5th grade farewell~a quick look back(in no particular order)

The end of the school year is quickly approaching and preparations are being made for the "5th grade farewell." Every year a special "farewell" party is planned for the 5th graders. This year the kids are going to a local rec center that offers indoor sports and swimming. The school is also making a DVD for the 5th graders of any school activites of the kids and each child will receive a copy. I have been looking through my pictures(most of them are sadly still on the computer) and have found a few to send in. Unfortunately I won't post them here because other kids are in the pictures with Ethan.

It is amazing to me that "six" years(including kindergarten) have passed so quickly and here we are at the end of his elementary school years. As I collected pictures for the DVD I found myself in one of those moments of "where did the time go?" It seems like only yesterday that I was putting him on the school bus (tissues in hand and tears in my eyes) to send him to "real school." That seemed like such a huge step. How did this shy little kindergartener that I felt such a need to nurture and protect from the big 5th graders at school now turn into one?

I will say at the begining of the school year I was in no way prepared to even think of Ethan going to middle school. Is homeschooling an option(not for us)? Tears would well up in my eyes every time I thought about it. I would watch previous 5th graders at their end of the year awards ceremony and I would start to tear up thinking about Ethan one day being at that point. Of course then it seemed so far away and I was just glad it was somebody else's child and not mine moving on to middle school. Well here we are. In what seemed like a blink of an eye. It is OUR turn. OUR turn to prepare and move on to the next stage in life. I am ready(at least most of me is). We are ready(I know Ethan is). Though I am sure when the last day is finally here not only will the tears well up but they will be flowing because this is MY kid.

Easter egg hunt

Does this ever happen to anyone else? Every year my mom counts the eggs, hides the eggs, and even writes down where she hid the eggs~all 43 of them and yet there are always a few that remain "lost." We eventually find them but it takes 4 adults and 3 kids to find the "missing" eggs. Leaving the eggs unfound is not an option because these Easter eggs do not contain candy. Nope these eggs contain money! After an hour or two(just kidding~it only seems like it) every egg is accounted for and every last quarter is counted.

Before Easter service

This look never lasts very long (see previous post) but they did look nice for Easter service.

Coloring eggs

Last night we went to my parent's house to color eggs with the boys. Before coloring eggs we went to church. As we were getting ready for church I had told the boys that since it was Easter service that they were going to have to dress a little nicer for church. Logan said "okay I will wear my jeans and a nice shirt." In his mind this is "dressing nicer" since he wears t-shirts and wind pants EVERY DAY. I told him he had a wear a nice pair of khaki pants and a casual shirt. This was my compromise with him and I thought it was very reasonable. It wasn't like I was asking him to wear a dress shirt and tie! I also told him he would only have to wear his outfit for church and he could change as soon as we got to my parent's house. Honestly you would have thought I was putting him in a dress because of the fit he threw! I have mentioned before that my boys are totally casual and it is quite a feat to get them to ever dress up! In the end Logan wore his "dressier" outfit complaining all the way. As soon as he hit my parent's door he went straight to the bathroom and changed into his "comfy clothes". All was right in his world and mine too!

*Notice the family photo with my boys in their casual wear.

18 months

and still no word. Unbelieveable! Over on the yahoo boards there have been some matches this week and there is also some confirmation from our agency that things are moving at a steady pace. I know we are so very close and that is what is making this process and wait that much more difficult. Not that it has ever really been "easy." My hopes are set for a referral by June but of course sooner would be a welcome surprise. My sanity is at stake here~lol!

Baby news!

The happy couple and the cousin that may be sharing his birthday with the new baby!

No not "our" baby news but definitely as equally exciting! My brother and sister in law are expecting their first baby! My sister in law is due Nov 7 which just happens to be Christian's birthday~another "holiday" baby! When I told Christian his new cousin was due on his birthday he said "does this mean I will still get my birthday card and money from Uncle Chris and Aunt Dana?"

I talked to my brother earlier this morning and we talked about all things baby! Strollers, car seats, the Boppy pillow(remember Chris this is a must), baby poop and even breast pads! I told him I felt strange talking to him about "breast pads" and "leaky breasts" and maybe this is a conversation I should be having with my SIL but he just replied "why?". I figured I might as well give him the low down because he will discover this soon enough!

