re-entry

Hello friends.

I can tell you that the number of responses we received while we were in China, combined with the requests for updates within the five days we have been home have been heartwarming and overwhelming.  Thank you for your love and support during this life changing experience.  We woke up every morning in China and would immediately boot up our iPad to see what you all had to say to us while we were sleeping via blog, faceb**k, or email.

You gave us a support network and a connection to "home," and we thank you sincerely.  We think your support is priceless.

Our experience is going to take several (many?) posts to do justice, so while I have your ear (eyes?), I will tell you that I intend to do so.  Be patient with me because between my body's (as well as my daughter's) lagging time zone acknowledgement, as well as managing FIVE kids, will require an act of God to get regular blog posts out to you.

Start praying people.  Um, I meant now... yeah, take a break and pray. ;-)

So, in characteristic form, this sleep-deprived post will end in pertinent bullet points devoted to the "need-to-know" (or maybe the slightly entertaining):   (YES, I LIKE USING PARENTHESES TONIGHT!!!!!)

• We returned to find out that our generous friends from various circles have signed up to bring us dinners every other night until the end of April (and one supply of rockin' frozen banana pancakes to microwave on my many my crazy mornings).  My dear friend Deb, who also hosted my awesome toddler shower in January, coordinated it all and we are just in awe.  Side note:  I am the girl who will NEVER turn down an offer for a dinner I don't have to make myself!!!  All we can say is THANK YOU!!!!  Such a simple thing helps so tremendously (especially for this non-cook)!!!
• My dear friend Amy, who first introduced me to orphans with my trip to a Russian orphanage in 2006, has offered (okay, agreed to) creating Joya's "Gotcha Video" because she is UBER talented on the video-making-to-drive-you-to-tears-and-cherish-forever stuff.  Now, I just have to mail her the jump drive with the 5 GB of photos and video.  Put aside your box of tissues now.  No, I'm serious.  Do it!
• My mom and favorite aunt were here for eight days before we came home (taking over for my only and cherished sister/BFF/soulmate to take care of our boys) and stayed until today.  We could not have made it through jet lag and Joya's crying nights without their help during the days.   How do you ever say an adequate thank you for such great sacrifices?  We are without words.  Mom - my husband is thinking of moving you in with us just for more of your sandwiches.
• Joya is doing well considering we have only had her with us for 15 days, counting the 4.5 days here at home.  My Beloved made an accurate observation that her "renewed" grief since we've been home is likely because she is so stinkin' smart (save for college or not?) and has pieced together the fact that she is now with the people she has seen in her photo book for months now, and realizes that she is never returning to live with her foster family.  She cries out in the night for her foster mom and expresses genuine anxiety and panic when she realizes that it is close to bed time (which we did NOT see at any of our stops in China).  Her grief is inconsolable and I am jealous for the newborn experience when I could comfort and nurse a child back to sleep.  Not so now.  I ride the wave and die to my own desires - purely by asking and receiving from God's grace (my BFF's will tell you that I am NOT a woman who functions well on sleep deprivation).  She has been through a pure trauma and I will not traumatize her even more.
• She is having GREAT days though.  Awake time is happy time filled with puzzles, playing, eating, and learning.  Very fun and we are really enjoying it - every one of us.
• The boys are LOVING it.  Kenyon has mentioned that if we didn't have the support of our little men for our new pink addition, he just might have thoughts of regretting the decision.  But he doesn't because he is just smitten with her in every way, shape, and form, and so are our men.
• Her attachment to her Daddy has lessened from panic to affection.  We both realize that it was really an attachment of safety and security, not of emotional connection.  That is okay with us for sure, but we are both looking forward to connecting with her in a GENUINE and growing love for each other.  It is growing and changing every day.
• I am so grateful for my in-laws and their willingness to honor my request to come from Pennsylvania for my boys' spring break.  These grandparents definitely wanted to meet our new addition, but they are going to be such a help to us while the boys are on break and Joya still needs quite a bit of attention in order to bond with her mommy and daddy.  My husband's mom has a special gift for cooking projects, treasure hunts, and group outings.  I asked, and they honored.  Again, thank you just doesn't cut it.
• I still have so much to say about our trip.  I want to tell you about the reality of adoption, the amazing organization "Love Without Boundaries", and the complete dissolving of our "American" impression of the nation and people of China.  So, at the very least, count on that from me.
• And pictures..... lots of pictures.  (C'mon, you know I love the shock value!!!)

sick-of-winter-fever

Some call it "Spring Fever."  But seeing that winter in the mountains lasts well into May and it doesn't surprise us to see a dusting of snow in early June, we have renamed the fever.

