Loving the Chaos

Frat Party

2010-07-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

I copied this from somewhere else but thought it just so perfectly fit my life I just had to share it.

Why having three kids 5 and under is like a frat party all the time

11. Somone could end up naked at any moment.

10. There are half-full, brightly colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. There are 3 in the bath tub.

9. There is always that one person bawling their eyes out in the corner

8. It's best not to assume the person closest to you has any control over there digestive system.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom, know that the moment you sit down someone is going to be banging loudly on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definetly going to be a fight.

3. Some moron always puts underwear on their head and wears it as a hat.

2. There are crumpled up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Summer days and summer fights

2010-06-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Oh summer, all four kids at home, how can it get any better than this? We try to make the days go by quicker by swimming lessons, art classes, play dates and trips to the parks but most of the time it is just to hot to do anything but stay home.

And all I can say is that we have a whole lot of this.

Dream

2010-05-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

It still feels like a dream...like it is just not quite real. That this girl is mine all mine.

Happy Days!

2010-05-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up at 6:00 AM. Ran around like maniacs getting all the kids dressed, diaper bags packed, ourselves ready and out the door by 7 A.M. We had to be at the court house in Dallas at 8 A.M. We drove (or should I say I drove) like a maniac to get there (thank you Lord for the HOV lane that runs from Allen to Richardson) and we made it there at 8:05A.M. We sat and waited with the rest of the adoptive parents to get to called in to see the judge and finalize the adoption. Aleyna was her typical wild self. She put on a show for everyone there. When it was our turn to go in we went in front of the judge, said yes to a bunch of questions, Aleyna continued acting crazy so the lawyer said she could get down and run around the court room. Heather followed her while she went and talked to all the lawyers and court reporters. Then it was finalized, we took some pics, got our final papers and headed home. It was all realtively easy and fast. We are so happy that this is finally done and we look so foward to being Aleyna's parents forever. Aleyna is truly an answered prayer and she has been such a huge blessing to our family. From the way Aleyna was brought to our family to the way Aleyna's birthmother made the most unselfish anyone could ever make, God's hand in this entire situation is clearly apparent. I love this sweet, feisty, smart girl so much and I am so proud to be her Mommy.

Waiting...waiting..waiting

2010-03-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

My life right now feels like it is in a perpetual cycle of waiting. Waiting for Aleyna's birthmom to sign the papers...waiting to see if Zion's birthmom is going to pop back into his life...waiting to see if the van (which i despise with a passion) is going to make it to 200,000 miles (part of me is hoping it dies soon)...waiting to see if Brycen's ruptured ear drum is going to need another tube put in it. The big ones are wearing me down. If this has taught me anything I guess it is I need to have patience. And after reading and keeping up with this blog www.laylagrace.org it makes me remember to love and treasure every moment you have with your babies.

Adoption in Progress

2010-02-05T08:27:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this girl. I have laid awake many, many nights wondering what ifs. I put my trust in God that he would take care of me and if something happened that I could make it through. But I honestly I don't think I would have ever been the same. She has such a huge part of my heart and my love for her runs so deep that I think I would have been forever changed, forever broken.
So to hear the words this week that Aleyna's birthmom was ready to sign the adoption paperwork was like a huge weight lifted. The paperwork is ready. We just have to get permission from MHC to move foward with the adoption, basically just their blessing. It should be a few weeks then they can take the paper work to the birth mom to sign. After that we have to get the birthfather to sign the waiver of interest and then we can file the adoption paperwork with the court. So keep us in your prayers that all the paperwork goes smoothly. We all love Aleyna so much and can't wait to be her forever family.

Trip to the Dallas Zoo

2010-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

How could you not love the penguins? Brycen REALLY wants one for a pet.

All my chicks in the nest

Aleyna does this smile in 90% of pics now

No one got hurt in the making of this picture

Aleyna LOVES her big brother

For once in a very, very long time everyone was home from school, not working and did not have an appt of some kind on Monday. We decided to be brave and take all 4 kids to the Dallas Zoo. It was so much fun to have Brycen and Aleyna really enjoy the animal exhibits. Heather even had a good time and Zion was a silent participant. He was awake the entire time but did not make a peep. Just kicked back and enjoyed the ride. And can I just say how much I love those elephant statues. I wonder if my neighbors would call the HOA if a put a couple in my front yard.

Long time no post

2009-12-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have really fallen behind in the world of bloggerville. When you have this to hold the blog just keeps getting put off.

I promise more pictures and posts soon.

