A Family Lunch

My Uncle Larry and Aunt Sandy live about an hour and a half away in Westchester, PA.  We invited them to lunch on Saturday so my parents could see them.  Mom made lasagna, salad and garlic break for lunch.  It was so good.  Lasagna is something I never make and if I do, it's heated up Stouffers.  Her lasagna is awesome.  After lunch Uncle Larry went down to the basement and played with the girls.  They get ALMOST as hyper with him as they do with my Dad.  He taught them how to "skin the cat" a couple years ago and now that's all you ever hear.  I can't believe he played with them again.  Allie weighs 50 lbs and Jaelyn weighs 46 lbs.  That's a lot of weight for him to flip around.  He also played horsey and let them get on his back.  I bet he was having trouble standing up on Sunday :p.

The only sad part of the day was that Caden didn't feel good.  He actually went up to his room during lunch and fell asleep for a couple of hours.  He's still not 100% and I started feeling the same way Sunday night.  Yea for Baba and Grandpa to pick up the slack so I can rest a little.  Grandma Molly told me I had better not give it to them or she's going to be mad at me.

Dad, Mom, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Larry

My Baby Boy is Registered for Kindergarten

I cannot fathom how Caden is old enough to go to Kindergarten.  It seems like just yesterday I was swaddling my 5 lb 13 oz baby boy in his Miracle Blanket.  Some how though, he is 5 and it's time.  I took him Friday to the girls' school along with our packet of completed (yea) paperwork.  We met with the school secretary, the kindergarten teachers and the school nurse.  We saw lots of Moms I know from the girls' class with lots of little 5 year old boys.  Caden isn't too excited to be starting school.  He's also not too excited about riding the bus.  I'm a little worried about the initial break, but eventually I think WE'LL BOTH be okay!

An Allie Funny

I had a parent teacher conference with Allie's teacher this morning to talk about her progress.  Her behavior has improved drastically.  Mrs. Y says she's more focused and organized.  She still struggles in Math, but I was relieved to hear that Allie is one of about half that class that struggles.  They are working on time and morning and it's just so hard.  She doesn't think we need to talk about any testing.  I'll continue to work with her at home this summer and I'll re-evaluate with her teacher next year.

Now for the funny.  Before I start, I should tell you Mrs. Y has light brown hair with blond highlights.  Mrs. Y said one day after she'd finished teaching a math lesson, Allie raised her hand and said "Mrs. Y, I just don't understand."  Mrs. Y went to her to help her with her math problem.  "What don't you understand, Allie?"  to which Allie responded, "I just don't understand why the front of your hair is blond and the back is brown!"  LOL!  I guess she's still not 100% focused like she should be :p.

Hershey Park

We had the BEST time last weekend. Mom and Dad hit huge traffic so we beat them to the campground Friday night. We had a great grassy spot near a drainage stream (it was nicer than it sounds) with lots of trees. The kids had a ball exploring while we waited for the RV to pull-in. And oh the excitement when they did pull-in. Awesome! We had spots really close together so it was easy for us to go between the two. We had dinner after everyone was set up, then Dan headed out for his cocoa massage (I was nice and changed my reservation to his name) while the rest of us found a KMart to buy an air pump. Can you believe of all the things I could have forgotten, it was the air pump to blow up my mattress! Ugh...thank the Lord for KMart.

The real fun began Saturday morning. It was wonderful. The weather was warm and sunny. This was the first weekend that felt like summer. I was worried that the park was going to be over flowing with people, but it was pretty empty. We didn't wait in a single line. We walked onto every roller coaster and some we got to ride alone. Caden is now a Reese's with the girls so he could ride everything they could. We started the girls on The Comet, a wooden roller coaster with 2 good drops. I wasn't sure how Caden would do, but we took him on it next and he loved it.

