Time flies when you're having fun

We've been home now for 7 1/2 months! I'm thinking it's time for a new headline on my blog. "We're home" somehow feels a little old and stale.

I'm guessing it's not just me. :)

So yes, we're home. And yes, we're in love. Life is wonderful yet crazy, busy yet full of regular routines, and at times challenging yet blissful. I really can't imagine my life without these five children. We are so incredibly blessed.

Since we're home safe and sound, let me introduce you to my two "new" sweeties!

First, Blake-man. He is a cutie pie!!! I like to say about him that he is very chill...until. Until he loses it, and then watch out! He can get MAD! But he also has a smile that could totally light up not only a room, or a neighborhood, or a city, but probably an entire continent. It's that cute and contagious! Blake loves all things drum related and he likes to dance. He loves playing with his brother and sisters, and is a total cuddlebug. He's working so hard at walking, but still gets around by crawling. Sometimes he likes to "chase his tail" and crawl around in a circle. It's pretty cute.

He had a rough start, as when we met him, he was only 12 1/2 pounds and could hardly hold his head up. He was quite ill at the time. We spent two nights in an African hospital (not exactly fun), and worried about his health for most of the 3 1/2 weeks we were gone. Once he got home, he tested positive for two strains of malaria, and soon caught the chicken pox from his sister. I'd say the first few months home with him were difficult, as he just battled so many viruses and just didn't feel well. This spring he seemed to turn a corner, and we commented that we loved getting to know the real Blake. The Blake that didn't feel like poop all the time.

And our Lauren girl. Ahh, Lauren. She's our little wild woman. But man, what a cutie! When we met her, we called her "chill." She just seemed so easy going. Once we got home, a friend from church met her and said to us, "Oooh, she's sassy." We said to her, "Nope. Not really. She's incredibly laid back." Well, silly us. She started crawling on Christmas night and it was like her whole personality changed. She suddenly realized there was a whole world out there that she could explore, and nothing was going to get in her way! While she had been sick before we got to her, she has been healthy as a horse since we've known her, with the exception of the chicken pox shortly after we arrived home. She's steadily making progress in all areas of development, and is not just walking, but running all through the house.


She's certainly my first child that has demanded so much attention. If I don't watch her for two minutes, she manages to pull all of the books off the shelf, play with the plug on the computer, and stick her arm down the toilet. Whew. Some days she wears me out, but my prayer with her is, "God, please don't let me squelch her spirit. I know you've made a fearless and strong-willed little girl for a reason." While she won't sit still for two seconds, Lauren is a loving little girl who loves to laugh, push doll babies around in a stroller, play peek a boo, and experience new things and places. She adds a lot of excitement to our family and is such a blessing!


So after 7 1/2 months, I've finally introduced you. Maybe in another six months, I'll share some about our journey there, life as a family of seven, and the burden my heart feels for the children left behind.

I have so much I want to say, it's just finding the time to say it that is the challenge. I really want to write more, though. I find it calming, and I love having a record of God's wonderful blessings in my life. Like these precious five:

Happy Birthday, Megan!

There are some things in your life you just will never forget as long as you live. Two years ago today was one of those moments in my life. My sweet baby Megan breathed her first breath, cried her first cry, and slept in my arms for the first time.


It's so cliche, but time really does just fly by. Especially when you're having fun.

I'm so grateful for Megan. She is such a sweet and silly little girl and is such a blessing to our family. I'm so glad God chose us to be her parents! I think back to when Hubby and I were dating and how we'd talk about the family we'd like to have one day - two kids, maybe three if the first two were the same gender. Ha! God had much better things in store for us!! We had our two, but still didn't feel "done." He blessed us with our Megs, and now we're expecting two more! Having five little ones was certainly not our original plan, but I am so grateful for all of our blessings!

