Memorial Day 2011--Off Kilter

What a day.  I'm not sure what it was, but I was feeling a little off kilter.  And there are pictures, I promise...just scroll down (but read first, because the picture will make more sense that way).

I think the bottom line is there are days that remind us more of our losses than other days, but for whatever reason, there is still a part of me that wants to pretend that one of these years it will all feel "normal" and be "normal."  

Then at some point I usually recognize that those sort of off kilter feelings come from somewhere, and they have to be acknowledged to move on.

Clue number one we were off kilter:

I slept in and woke up to the sound of Joie very loudly expressing her opinion about how unfair it was that she had to load the dishwasher.

Clue number two we were off kilter:

When I tried to talk to Joie, she didn't want to talk.  She didn't want to live here.  She didn't want to be in "this family."  Not today.  Not ever...  Or at least for the next ten minutes when she calmed down wanted to talk.  I love that girl.  She's amazing.  She's an amazing girl with a huge, huge loss that seems closer some days than others.

Clue number three we were off kilter:

I couldn't shake my own case of the blahs after Joie had her moment.  Everything bugged me...the smell of the paint Tim was using...the fact that my plans for the day were changing on me...and the very, very messy office downstairs.

Clue number four things were off kilter:

I was cleaning the very messy office.  I haven't wanted to touch that room for weeks, and for some reason it had to be cleaned today.  It's the room that always reminds me most of Nick, Ruth and Audrey.

...Pictures, documents, papers...all the remains of a life that was theirs, and Joie's, but is no more.  I needed to clean that room today.

And while cleaning, I came across an old family picture taken at my brother's wedding.  Nate was a baby, and oh those blonde curls!  Then as I was about to put the picture in a pile, Ruth's smiling face jumped out at me from the back row.  She was single then.  The picture must have been taken not long before she met Nick.  In that moment I could hear her voice and her laugh, and wanted more than anything to feel one of her hugs.

Instead I held the picture a little longer, and the tears that had been denied all day (because it was a "normal" day) finally came.


Then whatever it was that had been bugging me all day was gone, and I was back on kilter.  (Can you be on kilter?  Is that a phrase also, or just off?).

And a huge clue we were on kilter:  The whole family went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 (and I think everyone else in Utah had the same idea on this cold, wet Memorial Day).

I guess my main point is:  As much as I wanted this weekend to be about the real heros of our world who give their lives for our freedom, we can't get through this day without also feeling the loss of others we miss.

The first day we went to the graves, Gabby mentioned she didn't know where her mom was, and "I don't remember her very well.  I wish I could remember her more," she said...  Which lead to a conversation about what we could do to remember her mom, and she loved the idea of sending balloons to heaven.

So today after the movie:

Oops...how did they get up there?  No worries...

Megan to the rescue (armed with a pair of salad tongs).

Ready to launch...

We hope all the balloon messages made it to heaven (and one to India, for Gabby's brother).  Personally, I think all messages from the heart make it to where they need to be, and guaranteed there was a lot of love floating in the air above our house this afternoon.

But the true pay off moment that told me we really weren't that off kilter after all...

The moment when you know the teaching paid off, and the message sank in...

I had to run to the store late tonight (because you can't start Tuesday morning without milk).  Before I left I told Gabby to get ready for bed and I'd come in and pray with her when I got home.  

When I came back she was in her bed writing.  

"What are you writing?" I asked.

"A letter to Joe."  

Joe is my brother.  This guy:

Joe is currently serving in Afghanistan in a "dustoff" unit (a.k.a. flight medic).

Gabby had written a very sweet (1 1/2 page) letter to her Uncle Joe in Afghanistan.  What a heart this girl has!

At the end of the day, it seemed that maybe things weren't so off kilter after all.

(I love, love, love it when they really get it.  Don't ever think they're not listening.  They hear everything!)

So for Joe, and all the others who do what he does every day, thank you!

Our hearts are with you, Joe (and a letter from your newest niece will be in the mail shortly).

