This Crazy Life: September 2008

On Saturday night we went out with some friends and ended up back @ our place with all of the kids in tow. We decided it was cheaper to hang at home, than to pay a babysitter and drink overpriced cocktails at the bar. It just so happens that all of our kids are around the same ages and they always have fun playing together. The little boys were having fun chasing Dee Dee around the house and she was just smiling, laughing and letting them chase her... the little flirt! The next day she asked me when her "boyfriends" were coming back over to play. I laughed so hard I couldn't keep a straight face. What made this even funnier was that Reagan was so jealous! She wanted to know why Dee Dee had two boyfriends and she didn't even have one! This lead into a whole other conversation with daddy that ended in Reagan telling me with desperation that "Daddy says I can't have a boyfriend till I'm 15!" Oh, the agony! Who would have thought I would be have to worry about boyfriends at age 5? I can only hope that this conversation can be easily forgotten, never to be brought up again (or at least not for a few more years!)

Dee Dee and her "boyfriends" Braeden and Lucas

It is time for "Not Me!" Monday again! I have been trying to keep track of all of the things that I did not do all week long! Here are some of the more humorous ones...

I did not find a cookie crumb on Reagan's face and then proceed to pick it off and eat it without even realizing it. That would be gross, and I certainly wouldn't have done that!

I did not and would never allow my children to eat leftover chocolate birthday cake for breakfast. I certainly did not rationalize this a la Bill Cosby; eggs + milk + wheat = healthy breakfast. I am not that bad of a parent.

I absolutely did not forget that it was Dee Dee's snack day at school and then have to go back to the van to find something off of the floor for her to use for show-and-tell.

I did not find an old sippy cup in the basement that must have had milk in it. If that would have happened to me, surely it would not have been there so long that it began to grow mold inside. I most definitely would not have tried to wash it out, only to give up and throw said sippy cup away.

What did you "not do" this week?

Yesterday Reagan's Superhero birthday party was quite a success! We had 12 little girls come! I also had the help of Chris' cousin Alexis (who is a sixth grader), my sister Valesca, and her friend Maggie who lives next door to Nini. They played oustiside and ate cake and ice cream. Reagan was bound and determined that she wanted to do makeovers instead of playing games. So, I checked with all of the parents and no one objected. After the makeovers, she opened her presents, and I must say the girl has very generous friends! As crazy as the party was, I am so glad I was able to do it for her, I know she had a great time and I hope her friends did too! Since I was so busy during the party, Alexis took over the picture taking duties, and she took a ton! I had a really hard time deciding which pictures to post. Once I figured that out, I was still left with so many pictures! I just hope it isn't too many!

Reagan blowing out her candles

Doing makeovers on her friends

Opening up presents

Barbie Peek-a-boo Petites!!!

Friends playing outside on the swingset

Reagan with the doll her friend Elena gave her

I know it is late and you all probably want pictures of the crazy birthday party from today. But, alas I am too tired to take the time to download them from my camera. I will say that though it was stressfull, a good time was had by all. There were no major catastrophies and so that in and of itself made it a success!

Since I don't have any pictures from the party and since I forgot to post this earlier, I want to take the time to say happy birthday to my MIL. Happy Birthday Nini/Lili !!! We all love you very much and are so blessed to have you as a part of our everyday lives. Reagan is especially blessed to have her Grandma for her teacher this year. I hope you had a wonderful day and we will see you tomorrow to celebrate!

Okay, so they aren't my family pictures, but they are my family. My brother-in-law Miah, his wife Rachael, and my nephew Austin had their pictures taken not too long ago by my friend Leah and they are really awesome. Most of the shots were of Austin but I know they did more family shots too (Christmas Cards anyone?). If you get a chance you should really go check the rest of them out! Plus, Leah is a great friend and if you ever need a photographer I know she'd love to do it! Leah Hoskins Photography... go there!

