DIY Weekend

This weekend I think I am going to atttempt to paint my washroom. Right now every wall in our house is off-white and it needs some color! I'm going to start with my washroom because Lord knows it needs it! Now whether it gets done or not...we'll have to see, but that's my plan. I'm pretty satisfied with the look of my house overall, with the exception of the washroom. It always seems to get thrashed! The kids throw their dirty clothes all over the place (and Larry does too) along with their play shoes, jackets, sweaters and anything else they don't want to put away. I swear I've cleaned it, and I mean CLEANED IT at least three times in a month. It gets scary! Sometimes we can't even see the floor and it's a good size room, mind you. So, I'm gonna be on the look out for some nice baskets, an area rug, I have the paint and painting supplies and I just might tackle that monster. Maybe if the room looks nice my family will treat it with a little more respect. The good side of this story is that I don't do the laundry. Larry does 85% of it. I do mine and Grace's. He does all the rest: his, Angel's, Alliah's, towels, blankets, sports gear, everything else! I love him so much for that. But! Now we just gotta spruce that room up and maybe (I said MAYBE) I'll help him out every once in a while and suprise him with a washed load of clothes. Maybe! If I do get a chance to get this done I'll post some before and after pictures and you can be the judge. Love you all!

**UPDATE** Didn't happen.

So Yummy

Last year July I decided to quit sodas. I was a Diet Pepsi addict! No exaggeration either. I LOVED Diet Pespi. *I even capitalized the "D" and "P" Did you notice that?* Anyways, I've been drinking unsweetened ice tea or water and up until a few days ago I was cool with that. Until I found my Neuro drinks *notice that "N" is also captialized and I am already referring to it as "my" neuro drink?* There's a little market across the street from my office that I frequent quite a bit and they had these new drinks in stock. I'd never seen these hip looking drinks before and I was in one of my more daring moods so I figured what the heck. It was like one of those moods I get into where I want to dye my hair or even cut it off. It was a more, "I'll drink what I want, when I want" kind of moods. You'd think I'd get a Monster Drink or some other kind of energy drink *since I was being so daring you know*, but the bottle of this drink is what caught my eye. I haven't tried all of them YET but oh, I will. Believe me, I will. The label says they're for adults only and not for pregnant or nursing mothers. That's what I call an adult drink! LOL No, there's no alcohol, but lots of vitamins other junk (okay, well good stuff) to improve memory, mood, circulation, regulate appetite, etc. and in doses that are too much for kiddos. They cost more than a can of soda, or even a bottle of water, but they sure are tasty and look sooooo cool. They're lightly carbonated and pack a punch of flavor. I love to share new passions I discover *wow...passions* so if you see one, try one. I've taken the liberty to name the flavors and copy and paste a little blurb about each one from their website: Fasten your safety belt....

NEURO SONIC - Get smarter, faster and stronger with Neuro Sonic. Neuro Sonic uses L-theanine and caffeine to put your brain into overdrive. Stay focused at work, in school, and anywhere else you want better mental performance. Take control of your life with Neuro Sonic!

NEURO SLEEP - Stop suffering from a poor night's sleep or jet lag. Neuro Sleep uses Magnesium and Melatonin to help you sleep better and wake up refreshed. Never lag through the day after a bad night's sleep again with Neuro Sleep!

NEURO TRIM - Stop wasting your time on fad diets, pills and cheesy exercise videos. Lose weight the healthy and safe way with Neuro Trim and a consistent exercise routine. Neuro Trim helps control appetite with LuraLean fiber, which provides a feeling of fullness and reduces food cravings. Be happy when you look in the mirror with Neuro Trim.

NEURO GASM - Keep the good times rolling with Neuro Gasm. Neuro Gasm utilizes L-arginine and L-citrulline to improve a healthy blood flow, improve performance and keep you at your best when you need it the most. Whether it is in the office, in the club or in the after party, Neuro Gasm can keep the party going all night long! (from the website! Not my words....)

NEURO AQUA - From the heavens to your body. Pure Adobe Spring water with the Earth's essential mineral, Magnesium. A perfect combination to revitalize.

NEURO BLISS - Ace the day with a smile with Neuro Bliss. Neuro Bliss is happiness in a bottle with L-theanine that promotes relaxation and improves mood. Don't let work, traffic, tests or any other stressors in your life get you down. Rise above it with Neuro bliss. (Had this one today!)

