Why do I bother

trying to get

just one decent picture

of the three (4 if you include Chewie) of them

together?

Just one?
That's all I ask.

10 Random Things

1. Isaac is in his room right now laughing hysterically while playing with a woopie cushion

2. I just realized I don't know how to spell woopie cushion.

3. Racist people like the one I met the other day really piss me off. (Probably shouldn't say "piss" on my blog. sorry.)

4. One of the little boys who lives next door oft just walks into our house and starts playing. One day both my older kids were gone and I heard someone in their room. It was him. Kind of funny.

5. I keep getting messages for a rehab facility in my inbox. Don't know why. Maybe somebody thinks I need rehab for my addictions to Diet Dr. Pepper and coffee.

6. I just realized I really want another cup of coffee right about now.

7. I'm reading a book that is equal parts good, boring, and also a bit disgusting. (As in, why am I reading a very graphic description of a guy digging through his own crap looking for a wedding ring?)

9. The kids decorated their bedroom wall with markers this weekend. While it was a beautiful drawing complete with people, jedi knights, and a love note, it was not appreciated.

10. I think it's finally safe to announce that I'm going to be an aunt for the seventh time come May. Congratulations, Sarah Ellen. Thanks for procreating again. (Maybe I shouldn't say "procreating" on my blog either.)


The End.

Adoption 101

I have a friend who is getting ready to travel soon to pick up her daughter. She asked me the other day what was the biggest thing that happened when we traveled that we weren't expecting. You see, we went to the classes, read the books, and talked to other adoptive parents just like she is so we were expecting things like malnourishment and parasites. (Although I really don't think any amount of preparation can prepare you for giardia diapers. Trust me.) We were expecting attachment issues. We were expecting the trip to be both physically and emotionally tiring. It was. We expected it would also be amazing. It blew our minds.

But if you are adopting, I can now tell you this: it is impossible to travel to a country, watch people that genuinely love your child say goodbye to him, and not leave a piece of your heart there. Impossible. You will think of these people daily. You will love them. You will never forget how they cared for your son when you couldn't be with him. Your family has now been extended in ways you could never have imagined.

This is Hannah saying goodbye to Isaac.
She was one of many who smothered him with kisses and tears before we left.
And every time I see this picture, my heart breaks all over again.

Hannah is the social worker who pulled us aside on the second day and shared some of Isaac's history with us. She is the one who traveled with us to the country and patiently answered about a gazillion questions. She is the one who described his sweet spirit and how his eyes would light up when someone he knew came in the nursery to play with him. She is the one who begged us to tell her sweet Tadesse (Isaac) about her one day. And we do.

She was somebody in his life who filled the gap between birth family and forever family with hugs and kisses and love. Hannah has a hard job. She loves kids unconditionally knowing she has to say goodbye to each of them. I honestly don't know if I could do it; I'm too selfish. Just watching her do it was enough to break my heart.

You see, I expected to one day grieve with Isaac over the absence of his birth family, but I didn't expect to feel such a connection with the women who cared for him in the interim. Honestly, I didn't really give them much thought before meeting them, so I didn't expect saying goodbye would be as gut-wrenching as it was.

But I do miss them.
I do think of them often.
And even though I didn't expect these feelings, I wouldn't have it any other way.

He's 23!!

23 pounds and 2 ounces.
6th percentile.

We did it.
We know things will flare again and that number may go back down,
but today we don't care.
Today we're not failing to thrive.
Today we're dancing. Literally.
We did a jig beside the scale.

We still have a ways to go.
We're still behind in several different areas.
We're still going to be seeing a lot of UNC.
We're still waiting on more test results.

But 23 pounds has been the magic number.
23 pounds is the place where they've promised we could take a collective sigh of relief.

Listen.
Did you hear it?
That was a sigh of relief followed by the best doctor's appointment we've had in awhile.

It has been our goal, our magic number for five months.

And he did it.
And it feels freaking good.

And here's to 24!

The Mountains Win Again

After a week so full of chaos it felt like our house was just here for wardrobe changes and the occasional shower, we packed up the kids and the dog and headed to "our" private oasis, also known as my parent's mountain cabin, for a few days.

And I honestly think we must have done something right because it felt like God reached down and painted the trees and skies just for us. I mean, seriously..... I took this picture while laying on a blanket in the shade after hiking and picnicking. It was gorgeous. Perfect jeans and tee shirt weather.

We hiked and ran in fields. We ate dinner outside as the sun set. The dog ate some deer poop. (Just thought you would want to know in case you're ever stranded in the woods and looking for a tasty snack.) I took some really bad pictures: You know, the kind where everybody's faces are in the shadows but you keep clicking away because they're still so dang cute?

This picture was a practice shot. I brought their shirts for the Christmas card this year and we were going to bring them back here later in the day to get a cute photo on this fence. That never actually happened. In fact, they didn't wear the shirts until this morning on the way home. Maybe I should have taken their picture fighting almost the entire car ride home for the Christmas card? I'm not even sure Santa will still be visiting our house this Christmas after the car ride home..... It was one of those fun road trips where it takes you twice as long because you're busy pulling the car over to spank multiple bottoms and making all sorts of threats while cussing under your breath and hoping the road noise drowns it out.

So, to sum up, and as Todd's youth would say, it was an "epic win" for the mountains. A great trip followed by a terrible car ride, and now we've hit the ground running again. Back to the reality of more doctor appointments and youth events and school activities, etc.

If you didn't get your fill of mountain pics, keep scrolling for s'more.....

What? You want to see s'more?

Time for some campfire fun.

This was Owen's first s'more (minus the chocolate). He didn't seem to notice he had been slighted. I'm thinking we should blow this picture up and take it to our next appointment. Proof that he does consume food and sometimes even enjoys it. :)

And that was our trip.
The End.

Boys will be....well...messy apparently.

Dear Boys,

You're so freakin' cute it makes my heart hurt. Seriously. And I love how you love each other and play well and wrestle and always seem to be attached to one another, especially when your big sister is at school. But seriously, do you have to make such a mess All THE TIME?! Because I really had plenty to do this morning without fishing the gobs of toilet paper that were dumped into the toilet for no apparent reason out. (Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure the culprit of that one can't even use the toilet....) And though some would say the design you made on the white counter top with the blue toothpaste was "art," it was also a sticky mess. I'm just sayin'. Also, going to watch Molly's race yesterday was fun, but next time let's leave the rocks at the park. I don't think any of the six I found this morning did the washing machine or dryer much good last night.

Thanks for taking the time to read and consider this request.
Sincerely,
Your Dear Sweet Mother

Old friends....

The weekend was a fun and busy one.
We turned this:

into this:
(Don't look too closely or you will see all the flaws. Oh well. It was just something to eat and we had fun making it.)

Here's Emma Grace helping out at the shower. Later it was said we should hire her out for parties. I mean, she kept that party moving. No time to dilly-dally. Auntie Whitney needed to open each gift quickly and before she was done, EG was gathering up trash and getting the next gift ready. (There were a lot of gifts so it might not have been a bad thing....)

Here's a photo of me, the soon to be sleep deprived mother-to-be, and another precious friend who came all the way from Atlanta to be there. The three of us met in seventh grade which means we've known each other for an embarrassing amount of years and we knew each other through embarrassing times. Times full of Whitney Houston songs, crank calls, first crushes, layered bangs (the kind that a tornado could not have moved) and tight rolled jeans....

Here's to hoping the early 90's never come back....
Not sure those tight rolled jeans would look as cute on us now.