Well folks, we are on the other side. Of course it didn't go off without a hitch but they were relatively small hitches in the big scheme of things and most people didn't even realize there were hitches. R and JT are husband and wife. T had a little speech to deliver when he handed over "the key to R's heart". Apparently he had something planned out but he choked up and just said, "JT, I've guarded R's heart for 19 years and now I'm turning that over to you," and handed him the little key. I think everyone teared up at least a little.
J did well in his part as the ring bearer and helping the flower girl get down the aisle. They both did well and J told me later that even though he was itchy and wanted to scratch, he just stood still. Too cute.
I'm exhausted, the house is a wreck, but it is so nice to be on the other side. I'll post pics as soon as I can.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Merry Christmas
Hi everyone. I want to take a moment of calm in the chaos of life to wish you all a Merry Christmas. We are incredibly busy with Christmas and wedding plans and festivities. I don't expect to be blogging much until we reach the other side (of the wedding). I have divided my life into two categories, things which need to be done before the wedding and things which can wait.
We went to church yesterday at my brother's church with all 13 of us. Us five, JT, my parents, my brother's four and nephew's fiance. It was a nice time. And then we had our family Christmas that evening. J's favorite gift so far is a nerf gun with velcro "ammo" that sticks to a vest that you wear. It seems to be a favorite among all the boys, young and old. Between what we saved on gifts and what we all managed to chip in we had nearly a thousand dollars to give away. We enjoyed doing that and are already looking towards next year.
While I was getting ready for church yesterday morning the only voice I could hear was coming from J. No real surprise there but when I got out to the kitchen he bounced up to me and said, "I am drinking coffee!!" Oh yeah, like he needs coffee. With sugar. We had been working on the wedding favor boxes the night before and there was a bowl with some pretty white candy in it on the table. He asked what it was and I told him it was candy. He hovered over it until I asked him if he wanted one. He popped one in his mouth and then asked if it would turn his brain to mush. What?!? We told him no but he held his head and moaned and then spit the candy out. Now, about a month ago or so, I told him in passing that if he watched too much tv his brain would turn to mush. He continued to hold his head and started crying and saying that his brain was turned to mush. The only thing we can figure is that he got a coffee/sugar rush headache about the time he popped the candy into his mouth. He was quite serious about it but we all just cracked up. I think we eventually convinced him that his brain was not mush. Too funny.
I think we have all the Christmas and wedding shopping done. I think. I know there are a few more things to get but we may have to do without because I've about had it with the whole shopping thing. Blech!
I also think my shoulder may be slightly better. I think. The other side of my neck is sore from the sling but it may be helping the shoulder. I'll let you know on the other side.
J's basketball team won another game Saturday. They are 5 and 0 for the season.
J got a game and a can of gloopy black stuff for Christmas from a boy in his class. He was quite thrilled with it all the rest of the day on Friday. I don't think he has touched it since then. Come to think of it, I should probably question him as to it's whereabouts. I'd hate to find it ground into some carpet in some part of the house. He tried to get everyone to touch it. He also slimed it over his hand and I took a pic. Lovely, isn't it?
Ah yes. The finished product. I think someone asked for a pic. I don't even know for sure but here it is anyway. The ones with the green lining are for the groomsmen and the other ones are for J and the ushers.
We went to church yesterday at my brother's church with all 13 of us. Us five, JT, my parents, my brother's four and nephew's fiance. It was a nice time. And then we had our family Christmas that evening. J's favorite gift so far is a nerf gun with velcro "ammo" that sticks to a vest that you wear. It seems to be a favorite among all the boys, young and old. Between what we saved on gifts and what we all managed to chip in we had nearly a thousand dollars to give away. We enjoyed doing that and are already looking towards next year.
While I was getting ready for church yesterday morning the only voice I could hear was coming from J. No real surprise there but when I got out to the kitchen he bounced up to me and said, "I am drinking coffee!!" Oh yeah, like he needs coffee. With sugar. We had been working on the wedding favor boxes the night before and there was a bowl with some pretty white candy in it on the table. He asked what it was and I told him it was candy. He hovered over it until I asked him if he wanted one. He popped one in his mouth and then asked if it would turn his brain to mush. What?!? We told him no but he held his head and moaned and then spit the candy out. Now, about a month ago or so, I told him in passing that if he watched too much tv his brain would turn to mush. He continued to hold his head and started crying and saying that his brain was turned to mush. The only thing we can figure is that he got a coffee/sugar rush headache about the time he popped the candy into his mouth. He was quite serious about it but we all just cracked up. I think we eventually convinced him that his brain was not mush. Too funny.
I think we have all the Christmas and wedding shopping done. I think. I know there are a few more things to get but we may have to do without because I've about had it with the whole shopping thing. Blech!
I also think my shoulder may be slightly better. I think. The other side of my neck is sore from the sling but it may be helping the shoulder. I'll let you know on the other side.
J's basketball team won another game Saturday. They are 5 and 0 for the season.
J got a game and a can of gloopy black stuff for Christmas from a boy in his class. He was quite thrilled with it all the rest of the day on Friday. I don't think he has touched it since then. Come to think of it, I should probably question him as to it's whereabouts. I'd hate to find it ground into some carpet in some part of the house. He tried to get everyone to touch it. He also slimed it over his hand and I took a pic. Lovely, isn't it?
Ah yes. The finished product. I think someone asked for a pic. I don't even know for sure but here it is anyway. The ones with the green lining are for the groomsmen and the other ones are for J and the ushers.
R's books have been selling well to friends and family around here. We'll have to order more soon. If you'd like to order one you can email her at thebrunetteblond@yahoo.com
J has been asking every day when we are going to make cut out cookies. I guess I better get off the computer and go stir up some cookie dough with my one handed self. Merry Christmas. See you on the other side.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Two "J'isms"
Because I'm at a point in my life where I have to write things down while I'm thinking of them or I forget, I have a couple of "J'isms" that I need to write down quick.
You know the "see you later alligator, after while crocodile" thing? J hasn't been able to get all of that yet and usually says, "See you later, crocodile."
At halloween time he learned, trick or treat-smell my feet-give me something good to eat. Not because we went trick or treating but because he heard it at school, I'm sure. Now that it's the Christmas season he has heard, jingle bells, batman smells, robin laid an egg. Yes, he heard that one from his mother. But his rendition is, "Jingle bells, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat." That is his own creation.
Not to be outdone, his 16yo sister just followed us home with her bright lights on most of the time-shining in her daddy's eyes. When told not to have the brights on when following someone she said, "But the low brights are not bright enough and I can't see." Low brights. Isn't that an oxymoron?
You know the "see you later alligator, after while crocodile" thing? J hasn't been able to get all of that yet and usually says, "See you later, crocodile."
At halloween time he learned, trick or treat-smell my feet-give me something good to eat. Not because we went trick or treating but because he heard it at school, I'm sure. Now that it's the Christmas season he has heard, jingle bells, batman smells, robin laid an egg. Yes, he heard that one from his mother. But his rendition is, "Jingle bells, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat." That is his own creation.
Not to be outdone, his 16yo sister just followed us home with her bright lights on most of the time-shining in her daddy's eyes. When told not to have the brights on when following someone she said, "But the low brights are not bright enough and I can't see." Low brights. Isn't that an oxymoron?
Firsts, lasts and other news
JT is here! Lord willing and the creek don't rise there will be a wedding next weekend. He looks good. He has filled out quite a bit and it looks good on him. They are getting the marriage license today. Neither one of them has slept much in the last 36 hours. I haven't seen his leg but he seems to be moving just fine. Thanks for the prayers for healing.
