Go check our adoption blog for some great news!!!
http://theroadtorhett.blogspot.com/
On another note...we have plumbing issues I think. I'm not happy. Its looking like we will have to cut into some walls or something. So sad. But whatever it takes to get rid of this horrid smell in my house!! The plumber will be back on Thursday to look some more and discuss our options...Lets pray that whatever costs the LEAST amount of money is what needs to be done!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Something I hate...
Fellas, I hate to tell you but this post is not going to be about anything you can relate too, I'm sure. So you can quit reading now. If there ARE any fellas who read my blog. Maybe my Dad? Hi Dad! Anyway, I have something that bugs me and I wanted to share.
Know what these are? If you are a woman and you own a bathing suit then you know what these are and what I'm about to say.
WHY can't they make bathing suit tops with "padding" that just stays in them? Why must I find these in various shapes all wadded up in the top of my bathing suit after a wash? Why do they only make the slit where you put them back in the top only 1 inch wide? Is this why I'm developing arthritis in my fingers? Because I'm trying to contort them in that slit to try and get this thing back in the place it came when I purchased my suit? Sometimes I get lucky and I can get them back in. Sometimes! But most times I give up, throw them in my bathing suit drawer with their cousins, and let the world "see what they see". Sorry. If you are ever with me when I'm wearing a bathing suit be sure to wear your sunglasses because you will surely be blinded by the h#@d lights! Its not my fault. I tried! The end.
Know what these are? If you are a woman and you own a bathing suit then you know what these are and what I'm about to say.
WHY can't they make bathing suit tops with "padding" that just stays in them? Why must I find these in various shapes all wadded up in the top of my bathing suit after a wash? Why do they only make the slit where you put them back in the top only 1 inch wide? Is this why I'm developing arthritis in my fingers? Because I'm trying to contort them in that slit to try and get this thing back in the place it came when I purchased my suit? Sometimes I get lucky and I can get them back in. Sometimes! But most times I give up, throw them in my bathing suit drawer with their cousins, and let the world "see what they see". Sorry. If you are ever with me when I'm wearing a bathing suit be sure to wear your sunglasses because you will surely be blinded by the h#@d lights! Its not my fault. I tried! The end.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
New family members...
SO....my name wouldn't be Amy if I didn't occasionally have some huge declaration that makes Brian quiver in his boots. Or run for the hills. Or shake his head, roll his eyes, and wonder if I'm really serious all along knowing I am. Well, back in April I "declared"(really, I asked) that we would soon be raising chickens. Mmmm hmmm. Yes, I did. I asked Brian if he wouldn't mind just building me a little tiny chicken coop. Just a little one. I picked out just the place for it behind our little garage. I printed off chicken coop plans and batted my eyes sweetly. The coop has still not been built but guess what arrived today? Our sweet baby chicks!!! I got a phone call from the post office and they informed me they had a "peeping package" waiting for me there. When I walked in with the kids we could hear them in the back! We were so excited and couldn't wait to take the lid off and see them. But we held out until we got home. Thank the Lord they all "survived" the trip, if you know what I mean! Could you imagine the look on my kids faces if one of them hadn't made it. Ew. They have to live in an incubator type of box for about 4-5 weeks so Brian still has some time. But here are pictures of the babies!! We got 2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Rhode Island Reds. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I can't wait for our FRESH ORGANIC eggs when they start laying. Its going to be a great summer project for me and the kids. And when you all stop laughing you can take a look at the little ladies.
What they arrived in!
Here they are. From left to right: Reba, Big Mama(yellow one), "unknown"(they can't decide yet), and Sunday Lunch (Sunday for short. I know its rude) *Update: "unknown" has now been named Lucy. As in I Love Lucy. Get it? Lucille Ball. Red hair. Rhode Island Red. Nevermind...
What they arrived in!
Here they are. From left to right: Reba, Big Mama(yellow one), "unknown"(they can't decide yet), and Sunday Lunch (Sunday for short. I know its rude) *Update: "unknown" has now been named Lucy. As in I Love Lucy. Get it? Lucille Ball. Red hair. Rhode Island Red. Nevermind...
