gifts

I have been blessed beyond words in the last two weeks. Last year, two of my dear dear friends moved away...one to Ohio and one to Germany. In the last two weeks, they both celebrated their fortieth birthdays. I got to celebrate with each of them!!! Can I tell you how my cup is overflowing right now?

Thank you, Jesus, for friends near and far, and for what each and every one of them means in my life.

seasons

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the crispy cold mornings and the chili and ohhh, the colors. And the smells and the sweaters and the marshmallow roasting. I'm not sure I could live in a region without changing seasons. I love it.

This season at the Adams' has been a whirlwind. Especially the month of September. Amidst the start of the school year and a gutted kitchen, we also prepared to say goodbye to our two little "extra" daughters who had been with us since the first of May. This was bittersweet, as it certainly was not an easy five months...we were all stretched and pulled out of our comfort zones...but we also have some sweet, sweet memories, funny stories, and a part of our collective heart that bears the fingerprints of two little blonde girls. There is also, at least for me, the twinge of sorrow over the things I didn't do well for them...but I have that for my own children as well. Doesn't any mother? We also came face to face with the reality of "the system" and how frustrating (gross understatement) it can be. Above all else, it was really the latter that made September so stressful. In the end, we felt like good decisions were made and that things are hopeful. And we'll get to keep in touch with the girls, which is wonderful.

So we're settling into fall. It's taken some getting used to having two less at the table or in the van, and we don't have to go to the garage each morning for the milk. We've made an apple pie, and tomorrow we celebrate Tim's 39th birthday. We've got a pumpkin party, a wedding, and some visits from friends to look forward to, and hopefully some time to just be quiet. And winter will be here before we know it!! Who knows what adventures next season will bring!

kitchen pics

Unfortunately, I never remember to take really good before and after pictures of our projects. Will some "during" and "almost done" shots do? I hope so. The kids had fun helping with the kitchen demo...after that they they had to make themselves scarce so Dad, Mr. Huntley, and various other suckers - I mean, good friends helped out getting the place put back together. What started out as "let's paint the cabinets", turned into a complete gutting of the kitchen, mudroom and bathroom. Leaky plumbing, old wiring, and crumbling walls were replaced. The fridge was permanently moved to the mudroom which opened up lots of wonderful space in the kitchen where little bakers can be put to work! After six weeks of feeding six kids with a microwave, a toaster, and a fridge in the garage (I'm sure our neighbors thought it was strange to see us go out to the garage in our pj's each morning for the milk)....we made it with relatively few meltdowns. Note: I said "relatively few", not none. Considering all the things going on in our life in that six weeks, which I'll address in another post, I think we fared incredibly well. And thanks to the very hard work of Tim, Dave Huntley, Grandpa B, Kirk, Aaron, Barry, and a couple of late-night rescues by the Kelsalls, we have a kitchen. And I am a very blessed mama!! (Okay, the pictures are in backwards order, and were supposed to be at the end of the post, but I can't figure out how to change it so we'll just have to deal with the anti-climactic-ness. Sorry! :)

questions

The following are the questions asked of me in the car this morning in a period of about 10 minutes. I think you will enjoy this.

Sam: When you get your driver's license, do you practice on a track?
Joe: Do they come to your house?
Me: Who?
Joe: The people.
Me: No, you go to the Dept of Motor Vehicles, take a written test, then someone drives with you on the real road to test your actual driving.
Pete: How old do you have to be to go without a [car]seat in Ohio?
Joe: Do they have a camera in here to see what you're doing?
Me: "They" who?
Joe: The 'department' people, to see where you are and stuff.
Me: No, I already have my license, so they don't need to know where I am.
Joe: How long have we been in our old house?
Me: Huh?
Joe: The one on Mississippi Road? (Avenue)
Sam: So are we technically breaking the law? (referring, unbeknownst to me, to the fact that I earlier let Janie sit in the front seat of the van)
Me: Huh?
Joe: When we move, will we take the kitties?
Me: I didn't know we were moving, but yes, we would take the kitties.
Joe: And the TV?
Joe: Ohhhhhh..Mom...cones!!!! (street construction)
Me: I see 'em.
Joe: What would happen if you didn't?
Peter: Is house arrest for just four years or for your whole life?
Me: WHAT?
Joe: Kids in China can go to prison when they're four.
Sam: Yeah, if their family did something bad.
Pete: Is prison under your porch?
Me: ????????????????????? I need a double espresso and a chocolate cream filled long john.

This is for real, folks. I have no idea where some of these questions com from, but this wild stream of consiousness is the everyday norm. Particularly in the van. Welcome to my world.

pests and chinese water torture

Okay, I really haven't given up on my blog. I still read others' blogs every day. We're still without a kitchen, and sometimes I feel like I wander aimlessly through the house with a shell-shocked look on my face.

