Spring has Sprung!

Wow - we had 6-7 inches of snow in the beginning of the week and today it was close to 70 degrees! I took the boys to the playground for about 3 hours.They were in shorts and t-shirts and definitely tired - and dirty when we got home!

It was so nice to get out and enjoy the nice weather. I know we will all sleep well tonight!!! And I will be cleaning the ring around the tub tomorrow!

Cannot Keep Up!

I have no idea why it is so hard for me to find time to blog. It seemed so much easier a few months ago, but here I am weeks behind again. And once again I am trying to play catch up. I do take pictures, okay tons of pictures, all the time and jot notes down about things on a daily basis. But finding the time to get it all organized and downloaded seems to be the problem. So, expect a lot of posts in the next few days - my 2 yr. blogoversary is coming up and I have to catch up by then!!!

The Stomach Flu returns!

Ahhhhhhhh! We have already had it twice in this house - and it is back! Sean woke up getting sick right before midnight. My reports tell me his was very close to running into the tooth fairy - the would have been a mess! He got sick one more time and then slept through the rest of the night.

He got up the next morning and snuggled in on the couch for the day. I have never seen him lay around all day long and not move. He clutched his tooth fairy money in his hand all day long too! It was amazing how he held onto it! He got $5 and told us he was going to buy donuts of a five-dollar-foot-long! Good thing he still has a sense of humor when he is sick.

I just hope that the rest of us don't get it again, but I not sure how realistic that is.......

Sean's First Lost Tooth!

Sean lost his first tooth today - middle, bottom, right! He was eating an apple and out it came! It has been really loose for a few weeks. The adult tooth was even coming in behind it already. So, it is hard to tell he even lost a tooth! I don' think it will be long before the other one on the bottom comes out too! One of his top teeth is a bit loose too!!! Sean is so excited for the Tooth Fairy to bring him cash - as he puts it! Congrats Sean!

School, Schmool!

I was helping Sean get ready for school this morning and we were talking about what he has been doing in school.

Me - What do you think you will learn in school today?
Sean - Nothing.
Me - Oh, Sean. I bet you will learn something.
Sean - Nope. All my teacher does is try to teach me stuff I already know.
Me - Like what?
Sean - ABCs, blah-blah-blah, shapes, Blah-blah-blah, colors, blah-blah-blah.
Me - Well okay then.


I really had to work hard to keep from laughing. This kid just cracks me up!

Justin Cake Monster!!!

Remember to always have spare icing for repairs when you have a toddler around cake! He had so much fun sneaking in to get fingers full of icing! It is one thing that only little ones get to do - Brian and Sean were so mad because they said that they would have gotten in trouble for doing what Justin did! And they were right!

At first Justin was being very gentle and only taking a little bit of icing on one finger. Then he got more daring and kept taking a little it more each time. I finally had to put a stop to it when half of his hand disappeared into the side of the cake!!!

just barely reaching

eyeing up the chocolatereaching out to see if I would let him do ityum, icing!the damage

Brian Turns 8!!!

Brian's official 8th birthday is today! I have no idea how I have an eight year old! Since he had chocolate cake for his friend party, tonight he wanted ice cream cake! Yum!!!

Where does the time go? Brian is a great kid, but don't get me wrong, like all kids he has his moments. He has his dad's temper and his mom's stubbornness - what a great combination! He is really driven and competitive, especially when it comes to sports. He does well in school but I cannot say that he really enjoys it - except for recess that is!

I think he has really grown up a lot over the past year and has changed so much both physically and mentally. Brian has become a bit more outgoing with each passing year. He will even speak to adults and ask questions himself. He will stay by himself at some one's house and speak up when something is bothering him. Anyone that knew Brian a few years ago will know how huge this is for him - and for me!!

He is a great big brother - aside from the normal sibling fights! He really enjoys playing with Sean and teaching Justin new things. He will read to his brothers and I have seen him protect them numerous times on the playground! His personality is definitely more like mine than his dad's and I can relate to his feeling and emotions in so many ways!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

the cake

waiting to blow out the candlesthinking of a wishJustin sneaking cakerainbow icing hair!

