Jacob LIVE.....need MORE Subtitles!

And here's Jacob-the Kung Fu Master's video.
This boy kah-racks me up!
It's been pretty remarkable from the video we've seen of them and the photographs that Jacob and Justin seem to share the same personality and Jack and Joey share the same.
It'll be interesting to see if that turns out to be the case when we actually meet them.

These two videos of the boys were made about a year and a half ago by their orphanage staff when their referral files were put together.
It's amazing how much you can glean from watching them in action....though I do wish it were just a video of them playing and interacting instead of the "formal" interview that they seem to do here.
But I'll take what I can get. ;)

I thought we had moved on from here.....

I thought wrong. The twins may be approaching 8 but play dough is making a comeback. One day I will miss the mess. One day.....

Dear ladies to be named later...the twin version

Dear Justin and Jack's future wives,

Your welcome.



(I learned to start them early the second go round.)

Dear ladies to be named later.....

Dear Jason and Jordan's future wives. I just want you to know that I tried. I really, REALLY tried. I'm not entirely sure where I failed you. But I just want you to know that this:



will one day be your problem and no longer mine. I will pray for you....that you will have peace in the home you will create with my son as you begin a marriage and family all your own. I will pray that the two of you will be able to work through this dirty sock and towel and clothes and water bottles and smelly basketball uniform issue peacefully and with love in your hearts. I tried to ammend this before he came to you. But alas. I have failed. Please do remember that he means you no ill will. He does not do this to aggravate you, to irritate you, to give you one more thing to do each day. It's just that he has other things on his mind. He. Is. A. Boy. He is busy drafting NFL players in his mind for his championship fantasy team, he's too busy conditioning his new baseball glove to get ready for the upcoming season. He is right in the middle of a new level with his brother on their new video game that they saved up their allowance to buy. With this many very important activities going on there isn't possibly time to pick up after oneself. Thank you for your understanding.


I will be purchasing a rather large box of Tide for you on your wedding day. Enjoy my dear girl. And just remember, I tried.

All much sympathy and love,
Your tried and true mother in law.

What a good mother would have done.

If only I'd known. If only I'd known almost 13 years ago when Jason was born what on earth to do with fallen baby teeth. If only I'd known what Justin's teacher apparantly knows. I would have done this:

with each of their teeth. Four boys. Lotsa, lotsa baby teeth. Name. Date. Smiley Face. Brightly colored sticky notes. Tape the fallen tooth to the location of the mouth where it fell from it's baby glory.

If only I'd known because her solution is....well.....it beats the heck out of my solution which may or may not involve putting them in a sandwhich bag and tossing them into the junk drawer. Let me just tell ya. Can't you just see the pages and pages of beautiful tooth inspired scrap book pages with brightly colored sticky notes housing each tooth with the correct date, correct child, correct location of said tooth?!!! I can imagine it's beauty....and then I open my junk drawer. And the beauty is lost somewhere beneath the scotch tape and the taco seasoning. So mother of babies run! Run to your neighborhood office supply store and stock up on brightly colored sticky notes, tape and a magic marker. Then sit back and prepare to catch all of those precious little teeth.

Exscuse me?

Perhaps I need to be a bit more involved in exactly what my precious boy is being taught at school. Yes, yes indeed I most certainly need to be concerened. I found this

in Justin's binder today.

Which reads, "I think Rosa and Bianca are better off together." Ummm, exscuse me? Are we watching Days of our 2nd grade Lives in school? The Very Young and the Restless? We All are Children? Oh my. Shall I expect the next paper to explain Fransisco and Rodrigo's reaction to Rosa and Bianca's newly formed partnership? Oh my, what to do! What to do! Who knew 2nd grade could be so dramatic!

Things that make you go Hmmmmm.....

There's a lot I love about these boys. I love, for example that there are 10 Rescue Heroes in my bathtub. I love that more times than not I will climb into my bed and find a Hot Wheel car....or 7. I enjoy that my Oreck vacuum has proved that it can suck up Star Wars Legos and keep on chugging. But there are some things I just don't understand. This for example:

What the heck?!@#

How did

Who the

How does this even happen?!

The Junk Drawer...a survey.

One would think that moving as much as we do that one wouldn't have the time or neccessity to have a junk drawer...or...3.

One would imagine that as much as one meticulously cleans and organizes before each move that there would be no purpose for a junk drawer...or...3.

