A Glance Back, A Glimpse Ahead

It has been so long since I sat down to write. There have been many times that I thought “I need to blog about this!” but then I would lose that thought by the time I sat down in front of the computer. Goodness, I often lose my train of thought walking from one room to the next!  No wonder I didn’t become an engineer…always losing my train (of thought)…hee hee…ok, lame joke. Sorry. J

Dave is finally over his jet lag from a 2 week stay in China. It was hard on everyone to have him gone! Hope and Mandy daily lamented that Dad wasn’t home. They did jump right in the family tradition of “sharing nights in mom’s bed”. I didn’t even have one free night the whole time Dave was away. I also found out that Mandy is a touchy-feely person in her sleep.  She often “touched” with her feet as she tap-danced on my back, laying perpendicular in the bed. It didn’t matter how many times I righted her position and how many pillows I placed in between us…those monkey toes would burrow their way underneath like heat-seeking missiles. I also found out that she needed her toe nails cut, evidenced by the scratches I received. What a night!

It actually worked out well that there were not enough days for everyone to go twice. Of the seven kids that slept with me, only Hannah made my bed the next morning. Because of this, she was rewarded with an additional night. Of all the kids, only Andrew stayed and helped me with dinner dishes on Mothers’ Day. He was rewarded with an additional night, too. When the other kids saw that they could earn another night in the “BIG” bed, they started helping out around the house more! Not everyone, but some, and every little bit of help counts!

I was blessed with several unique, thoughtful Mothers’ Day gifts from my kiddos. My FAVORITE one, however, is a book made out of my blog entries, people’s comments, and photos of our adoption/family life. I had mentioned that I wanted that in the past but never took any steps to make it happen. Now I have it to cherish forever.

School is winding down, sports are wrapping up, and summer is upon us. Whoo-hoo! I am looking forward to having my kids around more! Austin and Hailey will be swimming through the summer, Andrew will be training for CC as well as spending time in the pool in diving camps, and Hope, Hannah and Amanda will participate in a summer art class. Austin has a job that will increase his hours in the summer as well as be involved in a weight lifting program, so his time will be filled, but since he drives himself it doesn’t affect the rest of us too much. Everyone else will have *something* to do to break up the 3 months of summer break but not enough to be too busy. Everyone will have the chance to get bored and then figure out how to entertain (him) herself WITHOUT a computer screen. That is a skill that will be difficult for Hope to learn (but very important as well). It will be a great time to just be a family!

How blessed we are! I don’t deserve even a moment of this happiness, but I cherish every one.

Thank you, God:

for entrusting each and every child to my care;

to hold on tight for a while and then release as they grow;

to love forever!

All my best,

Amy

PS. I have to give a shout-out to my son Andrew! He ran the mile in his track conference last night. He trained all season for the 400 and 800, but those events were filled so he was placed in the mile run. His PR from one practice run at the beginning of the season was just over 6:30 so he was hoping to break 6:30. Instead, he wrapped up the season with 6:07!!! Like he said, “Imagine what I could do if I actually train for it!!!” Great job, Boo!

No Concert, New Permit, & Future Fun!

After agonizing all weekend about the impending band concert, I sent Hope off to school on Monday with a promise to talk to her teacher. She was so fearful of performing on stage! I did talk to her teacher and he gave her the option of not attending, which would have been great solution to her problem. However, Hope decided to take things into her own hands and cut class later that day. Hmmm…I know it was rooted in the trust issue (or lack thereof) but since it was a repeat performance on her part she experienced the loss of computer privileges for the week as consequences. I think she was madder at herself than at me, but she simmered in her scowls all Monday evening and even through school on Tuesday. I had written her a note in her lunch explaining that although I didn’t like her behavior, I did like her, and that she needed to say she was sorry and seek forgiveness from her band instructor. I asked her about it when she came home from school and she said she did it and then apologized to me as well. It was a long 24 hours of hard feelings but it seems now that they were productive in helping her learn both to trust and to be trustworthy.

Hailey went for her drivers’ permit Wednesday afternoon. She opted to ask Dave to take her and then drove with him for the first time afterwards. Neither she nor Dave had a good report about that event! Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, white knuckles, and high tensions filled the evening. Thankfully they both can laugh about it now, but Hailey still vows that she will NEVER drive with dad again! They both agree that she won’t drive in Holland until AFTER Tulip Time—it will be safer for her AND the pedestrians!!! Hope STILL talks about wanting to drive. THAT scares ME!

Speaking of Tulip Time, we have two parades to attend this week! Austin, Hailey and Andrew will be marching; Hannah, Hope and Amanda will be watching with me. We also will introduce Hope and Amanda to elephant ears, cotton candy, and (endless) Klompen Dancers. We also will be going out after the parades on Wednesday for a Cinco de Mayo celebration—both Hope and Amanda love Mexican food! I wonder if they will like the live Mariachi bands…

Having a blast with my new family,

Amy