Oops . . . I need to get you caught up

Aw poo . . . I did it again! I feel behind in my blogging activities . . . I haven't even stalked in sometime. Between work, home, family, and church, I think I might have passed myself leaving as I was coming home on certain occasions. It has been INSANE! Somehow I did manage to capture some photos, so today will be a photo recap of sorts.

Here are the sisters in their Big Sister/Little Sister shirts showing each other the love:The kids were on Fall Break Oct 19/20 - I took them to Chattanooga on Tuesday to the aquarium and the discovery museum. Even big boy Brandon went with us and I think he had a good time. Here is Gracie checking out the stingray petting tank. Oh yes, I still want me a stingray. They are so cool!

Sophia and Dawson and some big turtle shell. Gracie liked seeing the animals - did not like the dark halls we had to walk through.

This is Brandon giving me the Loser L from a distance as I sneak a picture of him "playing" with his brother. Like I said I think he had a good time.

Reptile Ruckus is the school wide fall festival event at Sophia's school. Grace met the firedog there. He was operated by a guy sitting off a ways that could hear what the kids were saying and see them. The "dog" kept talking to Grace and Sophia and they loved it!

I finally remembered to take the camera to a soccer game. Of course with the wet fall we have been having here Dawson's field was unplayable so I just captured Sophia this day. Sophia's team calls themselves the PrincessPony Hot Shots. As we know, Sophia is not about to be a princess of any sort. And she has a 'sister' in her tomboy battle, Ms Jenna. These two were cut from the same mold and are a hoot to watch and listen to. They are going to play basketball together now this winter too.

This is the princess basking in the sun at Sophia's soccer game. Even with a dirty face isn't she adorable?

Jeff's birthday was last Thursday, Oct 22. We took him to Red Lobster and he got himself a fancy schmany watch that should be able to talk to him and tie his shoes. :-) We also celebrated on Saturday with his family and his mom got him the cake. Wasn't he a cutie when he was younger?

We have our Halloween costumes ready to strike this weekend. We will be going out as Tinkerbell, a Policeman, and some random pumpkin head guy with a cape. I am sure you can figure out who will be who. Brandon will be going as a teenager recovering from oral surgery as he will have the plate removed from his jaw on Friday and his wisdom teeth removed. Woohoo fun! I think I will go as the mom of four this year. :-)

C - U - T - I - E

While she might not like the word . . . and prefer to be cool . . . or handsome . . . here she is just nothing but C U T E as a scarecrow for school!

Fresh paint reward

The reward to our house for Sophia entering Kindergarten in August and us not having to pay that amount to day care each month was that the house got some fresh bright fun paint. There is just something about new paint and the smell of it that I love! My problem is that once I have the painting bug I can't seem to kick it and want to paint everything in sight. My office, bedroom, and bathrooms are on the list of places that I still want to paint. Although my front porch really NEEDS it. But how boring is that?!?!? Anyway enjoy some shots of our new look.

Where oh where has my baby gone?

It has been said many times that our babies grow up way too fast. And as I watch my sweet two year old little Gracie transform before my eyes I can't agree more. She has the typical "I do it" that comes with a growing baby. But she has now changed from "I'm the baby." to "I'm a big girl.". She can count to 8 already, and loves to tell people that she is two. She loves to pick out her own clothes, and usually does really well at matching (this is a skill her older brothers are still working on). Gracie knows her schedule, and will tell you when things are not quite right. She knows that when she goes to church, she goes to class to play and eat snack - Cherios and Goldfish. Tonight though, she has managed to show me twice that she really is growing up.
I hosted the girls tonight for our monthly Bunco. Gracie hung out with Daddy at his friends. Daddy found some toddler apps for his IPhone for her. She came home to show me how she can find the apps on Daddy's phone and then do games where she identifies shapes, spells words, and make animal sounds. All the while she is operating the IPhone completly alone. She knows how to touch it, she knows how to slide the screens . . . it was downright scary to sit there and watch as my sweet baby had the IPhone mastered.
And then . . . you all might recall that her nightly routine consists of cuddling up with momma after everyone else is in bed. She falls asleep in my arms . . . has for over 2 years now. Tonight, she made a bed for her and her baby and said she needed to sleep with her baby and proceeded to crawl up on the couch and fall asleep without her momma. And Momma sat across the room and cried a little as her baby grew up a little more today.
Hug your babies tight tonight and treasure each moment you have with them. My biggest baby just came home and I remember how I only have a little while with him before he goes off to college. He also was a baby that loved to be rocked and held to go to sleep. And I don't recall appreciating that time together with him as much as I should have. I probably found it to be bothersome to have to sit and rock him every night. And now . . .well, now I wish I could pick him up and hold him tight. Cherish your babies!

