It Never Ends

The growing up of our munchkins never ends.

Here's proof:
C-Man got a cell phone a couple weeks ago.

Little I is learning to swim.

Miss B is looking older by the hour, I think.

NoBo recently had his first dentist appointment. It was a NIGHTMARE, but it's over!!! Here he is playing in the waiting area before the appointment.

Great Things He Has Done

Last fall during a Bible Study I was convicted about journaling. One of the reasons it's important for me to journal is that I have NO memory!

Lately I have FLOPPED at journaling! Sometimes blogging is my version of journaling and clearly I haven't done much of that lately.

So today I'm journaling an answered prayer.

For years now Cowboy & I have been praying together for a specific physical healing in one of our kids. This child has been in tears many times over this situation. We've been in tears for this child. Without going into detail, let me just assure you that it's been a long, hard struggle!

God has healed this child! There's been no symptom of this ailment for over 2 weeks now! As parents, we've each spoken to our child and reminded this child that this healing has come from God alone.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

Our House

Yesterday in one of Little I's classes at our homeschool co-op, he and his friends were making pictures of their houses. Then, the sweet teacher wrote down what the children said about the things that go on in their houses.

Here's what Little I said:

I like to play games at my house. I like to play with my brother and sister. I love them. I like to play with NoBo. My mom and dad like to go into their room and play. I also like to play by myself. I also like to eat candy.

Hopefully you got a good laugh out of that. I know I did.

Creativity Required

Clearly there are challenges in parenting a child with developmental delays. Our most recent challenge has taken a lot of creativity on our part to overcome.

Although NoBo is almost 3, developmentally is about 15 months old. Because we are unable to reason with him at this point, keeping him in bed has become quite a chore.

He started climbing out of his crib, so we put him in the Pack 'n Play, because he couldn't climb out of it. Because his adoption is not complete yet, he is still in the custody of DHS, who doesn't approve of a child sleeping in a Pack 'n Play.

So, we borrowed a crib tent from a friend. It worked great for a time, then he put a hole in the netting. I sewed the netting back together, but then he just spent his time in bed trying to put the hole back in it.

So...back to the Pack 'n Play, until I walked in on morning #3 to catch him as he was diving, head-first, out of it. The only thing we could think to do was to cover his Pack 'n Play with the crib mattress. It worked, but Cowboy was a nervous wreck about NoBo somehow having the strength to move the mattress so that it would fall on him.

After much thought, my sweet husband came up with this



I sewed a piece of fabric to fit nicely over the top of the crib. Then, I sewed button holes all around the outside of it. Next, I attached velcro to ribbons. Finally, I put the ribbons through the button holes and looped them around the slats of the crib.

What's so great about it?

1. NoBo would have to remove 6-7 consecutive ribbons in order to free himself from his crib.

2. NoBo can't stand in his crib, which has actually helped him go to sleep faster.

3. The video monitor can get a much better shot of him than it could with the netting from the crib tent.

4. The crib nicely fits under Little I's top bunk. Eventually, when he's developmentally ready for a big bed, we will remove the crib and place the bottom bunk there again.

I Failed 4 Times

I decided that 4 kids was PLENTY for me. I decided that if DHS called with a child, I would tell them our home is full (I've actually already done that before). I decided that my quiver is full (see Psalm 127:3-5 if you don't understand that).

Then I began not only to read Radical by David Platt, but I began to go through a Radical study with Cowboy & 3 other couples.

During the first week of our study, God very plainly spoke to my heart about my decision that our family was complete. He let me know that He alone would decide when He was finished adding blessings to mine & Cowboy's life.

So, I have been teasing Cowboy that after I go to Uganda this next year, I'm sure God will call us to adopt from Africa. I really have not heard that from God, but it's fun to tease.

Then, during the next week of our study, I began to feel YUCK! I started thinking back to the last time that I knew for sure I wasn't pregnant. In the busy-ness (& infertileness that has been our lives over the last several years), I hadn't a clue when that was.