More pictures of Joe:

God speed to all our troops!

Sunday Sharing

Those who sign up to serve our country fight the battle abroad.  At home we fight battles in our hearts and communities to keep gratitude in our hearts and remember the source of all our blessings and strength.

Recessional

God of our fathers, known of old,

Lord of our far-flung battle-line,

Beneath whose awful Hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies;

The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;

On dune and headland sinks the fire:

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose

Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,

Such boastings as the Gentiles use,

Or lesser breeds without the Law

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust

In reeking tube and iron shard,

All valiant dust that builds on dust,

And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,

For frantic boast and foolish word

Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!

--Rudyard Kipling

Earlier today, in an attempt to help our children remember (and not forget) how it is that they enjoy freedom, we wrote "Dear Service Member" letters for my sister-in-law's charity "Operation Angel".  (It took some coaxing...no bribery involved, but we did have a discussion about the differences between their lives and the lives of children in countries affected by war.  It seemed to work.)

(They'll be in the mail soon, Tawny)

Jeran got creative and wrote his letter as a poem.  See his tribute to our soldiers here.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 

Lest we forget, lest we forget.

Personal note:  I kind of cringe when I read "lesser breeds" in this poem, but keep in mind this is a period piece (late 1800's) that can still speak to us in a lot of very honest ways today if we don't discount it for the time period in which it was written.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

We've already been here...

And we'll probably go back again tomorrow with more family members.

While we remember those we've lost, we're also aware that the history of this day is about so much more.

We love the summer kick-off (although this year you'd have a hard time even selling this weather as spring weather...)

We love family cabin work days (although we missed that this year because of Tim's work schedule...I think we have a to-do list for later)

We love barbecues...

Missing work and school on Monday...

Knowing that summer is right around the corner...

We love all those things and much, much more about Memorial Day Weekend.

We also can't forget to honor those who fight and give their lives to make us free.


"For love of country they accepted death…"  James A. Garfield


Sometimes I wonder if my children really know what we're remembering on this holiday.  I hope so, but maybe I just assume they know.

Adding a family member this year makes us more aware of explaining and learning about new things, and as we do, we find out that there are things "we never knew we never knew."  (from Pocahontas, Colors of the Wind)

Or at least a lot of things we'd forgotten from history class.  It made me wonder how many times I've simply uttered, "We remember those who gave their lives for our country,"  but had forgotten the history behind this holiday.

So for those who want to share more about this holiday with your kids (but have been too many years away from American History 101) here are a few links that help teach kids about this important holiday:

History of Memorial Day

Make Memorial Day poppies

Send a care package to a soldier or visit my sister-in-laws amazing military charity website for multiple ideas on how to get kids involved in remembering those who serve.

Join our family this year in remembering that this is a holiday of remembering.


And enjoy this reminder of our "Ragged Old Flag," the symbol of our freedom for which some gave all.

Busted!

Joie loves her digital scrap booking.  Smilebox is her favorite.  She blogs too, and Mom is busted for giving Jeran an award, but not Joie.

So here's Joie's very own award:

And Joie's blog is Guardian Angels Watching Over Me.  She makes her smilebox creations and posts them there.

(See previous post for more details on this highly coveted award.)

Versatile Blogger Award

Yes, I guess there is such a thing.  And I was tagged, so now it's my turn to pass on the love.

The official rules are as follows:

1.  Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.  Thank you, Mary (yes, there are two of us with that very common name).  Mary blogs also about adoption, and is an positive voice for a variety of foster care and adoption topics.  Take a look at her blog for more information.