Meet Owen

Last week I was led to Operation Giggle's website during my daily blog stalking. Our Sophia is from China and this blog is about sending Christmas gifts to children in a foster home in China. I felt called to respond and 'adopt' another child for Christmas this year. I sent an e:mail asking the organizer to select a child for us as I had looked at photos of many of the kids and just didn't know which one to choose. Today, Sherri sent me info that we would be buying presents for little Owen. Little Owen is a fighter who has literally come back from the dead. And our connection to Owen . . . he is exactly 10 years younger than Dawson. We will be working as a family to make little Owen's Christmas just a little brighter with our love and the love of Jesus Christ!

sometimes we lose, but its all good here

My sweet eleven year old son, Dawson, tried out for the middle school soccer team yesterday. And he didn't make it. But you know what, he took it amazing. He accepted that he didn't make the cut this year, that he could try next year, and that he was still a great child with many skills. Not to toot my own horn as his mom, but I think this great attitude comes from a few things that we do here in our home.
One is we have never gone along with the whole 'no loser' in any sort of game. There are winners and losers in every game that we play. I don't know why or when we decided to start hiding that fact from our children. I grew up in a win/lose environment as a child. We kept score, the folks that had Champion on their trophies were the true champs. I want my child to know who he/she is without having to 'win' at everything. We can lift our children up by simply pointing out the great things they did during the game. There can be victory in losing if you did better than you did last time or if you displayed a trait that is admirable.
Another word we use in our house is No. Just because someone else has something or does something doesn't mean we do it. It isn't always money based either. There are things that I could afford to give my children when they ask, but there are times when they just don't need what they are asking for . . . or gasp . . . they just don't deserve to have it at the time.
Now before you go and tell me what a bad parent I am for telling my kids they lose and they can't have things . . . let me tell you where they do know that they are always a winner and they can have everything . . . they have that confidence of being a winner because they know who they are in Jesus. They know their parents love them unconditionally and want what is best for them. And they know their ultimate prize is heaven.
So when I get up on the proverbial soapbox about losing a game or telling my kids no . . . know that at the same time I am reinforcing in them that God loves them and they are winners in his book.
As I looked at Dawson last night as he dealt with being sad about not making the cut, I was heartbroken for him. Then he warmed my heart with his positive attitude about it all. I am a blessed mom of four amazing kids.

Ring Farm Family Fun

This weekend we visited a local farm that does it up for Fall. Back in Nebraska, we had this mega pumpkin patch that went all out and did it up huge for fall. We haven't found anything like that here, but there are a couple farms that do some fun stuff for the kids. This place had a corn and cotton maze, a hayride, a play area, and a forty foot tube slide that was the highlight of the day where we spent an hour watching the kids go again and again and again . . .

It must be a requirement to have one of these measuring things at the farm . . . Gracie is telling us that No she is not three (feet tall) but two (years old).We did the corn maze and cotton maze . . . and got a handsome photo of Dawson . . . And caught Gracie doing what she does most . . . thumb sucking and hair twirling.And then the slide . . . It was a fun filled fall day with family!

