The Blessing

Brothers and Beaches

Today I took the kids (well Jonah is at camp - so only four kids) to Miquelon Lake (which has been redone and has a great playground and really soft sand) and halfway through the day met up with my wonderful friend Glenda, who also happens to be the forever mom of Josiah's biological brother.  She and I like to get together anyway but for the sake of our boys, we make sure to do it very regularly.  She is like family and so I hope that in the end, the boys will grow up feeling as though they were raised as cousins at least (of course they know that they are brothers though).  Anyway, here is a picture I got of the two of them.  It's always easy for me to see what Josiah will look like in four years because they look so much alike.

Some other pictures from the day:

 

Getting to Know Ethiopia

 These pictures are from when we visited the Ethiopia exhibit at Heritage Days.  All year, we have been studying Africa with homeschooling and specifically focusing a lot on Ethiopia of course.  I am seeing that the kids are really starting to get swept up in the excitement of this adoption and are wanting to know more about the country their future siblings will be born in.

This is Mackenzie with a plate of Ethiopian food served atop of injera (a spongy breadish thing that is used instead of utensils to eat the food with). 

Well today, I got a look into just how much our children are developing a genuine love for this far-away country...Mackenzie was watching the distance running in the Olympics and he started to get really excited and was calling me from the living room saying "I think we're going to win all three medals" and I was thinking that something strange was going on since Canada is not exactly known for its impressive distance runners so I came in and realized that he was talking about Ethiopia and when the Ethiopians did come in first and second, he felt as though "our" country had won!  It was very heart-warming!

Vegreville Country Fair

This year the Children's Day Activities were the best they have ever been and they are FREE so that is an added bonus.  The theme was barnyard so first the kids picked and animal and then made themselves a headband with the ears of that animal and then got that animal painted onto their cheek.

Gracelyn volunteered to go up on stage (more than once actually) during the show put on by children's performers and was quite delighted by the experience.  One of the activites that was probably not one of the kids' favorites but I liked was that Child Find had a booth set up so I was able to get all of their fingerprints recorded to take home which is one of those things that I have been meaning to get done so now there is one less thing on my mind.

This was one of the cutest activities in the Children's area.  There was a cow (not a real one) named Daisy and the kids got to milk her (it was actually water that came into the bucket) and learn how to do it properly.  After they had successfully "milked" Daisy, they were given a milk or chocolate milk to drink (again this was FREE)!  What I love about the second picture is how Eliana's legs are crossed while she milks the cow - always a little diva! 

 

The fishing booth required a toonie per turn and was raising funds.  When the child fished, someone on the other side attached a bag of age/gender appropriate toys to the hook.  The kids were so excited - well Jonah was a bit too old and he went off with my mom at this point to go on some rides but the little kids thought it was great!

 my adorable niece Megan who is almost a year old now - isn't she beautiful?!

I just had to include this picture because it shows Eliana's personality so well!  Anyway, the day was very hot but we had fun.  The other activities that we did included the kids panning for silver (actual quarters) in a huge sandbox and eating perogies (since you should never go to Vegreville without eating perogies) and mini-donuts.  It got too hot to go to the Old MacDonald's Barn or sit and watch the horse show, chuckwagon races, or performers but there's always next year! 

Vegreville Parade

Eliana, Gracelyn, and Josiah - Racing for the candy!  Their bags were about half full by the end of the hour!

My mom took the day off work to come and it sure was nice to have an extra pair of hands - plus the kids were really excited to have her there!

Jonah is a veteran.  This was his ninth time attending in his eleven years.  He still enjoys it though.