A couple days later Cowboy brought home a gift for me, a pregnancy test. Failed. Because I had failed pregnancy tests with both of my previous pregnancies, we weren't putting a lot of stock into those results.

So after a few more days, I bought a double-pack of pregnancy tests. I took one. Failed.

Then I decided I was SICK of not knowing for sure. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. The morning of the appointment Cowboy suggested I go ahead and use up the last test. Failed.

I told the doctor of my concerns. Had blood drawn. Got a call the next day. Failed.

So...now I have failed 4 times & still have no idea what is up with my body.

The great thing here is that I don't feel like I've failed. I still get to go to Africa next year. I still get to go skiing in February with Cowboy, the munchkins, and some dear friends.

I don't, however, get the joy of having a brand new, sweet baby next spring to love on and take care of. Or do I? Maybe DHS will call and God will tell us to say yes. Maybe He won't. Maybe we'll eventually adopt from Africa. Maybe we won't.

Hopefully, though, we'll listen and choose to be in the center of God's will.

Can't think of anywhere in life I'd rather be than that.

If you finish your school work early...

We're all about rewards in our house. Cowboy usually is the creative one to think of them, but I'm happy to follow through if they make my life easier and more fun!

So...before Christmas break Cowboy dangled the carrot in front of Miss B and C-Man. They went for it!!!

I had their agendas filled out with everything that needed to be accomplished before we started our official Christmas Break. Cowboy told the kids if they finished by certain dates they would receive rewards. The sooner they finished, the bigger the reward. He did this to save my sanity and I thank him for that! (He's always looking out for my sanity).

Miss B stayed up until after midnight one night to finish her work so that she would have an extra week of Christmas Break.

She and I went to our city's downtown area to ice skate. We had so much fun and laughed SO hard at each other! I worked very hard to NOT FALL!!! She, of course, made fun of me for my caution. However, I tried to remind her my body was old and I could get seriously hurt if I fell.



After successfully ice skating without injury, we had dinner together. Don't panic about the amount of food she consumed. Right after this she swam for an hour and fifteen minutes. (Makes me tired to think about it).



This reward was TOTALLY worth it!!! Not only did I not have to harp on Miss B to finish up her school work on the days preceding Christmas, but I also got to spend time with my girl. PRICELESS!!!

Why are we paying for what we can get for free?

Some months back Cowboy and I decided to join the gym where Miss B swims 5 nights a week. We decided this was a great way to spend our time while she was there. The boys would all go to the childcare room and we'd get in some much-needed workout time. The plan seemed to go along rather nicely until..

VBS, back-to-school activities and planning, numerous trips to the chiropractor, sick kids, and life in general!

So I was looking back at some pictures from a couple months ago when Little Bit came to spend the night with us and realized WE DON'T NEED TO PAY TO GO TO A GYM! Here's why...



Cowboy can get a great workout by doing push ups with little ones all over him or just by crawling around on the floor while carrying Little Bit. (She weighs a TON).



I have my own live-in trainers who LOVE to push me WAY PAST MY LIMITS!!! (Can you see the look of pain on my face? My trainer loves to get me to make this face.)



Bench pressing little ones can give a great upper body workout.



Parenting NoBo requires me to act as his physical therapist (and speech therapist, and child development specialist,etc.)



Did I mention we already have our very own highly trained child care provider on site?

These Sweet Blessings

Today Miss B reminded me yet again that she's growing up. It can't be stopped, I know, but I wish it would just slow down sometimes.

She fixed lunch for us. She worked hard to cook and prepare everything for her brothers and me. She added a bit of flair with her presentation that is SO not me (or maybe it was, because it was all symmetrical). Anyway, she had a lovely plate of fruits and veggies that was laid out so beautifully in the middle of the table for us.

