Thoughts

I have so much to go over and decided I would just bullet point it... ;-)

* Haiti has been on the mind of our family alot lately. I hope to get to take a trip with some other adoptive mothers in April or so...$$ hopefully available
* Kids have kept us busy. Have fun watching their games and performances, but will be happy to have less on our plate.
* Getting to visit with old friend tonight should be awesome. I know she is trying to sell me something I don't really want or need, but to reconnect will be great.
* Going between the idea of staying where I am at my job or looking for something with growth potential...either way, change sucks. Keeping options open.
* Hoping I can muster the fortitude to make a Womens Bible study every Tuesday night at our Church. Want to go, Basketball will be over (track starts) but hoping I make myself learn so I can grow.
* Feel guilty, have not been to church once yet this year...it is February
* Missing a friend. He dropped off the map and has not made contact for a while....praying he is ok and it was nothing said or done that made him leave.
* Leaving Friday afternoon for Hailey...Cheer Competition. Sharing room with M.L should be fun..bring the Margarita maker please!
* Need to upload videos of cheer and basketball here for others to see...need time and Curt's computer to do so.
* Working on new diet. To cold to exercise outside (I prefer walking the neighborhood to treadmill). Down 4lbs this week and feeling successful...cannot wait for walking to begin and hopefully the 'hangry' (hungry and angry) feeling to subside! ;-) I feel the skinnier version of me trying to escape (maybe I will quit shutting her up with chocolate!)
* Exercise I will do inside consists of dancing around like a crazy woman while cleaning. Did so before work today...makes my pale face(mostly my nose) shine bright red for several hours. :-(

Game Time Baby

Lately we have been a flurry of activity. BooBoo has mad 2 basketball games and has shown an aggressive side that we were not sure he had. He is jumping up and stuffing the players on the opposing team so they cannot get a shot, getting fouled and making his free throws like a pro. Tonight he led his team to victory in Overtime. Official stats were- ‎5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists (one of which was for the go ahead score).

Roo has competed in 2 cheer competitions, taking 1st in both. I have to say that their performance last Sat. 22nd, they were in TOP performance. Mistakes that troubled them in the past seemed to fade away and they made it look easy....all of us parents were proud, the girls were proud of themselves as well.

C-Man has had 1 basketball game and 1 Bye week....try to explain Bye week to a kid that LOVES to run and 'do' his chosen sport on Saturday's..haha I think he is finally getting the idea of the game, but at his age they still travel with the ball like they are on vacation. ;-)

Mitch had her first Cheer performance and LOVED IT! Not only did she do the dance, but she finishes the routine up in the front left side of the group in FULL SPLITS....she is so excited to be able to show off her splits for anyone and everyone who will let her.

Curt and I are enjoying going to the various activities, but it can be tiring at times...we try to remind ourselves that we can rest when they are grown and we are retired!

The Fun Begins

Today starts our 1.5 months of Hell...hehe
Tonight we will venture to Mitch's cheer practice from 5-6:15pm. 6:30pm we begin Roo's cheer practice.
Saturday AM we have Mitch's first performance (will post pics of her in her cheer uniform later) as well as practice for Roo and C-Mans first Basketball game.
Later in the afternoon (3pm) Roo is having 3 friends accompany her to get their toes and nails done and hair coiffed and then sleepover and bow making to celebrate her 11th year of life, she is so excited!

Since I have been gone so long from here, I did not commemorate Roo's Bday very well....I will hopefully be able to put up new pics of ALL the kids soon (read: once I get them to work and can scan them) so everyone can see how they have grown.

Well, off to enjoy the weekend and HOPEFULLY get some rest as well!

Catching Up

WOW, have I been gone a LONG TIME! ;-) TRYING to make a New Years Resolution to write here more often. I find it therapeutic to purge, and this may be a good spot to do it.

Been busy as usual. 4 kids seems to take it all out of me...of course, add in working full time and 4 kids activities and life in general and POOF-days do NOT have enough hours in them.

