Beach Vacation

We have been talking about going to the beach for 2 years now, and we finally made it! The boys had never been to a beach and this was one of the things we really watned to do. I don't think it would have been possible before now, but their ability to handle new things (and a van borrowed from some friends) have made it a pretty good trip so far. We spent most of Thursday driving and finally arrived on Friday afternoon. We did make a stop at a dinosaur museum, so that slowed progress, but everyone had a good time and it certainly burned off some energy running from one dinosaur to the next. We're staying at Laguna Beach at a Christian Retreat Center. We have a cottage - bedroom, living room/kitchen combo and bath. A pool right outside our door and a place to do laundry - all for about $55 a night. We just walk across the street and down a short path to the beach. What a deal! The weather has been great. We had a little rain last night, but otherwise dry and sunny. The sand is white, the waves are perfect and there is hardly anyone else on the beach. There is a motorcycle event of some kind this weekend, so there have been hundreds of them on the road making driving anywhere very slow, but the boys have enjoyed looking at all of them.

We have spent hours in the morning and late afternoon at the beach playing in the water, looking for shells, letting little fish nibble on our legs and looking for hermit crabs. The boys have all had a wonderful time. They weren't too sure about the waves at first, but very quickly found that they love them. The salt water was a surprise. I think Andrew has swallowed gallons of it. Maicol is looking for a shark tooth, but has had to settle for one purchased at the dollar store unless we find one in the next 2 days. Juan Pablo wants to bring home the hermit crabs but I think we've convinced him to leave them here so they won't die. Andrew is fearless in the water (and therefore scares me). He can't get enough of playing in the waves. It has been a good trip so far and we now think that it might be possible to do this again! The real test will be going home - a long trip with the goal at the end being back to the usual (work, school, chores, etc). For Dan and I that's a good thing (routine and sleeping in our own bed), but for them I don't think it's as appealing as a trip to the beach. :)

We have picked up lots of shells. Andrew will pick up anything and put it in his bucket. Juan Pablo isn't that interested in shells, but loves collecting the hermit crabs and chasing the birds on the beach. Maicol is looking for a shark tooth, but is content with interesting shells. I remember as kids we would go to state parks on summer camping trips and collect rocks. There is an entry in my baby book about bringing back "pockets full of rocks" from somewhere. I think we are going to be bringing back buckets full of shells.

Here are a few pictures of our trip thus far. I need to get some more of them at the beach and will add them later.

Karen

Of course we stopped at McDonld's on the way. Where else can you get a quick, cheap meal and let the kids play?!

At Dinosaur World.

Andrew being swallowed by a dinosaur.

Juan Pablo being swallowed by a dinosaur.

Maicol being swallowed by a dinosaur. You'll be glad to know we were able to save them all. :)

Watching the hermit crabs.

Playing in the ocean with Dad.

A hermit crab.

Another Anniversary

Our two year anniversary has come and gone. We went from a family of four to a family of seven two years ago (really eight now because we have a wonderful daughter-in-law now too). We've all gotten older and boy do some of us really feel like it! :) Maicol has grown physically, but he is still afraid to believe that his Mom loves him and isn't going to go anywhere or do anything bad to him. He wants to so badly, but it's so hard for him. Juan Pablo I think finally believes that he is here to stay and it's ok to relax and love this new Mom, but he really, really wants to have his own way and do his own thing. This can make for some difficult moments for him (and the rest of us). Andrew is growing so much in every way. He has learned to love his new Mom, but I think he is still having some "terrible two/three" behaviors. And just this past week I think he has finally decided to stay dry at night, so no more diapers! They are all doing well academically. We have learned we didn't know as much about parenting older adopted children as we thought we did and that while we can still jump on a trampoline, we shouldn't do it too much at a time!

The boys have started going to a couple of classes on Mondays with other home-schooled kids. Andrew is going to 3 hours of preschool and the other two are taking a PE class and a writing/literature class. Last week was their first time and it went pretty well. At least well enough that they haven't refused to go back. Dan takes them and so he gets a break and they get to have someone else for a teacher and get to meet some other kids.

We celebrated our two year anniversary by going to Steak n Shake for half price milkshakes, to a park to walk on the trail (and play in the water) and then to KFC for $2 meals. We're big spenders! After the initial (typical) whining from Maicol about how it wouldn't be any fun we all had a great time.

