How Does He Think Things Like This Up?

I wish I could understand how my one son's brain works. Seriously. It would answer a lot of questions I have.

Yesterday Adam accidentally spilled his cup of juice. Not on purpose, not for attention, not to be a goof off, not because he wanted a different drink, nor for any other reason I can think of. It was totally an accident which he wiped up immediately.

End of story.

Well not quite.

One of my other sons saw this and proceeded to walk over to the grass and spill out his drink to be like his brother. He exclaimed smiling, "Oops, I spilled my drink just like Adam did."

????

Check Out These Gorgeous Prayer Pillows!

I just go this email. Isn't Chris amazing? More so, isn't God amazing? If oyu notie I previously posted an auction for a Japanese tea set-- wondering what was going to happen. And now this. I am beyond humbled. And these prayer pillows are just gorgeous and I love the idea! Please read the following post taken from Chris's blog over at the Robins' Nest.
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Giveaway for a Cause!
I am generally a stay behind the scenes, don't put myself out there kind of person, but something about a family, and a woman in particular has taken hold of my heart and I want to help out, if I can, in my own small way.

I started following Christine's blog smilesandtrials in 2008 when she was preparing to bring Dennis home. I was so taken by her spiritual strength and unfailing advocacy for her family and her children. Some people spend their time on this earth and depart, leaving it very much as they found it, but Christine, her husband and family devotedly serve God and touch and enrich and change many lives, not only through growing their family through adoption and giving a warm loving home to their children, but through demonstrating what a it means to live a life in God's service and love. Is Christine human? Yes she is. And she stumbles from time to time as we all do, but it is her ability to stand up and own up to her struggles that humbles her and enables her to grow in God's love. It is not enough to say that I have been inspired by her.

I followed the Reed family's journey to bring Alex home last summer and thought what a wonderful opportunity it was for Julia and Dennis to partcipate in the journey.

While bringing their two newest children home from Ukraine ( http://www.reedadoptionblog.blogspot.com/ ), Rachel and Caleb will be joining Christine and John. I wanted to help raise money for Caleb and Rachel's travel expenses as well as the travel expenses for A & P, and immediately thought of the beautiful Prayer Pillows my friend Katherine makes.

The pillows make a wonderful gift for yourself or someone dear to you. A card in the pocket reads, "May your unfailing love rest upon us o' Lord as we put our hope in you." Psalms 33:22. You can also tuck a picture of your child in the pocket for a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, or a hand written prayer for a friend, sibling or teacher. The pillows sell for $22, but we are offering 8 for this raffle, two of which were donated by my friend Katherine.

Giveaway tickets will be $10 each. For that you will get one chance to win one of these beautiful prayer pillows. You can select which pillow you would like to be entered for. Simply place your name and e-mail address in a comment below with the number of pillow you would like to be entered for. Then deposit $10 in the ChipIn. If you are unable to use the Chip In let me know and I may be able work out an arrangement for you to send a check. Finally, enter as many times as you would like! The more entries the better your chance to win! Entries can be placed until, Thursday, June 3rd, 10:00 p.m. CST at which time no further entries will be accepted. I will pull names Friday, June 4th and announce the winners here and notify you by e-mail if you are a winner. I will then get your address and mail the Prayer Pillow to you. It's that simple!!

Pillow #1


Pillow #2

Pillow #3

Pillow #4

Pillow #5

Pillow #6

Pillow #7

Pillow #8

card in pocket of pillow

If you are interested in ordering Prayer Pillows on your own, here is Katherine's contact info.

katrobertsoo@comcast.net

Three Years Home

Amazing-- three years already! Tomorrow marks the day that Rachel came to our family-- her forever and ever and ever family. Oh what a joy it has been having her as my oldest daughter. A little sassy lately, but nonetheless a joy. She has changed so much since I wrote this and made this video in honor of her two and a half years ago. Rachel is now fourteen years old and very much into looking beautiful inside and out. She enjoys painting her nails, wearing a little make-up, and choosing outfits that look incredibly cute and stylish. Here and there I notice her try to push the envelope a little too far with her bra strap showing or her pants too tight that should have been given to Annalyn or Sveta, but she is a young woman who is known by all to be trustworthy, hardworking, respectful, honoring, caring, responsible, loving, and dependable. And I had to put this in---when I say change her clothes, she changes. She also loves to watch movies--- loves, loves, loves. And listening to music, and writing letters to her friends and her bio-brothers.

