Soak Zone and Family Fun!

Our last summer adventure included a trip to Sea World. My sister called and invited us along for some marine life fun. I had planned to do last minute school preparation and house cleaning, but after much arm twisting we decided to go (lol). Who really believes that I would opt to be neat and organized over having fun away from home?

We headed down to San Diego (again!) after Sam and Noah had their Les Miz auditions. We got there in time for a yummy and fun dinner at Rockin Baja Lobster. With a party of 12 (6 children), we appreciated the noisey and busy environment. I would definitely recommend this place!

My concern about going to Sea World was Luke getting too much sun. Fortunately, he did quite well. Everyone had a great time! A highlight for the older kids (and their parents) was riding the Ship Wreck Rapids. We got soaked but had lots of fun. Sea World puts on several great shows, all of which have "Splash Zones". During the dophin show, Faith and Lorelei wanted to sit in the wet zone with Sam and Noah. It turns out that they didn't really like it, but it was precious watching Sam trying to shield them from the water. Needless to say, no more splash zones for the little girls. Noah likes to act like he wants to get wet, but as soon as the splashing starts he runs to higher ground.

Samantha and Noah ran around the play area with Faith and Lorelei. It sure is nice to have older kids. I really do not enjoy climbing in the ropes and tunnels too much these days. Evan, Terry and I did our best to keep an eye on them from below, as my parents watched Luke and my sister fed Wyatt in a shaded area. It does your heart good when you see your older kids enjoy playing with their little sister and cousin. At Sea World they have some Sesame Street characters and rides. The kids took time to get pictures with some of the characters. In the meantime, my mom changed Luke and my dad spent time holding him. It would seem to be a win-win situation. When I returned to be with Luke, my sister and mom started to crack up. It turns out a bird had just pooped on Luke's head! He had been wearing a hat all day, but my mom had just taken it off. By the time I had arrived he was cleaned up and no worse for the wear. Grandpa was cleaned up too.

Some other highlights of Seaworld were feeding the dolphins, observing the Manatees and walking through the Shark Encounter. Did i mention the 4D Sesame Street Movie? It was a little scary and a bit too wet.

The best part of the trip was spending time with the family. I especially like seeing the grandparents and grandkids having fun together.

First Week of Preschool!

Faith did great! She loves preschool! I thought we might get off to a rocky start, so on the first day I gave her a kiss and said a quick goodbye. She never looked back! I thought that she might get upset when she realized that I was gone, but apparently she had a ball. I was anticipating that she would leap right into my arms at pick-up, but gladly and sadly I was wrong. She just wanted to keep playing. I have to admit my heart sank a little, but I knew it was for the best. I just have to remind myself that she must be feeling more secure these days. Don't our kids grow up too quickly?

When I finally got Faith to the car, I was hoping she would open up about preschool. She said it was fun and left out all the details. She did say that she doesn't like the little mats (I think these must be individual carpet samples to sit on). She needs more space! She might be a mommy's girl after all! Her best and probably only playmate was her cousin and friend Lorelei. She did not learn anyone else's name that first day. One of the teachers told me that she was a good helper. I was pretty proud!

Her second day of preschool got off to a bit of a rough start. I gave her that quick goodbye kiss and realized she was literally sticky sweet. I never washed the syrup off her face or hands for that matter. I quickly grabbed her with the intend to wash her up, but she took a hard tumble. The tears came rolling down her cheeks! I wanted to cry too. For one thing, it looked as if I had pulled her to the ground. For another, I thought we are done for. This easy breezy drop-off was going to come to a screeching halt. It took a few minutes, but she calmed down just in time to walk off with her class, sticky face and all.

Cute moments

• Faith went into the little restroom and came back out. She said, "Mrs. Deanna, Do you have any seat covers?" Apparently they don't, but I was so glad she asked. I have to admit it bugged me when Sam was in preschool that there were not seat covers, but what can you do? I just try not to think about it, but admittedly, I am more germ phobic now.
• My niece Lorelei told the teacher, "I fart sometimes!" Kids share the darnedest things.

Luke Is Laughing!

Luke has been smiling and laughing for weeks, but we actually caught some giggles on tape. He cracked up when we blew raspberries on his belly (aka belly farts). I thought it was too precious not to share!

Faith's First Haircut Was On 7/22

Faith made to three and a half before getting her first haircut (or trim). The cut evened up her hair and gave her straight bangs. She looks adorable!

Faith and Thoughts of China!

Faith often talks about how God sent us to China to get her. She goes over every detail that she can remember. She seems more curious about the process now that she has watched Luke join our family (through pregnancy and birth). She tells us that she is happy that God sent us to get her. We are sure to tell her how blessed we are to have her. When I look into Faith's eyes, I am often reminded of what an awesome God we have. Adoption is definitely a plan A! Faith's holds a special place in my heart and our family.

Just wanted to share...One day Luke had a diaper rash and I was putting Desitin on his little bottom. Faith asked me, "Mommy, Do you think that put desitin on me when I was a baby in China?" I simply answered, "I don't know honey!" I do know that God was watching over!

Preschool Orientation

Look at Faith andLorelei with their Target carts!

Do you think they learned from their moms?

Faith and Lorelei are Busy Bees!
Daddy stopped by at the end of orientation!

Faith's preschool orientation was today. She did great! It helps that Lorelei (her cousin and best friend) is in her class. At first Faith was very shy and would not tell the teacher her name. As a little time passed, she opened up. It will be interesting to see how she does next week when I actually leave her there.

I think this year will be great! Faith's teacher seems very nice and the preschool is grounded in Christian teaching and values. I look forward to hearing about all that Faith learns and experiences.

Back to School!

Samantha and Noah headed back to school today. While it is an exciting time, it is difficult to get back into the grind. Personally, I wish that summer would never end and the kids could just stay home. Doesn't that sound good? Then again, I want my kids to be well educated and have many opportunities. Maybe, they could just extend summer! Or seize to assign homework? Okay, that may not be to realistic, but I do hope that their homework is realistic and reasonable. Don't get me started on that! All I can say is "Yikes"!

Noah was very excited to get back to school. He has a good attitude and is looking forward to a great year in Mr. Farrell's class. He was very proud of the table points that he earned! It looks like it is going to be a fun and educaional year. It will be interesting to see how Noah handles the homework, as last year was not too demanding in that regard.

Noah walked home from school with a couple of his best friends. It was a little hard for me not to pick him up on the first day, but he really wanted to walk. I think Sam will probably start to walk too. I have to be honest, it is very difficult for me to let them do this. With that being said, I think they need to develop this type of independence. I was realizing that Sam is in the 7th grade and I can still count the times she crossed the street without me. Both schools are about a 10 minute walk from home. It will also be nice to spare the little ones this trip. Going to soccer and theater practices will be enough running around for them.

This year we dropped Samantha off (as close to her locker as we could) with her overflowing backpack. That thing must have weighed 50 pounds, which is more than half of her body weight. I was afraid she would tip over if she leaned to far in any direction. I was a little nervous for her, as she couldn't get her schedule until she arrived on campus. Apparently, all went well. She had a great time and is happy with her classes. It helps that one of her best friends is in almost all of her classes.

Faith has preschool orientation tomorrow. She is very excited to start school with her best friend and cousin, Lorelei. Her official start date is September 3rd. We are praying that she doesn't have an extreme case of seperation anxiety.

I will post the pictures tomorrow.