Continued Problems....

Joshua is still having some problems at the bus stop. I wrote an e-mail to the other mother and hopefully things will get resolved this time. It is so hard to see a kid hesitant about going to school. It breaks my heart! Too bad we can't protect our kids from everything. Part of it is a learning experience but it is still hard.

Joshua has always been sensitive. It even bothers him when others are called names on the bus.

We don't allow name calling in our home and he sees it as a big deal. I guess he will have to learn that others are different and some things must be ignored.

It is still hard, we are torn many times on what the right thing is to do.

Where is that instruction book anyway?

Activities!

Well the school year is in full swing. Sign-up for all activities are also happening all this week.

Joshua has already been practicing soccer. I believe his first game is on Sept. 9th. He is signing up for the after school art program, Young Rembrandts. He LOVES it!

Tonight is also Cub Scouts sign-up, another one of his favorites.

Delaney was suppose to sign up for Awanas at church last night but I caught a stomach virus. We will get her started next week. She is excited about Cubbies.

Today is her "meet the teacher" day. Last year, she talked alot about her music teacher. Well, Mrs. Duncan is not only her music teacher but also her teacher this year. She is also in the PURPLE room, her favorite color- life is good;)

Play Time

Joshua pointed out to us last week that we are not very good at taking time to play with them.

He pointed out that I like to watch TV in the evening and Paul likes to play on the computer.

The truth hurt but he is correct!

I promised that night that from now on I will spend 30 uninterrupted minutes spending time with each one of them each evening. 30 minutes does not sound like a long time but it is a start. They can either have me 30 minutes with him/her alone or they can spend the whole hour with me and his/her sibling.

Last night we built a volcano out of play dough and watched it erupt. We also rode bikes out front for awhile.

It really is quite refreshing to have playtime again. A time to focus on our relationship and forget about the chores, etc.

Are you up to the challenge??

More Evil

When I first heard that Mark Karr's ex-wife came forward and said that he never missed a Christmas with them, I knew the man was bogus.

I was not at all surprised that the man was not a match for the DNA found at the crime scene.

Here is another case of a family getting their hopes up only to be scammed. I can't imagine the devastation the Ramsey family must be feeling today. They thought that their 10 years of searching for the killer was over, only to be disappointed.

Not only is he strange but he is also very evil to put the family through this once again!

Evil Personified

Why International Adoption??? It is a question I have been asked on several occassions.

After five years of failed infertility treatments, the last thing we would be able to handle is a failed adoption. Not only financially but especially emotionally.

I believe I was also led to international adoption because that was where my children were. I believe everything happens for a reason.

Dateline presented a show last night called, A Web of Deceit.

The emotions came rushing in as I watched a heartless woman prey on desperate childless couples. She has used the adoption scan many times. It is her job.

The Bible says there are four things never satisfied, the grave, the barren womb, the
thirsty desert and the blazing fire. Prov. 30:15

The desire for a child is a very heavy and heartbreaking burden. To use that desperation to ones advantage is down right evil.

I am not saying that domestic adoptions never have happy endings, there are many.

For our family, international adoption was what we desired and were comfortable with.
Thank you God for leading us in that direction and for the blessing of our two children.

Quote of the week

We are not in this world to see through people but to see people through this world.

Photo For Friday- a little late

Blowing Bubbles!

Delaney has been trying to blow a bubble for a couple of weeks now. Time after time, she would come to me saying, "Watch this mommy!" and no bubble.

Tonight she finally succeeded. We were so excited. Joshua is a little bit jealous that his little sister can do it and he can't. Hey, he can curl his tongue and she can't so I guess they are even;)

My New Present

Last month, our clothes washer quit working. Paul was able to repair it for a Benjamin. Well, it has gone out again.

I guess it is time to say good-bye to our old friend. It has been a faithful servant for 15 years now.

Delaney and I went out yesterday and bought a new one. Of course, you should NEVER seperate mates so, we bought its mate as well.

I get to pick them up on Thursday!!

New Bike!

Joshua has finally outgrown his bike. He has grown so much this summer! The jeans I bought at the end of school are now high- waters.

We bought him a new bike this weekend. I think it is cool looking. Joshua has been practicing riding it. It only has hand brakes so it will take some practice. Joshua said yesterday, "This is like learning to ride a bike all over." Well maybe not that hard but definitely different.

What Love Can Do To You!

Which one has received a lot of love??

As most of you know,Joshua has a stuffed animal that he loves. At seven, I would have thought he would have outgrown it but he hasn't. It is pretty endearing to watch him with "Ellie". He has said that he can't sleep without her.

