Growing Wests

Birthday party in the hizzous.

2012-01-11T08:17:00.000-06:00

I have a running list of things I wanted to blog about, but I just haven't had the time- or internet connection- needed. I didn't want to leave tomorrow without giving a proper blog post in honor of the twins' upcoming birthday.

Somehow, they have reached the age of (nearly) 5 years old. I don't know how it happened. I rarely feed them so they will stop growing. I ignore them as much as possible, hoping to stunt their emotional maturity. But despite my efforts, they continue on and now they're almost FIVE.

That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?! How can they be FIVE?!

How can they fix their own breakfast and put their shoes on the correct feet and write their names?

Brynn is... indescribable. She is HAPPY. It is impossible for her to walk from the couch to her room, instead she HAS to skip with a double-turn off the chair and one giant leap at the end. She can't help herself. She is writing her letters VERY well and loves to practice. She is so ready to be in school, although we know she is going to need some more practice with her listening skills! She's is beautiful. Stunning, really. And I think she may be a song-writer when she grows up (if she doesn't make it to rock star status).

Cale is just awesome. He is SO smart. His memory is incredible and it's so fun now that he has the words to tell you what he's thinking about! His caring side has really been taking over his every day life and it's precious to watch. He is a rough and tumble boy, but I think he may end up being quite the football player. The kids got a spiral like I've never seen! And he makes up offensive plays... that work. He is really learning how to control his emotions and I'm SO proud of him.

Since we are leaving tomorrow (eek!), we wanted to make sure the babies... oh crap, really and truly I can't say that anymore, can I?- the... Brynn and Cale, felt celebrated before we left. We had all their grandparents, great-grandparents, some uncles and cousins over for a little party. We had enough stuff left-over from parties past to create a festive little gig. It was basically a junk-food/pinterest party, but they really enjoyed it!

Thank you SO much to everyone who came to make our babies- CRAP- feel special for their upcoming day!!

Sigh. I just know they are going to be SOOOO much bigger when I return! But I'll admit... it's pretty cool to see :) They're fun little (big) people!!

Beautiful Baby Contest!

2012-01-03T09:43:00.000-06:00

We were invited to partner with Nellie's family and Sydney and Lucien's family for "Beautiful Baby Contest". Both families are hoping to travel in the next couple of months to the same country we are :) We are all working toward the same goal of giving these sweets a forever family, why not work together to do it, right?!

100% of the proceeds from the Beautiful Baby Contest will benefit all three families equally. The rules and regulations to this contest are at THIS blog page so go check it out, enter your babies, and share share share!

Two winners (one boy and one girl) we receive $150 gift cards to Target and be featured in a baby calendar for 2012 :)

Thank you to Rebecca and Elizabeth for including our family!!

A few Christmas favs

2011-12-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

We had another easy Christmas. I'm so grateful that we have been able to work it out the last few years where we can be everywhere we need/want to be with little stress. It's SO much more enjoyable for everyone. I don't really have the time or patience to blog a ton about it, so here are just a few snapshots of our very merry Christmas.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

Nathan turned 30 on the 16th!

I would have loved to throw him a big bash, but time/money/energy just didn't allow it.

We were going to go to P.F.Changs for dinner (his favorite), but they were booked solid so we did a little homestyle party instead.

The kids picked a gift- Krispy Kreme donuts?- and we cooked dinner and I made my first ever chess pie (also his favorite). They turned out pretty darn good.

I also wrote up a few questions and had each little provide their own answer.

1) How tall is Daddy?

L: 5 feet.
B: 5 long.
C: feet.

2) How much does Daddy weight?

L: 80 lbs.
B: 6-18
C: 5 whole pounds.

3) What is Daddy's favorite food?

L: PF Changs
B: cheesburgers
C: mexican and chinese
(All right!)

4) Who is Daddy's favorite driver?

L: Tony
B: Momma
C: Tony Stewart

5) Who is Daddy's favorite person?

L: Me!
B: Me!
C: Me!
(I love that my husband makes each of his kids feel like they're his favorite!)

6) What did youthink the first time you saw Daddy?

L: He is so handsome.
B: Yesss! (fist pump)
C: I know he will carry me.
(Precious!)

7) What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

L: Watch 'Wipeout'.
B: Sit.
C: Go see race trucks.

8) What is your favorite thing about Daddy?

L: He tucks me in at night.
B: He gives hugs and kisses.
C: Going to his work to see airplanes.

9) If you could give Daddy anything for birthday, what would it be?

L: A new car.
B: A new phone and a purse or wagon to carry all his stuff.
C: Shootgun.

10) How old is Daddy today?

L: 30
B: 9
C: 8

It was really sweet! The kids got embarrassed and SO tickled when he read them out loud :)

Annnnd we ended up taking him to PF Changs on Sunday afterall :) Perfection!
Happy Birthday to my favorite :)

Gingerlady

2011-12-17T11:01:00.000-06:00

While visiting "Gingy's house" at Opryland on Tuesday, the kids all got to decorate little gingerbread boys and girls (thanks, Deda!).

Brynn: Sissy, does your cookie have boobies?!

Layla: Yes, because she's a girl.

Brynn: So? Not all girls have boobies.

Layla: Yes, they do.

Brynn: Nuh-uh! Mommy doesn't!

family.

2011-12-17T10:58:00.001-06:00

Some of my favorite people in the whole world were here this past weekend :)

And I can officially say our children are in love with them too!
We baked some Christmas themed sugar cookies Saturday afternoon while we got ready for their arrival :) They LOVE to bake. No surprise there...

(Ignore our pile of things collecting on the high chair/table that were about to be loaded into the car.)

Aunt Angie and Ashley flew in on Saturday- and we pretty much glued ourselves to them for the next few days. They hadn't seen Layla since she was 2 1/2 and had never met the twins! AND Ashley had her new little creation, Natalie, with her for us to meet :)

Dinner, games, and cookies Saturday night :)

Church Sunday a.m., lunch, and then GIRL'S NIGHT!
My little girls were so excited to be included in Girl's Night. I had only told them that it was just for big girls and we were going somewhere fun.
Layla guessed Target.
I told her somewhere "fancy", she guessed Shoney's.
Not sure where I went wrong (or right?!) with that....

When we told them we were going to Opryland and to see the Rockettes:

They LOVED the show. LP had seen it before, but was just as excited this time and Brynn cheered and clapped in delight after every number!

We wandered the hotel a little bit on our way to our dinner reservation. Dinner at Solario was amazing, then more lights and awe :)

Monday didn't go so great.

Four of us, including tiny little Natalie, woke up with the stomach flu :(
It was a rotten 24 hours to say the least.

Tuesday, the kids and I (still not feeling great, so no school) went to take photos of Natalie for Ash, and then we all headed out to lunch and back to the hotel! We spent the rest of the day there: craft show, Town Hall with rides and treats, Gingy's house, shopping. Then it was time to say goodbye :(

FL family- thank you SO much for coming to see us. I can't explain to you how happy it made me to have you here. And we really needed that right now! Hopefully, soon there will be another trip (one way or the other!) to introduce our new baby girl as well :) Love you more than you know!

Christmas Card

2011-12-16T09:44:00.000-06:00

We definitely thought we would be spending Christmas in Eastern Europe when we made this our card, ha. Oh well! It is what it is :)

Adoption Blog

2011-12-15T10:22:00.000-06:00

There is major stuff going on in Anna Gray's country.
Scary stuff that we, unfortunately, can't share.

We have been asked to make our adoption blog private to protect AG and the other waiting children.

If you'd like to continue following along with our adoption process, please comment/email me your email address and I will invite you. Keep in mind, the blog only allows 100 readers :/

PLEASE, PLEASE be in prayer for Anna Gray, our family, and the other waiting families.

Calm Down Basket

2011-12-15T10:07:00.000-06:00

Yet another idea sparked by Pinterest, which led to a blog, which led to another blog, which ended with our "Calm Down Basket".

It has taken nearly five years to figure out what type of discipline/redirecting/teaching moments are the best for our kids. And it still changes.

Spankings don't work for my kids. Period.
Timeouts don't accomplish much either, to be honest.
We have been just talking to them, creating conversation and positive reinforcement- but they basically memorized a script to get it over with.

So, now we have the Calm Down Basket and so far, I gotta say, it's working quite well.
While it doesn't teach them anything, per se, about their behavior or the reasons behind it, it does give them a minute to step back and clear their head so they can make better choices- especially important for Cale. However, it is multipurpose and beneficial for the girls (and Mom and Dad!) as well.

If someone is getting angry/aggressive, too wild, frustrated- with anything- we just ask them to go get something from the Calm Down Basket. They sit over in the designated area (it's behind the couch in a ~~quiet~~ less chaotic area of the house), choose one activity, and put it back when they're finished. I promise it's a coincidence that their Calm Down Basket is next to the bottle of wine from our wedding (Mommy and Daddy's calm down basket? ;)

Our basket consists of:

The Calm Down Jar (a favorite of all three littles).

Just hot water and glitter glue in a pickle jar. Shake... and watch the glitter fall. It takes a few minutes for it all to get back to the bottom and somehow works wonders on my kids' attitudes in the process.

Stretching
Yoga/Tree pose

It takes so much concentration for them to get their balance, they forget what they were upset about!

Tactile stimulation

We have stretchy/spikey toys, goop and silly putty.

A kaleidescope
Mini Etch-A-Sketch

All three LOVE the Etch-a-Sketch. They would play with it (quietly!) forever if we'd let them!

Quiet books, they can choose to look at/read or ask a parent/sibling to read to them.
Another favorite- the rice bucket. Seriously, an empty butter tub. We added dry rice and a few little trinkets- a marble, sharktooth, whatever we could find. Cale likes to comb his fingers thru the rice and dig for the "treasures". The girls like to shake the whole bucket.

It really is THAT simple. I spent a total of $3 in the dollar aisle, everything else we already had. The kids love it and it really has redirected them away from what would normally turn into a meltdown or fight. :)

best.daddy.ever.

2011-12-15T00:35:00.000-06:00

We have always turned on music during dinner (no tv allowed, except on very special nights). If you know Nathan, you know he thrives on Christmas music (Apparently, so does our oldest daughter. Layla got in "trouble" at school for humming after she finished her work and everyone else was still working. Her daddy was so proud. Grin.).

The day after Thanksgiving opens a free pass for Christmas music at dinner. We were feeling especially festive one night last week. Nathan and I were dancing to Elton John in the living room after putting away left-overs, when Brynn cut in... and cut loose. Her daddy ate.it.up.

I really don't know who was having more fun. They danced and danced and danced. The rest of us laughed almost as hard just watching!

About 40 minutes into it, Nathan got it in his head that they should learn the moves from Dirty Dancing...

And decided he was the best swing dancer there ever was (and in their eyes, he was).

An hour and a half.
This man, who had a million things to do, who was exhausted after a long day of work, DANCED with his kids for an hour and a half.

I think he's the best daddy there ever was.
And I know at least three others who would agree.

O' (sugary-chocolately) Christmas tree

2011-12-14T23:46:00.000-06:00

You know I love an edible craft.

I'll just go ahead and tell ya... these pictures are junk quality. Some nights, you just gotta grab the camera and go. It's not worth missing a memory for better lighting.

It is what it is. And it was messy, and silly, and ~~yummy~~ not that bad :)

(Momma doesn't like the red M&Ms...)

Luckily, each one cleaned their plates that night so everybody got a little taste of their creation. That's all you needed though... just a little taste. No need to cut anybody off before they entered a diabetic coma, they were more than satisfied with just a nibble and were DONE :)

Happy Birthday to Evan!