My sister-in-law (and friend) Cindy met me there with her three youngest kids.  This picture is of my nephew Tyler and from the looks of it, I think he is a fan of the Parade!

my nephew Justin

Be Prepared

For one year in my youth, I was a Girl Guide and the Girl Guide motto is "Be Prepared" and I am usually the master of it.  If we are out and one of the kids skins their knee, no problem - I have band-aids in my purse.  If you need wet-wipe, a painkiller, a pen, a pair of scissors, a first aid kit, a blanket, a child's change of clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen, a plastic bag, a hat...I am your girl.  When going on a long drive, I pack activities for the kids - lots of activities and snacks and drinks so yesterday when we decided at the last minute that we would all go to drive Mackenzie to his camp near Nordegg instead of just Mark going, I went up into my locked storage closet and got juice boxes, snacks, treats, and activities.  I made sure that we had books for the kids and their blankets and shoes and that we had all of Mackenzie's necessary camp items packed and we left kind of in a hurry.  What I did not pack and would not realize it until we were far from home is Gracelyn's medication.  Normally, I keep a peak flow meter (measures her lung capacity by her blowing into it) and a ventolin inhaler in my van at all times but the previous day, Mark had taken Gracey and Mackenzie floating down the Pembina River so he had taken those things with him and then brought them into the house afterwards so I had nothing that could help her.  This would explain why we ended up in a hospital in Leduc.  The drive home after we ate supper in Rocky Mountain House was scary.  Mark was driving really fast (don't tell any policemen) in an attempt to make it home to get her on her nebulizer and I was sitting in the backseat monitering her and occasionally giving him updates and trying to make decisions while watching for an "H" sign that would indicate a nearby hospital.  The first one we saw in the three and a half hours was the one by Leduc.  Gracelyn's asthma is especially scary because she is nto a complainer so she can go downhill very quickly if you are not watching for the signs since she doesn't tell you.  I can first hear it in a change in her voice, which puts me on high alert.  At that point, I am looking for tracheal tugging (sucking in in her neck when she breathes) and last night, it was severe.  She was also coughing, getting tired, and starting to say that she felt sick - that one is scary.  The bottom of her lip was starting to turn blue and that was when we were trying to decide if we should try to make it home (closer than any Edmonton hospital and with the medications but no oxygen) or call an ambulance or what and then I saw the "H" sign.  As she was getting worse, I was mentally figuring out where I thought her peak flow would be at (I can usually predict it within 5 points or so) and once I knew that she was down around 50 (her "normal" would be between 150 and 200), I knew we wouldn't make it home.  She is fine now.  She is back on Prednisone - yuck and I am feeling like a huge screw up for remembering everything else but forgetting the only thing that really mattered but life goes on and I'm pretty sure that I will never forget her medication again.

My Date

I went on one of the best dates of my life the other day.  I had a dentist appointment in the morning and Mackenzie came with me because afterwards we were going to go shopping for the things on his camp list.  He was very patient during my more-than-an-hour appointment and then we had fun shopping, laughing as he tried on different hats and sunglasses.  It was while we were eating a snack in the food court that my 13 year old son got this cute little smirk on his face and reached into his wallet to pull out a coupon for 2 movie admissions, popcon, and drinks and asked me "mom, can I take you to a movie?".  I will admit that my first thoughts were of all the things that I was supposed to be getting done that afternoon but I quickly pushed those aside and reminded myself of what was really important before answering him.  We went to see a matinee, with Mackenzie proudly paying for us with his coupon.  We had so much fun and afterwards while we ran a few more errands, he was so pleasant and our conversation was light and wonderful.  Passing by a dollar store on the way out of the mall, he saw a helium UFO (you use it like a giant frisbee) and suggested we get it for the little kids to enjoy.  He was so sweet all day and was just a complete joy.  It was one of the best "dates" that I have ever had and I was feeling a bit disappointed that it had to end.  And now today, I am getting things ready so that we can drive him to camp for a week and thinking that I am going to miss my son while he is gone.