Dinner? What's that?

I'm not complaining AT ALL. For real. This project is a blessing I never thought I would experience, and my husband is working his behind off on it.

So the other night we were out and about and Pete hollers from the back of the van, "Mom, we just passed PESTMART!!"

I laughed for a number of reasons.

This will be the third weekend in a row of me keeping the kids occupied and out of the kitchen so Tim can get it done. This is akin to chinese water torture. Just keeping everyone busy...just killing time. It's not their fault, and it's fun to just go to the park, etc. But you moms know how it is. It's kind of like treading water. If I was a really good mom, I'd plan all sorts of crafts and activities. But let me refer you to previous comment about wandering aimlessly with shell-shocked look..... besides, the last thing we need is more of a mess. So we'll hit the parks a few more times, ride bikes, eat popsicles. The project is getting closer to the end, and the kids and I have talked at length about what we will bake first. I think it will be lemon cupcakes. Mmmmm.

So if you're on the Quad City park circuit this weekend, you just might see us! Oh, and my camera battery is now charged, so I'll take pics of our big mess and post them.

summer comes to an end...

I'm sitting in a house that's been quiet since 9pm....I can't remember the last time that's happened this summer! I'm trying to get the kids back into the habit of earlier bedtimes and earlier waketimes, but we've still got some summer left in us and it's just amazingly hard to wrap it up by 8 or 9 at night! Equally as difficult to rise early. Helping me get my tail out of bed earlier, however, is my sweet neighbor....a teacher/track coach/totally fit new mama to twin boys....who is willing to walk with me a few times a week. I really enjoy getting to know her better...great motivation to get up early!

So we begin our school year in one week. We're ready. The kids are ready. We'll be doing a sort of "co-op" with another family. The more the merrier, really. While trying to wrap my mind around getting ready to educate a 5th grader(plus two friends), a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, and a preschooler (heaven help us!), we TODAY began removing cabinets from our kitchen. Good timing, I know. Seriously. The plan was to work on this project over the month of August and be done by the time we started school. For most normal people, it might seem wise to do these projects while the punks are IN school. But since "school" for us is either upstairs, in the dining room, or in the living room, and also because we're quite ABnormal, we were hoping to get this done in a month. (I can hear you snicker....especially you, Huntley's!! No, the Huntley's are rolling on the floor laughing because they are always roped into our projects and are painfully aware of how long it takes us to get these things done.) This project is very exciting, as our kitchen cabinets/counters were literally falling apart, and we were able to do a re-fi and use some equity to fix up our mess hall. So far I've freaked out twice on my husband, and not in a cute way...nope. You see, three days a week we will have two extra fifth graders joining us, plus our two little "extra" daughters (still with us, yes)....which will include LUNCH. Without a functioning kitchen. I'm shaking my head as I type. Thank heavens for the picnic table! It will be a rocky month or two (stop snickering, Huntleys :). But obviously it is a HUGE blessing, so I'm vowing not to be one of those wives that freaks out (oops) and becomes a monster during a home remodel. Okay, enough about that.

Our little girls are still with us, though they are getting closer to being able to return home. It has definitely been a challenging summer, and I see the kids wearing thin with some aspects. We reminded them to try to picture Jesus just over the shoulder of someone who may sometimes be hard to love...kind of regaining perspective as a family. On the other hand, they have shown amazing patience and open-armed acceptance as well. Challenging as it is, it will still be hard to say goodbye when the time comes.

I was reminded recently (by a story on a sign at Jimmy Johns, to be honest! I'll spare you the minutia...) of how life isn't about destinations and end products, but the day to day, the everyday minutes and hours. And how God sometimes does big great works in us, yes, but so much more often He works in us in small, unnoticeable ways...day by day...shaping and refining. I think of Chris Rice's lyrics "teach us to count the days...teach us to make the days count"..and one line about "will you invest or squander?". And sometimes I need to remember that "investing" doesn't always mean "accomplishing" something. Sometimes investing means doing nothing. Playing tag. Jumping rope. Sitting alone with Jesus. "Wasting" time. Sometimes it just means doing the next thing. Okay, I'm probably not making much sense, but I guess I'd like to say that over the summer and amidst its fun and challenges, I've been forced to take it a day at a time. And that has been a most excellent lesson for me.

Happy new school year to you all! I'm thankful for you!

big baby

Once again, a long lapse between blog posts. Let's start fresh again with a few shots of Henry Fussy taking it easy in the baby swing! At about 18 pounds, he really is just about the right poundage for the swing. He likes to try to catch the frame of it as he swings, and he favors the "2" setting.