Today while Kennedy was at school I had a bunch of errands to do. One of them was to stop by the local pharamacy (Zales) which is owned by my in-laws best friends Gene and Cheryl Zale. Chris has poison ivy and having a pharmacist for a family friend can come in handy in situations like that. Gene offered to make him up some cream to put on it to help the itch. He also makes a wonderful diaper rash cream but that is a story for another time. Anyway, I digress. When we got to the pharmacy, he wasn't there. Luckily for me one of my very good friends from high school, Rachelle, happens to work there. She knew what I was there for and asked if I could wait a bit. I decided (since the kids were hungry and I wasn't in that much of a hurry) to sit and eat lunch at the counter. Zales has this wonderful old fashioned soda fountain/lunch counter that has probably been there since the 60's. We're talking swivel stools and old formica counter tops. It is a local institution and I have very vivid memories of eating there when I was little and then buying some penny candy with my allowance. I can't believe that I never think to eat there, it is so much fun. Reagan and Jack had a blast, and they both looked so grown up sitting on those stools! Of course, it was a picture perfect moment and I didn't have my camera! I whipped out my phone again, because its better than nothing, and started clicking away! We finished up just in time to get Daddy's medicine and then we were on our way. It was just one of those fun little spur of the moment things... I love those! It felt very nostalgic and I hope we can do it again soon! It also reminded me of a post my brother Shawn's best friend Sara wrote about Zale Drugs the last time she was in town! Go check her out she's super sarcastic and funny and I love that about her!

Eating at the lunch counter...

I played with this one a little on flickr because the colors were off, now it just looks kinda funny to me. Oh well, it is still a cute picture :)

Oh, and I stumbled upon this giveaway this afternoon. Now I do not usually post about all of the giveaways I see except Rebecca's, but when I went to this Etsy site the stuff was sooooo beautiful. So you should go check out the cinnamonsticks boutique blog and see. Or just go to the Etsy site and shop, I know you'll all love it too!

Yesterday I went with Kennedy's pre-school class on their very first field trip. We went to our local Marsh grocery store to practice using their five senses. It was so amazing to see in action just how different my girls are! Reagan is such an extrovert, she talks constantly and is always the first one to try something new. Dee is the complete opposite! She kind of hovers towards the back of the crowd and stays quiet. Many people have commented to me that they have hardly ever heard her talk. I always thought that it was because Reagan had such a dominant personality, and Dee Dee just couldn't get a word in edgewise. I previously thought that when Reagan wasn't around, that Dee tended to open up and come out of her shell a little bit. I think I was wrong. Seeing her at school yesterday, she was very shy and reserved. She stayed by me most of the time, and though she answered her teacher's questions, she did it so quietly no one could hear her! Is it possible that they really are just so very different or has Kennedy's personality been shaped by Reagan's? Any ideas?

Dee Dee trying to avoid touching the lobster from the grocery store tank

Shivering in the freezer "behind the scenes"

Back in the classroom eating cookies from the bakery section

Last night we celebrated Reagan's Birthday with our extended family. Everyone came over for cake and ice cream and Reagan got so many wonderful presents! She had a wonderful day, and she was so excited about it being her day! It was definitely busy, she had school, a doctor's appointment, voice lessons, and then her party. I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off! But, when the day was finally over, I was a little sad. I am really looking forward to this weekend though when we have a party for her and her friends from school. I must be crazy to be having 12 five year old little girls under one roof! But, I promised her and I don't want to let her down. Though I was clicking away with my camera a night long, I narrowed it down to a few of my favorites...

Reagan posing with her SuperGirl cake, and her sister of course!

Dee Dee sitting with Great-Grandpa Gene, her smile is infectious!

J.C. and Dee Dee just being silly :)

My nephew, Austin, I love this one!

Grandma Vicki came through... Kit, just like she always wanted.

Here is a little video of everyone singing happy birthday. Because Chris' mother is from Peru, South America, we always sing in English first and then in Spanish!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN!!! Today my baby girl turns five years old! I can hardly believe that much time has gone by. It has definitely been the fastest five years of my life! I still remember her birth like it was yesterday! I have been so blessed to have been chosen as her mother, and I thank God everyday for all three of my beautiful children! Even though it can get really crazy around here some days, I wouldn't trade my life for anything! Hope you all enjoy my little tribute to the first five years of my baby's life. Be warned that it is long, but I just couldn't bear to leave anything out!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yesterday, Reagan celebrated her birthday @ school. Though it wasn't actually her birthday (that's tomorrow) I know it was fun for her to get the festivities going! She got to be the line leader and have her turn for show-and-tell. Of course she took her Hippo! It was also her day to take snack but instead of sending cupcakes, I got these oh so yummy sugar cookies from a local bakery. They have edible glitter on them ya'll, girly and delicious! I decided to go to the school so I could be there when they sang "Happy Birthday", thanks to Grandma Vicki (my mom) for watching the other two kids. I hope that someday Reagan will look back and remember that I was always there for the little things! The only bummer about the day was that I had to spend about an hour looking for my camera. When I finally found it, it was in the girls room, and it had been left on. The batteries were dead and so I had to settle for taking pictures on my camera phone. I am now even more jealous of my brother's fancy new iphone! My cheapo phone may not take the best picture, but at least I documented her in that cute little birthday crown, that has now been ripped to shreds by her little brother! Now it is onto to my oh-so-crazy week! Stay tuned tomorrow for Reagan's birthday post, I have been working on it for a month!

