Happy Birthday Son!

Today was Joshua's 7th birthday. It is so hard to believe that my baby boy is already seven. He has changed so much this year and also grown so much this year.

My Dad and Mom bought him glasses for his birthday. They also gave him my mother's old guitar. He has been asking for one. He received it last night after a special night out with them. This morning I woke up to him on his karoake saying, "Joshua Gottes! and then he played his guitar into the microphone. He has really been studying the sounds that he can make with the guitar. It would not surprise me one bit if he comes up with a song by himself. He has been very intense with playing it.

We took him to El Chico after church today. He enjoyed that. When we got home he opened his gift from us, the King Tut clock. He has been wanting for a couple of years now.

We had also agreed to paint his room for him. He was wanting murals of Egyptian scenes. Paul came up with a better plan. Offer Joshua the choice of a sarcophagus he has been wanting or get his room painted. As you can see, Joshua chose the sarcophagus. I guess we got out of the chore of painting :).

I know, not typical presents for a 7 year old, but then again Joshua doesn't seem to be the typical kid.

He gets to take cupcakes to school tomorrow for a mini party.

He gets his "kid" party with friends on Thursday. Lots of celebrating!

Vietnam License

The adoption agency that I work for received their adoption license from Vietnam today. Great news!!

I am currently training to process Vietnam and India dossiers. I have a feeling we are getting ready to be very busy!

There is one family that started the process before it closed four years ago and now they can finally bring their boy home. He is now 5 years old!! Thank God he finally gets to come home to his forever family!!!

ACLS - Over!

As a critical care nurse, I have to maintain my certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. In the past, the renewal class was basically a torture/ intimidation class to see if they could unnerve you. It was very cruel!

Things have changed in recent years and it is not bad at all. But why do I stress over this renewal every two years? I study like a fiend as if I am learning it for the first time. Mind you, I have been current on this since 1991. After 15 years, you would think it would not be stressful. Maybe it is post traumatic stress syndrome?? I saw a lady that had been a nurse for a long time stressed to the max yesterday.

We all passed with flying colors and once again I walked away thinking, "That wasn't bad at all, why must I stress myself out over it every single time!"

I guess I can relax now for another 2 years!

Help Feed a Child

Joshua was adopted from the Zhytomyr Children's Home in Zhytomyr Ukraine. When we met him at 4 months old, he was a skinny 11 lbs. He was unable to hold his head up for the first couple of days with us. I am not sure if this was from lack of holding or weakness from lack of nutrients.

When we visited him once, we were able to feed him. The glass bottle was so hot that I had to use a rag to be able to hold the bottle. The babies that are fed first get the HOT bottles. Joshua didn't seem to mind (although it scared me to death). In fact, he had to have all his bottles really warm before he would drink it.

Formula transition was very difficult with him. At the orphanage, we were told that he was being fed a formula made of corn sugar. It obviously was very sweet as he refused our bland American formula. We had to go to the market and buy some foriegn Nestle formula. It has nutrients but is also sweeter than our formulas.

Zhytomyr is being helped by an organization called Life 2 Orphans. "http://www.life2orphans.org/zhitomir.htm"

One mother that has a daughter from Zhytomyr is wanting to have a special fund raising event to feed the children. "http://www.life2orphans.org/zhitomir_files/food_drive.htm"

For $5.43, you can feed a child for an entire month! What a great feeling to provide a child with nourishment that their little bodies need.

Eastern European

We had an Eastern European event last night at Incredible pizza. We had a pretty good turn out and had a lot of fun. The kids and I enjoy this place. It is better than Chuck E. Cheese in my opinion (I know-- not too hard to beat). It has a pizza/salad/dessert buffett. It also has bumper cars, bowling, putt- putt golf and a race track in addition to the video games. Paul prefers Chuck E. Cheese. He prefers to play the race car video games. Although he did discover a play shooting range that he enjoyed. Some of the characters in it would shoot a large stream of water at other players if you hit the target. Paul found one that would shoot water at someone on the opposite end. Thus, he would wait until some unexpecting little kid would approach and he would have fun with them. I know, kind of cruel but very funny as well :)

They are home!

The kids arrived home yesterday afternoon! I was so happy to see them. Judging from the smiles on their faces and the strength of their hugs, they were happy to see Daddy and Mommy also.

They had a wonderful time at Grandpa and Grandma's house. They were full of stories to share of all that they had done while gone.

Paul has the "Jaws" music on his computer and he began playing it when he heard the car door shut outside. It was quite comical.

I am in heaven as I listen to the morning chatter in my kitchen. God is Good!

My Young Rembrandt

Joshua has been taking an after school art program called Young Rembrandts. He absolutely loves it and has taken almost every session. He loves to draw, esp. Egyptian images.

