Grandparents to the rescue!

Araya was suppose to have his dr. appointment at the U of M last week. They needed to reschedule it to this week, I was not able to take Araya. My parents volunteered. I have been praying that he would do great. I knew he needed a big blood draw, he knows it too. His doctor has always said to "be prepared for it" and if I say we don't need to do it, "that will be a special present."
This morning we went over the plan for the day! He was excited that Grandpa and Grandma would bring him. If you remember from previous posts....dr. days are "date days." The date just was not with me today. He told my parents he would love a Subway on the way home...that is easy enough. They picked him up at 12:00 at school, I have to say, he looked so extremely cute, he gave me a high-five, a kiss and 2 hugs. Like the sentimental person that I am, I stood in the school window and waved and him and he at me. (quite a change from the previous post huh?)
Well, about 2 hours later the phone rings in my office, "Hi, Jody, it's mom, the dr. would like to talk to you!" My heart sunk (for no reason), dr. Hoyt wants Araya to go to Camp Heartland! I said, " I haven't heard of it," "I will send you the info, " she said. Anyways I looked it up. It looks awesome! I hope we can find a way to send him, it is a camp in Minnesota that looks wonderful....It is strictly for HIV+kids. Dr. Hoyt is also sending info. about a family camp. (Maybe that will be our summer road trip eh?)
About 1 hour later the phone rings again, it's my mom, just wanting to let me know that they were fine, but, having a hard time getting blood. They had been sent to a different lab, where they apparently specialize in this...boy do I wish they would just let the person who knows what they are doing do it the first time!
Araya called me on the way home..."Hi mom, I am fine, first dr. no good blood, 2nd doctor got good blood." I said, " I heard you were brave!" "Yep, I did cry a little bit." I said, "next time, we will go to the 2nd dr. the first time!" "yep, mom!" "I had Subway Mom!"
I am going to go and get him at my parents right now!
Troy and I also went in and had the last of our "adoption finalization" paperwork notarized. It will go in the mail tomorrow...with the $500.00 finalization fee! I needed to send in the picture that was on his passport with the finalization, on his pic he looks sad! Today he is exactly 20 pounds heavier and smiling! For that I am so Thankful!!!
p.s. Thanks dad and mom!!

Wild Wesnesday!!!

Today was one of those days when I wish I knew I handled things correctly or I wish I had someone that was watching that could reaffirm that I did the right thing! I have second guessed myself all day!
The one thing that I have noticed with parenting Araya is he is the most strong willed (survivor) child I have ever known! He is becoming so much more comfortable expressing himself, it is mostly a good thing, however, not always. He is finding his niche at school, and learning that not all of his choices are good ones....thank you Kim for your consistency with him!!
Today was chapel day at school, since our kids go to a Christian School, they are required to wear "chapel dress" on Wednesday. (we have worship time followed by a speaker). Anyways, I need to tell you that I dread Wednesdays...boys must be in dress pants and dress shirt and shoes, girls are to wear dress pants, skirts or dresses and dress shoes. It seems as though however much planning goes into organizing the morning it is still chaos. Morgan is on the worship team and needs to be at school at 7:30. Which means we all go at 7:30, it is only 15 minutes earlier than usual but for some reason it makes a huge difference......
This morning Araya says to me, " Mom, you pick out my clothes today, o.k." I said sure, I picked out the outfit he wore on Easter, it had been hung up after Church that morning and was really the only thing that I did not need to iron....blue pants, yellow/blue striped oxford...he walked into his room, I hear him say, "awww mom, not these clothes!" I was in my room and said, "yep" those clothes Araya....He then tells me how they don't feel right, the shirt feels big, the pants feel big....you get the picture. I just said, o.k...hollared back..."get dressed Araya." Next thing I know he is in the most wrinkled khaki pants and shirt I have ever seen...o.k... I am a little over the top about wrinkles but this was not good. I said, "Araya, you need to put the clothes on that I set out for you." I then talked to him about how he wanted me to pick out his clothes...blah blah blah.....So Araya stays in his room I gave him a 20 minute warning that we would be leaving soon...15 minute warning.....10 minute warning....progress ....he changed his pants..I said, "Please get the shirt on that isn't a wrinkled ball." No response, shut down has occurred...(siblings starting to get nervous.) I said, "Araya, I do not want to leave you at home today"....other kids start getting in the car. I went and put my stuff in the car....came in, he was watching to see if I would leave him (he was looking out his bedroom window when I entered his room). I said, "Araya, where is your shirt that I set out?" After about 5x asking him he said, with no eye contact and under his breathe, "I don't know." hmmmmmm I find it interesting that his shirt has mysteriously disappeared....by this time I am getting a little irritated, o.k....fuming. I then firmly set him on his bed took his shirt off, grabbed a different semi ironed shirt out of the closet and dragged him to the suburban with no shirt on and no shoes. (we had already put his things in the car!) I handed him his two hearing aids and away we went. He put his shirt on in the car. We arrived at school and he would not get out.....guess what...we all went into school without him...I can see out my window at school, so I watched him and pondered what to do....what do you do if an 11 year old won't get out of the car to attend school....call the police? get the principal? tell your friends you need help? Call your Dad? I let him sit in the car for about 15 minutes. I then went out, and he had decided he would go into school, but he was not going to talk to me...I saw him once at school today..I said, "hi" ...no response..He came home today and went right to his room. I had talked to Troy today about the situation, Troy talked to him when he got home...Araya is still not talking to us, and has lost many privileges today. Why is it that I don't know if we are doing the right thing with him sometimes! I could have just said, "OK go to school like a wrinkled ball"....but I feel like consistency and follow through is such a big part of parenting these boys of ours. It isn't about the clothes, it's about his attitude and "my way or no way" he has about everything..playing a game, helping with dishes, homework...etc.....He will probably never ask me to pick out his clothes again!! Something so little turned HUGE!! Was it worth it...who knows...will he get anything out of it.....who knows....did I get anything out of this today......who knows....Oh boy, I sure hope so!!!

