Sweetness

I swore that I wouln't be that bragging annoying Mom, as before becoming a Mama "those" Mamas got on my very last nerve. Thus, I am sorry if it appears that I am that way. Do let me say, my kids are not perfect (however, even though I may be a little biased...they are pretty darn close to it) and I am harder on them then anyone else, but I just have to say that I am blessed with two very sweet hearted fellas. I am very sad about leaving my job which I have worked at since I was 15 years old, but knowing that I get to spend my days with my fellas makes it all better. I have only 1 more year with D before he starts school so we are going to make the most of this year and our time together.

I do want to take a minute to document some of their sweetness:

1) A few mornings ago, Daniel woke me up fairly early with a box of Mike and Ike candies and a juice box. He put them on my nightstand and said "I brought you breakfast in bed Mama, but you can go back to sleep and eat it when you are good and rested".  I swear he has one of the sweetest hearts ever! Of course he got to get in bed and share my "breakfast".

2) I am not one to wear dresses very often, but I put one on to go to work the other day and Noah stopped in the doorway and said "Mama, you look so beautiful today! I love your new dress, it makes you so pretty". I am not sure if he was incinuating that I look like crud every other day, but it sure melted my heart.

3) Daniel and I were discussing our family the other day and I was telling him that whe he grew up and got married and had kids of his own that his daddy and I would be this kids' grandparents. Then Daniel said "No Mama, I am never going to get married....I am going to stay here and live with you and Daddy forever". Is it wrong that I kinda want to hold him to that promise? Lol! I did tell him that he would change his mind one day and he would want to get married, to which he repsonded , "No I wont..I am staying with you and Daddy forever!".

4) Noah has a mad love for chicken casserole...a dish in which his daddy wont touch. So when Benji is out of town...we have chicken casserole. Noah had been asking for it for days and to be honest, I am sick of it. Finally I caved and fixed my boy his beloved meal. While scarfing it down, he looked up and me and said "You da best Mama in da whole world. Thank you for making me chicken casserole". The way to his heart is definitely through his tummy:)

Carnival Birthday Party

So...I am quite late on this post. The boys' birthdays are right at a month apart, so this year they had a choice of 2 smaller individual parties or 1 big party that they had to share (I may or may not have built up the bigger party so that I could do it all in one day:):) None the less they chose to share a party again this year. So a circus party we had. Thought I would share a few pics of our festivities:

Caramel and Candy Apples

Circus Cupcakes

We didn't do treat bags but had a table for some things for everyone to take home: clown noses, balls and bubbles.

                                                                     Birthday boy # 1

                                                                     Birthday Boy # 2

                      My terrible pic of the food table: hot dogs, nachos/cheese, and pretzels.

                                                                         Pretzels

                                   The candy cart that my dear hubby built. He is awesome:):)

                                                                          Popcorn

                                        Cotton Candy....thanks to some very dear friends:)

                                Daniel and his fiercness with his pinata! He was determined to break it!

                                                  Noah and his little bitty whacks at it!

We are so blessed with all the friends and family that came to celebrate with us. We have great framily and friends and we are so thankful for each and everyone!!

As I mentioned before...we will be moving. Benji has taken a job out of state so our family will be relocating. I feel 100% that it is what the Lord is calling us to do at this time. We have lived in the same small town for most of our lives and truly never saw ourselves leaving. We weren't looking to leave, it just kind of happened. Typically I would dig my heels in and refuse to leave. I am in a nice comfort zone right where I am, and I am not a huge fan of change. However, when Benji presented the concept of moving...I was completely at peace with the idea. We have spent the past couple of months seriously praying and trying our best to make sure that we are doing what the Lord has for us to do. Things have continually fallen into place and the job has been accepted. Benji starts in just a few days. The last thing that needs to fall into place is selling our house. I am struggling with this so bad. I know that the Lord will always take care of our needs, and I have never lacked faith in that arena. I hate the thought of our family being seperated for an extended period of time, and we will do whatever we can to ensure that we aren't apart for very long. I hate to even complain about that because I know that there are so many families out there (especially those serving our counrty) that do have to be apart for long periods of time. Those families have my upmost respect for the sacrifices that they make.
We are so excited for this new opportunity and the doors that the Lord is opening in our lives. We are ready to see things outside our nice little cozy "saftey zone".

Funnies

My kids completely crack me up. I need to be better about writing down the things that they say. Here are a couple of funnies from recently:

1: Benji has accepted a new job that will require us moving out of state (will post more on this later). I was talking to the boys about moving and what it meant. Shortly after this discussion, D looked up and noticed a crack in our ceiling. I explained to him that Daddy was fixing something in the attic and almost stepped through the ceiling. To which he replied "I am so ready to move out of this crack house!" Of course he was referring to the crack in the ceiling. So if anyone hears my kids say anything to this effect, please know that it is a crack in our ceiling....not a drug habit:)
Fast Forward a couple nights: We have been praying that our house sells quickly so that we can all move together. We pray together as a family so the boys do hear us praying for this and they pray for the same. Last night, N's prayer went like this "Dear Lowrd...please help us get out of this crack house and into a new house together as a family". I think maybe I should have a discussion with them and inform them that we do NOT live in a crack house. I can see them saying this to our social worker for a post placement report. HA!

