Happy Birthday to Jenna!!

I am a few days late, but Jenna turned 7 last week, so here are 7 things about my Jenna:

7. She shares her middle name with my grandmother, my mother, my sister, and my niece.

6. She loves the color blue with a PASSION!!

5. She may be the smallest of the bunch, but she can give the big kids a run for their money any day.

4. She doesn't care much for "girly" toys, but loves to play pirates, star wars, police, or anything else that involves the boys. Forget the pink bike too, she likes the boys' style better.

3. She is learning how to read books, and her favorites are the Junie B. Jones series.

2. She could climb all the way to the top of a playground "rock wall" at 2 years old. She was only 18 pounds, and other moms gave me dirty looks for letting a baby do something so dangerous, but she was determined to be a big girl and proove everyone wrong. She can still climb like a monkey.

1. She is mine, and in the words of Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way." Don't change anything Jenna. You are great just the way you are!!!

Happy Birthday Jacquelynne

Jacquelynne turned 11 three days ago. Wow, time sure flies. So in honor of the prettiest young lady in 5th grade this year, here are 11 things about Jacquelynne:

11. She shares my middle name.
10. She is an incredible artist with a very good eye for balance and composition.
9. She is sensitive and caring toward all her younger siblings.
8. She has my attitude.
7. She is growing up so fast, and taking longer to get ready in the morning.
6. She loves purple.
5. She already has her vet school picked out for after college.
4. She is an avid reader, and is currently enjoying historical fiction books.
3. She is our little dog trainer.
2. Her favorite TV shows are on Animal Planet.
1. She is growing into an amazingly beautiful young lady.

- Love you sweetie,
Mom

Lipstick

Monday night was meet the teacher night for Back to School. As we were getting ready to go to 3 different schools to meet 5 sets of teachers, Joseph's sweet little heart showed through again. I had the kids gathering their school supplies to load in the car and get their shoes on and I told them that we had 10 minutes to get out the door. I was heading upstairs and told them I need to "put my face on" and they needed to be ready when I was done. (Yes, I have this down to 5 minutes or less on most days)

Anyway, as I was turning to go upstairs, Joseph looked up at me with his fully loaded backpack on his back and his arms full of Kleenex boxes and said, "But mom, I think you already have your pretty face on." Aww. I told him thank you and gave him a kiss and he added, "you just need lipstick, that's all."

He made my day!

Happy Birthday Jackson

Today my very first baby turns 13. What a wonderful young man he is. It is hard to believe it has been 13 years since I first saw his perfect little face. Today, he is a teenager and at the beginning of a new chapter. Being his mom just keeps getting better and better.

This week he is off on his grand 13 year old adventure with Grandpa and Grammy. He boarded a plane on his own last Friday. Everyday this week they have jam packed outings customized just for him. They have explored the International Spy Museum in D.C., visited the civil war battle site Antietam, seen the new Harry Potter movie, visited the National Zoo, and the week is only half over. And Tuesday night they went to my sister's house to see his Aunt Chrisi, Uncle John, my mom, and his 3 cousins to celebrate his birthday.

As hard as it was to let him go, I know he is having such a great time. So in honor of the big 13, here are 13 things about Jackson:

13. He is compassionate with his younger siblings.
12. He is intelligent and curious, and a terrific learner.
11. He is a fan of Harry Potter and Star Wars.
10. He reads books to his little sister.
9. He taught himself how to make stop action movies with Windows Movie Maker, Lego's, and my old camera.
8. He spent last summer with one of my old German text books just because he wanted to learn something new.
7. He can build a house of cards.
6. He plays the viola so beautifully it brings tears to my eyes to sit and listen.
5. He is my tech support kid. He can plug in and set up the DVR, DVD, Wii, Xbox, and computer.
4. He sang a solo part at our church in front of approximately 3000 people when he was only 9.
3. He draws cartoons.
2. He is funny.
1. He is now a teenager.

I love you buddy!
-Mom

Big Scare, Glad It Is Over.

