and the Bad Mommy of the year award goes to.....

So I could argue that it was a set up... After all, Jack had his staggered start first day of Kindergarten last week. This is so that each kid can go to class in a smaller setting and then start the next week with the full class, helping the kids get more familiar with their teacher, and the teachers get to know them a little better. So this week started full on Kindergarten. Who knew that they didn't start on Monday with all the other kids,but on Tuesday? We had the kids loaded up, Marc took them to school, dropped them off, Kobi walked our nervous little guy to his class, I started the morning with 3 little ones, and the phone rings, it is the school. Apparently school doesn't start for Jack until tomorrow. So Marc goes back to the school to pick him up, thank goodness because I would be absolutely humiliated, and Marc has a much better way of finding humor in the situation. I would argue it was a set up, I don't remember seeing anything in the mass quantities of paperwork that the kiddos all brought home on the first day. But since 150 other Mommies got it right, and I didn't....

I think I get to hang my head and apologize to my little guy for waking him up and giving him his 2nd day of school pep talk and sending him on his way. Only to face what is sure to be the first in a long string of finding out his Momma is a scatterbrain and not nearly as perfect as his 5 yr old self thinks, at least for the time being. I'm so sorry baby.

Sunday Fun

Our buddy Mia is still hangin' at our house. We are having a good ol' time, and the cuteness is overwhelming. Mia's parents will be home from China in a few days with her unbelievably cute little brother. I can't wait to meet him.

The girls early this morning all ready for Sunday School.After church Grandpa & Abui (our Grandma) took us to one of my favorite places to get homemade ice cream and slushies.Ice cream is serious business. Don't even think about it.Kobi, girl, you need to learn to eat quicker when you have this many little mouths around.

Mina loves her Abui, she gives cuddles like only a Grandma could.

Finn has been home for 3 months, which basically means 3 months ago I had never known the joy that these chubby cheeks can bring. I would never want to rat out her Papa by telling everyone that he has indeed woken her up because he can't resist grabbing those cheeks when he goes in one last time to check on her at night. He then runs into the other room to tell me, "Finn's woke up", and he manages a completely guiltless expression. After all, it's not his fault, these cheeks are powerful.

Sugar shock sweet

We signed Mina and her friend Mia up for baby ballet. Probably the most personally self serving thing I have ever done, since my number one goal in doing so was to see these girls dressed in these ridiculously cute outfits... and oh,, they also have a recital around Christmas time, of which I know I will personally enjoy 1000% more than they will.
If I dress up can I play too?

This is worth every tantruming, bottom wiping, food preparing, exhausting, mess cleaning, whining, laundry doing, car seat buckling mommy moment.

First day of school blues...

The blues for me me, not so much these guys. They were pretty excited to go back to school. For me it is one of those milestone days where you really have to face the fact that your kids are growing up way faster than you care to think. Makes me think of that saying... The days are long, but the years are short...Jack started Kindergarten, he was a bit nervous, my advanced apologies to his future wife, my boy is a boy of few words, and when he is upset or nervous, even fewer words. His communication skills are all boy when it comes to emotions. Kobi started first grade. She was excited, I know she is going to have a great year. She is all about the routine and organization that school brings, and her mother is greatly lacking.

Oh, and my biggest baby,, boo hoo hoo hooo. He started his first day of his junior year... A year that is guaranteed to be life-changing. He will be living in Beijing for the second semester of his Junior year of High School, on scholarship from the U.S. Government. He is just a little (and by little, I mean outrageously over the top) excited. I am trying to just focus on how it will be great life experience for his future, not so much on him actually leaving.

Oh no, here they come...

Our crazy crew has grown by one this week....Mina's best bud, the ever adorable Mia, is staying with us for two weeks while her Mommy and Daddy are IN CHINA picking up her baby brother!!!! They meet Thane on Monday, and I am so excited to watch their journey, live vicariously through the most amazing process that I have ever been a part of and get to soak up the hilarity and sweetness that is Mia.

It is really funny to show up to a park with 5 small kiddos, and take up the entire large swing set full of swings. I think the other families see us coming and run for cover.It hit me last night, my baby is actually starting Kindergarten in 3 sleeps. I've known it all along, but now we are down to the wire. I attended the open house, met the teacher, filled out the forms, came home, jumped in the shower and cried like a baby. I'm not good at letting go. It really stinks! I am really passionate about raising independent kids, but how come he's gotta grow up so fast?

Talking about independent, this one said I could have the week off. She meant it. I know she is trying to take my place... my job security is in serious danger

The past 3 months have been jam-packed... with emotion, with busy kids, with adjustments, with summertime, with happiness, with heartache. Finn came home from China just as school was letting out for the summer, and things around here haven't been mellow for one second.

When I look at this little face I know that she has truly had the toughest go the past months. Mina loves attention, it is her love language (I know that is not one of the official love languages, but just trust me). Mina loves attention, any kind, constantly. When she is not getting attention she is intently watching whoever is getting the attention of the moment. 3 months ago, she had her Mommy to herself for nearly 6 hours a day, now she has had to share me 5 ways all day every day. It has been really hard on her. Summer has always been my favorite season. I LOVE hanging with my kiddos, and the fact that Jackson is starting Kindergarten next week would normally have me curled up in a fetal position and crying my eyes out to my husband...a.k.a.- the most patient man in the world. BUT,,, I hate to admit, I am so ready for fall, for a schedule, for more one face time with Mina and Finn. I think Mina's ready too.

The Park

We spent the day at one of our favorite local parks, there is a nature museum attached to the park so after we spent some time playing and riding our bikes we got to go cool off an check out the museum & the most exciting part, holding butterflies. Such a fun day.

