you are home.

laser tag days and snowy nights

2012-01-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

Gary is out of town, again, and when he is, we try to find something different and fun to do. Sometimes it is sitting in the cool booths at USwirl and looking out at the mountains. Other times it is swimming at the pool. Other times it may be a treat of In and Out burger for dinner... or cereal... just something that puts a little fun into a day. So today since it was early out Monday (really not cool to have MONDAY be early release days... really... after a weekend I could use a couple extra hours at least to catch up!!!) we decided to hit Trafalga... a little fun center close to our house. We got unlimited passes (includes 2 water parks for summer) for Christmas and needed to go get our ID's made. Since it was snowing hard and still early the front desk guy talked us into a round of laser tag. I have never played... ever... guns arent really my thing. But in the spirit of "fun" I said what the heck.

If you know my Molly Shen, you know she worries. And when she has nothing to worry about, she finds something to worry about. She must ask me every day how much gas is today. On Christmas day she was worrying about what she would pack in her lunch on the day back to school. One of her biggest fears is the dark and scary things. She has nightmares all the time that she is stolen... so telling her we were going into the dark where we would shoot people and try to not be shot didnt go over so well. I pretty much drug her into the pre game room to watch the video. I strapped her vest on and put her laser gun into her hand KNOWING that i would probably have to haul her out of there screaming.

And then the game began... and she realized no one could hurt her and she went crazy. She snuck around... she crawled past doorways, put her back to walls and raced to hidey holes... it was the funniest thing to watch. It was like watching some cops and robbers show. As soon as we were done she asked if we could bring dad back when he gets home... she thinks that maybe he has some ex police skills that she could learn. (And she wants to be able to sneak up on him!!!)

Tonight she is tucked into my bed... sleeping on her dad's side of the bed... she isnt scared to sleep by herself...oh no sir... she just wants to help me out if I need something during the night and dad isnt here...

no judgements please.

2012-01-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

Before I feel like I can resume chronicling our life again, there are a couple of "elephants" in the room that need to be dealt with... sorta the main reasons I quit wanting to share. I was not in a place to discuss them privately yet it didn't feel right to just ignore them.

Some of our close friends know. Our family knows and our neighbors know, but it is a topic i avoid in public if at all possible.

If you are involved in the community of adoption at all you have heard the term RAD. For those who don't know what those 3 letters stand for , it is Reactive Attachment Disorder. It is a mental illness (condition) that can happen to anyone with a history of trauma, most commonly is seen in some adoptive children. RAD can manifest in many ways... from very slight to severe. Sometimes it can be treated and other times it can not.

Our family picture looks a bit different now... Bis is not in them. We made the very difficult decision to place him into a therapeutic group home a few months ago. Bis has severe RAD, as well as several other mental illnesses.

Life over the past few years has been miserable and scary. Bis had progressed to a point where he was extremely violent. It is hard to explain for those that have not lived it... on paper there is no way to express the nightmare that life was for all of us... including Bis. We had alarms on doors. He had made a plan for how to kill all of us, including his teacher at school. He explained to us how he would do it and what he would do with our bodies. He would describe in great detail the order in which we would die... When we locked up all the knives and scissors in the house, he made his own. He attempted to kill the dog. He attacked Gary with a golf club and Addie and I with a hammer. We had "escape" plans in place... how Noah would get the little kids to a safe place while Addie and I would work on containing Bis. We had the police involved on a couple of occasions. There is 4 years worth of stories I could blog.

Bis is getting help... the help he needs desperately. We dont know what the future holds. He may need to live in group home setting for a year, or 5 years, or the rest of his life. We just dont know at this point.

We are healing... we are learning to not live in fear. We are learning how to relax and enjoy life. We have lived a life that no one should have to live. We have had to make decisions no one should have to make. We have peace with our decisions and we see the healing taking place in our home. Bis struggles with therapy, but he is in an amazing wonderful place... a place that allows him to be the best him that is possible. We have made some incredible friends (you know the ones that see you on your worst possible day and just step in and help out??) and we have had "old" friends that have stood in the gap with us... we have also been judged, questioned and talked about. I would just like to say... you are welcome to walk a mile in our shoes, but those are shoes i wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.

it has been a little while...

2012-01-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hello... i should probably introduce myself... I am Denise. :-) So many times i have sat down to update this blog and turned off my computer. I have said I would blog, but havent. There has been some tough stuff. And i didnt really know how to blog it. But ignoring it was difficult too. Then there was the privacy issue... we lived where my little family needed to be protected from a world of lies and abuse. A place where facts were exchanged for lies and where sadly victims were cast as the "guilty".

But... time has passed and wounds have healed. We are safe... we dont look over our shoulders or turn our heads as people whisper behind our backs. We live free and loved and happy now.

And it was sitting around the table with the kids just talking that the blog was mentioned, and i realized how important it was to all of them. That they missed it. And for whatever reason, the blog is a big part of them... and so it has been edited (and probably will be some more). It has been given a bit of an update... (thanks Noah for getting the stomach flu... which kept me home looking for a break from the laundry).

so we started over. We refused to give into the lies. We chose to believe that God could turn everything into good. We stand on that. God is good. All the time.

Guess you had to be there...

2011-03-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

You had to have been there... I am just sayin'... it wont be nearly as funny to just read it... it wont be funny at all, but this morning Addie and I stood there just looking at each other before busting up with laughter. She says "mom that is a blogging line"....

We were ready for church early, quite a feat actually when you figure there is just 1 of me and 5 kiddos to dress, feed, and keep clean until time to leave... (dont forget dogs to feed, fires to make, oh and 37 loads of laundry or so). i asked Noah to bring in 5 logs before church. The littles were watching tv in the living room and noah tromps across my clean floors in Addie's polkadotted boots carrying his logs. Molly chirps up super loud... "you cant come in here like that!!!!" and noah growls back "watch me"!!!!! This comment and in this tone of voice I do not think any of us have ever heard from Noah... it even left Molly speechless. Of course Addie and I were rolling on the bed in fits of giggles down the hall... luckily I had time to sweep the floors. Again.

Dinosaur Days

2011-01-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yordi cracks me up... He is easily led to the dark side but is such an innocent little guy that it is hysterically funny. He LOVES dinosaurs. LOVES them!!!!

We were driving down the road to Grammy and Papas house and there are lots of wooded areas. Yordi yells up to Addie from the backseat ... "Addie do you think there is such a thing as dinosaurs?" Addie told him she was sure that there used to be dinosaurs. He agreed and told her she really needed to turn her music down cause he really thought there might be some baby dinosaurs in the bushes and trees alongside the road. She asked him what he would do if he saw one... Yordi says "I would jump out of the car and chase it down and catch it. I really hope it is a T Rex cause those are the ones with teeth." Addie asked him what he would do with it once he caught it. Yordi says "mom can I keep the ones I catch?" Of course I juumped all over that one and said SURE!!! Yordi throws a fist up in the air and shouts "Yes! I finally get my own pet!!!"

--------------------------

Molly Shen and Yordi were playing in the dining room. Yordi had all his dinosaurs out and Molly Shen had her horses... everything was going along swell until the dinosaurs got hungry, stormed the barn and attempted to eat the horses...

A huge fight broke out which resulted in the dinosaurs being UNinvited over to play in the barn... Yordi tried to convince Molly that is was a fact of nature that dinosaurs eat meat,,, and well horses are meat... unfortunately the circle of life was broken when Molly pointed out that horses indeed must be superior since the dinosaurs are now extinct... poor Yordi.... this apparantly was news to him.

Young Love...

2011-01-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

Molly Shen came busting into the car after school yesterday, chatting non stop as is usual for her... She says mom the funniest thing happened...
"S" one of her dear friends said to her: Molly do you like me? I know you like me
Molly: Yes S i like you but not like a boyfriend
S: Yes you do. I know it
Molly: No, we cant have boyfriends until we are in high school or we will get in trouble.
S: You HAVE to like me or I will punch you in the face.

Molly Shen was laughing hysterically..." Gosh mom it was so funny cause he is too sweet to punch anyone and if he did i wouldnt like him AND i would never be his girlfriend... even when i get into high school!!!!

Ahhh... young love in the 2nd grade...

terrorism task force

2010-10-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dont let these innocent, adorable faces fool you. We had a terrorism task force meeting.. ie family meeting at the dinner table.... A review of some hot topic issues that needed to be discussed in further detail.

Item 1: All dogs must go outside to potty. Even if it is dark, even if it is raining. They are dogs. They dont get to use my bathroom.

Item 2: If ANYONE (child or dog) gets sick in the night, there will be NO vomiting exactly in the spot I would put my feet when I launch my body from a dead sleep to hurl myself from the bed. AND IF by chance there is vomit in that spot and my feet do land in it and I slip and fall, DO NOT SAY SHHHHH I am sleeping!

Item 3: It is my bed. If you feel the need to sleep in it with me sleep on your own side and your own pillow. There is no open forum for discussion on this anymore.

Item 4: IF you are sleeping with me, keep your toes out of my ribcage, ears and spine.

Item 5: IF I happen to go down the hall to use the bathroom, I SWEAR I am coming back. I do not need to be escorted and waited for outside the door by 4 people a dog and a cat. I have acutally been doing this for years and am quite capable of doing it on my own... and I will come back. Eventually. I promise.

Item 6: If you have a temper tantrum and kick and scream and bite and yell and then get up and ask for me to make you your own entree for dinner cause what I have made doesn't happen to be your favorite... DO EXPECT to be laughed at by all your siblings... hysterically laughed at, as in table slapping laughed at. Followed up with comments like "Good luck with that one buddy!" or "are you freakin kidding me????"

Item 7: If you spray yourself in the eye with your sisters perfume that you have snuck from her room, well, dont be offended if all your sibling say ewwww... you smell like a girl.

Item 8: If you are not getting your way, PLEASE whine loudly and cry and complain. I LOVE this really.

Item 9: There will be no more stealing allowed and from here on out EVERYONE is on high alert. The thieving cat will be stalked until his lair is found along with it all the ponytail holders, earrings, socks, pencils and sink stoppers. If anyone sees a crime in process you will secretly follow said cat and notify someone older than you.

Meeting adjourned. I will not negotiate with terrorists. I am sure from here on out peace and harmony will reign in our house, the dogs will be fetching my slippers and my children will be laying their clothes out and packing their own lunches weeks ahead of time. A girl can dream right???

To Hog. Or not to Hog...

2010-10-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

I heard a wonderful quote on tv this morning while baking... paraphrased "Dont HOG your journey. It isn't yours alone. You can take your business and shove it deep in your pockets and take it to your grave. Or you can share and help someone else out along the way."

The more I think about this the more I like it... I have hogged. Some that I have loved have hogged, I am and others are hogging RIGHT NOW.... The thought being it is my pain to deal with and I will deal and smile so as to not affect your day in any way...

I dont plan on tearing down any walls anytime soon... Those have been fortified in order to protect me and my kids... but the thought is out there. To hog or not to hog. That is the question.

Stupid things people say...