J had his first school Christmas party this morning. He has been in really good moods most of the time but last night he was begging me to "make one more baby". He really wants a little sister. Then he asked about a friend of his from the O and if we could adopt him and he could be his brother. I told him it took 4 years to get him here and they'd be grown by the time his friend got here. Then the tears came. I just loved on him and validated his feelings.
I have made my last vest. If they don't fit, too bad. I have also packed my last school lunch for '09 and have gotten J up for school for the last time of '09. Woo hoo!
I went to the chiro this morning. My shoulder has been sore for about 6 weeks. Cutting down the Christmas tree and sewing all the vests has not helped at all. He said it's probably a separated shoulder, only it's the type one where it hasn't actually separated, it's just pulled. He recommended a sling, resting it, and bio freeze. I'm having a heck of a time undressing myself. T is more than happy to help.
J continues to crack us up all. the. time. We went out to eat the other night and he excused himself to run around the corner and then peek out. We asked him what he was doing and he announced, "I'm farting." Just today he was doing the I've got to pee dance and saying ow, ow. I asked him what was wrong and he said he had to use the bafroom. I told him to go and he ran off to use it and we heard him saying, "Ahh, dat feel better." He takes the English language very literally which is always good for a laugh. Oh, his class went to the Christmas Carol 3D. We've taken him to the drive in but it was his first time in a theater. Plus it was 3D. Apparently his popcorn went everywhere at the first thing that looked like it was coming at him. To see him re-enact it is quite funny.
His RA teacher at church gave each of the boys a walmart gift card. It was burning a hole in his pocket and we had to get shoes, pants and shirt for the wedding so he took the card with him and after we got the clothes picked out T and J started off towards the toy section hand in hand. Awww, melt my heart. I caught up with them and J was having a hard time deciding what he wanted. There are so many choices and he just isn't used to making so many. He finally decided on gum, a book, and a toy. He did a good job and came in just under $10 with 17 cents to spare. He told me I could have what was left on the card.
I was telling my sister in law the other day how J kept saying time moves faster in America. He truly thought that our clocks move faster here. He said he would get home from school and boom, it was time to eat. Then he'd do homework and watch a little tv and boom, it was time for bed. I tried to assure him that the clocks move the same here as they do in Haiti. He was not convinced. SIL thought that was really something that a young child recognizes the much faster pace of life here. She said, the child speaks truth.
Well, we're off to a little "coming home" party for JT. If you haven't watched the Livesays Christmas video, take a look. And don't forget that you can order one of R's books too. Just email thebrunetteblond@yahoo.com
J had his first school Christmas party this morning. He has been in really good moods most of the time but last night he was begging me to "make one more baby". He really wants a little sister. Then he asked about a friend of his from the O and if we could adopt him and he could be his brother. I told him it took 4 years to get him here and they'd be grown by the time his friend got here. Then the tears came. I just loved on him and validated his feelings.
I have made my last vest. If they don't fit, too bad. I have also packed my last school lunch for '09 and have gotten J up for school for the last time of '09. Woo hoo!
I went to the chiro this morning. My shoulder has been sore for about 6 weeks. Cutting down the Christmas tree and sewing all the vests has not helped at all. He said it's probably a separated shoulder, only it's the type one where it hasn't actually separated, it's just pulled. He recommended a sling, resting it, and bio freeze. I'm having a heck of a time undressing myself. T is more than happy to help.
J continues to crack us up all. the. time. We went out to eat the other night and he excused himself to run around the corner and then peek out. We asked him what he was doing and he announced, "I'm farting." Just today he was doing the I've got to pee dance and saying ow, ow. I asked him what was wrong and he said he had to use the bafroom. I told him to go and he ran off to use it and we heard him saying, "Ahh, dat feel better." He takes the English language very literally which is always good for a laugh. Oh, his class went to the Christmas Carol 3D. We've taken him to the drive in but it was his first time in a theater. Plus it was 3D. Apparently his popcorn went everywhere at the first thing that looked like it was coming at him. To see him re-enact it is quite funny.
His RA teacher at church gave each of the boys a walmart gift card. It was burning a hole in his pocket and we had to get shoes, pants and shirt for the wedding so he took the card with him and after we got the clothes picked out T and J started off towards the toy section hand in hand. Awww, melt my heart. I caught up with them and J was having a hard time deciding what he wanted. There are so many choices and he just isn't used to making so many. He finally decided on gum, a book, and a toy. He did a good job and came in just under $10 with 17 cents to spare. He told me I could have what was left on the card.
I was telling my sister in law the other day how J kept saying time moves faster in America. He truly thought that our clocks move faster here. He said he would get home from school and boom, it was time to eat. Then he'd do homework and watch a little tv and boom, it was time for bed. I tried to assure him that the clocks move the same here as they do in Haiti. He was not convinced. SIL thought that was really something that a young child recognizes the much faster pace of life here. She said, the child speaks truth.
Well, we're off to a little "coming home" party for JT. If you haven't watched the Livesays Christmas video, take a look. And don't forget that you can order one of R's books too. Just email thebrunetteblond@yahoo.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas giving
I'm still processing my emotions from when I picked J up 3 1/2 months ago to finally, after a four year wait, bring him home. I had come to take him home and say hello to a new life. I was so happy. His birth mom came to say good-bye. Her heart was broken. How do you process that?
As J has been home he has given little glimpses of his life before he knew us. This is a resilient child. We feel like his mother gave him life, twice. Once by giving birth and once by choosing adoption for him. I've honestly struggled over the years about how I felt about his birth mom. I've wondered why she chose adoption for him and if it was a selfish decision or a self-less decision. From what we've been able to piece together, it was completely self-less. I have great respect for this woman who set her own feelings aside and did what she had to do to protect her child and hopefully give him a better life. Her heart was breaking as she sat there on the couch, the three of us, and said good-bye to her son. There are no words for these feelings.
There are just not a lot of options for women and children in Haiti. There is no welfare system. There are no safe houses. Jobs are scarce and jobs for untrained women with children are pretty much nonexistent.
There are some people who are trying to make a difference in the lives of the women and children in Haiti. These are real people whom I have met and spent time with. I stayed with the Livesay family my last night in Haiti after I had spent the month of January down there with J. It was exactly what I needed and God used them to minister to me. It was nice to feel "normal". Hope kept me entertained just talking to me. And then we went to the McHoul's house for dinner and fellowship. It was just what I needed. John and Beth are warm and inviting. The Buxmans and another family (I'm sorry I can't remember your names, how awful is that?) were there too and I really felt welcomed.
While we (J, a friend and I) were there to pick J up we stayed with the people who had been house parents for J for about 9 months. Shelley and Corrigan are wonderful people who are living and working in Haiti to make a difference and to keep families together. They strive to find ways to help empower Haitians to make a living to support their families whether they are men or women.
For Christmas this year my SIL felt led to just give smaller gifts and use the rest of the money that would have been spent and pooling it together to give to different charities that were on our hearts. We've really gotten into it and have enjoyed doing this. If you have done something similar and are wondering where it should go, I can personally vouch for each of these ministries. I've watched the Heartline women's group in session. I've heard Paige (at 14 years old) translate for the women's group. I've seen the sewing machines and have touched the purses of Haitian Creations. I've watched the women do bead work at the Apparent Project. I've met some of the women who are trying to earn money to keep their families intact. I've met a mom whose heart was broken as she said good-bye to her son. Please consider these as you give this Christmas. Or buy someone a gift from these ministries. Here are links for you to read more about each ministry.
http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/ (Be sure to watch their Christmas video)
http://www.heartlineministries.org/
http://www.haitiancreations.com/
http://www.apparentproject.blogspot.com/
http://www.heartlinerunners.blogspot.com/ (Several people are running a marathon to raise money for Heartline Women's ministry.) Check them all out. Thanks!
