Happy Birthday JC!!!

It is hard to believe that my little brother is turning 15 today. It seems like yesterday that we first saw his picture, in reality that was ten years ago. A woman from Families Through International Adoption called my mom and said she had a few pictures of older kids who were in an orphanage in Guatemala. People asked my mom about adoption all the time, so they wanted to know if my mom could show the pictures around and try to find these kids families. My mom said she would, but there was one picture of a smiling little boy that never left her purse. His name was Juan Carlos and he was five years old. She couldn't help but fall in love with him. I remember my dad asking her why she wasn't showing his picture to anyone and she said b/c she wanted him for herself. Isn't it amazing how God works? How in an instant so many lives can change b/c of a smile? Well, six months and three trips to Guatemala later they brought him home. It was a week before Christmas. Now he has grown into quite the young man, and I am privledged to call him my brother. Today on his 15th Birthday I hope he remembers how much we love him...

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 ~

Happy Mother's Day

Here is the video of Reagan singing her Mother's Day song @ school on Friday! Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Mommy and Me Tea

Today I went to Reagan's school for a mommy and me tea. She was so excited about it that she couldn't get to sleep last night. It must have felt like Christmas to her. That nervous excitement. We had a wonderful time and I even took a video of the song they sang us which I think I will post on Sunday. It made me happy to know how much time they put into it and how much she wanted to share it with me. Again, it just reiterated my thoughts form the last post. I am thankful that I am able to go be with her for these types of things and I am thankful that I have a mother and a mother-in-law who are willing to watch the other kids for me when I do. Today my mom had them, so thanks mom!

Is Just Staying Home Enough?

I love my kids and growing up I could never have imagined myself not being a stay @ home mom. Now that I am, I wonder if I am doing it to the best of my ability. Here is the question, is just staying home enough? I want to be able to provide quality experiences for my kids and make memories that will last their whole lives. So many days I find myself just getting through the day. I feel like the blog has helped a little b/c I try to plan activities so that I will have something to blog about. But, the downside is that here I am telling Reagan to wait just a minute while I finish typing. So I am making a promise to myself that I will try to do more than just make it through the day. I will plan more trips to the park and I will bake cookies! I will do it for my kids and for the other moms I know who are not as fortunate as I am. Because just staying home isn't enough. I will try to appreciate the fact that I am a stay @ home mom and make it my "job" to be better at it.

Dee Dee's Smile

This smile warms my heart. It might not look like a smile to everyone, but I happen to know that this is Dee Dee at her happiest. We went to Valesca's soccer game last night and she had a great time. There were to little girls sitting next to us and she became very protective of Jack when she thought they were picking on him. In her words they were being "so mean" to him. Really they didn't even notice him but it was cute to see the big sister come out of her. "So mean" is her new favorite phrase for whenever someone does something she doesn't like. I can't even begin to tell you how many times a day I hear that Reagan is being "so mean to me." There is just something about the way she says it that makes me laugh! Anyway I think the fact that Reagan was with Nini helped her to feel like she could come out of her shell last night. Sometimes I think Reagan is so outgoing that it makes Dee a little more shy. So, I relish the moments when I get to see this funny, teeth grinding smile because it doesn't happen very often!

JUMPING!

On Sunday we went to Chris' cousin Ana's house to celebrate their son Drew's First Communion. I took this video of the kids jumping on the trampoline. Reagan and Austin loved it, but Dee Dee couldn't seem to decide whether this was actually fun or not. I'm not sure everyone knew I was recording so sorry if it is hard to hear the kids. :) P.S. if you are in Indiana don't forget to vote today!

An Evening w/ Friends

Yesterday was a busy day all around! Chris played golf in the morning and managed to make it home in time to stay w/ the kids while I went to a baby shower for his friend Cale's wife Cindy. It was nice to have an afternoon out of the house w/ no kids. Then last night a few friends came over for dinner. Scott and Sara came w/ their little boy Hudson who is only two months older than Jack. You might not know it from the picture but to me Hudson seems so much bigger than him. I guess Jack is just a little shrimp. Aaron and Jill also ventured out w/ Braeden and new baby Bryce. Reagan was in love w/ the baby, and she was surprisingly good w/ him too. He looks just like his big brother except he has tons of black hair! I think I needed my baby fix too! I was thinking the other day that Jack just turned 17 months old and I am officially in new territory. I haven't ever had a baby that old without another on on the way. The girls are 21 months apart, and Dee Dee and Jack are 18 months apart. Not that I am saying I want another baby, I think I would go certifiably insane but... like I said I'm just in new territory. Days like yesterday just serve to remind me that my babies aren't really babies anymore and sometimes I wish they hadn't had to grow up so fast. Thank God we have great friends who all seem to be having babies right now! Thanks for coming out everybody we had a great time, and we really need to do it more often!

