Something I Have Learned From My Daughter:

When you are trying to hang with the boys who are shooting paintballs with blow guns...

But you mess up big time and suck in instead of blow out and get blue paint all over your lips...

Just smile and strike a pose and all will be well.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE THIS STINKING CUTE!

Bill of Rights for Parents of Kids With Sprcial Needs

I am stealing this from Chrystal who stole it from Bethany, whole stole it from Michelle who asked nicely for it from Ellen.

We, the parents, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure tranquility (and sanity) and promote the general welfare of our families, do ordain and establish this Bill of Rights.
* We have the right to expect our kids to be seen for who they are as individuals, not as labels or diagnoses.
* We have a right to trust our instincts about our kids and realize that experts don't always know best.
* We have a right to ignore the remarks, questions and stares and not give explanations or excuses for why our children are the way they are.
* We have a right to choose alternative therapies for our kids.
* We have a right to roll our eyes straight out of our heads when we encounter certain mothers who brag nonstop that their kids are the smartest students/best athletes ever.
* We have a right to wonder “What if…” every so often.
* We have a right to play aimlessly with our children. Not for therapeutic or educational purposes—just for fun.
* We have a right to blast Bruce Springsteen/Tom Petty/Any Rocker, down a glass of Pinot Grigio, get a pedicure, go out with the girls or do all of the aforementioned at once if that's what it takes to avoid burnout.
* We have a right to react to people’s ignorance in whatever way we feel necessary.
* We have a right to not always have our child be the poster child for his/her disability and some days be just a child.
* We have a right to go through the grieving process and realize we may never quite be "over it." * We have the right to give our kids chores. Even better if they can learn to make breakfast in bed for us.
* We have a right to stretch the truth when we fail to do the exercises the therapist asked us to do this week because we were too darn tired or overwhelmed.
* We have a right to have yet more Pinot Grigio.
* We have a right to fire any doctor or therapist who's negative, unsupportive or who generally says suck-y things.
* We have a right to tell family and friends that everything may not be OK—at least not how they mean it, anyway.
* We have a right to hope for an empty playground so we don’t have to look into another child’s eyes and answer the question, “What’s wrong with him?”
* We have a right to bawl on the way back from the playground, the birthday party, the mall or anyplace where our children’s challenges become glaringly obvious in the face of all the other kids doing their typical-development things.
* We have the right to give our children consequences for their behavior. They may be “special” but they can still be a royal pain in the butt.
* We have a right to take a break from Googling therapies, procedures, medicine and treatments for our kids to research upcoming concerts, exotic teas or anything not related to our children’s disabilities.
* We have a right to talk about how great our kids are when people don’t get it.
* We have the right to not always behave as inspirational icons who never complain or gripe about the sometimes awful realities of raising a child with special needs.
* We have a right to expect quality services for our children not just when they’re infants, preschoolers and elementary school age, but when they’re in older grades and adults, too.
* We have a right to adequate funding for those services and to not have to kick, scream or endure a wait for them.
* We have a right to get tired of people saying, as they give that sympathy stare, "I don't know how you do it."
* We have a right to wish that sometimes things could be easier.
* We have a right to cheer like crazy anytime our children amaze us—or weep like lunatics.
* We have a right to push, push and push some more to make sure our children are treated fairly by the world.
(Compiled in honor of her little boy, Max, June 17, 2009.)

Best Buddie

Do you have Friends? I mean REAL friends!

I do. I think I have since I was very young.

I don't know even how we met but I had a best friend Aylish when I was young. She and I got each other on a level that noone else seemed to be able to. We would sit on the boat in her barn and turn on the radio and sing at the top of our lungs and dance into pretend microphones until we were a pile of giggles. We would talk about the things of God too...struggles we had and things we were learning. We worked through life together.


In Jr. High and High School I had a best friend named Rachel. We just spent time together. She was (and is) a fun person to be around. We laid on the kitchen floor and ate entire boxes of stove top stuffing, we went "cruising" when we were not suppose to, we dated guys who were also best friends. And we talked about the things of God too...why we believed what we believed, what was stupid about religion, what we were learning or overcoming. We did life together and were nearly inseperable for many years.

