Sweet Blessings....

Out with the Old and In the the New....

2009-10-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

Come on over and see me at my new blogging home:

http://sozio.info/

See ya there!

Fave Foto Friday--From Our House To Yours

2009-03-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is the kids waving at my mom in the window when she was leaving our house the other night. I had lifted them all up and they were standing on the window ledge in one of our two front windows. I had Ernie run outside a take a picture of them (well, he took like 30 pictures...but most of them look the same! LOL). Anyway, I thought these pictures were funny and pretty darn adorable!

Just a Short Update

2009-03-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

The boys' vaccinations went fine yesterday. Ernie took them both and he said Dawson didn't even know when they put the shot in this time. Daeton, on the other hand, didn't do as well this time as he did last time. Of course, if you were poked the crazy amount of times Daeton was last time, you'd probably be scared out of your mind, too, if you had to go back. Daeton's leg appears to be very sore again, and I'm not sure if it's the vaccine or the antibiotics, but I think he is having side effects of one or the other (or maybe both). He's not eating well at all, and is having some bathroom issues (if you know what I mean). Please pray for both boys during the next few weeks as they recieve their vaccinations, but especially for Daeton as one or both of the meds. is apparently giving him some trouble. Their next round of shots will be on Wednesday!

ETA: Daeton is doing much better today! He seems to have a bit of his appetite back, had more energy, and was acting more like himself! Praise God! Now, we'll see how he does on Wednesday after the next round of shots. If you think of us between now and then, please keep praying!

My Fave Foto Friday Pics of our last day in TX!

2009-03-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our pics from the last day of our trip...sorry, they are kind of in backwards order. We didn't leave TX until around lunch time. We took our time that morning packing and hanging out in the room. Then, we took the kiddos to eat at this really cool looking McDonald's (much cooler on the outside than on the inside, but cool nonetheless). We let the boys play while the girls finished their lunch and then we started our very long car trip home. We stopped later that evening at another McDonald's (LOL -- I was sick of their darned food, but the kids really love it...not so healthy, I know). This one is over the road in OK. The boys and Emmy thought it was GREAT! Anyway, it was such a fun trip! Can't wait to visit again!

The boys watching the cars at our table in the McDonald's over the highway in OK.

Daeton eating some leftover fudge in the car after lunch! Yummy!

This is the outside of the cool looking McDonald's in Dallas!

Another pic of the outside!

Dawson on the slide.

It did have a neat Playland! They had tons of tubes inside and they had twinkle lights wrapped around them all. The boys climbed around in their forever and they would stop and knock on the plastic windows and wave at us below.

The girls in our suite before we left Dallas. They are so goofy. I thought it was so adorable how they were holding hands and playing (and they were kind of cheesing it up for the camera, too!). They are going to be best of friends just like their brothers! I love it!

The boys go back to the doc tomorrow for their next rabies vaccination in the series of 5. Please pray that it is much less traumatic on them and that they won't be quite as scared tomorrow. I'll update and let you all know how it goes!

News Flash

2009-03-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

I do still have last day TX trip pics to post, but I haven't taken the time to upload those yet to my computer. I promise I'll get on that in the next day or two. We've been a little preoccupied this week so far though. Why, you ask? Well, Monday night, we had company over (fabulous company, might I add....we love you Blackmon/Dubree clan!), and the kiddos were all playing outside. Well, we have this cat that kind of roams our neighborhood now and then. We've seen it in our yard a few times, but never paid much attention to it. Well, my little Daeton (huge animal lover) went over and tried to pick up/play with the cat. The cat ended up scratching his arm like crazy and biting it several times also. At first when he came in crying, I initially only saw the one really really big scratch on his upper arm, it wasn't until later that night when I really pulled up his sleeve that I realized that the cat had really done a number on him. Dawson also said the cat bit him, so I looked at his arm and sure enough, to set of teeth marks on his forearm. At first, I figured it was no big deal. We were cleaning their arms and putting Neosporin on it, but the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I ended up doing some research online and became very concerned about Cat Scratch Fever among other types of infections and also Rabies since we didn't know whether the cat was up to date on vaccinations. In fact, I literally became so concerned I almost paniced Tuesday night...cried myself to sleep (couldn't imagine my kiddos dealing with something like rabies...to awful to imagine). So, on Wednesday morning, I ended up taking them to the doctor. Thankfully, the doc was concerned, too (I was afraid he'd think I was crazy for insisting they be seen after the nurse told us on the phone just to clean it really well and it should be fine). The doc said that the bite marks were significant in that they clearly broke the skin. Daeton's scratches were of high concern also in that they could easily become infected. So, the doc started them both on an antibiotic and he highly recommened getting them started on the rabies vacine since we really don't know anything about the cat (yes, we are currently looking for the cat, but we haven't seen it since Monday night). The doc said it was our choice to vacinate for Rabies, but if we didn't, it was like playing Russian Roulette with my kids. Not a chance I am willing to take...no way, no how, not ever...I wanted them to recieve the series of vacinations for sure! So, the doc had to call the hospital on Wed. to get a large enough dose of the rabies vacine sent over to the clinic and we took the boys in yesterday afternoon for their first dose. If you know anything about the vacine, you know that the first dose is also accompanied by something called immune globulin which is injected in or around each wound (or bite mark)....and if you have seen Daeton's arm, you can imagine how many shots that poor baby had to have (we're talking a lot of shots here--I didn't count while they were doing it, I was too busy holding my baby and crying with him). The doc told me it would be painful for them and to bring help. I'm glad I did. Ernie took off work and my mom and my brother helped watch the girls while we took the boys to have their shots. They wanted Dawson to go first and although he only had two bite marks (ended up having 4 shots total, I think) he was terrified. He screamed and cried and screamed some more. They suggested that Ernie take Daeton out of the room during Dawson's injections so it wouldn't scare him (since he was next and it was 10 times worse for him) and Ernie said you could hear Dawson screaming all the way out in the waiting room. Poor little guy. Daeton came in next. Ernie had told him while they were waiting to close his eyes during the shots and think of his fishies. He was so good...he came in and laid down on the table and just closed his eyes. He actually giggled when they were trying to clean his arm. He cried each time they put a needle in, but he calmed down between each shot before the next one. They gave him the actual vacine in his leg and he did scream during that one....I think it really hurt. We felt so bad for the boys. Dawson had soccer practice immediately after we got done at the clinic (and he really wanted to go) and Daeton wanted to go, too, so we all went and after practice we treated the boys to pancakes at IHOP (one of their faves). Then, we took them to Borders and let them each pick out a couple of new books as a treat. All in all, it wasn't the greatest day, but it's done, thank goodness. The vacine/shots haven't seemed to bother Dawson too much, but Daeton has been very sore. He's been limping and holding his leg and he still won't let anyone touch his arm. I've read the vacine can have some pretty strong side effects like nausea, headaches, and soreness....and Daeton says he feels fine, so who knows. Anyway, they have to go back on Saturday and then again every Wednesday for the next 3 weeks to get another shot (thankfully, from now on we're just talking about one shot each time). Anyway, please say a prayer for the boys if you think about it. I have a feeling getting them to go back to the clinic on Saturday for the their next shot is going to be rough! Here's some pictures of Daeton's arm from today. They look like a thousand times better than what his arm looked like on Monday night. It is healing very quickly...Monday his arm looked really TERRIBLE! And lesson learned from all this (and after yesterday, my boys are really understanding) is to never play with stray or strange animals. I'm pretty sure after the four weeks of shots are done, they won't even think of petting any animal but their own ever again!

These pics look so much better than what his arm actually looks! You can't see the little teeth marks all over him. The scrathes also look so so so much better than they did just yesterday. Daeton wouldn't let me take off the two bandaids that you can see in the pic.

Fave Foto Friday...My little carnivore

2009-03-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Actually, Ella doesn't really love all meat this much, but for some reason, she sure loved her these ribs! LOL I've never actually had a great post for these pics, but I love them, so here they are. Ella loves ribs and fried chicken (and she's somewhat fond of bologne)....last time she had fried chicken, she started gnawing....I really wasn't paying attention and when I looked at her a few minutes later, she had eaten part of the bone (wish I had a pic of that)! I'm telling you, this girl is like a cave man! LOL Also, I've got a few more pics of the last day of our trip to Dallas and I'll try to get them up over the weekend so be on the lookout for those. In the meantime, Bon appetit!

My happy rib-loving baby!

I love the way the saliva is just rolling down her chest! LOL Yummy!

Howdy from Texas!

2009-03-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this is actually our last night in Texas, and most of us are so sad to be leaving (I think Ernie is secretly happy because he HATES driving down here! LOL). We've been hanging out in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the last 5 days and it has been a blast! We got here on Friday evening and checked in at our hotel. Early Saturday morning, we got the kiddos up and dressed and took them to see their surprise.....the Imagination Movers concert! They had no idea they were going and they LOVED it! Hec, I LOVED it! It was a really neat show and the Movers were awesome! They even came out into the audience and interacted with the crazy Mover-loving kids! Dawson and Daeton danced and sang...they were so into it! The first thing Dawson said when it was over was, 'When can we come back again?' After the concert, we headed to the Fort Worth Zoo for the rest of the day. It was a really nice zoo....you can really see their animals! I hate how some zoos make you want binoculars to see anything...Ft. Worth's zoo was really neat cause all the animals were very close! After we wore ourselves out there, we headed back to Dallas for a good meal at one of our fave places, On the Border, and went back and crashed at our hotel. Sunday, we hung out at the pool all morning. Ella went for her very first swim (too bad mommy forgot the camera in the room), but she hated it! Emmy is a little waterbug and LOVES the water, and of course, Dawson and Daeton love it, too....although poor skinny Daeton was shivering like crazy after awhile (it was cold in that darned water). Sunday night, we met up with one of my bestest friends from high school and her sweet family for dinner at a super fun pizza place. I'm such a genius that although I had my camera, I completely got so busy talking and catching up, I didn't take any pictures! On Monday, we headed back to Fort Worth and took the kiddos to the Fort Worth Science Center. They are currently renovating their building, so they had most of their stuff crammed into a smaller space in a different building....it was fun, but felt a little tight. The kids liked it though! Daeton was so funny...they had a play grocery store set up for the kids to play in. They had plastic food (fruit, veggies, meat, fish, cheese, etc.) to put in the carts. Daeton gathered up all of the fish (I mean ALL of them) and parked himself on the floor right in the middle of the play grocery store space and played his favorite game 'fish tank'. I don't even think it dawned on him that the play fish were meant to be part of the groceries (he would never dream of eating his fishies). It was funny...many people had to walk over him and his fish tank. After the Science Center, we packed up and headed back to Allen to hang out some more with Nicole and her family. Nicole has two of the most adorable children I've ever seen and Dawson made FAST friends with her daughter Ally. In fact, they've already planned a playdate for next week when their family will be in Spfld! And, little does Nicole know, but Dawson told us tonight that he planning on having his next birthday party in Dallas at HER house! LOL Too funny! Anyway, we had a great time visiting and catching up, and by the time we got back to the hotel Monday night, the kids were completely worn out. This morning, we got up and drove back to Ft. Worth and visited the Stockyards. It was a really neat experience! The kiddos all got their very own cowboy hats! We went through a really neat maze which was TONS of fun and got to see a cattle drive! After a long day of shopping and snacking (on really delicious fudge) and petting horses, we drove back to Dallas and went to eat at my blogger buddy Candy's recommendation California Pizza Kitchen! We had never been there and all I can say is YUMMO! Both boys ate every bite of their pizza (which is amazing) and I LOVED my tortilla soup! The girls' mac and cheese some of the best kid's mac and cheese I've ever tasted, too! We got the kids sundaes for dessert and Dawson proclaimed it to be the very best thing he's eaten in a long time (it really did look good!). LOL Now, we're back and the kiddos are all asleep and Ernie and I are working on packing for our drive home tomorrow...yuck...I hate the drive home. We may get up and go to the aquarium before we drive back (but we may not) and we're also thinking of taking the kiddos to this really cool McDonald's to eat lunch at (it's in the shape of a giant happy meal box...how cool is that!). But for now, here's some photos of most of our trip! It's been so much fun, and as always when we're on a vacation, I hate to come home, but duty calls! However, according to Dawson, we'll be coming back to Dallas often! LOL

Just a wacky pic of the girlies eating lunch in our suite! They are so goofy!

Here's E and the boys in their seats waiting for the Movers show to begin! The boys still didnt' know what was going on!

The girls waiting for the Movers!

Their faces when the Movers came onto the stage! Can you tell Dawson was excited?!? LOL

Our Fave....the Imagination Movers! Woo Hoo!

Emmy dancing and playing on the floor during the concert.

The boys were dancing like crazy in the aisles!

Aren't they cute?

After the concert, posing with their t-shirts and the poster.

