Whew, I'm Tired!

Boy, what a active weekend we've had. Friday, Randy spent 4 hours meeting with Sawyer's teachers and therapist and IEP coordinators. Finally, they came to an agreement. Sawyer will not be in school but rather have 3 hours of weekly therapy in the home. We were very happy with that solution. Then Friday night, Judson had basketball practice. They were testing the scoreboard and buzzer. Come to find out, the buzzer was very loud and scared our hypersensitive guy. We stressed about that as Saturday morning was his first game. We were very worried that he wouldn't be able to sit through the game with the buzzer going off. No worries. Saturday morning came and we kept going over that the buzzer would be loud and the people would be loud and if he didn't like it, just to look at us and we'd take him out to get away from the noise. We get there Saturday morning, the opposition shows up in their white shirts with their names on the back and matching shorts. They should have been intimidating. (the only thing provided by the league was a shirt with a number) However, 4-6 year olds do not know to be intimidated. In the end, Judson's team was victorious 28-26. A good time was had by everyone. (and Judson did not get upset about the noise at all)

Saturday afternoon, Randy's folks came up. We took the kids to the mall so they could ride the Santa train and Judson could bungee jump. Bungee jumping is Judson's new favorite thing!Now today, Judson and I are off to a birthday party. It's a busy time but a good time. Everyone is healthy and happy. (except perhaps the little princess. She doesn't quite understand that ALL the presents are not hers. And if she wants to play with brothers' toys, she needs to share her toys. I'm not sure if she'll ever get that concept as she thinks what's hers is hers and what's yours is hers.)

Fun at the Gardens

We met some friends of Judson's, Luyushu and Amelie, (and their parents) at the Botanical Gardens. The kids had a blast. Judson is hoping we can meet them there again tomorrow. (unfortunately, the girls are both in school and won't be able to do that) They rode the train MANY times and had fun each and every time. Then they played and played in the children's garden. What a great time! Yes, I painted them coordinating sweat shirts. I figure I don't have many years(months) left to 'dress' them the way I want to dress them, so I had better take advantage of the situation. (Not sure if you can double click on these pictures and get them larger or not. There seems to be a difference between these pictures and my other pictures, at least on my computer.)

Trip to Alabama

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in LA. (That's Lower Alabama) We had a wonderful time and ate way too much. It was rainy and windy so we didn't get out very much, so I don't have a lot of pictures. Judson had the best time. He got to feed the cows and ride the 4-wheeler and the tractor with Pop Pop. He could not have asked for anything more. The babies didn't get outside much but they loved being spoiled by Nana. One day, Sawyer got very quiet. We went and looked and he was sitting in Nana's chair putting lotion all over himself and the chair. So in the picture, it's not a giant booger but lotion. Now we spend the next week or two trying to get back into our routine. (If there is such a thing this time of year)

What a difference 3 makes

You know, my mom always said if you can handle 3 kids, you can handle a dozen. It's the 3rd child that changes the dynamic. I do believe she was right. (Bet you thought I'd never say that) It really has rung true these last few days. Like, last week when Sawyer was in school and just Ansley and Judson were home. They played for 2 hours straight without an argument. 2 HOURS!! They put on their swimsuits (40 degrees outside) and pretended to be at the beach. Now today, Judson went with his dad to work. Ansley and Sawyer have been as quiet as church mice. They've had a lovely time playing, together and alone. Not one argument, or bump, or bruise either. Amazing. I have to say, though, today is too quiet. I miss the noise. I miss the laughter. I miss the funny things they say and do. (I don't miss the arguments)

Here the crew is checking out the Christmas tree. We put it up early so they could have more time to enjoy it. (Or tear it down, whichever!) I'm very "Thankful" this holiday season(and all throughout the year), I have 3 'perfect' children.

