Random Things That I Love...

Did you ever just sit back and think about things that make you smile? Things about the people in your house that just make your world a better place?

Well, I did that today.

Things I love about my husband...

...he makes me breakfast (including flavored iced coffee) and packs my lunch every day!
...he cooks dinner every night, gets excited about new recipes, and NEVER complains that he's the primary chef of our family!
...hearing him tell Carson a bedtime story! (Even though I'm typically the mean monster in his stories...)
...he lets Carson win when they wrestle in the family room!
...the fact that he goes to work late so he can drive Meggie to school, rather than having her catch the bus in the snow when school is on a delay!
...he lets me go to bed ahead of him so I'll be asleep and his snoring won't keep me up!

Things I love about The Teenager...

...when she's bored, she organizes, cleans, and bakes! (She organized Carson's toys and our pantry yesterday and is currently making cinnamon muffins!)
...the fact that she's not your typical teenager!
...that she'll loudly sing songs from the "Wicked" soundtrack with me while she tries to teach me how to use a flat iron!
...her blog!
...hearing her talk about Carson and Molly Jayne!
...watching her with little kids! (She's going to be a great teacher someday...)
...her fashion sense and her willingness to share it with her Mom!
...the fact that she actually misses me when I'm at work...and tells me so!

Things I love about the Little Man...

...he sings made-up songs -- very, VERY loudly -- while spending "quality time" on the toilet!
...he really, truly thinks he can dance!
...he thinks he knows the words to the Veggie Tales theme song! (He does not...)
...whenever he is feeling especially grateful, he tells me, "Mommy, I LUB you!"
...our nightly ritual of snuggling in my bed, after reading two books, and making up silly bedtime stories! (He's always the superhero, I'm typically the mean monster...wonder where he learned that?!)
...hearing him try to say our phone number!
...the fact that he will address total strangers as if they are his best friends! ("Hi! What's your name? Wow, you really BIG!")
...his chubby cheeks! (They jiggle when he walks!)

I probably could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I'm feeling especially grateful today!!

That Apple Didn't Fall Far from the Mommy Tree...

I came home from a VERY bad day of teaching today (your typical students-are-making-me-crazy kinda day) to the news that the Megster has started her own blog! Are you SERIOUS?! I couldn't get there fast enough!

If you're looking for a point of view on life with our crazy family from a not-so-typical Teenager, feel free to head on over to The World According to Meggie. You would make her so happy if you left a comment or two once in a while. Heck, people, you would rock her world by becoming one of her first blog followers...of course, you won't be her first follower 'cause I already signed up!

A Gift From a Friend of a Friend...

Just minutes after my last post, an Anonymous commenter provided a link to the website of Bethany Adoption Services...and lo and behold look whose picture is on there...
...our lovely Molly Jayne! (I think the book she is "reading" in that picture might just be upside down!)

After reading Carson his bedtime stories, I came racing back to the computer to post the picture...and there was a comment from Katie, one of the stars of Our Little Women, explaining the identity of Anonymous. (You can read the comments on my prior post to get the whole story...) Katie's family adopted the adorable Emmy from China last year and I have followed their blog for a long time.

I am constantly amazed at the blessings in my life...including friends of friends who go through the trouble to tell complete strangers about adorable pictures. Thanks, Bee...you are an angel!!

...and Other Reasons to Celebrate!

First of all, Happy Chinese New Year! We attended our local FCC Chinese New Year celebration on Sunday afternoon...minus the Teenager, who got sick at Church and was stuck at home feeling pretty miserable. (She felt better later that evening...thanks for asking!)

A few pictures from the CNY celebration:

The cool dragon table decoration...
The goofy kid behind the dragon mask (that he refused to color)...
The boys enjoying lunch...and Carson has quite a mouthful of rice in this picture!
Carson loving on Mommy...
Oh, what is this blower thing for...??
Ahhh, yes...since I'm a five year old boy, this blower is CLEARLY an instrument of torture...
A crowd shot from Carson's vantage point...
Carson playing the games...
...and getting temporary tattoos...
...while Mommy ran the Chinese Zodiac Wheel game.
Quite proud of his awesome dragon tattoos...a matched set...
Calming down after the games, taking time to color his placemat...
We had a pretty low key time of it at CNY since Carson's friends weren't able to make it (Wesley, Elliana, and Max...you all BETTER come next year!!), but Carson enjoyed himself anyway.

Early in the event, Daddy asked me if I knew anyone at CNY. I replied that I probably know some people by name and/or blog, but not to put a face with a name. To prove my point, as I was heading over to the games to work my volunteer shift, a woman approached me. "Aren't you Carson's Mom?" she asked. I was slightly taken aback. Turns out she reads the blog and recognized me from pictures on here! It was kind of a weird combination of feeling famous and feeling stalked all at the same time...and I told her so. We laughed about it. So here's a shout out to Rose, Lavender, and Iris...it was so good to meet you all!!