4 Months

Wow!  Has it been four months already?!?  This month again has gone by really quickly and knowing how long others have been waiting for referrals, I really can't complain.  One thing that has helped is that I want to make a slide show video for each of my kids and although I am a long way off from getting the pictures organized (for my older four kids, their baby pictures aren't digital so I will need to procure a scanner and figure out how to use it), I spent my free time this month finding a song for each of them.  I am so happy with the music I have found and it has been a joy to reflect on what each of my children mean to me.  I haven't quite found the perfect song for Josiah yet though.  I have a song that works ("The Gift You Are") but I just don't feel like it's the perfect song and I really want to find one that just grabs me and says "Josiah".  I am thrilled with the one I found for Mackenzie though.  I had never heard it before and just stumbled upon it and had tears in my eyes the first time I listened and the lyrics just fit him and his stage now and his being my first-born so completely.  For Gracelyn, I had a song picked that I really liked and then a friend of mine told me about a song called "Gracie" and it's pretty cute so it will be a toss up.  But it's been a lot of fun.  All the songs are on my I-pod so when we are out driving and one of "their songs" comes on, they get excited.  I can tell that even Mackenzie and Jonah like "their" songs, even if they are slightly embarassed by the mushiness.  When Eliana's song comes on, she smiles and says "I know, I'm amazing"!  (Her song is called "Amazing" but it is so perfect.  It talks about how she burst into our life (we had two hours notice that we were about to be parents again and then, there she was) and it talks about her bright eyes - anyone who has seen a picture of her knows about those! - and we do think she's pretty amazing!)  Anyway, enough about the songs.  The point is that this month thinking of the kids I already have and focusing on the blessings they are has helped me with the wait for the next two and also helped because it remeinds me that the wait is necessary for us to get exactly the kids that God has chosen for our family because I know that someday, I will get teary-eyed trying to pick the "perfect" song for their slide shows!

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS

With the boys away, the girls will play!  The boys have been gone camping since Thursday night and so far, the girls and I have been having an incredible time...we went to a girly store and Gracelyn picked out clip-on earrings and Eliana picked out lipstick and sticker earrings, we went hiking, for a walk with my mom and to the playground, we painted with my mom at her house (my dad was away this weekend too so she was able to get in on the "girls only" thing too!), we did some yard work, painted our nails, we went to church, out to eat, and now are about to snuggle up in our pyjamas with some popcorn and watch a movie we just rented.  These are pictures that we took this morning because we were all matching.  You don't have to comment on the fact that I am the world's hugest geek to dress this way with my girls because I already know that part!

 

Cute Expressions

Busy week again with Gracelyn and Josiah in a morning day camp that is about 40 minutes each way of driving so the other kids and I have been getting lots of errands done in those three hours and Mark and the three boys are leaving for a week of camping today.  Anyway, I have been meaning to write some of the adorable things that Eliana says right now and only two come to mind at the moment but here they are:

"I have a headach in my tummy"  (when she has a tummy ache)

"You're the best brother in the whole wooowoold" (in response to Jonah every time he asks her "what's my name?"  I think he trained her to say this!!!)

Mini Trip Conclusion

Oops!  I forgot to post about the end of our mini-trip.  Anyway, it's not all that exciting.  We went to see a few more small towns and then I surprised the kids and took them to see "Wall-E" in the theatre.  If you haven't taken your kids to see this yet, be warned, it's not the most parent-friendly movie out there.  I mean the kids really liked it and you can later do some teaching about the importance of recycling and caring for the Earth (timely in our community with the new garbage program but I digress) but honestly, there is no dialog for like the first hour of the movie...boring!  On a good note, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get all the kids popcorn and drinks and not have to take out a second mortgage on the house and then the very helpful cashier suggested that I buy 2 of the #1 combos because they come with unlimited refills on drinks and popcorn, which are both huge.  Then she gave us little white bags and extra cups so that I could divide up the popcorn and drinks.  Everyone ended up with their own drink and popcorn for a fraction of what five of the kids' combos would have cost me and is came with two packs of licorice too.

After the movie, we tried to go somewhere else but it didn't seem to work out so we picked up a few groceries and stopped by my favorite convenience store for a Slurpee for my treat and then we came home in time for the kids' bedtimes and for me to begin the mountain that was our laundry!!!

Mini Trip Continued

After the wildlife park, we went to check out Blackfalds (who knew that the best spray park in all of Alberta was located in a town of just over 4,000 people?!?) and then to Lacombe for lunch and some shopping.   Then we headed over to a barbeque and visit with Jody's family.  They are also waiting for a referral of siblings from Ethiopia and we have never met in person before.  Jody and I had a good visit and the kids had fun playing on their unreal playground in the backyard.  The hospitality was especially appreciated considering that I had sent her an e-mail only the day before saying that we would be in the area so it was wonderful of them to open up their home to us and to feed us all! 