As J has been home he has given little glimpses of his life before he knew us. This is a resilient child. We feel like his mother gave him life, twice. Once by giving birth and once by choosing adoption for him. I've honestly struggled over the years about how I felt about his birth mom. I've wondered why she chose adoption for him and if it was a selfish decision or a self-less decision. From what we've been able to piece together, it was completely self-less. I have great respect for this woman who set her own feelings aside and did what she had to do to protect her child and hopefully give him a better life. Her heart was breaking as she sat there on the couch, the three of us, and said good-bye to her son. There are no words for these feelings.
There are just not a lot of options for women and children in Haiti. There is no welfare system. There are no safe houses. Jobs are scarce and jobs for untrained women with children are pretty much nonexistent.
There are some people who are trying to make a difference in the lives of the women and children in Haiti. These are real people whom I have met and spent time with. I stayed with the Livesay family my last night in Haiti after I had spent the month of January down there with J. It was exactly what I needed and God used them to minister to me. It was nice to feel "normal". Hope kept me entertained just talking to me. And then we went to the McHoul's house for dinner and fellowship. It was just what I needed. John and Beth are warm and inviting. The Buxmans and another family (I'm sorry I can't remember your names, how awful is that?) were there too and I really felt welcomed.
While we (J, a friend and I) were there to pick J up we stayed with the people who had been house parents for J for about 9 months. Shelley and Corrigan are wonderful people who are living and working in Haiti to make a difference and to keep families together. They strive to find ways to help empower Haitians to make a living to support their families whether they are men or women.
For Christmas this year my SIL felt led to just give smaller gifts and use the rest of the money that would have been spent and pooling it together to give to different charities that were on our hearts. We've really gotten into it and have enjoyed doing this. If you have done something similar and are wondering where it should go, I can personally vouch for each of these ministries. I've watched the Heartline women's group in session. I've heard Paige (at 14 years old) translate for the women's group. I've seen the sewing machines and have touched the purses of Haitian Creations. I've watched the women do bead work at the Apparent Project. I've met some of the women who are trying to earn money to keep their families intact. I've met a mom whose heart was broken as she said good-bye to her son. Please consider these as you give this Christmas. Or buy someone a gift from these ministries. Here are links for you to read more about each ministry.
http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/ (Be sure to watch their Christmas video)
http://www.heartlineministries.org/
http://www.haitiancreations.com/
http://www.apparentproject.blogspot.com/
http://www.heartlinerunners.blogspot.com/ (Several people are running a marathon to raise money for Heartline Women's ministry.) Check them all out. Thanks!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Still here
We're still here, and still incredibly busy. Lots of stuff in my head. Lots. And way too much activity to process it all. I'm still sewing vests for the wedding. Sigh...I'm glad to do them but I'll be very glad when they are done.
Still have Christmas gifts to buy. Sigh...
JT still has cellulitis but it didn't get to his bone, thank God. He will still get recycled in the advance training stuff because of his hospitalization but it's just 6 weeks. Lord willing, he'll be home for "Christmas exodus" on Friday. And for the wedding a week and two days after that. And Lord willing, we'll be ready for it.
T is still having trouble with his foot that continues to stump the doc. Blood work is okay. They are sending him to a podiatrist.
J had a good, bad, and then okay weekend. He isn't responding well when told to do something, at home or at school. They are working on it at school and he's doing better there. He earned a "time out" from tv, videos, and video games for today and it really upset him. TV seems to be the key to his heart right now. The problem is he is equating "grounding" with us not loving him. We're working through it. He sewed a pillow that he is quite proud of during his tv break. He also played with toys in his room, by himself. That's huge as he hasn't been willing to do much in his room by himself.
That's it for now.
Still have Christmas gifts to buy. Sigh...
JT still has cellulitis but it didn't get to his bone, thank God. He will still get recycled in the advance training stuff because of his hospitalization but it's just 6 weeks. Lord willing, he'll be home for "Christmas exodus" on Friday. And for the wedding a week and two days after that. And Lord willing, we'll be ready for it.
T is still having trouble with his foot that continues to stump the doc. Blood work is okay. They are sending him to a podiatrist.
J had a good, bad, and then okay weekend. He isn't responding well when told to do something, at home or at school. They are working on it at school and he's doing better there. He earned a "time out" from tv, videos, and video games for today and it really upset him. TV seems to be the key to his heart right now. The problem is he is equating "grounding" with us not loving him. We're working through it. He sewed a pillow that he is quite proud of during his tv break. He also played with toys in his room, by himself. That's huge as he hasn't been willing to do much in his room by himself.
That's it for now.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Post #401, pics, growth, prayer
We're still asking for prayer for R's fiance, "JT", as he is having a bone scan of some sort done today to see if the staph infection has reached to the bone in his leg. Please pray for healing for him and that he can come home as planned during Christmas so they can have their Dec. 27th wedding, as planned.
We measured and weighed J the other day. When he came home 3 months ago he was 4'9" and weighed 70 pounds. Now he is 4' 9 1/2" and weighs 76 pounds. He hasn't gained that much in height but he has filled out a little. I think most of his weight gain is in muscle. When he first came home he couldn't ride his bike up the little hill in the driveway. Now he can make it fine. He swam a lot at first too and that put some muscle on him. He's also playing basketball now too. His endurance has gotten better just in the time that he's been playing.
Now for some pics. They are in chronological order picking up from where I left off the last time I posted pics. We wanted a design or something on the edge of each of the spiral stairs because it was so hard to differentiate the individual steps. I bought some stencils but when I tried them on practice pieces they didn't work so well. I finally decided to free hand the gifts of the Spirit. I used polyshades to get a darker finish so they would stand out and mixed sand in it to help prevent sliding. Here is a pic of the finished product. I'm pleased with how they turned out.
The kids and I were home the other day when we heard a crash and the dogs went crazy. A huge tree limb fell on Elvis and dented his roof. Poor Elvis. T popped the dents right out with no problem.
J's first snow! He loved it. The first thing we showed him was how to get clean snow in a cup to make a snow slushy.
The first thing he wanted to do was to throw a snowball.
It was beautiful and stuck to everything.
J did a little sledding. Wait til it really snows and we can pull him in the sled behind the horse or take him to Uncle C's place and sled down their hill.
I snapped this in the driveway on the way to work. And yes, these pics were all taken using the toothpick as a shutter button.
J had another first last night. He participated in his school Christmas program. Their class read a story and J did his part, with some help, but he did it. This is at home after the program. He was so proud of his dress clothes and the tie that his daddy let him borrow. The boy likes to dress up. Then he likes to ask if he looks "gorgeous". Hmmm.
Well, that's it for post #401. Oh wait, no it's not. R's books are in. They are $16 each plus shipping (which we have no idea how much it is but we're working on it-in our spare time) and you can order one by emailing thebrunetteblond@yahoo.com It is a novel of 268 pages about a man, a woman and a horse. I haven't read the newest version but I'm getting ready to.
