A sweet story...

I just read a really sweet story, written by a friend of mine who is now in China with his wife and children. They have a ministry to the fatherless, but I never knew that he was adopted out of the US foster care system at around three years old.

Here is an excerpt of his story. I hope it will inspire you.

...One year later they adopted us at the ages of 64 and 60 and I will forever be grateful for their unselfishness. They already had six biological children and the youngest had moved out 5 years before we came into the picture. I can not describe what it's like to have God remove you from a terrible situation and place you in a loving, caring home. They taught us about Jesus,... to read the entire article, go to: http://james127adopt.blogspot.com/

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these ...you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40

"...look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27

Prom

Well, the big event has come and gone--and here are the pictures of the big day! Our girls were soooo excited all day--waiting for Shelby to come over, looking like a princess. She didn't disappoint--and looked beautiful! Ryan looked very handsome in his tux! When he was putting his jacket on, Molly looked at him and said, "Helloooo Gorgeous!" We all cracked up!




RYAN WANTED A PICTURE WITH HIS OTHER FAVORITE GIRL--"MINI ME" CHLOE (SHELBY DOESN'T MIND SHARING)
THE GIRLS LAY ON THE FLOOR FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT 'Princess' SHELBY'S SPARKLY SHOES
HEADING TO PROM IN A PICK-UP TRUCK

As they drove off, Jeff and I went back into the house feeling very old! ha! Jeff said, 'Do you realize that it could be their wedding in two or three years?" I said, 'Yeah--or less than that." How could Ryan be old enough for prom?? We just brought him home as a newborn yesterday, didn't we?

Spring is here!

We are having the most beautiful spring! It is so wonderful to see everything turning green, flowers coming up, trees blooming, and birds singing!

Yesterday SaraGrace asked me to pitch to her so she could practice her swing, and I had to take a picture of her in her high heels and batting helmet. She came up with this attire all by herself. You don't see THAT every day.... Jillian pitched this one so I could take the photo.


"HEY, BATTER, BATTER, HEY, BATTER, BETTER, SWING BATTER!"


















The girls just left for a Saturday morning breakfast date with Dad. They got all dressed up in their favorite clothes and posed for a picture before they left. Their favorite 'restaurant' is McDonalds. Blech....




















Jeff just emailed me photos of 'breakfast with the princesses' from his cell phone...



Tonight is prom and we are all looking forward to seeing Ryan in a tux and Shelby in her pretty dress. The excitement is building for the girls who can't wait to see Shelby looking like a princess!

Here are so other misc. pictures of our week...

Messes, and those who never make them

JAKE TRIES TO PRETEND IT WASN'T HIM WHO EMPTIED THE KLEENEX BOX ON THE FLOOR


Messes...we have a lot of them here. If you have kids, there will be messes. It's interesting, though, because according to our kids, the messes were never made by them. Another thing I've noticed is that when Mom or Dad say, "Who did this?" the guilty party never answers. However, we always here a chorus of, "It wasn't me!" As if we need to know THAT! I continually chide myself for even uttering the words, "Who did this?" but I can't seem to stop myself. It's like some involuntary response to seeing a mess. Jeff often says to me, "Why do you even bother asking?" Sigh...I don't know!

The other day, I overheard him talking to the kids. There was frustration in his voice as he tried to discern WHO had left the lastest yucky mess on the table. Of course no one fessed up. I cracked up as I heard him say, 'Someday there will be an over-the-counter DNA test so that parents will know who left half a bowl of cereal on the table, who left the sucker stuck to the couch, the gum stuck to the carpet, the booger wiped on the wall and who never flushes the toilet."

Over the weekend, I started the fun job of putting away some of the winter clothing and getting out the summer clothes. I had stacked piles of clothing by child, but then got interrupted and had to leave. I wasn't able to get back to it right away, but SaraGrace kept appearing in various outfits. The next time I saw this room, it looked like THIS:





IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE A MOTHER CRY

Sudsy fun

Yesterday was beautiful...sunny and 75. Jillian decided that since Mom didn't want to get the kiddie pool out, the next best thing would be to wash all the bikes and riding toys with soapy water. The kids had a blast, and now all their toys are clean.

JAKE HAD MORE SOAP ON HIMSELF THAN ANYWHERE ELSE



"LOOK MOM, I HAVE LOTS OF BUBBLES!"





SARAGRACE CAME TO LEND SUPPORT BY ADDING DRAMA TO THE EVENT. SHE FIRST ARRIVED, DRESSED AS A BRIDE BUT EVENTUALLY ABANDONED THAT OUTFIT, AND CAME BACK DRESSED AS A COWGIRL
TAYLOR SHOWED UP TO SEE IF HE COULD SCARE ANYONE WITH HIS WEIRD HAIRDO

Happy 2nd Birthday, Zoey!

