Just me and my Dolly

Grandpa just left here with the little boys. He is taking them out to lunch with his mother and back to his house for a while.
He will probably be told he has his hands full ;-)
J and O are at Friday school until 3:00. It's only the 2 of us for 5 whole hours.
Going to spend the day working around the house to impress the social worker. The goal is to get it just right clean. Not too clean so it's obvious we couldn't possibly spend any time with our children because we're so busy scrubbing our days away, but not too dirty making it appear that we're so busy, oh you know, being filthy. Ah, the joy of striving for a delicate balance in the midst of my lunacy, while trying way too hard and over thinking everything. Since it is Friday and our meeting is on Tuesday, I'm going to have to lock the kids away somewhere for the weekend to keep the house tidy. Shhhh. It will be our little secret.
Why aren't tiny ringing alert bells that respond to clapping automatically installed in remote controls? Why why why????? The hours of my life wasted in looking here there and everywhere for that buggar, flabbergasted at its stunning ability to hide from me. Currently the tv is out of commission because I CAN'T LOCATE THE REMOTE and I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get it to work without it. I think ours has little legs, coupled with a mean and rude sense of humor that takes pleasure in watching me go crazy with a capital C as I search and search. Not usually the paranoid type, but I have a sneaking suspicion that thing is out to get me. Do you like my AHOPE shirt? We have a cool little friend from there now. He is 12 years old and his name is Dawitt. As is all too common, his story is a very sad one. We love our AHOPE buddy and pray for him to have A Hope that brings him comfort and peace.
Skating birthday party tomorrow for a friend of Jayla. I'm going along for some girl bonding. Will make sure to wear our 80's headbands so we fit in. I think that was the decade I last put on roller skates. Those headbands are making a comeback, no? I saw one of my youthful friends on facebook wearing one. Not exactly up on current fashion trends, but I do know that I'm ready to sing I love rock n roll so put another dime in the jukebox baby while we're there because we built this city on rock and roll and I just can't fight this feeling anymore. When I imagine skating around in circles with those colorful strobe lights shining on the floor, I hear those same old songs playing in my mind. We'll see what kind of music they play in 2009. Gosh I'm old. Hoping Jayla will share a couple's skate with her mommy because I still love holding her hand.
Have a great weekend!!

I cried too.

Reading the Cardboard Testimonies.
Because, like many of you, I am gratefully familiar with that feeling, those emotions.
The ones that arise from His transforming power, His unfailing love, His tender mercies, His comfort in our times of deepest despair, His hope, His joy that emerges when there is no obvious reason to be joyful, His unyielding pursuit of our hearts, our minds, allegiance, our lives.....That is our God. He is so good. Indescribably so.
When I hear Bill Maher at the Oscars say we need to stop the horrible things we do because of our silly Gods, I think about the people who shared their stories on pieces of cardboard, and I wonder if those like him have stopped to truly consider the flip side to that coin.
If we take God out of the lives of His people, if we make them no longer free or able to live their lives in sold out commitment to Him, we will not only lose the terrible atrocities that do unfortunately take place at the hands of misguided religious zealots, but our world would lose immeasurable good that produces huge, life altering benefit to humankind as well. People passionate for justice, serving strangers, feeding the poor, clothing the needy, sacrificing in tangible ways so they will have more to give and share, being moved with compassion to the extent that they can not stand idly by, loving one another with the kind of love human beings can not muster on their own in response to the beckoning of a gracious God who has shown Himself in majestic splendor to them individually, which daily conforms their very essence. Without those motivations, the prompting of the Holy Spirit moving in the lives of His people, there would me much less good to go around and everyone would experience the effects of that tragic loss.
Those cardboard testimonies were beautiful, real, honest, vulnerable. I've been trying to think of what mine would say, and I'm not sure.
What I do know is this: In a world with plenty of suffering and pain, it is hard to imagine anyone suggesting that kind of glorious good be taken away, or people being shamed for rejoicing in their God who has given them everything to live for.

Cardboard Testimonies

Saw this on another blog and loved it. Very moving stories.

Easy come easy go.

