Weird thoughts

So we had a bit of a road trip today- went down to Peterborough for a couple of hours. (all the locals are thinking "a 3 hour drive each way for a 2.5 hour visit?). Our social worker from South Africa was up for a visit and we very much wanted the chance to see her. Besides, I figure that she had to come way farther than we did, and it was a lovely day for a drive. Great to see her again.

But weird. It was the first adoption "thing" we have gone to since getting K. I'm very glad we went, and we met some great people. One family in particular that are also Christians and have 4-year old twins from SA, and we hit it off wonderfully. Too bad they live in Barrie- a little too far for play dates. But we can keep touch online and maybe hook up once in a while.

But it was weird because it brought back to my attention that K is adopted. People who haven't done this probably don't understand, especially considering the marked difference in appearance, but I truly do forget that she wasn't born to us. I don't think I had realized that until I saw all these famililes that look the same as us. It was very obvious to me that their kids were adopted, and I realized once again the life she had before us. Not that I would change a thing- I believe that she was born to be in our family. God knew when her birth mom was pregnant that she would be ours, and honestly, I'm thrilled that he saw fit to spare me another pregnancy and delivery. She was wired to have older brothers and to be ultra-silly with her dad. And to snuggle with me (if you can call the constant squirming and wiggling cuddling). I'm so proud of her already- of all our kids. I know they will do great things. People often tell me how lucky she is (or how blessed)to be in our family. I don't hesitate to tell them that it's the rest of the family who is really blessed by her.

I am....

a handywoman. Got a new dishwasher delivered today, and installed it myself. And it even works. With no leaks. Go me. Also got the windows fixed today, but a dude came to do that- no more drafty windows this winter. Go him. Also began the opening of the pool today. Yesterday we took off the tarp to find lovely crystal-clear H2O in there- whatever I did to close the pool last fall must have worked! So we topped it up with the hose and carted a sample into the pool place today. A quick vacuum this afternoon and a shock, followed by some algeacide and something else that i can't remember what it's for tomorrow, and then we can swim. The children will be very happy, and so will I since I have to watch them swim. I get to sit in the chair and read books guilt-free as I am ensuring the safety of my children. They are all a little hot and cranky today, but right now they are on the trampoline with the water hose. A pretty good combination except for the occasional row. Early to bed tonight.

The deck plans will come together on Friday night as we have confirmed a dinner date with our architect and his wife. Really just an excuse to get together for dinner, but it works for me. Had a friend who owns a backhoe over today and he says he can get it in to dig all the post-holes for us. That will save us days of work, and it is cause for much rejoicing.

Not a lot to do.

We are thoroughly enjoying summer vacation so far. Now I just have to get the pool open, and it will be in full force. The water is being pumped off the tarp as we speak. Then it's just fill it up with water again, take some water in to the pool place and dump in what they tell me to.

I'm very pre-occupied today. S&B go to the other side of the world today to get their new daughter, E. I am so excited for them. So nervous for them. It is bringing back so many memories of last year this time, when we were in Africa getting K. Had no idea I'd start such a trend.:) And I'm praying my head off for little V, that she (and her g-ma) will see what a great thing this would be. I still feel like she belongs in her family. Asking God if it's OK for Him to make that happen. I know that this trip may be what does it. At any rate, I am so happy for E- she's got a long road of adjustments ahead of her, but I can only hope that being in our family will make them a little easier for her.

If only I could be sure that we will get to meet her at Christmas. Still waiting on K's citizenship to come through. Have yet another e-mail out to our rep asking her to check on the status, no word back yet. Surprise, surprise. Another thing I plan to continue praying my head off over.

Running some errands today- from picking up the camping supplies we have finally replenished to getting some copies of documents certified in hopes of getting my pharmacy license back. Another long process- one step at a time. This is the first week of my summer scheudule, so I would have normally been at work today- and very bitter about the sunshine. I have decided that my store should be closed on days that it's this nice. It would be good for morale. Noone wants to work when it's nice. There's no problems working when it's cold or wet. I'd be happy to go to work then, but when it's sunny all I can think of is the outside work I could be enjoying. Like my veggie garden. Finally starting to produce. I'll be ready to eat a killer salad from there any day now. Enjoyed a radish at supper last night...mmmm... Tomatoes and peppers are starting to flower, broccoli is the size of a small car, lettuce is growing, and everything else is getting bigger by the day. Beans and peas will be popping up any time. And I would love to see what's going on underground with my potatoes, carrots, and onions. All indications at the surface is that they are doing splendidly. Glad I moved my garden from where it used to be. Seems to be the perfect spot.

