Wide Eyed

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Man here I am. Wide awake. I won't even tell you what time it is. I haven't been sleeping very good lately. I lay in bed wide awake with a million gazillion things running through my head. I won't even begin to go into all of that. I wish I could sleep. I'd be a better mom tomorrow if I could. But here I am. I got up thinking I could be productive yet I'm not accomplishing a thing. :-(

Midnight Snack

No, it's not really midnight yet but I totally have a sweet tooth. Big time sweet tooth. Too bad The Gent and I have been eating healthy. So healthy. You would be proud :-) Anyways, here I sit gathering the last tidbits for my sharing time tomorrow and wanting to snack. I could seriously go for something sweet, something bad, something that wouldn't really be worth eating. Instead, we are having Quaker Rice cakes and ice water. Gah. I know it's a good little snack but are they kicking the sweet tooth? NO. Sad. I'm trying not to miss my Dr. Pepper and sweets. At the moment it is hard because, well, I love me some Dr. Pepper and I love anything sweet. :-( Go away cravings, go away sweet tooth! As much as I've loved your friendship it is time to go our separate ways.

Insight into Me

Tonight as I sat in an adoption education class, I was taken back. Taken back just over 6 years to when we started the adoption process. Tonight I felt all of those same emotions and the same heartache as I felt then but this time it wasn't for me. It was for all of those couples sitting in the class just starting their adoption journey. I just wanted to be their friend, a support, someone they could ask any question they might have, someone to be there for them when they were having a hard day. I hope they meet someone in the classes who can be just that for them.

My friend, Laurie, gave one of the presentations and as many times as I had heard it before, something stuck out to me today more than it ever has before. She said that she feels like no one really knows her unless they know she is infertile because that is something that is such a big part of her (Laurie, hopefully I quoted you right :-) It just got me thinking about how much that really has affected my life and what a big part that has played in who I am today. Does that mean that it defines me? No. But it has changed me in a way that nothing else truly, dare I say, ever will. It is what brought us to adoption. Adoption is something so near and dear to my heart and I am grateful for it each and every day. We are blessed to have two open adoptions that have taught me so much about love and selflessness. The Boy & The Girl's birth families are some of the most wonderful people we have every met. I seriously could go on and on about it.

I guess what I am saying is look forward to more adoption/infertility related posts because, just as Laurie said, it is part of me. You can't really know me without knowing that about me and well, I might as well share. And what better place then here on my bloggity blog :-)

Go Skate!

We went ice skating for my brother's birthday a few weeks ago and the boy thought it was just the coolest thing ever. My brother's were so good about taking him around. By the end of the night The Boy didn't want to leave. He has figured out how to balance and walk on the ice skates and was on his way to becoming a pro. The next morning when he woke up, the first thing he asked is if we were going skating again.
He is telling me "don't picture me!"

The Gent would have helped The Boy except that he was just

trying to stay up himself. He totally biffed it and cut his lip open.

Arteest!

The Girl is NOT the guilty Arteest here. The guilty one ran and hid in his room.

A few months ago The Boy got into the markers. After picking them all up, there was one marker we couldn't find. We searched high and low and figured that it was just gone. And then it shows up. The pictures really explain it all. In case you aren't sure, it's a snake. When I walked into the room to find this, The Boy said, "Hi mom, do you like my snake?" So proud of his artwork. I was livid. Then I saw The Girl. The Boy got even more excited and said, "look, I made her eyes green!" She was covered and she thought it was great. This was the first of about a dozen drawings on just about every wall he could find. Magic Eraser saved them all except our bedroom wall. It's still green. The suede paint soaked it all in and Magic Eraser takes off the paint and all. I guess it's time to choose a new color.

It's funny now looking back. But at the time, I had to leave the room, shut the door and just pretend it didn't happen. Especially since I thought they were both looking at books in The Boy's room and I had just snuck out to send a few Primary emails when it happened. I can't turn my back for a second! When The Gent got home I let The Boy show him the snake. Daddy wasn't happy either.

Yumm

I found this picture and I laughed so hard. A friend of mine had given me a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and The Boy found the box, opened it and was completely enjoying himself when I found him. He had two or three in his hand and when he saw that he had been caught he shoved them all in as fast as he could. His mouth was so full. The box was completely gone. Between The Boy, The Girl and the dog I'm not quite sure who enjoyed them more.

