Boise Photos

Downtown Boise

Too bad we didn't bring a change of clothes-you can run through it!

The Discovery Center, a hands out science museum

Fascinated by wheels and anything that spins


And fascinated by balls, especially when they hover in mid air


Um, Kenson as a set of quads

Julia Davis Park

Paddle boating, or as Kenson calls it, a bicycle boat

Zoo Boise

More large animals than the last zoo, but not a lot else

Hiking trails in the Boise foothills

Seriously the best vacation activity ever. Check out the state/local parks for hiking trails and off you go! Really cheap; usually you just need a park permit. In this case, not even that. We've done hiking on almost every vacation and hope we can keep up that tradition.

Uncle Dan's apartment

More fascination with things that have wheels

Drum Central

A way late jam session where community members come and play drums. We joined them for a bit. Kenson and even my rhythym challenged husband had a great time keeping the beat with the real drummers .


One sleepy boy-we're still recovering

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Per my friend's request, this link is for the bread machine cinnamon rolls I made a while back. While anything made with sugar and butter is good, they weren't stellar so I didn't put the recipe on when I posted my photos. However, someone else may think differently.

I also didn't use gluten which may have made a difference. I thought mine were kind of heavy and not as light as I would have liked so it may have been the gluten. To make rolls that need shaped (or any thing that you don't want to bake in your bread machine) just use the dough setting on your bread machine. It will mix everything up and keep it nice and warm for the first rise. Then you turn the dough out on a greased or floured surface, let it rest, and do the rest of the recipe. (Shaping into a loaf, rolling into cinnamon rolls, etc..) Let rise a second time as instructed by your recipe and bake in the oven. My aunt, Sheree, is really the champion of this business. She ought to be the one giving you recipes on bread. She uses her bread machine like this and bakes with yeast often.

Success

The three of us just got back from a 5 day adventure with D's brother. We traveled to Boise via plane and spent 3 full days vacationing there. In terms of attachment/adoption stuff, I would deem the trip a success. We were not exactly sure what Kenson would think of getting on an airplane again, only a few months after coming home from Haiti. Nor were we sure what we would think about several nights in a hotel. Our guess was that as long as we were there, he wouldn't care. But we weren't positive. However, we were totally right. And in terms of attachment, I see that as a huge success. He wasn't fearful of us taking him back to Haiti on an airplane, of a new situation meaning new losses. He had a great time and thoroughly wore himself out. He fought sleep at every turn; he was so afraid he was going to miss something good.

Pictures to follow.

Birthday Wishes, A Few Months Late

Conleigh turned 2 way back in February. Daniel was back because of Grandpa's funeral in late January and Conleigh's birthday is the first week of February. So we quickly bought a cake and some ice cream and celebrated in January with Daniel and D's grandma.

But I knew HCH was probably making her a cake and that I would want to post about that so I was waiting until I had pictures of that to do a birthday post. Well things at HCH got busy and her birthday pictures were not posted. Until last week. Lori and Minnie are cake bakers extraordinaire. They always make each kid a fancy homemade cake. Conleigh's was a bunny. Notice that its eye was the first part to go. Poor bunny! Thanks, Lori and Minnie, for doing something special for each kiddo who stays with you.

First Zoo Visit

On Wednesday, my mom, D, Kenson and I headed to the zoo while my dad went to some business meetings. We had a grand time. Kenson had never been to the zoo before and is still a bit timid when it comes to animals. We explained to him the day before what it would be like. (As in they can't eat you because there will be glass and a cage in between you and them.)

He really enjoyed the monkeys and the naked mole rats. The naked mole rats were set up with tubes for them to run through so Kenson could kind of chase after them as they ran. The koi pond and its fish were popular too. (We also experienced animal pottying and some hot and heavy turtle love but I'll skip the details.)

