Wedding

We went to a wedding yesterday and had a blast. It got me thinking how short of a time we really have to raise up and enjoy these little guys. We were sharing a table with a single dad who has 2 children who have just left the nest. He was saying that he had to put a boom box in his sons' room and play it continuously so as to distract his brain from the hole they left. How he absentmindedly makes meals for more than one and then realizes that it will only be him in the dining room. How his house is quiet as he comes through the door. He's having a difficult time.

This morning Micah and I woke up to boys laughing, little feet jumping on the couch, a baby pleading for his sippy of milk, a boy who needed help getting a bowl, another who had a dream he wanted to share with us. We hit the ground running (when they finally pry us loose) and get so busy that I forget they will spend the majority of their lives away from me. I'm going to approach today with joy and gratitude for my little guys. It's easy to do when they're THIS cute, though:

Thank you, Lord.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So, if anybody even comes around here anymore (I've been so lazy about sitting down and posting since the weather has been so awesome!) Here are the end-of-summer-ish updates, in chronological order :)

It got to be REALLY hot for us Oregonians - 107 degrees! The sun chased us to the beach where we enjoyed time with Nana, overcast but warm conditions and just a perfect day in general. The waves were georgous, the boys played and then Nana treated us all to lunch at The Spouting Horn, right on the world's smallest bay. We watched the boats come in and ate bacon cheeseburgers until our hearts were content.

The kids are great and we're gearing up for another year of homeschool. All their curriculum came in the mail and supplies are bought. Levi will be starting Pre-School this year and I'm excited to see how quickly he picks things up!

On the Zephan front - the adoption still isn't finalized (I WOULD post that, no matter how nice the weather!) and his caseworker told us that there was a little legal issue they had to clear up but they didn't want to worry us as it's not a big deal. Hmmmmm. This beautiful pic was taken after he fell and broke his lip open. We e-mailed the worker to let her know what happened and she mentioned the amount of supervision he requires. We'reconsidering having him evaluated to see if he would be elligible for the next higher bracket of benefits, for kiddos who require more assistance. I think this guy would qualify, but I don't want it to bite us in the butt when we apply for a new little one. Will they think we have enough as it is and not place with us? I don't think so, but we need to think a bit more about it....

Let's see. What else. Oh, our pigeons didn't waste any time "getting to know" one another and produced these 2 lovely eggs. Of course, because they're fertile, this means that we don't have all females (duh). And, of course, we can't have this going on continually, but it's a cool life-cycles lesson for my boys and I was thrilled to get the 3 eldest out of bed last night so they could watch the babies hatch. Congrats, Moo & Mr. Grey!

Solomon tested and passed for his yellow belt! We're so proud!

I tried my hand at cornrowing Levi's hair, and I think I could become proficient at it. I missed the curls, though, and lamented the fact that it made him look older, so I soon took them out. He really liked them, though, so we'll maybe experiment some more.

Micah is building the boys a clubhouse! He's trying to get it all up before school starts...we'll see. They're already having fun with it! Micah was able to find cheap windows and even a skylight from a place that sells things that are still usable from tear-downs and slightly irregular building supplies. The clubhouse is the big topic of conversation around here and discussions are being had concerning exterior paint color, flooring options, and if we'll be able to find a small section of kitchen cabinets to install inside. They're happy as clams about it.

Well, soon school will start and we'll have more structure and with more structure will come more posts, but until then....I'm off to finish enjoying the sun!

Where'd You Go?

Hey! Loving My Amazing Life! Where did you go? Your blog was shut down, and because of the current circumstances plaguing your family, I worry.
Leave me a comment, lady!

Major Hiatus

Sorry for the utter lack of posts lately - summer has scooped us up and has had us going and doing!