2010-10-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Gonna let you in on a little secret. Our family is made up of 3 countries. We are not a biracial family. We are a multi racial family. We forget this. We think we look like everyone else's family. We have heard some pretty stupid stuff over the years. We have heard some pretty offensive stuff too. While walking between stores awhile back we had a carload drive by slowly, honk, flip us off and yell out many racial slurs... most of the stuff is stupid and honestly people for the most part dont mean it, I am sure... BUT...

Lady at previous church: Are you planning on telling your kids they are adopted or keep it a secret.

Me: DEFINITELY keeping it a secret

___________________________-

Another Lady at previous church: Isnt it horrible to change a diaper of a child that isn't yours? I mean diapers are bad enough if they belong to your own child, but someone elses? Terrible.

__________________________________

Another lady at previous church: We will need a copy of your boys medical files so we can send a letter out to all Sunday School parents to let them know that there will be AFRICANS in their childrens classes... and they may expose them to AIDS... due to the fact they are from AFRICA... (really)

____________________________

Another lady at previous church (see any patterns here): I have always wanted one of those - (pointing to Molly Shen in my arms) I need to ask my husband again and maybe he will let us get one as a early Christmas present.

________________________

Everytime I look at your kids it just reminds me of puppies in the pound

________________________

Grocery clerk to kids: Which ones are the REAL brothers and sisters?
Molly Shen to clerk: We are all real brothers and sisters. we all look alike and we all have the same mom.

__________________________

Honestly, these are all things we have heard... It has gotten to be a joke almost when we go somewhere to see how many heads we can turn and "what" comments we will get...

So, here is the deal...
Dont
ask me which kids are my REAL kids. they ALL are my real kids (as opposed to fake kids i guess)
Dont
ask me about their REAl parents. If you are my BFF or family or need to know, I will tell you. AND I AM the REAL parent.
Dont
expect me to divulge personal details of my childrens life stories if we arent close. If you need to ask, I am probably not gonna tell you.
Dont
recommend DOG shampoos i should try, because your BLACK poodle has hair just like my son.
Dont
justify to me that your child is making squinty eyes at my daughter because your family doesnt really "do" orientals. (really??)
Dont
(in front of my children especially) ask me to tell you why they were thrown away, discarded, abandoned etc by their birthparents. Again, if you needed to know, I would have already told you.
Dont
ask me how much money my children cost. Buying children is ILLEGAL. I didnt buy my children.
Dont
ask me why I didnt just have kids of my own... ( I did have biological kids, but they don't look like me either and you assume they are adopted as well)

I dont think I am being oversensitive. These are things we hear on a daily basis... I only dont hear them if I dont leave my house OR i go somewhere without my kids... I know other families that go through the SAME thing. And honestly, for the most part, I believe none of this is said in a malicious way... I try to smile and educate or just let people know they are crossing lines that for some reason they dont believe exist...

The best thing??? Ask me about adoption. Look me in the eye and smile. Tell me my family is beautiful. That means the world. I nearly hugged a lady at Costco who did that exact thing.... but I didn't want to freak her out!

Beautiful

2010-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

"God ordains broken things in order to make all things whole" I love this song. I can hardly make it through without the tears falling. I dont know why. It just gets me. Everytime. Molly loves this song. She falls asleep to it every night. She doesn't understand the words, but it moves her to tears.. She says she doesnt know what it is about, she just feels that it is how her heart feels about God. And it makes her cry. Not sad tears, but those happy tears... Heart tears...

Silence

2010-10-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

I promised a few funny conversation posts and those will be coming, not everything is tragic around here... and sheesh with this group there is plenty of opportunity for funny but not tonight.

This morning in church we spent time praying for our dear friends the Croffs, who will be leaving for China in a few days. They plan to go to orphanages and be with the children... They talked of what an "emotional" journey it will be and I was instantly transported back to my emotional journey to China. Even now there are no words...

Our house is filled with noise and laughter... sounds that some days make my head feel like it will explode... and the ring leader of the noise is my not so quiet Molly Shen. She begins FULL conversation the moment that her eyes flutter open. She talks WHILE brushing her teeth, while chewing her food and usually falls asleep in the middle of a sentence... she even talks during the night in her sleep. Sometimes it is all I can do to not cover my ears and scream. It drives her siblings wonky... but it is music to my ears and it makes me smile. It hasn't always been so.

Molly was handed to me at 18 months and she didn't make a sound. She didn't cry, she didnt coo, talk or scream. She was silent. When we went to visit her orphanage we entered a large concrete building that housed about 200 babies and infants. And the silence will forever haunt me. There was no crying. There was no laughing. There were no baby sounds at all. The absence of sound still chills my soul.

Molly remembers the silence. She has pictures that we took that day, of her bed, of her room... She says she used to cry when she was a baby so that someone would hold her or talk to her... she specifically says she cried and cried for someone to "rock rock and tell her hush it is all ok", she cried and noone came. No mommy came. She says she cried until she stopped. I ask her why she stopped and she looks at me and shrugs and says "why cry?" Silence still haunts her...

The silence will always haunt me, but it is now a reminder of how far we have come... and it makes me smile (and groan) when I hear that blood curdling, high pitched, shrill voice of hers come barreling down the hallway. The silence will always haunt us, but there is no silence here.

long forgotten blog

2010-09-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time. A really long time. I thought I was done blogging... our story had changed so dramatically that there was no way to even blog... BUT we are back. AGAIN. This has been a year from Hell, yet many good things too, old friends made new, new memories, ...

I am a single mom, of 5. Yes somedays this seems bigger than it is... but it is...

My little kids have faced nightmares that no mother dreams their children will have to go through...

We have had to retreat to our little yellow house... no school, no church, no activities in order to protect little innocent children from evil.

But, we have seen friends, true friends and family. The ones that when faced with an ugly situation dig in next to us...

BUT we are back. Still wounded, still hurting, still untrusting,

And so I will blog from my little yellow house... we will continue to survive... until we can begin to live again.

2 years ago...

2010-04-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

2 years ago we were in Africa... Gotcha Day... Africa was beautiful and we will be forever changed for having been there... We made wonderful friends and experienced everything we could. We hugged and held so many little faces... we are still praying for some that are still there... waiting after 2 years...

Our 2 years hasn't been without its struggles, but seeing all 3 littles snugged together reading a book under the blanket is amazing. They have come a long way... we are a family....

dont tell her...

2010-04-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

Conversation from the back seat:

Yordi: How old is mom?
Molly: She is ** but don't tell her because that is really really old and she will feel bad if she finds out.

great. apparantly I am old.

new shoes...

2010-04-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened for the first time yesterday... nearly broke my heart. We decided to look for sandals for Molly while in town. She fell in love with some over the top lime green ones. She tried them on and then took them off and put them back on the rack. I asked her what she thought... were they keepers. She replied "no, I don't think I like sandals anymore. They show my toes and people will laugh." She has always loved little foot... she now sees that it is different. She doesn't like that. I knew the day would come... We settled on some adorable strappy gold ones that look a bit like her sisters... and we bought 2 pair. 2 different sizes... no use pretending that they are close in size anymore... little foot doesn't have to slip around in a too big shoe.... so... if you can use a size 9 right foot and an 12 left foot pair of little girl gold sandals... let me know... I just happen to have a pair...

April Fools and the Bunny

2010-04-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

April Fools...

Noah doesn't really do April Fools so much... one year awhile back I made mini meatloafs with mashed potatoes on top died pink. They looked like cupcakes. Then made rice crispie treats out of cocoa pebbles so it really looked like meatloaf. I insisted they eat desert first... Noah layed under the table and cried cause of the cruelty of having to eat dessert for dinner... I thought it was hysterical.

This year Addie decided to have some fun. Noah has an ipod that he uses to tune out the world when he needs to. And because he is a boy and a christian he only has boy christian music on it... makes perfect sense huh? Addie snuck into his room, took his ipod and synced his ipod to her playlist... the result was hysterical... Noah thought it was pretty funny at first too, then he realized it wasn't going to get fixed till we got home... Addie cracked herself up the whole way to youth.... The look on his face was priceless.

God's Bunny:
Again this year the boys were stumped as to WHY a bunny brings eggs on Easter. Why is that? Bunnies don't lay eggs... Noah did his best to try and explain this to the boys so that they might understand but also letting them know the true reason we celebrate Easter.
We got to church and someone asked Yordi if the Easter bunny had come...
Yordi says a bit puzzled... I don't think so... I think it was God's rabbit. He got all messed up and layed eggs so God sent him down here...

yeah... that sounds about right...

autism awareness month

2010-04-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

The word autism strikes fear in the heart of many... I always thought it was a parents worst nightmare and I thanked God daily that he had only chosen me to work with autistic children and not walk that road as a parent...
until Noah was diagnosed as having autism.

I am convinced that Noah was born autistic... and that he was born just the way that God intended. He never liked to be held as a baby. He missed every developmental milestone... I was so thankful to have him that he could have had 2 heads and he would have been perfect in my eyes... but on that day he was diagnosed I was so scared and I grieved what Noah would never have... what he would miss out on... on what that meant for all of us... and then I got busy. I educated myself, I read everything, I prayed.

Noah amazes me. Autism didn't beat him. As a mom my heart still aches for him as he struggles with issues, when things are not as easy for him, but he has taught me so much. And I thank God for that. Noah isn't private about his autism. He tells people. That is just how he is... there is nothing to hide or be ashamed of... he is how God made him... a special creation...

Noah sees things in black and white. No gray. Ever. Right or wrong... hard when there is so much gray... He is so very literal... raining cats and dogs? not possible. Humor is hard for him. He has a great sense of humor but sometimes struggles understanding jokes (although he loves to kid around). He is sturctured and doesnt deviate from the plan...

I read somewhere that while the average persons brain is like a funnel... we can take everything that is swirling around in the top of the funnel and pull out what the most important things out while still noticing the small stuff (lights, smells, noises) but not needing them to come down the funnel. A person with autism has a brain like a collindar. Everything...every noise, light, sound, smell, touch invades their brain at the same time with the same intensity... makes so much sense to me. Pain is perceived differently... a hangnail can cause hours of anguish and true intense pain, yet Noah broke his arm and while complaining that it hurt finished out the school day. Cutting his hair and fingernails hurts. Noises hurt.

I forget that I have to explain everything... in great detail. Whatever gets left out... gets left out. I asked noah to turn on the water, shower and then turn it off. And so he did. For quite awhile. And then he started not smelling so great. I never happened to mention that soap and shampoo were involved. He was turning on the water, showering, and then turning off the water...

Noah is amazing. He loves, he trusts, he is good and polite and kind. He is smart and memorizes everything. I no longer grieve what Noah lost to autism. I thank God for what he has given us, blessed us with. I wish we could all have a bit more of Noah in us... it would make for a better world. I cant say that I wish autism on anyone on any family. I wish there was a cure. But it is no longer my worst nightmare. It is just a bend in our road. And i will continue to celebrate each and every milestone...