Then we headed back to our hotel in Red Deer where bedtime with the little ones went much better than the night before due to sheer exhaustion!  The older boys got to head down to the pool by themselves so that was great too!

After breakfast the next morning, we packed up and headed to Wetaskiwin and checked out the Reynolds Museum which is all about transportation.  In the building dedeicated to aviation, the kids got to go in an airplane and a helicopter and use the controls.  The older boys really enjoyed reading about the pioneers of aviation and seeing all the war medals.

The part that the younger kids like the best about this was that while going back to the main building, they pretended that they were airplanes and spread out their "wings" and tried to take off.

In the main hall there was a huge feature exhibit on the Model T Ford.  The part that all the kids liked the best was the replica drive-in where they played old movies and the favorite cartoon commercials of the popcorn and hot dog.

Mini Trip

Just the kids and I went on a little mini-trip to visit some of the Alberta attractions.  We stayed at a hotel in Red Deer and that was a big hit with the kids because it had bunk beds, playstation, and waterslides!  On the trip, we stopped in many small towns, some not as small as I expected them to be.  We saw Panoka, Inisfail, Blackfalds, Lacombe, Millet, Morningside, Kavanagh, and Wetaskiwin, as well as one or two others whose names escape me at the moment.  The first day, we drove with some stops to see things or places, ate at a real restaurant, and went on the waterslides at the hotel. 

  The second day, we headed off on an adventure.  First stop:  Discovery Wildlife Park in Innisfail where the kids were able to see many animals and they had a blast!

The kids were able to pet snakes, mice, guinea pigs and some other rodent-type things.  They were able to ask questions about them (which the homeschooler in me loved) and the kids all liked this part a lot.

The bears at the wildlife park were a few different varieties and they were trained bears that star in movies.  We got to see a training session with one of the bears.  The kids thought it was so cool that we got to see the bear that starred in "Homeward Bound".  There was also a session that you could go to where you actually went in with the bears and could touch them and watch them perform their trained actions but they were clear that if you run or scream, the bears are wild animals and will think you are food and may try to eat you.  Since I was the only adult with five kids, one of whom is a major screamer and one of whom is known for her running, I thought it prudent to skip that show!!!

I like this picture because it looks like the elk horns are on Josiah's head!  He thought it was pretty funny!

The kids were allowed to feed monkey feed to the monkeys and there was a baby monkey too so this was a huge thrill.  The girls wanted to ride together in the same stoller seat towards the end when they got tired of walking and it was so cute...such sweet sisters!  Anyway, tune in tomorrow for more of our mini trip adventures... there's plenty more!

3 Months

Well as of today, we have been officially waiting for three months for a referral from Ethiopia.  When we originally changed our request to siblings, we thought our wait for referral would be at the most five or six months but it is now looking like it might be a year or more so we may not even be half-way or even a third of the way through the wait yet.  This month has completely flown by and the wait has not been painful although I have been really feeling for those who have been waiting so much longer than I have (Ricki, Arnica, Sandi, Rhonda, and others).  So how did this month go by so quickly?  Well I had no help with my kids or the house this month so that kept me very busy and then of course Gracelyn was so sick and that kept me busy with appointments and her medication schedule but I will be honest and let you know the REAL secret as to why this month didn't feel like such a hard wait.  I discovered games on Facebook.  First there was Scrabulous (like Scrabble) which I suck at because I like to come up with big impressive words but have no strategy so I get like 8 or 9 points for my six letter word and my sister-in-laws who are awesome at Scrabble will lay down two tiles and get 33 points!  Then I discovered Scramble and that's when I really got addicted!!!  Scramble is like Boggle but better because the computer tells you how many possible points are in that round so while you are playing against other people, you are also kind of playing against your own personal bests.  As you get higher percentages of the possible points, your word IQ goes up...so deliciously addictive!  There's another one called Word Twist that I just started playing but I am not hooked on it yet.  So I still check the adoption boards and some blogs but then as soon as I start to feel discouraged by everyone's lack of referrals, I quickly switch over to Facebook and all my cares are soon forgotten!  Thank you very much to my very kind sisters-in-law who have been indulging me in this.  Mark has also begun to get competitive about wanting to beat me at Scramble (not possible for him in this lifetime!) so some nights, we have sat at opposite computers playing each other!  So anyone else want to play?!?

