…Evan’s surprise when during lunch I forgot whose spoon went into which mouth and he got a bite of Julia’s spaghettio’s instead of rice cereal!
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You can imagine my surprise when I heard Ellie tell her friend the other day:
“My Mom says I have a bug in my tummy.”
I had to think back to my flippant use of the term, “stomach bug”, and determine that I should remember that 5 year olds are very literal.
A one-year old in the house brings a lot of ups and downs, usually depending on the status of hunger, naps, or current teething issues.
Today, Julia experienced her first time out for biting Ellie. It was hard enough to make Ellie cry – and she is one tough cookie, not prone to much crying. A few hours later, after lunch and a nap, Julia was rocking with Evan and me. We were singing lullabies while Evan ate and wound down for a nap. All at once, Julia reached her little arms around my neck and squeezed then plunked a healthy smooch right on the lips. She has given kisses when asked for a long time, but this was the first unsolicited one.
Thank goodness for the wonderful…
I thought Julia was so cute “smelling” our Valentine’s tree on the table this morning so I decided to snap her picture.
But, actually, she was just trying to get to the kisses!
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Here’s Ellie’s approach:
She butters me up for candy by puckering up and saying, “Mama, can I have a kiss?”
After our smooch, she says, “Now can I have a chocolate one?”
I have been working on putting together the Valentine’s Day party for Ellie’s pre-school class next week. Her teacher suggested that the children would like a scavenger hunt. I found one that I decided to try at home too. I set out a vase on the kitchen table with some silk stems in it and tied 7 pink notecards to it with various riddles to solve and answer over the next week. While I was fixing dinner, Hannah told me that she read all the riddles while eating her after school snack and that she knew all the answers, but she would “help Ellie” (her code for that in between stage of ‘sometimes big and sometimes little’). I anticipated that Hannah might be a little old, but she is ever the enthusiast when it comes to fun and games.
Question Number 1 last night: ”You captured our hearts with your arrival. Show a picture of you when you were brand new.”
This was the most serious question on the tree. When they were finished eating they each dashed to their room to get their picture albums that were a gift from Grandma and Grandpa a couple of years ago. Over time they have added more special pictures. We went through both albums narrating Hannah’s birthday and the day we met Ellie. I loved their enthusiasm for one another’s story. Before bed, we watched the videos that Ryan made after Ellie and Julia came home. I always cry. Ellie loves that I always cry.
It’s science fair time for Front Range’s 4th graders. Ryan’s, um, I mean, Hannah’s project is about hydroponics. They lucked out and found a store owner who is being a terrific resource in getting them up and running. He’s very enthusiastic and encouraging for Hannah. Later this week, he is going to help them transplant the seedlings they started last week to the hydroponic pots and get the system set up to circulate the water and the nutrients.
I’m so glad Ryan is doing it with her. My eyes glaze over in boredom and disinterest when it comes to science. I do love to check in on the plants growing in our dining room and the promise of homegrown tomatoes and veggies without having to pull weeds.
It was not until after dinner when we were clearing the dishes that we discovered that while I had fixed corn to go along with our stew and had it on the table in plain sight, I had forgotten to serve it. All the children really like corn, so it would have made up for the sweet potatoes that I snuck into the stew.
Recently, Julia has been so proud to be able to shake her head yes and no to answer questions. It is fun to interact with her and enjoy her burgeoning communication skills.
When I discovered the corn, I asked her, “is Mommy losing her mind, Julia?”
She immediately smiled and shook her head yes!
I thought Hannah was going to crack up.
I can’t let today go by without remembering that we “got the call” about Julia one year ago today. Isn’t it funny how these moments become so etched into our memories that we can go back and remember amazingly vivid details about such life changing events.
I was dropping our dogs off at the kennel before heading out of town for vacation and Christmas. They were pretty busy that day so I had been waiting for quite awhile to check them in when I got a call. I saw that it was our adoption worker in Iowa. I knew that we would be hearing any day about our referral so I knew why she was calling the moment I saw her name on my screen. I decided to step aside and hear what my adoption worker had to say!
