I love that this is so normal in our home.
In the beginning, if you listen closely, you can hear the 'bells' ringing.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
We Conquered the Mall of America [sort of]
We took the kids, met up with some friends including y sister, and conquered the Mall of America on a cold and busy Wisconsin Saturday. We had a blast and didn't spend as much money as you would think. The kids are begging to go back - which we will - on a weekday when it's less crowded. We only scratched the surface of this huge mall. You could spend three days there an still not see everything.
I took several pictures with my phone, however they are all rotated to the right, which is driving me crazy. So here is one of best, not because Helen is smiling and loving every single ride she rode, but because here sits my husband, riding a giant balloon ride. He hates rides, but he loves his kids.
I took several pictures with my phone, however they are all rotated to the right, which is driving me crazy. So here is one of best, not because Helen is smiling and loving every single ride she rode, but because here sits my husband, riding a giant balloon ride. He hates rides, but he loves his kids.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The "I'm Bored" Jar
My son is terrible at finding something to do by himself, or playing by himself, or doing anything by himself. He never says 'I'm bored' (because he knows better), however he will stand there and stare at me until I give him something to do. This, I'm sure, will be a great quality in him for his future wife (assuming he doesn't become a priest), but as for me, it drives me crazy.
I really do a lot with my kids. We play together, read together, play games together, watch movies together, play outside together, cook together... You get the idea. Like with all moms though, it's not fun time all day every day. Sometimes there are times when I need to get things done without being together (like, I don't know, taking a shower?).
"Martin, you need to find something to do." - is a phrase I find myself often saying.
So when Martin comes home from school today, there will be ajar coffee can filled with pieces of paper with things to do. Some of them are chores and some of them are fun things.
I'm not not the crafty, scrapbooking, pinterest type of mom, so this is as good as it gets.
I really do a lot with my kids. We play together, read together, play games together, watch movies together, play outside together, cook together... You get the idea. Like with all moms though, it's not fun time all day every day. Sometimes there are times when I need to get things done without being together (like, I don't know, taking a shower?).
"Martin, you need to find something to do." - is a phrase I find myself often saying.
So when Martin comes home from school today, there will be a
I'm not not the crafty, scrapbooking, pinterest type of mom, so this is as good as it gets.
(clearly i have not figured out how to edit my photos from my phone. i can download them, crop them, rotate them, and save them. they look fantastic until i post them on my blog. then they always turn to the right. i give up, so just tilt your head.)
Here are some of the suggestions in the I'm Bored Jar Coffee Can:
Clean your room.
Organize the clothes in your dresser.
Dust.
Play dress up with Helen.
Play with your legos.
Play with your playdough.
Write and mail a letter to a friend.
Read.
Read.
Read.
Read.
Read.
Feel free to offer more suggestions!--
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Happy [thirtysomething] Birthday, Brian!
No.
That's not a fire in front of Brian.
It's just the birthday pie Helen decorated for her dad.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Boys Are So Different Than Girls
Is it too much to ask my son to come home from school without blood on his uniform?
"Mom. We were playing football. It was suppose to be touch football, but things got a little rough."
Helen cannot handle a speck of dirty touching her,
while my son has no problem avoiding the shower for days.
I have become a master at getting blood out of any type of fabric - even white carpet.
A huge tear in one of the two pairs of school pants?
Not so much.
Thankfully, I have a 30% off coupon for Kohls.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Future Happenings
Looking ahead on our calender, we have several major events on the horizon...
And that's just in the first four months of the year.
Stay tuned!
- Brian's birthday
- Martin's birthday (complete with his very first friend birthday party)
- Martin's First Reconciliation
- Martin's First Holy Communion
- Helen's birthday
And that's just in the first four months of the year.
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Typical Tuesday
Ketchup Face
Pajama Shirt
Pantless
Scout Sock Gloves
Toy Skirt
Giant Rosary
Flip Flops
Very Normal.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
A Huge Impact
If you haven't heard, Russia's president Vladimir Putin has signed a ban on American families adopting children from Russia. For what I have read, this ban passed as a disciplinary measure against the U.S. for our
country's recent move to ban travel and seize assets here of Russian
human-rights violators.
Politics are once again interfering with our families. Because of this incredibly selfish act from President Putin and his Parliament, over 750,000 orphans in Russia won't have an opportunity to come home to America to the families who already love them and are doing everything possible to adopt them and bring them home. Last year, over 1,000 children came home to America from Russia to families who love them and want them and made them part of their family. Now many of those children and their American families are stuck in a political nightmare.
I know one such family caught up in this mess. Aimee and I went to elementary school, middle school, and graduated high school together. We had classes together and probably some mutual friends, but we didn't run in the same crowd. Looking back however, her circle should have been the crowd I ran with. She was (and still is) an example of what it means to follow Christ's teachings.
After graduation, time slipped by and my high school class went their separate ways. Many years later, the modern technology of Facebook reconnected Aimee and I, and I realized we had many things in common, specifically a love for adoption.
In 2009, when Brian and I were finalizing plans for our travels to Ethiopia to bring Martin home, there was a huge possibility of Aimee and I being on that side of the planet at the same time. She was also traveling to Ethiopia, but on a mission trip with her church to help those orphans in Ethiopia. We had discussed plans to get together while in Ethiopia, however, court dates and flight plans changed our plans and we weren't able to be there at the same time. How cool would it have been after twelve years we would run into each other in a developing country across the planet?
Fast forward a few years, and Aimee and her family began their own adoption process of a little girl Aimee met on another mission trip with her her church to Russia. I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know Aimee met, held, played with, hugged, kissed, and fell in love with this little girl on this particular mission trip. And now, because of this ban, the adoption process her family has started to bring home their daughter has come to a screeching halt.