Today our little Zoey turns two--without her family to celebrate with her. She is the only one of our kids who has had a second birthday pass while still living in her birth country. Please pray for her today--that God will hold her tight and keep her safe.

I came across a picture of her last night on someone else's website! Here it is... She needs a Mama and a Daddy to put a smile on her little face.

Brotherly love

Jeff was out of town last night so I was alone on kid duty. As I was putting the kids pajama's on and trying to get everyone all settled down, big brother, Ryan, came in to say good-night. Being a teen, he has little appreciation of the need for children to have quiet right before bed. He came in waving Chloe's blankie, rolled it up and began whapping the child nearest him. Screams came from all directions as they scattered in horror. Chloe tried desperately to get her blankie back, to no avail. Molly and SaraGrace distracted him while Jillian escaped to gather more ammunition. Soon they had all retrieved their blankies and returned--trying unsuccessfully to thwap Ryan with them. He grabbed each one as it came and they were left standing there--foiled. He then sat on the pile of blankets, and said he was going to pass gas on them--which brought him the rewarding shrieks he had been hoping for. Not to be outdone, the girls left the room, coming back with an assortment of pillows, sleeping bags, blankets, etc., and began pelting him. He was eventually overwhelmed by the sheer volume of fabric. He slid to the floor and they jumped on him, yelling in triumphant victory. He played along for quite awhile, growling and grabbing their feet, they all the while giggling and laughing hysterically.

It reminded me of when I was a child. I have an eccentric Uncle Dave who used to visit. He would arrive in his VW Bug, which he had painted to resemble an egg (over easy). I once had to endure a ride to school with him. It brought humiliation not to be believed, to arrive at school in an car decorated like an egg.

Each time Uncle Dave came, we would run to greet him begging, 'Please play Ugly Ogre with us!! Please..Please." He would comply and my brother and I would dash off to psuedo hiding places so that he could find us quickly. When found, we would be carried to our dark basement, where Uncle Dave would put us on our backs on top of the washing machine. He would grab one of my dad's high top basketball shoes and cover our nose and mouth with them. He kept them there until we were forced to breathe in the reeking stench. We BEGGED him to play this with us!!

The little kids had so much fun being tortured by Ryan tonight. It just cracked me up to watch them--and to watch how each kid interacted. They all had a blast. I noticed in all the pictures that Jordan was off to the side, having more fun watching the show than participating in it.

Results are IN!!

I bet you didn't even know that we were having Zoey Faith tested.... But yes.... There was a highly sophisticated test performed to determine whether Zoey looks more like Mommy or Daddy. To get the results, please go to www.zoeyfaith.blogspot.com . Scroll to the bottom of the page and find out! Guess first and then go see if you're correct!!

The Chipmunks

The Chipmunks...ah yes, they make us reminisce fondly of our childhoods. For about five minutes.

I like them briefly around Christmas time. Our family has a tradition of getting egg nog (in sippy cups) and driving around looking at lights while listening to the Chipmunks sing their cute little hearts out. But after awhile, they really start to get on my nerves.

Not long ago, Jeff took some of the kids to see the Chipmunk movie. They came home laughing and repeating the lines. A few days ago, it came out on DVD and my sweet husband brought it home for the kids as a special treat. It WAS a treat--the movie is very funny.

Here is where the diabolical plot against unsuspecting parents begins. WalMart carried two options. One, the movie only for $19.98. OR... Two, the movie AND a CD of 'some' of the movie songs for $19.98. Now, certainly, any bright parent will choose the obvious better option--#2. What a great bonus to have a CD for the children to listen to...and it's FREE! I mean, really, who could resist such a great deal?

You've heard the overused phrase that nothing is ever free, and that proved true in this case. It's not free due to the need to return to WalMart to spend $49 for Tylenol or Bufferin to cure the headache you will get from hearing adults-singing-in-warp-speed-so-they-will-sound-like-chipmunks. Just this morning, my kids put the CD on. Of course, none of the favorite songs from the movie are on this particular CD--in fact no one can remember EVER hearing any of these particular songs. I guess they didn't stay to watch the credits. Anyway...while the CD is playing and beginning to become very annoying, I suddenly realize that NO ONE is listening to it except me. The kids have long tired of it and vacated the area, but I--poor sap that I am--am still in the vicinity, being tortured by Chipmunks singing rap. (I really think they should stick to Christmas music, since we Americans seem to have an extraordinary ability to tolerate it for long periods of time, regardless of who is singing it.)

So my great parenting pearl of wisdom for today is....skip the CD. The movie ALL BY ITSELF is a better deal. Resist the urge to get the FREE CD of music that no one ever heard of (I'm thinking it didn't make the cut--for very obvious reasons.) Heed my advice....You'll thank me for it.

