A Fun Summer Day

We watched the Blue Angels practice. Awesome.

Bug stood and counted cars.

We bought (and ate) cherries and other fruit at the Market.

Heirloom tomatoes... the best for dinner.

The boys are JOYS.....

and life is a blessing.

Boys and their play

As a mom of five boys, I am no stranger to loud, noisy games. With 5 brothers, I understand the ways that boys play. They don't just drive toy cars, they slam them into each other and send them sailing down the stairs to perform "stunts". They don't paint with brushes when they can dip their hand in the jar of paint and fling it, sending splatters onto all their brothers. They don't walk anywhere - they run, shove, jostle, and slam. Anything with a smooth surface that will raise them a foot or two off the ground will be adopted as a step stool to reach something inappropriate that has been purposely stored out of their reach. Any food item is fair game. And so on and so on. I don't know about princesses but this ROCKS, even though I may not let them know.

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody



There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.

Wildfires in Russia

There were already so many troubles here. Nizny is home to several orphanages. Please be in prayer.

A man sits on the ground while a house burns due to severe heat, outside the town of Vyksa, some 150 km (93 miles) south-west of the Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod. Hundreds have lost their homes as a wave of forest fires continues to spread through central Russia, fueled by strong winds and record temperatures, the Emergency Ministry said. REUTERS/Mikhail Voskresensky

Just another thing I don't get.

On our old blog, http://5boysandagirl-thejourney.blogspot.com
I posted this:

JUN 3, 2008
5 Things I TOTALLY don't get


5. Condiments, you know Mayo and Ketchup.

4. "Celebrity" TV shows, i.e., Dancing with the Stars.

3. Beverages that aren't... decaf coffee, non-alcoholic beer, virgin margaritas.

2. Golf.


And the number 1 thing that I TOTALLY don't get....

Sperm for Tickets
http://www.nme.com/news/festival/35078

I know.... so weird, right?

Then today, I read this:

Ben Quayle, the son of Vice President Dan Quayle, is running for Congress in Arizona. Here, he announces that he and his wife Tiffany "are going to raise our family here." Awww. Those are his daughters, right? No? Wait, what?
Ben Quayle, as the Arizona Capitol Times realized, doesn't actually have any kids. So who are those two cherubs? Well, originally the campaign said they were "relatives of a staff member and happened to be at a campaign event," which would have been pretty funny. As it turns out, they're his nieces, so the graphic is only sort of misleading instead of totally weird.

Where is the Baby?

My baby is a big boy. After being my "baby" for almost 5 years, Pookers decided to become a toddler. That lasted about a month, and he moved right along to become a kid.

WHAT?
WHY?

Moms, we all know how fast time can go.

I have been the envy of girlfriends. My 2nd son, AJ, was a "baby" until he was 6 and a half. He was very tiny, didn't walk, talk, took a bottle; he just wanted to be held and hold his blankie. He did have many medical problems. One day he just "woke-up." He started walking, talking, chucked
the baba (bottle), engaged with his brother and others. Soon followed growth spurts, school..... a kid emerged and never looked back.

Pookers has similarly been a "baby." Coming home from Russia, in 2005, he was the size of a newborn, at a "said-to-be" age of 3. Pookers wore a size 0-3 mos. He didn't lift his head or roll over. Silent aspiration and other med issues make up another post. Today he is just over 25lbs, wearing a 2T, saying words, signing, and full-fledged potty training. He's trying to run, climbs anything (higher than Bug, but don't tell), is FEARLESS. Pookers has climbed out of his crib. He is partially dressing himself, can definitely strip, knows computers and electronics, and will only allow cuddling for brief periods of time unless sick.

Where did my baby go? I marvel at his personality and independence, as he starts to make his way on his own.

I've raced through moments, when I should have lingered longer and counted my blessings. Even though I think I notice and appreciate the little strides and difficulty of milestones, more than moms of typical kids, it is funny how quickly things change.... even for kids with Down syndrome.

So linger longer, cherish more, savor all.

...... most important day

The most important day of my life. The day my life changed forever. The day I grew up. The day someone else became more important than me. The day I touched a miracle. The day I met my son.

