Home Sweet Home

Ashleigh came home from soccer camp today...she had a great time at the lake with her grandparents and cousins in the evenings. She enjoyed the day at soccer camp, said she learned some new skills, but it was a lot of work! I am so happy to have my family of four together again. Jay-R gave his sister a huge bear hug at bedtime. And on the way to the zoo tonight, he said in the sweetest voice, "I like your hair Ate." I love it when they get along!!!!

And another homecoming...Baby J came home and is doing well. The doctors will continue to monitor him but his mommy is so relieved to finally be home!

The Rat Race...

This was what I was dreading when I had to go back to work. Life is so crazy!

There is always something that needs done...like our re-occurring green pool. We are not sure what the problem is this year, but our pool keeps turning green. It looks nice for a few days and then the green returns. I'm all for going green but not in my pool! I dumped a bunch of chemicals in tonight so hopefully tomorrow morning, it will be a little clearer.

Jay-R is now officially on a kindergarten roster! This is a relief because school starts in a month which reminds me that we have the kindergarten packet we need to finish working on. His preschool teacher had a mini conference with me which was encouraging to see everything he has been working on. At home, it's all about play. It's hard to get him to sit down to work on letters and things in the evening, and we have just been really busy.

Along the adoption news, we have one more post placement visit which will happen in September. And, we have found an adoption attorney who will work with us when we have to go to court to finalize which will hopefully occur in October, November at the latest. I've never set foot in a court room. My husband...well just a few times for those teenage speeding tickets!

I am really trying to find a sense of balance. Before Ashleigh went to soccer camp, we had a heart to heart about her one on one time with her parents. She is really missing this. My friend who adopted a little girl had told me to be really mindful of my daughter's feelings. She said when they adopted their little girl, their older daughter was really excited and loved to show off her sister to everyone (like Ash) but she really missed her mom time. We are trying to set aside time just for her. Since Jay-R goes to bed so much easier and sleeps through the night most nights, this is becoming a little easier. Ashleigh and I have a shopping date planned in a few weeks, too. My friends who have more than one child have made comments about how hard it is to divide time and attention between two children. It is a challenge. And besides one on one time with my kids, I need one on one time with me. I am an introvert. I love people but I need my quiet time to myself. I just read an article about introverts and it made a reference to introverts becoming irritated when they don't have enough time to themselves. I don't need a lot of time...just a few quiet moments. I love the mornings. I'm trying to get more sleep, too, and trying to start exercising again. And, I need to start writing again. (Most writers are introverts :) ). I received some great encouragement today and I am determined to get back into my writing. I write Christian fiction and belong to American Christian Fiction Writers. I'm aspiring, not published yet, but I love to write. I'm hoping to go to the ACFW conference in 2010 so that gives me a year to work on things.

So, even though life is crazy with an 11 year old and 5 year old and Vacation Bible School week starts Sunday...I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know the years go by fast and soon our nest will be empty. So it's up to me to figure out how to find balance and figure out how to win the rat race. I know I need to take care of me so I can take care of my family. And some things just aren't as important. That dust on the piano will just have to stay there one more day....

A little improvision

I've been wanting to make Jay-R the Filipino spaghetti recipe I found online but I haven't had a chance to go to the Asian grocery store to get banana ketchup. The store is 35 minutes away and working full-time doesn't allow much free time. So, I improvised a little. The spaghetti sauce in the Philippines is sweet so I bought Sweet Tomato Basil spaghetti sauce and added some brown sugar. Then, I added cut up hotdogs which are also in Filipino spaghetti. Jay-R completely cleaned his plate and told me two or three times that he loved the spaghetti and it tasted like White Cross (his orphanage) spaghetti.

On another note, Ashleigh is staying at her grandparents all week and attending a day soccer camp. I just talked to her and she sounds pretty tired. She didn't want to leave her brother for a week. And last night, he went to bed crying for his sister. Those two may argue, but they completely love each other. He looks up to his Ate and she loves helping him and showing him new things. It is a challenge dividing time between two kids 6 years apart in age, but it is such a blessing watching the two of them bond. I have a close relationship with my sister and it is my hope that the two of them stay close as they grow up.

Zoo Pics!