In just a few weeks, we have the opportunity to take Rachel back to her birth country. This trip is going to be so amazingly special because even though she is from Ukraine, we did not go to Ukraine to adopt her--- we adopted her after she was already in the states. We never had that opportunity to bond in Ukraine, we never got the chance to share with each other what is near and dear to us about this country. Now we will.

Finders Keepers-- Not

Great news. Alex didn't complain about his new AFO braces today and I only saw one slight red mark! Thanks to all that said to give it time for him to get used to them. I can already tell how much steadier he is in them.
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I bought some flip-flops at the store the other day. Of course Dennis wanted to try them on. This child loves shoes!

I think he looks so cute in them curling up his toes when he walks so that they don't fall off.

Adam baked us a cake for dessert-- as always it turned out delicious.

For dinner I made country style pork ribs with a jar of pace picante and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke poured over and baked for 3 1/2 hours served over a bed of rice pilaf. It was so easy and yet so delicious. Even better the next day!

Anna loves to lick the cake batter bowl clean! She would eat a bowl of it if she could!

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Today my son was told by a teacher to pick up some trash while waiting for the bus to go home. He picked it up, only to find out it was not trash at all but an envelope with money. Numerous envelopes actually totaling $80. I am disappointed to say that he pocketed the money but offered his sister $20 on the bus ride home. Knowing she would tell, he quickly changed his story telling her that he had only $60 because he accidentally threw away $20 with the envelopes. Yeah right. As soon as I heard the story, I pulled him aside and first thing asked him for the other $20. Without a word, he handed it over.

This is such a hard place to be in but what a teaching moment. Here my son felt that he had found the money that the teacher had told him was trash, so he should be able to keep it-- yet he is not being raised with those values. I asked him what he felt the right thing to do should have been and then explained why. In the morning, we will return the money to the principal. Other than that-- he had a great day!

He Was a Trooper

Got back from the dentist a little while ago. Julia had a regular cleaning. Dennis was a trooper. The wonderful and amazing pediatric dentist was very gentle, used very little nitrous oxide so as to not scare him, and managed to attack two cavities without numbing him. He did cry a little, but overall-- he did great.


Dennis needed a pulpectomy for his upper front tooth we were told last visit, but it has since died and turned black when he hit it on the play place. That tooth will be pulled next week. The dentist plans to use more nitrous now that Dennis knows what to expect with the mask.


Thanks for your prayers.


Now if you don't mind, I am going to go lay down with my boys and take a cat nap. I feel guilty though.... I really should be grocery shopping.


Out of sliced bread--- check.


Down to the last gallon of milk--- check.


Completely out of butter--- check.


Only one lonely, brown banana in the fruit basket--- check.


But it can wait. Till evening, when I take Julia shopping for a birthday present for her friend.

Not Quite the Right Fit

Alex got his new braces yesterday. They look great, but by the end of the day there were three red spots-- and he was in pain. Ugh. Poor little guy. I will try them again and if I see the same red spots on his feet and knee then I will have to schedule a time to have them revised. Just another ho-hum two hour round trip in the near future-- let's pray for no red spots!

Speaking of poor little guys, Dennis is having some dental work done today. He will have laughing gas to calm him and hopefully he will be nothing but a trooper. Stay tuned.
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Quick story. The other day at pre-school I got to watch a crow slowly peck a gopher to death on the lawn. I was glad that the boys did not notice and though I turned away, the thought was stuck in my mind. With the weather being so nice in the evening, our bedroom window was open all night, so we awoke to the sound of a big crow cawing over and over much like a morning rooster. Immediately I thought of how much baby kitten Bella resembled a gopher. What a way to wake up. But don't worry, Bella is okay and the crow has moved on.