Thanksgiving Trip '09 Top 10

2009-11-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

As many of you know we embarked on an 18 hr road trip with all 4 kids to Grand Rapids, MI. It was a long, long drive but the kids were really great suprisingly. We have more meltdowns on the way to just pick Heather up from school then we did on the entire trip. Here are the top `10 things I learned while on the road.
1. The $200 we spent on the overhead DVD player was worth every penny and then some.
2. Aleyna can now say backpack and speak in Chinese thanks to Diego and Kai Lan.
3. Make sure that you have the clean bag of bottles actually in the car when you leave Michigan.
4. Gas stations at 3:00 in the morning are some crazy places. We saw three guys getting arrested at one and at another Brian was asked if he wanted to buy some hot tools at a great price.
5. When you drop a whole spewing Dr.Pepper in the floor board of the car at 1:00 in the morning and ask for help from your sleeping husband don't expect to get any, you are on your own sister.
6. All the snacks we bought and packed were never even opened.
7. Shoes and pacifiers get lost in the van never to be found again.
8. We can actually all get along for 18 hrs in a confined space not that there were times when we all slightly hated each other.
9. ALL McDonald's are closed on Thanksgiving. That would have been nice to know when I promised the kids that on the way home we would stop and play at McD's. At the 800 mile mark no MCd's, 700 mile mark, no McD's we ended up at Cracker Barrel.
10. Angels still exist. When we finally did stop for dinner at 8:30 everyone was tired and grouchy. Aleyna was CRAZY. She let out several ear piercing screams in the restaurant and disturbed everyone's peaceful Thanksgiving dinner. We were mortified. Zion peed through his diaper and had to be completely changed. Heather's insulin pump went bad while we were sitting there and she had to go back to shots for the meal. When we got up to pay for our meal the girl at the cash register said that our meal was already paid for. Some man in a black coat paid for the whole thing. Awesome, put us right back into the holiday spirit.

A new Weapon in our Arsenal

2009-11-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Aleyna has always been a climber, lately though it has got a little out of control.

She climbs on everything the couch, the chair, the bench and her latest and most dangerous conquest the kitchen table. We flipped chairs over, stacked chairs up and bungee corded them together but nothing worked. She still climbed on the table, she did dances on the table, she made it her goal in life every day to be removed from the table at least 50 times.

Until we were cleaning out Brycen's room yesterday and found Patrick Star. Aleyna ran screaming when we showed it to her. A light bulb came on and I put Patrick on the kitchen table. And just like that Aleyna does not climb on the table anymore. She does not even try. In fact when she walks by the table she looks over her shoulder the table to make sure that it is not coming after her. Is this considered child abuse? If it saves my sanity oh well. So if you come by my house and you see a large pink stuffed starfish on the kitchen table he is my new friend and he is your friend too.

Can we all just get along?

2009-10-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when I try to get a group picture of the three little ones.

I swear five minutes ago before I got the camera out they were all smiles.

Aleyna is getting pissed off, Zion is fearful for his life and Brycen is still smiling

Aleyna said screw this I am out of here, Zion gets an elbow to the head and Brycen is STILL smiling.
Take one kid out of the equation and back to smiles all around.
Look at that gap between her teeth, I love it.

How did this happen?

2009-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? When did this little girl turn into a woman? I know this sounds a little sappy but looking at these pictures really has hit home. Where did my little girl go?

She did have a great time at homecoming and her dress looked really cute. And she totally picked the dress out without a fight. No slutty dress or stilettos. Cute and age appropriate. I must be doing something right.

I have some funny kids

2009-09-22T20:03:00.001-07:00

Here are a few funny pics from the summer

No Mom, I did not steal the baby's pacifier and blanket

Brycen really thinks he is cute in this hat

Why buy toys when you can play in a laundry basket?

Zion is crying and everyone is trying to make him feel better. It is not working maybe due to the fact that Aleyna gets an occasional eye jab and hair pull in.

Pure joy

Things I have learned since having 4 kids in the house

2009-09-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

1. If someone is crying it is O.K., unless it is a cry of pain everyone can wait for five minutes it is not going to end the world if some tears are shed.
2. If you change a dirty diaper, wash your hands and throw it in the trash...the other one will have one 15 minutes later.
3. The whole not sharing germs thing is difficult when you have a pacifier thief living with you.
4. A load of dishes and clothes must be done every day or you will pay for it the next.
5. Going out in public is impossible unless I have Heather or another adult with me.
6. Sonic corny dogs are a meal.
7. No babysitter really wants to watch my kids and I miss spending time with my girlfriends.
8. The cradle swing is my best friend.
9. I have discovered the best diet in the world...the I don't have time to eat diet. The weight just falls off of you and you don't even realize it. The only problem is I don't have time to put make up on or fix my hair so who really cares if I am skinnier.
10. It is possible to get all three little ones asleep for the naps at the same time...it doesn't happen every day but the days it does are bliss.

And Zion smiled at me today. The craziness of having all these kiddos makes it totally worth it when you get to see that first smile.

Family Updates

2009-09-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last post. It is not that I have not thought about posting it is just at the moment things are so crazy around here that I barely have time to eat or sleep. So here is a quick update on the kids and what everyone has been up to.

Heather: She started high school last week. We decided to transfer her to Prosper and she LOVES it. Which makes life a heck of alot easier on everyone in the household (well except for the whole driving back and forth part). She has also fallen in love with expensive clothing thanks to Prosper high. She bought her first pair of True Religion jeans this week and paid for them with her own money she has earned from babysitting. So ladies keep booking her for babysitting, next pair of jeans she wants are Mekos.

Brycen: He started to school this week on Tuesday. He loves school and it is an awesome feeling to not have to peel him off of my leg when I am dropping him off to school. He still is in love with all girls and wants to marry a new one on a weekly basis. He also announced this week that he loves brown babies and wants to have all brown babies when he grows up.

