Second Graders!

Bailey with his three teachers. The one in the middle is the sub.
Matthew with his new teacher.

Bailey outside our front door before school this morning.

Matthew outside our front door before school this morning.

My second graders!

Today was the first day of second grade! How does this keep happening every August? Its amazes me that my little boys are growing up so fast. Monday we dropped off their supplies and got to meet their teachers.

Bailey has two teachers this year. Some of the teachers at our school job share. Bailey will have one teacher on Mondays and Tuesdays and every other Wednesday. He will have the other teacher on Thursdays, Fridays and the other Wednesdays. His one teacher, although we met her on Monday will be on maternity leave until January. He will have another teacher who will be the sub. We met her as well. They all seemed really sweet.

Matthew's actual teacher is on maternity leave as well. I'm really not sure when she will be returning. We got to meet his sub and she is really nice. Matthew actually remembered her from her being a sub for his teacher last year. (Oh yeah and Matthew also lost another tooth on Monday night!!)

Yesterday we went and had a little fun with the kids from the S family (see post below). I took the kids to a place that had bumper boats and also mini-golf. Poor Matthew got stuck on the bumper boat and couldn't steer it back to the dock. He was hysterical but we all tried to keep him calm until the guy was able to help him back. We then went to safer grounds and played glow in the dark mini golf. The kids had a blast. A last day of summer vacation wouldn't be complete without a trip to the ice cream shop.

Today both boys woke up excited without me even having to wake them up! They ate their breakfast and got ready without any problems. They appeased me by taking their year pictures in front of the house. I then proceeded to forget my camera on the dryer instead of taking it to school for more pictures. I am sure secretly the boys are relieved I didn't have it with me. We got them in their lines and then they were off.

Upon picking them up I learned that Matthew cried because he got scared of a wasp outside. In his words he had a "kinda a good day...kinda a bad day". Bailey had a great day and neither can wait to go back again tomorrow.

Here's to another great school year boys! Mommy knows you will do awesome!!

Very Special Friends of Ours

I want to take an opportunity to tell you about another special family we know. We met the S family when the boys were in kindergarten. Matthew and their youngest J were in class together. We then found out they only live about 2 blocks away in our subdivision. Since then the boys have played a lot together. I sometimes joke that J is my third son. The scary thing is he looks more like Bailey than Matthew does.

We have also gotten to know the whole family even more and have actually been attending the same church as them. Through this we have gotten even closer. My friend D called me to see if I could keep an eye on J and their daughter K for a day. It was so fun having a girl in the house. K will be in 7Th grade next week. She is a delightful young lady and we had a good time scrap booking together while the boys played.

While they were over I was showing K Diana's wish scrapbook. She was so interested in us adopting a baby and also was going on to say how special the book was and how Diana will treasure it. My heart was overcome with so much emotion from this young lady. I have learned that that wasn't the half of it.

After K got home she created me the most beautiful note cards. They are have dragons, lanterns, pagodas, a fan and of course a ladybug! The pictures of these note cards will not do them justice. I am thinking of using them in one of Diana's scrapbooks rather than writing on them and sending them out. They are incredible and it made me feel so good that she thought so much about our journey in creating them. Thank you again K. You are a very special girl!

Her mother D surprised me as well. She gave me a Miraculous Medal. She explained to me that while trying to get pregnant with J she found out about these medals and contacted a church (not sure this is the right one) and they sent her the medal. She says she got pregnant a month later and continued to wear it her whole pregnancy. After J was born she passed it on to him.

I am wearing this as I carry Diana in my heart and will continue to pray for a speed up. Also as D has requested I will give it to Diana once she gets here. I will tell her how her mommy wore it while she waited and about the special woman who got it for her. D-thank you so much for the special gift and of course the gift of your friendship! Both gifts are very special to me.

I Just Want To Be A Mommy & Other Random Thoughts

A picture of the four of us at the aquarium

The boys having a hands free good time on a roller coaster.

The boys with Sponge Bob and Patrick

Matthew as Obi Wan Konobi at the Star Wars exhibit on vacation.

Bailey as a Storm Trooper at the Star Wars exhibit.

So I've been hearing and reading so much lately on adoption being a way to "save children". This could be read into on soooo many levels that I'm not going to go there. I am NOT adopting to save a child from the horrors of life in an orphanage I am NOT adopting to give a child a better life. I AM adopting because I want to be a mommy. Some of you may say "Well Lisa, you already are a mommy." This is true but I want to be a mommy to another child as well.

I love my boys to death and can not for one second picture what my like would be like without them in it. When I told Dave that I wanted another child he wasn't so keen on the idea. I let it sink in for a while. He still didn't go for it. We fought. Boy did we fight! Eventually he mellowed and agreed that having another child would be good for us.

As many of you know adoption was not our first thought. We tried to have another baby the "old fashioned way". It didn't happen and thus here we are.....waiting for Diana in China so we can be her mommy, daddy and big brothers.

Will she be better off in my family? Will she do so much better here than had I NOT adopted her from an orphanage in China? I am sure she will but again everyone is better off in a loved filled environment where they are getting enough attention and nourishment both physically and emotionally.

My bigger question is will we be better off having her in our lives? I do believe that we will be. To have another child look up at me with their sweet eyes calling me "Mommy" will fulfill me in a way nothing else can. To hold the hand of a little one as I guide them and protect them is really all I have ever dreamed of. To love three children instead of two just makes my heart even more full no matter how she came into my life.

OK now onto other topics...

As we live out the last week of summer we are preparing for second grade to start. Did I say that???? Are the boys really going into second grade? I'm afraid its true. We got the letters from their teachers this weekend and we have frantically called classmates seeing who is in who's classes. Its actually kinda fun! We will meet their teachers and drop off supplies on Monday. Stay tuned for pics of that.

We went to the aquarium two weeks ago as a fun family thing to do before everyone gets into the hustle and bustle of school. We had a great time as always! We went to a minor league baseball game last week. We ate well and had lots of fun!

This past weekend my dad, his wife and my sister came in for the weekend. Saturday we got together with our whole family less one cousin and his family (we missed you guys) for dinner. It was great to reconnect with the family and just have a good time. Sunday it was just us with Dad, Melissa and Katie. We had good conversations and so much fun watching Katie play. Bailey was sooooooo good with her. He was extremely protective of her. It made me smile knowing what an awesome big brother he is going to be.

I have tons of Matthew stories bit will just share a few. When we were at the ball park he asked for peanuts and I reminded him that we had some at home so we had them for snack the next day(they were in the shells). He was sooooo cute he comes up to me and says "Mommy the peanuts taste great. There is nothing wrong with them but I think I want a different snack......they are FRUSTRATING me!" I was on the floor laughing and gave him his new request of yogurt.

Also he found his Spider man costume that he wore when he was 3 and has been traipsing around the house in it for weeks! It fits him in the body but it looks like he is wearing Capri's in the legs!! He is happy though so all is good.

Enjoy some pics from our vacation that I never posted and also one of us at the aquarium!