Finally Final!

Almost the whole family showed up for the Adoption Ceremony on Monday. It was just too cool. The courts were running a bit behind, so we had some time together in the hall to chat, take pics and let the cousins play.

The judge signing the Decree of Adoption, "...and this child, Zephaniah Henry, shall now belong to Micah and Lynee Lewis as if born to them." My favorite part. My second favorite part of this particular ceremony was the part when the judge asked Zephan if he was hereby willing to accept and reside by the rules of his new Mother & Father. To this he replied, "No want it." When we had Levi's ceremony, he answered with "Yes, Sir."
Such very different boys! Both crack me up.

Inroducing Lewis 4.0, the ultra-cool newest version:

Now, back to the house to PARTY!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!

I just got a call! Merry Christmas to us!! We're finalizing Zephan's adoption THIS MONDAY!!!
Our ceremony will be at 4:00 and we will officially ring in the new year as a legal family.
Thank you, God!! It's just what I wanted.

Merry Christmas!

I hope all of you are enjoying your families today! This season has been so fun for our family.

Here's our ultra-natural Christmas tree ornaments (we went out and grabbed some birds to decorate the tree. They loved it and sang and cooed - it was so pretty) I told Malachi one day that the twin chicks still didn't have names. Malachi's usually the one who names everyone, so he contemplated thoughtfully as he held one of the babies. Then he said, "Well, this one pecks at my hand a lot, so we should call him Little Pecker." He didn't understand my laughter, but took my advice when I recommended another name. He ended up settling on Shade and Shadow for them :)Micah's on Winter break from school and we've been having some much-needed time together. Our church went to the carousel by the river to sing carols and munch cookies and let the kids ride. It was a ton of fun. Even Zephan, who was rather freaked out by the carousel, enjoyed the ride once I found a 2-seater bench for him and I to ride on together, instead of a horse.My niece brought her Mom and Dad, too and she loved riding the horsies. Bree is the opposite of Zephan in the area of new experiences. He melts down and she dives right in. We've also been baking and visiting friends and enjoying Christmas lights and songs. Micah and I even got to go to the movies together. We saw Avatar in 3-D while Great-Gramma Reyna stayed home with the boys and listened to Zephan cry for 3 hours. He DID NOT want to be left that day. But Avatar was FANTASTIC!! It was my first 3-D movie and I was very impressed.

We also got to mutt-sit our favorite (other than Lexx) doggy, Bentley. My boys ADORE this dog and sleep with him when he stays with us. Lexx and him get along great and they enjoy one another. Someday when we get a bit bigger of a place I know I'll pine for a big dog. There's nothing like them.
Well, Merry Christmas to you! I was hoping for the off-chance that the courts would call and tell us that they'd magically fit us in before year's end, but God's in control and I'm trying to be patient.

Enter The Tree

It's Christmastime! As you can see above, we've been downloading Christmas movies (the one my fellas are watching happens to be A Christmas Story - one of my faves). It's also time for the annual finding of the tree! We were disappointed to discover that the farm we usually visit to get our tree is closed during the week. Which was the only time Micah's schedule was un-hoarded by school/work. We really love this place as they have an adorable little tractor-pulled train that takes a scenic route up a mountain and drops you to find the perfect tree. It comes back when you're done and the tree gets loaded onto the caboose and everybody gets another ride down the mountain. Then, as they load your tree for you (major score here) the children are treated to hot coco and cookies. Total cost? $25.
Yeah. They rock.
But this year was almost as fun. We still got a ride on an ATV-pulled cart, and they also had cookies and cider. What was adorable, though, was the shop dog who accompanied us through the forest to the delight of my boys. We're dog-lovers and "McKenna" was a welcome addition to our adventure.

Find just the right one! GO!!
Found it!!



Then it was time to participate in another family tradition: discovering that the tree is, in fact, too big for the space in which it's supposed to fit. Then comes the chin-scratching and moving around of furniture until....it finally fits!

Yay!
So, the living room will stay this way for approximately 12 minutes. You know what kids say when you're caught staring? Well,
I DID take a picture.
So it would last longer.

