Spring Season Soccer is now over. Brandon always enjoys soccer. I love how his shoe is untied in these pictures. He always seems to have one shoe untied on any given day! Soccer is the perfect sport for this active 9 year old!

Way to go Logan!

Logan tried out for next year's Jr. High Show Choir and he found out yesterday that he made it. His best buddies did, too, so he was very happy about that last night. He was starting to sweat about it since they usually have 2 Show Choirs and they were moving to just one next year. He has a great voice, though, so I wasn't worried.

Logan also tried out this week to sing at the talent show next week, so he is waiting to hear about that. Only 12 acts get to perform and he thought 36 were trying out. I still have confidence in him that he will make that, too. He only sang part of it and his teacher was in tears (for a good reason, I am sure!). He wants to sing "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone" by Chris Tomlin. I think it is great that in all the songs in the world, he chose to sing a Christian song. Logan isn't in to sports, so Music is his "thing" besides scouts. Way to go Logan!

Mother's Day

The kids today before school. Anna is feeling pretty good today, but was up a few times in the night. She is enjoying staying in her jammies all day.

Brandon and Barry made this adorable brown birdhouse with pink polka dots. Logan was thrilled to get me my much needed pot holders. My others were getting quite sad!

We didn't take any pictures on Mother's Day. It was a horrible day here outside. Windy, cold and rainy. Anna was feeling better, but is still sick, so I went to church with the boys. They sang in a group of 10 kids or so and I played the piano for the song. Then we had lunch with my sister and my parents. I am so lucky to have my mom still around and living close. She is a young almost 62 year old who is always more than willing to help out with the kids. She was a Godsend when I was pregnant with Brandon and was on bedrest and the pregnancy I lost before that. She is a wonderful woman. Thanks Mom....I love you. I know that there were many days of running me around to piano lessons and Show Choir things for soooo many years and now I realize just how much she did for us as kids and still does!

Anyway...After lunch the boys and I went to the Mall and then returned home to Barry and Anna. They had made a yummy cake and Anna made cards for me. It was a delicious cake.

Poor Little Punkin, etc.

Anna is sick. Poor thing. She has a high fever and a throat infection. The first test for STREP was negative, so we had to go to the hospital for the second test. I always wonder why they do that. She is on an antibiotic regardless, so it seems pointless to even have the second test. I guess it is good to just "know" what is actually wrong.

This week was teacher appreciation week. We are so lucky to live in such a wonderful school district. This is Brandon's last year at the Elementary School and I am sad about that. Plus I hate to see 4th graders at the BIG school. The Principal is wonderful and this is the school that I sub at the most. This principal just has a way with the students and teachers. All of the teachers get along and work as a team. It is the best! I can't really say that about the other Grade School, but I don't have a child there. The mood in that school is completely different when you work there and I really don't feel like the teachers are a cohesive unit like at Brandon's school. I do love the Special Ed room there, though. It will be different subbing at the school next year while not having a child there.

Anyway...Brandon has Mrs. Brown and Logan also had her the year we went to China. She is wonderful. Yesterday the boys went in and sang "I Can Only Imagine" for her and also the music teacher and Brandon's Social Studies teacher. I couldn't go since I was at the dr. with Anna, but my parents said that they did a wonderful job and that the teachers were in tears. It is just so nice having wonderful teachers for our children. They work hard there and always go the extra mile to make learning an adventure. I am sooo sad that Mrs. Brown will retire the year before Anna will be in 3rd Grade! I saw her last night at Walmart and she said how thrilled she was to see Logan and Brandon sing.

This was the first year, however, that I have even remotely been disappointed with a teacher in our district. Logan is in 6th grade and something changed this year. Logan had his first male teacher and for some reason there seemed to be no life in this classroom for the entire year. My mom and my mother in law warned me after going to the school for Grandparents day. They have never had a bad thing to say about the classrooms or teachers here either. There has been little science and Logan just hasn't enjoyed school while in this classroom. It is like they are all statues. Makes me very sad because I LOVE our schools here. My dad taught Physical Science in this district at the jr. high level for 34 years and he definately brought life to his classroom and a love for learning.