Comics

Just a bit of a semi-interesting tidbit...if any of you happened to watch "The Last Comic Standing" tonight, if you took a magnifying glass and looked at the audience really closely, you may have been able to see Mark and I.  The last time we were in Las Vegas, we attended the taping of this episode and it was SO much fun to be right there and see the behind-the-scenes goings on plus we had really great seats and the host was really funny with the audience in between takes.  Anyway, I missed all but the last few comics when it was on tonight but it was kind of fun knowing already who was going to be chosen before it was shown on tv! 

Gracelyn seems to be doing better.  We are trying out a new type of medication for her so we'll see.  Our landscaping project has been all-consuming but my parents and aunt and uncle have been a huge help and this Saturday we will be seeding and laying sod so someday we will have grass!  Yesterday, the kids and I met up with my friend Lauri and her kids and had a picnic and park play and had the absolute best time.  Lots has happened the past few weeks but I will have to update this slowly so as not to overwhelm.  I will add a few posts about it soon though.  A quick snapshot:  a fistfight erupted at Jonah's birthday party (none of my kids were in any way involved but I had to phone all the parents and tell them what had happened - uggh!), Eliana nabbed a can of pop the day after the party and threw it and it exploded onto three rooms in the house including floors, ceilings, furniture, shoes, the fridge and was not fun to clean up, Gracelyn found a small screwdriver and unscrewed her intercom box in her room and then was convinced that mice live down in the hole and doesn't want to sleep in her room anymore, and I had to have two very unpleasant conversations with two different neighbors.  Tomorrow the kids and I are off to do some of their favorite errands including the car wash and getting an oil change...I don't know why they like these things but they do.  I will leave you with these pictures of the kids at the zoo last week.  We went to see the new frog exhibit (apparently at our rather pathetic zoo, five aquariums of frogs is an exciting new exhibit!)  The kids and I had a really good day though.

Happy Canada Day 2008!

Sadly, this is the first Canada Day that my older boys did not want to participate in the matching outfits but it did last a lot of years so I really can't complain!  We went to the festival in our community and didn't stay as long as we usually do because of the heat but managed to get in some fun while we were there.  This bottom picture is of Eliana after she fell asleep on the way home.  The funny part about the photo (other than the blue stains from cotton candy on her face) is that she fell asleep angry because we wouldn't give her a treat so she kind of still had a scowl on her face and her arms crossed while she slept!!!

Boys Stink!

Today is Jonah's Birthday Party and I agreed to having them play rollerhockey in the quonset followed by a treasure hunt, supper, movie, hot dog roast, and then sleepover.  Turns out that having 7 pubescent boys sleep in your house after they have played rollerhockey in the quonset on a day where the temperature was over 30 degrees outside is a bad idea on two main levels. 

1. boys this age can eat...and eat...and eat...combine that with physical activity and they can eat some more!

2. boys this age stink...in fact they smell so badly after sweating hard during their game and then after during the outdoor treasure hunt that my entire basement reeks!

Also not so smart to schedule a sleepover on a night when Mark will be gone golfing at the crack of dawn.  That leaves me alone to feed eleven children breakfast.  But I will survive and by the afternoon, the boys and their BO and their appetites will be back at their own homes although mine will remain here with me of course!

My Green Thumb

I'm sure people who know me well laughed aloud when they read the title!!!  I do not have a green thumb but I so wish I did.  One time I managed to keep a plant alive for years (yes it was a hard to kill cactus but still...)  Most of the time, the only plants to survive long around here are the plastic kind!  This year, I wanted to plant a garden.  I bought some tomato plants at the farmer's market and some seed packets at Dollorama and got all the kids out helping me weed an area and with no knowledge of how to do it, started planting.  The results I wish were miraculous but judging by the amount of friends who have laughed and teased me about what I still stand by is a garden, I don't think I did it properly.  But now a few weeks later, there are three rows of radishes poking through!!!  I am proud.  Sure, the tomato plants are pretty much dead and one is laying on its side and the carrots haven't come up and the seeds of the peas rose to the surface after a rainfall but I do have radishes!  Here are the pics. from the day we planted.  The lovely marking signs are compliments of my little artist Gracelyn.