Kids are all growing. BooBoo is 13.5, Roo is 11, C-Man is 9 and Mitch is 6. The older two have passed me in height, not that this is an amazing feat, but thought I would mention it any way. hehe

Curtis brother Derek has had his 2nd and LAST!!! Liver transplant. He got he call the weekend of Curtis 40th birthday. We threw Curt on a plane and got him up there in time to see Derek get wheeled into O.R. He spent his 40th birthday on a funky couch in the hospital, taking turns with his sister, Heather, to make sure Derek had someone with him all the time. Not really your favorite way to spend a b-day, but he would not have given it up for the world.

Curtis is still working in the same place and enjoying it very much. He has become quite the salesman when it comes to fixing your commercial sprinkler ad fire alarm items..hehe
I am still working at ISE doing Front Office Diva. I am a Jack of all Trades, Master of none. Still get to work Fights every 6-8 weeks, NICE....blood, guts and fun stuff.

I have so much in my head, but fear blog-o-ria if I am not careful....will try to process more before I lay it all out here.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my AWESOME
Hubby!!!


Here he is with another awesome guy, Kyacey Uscola from Ulitmate Fighter. Kyacey is a sweetheart and I am glad that Curt got to meet him, since I talk about him and the TUF show all the time...hehe One of the 'perks' of working the fights, getting to know the Fighters on a personal basis...they are great guys!









The face off.....Curt thought he could take him...to lunch. haha

Mitch Graduation

Well, as life has it's chapters, we closed the book on one of them this week. Mitch Graduated from Kindergarten! She struggled this year with being separated from mommy, structure in the classroom, sharing time with MANY other kids. She worked hard on language and to learn her letters, numbers, sounds and word recognition. There were times I doubted First grade would follow and that another year of Kindergarten would be required.....she proved me wrong.
With the help of her faithful Teachers, Ms. Wilkins (Regular Kdg), Mrs. Martinez (Extended Kdg) and Mrs. Mittleider (Reading Coach) she DID IT! Mitch went from a 1 on the IRI (Idaho Reading Indicator) to a 3...THAT ladies and gentleman is grade level words! We worked so hard with her at home, reading, quizzing her on sight words and sounding things out. C-Man and Roo would give her timed tests on letter sounds many times and encouraged her all the while...AMAZING!

Here are some pic's from the wonderful night!

Man, are they EVER gonna call me?

They Said My Name!

It's Official!

Thumbs Up to An Awesome Year






























Mitch & Ms. Wilkins

The Hawk Has Landed

C-Man has begged for a mohawk all year long. FINALLY he was able to have one. I have convinced Daddy that it would be ok, so we decided to let him give it a shot.
Daddy cut it himself, and let him have it the last 2 days of school as well as the summer. I must say, we think he is adorable in it!

Two May Birthdays!!

May is the month of 2 Birthdays in our family!



May 3rd, BooBoo turned....13......EEEEKKKKKK



May 16th, Mitch turned 6...and lost her first tooth

















Chillin together on the couch
























BooBoo, too cool for just about anything!

Mitch LOVES to smile!

Happy Mother's Day To ALL the Mother's

I say Happy Mother's Day to ALL of the mommies out there.

In our lives there are many moms...we have me, Mom's whose tummies we grew in (Often called Haiti moms) and the fact that I have a mom as well...the younger kids are all amazed that I didn't just appear on earth as a mother...strange concept I know.

Mothers Day is very mixed for me. Every mothers Day I not only pause to think about my own mother, but also about the mothers who allowed me to be a mom. Without hard decisions or their passing to the next life, I would NOT have been able to be the mother I am today. As we celebrate, I often cry (quietly and hidden) thinking about the ones in Haiti and that we should also honor them. So,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
THENAISE
MARIE LUCIE
LOURDES
GRUCETINE

Bingo....RIP

This blog post is a little over due. I have not been able to post about it for some time now, due to every time I start, I cried.

January 2010 we had to say goodbye to Bingo. Bingo had been the most wonderful, loyal and loving dog a family could ever have.

