Videos from our trip

Here is Baby boy laughing pretty hard at my dad. We don't get to see this laughter too much. He giggles and every now and then but my dad really had him going!

We got Baby Boy's 2nd roll over on video..I definitely sat there and filmed for about 9 minutes before I got this!

We thought Ribbit's reaction to the Smoky the Bear Hot Air Balloon was pretty dagum funny....poor child!

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures from our road trip!

At the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Foley.

We got to walk inside a hot air balloon being blown up....Ribbit wasn't too sure about it in there.

 Getting in a basket with Daddy.

 They both had to sit on every single tractor there.....free fun!

 The air balloons starting to get full and almost ready for take off.

 At this point Ribbit had spotted the Smoky the Bear balloon and it had freaked her out...from there on out she clung to me and would scream at the balloon to go away while she screamed at me that she wanted to leave.

 She wouldn't even stand by CC for a picture by herself :)

 I can kinda see how this would freak out a 2 year old :)

 He thought it was really neat.

 This happens about 50 times a day...sometimes we have to ask him to get off baby boy because it gets to be a little suffocating, but it sure is sweet.

 He went over and talked to the people riding in this balloon at least 5 times, he eventually brought us back their business card :)

 We got to see this dragon be blown up from beginning to end....this didn't scare Ribbit at all.

 Twinkling their lights at night.

 On our way back to the car.

Part 4

We are now at Adam's parents home in North Alabama. We made it through Auburn and Johnson City...the two parts of the trip that concerned me. But, the kids did great, got to meet a lot of our friends and family and were well behaved.

Highlights from each stop--

Auburn-we were there less than 24 hours but got to eat lunch with our friend Kim and her two (not so little anymore) children. We spent a lot of time with Kim in Auburn and worked with her, she also photographed our wedding. Her children are beautiful and are just as talented and friendly as she is. Then we went on campus and took the kids to see all the hot spots. We treated them to some Toomers Lemonade and to see the (used to be alive) Toomers trees. Then we went to bible study with our favorite people in the world...PARKWAY PEOPLE!! The kids swam, we ate, we visited with our Auburn parents, Dick and Jana and had a good time of worship.

Johnson City- the kids love love love our TN home. They are so amused by stairs and so they ran up and down them constantly. It sounded like we brought 2 elephants with us instead of 2 children, baby boy was there but was obviously not running :). Our neighbors were so welcoming and everyone wanted to come see our little family. I was thrilled to have my mentee Jerri come spend almost all day with us on Saturday. She called Friday and offered to watch our kids while we painted and fixed up the house....and they loved her. It was so neat to see someone that Adam and I loved on in turn love on our children. Jerri really showed Adam and I that we could love a child that was not ours biologically. We loved spending time with her, having her and her friends over for sleepovers and watching her grow. She was our first kiddo :). She has grown into a beautiful, tall, loving 14 year old and was leaving on a mission trip this morning :). Her grandparents, whom we also love, had us over that night for hamburgers and they just loved and poured into as well. Its so refreshing to be around people who encourage us and not think we are crazy. Mike and Charlene are super supportive and are like family. The kids played on their trampoline, with Jerri and her little sister and ate lots of good food. Mike and Adam talked about gardening and Charlene and I caught up while she gushed over baby boy.
Sunday morning we got up and went to our favorite place in Johnson City, Heritage Baptist Church. We were so challenged and loved on while we attended and served there. Its like a reunion for us every time we go back. The kids got to meet several people who greatly influenced and changed our lives as newlyweds. We stayed after talking to our pastor, Reggie and left with such godly wisdom and advice. We love being around him because he lives and breathes Jesus and invest so much into us. He also loved on our kids and anyone who loves on them and thinks they are beautiful is OK in my book. We also saw his sweet wife, very briefly,  who is always encouraging us with her words and prayers.
We also took the kids to some awesome restaurants while we were there...Amigos (Adam's 2nd fav place in JC) and Cootie Browns where they got to taste their famous Key Lime cookies.

All in all it was a great 4 days, but I am glad to be in a place that is familiar to the kids and to have some help.

Pictures to follow soon.

