Noodles, Tea, and a Didi Please!

To the Birthday Guy

2012-02-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

To Daddy on his 38th birthday:

We love you for so many reasons we couldn't possibly ever write them all down. You are an amazing dad who is loving and patient, funny and silly, a hard worker, and fiercely loyal to your family to name just a few.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I vote we start going backwards from here on out!

Valentine's Day or "Thanksgiving Day"

2012-02-14T17:34:00.002-05:00

Heart-shaped peanut butter n' honey were in order today along with some chocolate for strawberry dipping. My mom used to make me these kinds of lunches growing up! Everything was always pretty and yummy! Of course, I am not my mother, so my kids only got their pretty lunch today. I should do better!

We had a chocolate scavenger hunt today too! good thing they found it before Lola did. I had to bribe her outside with some peanut butter!

Gram and Pop told the kids to look for the FedEx man today, and they were on a mission! Grant saw him right away and they were so excited to receive all the treats from them! Our family movie nights should be planned out for the next several weeks!

Happy Valentines Day! or as Jake calls it, "Happy Thanksgiving Day"!

Boy's Time Vs. Girl's Time

2012-02-12T21:35:00.000-05:00

To say my boys love Star Wars would be an understatement. They love the books, movies, characters, clothes, and Star Wars Encyclopedia; basically anything Star Wars! Jake is especially fond of Darth Vader. Considering he heads to the "Dark Side" or whatever it is, I should be worried, I think.

Eric decided to take them to see it on the big screen in 3D and boy, were they hyped! They wore their costumes, masks and brought the Lego Star Wars characters to the movies. Ally didn't want to go, and I can't ever imagine why!

I dropped them off and Ally and I went out for some girl time (aka shopping and sweets!). Here is our attempt at taking their pic as they were walking in the theater!

Throughout the movie, a couple of characters including Darth himself romped through the theater with their "glow-in-the-dark light saber". Jake got his pic with his new best friend.

Now on to all things sweet! Ally picked out a gift for her friend, drank a frappuccino, tried on clothes......

tried on more clothes........... and then we stopped at a cupcake shop for some beautiful, delicious treats.

And I've discovered that if you take a 12 year old girl shopping, she'll want some caffeine. And if you give her caffeine, she'll want a cupcake. And if you give her a cupcake, she'll want to go shopping.......

Just in case you're wondering,

Lemon cake with a raspberry center and raspberry chiffon buttercream frosting and a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream frosting.

What Homeschooling Looks Like

2012-02-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

(Someone asked where I bought the "letter cookies". I found them in Albertson's bakery department which is the same company as Acme. I like them because they are small so eating your full name isn't too bad!)

This and That Thursday

2012-02-09T13:59:00.001-05:00

I love a clear day here because Mt. Hood is spectacular. It's huge; it's white; and it stares you in the face. One of these days, I'm going to bring my camera with me just so I can get a clear shot. Ally tried taking some with my iPhone. It doesn't do the day or the mountain justice from the grainy picture. I promise, it was a clear blue day!

Little Mister has been working on getting used to his glasses. They hurt the back of his ears quite a bit so I think we need to have them adjusted. Any advice on trying to fit glasses to Asian faces really well? It has taken a lot of adjustment for Grant to find the right fit. Jake was even more difficult.....still is. He's wearing a small adult frame and using a band on the glasses to keep them from falling off. Hmmm....

We found some shortbread cookies in the shape of letters at the store. Great way of practicing phonics if the kids don't eat them first!

What I Want My Kids to Understand:

2012-02-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

During our Bible time in school we've been using the book Who is God? And How Can I Really Know Him. It is the first book in a series, and I love it.

One of the questions it helps us answer is why did God create me if he needs nothing? Why am I here? As we have been delving into these questions, I began thinking long term knowing that someday my kids may wonder why they had the beginning to life that they did. Why did God allow it to happen that way? Why adopted? Why born in another country to different birthparents? I pray all three of my kids would really search their hearts to truly understand what purpose God had in placing them in the family He chose for them.

It hit home even more when I read this poem by Russell Kelfer in a book I've been reading. I'd thought I'd share as it's a good reminder for all of us:

You are who you are for a reason.

You're part of an intricate plan.

You're a precious and perfect unique design,

Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,

And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You've been formed by the Master's rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God!

Tuesday's PE

2012-02-07T17:44:00.003-05:00

Courage

2012-02-06T22:01:00.002-05:00

Sitting in the rock climbing center, I was watching Ally and Grant scramble their way to the top of a huge wall with ease. They climb in a group of about 8 kids with 2 adults strapped to their gear. I saw one blonde headed little boy out of the corner of my eye. He was off to the side away from the other children and working alone with a trainer on a wall. I think it was the bright blonde hair and a huge smile that made me notice him. He was trying to pull himself up the wall while he was safely hooked to the trainer. Then I noticed his feet and ankles that were turned and looked so stiff. As he pulled up with his skinny little arms, I couldn't help notice his stiff hand curled in. I could see this little guy had cerebral palsy but that was in no way stopping him. His trainer said, "Great job! You're doing better!" to which he replied, "Too slow! I want to be faster. I'm doing it again!".

Not being in his shoes, I know I couldn't fully comprehend how difficult this was for him. What amazing determination and bravery he showed! I'm not even his mama, and I was proud of him. A lesson in determination played out right in front of me today!

Le Artiste!

2012-02-05T21:27:00.002-05:00

Here's Lookin' at You!

2012-02-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

There is an insane number of pictures in this post. Really, insane. But I have an issue with decision making. Someone should seriously form an intervention for me and my issue 'cause this is over the top.

Little squirt joined the Four Eyes Club today, and I think he looks super smart!

I am so in love with this kid.

And he is so in love with his froggy boots!

Someone else got something new. At the orthodontist this week, we discovered that Grant's scissor bite has been corrected and progress made on his overbite. He removed the large glued palate piece from Grant's mouth. With all that progress, the doctor thought that he might enjoy actually seeing progress so a couple of front braces were put on. Man, he's just darn handsome too! Sorry, gushing mommy here.

One of my favs

Oh wait, maybe this is my fav.

See? Indecision is my middle name.

Had to throw in a pic of my girl just 'cause.

Just because:

1) She's mine.

2) She did most of my grocery shopping for me

3) She's a pro at taking out splinters from little boys' fingers

4) She grows up way too quickly

A Dose of Vitamin D

2012-02-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

Who said Oregon was only gray and rainy? What gorgeous weather! We finished school early, hit the gym, and then headed out. Gotta pack in that Vitamin D when you can around here!

Some were climbing trees....

Some couldn't quite make it up!

See? Told you it was beautiful! This park is right by our house and it's a great little walk with a small pond and the Tualatin River.

Big sis always helps him out and shows him fun things!

Good day for a bike ride. Only problem is this old girl finds it hard to keep up! Speaking of old, Jake told Eric that I wasn't fat but I was old. Eric asked why mommy was old. Jake replied, "Well, 'cause she go 'creak, creak' like this when she walk!" (He was making his fingers walk when he said this to show Eric). Stinker!

The hill headed back home seems pretty steep when you're tired. When Eric and the kids go running, this is what the kids beat him at! Ally (again) is helping Jake get up the hill on his scooter. Then she headed back down to get her bike and rode back up again! Hmmm.....maybe she could get us both up that hill if I ride on her handlebars. (wink, wink)

Six Months Since.....

2012-02-01T13:27:00.000-05:00

Finally starting to get into the swing of things. It has only taken six months. Truth be told, we still have some things like a home church that aren't quite into the swing yet, but we have certainly made progress. Since we are homeschooling and living in a completely new place, giving the kids opportunities to make friends has been important. I couldn't find a homeschool group like we previously had without making a huge time and distance commitment that I couldnt commit to. Fall soccer provided friendships for the kids, but after the season, things really quieted down.

We are very thankful for two homeschoooling families that live in our neighborhood. The kids enjoy playing together. But lately, we've been on more of a rolling schedule:

Monday: Rock climbing

Tuesday: gymnastics homeschool class

Wednesday: Lego pneumatics (Grant)

Sunday: painting class (Ally)

(Grant in red on wall)

(Ally in blue on wall)

Little League will be starting soon enough for the boys too. I think "home" will always be Delaware to us since that's where family and friends are, but Oregon is becoming more comfortable. I know it will take time. Our church issue isn't for a lack of churches. On the contrary! There are a ton of them out here which may be part of the problem..... too many to visit! I'd be pretty happy though if we could just find a church that fit us a little better!

Our Fridays are mostly spent on a field trip, catching up on anything we didn't finish, and fun things like playing games and drawing/art. I'm certainly breathing a little more deeply as the textbooks are inching their way to complete which leaves more time for delving into subjects the kids would like to learn more about. I promised Grant (per his request) that if he finished 3rd grade math, I'd buy him the 4th grade text. He has worked very diligently and has a few lessons left.

Although not finished with our school year, I can say that I've learned character lessons myself this year along with learning even more about my kids. Not a bad deal at all.

Part 2: A Grandparent Worthy Post (picture heavy)

2012-01-28T19:30:00.001-05:00

The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland was really pretty. We went to an orchid garden in Guangzhou in 2010 that looked very similar to this. The festivities for Chinese New Year were so much fun. There are several Chinese schools in the area so plenty of kiddos participated in entertaining. We also stopped in the tea house for a snack while waiting for one of the performances. We had a black tea that had a very "woody" scent and was really yummy. Eric isn't a big fan of the Chrysanthemum teas we were offered in China so this tea was perfect. We were served tea in single gaiwans which requires you to tilt the top to prevent drinking the tea leaves and holding a couple of pieces of porcelain together. The lady in the shop said she was very impressed with Jake's tea drinking skills. Who knew? We also enjoyed a red bean moon cake and a puffed rice bar (think Chinese rice crispy treat).

Those boys really aren't too far away from each other height wise. No wonder people asking if they're twins.