I was looking in the school's hallway at the posted art work from his class. When I saw this picture, I figured it must be from an older student. There was no name on it. Much to my surprise, it was Joshua's art. Not bad for a first grader!

Busy Week!

What a busy week! I have been working every day this week either doing my filing job at Dillon or learning my new job at Dillon. In the evenings, Paul and I are taking advantage of being childfree by either going out on dates or going out with friends.

I spent several afternoons this week helping to make the Matryoshka Doll for Eastern European heritage camp. We make a doll that is about 5 feet tall and then allow the kids to put their handprints and names on it each year at camp. It is really cute and the kids enjoy it!

Last night, Paul said that I seemed a little grumpy. I think I am starting to really miss my babies. I miss hearing their sweet voices and getting their hugs. Sunday can't come soon enough for me.

Spring Break

The kids are out of school for Spring Break this week. They have gone to Kansas to stay with the granparents.

On Friday, I had a parent/teacher conference meeting with Joshua's teacher. She says that he is more than ready for second grade. He has tested out of reading class now and is actually reading like a second grade 5th month level. Great thanks to his teacher, Ms. Causey and reading teacher, Ms. Bottoms!
Ms. Causey said that Joshua is well liked and seems very intelligent. Way to go Joshua!!

The weekend has been rainy. Praise God!!! We really needed it.

It was raining so much Sat. morning that Joshua's soccer game was rained out. (Picture is from previous game). Although I love watching his games, I welcomed the rain.

I was cancelled from work last night so Paul and I had a great day and date last night. I love the kids around but I also love the one to one time occassionally. We actually get to talk and eat without interruptions :)

Since the kids are gone this week, I am going to spend the week training for my new position with Dillon International (our adoption agency). I am going to work under the supervision of my dear friend Rhonda. We are the Dossier coordinators for all the countries besides Korea (they don't require a dossier). I am so thrilled to be working in the adoption field!!

Have a great week!

Circus girl!

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Here is Delaney before her circus performance that you can view above. What a cutie-pie!

Her pre-school has an annual circus performance. The 2- 3 year old classes sing a couple of songs at the beginning of the program. She is in the three year old class this year. You can see her at the left side of the stage. She has a blue and white shirt. She is the beautiful one :)

Seeing Clearly Revisited

Joshua wore his contact in his right eye for two weeks. His vision is fine with it and it doesn't bother him when it is in at all. The problem comes when we need to take it out or put it in. It is an all out war. He can leave it in for a month at a time but he dreads the day that it has to be messed with.

He said all along that he wanted glasses instead. He has friends that have glasses.

My mother said that he could have them as a birthday present from her if he wanted to have them that bad. He REALLY wanted them.

He is very cute in them. Here is a picture of him wearing his glasses and his grandpa's trooper hat.

Congratulations Grandpa!

The hat has been officially passed down to the next generation. Master Trooper Leroy retired from his position after serving 31 1/2 years as a Kansas State Trooper.

We went to Leroy's retirement party yesterday. By the number of attendees, we can tell he was well respected.

Joshua spent most of the time at his grandpa's "Achievement" display. At the end of the party, he inherited his grandpa's hat with the promise that it must stay in our house. Joshua wore it the rest of the party and looked at it often on the drive home.

Congratulations on your awesome work and your retirement! We are so proud of you grandpa!!!

Survivor

When I started watching this year's survivor, I immediately wanted Cirie off the show. If she is a true Survivor fan then she should know not to pick a swimsuit that would require frequent censoring. I mean, come on, the girl is large and I really did not relish the idea of seeing her exposed the whole season!

I have totally changed my mind. The girl is brilliant! She avoided eviction the second week and she is playing the game! She sits back and giggles to herself as the alliances in her group fall apart. I get a kick out of her! She is also a fellow nurse, so she can't be all bad :)

Dan, Dan the astronaut man! I hate to see him go. He was a hard worker just too old to cut it in the challenges. He seemed like a nice guy.

I also like Nick. He seems like a nice guy and not to hard to look at either I might add ;D

Random Thoughts running through my head

Illness, illness, go away. Well I am officially tired of the illness running around in this family. First Delaney was sick with high fevers, I had the stomach virus, and then Paul has a sinus infection. Yesterday, Delaney woke up screaming that her ear was hurting. Her temp. was 102. We went to the doctor and found no signs of ear infection, sore throat or chest congestion. I requested her urine be checked as she has had an increase in accidents. Urine is clean! She is feeling better today, maybe we are on the road to recovery???

Lung Cancer-- I am deeply saddened by the death of Dana Reeves. What a classy lady! The fact that she never smoked and still developed lung cancer really scares me. Yes, maybe it was genetic but it really makes me question whether I want to sit with a dear friend while she smokes. Scary indeed. Tulsa has made all the restaurants smoke free unless there is a special reverse ventilation room. Great news for those that are not wanting exposure to second hand smoke.

