a typical sacrament meeting

So, we have learned through experience (and embarrassment) that we must enter and go immediately to the back row, very back, against the walll back.  That way the space behind us for baby to throw missiles is neutralized.  Mason warms up before the official beginning, running around, doing a few squats and leg lifts, cracking his knuckles, etc.  The opening hymn starts and he starts throwing a fit:  he wants to hold the hymnbook, he wants to tear a page out of the hymnbook, he tears a page out of the hymnbook, despite our best evasive maneuvers, throws it on the ground and stomps on it.  Dad holds him in the "dad-vise" for the remainder of the song while trying desperately to make him be quiet, Mom quietly replaces the page in the hymnbook, hoping that blessings aren't being deleted rapidly.  Opening prayer - Mason folds his arms quietly, he loves prayer-time (who knew).  After that the missiles start flying forward, every toy, book, shoe, food particle, it all becomes a missile aimed at the people in front of us.  Karly's high heel swooshes past the lady's head in front of us, rearranging her hair.  A Lego hits an older gentleman square in the face in the row beside us.  Karly's hair band gets caught in the gentleman's wife's hair as it is careening through the air.  Dad-vise time until the sacrament.  Mason loves the bread tray, he feels it is own little buffet, his bullet-like hand tries to grab a handful, but mom is faster and lets him have only one.  He gulps the water noisily, smacks his lips and says "AAHH" REALLY loud.  The easy part is over.  He crouches over with his head on the floor and runs around that way, leaning way forward with forehead to carpet, occasionally doing a somersault just for variety.   The kids now one by one keep asking when the can take him out.  To settle the weekly argument we have a designated "taker-outer" each week.  We decide whose turn it is each week before we exit the van.  We are trying to make it through the first speaker.  It's DJ.  Mason sees DJ up there at the pulpit and immediately starts yelling for him, "Deeee-Daaay, Deeeee-Daaay."  DJ keeps going for a minute and then finally says "hi Mason."  Everyone is staying in the chapel until the talk is over, that is the rule when a family member is speaking.  Mason sees a toy he wants.  It's not his.  He runs and grabs it from the toddler playing with it.  It's a giant whale.  He starts hitting the other kid with the whale.  Mom does the running crouch, grabs baby, returns the whale, tosses the baby to Preston who then, grinning hugely, exits the chapel.  Game over.  Mason.  He won the battle my friends, but we will win the war. 

a big day

This was one of those days that we look forward to as a parent, and then can't believe that it is here once it arrives.  My big boy was made an elder today by his dad - what a wonderful moment.  The Bishop presented him with the Duty To God award, and then he also had to give a "real" talk in church today, not just a youth talk, and then last but not least. help his dad with a blessing at a home teaching visit.  Welcome to being a grown-up!  After all that he packed his green National Guard backpack (it wasn't even full!) and we dropped him off at the hotel where he will stay until 4:30 am tomorrow where he will be transported to Ft. Benning GA, and start basic training!  My #2 has flown the coop!  I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't aching.  He was the kid who clung to me and wouldn't go to nursery or class, when he was a toddler.  He was the kindergartener who prayed fervently every morning and night for the new baby to be a boy, because it wouldn't be fair to have more girls.  He got his Preston, and they have been chums ever since.  Preston won't know what to do by himself with the boy kingdom in the basement now.  DJ is (mostly) a ray of sunshine around here and it just won't be the same without him, or his bevy of friends who come in and out at all hours, stopping off at the fridge as they go.  I will miss them too, hopefully they will still stop by, maybe just to see Mason at least.  I can't wait to go to Ft. Benning and see him graduate!  Then it will be off to Missouri for more National Guard training, after that we get him for the whole month of December! 
     In other news, I semi-decorated Mason's room and it turned out so cute if I do say so myself!!  We took out the crib and all the crib decorations and put in a little fire truck toddler bed.  I needed new stuff for the walls so I finally went to the thrift store to see what I could find.  I found a frame and put the Chinese characters in it that are supposed to be Mason's name, at least that's what the guy told us that drew the letters.  He could have been lying and it really says something else, but it's cool anyway.  I'll post pics of the other stuff, it was all less that $40, so not too bad.  We also got rid of the bottle (yes, he's 2 1/2), the bad news is all he wants is his sippy cup.  Does it end??  We held out yesterday and didn't give him his sippy of milk and he finally ate some actual food after his afternoon nap.  The kid is stubborn.  But cute.  I wonder how all this will play out when he goes to day care a few hours a day in the fall.  Having other kids around to play with will be total heaven for him, he gets so excited when there are playmates. 

These are pics of all the cousins at the reunion, I know, random, but I forgot to put them in earlier!

     I guess the quieter days that lie ahead are just an indication of how life will be from now on for us, the kids get older, and the house gets emptier.  Not always a bad thing - but for today, I miss my boy.             