I had best friends in college too...several of them. We laughed with each other, played pranks on others together, ordered dominos pizza at midnight, and set off fire alarms with Aqua Net and a match together. But we also talked about the things of God. We talked about our hardships and our inadequacies. We helped each other through some major transitions of life. We prayed for each other. We studied the Bible together. We lived life together pointing each other toward God and working together to make our faith our our own.


I have had best friends through all of my adult life. Friends who pointed me to God and who held me up when I could not hold myself. Friends who were willing to just be there. Friends who were willing to carry me or yell at me to straighten up. Friends are just something that noone should be without.


And God has already begun to bless my children with such friends. One of my sons already has a tried and true friend that is more of a friend than most grown men find. They have been friends since before they were both 2. They lay on the floor and laugh together about the word "poop". They complain about their little brothers together. They use their imaginations to make up secret worlds and handshakes and stories together. And they share with each other the things of God as well as a 8 year old can.

They are best buddies and as they grow and we have moved away they still have that same bond that tells them that they are BEST BUDDIES.

Over the last month I have had the opportunity to renew some of those old friendships and it has caused me to refelct on how good our God is. How he knew that we needed him in flesh and blood sometimes. I believe that he sends friends into our life to be his hands and feet.
What a gift friendship is. I hope that all of you have a friend who is there for you to do life with and point you to God. If not be that friend for someone else and soon you will.

Fourth of the Fourth

I saw this on A Kiss, A Hug, and a Squeeze a long time ago and thought it would be fun. The challenge was to go to where you keep your photos on your computer and open the 4th photo in the 4th folder and then put it on your blog and explain it. So, here it is. The 4th photo in my 4th photo folder.

This is one of the days that I aged several years. This is our clown after surgery. It was only surgery to correct his umbilical hernia and he was only under the knife for about 20 minutes but it seemed like an eternity to me. There is no feeling like the one that comes when you see your child being rolled down the hallway on a huge bed for surgery. There is nothing one can do but wait and pray...pray that the worst of your fears will not come true. And as we sat there that day I realized how utterly powerless I truly am. And I realized how thankful I am to not be the one with the power in my life.
Truth be told, we spend a lot of time in that hospital with geneticists, endocrinologists, sleep doctors, E.R. visits and a myriad of other specialists. I spend a good amount of time there and when I do I am always slapped in the face with the reality of how fragile life can be. And I am so glad that I am not in control of my children's life but that God is in the driver's seat. I am glad that his hands of protection are wrapped around our children's lives, hearts, minds and bodies.

Dawn...

Here is something a friend told me I should do on here and I thought it sounded fun.

I googled my name followed by a few phrases. This is what my search revealed and my comments about it.

Dawn Looks Like:
The lady from Roger Rabbit I have been told worse...It's all good!
A planet I have not been told worse than that!
She was punched in her eyes Funny, today I feel like I was punched in my eyes too...these allergies are killing me!

Dawn Likes:
To work in the yard No, I do not like to work in the yard...when I do I end up with welts on my hands and that is just not pretty!
To drive the boat Rock the boat maybe but to drive it...I wil pass.
To think of herself as a, "thinker, a dreamer, and a writer" Humm...I would like to think of myself as a thinker but I am not....a dreamer I am...a writer I am sometimes but not lately as any of you that still drop by here know!

Dawn Says:
Yes we can I like to think I am a YES WE CAN kind of Dawn. I imagine that sometimes I am and sometimes I am not.
No to negotiations for Beijing when did I say that?
She gotta pay the bills somehow so why not show a little “sumthing sumthing” you know me...
Being the world's oldest natural mother is a blessing first I look like a planet and now I am the world's oldest natural mother!!!!

Dawn Wants:
A piece of Heaven I do want a piece of heaven...just to go realax in for 5 minutes a day...refresh and recharge. Now wouldn't that be nice?
A fishYummmmmy....Salmon, Tilapia, Tuna, I do want fish.
Robo calls stopped if I knew what robo calls were then I would definately want them stopped...I think....no, wait....I like robo calls...no, I hate them.....wait....no....yeah....um... Kmart Shopper's atention I often do have everyone in Kmart's attention when I go dragging two little boys through the store yelling "stop that", "get over here", "stop putting toys in the cart"...etc.

