Flaming Gorge

A couple of weeks ago I went on an overnight work trip to call on customers in Vernal, Utah.  Since the kids were out of school I took Taylor, Parker, Xander and Jesi with me.  We did the usual fun things the first day: dinner at a restaurant, swimming in the hotel pool, a movie on Netflix.  (The boys and I watched "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a classic western with John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.  Jesi didn't want to watch a black and white show, so she watched something more Disneyish.)  The next day after I had made my calls, we decided to take a longer route home and visit Flaming Gorge dam.  Just as we were starting our tour, a flash of lightning in the distance required that the tour be postponed an hour. We watched a movie about the building of the dam while we waited.  It was a fun trip with the kids, and well worth the extra time.

Since they were dealing with spring runoff, the water was being let through at full capacity, over 8000 cubic feet per second.  Normally it comes through at 800 cubic feet per second.  The water flow was powerful and magnificent.  It almost felt like a bomb was going off as it hit the river below the dam.  Extraordinary experience.  We all enjoyed it!  (I'm not sure if Jesi is overwhelmed with the power of the water or just disgusted with her brothers, but it sure makes for a couple of funny pictures!)

-Jer

A few pictures

Xander borrowed Cali's dress the other day.  Quite the cutie!

His sultry look:

I took most of the kids to see Maleficent recently (we all loved it!).  At the theater we met a superhero:

Xander jumped in as soon as he saw the cardboard cutout.  Graci took quite a bit of convincing;)

Taylor, Parker, Xander and I built a fire pit in our backyard on Saturday.  We had a campfire and s'mores that night.  So much fun!!!

No Harm, No Foul?

Christi, Parker, Taylor and I are in my office planning out the next few days.  Jesi walks in, comes around my desk, and leans on the arm of my office chair.  (As I mentioned a few posts ago, my kids love to share my personal space with me.  Aren't I lucky?:)  She looks across me and directly at Christi.  We were all in a matter-of-fact kind of organizational mode, and my sweet wife maintained that demeanor as she addressed Jess:  "Go wash your glasses.  They're so dirty I can't stand to look at you."  Realizing how harsh that might have sounded, she quickly tacked on a very sincere addendum:  "I mean, it makes me so sad to think of you having to look through them that way!"

Jesi started to walk out of the office and in her hilariously serious 10-year-old way remarked, "Well.  That was a little offensive."

We all busted up laughing, and Jesi enjoyed having been the cause of our smiles.

-Jer

Learning about Jesus

Each Sunday we go to church as a family.  We learn about Jesus and His atonement.  We learn about His commandments and how following them can bring us peace.  We go to a total of three hours of meetings.  For about two thirds of the time we are broken up by age group, so kids are in classes that are designed to help keep them engaged.  Each time we bring home a new child, there is an adjustment period as they discover that Christ's gospel and attending church are a big part of our lives.  Poor Conner has had a tough time sitting through three hours of church during which he not only endures instruction in a language he can't understand, but also sits there patiently in complete darkness, not even able to see his surroundings.  We've actually been bringing him home early most Sundays because of how difficult it is for him.

In order to help him understand more about what we're doing and why we're doing it, we've enlisted the help of the local missionaries.  Yes, those boys in white shirts and name tags have a presence even here in Utah, the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  But the missionaries in our town don't speak Chinese, so we've been able to take Conner to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to meet with a sweet, Mandarin speaking missionary there.  For those of you who don't know, Temple Square is a popular tourist destination, with visitors from all over the world.  To help accommodate those visitors, missionaries are called from many countries to serve for 18 months at Temple Square.  Together, these missionaries (all female) speak just about any language you can think of.  

Last Sunday we took Conner to Salt Lake and met with Sister Jin, a missionary from China who would be teaching him about Jesus.  There are not many members of the Latter-day Saint church in mainland China, so most of the Mandarin-speaking sisters on temple square are from Taiwan or Singapore.  What a pleasant surprise for all of us when we found out that Sister Jin is from mainland China.  What an even greater shock when we found the she is from Conner's hometown of Wuhan and that they were able to speak the same local dialect and talk about some familiar places in that city.  We felt it was truly a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven as Conner was able to speak with someone to whom he could relate so well.

