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Seven Reasons I Love Dalton

Today is my firstborn's 7th Birthday...Here are 7 reasons, in no particular order, that I love him.

Please read along as I write this post to Dalton...
1. You made me a Mom! I was so excited for you to be here and I hope that I've done an ok job for the last 7 years.
2. You know a gazillion million facts about Dinosaurs. It's your big passion right now. Sometimes you make my head spin with all the facts you have shoved into your head.
3. You have the best sense of humor. I know you say that you want to be a paleontologist when you grow up, but I can totally see you becoming a stand up comedian too.
4. You give the best cuddles and hugs.
5. I love how you look in your glasses. I truly do. So cute!
6. You love so fully and completely. Your heart is so big. I love watching you give people your love.
7. This one is the easiest to write out. You are COMPLETELY and TOTALLY the AWESOME-EST!

Camping with Friends

When I was in college, Karyn became one of my closest friends. The funny thing is, I don't have any memories of going OUT with Karyn. Movies, parties, etc...all my memories of Karyn involve being in the dorm, or at a family function with her (her family lived on the north side of our college town). But all memories of Karyn involve laughing and talking.

I had only seen Karyn about 3 times since I graduated from college. Last year (about this time) we reconnected on Facebook. Since then, we've seen each other 3 times. It's great. What's really great is that her family enjoys camping just like ours does. Karyn's husband works weird shifts, so we plan our activities around his schedule (ie, camping always involves Mike's weekends off...but our trip to the zoo didn't).

Well, in Northern Indiana right now, we are having a drought. And when we have a drought, there is a burn ban. No burning trash, no burning bonfires, no burning campfires. Yes, that said, NO BURNING CAMPFIRES.

How do you plan to go camping without a fire? Isn't that kind of against some law?

Well, we decided to go to a different campground than originally planned because this one had a pool. And when it's hot, there is no better happy place than a pool with 5 kids. Oh, wait, my daughter and her sister came too...so that's 6.5 kids (Jamie is 18, but she's still a KID to me -- so I'll count her as half).

Anyways, we found out that we COULD have a fire. So Larry traveled back home and brought our fire ring and wood. He's a peach, that one.  

And we spent 3 days in the woods with one of my favorite people and her family and my family. We parked our campers so they faced one another and proceeded to cook, play games, send the kids to the playground with "Riley and Dalton, watch the younger ones".

Saturday morning Larry and Mike both managed to fall asleep after breakfast and since all the kids were at the playground, Karyn and I sat there and talked.  We also talked while we cooked (and oh did we eat well this weekend). We talked while we played cornhole. We talked until 1am that night.

Don't you love friends who you can NOT see for 8 years, and you just pick right back up again?

We are camping with them again in September. Hopefully at the campground we were hoping to go to this weekend. Oh, and we've already decided my family needs to go to Indy sometime soon because the Children's Museum has a HOTWHEELS exhibit right now. I can't wait. 


PS...I lost my bag that had my camera in it. I'm REALLY hoping to get that bag back. If I do, I'll post pictures from this weekend. 

Esther and adoption

So when Larry and I were just new parents (as opposed to the 'seasoned-even-though-we-feel-like-we-are-constantly-screwing-up-our-kids' ones we are now), we talked about adoption. That was almost 7 years ago.

The plan was something like this...have our biological children --- buy a bigger house -- start foster parenting -- adopt any of those kids who needed forever homes.

Today the plan probably looks more like this....have our biological kids (check that one off) -- buy a bigger house OR move to ND then buy a bigger place OR Larry goes to a mission trip and falls in love with a child and we start the adoption program.

See, that's the funny thing about God. He doesn't always agree to work in OUR time frame. Nor does He always decide to let US decide which path to take. We had never even considered international adoption because there are kids in the U.S. that need adopting. And God is changing our hearts.

So anyways, I read Love's blog daily. She's adopted 3 wonderfully gorgeous boys from Uganda. She has 4 biological daughters. Oh, and she's pregnant with twin girls too. Yeah, she's not busy. I would love to visit her house so my boys could be loud with her kids.

Anyways, Love's heart is full of adoption and the stories of families finding their adoptive kids and forever families. She is the one who introduced me to Baby Esther. I knew she wasn't "ours"...but another family KNEW that Esther IS theirs. This family has met Esther and loved on her, and Esther has even spoken her first few words with this family. But now they need help paying for the next part of the adoption because Uganda takes a long summer break for the courts system. And they've received a court date just a couple weeks away...after JUST returning from Uganda.

So, Love is raising money to help this family return to Uganda and bring Esther home as long as the courts think the family is a good fit with Esther. Can you help? Find out how HERE...

THANKS!

Home with Silly Boys

*Important update first: Dalton told me that his music teacher didn't call him stupid. She just said she can't believe someone came to school without a jacket. So no call to the principal after all.

Dalton says he has a bad headache today and he's running a slight fever, so we are home today.  This is good because Cole had a bad cough last night, so he's on actual meds today too.

I just turned around and noticed that Cole is putting a bean bag on his head then covering it with his hat (inherited from either his Daddy or his Pappy).  He's being silly and also walking around putting the bean bags on people's heads.

it's going to be a day filled with Mama cuddles and silly boys. I can just see it now.

Those 2 Boys Who Live Here

Dalton forgot his jacket in the van last night. So I sent him to school without a jacket thinking that the teachers would make him stay inside as a consequence for not having a coat. Nope. His music teacher said, "Anyone stupid enough not to bring a coat, deserves to be outside and cold."  This Mama is not happy about a TEACHER telling Dalton that he's stupid. NOT HAPPY AT ALL.

Dalton came home from school completely frozen. Mom made him hot chocolate and covered him with a blanket. We got him home and made soup for dinner and also gave him some meds. Because we gave D meds and vitamins, Cole needed meds and vitamins.

Just a few minutes ago, Cole was coughing really bad, so this time he really did need meds.

Tomorrow might be a long day.

(Cole also needed to have his nails cut because D had his nails cut. Monkey see, Monkey do)

Larry's Facebook Updates

Tonight at dinner, Larry said he is saving up his Facebook updates so that he can post them when he comes back to FB land. Here are a few I found humorous.

--"Broke my toe today. Dropped part of my bobcat on my toe. Ouch"

--"Dalton got his first white belt in TKD. So proud of him, even though the kid made me cry"

--"Broke a nail doing laundry."