Contacts-- Joshua has a difficult time letting me put his contact back in when it comes out. He has been questioning me about why he has to wear contacts when I don't wear mine. He wants glasses but having him in contacts will not only be cheaper but easier. I guess I will have to start wearing contacts more :)

Rain- We are expecting a rain storm tonight. Praise the Lord. Over 5,000 acres burned near us yesterday. It wasn't real close but it just shows we still desperately need rain. Let it pour rain!!!

Amazing race-- I am really enjoying this season. Last night was a good show. I won't ruin it for my Aussie friend that is two shows behind. I will say that Eric and Jeremy have fallen from my favorite list. They obviously have only one thing on their minds and it is not the race. What losers! Go MOJO!

Time with Nana

Delaney has been missing her Nana lately. My mother lives in town but works a lot of hours at the hospital.

Delaney has also been requesting to go to the zoo a lot lately. She loves to look at the animals. We are members so it is a free day for us when we visit it.

Today was BEAUTIFUL and warm so we went to America's Favorite Zoo, the Tulsa Zoo.

A great time was had by all.

Skater Girl!

Whenever I get the chance, I try to consign some of the kids' toys they no longer play with.

The agreement is that if I can sell some of their toys then they can go to the store and pick out one (reasonably priced) toy.

Joshua picked out a Matchbox set that has a Mummy and Anubis statues on it.

Delaney picked out roller skates. She wanted me to help her. Just watching after awhile becomes pretty boring. So, I got my very old skates from High school out of the attic and joined in the fun. She was doing pretty good in her skates. They are the training ones with the locking wheels. She loves them!

Paul was making fun of my skates as he says they look straight out of the 70s. You know the skating rinks with the mirror ball and strobs light. Okay, first of all I am not THAT old but they are from the 80s. Oh the fun I had with those skates!

Seeing Clearly Now

Joshua had vision testing done at his school a couple of weeks ago. They believed that he had a muscle imbalance.

He went to the Optometrist on Wednesday and was found to be far sighted in his right eye. The doctor recommended a contact for the right eye. The contact was placed in his eye and he was not happy about it. He had a pretty rough couple of hours.

Later that night, he said that it wasn't that bad.

Now, he is bragging to everyone about how he is wearing contacts now. What a big boy!

Pharoah Joshua

Today is dress up as your favorite story book character. Joshua loves non-fiction books, Ancient Egypt books in particular.

Joshua chose to dress up as a Pharoah. He makes a mighty cute boy King in my opinion. Move over King Tut, King Josh rules!

Amazing Race 9

The 2 hour season premiere of The Amazing Race was on tonight. I would love to travel the world like they do in the show. What an awesome experience!

My favorites so far:
Eric and Jeremy
Joseph and Monica
Ray and Yolanda.

Jury is still out on the Hippies: BJ and Tyler. Definitely weird but could be a lot of fun.

The Nerds are from where my husband went to school Kansas State. Boy are they nerds, and this kissy kissy stuff is nauseating.

I was happy for the older couple since they made so many mistakes and still came out okay in the end.

By the end of the two hours, I couldn't figure out who was irritating me more: John and Scott or the "Frosties". Luckily one of the teams (John and Scott) was eliminated.

Where do they find these people anyway???

Back Among the Living-- sort of!

Wow, I had a stomach virus last Thursday and felt almost normal by Saturday. Sunday, it returned with a vengeance! After a terrible night Sunday, I slept for 24 hours and now I am back among the living or at least the awake!

Unfortunately, most of the other nurses I work with have also succumbed to this virus.

I really don't have time for this! Joshua has a scrimmage tonight that I plan on watching even if I have to stay in the car.

Of course, maybe this is part of God's way of showing me that I need to slow my life down a little bit!

Mulan

Delaney has never been one to leave hair ribbons, barrettes, etc. in her hair. I gave up after awhile when she was an infant because it only frustrated us both.
Today, she requested to look like Mulan. I put her hair up in a ponytail and she was so proud of it. She showed it off to her daddy when he came home from work. Come to find out, she took them out immediately after I walked out the door to go to work.
Oh well, She is cute either way!

The Girl loves her EGGS!

Delaney loves to eat eggs and requests them most mornings. She wants "two mommy, two eggs". Depending on time constraints, I will fix her eggs. At some point during eating, she will exclaim, "I LOVE eggs!"

This has led me to ponder the following: Are kids born with ingrained cultural preferences?

Delaney loves eggs, sticky rice, fish and tea (the rare times I let her have it).

Joshua LOVES bread! Ukraine is the "Bread Basket of the World".