We stayed at Temple Square for about 90 minutes.  Conner learned many things about the Savior and about Father in Heaven and His plan for us.  He learned more about why we pray and how to pray and has been saying his own prayers regularly for the last week.  He is such a sweet boy.  As we've talked to him over the past couple of months, we have repeatedly told him that Jesus Christ let us know it was right for him to come to our family and be adopted.  Conner loves Jesus!  We look forward to more meetings with the missionaries and hope that Conner will decide to be baptized.

Located in one of the visitor's centers at Temple Square is a beautiful statue of Christ that we all took a picture in front of.  Unfortunately, the nice young kid we asked to snap the photo turned out to be a less-than-stellar photographer.  But it's better than nothing:)

-Jer

Mercenary

I'm sitting at my desk doing some paperwork.  It's a lazy summer morning for the rest of the family…with two exceptions.  Lexi and Sophi always seem to wake up early.  We always get an early morning visit from Soph, but she is often willing to go play with Lexi while the rest of us try to snooze a little longer.  I got up and snuck into my office.  I had to sneak because as soon as the little ones know I'm in here, they attack.  Sophi, Lexi and Conner love to enter my "personal space" zone.  They want to cuddle up to me or give me a hug or hold my hand.  Aren't I lucky to have such loving kids?  As they approach, they always seem to find a way to disrupt this pile of papers or that computer cord or…you get the idea.

Anyway, I was safely sequestered in a satisfying solitude when in marched Soph!  I'm not sure how she knew I was in here.  It must be some kind of sick sense or something.  (Oops!  Sixth sense:)  She opened the door with her chin and began a non-stop conversation.  Very disconcerting to one who is trying to focus on the task at hand.  (You can ask Christi how successful I am at multi-tasking!)  I enjoyed our banter for awhile, endured it for a bit, felt my face begin to twitch like I was hearing nails on a chalkboard for a stretch, and finally asked Sophi if she could leave my office and go play with Lexi again.  As usual, she completely ignored my request.  I asked again.  She continued talking to me. "Sophi, can you please go out of my office?"  She glanced over my desk and noticed my money clip, which had a $20 bill wrapped around the outside.  She got a reflective look on her face and said, "If you give me money I will go out!"  She is learning early.

Fortunately, she is still at an age where a simple, "I'll count to three and you need to be out of my office" works wonders ;)

-Jer

Cutest Thing EVER!

Sophi has been wanting a bike for years. It is so hard because she has to steer with her chin-- which is even more difficult than it sounds and only allows her to go very slow. It's also hard on her back and tummy and she falls easily. A few days ago, the sweetest lady (mother of one of Parker's friends) surprised Sophi with this gift. We could not believe how quickly she learned how to ride it! This video was taken only a few seconds after we assembled it. I don't think you can even imagine how excited and happy we are for her! Seriously such a happy day! :-)  She is on this pretty much non-stop.  It's so cute!!!

Superwoman!

Christi is my hero.  In so many ways.  I could go on and on about her patience with me, her intense love for her children, her ability to to provide meals for a small army on a daily basis, her organizational abilities in putting together paperwork for our adoptions, her innate desire to look for the good in everyone, her knack for making all of her kids feel important, her ability to help kids with homework in every subject under the sun, her artistic talents which are often on display as she helps with said homework (thank heavens the kids don't have to depend on dear old dad for their posters/book reports/art projects/etc.!), her pure love for Elli in spite of all of the challenges that go along with severe autism, her charge-in-and-take-care-of-the-mess attitude when it comes to a particularly difficult diaper disaster, her tenderness, her toughness, her fantastic kissing skills, her ability to play pretty much any song on the piano the first time she tries it, her efforts to provide an incredibly safe and loving environment in our home, her prowess at mini basketball shooting games and so many, many more areas in which she excels.

