Back to School

Well, I uploaded these pictures to the blog several days ago, but the fact that they are just now getting posted gives you a glimpse into the first week of school. So far so good and we are getting into a routine MUCH easier than last year! Can you believe that in 2 short weeks, the boys will have been with us for 1 year?! Jeff and I were just talking the other day and we agree that in a lot of ways it seems like they have always been with us, but in other ways we are reminded of how far we have all come in a year.

We went to meet the teacher last Thursday. "J" had his in the morning and "A" had his in the evening. "J" explored his new classroom at the Montessori school we recently enrolled him in for his last year before heading to Kindergarten next year! He may be planning his escape or just checking out the play ground....We aren't sure which! I love his little classroom with the soothing colors and organized learning focused centers.

"A" also enjoyed getting to meet his first grade teacher, who I LOVE!!!!! She is right up there with Ms. S from last year which I didn't think was possible. I also went to curriculum night this week to learn about how she structures their learning and I was so impressed by her as a person and as a teacher! She loves kiddos and the Lord....We couldn't ask for more! "A" learned at meet the teacher that when you bring Daddy, he will buy you all kinds of spirit wear! You will see a portion of it a little further down, but he also got 2 spirit shirts and a calendar.

We went to a back to school picnic with our adoption ministry the weekend before school started. Before the picnic the whole group met at a pottery painting place. Our boys were very energetic, but we successfully completed a family plate and then each painted our own coaster.

"A" wasn't into painting his hand at first, but did humor his momma, thankfully!

This is the pre-glazed finished product! I am excited to display it! The night before school started we opened the envelope that "A"s teacher gave him for the occasion. He and "J" got to sprinkle "Ready Confetti" under their pillows! SO cute and one of the reasons I love Mrs. E!

"J" had just a few things out as most of his things were brought to meet the teacher and were in his cubby waiting for him on the first day. He did get to bring a fun new water bottle though and wear new clothes.

"A" got a big cool new back pack. My mom used to buy us the same brand, Jansport every year so I was excited to do the same! He got a spirit lanyard for his ID and a school water bottle. He also loves his "star" shoes/converse. What a fun First Grader we have!

I also felt a bit like my mom and my sister when I planned a fun back to school breakfast for the boys.

I made pancakes in the shape of the letters in their name for the first day of school...it nearly killed me...darn those super mom bloggers who share these crazy projects and make me think they are easy! The lady "suggested" using a funnel. The truth is if you don't use one, you will have a whole batch of broken letters and 2 good ones...not that I would know anything about that!

Anyway, we made it through the first week and it is going to be a great year!

House Over Haul

We have been living in our house for 3 years and have made very few of the many improvements that we swore we would do when we moved in. Improvements might be the wrong word. I guess what I mean is making it our own. I think I have PTSD in regards to wall paper. I'm sure they have come a long way in styles and colors since our house was built, but the ones chosen by the previous owners are definitely not our style. We previously painted our bedroom and the kids' bathroom and have seen the huge difference this relatively inexpensive home improvement can make. We wanted to do more rooms but we always wore out after one room. Finally we decided to hire this sweet guy that did some work for my parents to finish up the painting and tile our master bathroom. Whoever thought carpet in a bathroom was a good idea? Well, I'm sure they had their reasons, I just have no idea what they are. Here is a tour of our home post update with a few before pictures as well.

When you walk in you used to look to the left and see this in the dining room/kids' playroom.

Now....it is a soothing neutral, our favorite and now primary color in our home, Gobi Desert. Though it looks much more subdued than most people's taste for a play room, it is perfect for our boys who are very easily over stimulated!

Straight ahead is our entry way and art niches. This was already a neutral color, but needed a fresh coat so we went with the Gobi. We also added a family photo wall on either side of the hallway leading into the living room. I got the frames on sale 1/2 off at Michael's and they are part of a very user friendly system called Hang Your Own Gallery. You use templates so you don't have to worry about figuring out spacing, configuration, and using a level to get them straight! LOVE it!
The art niches also got an update to more of a maroon than the brown they had before.

Our kitchen before was not very appetizing to say the least. The stripes were a bit much. During the process we noticed that the previous color of the living room had much more pink tones than we realized. You can't really tell in the picture but there was a major difference between it and the Gobi.

The after is much more of a clean slate and your eyes can focus more on the details of the curtains and other decorative touches.