The kids made paper lanterns and colored dragons

Waiting for tea!

And waiting for the show.....

I thought this little guy was adorable!

This little girl was showing our kiddos how to do the Chinese yo-yo.

Little did we know that we have a pro on our hands. We have a couple of these, but they hadn't been very interested in them (and Jake lost parts to them). But Jake just went to town on this thing!

Grant and Ally got the hang of it too.

We finished the afternoon with a local Chinese restaurant that served pigeon and garlic dishes and a $90 bowl of shark fin soup. Nope, we didn't get it. Ally said the only thing she liked about the pigeon dish in China was dissecting the head. We stuck with Mongolian beef, crispy pork, beef noodle soup, and cashew chicken......really yummy! And no, I did not take a peek in the kitchen. There are some things you just don't want to know.

Part 1: Lan Su Chinese Garden (Picture Heavy)

2012-01-28T19:03:00.001-05:00

Wasatch International Adoptions and Carson

2012-01-27T18:24:00.001-05:00

I don't think I've ever really posted about Wasatch International. This is the adoption agency we used for our second adoption. If my seal of approval means anything, then you've got it. Our adoptions were like night and day. Wasatch handled everything in a timely manner and knew when paperwork should be completed by government agencies. If it wasn't completed on time, they had usually already called the government agency before I even called Wasatch! They knew the dossier process incredibly well so that we were "smooth sailing" by the time we sent it. I really couldn't say enough about them.

So why rave about them almost two years after the fact? Well, a couple of reasons. Shhh..... don't tell Eric, but I still head on over to their website and look at the WAITING CHILDREN posted there. There are at least two I recognize from when we were looking for our second son that are still on the list.

Another reason is Carson. Carson is aging out this coming December. He is described as smart, clever, helpful and obedient. His thirteenth birthday is nearing and if a family is going to adopt him, they need to get going on all that paperwork! There is an $11,000 waiver to help a family complete his adoption. If you know of anyone or would like more information, contact Kathy@wiaa.org. You can also click his name above or click on the picture to read more information about him.

Another reason is that I frequently get emails from prospective adoptive parents who would like to hear of my experience with Wasatch. They are a smaller agency who truly sees the need of creating forever families and helping children find their way into loving homes. You can still label them a business, but we never felt that way with them. Our adoption didn't seem like a business transaction while using them at all. They were intent on helping us create the family God had intended for us.

And the last reason is that Wasatch has a blog with pictures and information of waiting children. You can find it at Wasatch Waiting Children. I'm reminded of my first conversation with Kathy, their intake referral person, when I called to tell her that we were interested in finding a little boy around the ages of 5-8 years old. Her response was, "Heather, my desk is covered with them. How many would you like to see?". Sadly, I know this to be true. So many children waiting......

Long-Long's New Year

2012-01-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

My mom bought us Long-Long's New Year last year, I believe. We read it today as part of school. If you haven't checked it out before, you should! It's a sweet, sweet story with absolutely amazing graphic work. The pages are full of all things you'd love about China right down to Yeh-Yeh's old wrinkled face. Jake enjoys studying the pictures. Love it! Check it out!

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year!)

2012-01-24T20:40:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, we added a few Chinese yummies to our dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon. Now, it's no surprise to anyone that knows me, that I love Chinese food. Okay, so I love Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, American.....yep, pretty much love food. But Jake and I made a trip to our local Asian market which has a sushi bar, bakery, grocery, very Asian seafood market, Thai food stall, jewelry store, and even furniture. Well, pretty much everything from the toilet seat (fancy ones too) to green bean popsicles. Oh! And they have those delicious Chinese crullers too. We love them dipped in a good vinegar. But this was really more of having some time with Jake as he picked out some of his favorite things.

(the writing on the packages is in Korean)

He loves Yu Choy cooked in garlic and soy sauce. He also picked out Pocky, plum candy, dumplings that were still hot, and a red bean paste donut. I love taking him because every single time, he picks things out with the intent of taking the treats home to share with Ally and Grant. Once home, he cut his donut to share. Of course, Grant had no interest, but Ally does like the taste of red bean paste. The dumplings were gone in no time flat!

Now, Nauryz the Kazakh New Year, is coming up in March. Although we recognize the day, I don't cook for that one. Boiled goat's head, horse sausage, Shubat (fermented camal's milk), and Beshbarmak (meat and noodles usually horse meat) are on the menu. Considering Grant is the pickiest eater EVER and I'm not a big horse meat eater, the delicacies won't be made. We'll just recognize it for what it is as part of his Kazakh-American heritage.

Only Gray....

2012-01-24T17:43:00.002-05:00

Sunny

2012-01-21T18:26:00.000-05:00

The Newest Aviators

2012-01-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

We headed to the Aviation museum for an aviation class today. Jake and I were able to hang out together, and Grant and Ally went into an older class. This time, the groups were divided into Kindergarten through 3rd and 4th through 12th grade. I thought I'd try Grant in the older class hoping he'd find some challenges of being in an older group and separating the boys for a bit as Jake tends to hang on Grant's heels.

The younger kids started off with the basics of flying, a short tour and then on to watch Fighter Pilot on the IMAX screen. (Cool!). After lunch Jake was told to pick from different materials to make his own glider.

Then the teacher had them follow her pattern and use her materials for a "real" glider. Pretty cool and a big hit when competing with the other kids.

The tour onto the Spruce Goose was a huge hit too.

With a wing span larger than a football field, it's an amazing thing too see. Today, it is the third largest plane in the world. It's not made of spruce either, but rather birch. And another interesting fact is that 2 to 3 men were supposed to ride in the wings with an axe (in case of fire) and a chocolate bar (to tell if it was too hot). It has only flown one 35 minute flight. We were given a rare glimpse inside for a tour.

Prepare for take off!

Kids in action direct the "jet engine" to put the ball through the hoop. Score!

You should have seen Ally's face when she realized that Grant would be in her class for the day. So funny! Grant did really well though. They were told to make their own airplane and then they would compete to see whose could go the farthest. Grant's airplane place third. Not too shabby for a kid in third grade in a class that was for fourth through twelfth graders!

It was made of a balloon, construction paper, straws, and a empty paper towel roll. Here's something weird though. The boys, as I mentioned, were in separate classes doing separate things. When we met up after the day ended, we realized that Grant and Jake both named their "planes" the same thing: Fighter!

Jake in the Spruce Goose cockpit.

Kids had a great learning day. They were so excited to tell me about everything they learned on the ride home. I would much prefer a field trip that they learn from versus the "we get a day off of school" field trips!

You Know it's Time to Do Laundry When.....

2012-01-18T05:52:00.000-05:00

While working on his handwriting page, Jake says, "Um, Mom, just so you know, I could use some new underwear". He doesn't even bother to look up from the page he's working on. That's definitely a clue that

1. I've slacked off on daily laundry duty.

and

2. This evidently is a common occurrence at our house.

Progress was made, however, when I taught Grant how to do laundry this week as well. That makes 4 out of 5 people capable of doing laundry in this house. Notice, I said capable. Realistically the ratio is more like 2 out of 5. And considering how many pairs of little boys' jeans I've had to throw out recently due to large holes in the knees, my laundry pile is already dwindling. Yes, I decided a while ago not to fret over holes in jeans. After all, people sell them that way! Otherwise, I'd be buying jeans every week! But these holes were overtaking the jeans all the way around the leg making them the terrible fashion faux pax of "jean shorts".

On a side note, I've been at a bit of a loss without our Chinese tutor we had back home. She was wonderful. (Classes at our local Chinese school are pricey). But I broke out the Chinese flashcards yesterday and discovered that although Jake is forgetting words, his pronunciation and tones are perfect. He can still say "Yu" (Chinese for fish) with the correct sound and tone too. A sound, in my opinion, that is not normal for an English speaking mouth to pronounce! It's more like a U-ee with a wide flat mouth while curling the tongue at just the correct angle. Our Bunny would be proud!

All About Nepal

2012-01-17T17:52:00.000-05:00

While thinking about our second adoption prior to starting a dossier, I considered what countries would be options for us. At the time, many programs I desired had closed their adoption programs or the USCIS closed up shop for them. For example, I'd go to Vietnam in a heartbeat, but they have been closed for many years now. The problem with many is that transparent, ethical adoptions were becoming more difficult to secure whether or not they were part of the Hague Convention. Nepal was also one of the countries that we considered. They had difficult regulations that we could not meet, therefore pushing Nepal to the "No" box. Some may remember the petition that I and many others in the adoptive community endorsed and signed trying to encourage the USCIS to allow those parents actually in Nepal and matched with a child to have an investigation completed regarding the legality of their completed adoption and allowed to come home with their children. By the way, some of those 80 (some) parents stayed behind leaving jobs, taking second mortgages, hiring lawyers, and living in Nepal to fight for the right to bring their children home making sure transparent investigations were performed. I still agree with the petition. (Side note: Only speaking of what I know to be true as I am not a Nepalese adoption expert!)

I knew of Civil unrest in Nepal and was interested in it but not enough to stop what I was doing to follow it in the news and internet. I've had The Little Princes on my list to read for some time and just recently got around to reading it.

I highly, highly recommend it. If you've wondered how child trafficking could be a serious problem in today's world, or how one person could even make a dent in rectifying the problem, this book will answer all your questions. It also is a testament to the resiliency of children as these boys create a happy family of little "Oliver-like" boys pushing back fears and memories to allow themselves the freedom to be children. I am obviously a huge fan of adoption and hope one day that Nepal's adoption program will create a transparent system that places orphaned children into loving homes. This is not very likely with an unstable government. This book gives a glimpse into re-uniting those families of trafficked children and reuniting children with their mothers. It grips at your heart imagining what those mothers felt looking at a picture of the son they "gave away" thinking they were keeping their boys from harm. If it isn't on your book list of "must reads", put in on the top!

Not Much

2012-01-14T20:10:00.001-05:00

Not much going on that is. Today was all about relaxing, resting, football for boys, movies for girls, and Vietnamese food. That made one little boy very full of Pho soup.