Megan, I know that our family would not be complete without you. Your joy is contagious, your cheesy grin is infectious, and your snuggles warm all of our hearts. I love watching you grow and learn and you surprise us every day by new things you've picked up on without us realizing it. Some day I'll look back and smile when I think of the dozens of times a day you want to share a knock knock joke that you've made up. Hearing you sing Jesus Loves Me (interrupted by your made up Precious, Precious, Precious song) has to be one of the most adorable things on the planet, maybe second only to your big eyes asking me to dance with you one more time before naptime. And then when you're all snuggly cute and you want to kiss our cheeks over and over and over again? Completely precious. You're growing up more and more every day and I don't want to take for granted one wonderful moment with you. I love you so very much and am so blessed to be your Mommy. Happy Birthday, Megan! I'll never stop loving you!

Hurrying Up and Waiting in our Animal House

Last week was spent rushing around gathering financials and filling out paperwork. We were so excited when we sent off our packet (via email) on Tuesday. We were told that depending on our schedule and flexibility, we may have our home visit within a week.

Well, here it is late Thursday night and we've heard nothing yet.

I'm trying so hard to be patient. I know that they have to get through our paperwork first. I know that they're probably really busy. I know that it really will all happen in God's perfect timing.

But ohmygosh, every time the phone rings I wonder if it's going to be our social worker! And if I'm this crazed now, I seriously can't imagine what I'll be like when I'm expecting the phone to ring with a referral!!

OK, breathe. It'll happen. It really will. I guess God just needs me to learn a little bit more about patience first, huh? : )

So in other news, we had a first around our house today...

I have two words for you. Food. Fight.

Only it wasn't on Animal House. It was in my house! My mom called during lunchtime and while I was finishing my lunch and chatting with her I started the dishes ('cause you know...that's the way we multitasking moms work!) I was bending down to put a dish in the dishwasher, chatting away with my mom when I saw something hit the ground next to me. Bread.

Oh no they didn't.

Josh, Sarah, and Megan were all tearing apart their sandwiches and tossing them at each other. And they were totally cracking up while doing it.

And I couldn't help but thinking for a moment (and my mom said it, so I know she was thinking it also)...we're adding two more!!

Now of course, the kids and I had a conversation about how throwing food is absolutely not allowed, and I in no way let on to them that there was anything okay about the event. But, I will tell you that the accompanying laughter during the "fight" was pretty cute.

And while I'm sure that adding two more will only add to the craziness at times (and yes, I'm human...there are times that I want to shut myself in the pantry to get away from the noise), I love the sound of life that fills our home. Life, laughter, and love. And I will only love it that much more when there's two more little gigglers added to the mix.

So while I'm waiting for that phone to ring, there's certainly no loss for noise. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, just maybe without the flying food.

Bunnies for Congo

Josh has been doing this really amazing art class the past three days. I will say that it was really intense, but so, so great. The man who teaches it is wonderful at what he does. He raises the bar very high and expects great effort, but is so encouraging at the same time. He just kept stressing that art is a learned skill and just takes a lot of practice.

I would say that historically art has not been Josh's strong suit (although he is only 6 1/2, so I don't want to write anything off at this point!) : ) He typically just doesn't want to spend the time doing it. But...he did so well over the past three days and really enjoyed it. The class ended today and he came home and just wanted to draw all afternoon. I love it!

Yesterday's homework was to draw a bunny and name it. There would be three prizes given for the best bunny with the most original name. Top prize was $50, which of course had all the kids excited. Now keep in mind that there were over 100 kids there, so odds of winning were slim, but they were still all abuzz about what they'd do with $50.

It was so precious to hear Josh's plan. He came home and said, "Mom, I've gotta win that prize. I need to send that money to Congo. *pause* Well, actually, I'll probably share it."

So I said, "Oh, you're going to keep half and send half to Congo?"

And he responded, "No. I'm going to send half to Congo, and half to Haiti."

Oh melt my dear mommy heart. Love that kid!