Picture Catch Up

I finally got on my own computer and got my pictures downloaded.

Today we spent all day at the beach with Uncle Chris. Baby boy did awesome, took a nap under the umbrella and watched his siblings play and play. Goober surfed with dad and Uncle Chris and then threw the football around. Ribbit loved loved loved everything about the sand...and it showed. We ended up stripping her down and sticking her underneath the showers before getting in the car but she needed another one when she got home. She also threw a clump of sand of baby brothers face about 5 mins after we arrived. Later on today she said " Mommy, I didn't mean to throw the sand in his eyes"....really? is she only two? She spit out that sentence and I was floored. The other day at their birthday part Adam refused to give them pinches to grow on because he doesn't want them to grow anymore..I AGREE!!!

Goober at camp....being put in the restraint chair.

 Walking around in the drunk goggles.

 Being handcuffed and footcuffed (is that what you say?...footcuffed?)

Sunday afternoon nap with Uncle Chris. One of my favorites

  Bowling with Daddy! She beat us all !

 This guy loves bowling....he was on pins and needles the whole time!

 See my awesome bowling shoes?

 I love my Uncle Chris and he loves me!

 We love our Papa and his Harley!!! Papa and Goober go on long rides together...they say they are just going to the gas station or the pharmacy but don't come back for an hour and so and arrive with root beers and candy!!!

Double Birthday Party

The kids are having a great time here in lower Alabama. Friday we had a double birthday party for them and several relatives came.....bearing lots of gifts :). Most of them got here early in the day and therefore we got to spend lots of good time playing and being together. Both kids got to pick out what kind of cake they wanted...Ribbit opted for neon pink cupcakes and Goober wanted a cheesecake...which was quite tasty. We also celebrated my grandma's birthday and surprised her with candles and some presents.
My favorite part of the day was that my children were surrounded by great grandparents (3 actually), great aunts, 2nd cousins, uncles, grandparents, siblings and mommies and daddies :).

Saturday we went to the closing day of Goober's camp that had participated in all week. They had a family day and showed us what the kids had been learning all week and then fed us lunch. It was at my old high school and it was lots of fun to take my 3 kiddos back there. I saw many friends and the kids got to see horses, dogs and the SWAT team. Later on that night we went to the Hot Air Balloon festival. The kids enjoyed sitting on about 20 different kinds of tractors.....oh the fun things kids like to do in Alabama :). Then we ate some homeade ice cream and watched about 30 hot air balloons get blown up and leave off into the sky. It was pretty amazing....UNTIL...the Smokey the Bear balloon got going. That scared the ever loving snot out of Ribbit and she climbed me and screamed " i wanna go " for about 30 minutes. I had to walk away with her and she kept looking at it and screaming. The best part was that it never took off to fly so we had to convince her the rest of the night that Smokey was a good bear and was not going to get her. Needless to say she never left my arms.

Today, Fathers Day, we went to church at my parents church. Then we came home and my aunt and uncle came over for lunch and for some hangout time. Uncle Chris also came bringing more birthday presents for the kids. We handed out fathers day presents and then all sat down and watched the 3rd Chronicles of Narnia---well only some of us watched it, everyone else took a nice looooonnnnggg snooze :). Then CiCi watched baby boy while Adam and I took the older two out for a night of bowling. Uncle Chris went with us and witnessed Ribbit beating us all....yup really. We kinda forgot what it was like to be a family of 4, and what it was like to not work around feedings...we sure did miss baby boy though and Ribbit asked about her baby broder several times.

Some funny things the kids have been saying:

Ribbit- "I stink I gonna not yike it"....I think I am not going to like it---she normally says this about every piece of healthy food we put in front of her before she tastes it.

"Um maybe it not gonna hurt me"....she says this when she is worried about something we are going to.

She also asks me to hold her everywhere and all the time....literally...in the car, while I am holding her, she yelled it across the restaurant at me tonight as I stood in line to get a drink refill.

Goober- "MAM"...really loud and with attitude when I ask him to do something. He thinks he is cool and that it sounds better than yes mam.

"Mom, he just punched me"....as he gets as close as he can to baby boys arms and laughs while he swings them.