Aleyna: We had her one year check up yesterday. She is 19 lbs and 28 inches long. She is walking, running, climbing and loves to shake her booty to music. She has Napoleon syndrome and is the busiest one year old I have ever seen. She rules the roost and bosses everyone around. And she is so darn cute that she gets away with all of it. Her birthmom does get out of prison on Sept 16th so keep us in your prayers that she will just leave her here where she is happy and loved. I have faith that it is all going to work out.

And the newest addition:

Zion: This little man arrived at our house on August 14 when he was exactly 2 weeks old. He was an emergency placement because the family that was supposed to take him was sick. The other families that were waiting for babies only wanted caucasian babies and we were the only other family open to taking African American babies. He really is a great baby and Brycen is so happy that he does not slap him (unlike some babies that we won't name). He is healthy, happy, eats well, does not spit up, does not collic and loves to snuggle. Now if he would just get his days and nights straight so I can get more than 4 hours of sleep a night that would be fantastic!

So there is everyones updates. We are basically just going with the flow and praying that we keep our sanity.

Divalicious turned 1!!!!

2009-08-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

So better late than never! We celebrated the princess's birthday on Friday with all of our neighborhood friends. We had a great turn out and the kids seemed to have a good time. It really means alot to me that I have made such great friends in my neighborhood who have been there with me since the very first day that we brought Aleyna home. I can not believe that a year has flown by since we picked her up at 10:00 at night in the parking lot of the agency in a shady part of Dallas. What a blessing she has been to us! We all love her so much and continue to pray that we will always have her here to celebrate all of her birthdays with us.

AKA Wedding Photographer

2009-07-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I took a stab at photographing a wedding last weekend. I was the only photographer at the wedding. They were so young and so sweet. It was alot of work but also alot of fun...and very stressful. But since I did it for free (a favor to a friend at church, the bride was her niece) I was not as stressed. But being the type of person I am I wanted them to be great..too bad that there was no liquor at the wedding...I would have been drinking.

Here are a few of the pics

Puerto Morelos

2009-07-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a great 10 yr anniversary get away. We stayed at the Ocean Coral and Turquesa in Puerto Morelos, Mexico which was 20 min from Cancun. The resort itself was O.K. the rooms and grounds were great but the service was horrible. Totally rude waiters, bartenders and customer service. But we were only there for four days and we stayed busy the whole time. The day we got there was our most layed back day, we were exhausted from the flight and we just ate and looked around the resort. Plus it was raining so no beach time for us. Sunday we went to the town and looked around the town, ate lunch and shopped. Then back to the resort for a couples massage and a great dinner at the Japanese hibachi restaurant. Monday we had an all day excursion from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. We snorkled in the cenotes (underground caves), snorkled with the sea turtles in the ocean, snorkled in a small lake, zip lined and toured the ruins of Tulum. We had great weather and a great day. Yesterday we walked the beach, ate breakfast and flew home. And we were assigned our seats when we got to the airport. Brian asked if we could possible sit together since it was our anniversary and the last few hours of peace we had left. The lady upgraded us to first class! It was fantastic! I did not know what crappy service we got until I saw the other side. Huge seats, full meal served on china and whatever you wanted to drink. And it was a direct flight so we were home in 2 1/2 hours. We totally missed our kids and they were so happy we were home. We are happy to be home too but we are not going to wait another 10 years to take a vacation by ourselves. Couple time alone is good for the soul!

From the heart of a teenager

2009-06-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

So we do not see this side of Heather often since she has become a teenager. So it took Brian totally by surprise when she wrote him this father's day letter. I forgot cards so she had to use a thank you card that I had stashed. Here is what she wrote.
Okay so I know this card is a little weird but whatever. Dad, I know I have tested you alot these last few months whether its with my diabetes, the friends I choose or mainly the bad choices I have made with guys and I just wanted to thank you for not killing me or whoever was involved! Thanks for always being there when I needed you and thanks for being an amazing dad. I love you so much, Love, Heather.
See she still has a heart down in there deep somewhere. Brian said it was his favorite gift ever, he even teared up a little.

Visitation #2

2009-06-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

We had the much dreaded visitation with Aleyna's birthmom today. It actually was not too terrible. She did not force Aleyna to let her hold her. She let Aleyna crawl around on the table and go back and forth between the all of us. Aleyna wanted me the majority of the time but she occasionally went to Karri the social worker and Stormy. Aleyna was in a great mood because she had a nap on the way there. Stormy did not really give us any kind new revelations. Basically she will be getting out Sept 16th (already knew that), she will have to live in a half way house, she was not able to get her GED because she got in trouble and they pulled her out of any education priviliges, she has no car and will have no help from her family. She did say that she would never just jerk Aleyna away and that we will always be in contact with her and will be a part of her life. I did get to plant a few seeds that my kids love her and it will break their hearts when she leaves, that she loves her daddy, that we wanted to adopt before we had Brycen and that I love Aleyna like my own kids. I just want her to know she is loved and that she is a part of a family. I am praying that she will see when she gets out that it will be better for everyone if she just leaves her here. The social worker still thinks things are falling in our favor. And I did find out what other nationality Aleyna is.... Italian. Now on to planning Aleyna's first birthday.. a special 1st birthday for our little diva.

Bad News....

