Oooh, I can't wait!

Tomorrow we head for the beach! I am so excited!!!! Of course, packing up a family of six, including a "special needs-ish" baby who is very particular about what he likes, is not an easy task. I am thinking... should we pack the big swing, since he loves that swing, but he doesn't care for the travel swing...

I am only packing mostly swimsuits and a few pairs of clothes for the other children. I can do laundry everyday if I need to, and it will save room. But the bonus this year is that the older two will ride with Granny and Pop Pop so we can take out the back seat of the van to cram everything in.

Shortly after our return from Garden City, I will be getting a special blanket in the mail for Little Man! A nice lady named Christina has a home-based business where she makes custom afghans and prays for it's future owner as she makes them. I think it is a very sweet idea, and I am having one made for Daniel. As a bonus, I am helping support a stay at home mom who has 5 children (I think). I am excited to see her creation, and it will be great to have a warm blanket to use when the winter hits.

Gone Fishin'

Yesterday, Isaac went fishing with Mr. Jesse and Nanet. He had a ball, and although this was his third fishing experience, it was his first with his very own fishing poll (thank you, Mr. Jesse). Also, this was his most successful fishing trip... check out the size of that one catfish!







The day start off with rain (it's been raining all week, great for the plants, sad for me because this is the last pool week), and when Isaac awoke to see rain, he burst into tears because he wanted so badly to go fishing. But God was gracious, and the rain stopped just long enough (6 hours or so) for Isaac to venture off to High Rock Lake with fishing poll in hand. When he found out the rain was stopping, and that he was going to go, he jumped up and down saying, "I prayed and God stopped the rain!" I told him he should thank God. He quickly shouted, "Thank you God!!!" [PAUSE] "God said, 'You're welcome.'" Funny boy.

When he got home in the afternoon, we did do a reading lesson, and read out our current read a-loud book, James and the Giant Peach. But other than that, I figure fishing counts as a life skill... and I don't remember ever doing anything like that in Kindergarten. :-) Thank you Mr. Jesse and Nanet for loving my son!

9 Month Countown

I am not referring to another baby... I am referring to the big 3-0. Only 9 months left of being a 20-something. Last week I was carded twice! I NEVER get carded anymore. I told the first check out girl, "Bless you for carding me!" Her reply was... "We're supposed to card people who don't look 40 or older."
"Well, that stinks," I thought. "Does that mean every one else who doesn't card me thinks I look 40?"

SO, in the next 9 months, it is my hope to still look like I am in my 20's, even if I am no longer a 20-something. How?

1. Makeup. Lots and lots of makeup. Just kidding. But more makeup than I am used to wearing on a daily basis. Mostly because my skin isn't what it used to be. I am seeing the bumps and lines, not to mention the look of sleep deprivation. It's amazing what a powder foundation will do.

2. Actually use the running shoes I just bought. I was doing so great exercising every day... working towards running (slowly jogging) longer distances (more than 100 feet). No, I really was hoping to "run" the Victory Junction 5K in December. But, then Daniel arrived, and all exercise ceased to exist. Even if I had the time, I definitely don't have the energy. But, I crave to get back in shape... I miss the stress reducing aspect, as well as just feeling fit and healthy.

3. Hire a maid, nanny, and cook. Just kidding. But I bet it would take years off my appearance :-)

4. Grow out my hair... again. If you know me well, you know I go back and forth with my hair. Grow it long, have a baby, chop it off, repeat. When it's long, I wear it up because it's so hot and frizzy. It's so heavy it gives me headaches. But I miss long hair! I get so tired of looking at my short hair, and it just makes me feel older (even though I wore it short some in college). I hope to find a good hair stylist who can cut my hair in such a way to make it light and not so big when I wear it down. Oh, and I am going to have to start dying it... I have found the dreaded beginnings of gray hairs!!! AUGH. Tweezers will only work so long.

5. And my favorite change will be to hit the dating scene again (with my favorite date of course). I know you're reading this Noah, so take note. I want to have nice, civilized dates without children in tow. I don't care if we have to pay two sitters to get this done. I have to take off my Mommy uniform at least once a month and hit the town (and I don't mean L-town, either... I have my heart set on the booming metropolis of Salisbury, Greensboro, Winston, and dare I say, Charlotte?)

Watch out 30... here I come.

Bottles, bottles, and more bottles.

This post is to answer my friend, Annie's question: "I've been wanting to know also how it is bottle-feeding Daniel versus breastfeeding your other 3. Are you as exhausted and wiped out as the other 3 times, or is it slightly easier since your body is not as "involved." ?!?! Am I even making sense?!
I was just curious...."

I WISH I could nurse Little Man. I HATE bottle feeding!!! I thought I would like it (not being dependent on my production of milk, etc.). I was wrong. Here are the reasons I feel so strongly against bottle feeding:

- more dirty, stinky, dishes to wash (8 bottles and nipples that are a pain to really get clean).

