Being Real....

I was thinking back today on our whole adoption journey.  Nothing can prepare you for the ups and downs of this process.  It's like a roller coaster where your heart is heavily involved.  There's the waiting, thinking, praying, picking, training, and then you finally get to meet your kiddos!

It's hard to believe we've only had the kids a little over a month.  They just seem to fit with us.  I wouldn't trade the craziness, 9 thousand loaves of pb&j's, or 10 hundred loads of laundry for anything.  Being a stay at home Mom has been my dream job all along- and I'm living it.

I guess if I had any advice to share with someone about to go down the road of adoption, it would be to pray!  Find you a support group of other people going through the same thing.  Luke and I are so blessed to be part of a small group of foster and adoptive parents.  It's even with a  couple we went to high school with- which I think is extra special and cool.

Another piece of advice is: be yourself and stick to your guns about what's right and wrong for your kids.  Your family won't always understand why you are doing what you're doing.  They will question and offer advice, but you have to know what works for your kids and what doesn't.  In one month, Luke and I had our lives turned upside down- for the better.  We rarely can stay up past 8:30- or at least I can't anymore.  We watch TV now in the bedroom.  We eat every meal saying a small simple blessing with the kids.  Our lives were forever changed by these two precious ones.  I thank the Lord every day for bringing them into our lives.

I went to visit the cemetery yesterday.  Someplace I haven't been in a very long time.  I took flowers to my Grandma and PaPa.  It was my first time being there as a Mom.  They adopted some years ago, and I still wonder to this day what they would have to say about our journey.  Aunt Debbi and Uncle Will are right across the street from Grandma and PaPa.  We had a chat yesterday too.  I wonder what Aunt Debbi would think about having our little girl as her namesake.  What I wouldn't give to have these 4 people just hug our kids once.  How precious would that be!

So, if you know of anyone taking the road of adoption, offer them your prayers and encouragement.  They are in for the rides of their lives.  They do not need your advice or arguments.  They only need support-positive support.  You may not understand why you have yet to meet their kids, or why they no longer return phone calls the way they used to, you may not even understand or support their decisions in how they parent.  Just know they are trying to do their best- and the best that you can do for them is offer prayers or encouragement.

Our little boy has a new chore every morning- he has to clean out the litter box.  I, on one hand, love the fact that I don't anymore!  He stopped the other morning, looked at me and said, "So that's why Aly has a hole under her tail.  It's for the litter box!"  Ummm... yeah. Really!

Our little girl loves setting the table.  I have silver ware that Aunt Debbi bought us when we got married.  It has flowers on it.  Our little girl loves the pretty forks and always makes sure me and her get that one. 

I've learned to smile on the little things, let other things go, and love my children everyday.  It's not always easy, but it's so worth it to be doing what God called us to do!

A New Dog....Maybe.....

Unbeknown to Luke, I've been looking at rescue sites the past week or so for dogs.  Normally, I wouldn't look for dogs on a site- they usually come to me.  Our little Madison has been gone for 3 months now.  Even though our house is full of chaos from the kids, I really think I'm ready to love something else.  I miss the companionship that I had from Madison.  I know we have 4 dogs outside, and I love them all just the same.  However, it's just different.  The outside dogs are so "special needs" that bringing one of them inside would upset the whole apple cart- especially for our little Snoopy.

So, I've filled out two adoption applications through CARE- Central Arkansas Rescue Effort and Helping Hands for Little Paws.  One is a Cocker Spaniel- near and dear breed to my heart.  Another is a throw away mix named Helen.  I want what the Lord wants.  If one of these dogs is meant for us- then it will work out.  If not, He'll send someone our way that needs us.  He has a way of doing that with our family- whether it be kids or animals.  He's good like that!

1st Grade Program

Our little boy had his first school program last night.  Luke and I were surprised that he actually wanted to do this.  We thought he might have been so shy at first.  However, we were pleasantly surprised.  He was all grins- he basically glowed!  NaNa, PaPa, Summer, and Kingston came to cheer him on.  He basically looked at us the whole time.  Luke took a TON of pictures, and I can't wait to scrapbook it.  He even got to play the xylophone.  After the program, we went to Chili's to get dinner.

It's amazing how far the kids have come in less than a month.  Our little girl is giving Luke more hugs than we ever thought possible.  She says "I love you" all the time.  Our little boy has yet to say that, my ears yearn to hear those words from his mouth, but I know it will all happen in time.  Our little boy is coming up to me and giving random hugs- which is a HUGE deal!!!

We are starting to recite scripture on the way to school.  I thought we'd start first with John 3:16.  We talked about the meaning of the verse.  They wanted to know what the word parish meant.  That, in turn, led to a long conversation with our little girl.  She's afraid we're going to leave her like her bad family did.  Reassurance is all we have to offer- and I pray that it's enough.   On the other hand, our little boy said that "Jesus lives in outer space."  I asked him what gave him that impression.  He said, "Well, heaven is far far away- and its in outer space!"