Two days ago, we had one of our biggest scares ever. Jenna fell and hit her head while rough housing with her older brothers. For several minutes I told her she was ok and tried to sooth her crying. Something wasn't right. I can't tell you exactly what it was, maybe the way she held her head, maybe the way she told me, "I'm trying not to cry." But something wasn't right. This went on for several minutes. My gut told me we needed to have her seen by a doctor. So, I told her to get her shoes, that we would go to the doctor. I gathered my things and got ready to go call the family doctor, and then everything changed. Jenna threw up. I mean, really bad kind of threw up.

I am not a doctor or a nurse, but since I do work in an ER, I have seen reactions from medical personnel change to key things (chest pain, trouble breathing, etc...). Every triage nurse I have ever worked with asks 2 questions to someone who hits their head. 1. Did they lose consciousness? 2. Did they throw up? If the answer is yes, they respond differently. So, combine that with my Jenna was nearly limp after vomiting, and my response changed very quickly too.

I scooped her up, she didn't need shoes anymore because I could carry her in faster than she could walk anyway. I told Jacquelynne to call daddy at work and tell him to meet us at the ER. Forget the family doc, he is a nice guy and pretty smart, but we now needed a cat scan and he doesn't have that at his office. So off we went to the ER.

There have been many times that families have complained to me at work that they have to sit too long in the waiting room to be seen. One thing that I know for sure is that non-life threatening cases do have to wait when we are overloaded. This may sound strange, but the ER is the one place you DON'T want to be first in line, because that means you are potentially really sick or injured.

Since I work in our local ER, I knew the registrars and nurses. I also knew it was not good to be pulled into the triage room and told that she would be going back to a bed as soon as her vitals were done. She was limp, rated her pain at a 10 out of 10, and threw up again in triage. I guess it is good that I don't know specifics of how bad it could really be, because I just cannot go there about my own kids. But I knew it just wasn't right. So we got a cat scan, saw the doctor, and I tried really hard to be patient. My baby was hurt, and I couldn't fix it.

Now for the good news: no fracture, no bleeding, no bruising. She will be fine. She had a concussion with nausea and vomiting. We stayed overnight in the hospital so she could be watched and get iv fluids and zofran to help with the nausea. We had to wake her every couple of hours, but she responded well. After a good long nap, she perked up enough to eat and was very happy to find out she could have all the jello and chicken noodle soup that she wanted, and that the pediatric unit is stocked with over 200 movie choices for her to pick from.

We are home now and she doesn't really like that she can't rough house for a few days. And, I am making her take naps because she doesn't realize that she is sleepy because she is still recovering. We will see the family doctor Thursday afternoon and hopefully get an "all clear." But at least I know she will have a full recovery and she is getting back to her old self again.

I am grateful that she is ok. I hate being the mom whose kid is so sick she cannot wait in the ER waiting room to be seen. Hopefully, we won't be doing that again any time soon.

Still Here

Has it really been so long since I posted? I guess it has. Despite evidence from this blog, we are still here. Busy summer days, but I wonder sometimes where the time has gone... Some days I think I spend too much time wasted on stuff that doesn't really matter. Then I have other days that I wonder where the time went.

OK, here's a small scoop:

Mom was here for a visit off and on for several weeks. She got to come stay with us, then go to her mom's, then back home, back here, and then home again. She racked up some serious flyer points on the airlines. While she was here, we joked that we were attempting to stimulate the economy by a little shopping, and eating lunches out several days. Most of the time, we just hung out here.

Truman, our new little toy poodle puppy, and Teddy, mom's puppy (and Truman's litter mate), have kept us on our toes. Potty training two puppies is not easy work. I will be taking Teddy to mom next week and I will miss him. Truman jumped off the guest room bed a few weeks ago and broke his back leg. After surgery to put a rod and pin in his leg, he is still recovering. He will see the vet Tuesday for a follow up xray, and if he is all healed, we will be able to let him run and play again. I have to admit that he is pitiful spending so much time in his crate. The vet assures us that is what we have to do so he can heal properly, but I will be glad when this is over.

