Memorial Weekend Adventures.....

Thought I would write a bit about our Memorial Day Weekend. I think that we had a pretty good weekend overall. You have to keep in mind that I had just about every bad thing happen to me last week... so it was pretty hard for me to muster up the energy to have fun. But, I managed to actually have a good time! I got to get to know some really nice people too-- hopefully my wild brood of kids didn't scare them too much.


On Saturday, we went to a couple's house for a sort of pool party/ cookout. I met this couple earlier in the spring-- through Sheila. They have also adopted children, one from Russia and one from Guatemala, so they invited us up to have some fun with the kids. They, and their friends, are really nice people-- down to earth and fun. Of course, Amelia had to pitch one of her "fits" and make me look like a bad parent, but all in all things went smoothly. It is great to meet people with kids similar in age to mine. It was also nice to see happy lesbian couples-- families. It makes me think that someday I could have the same thing. Anyway, it was a good time.


I thought I might get to sleep in on Sunday because we stayed out so late, but, as usual, Little A was up at 6:00 am-- on the dot. Sunday was pretty laid back... We finally got to use the swimming pool in the backyard!! This year the pool is larger- 3ft deep and 12ft dia.-- so there is more room to move around. The water was still freezing though! I am always shocked at how kids are able to tolerate cold water--- I felt like I was going to have a heart attack when I stepped into the pool... I did get used to it, though. I decided that I must get a floating chair with a drink holder--- so I can chill while the kids splash and play!!! Sunday evening, we all watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the one with Johnny Depp). The kids LOVED it!!!! I was shocked at how much they liked it... wasn't scary or weird to them---but of course they are my children, so they have seen much scarier and weirder stuff.... :) We popped hot air popcorn for the occasion. My kids felt like they were "roughing it" because we actually had to add butter and salt to the corn...

Monday we went to Piedmont Park in the early afternoon--- we met Annie for lunch at Willy's and took a nice walk through the park. The kids got to feed the geese... we couldn't find the ducks. D spent most of the time chasing Lola (Annie's dog) and scolding her for leaving our group. It was funny watching him be the boss... most of the time he is getting bossed around by his sisters, so he seldom gets to make the rules. Lola just looked at him like he was crazy and went on sniffing poo and looking for squirrels.

In the evening, we headed over to Kim's for a cookout. We ate hot dogs (mine was a veggie dog) and hamburgers, chips, and fresh picked strawberries with whip cream... yum!!! Of course, the wine wasn't bad either! :) Another friend, Sherri, popped in for a few minutes as well. It was funny to watch all six of the kids play and get filthy in the wet backyard. I am soooo ready for some dry weather. So in the end, I guess I had a pretty good weekend after all! :)

A Family Of Geese....



Here They Come To Get Their Bread!!!

Very Cute Babies...

Cute Kids Too

About To Slide....

An Action Shot...

My Pretty Girls

Three Angels.... ;)

Stuffing Their Faces With Strawberries!

Delicious!!!

And Messy!!!

Big C Is The Expert....

Last night after dinner we had some more strawberries....

Strawberry Shortcake!!!

Look At Those Cheeks!!!

Always Silly!!!

Last Week's Adventures....

I haven't been keeping up with my posts... Last week was not the best, to say the least, but I am hoping that all the "bad stuff" happened at once and is over. I am going to try to be optimistic... The kids had an eventful week though. May 16th was the last soccer game for the big kids. They got trophies and cupcakes to celebrate the end of the season-- of course that made them happy! Last Monday the big kids had Field Day at their school-- this made me happy because I actually got to go with them! Normally the events at their school fall on Fridays, and I work out of town every Friday, so I never get to go. Field Day was supposed to have been the previously Friday, but it was postponed due to rain... for once the rain worked in my favor. It was really fun to watch Big A and D play games and get their faces painted. It was also nice to talk to the other parents. After the games, their class had an Ice Cream Party!!! Fun!

So, despite Mommy's stress, my kids had a good week! That is the most important thing!

Golden Eagles Show Their Trophies!!!

A Proud Girl!!!

Where Are The Cupcakes???

My Babies!!!

Field Day 2009

Silly Kitty!!!

Potato Sack Race!!!

Tug- Of- War!!!

They Are Winning!!!

They Won Two Rounds Of Tug-Of-War!!!

Big A Lost Another Tooth!!!

Now She's A Vampire!!!

Silly Mommy And Silly Little A....

Amelia's New Hair....

Today, I realized how fast time passes, and how quickly my children are growing up. Today Big A got the haircut she has been wanting. She got a short cut. I was amazed at how much older the new style makes her look. She is no longer a small child, she is growing into a beautiful young lady. She has been looking at, and admiring herself in the mirror all evening. It is so cute! How I gave birth to such a girly girl is beyond me.... She can't wait to go to school tomorrow to show off her new hair.