The Combine Party!

Brian had his birthday party for his friends today. We just used an open space and had the kids compete in some physical fitness exercises like they were really at the NFL combines this weekend along with the draft prospects!

Brian

The kids arrived and first got weighed and measured. Then they did a vertical jump, long jump, sprints, throwing and catching drills, and some goofy races like the crab walk! They also got "play books" which had football pictures to color, mazes, and word searches.

Sean in the vertical jump

Brian waiting for a pass

We had hot dogs, chips and soft pretzels just like at the stadium! I made Brian's cake and decorated it with the NFL logo. The kids really had a great time and we were exhausted when it was over!!!

Justin after too much cake!

The four letter word

Get your minds out of the gutter people. I am talking about a different kind of four-letter word. D-I-E-T! Ugh. Why is it so hard to lose and so hard to gain? And with my thyroid and insulin issues I have a really hard time taking weight off. Makes me crazy. Then add kids and hormones and daily stress and you have down right impossible! I have started my new "diet". And I am now looking at health value instead of calories. I am going to exercise every day and put more healthy, unprocessed foods on my menu. And if I want cake, I am going to have it, and eat it too. I think that in the past, the denial of certain things definitely led to me falling off the wagon. All things in moderation.... Hopefully it will work better than all of my old plans.

Adoption Update

Not a great month. This is about the update for February. I got it a few weeks ago, but was really upset and didn't want to post about bad news. There was basically no change from January to February. Ugh!

This adoption process is so much harder than I thought it would be. I feel like I just had a negative pregnancy test. No good news this month, maybe in 4 weeks. On the bright side, February is a short month and our March update will be here soon! Hopefully it brings better news. More bad news would be so hard right now!

I guess I having the "adoption doubts." A baby seems so close and at the same time so far away. Will it really happen? Did they lose our file? Will they find some reason to deny us at the last minute? Will South Korea change policies or wait times before our referral? Will the country close adoption completely? Some days can be so hard. I am so invested in this, I guess it is normal to be scared.

I just thought emotionally this was going to be so much easier than infertility treatments. Boy was I ever wrong. I think in some ways it is harder. I feel like I have no control over anything. At least with the treatments I was doing injections and swallowing pills and going to appointments. I was active. Since the paperwork is basically done until we get a referral, I feel like I am just sitting here. I am waiting for other people and trusting in them. That is hard thing to do for me - especially since I have no relationship with these other people.

I know it seems silly to be upset about an e-mail. But delays hurt. You think you are getting somewhere and time lines are moving along at a steady pace. Then things come to a sudden halt and you get whiplash!

Here's to March being a better month!!!!

Girl Stuff!

I cannot believe it is only a matter of a few months until I see a photo of my new daughter. We started this process in August of 2007, and I have no idea where the time between then and now went. The wait has gotten really hard in the last few weeks. I guess because we are so close, yet still so far. Things change. Countries change rules. Time lines can really slow down. Anything can happen and I guess I won't feel safe until she is in my arms. I guess this is a normal feeling, but I am not sure if it is exaggerated a bit for me because of all the loses I experienced.

My Mom surprised me with some girl clothes the other day! Cute onsies with flowers. A few great jackets - spring and winter. Pink snow pants with brown and green flowers. Who knew snow pants came in colors other than black and navy blue! Cute shirts and an adorable striped dress! Oh, I cannot wait to dress her up!

George and Grandmom

I was helping Sean tie his shoes this morning and asked him what he has been learning in school.