Adoption Awareness Month

November is Adoption Awareness Month. So, I have taken this month to share with you opportunities that exist to help those who do not have a family to call their own. Adoption touches our family very personally. We would not be the family we are without it. I cannot imagine my family minus our little pooh bear. If you have read much news over the past few weeks, you've seen a report out on the abuses of children in Serbia's orphanages. This is not a unique problem to Serbia. Children without a family to care for them, suffer. So I put the message out there for all to read and hopefully some will help. You may or may not be able to adopt. You may or may not have money to donate. Everyone can pray. Everyone can share with a friend, who may indeed be able to adopt or donate. I ask you to do what you can. Everyone deserves a family!

A video you might enjoy:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=43584ff9c987f96c0f0420&source=category&category_id=all

A Time For Giving

I love this time of year. It's a time for family and love and giving. I love my family and I so enjoy spending time with my brothers and sister and their families and my mom and dad and aunts, uncles and cousins and inlaws. I also love that it is a time for giving. Most of us have such a blessed and abundant life. It is this time of year that we seek out ways to help others who may not be as fortunate. I, as always, want to put in a plug for things that are near and dear to me. Orphans and Down Syndrome.

Not everyone feels 'called' to adopt. That is okay. For those who might have thought about it in the past, I would urge you to start checking out your options. It's hard to find numbers for 'orphans' within the United States. The best ones I could find, state that there are approximately 500,000 children in the foster care system within the US. Of those, about 1/5 are legally available for adoption. Each state has their own guidelines for adopting, but you could check with your state family services department and see what the guidelines are. Also, you could check with organizations such at the Dave Thomas Foundation. For those who are hesitant/leary/afraid (I was one of them) of domestic adoption, may I suggest International Adoption. So many countries offer adoption options. Each country has different rules and requirements but I'm pretty sure there is at least one country that will 'fit' your family. You might start by checking out www.rainbowkids.com to learn more. You need only check out the Unicef website, www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html, and see the number of orphans in these countries to know there is a definite need.

For those who do not feel called to adoption, may I suggest other ways to give. A friend of mine runs a program to bring awareness to orphans with Down Syndrome throughout the world. In the US, there is a waiting list of families wishing to adopt a child with DS. In many foreign countries, children with DS are put into institutions. They are looked upon as inferior and are not welcome in the everyday world. Harsh, yes. It is their reality. That is why my friend started Reece's Rainbow. On her website,www.reecesrainbow.com, she has posted a way for you to donate money in order to help those who are willing to adopt these children afford the expenses of adoption. (Adoption is not cheap) Also, a very respected adoption agency in the states has a way for you to sponsor an orphan overseas. This is such an awesome opportunity. The children get to stay in their home country with their families. (nothing could be better) Your sponsorship allows them to have food and attend school and have the basic necessities. The link is: orphan.childrenshope.net.

So, if you are looking for ways to help, please consider these. I have more but I'll stop with this for now. Thank you for reading my blog!

Work Release

Didn't you know, our kids are part of a work release program? (look for us on the side of the road picking up trash) Adorable, eh?

Life with a Drama Queen

It's so hard to tell with Ansley, which traits are ingrained personality traits, which are gender related traits, and which are adoption related traits. (And which are environmentally produced by living in this crazy house with her crazy parents) All I know is she is a Drama Queen of the highest order. A typical day goes something like this:

DQ: enter room(way earlier than she needs to for fear she might miss something) with eyes half open and glares
Mom: Hello Ansley. (Do not be perky. DQ's do not like perky in the morning. I understand this as I too do not like perky morning people either)
DQ: squints and glares some more, then just sits

Mom: Makes sure DQ has fresh water and something to snack on before going to the office to check emails, etc
DQ: in her most whiney voice "I don't want O's"
Mom: That's fine, don't eat them
DQ: in an even higher whiney voice "No, I want my O's"

Through out the day, we have several similar issues over what to wear, what games to play, what tv shows to watch, what's for lunch, which brother is driving her 'crazy',etc.