We measured and weighed J the other day. When he came home 3 months ago he was 4'9" and weighed 70 pounds. Now he is 4' 9 1/2" and weighs 76 pounds. He hasn't gained that much in height but he has filled out a little. I think most of his weight gain is in muscle. When he first came home he couldn't ride his bike up the little hill in the driveway. Now he can make it fine. He swam a lot at first too and that put some muscle on him. He's also playing basketball now too. His endurance has gotten better just in the time that he's been playing.
Now for some pics. They are in chronological order picking up from where I left off the last time I posted pics. We wanted a design or something on the edge of each of the spiral stairs because it was so hard to differentiate the individual steps. I bought some stencils but when I tried them on practice pieces they didn't work so well. I finally decided to free hand the gifts of the Spirit. I used polyshades to get a darker finish so they would stand out and mixed sand in it to help prevent sliding. Here is a pic of the finished product. I'm pleased with how they turned out.
The kids and I were home the other day when we heard a crash and the dogs went crazy. A huge tree limb fell on Elvis and dented his roof. Poor Elvis. T popped the dents right out with no problem.
J's first snow! He loved it. The first thing we showed him was how to get clean snow in a cup to make a snow slushy.
The first thing he wanted to do was to throw a snowball.
It was beautiful and stuck to everything.
J did a little sledding. Wait til it really snows and we can pull him in the sled behind the horse or take him to Uncle C's place and sled down their hill.
I snapped this in the driveway on the way to work. And yes, these pics were all taken using the toothpick as a shutter button.
J had another first last night. He participated in his school Christmas program. Their class read a story and J did his part, with some help, but he did it. This is at home after the program. He was so proud of his dress clothes and the tie that his daddy let him borrow. The boy likes to dress up. Then he likes to ask if he looks "gorgeous". Hmmm.
Well, that's it for post #401. Oh wait, no it's not. R's books are in. They are $16 each plus shipping (which we have no idea how much it is but we're working on it-in our spare time) and you can order one by emailing thebrunetteblond@yahoo.com It is a novel of 268 pages about a man, a woman and a horse. I haven't read the newest version but I'm getting ready to.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Please pray
It's me again. R heard from JT today and he's not doing so good again. They will do a bone scan we think on Wed. to see if the infection has gotten into the bone. He's depressed, she's depressed and they are not sure how the Dec. 27th wedding is looking. I told R that she was going to have to trust that it would work out exactly the way God wanted it to. She asked me if I knew how hard that was. Uh, yeah. Or, uh, YEAH!! 4 years of waiting? I know how it feels. We're praying for healing for JT, that he can come home for Christmas and peace for both of them. This is my 400th post and was supposed to be full of pics and celebration but instead it's full of prayer request. Hopefully post #401 will be full of pics and celebration. Thanks for praying!
We're still here
We're still alive and well, just very busy. It snowed Sat. J's first snow. He was beside himself with excitement, like 6:30am, knocking on the bedroom door excited. When he found out that he had snow boots and snow pants he was even more excited, if that was possible. More on that and some pics later.
J's basketball team won both of their games on Sat. They are 3 and 0. I still don't think he "gets" all the rules and stuff, but he loves being part of the team and is learning a lot. He gets right out there and plays.
A's dance recital is coming up. She is loving having a car to drive and will look for a job in Jan. She's doing all right in school but struggling with "proofs" in her geometry class.
R's plans are coming along. We think that JT's staph infection is better but it looks like he'll be "recycled" at least to some degree. Communication from him is spotty at best. Pray for him. R's books should be here soon and we'll set up a way to order them. She's doing okay at school but not as well as she'd like. Obviously her mind is on other things.
T's foot got the weird blister thing with all the swelling and itching for the third time now. We have no real idea what it is and that's very frustrating.
I'll post pics when I can. I've been busy making Christmas treats, sourdough bread, and vests for the wedding. All of us girls (mom, the girls and I) got together yesterday and had a vest cutting out party of sorts. We got the first one cut out and realized that we didn't have any interfacing. Sigh...we scrounged up enough to make a child sized one for J but after all that, it's awfully small. Huge sigh...and so it goes.
J's basketball team won both of their games on Sat. They are 3 and 0. I still don't think he "gets" all the rules and stuff, but he loves being part of the team and is learning a lot. He gets right out there and plays.
A's dance recital is coming up. She is loving having a car to drive and will look for a job in Jan. She's doing all right in school but struggling with "proofs" in her geometry class.
R's plans are coming along. We think that JT's staph infection is better but it looks like he'll be "recycled" at least to some degree. Communication from him is spotty at best. Pray for him. R's books should be here soon and we'll set up a way to order them. She's doing okay at school but not as well as she'd like. Obviously her mind is on other things.
T's foot got the weird blister thing with all the swelling and itching for the third time now. We have no real idea what it is and that's very frustrating.
I'll post pics when I can. I've been busy making Christmas treats, sourdough bread, and vests for the wedding. All of us girls (mom, the girls and I) got together yesterday and had a vest cutting out party of sorts. We got the first one cut out and realized that we didn't have any interfacing. Sigh...we scrounged up enough to make a child sized one for J but after all that, it's awfully small. Huge sigh...and so it goes.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tight
Why does everything break at once? Our dishwasher is still leaving some white residue on just about everything. It's better than it was but still not great. The microwave has been on the fritz for a while now. It beeps at any given time for no apparent reason and will cut off in the middle of cooking something. The vacuum wouldn't stand up on it's own anymore so I bought a new one and it didn't work well at all so I took it back. I dropped the camera at J's basketball game and it came all apart. T managed to put it back together and we could use it with a thumb tack but the telephoto wouldn't work and it wouldn't review the pics. Plus, T had to replace the clutch in the Jeep.
I was watching a few cameras on ebay last night until I balanced the checkbook. Things are tight. And you know that's when everything needs repairs. I explained how tight things were to T and he fixed the old vacuum, with a spring. Then he took the camera apart and cleaned all the contacts and now everything works but the button for taking a pic is still missing so we are using a matchstick to press the button. Yes, we are taking pics using a match stick. How funny is that? We're going to look under the bleachers on Wed and see if we can find the button. T never ceases to amaze me and necessity really is the mother of all inventions.
So here are some pics that I took, either with the thumb tack or the match stick, so you can see some of the craziness going on around here. A friend brought J an early Christmas gift. He and T spent like 2 hours putting it together and here is J with the finished product.
Sanomae still loves the warm laundry but she has also spent a lot of time sitting on our bed and watching the leaves fall from the trees. It's quite funny.
Because R is collecting things for her own home and because she's been showered with gifts, we have two households in one right now. Things are tight in the checkbook and things are tight in the house too. Plus, J will be moving downstairs once R moves out and there is no way that the furniture from his room will make it down the circular steps (we put it up there before the steps went in) so we are having to get new stuff for him too. This is J's new desk...in our bathroom.
Here is a sampling of R's stuff, in our office/music room.
Boxes in the living room.
And in the dining area.
Oh, and here is the New Year's Eve fodder, I mean the precious little Christmas tree that J and I found. R likes it. A and T, not so much. It fits really well in the living room, don't you think?
I was watching a few cameras on ebay last night until I balanced the checkbook. Things are tight. And you know that's when everything needs repairs. I explained how tight things were to T and he fixed the old vacuum, with a spring. Then he took the camera apart and cleaned all the contacts and now everything works but the button for taking a pic is still missing so we are using a matchstick to press the button. Yes, we are taking pics using a match stick. How funny is that? We're going to look under the bleachers on Wed and see if we can find the button. T never ceases to amaze me and necessity really is the mother of all inventions.
