Friday, March 06, 2009

It doesnt get much better than this!!!!!!

This post at Terri's says it all!


Sunday, March 01, 2009

Only 4 weeks left of school!!!!!!!!!!


Hey, the kids aren't the only ones looking forward to a break.....

Saturday, February 28, 2009

I am blessed :)


I just have to say that I am SO blessed! I have a wonderful hard working husband who works 2 jobs so that I can stay home with our children. Not only does he do it, but he does it because he wants to. There are so many times when I have said it would be easier for me to just go back into teaching to help our income and take some of the burden off of him but he continually says he wants me in the home teaching and raising our children:) I can't ask for a better husband than that!



And then there are the kids :)........They are not perfect by any means....but they are learning *wink*. All 3 have HUGE hearts and I notice that even the most stubborn *ahem* is becoming extremely sensitive. We have our ups and downs (as all do) but the ups far outweigh the downs. I love these kids...the ones "God hand picked for us" and the ones who have grown in our hearts to the point where I can't imagine a time without them. I enjoy seeing them change everyday into people who have a HUGE purpose in life....a purpose I pray they take seriously. They have many obstacles to overcome....prejudice by others in and outside the church, adoption issues, and autism spectrum disorders just to get started but I know that God has put us together for a reason...and for all of this I say thank you as I am SO BLESSED!!!



Mama got new shoes!



Yep you read that right! I bought a new pair of shoes for......MYSELF yesterday! granted I bought myself a new pair of Nike's (which have already broken down so much my knees were KILLING me) but before that...I believe the last time I had bought myself a new pair of shoes was Mothers Day 2007...I'm just sayin'.....


I went to a running store and had them double check my feet for the best pair of shoes for my foot type. I was glad I did because apparently I have every problem known to man with my feet (which I did not know until yesterday). I have wide feet (really??), they over pronate, I have a high arch, one foot is 1/2 size smaller than the other, and I am wearing the wrong shoe size (huh??)...you would realize that a 32 year old woman would realize at least 1/2 of these things already...

These are a pair of Pearl Izumi's which is a brand I had bought before....long ago...when I worked out consistently lol. They feel like I have pillows on my feet.....while exercising last night I could hear my feet saying "thank you" and blowing me kisses................LOL

Thursday, February 26, 2009

My 7 year old!


That's right! Its hard to believe my baby boy turned 7 yesterday! Seems just like yesterday we were looking at this picture...


Noah 6days w/birthmom

and wondering when he was going to be in our arms forever!!!



Homecoming 06/06/03 (15 mo)



Brit and Noah 06/03 (16mo)


Noah (16 mo) Abbey (13mo) Katharine ( 3yr 8mo)



Noah 17mo




Noah 18mo




Noah 16 mo (if you notice I am holding his right hand...he sucked his thumb so much that this was the only way I could keep it out of his mouth for the photo!)


Noah (17mo)


Noah (20mo)


Noah (24mo)

Noah 2yrs (almost 3)

Noah (4)

Noah(6)

Noah, I continually remember that baby boy that was placed in my arms in Haiti and wonder how it is that you have changed so much! It seems like only yesterday :) Though physically you may be changing, you have remained my sweet tender boy (most of the time *wink*) with a HUGE heart! We are so proud of you and know that the Lord has HUGE plans for you!



Saturday, February 21, 2009

Lets play a game...Can you find the missing piece???





So today we are at McDonalds with Michele and E and the kids are all playing nicely up in the play place. After a while Maddie comes down and says (very slurred) "mama I just felt something...." blood/drool is coming out of her mouth and I looked.....her loose tooth was gone! I asked her if she had swallowed anything hard...and she started screaming! Apparently she didn't even know her tooth had come out LOL. I told her that she had lost her 1st tooth and took her to the bathroom to look...she was so excited she was laughing her pants off! Then I asked the obvious..."where is your tooth???".....the answer given was...."I don't know".........so I asked "where did you lose it?".....again I was met with "I don't know" LOL. SO off the search went for the missing tooth! Thanks Katharine for finding it! Maddie you are getting so big! I can't believe my baby is already losing her teeth....