Wordless Wednesday: Deshedding Day

2012-01-11T10:18:00.001-05:00

How Did He Miss That?

2012-01-10T20:30:00.001-05:00

Van Gogh's apprentice

2012-01-09T15:21:00.001-05:00

Allygirl is back home minus one tooth and plus a couple of stitches. She's not too steady on her feet yet but doing great otherwise! Thanks for keeping her in your prayers. On Sunday afternoon, Allyson painted this Van Gogh piece. I discovered we need to work on some art history when she told her Grammy that she was painting a "Van Golf"!

Hola, Mexico!

2012-01-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

After church today (tried a new one but that's another post), we headed to a Mexican restaurant that Eric had been to before. He said they had the best fajitas he ever had in his life.

Considering that's a big statement coming from the connoisseur of fajita eaters, I was eager to go. Eric warned me of the, shall we dare call it, decor!

(excuse the iphone pics)

I'm of the persuasion to say that you just can't go wrong with artificial flowers in an authentic Mexican restaurant. And just perhaps, the more ostentatious the design is, the better the food tastes. With Mexican music blaring, Eric literally danced in the aisle much to Ally's dismay!

Even the ceiling cries, 'Hola, Mexico!"

This girl does love her fish tacos.

Our only unadventurous eater said his plain hamburger was very tasty!

This guy was happy with his seafood/veggie soup and always eats Eric's leftover onions and green peppers. However, lamb soup and cow's stomach soup was also on the menu. I have no doubt he would have eaten either and enjoyed it. No doubt.

BTW, what is it that makes little boys and a fresh haircut so maturing? They look so handsome and grown up!

Allygirl is going in for minor oral surgery to hopefully remove an adult tooth below the gumline. If they pull back the gum line and see that the other tooth is damaged they will have to take out a different one and hope the other comes through. If you would, please pray she isn't in much pain and a quick recovery. Poor kiddo! Smoothie ingredients and ice cream are ready.

Darth Vader Sleeps!

2012-01-07T23:12:00.000-05:00

Imagine my surprise when I went into Jake's room to kiss him goodnight and I found none other than.....

Dun, dun, da-dun, dun-da-dun, dun-da-dun......

That's right, folks, Darth Vader lives in my house and sleeps in monkey pajamas with Woody, Buzz, and Jessie.

His little head was so sweaty and the he was fogging up the mask! Love this kid. He keeps me laughing!

"Mom's Saying Dirty Words!"

2012-01-06T19:57:00.001-05:00

So this week we were sitting around the kitchen table doing a Bible lesson. I was reading part of a story from the textbook when my brain read faster then my mouth could speak.

The words were "dumb campground"

My brain evidently only transmitted the "D" and "AMpground" making it a...well, a "damn campground".

That's just not a nice thing to say-

-especially from me-

-especially during Bible.

The only person that caught it was Allyson who looked up at me with the biggest eyes I've seen and a jaw that dropped to the floor. Before I could explain myself she said, "MOM! THAT shouldn't be in a Bible textbook!".

Hmmm... wonder if I'm fired from my teaching position!

Just had to throw this in-- goofy kid!

Notice Anything Different?

2012-01-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

Yep! She's half way there! Her top braces came off today and she's pretty happy about that. I am too! I will be glad when we are "only" paying one orthodontia bill! Her bottom braces can't come off quite yet. I thought she was beautiful with her braces and just as beautiful without them.

Wordless Wednesday: True Oregonian

2012-01-04T21:25:00.002-05:00

Winner: The Loudest on the Street

2012-01-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

Well, the neighbors know we're here. In case they weren't sure that loud people were living in the big brown house, today we made sure they knew. You see we have an alarm system that is missing the instruction manual. It's kind of intricate with a couple of main panels and keypads. I looked up the manual online for Eric to look at. However, being the man that he is, he never bothered to read through it and started pushing buttons. He didn't hit the "panic" button, but the combination he hit certainly did make us panic!

The noise inside the house was a loud, shrill high-pitched beeping. However, the noise the alarm makes outside the house makes one think we are under a major terrorist attack! Of course, we couldn't disarm it either as I was frantically scrolling through the on-line manual. Eric was racing up and down the stairs from panel to panel and the kids were running back and forth from the front and back in again yelling, "It's loud! Make it stop!". It went on for an eternity (several minutes) and then finally stopped.

I'm sure I'll have several of my neighbors saying, "Eric playing with the alarm?" the next time I'm at the mailbox!

Photography Practice and Paintings

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-05:00

I've been playing around with my new lens since Christmas so I thought I'd post some of them.

As if Jake didn't talk enough, he talks for all the Lego characters and beyblades too!

Jake got a new shaving kit for Christmas and has enjoyed "shaving his scratchies" regularly.

This is what Lola does. She does not catch a ball, nor does she move unless she has to. It's a dog's life!

Grant is THE hardest person to take a picture of. It only took about 16 shots for me to get one decent one. Little stinker!

Paul Frank Monkey.....need I say more?

The artist had a class today and painted one of my favorites so far. I'd love to frame this one. Wonder if she'll mind if mommy "borrows" it for a while?

Our Family Year in Pictures: Part 2

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

July 2011

Really a difficult month with Eric in Oregon, me trying to get the house ready to sell, and saying goodbye to those we love. Mom threw one big shin-dig to say good-bye.

August 2011

August brought some sadness, adventure, adjustment, and discovery as we settled into our new home.

Although no more pool in the backyard, we discovered some "swimmin' holes"

We discovered what the Pacific Ocean looked like (more like how cold the water is)

We discovered the local wild life too!

September 2011

September brought some new discoveries as well. I discovered that I actually can homeschool all three kids and still remain sane.....sometimes. We discovered that an artist lived in our house all along.

The boys continue to be each other's best playmates and their brotherly bond has grown even stronger.

October 2011

The Roloff Farm was a big hit especially when we watched the special on TV that was shot while we were visiting. However, I think they would have had higher ratings if we had a cameo shot in it!

We became tourists in our own state and drove all around through the beautiful falls and parts of Washington.

November 2011

Daddy has been able to go on many a field trip with us this year. He likes pretending to be a scientist!

November brought Grammy and Poppy to see us!

"Why, the Polar Express of course!"

December 2011

Picture perfect!

Go Ally, Go!

Christmas Party Date

We had lots of grandparent time in December! Grammy, Poppy, Omi and Grandpop all came to see us! What a great first Christmas in Oregon!

Kisses from Katie: A Must Read

2011-12-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law mailed Kisses from Katie as a Christmas present. She always comes up with the best presents whether it's for me, Eric, or the kids. She's cool like that. Plus, since she works at a Christian book store, we get the very best reading!

Anyway, she called to tell how wonderful this book was and I didn't doubt her. I picked up the book that night and the following day I finished it. "Auntie Katie" draws you into Uganda as she describes and tell her experiences with the sick children, parents, and grandmothers. These are the sickest of the sick and the poorest of the poor. Katie intended to stay only a year after high school and then return home to go to college. But God had other plans for her and Uganda became her home. At 20 years old, she had adopted 14 girls and continues her work in Uganda and runs a program called Amazima. With her program Amazima, she sponsors the neediest children so that they can go to school and eat regularly. She also sells beads for the women in the village so they can support their families. The Ugandan women in this program sell their beads to Katie with the understanding that they cannot drink or make alcohol, pick through the trash for food, or prostitute themselves. Some of these same women had been giving their children alcohol just to keep them from the pain of starvation.

I am amazed at her courage to literally lose everything to follow what Christ has laid on her heart and serve the "least of these" daily. She states in her book that if 8% of Christians alone would help/care for/ adopt a child, we could care for the 143 million orphaned children in the world today!

One more thing, if you think being a 20 year old woman adopting 14 children and caring for the poor in Uganda is crazy, read the book. I guarantee it will change your mind. This book is one you'll want to keep to read and re-read. Promise!

Our Family Year in Picture: Part 1

2011-12-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

What a ride it has been. The year 2010 brought us Jake. The year 2011 brought us Oregon. And the year 2012? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves because you just never know what God's plan is.

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

(Grant turned 8 and Jake turned 5 and we ended up having only five cakes over the course of two weeks!)

(Easter)

The somber looks after discovering we were not going to be able to see the Statue of Liberty.

New York, New York

This was pretty cool anyway!

May 2011

The Arthritis Walk in Wilmington, Delaware. Miss all you guys!

St. Peters Preschool Graduation

June 2011

Brevard, North Carolina with the P. family and Grammy and Poppy

House Hunting in Oregon.... 34 houses in two days.

July 2011

This is what fifteen years of marriage did to us.

Best buddies. Saying bye is too hard!

Gym Class

2011-12-30T17:30:00.002-05:00

Gym class!

Mater's Operation

2011-12-28T21:29:00.001-05:00

Well, after two weeks of grandparent attention, I guess we are back to entertaining again. The boys are working on Mater's "operation" game. I think Jake just pulled out a spare tire. Poor Mater!

We dropped Gram and Pop off at the airport today. Saying goodbye really does stink!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2011

2011-12-25T14:53:00.000-05:00

Normally we make a mad dash to different Christmas Eve festivities with our families and we've always looked forward to it. This year, however, was a time for building new traditions. We enjoyed a yummy dinner out, movies, and games waiting for bedtime (and Santa) to come. We took lots of pics in our Christmas jammies too!

Nope.....

Not yet.....

Finally.....

That little guy is a real ham.

Too much sugar? Maybe.

Mom got a new camera to play with

Ally gave Gram and Pop one of her paintings.

The boys' presents were exciting for them to open. They both liked each others gifts.

Probably the last year for gifts like this but I'm going to keep my hopes up!

This thing breathes and sounds like Darth Vader. Quite creepy! Let's hope he doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night with it.

Grant's favorite present was his Oregon Duck rain boots!