So here are some pics that I took, either with the thumb tack or the match stick, so you can see some of the craziness going on around here. A friend brought J an early Christmas gift. He and T spent like 2 hours putting it together and here is J with the finished product.
Sanomae still loves the warm laundry but she has also spent a lot of time sitting on our bed and watching the leaves fall from the trees. It's quite funny.
Because R is collecting things for her own home and because she's been showered with gifts, we have two households in one right now. Things are tight in the checkbook and things are tight in the house too. Plus, J will be moving downstairs once R moves out and there is no way that the furniture from his room will make it down the circular steps (we put it up there before the steps went in) so we are having to get new stuff for him too. This is J's new desk...in our bathroom.
Here is a sampling of R's stuff, in our office/music room.
Boxes in the living room.
And in the dining area.
Oh, and here is the New Year's Eve fodder, I mean the precious little Christmas tree that J and I found. R likes it. A and T, not so much. It fits really well in the living room, don't you think?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
J and I chopped down a tree today. Yes, just J and I. Well, we sawed it down, not chopped. That's another one on J's list of firsts. R was in KY visiting JT as he is still in the hospital with his staph infection. T was working on the Jeep and A was lured by a friend of ours who offered her money to help decorate instead of staying home to help us decorate for free. So it was up to J and I. We picked a nice small tree so that it doesn't take up half the living room. J then helped me decorate the entire house. He was quite the helper and things don't look like they usually do but I let his creative juices flow and he was totally into it. He had a little trouble going to sleep tonight. He wasn't being bad, just restless. I don't know if it's all the excitement of the weekend, going back to school tomorrow after a long weekend or what but I hope and pray he sleeps through the night.
We all overslept this morning. My dad called at 7:35 to see if he could use his own barn to work on his own vehicle but T's was still in it. I asked what time it was and didn't believe him when he told me. He said he thought we'd be getting ready for church. Um, yeah, we usually leave at 7:50-8:00. I threw the phone at T and ran to wake up the kids. I woke A up and she got going and then I went up to wake up J. I said, "J, it's 7:35 and we overslept and I'm still in my pajamas and we have to get going quickly!" and his eyes popped open and he said, "It's seven tirty-five and J is still dormez?!" In his just woke up, still sleepy state he used Creole at the end of his sentence. I laughed and said we were all still dormez. We managed to get ready and leave the house in record time.
We all overslept this morning. My dad called at 7:35 to see if he could use his own barn to work on his own vehicle but T's was still in it. I asked what time it was and didn't believe him when he told me. He said he thought we'd be getting ready for church. Um, yeah, we usually leave at 7:50-8:00. I threw the phone at T and ran to wake up the kids. I woke A up and she got going and then I went up to wake up J. I said, "J, it's 7:35 and we overslept and I'm still in my pajamas and we have to get going quickly!" and his eyes popped open and he said, "It's seven tirty-five and J is still dormez?!" In his just woke up, still sleepy state he used Creole at the end of his sentence. I laughed and said we were all still dormez. We managed to get ready and leave the house in record time.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm getting ready to make some sweet potato casserole and the bread is rising, and R is making a green bean casserole. We're all heading over to my brother's place. Today is my nephew's birthday and on Saturday is my niece's so we'll celebrate them today too. It's also our first Thanksgiving with J here. We struggle at times with the adjustment but there is a lot to be thankful for. So here's a little thankful list; I'm thankful that J is finally here, thankful for family and friends, thankful for our local public school and those who have been so helpful with J, I'm thankful for jobs, thankful for pets, and I'm still thankful for dark chocolate (have I ever mentioned that?).
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
"Dey talk?"
On the way to school this morning I told J that they were calling for snow flurries on Thursday evening. He didn't respond which I thought was strange because he has talked about seeing snow since I was in Haiti picking him up. It was quiet for a minute or two when he finally asked quietly and incredulously, "Dey talk?" I asked what he meant and he said, "De fluwwies, dey talk?" I laughed a little and said no, what do you mean? He explained, "You said dey was calling for snow fluwies. Do dey talk?" I busted out laughing and had to try to explain weather forecasters and who "they" are and when he finally figured out that there might be snow flurries on Thursday evening, he got really excited. Now I'm afraid we're in for some trouble if it doesn't snow. I was telling my SIL about this and she said he was probably thinking what an amazing country America is where even the snow flurries can talk.
My throat is getting better. Thank you to those who prayed. I still have a lot of nasal congestion but am feeling human again. J is still coughing but not as bad. I guess we're mending.
We are having a time trying to put 2 households into 1 as R collects more and more things for her own home. Our house is not real big by American standards. T moved everything in to the music room/office and now I can't use the treadmill. Not that I'm really sad about that or anything, but this is a time of year when you really could use it. Dexter is enjoying the little perch that was inadvertently made for him.
Here is a pic of J in his basketball uniform. I'd say he's pretty proud of it, wouldn't you?
And here's a pic of him and his team in action. Oh, T used a thumb tack to make a button so we can take pics again with the camera. It won't review them on the screen but at least we can take them.
While us ladies were at bridal shower number 2 Sunday evening, T and J were hosting a "bachelor party" in honor of R's fiance (his initials are very similar to J's so let's call him "JT"). Here are some of the guys whose wives/mothers were helping out at the shower. They were toasting JT with their root beer.
My throat is getting better. Thank you to those who prayed. I still have a lot of nasal congestion but am feeling human again. J is still coughing but not as bad. I guess we're mending.
We are having a time trying to put 2 households into 1 as R collects more and more things for her own home. Our house is not real big by American standards. T moved everything in to the music room/office and now I can't use the treadmill. Not that I'm really sad about that or anything, but this is a time of year when you really could use it. Dexter is enjoying the little perch that was inadvertently made for him.
Here is a pic of J in his basketball uniform. I'd say he's pretty proud of it, wouldn't you?
And here's a pic of him and his team in action. Oh, T used a thumb tack to make a button so we can take pics again with the camera. It won't review them on the screen but at least we can take them.
While us ladies were at bridal shower number 2 Sunday evening, T and J were hosting a "bachelor party" in honor of R's fiance (his initials are very similar to J's so let's call him "JT"). Here are some of the guys whose wives/mothers were helping out at the shower. They were toasting JT with their root beer.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
1st Bball game
J's team won their first game! What a feisty bunch of kids. It was a lot of fun to watch the game. J got to play and I have some pics of it but I managed to drop the camera under the bleachers and pretty much killed it. A sweet little girl climbed underneath and got the camera for me but it won't stay closed and the button to take the pics with is missing. Sigh...I'll work on getting some pics posted. My dad took quite a few.
If y'all think of it could you say a prayer for my throat? It is so incredibly sore. We're wondering if it has something to do with having had the abscess removed last week and getting a viral infection/flu on top of that. Whatever it is, it hurts. Thanks.
If y'all think of it could you say a prayer for my throat? It is so incredibly sore. We're wondering if it has something to do with having had the abscess removed last week and getting a viral infection/flu on top of that. Whatever it is, it hurts. Thanks.
Flu, shmoo
I guess T didn't get the snotitis, he just thought he did. Or, he had a really mild case like A did. J is still coughing his head off but seems to feel fine. I am not feeling fine. I by-passed the cold stuff and went straight to flu, complete with horribly sore throat, fever, chills, aches, congestion. Yuck. Praying that no one else in the family gets it.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
More snotitis
T and I have succumbed. My throat is more sore than anything else at this point. And I'm still on antibiotics from my little throat procedure last week. Sigh...J is mostly coughing. A seems much better. R has not come down with it yet. More power to her.