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Crack-a-lackin! It's a daddy daughter dance...

Well I wish I had pics...but my camera is shot and unless our $$tree out back starts producing, it will be a while before we get another one LOL Anyway........



Tonight was the Daddy daughter dance with girl scouts. Katharine and her daddy were able to go out on a date and they both had a great time. They made it to the dance around 6 and it was less than an hour after that where I started getting texts from Kyle saying sensory girl was shutting down....music too loud...to many people...strange new surroundings...little Katharine starts going through her own little breakdown...and I think daddy was a little nervous LOL. So I text back (so glad for texting now as he couldn't hear me on the phone above the music!) to keep her moving (dancing which I think is in his rule book as something that should never be done...by him at least) and to help her get engaged with her friends. Of course...he doesn't even know who her friends are LOL. Her girl scout buddies are so sweet though and I am sure got her involved (as I heard later that she was off playing with them). Sweet thing called me as soon as they left to tell me what a great time she had (whew) and how glad she was to see her friends. Kyle and Katharine then got to go out to dinner and they both had their favorites...steak!



So what happened to me you ask? I stayed home with Maddie and Noah. We made some YUMMY taco salads, ice cream sandwiches (the kids), and sugar free fat free pudding (for me...and you can remove the YUM from the beginning of that one and replace it with I-would-have-rather-of-had-an-ice-cream-sandwich-but-my-butt-is-too-big-already) and watched Madagascar 2. We had a great time and just loved getting to snuggle together. And yeah...CRACK-A-LACKIN! Whats up with that word? I laughed all the way through the movie and I am pretty sure it was just because of that word...I mean how can you hear him say that and not bust out laughing??? CRACK-A-LACKIN!!!!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Kyles political view........

And I quote....





"Politicians are like diapers......they need to changed frequently and often times for the same reason.........."



Wednesday, January 28, 2009

My baby is not so much a baby anymore........


And she did it all on her own............


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Which of your children would you be willing to do without???

Pelosi: Fewer babies = stronger economy



Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/27/2009 6:00:00 AM



Updated 8:45 a.m. Central

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stirred up a hornet's nest by promoting the idea of spending of millions of dollars on birth control and abortion as part of the economic stimulus package.

"Contraception," argued Pelosi, "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government." Her comments came on ABC's This Week when asked by host George Stephanopoulos how expanding "family-planning services" to the tune of millions of dollars will stimulate the economy. OneNewsNow sought reaction from Susan Fani, director of communications for the Catholic League.



"It's quite shocking, actually, that the Speaker of the House -- who claims to be Catholic -- would go on national television and claim that contraception would reduce the cost to the government," exclaims Fani. "It's just beyond words, really."



Pelosi has five children and six grandchildren. Catholic League president Bill Donohue finds her comments revealing. "We have reached a new low when high-ranking public office holders in the federal government cast children as the enemy," he offers in a press statement. "But at least it explains their enthusiasm for abortion-on-demand." Will the spending on "family-planning services" help dig America out of its economic doldrums? "That's not going to help grow the economy," Fani responds. "It doesn't even make sense as a prospect for helping this country through our economic crisis. So it's wrong on so many different levels, and just shows...a very flawed thought process."

American Life League calls Pelosi's remarks "a betrayal" of her Catholic faith, and the Christian Defense Coalition says it is "unthinkable" that she would try to stimulate the economy by "seeking to reduce the number of children."



America needs to produce 2.1 children per couple to keep up with births to support the population -- and that rate is not being maintained. Economies in Europe have been especially hurt by a drop in birth rates.



Taken from here


Thursday, January 22, 2009

The ipod shuffle...