Baby boy is now rolling from his back to his tummy and back over. He is in love with Papa (my dad) and just giggles and stares at him. He is teething and therefore the drool is non-stop. He is such a cute little thing. He is sleeping better and better and he loves chewing on any and everything.

Finally, on Fathers Day. Adam, you are the best earthly Daddy for these three kiddos. You are their father in every way and they are super blessed to have you. I know that Goober thought he was so cool while he was digging in his dino toy the other day because when he realized its what you do he said " Yeah, I am just like dad". I love how you are soooo goofy with them, in front of anyone.....how you love them uncondtionally.....how you deal with all the late night episodes we have with the two youngest and still wake up to get things done.....and especially how much you love on me in front of our kids...its the best thing you can do, to let them see you loving on me and not being embarrassed...I don't mind it either :).

Vacation

We are staying busy busy busy here at my parents home.
Goober has been going to a 4 day camp that my mom's work, the sheriff office, puts on every summer. Its a really neat camp and he loves going and seeing what police do and being with his CC. I have pictures to post but so far he has been able to watch a "real" arrest, meet the drug dogs, the posse horses, wear drunk goggle, wear feet and handcuffs, be restrained, wear safety vest. He has heard about internet safety, the harmful effects of tabacco and alcohol and drugs and has had the best time doing so. Today they took them bowling so we went up there and hung out some in the afternoon. Tomorrow is a field day and then Saturday is a big family day with food and awards.

We also have been busy going to Papa's work to eat lunch with him and tour the press room. We met Uncle Chris at work today and Ribbit made sure to rearrange all the vitmans on every shelf. We have seen my grandpa, their great granddad every day and taken him lots of hershey bars and cokes. We have visited all the ladies that my mom works with and they ooohhhed and ahhheed over all of my sweet children.

Tomorrow we are hanging out with Uncle Chris and my Aunt Robin for lunch and then getting ready for their birthday party here at my parents. Ribbit cannot stop talking about her birthday and has asked to eat a cupcake every single day.

The best part so far has been the morning naps Adam and I have been able to take most mornings...making up for the late night, early morning feedings baby boy has been demanding :)

Rain Rain Go Away

We haven't seen the sun since we got here...in fact many streets in my parents city are flooded. The kids have still managed to have fun with grandparents though. There have been motorcycle rides, walks to the park (during the 1.5 hours of no rain but very cloudy time), swims in the flooded streets-yup with Jad, the large large white dog, church and lunch with Uncle Chris, dominoes with CC and counting pennies with Papa.
In bigger news Baby Boy rolled over twice yesterday!! I got the 2nd time on camera after recording him for about 20 minutes :). He finally got mad enough to do it :). He has been waking up at least once a night since getting here but one of those can definitely be blamed on the ridiculous lighting and thunder. The other two are sleeping well, as they now have Uncle Chris's old room to themselves. I have the best video of Baby Boy laughing as Papa launches him into space..super cute. My dad has had him giggling really hard several times, but when I break the camera out it stops, of course.

I also forgot to post about how awesome the ride was here with the van. Momma had a seat on every row, and I sat in every row throughout the trip. I held hands with Ribbit and Goober while watching Kung Fu Panda 2 (which is about adoption) while we were searching for somewhere to eat dinner. I sat in the middle with baby boy and fed him after he woke up hungry and then fell asleep there with all the kiddos. I sat in the front with Adam the shortest amount of time but we had grown up conversation as the older two can' t hear us from the back :).

I was reminded of a funny conversation we had with Ribbit while my parents were out visiting in May. She was going around the dinner table naming what color hair everyone had. Goober had "chocolate" ( she is my daughter and everything brown or black is chocolate :)). She had chocolate, baby brother had chocolate, Daddy had chocolate, mommy had "lellow" and CC had chocolate. When I asked her what color hair Papa had she looked at him, then laughed and looked at us like we were dumb for asking as she shrugged her shoulders. As we all died laughing (my dad is bald) she said "papa has pink hair"....she's right, its skin color :).