Dawn Does:
Not love you Yes I do, don't believe anything Google says.
A good job of burying all that goodness in annoying Did my brother write this? Anybody even notice Humm...I wonder this one sometimes. Does anyone notice the way that their meals seem to make themselves, their laundry jumps off their floors into the wash and then climbs back into their closets.

Dawn Hates:
Snowballs nope, I love them
Tattooed people I do not...I think God loves everyone and I should too...even if they are freaky tattoo wearing wierdos!!!!

Dawn Can:
Help you discover your Soul Purpose career For the low, low price of $19.95 I will tell you what your soul purpose career is...right after I look up what a soul purpose career is.
Confirm that our cooling solution is adequate That will cost you more than $19.95. Learn about Mars I am guessing that I will know all about Mars one of these days soon when my kids study it in school. That is one nice thing about having kids in school back to back from each other...I learn it one year and then for the next 3 years I review what I learned. I am going to be so smart one of these days!
Rest easy Nope, that is not me either!

Dawn goes:
On hunger strike Don't think that this has ever happened but after stepping on the scale today I think it may be time for me to find a cause.
To jail I am preparing to visit there all the time because at some point people will be able to prosecute Clown for his antics.

Dawn is:
Near I am always there...watching, waiting, stalking.
Me Can't argue with that one.
A feeling Really....who knew?
Mysterious and preoccupied yep, preoccupied I don't know about mysterious...you tell me.

Dawn loves:
Life some days...not lately though I must admit.
Mike, Matt, Chris, I do, I do...I love my brother in laws Mike and Chris and my cousin Matt and my friend Matt, and a naughty little boy named Matt I had in my class one year (but his mom...I did not love her or even appreciate her)
You You heard it here!
Herself just as she is Yep, just as I am...after I loose a few pounds, find a good dermatoligist who can get those white things off my face, and a few hundred other things...almost there! :)
Country music I do, I hate to admit it but I do!!!!!
Your neighbor as herself I hope I do. I might not like the neighbor that keeps calling the police on the other neighbor's dog for barking even though I NEVER HEAR THE DOG BARK!!!! Other than that I love all my neighbors! (sure hope that neighbor does not happen to be one of my 10 readers!!!!)

So, there you have it...that is what Google has to say about me. :)

A Keeper...no matter what

I have something too good not to share with the three of you that still wander by this place.

My Clown goes to "farm school" one day a week and has some great experiences there with wonderful people who love him and allow him to do things like dig in the dirt and climb trees and conquer the world.

This week I took my camera to snap some pictures of him and Sunshine while they were there. When Clown's class was done he came running up to me holding this in his hand.

His teacher said he had held those flowers in his hand for a good portion of the time waiting to give them to me. If you know him at all then you know that this was a big deal to me. It was a reminder that he cares about me, that he thinks of me and wants to make me happy. That is a big deal for this little guy and we see more and more signs of it every month.

So, I was all full of this feeling and just soaking him up and taking in the beauty of the moment and snapping up photos of my youngest two little ones.....




And then.....




I snapped this photo of my little angel...
YES, HE IS TRYING TO LICK A BOOGER FROM HIS FACE!

I guess it's a good thing we have a few more years to teach him the finer things in life. :)

Tonight I asked Clown to go collect the dirty clothes from the bedrooms in our house and take them to the laundry room. He came in a few minutes later and told me that he had touched "GIRL'S UNDERWEAR". I turned to him shocked and said, "Oh no...you know that if you touch girl's underwear you turn into a girl". Then I spent a few minutes trying to convince him that the process of him turning into a girl had already started.
After a while he said, "No, I can't be a girl because when I am hungry I pick my nose and eat it....WOULD A GIRL DO THAT?"

And that is how my clown keeps me laughing (and sometimes makes me want to puke).

Held Up

It seems like lately everywhere I look I see human pain. Around every corner I spy pain and suffering of innocent people. It has been weighing heavily on me lately and I feel as if my eyes have magnifying glasses on them that seek out and find pain and impress it upon my heart. Quite honestly it has been getting me down and making my spirits weak and my heart heavy.

