Mathew sees the Christmas tree
Posted: December 3, 2009 at 12:15 pm
It’s so fun to watch his reaction to Christmas decorations and especially the tree. Here he is seeing it for the first time yesterday when we put it up:
tags: Mathew Add a comment
My Running Buddy
Posted: October 6, 2009 at 6:43 pm
On Sunday, I asked Carter if he wanted to go for a run with me and he was super excited. I jog slowly so i knew he wouldn’t have a problem keeping up – i was afraid I’d have a problem keeping up with him! I was surprised that he hung in there with me for a mile before he asked if we could walk and he loved it! He kept going fast so we’ll have to work on the concept of speed vs distance. 
I hope we’ll continue to do this together and run a couple of times a week. Maybe it will turn into something he really loves and soon enough he’ll be running marathons with me.
tags: Carter Add a comment
New Baby
Posted: October 5, 2009 at 2:05 pm
We found out this weekend that my sister is pregnant! Here’s how the conversation went when we told Carter and Gracey:
Me: Guess who has a baby growing in her tummy?
Kids: WHO????
Me: Aunt Tina! Isn’t that great? Wesley is going to be a big brother.
Carter: that’s cool
(i can see he is really thinking about something)
Carter: the baby is in her tummy, right?
me: yes
Carter: Your tummy is broken, right?
Me: (wondering if he was making sure there wasn’t a baby in my tummy!) that’s right. and I’m sooo glad it is so I could be your mommy
Carter: (smiling) yeah. But what if I was in your tummy and came out just the size I am now
Me: hmmmm, that wouldn’t work – look how big you are. There’s no way you’d fit in my tummy like that
(I can see the wheels turning in his head. He is wondering how the baby gets out and I’m praying he won’t ask.)
Me: So did you have fun at the race?
LOL. I’m not ready to explain to my 5 year old how a baby gets out of his mommy’s tummy. Especially when three year old ears are listening and would repeat it all day every day for a week.
tags: Carter 2 comments
Family Halloween
Posted: September 28, 2009 at 3:06 pm
We like to dress up for Halloween around here and this year I’m hoping for a family theme. Two years ago we went as pirates:
And last year only the kids dressed up:
So this year we are considering a few different themes: Star Wars, Super Heroes, Flintstones OR just letting the kids dress up together and Bri and I dressing together as Popeye and Olive Oyl. Searching Craigslist to see what I can find cheap so if you have leftover costumes you want to trade or sell let me know!
Which do you think would be better:
Superheroes
or Star Wars:
tags: Family 3 comments
Gawd Says
Posted: September 25, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Gracey started attending preschool “children’s church” this year when she advanced from nursery to Sunday School. I have the joy of watching her as I volunteer with a Kindergarten class and she is a hoot! Her behavior reminds me a lot of Carter when he started children’s church but somehow for a little girl people seem to react more with laughter than frustration. Here’s hoping it is just a phase?
Although completely incapable of sitting still for more than a minute, Gracey hears everything and takes it all to heart. After just one Sunday, she insisted on taking her Bible to church because all the kids who take it with them get recognized. (she also raises her hand EVERY week, claiming to be a visitor so she can get a sticker)
Gracey’s Teacher: Gracey, put your hand down, sweetie, you aren’t a visitor
Gracey: but I’m just pretending!!!
Lately, she insists on taking her Bible everywhere which I think is adorable. After this morning I’m afraid she may soon cross a line:
Gracey: Mom, I’m going to take my Bible with me to Wal Mart
Me: No, honey. Leave it here so it doesn’t get lost and you can read it when we get back
Gracey: But, MOOOOOMMMM!!! I need to read about Gawwwd
Me: (laughing) okay, but you have to keep up with it so it doesn’t get lost, that is God’s special letter to you.
Gracey: Okay.
We walked out the back door and saw that our dog Duke had gotten out and was waiting to come back into the backyard.
Me: DUKE! Where are you getting out? arrrghhh
Gracey: (opening her Bible and pointing to the words) DUKE! Gawwd says right in the Bible that you should not get out of the backyard!
I almost peed my pants.
tags: Gracey Add a comment
Because I missed you, mom
Tags: Adoption, Foster Care
Posted: September 23, 2009 at 5:22 pm
When I returned home from Phoenix, Carter is the one who immediately displayed his joy at my return. He crawled into my bed that first morning and snuggled close to me saying, “I just missed you so much, mommy.” While I was gone, Gracey is the one who voiced her separation anxiety but it didn’t show once I was home. And Mathew always loves mommy best whether I’m gone for 5 minutes or 5 days!
The thing with Carter is that he didn’t talk about it much while I was away but it was so obvious he thought a lot about it. It was on his heart and I felt a great sense of relief from him that I was back and all was right in his world. At one point in the day he even said to me, “you can do whatever you want today, mommy, even take pictures of me because that’s how much I missed you.” (Carter is at a stage where he absolutely DOES NOT want his picture taken) It’s not that a 5 year old missing his mommy is a big deal. It’s what this 5 year old’s frame of reference is.
Carter has a profound understanding of loss. At almost two years old he lost the only mother and father he’d ever known. One day she was there and the next she was not. No matter how much we prepare him for a trip or a time away from one or both of us, I can’t help but wonder if he secretly questions whether or not we’ll come back for him. And that breaks. my. heart.
tags: Carter, Foster Care Add a comment
Good Morning, Star
Posted: September 10, 2009 at 11:53 am
This morning in the Ebenezer house:
Gracey: Mommy, it’s still dark outside
Me: yes, it’s early, Gracey
Gracey: ooooooh! I bet that star is awake, can we go see it?