2: In children's church yesterday, there were only 4 kids that were doing as they were directed at one point (my sons not being any of the four:) So I gave a big thank you to the ones that chose to listen. It broke D's little heart that his name was not called out in the thank-you to the ones who were following instructions. He cried and cried over it and I had to take him out and explain that he made the choice to not follow instructions in class, no one at all was in trouble but the ones who made a good choice deserved the be thanked, and that next time maybe he could make a better choice and he too would get praised.
At dinner last night, Benji was asking the boys how was their day, did they behave in church, etc... To which D said "Mama broke my heart in children's church". I tried to refrain from laughing (he really is a super sensitive child). Benji began to ask him what happend to which he gave his recount of the (very minor) incident. I began to remind him that it was a choice he made and began to explain the story. D put his hand up and said "Mama...this isn't about you, it is about me". It was impossible not to laugh at him. My son is slighty dramatic:)

Happy Birthday Noah!

My precious little Noah turns 3 today! We are ever so blessed to have him as our little boy.  I am so thankful that he is home where he belongs on his birthday. Yet again, I find my heart drawn to his birthmother. I will more than likely never be able to thank her in person, but my heart will forever be thankful to her for giving birth to him and having the courage and the strength to let him go so that he can have a life that he deserves. We will do our very best to give him the life that he deserves.
Thank you God for our precious Noah today and thank you for trusting us to be his parents, he (and his brother) make our lives complete and fill our hearts more than we ever could have imagined.

Happy Birthday Daniel!

My sweet boy turns 5 years old today. Last year I was just so excited that he was finally home that all I could think about on his birthday was how thankful that I was that he was finally where he belongs for his special day and that he will never have to spend another birthday without his family. This year, his birthmother is pretty heavy on my heart. I am sure that this day isn't an easy one for her, whereas here we are having a fantastic day of cake and presents. I know odds are, I will never meet her. I just wish so bad that I could send her a huge hug right now. I want to thank her for birthing him 5 years ago, and I want to thank her to loving him enough to let him go...an act that I will freely admit that I myself would be far too selfish to make. I admire her and am eternally grateful for the sacrifice that she made. Even though I will likely never meet her, she will forever be in my heart. My prayers go up to her her today. May God comfort her on this day. I thank her for giving birth to my son on this day.

Easter 2012

I do want to take a minute to say thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me. I know that it is easy to get caught up in the hum-drum of the Easter bunny, but I want to make sure that I am not forgetting what Easter is really about. For kids, it is easy to put the focus on the Easter bunny, candy and egg hunts; however, we made a point to discuss the sacrifice that comes along with Easter. We were preparing to dye our Easter eggs we began to tell the boys the story of Jesus dying on the cross. They are a little young to get it but I discussed the beating that he endured, and of course the nails in his hands and feet. Then I let the boys taste vinegar so they could relate to what Jesus drank when he was on that cross. I think my boys are more disturbed that Jesus had to drink vinegar than they are they he was beaten and crusified:):)

Here are a few pics of our Easter fun:

Daniel took it upon himself to make a cross on one of his eggs.

Noah just painted aimlessly...and had a blast doing it.


Getting snacks ready for the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny came!

and these two little boys scored!

Our family Easter Egg hunt

Easter Sunday

My poser

My silly little fella

My boys

Can't imagine loving anything anymore!!

St. Patty's Day

Once again, I am running way behind on posting. Here is a few pics from our St. Patty's Day fun. Having kiddos makes even the cheesiest holidays so much more fun. I love these special days with my boys and seeing them have so much fun makes life just grand.


Our lunch, shamrock sandwiches

Noah and his shamrock jello

Daniel with his shamrock jello

Our green silly string fight

Our green supper: rolls, cabbage, green cubed steak, pineapple casserole, and mashed potatoes

Green milk

Green sweet tea...we are in the south. We'd die without our sweet tea:)

Noah with his leprachaun supper. I know his hair looks greasy but it is just green glow gel
Daniel and his leprechaun dinner and last, leprechaun pie for dessert!

My kids make my heart melt

I don't want to be all braggy and stuff but I must say that I am blessed far more than I ever deserve with my sons. They are amazing little boys and I love them so deeply that it can be overwhelming. I couldn't imagine loving anything any more than I love my kiddos. I know that there are tons of horror stories out there about bonding and attachment and the "adjustment period". Not every day has been rainbows and sunshine I will admit, but our transition has been nothing shy of amazing. I am amazed at how much more wonderful things are now than they were a year ago...and a year ago I thought they were pretty good. The boys have come such a long way. As a parent of an adopted child, you have to work hard to protect and foster your bond with your child. Prior to adoption, this was a concept that I thought was silly, but being on this side of it I see that it is real. There are certainly things that I wish that I had done differently in the beginning. All and all, I am very blessed. I thank God every single day for my two little boys who truly make my heart melt every day. I am ever so thankful for how sweet their little hearts are. They are two of the most tender hearted little boys and I am so so thankful that they are mine. I need to do better at keeping a record of the sweet things that they say so that when they are teenagers I have their sweet words to hold on to.