2011-12-14T23:32:00.000-06:00

(Please ignore the fact that Brynn is wearing a randon Titans shirt and no pants. They also made "slime" during the party, which attached itself to a good portion of B's dress and it had to be washed, ha.)
I can't believe this little boy is FIVE!

(I really can't believe that means it's only weeks until Brynn and Cale are five... eek.)
Evan had a great party- complete with magician!

My kids LOVED it.
Layla and Cale both giggled so much trying to assist the magician with a trick. Too cute :)

What party is complete with out sugar?! LOTS and LOTS of sugar.

This was party #1 out of three for us that day and we started off with a bang for sure :)

Catching up...

2011-12-14T23:09:00.002-06:00

You may (or may not) have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. We've been a wee bit busy- aren't we all this time of year?! Of course, we have been squeezing in as much as possible- creating extra memories with our littles, knowing that we will be leaving them soon to get Baby Sister.

Funnily enough, I just got an "anonymous" comment on our adoption blog today about "wishing time away" causing me to miss time with the kids I have at home already. I assure you, not a moment is being wasted. I may be one of the least likely people on the planet to take time with my kids for granted, to be honest.

Since I've been soaking up my babies every chance I get, I haven't really had time to just sit at my computer and share.

It's after 11pm, which means I have some "quiet time" to show to you where my attention has been- as obviously, my attention has not been on this blog ;)

Precious Moments.

2011-12-06T17:49:00.002-06:00

Brynn and Cale were in the car talking on their plastic cell phones to one another.

I heard Cale say on his phone:
"Yeah... my job is to protect people like my Daddy, but I have to go. There's an emergency- a wreck on the interstate. I'm going to save them! And then I have to go to White House to see my brother, he's a fireman. And then I need to hurry up and get home to pick up my kids from school. I'll talk you later though because I need to talk to my sisters sometimes."

Aaahhh.
1) He's using his imagination.
2) His vocabulary is age-appropriate (if not a little ahead!).
3) His heart is precious.
4) I can absolutely imagine this conversation happening for real in about 20 years.

Sweet sweet sweet.

*Side note, I totally took that picture by holding the phone up and checking the reflection of the screen in my rearview mirror, ha.

little things.

2011-12-06T17:11:00.002-06:00

Christmas Dinner for the 118th Security Forces.

It was a fun night! We got to catch up with the Eaves' (unfortunately, none of us had time for a repeat dinner at RosePeppers). The also handed out some awards and promotions while all the families were there. It's always kind of cool to see all the pomp and circumstance. They had babysitters, toys, pizza, etc in a separate room for the kids- which our's loved.

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Friday was an emotional day for our family. After wallowing in our sorrows for quite some time, we headed out to run a quick errand. That turned into randomly stopping at a gas station for $.89 hot chocolate- with Christmas sprinkles- in our pajamas (and ballistic goggles, apparently) at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Best $3 I've spent.

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Layla has been stretching and working on her flexibility pretty much every day so she can get her side split. One of the things she does, is lay on her back with her bottom against the wall and her legs out as far as she can get them. She was practicing that the other day, when Little Sister decided she was gonna give it a whirl.

Um... not bad. She also jumped up and did a drop split like she's a dang Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. Impressive.

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The Christmas before we got married, we got a TON of perfectly matching, high-quality, fancy-shmancy Pottery Barn ornaments for our tree (after-Christmas sale). I'm really loving that we've reached the point in our lives where 75% of our ornaments are made from cardboard toilet paper rolls and pipe cleaners. It may not be the prettiest tree on the block on the classic sense, but I love that it represents our family.

We did much better this year trying to add ornaments that represented big experiences for our family. We added one from the Alamo (that I can't seem to find right now...), a beautifully hand-painted one from New York, a (quite hard to find in June) tree from Jamaica, and the one that arrived yesterday....

Our Reece's Rainbow ornament. We didn't buy it, we got it as a "gift" for donating to sweet Alissa with their Angel Tree Program. And guess what?! The day after we donated to her, she got a family!! (Which has nothing to do with the fact that we donated, it's just exciting!)

I'm super glad that we have an RR ornament - considering they've been a pretty significant part of our year! ;)

*If you'd like to donate to an orphan thru Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree program, click here. There are some little loves that have absolutely stolen my heart!!

Tiny Tidbits of Fun

2011-11-29T12:12:00.000-06:00

Bowling for no reason...
Well, actually, bowling because it was $2 a game and we were the only ones there on a random Wednesday night :)

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Teddy Bear pancakes for the Brynnster!
Lawsy, I love pinterest.

Speaking of pinterest...
Sock Octopus we made to take to Anna Gray :)

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Veteran's Day

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She wanted me to be her Aladdin. We sang. Loudly.

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He seriously slept like this for an hour in Macy's shoe dept on Black Friday :) I promise I didn't drag them out at the crack of dawn! We had just had an exhausting few days lol.

All kinds of Thanks...

2011-11-29T10:54:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Lunch at Layla's school....

The twins LOVED getting to eat in the cafeteria and they were SUPER excited to eat lunch with Sissy! They were sooo cute going thru the line with their little trays. Can't believe they're almost old enough to do that every day :/

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Thanksgiving Lunch at Cale's school....

Last year Cale didn't want us to come to his school for his party. It was his first school party and I really didn't know he meant it, so we went anyway. Disaster. We had to leave. This year, he wanted us to come! He was so proud to sing his turkey song and let me take pics of him with his "best friend" Jake :) He's come SO far in a year!! So proud :)

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We had Catalina and Cheyenne one night just before Thanksgiving, so of COURSE we did a craft :)

Look at that tiny little turkey!

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Family pic from Thursday's Thanksgiving Dinner:

Family pic from Saturday's Thanksgiving Dinner:

Boy, do we have a lot to be thankful for!!

Sensory Seekers.

2011-11-15T10:58:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of ways my twins are alike...

but mostly... they aren't.

One of the issues we deal with daily is oral sensitivities. You would think that it's not that big of a deal, and it isn't in the grand scheme of things- you get used to it.

Cale is hypersensitive when it comes to oral sensitivity (quite common for children on the spectrum).

Characteristics:

dislikes having teeth brushed and/or face washed

Cale is doing much better with the brushing, but if you watch him while he brushes... he keeps his lips off the toothbrush, while the rest of us normally close ours.

has a limited food repertoire and/or may avoid certain food textures - especially mixed textures

He doesn't like anything that has "pieces" in your mouth, ie: peas, beans, small pieces of pasta (only likes thicker noodles, like bowtie/rotini/penne). Mixing is definitely not option! He DOES like crunchy foods: raw veggies (carrots and celery are favs), pretzels, crackers, etc.

will take their food off the fork or spoon using only their teeth, keeping their lips retracted

Always. It's funny, when you pay attention to him eating, he keeps his lips off the fork but he knows he has to chew with his mouth closed so it's really awkward for him, heh.

will gag easily when eating and may only get food down by taking a drink with it

He has gotten MUCH better about this, but still happens depending on the texture.

may exhibit signs of tactile defensiveness such as; disliking being touched, avoiding messy play - glue, play doh, mud, sand, finger paints, etc. - , or, may not pick up eating utensil or food with a grasp that involves the palm of his hand

Again, he has gotten better with the way he holds his utensils (he used to use only his fingertips). And he will play with "messy" things, but he wipes and his hands and face every 30 seconds while doing so.

Dealing with these issues day in and day out can be frustrating, but again- it's not the worst thing in the world. It's important to remember that the mouth is an extenstion of the body. It causes him anxiety just like anything else and you can't force him to do anything he isn't ready to do (Nathan struggles with this) or else meltdown ensues- and it just isn't worth it, just to get your way.

There isn't a whole lot you can do about it, other than encourage different textures and provide opportunities to stimulate the mouth in other ways.

Aww... remember his sweet paci? Weighted down with a burpcloth to strengthen his sucking reflex. He always used it upside down with it tucked inside his bottom lip- so sweet!

And of course, there are exceptions to every rule ;)

On the opposite end, Brynn is an oral sensory seeker (hyposensitive).

they love and crave intense flavors, i.e., sweet, sour, salty, spicy and usually become "condiment kids"

Brynn is notorious for eating jalapenos out of the jar, sucking the salt off pretzels, eating spoonfuls of salsa and munching on lemons. She doesn't appear to enjoy it actually, but she does it again and again and again regardless.

may actually avoid mixed textures as well since it is difficult to chew and swallow properly when you can't "feel" the food in your mouth correctly
Brynn doesn't really have many issues with mixing, but she does struggle with swallowing- usually because she has too much food in her mouth.

they are the messy eaters; getting food all over their face and/or leaving bits of food in their mouths at the end of a meal
It's been a long-running joke that B is the messiest eater on the planet.I'm not talking about normal "kids are messy" stuff, I'm talking about "How did you get it THERE?!" kind of eating. It seems so simple: put yogurt on spoon, put spoon in mouth. How in the world she manages to get yogurt in her hair/ear/on the back of her neck (etc etc etc) is beyond me.

they often take large bites and stuff their mouths, or even "pocket" food in their cheeks

We have to encourage Cale to eat more than one green bean at a time, not Brynn... most likely she's on seconds (or thirds) before you're half way thru.

are inclined to not chew their food thoroughly before swallowing (at risk for choking)
Again, she inhales- not eats.

drool excessively beyond the teething stage
It took me a while to put these two together for some reason. We both thought she was doing it on purpose (and could be- but it's intersting to know that it's also related to sensory).

and, they always seem to have something in their mouths; toys, pens, pencil tips, gum, candy, or inedible objects (i.e., paper clips, rubber bands, shirt sleeves and collars, strings...anything!)

This is our biggest issue: safety. At nearly five-years-old, she should not be putting these things in her mouth! EVERYTHING goes in her mouth. She has two favorite fingers, has also swallowed three pair of earrings, toys, paper, crayons, pillows, sheets, clothes, hair clips, channel changers, keys... it all goes in her mouth. It's obviously dangerous and we just can't figure out how to stop it.

Last night, I sent her to brush her teeth before bedtime. She had to go to our bathroom because the littles were out of toothpaste. She was literally in there only a few minutes and came out with blood all over her chin and cheeks. I mean, dripping. Nathan's razor was also beside the sink and she had put it in her mouth. It cut her in three places.

I realize it probably makes me look like a terrible parent bc my child cut her own mouth up with a razor- but it's not like I handed it to her or left it in the floor for an infant. She was in my bathroom and for whatever reason, decided to get it and put it in her mouth.

The OT has said to give her sugar-free gum to keep her mouth stimulated and she won't put the other things in- and it has worked pretty much every time. But we can't keep gum in her mouth.

If you have a sensory seeker, what do you do to keep them stimulated and avoid dangerous situations?! I know we could be wiping her mouth more often with different textures (paper towel, washcloth, babywipe) but I honestly don't know what else to do.

I did find these suggestions this morning at MommyPoppins that I will try:

Use a vibrating toothbrush
Sip seltzer
Lick lemons (what about her tooth enamel?)
Crunch ice
Use chewelry
Make smoothies and suck through a straw
practice chewing gum and blowing bubbles
Use crazy straws
blow whistles
Make and blow pinwheels

It should be noted that I actually struggle with the same issue! I still put everything in my mouth and CRAVE textures (specifically light carbonation, crunchy, or gummy- but I don't do well with mushy. Ick) and strong flavors. I am fully aware that the main reason I snack at night when I'm not hungry is because I just want something in my mouth.

I guess I just wanted to get it out there that these issues exist, share some tips, and maybe get some in return! At least I added some visually pleasing stimulation, right? :)

More gratitude

2011-11-10T11:19:00.000-06:00

Layla and her BFF Kendall

Day 8:
Nathan- That's it's my "Friday" and I get to spend the next two days with my family!
Amber- The generosity of TOTAL strangers.
Layla- Chocolate chip waffles
Brynn- Layla
Cale- Cheetos

Showing me their "super secret best friend walk"... what happened to the old fashioned handshake?

