Happy

Overheard this week in my living room:

Andy: Cookies make Blue happy. Cookies make Periwinkle happy. (reading a Blue's Clues book)

Brady: Cookies make Brady happy! Eeeeee (smiling really big...like "cheese").

Sweet Praise

This morning I was blessed to get to sing with the praise team. Blake and Sydney sat in the front row by themselves and behaved beautifully. I was amazed by the joy on their faces as they sang. I hope this video gives you just a taste of what I felt this morning. Nothing touches me like music.:)

Welcome home, Hannah!

We are so thrilled that Hannah is finally home. For those of you who have no idea who Hannah is, you'll have to scroll down and check out other posts. On Friday afternoon, we went to the airport (DFW) to welcome her, Matt and Sara home. There was quite a little crowd, and it was so exciting to see them walk through the gate to the baggage claim. We'd been waiting for a while, so the kids were getting antsy. My youngest ones had complete meltdowns and Noah was so overwhelmed he just kept running in circles around the baggage belt (that kid is hilarious). Hollyn was all sunshine. She was ready to see her mama and daddy and to meet her little sister.



Sara bought us all t-shirts for Christmas with chinese symbols for aunt, uncle, etc. We dressed Syd's "cousin" t-shirt up. Blake was the only one who couldn't find his shirt. Instead, he wore his usual Friday uniform (his school spirit shirt), even though he didn't go to school. Does that surprise anyone?



I love this picture. Hollyn was SO excited. Sweet girl.



And here's sweet Hannah. She's beautiful. This was the only time I held her, and I cried for joy at the privilege of being her aunt. You can see WAY better pics of her on their adoption site.



We tried (quickly) to take a picture of all the kids together. With this many kids, you're lucky to have them all IN the picture, nevermind if no one's looking at the camera or smiling.

Matt and Sara were kind enough to allow us a visit on Saturday morning. I know they were exhausted, but it was such a joyful time for me, Andy and the kids. We were so honored to get to be there with them. I am so proud of both of them, and of my nieces and nephew.

Hannah did, however, come home pretty sick. She is currently in the hospital fighting off a virus. Perhaps this virus wouldn't be a big deal in most kids, but Hannah was born with a heart defect that makes situations like these more dangerous. She is currently getting great care, but please pray for her. Also continue praying for the rest of the family. I know it's a lot of stress on Matt and Sara. I'm sure this isn't exactly how they imagined Hannah's homecoming. Hollyn and Noah seem to be holding up pretty well, but it's a big adjustment for everyone, and under more difficult circumstances than expected. I absolutely believe that the Lord will take care of all five of them, and that before long, this sweet family can find their new normal.

Bits

Just a few tidbits from the week:


We were driving to church last Wed. night, with the radio on pretty loudly (Superchick was playing, and the kids love them). Blake yells over the radio, "Hey, mom! Did you know that the Citgo next to church turned into a Chevron?" Hmm. Didn't notice. Where did this kid get his obsession with gas stations?

Blake's been playing soccer this season, and he's really good at it. He prefers to play defense, and does a great job of defending the goal. However, he has scored several goals. He's a very strategic player, which is odd for a kid his age. He's really enjoying it, and I love going to his games. Even Brady gets into it, yelling "Go, Blake, go!" at completely random times.


I tried out my new food processor, which by the way, is the coolest thing ever made for the kitchen. I made a chocolate cream pie. Brady, Max and I sampled it for morning snack today. (I'm sure we were quite a sight, sitting on the kitchen floor, me spooning bits alternately between the boys and myself.) Brady said, through his chocolatey ear-to-ear grin, "Dawishous!"


Sydney lost her "silver" tooth yesterday. She had a cap put on years ago, and she was thrilled to lose it. The tooth fairy brought her $10!


Max has begun flinging himself on the floor and sobbing pathetically every time he gets his feelings hurt. And let me tell you, this kid gets his feelings hurt A LOT. I think I'm in for a long few years, given that two is still a year away. Good thing he's SO cute.

This is my life? Really?

If you'd told me ten years ago that today, I'd have four children, I'd have laughed at you. If you'd told me four years ago, I'd have laughed at you. If you'd told me two years ago, I'd have laughed at you. And most of my friends would have laughed at you too. But here I am, and surprisingly, I'm learning to love being a mom of four. That's not to say that I don't still have days that I feel completely overwhelmed...I do. But for the most part, I am happy and content. I thought I'd sum up my favorite things about yesterday (Mother's Day) in a top ten list (in no particular order):

1. Donuts at church. I'd love to say church in and of itself, but I really didn't get to hear much of the service yesterday. Max was a royal toot. But I love when I go to pick Brady up from the nursery and he starts asking for a "nonuh" with this gorgeous grin on his face. How can I resist? That boy LOVES donuts (almost as much as my nephew, Silas:).
2. Girlfriends at church. Even when I have my hands completely full and I'm beginning to wonder why I even bothered to leave my house, those little "I'm right there with ya" looks from my favorite girlfriends make it all bearable (love you, Megan).
3. Grilled salmon. Andy makes the best grilled salmon, and coming home to eat one of my favorite dishes sure beats taking the two youngest children out to lunch at an overly-crowded restaurant. Thank you, Andy!
4. Homemade cards. Sydney and Blake had each made me the sweetest cards. They are totally frame-able, and I love them.
5. The mother of all food processors. Andy bought me a Cuisinart 11 cup food processor. It's SO pretty and it does everything. I can't wait to use it.
6. Little boys napping simultaneously. Both Brady and Max took really good naps, and the fact that they were at the same time was pure luxury!
7. Lost episodes online in HD. I've recently discovered that I can play Lost episodes on my laptop in HD any time I want for FREE. I spent two hours holed up alone in my bedroom watching episodes I've never seen. Love that.
8. Playing outside with the kids and neighbors. We have such great neighbors, and the kids all play so well together (even Brady). The evening weather was just beautiful!
9. Going out for ice cream with Sydney (just girls). I cherish the rare moments that I have Syd to myself with no boys hanging around. She becomes such a chatterbox and I learn so much about her. She is growing up before my eyes, and I am all at once amazed and terrified.
10. Long talks with Andy. I love the evenings when all the kids go to bed and I am more important than whatever game is on ESPN. It's wonderful when we have no "issues" to work through and we can just chat and laugh and enjoy each other's company. It's like we're dating again, and I am reminded of how blessed I am to be married to a man who loves me and our children as much as he does. He truly is one of my favorite gifts from God.

