My favorite Christmas picture of my boys

I was visiting my friend Angie's blog and saw an adorable picture of her boys from a past Christmas. I thought it would be fun to post my favorite Christmas picture of my boys. Even though it has been a couple years since we had a family picture taken I do manage to get the boys Christmas pictures taken each year.

In need of a new family Christmas picture

This is our family Christmas picture that has hung on my wall for the past three years. I have decided that this year it is time for a new family Christmas picture. I am not sure why I keep putting it off. Maybe it is fighting the crowds or trying to coordinate five people's wardrobes. Or maybe in times past it seemed like nothing short of a miracle to get three kids to cooperate to get a nice picture. I have a friend who makes it a tradition to have a family picture taken around the holidays. What wonderful memories to have! Of course I also have friends who have never had a family picture taken. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. So in the spirit of the holidays, I have decided it is time to replace some old memories with new ones.

Better late than never.....

Christian's 6th birthday party was nearly two weeks ago and I am just now posting pictures from his party. He had his 6th birthday at Chuckie Cheese. After all what kid doesn't want to experience a Chuckie Cheese birthday party? As for the parents, well let's just say one Chuckie Cheese birthday party per kid is all I can handle!

Happy 6th birthday Christian!

Today my little boy turns 6! Christian has been so excited knowing that his birthday was coming and that he would be 6 like his friends! Yesterday he kept reminding us all day long that tommorow is his birthday and he will be 6(as if we could possibly forget)!

It amazes me everyday that God has entrusted me with this gift and I have been blessed to be called his mother. He has such an infectious personality and smile. When he laughs you can't help but laugh right along with him. He is so loving and sweet but at the same time he is working towards finding his independence. This has proven to be a difficult adjustment for both him and I but we are working on it!

Happy Birthday Christian! Today we celebrate the blessing that is you! We love you!

Fall clean up~for Dad

The boys have been off of school for the past two days because of parent teacher conferences. Today has been a cold and windy day but they still wanted to got outside to play their daily game of football. As I went to the front window to call them in for lunch instead of football this is what I saw! Logan said, "We know how hard Dad works so we are doing this for him!" Notice that Logan is using a rake and Ethan is attempting to use a broom to rake up leaves! These are the moments as a parent where you can see your hard work paying off and it brings a smile to your face. It is hard to notice in the pictures but there were some small snowflakes falling!

A new direction

After alot of prayer we have submitted a medical checklist to our agency and are now in the waiting child program. Basically with our agency you fill out a medical checklist of special needs that you feel you can handle and if the agency receives a child's file matching your criteria they allow you to review the file and see if the child would be a match for your family. The needs range for minor and correctable to major needs. Obviously with having three children already our checklist has minor needs listed. One of the best parts of the program is that you remain in the traditional program along with the waiting child program. Our agency told us the average wait in the waiting child program is 8-12 months for a referral.

We feel very good about our decision and know that ultimately God is in control. We are excited to have opened this door and can't wait to see which path God uses to bring Mia to us!

Trick or Treating

Yesterday was trick or treating for the boys. I was worried we would be trick or treating in the rain but it was a perfect fall day! My SIL and nephew Brock came to our house to go trick or treating with the boys and then we went to grandma's house. We both have pretty big neighborhoods so the boys ended up with five BIG bags of candy in all! The mean mom that I am (as they so nicely put it) only allows them to keep one bowl of candy so the rest of it went to work with Dan. If we keep all that candy we would be eating it until next Halloween!

The rule in our house has always been nothing too scary. This is becoming harder and harder to do each year as they get older. For the last two years it has been a struggle especially with Ethan. In the end we have come to a compromise but I am committed to sticking to a scary free house.

The infamous "skull cap"

See the previous post for an explanation of this picture!

Fall sports

Since July our schedules have been consumed by either football or soccer. This past weekend the football season came to an end. Logan's flag football team had a great season and played HARD in the championship game last weekend! Unfortunately a win was not meant to be and they lost 20 to 13 in overtime. It was a great game and the boys played hard! I am sure Logan will play flag football again next fall but he is a completely different kid on the football field versus the soccer field. Football is much more intense than soccer and he dealt with alot of "nervous energy" as I called it before the games. Chewing nonstop on his mouthpiece during the games, getting up very early in the morning before the game, and being somewhat withheld on the field. I know he felt pressure at times and I am not sure I want him to be experiencing that at the age of seven. I found myself nervous for him at the games just because I could sense how nervous he was. As I have told others "football is a whole different world." We will have to wait to see what next fall brings.

On a lighter side, Logan found this "Under Armour Skull Cap" that he wore to football but continues to wear nonstop with the exception of school. As soon as he gets home or on weekends you will find him with his "skull cap" on. Luckily I have managed to get it off of him a few times to be washed!

Ethan and Christian's soccer season will end in a couple weeks. This was the first season that Christian was old enough to play and though I love watching Ethan and Logan,watching Christian is totally different! When Ethan and Logan first started playing sports they were naturally more intimidated and reserved~this is not Christian! He is aggressive and anywhere the ball goes you will find Christian not too far behind! I love hearing him yell to his teammates, "pass it to me, I'm open!"

