You're Only as Happy as.....

In the words of Beth Moore "you're only as happy as your saddest child." Ain't that the truth. My boy didn't make the bb team and I have to question the reason. This kid eats and sleeps basketball. He practices everyday. I have seen him outside practicing in the rain and lightening and have to make him come in the house. He seemed to be okay, but he is my child that doesn't show his emotions very well. He tends to clam up and and keep it all inside. He did come to my room last night while I was reading in bed and crawled in next to me and began to talk. Those are his moments when he tends to open up a little. My heart was really breaking for him. I hope the kid makes the high school team next year and just blows it out! Is it all right to want your kid to show someone what he's got:)


So we have another busy weekend. AAU this weekend, a family gathering with my step father's family on Sunday, house work, yard work, the usual.


Not much else to say. I am about to put senorita fussy pants down for a nap and attempt one for myself since I have to work tonight.


I hope you all have a good weekend.

My Baby is a Teenager, My Puppy is the Spawn of Satan

Emma and I went to her speech appointment today and then did some birthday shopping for Ashton. Emma just happened to find a hat that she couldn't live without and fell asleep with a french fry in her hand and her hat on her head.

Good morning to my birthday boy. How can he be a teenager?

My little sleeping angel. NOT.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm pretty sure that Sophie is the spawn of Satan. She is wild and I think she must take after her mother who had the devil eyes. I knew we should have gotten the male dog.

This is what my laundry room looked like when we got home from the band concert on Monday night. Bo arrived home first and was kind enough to leave it the way he found it so that I could get the full effect. She had turned over the dog food, emptied the recycling baskets, turned over her water, went potty in the floor and looked so innocent when we got home. (That's dog food that she is sniffing by the way.)

Okay, so now I have 2 teenagers. How did I get this old? I know that I remember being young, but it's almost become just that..a memory.

Ashton requested bacon and eggs for his birthday breakfast. I worked until 11 p.m. last night and didn't realized that I didn't have any bacon in the refrigerator. I improvised and he got cinnamon rolls instead. Poor middle kid.

Tonight he tries out for the basketball team and therefore doesn't want anything special for dinner. I hope that we get to go out for dinner this weekend to celebrate. He deserves it. He also wants a drum set for his birthday and I haven't gotten him that yet either. What kind of mother am I? I did manage to pick up a few other things that I think he will like and we will work on the drums when Bo and I can go together. Again I say, poor middle kid. I hope he doesn't need therapy at some point.

The puppy has moved to the outside pen. She doesn't exactly like it and I did cave and let her sleep inside last night. I can't stand to think of her outside all night. She has never been alone and I don't want her to be afraid. Of course, when I witnessed her attempting to jump over the gate in the laundry room last night by getting a running start and throwing herself into it, I have almost come to the conclusion that she may indeed spend her first night alone TONIGHT. She is wild. I left a radio on NPR last night hoping to bore her to sleep. I only heard her once during the night so I guess it worked. Of course Emma woke up crying during the night. I hope she didn't hear some liberal commentator and have a bad dream.

So my life continues to be an adventure. Isn't that what it's all about?

Let's Get a What?

So "we" got a puppy. Her name is Sophie and she is a cutie. How is it exactly that somehow you forget just how much work a puppy is? Sort of like kids. You just forget how much goes into it until they come along. So far today, I have accomplished very little. I have walked the puppy or cleaned up after the puppy. I have held Emma because the desensitizing process obviously takes longer than a few hours:) I have walked the puppy again, I have changed Emma. I have walked the puppy again, well......you get the picture.

Every puppy that Santa has ever brought us has somehow involved my mom, so the boys couldn't wait to call Nanny to come over and see Sophie. Emma was holding on to Nanny for dear life.

Miss Sophie.

Baby dedication with our Pastor, Brother Bob.

Yesterday was a busy, but nice day. I was up early preparing lunch and catching up on laundry and all the other million things that I am behind on. We went to church and had Emma's Dedication service. We showed our video from China and our Gotcha Day that is accompanied by Steven Curtis Chapman's song When Loves Takes You In and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the church. It was a very special service and I hope that we can be the parents that God intends for us to be. Emma was very busy during the prayer doing the "Quack, Quack, Quack, Cockadoodle Song" from The Wiggles. Of course, if you didn't know that was what she was doing, you just thought she was being silly. It's her favorite song and she loves to do the motions.