Curt brought Bingo home one day after we had suffered a miscarriage. He knew I needed something to love, to be my baby...I needed someone or something to need me like I needed it. He had been working at the Local Animal Shelter inspecting the Fire Alarms. He always hated to do it because all the animals pulled at his heart strings. This day he was inspecting and came across the skinny ball of hair that had a tag on its cage. He knew what it mean-this little ball of hair was due to be euthanized the next day. He found out that she was a puppy of approx. 5 months and that she had been abandoned out at Lake Lowell and left to die. No one had claimed her and her time was up. He looked at that little fur ball and brought it home to me.

Now, at first I tell ya...I love animals, but I had always been more of a cat person. Considering we lived in a trailer park with a small 2 bedrooms, I did not see where this little furry thing was going to fit into my life. I pet her, she licked me and I was done for.

I worked at a school doing OT/Pt and began having the dog come visit me on Curt's days off. The kids fell in love with her and helped us name her B.I.N.G.O. after the song. It stuck.

Bingo was our first 'child', our first 'adoption' and she lived thru 4 kids, many cats and birds; camping trips and road trips to Wyoming, Montana, and Washington. She LOVED car rides, car washes and taking showers with us.

In the end, Bingo was our baby for 18 years. She gave loyally and loved us and the kids tremendously. Over time she became blind (at about 7 years of age) and then deafness took over. In the end, she had given all she could give. We thanked her by saying goodbye and burying her near the house she spent so many years in, where my granny and papa live now. A wooden cross marks her spot along with a deep love from 'her kids' and 'her mom and dad'.

Happy Anniversary

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, to the man I married 19 years ago today. We have been thru ups and downs, and have managed to beat the odds of a couple who met when they were 14.5 years and 16 years old. Love you Forver babe!

Thou Art With Me

Have you ever had a moment or two in your life when you were just SURE that there was a God? I have always KNOWN there is a God, but the other day, he placed his hand on me and let me know that he was in the passenger seat with me as I drove.

I was driving home from work on the freeway. Fairly easy drive, not a lot of traffic, moving at regular 65 mph pace. I came up behind a truck pulling an enclosed trailer with construction items in and on it. I was following him and no one was around us, he was going the proper speed limit, my exit was coming up very soon and things were smooth.
I got the overwhelming urge to pass him. There was no reason to pass him...no REAL reason at all. I turned on my blinker and looked in my mirror....as I merged into the other lane, one of his ladders on the top of the trailer shot off the back and right into where I had been 2 seconds ago. The ladder whipped straight out (where the driver side would have been) and then shot sideways out behind me as I continued to slow down and pull over. He saw what happened and slowed to pull over as well. He asked if I was ok, which BY THE GRACE OF GOD, ONLY, I was.

I cannot express the amount of praying and thanking I did right then, and the rest of the night. I could have ended up a crazy accident statistic with a ladder in my face and chest...... THANK YOU MY LORD AND SAVIOR!!!

Amazing Accident....

I saw this accident happen right in front of me on the way home from work last week. The Good Lord put me, once again, in the right place at the right time. I was able to climb into the back seat and secure the womans airway as well as hold C-spine until the paramedics got there to cut her out.


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So Much Going On

We have had so much going on in the last month and a half and I am finally trying to sit and blog about it. 1. It is NOT ALL my fault that I have not written anything for a while....computer at home has been down-the video card was bad. Curt's computer really stinks at surfing the web so the only computer time I got for the last month and half was at work (not all that conducive to blogging if the boss is there..hehe)

We have finished up basketball times 2 boys. Have some pics I need to post of them here for all to see. We have not received BooBoo's official team pic yet, but we did for C-Man. He looks like a little MAN in them, NOT an 8 year old boy. Made me tear up some....curt looked and he did the same, where has the time gone?

Roo is in full fledged Cheer season, with performances or practice every Saturday. This month (March) we have several performances and a Spring Fling to perform in. Should be exciting and fun for all the girls.

I have pictures I need to post with certain blogs, so I will get to these in the next few days. So much to update and so much to say and show, that it may look a lot like blog-o-rea! ;-)

Amos Story - Music Video - Aaron Ivey

LOVE this song. Aaron wrote this song to show the waiting Adoptive parents go thru for their kids. Thank the good Lord, Amos and Story are home, as so many other Haitian children have been blessed with being united...we are NOT done yet, soon ALL the orphans spoken for will be home.