When the bamboo floors in our house were brand new, clean and shiny, only a week old, there was a day Jayla and her cousin decided it would be a splendid idea to do some furniture rearranging as they played. This piece should go here, not there. Obviously. Who knows what mom and dad were thinking to place it so inappropriately?!

On the phone with a friend, I watched in horror their final steps with the little table as it reached a (clearly better, from a toddler's point of view) destination. The long, slender, dented, white stripe that marked their trail across that pristine floor almost gave her mother a heart attack. I reacted. Overreacted is more like it.....to put it mildly. Alright, I totally freaked out.

A few years later, our floors are scratched, dented, marked, dinged all over the place.
There was a lesson I needed to learn, not necessarily easily, over time.
As I take a look at our well-used floors now, I laugh at myself remembering my former excessive concern over the things we own.
These days it's just a fact of life. Our stuff will likely break. The probability is pretty high. There are several kids here all day long nearly every day. They are busy. Playing hard, as children tend to do.
Things are necessary, but they matter very little in the big picture, the only one that really means anything.
In a house full of young ones, I joke that we have at least a break a day. It's a joke that is entirely true. When dad gets home, we show him what needs repaired. He is no longer surprised, and neither am I.
Don't get too attached to material possessions we tell the kids. We try to model this for them in how we respond day by day as things are lost, ruined, destroyed, misplaced, accidentally broken.
Stewardship is important, definitely. Our house is far from trashed. We spend many hours maintaining and caring for the things we own and the home in which we live. We are determined to not allow this to be where our priority lies though, where our affections reside.
People are sacred. Inanimate items are useful, helpful, enjoyable, but the vast majority of them have no lifelong or eternal meaning. Living beings, they do. Every single one of them.
It has been important key to my sanity to realize and accept this and help our children do the same.
Looking over our floors now, I see the beauty of lives lived on them. They are part of an imperfect home full of imperfect people. I wouldn't change those scratches for the world. They tell a story of our history, one of days of play and energetic activity gone by. Fond memories are tied to those marks. Like the day many moons ago, when our little girl scooted the furniture accross the floor as she played.
Easy come easy go.....
I will take care of my belongings, but reserve my love for my people.

Every once in a while......

being naturally prone to organization pays off.
It would be impossible for me to homeschool, work on fine-tuning my parenting techniques delusionally aiming for nothing less than perfection (until the social worker actually meets our family) and get the house ready for a thorough snoop through. The peeking in the closets part doesn't really scare me. They're nice and neat. Whew. Breathing one small sigh of relief.
Look at them hugging. They are so kind to one another. ALL THE TIME they are like this. Sugary sweet. This is a good sign.

This one can now tie his own big old boot. Another a good sign. Shows independence. Great work Onyx. How well adjusted does he look!?
Better get back to practicing cute curtsies, heavenly harp lessons, elegant tea and crumpet serving, and Emily Dickenson poem memorization.....right after I give the boys fresh mowhawks.

A True Clover

Guess who came to school at our house yesterday?

Remind you of anyone? I was thinking Olivia Newton John circa 1982.....with a hangover.

Making up for lost time.

Our first homestudy is scheduled for next week.
In addition to making a fire evacuation plan, putting up the extinguisher in an easy to locate but hopefully never utilize place, listing our home address, name and phone number near the telephone, placing all dangerously chemical cleaning products and medicines far far out of reach, I AM TRYING TO BECOME THE PARENT I WISH I WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL THIS TIME by being precisely perfect for exactly one week and one day. My thinking is, if I successfully pull this feat off, perhaps it will wipe from the children's minds a lifetime of mistakes and a steep learning curve for their folks. Likely, right?
Oh my goodness. It's exhausting. And, I have to admit, I'm failing miserably.
That social worker is coming here to evaluate us, and talk to our kiddos. (((can you say, dirty laundry?))) I think overall, we're basically fairly decent parents... much of the time...for the most part. Even so, for some reason, anticipating this upcoming peek into every single thing we've ever done as a married couple/dad & mom is slightly dreadful.
She sounded very nice on the phone. And bubbly. And young. I think I scared her with my over-the-top excitement in talking much too quickly and a little too loudly, with a far too high-pitched, screechy voice because I have been dreaming about this moment (or more specifically, the one that will likely follow in a few months) for such a long time and I did not expect her call so soon! Does she have kids? I hope so. Several of them? Even better. Would that be too much to ask?