There were no tears and only a few moments of my-feet-are-stuck-in-cement and I'm-not-coming-any-closer. Days like that just make me wonder exactly what goes on in his little head. Imagine what it must be like to have such limited life experiences and then to go to a zoo where there are more animals in one place than you have ever seen before. Not only that, but most of the animals you have never heard of or seen even in a book or on television. It must be such a wonderfully weird experience

Ducks at the petting zoo
Mom and Kenson in the willow tunnel
Feeding the camels

Looking at the fish in the koi pond
Sitting on the caterpillar sculpture...this took some coaxing

A Headful of Twists

It rained last Friday. And we had just cleaned our house fairly thoroughly. So I was stuck at home, wondering what I was going to do all day. No cleaning. No gardening. No playing outside.

So I decided to practice more on Kenson's hair. This time I knew a bit more about what I was doing. I did start with four sections of hair, parted nape to forehead and then ear to ear. His hair is so short though so keeping it parted with clips was a bit silly. I did keep a few spots clipped back but I didn't worry about the whole head. My parts were much better. I did try to do a grid but one of the things I learned was that Kenson has some shorter places in his hair (probably from the ring worm) and those sections can't support as big of twists so I had to break from the grid to divide those spots into smaller twists. Also, once you get going, you kind of realize that some spots aren't going to lend themselves well to keeping with square parts so some of mine were a bit odd shaped in places. But all in all, I thought they looked pretty good.

Since Kenson's hair is pretty short, the twists are a bit tricky to keep in. Twists just don't last as long as braids do. But they are an easy style to start with and people who don't know any better think they're braids. (After you've got one section ready, just divide it into two and twist tightly one section of hair over the other. With heavily textured hair, it will stay without any rubber bands or fasteners. You will want to work with wet hair rather than dry so spray or douse small areas with water as you work. Also, you'll need to apply gel or another styling product to the section of hair before you start twisting to keep the twist in and to help you smooth out the hairs along the parts.) I did blow dry them in sections and that seemed to help them stay in.

Also, the blow dryer helped us get the whole head done since it was a novelty and Kenson wanted to keep going so he could use the blow dryer. I started during a tv program I thought would keep him interested but then worked through a snack and lunch. The food bit was the most helpful in keeping him occupied. I would say it maybe took 1 1/2 hours to put them all in. It's hard to say exactly how long because you're allowing wiggle time and time to take breaks. And if I were more experienced (and Kenson too) it would probably take less time.

The twists lasted until Monday when I thought they looked a bit too ratty to really keep. I did retwist before church on Sunday but I kept all the parts and just took one twist out at a time so it only took like 30 minutes to fix it. I think I could have probably done the same thing on Monday but I thought the parts were looking a bit haphazard too. Plus once you take the twists out, if you don't brush the hair all together, you kind of get a new hairdo for a bit too. Kenson is a bit short to really look good like that so I'll spare your the details but if his hair gets a bit longer, taking out twist is a good way to have some funky "free" hair.

How Not to Make Cinnamon Rolls in Your Bread Machine

Despite the dough oozing out of the top, (Perhaps my bread machine is too small for the recipe? Perhaps?) they did turn out okay.

Although upon further conversation with my husband, I really didn't even need to make them. He was taking a group of soccer boys to watch the state soccer tourneyment on Monday. When we were grocery shopping on Friday, he was looking at the discounted cinnamon rolls and said something about taking them on Monday. Since he had looked at multiple packages, I assumed he was planning to take them for everyone so I told him that I would just make some homemade ones. They would cost less plus they would probably taste better anyway. Once I had the rolls rising, I doublechecked with him to see for sure how many I would need. He acted surprised and then figured out I was making them for everyone. He had intended to just get cinnamon rolls for himself. Oh, well!

A word to the wise-I really don't like bread machine bread. It doesn't get as crusty on the outside. And sometimes it seems too dense. So long story short, I just use the bread machine on the dough cycle. It does all the mixing and kneading inside the machine so it keeps my counters from getting covered in flour. And it also does a nice job of keeping the bread warm for a first rise. Don't know why it never dawned on me to do that before; thanks to my Aunt Sheree for telling me that trick.