Ella on the way into the zoo!

Emmy eating her snack while we walked in the zoo!

The boys among the flowers.

My boys

Dawson was puzzled about something here, but not sure what. He's always our little navigator.

Some of our fave animals....the gorilla....

...the gorilla was as big as Daeton...

...the orangetang (or however you spell it), ask E about his special story on this guy....

...the zebra...Emmy's favorite....

...the elephant...

...the tiger....Daeton's favorite...

The girls at the end of the day. The zoo can really wear you out!

The boys walking back towards us from getting their pennies.

The boys with their new pinchers.

The kids inside a caboose outside of the pizza place. That's Dawson's new best friend inside with them!

Daeton playing with the phone in the Science Center.

For some reason, all the kids loved this doorbell on the playhouse...they rang it over and over and over....

Dawson getting his groceries.

Daeton getting his groceries...before he saw the fish...

Ringing up his purchase.

Dawson checking himself out...he really liked the play grocery store.

And at this point, we'd lost Daeton to the fish tank.

Oh my, how my boy LOVES his fish!

Dawson still grocery shopping.

Ella was pretty excited about the grocery store, too. She loved taking all the food out of the bins and then putting it all back in! LOL

Ella buying a banana!

E being the checker for Dawson.

Still playing fish tank...

Don't be fooled, Ella is small, but she can run. And she was running in circles pushing that cart!

Ella in the playhouse!

Both girls loved climbing up and down the steps to the playhouse. Ella fell down them a couple of times, but she didn't care!

Ella playing tea party.

More ringing of the doorbell.

Dawson playing house.

Climbing the steps again.

Not the best pic of any of the kids, but thought it was funny that you can see Daeton giving the fish some tea. LOL

He held the fish while building in the house.

And he wanted the fish to play tea party with Emmy.

The fish ringing the doorbell.

Emmy playing tea party. I love the sweet expression on her face!

Daeton building with the blocks (in a completely different part of the building)...notice what's laying on the other side of his arm....LOL

Dawson's space station that he built.

Daeton and Dawson working away.

Emmy sitting on a pony....not a real one..but it thrilled her nonetheless!

The girls in their new cowgirl hats at the Stockyards!

My little cowboys!

Dawson punching his card in the maze.

Daeton punching his card in the maze.

My honey and me in the maze...Dawson took this picture..did a pretty good job, too!

My girl, Ella.

My girl, Emmy!

My four little cowpokes and me!

My babies in their new hats!

So cute!

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Fun In the Snow!

2009-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

We didn't give the boys a nap today (in hopes that they will actually go to sleep tonight at a decent hour), so while the girls slept, Ernie took the boys outside. We got a few inches of snow over the weekend, and while it has already started melting, the boys have been itching to go out and play in it. They had lots of fun building a snowman, but didn't last too long out there before Daeton started complaining of the cold. Here's some pictures of their short-lived fun in no particular order!

Dawson sliding on the green slide after it had been cleaned off.

Daeton climbing the snowy rock wall.

Daeton launching snowballs from the bridge.

Dawson climbing the rope ramp in the snow.

Dawson sliding down the yellow slide before it was cleaned off...he loved that, apparently it went quite fast and sent him flying a few feet into the yard! LOL

King of the snowball hideout!

The boys making snowballs in the yard.

Dawson throwing a snowball at daddy.

And Daeton a snowball at daddy. Poor daddy! LOL

Getting ready to team up on the camera man!

Dawson having fun in the snow!

The beginnings of Mr. Snowman.

The boys worked so hard rolling the wet, melting snow!

And the end result....

They were very proud! Posing with Frosty, himself!

The boys are now cuddles up in sleeping bags in the living floor with hot cocoa watching the original Herbie movie. There's nothing like lazy Sunday afternoons!

ETA: Okay, about 10 minutes after I posted this the boys decided to start spitting their hot chocolate out all over their sleeping bags...resulting in a chocolaty mess all over the sleeping bags and rug.....so much for lazy Sunday afternoons! LOL

Fave Foto Friday

2009-02-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

Are they cute or what???

We got our wish!

2009-02-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

So, I mentioned in my last post that we were all itching to go outside, and someone up there must have heard cause today was BEAUTIFUL! Ernie ended up coming home and taking Ella to the doctor this afternoon (and it is confirmed that she has yet another ear infection....and we've been referred to an ENT with her), and the other kiddos and I headed outside after nap (Emmy actually napped through part of this time and came outside when she got up)! Yea! It was so nice for them to be able to run off all their energy and climb and play! Here's some pictures from our day. And of course, the pictures are actually backwards because I forget that the last pictures I upload on blogger end up at the top....oh well, you get the idea.

Ella came home with Daddy and had a little bit of time to play outside, too, before dinner.

She LOVES the slide! Action shot of her landing at the bottom.

She's such a brave girl. Of course, she loves any sort of thrilling/dangerous thing...so the big slide is right up her alley. She goes down all by herself!

Getting ready to slide!

Sweet Dawson amusing his mother and smiling for the eight hundredth time today.

Daeton loves to swing....almost as much as Emmy.

Dawson and Daeton on the tire swing. They have figured out how to spin themselves silly all by themselves!

Taking a break from the spinning.

Break over....back at it again!

Okay, Emmy went right to the swing when she came out and we had a VERY hard time prying her out of it! LOL

Wheeeeeee!

Have I mentioned this kid LOVES the swing?

The three amigos on their swings. Emmy was actually still waking up in this picture, otherwise she'd be smiling like a lunatic like in the ones above.

Dawson is such an amazing big brother. I was chasing Emmy and I look over to see Dawson pushing Daeton on the swing! He's only 5, folks....but he's so patient and kind to his siblings!

Emmy showing the world her tummy!

This was right after Emmy woke up and came outside....still waking up, I think.

My little football boy!

Not sure what he was doing here, but he looks way more serious in this shot than Daeton ever looks!

Playing football!

Cheesing for mommy!

They loved getting out and just running today. It was so nice!

Contemplating his next move....

I'm telling you, this kid has an arm! I told him he was going to be a quarterback (thinking that was a good thing, right?) and he got all upset. Apparently, he wants to be a wide reciever. Go figure.

Daeton right after he went outside.

Earlier today, Ella waiting on Daddy to pick her up for her appointment.

And now....they're all in their beds fast asleep! Beautiful day!

Another Picture Update

2009-02-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try and get some updated pictures on here over the next few days (as I realize you have all probably forgotten what we look like.....and in fact, the kids are getting so big they may not even look the same!). As far as what's happening here right now, not much! LOL We're all tired of winter and are SO SO SO anxious for spring and warmer temperatures so we can go PLAY OUTSIDE! We've all been rather sick this winter and we think Ella is now battling her third ear infection in the last two months (planning on taking her to the doc this week to get it checked out). I'm thinking 'tubes, here we come'! Anyway, here are some newer (not the newest) photos of the kids over the last few weeks.

Daeton playing with the Mr. Potato Heads that they got for Christmas! He loves them (and so do I...lol)!

Daeton at one of Dawson's basketball games. He keeps asking when he gets to play! The little girl in the background is his 'girlfriend'...or so he says. LOL

Daeton eating a CARROT! OK folks...this is a BIG deal...my kids (exception of Ella) DON'T eat veggies (unless french fries count)! I had to take a picture of this monumental event!

The boys and Ernie brought me home these flowers one night after they'd been to the store! It was so cute! They both loved to smell them!

Dawson building a giant magneato structure. He's so good at putting stuff together like this! I was impressed!

Dawson is a Diet Coke fanatic! LOL

Dawson at a basketball game. I'll have more basketball pictures of him to come soon! This Saturday is actually his last game! He's a great little player...he scored 2 baskets in the last game!

Emmy eating a lollipop! Emmy LOVES her some suckers (I won't write how she says it, but it sounds very similar to sucker starting with the letter f....LOL...funny and scary at the same time). She also calls her socks "fockers"! LOL Makes me chuckle.

Emmy in her princess chair from Grandma and Grandpa.

Happy Emmy!

Ella in her Elmo chair from Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Ella!

Ella carries her baby around EVERYWHERE! She also puts her babies in her pots and pans in the kitchen (as well as in her play microwave) and appears to cook them! No clue....

They're growing aren't they? I'll update again soon!

WHOA....I have a blog????

2009-02-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm back! I'm guessing almost nobody still checks this blog anymore after my...oh, let's see, 6 month hiatus, but if by chance someone does still peek in now and then, let it be known that....I'M BACK!!!! In my full glory! LOL Yipppeeee! LOL I do apologize for taking a rather long unplanned and unannounced blogging break, but can I just say that it's been a REALLY ROUGH six months. I'm going to leave it at that for now. I'll try to catch everyone up (everyone being anyone who still looks at this) little by little as quickly as I can, but we've had an extremely hard few months. We appreciate all the prayers that have been sent our way (and that are still being prayed). I will try to update again later this week as I have more time (so stay tuned), but for now I wanted to pop in and let the world know that we're still here and update with a few recent pictures of my beautiful brood. Aren't they getting big???

My beautiful, sweet boys. No idea why Daeton is posing with the remote! LOL

Daeton making himself a sandwich. He's quite the little chef and LOVES to help!

Dawson drinking his Root Beer at McAllister's Kid's Night. He loves Root Beer and Diet Coke! LOL

My gorgeous, giddy girls that are on the GO, GO, GO-it's almost impossible to get them to sit together long enough to get a picture let alone get both of them smiling at the same time...whew...it's work....

Emmy cheesing it up on the front porch! She knows what to do in front of a camera!

Ella sending herself down the slide at the park! She LOVES any kind of thrill ride!

P.S.-For a limited time, I have updated the very special music on our blog to the current Sozio favorite in our house (thanks to my brother)! Everyone, including the girls, sing it (and dance to it) all the time! LOL Get down and get funky, ya'll!

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!

2008-08-10T22:21:00.001-07:00

Three years ago, my sweet Daeton Mayson Matteo was born. It seems like we brought him home from the hospital yesterday...I can't believe it's been three years! Daeton, you've grown into such a sweet, happy, loving and cuddly little boy! Mommy and Daddy are so incredibly proud of you. You are smart and kind. You're such an awesome brother! You make us laugh and learn everyday and we love you so incredibly much! You are an amazing little boy! Happy Birthday, buddy! All of our Love,
Mommy and Daddy

I tried to post a couple pics of Daeton's race car birthday party (we just had a few people over and it was very small...but Daeton loved it), but blogger is not letting me post them. If I can figure out how, I will post them later this week.--I did finally get the pic of Daeton and his cake to load..but it won't let me put on any more right now. I have several more cute ones, so I'll try again later!

Our Trip to KY

2008-08-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

So.....we just got back less than a week ago from our very fun trip to Kentucky. What a blast it was!!! After an incredibly long 8 hour trip there (with our 4 little ones, the 8 hour trip was longer than 8 hours) we arrived in the big metropolis of Garfield, KY where I finally got to meet, Melody, one of my very bestest friends (yes, she was one of my bestest friends even before I met her in person) whom I met through Emmy's adoption. Mel and Joe have a daughter the same age as Emmy (actually 2 weeks younger) and two boys around the same ages as Dawson and Daeton--Canaan (her oldest) is 5 and Liam (her younger one) is 3. The boys had a BLAST together and the girls...well, they looked at each other a few times. LOL They are still so little. Mel and Joe live on a farm and boy did we have some new experiences...the boys rode a four-wheeler for the first time (yes, I just about had a heart attack...but what are ya gonna do, they LOVED it), we went on a "hayless hayride" and got to see tons of cows (or "Goggies" as Emmy insisted) up close and personal, and the boys had a one hec of a time shooting some sort of air rocket thingy that Joe constructed....Joe is a hoot with all the CRAZY things he and his boys do!! My boys may be begging to move to the country soon, but it ain't gonna happen! LOL Have I mentioned we had so much fun?!? Even Ernie, who is definately not a country boy either, had a great time. My only terrible memory of the our whole visit was from Monday when Mel and I took the day and went into town by ourselves. It was super fun (and great just to get to hang out with her without somebody screaming "mommy" every 1.4 seconds). We had lunch and did some shopping...and then she decided to take me and show me the cute little house that she and Joe used to live in (before they built their beautiful new house). So, we're out on this country road getting ready to turn this corner and out of the corder of my eye I see something black on the road....me, being the city dweller that I am, just thought it was tire rubber or whatever...I see that all the time. So, as we turn the actual corner and I'm looking out my window, I notice that the tire rubber has eyes and a little tongue...and OH MY GOSH.....it was, well, you know what it was.....okay, I'll write it...a SNAKE! I screamed and had to practice some deep breathing skills...holy cow...Mel said they used to come in her house!!!! Now, I"m sure many of you are laughing right now thinking, "what's the big deal?"....but I can't even fathom seeing a snake in my yard let alone curled up under my cabinet!!!! (As I told Mel..I'm kind of an terrified of most insects/critters....I really don't do snakes, but also not spiders, roaches, ants, grasshoppers, definately don't do mice and the list goes on.....my limited list of insects that are okay contain butterflies, lightning bugs, and ladybugs. And I'll tolerate flies cause I have to. LOL...Laugh if you must, I care not..this is how it is in Timberly's world.) Anyway, I'm working on repressing the vision of that thing.
Anyway, Mel and Joe...you guys and your kiddos and your whole family (I feel like we met a lot of them!) are truly so AWESOME!!!! Can't wait to come back again someday and visit can't wait for you to come see us...we love you guys bunches!!!!