2.  Tell 7 things about yourself:  

1. I was going to cheat on this one and name our family members:  Tim, Mary, Nate, Megan, Jeran, Joie, and Gabby.  That's seven.  Plus two if you count the dogs, Champ and Blossom.
2. Tim and I both come from large families.  Tim is #3 of 10 children; I am #2 of 12 children.  There isn't a lot that can phase us.
3. I can say the alphabet backwards really, really fast, and my kids think it's my most amazing talent.  They make me do it for their friends.  (They also make Champ do tricks for their friends.  Should I be concerned?)
4. Besides saying the alphabet backwards, I love to write, which I didn't figure out was a real talent until I was in college because I thought to have a real talent you had to be able to sing or dance.  I don't do either of those.
5. I grew up on a farm.  I'm a true farm girl (except that I don't live there now, and didn't ever move back after I turned 18...)  I love that it's part of my life's journey, and love that I can journey back there often.  I also love that moment in the trip when we start to drive back toward stores and people, and get nervous driving to the farm when we pass the last store, thinking I've forgotten something I'll need.
6. My dream is to own horse property (the suburban kind...not a whole farm).  Someday.  Hopefully soon, before my kids grow a lot older.
7. I broke my knee in the growth plate when I was a year old, and had three casts and two surgeries before the age of 6.  Thanks to modern medicine I can walk.  I remember running in high school and college and looking down at the long white scar on my leg and finally feeling thankful it was there.

(Whew!  Seven!  That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.)

3.  Pay it forward and award the Versatile Blogger to 15 recently discovered new bloggers:  

Did you say fifteen?  What I forgot to mention is blogging is my hobby, which means I try to keep time spent here relatively sane.  I put words to whatever seems foremost in my mind on any given day.  That said, I've come across some great blogs as people post and as I visit other blogs.  I'll follow the lead of the other Mary and "tweak the rules."  I'm awarding the Versatile Blogger to five other blogs:

(No particular order of preference)

1. My Nutritious Dish by Emily...can't remember how I found this blog, but my own drive for health and nutrition keeps me checking back frequently
2. Living A Big Story by Laura, who has kept the Mother's Day theme going all month, and is introducing us to a lot of different moms in memory of her own mother who passed away recently.  She also promotes healthy living, in a very down-to-earth way.
3. The "Mental"-ist Mom by Missy, who blogs about being a mother to a child with multiple mental health challenges.  She's the real thing.
4. The Happiest Sad by Jill Elizabeth who blogs about her journey as a mother who chose adoption for her baby.  She does a beautiful job putting words to the often silent members of the adoption triad.
5. Outward Expressions by Esther, my sister...who might kill me for this, but probably not since I don't know if I've ever seen her angry.  This is one of those situations where it might be better to ask forgiveness than permission.  I am always inspired by her posts, and I aspire to write like her.
6. And I know I only said I'd post five, but I also think my son, Jeran, is a funny, creative writer and he has been blogging lately too at Go for the Gold, a blog that used to be called "Go for the Bronze" because he was championing mediocrity until my other amazing sister convinced him to Go for the Gold!

Enjoy!

Bad Blossom!

It's hard to imagine that this cute little face could be so...

Evil!

When Gabby moved in, Blossom decided she didn't want the competition for attention.  Who was this new family member anyway?  

Within a few days, several items from Gabby's room turned up missing and were found outside...chewed by Blossom.

It was a sad, sad day when Gabby found one of her very favorite shoes outside.  It was her birthday shoe from her 9th birthday party.  

Hard to imagine one little puppy could do so much damage.

The damage was followed by tears...lots and lots of tears.

She told me how special the shoe was, and how many times she wore it.  She knew every memory linked to that very special shoe.

So we decided to make a memorial out of the shoe before we bought a replacement.

One chewed up shoe + one sharpie = a piece of memorabilia.

Gabby told me all her memories of the shoe, and we wrote them on the shoe, then the shoe hung on a nail in her closet for the past 5 months.

Today she was cleaning out her closet and was ready to get rid of it, so we snapped some photos so we could remember.

Good-bye birthday shoe, that reminds Gabby of Jan, school, swimming with friends, dress-up with Joie, dress-up, and Bad Blossom!

But in Gabby's words, "She's so cute that you can't stay mad at her."  

(The picture of Blossom was taken by Megan a few months ago.)

