We Have China News!

Check out the other blog for details! We are one big step closer to Nyah joining our family!

I can cook, I really can...

I've been a slack blogger. Things went crazy here last week with Doug away for 3 1/2 days and with my jobs and deadlines keeping me busy and with the end of baseball for Evan and Price. I also started class this week. It is a 2-week class, four hours a day. The biggest problem is the drive to get there is 1 1/4 hours, each way. UGH. Anyway, its been pure madness.

On a positive note, some of my girlfriends did give me a "surprise" shower for Nyah (it really was up until hours before when I almost canceled plans for what I thought was dinner due to all my work/school commitments and had to be told so I would show up). I will definitely post on that later this week. Thank you girls (and Doug for getting me there and Dwayne for, well, you know, that stuff)! It was a lot of fun and a wonderful distraction from the rest of my week!

On top of the scheduled craziness, three of the four kids were not 100% well this week. Evan went to the doctor for a sore throat but nothing was wrong that needed medication, though a lymph node in his neck was quite visibily swollen. Caleb had terrible headaches for a few days. And, for the first time in at least 2 years, 1 month, and 12 days, Brynn was "throw-up" sick. Even in the winter when the rest of us battled a stomach bug, she escaped it. I have never seen her sick and, well, it doesn't slow her down much. I am still not sure if she was actually sick (she only threw-up one time) or just ate far too many cheddar cheese Goldfish crackers but she did take a nap that day and then asked to go to bed at 8:30 so she definitely was not her night-owl self. The part that cracked me up is after she got sick, she was hungry. She wanted more Goldfish crackers. I gave her Saltines and Oodles-of-Noodles but without the flavoring so basically, it was a totally bland meal. After a few bites of noodles she looked at me so sweetly and said, "Mama, you make the best noodles eber!" I hope she is this easy to please when she is a teenager.

Wordless Wednesday

Catching Up...

Things continue to be busy, busy, busy here. Here are a few pictures of recent activities... the pool of course, baseball games of course, and a visit from my brother Ron, sister-in-law Stacey, our nephews Robbie and Scottie and our neice Allie. Biggest surprise of the visit was Caleb's interest in holding Allie and then feeding her. Price and Brynn each took a turn holding her, Evan wasn't too interested, but Caleb kept returning for another turn. I think Nyah will be in good hands!

I almost died laughing when Brynn walked into my parents' house and said, "Where that man?" and I said, "Who?", knowing she was referring to my brother but trying to see if she remembered his name (they live in NJ so we don't see them much). "You know, that baby's daddy. He wants to play Pokemon with me."

There have been a few other activities that the kids enjoyed this summer but no pictures... Caleb went to golf camp for a week and seemed to really have a good time - he has asked his dad to take him to play a few times since. The kids also went to Vacation Bible School and had a super time. Brynn was very disapppointed when she woke up the morning after it ended and found out she would not be going that day. We only have 3 weeks left before school starts!

Wordless Wednesday

Changes

It hit me yesterday that our good friends and neighbors are really moving... not just a couple hours away or a day trip away, but clear across the country as they relocate to California. I've known for months this was going to happen but it never seemed real. Yesterday, right around 2:00pm, as I was driving home from a shopping trip, I had this overwhelming sad feeling and it went downhill from there. I found out after I got home, when I listened to a message from "Mrs. Bro-toe" (as Brynn says) that at almost the exact time I started boo-hooing during the ride that the final papers were being signed and they were headed out of town.

I don't think I'll ever look at a beetle again without thinking about Leia and Brynn's pool collections, look at the trampoline without remembering Kirby losing her first tooth and me hoping that it had been loose to start with and wondering how I was going to break the news to her dad when he picked them up, or look at the school bus this August without feeling sad knowing Caleb is heading off to his first year of school without Noah in his class (and I will now have absolutely no clue what happens each day). I will miss seeing Pat walking with his kids on bikes still dressed in his suit and tie. And mostly, I will miss seeing Bonita, hearing her stories in person and knowing she was always just a few houses down the street; I treasure her friendship and know it is lifelong but I, selfishly, want it to remain within walking distance!

"Bro-toe" Family (I'll miss hearing Brynn mispronouncing your name too!) - We wish you safe travels and a smooth settle into wherever you are settling into this week, and next, and next month :) and pray that the computer is the first thing you set up so we can email soon and read your BLOG (hint, hint!). We pray that your new adventures are everything you dreamed of and more and that you buy a big house so we can all fit for long visits!!! We miss you guys already!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

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Happy Birthday Mom!!

Perfect day for a ball game!

Evan does not like rain. Recently he has gotten into the habit of asking me several times a day if I can show him the weather on the computer. He especially likes to look at the 12-hour forecast. He of course understands the pictures and the temperature part. He is trying so hard to understand the % chance of precipitation. He now knows that even though mom says that 30% is a small chance of rain storms still happen. Evan especially loves days that show a 0% and on the few days that has happened, he has stated both times, "It is a perfect day for a ball game!" because ball is Evan's entire world. He asks to check the weather forecast much more frequently on days when the numbers are around 60%. We have had a dry month so this hasn't been too painful but I hope he isn't continuing this into next spring or he may refuse to go outdoors! And then again, hurricane season is just around the corner...

Pool time!

I have been in a funk about the slowness of our adoption so I brought my camera to the pool today so I could attempt to capture pure childhood happiness to lighten my mood. Here are my favorites:

Don't misunderstand me, there was still a good amount of whining, fussing, and minor injuries but the kids were more willing than usual to pause for a photo (or leave me alone so I could take them). Just what I needed!

Happy 4th of July everybody!

Three-Word Wednesday

I HATE GUM!