I have felt much like this pole: broken, battered, and barely hanging on.

I don't know what happened here but this is a pole that I drive by every day at least a couple of times a day on the way to and from my kid's school. One day out of the blue I noticed it hanging there. It seemed so odd to me and every time I drove by it I would examine the "wounded" part of the pole trying to figure out what happened. I was focusing solely on the pole's "wound".

One day after driving by that pole I saw it in a whole new light. Suddenly I stopped focusing solely on the "wound" and saw the bigger picture. That pole was not simply HANGING ON...It was being HELD UP. You can't see it in this photo but on either side of this pole there are two large, strong poles who are bearing the weight they are meant to hold as well as holding up their wounded neighbor

When I saw that pole being held up by it's "friends" it made me pause and reflect on the wounds I had been seeing lately. Yes, there have been bad things happening to people I love lately and yet as I take a step back there have been a lot of good things going on around those wounded soldiers. The wounds are still there but there is a lot of Holding up going on too. People are praying, making meals, fighting for people's well-being, helping financially, giving their time, opening up their homes, and simply being there for others.

I know that some will argue with me and I know that this world is full of pain and suffering...I have learned that lesson well...but I still believe that WE ARE GOOD! This world makes me long for heaven daily and yet if I can't be in heaven I am so glad to walk the earth with all of you...my fellow humans who still believe in good and who fight for those who are in the rough places of life.

It's interesting that when we are around pain and suffering we are often also around the best of humanity...those who act as God's hands and feet in our world and delve into the pain and suffering of others simply to help them. And if we are around pain and suffering and we don't find those who have already dove in to help then maybe, just maybe, it's time for us to BE the best of humanity.

Yours For The Children,

Up Late Or Up Early?

So, it's 6:00 and I am up....

I can't decide if I am up late or up early but whatever...
I am up.

I have this internal struggle with why God allows pain and suffering in little children?

Anyone have any insight at all?

It seems that right now everywhere I look I see children suffering:

Babies born to moms who will not care for them...already damaged by their poor decisions,
some beyond repair.
Children suffering for years in hospitals.
Children whose only safe place in the world (a caring daycare center) has now been stripped away.
Children who have been stricken with emotional scars that only a miracle will even begin to erase.
Children who are unloved.
Children who are beaten.
Children who are not even touched.

So, the question remains why....
I guess it's one of those unanswerables.

And as such I suppose that we all have to pitch in and try our hardest to protect those who can't protect themselves. To that end I have some names for any of you that still drift by this place now and again.
Will you please pray with me for Avery (3), Dakota (1 month), Marilyn (1 month), Gavin (2), Brooklyn (4 months).

There are many more. I know that anyone of you who reads this will be able to name other names of children who suffer for things out of their control.

Please join with me in praying for these children and acting as their voice.

When I was the director of a child care center in Illinois I use to sign my letters like this and I let it go for some reason. I believe God is calling me back to stand in the gap for children...he is burdening my heart. I don't know what or where or WHY but I believe it's the new thing he is setting before me and so I think it's time to bring it back.


Yours for the Children,

Crackin us up...

A MOMENT TO BEHOLD!

Ok, so don't jump on here and tell me your political opinions or start down that road because I don't want to go there...
AND, don't suppose that you know who I voted for because you might be wrong...and you might be right (but you will never know cause I am not telling)!!!
So, here is the thing. I was the only one up when Obama delivered his speech last night. The rest of the house was still and quiet and I was watching alone in the dark.

And I cried.

When he started out his speech about how anything is possible it stopped me in my tracks. Really, would my great-grandparents have ever believed we would have an African American president? Would they have foreseen that? I doubt it. He did overcome odds that were stacked against him....NO, WE overcame. I don't mean "we" as "those who voted for Obama" I mean AMERICA. Are we not the nation that once judged people with dark skin to be less than those with white skin to the point that we let them be beaten, broken, bruised, and worse? YES people, we are that same nation. We once let African American people be treated worse than we treat our dogs. But we have overcome that. If nothing else good came out of this election THAT was proven. (I also have to say that I don't believe that discrimination no longer exists at all...I am quite sure that is not true.) But, as a nation we put a stop to what was going on. We said no and finally after years of fighting we turned the ship and headed in another direction. It is a victory in that respect.

