HAPPINESS IS............

SPRING IN THE SOUTH.

Well Look~ee Here!

I opened up my mailbox and look what I found!



Stacy and I sent a few things
so that JiXiang could celebrate EASTER with his Friends
and Nannies.

Have you EVER seen a more precious LOVE MONKEY???

OK so maybe I am a little partial............



This was a total surprise.

We had no idea that Adelle's father was going to take these for us.
He is a PRECIOUS ,PRECIOUS man.

Don't you just love those little party hats?!

Look at the sweety- pie with the green cat hat.

Isn't she a doll?

I cannot wait to get over there....or is it DOWN there?

I'm never really sure.

100 Things A Child Should Do Before Kindergaten

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/100-things-to-do-before-kindergarten-362376/

Have my kids done all of these things.....Hmmmm???

So I had my 7 year old and my 5 year old answer these ...just to be sure.


In no particular order....
1. Go to the zoo yes
2. Visit a farm yes
3. Go on a hike yes
4. Play with kittens or puppies yes
5. Catch a frog yes
6. Make a gigantic mess yes
7. Help clean up a gigantic mess yes
8. Master the monkey-bars no
9. Swing high up into the sky all by themselves yes
10. Try ice-skating no
11. Go sledding yes
12. Make a snow-man yes
13. Blow bubbles yes
14. Plant seeds and watch them grow yes
15. Have a pillow fight yes
16. Jump on a big bed yes
17. Jump on a trampoline or in a bounce house yes
18. Hang out in a tent yes
19. Spend days at the beach yes
20. Build sandcastles yes
21. Go fishing yes
22. Go out on a boat yes
23. Play with blocks and puzzles yes
24. Read the classic picture books yes
25. Read a classic chapter book yes
26. Check out library books with their own library card yes
27. Get a passport no doing it next week
28. Carve a pumpkin yes
29. Hold a newborn baby (to see how much they've grown) yes
30. Love a special doll or stuffed animal yes
31. Bake cookies and cakes yes
32. Help plan their own birthday party yes
33. Go to the circus yes
34. Go to a museum on a quiet weekday yes
35. Play hide-and-seek yes
36. Play a board game yes
37. Do nothing whatsoever all day yes
38. Try a sport yes
39. Watch a sporting event yes
40. Learn to swim yes
41. Be tickled in hysterics yes
42. Paint and draw as much as desired yes
43. Have the use of scissors and glue yes
44. Display artworks and other creations around the house yes
45. Learn to use a camera (and keep an album of the results!) yes
46. Play with clay yes
47. Pick flowers yes
48. Climb a tree yes
49. Gaze at the moon and stars yes
50. Toast marshmallows yes
51. Learn to eat an ice-cream cone yes
52. Watch a sunset yes
53. Learn to write their own names yes
54. Learn their addresses and telephone numbers yes
55. Learn their parents' full names yes
56. Set the table yes
57. Clear the table yes
58. Help wash the dishes yes
59. Learn to say their pleases and thank yous and excuse mes yes
60. Watch fireworks yes
61. Go to the ballet or theater or a puppet show yes
62. Put on a ballet or play or puppet show at home yes
63. Face paint yes
64. Dress up in costumes at will yes
65. Learn rhymes and poems and songs by heart yes
66. Have a dance party yes
67. Enjoy friends at preschool and at the park yes
68. Invite friends over to play yes
69. Get to know grandparents yes
70. Play with cousins yes
71. Become attached to a wonderful preschool teacher and/or babysitter yes
72. Learn the name of our president yes
73. Know the name of their town, state and country yes
74. Be familiar with a map of the world yes
75. Listen to music from many different ages and genres yes
76. Hear and learn words from a different language yes
77. Learn the difference between trash and recycling yes
78. Grow their own vegetables yes
79. Learn to ride a bike (or try!) yes
80. Take a road trip yes
81. Draw a self-portrait yes
82. Slurp alphabet soup yes tomato bisque..but yes
83. Learn to twirl spaghetti on a fork yes
84. Pick apples yes
85. Star in a home movie yes..they write and direct them, also
86. Learn a magic trick yes
87. Try different hair-dos yes
88. Practice writing letters yes
89. Practice counting to 100 yes
90. Make up stories yes
91. Send a letter yes
92. Receive a letter yes
93. Ride on a merry-go-round yes
94. Give away toys and books to less fortunate children yes
95. Learn the value of coins and bills yes
96. Keep a piggy bank yes
97. Try a musical instrument yes
98. Have a heartfelt wish granted yes
99. Have a heartfelt wish denied yes
100. Receive a million (make that a billion) heartfelt kisses and hugs from their parents! yes

Looks like they won't be scarred for life!


PHEW! That is a LOAD off.....

20 years from now-I would hate for one of our children to bring this up in therapy. ;)

EASTER

Just in case you are wondering-
Little man isn't mad about the basket..
He is hacked because the CCAA hasn't sent his Mama
her dad-gum Travel Approval!


I did find this for Adam .
I actually purchased the white...
but it wouldn't have shown up on here.
It made me laugh.



The kids colored 3 1/2 dozen eggs.




Stacy didn't want Santa to feel bad....
so he gave him an egg-y shout out!





Rachel is really getting good at this.
She prefers the brown eggs, like me.

We both like the darker colors that are the result.