What a Lunch!

Rachel asked Sveta to pack her lunch. Sveta didn't remember Rachel asking her please. So John gave Sveta the idea to pack Rachel a really good lunch that she will enjoy tomorrow.

Sveta cracked herself up as she packed her sister's lunch.


I think Rachel is going to love it!

Conversations with Dennis *Priceless*

A long time ago Dennis would answer like this.

Do you want cereal or waffles Dennis?
Waffles!
Okay. Do you want waffles or cereal?
Cereal!
Really. So do you want cereal or waffles?
Waffles!

Can you see the pattern?

Then today-- he blew me away.

We came back from an appointment later than planned so I raced to feed Alex and Dennis lunch before rushing Alex off to pre-school. Dennis was not done as I pulled him away from his cereal-- but I promised he could eat it when we came back in 15 minutes. I wiped his alligator tears and that was that.

Fast forward 15 minutes as I am unlocking the front door back from dropping Alex off.

So Dennis, do you want to take a nap or watch Spongebob-aloo with Mama?

Eat lunch! And Dennis raced back to his chair and shouted Me eat cereal!

Meet Bella

Isn't she adorable? She shares this little house with Misty and Dolly our two doggies.

Not Loving These Surprises

Everyday is full of surprises. Seriously, I could do without them for a few days. It began with John coming home early because he is sick. Poor guy. Next, came two medical claims that were denied and the cancellation of CCS for Alex's physical therapy when I got the mail. I straightened out the medical claims once again but the CCS denial for physical therapy is one that I do not think I can fix. At this point, I have to honestly say that while they gave me some good ideas of what to work on with Alex, the minimal time they spent with him didn't amount to a hill of beans anyway-- so it really isn't even worth fighting for. Of course the biggest surprise was saved for last-- a phone call from the vice-principal about some inappropriate note passing. I didn't even know my son knew that particular word or what that even meant--- ugh.

Tomorrow, Alex gets new AFO braces and hopefully a lift in his shoe. Later in the day, I will take Caleb to his third to the last orthodontist appointment. While I wait for him, I will run over to the jewelers and pick up my wedding ring that I snapped on a chain link fence when I went to close it a few weeks back.

Busy, busy, busy.

Worthy of mentioning--- William made his Accelerated Reader (AR) goal so next week I will take Taco Bell to his school and have lunch with him. Caleb won his last baseball game. Sveta and Jonny were awarded student of the month so this Friday I will join them for breakfast in the school cafeteria.

**NewsFlash**

Dennis has started calling out to me, "Mama, Mama!"

I have been waiting for this for nearly two years.

God is so good.

Something is Lingering

We have this sickness lingering in our home. A sore throat, some aches and pains, a head ache here and there--- yet it is nothing serious. BUT IT IS THERE. Today I passed around the Tylenol. Some went to bed early. As I tucked the kids into bed, I wiped Dennis' nose.

Heavenly Father, our Great Physician, please heal whatever sickness is going through our family.

Amen.

What A Weekend!

I'm back! And my weekend was perfect in every way imaginable. I just love all the ladies I was with--- so much that we are ready to make this an annual deal! When I heard that two ladies that I didn't know were coming, I was a bit nervous at first because I am shy like that-- but they are so awesome and friendly and funny that my worries were so silly. We had much fun and laughed so much that I think we burned 5,000 extra calories each which we replaced with delicious meals!

The beach was beautiful, and the long walks near the shore blessed our souls as we shared our life stories together.

The whole weekend was so amazing... no food to cut up but our own, no hands to wash after dinner, no diapers to change, no kids to check in on, no late night surprises, and freedom to just r-e-l-a-x. All for under a hundred bucks each. So worth it.

Our first dinner was a colorful chicken salad with warm, hearty bread. We nearly polished off the whole bowl! Afterwards we played Beyond Balderdash and laughed till our sides hurt.

