Columbus Day

On Friday, the first thing Reese said when he got in the car after preschool today was, "We don't have school on Columbus Day".  "That's right.  No school on Monday." "Why?"  "Because your teachers need a break."  He then went around the whole weekend telling people that there is no school on Columbus Day because teachers need a break.  That was about my understanding of Columbus Day until I was in Middle School, so we still have a few years to correct that misconception.

Mack also had Monday off (YEAH!) and so we decided to take advantage of our Botanical Gardens membership.

We had a fun day strolling through the Gardens and trying to explain all of the plants and the occasional animal to the kids.

 I could only sucker one kid into being in my picture...I must have smelled bad or something.

 The weather is finally cooling down around here.  That means that we are in the low 90's instead of the 100's.  I checked the weather today and the high is supposed to be 77 on Friday...I. can't. wait!

 Mack was the only one lucky enough to have a butterfly land on him in the Butterfly Pavilion.

I wanted Jessenia to squat down next to a butterfly that was sitting on the rocks behind her.  By the time she figured it out, the butterfly was gone, but I got this cute picture of her.
We had a really fun day and we are excited to go back.
This morning at breakfast Reese asked me if it was a school day.  I told him no.  He replied, "Oh.  It's Columbus Day."  Ummmm.....

Siblings= Best Friends

Brothers.  I love that my boys are such good buddies.  Reese may be a little rough.  And Brisbane may be a little destructive.  But at the end of the day they really do love playing together.  I think it is because Jessenia is much better at playing on her own and enjoys living in her own imagination.  Reese and Brisbane sometimes ruin that.  The boys love to run and chase and tackle and wrestle each other.  It is too cute (and definitely dangerous).

But Jessenia joins in the fun a lot of the time and is the perfect sister.  She is equal parts sweet with Brisbane and the perfect playmate for Reese.  I love that my kids are so close in age (or at least today at this moment I love it) because they always have each other.  They may not get along every moment of the day, but they get along most of the time.  

Reese and Jessenia don't usually see each other at preschool but on the rare days that they are at recess together, it is the first thing Reese tells me in the car.  

"Mom!  Jessenia and I had recess together today!"  "Cool.  Did you have fun?"  "She didn't want to play with me.  But I made her."  "Oh. Great."  Jessenia:  "Yeah, it was fun!"

(Disclaimer:  I don't remember if I already put the following story on my blog.)  One day Mack was telling the kids that Mommy was his best friend.  Reese said, "Well Jessenia is MY best friend!"  It was pretty cute and I try to remind him of that when she bugs the heck out of him.

 I got the water table out earlier in the week so Brisbane could play with it while the other kids were at preschool.  Reese and Jessenia have been green with envy ever since.  So I let them have a go at it yesterday afternoon.

 Brisbane loves sharing his water table but sometimes he just has to dive right in and get what he wants.  You go for it Brisanator! (Look at the look in Jessenia's eye.  She is either thinking, "Awwww...look how cute he is."  Or more likely, "Good idea, do you think Mom would think it was ok if I did that too?")

Yummy!

After dinner last night I wanted to do a little something fun with the kids for a treat.  They were really good yesterday and I thought we had all earned it.  So I taught them a really healthy habit from my childhood.

 That's right.  My daughter is learning to spread chocolate icing on saltine crackers.  Most of Jessenia's icing didn't actually make it on her crackers.  She went straight from the knife to her mouth.

 Reese on the other hand put all of the icing on his first cracker so that he had to ask for more for his second.  Smart kid.

 I iced Brisbane's crackers and he decided that the most effective way to eat them was icing first.

 It worked out ok.  And by ok, I mean he was adorable.  I am just not sure how much of the icing he actually got into his mouth.

 Then we had to do a taste test to determine if saltine crackers or graham crackers were better.

It was unanimously decided that graham crackers and chocolate icing are better than saltines with chocolate icing.