- I have to mix the formula. Since he is on soy (personal choice), I have to use a gravy shaker to get it thoroughly mixed. I try to make 32 oz. once a day to make it easier on myself.

- I have to find his brand of formula in the right quantity at a grocery store. WIC vouchers specify a certain amount and the store has to have enough in stock. Often times, they don't and I have to call around and search. Plus, it is humbling to use the vouchers, because people around me don't know I have a foster baby. Instead they think I am not capable of supporting my family and need government assistance (nothing wrong with that, but obviously breast feeding doesn't need vouchers).

- formula spit up stinks terribly and so do the poops.

- I have to think about what to take when we leave the house. I have to think about how I can heat up a bottle when we are out and about.

- I have to wake up, really wake up in the middle of the night to feed him. With the other kids, I just nursed them in bed and fell back asleep with them in my arms.

- The bond isn't quite as strong. There is nothing like nursing a baby.

BUT there are a few good things about bottle feeding:

- I can leave a bottle with Daddy or Granny, without having to pump.

- No Mastitis... this is miserable (one time with Isaac and 3 times with Kristin).

- Public feeding isn't something I have to worry about.

I know this is more info than most of you all care to know. BUT, I figure I may as well post it, and read it to myself whenever I am nursing my next bio baby, wishing I could feed him or her a bottle :-)

On Politics #3

I don't talk much about politics, mainly because I don't like the subject. It is so frustrating to see the sin and corruption within the political arena... after all, these people are running our country, a country originally founded on Christian principals. As a Christian, I think it is incredibly important to vote a righteous and Godly man into office... no matter what the role.

Thankfully, God is in control of the election, just as He is in control of all things. I just fear the consequences of our sin-filled nation may be forthcoming in the form of a leader who will tear down this country with ease. A man who promotes the murder of babies. So, so sad that a "Christian" nation would consider such a man worthy of the presidency. How morally vacant are we as a nation? I fear to know the answer.

Here is a great email forward I received. Obviously, it's a bit sarcastic :-)

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because, when we pull out of Iraq, I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the government sees fit.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy-headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there and they come over here, I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my horse.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government's taxing of the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

Makes you wonder how anyone would EVER vote Republican, now doesn't it?

My Own Butterfly Effect

Ever have one of those days? Yesterday was a butterfly effect day for me. {butterfly effect (the phenomenon whereby a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere, e.g., a butterfly flapping its wings in Rio de Janeiro might change the weather in Chicago)}

It all started when Lauralyn peed on the couch. Yes. My fully potty trained child peed on the couch. AUGH! Okay, so begins my day. I carry the child to the tub to hose her off, "Why, why, WHY, did you PEE on the COUCH?!" "Because my toe hurt," was her answer. After cleaning her up, she did say, "thank you for cleaning the pee pee off of me Mommy"... so sweet of her considering I probably over-reacted, yes, steam did come out of my ears.

On to couch clean up. The sofa has been bugging me endlessly with zippers separating from the fabric on the cushions, and I know how dirty they must be (a black couch covers a multitude of dirt). I decided to strip the cushions and wash the covers. I won't tell you how brown the water was in the washing machine. Gross.

After drying in the sun, I had to sew the areas that were coming apart in hopes of not having to re-upholster the sofa and chair until next year. We love the old set that was our first purchase for our house. We bought them used from my old employer for $200. A great deal for a very heavy, solid, old couch and chair. We will certainly pay to re-upholster rather than buy something new that lacks quality or character. But I digress.

Now I had a freshly washed and repaired sofa, joy! But, I also have a dirty, hairy, dog who loves to sleep on the sofa. (She is old and spoiled... but now you know why the wash water was brown... it makes you think twice before sitting on my couch again, huh?) So, during Kristin's nap, I shaved and washed Jezebel. Yes, I said shaved. A few years ago, I invested in a good pair of clippers and shave the dog twice a year in the warm months to keep me sane. Otherwise, the hair takes over the house, and I can't have my babies eating dog hair every time something goes in their mouth.

Naturally, all this hard work means a need for caffeine. No Coke Zeros in the fridge, so I popped one in the freezer to chill it fast. I do this regularly, and it always works out fine. Sometimes I forget one in there, and it freezes solid. This was not the case yesterday. I opened the freezer to find it coated in Coke Zero. I have never had this happen to me. What a MESS!

Thankfully, my dear, dear husband helped me clean up this mess. It gave us a good reason to do a full clean of the freezer and throw out half of the old, questionable contents. Now, I open the freezer door, and it is so clean and shiny, I am glad the Coke exploded. So, one pee pee accident resulted in one clean and repaired sofa, one shaved and bathed dog, and one cleaned out freezer.

