Mommy-Juice

Look Mom! No Training Wheels!! :))

2011-07-22T05:30:00.004-04:00

Those was the words I heard exclaimed as soon as I arrived home from the Preschool Conference on Wednesday. Sammy was so excited!! Yes, I realize he is 8, yes, I realize many children ride their bikes without training wheels by the time they are that old - I know I did! Wait! Did we even have training wheels back then? LOL! All I am saying, is for a child who, as a toddler had gross motor "issues", he definitely does not have those "issues"anymore. YAY!

Here is a video of his performance for me! This is his second day riding! You know I had to get this on video!! I am yelling "WOW!" at the end and the boys get a kick out of hearing me yell "WOW!" every time I play it! :)

Hint: {You may want to turn the volume down low because the video is totally silent until I yell WOW at the end! LOL!}

Prayer Phone Booth :)

2011-06-09T07:17:00.001-04:00

While walking my mile yesterday morning, I saw this Prayer phone booth at the park. I like it, don't you? What a wonderful idea thought up by a young man in my neighboring city. This is one of many pieces of an art project displayed at a neighboring city park.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T22:52:00.002-04:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T08:42:00.001-04:00

Last night was Halloween and we went to our wonderful friends The Scheiner's house and had a blast!!! This is a tradition we started about 3 years ago and all our kids get along so well. I remember the first time she invited us and we were so glad because we live in a neighborhood where there are alot of grumpy, retired folks and no one celebrates Halloween here. Lights all up and down our street stay "OFF" on Halloween night and have been that way for 10 years :(

The kids had a blast!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T13:50:00.002-04:00

Tackle it Tuesday :)

2010-08-17T09:47:00.005-04:00

So as I prepare to pick up some daytime shifts in the next couple of weeks, I am trying to "tackle" a few big jobs before then. Yesterday, I finally went through the boys clothes in preparation to take some of them to the Foster Care Support Foundation.

www.fostercares.org -- Check them out!!!

I have two closets in our upstairs playroom to clean out, one gift closet downstairs to clean out, and the boys bedrooms need to have toys purged from them also. Here we go!!! Wish me luck!! If you don't hear from me soon, you can find me buried under toys, clothes, etc...LOL :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T22:46:00.003-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T22:43:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T07:39:00.001-04:00

THURSDAY THIRTEEN:13 things I am worried about currently

2010-04-15T19:36:00.008-04:00

1.Mr. Phil's recovery.

2. Sammy's CRCT test and the anxiety he is experiencing about it.

3. Austin and his Kindergarten class.

4. Paying for Kumon for Austin every month.

5. The job market.

6. The fact I do not have a preschool job to work at.

7. Our poor house and the repairs that we cannot afford to have done and do not know how to do ourselves.

8. The Disney trip that my husband and I wanted to take the kids on that we will not be able afford to go on this year and instead will be paying for Kumon for Austin.

9. Finances.

10. The heavy burden my hubby carries by supporting us financially and emotionally :-)

11. My dog Petunia (15 yrs. old) is aging so very quickly :(

12. My other dog Brody (1 year old) is trying to play with Petunia, and in so doing, is knocking Petunia down incessantly :(

13. Did I mention the CRCT test that Sammy is taking this week? LOL!!!

Cast your cares upon Him, for he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T16:07:00.002-05:00

Can you believe my little Austin will be in Kindergarten?

2009-07-25T18:16:00.005-04:00

This week Austin went to Kindergarten Camp for 3 days.

Here he is all ready to go in the first picture. Then, in the second picture, he is waiting in the car for the carpool line to start.We were a tad bit early. Austin is very experienced in carpool since they had mandatory carpool at his Pre-K school. Then, the last picture shows him going into that big, bad world (Ok, fine, it's not that bad) to face new friends and new adventures. He really likes to make friends. And, lo and behold, would you believe that one of his friends from his Pre-K class was walking into the school with his twin brother. As luck would have it (or more like God's divine intervention), his friend was in his Kindergarten camp class.

The theme was Let's Get Buggy! They made a bumblebee craft, a butterfly craft, played in centers, ate snack in the lunchroom each day, (no lunch because it was only 3 hours each day), and visited the library. They ended the 3 day Camp with a Buzzing Around the School Day! So cute! The first day I asked Austin what he did and he said "Nothing!" LOL-Boys!!!

Can you believe he will be in Kindergarten?

4th of July 2009

2009-07-25T11:50:00.005-04:00

So the 4th of July was fun! Well, it was actually the 3rd of July. We were able to see the fireworks at the park across the street from our back deck. We had our friends over and enjoyed the evening with some bratwursts and dogs.
Here are the boys' heads with some red and blue paint which I must say all the kids enjoyed :-)

Sammy and Austin's Birthdays 2009

2009-07-25T11:44:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe I missed blogging about their 2009 birthdays! I just posted the pics on Facebook and forgot about blogging. These last few months have passed by so quick.

Sammy asked Jesus into his heart!

2009-06-27T09:41:00.004-04:00

I am so excited that my son who is now 6
has asked Jesus into his heart!!

I just wanted to share! I am so happy for him.

He just started asking questions tonight and he has been hearing about this in Sunday School and VBS, but this year has been the year he has really been asking questions about Jesus and living for him. He started asking my husband a lot of questions and asked if my husband could help him to ask Jesus to come into his heart. My husband was very careful to WAIT for him to ASK.

I was silently crying while laying on the couch nearby the whole time trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as I could sense my son was being wooed by the Holy Spirit.

Please pray for me that I make the right choices and guide him in the way he should go.

WOW! What a night!!!

P.S. This picture is Sammy telling Grandpapa that he asked Jesus into his heart. Notice the two phones he is holding - one cordless and one regular. LOL!

Two Years Ago Today....

2009-06-05T07:27:00.004-04:00

Two years ago today we adopted Sammy and Austin. I remember the excitement and joy of that day! We were so excited!!! "Papa" went with us to the courthouse to watch us sign the papers. He wanted to be there when he became a Grandpa for the first time!!!!

I remember when we went into the judge's office, the boys were walking (I meant running) around his office and looking at everything and the judge commented on our little bundles of energy. He said "You're sure you want to do this?" and we said "Yes!" and he signed the papers.

The rest is history!

My Little Knights in Shining Armor !!!

2009-04-22T02:24:00.006-04:00

Renaissance Festival 2009

2009-04-22T02:12:00.004-04:00

Well, we went to the Renaissance Festival and they had a blast! Everyone (except me) wanted to see the jousting so we took them to see that. They loved it! They had a really nice play place that the boys could play in and the boys enjoyed that immensely. Sammy really liked the rock climbing wall!!!

We went to the bird show and seemed to enjoy that too! Even Grandpapa enjoyed himself and I will show you why in his pic. Check out his cheek and forehead! LOL!I really don't know how to tell you how much they enjoyed themselves so I will show you in pictures.