2009-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

My Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer today. She had a mammogram last May and felt a lump last month. She had another mammogram., ultrasound and biopsy. They found two tumors and they both were malignant. My mother was totally healthy. It is so weird it does not even seem real, if that makes since. I am trying to convince her to come up to Dallas and be treated. Not to even mess with Waco. But I do not know what she will decide, she is only 54. Just keep her in your prayers, she is going to need lots of them.

What I love about summer....

2009-05-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and in full swing. These are just a few things that I absolutely love about summer.

snuggling with a little one straight from the pool, wrapped up in a towel and smelling of sunscreen
getting to take a break from cooking and letting my husband grill more
ice cream trucks
little boys with long shorts on
flip flops (easy on and easy off for all the kids)
the kids sleeping really well at night because they played outside all day
Water sprinklers
Snow cones

Slipping and Sliding

2009-05-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid nothing said summer like getting out the slip and slide. Where I grew up a trip to the city pool was a treat so we made due on hot summer days with the slip and slide. No adults ever came out and helped us set it up. It was 100% kid engineered and it was incredibly unstable. Someone always ended up with stitches due to a rock underneath the slip and slide, going off the side of the slip and slide onto the grass and rocks or over shooting the slip and slide and going off the end. In fact I can think of two seperate occasions where my cousin Charidy had stitches in her chin and a neighborhood friend Tiana had stitches in her knee. I was a cautious child though and always showed the slip and slide respect. Slow and easy. Not as much fun as my carefree cousins but I have no permanent scars. So after years of not even thinking of the slip and slide guess what my cousin gave Brycen for his birthday. His very own sponge bob slid and slide. Can you see the thrill in his eyes as he gets his gusto towards the end of the slide? It totally brought back all the memories. And by the way they are not any safer. We will probably have an injury by the end of the summer.

(And the weeds in the picture are not in my half of the yard, they are my neighbors, thank you very much)

Family Updates

2009-05-14T17:42:00.001-07:00

We will start with Aleyna. She had her 9 month appt this week. She is 17 lbs and 27 inches. She started walking this week and is a crazy fast crawler. She also has mastered the ability to scream this really high pitched ear piercing scream when she wants something. We had other kids crying at Jason's Deli Friday night, please mommy make her stop. She wanted her own ice cream cone. She got it.

Brycen really enjoys being a big brother. He has enjoyed teaching Aleyna how to walk (it has entailed a little dragging around the living room). He is also going through this faze where he wants to marry women. He asked Heather's friend if she would marry him. She said yes. He told her yesterday that he was going to marry someone else he saw on t.v. He has his whole future planned out, four kids and he wants to live by his grandmother. Oh little boys and their imaginations.

Heather has actually been really good lately. She is done with her month long grounding in her room. She is still playing soccer for school. She has 3 weeks of school left. She will be going to her first camp for the summer on June 6th and will be there for three weeks. Three weeks without a teenager, how will we ever make it?

Back to Reality

2009-05-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Me and some of my peeps had a great girl's weekend away. Some major shopping was done at the San Marcos Outlets and then a night out on the town. We had dinner at some hole in the wall mexican food place which was totally awesome and cheap. Then we made a little trek through the ghetto to the bars on the square. San Marcos is a college town so we were a little bit older then the general population at the bars. We still totally rocked it and stayed out until 3 A.M. At 7:30 A.M. I woke up and remembered why you do not mix margaritas, vodka and beer. Sunday we drove home and went back to reality. The kids were all still in one piece and the house was not totally trashed (just slightly). So now it is Monday morning and back to reality. Poopy diapers and wiping snotty noses. My husband is totally awesome though for keeping the kids for me and letting me take a much needed break.

Is this a sign?

2009-04-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

We have a 10 year anniversary vacation planned for June 27th to no other that Puerto Morelos, Mexico. We booked the vacation on March 1st. Two weeks after booking the news hit the media about the drug cartels kidnapping tourists and now the lovely swine flu. And of course the one time we do not get travel insurance is the time that we should have. All I wanted was a nice little short vacation with my husband. We never do anything by ourselves. We always bring our kids with us on vacation. Brycen has already been to Jamaica twice. But this year it was all about us. Talking about it just makes me more depressed. I am so looking foward to this weekend with the girls and our shopping trip to San Marcos. Retail therapy always makes things better.

Bend it like Beckham

2009-04-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

OK so she might not as quite as gifted in the soccer department as David Beckham but she was pretty darn good. We finally got to make it to one of Heather's soccer games last night. We have become the parents I said I would never be. The ones who missed the first two games of the soccer season. But with little ones the weather has just been either to cold or rainy to make the games. Anyways, yesterday evening was perfect so we loaded everybody up and ventured over to the Liberty High School soccer fields. I really did not expect a whole lot. Heather had not played soccer since she was 4 years old and we only played a year because she would not quit sitting down on the field and picking flowers. And when I asked her why she wanted to play soccer instead if running track she said because the uniforms were cuter. So onto the game. When we got there the game had just started and she was not playing. I thought great I am going to sit here and watch her sit on the bench the majority of the game. Then the coach put her in 2 minutes later and the hidden soccer play from within came to life. She was running up and down the field faster than I had ever seen her run. She was aggresive and stole the ball back a few times and had some really good kicks. She even did the whole bump it with her head thingy and it went really far. She played the rest of that half and the whole other half. I was totally impressed. Then a girl on her team got hit in the head and passed out. And can you beleive no medical personnel is there? They had two soccer games, two baseball games and a softball game and not one paramedic. Brian had taken Brycen to the bathroom and to get a drink. He was gone forever because they stopped to watch the baseball game. Finally when he came back the principal asked him if he would come down and evaluate her. The girl was going in and out on consciousness and throwing up and no one called 911. Brian had them call 911 and stayed with the girl until they loaded her on the ambulance. He said he thought she had a broke nose and possibly a concussion. Plano has to have a paramedic at all sports events, hopefully Frisco will do that too soon. The game ended tied 1-1. All I have to say is good game Heather, I am so proud of you!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Boy Brycen!