The boys have had a great season! I look forward to the spring when all three of them will be playing soccer. It should be a much more relaxed and laid back season compared to the season we just came out of. As I finish this post I hear Logan playing football on the PS2. At least we have a year before the fall football season is here again!

In honor of our 1 year LID~ a new look and a new name!

To celebrate our 1 year LID anniversary I decided it was time for our blog to have a new look and a new name. While we are still "waiting for Mia" we decided that "And Mia makes 6" would be a perfect new name because when Mia joins our family we will be a family of 6 and she will complete our family. I had Sara "bling my blog." I think she did a great job and I love our new look! Thank you Sara!

1 year LID anniversary

It has now been one year since our "official" wait for Mia began. I have one word for today BITTERSWEET. It feels bittersweet because last year I imagined us being in a totally different place than we are today. I thought we would be a few months away from getting Mia not a possible two more years. Still I hold on to my faith and pray that there will be a speed up. This is what gets me through my more difficult days. On a positive note we are one year down.

My first attempt at digital scrapbooking

I have always been interested in digital scrapbooking but like many busy moms had a difficult time finding the time to start. I noticed a post from a fellow adoptive parent on one of my adoption boards and decided to give it a try. It was so easy to do! Now I need to just try to organize my pictures!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Christian's first day of school

All went well with Christian's first day of school and I managed to survive to! I must admit it is a weird feeling to have three whole hours to myself but I am adjusting just fine~no worries here! He is making alot of new friends and loves riding the bus to school with the other kids. I think we are both adjusting nicely!

New family member!

We added a new family member to our house this past week~and IT'S A GIRL! We got a 14 week old shih poo puppy! She is a really good puppy and the boys absolutely adore her! She loves to be around people and is very friendly! The boys chose to name her Maggie. One of the best things about her is because she is a mix between a shitzu and a poodle so she is hypoallergenic and does not shed! She is partially housebroken and we have really been working on fully getting her housebroken. She is doing pretty well despite being in a new environment. Isn't she cute?

Kindergarten blues

We are experiencing the "kindergarten blues" in our household. Christian is so excited to start school tommorow but I have a case of the kindergarten blues. I have been crying on and off the past couple of days thinking about his big day tommorow. I have experienced the kindergarten blues with Ethan and Logan but this time it is different. For now Christian is the baby and it seems harder for me to "let him go" even if it is just for half a day. It feels harder this time because when the older boys went off to school there was always a younger child to tend to and now it will just be me. Don't get me wrong I am sure I will get use to and even enjoy my "me" time but on the eve of him starting school it is hard to think about how different it will be. Also for the past couple of years when the older two went to school it was just Christian and me and I have really enjoyed our one on one time together. He will have the same teacher Logan had and she is wonderful but I feel sad and maybe even a tiny bit jealous that she will be spending "our" time with him. With as busy as our lives seem to be it is going to be harder and harder to find and I know I will miss it. Of course as I said he is only going to be going half day and we will still have our mornings together so that is my bright side. I know that kindergarten is the first step to "real school" and I do not look forward to having my entire day free from my kids. Am I crazy or what? Let's just focus on tommorow. We will cross that bridge next year.

I am just sad to leave this stage of our lives behind for now. On days like this you truly realize how quickly they grow up and long for them to be little and all yours once again.

First day of school

It has been one B-U-S-Y week since school began which is why it has taken me almost a week to update! Unfortunately my camera was acting up that day and while I took pictures I am having trouble uploading them. The boys first day went very well except for the extreme heat. On their first day of school it was 95 degrees with high humidity. It is worth mentioning that their school does not have air conditioning! I am sure for them the heat made it miserable but they both came home smiling and ready for the next day!

The new song on my blog makes me think of my boys while they are away at school. I am always anxious to hear about their day when they come home!

The results of 4 straight days of rain and football practice

Last night Logan had flag football practice despite 4 days of nothing but rain. I should know better from soccer that unless there is lightening there IS practice. The boys had a blast practicing in the mud. There was a lot of slipping and sliding! At the end of the practice the coaches had them do push ups in the mud. I think this was just to ensure that they were extra muddy before they went home~and it worked! Next time I will come better prepared as I had totally forgotten to bring a towel to wipe him off after practice. *Note*~the missing teeth. We are hoping the permanent teeth come in before school pictures.

Tae Kwon Do testing

On Saturday the boys had their Tae Kwon Do testing. Christian tested for his orange belt and Ethan and Logan tested for their first white tip after getting their black belt. Who knew that Tae Kwon Do continues on after you reach your black belt? They all did really well but I could tell the nerves set in when it was time for breaking. Luckily they were able to keep their anxiety under control and break their boards. I am very proud of my boys!

Why God made Moms

My friend Kimberly e-mailed me this and I thought it was amusing and had to share.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom ?

1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook ? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time. [This kid is a genius!!!]
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.


What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of Plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

Ripley's Aquarium pictures