Our Story - Part 2

2009-04-21T06:02:00.025-04:00

Before you read this:Read Part 1 here:
www.mommy-juice.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-story.html

.... And so the journey began. The lady and the man raised those babies the best that they could. The boys had a tough road ahead of them. They bonded, after being separated for 5 months, like they were never separated. They slept in the same room and spoke their "own" language to each other. They would "talk" and laugh and giggle and I understood not a word of it. Sammy was immediately placed in speech therapy and Austin was in occupational therapy for fine and gross motor skill development. Eventually, Austin would receive speech services also. His philosophy was "If my brother will speak for me, there is no need for me to." Such is life with an older sibling. Life went on as usual for the family. The babies went to the Mother's Morning Out three mornings a week and the man went to work. In the afternoons, the babies napped, played, and waited for Jenny to get home from school so they could play with her until dinner.

Jenny was a foster child that the couple had before the boys came. She was a beautiful, rather striking child with red hair and green eyes. She was with them until we found her adoptive parents a couple of years after the boys came to us. The length of her stay was prolonged while an exhaustive search for living relatives who were willing to adopt was conducted. She was old enough to help choose who would adopt her and although she "really liked" (her words-LOL!) the lady and the man, she wanted to be adopted by someone with either no children or children who were her age. After many twists and turns and even a school change, she met her new "Mom" at the school she was attending. The story really is quite sweet, but it is not mine to tell. The lady still loves and misses her daily but she knows those were the parents God meant for Jenny to have.

There were no visits with the biological parents for thirteen more months-for a total of 18 months- since the second week they had been in foster care. The children started to have visits with their biological mother. For the next two years, there were visits every other week with their biological mother. Around 3 years old, Sammy started saying he had two moms. I will not lie. Sometimes, it is hard to share that title with her. But the lady knew that if she had decided not to give birth to them, or, heaven forbid, abort them, they would not be here and I would not be Mommy to two precious little boys today. The lady will forever be grateful to her for this.

After three years of foster care, the birth mother relinquished all rights to her children and the lady and the man were allowed to adopt. It was not an easy decision for the birth mom. There was a mediation and it was suggested that the lady offer the birth mom an open adoption in exchange for her relinquishing her rights to the boys. If the lady had not offered this, the birth mom had the right to keep continuing to appeal for at least a year. Her friends and even extended family were quite upset with the lady for making this deal, but she made the only choice she felt she could--Get her boys out of the foster care system and FAST! The lady and the man couldn't bear another year of visits! Sammy couldn't bear another year of bi-weekly visits! He was needing stability that visits every other week could not provide for him. Austin could not care less either way. He just went along with Sammy in just about everything and took his cues from him.

When the lady and the man adopted the boys, they were so happy! The boys were then three and four years old. They had the biggest adoption party and invited all of their family and friends! Boy, did they CELEBRATE!

I will say that the open adoption has gone quite well so far. There are some snags; but overall, the birth mom and I are working through issues as they arise in a calm, clear manner. She sees them three to four times a year and they know her as "tummy mommy" and know (although I am not sure they quite understand) that she gave birth to them, but we are their parents. We have the privilege of raising these boys and being their Mommy and Daddy!!!!

I am living proof that Psalm 113:9 is true: "He has settled the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children."

The First Day of Spring!

2009-03-21T20:00:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of Spring and we went to the park to celebrate. OK, we really went to the park because they were giving away free icees at Rita's, the Italian ice place at the park. So, after I picked up Austin from school, I loaded up the bikes, scooter, skates (inline and regular), every type of ball imaginable, and badminton rackets and birdie and we headed to the park. I also packed a picnic dinner so we could eat there. Jon picked up Sammy and met us there. Boy, was it fun!

Tea Party For Me!

2009-03-19T09:01:00.004-04:00

So it was my birthday and my oldest sister decided to have a tea party for my birthday. It was so fun! Doesn't it look yummy? Thanks Jennifer, Dawn and Sarah for making my birthday special!

Our snow pics 2009

2009-03-02T08:06:00.002-05:00

Where are they, you ask? There are none because we didn't get enough for us to play in. But they did get out of school today because apparently people all around us got snow; but we missed out :-(
My boys are so disappointed. But we have two play dates set up, so YAY!

I dedicate this to all my former kids - May you be safe forevermore :-)

2009-02-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

Chattanooga here we come!

2009-02-22T13:49:00.003-05:00

We had fun at the aquarium but this was what really got them excited. Can you tell they have been to way too many aquariums? We bought the yearly membership so we will definitely be going back.

Bradley Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-29T20:45:00.021-05:00

Mr. Phil's Thanksgiving Nap! Full tummy makes for a sleepy man. Here is Austin with my nephew's guitar. He has always loved guitars and drums. He would sit, as a baby, for hours and listen to his former foster brother play guitar and drum. And his air guitar has been working ever since he has been able to stand and hold his hands in that position at the same time without plopping down on his bottom. LOL! Sammy and my brother are torturing each other and enjoying themselves immensely on the left. Sammy is as active as my brother was at his age, so my brother totally "gets" him ;-) Sammy looks so forward to "their" horseplay!

Here is my sister-in-law (the gracious hostess and turkey preparer) with my niece and nephews. And last but not least, here we are - "The Bradley Kids"all grown up- blondes on the left and redheads on the right. We figured we better get a pic of us all together before our hair starts turning gray. LOL!

Grandpapa's Got A New Van!

2008-11-29T20:36:00.006-05:00

So Mr. Phil got a new van and we are all very excited about it! It has a tv in it that the boys can watch videos on and it also has built-in car seats for the boys. I have heard of these but never seen one in action before. We rode to Thanksgiving dinner in Mr. Phil's van once we reached his side of town (which is south of the airport) and Jonathan drove us all to McDonough to where my family was meeting this year at my brother and sister-in-law's house.

"Pancakes anyone?"

2008-11-27T09:56:00.005-05:00

....blueberry pancakes, that is. Last night, as I was shopping for some last minute Thanksgiving food items,I suddenly had a craving for blueberry pancakes. So I picked up some muffin mix, added some flour, oil, water and egg and viola!--Blueberry pancakes!

So I placed them on a platter that my best friend Dara gave me of her mother's after her parents had passed. This had special meaning for me this particular morning. For about three or four years before her mother had passed, we (my husband, Mr. Phil, and I) used to go over to Dara's mom and dad's house and have Thanksgiving lunch at their house and then go to my parents and have another Thanksgiving dinner there. It was so fun just to hang out at their house and hear the stories that Isabel (Dara's great aunt who was 90ish) , Joyce (Dara's mom's friend) and Dara's mother would tell. We always had a good time and the food was always wonderfully cooked. They really knew how to cook a bird :-)

Miss you Pat and Frank, Isabel, and Joyce. Love, Tonya

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2008-11-19T06:32:00.004-05:00

It seems that we have just taken off our Halloween costumes and the time has already come for us to go see Santa and gear up for the Christmas Holidays. There is nothing like seeing the wonder in your child's eyes when they sit in Santa's lap and get their picture taken. Sammy said that he was gonna tell Santa what a good boy he has been this year and ask for him to bring him a motorcyle - bike. I don't know that he actually did with all the excitement. But it was so cute to hear him tell me all about his plans.