So, here is the take home for me. I spend a lot of time fighting for children's rights, specifically the rights of the abused and neglected children in our country. I have to admit that it seems like it will never change. It seems like our country will never stand up for what is right and protect the children over the parents. It seems like a fight that we will not win.

Last night reminded me that it CAN be won. We CAN overcome that too.

It's not a stretch. It WILL happen, we just have to FIGHT for it. We have to fight harder than Martin Luther King Jr. We have to refuse to allow people to push our kids to the back of the bus.
We must stand up for the kids.

Here is the difference...we have to stand up for the kids...they can not stand up for themselves. They can not win this without us. They can not call congressmen. They can not speak out about it. They can not VOTE for someone who will protect them. They simply can NOT do it without us. So, we must stand up for them.

So, want some action steps?
Try these...

1. When you vote for family court judge really research it. Find out who will protect the kids even if it means from their own parents.
2. Simply stop in at your child protection agency and ask them what you can do...or write them a note. If you live in Monroe county call me and I will tell you who to talk to.
3. Find a foster parent and support them. They have a HARD job and it's nearly impossible to do it well without support and helping hands.
4. Become a CASA (court appointed special advocate). These people truly stand in the gap for the kids who are in foster care.
5. Vote for a Governor who cares and is going to do things to help the kids. Your governor has a lot to do with what happens to the kiddos that are in that position.

There are so many things that we can do we just have to look for them.
My sidebar has some links that you can explore if you want more ideas.

Together I we can stand up and truly turn the tide for the children.

Maybe YOU can be their Martin Luther!!!!

If I'd known then...

So, last week I had my 35th birthday...yep, I know it's so much older than you predicted but it's true. :)
On the day of my birthday I was in a store with my bestest friend in the universe...I would link you to her blog HERE but she is not a "blogger". So, we were in a store and I stumbled upon a book called "If I'd Known Then". It was a collection of letters written by famous women to their younger selves. There are lots of things I would forewarn myself about if I could travel back in time and have a heart to heart with myself. So, here it is, my letter to myself:

Dear Dawn,
First let me tell you that so far it has all turned out well. As I reflect on the last 35 years I will more than admit that you have some pretty tough times ahead. There will be a loss of the nievety that you now enjoy...relish in the gift of nievity while it is yours. But remember that it's the refiner's fire that makes you pure, strong and beautiful. I know you think you have it pretty together and while that is true on many levels you have a lot to learn about many things and the refiner's fire will bring to you an understanding and empathy for others that far surpasses anything you have ever felt before. Practice empathy...it's a discipline that is lacking in you and it is an important one for you to learn. One of these days it will make a huge difference in your life.
Study hard in all your early childhood classes...you will use that knowledge base for more things than you have ever imagined. Yes, those dreams that seem lofty to others will come true so keep believing in those dreams. But God has so many more plans for you that you never imagined. Study hard and gain that knowledge while you can. It will help you one day in many, many ways. And, as you engage with the children you will encounter don't forget to learn from them each day. You will need their knowledge one day more than you can imagine.
Here are just a few more bullet points before I close.

#1 Enjoy being able to eat that other piece of pie and not gain a pound...but you better change those eating habits before 27 or so because that will all change drastically about then.

#2 Spend more time with your grandma...she truly won't live forever.

#3 Stop shopping now. As much as you like an uncluttered house you need to stop shopping right now. I won't tell you why because you would not believe me anyway but God will soon enough fill your house with more clutter than you could imagine so you better start pitching things and stop shopping immediately.

#4 Hug your child/children...yes you will have one or more so just enjoy every moment you can.

#5 As you and your husband move from place to place don't dismiss the possibility that you and he were called to that place not just for him but for you as well...God has amazing things planned for you everywhere you move too.

#6 Don't toss out all your fun shoes...you will be sorry!!!