Okay so I am totally stalking MckMama's blog. I probably check it at least 3 times a day. Hey, I'm a stay at home mom did you think I had better things to do? Anyway she is starting this thing called "Not, Me" Monday. I guess it is supposed to be about freeing yourself of the guilt from all of the things you did or didn't do during the week. Hers are hilarious, and I totally identify with her! It sounded like fun to me, so I thought I'd play along! Here is my list of the things I definitely did not do this week...

I did not forget that my son slept through dinner last night. I totally fed him when he woke up. He did NOT eat fruit snacks and a banana just because I didn't feel like making a mess in the kitchen.

I did not let the girls go to bed on Sat. night without a bath. Their Nini told me that they swam in the lake that day and so of course I asked the babysitter to bathe them. I wouldn't have forgotten that little tidbit as I was rushing out the door. That would just be gross.

I did not ignore the ever growing pile of dirty clothes on the laundry room floor, and I did not have to re-wash the load of towels that was in the washing machine because they sat in it for two days getting all mildewy.

Last but certainly not least, I absolutely did not buy a bag of Mint Milanos at the store and hide them from my husband and kids. That just wouldn't be fair and I would totally feel guilty about eating them.

WOW, that actually was very freeing, you should try it! I had fun, I think I may do this again next Monday. Anyone care to join me?

We're cheering for the COLTS today!!! Are You?

And boy did I need it! Tonight I went out with my husband Chris, my brother Shawn and Kevin. We did dinner and then had tickets to see Gallegher. Or as some people called him, the guy who smashes stuff. For those of you who don't know the small town I live in has a very small "in the round" theater. Because all of the seats are less than ten rows from the stage, they wouldn't let him smash anything. However, that did not take away from my enjoyment of the evening. He was hilarious! I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants! It was a nice break away from the kids, and from the horrible week I had! I found this clip on YouTube, and he actually did this routine tonight. I thought I'd share...

Another tidbit... when we pulled into the parking lot, Gallegher was outside signing autographs and taking pictures. I was so bummed because the battery on my camera was dead. But, my brother snapped this on shot with his fancy new iphone! Then he actually sent it to me in an e-mail from his phone. What will they come up with next I ask you! Please excuse the stains on my shelf from dinner. I must be too used to eating with small children and I have lost the ability to eat without spilling food on myself.

Hope everyone else had a fabulous Saturday night, I'm going to bed... two glasses of wine and I feel like a lush!

I can't thank all of you enough for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers. I am still having a rough time, especially since the kids are still asking questions. Whenever I turn on the computer to find yet another comment, or even better a blog post that actually mentions me, it just lights my world. I cannot tell you how much the simple act of entering this world and reading about other people's days or maybe even problems has humbled me. We are still in the process of praying, and trying to decide what to do next. Though we decided to have Cappy cremated and have his ashes returned to us, we are still unsure of what to do with them. Do we include the kids in spreading them or will this just cause them more confusion. We keep going back and forth over whether getting a new dog would help them or make things worse. They are so little they don't seem to be able to comprehend the concept of death. Reagan keeps asking if when Cappy gets better we can go get him. Or sometimes she seems to understand a little because she'll ask if Cappy is in heaven forever, and say we're never gonna see him again. Yesterday Dee Dee went to the front door and opened it. When I asked what she was doing she said she was looking for Cappy and asked if he was outside. I am at loss of how to better explain it to them. Maybe a new dog would be a good distraction. But, the thought of ever having to go through this again is overwhelming. Plus, I don't want a new dog I am selfish and I want the old one back.

Thanks to all of you for listening and for reaching out. Thanks to Kam who gave me another Smile Award. I would re-post it and give out more, but I don't think I have that many bloggy friends. I saved some of them for the people I gave awards to. I know many of you may be visiting me from other places. If that's the case please feel free to leave me a comment! I love knowing whose reading. Plus, I also love visiting new people and their blogs. I'm sure there isn't anything else I could be doing with my free time! Hah. Until next time...