Progress

I have been pleased to see that progress is being made for the kids in Haiti and their adoptive families in the U.S. and Canada. I still have 1 family that I am working with that needs their teen daughter Daina home....they are so much further in the process than many out there that have been traveling and I think the frustration is getting to them. I can't say that i blame them...you wait and wait and still no word on if YOUR child gets to come home.
I do believe the logic is that the babies and toddlers are more at risk than the teens are...the younger they are, the more at risk for death due to disease, malnutrition and dehydration. Adopting an older teen, this child has shown they can survive Haiti (although scarred) they will not be the first to go in death or to their new life.
I pray for the family, who have tried to remain faithful in their wait, but also respect their frustration growth as nothing is happening for them...PRAYING J & M for you!

The scenes still coming out of Haiti are so mixed for me...Aaron Ivey said it correctly when he wrote his album 'Between the Beauty and Chaos'http://aaronivey.com/ . I think he hit the nail on the head. Aaron and Jamie also received word that Amos was on a plane and now have him home...WOOT!

I see how media is leaving, Haiti will go back to anonymity for them, but for many of us it will still be real. The Doc's who are helping who take 5 minutes to cry over what they have seen, the Haitian people in the streets who sing Hymnals praising a God that many think have forgotten them, yet they believe. Yesterday, 11 days after the quake, a 23 yo man was found ALIVE and barely scratched from the quake. He was buried in rubble and sipped a soda to keep himself going....a soda and prayer...what an odd combo that maybe only Ange would understand..hehe

I will post items here to the blog to preserve them for my kids and to share the triumphs and memories.

I Learned A Lot This Week

I feel like such a louse. I Pray non stop for Haiti and the people, for Humanitarian Parole, for adopted kids to pour into airplanes and go to their Forever Homes and still my heart hurts. I go to FB and post, spreading the word, CNN and MSN and the TV News and look at pictures of horror that every face reminds me of my own children, and then I read it...one of the teens IN the quake, Living thru this hell on earth, prays that the Non Christians around her and the neighbors of the Pension come to know that God Loves Them...thanks him for everything good and bad....then I cry, because I am a safe and here and I begged for something like this never to have happened, and they see it as something to bring their neighbors to God. I have learned alot this week.

Quake Hits Haiti-Catastrophic Consequences

I have so much that I need to update and write. So many Happy and good things to report...they seem so trivial today and in life in general.



MANY, MANY Haitians have lost their lives over the last 2 days. 1-12-10 @ 4:50pm Haitian time, a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti...the epi-center hitting Carrefour (Kaw-Foo) near the Capital of PAP. I have been thru Carrefour, it is where the new New Life link Orphanage is located. It took until midnight to receive word that Dr. Bernard, Claudette, Guest House staff, Creche Staff, children and HFC staff and children were all alive and well. Buildings have been badly damaged, but are not down.