#7 When getting married don't let your brother into the brides room with his toy car...nothing good will come of it. :)

#8 Don't hire the two people you wonder if you should or not...you shouldn't and then you just have to fire them and that is no fun at all!!!!

#9 As you get closer to my age now give yourself a break...noone is perfect and you have many plates spinning.

Now, my younger and much moreshapley self...go out there and chase after those dreams and look for the dreams God has for you. This is gonna be a wild ride so suit up!!!!

forever more

Our little Princess is now 7...can you believe it? Seven!!! I remember talking with my dear friend as her son turned 7 about how 7 just seemed so big. I felt it for her when her baby turned 7 and 5 months later I grieved the dreaded age 7 as my oldest son turned 7. Then 3 months later as my next son turned 7 I grieved the percieved loss of his "little boy-ness". But I never imagined how much more it would affect me when princess turned 7. SEVEN, it's like she's nearly a teenager.

We have come a long way from here:to Here:

We have fought a lot of battles...some we have overcome and some we have yet to sieze victory in.

We have loved, we have grieved, we have hugged, we have cuddled, we have grown, we have lost our nievity, we have laughed, we have cried, we have fought, we have won, we have had a whole lot of fun.


We have had a heck of a few years and this little girl is a big part of the reason our years have been such a wonderful adventure.

We have many precious memories with her.

One happened the other night just before she turned seven...

As I lay her down in bed the other night we had one of those talks we have once in a while where she asks some seirous questions about her adoption and her early childhood. She moved in to our house at age 3 but she was able to keep contact with her biological mom on a limited basis until she was 4 1/2. So, she still has some memories of her and she still misses her from time to time. And she sometimes has a hard time feeling secure that we will be her parents forever now. Having been taken from her other parents was traumatic and still scares her internally on a daily basis. To her forever has no meaning and words are simply that...words.

But on this particular night as I promised her once again that she would be ours forever she asked how I knew that. I told her that the judge said on the day she was adopted that she was ours "forever-more". She asked what that meant and I was gifted with the words to say at that moment (thanks Holy Spirit). I told her that saying forever-more is like saying forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and then you keep saying "and ever" forever but noone could do that really so they just made the word Forever-More so that you did not have to say the "and ever" part forever. She looked at me and smiled having quite obviously found a bit of comfort in that answer and she snuggled in close and rested her head on my neck. I held her tight and just said to her, "forevermore baby girl...forevermore you will be ours. Noone can stop me from being your mommy forever more."

Praise God for forevermores!

top 20 reasons I have not blogged lately:

Ok, so I am getting some emails about the lack of my blogging so I figured rather than admitting that I have been totally uninspired lately I would give you my top 20 excuses for not blogging. You pick your favorite excuse!

20. With the kids back to school I have had so much time on my hands I have not known what to do with myself so I am doing nothing.

19. I have been busy taking clown to school at his new "farm school"...AKA: Play therapy.
18. I have been too busy picking up Clown from school early because he is having a hard time standing in the pick up line without hurting his friends.

17. I have been cooking up a storm at my house with my new neighbor Christy...(is it still a new neighbor if I moved here 9 months ago?).

16. Making tiny cakes for an absolutely AMAZING sister and aunt takes longer than it might look like.
15. Doing homework with 4 kids is tying up my evenings.

14. Volunteering for sunshine math with my new neighbor Jamie (again...is 9 months NEW) is just taking more time than it should.

13. Those darn scholastic orders I decided to do for the teachers are just way more confusing than I remembered.

12. HOsting a birthday party for family on one day

and hosting a tea party for a group of giddy little 7 year olds the next day leaves no time for blogging.
11. Sunshine has had me busy cleaning up after his schenanegains.

10. We have been spending every spare moment shopping for the PERFECT couch...go ahead and weigh in. Do you have a favorite between these two?
9. Do you people think these children clean up after themselves?

8. Ah yes, there is the fall decorating at our house that is underway...ok, ok, the kids and I did it today in about 5 minutes...so, that was a small exaggeration!! (the rest of these things are totally true...uh yeah, "that's what she said")

7. I can't sit still enough to blog because I am so excited about the up and coming premiere of THE OFFICE.

6. I have been spending too much time clipping coupons and shopping sales to blog...like this night when Princess and I got ALL THIS STUFF FOR ONLY $68!!!