Tonight I am beside myself. Very rarely do I find myself without words, but I am. I do not know how to share this news that I so desperately need to share. This afternoon, our beloved dog Captain died. I wish I had a more eloquent way to put it. I very much want to share with you how much we loved him and what a big part of our lives he was, but I cannot find the right words. He was seven years old and today when I got home from picking Reagan up from pre-school I found him on the kitchen floor. There was a trail of poop and blood on the floor and what looked like vomit. I immediately called the vet and they said to bring him in. I was there in 15 minutes tops and by the time I got there he was almost gone. He was limp and lethargic and had a very low body temperature. He was barely breathing and his heart rate was slowed. They tried to figure out what was happening to him, but it was all happening too fast. Within 45 minutes of arriving at the clinic he was gone. Chris and I were both with him and the vet assured us that he was not suffering. We were able to say goodbye and so were the kids. I'm not sure they completely understand what happened. How can I explain it to them when I don't understand it myself. I just wish I knew why, or what had happened? The vet said the most likely scenario is that he had a tumor that burst or a blood clot that broke off. She said that it was nothing that I did or did not do, but I just keep going over and over it in my head. I thought maybe if I wrote this post it would help me get some closure.

Here is Cappy a few months ago...

Chris and I got Captain the October after we were married. When I brought him home Chris said he was the ugliest dog he had ever seen. Just imagine that big tongue hanging out of a tiny puppy mouth. He was a teacup chihuahua, but it didn't take him very long to get pretty fat. Even still he only weighed 5 lbs. He was like a baby to us for a year and he went everywhere with me. At the time we had 2 dogs. Tinkerbell has since gone to live with my mom because she isn't so good with little kids. When I was pregnant with Reagan, Chris wanted to name her Morgan. I said there was no way we were going to have a dog named Captain and a daughter named Morgan! Right after Reagan was born Cappy started getting sick. It turned out that he had a problem with his spine and the doctors recommended that we put him to sleep. We refused to give up on him and found a doctor who would perform the surgery. They took a piece of bone from his hip and fused it onto his 2nd vertebrae. It took him a few months to recover but then he was as good as new. He adjusted to the kids so well and they could pull on him and pet him as much as they wanted. He particularly liked visitors because they tended to fuss over him since he was so little. He could always coax an extra treat out of some of Chris' friends. He was my first baby, back before I knew what it was like to have kids. Today I couldn't have imagined being more upset if he was my actual child. He was the best dog anyone could have asked for and we will miss him so much!

Hey look over there in my sidebar... see that little purple award? I won it! No, you don't see it? Okay, well here is is...

I must say I am excited, I never win anything! My Smile Award sure made me smile! Didn't it make you smile too? The award came from my new bloggy friend Barbie, who apparently thought this was funny. I don't know that I'm quite there yet but I'm working on it! So just in case you were wondering here are the Rules for the smile award:

1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Thank you Barbie, I am truly grateful! I love that I am making new friends in blogland. Hey, I don't get out much okay!

Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times--we are all human). I do try to be cheerful!
2. Must love one another. Yes, I love all of you!
3. Must make mistakes. Um, at least twice a day!
4. Must learn from others. Does learning from your kids count?
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world. That remains to be seen!
6. Must love life. Most days I do, I never said I was perfect!
7. Must love kids. I wouldn't be bragging about 'em if I didn't!

Now I have the distinct pleasure of bestowing this award on five people and they are (drum roll please)

Leah, from A thousand words... whose posts always make me smile! How can you resist beautiful pictures of beautiful babies? You make me smile in an out of blogland and I am glad to have you as a friend!

Because I love knowing that my daughter is not the only smarty pants in our family, I award Krista, at Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice. Ava's antics could give Reagan a run for her money!

Toni over at Green Eyed Gurl, who not only babysat me when I was little, but I babysat for her kids too and that definitely makes me smile! She is a single mom who says it like it is and I love her for it!

My brother Shawn, who's sarcasm and witty humor may not be every one's cup of tea. But, he's my brother and I gotta love him, you on the other hand don't have to.

Last, but certainly not least I award Sara, from One Day at a Time... because right now she is at the bottom of my blogger blogroll. Hon, I know your busy with those two boys but I thought you might need some motivation to start documenting the journey again!