T's bee sting
T has been painting the ceiling in the "overflow dining room" at our church in preparation for R's wedding. He was painting Sunday afternoon when a bee stung him. This is what it did to him.
Pretty nasty, huh?
J went to school today with no problems. At least, I haven't heard anything yet. A is doing plays today and the rest of us are hoping we don't get the snotitis.
Weird question. The dishwasher keeps depositing nasty white stains on our dishes. It's gross. I've tried 2 different dishwasher cleaners, vinegar in the rinse thingy, using less soap and making sure the water is hot before I start the dishwasher. Nothing works. Any ideas?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
J-isms
I was playing wii with J this evening. We were bowling and every time one of us got a spare he would say, "Nice swear." It took several tries to correct him saying, "No honey, they are saying, 'Nice spare'". I was watching him play wii baseball and he kept saying, "Let's give it some hustle," and "This is so not happening." I don't know where he heard that last one but I thought it was hysterical.
The girls just informed me that those things came from High School Musical so now they're not quite as funny as they were before. That kid loves High School Musical.
A also told me that he was looking at her jeans that have a big hole in them (they came that way) and he asked her, "Did you rape your jeans?" She was like, uh, I have a rip in my jeans. Talk about lost in translation.
Another one that he always pronounces different is he doesn't say toilet like we do. He always pronounces it "twa-let". I love that one. And of course, he still calls all meat chicken.
The girls just informed me that those things came from High School Musical so now they're not quite as funny as they were before. That kid loves High School Musical.
A also told me that he was looking at her jeans that have a big hole in them (they came that way) and he asked her, "Did you rape your jeans?" She was like, uh, I have a rip in my jeans. Talk about lost in translation.
Another one that he always pronounces different is he doesn't say toilet like we do. He always pronounces it "twa-let". I love that one. And of course, he still calls all meat chicken.
Learning
J stayed home today. I figured it would happen so I was prepared for it. I knew he would feel bad when he first woke up and he whined a little bit while I was getting his clothes out and stuff and then he started with the louder whining about his throat. I told him to come down and get a drink of water and see if that helped. I explained to him that when people have colds they ususally feel worse when they first get up and that once you're up and moving you feel better. I gave him the choice of staying home in bed or going to school. If he had a fever or was obviously really sick I wouldn't have given him a choice, I'd have just kept him home. He chose to stay home in bed.
So today he learned some things. He learned that if you are so sick that you have to stay home from school, you are going to spend most of the day in bed. He looked at books and did some coloring and played quietly with some toys. He also learned that I don't just sit around the house on my days off that I actually do quite a bit of work. And the best thing he learned was to entertain himself somewhat when he's really bored. Entertaining himself is a huge thing as he has not been able to do that so far.
He is now watching a movie and I've given him instructions not to run around or get too excited, etc. He has decided to go to school tomorrow. I hope he is well enough to go.
A went to school today and has plays to do tomorrow. She sounds congested too but neither one of them seem to feel bad. And no fevers, so that's good. We'll see what tomorrow holds.
So today he learned some things. He learned that if you are so sick that you have to stay home from school, you are going to spend most of the day in bed. He looked at books and did some coloring and played quietly with some toys. He also learned that I don't just sit around the house on my days off that I actually do quite a bit of work. And the best thing he learned was to entertain himself somewhat when he's really bored. Entertaining himself is a huge thing as he has not been able to do that so far.
He is now watching a movie and I've given him instructions not to run around or get too excited, etc. He has decided to go to school tomorrow. I hope he is well enough to go.
A went to school today and has plays to do tomorrow. She sounds congested too but neither one of them seem to feel bad. And no fevers, so that's good. We'll see what tomorrow holds.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sick
Both A and J came home with colds today. They are both sneezing, sniffling and snotting like crazy. Sigh...the week before last it was A and R with stomach bugs. A seems to be the common denominator. She needs to take it easy but is much too busy with life to do that. Oh well. I sprayed lysol on all the door knobs, light switches, phones, computer keyboards, faucets, etc. They don't seem to feel real bad, and so far no fever. We are thankful for that.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hunting and showering
Well, J had another first yesterday. He went hunting with Bampa. I have no idea why his eyes are like that but it's kind of funny. He did well but they didn't see any deer. Surprised? 
He also went to bed for the first time without me in the house. Because I was at R's bridal shower. T has put J to bed plenty of times but I've always been in the house. They both did fine. And the shower was really nice. Look at these cute little cookies my SIL found.
And this is the cake.
Here is the bride to be.
She got a lot of nice gifts and only one repeat.
Her fiance called while we were at church today (he is at boot camp). The whole church got to say hi and then he got to listen to us sing. R was singing with us this Sunday. It was pretty cool.
He also went to bed for the first time without me in the house. Because I was at R's bridal shower. T has put J to bed plenty of times but I've always been in the house. They both did fine. And the shower was really nice. Look at these cute little cookies my SIL found.
And this is the cake.
Here is the bride to be.
She got a lot of nice gifts and only one repeat.
Her fiance called while we were at church today (he is at boot camp). The whole church got to say hi and then he got to listen to us sing. R was singing with us this Sunday. It was pretty cool.Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Much better today
Today was a much better day overall than yesterday. J had no problems going to school and even got a good report from one of his teachers. He did more sight words than he's ever done and has the 2 times table memorized, or just about. He read a book to me tonight, one of his regular "bed time books" that we've been reading to him. This kid came home 2 1/2 months ago unable to read much of anything. Wowzer.
My throat is okay. It looks kind of gross but doesn't feel as bad as it looks. It's a bit sore right now but that's after a day of normal talking activity and even a small amount of singing earlier today. I'm quiet for the rest of the night now.
T's foot is looking better again after a couple of "iffy" days. We're thankful for that.
Thanks for the prayers. Please keep praying for J's full healing. He has a lot of "past" to work through.
My throat is okay. It looks kind of gross but doesn't feel as bad as it looks. It's a bit sore right now but that's after a day of normal talking activity and even a small amount of singing earlier today. I'm quiet for the rest of the night now.
T's foot is looking better again after a couple of "iffy" days. We're thankful for that.
Thanks for the prayers. Please keep praying for J's full healing. He has a lot of "past" to work through.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hmmm....
...not a very good night last night, Horrible morning with a capital H (worse one yet since J has been home), calming down and making some breakthroughs with reconciling the past=progress. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fun but I think we made some progress with J. And we are so thankful for his school.
Remember that spot on my "I had them out 30 years ago" tonsil? It was an abscess that I had drained/removed today. Throat is a little sore but nothing unbearable. The weird part was that the school called while they were working on me. I had told them about our difficult/Horrible morning and when my phone rang and it was the school, I freaked just a little bit, just briefly. The doc laughed and said to tell them I had needles in my mouth. I had needles in my mouth?!?! They just wanted to let me know that J had settled down and was doing okay. My mouth was quite numbed so I slurred a response and thanked them for calling.
Thanks for praying for Stellan. He has some more hurdles ahead of him but seems to be doing quite well given his circumstances. You can check his progress at www.mycharmingkids.net
Remember that spot on my "I had them out 30 years ago" tonsil? It was an abscess that I had drained/removed today. Throat is a little sore but nothing unbearable. The weird part was that the school called while they were working on me. I had told them about our difficult/Horrible morning and when my phone rang and it was the school, I freaked just a little bit, just briefly. The doc laughed and said to tell them I had needles in my mouth. I had needles in my mouth?!?! They just wanted to let me know that J had settled down and was doing okay. My mouth was quite numbed so I slurred a response and thanked them for calling.