But today Christi is my hero because she managed to get our kids through the last week of school with me gone for six straight days.  I had to fly to New Jersey on Sunday and spend all week at our corporate office for training.  Somehow she got everybody ready and off to school each day.  She got Lexi ready for her bus by 7:15, herded four junior high kids out the door by 7:25 for their carpool, drove Jesi and Xander to elementary school by 7:45 and got Elli all ready for her bus by 8:15.  Every morning this week!  What did YOU do every morning this week?  I'm guessing it wasn't quite as draining:)  My efforts at work were certainly not even in the same ballpark as what she had to manage at home!  Once she got everyone off to school, she then had to keep Conner and Sophi occupied for the next seven hours. And after school there were practices, music recitals, youth activities, homework, and who knows what else in addition to the everyday demands such as dinner, dishes and bedtime.  I am, indeed, married to superwoman.  To top it all off, I am quite certain that when I arrive home this evening, the house will be spotlessly clean and full of an extra dozen kids or so.  Somehow she always manages to get the home looking amazing when I get back from a trip.  And today was the last day of school, so she let the kids invite friends over for a late night.  What a woman:)  I love you, sweetie!

-Jer

PS.  Today is the ten-year anniversary of Tiffany's death.  I miss my sweet little sis, but I'm confident in the knowledge that she is in a much better place.  I truly believe she can look down and see our little family and that what she sees makes her happy.  I think she occasionally throws some assistance our way as well.  Thanks, Tiff.  I look forward to catching up some time in the future.  Love you!

School Carnival

On a recent weekend we had the following:

-Two touch football games

-three basketball games

-a soccer game

-a school carnival

All before 1:00pm.

Christi and I used the divide and conquer method, her attending some events, me, other events.  I was really hoping the kids would forget about the school carnival, because I wanted to watch Taylor and Parker play basketball.  But of course, that would be too easy.  At the football games we ran into a friend of Jessica's who promptly asked if Jesi would be going to the carnival.  So I had the opportunity to take Jesi, Soph, Lexi, Conner and Xander to the festivities.

It actually turned out to be quite fun.  They're such sweet kids.  They went on bounce houses and inflatable slides.  We had a pulled pork lunch and snow cones for dessert.  All of the kids got face painting done.  The highlight was probably the pony rides.  All five kids enjoyed it.  I'm a lucky guy to have so many people who want to do fun things with me:)

-Jer

Sophi found two "diamond shaped rocks" that totally made her day.  She insisted I take a picture:

Heirarchy

A few days ago, Sophi and I were talking about Christi.  "Mom's the best!" I said.  "Yup!" Sophi replied.  "And preschool!!!"  (When she started to say 'and…', I thought maybe she was going to include Dad in her list of things that are 'the best',  but no such luck:)

-Jer

Visitors

We had a few new people come over to our house last week:

Rock Star!

Hip Hop artist

Cowgirl:)

Weekend with Elli

Last Friday, Christi's mom retired from her job as an elementary school teacher.  Her kids helped throw a surprise party for her in Christi's hometown of Ferron, UT which is about a two hour and forty-five minute drive from our house.  Of course Christi wanted to be there, and with the long weekend it sounded fun to take the kids down and stay for a few days.  As we discussed logistics, it became apparent that it would be best if Elli stayed home with me.  She can get very agitated around large groups of people,and all of Christi's siblings and most of their children would be there as well.  So Ellli and I got to spend the weekend together.

It was a good experience overall.  I thought about taking her to Lagoon, a good-sized amusement park about 45 minutes from Herriman.  The first couple of years we had Elli we took her to Disneyworld and to Lagoon.  At that young age she really enjoyed the rides she could go on, including a couple of small roller coasters.  She would laugh and smile during and after each ride.  As the years have gone on, however, she has enjoyed these opportunities much less.  I thought maybe if it was just the two of us and I could focus all of my attention on her, she might enjoy it again.  Before I spent the time and money on a day at Lagoon, however, I decided to try an evening at a very small park called Trafalga.  It has only three or four rides in addition to an arcade, laser tag, etc.  I figured if she enjoyed the rides there I would give Lagoon a shot.