Cooped Up!

Well with Gracelyn's asthma acting up the last four weeks, she has only been allowed to go outside if she can blow over 120 on her peak flow meter (a healthy flow for her would be between 150 and 200 and on her bad days the past weeks, she was sometimes only 60) so we have had to come up with creative ways to amuse ourselves inside!!!

Oh Canada

For our Ethiopian adoption, we have two choices of how to bring our kids home.  One is PRV (permanent resident visa) which is the tried and true option and the other is the Citizenship route, which is still rather new.  We have decided on the Citizenship route.  Mark actually decided because for him, it is important that we be able to travel with all of our kids once they're home (I think the likelihood of us taking 7 children to the U.S. within that first year is slim but he likes the thought that it is at least possible so...).  Anyway, for me, I have no idea which one will get our kids home faster.  Citizenship was taking 6 weeks post-court decision consistently but is now taking more than 9 weeks from what I've heard.  PRV is supposed to take 3-5 weeks post-court but sometimes takes months and months.  I guess ultimately what tipped the scales for me (other than Mark's reasoning which was the biggest factor) is that there is one less step in the Citizenship process so there is one less thing that can go wrong, get lost, hold things up.  PRV requires a medical which seems to be fast for some and painfully slow for others with no rhyme or reason as to the timing so with the Citizenship route, we eliminate this step.  Anyway, the decision is made and the initial applications (step 1) has been mailed off so we will just pray that it is the right decision and that our kids will be able to travel as soon after we get their referral as possible.

Week at a Glance

Let me tell you, this could be a very depressing post.  Gracelyn's been sick (asthma) since Friday and was in hospital again Sunday.  She is back on Prednisone and on a new nebulizer drug that is giving her some not-so-fun side effects.  I am also trying as of yesterday a natural anti-oxidant booster to see if that helps.  I still have a bad cold and until last night when Mark was back home, had gotten little to no sleep for days.  But since we have more than one child, other things have been going on too.  Here's a little run-down:

-Mackenzie had his first babysitting job.  I am normally not an advocate of boys babysitting but in this case, the mom is at home but unpacking and organizing as she just moved.  There are only two kids and he has been doing a great job.  When he goes, he takes a bag of puzzles, books, crafts, and games and he plays really well with them.  Today is his second day.  I am feeling really proud of him and he is thrilled by the $5 an hour!

-Mark, Mackenzie, and Jonah had a fantastic visit with Matthew, Deanne, and David in Langley.  They went on many hikes, went to Lighthouse Park, Squamish, and White Rock Beach, played board games, had a hot dog roast, and talked lots.

-The other morning when Mark was still away, I called to Eliana from my room and she answered with "yahoo!  Daddy's home" and when I told her he wasn't she said "yah, he is.  I just heard his voice" so now I know that with a cold, I sound just like Mark apparently!

-Josiah has an all-day assessment on Thursday and he is excited to get to have a whole day of mommy time.  We just have two more big assessment days left for him I think which is a relief for me.

-On the weekend, I got a call from Emergency Services wanting to make sure that everything was all right in the house because they had just gotten a call from a "little person" at our number!  Grace has been sleeping in our room of course with her asthma and after I tucked her in, she used the phone in there to call 9-1-1.  When I asked her what she said to them, she replied "I said no emergency but if my mommy catches me calling you, she will put me back in my own room!"  When the lady asked her if her mom or dad were home she said, "yes my mom is here but I gotta go now...bye".  The good news is that I guess when I taught her and Josiah safety stuff a few months back, she remembered the phone number I taught her!  The bad news is that after that call, I was nervous that the police were going to show up just to check on things and find me in my pyjamas with the house looking like a tornado had hit it and think that someone had ransacked the place!!!

-picture of Jonah with his cousin David and Auntie Deanne at Lighthouse Park