Embrace the Creak!

Before we bought the brand new house that we live in now (with 5 kids, 4 dogs and one crazy cat, it ain't so new anymore - sigh), we lived in a 25 year old house that was full of creaks and crackles and groans and just the odd sounds of an old house settling in. 

Well, back then those creaks and crinkles just drove me bananas!!  Back then, I had little children/babies who needed their sleep, whose Momma needed them to sleep!  Hehe

So, I would (like the super genius that I am) shush my feet as soon as they misstepped and found themselves on the dreaded "creaky floor board!"

Times have changed and I no longer have little babies whose Momma needs them to sleep! Sigh!

So, I have come to appreciate the creaks and the crackles and the odd sounds that a house makes, that our house makes.

About a year ago, the same feet that I used to shush, stumbled upon the sweetest little creak upstairs right in front of the girls' room and I was SO excited!  No longer was I shushing my feet!  No, now I was learnig to appreciate the old, the worn in, the well loved!  Sort of like me, except worn out!!!  Hehe!

I know I talk a lot about my beloved front porch but we also have a back porch!  It is a tiny porch and I don't go out there much because I can't stand to look at my weed invested back yard but it is screened in and down here, that is a HUGE!

I happen to go out there the other day and opened the screened door to walk outside - to pull weeds!  Really!!

And low and behold, there it was

the creak of all creaks!  The creak that instantly transforms me back to my childhood and the long summer days spent at my grandparents' house.  I had heard it a thousand times before but this time, this day, it took me right back to my 9 year old self who would happily tromp through those weeds - barefoot

Maybe because my body is a little bit creakier (not creepier - creakier!), I have learned to appreciate our house's growing pains - growing old pains!

Maybe as you get older, you begin to embrace all that is - old??

I don't know! 

I do know however, that I hope our kids will remember the groan of the floor board upstairs and the creak of the screened door on the back porch and one day when they are old (yes kids it really DOES happen), their houses' creaky sounds will instantly transport them back to these days, these crazy days of flashlight tag after dark and roasting marshmellows in the fire pit, of flag football in the back yard and yes, occasionally pulling a weed or two!

Mother's Day 2011

So, wanna know what I did on Mother's Day this year?

The same thing I have done on Mother's Day for the last few years...

That's right!!!!

I spent my entire Mother's Day at the end of the season soccer tournament!

Now, I do LOVE watching my boys (and girls) play some good soccer...

but we had to be at the fields by 7:30 for an 8:00 game - all the way across town - wwaayy across town!

Ahem, we didn't make it at 7:30 but we were there with 5 minutes to spare

Did I mention that hubby is the assistant coach!  Hehe!

Well, for my gift, Charlie's team beat up on another team whose parents think that ringing a cow bell, a big, loud cow bell every time their boys' score somehow teaches them good sportsmanship???  They got to ring that bell once and then our boys put about 4 or 5 in, to win the game!  Clang, clang, clang!!!  Heh!

They came across the field arm in arm saying "Happy Mother's Day!"

Thank you boys!

Caleb decided that a good gift for me would be to win the championship!!!!!! 

Way to go boys!!!

The best presents of all, though, were those the kids made and gave from the heart.

Sweet Lizzie decided that she would give me all the money in her piggy bank, "cause I know you don't got no money, Momma!"   OK, we will work on her grammer AFTER I stop lovin' on her!!!!

Miss Em thought that she would give me one of my old stuffed animals that she had carefully smuggled  brought back from JuJu's house and had been sleeping with.  Sweet child!

And my sweet Caleb wrote a little book at school about me!  I have to say, it was wonderful!  At least this year, I am not 100 years old and 8 feet tall!!!  LOL!

Here are the highlights:

My fav thing to do - walk our dogs - yeah aren't your brothers suppossed to do this??? 

My fav food - salad - yeah buddy, those peanut M&M's are just for decoration, really!!!  Hehe!

My fav tv show - House Hunters - yep, it is just about the only show on tv with no violence, no s-x and no obsenity!!  Sigh!

In my spare time I like to do - yoga - with 5 kids, 4 dogs and one crazy cat, it is a necessity!!!

She gets upset with me when - I yell when she is on the phone - if he knows this then WHY do he and his siblings keep doing it????  Heh!

She loves it when - I get in the bed with her - oh yeah, gotta love Caleb snuggles!

The happiest I ever saw my Mom was - the day I was born - okedokey, no problem with Caleb's self esteem!!!  Hehe!

I love her because - she is the most nicest Mom in the world - Awwwwww!!!! - extra dessert for Caleb tonight!!!! 

I hope my Mom will always - Be beside me!!!!!!  ALWAYS sweet boy!

So what did the older 3 do?  You know, Christian, Charlie and Hubby! 

My favorite flavored water, Almond Joys and a Target Gift card!  They know me so well!!!  Hehe!

Yep, it was a good day, an early day but a good day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the great Moms out there and most especially MY great Mom!

Sunday Snapshot - Peter

Wonderful Peter was on my blog, my advocacy blog, for a very long time.  You see wonderful Peter was aging out and we needed to find his forever family quickly.  Every week, I would put this sweet child on, along with his foster siblings David and Mary.  Every week, I would say a silent little prayer that wonderful Peter, along with all those other wonderful children who were aging out, would finally find his family, would finally know the security needed to be able to persue all his hopes and dreams, would finally know the love of a family, a forever family.  Every week, I would look at that sweet face and hope that his family was looking at that face too and having their hearts moved.  

