Fall Fun!! (Photo catch up time!)

Crazy Hair Day!









HALLOWEEN!!












Sunday Drive















Parker turns 9!!!









Grandma Rose throws a jewelry party for the girls!






Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Festival!




Annual UEA Trip!





















These are just a few of our fun Fall happenings! Also, I had TWO girls' weekends in November!! I am kicking myself for not taking pictures, but I have to at least write down that it DID happen!! I went with my sis-in-law, Megan, to visit my sis Leslie down in St. George. We went to "Time Out for Women" and had such a good time together. I LOVE YOU LES AND MEGAN!! Two weeks later I flew ALL BY MYSELF to spend a weekend in Tennessee with my girlfriends! It was SO MUCH FUN and so good to see my amazing friends that I have missed so much. Once again, I am so wishing I had pictures to share, but photos or not, I will never forget my fun girl time-- thanks, sweet friends and THANK-YOU, Jeremy!!

Our most exciting Fall happening deserves a post of it's own, so check back soon! (:

Stressed out?

Parker: "Dad, are you stressed?"

Me: "No, why?"

Parker: "You're going to get stressed! There's gum in the carpet."

Am I that predictable? I told him, "Parker, I don't get stressed anymore." I calmly got down on the floor and examined the situation. Gum quite ingrained in the carpet. "Someone go get me the scissors," I calmly intoned. As I coolly cut as little as possible of the carpet out, I explained to the gaggle of kids surrounding me, "Never do this. Only mom or dad can cut something out of the carpet." As I was going through this stress-free exercise, Jesi reaches down and grabs the gum beween her thumb and forefinger. Me, (slightly less calmly), "Jesi, no." By this time she had squeezed the gum, so when she complied with my directive, the gum, which had been in a nice, cuttable ball, stretched out into one of those thin strings. It broke off, leaving some residue on Jesi's finger, which she quickly proceeded to wipe off-on the carpet:) I grit my teeth, forced a smile and said, "See, I don't get stressed anymore!"

Happy Sunday:)

Jeremy

I Have the Greatest Kids in the World

I know everyone thinks that, but I really do:) (No offense, world!) Saturday is the one day a week the kids can watch TV without permission. They go downstairs and veg out while Christi and I sleep in. It's great. This morning about 10:00 am, Jesi knocks on our door and says, "Can I come in?" Then I hear Parker going "Shhh! You're waking them up!" I groggily hollered to Parker, "It's ok. We're awake." So then Parker pokes his head in and says, "Dad, would you like a fried egg sandwich?" Me: "Um, are you going to make one?" Parker: "If you want one." Me: "Sure! I love fried egg sandwiches." So my 9-year-old son brings me breakfast in bed. And this sandwich could have been served at a restaurant! What a thoughtful guy.

Earlier in the morning we had heard Jessica wandering around the house singing: "I am the queen. I am the princess. I am the queen...." After I got up, I asked her to go do something. She responded with "Yes, daddy," while going into a deep curtsey! What a cutie:)

PS.

As I tucked Jesi in to bed tonight she said her bedtime prayer. Included in her sweet requests to her Heavenly Father: "Please bless that I can have a good crush on Nate." What a sweetie:)

Jer

Six going on sixteen...

Dear Jesi,

Someday you will thank me for recording our conversation on the drive home from kindergarten today...

Me "How was your day, Jesi?"

You: "GREAT! There's this boy named Nate, and I have a crush on him!"

Me: "Oh, really?"

You: "Yes! I do!!!"

You: pause, followed by high pitched, drawn out sigh ending with a dreamy sounding, "Nate..."

Me: burst of laughter (:

You: "What, Mom?"

Me: "Nothing, nothing. (try to regain control) I'm glad you told me about your crush. What does Nate look like?"

You: "He has yellowish-ish, brownish-ish hair, just like me, and he's really nice."

Me: Oh good! Because it's important to be nice. By the way, what is a crush?"

You: "I don't know. Will you tell me, mom?"

Us: talk of butterflies and smiles and cute boys and happy feelings...


Sweet Jesi, I am so glad that you told me about your crush. It makes me so happy that you like to talk to me about such things. Please, please, PLEASE continue to do this as you get older. This means the first time a boy holds your hand, the first time he kisses your sweet lips, and the first time you know you are in love. Please include Daddy on the details too, because he's the kind of dad that will like to know these things, and it will make him so happy to share them with you. Don't ever be afraid to open up to us, because we are, and always will be, your biggest fans.