The deck should make some more progress this week... having dinner with my "architect" on Friday- they're coming over for dinner, a movie, and deck plans. Not your typical double date, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Coffee is done, as is the early morning video the kids started while I was sleeping in. Time to get them all breakfast and dressed and on with our day. I like summer vacation.

Walkin' on sunshine.

What a day- gorgeous weather. Got three of my gardens weeded while K rode her bike and jumped on the trampoline. I love this time of year. And I'm laughing that she is cold- little African girlie. Love it- to see her walking around in a sweater while I'm in a t-shirt and capris. She'll be happy when August comes.

Tomorrow is the last day of school, which means that this is my last week of a 2-day work week. Next week I will go down to one longer day and drive in with hubby every Thursday. I'm really looking forward to having an extra day to get stuff done around here. I'm wondering what things will look like if I end up going to a 3-day work week in the fall for my internship. I have basically decided that my house will always be messy and my list never caught up if that happens. (Don't expect any blogs- I will be too busy.) Still waiting on the college to get me all the info I need to pre-register, which is what I have to do (and send them money, of course) before they will even tell me what I need to do to get re-licensed. We'll see if it turns out to be worth it.

Deck plans are coming along very nicely- got a couple of suggestions on design from friends who are very good at that sort of thing... a few built-in flower boxes, and turning the regular benches into storage benches for pool toys etc. Heading to Rona in a few minutes to get an idea of what this project is going to cost us.

Still waiting on K's citizenship- seems to have stalled to the point that I can't even find out what the progress is on it. I'm sure her file is sitting on someone's desk somewhere and they are on vacation for the whole summer. Would be typical of this whole thing. And it has now officially taken twice as long to get her citizenship as it did to adopt her. Any bets on if it will end up being three times as long? Better not be, or heads are going to roll. And yes, I'm all talk. But it makes me feel better.

Veggie garden continues to flourish. Think I've finally found the right spot for it. Everything is growing (even the weeds, but most of the plants are big enough now that the weeds are getting crowded out)- especially the broccoli. They are getting bigger than every plant out there. Mmmmm- fresh broccoli. Beans, corn, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, peas, cukes, pumpkins, radishes, lettuce, onions- they are all growing, and the critters seem to be leaving them alone. Must be close enough to the house even for our bold deer and rabbits.

Time to head into "town".

Living for the weekend.

Or, in my case, living for the weekend to be over. And it is. We have survived the craziest weekend schedule we've ever had. So many things were happening that I wanted to blog about but didn't have time.

Friday was my little girl's 4th birthday, and 52 weeks since we left for Africa to get here (officially it was one year on Saturday, but we left on a Friday, if that makes sense...). I didn't realize until her birthday came how much I think back on memories of the kids on their birthdays. For the boys, I remember the day they were born and things that have happened since then. Automatically tried to go there with K, and obviously couldn't as much. No memories of her birth or infancy, and I kind of miss that. But it's neat that her birthday falls very close to the time we first saw her, so those memories will have to suffice. It was actually one year ago today that we first laid eyes on her- I still remember the lump I got in my throat and the unexpected tears that came to my eyes when I met her. And on Wednesday she will have been my daughter for one year- it's a big week in the B house.

W had his first overnight class trip, and a good time was had by all. A little too good, I think. He was SO tired the next day- allowed to stay up until 11 watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

J had a soccer tournament on Saturday- they didn't win a game, but he played very well and had a good time. I think he will become quite a good soccer player over the next couple of years, now that he's brave enough to challenge for the ball. He's faster on his feet than any of the kids out there, just a little timid still.