Is there something to it? What do you think? Am I just over analyzing it?

Of course Delaney would eat 5 slices of Bologna in one setting if I let her. Okay maybe she is part Italian from Bologna, Italy ----Just kidding!

I hate bugs!

Delaney came running into my room yelling "Mom, I have to show you something!"
I hear this usually about 20-25 times a day.
She says "Here is a bug, mom. Throw it away."
It is a small spider that is almost dead but not quite and it is moving! Now that would freak this momma out if it was on me!
She drops it and states, "Mom, I hate bugs!". Yes dear but obviously not as bad as I do! Shudder!

Tiger Cub

Joshua had his Tiger Cub award ceremony on Tuesday. He received his Tiger Cub patch. I am so proud of him. He started Tiger Cubs half way through the year and worked hard to get caught up.

Next year, he will be a Wolf. Paul will be helping out with the Den as last year's den leader will now be the Pack leader.

President's Day

The kids had a great President's Day. We stayed at home and had some friends over.
They played, ate lunch and decorated cupcakes. Since the kids are in school now, they don't get to see each other very often.

This summer they will be moving in to their new home just down the street from us. Joshua is really looking forward to having his friend just a bike's ride away and going to the same school.

After company left, the kids went outside to play on the ice/snow. They had fun slipping down our driveways.

That night Delaney woke up several times complaining of her legs hurting. Wonder why? They both took some pretty hard falls, laughing the whole time.

I was tagged!

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Nurse
2. Manager of Dialysis unit
3. Retail worker (Target and Wal-Mart)
4. Fast Food Worker (Simple Simon's Pizza and Taco Spot)

Movies you would watch over and over:

1. Somewhere in Time
2. Always
3. Life is Beautiful
4. Return to Me
The movies with the best "views" are Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Troy

Four places you have lived:

1. Broken Arrow, Ok
2. Tulsa, Ok
3. Galveston, Tx (very briefly)
4. Bixby, Ok

Four TV shows you love to watch:


1. Survivor
2. Amazing Race
3. Alias
4. Big Brother
Yes, I am a reality show junkie!


Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Las Vegas
2. San Antonio (we were almost stuck there due to 9-11-- we were suppose to fly home that day)
3. Pennsylvania/ Washington D.C./ Baltimore trip
4. Maui


Four websites I visit daily:

1. Dillon International photo page
2. Random Thoughts
3. American Expat
4. Invisible Thread


Four of my favorite foods:

1. Chocolate
2. Chicken Enchiladas
3. Chicken Bryan at Carrabas
4. Red Velvet cake

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Venice, Italy
2. Seoul, South Korea
3. Hawaii
4. Kiev, Ukraine

Four friends I am tagging that I think will respond.....

I won't tag anybody but would love to see the answers from anyone that joins in the fun.

Snow, Snow, Snow-- Ice, Ice, Ice

It has been a very mild winter here in Oklahoma.
The last couple of days we have had sleet and snow. The bad thing about Oklahoma is that the temperature is not cold enough to make just snow, we have to have ice on the roads as well. The temperature heats up enough to melt the snow and then refreeze into ice overnight. This makes the roads difficult. We also don't have the weather equipment that the Northern states have to clear the roads.

Church was cancelled today but unfortunately I still have work to attend this weekend. Luckily the kids are out of school tomorrow for President's Day. We plan on staying home and enjoying some friends over for some inside fun!

Have a great President's Day!

My Life Story

I made Life Books for the kids for Christmas. It is their stories in very simple terms with pictures that tell how they came to be in our family.

Since Joshua is now reading, I thought it might be a great idea to have Joshua read his story to his 1st grade class. He has been very proud of his book.

Today he read it to his class and did a wonderful job. We also took the country flag, Ukrainian money, the newspaper article from Ukraine that is about him and a map.

The kids listened to the story and asked great questions.

I don't want adoption to ever be anything that is viewed as secretive. I figured if the kids always knew that Joshua was adopted then it would never be a big deal.

He received many compliments on his story and even had others share about people that they know that were adopted.

I highly encourage adoptive parents to share with the classmates. It was a very rewarding experience.

We are blessed to have a teacher that agreed to let us share our story since it did state that we had prayed for a child and God led us to Joshua because he was meant to be our son.

One child asked why different countries speak different languages. The teacher asked me to explain it to the students. I said, "From the Bible?" and she said "yes". I told the story of the Tower of Babel and how God developed the different languages.

I also met a prospective adoptive parent that is going through Dillon International www.dillonadopt.com to adopt from Vietnam.

What an awesome experience!