Love you!

--The girl who has a crush on your daddy!

A bit exasperated...

Dear, sweet family,

I want to teach you about something called a garbage can. It is a handy little contraption that you put garbage in. There are three different types of garbage cans in our home—one for recyclables, one for diapers, and one for everything else. I have scattered them throughout the home for your convenience. Those in the bathrooms should generally be used for bathroom-related trash (think, no banana peels, bread crusts, etc). Other than that, I’m not really picky, so long as they get used. This means that when you finish a gallon of milk, you should not put the empty container back into the fridge. Empty granola bar boxes should not go back into the pantry. Empty candy wrappers should not go in your pocket. Empty yogurt containers should not go on the floor. Empty pretzel bags should not go on the cupboard. Empty orange peels should not go on the table. Etc, etc. If in doubt, remember that empty things are generally meant to be emptied into the trash.

Love,
A mother, not a trash collector

P.S. If the closest trash can is full, instead of not using it or piling trash up so high that it overflows, maybe you could try taking it out and putting a fresh new bag in the can. Without being asked. That would really put a smile on my face.

P.P.S. I love you (:



Dear Carol and Cristie,

I am praying for you.

Love,
Christianne

Letters

Dear Taylor,

I just watched video of the day you came into this world. You were so tiny and so so angelic! I remember perfectly the love I felt for you that day. I thought my heart was so full that I could not possibly love you more. Ever. I wanted to just soak up every bit of you. Well, guess what?? My heart has grown, and you are in every crevice. I somehow love you a thousand times more than I did on that day. I still want to soak up every bit of YOU. You are my sunshine. Please, please, please stop growing!

Love,
Mom


Dear Sister Simon,

Thanks to you, I can now make perfect rolls every single time. My kids love you. I love you. My waistline does not love you.

Love,
Sister Green


Dear Graci,

You are growing up, dear! It is fun to watch you transition from a little girl to a young woman. I am proud of you. You do so many good things. I am hereby promising to focus on the positive with you. I love listening to you sing “Love Story” at the top of your lungs. I don’t care that you can’t carry a tune—I think it makes it even more endearing! I am so glad you are mine.

Love,
Mom



Dear Fall,

I love everything about you. Everything.

Love,
Your biggest fan


Dear Jesi,

You are magic. Pure magic.

Love,
Mommy


Dear Walmart clerk,

I did not mean to put you out when I realized I didn’t have my credit card and had to run out to my car to retrieve it. I know you had to put my items on hold—but really, all you had to do was push a button. And you got to stand there and wait for me while I dragged my three small children out of the cart, across the store, and into the van. You got paid to stand there—and really, the store wasn’t busy—so it was like a little break for you. And you were only a few feet from the customer service counter, where you wheeled my cart full of stuff. I did not get paid to cart my hungry, tired children (without my cart—ha) and rummage through my van looking for the card while trying not to get flustered about the whole thing. So really, maybe you could try not to act so aggravated next time. Just a suggestion.

Love,
The girl who almost single-handedly keeps you in business


Dear Walmart Customer Service lady,

You are a gem. Your cheerfulness helped me feel better about the whole thing. You laughed and said you’d done the same thing before and that you were sorry I had to go through such a fiasco with my children in tow. Your smile made me feel so much better.
You have found the right job for you, and restored my love of Walmart.

Love,
A happy customer


Dear Parker,

I have replayed our conversation many times, and it still makes my heart sing. You came up to me and asked if you had told me about your miracle. You went on to say:

“I was upstairs and I had this feeling in my heart that I should go downstairs, but I just ignored it. Then I felt it again, and I still ignored it. Then a voice in my heart said, ‘go downstairs’ and I thought, ‘wow, I better not ignore it after three times.’ I went downstairs and there was Elli sitting with her back to the tall toy shelf. She was shaking it and almost about to pull it down on herself. I grabbed it just in time. I think she could have died or gotten really hurt. Do you think that’s a miracle, Mom?”

Yes, Parker—I think that’s a miracle. I love how you went on to tell me it was your “first experience feeling the gospel in your heart.” (: You are only eight, but you are a spiritual giant.

Love,
Mom

Dear Leslie and Megan,

I cannot WAIT for this weekend!!!

