Gone Fishin'

Buddy: "Mama, can I go fishin'?"

Me: "Sure, Buddy" (Except we don't live on a body of water!)

Buddy: "Mama, can I get my pole?"

Me: "Sure, Buddy" (I was busy, not really paying attention to his question)

Several minutes later I asked Brooklyn where Buddy was.

Brooklyn: "He's out fishin'." She says it like he goes 'fishin' all of the time.

Then I look out the window and sure enough, he's fishin'.

TLC

With five kids 8 and under our home is practically a war zone. Someone is always getting a bump, bruise or scraped knee. One of my favorite things to witness is how all of the siblings know exactly what to do when someone gets hurt.

Step One: One child runs up stairs to retrieve the favorite 'night-night'.

Step Two: One child immediately holds/hugs the hurting sibling.


Step Three: One child runs to the freezer for the ice pack.

If steps 1-3 fail, Step Four ALWAYS does the trick.

*Squeeze your siblings buns until they giggle.

MUSIC

I have been trying to post this video for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, our Internet service has made everything on the computer very challenging. If you are picturing me crouched over the computer on the ground in the corner of the school room, you've got it right. Thanks to my dear husband, last night the issue was resolved (did you hear the cheering?). The computer is another story, this post is about MUSIC; precious, beautiful MUSIC!

My Aunt and Uncle in Idaho packed up their van along with their eight kids and came to California for a visit (yep, more cheering!). We haven't seen Aunt Jo since our trip to Ukraine. And the rest of the bunch, well, it's been a long time. One of our favorite nights during their visit included a family concert. They are ALL extremely musical.

The following is a song WRITTEN by Katie(21). She is singing in three part harmony with her sisters Grace(16) and Ruthie(12).



(Chills? yea, me too!)

Check this out...

http://www.whatshannisaw.blogspot.com/

They keep getting cuter!

SNEAK PEAK

Stacy and Jeff's ENGAGEMENT photo!

I'm a SUCKER...

for my kids anyway. So when my biggest boy looked up at my with his piercing blue eyes and asked me to catch a snake for him a COULDN'T refuse. I tried to think of an excuse why I should trap the the cold-blooded creature slithering up my driveway, but Buddy was too convincing. He REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to show it to Daddy, and secretly I did too.
So, I sent Buddy running inside the house to find me a plastic container. When he returned with something big enough for a few tablespoons of salad dressing, I sent for reinforcements. Bailey was quick to find a slightly bigger tupperware, approximately 4inx7in. It was small, but at this point we were wasting time. I quickly got on the ground next to the snakes head and carefully pushed his body into the other side. No, I am not BRAVE, I am CRAZY. If I had taken more than a second to think about it I never would have attempted it, but those blue eyes beckoned.
Our new snake sat at the top of the driveway all afternoon until Daddy came home. Ans what do you know, he was DEAD. Yep, I can obviously catch them, but I would not do a good job keeping them as pets- THANK GOODNESS!

Here he is... just looking at the picture make me shiver. What was I thinking?

REECE'S RAINBOW

The Reece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry (www.reecesrainbow.org) was begun in June of 2006 to promote the international adoption and rescue of orphaned children with Down syndrome exclusively. We are a registered 501(c)3 organization, and seek donations as adoption grant funds to make it possible for families to afford the high cost of international adoption. Children with Down Syndrome and other special needs are often institutionalized at the age of 4, and there is simply no place in their own societies for them at this point in history. There is no shortage of American families wanting to adopt, they just lack the funds necessary to do it!

Our 3-Year Anniversary Celebration is a special opportunity for you to make sure that Reece's Rainbow can be a voice of hope for these children for many years to come! Even if you are not in a position to adopt, you can still make a huge difference by financially supporting the continued life-saving work of Reece's Rainbow!

THIS JUNE, we celebrate three years of service to orphans with Down syndrome (and now other special needs, as well).

