Gardening 101

Yesterday, Zoe and I had our “Mommy & Zoe day”. We went to Home Depot to get a few flowers for the front of the house. Zoe was so excited to be able to pick them all-by-herself! She walked down each aisle making sure she picked the prettiest flowers she could find. Zoe also wanted to make sure she picked flowers she thought Christian and Luis would like too. Plus the thought of getting to wear her new gardening gloves was almost too much to bear. All the kids got new gloves a few weeks ago, so the gloves have been a topic of discussion each time the garage door gets opened and they see them sitting with the gardening stuff.

The weather today was perfect for planting and playing in the dirt. The kids couldn’t wait to put on their new garden gloves and dig. The gloves where a HUGE deal for the boys, after the fiasco trying to get the gloves on, it was apparent neither of them had ever worn gloves before. Zoe’s gloves had flowers, Luis picked a pair with Diego, and Christian loved the ones with the Backyardigans.

Zoe of course had to tell Luis and Christian about her summers at Nana’s house. Zoe loves working outside with her Nana, planting seeds, watching everything grow and then getting to pick the veggies from the garden. I’m sure this summer will be the same, only this year the boys will get to join in the fun.

Lunch

Sushi for lunch today....

"Soda"

I’ve never let Zoe drink soda, however the kids have been asking for it lately. They see Shelli and I drink our Coke Zero from time to time at dinner and ALWAYS want some.

Last week while I was at the grocery store, I picked up some flavored seltzer water for them. I mix it with there juice to give it a little fizz. They think it’s ‘soda’ and get super excited when they see me pull it out of the fridge. It’s a special treat for them.

Weekend Update....

This weekend, Shelli and I had a full house. Our friend and fellow foster parent, Beth had a wedding to attend this weekend in NJ. Beth has two foster children, Layla, which is Luis and Christian’s 18 month old sister, and David who is 8 months old. She asked us if we’d babysit while her and her husband attended the wedding, and of course, I said, ‘Sure, how hard can it be, it’s only one night….’

When Layla got here the kids were beyond excited. When they found out she was sleeping over, they were ecstatic! I’m a firm believer the boys need to stay connected with their sister through this process so I (we) were glad to be able to help out.

Mid-morning, Saturday, we loaded up the car(s) and took all the kids to the park. I had Layla, Christian, and Luis in my car while Shelli took David and Zoe in hers. Shelli packed tons of stuff for the kids to play with and I made sure we had juice, snacks, diaper bags, etc. When we got there, the kids ran around for hours. They had so much fun playing soccer, football, throwing the Frisbee, playing on the swings, going down the slide, chasing each other, etc. I was lucky enough to get David to fall asleep while we were there so, I got to run around with the kids too!

When we got home, I made all the kids lunch and they ALL went down for a nap. Yes, all five kids took naps. I’m not sure how we got that to happen but, we did, thank heaven for small miracles! For dinner, we ordered pizza – always a hit. Then it was time to wind down.

Zoe had been asking me all day if she could help ‘take care’ of David so, I let her feed him and even help give him a bath. She did such a good job. Not only was she patient but she talked to David the whole time about when she was a little baby like him.

By 8pm, everyone had baths; their teeth brushed, books read, and were ready for bed. It was a long day for everyone. I don’t know where I pull the strength from in certain situations but, I manage to pull through. It was lots of work but lots of fun! Shelli wasn’t too bad either… She made it through with flying colors. We are a team! I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished together. I couldn’t do half of what I do without her support.

Blog

I'm going to take a little blog break - I will be back next week!

Boys day.....

Today the boys and I spent the morning with the Bayless Family. We were hoping to let the kids play outside but it was raining. Instead, it was a house full of boys! Amanda is a saint, she lets the kids pull ALL the toys out, bounce from room to room, and she always has snacks on hand. Everyone has a great time!

Zoo

A few weeks ago we were invited to go to the zoo with some friends of ours and their son. Lori and I weren’t quite sure if we were up for chaos of corralling three kids at the zoo but, we decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. With four adults, we figured, how hard could it be??

We got to the zoo around 10am, unpacked the car and pulled out the strollers. Luis and Christian were fascinated with the strollers and gladly hopped right in. They acted like they’d never seen nor ridden in a stroller, and gladly complied to ride aboard most of the day.

It was a big day for the boys seeing all the animals that we read about every night up close and personal. In the past, Luis would scream and cry when any animal comes around him, and will not go near or have anything to do with it. Be it a dog, cat, sheep, horse, anything. Lori has purchased some plastic animals for the boys to play with, in hopes of familiarizing them to all the different animals. Ever since the boys had come back from the Ag College tour although he wouldn’t let anything near him, all Luis had talked about was riding a ‘horsey’. Lori and I kept telling him that he’d have to actually get ‘ON’ the horse to ride it. Neither of us sure that would ever happen given the hysteria display we usually saw at the mere site of any animal other than Daisy and Biscuit.