I had looked on e-bay several times to find a "replacement" if it is ever needed. But have never had any luck. I really don't think a new one could "replace" Ellie but if she is ever lost we were willing to give it a shot instead of having sleepless nights.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the Just Between Friendsconsignment sale yesterday and came across one. Three dollars later, we have a back up! Of course, Joshua will never find out unless it is needed. Delaney is sworn to secrecy;)

Quote of the Week

Character is what you do when no one is watching.

TOO CUTE!

Bus time woes

Well, the no name calling didn't last long. The two boys from the bus stop were calling Joshua names on the bus again. He doesn't remember exactly what was said so I don't feel like going to the mothers without the specifics available.

A friend suggested having Joshua take a mini tape recorder. He could either tape secretly or show them the recorder and ask them to repeat what they said. I have a feeling they would shut their mouths at that point :)

Photo For Friday

Ahh, a brother's job--- torment the lil sister

Barnyard Fun

Joshua had gone to a movie with friends a few weeks back. I told Delaney that once Joshua was in school that we would go see a movie some time.

Delaney reminded me of the fact first thing this morning. We went to see Barnyard. It was a cute movie. It had a few scary scenes with coyotes attacking but other than that it was pretty light-hearted.

I especially loved the fact that there was an adoption story line in it as well. Of course, I am always a sucker for a good adoption story if they haven't ruined it by using incorrect lingo. This one didn't. Sweet!

I still haven't figured out why the boy cows all have udders. I am not a farm girl but I don't think there is such a thing. Oh, well- it is just a cartoon not a documentary!

I recommend this film. Delaney seemed to enjoy it as well.

Ist Day of 2nd Grade

Joshua is off to his first day of 2nd grade. He did a great job getting ready this morning. I am proud of him.

We had a discussion with the neighbors last night. The other kids said that they are unable to remember things from three months ago. The fifth grade boy kept his face covered when we first came in to the house. I wonder why?

We set the rules for the bus stop. No name calling, no chasing someone unless they want to play, and no being mean and disrespectful.

As we talked about specific incidents, the brother and sister were quick to point out which one did the deed. I guess they did remember afterall ;).

I guess Joshua had been scaring the girls with Mummy stories. He is not allowed to talk about scary things at the bus stop.

Joshua still wanted me to go down to the bus stop with him this morning and stay until he was on the bus. He stuck pretty close to me.

Another neighborhood boy that only occassionally rode the bus but was another offender of name calling came to the bus stop. He was informed of the rules as well.

Joshua has been instructed not to call names back if name calling occurs or he will be in trouble.

I sure hope this works out!

Here are a couple of pictures of him this morning. I bet nobody else has a backpack like his:)

The Outsiders!

I watched Primetimes News Series, "The Outsiders" last night.

Last night was about people that surrounded themselves with non-domesticated animals, only to be mauled by them at a later date.

The lead story was about Timothy Treadwell. He lived with Grizzly Bears for 13 years. Ignoring all warnings and not arming himself with even a can of Bear Spray, he was eventually turned on by his beloved animal. Timothy Treadwell

Another story showed a family that had "adopted" a chimpanzee. After the animal showed aggression towards others the authorities took it to a shelter. The family went to celebrate a birthday with their "son" and were brutally attacked by two other chimpanzees. They were lucky as they survived.

One must remember that animals are still animals and still have the inborn animal traits of survival. Even domesticated animals have these traits as well. It is nature. Look at how many people have been mauled by the ordinary house pet.

Love your animals but always remember they are animals.

Dreams, Dreams, what do they mean?

For months, I have been having dreams about aquariums. Very strange! I have owned one in the past but all we have right now is a goldfish bowl in Joshua's room.

These dreams range from me forgetting that we have aquariums and forgetting to care for them to there being mean animals in the aquarium that are killing things to aquariums that spill or break spilling their contents. AHHH!!! Enough already!

Last night in my dream, my mom had found a turtle in a lake that she was wanting to nurse back to health. Since I have an aquarium, I needed to keep it with me. Well this aquarium turned into a room size aquarium. There were alligators, turtles, fish, etc. It had a door that the kids and neighborhood kids could walk through. Amazing how they could open the door without water coming out!! Anyway, Joshua was in there and the alligator was very interested in him. I was calling to him but he was not wanting to come out! Other kids were walking in and out as well and I was responsible for their safety. Maybe I am feeling overwhelmed? Maybe the caring for the turtle has to do with Essie? Very weird!


I also believe that the deceased can comfort us in our dreams. My mom's friend was brutally murdered in 1991. She appeared in one of my dreams years back and told me that she was fine, and to take good care of her best friend, my mom.