Last night we watched "United 93". The story of the plane that didn't reach it's target on 9/11. Now there's a day I'll never forget. I remember that E called me from work and told me to turn on the TV- the first plane had hit, and I watched in horror as the second plane hit on live TV. I was 6 months pregnant with J, wondering what kind of a world I was bringing this child into. The movie was one that I care not to see again, but I'm glad that I did. It was very well done, and a tribute to the heroics of the men on that plane. It joins the ranks of Schindler's List and the Titanic. Saw them, glad I did, but will not watch them a second time. And I can't believe that a month after the actual event, I climbed on a plane to fly to Calgary, now 7 months pregnant. Nuts.

Today life is back to normal- E is off for the day, which is very nice. Taking the boys to school right now, and I hope to get tons accomplished today- all the little things I should have done over the weekend, but didn't have time. Off to do the never-ending laundry. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Actually, after that movie last night, I'm glad I have all of my family here to do the laundry for. Movies like that change your perspective. That's a good thing.

Change

Seems the only constant is change. Always changing or updating the calendar, celebrating some birthday or another (in my family, there's at least one every month). Just had W's last week, and this Friday, K turns 4. Bought her a plethera of pink things for her present, and on Wednesday we are taking her in to get her hair braided. Had her in to the salon for a consultation today, and the gal says it is long enough to put in extensions and braid. I think it will look very cute, and just in time for her birthday party! Gonna take 3 hours, so we'll just make a day of it, and go to McDonald's when she's done for a treat for enduring the time in the chair. I will post pics on facebook after we're home. I can't believe it was a year ago next Monday that we first saw her and one week from today she will have been ours for a year. I am ready for some comfortable stability for a while. Don't even have the urge to go anywhere this summer- all the traveling last summer did me in for a while. I am loving home sweet home. Just wish I could get caught up on the weeding...

Not too much else going on today- the usual laundry, yard work, bookkeeping. Too much fun for words. Soccer practice tonight- soccer every night these days. At least we won't get rained on or frozen out this time.

The stars of track and field

Obscure, yes, but a song title- gotta love google.

So W had a track meet today and it went very well, J and K tagged along as hubby had a golf tournament today. W was signed up for the 50 m sprint, the softball toss (kids version of shotput, I guess) and the standing long-jump. 50m was great- W finished 3rd in his heat and 8th over all. Not bad considering there were over 100 kids in that event. Softball toss wasn't as good- he's got more of a major-league fastball than a long lob. He was a bit disappointed in that one. Standing long jump was good too- first jump was 1.4 m, second was 1.6, and third would have been substantially longer but for a backwards step when he lost his balance. So no ribbon there, but he was still pleased with how he did. I can see him really enjoying track and field- he's got his father's running genes. J was quite disappointed that he was too young to register- I think when he is old enough he will clean up in the running races at these things.

But now we are home with three very tired (and yes, cranky) kids. Hoping hubby gets home soon from his tourney so we can relax together this evening. We were supposed to be going out, but are not able to find a sitter, so we've had to postpone our wine and cheese (ah well, I'm getting lots of whine today anyway!)

There are things I should be doing right now, I am sure. But to find the energy to do them when I am all tired and sunburnt (yes, I once again remembered to sunscreen the kids and forgot myself). We'll see... maybe I'll just put the kids to work.

And the green grass grew all around...

Mowed the lawn this morning- takes almost 2 hours on the ride-on, but it looks SO nice when it's done. All the weeds are clipped short so it looks like we have grass. Lovely. I do wish we had more grass and fewer weeds, though. Now I just need to muster up the energy to break out the push mower to cut under the apple trees and the weed whacker to do close to the buildings etc. Few are the times when I get all three of those things done in one day, but it sure is nice when I do. I can't finish this job tomorrow as W has a track meet all day. I hope he does well, but am worried that he might, for if he does we may be going to the North American Track meet in Hershey Pennsylvania in August. A bad thing as K doesn't have her citizenship yet and we can't take her out of the country yet.

Only 9 days of school left for the boys after today. It will be interesting to see how they do with so much time on their hands after being in "real" school for the past few months. I think they are looking forward to the break, but we'll have to make sure they get together with their friends over the summer.

