Funtimes with Emma

My niece is staying with us for a few days. The boys are beside themselves. MK is constantly wanting to know where "Col-Col, Pryce and Emmie" are. So cute. They have all had campouts in the playroom each night, Scooby Doo has been played more times than I can count, the trampoline is a hit (which I must add, the boys have learned how to do a flip, no hands - and they question why I don't cheer for them on this accomplishment), we have eaten more junk than I thought existed, rules have been swept under the door and everyone is having a ball. Good times.

**And take note, it is Emma that we can thank for our most fantastic wardrobe.

A Day At (In?) the Zoo

Madness. That is the word that most describes our day visiting the zoo. Growing up, I babysat for a family with six children every summer. I got them up in the morning, got them dressed, did their hair, fed them breakfast, etc., etc., etc. We traveled. We traveled across the country. We traveled locally. I did it then, I can do it now, right? Maybe.

I knew it was not a good sign when I saw a line of cars on the interstate all getting off at the same exit. This particular exit leads to one destination only, the zoo. We arrive. We get inside and for a moment I thought I was at Disney during peak season. There were people everywhere, young and old. I looked at the six children I was responsible for and said calmly "ok, should we get separated, meet your party at the gift shop....I will come get you." Wide-eyed, the children all shook their heads and said "okay." Madness, I tell you.

So, we began our journey through the sea of people. Really I do not think that my children saw one animal. They did, however, study the zoo map with a fine tooth comb. They can tell you precisely how many steps to take from the sea lions to get to the gorilla exhibit, I am positive. Thankfully, too, they can tell you the location of every restroom and just how long the line was to get in. Those maps were great entertainment for my crew. They studied them standing up and they studied them sitting down, every detail. And I made sure during each study period that they took note of the gift shop, just in case.

I should say now that the zoo was, in fact, quite literally a ZOO. I am several years old, I have gone to this zoo every year, several times a year, all of my life. I know it like the back of my hand as do my children. I have never, ever, seen it like it was yesterday. And, quite honestly, it was nerve wracking. At one point I even looked around and questioned the safety of the crowd....we were in a building literally standing shoulder to shoulder with what seemed like millions of people. And you may ask, why stay? Well, as much as I personally wanted to leave, the six children that I had in tow were having a ball. They were immersed in their maps, planning their next step knowing that the chance of seeing whatever we were going towards was slim. They were playing games as they skipped along and dodged the people surrounding them. They laughed as I delved into higher math by counting above 5 to make sure I had everyone accounted for. I was frazzled, they were happy....1 to 6, I figured majority ruled. At the end of the day, I felt relief. At the end of the day, Pryce felt happiness as he said "well, that was a lot of fun!"....one child even said that it was better than her trip to Stone Mountain. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was safe. And everyone was happy.

The Masters

The Masters. Augusta National. Beautiful. Quiet. Peaceful. Media. Good, simple food. Logo merchandise. Crowds. Green. Manicured. Skipping golf balls. Old players, rookie players. Good times. The Masters.

Yesterday at 7:00am, we headed out into the frigid air to the Masters golf tournament practice rounds. In a city where the high averages 80 degrees this time of year, we, to put it into one word, froze. It was 39 degrees. Bundled up like little Arctic snow warriors, we trudged forward to the golf course. And, guess what? At 8:00am, what golfer wants to play golf in the windy, cold air? None. So, we did what everyone else did to stay warm, we shopped.

Around 9:00am, we had a welcomed visitor, the sun. And the sun brought friends, golfers. Ryan, who has been to the Masters numerous times, took the boys and I over to one of his favorite spots to watch as the golfers attempted to skip golf balls across a pond and onto the green. During our walk to this fav spot, a man jumped out of nowhere with a cameraman and a microphone. The boys eyes lit up. They were interviewed. Colin's classic remark was "I can tell you one thing, my lawn at home isn't THIS green!" And wouldn't you know, the boys now think they are famous. They honestly were up at 6:00am this morning watching the news again to see their featured segment.

(These pics above are Phil Mickelson attempting to skip the ball across the pond....you can see the ball as well as the water splashing after it has skipped in the water. Pretty cool.)

From Ryan's fav spot, we headed over to Amen Corner, the spot I wanted most to see. Again, Colin had a remark...."hey, that is that bridge that you see in pictures everywhere."