2009-04-15T06:25:00.001-07:00

I can not believe that my little man is 4 today! Oh how the time flies. We have a ton of festivities planned. Yesterday they had cupcakes at school. Today we are going to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner (he picked). Saturday we will be traveling back to West to celebrate with family and friends there.

So good one minute..so bad the next

2009-04-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

So we have had MUCHO drama in the Stroven household all due to little Ms.Heather. It is long and lengthy affair so if you want to know the specifics call me. But she has been so good lately. Everyone is getting along and she is doing great in school. She was even commended on her TAKS scores (which means she outscored like 90% of the other kids). Then she went and messed it up with this drama. Anyways she is grounded for a month so I bet her grades will get even better. No laptop, no facebook, no phone and no t.v. The only thing she can do is babysit and go to church. Then we also get a call from Aleyna's social worker. The birth mom has decided she hates the social worker and she wants a new one. She still loves us though and wants Aleyna to remain with the same foster parents. The social worker just thinks she is taking out her anger on her. She will not get to switch to a new social worker, it does not work that way. Still no word from her biological dad or grandparents. And we started working out at Cooper. Brian has always wanted to join a gym. I just never really wanted to. But we are going now and I have to say I really like it. It helps relieve some stress and hopefully lose a little weight. Oh and if anyone knows any good boarding schools for Heather let me know (just joking, not really).

Clowns are scarey but the circus rocked

2009-03-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

We did not do anything exciting over spring break like go on a cruise or vacation in a tropical paradise. But we did go to an awesome circus on Sunday. After treating ourselves to Babe's chicken we went to the 2:00 showing of the circus that the Frisco Historical Society was sponsoring. We had front row seats and we were so close to the action that at one point Heather and Brian both though we were going to be squished by a elephant butt. In fact Heather jumped back in her chair. Brycen was freaked out by the clowns, which I really don't blame him, they still freak me out. He did not run away or cry, he just covered his ears every time they came out. Aleyna loved it and as long as I had a steady stream of baby snacks available she was good. We all loved it though and it was the first circus that Brian had ever been too. It was a really clean circus too and all the performers looked relatively normal and had most of their teeth. And we don't take all 3 kids to anything very often that they all truly enjoy being at. So even though tickets were $57, popcorn $4, peanuts $1.50, balloons $5, snowcones $6, bottles of water $4 and cotton candy $4, seeing the amazement and smiles on my kids faces was priceless.

Welcome Baby Jillian!

2009-03-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

My best friend Kristie had a beautiful baby girl on Wednesday. Me and Heather drove down to Waco be there for her arrival. She is a such a pretty baby and I am so glad that Kristie finally got her girl. She has two boys that are 11 and 14. So she is starting all over again. She is going to be one spoiled little princess!

30 more days

2009-03-10T14:46:00.001-07:00

SO being the criminal record stalker I am I checked Aleyna's birthmom's release date today. And guess what she got another 30 days. So now her release date is set for the end of September. I just really don't understand why she keeps getting in trouble and adding time to her sentence. You would think that she would be doing everything in her power to keep herself out of trouble and get out. But then again she has not wrote a letter since October. It is just so hard to fathom that not all mother's have the same deep nurturing feelings that most of us have. Even for this beautiful baby who I did not give birth to honestly feel like I am her mother 100% and I do not love her any differently then I do the kids I gave birth to. I am scared to death to lose her, absolutely. But I enjoy every day I spend with her and I pray that we will one day be her forever family. She is a true blessing and our little lump of brown sugar.

Fort Worth Zoo

2009-02-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

Brian was FINALLY off Wednesday and Brycen was feeling better so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the Ft.Worth zoo. It is such a nice zoo! We really had a great time and the kids really enjoyed. Brycen has been obsessed lately with wanting a giraffe as a pet. I thought seeing one in person might make him realize that it is really not a family pet. But no it only added fuel to the fire that we could make it work if we got a baby giraffe. Aleyna really enjoyed being outdoors even though she would not sit in her stroller for more then 15 mins at a time (even though all of the pics she is in the stroller) so I ended up toting her around. The animals were all out and super active thanks to the wonderful weather. When you walk around you always somehow get stuck with the same group of people. Brian told me after the fact on the way home that we walked the majority of the park with a group of gang members. They had the tatoos of a certain number on their necks that marked them. That's just lovely. They were just there with their kids just like us. They were well behaved and respectful so I did not even notice them. I did notice the 60 year old lady that was dressed to the 9's and had a huge diamond on every finger that was there with her grandkids say the "F" word about 10 times because she forgot her napkins. You definetly see all kinds of people and animals at the zoo.