Love,
A lucky sister


Dear Xander,

I thought it was so cute when I walked in the kitchen and saw that you had covered your unwanted piece of pumpkin chocolate chip bread with a napkin and put it up on the counter. I took the napkin off, picked up the bread, and proceeded to take a GIANT bite. (After all, it is my favorite). AGH! What is that nasty taste???? I spit and spit into the garbage, trying like crazy to get my mouth free of the stuff. At second look, I realize you hadn’t covered the bread with a napkin, but with a couple of fresh fabric softener sheets. Yum. Remind me to teach you about saran wrap.

Love,
Mommy


Dear inventor of the “Ark of the Covenant” game,

You have provided endless hours of competitive fun for me and my hubby. Because of you, we can get through bedtime with happy anticipation. Who would have known that a board game could bring so much joy to two very tired parents? A very sincere thanks.

Love,
The Ark Queen


Dear Elli,

My very favorite sound in the entire world is the sound of your singing. I love waking up to you singing, “The Lord is my light” at the top of your lungs. You are my little hero.

Love,
Mommy


Dear Whirlpool Cabrio,

I never knew that laundry could actually be fun. Because of you, I can now wash at least twice as many clothes at once—a very important thing for a mother of six messy kids. Besides, I feel so cool pushing all your fancy electronic buttons. You have cut down my work load significantly, and you have done it with style.

Love,
A woman who’s now glad that her old washer and dryer went caput.


Dear Jeremy,

There is nobody I would rather go through life with.

Love,
Christi


And Dear Self,

Try to lay off the kids’ Halloween candy.

Love,
The voice of reason

We are alive

Sorry it's been so long. I am committed to blogging at least once a week from here on out. I reminded Christi this morning that she had committed to post on Elli's blog several weeks ago. In the post where she committed to do that, she gave any readers out there permission to hound her if she didn't follow through. When I reminded her of that this morning she said, "Yeah, I know. And it's their fault-- they stopped hounding me!" Weak, dear:) So I am officially hounding you. Write on Elli's blog:)

Last night as I was tucking Jessica in, she gave me a BIG hug and said, "Daddy, I will never quit on you!" What a sweetie.

Before bed last night I looked at the girls' room and told Graci I would pay her $3.00 if she got it clean before she went to school. When Jesi woke up, she wandered in and said, "My room is already clean-and nobody cleaned it!" I asked Graci when she did it. "I woke up at 1:24 and went back to bed at 5:00," she calmly stated. That girl is unbelievably motivated by money!!!

Jeremy

The following conversation actually took place...

(After I had gone down to check on Elli for the night)

Jeremy, calling from the bottom of the stairs: "Christi"

C: "What?"

J: "I need your help!"

C: "What happened?"

J: "Just bring a new diaper, new sheets, and some kind of disinfectant!"

C (after walking into Elli's room): "I don't think I can deal with this."

J: "How much would we have to pay someone to make it worth their while to be bothered by a phone call at 10:00 PM, come over to our house and clean this up? Is there anyone in our neighborhood who needs an extra $300?"

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Jer

PS. We were out of wet wipes...

Drumroll, please...

And here the long-awaited actual PICTURES of Xander home with our family!! We don't have many (remember the camera issues) but we do have some cute ones!! This kid is so amazing. I am in awe of how well he has adjusted to our family, and everyone that is around him says the same thing. It is as if we've always had him. He was so made for us-- and we think we were made for him! He is one very happy kid, just SOAKING UP having a family. He gives me so many hugs and high fives and smiles that I can't help but be happy when I'm around him!! He is picking up English like a champ. One day, I told him, "Xander, I love you THIS MUCH!" holding my arms out wide. He got a twinkle in his eye and replied, "I love you THIS MUCH" and put his thumb and finger together to show a tiny amount. I of course tackled him with tickles, and thus began his favorite new game. He now tells me several times a day that he loves me the tiniest bit and starts to giggle and run for his life. (:

My boys!!!



The family, minus Jeremy, looking a bit frazzled after three hours of church.




This is what happens when two very girly girls are given a brother to take care of while I'm cooking...



Enjoying his sisters...






The family at Cornbelly's-- the world's best fall festival!






The kids with Thurl Bailey (former Utah Jazz player). Xander got a little freaked out by how big he was!




And, last but not least, and having nothing to do with Xander... I asked Taylor to go out and pick us some carrots from the garden. He came back with this puppy!