The parents to be do plan on finding out the gender of the baby at their ultrasound. My brother is insisting that the baby is a boy and I am hoping for a girl. Out of my two siblings I am the only one with children and we all know that my family is full of testosterone for now. We need some PINK in this family! Congratulations to Chris and Dana! I am blowing some PINK baby dust from Ohio to California! Did you catch it?

Spring soccer at its best

Need I say more? It rained all day Friday and the soccer fields on Saturday were a complete muddy mess! We started the morning early with Christian's last indoor game at 7:00am, followed by Logan's first outdoor game at 9:00am, and finally Christian's first outdoor game at 11:00am. What a long and muddy morning! Not to mention that the wind blew nonstop! Where oh where is spring?

Goodbye March!

It has been awhile since I have posted and in a moment you will understand why. March started out great with our annual weekend trip to Kalahari an indoor waterpark. The boys really love Kalahari and so do the adults! It really is a fun mini getaway and the boys always look forward to it. The Monday morning after our Kalahari weekend was typical of any other Monday morning. Dan left for work and the boys left for school. I was pulling out of the driveway to get to the gym after my overindulgence over the weekend and my cell phone rang. Dan was calling and told me "I have some really bad news. I just got laid off." This is never news that you want to hear and it was particulary devastating considering how "close" we are in this adoption among other things. Anyway I won't go into all the boring details because March does end on a high note but it was a very difficult month for us. I called our agency and we went on hold until he could find another job. Remember that high note? He did find another job and he started today! We are back on track with the adoption! Also when I talked to Sarah at our agency she said there are "fewer than 10 families ahead of us!" Great news!

We could not have gotten through any of this without God and the love and support of our families and friends. I know that being out of work for a month is not a long time given how things are in the economy but it was a very stressful time for us. Dan and I as a family feel renewed in our faith. We know it was Him who really carried us through and opened doors of opportunity for Dan to get a new job. It wasn't that we didn't have faith in Him but the way things were orchestrated it could only be Him. Praise God!

You might be adopting from China if......

I found this on an adoption forum and had to laugh about how very true these statements are. Anyone adopting from China can surely relate.

You Might Be Adopting From China If...

~You know that I-600 & I-171 aren't highways...

~You've been expecting a baby for over 3 years...

~You understand that it's 2006 in some parts of the world...

~You've "paid for" 3 citizenships, but never brought anyone into the U.S...

~You know that waiting for China has nothing to do with Dillards or dishes...

~Your homestudy is followed by a number (i.e. #3 or #4)...

~You never know how many days next month will have...

~You know that babies come in batches...

~You've been fingerprinted four times, but never committed a crime...

~You automatically assume everyone who is expecting is having a girl...

~You own new clothing in 3 little sizes for all 4 seasons (because you don'tknow when or how big)...

~You look twice when you see a lady bug...

~You're more interested in what will happen in March 2006 than in March 2009...

~You know people who understand when you talk about 2 day months & 5 day months...

~Your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years...

~You know who the Rumor Queen is ... AND ... you don't know who she is...

~You know that forecast doesn't have anything to do with the weather...

~You've waited so long, they re-checked your fingerprints to see if they changed...

~Trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints and wonder if fingerprints grow wrinkles...

~When you speak of "that time of month" you're talking about CCAA updates & referrals...

And finally...You might be adopting from China if you love someone you've never met with all your heart!

Weekend plans

for this kid will hopefully consist of alot of this. We went to the doctors today after a week of what we thought was a cold and she put him on antibiotics for walking pneumonia. So R&R are his only weekend plans.

Much to his dismay this will NOT be part of his weekend plans. He asked the doctor if he could try and play on Saturday. I think you know her answer but it was not the answer he wanted to hear despite feeling miserable!

We are the champions!

That's right! Logan had is championship basketball game last night and they won 33 to 21! The basketball season has officially come to an end! At the end of the game they all got trophies and had their pictures taken to be placed in the gym. Did I have my camera? Nope. Being a first time basketball mom I had no idea that they would get trophies. Also at last weeks game the lighting was horrible and my pictures came out really dark. I either need a better camera or the gym needs better lighting! Actually I think both scenarios are true! One of Logan's friends moms came to the game better equipped than myself (meaning she had a camera) and she graciously agreed to make copies for us.