I decided she could just be in charge of lunches around here. Shoot, I have enough things to be in charge of. So...I'm turning over the reins to my very capable girl. She's going to capably care for a family of her own someday, I'm quite certain. I hope she has a whole mess of kids!!! Of course, she'll adopt them all because she can't bear the thought of actually birthing a child. I think that's just fine, too. The love is the same no matter how they come to you.

Tonight as C-Man was lying down to go to sleep he looked up and said, "Thanks, Mom." I questioned what he was grateful for and he just said, "Thanks for everything." I tried to keep him from seeing me hold back the tears. How tender that boy is! He is going to be a fine husband someday...just like his Daddy.

OK, I'm too sentimental tonight. I'm crying just writing this.

I'm just blessed to be Mom to as many Sweet Blessings as God wants me to be--hopefully only 4, though. OK, God? Did you hear me? I'm totally good with 4.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Just so you know, I AM COMPETITIVE. There, I said it, hopefully you'll better understand the following story now that you know that.

Last night we were hanging at my parents house (for the 4th night because our a/c still isn't fixed) with Baby Sis, her hubby, my parents, and all of our kids. Baby Sis's 3-year old boy had soaked through his Pull-Up and she was changing him. She held it up and said how heavy it was. (And it WAS quite visibly full of urine).

So...being the competitive older sister that I am, I decided to check Little I's Pull-Up. Yes, I know he's 4. He's pretty much potty trained, but he'd been at Papa & Nana's all evening with no parent to make him stop playing and remind him to use the potty chair.

Anyway, Little I's Pull-Up was bulging, so I whipped it off of him and waved it around to prove that his was bigger, more full of urine, and to my surprise out dropped a poop nugget on my parents' coffee table.

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

I SOOOOOO won!!!

It's Official

Click on the title of today's post for an amazing video. It will bring you to tears, I'm sure.

Apparently after a total of almost 26 years of parenting (each kids' ages added together), I'm finally being recognized for the bang-up job I'm doing.

Yes, I was in shock to win this, especially since Cowboy says things like, "Spanking is the international sign of love."

Apparently those who voted on me realized that the recipient this year needed to be a completely selfless mom. You know the kind, right? A mom who keeps a stash of Coke Zero at home and won't buy pop for her children, a mom who takes her children's good Christmas and Easter candy to enjoy herself, a mom who can't wait for 9 pm each night when she gets to sit with her man and relax with a cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream, a mom who loves the time she gets at the gym by herself, a mom who does not like to take her children to Wal-Mart,...

I'm so proud to say I AM THAT SELFLESS MOM and apparently from the award I received, it has paid off!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the truly selfless moms out there!

For the Love of Pete--Are you Kidding Me???

OK, do you remember the unfortunate fate of one of Cowboy's grill tools a few weeks ago? The event happened again just a few minutes ago! Same child, same incident with the toilet paper holder, but I wasn't going to surrender another grill tool of Cowboy's. So...I spent five minutes wandering aimlessly through the house for the perfect retriever. Well, it wasn't perfect, but I wound up using this Tupperware egg-dyeing spoon thingy.

When I say it wasn't perfect, you get it, right? I had a thorough hand-washing immediately following the event before I sat down to the laptop to vent!!!

On another note...
Do you know how frustrating it is as a foster parent to be told that your foster child's case in court will be heard at 10 and when you and your husband arrive PLENTY early you've missed the whole event? Then you find out that the foster child's mother's attorney dared to call you and your husband neglectful, suggesting you're the reason the said child is not gaining weight!!! Part of me wants to completely throw in the towel and go straight adoption to have another permanent member of our family!!! Seriously--it's not worth it! We weren't even able to be in the courtroom to defend ourselves. I love it when the biological families act like we're the enemy! Wake up, people, your own actions (or lack of actions) caused DHS to remove your children from your home! My job is to simply care for the child while he is in DHS custody.

URGH! Obviously I need to vent--sorry to anyone who expected something light-hearted or sweet! It's just not happening today, or at least right now.