Here is the living room after

The kitchen and our master bathroom made the most dramatic changes. Our bathroom was a different pattern of wallpaper than the kitchen, but the same colors and business was present. I don't think I have a before, but here is the after....

The tile makes it so much nicer...
Overall, we are very impressed with Mr. Mario's (the kids called him, Super Mario) work and the improvement to our home. It feels much more "ours" now!

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for us!

This will be short, but I had to post something quick! Jeff and I are on our way to go read the file we have been waiting for 5 months to receive. We don't get a copy until finalization, but this will provide a lot more information than we have had previously. The file is supposedly huge, 6 giant binders full! My prayer is that it will provide us with answers to the questions our boys will have as they grow up and maybe even some pictures. Please pray for God's presence to give us peace as we grieve for their hurts and look toward a bright future as a soon to be forever family!

Another Dose of Authenticity

So, considering that there was very little feedback (thanks mom and Sarah for your sweet comments) on my last post, perhaps these raw emotion blog posts are not so popular. Still, this is where we are at and this is life, so it is definitely worth documenting.

We are truly blessed beyond measure and so grateful for the joys in our life. But things have been rough lately. We are experiencing some difficult circumstances and I have been told by those I confide in that they too would struggle with them. I am not trying to have a pity party, just trying to be real. All this to say, tension is high at times in our house anyway.

Well, today I told myself I would be proactive. Our kiddos always struggle when the agency workers come to visit. It throws them completely off. Their anxiety shots through the roof and because they are still too young to have appropriate coping strategies for this level of stress, their behavior reflects their anxiety. As I have mentioned before, I struggle with remaining emotionally neutral in my parenting, so this is a recipe for disaster. Today I told them what time our agency worker was coming and rehearsed with them that we would all sit at the table and they could color while I chatted with her. Well, that lasted about 5 minutes into the hour long visit. Then they lost control....running, hitting, throwing, disrespect galore! I tried not to lose control too but basically every time the worker leaves I want to cry. Not because of her. All our workers are very sweet, but just because their presence strikes a cord so deep in my boys that they will be taken away again. They don't realize it, but that is why they act the way they do. "A" even told the very same worker last month he wanted to be with us forever unprompted after over an hour of behavior that would have easily convinced her of the opposite.

LORD HELP! I have more of these visits scheduled with the other 2 case workers we have later this week. I don't know why they all wait until the last week of the month to schedule their visits. Any suggestions and or prayers are greatly appreciated!

Amazing Grace

I have been writing and rewriting this post in my head for weeks. Recently God brought these thoughts together to remind me of some very simple but powerful truths. Again, I am putting myself out there and seeking to be authentic. If you read our blog just to learn about the daily adventures of our family, this may not interest you as much. But I believe strongly that as a Christian it is important to share about God's work in my life in hopes that it will encourage other believers or plant seeds for emerging faith in non-believers.

I have very strong memories of the day I met Jesus. I was 7 (exactly "A"s age) and we were coming home from Wednesday night church. We picked up fried chicken to take home for dinner. I heard an Amy Grant song on the radio. My sister was her biggest fan, we frequented her concerts, and definitely had a GIANT poster of her in our house. For the life of me I don't know what the song was called or any of the lyrics, but I clearly remember the message. It was that without a personal relationship with Christ I would spend an eternity in hell, separated from Him. I knew I loved Jesus and I wanted to be with Him forever. So, with simple child like faith I asked my mom to help me pray to become a Christian. She drew a picture that showed the gap between us and God and the bridge that is the cross that makes it possible for us to draw near to God. I had grown up in the church and knew about Jesus, but that day He became my Savior. I remember I had 2 French braids in my hair the day I was baptized and I remember that our sweet family friends, FH and Mary came to our church that day to celebrate with us. I am so grateful that these memories don't fade. I pray that my boys will come to know the Lord at a young age as well.

