We Remember! September 11, 2001

Unspeakable tragedy struck our nation 7 years ago today. We will never forget! The images of those planes hitting the twin towers is forever etched into my mind, along with the heroism of the passengers of Flight 93. I often think of those that died at ground zero, the pentagon and on a PA field. I think of all the babies that were born after their fathers were tragically killed by cowardly terrorist. I also think of the mothers, fathers and children that never returned home that day. I will NEVER forget why so many have sacrificed for us to live in a FREE and relatively safe country. I also learned that it does matter what people are doing on the other side of the world (and in our own backyard). We need to stand up for what is right! Freedom is not free! Thanks to our military past and present. Thanks Dad!

September 11th brought out the best in many of us. We were more patriotic, compassionate and prayerful! God Bless the United States of America and her heros - firefighters, police officers, moms, dads and everyone who cared for and inspired us.

More Preschool Pictures!

Where are the pictures?

Just to let you know, I will post pictures soon. I just wanted to write the text while the thought were fresh.

Luke is 3+ Months Old!

Smiley, Happy, and curious about the world is how I would describe my little guy. Luke is beautiful and precious in every way. He is a great blessing! I am so glad that I didn't stick to my original plan of no bio babies after 30. I have to admit I am enjoying Luke in a different way than the others. I am pretty certain that he is my last newborn baby. I also have realized how quickly time passes by and that these little moments will be gone in the blink of the eye. I often wonder how many moments that I rushed through or missed altogether. How many am I still rushing? I do take comfort in the fact that I am now a little less uptight, which allows me to not stress so much about the little things.

Many moms have told me that they find breastfeeding to be a beautiful and bonding experience. I am proud to say that I breastfed my older bio kids for a year each. It was not because I enjoyed it, but because I wanted to give them the best and healthiest start. It was a struggle at first! It took a lot of determination (and pumping) to make it through those first few days, weeks and months. This time around, the struggle is further removed and I am enjoying the time I spend feeding Luke. It is in these 10-15 minute installments that I get to stop everything and place most of my focus on my newest little son. Looking into his eyes and watching the expressions on his face is precious. He is a blessing!

With Sam every moment was hers, so feeding time wasn't our primary bonding time. When Noah came along we still enjoyed plenty of quality time, as we had not entered into the rat race of school, sports or extra-curricular activities. With Faith, I obviously did not have the opportunity to breastfeed, nor did I miss it. We had many special moments and I enjoyed my first bottle fed baby.

Soccer Season Underway!

This weekend the kids had their first soccer games of the season. Noah's game was first. This was his first game in two seasons, so I wasn't sure what to expect. He did great! He played forward during the first quarter and was really aggressive. It was nice to see him be "in the game" physically and mentally. In years past, he could have been picking daisies. In the second half, he played Goalie. He was very focused and kept his eye on the ball. He did not let the other team score. His team won 4-0. I can't wait to see him play again.

Samantha is our little soccer play. She has come along ways over the past few years. She generally is very fast and aggressive. The day before her game, she had to go to Urgent Care for a sinus infection. She was playing mid-field and did a ton of running, but was a little slower than normal. As if things weren't rough enough, she ended up injuring (likely fracturing) her big toe. Apparently, her toe met up with someone else's shinguard. When Sam complained about her toe initially, I thought it would probably get better in time. What can they do for a broken toe anyways?

Evan and Sam went back to the soccer fields to Ref their first game. They looked so cute in their referee shirts! After the game, they came home and Sam took off her shoe. Her toe was extremely swollen and was quite painful. We decided we should take her to urgent care, just in case. They send her over to the ER. They could not find any major breaks or fractures, but they said that it could be a fractured ligament or a small fracture. It looks as if soccer is out for at least a few days. At first (before the x-rays) they told her, she may be out for 4-6 weeks. She heard 46 weeks and began to tear up. Evan was the one that took her, as we thought it would be a quick trip to the urgent care. I really hated not being with her.

Let's Feed the Dolphin's!

One of the highlight of our Sea World trip was feeding the dolphins. Samantha decided that if the acting career doesn't work out, she would like to be a dolphin trainer. We have always told our kids that they can accomplish anything they set their mind too! Maybe, we are raising a future dolphin trainer! Too bad Faith doesn't even want to touch the dolphins!

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.