And Ally's boots.... (necessary when you live in Oregon!)

We Oregonified Dad too

I think he looks great in his new apron complete with pearls

This, That, and Those

2011-12-23T00:45:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Wednesday nights dinner right after Grammy and Poppy arrived and Omi and Grandpop left. We had a great big family dinner.

(lousy pic but it was hard to get everyone in)

That is my children acting like wild banshees which I would like to say is not the norm.....but I cannot tell a lie, so.....

Those are evidently pictures that Allyson took with my camera while I was out tonight. It had been in the 40's and low 50's. But we had a heavy frost come in last night and it stayed all day without melting. Little Miss Priss is evidently better with the camera than I.

Grammy and Poppy are here!

2011-12-22T00:06:00.001-05:00

Cookies and Crafts

2011-12-20T23:07:00.000-05:00

Considering he's half naked, I guess cookie decorating is hard work!

It's definitely hard work from the look of concentration on her face.

Allyson's painting instructor came in today for a make-up class just for her as she knew Allyson really wanted to paint this:

I tried taking a pic with my iphone so you could see the glitter she used in it. Allyson said this painting had a lot of layers to it. I love it!

Our Early Christmas

2011-12-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

Eric's parent came in so we did our usual waterfall loop. Eric said we've got to come up with a new "tour", but honestly, the waterfalls are different every time we go and the kids really enjoy it too.

I think Grant had already started running up when I took this picture.

This is Jake's second Christmas and he's got it down pat now. Although, he isn't the best secret keeper!

The boys shopped for grandparents at the dollar store and picked out their own presents. Interesting gifts!

Best football buddies! Grant has been enjoying watching football with daddy this season.

Ally is always "helping" the boys.

Watch out Grammy and Poppy! The boys are loaded!

He's having way too much fun with that!

Say What?

2011-12-14T21:59:00.002-05:00

AAaaaaaaaa!!!!! Grant just gave me the Christmas countdown! Seriously! Where did December go??? I'm not ready for Christmas yet! I'm kicking myself for not doing all my shopping online. I have a few things for the kids, but...... It's a "little" hard to shop for them while they are with me. Although, I did manage to slip a few things in the cart the other day without the boys noticing. Mainly they didn't notice because they were rolling around the floor of the store shooting each other with their pretend guns and hitting each other in the gut to see who would get hurt first. I think they just do this so they can watch my head spin and my eyes narrow and turn into flames. Lovely picture, isn't it?

We also have T-minus two days till Omi and Grandpop visit and T-minus seven days until Grammy and Poppy come! We are really fortunate to have a Christmas with family considering we moved ourselves across the country. I still will really miss our yearly mad dash to visit everyone on Christmas Eve and I'm sure the kids will miss seeing their aunts and uncles too!

As for Grant, he is now the proud owner of not only a large metal piece in his mouth but also some fancy new headgear. He seemed really excited to show it to Eric tonight, but had earlier told me he looks "weird" and "wee-diculous". I, however, think he's the cutest headgear wearing kid ever!

What's Your Point of View?

2011-12-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

Eric's view at work today:

My view at work today:

There's humor in everything! :-)

(Just for the record, I wouldn't trade my "job" here at home for any other job in the world!)

Christmas Party Time

2011-12-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

My phone pics are so grainy that you may not even be able to tell but Eric and I headed to the inevitable corporate Christmas party. It's the one where Eric ends up forgetting I'm there and leaves me to fend for myself among the throngs of young employees with full party attire on and party on the brain. As he stood to greet each employee with a firm handshake and an smile, I realized just how much he has on his plate right now. He handles it well and his employees like him so much!

I wish I had better pictures. It's a rare occasion I slip on pantyhose and spanks! :-) I was running late and the pre-party was early so I didn't have time to get out my camera. Oh well, until next year.....

My favs

2011-12-09T03:29:00.003-05:00

The Sun is Shinin' & the Ducks on the Pond

2011-12-08T18:29:00.001-05:00

(Aunt Boots, thanks for the Christmas Card. It was the very first of the season! I was hoping friends and family wouldn't forget us out here!)
----Those that don't my family, yes! I actually have an Aunt Boots AND an Uncle Lefty. I didn't know their given names for the longest time growing up. I also had an Aunt Dooger too ---- insert sweet southern accent here "the sun is shinin' and the ducks on the pond". I love good memories!

Eric was up early to do a conference call at 6:45 with his employees. I asked who scheduled a meeting at such an ungodly hour...... and the culprit was (insert breathtaking drumroll......Eric! Sheesh! Unfortunately for his employees AND his dearest family, we were off to an early start. (Once the boys even hear a hint of Eric leaving for work, they hit the ground running!)
Poor Jake has had a rolling faucet for a nose lately. Yesterday, it really got the better of him so his school time was virtually nil. Evidently you forget how to read and count when your nose is runny and you don't feel well. Everybody gets sick days here and there.

(On a side note, Ally will be having a few sick days herself once January hits. We scheduled her oral surgery for the second week of January. The doctor is going to try to take out the tooth that is sitting below the gum line under the nicely aligned teeth above it!)

Anyway, Jake loves "chicken on the bone" as he likes to suck out the marrow and chew the cartilage after the meat is gone. Gross, I know, but it's just his favorite thing. So to help Mr. Muscles feel better, Mommy made "chicken on the bone" otherwise known as Lemon herb chicken...... pretty yummy!

Mr. Muscles

2011-12-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

You gotta see Jake's push ups. Seriously, this kid has always been completely made of muscle. This video was his 5th set of 10, two of which were on his knuckles!

He's doing them on his knuckles on this one.

Where's Waldo?

2011-12-06T02:17:00.002-05:00

Remember the gym I told you all about? Well, Monday nights the kids have an hour of instruction and climbing time. There were eight kids for two instructors so I felt pretty good about it! The kids loved it. Jake was a little perturbed since he wasn't old enough for the Monday night climb, but he enjoyed the kids play area. On a side note, a few days ago Jake got into some trouble there for not keeping his hands to himself. I think my ears turn red every time I pick him up now as he comes out and yells, "MOM! I didn't touch anyone, hug anyone, kiss anyone, or hit anyone!". Nice.

Can you spot Ally? Here she is on her way up the big wall. They had some practice time on a smaller wall.

She made it all the way to the top and is a natural at repelling down.

Can you find Grant? He's climbing up the wall and did really well. This wall was harder for him since his arms and legs are a little shorter than Ally's. He was fearless though!

He ended up making it about 3 feet from the top before he said he thought he was done and started repelling down. He loved rock climbing too! I'm kind of glad now that they didn't do indoor soccer for the winter so they can try these new things!

Eight fries.....

2011-12-05T16:12:00.001-05:00

When did McD's start making French fries for dolls? We haven't had Happy Meals recently, but there were only like 8-10 fries in there! Needless to say, I heard some complaints from the kids! McD's is a bit of a treat for them. BTW, did you know that in the state of Oregon, over the counter meds with sudafed in it cannot be sold without a prescription (which would make it a prescription)? So that makes medical marihuana and sudafed on the same playing field. My point? WAY TOO MUCH STATE REGULATION over stupid things like my husband's sinus issues. Crazy Ridiculous.

Ally's newest piece

2011-12-04T20:34:00.002-05:00

You can't tell from the picture, but she used glitter in the snow and snowman she painted. I hope she let's me borrow it for my Christmas decor!

It's A-B-C

2011-12-03T21:55:00.003-05:00

If you know anything about Jake, you know that boy loves gum. In fact, you can count on a sweet kiss, an ear rub, and a hug right before he whispers "can I have some gum" into your ear. I haven't bought any recently because the kids always dig through my purse to pocket it for themselves and I never get any anyway!

Saturday afternoon we headed to the mall for a quick dinner and some Christmas shopping. I was in a store while Eric was finishing up dinner with the kids. As they were walking to come get me, Eric heard Grant ask Jake for gum. Jake was evidently chomping away and Eric thought it was odd since he didn't have any gum himself. So Eric asked Jake where he got his gum from. Jake required some prodding to get an answer but he finally gave in and confessed. You guessed it, he helped himself to a piece of "Already Been Chewed" gum off the side of a mall trash can!

Disinfectant anyone? Looks like we'll be using the strong mouthwash tonight! Let's hope four years in the outskirts of China gave him one heck of an immune system. Eric explained to him that we don't use the "used" gum! Oh! And, anyone seen Elf lately? We have. Will Farrell ate some A-B-C gum too!

Then and Now

2011-12-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

Last year's picture:

And this year's picture:

Definitely he's looking more and more mature! I think he's the most handsome Kazakh guy ever!

And Mr. GQ last year right before his very first Christmas:

Mr. GQ today wondering every morning if we are closer to Christmas:

The word "excited" for Christmas does not even come close to describing him! He's got this holiday down!

Miss Priss last year:

And still gorgeous, just more mature. She's definitely my helper from opening jars and sewing buttons to washing dishes and helping with the boys.

Beanbag Sandwich

2011-12-02T21:40:00.003-05:00

She "Glistens"

2011-12-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

I've got a new workout partner and she's pretty cute! We recently joined a new gym.

Exciting, right? Eric has always had a gym membership, but he likes the small gyms with "man weights". You know the kind. The ones with big black weights that you take on and off and place on sweat stained black mats. He doesn't care for popular gyms because he doesn't like waiting for any equipment and he doesn't really want anyone bothering him. Kind of his stress-relieving time. Hehe....if you looked at him, you may think he has a lot of stress! LOL

Back to my workout partner.... Allyson has been running or riding along side of me while I walk or work on the elliptical. On Saturday, she is going to take a class there with a trainer to get her teen exercise certificate. Maybe the trainer will show her how to actually perspire while she works out because right now, she barely breaks a sweat, but is enjoying her time there.

Also, this gym allows for two hours....count them, folks....TWO HOURS of free childcare. But not just any childcare. They play structured games, free-play court time, craft tables, Wii time, homework help, swimming, rock-climbing, even kids Zumba!