However, sadly, the first of May came and went, as did Peter's 14th birthday.  He probably recieved a few gifts from his foster family but he did not recieve the one thing that he had hoped for the most, a family.  Have you watched the videos of Peter and Mary and David?  

You know, I had not, until I learned that he would not be coming home.  Why had I not looked at them before?  I don't know.  I am busy, very busy but how I wish I had taken the time to watch even one of these videos.  Maybe I could have advocated for him better had I watched - they make him so much more than just a picture of a sweet faced young boy.  My heart broke and the tears flowed as I watched sweet David, knowing he has a family that will be bringing him home and beautiful Mary who still waits for her forever family to find her and wonderful Peter who would have to say good bye to his friend David in a few months, understanding that they may never meet again.  My heart broke as I watched the joy in Peter's face and the hope...

I wonder what his face reveals now and my heart breaks again.

The very best part of my weekly advocacy posts was always announcing the precious children who had found their forever families and were coming home.  It hurts to think of those who will never be coming home but I think it is important to sometimes see these beautiful faces and remember that everyday another child ages out and that they are real children who have real dreams and real heartache.

I think about Peter and I think about ALL of the wonderful kids like Peter, who will never, ever know the love of a forever family and again, my heart breaks.

No one can give Peter the family that he so wanted for his 14th birthday, but I am hoping we might be able to give him something, something to let him know that there are families out there who are thinking about him and praying for him.

My wonderful friend, Marjorie, wrote to me one day last week and asked if we might be able to raise enough money to send wonderful Peter a belated birthday gift, a small something that will show that even though he did not find his forever family, there are familes who love him.

So for today's Sunday Snapshot, I am asking that if you feel led to help, you might consider sending a donation to Marjorie's paypal with the instruction that it is to be used for Peter's bday present.  If you don't know Marjorie and her beautiful family, please go here to check out her blog and her wonderful family.  Marjorie and her family brought home precious Noah, who was Peter's younger foster brother and are now working hard to bring home beautiful Josie who is also Peter's younger foster sister!!!  Marjorie knows this foster home and knows that this present will get to Peter and knows that he will  love the gift but more than that, love the fact that there are families who are thinking about him on his birthday.  You can email me at 5puppies@comcast.net or Marjorie at mtahmom@gmail.com to get her paypal addrerss.

I also ask that you remember beautiful Mary

who is very close to, like Peter, loosing her chance for a family - forever.  Please keep her in your prayers.

I know that it is Mother's Day and I probably should have posted something a bit more uplifting, but these children, this child,  who will never know the love of a Mother weigh so heavy on my heart. 

I do want to close this post with a little something that MY awesome Mother found and sent to me:

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not

my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body..

I didn't know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond

between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom

To join in on more Sunday Snapshots, please go here,

Can You Help Bring This Child Home??

Meet "Chase"

Do you remember this wonderful young man?  He was featured on my advocacy blog as an "emergency adoption" because this precious child ages out soon - very soon. 

He now has hope, however, hope for a family, for a future!  His hope is the Ryland family and they are racing against the clock to bring Chase home, but they need help.  Please visit their blog, here .  Read their story and if you feel so led, please donate to this monumental effort to save this child!!!!  Please also share rtheir button (on my sidebar under ways to help) on blogs and FB pages as well!!!  Thanks everyone!!

Wonderful Waiting Kids

Please visit my new advocacy site, Wonderful Waiting Kids .  Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday and My Rear View Mirror!

Sunday Snapshot - Spring Break...

finally comes to an end!!! 

Not that I want it to, cause I am SO ready for summer and NO schedule and NO school and NO homework and (dare I say it???) NO soccer - at least for a little while - hehe!!

This year, however, we had TWO spring breaks, yep, as in one child had his the week before Easter and the rest had theirs the week after Easter!!  Yeah, kind of hard to plan anything when someone is always still IN school!  UGH! 

Em thought it was great, however, as it was awfully hard for me to concentrate on any kind of school (even home school) when I was trying to make sure that the kids who were off were entertained and the kids who were at school didn't get forgotten - at school!!!

I also chose these 2 weeks to try and get my new advocacy site up and running!  I never claimed to be a super genius!

So, what did we do on our very last day of a 2 week spring break??? 

We went to the farm!  Most of us did anyway!  The eldest had a soccer tourney (way out of town) and the second son spent his last night of freedom with friends!  Sigh!!!

The lucky ones, however, went to the farm!

My brother and his wife have a beautiful place that the kids often compare to Disney World, full of all kinds of big toys...

and rides

that Miss Lizzie thought she was big enough to drive!!!

It is a place where you can just exhale for a while

Mind you, they live there so they probably don't sit around exhaling all the time, but we DO - except when Lizzie is driving!!!  Heh!

There's lots of fishing

and just plain old relaxing

with goofy cousins,

and each other

and of course their beloved JuJu!

It was a great place to catch our breath before school and homework and soccer begin again!  The long, lazy, hazy days of summer are almost here and it is about time!!!

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