Day 9:
Nathan- Time alone with my kids while my wife has a fun night out.
Amber- Fun opportunities in Music City!
Layla- The color pink.
Brynn- My pet giraffe.
Cale- (not in a grateful mood today).

CMA awards! Met up with Mom and Angel after (You may have spotted me a few times during the show :)

Day 10:
Nathan- A lazy day at home with my family.
Amber- Chick-Fil-A and their support for our Annie.
Layla- Taylor Swift and The Band Perry.
Brynn- My family.
Cale- Lunchtime.

They're cute, but they are TROUBLE lol.

Gratitude- days 5, 6, & 7

2011-11-07T13:49:00.000-06:00

Sass found my point-&-shoot and had a grand ole' time for about two days :)

Saturday, the 5th:
Nathan- I'm thankful I improved on my PT test!
Amber- I'm thankful for beautiful fall weather and people who trust me to capture their family in a photo.
Layla- I'm thankful for the park.
Brynn- I'm thankful for tattoos and Sutton.
Cale- I'm thankful for candy.

They are HAMS.

We ALL miss Daddy on drill weekends.

Sunday, the 6th:
Nathan- coffee and the kids improving their behavior.
Amber- my church
Layla- my church
Brynn- my church
Cale- my church

Monday, the 7th-
Nathan- I am thankful that (Annie's country)'s government has begun their transition, even if we don't know exactly what it means yet. Despite that unknown, it means we are closer to seeing our daughter.
Amber- I am thankful for lifelong friends.
Layla- I am thankful for 1 brother and 2 sisters.
Brynn- I am thankful for hair I like.
Cale- I am thankful for this sweatshirt.

I also had FOURTEEN photo of just her blabla baby, on top of her pillow, on top of the play table (taken at 4am.) I kept them all :)

I'm quickly losing my reputation as a responsible adult.

2011-11-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

First of all, guess who lost their first tooth last night?!

And by "lost", I of course mean: woke up with it wiggly, messed with it ALL day and eventually got a pair of pliers out of the drawer. Voila- missing tooth.

How can she possibly be old enough to start losing teeth?!
However, as my sister-in-law says: That's SO Brynn, always a mile a minute and a mile ahead of everyone else!
So true.

The kids have developed this habit of coming to get in the bed with me when Nathan leaves for work at 4:30am. I have a love/hate relationship with this little habit. On the one hand, I get to snuggle with all my babies :) And Lord knows, they aren't going to want to sleep with me forever and we most definitely aren't going to be able to fit in that bed much longer! On the other hand, four ~~wiggly~~ people in one bed don't get a lot of great sleep in those last remaining hours of the morning and after a few days, we all end up a bit cranky.

Last night, Nathan told Brynn she had to stay in her own bed if the tooth fairy was coming.

Early this a.m., LP had already made her way next to me when Brynn came along.

LP: Brynn! You have to stay in YOUR bed!
Nathan: L, that wasn't very kind.
LP: Brynn, go back to your bed if you want the tooth fairy to come.
Brynn: She came. Got a dollar. Move over.

I don't know why, but it was pretty funny at 4 in the morning.

She also got up first thing, squealing: I got a dollar for the bottles! (For Anna Gray)
So sweet :)

*******************************************

I was pretty certain today was going to be fabulous. Nothing special happening. I just made up my mind is all, after a few unfabulous days.

Got off to a pretty good start. Took LP to school and came back to do Brynn's hair before my 9:45 IEP meeting with Cale's teachers. I am on it!

Except...
Miss Sarah called at 9 to say the meeting was 8:45, not 9:45. So we ran out the door with fuzzy-haired Brynn. Only to spill my entire cup of coffee on myself when pulling into the school, right before Cale reminded me that I had put a loaf of cinnamon bread in the oven about 20 minutes earlier (was supposed to cook for 15 minutes). An hour later...

Doesn't that look yummy?

Today, I am thankful my house didn't burn down.

I promise I really am a good cook. I'm just losing my mind these days. Please LORD let this adoption process be over soooooon. For the sake of my family's nutrition?

Other gratitude for the day:
Nathan- Coffee and time at the range.
Layla- cousins and friends.
Brynn- life, God, and pet teddy bears.
Cale- Jesus and the pumpkin patch.

The PG13 version of Halloween.

2011-11-03T19:41:00.000-05:00

The grown-ups!

I think we make a pretty cute Goose and Maverick :)

I had a gig until 9 (teaching line dance for a private event- SO fun), and then made my way over to the Wildhorse to meet Nathan and the gang for the enormous costume party!

They were a tad late as Shelby had a flat tire on the way down, but once they got there we had a BLAST.
So, so fun.

Love these girls! Also, my partners in crime for SipsNStrokes :)

We mostly just mingled as the dance floor was PACKED. (Love the Spazmatics! 80s dance music= just right for a Halloween party!).

SO glad it worked out for us to get to go! We needed an adults only night!
Love our friends :)

The PG version of Halloween.

2011-11-03T18:51:00.000-05:00

We usually go ALL out for Halloween. I love it!
Big party, big costumes, the whole shebang. Time and money just didn't allow it this year and guess what... we still had a blast!

My kids are stinking cute- Cale in his $3 Tony Stewart (yes, we know Logano drives it now, but he prefers that it is Tony Stewart) costume that he's been wearing every day for a month already, Layla as a sparkly little carhop ($7- consignment), and Brynn as the prettiest Jasmine there ever was ($9- half off bc there was a tear under the armpit).

Every year they complain that we don't trick-or-treat. This year, we decided to grant their wish (as it is all about them, afterall) and NOT drive house-to-house visiting every member of our family and let them actually trick-or-treat for the first time ever.

Of course, that didn't work out.

We started getting them ready as soon as they got home from school (another reason 3:45 is TOO late to get home from school!) but by the time they were ready, it was later than we had hoped. We stopped at Richland where we have two great grandparents, a great aunt, and a great great grandmother :) That also took a little longer than planned and we didn't see everybody! Stopped for one more great before heading to trunk or treat on Main St.

Well, I'll be darned if everyone didn't run out of candy and pack up early! We crossed the street to the church who was also doing trunk or treat and they were done too!

Bummer.

The kids handled it well though and we've made BIG promises to really really trick or treat next year.
We still had a blast :)

Pumpkin Prep... sort of.

2011-11-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

We managed to set aside a night for pumpkin prep. On the first night, the only things accomplished was the purchasing of the pumpkins.

The second night we got so far as scooping the guts and carving an eye or two. This took a little longer than planned and involved more than one comment by Nathan about how he "didn't one of those silly sissy kits- just his trusty knife will do the job, thank-you-very-much". We enjoyed ~~watching him sweat~~ the night, which included "pumpkin" pizza and Once Upon a Time.

Guess who came home with a silly sissy pumpkin carving kit the next day?

But Day 3 just didn't lend the time so you get what you get. The pumpkins made it to the porch, even if the candles to light them stayed on the counter for two more days.

I kind of love them anyway.

On Halloween night, Nana pointed out their jack-o-lantern to the kids and Brynnie very proudly proclaimed, "Ours are almost done!!".

Backtrack: I'm moving some stuff here and playing catch-up.

2011-11-03T17:22:00.000-05:00

In an attempt to stay positive and keeps ourselves in check, our family will be sharing what we are thankful for every day of the month.

Albeit...sometimes in chunks because I just don't have it together enough to blog every day.

Day 1:

Nathan-Thankful for an amazing wife and kids.

Amber- Thankful that both of my children in school have awesome teachers! They are supportive of my child's individual needs AND supportive of our adoption.

Layla- Thankful for her brother and sisters.

Brynn- Thankful for food to eat.

Cale- Thankful for Daddy and America.

Day 2:

Nathan- Getting a position that pays more.

Amber- Two birthmothers.

Layla- Moby Dick.

Brynn- Jesus.

Cale- Being alive (no particular reason he said this btw).

Day 3:

Nathan- We have the happiest, funniest, sweetest, most beautiful children in the world, and we are one day closer to bringing home our angel.

Amber- A bed JUST big enough for four after Daddy leaves for work :)

Layla- My mommy!

Brynn- I have everything I need and Jesus.

Cale- Toaster Strudels.

I was proud of myself today for having it together enough to put dinner in the crockpot on time.

Too bad I forgot to turn it on.

So.... I am also thankful for Little Ceasars.

Semi-regular phone photos.

2011-10-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

New Fundraiser!

2011-10-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Head on over to our adoption blog and check out our new fundraiser!

Stay tuned to hear some more exciting things coming up in the next couple of weeks :)

Busy Little Worker Bees.

2011-10-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

My car is not clean.
It's all I can do to keep my house clean (and for a few weeks there, I didn't. At all.), but we are on the go SO much, that I really have a hard time keeping my car clean. Okay... I don't really try. I am most certainly annoyed by all the stuff that seems to accumulate- I hate clutter!- but just haven't managed to do anything about it for quite some time.

I do get embarrassed when Layla gets out at school and a hat, plus yesterday's Sunday School craft, jump right out with her. Or when I move the kids' carseats and a few random raisins, broken crayons, and a strawberry shortcake figurine free themselves from their cushiony jail. It's not all the kids' fault. There are seven pair of sunglasses in my car. Seven. Three of those belong to the children, two are scratched or broken and I haven't thrown them away yet, and the other two... well, everyone needs two. Otherwise, what would I wear when I can't find the other ones?

But Monday, Brynn wrote on the seat. Ink pen meets leather. Is it sad that my first reaction was, "Oh, look- you made a T, and O, and a R!"? My second reaction was more related to handing her a paper towel and cleaner. That evolved into Cale ridding the car of EVERY SINGLE toy, Brynn any trash, and Layla all the stuff. And THAT evolved into washing windows and dashboards and seats and taking turns vacuuming.

And THAT evolved into changing the sheets on their beds, cleaning their bathrooms, dusting the furniture, sweeping and vacuuming, putting away laundry, and cleaning up dinner (they love that one). I think they actually had fun. Really.

Of course, they took a snack break and a lunch break... and a play outside break (or two). But for the most part, these kids WORKED from 10am-6pm.

And OF COURSE, we made homemade ice cream sandwiches (yummm) after dinner to reward them for their hard work. We ate those way too fast to get a picture.

They enjoy cleaning (for now) and I want them to learn to be responsible. It's good for everyone to do their part around the house, so they won't always be rewarded- but these kids stepped UP and worked very hard! Above and beyond what I would typically expect of a 7yr old and two 4yr olds. Was it perfect? Absolutely not, but they learned a lot and we had a fun day together :)

Phone Photos

2011-10-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

Adoption Update

2011-10-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

You can read an update on the doctor/immigration issues here.

Please follow us on the other blog to keep up with our adoption!!
And KEEP PRAYING!!

9th Annual Pumpkin Run

2011-10-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

You can read about what the Pumpkin Run means to us here.

We had over 300 ~~runners~~ movers this year! AND 40 of those were part of our Revolution family! I was pretty dang excited about that part. I did my best to organize volunteers from the church, considering everything else that's going on in our lives right now. I am so thankful for those that showed up to paint faces, hand out water, and walk/run to benefit the American Heart Association.

THIS is why I love my church.

There weather was beautiful, albeit a bit chilly with the wind. Another gorgeous fall day! The downside to the Pumpkin Run is that it's always the first Saturday in October- and Nathan ALWAYS has drill :/ He hasn't been able to go since he joined the Air Force. Bummer since we really love doing it together and it's a big day for our family.

The Crunk and Baird families (all mine!). In memory of Parker and Sylvia Crunk (my grandparents).

This child oozes althleticism, but we've never really been sure where to point it. We may have found her calling!