Here are all 7 kiddos on our last day there. Getting a picture of all 7 of them looking at the camera, let alone smiling, was NOT going to happen...so this is the best we could do.

Here are the three girls together. Don't they look thrilled? LOL Evangeline (in the middle) towers over my girls...and Emmy is two weeks older than she is!

All four sweet boys! Aren't they adorable?

Me and Mel...aren't we adorable, too? LOL

Canaan (Mel's oldest) wanted to take a pic of me and Ella with my camera, so I said okay....and by golly, it turned out pretty good! Thanks, Canaan!!!

Emmy cheesin' it up for the camera...she LOVES having her picture taken. If she even sees the camera, she'll reach for and say "picture, picture" and then when you oblige to taking the picture, this is what you get.....LOL So, maybe it's fake...but it's so darned cute, too!!!!

Joe and Ernie

Emmy cheesin' again...

Sweet Ella

Five of the Seven kids..minus Daeton and Liam

Daeton and Liam probably getting into something they shouldn't! LOL

Dawson and Canaan were fast friends! By our last day there, they were holding hands...it was so cute! Dawson is already asking when we get to go back and see Canaan.

Daeton in the kitchen

Here is what we saw a lot of on the hayless hayride.....

This is SO Ella.....walking around with a goofy look on her dirty face (I think she'd been eating dirt actually) handing me a doll.

My little Ella-bell...

Emmy cheesin' again...

Daeton playing outside...oh how my boys loved their gingantic yard and their gigantic swingset

Me with my girls on the porch swing

On Sunday, Mel had a cookout and many of my online friends (or as Ernie refers to them when I'm chatting "your girls") came with their adorable kiddos also from GT. This picture has all their girls in it: Ella, Evangeline, Kaya, Tianna, and Emmy. (And Canaan on the side making sure all was well....he loves those babies and is going to make one hec of a good babysitter one day soon.)

Emmy on the swing

Sisters...

Okay, so....

2008-08-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't get my trip pics on today, but I will get them on tomorrow. Still waiting on a few pics to be put on a cd so I can dowload them to my computer. We had a crazy and exhuasting day today (hints the reason I'm posting after midnight) so I didn't get the chance to get them all done. Check again SOON...they're coming, I promise.

WOWZERS......it's been a long time!

2008-08-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow...so it's been a month since I've updated this! We have been super busy....but I know a month is too long! Since I last updated, so much has been going on. We celebrated Miss EllaT's FIRST birthday a few weeks ago. We just had a small party with some friends and family and lots of chocolate cake and playing outside. I don't think Ella had a clue that the day was just for her, but she did enjoy it. We actually had Ella's party on Ernie's birthday, so that was fun. After her party, we cleaned up and went out for his birthday dinner. The boys have had tons of fun on the new playset outside and the girls are getting the hang of climbing on it, too! A few days after Ella's party, we packed up and headed to Nebraska to see Ernie's parents. We had a blast and got to go see Thomas while we were there,too. Okay, so we weren't extremely impressed with the train ride on Thomas, but the idea was fun. Then, we came home from Nebraska, washed clothes, and packed up to head to KY to go to the KAS (our adoption agency) summer picnic and hang out with our AWESOME friends the Clarks! Oh let me tell you we had SO MUCH FUN! The kids had SO SO SO MUCH FUN! We actually just got home a couple of days ago and are still exhausted, but we're trying to catch up on our rest....which isn't easy as we've been running around restocking our house with groceries and going school shopping (tax free weekend here!) and visiting Mimi and Papa getting signed up for soccer. Whew...so much to do! Well, we have TONS AND TONS of pictures to share from all of our festivities. The pictures below are from Ella's party and just some fun ones of the boys goofing off and playing outside. Tomorrow I will upload all of our pictures from our KY trip (and there are A LOT and I am STILL uploading pictures to my computer) and the few I have from our Day Out with Thomas. I promise with a capital P that I will upload them tomorrow......don't worry, it won't be another month again! LOL

I'm still here...

2008-07-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

So most of you probably think I've fallen off the face of the earth here lately....but fear not, I'm still here! LOL I've done a HORRIBLE job at blogging this summer with all of our summer stuff happening, and I say I'll try and do better, but who knows. Anyway, a quick update...our clan is good! We've kept ourselves busy, obviously with lots of summer fun, and it's going to get even busier here in July. We are in the process of planning Miss Ella's 1st Birthday party and 2 more trips in the upcoming weeks. Dawson and Daeton are loving their new swingset that is finally complete and are looking forward to preschool in the fall. Emmy has been diagnosed with Sensory Defensiveness or Sensory Dysfunction Disorder recently. Most of her symptoms fall in the mild category, but this is apparently why we are having battles at meal times (there are also other things that Emmy does that are a part of this that we weren't even aware of, but it all makes sense now). Emmy has been to her therapist twice now and goes back again a week from Friday to see if she's made any progress. I do think she is doing better most days, but it varies from day to day or meal to meal. Obviously, by choice, I'm not giving a lot of details as to what we're dealing with here, but if you want to know more (I know lots of you with kids have some of the same issues) feel free to email me. Just keep Miss Emmy in your prayers. Ella is walking around like crazy now and getting into EVERYTHING! LOL I can't believe that she is almost a year old!!! Where have the last six months gone??? Anyway, I'll try to be better about putting updates on here, but I'm not making promises! Below are a bunch of random pictures that I've taken this summer! They are in no real order, just some cuteness of all four of my sweeties that I thought you might enjoy! Until next time....

Worlds of Fun!

2008-06-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

So last weekend was our big Worlds of Fun trip to Kansas City. After driving through a TERRIBLE storm on Thursday night to get there, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing and so much fun! We stayed in at the Worlds of Fun Resort in a little cabin and the boys LOVED it. It had a little loft that they could crawl up on and they thought that was awesome! Both boys had a blast at Worlds of Fun on Friday! Dawson was ready to ride any and every ride they would let him on. He rode some that I still won't ride cause I'm afraid of them! Daeton couldn't ride as much and definately didn't want to ride as much...he was way more hesitant and really probably wouldn't have ridden much if I hadn't persuaded him. He ended up liking most all of the rides though. Dawson says his favorite ride was the Scrambler (ah..a boy after my own heart) and Daeton says his favorite was the Merry-Go-Round (simple and sweet just like him!). After spending the whole day (literally from 10am to 10pm) at Worlds of Fun on Friday, the boys were tuckered out! They both slept until 9am on Saturday morning! We kind of spent Saturday goofing around and just hanging out. We had lunch at our all time FAVORITE spot in KC...The Pizza Shoppe and then drove over to Oakpark Mall for some Disney and Gymboree shopping and a carosel ride. Then we had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe before heading home to pick up our sweet girls (they stayed with my mom). Unfortunately, after the first half of the day at Worlds of Fun on Friday my camera ran out of batteries and I forgot to charge them that night, so all of my pics are from Friday am....but I do have lots! So, here they are in no particular order....

My dad and the boys wrestling on the bed during what was supposed to be nap time....

Daeton waiting with Papa for the train....

Dawson and Daeton on the train as it was taking off...

We rode the train not too long after lunch on Friday and my poor little guy was sooooo sleepy. He ended up falling asleep sitting up on the train! We know he must have been extra tired as Daeton LOVES trains.....

Daeton sleeping...

I wanted a picture of the boys together during lunch and Daeton did not want to look at me at all...he was having way too much fun playing the jukebox at the table. My poor Dawson though wanted me to get that picture, bless his heart. He tried so hard to make Daeton "cooperate".

My dad and the boys eating lunch. Dad ordered some fries and Daeton decided they were "his fries". My dad kept teasing him and trying to take them, but Daeton was NOT messing around...nobody was to touch HIS fries! Dawson, my little sweetie, kept trying to get one out and give it to Papa to help him.

I told my dad to smile for a picture with Dawson and this is the look he gave me! LOL So typical of Papa!

Daeton eating the last of HIS fries! LOL

The boys riding the Kiddie cars...they rode these several times.

Daeton and Dawson riding the boats...they said there were sharks in the water! LOL

Dawson riding the ladybugs...

Daeton in the ladybugs!

Riding the Kangaroos!

Sweet Dawson waiting on his pizza...

They had this giant ball house with three levels full of balls and ball guns and ball canons....the boys (including my dad and Ernie) had SO MUCH fun in there! Dawson and Daeton were all over the place climbing up and down chasing balls...

Daeton riding the airplanes...

Dawson entertaining the idea of another picture...

Dawson and his new friend on Woodstock's Airmail...he and this little girl (whose name just happened to be Ella) rode this together over and over and over and over....he referred to her the rest of the day as "my new friend".

Daeton waving to me from the horseys....

Dawson on the kiddie roller coaster...he really liked this!

Daeton rode the kidde ferris wheel alone while Dawson was on the roller coaster. My poor boy decided he didn't like being in there alone after it started and everytime his car went by I could see the look of fear on his face and his lips saying "I'm done with this ride"! His face is the little tiny one in the green cart. He rode it again with Dawson later and liked it much better!

Dawson with Snoopy. Daeton would not get near him but was happy waving from a distance.

Dawson and Daeton riding the swings.

Me and the boys on the Camp Bus.

The boys riding the Krazy Kars! Dawson LOVED these that he could drive and rode them several times. Daeton rode them once, but had trouble with the driving part (notice the guy that works there trying to help him).

The boys playing in the loft at the cabin.

The boys and Ernie on the Merry-go-Round...

Daeton getting ready for one of his first ride of the day...the Flying Boats!

Dawson and Daeton watching a movie in bed at the cabin! What a fun day! Thanks, Dad!

Happy Belated Father's Day, Ernie!

2008-06-19T08:22:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm really behind on my blogging and this post is a few days overdue, but I wanted to say Happy Belated Father's Day to my wonderful husband! Ernie is such an amazing daddy! He really is! Ernie is the kind of daddy that changes diapers and helps fix dinners and kisses scraped knees and cleans up puke and gives bathes and reads bedtime stories...he comes home from work and immediately goes upstairs to change and then plops himself in the floor with all four of his babies to play! All 4 of our kiddos adore their daddy...and so do I! I love you, Ern! We spent Father's Day with him this year outside in the backyard watching him work on the big ole' swingset (which is almost finished!). We had his favorite subs for lunch and take out Chinese for dinner....Ernie LOVES Chinese food! The boys got Ernie two new board games to play with him and they each picked out their own card for their daddy. We also had a yummy ice cream cake from Culvers for dessert! It was a good day! I hope he enjoyed it as much of the rest of us enjoyed spending the day just with him! My dad was on the way back from KC on Father's Day (yes, we had a great trip and I'll post about that next) so I didn't get to spend any time with him on Father's Day. We were supposed to have dinner with my dad Monday night, but Emmy apparently had some allergy problems and her eye swelled shut and we ended up in Urgent Care with her Monday night. So, we rescheduled to eat with my dad on Tuesday night. Well, my dad ended up getting pretty sick on Tuesday and he ended up in Urgent Care on Tuesday night. So, last night he spent the day resting and we finished some yard work and Father's Day dinner with my dad is officially scheduled for TONIGHT! Let's hope all goes well and no one ends up in Urgent Care tonight! You know, growing up my dad was my hero! And still to this day, it seems as though my dad knows everything and can beat anyone at any game or sport he plays! I still look up to you and I love you, dad! Thank you for always being there for me and now for us! I feel so lucky to have such a great father and now to have such an awesome husband and dad to my own kids! What a blessing! Below are a few pictures of Ernie with our beautiful kiddos!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