Other Blogs and Me

I am a blog stalker mostly. I am not big on leaving comments on others blogs, but I do enjoy reading blogs. I have found some really great blogs that really inspire me. Blogs where the honesty of their story can make you cry. Folks that tell the truth like that talk about how it is therapy for them. I know journaling and such have gotten me through some crazy times when I just needed to get it out. But I am thankful for those that have the courage to put their honest stories out there, and in turn motivate others to do great things. There are stories that make me realize that I do have a pretty comfortable life and can and should do more to help those in need. There are stories that remind me of how precious my children and husband are as I read about a mother losing her child, or a wife losing her husband too soon. There are stories that remind me of the amazing journey of adoption we took with Sophia, and that I need to tell my story and encourage others to care for the orphans. There are those blogs that just make me laugh until my sides split as I realize that many are on the same crazy journey I am raising my kids. It is fun to read a blog to catch up with a distant friend or even a friend I don't get to see often enough. It is like having coffee (or a Pepsi in my case) with them and catching up as I hear about their kids, their ups and downs, their house changes, and all of their everyday life. If you are looking for some new blogs to stalk, check out my sidebar. Big Nanny is getting ready to go to Africa to help Katie who is already there. Sherri at Operation Giggle is organizing a great thing for Chirstmas for the New Day Foster Home in China. Go ahead be a stalker and be inspired by every day people just like us.
After yesterdays crazy blog, I decided that is what I want to start doing with my blog. I started this blog as a great way for my family to keep up with my growing crew. I still want to keep everyone up to date on the chaos that is my life, but every once in awhile I want to be honest. I want to tell you the story of bringing home Sophia so that you might be inspired to look into adoption. Do I expect to become some famous blogger? No, but if there is someone besides my family and close friends reading this - I want to see if I can make even a little difference in someones life.
Have a great day, and keep stalking me! :-)

The Post with No Title . . .

It is so strange to me how I have this busy, crazy life of mine but when I go to think about what to blog about I blank out completely. Our life is filled with fun and laughter, and its share of tears and drama. So it just seems strange to me that I can't think of a good story to tell you each day or at least every other day. We do seem to have those un-bloggable moments where I wouldn't dare share them for fear of my children being totally embarrassed and dis-owning me completely.
I did play around a bit today with my blog and change up some stuff. I am no pro on this so my header is a little weak and will by no means win an award for greatness, but it is a bit different and fun.
I found out today that my friend, Billy Reasons, is filming his first music video this weekend for his song Crank the Hank. Billy is going to be the famous person in my life that I can say . . . I knew Billy before he was the Billy. We are praying for great things to happen with his music for him and his family. He is amazing talented and a great friend! He has already taken his fame and used it to help others. He is involved with My Huggy which sends bears to soilders stationed in the Middle East, allows them to record up to 20 minutes on the bear, and then send it to their child. This allows parents over seas to pray with their children, and sing to their children, and be heard by their babies. It is really cool. So, anyway, if you listen to country radio be listening for Crank the Hank by Billy Reasons. And then remember through only a few degrees of seperation you too are linked to a famous person.
Which reminds me of how I am linked to Meg Ryan . . . which links me to Tom Cruise . . . which links me to Kevin Bacon . . . in the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon. So if you know me . . . you too can be linked to Kevin Bacon in less than seven degrees. See . . . it goes like this . . . a family we were friends with in Nebraska, the husband went to school with Meg Ryan back when she was known as Peggy. Meg Ryan was in Top Gun with Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon. And there I go . . . three people is all that seperates me from Kevin Bacon.
So now I see how having nothing to say can result in me going off rambling. Oh well, if you are still reading, you must be enjoying the crazy rants of a middle TN mama.
Funny Gracie story from yesterday . . . as her babysitter was trying to clean out her nose, Grace was throwing a huge fit. She was asking Ms Lisa to not take her boogies away. Ms Lisa asked Grace, why, who needs your boogies? Gracie's reply . . . MY NOSE DOES!

Tomorrow is another day of soccer in our family so I will have some action shots for you on Monday. I will try to find those fun filled bloggable stories that my children will let me write about also.