Class time

Last night, Jason and I braved the first winter snowstorm of the year to go to our first of two classes at the adoption agency. It is after you take this class that you can contact your social worker and get the ball really rolling on the homestudy process. We were given a hard cover 3-ring binder with loads of paperwork and were told that this is just the beginning. People can be so finicky when you want to adopt a child.....sheesh. :) I have a list of things to do and people to call. Everyone from the doctor's office to schedule checkups for me and Jay to the police station to get fingerprinted (that should be interesting). It was pretty exciting cuz as we get going on this, it just makes it seem more real. So far, it's been this thing we talk about and save up for, but with nothing tangible to really hold onto.....it's seemed surreal. I'm sure as we continue on, it will only feel more and more real. We really like this agency so far. Everyone we meet just couldn't be nicer and more helpful. I know we made the right choice with them.

They said that the homestudy takes 2-4 mos. and totally depends on us and how quickly we do our paperwork and get our meetings/classes taken care of. We also will be having 4 reference letters included in it, so if you get a request for one on our behalf....get 'er done!....Oh, and Thanks! :)
Woohoo...I'm so excited!

Sunday Snapshot

This week it's Timmy's turn. So far I've done Tyler, Tony, and Tanner.

Timmy is my second born kiddo. He's 10 yrs. old and in 5th grade now and I'm always amazed at how time flies. Everyone always says that once they start school, it whizzes by.....they are not kidding.

When I was 7 mos. pregnant with Timmy, Jason was sent overseas for 7 mos. We were short timers in NC, so I decided it would be best to move home and be by family during that time. I was preparing myself to be in the delivery room without my hubby, but 3 days before I was to be induced, he got the okay to come home. What a blessing! He was there for a week and had to leave us again when Timmy was only 7 days old. I still remember the scene in the airport with him holding him and crying.



He has been a smiley kid since day one. He's got a face that will break hearts someday. His Kindergarten teacher once asked me how I could resist that smile. :)



When he was 2, he fell and knocked out his front tooth. We got quite used to him not having it for the next 4 yrs.



He's always been a pretty athletic kid. Being quick and agile and good at sports has come easy to him since he was little. He has been in wrestling for 4 yrs. now and is so impressive. One of the other parents on his team would always tell her son to watch Timmy when he was wrestling so he could learn from him. He played football for the first time this fall and loved it. It was never hard to find him on the sideline, just look for the littlest kid.



He is the kind of student who has to work twice as hard as many others to get decent grades. Most of the time I think he just doesn't want to so he doesn't. When he puts his mind to something, he can do quite well.

He had a pretty bad injury to his face this past June that will leave a scar for life on his cheek. He considers it a pretty cool battle wound......mom wishes it would go away so his face would be perfect again. Just kiddin'.....his face is perfect now....scar and all.



One source of heartache for Timmy has been his size. He is very self conscience of his height. He's always been a pretty short kid, but as he's gotten older he's more and more upset about it. He is the smallest kid in his grade (even amongst the girls) and this is just not cool for a 10 yr. old. The worst part for him is that he and Trae are almost the same size even though they are 2 yrs. apart in age. To make up for this, Timmy makes sure to remind Trae regularly that he is older and stronger. Those 2 are so competitive......I'm waiting for the day I hear them racing cars down the street....God, help me.
I always catch him standing on his tip-toes when he's in pictures. So sweet.



Timmy is now called Tim at school......a change I can't and won't get used to. I tell him he will always be Timmy to me. When he's got gray hair and kids of his own, I'll call him Timmy. He just laughs. He tells me often how much he loves me and is very affectionate. He used to always tell me when he was little that he was going to marry me. :)



I really think that boys consider their mom's their first "love"....like the first girl they really loved. It's hard to explain if you don't have a son, but they definitely have an affection for their mom's that is precious. I'll take every bit of it while I can.

It's official

Taking into account that nothing major changes in the next 6 weeks (loss of job, house fire, roof caving in....) I have officially decided that I am going to quit daycare in January. Can I get a WOOT WOOT!!! It's just not as worth it as it used to be. I was making twice as much most of the year and during the summer.....but now is different. Here's why. I'm going to go back to work on Fridays like I used to and I am totally willing to go in on Wednesdays too....morning or evening.....if I need to. If I am booked, I can make up all that I am making now with daycare just adding those 2 days (only about 10 hours, I might add). Kinda seems like a no-brainer when you put it that way. Course, I have to be booked....but that will work out. The more I'm there, the easier it will be to continue to build my clientele. It's suffered over the past year and a half. When I'm not there that much, I don't have time to fit in new clients and even some of my regulars find their ways to other chairs that work more convenient hours.
I'm a little nervous....excited...but nervous to change my daycare countdown. What if I jinx it? What about that whole 'roof caving in' thing I mentioned. Ya just never know. But......I have to be positive. Okay, here goes. I'm positive that I am tired of doing this. I'm positive that I will enjoy my cruise (have I mentioned my cruise) SO much more! I'm positive I will be less crabby, tired, and overwhelmed. I'm positive my house will be cleaner. I'm positive my husband and kids will be happier. I'm positive I will sleep in on my kids' days off of school. I'm positively excited that it helped us get completely out of debt. And I am POSITIVE that it will all be worth it! Thank you Lord for the opportunity to make this extra money so that we can realize our wish to bring home the little girl that you have created and formed just for us.
WOOT WOOT!!! ....er, I mean, Amen.

Decisions, decisions....