God and Me-I'm a Rightfighter

God has really been challenging my rightfighter spirit. (The part of me that wants to be right, that wants to nail people with the truth.) God's been challenging me to stretch my grace vocabulary, to recognize that much of what I think matters, especially much of the "sin" I see in other people's lives, really shouldn't matter that much to me. I have a tendancy to want to label the shortcomings of others. I think the church as a body does too. We look at people's lives and we're willing to overlook smaller things but not big things. I have a hard time seeing God extend His grace to people who believe they are gay, who cheat on their spouses, who can't "fix" a simple sin like swearing. At the same time, I can easily overlook faults of the person who shares too much information about their friend, the person who stretches the truth to avoid a problem, who is overly critical of their spouse, minister, or friend. With those more innocent faults, half the time I don't even see them as a problem; I just keep on trucking through life while execusing those behaviors away.

We like to say things like "Hate the sin but love the sinner." While perhaps theologically true, in a relational sense, it's pretty ugly. We only want to apply it to the first group of sins, the ones that seem a lot more sordid. Maybe because we don't know as many people who are guilty of those kinds of sins, so it seems pretty safe to say it, especially when we are surrounded by other Christians. Imagine how it must feel to have those words uttered about your own sin, if in the middle of a conversation about gossip, someone said how awful and destructive gossip was and gave specific examples of people who have struggled with it, gave the impression that those individuals could go to church just not MY church, and then said flippantly "Hate the sin but love the sinner."

Truth be told, the first group of things often get lumped together because they are often habitual in nature. And I get all worried that those sinners who can't seem to beat their more obvious sins are going to get off scott free, that they really aren't sorry for their actions, that somehow these sinners are cheating God. In reality, I'm pretty sure God has it covered. He knows the state of their hearts and the state of mine. I think I might actually be surprised at how much time some of these "vilest of offenders" spend in communion with God. After all, people who are continually in a state of brokenness because of their own failures are pretty close to God. Especially when compared to those who feel like their lives are fairly good and righteous.

I get really worried that God might not act in a fair way, that those who fly fast and furious in the face of God will get the same treatment from God as those who work really hard at their faith. Um, news flash...spirituality is not about working hard. And God's love is not based on fairness; it's based on generousity.

I'm not saying there isn't a time and a place for Christians to hold each other accountable or to share truths with non believers. Just that accountability and sharing usually only works when it's based upon a relationship. I know how little time I often spend nurturing relationships with others. And there are times where someone who is caught in sin can be made aware of it by someone random, someone who is just speaking the truth. But too often most of us who speak the truth, speak it crassly and quickly, with only a small dose of love and grace. I think God has just been challenging me to examine my heart for hardness towards others, to root out areas where I don't extend grace, to not be so caught up in the misdeeds of others and if they have really repented.

Anxious Attachment

In the past few weeks, we've dealt with what looks like some anxious attachment in Kenson. Or at least what I think is anxious attachment. It's hard to say 'cause he's two. Two year olds like to do their own things, ya know! I do think almost all toddlers/infants go through phases of being anxious regarding their parents and separation from them. But the mom in me says it's not entirely normal toddler drama.

He has been refusing to go to Sunday school or nursery the past 3 weeks in a row. When we first came home, we started out going with him and after a few weeks, he was totally content to go by himself. But a few weeks back, totally out of the blue, we had drama when it was time for me to go. So I coddled him a bit and thought it might have been the teacher whom he didn't know very well or the fact that we had just had a wild week with too many late nights. Next week, same story. This week, ditto. I've tried staying until he's comfortable and then leaving. I've tried the cut and dry leaving. I've tried standing close to the door and trying to leave him for short segments at a time. D's tried. I've tried. And we get drama. Major drama. Flailing arms. Loud wails. A refusal to let the teacher who is in the room even get close to him all with flailing arms, loud wails, and screams of "No, no!". (You would have thought the teachers were trying to kidnap him. He put up one heck of a fight both times he couldn't get to me. The first time was intentional when I tried to just leave quickly. The second time, silly me thought I could shoot across the hall to get some paper towels to help the teacher out.) So I think we'll be back to just staying in the 2 year old room with him for a while. (Which stinks because I miss Sunday school but there are worse things in life.) I think what bewilders me the most is the mystery of it all. Why he's decided that now he is worried and anxious about us going downstairs, I don't know. But we'll ride the wave and hope it passes, especially for the sake of his little heart which has absorbed so much in the last few months.

