let the sun shine

I'm probably the only one in the surrounding area that isn't 100% happy about this awesome weather we've had. I'm just keeping it real. It is beautiful!! And, nighttime outside has been so lovely. However, daytime has been really hard on this hypo-thyroider. I know I should feel thankful when I see a beautiful forecast, but all I can seem to think about is how uncomfortable I'm going to be. Sleeping will be hot. Cooking will be hot. Housework and laundry will be hot. Work will be hot - they don't turn the air on until it's like 78 in there.

Last night, I had windows open and fans blowing. I was actually doing ok for me! Our thermostat said it was 76. In the summer time, our thermostat always reads 70. So, for me, I was doing pretty well. My husband went to a friend's house to visit last night, comes home after I'm asleep upstairs, lays on the couch, and turns the air on. WHAT! I woke up and all the windows upstairs were open, the kitchen window is open, and Greg's got the air at 71. He was like, "What? It was freaking hot in here when I got home." Yeah, I freaking know that. Here I am thinking, "Hey, you made it without turning the air on. You won't get made fun of by your husband and family for it feeling like a meat locker in this joint." I'm just a little miffed because we missed Winter. We didn't get much of one. Seasons come and go... I'll get through this one. I'll just be a hot, sweaty mess. :)

To totally change topics, last night we were able to stargaze from our backyard. It was so beautiful outside. The temperature was just right, there was a slight breeze, and the skies were totally clear. We were able to see Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Orion's Belt, and the Big Dipper thanks to Google Sky Maps on Greg's phone. What an amazing app! If you've never stargazed before, download this handy app and try it out. It's so cool. Gabe thought it was pretty sweet too. It's pretty amazing to look up and know that God created all those stars, planets, and galaxies and know that He still knows the number of hairs on our head and He knows each of us by name. I realize the beginning of this post is quite a downer compared to the end. I should be thankful for this beautiful weather - these beautiful days that the Lord has made.

"Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

-Luke 12:7

"But now, Oh Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. Oh Israel, the one who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine."

-Isaiah 43:1

"He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land. The Lord is his name.

-Amos 5:8

The Amazing Star Wars!

Gabers is loving the Star Wars. The amazing Star Wars!! This week, we have watched A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Return of the Jedi is on the schedule for tonight. What has really surprised me is how much Gabe understands. When we started A New Hope, I missed the intro notes, so at the beginning of the movie I was pretty lost. Gabe had watched it once with Greg before and was able to tell me all about it.

I had never seen Star Wars... shocking, I know. These movies were really popular when I was growing up. I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I liked the movies! I'm not usually a sci-fi, fantasy type of movie person, but this was a classic, so I had to give it a chance. I'm really looking forward to Return of the Jedi tonight.

Last night, while watching The Empire Strikes Back, Gabe learned that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father. I had never seen such a shocked look on his face! "Is that REALLY true??" He was shocked! It's just gonna be one of those moments I never forget. He just couldn't believe the surprise. We thought Darth Vader's face was revealed in this one, so he was bummed that he didn't get to see what Darth really looked like. So, Greg had to YouTube that for him. Gabe thought that was pretty awesome.

I can see why little boys love these movies. Action, light sabers, Yoda, Chewy, etc... And, overall, fine content for a little boy.

And a little something for our Pawpaw:

Little Monday Updates.

Ok, forget Toddlers & Tiaras. Dance Moms is CRAZY!



I got my hair completely chopped off! I think I had like 3 inches taken off in the back. I like it... I wish I would've done my makeup in this picture though.

Just a couple of little updates for this Monday morning! Not much else too exciting going on!

two unrelated topics.

Recently, Greg was going through some of his tubs of memorabilia and came across his Indian in the Cupboard books from when he was a kid. Oh, how I loved The Indian in the Cupboard! It was one of my favorite books, along with Bridge to Terabithia. Our early junior high English teacher read books aloud to the classroom and these were two that she chose. I don't know if it was the way she told stories - always with excitement and creative character voices - but these books always stayed with me. And, remember books like Number the Stars? My love for reading started in junior high and I've never turned back. I also remember loving R.L. Stein, Christopher Pike, The Babysitters Club, and Sweet Valley High.

I thought Gabe might take an interest in The Indian in the Cupboard, and was I right! We started with chapter one last night and we are ready to start chapter four. He was captivated! He sat still and listened so intently, only stopping if he had something great to add to the story. "Mom, what if they put MORE guys in the cupboard? Like some more Indians, or cowboys or something?" Oh, buddy... It's gonna get more interesting! Just wait and see! He just loved it. This morning, we read chapters two and three because right when he woke up, he wanted to continue the story. I've tried really hard to do what Mrs. Borchers did and get into character voice and tell the story with great enthusiasm.