And Not so Wordless Wednesday...and some prayer requests

2008-06-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

How do I get so busy and not even know it??? Okay, so I realized today that I totally needed to sit down and update my blog (actually I've had this realization several times this last week, just never had the time to go with it). I missed the last FFF and will probably miss this one, too (unless I do it ahead of time) as we will be in KC this weekend at Worlds of Fun! It was actually my dad's idea to go so we are going with him and my brother and staying in the cottages right there at Worlds of Fun! This will be the boys first time to go to a big amusement park, so we are looking forward to seeing how they react and it will be fun for them to get to hang out with Papa and Uncle Than. The girls are staying with Mimi, as they would probably get tired and fussy real quick out in the hot sun chillin in the stroller all day. Aside from planning and packing for our little trip, we've also been spending lots of time outside while daddy is putting up our giant new playground in the backyard (which is taking way longer than we anticipated). We're also trying to figure out what to do with our bathroom upstairs as our tub is leaking through the ceiling downstairs....we have come to the conclusion that we think it would be best just to replace the whole darn tub and redo much of the bathroom...whew...what a project! And, while we're at it we're replacing the vanity in the downstairs bathroom and possibly installing a new fence around our front yard. There is also talk of trying to do some landscaping of our backyard....but who can tell if that will pan out in the midst of everything else. All of that and also trying to get ready for a garage sale has kept us pretty busy! I must say though, the kids are thoroughly enjoying all of the outside time! They are itching to climb on that swing set that is being constructed...so hopefully it will be done soon! The boys are learning to ride scooters and bikes and climb trees and do all of the things that scares the pants off of their mom! LOL Boys will be boys, I guess! Ella just started walking this past week (WOO HOO) and is really starting to get around! She looks so cute waddling from here to there....she looks so small still! Emmy is doing well, talking like CRAZY (even started to say some 2 and 3 word phrases) and becoming more willing to run and climb. She's also learning that it's okay to fall down (she says "boom" now whenever she falls...it's too cute LOL) even though she's gotten some little dings here and there. I'll end this update by asking for a small prayer request. We have been having some eating issues with Miss Emmy...I won't go into detail yet as I'm not sure exactly what the problem is (we are going to see a specialist soon), but Emmy is having a hard time with meals. It's very frustrating for mom and dad as we want to make sure she is getting nutritionally what she needs and are worried that she isn't. Emmy is falling behind size-wise and the doctor is concerned. So, please just pray for our little girl and that we can get whatever this is under control for her. Also, one other prayer request. I have been following a blog which you can find here www.cfhusband.blogspot.com. This blog is the story of an amazing family and their journey as they listen to God. Nate, Tricia, and Gwyneth have been through so much this year as Tricia gave birth to thier beautiful preemie girl Gwyneth, but at the same time Tricia is dealing with Cystic Fibrosis and endured a double lung transplant not long ago, as well. I won't be able to explain their story as elogantly as Nate (or probably even correctly, for that matter), so please drop by their blog and give it a look if you never have....they need prayers right now and I know so many of you that read this are intense prayer warriors!

I'll post a few pics below of the kids over the last couple of weeks. I have SO MANY new pictures that if I posted them all now you would be a little overwhelmed LOL, but I'll try to some here and there!

Okay, so this isn't a great picture, but I had to post it cause it makes me chuckle! This is the way Daeton walks around half the time...holding his shorts up like this. He perpetually thinks that they are falling down when they aren't....he is a skinny little thing and a lot of pants do fall off his waist, but the child is too funny the way he hikes all pants, even pants that fit, up like this. He constantly tells me that he wants a belt or he needs to take his pants off! Totally cracks me up, but oh how I love him!!! LOL P.S.-Thanks to everyone who voted for Daeton in the photo contest last week! We did end up winning! I'll post a picture of the picture we get as his prize when we get it!

Fave Foto Friday-Pajama Party (...and don't forget to VOTE for DAETON!!!!)

2008-05-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so before I explain my FFF pictures....I have to throw in to "plleeaassee go vote for Daeton in Photowow Photo Contest if you haven't already (if you have, just ignore me). I would so love to have a giant picture of my Daterbug to hang on our wall next to Dawson's (and hopefully we'll be able to win the girls' one later, too!). The directions for how to vote is in my last post below, but I will say briefly...go to http://www.photowow.com/ and click on Photo Contests. Then type in his entrant # 50714 and then vote away...we love 10's (you can only vote once per computer). (Photowow is back up and running so VOTE AWAY!)
Okay, now that that's out of the way....onto FFF--this week's theme is Pajama Party!!!! I have to say that in our laziness...we take LOTS Of photos around here in our PJ's! LOL The photos of the boys below are literally a pajama pajama party that they decided to have one night in their room. They rarely go to sleep when they are supposed to, and often it is a small party up there until Ernie and I make them lay down! LOL The girls are much better about going to sleep..as you can tell, and Ella likes her sleep! She really does...they go to bed at 7pm, but Ella gets very fussy by 6:30 almost every evening and we know bedtime is coming!

The boys smiling cause they are LOVING the fact that mommy is taking pictures rather than making them go to sleep.

Daeton playing with "Sadie"...don't know what they were playing, but isn't it cute?!?
Dawson being my goofy, silly, zany boy. This picture of him makes me smile.
Emmy just being adorable. I think she was laughing cause someone was playing "Boo!" with her.

Ella trying to sleep...but, she did wake up and smile at the crazy lady taking pictures of her in her crib.
This picture of the girls is them wearing nightgowns that used to be MINE! My mom saved them and pulled them out recently for the girls.

If you want to see more really CUTE kiddos having PAJAMA PARTIES..visit Sarah's blog at http://www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/.

A BIG favor...Pretty PLEASE

2008-05-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Please go to http://www.photowow.com/ to vote for Daeton in the Photo Contest. When you get there, click on "Photo Contests". When it asks for the entrant #, enter 50714. Thanks a bunch and please tell anyone you know that would be willing to click on there and vote to go ahead...we'd love help in spreading the word!!! The contest ends next Tuesday at noon.

Hey guys! I have a huge favor to ask of you this week! Here's the story: About 3.5 years ago I entered Dawson's picture into a photo contest. As luck would have it, he won and we won this HUGE picture of him (really more like a piece of artwork) that now hangs in our living room. It is awesome. Anyway, a couple of years ago, I entered Daeton's picture into the contest, and he didn't do as well.....So....I have reentered his photo (this photo is from a year ago...it's amazing how much they change) into the contest and am hoping that maybe this time we might win (or at least come closer LOL). I'd love to have a big picture of Daeton to hang next to Dawson's. Now, if he does win, I have to wait six months but then I'll be entering Emmy's picture and then Ella's...it would be awesome to have these HUGE pictures of all 4 of them hanging in a row. Anyway, first thing is first...if you all don't mind, could you please go vote for Daeton in the cutest baby contest? I'll repeat the directions from above: Go to http://www.blogger.com/www.photowow.com and click on the "Photo Contests" link. Then, where it says entrant # enter 50714. 10 is the highest so we'd love as many 10's as possible. Just in case you are wondering, you can only vote once per computer, but if you have more than one computer then you're welcome to vote more than once. And thank you so so so much for your help! We appreciate it SO much!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-05-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (May 26th), Ernie and I celebrate six sweet years together. In some ways, it seems crazy that it has already been six years...but in others, it seems like we've been together forever! Here is are some fun, random, and useless trivia about Ernie and Me that you will never need to know:

1. I met Ernie my senior year of high school.

2. He was actually dating a friend of mine when we met and dated her seriously for over a year.

3. Ernie used to wear "swishy pants" which another friend of mine and me made fun of!

4. Ernie and I started dating my junior year of college...his senior year.

5. Ernie is the first boy I ever dated and the ONLY boy I have ever kissed.

6. Ernie and I waited 2 months after beginning to date before our first kiss.

7. Ernie and I had only dated 5.5 months before he proposed (although I had known him for almost four years).

8. Ernie and I were married 14 months after he and I began dating.

9. We spent our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, TN.

10. On our first date, we went to see Vertical Limit (which was WAY too intense for a first date movie, I might add...we were supposed to see Bounce, but we got there too late) and then we got ice cream at Braum's where Ernie bought me a little stuffed bird named "Edgar Allen Crow" (wierd, I know) that sits on my computer desk even as I type this.

11. Ernie tried to teach me how to dance my freshman year of college...I was so nervous and thought he was so sweet...never would have dreamed then that we would be
married in just a few years.

Ernie, you're my best friend. You are a great source of neverending love and inspiration. You are my rock and my strength and I know that with you beside me, we can do anything. You are an amazing man, and I am so lucky to be loved by you. The last six years as your wife have been incredible, and I look forward to many, many more together! You have blessed me, Ernie, more than you could ever know.....and I am grateful. I thank God everyday that He has given me you to love. You have my heart and my love forever and ever and always!

Here are a few of the ten mllion pictures of our big day six years ago.

Fave Foto Friday--Only ONE!!!

2008-05-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the theme this week is ONLY ONE....I had to pick just ONE photo...do you people know how hard this is for me?!?! LOL I have so many favorites, but here is one from last weekend that I love. We went to the zoo on Sunday and this was toward the end of the day....they were hot and tired, but they sat still for a couple pictures so I couldn't ask for more! Unfortunately, you can't see Daeton's face in this picture, but I thought the way Dawson was hugging him and Daeton was leaning over next him was adorable. I'm waiting to have some disposable pics developed that we took that day, and then I'll post some more pictures from our day at the zoo. Remember, if ya want to see more fave foto friday pics, visit Sarah's blog at www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com!

Please Pray for the Chapman Family

2008-05-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Many of you have probably already heard the heartbreaking news, but yesterday Stephen Curtis Chapman's five year old daughter, Maria, was killed when she was struck by a vehicle driven by her older brother in the driveway of their Franklin, TN home. My heart is breaking for this family today as I cannot imagine the pain they must be in. Stephen Curtis Chapman is an amazing artist and musician and his songs have been favorites of mine for a long time. He is also a huge advocate of and voice for adoption and Maria was the youngest of his three adopted children from China. In the picture above, Maria is the little one being held by her father. Please, please say a prayer for this amazing family today-for all of them. Please pray for Stephen and Mary Beth--As a mother (and I'm sure for any parent), my greatest fear is losing one of my children...a fear so powerful and big that I can't stand to think about it. I have a son born in 2003 and is a few months younger than Maria was...I am holding him and all my children extra close today. And please espicially remember to pray for their teenage son. I have a few songs by Stephen Curtis Chapman on my music playlist on the sidebar. The song entitled Cinderella is on there (feel free to find it and click on it) and was written last year by Stephen for his three littlest girls. Here are a few of the words to that song:

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

'Cause I know something

The prince never knew

Oh I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song

'Cause all too soon

The clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone.

To see a blog set by the family in rememberence of Maria and to leave your condolences, please click here: http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/.

Maria Sue Chapman 2003-2008-Photo by Mary Beth Chapman

Fave Foto Friday-Fun in the Sun

2008-05-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

We have been having LOTS of fun in the sun around here lately. The weather has been so nice and the kids are enjoying getting out in the sun and running around instead of being inside all day! We also got an email this week that our new swing set has arrived and they are scheduling it for delivery! Woo Hoo! Looks like LOTS more fun in the sun to come! If you want to see more cute kiddos having tons of fun in the sun, visit Sarah's blog at http://www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/!

Mommy & Me

2008-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I missed out on Fave Foto Friday this past week, but let me just say that we have been super duper busy around here since friday. (By the way, I had a wonderful Mother's Day! I woke up to flowers and cards from Ernie and the kids and then we just hung out and played together most of the day. Went out to dinner with my mom and dad and my grandpa and brother which was lots of fun! And, Ernie is letting me pick out a new digital camera of my choice as his Mother's Day gift to me...how cool is that! All in all, it was just a great, low key, FUN Mother's Day!) But anyway, since I have a moment now, then I'll go ahead and post the pics Iwould have posted then! Sarah's theme for last week was Mom and Me in the spirit of Mother's Day. I am so glad that she chose this theme as I realized after going back and looking through photos that I really don't have that many with me in them. So, my mission before next Mother's Day is to try to not always be the one taking the pictures, but also to be in some of the pictures, too! It's going to be important to me years from now when my babies are bigger that I have pictures of me with them, but I think it will also be important for them years from now, too! So, now that I have my mission set, let me show the few photos I chose for this post. I picked a photo of me with each child either the first time I saw/held them or close to it (Emmy's is from my second visit trip, but I was alone on my first and don't have any great pics of us both). Then I chose a more recent photo of me and each of my babes. Enjoy!

This is mine and Daeton's self portrait! Not the greatest shot of me, but isn't he just the cutest, sweetest thing?

Dawson had a Mother's Day program and party at his school last Thursday. He is such an awesome little performer! For the party, he escorted me to my seat and served me cake! So cute! It was a super fun time for both of us!

Daeton and I in the hospital after he was born. This was me reading a book to him for the first time.

This was me holding Dawson in the NICU for the very first time. He was born with respitory distress so he spent one week in the NICU after he was born. But, he's been a picture of health ever since!

This was me and my boys on a trip to St. Louis two summers ago. It was one of the most FUN trips we have ever taken!

Me and Ella all dressed up on Embassy day! I was so happy!

Emmy and I ust playing around the house one afternoon a few months ago! I love that smile on her face!

The first time I have saw and held my baby Ella. She was almost 4 weeks old.