I haven't complained or anything. It is hard to go in and complain when your child gets all A's in the classes and doesn't cause problems. Well, he does get a B in Pre-Algebra, but he is taking that class a year early. Logan was able to go out of the class for Pre-Al, Social Studies (with another male teacher who LOVES with job),PE, Gifted and Chorus, so he really isn't in there that much, but..... It still makes me sad that his year went like this. Logan has a wonderful music teacher, though. She is the best! My boys have always been blessed with great music teachers at school and church!

Ok...enough rambling. Please say some prayers for little Anna to heal quickly.

Day at the Farm and WHERE ARE THE GLASSES?!?

Regan turned 2 in January.

What a fun day! First of all...the glasses.....Anna took them off in her Sunday School room last night and left the glasses on the floor. YIKES....another little girl came along and stepped on them and they needed fixed. So, we dropped them off before our trip to the farm and picked them up this afternoon. Anna seemed to enjoy the farm without them, but I just wonder if she could see very well!

I just love that little Mason!
Jenny and Regan

Farm Day. Anna is not in Preschool for the rest of the school year (Long Story). So, we went to a farm. A gal from Lifelink has Regan and her parents live there. She met us and I took Stacy and Mason. Mason has now been with the Oliver's for not even a week. He is really doing great! Such a cute little guy! Anna had the most fun getting the eggs from the chickens and feeding the goats. We had a blast visiting with Grandma Dyann and Jenny and Regan. What a beautiful day, too! Thank you Jenny and Dyann for a great time!

Weekend

 

 

 

Hard to believe that on Saturday we froze to death at Brandon's soccer game. It was down right cold and yucky! Then yesterday, we had beautiful weather!

Meeting Mason at the airport!

 

 

 

Here is the sweet little guy. It still felt funny meeting him at the airport instead of Korea. It was a wonderful day, though. My heart was breaking watching Mason grieve the losses of his first 13.5 months of life. He had a rough time throughout the meeting of his new family and the van ride home. He is such a sweet and beautiful little boy and was perfectly planned for his forever family.

It made me remember back to the day we met Anna and how she was silently grieving her losses. Mason is about the same exact age that we met Anna in China. She was at a different stage, though. She was in an orphanage and developmentally she was a bit behind where a child in foster care would be. Mason was already showing just how smart he was! He would shake his head no when he didn't want something. Head shaking is obvioulsy universal in all languages. He took a lid from Stacy from the cheerios and knew just where to put it. Smart little guy. Mason is walking, so I can't wait to hear how THAT is going in his new home! When Stacy called last night, she said Mason had had a rough time crying. Then he wanted his shoes on and wanted on his back in the snuggly and was content then for a while. He was trying to talk in Korean, too, to his new big sister, Marissa.

These children who wait for their forever families are so resilient and amazing, but it is still so heart breaking knowing all that they have lost on their way to their forever families. I know that in a few days that Mason will be a completely different little guy and I can't help but think about his foster mom in Korea. She raised him from 4 months old until yesterday. It would be hard to give him up. He was obviously well cared for.

You can see more pictures of the gazillion that I took by clicking on the right on the Meeting Mason blog.

Happy 9th Birthday, Brandon!!

 

 

 

Brandon was excited to start his birthday off today by opening some presents. He then took off for breakfast out with his grandparents and Dad.

So, what was I doing 9 years ago...well, we drove up to the hospital at midnight and that was an hour away where I gave birth to Logan. I was induced at 37.5 weeks with Brandon and he was born at 12:43 in the afternoon. The dr. said she was going to leave the room for a while to go deliver another baby. She said I wasn't near ready to deliver yet and that we had plenty of time. She was wrong and then took another peak and found that I was about to push him out. And out he came 12 hours after being induced. That night big brother, Logan, came to the hospital. I remember his sweet little pouty big brother face. He now knew that he was no longer the king of the kingdom.