Word from Dr. Bernard was this:
DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, THANKS 1000 TIMES TO EACH AND ALL OF YOU MY DEAREST FRIENDS WHO SEND US EMAILS ABOUT THIS DISASTER. THANKS 1,000,000 TIMES FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS. WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE WITHOUT YOUR FRIENSHIP, PRAYERS, AND FANANCIAL SUPPORT.PRAISES, GLORIES, AND POWERS BE TO OUR ALLMIGHTY SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS FOR SAVING MY LIFE FROM THIS BIG EARTHQUAKE WHICH MIGHT KILL THIS AFTERNOON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. IT WAS ABOUT 4:50P.M, I STEPPED UP INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ON MY WAY BACK HOME FROM WORK. AS I JUST ARRIVED ON THE 2ND FLOOR, THE BUILDING COLLAPSED ON EVERYBODY WITHIN SECONDS . THE ROOF CAME DOWN OVER OUR HEADS. I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE THIS MIRACLE.I WAS ONE STEP TO DEATH, BUT PEACEFUL, TRUSTING THAT MY LIFE WAS IN GOD'S HAND. MY MIGHTY GOD GOT ME OUT SAFELY. AS I JUMPED FROM THE 2ND FLOOR INTO ALL THE DEBRIS, I GOT HURT ON MY LEFT SIDE.HOWEVER, I AM SAFE AND SOUND...IT IS A LONG LONG STORY.WHAT A MIRACLE! WHAT A GOD THAT WE ARE SERVING! HE SURELY IS NOT DONE YET WITH ME.WHEN I GOT HOME, CLAUDETTE AND THE OTHERS WERE FINE, BUT THE GUEST HOUSE SHOOK UP SO BAD THAT THE WATER COOLER, BOOK SHELVES FULLO OF BOOKS, AND CABINETS FELL ON THE FLOORS.AS I AM WRITING THIS EMAIL, THE HOUSEIS STILL SHAKING UP. WE WILL SLEEP OUT SIDE, UNDER THE FRONT PORCH.ALL THE CHILDREN AT THE ORPHANAGE ARE FINE. BECAUSE TELEPHONES ARE OUT OF SERVICE, IT WAS ALREADY NIGHT AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN PORT-AU-PRINCE WERE IN THE STREET, MOURNING THEIR TRAPPED AND DEAD FAMILY MEMBERS, THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD GET TO THE NLL BUILDING OR HAVE ANY NEWS. EARLY TO MORROW MORNING, I WILL GO THERE. OH ! HOW I PRAY THAT ALL THE CHILDREN AND STAFF ARE SAFE.THE SITUATION IS AWFULLY AWFUL, TERRIBLY TERRIBLE. PLEASE, PRAY FOR THE GREAT NUMBERS OF FAMILIES WHO HAVE THEIR LOVED ONES STILL UNDER THE RUBBLES WITHOUT MUCH HOPE TO SURVIVE. PRAY FOR HAITI, AND THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.I WILL KEEP ALL POSTED.WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO GOD TO HAVE YOU ALL IN OUR LIVES.Blessings,Jacob

Bon Fet Dr. B

A WONDERFUL BON FET TO DR. BERNARD!
We miss Dr. B and hope to tak the kids back to see him some day soon. Dec. 31st was his 29th (hehe) birthday! We tried calling but could not get thru....LOVE YOU DR. B!

What's Up Pussy Cat

We have had many ups and downs the last month. A great guy from our church was hit by a VERY drunk driver, while he was on his way home from work. He was on a bicycle so he took the hit pretty hard. When he was hit, he fell and went head first into a fire hydrant. OOHHH...the pictures are enough to make you gasp. I am happy to say that he is recovering well at home now with his jaw wired shut for a broken jaw, arm in cast from broken wrist, and leg wrapped due to torn ligaments. God is good, no more surgery is needed and he is recovering faster than expected-good thing, I believe his skate board and new bike are missing him.



Mitch went to the Pediatric Gastroenterologist. She has had so many problems with her belly and her main Doc and I were out of ideas. We have her on a great med that is hopefully going to clean out the back log of...well..and then she will be on a maintenance dose for 6-9 months. Good thing for Curt and I, is that we now know it is not behavioral, but more of a defense system from things in her past. This has allowed us to remove the blame from ourselves, treat her accordingly and help her heal the correct way...AMEN!!!

We are enjoying life and getting Christmas shopping done slowly but surely. We are glad that most of our family has decided not to do Christmas gift drawings, since that really isn't the meaning of Christmas anyway, and we will all just get together and visit and eat-WONDERFUL, less expensive plan! ;-p

AS this time of year comes up, I often think of things I want to accomplish for the next year.
Lets see if I can name a few and possibly add to my Yearly Bucket List: (in NO order)
1. Lose weight and KEEP IT OFF
2. Pay off some bills
3. Get a new tattoo
4. Go on a REAL vacation as a family
5. Pray more
6. Attend Church more regularly (gotta get the I can'ts out of Sunday's)
7. Organize my home and life to run smoother-see pray more..hehe

Sure there is more, but tired and can't think of them right now.
Off to read and hit the hay for the weekend kid activities!