All this means is I actually get to go to the gym and on my own time without waiting for Eric. I don't have to feel badly that my kids are sitting around bored waiting for me either. It's their gym class! This should come in handy for the rainy season which hasn't quite come yet. Other than the rainy week when mom and dad were here, we've had beautiful weather especially this week. The boys have enjoyed stomping around outside. Jake has enjoyed attacking my blueberry bushes with his "sword".....sigh!

Catching Up!

2011-11-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

Blogging? What's that? Sheesh! I haven't had time to blog lately. Mom and Dad left Sunday night to a tearful Ally. And when Jake went to bed that night, he said, "I already miss Grammy and Poppy!". The good news is that they are coming back soon. Eric's parents and my parents are both coming for visits in December. With a full house of doting grandparents, we'll have to find a little time for schooling here and there! We had a great time though despite last week being the "wettest week of 2011". Note, this week is beautiful and sunny! Grandparents and kids played Uno and Scrabble galor!

We started back at school after a much needed break. Grant seemed to be moving through his science and history quickly so I purchased another history book (this one on American History) and a General Science book for him. His main science study this year is zoology. Anyway, I know giving a kiddo two textbooks to read for fun sounds like punishment. He's loving them though and asks to read passed the pages I've assigned for him.

I've got some leftover pictures from when mom and dad were here, but they were just overdeveloped phone pics and didn't come out great. So I leave you with one of Pop with the kids at Camp 18 (a logging camp turned restaurant and logging museum.

How would you like to cut THAT tree down!

Cannon Beach Photography

2011-11-26T22:32:00.000-05:00

It was about 57 degrees and beautiful out so we took a drive to the beach with my parents. It was high tide but still just as beautiful! Now, if I only had a picture to go on my Christmas cards!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2011-11-26T22:25:00.000-05:00

No beautiful shots of family on Thanksgiving Day, or the turkey, or of a beautifully dressed turkey. Nope, not one. I ended up with the stomach bug again that comes with the worst body aches ever. I keep getting the same exact thing. This one lasted less than 24 hours which is better than the prior times, but its so frustrating to have it on Thanksgiving! No turkey for me and my poor mom got stuck doing the whole sha-bang for dinner! Hope I'm not allergic to Oregon or this could be pretty miserable! HA!

So, we've got some other pics from another day!

We took my parents to Oregon City. Not a lot going on there, but close enough that you can get out of the house a bit and walk around.

That's the Willamette Falls behind them.

This was on our walk and I just thought it was pretty.

Then we came home to decorate the Christmas Tree. If you know me, you know I'm kind of a scrooge! I don't usually put my tree up this early and I've been known to take it down December 26! But since mom was here to help decorate, we pulled out the decorations. The kids enjoyed their old-time bottled Cokes while listening to Christmas music by the fire.

Dad is supervising Eric attempting to put lights on a prelit tree. This tree is going to make his home at Goodwill since Eric and Dad decided that buying a new tree was a better idea! Who wants to fight with lights, anyway?

Men at work:

And, done! My mom did most of the decorating in here for me. Love that!

All Aboard! The Polar Express

2011-11-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

We headed up towards Mt. Hood to ride the Polar Express!

The kids and their Golden Tickets waiting for the Conductor.

He kept his in his shoe for safe keeping just like in the movie.... poor Conductor!

Gosh, looks like he was miserable! :-)

Geronimo the Hobo came through throughout the ride. He was pretty funny!

Along the way....

The conductor didn't punch out any letters but he did do some fancy punching out holes in the tickets.

Grant thought his was cool!

The chefs came by with cookies and hot chocolate and then came by with the books as the story was being read.

Of course, elves were included too!

Then Santa boarded the train!

And gave out the Christmas bells!

I took this pic twice. Grant's eyes were closed both times! He is the hardest to take a pic of!

Grandparents Are Here!

2011-11-20T22:13:00.000-05:00

My mom and dad flew out here Saturday! This is the first time they've been out here and we all were so glad to see them. We've already had a full day and tons of pics to follow. But for now, just these so I can visit!!!

Think these leaves are big enough?

We took a ride on the Polar Express complete with the characters from the movie/book. So fun. More to follow!

Earnin' Some Cash

2011-11-18T16:26:00.002-05:00

Today

2011-11-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today,

the munchkins got Thanksgiving cards from Grammy and Poppy.

One of those cards plays the Peanuts song every time you open it.

Today,

I've heard that song's first 2 seconds 952 times ;-)

and the kids read and re-read their cards over and over then passed them around between each other to read and re-read each others cards.

Today,

Grant had another orthodontist appointment. He has done great with the large new appliance in his mouth so the doc decided to add bands in too.

Today,

I came home from that appointment with hemostats and a little mouth mirror because the placement of the band is particularly difficult......even for the doc! This new evening ritual should be interesting.

Today,

Jake saw a (beautiful, totally authentic looking) Santa Claus standing near his chair in the mall. Mr. Personality walked up to him and immediately started rattling off his list of desires without so much as a "hello" or an "I've been really good" or "your beard looks nice". I guess you have to strike while the iron is hot.

The Little Crooked House

2011-11-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

Jake's Adoption Video

2011-11-12T00:59:00.000-05:00

The link on the sidebar for Jake's Adoption video (Jake's Journey Home) is now fixed.....at least for now.

On 11/11/11

2011-11-11T19:51:00.001-05:00

Like most Americans, we have many family members and friends who have served in the military. To those still with us and those who gave their lives for our freedom, it hardly seems enough to just say 'thank you'. We truly are a great nation and live with freedom because of those who have served our country well. Thank you, Veterans!

I hadn't even thought about the fact that schools would be off for Veterans Day until we reached the science center. I guess a lot of people take their kids to the science center on Veterans Day. Who knew? Eric had already taken today off trying to use of some of his vacation time before he lost it. It was pretty cool and I'd love to go back some time when it's not so crowded. The kids really enjoyed the chemistry lab which has procedures written out and equipment ready to use for various experiments. We worked with biodegradable packing peanuts.

Great. Eric's giving the science lesson!

For him, It's ALL about the goggles!

This was the physics room. Ally just finished a chapter on simple machines and mechanical advantage so it was cool for her to go through this room.

Eric found the most humor from shocking people!

Think I might use this pic for our Christmas card this year. Eric and I are much skinnier when standing in front of a mirror that elongates!

Grant built his sailboat and.......

was pretty excited to watch his accomplishment speed away!

The race is on..... Grant won!

We had to build an 18 in. "water tower" that could withstand an earthquake.

We did it, but we were technically supposed to use as few blocks as possible. So, maybe we aren't the best engineers, but when the table started shaking, our tower stood strong!

The Countdown

2011-11-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

Friday will be T-minus seven days till Grammy and Poppy come. We haven't seen them since we moved and boy are we excited. Plus, we really need a break from school. We ALL need a break from school. You hear what I'm sayin'? Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down? Mom needs a break! Besides, the kids have already checked out. Mr. Brain is really only interested in learning how to count cards. Literally, I can pull two cards out of a deck and he figures out what I have by doing something with the number 10. Actually, I'm just his guinea pig. You know, so he can make it big in Vegas.

Ally is drawing out her work so it takes all day long. Jake mysteriously becomes very, very tired only when its time for school. So, yes, we are obviously ready to have a break and get refreshed. We will have a lighter week as what's the point of teaching if they are burnt out anyway. I've got some other things planned and hoping to get them into a microscopy class.

Gotta run. I'm hearing "Pick a Card, Any card!" so evidently the guinea pig is needed again.

Daddy Still Rocks!

2011-11-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

When Eric decided to play on this indoor team that his company put together, he thought he wouldn't be able to keep up with the young guys. But he's really enjoyed playing. He had an early game last night so the kids and I decided to go watch. I had a great time watching him play. He's still as good as he was back in college with all the fancy footwork moves! Still super fast too, just takes more frequent breaks!

The camera work is lousy here, but I was using my 55 mm lens behind a plexi-glass wall! These were the best I could do.

And, just like Jake, he swears the shoes make him run faster! HA!

His team lost this game, but Eric scored two goals. Fun for the kids to see and now they think he is even more of a super hero!

Fall Decor & Early Christmas

2011-11-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

Just some Insta-photos of our walk today:

The boys collected things along the way. I usually end up washing their fabulous finds as they stuff them in their pocket, but today they created some home decor for the outside of our home.

Grant placed his on the outside cafe table which was actually cute!

Jake proudly put his smack dab in the middle of the walkway to the front door. But he was certainly proud of himself! Let's home Eric notices it when he comes in late tonight!

You know, sometimes it's nice to have some confirmation that your not screwing your kids up - that your raising them the right way with the right values. My oldest (who does not read my blog) has been saving up money for a couple of things from the American Girl catalog. However, when we received the Christmas catalog in the mail from Samaritans Purse, she immediately decided that her money would be better spent buying milk, blankets, soccer balls, and clothes for a needy families oversees. And that's just what she did. She poured out her rolled up, crumpled dollar bills and loose change and asked me to help her fill everything out. I'm so glad that she can decipher what is important in life and realizes the importance of compassion and service to others to show Jesus' love to others.

I'm sure many of you are already familiar with the established non-profit organization Samaritans Purse as they are responsible for all those Christmas shoe boxes that are sent all over the world to needy children. They deliver the items to countries like China, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Russia, and many other countries. They really do a ton of great work. Check them out!

This and That

2011-11-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

Jake's Funnies

Me: Whose picture is on the front of the penny?

Jake: "Neighborhood Lincoln"

As Jake is practicing writing his numbers he says, "That is the best five I've ever written in my entire life!" (He's never had self-esteem issues)

Grant's Appliance

We headed over for the final appointment at the orthodontist's office to have the appliance put in that they had made. It's a large plastic and metal piece on the upper palate that prevents his tongue from touching the top of his mouth. The bottom metal piece winds around his lower palate, and does something else important but I can't remember what! The point is, he no longer can touch his teeth together or close his mouth which really puts a damper on things when you are trying to eat. He started with soft foods yesterday and did pretty well. I made chicken last night and cut it up for him so it was small and shredded. Poor kid, it took him a good 40 minutes to eat two waffles this morning.

