MAYLIN2007

        The kids just finished the 1st week of school. I am sure you are guessing from the uniforms, that my kids go to a private school. It is an absolute dream for us. Their educational curriculum is excellent and as an added benefit for my family, they teach Christian values. I am so amazed at the literature they will be reading. For example, Austin will read The Robe by Lloyd Douglas, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights , and Paradise Lost. Alex will read Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates , Johan Sebastian Bach-The Boy from Thuringia and Kenzie The Bronze Bow , and Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc . Today Austin was featured in the local newspaper! He had a big picture on the front of the community section. They featured his school because this year is the first year for a 9th grade. He was so excited to be in the paper. As you can tell, Maylin wants to get into the school thing. She has to sit by the kids when they do homework and she has to have her ...

With school starting, Maylin is left at home with mom. Where, oh where, have those fun siblings gone? She asks me a million times a day, "Dada?" and she turns her hands palm side up, like we do when we are gesturing "I don't know." Then she does the same and says "Aush" for Austin, then "Alice" for Alex and then "Nana" for McKenzie. We get the Aush and Alice, but can't figure out how she gets nana for Kenzie. Her siblings are thrilled she calls them by name and asks for them daily. She has also started this thing that when she poops, she tells you by crinkling up her face, plugging her nose like it stinks and then sometimes accompanies that with the word "poop". Is this a clue potty training may be easier than expected? Her vocab has exploded lately. She said "Bye Bye Mama" the other day. That was the first combo words. She has added "pra pra" for pretty, "gosh", "Jesus", "p...

    These pictures are of us and the Passey's at our adoption agency when we received our referral. Thought about them after we had our "your going to be home for 6 months update" last night. Our 6 month mark is actually Sept 22, but our social worker got ahead start. So much has happened since these pictures were taken. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. I think we have experienced every range in emotion. Our biological children really need to be thanked. They have been amamzing. Our follow-up visit went great. I think the social worker was a little dazed at all the commotion. Each child wanted to show him that Maylin liked him/her best. It was a crack up. Maylin kept patting him on the leg and blowing him kisses. She had him wrapped around her finger by the time he left. Today we had her 18 month check up. She will be 18 months on Sept 5. She weighs 21.5 pounds and is 32 inches long. She is in the 50% for her head, 55% for height and 35% for weight. She had 4 shots...

Maylin's room has been one in progress. I finally feel like it is coming together. Here are a few photos. Since the crib hasn't been used for months and she is LOVING the twin bed, the crib will come down soon. Just got another mattress so we can put up the 2nd twin bed. I like to have an extra for guests, sick kids or me when she needs it. The furniture was mine. So, yes, it is 35 years old! The other things are new to her. The pictures in the pink frames are peasant art we bought in China. School started today, so we will have a report and pictures soon. Also tonight is our follow-up HOMESTUDY visit! Wow...time goes so fast. Will say one thing. My house isn't as clean as it use to be.

NOTE: I am still having trouble with my last few sentences being cut off. Help, anyone?! We went with our dear friends, the Stanley's, downtown to the Discovery Center. SO COOL! Very hands on. We were worried about the teenagers since it is more geared to little kids...just a waste of time. They had a ball! Maylin loved all the push toys, Kenzie loved the dress-ups, Alex liked being able to touch anything, and Austin enjoyed everything. Most of all we loved the company we were with! RATING: 5 stars!!

I know I just posted, but I truly had to share what happened to me today at the mall. After reading this, if you haven't seen the post below, please check it out. Anyway, we were shoe shopping. Yes, me and the 4 kids. There were 2 older people sitting there waiting for family. They were in their late 60's early 70's. So the man says to me, "Is this sweet little girl your granddaughter?" He points to Maylin. I was absolutley SHOCKED! I looked at him and said, "Come on. I don't look that old. I am only in my late 30's." He said, "Well she doesn't look like you at all, so I figured one of your older children must have married an Asian." By this point, I am really trying to be nice. I don't think my kids would have liked seeing their mom wrestle an older man to the ground. I politely in a forced way, said, "No we adopted her. Thanks for asking." So do I look into getting a face lift or not? REALLY, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM OLDE...