Family Rules

A few years ago, we got rid of a lot of little rules in favor of a few simple rules.

1)  Be safe.
2)  Be healthy.

We have since added:

3) Be kind.

Joie came into our family quite suddenly after an accident claimed the lives of the rest of her family members.  It was a loss that drained energy, and tested the limits of faith, patience and love in our family.  Years earlier, when it became popular to have a family mission statement, Tim and I scribbled down ideas, but top on the list was one statement that has remained through the years:  Our family is a safe family.

Fighting and hitting hadn't been much of a problem before the difficult emotions of grief took hold, but after the accident, we were introduced to sibling rivalry in ways we had never before encountered as parents.  We tried to be understanding and patient.  The mom in me loved them no matter what and wanted to be understanding about what they were going through.  The therapist in me knew that in order to feel safe, the rules were just as important as they ever had been.

One day when big brother chased little sister home from school threatening her all the way, we decided it was time to take things back to basics.  "Our family is a safe family,"  we announced.  "And our home is a safe home."  Honestly, my own sense of safety and certainty was so distorted at the time I remember hearing myself say those words, and thinking, "How can you promise safety when an entire family just died?"  Back then, safety felt like an illusion.

But we proceeded, and soon it was easy to identify a lot of behaviors in the "not safe" category.  If you walk past someone in the hallway and wave your fist in the air, you're not really hurting someone, but did the other person feel safe when you did that?  No?  Then go sit on the beanbag or your bed or anywhere out of the way until you feel like you can be safe around the rest of the family.

Within weeks peace was restored, and as parents, Tim and I gave thanks for the foresight we had to identify that simple mission statement years earlier.

Fast forward to December 2010.  Gabby joined our family.  Playfully she'd walk up to her new siblings and poke them, kick them and hang on them.  It took about one day for the newness to wear off and for high levels of irritability to set in.  We weren't even at home yet, but this time it didn't take weeks to return to our simple motto:  Our family is a safe family.  Right away we introduced the KYHFOOTY rule and things settled down.  A few days later when our flight out of Omaha was cancelled until the following day, what could have been tension at not being able to return home turned into a fun evening of sibling bonding at a hotel swimming pool.  Safety had become a feeling rather than a behavior, and relationships were free to grow.

Be Healthy and Be Kind are also important, and have been added later to encompass other family values.  Relationships are also on that list of values, and keeping the rules simple has allowed us to enjoy relationships in a way that is freeing.

Read my most recent counseling website post here for more ideas on keeping rules simple.

Another Turtle Story

Remember Dollar and Penny, our pet turtles?  Penny continues to help earn reptile merit badges for Boy Scouts around the Great Salt Lake Council.  We still consider ourselves geniuses for coming up with the idea of a traveling pet (that so far doesn't even have a visitation schedule at our house...whew!).

So imagine my surprise Saturday when our neighbor, who had been outside doing yard work, came walking across the street with a turtle in his hands.  His dog had been barking at something in the street, and when he went to investigate, he saw a turtle.

Thinking it was ours he came to return the lost pet.  We happily informed him that our turtle is doing it's civic duty to Boy Scouts somewhere in Utah, and this couldn't be ours.

We watched it crawl around on the grass for a few minutes, wondering how it got into the middle of our street when I remembered swapping turtle stories with a neighbor a street over (directly west of our street) telling me how they had built a pond in the back yard for their turtle, and it had burrowed for the winter...

Never to be seen again.  

I snapped the above photo and texted it to her.

No response.

I called and left a message.

No response.

So the turtle hung out at our house for a while...the whole time they were feeding it, giving it water to swim in, and showing it around the neighborhood, I could be heard repeating, "He's not spending the night!"

Then it was time for the boys to walk the dog, so they got creative and decided to walk the turtle at the same time....

Yes, there is a turtle in that bucket that is bungeed to the skateboard...being pulled by a rope.  (And I think that's Jeran in the background...not sure what he's doing.  Being a turtle?)