A ha!-As I wrote all of this and read some of the comments people had, it suddenly came to me when all of this started. When I spoke at a MOPS engagement, I left Kenson in the nursery there. It was full of strange people and kids and while he didn't throw a huge fit, he was not happy. Counting backwards, it was the Sunday following all this that we started having problems. Makes more sense now. I'm thankful God popped that into my head.

Conleigh Update

Nothing new on the dossier front. It looks like we are still in IBESR. Same spot we've been since September. But it does seem like a trickling of dossiers are getting released, including one from Kenson's orphanage which had been in for 19 months. We did get a whole bunch of pictures from Lori for which we are so very grateful. Lori also said that a while back they were all outside playing in the kiddie pool when the truck pulled in the gate. Conleigh pointed at it and said "Machin." Then "Vini Mama" which is "Come Mama." So it looks like she has some association between the truck and us coming. We will probably go to Haiti at some point before the end of the process to sign our I600 but I'm not sure what that will look like at all. Anyway, here's a few photos to enjoy. Her hair is very long and she looks very grown up. I especially like the one of her with the usual toddler goobers all over her face!

A Misspent Prom & Adoption Talk

A while back, I was reading an adoptive family's blog and something they had posted caught my eye. The mom was writing about her oldest daughter's transition into living life in a family. This daughter was a young teen and something she told her mom jumped right off the page at me. The daughter told her mom how she was envious of her younger sister who was small enough to still be held and rocked by the mother. The daughter said how she wished her adoptive mom would have been around when she was a little girl so she could have been rocked and cuddled and loved like that.

Click! For me, that girl's comments totally solidified in my head the idea behind regression and encouraging dependence in adopted children. (Adoptive parents are often encouraged to let potty trained toddlers go back to diapers, let their children use a bottle, rock their older children, make older children seek them out for food, etc. as part of encouraging attachment in their children.)

Some time ago, D told me something similar about our relationship. He said that he wished we would have known each other in high school so we could have gone to prom together. His two proms were okay but pretty blaise as he went with two friends. And my proms were, well, interesting to say the least. (I'll spare you the details.) The girl who spoke to her adoptive mom about wishing she had known her earlier in her life was saying the same exact thing D was saying to me. "I missed knowing you way back when. I think we would have had fun together. I feel like I missed out on some experiences because you weren't always in my life." Of course, a sentimental husband pining for his teenage years is not quite the same as a child thinking about the life they never got to have. But it makes so much more sense to me now.

I feel a small twinge of sadness and remorse over things I've missed doing with my husband; how much more emotion is connected to a child's heart when they recognize the things they have missed doing with their mom or dad. In Kenson, I do think I see a few indicators of these feelings in him. He often crawls up in my lap with his sippy cup and puts the cup in my hand so I will cradle him while he is drinking. And he still enjoys having D or I feed him. I'm thankful for a new perspective on these behaviors. It's easy to want to push him to be independent but I often have to remind myself that he is basking in lost opportunities, sucking up the good feelings of nurturing that, while he got from nannies, he did not get from his Mama and Papa,

Cheap and Easy

Call me a floozy but I am all about cheap and easy! My friend, Rhiannon, clued me into a website that definitely makes my grocery shopping cheaper and easier. Chicks Dig Deals is a local site, run by two women who work really hard to shop frugally. They post multiple posts each day with coupon deals online, local sales, and local deals spotted by other frugal shoppers. The part I like best about the site? It's two women who have committed themselves to finding great deals but rather than hide that information, they share it. I could spend hours scouring ads and the Internet looking for the sales each week but this website condenses most of that information into one space. Now, I know lots of you who read this don't live near Lincoln and so you might be wondering why you would care about this. Truth be told, the coupons posted are nation wide coupons so you can use them anywhere. And secondly, maybe this will inspire you to do something similiar in your neck of the woods. If you are someone who is already searching for good deals, then why not turn it into a blog? If you get enough traffic on your blog, you could potentially earn some extra money through advertising on your blog. It might be a way to make some extra bucks. Anyway, cheap and easy....the only way to go.