*This is not a picture from the championship game but after some editing it is decent.

My Valentines

No exciting plans for Valentine's Day for us unless you consider an indoor soccer game followed by a casual dinner exciting. I don't mind at all. Dan wants to choose another charm for my latest obsession~my Pandora bracelet! Now that sounds kind of exciting to me! Happy Valentine's Day!

The neglected blog

Update:Here is the one and only basketball picture. As for Thursday's game we were in a rush to get to the game and I thought I put the camera on the front seat only to realize when we got to the game that I had indeed forgotten it~AGAIN! I do have indoor soccer pictures from Christian's game this morning but his school name is on his shirt and I am not computer savvy enough to figure out how to hide it. I will also post Ethan's game pictures on facebook too because as a parent I would hate to post pictures of another person's child without their permission on a public site. If you are a friend on facebook you can find them there.

Welcome to the "neglected blog"! I seem to have these spurts that I post often and other times that a couple weeks will past before I post. Let me just confess right off the bat that not only have I neglected the blog but I also realized that I have neglected to take pictures of the boys in quite awhile. It is totally pathetic considering Ethan and Christian are both playing soccer and Logan has been playing basketball for a couple of months and yet I have no pictures to share! I did take the camera to Logan's basketball game on Thursday night and as I went to take my first picture the camera battery died! I think I might have got the shot but I don't know how good it was! If it came out I will post it later. Speaking of the game it was a great game! They won 21 to 22! I promise to take the camera to the game this Thursday and to the soccer games on Saturday! Stay tuned for pictures!

Last week the boys all had their yearly doctor's appointments. Ethan weighs 73 lbs, Logan weighs 59 lbs, and Christian weighs 56 lbs! It is funny that Logan and Christian are almost 2 years apart in age yet almost weight the same! Christian has hit a growth spurt recently. All my boys have usually stayed in about the 70-75th percentile (with Christian being a little higher) when it comes to their weight. All is well with Ethan and Logan but Christian will be going to see and ENT for his tonsils. His tonsils have always been larger than average but his left tonsil is so big it is almost goes to the center of his month. He also snores alot so their pediatrician thought with both those issues combined his tonsils may need to come out.

So there is a brief update until I can get some pictures up! This week will be another busy week with practices, church, Valentine's day parties, and volunteering at the school book fair. The boys all have practice tonight. Same time but in three different locations. Not to mention Dan works until 8:00pm tonight. Thank God for my parents who offered to help me shuttle the boys to their various events!

It's coming.....again

Tonight starts yet another winter storm warning for our area. Yep more snow is on its way! Could this mean a snow day for the kids tommorow? At least there will be three people excited for snow! As for me I say "bring on Spring!"

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

My blogging has been a little slow due to there not being much to report except the hum drum of everyday life. Surely there has to be something going on that is worth reporting in our household! So here goes~bullet style!

~ Ethan and Christian started indoor soccer on Saturday at a local soccer dome. Oh it was so cold! The dome is not heated and it was maybe 10 degrees out. Christian played at 8am so 10 degrees is probably being generous and Ethan played at 1:00pm. They both loved it and both scored the one and only goals for their teams even though they lost. Unfortuantely I forgot my camera but it would have been difficult to take any pictures with my glove covered hands shoved in my pockets the entire time!

~Logan is still playing basketball and made his first basket this week from the free throw line. This is his first year playing and he is playing with a team of fourth graders (he is in third grade) and this team has already played a year before together. He is at a slight disadvantage but is catching on and enjoying it though I think his true passion is of course football, with basketball coming in second, and soccer a distant last.

~Ethan just finished working on a report on China. Over the last couple of weeks he has been working on it at school. When I asked him why he can't work on it at home he said "Mom the teachers do not want the parents doing the report for us so we have to do it all at school." I have the tendency to be "that mother" who some may say helps a little bit too much when it comes to reports and visual aids. I couldn't resist the urge to print out the various pictures he needed for the report and to strongly suggest "my ideas" on how the poster should look even buying the materials that "I" thought would make is look good. Of course when the poster board was complete I did manage to keep my mouth shut when the words weren't quite straight or the pictures weren't as neatly cut out as I thought they should have been.

