the school wants to evaluate Cody to see if he qualifies for extra help in English. (which I dont get because he got a C in that class) and is carrying a B in his other classes including chemistry!(and he got a C in physics!) so anyways I said yep sure go ahead. signed the paper, delivered it to school via a child. then I got a note from the teacher saying where is that form can you return it? I wrote back saying I already did. now I just got a call from the office saying its lost. I have to sign and send back another one. they have like 45 days to evaluate. at which point school will be just about over. go figure.

edited to add: said child who swore letter was delivered did NOT deliver letter at all. thus making me look a fool when I say its already turned in. now it is definitely turned in.

big scary bike!

got sophie back on the bike and she is making progress. still freaked but at least making it move. and every time anyone on another toy comes near her she starts screaming like they are gonna plow her over. Ben is enjoying that. he backs up really fast and looks like he is going right at her and then turns the wheel and goes around or else stops just before getting close to her. he is on a big wheel and backing with his feet on the ground so not much danger in him losing control and being unable to stop.

she keeps calling to me I love you mama I love you I love you. I can tell she is worried about this darn bike. here is a picture of the kind of bike she is on....I guess it isnt really a bike but still!

just a day in the life

yesterday we went up to mom's. and while we were there visiting, the kids went upstairs to grab some toys and what do you think happened next? Sophie decided she was going up too. and up she went. she got about 4 steps up when I discovered her! She is so amazing. holy cow was she a crank when we got home though!

Today she has this irrational fear of the bike. its like a tike bike only slightly wider in the middle. and if she fell off, she is like 6 inches off the ground. but she was ticked off that she wasnt on the trampoline and thats what she wanted.

When we were kids Alysia had a shirt that said Spoiled but not rotton. I was thinking about that today because Maia IS rotton. soemthing inside that child is rotting. she is so gassy and stinky! spoiled AND rotton huh Tiff?

In our house spankings are a game we play. We say ok who needs a spanking? or TIME FOR SPANKINGS! and they laugh and laugh while we pat their behind as if to spank them. Tonight I was doing this with Ben and he was saying OW OW OW! when I was not hurting him. and it was never my intention to hurt him, its just a game. but he slapped his leg hard and told me at groupa SPANK! ow ow ow! poor boy. And Chrysta yelled at him this morning and he burst into tears. the poor boy is so sensetive. So gentle. so kind. I hate that someone spanked him. I hate that a scolding makes him burst into tears. he wakes crying every single night still. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Yesterday I scooped him up as he walked past me and I was kissing and hugging him. and he said ok Mama you win! I said what do I win? He said "ME!" I told him I did indeed win the lottery with him. and I am so lucky. gave him some more hugs and kisses and tickles and sent him on to breakfast.

Ethan and I were teaching Mocha to play frisbee today. it was a riot. I would throw it and Ethan and dog would both chase it and Mocha would get to it first but then roll over and put her feet in the air so Ethan could catch it. She needs to get worn out, she is getting into too much mischief.

check out the fundraiser at ourgirlsbyheart.blogspot.com you could win !

10 things about me

another post I have been meaning to make

ten things about me

1. I like loud music in the car but when I turn onto a slower road I have to turn down the music(make sense? NOT!)

2. I really despise doing dishes

3. I really enjoy snuggling up with my husband to watch Jane Austen movies(he loves them too) or masterpiece theater

4. I LOVE THE OPERA

5. I love our date times when we get a chance.

6. I wish I could homeschool my kids again

7. I love to drive on a sunny day.

8. I hate to drive in the city

9. I am completely and totally devoid of directional skills. up down north west whatever. I just dont get it.

10. When I was about 10 I was going to grow up and drive a semi truck!

ten things that make me happy

1. pinching my kids cheeks

2. laying in bed with Maia and snuggling with her and she lets me sing to her even though I very probably suck at singing.

3. happy dinner without having to say SIT DOWN! a hundred times. (now this doesnt happen very often but it makes me very happy and stress free when it does)

4.holding babies

5.helping others

6.ANIMALS!