The walk didn't last long.  The turtle was a little stressed out by the bumpy ride, and happy just to be back at home our front yard.

"But remember, he's not spending the night!"  (Me again...just making sure they knew we weren't going to have another turtle for a pet.)

A few minutes later, they decided to take the turtle on a walk again, this time carrying it...

And they stopped to see if the neighbor who we thought might have lost the turtle a few years earlier was home yet...  Good news!  They were home!

Better news!  The turtle was theirs!  

Spike was home again, after 3 long years.  Spike's boy was very, very happy.

The end.

Almost.

Except that Jeran and Joie spent the rest of the evening (while I was at the laundromat) hauling rocks from our front parking strip (which will be grass soon) through the yards of neighbors and across fences to make Spike's pond more secure so he couldn't escape.

Somehow in all of the excitement, this happened.

That would be Joie's lip.  I'm still not sure of the entire story except it had to do with coming face to face with a basketball stand.

When I pulled into the driveway from doing laundry at 9:30, my phone rang.  It was the neighbor's mom telling me she thought Joie might need stitches.

Thankfully we have a nurse in the neighborhood too who reassured me Joie's lip would be ok.

Two days later she talks a little funny, and has a hard time eating...

But Spike is home.

After 3 long years, Spike is home.

Incredible if you think about it.  

(And one of the kids mentioned the big idea of Incredible Journey 3:  Spike's Journey Home.)

(All photos courtesy of Megan, who is earning the title of family photojournalist.  Can you believe she took a picture of Joie's lip?  And can you believe Joie asked me if I blogged about her lip?  Crazy kids...)

Sunday Sharing

I love the words to the hymn Lord I Would Follow Thee, and was touched again by the words to this song as we sang in church today:
(Listen to the song here.)


Savior, may I learn to love thee
Walk the path that thou hast shown
Pause to help and lift another
Finding strengths beyond my own
Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Lord, I would follow thee.


Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can't see
Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee


I would be my brother's keeper
I would learn the healer's art
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother's keeper,
Lord, I would follow thee.


Savior, may I love my brother
As I know thou lovest me?
Find in thee my strength, my beacon
For thy servant I would be
Savior, may I love my brother?
Lord, I would follow thee.


The second verse especially spoke to me today, and I realized some anger in my own heart is causing me to make judgements I truly don't want to make.  I also know that daily I go to the Lord with my own struggles, and the same loving sacrifice of the Savior that helps to carry my burdens also extends healing to others.

This clip is a Sunday family favorite around here, probably for a lot of reasons, but today I'm sharing because I love the peace that comes from turning burdens over to the Lord.  Enjoy.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

You all heard the world was supposed to end Saturday, right?

Yes, really.  The end of the world.

The End.

So I decided that I could risk not doing laundry all week.  It's my least favorite task, so if the world is ending...

And it piled up in the laundry room until Friday morning when the laundry started creeping from the laundry room into the hallway, so before children were awake, I forced myself to start a load of laundry (just in case the world wasn't ending).

About 20 minutes later Megan went into the laundry room to get something out of her basket and came running upstairs to tell me the laundry room was flooding.

The universe was trying to tell me something:  No laundry.  The world was ending, and I did not need to do laundry (but just in case I called Tim who worked for a plumber in one of his former jobs, and he said he'd take a look at it later...which he did between his shift yesterday and another shift early this morning).

Bad news.  It wasn't the plumbing.

And since the world didn't end Saturday as planned, I had piles of laundry and no washing machine, which meant a trip to the laundromat after Saturday soccer mania.  (Go Orange Crush and Pink Bubble Gum Blasters...who both rocked today!)

And did I mention that it has rained all week?  Saturday was the first beautiful, sunny day since...  I don't remember when we last had a sunny day.  We're floating away here in this mountain desert of Utah.

So instead of working in the yard and planting the garden and celebrating in the sunshine I did laundry.  In a laundromat.