After that, we rode the Super Dooper Looper, with only one loop as Caden kept reminding us. The loop was so fast that we had to take Jaelyn on it a second time to prove that she went upside down. We rode the Super Dooper Looper 6-7 times over the 2 days. In addition to the roller coasters, we rode all the smaller rides. My Mom messed up by going on the Tilt A'Whirl. Her head spun most of the 1st day. Dan's nemesis ride was the kiddie Rocket Ship. I was sure he was going to throw up by the time he got off :p. The grown ups can do loops and ups and downs, but don't spin us around!  Sunday, was a repeat of Saturday with rides and fun.  The park was even emptier than Saturday so it was great.  It started sprinkling lightly in the afternoon.  That helped to cool us off.  Thankfully, we never got the thunderstorms that were forecasted.  We left our 3:30 to get home before bedtime.  My parents drove down Monday morning.  There were a few issues, but their motorhome is stored safely on a level gravel lot for the next few weeks while they stay with us.

Finally Joined the 21st Century

I had a basic cell phone.  I don't text, I don't email, I don't have a clue how to get photos off of it.  Well, my basic cell phone has been dropped one too many times.  Sometimes I have to call a person 3 times before I can hear them.  Our anniversary was Tuesday night and Dan and I got to go out (yea for visiting Babysitters!).  We started our evening at the AT&T store where the plan was to get me a basic phone again.  Well, they had a deal on the IPhone...$100.  Dan told me he thought I should get it so I did.  I am now the proud owner of an IPhone along with a new data plan for both of our phones.  We went to dinner at Bonefish Grill and spent the whole time huddled over my new phone.  We had a good time.

Getting it set up has been frustrating with syncing contacts with Outlook and finding and setting up my ringtones.  I was ready to throw something yesterday, but I think it's finally all set up like I want it.  Now I'm enjoying browsing the fun apps I can buy and I think I'll love having all kinds of info at my fingertips.

The only thing we didn't do is turn on unlimited texting, but I hear there's an app that'll let me text for free :p!

Have a Great Weekend

Tomorrow's the big day.  We'll pack in the morning while Caden is at school and then we'll go to the girls' school to watch Allie get an award at their good news assembly.  After that, we wil be on our way to Hershey.  I hope you all have a great weekend.  I'll tell you all about ours next week!

My Morning

The 1st 5 minutes of my morning were great, THEN Dan said "babe, I'm sorry but I have to go, oh and there's cat throw-up behind my chair." THEN not to be outdown by Daddy, the girls sent a full bowl of raisin bran crunch, bananas, and milk flying into the air. Is it bad to say I wish it had landed on Jaelyn's head instead of her lap before splattering on the counter, bar stools, table and floor?

Thankfully, the rest of the day did not follow my morning : ).

Visitors are A'Coming

I'm so excited.  My parents haven't been here since last June, which is a really long time for them.  They are finally coming, and in their motor home, no less.  It's their first big trek.  Up until now, Disney was their furthest destination.  They left Pensacola Monday morning and are somewhere past Knoxville tonight.  They'll spend 2 days in the Shenandoah Valley and then meet us in Hershey, PA on Friday afternoon.  They've only had one incident so far that involved my dad breaking into their motor home through the driver's side window and then giving my mom a lift so she could get in.  How I wish I could have been a fly on the wall with a little camera!  Can you imagine the pictures?  Awesome. 

Anyway, the plan is to camp at Hershey over the weekend while we have fun in the sweetest place on Earth.  I can't decide if the kids are more excited about seeing Baba and Grandpa, camping in their motor home, or riding roller coasters.  I think the roller coaster are going to win.  I'm just excited about the chocolate!!!   I'm also looking forward to camping without children.  Night time isn't the most fun when camping with kids who won't settle or have to go pee in the middle of the night.  Baba will have night duty...not ME!  This is a test run for a Disney vacation in November so I hope everyone behaves for Baba and Grandpa.

After our weekend away, Dad will store their RV in a storage place and they'll stay with us for 2 1/2 weeks.  I can't wait.  It's going to be so nice to have them here.  The kids have missed them.  We haven't seen family since Christmas.

(Joannie - get that webcam because the kids miss you too and want to play games!!!  I keep telling them you are going to get it set up!)