Will she understand that the best intentions to be a Certain Kind of Excellent Parent who does all the right things has been replaced through the years in our home with a Certain Kind of Pretty Good Parent who does many of the wrong things and feels guilty that she doesn't get it all right all the time? You know, life happens. Raising little people is hard work. I'm not exactly the mom I thought I would be. I need more forgiveness than I would have expected. I fall short time and time again. I'm getting better, but much mercy is still required.
Let it be what it is. I just don't have the energy to keep trying to fake perfection, and I don't think anyone will be fooled ;-)This picture was taken by our sweet guinea pig first born daughter, 10 years+1 day after our wedding. Here we are. A couple of old, flawed people with a slew of kids we're endeavoring to love, treat, guide, and teach well and a heart's desire to welcome more.
We'll try not to mess them all up too badly......

Isn't she lovely?

My mom got us (me) this for our anniversary. 10 years of regular old hand held mixing is apparently long enough. I'm a real homemaker now ;-)

A decade later......

Bobby,
Happy Anniversary!
I've been trying to think of what I would like to say to you today. I thought perhaps I could make a list, my top 10 favorite things about you. Maybe make it funny. Or I could write out a long, romantic, poetic letter.
I can think of a million reasons to tell you I love you.
I might talk about the way you willingly work to take care of us, or how gently you hold your baby, play with your kids on the floor, listen to me chatter as long as I need to anytime about anything. I could mention the personal hobbies and interests you have chosen to let fall by the wayside, instead spending time diapering, correcting, feeding, nurturing little souls, devoting every spare minute to them, with focused attention. I might want to jot down how hard you have worked to prepare yourself for future demands of welcoming more kids, how great you are at maintaining an even keel. I could certainly speak of your considerate nature and your thoughtfulness of others. It would be easy to talk about your integrity and how honest you are with everyone you know, or your mad skills in brewing up an excellent batch of tortellini soup, right after you come out from underneath the cars fixing all their problems.
I would absolutely want to bring up that any time I ever, ever, ever say maybe we could support this or that cause, give so and so a little helping hand, would you mind if we contribute? I have yet to hear you say no. How your generosity astounds me, even with the vast responsibilities you hold.
There is so much I could say.........
When it comes down to describing what I feel on this day, what I want more than anything is to share with you is that I am a true fan of yours. I'm just such a fan.
I really think you are the greatest thing, the best person.
After 10 years of the daily grind, the ups and downs, highs and lows, the good and the not-so-fantastic, being able to say that means the world.
I am a fan.
Here is my corny anniversary song to you. My sentiments exactly.

Thank you for being the kind of man you are. I could not imagine life without you. Your goodness and kindness to me has healed many holes in my heart. I thank God for one of His biggest, greatest gifts to me, my husband, my friend, my love.
I have no idea how I got so blessed.

Just met a new friend.

One who lives in Peyton, has 3 kids and is adopting a little girl from Ehtiopia. Who knew? Went to their house this morning and got along really well. Joy! Rural Petyon Colorado is about as non-diverse as it gets. Yet, what do you know? Amazing things happen. So great to get to know their family and learn that one day our peeps can have some peeps nearby to play with.
Tomorrow, going to Sandy's house for some delectable homemade Indian food. Meeting her cousin, Dan who likes to give me a hard time with his whole "I have to chime in" on your blog (and strongly disagree with every single thing you just said) song and dance. Oh Dan. His lovely lady Amy is in town with him visiting Sandy's family. Should be fun. Maybe ;-) Just kidding Dan. Looking forward to it.

Here is a video of the Jumping Jitterbugs for grandma who is missing JOTSC.
I guess this is their favorite song. Seems like it was in the last video. Along with my WOOOOOing. Apparently my favorite thing to do is WOO.
Taking tomorrow off-
Sandy's in the morning, Mom's night out in the evening. WOOOOO!!!!!
See you Friday : )

Eight is Great

Here is an Eight Things Tag that Chris passed along...I enjoyed reading her lists.
8 Favorite T.V. Shows:
1. Oprah
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Private Practice (By default! It's been paired with Grey's??!!)
4. The Bachelor (where oh where did Jillian go?)
5. Supernanny
6. Nova (I'm a nerd.)
7. 20/20
8. Um....if I watched all of these in a week it would be a miracle. There is no 8.

