Visit to Nana and Pop-Pop

Let me just start off by saying, there are too many pictures to post at one time. So come back again later this week and I'll post some more.

We had a great time in Alabama. The children had a great time playing together. Judson went fishing with 'just the guys' and he caught the most fish with his new fishing pole. (However, he was not real happy when he found out what happened to the fish. He has a very tender heart.) Sawyer loved their dog and the their lawn mower and their tractor. He just might be a country boy?!?! Ansley was scared of the dogs but loved the 'animals'. (aka, COWS) She also ate up all the attention but you could tell she wasn't 100% comfortable in the situation. I'm not sure when that feeling will go away with her (IF it will go away). It made me sad sometimes to see the lost look on her face, as if she didn't understand this was just a visit and she was going to come home with the rest of us.

Enjoy the pictures! (you s/b able to click on the image to make it larger)

That's the expression on Ansley that made me sad.

Judson and Abigayle playing.Judson and Pop-Pop.
Sawyer, The Lawn Mower, and The Dog
More pictures later.

Orphan Update

A few months ago I told you about 2 orphans in need of adoption. They have found their forever families.

Louinard, from Haiti, will be moving to Minnesota! His new mommy and daddy have been able to visit him. They sent back pictures (I am not able to post them) and let me tell you, that little boy is one handsome guy. He was sick while they were there but they were able to keep him in the hotel with them. The downside to visiting your child before the court has approved the adoption is, you have to leave without your child. To top that off, Haiti's court system is not fast. It could be 6 more months before they bring him home. In a country like Haiti, where money and health care are in short supply, that can be a very scary wait.

Naum, from Ukraine, is coming home! His family is over there right now going through the courts. The Ukraine court process can take about 4 weeks. The family will be there the whole time. Then they can bring that beautiful boy home.

Anyway, I love happy endings and thought I'd share these two wonderful stories. Keep your fingers crossed that Louinard can get home soon. And visit www.reecesrainbow.com to see pictures once they get home. (Under the HOMECOMINGS tab).

HELP, I've been tagged.

OK. I've been tagged. In the blogger world, that means I have to now tell you 8 random facts about me. Here are the rules (which I must post prior to writing my facts):
Here's what I have been "tagged" to do:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged, and to read your blog.

Facts:

1) I used to talk like a yankee. It's true. (Or so I'm told) When I was younger, we lived in Illinois and when we moved back to the dear old south, I had a northern accent. So, you don't believe me? Ask my parents.

2) in a million years, I would have never said I would be a stay-at-home mom and be enjoying it. Never. Didn't really care if I had kids or not. Now, OMG, I cannot imagine doing anything else. It is the perfect job. (Okay, so they aren't teenagers yet. Let me enjoy it while I can)

3) I'm terribly afraid of heights. I absolutely hate looking out over the edge of mountains. I never go to the edge to look down into valleys. Don't care if I ever see the Grand Canyon. I also hate balconies. It doesn't bother me to fly though. The irony is, I love vacationing in the mountains much better than going to the beach. Go figure.

4) My husband and I have a 'mixed' marriage. Yep, he's and Auburn fan, and I'm a Tennessee fan. Somehow, we make it work. We just keep our fingers crossed that our children don't become Georgia or Florida fans!

5) I can't dance, sing, or play a musical instrument. I have no artistic abilities. I really don't have much athletic ability either. That bothers me. Now, it's not the worst thing in the world but geez, you look at my family and you wonder, how could you not get any of those things? Ahhh. but life goes on.

6) The best thing I ever did was leave Tennessee. I would have never met my husband had I not left. He is my soul mate!

7) Favorite food: Corn

8) I hate chain letters. So don't worry, I won't be 'tagging' anyone else. Just thought I'd share a few odd facts about me.