Sean - nothing
Me - I thought you were learning about George Washington?
Sean - Oh, yea.
Me - Well, what did you learn?
Sean - He was the first president.
Me - Good. President of what.
Sean - Hmmm. I think New Jersey.
(well at least he has the right country)
Brian - No, Sean! The United States!
Sean - Waaahhhhhhh! AHHHHHHH!
Me - Do you think it was a long time ago or a short time ago?
Sean - A long time.
Me - Was Mommy born yet?
Sean- Nooooooo!
Me - How about Grandmom?
Sean - Well, I think she was a baby.
Brian - (laughing hysterically)
Me - Sean George Washington was president 220 years ago.
Sean - Oh, well maybe she was still in her mom's belly.

From here I just let it go, I knew there was no explaining it to him. To him, his five years have been an eternity. I just love how kids really have no concept of time. It is funny to see them guess ages and try to get their brains to comprehend how long ago 220 years was. Forget about trying to explain how long ago dinosaurs lived. And as you get older, you think 220 years was really not that long ago. Sigh.

Too Many Pictures!!!!

I forgot to add this picture with the donut ones from yesterday. This is what your kid will look like if you try to take too many flash photography pictures in a row. Don't worry, this look did eventually wear off after a few minutes. No permanent damage was done. At least I don't think so.....

More donuts!

Sean decided that Justin needed a donut this morning. Of course, I was upstairs in the shower and came down to find my couch covered in powdered donut goodness. When I asked Sean if he thought he had made a good choice given the mess all over the couch, he replied, "I did put his bib on Mom!" Well, the kid tries, I will give him that. Justin was enjoying the donut so much, so I decided to sit back and watch the simple pleasure - and get my camera!!!

Look at me!yum!
big bite coming down off the sugar rushthe damage and destruction

Valentine's 2009

We had a great Valentine's Day! Got a babysitter and went out to dinner with another couple. We haven't gone out for dinner on Valentine's for a long time. It is just not worth the wait and crowds to me. And boy was it crowded. Brian knew the manager where we went, and we still waited about two hours for a table. Thank goodness for the bar!

It was also nice to get slightly dressed up. My daily attire usually consists of sneakers, and jeans or sweats. I am at home with my kids, plus the 2-3 I babysit a day. The rest of the time is spent out back with the kids, or on the playground. So, make-up and heels are a rarity for me. It was fun to be a girl for a night!

Dinner was just delicious. I had scallops and Brian had a fillet, so we shared. The couple we were with had fillet and lobster tail - they also shared. So it was surf and turf for all! We skipped out on dessert and came home to play a little Rock Band on the Wii! A perfect end to a great evening!

Rock Band 2!!!!

I seem to be blogging a lot about my addictions lately. Well, I have a new one. This one has only been for the last month or so. It is called Rock Band, and I am in love! I first started playing it at our friend's house. The husband, R, and his brother-in-law were playing it all the time when we were over. Then one fateful night, I decided to take them up on their offer to play. Big mistake, or not, depending on how you look at it! I first tried the drums, and they were okay. Then the guitar. Oh, the guitar. I have always wanted to play the guitar, and here I am playing with no lessons needed!

It is so much fun! Brian Jr. likes to play too. His birthday is coming up on the 22nd, so I have been trying to find it for him. Next to impossible. It is sold out in stores and online. It cannot even be ordered through Wii! Then today I decided to look on a few websites that list stock updates for their local stores. I was so surprised that two stores within 15 miles were listing Rock Band as being in stock. I called the closest one, no luck. None left. So, I tried the next closest one. One left! And yes they would hold it for me. But only for one hour!

I had no luck getting someone to babysit, so I had to take all the kids with me. Brian, Sean, Justin, Brian's friend N, and M, the little girl I babysit. So it was me and 5 kids off to the store! It actually went pretty well. I didn't tell Brian what we were going for until we got there! He and his friend N were actually jumping up and down in excitement. He got his present a little early, and was still surprised!

We got it home and put everything together. Then Justin and M, had to take a nap. And that meant that Rock Band would have to wait until after they woke up. The boys were a bit disappointed, but soon found something to keep them busy.