The kids have graduated to the next grades and are enjoying an enrichment summer school program for the month of June. Jackson is now 7th, Jacquelynne 5th, Joseph 2nd, Jenna 1st, and Julia will be in her first full year of K. Jackson is studying the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. Jacquelynne is studying Africa, she made a power point presentation about Kenya. Joseph is learning about Egypt. Jenna is learning about communities. Julia is learning the kindergarten routine with extra support in learning English.

The week between school getting out, and the summer school program, Jackson had his tonsils removed. He had a long recovery, but is finally feeling better. After he gets his final ok from the ENT surgeon, we will be seeing the dentist for all the kids' semi-annual check up.

We had our 6 month post adoption social worker visit on June 4. It is hard to imagine a time that Julia wasn't here, and yet she has only been home for 6 months. Her English and behavior is getting so much better. I know that I get frustrated a lot of days, but I appreciate the joy and progress we have made. We still have our challenge areas, but overall things are going pretty well.

I got an email from one of the other mom's from our China travel group. Their little guy was 4 1/2 at adoption, and he was on the same special needs list Julia was. I cannot tell you what it was about him the first time I saw his picture, but I prayed over him for a long time. Seeing him in Beijing with his new family was the biggest shock I had in China. But, seeing his picture with a family update was a HUGE blessing for me this week too. His mama shared some of the same sibling attachment issues that we have been going through, but overall a good transition. It seemed like she could have been talking about us. God's timing is always perfect, and once again He used a picture of this precious little boy to remind me that He is in control. And, if I will get my head out of the day to day and look at the big picture, He gives me a glimpse of how far we have come.

Today, I checked on a few blogs that I enjoy reading. I feel for the frustration and pain, and the very long WAIT. But, even still, I am inspired and filled with hope today for all of the little ones who will soon be coming home to their forever mamas and forever daddies.

God is Good

It has been a while since I posted. We have had a busy couple of weeks. We are still getting over sickness and fevers. I am focused on school work. I started as a consultant for Mary Kay cosmetics. And, we have a new addition coming home with us this Saturday. Whew.

OK, to start off with, Fever. I. dislike. fevers. Especially when it is my kiddos that are sick. Poor Joseph started with it. 4 and a half days of alternating Tylenol and Motrin, and he is finally better. The first day Joseph was fever free, Jackson started with it. This morning, Jackson went to the doctor and we were told it is tonsillitis. 10 days of antibiotics, and a visit to an ENT in two weeks to discuss removing tonsils, yuck. Jackson started feeling better today, but at bedtime, Jacquelynne showed a 101.2 fever. Oh my. Please make it stop!!! 3 down, I am not betting against the other two having it before the month is out.

School is going well. I love grad school. That may make me a total geek, but I do. I love it. It is fun, stimulating, and applicable to real life. My current class is even online, so I can work around the rest of my crazy schedule.

Last week I signed up as an independent consultant for Mary Kay. I sold Mary Kay years ago, and I like the company. Extra money is a good thing.

And, yes, you read it right above, we get a new addition on Saturday. It is the furry, four footed kind, with a curly coat of hair and a soft wet nose. :-) I'm getting a toy poodle!!! His name is Truman, and he is incredibly cute. I will actually have his brother for a few months until I can get him to my mom for her birthday. (Don't worry, she already knows, we just can't get him there earlier). I'll take him to her house when I go in June for her birthday. I have wanted a lap dog for a long time. I still love Max, but at 65 pounds, he is NOT a lap dog, he just thinks he is. He is just a really spoiled big baby. It should be fun to introduce them.

It is crazy busy around here. But a good busy. I love it. God is good. All the time, He is good.
Have a great week!