The next day we shopped the local thrift store and found some amazing deals. My favorite thing is a big coffee table book I bought about the Soviet Union in the 80s. The best part--- it was only seven bucks!

I made the mistake of sharing the fun time Denise and I had on our last women's retreat some four years ago. Some of the girls took the concept a few steps too far so we all ended up dressing up really goofy and going out to dinner.

I was thinking of wearing this little number but decided on....

this.

Don't we look beautimus?

Nothing like bringing your own eating utensils to the restaurant.

We had so much fun at dinner!

When I got home, I was blessed by all that my family had done while I was away. They were very excited to introduce me to our new kitten Rachel brought home on Friday. Her name is Bella and she is such a cutie. Rosie our cat only hissed at her so she is with our dogs Misty and Dolly who are now two proud Mamas!

Have a Great Weekend!

Okay, I'll be nice. I posted our appt. date which is June 16th!!!! Wooo-hooo! Sorry, for being a big bug.

And I just finished packing for my little getaway. The timing is perfect given I have to come home and plan for a much bigger trip!

We Interrupt This Regular Programming

to announce some exciting news!

Chiseling Away

I couldn't have come across this video at a better time. I think the skit is done very well and certainly has a wonderful message. I can totally relate.

How about you?

Out to Lunch

Jonny brought home an award the other day for a free lunch to Togos. Everyday since, he would ask me when we could go so that he could redeem it. Not interested in taking the whole family out, I finally thought of a good idea. I picked him up from school and took him out to lunch. It wouldn't have been a problem except the place that I thought was a Togos was actually a Port of Subs. Ugh.

I began to get frustrated as I racked my brain trying to think of where a Togos was. Immediately it popped into my head-- Praise the Lord!

While I ordered our food, Dennis decided to run around the restaurant like a wild child until I grabbed him and placed him sternly in his chair. He proceeded to scream. "Oh no you don't," I thought to myself as I noticed a couple from church walk into the restaurant. I covered his mouth and let him know that if he didn't stop screaming, I would take him out to the van for five minutes. Not sure if I could deliver on that promise, I was thankful he settled down. By then our sandwiches were ready and I walked back up to the counter to get them. The couple from church nodded hi and asked, "Wow, how do you get your boys to sit so nicely with their hands folded?" I just smiled.

We ate lunch and then I took Jonny and Alex back to school.

Have I mentioned I am so looking forward to tomorrow? John is in for one big treat! Giggle.... giggle, he is watching our friend Denise's three kids too. Don't worry, I am thanking him tonight for what an amazing husband he is. I am blessed.

But What Do I Go and Do???

Lately I have been in my own secret little funk. Sure on the outside everything looks okay, but on the inside there have been days when the littlest thing has set me off crying, and something insignificant has seemed overwhelming, and my anger has gotten the best of me resulting in me yelling louder than usual-- which means the neighbors probably heard me. And then I get embarrassed from that, and feel like such a failure for losing it which leaves me wondering why I still think I can do anything without Him. Because I can't. It seems like most of the time I go about doing the exact things I do not want to do.

I don't want to yell..... but what do I go and do---- SCREAM! Where is the gentle, loving, patient, joyful Mama I so want to be? I think she got lost when she was pumping gas and Dennis got out of his carseat and locked the doors and pretended for a while that he didn't know how to unlock them. Reading about this little incident makes me wonder why I couldn't have smiled and laughed and played the locky-loo game with my son for ten or so minutes. Surely a better Mom than me would do just that-- right?

I don't want to feel like the world is crashing down just because I have three family situations going on, the toilet is overflowing, and I just remembered that I have a meeting in thirty minutes..... but what do I go and do---- I sit down and cry because it is my turn to have a five minute pity party. Where is the strong, got it all together mother of twelve who never sweats the small stuff? She must have stepped out for a while when she found a medical bill she forgot to pay as she was filing away another one she just got done fighting her insurance about. I bet every other Mom never gets their panties in a bind over a few stupid medical bills-- right??