Dan finished their treehouse last weekend. It had been in the works for the past few weeks, but we were able to finish it last Sunday. It really is a treehouse. It is anchored by three trees and has a ladder to climb up and a slide to go down. He also built a wooden climbing wall. We're still working on getting a very long, very heavy pole for a "fireman's pole". There is even a hammock underneath for the Dad! They have had fun so far playing there and I think it will provide fun for many years. We had talked about this with them for a long time and we're glad to finally have it done.

We have had many fires in the firepit. Roasted many, many hotdogs and marshmallows. Dan and I have spent many evenings out there after the boys are in bed - enjoying the great weather and a chance to talk. Our firewood is split and stacked for the winter. The trampoline has been repaired and is being used daily. I have started going to MOPS. I am the oldest mom, but I have enjoyed it so far. We celebrated out 27th wedding anniversary. On September 10th Maicol, Juan Pablo and Andrew became Bakers and on September 11th I became a Baker.

October 7 will be my last day at my part-time job. I will still be working basically full-time, but will only be working 24 hours one week and 32 the next and that cycle will just keep repeating. We have known for a long time it would be good for me to be home more, and so I have finally decided to stop worrying and just do it.

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy.

Karen


"Charlie's Angels"?

Juan Pablo - they like to "do" their hair.

Andrew with his "'do".

He fell asleep like this - how do they do it?

Summer Fun

We have been trying to get a little summer fun in. We managed a trip to Kings Island last week. It went pretty well, considering they don't like new things or riding in the truck for any distance. It turns out that Juan Pablo is the most adventurous. He went on the roller coasters with Dan and begged for more. Andrew had fun riding all of the "kid" rides. Maicol just wanted to be glued to my side all day, so he ended up riding with Andrew. My sister and two or her boys joined us, so I had a good time talking to her. All in all a good day.

The creek pictures are from a park we like to go to. It was pretty busy in the actual playground, so I took the boys to play in the water. I foolishly told them they could wade in the water, but not to get their clothes wet. What was I thinking? For some reason they suddenly had a terrible time standing up. We spent a little time on the playground in the sun drying them out before we went home.

They all went on their first overnight visit Friday. We have had them for almost two years and this is the first time they have stayed overnight without Mom or Dad - and the first night alone Mom and Dad have had. Jonathan and Kristin kept them overnight and then took them to a waterpark for the day (as a reward for doing their appointed tasks in their wedding). Everyone seemed to have a good time and we didn't get any calls, so I think it was successful. They were all a little anxious about being gone. Andrew was very quiet when he came home, but today he seems to be his old self. I think he wasn't quite sure if he was coming back.

We did some decorating in their room while they were gone. They all like animals and Maicol in particular likes cheetahs, so we went with that theme. We put some leopard print wallpaper on part of one wall and topped it with a border of elephants, tigers, lions, giraffes and zebras. I added some paw prints of cheetahs on the side rails of their bunk beds. We put a new curtain up and changed their lamp. I think it turned out neat. They all liked it, I think, but seeing as how they don't like anything to change, it will take some time for them to get accustomed to it. Andrew in particular didn't really like it and said he wants the white wall back. We realize more and more how much they really do not like things to change. They love routine and even if we prepare them ahead of time, there are a million questions and general unrest until they get used to the new thing. They notice if I wear a new clothing item or even change my earrings and want to know all about the item - where I got it, why I'm wearing it, did I wear it before, etc. I guess the good thing about this is they will certainly notice when their wives get a new hairdo or wear a new outfit. :)

They swimming season is winding down for us. They have all improved their swimming skills and still just love to go swimming. Maicol has become a much better diver. Juan Pablo has learned to do a front flip off of the diving board. Andrew has learned to swim well enough to jump off of the diving board. We have been trying to teach him to dive, but so far he's mostly a belly flopper. There's a video clip of each at the end of this entry.

Our next post will be our two year anniversary. We met them August 27, 2007 and none of our lives have been the same since.

Karen

This is what happens when you give two boys a bucket of sidewalk chalk and they begin to run out of sidewalk.

In front of the fountains at Kings Island.

Dan and Andrew on their way to the Eifel tower at Kings Island.

This is Maicol's favorite ride.