He had a purpose and got right to work. However, within 24.6 seconds, he was done. He had drawn a bunny that he decided to name Cow. I loved the irony for the name, but the picture? Well, here...you see...

I'll just say I tried to be as encouraging as I could. Bless his heart.

We were gone in the afternoon for the home study meeting and then ended up having dinner over at our neighbors' house, so it was almost bedtime when we got home. Uh oh. We had forgotten to finish Cow. He still needed to be colored. Josh decided, though, that he wasn't crazy about Cow the Bunny after all and wanted to try again.

He worked for awhile and tried a couple of different times, and here's what he came up with instead. Meet Jumping Jack the Bunny...(Just FYI, the writing above is the bunny's name, and his name and age. It's just hard to read.)

We were so proud of him! He spent a little more time on it, and this version was much better! We don't know yet who won the contest as we had to turn the bunnies in today, but I'm just proud that he wanted to do a good job. And I may be partial, but I think Jumping Jack the Bunny is kinda cute...um, especially when compared to Cow the Bunny. And if he somehow is lucky enough to win the $50, I know there will be people around the world who are blessed. All because of a little bunny in the grass.

Here's a few other pics of him in the class. Enjoy!

From Three to Five - Their Thoughts

So I thought I'd finally check in with my three cuties and see what they're thinking about all of this excitement. While I felt like I could pretty accurately share their thoughts, I figured I better just check with them to make sure. Plus, it was a teaching moment. We learned what a journalist is and how they interview people to find out what's going on in the world. I put on my imaginary journalist hat and went to work. So you can follow along, each one of us is represented in a different color: Mommy, Josh (6), Sarah (4), and Megan (23 1/2 months).

So , I hear something big’s going on in your life. What is it?
Yep…it’s an adoption.

Can you tell me about it?
Well, I’m really excited because I have wanted a brother for a long time.
I’m so excited that we might get a girl.

But what if we get two brothers?

Then, Josh would have more brothers.

Well, you would too, silly. What do you think about that?

That’d be good. Then I can be happy with two good brothers. They’re going to be very good and have one toy at a time. (Can you tell we’ve been struggling with a messy house!?! They hear “one toy at a time” like a hundred times a day!) : )

Megan, what do you think about adopting two more kids?

Um, I want um um doptions. (Translation: I want adoptions. I kept asking her why, but all she’d say was because. Sorry, she’s still not two. That’s all you’ll get from her. She was more interested in playing babies.) : )

So what do you think about it, guys?
I’m excited to have a brother because I’ve really wanted a brother for a long time. I’m excited to share my toys and have another kid in our family, because I’ve always wanted to adopt a brother and sister and I just love having brothers and sisters. I’m used to a sister. I’d also like to take care of baby brothers because I like to play with boys. And I like to play with my sisters, too.
I think I’m happy. I want them here now.

Are you nervous about having new brothers or sisters?
NO! I’m happy.
No, I don’t feel nervous, because we’re going to have some new kids and I’m going to be happy. I’m so happy because I can see my brothers and if we’re going to get a sister, we can have another sister.
I’ll give lots of hugs and kisses, and I’ll ask to hold the baby.

And that's it, folks. Out of the mouths of babes. They're really excited about it all. When we first sat them down to tell them we were even considering this, Josh's comment was, "Well if there's babies who are hungry and who need mommies and daddies, why don't we go get one today?" Pretty cute. Wish it were that simple, buddy.

The other really telling thing to me is one of their new favorite things to play is adoption. I'll hear them in the other room saying that they're filling out paperwork to go get "their orphan."

We have to keep reminding them that once our children are ours, they're no longer orphans! (I can see it now...the five kids and me in Walmart a year from now. Josh and Sarah can respond to the curious public with, "they're our orphans.")

I can't wait for the amazing day when they go from being an orphan to being our son or daughter! And I'm glad my children are excited for that day, too!