A BBQ with the 4 families in our area that have recently adopted. One family, we traveled with (the Passey's!), the other two traveled together (Jensens and Tiff!). How glad we are that we live close so the girls can have each other, and we can have each other too. It is so great to be friends with people who share a same experience. We had a blast at the BBQ!

So, I am sure you have all heard of Disney's High School Musical. Number 2 comes out tomorrow. At out house, this is a HUGE deal! McKenzie knows the words and dance moves to all the songs. For those of you who didn't know, this was filmed in Utah at the Salt Lake East High. Having a rare "good mother" moment, I took my kids to East High to see where it was shot. We saw Sharpay's (spelling?) pink locker...yes, the inside is still pink, the auditorium, the gym, and the lunch room. Kenzie even sat at the piano they use in the audition scenes. She said this "made her life." So cute! *By the way, I have had trouble with my blog cutting off the bottom of words. It did it a couple posts back to the paragraph about "grandma". Didn't know how to fix it so I deleated it. If anyone has experienced this and knows how to fix, please pass it on!

These pictures were taken this week in our back yard. Austin was bored so we decided to roast marshmallows and bananas and make smores . The banana smores are delicious! I don't like marshmallows. Maylin thought anything was pretty good. She was fascinated by the whole thing. First off, sorry about the comments being off. I don't know what in the heck I did. Please leave them again. I love to hear from you. Today has been a hard day. Austin played with a friend for the first time today. After an hour and half, he called and was sore and tired. He was frustrated that he couldn't do what he want to do. He said his friend wanted to play Frisbee , but he didn't have the muscle strength to do it. Sad. Tomorrow we will go to a museum to give him an out. Spent most of the day canning. Our peaches and raspberries are on. Have done fruit cocktail and jams and will do fruit leather this week. My legs hurt tonight. Tired of fruit to say the least. Took my girls, plus a friend f...

Eliza comes to play. They have fun in the water, eat lunch and play. Okay it isn't "real" playing, but they are getting there! Also, Maylin now says "Aust" for Austin. So cute. She will call him so loudly. She cracks him up.

Maylin is such a character. Today's thing: Wearing a fire hat with her brother's flip flops , but packing an extra set of shoes. You know, you can't be too prepared! Picture just above: she stops to dance. Check out the shoulder action.

Isn't this face just precious! We just love her. The transition into our family has been so easy. However, lately we have had a few snags. I was expecting running into a few problems with having Nini go to different sitters while I was at the hospital with Austin, but I figured with time things would be okay. The first week we were home she had to be in the same room with me. It wasn't bad, but as time goes on it has gotten worse not better. Now, during the day she has to be in the same room with me and if I leave she says yells Mama and comes chasing after me in a panic. If anyone comes into the room, she runs for me and grabs my legs. She seems in fear they are going to take her away. She was sleeping through the night, but since has refused to do her crib. We moved her into a twin and she loves it, however, she wakes up 2 to 3 times a night and calls me. All I have to do is go to her, pat her and tell her I am here and she goes back to sleep. This just started about one we...

A trip to Boondocks for mini golf! Mom did great. She got several hole in ones.... Not to brag. Austin was terrible! Didn't help that he golfed backwards, with his eyes closed etc. Had fun tho'. Maylin's idea of golfing was caring the ball to the hole and dropping it in. Alex did a happy dance every time he hit and Kenzie just had fun doing her own thing. To cool down after golf, the kids rode the boats.....that sprayed water. Of course, they stayed right by where Maylin and I were sitting so they could spray us....thus the wet hair. They got us good! The bottom picture is of my wet shirt and flat, wet hair.

Just wanted to publicly thank my sister! She has been such a help this month. She had a wonderful "Welcome to the Family" party for Maylin Nini and she watched my kids for two days while Austin was in the hospital. She took great care of them. She also sent Austin and I a wonderful gift. Thanks sis! You're wonderful. I love you and admire you for the amazing woman you are!

Look Mama, I'm putting your lipstick on for Church! Trying out the rollers. I don't care if I am in my Sunday dress. I'm going to get you wet Alex! Run Kenzie, Run!