The younger ones finally woke up and we all played Rock Band. For the first time, I even did the singing. I guess I needed to break the ice with the little kids who couldn't laugh at me! I won't even pretend to say that I can sing. Or that I have any musical talent. That is the magic of Rock Band - you can be a rock star with no talent at all. And you get to make and style your own character. Even more fantasy fun! I am a young, thin girl. With a long, stylish pony tail, and some cool jewelry. I am wearing a belly (a very flat one, I might add) bearing halter top, with low jeans and kickin' black sneakers! I am cool and I can rock - who would have ever thought!

Berries Only!

I walked into the kitchen today and found Crunch Berry Cereal all over the floor with the box next to it. No kids in sight. And even more strange, no dog in sight with food on the floor! Something else was off, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. It took a minute - or ten - but then I realized what it was. There was only crunch on the floor and no berries!!! Where had all the berries gone?

A few minutes later a little boy walked in holding the bag of cereal. He sat himself down on the floor and began to take handfuls of cereal out of the bag. Did he eat them? Nope. He opened his hand and unloaded them all over the kitchen floor!

After he had deposited a few handfuls onto the floor, he sat and studied them for a bit. Notice the dog now in the background waiting for the little boy to leave so that he can have a snack too.

Then the little boy picked through the cereal, choosing only the best and most ripe berries. The crunch, he left that behind. I guess there were not enough artificial colors in the crunch for his sophisticated taste buds. He shoveled the pink and green berries into his mouth. And when he could stuff no more into his swollen cheeks, he took his bag of cereal and left the scene.

He did glance back for one quick second to make sure the dog was doing his job. You see, the dog is not picky. He will eat the crunch, with or without the berries. The little boy hoped that the dog would hurry so that soon there would be no evidence of his evil doings!

Can this be the same boy?

Justin loves to say "chee" when he sees a camera now. The problem is that you have to really be ready for it. Most of the time he will only say it once, twice if you are lucky. After that he will not even look at the camera. I finally caught a great smile! I should have been happy and walked away with a victory. But, I think what is better than one good picture - two! Right?



Right! This is the next pose he gave me! He has been giving this evil look lately and then laughing hysterically! This was picture number two after the smile! Priceless!

The Evening News

I finished watching a show from 10-11pm last night and then the news came on. I decided to see what the headlines were, and then judge whether or not I wanted to stay up a little longer. Most of the time, I admit, I do not watch the news. Most of it is not fit for the kids to see during the day, and to tell the truth it really does depress me. I know I will be out of the loop when a current events conversation comes up, but I just cannot stomach all the bad in the world. And it seems that most of the news is bad news. Who wants to hear bad news all the time? So, tonight we had:

1. Wildfires in Australia
2. String of arson fires leads to a curfew in a nearby town
3. Three alarm fire in a nearby town
4. Dancing With The Stars cast revealed

Are they really serious? How in the world can you put DWTS celebrity dancers in the same segment as wildfires, arson, and house fires? What is this world coming too? I may not be a fan of DWTS, but I know there are many people that watch it. But even if you are one of the show's biggest fans, I doubt you would categorize the secret reveal of the dancers as front page news. Or maybe you would and I am the one with the problem? What do you think - newsworthy or not?

The Last Place

My Grandmom always used to tell me - you always find what you are looking for in the last place that you look! Right? As a kid I used to think the statement was amazing! When I was older I realized that she is always right because the place you find something is the last place that you look! Duh!

Justin seemed to be on a mad search to find something this morning. I tried to talk to him. I wanted to help. He was frantically digging through bins and dumping out baskets. All the time babbling and babbling to himself. He was definitely a man on a mission. I just had no idea what the mission was. And I still don't.

I guess I was looking at his rampage from an adult point of view. No adult would just riffle through all the drawers and closets in the house, well, just for the fun of doing it. I like things orderly and put away, not spilled out on the living room floor for all to see. So, is it that we have lost the fun in doing nothing that kids so enjoy, or is it that we know no one will help us clean up the mess when we are finished with the fun? Maybe a little of both?