My Baseball Boy

Last night was Josh's last t-ball game for the year. The Red Devils finished their season with no losses! Okay, maybe no wins either since they don't keep score, but I'm still a proud mama!

Josh did great this season. He seems to do a lot better in the sports that aren't as high contact. He had lots of fun, too, and is sad that he's all done until next year.

Since this is my blog and I am technically allowed to write whatever I'd like, I'm gonna brag on my boy for just a minute. At the end of the game, the coach passed out trophies and a prize bag for each of the boys and said something positive about each boy.

When he got to Josh, he said how well he'd done playing baseball, but then he said the part that really made me proud. He said that if he had a daughter the boys' age, he'd want her to marry Josh. We got compliments all season long about what a polite and kind boy Josh is, and as a mother I couldn't be more proud that the coach chose Josh's character to compliment last night.

Sure, I'd be proud if he were an all-star athlete, but I'm even more proud that he's an all-star person.

That's my boy!

Zerberts

We've been in the zerbert kind of mood around here lately. I don't know if it's because of summertime and being in swimsuits a lot or what, but if you're caught around here with a belly showing, it's a pretty safe bet you're gonna get a zerbert.

While I was changing Megan today, I couldn't resist her cute baby tummy and I gave her a zerbert. She just loved it! Her giggles attracted her brother and sister and soon everyone was giving her zerberts!

As you can see, she thought it was pretty fun!

Getting Dressed

Well, my daughter may have inherited my love of Florida, but I know one thing she definitely did not get from me.

You see, I have the I-Could-Wear-My-Jammies-Until-Noon gene. She has the I-Can't-Stand-To-Not-Be-Dressed gene.

This girl gets up in the morning and 2.4 seconds later she's begging for her big girl undies and her "clothes shirt." (You know, as opposed to her "jammie shirt.")

Today was especially torturous for her. We had plans to go to our neighborhood pool again today, so instead of putting clothes on, we put on bathing suits. However, it just wasn't that nice of a morning with clouds all around and not very warm temps. Our friends still came over to play, but we just stayed inside - all of us in our bathing suits.

Well, once Sarah realized the pool just wasn't happening, she asked if she could get dressed. I was fine with that. So she went upstairs and brought down her favorite "dark pink dress" that she told me she found in the closet. I helped her put it on and you could tell right away that she just felt whole.

She spun and twirled. She jumped and ran. She looked really darn cute.

Until I noticed the stain.

"Uh oh," I said. "What happened to your dress?"

"I don't know," she replied, not really caring too much.

"Well, where did you get the dress?"

"From the closet."

"Your closet?" I asked, remembering she can't usually reach the things in her closet.

"Nope. Yours....on the floor."

Ah hah...it all made sense now. The dirty laundry goes in our closet. It's sorted in piles on the floor. She went and found her favorite dress in the laundry. Ewww...

Then I did something I normally wouldn't do. I let her keep the dress on. If it didn't bother her, it didn't bother me. I figure you're only 2 once.

At least that's how I felt today...maybe tomorrow I'll be back to my normal self.

Big Kids

You know what I love about summer?

Summer just has a way of taking you back to being a kid. Somehow ice cream cones and lightning bugs and sprinklers beckon and it's okay to play again. It helps when there's kids egging you on, of course, but I think there's just something in all of us.

My sweet hubby taking a break from yard work to join in the sprinkler fun.

And convincing the neighbor to do the same.

(He was warned this would make the blog!)

All the kids - big and little

The county fair is in a couple of weeks and I think all the grown ups eating elephant ears will prove my point exactly.

But then again, that's what summer's all about.

Noise

My days generally have lots of noise. Some good and some not-so-good.

Giggles, songs, and cooing - good.

Whining, fighting, and crying - not-so-good.

But no matter what noise the day has brought my way, I get to end it with one of my favorite times of day. Nuggle time.

What's nuggle time, you ask? Well, for a little girl who doesn't say her "s" if it's part of a consonant blend at the beginning of a word, it's snuggle time.