So here they are--smiling on Santa's lap.

Well, at least he smells good!

2008-11-10T08:24:00.004-05:00

So this morning I send Sammy in to the bathroom to rid his face of this morning's toothpaste, cereal and milk remnants. When I go to check on him he is spraying Glade Apple Cinnamon room spray on his hair.

In his defense, I do spray his hair (with hairspray, mind you) every morning before school so he thought he was helping Mommy out. So I am trying to look at the bright side: AT LEAST HE SMELLS GOOD :-)

My Hubby the Domestic

2008-11-09T08:32:00.010-05:00

This is my my husband's creation- a pork roast in the crock pot with corn, peas, potatoes, and onions. Look good? We'll see. I am not too keen on roast; but he loves them.

At least I don't have to cook dinner tonight. YAY!

Pics from the Fall Festival and Halloween

2008-11-06T16:24:00.006-05:00

Our Story

2008-11-06T12:21:00.015-05:00

Once upon a time, there were two little babies who languished in the foster care system for almost 4 months. Far, far away, in another county of the same state, was a couple who were fostering children for different amounts of time, depending on the specific needs of the child. This couple wanted some children of their own so badly and were, as patiently as possible, waiting on their name to come up on the state adoption list for an infant straight from the hospital and fostering in the meantime. If some foster children came up for adoption-GREAT-they would be more than willing to adopt them. But the mission was clear--care for these children until their parents can gain custody back or another suitable relative can be found for the child. This mission was hard to remember--especially for the wife who took these children to the Mother's Morning Out that she worked at and watched over them and their needs 24/7. Thank goodness for her husband who was willing and able to help his wife through this roller coaster ride they were now on!

Funny thing about this lady. While working at the Mother's Morning out; when it came time to tell the story of Hannah praying for God to provide her with a baby whom she later named Samuel,(which came every year when studying the letter H (theme: Hannah) she never would; for it was too much to bear. "Where is my Samuel?" she thought and sometimes spoke aloud to God.

One day, a few weeks after the couple had returned a baby to his mother; the lady received a call for a one year old boy named Samuel who had been in four different homes in the few months he had been in care. Meanwhile, his brother, Austin, who was ten months younger, had been in a wonderful foster home where his needs could be attended to by someone who was equipped to handle them. The lady, of course, accepted the one year old into her home and cared for him for about a month. She and her new charge went to visit his brother a couple of times during that time. The photo above is the first time the lady had ever held those two babies for the first time! Little did she know that one day these two precious gems would one day be forever hers to raise and love and be their MOMMY!

One day, the caseworker called the lady and said that the boys needed to be reunited now that the youngest one was no longer needing special care and would she and her husband be willing to foster both. Of course, the lady said yes. Well, the caseworker then informed the lady that it came down to what the foster mother of Austin decided to do. If the foster mother decided to foster them both, then the state would have Samuel moved and the babies would be reunited. The other foster family decided not to foster both babies and the lady and her husband were elated!

I'm Back!

2008-10-27T09:43:00.009-04:00

Now I am sure there are so many people who are reading my blog and enjoying it :-) and are wondering if I have left the world of Blogdom. I am here and we, as a family, have been very busy trying to get some things settled. As you may have noticed, I have another blog which is called ADHD in the Mix. Sammy has been officially diagnosed by our private physician who we hand-picked the best we could.The school did their tests and we did ours ;-) It is so hard trying to find a doctor whom you can trust. But we feel we made a good choice. So things are getting back to normal in the Philbrick household. Excuse me, but what is normal? LOL!

So I am going this a.m. to vote in this year's Presidential debate. I must say this one is pretty exciting! But don't we always feel each one is more exciting than the last??!!!

I have some awesome pics to share from this weekend and I will post those later.We went to a Fall festival and to a fun birthday party at which I found out I have a cross-dressing son! LOL! Yes, you guessed it-- the one whose fave color is pink--Austin! LOL! Be sure to click on the pictures and it will show up bigger and you can see how stylish his high heels are. ROFL! So cute and Mommy Blackmail is so fun! I can now hand-pick his girlfriends when he is a teenager. Yesssss!!!!!

Hope all have a wonderful Monday!

Sammy's New Desk

2008-10-07T08:44:00.013-04:00

Sammy loves his new desk. A good friend of mine gave us this desk for Sammy and I have to say he is loving it. He has been having some hard times at school with focusing but I have to say that ever since he has had this new desk set up he has been doing so much better sitting in his seat. Of course, there are less distractions here than there are at school (20 less kids- LOL!). He has been looking at his inbox (which has the papers I print out for him to do and if it is empty says "Mom, where's my papers?" He cracks me up -- this from a child who cannot sit still at school, but like I said there are twenty less kids here.

Maybe I should home school? Hmmmmm... there is a question!!! The psychologist (his, not mine-I don't have one YET!) gave me an emphatic No! to that question. The pediatrician said No! also!! ROFL!

God bless the home school mom! I totally respect and admire (and sometimes envy) what you do!!!

New Park in the Area!

2008-10-07T08:44:00.007-04:00

Well, here they are at a new park in the area. It is so beautiful! They have a walking trail, playground, wading stream, waterfall, and beautiful scenery all the way through. We are enjoying taking the boys there. They love it!

Here they are walking through the stream and being silly in front of the waterfall!! Did I mention they love it? I now have a new park to bribe them with. YES!!!

They missed it!

2008-10-01T10:40:00.005-04:00

I walked out on my back porch this morning enjoying the morning breeze, watching Petunia, our dog, running back and forth in the yard. Even she seems to feel the change in weather and know that Fall is finally here! So as I turn around to go inside , this is what greeted me at the door. EEK! --a rather large grasshopper!

The boys would have loved it, especially Austin - who lately, is enamored by bugs of any kind- but they were already in school. Sammy went through that phase also last year. So, my being the crazy woman that I am, decided to take a picture of it for them. Here it is! Lovely, eh?

Helping Daddy With The Yardwork

2008-09-27T11:31:00.003-04:00

"Look, Mama, I got a big one!" That is what I hear Sammy saying while he is carrying the tops of the trees to the curb for his Daddy. Who knew yard work could be so much fun? Also, I hear Sammy say, "Austin, you can get the smaller ones 'cause I'm bigger." To which Austin replies, "No, I'm bigger!" I just laugh to myself because I know this will be an ongoing thing for the rest of their lives- the joy of having kids so close in age! I'm just waiting for them to flex their arms and compare their muscles! LOL! Sometimes, competition can be a good thing, right? Hopefully, i can get them to apply that competitive spirit to their schoolwork.

I just love it when I see all of them working together on a project like this. Father and son time to the extreme! Gotta love it!!!