We have been reading books to Gabe since he was very young. He loves books. I hope he remembers books when there are all kinds of other distractions like video games, movies, and iPads around. I want him to get lost in books like I still do now. This morning when he came in my room to wake me up, he said, "Mom, did you know there's ANOTHER Indian in the Cupboard book too?" (Return of the Indian in the Cupboard) Yes, I did... and I am looking forward to sharing that one with him too. I'm so glad Greg or Greg's mom had saved these. I might have forgotten all about Omri and the Indian in the Cupboard.

On a totally unrelated note, I have been having reoccurring dreams that my teeth are falling out. How weird is that? I've found out that it's a very common reoccurring dream for people! In fact, a girl I know said she dreams about her teeth falling out at least once or twice a week! Crazy! I read here all about what this may mean. Me? Insecure? No way, I don't believe it! :) Yes, I'm pretty insecure. I guess it makes sense. Why these dreams are showing up now, I have no idea. What's really weird about it, is in my dream, I end up spitting my teeth out because so many of them come out at once. Then, when I wake up, I'm spitting and my pillow is wet. Gross. Thanks a lot subconscious. One time, I woke Greg up. This has to be one of the weirdest things I've ever dreamed about. I hope they stop! I'm tired of changing pillowcases. And, I'm tired of 'feeling' my teeth fall out!

February Favorites

Ok, we need a light-hearted topic! I've had a long day and I thought I'd share some fun with some February Favorites.

Toddlers and Tiaras. Have you seen this? This is what I've been watching on Netflix and it's been blowing my mind. These people are crazy... like nuts crazy. Putting babies in pageants at like 4 months old. Really? Can talent be discovered THAT early? It's one of those mind-numbing shows - you don't have to think about your crazy life or that your kiddo might have freaked out that day... No, you can just watch these kids freak out on TV in front of their Pageant Moms who have spent thousands of dollars on costumes! Yes, I watch it. Don't judge me.

Bossypants. Oh my goodness. I am serious when I say this is laugh out loud funny. She is the kind of person you want to be like or at least have a really cool friend just like her. I know this has been around for a while now, but I'm just now getting to it. And, it was worth the wait... did not disappoint at all.

Anything birch. My grandmother's favorite tree was a beautiful birch tree out at our farm. (People in my family associate special events and people with trees. When we had our family pictures taken, we all had to have one by our favorite trees). If you look at my Pinterest boards, you'll see that I'm kinda in love with anything birch. Unfortunately, I haven't bought anything yet... but I will!

My Lisa Leonard necklace. I wear this every day. I love this necklace - it goes with everything and it is special to me. If I could, I'd probably buy one of everything from her store! One of my goals is to be able to buy each of my sisters and my sisters in law one. I wish her shop would've been around when I got married because right now they have amazing wedding cake toppers! So sweet! I adore this one. Sigh.

And this! I just ordered this necklace for myself from Everyday Keepsakes, except I chose the ball chain and added a pearl charm to it. I'm looking forward to it arriving in the mail! This one wasn't as expensive as the Lisa Leonard one, so I'll probably wear this one more often and save my LL for special occasions.

Wow! This post was really fun, but it took for flippin' ever. I may have to join the bandwagon and do this every month!

Oh, and last but not least, my FAVORITE product for the month of February, Gabe's family Valentine cards! Sorry for the poor scan... I'm not sure why my scanner did that. Oh well, you get the idea, right?

PS: For some reason, Blogger is messing up my paragraph formats. Some paragraphs are coming out centered. Ugh.

Another post about Parenthood.

(source)

Any of you that follow my blog know how much I love the show Parenthood. Tonight's episode hit especially close to home. I won't provide any spoilers except to say that I know how hard it is to be an adoptive mom in waiting while you know your child is on the way. You've been matched with a birth mom, but the baby you have already started loving is growing inside someone else. Thankfully, that wait time with Gabe wasn't as long as others, but it was still difficult knowing at any moment, the birth parents could change their minds and decide to parent.

As hard as it is for an adoptive mom, it has to be even harder for a birth mom. I'm not a great decision-maker. I waiver back and forth. I can't imagine making the decision to choose someone else to parent my child. Trusting someone else with my baby, giving up my opportunity for any say in decisions, and still loving that baby with my entire heart would be so hard. So very hard to do.

In our state, at the time Gabe was adopted, birth parents were not allowed to sign adoption papers for 36 hours after the baby's birth. Those days were the hardest for me. Once Gabe was born and I saw him, held him, fed him... there was no turning back. I loved him. Those days were brutal. I didn't know this woman. I'd met her just briefly and I was afraid. I'd waited so long to be a mother, I just feared something would go wrong. But, it didn't. We got to that agency, signed the papers, and brought our baby home.

I know I write a lot about adoption. And, if you're a reader, thank you. I write about this obviously because it is so close to my heart - it is a part of my heart - and I share it because I want the people reading to know that there are some pure truths I know:

Adoption changed my life - I am much more aware that the tiny seed God planted in my heart when I was 17 years old was more than just a passing thought. It was a seed He watered and grew to prepare my heart to love a child as much as any mother could love one.