This year Noah played football for the very first time. We, all his friends their parents and our family, knew this was not going to go great. How could a kid who doesn't like to be touched play tackle football. Noah was determined. He has all the plays memorized. He knows how to play in his mind. The very first game Noah tackled a guy and didn't just make the tackle but cleaned this kids clock. When I took my hands away from my face from cheering what I saw I will never forget. The game was still going on, the clock running, but the team had rushed the field, picked Noah up and were cheering him on like he had won the superbowl. I was immediately wrapped in the arms of his best friends mom who was sobbing... 'he did it"!

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well." Psalm 139 13-14

Papalote, Mexico

2010-03-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

Addie and dad just returned from a missions trip to Papalote Mexico where they spent spring break working and serving the people of this very rural area... the stories are amazing and the pictures are wonderful... I hope to get some posted soon... lots on my facebook page already... but this morning video was posted. So hopefully if you aren't on facebook you can see some of the video for now... check it out Papalote, Mexico 2010.

Why girls make terrible farmers...

2010-03-01T08:48:00.001-08:00

I grew up on a farm. I live in town right now, but I am a country girl. Addie has inherited this gene. She is very much a country girl. My best friend is a serious country girl (picture her, Addie and I loading up 6 300 lb pigs by ourselves into a trailer to take to fair)... She raises pigs... We have spent much time in the barn when the sows are delivering...

Two weeks ago I get a text message at 10 pm... "sneak out and meet me in the barn"... so I did (don't worry- Noah was here with the sleeping littles). What we found were 15 newborn piglets. The average was about 3-4 lbs. The runt... 8 oz. She had to keep him in a container in order to not be smashed by the others... Kerri stayed up with him all night in the barn... holding him up to the mommy to nurse until 3 am when he was just too weak. She took him to the house and began syringe feeding him every 30 min through the night and into the next day. Then we took over...

He stayed by the fire... Addie fed him religiously but you could tell he was going downhill fast. We knew he was dying... even told the littles that he was dying... but we couldn't let him die in the cold barn. He died cuddled up to Addie.

This is why girls make terrible farmers... we farm with our hearts. A man would have wacked it on the head when it was born and slept through the night and not syringe fed a dying piglet every 30 min for 42 hours... Girls make terrible farmers... His name was "Nugget".

He did it...

2010-03-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Noah did it. He stayed all night. He didn't want to, but he did. He didnt even call home... until the next day to ask me to pick him up early... but he slept over!!!! Near catastrophe as his blankie suffered a near fatal rip, but it was repaired before bedtime last night... wonder how many more times I can repair those rotten little threads...

crossing our fingers

2010-02-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

So Noah has been invited to apply to a Science camp this summer. It is the coolest thing. Mobil/EXXON is sponsoring this 2 week long camp at the OSU campus (the ONLY college Noah would ever think of attending... they are BLACK and ORANGE you know). It is a fully funded camp... 2 weeks, all meals, lodging, transportation, field trips... totally educational... Noah's idea of fun! They are only taking 52 kids from the entire state... It is intended to target kids from more rural areas who wouldn't normally have access to this sort of thing. He is SUPER excited... he has worked really hard to get his math and science grades up (even aced his math test today). He has filled out the application and gotten his teachers to write him letters of recommendations... So we will wait and see...

He is also going to his first "slumber party" this weekend. He has never stayed with anyone but Grammy and Aunt Lynde. He has tried, and tried and tried... and God love his best friend and his parents who continue to invite him and then meet me late at night, but even if he doesn't stay the night... HE WAS INVITED!!!! TO A BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! He doesn't get many invitations... He was so happy today... "mom I had such a good day. It was a happy day". I want to track down this kid and give him huge hugs. People take this stuff for granted... Do you think they even know??????

Our first day in China... 5 years ago

2010-02-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

5 years ago today we were in China... our main mission... one adorable little Chinese girl named Shen Si Yu. We figured though that we needed to see her country and understand. We had the most wonderful tour guide in Beijing. Lotus. Even her name was pretty. She worked us hard... got in as many sites in 2 days as possible... I put all of our pictures to video... but it is too big to post in its entirety... so enjoy Day 1...

Makes you think...

2010-02-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

Not sure how I feel

2010-02-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

it has been one of those days... one of those days you think... Really???? Really???? Another stupid thing happens and it stops bothering you because it is just one more crappy thing in a whole line of crappy things....

And then I overhear this... and as a strict mom, a concerned mom I should be "concerned" right? But I am not. Tonight it is just terribly funny and I am laughing. And I keep laughing...

Conversation #1 between my 2 oldest, the 2 more responsible children I have...

Addie: uhhh did I tell you i got refocused today (refocus= time out at school to rethink what you are doing and to give you an opportunity to get it in gear) (*i have to point out here that Addie has NEVER in the history of 9 years been in ANY trouble at school)

Noah: YOU??? Nice work. What did you do?

Addie: I laughed after we were told no more laughing by anyone for the entire class... Went into Mr *** class and nearly made everyone choke that I was being refocused. B (a boy that is ALWAYS in trouble but super nice to Addie) said "what is this world coming to if even Addie is being refocused"?

Noah: that is just awesome.

Addie: yeah, just wanted the experience. Never done anything like that before. Might not ever get the opportunity to get refocused for something like laughing.

Noah: yeah I got sent to the principals office today for having a "dumb report and dumb notes".

Perfect...

Conversation #2

Addie: I am nervous about competing for the creed tomorrow (big FFA competition). i hope I do bad cause it will make mr A really mad.

The other boy competing with her: darn I did good today. If we do good tomorrow then we have to keep on competing... we gotta try harder to do bad.

Really, they are good kids. I don't think i should worry to much. i don't think they have crossed to the dark side. I am fairly confident they are not turning into the school trouble makers...I think we all have just had a bit too much and have snappedin much better moods... tomorrow (or maybe the next day) I will be back to normal... for tonight I am still chuckling.

Big Week

2010-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

I think we have a big week coming up.. I am gearing up... Addie has a FFA creed competition Wed. She hates this. She has to stand and recite the Creed while having stage presence and confidence. She HATES to be in the public light. She hates public speaking. She had planned to not win the first round and not have to progress on. Her evil plan backfired and she ended up placing along with 1 other boy, and now having to compete at sectionals. She then leaves on Thurs for a student leadership bus tour/community service trip. They are headed down to San Franscisco... stopping all along the way to work and volunteer and then spending evenings doing team building and leadership exercises. So proud of her for going... only 70 kids in the state of Oregon. I have the distinct feeling that this will be the first of MANY times we will say goodbye to Addie. She has travel, adventure, and missions in her blood... It doesn't suprise me anymore. I think I have accepted it.

Noah is gearing up for track. He plans to run long distance this year.

And... Dont tell the littles but I am signing them up for indoor soccer. My international triplets will make up 1/3 of the team... I am afraid the team wont know what hit them. I cant wait to watch... as much fun as they are individually they are hysterical to watch all together. Those 3 are tight. And trouble...

gonna have to read this one...

2010-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

I came across this book Cowboy and Wills on another blog and I think I am going to have to read it. As the mom of an autistic child it still amazes me when I hear other things people say things about their own experience and find myself amazed that no, indeed ... it isn't just our story...trouble tying shoes, fear of public restrooms, lines of collections on bookcases??? I watched this video and I heard so many of the things that are just part of our normal life. In fact they are so normal that we forget that they are not. We don't have a Cowboy though. We have a Jack. And with Jack there are no more nights of no sleep and there is a someone who just wants his head rubbed and doesn't mind that fingers flap or that certain patterns must be repeated while rubbing his fur. I do know that without Noah, Jack doesn't sleep well at night- he paces the floor. When Noah leaves without him, he lays on the rug ,barks at the door and then waits. And I know that without Jack, nighttimes, afternoon times, mealtimes, playtimes, and mornings and showers are much more difficult for Noah. So I will have to read the book. We can relate.

CNN report- orphans in Haiti

2010-01-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is the orphanage where some fellow adoptive friends little boy was at... after a long battle and so much red tape he is home... thank you God!

New Normal

2010-01-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

It is a New year... and along with a new year is a new start... hoping to make some changes to the blog and actually... drumroll please... start blogging again. We have survived and we are ready to live again... we have a new normal to our lives ( I feel like we have had alot of "new normals" in the last year and a half)

We moved... The kids and I have an adorable house we moved into. The kids love it... said it is their "favorite house they have ever lived in"... It is half the size of the old house (which has required some extreme organization) but we are all LOVING how much less time we spend on house cleaning. We have a huge backyard which has eased the transition of... living in town!!!! Buzzy did have to move to Grammy and Pa's but he seems to like his new home... We have found that one of the drawbacks has been that the cat and 2 dogs have become "big boned"...

Addie turned 15... celebrated at the movie "New Moon" with one her best friends- an exchange student from Austria, whom we already are hating the thought of saying goodbye too... Addie got her drivers permit and so now ... Yikes... I am the driving instructor ... double yikes... (yikes that I am the instructor, not that she is driving... she is cautious beyond compare)

Thanksgiving we welcomed our first company who came to spend the holidays with us. We had a wonderful, fun, relaxing time with friends and family. We needed some fun and relaxation!!

Christmas eve was spent with family- ALL 11 1/2 grandkids were gathered under grammy and pa's tree... Amazing how big they are all getting... plus all the gift wrap... holy cow!! The cousins all enjoy each other so much.

Bis turned 6 and we celebrated quietly after the hubub of Christmas and before the New Year... realized how "cheated" a Christmas birthday is!!! within 5 days you are done for the year... hmm... Might have to think about a 1/2 birthday instead...

2009 is over and we are truely thankful for all of our wonderful friends and family... you really become aware of your true friends in times of change... so thank you...

Looking forward to all the new and exciting changes that 2010 is going to bring...

"Babies in my tummy"...

2009-11-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

no not me!!!! HAHA :)

Last night Molly caught a glimpse of my hysterectomy scar and was very impressed by how it has become so small. These days she is full of conversation.... it made me laugh it was so cute I have to share.

Molly: "That scar is from them taking away your baby parts right?"
Me: "yes molly"
Molly: "How do you get babies in your tummy? (this is the part where I choke but she cant stop talking, so answers herself) Oh, yeah you pray to God for a baby in your tummy. No way am I praying for a baby in my tummy. That has got to hurt? Did you cry when they took your tummy babies out? I am not praying for a tummy baby. I am gonna pray for adopted babies. I like plane rides more than pain"
Me (still choking): "you know it doesn't have to hurt. They can give you medicine."
Molly: "Oh good, well if I change my mind I will pray for a tummy baby and a lot lot lot of pain medicines cause I don't do pain."

reconsidering...

2009-10-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

So after much thought, prayer and thinking I have decided to not go private. I will continue to post (hopefully a bit more frequently) and we will not hide.

For those of you who do not know, it was a crazy summer for us. Tom left our family several months ago leaving me as a single mother of 5. He decided that he no longer wanted the "burden and responsibility of a family, wife, kids, and house". He has chosen a different life. The kids and I are doing good. We are in the midst of some changes at the moment, but life will settle down soon. We continue to be amazed by all of our blessings. We are so grateful to those of you who have reached out in love, support and care over the last few months. We know how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends and family.