One should consider thoughtfully the placement and proper location that each item should be placed in and certainly one wouldn't haphazardly throw things into a junk drawer....or...3. But alas, each and every move. There it is. The junk drawer...or..3. Well, there's always the next move...

A lookie loo around the house...

You never know what is lurking around this house. A boy. A dog. A dirty sock. Every now and then though you find a new little visitor that has come into the family. Never mind you have no idea where he came from. But you will welcome him and treat him as though he were your own. So when I was cleaning the table and saw this

out of the cornor of my eye. I began to take a closer look.

And closer still...

And then I realize that he is visiting us from the Galactic Republic.

And I welcomed him. I believe he is on sabbatical from fighting the forces of darkness namely one D.Vadar.

Pardon me...

Pardon me but do you happen to have a little perspective I could borrow? This note:

came home with Justin yesterday. After all we have been through with this sweet boy I must admit my heart starts beating a little faster when I am presented with a note from the teacher and all of those not so good memories of his kindergarten year come flooding back into my mind. But then I breathe. I breathe and realize how far he has come. Praise be to God. So as I was remembering to breathe and opened the note I discovered it was a fill in the blank note....which frankly I found amusing.

The pre-determined portion of note said something to the effect of Dear Mom and Dad, I had a hard time listening today and had to put my name on the board because I:.....and then the child fills in the rest of his or her offense. Justin apparantly talked during silent lunch(ok, totally unacceptable...I'm with her on that) the other offense however that John and I are considering some serious, earth shattering punishment for is...."I was reading when I wasn't supposed to."
Umm. Ok. Reading. Reading when he wasn't supposed to. Yeah. It's all about perspective is it not? And I will take this boy:

and that contagious smile over a note about too much reading anyday.

Out-takes Christmas Photo Shoot 09

These and other images not coming to a mailbox near you.

A slight ammendment

This is Jason. And this is Jason's grandpa. Jason's grandpa lives in Texas. Jason hopes to one day live in Texas but won't be seen wearing that sweatshirt. So he made a slight ammendment to it:

From Texas. To Texas Christian University. Ahhh, all is now right with the world.

Mad Photo Skillzz

Ok they certainly don't quite qualify as "mad" as the kids would say these days but can I just tell you that I lOVE this picture of Justin?


Check out his in the moment toothless smile!



Check out the sand coming off of his hand!



Check out how I was able to blur the half naked guy walking behind him so you couldn't see his butt crack!



Butt cracks aside, I love this camera but moreover I love this boy.

Things that Boys just don't Understand.

There are things. Things that boys just don't understand. There are the obvious things for sure. Why are we always messing with our hair. Why do we put paint all over our faces every morning. Why do we need a bra and why can't they have one too. But then there are other things that are equally unknown to our male brethern. This for instance

has caused much hub-bub in our home. Why can't we use that "chicken towel"? Why can't I wipe the mud off of my baseball with it? Why can't I use it to clean up my spilled cereal milk without you shrieking STOP! Don't use that towel! Why? Well, because it's DE-COR-A-TIVE!

And this:

Referred to in our home as the moldy barrell. Why do we need a moldy barrell? What does it do? Is it empty? Why is it empty? Are you going to put anything in it? No dear boy, it's just DECORATIVE!! Never mind it came from the Napa Valley...was once filled with wine that had aged for years....that it is my favorite souvenier from that area....it's decorative. No, no, never mind that. To them, it's the moldy barrell. Moldy Barrell?! Can a girl puhleese get a little estrogen up in here?

I've become one of them

I'm not sure when it happened. It was definitely a gradual occurance. In the beginning it would only happen every now and then....certainly not everyday. But now? Now I see that I am firmly in their club. I have crossed the fence. I have traveresed the bridge. I have leaped over the line of dignity. It was never something I ever set out to do. It just kinda...ya know....happened. Yes I, I am one of them....sigh....I am....I am the mother that drives her kids to school in her minivan....in her pajamas. There. I said it.
Question. Would it help if I just wore this instead?

or is it futile at this point? Have I started down a slippery slope that I can no longer climb out of? Is this next?


Or even this?
Please. Please say it isn't so.

Road Trip!

After driving 2,000 miles halfway across the country we arrived, got settled and then decided for old times sake to jump right back into the car and take a little weekend road trip. Not a hard choice to make when you have the Emerald Coast beckoning you from only a couple of hours a way. We laughed, we splashed, we ate, we got very sandy, we ate some more and slept. Repeat 2 times and that was our weekend.