8 Favorite Dishes:
1. Watermelon
2. Salad
3. Oranges
4. Grapefruit
5. Grilled steak
6. Grilled chicken
7. Grilled salmon

8 things that happened Yesterday:
1. Talked to my super fun friend Chrissy on the tele
2. Spent way too much money on new brakes
3. Schooled some kids (Learned about 13 colonies and Daniel Boone)
4. Made dinner (ham, potatoes, bread, peas and carrots)
5. Watched Jason dump Jillian (sniff sniff, wipe tear away)
6. Caught up with an old friend on Facebook
7. Thought my husband was cool
8. Hugged and kissed little people

8 things I look forward to:
1. Sleeping each night!
2. Adopting kids
3. Melting pot dinner to celebrate our 10th anniversary this week
4. A possible weekend getaway this summer with the kids? (Could it be!!??)
5. Finding out who Jason marries
6. Growing spiritually
7. Finishing adoption paperwork entirely
8. Coffee every morning and chamomile tea every night

8 things I love about Winter:
1. Not much
2. Very little
3. Not a whole lot
4. Less than summer
5. Less than spring
6. Less than fall
7. Baking
8. The snow is pretty

8 things on My Wish List:
1. Kids from Ethiopia
2. Healthy, fun family relationships
3. Less kids in need of parents
4. More homes for kids that need them
5. That weekend get away this summer
6. Some new books for the kids from Goodwill
7. No more child abuse
8. Living a good, grateful, modest life never forgetting what is truly important

Tag-YOU'RE it ;-) Just kidding. If you like it, go ahead then. If not, alrighty.

Healthy as a Couple of Horses

Blood tests results returned: Check.
No problems or concerns.
We're good to go.
Aaaaah.

These Magic Moments

Heart shaped pizzas for my sweethearts.

Opening goodie bags and cards.
So happy for some candy.
Poor dolly was sick with a terrible cold all weekend. Stryder and dad had it too.
The view from Jayla's side where she sat on the top bunk across the room reading us a story.
Our view of her. Pure loveliness.
He is amazingly fun these days.
Building model cars last night with dad.

The finished product.

Enjoying the kids immensely right now. My babies. At certain times more than others I suddenly become painfully aware of them slipping through my fingers. Simultaneously, I feel exquisitely torn between sorrow and bliss, all at once, leaving me in a heap of oozing emotion, hugging them and squeezing tightly, hoping if I hold on it might slow this all down. They're growing up, getting so big. Overnight they seem to change. Their faces, they look different to me, thinner, older. Trying to soak up the hours, the minutes, the priceless moments with them. I don't want to blink. This won't last. At the end of each day I can honestly say, there is no place else I would rather be.
Thank you God for Jayla. Thank you God for Onyx. Thank you God for Tyden. Thank you God for Stryder. Thank you God for Clover. Thank you God for Bobby.
Thank you for this opportunity and the treasure of precious time with them.
Let me make the most of it.

What shall we do?

Bob and I have been asking ourselves this often about the HIV+ orphans in Ethiopia. Many of which are fending for themselves on the streets of Addis Ababa.
Lisa is one of my most favorite blogging people on earth, a mentor of sorts in a blogging kind of way.

