for me to empathize with the fear. I had to keep reminding myself how my friend Sonja would handle things, because she is so patient and she doesn't like new situations either, so she has all this empathy surrounding first days. I just jump into everything, excited about newness and change, so I have to channel my inner Sonja! :)

Overall, it was a successful morning, though. Everyone is out the door and now I am having my coffee while Meg eats her breakfast and Connor enjoys some alone time with the DS for the first time in three months. Ahhhh, the bliss of silence! :)

Another round of "meet the teacher"

I can't believe it, but I think this might have been the third round of Meet the Teacher day since I started this blog. Anyway, guess what, we met our teachers this week! :)

We are so very very excited. Both boys got excellent teachers that we are excited to get to know this year. First of all, Jack is going into Third Grade. This means he moved to the other end of the school on a whole new hallway. And the teacher he was assigned to got Teacher of the Year last year. So we are very excited and have heard nothing but great things about her. Four of his very good friends are in class with him, so that will be a very fun year for Jack. I am really excited for him.

Liam got a great teacher too. Ms. Gentle, now called Mrs. Franklin because of a recent big event in her life! :) (Congrats Mrs. Franklin) She is so wonderful and everyone that has ever been in her class just raves about her. I think she is going to be perfect for Liam. A good blend of kind encouragement, challenge, and cheerleader! His best friend from school is class with him, so that is really great for him. Liam needs the friendship and familiarity that this will provide for him. There are several other good buddies in there with him too, so we are very excited about his first grade year. The really great thing for him too is that his class is the second or third one from the main door so he will enter the school and have a very short walk to class. Liam is the kind of guy who can really appreciate something like this! :)

Today was a very unplanned, lazy day for us. We had scheduled portraits to be done by Mandy Johnson (http://www.mandyjohnsonphotography.com) in downtown Franklin. We thought we would be out of the house by 8:30. But Mandy called this morning and the day was so overcast and gray that we decided to reschedule for Sept. We are doing it on a Saturday and this way Brian will be able to be there for the photos. I am looking forward to meeting and working with her. She is an amazing person. If you get a chance, check out her site. Not only are her photographs amazing and beautiful, she gives so much back to the community that I want to just support her by telling everyone about her. I think it's incredible the things she is involved with, but besides that, you will love the music and looking at her work. It's worth a stop at the site.

But I digress.... instead of getting our photos done, we went over to Micah and Asher's house and had a "skateboard show". Liam was the judge and announcer and he did an amazing job. And the talent and skills in "this year's show" was better than ever. Check out some of the photos for yourself. No autographs please!

A Face Only A Mother Could Love???

 

I've heard that there are faces only mothers could love. But I have never thought that any of my children fit that category... until I saw this photo. Poor Liam missing so many teeth and then also having about 50 fever blisters... well, probably only a mother! :)