A Boy and His Dog

2008-09-25T09:55:00.010-04:00

Sammy loves Petunia! Here he is hugging Petunia bye-bye before going to school. So sweet!
Now it's time to mop that kitchen floor :-)

Sharpie Artwork

2008-09-24T10:35:00.003-04:00

See the lovely S in between the flowers?

Why Yes, They Are Spoiled (With Love)

2008-09-24T10:13:00.010-04:00

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when my boys got up and dressed without any distractions, interruptions, arguments, etc. I was so overjoyed that I allowed them to watch cartoons and eat their cereal at the living room coffee table this morning. What a treat! Here they are, cute as can be all ready for school!

Now let's talk Palmetto Bugs. EEEEWWWWWWW! I found two this morning near my front door. Gross!!!! They are the nastiest grossest bugs. I am screaming and spraying Windex to slow them down and then smashing them with my flimsy flip flops. Now I remember my boy Caleb used to kill them and flush them down the toilet for me but do you think Sammy and Austin went for that? NO way!!!! They would not kill them or get rid of them for me. Ugh! Maybe if and when i adopt a girl (there is enough testosterone around this house for me, thank you very much), she will be tough enough to take care of this type of thing for her wimpy MOMMY. LOL!

Oh, the morning was perfect until I went into the bathroom and noticed the lovely green Sharpie drawing that was on the guest bathroom wallpaper. Guess who? I'll give you a hint. S is for S_ _ _ _ :>

I am no longer a lover of Sharpies :-)

Thrifty or Cheap? You Be The Judge.

2008-09-04T10:53:00.006-04:00

So this morning, I was trying to put on Sammy's shoes and I noticed that his shoe velcro was coming unattached from the shoe itself. Does that make sense? I will post a pic in a minute. Anyways, I had some velcro and proceeded to cut a piece off to put on the shoe so that it will attach nicely again. Why I try to do these type of things in the morning I will never know; but I did. So while the boys are arguing over who gets to read what side of the cereal box at the breakfast table, I cut the velcro to the perfect size (laying the velcro on top of the strap) and in so doing, yes, you guessed it, I cut the strap of the shoe also. Notice in the photo the new velcro attached to the old velcro? LOL!

Now, the cheap part comes in to play. Sammy has two extra tennis shoes that fit him perfectly and are clean enough to wear to school. And I have two brand new pairs in the next size up for him in case he grows unexpectedly. I got them on clearance this summer (while buying his new Speed Racer shoes for the first day of school) at Target for $3.74 to be exact. So we tried the new ones; but alas, they are still to big for him. So I should have just let him wear one of his older shoes and sent him off to school. And then I could have doctored his shoes when I was calm and collected. He-he! When is that???!

FYI, the Speed Racer shoes only cost $4.24. Why didn't I just throw them away? Is the economy getting that bad???! LOL! Maybe because he has only worn them since the first day of school- almost 4 weeks. UGH!

My question to you is "Am I cheap or am I thrifty?" :-)

Too young for a chain letter?

2008-08-28T08:50:00.013-04:00

Well, my youngest got a chain letter. It is for a sticker club. I will definitely participate as they are very into stickers at 4. Actually the mom asked me first about it before she sent it to me, and of course I said yes! So I bought these motion stickers for the exchange. I am glad to just be in the loop ;-)

So, I have decided to tear down my lovely wallpaper border (I know-tacky-so late 80's, early 90's)and decided to do it myself. It has been there for about eight years and I have to say it came off so easy. Mind you, I am 4'11&3/8". Yes, that 3/8 means alot to me. It gets me closer to five feet. LOL! I am not sure if it was because the border had been there so long or because the border was cheap. I got it for a great deal at Garden Ridge. Regardless, it was a beautiful border to me , but severely outdated.

I am slowly taking my house back after having twenty-something kids [OH, how I miss them!] traipsing through here in a matter of six years, I had some major redecorating and fixing up to do! But I would take them all over again! They brought joy to my life and I think of them always!

Here I go on another tangent. But a good one, though, right? We must never forget that these children who are in care need us. Those who cannot care for them daily can still donate school supplies, clothing, shoes, diapers, baby items, etc. to help these children. It takes so little to buy a few $1 and $2 items off the clearance rack at Walmart and drop them off at the closest social services office. Ok, I will get off my soapbox now!

I admit when I first started foster care it was purely to adopt. But after I got in the trenches, I realized God had planned so much more for my husband and I.

I leave you with this writing from an anonymous author-So well written:

Duct Tape and Baling Wire
It all began innocently enough, my decision to become a foster parent. I have no wonderful, earth-shattering
reason why I decided this was what I was going to do. No powerful sermon was preached about it the previous
Sunday. There was no profound moment. I just woke up and knew it.
I called Terri Yu, of Lincoln County DHS, and thus the roller coaster, known as "being a foster parent" began. I
began my classes, and with each class, I was convinced this was something I was meant to do. Through rose
coloured glasses, I saw myself as Wonder Woman saving the world from imminent evils. Keep in mind that at
this time, my heart was securely intact and as good as new.
My very first placement was a dream come true. I picked up a beautiful newborn baby boy from the hospital and
brought him home with me. That dream turned into a nightmare the very next night when I picked up his four-
year-old brother. I am pretty sure he was my own personal war on terrorism. This was a child who wanted to
grow up to shoot windows out of cop cars. He did not want to become a fire fighter, a pilot, a cowboy.. he
wanted to shoot windows out of cop cars. My heart sank, and reality started seeping in.
I was not dealing with innocent children who were thankful you rode in and rescued them. I was dealing with
broken children... even the newborn, who did not ask to have drug withdrawals, but that was the life his mother
chose for him. I was dealing with four year olds, who should be playing with cars and building forts, but instead
they could out cuss a sailor, acted out violently, and knew what "weed" was. I thought that the 4 year old was
beyond help. With consistent structure, firm guidance, and love, however, I was beginning to see his potential
when he left. I'll never forget his last words, "Shawn, I'll very miss you so much." It was then I noticed my heart
had little cracks in it.
I, in my innocence, thought I would be teaching them, but rather they taught me. They taught me that not
everyone lives a sheltered life where they are loved and provided for. They taught me food was not something
expected to be on the table when you were hungry, but food was a blessing to receive. They taught me that not
everyone thinks the world revolves around babies, but rather that babies can be left strapped in car seats for hours
upon hours until that beautiful little girl has a permanent head tilt and crooked jaw...all because she was in the
way of mommy's partying. My heart broke. I somehow managed to patch it up with a little bit of duct tape and
gathered myself together and answered the phone once more for one more baby.
I learned that parents do not show up for visits and/or court dates to get their children back, much less PTA
events, recitals, and music programs. I have learned that babies at eleven months old have already learned that
life is not fair and they can and will give up on life. I had thought that at eleven months old your only thought
was "what can I get into today?" Unfortunately, for some eleven-month-old babies, their thoughts are more along
the lines of "I saw daddy hit mommy. Cops took me away, and I am now in a shelter where there are 23 other
babies my age. There is nobody to hold me or love me. I cannot deal with this any longer".
I've learned that politics are more important than a four-month-olds wellbeing. I have learned that someone in
the DA's office can work deals under the table unbeknownst to DHS. I learned that politics in the system did not
care that Mom and Dad could not stay clean. They did not care that Mom had previously lost two children to
adoption because she could not change her life. They did not care that Mom could not trouble herself to come to
court or come to visits except sporadically. Because a child is ONLY property and has no rights, they sent him
home. They never gave Mom a chance to clean up and to be the appropriate Mom a baby with health issues
needed. Knowing that he was leaving to go home to unsafe conditions, this time, my heart shattered. Duct tape
was not enough to mend it. With a bit of baling wire and lots of duct tape and patches, I put it together the best I
could and questioned my decision to become a foster parent.
In the midst of my grief and reconsidering my decision, the phone rang. Terri said "Shadawn, there is an 11
month old in the shelter. He has given up. He is no longer interacting with staff nor responding, and he has shut
down. Can you take him?" When I picked up that beautiful brown eyed baby boy and looked into his eyes, what
I saw broke my heart. Instead of the innocent happiness of a child, I saw a long black tunnel of despair and
hopelessness. Again, my heart broke. I would rock him to sleep each night, kiss him on the forehead, and put
him in his bed while my heart broke knowing his story. I brought out the duct tape and baling wire once more.
Page 2
No longer is my heart in the perfect condition it once was. It has now been broken and repaired more times than I
can count. Whereas it used to gleam, it is held together by duct tape and baling wire. More tears than I can count
have been shed. I have been asked by many "How do you do this? Don't you get attached and get your heart
broken? How do you keep doing this?" I look at the picture of the 11 month old (now 18 months). I look at his
eyes in the pictures I picked up yesterday, and where there once was despair and hopelessness, there is now
mischief and happiness. Instead of lying there listlessly and not responding, there is a little boy who loves to say
"hut-hut" and then tackle mommy.
I do not do this for myself. I do not get my heart broken repeatedly because I enjoy it. I do it because of all my
past, present, and future babies. I do it because they need to go to bed at night hearing "I love you". Is it easy?
Not only no, but heck no. But every child, 0-18 years old, needs to know what it is like to not have to worry
about if they will be fed or not. Even if it is just a few months, they know what it is like to be safe and sound. My
heart is not near as important as they are. It will recover; that child may not.

