Bad blogger

Volunteered in kindergarten classroom. Check.
Felt like I was herding cats while there. Check.
Have a new-found respect for elementary teachers. Check.
Went to Bible Study Monday night. Check.
Took boys to the park. Check.
Worked Tuesday afternoon. Check.
Rehearsal Tuesday night for work. Check.
Got annoyed when CMA's were on instead of Modern Family. Check.
Went to 3 different grocery stores to buy food for family and two events. Check.
Served with some awesome friends at a shelter downtown. Check.
Kept two sweet little nephews one afternoon. Check.
Held Owen a lot while he cried. Check.
Became completely obsessed with house hunting. Check.
Helped host a dinner for Todd's awesome volunteers. Check.
Cleaned up after the babysitter's rolled our bedroom with toilet paper. Check.
Started planning revenge on said babysitters. Check.
House hunting with Todd. Check.
Babysitting for friends. Check.
Still waiting on Owen's test results. Check.
Still waiting to hear from potential house buyers. Check.
Tired of all this waiting. Check.

Wrote an awe-inspiring and thought provoking blog post that was also full of wonderful pictures..........

Oops.
Maybe next week.

The New Playroom

Have you ever had that dream where you discover another room in your house that you never knew existed before? And even though you're in dream world, this glorious new room seems so real to you that you wake up and check every crevice of your home only to realize with disappointment that it was just a dream. Well, that dream actually came true today. (Except I already knew this "room" existed.) But sweet Owen just discovered it tonight. Well, I think he already knew it was there, but the "room" took on some magical quality tonight and he played in there for over an hour. Yup, an entire hour in his new playroom. Some of the time his brother joined him, but the rest of the time he was just hanging out. He kept shutting himself in there and we could hear lots of giggling. Who knew recycling, a trashcan, and pre-packaged food could be so much fun? I'm pretty sure he did some rearranging too.



He also slammed his hand in the door at one point. He came screaming to me and then Isaac showed me how he did it. And then Isaac was screaming and I had to explain to him that next time he should just tell me instead of reenacting it.

And while the boys were busy rearranging my pantry and slamming their fingers in the door of Owen's newly discovered playroom, the diva was entertaining herself in the magical land of Star Wars and dinosaurs.

And that was our Sunday evening.

Oh to be young again.

Editing Life

I love taking photos of my kids and editing them to make them rich in color.
So here are a few slightly edited photos from the park the other day.

Hands down, my new favorite picture of this sweet girl.

Isaac cracking up at something his sister said.
I think it had to do with poop, but I can't be sure.

My little hurdler.
He hurdles battles every single day.

And he always comes out on top.

I wish we could edit life like we can edit photos: crop out the bad and enrich the good. But then again, that wouldn't be real life, right? If you never had the low times, how would you appreciate the moments that bring you true joy? And even though I may complain about Helloween and coloring on walls and doctor appointments, there are so many moments of pure joy. And I'm grateful.

Helloween.

And no, that is not a typo in the title.
That is what I have decided to name this holiday.

I just read this beautiful blog post from Kelle Hampton. The blogger who makes my sister and I wonder if she craps rainbows because she is seriously always happy and uplifting. Always. This chic knows how to enjoy every moment in life. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for enjoying life, but if you want a gushy post about Helloween, you may want to check out Kelle's blog and not waste your time reading mine.

I love the holidays, but I oft question the logic behind Helloween. I mean, we spend 364 days out of the year telling our children not to take candy from strangers and then we negate all that in one night by dressing them up in freaky outfits and having them beg said strangers for candy. I'm just sayin'.....

But seriously, lest I be called the Ebenezer Scrooge of Helloween, I put my personal feelings aside and partake in all the traditions of dressing up, carving pumpkins, buying candy, and of course, attempting to get pictures before the kids are scaling the walls due to a sugar high.

Without further ado, here are Spider Man, the "princess peacock," and my little unhappy spider:

We do have one tradition on Helloween that I love. Every year the Hollands come over and we eat chili and trick or treat together. It is so fun to watch the kids grow and change year after year. It is not always fun to get pics of said children, but the result never fails to be comical. And I'm sure when I'm old and my memory is fading, I will look back on these pictures and remember October 31st fondly.

I really think this picture sums up the night quite well.

Emma Grace looking annoyed and troubled. Ben looking confused by the noise. Isaac is in his own world doing Spider Man moves which apparently involve grabbing himself. Leah Kate pulling at Owen, most likely in an attempt to get him to shut the heck up. Owen.....still screaming. And Noah looking at Owen and thinking "thank goodness I never acted like that."

Aaaahhhhh.....we had a much happier spider at the end of the night. (But that is only because Ben was selfless and left his sword for Owen to play with. By that point in the night, all of the adults and kids were ready to give Owen whatever he wanted if it meant peace and quiet......)

My boys ready to go out and fight crime.

And now we're back to the normal routine of telling the kids not to take candy from strangers.

PS - Thanks to Grandma and Chips for helping out.
PPS - Sorry to the kids and women whom Isaac flashed at the end of the night. What can I say? Helloween is scary and you just never know what to expect.

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.