Time to clean up room (before bedtime)
Mom: Okay, Judson go clean up your room and Ansley clean up your room.
DQ: Sniffle, whine, cry "I need help"
Mom: No, Ansley can clean up her own room
DQ: Crying so much, she starts snorting. She refuses to clean up.
Mom: Clean your room or you go to bed right now
DQ: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom: Good night, Ansley. (SHe is now in bed screaming because she suddenly wants to clean her room but it's too late. SHe is in bed.)

Now one might think a mom too hard on her little DQ. Why not let them both clean up together? Good point. However, DQ is also a Diva. Therefore, she will sit and talk to Judson while Judson cleans the whole room by himself. Should you want to divide the chores so they can both be in the same room at the same time, you have the same scenario, of crying, sniffling, snorting, as if she was being asked to do too much.

A glimpse into what the teen years will look like. I was at the gym one night. Randy found DQ in her room, crying. He asks her why she was crying. Her response, (all sniffly and snorty), I don't know. He was shocked by this. Not that girls don't need a reason to cry, he was shocked that they don't need a reason to cry at the age of 2!

Like I said, I don't understand whether is nurture or nature. All I know is it can drive a person crazy. Of course, one might say it was a short drive.

Halloween

Whew. Halloween is over. I don't remember ever celebrating Halloween as much as we have this year. Sawyer had a Halloween party. Then we had a party. Last nite, our neighborhood had a party, complete with pizza! So we got the kids all dressed up one more time. This time Ansley wore the puppy dog outfit as it was a bit chilly for the fairy outfit. We walked over to the party and had a wonderful time. We met some new neighbors and potential playmates for the kids. So it was all good. Of course, about midnight, Judson woke up sick. I think it's just a cold. Lots of stuffiness in his nose. Then about an hour later, Ansley woke up crying. She had a 101 degree temp and a sore throat. Sawyer has had sinus issues since Sunday night. "Share and Share alike" That's our motto. If one gets sick, they all get sick.

Update on school: Sawyer has been to school two days. He's doing better with the crying. I figure in another week, he'll be running the place. I go in and sign him out at 12:30 each day. So yesterday, when I go to pick him up, I am outside the principals office and all the staff is going in and out. Everyone of them passes by us and stops to say, "Hi Sawyer, how are you?" He, of course, waves and blows them a kiss. Ever the politician or rock star or actor.

The Weekend

OK. Following this post is a slide show of our trip to the Botanical Garden. I don't really like it because the pictures are so small, it's hard to see them all. If you double click on the slide show, you should be able to bring the pictures up one at a time and see them in a bit larger format.

That said, just wanted to say we had a great weekend. Friday we had Sawyer's birthday. (Previous post). Saturday we took the kids to the village for Trick-or-treat from store to store. We had a good time. Sawyer pooped out on us and we had to call it quits early but not before the kids had way too much candy. I'm not sure but I suspect that candy will mysteriously disappear in the next few days. Then Sunday we had some friends over, just because. The day was beautiful, so we went outside to visit and let the kids run around. Then a few of us headed to the Botanical Garden for the scare crow exhibit. I love that place. The weather could not have been more cooperative. Tomorrow, Sawyer starts his first day of Pre-K. I think he'll enjoy it. It's going to be lonesome without him, though. Yes, I know there are 2 more kids here but I'll still miss him bunches.

That's all for now. Hope you can check out the pictures.

Slide Show

Happy Birthday Saw-man!

Our little guy turned 3 today. Can you believe it? Three years ago, we were not given any hope that he would live to see his 1st birthday. Now he celebrates 3! To top that off, he'll be heading to pre-K on Monday. He knows his letters and can count to 10. (He might teach them a thing or two) He loves to sing and he LOVES Barney! (and The Wiggles) He knows just which buttons to push to make his sister run screaming out of the room. He thinks his brother is the best thing (besides Barney). He'll come up and bear hug you just because. He's the little boy every mother wishes for and I'm the mother who got him. How lucky I am!!!!!