7.all things cheesecake

8. a good book

9. buying cute clothes for my kids at super cheap prices (clearance) but never is buying for myself fun

10. holding hands with my husband

funny maia

I took them to school today at ecfe and there was a little girl with shoes Maia REAAAALLY liked. now Maia has BIG FEET. she is very tall. She needs big feet to hold her up. So on the way home she said I want shoes like Monica's. I said Im sorry but Monica has four year old feet and you have six year old feet and 4 year old shoes do not come in your size. Previously I have been teasing about taking away her birthday and keeping her five. So she started thinking on the way home and said Mooom!(you could hear the wheels turning!) can you take me back to my FOURTH birthday?? I said no Im sorry I dont have the power to do that. Enberg power just isnt enough for that. She wanted to know why if I could take her birthday away I couldnt just take her back to her 4th birthday so she would be 4 today instead of 6. then she could get those shoes she likes!!! she is so freaking adorable. The things she comes up with.

sophie tooted and I told her it was a barking spider and she now says every time she toots "that big bug mom!"

happy birthday precious!

When I went to wake the girls this morning Maia was already awake and said Its a vewy special day mama. its my boofday. she is so precious. I made a big pot of oatmeal for breakfast which thrilled her. She put raisins and brown sugar in hers. she wants chocolate cake with sprinkles for her cake. she wants balloons too on her chair at dinner.

today is the last day

Maia will ever be 5. why HER growing up years are so sad to me I dont know. but I feel it much more acutely than the others. I know I know, they grow, you expect it, its why we do it, but still when they grow it means they are growing up and away from you a little at a time. Maia is my most precious child. I would throw the others to the wolves to save her. ok no I wouldnt but I love her in a special way that is different than the way I love the others. Dont let anyone tell you to love your kids the same. kids are different, they need to be loved in different ways. Sophie is my little beauty. Ben is my little love bug. Ethan is my little chicken fry. Cody and Chrysta are my teenagers(nuff said there). but Maia, oh Maia, she is my Maia. she never allowed me to call her honey or sweety or baby or monkey. she was Maia. she would say CALL ME MAIA! and we did. and we still do. she was a wild thing. she was a holy terror. she was this clingy whiny little monster who never let me out of her sight unless it was to get into something. and now? she is the most beautiful wonderful loving accepting child. she is still Mama's baby no doubt, even today, her last day of being 5. but she is more willing to branch out now. She has accepted her brother and sister and all their limitations completely and think nothing of hitching up her sister and hauling her where they want to go. She loves to ride her bike. She loves to cook out. She loves to jump on the trampoline. She doesnt like anything, she loves everything. she is so 5. until tomorrow. when she will be 6.

we had our first cookout of the year tonight. Im calling it book (beer)club for men. we invited some friends over and I think we all had a good time. about 7 horses came through the neighborhood. you would have thought it was christmas the way the kids all reacted. it was fun though. definitely got chilly though. now we are exhausted and falling into bed.

who wants a moby?

MOBY WRAP! gently used hunter green moby wrap. nonsmoking home. directions, bag, and wrap. 30$ includes shipping. tell your friends!

a conversation with the kids

tomorrow we have to get up early and get dressed and when the kids get on the bus we have to take Mocha to the vet to get fixed.

FIXED!!! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? She isnt made of metal!! shes not broken ya know!!!

oh. ok you're right she isnt broken. fixed is what its called when she has her baby making parts removed because we dont want her to have any babies.

WHAT! WE WANT BABIES! WE WANT HER TO HAVE BABIES!!! and anyways she didnt have any babies yesterday. or today.

well there are lots of baby cats and dogs who dont have homes. SO MANY of them that they are often killed because there is no one to care for them. (yes this is sad and seems somewhat cruel but is a fact of life)

WHAT???? THEY KILL THEM??? They just hit them over the head with a SLEDGEHAMMER????!!

no dear. no sledgehammers. they give the animal a shot so she goes to sleep. and then they give him another shot so that his heart stops beating.

and THEN they hit them with a sledgehammer???

no there are no sledgehammers. anyways we have to take mocha to the vet so we have to get up early.

but Mom why do they kill them?