We have gotten dumped on with snow and ice this week and the kids haven't been to school since Monday! It looks like they may get to go tomorrow...but there has been TONS of celebrating at our house by a couple of bums who are enjoying lazing around watching TV all day. (No, I don't mean me and Daddy...)

But the real celebration occurred today, when I got the following e-mail from the USCIS:

"Good morning.

I have finished my review of your I-800A application and have approved it today. It is in the mail and you should be getting it soon. I have also sent a copy to your Adoption Service Provider.

Congratulations!"

We've only waited 3 months, 1 week, and 2 days to get that e-mail! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!

Of course, we don't actually have the I-797C in our hot little hands yet, so I'll be cautiously excited...but excited nonetheless. Looks like we could get our dossier sent to China by the second week of February, then the real countdown begins...the countdown to travel!

Hold on, Molly Jayne...we're one huge step closer to you!!

Let's Hear it for the Girls!

Tonight, Daddy and Carson went to a boys-only birthday party. Our nephew, Alex, celebrated his 8th birthday by having his male cousins over for a football-themed birthday party...and then they are all spending the night! Meggie and I had visions of hanging out in our comfy clothes, watching a chick flick on the big screen, enjoying the lack of testosterone in the house.

But then Meggie had a better idea.

We decided to go on a secret mission...
...to a very cute store...
...that was having a super duper sale!
It occurred to Meggie that we are about to adopt a cute little girl who has absolutely NO CLOTHES! While we'll probably travel in the spring or early summer to get our little Molly, and the weather will probably be pretty warm, the poor thing can't travel around China naked!

Tonight, we fixed that.

Here is Meggie considering the first of MANY adorable dresses...
...while I got kinda excited about the nightgown section.
We had a GREAT time looking for bargains (it WAS a super-duper sale, after all) and combining separates to create a wardrobe for our little princess.

That great time ended abruptly...
...when I realized how much our little shopping spree cost!! (Yikes, I look like I'm having a stroke in that picture...my mouth is drooping to one side!)

Meggie was so excited to come home and lay out all of our awesome finds...
...which included the PJs we bought...
...the adorable play clothes...
...and the sweet dresses!
Earlier in the day, we were out shopping with my friend, Sarah, and we found this adorable picture frame...
...that Meggie just HAD to have. Can't wait to put a picture of my girls in that frame together!

When Meggie was little and Daddy traveled for work, we would have girls nights and we decided to recreate that experience tonight after our shopping adventure. On girls nights, we would always have the same thing for dinner...scrambled eggs and biscuits. Tonight -- which was a nice change -- Meggie actually helped me make our traditional dinner. She handled the biscuits...
...and, as you can see, it was terribly traumatic for the Teenager. The biscuits were yummy, despite the torture they caused my firstborn.
Yummy, but not terribly attractive.

The thing that made girls nights especially fun for Meggie was where we would eat...in the family room, on the coffee table. Daddy HATES eating in the family room, so we never do when he's home. Being able to eat in front of the TV while Daddy was out of town made it feel especially naughty to Meggie.

Ahhh, memories!

Tonight, we just HAD to eat in the family room...
...and after we were done goofing around...
...we enjoyed our traditional dinner while we watched our chick flick.Gosh, I hope the boys can find reasons to spend the night away more often. I forgot how fun our girls nights could be!

Taking a Quick Breather from the Merry-Go-Round of Life...

...and I suppose I should blog the things I promised.

Before I do, though, that last post...from my daughter...AWESOME! She is the BEST kid and it nearly brought me to tears to see that she was willing to post that (without prompting, I might add). I mean, her FRIENDS read this blog! I feel so bad...she keeps telling me, "Mom, I miss you." I've been home, but buried under mounds of ungraded papers and unread College policies. Today, I ditched the workload (OK, technically I stayed up until 1AM last night to get caught up...) and we spent the day hanging out, had lunch with Carson and my brother, went to the mall, and I drove her to dance tonight. (Sounds mundane, but we have some of our BEST conversations in the minivan on the way to dance.) And we're hitting Target after dance is over.

OK, on to the much-anticipated update:

Christmas with my side of the family actually occurred in early January. My sibs and I have been struggling for quite a while and this was the first holiday in...wow, seems like in forever...that there was no stress, no fighting, no petty silliness between us. And it was so very nice.

The kids had a ball playing Guitar Hero.
Here are all the sisters and sisters-in-law...
...my parents with their six kids......and my parents with all of the grandkids. Can't wait to see Molly in this pic next year!
My sibs all got together at my house the week before this celebration and created a photo collage for my parents. It turned out great and was a HUGE hit!Then the goofing around started...Meggie with Aunt Michelle......Meggie with Aunt Nikki......Aunt Nikki with Sophia...
...and Carson with Nathan.Carson was so excited to get a new Batman action figure in the gift exchange!!All the kids, which this year included a boyfriend, two family friends, and a second-cousin!"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful..."My mom modeling the beer boxer shorts she picked in the White Elephant Gift Exchange!What a cute pic...Meggie and Grandma D.Our little family unit...missing a certain adorable 4 year old girl...In fact, the night was downright fun...until my dear, sweet, adorable niece, Sophia...
...decided it was in her game plan to try to break my nose!!!! She was sitting on my lap and threw her head back, landing soundly on the absolutely worst part of the nose...you know, the part that makes you want to scream?! I was literally BLINDED with the sudden crash of pain and nearly dropped her. (Thankfully, we were sitting on the couch and my brother-in-law grabbed her from me.)