I don't want to constantly point out the messes my kids forgot to put away..... but what do I go and do---- I go and find them, show them the mess, have them clean it up, and then send them to their rooms for a while. Where is the Mom who embraces her messy house that shows she has a houseful of kids? I think she went on strike when she found the bathroom baseboard showing signs of rot because her girls didn't wipe up the water after their shower or maybe it was when she rested her arm on the counter only to find out that her new shirt had strawberry jam all over her sleeve. If only they would have cleaned up that darn jam.

I don't want to entertain the kids tattling on each other..... but what do I go and do--- I listen to them share what mischief their sibling got into and then discipline both kids-- the one who tattled for tattling and the one who threw snails at cars while at the bus stop. Where is the Mom who says no tattling and means it and refuses to listen to it? I think she went on vacation when she found out that one of her children was only packing desserts for lunch and another was borrowing things that she shouldn't be.

I can go on and on but what would be the point? That I am so not perfect, that I so don't have all the answers, that I fall short of my own expectations in the parenting department? I don't need anyone to tell me that. Tonight I spent some time with my younger boys as I tucked them into bed. I didn't rush through prayers and kisses like I usually do. Instead I answered all of those last minute questions and said not one but three different prayers. So it took twenty minutes instead of five-- who's counting??

I guess I share all of this because after a while it gets a little heavy to carry on my own. I just felt it was time to get it off my chest so that I could look at a few of my issues and try to address them head on. At this moment, tackling them seems as impossible as me running a ten minute mile, which I truly can't do right now if my life depended on it. But I know that with running you need to train, just like I need to work on my parenting weaknesses. And I am excited to see just how God is going to use my weakness to bring Him glory. Meanwhile, I will continue to rest in his grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version)
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

And let's not forget.....

tomorrow is a new day.

A fresh start.

How Romantic

The other day I was driving home from the store. Just up the road, I thought I saw John's car. It very well could have been his car since I knew he had just attended a funeral and might have decided to stop by home before returning to work. The playful side of me sped up in hopes of catching up to him. Sure enough, I saw the car do a u-turn and stop to wait for me. As I passed him, we both honked as he chased me home.

Who said that romance goes away after marriage?

The Hand Game

We were blessed yesterday.... with three big boxes of clothes. Woo-hoo for hand-me-downs! And what's even better is that Rachel and Annalyn exclaimed, "Mom, now you don't have to buy us anymore back to school clothes!"

I don't know where Caleb gets all of his energy. Not only does he play sports at school-- all the time-- but when he comes home he plays the Wii or goes outside and shoots hoops. Just looking at him makes me tired.

I was served the most delicious salad for Mother's Day so I asked what the special dressing was. I was excited to learn that it was homemade--- apparently Pampered Chef makes a salad dressing mixer with the recipes for the different dressings right on it. Well, I couldn't wait till I ordered one to make the dressing so I got the recipe from the boys' pre-school teacher.

Oooooooo, is it so yummy! Lemon, garlic, Parmesan cheese.... just a few ingredients that go into this amazing dressing.

For dinner last night, we had a wonderful chicken salad---- so good that I plan on making it for dinner one night for me and the girlies on our weekend getaway. That served with a nice loaf of bread will be perfect! Thanks Gina, for the "to die for" recipe!

Last night when John was gone to his last BSF meeting until September, I played a little game with all of the kids. Its only purpose was to get them to all spend some time together doing something fun with Mom. Each of us took a turn being blindfolded while we tried to figure out whose hand it was that we were touching. I was certain, being the Mom and all that I would get them all right. But of course I was the one that probably got the most wrong--- I think Adam said I guessed seven of the kids wrong. Wow-- was that humbling-- especially when Julia and Caleb missed only one or two.

Still, this little game brought us all together..... until my next idea.

The kids could hardly wait.......

not.

How Do You Do Life?

