Elder Andrew

Andrew was ordained an Elder (by Cody) today. The High Councilman gave Andrew the best advice for a brand new Elder, he said "You have new important responsibilities, take them very seriously but don't worry yourself to death about it. Our gospel is wonderfully simple, don't complicate it". I just loved that advice, I have often thought about that as I have watched people flash their "Priesthood Authority" around. I have often pondered what we will be judged on after this life... I think that we are going to be surprised. We are so proud of Andrew and have every confidence that he will use his "new gift" well.

"Noodle"

Zachy can be somewhat...emotional. He has a flair for drama and when he has something to say he does it with his whole heart and soul. This post is dedicated to some of the funny things that Zach says. *When Dad asked him (5 or 6 times) to stop using the long shoehorn as a sword and go find something else to play with, Zach replied "FINE! I am going in the house to find something to do but I want you to know that you are NOT going to like it". *After tucking him into bed 3 times only to have him come back up to the family room again. We told him that we were turning out the lights,going upstairs to bed and he would just have to take himself back downstairs, he very dramatically replied "How can you do this to a child!" *I woke up suddenly at 5:30 am noticing that Cody was still in bed rather than at work. I poked him and said "Aren't you going to work?" I was very surprised when the response came from Zach (who had apparently climbed into our bed at some point during the night). He very calmly (and quickly) replied "I have the day off", then giggled and added "I have the day off...I don't even know what that means". He's even funny when he is asleep. *We were trying to get Saturday morning jobs done and I was having a hard time tearing Zach away from cartoons long enough to complete a task that he had forgotten. When I came in, turned off the TV, and told him to do it now! He rolled onto the floor and whined "Oh...I can't have a mom like this in my life!" *Zach brought an assignment to complete at home that was about pigs. He learned about where they live, what they eat, etc. The last question asked what he would do if he had his very own pet pig. Zach's answer... "Kill it, Cook it, Eat it" Needless to say, he provides plenty of comic relief even when he isn't trying.

Bean's first day of school

Bean started all day pre-school on Sept 2nd. She goes from 9 am to 5 pm. Bean's psychiatrist, as well as her social worker, insisted that she go all day. Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder do best if they are in a very structured, scheduled environment. It takes the "emotional pressure" off of her since she is not trying to "bond" with anyone at school. So far, it is going well. It is weird for me to leave her there all day, but due to the disorder, Bean is doing great! She really loves it and goes all day without even asking about us. Her neurological issues continue to amaze and baffle me, this is a very odd disorder. The good news is, Bean is happy and content with her new school. On a side note: She got the cast taken off her arm today... Yeah!! Her first comment was, "Now we can go to the park!" Hmmmmm, I don't think so.

Back to School!!

August 20th was the first day of school CJ started 5th grade, "Noodle" started 2nd grade and Miss T started kindergarten. Miss T is going to a new school this year that is just for kids that are severely disabled. they have a fantastic program and we are so excited that she gets to go there! She can stay at this school until she turns 22.

"Boop's" 2nd Birthday

We celebrated "Boop's" 2nd birthday on August 14, 2008. We had dinner at the park then came home for cake and presents. I can't believe that my baby is 2! We are still waiting to finalize her adoption. We had our last post-placement visit last week so we are getting close.

Injuries...

Summer is full of: Fun in the Sun, Water Play and LOTS of ways to get hurt WARNING: This post contains photos that may not be for the "faint of heart"

"Bean" is a "toe-walker". Her dr. has ordered foot braces to try to correct the problem. This is one of the hazards of walking on your toes. She tripped while running around the play area in the waiting room at the dr's office. She fell and landed face first on the train table. Big black eye and a smushed nose - Ouch! While celebrating Boop's 2nd birthday at the park, Bean fell off the monkey bars and broke her elbow. Note: This happened the same day as the train table incident.Bean is quite pleased with her new pink cast, we bought her a princess bracelet that fits on it.

CJ jumped off a ramp while riding scooters with his friends. He landed head first on the gate latch (the big steel bar that slides down into the cement). The boys "took care" of the injury by putting CJ's head under the hose. I found out about this 5 hours after the fact. It definitely could have used a couple of stitches! The good news: He wears his helmet now! What to say about our little T-bug, she smashed her mouth and knocked out yet another tooth (this makes 3 total). She injures herself for "fun", she loves to hit her head and face on things. We are still unclear exactly how she hurt herself (I was loading kids in the car when it happened). We did a little CSI and followed the "blood pattern" in her room, we think that she was standing up, holding onto something bouncing, as usual, and lost her balance. Miss T maintains her status as a sweet, adorable, delightful, little handful of mystery.