He also calls the stopper in the bath tub- the "plugger."  That always makes me smile- I'm not even sure why!

These kids amaze me more everyday.  I'm praying for the Lord to wipe away the memories of their past and to help them feel safe and secure.  One day at a time!

1st Day of School....

We got our lunches packed- PB&J, chips, a twinkie, and a juice box, our backpacks all ready to go, and our clothes picked out.  Luke and I spent the afternoon yesterday getting our little boy's room all organized.  We went and bought tubs for him.  Then, we labeled them with pictures so he would know which toy went where.  We sure hope it helps him. 

We watched the movie Cars yesterday afternoon.  For supper, the kids picked tacos- even though we'd had them the night before.  I'm so glad they came to a family that loves to eat Mexican food as much as we do!  We settled into our bed to watch some TV.  Luke and I didn't have much "kid" TV recorded, so we decided to watch the Sandwich King from Food Network.  The kids actually liked it.  After that, it was time for bed.  We talked about school, made sure their rooms were safe, and turned the lights out. 

Our little boy immediately started "itching."  A new thing for him- I'm thinking it's an attention seeker.  So, I went and got a wet washcloth for him- with special "Medicine" on it.  He immediately stopped itching.  Later, when Luke went to check on him, he said, "Dad, that medicine is great!  I had a bump and it went down fast!"  LOL!!!  Luke told me he had to leave the room to keep from laughing.  Our little girl still struggles a bit at nighttime, but at least with reassurance, she's sleeping through the night.

This morning, we got up at 6.  They did their chore chart- which consists of getting dressed, brushing teeth, making our bed, and picking up toys.  For breakfast, they had a waffle with peanut butter, syrup, and bananas.  We couldn't resist taking a few pictures.  At school, we waited in the office to be escorted to meet their teachers.  They both seemed really nice.  Our little girl was quiet as we got to the classroom- a first for sure!!!  Our little boy resorted back to being shy.  It was SO hard to leave them at school.  I wanted to tell the teachers to be nice and compassionate, because they've been through a lot.  Luke and I prayed for them as we were leaving.

Can't wait to get them after school.  For now, I'm enjoying the quiet. I'm going to clean and exercise, and I might even knit!!!

Kids say the Craziest things...

Well, after officially living here two weeks, we're getting used to each other.  It's taken reward charts, chore charts, tears, laughter, and losing toys to get there- but we're making progress each day!  It's so funny how literal the kids can be.  On Christmas night, we were trying to get them to write a letter to Santa.  We told our little boy to hurry, that Santa would be here soon- and he looked up and said, "Are you sure???  I HAVETA finish it now!!!"

We also took the kids the other night as a treat to the movies.  We saw Frozen in 3D.  What an awesome movie.  It was their first time in a movie theater- and definitely their first time seeing a 3D movie.  They loved it.  Our little boy told Luke that Popcorn's name should be shortened.  He said they could just call it "Porn"  Well, Luke tried not to laugh and told him, "Yeah, I don't think so, Popcorn sounds SO much better!"

Our little boy loves butter on his toast.  So one morning, he was reading the butter tub. It said, "Try it and you'll love it."  He got a lick off his toast, his eyes got big- and he said, "Mom, it's true!!!  I tried it and I LOVE this butter!!!"

Our little girl has finally started saying I love you back to us when we say it.  Our little boy- well he hasn't, but that's totally fine.  It will come in time.  They are both more affectionate than before.  Last night, they had a blast on our bed watching Dad put up our new TV in the bedroom.  Our little boy wanted to watch Netflix- which we don't have.  He couldn't understand what it was- and why we didn't have it.  "It's on the paper" he said looking at the TV brochure.

We start school on Monday.  It will be another routine to have to figure out, but one I'm looking forward too.  I'm ready to be more schedule oriented and have a little time to myself.  I've missed that! LOL!  All in all, this family of four thing fits us nicely!

Neosho Fun...

Luke and the kids and I went up to Neosho this past weekend.  It was a family get together that was a blast!  Friday, the kids and I rode up with Nana and PaPa. Luke came behind us when he got off work.  We spent time with Ma playing games and visiting with Nate and Stephanie.  We ate Pizza Hut for dinner- the kids love pizza!  That night, while loading up to go to the hotel, I told our little boy to stop wiggling in the car- well he didn't....so instead, he fell face forward out of the car.  He got a good goosegg, but was fine after some ice and TLC.  Now, he won't get in his side, he goes around to the other side of the car- lesson learned I hope!   The kids have never stayed in a hotel before, it was fun!