2008-08-28T08:50:00.012-04:00

First Day of School Pics- Little Late

2008-08-27T09:52:00.004-04:00

Here they are! Austin was so excited to go to "Sammy's school" finally. And Sammy was a little nervous about going to his new big school. They both love to attend school; it's the sitting down part they do not enjoy. Austin keeps telling me "Mommy, I just want to play!" But he will get there, I am sure. Thank goodness his teacher has three boys; so she is up to the challenge :-) Sammy could not have asked for a more understanding teacher. Our prayers over the summer have been answered. She totally "gets" him, KWIM?
How so I get these pics to be horizontal instead of vertical? LOL! Don't crane your neck too much!

Isn't this candle beautiful?

2008-08-27T05:14:00.008-04:00

I know, I know, it's just a candle. But it is a candle that my son, Sammy, made in preschool when he was 2. This morning, three and 1/4 years later, was the first time it has been used. I am so enamored by the things that my children can create. This particular item was made for Mother's Day. Little did I know that this child in three more years would be my forever child and that I would be receiving Mother's Day gifts from him for the rest of my life. But I digress. I was talking about candles.

I am so spoiled by electricity. The power went out at 4 a.m. for about an hour (50 minutes to be exact) and I could not sleep. As soon as the power went out, I knew it. My white noise (the fan) was off and I was done. I am surprised that the boys did not wake up because their white noise (also a fan) went off and their precious night lights also; which surprisingly they were fine without having while they slept in cribs but instantly needed when they started sleeping in "big boy" beds. I guess their cribs made them feel very secure as opposed to the BIG SCARY "big boy" toddler beds!

Oh well, anyways, I will be going around today and finding out what kind of batteries go in my alarm clock and filling it with said batteries this afternoon while the boys are in school. Oh, and also, buy more sconces for the walls! LOL! Thank goodness I had my trusty flashlight right beside my bed in my bedside basket! So I was somewhat prepared!

This is Tonya, signing off. I really shouldn't blog so early in the morning! I am not sure I am not mindlessly rambling. LOL!

My Little Kindergartener and Pre-K-er

2008-08-04T12:43:00.007-04:00

As I wait for my tea to brew and my boys are napping, I thought I would sit down for a minute and put down my thoughts on my blog. Next Monday, they will both be in school five days a week for nine months. How do I feel about that? I do not know. All I know is that both of my babies will be gone daily during the week into the public schools in our area. I am not sure how I feel about this.

Let me start with Sammy. Since the week after Sammy turned three, he has been attending a very good public preschool in our area for two years and he has excelled beyond our wildest dreams. He went from grunting most words and speaking very few to speaking much clearer in a matter of weeks. We are so proud of his success. In order for him to continue to attend this school we put him in daycare so that I could continue to work my job where I had been working for six years. BIG MISTAKE! I have been kicking myself for over a year for that mistake. It was the best daycare in the area (and trust me I know daycares-I used to work in one!); but even the best daycare cannot make up for home training. We will be working on some social issues,such as poor impulse control, but academically, we could not ask for a better outcome. He is an academic star! YAY!

Austin will be attending Pre-K at the same public preschool that Sammy attended as a 3 and 4 year old preschooler. Austin is 4 and doing well in all areas except for academics. He is reluctant to learn his alphabet, shapes, and colors. He does know some of his shapes and colors, but not all of them. His alphabet recognition is not developed at all, but not for lack of trying. Ask Mrs. Kim from Trinity (the preschool he attended last year). She was so patient with him. As Kate from Jon & Kate plus 8 says "God bless that woman!" He can trace his name which is a plus. I owe that to Mrs. Kim. He learned his shapes and how to play games and put together puzzles with a group of peers from Mrs. Kim also . --(We are still working on those things with Sammy due to his lack of impulse control.)-- So I am not worried about Austin socially at all as far as school goes. He is such a good friend and my social butterfly[when he's in a good mood:)]. But academically, we have some work to do. I am hoping this school will work it's magic as it did on Sammy. :-) :-)

So, anyways, back to today. I realized that summer is almost over and the kids will be going back to school in a week so we opened up the sand box and had some SUMMER FUN. Here is a pic!

Dinosaur Picnic and Learning on the Run!

2008-07-12T12:14:00.005-04:00

Today has started out as a day of learning! It just ended up that way! I just realized that we have only four weeks of summer left before school starts up again! The picture above is of the dinosaur picnic the boys had while watching a dinosaur movie. Notice the little toy dinosaurs around the blanket :) The boys love stuff like that. Jonathan came up with the idea of an indoor picnic and I just RAN WITH IT! LOL!