So, we wont go private. We are family. We have each other. We wont hide.

going private

2009-10-16T19:11:00.001-07:00

ok I know I have been a very bad blogger... NO UPDATES. .. so sorry. Due to some privacy issues my blog will be going private for a time beginning next week. Please leave me a comment if you would like to receive an invitation to continue to view it.

Life is busy around here... football, volleyball, 5 kids, 4 schools, 1 mom. Not a whole lot of bonbon eating time around here. Life is good . We continue to count our blessings.

now it is not broken.

2009-08-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am late in posting this, but we heard last week that indeed molly's foot is not broken. The radiologists that read the xrays are out of state (the wonders of computers). They did not have the info that Molly has "foot issues". So the bone in question is not broken- just doesn't look like a typical bone of a normal foot. (I could have told them that!) Molly has been released from her kneepad transportation and we are all much happier to not have to carry her around. Although at chore time she usually develops a sudden pain...

Indoor soccer

2009-08-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

I now know why I had the good common sense to OUTLAW playing ball in the house. While tending to an issue that had to be dealt with I asked Noah to "entertain the littles upstairs- play a game maybe". I forgot for a brief moment that a "game" to Noah would mean a soccer game... without shoes... in the hallway upstairs... they had a great time. Until Molly missed the ball and landed her toes directly into the wall. 2 hours in the urgent care later and sure enough she has broken "big foot". We always worry about her "little foot". I never thought about how she would be impacted if something happened to "big foot". The doctors are puzzled as to what to do... normally where she broke it they dont cast. Unfortunately, because of the foot issues Molly Shen has, her big foot takes all of her weight and balance. They kind of scratched their heads and sent us home to keep her down until Monday... right. How do you keep down a strung out monkey????? Today she has taken her big sisters kneepads and pulls herself across the wood floors and has been caught going up and down the stairs on her knees... or lays on the couch barking out orders... this will soooo not be good for her bossy personality.

we are back...

2009-07-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

We are home. What a great week at fair. We got all 5 pigs - excuse me- 4 pigs, Buzz, and Fairy Princess (the duck) loaded and taken into fair. Thank you Kerri... Addie and I couldnt have done it without you. I drove with Buzz in my trailer and prayed the whole way that I would get him there safely. He is Addie's baby after all. We got to the scales and realized that Buzz had layed on the duck cage during the trip which had pinned the duck to the floor of the cage. Close call!! 2 pigs made weight- so both kids had a market hog to sell!!!

Tuesday 12:00, we are checked into fair and the work begins. By the end of the day Addie and her friend Jesse had washed 7 pigs and body shaved 5. Noah began Wednsday off by winning GRAND CHAMPION duck (there was only 1) and then taking Grand Champion overall waterfowl. Molly was pretty proud that her duck already had 3 large purple ribbons and 1 trophy!!! By the end of fair the duck had 3 trophies and 7 ribbons. There will be no living with him in the barn now! When it came time for Molly to show her duck on Saturday, the judge couldn't get anywhere near her. Everytime he leaned in to talk to Molly, Fairy Princess would hiss and try to attack the judge. As long as he kept his distance from Molly everything was fine. Noah won Grand Champion showman and was able to participate in the small animal round robin tournament.

The kids did good. We didn't place so high with pigs this year, but learned alot... this new judge likes something completely different than the last judge... and luckily next year we will have another new one... so who knows. The kids had so much fun hanging out with their friends. The pig kids did a great job working together.

Addie ended up fairly sick... By day 2 we realized that she wasn't just working too hard in the heat and she wasn't just overly stressed. I checked her temp and found that she was running a temp of 102.5. There was no getting her out of the barn, although we did make her come back to the trailer for a little bit and her wonderful friends snuck back to the barn and snuck her pigs out for a bath. Even one of the boys who is too young to have a pig came up to me to tell me to not wake Addie in the morning for early morning chores. He said he would muck out her pig pens for her. How sweet is that? She stayed sick all week, but didn't stop. We went to the dr the day after fair and she had lost 5 lbs and they were threatening to put her in the hospital on IV fluids... some nasty virus (we jokingly said we thought she had the swine flu- sick joke I know). She seems to be over the hump now.

County Fair 2009 is over and we have to consider it a sucess. We came home with 2 pigs fewer than we went with and the same number of children...

And so we are off...

2009-07-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Where has this summer gone? I have hardly even posted... I do need to catch up, and plan to. There are so many great pictures of fun times this summer- company from out of state (including ours 10 kids/4 adults), Yordi's birthday, Addie's graduation, pool fun... but that will have to wait. We are outta here- off to county fair tomorrow am. Here are the stats:

me
5 kids (gaining an extra or 2 once there)
4 market hogs (please God let them be 230 lbs or more)
1 stubborn Buzz
1 duck
100 lbs of feed
groceries to feed all of us for 1 week
36 pairs of shorts
36 tshirts
42 pairs of undies
6 pairs of barn boots
6 pairs of show boots
7 show outfits
1 set FFA OD
2 sets complete animals records
2 show sticks
3 sets of completed Daily feed records (with all feed fed in 60 days documented- as well as rate of gain and cost per pound per animal)
tent trailer
5 pair clippers
5 bottles of shampoo/liquid bluing
6 feed pans
2 waterers
6 stall card signs

and whatever else we might possibly need...

Here is a glimpse of how it looks:
Day 1: notice the barns DO smell
Day 2: notice the barns don't smell as bad as previously thought
Day 3: notice the trailer smells like the barn
Day 4: notice that WE smell as bad as the barn
Day 5: settle for sorta clean clothes, debate if showers really are necessary, and then decided that it really doesn't matter
Day 6: shower? no. Clean clothes? forget it. WHEN DO WE GET TO LEAVE?????

Really, it is a highlight of the year. Today the kids are excited... they work so hard. They will be in the barns every morning at 6:30 am, work all day, show all evening, hang out until curfew with friends in the barns, bed by midnight and start all over the next day.
So, my next post will be once we are home... and have found our way to the showers and over the heaping piles of laundry. But there will be pictures...

no trip

2009-07-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well wouldn't you know as soon as I post that Addie is going on the missions trip, I get a call. The group is too large and they are actually turning people away (from this specific trip). The office called to see if Addie would give up her spot so that another doctor could go. How could we say NO? We are so glad that the trip is full, that so many are willing to go, to help... yet Addie is sad. I have no doubt that there will be others for her. That is just her. It is in her heart even at such a young age. So for now, we wait.

FAME mission

2009-06-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is the group that Addie will be going to Haiti with...

dont know if I am ready, but...

2009-06-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Addie has travelled with us to both China and EThiopia when we adopted our littles. While we were in Africa she stated that she would be back on a missions trip. Well, she is headed out on a missions trip but instead of Africa they are headed to Haiti. She is going with her best friends family and 2 doctors from our church. It will be a medical missions trip and Addie hopes to be able to help out in the clinic as well as helping out with the malnutrition feeding clinic. I will be posting more info soon- she will be gone October 23-31. She is busy trying to raise funds, as she wants to pay for it all on her own... pretty proud of that kid. She came to me regarding the trip- said she felt it in her heart, it is what she needs to do... not sure if the mom in me is ready, but we are so excited for her.

This kid can sing!!

2009-06-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Bad blogger!! I have decided good weather equals bad blogging. I will get caught up, I promise. But first- Noah had his caroler award night last night. He ended up being the MC of the whole show and had the opening solo. I videoed using my camera- so it is dark and blurry and the sound isn't great but MAN can this kid sing. Enjoy!!! Make sure you scroll down and pause the music before playing the video.

lamb fair

2009-05-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Every year we have our annual "Lamb Fair". The town literally shuts down. The kids cant concentrate for a week because the carnival pulls in and sets up in the school parking lot. On Friday there is the street dance- they used to shut down the street and literally dance in the street, but now it has moved to the fairgrounds and stage... the kids get to hang out with all of their friends while the parents visit with people they never get to see... There are food booths, activities, the parade, forestry competitions, bake shows and sales, quilt and flower show... basically an entire weekend to spend visiting and having fun... I remember being a kid and looking forward to the lamb fair, just like my kids do now... of course doing it in 80* weather instead of the pouring rain is always a treat and much more enjoyable!! Small town America at its finest!
Goofing around at the street dance with good friends.
Addie, Abby, and Tony all set for the parade
Molly all ready to ride on the 4H float for the first time.

Noah and his buddies on the 4Hfloat
Tank and Mackenzie all dressed up for the parade..

The grand champion float- the high school forestry dept. It even had water cannons!
The boys scoring candy while Addie walks (in high heels, panty hose and a thick jacket) a very large and hot Tony down the parade route.

Molly and buddy Carter at the carnival
Bis on his first fair ride

Molly used her left over money to buy cotton candy (the deal was they could spend it however they wanted- usually she doesn't eat any sugar). She was determined to eat her entire bag.
She only made it part way before she got a massive headache and crashed!!! She says she is NEVER going to eat that stuff again!!! EVER!!!
Noah getting ready to perform with his singing group.
Just before going on stage
Yordi getting ready to watch Noah sing.

bunnies

2009-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Noah took these pictures of his rabbits and their new home at Grammy's farm. At the base of the white bird house is their new little home. The bunnies are so happy and Noah was so sad to see them in a cage every day, so now they get to be outside and exploring.

field trip

2009-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Every year our school holds a readathon. The kids have 1 month to read as many books or chapters as they can. Addie held the school record and this being Noah's last year of elementary school, was determined to beat it. He certainly did, and also took home his final trophy for being the top reader in the ENTIRE school. He did this all 5 years. He read over 1500 chapters! Molly was the top book reader in the whole school reading over 200. We were certainly proud of them. They are the only sibling group to win top chapters/books. The only other sibling set to do this was... Addie and Noah!!! They got cool trophys and plaques. Plus, the highlight, a trip to OMSI with the top reader in each class. I even got to go as a chaperone. It was a long day, but so much fun. We had 2 of Noah's friends in our little group to explore for the day.

just an ordinary day...

2009-05-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

It is all fun and games in the pig pen until you give 1 kid the hose!!! What do you get? 5 wet kids and a big mud puddle for the pigs to play in. I refuse to think about what percentage is mud and what percentage is pig poo- but my dr assures me this is what keeps kids healthy. A good dose of old fashioned dirt.
Now, what I didnt get on camera... Molly carrying around a fluffy yellow chicken like a little bag on her arm, screaming at her siblings to not dare get her chicken wet. Bis and Yordi wrestling for the hose, coming crazy close to the hot fence (meanwhile, Bis not believing us that it is indeed hot). And my girly girl (not) Addie. Dressed in a WHITE strapless tank top diving into a pile of dry pig mud, throwing her brothers out of the way to capture and grab armfulls of runaway chickens before her pigs eat them. Then, informing me that was so NOT mud! :) And Bis running as fast as he can around the storage unit, screaming ADDIE YOUR PIG- GET YOUR PIG at the top of his lungs. 2 seconds later the pig rounds the storage unit in hot pursuit of Bis, kicking up his heals and laughing...

adorable if I do say so myself...

2009-05-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

See what you can do with a left over curtain panel and some other cast off fabric and a free hour in the afternoon??? It almost makes you FEEL like cooking (or dancing in the kitchen)... I love this fabric... it has little coffee cups all over it!!

really random and kinda sick...

