whoops

here's the best picture of the night!!

Grace meets Santa!!!!

We made our annual trek to see Santa on Monday (tip, if you go early your kids have to stop adding to their list because they've already talked to Santa, so we go EARLY!) We lucked out and there was no line, so we walked up and said we wanted to put Grace on his lap last, assuming she'd scream. She didn't! She sat there nicely and smiled for a great Santa photo of the five of them. Then all the boys got off his lap so we could get an individual picture of each kid with Santa, and they could talk to him. when her brothers abandoned her, Grace SCREAMED! and ached her back and put on a great show. This was the picture I was hoping for (we have one of each of the boys screaming, it's a family thing). When she got to bottom of the ramp and they handed her a candy, all was right with her world. I was hoping to get her to say baby to Santa, since she's getting a Bitty Baby, but he'll have to use his ESP for her present, lol.

It was a great night all the kids had fun, and the boys are certain that he will bring them what they asked for because they have been so good! HA. M's idea was just to tell Santa they'd been good even when they hadn't so they could get something besides undies, but his brothers squashed that plan since Santa sees all. I'm still not noticing angelic behavior, so I guess they'd better resort to praying and finger crossing.

PS the red coat that Grace is wearing was mine when I was two, how cute is that??

Big Ole Update

We have been very busy, sick and travelling so there has been no time for any updates. We are now home and well, for the moment. I think about posts, and when I am thinking I have tons to say, but then when I sit down I can't think of a thing, ugh!

We'll start with what Grace has been up to. Two weeks ago we took her to build a bear for her first building experience. She got a gift card at one of the showers for her and we had been saving the trip until she would have some idea of what was going on. She chose the bunny and calls it doggy. She loved the whole experience and was ticked when her brothers were trying to do things for her. We just bought bunny/doggy a little skirt because all of Grace's babies are naked and we assumed this animal would be too. Glad we decided to forgo clothes because bunny/doggy wore the skirt to the car and has never worn it since. She does love the bunny though and carts it everywhere, with her baby in the other hand.

We went to my parents house for Thanksgiving, she survived the six hours in the car fine, and she ignored the movies when we showed them! That night we went to church at the church I grew up in. I was prepared for many meltdowns between the five kids. We had driven all day, the had to sit through church and then there was a pie social so they were hopped up on sugar. They were all charming angels! We were quite the stars of the night, everyone wanted to meet Grace. She is an outgoing child and will walk up to people and "talk" to them, if someone she knows is right there. So she would walk around a flirt with all our old family friends. My favorite comment of the night was, you all travelled half-way around the world and still managed to bring back one that looks like all of you. I said well God planned for her to be with us, so I guess that makes sense. The boys were fabulous the whole evening, they usually are, but I was worried that things were aligned just right for it all to go bad. B's Godfather took all of them up the church's balcony to fly paper airplanes into the Sanctuary. He's the youth Pastor so if it was okay with him, then it was okay with me.

Thanksgiving was a nice low key day. I dressed the kids nicely for dinner so we could take pictures, and I didn't take a single one. It's quite odd for me and I'm still upset that I have no shots of Grace at her first Thanksgiving. She didn't eat a bite of dinner, she had just woken up, on the wrong side of the bed, and just didn't want to be at the table. I let her go because I wanted everyone else to have a nice meal. I guess maybe next year will be her first Thanksgiving dinner (with a photo).

Now we are trying to get ready for Christmas. We went to get our tree, and since we live in the NW, it rained. Grace got muddy, as did her brothers, but we all went out and hunted down the tree, and ended up soaking.

I am having big holiday issues this year, and maybe I'm not the only one. I have built Christmas up in my head and I so badly want it to be the biggest most special day, it is Grace's First Christmas and I want a perfect picture, tree, lovey gifts and just a fabulous day. Scott and I were talking about this and he can't understand why I'm such a freak about this, I wasn't this bad for the boys first Holidays. I told him when the boys had their first Christmas' they were lumps who didn't care, she is two and she knows what' going on. I just want everything to be perfectly magical for her. I am working hard on letting it all go, all that matters is that this is Grace's first Christmas, and whatever we do will be special because it will be her first time doing it. It will all seem magical to her. So we so have a lovely tree, it's not perfect, but it is our family tree. We did take 100 pictures yesterday trying to gt one with five smiling kids who are looking at the camera. IT won't be a perfect shot, but the kids are cute. Her dress may not be exactly what I was dreaming of, but she looks amazing in it. And, I know she will love the lights and the music and the gifts. SO we will have the perfect Christmas in her eyes. (now I just have to keep telling myself that)