Way to Go Toby "Awesome" Dawson

Toby Dawson won the Bronze medal in Men's Skiing Moguls. He is a Korean adoptee that was adopted at the age of three. He is a great voice and role model for other adoptees. Way to Go Toby!! www.tobydawson.com

The total of medals so far for our three countries are as follows:

Gold Silver Bronze

USA 6 - 2 - 1
Ukraine 0 - 0 - 1
South Korea 1 - 1 - 1

USA is ranked 1st, Ukraine is ranked 22nd and Korea 14th.

AWESOME!!

I went to the Casting Crowns/ Nichole Nordeman concert last night. It was awesome! It was one of the best concerts that I have been to.

Nichole is just as great in person as she is on her albums. What a voice! She was very personable.

Casting Crowns rocked! They all had colds but it didn't hinder their performance in the least. I like them even more now then I did before. They provided an awesome show.

The concert was sponsored by World Vision. http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/master.nsf/home/

Mark Hall was telling about how he has sponsored a child that is the same age and birthdate as his son. I thought that was an awesome idea. I am sure that it is really helping his son connect and understand that there are children out there like him that are less fortunate. He said that they are planning a trip this summer to go play with the sponsored child.

I highly recommend this concert if they are in your area. It was great...I might even say that it was a truly AWESOME experience!

Can you kiss in college?

Paul said that Joshua asked him if you are allowed to kiss girls once you get to college.

Paul told him "yes" and asked if he had a girlfriend. Joshua said, "I don't know" and wouldn't discuss it further.

I asked him later if he had a girl that he liked and that if she liked him. He finally confessed that he does have a girlfriend. She rides the bus with him. She happens to be the 6 year old that was drawing pictures labeled "Joshua in the bath tub" and "Joshua in the hot tub".

We did get the inappropriate drawing issue resolved. She was mad at me for a day or so :)

She is a cute little girl but maybe too advanced for Joshua at age 6! Yikes!

Valentine's Bears

We gave the kids their valentine's day gifts yesterday. We wanted them to be able to play with them a little before the chaos of the weekdays came. They loved them!

Care Bears Live!

Paul and I like to have Boy's and Girl's night out with the kids occasionally. We had one last night.

I took Delaney to see Care Bears Live last night. She thought it was going to be a movie, so she was quite surprised to see that it was a live show. I didn't know how to explain to her what a live show was beforehand. I had tried a little but she started saying, "I don't like bears". So, I went with the movie idea.

We went to her choice of restaurant...McDonald's :). We even splurged and had an ice cream cone for Delaney and a milk shake for mommy. She insisted that I have ice cream as well. She didn't have to twist my arm that hard :). Yummy!

She was very quiet when the Care Bears first started but then she started asking to go onstage. After awhile, she started DEMANDING to go onstage. "I WANT TO GO UP THERE NOW, MOMMY!" Sorry Babe, no such luck!

At intermission, she wanted to buy a Care Bear light. No problem... I have a credit card. Wrong! Cash only. So, I looked to see how much cash I have $9.63. Oops! the light is $10. Darn, I should have skipped the shake.

What is a mom to do? We run back out to the van and I start searching. Well, I find a few cents but still not enough. I open Delaney's cup holder and find 8 cents in there. The sight of mommy taking her precious money, sends Delaney into a tantrum. Ahhh!!!!

So, I take her money anyway, it is for her after all. Then, God is good, I find a whole quarter in the bottom of my purse. Mommy saves the day!!! We run back in and get the most important light (you know, the one that will make its way to the bottom of the toy chest today and be long forgottenby tomorrow).

We return to our seats and Delaney plays with her light for about 5 minutes and then I hear "I WANT TO GO UP THERE NOW, MOMMY!" Ah, the joys of three year olds. Gotta love them!

All in all we had a great evening. Most important, Delaney said she had fun!

Grammys

Congrats to Casting Crowns for Lifesong being Contemporary Christian Album of the year! Just 5 more days until I see them and Nicole Nordeman in concert!

Way to go Kelly Clarkson and Faith Hill!

I was thrilled to see that Kanye West only won in the categories of Rap songs. I only saw part of the Grammys as I was at church but I did tape it. I am hoping he didn't make a fool of himself with any of his views on this awards program. Rap music can have him just as long as he is not awarded in mainstream.

I was watching when they presented the Album of the Year award. It looked as though he was praying. I only hope that he was praying to God and not himself.

Will she sleep in a crib?

Delaney went with me to pick up a new babysitter. I told her where we were going and she asked the following questions:

Are we going to see some babies?

How long is she going to stay?

Will she sleep in a crib?

Obviously she misunderstood. She still enjoyed the "baby" sitter :)

Hurt Feelings.....

Joshua has been playing with our neighbor's children, a 1st grader and 5th grader. Yesterday morning, he told me that they have been calling him "annoying". He was pretty upset by it.