Last night, I also dreamed of living in an ancesteral home. My paternal grandmother's (Whom died when I was ~3yrs) spirit was there. She tried to scare us off at first but I resisted and tried to communicate with her. She was amazed that I could actually see her. She said that only those that believed could see her. Paul surprised me when he said, "Your grandmother is here". We had a family reunion at the house and I was amazed to see that other relatives were also tracking her with their eyes. I quickly learned who the believers were.

My grandmother was sad that she had never "known" me. I explained to her that she had died when I was young and that she had been ill since before I was born. She understood and was just happy that we had gotten to meet for a little while. She seemed pleased with my life and was ready to move on.

A message from beyond? Or is Sylvia Browne on Montel Williams too much??

As you can see I have very vivd dreams. I have them every night and remember them 95% of the time.

What about you? What are your dreams?

The Closing of Summer

We had a great time this summer! We were very busy but had a blast.
This Thursday is the first day of second grade for Joshua. We get to meet his teacher tomorrow.

Delaney doesn't start back to school until September 5th. She wants to go to Joshua's school but she will be going to a pre-school in town. Next year, she can go with him as she will be going to full day Kindergarten. She does think that she will be in Joshua's class though. Oy!

Joshua is not very excited to start school. I think it all stems from the fact that there has been name calling at the bus stop. He has even asked me to take him to another neighborhood so he can be at a friend's bus stop. I don't believe in running away from difficult situations. I feel a child needs to learn how to resolve conflicts. Now, if there was terrible abuse, it would be another story.

I allowed Joshua to try to work it out by himself last year. Obviously, it wasn't resolved since he is apprehensive about starting school.

I called the mother of the other children and we are having a meeting tomorrow night to inform the children that we are standing together on the fact that we will not tolerate disrespect amongst our children. It may take some time but with consistency I am praying it will work.

Quote for the Week

Some think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go.- Sylvia Robinson


This is a life lesson that I have been working on for some time. This was really a hard lesson for me during our years of infertility. I had in my mind how I wanted my life to go and I was fighting to keep that control. It was a hard lesson to learn but I know that it is not in my control---but God's. It continues to be a struggle because I am stubborn, but it is so much easier to give it to God! Afterall- "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Photo For Friday

Funeral

Yesterday we had the funeral for Essie. I love that my parents do this. It gives the grandkids a closure and a chance to share memories.

We usually start the funeral by each of us sharing our favorite memory of the animal. We then look at pictures or watch any videos of the pet.

My parents cremate their pets. We proceed outside and place the urn in a grave that my dad has already dug. The kids each take a handful of dirt and place it inside the grave.

We then release balloons to send to heaven while we say good-bye.

It is still hard to believe that she died so young and so quickly.

Joshua has had a lot of questions: Why does God take a dog so young? Why didn't we get to say good-bye?

Delaney says, "I miss Essie".

My parents are now considering maybe getting another dog. They had said initially that they would not. Pets have always been in their lives and they love the companionship. Losing two dogs in one year is pretty rough.

A Father's Dedication

A glimpse of the remarkable father-son bond of Dick and Rick Hoyt (featured on Oprah) and their inspirational journey together in a triathlon and life itself.

Tooth Fairy

We all had dentist visits yesterday. Joshua had a very loose tooth that he has been resistant to having pulled. The dentist told him that the tooth needed to be out by the end of the day.

Joshua never pulled it on his own so I had to before bedtime. It was a breeze.

Joshua went to bed but was still awake an hour later. He had decided that the tooth was his favorite tooth because he had enjoyed pushing on it with his tongue. He wanted to keep the tooth but also wanted the money for the tooth. I told him that the tooth fairy
used teeth to make things and that the money was payment for the tooth.

He insisted (with tears) that we write a note to the tooth fairy requesting to keep the tooth and the money.

He didn't miss the tooth this morning since the tooth fairy had actually written back to him! She said that she needed good teeth to make things out of and since he had such good teeth, she needed to take it. She also told him he was a very good boy!

We are so proud;)

Quote of the week

Worry is a misuse of the imagination. Dan Zadra- Business Executive

Rest in Peace my "sister"

Essie has gotten progressively worse. Her chances of surviving are dismal. My dad is on his way to say good-bye to her as I write this. My mom is working and has chosen to stay there.

Essie was ultimately diagnosed with Leptospirosis. It is a deadly bacteria that is transmitted by either rodents or can be found in stagnant water. It is becoming more prevalent and there is a vaccine for it. Please have your pets vaccinated for this as it is a life threatening disease that wrecks havoc on the body.

I sit here knowing in my heart that I didn't do anything wrong while I was watching Essie for the past week but I still feel a sense of guilt.