Halloween Party

Sawyer's Down Syndrome playgroup had their Halloween Party today. It was a nice day and we had a very good time. I think Judson was a bit disappointed there were no older kids and Ansley was very restrained. She does good in small groups but when there are a lot of people all speaking English at the same time, she seems to retreat. I don't think she can understand and it scares her. Here are some pictures of the tooties.


Does this outfit make me look like Phil Fulmer?
Please tell me this is just a dream!
Elephant Boy

Win a Monkey, Save a Life

Check out this blog. You might be moved to help.
http://www.cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Judsonisms

Life with a 5 year old boy is always interesting. Add to that, this 5 year old boy is a very literal boy. He does not understand the nuances of language. If you say "it's raining cats and dogs out there", he's going to look out the window to see how many cats and dogs are falling from the sky. So here are few of the funny things our little 5 year old says:

1) Mommy: (after many many MANY requests for Judson and Ansley to stop the "yes I am, no you're not" conversation) "Judson and Ansley please stop, you are acting like all you have is Stricklin blood in you because all you do is argue"
Judson: "Ansley has more Stricklin in her than I do" (he might be right)

2) Judson: (a dirtier boy, you've never seen) "Do I have hair growing on my back"
Mommy: What?
Judson: I've been playing with the doodles (our dogs) for a WHOLE hour. I want to become a dog. Do I have hair growing on my back like a doodle?


3. Judson: I have Up Syndrome
Mommy: What's Up Syndrome
Judson: That's when you are 5 but you look like you are 6.

4. Mommy: Where was Judson born?
Judson: Georgia
Mommy: Where was Sawyer Born?
Judson: Georgia
Mommy: Where were Mommy and Daddy born?
Judson: Tennessee and Florida
Mommy: Where was Ansley born?
Judson: Taiwan
Ansley: No, Ansley born in 'ennessee
Judson: No, you were born in Taiwan
Ansley: No, 'ennessee
Mommy: It's okay, Judson. She can say she was born in Tennessee
Judson: But Mom, she was born in Taiwan. Ansley, you were born in Taiwan.
And thus, another debate began between the two.


5. Mommy: Judson, what is 100-5?
Judson: Mom, I've been knowing that since I was 2. (eyes rolling and exasperated sigh) It's 95!

Thus goes the life of the mom of this 5 year old.

Buddy Walk, Great Time! (long)

Buddy Walk is history for 2007! What a beautiful day. We had such a great time. We couldn't have asked for more. There were so many people there and we all had something in common, which made talking with strangers very easy. The kids jumped in the moon walk thingy. They danced to the music and walked the 'buddy walk' and received their medals for doing so. There was also a folk band playing, which included Chris Burke. If you recall the Life Goes On television show many years back, Chris was the brother with Down Syndrome. It was interesting to hear his story. When he was born, the doctors told his parents he'd never learn to read or write or even speak. The doctors also told his parents to put him in an institution. (they of course did not do that) They had to put him in private school because he was not allowed in public schools. He proved the experts wrong as have many other people with Down Syndrome.

To date, DSAA has raised over $144K. Last years donations totaled over $170K. They are accepting donations through the end of October and I think they will probably beat last year once all is said and done. Our family raised $770! Thank you to all who donated. We really appreciate it.

The reason we do this! And the many other folks who joined in!

All 3 of our tooties!

We Got It, Tra La La La La!!!!!

The last piece of the puzzle for Ansley's adoption was her Certificate of Citizenship. We applied in late July (right before the price increase) for her CoC. We received word that they did get our application and it could take up to 1 year to process. I was told some folks actually had to go to their Homeland Security Department and appear in person to receive the certificate. Imagine my surprise when the mail person asked me to sign for a package today from USCIS (Division of Homeland Security). Inside this package was the most beautiful piece of paper stating our little girl was now (and forever more) a citizen of the United States of America!