NEURO SPORT - Take your workout to the next level with Neuro Sport. Neuro Sport combines all four critical electrolytes to quickly rehydrate and replace lost minerals. Perform at your best and provide the body with the minerals it needs for proper hydration and recovery.

TRY IT....YOU MIGHT LIKE IT! There's a party on my palate, so yummy, so yummy!

Adoption Is Final

On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, Judge Mark E. Hood finalized the Adoption of Miss Grace and we officially welcomed her into the family. Gracie has been with us since she was 2 days old, but we still had social workers and family resource workers coming in and out of our lives to make sure we were taking good care of Grace. We always considered her ours forever but now it's written in stone and unchangeable! I, personally, am glad I won't be called "Mrs. Doe" at appointments and meetings we went to for Grace. I laughed so hard the first time a nurse called me "Mrs. Doe." Poor thing was so embarrassed! Larry's mom and step-father, Silvia and David, went with Larry, me, Angel, Alliah and Grace to the Monterey Courthouse as we stepped into another wonderful new journey of raising another child for Jesus!


My daily prayer is that she grows to know and love the Lord, having a true and lasting relationship with Him. Larry's and my prayer for all our kids is that they won't face the challenges and hardships we hear other adopted children have experienced. We know they will have questions as they grow older, but we are trusting God to fill the hole they might feel in their heart and to give us the wisdom to answer questions they may have or just be there when they don't want to talk but just "be." There's a saying that reads, "You may not have grown under my heart, but you're growing in it." And that is the truth! Sometimes I just stop and look at these kids in amazement! What true gifts from God - totally undeserved, but so welcomed. The following Friday night my family put together a little dinner at my house with a beautiful cake. Grace is our breath of fresh air, our sunshine in the rain, the hot fudge on our sundaes LOL She makes this family complete. I can't wait to see what God has in store for all three of our kids. May we have the wisdom to raise them in His paths of righteousness in love, patience and God's guidance. God reminds us that they were created for us, and for a reason. He has a plan for their lives and He has given us the privilege to train them in the ways of the Lord and ensure that they fulfill the destiny God has planned for them. There's just too much to say in trying to express the gratefulness that is overflowing in my heart. All we can say is "We Love You Lord and We Are So Very Thankful."

The Crazy Sleeper

This is how we found Grace the other morning. Grace is such a good baby and sleeps in her crib every night. She never did like the 'caged in' feeling of her crib so we took the front gate off. Now it looks like a little toddler bed, or even better yet, a day bed! LOL So now Grace has learned how to get down off her 'day bed' when she's ready to get up. Well, it was about 6am when I got up to turn on the heater so the house would be warm when my babies woke up. As I passed by Gracie's room, I stopped in the doorway and glanced towards her crib. The house was still pretty dark, and I didn't see her! I looked down and there she was. You can see in the picture the baby gate thing we put in her doorway so she doesn't wake up before one of us and head down the stairs. It looked to us that she got down from her bed, and started playing with her toys and then passed out again. You can see one of her little lego pieces outside of the doorway. That wasn't there when we went to bed! I called Larry out of bed and said, "You have gotta see this!" While he was laughing his head off, I grabbed my cell phone and snapped the picture *so glad for flash*. This girl is constantly cracking us up. My kids are definitely what we call 'Free Entertainment!'

Thanks

Well, we're back...reporting from our home sweet home, all cozy and warm in the miraculous quite of our living room. I'm sitting here in the recliner feeling relaxed, un-stressed and quite full from the delicous dinner we just finished. Man, we've been through A LOT these last few weeks but we've made it through, by God's mercy and grace. First, I want to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for our family during this rough season. Some of you intimately know the trials we've been facing and others of you have just stood in the gap, praying for us with the faith that God would see us through whatever it was. He's been faithful. Even when we don't understand what in the world (or heaven) He's doing, we have no other choice but to trust Him. Remember that old song, "Where could I go, oh where could I go, needing a refuge for my soul...where could I go but to the Lord?" We put our trust in Jesus and stand firm on the belief that He knows better than we do and that He does use all things to benefit those who love Him - and that would be us! While traveling through these storms, feeling like we're dogding bolts of lightning, we have had several rays of sunshine hover over our ship. I'll write about that in my another post. But for now, I just wanted to say thank you for your prayers, for your friendship, for your kind and caring words/emails/texts *LOL* and again, your friendship. I'll type atcha' again soon. And in those inspirational words of Tigger, "Ta-ta for now!"