This was me the day we had to give Emmy back on our visit trip. It was an amazing visit and I was so happy to be going home to my boys, but my heart was BREAKING that I couldn't take Emmy with me.

Me and the girls at their Welcome Home Party just a few weeks ago. They had skipped their afternoon nap that day and look exhausted...but still cute!

Me and all four of my babies just a few days ago! I LOVE being a mommy and I feel absolutely blessed that God handpicked each one of my children to by mine! They certainly make me smile and laugh and learn each and every day and I am looking forward to tomorrow because of them and all the years to come after that! I look forward to watching them grow and develop and seeing what they decide to do and become! They are truly the joys of my heart! It seems so surreal all too often that Jesus has entrusted these sweet little beings to me to love on and to be their mommy. I feel so very. very blessed!

Edited to Add: You know, I wrote this whole post and then realized that I didn't take time to thank my own Mom for all that she does....and she does a lot. So much of the time, thank you's and I love you's go unsaid, but I do want to say it now. My mom is a big part of the reason I am who I am today as she made so many selfless sacrifices when I was growing up and taught me how to be so much of who I am. She loves unconditionally and she is the most giving person I know. Because of her, so many things in our lives are possible and so many things are better because she is a part of them. So, even though I don't say it enough.....Thank you, Mom, for all that you are and all that you do. You truly are an amazing mom, a wonderful Mimi, a special friend, and a true inspiration! We love you!

Fave Foto Friday-"Having a Ball!"

2008-05-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

For this weeks Fave Foto Friday post, Sarah (www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com) has chosen Having a Ball as the theme for this week's FFF. It's all about the kids doing their favorite things or doing something for the very first time. Well, first of all, let me just say that all of my kiddos have a ball when we go outside...no matter what they are doing. I took them outside this morning because their energy level was extra high after breakfast. Usually, when we go outside, we go in the backyard and Ella stays in her walker and Emmy usually prefers to hang around the patio since she isn't that stable on grass yet. But, today, we went in the front yard so the boys could ride their scooters. So, Ella got to check out the grass for the very first time and while Emmy didn't love walking in the grass, she sure did like rolling in it and picking all of the dandelions. Both girls tried to eat flowers and the grass. The boys rode their scooters like crazy, and then we got out the bubbles and they ran and ran and ran and ran chasing bubbles around the yard. Best of all, they giggled the whole time! Needless to say, all four of them "had a ball" and were worn out when we came in for lunch. Here's some pics of the fun....

Fave Foto Friday-Spring Has Sprung

2008-04-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon and joining the themed Fave Foto Friday group! Each week, Sara has a theme for Friday on her blog http://www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/. This week, the theme is Spring Has Sprung! We love spring around here as it allows my wild, rambunctious (sp.? don't know, who cares..you know what I mean) children to go outside and get there energy out. They sleep so well at night afterwards, too! Winter is hard as the boys are getting older and they have SO MUCH energy that they end up doing laps around our downstairs if they are inside all day...seriously, they do. Spring also means the beginning of soccer which we love! So, here are some recent pics of the boys outside burning some energy and of Dawson's soccer game last Saturday. I don't have too many pics of the girls outside yet this year, but I'm going to work on getting some! Don't worry, I promise new Emmy and Ella pics are coming soon! Enjoy!

Daterbug Materbug

2008-04-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

My little Dater Mater is 2.5 years old...he'll turn 3 this summer. I can't belive how much he has grown over the last year! He is still a skinny little guy, but he's tall and he's becoming more and more of a preschooler every day. Daeton is so cute right now as his vocabulary is beginning to really take off. He is saying lots of new and big words and using long sentences, but he still sounds so much like a toddler when he talks that EVERYTHING he says is just so darned CUTE!!! Sometimes, even when he's saying or doing something he's not supposed to it's way too adorable and I have to turn my head and laugh to myself. Currently, he is absolutely obsessed with telling anyone and everyone who will listen that "My names is Daeton Mayson Matteo Sozio". Daeton is a smart little boy, too. He knows all of his letters and LOVES to sing the ABC's!!! He sings it all the time, trust me! LOL He is even beginning to write a few of the letters. Daeton knows all his colors and shapes and can draw several shapes. He knows his numbers and can count, but getting him to do it is a rarity. He is VERY excited as he will be starting preschool next year also! Daeton's attention span is on the smaller side (especially when compared with his brother's) so getting him to sit still to do things can be a challenge..but that's just Daeton, it always has been. He is a BUSY child and loves to play! Daeton likes to play games, but half way through, he's done and has moved on to something else! He's not much of a tv watcher and a cartoon may hold his interest for a while, but rarely does he sit and watch one all the way through. Daeton can usually be found playing Thomas or playing cars, but he does LOVE coloring pictures and drawing also. He is very into sports and tries to play with Dawson, and he's very excited to begin soccer this coming fall! Recently, Daeton has just become pretty much fully potty trained and we are so so proud of him! He's very proud of himself also and reminds us all the time that he's a "big boy" now. Daeton is just a sweet, cuddly, charming little boy. He's very much a Mama's boy and cries for me to read to him at night. He cuddles up in my arms in the mornings or after naps or when he's tired and just wants to be loved on. He's a very sensitive child and if I'm ever upset he's the first one to run to me and say, "it's otay mama!". He'll pat the girls' backs if they cry and he's usually the first to give in any an agrument with Dawson. He's got such a tender heart and it's just precious. Daeton ADORES Dawson and he goes around constantly saying things like, "Hey Daws" or "Wait for Daws" or "Where's Daws?". He loves his little sisters like crazy, too, and he tries to play with them but, bless his heart...he just hasn't figured out how not to be rough yet! LOL We have to constantly remind him to "be gentle". He's working on it He's a wonderful big and little brother. Daeton does have a little wild streak in him, though, and usually pushes the limits to see what he can get away with. He's got this little grin and when you see it you know he's up to something! Generally with Daeton, he finds a way to get what he wants regardless of what we say! LOL Daeton has been my shy one in the past, although recently he is beginning to come out of his shell a bit, but he is still slow to warm up to unfamilier people and places. He can be very quiet and thoughtful at times, but Daeton is a FUNNY child and is constantly making somebody laugh and then asking, "Am I funny?" He is. He's a child that changes from day to day...his favorite colors change daily, his favorite tv characters change constantly, and his favorite foods change from meal to meal. Generally he is somewhat passionate about whatever his favorite thing of the day is, too. The only exception is Thomas the Tank Engine whom he has adored for a long time. Daeton is a true work of art and he is just an EXTRAORDINARY little boy. I can always count on him for a hug and a laugh...two things I couldn't do without! He challenges me all the time to look at life in new and different ways, to explore the fun in everything, and to love unselfishly! Here are some pics of my cute little guy...

And the winner is......

2008-04-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Play-A-Round Frontier Fort!!!! Okay, so this isn't one that I even listed earlier, but we just found it and we think it's what we've been looking for. I wish we could see it set up, but we have to order it so it should be here in 4-6 weeks. This set is a bit more high end than the others we looked at and quite a bit more expensive, but it has a TON more activities for the kids along with a full size picnic table. It's also made of a kind of wood that is splinter-free, rot resistent, chemical free, and maintence free which are great things in our book. Also, the reviews I read on this one said that assembly was easy compared to most other playsets I read about, so Ernie loved that!!! (We also looked at Rainbow playsets which are installed for you and we LOVED those, but in the end decided they were just too expensive.) The boys are SO excited and can't wait until it's all set up and ready to play on!

My Dawsy

2008-04-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that over the next few days, I will pick a day and just concentrate on giving a detailed update on one child at a time. So often, I quickly skim the big picture of how things are going and lump all 4 kiddos together, but as in life, they each deserve moments all their own. So, since Dawson is my eldest, I'll begin with him. My little Dawsydander is now 4.5 years old. He is growing more and more into a little boy every day and is less and less of a toddler/preschooler. He amazes me with some of the things that he says and does....I find myself watching him thinking, "holy cow...when did he grow up?"....even though I know he has a long ways to go, he just seems so big these days (he has begun using words like "like" and "totally" and he calls Daeton "bud"). Dawson is honestly the smartest child I have ever seen. Literally. He is already reading and writing. He spells many, many words and reads things that I still don't think she should be able to. He has also started doing some math (loves doing addition and subtraction as well as working on telling time and counting money). Smart, smart, smart little boy....he never fails to amaze me every, single day with something. He loves preschool and is becoming social butterfly, as well. He talks about all of his friends at school and his teacher says he gets along and plays with everyone. (We got his first "report card" back last week and the only thing that he needs to work on is cutting...we don't do so much of that around here, but we've been working on it.) He is also playing spring soccer and is loving that, too. He hustles every time he is out there playing whether it be practice or a game. Dawson actually scored a goal in his first game a couple of weeks ago. We were so proud!!!!! Dawson is a WONDERFUL big brother and has welcomed his new little sisters with so much love this past year and he is his little brother's very best friend. He is a HUGE help to me all the time and always gets diapers or holds bottles or basically does whatever I need an extra set of hands to do. And the amazing part is, he is always happy to do it...never complains....I know I say it a lot, but, he really, really is such an AMAZING child! He is full of compassion and kindess for others. Dawson is wise beyond his years and posesses an inner wisdom and intuition in regards to people that goes beyond just being smart. He is very responsible and knows what he is and isn't supposed to do always....in fact, he's put HIMSELF in time out twice this week!!! LOL Ernie and I laughed both times and told him that although he was right and shoudn't have done what he did (at least once it was hit Daeton) but he didn't have to sit in time out. He really is the sweetest, most loving thing and has become a complete charmer (kind of like his brother). He still loves being cuddled and often asks me to come up and cuddle with him at naptime or bedtime. Dawson loves watching any sort of game show or sports program on tv (basically any form of competition). He loves playing all kinds of board games and card games. He is a child of consistency and once he says something he sticks with it..he STILL loves Blues Clues....his fave colors are STILL green and black...and he still insists (and has for awhile) that he is going to be a teacher when he grows up. He is the most ticklish child EVER and he is a talker...nonstop!!!!...but the cool thing is that he is a great listener, too. And, he is just plain fun! Dawson is a such beautiful child, both inside and out. He truly inspires me to not only be a better mommy, but also a better person every single day. He is such a beautiful child, both inside and out. Here are some some pics of my beautiful little boy...

2008-04-16T13:22:00.001-07:00

Our internet has been on the fritz again....so there's a partial explanation for my lack of posting these last couple of weeks. LOL Ernie thinks something might be wrong with our modem, but who knows. Hopefully, we'll get it checked out and fixed soon. In the meantime, I will try to post some catch up pictures here and there. All of the kiddos are doing well and we are enjoying the spring weather. We've already been to the park several times! The boys have been asking when we are going back to the zoo, so we're hoping for an upcoming weekend trip to the zoo very soon! Our backyard play has been rather limited so far. In Jan. we had a little ice storm here and a tree branch fell on our swingset. It was metal and it the tree branch crushed the darned thing. So, we currently still have a large metal crushed swingset in our yard. We are looking at sets now to replace that one. We think we have it narrowed down to a few, but are having trouble deciding. I will try to post pics of the sets on here and then set up a poll in the sidebar so you all can vote and help us decide which set is the best. We are really wanting something that the kids can grow with as well as something that is sturdy enough for E and I to climb on, too, if we ever want to play with the kiddos! We're opting for wood this time as opposed to metal...looks prettier and maybe it will hold up better??? Who knows, but that's the plan currently. Also, both girls went to the doctor a few days ago. Ella weighs in at 17.2 pounds now and I think was 26 inches long. Yes, she's short (about 10% for height) and falls in the 25% for weight. Emmy is now at 20.9 pounds and 29 inches long. That puts her in 10% for hieght and around 40% for weight. We were finally able to turn Emmy's carseat around!! Yea!! The doc said they both look good. As far as the boys go, I really don't know how big they are anymore, but rest assured that unlike the girls, they are both giants! LOL Daeton will go back in August for his 3 year check up and Dawson in October for his 5 year check up, so we'll know exactly how big they are then. I try to weigh them both on our scale in the bathroom (which I'm sure isn't the most accurate) and Dawson usually weighs between 50 and 54 pounds and Daeton (my skinny little beanpole) usually somewhere between 26 and 29 pounds. They are both TALL. Anyhoo...here are some pics of the girls after their doctor's visit.

Here are some pics of the swingsets we are considering. I'll go through one by one and fill you in on the pros and cons. Oh, the dilemas of two relatively indesicive people....

1. The Pathfinder--Simple and clean and least expensive. Ernie worries about quality of the wood and how stable and durable it will be.

2. The Conqueror--Still not too expensive considering the price of a swingset. Love the playhouse (it has a real working door, doorbell, mailbox, etc.....hey, it would have been my dream as a child). Again, Ernie worries about durability and stability and I am concerned they might outgrow the playhoue relatively quickly (remember, my boys are giants).