When we got to the petting zoo we were very interested to see how Luis, in particular, was going to react. Of course, Zoe was hugging and kissing every goat she could find. I walked over to the bucket of brushes for the goats and sheep and handed Luis and Christian a brush. Christian went right over and started brushing the nearest goat, Luis followed me over and after just a little coaxing was brushing and then actually touching the goats and even poking his fingers in the sheep’s woolly coat. I was so proud of him, not even a whimper or hesitation. Then, Luis spotted the ponies. The brush went immediately in the bucket and he made a beeline to the ponies. Lori and I were unsure if he’d actually go through with the ride when it came time to get on the pony, but sure enough there he went, sitting tall in the saddle and a smile from ear to ear. I waved to him several times, but he wouldn’t think of taking his hand off that saddle horn to reciprocate. When the ride was over and the girl was about to take him off the pony, there was almost a fight! Luis was not ready to get off that ‘horsey’ and had no intensions of getting down. Finally after a few minutes he relented and was off to another goat. Christian, Zoe and Shawn rode the ponies like they’d been doing it for years, but I’m pretty sure Luis won’t forget that pony ride for a long time.

We had a great day and by the end of the zoo tour we were all ready for a nap and to get out of the sun. We had a beautiful day, weather wise, and I think all the kids (and grown-ups) had a lot of fun.

Amanda

Shelli has been out of town this week on business so, it’s just me and the kids. As much of a multi-tasking person I claim to be, I can’t seem to get mornings under control. I just can't get a routine down without Shelli here to help. I’ve got dinner, baths, and bedtime covered but I’m still trying to figure out the morning schedule. I’m sure I will get the hang of it.

Last night, my friend Amanda made us the most delicious dinner and brought it over. It was perfect timing because I had ZERO energy and didn’t feel like making anything. She went over and above. It was so nice to sit down with the kids and not have to be in the kitchen cleaning or cooking while they were eating. I didn’t even clean the dishes until they went to bed because we were having so much fun. When it was time for dessert, I don’t think anyone was talking. All I could hear was “Mmmmmm”, “Ohhhh”, “Ahhhh”. Everything was so good!

Amanda, Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to make us a fantastic meal. We owe you – BIG time!

Mimi, GET HOME SAFE!!!!

Zoe & Luis

Zoe and Luis are pretty tight. They are always clowning around, running up and down the stairs, reading together, singing to one another, etc. Christian on the other hand, enjoys playing alone. He is completely content with playing by himself. I guess he figures if the other two are busy, they will not take his cars, trains, or anything else he happens to be playing with at the time –ha! Outdoors in a different story, they love playing outside together!

Luis tried to get Christian to join in on the FUN but, he just wanted to play with his cars...

Breakfast

Breakfast this morning for my fruit eating angels....

Dear Zoe,

Dear Zoe,

On this day, 4 years ago, was the happiest day of our lives. Words cannot come close to explain the way we felt when we became a forever family, your adoption was finally complete. Mimi and I never thought the day would come that we would be standing in front of a judge telling him how much we love and adore you. The courtroom was filled with our family and it’s a day I will never forget. I play it over and over in my head, reliving the experience. There isn’t anything in this whole wide world I wouldn’t do for you or our family. Life for me, now that you’re in it, is complete! I never knew I could love some one much. You are my angel and I thank God every day for bringing you to us, and letting me be your mommy.

I know life isn’t always going to be smooth, it never is. I don’t care what kind of family a person has, life always throws curve balls. We will just stick together and deal with things as they come. I know you will have questions in the future and I can’t promise I will have always have the answers to your questions but, I promise to tell you everything I know when that time comes.

Having you in my life has taught me so much about myself. I longed to be a mother for so many years. I love every second of being your mom. You’re an amazing and beautiful girl that fills my heart with so much joy, especially when you do things to remind me of myself, you’re so much like me! I always tell your Mamaw I think my blood runs through your veins, we are two peas in a pod baby girl!

On this day, I want you to know how much I love you. We are a strong family, a family that loves, gives, and conquers. I’ve been so blessed to be able to stay home with you and watch you grow into the little girl you are today. I don’t regret for one second putting my career on hold. Don’t get me wrong, mommy is going to have to go back to work one day, but for now, I’m enjoying every second of our journey together.

Happy Adoption Day Zoe!

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter! It felt more like Christmas around here this morning. The kids had so much stuff it was overwhelming for all of us. Not only did they get a BIG basket from the Easter bunny, they got packages from Nana, Mamaw, and some friends of ours.

Lori made the kids baskets perfect to their liking, complete with the sunglasses that the boys have been hoping the Easter Bunny wouldn’t forget. Each basket was full of little things Lori would pick up here or there. Whenever she’s out she’s always on the look out for stuff sure to put a smile on someone’s face, she’s good like that! And, as if all those goodies weren’t enough, Lori made the kids bunny pancakes this morning for breakfast which was a huge hit. The kids thought those pancakes were the neatest thing they’d ever seen. What a great mommy Lori is, she’s always does stuff like that.

We are looking forward to our Easter dinner tonight. We are having the traditional ham, sweet potato soufflé, green bean casserole, baked beans a la Nana, and for dessert, homemade, from scratch, banana pudding. Mmmmm! After dinner, we will plop on the couch for a family movie and call it a night. Does it get any better than this???

Luis and Zoe enjoying some hard boiled colored eggs they made yesterday.