OH MY WORD!!

My friend Jenn sent this to me today, I listened to it at work and told Sarah she had to watch it with me again!!.................You have probably seen the video of Susan Boyle on "Brittians Got Talent." It is great, and if you have not seen the entire piece- you must watch it. Such a lesson for me and probably lots of us! How often do we judge by the cover, or first impressions, and not look inside to see who is inside? We were left speechless and bawling. I have seriously watched it over and over....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Watch it until the end and see what was said!

Easter!

Brunch at my parents!!

Easter Morning!

Easter was a great day! Church was wonderful! It was a day to remember the sacrifice and beginning that Jesus gave us all! We are so blessed to know him and have him in our lives, I wish that for everyone!

I said that I would write more about the previous post about the dogs. Our daschund Tinkerbell, who Morgan had gotten when she was about 4 or 5, (my parents own her brother Harley.)whom my parents have actually had at their house since the fall. Anyways, she was loving life at their house with her brother Harley, my parent were spoiling her rotten, and they were in love with her too! Tinkerbell and Harley went outside on Thursday morning and only Harley came back, my dad went out looking for her. (daschunds are infamous hunters) He grabbed the binoculars and off he went, he did find Tinkerbell, laying in the field behind their house, he thought it was a gopher pile. It was tinkerbell. She had been attacked by what they think was a coyote, my dad picked her up and rushed her to the cities, it was very early. Tinkerbell had been hurt badly and died on Friday morning, it has been awful....my parents are just devastated, they did everything they could. Thanks Dad and Mom for taking great care of her these past few months, she was so happy with Harley and you both!
TINKERBELL

Shelby and Corbin were looking in the paper and found the ad for the dacschunds, Troy and I and the family all went to look and we were goners!! (see previous post fir pics!)

I cannot believe it!!

I cannot believe I agreed to this!! It is a long story of how this all came about tonight! I will write about it at another time...but for now, we are the owner of these brothers!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

p.s....please don't tell me that I have lost it..........I already know!!

a lot but not much....

Sometimes it's hard to know what you should and shouldn't say. I have been reading some blogs recently where it seems as though they hold nothing back in regards to what they write, others write very minimal about themselves and family but write more to inform others, share insights or create thoughts. I have been feeling as though I really am not sure how much people really want to know about us, the initial focus of my blog was to really share our journey of bringing Araya home from Ethiopia. In that journey came so much more, family dynamics change, change occurs all the time in families though...... So now that I have said "not much" I still am not sure where I want my blog to go...
I have to say on a personal note that I am having a hard time right now with things not feeling "right". After being off of work for 5 days after my recent knee surgery It was hard to go back, I really do enjoy my job...but I got to thinking... I have visions of me and my apron, high heels...oops just kidding...I miss the days of "not so busy" no, I am not just talking about my job, it's other areas too. The only thing that feels right is my home and my family.
My friend recently wrote something on her facebook..."Church is like Chocolate." I wrote her back, she called me. I said to her "really, is that how you really feel? she said, "yes." I was depressed..I don't feel like that right now, I feel like spiritually I am sort of "in the dumps". I don't like this feeling!
I don't feel like I give anything the time it deserves.....Jesus,Church, husband, kids, friends, house...oh my, now I am sounding like I am having a HUGE pity party. I have people all around me struggling in relationships, finances and parenting, don't we all?
Seriously, I feel as though I have wrote a lot about nothing but I think I feel better, I am going to continue to pray for those I know that are struggling, I am going to pray that I am able to hear and listen to what God is telling me to do!
Take care-Jody