Elli had been great all day Friday.  We drove to Trafalga and she was great.  But as we entered the doors, we were hit with the cacophony of noises that 200 people in an enclosed area can generate.  The rides were back outside, but we had to get our hands stamped first.  Elli quickly started to shut down.  I hoped that if we could get our stamps quickly and get back outside, she might be ok, but, alas, the line was very slow and we stood there for at least seven minutes.  Elli got more and more distraught the longer we waited.  She started to twist around and lie down and get back up.  Soon she started to scream.  Finally we got our stamps and headed back outside, but by then it was too late.  I tried for about 15 minutes to help her get calm, but it clearly wasn't happening.  We ended up going home without participating in any of the activities there.  Poor kid!

Other than that, Elli was a little angel.  We went to the cemetery together and left flowers on Jacob's and Emily's grave.  We went to a park, we ate at McDonald's twice and I sat outside with her while she played on the trampoline and climbed on her climbing toy.  Once cute thing she did: while climbing on her jungle gym she spontaneously began to sing to the tune of the ABC's:  "Grandpa Green, Grandpa Green, Grandpa Green, Grandpa Green."  Not sure what brought him to mind, but it was very cute.  (In the video below I can't get her to sing it again, but she sure seems to enjoy it when I'm singing it to her!)

My favorite thing about the weekend was the chance I had to get to know Elli better.  Christi provides the majority of Elli's care on a typical day.  Most of the time I'm with Elle, the entire family is around.  During these noisier times, Elli is more likely to get frustrated, riled up and unruly.  It was a real blessing for me to be able to spend so much time with her when it was quiet and serene.  She really is a little angel.  I'm so grateful to be her dad.

-Jer

First Hike

The other day Conner was sleeping on the couch.  Cali and Graci weren't here, so there was nobody except me to speak Chinese wit.  My limited capabilities didn't excite him very much, so he took a nap.  I'm trying to get in shape for a big hike with Taylor and Parker this summer, so I thought I'd take
Conner on a smaller hike.

I woke him up from his slumber.  Once he was coherent I tried to tell him in Chinese where we were going.  I didn't know the word for hike, so I told him we were going for a walk.  We got ready and set out, driving about five minutes from our home to the base of a precipice I've been wanting to climb.  We set off into the wilderness.  There was no trail, thick grass, lots of large rocks, and a highly sloped surface for much of it.  I was very impressed with Conner.  He held on to my backpack and kept up very well.  He only stumbled a couple of times, no more than someone with sight might have.

It was a great bonding experience.  We talked quite a bit.  He kept saying how tall this hill was and how many big rocks there were.  At one point he asked me if I had ever been here before.  When I said, "no," he was clearly shocked.  He said something that I'm sure translated roughly into, "What kind of crazy family have I been adopted into?!?"

We kept at it and made it to the top.  This is a picture of our destination taken from the front porch of our home.  Together we climbed up to the saddle on the left.  Conner waited there while I climbed up to the peak between the two saddles.

Overall I think he enjoyed it.  I told him how beautiful the views were.  We stopped often to listen to different sounds, to feel the wind and smell the smells and to enjoy the silence.  I asked him several times if he liked it and he said yes.  On the other hand, I asked him several times if he wanted to do it again and he said, "No, no, no, no, no!!!"  He's such a sweet kid.

View from the top

I took this from the top of the peak, looking down into the saddle where Conner waited.  Just to the right of the center you can see a small black dot.  That's him:)

A little shout out to Tiff:)

We made it!!!