His speech is difficult to understand. I think maybe having him read out loud more will get him more used to articulating his words. Our speech evaluation next week should be interesting! Let's hope this part of the ortho treatment plan ends quicker than expected otherwise this will be a very long year for him!

Here he is in all his cuteness! You just have to love a kid that asks to practice typing instead of playing the Wii!

Shanghai Diary

2011-11-02T08:05:00.002-04:00

Shanghai Diary by Ursula Bacon is a must read! I borrowed this book from our local library after I sneaked off (and by the way, yes, it's sneaked not snuck because you "sneak with sneakers"- thank you, Mom) one Sunday afternoon all by myself. The author was a Jew in war torn Germany prior to the outbreak of World War II. Her family escaped to Shanghai to live in the Japanese occupied territory. This was the only place that would accept them as England, United States, Canada, and many other countries had closed their doors to Jewish refugees at the time. In the book, she tells of some amazing stories of her Chinese life as Jewish girl in the ghetto. It truly reads like a novel, but is the true and detailed account of the author. I don't know why I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this book. Go directly to your library, your iTunes, your local bookstore, or Amazon!!!! Read it and then be very thankful for the freedom and lifestyle you have!

It's All About the Shoes!

2011-11-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

Evidently it's all about the shoes. Eric has signed up for eight weeks of soccer himself! Now, if you've known him for some time, you know that he has played all through school and college. Heck, he was even the "Turkey Bowl" back in the 'good ole days'! But we've been out of college for........

okay, I'm blocking that out. Let's just say for some time. So this weekend we got him all prepped with flashy new shoes, socks, and an orange shirt to match his team. We are so excited to see Daddy play and I'm hoping to get some of pics of him ~~bending over holding his side while he catches his breath~~ on the turf running like he did back in college. Let's hope those runs to the park and back with the kids pays off!

Yes, he is my fourth child, and, most of the time, I'm thankful for his goofiness. Most of the time.

2011-10-31T21:27:00.001-04:00

Star War Enforcers!

Conversations with Jake

2011-10-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

I don't post too many of these anymore as Jake's memories and experiences of China are fewer than when he first came home. That's not to say that his conversations are any fewer as he still talks non-stop and to anyone he meets. I started blogging the memories so I could help him remember them as he grew older. My intent is to have them compiled in a Blurb book just for him. I've been working on it forever and hope to get it finished before he has children of his own!

The kids were sitting down to lunch together and Jake and Grant began talking. Jake was telling Grant that when he was in China, he had to go back to the orphanage to wait for his "new family". He said he was "really bored because there were no toys and lots of babies there" and that he cried because he was "worried about his new family coming for him". Grant replied that Jake didn't know that he had a new family coming. Jake immediately reminded Grant that mommy sent him a letter with pictures and toys! And that yes, he DID know we were coming for him. "That's why I cry", he said. I remember sitting down to write that letter and thought how in the world do I explain to a non-English speaking three year old that I was going to be his new mommy, that he was going have a new family, that he would be leaving China, but everything would be okay. I do you effectively introduce yourself in a letter to your son? I probably did a horrible job especially once it was translated into Chinese. But somehow, the point got across to him that he was going to have a new family whether he wanted one or not. I've said it before, but kids are amazingly resilient. If adults could only have a fraction of the faith of a child!

Last night, he was looking at his "Chinese family pictures" that he keeps in his room on his dresser neatly stacked. This is really telling in proving how important they are to him considering that Jake is not exactly my neat-freak child. His room pretty much stays a disaster. In fact, a swear a plume of dirt and chaos follows that kid! What's that Peanuts characters name? That's Jake. I think he no longer trusts me with his pictures after my misplacement after the move. Eric and Jake were looking at the pictures prior to bedtime and Eric was saying how small he was while in China and how big he was now. He was pretty proud of that fact since he practically measures his height every morning to see how big he's grown overnight. He has such high hopes of being really tall and tells me every morning that he's sure he grew while sleeping! There is so much to love about that kid! I don't like it when people say how lucky Jake is to be here. We are so blessed to have him in our family! He certainly brings a new level of chaos, commotion, and fun we didn't have before!

(Just a note: Some of my FB friends may have already read my status, but I wanted to get it into the blog.)

Call it a Day

2011-10-27T19:11:00.000-04:00

Our day started in the dark. I guess that's not saying much considering: 1. it usually does, 2. days are getting shorter. However, I thought since Eric was away overnight, that the boys would sleep a little longer since they wouldn't hear him getting ready in the morning. Instead, they woke up earlier and with A LOT of loud spunk!

Since we started schooling earlier than usual, Grant was finishing quickly which was good since we had a speech evaluation. I thought the evaluation was for nine in the morning. Actually, it was changed to eleven! So, we blew off school a bit and did some goodwill digging and some outside playing. It was another beautiful day!

The afternoon sun was behind me in this iphone pic so it turned out kind of funny, but the colors are just gorgeous right now! Mom and Dad, hurry up and come before they all fall off!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T22:07:00.001-04:00

Don't Get Your Knickers in a Knot!

2011-10-25T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today I had a yearly I.V. done. Nothing big at all. In fact, I had forgotten I was even on that med till my new doc asked me about it. So, it was scheduled for today. This bright, blue, crisp Autumn day. The weather was perfect, and I had to take note of the clear blue sky.

I sat down, had my IV started, and started in on a good book. A lady came in for an infusion and sat down next to me, began crocheting, and started chatting with the staff. Her conversation was heard by all because she didn't really stop to think that none of us in the infusion center wanted to be bothered with her. Her conversation continued on with a "death and dying report". Mind you, I'm the youngest patient out of what appears to be 70-80 year olds sitting there, and I'm trying hard not to think about that fact on this beautiful day. The woman goes on and on about how her hands "ache" after she crochets for awhile or stitches the baby quilts". She then proceeds to poignantly ask the staff why I am there and what medication I'm taking and how long it will take for me to get my meds! She doesn't look my direction, acknowledge that I exist, or ask me. The staff, remembering their patient privacy laws, avoids answering her direct questioning. I didn't bother looking her way but kept to my book trying to ignore the annoying voice that wouldn't quiet. It didn't matter, she kept on, even saying that she thought the doctor would give her a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis on her next appointment - How generous of him- and how she was "glad to have that diagnosis". My blood was boiling at this point. It was hard to concentrate on my book and keep to myself. Would she truly like to know about my twenty years of Rheumatoid experience? I about lost my pleasing personality. She has no idea what she is saying or how stupid she sounds.

All I wanted to say was "Foolish woman, Why don't you think before you open your mouth?". Maybe she should think about someone besides herself! I usually don't get so worked up. Really, I don't.

I wouldn't have gotten my panties in a bunch if she hadn't pulled my medical condition and treatment into it. Then, it wouldn't be personal, and it would just be an imprudent, dippy woman. But she did pull me into it, she just didn't realize it. Nor did she realize how irritated I was with her. I really do not want to be reminded by a stranger no less what my medical condition is especially sitting there with an IV in my arm surrounded by people who are in the latter part of their life!

Her infusion was super quick, and she left within thirty minutes leaving me to the tube in my arm and the thoughts in my head. Sorting out my thoughts, I tried to remember that you just never know what other people are going through. Maybe she wasn't really an obnoxious, nosey, impertinent, full-mouthed, asinine, offensive, cutting, rude, hasty, disrespectful woman. Maybe she came across that way today because of circumstances. Either way, two things helped to clear my head and move on. One, I walked out of the hospital on a clear, blue day with my kids in tow and feeling great. Two, I put pen to paper and trashed the rude, insulting stranger on my blog. At any rate, my cognitive state feels much better. Thank you, thank you very much!

Maybe, I should have just said what my kids say," Shut your lip potato chip!" and then got back to my reading! Yep, I think that would have done it!

It's all Greek to Me!

2011-10-24T21:43:00.001-04:00

Grant finished his assigned work by 10AM today. That included two math lessons. Okay, So he started at 7:30 this morning, but he thought this meant he'd have the rest of the day to play chess. Uhhh.... No, son. It was the perfect time to start the brainetics program my parents bought for my kids. I put the DVD in, handed Grant the head phones, and went back to work with Jake. Forty minutes later, Grant is showing me how to do grids where he fills in a blank grid to solve for a certain number. All the numbers going down, across, or diagonal add up to the number he was given like 300 or 225. Cool stuff, but I don't think I would have figured it out as quickly. He said tomorrow he was going to know how to identify the day of the week of any date that was given to him. I don't doubt it, Grant. I don't doubt it!

She's got talent

2011-10-24T19:06:00.001-04:00

The painter's newest piece! Too bad the photographer isn't such a great artist. I didn't close the bathroom door prior to taking the pic!

Up One Way and Down Another! (pic heavy)

2011-10-21T20:02:00.000-04:00

Eric was off today and he planned a drive for us with a few adventures throughout the day. So we headed North. Of course, in Oregon, EVERYTHING has moss covering it.....not just the north side!

The kids love doing these hikes. This particular one was only 1/2 mile between waterfalls, but you could go on much longer. But it was perfect for what we wanted to enjoy today.

They were sure this little cave was where a bear was hibernating. But then, if you ask zoologist Grant, they don't technically hibernate. They have a winter lethargy or "sleepiness". Who's teaching this kid anyway? He explains more to me...well, let's just leave it at that.

Help! I can't stop hitting the "x-large" button on my blog. Guess I'll fork out the $5 bucks for more storage. (smile)

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

I know Grant's eyes are closed. But I love this picture.

For me, this picture is the Great Northwest. Just something about it.

Eric took this looking down from the overlook bridge. Yikes!

