The Gang's All Here!

Wordless Wednesday {artistic rendering}

2012-02-01T06:42:00.002-05:00

Someone around here is excited about

other progress we've made in our journey to mei-mei.

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

For now.

Come back later. For more.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

I Just Can't Leave It Alone...

2012-01-31T14:35:00.001-05:00

I found the below recipe inside the box of my generic low-fat cream cheese last month. I've been just waiting for the right time to make it. Frankly, to be home for a morning long enough to play around with it.

Normally, when I find a new recipe, I try to make it exactly as written for that first time. I might jot notes in the margins or think out loud while I'm cooking about the possibilities for tweaking it, but I really try to just follow the recipe. The first time.

However, when I saw this one, I knew immediately that I just wouldn't be able to do that. It's a simple, straight-forward pasta dish and when I read it, I could all but hear it BEGGING me for some creative touches. Some panache. Some wow factor changes. Really. I heard the little white cut-out card whispering to me.

It's a sickness. I know. Leave me alone with my voices, thankyouverymuch.

I canNOT wait for dinner, now. The smells in here are making me swoon. The texture of this dish and the look of it, even just waiting to go into the oven for tonight's feast is making my fingers itch. I want to pick at the tender pasta and sample the chicken smothered in sauce. I can't stand it. And as of this writing, I have about 6 hours of this torture to go.

I'll share the bare-bones original recipe with you here, then I'll give you all my tweaks and tricks that have produced this masterpiece sitting on my counter. I'll add more pictures later, to show you the bubbly yummy goodness, after it gets topped with these babies and cooked to perfection.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake
1 1/2 c. multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp. basil
1 jar (14.5 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. low-fat cream cheese, cubed
1 c. shredded mozzarella
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta as directed, adding spinach leaves to the pasta water at the very last minute.

While pasta is cooking, cook and stir chicken and basil in a large non-stick skillet on med-high for 3 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in low-fat cream cheese.

Drain pasta and return to sauce pan. Stir in chicken and sauce mixture and add 1/2 c. of mozzarella. Pour all of it into a lightly sprayed 9x9 baking dish.

Bake 20 minutes and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake another 3 minutes till cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

What I did:
I doubled everything, of course, in my handy-dandy 9x13 P@mpered Chef stoneware baking dish. LOVE my PC stoneware, incidentally!
I used almost 4 c. total of uncooked pasta (to make up for the added water in the spinach - see below).
Once cooked and drained, I poured the pasta into a sprayed 9x13 stoneware pan.
I grilled the chicken breasts low and slow on the outside grill (it was a gorgeous sunny morning and I wanted the flavor that only grilling can produce.). I didn't add it to to the sauce either. Once the chicken was cooked, I chopped it up and layered it all over the pasta in the 9x13.

For the sauce, I did this:
I omitted the basil, as my sauce was already quite flavorful.
I used more than 2 oz. of cream cheese - I was trying to use all the left-overs from another recipe.
I added two little triangles of Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb spreadable cheese, as they needed to be used up. (Hey, I'm frugal, what can I say?!)
I added extra parmesan to the sauce - probably about 1/4 c. (I am 50% Sicilian, after all!)
I added about 3/4-1 c. of white wine. (See above note about my Sicilian roots.)
I used a box of frozen chopped spinach, and just put it right in the sauce mixture from the start to thaw it and retain the nutrition in the mix.
Just before I took it off the stove, I added 1 c. of mozzarella and about 1/2 c. of an Italian blend of shredded cheese left from another recipe. (Frugal. Sicilian. Cheese Lover. Whatever.)
When it all came to a boil and simmered for a while (I lost track of time while I was breaking up fights over Little People weddings at the Little People zoo.), I poured the sauce over the pasta and chicken in the 9x13 and gently mixed it all up.
It's in the oven now, set on time delayed baking and waiting to be topped by yet more cheese. Don't worry, my heart will be fine. All my mozz is of the part-skim variety. I promise.

I can guarantee, when this baby makes it to the table, I will NOT be the only one who can't leave it alone. If heaven has a smell, it is this dish. Really.

Mmmmmm, just look at this beautiful, cheesey,

creamy, wine-y goodness.

Experimenting in the Kitchen

2012-01-26T17:33:00.001-05:00

Ooooh, I'm going a little stir-crazy here at the Gang's house. Runny noses, cold, rainy, windy days (sometimes all at once!) and (gasp!) boring menu plans. It happens about this time every year. And you, my dear readers, get the benefit of my antsiness. In the form of a new-to-me (and now maybe to you!) recipe.

Bear with me, this one came to me as I was boppin' in the kitchen to old 70's tunes.

"I Woke Up In Love This Morning" quickly followed by "I Can See Clearly Now" then "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and some awesome CCR tune I can't remember the name of.... Seriously, it was one great tune after another in here while I was whipping this baby together.

Heh. That might explain the wine.

Then again, it might not.

Creamy Apricot Porkchops
4 bone-in porkchops
1 package stuffing mix, prepared as directed and set aside
3/4 c. apricot preserves
(or jam, as long as it's got pieces of apricot in it)
3/4 c. light sour cream
3/4 to 1 c. white wine
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Spray a 9x13 baking dish lightly with baking spray and place porkchops in it so they are all flat and not layering over each other.

In a bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, sour cream, white wine, and garlic powder till well blended. Pour over the pork chops. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 300. If cream sauce starts get too brown, cover with foil for remaining hour.

Remove 9x13 dish from oven and turn heat up to 400. Across the top of the cream sauce covered pork chops, dollop the prepared stuffing mix as evenly as you can without burning yourself.

Be careful not to drop the stuffing mix from up too high - the splatter is ouchy. Drizzle the whole dish with the melted butter and return to hot oven. Allow to brown and crisp up lightly.

It smelled amazing in here while it was cooking up - and who doesn't love pork and apricot together? Especially when it's cooked low and slow like this. Be sure to let me know if you try it and what changes you and your gang make to the dish. Enjoy!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-24T15:34:00.001-05:00

I am all out of whack this week! In my efforts to be more consistent at posting here (as much for me as for you, my three dear readers!), I've been making use of the scheduling device that blogger offers. However, when I wrote up yesterday's post about Dr. D's amazing box, I completely forgot that I'd made a mental note to myself to post it on Tuesday so that I could post about the Chinese New Year on Monday.

Oy. That's what happens when I rely on mental notes. So now I'm making a mental note to use paper and pen for all future notes.

Yeah. Ummmmmm. Anyway. So.

Happy Chinese New Year,

one and all!

The Year of the Dragon is considered to be the luckiest of all the years of the zodiac cycle and so many Chinese people across the world are anticipating this to be a year of great change and prosperity. We at the Gang's house are anticipating our own big changes and looking forward to God's continued blessing upon our home. We pray that this year brings the same to you!

We celebrated together last night with a yummy family dinner (a rarity these last few weeks, in that all 7 of us were at the table together. For the same meal. At the same time. Wow, I already feel lucky just for that!) of Plum Good Chicken Thighs over brown rice, dumplings from our favorite little Chinese restaurant, and a big garden salad. We're also really looking forward to being with some of our agency family on Saturday for another food-focused celebration! Mmmmmmm, I love festivities partnered with good food and family. Nothing better, in my book.

During our dinner prayer, The Boss was thanking the Lord for the beauty of China, for Chinese food, for the people of China, and for the gift from China of our Li'l Empress. Even before his mouth formed the final "n" of "Amen," Li'l Empress looked up and said, "Daddy, I'm from Chwina!" We thought that was funny, until she proceeded to give him her whole "brain dump" on her version of her life story so far... Does anyone else's kids do that? ONE thought, ONE word, and it triggers a whole monologue of everything she knows related to her, to China, to Chinese food, to it all. Seriously, it went something like this:

"I was borned in Chwina! And my China mommy fed me bottles! And den Mommy and Daddy flew aaaaalll da way crost the ocean in a big plane to come and get me! {breath!}And my Daddy fed me bottles! And I didn't have any hair! And den I comed home and flew on da big plane with my Mommy and my Daddy and I comed home! And Dr. D teached me how to walk! And I didn't have any hair! And I slept in a crib in my green and pink room and my Mommy rocked me to sleep! And I didn't have any hair."

Yeah. Just like that. Really. My ears hurt just remembering it. No wonder I was in bed by 9:05 p.m.

Sooooo... How did you celebrate with your gang?

It's Not Just a Box

2012-01-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

For weeks now, we've been hearing an almost nightly update on Dr. D's box. The box that he has been making in his Manufacturing class at school.

Think updated version of our old shop class in high school.

Add some high-tech tools and way-cool power equipment...

Yeah, I know. A workshop full of power tools and teen boys. Ugh.

It's gotten to be a bit of a joke, in that the moment conversation lulls in the slightest, Dr. D proceeds to share all the minute details of the progress he made that day on this box. Sometimes we even pause our other conversations just to see if he'll pick up the thread of that conversation again, long after we've moved on from it as the main topic. We like to mess with each other that way.

I must admit that we were not taking him nearly as seriously as we ought to have been. I mean, we didn't really know we should be taking him more seriously, given that he kept saying, "It's not that big a deal, it's just a box" every time we questioned his progress reports or asked for a description as to what kind of box it would be. He was more focused on telling us the funny and risky pranks some of his classmates would pull and the very laid-back responses the teacher would have to said boy behavior.

There is no way I would EVER be able to be a shop teacher

in a class full of high school boys. Sheesh, that man must have nerves of steel!

But it has been fun to hear how excited he was about the things he's been learning and how much he has enjoyed creating something with his own hands. Still, we were BLOWN.AWAY. when he walked in Thursday night bearing this beautiful piece of workmanship.

Routed raised panel top.

Beautiful cuts and joints.

The top opens to reveal a removable shallow tray.

Inside the box, the slats that hold the shallow tray

in place are also removable.

Dr. D was poking a bit of fun at me as I was "ooooohing" and "aaaaahing" over his craftsmanship. I kept hitting his arm and saying "This is NOT just a box!"

As I was running my hands over it and listening again to all the details of skills he learned on the project, I just kept thinking of my grandfather. A master carpenter, my grandfather made many beautiful things like this over his lifetime. I have vivid memories of the smells and the sounds of his workroom in their basement in Methuen, listening to him singing while he worked (he favored great Italian tenors!) and seeing his handiwork all over their home and ours.

That's when Dr. D REALLY poked fun at me.... "Are you crying, Mom?"

He asks me this question often.

I have a tendency toward leaky eyes when I'm really happy.

Or proud. Or excited.....

"Yes, Dr. D. I am. Your great-grandfather would love this box. Smelling it and hearing you talk about the joints and the router and the planer reminds me of him. He was a great carpenter and a great man. He would love this box. He would be so proud of you right now."

It is not just a box.

Mom, this post is for you.

Grandpa would be so proud, wouldn't he?

A Little Reminiscing

2012-01-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

We were talking the other night about our upcoming series of home-study meetings, explaining to the kids what the "big family meeting" might look like and what questions might come up. It led to a conversation about how much each kid has grown and changed since our first home-study back in August of 2006. Yes, I said 2006. That led to a conversation about life when it was just Momma hangin' out with Shaggy and Dr. D.

Only, they weren't Shaggy or Dr. D back then.

They were my sweet, funny, silly little boys

who never once warned me
that they were gonna grow up

and become MEN, for crying out loud.

But aaaaaanywaaaaaay, Baby BlueEyes loves hearing stories of the stuff those two got into so I told one of my favorite stories....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day, The Boss was hanging out with the two boys in our little duplex in town. They were talking about different words for multiple objects vs. words for singular objects. It got to be a bit of a word game, each boy trying to spit out the answer before his brother could.

The Boss: "What's a big group of birds called?"

One of them piped up, "That's a flock!"

"Well, then, what's a big bunch of cows called?"

"It's a herd, Daddy!"

It went on and on. Till The Boss got a little tricky with his boys.

"Okay. So let me ask you this. . . What is a great big group of people called?"

At the very same moment, with no hesitation, both boys yelled out their answers triumphantly.

Shaggy shouted, "IT'S A PARTY!!!!!"

And Dr. D yelled, "IT'S A FAMILY!!!!"

How cute is that?!

The strange thing is, those particular answers were very true of their personalities for quite a long time. The stranger thing is that, essentially, I think they have flip-flopped since they became teens. It's been one of those parenting conundrums for me.... One of those things that keeps me guessing. It might just be their way of keeping The Boss and I from being too assured of our methodology with this gang. Which, I'm fairly certain, isn't a bad thing.

Forgetting to warn me that they would be growing up into MEN? Well, I would have liked to be in on that decision for sure. I'm pretty sure I would have voted for an extension on the deal.

Have a great Friday everyone!!!!!

Cold Weather Comfort Food

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

LadyBug has been taking a mini-course at school in Latin. Since the marking period ends very soon, the kids are busy doing projects and papers on ancient Roman culture. Last night, as I was helping LadyBug whip up her baking project, it occurred to me that this just might be a brilliant ploy on the part of the Latin teacher. After all, this is now the 3rd baking project I have done with one of my gang members for this class. I'm thinking teachers really like repeat students in situations like this. I mean, what's not to like? This yummy pan of good gooey-ness features all the essentials of the perfect winter comfort food. Especially if you have a sweet tooth! Once our fast is broken, LadyBug will have to make this one again, just for The Gang. Let me know if you make it, and how you like it. Enjoy and try to stay warm today, my friends!

Old RomanApple Cake

Ingredients:

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

3 tsp. bakingpowder

1/2 c. orangejuice
1 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 lg. apples, sliced thin
4 eggs

Cinnamon, forsprinkling

Brown Sugar,for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (exceptapples, cinnamon, and brown sugar) until well blended. Pour 1/2 of batter intoa greased and floured tube pan or 9x13 cake pan.

Sprinkle half the appleson top. Sprinkle some cinnamon over apples. Cover with remaining half ofbatter. Top with other half of apples and sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar onapples.

Bake in a 350 degree ovenfor 1 1/2 hours, testing with a knife after about 55 minutes. Cake is readywhen knife comes out clean but wet.

Allow to cool. Sprinklewith confectioners' sugar to serve.

Wordless Wednesday {or not....)

2012-01-18T06:56:00.000-05:00

During our church's season of prayer and fasting, The Gang decided to give up television together. And when I say "The Gang decided," we all know that I really mean "The Boss and I decided for us all." In the interest of putting aside some of the "noise" of the world around us, we've been encouraging the kids to find other pursuits.

Here's what they did Monday night for a while.

I can't believe no one called Li'l Empress for cheating

by hanging on Shaggy's neck for help!

Let's just say that Shaggy is not nearly

as flexible as he'd like himself to be.

Which suits Dr. D just fine.

He emerged the victor!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

wordless or not,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

And please, stop lurking!

I see you there in the stats, you know.....

An Update on The Progress

2012-01-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, January is our "big push" for paperwork as related to our second adoption journey. I thought you might be interested to hear what we've been doing since the week following Christmas... Not the most exciting post I've ever written, but I'm LOVIN' all the little crossing off I get to do on my checklists. Prices of most documentations haven't changed all that much since we adopted Li'l E but now we have to include Shaggy in most of the process and maybe even Dr. D for some. Working on clarifying the answers for that but here's what we've done so far....

~~Home Study Fee~~ - It's sitting in Mei Mei's savings account as I type! Thank you, Jesus!
~~Preliminary Questions Sheet~~ - Done!
~~Marriage Licenses~~ - Both copies ordered and in hand already!
~~Birth Certificates~~ - All three copies are in hand.
~~Proof of Training~~ - Already submitted to agency and cleared.
~~Prior Home Study~~ - On file with the agency.
Medical Forms - Kids are dropped off at the doc's office, waiting to be called for pick-up. Mine and The Boss's will be delivered to dr. at 4 p.m. this afternoon. Please pray about this one with us - we both are a tad concerned as our dr. wasn't the most compliant sort when we had to do this for Li'l Empress's journey. Twice. :(
Financial Statements - Materials all gathered, waiting to be condensed onto worksheet today or tomorrow and then we need to print them...
~~Police Clearances~~ - Forms submitted on Friday. Think we might need to do one for Dr. D now too.
~~Child Abuse Clearances~~ - Forms submitted on Friday. Think this also needs to include Dr. D now.
FBI Fingerprints - Form submitted and approval for appointment granted. The Boss is looking today for the nearest site so we can knock this off ASAP.
Reference Letters - Sent out five to our closest friends and waiting to hear that at least 4 of the five have been returned. I forgot till now that one of them has to be from a teacher, since we have school-aged kids. Didn't know that detail when I got that done early in December so I'm fixing that today. Ugh.
Proof of Medical/Health Insurance Coverage - The Boss is getting this done...
Verification of Animal Vaccination - Really?! Ugh. Guess I'm going to the vet this week.
Proof of Income - Easy peezy this time of year, letter of employment already in hand, forms being sent by CHOP soon.
Verification of Debt - The Boss compiled that on Saturday.
Verification of Assets - Ditto. I need more ink for the printer before we can officially mark these two things done. Guess I'm going to Walmart while I'm out at the vet!
Financial Worksheet - Ugh. Letting The Boss do this one too!
Proof of Life Insurance Coverage - Copying from files, easy peezy, too.
6 Photos of "Everyday" Life - yeah, ummmm, really need to go get that ink!