Hello!

The Boy cracks me up answering the phone all of the time lately. Today it went something like this. . .

Phone rings. The Boy runs as fast as he can to the office which is the phone he can easily grab.

The Boy (in his fastest talking voice ever without taking a breath): Hello. I'm going to soccer today. Hello. I can play with a soccer team. Hello.

Me: Hello. (not knowing who it was, asking The Boy to please hang up the phone)

THe Boy (over top me): We're gonna go to soccer now.

Coach (trying too hide his laughter): This is The Boy's soccer coach. The game has been cancelled today because of the weather.

Getting off the phone I had to tell The Boy we weren't going to soccer because of the snow. All he said was, "yeah, that snow is soooooo cold!" We haven't heard another word about soccer.

I know, I know. No pictures. I suck at getting to edit my own pictures lately. I promise I'll break them out one of these days. You'll love the soccer pictures. The Boy tangled in the net, sitting with the other team and really being anywhere but on the field with his team.

Tagged by Amanda

I have been tagged by Amanda to list six things about myself. I'll try to make them something you might not know :-)

1) I am afraid of the dark. Hate it. Even if it is just turning off all the lights for the night and walking upstairs. I flip the lights off and run (seriously, run) up the stairs and down the hall because I hate being alone in the dark.

2) I am a night owl. I love staying up at night and love to sleep in. Too bad I have a built in alarm clock named Landon who can live on very little sleep.

3) I come from a family of 10. 8 kids. I am second oldest and my youngest sister is 14. No wonder my poor mom tunes everything out.

4) I worry about the most frivolous things. Things people say, what people think, the list goes on and on.

5) I am the Primary President in my ward. I was put into Primary the week after we moved into our house five years ago and have never left. Teacher, counselor, and now the President for the last three years.

6) I love entertaining. While that has become harder with two kids in the mix I still really love it and miss it. I miss my friends!

Seriously?!?!?!?!?!

We have all been sick around here the last week and there have been way too many trips to the doctor. Today it was my turn since I was up all night last night with THE worst sore throat and my ear feeling like it was going to explode. It hurt worse than I can seriously remember it ever hurting. So, I call my mom who happily agrees to come over to watch my two sick kids. The Boy with an ear infection and The Girl with pink eye. Thanks mom!

I head to the doctor, a random doctor at the medical center that we go to because who else do you ever get to see when you are sick and making a same day appointment. And so I wait. I sit and wait and get back into the room fairly quickly. Yay! It might not take all day. With my head feeling like it was about to explode and feeling light headed all at the same time, I sit and wait in the little room. And wait, and wait and wait. About half an hour later the nurse comes back in and says that the doctor will be right with me. And I wait and wait and wait. Seriously, I sat in there for an hour. I could hear ALL of the other rooms around me being taken care of and yet I sat there waiting and waiting. Did I mention my stuffiness and lightheadedness. I feel like crap ola! I finally get up and go out to find that there isn't a soul around. No nurses, no doctors, no patients. Yes, no patients! Except for me. All of the other rooms were empty. I am sitting there with my little chart in the door with a #1 sign on it. That's means I'm the first patient, right. The very next patient to be seen. I better be since I have been in this little room for an hour. So, walking through the doctor's office I have yet to find a nurse or anyone to ask what the deal is. I walk to all of the nurses stations without any luck. I finally go to the last station to see a few doctors and nurses sitting there talking to a drug rep. Seriously?!?!?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!?! That is why I am waiting? An unexpecting doctor comes out of his office to find me, fuming at this point. I say, "excuse me, I have been sitting in here for an hour and am pretty sure I have been forgotten." With a shocked look he says he'll find out what is going on. Drug rep! You got it. She was chatting away with the drug rep. She comes in two minutes later to tell me that I have a head cold and not being bacterial there is really nothing she can do for me. Three minutes total. Three freakin minutes after waiting for an hour to tell me to go home and take some Sudafed. Seriously?!?!?!?!?! You have got to be kidding me.