We had lunch with our parents at our house and enjoyed it a lot. I have never cooked a Mother's Day meal before, so it was nice to have everyone here.

After everyone left, we made our quick trip to pick out the puppy. It was a toss up between Sophie and her brother, but Bo was pretty sure that Emma pointed to Sophie when we were trying to decide, so Sophie it was. The parents were on premises and we are hoping that she takes after the male dog. The momma dog looked like a demon. She had the strangest eyes and the boys were pretty freaked out by her. It was pretty funny and Ashton kept talking about how she kept watching him the whole time. Smart dog.

So here we are. The dog managed okay last night. She slept in the laundry room and I didn't hear her all night. She has been pretty loud today with her whining. She wants to be outside and I can't let her out because I'm pretty sure that Molly and Gypsy would attack her. As Brady said yesterday when we were letting her run around outside and the dogs were watching her, "Welcome to the Rock". He did it in classic Barney Fife mode and it was hilarious. Why is it he can remember episodes of all T.V. shows but can't remember if he did his homework or fed the dogs? Another topic altogether.

Well, that about wraps up my weekend. Tonight Ashton has a band concert and he also has basketball tryouts on Wednesday which just so happens to be his 13th birthday. Wow. I'm having a hard time with that one.

Friday Already

WOW! Does a week fly by or what?

I haven't blogged as much this week and I don't have any pictures to add today (sorry Brenda).
I just have not had a lot of extra time this week and have been thinking that I may have to slow down on the blogging. I don't know for sure, but it's just hard to get it all done in 24 hours. I'm sure I will feel differently next week:)

Our weekend doesn't include any basketball, so that will be nice for a change. We have a CPR class at church tomorrow that I will be helping with and then church on Sunday and the grandparents are coming to our house for lunch on Sunday. Emma will also have baby dedication Sunday and I am looking forward to that. It seems that several of my friends children will be dedicated on Sunday. Little Mister Hudson and Little Miss Ellie are also having their dedications that day. What a special day for those parents! They, like us, waited a long time for their little guys to come home and have so much to thank GOD for.


Brady had a band concert last night that was very good. They sounded great. Unfortunately, his bassoon was in the bassoon shop (is there such a thing), so he played some percussion instruments and was the gopher. He makes a great gopher. Emma was very entertained by the music and at one point began clapping before they ever started and saying "yay". Too cute.


Emma's foot seems to be better. I scheduled her an apt. with the Orthopedic and then decided to cancel it. She is practically running through the house, so I don't think it's hurting her anymore. She still has some bruising, but the swelling is better. I hope that I don't regret cancelling the apt.

She also did great for the O.T. consult on Wednesday. The O.T. was very impressed with her abilities and feels like she will only need limited therapy. So far Emma has impressed all of the therapists and doctors with her ability to use her 2 little fingers and pick up just about anything they give her. Nothing slows her down.


Okay, so that I have this in writing, I am sure that I am going to regret this decision and anyone who so chooses can come back and say "I told you so", but we are getting a puppy this weekend. Yes, we have 2 dogs already. Yes, we don't really need another dog. Yes, I love dogs. Yes, it's a free Beagle and I think they are adorable. My plan is to desensitize Emma to her fear of animals. Yes, I should probably start with a goldfish, but hey, I say jump right in. So say a prayer for the puppy as well as Emma. The boys are very excited and I'm sure that the new will wear off and then it will be me who is in charge of the puppy. At least they will be out of school in a couple of weeks and can take care of the dog. Any ideas for a good name for a female Beagle puppy? The boys want to name her Boss, but we will have to see her and then decide what her name will be. Another adventure for our family!


I think that I will attempt to take a quick nap. I am hoping for a good night in ER tonight since I have to stay up most of tomorrow. I am too old for that.....


Happy Mother's Day to all you moms. It's the hardest, most demanding and most rewarding job of all. That's why God chose women to do it!

Wet Wednesday

Gpysy likes to carry her bowl with her wherever she goes. Never know when you might get a free meal.

Mowing with daddy.

Okay, so we are in monsoon season. It has rained for over a week, with a brief reprieve yesterday. That gave Bo and the boys a chance to mow, although the boys thought that it was an absurd idea since it was only going to rain again today. Of course, they don't want to mow when it's hot and dry, so where's the logic?