So we are through. No more adoption paperwork. Although, they tell me we need to check with Social Security to make sure her status is listed as 'citizen' and not 'permanent resident'. In other words, maybe I'm not quite through after all. But, I'm close!!!!!!

Last Buddy Walk Update

Buddy Walk is in a couple of weeks. There's still time to donate if you wish. We're over $600 now! What an awesome group you are!!!!!!

By credit card, go to this site:

http://buddywalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=237018&supId=182868676

You may instead send a check made out to DSAA. Please put Sawyer Stricklin in the Memo/For section. You may either send the check to us or directly to:
Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta
Attn: Buddy Walk
4355 J Cobb Parkway, #213
Atlanta, GA 30339

If there is a Buddy Walk in your area, I encourage you check it out. You will meet a wonderful group of people. (not just people who have 1 extra chromosome but their families and friends, too).

In a day and age, where people are offered pre-natal testing (not for preparedness but for purposes of terminating pregnancies), it's good to see what 'real life' is for people of all abilities.

Check out some pics of the kids.

My little Fashion statement and her sidekick (See previous soapbox post)
Judson has been sick for a week. (Darn MMR shot! But yesterday he said he felt like he did before he got the "MRM" shot. Thank goodness. Men of all ages are just not good patients, don't you know)

On My Soapbox (Again)

Okay. People go through stages in their lives. Right now, my children are young. I haven't made it to the PTA stage or the Soccer Mom stage. I am in the Home School stage with Judson, Down Syndrome Stage with Sawyer and the Adoption Stage with Ansley. So, when something in one of these three categories comes up, I notice.

I get a bit peeved when a certain clothing maker puts out a t-shirt that says, "Adoption, the next black". In other words, when in doubt (fashion-wise) wear black such as "the little black dress"; "black tie", etc. So if you adopt, you'll be 'in style'! If t-shirt logos hack me off, just imagine when I read that on The View (I do NOT watch that show) they made a statement that once it was fashionable to adopt from China, now it's fashionable to adopt from Africa, saying something like African adoption is like the latest Louis Vitton (sp) bag. So what happened to all the children adopted from China, were they cast away/put in the closet/sent to Goodwill now that they are no longer 'fashionable'? My daughter is not some accessory like some handbag or tshirt or pair of shoes. She is a living, breathing, human being!

Let me give you some statistics: (2005 stats since the UNICEF page only has #'s for that year)

According to USCIS (they issue visas for people coming into the US), In 2005, they issued 7906 visas (For orphaned children) coming into the US from China. In that same year, they issued 441 visas for orphans entering the US from Ethiopia. (Liberia made the list at 183 visas issued in 2005) Let's put that into perspective. In 2005 (according to UNICEF), China had a population of 352,718,000 children under the age of 18. Of that number, 20,600,000 were orphans. In Ethiopia in 2005, there were 29,792,000 children under the age of 18. Of that number, 4,800,000 were orphans. Liberia has similar numbers. (By the way, the US didn't even have numbers on orphans on the UNICEF website.)

You do the math. Adoption is NOT a fashion statement. It's not even a drop in the bucket. You don't go through the mounds of paperwork and red tape it takes to adopt a child (domestically or internationally) to make a fashion statement. PERIOD. You do it, first, because that is how you choose to grow your family. You choose the country from which you adopt, because for some reason you are drawn to it. Sometimes at first, it's purely because of the fit. (cost, qualifications, etc.) Sometimes it's because you are drawn to the people and the culture. You go thru many questions/self-evaluations: Can I parent a child who is racially/ethnically different than I? How do I feel about this child's heritage? Can I help him/her to be proud of their heritage/looks? Yes, there are some folks who are out to 'rescue' the poor children. Take a look at those numbers again, rescuing via the adoption route is NOT going to work. What really needs to happen (for those interested in rescuing) is topic for another Soapbox post.