In that short time, Reece's Rainbow has:

* found adoptive families for (190) children in (32) countries around the world
* disbursed more than $250,000 in adoption grants for children with Down syndrome and other special needs
* been responsible for positive social change and streamlining of official adoption procedures in foreign countries
* financially supported therapy and educational projects for orphans with Down syndrome
* encouraged the development of new birth family support groups in Ukraine and Bulgaria
* expanded our family service to include adoptions by Canadian families!
* built an official Leadership Team which includes a Post Adoption Family Care program

100% of your donation goes to the child, adopting family, or fund that you designate, meaning that we rely completely on separate donations to our VOICE OF HOPE fund to remain operational. This ministry has grown exponentially, and along with it, the needs and costs to *meet* those needs have too! Our ability to serve our children and adopting families, and to expand our advocacy projects and new country programs, depends entirely on the availability of funds in this account to do so.

Please share this announcement/opportunity with everyone you know, so they too can join this celebration and become a part of this very special and successful ministry! Reach out to your Yahoo groups, Facebook and MySpace, your family and friends, your colleagues and church congregations....there has never been a better time to GIVE THE GIFT OF A FAMILY. There are no faith-based limitations on donations nor on adoption grants, so ANYONE can adopt and ANYONE can give! Just $20 from everyone you know can go a long way!! With more than (200) children on our website waiting for families, your gifts now are crucial! Click here to learn more and make your donation now! (www.reecesrainbow.org/3rdanniv.htm)

YOU ARE TRULY THE FUTURE of Reece's Rainbow! We can not do any of this without your gifts, your prayers, and your advocacy efforts.

Hey Man

Did your mom forget to pack your beer hat?

Singin' in the Rain

Bridal Shower

Thursday afternoon I hosted a bridal shower for Stacy. It was a very sweet and simple. A menu of Summer salad (grilled chicken, spring mix, gorgonzola, raspberries and candied walnuts) with warm homemade scones and artichoke dip was followed by fresh fruit with a chocolate sauce. The fellowship was just as sweet and at times down right HILARIOUS...



We were cracking up because Papa told Buddy to 'make the ladies laugh', and Buddy turned around and swatted Papa on the buns. Oh Buddy!

ONE DECADE

SWEETS,

It's hard to believe that our Wedding Day was 10 years ago today.































YOU complete ME.


All my LOVE,
FOREVER.

Sweet Lips

That's my BABY. He has the sweetest kisses on the planet. And right now at 2 1/2 he happily and eagerly passes them out to everyone. Once you get him started, he doesn't stop. After every kiss he repeats, "MORE?" Seriously folks, could you say no?

I Loved This

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never
blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up
to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an
answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't
save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. Yield.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will
this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or
didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw others', we'd grab
ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

PAPA

I have been trying to figure out all day just what I could write today. It's my Dad's birthday. Today he turned 61. I wrote in his birthday card that I don't think that he looks his age. I don't think he acts his age either. How many men in their sixties volunteer (or agree, as is sometimes the case) to take care of 4 kids under seven. My dad does, in fact he claims the best part of his week is 'Donuts on Friday'. Every Friday morning around 8am the kids anxiously grab the phone to call papa. "When are you coming to get us, Papa", is all that is usually said and Papa is on his way. We live a little over a mile apart but those few minutes seem like an eternity to the kids. They squeal as the door creaks open and Papa walks in. Nobody gets the knock-down greeting that Papa gets from the kids. He is the most anticipated visitor in our home. Dad loads the kids up in the car that he had to buy as our family expanded. After all, doesn't every grandpa roll with 4 carseats in the back of their car?




Friday morning consists of not only time at the Donut shop (they've been to every one in town), but also a trip to the park. Yep, Papa takes them to swing on the swings, slide down the slide, run in the grass, and get dirty in the sand box. When they are worn out and tired, they go back to his house to cause havoc over there. Again, how many men in their sixties would have the patience for my four hooligans? ONLY PAPA!



My dad's commitment to be involved doesn't end there. He also takes the 3 oldest to sports practices twice a week, doesn't miss a single race, babysits so that Mike and I can go to bible study- the grocery store- or out on dates.