3, The Brookside II--Quite possibly our favorite. It is small, but Ernie thinks he might be able to buy some extra lumber and extend the fort out a bit. Also, some of the lumber on this one we would buy ourselves so we would buy a bigger swing arm so we could add a swing or two. Has great reviews and is made with 4x4's not 2x4's so should be rather stable and safe. Not a bad price for the kit, but don't know how much it will be after we buy the lumber and extra swings. This one could be very cool I think.

4. The Bayside--Maybe my second favorite? This one is a little bit higher priced, but offers a good size fort and a cool slide. It got okay to good riviews...just not sure how stable it is (wish I could see it set up). Also not crazy about the store it come from (not the best customer service around here). But I do like this one.

5. The Aspen Lodge II--This one is a little big higher priced than the last one (getting expensive). I like the little playhouse on it and of course the slide. The whole fort size is a bit bigger. Got okay to good ratings. Comparable to the last one with a few more dings and whistles. (This one is also from the same store as the last--uggg).

6. The Woodridge (aka The Grand Pumba)--This is the most expensive and the biggest (it's huge and would take up a lot of our yard). It has an awsome tunnel and fort. It doesn't have the cool gliders that the others have (it has a trapeze bar which I doubt my kids would use right now). It has a neat little seat bench under the fort, too. Looks sturdy and got good reviews.

So now you've seen em all! Go to the sidebar and vote for which swingset you think we should buy.....who knows if we'll choose your choice, but it'll give us something to look at and think about as we decide!

Tune in tomorrow for a fun post all about Dawson!

Fave Foto Friday

2008-03-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of pics of my fave boys and my fave girls! I love em' all to pieces! The photos of the boys was taken last summer. I came across them and couldn't believe how little they looked not even a year ago! Where does time go? The one of Dawson making a crazy smily face and Daeton screaming cracks me up, too...some things don't change. LOL The photo of the girls was taken a few weeks ago. They are each wearing a nightgown that used to be mine as a baby. Don't they look like little princesses?

Happy Belated Easter!

2008-03-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

LOL Okay, so I'm a little late with the Easter post, but at least now I can post pics of our day with it. We had a wonderful and blessed Easter! It was so nice to celebrate with all of our children AT HOME!! We woke up a little late (since we had had a late night before) and the kids zoomed downstairs to find their baskets. They had fun looking through them to see what the Easter Bunny brought. They each had a gift from Ernie and I, also, so then they opened that. Then we got into FAST mode to get ready for church. This was Ella's first time at church since coming home and she did very well. We dropped her off in the nursery and she was smiling when we went to pick her up. Daeton also decided to stay in the nursery this time for the first time ever! He did great (which I was skeptical about) and was a happy camper when we picked him up, too! Dawon, on the other hand, cried because we wouldn't let him stay in the nursery!LOL Then we came home and had some down time. We said good-bye to Ernie's family who was here for the weekend and the kids took naps. They had a great time Easter evening hunting for Easter eggs and playing with their basket goodies. I will say that although they are little and don't "get" a lot of what we are celebrating, we did tell our kids the "Easter Story" a couple of different times throughout the day. It's so much fun to hunt for eggs and eat our chocolate and tear through our baskets...but none of those things really matter... I want my children to know the reason that we celebrate Easter is because Jesus died for us and rose again to give us all new life and place in Heaven! I want them to understand that this promise of new life is the greatest gift we have ever been given and I want them to celebrate the joy in that as they grow older. I want them to understand what a miracle it is and what a profound promise God has made to us! I don't have the greatest pics as none of them were in the mood to be still and let me take them, but here are some of our day!

The kiddos checking out their Easter basket goodies

All Dressed Up....

Ella in her pretty pink Easter dress

Emmy in her pretty pink Easter dress and her sweater

Sweet Daeton...I love this picture!

Dawson wouldn't let me take one of just him, but here he is hamming it up with the girls

The girls in their matching attire

The boys in their matching attire

All four of my beautiful babies-Yes, I know these pictures aren't perfect...but they are all looking in the general direction of the camera and no one is crying, so they're good in my book!

Here are few pictures of the kids hanging out that night. Here is a rundown on this photos....Yes, that is Ella's dinner all over her shirt and Yes, the boys faces are dirtied with delectable Easter candy that they had been munching on and Yes, Emmy does LOVE to color and she has a thing about tilting her head to the side for the camera....what can I say, she's a model in the making! If I think of anything else you might need to know about the following pics, I'll edit and add later!

Wild Nights with the Boys...

2008-03-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

So, my two little rascals have decided that going to bed just isn't for them. They share a room right now and honestly, they usually end up in the same bad before morning. They love being together as they are seriously best friends....but getting them to sleep at night has become an event! LOL They like to talk and GIGGLE and jump on their beds and GIGGLE and jump out of their beds and GIGGLE and read books and GIGGLE and get all their toys out and GIGGLE and did I mention that they like to GIGGLE? Now, I don't mind them laying in bed and talking to one another quietly....but they are anything but quiet. So, right now, Ernie and I take turns going up and putting them back in bed and warning them to be quieter. We sometimes do take their toys or books away if the toys or the books are the problem...but usually this doesn't end until we physically seperate them in different rooms. Normally, this means that we take Daeton into our room until he falls asleep in our bed, and then carry him back into his room and put him in his own bed. Daeton is usually the one who keeps Dawson up honestly. They will literally stay up until midnight if we let them!!! LOL Dawson told me the other night that they have a "slunder party" (slumber party) every night when they go to bed! LOL So...these pics are from the boys' little "slunder party" the other night (yes, I was a bad mommy and went in and took pics of them goofing off instead of putting them right back to bed......oh well, I thought they were cute (but no, I don't always think it's cute) and it was a weekend night so it was okay, right?....LOL) Enjoy....

Boys will be boys...

Daeton and his Sadie...

Daeton "playing a game with" Sadie...

Just being silly and cheesin' it up...

Now what we're telling you here, foks, is very important...

Dawson and his "Cuddly Dinosaur"....

Dawson playing games with his dino...

More love to our loyal plush friends...

Dawson sort of standing on his bed (he really does know better when I'm in the room)...

Daeton completely standing on his bed (he knows better, but he cares not...LOL)...

Uh-Oh.....does Daeton hear Daddy coming?.....He thought he did...look at that face LOL.....

He jumps in bed as quick as he can...

.....

........

Whew, that was close...coast is clear..no daddy.....time to party again...

Fave Foto Friday-All 4 of my CUTE Kiddos!

2008-03-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

It was warm outside this week so on Wednesday night, while Ernie was at his all important bowling league, the kids and I went for a walk and enjoyed the weather. We actually walked for quite awhile...it was just too beautiful out! Dawson ran most of the way! You would have thought it would have tired him out, but he was still a little ball of energy when we got home! LOL I was carrying Emmy in the baby carrier for awhile, but she got heavy, so I put her in the seat with Daeton in the stroller. They were TOO cute! Daeton had his little hand around her the whole way and would pat her on the back. Every now and then, one of them would look at the other and give each other a little kiss on the cheek! Oh, my babies are so cute! I was excited to get his pic with all 4 of them looking at me with pleasant expressions on their face! It was a fun evening!

Long Time No Post.....LOL

2008-03-06T18:00:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I have been a bad blogger lately. I get so busy and I forget to update this thing! LOL I have several new pics to post, but to make it easy on me (and less time consuming all at once), I'm going to try and just do a few at a time. These pics are of the kids around the house last week. As you can see, Ella is almost crawling! She actually does crawl a little bit, but she's quite fast at the "army scoot", so she uses that mostly still. Emmy has learned to play Peek-a-boo now and thinks its sooooo funny! She's also walking much more and much faster! Dawson and Daeton got much needed haircuts last week. You can see in their photos that some are pre-haircut and some are post-haircut....you can see what I mean when I say "much needed"! LOL Enjoy these pics for now....there's more to come.....soon, I promise!

The girls together...

Emmy wearing MY old baby nightgown....

This is Emmy's face while she is playing Peek-a-boo....she thinks it's a hilarious game...

Talking on the phone...she carries a phone around EVERYWHERE she goes and usually it's up to her ear...

Emmy loving on her baby....

Emmy blowing a kiss...

Just looking pretty....

Yup...this is how she is most of the time...

Lovin' the phone....

Ella always has something in her mouth...

She loves sitting in the Princess riding toy....well, she is a princess, so why wouldn't she love it?...

Making faces at Mommy...

Ella loves her bathtime...

She rocks back and forth and moves her little hands constantly....she's a very happy, active baby..

The boys pre-haircut....

Playing Geotracks...love that goofy grin...

He's probably asking a question here...he asks LOTS Of questions..Dawson is a very curious and VERY SMART little boy....

My sweet Daeton saying "cheese"

Daeton LOVES trains more than anything in the world (except maybe fish)...

My boys....post-haircut...don't they look sharp???...

I had some crawling pics of Ella and a few more of the boys, too, but for some reason blogger isn't letting me upload them right now, SO....I'll include them in my next post!

Just wanted to share...

2008-02-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

I came across this poem as I was reading another blog tonight...some of you may have heard it before, but I hadn't. It really moved me and touched my heart and feels oh so personal...and I wanted to share it with all of you. Sometimes, explaining adoption is really easy and sometimes it's not...and sometimes I worry about exactly what I will say to the girls as they grow. As many of you know, I write poetry from time to time. It speaks to me in an emotional way. This particular poem, in which the author is unknown, is so beautiful and it truly hits home for me.

Legacy of An Adopted Child

Once there were two women
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother.

Two different lives
Shaped to make yours one.
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun.

The first gave you life
The second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love
And the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent
The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile
The other dried your tears.

One gave you up
It was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child
And she was led straight to you.

And now you ask me
Through your tears.
The age old question
Through the years:

Heredity or environment
Which are you the product of ?
Neither, my darling, neither
Just two different kinds of love.

-Author Unknown

Fave Foto(s) Friday

2008-02-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures we took today. They are currently some of my FAVE pics...

My boys late last night...they were SO giggly...must have been WAY past their bedtime! LOL

Dawson doing what he does best....being the STAR of the show....

Daeton passing by to wave a friendly "hello"....

A profile shot of my sweet shy boy... he was so happy because he put his shirt on all by his "berry self"....

Is she a knock out or what???....

Best buddies for life...

Emmy charming someone with that smile to get whatever she's reaching out for...

Dawson this morning...

Smiling for the camera....

Definately up to something LOL......

Sisters....

Ella was SO happy during her dinner...she does LOVE to eat...

I can't help but love that crooked little grin...for such a little thing she has SUCH a BIG personality!...

Dawson "making words" with his blocks....

Ella eating his blocks....

Mommy is so funny with that camera...

Daeton tired after a long day using his sister as a pillow....

I have to say that 3 out of my 4 kiddos are TOTAL Mama's babies....

...and the other one is not...she is TOTAL TOTAL TOTALLY a Daddy's GIRL...and Daddy LOVES every minute of it...

Busy Day

2008-02-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a busy day around the Sozio home. Ella had her first big doctor's appointment this afternoon. Because her appointment was at 3:30...we had to move our normal day's schedule up some so I could have all the kids ready to go when Ernie got home from work. Days like this rarely go as planned! LOL As usual, no one was ready when Ernie pulled in (late, might I add)....so we were late getting to the doc, but as luck would have it, the doc was running VERY behind so we were okay anyway....which was good cause after we got there and filled out all the important paperwork that they make you fill out, I realized that I completely forgot Ella's immunization book from GT at home and I had to go back home to get it! Sigh...we finally did see the doc though. Ella did great. She wieghs in at 16 pounds and is 25.5 inches long at 7 months old. She had two big shots today and got TONS of blood taken from her little arm so that they could run all of the necessary tests (routine for babies coming home from other countries). My poor little girl was miserable after all the needle pokes and by the time we left did not want anyone touching her but mommy. She was a trooper though and was smiling again as soon as walked out of the clinic doors! We then went to pick up the other three kiddos at Mimi's house (I had dropped Ernie and Ella off at the doc's earlier cause we were so late, then took the other three to my mom's, and then went back to the doc's). The kids were hungry and high on chocolate milk when I got there around 6:45pm (yes, the appt. took that long), so we scooped them all up and headed for the Wendy's drive-thru. Then we came home and ate and played a bit and baked some cookies with the boys (which I've been promising them we'd do everyday since Valentine's day) and finally rounded up the clan and herded them to bed! Whew...what a day! Tomorrow has to be much calmer and less hectic! Here are a few pics of our day...unfortunately, I didn't get Ella in her cute outfit she went to the doctor in, but oh well...the hours between the time I dressed her and the time we finally got home and she went to sleep (which was fairly quick once home) were crazy and I didn't think to pick up a camera! LOL Oh well.....I find myself saying "oh well" a lot more these days with four children ages four and under! It's a whole lot of work, but it's a hec of a lot of FUN, too! God is so teaching me the meaning of "go with the flow" and "roll with the punches"...great lessons on flexibility and patience. But more importantly, He is letting me experience and live in pure, blind, unconditional, incredible LOVE and letting me remember what it's like to be a kid again and just enjoy life and all the smallest things in it! Children are amazing and what a blessing my children are and what a lucky, lucky mama I am to have them! Like the words I have painted on my kitchen wall say....It's a WONDERFUL Life!