parenting

     This is a gig that I will definitely never master.  Ever.  Some days that is very discouraging.  But then I remember that I am trying.  Each day I am slogging along, hoping that out of this will come well-adjusted self-confident adults that love their Heavenly Father, (and hopefully their mother).  Tall order.  Lots of errors are made.  Lots.  It becomes so easy to lay the problems of life at the feet of parents who were not perfect.  At some point each person becomes the owner of their own life, and the setbacks, the cruelties, and unfair circumstances that we all experience need to become the refiners' fire that make us who we are, and not the ball and chain that keep us from progressing.  We can all point to some insurmountable obstacle that we all faced, and how easy it would have been to just sit at the base of the obstacle, and let that define the rest of our life.  Too often that does happen, and people become embittered, static beings that cannot find peace or happiness.  But when we scale those obstacles; an abusive childhood, an unfaithful spouse, a wayward child, sickness, etc., we emerge a winner, and can continue to progress and rely on the Atonement to keep moving forward.
             So, back to parenting.  How do we get our children to use us as a springboard instead of an obstacle that keeps them from seeing their possibilities?  I don't know.  I only know that I remember so well sitting with my little girl in my lap reading the book 'Are You My Mother' over and over again, until she could recite it by heart to her little brother.  I remember sitting in a rocking chair for many hours of the day and night rocking a feverish and miserable baby while she slept fitfully.  There are the those many moments when you take a minute and watch your child as they sculpt with play-doh or build with blocks or play with dollies, when your heart gives a tug so strong it is physically painful.  It's the same tug you feel when they clamber onto the big yellow bus for the first time, when they master that list of spelling words and when they kick that first soccer goal.  We experience each heartache and disappointment right along with them, and in our imperfect, sometimes stumbling ways we try to comfort, and to help them make sense of all the ups and downs they encounter.  And (let's be honest) we sometimes smile inwardly and even roll our eyes at the drama and heartache that can ensue from the silliest of reasons - cue the wailing and tears, "MOM!  I raised my hand in class and my armpits were SWEATY!!!  Everybody saw!!!"

      My hope is that it will be enough.  That the homemade meals, the family home evenings and family prayers, the endless hours and miles of taxi driving for piano and sports and activities will somehow add up to a happy childhood for them.  I'm hoping that all the heartache and mistakes will be swallowed up by the prayers and tears and laundry and cooking and laughter and good times.  Sometimes the equation doesn't work in our favor.  It just doesn't.  But we keep trying and hope that our kids realize that despite our imperfections (there are many!) that we are doing our best and hope our kids know all we want is for them to reach their greatest potential as human beings!!
    
     
  

Amazing find!

The other day our adoption agency sent a link to an orgainization called China Care.  It's an organization that works with orphanages across China to bring disabled babies to Beijing for the long-term care they need and can't get in their provinces.  We knew that Mason had been to Beijing for care, we just weren't sure how that had happened, especially since his province is a very long way from Beijing.  His medical records are in Chinese (of course!) but our guide glanced over them for us and told us we were very lucky that he had gotten care for his legs at the very best Childrens' Hospital in Beijing.  So. . . . we got a link to China Care and right there on the front page was our little baby!!!!  He looks about 6 mos old or so.  Cool or what!!! Now we know how he ended up getting to Beijing and having so much correction on his legs.  This organization is so completely awesome, they are based in the U.S. and have a state-of-the-art residence/medical facility where the babies (all orphans) live and recover for as long as needed while they are cared for and are in close proximity to several hospitals in Beijing.  I dug around the website and found a journal entry in a newsletter written by one of the volunteers that came for the summer.  She was a nursing student from Wisconsin, she transported Mason from Baoji City to Beijing.  She wrote about the train ride and taking care of little Wen.  There was another picture of her with Mason.  There was a form on the website for parents of children who had been in their care to get all their medical records.  We filled it out and are excited to get this further bit of info.  Though it won't be much good if it in Chinese!!   It is nice to have another picture of Mason from that first year and a half.  China Care said one of their main priorities is to make sure these babies feel loved while they are there.  They have volunteers cycling in and out all the time to love and kiss and hug them, and also foster parents and nannies there 24 hours a day.  If I ever have the means this will be the first organization I will support.  Maybe we could even volunteer someday - how cool would that be.  The big kids would love every minute of it.  Anyhoo - so grateful for wonderful people in the world that are just trying make lives better for others, there are so many out there!!!!!  

reunion in Idaho!!

Getting ready to walk along the river at Big Springs

DJ pulling the baby wagon to the fireworks

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The kids and cousins on the hike to Lake Marie (we didn't make it, but there is always next year!!!)

Starting out on the hike - it was truly some lovely scenery, when one wasn't staring at the trail trying not to trip.

Preston trying his hand at some fishing

My two cute girlies

For the last ten days we have been in Idaho visiting relatives.  After a 20-hr drive, with only potty breaks, we arrived.  It took Jim and I at least two days to recover, though the kids were ready to go.  After a few days in IF we spent a week in Island Park in a lodge with my family.  Lots of hiking, boating, and catching up after a year apart was accomplished.  After a week of fun and games the kids were sad to say good-bye to their cousins and Jim and I were even more sad to get back in the van for another marathon of driving purgatory.  To make matters worse, I got carsick (yeah, really carsick), and was totally incapacitated for the whole trip, (sorry honey, it probably wasn't fun listening to your wife in the seat behind you hurling into a plastic bag).  Oh well, we are home, have had a day of rest and are now ready for the next adventure. 

summertime

This last week I was able to visit many church history sites with a group of youth from our stake.  It was a great time, the weather was good, and opportunity to visit these places was amazing.  We visited Nauvoo, Carthage, Liberty Jail, Far West, Independence, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and Mt. Pisgah.  The youth in our stake are totally awesome, and I can't wait to take my kids to these places. 

 

A family that we were in China with stopped by to visit.  They got their little girl the same day we got our little Mason.  They came from the same orphanage, and we were with them the whole time we were in China.  They were visiting from Texas to see some family and were passing by.  It was so good to see them.  I am posting some pictures and I also found some old ones from our "gotcha" day with both kids.   

This is Mason getting a haircut yesterday.  Not his favorite activity.