So. Updates: We got all sorts of big fancy pigeons for the aviary. They're beautiful and the boys and I are really enjoying them. What was cool is that the bigs and I made our way to the Pigeon Show (anyone who knows Zephan knows those birds dodged a bullet when I left him home with Daddy). Once the sellers were made aware that we weren't breeders or showers, we just wanted some pretty birds to enjoy, they began handing us free "imperfect" birds. They didn't want these in their breeding lines because the crest is too high or the eyes are the wrong color, and their fellow breeders didn't want them either! So folks were just handing us different breeds to take home! Perfect! We spent a whopping $5 for our "slightly irregular" birdies.

So, this is what I usually see while I'm doing dishes: One or more boys in the aviary, one or more cats waiting vigilantly on the roof, praying to God that one of those kids leaves the door open, and the dog supervising the whole arrangement.
Kids have been cute as ever, see below:
We had a fun week with Auntie Cyn visiting and my little Malachi turned 6. We met a bunch of his friends at the splash park and then in the morning.

Then, later on we had family over to eat Alien Cakes :) Can't believe that kid's 6! Combine that with camp for the bigs, tons of activities and swimming weather and you get zero blog posts! Consider yourself updated! Looking forward, this next school year is going to be crazy. Crazy exciting, crazy busy. God is doing a new thing in our little family - wait and see!

Happy Birthday, America!!

~Cousins~

We spent the 4th in relaxed bliss in Grants Pass with our family. Auntie Angela has a huge jet tub that she stocked with any kind of bath product I could could want. Uncle Daniel is king of the BBQ and blessed us with awesome dinners. The boys' cousin, Edan, was excited to share her toys and house with a horde of little boys for a few days. Goga and Papa drove down, as well. They live beside a big mountain and our evening walk brought us into the domain of beautiful deer (I was holding Zephan as we saw a baby deer and whispered, "Fin! Look! What's that?" He whispered back, "Chihuahua!")
It was such a great time of chatting on the patio together, watching movies and just enjoying one another's company. We're very blessed to have them.
This is everybody watching the fireworks show in the back of the truck:

Mommy's Helper

I'm trying to get caught up on laundry (hahaha) before we head out for a fun weekend with Micah's Auntie and Uncle. Goga and Papa are already down there and we're heading out in the morning. It'll be a great time - have a wonderful 4th everybody!!
I'll be back with pics....

Space for Rent

Well, the Aviary is in full bloom and I'm jonesing for occupants. Chickens are still illegal in my neighborhood (stinkin' bureaucracy!) until the zoning commission has it's 45 days to talk it to death. Then it goes back to the commissioners for another vote. By the time the bill ratification is complete they estimate it will be February 2010. All that just to change the wording so that 3 hens per family are allowed inside city limits.
And we've been fighting for 18 months already!
So, so stupid. I mean, my neighbors can have a pack of Pit Bulls and I can't have a couple of hens? Anywho, many folks around here have found a little loophole in our law. It allows pigeons.
Heh, heh, heh (rubbing hands together in a diobolical fashon).
So, the NW Pigeon Fanciers is having a show next month. The place will be brimming with fancy pigeons and doves.
I'm so there.

Just in Time for Fathers Day...

Micah got his acceptance letter.....to Nursing School.
Wow.
The next 2 years are going to be CRAZY!! But at least it's only 2 as he's got all the pre-recs done. I am so proud of this guy, let me tell you. It's an expensive and intense program and he just jumps in with his whole heart because he feels that it's something he should do. That God is calling him there. How we'll do it? He doesn't know....but God does.
"It'll be fine!"
As long as we're together, hon, it will be!

Wine instead of Whine

These cute faces will be missed. The noise that comes out of these cute faces? It'll be nice to have a bit of a break from that, I'll admit it!
Nana (bless her brave soul) volunteered to wrangle them so Micah and I could spend a whole weekend at the beach. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary a couple of weeks ago and are going to celebrate by relaxing in a room I don't have to clean and eating meals I don't have to fix! And, yes, we invested in a lovely bottle of wine to enjoy by the ocean :)