She ran nearly the whole 5K. Unfortunately, she ran most of it unsupervised. When the horn sounded, little girl took off. She ran and ran and ran (verified by Pastor K who managed to keep up with her for a while). She's a runner, for sure!

The other day, she and Cale raced to my car. She flew like the wind, blowing him out of the water (and he's not slow!), of course, resulting in a meltdown for him. When they got back in the car, she put her hand on him and said, "Cale, just because I'm faster than you doesn't mean I'm better than you... but... wow, I am way faster than you."

Next year will be the 10th Pumpkin Run! Hard to believe.

We need you to pray.

2011-10-02T15:38:00.000-05:00

This week is huge.

Tomorrow, we will confront the doctor one last time. I will go to her office for the 7th time. I will beg and plead, if needed. I will not let Satan use her to hurt us. I will ask nicely and always do the right thing and hope she does the same. But just incase she doesn't, I'm taking Momma Stang with me. And you do NOT want to mess with Momma Stang. Please pray for this doctor. Pray that God changes her heart and she wants to help. Pray that she corrects the mistakes she made. At the very least, pray that she does the job she is being paid to do.

Also, we are in a very serious race against the clock and we just might lose. We do not know if our immigration approval is going to get back in time. Honestly, it shouldn't, but I believe in a God who can do anything. We are being encouraged to write to our congressmen and ask them to intervene on our behalf. As much as we want her home for ourselves, it breaks my heart to think of our baby girl staying in that orphanage longer than she has to. Please, PLEASE, pray with us. Pray that that we get the attention of our congress woman. Pray that she acts on our behalf. Pray that immigration processes our application at record speed. Please pray that our child comes home sooner, rather than later.

Please and thank you.
We're scared, folks.

*If anyone else would like to write to our representative on our behalf, email me for contact info.

Adoption photos!

2011-09-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

I haven't really had a chance to put it out there yet, but I am doing photos to raise funds for the adoption! I have already been busy with appointments without advertising the fundraiser :)

Same deal as before:
$50 for one hour, with all proofs on disk. Family, Seniors, Children, Engagement... just let me know what you need! It's a great deal to get the photos you want AND help bring Annie HOME :)

Email me to set up an appointment or ask any questions you may have!
Thanks, ya'll!

So sweetly true.

2011-09-29T19:15:00.000-05:00

"I am the child that looks healthy and fine. I was born with ten fingers and toes.
But something is different, somewhere in my mind, And what it is, nobody knows.
I am the child that struggles in school, Though they say that I'm perfectly smart.
They tell me I'm lazy -- can learn if I try -- But I don't seem to know where to start.
I am the child that won't wear the clothes which hurt me or bother my feet.
I dread sudden noises, can't handle most smells, And tastes -- there are few foods I'll eat.
I am the child that can't catch the ball And runs with an awkward gait.
I am the one chosen last on the team And I cringe as I stand there and wait.
I am the child with whom no one will play -- The one that gets bullied and teased
I try to fit in and I want to be liked, But nothing I do seems to please.
I am the child that tantrums and freaks Over things that seem petty and trite.
You'll never know how I panic inside, When I'm lost in my anger and fright.
I am the child that fidgets and squirms Though I'm told to sit still and be good.
Do you think that I choose to be out of control? Don't you know that I would if I could?
I am the child with the broken heart Though I act like I don't really care.
Perhaps there's a reason I'm made this way -- Some message I'm sent to share.
For I am the child that needs to be loved And accepted and valued too.
I am the child that is misunderstood. I am different - but look just like you."
Author: Kathy Winters

[Kathy Winters is a part-time writer and full-time mother of three. She has a 14-year-old son with Asperger Syndrome and an 11-year-old son with ADHD/Tourettes Syndrome]

This reminded me SO SO much of our sweet Cale man.

THRILLER!

2011-09-29T18:20:00.002-05:00

This is, by far, the coolest thing I've ever done professionally.

Pretty gruesome, huh?
(btw, the pink hair isn't part of the costume :) It's for breast cancer awareness in honor of my dear friend, Traci)
Brynn keeps telling everyone her mommy is a monster.

I got to perform the "Thriller" dance, in full costume and makeup, in front of 4,000 people on Monday. Pretty much a dream come true. I used to watch that video over and over and over!

IT.WAS.AMAZING.

They brought in THE best Michael Jackson impersonator there is; he was incredible.

The guests were up against the stage screaming for us, taking pictures, going craaaazy. Unbelievable.

It was a lot of work for a 2 minute performance, but it was worth every second!

There is a video and professional performance photos out there somewhere, and I am just dying (heh) to get my hands on them!

Taylor Swift!

2011-09-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Meme gave LP and I tix to see Taylor Swift for our birthdays! We had to wait six whole months to use them, but according to LP- it was worth the wait! This little girl was BURSTING with excitement.

I appreciate Taylor. Her songs are catchy... and CLEAN. The show was silly and over-acted and just right for little girls. I'll admit I cried a bit, lol. I've waited a long time to share that experience with my own daughter. Seeing her jumping up and down, squealing with delight, beaming from ear to ear... brought a little tear to my eye. Nathan did the same the first time he took Cale to a race, it's overwhelming to be living your dreams :)

We couldn't have been any further from the stage and she couldn't have been happier about it. "We can see everything from here!"

Layla took those pics herself, btw.

It's been a week and half since the show and she's still talking about it. She told me yesterday that she almost cried when Taylor came out, she just couldn't believe she was really seeing her in person. She also said, "Gosh, it seems like yesterday" haha.

Apparently, she also went to church the following Sunday and told one of the children's volunteers that she had gone, but I hadn't been able to get her a tshirt. Unbeknownst to either of us, this particular volunteer worked for Taylor Swift in merchandising. Crazy.

This week she brought BOTH my sweet girls THE most amazing gift- A Taylor Swift cinch bag FULL of FIVE Taylor Swift shirts EACH, a Taylor Swift choker, and a cd. Is that not the absolute sweetest thing you've ever heard?! They were THRILLED TO PIECES!
Here's LP on Monday all decked out in her gear:

Thank you, Ms.Denise!! According to my girls, YOU ROCK! (And I agree :) And thank you to Meme for the most awesome birthday gift ever!

Phone dump... whatever day it is.

2011-09-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

Life just isn't going to allow me to commit to a permanent dump day right now. So I'll just do my best to throw it out there once a week or so. I'll also work on finding a thesarus to replace the word dump.

Here's barely a snippet of the last week... and a half.

Underwatercolors.

2011-09-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

The girls and I spent a significant amount of time painting with water colors the other day. The boys... well, I can't remember where the boys were. I can't even remember yesterday. But I have these photos to remind me that at some point a few days ago, we painted with water colors.

Mermaids! I LOVE them. So much that I'm going to frame them for the playroom :)

Revolution Church turns ONE!

2011-09-19T14:25:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday, Revolution Church... last week, because I'm behind on posts.
It was the one-year anniversary of our church on Sept 12, so we had a big birthday party to celebrate on Sunday the 11th. I ordered a giant sheet cake from a bakery (don't get me started), but with our regular crowd of 200- we were also gonna need..... CUPCAKES!

So I baked for Jesus.

Pink Lemonade with pink lemonade buttercream frosting.
I was afraid these were going to be SUPER tart, but I hear it was a nice balance of tart and sweet (I never tried one.)

Topped with crushed lemonade/pink lemonade hard candies.

Red Velvet, Nana's cream cheese icing with chocolate shavings.

Honestly, they weren't good. Nobody would say that, and there wasn't a one left, but I did taste these and... they weren't good. This was my first time to make red velvet from scratch and there is definitely room for improvement.

S'mores!
Graham cracker crust, chunks of chocolate and graham chocolate baked in. These were definitely a favorite!

I attempted to make a marshmallow icing, but it just didn't work out.

Plan B- just some good old fashioned toasted marshmallow. YUM.

The 4th and probably most popular cupcake: Peanut Butter and Jelly :)
I thought I was making them for the kids, but the adults ate them up! And loved them!
They were definitely the easiest, and I failed to get any decent pics by that point in the night.
You can see them here in a "group shot".

Peanut butter cake filled with jelly (I used grape, just bc I had it on hand). I actually decided not to ice them and I'm glad. I dusted them with powdered sugar and it was just enough. The icing would have just been too much.

Trying another new recipe this week that I'm pretty excited about!

2011-09-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Life is just too short to let little things like rain and soggy clothes slow us down.

You may recognize this puddle from a couple of years ago... clearly My kids are fans of both the jump AND the puddle.

Note the water pouring out of her boot!

Drip dry for the next rainy day.

**Objects in photos are much darker than they appear. Taking pictures in the rain while balancing an umbrella at sundown doesn't make for the best pictures, but it doesn't change the memories! :)

Friday phone dump... on Saturday.

2011-09-17T09:15:00.001-05:00

Friday was CRAZYYY. Three essays, one paper, and two tests. A 4hr physical for the littles and Taylor Swift.

Freud.

2011-09-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

"Each indivual personality is the result of a unique compromise between satisfying our drives and comforming to society's restraints."

Mmmhmmm.

My husband is a true romantic.

2011-09-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

This is the text I got earlier today:

I'm not sure there is anyone who doesn't love bacon. Show me someone who says they don't and I'll show you a liar. I mean, it's the only food that can be served with every course in some shape or form. Salads, appetizers, main course, dessert... I've even seen it as garnish in a drink! Bacon is the sole reason why I enjoy this gap in my teeth where food regularly gets stuck. Can't make that up. And plus, look at what else you MAKE from bacon, only the second greatest food in the world- GRAVY. You can't even lie about not liking gravy. Do not forget, it's made from the leftovers of BACON! Oh... but bacon doesn't hold a candle to you, Baby!

For real. One long text. Lol. So sweet, that one!

The poet laureate of Dogwood Lane.

2011-09-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

No worries, we don't really live on Dogwood Lane. That's from Steel Magnolias :)

Layla decided to decorate all the bedroom doors with poems she wrote for us. Stinkin' adorable, I tell you.

The girls room:
Come and join the view
Brynn and Layla are the girls for you!
They like to play, they like to dance
but they come here when they need to rest :)

Cale's room:
Cale's the man, you can see.
He likes to play, jump, an sing.
He gives you hope and lots of spring.

Cale's the man, you can see.
His bed is made of rubber and string :)

My room:
When I get a cut (ouch!)
Mom's the one I can count on.
She gives me lots of hope and lots of love.
She gives me lots of hugs and a kiss.
When I go away, she's the one I miss.
I love you Mommy :)

She added the smiley faces at the end of all of them; I have no idea where she gets it :)

Friday phone dump.

2011-09-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you can tell by the fact that I haven't posted since last Friday's dump and the fact that there aren't a load of photos to dump this Friday, it's been a crazy week. Too crazy for me to explain right now, because it's not over yet.

I have other things to post, but didn't want to get behind on only my 2nd week!

Friday phone dump.

2011-09-02T11:34:00.000-05:00

My phone fills up rather quickly with silly photos of our day-to-day that I love, but can't really do anything with. They aren't really things that warrant their own post, so I've decided to start mashing them all here every week. They might give you a glimpse into our every day life and give me the opportunity to preserve such brief moments in time.

Because I really don't have anything else going on...

2011-09-01T13:55:00.001-05:00

I'm back in school full time.

I'm excited... I am excited... but shew. It's gonna be rough.
As if the whole balancing act wasn't tricky enough, taking four psych classes may drive me mad.

Come Spring, it will be SO worth it. Remind me of that later, would you?

Graduation, here I come!

Tinkerbell Cupcakes :)

2011-08-29T14:44:00.002-05:00

Yay for fun birthday parties! And YAY for friends who trust me to make their cupcakes, and YAAAYY for friends who use cupcakes as an excuse to donate toward our adoption!

