June and her tulip......

June and her tulip...The pictures are in order. June was very curious about her first tulip, hopefully more will bloom in the next few days so June can check them out!

Wednesday morning.....

Already Wednesday morning....June was playing in the family room and then went on to her new favorite place..."the lazy susan". She takes everything out and moves on to another cabinet. It keeps her very busy and I hope it pays off, maybe, when she's older she can help me put the groceries away after we grocery shop!

Happy Birthday Max.............

Happy Birthday Max! Max turns 8 today....he is energetic, loving, and full of personality, he can really keep me on my toes! The picture above is his spring school picture and the picture below is Max in the arms of his big brother the day after he was born.

The "T.J." twins on April 29, 2000.

A week in review......

This is for E....your comment on "Baby's got a new pair of shoes" was delivered to me at the perfect time....all I could do was smile, you made my day. When you hold your third daughter in your arms for the first time the wait will melt away and seem like it never happened. I know you don't believe me, but it is true. I can't wait for that day, my heart aches for you. "Soon" you will experience an emotion you did not know existed.

My week was good, June had a good week and continues to amaze me. She is funny, sweet, smart, and loving. She adds new skills daily and is a true joy. I am still trying to get used to the whole BHS thing(not having an easy time with it) and trying to minimize the episodes for June. If only I could have complete control.

The boys are continually keeping us busy. T.J. is growing up so fast and is turning into such a fine young man. Max has a birthday this week and Jake keeps us laughing. We had six soccer games this weekend and won all but one....go teams! Next week should prove to be busy with soccer practice, CCD, Fine arts night, and a few Birthday parties sprinkled in. I better get some "Wheaties".

I will try and take more pictures next week, because after all I know all you readers out there only want to see the beautiful Chinese face that blesses my days!

P.S. Sister-Mom...I tried to e-mail you but may have the wrong address. If you go to my profile you can e-mail me there...I can't wait to hear from you!

Baby's got a new pair of shoes.....

While we were in China I bought June two pairs of "squeaky" shoes. She grew out of the first pair by the time she could walk...however, the cute pair pictured above was perfect for the warm weather we had this week. June loved to squeak them! She would repeatedly stomp her foot just to hear them squeak. The funniest thing about it is that now June thinks every pair of shoes squeak. As soon as I put a pair of shoes on her she stomps her foot to see if it will squeak. If anyone is reading who will be traveling to China, buy tons of "squeaky" shoes. I wish I would have bought more, they come in all styles and colors and of course, they squeak!

Week in review.......

Although, this week was very long and somewhat stressful, this post will not be too long because I am tired. June has started getting up around 5:15am and it is wearing me out!

My week started with a bang. I had a minor medical procedure that became infected and very painful. At the same time June was cutting three teeth and had a very low threshold for holding her breath. Yes, I had to call 911 again! June is fine and I seem to be the one who can not get it together on this breath holding thing. After a little research, we have decided to make a few dietary changes to see if we can decrease the number of episodes. Also, I am trying to make sure she does not get overtired because that seems to increase the likeliness of an episode. We will see how it all goes. Today was the first "breath holding free" day in a long time....I am truly thankful! Hopefully I can begin to "de-stress"....

The highlight of the week was Max making his First Holy Communion. He has a tender heart and we are so proud of him. The other highlight of the week was a GWCA East meets West dinner. Russ, June, and I went to the dinner and were able to meet some of the staff from GWCA that helped us through our journey in China.

Last but not least a Junie update....All is not gloom and doom with the BHS. June continues to add words to her vocabulary, she will eat just about anything put in front of her, she has a strong will, she is very sweet, and she loves to be outside.

June in her red swing...

June drawing with chalk on the driveway..

....and I almost forgot Mother/Son bowling today, a good time was had by all!

Max's First Communion.....

Max looking good for his big day...

Nanie, Poppie, and Max...

Grammie and Max.....

First Communion is such a special day....and Max's was no exception!

Earthquake......

This morning at 4:40am I experienced my first earthquake. For you Californians, I know, no big deal, however for Midwesterners BIG DEAL. Russ had just left to swim and I was laying in bed. I heard a train in the distance and my bed swayed for a good 40 seconds, I thought it was a little strange, but I never thought EARTHQUAKE. Low and behold when I went downstairs with Junie at 5:30am it was all over the news. I had always thought I might have this experience in Memphis because it is on a fault line, probably the same one that shook today!

Bubbles and ball.....

June tries to use a spoon....

June tried to use a spoon, the spoon was tossed aside and fun ensued!

June goes to sleep....