"Mmn-da"

So, our sweet Kristin is, shall I say, speechless. Now, she can have a complete conversation in jibberish, inflections and all. She will even stand in a crowded room and make a speech... but let's just say the vocabulary is lacking.

Communication (with us) is crystal clear, though. She has a way of getting her point across... using high volumes and strong body language. Plus, we have learned her favorite phrase (aside from "no!" and "stop"). "Mmn-da." Translation: I want that. If you aren't sure what she wants, and you hand her the wrong thing, she screams a resounding "NO!" puts her hand up in the stop position, and then turns her body away in the most dramatic fashion.

At least she is the most adorable toddler known to mankind, and she always keeps us laughing... mostly.

Being the third child, and no longer the "baby," Kristin has proved herself to be incredibly independent. There are times she just wants to be held and snuggled, but otherwise, she is very good at self-entertaining, and getting what she wants or needs without our help. Additionally, she remains the biggest couch potato ever.

Here she is with a slice of pizza she helped herself to. The pizza was in the box on the counter in the kitchen. (It wasn't hot.) She pushed a chair over, climbed up, and helped herself to a slice.



And in this photo, I am just counteracting the wild hair from the above photo :-) She is so cute when she decides to leave in her piggy tails. Side note: adding a fourth child to the mix = us eating pizza and hot dogs. Hopefully, this winter will be filled with healthy bean stews and whatnot.

My "Dates" (by Noah)

I had the privilege of going on two dates this weekend and just had to use
Beth's blog to document these experiences. Friday night I went "camping"
with Isaac and Saturday was dinner and a dance show with Lauralyn.

Camping with Isaac:

Isaac had been looking forward to this for a couple months and he sure did
let us know he was excited. Everyday he would ask when we were going and he
spend endless hours in the yard making pretend campsites and collecting wood
for our campfire.

The spot for our initial excursion was to the great wilderness of our back
yard. I had set up a small area for a fire and a bench for me to sit on the
night before. When Isaac saw this on Friday he spent the rest of the day
collecting wood and sitting out there in his chair with an umbrella to shade
him anticipating the camping trip.



After dinner we set out on the long hike through the back yard. Everything
Isaac said was with such excitement and at a volume that complimented that
enthusiasm. He could not contain his joy.

When we arrived we put our packs in the tent and "started" the fire. Old
Eagle Scout is out of practice. It took too long for Isaac's standards, but
I still have some skills, and was able to get the fire going with no assistance from
explosive chemicals.

As we were watching our blazing accomplishment with pride, we heard a
"WHOOOOO-OOOO" in the distance. Then we heard it again. Isaac gave me a concerned
"daddy?". Since the owl sounded a lot like Mr. Jesse I was not too concerned
and told Isaac we should sneak up on them. Isaac bravely charged them into
the darkness and out came Nanet beating a big loud pan with a wooden spoon.
I am just glad we weren't asleep and the "night-owl's" have an early
bedtime.

We enjoyed roasted marshmallows with our visitors (including Mr. "Wes-le-y"
and Isaac's favorite, Miss Allison) and ended our night reading books in the
tent and sleeping, well resting, for the rest of the night. Isaac did tell
me a ghost story about a pirate. It was entertaining.

I think Isaac enjoyed peeing on the tree in the morning, being outside, and
asking Mommy if he could borrow her yoga mat for daddy to sleep on "because
he is old".

I enjoyed making the fire, setting up the tent and Isaac's excited,
animated personality. The yoga mat did not help.

Dinner and a Show with Lauralyn:

For my date with Lauralyn we were scheduled to go to dinner and then see the
Cross Movement Dance recital. Lauralyn was really set on actually dancing
and not watching dancing, but she still had a good time. Lauralyn got ready,
(out-dressed me) and off we went.





For dinner I asked her what she wanted and she replied pizza. I asked her
from where and Don Juan's was her answer (Don Juan's is a Mexican restaurant).
We went to Naples. We ordered the chicken Valentino pizza and the minestrone
soup. As we sat and waited I think we both enjoyed the quiet. I asked her
questions and she gave me short and sweet answers. Half of the time waiting
for the food I just watched her sit patiently sipping on her water.

The food arrived and Lauralyn enjoyed it all. By the end of the meal she had
set up an assembly line of everything on the table. She lined up the
crackers, water, soup, pizza and her napkin all in a row. She would take a
bite of cracker, sip of water, bite of soup, tell me "the soup is good",
bite of pizza, daintily wipe her face with the napkin and then start the
whole process over again.

After dinner we went to the crowded theater to watch the dance recital. I
have been through much training sitting through my sister's recitals. There
we sat. Lauralyn on my lap quiet and still for 2 hours while we watched dancers.

We had a lovely date and it was a relaxing evening. She told me next time
that she was going to dance on the stage and I can watch her.

