Let's Go for a Ride!

WordFul Wednesday
For his birthday, Mike and his family bought Javin a giant Tonka truck! He loves that thing, and when ever we go outside to play he runs to it very first. He fills that dump truck full of all sorts of thing, but lately his favorite load to push around is his sister. Orissa just giggles and Javin runs faster and faster. There have been a couple of spills, but no harm no foul. I love watching the kids play together. It is so fun to see Orissa old enough to play along with Javin and the cousins.
for more WordFul Wednesday you can visit Angie

After a long respite, I am back!

So, for you who used to come here expecting to read a silly story or see some pictures and hear what ever was on my mind....I am back! I have decided to open the blog back to everybody. I did take a while to come to that conclusion, but I realized I was just NOT having any fun writing without being able to participate in the photo story fridays and the wordless or wordfull wednesdays. I have also come to terms with a few things and had to do some soul searching and not to forget a LOT of praying. One of the major things that I came to realize is that Javin's biological father and his family are part of what makes up my precious boy. He should be able to get to know who they are and have some sort of relationship with them, and it doesn't necessarily have to take anything from my family, but add to it.
Some of you might be thinking, what it took you three years to figure that one out...a bit slow aren't ya? And some of you might be on the other side of this issue, but sufficeth to say I am happy with this realization, and it has brought peace into my heart.
So long live the open blog, and read on my friends, read on!

3 Years Old Already??

(This is Javin one day old with his cousins Kaelyn, Sidney and Nicole.)
(Javin when he had RSV not long after he came home.)
Why did it seem like the three years we were on the adoption waiting list took more like a hundred years, but here we are on Javin's third birthday and those three years have flown by way too fast? It seems like yesterday that we received the call that our baby boy was born and waiting for us to come and bring him home. I remember EVERYTHING about that day. I had gotten up at my usual wednesday time and had hopped on my motor scooter to ride to my shift at the temple. Half way through, the shift coordinator came and told me I needed to call my husband right away. I rushed to the changing room, turned my cell phone back on and saw that I had missed two calls, and it was only 7 in the morning. I completely ignored the messages and called home. To be honest, I was expecting the worst. All Aaron said was that we had a baby boy. (Javin was born on wednesday, he was suppose to come on friday, the birth mom had a induction date set.) I quickly changed into my street clothes and rode, home. I was so happy, tears of joy streamed down my cheeks and impaired my vision. I am still not sure how I made it home in one piece, but I did.
When I got home, we packed a bag and were on the road in less than a half hour. We were both on the cell phones calling everyone in the families and spreading our AWESOME news (incidentally our phone bill that month was oh, 200 more than usual!) We made the trip to the TriCities in record time. After arriving we had to play the waiting game. A few house after we got to the hospital, the social worker brought down pictures of our little boy, my heart physical hurt as I looked at his puffy eyes and swollen newborn face. At that moment the reality set, YES! he is my little boy. I was hooked, attached from that second on.
(Javin's first Birthday!)
(Javin at a year and a half, listening to the iPod.)
(Javin's second birthday...loves cake...yum yum!)
The process has been long and arduous, but I wouldn't trade the end results for any thing on earth. I was love at first sight for Aaron and I both. We have loved every minute of his life with us...even the sick, the stinkies, and the grouchy grumpies.
(Javin at a round 2 and a half playing in the water...his favorite place.)
Javin is such a sweet tender hearted little boy who teaches us new things all the time, as he grows so do we!
(This year's party! I made him his Mamo cake, aka Nemo. Boy was he a happy guy!)
(He had a bit of trouble blowing out the candles...even over heated his lips, got too close to the the candles!)
(I think we did a good job picking out his gift, he was all smiles from ear to ear!)

When the last straw has fallen and the camels back is breaking, what do you do? How do YOU react? Today has been that way for me. I have five kids that are ill or are just getting over being sick. They are cranky and tired and have decided that every item in the house is cause for a fight. I didn't even try to count the number of arguments and pushing matches that have broken out. I tried to take it all in stride. I tried to not freak out when 2 or three of them snuck into a bath room to fill the toilet with paper and toothpaste. I even tried to be calm while lunch broke out into a food fight. But now it is nap time. My time, the time where I am suppose to get to relax...read a book or watch a movie while I do laundry. Oh, but not today, today they have decided to try my patience to the very edge. I think they are looking to find where my "critical mass" is. I put the first one down, she was an easy one. Orissa likes nap time she likes to sleep. Yay, I thought to myself, one down and four to go. I made lunch for the rest,and one by one they got up from the table. In my house, the rule is: if you leave the table, you are ready for nap. I got number two down pretty easily too. She isn't feeling well, so nap was a welcome thing. Then on to number three. She went down a lot easier that she normally does. Woot! Three down and only two to go! Then I realized my first problem, I only had one room left for a napper and two nappers! Oh well, if I lay in the bed between them, they will fall asleep... was oozing with confidence. I had Javin all ready to go. He had taken himself potty while I was putting one of the girls down. I put him on one side of the bed, and the last girl on the other side. She isn't much for falling asleep on her own so she cried for about five minutes, and boom she was out! My heart was filled with joy! Only the little man to go. That is when my house of cards aka my confidence failed me. He fought me tooth and nail. He wasn't going to sleep, no way no how. I was starting to get grumpy when he began yelling at me. "Oh, please don't wake up the Bugs," I begged him. He got louder and more determined. He had found my boiling point and was stoking the fire. I carried him out to the living room and laid him on the couch, hoping with all of me, that he would just fall asleep. No such luck, he screamed, he yelled, and pushed and shoved. By this time all his noise woke up napper 3 and she was thinking she could be up too. I calmly, yet forcefully told her nap time wasn't over and she needed to go back to her room. She was less than happy with me, she stomped and she screamed she moaned and she yelled all the way up the stairs. well, the stomping and other noise woke up napper 4, and let me just say, man does she have a set of lungs on her. Oh joy, now more than half were up and yelling..the last straw had fallen, the pot was ready to boil over..what to do? Should I send myself to time out, count to ten, blast my ipod and ignore it all? All I really wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position and cry.
Instead, I went to each child, one at a time, laid them in their beds and told them it was still nap time. Some took more persuasion, others just need to cry themselves back to sleep(or in Javin's case to sleep for the first time). Kids are cute, God made them that was for a very good reason, so you don't want to murder them when they push you to the stops. As I write this, the frustration has already melted away, and I am left with the wonderful feeling of calm, and peace and QUIET! All is well, all is well! It is a wonderful thing to have a purpose in life and mother and sister and auntie are all wonderful purposes!