Thanks HM:) You gave me something to waste my time on lol Actually it was kind of funny :)



1. Put your music player of choice on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. Write the song name down.

4. Tag 5 friends.

5. Voila! Enjoy.



IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?"

Strut (like you mean it) LOL Cheetah girls (I have Maddies mp3 ok???)



WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

Right where you want me (???)



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Kiss the girl (ROFL)



WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Groove Tonight



WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

You'll find yourself in you



WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

Got a Message for ya (Nicole C. Mullen)



WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?

You're the music of my Heart (awwwwwww)



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Redeemer (I know my redeemer lives....how true!!!!)



WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Pure :P (Superchic)



WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

It's On (Jump In! Cd)



WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

One Girl Revolution (Superchic)



WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Talk about it (Nicole C. Mullen)



WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Supercalafragalisticexpealidocious



HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Graduation



WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Some call it Magic (That's So Raven)



WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

You get the Best of Both Worlds (Hannah Montana)



WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

Vertical



WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Praise you in this storm



WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Stand in the Rain (Superchic...yikes true!)



DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Baby Girl



IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Freedom



WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Anthem (Superchic)





Join in if you want to!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Events of late from the conspicuous families point of view


From the moment we adopted a black child, we were no longer a "white" family. Although not a black family, but still not the traditional white family. There were many things we had to learn such as skin and hair care...and then as they get older we deal with racism. Sure, Kyle and I have had to deal with racism since the kids were home. We have been shoved off street corners, called names, had my children followed around stores (very OBVIOUSLY), deal with "looks"...some trying to hide their stares and some...well....doing everything they can to make sure we understand they do not approve of our family make up. We are not the only ones who have experienced these type of issues. Lori has blogged about one of hers here. Although, as you can see, none of these has caused us physical harm, it is still more than we would have experienced if our children would of had the same hue as us.

We also have different issues to deal with. While stories such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "The Safe House" are excellent stories, and ones I would not hesitate to read to children that are white..I have hesitated over our time as homeschoolers to read these stories. Not because I don't want them to know, but as soon as they "get it" they lose just a bit more of their innocence. While my 2 youngest could really care less at this time about what color anyone is, Katharine is very aware of her race and her "racial" surroundings. As I started to read these stories it didn't click at first (which was OK with mama) but I will never forget the 1st time we watched the movie Ruby Bridges. She was in 1st grade, just like Katharine at the time. As we watched the movie and watched the horrible things that happened to this little girl as her family fought for their rights...she asked me why she was the only one in her class...and of course I told her as gently as I could. It clicked. I saw her look at her own hands....her own beautiful God given hands....she turned them upside down, and then right side up...and she just looked at me. All I could tell her was that is was not right and not fair. As much as I would love to say this is all in the past, it is not. We still hear racial jokes and comments. Most of the time I think people think its funny to make these jokes and that there is no harm done. On the contrary...when you have the history that blacks in this country have, a joke, no matter how harmless to the white counterpart, is offensive to the black person...or the mother in the said conspicuous family. While at the same time people can say that my children don't have that history as they were adopted from Haiti and it was not their family that was affected...think about it. When we go to wal-mart and the woman follows my daughter around so close behind her back that they could share the same pair of pants...do you think she is looking at her as a foreign born child adopted from afar? No...all she sees is skin color...black....and then lumps all the stereotypes along with it.


.....to be continued ....



Take another look!




Monday, January 05, 2009

Wouldn't you think a business owner would KNOW?



This sign has been up in front of our local cable company for at least 3 days now. I believe it is supposed to say something about "The Big Ten Network" or something to that effect....Wouldn't you think that SOMEONE at the company would notice this issue?

My kids will have to run naked.......

http://www.latimes.com:80/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit

Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
A Goodwill store in Los Angeles is among those that will be required to pay for private testing for lead and phthalates of all clothing for those under age 13.

Some owners say the cost of testing for toxic lead and phthalates will shut their businesses. The law goes into effect Feb. 10.
By Alana Semuels January 2, 2009

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.