Giddy-up Cowgirls and Boys

Ryan's girlfriend, Shelby, is an avid horse-woman. She and Ryan often go to a nearby horse stable and take care of three horses, owned by a friend. They have been wanting us to bring the kids out to take a ride, so we promised that the first warm day, we would. And have I mentioned how much I love Shelby? She is such a sweetie. Ryan couldn't have chosen a better girl!

Sunday afternoon, we headed to the stable. What fun! Jeff wanted to stay at home with the little boys who needed a nap, but I was having a Chevy Chase "this-is-going-to-be-a-fun-fun-family-outing" moment, and begged him to join us. Jordan had his heart set on seeing the 'horsies' anyway. A nap for him was going to be out of the question.

We gave the kids a lecture on how they needed to be quiet around the horses, so as not to spook them and make them skittish. You know...I could have saved my breath. It is nearly impossible for certain unnamed ones to be quiet. Under threat of danger or death, I doubt they could manage it.

I was happily looking forward to riding again--it had been more than 20 years since I'd been on a horse. Jeff, on the other hand, was not so sure this event was going to be anything but stressful. This kids did have a good time--but baby Jake was over-tired and LOUD about his unhappiness at being strapped into the stroller. With all the kids clamoring for 'another ride' it did get a bit chaotic, but most of us had fun. hehe

Thankfully, SaraGrace has out-grown the phrase she used last year, 'Giddy-up Cowpie."


WAITING TO SADDLE UP

I LOVE THIS KID!

MOLLY GETS BRAVE AND FEEDS THE HORSE


A BEAMING JORDAN GETS A "HORSEY" RIDE


DOES JEFF LOOK STRESSED AS HE TELLS A CHILD TO "STAY BEHIND THE FENCE?"


SARAGRACE THOUGHT THIS COWBOY HAT LOOKED FETCHING. IT WAS SIDEWAYS FOR MOST OF HER RIDE.

Our Friday adventure

I guess, to be fair, I should start with the statement that we are very happy that our fingerprint appointment for Zoey's adoption came so quickly from Immigration. That truly is a huge blessing, and one we were not expecting.

We have had our house on the market for almost a year and in our slow Michigan real estate market, we have not had a showing request for almost 5 months. Thursday afternoon, we got a call...could they show the house Friday morning? Panic! We had let the deep cleaning slide and our house was definitely not 'show ready.' Thankfully, Jeff was not out of town, and helped me get it cleaned up. We worked until almost midnight touching up paint, cleaning, etc., since cleaning when the kids are awake is usually an exercise in futility. Exhausted, we sank into our bed.

Our fingerprint appointment was scheduled for 9:00AM on Friday. The fingerprint office is an hour from our house, which meant that we were going to have to get the kids up early. Being a non-functioning person in the morning, this was not good. ha. Murphy's Law instantly went into effect. Our kids will wake up at the crack of dawn on any day that we want to sleep in, but if we need to get up early for something, they act as if they are under anesthesia, limp and unmoving when prodded.

Because of the house showing, we also had the leave the house immaculate. This presented a breakfast problem. No way were we going to let them eat in the house! Jeff dashed out to the grocery store for some granola bars they could eat in the car, and we called it breakfast.

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we finally wrestled their sleepy bodies into their carseats and off we went. We were just going to make it. Well, that is until we hit several traffic snarls and got off at the wrong exit. But...we made it, only 10 minutes late. Thankfully, the folks at the fingerprinting office were kind and gracious (yes, this seems like an oxymoron--but they have some new staff and they were VERY nice).

I must be getting old because I was completely spent for the rest of the day after that. ha. I just wanted to sit in a chair and not move. It WAS nice to have a clean house for a few hours. (Notice that I say only a few hours....)

Our paperwork is all done for Zoey's adoption, except our immigration approval. Ryan's girlfriend took this family picture for our dossier. Finally...a family picture...not exactly professional, but better than nothing.

Is it Spring yet?

Why is it that kids want to wear their swimming suits around the house in the dead of winter and dress up in their winter coats, mittens and boots in the summer? SaraGrace has been running around the house in her swimming suit for days!

Jake will not stop taking his diaper off during his nap or at night, so we have come up with a plan. Duct tape to the rescue! Really....what would the world do without duct tape? At night, we duct tape the top of his sleeper so that he can't unzip it. At naptime, I duct tape the front of his diaper. Ta-da! No more disgusting messes in his bed....

Who says duct tape can't be worn as a fashion accessory?

We are all longing for spring to break up the monotony of cold winter weather. The kids were back to tobogganing down the steps on the crib mattress again yesterday. This time they were charging admission. Not sure if they got any takers! Probably not, since the little guys have no money. haha

I started a new blog for Zoey with the few pictures that we have. I will not be posting there--just putting pictures into a slideshow as we get them. You have already seen what is there, but if you want to look again, here is the address: www.zoeyfaith.blogspot.com .