(She once ran up to daddy when he got home at the end of a day to show him her arm and excitedly announced, "I have a tamp on!" Daddy looked at me and we about lost it, but he gently held his daughter and told her he thought her stamp was cool. We shared our giggles later.)

Anyways, I digress...

Nuggle time comes after bath time, after potty and jammies and tooth-brushing, goobie-getting, hair-drying time. After story time, after prayer time, and after Barney's I Love You song time and The Wondrous Cross (sometimes sung at the top of our lungs) song time.

Then comes nuggle time.

I often miss out on nuggle time these days because I have a baby who nurses at this same time, but last night I headed in for nuggle time after I got Megan to bed. I knocked quietly on Sarah's door and asked if I could snuggle her. Those big brown eyes lit up and all the craziness of the day vanished. We snuggled and talked about the favorite part of her day. We played with each other's hair and snuggled for just "one more minute."

Total warm fuzzies.

And don't get me wrong - Josh can snuggle with the best of 'em, too. I enjoyed some quiet moments with him last night, too. I find that's the time that you can really get to the heart of your kids. He'll share with me what's on his heart or ask any unanswered questions. We've had some quite deep theological discussions during his snuggle time. And somehow right after a deep conversation, he'll still ask for "the tucker." So tuck, tuck, tuck...tuck, tuck, tuck...all the way down his legs to his little toes I go. He giggles and I kiss him one more time.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Except for when I get Megan out of bed to nurse her one more time before I head to bed for the night. She loves to be swaddled, just like the other two have, except that she pulls her right arm out of her blanket. So in her sleepy daze, she settles in to nurse and then grabs my finger with her free hand and holds on tight to me.

Bright spots, my friends...bright spots.

I'll take all the not-so-good noise. I'll even praise God for it because it means my kids are filled with life. But I cherish the chances for tender, peaceful quiet with the ones I love most.

Besides, I can rest assured that God-willing, there will be more noise tomorrow.

Picture Perfect

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

-Psalm 118:24

This is the view from our front window. Absolutely beautiful sky. I guess that's why they call it a picture window.

Thank you, God, for a chance to be outside and enjoy my kids. Thank you for the breeze and for the mild temperatures. Thank you for the sunshine. Thank you that we could have our windows open. Thank you for picnics in the backyard. You rock, God, and I give you praise for your beautiful work!

I praise you, too, for stomp rockets. And tongues that when stuck out help the stomp rockets go higher.

Dimples

I love dimples so much that when I was a little girl, I would poke my fingernails into my cheeks trying to make them. All I'd end up with, unfortunately, is sore cheeks.

Here's the great news, though....baby Megan has little dimples and oh my are they ever cute!!!! They're still pretty tiny, but the one on her right cheek is more prominent. Here's a baby grin picture. It's kinda hard to see, so you'll have to trust me that they really are there!!!


Wikipedia says that dimples may fade as kids get older, so I suppose that's possible. I tell ya what - I'm just going to enjoy them as long as I can! Grin on, Megan - grin on!

Best Buds

Last night we had our neighbors over for dinner. We moved in about a year ago and I can tell you now that they'll be forever friends. They really are the best neighbors ever and we love getting together with them!

Anyways, the kids had been playing on the swingset and we told them dinner was about ready and they needed to wash up. In the process of getting dinner ready and tending to my daughter, I missed what exactly happened in the bathroom, but some sort of argument broke out between my son and his friend. However, here's the part I heard...

"I'm sorry, Josh."

"That's okay. I forgive you, best bud."

Awww...my heart melted. My son has a best bud.

Just don't tell my daughter.

She has the closest thing to a crush you can have when you're only 2 1/2. In her mind, he's HER best friend. She tags around with the big boys all the time and she tells our neighbor that she loves him. Too sweet. At least for now. Not so sweet when she's 13... or even 6. My hubby says she's not allowed to date until she's 30.