Here are some pics from Tuesday's trip to our local zoo. You won't see any animals except for the one wild tiger because we spent most of our time in Nature's Neighborhood, the new children's area. There was a stream to put your feet in, an indoor area for many interactive activities, and a petting zoo with goats. It was fun and both kids enjoyed themselves although Ashleigh was ready to leave before her brother. The excitement wears off much faster for an 11 year than a 5 year old, but we all had a great time!

Exhausted...

Jay-R is a ball of energy! He is full of stories, full of action, full of ideas. Each day is another day to play and explore. I had a brief meeting with his preschool teacher this morning and lo and behold that boy does know his letters. She had page after page of letters he had written. At home, it is hard to find time to sit him down to work on things and then when we do have time, he would rather play and it's like pulling teeth to get him to do anything without a bribe! So, it was reassuring to know how much he really does know when he applies himself in an academic setting.

Tonight, I am just feeling absolutely exhausted and so ready to go to bed. It has been dreary all day so that always makes a person tired. Things at work are really busy, things at home are really busy with just keeping the house up, and we have adoption paperwork we need to complete since we decided to change agencies in order to stay with our social worker who changed positions. Having two children, especially instant preschooler, is still an adjustment for us all. At 9 pm tonight, I was thinking, before Jay-R I was always in bed by 10 or 10:30. With Jay-R, there is the whole bedtime routine with stories, tucking in, the music, and now, staying in his room. It usually takes him about 15 minutes to fall asleep once he is settled in his bed. I keep wondering what a full-time job, two children in school (one kindergarten, one sixth grade) and coaching a kindergarten soccer team and assist coaching a U12 girls traveling soccer team, and church activities will be like in the fall....oh, and community band practice when I am able to make it. I know moms do it all the time but I am still adjusting. It's only been 4 months, so I am labeling myself as still adjusting. Truly, I am thankful how well things are going and how life feels "normal" most nights but every now and then, I have these completely exhausted days.

And this crazy July weather....where is summer? I'm posting some pictures in our pool to remind me and everyone else that it really is summer and it will come back...it has to!

A Busy Day Off...

Today was my day off although I went to a meeting this morning for area Activity professionals. We meet monthly to swap ideas, share concerns, and plan events for our residents and other professionals. This was my first meeting since my return to work. I had to go to the bank after the meeting and take over the treasurer duties which I was elected to in November with the understanding that I would not take office until after my return from my LOA. I know....one more thing to do, one more responsibility but I love being a part of this group. It's a great networking, professional group for our profession. So, while I was at the meeting, Ashleigh had her first babysitting experience. It was only for a few hours, and Kory and I are completely confident in our daughter's ability to react to just about any situation. At this point, there is no way I would leave him with her for a long period of time, after dark, or if we were going out of town any distance but for a short time span, it is fine. She did great, and they had a great time together. It makes me remember my first babysitting experience...I was 11 years old, and my sister and I were watching a little boy and a baby. We had no idea how to change a diaper. And then I remember another experience watching a little boy and girl who liked to pretend they were dogs and they actually bit me! So, Ashleigh had it pretty easy today!!!

After coming home, we headed to the zoo to the new children's area called Nature's Neighborhood. It was neat, colorful, and interactive. Both kids enjoyed it. We had enough time to see some animals in the regular part of the zoo before heading to the hospital to see my cousin and Baby J. The plan is he should be discharged tomorrow if all goes as planned. The doctors are still monitoring brain activity due to potential risk of seizure activity. My cousin can't wait to return home with Baby J and to be with her hubby and other son. Baby J appears to be doing okay and doctors will continue to monitor his condition. It was so good to see my cousin and spend some time with her. Thanks for all the prayers. She really does appreciate them!