There is no one to take care of them. there are too many dogs and cats in the world. its sad isnt it.

Mom? Why does Mocha have to have her baby bones taken out?

So she wont have any babies.

Why dont we want her to have babies??

OK EAT YOUR DINNER!!!

"How are you?" you ask???

well let me tell you. my day started last night at 1030pm. Darn dog would not stop barking his fool head off in the crate until I finally let him go downstairs with the kids to sleep. I crawled back in bed, closed my eyes, and Cody was knocking at my door triumphant that he had found the dog, one and the same that I just sent downstairs! Crawled back in bed, closed my eyes, and MOOOOMMYY!!!! Ben had a bad dream or saw a ghost or something. calmed him and went back to bed. MOOOOMMYYY!!! Ben again. tuck him in. back to bed, close eyes. Wails of anguish from bens room again. At some point Ethan was crying and tucked him in again too, he had only his quilt and was cold. this went on most of the night. About 430 I went to sleep. Soundly.

Woke with a start at 640am! The kids need to get up and get going at 630! I overslept!! Jumped out of bed and got Ethan moving and jumped into the shower. then ran down to get the girls and Cody up. Got everyone eating and sent the big ones off to school. I had wanted to leave when THEY left at 730 but the littles werent dressed yet and were still eating. I helped Sophie finish breakfast and got Ben moving on his. Got them dressed and out the door by 8. Never did get a chance to eat so stopped to grab a doughnut. WORST DOUGHNUT I EVER HAD!!! Seriously! how can someone screw up a chocolate covered doughnut??

Sophie was in a pissy mood most the way there. 5 minutes before we got there MAIA threw up. had appointment started home. halfway home SOPHIE barfed. Cried the rest of the way.

I am exhausted now. need a nap! I havent medicated Ethan the last two days and he was truly adorable. today I medicated him and he is snarky mean and difficult to get along with. I wouldnt have medicated him but he told me he got into trouble at school yesterday and had to move his bee two times. one more time and he would have to get a note home. so either he gets along ok at school and is surly at home or he gets into trouble at school and is nice at home. He walked in the door today and didnt even say hello just started in on Ben IMMEDIATELY! WHAT is the deal??

write your senaters and congress men and women!!

The adoption tax credit helps every day people adopt children. The tax credit is due to expire the end of the year. Every single one of us needs to write our government representatives and tell them to extend or make permanenet the adoption tax credit. This credit often means the difference between life and death for a child. Tell everyone you know! This has made the difference for us to be able to adopt again. I know it has made adoption an option for many others too.


http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

whirlwind weekend

Friday Eric was on call. Never did come home that night. Saturday Morning I took Chrysta to Moms for the day. We helped my mom clean out her room. unfortunately I ended up bringing home tons of stuff. where to put it all?? mostly clothes. We went up to my aunts on the way home and got home about 10. when we were driving we saw a few deer. and then this crazy thing happened. I saw this truck on the side of the road with flashers on. and I could see in his headlights what looked like people moving back and forth on the highway. Looked like long haired people. Except it wasnt. Must be deer! why are they wandering around like that in the middle of teh road. and then HERE THEY COME! it was TWELVE horses! and they were on the run. I opened my window(had stopped by then) and heard them clip clopping along. I clicked and said here baby here baby and they didnt even slow down. didnt even LOOK at me. just kept on booking it for the border. CRAZY!!!

Sunday dawned bright and early. scraped up soemthing to wear and went off for my day with Eric. It was supposed to go like this, round on patients, off to city, lunch, opera, home. unfortunately it went like this: round on patients round on patients round on patients, off to the city, just in time for the opera, and a ravenous dinner. I didnt get a chance to eat breakfast and we thought we were going out for lunch so I didnt think anything of it. so I ended up not getting anything to eat until 5 or 530. La Boheme was wonderful. I am not ashamed to say I cried. Even though I swore I wouldnt. Cant wait to go to another. Got home in time to fall into bed. Didnt even clean the disaster that I was greeted with. Its become the norm for me to be rewarded for going out with coming home to a disaster. not a dish was washed shoes everywhere toys everywhere.