We have also been to visit my Grandad, the kids great, in the nursing home. He was so sweet, and sat up right away when we got there. He was all smiles as we introduced him to baby boy. I asked him if he knew who I was and he said " your my sweet heart ". Later on though he asked if I was my aunt's sister and he just couldn't remember who I said we were staying with. Finally we both agreed that he would figure it all out when everyone was together and he could see faces with names. It was a good visit though and I was so proud of all 3 kids. Its a little scary for them to go into a nursing home but they were obedient when I asked them to love on and talk to my Papa. They both were vultures when he ate the chocolate we brought him but he shared with them. They both gave him kisses and hugs and baby boy was smiling and laughing the whole time. I'm not sure that he quite understood that baby boy is also adopted....he kept asking when the last time was that he saw us and I think he knew that I wasn't pregnant then. We are going to go back today and then go get him for the kids party on Friday.

I'm posting from Adam's computer as his does better at my parents home so pictures and videos will come later.

We Made It!

My kids definitely have the "travel well" gene.
Goober only asked "how much longer" about 4 times. Ribbit wanted to know if we were going to eat with CC and Papa and if she could give them kisses. Baby boy cooed and laughed and only cried out once when he was hungry....the rest of the time they slept. Momma slept too thanks to our sweet Dad who drove all 12 hours!

We spent today recovering from our trip and hanging out with Uncle Chris. It was rainy so it was the perfect day to be lazy. Hopefully baby boy keeps to his great sleeping schedule while we are here....7 hours of sleep, uninterrupted sleep makes me feel like a whole new woman :).

Pretty Good News

We had a triple whammy today...8-12 at VBS, 2-3 CPS visit and at 5 a surprise attorney visit...Baby boy's attorney.
Our CPS worker was so surprised at how big baby boy is. She loved his new nursery and had some information for us that is great for us/bad for birth parents. It's so weird being so happy that you have a better chance at keeping the son you have raised for over 3 months now but knowing that somewhere the women who birthed him is dealing with the fact that she probably won't parent him. As christians it stinks even more to know that she is looking to other things to fill whatever void is in her life. I never felt such mixed emotions towards someone I have never met. Loving her for giving me my family, worrying that someday she may try to sabotage their lives, being angry for past hurt she has caused them and praying for her salvation at the cost that it may trigger a closer relationship with my kiddos (and us) later on. I almost feel like a coward hiding behind CPS and lawyers and an adoption agency when so many of my other friends have open adoptions and are more than willing to share their lives with the birth parents, knowing the risks involved.
Sooo then baby boy's attorney came by--with little notice and boy was that not at all like we pictured. From what we knew of her she was not on our side. She stood no chance against Ribbit and Goober though who charmed her from the minute she pulled into our driveway...thats right before she hit the door. Ribbit loved on her, talked to her, bossed her, made her lay in her "princess bed" with her, made her take her shoes off, ride like a horsey, showed her birthday pictures and pictures of her papaw and begged for her milk...my child needs some help with the whole " stranger danger " deal. The attorney was also shocked at how big Mr. man is.....she showed me pictures of him coming home from the hospital and we laughed at Goober's reaction when he compared the two :). She also gave us "great for us/bad for them" information and updates on both mom and dad's lives. She loved all over us and spoke encouraging words.
So even though its not 100% that we will get to keep baby boy it is a step in the right direction and it does take a huge weight off of my shoulders. Therefore we are going to start heavily thinking about a different name for baby boy, what next year will look like with momma at work, 2 kids at school with her, daddy at work (hopefully) and baby boy in childcare ---we gotta find that childcare :).

It was funny to hear Goober's imput today as we told both CPS and the attorney that we wanted more children (yes, we know, we are crazy). He fully agreed and said that he wanted at least 5 more siblings. Adam said "well then you are going to have to go to work" and he was okay with that :).

I have been taking Goober to the bookstore lately so to knock out some of the 8 pages (in Ribbit's words " HOLY COW") of summer reading. He is doing so well, taking on books that this time last year I would never had thought he could have read. He has read 6 so far and treating them like nothing :).

                                                       Football Camp

 The first of many " mom stop taking pictures of me" pictures :)

                                                   Balancing :)

                                               He is a great little athlete!