We had a very long and busy day, June was definitely over tired. At 5:45 she was crying, sucking her thumb, and trying to eat dinner. By 6:oo I decided to put her to bed, she had held her breath a few times and she was too tired to even change into her PJ's(a long sleeve onsie would have to do). As I rocked her, comforted her, and held her tired body I thought of all she had been through in her short life. I hope and pray that the infinite, overwhelming love, Russ, myself, and the boys feel for her will someday ease the pain she may feel at the loss of her birth mother. I feel so blessed that God placed June in our family. June is a sweet and loving baby, the joy she has brought to our family in the last six months is immeasurable.

A week in review.....

I enjoyed last weeks "week in review", therefore, I thought I would start a new tradition on "June makes six". Unfortunately, I did not loose the car and nothing was plunged into the toilet. This week was actually pretty uneventful....we were remodel free for the week and most soccer was canceled due to weather(yes, even some snow).

Today, we had the chance to see June's 1st Birthday Photos, they are amazing. Thank you KS if you are reading, you captured Miss June the way I hope to remember her. Speaking of Miss June, she gets busier each day. When the boys were running circles around me in their toddler years I thought, " I can't wait to have a girl, she will color and play quietly with her toys and read books...", not this girl. June is a whirl wind. Her new favorite kitchen spot is the lazy susan (I know, watch her fingers). Within minutes, while I am standing in reach, June can empty both shelves and can even poor maple syrup on the floor! June continues to add to her vocabulary, most words recognizable by her family only, but she is consistent with the words she uses. Her bedtime "peek-a-boo" has become a nightly tradition and I love it! June seems the really enjoy being outside and since she doesn't seem to mind worms maybe we can get her to use the Disney Princess fishing pole we bought her to use at the cabin while we were waiting for her.

Next week is a big week at our house, Max makes his First Communion. This weekend we tried on his clothes, he looked so handsome and grown up! We look forward to his special day. On another note, the Pope will be in the United States this week, what a true honor for our country. You can follow his journey here.

Here is to a snow free 8 months!!!

June's new friend....

June found a little friend on the driveway today! Things did not fair so well for the worm.....

Hot off the press, I mean toilet paper roll....

I think June is taking after Max! We sure have had a lot of potty humour this week!

June-bug!!!

A week in review....

For those of you who visit our blog to see updated pictures of June, today is not your day. I have not taken any pics since the "Charmed" entry. Let me tell you why(for some of my friends this will be a repeat). My general state of mind is, shall I say spastic. Some of you remember I totally missed "bunco" a few weeks ago, well, this next story is very similar. I went to Home Depot to pick up one, yes, one item. I was in the store about 5 minutes, I then spent the next 20 minutes looking for my car in the parking lot. I thought, "how can someone steal a car so fast"? After, walking the aisles for a while I saw a car that looked very similar to our other car, lucky for me it was! That pretty much describes how 4 kids has affected my brain. As my good friend's son says, I am winging it. Therefore, no new pictures. However, I do have a funny story.
My youngest son is a "flusher". As I would browse children's catalogs years ago I always wondered why anyone would need a toilet lock. Well, let me tell you, Max is the reason. He has been flushing since age 1. The list includes: Russ's glasses, numerous Thomas the Tank Engines(one nicknamed Skarpoohey), Fisher Price toy coffee pots, and much more. After paying the plumber twice, Russ took over and every time something was flushed, he would take the toilet off the floor and retrieve whatever happened to be the clog of the day. This week was no exception. Yes, this week. At the age of almost eight Max flushed again. Thursday night after brushing his teeth Max missed the trash can with a 3oz. plastic cup, it fell in the toilet. Instead of sticking his hand in(or calling me to fish it out) he grabbed the plunger and pushed it in until the toilet would no longer flush. Russ knew one of his weekend projects would include taking the toilet apart. Well, after school on Friday, something very unfortunate happened for poor Russ. Max, forgetting he had clogged the toilet, took care of some very big business in the very toilet he clogged with the plastic cup. YUCK!!!! To make a long story even longer, when Russ removed the tank of the toilet it cracked, thus another trip to Home Depot(don't worry Russ went, not me). Finally, Saturday evening the toilet was working fine!
Now to June....breath holding minor(thank goodness). One of my favorite things June is doing this week is "Peek-a-boo". When I lay her down in bed at night she pulls her pink satin blanket over her face and waits, the she says, "peek", pulls the blanket down and laughs. I can't help but laugh with her, it is if she has delivered the perfect joke!

Charmed.....

Not only can June charm snakes, she has charmed her way right into our hearts. Today is a special day. Today June has been with us longer than she has been without us. God has truly blessed our family with this amazing little girl.