All of these phrases can describe the day a child enters your life, but none of them fully explain it, do they? We all know that having a baby (or a child, or a toddler) really does change everything. But it isn't something we can fully explain to the uninitiated. Parenting is a members only club, but we have a fantastic PR machine. Parents love to talk about their kids!

To this day, nothing can choke me up more than thinking about or describing the moment I first held each of my boys. Most parents feel exactly the same way

Bug and Boobah start Soccer again, YIPPEE

Heading to the goal coach.
OK! I can wait.....
I can listen but WHY are all these girls here?
I'm heading down, watch out......
Say what?????
Yep, on the line, got it coach.
You did good little bro.

RED SHIRT FRIDAY

Marines from Cpl. Joshua Dumaw’s platoon gather for a final prayer in front of his memorial stand, July 11. Dumaw, a squad leader with the Police Mentoring Team, was killed while conducting operations against insurgents in the city of Delaram, June 22. Fellow PMT Marines used today’s ceremony as an opportunity to reflect on Dumaw’s life and share personal memories of him with the rest of the unit and other Marines and sailors in attendance. Unit: Regimental Combat Team 2

Birthdays, Lakes, and Summer fun

Boohbah, Kelsea and Baby LilyBee
Bug, Tui and Adriana
Boobah and Kelsea
...........Little Angel Pookers
Boobah and Nonu
Oh Yeh, that brotherly love
"I can climb this.... rickets, schmickets...."
Love this smile on Pookers

Sometimes not mindful.

Between two grocery stops last week, I had more in the refrigerator than a family of six possibly needs. I like having options when I go to the kitchen to figure out what's for supper, but I also don't like wasting food. I try to be creative and use up what I have before it wastes. I think that is a hold-over from growing up "poor"; I didn't know we were as a kid.

I have childhood memories of fighting over who would get the last empanada or the two cherry halves in the can of fruit cocktail. But even if we ate our share of beans, strange-sounding dishes and margarine sandwiches, I have no memories of going hungry.

I quickly cut up a ripe fresh pineapple the other day. Although wonderfully sweet, I could tell that it had reached a little beyond it's peak, I gave it to the boys, and made upside down cake. The next day, what was left was brown. I threw half of the pineapple down the disposal.

Then during my daily ritual of going thru emails and checking on the kids in process, I remembered the life my littles had in the orphanage... just getting enough food and water. I thought about the wasted pineapple.

Oh, to be always mindful of what we have and to not consume more than what we need.

Red Shirt Friday

Are you wearing red today? Praying for our troops?
Please remember them each and everyday. Every breath you take of our freedom filled air..... ask for their blessing.
Have a great weekend.

RED SHIRT FRIDAY

US Troops have asked for shoes for Afghan children. many individuals and families have responded....
Look at the smile on this little girls face when a soldier gives her a new pair, her only pair BTW, of shoes :)

Pictures Today

Love thy neighbor? That's tough.

I love Independence Day with Pride and knowing I am privileged to be an American. I love BBQs and Parades, and a few fireworks. As a kid I loved to hold sparklers till I'd almost burn myself. Our neighbor, the Sargent used to have every kind of firework made; there weren't many public displays available. All the families gathered together, there were lots of kids. We watched and ooed and awwed together. A few years ago a neighbor's house burned, to the ground, started by an errant bottle rocket.

My neighbors now are gathered DIRECTLY in front of my house, not any kids mind you, the adults; and have been shooting fireworks for hours. It wasn't even close to dark. We live on a cul-de-sac, they are clearly inebriated and #$*^# thinking this is OK. These are illegal fireworks with the sort of capabilities that rival the impressive displays over Lake Union. The smell of "explosives" hangs in the air. Geesh, is this a war zone?

The "littles" are trying to sleep and Niky is sooooo restless. As I listen to explosions, shrieks, and whooshes with the associated drunken revelry produced by these genius neighbors hell bent on destruction, I wonder how many hundreds of dollars were spent to produce such a sustained artillery campaign.

Some of these explosions were so loud that they reverberated throughout the neighborhood 4-5 seconds after detonation, and the rockets the lunatics fired reached a hundred feet or more.

