Dollies, Hearing Aids, and Puff Paint~Oh My!

So our middle daughter is doing great!!! She is loving her 3yr class for the deaf and is picking up a lot of new signs!!! We love her teachers!

 We also went as a Deaf Awareness Day at the Zoo and have made some new friends and had an awesome playdate! I am looking forward to many more! :)

Big thanks so Nonnie, Papa, Auntie, Uncle, & Cousins for going with us and making the day at the zoo so much more special! 

 Our bubbly little girl is also going to get her hearing aids in about 2 weeks which she hasn't had for a few months...long story! Grrr...anyway.

 I am somewhat worried that she is going to have a hard time adjusting so I got out the old puff paint and got her dollies some hearing aids! 

I am hoping it will help, but if not it sure is cute!! 

Umm...I may need someone to come wrestle the puff paint out of my hand?!? :D

Alien Food for Dinner??..

Hello, my name is.....and I'm a Pinterestoholic. If you are on Pinterest I know you have seen these little beauties, but I still just had to share what we call Alien pasta!!! *Cue the sci-fi music!*

This was so fun and great for kids that are still working on their fine motor skills!!! 

Come on...what kid wouldn't love this?? Kinda looks like playdough to me...also not very healthy, but way fun!!! I guess I could add a side of peas, urr ummm alien power balls! 

Now the only question is ketchup or pasta sauce? 

We Remember Along The Journey...

I remember 9-11 as a day my world got a lot bigger and less safe... I lived a lot of my life in a bubble. I was very sheltered and happy growing up. My mom was a home maker and was sick a lot so I took on her work as well as taking care of her for much of my young life and this was just the way it was...in my small happy bubble with my family, work, and my dog.

So when it was time to go off to college I saw this as MY TIME! Even though I attended a Christian college, and wanted to live a life in service to others I was having the time of my life!!! There was no one to take care of, but myself and I loved it!!!!! I was young & free and honestly still lived in a very small world.

Then the day I will never forget came...9-11.

I was sitting in class as a senior in college daydreaming when one of the students came in with the news and we were told to assemble in the gym for a time of prayer and instructions.
 I knew so little about the World Trade Center...honestly I don't even think I knew it was in New York. I just knew people were hurt and that I should offer prayers for the families...

I remember the looks of fear on the faces of the instructors...

It wasn't till I got to work and saw on the monitor what the rest of the world had seen....what the radio was going on and on about. I saw that for once in my life how big the world really was and how at any moment everything could be taken away. At that moment I knew fear...anger for my country. I knew pride in my fellow Americans. My world had grown...and I had grown in it.

      We remember.      We hope.      We pray. 

I Don't Organize The Forks...and other confessions

Yep, you read it right I confess that I no longer organize my forks from the spoons! I know, it is just awful but at the same time each time I toss that cutlery basket into the drawer I smile a little inside...

I am sure some of you may cringe, but this is my new normal...brought on by a very good, yet hard conversation with our adoptions worker.... Her opinion was hire someone to help with the house, or find short-cuts! Then her words freed me from house-wife guilt "with 3 special needs kids, you just can't do it all." So since a housekeeper wasn't in my budget I went with the shortcuts!

I now enjoy baskets in closets that hide the clutter, a messy fork drawer, a basket for the shoes near the front door, laundry that is not sorted by color, and many others...most of all I enjoy more time with the family.

 I also enjoy more sleep as I am not up cleaning till 2 AM the night before a home visit.

While your "normal" may not be the same as mine with speech therapy,  physical therapy,  play therapy, family therapy,  school,  IEPs,  weekly home visits,  checkups & growth checks,  homework,  online ASL classes, mounds of adoption paperwork, and other weekly family activities....I am sure you have your list of crazy that we call "normal."
 So let me release you...you can't do it all. So what short-cuts do you make? Leave a comment and let me know.. :)

You know...now that I think about it~ I could just stock up on SPORKS!!!

The Yucky Stuff Along The Journey

Yes, today I am talking about two things that I really don't like one is laundry and the other is PUKE! Even worse when the two combine~ Ewwwww!!!!!!!!

I hate the tummy bug and with school back in session I know our girls will bring it home...

So I wanted to find out how other moms deal with the piles of bedding, sick blankets, dollies, and clean-up towels that come with our babies pets, or hubby is sick.. So what do you do? Any tips? Please share in the comments below!

I'll go first.. Here is what I do now:

1. Shake off...well you know.

2. Prewash with a couple of drops Dawn Dishsoap on cold. I figure if it is chemically produced to dissolve food, well, puke is food...um sort of I guess. ;)

3. Do a short soak/prewash with a few drops Tea Tree Oil. TTO kills germs, viruses, and gets rid of odors naturally.

4. Launder as normal on hot or as garment suggests. 

Your turn, what do you do to get those fabrics to once again comforts your sickies?

A Journey To 1st Grade!

Well, the last of our really fun summer is here...tomorrow my oldest will start 1st grade! I am so nervous and she is so excited! She is mostly excited about her new school supplies-that mama got for a steal!!!!

She has really enjoyed her summer! She loves to play outside, with her sisters, and has the little girl next door as her new best friend! She has also learned to skate and doing a great job!

I am so proud of my little princess! She has worked so hard this summer to be ready for 1st grade! I just look at her and even though it has only been 5 months I feel like I have known her forever... 
So tomorrow I pack her up once again and send her off to school with all of my love and hopes for her future.

Our Family Song

You know how there are those songs that just seem to fit... The one that takes you back to that moment in time that defined your life.  Maybe the moment you walked across that stage with your whole life ahead of you... 
We have had many of these songs. As a couple we have lots of songs...memories. 
We also seems we have little songs as a new family. Songs that remind us on our really bad days of what is really important~ love. 
The song Hold Us Together By: Matt Maher  is one of those songs.
Enjoy~