Three kids in a tree? How can that be? (Thank you Dr. Seuss, thank you)

Okay, I'm gonna be real honest here. I found these spawning salmon fascinating. I'm weird, maybe. Okay. Probably. But I've never seen anything like this. It was really hard to get a good shot of them because of the glare on the water. These things were huge!

These were the third falls we hit today all before 11 AM.

Then we headed over the Bridge of the Gods. I don't know why they call it that. The view was pretty but..... not really while driving!

We headed in Washington to come back down the other side of the Columbia River

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

Okay, one more set of monkeys:

It's......

2011-10-20T22:24:00.001-04:00

.....family movie night

2011-10-20T22:22:00.001-04:00

Nonstop

2011-10-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday started out in the dark with Jake saying, "Hey, Dad! I want to talk to you about something!". I knew it would probably be a looong day. Jake went to bed the previous night telling me about every Star War character there is; who wears what, who killed who, who went to the "dark side". In every way, he's like a little old man who tells the same stories over and over again. So, that night, I actually left his room while he was talking. After all, he had been talking all day and my ears were tired.

So yesterday while dark out, he felt it was pertinent to let Eric know that he was no longer afraid of the dark because that was when he was "little age 5". I guess that would be different from the "big age of 5" that he is now.

I took some pics around the house (off my iphone) but they came out so blurry that I'm embarrassed to show them. I'll try again another day. However, I did finally receive my kitchen table and two side chairs. The other four chairs are incognito somewhere between Florida and Washington or may be still at the manufacturers. At least thats what customer service told me yesterday. So glad they narrowed it down to the U.S.!

The week prior was a wet one. I think you could probably stand there and watch the rose bushes grow. It was crazy fast. They since have been trimmed, pruned, whatever it is you do to them.

Aww.... heck, blurry pics....whatever. Had to throw a pick of the monkeys in!

And this blurry pic. Because if you look closely, there is a ridiculously large Ramen noodle box on the counter. Mom, this should worry you. My kitchen is calling your name and looking forward to your visit!

The Artist's Masterpiece

2011-10-17T10:55:00.003-04:00

The artist's tools.....

The artist's masterpiece!

And now she needs more canvas!

BTW, I re-read my post about my flu bug. So sorry, folks, for the multitude of grammatical errors! It pained me to even read it, and my mother, I'm sure, was questioning my ability to cognitively function! OUCH! I'm still getting over it, but on the mend. All that means is that my house is a disaster of magnificent proportions, there is laundry everywhere, and I can't find the bottom of the sink. I have someone come help with the cleaning (not the laundry) and I feel badly paying her the regular price. You know I'm cheap so the house MUST be bad! Maybe I'll have the munchkins at least help by picking up the clothes and toys off the floor and help with the laundry.

Good Wishes and more moving "fun"

2011-10-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

I forgot to post my "get well soon" sign that the kids made me. I'm so happy they decided not to nail them to the walls!

I've been emailing and on the phone now for quite awhile trying to get the money back from ATLAS VAN LINES that they said they would send. Thirteen emails and three phone calls later and I haven't made much progress. I did give one person the phone number and name of the president of the company since he said they would pay everything too. This isn't what I really feel like doing on a Friday afternoon. So, I'm heading to bed to try to rest. I'm sooo tired right now that it's hard to think and my eyes keep buzzing all around so it's hard to read. I'll be glad when I'm completely back to my normal!

Down for the Count

2011-10-13T18:42:00.001-04:00

I wore blue; Did you? My blue was in the form of a superman banket, but mostly I was green. My face, that is. I ended up with some weird flu bug that causes so much pain in your bones and muscles that you feel you at the end of life. Extreme, yes. But oh how badly this hurt! I was crying and moaning all night Tuesday night. I didn't get out of bed Wednesday. Thursday, I started out in the chair in my room to help the kids with school, but by 10 AM, I knew I had to get back in bed. My head was spinning and I wasn't seeing to clearly. I slept another five hours and am feeling better. This is the second time I've had this exact thing. If it happens a third time, I'm not playing tough girl and waiting it out, I'm going to the walk in or ER. It officially has me beat!

Allyson ran the house with an iron hand. She was my substitute teacher for Grant and Jake making sure Jake worked on his number recognition, his geography, Bible, math. She help Grant with math, gave him his math test and graded it. She also did her work as well. She cooked green eggs and ham for lunch, noodles for dinner, and then I think ham and corn for dinner for Eric. She made sure the boys played outside and did all kinds of activities with them. Today, she put a pot roast in the crock pop for me and fed the boys their breakfast.

A lot of times I think Allyson is immature compared to the girls she is around. She doesn't know about things she shouldn't, she can't tell you what the latest song is, or the latest fashion trends. But that isn't maturity, is it? Somewhere along the lines, we've forgotten what true maturity is. Allyson has shown what it is by her example of stepping into a position that was needed, by serving others, by taking the lead and doing it well. She is a sweet heart and came in several times to check on me and see what I needed. What a girl!

Now if I could only keep my head from doing those impromptu swirly-wigs making me dizzy!

World Arthritis Day Support!

2011-10-11T15:09:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, October 12, is World Arthritis Day! There are a number of ways to help out to increase Arthritis Awareness. The easiest way to participate is to wear blue, maybe....ALL BLUE? I believe I'll be looking for blue out of my "mommy wardrobe" tomorrow for sure.

Another great way is to get a massage. Yes, indulging will actually help out the Arthritis foundation. For every Massage Envy massage, they will donate $10 to the Arthritis Foundation! I just found out about this one. A massage sounds really nice right about now considering we've had some wet weather that wasn't expected quite yet! Studies have shown a significant decrease in the level of pain and stiffness in RA and fibromyalgia patients with regular massages. You can click THIS LINK to find out more information about the benefits and where to go locally to find a participating spa for your massage to support the Arthritis Foundation.

Another supportive way is to get involved in the 24,900 miles around the world campaign and get moving. Studies are clear in showing the benefits of exercise has on arthritis. I know it has kept my joints moving and I have a lot less pain when I keep up with exercising. You can click THIS LINK to read more about it and log into Facebook to keep track of the miles. It starts now and ends October 31. I think my family and I may do this one. Eric, Ally, and Grant usually go for a jog every evening. It's usually Jake and myself following behind in more of a walking pace! But I'll admit, I've missed a few of these family jogs as sometimes I take those minutes away from kiddos as my sanity. After all, a few minutes of peace and quiet is good!! This goal though, out to motivate me to get moving with them as well. I'll also be able to count our hikes on the facebook page as well. So, consider it! And help the Arthritis Foundation reach their goal of 24,900 miles!

Mr. MVP

2011-10-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

I have yet to take my camera to any of Grant's games. Sad, I know. However, the other parents have been doing a great job and posting them to a FB page for us all to follow so I've been riding on their coat-tails. The following pics are borrowed from another mom/dad that took pics of Grant for me.

This past week, he received the MVP award for his outstanding athleticism and effort. He was sooo excited to finally get that award. It came with a little painted plaque that his coach made. Did I mention that his coach is a woman.....and pretty.....and really, really good at soccer? Those facts alone must keep those boys motivated!

This is a pic of Grant right after he scored his goal!

Now, let me tell ya about this one. You see the big kid laying flat on Grant? Well, Grant had the ball and they got a bit tangled up which, well, made him land on Grant. Grant fell pretty hard on his back knocking his glasses off. It kind of startled me and the referee blew the whistle to stop the game thinking Grant was hurt. Grant didn't hear the whistle, got back up, and kept dribbling the ball to the goal. Even the other teams parents were cheering for him at that point! Grant's response after the game? "Mom! That guy was really heavy!". That's my boy!

He may be small, but he plays a very smart game and isn't intimidated by anyone. He sees it as a very fast moving chess game.

Even other parents have told us how much fun he is to watch play. He is a little powerhouse!

Looks like we'll be keeping him in soccer. He loves playing and he's fun to watch!

"Little People Big World" Visit

2011-10-09T19:13:00.000-04:00

We liked watching Little People Big World when it was on, but I think my Uncle David may be a bigger fan. Their farm is only about 15 miles from us and is open during pumpkin season so we headed out there today. We were told there were 4,000 people there yesterday to help celebrate Matt Roloff's birthday. Glad we didn't go then! They were telling us about the flash mob dancers they had as a surprise for him. Sounds fun but today was drizzly and had a lot fewer people! It was pretty though!

Zac was driving the tractor for the tour ahead of us so this was the only shot of him we got. We're such tourists!

This is Amy's garden. We were told that she was there, but we didn't see her. The film crews were inside the house (they have four specials coming out), and they waved to us as we went by. Did anyone see the first special? I missed it, but would like to see it.

The house:

I bet Uncle David knows when Matt bought this one. Wasn't there some big hub-bub about it?

And here's Matt! So friendly and seemed to enjoy talking with people.

Looks like Zach's car is getting worked on again.

They recently bought more property and are planning on adding on to the farm.

It seems like this farm has grown with the kids. All the western towns, pirate ships, and castles, but they also have a really nice basketball court, soccer field, and beach ball volleyball area.

The western town has trap doors in every building that go down into tunnels that criss cross around each other. Oh to be a kid on that farm!

Matt's parents were in the Western Town and were so friendly. They talked with Eric for quite some time. She also was talking to me about homeschooling and how she really thought it was great. Her daughter homeschooled her kids.

This is Ally.......in the outhouse!

This was the creepy doll house. Evidently, Sven's idea.

Matt built the pirate ship from a kit as a 7th birthday present for the boys. He also engineered this treehouse so that it was sturdy but could still allow the tree to keep growing.

This was Molly's castle. It was supposed to be her 6th birthday present, but wasn't finished until her 16th birthday. Better late than never! The inside which we didn't go in was supposed to be really cool with a lot of neat features. There is some stained glass in it that was designed by her grandmother.

This covered bridge (which literally leads to nowhere hence the name) is actually registered in the state of Oregon.