2009-05-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Possum parts... the kids thought this was too cool- right out of our driveway... possum in the morning... and possum parts in the afternoon.

mothers day

2009-05-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

The 5 littles- 3 age 5 and 2 age 4... TROUBLE!!!!!
Funny, these are the only pictures I have from Mothers day... so cool though, we had beautiful weather and my sister's family and our family all met at mom and dad's house. We barbecued and all the cousins got to play. We took a long walk in the mint field and the kids rode the 4 wheeler. The highlight was playing in the pond- hunting for tadpoles!!!
The big kids were there too... ages 14, 12, 11, 10. Addie is the only girl but gives the boys a run for their money!!

another relaxing evening...

2009-05-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had pig weigh-ins for county fair. This means county fair is just 60 days away. How can that possibly be???? This is a different year for us, a trial year... we are keeping the pigs at our house which allows the kids more chores and more time with their pigs. Normally we borrow a trailer from a friend, but this year Tom got all crafty and built us a trailer. Usually weigh ins take most of an evening... lots of hard work, several big bodies to push, pull, roll, screaming, skittish pigs up into a trailer. This year... the pigs loaded themselves. We literally couldn't get off the ramp quick enough for them to wriggle up into the trailer (the bucket of rotting food I saved for this very occasion certainly helped). Of course it had to be raining, but this is Oregon after all... We get to the fairgrounds and wait our turn to weigh the pigs. We back in the trailer and usually the 2 big boys they have to help with the animals take 1 look at Addie and then start wrestling her pigs from the trailer for her. This year they handed her a pig board. She climbed up in the trailer and wrangled both her and Noah's pigs onto the scales. Poor thing was so tired... she climbed back into the car and Molly started screaming about not wanting to sit next to "pig poop"!!!! I think we are in good shape though... weights are 115 lbs, 120 lbs, 133 lbs, and 154 lbs. We have 60 days to get to minimum of 230 lbs. Now if we could just teach them some manners, personal space, and respect we might just make it!!!

In all my FREE time...

2009-05-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

So, between all of the bonbons and the soap operas... THIS is what I find myself doing in all of my FREE time!! :) We (namely me and Addie) are bottle feeding the baby kittens... we are very fortunate that they are almost ready to be weaned. Meanwhile, I sneak around and make sure I don't talk in that corner of the kitchen, lest they hear my voice and start SCREAMING for their bottle... fun times...

Tonight is "pig" night... we are geared up and ready to go... my friend called early this am to see if we were going to stand the excitement until tonight... good times and lots of laundry. Oh and did I mention that it is raining??? Stay tuned... hopefully pictures, video, and an explanation...

love this

2009-05-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our Future Farmer of America

2009-05-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

So Addie has been able to participate in the high school FFA program this spring, even though she is still in middle school. She was invited to be part of a food science judging team and a dairy food judging team. Last week "districts" were held at our school. Addie was thrilled- the team took first place and she took first place in individuals. This week Monday and Tuesday, the STATE competition took place at OSU... FFA teams from all over the state met and competed. Addie was completely thrilled to find out that the team took 3rd overall in the state and amazingly she placed 9th in individuals!!!!! Sadly enough a new rule had been put into place- "no 8th graders or teams with 8th graders allowed to place". Meaning that she didnt get recognized for her 9th in state finish and the entire team didn't get recognized for finishing 3rd in state... she is happily looking forward to being able to compete for "real" next year!!

Seriously? What was he thinking?

2009-05-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Background information: Noah has been building a fort (there are 2 boards nailed to my tree.... constitutes a fort). Noah is afraid of heights and just not comfortable unless his 2 feet are firmly planted on the ground... Tom is on swing shift and so I am home alone with all kids and schedules in the evening...

Molly, Bis and Yordi come racing on to the deck screaming "mom come quick- Noah needs you". I hear these words often, but usually it is something very mild that requires me to simply be present (autism at its finest). I casually go outside and see this orange cap sticking out of the top of the tree... Seriously???? Noah climbed to the top? Apparently he climbed higher and higher, not realizing how high he was until his head peaked out at the top... He climbed up with no clue as to how he would get down. He is sobbing at the top of the tree... "this is so past fatal fall height". I assured him it really was just "multiple broken bone height" and that no indeed I was not calling the fire department. It took us under 40 minutes in the pouring rain but we were able to talk him down. After he was down I gave him a hug and asked how he was... "ok just a bit twitchy"... Seriously????

New Shoes

2009-05-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

This morning was shoe shopping day for Molly Shen. It is a day I dread and usually put off until I absolutely have no choice. Especially hard when shopping for sandals... Today was that day. I held it together, had patience galore, even stopped and sat down with burgers for lunch... Noah and Addie went along... we had a nice time (minus the people in town... oh I hate crowds). And as usual it took us HOURS to find a pair that will work, sort of, for Molly Shen's little foot. She was born this way, with a little foot. We knew about this before adopting her, this was not a suprise. She was considered "special needs" in China and not a "healthy" referal. We love her little foot. Noah always says she has the cutest dumplings for toes. It is adorable, but it is smaller and there are no toes, so flip flops are out as well as lots of strappy sandals. In the past it has been an issue to find shoes that stay on her feet well, but there has only been a difference of about 1 size. In fact her feet were the same size, minus the toes. She has lately had a lot of complaints about her legs hurting, feet hurting and has recently taken quite a few tumbles (one that nearly required stitches) . Out of curiosity I had her feet measured. Her little foot is now 3 1/2 sizes smaller than big foot. That shocked me so much I had to sit down. We ended up just leaving the store. 3 1/2 sizes and is much smaller around... this concerns me. Is it a big deal? No. We will see her specialists in June or July... it is just a concern... Little foot has always grown right along with big foot. The orthopedists have said all along that it isnt a concern while they are both growing. We have always prayed that little foot will continue to grow, but there have never been any guarantees... today we were faced with those "unknowns"...

This evening we went to town - After a little bit Molly asked to get in the cart cause her new shoes were uncomfortable... I told Tom I didn't know whether to laugh or cry... In my quest to find shoes that fit I bought the pair that fit the best. I NEVER BOTHERED TO ASK HER IF THEY WERE COMFY!!!!!!!!!! :)

It's all fun and games

2009-04-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been beyond gorgeous... we have been staying out way past bedtime... but like all things, the fun must come to an end. It's all fun and games until... someone gets a lap full of duck poop and mom fires a shot in and breaks the backboard!!

Gotcha... 1 year ago!!!

2009-04-20T09:42:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that 1 year ago we woke up in Ethiopia. Sometimes it is hard to believe we were even there, yet so much of me deeply misses Ethiopia. Africa had a real impact on all of our lives.

1 year ago today we drove into the courtyard of Hope's Place and were greeted by so many adorable little faces. Our boys were standing shyly on the stairs with their buddies all wrapped around them. They came right on over and shyly took our hands, gave us kisses and whispered their names. They tell us that they were told that day their mom and dad would come to get them- we don't really know if they understood that was "us". We spent a long day at Hope- loving on all the kids, delivering packages, taking pictures, checking on specific babies, measuring kids. We had lunch- Bis sat with his friends across the room, Yordi couldn't be removed from our sides to join his friends. They showed us their room and where they slept. And then we left.

And so a year has passed. I think they "know" they are here for good now. Things are settling in to a new normal. Older child adoption is a whole different world. Challenging but so rewarding... yes we missed out on all of their "firsts", but we have had the joy of all the new firsts and they are old enough to tell us... the first time in the grocery store, the first time in the swimming pool, ice cream, shoes, the first snowfall... sometimes we forget that the things they are experiencing are so foreign and new to them...

We are so thankful to have them home and for the relatively "easy process" that we had (ok if you don't count getting stuck in country). We are so thankful that our family is complete and that( for today anyhow ) :) they consider themselves part of it. We love these guys and just love watching them (especially our 3 littles) interact and learn and grow...

Easter Pictures- all of the "outtakes"

2009-04-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great time getting ready for Easter... with 5 kids to coordinate luckily Addie went with a blue and green dress. It was tough trying to explain to the boys why the Easter "BUNNY" brings eggs... We got the kids chicks for Easter- the boys were so thankful. They wanted to know if we were going to sell them for money or eat them. They were very excited to find out they will get to grow up and lay us eggs. Everyone loved coloring eggs- Addie was our only mess maker this year :) She managed to dump the entire contents of the yellow food coloring in her lap and on the floor. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!!!

We had a great day celebrating - starting with sunrise service at the outdoor stadium at the high school at 6:30 am (the kids in pjs) followed by breakfast and an egg hunt at home before all of our family and all the cousins arrived at our house... man they all get bigger and take up more room each year!!

In negotiations...

2009-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

This time the pig is seriously busted. This is the view of my day lillies and peonies from my bedroom window. The pig has made himself a nest... we are in negotiations... hot wire or a sentence to the barn and pasture with the 4H pigs. Addie chuckled at dinner when I told her she needed to disipline her pig. She asked how she could possibly discipline something so adorable. I am not finding him so cute right now. The bummer of the deal really though is that we were ham and beans for dinner. Someone brought up ham/pig and Molly put it all together... she burst out crying and wanted to know if she was eating Rusty (Noah's pig from last year). We told her that it was a good possibility. She was slightly less than pleased. She had a banana for dinner. She is NEVER eating pigs again. Too bad cause ham was the only meat I could get her to eat...

It is done...

2009-04-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

More pictures to come of all the kids together. But for now, a sneak peak at the only creation I actually had to sew this Easter!

vacation - part 1

2009-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Over spring break we had a wonderful little get away to the Oregon coast. I will post more about the trip and put on some pictures, but wanted to share some of the cute comments that we heard.

At the aquarium we got to watch them feeding all the fish, aenomes, and crabs. The man explained to the kids that they feed the crabs until they are big enough and then they feed them to the octopus. Molly very quietly looked down at the 2 crabs deuling over fish heads and quietly said... "do they know yet?" You had to have heard her little voice - it was priceless!

---------------------------------------

The kids spent most of the time in the pool. One night I left for a minute to run back to the room. Yordi got out of the water and ran over to Tom frantic. He asked him "where did my mom go? You know my REAL mom, not that other one." Tom said he experienced a moment of panic... like how could HE get stuck with this question... He was about to start answering when I walked back in. Yordi ran over, threw his arms around me, looked back at Tom and said..."Here she is, dad, this is the mom, the real one... Dad didn't know where you were."

sigh... I am the "real one"

Granted, Yordi got back into the pool and was nailed by his brother for saying such a thing. And I looked pretty conspicuous hauling a screaming black child down the hallway while he yelled at the top of his lungs "let me go. Your not my mom" over and over again. Wonder how many people believed him. Oh yeah, good times!!! But I am the real one!!!

The 80's...