~Is it spring yet? Ugh I am tired of this incredibly cold weather and snow we have been having! As I sit here I find it hard to find the motivation to leave my warm house and truck off into the cold weather to the store. Can't we just have cereal for dinner tonight?

~For Christmas Dan bought me a Pandora bracelet and added some charms. It is a "family bracelet" with each of the kids initials and a charm representing their interests beside their initial. For example Ethan has a soccer ball next to his initial. As I sit hear looking at it I think I need some new charms. Hmm Valentine's Day is right around the corner~hint hint.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The ladybug

This week has been very difficult for me emotionally in terms of our adoption. As everyone who reads this blog knows and from a previous post I am really struggling with the wait. Some days are better than others but this week has been pretty hard. As I struggle I find myself asking God to "give me the strength and patience to get through this wait." On Wednesday night I asked God to "please just give me a sign so I can continue to hold on." In the China adoption community the ladybug is a sign of good luck and also symbolizes that referrals are on their way.

As I walked into the living room yesterday I noticed a small red speck on the floor. I assumed it was one of the holly berries from a Christmas wreath. As I bent down to pick it up I noticed that is was a LADYBUG! Ladybugs definitely are not common around this time of year when it is 30 degrees out and there is snow on the ground. I believe it was a sign for us to continue on in this journey and have FAITH that He will carry us through.

Sled riding

On Sunday we took the boys sled riding for the first time this year. I was a little unsure if I would be participating because I had hurt my back from shoveling the driveway on Saturday. I told Dan "it is definitely time to invest in a snow blower(though we say this every year and every year we end up shoveling hence me hurting my back!). The weather was perfect for an afternoon of sled riding. It wasn't too cold if you were bundled up and bundled up and "I" sure was! Before leaving my mom offered me an extra pair of snow pants to wear. After putting them on and realizing my extra "size" I debated about wearing them. I looked about 50 lbs heavier and just hoped against all hope that noone I knew would be there. Logan was the first to comment saying in a timid voice "mom, umm, your legs look well kinda big." Great I officially felt like the Michelin woman! I swear these were not your "normal" snowpants. These had extra insulation and I noticed they were a bit too short!

Back to the sled riding which is the real focus of this post! As I watched the boys have fun sledding down the hill I couldn't help but remember a couple years back when there would be no way that Ethan would go sled riding. He hates roller coasters or anything that makes his stomach "drop" as he puts it. I can remember in the past him standing there and watching everyone else have fun and I would think to myself "I know he wishes he could be sledding and having fun like everyone else." It was sad to see him stand there. This year was completely different! He couldn't get enough of going up and down the hill! He even tried going on his stomach which is something he never would have tried in the past! Maybe he will try roller coasters next. We all had a great time and with winter just approaching here I am sure we will have many more opportunities to sled ride again!

* In case you are wondering~ no you will not find many pictures of the "Michelin" woman!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Yes I know I am a few days late but I am happy to say that our "routine" finally returned to normal today with the boy's going back to school. Logan was ready, Christian was ready, and Ethan well, he will never be ready to see his vacation end. In honor of the new year Ethan decided well, okay, I decided that he needed to start the new year with a "new look." He loves his longer hair and I deal with it. Yesterday I had had enough and told him he needed to get it cut. Yes cut not trimmed like I usually let him do. I felt as if I had let him sport his unruly longer look long enough and now we needed to come to a compromise. I am very happy with his new look. It is still a "longer" look but it has a style to it which was very much lacking in his previous "style." Does he like it? Well let's just say he is still getting use to it. I will have to take a picture later but you can see from the previous post his previous "style."

So back to the New Year. I was very ready to say goodbye to 08. Obviously it did not end how I had hoped it would end. So we are looking forward to 09 knowing with a high amount of certainty that this will be the year that we see Mia's face for the first time! That will definitely be the highlight of 09 for us! What could possibly top that? So stay tuned for what I am sure will be a very exciting year!