Hi Ho Hi Ho off to the ENT we go!

2009-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

So Brycen's Dr appt confirmed he still has a raging ear infection in his right ear. This time he got a huge painful shot of antibiotics. The Dr said the medicine in the shot is so painful that they mixed lidocaine in with it to take away some of the soreness. Poor boy is still limping 4 hours later. The Dr referred us to the ENT because it just does not look like it is going to clear up on its own and we will have to get it drained. So calling the specialist on Monday and back to the pedi net week too. I am just ready for him to feel better! If anybody has any suggestions on who to use for an ENT let me know.

Ear Infections Suck!

2009-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

My poor little sick boy is running 101 fever AGAIN! We have been on our second antiobiotic (which cost $60 w/ insurance) since last Friday and it does not seem to be working. I guess we are headed back to the Dr tomorrow morning. I just want my healthy little boy back with that energetic spirit. He is so pitiful when he is sick. All he wants to do is lay on the couch and for me to hold him. He has missed so many birthday parties and fun things at school because he just does not feel well enough to go anywhere or do anything. And we will probably have to miss the party tomorrow night that we were invited to because I just can not leave my sick kid with a babysitter even if it is my brother. I am so ready for this ear infection to be GONE!

Baby Mama Drama

2009-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

So we had a visit with Aleyna's birthmom at the prison in Gatesville yesterday. It was so draining but honestly it went really good for us. We had a 3 hour drive there than a 1 1/2 hour visitation. We basically all set around a table and yes it was contact. First we went in and Aleyna had a dirty diaper. I asked BM if she wanted to change her and she did not. So I changed her on my lap. Then I handed her over to her. We chatted about our lives and general info. She did get thirty more days added to her sentence because she said she got in trouble for talking to another inmate in the hall. We all know you do not get a major disciplinary action for something like that. She also said she has no where to go when she gets out and will have to go to a half way house. Anyways about 30 min into the visitation Aleyna has had enough of this strange lady. She starts throwing a crazy full fledged temper tantrum. She is trying to throw herself out of the BM's arms, is kicking, hitting and pushing to get away from her. She is screaming like she is in mortal agony. The BM gets so frusterated she starts crying. So she finally gives her to me about 20 min later and of course she falls right to sleep instantly. She said that I spoil her and she has totally bonded to me. She said she is a mama's girl. I did feel bad for the girl in a way but this also shows her it is not all fun and games. Raising kids are hard work and yes she has totally bonded with me. Hopefully she has seen that she is very well taken care of and she is a part of our family. The social worker could not believe Aleyna has such a huge temper for being such a little person. I love her, passionate personality and all. Oh and last night I saw her first tooth had broke through and she said Da Da.

The Flu cometh

2009-02-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

So Brian was diagnosed with the flu. Lovely. We just can not get a break this year. I am sure that he got it when he was doing his clinicals at the germ capital of the world, Parkland hospital. And yes he did have his flu shot. We were all tested today and we were all negative. I am on the preventative medicine to keep me from getting it or if I do get it I will only have minor side effects. The medicine Relenza makes me feel so energetic. I wish I would have known that last night when I took it at 10:00. At 3:30 A.M. I was still not asleep. I laid in Brycen's trundle bed and watched his fish in his aquarium. I felt like I was going crazy. Brycen and Aleyna are too young to get on the preventative stuff so we just have to do alot of praying that they do not come down with it in the next few days. Poor Brian walks around the house when I let him out of the bedroom with a mask on. That was his ideal. He knows if I get it he will be stuck with taking care of kids for a few days so he will do anything in his power to keep me from getting it.

Boys are gross

2009-01-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Let me just say that I totally love my little boy. He has the kindest most sensitive soul. BUT every day I am amazed at the vast difference between raising a girl and raising a boy. I know I gripe about Heather alot but she was the most perfect little angel of a girl ever. She never did gross things, got dirty or tore her toys up. She never did inappropriate things with any of her body parts. Case in point. Today I was getting Brycen dressed to meet our friends Tiffany and Macy at McD's for lunch. While he was running around the house naked because for some reason it has become increasingly difficult to get his hyper little body dressed he asked, "Hey mom will you smell my armpits?" Sure Brycen. They actually smelled good like the bath and body works soap he used in the bath last night. Then he followed that up with "Hey Mom will you smell my weiner?" Ummmm, no Brycen that is not a nice thing to say and do not ask anyone to do that ever again. I just hope he doesn't say anything like that school.

Shorty Update

2009-01-16T19:37:00.001-08:00

So here is an update on our little Aleyna. Her visitation with the birth Mom was cancelled this month. The prison she is in only has visitation the second Wednesday of every month. So we are scheduled for February. Also I checked the mom's prison records periodically (I know a little neurotic but it is public record on the texas dept of criminal record website) and her release date was moved up to 7/31/09 so basically a month sooner than what was originally given to her. So what does that mean to me? A month sooner I will have to start worrying about what her crazy ass is going to do. But in a way it has it's good side because it is a month earlier that we will maybe know SOMETHING and not be held in this limbo as long. And just a little update on the princess's stats. She went to the Dr today because she has been running a fever for the last two nights and I wanted to make sure it was not something serious before the weekend. She weighs 14.3 lbs and is 23 inches long. She is 40% in weight and below the chart on her height. You gotta love a shorty that is bootylicious!