My life is crazy and hectic and exhausting. It isn't anything like I imagined it would be ten years ago. It's better...much better. God is so good.

Simplicity

As soon as school let out today, we packed up and headed for the beach. There is a spot on Galveston island where you can just drive onto the beach. We spread out our blanket, got out the toys and played hard for a bit. At the beach, it's all so simple. No cell phones or crackberries. No laptops. No Gameboys or Leapsters. A shovel, bucket and frisbee are really the only toys necessary. Smiles are found in abundance and whining is rare (except from Brady...but he's VERY two these days). The roar of the ocean is the perfect soundtrack. An evening at the beach is just pure magic. And to top it all off, it's FREE!

I had big ideas about taking some posed pics of the kids tonight, but just couldn't ruin a near-perfect evening by making them all sit still and say cheese. So the candids will just have to do for now.

I love what the humidity does for Brady's curls. He's the perfect little beach bum.

Sydney's my little poser. She loves to have her picture taken.

The minute we put him down, Max took off for the ocean as quickly as he could crawl. It reminds me of a certain nephew of mine when he was about this age (love you, Noah!).

Max is finally trying a few steps...as long as he's holding on to Mommy or Daddy.

A rare moment when Max is actually sitting still.

How sweet!

Andy and Blake played frisbee.

I love to see all four play together. It's kind of a new thing for them to include Max. They all seemed to get along so well. Like I said, the beach is a magical place.

Hannah's finally coming home!

Each morning this week, I wake up to a new set of pics or video of my newest niece, Hannah. What a treat! You can go here to see pics or here to see video. Hannah is doing remarkably well. Thank you to all who have prayed. Don't stop! I'm so amazed by the sweet gift of children, but somehow foreign adoption sends me into tears like nothing else. Some of the most touching video I've seen on Chinese adoption is here, at Sara's sister's blog about their adorable little Adiah. I remember being overwhelmed by joy when Selah (my sister Erin's little girl) came home. And I'm feeling that once again at the thought of getting to be at the airport next Friday to welcome home precious Hannah. We've waited SO long to meet you, baby girl. We can't wait!

Little Man

First off, I have to tell you that my brother-in-law and his wife are in China right now to pick up their sweet little Hannah. For those of you who don't know, Matt and Sara have been on what seems like the forever journey to get this sweet little girl, and we are all SO excited for the day they bring her home (which happens to be Friday, May 16). As I write this, I think they are getting up on Monday morning, preparing to actually meet Hannah for the first time. Please join me in praying for my newest niece. I can't imagine that this will be easy for her to understand. These crazy Texans are complete strangers to her right now, but what she doesn't know is that she is entering one of the most fun families I know. Matt and Sara are wonderful, Godly, creative parents. And Hollyn and Noah will provide a lifetime of live entertainment.:) Please pray for her to have the smoothest transition possible. Also pray for Matt and Sara to have patience with her, even amidst major sleep deprivation! And, of course, pray for Hollyn and Noah, that they handle the next couple of weeks with as much maturity as they can muster. I adore all of my nieces and nephews, and I'm thrilled to add another sweetie to the bunch! To see pics of Hannah and her family, go here.

So Max turned ONE YEAR old yesterday. Can you believe it? We opted to keep the celebration low-key. Gran and Grandad were here. We opened presents, let the kids play with the new toys (outside water toys), and ate dinner and cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with creme filling - YUM!). Here are some pics of chocolate-covered Max.

Max has become such a sweet little man. Here is just a random list of my favorite things about him:

If he sees an open door, he crawls toward it as if his life depends on it.

He LOVES to climb the stairs.

He prefers a bottle of formula to just about any other food or drink.

He loves his mama, but he will go to someone else in a pinch.

When he gets excited, he waves his arms as if he might fly. If you are holding him at one of these moments, that arm-waving usually turns into slapping (ouch!).

He adores his siblings. Brady can make him laugh like no one else.

His siblings adore him. They all spoil him rotten.

He has the CUTEST dimples.

His favorite syllable is "DA", and he says it enthusiastically, usually over and over again, loudly.

He loves remote controls and telephones.

He seems to prefer crawling on concrete to crawling on grass.

When he wakes up, he yells and bangs on the wall before he resorts to crying.

He loves baths. He and Brady splash and laugh and splash and laugh.

He is so brown! His legs already look very tanned. Next to Brady, in the bathtub, he looks so brown and scrawny.

He's generally a pretty happy guy.

He loves to be sung to.

He loves sitting in a shopping cart, facing me, while I make funny faces at him and talk to him like he's a grown-up.

He refuses to walk.

He loves Andy's keyboard. He really enjoys sitting in Andy's lap while he plays, banging away.

He loves swings.

He looks just like his daddy.

His nickname is Ma-ma-mo (short a, long o). I guess, because Brady calls him Ma, and Andy started calling him Ma-ma, and Blake started in with Ma-ma-mo.

It's hard to believe that a year has passed. I can't imagine life without him. His smile and little giggle bring us so much joy. Happy birthday, little man! Mommy loves you!