Oh Well, What'dya Do!

So I am just going to start this off with: "I know I shouldn't". Javin Loves to take bubble baths, they are right up there with the swimming pool and eating "chachow" aka chocolate. He can play in the bath forever, if he was allowed. Today he had a bit of a potty training accident, so it was off to the bubble bath. I filled the tub as he play happily in the water. Things were going great, then I noticed that there were several messages on the phone. After listening to them I decided it would be a great time to make the Dr. appointment for Orissa. I walked out of the bathroom, Javin is a very loud bather, and made the appointment. Great! Another of the things on my list done! Then I looked around me and realized the living room really needed to be straightened up. I checked on Javin, he was still happily, if not loudly having a blast. I clean the room, sat down to the computer..listening all the while to his bath time fun. "He is still having fun, maybe I could really quickly check my facebook." Two minutes later Javin comes running out of the bath room buck naked, saying in his cheeriest voice, "Ommy I done, I done! All wet, done." My response to that was, "great! But you forgot your towel, lets go get it and get you all dried off!" He ran ahead of me, got to the bathtub, turned around and said, Ah Oh, Ommy! All wet." He had put all and I mean all the towels into the bath tub with him! All really was wet.

Beings that this was all my fault for not checking on him sooner...or I suppose if you want to get technical, for allowing him to bath by himself...I couldn't very well be angry with him. I calmly walked out to the living room, got the camera and took a picture or two, or five!

Once he was all dried off, he hopped up on the toilet, and went potty. I in turn decided to let out the bath water and try to get most of the water out of the towels. As the bubbly water began to drain, javin got all teary eye and said, "Ommy my bubbles, all gone! No bye bye bubbles."

Our Orissa Is One Year Old!

( Then...
and now)
It is so hard to believe that a year has passed since Orissa was born. I remember looking at the pictures of her tiny little frame in the hospital, thinking she had to be the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I yearned to hold her, and give her my heart. Now here we are, sharing everyday together. I love watching her learn and grown and explore. She has become such an adventurous little girl. She chases her brother all over the living room, just trying to be right where he is. Orissa just wants to be in the mix, the center of everyones attention, and it is so adorable.

She had a wonderful party, and she wasted no time digging into the cake. Auntie Carrie and all her brood were able to be there via the web cam, Clancy, Monica and the girls, Megan and Shaylee, and Mum and Da were all there to celebrate with us and sing to her...we will not be quitting our day jobs anytime soon =).

Her latest thing is crawling to the stairs, getting to her feet, hands on the second step, and then she looks all the way to the tops and yells at them. She wants so very much to follow Javin, Grace and Livi up there. Oh, she also LOVES to crawl on top of the Mr. Potato Head tin and holler at it. She gets high centered and doesn't know how to get back down...very cute and very funny.


Her laugh is contagious and once she starts, so does everyone else. Orissa is such a precious girl, and we are so grateful that Denise and Paul have allowed us to be her mommy and daddy. She has completed our family. We are so thankful for all of her gramma's and granpas...she has three sets, and all the auntie and uncles and cousins who have shown so much love for her too. She along with Javin are our world!

snow, SNOW and well, more sNoW!

I have been neglecting the blog a lot this winter season. The reason in three words: SNOW snow SnOw! We have been bogged down by the white stuff. In fact, we are one of just a few cities to have record breaking snow falls. I cannot tell you just how many times our drive way has been shoveled out...oh I long for a snow blower. I think I have shoveled close to 20 times and Aaron has done it at least 12 times. There is so much snow on the ground that Javin can no longer really play in it. He gets buried every time he tries to leave the nicely shoveled paths. Orissa really isn't fonnd of the wet white stuff, and every time we take her out in it, she lets us know just how she feels about that! We are expecting more snow this night...anywhere between 3 to seven more inches, and then more on thursday and possibly more on friday.

Oh there have been a few ups due to the snow. Aaron has been home more often the last couple of weeks. The boss has sent them all home early 3 times and even cancelled work one day. The kids are really loving having Daddy home so often. It will be hard to go back to regular length days when the winter finally abates. I have still been able to get my exercise on the days I can't make it to the gym. Shoveling snow is great cardio, as long as you don't have a weak heart=-D So, I have made a point of getting out and shoveling before Aaron has a chance.
During winters like this one, I am even more grateful to have a roof over my head and heat to keep my family warm. And really, I don't mind the snow, as long as I don't have to drive in it too much. In fact, I think it is so beautiful as it falls in those big fluffy flakes. Javin LOVES watching it, he says, "Ommy look, it no-wing, you see Ommy it no-wing. I yike the no!" Sometimes, we just sit at the living room picture window and watch the flakes fall. I love to see his eyes light up and a huge grin fills his face. The joys of being young, or watching your young ones experience life...there truly isn't any thing better than that!