I told him that if they bring it up again that maybe he shouldn't invite them over to play. They love to play over here because Joshua has several motorized vehicles. They come from a family of 9 kids and from what I can tell don't have any powered vehicles.

He came home yesterday and said that he didn't want to play with them that day. The 5th grader called and asked to come over. I explained that Joshua was upset that he was called annoying. I explained that friends don't usually call each other names. He then proceeded to ask if he could play with Delaney instead. :). I told him that I didn't think he should come over for that day.

I told Joshua this morning to tell him that he had hurt his feelings and therefore didn't feel like playing with him yesterday. They share a bus stop at the other child's house so I really hope they can get along.

We did talk to Joshua about the need to be less bossy. He tends to want to be the leader and run the show.

I wish I could protect the kids from harsh words but know that it is all part of the growing experience. It still hurts to see your child hurting. Parenting is definitely not easy!

Valentine's Day

Delaney made this at church on Wednesday. She colored it using both of our favorite color: purple.

She was so proud of it that she immediately exclaimed, "This go on refrigerator!". What an honor! I wouldn't change my refrigerator art for any others in the world.

My Little Man

Joshua has become very concerned about his appearance lately. Earlier this week he requested that I wash some of his darker jeans so as "not to embarrass anyone at school". Last night he wanted to know how he could keep his hair combed to the side throughout the day. So this morning, he left with hair gel and spray in place. He said, "It's perfect" when he was done.

As a toddler, he looked in the mirror often and combed his hair. When the hairdresser was done, he would cry if he didn't get to comb his hair and keep the comb.

He become less concerned for a few years but now it's back.

Paul thinks he may have a girlfriend. All the girls say "hi" when we are at his school with him at after school events. He has confessed to thinking a few are cute as well as his music teacher.

He had "100 day" last week. Here is what he answered on the 100 day questions:

I could make 100 pizzas
I could eat 100 Gold Fish
I wish I had 100 hugs
But I don't want 100 kisss (he did say that it was okay from mommy though).

Baby Talkie

For some reason, Delaney has started doing baby talk. She will say, "Me wantie a drinkie". Everything is ending in "e". I am trying to put a stop to it by telling her that I don't understand it and will only grant her wishes when she talks like a big girl.

I was frustrated with it yesterday and told her that if she wants to be a baby then she will have to eat yucky baby food and take two naps a day :)

Any other suggestions?

Survivor 12

Well, another episode of my addiction is starting tonight. I have watched all 12 seasons-- why stop now :)

Valentine's Day Presents!

I was browsing Build-a-Bear and saw these International outfits. They are so cute! I will buy the Hanbok for Delaney. Although I would love to buy Joshua the Russian outfit, I know he would love the Egyptian outfit for his beloved elephant.

I will post pictures of the bears donning their duds after Valentines day.

Family Fun Times

We have had a lot of fun the last several days.

On Sunday, I was off work since I worked a double the night before. After I slept for a couple of hours, we headed out for the zoo. It was a beautiful day! Delaney liked the Giraffes the best and Joshua like the Elephants and Lions. We didn't get to ride the train since it was too close to closing time.

We went to dinner at Steak 'N Shake afterwards. The kids (all four of us) love the place.

Tonight, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for an evening of gross pizza and fun. Joshua was suppose to have a skate party with his school but he can't skate very well. He decided that it would be more fun for Delaney if we went to Chuck E. Cheese instead. AHHH, good excuse to get us to go there though. We had fun. We all like to play the games.

And the winner is.....

Joshua had his pine wood derby this weekend for Boys Scouts.
Joshua's car won 1st place in his den. He didn't win over all but he was pretty proud of being the fastest in his den.

It helps that daddy is a Mechanical Engineer :). Paul worked pretty hard on it. Joshua sanded on it and painted it.

Chilly Night

Joshua had a fun night at school last night. The school held a free chili dinner and math game night. They also had door prizes and Joshua won a Yahtzee game. We already had one but he is so proud that he has one of his very own now. He loves that game.

Joshua and I were working on a pattern puzzle. I don't know if that is what it is called but it is where you have an outline of a picture and you place different shaped pieces (squares, triangles, trapezoids, etc) to cover the picture perfectly.
We were both working on our own Angelfish shape. Joshua completed it in a matter of minutes while I will still trying to figure it out. I was quite impressed. He is obviously very skilled at that sort of reasoning. I wonder if it is more of a Right brain thinking. He is a lefty. I am a righty. Maybe he is just smarter than I am :).

I have been very impressed with Broken Arrow schools. My mom was sad that my kids weren't going to Bixby like we both did but BA rocks! Yes, it is a MUCH larger school district but I have been very pleased with them so far. I think that student/teacher ratio has a lot more to do with a school's performance than the mere size of it.

