Surfin' USA

We had a great time at the beach with my parents this past week.  It was a bit different dynamic than our last trip with moms and kids, but still fun.  We're definitely learning how to manage things better with each time down--food, getting out to the beach, cleaning, etc.

The waves were variable on different days, with the last day being super windy and rough water.  It was hard just to walk a few feet out!  But Matt was determined to conquer them and that was his favorite part of the trip.  He also liked watching the Cubs game and some other tv, going out to eat at a good seafood place, and playing cards.

Joshua was also very into riding the waves.  He enjoyed putt putt, the batting cage, and finding fiddler crabs on the beach.  Crabbing at Aunt Kathy's was another favorite and he was into doing a hard puzzle back at the beach house too.

Gray became a master wave rider...even staying shallow on the last day.  He just really got the hang of when to go.  He loved the batting cage, putt putt, a board game Aggravation, playing cards with GrandGene, watching golf with Uncle Bill, playing soccer in his socks on the beach, getting really dirty diving headfirst down the pile of dirt in the yard, and watching a baseball documentary.

Julia loved hanging out with Mimi, coloring, playing in the ocean, going to putt putt, getting ice cream, relaxing in the hammock, and laying in her bed in her "new room."  She was very into crabbing at Aunt Kathy's and even held a crab in her hand.

Allie did great on the beach and especially loved sitting in her "pool" that the big kids would dig out for her.  She also enjoyed playing in Cousin Will's pool, sitting under the umbrella and eating snacks, and getting lots of attention from her people.

And I liked the change of scenery, finishing a great book "Wonder", doing some puzzles with the kids and Mama, being with family and seeing family friends we don't see often, and most of all, getting a nap or two.

Thanks to Nanny and Pa for providing a great place to vacation!

Allie is 2!

Allie had such a fun time on her birthday!  We started the morning at the Museum of Life and Science, where again I found that taking 5 kids out is really not much different than 4, their ages at least.  The big kids could stay together and do big kid things near where Allie and I did toddler things and all were happy and no one got lost.  :)  All of them loved playing in the little stream, which we'd not done before.  They each took a turn holding Allie's hand, as there were lots of people and she is still a bit wary of new folks.  We left at lunch, gave Allie our gifts, got her down for nap, Julia to camp, another grocery store run, got Joshua and Gray to make the icing and decorate the cake and then thank goodness for my parents arriving because Mama has a gene for effective house cleaning that I did not get.  She helped me get ready for the party and Daddy helped entertain the kids.  Allie was happy to hang out with him and read her favorite book while I got stuff ready.

We had a great party in the evening with family from Matt's side as well.  Great food- picked up from Chinese restaurant and boiled some frozen dumplings, plus vegetables with Allie's favorite: hummus. We ate, watched the dvd that I did remember, which had home movies of her from 6 months on and Allie loved it.  She was making side comments on everything and practicing her words right along with the video.  We did gifts, which she loved, and cake, which she loved (except for all the attention, which makes her a little nervous).  She played and played and did not want to go to bed ("Play! Play") and babbled in her crib for an hour till Julia came in to go to bed after 9 and she greeted her with her usual "Hi!  Hewwo." (Hello, in what I think of as a Ross from friends voice).  One happy girl!!

Summer Week 5--Can I backtrack a little?

Yep, I had an ominous feeling when I wrote that "Bring it on" statement at the end of my last post...the part where I was so excited about everything going on this week.  I need to take that back.  Let's not bring anything else on.  :)  Sunday was great welcoming the Mussers back from China, but then came Monday and it has just been a hectic week!  Kids going multiple places each day, having a 5th child (actually not too much different than 4 except makes things louder), lots of phone calls trying to schedule appointments, thinking I lost my wallet in Walmart after I had already unloaded my cart, wiping down Raven with vinegar multiple times a day because of her skin issue, some kind of pink-eye like infection for me, 3 trips to the store and another coming tomorrow, the 5th child throwing up (don't worry Amanda!  He's already recovered!), trying to keep everyone quiet so Matt and Allie could sleep, plus the usual breaking up arguments and regular counseling sessions that seem to be always needed.  Whew.  It has felt like a zoo at times and I have not felt very joyful about it.  Probably also has something to do with my decision last week to work on breaking my sugar addiction!  :)  But also a lot about me not feeling happy or at peace when MY plans are not going just the way I want them.

Anyway, I *am* very much looking forward to celebrating Allie's birthday tomorrow.  Not because Allie is excited...she has no clue.  Not because it will be a pinterest-worthy party-- There is no theme.  Julia made a banner and we have a few others that are well-worn to hang.  I bought Allie 3 little gifts and told the older kids to each wrap one.  I bought a box cookie mix and had Joshua and Julia make it tonight and will let whoever has not thrown up decorate it tomorrow however they please.  I did make a dvd of video clips of her but I'm very likely to forget to show it or forget where I put it.  I ordered some Chinese food and will boil some frozen dumplings.  It won't be anything to write home about.  But I'm so excited because it's her first birthday with us.  It's our first chance to celebrate her, kind of like parents get so into their biological kids turning one.  So let's not bring on any more chaos this week, but here's hoping for a few calm and sweet days enjoying family--particularly our Allie.  And please, no one throw up.