I enjoyed getting to spend time alone with Isaac and Lauralyn and to see
their polar opposite personalities.

A Look Back

Once upon a time (5 years ago), I had a baby boy. Who knew how my life would change so much over those five years?! And now my baby boy is big and loud and wild (and still very sweet at times). Since I can't post close ups of our new baby boy, I am getting misty eyed trying to remember when Isaac was this size. It has gone by so, so fast.

FYI: these photos were taken almost exactly 5 years ago... so Isaac was about two weeks ahead of where Little Man is now. Oddly, Little Man doesn't look very different than Isaac did, with exception of the nose. Daniel doesn't have our signature "pug" nose.

Little Man is 2 months (and 5 days) Old!

I took Little Man for his 2 month wellness checkup last night with Dr. Ben (what an ENORMOUS blessing it is to be friends with your children's doctor). Little Man weighed in at 9 pounds 14 ounces and measured 21 inches long! Not too shabby considering two months ago he was 4 pounds 8 ounces and 17 inches long... he's done a lot of growing in two months!

Developmentally, Little Man is doing well. We have to consider all he has had to deal with in his short life, compounded with the fact that he was born 6 weeks early. He is VERY strong, holds his head up well, and makes eye contact really well. My favorite, of course, are his sweet smiles and coos. This little man is such a trooper.

Little Man is a particular baby... he likes what he likes, and he dislikes everything else. So here is a list of his favorite things in life right now:

~ being held and having his rump patted
~ being swaddled tight (the only way he can sleep)
~ swinging (God bless Graco)
~ his paci... but he really wants his thumb, I think he may switch once he doesn't need the swaddle

I know this is all normal baby stuff, but for whatever reason he isn't as easy to please as most babies. Of course, Isaac was really hard to make happy as a baby, and he had a perfectly normal start to life (but Granny blames my fast food habits during my pregnancy with him :-).

One thing is for sure, we love this little guy endlessly. Someone (who doesn't know me at all) asked me yesterday if we were attached yet. YET!? I kindly explained that we were attached the moment we agreed on the phone to take him in our home... we were in love the moment we held him.

Gymnastic Fun

A big thank you to Miss Elizabeth, for having her 4th Birthday party at Central Carolina Gymnastics! This was possibly the most fun Birthday party we have ever attended!

The kids had a blast and so did the grown ups. Lauralyn especially enjoyed herself, and so this Friday she will be trying Elizabeth's gymnastic class before we decide to sign her up. Hopefully, it will be more of a success than dance class :-) While I don't believe Lauralyn is naturally built (physically or mentally) for competitive athletics (she would rather sit on her princess throne, or have a tea party), I would love to see her have fun and become skilled in basic tumbling and balance. I took gymnastics when I was young, and I am so glad I learned basic gymnastic movement.

Isaac also had a great time. I think he is interested in taking a class as well, but I would like him to watch the men's gymnastic portion of the Olympics next week, and see if he has any desire to actually learn these skills (a 5 year old's version of course)... or if he just likes jumping around and having fun (which is fine, but doesn't warrant paying for a class). Isaac is a natural born athlete... he would have run out of the womb if he could. It would be neat to see him learn some new physical skills, but only if he has the desire to do so. (Unlike swimming, gymnastics isn't exactly a life-saving skill.)

Here are some pitiful photos of our fun. The lighting was bad and I couldn't figure out what setting on my camera would take decent shots. Oh well.










The daddy's had fun, too. I only posted this because I thought seeing the top of Kristin's head was funny. I wonder what thoughts were going through her head. "Umm, Daddy? A little help please?"

Holy Cow! It's August already!?

So, 4 kids = little time to sit and blog. Actually, the sad thing is, this week the two older kids have been gone in the mornings to Bible Club, and I still haven't gotten around to blogging. I can't believe summer is winding down already. One more month, and the pool will be closed. How sad!

The latest excitement was last weekend's visit from my brother and his family! It was a wonderful treat to see them, and get to meet Sadie, before she gets any bigger. She is one rolly polly doll baby. I adore her and my sweet nephew, Aidan. Isaac especially enjoyed having Aidan around... he is thrilled to have a boy to play with. Thankfully it will be less than a month, and we will have a full week with them at the beach! Hooray!


My baby is bigger than your baby. While Sadie is 10 days older than Little Man, she is over 5 pounds bigger! Of course, she was more than twice his size when she was born (Little Man was only 4 and a half pounds at birth).


The boy cousins.


How cute is this photo?


This is how a 3 year old holds a 15+ pound baby. Funny, funny.


Sweet Sadie smiles




Her thoughtful pose.


So this is what is would be like to have twins. Denise juggles the babies while I eat dinner :-)


Sitting around Granny's sun porch table... Noah has no manners.


Uncle Noah is so much fun! Tractor rides might become the new tradition when Aidan and Sadie visit.