Ella playing this morning...she loves blowing raspberries as she's doing in this picture...

Looking serious...

Dawson and Daeton cheesin' it up for the camera and below goofing off and baking some YUMMY cookies...

Emmy playing with her dollhouse...can you believe how long her hair is at 14 months old??

Ella sweetly sleeping after a rough day....

I ended up accidentally waking Ella up with the flash from the camera. Tired little thing opened her eyes and went from a "what are you doing, crazy mama???" look to immediately smiling for the picture! LOL

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Baby Ella has now been home one week and she turned 7 months old today. Life at the Sozio home is finally starting to resemble normalacy again! I've been meaning to post more here this last week, but I've been extremely tired and rather sick since coming home from my trip. We are finally starting to get everyone together on a schedule and Ella is starting to get used to the other kids and the boys LOVE Ella.....and Emmy is slowly warming up to Ella, too. Ella continues to do great eating and sleeping. She is taking a short morning nap now about 10:30 am and then goes down with Emmy at 1pm and sleeps until around 4pm (most days). The boys go down between 1:30 and 2pm and usually sleep until 4pm, too...so that time is nice for mommy to get some rest, too, or do whatever needs done around the house. Today was super fun and so exciting as it was Ella's first Valentine's Day and Emmy's first Valentine's Day at home. We don't usually do much for V Day, but we do a few special things to celebrate how much we love each other. Dawson had a Valentine's party at school this morning so we got up early to get ready for that and when I came downstairs Ernie had left roses for me and a homemade card on the table. My husband is so sweet....thank you, Nestie! I love you! Then, when Dawson got home from preschool, Ernie and I gave the all the kiddos their Valentine treats. Dawson and Daeton got Tinkertoys, a small box of chocolate, and a homemade card from mommy. Emmy and Ella both got a doll with their name on it and some Gerber puffs (which they both LOVE). I got more flowers this afternoon from my sweet brother-in-law, Nick. Thank you, Nick...they are so pretty! I made a special pizza for dinner for the kids in the shape of a heart and Dawson had picked out chocolate cake for dessert, so that's what we had. I made Chicken Piccata for Ernie and myself. Yummo!!! We were going to make heart cookies today, too, but we didn't get to it. Daeton slept late and Dawson got busy practicing cutting and pasting in his workbook...so heart cookies is on the list for tomorrow! Anyway, we had a super fun day and it is so neat to be able to celebrate Valentine's Day (or "Love Day" as Dawson calls it) as a complete family! There is so much love inside our home and it's wonderful to have a day just to sit back and celebrate that! Here are some pictures of my four babies today!

Flowers from my sweetie

Flowers from by cool BIL Nick

My first little love, Dawson, first practicing cutting and then with his Valentines...i love, love, love that grin...

My beautiful Princesa Emmy...a gentle little cuddlebug...so soft and sweet...

My beautiful Princesa Ella...a happy, playful little sweetheart...she just sparkles...

My little "Hunk of Burning Love" Daeton...his shirt says this and it's true, that look in his eyes TOTALLY melts me...

Our Pretty Girls....

Our Handsome Boys...

All 4 of our Amazing Children..... I simply ADORE these children!!!!

Baby Ella is home!

2008-02-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

Ella and I made it home safely early yesterday evening! I can't believe she is finally here and our family is finally complete. My trip was great, but exhausting! I have to say that I am somewhat proud of myself for doing the whole thing alone....especially the airport...I, alone, maneuvered 4 bags and a baby through the Dallas Fort Worth airport! Go me! Ella is such a happy little girl. She smiles constantly with this quirky crooked little smile! She also laughs out loud a lot...something that took Emmy awhile to do after she came home! She did have some trouble taking her bottle from me at first, but the last two days has actually taken her bottle completely without problems...so we've come a long way in the 5 days since I got her! The boys LOVE their new sister and Emmy likes her sometimes! LOL Emmy isn't fond of Ernie and I holding Ella, but as long as Emmy is close to us, too, she doesn't get too upset. I have to say though, Ella plays really well on the floor with her toys and so I've spent a lot of time sitting next to Ella and holding Emmy so she doesn't feel "replaced". I actually think that Emmy thinks her little sister is like her baby doll...she trys to pat her back, and kiss her face, and hold her just like her babies! It's really cute. Anyway, I'm posting some pics below of our newest little one! I actually didn't take that many on my trip because being alone with Ella, I just didn't have enough hands to do it all and take pictures. I did manage to take a few....way less than I normally would have taken...so these are the few pics that turned out well. The last couple are from last night at home. I'm hoping to take a bunch of the boys and the girls together this weekend, so I'll try to post those Sunday night. I got a few last night of all the kids when I got back, but a lot of them turned out blurry and kids were so excited that they wouldn't sit still very long for any sort of picture! But, for now, here are a few photos of Ellianah Temry Alejandra Sozio...otherwise known as "Ella".

The littlest Sozio

2008-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

We just got new pictures today of our sweet Ella. She's in one of the Christmas outfits we sent down to her in December. She looks like she is starting to sit up all by herself! I can't believe how old she already...the last time I saw her she was just 4 weeks old and TINY. I'm so ready to go get her and bring her home! I can very happily say that she will be home exactly 2 weeks from today! I'm so so excited about my pick up trip and finally getting to hold our little beauty and also about getting to spend a few days in Guatemala which is a country that has become very close to my heart. BUT, I'm already dreading leaving Dawson, Daeton, and Emmy. I actually cried when I booked the plane trip thinking about leaving them. I have such a hard time going anywhere for very long when the boys and Emmy aren't with me, so pray that mommy can focus on the complete EXCITEMENT of the trip. I know that once I get past the initial goodbyes and plane ride down there, and once this little angel is in my arms, I'll be okay. I'll still be missing my kiddos like CRAZY and calling every hour on the hour (so watch out, Ernie, the phone is going to ring off the hook), but I know that I will be so elated and thrilled to get to spend some one-on-one time loving on and bonding with my Miss Ella. Isn't she cute?!?

My little Star and a Note on Dateline.....

2008-01-19T13:00:00.001-08:00

Hey all! I wanted to post today for two reasons. One, I wanted to tell everyone about Dawson's basketball game. He's been practicing like crazy for weeks now and he is so in love with this game. Today his team had a game and my child was amazing! It's nearing the end of the season and he's had games since the beginning of December, but something turned on in him today! All of a sudden, my child can dribble the ball down the court really well, gets rebound after rebound, hustles though CROWDS of defenders to catch loose balls, and made TWO baskets! He was a TOTAL star! I wish so much that I had taken my camera to the game so I could post pictures. But I'll be sure to take some next week. I am SO SO proud of him!

Secondly, I want to address an issue that I feel like I need to say something about. Tomorrow night on Dateline, you will see a show about adoption from Guatemala. I want to say that although I do not know exactly what will be shown, I am confident the picture painted will not be a pretty one. So, before you question things or before any of you think about Emmy and Ella and wonder, please hear what I have to say. First of all, the media is going to portray what attracts viewers. They will not give both sides to the story. They want to sell their show. So prepare yourself. What you will see is probably true (and it needs to be seen as the story that will air will show an instance where the greater good was done), but it is NOT going to be the whole picture. I will say that the process of adoption in Guatemala is changing. In fact, currently you CANNOT start a new adoption in Guatemala. As of January 1st, new laws have come into play and children can no longer, for the time being, be adopted by families in the United States. I will say that I DO believe that the adoption process needed to be changed somewhat in Guatemala (and it has been to some extent within the last year....more safegaurds such as a 2nd DNA test have been implemented). There was a need for that. I will say that their WAS some corruption and their was a need for more ACCOUNTABILITY within the system (if you want the details of what the system entailed to my understanding and how I feel that it should have been changed, feel free to email me and ask). I will also say that I'm sure that their was a percentage of birthmothers who had babies for the sole purpose of putting them up for adoption in hopes of a monetary return. And, I'm sure that their is also a percentage of birthmothers who had children stolen from them for the purpose of adoption...in the upcoming episode of Dateline, you will see a situation like this. Guatemala is a poor, poor nation. Money is a motivator in such a nation, and when people need to put food on a table in an already poor and violent counntry, a child seems reasonable payment to some of them. Did I know all of these things going into Emmy's adoption? No. Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat. In the blink of an eye. In a nanosecond. Why? Because despite the harsh reality of these situations, there is another reality that some, those who are blinded by the above mentioned situations, fail to see. I will say again, Guatemala is a poor, poor nation. BUT, the above mentioned situations are only a percentage, I don't know what it is, I don't know if it has been formally figured out. Most women in Guatemala who give birth to a child are no different than you or I, but they are poor and many uneducated. They love that child, and want to give them the best life possible. But for many, life with their birthmothers would mean going hungry, working on the streets when they are old enough to walk, and no oppurtunity at an education. That's not the case for all, but for many. Giving thier child a life with chances to be whatever their children can be, with food, with a warm home and a coat and shoes with no holes is the best thing that many of these women can do. On a very personal note, my Emmy was born to a barely 20 year old girl. This girl works as a housekeeper making about 100 dollars per month. She lives where she works. She can't read or write. She has parents who would not support her when she got pregnant. The boy who was the father had been seeing Emmy's birthmom since she was 15. When he found out she was pregnant, he disappeared. Emmy's birthmother loved her child. She wanted this child to have something more than she give her on 100 dollars a month. She wanted Emmy to have life and a chance to live it. I'm forever thankful to her and blessed by her and humbled at her desicion. I don't know Ella's complete story yet, but I will when I go to pick her up. I will say with FULL CONFIDENCE that my girls were adopted ethically and legally. Their life here, as a Sozio, was meant to be. It was and is God's design. The agency I adopted my girls through is a WONDERFUL CHRISTIAN agency who LOVES JESUS and who CARES about children...not just in Guatemala, but all over the world. I searched through MANY MANY agencies and even switched from one before I settled. The attorney that completed Emmy's and Ella's adoption is a wonderful man. I had the joy of meeting him on our pick up trip with Emmy. He is compassionate and caring and he has a heart for these children and what he is doing. Do all agencies and attornies operate this way? NO. Are their some out there who try to complete or take unsuspecting parents for a ride through a unethical and illegal journey? YES. I've seen it happen. Should the process in Guatemala change? Absolutely, Yes. The sad part is, through the changing, adoptions have now stopped. In a poor country where adoption should be an option, it won't be. I was told by my facilitator in Guatemala and that most Guatemalans do not want to adopt the children in their country. Adoption isn't really a workable option as it is in many other countries such as the US. And, if they do want to adopt, they want fair-skinned, blue-eyed children. However, most of the children put up for adoption are indigineous to the country. They have dark hair, dark eyes, and usually an olive-colored complexion. If the people of GT don't want these children, people from the US can't adoption these children, and the birthmothers can't keep them.....what's to happen? Guatemala has no social service system set up to feed poor families and their children as we do here. There aren't public orphanages where all of these babies can be kept. There are private orphanages, but they won't be able to hold all of the children. What's to happen? How many Emmy's will never have a family to love and hold them? How many Ella's will go to sleep at night on a hard street with a hungry belly? It's honetsly too much for me to even comprehend. I'm going to wrap all this up...I didn't mean to write this much. But this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. This is a country that will forever hold a place in my family. Please, if you watch Dateline, please do so with an open mind and a soft heart. Remember, there is so much more to the story that what you are seeing.

We've been ePINK'd!

2008-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

We recieved our ePink notice yesterday afternoon! Ella's visa appointment is on Feb.5th at 7:15 am. I can pick up her visa on Feb.6th and she will be home with her brothers and sister on Thursday, Feb.7th! We are SO excited that our littlest angel is coming home and all of our children will finally be under ONE roof!!! Yipee! Thank you all for your prayers and support! This has been an amazing journey! Now...off to make some travel plans!

EMMY IS WALKING!

2008-01-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

Emmy took her very first steps yesterday afternoon! We are SO EXCITED as I thought it would be awhile yet before she decided to walk all by herself. She's been cruising and standing for awhile, but always acts scared when she has to move her feet. But, yesterday afternoon, I let go and she just walked right to me! I am SO PROUD of her! Of course, we have been walking all day to everything...to her cup, to her toys, to her cracker, to mommy, etc....she probably thinks mommy is NUTS as I stand a few feet away from her whenever she wants something and get SO EXCITED when she walks right on up to me. But, she does it with a smile and acts like she's just queen of the world now! I'll try to post a video of her on here soon! But for now, I just wanted to share our news!