Caleb is still dying eggs .
I love it.
He looks forward to it just as much as the little ones.



Wonder Woman decided that she would take a day off from fighting
crime to get busy.

Not a single drop was spilled on the suit!
YAY!



Hannah quietly enjoying the egg dying.
She has the same expression on her face in every
"egg dying" picture that we have ever taken.
She just loves tradition.



And so does this guy.

He loves getting in there and doin' it up with the kids.
This year he wrote on an egg in Chinese, He made a watermelon~
which was really cool, BTW, and He even threw in a little tie-die action.

The kids love trying to out-do him.

It is fun to watch.



Ben got the hang of the wax pencil, this year.
He really came up with some cool stuff.
He told me that I could "have" the brown eggs...
he liked the white.
"Easter eggs are supposed to be pink and blue and yellow...not red!"
Like he's Peter Cottontail all of the sudden.



Some of the eggs.



Easter Morning.
Guess who didn't want his picture taken.

Ben WILL NOT pose for a picture...never would....
he just hates it.



There are alot of reasons that I enjoy a big family.
One of my favorites has to be that we can have an
EASTER EGG HUNT without ever leaving the house
or inviting any other kids.

Throw in some cupcakes and it's a party!



Rachel finds eggs like she is getting paid.
She is wearing Hannah's old Golf Shoes.
She loves them..not real sure why.

I had to separate her & Ben.
Ben would spot the egg
and then she would take off running, pass him up,and get it.
Sassy Thang!



Hannah and Caleb did a great job hiding for the kids.



My sweet boy.



She found her "orange flower egg" that her Daddy made for her!



Caleb helping Rachel count her eggs.



It was just a great day.

I hope everyone had a great day,too.

OH BABY!

After almost one full year-
My BFF, Heather and her family hopped a plane Monday
morning to meet the newest member of their family!

Meet Mr. Reed .

4 days old and MAN is he a cutey.



Happiness.

Life is Good.

My First PROM..............

as a parent.

My little man got all dolled up to take his best girl to the MCHE Banquet.

I must admit that I handled it a tad better than I thought I would.


I looked across the vehicle and there sat this man
looking back at me..wearing MY shades..BTW


Then he hops out of the truck with the confidence of ten men
and takes his friend her flowers and the photo op starts.


I remember doing this.
I was so afraid I was going to stick the poor guy!

It was funny...she kept saying the same thing.
Caleb just smiled and told her not to worry-
"No one will be able to see the blood through the jacket".


Sweet little pair, aren't they?


We arrive at his best friends house for pics.
You guys might remember these kids from the DISNEY pictures!
I tell ya..these kids LOVE each other.


A Beautiful Bunch of Kids.

These guys can't put on a tux without taking a "007" Picture....

So of course the chicks had to break out with the "Charlie's Angels" shot.

They all jumped in the car....

and drove away......

And I cried.

I am REALLY not old enough for this. LOL!

PEACE.

Pretty

that is just all there is to it.

That star.
Something about that bright red star makes you feel like you are "finally gettin' somewhere".

It was the same with Mary-
Didn't really get worked up until we started signing referral paperwork and then it hit.

I am having a little"what if he hates me" anxiety.
He is a toddler..so he may.

That is freakin' me out a little.

I woke up at 3 AM a few nights ago .
A mini panic attack.

I do this when I have to leave the kids.

I want to take them all.
I know it is a horrible idea..but I still do not want to leave them.

So my other plan was for Stacy to stay home and me just go alone....not so great for Stacy..but Good for me and my stress level.
Breathe, Daddy...He said NO! & something about me not being able to stay out of trouble & what that would do to HIS stress level...whatever that means?!?!

I have always been a "have my cake and eat it too" person.

By the GRACE of GOD, I have been blessed with the only man on earth who actually thinks that my little character flaw is part of my charm.

I know that the kids will be fine, but I still have the same fears....

What if the plane goes down? What if we get sick over there? What if something goes wrong with the adoption? What if we get robbed? and My favorite...and honestly the most likely... What if I hack someone off and we get thrown into a Chinese prison?

What?? You never thought of that?

We are hoping that we are hoping a plane in 6 weeks..but we are not betting the farm on it.

My Grandmother is still in the hospital and her health is slowly getting worse.

She is on dialysis now.

She needs it.

We do not want her to keep that fluid on.

It is so hard to keep it off when you can't get up and move around and that vent makes it impossible.

She is also tired...but not too tired to mouth words to the kids and get a little hacked when they can't understand what she is trying to say. Sassy Thang.

She is a fighter..Always has been.

She is amazing to us and she is baffling her doctors.

She is my hero..Always will be.

6 kids.

3 boys/3 girls.

The Brady Bunch in Boots..only Alice was no where to be seen.

I do not want to leave her.

I am afraid that something will happen and I am on the other side of the world.

But I will.... She would just sigh and shake her head at me..if I told her that i was staying.

She really doesn't have to say anything behind that...you know exactly what she means,"I would have expected more than that from you".

No-one and I mean No-one wants to see that from her.

I am sure it was (at one time) her most Powerful Parenting Tool.

So those are the top 3 on my prayer list right now-

Adam Andrew Xiang & Bennie Lee & My Big Babies.

Prayin' 2 home & for 5 stayin' at home.

It is a complicated place to be....but I am blessed to be here.

PEACE.