First ferry ride and first Post placement report

On Saturday we got take the ferry across the Puget sound to our Social worker's for our first Post placement report. We had to visit early because of Thanksgiving and Scott's work travel schedule. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I left feeling great! I was telling Scott that everyone should have a social worker. Some days I feel like I could have 10 kids and that this is the easiest job ever, and frankly if there were awards for parenting I would win several. Then there are the days where I'm pretty sure they'd take my kids away because I am not the greatest Mom at all. Most days are somewhere in between those two extremes. Our social worker makes us feel like we have way more award winning days, than we think we do. She is so reassuring and positive and nice and I could go on, but you get the point. Parenting is hard job, and to talk to someone who makes you feel great about how you're doing is priceless!

The ferry ride was quite fun, on the way there it was still cold and breezy, we took the kids on the deck, but they lasted all of 10 minutes, it was just too cold. So we sat inside and Grace said Boat a lot, yay for new words! On the way home the sun had come out and we spent the whole trip on the deck tossing popcorn to the seagulls, when we weren't eating it. The ferry is such a fun way to get places, the kids just have a ball every time we go.

Today I got Scott to hang up the wall letters for Grace's room they look great and it definitely warms up the place. We are spending this blustery Veterans day in doors doing projects and laundry while the kids are running wild. Pray for our sanity!

Call me... Princess Pouty

Grace is not all sweetness and light, she is all girl however, which means her middle name is DRAMA! This picture was taken on Halloween after she was told no, she could not swing the light saber around in the house. She immediately threw her feet out from under her and flomped on her bottom on the floor and cried. These displays of drama don't last long since they get her nothing, but after she goes to bed at night, I sit and picture them a giggle. The longer she is here and the more secure she feels, the dramatic she is. I think we may be in for a roller coaster ride come the teen years!

Some recent photos of the girl

Here are some recent photos of the goings on in our little world. Here is Grace scooping pumpkin guts. She is such a girl, she had to continue holding her purse while she did it. Then we have all five kids on Halloween, the make quite a group coming to your door. After that is Grace scooping pumpkin at a carving party we went to, she was not a fan of pumpkin guts and she would get these looks on her face that clearly said, you have got to be kidding I'm not touching that stuff. Finally the picture I took of Grace before church this morning. A neighbor gave her this dress and it just looked so cute and sassy, just like Grace.

Not much else is going on around here, the kids were up at the crack of dawn, due to the time change. They always claim that you'll get an extra hour of sleep, but that is only true for people without little kids, we get screwed because the kids just get up an hour earlier.

This week Grace has a Doctor's appointment for a check-up and then we have our first post placement visit with the social worker. She lives on an island so we get to ride the ferry to go see her. This is always such a highlight with my kids, they love to ride the ferry and feed the seagulls popcorn. I'm interested to see how Grace will react, she is NOT a fan of wind in her face. Hopefully she will be more excited about feeding seagulls, than upset about wind.

I read a great post by Tonya, I still can't link, about how she forgets that she hasn't birthed her daughter and talks about how she references things to before she was born. I thought about it and realized I have gotten there yet. I still look at our sweet girl and I'm stunned and amazed that she is here, that we have a daughter ( I dreamed about adopting her for so long). I know some day the wonder of this miracle will fade a bit, it did after each of the boys, but I know there will always be a part of me that is extra thrilled that our dream came true with this perfect little blessing.

Grace's First Halloween

Scott and I spent quite a bit of time wondering what Grace would think of her first Halloween. I don't know why we spent time wondering, she doesn't talk enough to tell us her thoughts, but we still wondered. I'm not sure we knew for certain what she thought until we tried to take her away from the huge candy pile on the table. I'm not sure I've ever heard anything so loud. (a neighbor was at the Hanna Montanna concert and he said those girls were louder than any Seahawks game he's ever been to, I liken the sound Grace made to that)

We got the little Fairy all dressed up took a hundred or so photos of she and her brothers and then sent her off to beg for candy. She's mighty cute, so she did quite well. She walked along just fine and batted her eyelashes at all the appropriate moments. According to her brother's though, she was "dead weight" in their quest to get/beg for candy, so she only made it to 8 houses. Then she came home and answered the door with Mommy. She peered out the side light when she could hear kids coming and she was right there wand in hand to greet each and every trick-or-treater.

All in all, Halloween 2007, a rousing success(and if you could see all the candy we have you'd get cavities in your teeth just from the pictures) I can't wait to see what the next two Holidays will bring.