Luke brought in our luggage on the rolling carts- our little girl took one look at that and said, "That's awesome!!"  They loved taking baths at the hotel.  That night, I realized how much respect and love my Grandma had for me.  I slept with our little girl, and Luke shared a bed with our little boy.  Our little girl couldn't get close enough to me- she wiggled and cuddled all night.  Now, I know how my Grandma must have felt when I spent the night with her.  I sure do cherish those times- and miss her even more now!  I sure loved waking up with the whole family at the hotel- it was a special fun time!  Our little boy slept all night without any of his meds, and our little girl never used her pull up!  We had a family celebration in the room.  

We went to Ma's again on Saturday to hang out.  Mom, our little girl, and I went shopping around the town Saturday morning.  Our little girl loved spending one on one time with us.  That afternoon, Uncle George and Aunt Linda came down.  It's always SO good to see them.  They brought gifts for our kids.  Our little girl was fascinated that Aunt Linda's favorite color is pink too!  They hit it off right away.  Robert liked to visit with Uncle George- they shared baseball knowledge together.

Saturday afternoon, Luke and I took the kids to Big Spring Park to play.  I remember going there with all the cousins to play- and thought it neat to share that with our kids.  They had a blast looking at the ducks, fish, and playing on the playground.  I was able to get some good pictures! How I wish I could post them on here!!!

That night, the family gathered at Ma's for a BBQ Brisket feast.  Uncle JR brought in Ashley and Ben and Even from California.  It was good to have the family together and visit.  Luke and I headed back to the hotel around 8 for bed.  When we got there, the alarms were going off.  We waited outside with the kids in the car for the fire department to get there.  At first, the kids were amazed at all the lights, engines, and workers.  Then, it seemed to bring back bad memories for them.  Our little girl asked me if the police were there to take her and her brother away.  Our little boy mentioned while crying how he didn't want to go back to his "bad" home.  It took a lot of reassuring, hugs, and kisses to make them calm again.  We turned on the car to warm it up- and ate Pringles in the car as a family.  They were once again fine and calm and laughing. 

As it turns out, it was just a faulty heater in the lobby area.  We were able to go to bed around 10 that night.  The best thing about the hotel according to the kids- "We don't have to make our beds!!"  We went to Aunt JJ's on Sunday to visit with more family. Baby Jude was being Christened at church- so Mom and I fixed a spread that Aunt JJ had all ready to go.  It was fun visiting with family.  They all loved on the kids and showered them with more presents.

The ride home was uneventful, however it was LONG!!!  I learned lessons for the next road trip!!!

Sweet Memories and Long Talks.....

On Sunday morning at church, during the Lord's Supper, they showed videos from the Kingdom.  It was when they were beating Jesus and He was on the cross.  I didn't know how the kids would take seeing all of that, and since then, it's made for some interesting conversations.

They went with their foster mom to see the Passion Play.  Our little boy told us, "I know they weren't really hurting the guy that played Jesus, I wonder if that was ketchup?"  Also, he wanted to know if they had a kitty cat walk like we do at church to hang lights on.  He also mentioned that on Sunday, we didn't finish the story.  Jesus rose again.  He's so right.  I told him that Jesus was put in a tomb and God told the stone to roll away.  They are still trying to figure out how the stone rolled away....

During our rest time yesterday, I went into his room to find him reading a book on the Centuriun Soldier who was there when Jesus died.  Our little boy is very interested in learning about Jesus.  Last night, before bed, he wanted us to read it again.  I think we will be watching our church's video of The Kingdom soon.  It helps explain the whole story- one I SO want them to get.

I'm so thankful for these two precious little kiddos.  Some of the things they say amaze me and sure make us laugh.  This morning, our little boy saw the snack cheese in the fridge.  It was the Land O Lakes brand- he wanted to know if he could have the "Leggo Lakes" cheese for a snack today.

We have had issues yesterday with lying and arguing.  If anything bothers me more- it's arguing- especially from kids!!  I realized after talking to Mom on the phone, that I hadn't put  out any ground rules.  I just expected them to know.  So, yesterday afternoon, I had them demonstrate fighting with each other.  We acted it out and then talked about the consequences.  They would each lose a toy and end up in time out for 5 minutes. 

Our little boy lost his Buzz Lightyear and several cars for lying.  His toothbrush just happened to accidentally end up in the trash can.  We just don't know how that happened.  Our little girl ended up arguing yesterday with me, and lost her baby doll. 

This morning, however, they remembered the rules.  Our little boy told me that they had sinned yesterday-he was so serious.  It was too cute, I wonder if that's how the Lord looks at us sometimes. 

One last funny thing, I don't want to forget is when our little boy asked Luke if it hurt when all his hair fell out?  Luke told him, "No, it didn't."  Little boy responded with, "Well, it sure must have, cause you've lost a lot!"

Sorry this post is rambling, but I want to try and remember important things!  Enjoy!