Earlier this morning, I took out the workbooks that I bought before summer started (I have good intentions--honest I do!) and was so surprised that Sammy could do something out of all the sections in the Getting Ready For Kindergarten Modern Giant Basic Skills Workbook. We are so proud! Only the money and telling time part is hard for him. As for Austin, he did very well on the Pre-K I Can Learn With Pooh Early Skills Colors and Care Bears Thinking Skills Workbook (both from the Dollar Tree--YAY!) I am so proud of my boys! :-)

2008-07-05T10:42:00.001-04:00

2008-07-05T10:38:00.002-04:00

2008-07-05T10:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T19:18:00.004-04:00

Well, we celebrated last night with some friends and had so much fun! Our house is so near the park that was having fireworks last night that we could see them from our backyard. It was the perfect seat to the fireworks! We had a nice time and ate a ton of food! Hotdogs and Brats were on the menu. We bought some play sand at Home Depot and the kids went at it. We could not do anything involving water because of Sammy's cast.

I don't believe I blogged about Sammy's cast yet. He was at Summer Parent's Morning out and literally fifteen minutes after I dropped him off, I received a call that he had fallen off the monkey bars and possibly broken his arm. It was so awful. I was brave (He was too!) and did not cry until my husband came to help me and took him to the hospital while I picked up his brother. We all traipsed downtown to the hospital to get him casted after he had been to the local doctor and it had been verified by X-Ray that the arm was indeed broken. Poor thing! He kept saying "Mommy, I was so b-w-ave". I about fell apart again, but didn't. And everyone is telling me that this is probably the first of many broken bones. I hope not! I can't handle it ;)

Then we decided to give him a mohawk to go with his "tough guy" look. Actually, I made a mistake and told the hair stylist to give him a #1 buzz and it was too short so I asked her before it was all gone to leave some on the top and together we decided to give him a mohawk. He loves it and it's summertime after all so why not? He's only young once. I hope he doesn't get attached to it! It's not my favorite look for him :)

Random Ramblings

2008-06-17T22:59:00.004-04:00

Austin has been doing the cutest thing lately! When I ask him to do something or whatever, he stands at attention (hand on forehead and all)and says, "Yes, sir!" and does whatever it is.

But sometimes I get the opposite which is an emphatic "NO!" or this one, which cracks me up and I have to hide my face when he says this "No thanks!" too funny!

It's one or the other. Where does he get this stuff??!!

The other day, as I was getting into the very back seat of the van, (which is a cramped spot for an adult to squeeze into, especially when you have to get past a child in a car seat)Sammy cracked me up. I brushed past his little feet and said "Oh sorry, Sammy, I didn't mean to squish you. Sometimes my bottom gets in the way." He says, "That's OK Mom, that's just the way God made you."
Like those extra rolls at dinner had nothing to do with it!

They are too funny!

One More Kitchen Makeover Pic!

2008-06-17T19:49:00.003-04:00

To see my old kitchen, check out the pic of the boys w/ the cookie cake on the left. What a switch, huh?

Another Kitchen makeover After pic!

2008-06-17T19:43:00.004-04:00

Kitchen Makeover!

2008-06-17T19:27:00.004-04:00

I repainted my kitchen with the help of a friend. She helped me organize and declutter also. Here are my after pics.

2008-06-17T19:14:00.002-04:00

www.Orgjunkie.com is hosting another week of Menu Plan Monday and although it is Tuesday, I believe I will join in.

Monday- Tuna salad w/ crackers

Tuesday- Hotdogs w/ chili, cheetos (I know--very unhealthy)

Wednesday- Chicken nuggets, apples

Thursday- Chef Salad

Friday- Luau at 10 a.m.--cooking out on the grill for lunch-hotdogs again--probably sandwiches or pizza for lunch--something easy

Saturday- Hamburgers on the grill--WE'LL BE ON HOTDOG STRIKE!!

Sunday- Breakfast for dinner-- Eggs, Bacon, Grits, Toast--YUM!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T21:08:00.004-04:00

Today I met up with my dad, my father-in-law, my brother, my sisters and their families for Father's Day dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. It was so yummy! It was fun to see everyone. We had a great server. Here he is with my sister. He was so patient with us crazy guys!!!

We also celebrated my niece Sarah's birthday. She turns 17 next week. I remember when she was a baby---makes me feel old :( :(

What's In My Freezer?

2008-06-13T23:07:00.005-04:00

Ok guys, I found something else yummy and guilt-free. Weight Watchers has sherbet covered vanilla ice cream bars. Yummmy! Trust me! And they are only 1 point!! They are fruit-flavored and I am not really into fruit. But they are good! Check them out. They are on sale at Kroger this week.

Also, those bags of chicken breasts that are individually packaged are so good.They are at Costco. I don't remember the brand; but they are yummy to just throw on the grill with some barbecue sauce!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-06-09T10:59:00.004-04:00

Monday- chicken patty sandwiches and Suddenly Salad

Tuesday- Sloppy Joes, broccoli and cheese

Wednesday- I'm working so whatever hubby makes or wants

Thursday- Barbecue Chicken, corn

Friday- IHOP kids eat free 4-9 pm

Saturday- hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill

Sunday- Logan's Roadhouse for Father's Day

Great Easy Recipe!

2008-06-09T10:46:00.002-04:00

Fiesta Chicken

24 oz. B/l S/l chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 cup salsa (I used the whole jar)
1/4 to 1/2 cup light or ff sour cream

Spray crockpot with Pam.
Put chicken in and sprinkle seasoning over the top.
Pour salsa over all.
Cook low for 6-8 hours or high 3 to 4.
Remove chicken only and shred it after cooked and return to crock pot.
Stir in sour cream.
Heat thoroughly.

Wonderful on Nacho chips or tortillas!

What is in my pantry? Continued...

To drink:
Walmart Brand diet fruit punch
Walmart Brand diet peach tea
Walmart Brand diet lemonade

They are in little easy to make tubs just like Crystal Light! Delish!

Also, Costco water is the best and cheapest :-)

What's In My Fridge (and Pantry)?

2008-06-08T21:22:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I am officially dieting. My husband has been dieting for a month or so (and walking)and I have decided I need to do the same. Jonathan is blessed with the ability to say something, decide to do it, and it is done! Ugh! From what I hear from his father, his mother had that same ability. He is like her in alot of ways.

So Saturday morning I went to a Weight Watchers meeting. And I am officially the meanest person alive. I hate being on a diet! I have some rescue foods that I will list here:
1. Weight Watchers-(WW)- barbecue prezel crisps- hit the spot!
2. WW chocolate and peanut butter snack bars-Yum-O!
3. All Bran garlic and herb snack crackers-OK in a pinch!
4. WW sliced cheese-Yummy! Really good! I was surprised!
5. WW string mozz cheese-Tastes the same to me!!

So wish me luck on this endeavor.

Our First Anniversary of Our Adoption!

