roadtrip part 2

We arrived at Grandpa's farm on Sunday afternoon, which turned out to be the only nice-weather day while we were there. We had a nice visit, but there's just not much for toddlers to do on a farm in rural South Dakota when it's rainy. All the fun is outdoors at the farm! The kids were troopers and stayed busy with the few toys I had brought along.They also enjoyed Grandpa's dogs. Reggie, in particular, liked giving them kisses. By Monday afternoon, the dogs were ready for us to leave!

There was a break in the rain, so I pushed the kids around in a wheel barrel.During the 2 days we were there, it rained 7 inches. They had already had a lot of rain and flooding in the area. I took this picture in my car the day we left. It was taken on the road in front of Grandpa's house- you can see Grandpa's car driving through the water ahead of me.

roadtrip part 1

I'm going to break our trip up into multiple posts.

Our first day on the road, we traveled to my parent's. They manage an RV park and stay at the campground during the summer months. Along the way, we stopped at a rest area for a picnic. This ended up being a memorable stop because we had some uninvited guests. Lydia is now terrified of all bugs and Reggie is constantly saying, "My ouchie a bee-bug!", which means "I got bit by a bug."Once we arrived at the campground, Grandma gave the kids a ride in what they call the "tractor".A family staying at the campground heard we were coming and invited us to their 3-yr-old's birthday party. The kids had a lot of fun in the bounce houses and arcade. Lydia liked the bubbles the best, Brett loved the pizza and cake, and Reggie kept snatching balls from various games.

Grandpa gave the kids rides on the golf cart, too. He even let them "drive". That night, Reggie stayed in the camper with G'ma and G'pa and Brett and Lydia and I slept in a tent.The next day was Father's Day, so I got to take my Dad out to lunch. Then we loaded up the car and headed for Grandpa's farm...

roadtrip time!

The last 2 summers I've taken the kids out to central South Dakota to visit my Grandpa, and both years, I came back swearing I would never do it without Bryan again. Well, maybe it will be easier this year? The car is packed with never-before-seen DVDs, books, toys, music and lots of snacks. Game on!

This year, I'm detouring to my parents' to break up the trip a little bit and we are in no hurry to get back home. It looks like the second half of our summer is going to be hectic with moving and fixing up both houses, so for the next couple weeks the kids and I are checking out and enjoying summer break.

all about Brett

Since Tuesday was Brett's last day of school, it seems like a good time to write a post all about our oldest child. Brett loves school. He is the kind of kid who loves to interact and do lots of different activities. He also thrives in a structured, predictable environment - and school provides that for him. Assuming everything works out with the "storybook" house (more in next post), we will be in a new school district in the fall, so Brett said "goodbye" to his teachers and friends.

This week, Brett also said "goodbye" to his occupational therapist. Unfortunately, we ran out of insurance benefits before he could complete his program. But I've collected some resources, and we are going to do our best to keep up with a home program. Brett will continue his private speech therapy, as our insurance allows unlimited sessions.

This spring's eye doctor exam revealed a significant change in his vision. It was concern enough for his doctor to want to rule out glaucoma as a cause. The test required sedation - a very unpleasant experience for a momma- but he came out fine and he does not have glaucoma. His cataracts remain unchanged.

On to fun stuff. Brett towers 8 inches above his brother and sister at 42 inches tall and weighs around 42 pounds - big enough for just a boost car seat! His 4T clothes are a little small and sz 5 is a little roomy. He wears size 12 shoes.

Brett loves to play outside and go to playgrounds. He loves his family and Lydia is his favorite playmate. Brett is always thinking...or should I say scheming? He like art and cooking projects and also likes duplo legos. Since Christmas, Brett has grown by leaps and bounds in his expressive language and, though it is difficult for the unfamiliar ear to understand him, we are delighted to finally have our child communicate his ideas and wants with us. With a little assistance, Brett counts to 20, he loves to give us a full weather report, and he has made much progress with riding his tricycle.

The previous post was a glimpse into our challenges with Brett. There are many, and it is difficult. Some days are darker than I would ever be willing to share on this type of forum. I can't say that it's going to get better, because it might not. But I can say this for certain: Brett Theodore is "God's gift" to us.

One of them.

parenting my child with special needs

Parenting my child with special needs is way different from having a nice neat little 30-minute-a-week counseling session with a child with special needs. In a counseling session, I can give 100% of my attention, while in life, most of the problems arise because I can't solely devote all my energy to one child. In a counseling session, whether it was productive time or not, it ends and I can move on with my week. In a counseling session, I may care about what's best for the child, but I don't love him deeply.

I have learned more from parenting my child with special needs than from any book. I have learned that I don't have all the answers. I've learned that sometimes it's hard to take my own parenting advice. I've learned that sometimes even the best parenting methods don't work.

I've learned that I'm impatient, and I have very little control over what my child does - and he knows it. I've learned not to judge parents by their children's behavior.

I've learned no matter how much I don't like my child's behavior, I still love him more than my own life.

I'm learning humility. I'm learning every minute of every day I will fail as a mom without God's grace. I'm learning even a mom can't fix everything.

slip'n'slide

After setting up the slip'n'slide, I realized I was the only one at home that knew how to "slip'n'slide". The things we do for our kids!

food shelf challenge

Last fall when we started experiencing a lot of expenses with Brett's therapy, I was looking for ways to save money in other areas. A friend of mine suggested couponing. I didn't think I was going to save that much because I already used coupons and shopped sales. But I didn't have a very good system. Couponing seems to work great for people who are very organized, which I am not. But with my friend's help, and some great online resources, I'm making progress.

Three weeks ago our church announced they were having a drive to restock their food shelf. I decided to put my new couponing skills to the challenge and only donate items I could get for free using coupons or pay for with the overage from items I was getting "better than free". These are the nonperishable items I got for free in the last 3 weeks:

some risks are worth it

Ten years ago today, I took a risk. I went on my first date with a boy I met in cyberspace. It was back in the day when only psychopaths and nerds went on the Internet to meet people. Fortunately, Bryan was the latter - just who I was looking for!

Bryan and I don't consider ourselves to be risk-takers. We don't drive fast; we don't like thrill rides; we don't wager money; we don't even ride in the back seat without our seat belts. "Risk" is one of those four-letter-words I don't like to use very often.

But we have learned in life some risks are worth taking. Meeting Bryan was one of the best risks I've ever taken! Choosing to build our family through transracial adoption was unconventional but has blessed us immeasurably. After Brett came home, we took another little "risk" and 9 months later our little girl was born. And we risked our sanity when we welcomed our 3rd baby under 2 into our family.

We prefer to rely on wisdom and knowledge, but sometimes we just have to go with our heart.

I'm too excited to keep it a secret. We're buying a house! A big big house with lots and lots of room. And a big big yard where we can play football. (The kids and I have been singing the Audio Adrenaline song all week.) But it's not quite heaven. It's a big big foreclosure that needs lots and lots of work. And there's still the unfinished business of our 1200sq ft humble home that has not sold. Which leads us to another four-letter-word I do not like: "debt". And one that I do like: "plan".

(Hopefully I can post pictures of our storybook house next week after the inspection.)

photos only

(not really a) house update

Have you heard this story in the news? Yuck...

But there are "happenings" in the works. Just nothing concrete enough to share yet.