I had free reign as long as chocolate was involved.

I made Chocolate-Chocolate Chip and they were darn good (I have to sample, of course).

This was my first time using fondant and I was a wee bit nervous. The flowers were fine, just cut and paste basically.

I made little Tinkerbell shoes, which I thought were kind of cute...

Until I put them on cupcakes with greener-than-I-intended buttercream icing. Then they just looked like deformed grasshoppers. (The white spots are actually silver shimmery "pixie dust" sprinkled on top).

Not exactly what I was going for, but live and learn I guess. I did learn a lot and I'm excited to try what's next!
Hope you had a great party, Anna!

SHIRTS ARE READY!!!

2011-08-25T12:24:00.002-05:00

Shirts are ready for purchase to help bring Anna Gray HOME!!

Nathan had a basic design and then our sweet friend, Mandy, took it and made it FABULOUS!

(If you can't see the picture well, it has a compass with "West" and "Annie'" on either side. The writing at the bottom is Ephesians 1:5).

We are selling the shirts for $15 each or 2/$25.

Adult sizes come in Small- 2XL.

Children's sizes (in a slightly different gray) come in XS (2-4) to XL (18-20).

Comment here or email me to place your order. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

Thank you all SOOOO much for supporting our adoption and spreading awareness!

My little MAN!

2011-08-23T16:46:00.000-05:00

Cale decided he needed to wear a tie on Sunday. Since he didn't have one of his own, his next choice would obviously be daddy's Air Force tie. He looked SO cute! When he came out, even Brynn said, "You look so handsome, Cale!".

He ate it up, of course :)

Cupcakepalooza.

2011-08-23T11:19:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I made 105 cupcakes!

Definitely my biggest challenge so far... but it was SO fun. I had both a church bake sale and a bridal shower to bake for, so I just went all out.

Carrot Cake Cupcake: Nana's cake recipe and cream cheese icing recipe

The texture was a little off (user error, I assure you), so I'll have to work on that for next time...

They did get a thumb's up from my dad, so they couldn't have been too bad!

Strawberry Cupcake: Mama Sylvia and Meme's cake recipe (same) and Mama Sylvia's strawberry buttercream icing recipe.

It's kind of hard to mess this one up.

I struggled with the texture of the icing... my first batch was great! But as I went on, it got too runny. I thought maybe it had gotten warm, but even after some time in the fridge, it wouldn't firm back up.

Tiramisu Cupcake: The bridal shower was for my cousin, Catie. I was in charge of the cake, and I remembered a LONG time ago her telling me that she loved tiramisu. This is what insipired the whole baking weekend really, once I decided I was going to attempt it in the form of a cupcake!

White cake brushed with a coffee/powdered sugar mix.

Filled with a marscapone cheese/Kahlua mixture...

Topped with another cream cheese icing (different recipe) and chocolate shavings.

The later in the night it got, the less light- and photography skills- I had. It was hard to balance a camera with hands covered in batter!

Turtle Cupcake: Catie's other favorite, and I wanted to provide some variety.

I didn't love this chocolate cake recipe... I thought it had a tad too much vanilla for my taste. And I didn't buy enough of the *Turtle brand candies to fill the cupcakes, however, I did the rest of them with caramel filled centers and I think I actually liked that better!). The candies were SO chewy and just too much, I think.

Chocolate buttercream icing, drizzled with caramel.

These were definitely one of the favorites of the weekend. Although, I honestly got rave reviews on all of them! Exciting :) Imagine how much everyone would have enjoyed them if I'd been able to keep the fresher (had to bake on Friday for Sunday's shower). I did think they looked nice on the table...

Me and the bride

I was pleased with my first effort for all of them, and get this... a friend asked me if I would bake cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party this weekend! I'm pretty excited :)

Sunday's excitement...

2011-08-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

LP had an eventful weekend!
After Saturday, she had a big day planned for Sunday too :)

OUR LITTLE GIRL GOT BAPTIZED!!!

According to her, her heart feels bigger :)

Here's a sampling of shots I could grab between proud tears.

I love the look on her face here...

Look how happy!

Her baptism gift from Nonie and Pap

You can see the rest of the pics and photos of all her spiritual cheerleaders here.

Saturday's excitement...

2011-08-22T16:18:00.002-05:00

FairyTale Dreams "Back to School" pageant...

Brynn was going to be in it too, and even "practiced" for me a few times (her practice consists of giving me a number to call her, then shaking her tailfeathers until 'the judges' thank her for her participation). She decided the morning of the pageant that pageants are just too slow. As L says, "she likes to do everything fast." It's true.

So L and I headed out on our lonesome one more time, which is probably my favorite part- getting some one-on-one time to really talk about what's going on in her life and hear her thoughts and opinions on various subjects. Good.

We forgot our hairspray, her glasses, and... well, I forgot what the third thing was. So we just sat in the floor eating grapes and watching everyone else scurry to be ready.

Beauty first: slow and steady, proper and and graceful and all that jazz.

Then OOC- "Back to school wear": We had a little peppy routine in our heads, but she asked if she could do "whatever she wants on stage, like Brynn". Sure, knock yourself out. She had so much fun! Skipping around and giggling without a care in the world :)

Guess it worked...

She won HIGH POINT SUPREME!
Highest title possible, making her the overall winner for the entire pageant... crazy! I think we were both in shock!

Furry suds.

2011-08-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

Oakley needed a bath and the littles needed something to do... seems like a no-brainer to me!

Turns out... Oakley didn't love the idea. He likes being rubbed, for sure. But the squishy, bubbly stuff all over him and a 4-yr-old coming at him with a hose pipe? Not his idea of a good time, apparently.

He continuously tried to run under the car to hide, leaving me and my ~~weak~~ muscles in charge of keeping all 81 lbs of him still.

The kids weren't thrilled with all the fur that was sticking to them either.

We all got thru it nonetheless, and he was a little cleaner... I think?

Any given Sunday.

2011-08-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

Just some peeks of my little ladies playing outside this weekend...

Mom-fail Monday.

2011-08-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

Today is not my best friend :)

We were running late for school for the first time ~~this year~~. About the time LP was getting out of the car, I realized I had forgotten to pack her library book. I promised to go home and bring it back. About the time Nathan called me to tell me he couldn't find C, I realized I had forgotten to tell him we pick up in a different location. Just after that, I realized I had not, in fact, taken LP's library book back to the school and it was too late. Not long after that, the school called to say she had basically ripped the entire leg out of her tights and her shorts were too short to go without them, so we would need to bring more clothes.

Fantastic.

To be fair, I'm quite distracted today (thank you, Captain Obvious). Nathan took the day off, which is great because we had/have SO much to do... but him being here has kind of thrown off our whole routine. We have gotten a lot done for the adoption today, even if it did require a few shots of tequila and a defibrillator. Juuuust kidding. Needed, but not used.

It is what it is and what it is, is.
Next up... Terrific Tuesday!!

Maybe.

Cupcake madness- get excited.

2011-08-10T10:42:00.000-05:00

I've had a love for both the eating and the baking of cupcakes for quite some time.

(Sugar-free, Dairy-free for my little man. I had some decorating help.)

Recently, it's taken on a life of it's own. You know how I like to keep my hobbies on their toes.

("Ice Cream" cone cupcakes)

I am becoming cupcake-crazed. It's like feeding my creative monster and (relatively cheap) therapy all at once.

(Peanut Butter cup cupcakes- peanut butter batter and milk chocolate icing filled with a mini Reese's cups)

I have no problem stealing ideas (I don't think you can plagerize cupcakes?), but am also working on my own tweeks and concoctions.

(Finished peanut butter cup cupcakes)

I'm doing another practice recipe this week before taking on an order (my own, for two occasions) of five dozen next week! I am soooo excited!!

(Mini oreo cupcakes)

I obviously want them to be delicious, but I also want them to be visually delightful!

("Corn on the cob" for 4th of July)

Any requests?! ;)

Good news travels fast...

2011-08-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

So last week we found out Nathan would be leaving this week to go back overseas. Once it was official, word got out quick. There wasn't much time to prep so he spent a week at the base running around like a chicken with his head cut off; we were doing the same at home to keep the adoption from getting delayed... it was nuts. Unbeknownst to me, he had recorded a video message that played at church on Sunday (he was at the base)- telling the church goodbye, asking for prayer and care for us. Our entire church, and I mean everyone, came to the altar to pray over the kids and I. Tears all around.

On Monday, we found out he wasn't going afterall. Again, word spread like wildfire. Like Jen said, "Who knew when we prayed for a shield of protection, this would be our answer?!". Not I.

We are still in shock, I think. Obviously, we don't want him in harm's way or to be apart from one another. But knowing that our family could benefit from the deployment (in several ways) had gotten us a hopeful. We are in kind of a "Now what?" phase. There is obviously a reason he wasn't supposed to go. We don't know what the future holds, but we will trust Him faithfully- and it will be GREAT!

School days!

2011-08-10T09:27:00.001-05:00

Back to school for two of my littles!

(Registration Day)

C started at his new school with a new teacher and has been pretty anxious about it. So far, days 1 and 3 have been kicking/screaming/bolting drop-offs. He participates about half of the time, but he has made a new friend already! Before he started he made it clear he did NOT want girls in his class and he would NOT be friends with a girl- that didn't last long :) He doesn't know her name and he won't play with her, but he's pretty sure he likes her! Already, I am finding out how little time there is between 8:30 and 11:30 when I go to pick him up.

LP is, of course, loving 2nd grade and her new teacher. I let her buy her own head-to-toe outfit for her first day and she looked adorable. We had a little excitement while everyone was brushing their teeth the first morning... apparently, C was swinging his arm with a toy inhand and popped his sister in the mouth. About 20 seconds later, her tooth fell out. It was loose beforehand, but nowhere near coming out. I guess he hit just right! She was laughing and obviously fine, he was apologizing repeatedly... pretty comical overall.

I think it's going to be a great year!

And the this little cutie is, as she says, "homeschooled". Meaning she stays with me and we do some learnin' at home.

If Nathan changes jobs, we will find a Mother's Day Out for her so she gets some more organized education and social experience :)

Talent show :)

2011-08-05T09:24:00.001-05:00

This makes me smile SO much. They were adorable. Madison is reading a story that we wrote about animal friends that meet at Camp Allen. Lu is providing the sound effects.

Madison and Layla at Camp Allen from Revolution Church on Vimeo.

The kids cracked up and the adults LOVED it. The girls accidentally left their "script" in the chapel and one of the camp directors had them both sign and date it so she could keep it lol.

Matilda Jane Trunk Show THIS Saturday!

2011-08-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I am having a Matilda Jane *Fall preview* Trunk Show THIS Saturday, at our house. Come and go as you please between 2pm-5pm! The clothing IS mostly girls' clothes, with only a few boy pieces- but they also have a lot of pieces for women that are SO comfy and versatile! These clothes wash and wear VERY well and the children's clothes will re-sale AT FULL PRICE. I love love love the way the children's pieces can mix and match and the simple style of the women's clothes!

If you cannot make it by the house on Saturday, please feel free to create a wishlist on their website and email it to my trunk keeper at breaf@matildajaneclothing.com and she will place your order for you. Make sure to tell her that I am your "Jane". We get credit for these "online" orders as well, and you can order from any of the collections!!

The best part: This trunk show will benefit our adoption! Your orders will help bring Annie home!

Thank you all so, so much for your support! Would love to see you Saturday if you can make it (the clothes are even cuter in person!). If not, check out:

www.matildajaneclothing.com

and create your wishlist!

C's first trophy!

2011-08-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

C worked so hard for this!