2008-06-05T19:38:00.003-04:00

Well, today, a year ago, we went to the courthouse and the judge signed the papers sealing our adoption. Yay! We were so excited!

Tonight we had lasagna (their favorite)for dinner and cherry pie for dessert. Yum! I would have liked to have gone to the restaurant that we went to after the adoption but the boys were too cranky to go anywhere tonight! The VBS they are going to this week is wearing them out!! :)

We love you Sammy and Austin and thank God every day you are part of our forever family!!!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-06-01T20:13:00.005-04:00

OrgJunkie.com is hosting a Menu Plan Monday which I am hoping will make my life easier:) Check her awesome blog out at orgjunkie.com!

Monday- Fiesta Chicken

Tuesday- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Wednesday- Chicken Nuggets

Thursday- Lasagna

Friday-Sloppy Joes

Saturday-

Blast from the Past!

2008-05-30T22:35:00.002-04:00

Today I had lunch with three wonderful people; two of which I have not seen since around the time Vanilla Ice's song "Ice, Ice Baby" came out. OOOOHHHH!!! Now I am dating myself. The last time the three of us were together in person was in high school. Eighteen years ago!!!

I cannot believe I am getting so old!!

Anyway, We had a great lunch and talked about old times and what we have been doing for 18 years. Oh my goodness, I still cannot believe it's been that long. I will say this; it was like no time had passed. Friends that make you feel like that are few and far between. I laughed so HARD and had so much fun!

Kat (did I spell this right?), it was great to meet you! Carrie and James, it was great to see you again!!! Let's definitely do this again!

Happy Birthday Honey!

2008-05-27T09:48:00.005-04:00

Today is hubby's birthday! So what do we have planned today? Well, Mr. Phil (his dad) is coming up and they are going to go see the new Indiana Jones movie together. Jon has been wanting to see it since the day it came out; but it is too much for the kids and there is no one to watch them for us so that him and I can go see it. He should go by himself, you say? He doesn't like to go to the movies alone. Now, that is one of my favorite ways to relax- to go to the movies alone. I do it whenever I get the chance!

While they are at the movies, we are going to make Daddy's cake together. The boys' are very excited to help mommy make a cake for a daddy. In fact, they love to cook any chance they can get. Sammy has cooking days at school as part of his curriculum and he loves it! They made the coolest things this year!

For dinner, we are going to the local Provino's Italian Restaurant. Dinner is free for your birthday there! How exciting!

Happy Birthday honey!! We love you!!

I Will Be Here

2008-05-22T19:12:00.002-04:00

I will always remember Steven Curtis Chapman's song I Will Be Here. He and his family experienced a real tragedy in their family yesterday. Being that he is an inspirational singer who inspired me as a teenager in addition to the fact that he and his wife are also adoptive parents, I feel a kinship with this family and am very sorrowful for the news that one of their children died in a tragic car incident last night.

Please pray for this family.

School's almost out!

2008-05-13T21:06:00.002-04:00

This week is Austin's last week at preschool. Next Wednesday is Sammy's.

I know how much the kids love school. I also realize they may not always feel this way about school. They both have made good friends this year with whom we are hoping they will continue being friends with them by hosting play dates this summer.

Well, I only have one week to get this house summerized. Time to take out the kiddie pools!

My 1st Mother's Day- Not really, but kinda

2008-05-12T10:57:00.003-04:00

Well, this was the first Mother's Day I had after we adopted!

My life is so full and I have been blessed with two forever kids - Sammy and Austin. Circumstances were such that they were not returned to their biological parents and they went up for adoption and, of course,(Do we look stupid to you???!) we stepped up and were more than willing to adopt them.

I love being a mom! The boys made projects at school. They are so cute! We got to church at 8:15 a.m. to take our free family picture. And then we went to IHOP for breakfast before church actually started at 10:30. I got a computer hook-up for my cricut from Jon and some money from Mr. Phil and a dozen red roses from the boys. How sweet! Top that all of with a cookout and it was a wonderful day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!

Back To Reality

2008-04-10T10:08:00.003-04:00

Well, we are back from the beach and it is time to Spring Clean the house! Especially the garage :)

We had a great time at the beach! We did everything we wanted to do and then some. It is good to be home.

I will post some pics of our vacation later!

2008-04-08T14:33:00.004-04:00

I am joining the spring weight off at onemomsworld. Thank you for getting this started onemomsworld.

Myrtle Beach or Bust!

2008-04-06T13:38:00.007-04:00

We are currently in Myrtle Beach and enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean and all its wonder. The boys love the beach-any beach; but this beach is special to me. This is the beach that we took Sammy and Austin to exactly two years ago and where Sammy's vocabulary exploded! The child honestly could not say many words at all and when he came here and saw the ocean he just started speaking on his own. We were so happy! Now, I know you're thinking it could've just been his time to shine (and speak), but I will always remember this beach fondly for that reason. Oh, and by the way, Sammy graduated from speech this week! His speech is now within the normal limits for a child his age. YAY!!! Go Sammy!

Also, I like this beach because my mom enjoyed spending her vacations here with my dad. My mom was sick for the last few years of her life; but she still wanted to come and spend time here listening to the waves crashing against the shores at night and just spend time here with her husband and sometimes some of her grown children and grandchildren would come along. Making memories was what that was all about.

Right now, Austin is napping and Jon and Sammy are on the beach having a blast, I am sure!

We went to Ripley's Aquarium and the boys had a great time except when I kept asking them to "stand still and smile for Mommy just one more time,please?!" As most of you know, "still" is not in their vocabulary; which is great because that makes them normal boys. :) :) :)

Sammy touched the rays that they have for the people to hold and touch. EEEEWWWW! I was not doing that! They loved the shark tunnel the best. This year they have a pirate theme which just happens to be Austin's "thing" right now. He is either a Pirate or a Power Ranger every day now and I never know which he will be until he wakes up and announces it to me: "Mommy, I'm a Pirate! (or Power Ranger). Too cute!

Hopefully, we will get to go to the amusement park tonight and ride the rides. They will love that!

We went to Shoney's this morning which, for Jon and I, was quite the treat. When we were younger, we used to go there on the weekends at night for the breakfast bar with Mr. Phil &/or Aunt Dara. It was so good at night. A little thrill to have scrambled eggs (in those days the eggs were cooked dangerously-they were not well scrambled-gasp!-practically raw compared to today's standards) and bacon and cheese grits (made with shredded cheddar cheese mixed in your regular grits) at night, I guess. Don't worry, the eggs were cooked to death today so my kids could eat them safely. I found it funny how Sammy, who usually loves cheese grits, would not allow me to put shredded cheese on his grits to mix it in. He thinks that grits either come orange or white; no mixing. Aunt Jemima's individual serving grits packets have him fooled!

Well, Austin is up from his nap and ready to go! Ta-Ta for now!!!

Sammy is five!

2008-04-01T14:26:00.003-04:00

Sammy is turning five today! He is such a joy to our family! He got to wear a crown at school today and he is so happy to be five! He feels like such a big boy now!