Kitchen Counter Clutter Winners

Okay, the votes are in and have been tabulated. But before we get to the crazy fun prizes, let's travel back a bit in time. Thoughts that I had following everyone's responses:

I'm glad I am not the only person who sticks things on her counters and then just leaves them there for all of eternity.

Mary and her stick crack me up. It's the wonder of it all! Where did THAT come from? (I also chuckled at how my post resulted in the consumption of extra calories on her part.)

Those of you who wondered about why on five items...well, I had to pick a stopping point. I WISH my counters only had five things on them.

And on to the winners...Jen and her farmer/rancher boy husband win top prize with their castrating tools. (I'm just wondering where the after effects of these tools are. No rocky mountain oysters laying in a bowl instead of apples?) In second place, homeschooling Mama Sherri with the molds of her kids teeth. The thought of freshly imprinted teeth reminds me of a Hollywood prop studio mixed with The Adams Family, specifically Thing. Frankly, it's a little creepy.

To claim your prizes, post your mailing address in the comments section of this post along with your choice of prize. (Don't worry; I moderate my comments and will not post your address on line.) What have you won, you might ask? Your choice of 1. jalepeno jelly (totally delicous when served over cream cheese with Ritz crackers) or 2. homemade cookies (Gingersnaps, peanut butter chocolate chip or peanut butter banana).

Mother's Day 2009

Mother's Day 2009 has come and gone. It was delightfully sweet, sweetly bitter, and a bitter reminder.

Delightfully sweet because my little boy who is such a joy to me is home. When I came downstairs to leave for church, D had let him color on the inside of a card for me. When D asked him if that card was for Mama or for Kenson, Kenson of course said "Tenson". (Which is what he calls himself.) He was also quite proud of his coloring efforts and quickly told me "Tenson colored." D got me the book, The Love Dare with hopes of us doing it together this summer.

Sweetly bitter because D's mom was not here to share it with us. There have been many times since Kenson came home where I have thought "If Sheila were here..." Today, just because of the nature of the day, is one of those days. It's one of those days where you watch silently as your spouse grieves the hole that such a loss brings, where your touch and presence seem woefully inadequate.

And a bitter reminder of a little girl still in Haiti. A little girl who I often feels like gets swept under the rug because of all the adjustments and transitions that have happened in our family. But despite the differences in the way this wait has played out, I still long for the day that that little girl sees me walk in the room and with a full smile says "Mama!" So Conleigh Deme, you were a part of this Mother's Day too, an absent yet present spirit in my heart.

Menu Planning Monday

Roast in the crockpot (Add 1 can beef broth and 1 envelope French onion soup mix as well as potatoes and carrots)

Beef and noodles using left over roast and broth, green beans

Baked bean sloppy joes (Brown hamburger and add to canned pork and beans. Season with extra ketchup, brown sugar, dried onions, Worchestershire sauce and mustard.
Jello with canned fruit
Mixed vegetables

Grilled Steak
Grilled potatoes (Cut scrubbed potatoes in half, brush with oil or buttter. Sprinkle with salt or another season. Place on grill; flip so both sides get browned and crispy.)
Fruit or vegetables

Chilli and Lime Chicken Breast
Black Bean Salsa/Tortilla chips (I mix together drained black beans, diced tomatoes, diced jalepenos, and diced onions. Then I add lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and chilli powder. You can also add fresh diced mango or fresh/canned pineapple.)
Fresh fruit

Chicken & Pear Salad (Top lettuce with grilled chicken breast, sliced pears, walnuts or pecans, feta cheese, red onions, and a dressing made from 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and black pepper.)
Wheat and Honey Crunch Bread

Rain or shine...