*Disclaimer* Very Long Post

The other day something exciting happened to me! I met one of my bloggy friends in real life for the first time, completely by chance! I was doing my volunteer shift @ KidsMarket and there she was. I recognized her but wasn't absolutely sure it was her. So, I introduced myself and she said, "Katie from the blog?" YES I said! It was Rebecca who did my blog design and who's blog(s) I follow almost religiously! If you have ever been to her blog, you know she is adopting a little boy from China. That is the reason why she started her business, Uptown Design Studio to help finance her adoption. After talking with her, I realized that all of my new bloggy friends probably don't realize why I troll their adoption blogs with such a passion. I shared some of my family's story with Rebecca and thought today would be just a good a day as any to share it with the rest of you. For those of you reading this who already know the whole story, read it anyway, you never know what you might learn! Plus the pictures are fun, even if they are just fuzzy scanned in copies of the originals!

Way back when, my parents were just a young couple like any other with a dream of starting a family, yet struggling with infertility. Not to make them sound old, but we're talking late 70's here people. There just were not as many options available to them then. Plus, my mom had endmetriosis and major fibroid tumors, so according to her doctors even if she could get pregnant, she probably wouldn't be able to carry a baby to term. They decided that adoption would be the best way to start their family. On June 21,1979 a little boy named Juan Carlos was born in Quito, Ecuador. When my mom and dad were assigned his file they thought it was a sign, he had been born on my dad's father Louis' birthday. They named him Shawn Luis. Shawn because my dad's mom wanted him to have an Irish name and Luis after my grandpa. When he was three months old they traveled to Ecuador to bring him home. I don't exactly know all of the details of his adoption but give me a break, I wasn't even born yet. That happened two years later because my mom was still unwilling to accept that she would never have another child. They kept trying, and miraculously without the help of modern fertility drugs, she got pregnant with me. I was born June 13,1981 shortly after that my mom had to have a hysterectomy. For the majority of our childhood it was just the two of us. Growing up Shawn's adoption was never a secret and to me he was and always will be just my big brother. Adopted or not, it doesn't make a difference.

This is my favorite picture of us when we were little...

This is one of his Senior Pictures(1997)

More recently, he'll hate me for this one!

When I was 12 or 13 I can't remember, my mom and dad sat us down and told us they wanted to adopt another baby. They felt as though they were being called by God to share the many gifts they had been given with another child. They decided that this time they wanted to try to adopt domestically and wait however long as was necessary for a baby. They started the process by looking for an agency and wound up going through the Adoption Support Center. There they put together a scrapbook of our family and created their portfolio. Towards the end of the summer of 1994 a birth mother picked them and we went to meet her for dinner. She was 19 and already had a 2 year old little girl. She was of Mexican heritage and wanted a family who was at least partially Mexican(my dad is 1/2) and that was Catholic. It was also very important for her to choose a family that had children and had already adopted. She spent much of that dinner talking to Shawn about what it was like to be adopted and how my parents had raised him. After that initial dinner, my parents saw her a few more times for Lamaze classes and doctors appointments. Because it was a semi-open adoption she never knew their last name, their phone number, or where they lived. The agency gave my parents a beeper so that the birth mother could get in touch with them if she needed to. I'll never forget the day my sister was born. October 25th. I was home sick from school that day. My mom was in the bath tub and I was trying to sleep when I heard the beeper go off. I ran downstairs and grabbed in and rushed into my mom's bathroom with the phone. When she called the number a voice on the other end answered " ______Memorial Hospital Maternity Ward, how can I direct you call?" I've never seen my mom get dressed so fast! She made it there with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately the doctor didn't and my mom and the nurse ended up delivering a healthy baby girl who my parents named Allyn Shelby. After my mom cut the cord the nurse handed her the baby and mom cleaned her off. After she was clean the nurse asked the birth mother if she wanted to hold the baby and she said, 'No, give her to her mother." I'll never forget that, and I will forever be grateful to her for giving my sister the gift of life and choosing to entrust my parents with that gift.