Not too much else exciting to blog about. The paperwork for the deck trudges along, and I try to find time to do everything now that the yard and garden work is in full swing. It's so nice out that I want to spend all day inside, but for some reason I still have to do laundry and vacuuming even on sunny days. How unfair is that.

Time to go and fold that pesky laundry. And until I have my deck, I don't even have the joy of hanging it out on the line. Must get going on that too...

Home

So the boys are home from school today. J woke up with a fever continued from last night and W sounded like Darth Vader. They seem to be better now but still battling the cold which we have all had. We'll call it a mental health day for them. K is not sick but just plain grumpy today. Fun for the whole family.

Went to the town hall today to get a permit application for our deck. I am starting to think it would have been better just to build it and not bother with all this permit nonsense. I cannot believe the paperwork I have to fill out for a silly deck! A drawing of our entire property with all structures, septic, well listed as well as the distances between everything and distances to the property lines- not a big deal on a little city lot, but when you have 30 acres with several structures, you can't just go outside with the measuring tape. We also need to produce a deed for the property, which burned in the fire two years ago. I am sure there will be a lovely fee for getting a new one. Ah well, in a month or two (hopefully) this will all be a faint memory as I sit on my lovely deck enjoying the sunshine while the kids play in the pool.

Am thinking of starting my quilt soon. I bought material for it a couple of weeks ago and have found the same pattern I used for the quilt we had before the fire, which I really liked. Hopefully this one will turn out as nice, and won't take me as long. I could always work on in on my new deck...

Veggie garden is coming along nicely. Most of the plants are growing well, except for one that I originally thought had gotten eaten by a critter, but have since realized got stepped on by the dog as she ran through it. Beast. Ah well, she keeps the deer away, at least she has so far.

Just another day in paradise

I`m back to song titles for my blog. I was reading some old entries and found a bunch I had titled after songs and found it quite amusing. As it is not old yet, I will venture to do it again.

Pretty normal day around here today, boys to school, K to sitter, parents to work. W still carries the goalie helmet almost everywhere. Thanks to Grandpa naming his GPS `bertha`, W has been inspired to name his helmet. It is now known as Gerry. I`m really not sure if I should be amused or troubled by this. Gerry was a big hit at the b-day party yesterday when 6 boys from W`s class came over for a bonfire and much outdoor fun. It was a great party. Don`t think I`ve ever had a bunch of kids as easy to handle (family excepted) as these boys. I`m glad to know that these are the kids that my W is hanging out with every day.

J had his second soccer game tonight and tied it 4-4. A huge improvement over last week`s slaughter that was suffered at the hands of a Stittsville team. J got an assist and almost scored in a shot on goal. I am glad that the boys have inherited their father`s athletic ability instead of my lack thereof. Ah well, I knit a mean aftgan.

Am still stumped as to what to get K for her birthday. I`m pretty sure that whatever I get, it will end up being some shade of pink or purple, as that seems to be a pre-requisite for all of her possessions. I think I may do a few smaller things instead of one large gift like we usually do for b-days. Saw a pink baseball glove at Wal-mart that she`d love- maybe that and some puzzles or games. We`ll see. Shoes are always a good idea too- she`s outgrown every pair of play shoes she owns. I find myself wondering how much she`ll grow- it`s easier with the boys to picture them as adults- I know their DNA and how they`ve grown their whole lives. With her, I have no genetic family to compare her to- didn`t even have her when she was 2 years old to measure and double it to see about how tall she`ll end up. Just another one of the surprises she`ll bring to our lives, I`m sure.

And on the project front, I installed shutters on the front of the house and am still amazed at the difference they make every time I drive down the lane. I am also designing our soon-to-be-deck, and am very pleased with how things are progressing there. Am planning a trip to town hall tomorrow to see what the codes are etc. Hopefully they won`t be too crazy rigid. With the house building process I have gotten to know the local building inspector pretty well- hopefully he`s still there, as he looked to be about 80 years old when he was here after the house fire.

That`s all for now- W has his second soccer game of the summer tomorrow- hopefully they will do better than they did last week and at least tie- it was a close one last time, we`ll see.

Nighty night.