Joubert Syndrome is Confirmed

Just a quick note to say Julia's Joubert Syndrome diagnosis is confirmed. I heard from the doctor that her MRI is characteristic of Joubert Syndrome. We gave permission for this doctor to forward her MRI to another doctor out of our area that specializes in Joubert Syndrome. We had done basic research on this before the adoption and this was in her paperwork from China, so is isn't a shock to us. It is a relief to have the doctors here agree and now we can move forward with her care. Basically, she will have extra tests done to check her kidney and liver functions as she grows, and if they notice any changes, we will go from there. Also, we will have to follow up with some physical and occupational therapy to help her master large motor skills. Other than that, she is a healthy, happy six year old.

Update on the MRI, and other "stuff"

Thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers for Julia (and for my peace of mind). I am happy to report that she came through just fine. Now all I have to do is patiently wait for the doctor to call with the results (Hmmm...I think I have mentioned that I am not the most patient person in the world). We are really expecting to just confirm what we have already been told about her diagnosis, but it will be nice to have a definitive answer.

The kids are all off to school and I have just a few more days with my mom here before she heads off to her mom's house. I have decided that having a retired mom is a pretty good deal. In her "career life" she was a teacher so she came to visit for long trips in the summer. Now that she is living the "retired life" she can come whenever. Pretty good for me. So she will be here for a few more days and then drive to spend time with her mom. Saturday, they will both be back here and my grandmother will get to meet Julia for the first time.

We have had a pretty good visit so far. We have enjoyed being lazy and just hanging out at the house. The kids have enjoyed her reading to them and just spending time together. It was a little awkward the first day mom arrived and Julia ran off the school bus excited to see her, gave her a hug, and asked, "where's Grandpa?" Since I don't know how to say "he's in heaven" we settled for "he's not here." She seemed ok with it, and seems very happy to have her grandmother's attention.

This past Saturday, I found out that my friend Heather was in town to visit her parents, so we got together Saturday night for the oh so exciting grocery store run. This just might permanently stick me in the boring as mud category, but yes, we multi-task by visiting and shopping at the same time. Some people shop for clothes, we shop for groceries and laundry soap. This was my semi-annual stock up shopping, so it was nice to have extra hands. Mom, Heather, and I hit both WalMart and the grocery store, and I ended up with 2 carts at each store. Fortunately Scott was ready to help put things away when we got home. I've been doing these semi-annual stock up trips for several years. I just might have to break down and do it 3 times a year instead of 2. My kiddos are getting bigger, and I am getting older, and 4 carts in one night about did me in. Laundy soap, paper products, shampoo and such adds up quick.

That's about all around here. Hope you have a great week!
-E

5 School Conferences, 3 Schools, 2 Days, and 1 Elementary Economics Lesson

It's that time of year again. It was Student Led Conference time. That is really just a fancy way of saying that the kids get to bring the parents to school and show off how much they have learned so far this year. The teachers spend a lot of time prepping the kids and preparing a portfolio of their work and mini stations to let the kids show off. I really enjoy it. They all have samples of work that were done at the very beginning of school and samples from current work. I love to see the progression of how far they have come in just a few short months.

This past week, we of course had 5 conferences at 3 schools, on 2 different days. Not too bad as long as we stay on schedule and don't get behind. Monday night it was middle school night. Jackson and Scott went and Jackson said that he really enjoyed showing dad what his schedule looks like in real life. He is over half way done with 6th grade. Wow. Time flies. Tuesday, Scott was out of town and I had the 4 remaining elementary school conferences at two different schools. I started with Julia's at one school at 4pm, and then Jenna, Joseph, and Jacquelynne at the other school. By the time we made it home it was 8pm (a half hour after bed time) and every one was tired and a bit grumpy. But, they all seemed to have a blast showing off their work. Each child had between 30-45 minutes and we went table to table in each class completing little activities as a sample of their regular learning. The kids did great and I appreciate the hard work the teachers did. Of course I know my kids are great, but it was so nice to hear them praised in by their teachers.