This is Ally's hospital picture along with one of her @ 3 months old

Sometime in the summer of 1999. She is 5 years old here

A few years later my parents decide that God was not finished with their family. Shawn was in college and I was in high school and they didn't want Ally to have to grow up alone. This time around they decided to do an international adoption because they didn't think their odds of being picked by a birth mother again were very good. Once they settled on another agency, Families Through International Adoption, they then decided to adopt from Guatemala. They were given the file of a spikey haired baby boy named Bryan and had every intention of adopting him. Unfortunately his birth mother who had abandoned him, refused to admit this, and thus would not relinquish her rights so that the U.S. would deem him adoptable. For my parents this was a long two years spent waiting, and hoping, and loving this child who would never legally be theirs. The upside to this was that my mom became very close to the director of the agency and because of this was periodically sent pictures of other waiting children. Because my mom had done adoption just about every way possible it seemed, lots of people asked her about it. The agency knew this and had asked her to shop around these pictures. We're talking before Internet people, how else would these kids find homes? One picture of a smiling five year old boy found it's way into her purse and never made it out. His name was Juan Carlos (remember Shawn's birth name?) and my mom thought that too was a sign. He had been left at a doctor's door when he was a baby and had been in an orphanage ever since. He was completely adoptable, but because he was older they were having a hard time finding him a family. It took some time for my mom to convince my dad, but finally she did. My dad's only stipulation was that he wanted to make sure, before they committed to adopting this little boy that he actually wanted to be adopted. Sounds stupid now, I know. So my mom and I planned a trip to Guatemala during the summer after my Junior year. I went with her b/c she knows absolutely no Spanish and my dad had to stay home and work. While we were there Juan Carlos spent the whole week with us. The thought of returning him to the orphanage to wait for us was unbearable and so my mom arranged to pay not only for foster care for him, but also to pay the orphanage the money they would loose by not having him there. That was in July and J.C. finally came home the week before Christmas 1998.

This picture was taken at his Baptism, shortly after he came home. Gotta love that smile!

During the whole process of adopting J.C my parents were still under the impression that eventually they would be able to bring Bryan home. When they finally came to the conclusion that that might never happen, they were forced to do the unthinkable give up his referral so that he would be adoptable somewhere outside of the U.S. After they decided that in the end that would be what was best for him, they turned their attention to a little girl my dad had fallen in love with when they went to pick up J.C. Valesca was an almost two year old little girl who had been in the same situation as Bryan. The only difference was that when her birth mother had finally relinquished her rights, there was no family waiting on her. Two families who had been waiting to adopt her had given up because of the long it just took too long. My mom and I had first met Valesca when I went to Guatemala with her the summer before. She was the foster daughter of the local agency coordinator and she was adorable. She had big black eyes and black curly hair. I made my second trip to Guatemala with my mom and Chris(my husband who was my boyfriend at the time) the summer after my Senior year. We spent the week with Valesca and she got so attached to Chris! I think she had to wonder who those crazy white ladies were and why this big dark Spanish speaking man spent so much time with them! When my parents returned in October to bring her home, she had the exact opposite reaction. She clung to my mom and refused to have anything to do with my dad! They celebrated her 2nd birthday in Guatemala with her foster family, who were so sad to see her leave. When they returned home, Valesca stayed in the umbrella stroller for 2 days, she slept there and ate there, she wouldn't get out! I am happy to say that she eventually relented to her new family and adjusted very well!

Valesca in Guatemala... look at that face!

My favorite picture of V and Chris, taken not too long after she came home

Here is a pic of the three of them from a few years ago, my does time fly!

Here is last year's Christmas card photo... All grown up

So, that's it! That is my family's story and that is why adoption is so near and dear to my heart! Without it, I would be an only child and I could never in my wildest dreams imagine what that would be like. I will leave you all with this poem ... The Legacy of an Adopted Child. I have posted it before but I love it! It has always hung on the wall somewhere in my parents house and I think it fits my family perfectly!

Once there were two women Who never knew each other;One you do not remember, The other you call "Mother."
Two different lives Shaped to make you one;One became your guiding star,The other became your sun.

The first one gave you life,And the second taught you to live it;The first gave you a need for love,The second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality,The other gave you a name;One gave you talent, The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions,The other calmed your fears;One saw your first sweet smile,The other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home That she could not provide;The other prayed for a child And her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me Through your tears ...The age old question,Unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment ...Which are you a product of?Neither ... my darling ... neither, Just two different kinds of love!
~ Author Unknown ~