Finalization

I am still in mourning about the loss of my pictures.  Plus Best Buy still has my computer to replace the hard drive.  Which means that I am using Mack's Mac (I know, I know...he's cool to have a computer with his name).  Mack is not opposed to me putting pictures on his computer but I just like to have things all in one place so I am holding off a bit, we will see how long I last.
But last week we got some very big news and I thought I should blog about it.  Reese and Jessenia were placed in our home on January 21st.  Crazy, eh?  When we took physical custody we knew that there was a risk that we could lose the kids.  Typically when children are placed for adoption out of CPS custody, it is a done deal.  But occasionally the birth parents will appeal the decision.  When we got the kiddos in January, it had already been six months since the appeal had been made.  We thought a few more months and everything would be settled.  In May the AZ Court of Appeals denied the parent's appeal to overturn the severance.  We were relieved.  We waited the days for the parents to make a second appeal.  Those days passed.  We thought everything was a done deal.
Come to find out in June, that the parents had actually gotten an extension and they HAD appealed to the AZ Supreme Court.  You might remember me posting about how this made me want to puke.  We thought it would take a month (maybe, two) and the whole thing would be settled.  Wrong.  Three months later and we were still waiting.
On Wednesday of last week I spoke with the kid's attorney's social worker and she told me there was no news but that the case file was currently being reviewed by a judge.  Which was nice to hear since up until this point I had assumed it was still sitting in a box somewhere waiting for a judge to come back from his/her wildly exciting vacation to the Bahamas.  The social worker made an appointment to come see the kids the next day.
Fifteen minutes before she arrived on Thursday, I decided to check online again and see if there was an update (I checked at least twice a day).  Miraculously there had been an update.  Mack was home and I read to him that it said the Petition for Review was DENIED.  I didn't cry but I got really misty.  Couldn't believe it.  I had checked so many times and it had never been updated that I never thought it would happen.  Mack was a rock through the whole thing but as the process drug on I began to have doubts.  I worried it was taking so long because the judge was considering hearing the case.  I was worried we were going to have to give the kids back.  I had nightmares about dropping the kids off at random foster homes.  I had nightmares about CPS coming and taking them.  It was horrific.  The idea of puking was humorous in comparison to the worry and nightmares.
When the social worker arrived a few minutes later, she confirmed the news.  There is still a small chance that the birth parents could drag it out again.  They are granted the opportunity to request another review.  We are hoping that doesn't happen.  We have a finalization set for November 7th, and we are full speed ahead for that day.  So barring further complications the kids will be legally ours November 7th.
Then later that month we will go to the temple and have them sealed for time and all eternity as part of our forever family.  I couldn't be more excited.  It is a strange feeling to have kids that you love and cherish and know that they are not yet part of your eternal family.  I can't wait for that day.  I can't wait to see the kid's faces in the temple.  It will be one of the top three days of my life, and I can't wait!

Backdirt. Annihilated!

Here it is, in all of it's glory.  We think that our new backYARD is pretty great!

 Grandma bought the kids a playset (which they love...and I love it too...although I am a bit big for the slide).

 Look at that beautiful grass.

 There are two garden boxes in the far part of the rocks.  I will do a garden post later.
When Mack and I first decided to get the backdirt annihilated in one fell swoop by hiring Johnny Appleseed, I was a little worried that we would have buyer's remorse.  None.  We love it.  We love having grass, it makes the yard seem so much cooler.  We love that the kids have somewhere to run off steam.  We love how much the kids love playing in the yard.  We love that we also love playing with them in the yard.  Just last night we taught Reese how to throw a frisbee...he's a natural.
Mack told me last night that he is so glad we did the yard.  Me too.  It was the best decision we have made as homeowners.
Brisbane is the biggest fan of the backyard.  He waves at the backdoor twenty times a day in hopes that I will let him go outside.  And really, can you blame him?  Who wouldn't want to hang out there?

For T-Dawg

It has been far too long.  This is a conversation I had with my best friend a few weeks ago:
Julie:  I told Travis about your blog.
Me:  What did T-Dawg think?
Julie:  He read the whole thing and has been anxiously awaiting more.
Me:  Oh yeah, sorry about that.
Julie:  He called me the other day and asked if he could start a "Get Monica's Computer Fixed Fund" so that we would get more posts.
Me:  <Laughing>

So T-Dawg, this ones for you.  I am back in the saddle.  Hopefully, to stay.
So what have we been up to?
We all know that I got sick the day the backdirt was annihilated.  As I was recovering from my illness one of my good friends from college came to visit.  While she was here, preschool started.  I uploaded the pictures from my camera to my computer.  I dropped my computer.  Then I got sick again.  Then my mom came and I was sick while she was here (ugh).  We found out the harddrive is damaged on my computer.  No pictures were saved so I am starting over.  Mack assures me that if the FBI wanted my pictures, they could get them and some day we will have the money to do just that.  Then my mom left (I cried). My mom left Wednesday.
Basically it has been an insane month.  I don't have any of my pictures from Becky's trip, the first day of preschool, or the backdirt annihilation completed.  But I will retake pictures and post my thoughts about all of those things in the coming days.

Thanks for all of the people who have asked where I have been and why I haven't been blogging.  Sometimes I write the blog and feel as if only my mother reads (which is still a worthy cause, don't get me wrong).  But I really do appreciate all of your love and your friendship.  And especially appreciate all of the enthusiasm over the backdirt being annihilated.  It really is that great.  Just you wait.

Uh-oh

One of two expressions that Brisbane is capable of repeating on a regular basis is, "Uh-oh".  Which would be grossly appropriate at this moment.  I promised four people that I would update the blog today with the final backyard pictures.  But unfortunately I dropped my computer today and now everything is trapped behind a blank screen with a little cursor flashing.  So no pictures.  Mack has every confidence that we can get our pictures retrieved.  Let's hope so, or I might cry.