Thanks Carrie Bradshaw...

2009-01-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

So I got one of the major uncomfortable discussions out of the way with my teenage daughter. The Sex talk. I did not even realize it until me and Brian went to rent a movie on movie channels. It showed that someone rented The Sex and the City movie and watched it at 1:37. After a little discussion we realized a. Brian obviously did not rent the movie because chick flicks are not his thing and b. I had already rented it a year ago when it first came out and watched it. Well Heather stayed home from school Friday because she was "sick" (once every few months I let her stay home if her stomach hurts). And after the day I was having Friday I really did not even want to leave the house. So during my nap she rented it and watched the entire thing much to my shock and dismay. I thought she was being so nice watching Aleyna and letting me take my nap. I mean I am no prudish, goody goody mom but there was some really raunchy parts in that movie. So the discussion went something like this. Me: Heather get your butt downstairs and why did you not only put a movie on my account but a nasty inappropriate for a 13 yr old movie Heather: I did not know what it was about Me: Did the title ring any bells Heather
Heather: I thought it would be funny Me: Heather that movie was totally nasty for you to watch and did you stop watching it when it got to the sex scenes Heather: No I just closed my eyes Me: You are grounded from the t.v. for 2 weeks and if you ever rent another movie again you will be grounded for 2 weeks. End of discussion.
So I know she did not close her eyes when she got to the sex scenes. Did you see the guys in that movie, who would? So thanks Carrie Bradshaw for teaching my daughter all I ever wanted to teach her about sex and a bunch of stuff that I did not even learn about until I was at least 18.

Sad ending

2009-01-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

The pregnancy is done, it's over. It was sad but we have got to just keep moving on with our lives. With three kids there is not alot of time to sit around and feel bad about it. Which is a good thing because when the house gets quiet I really start thinking about things. Time to clean the kitchen and keep putting it out of my mind.

Bad news

2009-01-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have some bad news. This pregnancy is just not headed in the right direction. The Dr gave the fetus a 50/50 chance of becoming viable. I know this happens alot but it really sucks when it happens to you. I will find out tomorrow if my numbers are doubling and I should know by Friday what is going to happen. Now I wish we had not told anyone.

The pics that did not make the cut

2008-12-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

These are the pics that did not make it on the Christmas card. Next year we are doing professional pictures no doubt. I tried on three different occasions to get a picture to put on our card. The first time was at the park. Brycen almost fell in the pond because he said Heather pushed him. Which she did not, he just tripped but tears ensued so no chance of a park picture. Then we tried in Allen at the new shopping center. While Brian was helping me wrangle kids he threw his back out so back home we go. Finally I got one in front of the fire place. The lighting sucks but all three kids are in it and no one is crying. Here are a few that did not make the Christmas card.

Can everybody just not be sick for one day?

2008-12-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am now experiencing the joy of having two kiddos under the age of four in the house. Before when someone would get sick it would stay pretty localized to that person, now not so much. Brycen's started out as allergies/cold which promptly moved to a double ear infection this weekend of course. We love Acute Kids! Then Aleyna had allergies/cold then her four month shots which resulted in a fever. Everybody is on the road to recovery but grouchy sick kids with runny noses do not make for a fun weekend. And I am SICK of wiping runny noses!

Teenager, anyone?

2008-12-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

So I went to my mailbox today and as usual had a bunch of bills and a bunch of junk mail. One of the lovely bills was my Sprint phone bill. We all have phones so I usually have a few extra charges here and there. But much to my surprise was 6 ringtones and a $75 internet overrage charge pointing to Heather's number. I asked her and she admitted she did the ringtones but she thought they were free (yeah right) but she did not get on the internet. After a 55 minute call to Sprint, the rep told me there is another $77 pending in internet charges from Nov.28 to today. So again I asked my honest daughter is she for sure she has not been getting on the internet. Oh now her memory is becoming clearer and she says well maybe I checked my myspace a couple of times. More like a couple of hundred times. She had to pay for all her overrage charges, which completely wiped out her babysitting savings and her myspace will be shutdown. My husband wants to shut her phone off but for medical reasons I feel like we should leave it up. I think she has learned her lesson for the moment that 6 ringtones were really not worth $150. How many more years of this do we have left? Let's see 18-13, is 5. Does somebody have a gun, I will just shoot myself now.
Oh and if anybody needs a babysitter let me know.

