Pomp and Circumstance

We have a very proud graduate in our family. Very proud. She was beyond excited about the ceremony, the singing, the food, and most of all, graduating from preschool. She has constantly compared herself in the last few weeks to my brother who just graduated from dental school. In her mind her accomplishment is just as big, and who am I to tell her otherwise?

See the look on her face here - that is undiluted joy and pride. She was marching out with her classmates and her smile and face never changed throughout the ceremony.

Here she is singing the song she has practiced for months. And yes, it was adorable.

Here she is rocking out her pink tennis shoes. All the other girls were wearing their girly, strappy sandals with their dresses; not my girl. She fought to wear those converse shoes and she was pretty stinkin' adorable in them.

And of course, the gratuitous "everybody is dressed up and this is a big day in the Fischer Family" shot of all three....being....well....themselves.
Love it.

Look out kindergarten,
here she comes.

Life is a Highway...

You know that song, Life is a Highway, I think right now I would re-title it, "Life is a BUSY Highway," or "Life is I-40 at 5:00," or....well....I think you get the picture.

For one thing, it feels like just yesterday we walked through the door with our beautiful baby boy and this week he turned 4. How is that possible when I still so clearly remember him like this? I could write an entire break down and sobbing post about how I am so grateful for the hard decisions that were made that brought him into my arms, and how I wish certain people could absolutely, without a doubt, know what an amazing person he is.... but....well....life is too busy, so that post will have to wait. (Though some of those tears have been shed this week, because man...this kid has changed my life.)

And speaking of baby boys.... this one has come a long way, but still has a ways to go. He's gained a 1/2 lb in the last three weeks which is beyond awesome, but we're not out of the woods yet. Weekly trips to UNC are keeping us busy, but we are feeling confident that we're seeing the right doctors, trying the right medicines, and making progress....finally.

And this one? She is the cause of much upheaval, unbeknownst to her. She was not accepted into a magnet school, and our appeal letter did not change that situation, so we're working around the clock to get the house on the market. We're not trying to get into the number one school, but let's just say, we're trying to get out of one of the least desirable schools. She's a hoot about the whole moving thing. I've never seen someone worry so much about whether or not their Polly Pockets will like the new house, or if the new house will be stinky, or if the new house will be further away from the Super Target? (That last example is a very legitimate fear.)

So that's life right now.
Unbelievably busy.

Beautiful People

Saturday we had the privilege of joining many other adoptive families at the home of a local Ethiopian couple. Moges and Tenu welcomed us with open arms...and there were a LOT of us. It was an honor to meet them, to see their beautiful family, to eat their amazing food and to be surrounded by Ethiopians, both young and old.

What fun to watch these children grow.

To see these two brothers interact - these brothers who don't let age or race interrupt their bond.

To see a single woman finally have her dreams of motherhood come true.

To see this cherubic little boy run around in his Ethiopian attire that shows the beauty of their culture: rich and vibrant, full of life.

It was a great opportunity for Isaac to be around other families that look like ours. Actually, who am I kidding, it was great for me too.

The highlight of my day was watching Emma Grace eat the food. Seriously, if you knew this girl a few years ago and had told me she would one day LOVE Ethiopian food, I would have laughed in your face. Her favorite dish is called "dor'a wat" and it is spicy. And it was especially spicy on Saturday. And she would take a few bites and ask desperately for water, and then keep right on going. It was humorous and also showed me how much she loves her brother. I mean, I can't get the girl to try ketchup, but she'll go to town on some spicy Ethiopian food.

What was Isaac's favorite part of the day?
The coffee, of course.

Loved it.

June Cleaver

I've always wanted to be "her." You know who I'm talking about. The Mom. The one who never yells and always looks nice. The one who has a clean house, a casserole in the oven, and homemade cookies in the cookie jar. The one who takes her kids on cool adventures that they tell their friends about the next day. The one who never forgets her diaper bag, always has a healthy, organic snack to offer, and is never running late for doctor appointments or school. You know that mom. The one who I'm hoping, for my own benefit, only exists on television or in movies.

Well today, I was so close.
Really, I was almost that Mom.

Yup - I loaded up the bikes and scooters and headed out to our favorite park. We rode until we could ride no longer and then played on the swings and in the sand.

And when they asked if we could go down to the creek, I replied, "of course, my darlings."

And we laughed and climbed and threw leaves to watch them float down the current. (You know, because that mom always does something that is both fun and educational.)

And when they asked if they could take off their tennis shoes and play in the water, I replied, "of course, my darlings." Because that mom knows that life is more important than worrying about getting your new shorts wet and dirty or getting sticks in your hair.

And when the baby wanted to join his siblings, I of course let him while holding his hand and taking cute pictures of his little piggies. Because that is what that mom does. She multi-tasks.

And then that mom deserted me.

She left quickly and it was just me. And while picking the baby up out of the water, I fell. And not a graceful, pretty fall like that mom would have done. Nope, an ugly, on your face fall that was blocked by my camera and my baby. Yup, you read that right. I now have cuts and scrapes on both elbows (they took the brunt of the fall to try to keep from landing on top of the baby), a goose egg on my chin from where it landed so hard on the camera that the lens fell off, and sweet Owen is now on concussion watch for the next 24 hours (though the nurse thinks he's fine ).

And you know that mom, the one who while falling would have sang "Amazing Grace" to comfort the screaming baby and scared toddlers. She would have been ashamed of me. Because me... well... I yelled "oh shit" the whole way down.

And I didn't even have a freakin' Elmo band-aid to make everyone feel better.

So now I'm at home.
I'm sore.
I'm tired.
I'm worried about Owen.
I'm glad my camera seems to be okay.
I've apologized to everyone for cussing.
And I'm waiting for social services to knock on my door and take my babies away to live with that mom.

Happy Mother's Day

No matter what road you traveled to get there,

Happy Mother's Day

to all the women out there

who are blessed to hold that title.

Swimming Lessons

Okay - I'm seriously lacking in creativity these days. All I ever write about is the family and our adventures. But one day, one day, my five followers are going to check my blog and find something highly intelligent. Like maybe I'll write about political unrest in third world countries, or explain the pythagorean theorem, or write a post in iambic pentameter, or maybe I'll even delve into the reasons one should be on Team Jacob vs. Team Edward. The possibilities are endless, but for now, here are a few pics of the kids at swimming lessons. They ended last week and we'll be back for more in June.

"What? Is it not safe to wrestle with my best friend in the water?"
Love these two boys and they LOVED taking lessons together.
(Not sure the teacher enjoyed their shenanigans, but they sure had fun.)
In fact, they had so much fun that Isaac forgot to be terrified of getting his face wet.
Yay.

Kick, kick, kick.
This one is a fish.
She loves the water.
All my pics of her are blurry because she would not stop swimming, jumping, diving for toys, etc.
Loves it!

Two bored boys while they wait for their sister to finish her lesson.

The pools open up soon and we're ready for hot summer days and more swimming.

Keep watching for my deeply intellectual and creative post. Seriously - one day I'm gonna knock off your argyle socks with my intelligence.