Founders Day,,more wonderful memories :-)

Our school system has a year round calender.  This means that about every 6 weeks or so we get a break.  I love it!  I like my kids,, I like being around them, experiencing there joy and happiness.  Some days I think I have more to teach them then any teacher in the world.  Being that my best friend and Holly’s God mom is a teacher I think I can say that with out argument.  She would agree that parents are the prime teachers.

So we are at the end of winter break.  I have worked many extra hours and in particular the last week has been difficult.  My darling Mr. Mom just went through another round of interviews that led to nothing. Sadly he didn’t go along with us for our “mini break” in order to interview.  He is a trouper!

So what did we do that was so special??? We visited my Grandma :-)  I consider myself very lucky to be 38 yrs old with two grandma’s that are healthy and strong!  I try to take my kids to see them as often as possible.  So our plan was to go visit for two nights and take my mom.  What more could any one ask for not one but TWO Grandma’s!  They had a wonderful time.  One of the special things about this Grandma’s home is that there are lots of things about my Grandpa there to show my son.  We named my son after my Grandfather.  I enjoy showing him things about his Great-Grandpa (a strong, selfless man).  We talked, ate, laughed, ate, slept late, ate, counted penny’s (a family tradition started by my Grandpa,,the youngsters counted his change), ate, shopped (with the cash from the penny’s), ate, went for walks, ate.  Do you see a trend??? Going to Grandma’s always meant we ATE a lot And we had cake for my mom’s 6? birthday.

I had planned on taking my Mom by Calaway Gardens (my favorite place in the world to visit!) on the way home and pay her admission and for lunch.  Well as it turned out today is Mrs. Calaway’s Birthday.  So it is founders day at the gardens.  We all got in for free!  I do believe I got more out of my mom’s present then she did.  For the first time I got to experience her reaction’s with my kids to nature.  She is such a teacher with nature and knows more then I ever will.  She could and did talk to the kids about what they were seeing.  She is so excited to see them the learn and so happy to teach them as she was to teach me.  My mom is not the party throwing mom.  She would sew for us but honestly was more interested in getting down and dirty with us.  She can identify snakes, leaves, birds and can teach you how to make a compost heap.  I remember her talking to my dad’s father (Papa) about when to prune trees.  Even now she will tell me “cut it this way,,,that is what Papa told me”.  My dad’ father was also a Gardner and could make anything grow.  My children’s eyes light up with excitement when Grandma shows them something knew or explains something.  Grandma will get a shovel and dig for a worm and then hold it. slithering in her hand and told about what a worm does.  Last fall she found a huge betel and brought it home to my son.  He was so excited to take it to school and talk about the bug.  He beamed when he said “Grandma got it for me”.

I find these memories wonderful for two reasons.  They are wonderful happy memories of my children but also of my mom.  As my children and my mom get older I will cherish these memories.  We are blessed to be in this position (young children, active healthy mom) for only so many years.  To many times I have seen were families take this for granted.  I “drink it in” every moment every chance I can have I take!  I am thankful that I have this time and can build these memories.

GOTCHA DAY!!!

So this may not make since to many, but to my little family of 4 it like yelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!  Why because this is a family day.  I have listened to many a mom talk bout being in labor for “so many hours and oh the pain!!”  I was not blessed with labor, I was not blessed with pregnancy.  My family was born through adoption and at that international adoption.  So a GOTCHA DAY,, is like the day you gave birth.  It is the day your child was placed in your arms for the first time.  Sunday we celebrated my daughters 4th.  It is so hard to believe that it has been 4 yrs already!  I remember the “pain we went through to get her home!”  First Immigrations was backlogged and felt that infants being placed for adoption could wait in line.  Let me tell you there is NO EPIDURAL strong enough to take away the pain of finding out your baby wont be cleared through Immigrations until she is 1 yr old (it was a 6 month time frame and our daughter was already 4 months old).  She still had tests to go through in her country.  Imagine knowing your child is having a major test and you aren’t there, and then it was 2 months latter before you knew the results?  It was hard, even though we had been through this before with our son.  So we finally get the call,,,”She is coming home on the Th”  Finally I get to hold and hug my girl!!!  I can start bonding with her!  She will get to know my her MOM, she gets to know her DAD and her brother,,,SHE FINALLY GETS TO MEET HER FOREVER FAMILY!!!!!!

Happy Gotcha Day SWEAT PEA!!!

Oh,, and we have another one coming up in April:-)

Do Hiccups Make You Grow? Well My son BELIEVES

My DH shared a funny with me last night after I got home. Apparently my Parker has taken to checking his weight before he gets in the tub at night. As usual he was a whopping 38lbs (at 6yrs old). So after the bath he got a case of hiccups. Now if he asked me I would explain to him about his diaphragm ect and why hiccups and how hiccups happen. So that is me and I wasn’t home. Therefore he asked dear old dad “Daddy why do I have the hiccups” so my darling husband replays “its because you are growing”. At this point my son’s eyes lit up and he ran to the bathroom and jumped on the scale (now of course he is fully dressed) and low and behold he NOW is 39lbs!!!! So maybe hiccups relay do make you grown. At least there is one 6 year old that BELIEVES!!!!