He could not WAIT to get his trophy at the end of his tee ball season. He played his whole season with a good attitude and happy heart. He loved to chase the ball and hit as hard as he could!

He missed one game on a day loaded with tantrums and Nathan decided (I was gone to camp, but would have agreed) that it wasn't worth adding more stress by asking him to go play baseball. The only other time he wasn't in the mood to play, the game was rained out before it ever started.

I'm so proud of him! He did really well, but isn't showing any interest in playing again. The boy wants to dance. He wanted to last year (so did Brynn), but we weren't sure they were ready for that type of structure yet.

They've grown so much in a year! We'll see what happens :)

God isn't a puppet master...

2011-08-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

So how do you know what's "His will" and what's just life?

I mean, was it God's will that I drop my cookie on the ground? Did He know that if I ate that cookie, I would feel like junk so He just had me drop it? Or is that just the way the cookie crumbles? Absolute, ridiculously silly pun intended.

We have free will, so I don't believe He orchestrates everything. But does He use it? Or is it OUR job to use it to glorify Him?

Just thinking...

Camp Allen!

2011-08-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

LP and I spent a week at Camp Allen in Missouri just before my surgery.
I'll be honest: the timing wasn't great. I had SO much to do, my car wasn't working, I had no idea what to expect, and I drove the four hours with a crabby attitude.

I WAS excited for LP to have her first camp experience, I just wasn't in the mood to take on 7 little girls as cabin mom and a classroom of 11 as teacher.

Boy, did God smack me in the face.

I tried really hard to let my daughter have her own camp experience separate from mine. That wasn't easy for me!

All the other kids got to make their own decisions and I wanted her to be able to do the same without her momma hovering over her. Apparently, her camp experience includes four bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch a day, soda at snack time, blue shorts with a pink shirt, and jumping on the stage when she wasn't supposed to. Her camp experience also includes making new friends, studying the Word, a precious talent show act, and getting SAVED!

(See my girl in the navy dress?)

Did you read that?! Our special little girl asked our Savior to live in her heart- FOREVER! We have been answering questions for her for about a year and a half, in no hurry for her to make her own decision. On the 2nd night of camp, the kids had the opportunity to write their questions/prayer requests down and leave them on the cross. LP wrote something very special and came over to show me before putting it on the cross, then she asked two of the counselors to pray with her. I couldn't believe what I was watching. When did she grow up so much?! I honestly wasn't sure if she understood, but then she drew a picture of two cliffs. One labeled "Sin" and the other labeled "God". She drew a cross connecting the two and herself walking across it to the God side. WHO AM I to question what is in her heart?!

I don't care if I had seven little girls underneath me 24 hours a day. I don't care if I had a few tough kids in my class causing trouble every day. I don't care that I came home with severe whiplash in my neck and back and a broken kneecap (darn slide).

IT WAS WORTH IT.

The girls from Cabin 17! All sweet as can be!

Blue jean beauty queen.

2011-08-02T11:19:00.001-05:00

LP is still chugging away in the pageant world! She just loves dressing up and seeing all her pageant friends. We only do natural pageants, but have sort of moved up a level into more competitive, more exciting systems. All in good fun :)

She won the "Little Miss Liberty Bell" Queen title two weeks ago, along with Best Dressed for the whole pageant, Most photogenic, Prettiest Hair, Prettiest Eyes, and Best Smile.

We were most excited about Best Dressed- this was her first pageant with a wardrobe change (and without two front teeth!) AND it had a patriotic theme. There were tons of sweet little girls in their red, white, and blue- ruffles and sparkles and bows included! We went a different route... LP wore child-sized BDUs with black boots and her Daddy's beret :) I added a rhinestone flag and a rhinestone star on the front and pink glitter on the back (Staff Sargeant West's Little Girl). I gotta say, I worked really hard on it and I was thrilled with the outcome- even more thrilled that she won for it!

I honestly think she could have taken overall Grand Supreme- but she had ONE judge that scored her pretty low. I have a feeling it was her makeup- I went a little heavier than usual. Oh well, she had fun!

17 trophies (14 in 2011), 2 crowns, 5 tiaras, and 7 medals... I think she needs a bigger shelf!

I'm not sure if it sounds like I'm bragging? Maybe. And maybe I am! I'm proud of my girl- not for her trophies, but for her fun spirit, her love of life and people... and I happen to think we made a pretty baby :)

My child competes in pageants (per her request), that makes me a pageant mom. I root for her to do her best at anything she tries. She doesn't practice all the time and we don't spend a lot of money, but I want to give her what I can if this is what she wants to do. I also want her to have fun, so when she says "I want to do a twirl on stage!"... I say, "Then go do a twirl, baby girl!". I stand in the back and make silly faces to make her laugh, (although her eye contact with the judges is great, so she never sees me). She does well because she likes to do her best and you can tell she's having fun and... we made a pretty baby :)

"Start spreading the news..."

2011-08-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

That is not actually an encouragement to gossip, just my clever way of tying an "announcement" into a post about New York.

It's been exactly a month now, but Nathan and I had THE most fantastic time in NYC!! Oh gosh, it was the best weekend. We covered so much ground, taking in ALL Manhattan had to offer in a little more than 48 hours.

We arrived in NY around 11am on Friday, rode a shuttle to our hotel and took about six minutes to get settled in. We didn't want to waste any time! We headed out looking for lunch (we had a pretty extensive food plan for the weekend). First stop, sushi/chinese. Armed with full bellies and a map, we were ready to go... anywhere :) We walked and walked and walked to familiarize ourself with the area and landed in Central Park.

It was such a beautiful day and the park was booming with activity. After the park, we headed to the Dakota (John Lennon's apartment) on our way to the Natural History Museum (we have big fans in our house!). By the way, we had already made two more food stops on our way.

We ended up taking the subway back downtown and headed to dinner. We had decided we were staying out until we couldn't go anymore because well, it's New York, and we are NOT old. Buuutt... turns out we kind of are. Nathan was struggling by 8pm (in our defense, we hadn't slept at all the night before due to the death of a friend). We ended up at a movie in Time's Square before turning in for the night... but not without stopping for a dozen mini-cupcakes :)

Saturday, we were out the door around 9:30 and out to breakfast, map in hand. That map was Nathan's BFF. A friend of our's had said to us to try not to look like tourists- but between the map and the camera, we might as well have been wearing black socks with brown sandals. We wandered over to Hell's Kitchen to catch the Saturday flea market.

From there, we made our way down the Hudson to the Intrepid- the Sea, Air, and Space Museum. Military gets in free so we decided it was worth checking out.

Of course, by the end, it was time to eat again. After a late lunch, we headed south to Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero... making my All-American boy swell. Nathan had never been to NYC and it was so fun to watch him enjoy it. We rushed back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. Some good friends of our's happen to be in town for a wedding, so we met for dinner and drinks- so much fun! And on the way home (at 3am)... the Donut Pub :)

Sunday was drizzling, perfect for a morning stroll with coffee and umbrella in hand. We made our way to Chinatown (gotta get some souvenirs for the littles!). And then some true New York pizza. YUM. Our shuttle was coming after lunch, so we packed up, checked out, grabbed some gelato for the ride back to the airport and said goodbye!

Somehow, our plane home only ended up with nine people on it, so everyone was moved to first class with everything it included... fun :)

Honestly, it's probably one of the most exhausting weekends of my life and it.was.so.worth.it. So were the five solid pounds I gained.

What a treat! We very rarely spend money on ourselves. My husband was so thoughtful to give me this gift. Even if it was a little like Homer giving a bowling ball to Marge with his name engraved in it, I had an absolute blast. It was one last hurrah before life gets insane and we never get away again lol.

Oh, and yes... that same sweet All-American boy is headed overseas again. SOON. It is a (relatively speaking) short tour, and a lot of good may come of it for our family. I'm so proud of my husband's dedication to his family, his job, and his country.

Sunday night, I couldn't sleep and literally stayed up until 4am praying for God to move in Nathan's career. We found out Monday that he was going with no inkling beforehand. How's that for answered prayers?

Sheeeewww!

2011-07-25T18:16:00.000-05:00

We are still here! Alive ~~and kickin'~~.
This past month= insanity.

Jamaica, NYC, church camp, and surgery.

I feel so behind on LIFE, but that's because I'm busy living it :)
At the moment, I am six days post op (tonsillectomy...ew). Me and my big chair have become the best of friends. Today was the first day that I've been able to get up and try to do something around the house, and apparently... it was a little soon. I ended up over-doing it a bit (and by over-doing it, I mean putting away laundry and making beds but vomitting in between tasks). Back to my chair.

The throat pain is about what I expected. What I didn't plan for was my body not adjusting to no food which landed me in Migraineville for a solid 48 hours. That didn't help at all. I think I've gotten more used to a steady popscicle-pudding diet (although, I can't honestly say I'm enjoying it... I'm STARVING. I want hot, crunchy, chewy, non-sugary food!!) but the headaches seem to be under control now that the scabbing of the throat is in full effect :) haha... sorry.

Anyway, I will spend the next few posts catching you up on all the other stuff that doesn't involve pain meds and puke bowls (Now that Nathan has me set up with his laptop... in my chair)!

Adoption Yard Sale THIS WEEKEND!!

2011-06-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

If you haven't made it over to our new blog yet, let me go ahead and fill you in here. That way, you will have extra time to go thru your things and see if you have anything to donate :)

My sweet friend Jordan planned an adoption yard sale for this weekend for her own adoption but VERY kindly invited us to join her and split the profits for our's! Is that not the nicest thing?!

Specs:
This Saturday, July 2nd
Beginning at 7:30am
WH Church of Christ

We have a LOT of money to raise in order to bring Anna Gray home and if you feel led to help, this is your first opportunity!

1) Please help spread the word! Tell your friends, neighbors, family, church family, etc.! EVERY DOLLAR we make that day will go toward these two adoptions.

2) If you have ANY items you can donate for us to sell, let me know. OR just bring them by the church tomorrow after 5:30pm or anytime on Friday. We will be there setting up.

3) You can also donate your precious time to help set up or help the day of the sale. Unfortunately, Nathan and I will be out of town the day of the sale. It would be AMAZING if our family and friends could show up on our behalf! The more help we have, the more organized the sale will be. The more organized the sale is, the more stuff gets sold. The more stuff gets sold, the more money is available to help bring Annie HOME!

4) Come buy things! There is nothing that can't be fixed up with a little love, care, and a can of spray paint or extra material- AND you will be helping us bring our babies home :)

5) PRAY PRAY PRAY.

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them,
are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands."
--- Kristi Larson

2011-06-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

I just happened to have my camera out yesterday morning when the littles rolled out of bed. Somehow, one shot turned into "Take one of me!" and we had a little impromptu photo shoot right on our front porch, in our pajamas (yes, my girls slept in the dresses they wore to church... we got them home a little too late the night before and just moved them from the car to the bed. Eh, not the worst thing I'll ever do as a parent.)

These are some of my favorite pics ever: pajamas and dirty dresses, hair all a'muck, scrapes scars and all.

These are my kids.

Oh me, my heart is full!

The "official" announcement!

2011-06-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard....

We have a sweet new baby girl!!!!!!!

Shew! It was killing me keeping that in!

We are pursuing an international adoption through Reece's Rainbow. This is not what we ever thought we would be doing, but when the Lord calls- you answer!

We have started a new blog specifically to journal our adoption process, our wait, and our love and support for this new treasure- AND the other waiting souls who need a forever family. Please follow us at www.ephesians15.blogspot.com

We are so excited!!

2011-06-24T09:21:00.000-05:00

L: Oh, no. I'm starting to shed my skin.
Me: You're what?
L: I'm starting to shed. I do it every summer.
Me: Shed?
L: Yes, isn't that what animals do when they lose their outer layer of skin?
Me: (trying not to laugh) Yes, but human's don't shed their outer layer. Is your skin peeling?
L: Oh, riiigghht. That's the word I was looking for... I think I like shedding better. Yep, I am definitely shedding.