Finally, we have our first "tentative" home-study appointment coming up at the end of the month. And the whole family meeting is scheduled for mid-February. We are hoping to make that the last of the four necessary meetings. But to schedule the other two in our agency's office, we're up against the challenge of coordinating The Boss's work demands, my babysitting obligations, and both Shaggy's and Dr. D's activities. Throw in the social worker's similar constraints and you can see the complications we foresee. But we will push through it and it will get done. I am determined!

Oooh, and in a bit of other fun family news, we think we finally have a name. I'm not sure yet how I feel about sharing it, as it is still kind of new to us and we are "trying it out" for a bit. But I will post more about that later. I promise! How's that for another teaser?!

The 3 P's {Purity}

2012-01-13T07:12:00.000-05:00

If you are just popping by today and you didn't get the backstory of my 3 P's, I encourage you to head to yesterday's post (click here!) and check it out first. Hopefully, you'll read the other 2 P's, too. Truthfully, I was hoping for more discourse over these three topics... Are you lurking again?!

"Purity" sure is a hot topic in today's culture, isn't it? Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines "purity" as "the quality or state of being pure," and lists the synonyms of "chasteness, immaculacy, innocence, modesty, and chastity." Huh. Pretty big words. Pretty big concepts. And certainly NOT all directly related to the obvious definitions of purity that come to mind the nanosecond the word is uttered. That's what stuck in my mind when the Lord gave me these 3 P's: "purity" is so much more than staying sexually pure and remaining a virgin until marriage. PURITY is a quality or a state of being. Keep that in mind as you track with me on this one.

Praying for Our Kids' Purity
Pray for your kids to carry a child-like faith and sweetness through all of their days. Pray that the innocence that brings you (and God!) such joy now, while they are young, continues to be a hallmark of their character. As our youth pastor's wife pointed out, we aren't praying for niavete. Rather, we are praying for the choice to remain innocent of the temptations to seek worldliness and "street smarts" that can lead to unhealthy choices and broken, painful consequences. Pray for a tenderness of heart that seems "other-worldly" when compared to our culture's secular understanding of innocence.

Of course, pray for your children to seek moral and physical purity in all of their relationships with others. But you can also ask God for a purity of understanding regarding the God-ordained roles of maleness and femininity. Pray for them to remain unscathed by the input of others that would seek to destroy or beat down the ideals of abstinence, virginity. Ask God to give them opportunities to speak of about the divine healing that is available to those whose innocence has been stripped from them.

Pray for them to rise up and be a generation that honors and promotes God's plan for marriage and family. Pray that they will stand strong in the face of the enemy's attempts to destroy the crucial foundations of our culture. Pray that they seek compassionate responses to the culture around them and act as agents of healing and restoration for those that desire to destroy what God created in the family and in the institute of marriage.

Finally, pray that they would see the world around them through the purity of the lens of The Word. Ask Him to give them eyes to see the things that He sees, the way He sees them, and be moved to speak as a voice of Truth and a seeker of justice for those who are oppressed or hurting or broken. Pray that their hearts be broken by the very things that break God's heart, that they be His hands, His voice, and His heart to the world in which they live. His heart beats with the ultimate purity of heart and we can seek God on behalf of our kids for that heartbeat every day.

Wow. I saved the biggie for last, didn't I? I know it's a potentially controversial conversation for the many different readers I have around here. But no matter. I believe that purity of heart is indeed something for which we should all be seeking God. What Scriptures can you share with us that would help us pray for our kids? I'm interested to hear your take on the topic and how you handle the conversation with your own gang.

The 3 P's {Purpose}

2012-01-12T07:08:00.000-05:00

If you are just popping by today and you didn't get the backstory of my 3 P's, I encourage you to head to Tuesday's post (click here!) and start there.... It'll make more sense if you do, I promise.

When you are the parent of a passel of little bitty treasures, the idea of "Purpose" can feel overwhelming and "too big" around which to wrap your sleep-interrupted, dirty-diaper-focused mind. But as much as I hated to hear it when I was in that baby/toddler/two in diapers stage of my parenting, the years DO fly by. The days of monotonous replays of Barney, Sesame Street, and Dora (rewind, repeat) really do come to an end. And if you don't catch a hold of the Purposes of God for your kids and teach THEM how to grasp that "big idea" also, they will get stuck in their own litany of monotony, only it won't be the all-too-brief season of diaper-changing and baby-rocking. It won't be with the big purple guy and that strange little backpack. It will be with REAL.LIFE. Grown up stuff that won't grow up till they face it. I know you don't want your kids to settle for "less than" purpose-filled, God-ordained, intentional lives. But getting them there requires our diligence and our own catching hold of the purpose for which God has us parenting them. Getting our kids to the point of living fully in their big dreams and passions requires that we teach them and we pray into them the purposes of God.

Praying For Our Kids' Purpose
Ask God to show you some things about the path that He has for your children's futures. Pray for intentionality in their pursuits of His plans. Pray for that pursuit to be based on The Word of God and carried out with integrity and creativity. They have plans for their lives and He knows just how to fit them into the bigger picture of His kingdom and the niche only they can fill within that kingdom.

Pray for healthy and productive child development. Pray that the sequential stages of their development will be productive and useful toward preparing them for the next stage and for their future growth. Each stage of learning that our kids encounter has been put in place by God. He created them and those stages have an important function and "big picture" purpose. It's so tempting to try and rush them through the stages, but instead, try praying them through the stage and asking God to give you a peek into what they are learning. Sometimes, you might even need to pray for a stage again, as often kids "revisit" stages for different reasons or seasons of their lives.

Pray for your children to identify their life purpose(s) in His timing and learn how to continually surrender it to the glory and the honor of Their Creator. Pray that his or her individual purpose supports and contributes well to the Body of Christ at large and to the local church family in which they are planted. Yes, planted even now as kids. We are all created to glorify The Father - and that can be done at any age.

So how about it? Let's chat again. What verses from The Word can help you key in on the purpose of your child's life? I'm anxious to hear from you and can't wait to dig into The Word with you!

The 3 P's {Passion}

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

If you are just popping by today and you didn't get the backstory of my 3 P's, I encourage you to head to yesterday's post (click here!) and check it out first. I don't often name my posts with such disarming titles as "Passion" so things will make more sense if you start there.

I love that God has created each of my Gang members so uniquely and specifically. They are about as different from each other in their unique-ness as snowflakes are from other snowflakes. I love learning about "what makes my kids tick," so to speak. So praying with the focus of Passion is really exciting to me. And while it's likely pretty obvious to most of you what "passion" means in this context, I am going to assume nothing and share with you the definitions and explanations as I feel the Lord shared them with me. It isn't meant to be an exhaustive list, nor is it to be a formula. These are simply the ideas I felt the Lord giving me, here and with the coming "P's" for praying.

What I would LOVE for you to do is read them over and then share what Scriptures come to your mind that help you pray specifically for your own child. I certainly have my own favorite verses when praying for my kids but I love hearing others' views on The Word and how they use it as a tool for strengthening their family.

Praying for Our Kids' Passion
Pray for your kids to know early and intimately WHO they are in Christ. Pray that they know how passionate their Creator is for them and how BIG He dreams for their lives. Pray that you be able to communicate to them how BIG you dream for them, as an extension of those dreams their Heavenly Father has for their life's journey.

Pray that God would show them early what passions HE has woven into their being. These passions obviously include their natural gifts and talents, but can also be their temperament, their life's work, their calling or vocation, and even their hobbies. Pray that as they discover more about how God has wired them, they would also learn how to submit those gifts to His leading. Pray for protection against pride or arrogance that can come with God-given talents or traits. Pray for blossoming of these passions to be in His timing and in accordance with His plan for their lives, both here and now AND in their big, beautiful futures.

Finally, pray for Him to be glorified in the growing and developing AND in implementing of these passions. Pray that He teach you how to teach them that it's all for Him. All of it.

So how about it? What comes to your mind when praying for your kid's passions? I'm anxious to hear from you and can't wait to dig into The Word with you!

The 3 P's

2012-01-10T14:23:00.003-05:00

Over the past 3-4 months, the Lord has been showing me how I need to be more intentional in my prayers regarding my kids. I feel like I did such a great job when the three older kids were pre-schoolers and elementary-age, in keeping my focus on covering them with prayer, teaching them to pray, and seeking the Lord as to how to pray for them. I commented to a friend today, that poor Li'l Empress is probably walking around with big holes in her parental prayer umbrella. How's that for a spiritual metaphor?!

But sadly, it's not that far off of the truth. The intentional training and disciplined focus I had to have when the older kids were really young has made way for their own spiritual disciplines. It's as it should be. For the older kids. However, it doesn't address the fact that we still have two younger kids (and one on the way!) that still need to learn how to pray, that still need active, illustrative modeling to "catch it" for themselves.

So one of the things that I'm asking the Lord to change in me during this season of prayer and fasting is my prayer life for my kids. Back in November and early December, when I was really feeling pressed to the wall by the Holy Spirit over this issue, I also knew that the church was gearing up for this annual focused time of prayer. And it really helps that I lead a Moms' Group at our church and I wanted our January meetings to share the same mission and focus that is going on church-wide. With all that in mind, I asked God to lead me to His plan for me and for the moms' group I lead. I felt like the Lord gave me a neat tool for praying with focus over our kids.

I'm sharing it here because I know I cannot be the only mom in bloggity-world that loses the "ooomph" to pray for her kids once in a while. And I know that I'm not the only mom that wants it simple and accessible... After all, if there's a big long formula or complicated process I have to access, I'm likely to shoot off one of those generic, "Bless the kids today and help them be a good friend today" kind of prayers every morning when I'm sending them out into that big world outside my doors.

Not that there's anything wrong with that prayer,
but really, with all our kids face and all that God dreams for them to become,
there is truly so much more to it than that.

I am NOT dissing generic prayers. Honest.

Here's what I call "The 3 P's of Praying for our Kids."

Praying for Our Kids' Passion

Praying for Our Kids' Purpose

Praying for Our Kids' Purity

Ooooh, are you intrigued yet?! Hang on.... this is just a teaser! You have to come back over the next few days to see what each one means! And when you do, please be ready to share in the comments some of your thoughts and maybe even some great Scripture references about how you might go about praying for that theme to be accomplished in your children's lives.

I'm really hoping that this little series of mine sparks some great idea swapping and spiritual encouragement for us all!

HINT, HINT!!!!!!

Pray

2012-01-09T07:01:00.000-05:00

The other day, my son came home with a sad story of a young man he knows. This young man has likely the hardest life experiences my son has encountered among his peers, so far. As he related his new friend's life-story to The Boss and I, my mind was racing. My heart was breaking. I could see the sorrow in my son's eyes. I could hear it in his voice. I was immediately transported back to a similar conversation with my own mother regarding the brokenness I was starting to recognize in my own group of friends back in high school. There were actually many of these conversations in the years I lived at home.After all, brokenness is everywhere around us. We see pain every single day, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Whether we choose to be involved with it or not.

As I listened to my son, I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for his response to the experience and his response to his friend. He admitted that his first instinct is to step up and figure out how to help his friend fix the various scenarios related in their conversation. But just as quickly, he admitted that he knows there is nothing he can do to fix anything. That his friend, in many ways, is just as powerless to fix the situations he must endure. It's not a comfortable position for this son to face; he is much like his dad in that way.

We listened to his heart coming through the conversation and I couldn't help but think what a treasure it is: that he gets to come home to us and share what he experiences. And what a blessing it is that he can have these first glimpses into the brokenness of the world in which we live while he is still home with us, his safety net. What a privilege that is, to be able to provide that for our child.

It was such a good reminder to me, that our kids are faced everyday with such hard, painful, broken circumstances all around us. We have to be intentional about creating a safe place for them to unload the hurt and learn how to surrender it while learning that they likely will never be the ones to fix it. We can't take that lightly - no matter what environment our kids face each day, they will encounter broken people. Some have gaping wounds and are hemorrhaging fast. Some have tiny cuts and scratches and walk around feeling bruised all the time. Some have internal bleeding that no one catches until it seems as if it is too late. And sometimes, our kids, our kids who have healthy, loving, safe homes are the only ones to whom these broken people will turn.

Being the "mom" that I am, I made sure my son knew that this friend was welcome in our home and at our dinner table, should that be a need we could meet together. Then I asked him how he left things with his friend. He said that really all he could do was listen and accept his story. And then he said the thing that made me tear up. He said, "I just finally asked him how I could pray for him.There isn't really anything else I can do."

And that my friends, is really what it is all about. THAT, my friends, is what we are to be doing ourselves. While I know that there was a certain amount of frustration in my son's heart at the lack of action to be taken on behalf of this friend, I also know that he is learning a crucial life lesson. We cannot fix the broken around us. We cannot. But we can pray. And we can leave them in the hands of The One who mends broken hearts. We can give them our love, our acceptance, our support, our help. But for true healing, for true repair, we are powerless. Until we pray.

Today, our church family launches a 21-day season of prayer and fasting. This conversation with my son will be ringing in my ears for the whole 21 days. I have many things I want to see God do in me over these three weeks. I cannot make any of these things happen. I cannot move the mountains in my life, nor in the lives of those that I love. But I can pray. And so I will. I'm planning for these next three weeks of posts to be my reflections on that journey. I'd love for you to share your heart and your experiences as I reflect on what God is saying during this time.

Let's pray.

Can I Call a Re-Do?

2012-01-06T12:16:00.001-05:00

Well, this week hasn't been AT ALL what I'd hoped it would be.... Knocked off my game by a nasty head cold, I've spent most of the week huddling up with a blanket, a box of tissues, and an editing project. Mugs upon mugs of tea have been consumed. Vicks has been rubbed. Sudafed has been my BFF. And while I've immensely enjoyed digging in to wrap up this particular editing project, I'm frustrated that I've not been able to summon the energy to complete my new year's kick-off "mission."

I had this week off from child-care duties, kind of a bonus week of Christmas break. My lofty plans were to tackle some of the paperwork for the home-study prep for Mei Mei's adoption. And to dig in and tackle some of the little pockets of disorganization that exist here in The Gang's house. I figured, with Li'l Empress off to pre-school three mornings and nothing else on my calendar, the time frames would be just perfect. You know, a shot in the arm of cleaning and sorting without slaving away at it all five days of the new year. I had several drawer and a couple cabinets on my hit list, along with my dresser and closet lined up that I thought would fit the bill. Especially since they are locales that I can't really get to with extra little ones underfoot during the day.

So, I'm going to have to figure out another plan of attack for those areas. I must be feeling better - I'm beginning to view those little pockets as terrorist cells lurking in the landscape of my home. That's always a good sign. And the paperwork?! Well, it's been warned. I'm coming for it, too.

I'm calling a re-do.

I hereby declare January 9th the new New Year.

Booyah!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T11:18:00.002-05:00

My favorite pictures of the holiday season.

He has created a whole new persona

with the gift of this new robe.

I love this kid!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Leave me a comment and I'll come by to say hi!

Starting It Right!

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

For Christmas this year, several of The Gang members got new Bibles. I think it's one of my favorite gifts to give my kids. I especially loved Li'l Empress's reaction to her new big girl Bible. Look at her - she opened it and dove right in, telling me that she was readin' her new Bible, "jus like Sissy does."

We had to pull her out of it to keep the gift exchange moving before church that morning. It was so cute and she was thrilled with the promise that Mommy and Daddy would read it with her for bedtimes every night. She is holding us to it, too!

This morning, I let Li'l E sleep in as long as she wanted. I'm feeling quite run-down and congested with this head cold, so I figured the rest was good for both of us. When she finally woke, well after 8:30, the conversation went something like this:

"Good morning, Li'l E. How did you sleep?"

"I slept good, Mommy. Where is da kids?"

"Well, they all left for school already. You slept a really long time. They had to get on their buses."

"Oh. Okay! Mommy!"

(She wakes so cheery, it's almost annoying when I'm un-caffeinated. Or sick.)

"Li'l E, is it okay with you if I hop in the shower now, before you go downstairs for your juice? I'll be quick but I think I need a hot shower to make my head feel better."

(You know, to break up all the snot and nonsense

that is threatening to catapult my eyes

out of my head at high velocity. Heh.)

"Oh! Sure! Mommy! A, a, a, a, and, I'll bring my Bible! And read it in you room! Okay?!"

Yeah. She really said that. With all those exclamations. The girl sure knows how to start a day.

And how to remind Momma what is right and good.

Gotta love that about her.

"Stuff"-Mart

2012-01-02T06:58:00.000-05:00

Most of you who know me well know that I have an extreme love for, bordering on obsession with, organizing my home and keeping it free of "stuff." I like to purge our possessions frequently.

I like it even more if I can talk about the purging of said possessions

in front of my sister, who really hates the word "purge." Heh.

Anyhoo, most of you also know that we are hustling to raise funds for our ongoing adoption process. I have purposed to really contribute creatively toward those fundraising efforts. And the Lord has graciously provided. That little Adoption Jar is filling regularly! I am working a part-time job babysitting for a friend's two little ones. I have done some editing and some proof-reading for a couple folks. I have participated in consumer survey projects, with both big and little pay-offs attached. We have re-adjusted our budget with an eye toward tighter belts and cash-only spending. I have sold countless articles of furniture and clothing on cr@igslist and an online yard sale community I joined recently. And I have scoured sidewalks in local neighborhoods and sold stuff that other folks just put out for the trash pick up. I can't believe the stuff folks put out for trash pick up.

Oh, man, I found a coffee table that was so gorgeous,

it was super tempting to keep it for our family room!

But the Lord blessed us with a sale of $45 pure profit

over that one and I'm so glad He led me to it.

Which brings me to the point of today's post. Because bringing home our mei-mei is going to be a HUGE focus of these early months of 2012. And I think some of you might be able to help. Especially my fairly local peeps.

I know that typically after the holidays, many folks get the bug to clean out their attics, garages, closets, toy boxes and more. And I know that most of the stuff that gets pulled out ends up in a big bag or box for the local Goodwill or Salvation Army, etc. I wonder if you might rethink that choice this purging season, on behalf of the Gang's adoption jar? I wonder if you might consider "donating" that same stuff that you pulled out of your home so that I can sell it and further contribute to the efforts to fill up that little Adoption Jar o' mine?

I'm more than happy to work out delivery and/or pick-up. I'll do my best to make it as convenient as possible for anyone who is generous enough to give up their "stuff" for the efforts. I only ask that it be stuff that is "sale-worthy" to maximize the opportunities to add to the jar. Otherwise, my living room will start to look like the Stuff-Mart frequented by Madame Blueberry and her very veggie and fruity friends... which would seriously defeat the purpose, eh?

If you aren't local, then I ask again for your long-distance prayers. This adventure is a big one (which many of you know first, second, and third hand...) and we can use all the support we get as we keep stepping forward in faith. In the coming days, I hope to summarize for you all exactly where we are in the paper-chase, so that you might pray for us more specifically!

I thank you in advance for your considerations. You, my faithful readers, are some of the very best benefits of this journey we are following again! We feel so humbled and grateful for those of you who have become friends and family along the way.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to you all!

May the Lord fill your hearts and your homes with His presence and His joy.

May His path for you be well-lit by His Word and His dreams for you be HUGE.

Thank you for your faithful readership.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to more regular writing.

God is doing much in The Gang's life and I can't wait to share it as we go!

With Love From The Gang

(back row, left to right: The Gang's Momma, Shaggy, Dr. D, The Boss, & Li'l Empress)

(front row, left to right: Baby BlueEyes & LadyBug)

Wordless Wednesday (finally, I'm back!)

2011-12-07T07:53:00.001-05:00

Every year, my father-in-law carves ornaments for the kids.

Each ornament is a kind of "living history"

documenting the kids' current interests and hobbies.

This year, as with every year,

he totally nailed it for the littles!

Perry The Platypus

will be adorning our tree and surreptitiously

scoping the area for signs of

the evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz.

I feel much safer now.

Big sister Candace will be keeping an eye

on the hijinx of younger brothers Phineas and Ferb.

Just like LadyBug does!

And! Kai Lan! will make sure that all her

super! duper! friends! are

Super! HAPPY!

(Isn't that reaction by Li'l Empress PRICELESS?!)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

And don't worry, none of the moms keep

it truly wordless every week :)

Ahoy, or Should I Say Yoha!!!!

2011-12-06T07:02:00.000-05:00

The other night, Dr. D and I were watching a late night college football game. We were talking about some of his favorite college teams and the "greats" of the sport that those schools have produced. I recalled a story of a player from many years ago who had been spotlighted regarding his struggles with ADD and dyslexia, so Dr. D was googling him and trying to find out who I meant.

In his searching, he came upon a list of famous folks, celebrities and the like, who deal with dyslexia. The list was quite extensive and we chatted about the names as he read them to me. Some of the names included notables like Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom, Sir Richard Branson and more. He was as surprised as I to read just how many folks have overcome such learning struggles as dyslexia.

After just a couple seconds of reading over the site, he said, "You know this list includes the three major actors in the Pirates of the Carribbean series. Johnny Depp, Kiera Knightly, and Orlando Bloom."

"Yeah. How 'bout that? What a funny coincidence," I said sleepily. After all, it was nearing midnight and my brain felt fuzzy.

He lifted his arm in the air (as if hefting a sword), smiled cheekily at me and said, "hgraAAA!"

One Last Giveaway To Share

2011-12-02T06:58:00.000-05:00

I have one final giveaway to spotlight for you. This, too, is a great way to invest in someone else while shopping for yourself or entering to win the goodies. As the mom of a former China Care girly, I'm especially tickled that China Care's partner organization, Half the Sky, will be one of the recipients of the blessings of your investments.

Here's the fancy-dancy button on which to click.

And please, click away - there's some truly great stuff in store for this giveaway. Read all about it in this post and get to clicking and commenting! The first post of the giveaway went live earlier this week and has already been awarded, but you should be able to get in on at least day two or three and go from there.... Have fun!

Another Great Giveaway

2011-12-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty excited about this particular giveaway - first, because it's an awesome way to shop for gifts that have incredible meaning and purpose behind them. From moms trying to help support their family, to families creating and crafting to bring home adoptive children, and more - the gifts featured here are DOING DOUBLE DUTY!

And second? Well, it's opened a whole new world to me... Can we say ETSY?!

(I know, I know, I'm so behind. Sheesh, I can't be up on EVERY trend.)

(And right now, as I typed that, I'm realizing I'm not up on ANY trends. But anyhooooo.....)

So, head over to Purposeful Giveaways and click away.

There's some beautiful things there and while you are clicking and commenting, take a moment to pray for the family that is creating the gifts you are trying to win. And pick out something special for your loved ones. Your support will be priceless to them, I promise!

Just in Case....

2011-11-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a little break from the holiday giveaway links, because I just realized the date AND because I just realized I hadn't shared it here earlier.... Time's a tickin' for this one.

As many of you know, The Boss and I began another adoption journey last year about this time. It's been slow going, as our "must-do-now" bathroom project took over our little nest egg that we'd been planning for the first few steps of the journey. I've been selling tons of stuff, donations from friends and things we have purged and cleaned out from our own belongings for a while now and we're finally feeling like this process is going somewhere now. I've also been looking around for some creative and purposeful ways to raise money for our documentation fees and travel expenses.

Recently, I got connected with a Pampered Chef consultant who was willing to work with me on a fundraiser sale. Basically, it's an on-line sale and a percentage of the sales will be translated into a monetary donation directly to our adoption agency in our family's name. Additionally, I'm hosting a party here in my home on Friday night, Dec. 2nd at 7 p.m. If you are local, I'd love for you to come out and join the fun. Free food, a chocolate fountain, and some great weeknight meal ideas will be on the agenda.

So, just in case you are interested in a little

Pampered Chef with a purpose,

click here to be taken to the link.

The show will close on Monday, December 5th.

(Really, I can't believe I waited this long to blog about it!)

If you have questions about the shows, please contact me via email (in my profile).

It's A Tradition!

2011-11-29T10:58:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I know I've not been around much lately. I've had lots to say and precious little time or energy to say it all, thanks to a change-of-season cold that has been whipping my butt and the little hineys of The Gang plus 2 around here! I'm woefully behind in reading some of my favorite blogs, participating in the holiday fun, and linking up to give-aways and such. So, to ease myself back to the routine of blogging, I am sharing some fun holiday links this week.This first one is a tradition that many Mommy Bloggers anxiously wait for and I'm no different. I've won some pretty cool stuff over the years and I'm excited to share the 5 Minutes for Mom Christmas Giveaway 2011! Head over there TODAY or TOMORROW cuz the fun wraps up on November 30th!!!!

Good luck - there's some mighty cool stuff over there to try for!

Book Review of I Don't Have Your Eyes

2011-11-18T06:58:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, I was presented an opportunity to review a book for EMK Press. Since this particular book has been on my "wish list" for some time now, I jumped at the chance to receive it and check it out with Li'l Empress.

When my complimentary copy of I Don't Have Your Eyes arrived in my mailbox, I was DELIGHTED to see it in hardcover. I am a huge fan of beautiful children's books and collect them in hardcover whenever possible. So upon opening the much-anticipated story book, I was already very excited about the prospects this story would hold for us.

And the book did not disappoint.

I read through it first by myself, as Li'l Empress was napping when it arrived. Frankly, because I couldn't wait. I mean, it has been on my "wish list" for a while. Did I mention that?

I found my first read-through to be very touching. The illustrations, first of all, are just beautiful. Realistic, artistic, and very inviting. Each face seems so warm. The "child's eye-level" view of kneeling knees, the big shoes and little shoes, the daddy braiding hair... all of these illustrations complement the text just perfectly. If this book had been picked up by my Li'l Empress before we'd had a chance to read it to her, I've no doubt in my mind that there would have been some great connections made by how the differences between characters were presented visually.

As for the text of the story, I found its simplicity to be the most charming thing about the whole book. Again, on my own reading, I actually felt a little choked up at the tenderness of the observations of the differences between the child and the parent. They were such real things that kids point out to themselves and each other every day. I was quite anxious to read it to Li'l Empress and see where the story pointed her conversations.

At this point, I must add that I am a mom to five kids. My older four bio kids have some strong similarities among them and Li'l Empress is, so far, the only child in our home of a completely different ethnic background. And she has been noticing it a lot lately. Mostly in sweet, funny observations that give us plenty of time to think ahead about the more serious questions that we know will be coming. So, I was thrilled that the appearance of this new book (and truthfully, the pouring rain outside!) prompted Baby BlueEyes to sit with Li'l Empress and I for our first reading of the story. He is, in appearance and in temperament, the most different from Li'l Empress so I was interested to read the story with both of them.

And again, the book did not disappoint.

The three of us giggled and laughed our way through the story, pausing to talk about all the little and big differences the story sparked as Li'l Empress made connections between herself and the characters:

Li'l Empress's little ear and big ear

(Li'l Empress was born with right ear Microtia)

Li'l Empress's shiny black hair and LadyBug's long brown hair

Li'l E's soft dark hands and Momma's scratchy white hands

(yes, I know. I need some Swiss Formula!)

Dr. D's great big huge feet and Li'l E's tiny feet

Li'l E's big black-brown eyes and Baby BlueEye's sky-blue eyes

The book led to some of the sweetest and funniest talks we've had to date, about how we all look very different on the outside. It was precious, really. And very age appropriate for the stage that Li'l Empress is in, at four years old. Baby BlueEyes was making some deeper connections, about adoptions and mixed race families, but they were all on track and really interesting to discuss together.

I think the book does a great job using simple observations kids make about the differences between the people in their lives and catapulting it into points of connection about the really important things of life. Principles like "taking one step at a time" and "lifting spirits with a song" and "giving thanks" all build together to validate the old adage that "It's what's inside that counts," and "in our hearts we are the same."

As a mom of five incredibly unique and very different-from-each-other kids, that message is one that I embrace and can camp upon while parenting them toward the path that the Lord has for their futures.

Thank you, to EMK Press,

for the complimentary copy

of this book and the opportunity to review it.

Rock and a Hard Place

2011-11-17T11:09:00.001-05:00

At dinner the other night, I served some Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, some fresh steamed broccoli, and some garden salad to go along with our grilled salmon and noodles. And I served them, knowing full well that the only veggie offered that all 5 kids can even half-heartedly agree upon as potentially edible would be the salad.

Now, I'm sure you've had similar conversations around your table, but this particular one just got me....

Setting the side dishes on the table, "Guys, tonight you need to choose two veggies. Period."

Upon spying the choices on the table, Dr. D groaned and hung his head. The other kids perked up and looked to see what got him so distraught.

They all looked at each other in dismay. Truly. It was dismay, plain and simple.

The Boss and I couldn't help but grin at each other. Heh. Sometimes I love being a mom.

Yes, I know. That's evil.

But please. Sometimes, the only fun we get

around here is torturing our kids.

With healthy food options, nonetheless.

I know. We are such cruel parents.

Go ahead. Call Children's Services.

Snort....

We sat down, bowed our heads together while Li'l Empress prayed one of her "Grandpa Ed" prayers over the meal, and settled in for the meal.

I noticed that the kids weren't exactly looking around or making eye contact. With me. Or with the side dishes at the middle of the table.

So I reminded them, "Guys, tonight you need two veggies. Salad, broccoli or Brussels Sprouts."

Dr. D looked up at the offerings, looked at me, and hung his head again, "Man. Choosing from those options is like choosing how I want to die."

Really.

Dramatic much?

Rearing Its Ugly Head

2011-11-14T19:45:00.001-05:00

We are in a tough season with Li'l Empress. There's no other way of saying it - it just is what it is.

Separation anxiety is rearing its ugly head in her little heart and mind once again. Drop-offs at Sunday school have grown more painful, with feelings of increasing anxiety leading from the time she starts getting dressed all the way up to the actual dropping off and signing in at the door of the class. Drop-offs at pre-school are increasing in difficulty also.

For two Sundays in a row now, I've had to stop at the doorway of the nursery (on the way back out to the sanctuary) to compose myself. Her tears and cries for Momma are heart-breaking to hear.

In my head, I know that this revisiting of the stage is developmentally normal. Age-appropriate, life-experience appropriate. Even "adjusted age" appropriate. It's normal... the other kids did it at 3 and 4, too. In my head I know that.

In my head, I know I've done all I can do to prepare her, assure her, and then prove to her that Daddy and I will be back to get her. In my head, I know she is safe and well-cared for. In my head, I know that SHE knows she is safe and well-cared for.

But it doesn't make her tears and cries for Momma any LESS heart-breaking.

Nor does it make this stage any less exhausting.

Which, ironically, I think might actually be making this stage last longer than it needs to last.

(It might also just feel like it's lasting longer than it needs to last. I know that too.)

Because I am finding myself much less patient with her constant need for reassurances as we're walking down the hall to Sunday School.

Because I'm finding myself snapping at her barrage of questions about who is in charge in her class room and who will pick her up when church is over.

Because I find myself bristling every time she asks me who will be the drop-off teacher at the pre-school line.

Because I find myself so.over.the.drama. that all of the reassurances and questions and crying are creating.

Like just now.

She just came to me, asking who was going to be putting her to bed tonight. She interrupted my train of thought, asked it in a whiny, nervous tone, and I didn't hear her at first. So she asked again. On the verge of tears at the thought that the answer might be Daddy instead of Mommy.

I heard it that time. And because I was being interrupted. Again. For the same basic reason as so many other interruptions in these last 5 weeks. I snapped at her. I told her to ask me again later. That I didn't want to talk about bedtime so far before bedtime.

The irony is that while I'm this tired and worn out from the constancy of this need, what she needs the most to move past this scary-to-her part of the need is my gentle, tender reassurances and patience. She needs me to be present and to validate her feelings while taking the time to allay her fears and insecurities. My impatience and snappish-ness is just making her more nervous and uncertain.

So, I stop what I'm doing. I stop thinking about what I know she needs, about what I know I've done to meet those needs, and I do it. I just do it.

I'm pretty sure that what I was doing (typing out a blog post) WAS going to translate to something brilliant here. But the brilliance is gone.

That's okay, it was fleeting and likely not as brilliant as I'd like to think it was, I'm sure. It rarely is.

Instead, there's soft hugs, back rubbing, and tender whispers of love and constancy.

Praying while I whisper of the constancy of our presence and our love.

Of The Father's Love.

Fighting back the ugly head of her anxieties. Slaying the dragon of insecurity once more, vanquishing its hold for another day.

And trusting that there is brilliance in that.

It's a New Era

2011-11-11T07:11:00.001-05:00

A big, big change has happened in The Gang's House. And while I know the change is for the better, for a right start to a big future, it's NOT a change I have embraced easily.

Most of you know by now that Shaggy is a senior. That Shaggy is a licensed driver. And that Shaggy is a hard worker, with his sights set forward toward the plans that God has for him. We are extraordinarily proud of the young man that Shaggy is. We are thrilled to dream with him for the destiny God has set out before him. Last week, he took another step in pursuing that future. He got his first "real" job, with a schedule, training hours, a paycheck. And yes, taxes, too.

Tonight is his first shift. He's joining the world of retail fast food.

Though I am usually not excited about these big changes that mean my gang members are growing up so quickly, I must admit a teensy little thrill of excitment over this part of the change. I hear tell that Ch!k-F!l-@ has some mighty awesome milkshakes. I'm thinking Shaggy needs to let his Momma test that theory for herself one of these afternoons. His treat. I'll take it in payment for the taxi fare.

But I digress..... Back to the change.....

Last night, he took the biggest step of all in toward in chasing this new era of his life.

He got a hair cut.

Sigh.

I say it all the time.

This boy has some great hair.

Good-bye lovely long shaggy locks.

Off the collar, layered.

Neat and tidy for the retail fast-food industry specs.

And just way too grown up looking for this momma.

Sigh.

Those had better be some darned good milkshakes.

I don't think the nuggets will be comfort enough.

Her Own Little Twist

2011-11-03T08:25:00.003-04:00

Over the many years of parenting this Gang o' mine, we've had lots of fun little traditions and routines that all the kids count on, things that have become almost like muscle memory for us.

One of my favorites has been the After! Bath! Hooo-ha! that The Boss and I put on for the kids when they were little. The smelling of the hair. The snuggling in new clean jammies. The smelling of the lotion-scented baby skin. The smelling of the hair. The exclamations and appropriate outbursts of joy to accompany said smellings and snugglings. Ooooh, who doesn't love the smell of a freshly shampoo'd little one, all warm and snuggled in their arms?

Sadly, mostly all my gang members are far too grown up for this little ritual. When one of them comes down freshly showered now, I have to be content with pathetically leaning in just to catch a whiff of the freshness. I miss the over! the! top! excitement of Saturday bath night that much.

Well, okay. I just miss the snuggling and "Smew my haiw" clamors for attention. I don't miss the chaos of running four little ones through the bath routine before crashing on the couch in exhaustion.

Apparently, Li'l E loves the little ritual of smelling freshly shampoo'd hair and snuggling with soft, lotion'd skin more than I realized. She has taken the routine to a new level.

This morning, while I was showering, she came in to greet me. It went a little bit like this:

Knock, knock, knock.

(Can I pause here and tell you what a MILESTONE it is that she can stop, knock, and be content to wait for bidding to enter?! You moms who have had little ones with separation anxiety will GET that. Can I get a WOOT?!)

"Come in."

Perky. Chipper. "Good! MORNING! Momma!"

From the steam and rush of the shower, "Good morning sweetie. Do you need to go potty?"

"Nope. I aweady wented."

"Did you just come in to say hello?"

"Yup. Are you takin a showah?"

She spent a few seconds watching herself in the mirror and then making faces at me through the glass shower doors, giggling at herself and chattering away.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Li'l E?"

"When you are done yoh showah, can I smell you?"

"Ummm, sure? Really? You wanna smell Mommy?"

Several minutes later, I toweled dry and shook out my hair. I bent over and stuck my hair in her face, "There. Smell my hair. All clean."

"Yes, but can I smell dere?"

Ummm, not sure where this is going... "Uh, here? My shoulder?"

"Yes. Yoh showder. I want to smell your showder."

Long, exaggerated, sniff, followed by a deep, contented sigh (she is SUCH a drama queen!), "Mmmmmm, Mommy! YOU! SMELL! GWEAT! SO! CLEAN!"

With that, she spun around, left the bathroom and went off to find her brother.

I guess I passed the smell test.

I'm so relieved.

I'm a Contributor!

2011-11-02T06:57:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that one of my recent posts has been selected for posting over at We Are Grafted In. I've recommended the site to many of you before and I'm so honored to now be counted as a contributor. I even got this handy-dandy little button to sport on my sidebar for my efforts.

I'd love for you to go over and check out the wonderful things written there about the journey of adoptive families. And if you have a minute, read my post too.

Oh, and I looooooove me some comments...

You know, once you are over there.

If you have the extra time.

And you don't mind sharing your thoughts.

Pretty please.

Oh! The! Drama!

2011-10-27T09:25:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was miserable here.

The morning was cool, humid, cloudy and dreary.

Li'l Empress and Little Gal were in MOOOO -OOOOODS to match.

I pulled the oldest mommy trick out of my bag o' tricks

and set them up for (at least) a few minutes of drama free fun.

Who doesn't love an old-fashioned blanket fort?!

Don't let those sweet smiles fool you.

The drama runneth over yesterday.

All. morning. long.

This distraction only bought me about 1/2 hour

of peaceful relations between warring nations.

Oy.

Little Guy was totally oblivious to the drama.

All he cares about is the fire truck that rumbles

and blares its siren.

Oh, and the garbage truck.

That one makes really cool crunching noises.

They fascinate him.

It's a good thing nap time comes at the same time every day.

I'm happy to say that both girls woke with new moods.

Dramatically different moods.

Heh. It might have been the "come to Jesus" meeting

and prayer revival I hosted after lunch.

Here's to a drama free day. Enjoy yours!

Expectations...

2011-10-25T07:04:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot of conversation around here lately about expectations. It seems to me that whenever there is a season of change, conversations about expectations are not far behind. The relationship between change and expectation is a curious link for me. As it turns out, we are in quite the season for all of it:

Preparing and planning for child #6

Two kids heading back to public school for the first time in two years,

Momma working at home four days a week,

Shaggy praying about his post-high school plans

and so much more change than I can even list here

I find the adjusting of expectations to be a difficult thing. When my expectations are adjusted even in the the nicest possible way, I balk. (Don't we all? Or is that just me?!) When my expectations are adjusted in an unexpected, or worse, a rude or thoughtless manner, I fold. I retreat. I crumble a bit inside. I suspect that it's the same for many of you. (If it's not, don't tell me, I prefer to think I'm not alone in this. Thanks!)

Recently, I had a situation of dashed expectations that was painful. While The Boss was not surprised at the outcome but I think he was a little surprised at my adjustment and my retreat. He couldn't figure out why I was surprised at the outcome. (Marriage is such an interesting dynamic for the conversation about expectations, isn't it?) I'm not being vague to be coy, I'm being vague because the situation itself is a rather universal, almost mundane one, especially now that I am several weeks out from it. But it left me thinking a LOT about adjusting expectations.

You see, I know that I have high expectations of myself, my family, my kids. Of my relationships and my ability to navigate in healthy ways through them. I also know that my expectations are usually rather rosy, idealistic, even "Polly-anna-ish." I tend to be the "glass- half-full" in our home - I expect positive outcomes even from my highest expectations. To be truthful, I kinda like my high expectations. I think they keep me moving forward. Trying. While I know that those expectations won't always pan out in that rosy manner, I am loathe to talk myself into expecting differently. The Boss doesn't always get this, as he's more of a realist than I and gently reminded me that expecting a change or a growth in this particular issue was kind of setting myself up for disappointment. For a couple days, I agreed with him. While I was nursing my hurt feelings and frustration.

But by the time I'd prayed through my feelings, I decided that I don't really want to expect something different to come of these dynamics. Even if "something different" was exactly what happened. I don't want to stop expecting growth and maturity. From myself or from my relationships. It feels too much like lowering my expectations.

To be clear, I do understand that unrealistic expectations in relationships or in any other area of life can set me up (and those I with whom I am in relationship) for more than disappointment. It can lead to failure and to destruction and wounding. That is not the kind of expectation of which I am speaking.

Being an adult in an adult world brings with it all kinds of expectations for growth, very often triggered by a call to change. At work, at school, in community organizations - expectations of growth are everywhere. To take it a step further, I am a believer in The Gospel of Jesus Christ: the greatest written set of high expectations and urgings for change that exist! As I sit and think about the teaching in the Word that I have received and the reading and studying that I do on my own time, I hear My Father speak to me all the time of the need to change. To grow. To expect that He will show me where I need to grow. To expect that He will do the work of that expectation, if you will. It hurts, it takes work, but it's in the Word. Right? Does this make sense to anyone else out there?!

In times when my expectations are disappointed (either by other fallible folks in my life or by my own unreasonable or unhealthy desires), I need to grow through that, too. Make no mistake, it hurts when my unreasonableness is spotlighted. It hurts when people disappoint me. It hurts when I think things could be different and they end up being the same. But I need to press on (not fold!), figure out what the appropriate adjustment is, and let the rest of the unpleasant or painful parts of it go. I'm learning about myself that I have a long way to go in that area. I tend to take into my heart all of it, and even let it linger and wound. In this season of so much change, I'm facing that truth about myself and being set free by the revelation that My Father doesn't intend me to take on the pain of someone else's mishandling of healthy expectations.

And I get to do it all with five sets of little eyes watching me. I am expected to teach my kids about The Father's expectations of them, our expectations of them, and about handling those expectations. I need to be about the business of teaching my kids to have expectations of themselves, reasonable AND excellent, because that is what the Word says they are capable of. I am learning to let them see my process and talk to them about it as I am growing. And when one of my gang is struggling with his or her own failed expectations, as much as it hurts, I have to learn to let them navigate their own balance of learning and healing.

Expectations are everywhere. Never more so than when change is looming on the horizon. My heart for my journey of faith is to let Him mold my expectations and let Him dictate what is Truth when I face disappointments of my expectations and what is not. I believe He created me with a mindset toward high expectations. It's part of my wiring. I don't want to let go of what His expectations are in me. As my gang watches me grapple with the process, I can only pray that they learn the healthy balance and journey forward in a quest for their own balance.

But I sure hope that they learn to expect that the balance will always change. Isn't that the way of it?!

Rare and Treasured

2011-10-24T06:57:00.000-04:00

After a jam-packed week and a serious "run-around" errand day, our Friday night was very slow-paced and peaceful around here. A rare and treasured moment was in the making.

The older two boys were off at Homecoming festivities at the high school. The middle two were snuggled up (separately, of course!) on the living room couch with blankets and pillows, watching a two-hour special of Extreme Home Makeover with The Boss. I was wrapped up in my blanket, steeping in a good book in the family room. And Li'l E was bouncing between the two rooms, checking to make sure I was still 'dere" when she tired of sitting still on the other couch.

The last time she peeked into the family room, I beckoned her over and pulled her onto my lap. I had turned the tv on by then, catching myself up on my dvr'd shows. As she lay down on my chest, I started playing with her hair and rubbing her back. In less than 10 minutes, her breathing had slowed and her body was going limp. The Boss caught the sweet moment for me on camera.

It's rare that she slows down enough to let me snuggle her this long. Let alone long enough to fall asleep. Even her bedtime routine has become so "grown up." She refuses help with her jammies, she pulls down her own covers. She arranges all her little buddies just.so. all by herself. I am not allowed to help. She climbs into her bed and says, "No sank you" oh, so politely! when I ask her to sit and rock in the chair with me first. She is so independent. So determined to be "a big girl" just like her big sister, that she rarely allows for this kind of "babying," even when I know she may need it. And lately, it really feels like she has desperately needed it.

Babysitting for Little Gal and Little Guy has been good for her, on many levels. She has a built-in playmate with Little Gal almost every day. She gets to exercise all her little mommy skills and dote on Little Guy, who just laps it all up. She's learning to share, to compromise, to play cooperatively, to negotiate, and more. But, as with all good learning experiences, there have been some difficult moments for her little heart along the way.

She is still not sure about sharing Mommy. Even when she knows that they are going home at the end of the day, even when she knows that Fridays are her "mommy daughter dates." Even though she knows that she belongs here and they are just visiting. Knowing it and feeling it are two different things. When they are here, she tends to be more sensitive, less tolerant, and even sometimes a bit passive aggressive in her resistance to my "character training." This week was especially hard, as Little Gal and Little Guy had been away with family for almost two weeks. I think Li'l E was pretty convinced that she had me all to herself again.

Unfortunately, I totally neglected to think about the return to our "normal schedule" from her perspective. I was looking at their family trip as "time off" to get some projects done (pics coming on the boys' room re-do soon, I promise!). I was looking at their return as my return to routine. I forgot how difficult adjustments are for four-year olds. And in the forgetting, I spent much of this past week frustrated at the intense referee'ing that I had to do. Irritated at the immovable nature Li'l E was exhibiting over some of the negotiations that I tried to lead the two girls through. There were more tears than normal. More time-outs than normal. More snapping (mine) and whining (hers) than normal. I realized about half-way through Thursday morning (yeah, I'm slow on the uptake like that! Sigh.) what was really going on. And spent the rest of the day dealing with Li'l E and Little Gal in light of that revelation (uh, duh, finally!).

So, sitting on the couch, snuggled in my arms and utterly at rest, I soaked it in. And I lavished it back on her. while she slept. Because even though she thinks she is a very big girl, even though she thinks she doesn't need it, we both need those rare and treasured moments.

Sunday Snapshot {bye week}

2011-10-23T17:30:00.004-04:00

It's a "bye week" for our beloved Eagles. So instead of gathering around ye olde tv, stuffing our faces with unhealthy "football food," and yelling our brains out together, we sat at the dinner table like civilized folk. After a hearty meal of Creamy Garlic Shrimp over Parmesan Polenta (OOOOOHHHHH, yes, it was good. You have no idea how good!), The Gang dispersed to individual pursuits. I thought it might be fun to take a walking tour around the place to let you peek in on how The Gang spent the unfootball family day.

Shaggy set up some garbage cans

and parked my van out on the street.

To practice parallel parking.

The Boss watched from a safe location.

He was very focused and measured his marks

very carefully.

He is determined to nail this skill.

I had to stop watching.

I think I was making him nervous.

And when he got that close to my ~~baby~~, I mean, my van

I got nervous myself.

There's never a truly non-football day for this guy.

He watched the other games for a little while.

But this game wasn't interesting enough for him.

So he went to the other tv and rocked the Madden

for a while instead.

LadyBug prefers her solitude most days.

So she headed off to practice her clarinet.

I think I may have forgot to mention

that she made third chair in her jr. high Wind Ensemble.

We are so proud.

I have no pics of Baby BlueEyes because he spent the entire afternoon playing across the neighborhood with his friends. He will sleep good tonight. After a run with me to the grocery store and then a long shower to de-grime himself, that is!

Li'l Empress practiced "Jingle Bells" for a while on her

kitty piano. But that got boring.

So she headed outside and helped The Boss

plant the pretties and weed the garden.

But that got boring.

So she rode her bike for a while and pretended to race

Shaggy while he drove back and forth for parking practice.

Apparently all that parking practice really wore him out.

I caught him napping in his semi-finished room.

And while LadyBug and I snuck out for a quick run to purchase curtains

for the semi-finished room, I hear that The Boss stole a quick nap too.

So.... That's how The Gang spent the bye week.

The Eagles will be back next week and so we'll

be back in our family huddle 'round the tv.

Hopefully cheering our brains out for our team.

If you stopped by as part of Sunday Snapshot

leave me a comment and I'll come by to say hi.

Takin' On The Big Brass

2011-10-19T17:17:00.004-04:00

First it was the drums. Shakin' the rafters. And the floor joists.

Then there was an all-too-short dance with the French horn.

And along behind that came the smooth tones of the clarinet.

Today, the brassy trombone has joined The Gang's musical adventures.

We may never be the same again.

Again.

Showing us how to put it together

Trying it on for size

Watching the instructional dvd

Relearning how to breathe!

Tried and true instruction

The Scar

2011-10-14T07:40:00.000-04:00

I was washing Li'l Empress' face the other day after a particularly messy bout with a "peeder budder and jelly sammich." I took an extra breath of a moment to study her face, lingering over her deep, bottomless black-brown eyes and her sweet little rosebud lips. And the scar just under her lower lip. The scar that halts my admiration of her beauty and her sweetness every time I notice it anew. The scar that reminds me just how different parenting this child of mine really is.

You see, this particular scar doesn't fit with all the other little tiny scars that dot her face and torso. Those scars tell me the tale of a nasty case of chicken pox while she still lived in China. They remind me of my own experiences with pitiful little patches of drying and crusting skin. I have quite a few similar scars of my own. I can empathize with her misery. Those scars make me sad for her itchy, feverish days in someone else's care but they don't really evoke any other response. They feel common. Normal.

But this scar? This scar is very different to me.

In pure physical appearance, it looks different. Not much larger than the chicken pox marks, it is noticeable for the way it interrupts her lower lip just ever so slightly. It's whiter. Longer. Jagged. I can easily assign it to a nasty fall. Or maybe a tumble down the stairs. After all, I do have five kids. We've had our fair share of bumps, bruises, and split lips. And my girl is really physical. It's not a hard conclusion to reach, with very little "connecting the dots" necessary.

But underneath that simple conclusion? There is nothing simple about it. In its physical appearance lends itself to contemplation of its origins. And that, my friend, is where it feels so very important. So markedly different for me.

What happened to split that pretty little lip?

Who held you when you cried?

Did you feel reassured and comforted?

Is that the first big boo-boo you ever experienced?

Did the blood from that cut make you freak out as you do now?

Is THAT where that comes from?

And so many more... so. many. more. questions. Questions on top of questions. That lead me to more questions.

I stop that train of thought in its tracks. Screeching halt, throwing the brake till smoke billows. I can almost taste the acrid smoke as I swallow and change the course of that train that wants to barrel on ahead, down the tracks.

Because that train is going nowhere good. Nowhere because these are the questions to which I will never have any real answers. I will likely never know definitive conclusions to my mother's-heart questions. That's the hard part, isn't it? The part that is so incredibly different about parenting this girl of mine. That's one of the risks, the unknown, that we take on when we sign up for this thing called adoption.

You see, each of my older kids have scars. I know that the little orzo-shaped scar under Shaggy's eye is from the headboard that fell on his head. I remember praising the Lord for His protection that night, that the rails of the headboard missed his nose, grazing his cheekbone instead.

I can see the scars on Baby BlueEyes' lower lip and instantly remember the pain and fear we all struggled through that awful summer day. I know the heart-scars that the experience left behind.

Because no matter how old they are or how tall they tower over me, I was there from.the.very.beginning. for each of those little life experiences that scarred my precious ones. I remember it all, in my momma's heart, in many ways as if it were yesterday. A momma doesn't forget, does she?

So I stop that train. And change the tracks. Change my thoughts. I go down a different railroad all together. I turn my train of thought to gratitude.

Thanking the Lord for the care she did receive.

Praising Him for protecting her, from the worst outcomes

of things like chicken pox and falls.

Honoring the Maker who created those pretty little rosebud lips.

Glorifying The Father that knew her and held her

before I even knew her, preparing her heart for mine.

And I take an extra breath of a moment to go back to her deep and bottomless black-brown eyes. I kiss those lips, taking care to plant my kiss on the scar. And I tell her again that I love her. In my heart, I whisper that I love the scar, too.

We're At It Again!

2011-10-13T06:58:00.000-04:00

Another home improvement project has begun....

The older boys' room was the first one we tackled when we moved to our current home. It was unfinished and empty, the "bonus room" over the garage. Not even any carpet or switch plate covers! So the jungle theme, however funky it felt at the time, is really passe for them now. Bye, bye, tropical green, King of the Jungle posters, zebra-striped lampshades, and tiger striped throw pillows.

I found this in my archives - from the weekend that The Boss

and my cousin painted the room amid new carpet fumes.

I canNOT believe it's been 7 years already!

And I CANNOT believe how little my gang all was then.

Aren't the matching VBS tees so cute?

(Baby BlueEyes was too little for that particular VBS project, I recall.)

Stay tuned for the final product. We've got a quick turn-around on this one planned, as The Boss took time off work for dedicated focus on the room. I'm busy selling the accessories from the old room to give us some extra cash to for finishing touches. And scouting the Salvation Army and second hand stores for ideas.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T12:25:00.002-04:00

We're up to something around here.....

It's making me look back a bit.

Here's a hint.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

For the answer to the riddle,

come back tomorrow :)

Sunday Snapshot {oh yes she did}

2011-10-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned a time or two around here that I love hymns.

I have them playing in the background

of the busy pace here at The Gang's Home quite frequently.

You know, when I'm not blastin' my country tunes and singing along to those.

Apparently, my hymn lovin' self is rubbing off on my kids. Well, at least on the girls.

Seems that about a year ago, LadyBug taught Li'l Empress the words and the tune

to "Amazing Grace." And last spring, her pre-school teachers
delighted in telling me that during circle time,
they could hear Li'l Empress singing it to her friends.

She even stood up and did a concert for them all.

Yeah, that girl doesn't like the spotlight or anything.

And it seems that, even though WE haven't heard her belting it

out any time in recent memory, she's still preaching the Word

through song to her pre-school buddies.

Below is the daily update I get from her teacher.

She didn't just sing the Word over her classmates.

She made a microphone out of papertowel tubes first.

And then she preached the Word.

And why not? After all, there is a whole new crowd that needs to know the Truth.

Right?!

Good Night, Sleep Tight, And Pleasant Dreams to You...

2011-10-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

Heh.... Are you singing the Lawrence Welk good-night song in your head now?! I am. I loved that show when I was little. I have delightful memories of watching it on Saturday nights, sometimes with my Grandpa when we'd be in to their house in the city for a dinner. Hmmmmm, I can see the bubbles and the beehives now....

Ummm, yeah. Back to the point of the post. I found a new blog recently that I've really enjoyed. This week, she wrote a post that made me gasp and tear up almost before I even finished the opening paragraphs... I know that many, many of us are struggling, or have struggled, with sleeping issues with our kids. Adopted or biological. Too much (really, does any one have that?!), not enough. Fitful, night terrors. Co-sleeping, sleep sharing, sleep training, and so on. OH! The so on.

I highly encourage you to take a moment and GO HERE to read a really sweet vignette about this family's sleep issues. The long and the short of it? It doesn't last forever. But then, neither do the snuggles. Nor do the moments that we get to stop the speeding bullet of growing up are too few and far between. Grab them when you can.

I hope the post encourages you as it did me. Stop. Take a breath. Hunker down and snatch the cuddle time when you see it staring you in the face. When you see your sweet children staring you in the face. You might just find your own dam breaking and healing flowing forth.

21 {and counting...}

2011-10-06T06:58:00.000-04:00

Happy 21st Anniversary to my best friend and my love, The Boss.

Who could have ever imagined, all those years ago,

where this winding road would have led?

I can't picture traveling it with anyone else but you.

Love ya, babe.

Here's to {at least}21 more!

Wordless Wednesday {Dr. D}

2011-10-05T06:50:00.000-04:00

My Dr. D has earned a new definition to his bloggy name. No longer will he be known as Dr. D for "Doolittle." That ship sailed a long, long time ago. I'm just finally getting around to fixing it...

NOW? He's Dr. D for "DEFENSE!"

That's right. At Monday night's game, his first game back since his hand injury in the middle of Sept, my boy snagged his first interception!!!!! Yes, this football momma was screaming her brains out!

(This pic is actually from that game in Sept. when he injured his hand.

Our camera battery died shortly after kick-off this week. Ugh.)

Way to Go, Dr. DEFENSE!

His team is undefeated, with only two or three more games to go.

I love being a football momma!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

that is rarely truly wordless,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Leave me a comment and

I'll come by to say hi!

How Sad Is That?

2011-10-04T10:26:00.001-04:00

The other day, we had a torrential downpour. I'm talking, the kind where the rain is driving sideways and the hail is flying freely. The temperature dropped several noticeable degrees in minutes. It was windy, dark, and not just a little startling. But we were warm, safe and dry, so we thought little of it, except to marvel at the ferocity of it.

Later, when things were settling down a bit, I had to run Dr. D (which now stands for Dr. Defense.... pics coming tomorrow with a fuller explanation of why...) over to football practice. On the way home, I noticed a local utilities worker packing up his truck. He was working under some trees, was thoroughly soaked and I really felt bad for the poor guy. The temps had not climbed back up at all - and wet and cold is probably the worst combination of "states of being" that I can think of in moments like that.

I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and rolled down my window.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, ma'am?" He got an almost angry look on his face, immediately as I opened my mouth.

"I just wanted to stop and tell you that you guys do great work and I'm thankful you are out here today."

Now he had a puzzled look flashing across his face, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. I'm pretty sure you need to hear it today."

"Seriously? Ma'am, NO ONE ever tells me that. Usually, they stop by to tell me exactly the opposite. Wow. Thank you very much."

I smiled, and put the car back in drive, "Well, I am thankful. And I'm glad I told you. Have a great day."

As I drove away, I was chuckling a bit to see him standing by his truck, watching me drive away. He still looked dumbfounded. And all I could think was how sad it is that folks actually stop on the side of the road to tell a random utility worker what a terrible job he (or, to be fair, his company) does to take care of its customers. And how sad it is that he was genuinely shocked that I wasn't doing it, too.

Really. How sad is that.

Sleeping In

2011-09-29T10:20:00.000-04:00

Feel my pain... I stayed up waaaay too late last night, squeaking in some all-too infrequent time with the oldest two boys. We watched crime mysteries together till midnight. I had a great time.

Yeah. That came back to bite me in the hiney. I only did it cuz there is no school today. The clouds this morning were dark and thick. The whole house was silent. Until...

A little voice piping through the monitor at 6:55 a.m. "Sum buddy.... I haffa go potteeeee."

I stumble in the dark to her room.

Little voice pipes up in the darkness, "Mommy? Why sum buddy leaf my shade metted up like dat?"

Her shade was askew. A teeeny tiiiiny shard of light, clouded and foggy light at that, was peeking through. Ugh. Really?

"Come on, Li'l E. Let's get to the potty. Then you can snuggle in bed with Mommy for a while."

(Until it actually becomes, you know, morning. With light and all?)

Seating her precious little hiney on the potty, she starts chattering. Really. CHATT.ER.ING. I don't even know what she said. I just know there was a lot of it. A.LOT.

I stumbled my way through assisting her, with little to nothing coming to my lips by way of conversation. Kind of the "if I don't respond, maybe she'll stop?" mentality. It never works. But I keep trying.

I hustle her precious little hiney into the big bed, and get her settled with her puppy and The Boss's pillow. She's quiet. I settle myself in, close my eyes.

And then? She's not quiet any more.

Nor is she still. As in, not one moment of her waking hours is that little body ever motionless. EH.VER.

For the next 45 minutes, she beats a rhythm on the mattress, in time with the nonsense song she's singing in her head. Only she's not. Singing in her head that is. She's whispering it. Over and over.

This is where her unilateral hearing loss really cramps my style.

Heh. She has NO idea that her whisper at 6:59 a.m.

is like a roaring train whistle through my brain.

I nudge her and say, "Shhhhh."

She says, oh so sweetly, "Okay Mommy. I will."

The cycle repeats every few minutes. The only variation is that once in a while, the puppy whispers the song. Or the puppy's ears beat the rhythm. Or so she informs me seriously, when I nudge her and say, "Shhhhhh."

Thank goodness, LadyBug is an early riser. No matter how late she goes to bed, she's up by 7 or 7:30 a.m.

At 7:50 a.m., LadyBug rescued me. She and Li'l E headed off for a breakfast date. I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head.

At 7:59, I got up. This darned episode was turning itself into a blog post in my head.

I hate it when that happens.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Pretty much the saddest sight of the year.

Every year.

No one at The Gang's House

likes this particular sign of the changing seasons.

Even though we all LOVE fall.

Sigh.

For more Wordless Wednesday links,

that are likely a whole lot happier than this,

click here and link up.

Gotta Get My Groove Back

2011-09-26T06:58:00.000-04:00

I wasn't even sure what to title this. Or where to start to get myself back into the swing of regular blogging....

I mean, I could go with the "bad blogger" theme, beating myself up for the woeful neglect of my little blogging community of peeps. But I beat myself up enough about far more weighty things, like bad hair cuts (Heh. Keep reading...) and impulsive emotional eating. And all that self-flagellation in the public blogosphere would make me want to eat more chocolate. Which, I think we all agree, is pleasant but not a permanent solution to well, blogging irregularities.

Or I could go the stream-lining route and lead you all to believe that the lack of blogging is directly related to the re-prioritizing of my time and my energies toward making my home more efficient and more productive. But that would show itself false by one quick glance at the piles of paperwork and the un-fiinished editing project(s) still parked on my counter.

I could, with a little stretching, head down the pious path. Tell you all that the Lord has been nailing some of my personal issues to the Cross, re-working my heart and my mind toward His plans for my days and my hours bent on further glorifying Him. That I've been too busy praying and leading my three little day-time charges into endless hours of praise and worship at the feet of Jesus. But that would just be, well, pious. And a gross exaggeration of what my days lately have actually looked like. And gross exaggerations are, well, Not pious. So there's a big contradiction goin' on there that doesn't sit well. (Instead, picture referee uniforms, whistles, and all! kinds! of distraction techniques being winged about everywhere!)

Truth is, I'm struggling. I'm working to find my new groove. To develop a new routine with lots of new factors played in and accounted for in the process. And every.single.time. I think that this new routine is starting to hum along, a hiccup occurs. Normally, I can deal with hiccups in the schedule fairly well. NOT, mind you, that I like them. Or even adapt to them easily. But I get over the initial angst and move on. It's what moms do. There is little choice in the matter, when considering the six other folks that these hiccups include... 8 if you add Little Gal and Little Guy into the mix. Which I have to do, considering that they are here for the majority of the week.

I'll say it again, it's a good, good thing that those two cuties are so flexible and easy-going. They've had to deal with the hiccups in the house right along with the rest of the Gang. And I must say, they handled this week's big hiccup fantabulously. The big hiccup of which I speak was Dr. D's hand injury from Monday afternoon's football game. That meant a morning off and on the phone and emails galore: with the school nurse, the coach, the trainer, The Boss, the sister, and the pediatrician. All just to coordinate a quick (hahahahaha) trip to the pediatrician. That resulted in a not-so-quick trip to the orthopedist. Seems that the loss of feeling in two of Dr. D's fingers during said injury was enough of a concern that the docs involved needed x-rays and consultation with the specialist. Thankfully, on so many levels, there is no break. Just a deep muscle/tendon/nerve bruise that made for some ugly swelling and limited movement for the week. Play for this week's big game is doubtful but he's not out for the season.

Another minor hiccup (that did NOT feel minor at the time!) was a last minute run to the salon to have my bangs trimmed and blended. I loved the long sweeping bangs across my forehead but they got too thinned out in my last cut and the humidity of late has been creating little frizzy curls across the forehead. So before I left for a weekend at Women of Faith with my sister, I ran out to have them trimmed and blended. Those were the words I used, repeatedly to the stylist. That is NOT what I got when I left. Let's just say, when the stylist stops and stares at what she just did in dismay (Oh, yes, that was dismay and confusion I saw on her face. It was.), you pretty much know that it's NOT gonna be a good hair cut.

My history with bad hair cuts is well-documented here. And here, part II... Cuz yes, a bad hair cut is never just a bad hair cut for me. Seriously. I don't know what my problem is. And saying that is not me asking for your input. Thankyouverymuch :)

So this time, the hair cut debacle wasn't really about forgiveness. Although, I probably do need to letitgo and forgive the poor gal for her mistake. Turns out, after some contemplation and introspection (Ugh, I hate it when I do that.) it was really about, well, about life. Real, gritty, dirty, life. Mistakes happen. Ideas and plans get thwarted, even miscommunicated. Stylists have no style. (Ooops, that was snarky. Sorry!) But it's life.

And that, my friends, is the real reason I'm so erratic and neglectful of my blogging. Life. I am starting to think that the new normal around here will show itself in its own good time. And along the way, hiccups to the plan will have to be dealt with accordingly.

I guess I am just going to have a lot more time to deal with those hiccups, big or small. You know, since my uber-short hair takes all of five minutes to wash, dry, and style.

Heh. Heh. Sob. sigh...

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-25T16:44:00.001-04:00

Oh, what a week it has been....More on that tomorrow. In the midst of it all, I missed putting up a post to celebrate Baby BlueEyes' big entrance to the double digits. Yes, Baby BlueEyes turned TEN. Yes, he did. I know, seriously. Cuz I look at him, and sometimes I still see THIS:

I know. He's NOT that little anymore. But gosh, wasn't that just last month?! I mean, I do know. But I still don't KNOW how this happened. How he got to TEN!

Sigh. I know. I know. Life goes on. At the speed of light. Without stopping for momma's heart to catch up or catch a breath. Anyhoo...

Without further ado, here is what TEN looks like 'round here...

Heading out the door, with the newly minted "ten-ness"

sitting well on his shoulders.

Birthday cake number one.

A spiced pumpkin cake with home-made spiced butter cream

frosting. Our family's sign that fall has arrived!

Celebration number two, house full of family, and cousins galore.

All eyes were riveted for several minutes on the

intense game of napkin basketball volleying across the table.

My sister sunk the first shot.

Cake number two. Not really a cake at all.

Rather, dark chocolate brownies smothered with

home-made vanilla butter cream frosting.

And topped off with four different flavors of ice cream.

Yeah. Can we say sugar coma?

THE.BIG.HIT. of the evening.

A Nerf Stampede.

All the boys, even the grown up ones,

were a little in awe.

Food. Family. Fun.

That's what TEN looks like 'round here!!!!!

Sunday Snapshot {better late than never}

2011-09-19T11:13:00.004-04:00

In my bleary-eyed Sunday morning stumbles through the house,

while trying to rouse everyone to get ready for church on time,

I came across these two monkeys.

Having a very serious conversation,

full of imaginary plans for the day, silly stories,

and sweet sibling nothings being whispered
across the table to each other.

So wonderful to see the fruits of our labors

coming forth in their tender little friendship!

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Three Years Ago

2011-09-15T08:57:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe it's been three years. Three years since we met this fiery little dynamo who has so completely changed our world.

I know blogging around here has been scarce lately. It's that learning curve I'm riding. But I'd be remiss if I let this day go by without looking back on what God has done for us. I wrote about it HERE and HERE, in honor of the first two anniversaries of meeting our girl.

And HERE is one of several posts we wrote that day, in Xi'an, meeting our girl and digesting all the God was doing in us and for us. My personal favorite is THIS one - Daddy's first love letter to his girl. He made me fall in love with him all over again with that one!

But here's my favorite thing about marking days like today: seeing the way she has grown and blossomed, marking the day with a picture and looking at all the little and big changes in her face, in her eyes, in her smiles. Enjoy the journey with me....

The very first picture we captured.

She was shaking so hard and crying from such a deep place,
that I wondered for a brief moment how we would do this together.

Finally, after about 1/2 hour of switching from me
to her new Baba and back, she calmed down enough
for us to look at her breathtaking beauty.

One year later, her beautiful personality was shining through.
My favorite part of our first year together was watching us
all fall in love with her and with each other again and again.
She blossomed so much that first year!

There was no doubt in her mind by the two year mark

that she is the apple of every one's eye in The Gang's house.

I remember feeling such a sense of settled-ness in her,

even amidst all the changes she was experiencing last year.

Today, in her beloved piggie pj's.
Spunky, exuberant, demanding, and oh! so! eloquent!
She's such an amazing kid.

Happy Family Day, dear Li'l Empress!

You have been a joy and a blessing to our whole family.

Today is one of my favorite days in our whole life together.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T14:20:00.001-04:00

The final first day of the week arrived,

in muddy, wet, pouring down splendor. Snark.

But Li'l Empress's spirits were not dampened at all.

At least not until the new pre-school pick-up helper came to the van door.

Sigh.

At least this year's tears were less, ummm,

fraught with desperation and fear and up-from-her-core terror.

Can you believe how much she's grown?!

Join the fun, better late than never,

over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

First Day of School {2011 edition}

2011-09-06T08:52:00.002-04:00

For the first time in two years, all four of my older kids are out the door and off to school by 8:20 a.m. And will be, every morning till June. After two years of cyber-school, my handsome and wonderful sons are leaving home to join the ranks of traditional public-schoolers. Sigh. I miss them already. It's especially poignant, as today is Shaggy's last first day of his school years.

There they go, Dr. D and Shaggy. My sophomore and my senior.... dressed and mostly awake at 6:40 a.m. They didn't even get to see Li'l Empress - it was so dark and cloudy that she actually slept in till I woke her at 7:20.

Next out the door was LadyBug. All giddy and excited about her first day of 7th grade. First day in the middle school. First time EVER walking off to the bus stop alone. Without any of her siblings. She was much more excited about it than The Boss and I. She didn't even care that it was raining. Or that it was only 7:35 a.m.

I'm pretty sure Li'l Empress hasn't fully connected to what all these pictures and good-bye hugs mean for her. For her whole day. It's gonna be a big adjustment for her, not to have her kids around.

Finally, at 8:15, Baby BlueEyes "suited up" and got himself all hugged and kissed and prayed over. This is also his first year to ride a bus and be at school without any other Gang members around. He has decidedly mixed feelings about that. He much prefers to be with his family, so I'm really glad that his best childhood buddy, Miss V, is in his homeroom this year. God knows, doesn't He?! Even the little details like that. God knows.

Giving him hugs and telling him "I lub you" felt a little more familiar to Li'l Empress, as she also got to walk out to the driveway with The Boss to watch the bus arrive and pull away. Just like we did last year. I think by this time of the morning, she was starting to "get it." It's been awful quiet here since the bus pulled away.

And me? I'm okay. For now. Focusing on Little Guy and Little Gal's arrival in minutes. Listening to the news and the weather report. Distracting myself a little at a time. Tomorrow? Well, that might be a different story. Li'l Empress will leave right on BBE's heels for her first day of school. And I'll be here without any of my Gang. For the first time in two years.

I sure hope Little Guy and Little Gal are prepared for that.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-04T18:21:00.002-04:00

In this season of life, where our older kids are starting to find their passions and we're able to help them pursue those passions, we are finding great joy. In particular, The Boss is LOVING being a "football dad." He loves the adrenaline rush, the free-flowing testosterone that rushes and oozes all over the fields, the utter man-growl that comes out of him when our boy gets his hands on the ball.

And now, The Boss is getting to be a "football dad" times 2. Yup, Baby BlueEyes has joined the local Upw@rds program for flag football.

So last Monday night, BBE had his first practice. The Boss, Dr. D, and BBE shoveled dinner down their gullets and rushed out the door, all pumped and excited for drill night. Cuppa' joe in hand, The Boss wandered up and down the sidelines, watching the little guys pass and catch. Chatting it up with the other dads, doin' the dad-versation about who looks good and who's got the arm this year.

Till one of our friends' son pointed out what The Boss was holding in his hand.

Here's a close up, in case you missed it.

Heh. Heh.

You can't see it, but that mug is full of testosterone.

I swear!

"Rusty" About Covers It

2011-09-01T15:26:00.000-04:00

I'm wrapping up my first week as a working-from-home, stay-at-home mom. And while I am marveling at the amount of laundry I've completed in one morning and the paperwork that I've powered through in one week (ya know, cuz I am actually home and not taxi'ing LadyBug, Shaggy and Dr. D all around the valley for their various pursuits a la July and August!), I am also quite astounded at how rusty I've gotten.

It seems in the couple years since Li'l Empress was a scootching, slithering, cruising one-year old, certain of my skills have scattered to the far ends of the house, nay, the universe.

It seems in the (ahem, many!) years since I had Shaggy, Dr. D, and LadyBug crowding around my ankles and clamoring for attention (think three ages 5 and under), my abilities to multi-task and problem-solve have sunk with the receding waters of Irene into the netherlands of the sump well.

I think that my formerly laudable administrative skills fled the building at the sight of managing the schedules, wants, needs, and developmental abilities of 7 children in one home.

And the calendar? Fuhgeddabout it - that ran out the door screaming for mercy when I started moving things around to keep my Mondays through Thursdays open and free for staying home and re-conquering all of the above skill sets..

OH. And managing snacks, bottles, lunches, nap time, quiet time, and more snacks? OMIGOSH - it's a good thing I've had LadyBug and Baby BlueEyes around to help me stretch time a liiiiiiiiitle bit more to avert melt-downs (mine) and crying jags (also mine).

Thank goodness that Little Gal (three) and Little Guy (11 months) are, as Shaggy says, "chill." Their easy-going, resilient natures are going to come in mighty handy while Miss Momma gets this coordination and timing thing down to a routine.

I can't even talk yet about how out-of-practice I am with negotiating with two bickering pre-schoolers. Let's just say that Li'l Empress is feeling slightly de-throned (not entirely a bad thing!) and Little Gal certainly knows how to articulate how she feels about THAT, thankyouverymuch! (also not a bad thing). If I wasn't so intent on making sure my sanity made it till the end of the day, I'd likely be laughing about the logic these two girls are trying to pull on me. Maybe next week, I'll be able to laugh at them. I mean, with them. I mean about their convoluted toddler logic. Yeah. That's it. Heh.

Yup, this first week has shown me in no uncertain terms that I am indeed very rusty. It's a good thing these kinds of things all tend to work themselves out with practice and time. Cuz Lord knows, once school starts on Tuesday and I'm the only one "on deck" we will have LOTS of both on hand.

Wordless Wednesday{silver lining}

2011-08-31T09:36:00.000-04:00

38 clothing storage bins just like these....

Brought up out of the 8" of water from Hurricane Irene's fury.

Purged and reduced by 13 bins....

And four over-stuffed garbage bags

It's been a busy, busy week for This Gang.
HUGE kudos to Baby BlueEyes, LadyBug,
Dr. D, and Shaggy for all their hard work
on this and other cleaning and restoration projects
from the storm.

I couldn't have gotten it all done without you!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Moms.

And tell me your storm clean- up story....

I'm looking forward to hearing how you all fared.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-28T17:33:00.001-04:00

We have survived Hurricane Irene. We're really wet. Well, I mean, our basement is really wet. And The Boss, Shaggy, and Dr. D spent most of last night really wet. But we made it through. If I am pressed to find the silver lining, I can say that by the time every thing dries out and all the damage is cleaned up and done, we will have a really clean basement about a month ahead of schedule. Today's Sunday Snapshot is of the heroes of Hurricane Irene, here at The Gang's house.

Pre-storm, or when the rain was the only evidence that an epic weather event was on its way, we enjoyed a long, quiet afternoon full of movies, home-made cookies, big batches of popcorn flowing freely, more movies, and jammy time just hanging out together. But all that changed at about 11:30 p.m. When our main sump pump failed and the battery-back-up wore itself out right on its heels. Thank the Lord that we had our pool cover pump and that Shaggy found our neighbor's sump pump in their basement when he went poking around their shed and garage looking for their pool cover pump. (They are out of town. The Boss and the boys are charged with caring for their property whenever they travel. Flashlight in hand, he went traipsing over in the wind and rain at 12:30 a.m. or so to try and come up with something to stem the tide of rushing waters!)

Dr. D, checking news reports and chatting

with friends on F@cebook during the rain-only

portion of the storm.

Shaggy, catching up with a friend between movies

on Saturday.

But during the storm?

These guys proved their mettle beyond our belief.

Bucket Brigade for more than an hour.

Jerry-rigging a supplemental sump pump with The Boss.

Carting furniture and more than 25 big storage

bins full of clothes for The Gang up to the family room.

Running in and out of the side yard to move drainage pipes.

Keeping an eye on the neighbors' property through it all.

Both of them up till at least 4 a.m.

working alongside The Boss without much of a break.

We are blessed.

And this guy?

This really tired, really run-down and worn-out warrior?

He ran the whole project for more than three straight hours

of rushing water - rushing INTO the basement

faster than he could get it out, that is.

Wet clothes, head cold, sleep deprivation, frustration,

disgust, stress, and more. He didn't quit until it was obvious

the pump was winning over the cold, dark, nasty water.

I am blessed.

Wrapping It All Up!

2011-08-26T08:47:00.001-04:00

Oh, it's been a week! Lists have been whittled down. Hair has been cut. Closets have been cleaned. Rooms have been re-arranged. Toy boxes have been purged. More lists have been written. Freezers have been stocked. Menus have been planned.

Baby BlueEyes' room BEFORE.

Well, sorta "before." More like, MID!

Baby BlueEyes' room AFTER.

Big toy shelf emptied and removed.

Toys out of sight and out of reach for little hands!

Yesterday, Dr. D finished his first official senior high football training camp. Right now, he's sleeping off the high. I've never seen him so excited. Or so tired! They ended the intensive two weeks with a big picnic, catered by O*tb@ck Steak House.... Not a bad way to end the week, eh?

I'm wrapping my brain around what my new schedule will look like in the coming days. Taking care of someone else's kids, almost full-time, is a huge responsibility and I'm sure that Li'l Empress will think it's a big party at first. But I'm aware that it will be a BIIIIIG adjustment for her, particularly when the older kids are back to school and it's just her hanging out with the new little friends during the day. So I'm praying for her, for my new little buddies, and for Li'l Empress's teachers. I've put off the start of her school year till the big kids go back to school - hoping that one change per week instead of two or three will be easier on us all.

And now? Now, we turn to storm prepared-ness as Hurricane Irene is bearing down quickly and fiercely on the East Coast. The Boss is heading out as I type to bring Shaggy to one of his many yard-work jobs and to pick up propane, water, and an extra battery for the sump pump. Baby BlueEyes is not a huge fan of weather events, as they tend to stir up a lot of fear in his little heart. So we're putting him on Storm Preparedness duty with Daddy - hoping that he learns that many of our fears can be allayed when we wisely prepare and "do our part" and then faithfully trust the Lord to cover and protect the rest.

Not a bad way to handle all of this stuff, eh?

Wordless Wednesday {haircuts}

2011-08-24T08:34:00.002-04:00

One more thing off the TO DO list, which seems like it's growing instead of shrinking, by the way!

Took LadyBug yesterday to get some long layers

and side-swept bangs for her big middle school debut.

The Boss clippered him up tight and close

to avoid the "Did you do your hair?" hassle!

I just trimmed up the bangs

to even them out. Not brave enough

to attempt any more myself...

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

(which, by the way obviously does NOT

have to be wordless!), link up over at

5 Minutes for Moms.

Leave me a comment and I'll try

to swing by and say hi!

Gearing Up for Change

2011-08-22T09:46:00.002-04:00

It's the last Monday of summer break for this Gang. There are a host of big changes coming our way, and this Momma has been awake since about 4:30 a.m. trying to wrap my brain around all of it. You know, all the things that have to happen between now and the first day of school (Sept. 6, after Labor Day) in order to facilitate those changes.

My To-Do list is ramming around inside my head, almost impossible to pin down and wrangle into a manageable, linear list of bullet points. My head is pounding, and it's NOT from lack of caffeine! It feels like tangled Slinkys in there. Rusty, tightly wound, tangled Slinkys. It's really not pretty. Especially at 4:30 a.m.

So you must all bear with me while I process...

Yes, I'm processing it here. My blog, my rules :)

Here we go!

I've accepted the opportunity to care for two children of some friends of ours, as an attempt to supplement and expedite the savings process for our adoption. (I start next Monday, hence the "last Monday of summer break for this Gang" line...) For the downstairs of the house, that means this week has to be all about sorting toys, child-proofing, consolidating the play area to one part of the house, and cleaning out a space for kiddie arts and crafts.

Heh. Written down in a paragraph like that,

it doesn't really seem like all that much work.

But it's almost crippling me right now,

and I feel so completely overwhelmed by where to start. Ugh.

I've been struggling to find time to sit for a while and plow through my friend's novel that I'm editing, because of all the taxi-duty that I've been pulling for Shaggy, Dr. D, and Ladybug's various activities. This week, I'm down-sizing all the taxi-runs and trying to dig into this work of art and give it the attention it deserves. And guys? This novel is beautiful. Rich, layered, and captivating. The characters have really drawn me in - I miss it when I can't get to it for a few days. When she gets it published, I will be sure to let you all know to look for it!

I also have to figure out what to do with all these beautiful pieces of collectibles that folks have given toward our adoption cause. I have some things out for bids already, but Cr@igslist-ing them majority of them will net very little, I'm learning. I'm unfortunately hearing the same thing about Repl@cements.com and now I don't really know where to turn. I have no eB@y "seller cred" and don't really want to get "taken" there either. But they are filling the dining room and I have to get them out of here soon. I can't take the clutter much longer.

I have a bunch of other things already on Cr@igslist that aren't moving and I'm getting impatient about those. They are of some value so I just can't bring myself to donate them if they can add to our little Adoption Jar instead. Especially given that there are likely a bunch of other things in the attic that I can choose to list if and when The Boss and I get in there and start cleaning.

I have no idea of what is in the freezer, so I am guessing that my freezer inventory is way out of date. I also have no stash of supplies for snacks, school lunches, or quick meals. I haven't "stock up" shopped in a while, and I'm thinking that might be where I have to start. Well, there and defrosting the freezer so that I can see everything I purchase. It's so bad in there, it might take a couple days to thaw and clean it all out... Then, I'll have to really dig in and plan meals for the month of September to help me through the learning curve of "working" four days a week.

I must also wrap my brain around the idea of our new schedule. Li'l Empress will be doing three mornings a week at her little pre-school, with an arrival time between 8:25 and 8:45 a.m. Baby BlueEyes is heading off to our wonderful little elementary school at 8:05 every morning. LadyBug will be starting a brand new adventure in the middle school, leaving here around 7:20 each day. And Shaggy and Dr. D head off to the local public high school, we think at 6:50 or 7 a.m. daily.

Speaking school, have you seen the prices of school supplies this summer?! OMIGOSH, I was in T@rget the other day (I despise that store, on almost every.single.level. Really, I do.) and the mothers were scary. Grabbing. Snatching, Shoving carts. Snarling at their kids. I had to leave. With my incomplete list of two of the kids' needs. But I just couldn't stand the tension and the chaos. I mean, really. A three-inch binder is a three-inch binder. Is it really worth the horrible example to your kids to get the TEAL one instead of the royal blue one?! Really, the stuff I heard and saw scarred me for the entire day.

Finally, (well, really, not finally, cuz there is so much more going on here that is weighing heavily but is not blog-able) I am contemplating the arrival of my two new little friends at 8:30 for four mornings a week. Things like figuring out when I'll need to get up and get showered. When I'm going to exercise. Or blog. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I was planning to join The Boss's gym and working out the mornings that Li'l Empress was in school, which would allow me to head out, bed head and all, and then come home to shower at my own leisure before picking her back up from school. But the need to earn some money and accommodate this alternative schedule trumps that plan. And now, just writing it all out here, I feel even more stressed than I did at 4:30 a.m.......

{Mumbling and shuffling away as I pull on my hair}

Oy..... Coffee. I need coffee. Just get me some coffee!

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-21T18:39:00.004-04:00

My three boys got a chance this weekend

to immerse themselves in the things that they love.

Dr. D's first official season of high school football

has begun. He's #26 this year.

This is from his first scrimmage.

Just 10 plays each - offense and defense.

But he got his hands on the ball a few times.

And picked up some really nice yardage for the team.

This Momma was cheerin' loud and proud.

I'm already lovin' the chance to yell my brains out

on the sidelines. He can't hear me through all that padding.

Later, The Boss took Shaggy to one of his favorite

music stores for an end of season inventory sale.

Shaggy got to play some seriously top o' the line drum sets.

His passion for the drums has expanded.

This summer, he's been dabbling in music theory

and teaching (re-teaching) himself some technique skills.

And Baby BlueEyes? Well, at almost 10 years old,

his passion is to be with and be like his brothers

and his Daddy. Whenever and However.

He went along for both rides and was a happy camper

All. Day. Long.

The fact that he made his Daddy and I laugh out loud

with this face was just icing on the cake for our little guy!

Click on the button up at the

Another Repost, Of Another Variety

2011-08-18T07:38:00.000-04:00

I'm in a bit of a re-posting mood lately. Not because I'm so impressed with the things I have had to say before. But because when I was surfing around looking for the original "Bittersweet" post, I happened upon a favorite recipe of mine... Later that same day, I also happened to be blessed with a great big, plump home-grown zucchini. So I'm sharing this favorite summer recipe again with you all.

And you non-zucchini lovers out there, try to be open-minded

about the yummi-ness I'm sending your way.

Or, as your momma used to say, "take a thank you bite

and go on your way."

You know who you are :)

Stuffed Zucchini

Take one of the longest, plumpest zucchinis that you can find. (Big zukes work well for this as their skins are firm enough to hold their shape when baking.) Clean it well and cut off the stem end. Cut it in half the long way, as evenly as you can manage.

Seed each half and be sure to leave an even amount of squash inside the halves. It should look like each half has a trench running down the middle. If the halves are very rounded, take a bare thin slice off the rounded edge so that it will lay flat in the pan with the cut side up. Generously spray a 9x13 pan and lay the zuke in, trenched side up.

Brown about a pound of ground turkey breast, breaking it up into taco-meat texture. Add fresh pressed garlic and chopped onions to the browning meat according to your tastes. I also generously pepper the mixture while it's browning. Drain any liquids from the meat.

When meat mixture is done, add some of your favorite sauce. This time around, I used a tomato Alfredo sauce (which was very thick and creamy) and I think it was better than any other version I've ever made. On top of the sauce, add an even ratio of shredded Parmesan and shredded mozzarella. Again, the amount of cheese will be to your preferences. *Please note that when you are done adding the sauce and cheeses, the mixture should be a similar weight and texture to an average cookie dough. Not heavy like meatloaf but not loose and liquid-y.

Spoon the meat and sauce and cheese mixture into the zucchini trenches, generously. It's okay if it piles high. The juices of the zucchini will level everything out.

Sliding it into the oven, it already smelled amazing!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. In the final 10 minutes, top with another mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella. Let that topping bubble up and start to turn a little golden.

All baked and bubbling away.

It smelled divine around here!!!!

Serve with whole wheat pasta or rice on the side, along with extra sauce. We also love it with ground beef, but the turkey breast is a much healthier option. And I've often used reduced-fat cheeses with excellent results. This time, I mixed the zucchini with yellow summer squash and each were super tasty. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T06:17:00.003-04:00

Li'l Empress got some birthday money
from Grandma and Grandpa...

Momma used it to score
some serious bargains for back-to-school.

Don't you think that every little girl should

have some sparkly red shoes for fall and winter?

Or is that just me?

Thank you so much, Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

She loves all her new pretties.

And she LOVES YOU even more!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Moms!

Leave me some comments

and I will be sure to

come by your WW post too!

Bittersweet {revisited}

2011-08-15T06:56:00.025-04:00

Today is a day that this Momma spends in quiet prayer and reflection.

No matter the crazy that we have planned (heh, or unplanned in most cases),

August 15th will always be a bittersweet day for me.

I can't say it better than the previous years that I've said it,

so I'm reposting my first thoughts on the place
that August 15th holds in my heart.

I hope you enjoy it - and join me in prayer

for that special woman to whom I am joined now, forever.

(from 2008, while we waited for our Travel Approval)

. . . One year ago, on the 15th of August, my sweet baby {Li'l Empress} was left outside the local police station in her province, to be found by "common people" and turned in to the local authorities.

I spent much of the day running errands and grocery shopping. But my mind and heart were very pre-occupied with thoughts of {Li'l Empress}. With prayers for her birth-mother. Many adoptive parents feel similar mixed feelings as I've been experiencing, and I've read some beautiful posts honoring the excruciating choice to give up a birth-child. I've also read some sad, heart-wrenching posts about the issues surrounding the choice to abandon.

Sometimes, given the lack of information that we adoptive parents have regarding the circumstances of our child's "finding day," there exists a tendency to romanticize the story and even embellish what we surmise to have happened. To assign feelings that would be ours and put them onto a woman or a circumstance we don't fully know. I understand that some of us adoptive moms want to empathize and understand the choice of a birth-mom to give up her child. In the process of attempting to identify, however, I think that some of us tend to look at the issue through our own lens, through the filters of our Western mentalities and our American sense of justice and right vs. wrong. I've been reluctant to put voice to my feelings about these issues, for several reasons.

There is still a lot about the abandonment conversation that I do not understand.
Even with as much as I've learned about China and the circumstances that have created the conditions by which we are blessed to adopt from this beautiful nation, I will be the first to admit that I still do not know enough. I do not understand the deep-rooted belief that boys are more valuable to the institute of the family than are girls. I do not understand the economic structure that contributed to the one-birth policy. Although I AM learning that the details and the contributing factors that played into this policy have often been mis-represented and mis-interpreted by many in the media and in our culture. I do not understand the idea that children with special needs, birth defects, or difficult birth circumstances are considered "unlucky." These things that I do not know and do not understand are only the very tip of the iceburg in the conversation of adoptions from China.

What I do understand, what I am fairly confident of now, is that {Li'l Empress'} birth-mother desired for her to be found. She wanted this beautiful baby to be taken in and cared for. How do I know this? She was found to be fairly well-nourished, alert and in a place of common traffic. I know this now because I have learned that most provinces and most towns, regardless of their size, have local police stations in centralized locations. I dare not romanticize a story of grief or pain, and I dare not surmise her birth-mother made a "plan" for delivering her baby girl to a specifically chosen location. I don't know those things for fact. But on this day, when my heart was heavy for a mother whose arms are now empty, when my own heart is aching and my own arms are restless in their emptiness, I do know these things.

I know that in HIS infinite wisdom and love, My Father in Heaven is working to bring to fruition the beautiful plan that He has for {Li'l Empress'} life. I know that her birth-mother played a significant (I dare say annointed?) role in the journey of her life so far. I know that the plans He has for {our girl}, and indeed our whole family, are beautiful. They are for our good. They are for our work on this earth that is purposed to bringing Him glory. I know that, should she choose to seek Him and cry out to Him, her birth-mother can find healing and comfort in His arms.

And until the day I die, I will say a prayer of gratefulness for this woman. And I will pray that she find Her Father and experience the filling of her heart that only He can bring.

"I'll show up and take care of you as I promised
and bring you back home.
I know what I'm doing.
I have it all planned out -
plans to take care of you,
not abandon you,
plans to give you the future you hope for."
Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

Happy Birthday Shaggy!!!

2011-08-13T10:33:00.002-04:00

It's a really busy season, here at The Gang's Headquarters. Regular life, crowded in by part-time jobs, camps, lessons, momma-taxi runs all over the valley, the normal everyday mini-crises that come with five kids, and so on. So busy, in fact, that I forgot to write Shaggy's b'day post. (sigh. I'm so embarrassed!) I'm grateful that he's so laid back and humble that he is okay with a delayed honoring. I guess the fact that he doesn't even read the blog every day (gasp! I know, right?!) makes my "running behind it all" pretty okay with him, too.

But have no fear - we did celebrate our guy. We celebrated off and on all day. Every time he came into a room (before and after he put in a 9 hour day at work), at least one of us said, "Happy Birthday Shaggy!" And every time I saw him and Li'l Empress in the same room, I reminded her that big brothers need lots of birthday hugs and kisses. She was On.The. JOB! And quite happily I might add!

Which brings me to one of the things that I most appreciate about my Shaggy boy.

The other day, we were in a store, chatting while the littles were milling around us. For some reason, Baby BlueEyes felt compelled to hug Shaggy. In a store. In public. Which, I have no problem with. But I was watching it all carefully, trying to gage Shaggy's reaction and being prepared to step in if I sensed that he needed a rescue from the inevitable swarming that one hug from one sibling almost always triggers from the other littles. It never happened. In fact, Shaggy wrapped his long arms around BBE's head (giggle!) and waved me off.

He said, "It's okay. Really, I know I went through a stage where this stuff bugged me before. But I'm over that. I don't mind public displays of affection anymore. Weird, I know." (or something to that effect...)

And it's true. Shaggy is one of the most loving, caring, tender-hearted and affectionate kids I know. He never makes the younger siblings feel as if he doesn't have time for them. He is "present" with Li'l E's constant barrage of conversation, even when her toddler stuttering turns the conversation into an exercise in patience. He listens to the things I say about respecting their developmental abilities and tries to honor them in the process. He is unfailingly sweet to his cousins and is such a "safe" place for all the little(er) people in his life. In fact, yesterday at work, his employer's two kids worked with him almost all day. He was telling me all about it: their stories, their interests, their personalities and so on. All without a hint of impatience or irritation at the shadows they were all day. In fact, I think he really enjoyed himself!

I've watched this trait grow and bloom in his life over these last two years and I just know that God has something unique and amazing for the ministry coming in Shaggy's adulthood. Here's some end-of-the-day pics I clicked, of all the sibs givin' him some final birthday love...

Excuse the poor quality of the pics... It was late, and all I had was my phone. I really need to learn how to use that the camera on that thing....

I know. I don't even have words for this one.

Gosh, I love these kids!

Happy Birthday, Shaggy!

You are absolutely the best guy for

the job of big brother to this gang.

And firstborn to this Momma.

God really, really blessed us all

17 years ago. At 4:12 p.m.

and every single.second.since.

I love you.

Wordless Wednesday {birthday edition}

2011-08-10T09:04:00.004-04:00

It's a really big day here at The Gang's Headquarters.

SOMEBODY turns FOUR today!!!

We spent last night prepping for the festivities.

This morning, SOMEBODY beat me down the stairs,

so I missed the "look of surprise" photo op.

LadyBug made a pretty little crown.

Li'l Empress just can't stop smiling!

Happiest of Happy Birthdays

to my exuberant, joyful,

"fiery little one!"

You are a gift to us all.

And your huge personality

and outrageous embrace of life

has changed all of our lives!

We love you like CRAZY,

Li'l Empress!!!!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Leave some love for my girl, won't you please?

Wherein I Stop the Teasing

2011-08-09T07:43:00.049-04:00

Okay, so last week I alluded to a thing I've been brewing up in my head. The recent conversations about adoption, finances, and fundraising have brought "this thing" to the forefront of my mind. I say the "forefront" cuz it's been tickling around in the back of my mind for quite some time now. In fact, really for about a year and a half now.

Are you all totally surprised that I kept something in my head for that long and DIDN'T do my regular verbal vomit of sharing-ness with you all?! Are you totally impressed with my thoughtful and self-contained processing?! I am. And I'm exhausted from it all, too. Sheesh. This discernment thing is hard work.

I am thinking of some ways to bring in additional income to The Gang's Headquarters to bolster up that little Adoption Jar of ours.

I mean, I can't sell much more on Cr@igslist. You know, The Boss kind of frowns upon selling the furniture and furnishings right out from underneath The Gang. He's not a big fan of sitting on the floor. Watching our 1998 era tv is painful enough for him.

And mind you, I am not eliminating the idea of a big fundraiser project at all. But I'm tabling it for this week and chatting this idea over instead.

The thing is? I don't have a ton of work-in-a-traditional-office type of experience any more. I mean, I was a kick-butt awesome administrative assistant back before Shaggy was born. But that was 1994 and we were still using WordPerfect at our office. Heh. Remember that?

Plus, I have five gang members. Which makes my availability hard to nail down. What with football, band, ensembles, before and after school clubs, soccer, worship teams, lessons, and some half-day, three-days-per-week preschool thrown in for the fun of it. I'll let you do the mental math on that one.

So I'm thinking. And thinking.

In case you are new around here,

these italics and parentheses

are ME, thinking....

I love words. I love reading. I love writing. And, (I haven't mentioned this to many folks before and certainly not here yet) I love editing. Proofing. Nixing commas left and right. Getting the PERFECT moment to insert a semi-colon. You know, crazy stuff like that. Reading it again and then reading it out loud. I love it. If the story is really good, you know, like the ones that this amazing lady cranks out, then I am in word paradise. If it's not, then I am in editing Heaven while helping you get it there.

It's a sickness. I know.

Sigh. Can we move on now? Thanks.

So this is where you come in.... I think I might be interested in taking on some projects that might cushion that little Adoption Jar just a little bit more. I'm looking at essays, short stories, school papers, and resumes. Marketing brochures, presentations, or business flyers. College papers and research projects. You get the idea. Now, can you go share the idea?

I can work with you (or friends you might recommend) and make a rough draft into a final copy. I did it all school-year long, for the last I can't count how many school years with my older two boys. And I have to say, even if it sounds braggy, they got A's on all the projects I helped them complete. In fact, often (with the perks of cyber schooling) we were usually able to turn the rough draft into a final piece in just one or two steps that later saved them a separate lesson to complete and hand back in later. They liked that "skipping a lesson" thing pretty danged much.

I don't really have any other "professional credits" to be throwin' around here. I don't even know how "professional" I want a little beast like this to get. Certainly not a big suit-and-tie kind of monster. I do know that. But I'm asking nonetheless.

So. This is the post wherein I stop the teasing.

But it's also the post wherein I request your help. Wherein I ask you to consider throwing a girl some work. Or throwing the girl's name around where work might be generated.

I'm just sayin'...

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-07T21:18:00.003-04:00

Oh, such a funny story on the way to these pretty pics!

When LadyBug, Li'l Empress, Grandma and I all gathered in the kitchen before church this a.m., we noticed a theme. And consequently, a perfect opportunity for some picture time, if you ask me.

This is the first shot. Pretty much perfect, I think.

And then we requested The Boss to follow up with another. You know, "just in case." I'm big on the "follow up" pic, even bigger on the "just in case."

Not just with pictures. Kinda generally in life.

But with this second shot, Li'l Empress just.would.not look at the camera. W.O.U.L.D.N.O.T. I even "got in her face" a little, assuming that she was over-tired and acting out.

Finally, she stopped us all in our tracks, by patting Grandma's arm and asking, "What dis arm doin' here foh?"

Oh. My. Word. She COULDN'T look at the camera and smile pretty.

Because she couldn't figure out whose arm that was and what it was doing on her leg.

Those smiles are pure hilarity. She had us totally cracked up.

I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff.

Stirring It Up A Bit

2011-08-05T06:56:00.011-04:00

So, the conversation over at Creating a Family has continued throughout the week. When my post about the conversation went "live" on my Facebook page, via the handy-dandy app called "Networked Blogs," the conversation continued here too. Admittedly, it's been pretty one-sided over here, but I'm not surprised by that terribly much. I mean, really, the only folks who read this little corner of the blogosphere called "The Gang's All Here!" are likely doing so cuz they know me. Or are related to me. Or they owe me some big bucks and this is the payment I've exacted.

"Read my blog and I'll cancel your debt."

Snort. Yeah. Not really, but seriously.

It's not like I've got a nation-wide readership here, guys!

I have said over and over that I do NOT have a grasp on all sides of the issues surrounding adoption. But the thing that keeps hitting me about these conversations and the strong stances taken on either side of the debate is that I don't HAVE to have an experience on all sides of the issues. I cannot speak for an adoptee or for a birth mother... I can listen, I can try to understand, I can choose to expose myself to her viewpoint and choose to think about it. But it will always be done through the filters of my own life experiences AND through the choice to accept another's filter as valid and helpful to the conversation. My sweet friend, Christie, said it well:

"All I could think while I read those articles was how struck I am by the selfishness of others. Choose not to be offended people!"

Now, before you get all riled up, let me say that I think I know what she means. I actually said something similar to that in another adoption related post over at Creating a Family. I think what she means is that standing strongly on your own viewpoint, refusing to listen or consider or process what you can from others' viewpoints is selfish. Not in the mean-girl, snotty, haughty kind of selfish. Rather, it's self-focused, self-serving. It's camping on a viewpoint that may or may not be right and refusing to consider that other ways of addressing an issue just might be a key to getting yourself into the world (or the heart?) of the others around you.... Of being part of the solution to some of these issues rather than continuing to gripe and whine and vent about the problems. I think that is what she means. At least in part. The other part? Well, she is a strong Suthern woman, ya'll. And I love her for it. Just love her.

Several of your responses have been so sweet and so vulnerable. Sharing my viewpoints about things like (gasp!) money and (double gasp!) faith with the world-wide-web is kind of scary sometimes and for those of you who have encouraged me and given me the virtual "you go, girl" here or on Facebook, I thank you.

But there is one response that simultaneously cracked me up and made me cry. In fact, her response so resonated with me that I've been thinking and brewing on something kinda big (for me) that I want to throw out on this little corner of the blogosphere in the coming days.... How's that for a teaser, for ya?! Nothing like a little shameless plug to keep you coming back to see what it is I have up my wordy little sleeve, huh?

Anyway. The reason I'm sharing this response today is because it's from a friend whom I trust. From her, I learn much about BEING the Church, minus many of the trappings and "Christian-ese" turns of phrase that we hear all around us. This friend has an "outside perspective" of having never been in the world of international adoption. And to me, that makes her perspective very valid in an unique way. She thinks things through. And asks for God's heart on the matters that confuse or trouble her. And I need friends like her.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's so darned loyal and supportive that she'd dedicate a whole post to the issue and be willing to "take it on the chin" for this Momma in doing so. She rocks. And I am grateful for her friendship.

Go over HERE and read her post.

You'll see what I mean. Chat it up over there. I'll jump in on it, too.

Huge

2011-08-04T07:03:00.005-04:00

I LOVE a good give-away.

But more importantly, I love a good give-away

that is meant to support a good cause.

Really, I'm not a big fan of the word "cause"

as I've used it here but it's early

and I'm having a tough time finding another word

that works.

Just a little hang-up of mine....

So. One of my all-time favorite sites

is hosting a HUGE give-away contest.

HUGE. Like, 15 winners huge.

That, I think we can all agree, is awesomely huge.

Heh. There's my "finding another word" thing

cropping up again. Meh. I need more coffee.

Here's the skinny on how to get yourself entered

to be one of those 15 winners. Once you read all the details,

I think we can all agree that the "cause" is also awesomely huge.

I think we can all agree

God's name is going to be glorified

and His hands will have lots and lots of extra opportunities

to work His Good in lots of little hearts.

Quite literally.

And that? Is HUGE.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T07:02:00.015-04:00

Three years ago this week,

THIS was the sight that greeted me

when I opened my email before heading

off on our annual vacation.

I know, can you STAND it?!

And now....

Holding her (instead of a couple of pictures!)

in my arms still doesn't get old!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Moms and link up.

To Fund Raise Or Not To Fund Raise?

2011-08-02T07:24:00.014-04:00

Apparently, THAT is the question of late!

Recently, the hot button topic of adoption fundraising has been making its rounds in the forums, blogs, and even the newspaper columns again. Really, I tend to think its an issue that will never be settled.

If you check out this blog and its links and comments, you will see one perspective on the issue. It was hard to read. But I forced myself to read it all and think hard about the comments and the reactions that all sides of the adoption issue had to share.

And if you head over here, you'll see the exact same "Dear Abby" letter and a very different set of conversations happening about that issue (and frankly! an even broader perspective that wasn't adequately addressed at all in the original "Dear Abby" post). Not a ton of agreement, for sure, but again a challenge to me to think before I speak and really consider where I fall on the spectrum of beliefs and ideas.

(Kudos, Dawn, for targeting that additional conversation

that should have been handled much more

compassionately and realistically in the original "letter!")

I guess I had a lot more going on inside my head and my heart than I thought when I finally got around to reading and processing both blog posts and their comments. Cuz look at what came pouring out of my fingertips after I'd read them both a few times and took some time to step away from it all and think it through. Sheeesh, I feel like I just unloaded a ton of bricks from this old brain of mine. I've re-posted my comments from the Creating a Family blog post, (I commented there mostly because I'm more familiar with Dawn and many of her regular readers). What are you all thinking about these issues? I'd love to hear from you - but be sure to read the above links first. It's worth it.

The way I see it, this discussion will never be agreed upon by those who camp strongly in the “adoption fundrasing is never right” and those who reside in opposite field of “adopt to save/rescue a poor little orphan.” Too many polarizing worldviews between them, methinks.