Sometimes as an Adoptive Parent(AP), you feel like you are a vulture or something. Sitting around waiting for something bad to happen to someone, so that you can grow your family. Take a look at the statistics. You don't have to sit around. Bad things do happen. As AP, we may have helped one little girl but she has added way more to our family than we ever will be able to do for her. So my response to the ladies on The View, "You are all idiots if you believe people adopt to make a fashion statement!" Anybody who tries to adopt without putting more thought into the adoption than they would in deciding on a purse, will not make it thru the adoption process.

Whew. I'm better now. I just had to vent. My next soapbox post will probably be about home schooling. I don't even tell folks we are home schooling much. Oh the comments one gets when you open up that can of worms!

We've been busy

Building play areas and tweaking bedrooms. Here's our latest handy work. (Yes, there's still more to do on the play area but the kids love it already)

Randy designed and built (with the help of his dad) this fort. The kids are loving it. The slide is so fast that we have to hold the babies as they go down or they shoot right off the end and skip across the ground on their bottoms.

Inspiration

Sometimes as you walk through life you stumble upon people who inspire you for one reason or another. (Spiritually, emotionally, physically) I have found one of those people. I don't even know her name but I see her at the gym every time I am there. I asked someone about her and this is her story.

She is preparing to go to her 50th class reunion. (I'll let you calculate her age) She's only been coming to gym for 2 years. She comes as often as her ailing husband's health will allow. She's a sprite of a woman. I doubt she even weighs 100 pounds. I suspect she suffers from osteoporosis. Her personality is bubbly and cheerful. She always speaks to everyone. She has the energy of my two sixty pound doodles! I have watched her zoom thru an aerobics class with as much energy as the teacher. I have seen her do body sculpting classes with weights heavier than people, much younger than she is, are using. (Okay, much heavier than I use. There, I said it.) The tone in her arms are what we all are striving to achieve. In her pilates class, she is one of the few that can do a one arm-one leg plank. (I don't even pretend to do pilates!) She is a force of nature. I am constantly amazed and inspired by her.

So on days when I really don't want to go to the gym or am tempted to go easy on myself, I see her and realize I have no excuses. Just thought I'd share.

Singin' in the Rain and other stuffs

It doesn't take much to make a child happy. Sometimes I think we, as parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc, forget that. While trying to keep up with the Jones', we forget just to spend time with our children and let them enjoy being kids. They don't need the latest gadget or the newest styles in clothing. They need to feel loved and safe and well. So here we go trying to lead a 'simple life'. (of course, we still have to watch Barney and Wiggles way more than I'd like. So we still have room for improvement in living that simple life.)

Judson has been wanting to play in the rain FOREVER. Not sure why. It's just something he has mentioned multiple times. Believe it or not, I don't own an umbrella. Let's face it, 3 kids, diaper bag, purse, stroller, etc, just don't lend themselves to carrying an umbrella. So I found a kids umbrella for Judson and some cheap puddle jumping shoes. (not stylish but quite fun and functional) We finally had a rain where there was no thunder and lightening. This is the result. He had a blast.
Hats! You just can't have enough hats. They must be in all colors and shapes and sizes. And if you don't have one ready, you improvise. Here we are with our 'hats'.




"Boy, is that a panty on your head?" Yes, he is wearing a pull up while he sits on the potty! It was clean, in case you are wondering.

September Buddy Walk Reminder

We are doing great on our Buddy Walk goal. We are over the $500 mark. We hope to raise even more money. If you still want to give, here is how you can do it.

By credit card, go to this site:

http://buddywalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=237018&supId=182868676

You may instead send a check made out to DSAA. Please put Sawyer Stricklin in the Memo/For section. You may either send the check to us or directly to:
Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta
Attn: Buddy Walk
4355 J Cobb Parkway, #213
Atlanta, GA 30339

As always, thank you for your support. Here are a few reasons we do this:

Naum (Now known as Xander) http://chroniclesofhousehold6.blogspot.com

www.reecesrainbow.com (Check out the Homecomings and Sponsor sections)

And of course, our little guy:


He'll do anything for sister, even Tea Party and Dress Up.