Friday, June 19, 2009
Days 4, 5, and 6...and maybe even 7
Sorry for the delay, peeps. Since returning we've hit the ground running with swim lessons, birthdays, etc. So I may recap everything else here in one post so I can move on to other things in blog world!
After our sea days we spent the next 3 days making stops at various islands. Our first stop was in St. Maarten and we decided to REALLY venture out and visit a butterfly farm! Boy it was good times. No really, its was very fascinating seeing all of the different types of butterflies. Who knew. My animal loving oldest daughter didn't enjoy it so much because apparently butterflies are scary. I couldn't believe her reaction to them but I guess we all have our things. After that we walked around St.Maarten and did some shopping before heading back to the boat to swim and eat, of course! The next day we went to Puerto Rico. We did not have an excursion planned but we did get off the boat to walk around and do some more shopping. That didn't last too long because the kids wanted to swim so back to the boat we went. You'd think they liked that thing or something! Next day was the kids favorite day by far. We went to Labadee, Haiti. This is the stop where we are tendered in so we had to get up bright and early so we wouldn't miss our excursion. We decided to do a water park(ish) excursion and I'm so glad we did! It is an area that is roped off in the ocean that has lots of water toys to play on. It was only an hour long so Brian and I took turns playing with the kids. Adiah wasn't old enough to do it so she hung out on the beach and played with the sand and floated in the ocean. Its what she wanted to do anyway! I got the first 3o minutes and Brian took the last 30. Natalie quickly decided that ocean water burns her eyes and she needed to wear goggles. After that she was good. When that excursion was done we went to the other side away from the water toys and found a quiet beach area where to kids could explore for shells and play in the sand. Natalie also had been asking all week if one of her souvenirs could be getting her hair braided. So she got it done in Haiti. People, she still has those braids in. And its scary when she asks me if we could find a place in Midlothian that could do it for her when these come out. Eek. Luckily we did all of our pictures for the formal nights on the boat before the braids! Whew! She does look really cute with them...I'm just sayin', is all. So I guess I'll do one more post about our vacation with some random fun pictures we took through out the week. And if I can get my video to cooperate I'll try and post some of that too. Thanks for hanging with me through all of these pictures!
In St. Maarten, on our way to the butterfly farm
A view from our bus going to the farm. Its kind of blurry but I was snapping fast so we could get a picture of our home away from home. The Liberty!
I won't bore you with too many butterfly pictures but these were my favorite. See that circle on the wings? Its so if a predator see it and want to eat it then it will think its an animal with large eyes. Isn't it amazing how God thinks of all of those details? But when it flys, its wings are blue on the inside.
Look at this huge thing. Have you ever seen anything like it? It was the size of my hand.
We were encouraged to try and get one on our finger by dipping it in the punch they gave us and sticking out our hand. Ridge was determined to get one!
And he did!!
Adiah just wanted to drink her punch. There was no butterfly catching for her!
In Puerto Rico. Here, my butterfly fearing daughter, didn't mind at all having 4 birds perched on her for a picture. We were totally duped into doing this but we didn't mind. Emily loved it!
On the ferry in Haiti
I was informed by Natalie that I must hold onto my head band and cover my nose when going down this slide. I wasn't doing "see no evil, hear no evil". I was just following orders.
My girls were on this iceberg and the boat was directly behind them(obviously). Our room was either the top or 2nd from the top on the right hand side.
This is what Adiah wanted to do all day. Just float.
Brian and the girls took a water camera out there and stopped to pose for a self picture.
Ridge had a total blast playing with Brian out in the water. I love this kid!
The girls really loved playing on this water totter. I couldn't get on it to save my life.
Our boat
Natalie said it really hurt to have her hair braided by these ladies. They were digging the comb into her scalp and pulling really hard. She was trying to focus through the pain here. Oh what we'll do for beauty.
The finished product!
These are the pictures we bought from our first formal night. This one turned out the best, I think.
I HAD to buy this one. You must click on the picture to enlarge it and look at Adiah's face. I laugh every time I look at this. They were trying very hard to get her to smile and this is what she produced.