Me: okay, let’s go
Gracey: (pointing to the one little star visible through the clouds) MOM!!! LOOK!!!! THERE’S MY STAR! Good morning, star!
Me: (pointing to the moon) Gracey, look who else is awake
Gracey: MY MOON!!! Good morning, moon. He’s awake in the night!
Me: okay, it’s time to go back inside
Gracey: Goodbye star. Goodbye moon.
I love her enthusiasm for life and her pleasure in the little things. She’s 3 1/2 now and I know the magic in her perception of things will slowly fade away over the next few years. I wish we could capture that innocence and unwavering faith in the impossible and carry it with us into adulthood.
I started my morning with a 2 mile run at 5:30am. It’s a great start to my day when I’m able to drag my behind out of bed! Saturday will be my longest run ever: 5 miles! Slowly building up to be ready for the 13.1 mile half marathon in January. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I am even able to run. I often pick up a pair of pants at the store and think “oh, there is no way these are the right size… they are much to small in the waist” only to discover that they are my size and sometimes even a size bigger.
I’m minus 80lbs from last November. I’d really like to hit 100 before this November but I don’t know how likely that is. Especially since I’ve been stuck at 80 for the last 2 months or so. This last wall I have to push through is brutal! I only need 20 more pounds. Just 20!!!! Oh well, I’m sure as I continue to run the pounds will continue to come off slowly.
tags: Fitness, Gracey Add a comment
Mathew Update
Posted: September 3, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I survived Mathew’s first week (2 days) of school and he did, too. I know he loves being around all the other kids and I’m sure he’ll adjust to the one nap thing. I just hate it when he gets so fussy because it really is unlike him. Usually, he’s very happy-go-lucky.
Speaking of Mathew, I still think he is the smartest baby in the world. 
He loves the remote control and if the TV is off, he’ll grab it and point it towards the TV while pressing buttons. If nothing happens he’ll scream until someone helps him turn on the TV. I also love it when he picks up the phone and babbles into it pausing every now and again to “listen” I suppose. He gets so enthusiastic about eating that he will pull food out of his mouth if you are putting something else in front of him that he likes more.
Just like Gracey used to do (and still does, actually), Mathew thinks everyone in the world should stop and pay attention to him when we are in public. He will wave and say ‘hi’ to strangers in stores and keep smiling until they talk to him. Can you imagine if an adult were to walk around doing that?
tags: Mathew Add a comment
What might have been
Tags: Adoption
Posted: September 2, 2009 at 3:40 am
Why is it that dropping off a child for the first time at preschool/MDO/school/etc… sucks? I HATED leaving Mathew at school today and it didn’t help that he cried when I dropped him off. Poor little guy was sooo tired – school starts about the time he normally takes his morning nap, which I’ve been trying to break him of. But my little guy needs his sleep. He only got to sleep for about 40 minutes and when I got there to get him he was dazed and confused.
Ugh. I know he’ll get used to it I just hope it happens fast. I don’t know how long I can keep dropping him off if he’s going to be so exhausted when I pick him up. He’s normally such a happy baby UNLESS he misses his sleep. I guess it runs in the family because I’m not such a happy camper on too little sleep, either. Shocking, I know. That I would EVER not be easy to be around. Shut up, family.
Before Mathew was born, Carter and Gracey would crawl into my lap every morning and we’d cuddle together watching cartoons for 30 minutes or so. We haven’t done that often since little Mathew was a newborn – just too demanding with his bottle and breakfast, etc… This morning ALL THREE of them sat cuddled in my lap for a bit and it was the best 10 minutes of my day.
I can’t help but wonder what their mornings would be like if they were with their biological parents. Every once in a while the realization of ‘what might have been’ slams into me like a Mack truck and I have to catch my breath and thank God again for keeping them safe and bringing them home. And just when I start to feel better I remember there are thousands of children who are living the ‘what might have been’ every day.
Right here in my own city I know there are thousands of kids being neglected and abused. Thousands of people who don’t have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. Children without families and even worse children with abusive families. And I hear on the news about my hard earned tax dollars being spent on a damn animal shelter and I’m outraged. Money that could go toward saving human lives is being spent on dogs and cats. I love animals, but seriously? What kind of message does this send to child living with ‘what might have been’?
tags: ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!, Adoption, Mathew, Parenting Add a comment
Oh Mommyo
Posted: July 30, 2008 at 2:24 am
Carter has this thing about wanting me to make up songs at bedtime. I’ve made up songs about Batman, Spiderman, various other superheroes, his toy box, his ceiling fan, etc… you get the idea. Tonight, we were on the couch doing our little bedtime routine and I said, “let’s sing a song about daddy”. So I would sing a line and then he would. Most of his lines were “Daddy kicks…or….Daddy farts…. or Daddy stinks….. or Daddy you are mean.” Said with a big smile. then he and daddy made up a song about me. This is how it went:
Daddy: Oh Mommyo
Carter: you fart alot
Daddy: Oh Mommyo
Carter: you kick your feet
Daddy: Oh mommyo
Carter: you are so hairy
Nice. Thanks for that, Carter. Sadly, the first thing I thought of was I have to blog about this. No, scratch that, the first thing I thought was, “wow, he has really noticed the obvious”. He added another line that said something about me being as hairy as daddyo. Nice. Good thing I’m not sensitive about my ancestors the apes.