The Call - Two Years Later

I meant to get this done sooner, but.....
Anyway, two years ago Monday - July 27 at 4pm we got the call we had been waiting for. We had three new sons! We had requested 3 children ages 0-7 and had not specified boys or girls, so we didn't know what we would be assigned. I think we were a little surprised and maybe a little disappointed there were no girls, but now we love the fact that they are all boys! Our lives have not been the same since that day. We went from being empty-nesters to parents of a 2, 5 and 8 year old. We have learned that we didn't know as much as we thought we did. They have grown and so have we. We have had so much fun seeing them experience so many things for the first time. It has been a joy at times and really frustrating at time. We are so glad we chose to expand our family.

Then:

Now:

So, what have we been up to for the last 6 weeks?

1. Finished Upwards soccer for this season. Maicol and Juan Pablo both enjoyed it, although Maicol is much more competitive and much more serious about it. Andrew will be old enough to play next year, so maybe we'll have all three with games on Saturday mornings!

2. We've been doing alot of swimming since our neighborhood pool opened. They all still love to go swimming and are doing very well. Maicol and Juan can both dive. This week Andrew was able to swim the width of the pool. He loves to swim underwater, but couldn't figure out how to come up for air and then swim more. This week it just "clicked" for him and he is so proud of himself. With a little more practice he should be able to jump off the diving board without his lifejacket.

3. We became in-laws. Jonathan and Kristin were married May 30. It's starting to balance out a little more in the daughter department. It was a beautiful wedding and we really enjoyed having both sides of our family there. Most of Dan's family and mine haven't seen each other since we got married 26 years ago, so we took pictures of everyone and are excited to see them. Andrew and Juan Pablo were ring bearers. They really wanted to be the "flower boys", but we talked them into the more traditional ring bearer job. :) Maicol was a groomsman. They all looked very handsome in their suits and in the end did their jobs well. Juan Pablo initially refused to walk up the aisle because he didn't get a boutonniere, but we were able to get past that and he and Andrew made it up the aisle before the bride (barely). I had to go to the end of the aisle and tell them to "GO!".

4. We spent a three-day family vacation with my side of the family. We try to get together every year and spend 2 or 3 days together. This year we rented a house at a state park and stayed together after the wedding. We had a good time playing games, playing with glow sticks at night, riding bikes and letting the cousins play together and get to know each other better. The boys spent as much time as possible playing Gameboy and such. Andrew and my niece spent as much time as possible being pulled behind the bicycle in a cart. They could have done that all day I think, except for the fact that the parents legs won't last that long!

5. We're still doing the usual things. Riding bikes, roasting marshmallows and hotdogs as often as possible, doing schoolwork, etc. We're also still trying everyday to convince Maicol that he is here to stay and that this Mom will never leave him. While I think he logically can see that I love him and will not leave, because that's not his past experience with mothers he has a very hard time believing it. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to not feel sure that your mother loves you and will never leave you. I grew up with a great mom and dad and I never questioned their love and devotion to me. I don't know how to convince him that I won't leave. We repeat the same conversations with him about how we're different, we haven't left our older children, he can see what we have done since he came to our family, etc., but it really does try my patience to have to go through the same things over and over.

Enjoy the pictures.

Karen

"Sleeping Beauty"

The Wedding Rehearsel

"The Cousins" (I love this picture - the boys were fascinated with their cousin)

Maicol teaching Andrew how to play Gameboy

Dan still reads to them almost every night before bed. If they're lucky he'll read up to 3 books.

Love the watermelon!

They all love mangos. They would prefer them to any candy or other sweet treat.

The Adventures of Juan Pablo and Andrew

I don't have any pictures, but I really wanted to get in writing the things these two have been up to so I can embarass them when they get older. :)

Last week Juan Pablo told me he had a "good idea" for he and Andrew to do. He just needed a cup with some water. Upon further investigation I discovered what his "good idea" was. He was going to take Andrew's little plastic tricycle (which has a storage compartment under the seat) out to the street, put dirt in the storage compartment, add water and make "chocolate milk" and offer it to people driving by. I nixed that idea (or so I thought). When I went to check on them, he had indeed put dirt in there and talked Andrew into getting a glass out of the kitchen for water and was getting ready to mix the "chocolate milk".

On Mother's day as we were eating dinner at home with everyone Andrew went to the bathroom. Knowing that if it takes him very long he is up to no good I went to check on him. He had evidently "finished his business", but for unexplained reasons (at the time) had had his hand in the toilet. I proceeded to flush the toilet and scrub up his hands. On the way back to the table he told me he "wanted his pennies back". You know where they are - don't you? Flushed with his "business".