My sweet kids!
After our sea days we spent the next 3 days making stops at various islands. Our first stop was in St. Maarten and we decided to REALLY venture out and visit a butterfly farm! Boy it was good times. No really, its was very fascinating seeing all of the different types of butterflies. Who knew. My animal loving oldest daughter didn't enjoy it so much because apparently butterflies are scary. I couldn't believe her reaction to them but I guess we all have our things. After that we walked around St.Maarten and did some shopping before heading back to the boat to swim and eat, of course! The next day we went to Puerto Rico. We did not have an excursion planned but we did get off the boat to walk around and do some more shopping. That didn't last too long because the kids wanted to swim so back to the boat we went. You'd think they liked that thing or something! Next day was the kids favorite day by far. We went to Labadee, Haiti. This is the stop where we are tendered in so we had to get up bright and early so we wouldn't miss our excursion. We decided to do a water park(ish) excursion and I'm so glad we did! It is an area that is roped off in the ocean that has lots of water toys to play on. It was only an hour long so Brian and I took turns playing with the kids. Adiah wasn't old enough to do it so she hung out on the beach and played with the sand and floated in the ocean. Its what she wanted to do anyway! I got the first 3o minutes and Brian took the last 30. Natalie quickly decided that ocean water burns her eyes and she needed to wear goggles. After that she was good. When that excursion was done we went to the other side away from the water toys and found a quiet beach area where to kids could explore for shells and play in the sand. Natalie also had been asking all week if one of her souvenirs could be getting her hair braided. So she got it done in Haiti. People, she still has those braids in. And its scary when she asks me if we could find a place in Midlothian that could do it for her when these come out. Eek. Luckily we did all of our pictures for the formal nights on the boat before the braids! Whew! She does look really cute with them...I'm just sayin', is all. So I guess I'll do one more post about our vacation with some random fun pictures we took through out the week. And if I can get my video to cooperate I'll try and post some of that too. Thanks for hanging with me through all of these pictures!
In St. Maarten, on our way to the butterfly farm
A view from our bus going to the farm. Its kind of blurry but I was snapping fast so we could get a picture of our home away from home. The Liberty!
I won't bore you with too many butterfly pictures but these were my favorite. See that circle on the wings? Its so if a predator see it and want to eat it then it will think its an animal with large eyes. Isn't it amazing how God thinks of all of those details? But when it flys, its wings are blue on the inside. 
Look at this huge thing. Have you ever seen anything like it? It was the size of my hand.
We were encouraged to try and get one on our finger by dipping it in the punch they gave us and sticking out our hand. Ridge was determined to get one!
And he did!!
Adiah just wanted to drink her punch. There was no butterfly catching for her!
In Puerto Rico. Here, my butterfly fearing daughter, didn't mind at all having 4 birds perched on her for a picture. We were totally duped into doing this but we didn't mind. Emily loved it!
On the ferry in Haiti
I was informed by Natalie that I must hold onto my head band and cover my nose when going down this slide. I wasn't doing "see no evil, hear no evil". I was just following orders.
My girls were on this iceberg and the boat was directly behind them(obviously). Our room was either the top or 2nd from the top on the right hand side.
This is what Adiah wanted to do all day. Just float.
Brian and the girls took a water camera out there and stopped to pose for a self picture.
Ridge had a total blast playing with Brian out in the water. I love this kid!
The girls really loved playing on this water totter. I couldn't get on it to save my life. 
Our boat
Natalie said it really hurt to have her hair braided by these ladies. They were digging the comb into her scalp and pulling really hard. She was trying to focus through the pain here. Oh what we'll do for beauty.
The finished product!
These are the pictures we bought from our first formal night. This one turned out the best, I think.
I HAD to buy this one. You must click on the picture to enlarge it and look at Adiah's face. I laugh every time I look at this. They were trying very hard to get her to smile and this is what she produced. 