Thanks for praying for Stellan. He has some more hurdles ahead of him but seems to be doing quite well given his circumstances. You can check his progress at www.mycharmingkids.net
Monday, November 9, 2009
Please pray for Stellan
I'm not even sure how I found this blog but please check them out and pray for Stellan and his family. We waited 4 years to get J here and understand the "mountain after mountain after mountain" thing and the endless list of things going wrong but I don't even want to imagine the helplessness that McMama is feeling right now. www.mycharmingkids.net
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Fall
The huge amount of huge acorns that have been raining down on us and that continue to rain down on us brings a whole new meaning to the word "fall". Our yard is literally covered in them. I tried to take some pics to show you but they don't do it justice. And I have no idea why the second and third one are vertical. I don't know if it's blogger or my computer. Anyway, here are the acorn pics. 
See? They completely cover the ground. We have not seen this many at one time in the six years we've lived up here. Like I said before, if the quantity of acorns is truly related to how bad the winter will be, we're in for a wild winter. Let it snow.
See? They completely cover the ground. We have not seen this many at one time in the six years we've lived up here. Like I said before, if the quantity of acorns is truly related to how bad the winter will be, we're in for a wild winter. Let it snow.In other news, my romantic nephew asked his girlfriend to marry him this evening by getting his buddy to fly them over my brother's farm just after dusk where he had written out in Christmas lights "Marry me!" Yes, with an exclamation point not a question mark. They've been dating for several years and of course she said yes. We were all down on the ground watching them fly over and then we had a little engagement party. They are a very sweet couple. So that's two weddings in the family in the next several months. Zoiks! Congrats to P and M!
A is sick again. I'm not sure what's up with her but I wish she'd get over it already. R has been fine since about Thur. afternoon. ??
Happy Fall.
Ahh, Saturday
We had another dry night and J didn't wake any up this morning. Hallelujah! It didn't help T and I sleep, nor R either. We all woke up at our usual times. Sigh...but it did give T and I some time to talk. That was sweet.
Both girls seem recovered from their stomach bugs. My mom, R and I did some wedding shopping yesterday. Zoiks!
T drove home his "new to him" Jeep Wrangler Sahara yesterday. It's not new by any sense of the word and has well over 100K miles but he is a happy camper. I hope he drives it more than the '66 Chevy Stepside that sat in the driveway for 3 years. The Wrangler would be one of his "dream" vehicles, along with a late 60's, early 70's Dodge Coronet. This allows A to have a car to drive but she is going to be responsible for gas and insurance. She is job hunting.
Wow, the wind came up and it's raining acorns on the house.
Happy Saturday.
Both girls seem recovered from their stomach bugs. My mom, R and I did some wedding shopping yesterday. Zoiks!
T drove home his "new to him" Jeep Wrangler Sahara yesterday. It's not new by any sense of the word and has well over 100K miles but he is a happy camper. I hope he drives it more than the '66 Chevy Stepside that sat in the driveway for 3 years. The Wrangler would be one of his "dream" vehicles, along with a late 60's, early 70's Dodge Coronet. This allows A to have a car to drive but she is going to be responsible for gas and insurance. She is job hunting.
Wow, the wind came up and it's raining acorns on the house.
Happy Saturday.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What the day will bring
The girls seem better. They both went to school this morning. R made it through her 2 classes but T had to go get A and bring her home. J seems okay even though he's had diarrhea off and on this week. He ate 3 pieces of chicken and two plates of rice if that tells you how he's feeling.
We had a ROUGH night with him again last night. He couldn't get settled down and never really got to sleep good. I think he was over tired and over stimulated. I spent an hour with him, then T spent about 40 minutes with him and we thought he was out for the night and were brushing our teeth when he came down again saying he was scared. I stayed with him for about 30 minutes and then we tried to go to sleep. He was up again bursting into our room before either one of us had fallen asleep. That's a rude awakening when you're just dozing off. T took that shift. Then we laid in bed until like 3 a.m. thinking every sound we heard was him coming back down. He got up this morning like nothing was wrong. Go figure. When asked about it he held eye contact and genuinely said he was sorry for keeping us up. We're working on ways to help him deal with his fear. Sigh...
We've had a few more dry nights this week. Hallelujah. After paying me a dollar for choosing to throw away a used but perfectly good, dry overnight pant he decided that there was nothing wrong with re-using them if he didn't wet them. Smart boy.
He lost another tooth yesterday so now both top "canines" are missing. He has figured out that he can make some really silly faces by sliding his bottom lip behind the four front teeth and into the holes that his missing teeth left. It's quite funny.
If the old tales of judging how cold and snowy the winter will be by how many and how big the acorns are, we're in for a rough winter. Our house is surrounded by trees and our yard is literally covered with huge acorns. I'll try to take a pic to show you. They hit the house and make pretty impressive noises. My parents live next door and one of the acorns hit my mom in the head one day and she thought it might have broken the skin. They are BIG and there is an ample supply. To that I say, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. We want a nice 6-8 inches at one time. That's a big deal where we live.
You just never know what the day will bring.
We had a ROUGH night with him again last night. He couldn't get settled down and never really got to sleep good. I think he was over tired and over stimulated. I spent an hour with him, then T spent about 40 minutes with him and we thought he was out for the night and were brushing our teeth when he came down again saying he was scared. I stayed with him for about 30 minutes and then we tried to go to sleep. He was up again bursting into our room before either one of us had fallen asleep. That's a rude awakening when you're just dozing off. T took that shift. Then we laid in bed until like 3 a.m. thinking every sound we heard was him coming back down. He got up this morning like nothing was wrong. Go figure. When asked about it he held eye contact and genuinely said he was sorry for keeping us up. We're working on ways to help him deal with his fear. Sigh...
We've had a few more dry nights this week. Hallelujah. After paying me a dollar for choosing to throw away a used but perfectly good, dry overnight pant he decided that there was nothing wrong with re-using them if he didn't wet them. Smart boy.
He lost another tooth yesterday so now both top "canines" are missing. He has figured out that he can make some really silly faces by sliding his bottom lip behind the four front teeth and into the holes that his missing teeth left. It's quite funny.
If the old tales of judging how cold and snowy the winter will be by how many and how big the acorns are, we're in for a rough winter. Our house is surrounded by trees and our yard is literally covered with huge acorns. I'll try to take a pic to show you. They hit the house and make pretty impressive noises. My parents live next door and one of the acorns hit my mom in the head one day and she thought it might have broken the skin. They are BIG and there is an ample supply. To that I say, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. We want a nice 6-8 inches at one time. That's a big deal where we live.
You just never know what the day will bring.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Yuck
The Puke and Heave Show came to our house today. Both girls were home with stomach bugs. They may or may not have gotten it from J, who informed me at about 8:50 Monday evening, after about 45 minutes of trying to get him asleep, that he had diarrhea all day at school. Sigh...hopefully tomorrow will be better and the rest of us will remain well.