I then broke into the most horrific, racking sobs -- it was uncontrollable and thoroughly humiliating. My sister, Debbie (Sophia's mommy) looked so upset and I really tried my best to downplay the pain. I got up and tried to "walk it off"...that's when I started swallowing large amounts of blood! I went out on my brother's front porch, hoping the cold air would shrink the blood vessels in my nose...and nearly hurled in his flower bed from swallowing so much blood.

This picture is my favorite of the evening. I call it "Making Amends with Sophia"...
...and that look on her face cracks me up! Does she not look guilty?! Thankfully, after two days, the pain in my nose and across my cheekbones completely went away -- guess she didn't break my nose after all. Good thing she's cute...

Speaking of cute kiddos (oooo, nice transition...), Carson came home from school two weeks ago and informed us he was going to "marry Andre." Andre?!?! That sounds like a boy to me. (Needless to say, Kevin had a mini heart attack.) We tried to change the subject, but marrying "Andre" was all Carson could talk about. I secretly hoped this was a phase that would pass quickly.

A few days after that, I dropped Carson off at preschool. One of the teachers giggled as all the girls in the room ran up to hug Carson. One of them, in sort of a bossy manner, informed Carson, "You are going to marry Audrey today!" Audrey? AUDREY!! He's not marrying Andre, he's marrying Audrey!! That is a GIRL!! While I'm not super happy about my son hitching up with every cute girl in preschool, at least he's hooking up with the girls! Our entire household breathed a sigh of relief on that one!

Speaking of sighs of relief (are you enjoying my segues tonight?), Meggie was not breathing any of those when told she had to go back in the "boot"! Since her pain was not resolving as quickly as her Sports Med doctor wanted, he put her back in the "boot" and ordered an MRI. Thankfully, since I used to work in the MRI department at the hospital, I got a pretty immediate reading from the MRI tech -- everything was normal. Knowing that, Meggie and I decided that we were going to rehab her right back into life without the benefit of Sports Med docs or physical therapy (and their accompanying co-pays). I am pleased to announce she is walking without any pain and even taking part in dance rehearsals again! Yeah!!

Speaking of pain (man, I'm on a roll here!), I gotta tell you about my first day as a Nursing Instructor.
I worked 50+ hours a week for the three weeks before classes started back after Christmas to get ready for teaching. I designed my section on the College's online blackboard, complete with cute pictures and kid-friendly quotes. (I am teaching pediatrics after all!) I e-mailed my first clinical group multiple times informing them what was ready and what was expected.

Then I arrived on my first day to actually meet my students to find that NONE of them had done all of the assigned pre-clinical prep work. Some dabbled in the work, but not one of them did everything assigned. I was also enduring attitude, eye-rolling, and disrespect during the morning session (I know, is this 5th grade or college?) where all of the students in NUR 200 met as a group. The students were giving me a true sense that they thought THEY were in charge...and I was told just before lunch that the group was overheard saying they were going to "break in the new Instructor."

After lunch with my mentor, Tiffany (a true God-send to me in every sense of the word), I met with just my clinical group. We talked as a group for about an hour (during which time one of the students actually dozed off!) and then we took a break. When the break ended, I proceeded to tell these nine students (ranging in age from early 20s to late 50s) that, since none of them met the expectations set forth very clearly on my blackboard site, they were all currently failing NUR 200.

The power shift in that classroom was palpable. And I could have walked on water.

Two girls burst into tears and the excuses started flowing. "But our last Instructor..." "But we didn't know..." "But we're always allowed to..."

I wasn't having it.

I stayed calm and professional and very clearly explained to them that failure to do the work results in failure of the course...it really is that simple. While I'm sure I made no new friends that day, I definitely got their attention. And things have been looking up ever since! Not that it has been perfect...in fact in Week Two I had to put one girl on a contract (the College's form of probation) on Thursday, then she called in sick on Friday. Are you kidding me?! A contract means one strike and you're out! Had I been that girl, I would have come to clinical on Friday on a bloody stump if I had to! Goodness, what is this world coming to?!

I think we're about caught up! Today, Meggie, Carson and I went to Build-A-Bear to make fluffy friends for Carson and Molly...it was so cute! We took pictures with Meggie's camera (forgot mine...), so as soon as she uploads 'em on the computer I'll post 'em. And, Grandma B., I'll have her send you the Christmas pics, too!