DNA is At the Lab!!!

2008-01-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yet ANOTHER UPDATE: DNA arrived at USE today at 4:06 pm. Nope, I didn't stalk Fedex ALL day..nope, sure didn't, not me, I wouldn't do that......HA! Hey, ePINK...here we come!!!!

UPDATE: DNA was sent to the lab yesterday and is scheduled to arrive at the embassy in GT before 6:00pm TODAY!!! Which means, after today, we begin the wait for our ePINK! Yipee! I'll keep you all posted!

Apparently Ella's DNA test was, in fact, taken early last week. Her sample got to the lab on Friday! Just got word today that the lab should have it ready by tomorrow and be overnighting to the embassy tomorrow evening....which means that USE should recieve the results on Wednesday and match our test to our file and we should have ePINK a few days after that!!! OMG, folks....Ella will be home in just a few short weeks!

An Update for Mel

2008-01-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, Mel told me I needed to update my blog....so just for her, here are some pics...it's the best update I can come up with as there's not a whole lot of new stuff going on around here right now. We had a low key weekend hanging out around the house. We went to Pizza Hut (YUMMO) Saturday after Dawson's basketball game for dinner with my whole family (Mimi, Papa, Uncle Than, and Great Grandpa)! We don't do it often enough and it was lots of fun having dinner with all of them! Emmy is very very close to taking steps on her own.....that's our BIGGEST news of the moment. But still not there quite yet. We're hoping for big news on Ella this week! I'll keep you all posted!

Our Orange Weekend.....

2008-01-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

We had a lazy weekend here at home. Here are some shots from around the house this weekend:

In ELLA News:
We found out Friday that Miss Ella has recieved authorization for 2nd DNA or as we in the adoption world like to call it....we got ORANGE! Yea!!! Ella now has to have her DNA test scheduled to make sure that she is the same baby that we started with (LOL she is, but this is a precaution that the US has in place for all GT adoptions). The test should be done at the beginning of this week sometime. I will be informed when exactly when my agency finds out. My agency coordinator said on friday that she expects it to be about 2 weeks until we get ePINK (or emailed the date of our embassy appt.). We are SO CLOSE to getting our sweetie pie home and we are so very excited!!!!

2007-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning at our house

2007-12-29T12:49:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day was lots of fun this year watching the kids not only get their gifts, but also give the gifts they bought to daddy and each other. They were really proud of the things they got or made for one another. I think the boys both got most of what they wanted, and Emmy was way more interesed in the paper and bows than her presents, so in the end all were happy. So, here is a glimpse at our Christmas morning with our crew in no particular order.

Mommy reading the Christmas story out of the Bible and praying with the kiddos before the present getting and giving begins. Presents are fun, but we want them to know why we celebrate this day...why we get and more importantly, why we give. We want them to know WHO this day is really about and how He came into our world for just a little while to save us all.

All of the babies listening to the story of Joseph and Mary and the Baby Jesus. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Emmy opening some of her gifts:

Emmy peeking out from over the box of "Emma, the dancing chicken" toy! This toy is a hoot...and entertains her when nothing else will! LOL

Emmy LOVES her babys! This is a doll from me and Ernie that has "Emmy" embroidered on the Santa hat. She's giving it hugs in the pic!

One of the first gifts Emmy opened in the morning and as you can see, she wasn't all that thrilled to be up this early even if she did get to open presents! LOL

Emmy checking out her new Belle doll!

This pink hippo laughs when you press his foot. Ernie picked this out for Emmy long ago before she was even home!

Daeton showing Emmy the gift that he and Dawson got for her. It's a shape sorter barn...the boys like it about as much as she does! Definately a hit...way to go, boys!

Emmy has crayons, too, now. Just like her big brothers!

Emmy hung on to her biter biscuits all morning! To the side, you can see the gift she opened was a Princess Taggies book...obviously it just didn't compare to the gerber snacks from her stocking!

Daeton Opening some of his Gifts:

Hey, didn't anybody tell Santa that his is like the ugliest gift on earth??? That's okay, though, cause Daeton sure liked it. He calls it his big ole' Nemo and since Chrismtas he drags the thing around all day and he sleeps with it every night...the fish takes up half the poor kid's toddler bed though! LOL

Daeton smiling at his new fishy!

Unwrapping the giant Nemo (yes, we know it doesn't actually look like Nemo, but Nemo has just become another word for fishy at our house).

Daeton checks out his new train bridge. Daeton is so easy to please and he's happy with anything he gets...he had no idea what this was when he opened it, but he was still thrilled!

Daeton reading his new Thomas book. This is why it took Daeton FOREVER to open all his gifts. He had to look at each one very closely and play with it a bit before moving onto the next one.

Daeton unwrapping his new Thomas blanket!

The three pics below are after Daeton opened his first gift which is the fish bowl puzzle that you see put together in this first pic. Daeton had to open the puzzle and take the time to figure out how it all fit together before he could move onto to his next gift. He's my slow meticulous child and Dawson gets so impatient and annoyed with him sometimes! LOL

Dawson Opening some of his gifts:

The first gift he opened from Santa was a blue dino that he asked for (Calliou asked for a blue dino on his show so Dawson thought he needed one, too LOL). This picture is a good representation of what happened...notice the look on his face, and his hands....the minute he opened it he said, "This is not the kind of dinosour I asked for!"

Dawson looking at the dino like "what is this?"

The second gift from Santa went about as well as the first. It was a snowman game and Dawson said, "I did not ask for this!" At this point, Ernie and I are looking at each other like...man, we really messed this kid's Christmas up! LOL

Finally, a gift Dawson is excited about!!! This is a Blue's Clues bath toy! The child LOVES Blues Clues for some reason, and he didn't ask for this either, but he was happy to get it!

He did ask Santa for a tool set and a globe and luckily, good ole' Santa got both of these right! Here is Dawson checking out his globe.

Dawson happily showing off a gift from Mom and Dad--New Computer Games!!

Here are the kiddos checking out their stockings!

Emmy had no idea what was going on here! But, she liked gettingthe food! LOL She got some Gerber biter biscuits and hung on to those things ALL morning!

Daeton taking his time looking at each thing one by one! As you can see, Dawson had already ripped through this stocking like a tornado and was done before anyone waiting on everyone else. LOL

Dawson LOVES chocolate! He might have been more excited about that than anything else in the stocking!

Merry Christmas, Everyone! And, Merry Christmas to Our Sweet Ella!

2007-12-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to pop on here quickly and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! We spent our Christmas Eve today very busily making and decorating Christmas cookies of ALL kinds! It was so fun, but we are all now really tired and SICK of sugar! LOL We are looking forward to tomorrow! We want to wish all who are reading this many blessings and a happy holiday season!

I also want to say Merry Christmas to our dear Ella! We miss her so incredibly much and wish she could be here with us to celebrate Christmas! The boys have bought and wrapped her presents and of course Mommy and Daddy have presents for her that will stay under the tree until she comes home! We love you so much, baby girl! We're on our way to get you very soon! We pray for you every night that God holds you in His arms and keeps you safe.

What you are hearing is a song by a Christian band (that I love) called Third Day. Below I've copied and pasted the words to it. It's called Merry Christmas and it has touched me deeply this season. I can't make it through this song without tears as it reminds me so much of Ella and all God's children out there somewhere waiting on their forever families to take them home....and there are so so many.....please say a prayer for all the children out there somewhere this Christmas....

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his lifeand prepare a place for us
so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep,
I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

Isn't She Beautiful??? Ella at 5 Months...

2007-12-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet coordinator from my agency was wonderful enough to forward me Ella's new pictures tonight (late on a Saturday night). I'm so grateful to her for doing that! Getting these is such a wonderful Christmas gift and was definately worth the wait! Here is our Miss Ella-T at 5 months old! She is starting to look so big and she looks so happy! Ahhhhh, isn't she just so beautiful??? Okay, so I'm a gushing mommy. Ernie thinks she looks like Emmy in the picture of her smiling! I do, too! I can't believe my Ella will be home in just a few short weeks...it seems so surreal! I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it!!!

Fave Foto Friday and Ella is officially a Sozio!!!!

2007-12-21T12:10:00.001-08:00

The news on the adoption front is that Ella is officially a Sozio!!! Her new birth certificate is ready (with her new last name and listing Ernie and I as mommy and daddy) and as of Dec.19th she has her passport!!!! Yipee!!! We now wait until after the first of the year when they will do the 2nd DNA test (to prove she is the same baby she was when we started) and then app.2-3 weeks after that is done, I go get her and bring her home!!! We think we are looking at the 3rd or 4th week in Jan. if all continues to go well, but we'll see.

Now, here are my Fave Foto Friday picks for today:

One of the 3 good pics I got out of like 100 for our Christmas cards! LOL Emmy isn't smiling, but the boys are and they are all looking at the camera. Emmy is smiling in a few, but the boys aren't in those or I cut the side of Daeton off or blah, blah, blah...getting a good pic of all three is so difficult. I can't wait until there is 4 next year! LOL

Emmy loves her baby doll. She also loves the Christmas tree!

Daeton playing with his new Thomas set that Uncle Nick got him for Christmas. It's crazy how much this boy LOVES Thomas!

Dawson being his usual nutty self! LOL He's such a ham when it comes to pictures!

Santa and the Sozios

2007-12-19T12:56:00.001-08:00

We took the kiddos last night to see Santa. It was so much fun! We thought Emmy would cry when we put her on his lap, but to our surprise, she didn't! She actually played with his beard and babbled at him and even smiled at him (but that was after the pics was taken, of course! LOL). The boys were so cute...Daeton asked Santa for Nemo the fish and Dawson asked for a blue dinosaur, a tool box, and a globe. Then Dawson said, "Hey Santa...Am I on the good list?" Santa asked him, "Do you do your chores?" Dawson said yes even though I don't think he even knows what the word "chores" means. LOL Santa asked, "Do you go to bed on time?" Dawson said, "yes, but Daeton wakes me up". LOL Then Santa said, "Do you eat your vegetables?" Dawson says, "No, cause I don't like vegetables except for corn". So Santa says, "Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, so you're on the good list." Dawson looked so relieved and gave a little half-smile and said, "Thanks, Santa". It was too cute! Anyway, here is the pic we got last night. It actually turned out way better than I thought it would!

Fave Foto Friday (Really on Saturday)

2007-12-14T22:40:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I'm a little late posting this, but I've had a busy day! It's so late now that I'm just going to post these pics and I'll write more later. I'm up late as I'm working on a Christmas gift for my mom and I was going through some of these photos on my computer. These are some of my faves that I came across from the past few months of my two precious boys! I just love my sweet babies and they grow so fast...they already look so much older now than they did in these pics just a few months ago!

I also love the brotherly love that you see in these photos! Dawson and Daeton are seriously the best of friends and it shows! I talk all the time about my girls, but oh my, I don't know what I would do without my two little boys! These little guys just melt a mama's heart! I simply adore them!

Today....

2007-12-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

We entered the Civil Registry of Villa Nueva. Villa Nueva is where our sweet Ella was born and that is where her brand new birth certificate listing Ernie and I as her mom and dad will come from. We have been told to expect this to take 8 days, but I have seen many many birth certificates come from there lately that take much less time than that. I saw one a few weeks ago that gone done in 24 hours! Nonetheless, we hope and plan on hearing that we have the birth certificate sometime next week! Then, after we get her passport, we can be submitted for 2nd DNA! Because of the holidays coming up, we aren't sure how fast that is going to get done. I am hoping it can be done the week between Christmas and New Year's, but my my caseworker has said that she kind of expects it to be done after the first of the year. I'm praying for this to all go quicker than expected so that we can go get our sweet baby girl very very SOON!

Ella is OUT!!!!

2007-12-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

I just got the call from my wonderful agency that our little girl is OUT Of PGN!!!! We will enter civil registry on Thursday and get her new birth certificate within about 8 days! We are hoping that our baby will be home with us in about 4-6 weeks! Thank you so much everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers....they worked!! Please continue to keep us in your prayers the next few weeks as we prepare for Miss Ella's homecoming!!! I'll keep everyone updated as I can!!

Fave Foto Friday and Good News!

2007-12-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

We got the call today from our agency with an update on our case. No, we aren't out YET, but we are on the final desk awaiting the FINAL signature!!!! They say it could be another two weeks before we got out, but we are hoping that it will be much sooner than that! At any rate, I am very very excited that there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! Woo hoo!!

Now, on to Fave Foto Friday!!! These two pics were taken not long after Emmy came home! The boys just adore their sister and these moments to me just capture some of the precious love between my children!