We all got the giggles over it!! It was a beast to peel, but tasted great! Taylor was gone when I went to take the pic, so Parker is posing with it.

Happy Birthday, Elli!

This post is late because of camera issues!! Our missing camera mysteriously showed up right where it belonged the day before Elli's birthday (Sep 9). I was so excited to be able to take some pictures!!! The next day, when I went to blog about her birthday, the camera was again missing. Our little Xander claimed he didn't know where it was, but when it was found a couple of weeks later, it had about 60 pictures on it, many of which had his cute toes at the bottom. Hmmmm. He has since been directed NOT to touch the camera-- so we'll see how long we can keep track of it now. (:

Elli's birthday was nothing spectacular-- just cake (made by Jessica) and presents. However, SHE is spectacular, and I am getting ready for a much-needed post about her on her website. Check back tomorrow, and I'm giving you permission to hound me if I haven't posted. (:

We love you, Elli-Belly! Can't believe you are FIVE!!!!

New Glasses!

Several months ago we went to pick out new glasses for Jessica. She marched straight up to a pair of bright pink ones and said, "I want these!" I thought they were a bit much, so I re-directed her to some wire-framed, less PINK ones. When she lost those a few weeks ago, we returned to the eyeglasses store. Again, Jesi marched straight up to the pair of bright pink ones and declared they were the ones for her!! This time I decided to ask the store attendants what they thought. They told me that those bright pink glasses were the hippest ones in the store and agreed with Jessica that she just HAD to have them! These guys seemed to know what they were saying, and having the reassurance that they were indeed stylish, I gave in to one very happy girl.

I'm so glad I did-- now over the initial "wow, those are PINK," I'm in love...

Happy Birthday, Emily!

I don't have it in me to post tonight, but wanted Emmy remembered.

Last year, I did better and wrote more about her-- you can read it HERE and HERE.

Thanks for those who sent kind words our way today-- and thanks, Mom and Dad, for the beautiful flowers. LOVED them.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

37 Reasons Why I Love Jeremy:

1. He loves the Lord
2. He takes one of our children on a “Daddy Date” once a week
3. He sends me flowers
4. He isn’t a picky eater and will be just as grateful for grilled cheese sandwiches as a steak dinner
5. He loves Disneyworld more than the kids!
6. He dresses up like Johnny Appleseed (complete with a beard and a pot on his head) and visits our kindergartner’s class in the fall. He sings the Johnny Appleseed song, gives out apple suckers, and mesmerizes the children! Jessica just had his visit this week, and she was so so excited!
7. He dresses up like “Zero the Hero” (complete with mask, cape, and spanish accent) and visits our kindergartner’s class in the spring on the 100th day of school. He hands out doughnut holes, holds all kinds of “100” contests, and mesmerizes the kids even more!
8. He has by far the most handsome, perfect hands I've ever seen. And I LOVE holding them!
9. He watches “I Love Lucy” with me, and loves it just as much as I do!
10. He also watches “chick flicks” with me and is even known to cry more than me
11. Lest I totally embarrass him, he also watches action/adventure movies! I love how excited he can get over a show!
12. He performs “Great Balls of Fire” (piano and vocal) as well as anyone in the world
13. He doesn’t yell at the kids
14. He leads our family each morning and night in family prayer
15. He also leads us in couple prayer twice a day—and never leaves for work without praying with me
16. He is very very generous with our finances
17. He assures me every year that the kids do NOT need lots of presents for Christmas, and then completely changes his mind as soon as Black Friday comes around, and shops like crazy for them!
18. He is the perfect cuddler
19. And kisser
20. In my entire life, I have yet to mow a lawn. (I guess I should also thank my dad for that)!
21. He loves hiking and the outdoors
22. His idea of a “guys night out” is taking his boys and going camping!
23. He has a huge heart for orphans
24. He is the world’s best apologizer (and no, it is not because he’s had lots of practice)
25. He loves sports (I don’t know what I would have done if I had married someone who didn’t like to watch college football)
26. He gently reminds me when I need to be more patient with the kids
27. What other Dad in the world would take FIVE children on a seven day road trip so his wife could have a break?!!
28. He always, always smells good. Even in the morning—I love his smell!
29. He loves to take me home to Ferron
30. He coaches our kids in sports
31. He stays up late playing board games with me.
32. He gives perfect foot rubs
33. He will often send me off to take a hot bath when he can tell I need it
34. He gets me
35. He makes me feel beautiful
36. He is, as I’m typing this, putting in a new tile floor for me—YAY!
37. He is my very, very best friend. Ever.

I will note that I didn't have to even pause and think as I wrote these-- and I could write a thousand more. Happy 37th, hon! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, funny, sweet, talented, loving husband and father for my kids. I love you, Jer! I hope this coming year is your best ever!!!!

PS Happy Birthday, Jen!! Wish you lived closer so we could celebrate!!

What happens in Vegas...

Christi and I (and some of our extended family) often comment on the charmed life I lead. It's really true. (Somewhere in my youth or childhood...I must have done something good...although I would be hard pressed to pinpoint what it was!?!) Anyway, here are a few examples of the way things work out for me. If I'm running late to catch an airplane, the airplane will (often, but not always:) be delayed. I got laid off effective April and found a great new job in March (and got a nice severance from Pfizer). The company I worked for paid $10,000 toward each of our adoptions (the final $10,000 being paid after I was laid off!!!) The prospects for our importing business have gone from good to better to ridiculous over the past year and a half. And of course, most important of all, I somehow conned the cutest EFY counselor on campus to marry me 11 years ago! So we often comment on how someone up there is looking out for me. (Poor Christi got stuck with me, so the charm level is somewhat less in her life, but we both agree we really do have things great:)

That's not to say we don't have our challenges. In fact, we often have some pretty big ones. But we work together and we make the best of things. Overall, It's a Wonderful Life (I'm going to see how many movie references I can put into this thing. By the way, for those of you young folks who've never seen Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life," it is perhaps the best movie ever made. I love it, anyway.)

So let me just share a few things that have happened over the past week that are some of the small, but funny, challenges we've had. Last Friday night, Taylor, Parker and I flew to Tennessee to visit some of our many friends there. (You guessed it: the stress level in my life decreased substantially when I found out the flight was delayed 15 minutes:) Anyway, we spent a wonderful weekend there catching up with a lot of people. It was great. The schedule for Monday was this: Christi would drive up to the airport around 10:45 am to get the boys from me. We would have about 90 minutes to sit in the car, eat lunch, talk, and hold Xander before I had to go back into the airport and catch a flight to Las Vegas for a business meeting. (Why in the world would a company plan a business meeting in Las Vegas? But I digress...) When I talked to Christi on Sunday night to verify the plans for pick up, she realized that Elli's school bus would be coming around 11:00 and she had to pick Jesi up from school at 11:20. This was going to cut into our time at the airport, but that was ok.

The next morning, Jesi was feeling really sick, so she didn't go to school. As soon as Christi got Elli on the school bus, she was able to leave to come get us. When they were just a few minutes out from the airport, Jesi says to Christi, "Mom, I have to grow up!" (That's how she says "throw up.") Christi tried to get over to the side of the road so she could find a bag or something for Jesi to "grow up" in, but, alas, it was not to be. Vomit all over Jesi and her carseat. So when she showed up to the airport a few minutes later, poor Jesi is covered in gunk. Fortunately (hey, I said we lead a charmed life) Christi had purchased a new pack of wet wipes the night before and they were still in the car. Christi got Jesi all cleaned up. Although we didn't have a change of clothes, Christi was wearing a cardigan type sweater over her white shirt and was able to wrap Jess in that. (Jesi looked rather cute wearing nothing but her undies and a sweater that, on her, was really low cut--as in down to her belly button:) We get Jesi buckled into another seat (we have plenty of those in our vehicle!) and just as we got her settled, she says, "I have to go to the bathroom very bad." Of course you do, dear.

Her shoes and socks had come off in the clean up efforts, so Christi carried her into the airport bathroom while I stayed with the other kids in the car. By they way, we were still parked in the loading zone at the terminal. Fortunately it was a slow time of day, and no one made us leave. Jesi came back and we all sat in the car and ate the (cold by now) pizza that Christi had brought since I wasn't coming home for lunch. At one point, Christi leaned over the open pizza box in her lap to get the bottle of Sprite from near her feet, and of course she ended up with pizza grease all over the front of her shirt:) As we were eating, Xander yelled out from the back seat his Chinese version of "I have to go to the bathroom." Of course you do, son. So I took him to the bathroom. End result? We had about 15 minutes to enjoy each others' company before I took off for another 4 days.

So I've been in Vegas all week. I don't drink. I don't gamble. I'm a happily married man. That doesn't leave you much to do in this town. But last night, a few of us decided to go to a Cirque du Soleil show. It's called "O". It's the one with a pool for a stage and is quite amazing and very wierd. Prior to the show, we went to a restaurant and had dinner. As we got to the theater, I started feeling sharp pains in my stomach. About 20 minutes in, I knew I better head to the bathroom. WARNING: the rest of this paragraph is a bit graphic. Read at your own risk! I knew I needed to throw up, but it wouldn't come. After about 20 minutes of praying that I would puke, I finally resorted to the "gag myself" method, and oh, did the floodgates open! Something I ate did NOT agree with me. So, picture a poor guy, stuck in a theater bathroom (missing a very expensive show, by the way, which at the time was the least of my worries), and heaving in front of a toilet that is now filled with a very nasty, opaque millieu. Then picture the poor guy as he heaves once more...and his cell phone slips out of his pocket into the brink!!! (Which, by the way, is why I haven't called you to wish you happy birthday this morning, sweet Christianne. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!) I made the decision in a split second and retrieved said phone. Of course having eaten much and feeling so sick to my stomach, I had undone my belt and the top of my pants. So I'm stumbling out of the stall with a puke-covered phone in one hand, holding my pants up with the other hand and reeling like I had been drinking as I go to the sinks. Fortunately, I was the only one there, but I'm sure it would have made a funny picture.

After returning home, I had a few more gut wrenching episodes in the bathroom, including one in which I didn't quite make it to the toilet and threw up in the sink. I got it mostly unclogged, but still had to call maintenance for help. (What's the problem sir? Uh, well, you see, I um, lost my cookies in the sink and, um, I need you to unclog it. Sorry!) This morning I feel somewhat better, but am still pretty queasy. I guess this is one way to lose a little weight.

So, the moral of the story? Vegas' new theme is at least somewhat true for me: "What I ate in Vegas, stays in Vegas!"

Have a great day, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Christi. Congratulations on reaching 29, dear!

Jer

9/11

Ferron, Sweet Ferron!

As a postscript to previous entry: I would suffer the stress of trying to clean a very messy house EVERY DAY in return for the amazing dinner that followed! At the suggestion of my dear friend Heather (you're my HERO), we went to "The Roof" restaurant-- which is housed on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The view is incredible-- looking out over the Salt Lake temple and surrounding valley. The food is possibly even more incredible!! It's a buffet like you've never experienced-- every single dish was perfectly scrumptious. There were at least twenty amazing desserts!! If it wasn't so expensive, it would be my new very favorite restaurant. Everyone should go there at least once in their lifetime, and they should all have a big bowl of their potato bacon soup-- mmmmmmm. (: So no need to feel sorry for me for the cleaning stress, (though I wouldn't cry if we did get that raise and cleaning woman Teri mentioned). (:(: Oh, and by the way, sweet Teri-- it is SIX, count them-- SIX children we are cleaning after! (:

We had such a great Labor Day weekend in Ferron. I had a bad cold, and if there's anywhere you want to be sick, it's at my parent's house. They really take care of us!!! We had the perfect combination of sleeping in while Mom and Dad got up with the kids (THANK-YOU), staying up late talking and watching hilarious Tim Hawkins clips, going swimming, church, relaxing, hanging out at Millsite (beautiful reservoir), visiting, playing Scrabble, and most importantly, eating Grub Box fries. (: We love Ferron. It is the most peaceful place-- everything seems to slow down there. Sigh.

Now we are back to school, homework, house, yard, garden, projects, church stuff, scouts, sports-- you get the picture. And you know what-- this is great too!!! I really do have such a fun, wonderful life!!!! Xander continues to amaze us with his adaptability-- we just feel like he's always been here! He is so so so very cute and very LOVED!

--Christianne

PS-- We can't find our camera. This is no surprise, as all sorts of things have gone missing, and then been found again in various odd places (cell phones in fridges, scissors in sock drawers-- you get the drift). Most times Xander will know exactly where to find the missing items (go figure), but he claims he doesn't know where the camera is. Just explaining why there are no pictures attached to our recent posts.

Today's musings

*****
Jeremy's boss's boss is coming over tonight to meet the family before taking Jeremy and me out to dinner. Let's just say our house needs some serious help in order to be presentable. So this morning as Jeremy and I knelt to say our couple prayer, I (only half-jokingly) prayed for a magic cleaning fairy to come and sprinkle her pixie dust throughout our home.