Also on Mother's day Andrew came in very proud of himself because Juan Pablo was helping him be a clown. Juan had opened the empty ash bucket (from emptying the wood stove) that was outside (but still had a few residual ashes in it) and rubbed white ashes all over Andrew to make him white and then found a red marker and colored his nose red. They were quite proud of themselves. At least it washed off pretty easily.

Yesterday I had put some things out on the kitchen counter for them to smell as we are working on the five senses in science. I didn't get that done, but had not put things back away. As I walked past the front door I thought I smelled maple syrup. Sure enough, Andrew had found the small bottle of maple flavoring, poured it out on the front porch and proceeded to make hand and footprints on the porch and had smeared some on his body also. Juan Pablo had joined in the fun too. I gave them a bowl of water, soap and toothbrushes to scrub it off. They had a great time doing that and of course wanted more and more water.

What are they thinking????

Monthly Update

This seems to be becoming a once-a-month update. The days do just seem to fly by and before you know it another week is over. Shows my age, huh? Anyway, so what have we done in the last month? For Easter we managed to color eggs, hide plastic eggs to hunt and make it to the early church service. Pretty good I think. For the plastic eggs we put candy in the larger ones and change in the smallest ones. Before we started I limited them to 20 each and told Andrew I would help him if he needed it. Maicol immediately complained about that and so I just ignored him and went on. As they were looking for the eggs Maicol began giving his smallest eggs to Andrew and made a big deal about how nice he was being to his brother. In reality, he thought "bigger is better" and if he gave the little ones to Andrew he could keep looking for all of the bigger ones. He was quite surprised when he opened all of his eggs and found only candy and no money! Ironically, Andrew really has little interest in the money and wanted the candy. Guess next year we'll have to put the money in the big eggs!

Upwards soccer has started again. They had their first game Saturday. Juan Pablo is doing much better this year. Last year he had alot of trouble understanding what the coaches wanted him to do and was afraid to even play. This year while I know he still doesn't understand all of the words he knows what is going on and seems to have a good time. He scored 2 of their 3 goals and he really does put alot of effort into it. Maicol plays really hard and of course thinks he should be the coach! He does try to tell the other kids on his team what to do and they listen to him at least some of the time. Dan has been taking them to practice since I work on Mondays, so this past Saturday's game was the first I had seem them play.

We have had beautiful weather the last 3 days and have really enjoyed being outside. Our asparagus is growing quickly - we've picked some the last 3 days and if the weather continues like this we'll have plenty. The strawberries and raspberries are growing well too. We took a walk today near our neighborhood and spent part of Thursday at a park too. There are so many nice places to go.

Bethany is finally feeling back to her old self - minus the sore throat and constant stuffy nose. She was able to lead worship at church today. We stopped in to see her after we had attended an earlier service at our church. Jonathan is counting down the days til the wedding. Not much more than a month to go.

All of the kids are doing well. Maicol still struggles the most. I realized this week that he still isn't sure that I will come home after work. He likes to stay up to see me on Wednesdays when I get home between 9 and 10pm. This past week he fell asleep before I got home and didn't see me until the next morning. He was grouchy and rude to me all morning and when I finally talked to him the basic problem was that if he didn't see me come in he is afraid that I might not come back home. Based on his previous experiences I understand that, but sometimes it seems like no matter what I say, do, or how much time passes he just won't let himself believe it is true. I talked to him again today and reiterated the fact that he has to decide that he is going to believe what I say because I can't make him do it. I told him that I know that is not the way it was in the past, but the past is the past and once he decides to leave it there and relax he will be a much happier little boy. Oh how I wish I knew that I was saying and doing the right things! While there are similarities in parenting these boys and our older children there are also very great differences. The other two are still trying to learn that they need to do what Mom says even if Dad isn't there, but it is still a struggle sometimes. But on the other hand, we have so many wonderful times where we do things together, see them grow and mature and are just amazed at the things that have taken place in the past 18 months.

Enough of that - on to the pictures.

Karen

They still love the merry-go-round. In Colombia they could go for hours and it's still that way.

Andrew's blue candy tongue.

What do you think might be in there?

Our handsome boys. Why is it so hard to get the three of them to smile at the same time?

Maicol.

Juan Pablo going in for a goal.

Andrew and I enjoying the games.

At Holliday Park.

Maicol.

Andrew.

Juan Pablo

Andrew coloring eggs.

Maicol coloring eggs.

Juan Pablo and his orange egg.