1,800 Pounds

I somehow managed to talk Caden into going to the gym with me this morning.  He was okay when he agreed to it, but got all teary eyed in the car.  Once I got him into the childcare area and set up to play Madagascar on their computer, he was a-okay.  He didn't even look up when I left the room.  This was my first time with the weight equipment since setting up the fitlinxx the other night.  I love this system.  Once I sign into each machine, it tells me all the seat settings and weight I should be lifting.  It's so easy for someone who doesn't know what they are doing to exercise.  When I was all done, the system told me I lift 1,800+ pounds (I don't remember the exact number).  It'll track my cardio, weights and overall progress.  Pretty cool.  The best part was that Caden enjoyed his time at the Y as well.  I peaked in on him several times and he was always having fun.

We go Thursday morning to start his T-ball class.  Now that's something he can get excited about.

The National Aquarium

We've lived in Abingdon for 3 years and today was our first trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  I was excited to go to the aquarium, but more excited about who we were meeting.  My friend Michele lives in Puerto Rico.  Her husband has a class in DC so Michele and their twins tagged along.  The last time we saw them was when Dan and I had a lay-over on our trip to St. Lucia 2 years ago.

We had the best time today.  Libby and Clara are just a few months older than Caden.  They were a little shy at first, but it didn't take long for the kids to warm up to each other.

Caden, Libby, Clara, Jaelyn and Allie

 

Standing in a prehistoric shark jaw...can you imagine???

We left the aquarium to have lunch at Panera.  Scott, Michele, Dan and I sat at a 4-top table in the corner.  We put our 5 kids at a long table in the middle.  We couldn't decide if this couple minded that they were there or not!  It was quite funny that we did what we did, but it might have been one of those you had to be there things to laugh.

There was a little fuss when getting dressed today, but in the end, the kids all wore their new tie dyed shirts and it was much easier to keep track of them.

New friends are the bestest - Libby, Jaelyn and Clara

The dolphin show wasn't too exciting, but coming face to face with the dolphins in the underwater viewing area was! (Jaelyn, Caden, Clara, Allie and Libby)

Time to say good-bye - after a very fun day, we had to go our separate ways.  I'm not sure Caden is loving Libby's heart felt hug.

My favorite part of the day was walking with all the kids back to the aquarium.  We played a game that the kids and I play where we all hold hands and I pull them past me and then they stop and pull me past them.  Then I pull them, then they pull me and on and on and on.  It's lots of fun and was even more fun with 5 kids.  I think Michele took a picture...I'll share it if she shares it with me.  Jaelyn's favorite part of the day was getting to see different types of animals.  Her favorite animals were the birds in the rain forest.  Caden's favorite part was seeing the dolphin show.  The animal demonstrations were Allie's #1 pick.  We saw an owl from Australia, a python and a lizard.

My only regret of the day is that our friends left without a group picture or a picture with me, Michele and the kids.  We'll have to try again in another couple of years :p.

New Wheels

The girls got their "big girl bikes" for Jaelyn's 4th birthday. She's quickly approaching her 8th; so they've had lots of use. The bikes seemed so huge 4 years ago, but the girls seem huge now. Their knees were way up at the handle bars of their tiny 12" bikes. Dan and I decided to be nice and let them grow up into "bigger girl bikes." We went bike shopping tonight. The 16" bikes still seemed small so we went with an 18" bike. With the seat all the way down, the girls can barely touch the ground. We took them to their school to let them try them out. Allie actually did better on the bigger bike and Jaelyn went faster. She scares me.

Caden didn't get a new bike, but I had to post this picture because he's just too darn cute.

B-I-G Big

Caden and I had some time to wait at the doctor's office today (more on that in a minute) so I pulled a children's book off the shelf and had him sound out words. He is sooo ready to read. He very easily sounded out words like: big, it, up, sent, still, tree, me, be, tip, top. By the end of the book, he said "big" everytime I pointed to it with no sounding it out in his head hesitation. BIG - his first sight word. He was pretty proud of himself.