Once we returned home, we had some Filipino cuisine tonight. I made chicken adobo...not from scratch but using a mix I had purchased at an Asian grocery store. It was good but salty. For dessert, we made halo halo. The hardest part was getting our blender to crush the ice. I think our blender has seen better days. Kory was mixing it with a wooden spoon until the blender ate the tip of the spoon and he realized there were mini pieces of wood mixed in with ice. Oops. That ice went down the drain and we started all over. If you're not familiar with halo halo, the recipe I used called for 1T shaved ice, 1 teaspoon each of small pieces of mango, honeydew, pineapple, and banana, 1 T. of evaporated milk, and ice cream. You add the ice first, then the fruit, pour on the evaporated milk, and then add a scoop of ice cream. We chose to use Edy's Mango Ice Cream...it is awesome and tastes like the mango ice cream we had in the Philippines. You mix the stuff all together when you eat it. Jay-R liked it and thanked me for making it. He had one little problem, though. The glass was sitting on the TV tray. He was walking on the couch cushion (which he is not supposed to do), slipped on the edge of the cushion, and hit the corner of the TV tray with his hand. Halo halo went flying everywhere and was in his hair and all over his face. I escorted him to the bathtub and let him finish the little that was still left in the glass. Oh, well, there's no use crying over spilled milk, or in this case flying halo halo!

My Weekend

I was going to blog last night but I totally forgot about the 7:30 am soccer practice this morning so I opted to go to bed instead...tomorrow is my day off so I have all kinds of time right now. Ashleigh is reading to her brother and all is calm in my house at the moment.

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Friday night was a fun, stay at home, family movie night. Our second we've had with Jay-R. That kid loves TV. We watched Marley and Me. He was a little bored in the beginning but loved the crazy things Marley did. It reminded us all of our beloved Franklin who knocked my daughter into the splits position this morning by tugging on the toe of her soccer sock. Crazy dog! Jay-R was a bit confused by all the crying we were doing at the end of the movie and he wanted Mommy to stop so he could have the ice cream I promised.

Saturday, I was able to spend some time with my sister and niece and nephew. That is always fun. My sister and I are only a year apart (I'm older) and we have always been close. My niece wanted to see cousins Jay-R, Ashleigh, and Uncle Kory because "they're really nice." So, she had told my sister to call Aunt Tammy. I was feeling a little left out...aren't I nice, too? Kids are funny.

Saturday night I had the awesome opportunity to meet my bloggy friend Rachel's parents, grandparents, uncle, and sister E. I was thrilled to death to meet them. They were in town for a wedding reception. Crazy that her sister married a guy from where I live of all places. We enjoyed nice visits. It felt like we had known each other for a long time. Jay-R warmed right up to them as you can see in the pics. I got to chat with Rachel on the phone. Too fun! We are hoping to meet someday. Adoption bonds people...the blog world has been such a source of support throughout this whole adoption process. I enjoy the connections with others who are adopting from the Philippines. I can't wait until we can get our two boys together....oh, the energy! Thanks Rachel for arranging everything...it was a lot of fun!

Sunday, Ashleigh and I went to a mother daughter lunch at Red Lobster. I love Red Lobster. We both had broiled fish. Ash is on a salad kick so she had a salad, too. Since she just got her braces Thursday, she is somewhat limited in what she can eat but she said the more dressing on the salad, the easier it is to eat! After lunch, we went to the Croswell Opera House, the oldest continuously running theater in Michigan. We saw High School Musical 2 on stage. It was a absolutely wonderful...really, it was professional quality. We both really enjoyed it.

It was a great weekend. I really enjoyed the time with Ashleigh, being able to chat in the car without any interruptions. I love my little boy but seriously, he talks non-stop from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed unless he is watching TV!

Kindergarten...

The school called Friday. Apparently, the mix-up was that there was a note by Jay-R's name stating we would call if we felt he was emotionally and socially ready to start. I had a conversation with the principal back in May with some questions/concerns I had and the preschool had shared with me. The principal was wonderful and reassured me. I think we just left the conversation with a different understanding. Apparently, he thought I was going to call back and follow-up while I thought we were to call only if we did not want him to start. So, it's just a miscommunication. We'll know his teacher next week. That's a relief. I was hoping this concern didn't drag out until August.

I've had a great weekend so far but tomorrow promises to be a great day, too. Ash and I have a girls day out planned. So, I'll blog about the whole weekend, pictures included tomorrow night. Til then....goodnight all and enjoy your Sunday!

Names...