Emma loved the tractor. I was a bit surprised that she liked it so much and absolutely screamed like crazy when she had to get off. I tried to get a good picture of them on the tractor, but she never cracked a smile. She was very solemn the entire time she was on it.

Emma's foot is still bruised and a little swollen. She isn't limping as badly, but she still acts like it is bothering her at times. I don't know what the deal is. She is scheduled for her O.T. consult today and I am anxious to see how that goes.

Well, no other big news. The highlight of my week so far has been the fact that I actually got to mop my floors yesterday while she napped. Pretty sad isn't it? I haven't even gotten to enjoy the thrill of Walgreen's and CVS shopping yet this week!

Weekend Wrap Up

Another busy weekend. Ashton had 3 games this weekend and they won only one of those. They didn't get whipped by anyone, just a respectable loss. Ashton called me Friday night after his game to tell me that the kids they played had tattoos and were "a little older" than them.


Brady had a great time at his band banquet. Ashton, Emma, and I were home around 8 p.m. and didn't hear anything from Brady and Bo until around 11 pm. Bo said the kids were going strong and at that time I could hear Brady in the background singing Guns and Roses karaoke. I was really glad at that moment that Bo was the one who had to take Brady to his outing.


Emma and I made a quick trip to see Dr. H today. Her foot problem seems to have gotten worse. She has begun to put weight on the outer aspect of her foot and yesterday morning I noticed that her foot was swollen and bruised. Dr. H seemed to think that she has just sprained it by walking on it or had dropped something on it and wants to give it until Friday to see how it looks. Well, that ended the plan for orthotics fitting tomorrow. Her feet have to be their normal size or otherwise the orthotics will be wrong. We have postponed that for a couple of weeks.


So that wraps up the weekend. I have to work 7-11 tonight and Ashton has practice. Another busy week:)

8 Months Ago - What A Day

As I sit here today with my windows open and the rain coming down and the thunder crashing at times, I just can't stop thinking about how our lives have changed over the last 8 months. On Sept. 1, 2008, our daughter was handed to us by the ladies who had cared for her since she was 6 weeks old. She was frail, sick, and flat. Her expression showed nothing that would reveal what she has become in the last 8 months. The blog post for our "gotcha day" wasn't rosy and sweet, it was real. It was a hard day and I was more scared at that moment in my life than I have ever been.


My fears were real. I was afraid that we had made a mistake. I was afraid when I looked at my girl who was grinding her teeth and repetitiously touching her nose. Flat is the only word I can think of. Here was a little girl that had been through more in 19 months than I had been through in my 40 years. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her parent's fault. It just was.

And that first night together was worse than I had imagined it could be. Sure, I had read the books and blogs, but NOTHING prepares you for a baby that bangs her head against a crib to put herself to sleep. I can only imagine that as hard as it was for me, it was harder for her. She had to be thinking, who are these people and why am I here? Where is my crib, my nannies, my friends? I probably would have banged my head against the crib as well.


I cried out to GOD that night in a way that I never had. Bo was trying to be strong, but I knew that he had the same concerns. My heart literally ached. I was scared and God was my only hope. I also called my mama. That's what girls do. We call our mama's. I knew that she would be on her knees calling out to GOD as well and even though the enemy might be trying to attack me and make me think otherwise, I knew that GOD would answer and our baby would be okay. I knew it somewhere inside me, but I wasn't feeling it just yet.


Jump ahead 8 months now, and oh how GOD has answered our prayers. Our girl can no longer be described at flat anymore. She is full. She is full of life and wonder and temper and curiosity. She has a spark that lights up the room. Yes, she is high maintenance, but really, what 2 year old isn't. Heck, what 40 year old isn't when you get right down to it. And most of all, I believe she knows that those people who she was left with 8 months ago are never going to leave her. They are her family.


God took a family from the rural south and sent them on a 2.5 year journey of paperwork, decisions, lots of financial concerns, and emotions that were raw, and sent thousands of miles to a little Civil Affairs office in China to meet our daughter. In her face, I see Christ. I see his love for all of us. I am thankful that he adopted me. A woman filled with questions, guilt, sin. He took me in and He will take you as well. All you have to do is ask.


I would like to recommend that you take the time, get a box of tissue and go visit the http://compassionbloggers.com and read about their journey to India. It will change your heart. You can start at the LPM blog.