Each April, we get the itch.  South....must....go....south!  It is still winter here, but a four hour drive south to Moab will usually plop us in temperatures in the 70's or 80's.

This year we had a campground reservation, but had to change it to a hotel reservation due to a forecast of unusually chilly nights.  Daytime temps were to be in the mid 60's and that is double the Park City temps where we were blessed with got 12 inches of snow per day that we were away.

I can handle sleeping in the cold.  My big boys can handle sleeping in the cold.  But my littles?  I'm pretty sure they'd be miserable.  And if the littles ain't happy, Mama ain't happy.

And if Mama ain't happy.... well you get the picture.

So, we packed up the new family truckster "Ruby" (Beloved took a new job = no company car = newer used Suburban for Mama = older, kid "loved", very unmanly minivan for my Beloved) for her first road trip.

We've never had a DVD player in any car before.  It wasn't on our want list for a vehicle, but this one came with it.  Can you tell it is their first time?  We don't really sit them four across - we were just testing the headphones.

A couple of movies later, we were in Moab.  Our first adventure was the giant sand dune across from Arches National Park.  A lovely FREE piece of fun that you can just drive up to and play.  Hours of entertainment for four boys, exercise for Mom and Dad, and we (almost) felt like we were at the beach!  I guess we were, but there was no water, just desert.

Next, we saw some of these.  Just as Kenyon was commenting how despicable it is that people carve their names into the rock next to historical art, he looked down to see Rufus finishing letter number three of his name.  Luckily, some sand washed it off, but we were laughing for the rest of the trip about it.

One thing that tends to define us when we hike is that my husband we always tend to push the boys past their limit and into the depths of exhaustion.  Our first day we hiked eight miles.  My Beloved would argue that it made them into the tough hikers that they are today.  I argue that it just makes for a cranky bunch of boys on their way to the car.

The perks of hiking great distances are these:

 

AND there's this view at the "end".

I'm saving the best for last.  Check back for the story of our most fascinating hike ever (picture "127 Hours" but with both arms).

Also, just a teaser - I'll share one of our most humbling parenting moments.

another date

Remember my date with Grace??

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting another one of my purely online friends.  I had been reading her blog for quite some time when, unfortunately, a great tragedy struck and our lives were connected beyond blogs and mothering boys.

Kathy is my friend Darcy's sister in-law.  Darcy gave birth to a sweet little boy a couple of weeks ago and Kathy came in from the middle of nowhere Nebraska for a visit.

Guess who insisted upon being her airport shuttle????

Despite only getting to hang out with her for less than an hour, I so enjoyed meeting face to face and sealing our long distance friendship with a hug!

Stay tuned, because in a few months I have a date to meet this mom of boys face to face for the first time.  We've only been putting "hope to someday share a cup of coffee" notes in our Christmas cards for about three years now!  Can't wait Nicole!

clogger

When you live in a houseful of boys, you will talk more about bodily functions than you ever thought was possible.

This year, Sauce coined the term "clogger." Need I explain?

I didn't think so.

For the last several months my brain has had a clogger.  I knew it was bad when I overheard my in-laws say to my beloved that I quit blogging altogether.

Not so in my head.  Just so on the screen.

Let me tell you the thought process I have been struggling with:  The school year started in a whirlwind and I found that my schedule was busier than I thought.  Much to my surprise, there was no time to get pedicures, eat bon bons, watch soap operas, or read romance novels.  Forget keeping a clean kitchen too.

Sure, I have more time to myself, but it is in VERY small chunks, and my running around meeting buses, volunteering in classes, and squeezing in errands (these pesky men still want to eat - the nerve!) dominates that time.

When some time had passed and I realized that I missed blogging about Halloween, Thanksgiving, our gaggle of visitors, and even Christmas, I felt like, "WTF" (no I would never say that!) "Where do I start?"

There are so many great things going on in our lives right now.  I am just having a clogger in getting back in the rhythm of telling them.  So, for the month of February, I'm going to work to get back into the habit of telling our stories.  And if that habit sticks, I'll be back for good.

You can thank this chick for kicking me into gear.  She is a real writer - go see her stuff and get ready to laugh.  (Are you happy now Nat?)

absent in blog but present in life

I am fully aware that my blog has been ignored.  I'm sure I'm going to see The Department of Blog and Internet Services at my door in my email box shortly with charges of negligence.

I am desperately trying to finish out our school year and keep up with our weekend travels and chores.

I think of blogging and sometimes feel overwhelmed.  I have too much to say; I have nothing profound to say; I have too many other things to do; I'm just too darn tired and lazy; I'd rather watch my DVR shows.

I have plenty of excuses.  Which one would you like?

