Joys of the Newcomer

catching five fish, riding the zipline and swimming all before 7:30 am on the first morning in America Spin brushes Those little keebler elves driving a schoolbus

Inspiring Snoopy laughter

You know that part in the Peanuts cartoons when Snoopy is overcome with the giggles...One of my new little guys is seven years old. The other day his brother, age ten, having been out of the country for more than a month, needed a haircut in the worst way. Walmart was the easiest option, but I was concerned about taking my new little seven year old to a place like that. OK,he has never seen that much food in his life. We would get the haircur, buy some yogurt and leave. Suddenly in the aisle my seven year old is overcome with a case of the giggles. Like hold your gut and stagger kind of giggling! It was the Keebler Elves and their yellow cardboard schoolbus! These kids love cars and to see those dumb elves driving a bus full of cookies was too much. I will always get a case of joyful, giddy giggles as long as I live when I see one of those back to school displays! Adorable! Just as funny...mom playing on the playground equipment!

Hazards of the Newcomer

Do not open car doors when the car is moving Model Magic is not food Stay clear of swings

Catching fireflies...

Last night I was sitting on the bridge. Little girl was catching fireflies. FarmBoy was fishing. The big kids were swimming and eating watermelon. Seemed like the perfect place for our new kids to be. The blackberries are almost gone. Sure would like to share a bowl full with my waiting trio. Looks like their first fireflies will be next season...Wishing you were here on the bridge, on my lap with the weight of you grinding my ankle bones into thr concrete bridge rather than sitting here with the wait of you grinding into our hearts. If you are ok, then I can be ok. I wont know if you were ok for such a long time...praying for you always...

Carrying Eachothers Burdens

It took me quite a few years to get smart about the little purses ans other trinkets my oldest liked to bring with her on outings. "Can you hold this, mom?"I and then you've.the one ealking around at a party with Betsy-Wets-and-Pees, a silly puttu egg with six pennies in it and a half chewed but very special curly straw. Useless burdens, right? Distractiins. Annoyances. Almost like black flies, really. Pretty soon you really meamn it when you say "Leave Betsy here or carry her yourself. "I a" How about that big plate of food at the party? You were distracted ...talking...and your four year old has two drumsticks, 85 cheese puffs, 6 chocolate cookies and gobs of red jello with fruit cocktail sticking to his fingers, the side of his face and he's coming towards you in your cute white capris. You takethe the plate, right? Cause it's one of those stupid paper plates that you really need ten of, but he only took one cause he listened to that part and he was rying to be really big and get his own stuff. Besides you were talking again. Now he has more than he can handle and you take the plate, right? You wouldn't consider making him carry this teetering pile of goo. You sacrifice your cute white capris. You cut your conversation off. You find a place for him to sit. You stand. You try to get that jello off your pants with a babywipe. See, you're distracted again. Some kids are like this. Some of them carry big messy plates and we would never consider making them carry that plate alone. What if you took the same kid with you to the post office at Christmas time. He's 4coming years old. Your car is full of the bocce sets you are mailing to your nieces and nephews. He hasn't eaten. You're on the phone. You tell him to get out of the van and carry those packages for mommy. You get out, keep talking and roll your eyes that he's walking. So slow. You wouldn't do that!! Maybe he could carry one ball. You'd never expext more. You'd carry the rest. Even if it took several trips. Maybe you'd even ask for help. If you could see that floppy plate. If you could feel the weight of that bocce set, you'd never want him to carry even a tenth of what tou are. But he is. And you've gotten distracted and you've forgotten what it feels like to be a kid with baggage. Dear God, help me to love the jello stains. Help me to not buy those white capris. Help me to always see those burdens.

Now would be...

...a good time for a panic attack...if I had TIME!! Did I mention that we are in the middle of a musical that I am not sure we have advertised enough for ALL the kid while we will be bringing our three beautul new children home...soon...

It's a Boy!...and a Girl!...and another Boy!!!

Can you believe it??? We get to have more kids! Yeah!!!!!