2009-03-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

It has been spirit week all week at the middle school. Yesterday was 80's for the 8th grade class. Addie came up with the outfit all on her own. I just helped with hair and makeup... she was a little shocked by the bangs sticking straight up so we toned it down a bit... The kids didn't recognize her in the morning and the teachers decided that she "best represented the 80's". She said it was such a fun day... It was so funny to look at her though. It was a blast from the past as well as a "oh my, we really didn't leave the house like that DID WE?????".

some of my favorites

2009-03-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

I had to post these recipes... I don't post them much (recipes that is) I usually stick to interesting stuff, like kids... but we are so hooked on these that I had to share... First is Baked Potato Chowder- I grew up eating it, and now that I have 5 kids I know why. It is fast, easy and cheap. My version is a bit different, but it can be ready to go as fast as you can make mashed potatoes. It really is better though if you let it simmer all day. Then we have the best bread in the world. LOVE this recipe... just found it (thanks mom) and it is thick and crusty with soft bread inside. You can even make the dough up a day ahead and cook it as you need it. 1 batch makes 2 loaves. Lastly, is a recipe we tried yesterday for the first time. The kids decided it's name- Chocolate Pnut Butter Cake really ought to be changed to "Makes Reeses Pnut Butter Cups going crying to their mommy". Easy to make- time consuming because it needed to be refrigerated/frozen at different stages in order to frost easier- that and Yordi was helping and my oven was full of roasting chickens. Enjoy...

Baked Potato Chowder:
Clean 5 pounds of potatoes and cut into chunks (I don't peel, but you can)
Cover with about 2 inches of water over the tops of potatoes
Add some onion, salt and pepper

Cook until potatoes are soft, but not too mushy
Drain most of the water and then refill pot with milk (to about the same level as the water was)
Crumple in some bacon and add about 1 cup cheese. Simmer until ready to eat. Serve with sour cream dollops and more shredded cheese.

Crusty Artisian Bread:

In large mixing bowl (I use a kitchenaid) add 3 cups of lukewarm water to 1 1/2 T yeast and 1 T salt- stir until salt dissolves. Add 6 cups flour. Stir only until no dry lumps- dough looks rough not smooth and soft. Cover and let rise for up to 5 hours (I usually go 1-2 hours, but the beauty of this recipe is that it is very forgiving) or cover loosely with saran and place into refrigerator for baking later (up to 3 days). When ready to bake select a heavy pan (these are round loaves so I use heavy ceramic dishes- pampered chef or cast iron is also recommended - just not flimsy aluminum pans). Grease well and heat pans in 450* oven for 10 minutes. While pans are heating use enough flour (about 1 cup) to allow you to handle the dough (it is a VERY soft sticky dough- way softer than normal dough). When pans are heated add 1/2 your dough to each one (almost a big blob). Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of the oven- the bread needs the moisture. Lightly cover with foil or lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 30 more minutes until golden brown.

Chocolate Pnut Butter Cake
Makes 8 inch triple layer cake

2 cups flour 2 1/2c sugar 3/4c cocoa powder 2t baking soda 1t salt
combine well and then add:
1c oil 1c sour cream 1 1/2c water 2T white vinegar 1t vanilla 2 eggs
Mix well and add to 3 greased cake pans. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Cool 20 minutes and remove from pans (these cakes are very very soft- firm up in the freezer 30 minutes before frosting).

Pnut butter frosting:
10 oz cream cheese 1 stick butter
cream and then add:
5 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 pnut butter
mix all until creamy. I added a splash of milk to make it easier to spread.

Spread between the layers and then frost very thin layer over whole cake. Freeze 30 minutes to chill and then finish frosing with a thick layer (this way no dark crumbs show)

Chocolate Pnut Butter Ganache:
8 oz semisweet chocolate (I for some reason was completely out of choc chips so used leftover dark hershey kisses from Vday)
3T pnut butter 2T corn syurp

Heat in microwave or over double boiler until melted and smooth
whisk in 1/2 cup milk.

Spread on top of cake and allow it to drip down the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Remove 30 minutes before serving. Serve with a JUG of milk!!!

Too Funny

2009-03-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful sunny day out. Yordi was goofing around on the porch (in typical Yordi fashion). He ran and got some sticks so we could go fishing. He caught a shark and since he couldn't wrestle it to his fire to cook it up for me he decided he needed to just build the fire on top. Buzz was willing to play along... it involved a nap in the sun and being rubbed on the belly with sticks. Poor kids- they have no idea that playing with pigs isn't the *norm*

Family Night Craft

2009-03-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this awhile back, but actually forgot that I had pictures to go with. Addie came up with this craft that we did for Valentines Day, but plan to repeat for Easter. We used silpats (like you use in baking) but waxed paper would also work. We drew out heart shapes using "white board" markers and then let the kids trace using puff paints. Let them dry overnight and then decorate your windows and mirrors. Once they were stuck on I was even able to clean my windows without them falling off. We have now taken them all down and stuck them into a flat shirt box and stored for next year. Each kid got their own window. Addie and I did words and that was fun- cursive was definitely harder to transfer... we are going to premake egg shapes and then let the littles "decorate" them.

We are so lucky...

2009-03-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

It is terribly stormy here today. We took the kids and drove to town to the mall. Just to hang and get out of the house for awhile and to celebrate the big bully goat going to a new home. We came home and plugged in a movie- A Bug's Life. Around 6:30 we decided we needed to eat dinner. I broke out the boxes of cereal (the non-breakfast kind, you know with artificial colors and sugar) and made toast. As I'm buttering more toast I hear- "This is the best dinner EVER". "Yeah I know, we are so lucky". I think we will start having cereal more often.

It just cant be.

2009-03-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

How can it be that I just sent this little girl to school for the first time and then last night we sat on the couch registering for all of her needed high school classes. What electives she would like, what classes would look good on a resume, what would be needed for entering into college. How is that right? When did that happen? I am not ready...

Round 2

2009-03-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Round 2- Molly has the flu. She managed to miss all the dolls and stuffed animals tucked in around her and more importantly, her sister. So after a late night bed change and a quick clean up, I threw all the bedding into the garage for morning. That always sounds like a better idea than it really is. I found a place on the floor next to our bed for Molly- in between all the other sleeping bodies and we got through the night.

My poor washer. By the time Tom got home from work he caught her trying to escape the garage. The only thing holding her back was the cords. Poor little darling... I know how she feels.

Good news? This flu doesn't seem to last long. It does its best to make a terrible mess, leaves kids in tears and mom hopping... so, 2 down 3 to go...

Does God love vomit?

2009-03-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning and Noah was complaining of tummy issues. This is a normal, ongoing complaint, so being the caring, compassionate mom that I am - gave him 2 tums and told him to get ready for church.

Noah didn't feel up to going to 5th grade class, again not out of the ordinary. A couple glances at him during the sermon told me maybe he really wasn't feeling good. Then they served communion. Noah leans over and starts making wild gestures. I realized this wasn't gonna turn out too good. Of course we sat on the far side of the exit doors. We made it through the double doors leading to the foyer where Noah vomited all over the beautiful tile floors. A few more steps and he vomited right in front of the main hall and then for good measure right outside the mens restroom.

2 fancy ladies squealed and ran. I ran for the women's bathroom followed by a mom in torn jeans and tshirt. As she is peeling papertowels from the rack she is trying to explain why she isn't dressed up. She doesn't go to church but brings her boys every Sunday. She said she felt bad for me- while the church ladies ran. She "might not know how to do church, but she know how to clean up vomit". I returned to the scene to be greeted by the nicest usher who was scooping up piles of my childs vomit into a trashcan. He apologized for his English- he is hispanic and has been attending for a few years hoping to get a hispanic service started. He faithfully scooped, cleaned, mopped and then went into the mens bathroom to check on Noah for me.

It dawned on me... this is church. Not fancy church ladies, but true mucking up vomit servants. Language, dress, or even "doing" or "not doing" church. That's where I think God is... I hope I don't run. Please let me be the one to help muck up.

On a side note, as we were cleaning I realized I had worn open toed heels. Yeah, he managed to hit my feet too. Now, how do I clean vomit out of my new red heels...

GOTCHA 4 years ago!!!

2009-02-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow. 4 years have gone by since we first lay eyes on Molly Shen in Hefei, China. Where has that time gone??? I love her Gotcha day... to me it feels like her birthday. I remember waking up early (you know those early pains of labor?) . We went for a big breakfast and the excitement was in the air. Lots of American families with no Chinese babies... yet all with huge butterflies as "today was the day"... we paced around our room- waiting for the call that they had arrived... Mom and Addie couldn't stand it and snuck down to the hotel lobby with walkie talkies in hand... didn't see her yet... Then the call... quickly get to the 5th floor. We waited, we paced, we tried to not pass out, we made small talk, and then around the corner came the most beautiful little creature in all the world. She was so much tinier than we expected her to be at 18 months old. She was scared to death (she had just been scrubbed clean, bundled up, left the only room she had ever known, and taken her first 2 hour car ride). I'll never forget snugging up to her for the first time. She was absolutely perfect. She latched on and never cried until the nanny took her from me to show me how she could walk (not) and then again when we took off her coat (she had 4 other layers on). Molly came to us at age 18 months- not walking, not talking, not sitting, not chewing, not even rolling over- and absolutely perfect...
Here is a post from China after we got Molly
Here is a post from our 1 year anniversary

Fast forward 4 years and you have the loudest, bossiest, kindergartener you have ever seen. Molly does nothing half way and goes at everything with a stubborn will like none other (a trait I am sure that enabled her to survive that first year and a half in the conditions that she did). She has a huge heart and loves all animals. She is the girliest girl, yet the first one to be hands on for whatever needs to be done. She is confident that she and Addie are twins and that there are no moms in China (don't you know there are no blondes there?). She thinks Noah's feet are perfect even though the poor little hunny doesn't have a little foot (her SN) like her. She lives life completely, sings at the top of her lungs 24/7 and is truely the laughter of our family...

So tonight we celebrate Molly and the miracle that she is... We will eat orange chicken, fried rice, lo mien, and drink Chinese tea ( and Molly will actually eat and not pick). We will watch our beautiful China movie and the video of our first days with Molly. And we will thank God that he chose our family to place Molly in. God truely is a God of miracles...

great toy giveaway

2009-02-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

Check out this great site and this great toy giveaway...
Simple Kids

Carolers performance

2009-02-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

Noah is in a singing group at school. A volunteer group of kids with a fabulously wonderful teacher who gives huge amounts of her time to these kids. Noah really debated staying with the group this year. He nearly gave into the "it isn't cool to be a 5th grade boy in a singing group... you should play football" mindset. But he didn't. He went to lunchtime practices, after school practices, school day off practices. And loved it. The funny thing? We humored him because he liked it. We didn't know the kid could actually sing. In fact his teacher came up to me in the halls to tell me that she had given him a solo and I truthfully thought that maybe she felt sorry for the poor kid. I was so afraid for him. Afraid that he would get up on stage and when he realized he couldn't carry a tune be crushed. There was no way I thought this could turn out good.

Then I started to hear little murmurs about Noah and his talent... teachers talking at school, other kids talking. I (on purpose) stayed away from all the practices. I didn't want to know...
Guess what??? He can sing... and he is good at it... (I am not at all biased I'm sure!!) but it just amazes me. This kid doesn't like to be away from home, even for a night. Taking him into a store with lots of people nearly does both of us in... a trip to the doctor's office elicits panic attacks... but the kid can stand on stage and sing and dance and love it!! He is amazing!!!

