Tubby Time Fun

 Around here, we have rediscovered the magic of bubble baths.

  For calming the spirits of little boys.

 Consider it a natural mood enhancer.

 Relaxing their bodies.

 Except one who shows his breath holding prowess. Repeatedly.

 A smile is worth everything.

 Laughter is the best medicine.

Did you know bubbles could be so fun?

And The Count Is Now Three

Yup.

We now officially have three teenagers.

She wanted to light her own candles. 

She said that she hadn't yet lit a match. 

No problem for a thirteen year old.

How about this decadent ice cream cake?

Three kinds of ice cream, oreos, caramel, and whipped topping.

Look at this beautiful girl.

Thank you to Grandma for helping to create such culinary magnificence.

That party was on Sunday when Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Marc and Carlson were here to celebrate this birthday milestone!

 And on the birthday, Cora and Kloey created a special salad.

 Name tags are useful in all kinds of ways.

 Spice cake because that is what Grandpa had on his birthday.

 Letting little brothers help  blow out the candles 

because that is the kind of girl she is.

 For that, they love her!

 She picked out, prepared, and served the cake with Watermelon Sherbet.

 Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Erika.

We are blessed to share each day 

with the amazing person that you are.

"Redefining Home" Pre-Read Book Review

I won! I actually won something on an internet giveaway.

I have a love/hate relationship with those.

Because I get overwhelmed with the bombardment of giveaways.

But you can't win if you don't enter. I wanted this book really bad.

Since I'm trying real hard to stay on my book fast, I entered. I shared. I posted.

I haven't read the book yet as it will arrive soon, but I can highly recommend it based on what I read on Carrie's blog. She is thoughtful and thought-provoking, doing her part to be a world changer, led by God.

It's no surprise that I have an interest in China. Did the squatty potty thing, although I had been initiated to one of those in Cyprus back in the day.

Here's the thing that draws me to this book¸. We shouldn't be comfortable in this world. Seeking to follow God at all costs? Very expensive. It costs time(serving) and money(tithing, Compassion, helping others)  and results in living a step apart from the mainstream culture.

And that is not a bad thing. Years ago, I prayed that somehow in this world I would make a difference. I didn't plan on being different. I guess we should have seen it coming when Bob and I went to the island of St. Martin for our honeymoon and when we left the resort area, we were dismayed at the disparity and poverty that we witnessed.

Now everything about us screams "different" from our rainbow family to the big red bus that we drive.

I'll let you in on a little secret? This is where pure joy is found.

If you are as intrigued by "Redefining Home" as I am, head over to Carrie's blog, click on the picture of the book to go see the description on Amazon, or check out Eastern Journey, another one of my favorite blogs, to enter a giveaway with THREE chances.

After I read the book, I plan on telling you what I really think. :)

On The Road Again

Monday and Tuesday brought roadtrips. Up and down the main corridor on this side of the state we went. Lots of construction is happening making three little boys who had to sit in the car very, very happy.

Monday we had allergy shots and groceries.

Tuesday we hit the orthodontist/dentist, warehouse club, paint store, office supplies, and a visit to a new foster family who I've been asked to mentor.

I've said it before. I love our pediatric dentist. They allow us to make four appointments at one time. Not many offices do because of the big hole it leaves in the event of a cancellation.

Two went to the orthodontist on one side of the office and four got their teeth cleaned on the other. All that took less than 60 minutes.

 

 Proud of Micah. He sits there like a champ.

No cavities. One with perfect teeth. One four year old with the mouth of a 6-7 year old. One with a "watch and see" but probably some orthodontia. And the last: Mr. Micah will definitely need braces.

 Jealous. 

I wouldn't allow him to pick out a toy because he did not have an appointment. Life isn't fair. Mean mommy. But I did snag him a new toothbrush for waiting so nicely. How's that for mixed messages?

 A rare treat that I let them ride in the special carts. 

 What in the world are they looking at?

Everyone enjoyed watching themselves on the TV right above the check out area. It took us quite awhile to self check out because we were having too much fun looking at ourselves.

Seriously, this is entertainment at its best!

If you are going to shop with six kids, it may as well be fun.

From Time Change to Birthday

The therapist says "on the spectrum."

I refer to it as "out of whack."

This year it only took me five days to remember what was going on.

In the beginning, torture would have been better than trying to parent a kid whose behavior had  absolutely no rhyme or reason.

Especially from "time change" to the "birth day."

Quite a pickle.

Two years ago, she got herself into a bit of a jam when curiosity got the better of her. The coke machine won that one.

Together we've made great strides since then.

Leaving me puzzled as to why every spring takes me by surprise. Again and again.

I have to remember that a lot of life happened during the five and a half years before she joined our family. They say that trauma kids have triggers every year after a significant event. From what little I know about that time, I can imagine there were quite a few "significant events" in her life, and not positive ones either.

Once I wrap my mind around the fact that life will be a little quirky from daylight savings time to early May, days becomes much more manageable. My patience is renewed and I try not to let the moods and swings hit me on the way back.

 How she see herself. 

This beautiful girl.

Who's birth-day is a reminder of great loss. 

Yet she is thankful for her "now" family.

Her words.

Redemption.

 An amazing gift from God.
Who has the future in His hands.

Pictures of the Week March 18-24

 I am having lots of fun taking a picture a day. A few close calls this week when I couldn't remember whether I had taken any pictures or not. The beach shot with the ice and the railroad tracks photo are my favorites. I can't believe I've been able to stick with this for three months.

 Hanging Around

78 / 365

My three monkeys!!!

  Oh Man!

79 / 365

What did you get into? Must have been something fun!