Although I have never met her, she has had a profound impact on us as we have followed her family's beautiful story of service and obedience. They have added 4 HIV+ kids to their 7 biological by way of adoption. She shares their journey and struggles with such humility, honesty, wisdom, insight, courage, and depth. I genuinely admire them for welcoming into their family children who could be so easily forgotten, left without hope for a home, or parents, severely limiting their possibilities for a bright future. Shouldn't all children have that? These kids deal with not only the loss of their parents and/or siblings, but the stigmatization of a virus that no longer needs to be life threatening, nor is it contracted through casual or household contact.
I saw just the smallest glimpse of this firsthand over the weekend during the Universal Precautions segment that accompanied my CPR/First Aid class (a.k.a. The Most Boring Day of My Whole Entire Life.) It saddened me to hear how the instructor talked about this and the way she repeatedly used the word AIDS when she meant HIV+ as if the terms were synonymous. With disdain. These kids deserve better.
Through Lisa's blog I have become further educated in the distinction between HIV+ and AIDS, learning more about why it is we don't hear much about AIDS in our country anymore due to the medications that are available.
After much discussion, Bob and I don't feel at this time we are prepared to adopt HIV+ kids, although we do leave that possibility wide open for the future.
We want to do something though. The question is what?
Sponsoring a child living at AHOPE, an orphanage Lisa works with, which provides a home and education for HIV+ children. That's it! We can do that. Only $35/month can make a significant impact on the life of an HIV+ child. We may not be ready or able to adopt an HIV+ orphan, but we can do something tangible to help these kids. How very exciting.
Here is a super cool t-shirt we will wear proudly and help spread the word. Only $10. If you would like one, you can go here!

Happy Hearts Day

Jayla was thrilled about her clean chompers at the Dentist's office yesterday.
These guys were happy too......
Because they were watching this: Sponge Bob is a major treat for boys without cable.
Hmm.....how long are we going to have to wait here? (only 3 hours)

Too long. Too, too long.
Paperclip dude was the only one with cavities. Boo. Our first child to need fillings. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
The Wild One's newest fashion fad: Bandaids on the snoozle. Every day. Who knows?
2 crowns needed for me will make for some fun upcoming dental visits. Can hardly wait!
Very early this morning kids' TB tests were checked. Guess what? They are tuberculosis free! Shocking, I know. Pediatrician gave them all a clean bill of excellent health and no reason more children shouldn't be able to enter the home.
Waiting on results still for the slew of blood tests on Bob and I. While we were having physicals done anyway, our Dr. decided to check cholesterol and everything else under the sun. Probably best for old folks like us.
We'll see if all that healthy living is doing the trick. I don't think I've ever had an actual physical before. Only babies. I have had several of them.
Dr. laughed at me when asking about my alcohol consumption during the check up.
Her: How often do you drink?
Me: Oh, I've really been meaning to drink more, but I forget. I'm pretty busy around the house, you know?
Her: Hahaha.
Me: (Straight faced)
Her: Seriously?
Me: Totally. I try to remember to hit the red wine for the anti oxidants etc. I just rarely ever remember. Maybe a glass once or twice a month.
Her: (Chuckling) This is the first time in my entire medical career I have ever heard someone tell me they intend to drink more.
Me: Hey, I aim to please......The good Dr. Oz recommends it. It's my obligation to comply, no?
*********************************************************************************
I'm spending a romantic Valentine's Day tomorrow with a first aid/CPR class. Bobby is already certified through his work.
We are almost finished with round one of our paperwork extravaganza.
Not bad, not bad. Lots accomplished in the past couple of weeks.
We love ourselves some little Ethiopian people. So so much.
**********************************************************************************
6) More compensation and privileges for more work-
That's what I wanted to mention yesterday but ran out of time.
Our older kids have more responsibility around the house and they assist us with the younger ones. To help keep their attitudes pleasant and their motivation to serve high, they are compensated for their efforts.
They get more allowance-we give 1/2 their age/week. So, Jayla earns $3.50, Onyx $2.50and so on. That may sound like a lot, but they do several chores each day, and they divide their loot between Give/Save/Spend envelopes. For an extra helping hand or job, I might give 5 or 10 character points.
In addition, we try to do bonus fun things for them. One of our favorites is to pull them out of bed after everyone has fallen asleep to hang out with mom and dad *late* at night.
We want to try and avoid the always tempting larger family dynamic of older kids becoming burdened with overwhelming responsibility that should belong to the parents. Yet, at the same time, they are required as part of our clan to joyfully labor. This seems to be an ever-changing balance.

Signing off for the weekend.
Have a great one!

My Funny Valentines

February 14, 2008:

On last week's Supernanny, (did you see it?) there was a family with 10 kids. They did call Super Jo Frost in to help, so obviously it wasn't the most tranquil home : )
Talking to a friend at church who has 2 boys and is adopting 2 girls, she asked me, how do you handle 5, and how do you think you will do with 7? Remembering the t.v. show we watched earlier that day, I laughed. I don't know!

