Why I Can't Blog in the Summer

I just can't find the time this summer to sit down and blog! I really need to since we print the blog off to make our scrapbook! So, I will probably be spending the next few weeks blogging and back dating! I see "time" in my very near future as my boys will be starting school in 2 weeks! I still can't even believe our summer is almost over! Where did it go? It was busy!! But on the days we are not busy, the kids are all consuming and sometimes even in a little trouble. Like today.... As I was heading upstairs to take a shower this morning, Grady was asking if he could build onto the swing set. He wanted to extend it! Ummm, not a good idea buddy! Then he asked if he needed to wait on dad to get home, so I gave the easy answer of, "YES, wait on dad!" So, after my very fast shower I came downstairs and Gilli(who is quite the tattletale) says, "Grady is hammering the swings!" This is what I found... He used a piece of Gillian's wood pizza(he made sure to tell me that she said it was okay) to nail many different things into the wood of the swing set. He nailed in a water bottle, bottle lid, car seat manuel, board, rubber tile, and then some random nails here and there. Yep, he "added on"! This would never have happened if Grant had been home! On another day when Grant was gone, Grady used masking tape to tape around the entire play set SEVERAL times. He was making a spider catcher! I did not get pictures of that! Bummer!
And while I was outside for 1 minute taking pictures, the munchkins were helping themselves to popsicles. My ornery middle child who just lost his two top teeth, knew he was in trouble for the nails, so he made sure I knew that he got me a popsicle too! NICE!! I did have to laugh, especially at how happily they presented the popsicles!
Other things that are keeping us busy, besides the mini-vacations that I need to blog about, are the garden and this dresser that I bought for a steal at an antique store. Gerald has been stripping it and I am going to attempt to paint it with milk paint!
Decorating my house always keeps my mind busy. It's my hobby, and I am always looking for fun things to add here and there. I found the first three items at an antique store and the birds at a gift shop. They make me happy!
And here is a little preview of Gillian's Pinkalicious Party this weekend. When she saw the decorations, she said, "That looks awesome!" I can't believe that sweet girl will be 3!! WOAH!!
Goal for tomorrow... Shower before the kids get up!! ;)

One Month on the Wait List

We have officially been on the wait list for one month for our Gia! This month went by very quickly as we ended the school year, took a trip to King's Island, and had vacation bible school! I think that having 3 busy kids will make the time go by pretty quickly, but let's see if we are still saying that at month 8! We love you Gia and can't wait to see your sweet face!

Grady wasn't feeling well, so he didn't participate in the rest of the craziness!! :)

Yearly King's Island Trip

The end of the school year means it's time for our annual trip to King's Island. Every year we stop on the way to visit our good friends from our days at TU, Jenny and Ben! And every year the time with them goes by WAY TOO FAST! Jenny and I talk on the phone every day and sometimes multiple times a day, so when we actually get to see each other in person, it's difficult to leave!
Jenny has the biggest heart! She got us our first gift for baby Gia, which is now sleeping in a little bed in Gillian's room. This little doll is so soft and will be so loved by Gia! Jenny got one for her little girl too as they are adopting from Ethiopia as well! It's been so fun to go through the process together!

Gerald and Grant are hanging out by the fire at Jenny and Ben's house.

The lovely hosts who fed us dinner and let us spend the evening relaxing by the fire, Jenny and Ben

Jenny with all the kids minus Beckett....

because I was lovin' on this little guy! This is Gillian's future husband, whom she has never met! Yes, we left Gillian again this year at the Nini and Papa Spa and Resort! This gave me time to love on Beckett! I just love him!!

Grady thought Lane was pretty! I hate to break it to him that she is a little too old for him! ;)

And then the next day we made it to the park! This year we didn't take many pictures because we spent a lot of time riding the big coasters! This was the first year that both boys were old enough to ride the big ones! Grant could even ride the biggest coasters and really enjoyed the Diamond Back! Gerald and I, on the other hand, felt a little dizzy after riding the Vortex more times than we could count!

The Burzy family joined us again this year! The kids get along so well!

Grady and Haydn still enjoy the small rides too and loved riding the cars!

Grant and Riley are a couple of old men and rode on the bench on the carousel! :)

On the third day, the boys enjoyed the water park. It was a little cool that day, but that doesn't stop the boys!!

It was another fun year! We can't wait to do it again! Maybe next year Gillian and Gianna will both get to go!!?? Maybe!

Littlest "G" Update

On May 17th, we officially went on the wait list for a baby girl from Ethiopia. We are open to a 0-2 year old, so since most people are waiting for an infant, my guess is that we will get a little girl older than a year old. So, my next guess is that she is already born, and her family is making the toughest decision of their lives. We don't know her story yet, but we pray that whatever situation she may be in right now, that she has a special angel watching over her and protecting her. We pray that she may be protected and loved. Our faith always grows during this time of waiting because we are fully relying on the Lord to take care of our little girl. I am a protective mommy, and to know that we have a child in another country that may be in danger or might be hungry is heartbreaking! But the Lord loves her even more than I do, and His ways are better than my own!

Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

This makes me think... I am protective of "my own" but God calls us to take care of "the least of these" everywhere. We get a lot of questions and judgements as adoptive parents. "Shouldn't you make sure you can pay for all of your kids college education before you spend more money on adoption and bring more kids into your home?" "Why don't you take care of the kids here in the US instead of adopting overseas?" Basically the statement is... "Take care of your own." While my head and logic gets this, my heart is wondering, "What does God call us to do?" Does the Bible say, "Take care of just your own." "My own" with the exception of baby Gia, are quite comfortable. They get three meals and snacks, a warm bed, lots of kisses and hugs, daily prayers, and TONS of extended family spoiling! They live the life that very few kids lead. You see, the vast majority of kids in the world will never have 3 meals a day, will never have clean water to drink, and will never have 2 parents to snuggle and love on them. Thankfully God doesn't limit who He takes care of and loves! Thankfully God sees us ALL as His children! We are called to take care of the kids in our backyards, across town, and across the world. There are no limits to where we can help! And, it doesn't have to be financial... time and love go a long way!! I'm just sayin'...... :)

Miss Jello Update

Oh, Gillian is very 2 going on 3 right now! She is sweet and cuddly yet very sassy and ornery! She repeats everything I say and often disciplines the boys for me! She says, "Gwady, you need to be quiet while mommy is on da phone!" She is also getting very smart, or maybe manipulative is a better word! Now, if she doesn't want to wear something, she says, "Dis too small, it's for baby Gianna!" She knows we are saving all of her things for her baby sister. She is also really starting to do imaginary play! I found her a couple of days ago wearing red heels and bouncing her baby doll back and forth to soothe her! She also likes to pretend she is all sorts of animals and bugs. It's really cute!! "Mommy, I am a fly now! See me fly and go ZZZZZZ!" She is constantly entertaining us!! We just love our precious girl!!

This is my current favorite picture of her from Easter!

A long, long, long time ago, we had a fun play date at the park with Myla, Nolan, and Ian! Oh and Jo Jo was there too! ;) This is the day that Jo fed me all diet food because she thinks I'm fat! ;) This is also the day that Jo thought Gillian needed hot chocolate from Starbuck's even though I insisted that she would just spill it on her white pants in the car. Not 5 minutes later, Gillian was wearing the hot chocolate! Yeah, my kids are just like that! :) The kiddos all had so much fun on this day at a super fun park! The rolly slide was hilarious!

A long, long time ago, we met up with Sophia, Dmitry, and Hannah too at the mall for some coffee and laughs! The girls were super cute and Dmitry was hilarious! He tried helping me name our next child... G-Mitry does have a nice ring to it! Hannah was as sweet as ever! She just turned 200 years old, and I hope I can be as sweet as her when I am that old! I can't believe I just cracked that Hannah joke! ;)

Gilli loves going to Grady's baseball games and really loves it when sweet Mason is there! Those two are so cute giggling and running all around holding hands! Awwww!!

Sweet girl, we love you so much and it is fun watching you learn new things and grow more independent!! Besos!

Monster Update

Grady "Monster" started baseball for the first time in April. He loves it!

He also loves his fan club! Grant, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Heidi, Jax, Uncle Andrew, Uncle Pete, Hunter, and Gilli are all cheering him on! Dad is coaching and mom is taking pictures! :)

Grady attended Kindergarten Round-Up, and he is more than ready to begin in the fall!! Student Council Rep, Luke gave him a tour of the school, he went into all the possible K-rooms he might be in, and he took a ride on the bus with a neighbor boy! Now he is ready! The wink in the second picture cracks me up!

I had a great time at Grady's preschool Mother's Day Program! That boy melts my heart! He gave me a flower, sang some songs and recited Bible verses, served me cookies and punch, and wrote what he loves best about me! It was a special morning!! I love being his momma!

This week was Grady's field trip to the zoo. Gerald and I took Gillian too, and the kids had fun looking at the animals and going to the Dolphin show! It was a cool morning and so all the animals were up and active! Very fun!

We walked around the zoo with Grady's friend, Austin and his family.

We love our monster so much! His cup is always full and overflowing!

*We love that he is so loving and so sensitive to others needs. Gillian got hurt outside the other day and Grady picked her up, loved on her, and then did a silly dance to make her laugh. That's just Grady!

*He loves for his Nini to bring him "homework" and he will practice his writing, cutting, gluing, and math daily.

*I love his imagination! He has invited a pretend friend over when I wouldn't let him have a real friend over. Even though Grady wouldn't join us for lunch one day, the pretend friend did! We had to help that poor pretend friend find the bathroom since Grady wouldn't come out of his room to help him! LOL, that kid keeps us entertained daily!! :)

*He can find a friend ANYWHERE we go! If we are at the park, he will find a boy, learn his name, and tell him that he is his new best friend! He is good at making others feel welcome and loved!

*I think my favorite thing about Grady is how he takes on his role of middle child so well! He is a great brother to Grant and Gillian, and he is the one who is probably the most excited about adopting again! He is constantly asking me when his new baby sister is coming home!

Cowboy Update

We may live in the suburbs, but Grant is most comfortable on the farm! When he is not on the farm, he is at home organizing his tractors and cows and dreaming of the farm! This kid IS a farmer! The first picture is grandpa with all of his grandsons.
Grant's favorite subject at school is art! He has always loved to do artwork. One of his projects made it into the art show this year! His project is at the top right... the boat. Nice job!
Grant can also be silly! He put this fairy costume together all by himself with the pirate bandana and all! Makes a momma proud!! ;)
Grant has been asking for a Mohawk for about a year! I, of course, said, "NO!" every time he would ask! I finally caved, and now Grant has a nice mohawk for summer! It actually looks pretty cute on him!
Last week, all the kids at Grant's school got to put their Young Author's books on display. Grant put A LOT of effort and detail into the illustrations! It was beautiful!!!
Grant can also be very serious! This is his "I'm not doing homework" look! Oh tough guy, please learn that momma always wins the homework debate!
We LOVE our lil' cowboy! We love that he loves Jesus with his whole heart! We love that he is so faithful and committed! We love our freckle faced farmer!