When the prayer was over, Jeremy got up, went over to our dresser, swiped his finger across it and said, "bummer."

"What?" I asked.

"She only sprinkled dust."
*****

*****
Jeremy and I spent the majority of the evening last night tweezing roughly 300 (no, I'm not exaggerating) tiny slivers out of Jessica's feet and toes from the new bark dust we put under our swingset. Um, ouch?!!!
*****

*****
Xander tells me "I love you!" about 40 times a day. I like to think it's because he really does-- not because it's the only English phrase he knows.
*****

*****
The same Xander that loves me so much has gotten into every drawer, every nook, and every cupboard in the house (just this morning) and made various messes, spills, and "creations" with the found items. And, I know I should be somehow happy about this, he will not watch TV. Which means no glorious moments of "mess-free" Xander.
*****

*****
Being as how the cleaning fairy sprinkled the wrong kind of dust, I really, really shouldn't be online right now.
*****

*****
But I'm scared of my own house.
*****

*****
AGHHHHHH!!!!!
*****

*****
But boy do I love my little guy!
*****

*****
Oh, and just so I'm sure you understand, the dust is the least of my problems. It's more the piles of dirty clothes, toys, dishes, etc. that I'm a little concerned about.
*****

*****
I wish I could fast forward to 6:30 p.m., when I'll be enjoying a nice dinner regardless of how the house turns out.
*****

*****
It will come, right????
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That is, the evening-- not the fairy. I've come to grips with the fact that Tinkerbell will not be visiting.
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OK, I'm really going now.

Lazy Post

We rarely make political statements here, but this excellent video was deserving. Combine my conservative views and love of cleverly crafted songs and you have a real winner here! Enjoy:) Courtesy of one of our favorite commentors-Terynn. (I recommend double clicking and viewing it on youtube. Otherwise about 25% of it is cut off.)

One Week Later

We've been home over a week! Jet lag has subsided. Life is good:)

I just cannot tell you how wonderful Xander is! All of our children are wonderful. Each member of our family has blessed our lives and added a richness to our home. But along with the blessings that have come, our previous adoptions have added a lot of challenges and stress to our lives. This is a normal thing, and many, perhaps most, adoptive parents experience these challenges. But I can honestly say that with Xander, there are almost NO challenges! He is amazing. Several months ago my mom shared some feelings she had about Xander. She said that she felt he was going to be a huge blessing to us in different ways from our other children. She felt like he was going to be a great comfort to us and help us in some of the challenges we were having. This has absolutely been the case. He is SO sweet. He is SO loving. He is SO helpful. He is SO kind. He is SO generous. He is SO obedient. He is SO amazing. He is SO cute!!!!!!!! I LOVE this little bug so much. I believe he is also very good for our Graci. She clearly loves him and has been touched by his sweet spirit. She can be very tender with him and helpful and protective of him as well. Xander is a precious gift from God.

Last Monday the three older kids started school. Jesi and Xander have become great little friends. They are extremely cute together. (They do have a tendency to follow Christi around and make it almost impossible for her to get any alone time. The other day I walked into the boys' bedroom. Christi had given up trying to read the scriptures in solitude and was lying (Jen: is it lying or laying?) on the lower bunk reading the Book of Mormon. Xander was on the top bunk and Jesi was on the floor. They were in hysterics, throwing stuffed animals back and forth to each other and making tons of noise. I commented to Christi that now would be a good time to escape to another room. "It wouldn't do any good," she said. "They'd find me in less than a minute!") So they do tend to be a bit clingy:)

Xander loves to pick up the older kids from school. Several times a day he'll go over to the key rack, point to the car keys and say "ge-ge! ge-ge!" (big brothers! big brothers!) He's adjusting very well, but can still have some moments of confusion and sadness. Last night, Christi and I were going to a wedding reception and wanted to take him with us. We dressed him up in the cutest traditional Chinese outfit and got him in the car. He was very subdued on the way there, unlike his normal self. To figure out what was up, I asked him if he knew where we were going. He quietly said "fei-ji" (airplane). As we had been walking out to the car, Christi had pointed out an airplane to him, and he thought we we getting on an airplane. Who knows where he thought we were going. Did he think we were taking him back to China? I don't know, but when I explained that we were not getting on an airplane, but were just visiting some friends of ours, he immediately got a big smile on his face and was bright and happy the rest of the evening. This morning, we turned on the video of our trip to China. When the clip of us meeting him for the first time came on, Xander started to howl! He was inconsolable for quite some time. Ironically, in the clip he was giddy with happiness! Again, who knows what was going through his poor little head:(