I'm glad you're mine!

Thanks for being my grandma!

Love,
Kenson

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Grandma, Grandma Joann, Great Grandmas, and Grandma 2!

Way cuter in person...Kenson loved splatter painting the rain on.

Craft project from http://www.flipflopsandapplesauce.com/2009/03/rainy-day-splatter-painting-with.html

A Hairy Situation

Well, I did it. I finally tried something different with Kenson's hair. We've always thought we'd like to try some different things with Kenson's hair when he was little other than a shaved head or short cut. Part of it's selfish motivations (it's kind of fun to play around and it gives me practice for Conleigh). And part of it I think encourages risk taking and helps to fend off self conciousness as it helps kids believe that it's okay to be unique.


Anyway, Kenson has been crabby all afternoon. (Darn molars coupled with allergy type symptoms and a late night soccer game last night.) I knew he would probably be clingy all evening and D was going to be gone to be the site supervisor at a soccer game. So if he's going to cling, let's get something done. We are leaning towards doing locs at some point in time with Kenson so I thought I'd just try some simple twists which is one way that you can start locs. I figured it would just be good practice. Plus it would help us see how that type of style looked on Kenson. A lot of the boy babies at the orphanage get their hair braided/twisted. But Kenson never had his done. Anyway, I got maybe 1/3 of the way done before he decided he had had enough. (Not bad for a kid that I don't think has ever had his hair parted and twisted before.) We'll see if he lets me finish it or not.


I was fairly pleased with what I ended up with, considering I had never attempted this before with either of our kids. I knew my parts wouldn't be as good as they could be because I didn't have any clips to help hold back the hair. I also didn't take the time to center it on his head with horizontal and vertical parts. (I think you're supposed to start by dividing the head into four quadrants like that but I didn't have clips and I figured this was really just an experiment anyway.)

Going Bananas

I desparately need to clean out both my refrigerator's freezer and my deep freeze. I've purchased several things on sale that I was not intending to use right away and now my freezers are a mess. So the other day, while I was unpacking my groceries, I decided I could temporarily make everything fit by taking out the overripe bananas that were stuck in there. (I just stick them in, peel and all, until I'm ready to use them.) Anyway, that meant I needed to use them in something. Usually it's banana bread but to be honest I'm not a real big banana bread fan. So I started looking for something else to try. I had enough to make two different things so I decide on Black Bottom Banana Bars and Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich Cookies. Especially with the soccer boys, it's nice to have something sweet in the freezer that I can pull out in a pinch.

The results? I really liked the little sample I took from the bars. The chocolate was great when combined with a very mild banana flavor. I haven't frosted them yet since frosting doesn't always freeze well but when I do, I think I'll make a chocolate frosting/glaze for them. The sandwich cookies were soft and a good combination between banana bread and sugar cookie. Again, since I'm planning to freeze them, I did not frost them. I put a dab of peanut butter on top so I could get the effect. When I do get them out to use, I'm just going to make a quickie peanut butter frosting and dab some on the tops and not do the whole sandwich cookie deal. I also used less butter than the recipe (about 3 T. less). Other reviews said the cookies spread out too much so I refrigerated my dough for an hour or so before I baked them. (Cookies with high butter content often need time for the butter to resolidify before baking.) I had no problems with my cookies spreading too much.

It is Finished

Well, D's soccer boys played their last game of the season last night. In Nebraska, you have to play in a district tourneyment and win that to advance to state. D's boys played very flat the first half, but so did the team they were playing. The second half, they really kicked it up a notch and played excellent with good teamwork and lots of heart. The game ended up being tied 0-0 after two overtime periods so that means it goes into a shoot out where 5 players from each side get a penalty shot that only the goalie can try to block. D's first boy missed his shot; it bounced off the cross bar. It went downhill from there. But regardless, his boys played with a lot of heart and there were many good things in the game, namely the fact that they fought back and didn't quit.