This past week was full of volleyball games. Let me tell ya with 3 younger siblings all in their own sports there is always a game to go to. I can't imagine how my parents do it all! On Tuesday I left Jack @ home with daddy and took the girls with me to my sister Ally's volleyball game. She is in 8th grade and so we're talking major competition here. Reagan was so excited when Ally let her sit next to her on the bench, I think she felt like one of the big girls. Then on Thursday, my other sister Valesca had a game. She is in 5th grade and her game was @ a local elementary school about 15 minutes north of my house. It happened to be in the small town where Chris' grandparents live (and where our first house was). So I took the opportunity to leave Jack with Grandma Shirley and once again the girls went with me to the game. It just so happens that Chris' cousin's daughter Alexis is on Valesca's team so I got to watch her play too. My girls were super excited because both of their Grandma's were in the same place! I ended up staying to take Valesca home from the game because mom and dad had to leave early. Ally had another home game that night and my brother J.C. was at an away football game! I truly do enjoy being able to help out like that. I feel like its one of the little things I can do to give back to my paernts for all they do for me. That, and the kids help me out too when I need a babysitter or need to run a quick errand. 15 years ago when my parents told me they were going to adopt a baby, I couldn't see this far into the future. I didn't realize that one day I would be all grown up with a family of my own. But then again I couldn't have imagined they'd end up adopting two more either! I was just a 13 year old girl who thought it would be cool to have a baby sister. I never could have imagined that there would be a time where I was more like another parent to them than a sister. I can only hope that one day the same is true of their relationship to my kids. In the meantime, Reagan and Valesca will continue to fight as if they were sisters and ya'll can enjoy these super boring pics and video from the volleyball games!

P.S. Ally is #13, Valesca is #19 , and Alexis is #3 and yes, those are my little hooligans hanging over the edge of the bleachers!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today while Dee Dee was @ school and Jackson was napping, I sat down with Reagan to play the miniature kid's meal version of Chutes and Ladders she got recently. I know I should be partial to Arby's but hey, I was craving some Wendy's and sometimes even I need a fast food change. Apparently right now they have Hasbro toy games, i.e. Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, Barrel of Monkeys. All of these classic games that I grew up with. Let me just say that Reagan thought Chutes and Ladders was the coolest game, and she had a blast playing it. She was so sweet about it too! As we were nearing the top of the board, I fell down the longest chute all the way back to the bottom. Reagan looked up at me and said, "Don't worry mom, I'll let you win!" How amazing is that? To be honest, I was glad I fell. I was a little concerned that if I beat her it would hurt her feelings. But, knowing that my child has the capacity to feel empathy for another person is amazing. To think that the whole time we were playing she was just as concerned about hurting my feelings. I must be doing something right! Anyway, I thought it was such a cute story I had to share it. Plus, now I think I might try to find the big version of Chutes and Ladders for her birthday, according to the website it is only $8.99! That's only a few bucks more than the kid's meal!

Happy Birthday to my FIL Tim! You are the best dad, grandpa, and father-in-law a family could ask for! I love you like you were my own father, and I hope that today on your birthday you take the time to celebrate the wonderful man that you are! We love you, Happy Birthday!

This weekend is KidsMarket!!! For anyone who doesn't know what this means I will try and explain a little bit. KidsMarket is a local children's consignment sale that happens here in my town twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. People from all around our area price their gently used children's clothes, toys, equipment, and other kid paraphernalia garage sale style and then bring it to sell. Part of the proceeds from the sale go to local charities and the rest goes back to the seller. Let me just say that this is an awesome organization! This is my third year participating, as both a volunteer and a contributor and I love it. Okay, yes it is stressful b/c I procrastinate and don't get my stuff ready until the week before, but it is worth it! Not only does it give me a way to sell some of my kid's stuff, but I can also buy them "new" stuff. I am not a big fan of sitting at a garage sale all day haggling with people over the price of my stuff. This is why KidsMarket is such a great solution. I can price my things and there are no negotiations. Today, I dropped off all of my kid's clothes and tomorrow is the volunteer and contributors sale. The public sale starts on Sat. from 8 - 2:30 and then the 50% off sale runs from 3 - 5. If you live in the area, you should really check it out. If you want any more info, please hop on over to their website and check out all of the details!