Birthday Season is Quickly Approaching

OK, as you can tell by my Lilypie tickers, birthday season is around the corner for my family. So in the midst of trying to successfully wrap up this school year, plan our next school year, and search for great deals on curricula, I'm thinking of those party plans.

This year Miss B is requesting a mud party. SERIOUSLY? Where am I going to have a mud party? I'm sure my dad would let us come to the farm and dig a pit to fill with water to make our mud. But, then we'd have the issue of restrooms. Would a bunch of middle school girls really be OK with going outside? I doubt it! So, I've got myself a quandry. Her mind is made up and I doubt she'll change it. She is her mother's daughter.

C-Man wants a million different things for his party. He has a tough time making decisions (we have to time him on the toy aisle at Target) and this is no different. So far he's mentioned an architect party, Star Wars party, a mud party (he was accused of cheating), laser tag, ....

Little I doesn't care!!! How refreshing is that? He'll just be happy to have his 4 cousins over who are close in age and eat sweets with them.

I've got to get on the ball or I'll never be ready for the madness that is our late-May to mid-June birthday bonanza!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Well, today it FINALLY happened. Little I pooped in the toilet!!!

Rejoicing was heard throughout the house and a fish Webkinz will be purchased to seal the deal! It has been decided that the fish will be a girl (grule as Little I says it) and her name will be Bubbles.

Oh Happy Day!!!

Thanks for letting a proud mama indulge herself by spreading the news!

Rites of Passage

We were heading home from C-Man's drum lesson a few minutes ago and Miss B asked the question she's asked 4,376,249 times in her life, "Mom, can we drive through McDonald's for lunch?" My answer was the same as it has been approximately 4,376,149 other times in her life, "No, we're not having McDonald's today."

Then, she asked me if I thought there were any kids who never got McDonald's. Obviously, she was talking about kids whose lifestyles were similar to hers. I told her I felt fairly certain that Kate Gosselin's brood of kids had never had a Happy Meal.

She said, "That's just wrong. Having McDonald's is part of growing up. Everyone picks their noses, poops in the bathtub, and has McDonald's when they're little."

Well, she's pretty much right about the kids in our home. My 3 forever kids have all experienced these rites of passage.

Have a day free of nose-picking, bathtub-pooping, and McDonald's-eating!!!

My BIG Scare

OK, I laughed my head off several months back when my sister had her BIG scare because I never thought it could happen to me. Remember, we're the couple who were infertile and couldn't have a third child biologically.
Yes, I am a homeschooling mom who truly believes every life is a gift from God, but I'm feeling a bit too old to carry one of those precious gifts myself. Anyway, I can talk of this now because the scare is over. God is not currently growing a precious life inside of me. The other day, when Cowboy found this out, he was truly disappointed. WOW--he is some kind of amazing! He reminded me that a gift of that nature would be a HUGE miracle from God, therefore he was disappointed. Anyway...I'm happy to be the mom to 3 (4 including NoBo). If God decides I need more, he's more than welcome to make that happen!

The Gift of Time

We are always too busy for our children; we never give them the time or interest they deserve. We lavish gifts upon them; but the most precious gift, our personal association, which means so much to them, we give grudgingly.
- Mark Twain

My mom is a ROCK STAR when it comes to spending time with her grandkids! Oh, if I could be as good at spending quality time with my kids as she is with her grandkids. Yesterday we were iced in, so she and Dad had us over for lunch. My younger sister and her family also came, because they are just around the corner (you can see her house from my house) and could safely walk to Mom & Dad's. Anyway, we ate a wonderful lunch and then played for the afternoon.

This morning she came over to bring us what we inadvertently left in her fridge yesterday. Then she spent close to an hour working with C-Man on a blueprint of his dream home. (Cowboy made a deal with him last night that as soon as his school was finished he could draw blueprints--I've never seen that kid whip through his school work so fast!)