So I just wanted to say Thank You. Thank you for allowing me to spend an hour and a half in your office. Thank you for for insight and knowledge in telling me that my lymphnodes are swollen and that there is some drainage in my ears. Thank you for going to medical school for that! Thank you for sending me on my way to get some OTC medicine (did I mention I have been taking that ALL week without any luck). And Thank you for charging me a butt load for your medical knowledge and intellect.

Why do we pay these people? Seriously? Why? Why did I go to the doctor? Why did I sit there and not demand better service sooner? Why? Argh.

End Rant.

Buddies

Today as I was going through my photos, I came across these. . .


As I was watching them play together today I realized that they have become these little buddies. No, it hasn't always been this way. The Boy hasn't always been the gentlest little guy and then The Girl took her turn with hitting and pushing back. For months I have wondered if they would realize it was so much more fun to just play with each other. I realize that they have. They love each other so much.

The Boy is constantly watching out for The Girl and helping her in any way he can. Even if that means doing something as simple as finding her sippie cup because she is crying and he thinks she is thirsty. Which I love when she is upset and he will try to interpret for us what she needs. (e.g. she is just hungry, she just needs her juice, she just wants you to hold her - which are things he tells us all of the time).

The Girl wants to do everything and anything that The Boy does (which if you know The Boy is good and bad :-) She loves playing with him, reading books with him and especially loves his laugh. She loves to tease and they have so much fun teasing each other. They are so cute and amazing to watch. They are learning and growing right beside each other and I love it.

They both have a bit of a cold right now and today was an extra cranky day for everyone. I wish I would have had the camera when The Girl was crying and The Boy told her, "don't cry Kater bug (which we call her a lot), it's OK." Then he said, "come here honey, do you need a hug?" (It's so funny to hear them use words I do). That was just what The Girl needed and she leaned right into him and gave him a hug. As he consoled her I realized that not every day has to be a battle around here although it may seem like it at times. They are both getting so big and I need to stop wishing my days away.

Soccer, Here I Come!

The Boy has his very first soccer practice this Saturday. I can't wait to see what he thinks of the whole thing. He is actually pretty good at dribbling a soccer ball and can maintain control from one end of our yard to the other. Pretty good for a tiny little thing. And for tops he is fast. Super fast. We are hoping this will channel some of his energy and maybe even wear him out a little.

Back to Real Life

Here we are. Back from our trip. I'll have to go through all of the pics and post some for you. For now, I'll just give you the top five things we loved about our trip to Oregon.

1) The Scenery. Everywhere you go is just beautiful. We loved the river and the trees. The vineyards and the orchards. The tree farms and the flowers. Everything was just amazingly beautiful and green even though we weren't there during the summer when it is all in bloom.

2) The Safari. It is a drive thru safari where all of the animals roam freely and can walk right up to your car. It was a lot of fun. The drive there. . .well, it was long and wet and we wondered if it would be worth it. It was! The sun came out about 20 minutes after we got there. The kids loved it and so did we.

3) The Van. Totally worth renting. Super nice. When we picked it up it only had 2500 miles on it. Brand new, Dodge Grand Caravan. The Gent wants a mini van now. lol It was perfect for the drive. The kids were so good because one of us sat back there with them and could entertain them. And we could all ride together once we got there which D and The Boy loved!

4) The bridges. So many different kinds and made out of so many different materials. My sister says that she loves to take pictures of the bridges and I can definitely see why. They are everywhere and they were fabulous. Too bad we couldn't stop at every one for pictures. With a car full of kids, sick of driving, stopping for pictures came far and few between :-(

5) Our family :-) L and I have always been so close and when she moved to Oregon we didn't know what to do. Before it was talking on the phone every day, coming over at the spur of the moment and letting the kids play. Now, we talk on the phone sparatically and web cam but it just isn't the same. D and The boy are best buds. I think D will miss The Boy's mauling and hugging every other second. The Boy had to be right by him every step of the way. He had to sit on his lap, give him a hug, kiss him or just touch him every step of the trip and Dariun was just secretly loving, I mean hating it. Dn would tell us every other minute that The Boy wouldn't leave him alone. And it was true! The Boy couldn't get enough of him. It was so good to see them and hang out like we used to. Long drive and all, we're glad we could visit!

We had a great time. I'll bust out the pictures soon! As much fun as it was, we are glad to be home!