Yesterday morning I got up early and called my hairdresser, I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to cut Dee Dee's hair. Sharon has been cutting my hair since I was 3 years old when for some reason my mom decided I needed a perm. Apparently she had heard it would make my hair thicker... well, it worked. Sharon has been perming, cutting, and coloring my hair ever since (only I don't get them perms anymore, not since the early 90's). I think the only time I ever used anyone else twice, when she was on maternity leave and that was a long time ago. Her oldest son just left for college! So, she fit us in despite my very busy schedule. I went to MOPS in the morning at 9, then to pick up Reagan from gymnastics (thanks for taking her Mom!) at 11:30. After that I dropped Reagan @ school at noon and headed to Sharon's. There I proceeded to lock my keys in the car. At least it wasn't the kids right? While Kennedy was getting her hair cut, the police came and unlocked my car. After that we rushed over to her gymnastics class that started at 1:30. At 2:15 we left gymnastics and went to the school to pick up Reagan. It was an exhausting day, but I got it all done. As far as Dee Dee's hair is concerned, it is growing on me. It isn't as short as I thought it would have to be. So even though it is not something I would have done intentionally I kinda like it. So, since every one asked to see them, here are some of the "after pictures" from our day.

This is Sharon, cutting Dee Dee's hair. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else!

The after shot...

@ Gymnastics, thought this was a good shot of the back of her hair

She fell asleep in the car in line @ the school waiting to pick up Reagan

Yesterday after I took Reagan to school, Dee Dee, Jack, and I headed out to the grocery store. I decided it would be fun to take pictures of our trip and blog about it. I had every intention of writing this post last night, but if you scroll down you can read all about what happened at our house last night after the groceries were put away. So, now I will tell you all about the grocery store today instead.

Let us start by saying that I usually shop at our local Wal-Mart. I know not everybody likes Wal-Mart, but for me it is cheap and I can get everything I need in one place. (this is important!) When I get there the first decision I have to make is whether to put the kids in a buddy cart or not. Since Dee is starting to be more independent and wanting to ride on the back of the cart like Reagan usually does, I got a regular cart. Plus, Jack has figured out how to climb out of the buddy cart and then he starts running. At least if tries to get out of the regular cart, I can catch him before he falls.

I needed to get a few personal hygiene items, and some other miscellaneous crap. I ended up pretty much covering the whole store. Oh yeah, I also stopped in both kids clothing sections and picked up some shoes, jammies, and sweats. Hey, Autumn is upon us people! Since the kids clothes and diapers are at the back I usually start at that section of the grocery store. Eggs, orange juice, 3 gallons of milk.(we go through about a gallon a day around here) then yogurt and cheese. I try to shop strategically @ Wal-mart because the check out ladies don't know how to bag. So, if you can load your cart with all the refrigerated items together then you can unload them that way too. I have noticed that this cuts down on the actual amount of bags I wind up leaving the store with. Anyway, down the aisles I go grabbing our staples - cereal, fruit snacks, mac and cheese. I also throw in a few things that are on the menu for the week or that happen to be on sale (Nutter Butters, yum!) A few packages of ground beef, chicken breasts, bacon. Then in the freezer section garlic bread, Eggo's, and some Tombstone pizza. 2 loaves of bread in the bread aisle and off to the produce section. Produce is big at our house, my kids LOVE fruit. I always buy bananas, and usually a pineapple, the rest just depends on my mood or what the kids ask for that week. I wanted a cantaloupe today but couldn't find one, so I got grapefruit instead! Then we head to the check out...

Yeah, I know, that's a really full cart. I only like to go to the store once a week if I can help it.

Unloading is a pain. I try to do it systematically, keeping cold stuff together and boxes together. All the while though Dee Dee is busy playing on the ground with all those silly toys they have at the check out and begging for candy. Funny enough yesterday a lady in the next lane dropped a entire 2 liter of pop off of the conveyor belt and it sprayed all over my cashier. Luckily only a little bit got on my dog food and the rest of us were spared. Little old cashier lady was none too happy though.

Most of our trips to Wal-Mart conclude with a trip to Flagstar Bank (which is the bank inside the store) to visit my cousin Melissa who works there. The kids know that if they are good in the store, she will give them candy and maybe even a balloon. They start asking about it as soon as we pull into the Wal-Mart parking lot. Unfortunately, yesterday Melissa was not there and we had to skip our trip to the bank. As I was loading the car up it started to rain, perfect timing! Here is the back of my van full of groceries!

After a quick trip home to drop everything off, I headed back to the school to pick up Reagan! Then back home to finish putting it all away. Hope you enjoyed my little grocery adventure. I know it probably isn't such a big deal to most of you, but I always feel such a sense of accomplishment just making it out of there in one piece! With three kids, it isn't always so easy.

September 29, 2008

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