            He got lots of extra fruit snacks for winning Most Enthusiastic and Best Tackler :)

Busy Weekend

Yesterday was Goober's last day at football camp. He won the " Most Enthusiastic" and "Best Tackler" award. I was very proud of him and he had so much fun all week long. After camp we headed out to our friends home who basically live on a farm. The kids spent the afternoon petting horses, sheep, pigs, ducks, goats and puppies. There were three families there total with 4 older kids and 4 babies. Needless to say it was busy. Then we ate a late lunch together and visited some. When we got home at 3 all the kids went down for a nap....and little one slept for 45 minutes before getting hungry. This means that mom and dad got little naps too :).
Today mom and Goober spent the entire day at Sonic helping with a fundraiser. My 7th and 8th graders pledged to give $600 to the Sower of Seeds ministry which fights human trafficking. We served for 7 hours and all the tips we made went towards our ministry. At the end of the day we made over $1000 in tips and my students were so happy! Goober did so well holding the doors for people as we walked out with the food. Being a waitress is  hard work, especially when you don't sit down all day and run like a crazy woman during Sonic's happy hour :).

Cuteness Warning...the next two videos will make your cheeks hurt from smiling so much!!!

I just can't take enough pictures of this sweet face :)

 I'm one cute guy!

 I look so little in my big boy bed!!

 Conked out again at the Splash Pad....with my mohawk of course!

 Fun with our neighbors at the splash pad!

 Smiley, Smiley!

 They had so much fun with water balloons!

 Look mom, I can stuff 15 chips in my mouth!

 Ribbit and "her Jadah"!

 probably bossing "her Jadah" around :)

My Funny Children

Yesterday was a great day.
We did football camp, grocery shopping, momma got her nails done during naptime, we went to the splash pad with our neighbors, we ate dinner and then I had my last bible study until August.
Last night was hilarious. It thunderstormed like none other and the two older kids were in and out of our room. Goober eventually got tired of being in our bed and went back to his own room. Ribbit wanted me in her bed so we laid there and every time it would thunder she would say " rain rain go daway, come dagain anoder day" and shake her fist. When it thundered again she would say " da rain not listen to me first time". I finally thought she was asleep but she put her head as close as she could to mine and said " momma, you not touch my stuff, okay?". I died laughing. Today out on the porch she and I were sharing an apple and she said " excuse me", looked down at an ant on her toy camera and said " get off my toy bug". She is just so bossy. I laugh 80% of the time and get on to her the rest :).
This morning when I dropped off Goober at football camp another mom told me that she stayed yesterday to watch the whole thing and that he put forth the most effort out of any other little boy. I have been going to watch the last few minutes each day and I have been impressed at how far he has come in showing good sportsmanship, especially when he loses. We have been doing a christian character trait each night at dinner, we discuss what that trait is, a scripture that applies and how we can show that to others. The next night we award whichever child did their best at portraying that trait in the last 24 hours with praise and that card goes to them. Sometimes both kids get it, sometimes neither and sometimes one or the other. Goober did so well at Thankfulness and Respect....we were smothered in hugs and gratitude both days :).
Baby Boy is still a joy. He is smiling, laughing and flirting. He loves to take a bath and he loves mirrors. He is pulling on his taggie blankets and is laying on his tummy for about 20 minutes at a time. My mom got him a nightlight, that shows a picture on the ceiling and sings songs and he falls asleep to it almost everytime. He laughs along with it and when the timer is up he is out. He is in the nursery now and is doing well...but he looks so little in that big ole crib.

Our garden is coming in well....Adam gets excited everytime he goes out :).


Someone decided to dress herself this morning :)

 Cuddle time after shower

 Time to go to the splash pad...looking good!

 And this is what we do at the splash pad...conk out every time!

 Someone found herself under the big bucket when it dropped full of water, it pushed her to the ground and she screamed. I was crying from laughing so hard by the time I got to her. She was okay within minutes and I snapped this crazy picture of her hair .

 I sleep so well because mommy puts a fan on me :)

 Playing on the playground afterwards.

 We sure do love to swing!