By the time we made it to Jacquelynne's class, Jenna and Joseph were wearing down. Poor kids, this was done after a full day of school, and it happened to be on the same day my mom flew in for a visit, so they had used up all their energy earlier. Jenna spent Jacquelynne's conference time on my lap at each station, resting her head on my shoulder. After they were all done, we still had to swing by the PTA book fair. Jacquelynne had some of her spending money, and she wanted books. Joseph and Jenna had already spent theirs, and they didn't understand why I wouldn't just buy more books for them. It took a bit of time for Jacquelynne to select her books, and estimate the tax so she could make sure she could cover the bill, but she did great, and didn't complain. She is such a wonderful young lady. She selected her final purchases and stood in line to check out all on her own. She paid her bill, and we were finally done.

Oh yeah, did I mention that while she was selecting her books, I stood by the register with Jenna and Joseph crying into the hem of my sweater because they didn't have spending money? They didn't like my answer that they had already spent theirs and that Jacquelynne had saved hers for this book fair. Kindergarten/First Grade Economics 101: If you spend your hard earned $$$ at Toys R Us, you can't buy books at the book fair. The Bank of Mom does not issue credit. Of course the school principal and other moms around me smiled sympathetically and nodded in agreement that budgeting is hard to learn sometimes.

We all made it home, and bedtime soon followed. They were all down by 9 (an hour and a half late) and mommy was off to bed too. Despite our meltdowns at the end, they did a great job. I am so proud of them and all they have learned so far this year.

5 Kids Out the Door By 8am into the Cold

5 kids
5 breakfasts
Lots of clean teeth
10 clean hands
4 brushed heads of hair (Joseph still has his buzz cut)
10 socks in place
10 shoes over socks
5 backpacks cleaned out and ready to go
1 lunchbox packed (Julia isn't quite ready for school lunches yet so we send what we know she will eat)
5 coats
5 warm knit hats
10 gloves
2 noses pressed to the window "on lookout" as the others finish with coats
1 Daddy ready for work
1 car warmed up to drive kids to the bus stop
........all leads to

...

...

1 Mommy enjoying 1 cup of coffee and a moment of silence.

New Pictures from the Funny Farm...

Want to see what happens when 5 children pile on a loveseat for mom to take one picture?


I actually took 30 pictures. Most of them look something like this...


I never claimed we were perfect....

This one became my new desktop background picture...

OK, so we got 2 good ones out of thirty...

And, just because they are so darn cute, here are my little 6 year old "twins."

Till next time...

:-)

We Leave Tomorrow

How many times can I check items off my list? We are packed, with just a few last minute items to throw in. We have tickets, documents, passports, documents, visas, documents, camera, documents, clothes, gifts, and did I mention documents? Hopefully all electronic gadgets will cooperate while we are there and I will be able to update this blog as we go. If not, fear not, I will add all the good stuff when we return. I am excited, exhausted, wired and worn out all at the same time. My head is spinning and I am seriously hoping for a good nap this afternoon.

Last night we had Jackson's first middle school orchestra concert. He is getting so good with his viola. I was so proud of him up there. I got to bring the new camera too and got some good shots, all zoomed in on him. Tonight, Jacquelynne has her choir concert. I am thankful that they are at least different nights, and that we are still here to see them, since we will be leaving the house at 4am to head to the airport.

God is so good. His timing is perfect.

You Never Know What Kids Will Say Next

In getting ready to go to work tonight, I pulled out a top that I haven't worn in a while. Jenna promptly asked if it was a work shirt, and I said yes. She stated that she didn't remember it, and I responded that I hadn't worn it in a long time. Her response, "Well, it's a good thing it still fits."

How am I supposed to respond to that???

:-)

10 Days Until We Leave

And 15 days until we meet Julia Grace. I have given thanks until I cried, shopped until I dropped, wrapped until we ran out of tape, and just started to pack the suitcases. Oh my. We purchased plane tickets, have our visas ready, copied tons of documents, and there is still so much to be done. But ready or not we leave for Beijing Dec 10th, and arrive there on the 11th. We will be arriving back home on Christmas night. I still cannot believe that we can do the countdown in days, not weeks or months. Yahoo!!!!

