Flashback Friday: A Visit with Grandfather

I admit I have not done the "flashback Friday" as often as I had hoped, but if I remember, I hope to make it a repeating post here and there.

This week, as I scanned back through the nearly 10,000 photos on my computer, I came across a sweet shot of Isaac and Lauralyn with Grandfather (Noah's dad) taken 4 years ago. While Nanut and Grandfather live many miles away in Texas, we enjoy their visits. We appreciate that they take the time to visit as we have friends who rarely see their parents. It is a big blessing that our children have such great grandparents... each one of them (even the adopted ones down the street).



I have say, looking back through the photos make me misty eyed. Time flies, and I know I'll blink and the kids will be grown.

To the Mountains!

As I previously posted, our "foster friends," Luke and Jessica, invited us to the mountains for a fun filled 24 hour getaway. We joked and said this was in celebration of our one year anniversary... we met L & J in MAPP class last February, as we began our journey in the foster care system. I have to say, we are so blessed to be friends with them, and not just because they are crazy fun to hang out with.

Our trip began with us driving past the condo, and going all the way up to the top of the wrong mountain. We stopped briefly so I could take a photo by the huge electric poles, and Noah claimed the top of the mountain to be his territory, hehehe. Isn't the view lovely (minus the wires)?



We were treated to an awesome steak dinner at Stonewall's, and probably laughed way too much. But being kidless for the evening, we had to live it up. Noah and Luke shared an anchovy, and we didn't even have to dare them to do so. Gross. The rest of the evening was spent in the small, but cozy condo room, and we stayed up partaking of adult beverages and laughing a lot. The highlight would be unveiling the pull-out sofa complete with the plastic cover that sounded like a potato chip bag being opened every time Noah or I moved.

Saturday, Noah and Luke hit the slopes early, while Jessica and I slept in. After an awesome breakfast, we went trail riding. It is hard to believe I haven't ridden a horse in several years. How pathetic. When the guy asked if we had any experience I nodded my head thinking, "Um, is few thousand hours in the saddle considered experienced?" I was given a sweet Appy mare named Lilly to ride. She was a nice old trail horse, and I had the most relaxing hour upon her back. Here is a view that has been way to long for my eyes to see:



Jessica rode in front of me on Sport.




After the ride, we met up with the boys for Lunch at Dunn's Deli. Oh, my word, it was sinfully delicious. And Luke thought I was crazy for taking a picture of my food... but look at it! MMMmmmmm.



Here we are in our dorkiest form. The flash does nothing for us aesthetically.


The afternoon was spent hiking down a beautiful trail by a rushing stream. We relaxed there enjoyed God's creation and just enjoyed each others' company until it was time for Noah and I to head home.


I would not look very good with a buzz cut...


Thanks Luke and Jessica for a fabulous time! Can't wait to celebrate our 2 year anniversary :-)

Left Behind

Leaving for one night requires us to dole out children to whomever may take them. Of course Nanet jumped at the chance to have a slumber party with her Lulu. Granny had a fabulous time with Isaac (and vice versa), while we convinced Erin (she is so awesome) to stay the night at our house with Kristin and Daniel.

Unfortunately, Lauralyn started to come down with the croup bug Saturday morning, and was deemed quite ill by the afternoon. Granny took care of the poor child, while Erin did an awesome job keeping the peace in our house until we arrived home at bedtime.

I managed to get these quick shots of Lauralyn when we dropped her off on our way out of town. She is so stylin' with her new duffel bag that happens to match her jacket (I did not plan that). Nanet is pretty cute, too. With their curly hair and love of things that sparkle, they really are two peas in a pod.

Catching Up

I've been busy, but what else is new? There are several blog posts just waiting to be written, but alas, time has not been on my side. I am trying to be productive, organizing my office/the schoolroom, and this is no easy task. It will take days of sorting, tossing, donating, etc. I have a good start, and I can't wait to not hate looking at this room in which I spend much of my day. Doesn't life seem a bit less crazy when you are organized? I am trying to reduce the crazy.

Noah has two big projects looming on the horizon, which will also help in organizing our life. One is a shed which will sit on the side of our driveway to store all the bikes, toy cars, strollers, and what not that currently litters our entry and/or front yard.



The second project I saw on this blog post. It's a totally cool organizational unit for coats, shoes, hats, and gloves. Noah has our version sketched out, and I can't wait to see it in my entry room! It will be fabulous I'm sure.

We did get to go away for a night and crash our friends' romantic week in the mountains. They invited us, and we figured it would be well worth the effort to find childcare. We were not disappointed! I plan to post all about it soon.

I have also been thinking about trying to unblock The Haut House on the weekends... mostly because I have had several people have a difficult time getting through. This would keep DSS from looking at the blog during the work week (if they should ever find out about it). I will keep Random Arrow blocked at all times until Little Man is adopted, just to be on the safe side.

Who needs humility when you have a 2 year old?