Hearing questions just like that from time to (every)time (we go out), I pause to think about it often. I say some of us are just large family types of people. I do believe that's true. However, can a couple be open to welcoming many children and still struggle greatly? Of course! Supernanny case in point.
What makes me think we can handle more children than we already have?
I have to honestly and humbly say, I'm not sure about any of this.

Walking out on where we feel God tugging our hearts is scary and unknown. What we have is a continuous peaceful assurance that He will be with us each step of the way along with a desire to not barge through any doors that He does not open for us. Would it be easier to stick with what we've got and move on from here? Absolutely. We are growing out of the baby stage for the first time in years. We could plan a vacation and enjoy some of the freedom the next stage of life would bring. But that's not where Bob and I would be most fulfilled. We are compelled to do this.
You know when your passion drives you and you can not possibly say no? You just can't? That is where we are. So, these are a couple of the things we have learned that I believe will help us deal with large family living.

1) Let go of selfishness.
Trying to get too much of MY personal "needs" met is always at odds with caring for a bigger, young family. It just isn't possible to have my way too often. I have to pare down what I consider essential for myself. My time will come, as will Bob's for our personal agendas and desires. During this season, family is our priority and there isn't an abundance of time left over. When I get most frustrated is when I focus too much on me. God will meet my needs, and I have to seriously contemplate what they truly are, being genuinely thankful for the little things, like a half hour walk alone when dad can watch the kids, or a bubble bath on a weekend during naptime.

2) Have the kids come along side us.
It may not be feasible to schedule tons of one on one outings with each child in real life time. But every single day, we can have the kids come along side us. I can choose special helpers to assist with supper and sit on the counter chatting with me as I cook. Bob can ask for a hand in the garage. If he has to run to Home Deopt, he can take someone with him. During the baby's nap, Jayla and I can lock ourselves in the bathroom for a few minutes to polish our toe nails. I can climb on the top bunk to read a story to Tyden. Grab the Connect Four for a quick game with Onyx. The kids consider these times special, and they can be incorporated, (for free!) each day.

3) Keep materialistic expectations low.
We try to devote time, not money to their happiness and sense of well being. We believe they will feel more loved by interaction and attention paid to them than they will with the latest toy, video game, or activity. The number one question is how will/do you afford it? It doesn't have to be as expensive as people think. We are willing to live a counter cultural lifestyle, low on frills, and really believe this is ultimately good for all of us.

4) Simple, simple, simple.
I like to keep the flow of items into the house under control and purge often, as I go. When there is too much junk lying around everywhere it frays my nerves quickly! I could go on about this forever as I am an enormous fan of simplicity, in nearly every way, including scheduling, but I won't ;-)

5) Focus on marriage after the kids go to bed.
Our lives are busy, loud and sometimes quite hectic. We like to hang out together as much as possible when 8:00 rolls around. We rarely split up to do different things in the evenings. I stay off the computer, (most of the time.) If we watch t.v. we watch together. If we read, same thing. Lately, we've enjoyed our nighttime paperwork ;-) With a cup of tea and some quietness, sitting at the table with one another, it isn't so bad! We pray together at night and keep "offense accounts" short. If Bob and I are at odds, it doesn't work well in a rather raucous, sometimes stressful home. We need to be united, as much as we can. Resentments can build quickly, and the workload is always present, so continual focus on marriage maintenance is paramount to our happy home life.

These are only things that our family has been learning and developing. Constant adjustments are necessary and being willing to recognize where needs have changed and what isn't working well. We do not have it figured out by any means, but time and experience does teach, and we try to be good students, so that we will be better equipped to fulfill our calling.

I am not saying this should be the plan for your life. I realize every family situation and environment is unique. I may post more later. For now, the school day calls.....

Hope you are having a fantastic Thursday.