On this side of the world, we had snow this weekend and the kids made a snow fort in the backyard. They didn't come in until their teeth chattered. Winter is soon upon us, and the first snow of the season is always a treat. It makes for an extra nice Thanksgiving treat when our first snow arrives on a long weekend.

Till next time :-)

A Day at the Funny Farm

Ever wonder what a typical day is like around here? Well here goes. Today I:

*Had one child home from school recovering from a fever last night,

*Got one kid out the door to the bus stop at 6:30 am,

*Got two younger kids out to the bus by 7:50 am,

*Enjoy a cup of coffee and newspaper, and explain stock market investing to 10 year old daughter,

*Cleaned the kitchen, boiled eggs for dinner salad,

*Ran the dishwasher,

*Ran two loads of laundry in the am,

*Made lunch for child at home, no more fever, yippee!

*Went to PetsMart for more kitty litter and a second litter box (mental note, NEVER run out of kitty litter), bird cage litter, bird treats, and fish food,

*Changed cat litter, and set up second litter box next to the original box so the two cats don't have to share,

*Put away clean dishes and start beans soaking for tomorrow night's dinner,

*Play card game with daughter,

*Visit with middle school child when he arrives home,

*Pick up younger kids from bus stop,

*Snack time, listen to Jenna state that she will not be eating dinner tomorrow night if I am serving beans,

*Return neighbor child's jean jacket that was found in the pile of our kids' jean jackets on the arm of the sofa,

*Check and sort the mail,

*Dinner time (simple tonight, salad with spinach, romaine, almonds, sliced egg, cheese and ranch dressing)

*Kids' shower time,

*Hunt down Halloween costumes for two youngest kids,

*Find a disaster under the girls' bunk bed (seriously, a small child could be lost under there for days) and haul in the trash sack to help get it clean,

*Haul 2 trash sacks and a full load of laundry out from under girls' bed,

*Start another load of laundry,

*Check the boys' room for garbage (they only had a half a sack) and dirty clothes,

*Take a break to type this up,

Right now it is 6:45pm. Somewhere in the day, I also got to sit and snuggle each of my three youngest (the 12 year old is "too old or that stuff" so he sits next to me while we discuss his day at school). Still on my list for today, brush kids' teeth, and put them to bed at 7:30 with a story, and then maybe I will get to sit down and call my hubby who is out of town for the night.

Tomorrow, it starts again.

*****************************************************
Here's a copy of my 4 or More: Lots of Kids post for today:

Blessed By Frugal Living:

These days, it seems that reading the newspaper or watching news on television has become scary. But some days it just makes me laugh. No, really. I sit with my cup of coffee and peruse articles online or in the paper about how families can make their dollars go farther in today's economy. These so called financial experts are recommending things that many large families, including my own, have been doing for a long time. It has been very encouraging to be reinforced by the "mainstream media" for some of the simple things that we have tried to do over the years. Now, I have not figured out how to keep my kids from having sudden growth spurts and needing longer pants, nor have they cut back on the amounts that they are eating. In fact, the older they get, the MORE they eat. But, we have found some simple ways to avoid waste if possible. My focus this year was to stretch our budget as far as possible and still provide for all our needs; and quite a few of our wants too. Our system is not perfect, but maybe one or two of our tips will be helpful to your family, or maybe it will just encourage you that you are on the best possible track. Either way, whether the economy is good or bad, living a frugal life won't hurt (after the initial lifestyle change). The easiest budget item in my control is the grocery bill.