What the Glue?!

Last night a piece broke off of my vacuum, so I went out to buy some super glue while Chris put the kids to bed. I bought a very small tube keeping in mind that I only wanted to fix the vacuum and then throw the tube away. I got home and emptied the CVS bag on the kitchen counter. Reagan came out of her room to see me, and she asked what the super glue was. I said, "it's glue, please don't touch it." Do you see where this is going yet? I turned around to put the other stuff away and then started cleaning up the kitchen. I thought Reagan had gone back to bed. A few minutes later she comes running out of her room screaming! She had the super glue, and it was stuck to her hands, her upper lip was glued to her teeth. I ask you what would possess a 4 1/2 year old to put super glue in her mouth? I thought only babies put everything in their mouth? I got it all off, except for a little bit on the inside of her tooth, and needless to say I didn't take pictures of this one. Still when I ask her why she did that when mommy said not to touch it she says, "I don't know." Maybe she learned this time that mommy only has rules to protect her not just to be mean. I hope so cuz she sure was terrified, and so was I.

Grandpa Larry's Birthday

Last night we went to Grandpa Larry and Grandma Shirley's house to celebrate his birthday! The kids had so much fun playing w/ all of their cousins and we got a kick out of watching them! I will say that the weekend has only just started and I am already exhausted just thinking about all of the things we have to do! So, I sat down @ the computer tonight while Chris was out mushroom hunting and made some blog changes. I haven't decided for sure if I like or not yet. So let me know what you think. By the way this is a picture I took of Jack last night @ Larry and Shirley's, is he getting big or what?

Reagan's Spring Musical

Here is a little clip of Reagan's Spring musical. They are singing "Down by the Bay" I realize that the video quality is not so good but I thought for those who were not able to be there, it was worth it. Enjoy, and try and remember that they are pre-schoolers!

5 Generations!

So, we had a busy weekend! Sorry I haven't posted! Yesterday was Austin's birthday party and it was the first time in a long time that we have had the five generations of Chris' family in one room that I wasn't preoccupied w/ hosting duties! So we decided to take a picture. In it is Jack, Chris, Tim (Chris' dad), Larry (his dad), and Gene (his dad) five generations of men. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Austin had a great day and now I am definitely thinking I need to get going on planning Dee Dee's birthday. Today I went to visit my Uncle in the hospital and things are looking better. He got moved back into a regular room and they are controlling his heart rate w/ medication. Now he will finish of this round of chemo on Friday and then hopefully come home again! Thanks for all the prayers!

Uncle Tom

So, my mom called me tonight and told me that my Uncle Tom, who has cancer was put in the coronary ICU today. I have blogged about him before, but he has had his ups and downs lately. The chemo has weakened his heart and now it appears as though he is on a downward slope. He also has a blood clot in his right arm. Unfortunately this is all I know. I don't have any details. I have however made arrangements for a babysitter on Monday and I am going w/ my mom and dad to see him. I have been avoiding this, but I feel like if I don't go now I'll regret it. So once again, any prayers are greatly appreciated!

Congratulations Aaron and Jill!!!

Congratulations to our good friends Aaron and Jill McClone, they welcomed a bouncing baby boy today! Bryce Christopher weighed 8lbs and 5 oz. Jill is a trooper after waiting on him for so long he finally arrived in a hurry! She was only in labor for 10 hours and did it all w/ no drugs. Yes I said no drugs! I know I couldn't have done it. We are all so happy for all of you! Braeden is a big brother! Congrats again!

What a busy day!

Yesterday was a whirlwind! We did so much that last night all three kids we so exhausted nobody even argued about going to bed! We met Rachael and Austin at the park in the afternnon and let me tell you keeping your eyes on three kids that all want to go in a different direction is tiring! They had a great time though and I did have another set of eyes in Rachael. The park is definitely something I could not do by myself. We went to the grocery and then came home and made dinner. After that we all piled in the car to go to Valesca's soccer game, while Chris went to the movies w/ a friend. Lucky daddy huh! So the kids had fun, I sort of had fun, but hey w/ this beautiful weather it is just nice to get them out of the house and use up some of that extra energy they seem to have. Here are some pics from the day: