Wordless Wednesday {How Can This Be Comfortable?}

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Surprise...

The other day, I picked Li'l Empress up from Kindergarten and headed over to the church offices to take care of cutting the cards for our Chore Chart. On the secretary's desk there is a little candy bowl, always filled with tempting little packages of sweet minty yumminess. I'm convinced that it is the primary reason any of my gang ever willingly joins me when I head to the office to do work of any kind.

Anyway, as is her custom, Li'l Empress waited oh, about 45 seconds before asking (ever so politely and expectantly) if she could please have a mint. This time, I said "not now, maybe later." I went on to explain that it would be so nice if once in while she DIDN'T ask, but instead thought about waiting for ME to ask HER. Maybe if she would wait once in a while, I would get the pleasure of surprising her or blessing her with OFFERING it to her before she made it known that she wanted it. (Heh. AS IF I ever ever ever wonder if she wants one!). She nodded quickly and gave me a face. But as I had laid the ground rules down earlier about how to behave while Uncle Paul and the others were working, she quietly (and wisely) gave me one last look and turned around to play with the stash of toys.

So, on Friday, we were back at the office to print and fold and stuff the weekly bulletin. I settled her on the floor with her little snacky lunch, the toys and her chocolate milk. I could see her eyeing the candy bowl but just pretended I was too busy with my own tasks to notice. After her lunch was about 3/4 of the way to being done, she became a little more obvious. Looking longer. Getting up to walk over and peer into the dish close up. Really studying it. I was having a hard time keeping my composure.

After she finished, she cleaned up her lunch stuff and started playing on the floor. I was folding and stuffing the bulletin by now and she knew we were going to be leaving soon....

"Ummm, Mommy, ummmm, Mommy?"

"Yes, Li'l Empress?"

"Ummmm, Mommy?"  and she pointed emphatically in the general direction of the candy dish. Silently.

"What, Li'l Empress? Did you need something?"

"Ummmm, Mommy? Ummm, I'm not going to ask you for a ...." pointing even more emphatically, to the point of lifting off her little hiney and stretching her whole body into the point.

"What? What aren't you going to ask me for?" I asked oh, so innocently. Heh.

"I'm not going to ask you for a mint," she shook her head very solemnly.

"Oh, good, Li'l Empress. Thank you for remembering our talk the other day and obeying me about the mints."

"Yeah. I 'membered. And I'm going to wait for you to suhprize me. 'K? You are gonna suhprize me, right?"

Sigh. "Yes, Li'l Empress. Would you like a mint now that we are ready to leave?"

"YEAH! SURE! THANKS! I SO EXCITED! I GOT A MINT! YAY! I GOT A MINT!"

Sigh. ...Surprise...

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! Off to Work We Go!

We are always re-vamping the chore chart here; you know, for seasons of the school year, activity levels of the various Gang members, and so on... I tend to be pretty loosey goosey about it in the summer, giving lots of grace and margin in consideration of our irregular schedules... And this year, I'm frankly quite late with the fall edition. But with all that we've had going on, just managing the "status quo" has been (more than) enough for us to keep a grip on. I have been working on this edition since we got home from Colorado and I think (after I blew $5 laminating the faulty edition! Grrr....) that I've got it now.

Here's the basics of how we do it ‘round here:

• Each kid has a column. Each time a job is completed in that column, it gets flipped over to the blank side. I laminate the job cards for wear and tear.
• We don't allow jobs to be done on Sundays.
• During the school year, the kids have from Monday morning through till lunch time on Saturday to complete their jobs.
• In this fall's edition, they each have 5 jobs that should take no more than 20 minutes each to do. That gives them a chance for TWO days "off" during the week.
• I think I finally have a system down that allows for the revamping to be done quickly and easily: with this edition, I gave each job a "group number" so that when the rotations move to the next kid, they move together in a group.
• We rotate jobs (by the numbered group) on Sunday afternoons or Monday mornings. Each grouping will just move one kid to the right.
• If a kid fails to complete all the jobs in their column for the week, they keep those jobs until they are done and then the job rejoins its grouping on the next rotation.
• If that kid is a repeat offender, I give another consequence till the jobs are all completed. Usually, loss of technology/electronics for 24 hours does it. 
• The "Dishes" jobs are daily, and remain static, based on the kids's school day schedule

The is part of the actual job chart that I print and cut.

The chores are all organized now into three groups (see those little numbers at the bottom?) for the older three kids who are still home. Li’l Empress’s column won't change (her jobs are marked by the "A"). But she's on the chart now and I will add tasks as I see her maturity grow. For example, she's afraid of the hand vac, so that is still a "big kid job." But when Baby BlueEyes was 5, he was easily able to handle vacuuming the stairs and landing.

The finished product goes onto a regular bulletin board that the hubby divided into four columns. It's been fancier than this but I stopped spending tons of money and time on the aesthetics when I realized how often we realistically had to re-vamp. The cards on the board are the rough draft of this fall’s edition. The chart here will be laminated and cut up to be placed on the board this weekend.

Okay. So, you might be asking how on earth you can modify this for your younger household of kiddoes? Well, it’s really easy if you are willing to take some time to think it through. First, make a list of the jobs that you know each of your kids are capable of learning or accomplishing with moderate guidance and repetition. Even the little ones can participate, if only to get the feeling that they are part of the process. Simplify it for everyone by focusing on what you NEED to have done or have help with.

Then, make a chart with paper cards (don't laminate yet, till you have your system down pat) and have a simple rotation between the kids of jobs that all of them can do or can help with. Maybe make some of them "team effort jobs" to enhance morale and confidence. If you have varying ages, know that some of the jobs might not rotate at all (as in Li’l Empress’s column). Be careful not to overload the columns with the number of tasks and make sure that each task can be accomplished in a reasonable (per individual child’s abilities) amount of time. Again, simplify your chart (especially if it’s brand new to your family routine!) to the most important jobs that you know the kids are capable of and can do fairly well with minimal (read: normal, age appropriate) prodding or re-teaching.

Also keep in mind that at the younger ages, it's not about the QUALITY of the job when it's done. It's about teaching them HOW to contribute, HOW to work together, and HOW to share the load of being in a family. You will likely have to re-do the jobs (out of their observation) and re-teach the jobs many times till they "get it." And that’s okay.  It’s a learning process for everyone. In fact, even at my kids' ages, we often make them check in to tell us they've completed a job, to avoid slap-dash quality work through the accountability. And sometimes, I’ve been known to do “surprise inspections!) Because NOW? It IS about quality. OH! And illness prevention :)

I often have to chant to myself throughout the week: "It's about the process." Even though we’ve been at this Chore Chart process since we moved to our current home. To me, the Chore Chart is a tiny real life word picture to describe all of parenting: "It’s a process. It’s a process. It’s a process.” But it's one that is totally worth it in view of equipping your kids to care for themselves AND for those that the Lord gives them to care for. For example, I LOVE how confident I feel knowing that my kids can take care of the house and of themselves and each other when The Boss and I head off to China in the spring. But it took a while to get us all there and I had to be willing to dig into the process!

Shoot me some questions and feedback – I love hearing what works for you guys. And your input helps me think through the contingencies and exceptions I need to anticipate.

Here's a Visual for Ya!

An adoptive momma friend shared this visual on her F@cebook page this week. I can take no credit for it and do not know it's origins. However, I thought it would be a good way to show you, my dear readers, all the steps in the process we are following to adopt Mei Mei.

So, picture me in the corner, only with much shorter, funkier hair of the much orange-er with little streaks of white variety. You know, sprinkled in to show you all my God-following life experience and wisdom. And in anything but PINK or polka dots...  And picture the cute little baby at the end with really chubby cheeks and no hair. But adorably chubby cheeks and sweet little rosebud lips.

I know. It's so not fair to torture you with descriptions of Mei Mei's cuteness and then not show you REAL pictures. Trust me, I feel your pain. Well, not really cuz I have her sweetness plastered all over the house. But I understand your frustration... Soon, my friends, hopefully soon.

Follow the numbers 1 through 15 to get an idea of the process. And bear in mind that there are often loooong weeks between most of the steps, no matter how you hurry to get your paperwork ready for that next all-important step. This is just a basic visual - it in no way conveys the angst or the joy or the waiting. Oh, the waiting. But you get the idea, I'm sure.

Then look for Step #8. That's where we are. Waiting for our LOA (which means Letter of Approval) from the CCAA (now called CCCWA).

And once that comes, then I can happily share pictures of our girl. The referral pics we have are from about 6 months of age. She's currently 15 months old and we've requested a very extensive update, including pics. So I'll hopefully have those to share by our LOA date also.

Clear as mud, right? But a little helpful, for those of us who are visual learners, right?

And there's your visual lesson on the steps of the Chinese Adoption Process :)

Wordless Wednesday {Dr. D needs a hug}

Saturday morning, I observed to Li'l Empress

that Dr. D might need a hug.

This is what happened next.

Sometimes, there's nothing better than

a big brother's hug!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun

(or almost wordless! as the case may be),

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom!

I'm Just Sayin'

So. My 1,000th post is approaching soon. I can't even believe I've lasted for this many posts. More importantly, I can't believe YOU all keep coming back for those 1,000 posts.  In order to properly celebrate the grand occasion, I'm brainstorming a fun event. No details or solid plans yet, I'm just dropping this little bit of a teaser on ya'll. You've been warned. I'm just sayin'.

For those of you that come here via FB and only comment there, thanks for reading! But you'll want to be sure to click on through and keep an eye on the goings' on. It might just pay off big. I'm just sayin'.

For those of you that come by and read often but never comment? Well, thanks for reading, buuuut also? Shame on you {insert sad boo-hoo face here}. Bloggers like readers. But bloggers LOVE LOVE LOVE commenters. Really. You should know that by now. But just cuz I know you are out there and I do really like you too, I want to give you fair warning to keep reading. And maybe think about commenting. I'm just sayin'.

And for my regular readers who comment often? Ya'll Rock. {read it slow and fist pump for your bad selves: YUH. ALL. RUH. OCK!} And, you should be used to the teasers by now. I've done enough of them over the last almost-1,000 posts. But this time, it might just work out really nicely for you, my faithful loyal friends. I'm just sayin'.

The Evidence is Piling Up!

The pink stuff just keeps on coming.... It seems that every couple weeks or so, I am reminded by the evidence around me that there's some big stuff coming down the pike for our family. And I'm a little giddy at the pink-ness of it all!

This stash is stuff we've picked up here and there along the way, mostly gifts or hand-me-downs, which always bless the socks right off of me! There's a stack of disposable bibs for our trip, washable crayons to keep her busy on the flight home, and vinyl bibs handed down from a friend. Note the pretty "Mei Mei" pillow case, made by Lady Bug last spring in home-ec class. And the headband made by Li'l Empress and LadyBug one rainy day this past summer. So that Li'l Empress and Mei Mei can match. Cuz you all know how important it is for sisters to match! :)

Ooooh, and check out the beautiful canvas I found at our local thrift store.... JUST perfect greens and pinks and blues for the girls' new-to-them room. Next to the artwork is a super soft fleece blankie I scored from a massive clearance sale while school shopping for the big kids last month! Both pieces together came to LESS than $8. Yeah, that just makes it all the prettier, right?!

And while it's not pink, I did receive this beautifully framed ancient Chinese proverb in the mail the day that we left for Colorado, to settle Shaggy in to his YWAM school. It's from my Secret Pal in the online moms' group I joined. We all have fairly similar time-lines to our kids and the group is such a great support and resource during the long wait. I can't wait to hang it where I can see it every day and be reminded of the ties between my girl and her forever family.

Not that it necessarily means an expedited process for our journey, but I'm super excited to tell you that while we were in Colorado, we received notification of our Pre-Approval (PA in Chinese adoption lingo)! Dated just TWO days after our submitted Letter of Intent! We are submitting a letter requesting a medical expedite related to her need but there's no way to know just when that request will have an effect on the process. Prayers for continued funds to come in and for smooth, uncomplicated paperwork from here forward would be greatly appreciated.

Little things, for sure, but it's all adding up to fairly convincing evidence that a big pink change is coming to The Gang. And we are so excited about it all!

Wordless Wednesday {new bed}

Shaggy has a new bed.

In a new home.

At the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

For more Wordless Wednesdays,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Hop, Hop, Hop!

Just in case any of you are interested in connecting with other adoption-related blogs, there are two fun blog hops going on right now.

Several of my favorite local peeps have already linked up to both of the hops featured here. I'm looking forward to making the time to discover new friends and new resources that blog hopping always offers.

I haven't had time to do a ton of blog hopping lately, but I try not to miss many of those local gals excellent (and regular!) posts. And I thought linking up might lead to some more good reads for those cold winter days ahead. Ya know, when I'm not obssessing over the next set of adoption acronyms to show up in my inbox!

Check it out and see what ya think. Who knows? You might meet your new BFF while you are hop, hop, hopping around ;)

Happy Home Forever Day!!!

I was supposed to publish this yesterday but I forgot..... 

but when you read further, you'll understand why :)

This is another bit of a cross post,

but again, when you read further, you'll understand why :)

Four years ago (yesterday), we touched down in Newark airport with the 5th sweetest gift we had ever been given. Happy Home Forever Day, Li'l Empress!

And I think it's so fitting that (yesterday), we officially accepted the referral of the 6th sweetest little gift God is entrusting to our home. Welcome to the family, Brynna Rose :)

So, as you can imagine, we've been really busy since Monday night doing our "due diligence" researching and educating ourselves on the need of our new daughter. All while praying for wisdom and guidance AND checking the pulse of all the Gang members here in the house for their thoughts and feelings. There's a lot I can (and maybe some day will) say about this journey, but for now, I think that the God moment of saying YES to this sweet little one on the same day that our Little Empress became a US citizen AND joined our whole family's crazy gang is testament enough to how He loves to put the details together for us.

And now, I move to preparing Shaggy for his big adventure. And I guess I should catch up on all the laundry and paperwork that has piled up around my ears while I was crash-coursing on all things medical!

I Did The Ugly Cry Today...

... and it's only Wednesday. Shaggy doesn't leave till Sunday. And we don't have to say good-bye to him till Monday night in Colorado.

This is a bit of a cross post from F@cebook, 

so forgive me if you've already been exposed to my pathetic-ness. :)

It has struck me more than once over the last 48 hours that researching and studying up on the special need of a child we may be bringing home to join our family at the same time that I'm preparing to pack up and take my oldest child far, far away from home is a strange and difficult place to be.

(Yes, we received a file from Monday night's release to review.

Yes, it is a good solid file. And an adorable child.

SERIOUSLY.

We just need to determine if she's meant to be our child.)

Today, he spent a good portion of the day prepping for the "sermon" he will share at tonight's youth group meeting. And just now, he was drumming in the basement, practicing for the worship service. His last worship service with his youth group. Gulp.

I've gotten used to these daily private concerts. Over the years, I've enjoyed hearing his technique improve and his style develop. This afternoon, it struck me that there aren't likely many more of these private concerts happening in my basement for the next 6 months.

And I lost it. I sat here at my computer, doing the big ugly Momma cry. (Why, oh, why can't I be one of those cute dainty cry-ers?) How on earth am I supposed to say good-bye to this kid on Monday night? I'm just not sure I can do this gracefully.

I mean, I know it is going to happen. I know it has to happen. But I just don't have any clue as to HOW it is going to happen? I'm really not looking forward to leaving him at his dorm Monday night and walking away. 

Flying out of Denver on Tuesday morning without him might just require some sort of intervention. Or very strong meds, at the least. And tissues. LOTS and lots of tissues.

Pinning It for Wild Olive Tees

Those crazy amazing gals are at it again, over at Wild Olive Tees.  First they announced the release of several GORGEOUS new tee designs. My word, where DO they come up with this stuff... The beauty of the designs alone give awesome glory and honor to The Father.

But then, their hearts! Their sweet, giving, over-the-top generous hearts are SUCH a tribute and honor to God, don't ya think? I mean, did you SEE this brand new give-away they just posted?

It's up and running through Sunday, Sept. 30th and you can win some beautiful new tees. And don't forget, we are still partnering with them to raise funds for our adoption expenses. So while you are entering to win free tees, you can pick up a couple tees to help us wrap up our fundraising. (Details are on the left sidebar, if you are interested.) That'd be nifty.  Go. Enter. Good luck to you :)

It's MONDAY!!!!!!

Oh, I woke up so ridiculously early. I was disoriented and foggy for at least the first 20 minutes, laying there trying to figure out what would rouse me even before The Boss was moving.

OH. Yeah. It's Monday! This could be THE Monday.

And I've had this sense of weight and anticipation since then. I've been creating a big To Do list in my head ever since, finding things all scrambled and jumbled in my mind and trying to bring order to the thoughts that are swirling.

I need to list the awesome new "big ticket" items to Cr@igsl!st that were donated over the weekend for my on-going online selling.

I need to print up and post the family calendar.

I need to update the inventory of the existing yard sale site and get some of those big ticket items cross-listed.

I need to make a "game plan" with Shaggy for the final days of wrapping up his To Do list.

I need to keep praising and praying in the midst of it all.

I REALLY need to start thinking of a bloggy handle for this little one. I am not fond of using their real names here, and though it's certainly no secret who we are, I like capturing little names that tell a bit of who they are.  What do you all think? Maybe I should start a bit of a contest.

I need to think about an event for my 1,000th post.  It's coming up soon and I want to do something fun for that, too.

Hmmmm, I hope this all keeps my mind busy today.... In addition to all the regular every day Momma stuff I get to do for my Gang, that is!

This Momma's Heart

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. My happiest days are the ones where my family gathers together to celebrate. This time, we were celebrating Baby BlueEyes. Who turned ELEVEN on Friday. Yes. Eeeeee.LEV.EN! How on earth did that happen. I can't believe it. Which is trite and redundant because every mom says it, but it's true. I can't believe he's 11 already. This momma's heart was brimming all day at the true gift our boy is to us all.

We had a huge pasta dinner and some yummy pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting. It's his traditional favorite and of course, seasonally super appropriate. He got some awesome gifts and then we took some time to share what we all individually loved about him. Oh, my momma's heart was overflowing... Such loving, encouraging, and character-strengthening things were said to and about my little guy.

Another part of the gathering was for the family to spend a bit of time with Shaggy before he leaves next Sunday (sigh.sob.) for his YWAM experience. My sister left her two oldest boys here overnight with my folks to allow the older cousins some hang out time. And again. Oh, my momma's heart... Somehow, these kids all got grown up on us. But what fun to see their friendships deepening and and taking on a life of their own. I got the biggest kick of just sitting back and observing their interactions together. It's especially meaningful knowing that this season of their lives represents so much change and transition. I love that they have similar, concrete foundations to come back to and to build upon together as they continue to grow and discover the path God has for them. They will always have each other and I'm tears-at-the-back-of-my-throat grateful.

If you are thinking of the Gang in any way this week, we'd ask that you remember us in prayer. First, the next release of the Shared List is scheduled for this Monday, the 24th. We'd sincerely love for our Brynna to be found on this month's list. This momma's heart deeply desires for Shaggy to be a part of the process of adding a sister to the mix as much as possible. At the same time, I'm also trying to remember that HE knows my heart and HIS plan will unfold in HIS timing.

And speaking of Shaggy, we could all use your prayers in these final days of having him home. Shaggy is ready to move on to this season of his life. We are confident that he is ready, we are grateful for, and proud of, (is that cheeky to admit?) the training and work we've done to help him get ready. We know, if only in small part, that the many years of molding and shaping his character and stewarding his heart for the glory of our Father have led to this week. 

But this momma's heart is no longer swimming happily in the river of De Nial. This momma's heart is starting to grieve the reality of long weeks between super great bear hugs and thoughtful late night conversations. This momma's heart is freaking out at the idea of days without any chatting or checking in. I'm not okay right now. No, I'm a blubbery mess. And I'm not even trying to hide it anymore. So, if you ask me this week how I am, I might not have a lot of words. But you might want to have a tissue on hand. I will need it, I'm fairly sure.

This momma's heart will be okay. I know it, just as I know this is what He created me to do - to ready my Gang for the world and the calling God has wired into each of them. I knew that the journey would be long and hard. I just never pictured it being so.danged.hard. to actually do. And it's still a week away.

The Twinge.

This week was the first of three Back To School Nights for The Gang.  The Boss and I went to Li'l Empress' kindergarten class, sat in her little chair, wrote her a love note, and learned all about the exciting things she'll get to do this year. I couldn't help but feel The Twinge as I sat there, remembering all the years I got to teach kindergarten to the older kids. Sigh.

I really loved home-schooling in the early years - watching my kids blossom as their confidence and love for learning took root. I know that the public school setting is the best choice for our girl. The services and therapies that are available to her in that setting are invaluable toward setting her on the best path possible for developing a love for learning and meeting her needs in light of her hearing loss.

I know all that, yet I still feel a teensy bit of mourning that I have to share that place in Li'l Empress' first experience with school and learning with her teacher. I am terribly grateful for this teacher - she is so in love with her kids, you can just see it. She has a true teacher's heart. I know that Li'l Empress will bloom under her care and teaching. And our hearing and speech support team is amazing. I can't wait to see what progress they make together. But I still feel The Twinge.

After our kindergarten session, we headed upstairs to the 5th grade class for Baby BlueEyes' session. Already, I can tell that this kid is going to have a phenomenal year. His teacher is so keen on getting to know each kid as unique and respected individuals. In fact, she had each parent fill out a little survey asking us particular questions about our student's strengths, weaknesses, fears, skills, hobbies and so on. She talked a lot about personal responsibility, giving the kids a voice and letting them learn in their own creative ways. And get this! She's known in the building for NOT giving a lot of homework and for NOT giving standard end of the unit tests!

As she was talking, I felt The Twinge again. Sheesh, I've never home-schooled for 5th grade but all the excitement that she was sharing and the creative ideas that she has for helping kids really know the material were just getting me all tingly. I don't even really WANT to home-school, let alone home-school for 5th grade, which requires a much higher level of math than I would ever feel comfortable doing, let alone teaching. But there it was. The Twinge.

I should be well familiar with The Twinge by now.... As I was telling a friend the other day, I seriously spend much of August every.single.year. questioning the plans that The Boss and I have previously agreed upon (usually around March or April during my "yearly evaluation" of the coming year) regarding The Gang's educational plans for the coming school year. Seriously. The Twinge almost ruins my August almost every year.  If we didn't have a ton of family birthdays, a pool, and a bottomless iced tea jug, it WOULD ruin my August. (Yes, it really IS that easy to redeem my summer. I'm a simple gal, what can I say?)

But then I came home. All The Gang members were already settling in to bed, backpacks were lined up neatly in the laundry room and lunchboxes were stacked on the counter. Laundry was humming along. Dr. D was overseeing the night-time routine from the couch and the house was hunkering down for a quiet night. I started my To Do list for Friday - big yard sale on the agenda, followed by laundry and dinner planning.

And The Twinge was gone. Just like that.

The peace of knowing that this year's plan is the right plan for us blankets The Twinge once again, settling any twitching and twinging with its weight. Its rightness.

Until about March. When I begin the examining and observing and analyzing of educational plans for The Gang all over again. And then? Well, then The Boss starts The Twitch. But that's a whole different post, isn't it?

Where Have I Been?

We've had a great start to the school year! Li'l Empress gets up (mostly) happily every day, and practically skips her way through the morning routine. She's so pleasant and even the bus driver, Miss Lynne, commented on how she is enjoying Li'l E's sweet joyful demeanor. 

As far as we can tell, her adjustment to the bone-conduction hearing aide in the classroom setting has also gone well. Our hearing support teacher had me take pictures of the device and send them to her. She used the pictures to make a "cheat sheet" for all of Li'l Empress's teachers to reference. What a great idea, right?!  Li'l Empress also uses the portable FM system for in-class teaching time and is getting used to that along with her teachers. I get the impression that she doesn't love leaving her home classroom for specials (she told me yesterday that she cried in Art class because she likes Mrs. S's class room best) but I would expect that from most any Kindergartner and especially from MY kiddo - she's always more content with the familiar places that she knows Daddy or I have deemed "safe."  Both The Boss and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the easy acclimation to the new environment and routine. Compared to how she transitioned into last year at pre-school and then again this summer (to the new hearing aide) we were really expecting much more of a battle and a longer adjustment.

The older kids are all settling into their regular school routine pretty well. I think that having both Baby BlueEyes AND Li'l Empress on the same routine this year is really helpful this fall. I've seen a new level of maturity in BBE since school started, like he's growing into his role as Li'l E's primary touch point for both the morning routine and the bus ride. She calls him her "breakfast buddy" and her "bus buddy" and it's like he's preening in the attention. Tooo cute :)  Dr. D has turned into a serious morning person - up and moving and out the door almost before I can even get my stumbling self down the stairs. Must be all those early football camp days that formed a new habit!  And LadyBug gets herself up in time to perfectly coordinate her hair, make-up, and outfit for each day. Somehow in there she almost always finds time to eat and give the "big sister okay" to Li'l E's outfit, too. I have taken to keeping my bedroom door shut until my alarm goes off, to avoid the lights on in the hallway at the ridiculous hour she gets up to accomplish all that!

Shaggy has been working hard to organize his belongings and ready himself for his departure to Denver. When he's not working like a dog at Chick-Fil-A, he's sorting clothes, making lists, and cleaning his room. We've had some nice mornings here at the house together and it's going to be all.too.quiet. every morning once he's off to Colorado. There's a post about that coming but not now. I'm happy in my river of De Nial. :)

This week, he had a big chunk of time between shifts at work so he helped me sort over 14 bags and boxes of all kinds of baby paraphernalia, clothing, toys, and lots of other stuff for our fundraising efforts. So much stuff that I am actually doing another yard sale event.  I've been doing the F@cebook sales diligently all summer but the inventory was getting a tad stale. And in God's timing and provision, I got not one but TWO huge loads of donations that are almost all sure to be great sellers. (Both loads came from folks I barely know. How cool is that?!) Also in God's perfect timing, my new friend contacted me and offered to let me set up a bunch of stuff in her front yard at their neighborhood yard sale event.  I continue to be amazed at this gal's generosity, as well as the compassion and generosity of virtual strangers who just hear about our efforts and want to come alongside us and join in our purpose.  It's quite humbling.

 14 or 15 bins of clothing, most of them overflowing, 

from newborn sizes up through adult apparel.

Toys, strollers, bedding, home decor

We've got it all!

Join us in praying that it ALL goes, too!

The load of "Back to School" paperwork, before school even began, was overwhelming this year. I don't even want to look at Li'l Empress's IEP binder - it's a mess and totally unorganized after the scramble to close out her time with the Intermediate Unit, request a transfer from P.M. kindergarten to A.M., and amend her IEP for the coming school year. After all the phone calls and emails that the transition generated, I didn't want to touch the phone for a week! (Again, that stuff is a post in and of itself...)

I've been sorting, cleaning, purging, and organizing my way through bags and boxes and bins of STUFF. Lots and lots of stuff. It's always a huge chore to re-claim my home from the lazy hazy days of summer and this year the yard saling has added a huge new dimension to that. Somewhere in there we got to sneak away Labor Day with our friends, but that seriously feels like mooooonths ago already. We also had a big family wedding to prep for and sheesh, I forgot how much I hate school supply shopping. I sheepishly admit, we did not do one stitch of back-to-school clothing shopping this year. I just couldn't add one more thing in and really, except for sneakers that BBE seems to always need, the kids' wardrobes are fine for now.

And so, that's where I've been. August and now early September has been spent. Literally spent. Wrung out and hung to dry....  Which might explain why my blogging mojo feels like a wet dishrag.

First Day, Round Two

The first day of Kindergarten got off to a great start here at home. She picked her own outfit out, specifically designed to  match the pretty new bow she found at the store last week.

Sigh. I can't believe how grown up she looks!

She did it. While we were waiting, she was hopping up and down in her little canvas Keds, giggling under her breath and chanting her little mantra, "I so excited! I so excited!"  She made it onto the bus, giddy with excitement and joy. Not a tear in sight. And only a teensy momentary hesitation when the bus actually stopped in front of her. A tiny quick look of panic until she saw "Miss Lynne (whom she had met yesterday) beckoning her on and realized Baby BlueEyes was already on his way to the stairs. Just a moment and then she was determined to catch up to BBE. So glad he will be there for her each morning!

"I so excited!"

I swear that back pack is bigger than she is!

Our awesome driver, Miss Lynne,

reminded her to turn around for a picture and a wave!

"Bye Momma! Bye Daddy!"

"Sit down, Li'l Empress!"

:)

We all got so caught up in the fun that there were

almost no tears at all on the part of this quaking Momma and mushy Daddy.

Well, until the bus pulled away, that is.

Then, all bets were off. And Shaggy threw his arm around me and told me I'd be okay. She'd be great. Which made me cry more. Which made Shaggy laugh at his momma. Thank goodness Shaggy was here to lighten the moment...

I'm okay now. Hopefully, she is too. That bus is a really, really noisy place. And she's the only kindergartner for most of the route, because we had to switch placements. I'm really hoping for a great report from both Li'l Empress and Baby BlueEyes at the end of the day.

Poor Daddy, he drove off to work still a little teary.

Sigh.

1st Day, Round One

Ooooh, dreary, cloudy first day of school for The Gang this morning. And sheesh, a wierd vibe to the day, all day, too.

For starters, this is the official first day for everyone BUT kindergartners in our district. So Li'l Empress was a little put out pretty much as soon as she got up, at the idea of everyone else getting to ride the big yellow bus this morning.

Then, we realized that this is the very first time EVER that Dr. D is starting a school year without Shaggy at his side. EVER. So strange to see him head out the door all alone. Stranger still to have Shaggy sitting on the couch with bleary eyes, wishing everyone well and folding his work clothes.

First day of Junior Year for Dr. D

(can you tell he is so.over. this tradition?!)

LadyBug is now an 8th grader!!! 

Baby BlueEyes is in 5th grade this year.

And so very excited to be "the big sibling"

on duty for Li'l Empress! Isn't that cute?

Even stranger, will be tomorrow when it's just me and Shaggy home alone all morning long. For a month of mornings, it'll just be me and my Shaggy. And no, we WON'T be talking about what it will be like when this month is over. Not yet, anyway.

Cuz De Nial ain't just a river in Egypt, my friends. Heh.

Li'l Empress' mood was slightly improved by the "Meet the Teacher" event in her new classroom, later in thes morning. She enjoyed sitting at her new space, checking out the classroom, and coloring the "I'm a New Wildcat" posters for her new teacher.

Round Two is bright and early tomorrow morning, with Li'l Empress FI.NUH.LEEEE! getting to head off to school with Baby BlueEyes on the big yellow bus. We had to have her original placement changed from p.m. to a.m. (that's another whole story that would require its own post!). So I will be driving her home every morning when her session is done. When she found that out this morning, she informed me with a very serious face that she's a big 5 year old now and doesn't really need me to drive her home. That she would be "just fine, Mommy" to ride the big yellow bus home all by herself.

(Yeah. Well, tough cookies, cookie. Take THAT up

with the district if you'd like. And good luck if you do!)

To which I said, in my head, "I'm just fine, Li'l Empress with picking you up every morning at 11:30. It's a very small price to pay to make sure you start your first year off with the best possible advantages. Driving you home every day is the LEAST I can do to make this work for us all!"

I Can't Believe I Forgot This!

 

 Go. Enter. It's a ton of fun to win

and there's such a huge variety of stuff

to try for this year.

I can't believe I forgot all about it

until this morning.
But do it quick. It ends tonight at midnight.
Sorry! I know, it's really short notice.
My bad. The month kind of got away from me.

And while I'm sitting here, can I just say

"Sheesh. How on earth did it get to August 31st already?!"

There's loads and loads of craziness
crammed within the events

around here since my last post:

Shaggy's 18th Birthday.

Week 1 of  Football Camp.

Adoption Agency Reunion.

School Shopping.

Kindergarten Bus Orientation.

Crash Course in How to Be a Parent Advocate.

Week 2 of Football Camp.

Doctor Appointments.

Lab Appointments.

Dentist Appointments.

Oh. My. Word.

Listed out like that it doesn't really seem like a big deal.

Trust me when I say, the last two weeks have been

A.VERY.BIG.DEAL.

Am I the only mom that will be using the first day of school

to catch up on her sleep?

Somehow, I don't think so!

Wouldn't It Be Fun?

I found this cute adoption fundraiser going on in one of the adoption forums I belong to. I don't normally enter these kinds of contests, but I think it would be fun to win Bitty Twins for Aidan and Brynna to play with together.

Sigh. To play with together, someday, anyway!

Head over and see what it's all about at

Our Journey to Meiya!

And yes, I know it's been a while since I've blogged. I don't even really know why. But I'm working up to resuming a semi-regular pattern of blogging. I miss it. And I know The Boss sure misses it when I use all  most of my words on all ya'll as opposed to saving them all up for him. Especially while he's still on the learning curve of the new job and getting lots of everybody's words as the new guy on the block.  :)

Happy Birthday, Li'l Empress! {F.I.V.E.}

I thought you might enjoy a little look back with me at the Li'l Empress,

while we celebrate the wonderful amazing day she was born.

February 2008

This isn't the earliest picture we have,

but it is the first picture we ever saw of her.

Her referral picture at about 6 months old.

And already stealing our hearts.

 I think this is the closest pic I have to her actual

1st birthday. Or the closest I have saved on disk, anyway!

Turning 2 in grand summer style!

Mmmmm, corn on the cob.

Three years old.

Really getting into the Gang's tradition

of birthday balloons by now!

Four years old and so excited to celebrate!

And now, five.

FIVE? Oh my goodness.

Truthfully, she wasn't all that excited about turning five

this morning...

After a somewhat rough start to the planned morning surprises and what we thought would be a low-key way to kick her special day off and celebrate with her, she's smiling now and embracing the joy of pink sparkly balloons, flower-patterned bike helmets and big girl bikes. One thing we know for sure: there is NEVER EVER a dull moment with this girl of ours.

Happy Birthday, Li'l Empress!

The gift of your life and your presence in this family has enriched us all.

And we are soooooo grateful God saw fit

to place you in our home and hearts. We love you sweet girl!

I'm Under The Big Oak Tree!

Just wanted to mention to you all that my guest post at Under The Big Oak Tree is going live today.  I'd sure appreciate it if you'd stop over there and leave a comment. Surf around her site a bit. Check out some of her awesome recipes and menu ideas. And leave a comment. Take some time to look over the cool organizational tips and the weight loss challenge she has going on. And leave a comment.

Yes, please. Leave a comment. Encourage others to think about adoption. Cheer Alison on for being a voice for little ones who wait for mommas like me. Tell the other readers how much you love your Wild Olive tee. Tell them which one you've already ordered. Leave a comment. You get the idea!

And by way of updating you about our Wild Olive tees fundraising project, I wanted to say thanks to those who have ordered already. We are a little less than half-way to the crazy goal we set for ourselves. But we know that God loves to blast crazy goals out of the water. And the gals over at Wild Olive have graciously extended our sale to allow us to "go for it!" So we are!!!!!

If you are interested in purchasing your own Wild Olive tee, click on the pretty little button to the side of this post, the one that says "Help Bring Our Child Home." And when you get to the Adoption Fundraising Tees pages, put our family code (WHITNEY407) in the coupon code button at check out.

But first, go read my guest post at Under the Big Oak Tree. And leave a comment. Pretty please?!

More Partying than Olympic Village!

I'm back. Did ya miss me? I've been soaking in family time and getting my love tank filled to overflowing by hosting my side of the family for the weekend. We planned a big get together just to celebrate our family and the great things God is doing in and through all of us.  It's becoming a bit of an annual tradition that we enjoy, usually in August since we have soooo many August birthdays.

I wish I had thought to snap some "Before" and "After" pics of the refrigerator and pantry to show you all. Use your imagination when I tell you that I prepared well for the 25 bodies that descended upon our home for a family Sunday of grilling and swimming and hanging out. Here's the spread we all put together for Sunday dinner.

And that most of those same bodies came back again on Monday. D*min*e's Pizza was running a special for on-line ordering so I chose that option for the evening meal and made it easy on all the mommas. My poor dishwasher ran 4 times on Monday alone, even with paper plates and disposable utensils!

Sigh. I've said it before and I'll likely say it again. Those are THE.BEST.DAYS. of the year to me. THE.BEST. bar none.

Are these not the best looking kids ever?! We're so numerous now that we had to have one table for the teens, one for the "youngers" and one for the adults!

2012 has already been quite a milestone year for just our family here in the Gang's household, but it's also been a big one in many respects for my whole side of the family. Big moves from state-to-state, new jobs, graduations, missions trips, retirements, and other big life changes to celebrate in addition to the birthdays. I'm so grateful to navigate those changes and this journey with them.

And it certainly didn't hurt that we gathered to celebrate our family around big platters of juicy steak. Mmmm, steak.

Guest Posting for Adoption!

I'm very excited to be a "featured mom" on the online magazine called MomColored Glasses today.  If you aren't reading over there, really, you need to. Not just cuz you like me, although heading over there and sharing some comment-y love is so appreciated. But also because they are doing a great job highlighting all kinds of issues that affect us moms.  It's a really great read, no matter what day you head over there, no matter what topic they are tackling.

It's an honor to be sharing a re-post of one of my favorite posts ever. It's always an honor to share my heart and our story in this way. I pray that you are blessed. And if you are, please share it with someone else!

In addition, I am set to be a guest blogger on another resource-type blog next week, called Under the Big Oak Tree. The owner of the site is a member of the online yard sale community that I joined this winter. She was very intrigued by our adoption journey and the purpose behind my new "part time job" of online selling. So she offered me an opportunity to share a different part of our story.  When that one goes live, I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to her site and check out the great meal ideas and de-cluttering challenges she runs! She's a gal after my own heart, for sure.

In Between

In between the moments of greatness and inspiration that the 2012 London Olympics have already provided for our Gang's viewing pleasure, we've had a couple other moments worth noting.

Friday night, for the Opening Ceremonies, we feasted on a plethora of international delights. There was Italian sausage and German franks on the grill. In between bites of old-fashioned American baked beans and Italian pasta salad, there was plenty of good laughs and shared memories over about the Beijing Opening Ceremonies and Li'l Empress' 1st birthday celebration. It was all followed by ice cream (the origin of which many nations claim!) and red, white and blue rocket pops as we watched London strut her stuff.  

Apparently all the excitement proved too much for Li'l Empress. Somewhere in between Team China's appearance and the Maldives' stroll through the Parade of Nations she crashed on my lap.

Sigh. I love it when she falls asleep on me like that.

I know it won't last much longer.

After all, she is almost five. Sigh.

On Saturday, I took the day to help a friend tackle some purging of possessions and re-organizing of rooms and spaces in her home. She's been working the "one room at a time" process on her own for a few weeks and I really enjoyed helping her see her rooms with a slightly different perspective. In between the purging and the re-purposing, she fed me and plied me with iced tea and great conversation. THEN, she blessed me with a trunk full of donations for our on-line yard saling efforts.

There's about 6 garbage bags full of stuff under there!

So all the new stuff coming in inspired me to pare down my current inventory and freshen up my sale album. I went from this, in the living room, 

and, this, in the garage

to just this, in the garage in between breakfast, lunch,

and a few Olympic profiles and errands to W@lmart.

Meanwhile, the youngest members of the Gang are oooh'ing and aaaah'ing over the Men's synchronized diving competition. Which I am watching in between loading pictures and formulating sentences.

If multi-tasking was an Olympic event, I'd get at least a bronze for Monday's labors alone!