I STILL have paint between my toes.

2011-06-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

It's been there for exactly one week.

Honestly, although I know it will, I wish it would never wash away. That paint between my toes is a PERFECT reminder.

It reminds me of the freshly painted churches we worked so hard on: the blue and white fence row at Grace, the brightened ceiling (with Jody's name hidden underneath!) at Deliverance, the ENTIRE inside, outside, trim and details at Hope. It reminds me of what can happen to a group of people when they work together to genuinely serve others and what happens when they don't.

The paint between my toes reminds me of "my" children at Calvary who tried to pick it off for me. They are mine. They are my family, my Jamaican family. I truly love them, and will hold them in my heart until I can get back to them.

The paint reminds me of my sweet Jada. It reminds me to pray for her and her beautiful voice. I pray that she sees in herself the gift God has given her. I pray that she believes in herself enough to follow her dream. I pray that she does well on Friday's exam. I pray that she gets something, anything, for her 14th birthday on September 8th.

The paint between my toes reminds me that we didn't have enough paint thinner (or paint 'tinner in Jamaica!) to get it off my hands AND my feet, because we had stretched their paint, and their money, as far as it could go. It reminds me of a world not so far away where people put on their Sunday best and stand out in the heat waiting as long as needed for the PRIVILEGE of going to church. It reminds of a church (churches) where people worship freely and openly and wildly, with no fear of judgement, but with HOLY JOY. A world where they eat whatever is available, play with whatever is available, wear whatever is available. The paint reminds me how SILLY America is. While we are SO blessed to have the opportunities that we do, we are also lazy and spoiled and ungrateful.

The paint between my toes reminds me of the HUNDREDS of kids at Vacation Bible School, who knew their Bible better than I did. I thought I was going there to teach them (ha!), but I was the one who learned something. I learned how to play "Brown Girl in the Ring"! I learned to try new foods, like curry goat and ackee swordfish, when someone gives all they have to provide ME with lunch. I learned about the heart of Jamaica, the heart of the Jamaican people. I learned to ~~yell~~ sing at the top of my lungs when you are teaching 125 Jamaican children a new song- because THEY.WILL.SING.IT....LOUDLY, excitedly with you, every time. I learned that God WILL answer you, if you will listen. I learned that is oh, so important to share what the Holy Spirit gives you. I learned that lives can be changed, in one moment- and it may not be the life you were planning on changing.

I left part of myself in Jamaica, but I brought something back too. I brought the paint on my toes.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12

HOME!

2011-06-20T08:36:00.002-05:00

I got home from Jamaica Friday afternoon and it's been a whirlwind ever since!

I have SOOOO much to say about the mission trip, but it's going to take a day or two for me to get caught up and get this house back in order so we can function again (although... Nathan did a GREAT job while I was gone! I got a few desperate emails and a million "How do you do this every day?!" but he did great :)

I will tell you all about it and fill you in on everything else going on in our lives VERY SOON!!

2011-06-08T14:38:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of words that B & C don't quite say correctly...
(Hmmm....C can't say "plate" but he CAN say "step-ball-change, step-ball-change, step-ball-change, WORD!" :Thank you, Mr.Popper's Penguins:)

"borbot"= forgot
"bace"= face
"truff"= trust
"frite"= Sprite
"choctot"= chocolate

Some of that is just "baby" talk that they will outgrow. I get that. But sometimes, they mistake an entire word for another. My favorite?

Instead of "privates", they say "promise".

As in... "C hit me in my promise".

I won't be correcting that one anytime soon!

And have to tell this little story:

L recently got her words mixed up too.
She got a new stuffed dalmation puppy and couldn't decide if she should name him Spot or Dot. Then she asked, "Are spots and dots different, or are they homophobes?"

Lol. I honestly have no idea where even heard that word, or if she truly just mispronounced homophones (which, of course... would not be correct of spot/dot... more like to/two/too, etc. but I knew what she meant lol).

Oh I love just these littles :)

B's first (and last!) ball game :)

2011-06-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

The twins had their first tee ball game Saturday! I really thought it would feel like we were watching a bunch of chickens run around, but it was REALLY fun- they were little ball players! What a pleasant surprise :)

B has said from about the 2nd practice (they only had 3) that she was done with baseball. We were hoping once she had a real game and she was kept moving, with her fan club there cheering she might get into it... nope. Before the game even started, she came over and said, "I don't want to do this baseball!". We told her she had to stick it out the first game and then she could decide. I mean, let's at least say we gave it an honest effort lol.

They were just hysterical to watch. C love love loves it! And he does SO well! His attitude is GREAT! He listens well and plays hard :) He did tackle three people, but... he came up with that ball, by golly! He had two great hits and he even made a stop and got the out!

B... well, B really liked her new bow. And the gatorade. She yelled from the field, "I.WANT.TO.GO.HOME.", several times, and refused to play the last 1 1/2 innings. But she sure looked cute :) On our way out of the park, we drove past their coach with the windows down and she yelled out, "Bye, Coach! I'm done!!!" hahaha. She's a hoot. She did have a great attitude and stuck it out, but has made it very clear that she has no intentions of returning for Thursday's game.

Post game treat :)

Nathan had drill and had to miss all the excitement, so I can't wait for him to see the next one!

Littlest Single Ladies

2011-06-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

Lulu's 2nd recital was Friday night :)
She did GREAT! She was adorable and so fun to watch and even better... she had a blast!

She was also asked to join Company! We haven't made up our minds for sure yet, but she is going to do the required six week summer intensive (one hour a week for six weeks) and decide after that.

I think she just naturally picked her "extracurricular". She forgot all about cheerleading. I even brought it up the other day, and she said... "Oh yeah, I forgot." No mention of Hey, I wanted to do that! And the child dances all.the.time.

She's gettin' good!

It's summer by my watch.

2011-06-01T00:25:00.000-05:00

Bare feet. Watermelon. Swimming. Popsicles. Baseball. Ice cream. Sunshine.

Sounds like summer to me!!

Grads!

2011-05-31T23:56:00.000-05:00

We have two new graduates :)

Uncle Casey (my little brother) graduated high school!!!

Supah proud.

He and I will be going to college together in the fall- How cute is that? Pretty sure he's thrilled ;)

AAANDD
Lu will be moving on to second grade!
We were invited to awards day last week and were VERY proud to watch her receive the Citizenship Award for being a "model student".

Her report card came today. I asked her what she thought she had earned... she said, "Probably Bs, if I'm being honest. I lost interest in my school work and probably wasn't doing my best"... says the child who is simultaneously reading Moby Dick and Huckleberry Finn.

Strait As- all year :) And a good citizen to boot!

Floral craftiness.

2011-05-31T23:24:00.000-05:00

These were part of the Mother's Day gifts we gave. No word yet on if they are actually doing their job, but I thought they were appropriate in theory.

The littles all cut circles out of construction paper and I drew a spiral on one side. I also made the "paste" from flour and water.

The twins picked out the flower seeds they wanted to use.

They each smeared several circles with paste and sprinkled a fairly hefty amount of seeds onto the paste.

We set them out to dry... just long enough for Oakley to snack on about half of them.

That left us with two for each grandmother. Oh, well.
Once they were almost dry, Lulu and I cut along the spiral. We rolled it up into the shape of a flower/rose.

You actually plant the entire flower into the ground. The paper dissolves leaving only the seeds to grow :)

Finished product after some pizazz.

T-ballers

2011-05-27T06:43:00.000-05:00

Aren't they the cutest?!

T-ball has officially started- their first organized sport :)
Their first practice was Saturday in between graduation and graduation parties and weddings and everything else, so it was a little hurried. But they did great! We really weren't sure what to expect. Buddy could have gone either way, but he was all over it. His attitude was excellent and he was excited to do everything they asked of him! Sass was actually a little stand-offish (it's a word). Not normal for her, but she was reallly tired and hot and a bit overwhelmed I think! Plus, she is the only girl on the team with 11 boys, lol.

Last night, we missed half of practice bc it got moved and we had a hard time finding everyone, but once we did- Buddy was right back out there giving it his all. He loves it! He cried when it was over bc he "wanted more games". Sass had an accident 5 mins into practice (NO JUICE!) and then sat in the grass screaming for the next 40 minutes bc I wouldn't let her go play on the playground. Mayybbee baseball isn't going to be her sport, ha.

I can't wait for their little games to start! They are so fun to watch out there running around like little chickens :)

2011-05-18T18:38:00.002-05:00

Me: Are we good parents?
Hubs: We are great parents! How come?
Me: I just feel like we are always getting on to a kid.
Hubs: That's what makes us great parents.

haha.

Sweet littles for Sweet Cece's!

2011-05-13T12:36:00.002-05:00

I see two sweet faces!

Sweet Cece's website.

Yay for national advertising!
Who knew you could get paid to eat yummy frozen yogurt covered in candy?!

Extracurriculars.

2011-05-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

Last year, we missed cheerleading sign-ups and LP was disappointed.

This was the conversation tonight on the way home, all of which occured in about 98 seconds- literally:

Me: L, cheerleading sign-ups are Saturday. Do you still want to cheer or would you like to continue dance?

LP: Hmmm.... I'm not sure. Can I think about it?

Sass: I want to do cheerleading! And I want to go to dance with L! and I want to go to dance by myself! I'm a cheerleader and a dancer!

L: I though Sass & Buddy were going to play t-ball?

Buddy: I am being a baseball player but NOT with Sass.

Sass: Buddy, you are NOT the boss and you cannot tell me where to play baseball and I can play baseball with you if I want to except I'm a cheerleader and dancing by myself!

Me: Sass and Buddy, you are playing baseball, together, on the same team because you are the same age and you both asked to play. But that starts next week. If you would like to do something else in the fall, we can talk about that. Sass, do you want to cheer OR dance? Pick one.

Sass: DANCE!

Buddy: What about me?

Me: Buddy, would you like to dance? (They have a kinderdance class that's just about movement and rhythm, a little gymnastics, etc.)

Buddy: No, I want to do something else.

Me: Okay, what would you like to do?

Buddy: I want to be Optimus Prime.

Me: Buddy, they don't have classes for Optimus Prime.

Buddy: I don't need a class. I am Optimus Prime.

Me: OK. Is there anything else you would like to do? A class you want to take or a team you want to try?

Buddy: Yes ma'am. I want to be Spiderman.

Me: Ok, well, you are Spiderman. Six days a week.

LP: Can I still do tap if I cheer? Are you and Sass and Buddy still going to do fun things without me if I go to dance?

Me: You can either do dance or cheer. Not both right now. Sass wants to go to dance with you, which just leaves Buddy. Daddy will be home by then so he won't have to be entertained. Only one of us will bring you girls to dance. You won't miss anything.

Buddy: I want to be a basketball boy.

LP: I'm still thinking.

LP's Mother's Day poem

2011-05-09T08:51:00.002-05:00

"My mom is wonderful! She is 9 feet tall, weighs 202 pounds and is 29 years old. She is as pretty as a roseberry. When my mom was little, she used to giggle. Now her favorite thing to do is work (dance). What really makes my mom happy is my laugh. I know she loves me when she kisses me. I show her I love her by kissing her. My favorite food my mom makes for me is hambergers. Her favorite food is saled. What I love to do with my mom is hug her. I wouldn't trade my mom for 1000000$! Love, Layla- Your sweat daughter :)"

The other two proceeded to call their father specifically to tell them I was a bad mommy for putting soap in their mouth and making them make :insert fish face here: and then washing it out with water. After various other attempts to rid the ugly words, I did indeed, wash their mouths out with soap. It's all they have talked about for four days now, but not an ugly word has been uttered....