D coaches a unique group of boys, a United Nations of a soccer team in many ways. There are many countries and languages represented on his team. We have middle class white kids and first generation immigrants and all sorts of people in between. Lots of kids who don't believe they have much potential, who often look like they don't care about much. But kids we love and care about. When D came, the boys had no camraderie with each other. When D came, lots of boys struggled with grades. When D came, the boys each played for themselves not for their team. Things aren't perfect now but I'm so proud of D and the changes he has helped bring about. The boys laugh with each other and share "inside jokes". Grades are still a huge issue but the attitude surrounding that is improving and many of the boys have benefited from an early morning study hall D instituted. The boys believe in each other and stand up for each other. I'll never forget a fight that happened with another team during indoor soccer; one of D's Hispanic guys got punched and one of his white players pushed back. My heart swelled with joy and then realized I probably shouldn't be quite so happy! The team work togethers much more now and has improved their passing and communication skills on the field. This season marked the winningest season in the history of the soccer program. So a big yeah for the coach and his boys! You're my favorite soccer team! **Also impressive...one of D's players was nominated for the Shrine Game. No other player from our school has ever been asked to play in the most prestigious high school all-star game in the state. Unfortunately, David broke his leg two games ago and won't be able to play but he can still attend the 3 day event. It's a big deal and we can't wait to go with David to the Shrine Game.

What's on your kitchen counter?

In the spirit of randomness (and a slovenly wife who is avoiding housekeeping) answer that question: what is on your kitchen counter? No cheating and straightening up first. List five things that are currently on your counter. Most original, random, or unique wins something yummy from my kitchen: homemade cookies or jelly.

Here's my list:
1. A bag of sugar and a bag of flour which need to go into the appropriate canister but which have instead been sitting on the counter, untouched for at least a week.
2. 3 plants (Gerber daisies from my MOPS engagement, a marigold Kenson planted at library, and some sedum that I need to find a home for)
3. Medicine dispensers for Kenson, even though he hasn't really been taking any medicines
4. A canister of pretzels for snacks
5. A bag of tortilla chips which are unopened and too big to fit into my cupboard

Boys, Boys, Boys

Yesterday, D found out that last weekend, his soccer boys had planned to come camp out on our lawn. Unfortunately for them, it rained. Too funny! When we were in college, D's soccer team once pulled the same prank on the college president. The thought of the soccer boys on my lawn sure brought back some interesting memories of our friend, Marshall Hardy!

Mother's Day, Check

I am checking one thing off my list right now: getting my Mother's Day shopping done. (Sorry Mom, but I'm going to ruin the surprise a bit here.) A fellow adoptive parent makes candles and does craft shows, has a website, etc. to make a little extra money. So Mom, your gift this year are candles. (I'll surprise you with the flavors, how about that?) And if you're still looking for a good Mother's Day gift, stop by Shekinah Glory Candles. Not only will you be able to get your Mother's Day shopping done quickly but you'll be helping Bill and Christina bring home two sweet teen/pre-teen girls from Haiti, girls who I have personally met and have a soft spot for.

Exponentially Busy

This last week has been a whirlwind. I hardly feel like my feet have touched the ground. Here's the recap in numbers:

1 MOPS speaking engagement in Broken Bow on Tuesday

2 people traveling (K and Kenson)

3 hours in the vehicle one way to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's and then go to said speaking engagement

4 hours of travel time last Friday and Saturday to visit D's grandma, dad, and step-mom

5 is the number of penalty kicks each team was alloted in the double over time, shoot out at the soccer game on Tuesday night after the MOPS event (D's team won by the way which broke the school record for most wins in a season.)

6:30 is the time D's conference soccer meeting started on Wednesday; 11 is the time he got home

7 (or more) is probably the number of times we have eaten fast food this last week; we've definitely not had one sit down meal as a family since last Thursday

8 is the time the soccer game started on Thursday

9 is the about the time Kenson got a little cranky at the soccer game but he managed to pull himself together

10:30 is the time we all got home on Thursday following the soccer game vs. York (A disappointing and frustrating 3-1 loss)

Source of Swine Flu Determined

Specifically this post is for Jenny E..

You know your boys are responsible!