The Little Red Hen

It seems she and I will soon have a lot in common.
I just bought one of these. I haven't purchased a loaf of bread in months, so I think I'm ready for this very exciting step. Serioulsy, am I a wheat grinding, flour milling mama? I have really been thinking I need an apron too.
Signing off now to braid the girl's hair then get back to work on our hand-made demin jumpsuits. Quilting bee this afternoon ;-)

Counting Down.....

to bedtime.
Rockin good time Dr. appointments for the kids this afternoon. Tootsie Pop sweet incentive hanging over their heads for excellent behavior there. Maybe I will remember our forms and not have to come all the way home for them like I did yesterday when we had our blood work drawn and TB tests checked.
Sometimes living in Boonville isn't so fabulous.
For instance, when you drive a half hour to get somewhere, realize you forgot something crucially important, drive a half hour back home to grab it, and drive a half hour again to your original destination, to do what needs to be done and then make the half hour commute back to the casa.
If you are currently considering a move to the quiet country, you should really think about such things. Ah.....yes.
I may have left essential paperwork here, but I did have all 5 children, snacks, water bottles, and books for entertainment while they waited at each of our 2 medically-mandated stops, with me. Not to mention, matching shoes and socks were worn by each and every single one of us! That seems like it should count for something. Something huge. But it mattered not one single bit.
I'm wondering if by now we could just become approved for adoption on the basis of sheer effort? I will go ahead and suggest that to the social worker and see how she responds. Ah.....yes.
Insomnia plagued me last night. Dolly wasn't feeling well so she and I drag on today. Come 8:00 come.

An Electrifying Tuesday Morning

Honey Do

We bought one of these decals a couple was selling to fund their Ethiopian Adoption a few months ago. It sat and sat because I wasn't sure what to do with it. I didn't want to put it on a van we will be trading in soon. Out of nowhere, this idea popped into my head and I'm so happy it did! We (Bob) painted a square on the wall, put the decal on it and framed it with trim. I love it. Only, it looks a little bit like our heart is in Sudan. Hmmmm.....That's alright. Anyone who sees it will know what it means ;-)

Dirty (with food) Dancing

When Humans Become Pin Cushions

Ouch!
Physicals this morning for daddy-o and myself.
Shots included: Tetanus, TB, Hep A, Hep B.
Round one of several: Check.
Blood to be drawn Monday morning after a 12 hour fast for HIV, cholesterol, and whatever else they want to know about us.

Poor Bob. Got called back out last night at 10:00 pm. after working all day yesterday. Made it home at 7:00 am, in just enough time to shower and head back to CS for Dr. appointments. Then, had to go to the bank for some notarizing. Didn't make it back home until lunch time. Needless to say, he's now snuggled in for a long winter's nap.
He was a champ, not complaining once. I don't know how he did it. It was blowing my mind. If it were myself, oy. I would hate to be him having to listen to me.
What he was mostly tired of was me endlessly interrogating him, "aren't you sleepy?! How exactly do you feel right this very minute? And, don't leave any detail out." etc. etc. so on and so forth....
This was followed with further annoyance when I went on to insist that I chauffeur him around in spite of the (tiny, little) fact that my driving leaves much to be desired. The DMV people were dangerously generous with the driver's licences the day they issued me one. Shhhhhh.

He couldn't help nodding off on the way home. Watching him sleep was thoroughly entertaining while he unwittingly did a super funny Bobble Head Bob Doll impression. I did feel pretty bad for the guy. Even fear for his life with mama at the wheel couldn't keep him awake. Looking over at him was making my driving even worse. Let's just say we're all breathing a sigh of relief to be home.
This is how I was after getting my shots. Probably without the snow hat. Or the backpack. And, I don't think I had on an Iron Man shirt, but you get the idea.
Kidding. Only kidding. I was crying though. Secretly. On the inside.
J & O made a nice little ride for themselves a couple afternoons ago.

Box car kids. That apparently like wearing winter hats. Indoors.
J showing her *tired* old daddy some love.
The friendly one who has recently found his round-the-clock smile again since he learned to S P E A K. Oh happy day. I can rarely even understand him. Nonetheless, his constant chatter trying to communicate with us seems to have cured (most of)his angst.
Last but not least, the baby doll who has me wrapped so tightly around her little finger I am like putty in her hands.I've never minded anything less.
I promise not to return until Monday. For real this time. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!