My sweet kids!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Days 2 and 3
The next couple of days on the cruise were spent at sea. This gave us a great opportunity to take advantage of all of the wonderful things the boat had to offer my kids. Sunday morning I made appointments for me, Natalie, and Emily to get pedicures. This was their first pedicure ever so they thoroughly enjoyed it! We spent the rest of the time doing everything the kids wanted to do. In one day we ice skated, went to a movie, climbed a rock wall, did some body boarding, swam, played bingo, did some karaoke, and ate lots of food. We decided to get the kids a soda pass so that they could have a coke when ever they wanted. If you know me at all then you know that the kids do not get sodas all that much. Especially not caffeinated ones. But I decided not to care this week so they took real advantage of that! Every time I turned around those people had a fresh cherry coke in their hands. It was priceless and a wonderful memory for this mama. And for them too, I'm sure! I just informed them that they will not be flashing that pass at me for the rest of the summer expecting a cherry coke to arrive with a fancy straw. No sirreebob. Uh-uh. We ended each night going to the shows which I was completely surprised that they loved! Even Adiah! I was so tired by that time each night that I could have done with out them but I'm glad we went just to see the joy in their eyes! By Tuesday, though, we were ready for some time off of the boat and our first stop was St. Maarten...
I love these next two pictures because it shows what has been going on with Adiah and her siblings lately. She is becoming really bossy with them and "getting on" to them quite a bit and then she slaps at the air like she is spanking them. Its funny but we're trying to get it under control just a tad. Here she is telling Ridge and Natalie what to do. Notice how they are just staring at her.
My sweet kids enjoying the lazy river...
Hot tub time! It was kind of chilly the whole week so this is where I preferred to be. I don't do cold water!!
Emily waiting her turn for the pedicure
Natalie was in heaven!! Getting her feet rubbed may be her new favorite thing!
Gearing up for some rock climbing
Even though Adiah didn't rock climb she wanted to wear a helmet like everyone else. But that seemed to just fuel her fire and when she was told she could not actually climb up the big wall a fit promptly happened. Someday, baby girl. Someday!
I only put this picture of me and my back side on here so I could prove to everyone that I actually do come out from behind the camera and participate in life. It was fun and scary all at the same time!
Again. Adiah didn't like that she couldn't body board with everyone else. That poor guy was the operator of the flow rider and was going to be sweet and take her out there for a little bit even though he wasn't supposed to. She wouldn't have it. She wanted to do it herself.
Ridge getting a little instruction before taking off. He did so good!!
Then flow rider operator guy decided to do some tricks with him. It was fun!
Natalie getting ready to go...
Emily didn't want to do it for some reason. Something about when you fall off the water is going so fast that you could lose your swim suit. Not sure why that would bother her so much. Geez.
I love these next two pictures because it shows what has been going on with Adiah and her siblings lately. She is becoming really bossy with them and "getting on" to them quite a bit and then she slaps at the air like she is spanking them. Its funny but we're trying to get it under control just a tad. Here she is telling Ridge and Natalie what to do. Notice how they are just staring at her.
My sweet kids enjoying the lazy river...
Hot tub time! It was kind of chilly the whole week so this is where I preferred to be. I don't do cold water!!
Emily waiting her turn for the pedicure
Natalie was in heaven!! Getting her feet rubbed may be her new favorite thing!
Gearing up for some rock climbing
Even though Adiah didn't rock climb she wanted to wear a helmet like everyone else. But that seemed to just fuel her fire and when she was told she could not actually climb up the big wall a fit promptly happened. Someday, baby girl. Someday!
I only put this picture of me and my back side on here so I could prove to everyone that I actually do come out from behind the camera and participate in life. It was fun and scary all at the same time!
Again. Adiah didn't like that she couldn't body board with everyone else. That poor guy was the operator of the flow rider and was going to be sweet and take her out there for a little bit even though he wasn't supposed to. She wouldn't have it. She wanted to do it herself.
Ridge getting a little instruction before taking off. He did so good!!
Then flow rider operator guy decided to do some tricks with him. It was fun!
Natalie getting ready to go...
Emily didn't want to do it for some reason. Something about when you fall off the water is going so fast that you could lose your swim suit. Not sure why that would bother her so much. Geez.
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