It all boils down to this I think. Dad is an extremely loyal family man who loves his family more than anything. Ask any of my kids. Papa ranks #1 in their book. He is creating memories that will be with them forever.



Happy Birthday PAPA,
We LOVE You!!!

Can you hear them????

WEDDINGS BELLS are ringing all around me!

My cousin, STACY, is getting married and I couldn't be more excited. This is one wedding that we have been praying for SEVERAL years...probably since she was 16 and I was fixing her hair for Prom. Mike and I could go on and on about how proud we are of Stacy (and we do sometimes, I think she is sick of it!). Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she GLOWS on the inside. And the fact that she is getting married to a wonderful man (he's merely a boy in my book) makes our hearts sing!

Sweet, sweet Stacy...can you believe that I used to carry her around in a front pack?


My 'little cousins' are not so little anymore...which is WONDERFUL for me. I am blessed to call them my FRIENDS!


Off to work on some wedding plans...!!!

BUDDERSON

Happy Birthday to my BIGGEST boy.

Memorial Day 09'

Don't just have a bbq today enjoying the time off from work. Today is a Holiday for a reason...stop and remember.

The following was written by my friend, Shelley. Her husband is one of the countless husbands fighting for our freedom.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop for a moment and remember this holiday weekend.
Stop and remember the men and women who have willingly volunteered to give all that they have for the freedom that we take for granted on a daily basis. They don’t care what your political beliefs are…..they just care that you have the freedom to express them.
Stop and remember those left behind.
Stop and remember that it is only by the grace of God that you were not born in a war torn country on the other side of the world.
Stop and remember that it is only because of these men and women that those wars haven’t trickled over into this country.
Stop and remember that right now…as you are reading this….there are thousands of men and women all over the world that are praying that they aren’t going to be the one that’s asked to pay the ultimate price for this country today.
But know that they are willing to do so if it’s necessary.
Stop and remember that of those thousands of people, some of them won’t come home.
Stop and remember.
That’s how you honor them.

One year ago...

This is a picture of my boy one year ago. He was living in an orphanage across the globe.




This is what we were doing one year ago- TODAY -sending balloon messages to a little boy that we only knew through a picture. A boy that we hoped to call our own.



Here we are today! Lots of hugs and kiss for the boy who has blessed our lives forever.


Happy 5th Birthday to our littlest love.

Oregon Trip- part 3

Because I can't stop myself, here is another picture of that little yummy LOVE.



This is Aubrey Joy. She is the little sister that is generally left out because the 'big' girls are paired up and doing their own thing. I feel especially close to Aubrey after this past trip. We are still not sure why, but Aubrey thinks I am a PRINCESS. I know, strange huh, she's almost 3...it kind of makes sense. It was pretty darn cute to hear her little lispy voice asking if Princess could brush her hair or if Princess could put on her shoes. I'll tell you what, I'd do ANYTHING for that little lady...the princess part was icing on the cake (the piggies in her hair are an added bonus too).


A highlight from the trip was our daily trek to the Water Treatment Facility behind the Hellberg's house. I took the 5 girls on bikes, scooters, and a stroller. They LOVED racing down to the pond to see how many tadpoles they could find (and catch). Oregon is BEAUTIFUL. You can see what all of the rain does for their plants and trees.





And unlike my friend, Jeanne, who accidentally showed up for an event dressed exactly like her girlfriend a few weeks ago, this was PLANNED. Yep, every place we rolled (even to the kitchen table) they were dressed like TWINS. ALWAYS!



Krissy and I decided to forgo the twin apparel and stuck closer to sweats and workout gear. We had a ton to catch up on and weren't about to waste time getting pretty. Instead we snuggled the baby on the couch and laughed together as we thought back seven years ago. We each had one kiddo (not 9 between us). Our days were carefree back then, walking the mall and dressing up our babies. Life was sweet, but I'll tell you, neither one of us would trade today for what we had back then...it just keeps getting sweeter.

Oregon Trip- part 2

This is baby GAVIN. All I can really say is that this little baby is a slice of HEAVEN. I spent all four days of our trip snuggling and smelling this one. It does not get any better than this.