Sammy, I love you with all my heart and will never forget the day you came into my life and brought me such joy!!!

Horton Hears a Who

2008-03-22T12:57:00.001-04:00

This morning around 10:35 we were at the local movie theater seeing the latest Dr. Seuss movie. It was so good. I napped through approximately 20 minutes of it. Don't worry, hubby was there keeping an eye on the kids. :)
The boys are excited about the Easter Egg Hunt we are going to have when they get up. Then we will start on dyeing the eggs. We have at least three different types of egg dye kits this year. I always want to buy one of each type. Drives my husband crazzzzzy since he is the official egg dyer/helper. We have three dozen eggs ready to go. Yay!
And we have these cute little easter egg shaped cookies to decorate too! This is my department. :)
Happy Easter everyone!
Jesus is Alive!!!
P.S. I will post a pic of Austin's easter basket from school here.

Good Friday

2008-03-21T20:48:00.005-04:00

The kids were out of school today so we went to Grandpapa's house and went to the grocery store and Mo-Joe's with him. Sammy calls Mo'Joe's the "hot chicken" place. So cute! They have a whole wall of games that the boys love to play there.
Then we went to Aunt Jennifer's house. We had some fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies that she was making. MMMMMMMM....MMMMMM....Good!!! Then Sammy found some baby acorns in Aunt Jennifer's front yard. He carried those around the rest of the day and played with them like they were marbles. :)
Poor Tyler, my nephew, was being manhandled by the boys while we were there; but don't worry, he can take it. Here is a pic of him with me at the Varsity for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. He is such a sweetie!

Easter is Already Almost Here!

2008-03-19T14:21:00.006-04:00

Oh my goodness, can you believe that we just finished with St. Patrick's Day and Easter is now here?

Sammy has to make a basket for his class egg hunt. It is going to be so cute! We are using stickers to decorate a beach pail. And he has decorated it so cute! In true Sammy fashion, the Easter stickers are placed in a straight line all the way around the pail.
So adorable! I think if I can find my glue gun, I will add some Easter ribbon to the top side of the pail. Here is a sideways view of the basket. Sorry, I am not high tech enough to know how to rotate the pic. Be careful for your neck. Don't strain too much :) :) Sammy is going to have so much fun tomorrow! His teachers are awesome and really know how to make learning fun!!!

Austin is going to have his Easter egg hunt tomorrow. He already got his Easter goody basket today. It had the cutest duck whistle inside the basket that was from Big Lots. He had so much fun with that little basket of goodies.! The room moms did a great job. I can't wait to see what their handmade baskets look like. I'm sure they will be so cute!

Ultimate blog party

2008-03-14T13:08:00.002-04:00

I am joining the ultimate blog party. Come meet other bloggers with me!!

You Know Who You Are!

2008-03-14T12:50:00.006-04:00

To my friends who I ate lunch with on Tuesday after my birthday, I want to say thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to have lunch with me. I treasure those times more than you know. It's hard to find good friends and I treasure the friends I have.
May this be a great Friday for you all!!

A Very Late Happy New Year!

2008-01-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's Snowing Again!

2008-01-19T15:50:00.001-05:00

Wow! The kids are loving this! This morning I heard a grown man who lives across the street saying "Whoo!" This is how excited people get around here are to see snow. He and his kids were watching the snow fall. Big drops!

After the kids took their short nap, we bundled them up and brought them outside to play in the snow! They were so excited and there was now enough snow for them to actually play with by then!!!

I will post pics later. Hubby even made a snowman family (the family dog included, of course)!

Hope everyone has a great day!

It's Snowing!!!

2008-01-17T08:19:00.000-05:00

So what, you say! Well, around here this is a rare occurrence. So last night the boys got to play in it while it was coming down. They were having so much fun!

This morning (shame) I let Sammy play in it before school. I knew if I didn't he would act up so much at school. I was praying he wouldn't fall down and break his neck in the slush. He made it back inside in one piece:)

I'd Rather Have My Hands Too Full Than Too Empty!

2008-01-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

Whew! I am so tired!

My friend Heather gave me this advice and I believe she is right!
She should know. She has 5 kids-3 stairstep-aged boys and twin girls that just turned one!

Thanks Heather for the advice. I need more friends like you!

We're out of the crib now!

2008-01-13T17:33:00.000-05:00

So Austin is out of the crib now!

He was using it as a trampoline so we decided since he is almost four we probably should take it down!

Sammy made the decision easy for us about a year and a half age when he broke his crib and we decided it was time for a toddler bed.

Austin really likes his car bed. Thank you Mayra! He is such a big boy now! He became potty trained earlier this year with the help of the preschool he attends and now he is truly a big boy!!!

It's almost Christmas!

2007-12-13T20:04:00.001-05:00

It's almost Christmas and the kids are so excited! They are loving the Christmas lights (especially the Santa in a Helicopter). Austin had a fun party at his preschool today and his teachers and room moms did such a great job! Whew! It must be exhausting to be a room mom! Sammy's class is having their party next week and he is going to have so much fun then! They just love parties!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T16:30:00.001-05:00

Well, we have eaten mounds of food and had our naps:)
Boy, was that yummy!
We had turkey, two kinds of dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, rolls, green bean casserole, and yams. The only thing that was missing was my big sis's sweet tea. She makes good sweet tea! We were too full for dessert! Later we will have cherry pie and ice cream.
I have a confession to make. I ate the french fried onions off the top of green bean casserole and threw out the rest of it instead of saving it. It never tastes as good reheated to me. Everything else will be yummy later.
After lunch, Grandpapa and the kids colored some Superman pics and played with Play-Do. How exciting! Especially for Grandpapa! HE-HE!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Two Days Before Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T10:50:00.002-05:00

Well, it's two days before Thanksgiving and I need to start thinking about cooking!
This is our first big holiday with our adopted children! Yay! We have alot to be thankful for this year!!!! Oh, wait just a minute! I ran out of coffee- " mommy juice".
AAAAAHHHHHH! Much better! I really needed that. Anyways, what was I talking about? Oh yes, being thankful.... Austin has this cute little Turkey poem that he learned at preschool. It is so cute when he says it.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Anybody have any good recipes out there? Feel free to share them. I love recipes!

This is very scary kids! Just Kidding!

2007-11-10T02:44:00.000-05:00

We found this spider over our garage door! The boys were enamored! It came at the perfect time.
The boys picked out their own costumes this year. AAAAArrrgh! Brotherly love.

My little soccer player!

2007-11-10T01:46:00.001-05:00

Isn't he just the cutest? We are so proud of the soccer player he has become. He is not scared of the ball at all! He just goes for it! When he falls down, he gets right back up. Go Sammy!

My two sons

2007-11-10T01:20:00.000-05:00

I have two sons whom my husband and I recently adopted. They are sweet, precious gifts from God. They are biological brothers-ten months apart. Adorable and exhausting at the same time! I love them so much!