Life for us is always interesting to say the least. I think we are about the furthest from normal as you can get. I would say that each of us walk to the beat of our own drum, thankful that at the foot of the cross we all have a level playing field. With that comfort, we kind of all take flight with the wings the Lord has given us and we all find refuge and acceptance in the place we call home. Crazy as it is, we are a family that probably does way too many things together-- but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I probably lead up the family as the craziest--- but I just tell my kids that they are stuck with me no matter what.

For example---- I decided it would be fun and interesting to buy a big plantain and cook it the other day. Just out of the blue-- and a few of my kids were not interested in doing any science experiments. Caleb jumped right in and helped me smash them with the bottom of a glass. Big fun, I'm telling you-- or at least I teased that it was.

Once they were done frying, we patted off the excess oil, sprinkled salt and dipped them in ketchup. Not bad--- pretty much like eating a bland french fry. I wonder if they would be better cooked up as part of a whole African or Caribbean meal? And maybe we could dress the part too. Maybe learn a few new words. Hmmm, that gives me an idea.
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I mentioned us going on a spur of the moment vacation--- more like dinner out with some good friends. Beth and I go back thirteen years-- I set her and her husband up. :) Anyway, she has six beautiful children and all of us had dinner at Hometown Buffet in her neck of the woods. After getting lost, we finally made it to dinner an hour late. But it was well worth it getting to catch up with her. When she moved away ten years ago, I was so sad at the thought of us drifting apart. And yet over the years we have kept in touch-- even more so this past year. It is nice to know that true, good friends never really leave you--- you just might have to find new ways to keep your friendship going-- like a last minute trip to go out to dinner.

Julia and Sarah were born eight months apart-- and they are still good friends.

John took this picture of Beth and I. We just think you are the best Beth!

This is the motel we stayed at. Cramped and determined to find a sleeping arrangement we were all content with, we still managed to rise and shine the next morning by 8 am.

Aren't Andrew and Jonny the worst role models for Dennis? :) Now I know where he gets his rough and tough attitude.

Adam and Caleb

Miss Anna trying to make tea in the motel kitchenette.

After we checked out, we were about to drive out of the parking lot when John realized that he did not have his cell phone. I had to get a key from the front desk and run back to our rooms and get it. It was under the pillow where I last gave it to him. At least we didn't forget it.

Our drive home was shorter since I was not navigating-- I still blame it on Google maps. We had cold cereal for dinner since I had no desire to cook. Everyone was so tired when we went to bed that we didn't even have any early morning visitors to our bed. That was nice since the night before we were a little cramped.

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This morning was busy and wet, but I got through everything in a reasonable amount of time, praise the Lord. On our walk out to the van, Alex noticed that his voice echoes throughout our cul-de-sac and decided he wanted to be a big dog. And on our walk in from the van, since it had stopped raining and the bees were back at our bee magnet bush by our front door--- Dennis decided that he was afraid of them. What?? This must have started overnight. I wonder if one of his siblings had anything to do with this? With Dennis refusing to walk past the bees, I had to show him how harmless they were by walking past them a few times. Lucky me.

What us Moms do for our kids.

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So what does a day or two look in your life?

Been Busy That's All

Recuperating from a long weekend. Took a last minute "vacation" down to visit some friends, caught up on ten loads of laundry, stretched the leftovers to avoid grocery shopping today, and attended a birthday party--- all with all the kids.

Tomorrow's schedule is looking just as busy--- yeah for me!

But on the bright side-- only five days until I get to go away with some friends to the beach for the weekend. Yeah for me!

I'm kind of wiped out so off to bed for me.

P.S. Should I feel guilty for looking forward to getting away for the weekend? This will be the first time in I don't know how long.... sleeping in, catching up with the girls, staying up late playing games, no housework, no mouths to wipe, and no bickering to attend to--- oh my, I could hardly wait.