We were at the doctor's office because Caden's allergies have gone crazy and his ear started really hurting him last night. He has an ear infection. None of my kids have ever had one so this is a new experience. We will continue to put the frozen lima beans on it as we did last night and give him tylenol until the antibiotics kick in. Poor little man...I think we need to move to the dry southwest, not the pollen infested east coast.

My Finished Mother's Day Present

I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I need to get to the store for a plate hanger. I can't wait to get it on the wall!

A Trip to Annie's

Caden and I met our friends Miss Krissy and Nathan at the equestrian center today. We followed the Ma and Pa Trail to Annie's playground. The boys were awesome on their bikes and didn't complain at all. I might have complained a little. I'm a tad bit sore from getting set up at the Y last night and I only did 1 set on each machine. I'm going to really hurt when I do a full workout.


One of our new favorite kids' show is Endurance. It's a kid version of Survivor. Most of the kids are 13-15 and my kids say they are applying as soon as they are old enough. They've been doing "endurance competitions" at the house and at the park today, we found the perfect Endurance challenge. Nathan and Caden balanced on the parallel bars to see who could stay up the longest. Caden won.


So high, they can almost touch the sky.

I sure am going to miss days like this next year when Caden starts Kindergarten.

Tie Dye Fun

We have a few outings coming up at busy places. I decided to make the kids matching tie dye shirts so they'll be easier to keep track of. It was my first adventure into dyeing clothes. With the help of youtube, we figured out how to roll and tie the shirts to a make a spiral pattern. We did 1 for each child and 1 for my Dad because he's just cool like that. I ran out of blue and yellow dye and made his red without thinking. Once it was washed, Dad's shirt was a pretty pink. I'm heading to Joanns tomorrow for my dye to try again and make him one that matches the kids.

Time to Get Moving

I haven't exercised at all this school year. Last summer my excuse for not going to the gym was that I was swimming at the pool everyday. I was getting in exercise, just not at the gym I was paying for. Since school has started, I've just been pathetic. I've had no desire to go the gym. I finally cancelled my membership. It seems during those 2 1/2 hours when Caden's in school, there's always some errand to run or something to do around the house. And of course, sometimes I just like to sit and read a book. Well, no more! We joined the YMCA this weekend. It's time to get off the couch and get our butts into gear! I went tonight to get set up on the fitlinxx system. Once I figure out all the machines, I think I'll really like it. You enter a code and each machine tells you your settings, your weight and keeps track of your workouts. I also love that each cardio machine has it's own TV.

The kids are getting moving too. Caden is signed up for T-Ball at the Y. It's more of a clinic to teach the kids how to play. He loved the mixed sports class he did there last year. The girls are signed up for gymnastics at a local rec center. I'm so excited about the gymnastics. Monkey-Jaelyn is built to be a gymnast. She's tiny, but she is so strong.

I'm not sure what Dan's going to do, although he would argue that he gets moving 3 mornings a week at PT. He says he's going to use the Y - we'll see :).

Allie Asked Jesus Into Her Heart

The kids read in their beds everynight before lights out. Allie's book of choice has been her kid's Bible lately. It has the story and then songs to go with each story. Most are sung to tunes she already knows so they are easy for her to sing (it gets her in trouble some nights). Last night, she reread the Easter story. I'm always explaining salvation to the kids and asking if they'd like to ask Jesus into their heart. Allie's never been interested in listening or praying with me. Last night she was; so after her story, she prayed and asked Jesus to come live in her heart. I am continually amazed at the innocence and faith of a child. They believe so easily. There's no questioning or wondering. They just trust. I wish I could trust God so easily with everything in my life all the time.

On a diferent note, Caden has been wondering who made God. He knows that God made the world, the birds, the animals, the people, the stars, etc..."but who made God, Mommy???" My answer that God is God, He is and will always be just isn't enough for him. So - can anyone help me? How do I answer "who made God" so a 5 year old will understand?