Later that day when Grace and Cali came home, Conner told them all about it.  Graci started cracking up and I asked her way.  Barely able to contain her guffaws, she got this out.  "You asked him…(giggle)…if he wanted…(more giggles)…to go on a short little walk…(uncontrollable giggles)…then you took him…(doubles over in laughter)…way up this huge hill!  (Can't stop cracking up.)

It was about 3 miles round trip with a 1000 foot elevation gain.  I guess they had a point:)

-Jer

A Great Big Thanks!!!

We've been back for almost three weeks now.  Conner is doing so well!  He really just feels like he's always belonged with us.  It will be fun in two more weeks when the kids are out of school and he has more people to interact with during the day.  He really perks up when Graci and Cali are around and he can speak to them in Chinese!

This is just a quick post to give a great big thank you to everyone who has helped with our adoption of Conner.  A much deserved thanks to all who were involved in the Puzzle Them Home effort.  Bringing  him home to THIS home is such a blessing.  Thanks to Tyler and Laura and Leslie and Jeremy and Grandma and Grandpa Nelson for all of their help with our other kids while we were in China.  Thanks to Leslie for preparing so many fabulous freezer meals that made it much easier on Christi when we returned.  Thanks to our anonymous "food box fairies" who left a giant box of yummy treats and snacks for us.  Not only were there many of our kids favorite things to eat, they also included an extremely generous amount of gift cards for Papa John's and a prepaid Visa card to buy Conner some clothes.  We are SO grateful to you, whoever you are.

Thanks to all of you who continue to encourage us and pray for us.  We are overwhelmed by the blessings we've received.

-Jeremy

Goes Too Fast

I had an epiphany at about 12:30 am Thursday morning.  Our sweet Jessica had gone to bed very early on Wednesday evening because she wasn't feeling well.  She took a large bowl with her just in case.  Around midnight she came into our bedroom having utilized her bowl and wanting help.  She was so sweet.  She is an amazing girl.  I've never met anyone who will so acceptingly listen to coaching and suggestions without any defensiveness or push back.  I love her so much.  She was so grateful for my help at that early hour.  She gave me a huge hug as I tucked her back into her freshly arranged bed.

As I was helping her, some of the usual thoughts went through my mind:  "I'm exhausted.  It's hard to be a parent.  Etc."  Then another thought went through my mind:  "Assuming that Sophi remains our youngest child (I know, that's a bit of an assumption when you're talking about our family, but stay with me here!)  Again, assuming that Sophi is our youngest child, we have fewer child-rearing years ahead of us than we do behind us."  That was a crazy realization.  As just about any parent knows, when you're in these crazy years with young kids, it seems like that is the only reality that exists.  You forget that you were once a child yourself, once a young, single person with few to no responsibilities.  You forget that everyone reaches an empty-nest point at sometime in their life.  You just assume that the wonderful, crazy, excruciating, exhilarating rush of today will be here tomorrow and forever.

In that moment of realization, I had two conflicting emotions.  My first thought was, "There's a light at the end of the tunnel!"  That was immediately followed by the thought, "Oh, PLEASE slow down!"  Even just thinking about it as I type, my eyes are beginning to mist.  What will I do when there is no Jesi at home to ask for help and reward me with hugs?  What will I do when there are no boys asking, "Can you come play ball with us for just 5 minutes?"  How will I cope with no make-believe plays being simultaneously written and acted out in our living room?  It will be hard.

How grateful I am for an eternal companion whom I love more than anything.  There will be a challenging transition period, I am sure.  But the thought of having much more time to spend with my sweet wife is a beautiful one.  One thing I hold onto is this.  So far, every stage of my life has been better than the last.  My two- and three-year-old Taylor and Parker are gone, but I certainly wouldn't go back there and give up the 14- and 13-year old versions!  I was once single and care-free, but I wouldn't dream of going back to those days.  With the exception of the increasing fragility of my body, age and time have brought me increasing joy with each passing year.  What a blessing this life is!

So for now, I'll continue to enjoy the ride.  And I'll move forward with faith that when this particular roller-coaster comes to a stop, there will be another, even better experience on the horizon.