Last night I was rocking Daniel to sleep and I told him I would miss him while I was at work. He asked where he was going while I worked, so I told him daddy would be home with him all day. Then he said. "when you work and I stay home with daddy, me and daddy and Noah come to your work and pick you up for lunch. I hope we do that tomorrow. Some days we don't pick you up, you meet us at the eating place. I hope we come pick you up tomorrow...I'll talk to daddy about it in the morning." ...my heart melts.


A few nights ago Noah (who has ended up in the bed with us for months now) rolled over, put his little arm around my neck, snuggled up next to be and said "I love you Mama!". I kissed his head and said "I love you too Noah". Then he said "you da best Mama in da whole world"....all while never a once opening his eyes from his sleep...again, my heart melts.

Valentine's Day

I know I am very far behind, but better late than ever, right? Blogging isn't my problem, it's getting pics off my camera and attached that I have an issue with. I take tons of pictures and to go through them can be a big undertaking so...forgive me for my lack of blogging:)

For those who know me well know that of all holidays, Valentines Day is my least favorite. I am kinda a Valentine's scrooge if you will. Last year, we spent our Valentine's day in Russia...with our two new sons. It kinda revived the holiday which I have come to all but loathe. Valentine's Day is 2 days after our Gotcha Day and now it is the first holiday that we had as a family...so my heart is a little mushier than it normally is on V'day. I love holidays...and now that I am a mother, holidays are 100 times more special to me. Here is our Valentine's Day fun:

For lunch we had heart shaped sandwiches.


I came home from work to one lil' monkey with a rose and giant balloon.
And another with a rose and my favorite candies...and no pants. (when the boys are with daddy for a day there is no telling how they are going to be dressed when I get home:):)

We had made heart shaped ice the day before

And Valentine's cupcakes for Daniel to take to gymnastics the next day

What Valentines Day is complete without chocoalte dipped strawberries...even better when they are dipped my two sweet lil' boys

Frozen raspberry heart ice in our sparkling cider

Noah downing his cider

Daniel and his cider...notice there is no steak left on his plate. This child loves some steak.

and our dessert...hot fudge brownies with rasberries.

Recap 1

Last night we were doing our usual night routine: bath, books, prayer, bedtime. Before prayer I told the boys of the significance of the day and how special that it was to us. When we do prayer time, Benji or I usually say a little prayer first followed by the boys saying the "Now I lay me prayer". Last night after I had said a prayer Daniel said "can I say a special prayer Mama?" I told him that he could say anything that he wanted during prayer time, he didn't have to say the traditional prayer, he could just talk to God just like he talks to Mama and Daddy. So this was his special prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you so much for Mama and Daddy. Thank you for letting them bring me home. I love my Mama and Daddy soooo much! I love my home, and my toys, and my animals, and my clothes, and my bed, and my covers, and my pillow, and my other pillow, and my dresser, and my shoes. Thank you so much for givng me all my things. Thank you for my Noah cause I love him. Thank you for giving me my family. Amen.

I had no words when he was done....just tears. This just seemed to sum it all up for me. We are so beyond blessed to have Daniel and Noah as our sons. The Lord has really given us far more than we ever deserve.

Here are a couple more pics from Russia:

On this day a year ago Noah was feeling a little under the weather so he didn't get to go outside and play. It was the first day that they allowed us to go outside and play. It was sooo wonderful to be outside rather than couped up in the playroom at the orphanage.

Our lil' Noah...I can't believe how much he has grown. Sadly we didn't get many pics with him this day because we didn't have as much time with him.

Daddy and Daniel

Mama and Daniel

One year ago we wene before a Russian judge to be declare the parents of our two precious little boys. Part of me can't believe that it has already been a year but part of me feels like the boys have been with us forever. I have such vivid memories of this day. We had the first court hearing of the day so we had to get up early. We were both a bundle of nerves yet had a very strong sense of peace of what was about to occur. Our coordinaters and translater had heavily prepared us the day before for the court procedings. Benji beared the brunt of court, the men usually do. I felt sorry for him because he was so far out of his comfort zone, but he did amazing. I know there are a lot of stories out there about how horrible court can be. It was a nerve wracking experience but one in which I have very fond memories. We were very fortunate to have the judge that we had. I'll never forget when she came back into the courtroom to render her verdict, she had such a warmth about her. Of course we had not idea what she was saying but our translater looked at us said "She said yes...you are now their parents". It was the most amazing feeling ever. We left court went back to the apartment to change then headed to see our sons. This time we were officially their Mama and Daddy. I know that I posted this pic once before but this is when went back to see them after being declared their Mama and Daddy.

After court we had out 10 day waiting period before we got to take the boys with us. Last year at this time we were not allowed to post pics so over the next few days I'll post pics from our 10 day waiting period. I promise to be a better blogger as we work our way to our Gotcha Day...and I promise Christmas post and pics are coming soon:):)