Have you ever typed your name in a google search just to see who else out there has the same name as you or if you can find anything on the internet about you? I've done it, and there are lots of people with my name out there. Well, just out of curiosity, I typed Jay-R in the google search...just his first name to see if it would bring up anything. Well, lo and behold, there is a Filipino singer named Jay-R. We are thinking given the unique spelling of our son's name, that maybe he might have been named after this singer. Here's his website:
http://www.jayrsmusic.com/
Apparently, he's pretty popular in the Philippines and his albums have done very well. I just found this very interesting. I showed Jay-R the website of singer Jay-R and my Jay-R said, "That's me, big!" I corrected him that no, it wasn't going to be him when he was bigger, they just had the same name. He has a Christmas album out that I think I will get Jay-R. I listened to some music on youtube. He has a good voice, very R&B. We found that to be very interesting, and it gives some insight into the possible story behind Jay-R's name. It's nice to know the story behind your name. We chose Ashleigh's name because it was the only girl's name we both agreed on, and the spelling was a last minute decision. She was going to be Ashlee but someone a few grades younger than me spelled it with leigh, and I always thought it was pretty. The story of names...

An update on Baby J...we visited them at the hospital tonight. He is doing better. He has to stay 14 days to finish off the course of antibiotics but all tests are looking okay. Of course, doctors will want to keep a watch on him. With bacterial meningitis, there is risk of seizure activity. Thanks for your continued prayers! It was great to see my cousin, and I even got to hold that precious little babe!

Oh, where, oh where is Jay-R?

Don't worry...I know where my son is at this very moment...in bed trying to fall asleep. What I don't know is why my son's name is no where to be found on the fall kindergarten class list? Ashleigh went online to the school website and found the class lists. We looked and looked through those lists and Jay-R was no where to be found. I double and triple checked thinking maybe, just maybe they had spelled his name wrong. Nope, he's not there. I know we were at kindergarten registration in April. The only requirement to start kindergarten is to be age 5 by I think August 31st. His assessment score wasn't the greatest but then again, he had only been here one month at that time. His English has grown by leaps and bounds. And they knew we don't have an Ohio birth certificate yet. So, I'm wondering....how was his name overlooked? I left a message on the school answering machine but it's summer and they won't be in the office regular hours until the beginning of August. Just one more thing to add to my ever growing to do list...Make sure son is put in a kindergarten class. I'm sure it's an oversight, but the frustrating things that happen to us...

On a less stressed happy note, Ashleigh received Honorable Mention for her 4-H jumer. The pictures are on my other computer so I'll have to post those later. She did a great job on her "joyful jumper." Thanks Mom for helping her!!!

Vacation and Baby J update...

First, the important things...Baby J is still in the hospital...he needs lots of prayers, his condition is the same and he will probably be in the hospital around 3 weeks...thanks so much for continued prayers!

Vacation...Both Kory and I always took summer vacations with our families. My family liked to see as many places as we could in as few days as possible...I remember asking my dad once why I couldn't sleep in on vacation...but I am thankful because I have seen lots of the country, Mexico, and Canada. Kory's family vacationed the same place every summer-Hilton Head Island. It's beautiful there but it's a very different way of vacationing than I was used to. So, we have learned to blend both of our traditions and likes together when we vacation. This year, with the adoption expenses and the trip to the Philippines, we knew we would need to vacation on a budget, so that's what we did. We traveled to Mohican State Park and kept our money in our own state...which needs it! We camped for the week and had a great time.

Day 1-After a restful night sleeping (I love sleeping in the camper, it's so peaceful), we finally motivated ourselves to get moving. We visited Malabar Farm State Park, a working farm that belonged to Louis Bromfield. He wanted his farm preserved for generations to come. I had never heard of him....he was an author, and was more well known in his day than Ernest Hemingway. He lived in Ohio, New York, Paris, and then back to Ohio to farm. His passion was farming. He was responsible for educating farmers about farming techniques. We toured the large farm house where people like Shirley Temple and Humprey Bogart frequented often. The house has been left in its original state when Bromfield died. You could still see the marks where the boxer dogs had scratched the door frames. There were a couple of Grandma Moses paintings, too. It was interesting, and I requested a few of his books from my library when I came home. We also fished at the farm which Jay-R was very excited about. Both kids really wanted to catch something but no such luck. Kory and I were happy because we did not want to remove fish off the hooks! We relaxed that night with a swim in the pool and of course, a campfire before bed. I tend to sleep lightly when we camp and was awakened to hear the ice moving around in our cooler outside the camper. I peeked through the screen window and saw a fat raccoon digging around in our cooler. Kory and I scared him off but not before he ate some of our sausage and hamburger patties! We stacked the pop cooler on top to keep him and his buddies out!