Jeremy

Parade of Homes all over again

It is such a privilege to live in this home.  We've said thanks to all of you who helped contribute to this wonderful haven for our family.  We'll say it many, many more times and it will never be enough.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I've had several experiences over the last month that have reminded me just how wonderful it is.  Towards the end of our trip to Costa Rica, Christi and I were talking about coming home.  We were obviously sad to leave such a paradise.  We had a magnificent, ocean view room at the Four Seasons Hotel.  We were spoiled with delicious food, free excursions and an amazing tropical climate.  And yet, in the midst of all of that, I felt that tingle of anticipation when I thought of coming home.  I pictured our beautiful house and I was truly excited to get back here.  What a blessing!

Thirteen days after we returned we shipped off for China to get Conner.  After two amazing weeks getting to know him, I came back home with our older kids.  Christi had left China four days before I did, so she and the younger kids were at the airport to greet us.  When I finally came home it was to a spotlessly cleaned and arranged house.  I felt like it was the Parade of Homes all over again.  Each time I went into a different room it took my breath away.  Again, thank you SO much to everyone who helped us get here!

A third experience came last week.  Bret (our builder) occasionally has a potential client who would like to see his work.  He asked if one such couple could come and tour our home.  Of course we said yes.  (By the way, we really feel like it's a privilege to share our home with others.  While we live here, we feel like a part of it will always belong to the loving friends and neighbors who helped us so much.) A sweet, young couple came along with a realtor who works with clients for Bret.  This couple didn't need a home anywhere near this size.  They just wanted to see a home Bret had built and look for some ideas.  As they went room to room, they were (of course) immersed in Lexi, Sophi and several of our other kids.  They felt the wonderful spirit that is here as a result of the love that went into the Puzzle them Home project.  At the end of the tour, the girl said something along the lines of, "I want this house."  The realtor said, "Oh, it's a great home, but you don't need anything near this large."  The girl replied, "No.  I mean I want to live here.  In THIS house.  With THIS family!  We could live in the guest room and be their nannies."

What a blessing for us to live here.  It is truly a home beyond what we possibly could have imagined.  We love it so much.  Thank you!

Jeremy

LOL

Last week Christi took Sophi and Conner to Lexi's school.  Lex was part of a dance concert was dying for mom to attend.  After a cute and entertaining show, Christi went up and congratulated Lexi.  Standing there surrounded by Lexi, Sophi and Conner, Christi was approached by another mom.  This woman looked at the three kids and asked, "Are these ALL yours???"  She was incredulous.  Christi had to fight back a giggle.  "Yes," she replied.  The woman sweetly told Christi that she thought it was wonderful and amazing that Christi could handle so much.

My sweet wife just smiled and said thank you, never mentioning that she had seven more at home.:)  We had a good laugh when she told me the story that evening.

Jer

The Longest Walk

This is a post I wrote for findMe International. Through their Facebook site and other avenues they are trying to find a home for Cameron. Keep praying!!!

The Longest Walk

 I had the opportunity to spend a beautiful day with a beautiful 13-year-old a few weeks ago. While on an adoption trip to China, my wife and I and four of our kids arrived in the country a few days prior to the day we would get our new son. On one of those days we had the chance to take sweet Cameron for a day out of the orphanage. He is a tremendous young man. He was sweet and polite, helpful and willing to try new things. We took him out to lunch, to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and then swimming in our hotel. Throughout the day my heart continued to go out to him. Over and over I thought, "Why not us? Why couldn't we bring this special young man home?" Sadly, with ten other children, including three other 13-year-olds, it's just not right for us at this time. But oh, how I hope there's a family out there that can bring this boy home. His time is running short as he approaches age 14. He would be a great addition! He is a smart young man. He has some health concerns with his heart, but seemed to be able to do typical day-to-day types of things without any problems.