Blessed

2008-11-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

I am very thankful for all many blessings this year. And even though we had a hell of a year last year (breaking my foot, heather being diagnosed with diabetes) this year has been so much better. Here are a few things I am so thankful for.
1. My great marriage. I had a previous crappy one so I know what I have now. I have the best husband ever who puts up with all my craziness.
2. Heather. She is strong, independent, smart and fun.
3. Brycen. My little boy with a sensitive soul.
4. Aleyna. My happy, healthy little chunk of cuteness. And even though I do not know what the future brings we have been so blessed to have been able to have her for the time we have had her.
5. Medical technology. Heather's omnipod insulin pump rocks. It is the closest thing to a working pancreas there is. And it cut down her shot from 5 a day to 1 every three days.
6. My home. I love living in this area and having a nice home. Especially when so many people are losing theirs.
7. Our jobs. Being able to work at home and see my kids grow up is priceless (even if I do get a little stressed sometime).
8. Family. I have a huge, wild family. But I love them all and they love me. And know matter what choices I make they will always have my back.
9. Friends. I have the best two childhood friends a person could ask for and I have met some great new friends too. I am so lucky to have made some really great friends here.

Next time I will listen

2008-11-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

So Heather had an eye dr appt today. I thought I would get some energy out of Brycen and go to Chikfila for lunch, then Ross's if we had time then on to the Dr. appt. Brycen fell asleep on the way there. No biggie, I thought he was just being dramatic when he wanted me to carry him into Chikfila. Then at Ross's he rode in the basket because he said his stomach hurt, still not the usual wild man but I thought he was just being dramatic because he was sleepy. After we left Ross we were finally on the way to the Dr. and he said Mom my stomach hurts. Once again I ignored him and went on to the appt. While we were pulling in the parking lot he projectile vomited all over my back seat. Thank goodness he turned his head toward the window or poor Aleyna would have been covered. We promptly left the parking lot and headed home. It took me an hour to clean my car. The entire carseat had to be stripped. While I was giving him a bath he said that a waterfall came out of his mouth. How is that for a visual? Next time I will listen.

One Little Indian Boy

2008-11-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is how Brycen was dressed when I picked him up from school on Thursday. The teacher really out did herself making these shirts. I could not even imagine trying to wrestle 8 three year olds to make these too cute footprint/handprint turkeys. His teacher Mrs. Kathy has a whole lot of patience and she is going to get a nice present from me for Christmas this year!

The good and the bad

2008-11-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

I found out some really great news today. One of my best friends who has been waiting for 4 years for an adoption placement will finally be placed with a little 2 month old baby boy on Nov.25th. I am so excited for her. She is one of the best people I know and she so deserves this little ray of sunshine in her life. Now if she can just get approved for her kidney transplant. And on a sad note my grandfather is going to have to have open heart surgery. I hate that I am not living close to them to be more support for my grandmother. We are going down to West this weekend to visit him before his surgery next. We also had a visit from Aleyna's social worker yesterday and she has no new news on anything. Still no word from her biological dad or grandparents.

Tagged Twice

2008-11-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Okay I was tagged by my friends Erin and Jennifer to list seven random interesting facts about myself. I don't know how interesting anyone will actually find this but I promise you that it will be random.
1. I love Jamaica. If it was not for my family, me and my hubby would sell everything we own and move there in a heartbeat. We have been there three times. We love the people, the beach, the food and just everything about the island.

2. I love rap music. I like it all. Hard core, hip hop, it does not matter to me. And my husband absolutely despises it. Which only makes me like it more.

3. Before we moved here we owned a farm. We had horses and cows. I actually had to feed them all in the cold every day my husband was at work when I was pregnant with Brycen. It totally sucked but I do miss looking in the back yard and seeing them.

4. I was almost a criminal. When I was 16 (the day after my 16th birthday actually) I ran into the back of someone's vehicle in front of a store in my home town. I panicked and left the scene of the accident and drove home. About 10 min after I got home the police car came to question me. Someone had followed me home from the scene of the accident and reported it. I was scared to death. After it was all said and done I got 90 days probation and a $60 fine, gotta love small towns. And I was grounded for the entire summer. My criminal career ended.

5. I have had the same two best friends since 3rd grade. We still keep in touch on a weekly basis and see each other every couple of months. I love them like sisters!

6. I love to fly on airplanes. I wish I could go to the airport and just ride airplanes constantly for a week. Maybe I should have been a airplane stewardess. I guess I missed my true calling.

7. I totaled 4 cars before the age of 20. Twice it was my fault and twice it was not. I did not get even a scratch in any of the accidents. I think they should push the driver's license age to 18 and yes I am dreading the thought of Heather driving.

Well I did it. I am not going to tag anyone else because all of my friends have already been tagged. And I promise that I am a better driver now!

So that is what she looks like

2008-10-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

We received letter #2 from Aleyna's birth mom. It was basically just a response to my letter that I sent her. She thanked us for taking care of Aleyna and said we looked like a loving family. She also sent a pic of her and her family. It is so weird to see what her family looks like and what is even weirder is that all look relatively normal. Why have they not requested a visit with this precious little baby? She is a cute girl which I already kind of assumed because Alyena is so darn cute. She also asked if I could not cut or perm her hair. Who would perm a baby's hair? But anyways I am dealing with this letter alot better than the last one which really upset me. This is SUCH an emotional roller coaster ride. We just have to love her while we have her and try not to worry about the future because it is totally out of our control.

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

So we finally made it to the pumpkin patch! Brian was actually off last Monday so we visited the Big Orange Pumpkin Patch in Celina, TX. It was a beautiful day and the kids really enjoyed it. Well Brycen really enjoyed it, Aleyna could really care less. She was just thankful that Brycen did not kill her when we were making him hold her while posing for pictures.