"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.

The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.

Supporters say the measure is sorely needed. One health advocacy group said it found high levels of lead in dozens of products purchased around the country, including children's jewelry, backpacks and ponchos.


Lead can also be found in buttons or charms on clothing and on appliques that have been added to fabric, said Charles Margulis, communications director for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. A child in Minnesota died a few years ago after swallowing a lead charm on his sneaker, he said.

But others say the measure was written too broadly. Among the most vocal critics to emerge in recent weeks are U.S.-based makers of handcrafted toys and handmade clothes, as well as thrift and consignment shops that sell children's clothing.

"We will have to lock our doors and file for bankruptcy," said Shauna Sloan, founder of Salt Lake City-based franchise Kid to Kid, which sells used children's clothing in 75 stores across the country and had planned to open a store in Santa Clara, Calif., this year.

There is the possibility of a partial reprieve. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the law, on Monday will consider exempting clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood. The commission does not have the authority to change the law but can decide how to interpret it.

But exempting natural materials does not go far enough, said Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Assn. Clothes made of cotton but with dyes or non-cotton yarn, for example, might still have to be tested, as would clothes that are cotton-polyester blends, he said.

"The law introduces an extraordinarily large number of testing requirements for products for which everyone knows there's no lead," he said.

Clothing and thrift trade groups say the law is flawed because it went through Congress too quickly. By deeming that any product not tested for lead content by Feb. 10 be considered hazardous waste, they contend, stores will have to tell customers that clothing they were allowed to sell Feb. 9 became banned overnight.

These groups say the law should be changed so that it applies to products made after Feb. 10, not sold after that date.

That would take action by Congress, however, because the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel has already determined that the law applies retroactively, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.

The regulations also apply to new clothing. That won't be a problem for large manufacturers and retailers, industry experts say, but it will be a headache for small operators such as Molly Orr, owner of Molly O Designs in Las Vegas.

Orr has already produced her spring line of children's clothes. She says she can't afford the $50,000 it would cost to have a private lab test her clothing line, so she's trying to sell her inventory at a steep discount before Feb. 10. After that, she is preparing to close her business.

"We have a son with autism, so we are all about cleaning up the toxins that our children are exposed to," she said. "But I think the law needs to be looked at more closely to see how it is affecting the economy in general.

"Thrift store owners say the law stings because children's garments often come in new or nearly new, because children typically outgrow clothing quickly.

Carol Vaporis, owner of Duck Duck Goose Consignment in New Port Richey, Fla., said her store stocks barely used brand-name clothing from places such as Limited Too and Gymboree.

"We really provide a service to the community to help people get clothes for their children they otherwise couldn't afford," she said.

Families have been bringing more clothes to consignment stores, where they get a chunk of the proceeds, to earn a little cash this winter, she said. She plans to contact her congressional representatives and senators to ask them to amend the law but says there's not enough awareness about the repercussions of the law to force anything to change.

Many retailers and thrift stores appear to be unaware that the law is changing. Of half a dozen Southern California children's thrift stores contacted by The Times, only one had heard of the law. Organizations such as Goodwill say they're still investigating how the law will affect them because there is so much confusion about what will be banned.

Cynthia Broockman, who owns two consignment stores and a thrift shop in Virginia, recently stopped accepting children's products for resale. That raised the ire of a man who was trying to sell his son's castoffs there and had not heard of the new rules.

"I think it's not understood by people how sweeping and far-reaching this is," she said. "The ripples that are going to go forth from this are just astonishing."

alana.semuels@latimes.com

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Happy Gotcha Day Maddie!



yes, I know today is NOT her real Gotcha Day, but it was the only day close we could celebrate it as a family and we did that today:). Take a look at my baby's picture and tell me if you see anything different....