I swear I'm going to go insane trying to figure out if I should quit daycare sooner than my April 1st deadline. Is everyone sick of hearing about this yet...??? I am.
After Friday, I am down to 4 kids. I am planning on keeping Elle since she is part time and a friend of the family.....I don't mind watching her 2 - 3 days a week. So technically, I'm doing daycare for the income I get from the other 3 kids. Add to that the fact that I am losing money by not working more hours at the shop and you have me down to about 1 kid that I am making money from (extra money). That. is. not. worth. it!
UGH!!!

Turkey Weekend

Happy Day after Thanksgiving! It's Black Friday and we are in Illinios with my in-laws for the weekend. We had a really nice Thanksgiving yesterday. Stayed at the house and everyone came over for way too much turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes. I got so full.....twice. I couldn't seem to learn from the first meal that I should take it easy on the second...reheat at 8pm...meal. Jason and my father in law were in charge of the turkey. They deep fried it! It was fondue for a 22 pound bird. Oh my gosh! I took pictures and a video of Jay lowering it in the vat of oil. It was pretty cool actually....I got a bit nervous about the kids being out in the garage around it though. They had strict instructions to stay away! It was so yummy!

I was looking through the ads yesterday to see if there were any "can't do without" items worth getting up at 3am for. There were a few and I was seriously considering going to Toys R' Us at midnight when they opened......but decided it wasn't worth it. I just remember last year when Amy and I went there......Oh. My. Lord! What a zoo! Instead, Jay and I got up at 8am, had some breakfast and took our time getting to the places we wanted to. First Walmart where I had one ad item I was really hoping for. I can't say here what it was, but let's just say it was in the electronics section and I was holding out NO hope that they would actually have any left. There was an employee in the area asking everyone if they needed help finding things.....I figured...what the heck, can't hurt to ask. I did and, as expected, he said they were gone first thing this morning. But wait......he reached behind himself into a cart of odds and ends things that had to be put away and pulled one out! I couldn't believe it. A woman next to us got excited and asked if there was another one...yep, one more. What luck was that!!

Today we'll play some pinnacle and eat some leftovers. Tomorrow it's off to see Jay's grandma Mary and then to his cousins house at night. The boys are pretty excited about seeing their cousins......they love all the new stuff they have there to play with.

All in all, having a good time! I only wish I could sleep in a bit....I've been up before 8am each morning so far. I think I miss my bed.

Lemonheads

I was looking for pictures last night for my Sunday post and came across a short video I had taken. It was from Feb. 2006 when Tanner was just a year old. I had forgotten all about it until I watched it....and then watched it again.....and then called Jason over to watch it with me. It's so adorable! The best part is in the middle with Tony. He is 2 1/2 yrs. old and too stinkin' cute!! Oh my gosh, that voice. I just had to share.

Sunday Snapshot

I've been neglecting my blog this week, so what better way to get back on board than to brag about one of the boys....an easy thing to do. ;)

This week's Sunday Snapshot is Tanner (So far, I've done Tyler and Tony) Tanner Bananner....my Tanner baby. He's going to be 5 in January and yet he is still my baby. Seems weird that when Tyler was 5, he was already a big brother to 2 others. I suppose though that it's normal to mooch on the youngest for just a bit longer.

Tanner was our big surprise baby. Everyone's gotta have one a those, huh? I had 4 boys already between the ages of 9mos. and 6 when I found out about this new little one. I was a tad overwhelmed to say the least. I will remember always that evening when I got home from work and was going to tell Jay. I sat him down and barely had to say a thing.....he knew. He always knew....he was a pro at it, in fact. I remember I started to cry. Not because I was upset....never could I be upset about the news of a new life. But I was a busy mama with 4 crazy boys and not a ton o' dough...so you get the picture. He said the sweetest things to me and made me feel a ton better. Nine mos. later, there he was....and oh my goodness, we were in love.



Since then, Tanner has been such a joy. He is a total daddy's boy....Jason's heart melts for that kid. He's a moosher for his mom....aren't all boys. And he has managed to be the one brother that none of the others ever get mad at. Seems no matter what he does to annoy, bother, distract, or bug....they take it and laugh. His brothers get as big a kick outta him as we do.



He talks with this expression on his face...his eyes moving and opening wide as he tells you something and his mouth exaggerating it's pronunciations as though every word it so vital and important....you just have to listen. It's the cutest thing and so often I find myself just grabbing him mid-sentence to pull him in for a squeeze.



He has a blankie that started out as a soft minty green receiving blanket when he was an infant. It is now an unrecognizable fraction of it's former self. It's torn and tattered....barely a fourth the size it once was. It's color is now a dirty, dingy, light-light-hardly-green-at-all color. But oh, how he loves that thing. Just the mere threat of taking it away for the day will get that kid to do just about anything for you. Frankly, I couldn't care less if he hid it away in his suitcase and brought it with him to college.......problem is, he sucks his thumb whenever it's in his hands. So, as much as I hate to.....we're going to have to "lose" it.....soon. His dentist is threatening metal contraptions and electric shock therapy if we don't break the habit. What can I say, I told you he was our baby.



He started preschool this year and has a love-hate thing going on with it. He enjoys it while he's there, but still wants to tell me every morning he goes that he'd rather not. He says he misses me too much while he's there....now, THERE is a good reason to not want to go to school. ;)



He's got a quiet nature around new people and surroundings. He can be a little unsure of himself if he's out of his comfort zone. But when he's at home....he's all boy and quiet is not even an option.

He has dimples for days........



He LOVES Cars. Cars, the movie....matchbox cars....convertibles he sees outside....anything to do with cars and he's a happy camper.



It will be really interesting to see how he is as a big brother. I know he'll be a good one, but it will be a whole new world for him. He'll lose his 'baby' position. Well.....I'm sure I can still keep him my Tanner baby.