  Beach Day in March?

80 / 365

Playing on the sand, next to the ice barely ten feet from 

the shore, dressed in shorts in March. Very interesting.

  Grandma's Jail

81 / 365

Grandma and Grandpa are here this week painting 

and visioning their summer home. Great progress.

  Walking the Tracks

82 / 365

The boys had themselves a little explore.

  Boy and His Guitar

83 / 365

Erik practiced so much on my 40 year old guitar that 

I was afraid he would wear it out. Time for his own.

Joshua and a Little Buddy

84 / 365

I've been working on taking pictures and being okay 

with the fact that no one is looking at the camera.

Sometimes Blogging Is A Stretch

 I think my life is pretty boring. 

And I kind of like it that way. 

Today I have nothing to talk about.

Except the bathroom.

Because I spent most of the day there.

Cleaning.

Thought I was sick, didn't ya!

And I will NOT tell you the last time I cleaned the bathroom.

Because I can't remember. 

Which DID make me sick.

It was deep clean day. I started under the sink and needed a small person to reach into the back corner. My helper donned his shower cap and climbed on in. "Momma, you gotta alotta junk ina here," as he tossed it all out. (Chinese accent included for your pleasure.)

 Thank you very much my most gracious and special helper.

 Have you ever had a rubber glove give you the finger.

 I was astounded.

 I cleaned the bathtub that I have never taken a bath in. 

We've lived here for six years. 

Now you know.

I'm not a bath person.

I want to tear it out and put in a great big shower.

That's on the someday list.

I cleaned the shower thanks to Dave Ramsey. I'm hooked on him. I've reread his books recently and while we have implemented many of his principles, we need to take the next step in our finances.

So here you go. I came across this blog post about soap scum removal. Stay with me here. Because Stacy is a Dave Ramsey fan, she found a new use for her credit card. By golly, it actually works. Take a credit card and scrape your shower. You will be disgusted shocked at what you get up.

Especially if you cannot remember the last time you cleaned the bathroom.

Those credit cards are good for something after all. Who knew?

Part Two - Endocrinology

Where were we?  (You can read PART 1 if you missed it.)

Oh yes, the pesky questions from the resident at the Endocrinologist's office. Well, after that she left the room and we waited and waited and waited some more.
Thank goodness for crayons and coloring books. About 60-70 minutes in, I started to fuss on the inside. Not real clear on why we were even there in the first place, I was getting annoyed. If you want to know the truth, I kind of like Joshua just the way he is. He has an amazing way of growing on you!

Thus enters the doctor.

I love it when I see how clearly God has my back.

We were originally scheduled to see the other doctor in the practice in May but I asked to be put on the cancellation list. When they called, we switched to Dr. O and got in six weeks sooner. 

Where was he while we were waiting? He had run upstairs to the Pediatric Cardiology practice to hunt down a doctor or two to ask about Joshua's heart. He had reviewed all of Joshua's records from the multitude of doctors we've already seen. He even got the low down from the resident about how grumpy serious I was.

Impressive. Black cloud dissipates quickly. I like Dr. O. The first thing out of his mouth is, "What is your take on why Joshua is not growing?" I told him my theory and he said he concurred 100%. We are off to a very good start. 

We poured over a book of hand x-rays, talked theories and touched on treatment plans. We discussed the bazillion blood tests Joshua would have to rule out the obvious causes of slow-to-no-growth. 

Then mid-sentence, Dr. O. stops cold and says, "What do you do? Outside of this, what do you do?" 

I'm......a.....mom? (This is the second incredulous moment in a very short time.)

"Why do you ask?" Mama Bear says.

"Because you are obviously bright and ask all the right questions and seem genuinely interested. Resident said you were very serious and warned me to be careful because I like to joke around," replies Dr. O.

Mama Bear recovers poorly mumbling something about a college degree and the science lesson resumes at full speed.

Oh good grief. I think I should go home and write 1 Peter 5:6 on the whiteboard 100 times. Enough about my humiliation, back to the boy.

The good news: Joshua's bone age is that of a six year old which suits his size.

Not as good news: The beads, also known as an orchidometer.

These fun beads (that look like something your toddler would chew on) represent the volume of the testicle. Apparently the size is a good indicator of growth in developing males. 

Joshua giggled out at around 8 years old. Which he is. He thought the whole thing was hilarious. Thank you China for no inhibitions. It makes this part of life a bit easier.

So we are testing for IGF-1 and IGFBP3 to find out if Joshua's body is producing the right amount of Growth Factor and checking for the BP - Binding Protein. Along with a bunch of other stuff. Which I didn't write down. 

We get test results in two weeks and see Dr. O again in four months unless something is crazy out of whack with Joshua's blood. 

I love this Doctor. A very good thing because it didn't take me long to figure out that he is now part of the team and will be with us for the duration following, advising, and helping us to give Joshua the best quality of life possible. 

 And that's the goal.

Every day.

Thank you, God, for the opportunity of being part of 

this precious child's life. I will never take it for granted.

March Madness

 Sunday afternoon, we sat out in the sun.

  On the lawn where the snow has melted.

 Playing with the bunnies.

 In shorts.

 Eventually shirt and shoes had to go.

 Because it was hot.

 On March 18, 2012.

 Even the bunnies went for the shade.

Tuesday, March 20th was more of the same crazy weather. We put the snowpants down by the washer and gathered all the mittens and hats. Usually we are having crazy 14 inch spring snow storms.

 Today we went to the playground in shorts and t-shirts.

 The ice has barely receded from the shoreline.

Treasures were found.

 Water was cold.

Yet boys will be boys. 

No matter how big or small the puddle.