So, here are a few things I have learned so far this year:
*We really don't NEED as much as we think we do. Once I got this through my thick skull, decisions became so much easier.
*I learned how to cook a whole chicken fryer or roaster. Yeah, I am way behind on this, and I hate to admit that I only bought boneless skinless fresh chicken for 12 years. Oh my, was that dumb. (see the next tip for more on this)
*Our family doesn't do well with leftovers. The kids say "this AGAIN??" Oh wait, that is me. OK, there are very few leftovers that I like to reheat and have for myself, so we were wasting a lot. Hmm, let's think about this, it doesn't save me money if I throw out half of it. So, I started planning completely different meals with planned left overs. For example, when I cook a chicken roaster, we have a big meal with roasted or rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and fixings for the first meal, then I can pull off plenty chicken to make chicken pot pie or soup for a different meal later that week.
*When I make soup, spaghetti sauce, or chili, I end up with a very big crock pot full. In the past, I would waste too much, so now, before I even serve it the first meal, I set aside half and freeze it. It isn't really leftovers 3 weeks later, right? Cook once, serve twice...I Love It!!
*Hang clothes to dry. My electric bill went down $20 per month versus last year by not using the dryer.
*Combine trips in the car. Yes, today I was out of kitty litter, and had to go out only for that, but before I left, I checked all other pet supplies, to make sure I wasn't going to have to return in two days for bird treats of fish food.
*Keep a master grocery list and check off items needed throughout the week. Oh yeah, I actually take the list with me to the grocery store now. Radical, I know.
*I add $20-50 to each week's grocery store run in order to stock the pantry with sale items. I am not disciplined enough to read the ads ahead of time, but I grab one when I hit the store. If chicken fryers are on sale for $0.79 per pound, I buy 5 and freeze the extra. I stock up and freeze or store seasonal items for use later. I plan meals around what is on hand at home, and rotate first in, first out for the pantry and freezer items too.
*We have a lot of pets... We love our pets, but they eat a lot too. So, I do the same thing with pet supplies that I do with stocking the freezer. I try to keep one on hand, and add it to the list when I open my last item (treats, bag of food, kitty litter). This way, when I find a good deal and save $3 per package of cat litter, I buy two, and rarely ever pay full price for anything.
*Swap babysitting time with the neighbors.
*Plan at home date night. Kids go to bed at 7:30 anyway, so we plan to have our couple time with homemade snacks or a carry out appetizer at home. A card game or movie rental is much cheaper than eating out or going to the movie theater.
*Look for sales on kids clothing and try to buy a season ahead for basics when they are on sale. Guess what, that cute little Gap t-shirt is just as cute on sale for $5 as it was full price for $20.
*Switch to a cheaper cell phone plan. I don't use a gazillion minutes, and I don't send text messages, why was I paying for it? I was able to cut $20 per month from my cell phone bill by going to a cheaper plan with fewer minutes.

Well, this certainly doesn't make the stock market any less volatile, nor does it make my retirement account look any bigger, but every little bit helps. Cooking at home saves a ton versus eating out, and these days every penny counts. If you have frugal tips, please leave them in the comment section, I am always looking for another way to stretch my dollars. If I could share one piece of advice with the world... Just remember, when things look scary, count your blessings. Family, Friends, Health, and the ability to do my best to care for those I love; these are all things to help me sleep well at night no matter what the stock market does.

Kindergarten is "Too Long"

Jenna has been cracking us up this past week. She has had it with kindergarten already. Last Wednesday before school, she said that she wanted to stay home because "kindergarten is too long." Poor thing. School is interfering with the important stuff like play time. Well, she got her wish for a few days. Wednesday I got a call that she had developed a fever and sore throat, so she came home early. Unfortunately, the fever didn't finally leave until the middle of the night Thursday night, so she was home through Friday. In between telling me that she liked staying home to snuggle with me, she said that she wanted to go back to school. I think she decided that she would take kindergarten over an achy fever. I can't really blame her.

Then, last night at dinner, she said that she'd "do anything to get out of kindergarten" because it was "too long." Oh my, she had us all laughing. I asked her if she gets a rest time, and she said no but they do have nap time and she doesn't take naps anymore so she would rather be home playing. We assured her that the only way to get out of kindergarten is to keep going and graduate to first grade. She slumped her shoulders and told us that at least she gets to stay home Monday because it is a holiday.

One week down.... Not even gonna count how many are left.

No News Yet...