You're not getting much else out of me today, but come next week, my plan is to fill you in on some big happenings in our family, as well as my annual wedding anniversary post (think "he said - she said").

I will leave you with my favorite photo of the week.

My sweetie pie Squirt who was my bus partner at Zion National Park
last weekend.

like online dating - for moms

One of the unexpected perks of blogging has been new friendships.

Well over a year ago, I received an email from a woman named Grace.  She had stumbled upon my blog and she also had four boys that were similar ages to my men.

Through our back and forth emailing, we formed a friendship.  We exchange Christmas cards and stay in touch through the challenges and victories of mothering four boys.

But, we had never met face to face.

Grace and I always joke about meeting for coffee, which is funny because we live about 12 hours away from each other.  Or about an hour and a half plane ride which I'm seriously considering now that we've met.

While making our whirlwind tour of Disneyland, Grace carved time out of her busy life to come and rescue me from my hotel and take me out to coffee.

Four hours later we realized that they were kicking us out of the coffee shop.

We had such a nice time together and I am amazed at the broad range of topics we covered in that relatively short period of time.

It was really the highlight of my trip and I can't wait to do it again Grace!

bullet points

I am just pulling myself from a fog of three very busy weeks.  There are so many things on my to-do list, I can't count them.  A few days ago my friend Erin asked me if I have given up blogging.

I knew then that I had REALLY been neglecting my little hobby.

So, because I can't compile a complete one-subject post to save my life right now, here are some random thoughts in bullet point form with some cute, related (or not) photos inbetween.

• My maternal grandmother died last night after a LONG battle with Alzheimer's.  At 87 years old, it was a blessing that she did not suffer the end stages very long and she died at home with her loving family around her.  She will be missed though.  I didn't have the privilege of having her nearby throughout my youth, but she left an awesome legacy of a large and loving family and a marriage of over 60 years.  As long as her body allowed her, she was always a servant to those around her and the proof of her example was her children who cared around the clock for her in her declining health and held her hand for her final breaths.  At the time I'm writing this I am hoping to be able to make it to her memorial service in Atlanta at the end of this week.
  
  
  
• I successfully finished our first year of homeschooling via a virtual academy.  It was not without hardship and A.LOT of effort, but I think it was a great choice for our family and I have signed up for next year.  Moving on to third and first grade will prove to be a new adventure - we'll see if the yellow school bus shows up or not :-)
  
  
  
• I went to Laramie, WY to see Beth Moore and Living Proof Live a few weeks ago.  If you have a chance to go to one of her live events - GO.  No matter your background, she makes you feel at home and like you're old girlfriends.  Travis Cottrell and his team are awesome in the praise and worship arena and as my hubby always says about Beth, "That woman does not phone it in."  She teaches truth straight from the Word of God.
  
  
  
• There will be an entire post dedicated to my beloved's MBA graduation, but let me just tell you it was the first major party I've thrown (with actual invitations) and I'm still de-stressing from it.  We had a balloon arch and an ice luge (stay tuned for pictures) and I hired a cleaning lady as a special treat to deep clean my main floor of my house.  I had never had a cleaning lady, I thought it would be awesome, but she decided to clean my stainless steel cooktop with a scratchy sponge and just added to my long list of things I need to fix.... if it is even able to be fixed.  I think I'll do the cleaning from now on.
  
  
  
• My in-laws were here for a long visit and my mom arrived the day before they left - we then took my mom to her first ever visit to Jackson Hole, WY and Grand Teton National Park.  We go up there several times a year, so it was fun to show my suburbanite of a mom the real glory of the wilderness.  She was a trooper as she battled the elevation change on our four mile trail hikes.  If only we had sunny weather - it's been rainy and chilly for an unusually long time here.  But at least it's not snow.
  
  
  
• My baby is going to be TWO this month.  Boo hoooooooooooo!
  
  
  
• I'm sure this summer is going to fly by me, so I want to spend lots of time appreciating it.
  
  
  
• Can't wait for our family reunion at my dad's lake house in July.  My siblings, their kids, and my parents will be there.  It has always been a relaxing vacation spot with great memories for me.  I can't wait to make more.  Side note:  SIX plane tickets = OUCH.
  
   
• We've had one trip to the ER this summer when a baseball bat met Rufus's chin.  Some Versed, three stitches, and six HOURS later we left the ER.  The picture above is a non-ER accident when Daddy's hockey stick met Sauce's forehead.  Oh, and Squirt currently has his first black eye after a collision with a van door.
  

I'm going outside to play cap guns and baseball with my boys, well, because this summer will be far too short!

the time of year I could skip

Ten months out of the year I love where we live.  I would be very sad if we had to move from our town, our neighborhood, or our house.