Did I mention she also has had a niece of mine for 3 days? When you ask Mom what her hobbies are, she quickly replies, "playing with my grandkids". Mondays are my kids' "Nana Days". They LIVE for Nana Day! Little I wants every day to be a Nana Day! Seriously, he asks every day to go to Nana's. (Can you blame him? She lives directly across the street and always has fruit snacks and Kool-Aid.) My older sisters' kids also have Nana Days on Mondays and my younger sisters' kids get Nana Days on Fridays. WOW! It makes me tired to think about it.

Take this post as a challenge. Spend TIME with the ones you love!!!

Have a great day. I'm off to spend time with my kids!

Home Alone

Last night we left the munchkins home alone for the first time. OK, they weren't completely alone. Cowboy & I went out on a double date with another couple, so their kids were also at our house. Just so you know, we have left our 3 munchkins home alone during the day before, but never after dark.

We left them with plenty of food for dinner and snacks, 4 Wii remotes, and each other. The alarm was to be set as soon as we left the house. We were feeling pretty good about it all.

We ate dinner, then headed to Cuppies & Joe , a new place we had just learned about this week. We found a parking place and made our way into the old, quaint house that is home to this yummy spot. Once we got inside we began feeling a bit like the house we were in, OLD! There were several college-age-looking kids there hanging out. We ordered our cupcakes and drinks, then found a table and a game to play. We sat around eating and playing Sequence for quite a while before we got the call. The kids wanted to know if we were going to a movie. We told them no, we were having coffee, cocoa, and dessert. They told us to call before we headed home. We assumed they needed all the time they could get to put things back in order.

A little before 10 we got another call saying one of our children got scared of some noises and they called my parents, who live directly across the street. My dad walked over and got the child and took the child to their house to be loved on for a while.

We arrived back home close to 11 to a white-covered sweetgum tree in our front yard. No, we didn't get snow. We got toilet-papered! Apparently those middle school boys who did the t.p.-ing had made the noise that scared one of our children. The inside of the house was fairly clean and everyone survived it!

Cowboy & I did far-better than survive it, though! We're ready for more date nights!!!

The Dangerous Book for Boys

If you're raising a son, you need this book. We found it for C-Man a couple years ago and gave it to him for an Easter present. He LOVES it!!! Today we're stuck inside because it's bitterly cold here. He pulled it out and began plotting. Muhuhuhahaha!!!

Here's a sampling of the contents:
Making a Battery
How to Play Stickball
Fossils
Building a Treehouse
The Rules of Soccer
Dinosaurs
Making a Bow and Arrow
Understanding Grammar--Part One
Table Football
Fishing
Timers and Tripwires
Baseball's "Most Valuable Players"
Famous Battles--Part One
Spies
Juggling
Skipping Stones
Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
First Aid
Secret Inks

Honestly, wouldn't your boy love a book with all of this (plus more)? It's written by Conn Iggulden & Hal Iggulden. The website is www.dangerousbookforboys.com.

By the way, Superwoman informs me the girls' version is not so wholesome. She says it includes some information on how to have a seance. It is called The Daring Book for Girls and is written by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. They have a website you could go to for ideas without purchasing the whole book.

My Oldest Makes Me Proud

I've debated in my head whether to write this down or not, but I must. Miss B needs to see and know that she makes me so proud! We've really been working on some character issues with her that are quite common for 11-year old girls.
About 1 1/2 weeks ago I noticed that her phone kept going off during our school day. This isn't completely odd, but usually if I notice it vibrating it's because she's been texting back and forth with some of her friends. On this day I noticed it vibrating, but I didn't see her texting. Finally I heard it vibrating when she wasn't in the room. When I looked at it I noticed the alarm was the reason for the vibrating.
I asked her if she kept hitting the snooze. She told me that she had set her alarm to remind her to think about the issue we were working on. WOW!!! What a mature thing to do!
I started thinking...how many alarms would I have to set to remind me to stay focused on the areas of my life that God is working on? YIKES--my phone would never stop vibrating!
I just want my girl to know that I'm so blessed to have a sweet daughter who loves God so much. I love watching her serve God today and look forward to watching her serve God throughout her life.