Adoption has made me a more sensitive human being - It's all about education. A lot of people (before adopting, myself included) have misconceptions about adoption. They ask a lot of tacky (for lack of a better word) questions. It's tough sometimes to answer those questions. We are very careful in the things that we share and we try to very gently explain the answers. Here are some examples:

Q. What's Gabe's Mom like?

A. Well, I love photography. I enjoy scrapbooking with my friends, and I enjoy Facebook, blogging, and Pinterest. I'm the mom to a five year old and I am a part time worker.

Q. So, like, why'd she do it?

A. Well, she did it because it was the best decision for her and for Gabe.

Q. He KNOWS them?

A. Yes, Gabe knows his birth family and he loves them very much. He talks about them a lot and we love having them over." (and of course the next question is, "You have them OVER? Like to your HOUSE?" Ha, that one still gets me. Hello! These people trusted US to love and take care of Gabe... What are they gonna do? Hurt him? Our thoughts? The more people he has in his life that love him, the better off this kid's gonna be.

Q. Aren't you worried they could take him back?

A. No, we're not worried. His adoption is legal. And, try spending a couple weeks in a row with a five year old boy - all day on winter break! If you're not used to it, it can be brutal! Remember the Simpsons? Can we have a pool, Dad? Can we have a pool, Dad? Can we have a pool, Dad? Can we have a pool, Dad? Can we have a pool, Dad? Can we have a pool, Dad? Ha! Sorry, I had to throw that in there.

Q. So was she like, young or something?

A. No, not really. Just not the best time to have a baby. It all worked out well.

Finally, adoption made me a mom - the perfect way God had in mind. Totally perfect. He knew the birth mom, the boy, and the adoptive mom (as well as all those other wonderful people in the picture) and He put the whole thing together. Any time I doubt my abilities or I feel insecure, I remember that we all came together as a family - and God did that. How do you doubt what you know is true?

It's not for everyone. And, it's not a "cure" for infertility. It's all part of a plan. One of the things I try to share most often is that God gives some women the ability to trust other people to raise their children... He doesn't take the love or the pain away, but He gives them the ability. Then He comes along to other women, like me, and gives them the ability to love a child as their own. A child they would have carried and delivered if they could. He gives them the ability to give unconditional love. And, in our case, He makes families out of regular old Joes whose paths may have never crossed.

Again, thank you Parenthood for portraying an adoption story. It certainly touched my heart tonight.

Winter School

Gabe and I had a great time today. I know I kind of complained about being a stay at home mom yesterday, but today I feel like I really made the most of it. A great friend of mine is considering homeschooling her kids and she shared a link with me that had PIRATE lessons! I've always known that I'm not going to home school. No offense to people who do, I'm just not up for it. I am organized, but I'm not very consistent. In fact, this whole chore chart/earning allowance thing has made me feel quite proud and I've only been working with him on it for like 5 days!

Since I'm still off work, I thought why not peruse the site and see if they had any more nifty lessons I could download and work on with Gabe while we're home together. And, I found some great stuff! Stuff he's interested in: farming, dinosaurs, ice cream, space, etc... The materials fall right in line with the kinds of things he's learning at preschool. Matching capital letters with small letters, following and continuing patterns, and many other 5 year old activities. There are even Bible verses that go along with the lessons (see above).



You can tell from his face here that he was really loving it. I ended up buying some other materials for $10. I'm looking at it like a winter home school... kind of like summer school! I only wish I would've thought of this kind of activity sooner. It made me so happy/proud in so many ways. I was spending time with my boy. I was finding out how very smart he is. And, I was really using the time to praise and encourage him. I wasn't constantly trying to find something for him to do and he wasn't wanting to watch TV all day. TV has become a tough battle. I try really hard to limit TV time to during breakfast (we have a small under the counter TV that folds down by his breakfast seat) and right before supper while I'm cooking. Then in the evening, we try to play or do an activity together. Although tonight, we had a movie night and watched Fred2... Oh my gammit! That kid has THE most annoying voice on the planet.

I guess I'm feeling like a better, more purposeful Mom today. I was having a hard time with that. I was always feeling like I had to get this and that done and I was always trying to find something for him to do. But, today, I felt like I did it right, ya know? I felt like I made great choices as a mom. I rarely have days where I feel confident about what I'm doing. Especially the first time around. When we have a second child, I probably won't worry as much (I hope) and remember that things work out, kids bump their heads, get rashes, and sometimes have poor appetites. All concerns most first moms worry about. Today, I felt like I did pretty good.

PS: Regarding the treasure picture above, he spelled that out with the Scrabble tiles after studying it a bit with me. We sounded it out and he got it from memory and the sounds the letters make! When we went over the Bible verse together and I tried to explain what heart treasures were, he said his heart treasures were his Mom, his Dad, his Janx, and his WHOOOOOOLE family. Then I said, "What about your Lego guys?" (just to see) and he said, "oh yeah, AND my Lego guys!