 At the end of our visit, Cameron and I returned to the orphanage in a taxi. He fell asleep on the way back. When we got there I experienced one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I woke him up and got out of the car with him. We were in the parking lot and he led me to his building. The impression I had as this courageous young man plodded forward was that he was a bit like a coal miner headed down into the mine for a day at work. Not loving what he had to do, but knowing he had to do it. He was headed into a place that provided him food and shelter, but one that was bleak and dreary in many ways.

 Once we got inside, he checked in with the staff member in charge. She greeted him warmly, for which I was grateful. Then he told me goodbye...and he left. It was after 9:00pm, and I had to walk back down the long, dimly lit hallway by myself. It was the longest walk I've ever made. Seven times we have been on the other end of this scenario. Seven times we have, at least to some extent, rescued a child who might otherwise have grown up without parents. Seven times we have experienced the joy and pain, sweetness and sorrow, and the overwhelming spirit of love that is adoption. Seven times we have taken a child away from a parentless life. But that night, I had to take him into the orphanage. And leave him. And it absolutely broke my heart.

 Cameron is a good boy. He wants a family. Could he bless the lives of you and your family? Please consider him. We are praying that someone can help him walk out into the light of a loving forever family.

-Jeremy Green


 
Cameron Sightseeing with the Green Family from findMe international on Vimeo.

Sweetie

After work today I walked in my room and, as is often the case, I felt a bit like the Pied Piper.  In walked Xander, Taylor, Sophi and Lexi.  They all had different things they wanted to share with their Dad.  Or perhaps they just wanted to be near me since they had missed me so much during the day!  For awhile I listened to the various streams of info coming at me.  Somehow it didn't matter how I responded, they always seemed to come up with another item of interest or concern they wanted to communicate.  Finally I said, "Will everyone go out of the room so I can change my clothes?"

Taylor, Xander and Sophi started towards the door.  Lexi said, "Hey Sweetie.  I'm blind!  (Little giggle.)  I can call you Sweetie, right?"

Yes, Lex, you may call me Sweetie!
---------------------------------------------------------

After dinner we had our weekly family night.  Christi was in charge and we did an art project.  All of the kids were drawing this or writing that.  Lexi said, "Hey Dad.  Do you know what I'm drawing?"  I looked over at her paper covered in multi-colored scribbles.  Hoping I might make a lucky guess I threw some things out:

"Flowers?"

"Nope."

"Trees?"

"Nope."

"Our family?"

"Nope.  Dad, look at my paper!"

What a poignant little comment.  Look at my paper.  She had no idea that I had been looking intently at her paper the entire time.  Look at my paper.  She honestly thought that what she was drawing would be easily identifiable if someone saw it.  Look at my paper.  A perfect melding of optimism and oblivion.  I love you, Lex.  You are the epitome of a Sweetie!

By the way, if I had half a clue I would have guessed what she was drawing.  It was Anna and Elsa from Frozen.  What else?!?

-Jer

Makes Sense!

Sophi (to Christi):  "Hi, Christianne Nelson Green!  That's your name, huh?"

Christi:  "Yes."

Sophi (to herself as she walks away):  "And I'm Sophia Chinese Green!"

Day One

We must remember we now have 10 children.  This morning we woke up pretty exhausted.  We all fought through it and got ready for church.  We rushed out the door just a little late.  Christi and Graci were in the car.  I was in the van with everyone else.  On the short drive I gave instructions as I usually do.  Taylor, you help Lexi in, Parker, you help Sophi, etc.  We parked the cars, walked in and found our usual seats at the very back of the overflow seating.  I moved a chair out of the way for Cali's wheelchair.  I counted the number of chairs in the row and realized we would need two more.  I got two more chairs and put them on the end of the row.  All the kids were getting seated.  Suddenly Christi said, "Where's Elli?"  I looked and re-looked.  "Didn't Taylor bring her in?"  Apparently not.  Christi rushed out to the van and sure enough, there was Elle, bouncing and contended as could be.  Way to go, Dad!