Our day was coming to an end when I mentioned the fact that we still had not seen Tiger Woods. Surely he had to be there somewhere, right?! Ryan suggested we go to the putting green and watch the golfers practice the putting shots. Good idea. So, up we went. There was a HUGE crowd. Jokingly I said I thought maybe Tiger was putting. Ryan said probably so. And wouldn't you know, behind the mobs of people and flashing lights, there was Tiger putting away. Now, we knew he was there but just when I thought there was no way to possibly see him, a very kind security man walked over, took the boys' hands and led them into the crowd of people. The boys had a special, front row seat to watch Tiger. Meanwhile, Ryan somehow managed to secure a spot in the crowd close enough to get great pix of Tiger. Me, being the mom, stayed close to the spot that the boys had entered into....I was a little nervous they would come out and we would get separated. As I stood there, I managed to see Tiger's golf bag, his coach, and his caddy. People were pushing and snapping pix and trying to get closer. It was almost maddening. Then, at a glance, I saw Tiger myself....that famous profile, that smile. Cool.

I had gotten word that Tiger was going to leave the putting green and go over to another spot with sand traps to practice. So, we quickly headed that way to secure a spot when the boys came out. Kind of cool....Tiger did come, the boys will tell of how they brushed up against him and how he just "didn't look happy to be there." Tiger struck up a conversation with Gary Player. Supposedly, this is Gary Player's last year at the Masters. I had to snap a few shots.

And then, it became obvious that word had gotten around to the Tiger fans as to his whereabouts. People were lining up to get a seat in the stands. Our friend, the sun, appeared to be gone for the day and our enemy, the wind, was growing stronger. We called it a day. What a fun experience for all of us!

And where, you ask, was MK? Back at home with G-Mom and G-Dad who came to spend the day with her. They stayed warm inside cooking for her babies, reading books and coloring.

Socks

Honestly, my boys do not voice their opinions much when it comes to clothing. I buy, they wear and usually that is that. Now, when I shop for them, I tend to steer clear of the super heroes shirts or what could be labeled the "fun clothes" for children their ages. I am classic, polos, khakis, and jeans....along with boring white socks. So on Friday, P was given what he felt to be a treasure from a friend at school.....frog socks. Yep, these socks are white with green frogs on top...the frogs have golden crowns and the elasticy part at the top is a bright green. They are "fun". P could not wait to put them on. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he modeled them for everyone, including Ryan, at our house. Ryan was less than impressed. They are not white socks like boys wear, they are "fun". Ryan asked Pryce to take them off and put on the boring white socks for baseball practice. P came to me looking so sad, his chin trembling, his head hanging and he quietly said, "daddy won't let me wear my frog socks that my friend gave me. I love them." What is a mom to do? I went to bat for him, of course. Ryan and I had a discussion. I think my words to Ryan were something to the effect that P was so excited about his new socks, he was so PROUD of them and no matter the look, we should support his liking....he is, after all, only 6. Now, if you are still reading this, follow along, this is where Ryan's subtle humor comes into play :) Well, P wore the socks with baseball cleats no doubt. After practice and time outside, we had the children rest for what was supposed to be an hour. About 15 minutes into rest time, P came to me once again, his lips trembling, big alligator tears streaming down his cheeks and he was holding one of the beloved frog socks. He sobbed as he told me how he felt an itch and when he scratched the high quality frog socks, a hole appeared. Oh jeez! These socks! He was so sad. He wasn't being bratty, he was genuinely grieving over these SOCKS! So, me being the one who can't stand sadness, jumped up and we left on our journey to find yet another pair of frog socks, I needed to go the store anyway. We arrive at the store. No frog socks. But, wait, there are some gorgeous, light blue socks with basketballs and baseballs and footballs and the elasticy thing at the top is a darker blue...really nice. P wanted them. Great, all was well. So, this all happened on Saturday. Sunday morning comes. Everyone is in the car dressed and ready for church. I go to close the van door and as it is sliding slowing along the track, I get a glimpse of these blue socks with baseballs, footballs and basketballs staring brightly back at me. The door closes. I look at Ryan. He smiles back at me knowing what I am about to say and he says, "B, you said we should support his liking of the socks. P is so proud of them, and, after all, he is only 6!" So off to church we went, bright blue socks and all. P was so happy.