This whole adoption waiting thing is tough. We had been told one time frame, by 2 different people at the agency that had us waiting by the phone all week for news. When I finally broke down and called our consultant, she told us it would be another 3 months before we hear anything. Ugh. OK, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" so I can do this. So, no news yet.

However, the last time she gave us a 30 day time frame, that step took 2 days!! Am I wrong to hope that she is wrong again? Better to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best, I like to say.

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Today's Lots of Kids post...

Back to School:

This week the kids started back to school.

It hit me this summer pretty hard that I now have a middle school student! He is such a wonderful young man and I am incredibly proud of his accomplishments. The very first day of school, he came home to announce that he wanted to try out for the fall play. Oh my, I am so excited. I loved drama club as a student, and I am so happy that he is getting this opportunity. He can't decide if he wants to act or be on the lighting crew.... Haha, must be my kiddo alright.

Our oldest daughter is now the big kid of the family at the elementary school, and she takes her "responsibility" so seriously. She has taken it on herself to walk her kindergarten sister to her classroom. She is blossoming into a very responsible young lady. Somewhere a switch was flipped and she went from carefree little girl to being concerned about everyone around her and doing her part to help out on her own initiative. Wow!

Not to worry, we still have two carefree little ones... The younger two kids are kindergarten and first grade, and they just like school for snack time and recess.

I am enjoying each stage. Every year I think that this is the best stage for kids, but as they grow, it just keeps getting better. I guess sometimes it is good to be wrong. :-)

Long time, No Blog

Yeah, I know. But, in a little way, I guess that means that we were too busy living life to sit and write about it, so I guess that is good. Anyway, here's the summer update...

Jackson turned 12. That in and of itself makes me stop and think, "Whoa, where did time go??" He is such a wonderful young man. He went through the Safe Sitter babysitting class at the local hospital last month, and he is very proud that he can earn his own money. So far, he has only watched his siblings, and only during daylight, with a neighbor on stand-by as his "available adult" and us attached to our cell phones. Go ahead and laugh, just wait until it's your turn and you will know what I mean. He babysat for the first time for 1 hour, and the second time for 3 hours. OK, that is all this mama can handle, and yes, we checked in several times during those times.

We had our 13th anniversary yesterday. WooHoo!! We had a lovely dinner at McCormick and Schmidt's. Yummy, yummy. And of course we spent the evening laughing about the past 13 years and how much we have changed.

We got our log in date with the CCAA for July 16, 2008. Now we are waiting for the seeking confirmation letter to arrive, hopefully this week or next. As far as the tentative timeline for our travel, we are hoping for October or November to bring home our precious little girl. We were able to send her a photo album, letter, and toy when we sent in the dossier, and she should have received it by now.

The two older kids had the well child doctor visits today, and they both were due for vaccines. Needless to say, they were quite comical trying to convince the doctor that they didn't need any more shots. Jackson went so far as to pull his arms into his t-shirt and say that he left his arms at home so he couldn't get any shots. Good for us, our family doc has a good sense of humor. He played along for a bit, but they got shots anyway.

Well, I guess that is the short version of the summer. Lots of sunshine and outside playtime, and splashing in the pool. School starts next Tuesday. If you need a little giggle for the day, picture sorting out school supplies for 5 kids in the middle of the floor, trying to keep track of the various lists with one kid or another saying, "Is that mine? How many do I get? Why does she get more than me?" with every item. Hehe. Makes me laugh anyway.

Until next time...

First Day of *Summer*???

Well today is the first day the kids are not packing up to go to school. They have this one week at home and then start a 4 week summer enrichment program. Last night at dinner, Jackson said that his favorite part of the day was knowing that he gets to stay home this week.

Then came morning. Our plans to play outside and enjoy the fresh air was cut a little short. Yep. We woke up to clouds moving in. By mid morning there was lightening in the sky, and raindrops on the deck. So much for outdoor play. Oh well. I love having all the kids home. I will miss them next week, so I am just focusing on enjoying them now.