Day 2-We went hiking at Mohican State Park. Jay-R hiked the entire 2 miles to the mini waterfall which was more like a trickle. He did get completely soaked standing under the water. Ashleigh quickly ran under it. They both agreed it was cold. Jay-R's motivation to hike was that when the hike was over, he was allowed to swim in the river. We let both kids play around in the river for awhile. It was shallow, and the current was very gentle. After that, we chickened out and didn't climb the 80 foot fire tower. It felt wobbly as we climbed the steps and Jay-R was making me nervous. I hate heights. We enjoyed another evening relaxing.

Day 3-This was our canoe adventure day. Our last experience canoeing in the Mohican River a few years ago almost resulted in divorce. No, I'm kidding, but it was pretty stressful for Kory and I because we kept ping ponging from one bank to the next and missed our endpoint. I was pretty nervous about this trip especially since when the guys pushed us off, where did we go, but right to the opposite side. The rest of the trip was smooth floating, though. Kory and I did really well communicating and paddling together. Jay-R loved putting his hand in the water and Ashleigh enjoyed relaxing. It was so peaceful. For most of the ride, we saw no one. It was soo quiet. After that fun experience, we traveled to Velvet IceCream and enjoyed an interactive tour of how the ice cream is made. We enjoyed ice cream. They had 60 flavors to choose from and Jay-R chose plain old strawberry. We all enjoyed the ice cream and saw some Amish buggies on the way back to the campground. The horse barely moved....made for slow traveling! We made the most of our last night and enjoyed our hobo stew over the fire. Kory took the kids swimming and I tended the fire...made me nervous. I don't usually pay much attention to the fire, that's his job. I kept it going, though, and we had a great dinner!

Last Day-The park ranger came around to warn all of a storm system moving in approximately in one hour. We worked hard and tore down camp. We beat the rain and took advantage of the rain time to shower before leaving. We ran into the campstore to pick out some t-shirts and by the time we were done, the rain had stopped. The only downfall was the kids weren't able to ride go-carts as we had promised because the tracks were too wet.

We all had a great time. We haven't had much time lately to just enjoy being together without the distractions of daily life. We barely had a cellphone signal and we only had one phone since Kory took his into the lake...oops! We had no internet connection, either. It was just the four of us. Of course, it was Jay-R's first vacation, and he loved it. I was reminded, though, that even though we have been together for 4 months, we are continually adjusting to our new life. Ashleigh and Jay-R would get along wonderfully and then they would be fighting. (I know this is normal, I'm just still getting used to it!) Jay-R got upset once and went into his shutdown mode, something I haven't seen in a while. With reassurance, he snapped out of it fairly easily. I had forgotten how trying traveling with young children can be for both children and parents alike. We are glad we chose to do a short vacation close to home this year. Vacations completely throw every routine out the window. Jay-R did really well, though, with the change in sleep routines and eating routines. He amazes me with his flexibility and adaptability. I was also reminded of how much Ashleigh has adjusted. Being an only child for 11 years with an instant preschool age sibling had to be a shock to her no matter how much she was thought she was prepared. She did so well with him, taking him for bike rides and watching him while we cooked. She asked for bike ride time alone and we allowed her that freedom. She needs breaks, too, no matter how much she loves her brother.

It was great to feel that relaxed. We are home now, back to reality. We need to solve our light mystery in our camper. During night one, the lights in the camper quick working although the electrical plugs continued to work. Strange!

Jay-R went back to school/daycare today. He cracked me up...he ran down the stairs into his room and announced, "Hey everybody. I went camping!" What a social little guy!

Urgent Prayer Request

We just returned home from a fun vacation which I'll share about later, but I have a prayer request to share with you....for everyone who believes in the power of prayer and God's ability to heal...my cousin's almost 3 week old baby J is hospitalized with bacterial meningitis. It's serious and he needs a lot of prayers as well as my cousin's family. Thanks for praying....it means so much to me and to her!