Speaking as a mother who has been through the process of adopting a child internationally, I can say it is a long, unpredictable, heart-wrenching, yet wonderful process filled with blessings. Our family's process was a bit different than Aimee's process. We didn't see a picture of Martin until he was matched with our family and I didn't get to hug him until he was legally part of our family. Aimee shared a different experience with her daughter. God brought them together as mother and daughter when Aimee least expected it. Our only hiccups in our adoption process were three failed court attempts and waiting for the Ministry of Women's Affairs to write a one page paragraph document. At the time, I thought the world was ending and we were never going to get Martin home.
When you have a biological child growing in your womb, you know that baby is yours. It is the same for a family adopting a child. That child is yours. Just like a biological child, you will do anything possible to get your kid home. I have one son who was adopted into our family and one daughter who was born into this family. I can reassure you, there is no difference in the love given to either one of our children. They are ours, just like Aimee's daughter in Russia belongs with her and her family.
I have no idea what the next step for her family in their adoption process might be, but what I do know is she needs prayer and support. She trusts God and has a positive outlook. Recently, the Houston Chronicle wrote a front page story about her family. Word is spreading about the importance of lifting this ban, not just for Aimee's family but for the other American families hopeful to add another little one into their family.
Please say a prayer for Aimee and her family, here and abroad. You can also follow her blog.
Politics are once again interfering with our families. Because of this incredibly selfish act from President Putin and his Parliament, over 750,000 orphans in Russia won't have an opportunity to come home to America to the families who already love them and are doing everything possible to adopt them and bring them home. Last year, over 1,000 children came home to America from Russia to families who love them and want them and made them part of their family. Now many of those children and their American families are stuck in a political nightmare.
I know one such family caught up in this mess. Aimee and I went to elementary school, middle school, and graduated high school together. We had classes together and probably some mutual friends, but we didn't run in the same crowd. Looking back however, her circle should have been the crowd I ran with. She was (and still is) an example of what it means to follow Christ's teachings.
After graduation, time slipped by and my high school class went their separate ways. Many years later, the modern technology of Facebook reconnected Aimee and I, and I realized we had many things in common, specifically a love for adoption.
In 2009, when Brian and I were finalizing plans for our travels to Ethiopia to bring Martin home, there was a huge possibility of Aimee and I being on that side of the planet at the same time. She was also traveling to Ethiopia, but on a mission trip with her church to help those orphans in Ethiopia. We had discussed plans to get together while in Ethiopia, however, court dates and flight plans changed our plans and we weren't able to be there at the same time. How cool would it have been after twelve years we would run into each other in a developing country across the planet?
Fast forward a few years, and Aimee and her family began their own adoption process of a little girl Aimee met on another mission trip with her her church to Russia. I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know Aimee met, held, played with, hugged, kissed, and fell in love with this little girl on this particular mission trip. And now, because of this ban, the adoption process her family has started to bring home their daughter has come to a screeching halt.
Speaking as a mother who has been through the process of adopting a child internationally, I can say it is a long, unpredictable, heart-wrenching, yet wonderful process filled with blessings. Our family's process was a bit different than Aimee's process. We didn't see a picture of Martin until he was matched with our family and I didn't get to hug him until he was legally part of our family. Aimee shared a different experience with her daughter. God brought them together as mother and daughter when Aimee least expected it. Our only hiccups in our adoption process were three failed court attempts and waiting for the Ministry of Women's Affairs to write a one page paragraph document. At the time, I thought the world was ending and we were never going to get Martin home.
When you have a biological child growing in your womb, you know that baby is yours. It is the same for a family adopting a child. That child is yours. Just like a biological child, you will do anything possible to get your kid home. I have one son who was adopted into our family and one daughter who was born into this family. I can reassure you, there is no difference in the love given to either one of our children. They are ours, just like Aimee's daughter in Russia belongs with her and her family.
I have no idea what the next step for her family in their adoption process might be, but what I do know is she needs prayer and support. She trusts God and has a positive outlook. Recently, the Houston Chronicle wrote a front page story about her family. Word is spreading about the importance of lifting this ban, not just for Aimee's family but for the other American families hopeful to add another little one into their family.
Please say a prayer for Aimee and her family, here and abroad. You can also follow her blog.
(picture borrowed from Aimee's facebook page)
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Quotes from Christmas Break
Christmas Beak is over for Martin, as he headed back to school this morning.
Christmas Beak ends for Brian tomorrow, as he heads back to work.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the past few weeks.
"Mommy. He-Man is much stronger than those Nutcracker dancers."
- - - Martin not impressed with the ballet.
"I don't care if your Ethiopian mom let you do whatever you wanted. Your American mom says you cannot parachute from outer-space. Deal with it."
- - - Just another typical conversation in our house.
"I'm not shaving until next year."
- - - Brian as he attempts growing a Wisconsin Beard.
Brian: "Helen won't get married. She'll join a convent."
Helen: "No! Don't say that!"
- - - Brian realizing Little Helen isn't so little anymore.
"I can handle my own negotiations, Mom."
- - - Martin beating both Brian & I during Star Wars Monopoly.
"Sheldon is my horsey."
- - - Helen improvising for her lack of pony.
"Dad, if you need to, you're welcome to use any of my tools."
- - - Martin's new tool kit hasn't left his side.
Andrea: "Helen, this pie is delicious."
Helen: "I got it at Woodman's."
- - - Afternoon plastic pie and imaginary tea time with just us girls.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
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