Birthday Party, etc.

We had the Grandparents and Aunts and Uncle over Sunday for the boys' birthdays. They requested jello cakes with cool whip, so my mom brought those. That is their all time favorite! YUM! And what are the odds that I had those candles in my cabinet?!?!?

And how about this weather????? Today we had rain, sleet/snow and it was just sooo weird. It was almost like hail, too. You know those little tiny white balls inside a bean bag chair? Well, that is what we had for about 15 minutes. I went in town for lunch with Stacy and the sky got so dark and weird and then it started snowing and sleeting. Hello...it is April 28!

Stacy is counting the MINUTES TO MASON! We head up to the airport at 8 am tomorrow and we will be gone all day. I can't wait to see David, Stacy and Marissa meet Mason! I will take lots of pictures!

 

 

 

 

Korea Update

Well, Stacy got the call she was waiting for from her Social Worker. It wasn't quite what we expected, though. We were really thinking that since we knew that Mason's VISA had been processed, etc., that we would be heading to S. Korea as early as next Tuesday on the 1 am flight or Thursday on the 1 am flight. The Social Worker said, however, that Mason was arriving IN AMERICA on Tuesday. What??? Stacy had changed her status from ESCORT to TRAVEL a few weeks ago, but apparently it was already too late or something else went weird. So, We will be going to Chicago to meet Mason on Tuesday and he arrives on the 2:20 plane from South Korea. I was really getting excited about the trip, but all things happen for a reason, so we will trust in that. Sooooo...............Yeah....Mason will meet his forever family and it is a happy ending. Stay turned for pictures or check out Stacy's blog at the right for more info.

Birthday Bush

 

 

 

 

We have always taken pictures every year in front of these bushes on Logan's birthday since they are in full bloom Arpil 17. This year, however, Spring came later. So, a week later.....voila! It is neat to see how the kids grow taller each year next to it.

VARIOUS

A few things.....

Let's see....Korea is coming on FAST. I am starting to hyperventilate. I will keep you posted. Definately traveling in the next 1-3 weeks for about 6 days.

Last night we attended an Open House at a Preschool for Anna for next school year! WOW is all I can say. I was amazed at the many neat and wonderful things that the kids had done there this year and it was apparent that Anna has missed out on some oppurtunities at her current preschool. Sad. We will miss all the wonderful mommy's and children from there, but we feel we must move on to the other school. We have made some great friendships. We did see a TON of people there from our town, so hopefully some others will be in Anna's afternoon class. It was so neat there. They had eggs incubating and they actually hatched that afternoon. Since we don't have any pets, Anna loved the guniea pig and they also had fish and had hatched butterflies. Do you even call that hatching? Anyway...I was really surprised at all of the things that the children were able to do and learn there. They seem to have a good amount of music and fingerplays, too, so Anna will love that.

Barry's dad had a CT scan yesterday, so we are praying for good results. It has been almost 14 months since the surgery for the lung cancer and then the heart surgery shortly after. So, keep Larry and Ginger and our family in your prayers.

 

 

 

I had to be a parent helper today at preschool, so I took my camera. Anna got to be the snack leader, calendar helper and line leader,etc. She hasn't been wanting to go to school lately, but she is fine once we enter the parking lot. She just wants to stay at home and do her own thing, I guess. Anna is holding up a live little wiggly worm in one picture. She made friends with it today and was happy carrying it around on the playground

Day at the Zoo

 

Our ZOO is lame, but the kids never seem to mind. We just don't seem to have many animals that are exciting. I will say, though, that in the last couple of years they have added camels, zebras and cheetahs. Logan worked a week at the zoo and enjoyed that, so even if it is a lame zoo, it still provides us fun. Anna and I had a good time there and took a picnic.