5. Sitting and watching my husband power wash, stain, and reassemble our ginormous swing set makes me tired.

6. The only key on my laptop that currently works is the t. Sunshine apparently thought he would clean it for me and he doused it in green clean...THANKS SON!

5. For a few days I was busy having my boys try on their fall pants...

4. For one day I was busy having my boys try on their fall/winter coats and jackets.

3. For one day I was busy having my boys try on their fall/winter pajamas.

2. For one day I was busy having princess try on her clothes (girls are so much easier...they LIKE to try on clothes)

1. For a few WEEKS I will be busy having my boys try on their fall/winter shirts... This is just the shirts that they tried on...
We could clothe a third world country (if it was full of little boys ages 3-8).
Yep, that is my latest and greatest excuse...I'm up to my arm pits in little boys clothes. :)

DAWN

I will post a real actual post soon.

Favorite Quote:

Today I am stealing an idea from my friend Cindy and giving you my favorite quote of the year. It may actually be my favorite quote of the last 5 years (oh wait, let's see...the kids moved home 3 years ago so I guess it's my favorite quote of the last 3 years.).

"The days are long but the years are short."

2005

2008

This quote is felt in the depths of our hearts at our home.

I just have a few things I wanted to share. A few random photos that touched me deeply.

This one of Superhero and Clown is so sweet to me. I was so tired of bending over and holding up his bike while he learned but he was so frustrated with not being able to ride his bike so Superhero took over and it is a cute photo that really is how he is with him. Superhero is very nurturing and sweet with Clown. He helps him through life.

I snapped this one of sunshine at the spray park the other day. It just symbolizes him to me. He is just so full of happiness and Joy most all of the time. This photo seems to capture a bit of that joy on his face.


And then there is this one of superhero. Is it just me or is he growing rapidly and getting cuter and cuter as he gets older. When he was little I always wondered how long his extreme cuteness would continue...I guess at least until age 8.

I am loving life today!

One Tough Cookie..

See that kiddo there on the right? Looks big doesn't he?

He's not so big....

Neither is he...


Neither is he...

BUT, the one on the left....

Now that's a tough cookie.

Mommy disclaimer...ok, so I know all of those boys are someone's little boys and I mean them no harm. I am sure they are wonderful boys and are probably quite tough, but come on...my shorty child whipped up on those tall 2nd and 3rd graders!!!!! Can't blame a mom for bragging on her baby.

knock knock. Who's there? A mommy whose tired of laughing at dumb jokes!

Do your kids tell you knock knock jokes too?

It's so interesting to see the phases of knock knock jokes in our house.


Superhero is now telling them and making them up and, though they are often those classic jokes that we all heard as kids growing up, some of them are actually quite funny. He has me laughing often.


Soldier is mostly repeating the jokes of others but he knows what is funny and what is not funny.


Princess tries really hard but wants to make up her own jokes so she takes three different ones she has heard other people get laughs from and puts them together. For example:
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Boo.
Boo Who?
Aren't you glad I didn't say pizza?



Clown just tries to be so silly and say as many funny words as he can to get you to laugh. For example:
Knock Knock.
Whose there?
Poopy clown with a chair with spagetti and a nose and a booger.
He follows that up with laughing himself so loud that you know for sure that was the punch line.



And then there is Sunshine who has one joke, and one joke only. He says it all himself leaving no time for you to say your "lines".
Knock Knock.
Whose there?
Pizza! (this is followed with much of his own laughter echoing through the otherwise silent crowd that has gathered from near and far to hear his "joke".)

So, am I the only one out there that while I know it's cute and all that I am TIRED OF LAUGHING AT THE SAME OLD INCREDIBLY STUPID JOKES?

Someone please tell me when the knock knock "jokes" of sunshine will be make me laugh as much as the jokes of superhero.

Pasting on a smile is not my best attribute.

My aching legs!!!

I met a new man today (nah, I guess I met a BOY today). T.J., J.R., T.R., R.J. something like that but we will just call him "The Torturer".