Essie was a very gentle and loving dog. My parents had lost their beloved Maggie last July and couldn't bear to be without another furry child in their home. My mom was watching the noon news and they highlighted Essie as their Dog for Adoption on that day. Mom called the place instantly as she knew Essie was the dog she wanted. She called my brother and I after that call and told us that she really hoped that Essie could be her dog. They had to go through an application process (several applied for Essie) and they were the ones selected to be her family.

Now, one year later they are having to lay that precious dog to rest!

Thank you Essie for giving them one full year of lots of love and companionship. You will be greatly missed.

Pray for Essie.

My parents went on vacation in Scotland last week. They had a great time and enjoyed the cooler weather there.

While they were gone, I was responsible for looking after their dog, Essie and taking care of their flowers.

I have watched their animals in the past and never had any problems. They took vacations when their elderly dog, Maggie was very old and nearing death and she always managed to do well under my care.

Essie is a young Australian Shepard dog. She is so sweet!

Essie was her normal self the first 6 days but on Wednesday she didn't seem herself. She seemed depressed. Joshua even commented that she wasn't acting right and that she must be missing Papa and Nana.

Was it the extreme heat?? Was it that she was lonely? I wasn't sure. After petting her, I found that she had a lot of ticks on her. I spent about 20 minutes pulling off about 30-40 ticks off of her. Maybe, she was hurting as there were quite a few and her skin was pretty irritated when I pulled them off. She also seemed to bleed quite a bit when I pulled them off.

My parents made it home safely last night. They called me once they were home and said that Essie wasn't acting well at all.

Evidentally, she had declined a great deal since I had seen her the day before. They said that she was barely even able to walk.

They took her to the emergency vet clinic. She seems to have Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever. She stayed overnight and is currently at another vet receiving plasma at this time. She was already going into Liver and Renal failure. Her bleeding times are off so she needs the plasma. She is dehydrated, has a fever and elevated WBCs. My parents said that she is looking better this morning.

Thank you God that my parents came home last night as I would only have went to take care of her again this afternoon. Most likely by then, she would have passed away.

Please hold this precious "sister" of mine in your prayers.

Photo For Friday

Have you met your twin in this world?

They say everyone has a twin in this world. Have you met yours? I saw mine when I was in Dallas and I was a lot younger. She looked a lot like me, it is so surreal to see someone like yourself and it occurs when you are not looking in the mirror.

Last week at Korea camp, Delaney was mistaken on more than one occassion for someone else. Her mother made me aware that the girls looked alot alike.

Her daughter happened to be in lower camp so I was able to see her most of the day. At times, I caught myself staring at her because it was like I was looking at Delaney. I probably scared the poor child. I think she was aware of me watching her because every time I tried to sneak a picture, she turned her head. (Reminds me of Delaney).

Her mother attempted to get a picture of Delaney but was turned down by her on more than one occassion. I think after awhile, Delaney believed she had a "stalker". I guess one time the mother appoached her, Delaney asked for me.

We attempted to get a picture of them together but they also share personalities so it was impossible to obtain.

Paul did happen to snap one picture of them together before Delaney left the stage. Prior to their performance at the end of camp, Delaney had informed me that she wasn't going to do it. She kept to her word and chose to sit down on the steps and smile at everyone while the rest of the kids performed...sigh!

We did check out birthfamily information since the girls are so similar. Nope, they are not related.

Four Things about me... Things you may not have known about

I have been tagged-


Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Simple Simon's Pizza
2. Target
3. Nurse Manager/Staff Nurse/Dialysis Nurse/ICU Nurse
4. Dossier Coordinator


Four Movies I have watched over and over:
1. Life is Beautiful
2. Always
3. Return to Me
4. Somewhere in Time

Four places I have lived:
1. Bixby, OK
2. Broken Arrow, OK
3. Galveston, TX
4. Tulsa, OK

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Survivor
2. House
3. Amazing Race
4. Trading Spaces

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Chicago
2. Las Vegas
3. Seoul, Korea (do adoption related count??)
4. Kiev/ Zhytomyr, Ukraine

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Penne Gorgonzola - Johnny Carinos
2. Chicken Bryan- Carrabas
3. Filet Mignon with Baked Potato
4. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Italy
2. Touring Europe
3. Watching a great movie
4. Spa day

Four people who will respond:
1.Those that love to blog
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?

In God We Still Trust - Diamond Rio

This is a "homemade" music video for Diamond Rio's song In God We Still Trust.

Quote of the week

Change your thoughts and you change the world.

-Harold R. McAlindon, writer

Belated Photo for Friday

The kids love dressing up as Ancient Egyptians. This is from the last time they were at their grandparents. They are there now spending a few days there before school starts up again.