Ladew Gardens

We have a topiary garden about 30 minutes from our house. We've been once before and loved the pretty flowers. This weekend was $1 weekend so we went this afternoon. It was cold, but bearable. Spring has definitely been fickle. I love the drive to Ladew. We live in such a congested area, but drive for 10 minutes and you are in farmland. It's beautiful. The daffodils were gone already, but all the tulips were blooming. I took a ton of pictures...here are my 50 favorites :p.

Mother's Day is Around the Corner

I don't know about you, but in this house, if I want a Mother's Day present, I need to either tell Dan what I want while making eye contact ;) or go out and buy it myself.  Other than my very first Mother's Day, I've done the second.  Usually I buy a new picture frame or do some sort of art project with the kids to commemorate what size they are.  I haven't done hand prints in a while and honestly, before too long their hands will be too big to do cute little projects.  The girls went to Amazing Glaze this week for their Girl Scout meeting and I saw the neatest glass handprint project.  We took the kids back today so I could make it.  I can't wait to pick it up after all the glass is melted together in the kiln.

(btw - I fixed Caden's "N" after I took the picture)

Dan helped the kids each paint a small project while I worked on my big glass project.  There's no way I could have finished mine and helped them without Dan's help.  Thank you for coming with us!  I know it wasn't your idea of a fun Saturday morning.

We Are the Truth!

This information is re-posted (ie, copied almost word for word-only the names of the innocent have been changed) from Niki. Thanks for the info ladies!


We Are The Truth – An Adoption Blogger Day: To ensure the world knows about every successful adoption, on Thursday, April 15, 2010 blog about your adoption or the adoption of someone you know. It doesn’t matter if your adoption is with Russia, domestic or otherwise international. Let the world know your truth!

If you are here, you most likely know that our daughters, Jaelyn and Allie, were brought into our lives through the miracle of adoption. There are, of course, exceptions to the successful adoption story. But these are just that. Exceptions.

"We are the Truth" was begun after a little boy, Artyem, was adopted by a family in the United States and then "sent back" to Russia. It is important to understand that adoptive children have the same "percentage of problems" that biological children have. However, if an adopted child has issues it is "because he was adopted." Have you ever heard someone say, "Well, that child had a lot of problems but can you blame him? He was a biological child." Adoption becomes the "reason" even when it very well may not be. Biological parents abandon their children as well.

The outrageous treatment of Artyem by his adoptive family has rightfully resulted in outrage by the Governments of Russia and the United States and all who care about children. The tragedy has cast a light on intercountry adoption that says it is not safe, the system failed and adopted children cause insurmountable problems. The heartbreak of Artyem Saviliev’s abandonment has once again elevated a singular incident to a level which may result in the suspension of intercountry adoption. Suspending adoption, even temporarily, will only cause thousands of children to suffer the debilitating effects of life in an orphanage.

You, the community of adoptees, adoptive parents, adoptive grandparents, child welfare professionals and child advocates know that the outrageous and indefensible actions of one parent are not indicative of how children are treated by adoptive families. You know that families {um, like us!} who encounter difficulties do not simply abandon their child. You know that help is available, that solutions are found and that families can thrive. And you know that suspending adoption does not protect children but only subjects them to the depravity of an institution…and an entire life without a family.

You, the adoption community know the truth. You live the truth. You are the truth.

Join our campaign to bring the truth to light and help children in need find a permanent and safe family.

You can help! Please:

(1) Sign the letter to President Medvedev and President Obama: The letter asks both Presidents to ensure that intercountry adoption continues uninterrupted and to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone involved in the abuse of children. You can sign anytime, but doing so before Tuesday night would help us get the letters to both Presidents before President Medvedev leaves the U.S. Click here to sign the letter.

(2) And then PLEASE consider linking to my blog from your blog. Tell the story of our adoption of Jaelyn and Allie or of your adoption or of another adoption you know of! Share how you have witnessed their lives joining to our lives. Tell everyone who reads your blog that adoption is not what this ONE story has painted it to be. It is the exception NOT the rule.

Please help! We don't want children to be hurt by one family's mistake.