Let's see. What else. Oh! The twins hatched just a bit earlier than I estimated:

and the boys are quite enjoying them, but once they're weened, their Daddy is going to gain his independence as there seems to be only one thing on his little mind ;)

Not a whole lot new, other than that. Christmas shopping is done. Levi's gifts are especially amusing as he's asked no fewer than 11 times for a princess. EVERY time we pass a Disney Princess item, he's just so impressed. He's so used to (and loves playing with) his brothers' Star Wars guys, I think he just loves the colors and sparkles in contrast to all the black and gray. So, anyway, I bought him Princess Jasmine and Snow White. They're the same size as their other action figures and each come with an extra gown and shoes.
Now, seeing as I'm in charge of the Christmas shopping (yes, that's the reason, isn't it?) I didn't see the need to tell Micah that I bought his son "girl toys". I mean, I didn't keep him apprised of all the other gifts, right? You know, I don't even think he wants to be bothered with every little detail. And, he'll probably be so distracted on Christmas morning that he won't notice, right? And, hey, even if he does, those Star Wars guys need girls to marry, right?
It's only fair!

And it's SO not a big deal.

...and so on.
So, yeah. We'll see how that goes over. If it makes any difference, I also got him the Play Dough set he thought was cool, and a Transformers reel for his View Master.
Well, if I don't get back on here before Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Oh, and by the by, Zephan's adoption paperwork is still sitting at the courts waiting for the Adoption Ceremony which they haven't called to schedule yet. It doesn't look like we'll close by the end of the year. Which would have been really nice. But, oh well.
Take a lesson from Brier-Rabbit and stay cool.... until next time :)

The Worst Thing I Ever Did

Well, maybe not the worst, but pretty close. And let me tell you, I will not be making the same mistake again. I knew Levi's hair was getting out of control. It was taking more and more time to get him ready to go, and the tangles were causing too many tears. I asked Levi about a hair cut and he seemed excited. I debated. I sought council. I found a salon catering to ethnic hair needs. And we set his appointment. Then we went in and I told the lady. TOLD her how I adored his curls and how nervous I was to cut them.

She showed us how long it would be if we took off 5 inches, then 4, then 3 (keeping in mind that, when stretched out, his hair WAS 7 inches long). I said I was comfortable with 3. And she began to cut. And I grew worried as I saw chunks of hair fall to the floor.

It was looking waaaay to short by the time she said, "Now we need to blend the sides..." I knew. I knew I would cry. I knew the nearly 2 years of hair growth would be a long time in coming back. That the famous curls were gone. I listened as they said how much older he looked and was sad when they turned him around in the chair so that he could see. His eyes were huge as he asked me if I would buy him some new curlies.
Then she asked if I wanted Zephan's trimmed, too. I hope I didn't say, "NO!!!" as loudly as I think I did. I paid the butcher lady her money, said thank you and left, Levi fingering his short locks.
Now, you may think I'm being too dramatic, but he bounced and giggled his way around this house all day long with those long georgous curls boinging on top of his little head. I've always taken such pleasure in it. Is he still adorable? Absolutely. Does it really matter in the grand scheem of things? Nope. But, I will tell you this: I will never trust another salon (and a fairly expensive one, at that!) with this child's hair. He'll be lucky if I ever cut it again.

Now I'm done complaining. Thank you for listening. Next post will be something filled with Holiday cheer and a better attitude, I promise!!

Rambling on about Pigeons

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!!

Here's the boys goofing off with Brighten. I've learned my lesson with the (sweet) mongrel that is Brighten and always check her Mom & Dad's nest for eggs when I change the aviary water. As much as I love birds, 7 is just perfect for the size of enclosure we have, so I've been vigilant about checking that nest and removing any eggs laid during the night.
Well, I know they say that Pigeons are stupid, but Mr. Moo & Mrs. Grays' pea-sized brains went to work on outsmarting me. They made a second, hidden nest. By the time I became wise to their game and found the twin eggs, they were, I suspect, about three-fourths of the way "done". Looks like we'll be having twins for Christmas.
This makes me realize that we'll need to do something about this prolific pair. Maybe, once springtime comes, I'll liberate Moo. Although I hate to do that as he's one of my prettiest birds. I would rather release Gray, but I wonder if Moo will then just take a new wife and our quandary will continue? Brainstorming chastity belts for pigeons......Anyway. Blathering about birds probably isn't why you stopped by, so here's another picture of my darlings asleep. I may have more shots of these 2 with their eyes closed than open!

Speaking of pictures, my kiddos is going to be in one of my favorite magazines, Adoptive Families (www.adoptivefamilies.com)! They're pretty excited that their picture was chosen as we often look at this magazeen together. It's got some really good articles about all sorts of stuff. It's second only to my Family Fun subscription.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day with those you love!