This girl just kinda loves seeing all the geese.


Pucker up prince




All the kids favorite part of the morning. They just love these butterflies.

I went into the kitchen to find the kids sitting on top of the kitchen counter eating cold blueberry pancakes, leftovers from this morning. Why do kids have an aversion to chairs? I think it is stinkin' cute. Maybe I shouldn't, maybe I should be appalled that my children are pillaging the 'fridge for leftovers and climbing on my counters but I just don't. These 2 kids have been wanting one of these brain sucking handheld machines for quite a while, I do not really like it, but they have saved all their birthday & holiday $ for over a year and pooled it together to get it. They have had it for 2 full days. I did ask them to do me a favor and count how many people we could invite to our house and everybody have their own place to sit, seeing they have forgotten what a chair looks like.... It is my way of recreating brain synapses that have been lost over the past 48 hours.

Two of my core parenting "styles" include, traditions and picking my battles. We have tons of little traditions, hand shakes, inside jokes, cheesy sayings, side trips (picking apples, cutting down our christmas tree, festivals, blah blah blah) I think that repeating traditions is what makes memories. Picking my battles, I think I picked that one up around kiddo #3. So not everything that got noticed with Collin, gets noticed with Mina... I did realize a while back that while my kids know their core manners, seriously my 5 year old could probably eek by with eating noodles off his plate with his fingers for a good 4 minutes before I would notice. So we have implemented a new family tradition. Manners nights. We make it as fun as possible and don't know why but the kids actually look forward to it too. I had the rules up last night and then I found out that our local grocery store had snow crab legs on sale... so Marc ran to the store, I hid the rules and then proceeded to break everyone of them myself.

What is it with little girls and umbrellas, is it somewhere in their DNA? Is it the fear factor of the possibility of taking your sisters eye out? They don't even need rain. I can't figure it out.

A first for me..

I read the following story yesterday and it just broke my heart... the people closest to these boys are asking for people to pray and fast. I have never fasted before. I am planning on having dinner tonight but fasting throughout the day. I usually have about 5 "meals" before dinnertime so it is harder for me than it sounds. Especially when you are making so many meals and snacks for little people all day. But the reality is, everytime that I think about lunch, or grabbing a pita chip from the kids snack plate. I think about these little boys and stop and pray for them. The slight annoyance to me not being able to snack myself through my day is so trivial to the pain and fear they are facing right now. Please join me in praying for these little guys. A more complete story was posted HERE on this blog.

The little boy, Mukenya, in the gray shirt has been kidnapped, along with three other little boys. It was witnessed by the boy in the green..please read to see how you can help.

They personally know these people who are working in Afr*ca to help the orphans. Please read the following from Linn's blog and pray about fasting with the rest of us on August 5th for these boys to be freed from their captures.

Sunday night was the first night of the "gradual" home program. The night before the program was to start (Saturday evening) they had a huge Praise and Worship celebration. It was night of great rejoicing. The first children had been selected to begin their transition off the streets by being part of the "gradual" home and Sunday night the program would begin. After the night of praise and celebration though something horrible happened. The details are still not completely known, but four little boys (ages 4 to 12) were kidnapped from the new program. A fifth little boy fought off the men and has been deeply traumatized. They do know that the kidnappers were all caucasions, except for one Ugandan. It is believed that the boys were kidnapped to be taken for child trafficking. There is no doubt that the enemy of these little boys souls hates them being taken off the streets and put in a loving "gradual" home where they will hear about Jesus and meet him personally. He hates that their lives will be forever changed. He hates that they will learn the meaning of family, in hopes of one day being adopted.
Sunday morning we got a desperate phone call and email asking us to pray, asking us to spread the word to pray, asking us to post it on the blog and asking us to ask all who have a heart for the orphan to beg God with us for the safe return of these little boys. These little boys have already been victimized more in their short life than we could ever imagine. They had gradually been learning how to trust. We are reminded that on many occasions throughout scripture God released the prisoners who were being held. He intervened on their behalf. It is clear that God's heart is for the orphan and His will is that there would be no orphans anywhere. I have heard many say that they are unable to adopt for one reason or another...but we can all pray and yes, most of us can fast. We can ask God to move heaven on behalf of these orphans. We can ask God to free these little boys. We can ask Him to reveal these evil people and their evil plot against these precious little boys.

Please FAST August 5, 2009

Growing up before my eyes..

Our girl will start 1st grade in a few weeks. She has officially left every bit of "baby-ness" in the dust. She has always been an old soul. She was a miserable baby, I knew from the second week of her life that she hated being a baby. She is a very serious kid, she's a realist. I am pretty sure she is the only 7 year old girl that has never seen any Disney movie, not for lack of me trying but she has ZERO interest. I have caught her watching the occasional Jetson's or classics of the sort, but it is rare. I walked in the house the other day and she was full on engrossed in Shark week, you couldn't tear her away. I just let her be. She doesn't do much dress up, has never been into pretend play, but she will dress up with Mina. We don't call her Mama-2 for nothing. She could surely take over all house hold duties if we let her. I bribed her to let me take these photos by promising that she could help me fold laundry. I know, I have no idea where children like this come from. And then something happened, something we see very rarely around here. When we see it I LOVE it, I let her stay up 2 hours past her bedtime the other night,,, why, because she was acting goofy, girl is never goofy. I can't believe I caught it on film. If you have ever met Kobi, I doubt you have ever seen this face. Serious is her M.O. Look at all those teeth coming in... hysterical.