Let's Play Ball!

It's here! It's finally here. The season where all life seems to cease and I pretty much live in my office and the car. Angel's team this year is 'THE GIANTS'. That will be easy to show support for because we have lots of Giants gear to wear to the games. Alliah's team is THE DIAMOND GIRLS. Now with this? I don't have enough diamonds to show enough support for my daughter *hint, hint Larry* No...just kidding, I sorta' do! LOL So the difficulties began after both Angel and Alliah's team meetings. Angel has practice Mondays and Wednesdays. Alliah's is Wednesdays and Fridays. The Wednesday practices are at the same time, but on opposite ends of the city. If Larry's not working then we have no problem. But if he is? One kid will be dropped off early and the other will be picked up late. To top it off, Angel and Alliah have Awanas on Wednesdays. I don't know when those kids are gonna have time to eat! As for me and Gracie...we will be playing taxi for sure. I know I've seen a bumper sticker around somewhere that read, "Mom's Taxi." I'll just add, "she pays so her kids can play." Hmmm....maybe I'll tattoo that on my kids arms so they can be more grateful for what we're doing for them! Uh, not.

F-A-M-I-L-Y

I woke up so thankful for my family this morning. Like I shared yesterday, we're having a really tough time right now and my family has surrounded us with love and concern, making us feel so loved and supported. Yesterday, I just called my mom to 'check in', seeing how her day was. Before I knew it, she and dad were coming over and offered to bring dinner. After watching kids all day long and dad working all day, too, they both came as fast as they could and just sat with us, watching tv, playing with Gracie. We didn't really do much of anything, but they were there. My sisters call/text/facebook (LOL) letting me know how much I'm loved, saying they're praying for us. I may be able to share what's going on in tomorrow's entry, but for now there are details still unknown, so I simply ask for you to pray for us. We need strength, peace and assurance that "this too will pass." So, thank you Lord for my family. When you created me, you knew exactly the family I would fit into and need. And for me, my family is perfect.

Prayers

Hey all. For those of you who read this blog regularly I'm asking for your prayers. I don't feel like going into detail, but I need the Lord to touch my heart, my mind, my spirit, my body. Going through a tough time right now and I could use all the prayers I can get. I need the joy of the Lord to be my strength. I need His peace, which passes all understanding. I need my mind and my heart guarded and protected. I just need Jesus right now.

Winter Cleaning

Yesterday was a momentuous day! You all know that we moved into a new house last November. Well, I'm sure you can relate when I say that even after putting all of our stuff in the new house, there were still boxes left unpacked filled with MORE stuff that needed to be put away. Now I'm not one to hang on to junk. I have absolutely no problem throwing un-necessary items away. My kids don't like this fact at all. Niether does Larry. I was hoping that most of the junk could be thrown away, given away or recycled, but I had Larry and Alliah to help me. The two hoarders. Those two like to keep every piece of paper, every little thing that they "might" need later on. I don't know how many times I said, "No, we don't need that...THROW it AWAY!" All afternoon I heard, "Aw...we need to keep this" and "Ohhhh, look....we gotta put this away." Nope. My theory is that if we haven't used it in the last year (six months if I could get away with it) then we don't need it. Yes, there are some sentimental things we should keep, but they can go overboard. I'm all for keeping photos and drawings the kids made at school, but rusted out barbecue forks? Toys the kids played with when they were three? A hundred pens? A phone book from 2004? Nevertheless, we got it done. The boxes were all sorted through, and everything that we kept was organized in storage bins and put away. We found clothes that WE USE in boxes that were not unpacked yet. I found all my shoes, my purses, more of Grace's clothes, extra bed sheets and more blankets. You know, the important stuff. I KNEW I had stuff missing! So I sit here so thankful that we got the job done. Next is the front yard. We've got plants to plant, grass to put in....then to our home office. It never ends!!! :D

Meet The Parents

Here's me and baby Isabella *aka Gracie's BFF.* Me and Isabella have a special bond. She calls me "Fish" everytime she sees me because I cross my eyes and make 'fish lips' everytime I kiss her. My mom and dad always say how much she reminds them of me when I was little. They say she has my looks, but my brothers 'tude LOL


This pic of Larry and Grace makes my heart skip a beat everytime I see it. Grace LOVES her Daddy and, let me tell YOU, her Daddy loves her back. I love seeing the sparkle in his eyes when Grace does something that amazes him (which is quite often). They are buddies. They are definitely in love :D