Summer Week 4

Well this one went by fast.  I think it helped that we had Matt home a few days and got to be all together again.  We had a fun 4th with Matt's family and the kids especially enjoyed the firecrackers Matt got.  We did some in the day with everyone and a few at night, just with the older 3 kids at our house.  The kids are all about the radio these days and included music blaring from our front porch to add to the fun of the show.  Gray was particularly into the fireworks, with a special obsession with the names of them and his rank of each one.  The rest of the week passed in a bit of a blur--a little pool time, a lot of organizing and cleaning, some games and cooking with the kids, getting ready for the Mussers' return Sunday, and we did have our post adoption social worker visit, which was quick and easy.  We've got the new dishwasher delivered, which Matt will bravely install tomorrow, and we're ready for Week 5, which will bring us camps for Joshua and Julia, a visit from cousin Jackson (on my side), and Allie's 2nd birthday.  Bring it on!

Summer Week 3!

With summer lacrosse at its end and Gray off to Lutheridge for the week, we headed into our 3rd week of summer vacation.  Which is weird because school seems a world away from now.  Joshua had football camp each morning and spent many of the afternoons with his friend Josh, who always calls him JCrab, which just really cracks me up.  Matt worked 5 night shifts in a row to optimize overtime pay, so we didn't see him very much either.  We did some playing in the sand, some washing baby toys for Levi, and Joshua and Julia had some singing nights.

While the boys were all busy, we girls had some hang out time.  Our highlights were a trip to the Museum of Life and Science and a trip to Asheville.

We needed to drive to Asheville to pick up Gray from camp, so my aunt Cheryl graciously offered her almost finished new bedroom that she's having built to rent out on airbnb.  It's coming soon if you need a place to stay in Asheville--nice big room and bathroom with a porch and in a great location!  Our brief visit turned into a birthday party family gathering for my cousin Costner, so I got to see my sister and her kids, my mom, my uncle, my grandmother, and of course the birthday boy.  Until his recent surgery at Duke, I had not seem Costner in years and it was so good to be with him and get ot know his personality a bit.  He was pretty subdued at first, but then Grandmama sat by him and before we knew it, he was laughing like crazy.  A skype call with his sister in London made the laughs keep on coming.  Great family visit.  

Then Cheryl, Julia, Allie, and I drove around Asheville, getting the tour from Cheryl.  We stopped and played at a splash pad downtown, which Julia loved so much and Allie loved as long as I held her.  Fun trip!  Julia did not want to go home and had a bit of moping once we got back here the next day.  

Gray had a great week at camp.  He was full of stories for a good part of the trip home, then conked out for awhile.  Think it was great for him to get away and basically play all week.  He was a little miffed at having to be told what to do and do chores again at home.  :)

We finished the weekend with finally all 6 getting back to church, then taking our broken dishwasher to the dump (it's actually not been as bad as I thought not having one the last 3 weeks--we just have everyone wash their own dishes...but we get a new one Wednesday), and hitting up the very crowded pool.  Now for week #4, which doesn't include much beyond a 4th family gathering and FINALLY getting to welcome home the Mussers from China this weekend!!

Summer Life

Well we gracefully exited the potty train after Allie was holding her pee for 6 or 7 hours.  She is now back to her happy self and loving her "bye-puhs" (diapers), so I think she's not ready.

Our other summer days have been full-- lots of cleaning and organizing for me and the kids.  Some trips to the pool.  A last lacrosse tournament in VA.  Gray heading off to his first sleep away camp.  Board games, books, playing outside, and movies.  A little kid cooking.  Julia facetiming Rani and going outside to talk on the phone like a teenager.  Plans for us to visit the Sethupathys in NY this summer- yay!  Keeping up with the Mussers in China, who now have their little boy.  Lots to be thankful for these days.

It's not my favorite

Since our little miss is almost 2 and since it will be harder to do once she's going to preschool in the fall, I decided to try to potty train her.  Also I'm already tired of washing diapers and how after awhile they just never smell clean.  Anyway, in my experience, having potty trained 3 kids previously does not make one an expert or guarantee this process will be easy or fun.  I detest potty training and all those feelings came roaring back to me with child #4 as well.  I think we are on day 4 and she's peed in the little froggy potty a couple times, with lots of celebrating from the family, which she loves.

We know from her first month with us that she's fully able to tell us when she has to go and now from the past few days I know she can hold it too--she often won't give in and go for the first time till 11am when she's been up since 7.  And yet, as with all of our other children, she doesn't like to go potty and you can't make her.  :)

So it's not been fun times around here and I may give up and try later if it doesn't get better.  But for now, in this week we have at home with nowhere to be and not much to do, I'm going for it.  We got her some underwear at the store today.  Smallest size they carried.  They will barely stay up on her!  But she was pretty proud of them.

In other similar news, an unnamed big brother (pictured above) bashfully came down this morning and told me that they had all been up playing with Allie and she had such a smelly dirty diaper that he decided to change it by himself.  He didn't do such a bad job at it either.  Put her clean cloth diaper on backwards, but everything was covered.  He felt embarrassed at doing such a disgusting task, but I was pretty proud.  I thought gaining this baby sister might be character building for the other kids and I think that it has been.