When I stop to really think about it, after I get over the absurdity of it, it would be kind of fun to just dump some drawers onto the floor and send my laundry tumbling down the steps. It would be a great emotional release and I bet that I would end up laughing while doing it. The kids would think I had gone bonkers and probably be wondering how to contact my doctor. But once they got over the shock, they would laugh too! Okay, now I just need someone to clean up and organize once we are done. Any takers?

Justin's secret mission

Frosty the Clone Trooper

Sean had to make a snowman for a school project. It could be any kind of snowman that he wanted - cowboy, football player, mouse etc. Of course, the top hat and button face snowman was not what Sean had in mind. He wanted a Clone Trooper snowman. And could I please draw him one. Uh, honey, Mommy can barely draw a stick person, let alone a Star Wars guy. So we compromised.

I spent a few minutes tracing some circles and a few hours on the photos. Every one that I printed out was either too big or too small. (The snowman had to be approximately 12 in. tall) And in some images the face was turned to the side, but the body was perfect. Then in others I couldn't use the arms because of the huge guns cradled in them. So, I spent most of my precious evening, when I wanted to be watching my shows, trying to resize the images on our scanner. In the end, the head, body, and arms all came from a different image! I may not be very artistic, but I am resourceful and diligent!

I think I finally managed to make it look acceptable, the arms might be a little long, but hey, it was getting late. And his project was already past due! The note about the project got lost in the huge paper abyss on our dining room table. Good thing his pre-K projects will not count against him for college!

I was so proud of my work that I went upstairs to wake Sean up and show it to him. They had only been in bed about 45 min, so it was not like I was waking him up at 2 am! They were both fast asleep though... I called Sean's name a few times and nothing. So, like a good Mom, I walked over and turned on the light. When I called him again, he jumped up and looked at me out of one squinted eye. He said, "Mom, WHAT are you doing to me!!!" I said, "Sorry buddy. I just wanted to show you that I finished the snowman." He managed to get his other eye open and the expression on his face immediately changed. He said, "Wow! That is so great Mom! I will have the best snowman ever!" With that he tucked himself under the covers and closed his eyes. As I walked toward the door, I noticed a faint smile still upon his lips!

Mission accomplished! And now I am Super Mom! And the best part - not even a paper cut for my efforts! I wonder if he will remember how it felt to be jolted out of sleep. Maybe he will realize how hard it is to respond pleasantly when you are awoken from a deep asleep. There you are having a wondrous dream about kids that listen or a clean house or an island vacation, then you suddenly feel warmth on your face. Could it be the tropical breeze from your dream? You start to rouse a bit, and reality sets in. You open your eyes and there is a small little creature breathing on you, so close that you cannot even focus on it. When it speaks you recognize it as one of your own. The fear subsides, but now you know that you will not be getting back to your dream any time soon!

That's My Boy!

Sean's friend Grace was eating lunch with us and she brought two packs of Skittles, one for her and one to share with Sean. Sean was so excited! I pretended to be upset and asked Grace where my Skittles were! She just laughed and said, "My mom said these were for Sean. Is your name Sean?" Now I had to laugh. I said, "Yes, my name is Sean." She said, "No, your name is Kim......or mommy." I said, "Well, for today I am changing it to Sean and Sean is mommy. So the Skittles are for me!" Sean now chimed in and said, "My name is not mommy! I don't want to be mommy because then I would have to do all of the hard work all of the time. And plus, I don't have a driving license!"

At least one of the males in this house has it figured out. At the ripe old age of five, he knows who does all the work around here and how much time and effort it takes to be a mom. For his future wife's sake, I really hope that he never forgets this!

Nine Months of Waiting!!!

Can you believe January is over and another month of waiting has passed for us? I can't believe that today marks nine months of officially waiting for a referral! I am actually allowing myself to think about registering in the next few months. I think I will wait for an official referral, but a little window shopping never hurts! I am so excited to be getting so close. We still don't have our monthly update from our adoption agency, I am very anxious to see how things are moving along!