Good Week

Not much going on. We are getting ready to go visit Nana and Pop soon. That will be exciting! The pics are of our favorite afternoon past-time, watching Curious George (or Calliou) and eating popcorn. Also, Judson has a tomato plant (no one in this family will eat tomatoes). It has not produced many tomatoes but we check it everyday and water it too. We cannot fertilize it or put bug spray on it, since it could harm the wildlife and pollute the ground water. Yes, he's been reading the Eco-Kids website.

Dog Days of Summer

Can you say H-O-T? Whew! It is definitely summer time in the South. Lots of iced tea and banana popsicles are being consumed. Thought you'd like to see the pictures.

As usual, Ansley has on 3 layers of clothing.









Also, we are slowly getting the backyard 'kid friendly'. We were setting out stepping stones leading to the swing set and decided to add a personal touch. Whatcha think? Cute, ay?

Mom's Musings

Just thought I'd write the thoughts going thru my head:

1) Every mom needs a Krystal Kompanion. I mean, who wants to eat Krystals all alone? Well, I have mine in the form of Sawyer! Yep, the little bugger likes them. Of course, his have to be plain. Between Sawyer's heart issues and my weight issues, we don't eat them too often but it sure is nice to have a cohort.

Speaking of Sawyer, he had his Early Intervention 6 month review. Can you believe the little guy had already met his yearly goals? So we set more goals for him. He's a wonderful little boy who loves to learn. He is always trying to keep up with big brother and little sister too.

2) Every mom needs a bossy little girl with an exceptional giggle.

Speaking of Ansley, why is it both Randy and Judson are constantly calling me Ansley? Don't answer that question! I swear she can't help herself. Sawyer will be on the potty with Mom saying, "Come on Sawyer, put poo-poo in the potty". Then little miss bossy pants, will say (while making straining sounds for demonstration purposes) "Sawyer, poo-poo, potty, okay?" Now she has not once EVER poo-poo'd in the potty but she feels qualified to give instructions! It's like that constantly with her. But then there are times when she starts that giggling and you can't help but smile. She is so happy and proud that it just bubbles out of her.

3) How is it Judson does not have to go potty when he wakes up in the morning? He absolutely cannot go to the bathroom when he first wakes up. Sometimes it might be an hour or more before he goes. What is his bladder made of?

He is such a wonderful kid. From the time he wakes up, till the time he goes to bed, he never stops talking or asking questions. Questions like: "why can't you touch the sun at sunset" (when it looks like it's sitting right on the horizon) "why did Christopher Columbus not know that N. America was there" (On his way to find a new route to the Indies) "when did Abraham Lincoln die" "do we need green rain or red rain" (ever looked at a weather radar. he does.) One of the cutest questions of today, "when you dream, do little bubbles come out of your head" (As in cartoon drawings showing someone's thoughts).

Have a good day! I certainly am having a good one.

4th of July and other stuffs (lots of pictures)

Here's a mix of 4th of July pics and some other everyday pictures also. We took the kids to the parade this year. They had a great time as did Mom and Dad. Judson and Mommy made the coordinating shirts!

Judson was completely amazed at the guy on stilts. This guy bent over backwards almost into a back bend position. (I was too amazed to think to click a picture of that trick.) I couldn't get a good read on Ansley. Not sure if she liked anything or loved everything. I think she was overwhelmed by the people and activities. Sawyer LOVED the bands and music.Mom loved the National Anthem. The guy who sang it did an awesome job. I also loved the bagpipes.

Dad loved all the old cars.

I can't say enough about the many veterans who were marching in the parade. Thank you for serving our country.

I'm also including pictures of Judson building a wind mill and riding his bicycle as well as Sawyer and Ansley just being Sawyer and Ansley. What you need to know is that Ansley's wardrobe ensemble includes her 'day clothes' covered by 2 night gowns. She is constantly going thru her dirty clothes putting on several layers. (I swear it goes back to the old country where they always layer clothes on the kids) As you can see, Sawyer was trying the layered look also.