Several in the arsenal misfired and landed in another neighbors yard, they have an 18 month old. What if this darling little girl or any other kid were just sitting in their yard and an errant rocket hit them? The young couple came out and there was almost an altercation.

I suppose my only recourse is to take the "littles" over to play beneath their windows, in the morning, at 6:30 when they wake. Would this be payback? Perhaps if they are grouchy from lack of sleep, besides experiencing that "BOOM" enough times that diapers disappeared right and left, I can achieve a level of noise at a bleary-eyed 6:30 am to remind these folks about neighborliness.

Ultimately, I think Independence Day, the reason for, has been abandoned and has given way to an excuse for adults to drink and act like teenagers. Odd, isn't it, how easily that can happen to an adult here in America.

But then, we have a president...

Thoughts on Freedom....... Happy Independence Day

Cardinal Dulles said

"In current popular thinking, freedom is understood to mean the capacity to do whatever one pleases, without moral or physical restraints. This arbitrary view of freedom points the way to uninhibited individualism, social chaos, and defiance of moral standards. Many people imagine that entering into firm commitments, such as a vocation or a family relationship, will impair their freedom. They therefore go through life unattached, guided by passing whims rather than firm convictions. Such lives quickly become empty and meaningless...
Lord Acton and other wise thinkers have taught us that true freedom is not the same as license. It is not the power to do whatever we like but to choose what is good. Morality is not a barrier to our freedom but a condition of authentic self-realization. To make responsible commitments is not to negate our freedom but to fulfill its purpose."

and then there is by Henry Ward Beecher

“The real democratic idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other, but that every one shall have liberty, without hindrance, to be what God made him”

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12

Ever want to freeze time?

Boobah was sitting on the kitchen counter “helping” me clean up after dinner; although his idea of helping involved eating the cookies out on the plate; we baked earlier. So there we were, talking and laughing through cookies and dishes, stopping for an occasional tickle-war or a quick dance through the kitchen. He told me about his day (I think… it’s difficult to understand his mime combined with "noise" and sign) I nodded along, doing my best to convey my understanding.

I finished, Bug wiped the table and chairs, put out a clean towel and told them we were done. Boobah lifted his arms to be put on the floor and instead wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the lips. “daba dou,” he shouted on the way out of the kitchen. (“dou” is how he says both “thank you” and “I love you”.) My lips tasted the left-over chocolate chip he left behind; my heart constricted. Could I freeze time right now?

RED SHIRT FRIDAY

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA....Please remember only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you...JESUS CHRIST and the AMERICAN SOLIDER. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. GOD BLESS THE USA!
(Rita posted this as her status on FB. If you agree... copy, paste and pass..)

Life with boys

all too often includes the...................

Bug and Boobah were playing on the stairs, yes I am aware it's a bad idea; a few minutes later there was Bug screaming at the bottom of the stairs and blood was gushing. With every heart beat..... GOOSH! His tank top originally had Thomas the train on the front; just before it hit the trash you couldn't see Thomas. Totally covered in blood. So 5 kids off to the Emergency room, quickly call Auntie to meet us there for the remaining 4. Even in this situation, the nurses, waiting patients, and receptionists are all seen with their mouths open....... you can just see the "Are they all yours?" wanting to roll off their tongues. The doctor was wonderful. She is Russian, with a Neuro background. She spoke to Max, so calmly, in Russian. He clearly understood and relaxed a bit. I was so grateful.
Alas, 3 hours and 4 staples later...... Bug will survive.

Tiny Tigers

Bug/Little Man has started the Taekwondo for Tiny Tigers program. His "Sensei," coach Mitch is working to include Max in every exercise. He has trouble with the terms, not understanding... he is as good as the other 4-5year olds, but in saying them. I would as well. He is paying more attention, following directions and getting the motor skills.
Bug, and all the little boys (no girls in his class) love to scream their commands and "Grunnnnnt!" They all love the 1:1 practice. It is like watching Star Wars at times.
I can't wait to see him in his Gi. But that is only for tournaments, alas a few weeks away.