But Megan and Gabby came with me, and when we stopped by buy quarters at the grocery store we also bought a deck of Old Maid cards, so it wasn't so bad...and I only got Old Maid once.

And then there was the turtle story today.  Which I won't tell right now because it's a long story, but please enjoy our former turtle stories...here (look for all the stories with pictures of turtles).  And just know that there's another awesome turtle tale coming soon.

Seeing Red

Photo by PTA President, Dawn-Marie Wood

Our PTA President snapped this photo a few weeks ago of the fundraiser meter at our children's elementary school.  While the fundraiser was nothing less than impressive, let me call your attention to the beautiful red tulips in the foreground.  

Last fall I got to help take on Red Ribbon Week at Sunrise Elementary.  With the support of the PTA and the principal, janitor, and 760 students at Sunrise Elementary, we took on the ambitious project of every child planting a bulb for a red tulip that would bloom in the spring so they would remember their promise to "grow up drug free."  As you can imagine, these are just a few of the beautiful tulips we planted.  Our school is surrounded with bright red gorgeous-ness.

I blogged on my counseling website that week about the role of parents in helping children to keep their promise.  Parents, our role is huge, and yes, they are listening.  

Take a minute to read through the above link.  It's never too young to start the discussion with children about addictions that can destroy their lives.

More on parenting here.

The "A" Word

On Friday we mailed our signed adoption petition to our attorney.  Finalization is around the corner.

Which brings us to saying the "a" word a lot more than usual, and discussing the "a" word a lot more than usual.

(Hint:  the "a" word is not a swear word.)

A is for Adoption.

But A is also for Anxiety, and Apprehension...

Which our soon-to-be adopted daughter seems to have a lot of lately.

There are also some signs of grief and loss.


Of the many losses of adoption is the realization to a child that in order to have this family, I had to lose another one.  


We've been here before, a few times actually, and we know from experience that when children realize the loss, the healing is just beginning...

(Even with Megan, who was adopted as an infant.  Their brains still have to grow into that complicated idea...)

...The idea of integration of all their identities.  Who they are because of who they're with, and because of who they're not with.


At the end of the day it all means:  In order to have this family, I had to lose another one.


Several "other families" actually for Gabby, and a sister, and a brother.  A lot of loss.

So she asks every day to call her her other mom, "the only one who loved me besides you mom."

And she asks to write a letter to her sister, and she looks at pictures of India and a scrapbook of arriving in the United States from India.

And tells stories about another adoption that almost was, but then wasn't, and then was, and then wasn't, and tells us how someone once told her that no one would want her and that she'd never be adopted.

Adults can be so mean.

But thankfully she's a resilient child.

And she'll get through this like she's gotten through everything else, because that's what she does.

Mostly, she is "super, super, super excited" for her adoption, and is already planning her adoption party, and her birthday party.

And we're looking forward to a lifetime of love and birthdays.  We know that the next few weeks might be bumpy, but we're ready.

Already as a mom it's forcing me to be more concientious and aware of what I say and what she says, and more intentional about how I relate and interact.

And Tim and I have conversations about supporting her through this process she has to go through, which lead to a conversation of supporting each other, which was good also.

Adoption, here we come!  Even though we don't have a date, we're counting the days!

Read more about adoption here, and read more about Gabby's journey here and here.

And Now For The Birthday Fun

Birthday fun...even if it doesn't look that way on the surface of the 15 year old birthday boy's face.

First this...

Then the presents...

Not sure who sent this one, but thanks!

And THE PRESENT...a camera to support Nate's latest hobby.

Siblings checking out the bag for leftovers...with the birthday boy hard at work on his latest gadget...

which I'll accept as a "thank you" and a smile.

And I think he liked this part also...it involved a lighter.

And I had to flash this shot over my shoulder.  Gabby is still a little unsure of this whole birthday thing...

But she liked the ice cream!

Mmmmmmmm.....

And it looks like he might have enjoyed this part also...

So maybe it wasn't a "dumb" birthday after all?

Happy Birthday Nate!