Should I be concerned???

2009-02-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

I cant find the cat. Clementine... the outside semi-tame cat. The cat that followed the dogs into the house this morning. The cat that I thought might be cold and could come in for a quick warm up. 6 hours ago... the worst part? I just realized that I lost her... hmm... closets or toyboxes first first... That's what I get for trying to switch to decaf. I'm going back to regular before I lose a child...

Pancakes

2009-02-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday night is breakfast night. We love it- 1 day a week I know what we are having for dinner. No thought. We alternate between sausage, bacon, or eggs and pancakes with and without blueberries (that we all picked over the summer). Up until now I have used Bisquick, but with 7 large pancake eaters I was going through the mega size box in no time. Until now. I found (actually was given) the recipie for baking mix. The kids love it even better. It makes a sturdier pancake and the kids fill up on lots less. I still make a large amount and we usually eat pancakes for breakfast most of the week.

Baking Mix:
(this makes a large amount- I store it in a food grade bucket with lid in the pantry and then just substitute it for Bisquick.)

10 cups of flour
1/2 cup sugar (I use 1 C sugar- we like it a bit sweeter for pancakes)
1/4 cup baking powder
2T salt
optional 2 cups powdered milk (then use water in your mix)

Butter Syurp
1 stick margarine
1 cup milk
melt on stove and remove from heat
add 1 cup sugar
splash of vanilla
2T flour to thicken (back on low heat for just a minute or 2)

Instead of sleeping...

2009-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sheesh!! I wish I could sleep like normal people do. You know from the hours of 3-6 am??? Instead I'm awake or dreaming very vivid dreams. And what is on my mind during these hours? Lately, it has been fabric. Crazy I know. But I have these very vivid dreams of sewing something VERY specific. Then I wake up and I'll I can do is lay there and go over it in my mind. So, this is a picture of what I dreamed last night and finally just got up and sewed... Now just picture this cute little model wearing her pink sparkle light up boots and mucking out pig pens at the fairgrounds ...

pictures from Noah's birthday

2009-02-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

We had a fun filled day yesterday. Started out by waking the kids up at 5 am and heading out to Denny's to celebrate Noah's birthday with a FREE grand slam. Then I decorated 50 cupcakes and 1 cake. Took cupcakes to school for the 5th grade, picked up 3 other boys (upon after spending the afternoon in the company of 11 year old boys, Addie has decided that her brother is quite "normal" and not as weird as she thought... at least compared to all of his friends). Thank God for beautiful weather which allowed the boys to play football outside and have pizza, pop and cake on the porch (thus preserving the clean house for the family party later). The boys all left at 5 and 10 minutes later my folks showed up bearing gifts and pizza (we had 10 pizzas!!!). Mom and I started baking and at 6 pm we were joined by Grandpa Joe and Grandma Cenobia and Jen (the wife of the kids' dad). We had a very fun evening of pizza, pop (way too much of this- Addie couldn't sleep) visiting and presents.

Check out this blog

2009-02-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Seriously, this girl is 20... can you say amazing??? Truly the hands of God. Check out her work in Uganda

Happy Birthday Noah!!

2009-02-03T08:54:00.001-08:00

Happy 11th birthday Noah. Today is always such an emotional day- it brought an end to a pregnancy that turned out so much better than predicted. I spent most of my pregnancy in bed or in the hospital. They never figured out what was wrong and the prognosis for you was not good. They said I would not live through the pregnancy and that you would never be born alive and IF by some miracle you lived, you would surely suffer from severe complications and never be "normal". We placed you in God's hands- we would love you no matter, for that was how God created you. For a purpose. At 20 weeks we found out you were a boy and we named you- we wanted to know you for as long as we could... we wanted others to know you and for your big sister to know her baby brother Noah. In the end you were born early but alive and from what they could tell, without complications. You were such an answer to prayer.

You have grown up so much and are so much fun. Your sense of humor keeps us all laughing, your friends laughing, and your teachers laughing. You are a fabulous soccer player and a wonderful actor/singer. Who would have guessed??? You make friends till the end and are always polite. Just this morning as I dropped you off for school I watched you as you stopped to open a door for a teacher on your way out to the gym. You have such a tender heart. Our family would never be the same without you. Everytime I look at you I am so thankful for each and every day that we have had with you. We love you so much... and are so thankful that God chose us to be your family.

This just in...

2009-01-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

This is the conversation JUST now overheard in the kitchen- just a small glimpse of our life.
Tom walks through the kitchen with the vacuum extension pole. Yordi is running (squealing like a kid on Christmas morning) behind him shouting at me. "Mom come quick. What's dad got? Somesings wrong with the goat. He's gonna slap him and then we get to eat him." HUH???????
Sorry Yordi- dad is just going to vacuum. It's just pizza for dinner.

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried...

Love this song.

2009-01-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

The video doesn't match what I see in my mind when I hear the song. I think of all the kiddos stuck in ET due to all the funk the courts/paper snafu's have caused. I think of the kids and families waiting. I will continue to see their faces and pray.

Instead of cleaning house...

2009-01-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is what I did today. Sure, there were floors to mop, carpets to vacuum, laundry to do...
But, it snowed outside, I had a warm cup of tea, and my sewing machine and yards of old fabric scraps calling to me even in the middle of the night. Didn't they turn out cute????

Photos from the day

2009-01-25T14:19:00.001-08:00

Well, the cassirating went well. Pretty cool in fact. We were the first ones up at Kerri's farm. The girls had not slept in the barn. We were greeting by Kerri's hubby who told us to head to the barn. Shortly afterward everyone got there. 23 babies- 11 boys- 3 mama sows. Kerri had already marked all boys with a large blue sharpie. She had to capture them and take them away from the wolverine mothers. Man they are protective things!!!!! As she handed them out to us, we then marked on them which mother they belonged to. All baby boys into the playpen. We decided that since the mommas were climbing the walls (literally) to rescue their screaming babies we would take them to the other barn. The whole process was pretty cool. The boys in the club did a great job of holding babies. None of the kids wanted to do the actual cutting (it was kinda scary) but they were all involved in helping out. Kerri's dad did a great job and let the kids do as much as they wanted. What amazed me was that there was NO blood. Really thought there would be. No, none!!! The kids did great, the babies did great, a couple of bags of souvenirs went home with dreams of a frying pan... none to our house. We get to pick out the babies in less than 4 weeks and Kerri is going have each kid vaccinate their own pig. Addie has fallen in love- one little gilt that runs over and nips her on the hand whenever she bends down.

Molly was a bit concerned when it was all over- looking around at all the people. She quietly asks if just animals have to do this or people too?

I told her just boy animals.

Well, why?

Cause they have boy parts.

Oh, so we aren't going to do this to Noah?

Oh heavens NO!

Whew! I still am glad I'm not a boy.

Fast forward to today... I explained that Dad will be picking up from school tomorrow. Noah has a dr appt. Molly is crying... I thought you said we weren't taking his boy parts!!!!!!!!!

Can you say scarred for life?????

big happenings today!!

2009-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

There is big stuff going on around here today. Pictures will be coming later. I can hear Rebecca already... I know. But please understand- we live on a farm... in the country. This is just a part of life...

The conversation over the last couple of days goes something like this: (it started when the littles overheard me talking about getting a babysitter)...

Molly: Mom NO you cant leave us behind... I wanta "cassirate" pigs too!!! It's not fair. Addie says I'm old enough to scoop poop this year and if I'm old enough for that I can handle "cassirating" pigs too.

Yordi: I wanta do what Molly do too... I do pigs. They no smello so goood, but I like them piggies.

Mom: I don't know guys- there will be some blood, and baby pigs screaming for their mommies, and mommy pigs that are mad and want their babies... maybe you would be better off at home.

Molly: Good grief mom, you think we don't like blood or screaming? Yordi's nose bleeds all the time and that doesn't bother us. Besides my ears are plugged and I cant hear anything.

Yordi: I ready for screaming...

So yes, we will all be heading to some friends house to "cassirate" pigs. Addie has been there since yesterday "preparing" and if I know those girls there is a good chance they slept in the pig barn. What an awesome experience. These are the kids fair pigs for this year. They have been part of the entire process. We hauled the momma home from the fair (she was still a little pig)- the kids have seen the babies shortly after birth. Today, they get to be hands on. Addie has graduated Molly to "poop scooper" this year at the fair. Life is good. (if it could just warm up a bit... a 38* barn isn't fun for very long).

Pictures after the events of the day...

to be more like them...

2009-01-23T10:26:00.001-08:00

UH OH!!!!!

2009-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Oh Man!!!! The tooth fairy forgot!!!!!! Not forgot really, just got sidetracked, delayed. Settled down and getting ready for bed- phone call from failed sleepover (again) for Noah. Poor kid was having tummy issues. After we got him home, cleaned up, settled on our floor to sleep, well... I just turned out the light and went to bed. Shoot...

Random pictures

2009-01-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random Christmas pictures that I have never gotten around to posting... wonder why I never have time... hmm...

Monkey See Monkey Do

2009-01-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you have multiples... no one can do anything without the others wanting to join in. Yordi is losing his teeth due to poor nutrition. Molly is on track at age 5 and she ran into a wall today... guess the tooth fairy better start digging for loose change...

Just a mom...

2009-01-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

I have had to sub a couple of days this week for our school district. We left early in order to take the boys to Grandma and Grandpa's for a couple of hours before their preschool starts. As we are driving Molly says: When I grow up, I want to be:

a cash register girl
a car driver
a cooker
a sick animal fixer
a naughty animal fixer
a naughty kid fixer
a sick kid fixer
a cleaner...
I don't know how I can pick just one...

Noah pipes up-"you know if you are a mom you can do all of those and you won't have to pick just one".

Molly: "yep, I guess I will just be a mom"

playing house...

2009-01-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

I was wrestling sheets up on the top bunk in the boys room when I overhear a conversation coming from Molly's room.

Bis: Molly, want to play mom and dad?
Molly: Sure- are we going to have 2 dads and 1 mom?
Bis: No, 1 dad leaves the baby, so 1 dad stays, 1 mom, 1 baby
Molly: Oh, yeah. Is the first dad gonna leave the baby in a box?
Bis: No, he just puts the baby in a car and they take it away.
Molly: Ohhhh.... hey, you want to play horses instead?

Some conversations I will just never get used to.

Good grief!!!

2009-01-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

At some point during the middle of the night, when sane people sleep, I rolled over and instantly woke up remembering that I have never gotten the boys their social security number. And, in order to file our taxes, I NEED this!!! I had a million other things on my list to do today, but instead we trekked to town to our SS office. I wait in line, where some creepy guy took it upon himself to sit down between my boys and start chatting away with them. Molly would have run screaming, Noah would have freaked and been instantly by my side, and Addie, well I don't think he would have messed with Addie. But the boys... well, they are used to strangers. Heck, they went willingly with a bunch of strangers whom they knew for little over an hour, who came to their orphanage and said "we are your new family, lets go". How do you teach "stranger" when EVERYONE is a stranger and that it is ok to not be polite and answer questions being asked of you from someone you don't know??? I am trying to figure that out.