11 Rules of Life

I recently read this on another blog site. It rings so true that I thought I would share it.


Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a high school about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one!

If you can read this - Thank a teacher!
If you are reading it in English-Thank a soldier!

The Woes of RSV

Delaney was exposed to RSV week before last and became sick last week. She ran high temps and had congested cough for several days.

Saturday, I began feeling ill but with extra sleep was able to be up and working.

Delaney acted well yesterday and even began eating normally again.

Today, she is more lethargic, not eating and just spiked another temp.


AHHHH!!! This is for the birds!

When I get married......

The kids are always talking about what they will have when they get married or grow up, esp. Delaney.

She has listed the following goals for herself.....

-When she grows up.... she will be a boy like Joshua. This obviously comes from her admiration of her brother.
-When she gets married....she will be a mother and have two kids. She would like a boy and a girl.
-When she is a mother.....She will be so happy and hold her babies when they cry.
-When she is grown up.....She will have breasts and be so happy. (okay..she really said boobies).
-When she gets married....She wants a purple harmonica. LOL, okay so she is only three and her goals are still those of a three year old.

It is so cute to listen to their aspirations no matter how silly they may be.

Joshua wants 16-20 kids and a big enough couch that he can hold them all in his lap at once. He also hopes his wife is big enough to have 16-20 kids :)

What has gotten in to him?

Joshua tends to get into things while I am in the shower. As I was drying my hair, Paul notified me that Joshua had been out in the front yard playing a harmonica. Bad thing is was that he was only wearing a coat and underwear! Luckily we live out in an addition with large lots. Our neighbors are who Jeff Foxworthy writes about so they probably didn't think a thing about it if they saw Joshua.

Later, I went into a shoe store with the kids. Joshua noticed that there was a security camera and monitor at the front of the store. He decided that he would do a little dance in the front of the store. Once I curtailed that adventure then he was on to trying on women's high heel boots. He was more than out of control. Will he ever settle down??? I wonder some days.

"Tell Her I Love Her"

When Joshua was leaving for school yesterday morning, he stopped and asked me if I would do him a favor. "Sure", I said. He said,"Tell Delaney that I said 'I Love Her'".

Ahhhh, make my heart melt.

Now if only I could teach them to show each other that they truly love each other. In reality, they torment each other non-stop. I know....that it what siblings do. My brother and I did the same thing!

I love watching them interact for the most part. Watching the bond between siblings is so endearing. It makes my heart smile.

Happy New Year!

Wow, time flies when you are having fun! It has been awhile since I posted.

Well, the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. I truly enjoy the holidays and spending more time with my family. It is nice to get back to some since of normalcy and routine though that the rest of the days bring.

As I reflect back on the last year, I can truly say that 2005 was a year of many changes. It turned in to an awesome year for me. I am probably the happiest that I have ever been. I am so blessed to have an awesome husband and kids, great family and friends. I love my home, church and job. I am content in all things and desiring nothing at this point in my life.

I have started a part time/ temporary job at Dillon International (the adoption agency we used). I feel great joy being able to help out the place that helped me acheive my dreams of becoming a mother. I am helping on the filing system. It astounds me that every file there (and there are thousands) represent a child finding their forever family and a family's dream coming true.


I do have a few things that I would like to see me have more discipline in for 2006.

1. Spend more quality / alone time with my husband.
2. Play more often with the whole family.
3. Get back to my exercise regime (I have slacked off lately).
4. Lose about 10 pounds. (Consequence of getting behind on #3).
5. Eat healthier (see #4).

I hope every one had an awesome New Year! Here's to the year of 2006!

Merry Christmas!!!

The stockings are hung, the tree is decorated and the presents are all wrapped. We are ready for Christmas. I love the hustle and bustle of this time of year. It is snowing a bit here today so it is really starting to feel like Christmas time. For my friends in Australia, I don't know how you get in the mood without the cold and snow.

We had the kid's Christmas pictures taken a week ago.We received the call yesterday that the camera had malfunctioned. ARGH! It seems something always goes wrong with our pictures no matter where we go. Well, we had retakes today and they turned out much better than the previous ones. The photographer today let it slip that it was actually the photographers fault the other night. Oh well, we got some really good pics now, so it is all the matters!

Happy Gotcha Day Princess!

Three years ago today on a very cold day, I traveled home from Korea with my little princess.

Delaney, you have added so many blessings to our family. We love you so much!

Happy Gotcha Day, Sweetie!

Snow and Cold weather

It has been so cold here. We are not quite use to it here in Oklahoma. We had a little bit of snow so the kids were out of school on Thursday. We spent the day with friends and had a great time.

I spent a lot of time yesterday wrapping presents. Now, we just have to keep reminding the kids to leave them alone. They are so excited!