May 16th begins our "birthday season" each year (which doesn't end until August).  Somehow we pack 6 of our 7 birthdays into those three months.

Ready...set...GO!

I felt like the luckiest mom on the planet that I got to hang out with this adorable face and those big blue eyes every day of my life after he was born...just me and my boy (way back then when it was just the two of us).

I also remember being very, very nervous to be a mom.  

When we left the hospital I remember thinking, "They're going to let us take him home?"

Then once we were home and he was sleeping peacefully in his room, I remember nudging Tim and whispering, "There's a baby in the other room!"

Fast forward to 2011:  I'm not quite sure when we grew into parenting (I think we're still growing), but I'm thankful every day that I'm his mom and he's my boy.

Yes, thankful.

(Mostly)

Even through the teen years...

Even when every idea we have for fun on his birthday is "dumb,"

We have the best present ever planned for later, and I'm preparing myself that even though he'll be super excited on the inside, he won't show it on the outside.

But he'll be super, super excited.  I just know it, and I can't wait.

And neither can he, but he can't show it...so he's sitting outside right now with headphones in his ears, pretending like it's just any other day.

Meanwhile he continues to grow into the witty, funny, quiet, wise person he is becoming.

The above pictures were when he was taking down shelves in a bedroom to get it ready to paint for Gabby to come home.  Use a hammer on your sister's room?  You bet!

And the number one rule:  Don't laugh if the camera is pointed in your direction...but he loves hanging out laughing with these uncles.  (And we're fairly certain that the same group pictured above won't be allowed back in Cabella's any time soon...that's all they'll tell us.)

Just taking it all in...

And I'm not sure what was going on here, but he always, always makes us laugh.

Happy birthday, kiddo!

The Tour of the Traveling Laptop

I'm sick today.  Not fun.  I was hoping last night I'd feel better this morning, but no such luck.

I was worried about missing church this week because it was my turn to teach primary.  (I co-teach with another teacher and we alternate weeks so one of us can go to the adult classes every other week.)  But thanks to sugardoodle.net and a laptop, I could hand my lesson off to Megan and Tim, and they could take over without a lot of preparation.

Tim texted me this picture from church.  She looks like a pro, and now Gabby wants Megan to teach every week.

(See here for the power point we downloaded for the lesson today)

My laptop wasn't home for even five minutes when it was kidnapped again for a skype chat between Gabby and her awesome former foster mom, Janet and some of her Omaha friends.  I was sick and not too involved in the call (not at all really, except for one random moment).

I was aware that during the call, my laptop traveled quite a bit.  A few of the places that were skyped live to Omaha today:

• A tour of Gabby's room (...which I saw before church and it looked like a bomb went off in there.)  The entire contents of 6 drawers were scattered all over the floor "because me and Joie wanted to find an outfit."  That must have been one amazing outfit!)
• A tour of our (very messy) bathroom
• Multiple introductions to the dogs
• A piano performance by Gabby
• A tour of the back yard
• A tour of the neighborhood...or something like that.  It included views of the mountains and houses.
• And a live shot of me taking a nap with my head smooshed up against the pillow...and I'm sure a little pillow hair.  I was sort of in and out of sleep, aware Gabby was skyping when I hear, "This is my mom," and I opened my eyes.  All I could do was laugh.  I'm sure the close up was amazing.

Things I hope weren't included in the tour:  

• My bedroom, which was almost as messy as Gabby's room
• The pantry...home to moldy specimens of leftover snacks
• The refrigerator...actually that one would have been ok because Tim cleaned it last week.
• The garage, a.k.a. Tim's wood shop
• The very scary office downstairs, that was just sort-of scary a few weeks ago, then Joie went in and emptied bins all over the floor and it hasn't been cleaned up since.
• The boys bathroom...but then again if there isn't a smell feature on skype, that one might not be any worse than the girl's bathroom, which I understand was skyped.

So there you have it...the tour of the traveling laptop (which is now back safe in my own hands).