Anyhow, we get called up to the window (the boys are now sitting at my feet) and I tell the lady that I am there to get each of my boys a social security number. She asks me for ID for them. I pull out my case- and ask "which" document she wants- ET birth cert, ET passport, or adoption decree. She then says that they aren't allowed a social security number without a US birth certificate. I pointed out that they don't have one, they were born in ET, adopted by us, and only here for a short period of time. Nope, can't be done. WHAT????? It can be done- Molly has a social security number without a US birth certificate. Luckily, I had gone on the website for social security and had made a copy of how to get a social security number for a child foreignely adopted (been there, done that before). She thanks me for my help and informs me I should have them in hand in less than 2 weeks. Good grief!

Our NEW plan

2009-01-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thank you all who posted kind support over our church dilemma. I did want to say though that this isn't a "new" happening. We left shortly after the boys came home. It is that it just rears its ugly head sometimes. This was one of those times. And there are times I just sigh and know that we "wont make sense" to everyone, but we didn't grow our family through adoption for popularity either. :) And, I do have to say that there were many wonderful people that we left at this church, unfortunately the ugly were louder and more demanding of getting in the last word and having their opinions heard. We still have friend there, we just now associate outside of those walls.

But we have a new plan. Addie has really been wanting to attend the youth program at the church we are now attending. She didn't want to cause us extra work driving to a different town in order to attend youth ... we are going to do this. It is important.

Noah- well, is Noah and if he never had to leave our house he wouldn't. He is autistic- he doesn't do new and exciting...

The littles? well they would want to go, but they are too young to know...

Sooo... new plan...
Sunday evening is devo night- as a family. Age appropriate- to challenge the older kids and help us as we teach some concepts to the littles. Our boys knew of God- there was a very large picture of Jesus in their birthfamily's home. This is a great start. There will be a weekly helper- in birth order each week...

Wed night will be "family" night. 5 different categories and a revolving weekly helper (same helper as Sunday) . We will have : game night, cooking night, 4H night, individual project night, and family project. Each week we will tailor it to the different age levels. 4H night for example- Addie and Noah can be working on their swine advancements while the littles are working on learning the parts of a duck. Some weeks it may be an outing. We brainstormed ideas last night and the kids are excited. We have put these times on the calendar... Addie is up first- she drew cooking. She is busy planning a cooking project to involve everyone. Sunday we begin... Maybe the fruits of the spirit... maybe lying... haven't decided. May depend on the "issues" of the week! :) We'll keep you posted.

pondering....

2009-01-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

I don't like conflict. My hubby doesn't like conflict. We seldom argue because we don't do conflict. I am torn- the little church in the town we live is beginning an Awana program for kids tonight. All of our kids are old enough to go. Their friends are going. We no longer attend church there... for many reasons, but mainly due to some pretty terribly hurtful things said to and of our "new" family. I guess I am old-fashioned. I always believed ""church" was the 1 place where people were loved and accepted. Didn't matter what they looked like or where they came from. We didn't want to force people to accept us or, as was happening, have our children hear these things being said about them and so chose to quietly leave. So the answer should be clear cut... No Awana for our children. Yet, ... there is part of me that says THIS IS SO WRONG!!! HOW DARE YOU NOT ACCEPT LITTLE CHILDREN!!!!!!! Part of me wants to walk all 5 of my beautiful children through those doors and just tell people to grow up and deal with it. I'm just not sure...

Snow Day

2008-12-29T13:37:00.001-08:00

h

.

We were forecasted snow for about 1 week before Christmas. We waited for it- the kids watched the forecast on the computer. We brought the BIG dog in to keep warm. Unfortunately we got skipped. All the cousins north of us got it- SNOWED IN!!! They got a whole week off of school. We got... rain!!! Then on the way to the Christmas program what starts falling from the sky???? SNOW!!!!! We didn't get 24 inches like the cousins got, but we got about 6 and that is enough to sled... Man did we have fun!!! Mom isn't as young and it hurts more later, but we sure enjoyed the boys first snowfall!!!

Catch-up

2008-12-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have gotten behind with the holidays so it is time to play catch up. Just a few pictures of the "before" the holiday pictures. The first few are the annual Christmas tree hunt. Of course we picked a 16 ft tree. It really did look tiny when we were deep in the woods. But once we chopped it in half (ok so it was Tom and not "we") it was a pretty good tree. Nice and gappy- now I usually like them skinnier, but there are a few die hards who like big fat trees. Compromise!!! The last one is all the kids with the stockings. I only had to make 1 more- I had "thought ahead" when I made our stockings a few years ago. Always thought we might have 1 more... guess I should have made 2!!! :)

The star must go on...

2008-12-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

The fact that Christmas is 3 days away and the star still wasn't on the tree was killing Noah. Problem is that we have 10 ft ceilings. Noah convinced Tom that they didn't need a ladder. I am so suprised that no one got hurt, the tree stood, and nothing was broken. Man we were laughing hard!!! Large man on chair with 10 year old uncoordinated boy on his shoulders... Priceless.

What do you want for Christmas?????

2008-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

We went to the annual town Christmas program on Saturday (I'll have to post later about this). When it was all over Santa came and sat on the stage. Molly is terrified of Santa, but not this Santa. This is our local feedstore owner in a ridiculously hokey Santa costume. It is the same every year. After the kids came down off the stage, we asked them what they had asked Santa for.

Addie: "I just helped the littles"
Noah: "A Daisy 901 Powerline (BB Gun)"
Molly: "A cash register (yes, she has been asking for one since June)"
Bis: "I don't know- Why does Santa always ask what we want?"
Yordi: "Dinner"

Puts it all into perspective , don't ya think....

Excitement is in the air

2008-12-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

Things are getting exciting around here- we are on the verge of a big storm... high winds tonight with power outages possible. Then up to 5 inches of snow headed our way by Sunday. We will have warm temps of 40 degrees until tomorrow and then we won't climb above freezing until next weekend. This is the biggest Artic front that we have seen in nearly 20 years. Yipee!!! I love the snow and I love the day of "getting ready". My laundry was all done by 8 am, floors mopped, soup on, and all the kids stuck into a hot shower first thing. Out in the country if we lose power we lose water, and being a small rural area not a big priority to restore our power quickly. We are so hoping to see snow- it would be the boys first!!!!

They say animals "know". Buzz has been strangely quiet the last couple of days. We hardly see him. He isn't trying to beat the car to the garage. Tom, in winterizing the house and animals went up to take a peak. His little house is busting at the seams. He has been hauling all kinds of plants and branches deep into his house. He has then taken a bale of hay and fluffed it up, so that after he climbs in and nestles down into his thick pile of pine branches, he then fluffs the hay up and around himself, so when you look into his house you cant even see him. Crazy Pig. I would let him have the garage (I am sorta a softee )

These pictures are from a surprise storm last year... It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Reindeer are spies

2008-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

Oh the 3 littles crack me up.
We have been trying to explain to the boys "Christmas". We always try to downplay Santa in our home, but I will admit to using the power of Santa this time of year (terrible I know). They have all been to see the big guy in red. Molly has been rather upset by the fact that indeed Santa does not go all over the world to bring presents to all the children. The boys have told her that they have never had Christmas, presents, or santa. Each day more decorations come out, more lights go up, and so does the volume of the chatter.
Last nights conversation around the table (just the 3 littles) while I was making dinner- within earshot...
Molly: You have to watch out and be good cause everyone tells you that santa is watching.
Bis: Santa is coming??
Molly: Well, yes, but we wont get to see him. You have to be asleep. That's not fair you know.
Yordi: you goes sleep?
Molly: I don't think he can really watch everyone, especially if you cant see him. It is the reindeer you have to watch out for, really. They are like his spies.
Bis and Yordi: (looking around at all the little reindeer crafts that are hung up) ohhhhhhh...

I would have to agree....

2008-12-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Having been there and seen what we have seen, it is true. I DO need Africa , more than Africa needs me.

From the Mocha Club website: www.mochaclub.org

When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much." It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.

The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness. The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life. Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.

My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed by my lack of faith, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little. I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.

I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership. But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me.

Something we can all do...

2008-12-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Please... this hits so close. Can you???? Will you???

Would you consider twins? Referral Anniversary

2008-12-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

The exact date has passed, but with the busyness of Thanksgiving I just didn't get time to sit at the computer like I had planned. This weekend marked 1 year ago that Grace called us with a question that sent us in a tailspin. We have a possible referral... would you consider twins????? I can not believe that it has only been 1 year since that call. In ways it feels like eons, yet the process was incredibly fast for us. We had only sent in our application 19 days earlier- for 1 non the less... I won't retype the whole thing. If you want to read it again, the story is here. We have now had our boys home for nearly 7 months. Enjoy the pics- oh how quickly they change...

Bisrat's new do

2008-12-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Bis got himself a new "do". He has the tightest, curliest hair. I was so sure that adopting boys I would escape the hair issues. Come to find out NOPE!! Of all the kids Bis's hair takes me the longest each day and uses more products than all the girls combined. I would love to braid it but #1 I don't know how #2 don't know anyone who knows how #3 he is a huge weenie when it comes to his head. Squirting it with water has him dancing around saying ow. Sheesh!! So today I decided to twist it. I love playing with the curls ( which he doesn't like me to do) and have experimented a little bit. Today we turned on the tv and he sat and I twisted and he didn't complain. I think it looks cute. He likes it and it was a good bonding time for us. He usually doesn't choose to sit by me (unless I am reading) and he tolerates me putting lotion on him or just touching in general. But for 1 hour he sat still and although he was watching tv (more like glued to the tv) he didn't seem to mind a bit. And I got to play with those curls!!!! So, we'll see how long it lasts but it wasn't a huge time commitment so will definitely do it again.
Isn't he the cutest?????

Dear Mr. Govenor

2008-11-25T15:26:00.001-08:00

I dont post much about Noah... what's there to say. To know him is to love him. Noah talks in facts- there is no grey. He didn't speak until he was 2 and then started in complete sentences. Noah has the vocabulary of a 29 year old (so they tell me), yet so often he has a hard time verbalizing, to get his many thoughts out the way he means to. Yet where is struggles verbally, he excels by writing. This is a letter he wrote at school today. Not an assignment, just something that has been on his mind to do. He has been talking about it for several days. This letter is a glimpse of the true Noah that so often isn't visible....

Dear Mr Govenor,
Hi, my name is Noah Thompson. I live in *** , Oregon. I go to school at *** Elementary and am in the 5th grade. I understand that the new 1 dollar coin is being manufactured to the public. All coins say "In God we trust", but the new 1 dollar coin does not. If I am given it I will refuse it. I will also encourage my family and friends to do the same. My family is a christian family and it would mean alot to me and most christian familys. Would you please try to encourage the govermnet to stop making the coins or put "In God we trust" on them.
Thank you. Sincerely your friend
Noah
PS please write back
hear are a list of people who agree with me on back...
(signed by his entire class)

Truly Noah will refuse this coin and woe be to anyone in this house if one turns up