today Sophie and Ben get to come home from school without me!! they finally get transportation! which means I can watch the ENTIRE episode of The People's Court! for a change. which translats to a few more minutes of me time with no one(except the dogs) demanding anything from me.

and the rain rain rain came down down down

and piglet started bailing, unawares on a chair while bailing he was sailing.


the yard is completely flooded. its moved quite a bit since yesterday. TOWARD the house. but it isnt threatening just yet. and let me tell you it BETTER NOT! I JUST got the basement back together and painted after this happened last year. ready for the carpet(but put it on hold for just this kind of thing) Eric is on call, has an active OB patient(which translates to unable to leave) and there is nothing I can do if the water comes in. I know from previous experience there isnt anyone who will do anything to help.

BIG NEWS!!

Big news everyone!

really big really big!

Ben knows pink!

probably because he hangs with his sisters so much lol.

yesterday the computer repair guy was here and he was packing some things into his box with pink foam in it and ben said I LIKE PINK! lol.

we have tried and tried to get him to learn colors. he really struggles with it and rarely gets it right.

but now? he likes pink. he KNOWS pink!

DUDE! DONT BUY A DELL!

My dell has had problems since the first. periodic transient problems. and now more serious problems meaning its useless. I scrimped and saved for that computer. Clipping coupons and saving the money saved on coupons. squirreling away birthday money coffee money any change in the couch. the warranty expired as the current problem began. Mind you my DELL is just over a year old. I rarely take it out of the house, I dont let the children use it, I barely let my HUSBAND use it. I am gentle with it. I am careful with it. I have not abused it in any way. I earned it, I saved long and hard for it, I would not do anything to risk it. and now when it has completely given up the ghost, dell says oh right your order for extended warranty didnt go through. we have no record of it. (well except the letter they sent me saying they go the order) so I have to buy it again. but because its been a couple months since the warranty expired I have to pay a recertification fee. I lost it. I absolutely lost it. I said this is an 800 dollar paperweight, it wont turn on, it wont charge, its useless. I can do nothing with it. I have not abused it, and I cant believe that the customer service isnt better than this. I have only used it for internet as a stay at home mom to keep in contact with people far away.My-name-is- Rajit-you-can-call-me-Austin put me on hold. he checked with the manager and they decided to waive the recert fee. total cost is now less than the order I paid for on line and it is for a FULL year not just 6 months like the one I ordered on line. Now...to get them to fix it!

thankful thursday on monday

My laptop is down so I dont get as much chance to get online. Have just a minute and wanted to write down this story from yesterday.

We went to get the pup. Eric's future hunting partner. When we got there the man was talking with another family. We just petted the adult dogs that were out while we waited. The family had a boy and a girl. and the whole time they were there Jake was into everything and he was NOT a little boy. How do I know his name was Jake? because the whole time I heard Jake get out of there. Jake stop that. Jake get down from there. Jake knock it off. The kid was into EVERYTHING, on the counters, turning on the sink, touching things he shouldnt, taking the magnets off the magnet board, climbing onto what was obviously someone's desk, he was EVERYWHERE. meanwhile MY little MR ADHD found a ball and got his brother (who kept putting his face near the dogs and one growled at him) sitting on one end of the room and played rolling the ball with him. NOT ONE TIME did I have to say get out of there dont do that dont touch that that isnt nice. nope not even once. Jake did it all, and Ethan did NOTHING! and he was not medicated.

when I got them into the car I made sure that Ethan knew how I felt. I had to run back in to get my purse and told Eric to make sure he told Ethan he noticed. Of course all the other little scamps wanted THEIR praises sung. the boy was even pleasant at dinner. Im not sure who that boy was but wow it was nice.

yes mudder

Maia thinks its funny to say Yes mother! when I ask her to do something. Ben thinks thats what we say now. so he says YES MUDDER! he is such a cute kid. but if he doesnt start eating he may waste away and blow away in a warm summer wind. Breakfast and dinner do not go well but lunch he generally eats well. Not sure why that is.

Miss Sophie is still a peanut. She has moved in with the big girls. Im not sure how I feel about that. She LOVES it though.