I started a small list of the long list of things that J says that absolutely crack us up on a daily basis. I thought he was really getting the hang of the English language the other night when he called his daddy a "dweeb", at a time when T was being a dweeb. We laughed hysterically and then he used the word wrong over and over because it made us laugh the first time. Some of his mispronunciations are; the other day I was making pumpkin soup and when it was time to put the cabbage in he kept referring to it as garbage. He still hasn't figured out the difference between DVD's and tv. He asks us to pause the tv or to fast forward commercials. And the other day when we asked him to turn off the tv for dinner, he said, "Aw, they are going to give papilonni next." He meant that Pippi Longstocking was coming on next. He refers to anything that gets you wet (bath, ocean, swimming) as a shower. He told me he wanted to "shower in there" last week at the beach while pointing to the ocean. He called all covers on his bed "sheets" when he first came home. He now knows the difference between sheets and blankets but calls the blankets "banklets". He had the hiccups yesterday and I asked him if he had hiccups and he said yes. About 5 minutes later I hiccuped and he said, "You have 'hock its' too?" He cracks us up.
I started a small list of the long list of things that J says that absolutely crack us up on a daily basis. I thought he was really getting the hang of the English language the other night when he called his daddy a "dweeb", at a time when T was being a dweeb. We laughed hysterically and then he used the word wrong over and over because it made us laugh the first time. Some of his mispronunciations are; the other day I was making pumpkin soup and when it was time to put the cabbage in he kept referring to it as garbage. He still hasn't figured out the difference between DVD's and tv. He asks us to pause the tv or to fast forward commercials. And the other day when we asked him to turn off the tv for dinner, he said, "Aw, they are going to give papilonni next." He meant that Pippi Longstocking was coming on next. He refers to anything that gets you wet (bath, ocean, swimming) as a shower. He told me he wanted to "shower in there" last week at the beach while pointing to the ocean. He called all covers on his bed "sheets" when he first came home. He now knows the difference between sheets and blankets but calls the blankets "banklets". He had the hiccups yesterday and I asked him if he had hiccups and he said yes. About 5 minutes later I hiccuped and he said, "You have 'hock its' too?" He cracks us up.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Finally, some pics
Whew! We've been so busy this last week. I'm glad we're through that and can move on to planning a wedding. Zoiks!
We had a good time at the beach. J loved sleeping in the camper because his bunk was right over our bed and he knew he wouldn't be by himself. He liked the beach. He got to see dolphins and a fisherman caught a shark and he got to touch it. He found his first fossilized shark teeth. He enjoyed roasting marshmallows, although he likes to make torches out of them before he eats them. We played some card games and dominoes and found that he loves to win but he's not the best loser. He's working on his sportsmanship.
He rode his bike all over the campground and made a few friends. One family called him "Juice Box" because the two year old thought that's what he said his name was. Talk about lost in translation. When we were leaving they were all standing in their campsite and waving and hollering good-bye Juice Box! It was quite funny. One of them accidently hit J in the eye with a large sand shovel. His eye was bloodshot for a couple days and it cut the skin right in the crease at the side of his eye. Scary, but after a couple days under an awesome bandaid (nexcare) it looked really good.
J had his first basketball practice on Wed. He did well but he doesn't understand all the rules and he would pass as soon as he got the ball. He's good at guarding and blocking.
He also went on a field trip without me for the first time. Oh, and we've had several dry nights this week too. Always thankful for a dry night.
In other news, R's book has not been ordered yet but as soon as we have some we'll post some ordering info. The wedding plans are coming along.
A is in another play. Like we needed something more to do. She's also in some dance thing with a friend.
T has a bum foot. The doc can't figure out what it is but they drew a little fluid off it for a culture.
I'm just busy.
Okay, some pics. It was cold the first couple days at the beach but at least the sun was out.
J with his first shark tooth. It was a pretty nice one for his first find.
One of his goals was to build a sand castle.
His didn't turn out quite like he wanted but he had fun working on it. A and her friend E, who went with us, built this sand castle. It actually stayed for a couple days until someone ran it over with their golf cart.
This is E, A and J catching some waves. It was cold but we were at the beach and weren't going to pass up an opportunity to catch some waves.
Ooo la la.
The trees were turning colors and I snapped this pic on our ride home from the beach.
The day after we got home J came downstairs in his chaps, cowboy hat, laser guns and sunglasses. This is his cosmic cowboy look.
Today has been a beautiful day here and we went for a walk after church.The fall colors are really coming out.
This is a weird tree that got bent over but continued to grow. The branches are curving up but if the tree was straight they'd be pointing down. Feel a little sermon there?
Ah, the boys doing boy things. Like knocking dead trees down so they can feel big and strong.
We have mutiple sink holes on our property. This is one of them. It goes about 8 feet down and is about 8 feet long.
Some more fall colors.
It's been very rainy here so all the "wet weather creeks" are flowing.
J telling me something.
Oreo the labrador retriever mix retrieving a rock or stick from a pond.
So, now we're up to date on pics. And probably on to another busy week. J has a lot of funny little sayings and words that he mispronounces. I'll try to make a list of them and post them some time this week.
We had a good time at the beach. J loved sleeping in the camper because his bunk was right over our bed and he knew he wouldn't be by himself. He liked the beach. He got to see dolphins and a fisherman caught a shark and he got to touch it. He found his first fossilized shark teeth. He enjoyed roasting marshmallows, although he likes to make torches out of them before he eats them. We played some card games and dominoes and found that he loves to win but he's not the best loser. He's working on his sportsmanship.
He rode his bike all over the campground and made a few friends. One family called him "Juice Box" because the two year old thought that's what he said his name was. Talk about lost in translation. When we were leaving they were all standing in their campsite and waving and hollering good-bye Juice Box! It was quite funny. One of them accidently hit J in the eye with a large sand shovel. His eye was bloodshot for a couple days and it cut the skin right in the crease at the side of his eye. Scary, but after a couple days under an awesome bandaid (nexcare) it looked really good.
J had his first basketball practice on Wed. He did well but he doesn't understand all the rules and he would pass as soon as he got the ball. He's good at guarding and blocking.
He also went on a field trip without me for the first time. Oh, and we've had several dry nights this week too. Always thankful for a dry night.
In other news, R's book has not been ordered yet but as soon as we have some we'll post some ordering info. The wedding plans are coming along.
A is in another play. Like we needed something more to do. She's also in some dance thing with a friend.
T has a bum foot. The doc can't figure out what it is but they drew a little fluid off it for a culture.
I'm just busy.
Okay, some pics. It was cold the first couple days at the beach but at least the sun was out.
J with his first shark tooth. It was a pretty nice one for his first find.
One of his goals was to build a sand castle.
His didn't turn out quite like he wanted but he had fun working on it. A and her friend E, who went with us, built this sand castle. It actually stayed for a couple days until someone ran it over with their golf cart.
This is E, A and J catching some waves. It was cold but we were at the beach and weren't going to pass up an opportunity to catch some waves.
Ooo la la.
The trees were turning colors and I snapped this pic on our ride home from the beach.
The day after we got home J came downstairs in his chaps, cowboy hat, laser guns and sunglasses. This is his cosmic cowboy look.
Today has been a beautiful day here and we went for a walk after church.The fall colors are really coming out.
This is a weird tree that got bent over but continued to grow. The branches are curving up but if the tree was straight they'd be pointing down. Feel a little sermon there?
Ah, the boys doing boy things. Like knocking dead trees down so they can feel big and strong.
We have mutiple sink holes on our property. This is one of them. It goes about 8 feet down and is about 8 feet long.
Some more fall colors.
It's been very rainy here so all the "wet weather creeks" are flowing.
J telling me something.
Oreo the labrador retriever mix retrieving a rock or stick from a pond.
So, now we're up to date on pics. And probably on to another busy week. J has a lot of funny little sayings and words that he mispronounces. I'll try to make a list of them and post them some time this week.
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