Another thing that happened today made me realize how quickly children grow up. A friend's youngest daughter is graduating from high school tomorrow and will soon be going away to college. As I was shopping for her gift, I realized that before long, my own children will be growing up and leaving for college. Probably sooner than I realize. What will I think? How will I feel? Will there be anyone to share in my pride? Will I be alone after they leave? I certainly hope not. Will I be able to let them go and grow into adulthood? I hope so. But I don't want to rush it, I want to enjoy them as children. I want to savor their cuddles and hugs. I want to listen to their stories and marvel at their "creations". I want to watch them splash in the pool on a hot summer day, and shake my head as they pick dandelions in the outfield at T-ball games. I want to remember these times and cherish them always. I want to have more patience with them and be less preoccupied when I am around them. I want to be all there for them when I am with them. I now know that I need to spend time with other adults and have adult time-- time away from them sometimes, but I need to focus more on them than I have been lately. These days are going to pass sooner than I realize, and I don't want to miss it. I do often wish that I had a partner to share all of these moments, but then again, as it is, these moments are all mine-- that is kind of cool too.

I am going to do my best to make good memories for my children... and me.

Amelia's Grownup Haircut!!!

Sherri Did A Great Job!!!

Russian Adventures With D....

I just thought that I would upload a video of D from last year in the orphanage... This video was taken at the end of January 2008--- on my first trip to Russia. He has changed so much in such a short time!! It amazes me how much his coordination has improved... Also, we are all much cleaner these days-- a proper shower and a washing machine really improve things.... Memories...

Little A's Ballet Debut...

Little A had her first ballet recital last night!! She was very excited! She couldn't wait to get up on stage and perform. She really did do a good job-- although she did, occasionally, crawl out off the stage.... She definitely is does not have stage fright... she ate up the applause. It was so cute!!! Nana came up for the performance, so she was excited about that as well. After the show, we all went to Los Bravos--- my kids love love love Mexican! And I love love love margaritas! It was a very fun night! Nana left after dinner, so that was a bit of a bummer-- the kids really wanted her to stay. But it was really sweet that she came up to see Little A dance!

My Littlest Ballerina...

Waiting For The Show To Begin...

Little A Gets A Trophy!!!

See It????

A Proud Girl!!!

All Dancers Need Roses...

A Born Performer...

Not Another Photo!!!

Little A Shows Ms. Ruth

Her Flowers...

My Flowers!!!

Big A Was Not Impressed...

D's Spiderman Party Adventures....

Saturday was the big day... Finally, D had the birthday party he has been wanting!! For once, I was not madly trying to set things up when the first guests arrived... I was pretty proud of myself. I actually got things together with some time to spare. Of course that was thanks to my Mom and Sheila-- both of them took some kids off of my hands so that I could get things done.

D chose a Spider man theme... so I rented a big Spider man Moonwalk. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of it, but it was a big hit with the kids... There was a good turnout for the party-- lots of kids from his class, as well as other friends. He had a great time! The only downer was that it started raining about halfway through the party, so all the kids moved inside, and subsequently destroyed my home... But it was all good--- everyone had fun!!!

After the party, we cooked out hot dogs, corn-on -cob, and shish kabobs... Sheila, Annie, and Erika's family stayed for the cook out. Later Erika and I put our kids to bed, and headed out on the town... Erika's daughter, Christina, was nice enough to babysit for us. :) I'm not sure she really had a choice in the matter, but it was greatly appreciated... Sometimes we grown ups need to get out to play too!!! :) We met Annie and Roseanne out, and Erika got to go to her first Lesbian bar--- Bellisima. I'm not sure what she thought of it all, but she certainly seemed popular... :) Lol. She even got to see a lesbian bar fight!!! Crazy stuff!!! After the bar, we all went to The Majestic... to eat greasy food-- gotta soak up that alcohol!! It was fun. Unfortunately, the kids did not cut us any slack by sleeping late on Sunday morning... It never works out that way for Mommies!!! :)

It was definitely a fun weekend though... Too bad we live so far from each other... But, then again, maybe it is a good thing--- we might get into too much trouble if we did!!! ;)

Below are some photos of my Boy's Big Day....

Before The Party...

Now All We Need Are Guests...

D Is Sooo Excited!!!

Checkin' Things Out...

Daisy Made Her Rounds--

Begging For Food...

The Spider Man Cake!!!

Silly Me...

D Checks Out His Cake...

And Blows Out The Candles...

Hurry Up And Cut It....

Seriously Cut It... Now!!!

Circling Like Vultures....

Erin Cuts The Cake...

Sheila Passes Out Ice Cream..

Who Knows What I was Doing...

Taking Pictures???

Checking Out The Cake Toppers...

It Spins....

Later The Pinata...

That Is Just What They Need...

More Sugar!!!