Ethan, is Ethan. I say Ethan I am so glad you are such a joyful child in hopes that eventually one or the other of us will believe it.

Chrysta is often off on a teenage hormone induced rampage. Even pulled out Ethan's old standby, you love everyone else more than me. (this was because she had to do the dishes, her ONE solitary chore) guess she needs me to sing to her more often.

Cody is a riot as usual. now if he would put as much effort into his schoolwork....

Maia, oh Maia. Maia is my love. she is very attached to her Mama and doesnt like me to go anywhere without her. Even to buy a gallon of milk. She is nearly 6 and I cant believe it. my little preggo eggo. my little doodle that cant be undid. She is my heart.

I love them all so much. The thought of being away from them for so long in Ukraine is NOT a happy one.

Today we get a new family member. Eric's hunting dog. She is only an 8 week pup but will grow to be his hunting companion. I miss my Ole love. he was a great hunter. unfortunately he wasnt very nice with the other people in the neighborhood and became very aggressive. RIP my big Ole.

mini corn dogs

Maia was wondering how they get hot dogs so small. I couldnt resist telling her hot dogs come from pigs and little hot dogs must come from baby pigs. she didnt believe me.

home again home again jiggity jig

dr appt yester. impressive. NOT. drove HOURS to see this guy and drove HOURS to get back home again. and meanwhile he is a bit misinformed and spoke to us about amc as if we were idiots. hellooo we have done the research and we live with it every day. yes we know what it is. he didnt say he WOULDNT do anything but rather that he could do it but it probly wouldnt work. 50/50 odds and it will "just recur anyways" We have decided not to do anything at this point. waiting 6 months wont hurt anything. I dont want her spending the entire summer when she could be exploring her world, locked up in the house in casts and external fixaters and immobil. at least for now she IS mobil, it isnt walking but she gets around and plays. sumer will be full of swimming and that will help loosen things up as well as strenghthen other things. I guess we will probly go to shriners philly at some point just to see what the experts think. so we left home at 11 and got home at 530 and 90% of that was on the road

homestudy check!
commitment check!

I600A this week!

dossier ASAP!

wordless wednesday

proof indeed that girls can do anything. Barbie, in a ball gown, being a fire fighter.

neat giveaway on ourgirlsbyheart.blogspot.com

too true tuesday(aka true confessions!)

spilling the beans here.

I know we are all just a little bit crazy. just in different ways.

my little bit of crazy has to do with certain cups that sophie uses. She can really only use the cups with the straws. we have many in various colors. my children tend to try and annoy me(and it works) by mixing the colors. They will give her a cup with a different colored lid. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! DRIVES ME NUTS! orange cup gets the orange lid. green gets green lid. you can not mix green and orange and purple and blue and pink. lids MUST MATCH THE CUP! I have been known to take the cup away and make it right. I just cant explain it. maybe when the colors match I feel like I am giving my precious girl the very best I can give her. I dont know. I just know that the colors must match.

I also cant talk on the phone without my glasses on. I just cant do it.
make sense? probably not but I just cant focus on the phone if I cant focus my eyes.

and I cant stand the sound of brown paper bags ripping. it sends shivers up my spine.

now tell your idiosyncracies. we all have them.

not me monday!!

I have wanted to write not me monday for awhile but never remembered. sooooo

when one child asked why the other child needed medication I did not say it was so I didnt want to wring his neck. nope I didnt.

My husband does not like clothes that have been in the washer over night. I did not quietly put them in the dryer and proudly give him a nice wrinkle free shirt fresh out of the dryer after being in the washer all night. not me.

I did not consider having shriners come and pick us up and drive us to the appointment next week because I hate driving in the cities and always end up lost. noooo not me.

I did not have a diet shake for breakgast and a danish for a midmorning snack. nope. not me.

I did not start making plans for the next adoption after this one. Not me.

I did not sign up for a class that we havent been able to get to even ONE TIME! not me!

I didn't spend the afternoon in bed reading a book yesterday, even if it was a really good book. not me.

I did not just hand back a rubicks cube because it was too taxing on my brain. not me.

nope not me.