Today we took him to church for the first time. He was so good! I'm sure he hadn't been going to church in China, but he must have had some experience with being part of a congregation/audience listening to a speaker. He kept pointing to the speaker, then looking over at us and putting his finger to his lips and saying "shhhh." How cute. I sat with him through sunday school, and he was very good until towards the end when the song leader said "Now we're going to sing a welcome song to a new member of our congregation...Xander." She, of course, said this with a big welcoming smile on her face. But he burst into tears and was crying through almost the entire song." He is very resilient, and once he realizes that mom or dad is with him, he rebounds quickly:)

This morning, Parker came in and said: "My best friend likes Hannah Montanna, too! We were both just too embarrassed to admit it." OK, let's hear the story behind that one, Park! Apparently Parker's friend had done something that was common to a character on Hannah Montanna. Parker noticed it and asked where his friend had learned to do that. His friend kind of hemmed and hawed until he finally spit out, "They do it on Hannah Montanna." Parker was ecstatic! "You mean you like Hannah Montanna, too?" he asked. Apparently they have even more in common than they thought they did.

Jesi continues to charm. Elli is up and down. Taylor is our rock. And Graci is...still developing socially. But we love her tons:)

Talk to you soon!

Jeremy

We made it!

Hey everyone, just a quick post to let you know we made it safely home. As seems appropriate this trip, our flight from China was late and we missed our connection in LA. Instead of arriving home Friday night, we got here Saturday morning. We're EXHAUSTED!!! The boys and Xander love each other tons. It's way cute to see them together. Xander is very curious, getting into a lot of things, including many toys/games/etc. that belong to individual kids, but everyone is being very patient with him. We'll post more later, but I just wanted everyone to know we're safe:)

Jeremy

We’re Coming to America!

Date: Aug 20, 8:00 p.m. China Time

I’ve been singing it all night long! We cannot wait to get our hands on our three other kids—we’ve been missing them so much! We’re also missing American bathrooms (complete with toilet paper), ice-cold drinks, our favorite foods, cool summer evenings, church, extended family, and blue skies!

HOWEVER, we are really going to miss China!! We love it here. We particularly love Guangzhou—it’s a little piece of heaven on earth watching all of these children join their forever families. It’s also wonderful to have a little break from normal responsibilities, and I must say we’re more than a bit scared to come home and face them! We know from experience what jet-lag is like, and to combine it with work, 5 kids starting school, 1 kid at home who will surely be into EVERYTHING, laundry, housework, cooking, and adjusting to our new family seems daunting. We are grateful for Teri’s specific prayers that we will have strength beyond our own over the next little while. (:

Our Xander continues to be such a joy. We love him so much and can’t wait to see him in his new surroundings! He is excited to come to America, but I wonder what that means to him. How can he have any idea how much his life is about to change? Over the last several days I noticed he would always longingly watch any little kid he saw on a bike. Yesterday, he was just staring at one little boy’s tricycle, and I had Graci tell him that in America, he would have a bike. His eyes got big and he started clapping and cheering. It was so precious!

Today we traveled to the American Consulate to take the oath that everything in our paperwork was true. There were 50 other families there taking the same oath. Xander then received his visa to go to America, and he will become an official US Citizen upon arrival in LA! Pretty amazing.

Well, we leave tomorrow evening. This is likely our last post before arriving home at midnight on Friday. Hopefully the next thing you see on here is pictures of all the kids together—woo-hoo!!!

Thanks again for all of your support and love during this journey to Alexander—oh, and I keep forgetting to mention—his name is actually Alexander Philip Green. We had gone back and forth between Chase and Philip, and finally decided on Philip, in honor of my grandpa and dad. He couldn’t have better men as namesakes, and we hope he will follow closely in their footsteps. My dad is a particularly amazing man in every way. We love him so much! And a sidenote-- “Philip” means “lover of horses.” I think this suits Xander well, as he is drawn to every horse figurine that we see in the shops. It will be fun to take him on the farm and see some real horses! :):):)

Christianne