However, since I became a mom I have realized that I have taken my salvation for granted. In pride, I don't consider myself to be in need of grace. I admit that I sin, but it isn't that "bad". At least I don't commit the big sins, like... How ridiculous a thought, that sin would be on a continuum from really bad to permissible. Thank God, my pride has crumbled recently in light of my precious boys. In the last few months God has urged me to teach them with the mindset that the behavior or sin may be ugly, but they are of great worth. They will always be worthy of my forgiveness and unconditional love! No matter what they do I will always forgive, because they are my children. This is just a reflection of the type of love God offers me. I can forgive them in this way, because God has forgiven me with such perfect grace and mercy. Isn't that such a simple truth, yet so profound?! I never fully grasped this truth until I experienced the love of a parent for their child. How much more does God look at my sin, grieve for my waywardness, but long for me to seek His forgiveness and restore relationship with me? Still He sacrificed the life of His Son to make a way for this type of redemption. It is truly amazing! Our Sunday School teacher spoke about Pride and Forgiveness last week and this verse struck me like a lightening bolt!

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved."

Ephesians 2:4-5

Lord, please continue to convict me of the ugly sin of pride each time it creeps up in me! I want to be ever mindful of the depth of my need for your grace!

I have experienced such joy and renewed awe for God's amazing grace! This version of the classic hymn has touched me since the first time I heard it, but now I sing it with greater conviction and tears of joy! I am praying that God uses it to remind you of His ever present and amazing grace!

Happy Birthday Sweet "A"!

I am the mom of a 7 year old! I can't believe it, but "A" celebrated his 7th birthday today! I wish I could slow time down, but I can't so I just cherish every moment! Tonight "A" chose where we would go out to eat and he picked "the Mexican restaurant." He even got a coke. This is such a rare occurrence that I am pretty sure it has never happened on my watch. We ate and opened presents there and then went home for cake. It was a great time and now I am praying the kids go to sleep before midnight with all the sugar and caffeine pumping through their veins! Now for my sentimental birthday letter to our oldest little man.

Dearest "A",

We could not be prouder to be your mom and dad. What a blessing that God chose us to love and care for you! You are the most charming, adorable little guy I have ever met! Everyone loves you the moment you flash that giant dimply grin, especially sans several teeth! Please slow down with the girlfriend talk! It is not good for your Mommy's heart! I can't imagine sharing you yet! I love our special times together and how you shower us with "I love yous!" We love you too...more than you will ever now! Happy birthday sweet boy and I pray for many more amazing years to celebrate with you!

Love,

Mommy

Super Spiderman Shindig!

We are still recovering from our weekend of fun birthday celebration, complete with sugar induced coma. "A"s 7th birthday is July 20th. We have an all day training for our adoption agency next Saturday (can you feel the excitement?), so we had the party this past Saturday (July 10). It was all Spiderman, all the time! I am still dreaming in red and blue. Even the food was primarily red and blue in honor of "A"s favorite super hero! It is a bonus that my boys LOVE blueberries and strawberries!

PS: Do not judge me based on my nasty stripped wall paper in my kitchen. I did NOT pick it out. The previous owners must have thought it was nice, but me....I have disliked it since the day I first saw the house. In fact, it was one of the reasons I wasn't sold on the house right away, but Jeff encouraged me to look past the things that could be changed. Well, over 3 years later...they are getting changed and I couldn't be happier about it! Keep watching for updates on our little home remodeling currently in process. We had to wait until after the party to get started though.

Here are some of our littlest party guests, Drew and Ariana! They were such a cute little duo and I can't help but hope one of my boys or one of my nephews marries this lil' cutie! She is my best friend's daughter and I would love to be related to her!

The Spiderman decorations were borderline over the top, but I think we came in just shy of tacky!
There was a GIANT bounce house in my back yard for the big kids. It was so hot though that all of them were drenching with sweat every time they came in from playing to take a little break!
This action was much more my style. The 3 and under crowd had their own mini bounce house in the comfort of the AC!
Our "A" LOVED opening all his presents. However, he thought he should be able to unwrap all the packaging and play with each one before going on to the next. It was quite a challenge to keep he and his lil' entourage of party goers from busting open every gifts packaging and mixing all the many pieces up in one big mess!
Sweet Michelle, our friend and hair dresser was kind enough to help referee the chaos while keeping a list for thank you notes. I am pretty sure she is a modern day Saint!
The last present was a Spiderman bike from us! "A" has been asking for one for months and my sweet parents got him all the protective gear to go with it (helmet, knee and elbow pads)!
The cake was so fun too! Way to go HEB bakery! I considered briefly making the cake myself, but quickly came to my senses when I remembered I don't know the first thing about cake decorating! As my friend says, "you should always leave birthday cakes to the professionals!"

Thank you to all our family and friends who loved on our sweet "A" and made him feel so special while celebrating his birthday!