I am so torn, myself, frankly. I strongly resist the “adopt to rescue” mentality for myself and my Gang. Yes, we are born-again believers who will be raising all of our Gang in our belief system that says we all need Jesus. And without Jesus life is meaningless. BUT I don’t believe that proselytizing my faith should be the reason I work my hiney off to bring another sweet little girl into my home. We are gearing up for another adoption BECAUSE WE DON’T FEEL OUR FAMILY IS DONE YET. BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE LITTLE ONES IN OUR HEART TO LOVE AND WE WANT TO SEE THEIR LITTLE FACES IN OUR HOME. Period. In fact, I want it so badly that I am tearing up as I am typing this. In my view, it’s already been too long a wait for my next daughter.

Having said that, I will be the first to admit that we don’t have the necessary $24+K sitting around to do that. Granted, we have more tightening up to do. We have more debt-snowballing to finish. We have more STUFF to sell and more income to generate. (Anyone need some editing or writing work done?!) But if we wait till all those ducks are in a row to HAVE all that $$, we have several unwanted extenuating circumstances that will occur. Circumstances that are private. That are tender to a momma’s heart. That can be solved if we had the money sooner than later.

So we wonder. Can/should we fundraise? In my particular circles (church, special needs/adoptive moms), the vast majority say “Yes. Go for it. However we can help.” And I have some kickin’ good ideas (aaaah, that communications/public relations experience and degree are coming in handy now!) floatin’ around my head. Ideas that could turn into a great annual event that would possibly help us help other families build their families. Which is the second thing that I wonder about. When I do feel as if my family is “complete” (I hope sincerely that it is with this next one for whom we are working and waiting!), I wonder if I can parlay my passion to see kids find families into some fundraising and/or awareness support. I WANT to parlay my degree and my experience and my passion into something that creates permanent and loving change for kids and parents.

Which brings me back to the fundrasing… If it is done rightly, without the “save my child, the pitiful orphan” focus; if it is done with integrity and with a sincere effort at helping folks build families, what on earth is so wrong? I know, I am not an adoptee and I don’t fully understand the implications for how it might make them feel. But really? Shame on the folks who would allow that message to settle over their adopted child! That would allow lies and wrong motives to attach themselves to their child’s psyche without swooping in with loving TRUTH of the matter. When I hear a lie, any distortion of truth spoken to or about my child’s life (any of my children!), I correct it.

I don’t know. I don’t have the answers. And I’ve never laid out my thoughts or heart about fundraising and adoption quite this publicly before. I fully realize that I am likely speaking in great niavete. Sigh. I am just a Momma who loves her kids. Those here in my gang’s headquarters and those not yet home. And frankly, most days, I feel like I will do anything I have to to get my next mei-mei home where she can be loved and doted upon like Li’l E is. Even if I make major faux pas along the way.

Which, I fully recognize I am likely already doing. Another sigh.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2011-08-01T07:34:00.013-04:00

Late Thursday night, Shaggy and Dr. D were helping me unload groceries and put things away after what was supposed to be a fairly "light" trip to my local G!@nt. Ha. What exactly IS a "light trip?"

I was crowing about some of the big bargains I'd scored, as explanation for the larger-than-anticipated stock up I'd brought home.

Shaggy said to me, "You don't need to tell me everything that you got on massive sale with coupons and bonus buys. We pretty much assume that if it is laying around the house in large quantities, it was on sale."

"But, but..." I blustered through my laughter. My son knows me well.

But it's what he said next that JUST.CRACKED.ME.UP.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think kids were on sale at G!@nt."

Really. I don't know where these kids come up with this stuff. Between Shaggy, Dr. D, and Li'l Empress, I swear I should have the flattest abs in town. It's a laugh a minute around here.

And really?! FIVE seems like "large quantities?" Seriously. I wonder about that kid.

What's he gonna do when Mei-Mei comes home to join the fun?

Sunday Snapshot

2011-07-31T23:02:00.002-04:00

It was a good day to be the Momma of this Gang.

They let me sleep in a bit.

We went to the church picnic.

Li'l Empress got super sweaty and really red-faced

with excitement at all the play time with her big sibs

and their "awdum" friends.

That is NOT a sunburn. It is truly how red

her face gets when she runs around like a loon

on even a mild temp day.

Which today was not.

We stopped by our local bank

to have a contract notarized.

THE contract notarized, I should say.

Then we came back to The Gang's House

and spent the afternoon poolside.

Some family came by to chill out and visit.

Shaggy and Dr. D's "awdum" friends stopped by

for some cool-down time.

Ice cream sandwiches were served

to fortify them for the water battles that ensued.

Later, the yummy, gooey peanut butter chocolate chip bars

refilled all the empty tummies.

The mosquitos filled up nicely on Dr. D's

sweet Italian skin.

The pool was full today.

And so was my heart.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

"It's A Speed Play, Mom"

2011-07-29T07:05:00.005-04:00

On the way home from football practice the other day, Dr. D was telling me about a new play that the team added to its repertoire.

Well, he didn't use the word "repertoire."

I think I'm the only one in this house that uses that word.

Just like I am the only one in my house that uses

the grocery list to write down depleted items. Ahem.

But I digress.....

Anyway. He told me about this play. Apparently he is a key player in this strategy of play. It seems that after the snap, the QB (Oh, sorry. That's football talk for quarterback. See how I dazzled you with my knowledge there?! Heh.) is supposed to hand off the ball to the WB (Wingback. Dr. D's favorite position on this sophomore team.) and the WB is supposed to run around the outside and head for the endzone, "straight at the LB."

Ummm. That's "LB" as in LINEBACKER.

As in really big, beefy dude on the opposing team. The big one.

"Oh. Yay," I said weakly. Visions of backboards and neckbraces and flat little Dr. D's flashed through my head.

Just for a second.

I know. Oh, me of little faith.

He must have seen my face change. He grinned. And said, "It's a speed play, Mom. As long as I'm fast, I'll be okay."

Ummmm. Yeah.

"You mean, as long as you are faster than the linebacker, you'll be okay."

Big grin.

He was thoroughly enjoying

my discomfort. Brat!

"Yup. That's what I mean."

Ugh. It's gonna be a long, long season.

Another Great Link to Share

2011-07-28T07:14:00.007-04:00

And another great, valid, BIG reason that we cannot do this mom thing alone. This parenting thing is way too hard, way too important, and way too God-planned, God-anointed, God-ordained, to do alone.

Go HERE and read this.

Then print it out. Print several copies.

Put it on your fridge.

In your Bible.

On the mirror where you put on your face.

And share it on with other moms, other parents who need it.

Really. We all need it.

For other peeks into

my heart for motherhood,

click here and here.

Football Season Is ON!!!!

2011-07-26T09:28:00.005-04:00

This Eagles-lovin' family is THRILLED to be gearing up for the start of the 2011 NFL season. This morning, a fun little cartoon celebrating the end of the lock-out went up on the official site of the Philadelphia Eagles. You really ought to go by and check it out.

And I have decided that if I ever have the opportunity to have a cartoon made of ME? I want this cartoonist to work the same magic on my physique that he/she worked on Coach Reid. LOL!

Take a moment and pause at 1:01 - that greatness in action?! That flying leap by #81? Cartoon'd here, yes. But completely realistic and totally possible again this year.

That, my friends, is my guy. I'm on the look-out for my very own #81 jersey.

And I'm gonna say it now - he is the man to watch this year.

Integrity. Character. Generosity. Skill.

Jason Avant. You heard it here.

Sharing a "Must Read"

2011-07-25T08:25:00.004-04:00

I'm easing myself back into the daily routine around here. Our vacation this year was part travel and part "stay-cation." And today, it's back to the regular summer schedule of band camp, football camp, laundry, part-time taxi duties and all.

While I was "stay-cationing" I caught myself up on some reading and some resources I've been trying to get to. I'm hoping to share them with you in the coming days. But this post jumped straight to the top of the list when I read it. This is a "must read" and I'm hoping that you will not just stop there. Share it on with your friends. With your family.

Not only is it written so kindly and practically, it is also getting to a deeper truth that I believe can be applied to many, many circumstances beyond a response to the announcement of someone's adoption. To me, the most valuable piece of information in the whole post is the recurring theme of simple encouragement and intentional caution or gentleness with our word choice.

Great post, Kelly! Thanks so much for the opportunity to share it with others, too!

Praying for Mia

2011-07-21T11:21:00.002-04:00

Please join Li'l Empress in praying for this sweet little girl.
Today is a big, big day for her and her family.

"Dear Jee ah,"

Da da da da foh today. Dank you for Mia. Please bleth her and hep the doctors make her aaallllll better.

In Jee ah Name,

Aaaaaaay MEN!"

Bloggity Bliss

2011-07-14T23:40:00.004-04:00

Whew! It's been a busy week for The Gang. And this Momma is feeling the bloggy love for sure. No one can ever convince me that the friendships built here in the blogosphere aren't real. I have had some awesome friendships spring up over the years I've been reading and writing here and this week not one, but TWO!, of my bloggy buddies came to my home for some IRL (in real life) face-to-face time with me and my gang.

First, we got the honor of hosting my sweet friend Kateri and her three munchkins for several days. It was a "normal" week for the Gang, in that we still had band camp, football camp, part-time jobs, and errands that kept me hopping in and out of the car. But Kateri and her kids graciously rolled with the punches and in between all my taxi runs to and fro, we got to enjoy plenty of pool time and girl talk and even a little retail therapy. Best of all, our kids get along just beautifully and really, really love each other.

Our story is an unusual one. We "met" through my sister-in-law, when both of us were new to our adoption journeys still waiting for our daughters. I say "met" because for a very long time, after my sister-in-law gave me Kateri's email and blog address, we just read each other's blogs and commented or emailed. Our first "IRL" meet up was on a visit to my sister-in-law's home for the holidays. I remember being sooo nervous. Which totally cracks me up NOW. When we finally got to meet in person, the connection was instant. It was like we'd known each other for years and years. And in the years since our long waits and crazy paper-chases, we've had many, many opportunities to continue building our friendship. Sometimes, I forget that I haven't known her for my whole adult life! It's such a pleasure to have a family with whom we know we will have a lasting and enduring friendship. As I said to her the other day, this friendship of ours is the second best thing to come out of our trip to China and back!

Alayna was so proud to jump off the board

for the first time!

She and Li'l Empress just kept jumping and jumping

and jumping and jumping.....

I walked in from dropping Dr. D at football to find

them all embroiled in a fierce game of Sequence.

They were totally cracking each other up!

THEN! The fun didn't stop there. While Kateri and her gang were packing up and getting ready to hit the road, ANOTHER bloggy friend pulled in for a first-time, face-to-face, IN REAL LIFE meet up. Miss Beverly, her sweet hubby Danny, and their spunky and delightful daughter, Hannah, came to visit on a little side trip from spending time with family who had recently moved to the greater Philadelphia region. You might recognize the tag line "Happy In The Moment" if you have been a regular around here. We were trying to figure out just how it is that we found each other's blogs and began our on-line correspondence but given that it's been well over four years now, both of us gave up the search.... All I know is that sweet Miss Beverly is, in person, EXACTLY as she is on her blog. As she is in our interactions on F@cebook. As she is in our emails. She's just as sweet, just as funny, and just as wise and compassionate as her written words are. I don't know about you, but I find that rare and refreshing and beautiful.

I was a tad chagrined that I was serving "gourmet" Dominoes pizza and "I slaved over them all day long" ice cream sandwiches from a box to this classic Southern belle who likely offers that famed Southern hospitality as first nature to guests in HER home. You know, with sweet tea, home-made biscuits, mint juleps and all. But she totally took it in stride and p'shawed my attempts at apology for my slacker Yankee presentation. For crying out loud, I even served it on the patio, from a box, in my cover-up. Heh. I must have REALLY felt at ease with her. Even I was wonderin' what I was thinking! I did put make up on though, so I guess I didn't go tooooo Yankee on her! :) JUST kidding. I'm kidding! Seriously, though. It was a delightful visit and I can't even believe how blessed I feel to have made yet another "real life" friend out of this crazy blogosphere of ours.

So that leads me to ask: What bloggy friends have you made that have successfully translated into "real life" friendships? How did you meet for your first "face-to-face?" I'd love to hear your stories. And I hope you have been as blessed by these unique and creative friendships as I have been with my two lovely bloggy friends!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T07:17:00.004-04:00

Loving the lazy, hazy days of summer.

Loving the silly, cuddly, huggy fun between these two.

Loving that she thinks her muscles are as big as her brother's!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

link up over at 5 Minutes for Mom.

She's A Sly One

2011-07-11T07:06:00.008-04:00

So. The other night, I was doing the night time routine with Li'l Empress. Jammies on. White noise on. Little stuffed animal friends all lined up. Blankie tucked in just so. Hugs and kisses and a little silly girl talk about the day. You know the drill. I'm sure you all have a similar routine going on at your place.

But then it was time to pray. And it went a little something like this...

(Keep in mind, I'm typing it as she would have said it. Bear with the phonetic chaos of it all.)

Dear Je-Ah,

Da da da da foh today. Dank you for Daddy and Mommy. Dank you for Shaggy and Dr. D. Dank you for LadyBug and Baby BlueEyes. And me. Dank you for my wubby-dubby. And my doggie. And my bear. And my blankie. Dank you for Mommy fitzin all da holes in my puhpul hippo and madin hippo aaaaaaaallll beddah. Hep me seep wew and had gooooood rets.

In Je-Ah Name,
AAAAAAAAMEN!

The only thing is?

That puhpul hippo?

I mean, that purple hippo?

Was still on the shelf in the closet, along with all the other mending I have to get to.

Was still on the shelf, un-fitzed.

I mean, unfixed.

I mean, still on the shelf with a great big hole still in his leg.

Un-mended.

Yeah. She's a sly one all right.

Let's just say that after that particular sweet little prayer?

The puhpul hippo is now fitzed.

And is now nestled nicely each nap-time and bedtime at Li'l Empress's side.

Right where he belongs.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-07-10T18:16:00.004-04:00

The big, gaping hole in my kitchen ceiling

left behind by the leaking, spewing toilet

is finally being fixed.

The Boss assures me it won't look like this

for very long. The green really clashes with my

red and yellow kitchen decor.

But this???

This sweet summer flower doesn't clash at all.

In fact, she only makes the other flowers around her

seem faded when compared with her beauty.

I might be a bit biased, but really?

How perfectly summery is my girl lookin' today?!

Link up for some summer

fun with Sunday Snapshot.

Leave me a comment

and I'll return the favor!

The Hardest Job On The Planet

2011-07-07T11:10:00.001-04:00

Over the last few weeks, I have had several moms ask me questions about parenting their children toward godliness. Questions like, "Will he ever GET it?" and "Why does she do the opposite of what we're training her to do?" or "Am I going to be repeating this stuff to them over and over for the next 20-something years?" I've shared my heart about moms needing other moms before, here, and about the constant tweaking and adjusting that we do here The Gang's house, here and here and here and here.

But today, as further encouragement to keep seeking out some godly moms to join you in your journey, I want to share some excerpts of a note. It's a note I sent to a young mom who was despairing over her daughter's unwise choices. Choices that go against what Mom and Dad are teaching in the home. I share it not to say that my advice is "da bomb" or anything like that. I share it, because as I was writing it out to her, I realized that I needed to be reading it to myself. I needed the refresher and the "shot in the arm" to keep doing what I know is the right thing to do. I hope it does the same for you!

The most important thing is to NOT GROW WEARY in doing well. Try to find a way (I'm sometimes still looking!) to be okay with the repetition and the consistency. Keep correcting her, reminding her of Jesus' way of living, speaking, relating. In these younger years, it is so important to keep on, keepin' on. To say it a million times a day if you have to. And believe me, sometimes you have to.

Another thing is to LOOK FOR the things that she is doing right, doing well. Applaud them, draw them out, seek them out. Make sure she knows that you value her wiring and her temperament - even if it's hard for you to naturally do so. If you go back to my blog and read the "Respect the Wiring" series I did about Dr. D, you'll see that I struggle sometimes to "get him." He's way different than me and I have a hard time letting him "be himself" sometimes. But it's how God made him and to try and change his foundational wiring would short-circuit our relationship AND his growth toward the Lord.

A third thing to consider is that this is a life-time process. You are in this for the long haul, adjusting and tweaking and weeding through character and spiritual growth with her for at least the next 12-14 years.... Be easy on yourself, and be easy on her with that view in mind. Don't be easy on the sin, but also don't expect that she will see it as sin, repent, put it to death forever and never struggle again. It's a process for her as much as it is for ANY BELIEVER. Help her understand that Jesus wants to rule her heart and mind but that she will sometimes throw Him off the throne JUST LIKE MOMMY DOES SOMETIMES. She needs to know that you are in process too.

Finally, hang in there. Get some support - your hubby, another Mom who is a little farther along in the mommy journey than you, your mom, whatever you can find. Someone that will pray for you, pray with you, and encourage you. ENCOURAGE YOU! Too often, we surround ourselves with folks who will pray for us, but then will also "hold us accountable" in a manner that is burdensome or condemning. Steer clear and find someone who will be your cheerleader. For example, I had "Momma T" - always telling me how great I was doing, that I was gonna make it, that I had great kids and a good foundation going. It charged me and fueled me and refreshed me. As opposed to some of my "peer mommy" friends who just joined in the despair and disappointment that I was expressing with their own tales of woe. Not that those friendships aren't important but I needed her as a counter-balance.

Hang in there. I suspect that you are doing a far better job of loving her and filling her with The Word and the Love of The Father than you think. You come from a great heritage, and so does she. It will play out and she will be a strong godly woman. The Word promises it.