Things to Consider

So, you think you want to have children. Here are some things you need to think about before jumping into the kiddie pool.

1) Do you fancy your house being on the cover of Architectural Digest? Forget it. Think more, Farmer's Digest (under Pig Sty) or College Daze (under Frat House). Your main focus while raising your kids will be to keep the house structurally sound. Just keep it standing until you can push all of them out of the house. Then you must rush to re-decorate before they decide to move back in.

2) Do you enjoy dressing in fancy (dry cleanable) clothes? Do you like to look like you just stepped from the covers of Cosmopolitan? Don't even go there. On your very best day (maybe 1% of the time) you might look like you stepped out of the JCPenney catalog. The rest of the time, you don't want to know. Think of it in the same way you think of the house, just keep your body structurally sound and some day you might not have dried up snot, sticky syrup, or worse, stuck to your clothes.

3) Do you enjoy going to nice restaurants with real silverware and dishes? Not going to happen. (at least not very often) Think more along the lines of Happy Meals and play grounds. For nice dining, think along the lines of Mexican. Tile on the floor and lots of music and noise to cover up the sounds of your kids doing what kids do.

4) Do you enjoy watching a quiet movie on tv or reading a good book? Oh you can still do this. You just have to do it when you used to sleep. You see, it's a trade off. Sleep or read? Or if you are like us, you start off reading and fall asleep. (best of both worlds!)

5) Do you like slobbery/sticky kisses? The smell of baby shampoo on wet hair? The sound of true joy when you come home from the gym (having only been gone an hour) and little voices saying, "Mommy's home!"? The sound of laughter? The twinkle in someone's eyes when they learn something new? A hug around the neck for no apparent reason other then they just felt like doing it?

Life is about trade offs. I feel like we got the best end of the deal because nice/clean houses and fancy clothes don't begin to compare to THIS:

More Birthday Pictures

We went to the park to continue our birthday celebration. We had a picnic. As you can see, I worked very hard to prepare our 'meal'. Then we let the kids play until they were too tired to play anymore. They had a lot of fun. Judson and Ansley both made new friends and had a great time. Sawyer is very captivated by babies. So he visited with the babies.

Happy #5!

Judson is turning 5 years old. My little guy is growing into such a big boy! And what a wonderful boy he is. The other night I was putting him to bed and I told him how much I loved him and that one of the reasons was that he had such a big heart. His initial response was "it's just a muscle with a bunch of blood vessels in it". So I explained what 'heart' was. I told him that his heart was so big that he wanted to save the earth and the endangered species and that made me very happy. I also told him how much I appreciated him helping with the babies and how proud I was that he loved them so much. His response was "I love Sawyer 'superman size'. Sometimes I don't love Ansley too much, when she is mean to me" I said, "but you still love her a little bit". His response, "sometimes it's very teeny weeny and you really can't see it". I told him that was alright. He'd learn to love her someday. (I'm hoping) They do love each other so much. Even when Ansley is in timeout and crying (giving one of her Oscar winning performances), Judson will ask if he can go back there and sit with her until she can get out of timeout.

We are celebrating J's birthday this weekend since Nana and Pop are here. Pop is helping Randy build a 'fort' for the kids. We are also making the obligatory 'train cake'. (I asked did he want to buy a cake or make one. He said 'make'. Then I asked (as if I didn't know) what kind. He said a 'train cake'. It's in the 80's outside and football season is starting and my big boy is turning 5. Can't ask for anything more. (OK. I would have asked for UT to win their opener but that would be selfish on my part, ay?) We just opened one gift today, Sunday. He got so enthralled with it, we decided to wait and open some more later. Stay tuned.








Nana and Pop gave him a book on the Universe and one with Bible stories











Fort Stricklin









Like Momma, like son.









"I'm ready for my close up" (Okay, he has nothing to do with anything except he's in our front yard and I liked the picture)