Do you see the gleam??? The one coming off of her EAR????? My baby has been begging for quite a while to have her ears pierced...and I was so nervous! I should have believed her as she kept saying she was ready...and boy was she! We headed down to The piercing Pagoda today (where Katharine had her ears pierced) and when I saw that they had 2 people available I knew we were good to go :). We picked out her new *pink* ear rings (her birthstone) and she was ready. All day yesterday and today she was asking questions...what does it feel like...does it hurt...what does it sound like....what do they do...do they stick it *in* my ear...and we answered all her questions honestly...without being BRUTALLY honest lol. As soon as the woman said "come on through the door" she was dragging me in! We walked back and she sat on my lap. They had both guns ready to go at the same time....and the women got both of their guns lined up...and then 1, 2, 3! They were in....Maddie jumped a little but NEVER cried! I kept waiting for it to come and it never did :) She was so excited to get them done and so proud to have "big girl ears" that the pain didn't matter. I guess she is a true woman as she embraced with grace the saying "beauty is pain." So true right ladies? lol Here are more pics from our day......



Maddie with big smiles about her ears!


After the ear piercing we headed to IHOP (hello...PANCAKES????) for the Gotcha Day dinner

Maddie decorating her pancakes

It was a rough day for all :)


Saturday, January 03, 2009

The time is now....

4:09 PM and I am still not running a fever today...YEAH!!! I did go to our local convenient care center (which I am not a fan of as I have yet to have a decent Dr. there) and I think I finally did ok this time lol. I knew before I went in that I had asthmatic bronchitis...really there is not much they can do except for give me some antibiotics for my sinus infection and then slap me up with some prednisone (YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!)for the lung issue. The sinus infection does not even really bother me (I have chronic sinus infections) but the asthmatic type coughing is out of control (it has not been like this in years!) so much to the point where I have had to sleep sitting up the past couple nights.



At any rate.....I go into the office and its a different Dr than I had seen the last couple times. I told him what was going on and I got my usual rx's of prednisone and whatever round of antibiotics they wish to try :) yeah!!! Now that I have my prednisone I have enough energy to run 10 miles but not even the lung capacity to walk one. I guess I will be doing my usual while I am on these meds....up until 3 am and NO CAFFEINE FOR ME!



*except maybe my cup of coffee in the morning...trust me that would not be a pretty sight!*

Thursday, January 01, 2009

There's not a better way to start off the new year than with a clean bill of health :)

And yep that would be me :) Although the circumstances that brought me to that conclusion were a bit freaky. I woke up last Sunday night with cramping in my chest. It had happened before I had had never said anything but as I get "older" I have to start taking these things seriously. My siblings and I are the oldest living full generation in my family. I do have 1 aunt on one side of the family and 1 uncle on the other and neither of them have been in great health either. As morning approached I I told Kyle what had happened and he made me promise to go see the Dr before I went back to the gym. I thought hum..there is a class tonight I want to go to so I better get in today!

At 4:00 I walked into the Dr. office (in my gym clothes of course) and waited until I was called back. I was taken back and the Dr. came into see me (we LOVE our Dr. as we know his family from out in the community not just from Dr. office visits) and asked what was going on (rhetorical question). He said as nicely as he could that my life is stressful (no kidding!) and that was where he was leaning BUT he wanted to do some EKG's just in case. They ran the machine 5 times and told me to starve fast until the next morning and come back for blood work.



The next morning (coffee in hand ready to drink the moment the needle went in my arm) I headed to the office for blood work. The nurses told me to call back in 24 hours to find out the results, which, of course, I did! They tested, thyroid, blood sugar, and cholesterol and they were all in the EXCELLENT range...not just good....or ok...but EXCELLENT! Yippee!



So now...the Dr. has put me on meds just in case it is a small hernia (kyle had one) and he said 3 weeks of meds should do me. He also said I need a hobby to help reduce stress...AND TO KEEP ON EXERCISING he he !



So now as I sit here with a temp of 101...I tell you I am EXCELLENT health...great....fabulous...*cough* *cough* *hack*

 

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