I don't think they are always there, but there were several endangered cats there today. Oh, and Uncle Dave, Matt has an alligator named Sid!

No, my son isn't falling off the pyramid. He intended to roll down it "cause it's fun".

We told him to pick a pumpkin he could carry. Guess he can carry two!

Rocky, the Roloff's dog, hangs out under the pavilion where you can grab some sandwiches. He then walks around and puts his paw on your leg or back to get your attention to ask for food. It worked. However, he wouldn't leave Eric alone while he had the sandwich in his hand. This is how Eric ate with Rocky right between his legs. Guess it's good for catching crumbs!

Here we are being the ultimate touristas! I asked when Matt was coming back out and the girl said, "If he's not out before you leave, just let me know. I'll call him down from the house to come meet you". Matt was very personable and seemed to enjoy meeting his guests. Pretty fun day! And there's your touristy pics for today!

Gym Class

2011-10-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

We've been doing different things to fit in good ole gym class. Sometimes, they play soccer or basketball in the backyard. Sometimes, we head to the park and the kids ride bikes around the track. And sometimes, mean mommy makes them run the track! Ally and Grant have gone on a couple of runs with Eric as well. Today, we hiked! I kept my iphone with me, and Ally and I took some pics along the way. There were so many different trails in this particular park. We have to go back soon!

Short fellas next to tall trees!

Black & White Looking up!

Crafty Miss is planning on doing something with those....don't know what!

This is straight from the iphone w/ no touch ups. Things are VERY green right now! Our hike went right along with our Bible lesson on different ways we can know God is real. One way is through His amazing Creation!

Goofballs!

Ally thought the tree trunk was cool; a work of art.

What? Where? Time to Vent

2011-10-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

So we've been looking for another orthodontist here. I've been putting it off as long as possible as I had paid my last orthodontist for the braces, retainers, etc. and my dental coverage for braces is used up. My last orthodontist will not refund any money even though Allyson is not finished with her braces which means I get to pay out of pocket all over again to a new orthodontist.

That's just sounds downright fun, doesn't it?

One of the docs we visited did another xray on her and wondered aloud why she had an adult tooth under the gum line and no place for it to go! Now her bottom teeth will be lopsided and crooked if we allow it to come in. So we will have to visit an oral surgeon.

(Counting to 10.......)

You have no idea how irritated I am that not only will I have to repay for the braces I already paid for, but my kid will have to have oral surgery because the doc overlooked a tooth and closed the teeth in overtop of it! The old orthodontist said she was about finished with braces and was just "tweeking" things before he put her into retainers.

(breathe, Heather, breathe!)

Grant has had cavity issues and teeth/gum issues since he came home at 17 months old. He had three cavities filled under "laughing gas" at around 24 months. Due to a difficult bite issue, I've gotten several opinions from orthodontists. Unfortunately, he will have a lot of metal in his mouth for quite some time throughout the years. He had a cavity filled and two crowns put in today. Oh, that boy worries me! He is so rough when he plays sports (and enjoys them so much) that I can only imagine how many times he is going to hit them or bang his mouth on the braces!

Jake kept everyone (and I do mean everyone) entertained in the doc's offices. I went in to talk to the doctor in his office and came out to see Jake with doc's gloves on surrounded by three medical assistants who were giving him the undivided attention he demands. He shook hands with the doc upon his entry to the room and another hand shake while saying goodbye. For such a small guy, he does have a presence about him. He was irritated that I had not scheduled a "teeth amoinment" for him! And three hours later......

Since he had so much work done and was numb on both sides of his mouth, we went to Jamba Juice when he could take some fluids in without drooling. The kids stuck with mango smoothies with some "immune boosters" and I had fresh squeezed orange juice with carrot juice and wheat grass. I think my breath may have smelled a little, uh, "earthy", but it was pretty darn good.

I think the tooth fairy should pay parents if kids have to have braces. Maybe I'll write her a note and stick it under my pillow!

Sunday night snack!

2011-10-02T21:57:00.001-04:00

Apples, cream cheese, brown sugar, caramel, Heath bar bits..... You can't go wrong!

Old Sports and New Sports

2011-10-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

Before all the sports pics, gotta show these two smiling faces. We were at a camera store and I had one of their lenses on my camera playing around with it. Kinda fun!

Ally has a soccer tournament this weekend. It finishes up tomorrow, but since I haven't had any pics of her yet this year, I thought I'd post some. My blog just wouldn't be "my blog" without them!

They tell me that Oregon is so green that I'll be sick of green. But for now, I'm still loving those tall pines!

Ya gotta love junior high girls fashion sense even on the field.

I have no idea why the girls are wearing the neon pennies. They have two jerseys they bring to every game so they can change colors if need be. I think they chose to be bright!

GO ALLY!

Grant's been loving the skate parks. He's been trying so hard to just go down a ramp and back up with a turn in there.

He's watching the big kids closely. Love this pic. He looks so small!

The teens have been so nice giving him pointers and just waiting for him to try something before they do their next trick. And yes, that other big head is Jake who loves riding his scooter on the ramps.

I see why there aren't a lot of mom spectators for this sport!

A New Man in my Life

2011-09-30T12:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I headed into Portland (only a couple of miles) to meet my new Rheumatologist. If you've read my blog, you know my woes on good Rheumies. My last one I've had for 10 years and have a great relationship with. He knows me. He knows when I tell him something is hurting that it is REALLY hurting and thus, affecting my daily life. He takes me seriously.

So finding a new guy is tough. His office magazines was the first test which he passed. He had a little of everything....People, Good Housekeeping, In Touch..... you know, hard literature. I did see one History magazine, but, I'll admit, it was pretty interesting.

I had my three dears with me with books in tow to keep them occupied. The woman at the check in desk suggested I take them to the children's waiting room. I thought she wanted us to wait there as I was early. Then, I discovered it was actually a free sitting service so moms could actually make their appointments and was paid for by the doctors! So cool! They had a suggested donation of $5 per family. I used their service for almost 4 hours since first appointments always take long. The girls in there were great and my kids loved it! In my twenty years of Rheumatology visits, I've never come across this. Definitely a great idea!

Oh, and my Rhuemy? Well, he's old, established, probably going to retire as soon as I really get to know him....but he's good, he's thorough, and he seems to be taking my past, difficult lung infection seriously. At this point, that's enough for me.

Now, why do I feel like I'm cheating on my last one? Breaking off relationships is so hard to do! LOL

Thinking About Jake

2011-09-26T16:21:00.000-04:00

Some of you all may remember that Jake has pictures of himself with his Chinese family. I usually keep them with our other pictures and keep one in a frame sitting out. I hadn't seen them or thought about them since the move (I'm still trying to find things!). But the other day, out of the blue, Jake asked for his "Chinese pictures". I told him that I would get them out later as I was trying to finish up schoolwork with the other two. But Jake pressed a bit and said something like, "I hope you still have them, Mom."

This got me in gear. I stopped what I was doing and started scouting them out telling Jake that they were "just around here somewhere". I certainly would not lose something so important. I looked and looked. Couldn't find them. I had a slight sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew they were here, but where?

Jake gave me this look. This is the one I used to get from the back seat of the car when he first came home and was learning English. The worried, "I-hope-your-not-insane" look. The "I can't believe this woman is my mother" look.

(It took him several weeks before he would go anywhere without his backpack!)

As he kept repeating, "Mom, I hoped you didn't losed them", I kept searching. I finally took a break because he kept following me around making me feel worse. After taking a break from the scavenger hunt, I found them in a pile of unsorted photos- not where they belonged. Oh, the relief we both felt! I know how important they are to him. Every once in a while, he will take them out and slowly go through each of them over and over again. It's been over a year since he left their family to join ours, and he still holds them very dearly. The big fish tales and the experiences he remembers come far fewer than before, but he still loves his first family. What a painful past to revisit. What an amazing kid.

I thought back to this picture when he first came home. It had been taken late one night on one of his first night's home. I put everyone to bed and thought they were all asleep only to find Jake completely dressed with his brothers belt and jeans on ready to leave. Where? I don't know where he thought he was going to go. Home? He wasn't crying or upset, just so forlorn looking that night.

And look how far he's come. Taller, healthier, heavier, and happier. He is a survivor. And it is amazing to take a step back and look at what he has been through and how far he's come. It is amazing to see how God carried him through life to join us. We are so blessed! The pictures of his Chinese family and his first days home are only a reminder.

(I only took this picture to show my mom his pooch! He's such a tiny guy despite how much he eats and the last couple of nights I've noticed this little bump of a tummy!)

Jake fell asleep while coloring in his Bible notebook today. I think he was done with school today, don't you?

Jake, you are one amazing kid. I love you so much!

Gonna Be Sore Tomorrow!

2011-09-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

After Grant's soccer game today, we found a new Thai restaurant and then headed down the road for a hike. The park ranger volunteer showed us a route that would have been a 10 mile hike. Nope. Nada. Not happenin'. At least not today, or maybe ever. My titanium knees are great, but my bones in my feet are not. So we drove down the way and hopped on the trail farther down along the Williamette River.

Grant was pretty tired from his game and kept falling behind.....till we told him we were walking to get ice cream! By the way, that kid played Awe-to-the-some today! He plays so hard and is getting better and better at combining his thinking skills with his athletic skills.

We finally arrived at our destination. The Historic Butteville General Store. Historic because it's the oldest one in Oregon (1869). It was darn cute inside. It's pronounced "Beaut-ville" but my kids thought "Butt-ville" was just really funny. As was the no parking on shoulder road which really said no "P" on shoulder. Get it? Oh, had to be there. Kid humor!

I think the ice cream cone should have been bigger. I walked FAR!

Cute, right?

And on our hike back...... (Can you see the hearts in the picture?)

Eric is trying to convince me to camp in a yurt. Ya know, for our Kazakh son. Nice try. Check the vows, buddy. Check the vows.....

Another Masterpiece

2011-09-24T12:40:00.000-04:00