Guess Who Signed Adoption Paperwork Today?

WE DID!!!

Here we are waiting in the lawyer's office

Zephan and Daddy

Signing the petition to adopt!! This will now go to the judge's office and his staff will set up a ceremony date for us. After we see the judge it's a done deal! He will officially be:
Zephaniah Henry!!
I think it's cool how, even though this adoption didn't go through "on time", we'll finalize at Christmastime just like we did with Levi. It makes this time of year extra special for us. So much to celebrate! Last year it snowed on Levi's "Gotcha Day" which was oh so beautiful and such a treat. The memory of the boys running down the courthouse steps in the snowflakes is burned into my memory. And how this flood of relief and awe washed over me that nobody could take him away, now. He was MINE. We went out for dessert down the block afterward and I watched both sides of our families enjoy one another and chat while the boys giggled and ate their danishes. It was a perfect day. And now I get to do it again with my 4th son. The little stinker will be MINE.

How blessed am I.

November? Are You Kidding Me?

My little Supermen and Ninjas:

Happy NOVEMBER! Can you even believe it? We're officially into the holiday season. I'm in shock. October went super fast and ended with the Pumpkin Party at church. My guys had a blast and this was the aftermath:
What was that? You want a closer look?

I seriously don't understand how they sleep like this! Levi is usually cuddled up on the foot of the bed with the dog. Lately they've been asking for Zephan to join the mix, but he tends to get Levi riled up and subsequently ends up back in his crib. Maybe someday we'll need the crib for somebody else, then we can debate the pros and cons of the dog pile sleeping arrangement with yet another brother.
Speaking of baby, I'm once again pining. Zephan is waaaay too big and is more enthused about playing (even cooperatively - gasp!) with his brothers than he is about being my baby.

Micah is still in the "rolling his eyes stage" of our discussion about another placement.

I say, "I know you, you old softie. You'll fall in love with a new one just as quickly as you did with our sons." to which he says, "Yeah, like I did for our daughters, too. Remember them? Rayna? Savannah? Secilia? Selina?"

Sigh. I remember. All to well. And I don't blame him for wanting to shield us all from the pain of loss. Especially Solomon who has such a soft heart and tender spirit. It would be really difficult for him to lose a child who he had come to view as a sibling. And, hey, we've attained permanency twice in a row - we're due for a good old fashioned heart-break, right?
Sigh.
It's hard to know what to do.
So, I'm praying for wisdom AND PATIENCE. When it's time we'll BOTH know. In the meantime I'm finishing up some projects. Pre-nesting, you might say. The boys decided on a color scheme for the Cluhouse (with surprisingly little input from the Mama) and we ended up with this Americana-type look:

We stuck some hay bales and ropes inside and threw together some super-easy festive curtains. You know, the kind that only need a tension rod, a yard of fabric and a package of plastic rings. We'll make some for Christmas, too. It's just too cute of a detail to pass up :)Micah just needs to put in the door and steps and we'll be all set! He's also talking about finishing the inside, but we'll see. For now they're having fun graffiti-ing the walls with their crayons. It makes me smile.

Fall Fun!

Happy harvest, everyone!
We're all enjoying ourselves over here. We were invited to my niece's Grammy's house for a pumpkin party last weekend and had such a great time! We got to spend the night out on the farm where they have an assortment of rescued critters, lots of land to play and run and awesome gardens. Here's Lana helping the kiddos pet Phillis the Hen:

Above is Sneakers and below are the hens:
We brought our own pumpkins to carve, but we didn't need to, as there were so many that had grown right there on the farm. There were long tables set up with all manner of carving instruments, cider on the tap and a fire going. It was a pot-luck and there was soooo much yummy food!

There were tubs of warm water at the end of the tables to rinse slimy hands and towels to dry them - a great idea! Here are some of our creations:

Below is Solomon's Bumkin Pumpkin

and above is Malachi's Arachnaphobe Pumkin:

Mommy did a bat and moon

and Uncle Shawn did this spooky guy :



and our collective work for the evening:

It was so peacefull and pretty and in the morning Solomon and Malachi helped gather eggs for a french toast breakfast. I adore their hen hut! Saturday we have a party at our church but it's early in the afternoon which frees up the evening to settle in with a hot cup of coco.

Oh, and the boys and I made these fall leaves to bring to share. They're made out of basic pie dough and painted them with food coloring and egg. They were very pretty - too bad I left them sitting on the counter. D'oh.