Baby Jesus

The kids were playing this morning and I found them with Delaney pretending to be Mary with Baby Jesus. It was too cute. Joshua was the director. He finally cancelled the play because he said there wasn't enough people to be the wise men, shepards, etc.

Merry Christmas! Remembering the true meaning at the Gottes House :)

Preschool

Here is Delaney with her three year old class. Aren't they cute! Of course I think the cutest is the little girl in the pink dress :)


We had a great Thanksgiving! Delaney spent over a week at her grandparents. She had a great time there but seemed to be ready to come home. Joshua only got to stay 3 days due to school. He loves going there.

It was so sweet to see how much the kids missed each other while they were apart. The first person Delaney wanted to talk to on the phone was always Joshua. I just love watching them together. Although they irritate each other, they love each other deeply.

Joshua is wanting to have more children around the house. He would love to have a huge family. I told him that he and his wife would have to have a lot of kids. He is concerned though because he doesn't know if his wife will be big enough to have that many kids. He has already picked her out. She is Delaney's friend Emory. He has been pretty adamant that they will marry for some time. He told a friend that he wanted to marry a Korean girl since he knows alot about them. I mean, his sister is Korean after all!! He is so funny!

Tiger Cubs, Party Paradise and other ramblings

It has been over a week since I posted. Boy, time sure flies by!

Joshua has decided that now that soccer is over, he wants to be a Cub scout. Actually he wanted to be one before, but his schedule was already too busy. He is very excited about being a part of Boy Scouts. It sure looks like a lot of fun. I was in girl scouts as a child and had a blast.

Joshua is also in a drawing class one day a week. He loves it. He wants to take it year round. We will have to see as it is a little bit expensive. He has drawn some great things though. He has always loved to draw so I hate to not pursue his interests.

Where does one draw the line on too much activity and pursuing a child's interest. If any one has the answer, please let me know!

Delaney is doing well. She loves pre-school. She has had a cold the last few days but it is improving. She is really looking forward to spending time with Grandma and Grandpa for 9 days. She leaves today and will have them all to herself until Joshua gets there on Thanksgiving. Her trip is all she is talking about these days. We will see how she does once she gets there :). I think they can keep her busy enough though.

We went to Party Paradise last night. It is an AWESOME place! If you are in the Tulsa area, please go check it out. The manager is just starting to get the word out. We had the whole place to ourselves last night. They have 4 Giant Jupiter Jumps, volleyball, scooters, basketball, Foosball, air hockey and a nice HEATED indoor swimming pool. All of this for $6.50/ kid and $2 for me to swim as well.
Go check it out:www.party-paradise.com

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We played this video at church this weekend for our annual adoption awareness presentation.

The preacher also read a great letter from President Bush proclaiming November, National Adoption Month.

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Blast from the Past
Here is a clip I love of Joshua singing. He was around 2 at the time. We call the song the BBQ song as we can not understand what he is saying but it sounds like he says BBQ. He is singing in to the end of a stick horse. He laid it across our table and used it as a microphone


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In Honor of National Adoption Month, I have added the video that we presented at church two years ago.

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And The Oscar Goes To.........

The kids had seen the commercials for "March of the Penguins". I was hesitant to take them since it was a documentary and not a cartoon. I just knew that Delaney would DEFINITELY have difficulty sitting through it.

I took them to the dollar movie last night to see. No loss if we had to leave! Oh My Goodness! What an awesome movie! It was truly facinating! And we think we make sacrifices to have children.

The kids (both of them) had many relevant questions during the movie. It was a great learning experience for them. They loved it.

I will warn that you will have to discuss "survival of the fittest", death and Predator/Prey scenerios.

I highly recommend it!

Here is my parent's new dog Essie playing soccer with Joshua. She is really good. Maybe she could be in the next Soccer Dog movie :)

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November is Adoption Awareness Month

November is Adoption Awareness Month.

Our church has a mission to spread awareness about the miracle of adoption.


This Sunday, November 6th, we will be showing our adoption awareness video during the am worship service. We would love to fill the front pews with adoptive families from the area.

Arrow Heights Baptist Church
101st and Elm (a couple of blocks north of intersection)
Broken Arrow, Ok.
Worship start time: 10:45 am

We will be sitting in the front pews on the right side as you enter the sanctuary.

For more info. Contact KGottes@cox.net

I am hoping to be able to add the adoption video to this blog site. If anyone knows how, please contact me with instructions :)

Halloween

The kids had a blast last night. We went to our friend's neighborhood and went trick or treating with them. Delaney was timid on the first house. After the first house, she led the pack. Her little legs wore out towards the end though. Joshua had a blast trick or treating with his friends. He decided that Elephant needed to just stay home after he was shown to his friends :)