I'm in a trial period at a Gym I am thinking about joining. I have put on some weight lately and have tried to drop it on my own but I just don't stick with it so I am on the lookout for a personal trainer.

Cue the music from jaws....

Enter "The Torturer"

About half a minute into the workout that we will herein call "hell on earth" I was thinking, "I bet I can do it on my own." Because when I do it on my own I STOP WHEN HURTS!!! :)

The torturer does not believe in stopping when it hurts and when you say you don't think you can do one more he says, "then do 2 more"...and means it! So, after lunges, squats, and some other ancient torture maneuvers I have no name for I literally was about to fall down.

Now I mean to tell you that I am not normally a wimp but today I was!!!

I was thinking of peeing my pants just to get out of the workout. THAT IS NO JOKE!

After I got home I fell down my stairs twice because my muscles were more like rubber bands than muscles.

After my husband got home from GOLF (his own workout program) we went to a baseball game with his coworkers where we sat a few rows from the front which means...yep, I got to go down stairs with an audience that knows me! I did not fall but I did grab onto my son's HEAD for balance once. If it were not for his blond little head and strong back I would have fallen on my face. :)

So, will "the torturer" see me at our next appointment on Wednesday?

YOU BETCHA...

Why you ask...because he guaranteed he will get me in shape quick and I gotta say that I kinda believe him. He will do it or he will kill me trying and in heaven we get a new body right.

Gotta go rest my rubber band legs!




Oh yeah, and as for the God Nudge there...pretty obvious isn't it...It's not always easy to do what God asks. It sometimes makes us TIRED and we FALL ON OUR FACES and have to LEAN ON OTHERS in ways that may cause them some discomfort. BUT, pushing through the pain and getting it done is going to leave us in a better place than when we started.

One last note...I am just sure my scale is stuck because I know I worked out hard enough to loose a few but it's still reading the same...HUMMMMM.

Giving Piggyback Rides to Molasses

Ok, so is this the cutest photo ever or what?
When we went go places where we are in crowds we always pair up our 4 oldest kiddos into "buddies" so when we went to the Zoo we paired soldier up with princess. It's a good pairing most of the time because Princess will do whatever soldier says without question most of the time and soldier is usually pretty good with her (and her ONLY) about not "Over-Bossing" her.

They do great most of the time but this particular day there was one thing about Princess that he found unbearable and that she could not simply DO for him. The child is S------L------O--------W! Her daddy has affectionately nicknamed her Molasses...yes, she's that slow. Her slowness was getting in the way of Soldier's need to be first to everything so he decided it was just easier to carry her. This is not a Joke people...he carried her through nearly the entire zoo from animal to animal and if you asked him why he would say, "it's just easier than waiting for her all the time."

Hummm.....

And GOD NUDGES!!!!!

This summer has been an incredibly hard summer for me as far as emotional toll. My husband and I have watched our kids get poked and prodded, scanned and tested. We have walked the halls of hospitals, offices and clinics and been both scared to death and as thankful as could be that our children are only visiting the hospital. We have spoken to therapists and councilers, neurologists, surgeons and endocrinologists. We have met with administrators and dentists and eye doctors, pediatricians, etc... etc...

I have done things that this summer I did not think I could...things like sit by while my sons had blood drawn and IVs put in. (I HATE NEEDLES PEOPLE!), things like actually entering a MRI machine with my child while he screamed with fear at the unknown, things like watching my boy be wheeled down the hall to surgery. I have been scared speechless by the words of doctors and the perceived meaning behind their facial expressions.

I have done it...

But I have not done it alone. My husband and I have had many supporters along the way...my mom who came to stay, my sister and brother in law, my husband's brother and sister in law, our neighbors, our friends near and far.

But we also had a "Buddy" there the whole time. Our heavenly father...the one who "sticks closer than a brother".

As I look to the future there is a real possibility we will be asked to do things we are not any more capable of than princess is of getting from point A to point B before any other member of the family. And when that time comes I am sure we will feel God step around in front of us, bend at the knees, and say, "HOP ON".

What a mighty God we serve...a God who gives piggyback rides to Molasses!