Jesus

Easter is upon us. The dying of the eggs has begun, and the hunting is taking place. Mason-Kate participated in her very first Easter egg hunt yesterday at her school. Because of the rain we have been experiencing, the hunt took place in their school gym. Of course, she quickly figured out that candy was involved and her motivation was intense from that point on. Afterwards, MK and I were walking back to her classroom. She stopped and said, "Mommy, wook, Jesus".....sure enough, there on the wall was a painting of Jesus with children gathered around. We talk about Jesus, we pray to Jesus, we read about Jesus but I was so amazed that she recognized Him on the wall....shocked, I was. Of course I was the proud parent walking down the hall with her genius daughter who knows Jesus by name AND face....so I told the director all about MK and how she knows Jesus. Her response, though not intended to burst my bubble, did. She said, "Oh, yeah, all of the children love to stop and look at that painting of Jesus....it gets them so excited!".....hmmm.

She Talks....

It is no secret that my one consistent prayer for Mason-Kate has been for her speech to develop. Of course, there are many other prayers that go along with that one but for her ability to talk, I have prayed for (and worried about) from the day we filled out our medical checklist to adopt a child with cleft lip and palate. Yesterday as Ryan and I sat in a conference room during a closing, I realized that MK won't STOP talking! A year ago she was pointing, screaming or "ehhh"-ing to get her point across. This year she is constantly saying "mommy, mommy" this or "daddy, daddy" that....and she doesn't stop there. So we sat there in this conference room. I had taken a pad and crayons for her to color with, complete with a bag of cereal to keep her quiet. HA! Instead, she sat there with food in her mouth, saying "mommy, mommy, A, color" aka mommy color an A for me which I would do quickly to quiet her down. Why be quiet though? As soon as I would begin to color what she was asking for she would move on to commanding "daddy, daddy, wookie (lookie), mommy, color A!!"....Ryan would smile, put his finger over his lips hoping she would get the point to be quiet, and then MK would smile back at him and say "yay....wookie mommy, A, yay!"....The boys have begun baseball. Our family has begun baseball. We will be eating, sleeping and dreaming baseball for the next few months. And MK will be attending her share of practices and games. The other night I took MK with me to watch Pryce practice. She is quite the cheerleader. Pryce was practicing with another teammate on throwing and catching the ball. MK yells "Pryce, yay, ball"....Pryce turns to look at her and smile and WHAP, the ball hits him on the shoulder. The boys have both taught MK to say "ewww, I stink"....which has lead to her saying "ewww, I skink" while waving her hand across her face and squinching her nose up. But she doesn't stop there....as soon as one acknowledges what she is saying, MK will say "ewww, my baby skink" or "ewww, binwee (Finley the dog) skink" or whoever is in the room "skinks". MK is singing now too. She loves "meh, meh, meh, meh" WHATTT??? I always make her say the actual title of this song even though I know what she wants.....she will say "Wheelsh onn the Busssss" and then she proceeds to sing about every fourth word all the while humming and doing every hand motion that goes along with the song. Her next fav is the ABC song...again, every fourth letter but it is a beginning. So, her speech, continues....and my prayers continue.

It Has Officially Been A Year!

Today marks yet another special day for all of us! We have now been home exactly one year with Mason-Kate. It's funny, the boys still have the streamers hanging in their bedroom door from our welcome home decorations people left for us on this day last year. I can still feel the energy and excitement I felt inside one year ago today as we were on our final plane ride approaching Atlanta. I remember a lady who was just behind me on the longest escalator ride ever in the airport....she asked me if MK was my daughter. I beamed with joy and said "Yes"....she said, "I can see how proud you are to be her mother"....that stranger was so right. I was/am proud to be her mother. Last year we were united with our family on this day. This year we spent the evening with friends. Not just friends, though, very special friends. Last year, we did not know these people. This year, they prove to be part of an extended family of sorts. We are all tied together with the adoption thread. We told our story of how we were flying from China this time last year. One family shared that they will travel to be united with their son hopefully in May. Another family shared that they have been accepted into the Waiting Child program - they have two bio children and one precious little girl from China. Another family shared how they are "pregnant" after finalizing all of their documents for a domestic adoption. This, all in one year, and all in our little adoption group. How exciting it is for us to be a part of all of this. I love, love, love sharing our story, I love providing support to those who are struggling with adoption, I love being able to encourage those who wait, I love that MK was a "waiting child" who is waiting no more and I love the fact that when we adopted Mason-Kate, we not only adopted a child, we, in a sense, adopted a new way of looking at life.