I have a two year old. Oh, and is she EVER the epitome of the terrible twos. It's like overnight, Kristin has become the strong-willed, screaming, kicking, throwing one's self down in the middle of the street, two year old. I am telling you, she may be my undoing. I wonder, is it payback for her being such a SWEET EASY baby? She is certainly different from her sister, who we would send to "time-out" for a minute, and then she was fine.

Today, while walking into the CBS building, Kristin tripped and that was the beginning of a downward spiral. I helped her up, which made her mad. I tried my best to coerce her towards the building to get out of the parking lot, but halfway across the street she throws herself down in a rage. Luckily for me, she was in overalls. I snatched her up using the back of the overalls as a handle, and pushed the stroller with the other hand.

However, once I got across to the safety of the church walkway, I stupidly put Kristin down to try to avoid the stares of other moms. Well, no sooner had I put her down, the stinker spins around to go back to the street (not a super busy road, but a road none the less), I am sure planning to throw herself down in the middle of the asphalt. Luckily, another mom was there to block her efforts. I once again have to grab the screaming ball of rage, and drag myself towards the church with the stroller, while avoiding the blows of the pretty little Stride Rite shoes that were flailing about.

Side note: the mom that blocked Kristin says to me, "I don't know how you manage twins, I never could." HAHAHAHA. I had to explain over the screams that the girls were almost two full years apart. But, hey, hats off to my friend Jessica, who does manage two year old twins...

I was just ever so happy to finally drop Kristin off at her class, who was her charming smiley self for her lovely teachers.

Oh, and the ride home? After I used a few wrestling moves to get Kristin strapped into the car seat (you moms know what I'm talking about), she proceeded to scream for 90% of the 30 minute car ride home.

And my head ache has just now left...

Blogging Blues

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately. Life has been busy, and I am a little (a lot) stressed about the next few weeks with Little Man's court date coming up. Plus, I am totally bummed about having to make my blog private for the time being. I know it is a good thing to do right now, but it makes blogging a little less fun.

But, I will TRY to get out of my blogging funk with the help of my new DLSR camera!!!! I got it for free with our Sony credit card points, plus it was on special, which saved us the equivalent of $160 off the "price." Thank you, Lord! I have to get a memory card for it before I can start posting photos, but I played with it yesterday and it is like driving a Rolls Royce compared to my van... it is SO cool! I can't wait to get the kids outside for our first photo shoot. Today, it is raining, so hopefully I will have some fun new photos in the next week or so.

Little Man @ 8.5 months

It's been a while since I have updated on Little Man's progress... so here we go!

Little Man is inching towards 9 months old! Hard to believe, isn't it? He is a Mama's Boy, much like his brother was (and still is). He is just shy of the 19 pound mark, and he is pretty average for his age I think. Developmentally, he is pretty on track. He sits up fairly well, and he now is getting mobile. His crawl is not graceful, and he claws his way across the floor, army man style. Rolling across the floor is quicker.

Food is a favorite. I have gotten into a routine with his food that works well: bottle first thing upon waking up, an hour later comes cereal with fruit, a.m. nap... then comes another bottle at lunch, with 4 oz. of veggies or fruit, p.m. nap, then 8 oz. of veggies and fruit, and a bottle before bed. Cheerios are an anytime I need him distracted snack. He is getting pretty good at getting the Cheerios in his mouth, and he loves when I give him tiny bites of "real" food.

Earlier this week, Little Man cut is first tooth! It will be interesting to see if a bunch come in at once... won't that be fun?

In the health front, we have been dealing with the beginnings of asthma, and Little Man is now on Pulmicort, a twice a day breathing treatment that is supposed to keep his symptoms to a minimum. The reflux is still present, but much better than it was 4 months ago. Unfortunately for me, solid food spit up is way grosser than formula spit up, as you can imagine.

Little Man's personality is really starting to bloom, and he is such a funny little guy. I love when he "talks" to me, and he especially enjoys interacting with his older siblings. Thankfully, he continues to sleep well, because he does demand my full attention during his waking hours.

How cute is he in his new ride?

Science with Prof. Daddy

While visiting with Nanet and Mr. Jesse, a program was on National Geographic (I think), about a giant sperm whale that exploded while in transit to a university. This happened in Asia somewhere (obviously, I was not watching too intently, because, seriously, a GIANT WHALE CARCASS EXPLODED... so so gross). Now the whale was already dead, and apparently the gases built up to a point of exploding in the middle of a busy city. It's amazing nobody was killed. There was quite a mess, as you can imagine, and rotting whale flesh was found many blocks away.

While I was not interested in an hour long show about a dead, exploded whale... I know three males who were entranced. Isaac wanted to know exactly why the whale met such a fate, and asked Daddy to explain it in terms he could understand. Upon coming home, a diagram was drawn, and Professor Daddy explained why said whale blew up. (Which rhymes with "threw up"... the action I would have taken if I was near the aforementioned situation).