This is our referral picture.
We were sent this picture a couple of weeks before we went to adopt her. I think I about burned a hole in my computer screen looking at this picture. I couldn’t wait to get her in my arms. (Evan is pretty much this age/size right now.)
Today, she is a walking, talking almost 17 month old. We called her “Treasure” while we were waiting for her and she certainly is that! We knew that her middle name would be Joy if we were referred a girl. She certainly has brought so much joy into our lives.
“Ta-Da”
Pumpkin Patch 2010
Halloween night — Hmmm…so they gave me my own candy bar!
Hannah’s 10 Birthday.
She wasn’t so joyful a few moments after this shot – Evan got a handful of her hair.
I mean, she must be a happy girl if she can smile at the season that Bronco’s have been having.
I overheard Ellie talking while she was playing Barbie’s the other day: ”don’t worry, it’s ok…because God is always with you…”
I guess God really is everywhere – even in a five year-old’s Barbie world.
Ryan has learned over the years that a true summer vacation just doesn’t ever materialize in his line of work. The final straw was spending the entire time at Disney World last year trying to keep his wife and girls happy while he was on the phone with a major crisis and dealing with an already very demanding client. Oh, and having a baby in July was about the worst timing for this poor Dad. Talk about stress!
So, having planned way ahead and saving a lot of his vacation time, he made a dream that we have talked about for years come true this year. He rented a beach house for us for 2 weeks in Puerto Vallarta. We will spend Christmas, New Year’s, and our 15th anniversary with our large crew enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. My parents will join us too, making the trip extra special.
Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been shopping, packing, wrapping, baking, and planning for 6 (actually 8, but who’s counting!) people to spend 2 weeks in the sand and sunshine.
I giggled to Ryan on the phone the other day that my mind goes from enjoying the sounds of sleigh bells in the Christmas carols on the radio to daydreaming about the sounds of the ocean and the feel of sand in my toes.
What a fun time of year! Merry Christmas, or I guess I should say, Feliz Navidad!
They are saying that this is the nicest December for snowfall in the high country in quite a few years. Ryan was eager to get out to the mountains, so very early this morning he and the big girls headed out to Vail. They will do ski school to refresh their skills, and afterwards Ryan is looking forward to doing a few runs with them. They are always eager to show Daddy what they have learned.
I am staying in town this time to work on Christmas projects. I reminded them to take in the majesty around them and enjoy the glory of God’s creation since I wouldn’t be with them to ohh and ahh like I always do. I am, however, looking forward to a quiet (read: no carpool, no gymnastics, no getting-people-where-they- need-to-go) day with the babies.
Last year we were in Breckenridge on this day. I sat in the lodge in a state of stunned excitement/confusion over the new revelation that my stomach flu wasn’t the flu, but I was in fact pregnant. What a huge shock since we were sure that door was closed to us. Also, after “waiting” for more than a year, we were expecting a referral any day for child #3 from Ethiopia. Boy, what did God have planned for us? Well, 2010 has been quite a year! It has been a good, very, very good year.
It hasn’t, however, been a year of much quiet or sleep. In fact, it has been exhausting and overwhelming a lot of the time. I will say, though, that it has it has been a season where I have known that God is with me and that I am not doing this on my own strength. Ryan’s dad summed it up perfectly when he recently said that some of our biggest blessings also bring us our biggest challenges. I often think of the poem, “Footprints in the Sand” and that is how I picture this season of my life. So while we have been at times “a walking disaster” as Ryan calls it, I have been filled with a peace and a joy for taking care of those whom God has given to me.
My big kids know that when they hear me humming the theme song to Ringling Brothers Barnun and Bailey Circus that I am feeling the effects of our craziness. “Doot-doot-doodle-doodle-doot-doot-doodle. Doot….”