Tears Overwhelmed My Singing Heart

I parked the van and got Alex and Dennis out just like I do everyday and began to walk up to the gate of the school. I didn't notice the extra sets of eyes on us at that point and focused on figuring out my strategy to get from point A to point B with the least amount of "staring." Honestly, that is what our drop offs had evolved too... sadly. But as we walked along, a few of the other kids went out of their way to come up to us. As I geared myself up to hurry them out to the playground, they began to talk all friendly to the boys and hold out their hands.

A wave of emotion washed over me as I realized that these kids were trying to give my boys high fives. Apparently, some of the teachers had already talked to their students about Alex and Dennis.

As you can imagine, tears were pooling up in my eyes.

Praising God for what He is doing.... and for all that He plans to do. His goodness never ceases to amaze me.

The Letter

I talked with the teacher and principal today. They gave me a better idea of what they were asking from me--- something they can present in addition to what they are doing. This is what I came up with and I included some pictures of Alex and Dennis together along with a family photo. Because these are children we are talking to, I wanted to keep the message light and at their level. I hope this letter achieves what it is meant to.

Hi. My name is Alex and my little brother is Dennis. We both go to school here and you have probably seen us walking with our Mom to our class. I am five years old and have to walk with crutches because my legs are not very strong. But don't worry about me because I can do most everything that you can do. I just do it differently. My brother Dennis is only three years old so you will get to see him next year too because he will still come to preschool. He is my best buddy and he helps open doors for me and brings me my crutches so we could go outside and play on our cool playplace. I think he is the bravest boy I know because he has had over seven surgeries on his face and eye. One of his eyes is not real because the doctor had to take out the real one because it stopped working right. He has some scars on his face too but they don't hurt him anymore because the doctor fixed them too! My brother Dennis is still always so happy that he makes me laugh until my tummy hurts! Do you have a brother who is your best friend too?

Our Mom and Dad love us very much! They take care of us and make sure that we get to do everything that you guys get to do! Last summer we rode on an airplane when we went on a big trip and afterwards we got to go to Knott's Berry Farm and ride all the fast rides! It was so cool! We have five big brothers and five sisters that do lots of things with us! It is so cool to go swimming with them and stay up late playing the Wii with them! They always tell us what awesome little brothers we are. How many brothers and sisters do you have?

We may look a little different than you do, but we promise we won't bite you! We think school is lots of fun and enjoy watching you bigger kids go to lunch and recess! Maybe some time we can give each other high fives! That's what my big brothers in high school and all of their friends always do to us.

Thanks for getting to know a little about us. If you ever want to ask us questions or talk to us we would like that very much, but please don't stare at us or make mean faces and funny noises when you see us because it makes our Mom sad. She taught us to treat others as we want to be treated and that staring is not very nice-- so we promise not to do that to you.

From Alex and Dennis

He Can Match!

Sitting here going through my email with Alex next to me playing Starfall. That turkey can play the matching game quite well! I stopped and watched how he played and sure enough, he remembers where each match is almost as well I do. Way to go Alex!

Even The Little Things

Our family life is feeling like its old self again. For the past few weeks we have had some hiccups and it feels safe to say that they are subsiding.

It was hard to resist taking this picture of Adam as he cleaned the blinds and listened to his IPOD.

Today I was a 9X13 Pyrex dish queen of cooking. Annalyn came home declaring that it must be National Dessert Day! I told her no, the middle dish was Veggie Mac and Cheese-- which turned out really yummy.

Annalyn, Andrew, and Jonny spent hours wrestling and playing. It is safe to say that they will sleep well tonight.

William is trying really hard to make his reading goal this semester. His behavior for the last two weeks has improved tremendously, that he been able to stay up almost 45 minutes later than his usual bedtime.

Alex and Dennis were just too cute today. I love to watch them play like this.

I finally had to take the phone away when I realized that Dennis was actually calling people again. I wonder if they heard me hollering for the other kids to settle down in the background-- how embarrassing.

Dennis is talking up a storm, and is his own little person. He is always on the go--- quite literally.

Our kids enjoyed being around our friends' babies again. Even Adam couldn't resist holding them-- what a guy!

It is amazing how the smallest things can make me smile.