I THOUGHT she was ready to start doing her own lotion...

2011-05-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

The good news is: She is marvelously moisturized.

While watching Roman Holiday the other night, I realized Audrey has Brynn eyes! Or... Brynn has Audrey eyes. They have the same eyes!

My kids think this is THE funniest thing ever.

2011-05-04T21:48:00.000-05:00

I don't know why they find it so entertaining when something changes the color of their tongue, but they do.

And it is completely worth the sugar of an Airhead to watch them giggle over it.

Our crafts are off the CHAIN, yo!

2011-05-04T21:44:00.000-05:00

I don't know what got into me in the title space, sorry.

I kept the kids home from school last Wednesday due to the storms. Well, not the storms themselves but the threat of what was to come, the threat of school letting out way early anyway, and the lack of electricity at Cale's school. So, we stayed home. But little kids and super stormy weather outside leaves you with a need for creativity inside.

I try to keep some crafts/ideas handy, but we were plum out of supplies. I decided to go with a good old fashioned "Chain O' Color".
Construction paper, paint, markers, crayons, stamps, and glitter glue equal a lot of time taken up and some artsy fartsy decor for the playroom.

We cut and colored and glued for what seemed like hours. We had about 100 pieces!

When they were dry, we spent a solid hour putting them together (while watching a movie in the floor under a fort and eating cookies, obviously).

I actually kind of love it.
It adds a nice splash of color to the playroom and the kids love picking out who did what (although, it's SO obvious: glittery hearts or I love my family are all Layla. The ones with 42 sharks in one place or smeared with red- Cale. And all the "abstract" pieces with smooshes of random colors, are Brynn's).

Petco field trip.

2011-05-03T09:42:00.000-05:00

LP's girl scout troop took a field trip to Petco last week!
Petco is one of my kids' favorite places. We just go in and wander around from time to time without making any purchases. See the little animals, then give them back :)

Needless to say, they were pretty excited. (Well, Cale shut down as soon as we walked in- "Too many people.")

I'm really only posting this so I can prove to my husband that I took pictures of the girls petting a snake. I seriously almost cried (I hate them THAT much), but I did get off a quick pic. Shiver.

If you know Layla, you know she has a thing for reptiles. Apparently, she prefers to study them from behind glass.

True princesses.

2011-05-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

I hadn't had any real interest in the Wills and Kate mashup. I'm happy for them and all that jazz, I just didn't care much about actually watching the event. That is, until MY princess said, "You are getting me up to watch the Royal Wedding, right?". Ha. I didn't realize she even knew about it. Well, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right! Perfect memory-making opportunity!

We laid out our princess dresses and tiaras (and high heels) the night before. We made mini muffins & tea sandwiches and readied our finest tea cups.

I actually set up the DVR to record the wedding, I figured we could get up a little early and fastforward to the good parts without the 3am wakeup or hours of watching arrivals, etc.

Yes, I am wearing my wedding dress lol. It's too big, but it was the only dress the girls deemed appropriate for the occasion.

We had our "fancy" breakfast while we watched.

The prince even joined us a little later on :)

We had a lot of fun and the girls are still talking about it!

Easter Chaos Sunday

2011-04-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

Sunday:
Wake up 5:45am. Wake children up and force them to follow bunny trail. Watch children Ooh and Aah over baskets of ~~cheap~~ fun things. Get ready for church and simultaneously cook for lunch. Leave for church early to rehearse for worship. Easter service #1 at 8:30. Watch sky fall out and funnel clouds form outside between services. Easter service #2 at 10:30. Begin tearing down church, only to realize we are late for our first family gathering and missing two others. Get ready to leave church, only to realize we are surrounded by the threat of multiple tornadoes and flooding. Attempt to wait out storm before heading out at 1:00pm. Drive home, get food and rain boots. Arrive one hour late to family gathering. Eat. Hunt eggs. Leave early to drive to Portland to try to see hubby's family. Arrive to find everyone gone and unable to track them down. Skip next gathering to visit with hubby's grandparents. Stop for dinner. Go home, homework, baths... it's all kind of blurry after that.

Here is a pretty picture of us smiling calmly and enjoying an absolutely "normal" holiday:

Community Egg Hunt= Success!

2011-04-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning, we had our first annual community-wide egg hunt sponsored by Revolution. Ryan and Whitney (our children's directors) and all the volunteers put a lot of work into it and it paid off!

The kids and I (and nearly 600 people from the community!) arrived to three bouncy houses, free food and drink, four separate egg hunts (divided by age) and prizes.

I'm so proud of my church family!

It turned out to be a beautiful day, we had a blast! (We also made five stops after we left, ran home for dinner, then went back to church for Easter Unplugged- an acoustic worship service with a unique twist on Jesus' last days... SO good. Seven people were baptized! :)

The Great Gas Buy Down (#3)

2011-04-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

On Good Friday, Revolution sponsored a third gas buy-down (we just serve the community by pumping their gas for them and giving them 25 cents back for every gallon they get). This one was advertised much more than last summer's, even Channel 5 news showed up :)

We also had LOTS more volunteers come than we ever have. Awesome!

It really does a community good to have people serving them in the name of Jesus. I actually didn't hear any stories this time of people declining our efforts (we usually have just a few), although we maybe had the occasional person who didn't really trust our intentions. It's almost sad that anyone would think it's impossible that someone would want to do something nice for you, without expecting anything in return.

We get nothing out of these (well, this time we ended up with news coverage lol, but that wasn't our intention!). It does inevitably help get word out about our church, but that's just a bonus.

Our mission is to live, love, and serve- it's that simple :)

eggs galore.

2011-04-27T19:46:00.000-05:00

A required part of the Eastery fun.

We started out doing some traditional coloring...

While they were drying, we painted with the leftover egg dye...

And yes, we used empty pizza boxes as art tables.

Next, I semi-stole (well, no... it was full thievery) an idea from my friend, Rachel. We made "family" eggs- albeit, very basic ones!

The munchkins LOVED them. So much, that they started playing with them like dolls.

True to life, Cale's egg tackled Brynn's egg and well, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

J & K come to town!

2011-04-25T12:24:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday, I got to keep my friend's children, J&K! They live in North Carolina, and although we talk regularly and I follow her blog, I hadn't seen J since he was a baby and never met K. I feel like we see them all the time though!

They are the cutest little things and had no problems feeling comfortable here. The big kids played great together.

Little Miss K sweetly discovered all the girly things we had to offer. We had snack together and she stopped every so often to give me a hug :)

While she napped, all the four-year-olds had craft time.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking making a salt craft with this many little hands! But they seemed to enjoy it, mess and all!

After lunch... more outside time! We love this weather!

Next... naps all around! They woke up just in time for cupcake cones.

I was just an observer in their world today!!

Springitty springitty spring.

2011-04-25T11:04:00.001-05:00

FLOWERS
The girls picked them and left them as a sweet surprise for me!

SUNSHINE

DIRT

I wish you could actually tell how filthy they were. They had to be pre-washed, twice, before their bath.

Nothing compared to Oakley. Shoots out the door, comes back 20 minutes later saturated in mud.

This one's gonna be the death of me.

100% Brynn.

2011-04-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

This is Brynn:
playing hopscotch on roller blades in a princess costume.

The girl knows how to enjoy life!

Hug your babies tight.

2011-04-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has given me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord." 1 Samuel: 27, 28

For those of you that don't know, a sweet little 3-yr-old from our church was found in a pool last Tuesday, unresponsive. He has fought hard for ten days. The impact this has had on our church family, on our community, and even bigger is unreal. Just on FB alone, there are over 5,100 people all over the world praying for baby Casey. And maybe some of those just clicked the button indicating that they were praying, but never actually did. Maybe.

If we weren't before, we have become the epitome of brothers and sisters in Christ. We have grown emotionally and spiritually closer than any number of people I've ever know. Our's is not a large church, we are still only 7 months old and we have around 200 "regular attenders". I can almost name each and every one of them. Not because I'm that great at names (I'm not), but because God has woven us together, both in good times and bad.

In my house, we have prayed. My children have prayed SO hard. Out loud, at bedtime, in the car. This is the first time, I think, that they have understood what they are praying for.

I held little Casey's hand today. He squeezed as I prayed over him. I hugged his mother and his grandmother as they wept. I held hands with his family in the waiting room while we prayed for peace with God's will.

When I left, they were walking back to take him off of life support.

I was crying and trying to get to my babies as quickly as safely possible. Who cares that Cale peed in my car yesterday? Who cares if Brynn squeezed out all the toothpaste or that Layla didn't put her shoes where they go?

I just want to hold them.

When I got in my car, this Steven Curtis Chapman song was on:

Be still and know that He is God.
Be still and know He is our Father.
Come rest your head upon his breast
Listen to the rhythm of His unfailing
heart of love beating for his little ones.

Casey passed away at 3:45pm today.

I have no idea how to tell my kids. How do I explain to them that God's plan is bigger than ours? I don't understand it, I can't expect them to. But hopefully... hopefully, they will see us praying, praising on behalf of little Casey. Hopefully, they will see His name lifted. Hopefully, they will feel His arms- and mine- around them tightly.

Cheyenne Parker :)

2011-04-20T15:40:00.000-05:00

Our new itty bitty niece made her way into the world three weeks early!
She's a precious little pumpkin.

My sweet little bugs are smitten.

Cale said, "Mommy, can you get me a boy one of these for our house?"

And seeing her inspired this impromptu prayer from Brynnie:
"Dear God, please make good choices and bring us a baby... a girl baby, NOT a boy baby. It would be really helpful if you would just do the right thing. A girl, God. Be kind. Amen."

Cheyenne is a little doll baby! Evan is being a sweetheart loving on his baby sister and Catalina... well, she hasn't done anything to hurt her yet :)

Yeah... that just happened.

2011-04-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

Let me paint a picture for you.

Cale had to potty. Bad.
Now, when Brynn says she needs to potty, she means NOW. And Cale has realized when she starts saying, "I can't waaaiiit!", we all scramble around to get her to a restroom as fast as we can. So, now on occasion, Cale will scream, "I can't waaaiiit!", whether he can or not. Nine times out of ten, he can.

Today was number ten.

On the way home, he says he needs to potty. Okay, almost home.
"I can't waaaaiiiitt!".
After saying it about four times, I realized he really may not be able to. So I pull over, thinking we are about to do the side-of-the-backroad drill, but as soon as I stop, he drops his pants.

I have NO IDEA what his plan was. Whatever it was, it didn't work.

You know in movies when there's a water hose with full water pressure up in the air, slinging about, spraying water everywhere?
Mmmhmmm.

In.my.car.

I was kind of panicking, I mean... there WAS urine spraying everywhere, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it! I grabbed an empty cup and attempted to get him to aim, but the poor boy had no control. His water hose was loaded. I'm talking, him (his clothes, his FACE), the door, the ceiling, the seat, his backpack, lunchbox, stuffed seal, the steering wheel, console, my arm. EVERYWHERE.

By the time it was over, I was laughing so hard I couldn't drive. I couldn't really think about what just happened or I would have puked. THANK GOODNESS, I had a can of lysol wipes and a stack of fast food napkins.

I didn't even know what to say.
Except, his future wife is going to love this story someday.
And I can't wait :)

Remember when...

2011-04-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Cale B- "Mommy, you 'member when I was little and I came to your home and I held on for a LOONG time, cause that was my daddy."

Possibly the most tender, precious thing I have ever heard. Ever.

Also, just reading back thru the blog and realized I have been writing about us being ready for another baby for exactly two years. That means we have been "trying" for another baby for six years.

It's about time we get going, don'tcha think?! ;)