Fourth of July Weekend

What a busy weekend! Jay-R is beyond tired tonight from all the activity from this past weekend. Friday, we had a family reunion at Kory's parents' house. It was fun seeing all of the family. It was a little chilly but otherwise a nice day. We stayed the night but ended up not getting any sleep. Jay-R does not share the bed well...he tosses and turns a lot. When his nighttime routine is thrown off, he does not sleep well. Three different times he woke up with these crying and kicking fits. It's like he is still sleeping. I have to stand him up and gently shake him and make eye contact with him in order to snap him out of this and reassure him all is okay. We ended up leaving early in the morning for home. I wasn't feeling good and Kory knew if he didn't get some sleep, he would be dealing with a migraine later. Ate Ashleigh was a saint and entertained Jay-R and made them both lunch so we could catch a few hours of sleep. Later that day, we went to the home of a couple from church so we could pick up Pastor Eddie and his wife Fely to spend some time with them. Eddie is a pastor in the Philippines in the Church of God, the denomination that we attend in our town. We had met Fely while in the Philippines. She and her staff had taken us to meet the little girl we sponsor in the Philippines and then took us to the Mall of Asia for a wonderful lunch and a great time. We had really enjoyed our time with them while in the Philippines and were excited to be able to spend some time with them while they were in the states.

We enjoyed a cookout with them and some friends before going to our town's fireworks. Our small town put on an awesome display with patriotic music playing in the background. The fireworks were really amazing and it was fun to hear Eddie saying, "Just beautiful." They were a little cold as it was a little unseasonably cool and they of course are not used to that weather! They told us that there are fireworks in the Philippines at New Years but they are not like this display. It was almost midnight by the time we took them home and then got home ourselves. The change from Jay-R's normal routine and the late nights resulted in another night of the late night screaming fits. Three times between 2-2:30, he woke up kicking, screaming, and crying but he wasn't really awake. I had to do the same thing as the night before. The third time, I turned on his Bible songs and that seemed to help because he didn't wake up again. Sunday morning, Eddie and Fely both shared during our church service. Fely is the director of the Children of Promise in the Philippines. Children of Promise is the Church of God child sponsorship program that we sponsor our girl through. I put the link on our blog...consider sponsoring a child...it really does make a difference in a child's life.

After church, we went to lunch with Eddie and Fely and another couple from church. By this time, Jay-R had warmed up to them both. (When he first meets people or sees someone he hasn't seen in while, he hides his face on my shoulder). Jay-R sat by Fely or "Silly Fely" as he called her. She kept pointing to items and calling them by the Tagalog word. Jay-R told her, "No, that's a cup." They had been trying both days to get him to say something in Tagalog. Kory and I wonder how much he has forgotten and how much he is refusing to use it. After lunch, we drove them to their next destination. I enjoyed chatting with Fely in the car and learning more things about Jay-R's country of birth. The wonderful thing about international adoption is that it opens your family's world to a whole another world. When we had started the adoption process, our social worker had told us we were forever changing our family tree and family history. Our family has been enriched by Jay-R's adoption in so many ways. The obvious-we have a beautiful little boy. But, beyond that, we have met so many wonderful people. The Filipino people we have met have all been so warm and so willing to share about their culture with us. We have been given the experience of visiting another country and having our eyes opened to the needs of the world. But as Fely points out, these people have so little in a material sense but their smiles-they love God so much. It's awe-inspiring to think the same God I serve is the same God these people serve half way around the world. We are all truly united by the same God.

We will miss Eddie and Fely...in fact, Jay-R asked for Silly Fely today. Over dinner yesterday, Fely had told us, "He's Americanized!' She is able to see the difference in him from 4 months ago when we were in the Philippines. They have invited us to stay with them when we return to the Philippines which will be in 5-10 years when Jay-R is a little older to understand and appreciate everything. We are looking forward to the return trip to see them again!

A New Look....

I'm 30 now...I guess it's time for a change! I decided I was tired of the same old look of our blog so I opted for something different. I'll keep tweaking it until it's exactly like I want it, but for now, it's different. Change is good, right?

Speaking of new looks, here is the picture of me my co-workers posted in the building on my birthday. How could anyone miss the obvious fact that it was my birthday? Mental note to self: take a vacation day next year on my birthday!