March and April are the outlaws.  I am done with winter.  I'm done with snow.   I'm even done with skiing (the men in this house are not, however).

I'm done with snow tires and using the snow blower.  I'm done with icicles and I'm done with high heating bills.  I'm done with snow boots and winter coats.

As a result, I have gone into survival mode.  Hubby is out of town from Monday through Friday this week and I am anxious for some time out of the house...

by myself....

with my winter coat on, of course.

As I'm sure all ten of you have noticed, I've been ignoring the dishes the laundry the vacuuming the children my blog.  Night time comes and you'll find me in the fetal position zoned out on the couch (with blankets over me, of course, because it is still WINTER!!!).

There have been plenty of bloggable moments going on around here, but I just have not mustered the energy to write about them.

Like just this morning when I accidentally swung a gallon of apple juice off a lower shelf of the fridge and smacked Squirt square in the face with it... yes, his mom gave him his very first bloody nose.

Mother of the year, I tell ya!

There have been birthdays and ski races and did I mention snow?

I'm turning the corner though.  So expect my next post to be a bunch of random bloggy thoughts.

You missed me, didn' cha?

changing my tune

I can admit when I'm mistaken.  I can eat some crow.

Sometimes.

This is one of those times.  Remember when I wrote this and this?

Well I gave it a chance like I told you all I would.  I kept my Facebook page and even looked at it once in a while.  Over the course of four months, it has morphed into something that represents a little fun.

I mean, it's not blogging or anything, but it has some valid
entertainment value.

Facebook stock went up considerably to me when I found a dear friend from high school youth group (hi Jody!) that I have no idea how we ever lost touch.  Then, through her I found three of my high school youth group leaders.

I have been chuckling about the fact that these leaders seemed "old" to me when I was 15.  Apparently, I seemed quite young to them!

And now I realize how incredibly young they were (that's probably why they were so much fun).  In truth, we are probably are less than ten years apart in age.

And now we're peers.  It's been fun catching up and sharing pictures
of our kids.

It is even funnier to hear about their memories of me.  Apparently I was a precocious teenager (yes I had to look it up in the dictionary P.K. and thank you!).  I can't remember how Tony referred to me, but I'm sure I was quite a punk in his eyes.

That's okay though, because I remember those same leaders doing lip synching to MC Hammer and telling us about picking off and saving scabs to give to a girlfriend.

I also enjoy checking in to see that Ashley is playing Candyland, or Grace bought new wine glasses, or Jenny is tired, or my sister Amy is out in the cold, or when Nicole is covered in barf.

I stand corrected.

on to greener pastures

This summer I won a contest and was awarded a blog makeover by Ruby & Roja Design.  With a fresh start, I took into consideration that a few people have mentioned over the past year that they can't remember my blog address.

To make it easier to find me, I have moved my blog to it's right location.

Can you guess?

www.inaworldsurroundedbymen.blogspot.com

Meet me there for more boy adventures!

fresh clean start!

Oh, sometimes it is hard to leave the past behind!

This past summer I won a contest and was awarded a blog makeover from Ruby & Roja Design. After picking and editing graphics, going back and forth on colors and basically Christy rocking it out of the park where design is concerned - here it is! Let me introduce you to the new and improved home of testosterone overload!

If this is your first time here, let me introduce you to the crew (they have been given new blog names to protect their undercover work):

Hunter: He is our eldest son and an intellectual, independent, inventive seven year old. He loves to hunt with his dad and is a great friend.

Sauce: Our six year old sports fanatic. This is the boy who is constantly running and jumping or throwing a ball. He has a million dollar smile and is constantly looking for someone to play a game of soccer, baseball or basketball with.

Rufus: He will be four in a couple of weeks. This one is as sweet as pie, but tough as nails in a challenge. He works hard to keep up with his big brothers!

Squirt: Our latest addition to our crew. At just over a year old, Squirt is adored by all his brothers, except when he's getting into their stuff. He has a mouth full of teeth and an appetite to match. We hear new words and see new skills every day.

My Man is a passionate hunter and skier that masquerades as a sales manager during the week (we are way into undercover work here). He swept me off my feet 12 years ago and we haven't looked back. Our life is full of noise and laughter (and lots of messes).

We wouldn't trade it for anything!

out with the old

I love having a husband who buys me things he himself enjoys owning. So I must announce:

PINK IS OUT:

RED IS IN:

Soon I'll be able to get all my blog comments right to my phone!

I feel so techno.

a must read!!!

Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry did an awesome summary about comments on blogs - you must take the time to read this.

More fun from the world of testosterone coming soon...

Entering the blogging world

Well, I thought I would just test out how this blog thing might work for our family. Here are a couple photos for a start!