Snowball Fight!

We got about two inches or so of snow yesterday. The boys had a two hour delay for school, so it was a nice calm morning. Then last night we decided to start a snowball fight with some of our friends. We parked the van so they wouldn't see and snuck around to the back of their house. We made snowballs along the way and when we reached the back yard we started firing them at their house. This went on for a few minutes. No reaction. No people running to the windows or coming out of the doors. All of their cars were there...very strange.

So, we decided that maybe they went for a walk, so we went to Brian's parents to get them! The boys thought it was such great fun to throw snowballs at their grandparent's house! Their grandmom came out first and was grabbing snow, throwing it at the boys, and then running back inside. The real trouble started when grandpop came out from the back of the house and surprised the boys! They both screamed and started running! Grandpop was too fast for them and quickly tackled them in the snow. (We sure hope he can get out of bed tomorrow!) And not only did he tackle them, but he rubbed snow in their faces and tried to shove it inside their coats!

The boys quickly retreated back in the van. Grandmom and grandpop declared themselves victorious! One the drive home we saw the friends walking home that we had originally tried to ambush! We quickly turned so that they wouldn't see us and drove back to their house. We hid behind their cars and hit them with snow balls! This turned into an all out war for about half an hour! It quickly turned from an us vs. them to kids vs. adults! It was so much fun, and I was tired from chasing them all over the back yard!

Justin is 21 Months!

Wow, we are really closing in on Justin being two years old! He still doesn't say much but is really starting to babble a bit more. I can tell that he is getting frustrated when he cannot communicate what he wants, so maybe he will be motivated to speak more! Justin has started saying please for things, but mistakenly things that saying please should get him whatever he desires and whenever he wants it!

I think he has grown a lot this winter - his pants and sleeves are all getting short! We are finally moving into the 18-24 months size. But his little skinny bum still fits in size 3 diapers! Well, they come more to a pack for the same price! He really loves his brothers and tries so hard to copy what they do. This includes temper tantrums, which he has officially mastered! The positive is that I have already learned the best thing to do is to ignore him so the tantrums are very short lived!

He loves cartoons and will yell no while pointing to the TV if there is a show on that he does not approve of. This unapproved list is basically any shows without muppets or a talking guinea pig, turtle, and duck, or a band of five animals, one strange one, that sing and go on adventures from their backyards! If you have a young child then you will have no trouble guessing the shows!

Justin's menu has gotten a bit more diverse too! He actually ate spaghetti and meatballs yesterday! And he loves waffles and will scream and yell for the healthy muffins I bake! He, of course, loves donuts and cupcakes too! He will eat just about any kind of fruit - raw, cooked, dried. Oh, and Pop Tarts, don't forget them!!!

He definitely has an opinion about things and most certainly makes it known when he is displeased with the service in this house! I love his smile and his laugh! He is so amazing and brings so much fun and joy to our family!

Book Fair!

The Book Fair is at Brian's school for the next few days, so after school Brian asked to go. I asked Sean if he wanted to go and his response was, "Do they have fish?" What does he not understand about a book fair? He has only been to about two or three a year for the past few years. Fish? Just more proof that I will never understand that kid!!!

Super Bowl XLIII

Finally I woke up this morning and I was feeling a bit better! No appetite and I will definitely not be drinking at the Super Bowl Party later, but I will take it after the way I have felt for the past week! I made Buffalo Chicken Dip and meatballs for the party! And they boys and I got fresh rolls from a bakery! Yum! Brian had basketball in the afternoon and we headed to the party after that!

The game was pretty good and for a while I thought the Cardinals would pull it out! But nope, Steelers 27, Cardinals 23! I did like a lot of the commercials though! Some were definitely not appropriate for the younger viewers, but I find that to be more of the norm lately. I would have preferred for it to have been a Ravens/Eagles Super Bowl, but maybe next year!