I love how all 3 children where oh, so interested in Daddy's lesson.

Flashback Friday

I got the idea from my friend Buffie, and then seeing it on another blog prompted me to do the same. I have yet to do one of the themed entries that repeat, but I think looking back in time is fun, and I would love to show things I never blogged about (I've been blogging THREE years this month!).

So, here we go... today's Flashback Friday features my first Baby Bear. I laugh writing that, because all evening Isaac has been calling me "Mama Bear," so I in return have been calling him "Baby Bear." Good grief, he is still so SWEET I could eat him up...

Well, here he is right at 8 months old. He had just learned to crawl the week before, and the freedom to move made this boy HAPPY. An Exersaucer in his way didn't stop him... just crawl on through!

I am curious, is anyone else surprised with how much Daniel looks like Isaac at this age? We'll see what happens as time goes on, but I can't believe how two genetically different babies can look so alike!

A Glimpse into the Haut House

So, there are some things that just don't translate well in still photography. I decided to make use of the video capabilities on my camera just to give you a glimpse of my entertaining, yet crazy life.

The first video features Isaac and his ability to make up the most random songs (I wonder where he gets that from, haha). I believe this song would be entitled "Climbin' up a ladder." Before I started taping, he actually had some various verses one of which went, "Ladders are made from wood and rope and sometimes metal."

Notice that Kristin (who wore jammies with a princess dress on top ALL day) is in charge of the spot light for the performance, and you can hear Lauralyn crying in her room (she was in time out)... Isaac stops mid-performance to tattle on her to Daddy, who just walked in from work.



The second and third video clips highlight my children's mad dancing skills. Again, I wonder who they got that talent from? Please note: my house is not being featured in Southern Living anytime soon, so just ignore the dirty laundry and stained carpet. Our church sang this last Sunday, and Isaac has been requesting to sing it ever since. Noah, was horrified I would tape him playing his cheapo guitar, as if sound quality is really important when taping on my cheapo digital camera :-)





The last clip is what Little Man does as soon as I put him down. Let's just say my arms are super strong from carrying him whenever he is awake. He also screams when I put him in the baby torture devices (his exercauser or jump-a-roo). I would love to know if there is a practical COMFORTABLE baby carrier out there that doesn't restrict my ability to do household chores (bending over especially). Let me know if you have found something that works.

A Family in Need of Prayer

Goodness knows there are many families out there struggling with trials right now. One such family are the McClenahans, who I stumbled across a several days ago. Less than 2 weeks ago, their baby girl, Cora, went to the doctor for an ear infection, and was sent to the hospital and quickly diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

I cannot fathom what this family is going through. It breaks my heart as I keep up with their blog. If you feel compelled, pray for this family as they struggle through every parent's worst nightmare... watching your baby suffer.

Early Morning Conversation

Isaac: Mommy I love you mucher than anything in the world, except God.

Me: Oh, well that's good.

Isaac: Because God is everywhere. He's in Tanzania, Thailand, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, and (pause) India. Where else?

Me: Everywhere in the world.

Isaac: Yeah, because the world is bigger than our house, but not bigger than God.


How he remembered a country like Tanzania... I have no clue. The only time I have mentioned it was when discussing our Compassion child who lives there. Apparently, Isaac listens and retains information, even when I think he is in la la land.
Thailand was mentioned because Granny and Pop Pop just got back from a trip there. The Carolinas are an obvious mention, and Texas is where Grandfather and Nanut reside. I guess India was a last thought addition because of a recent fascination with Indians (Native Americans), and I told Isaac why the name "Indian" came to be.

A Likely Excuse

Isaac: I can't do my reading.

Me: Why not?

(we are sitting at the kitchen table)

Isaac points to the refrigerator.

Me: What?

Isaac: The refrigerator is on. (the motor was running)

Me: So? It's not that loud.

Isaac: But it makes me think about eating.

I put my hand over my smile because I didn't want to encourage his attempt to get out of reading... but I thought, "Oh, son. I can relate."

Priceless

Finishing the basement (4 years ago): $12,000
Heating the basement: $50 per month
A silky blanket and paci: $12.50

A baby who habitually sleeps 12-15 hours straight: PRICELESS

Here is a photo I took of Little Man on Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m. I had to wake him up in order to get to church on time. The last time I had seen him was 8:00 p.m. when I put him down for the night. He loves sleeping in the basement. It is warm and quiet, but conveniently located right above our room, and I can clearly hear him if he does wake up early... which is rare.

Little Man also takes some solid naps. But all the wonderful sleep is in exchange for his awake time in which he demands to be held! Hopefully soon he will be mobile and much happier. But then I will actually have to start vacuuming this place!



Check out that sweet smile he gave me when I woke him up. Oh, and yes, I am the world's worst mother for letting my baby sleep with a blanket and toys... in a pack-n-play, in the basement play room no less.