We've had a roller coaster of a week. Last Friday we decided to apply for a last-minute adoption of a baby born that day. We ended up not being chosen by the birth mom but it is always a whirlwind to enter the fray and start to wonder/pray about this being the next child to come into your family.

We tend to tell the boys about these situations. Perhaps some would say we shouldn't for there is a fair amount of disappointment and "why didn't God give us..." questions. However, we believe the benefit of having them pray with us and get excited about the prospect outweighs the disappointments. And is always a good lesson, for all of us, in trusting that God is still answering your prayer even if the answer is NO.

On Friday when I picked the boys up from school and told them the baby was a girl and they we were going to apply for her...Joseph was pensive (he'd clearly expressed a desire for boys only so I assumed he was mulling over this news)..."mom, you know why I'm glad boys don't have to have the babies?...because it seems like a lot of pain and then you STILL have to milk them!"

We've also been trying to get to the bottom of some stomach and headache issues with Jacob. Our doctor did a test on his level of stomach acid and found him pretty deficient. However, I'm not sure that is the full solution. We are still waiting for some other test results to come back. Is it 'simply' a nervous stomach or is there something physiological going on beyond the low-acid issue? Hopefully we'll see soon. We haven't had blood work done or other invasive screenings like an MRI or anything. Our doctor, a more holistic fellow, is trying some other things first and these are requiring patience!

We are so happy to be nearing the end of the official school year. I say official because I plan to try to keep up with some things over the summer. In between baseball camp and a very fun vacation we have planned in July.

One thing is for sure: their chore list is going to grow and, by God's grace, be followed better. I've let them totally slack off during baseball season so not only do we have to get back on the stick...I plan to add laundry to their list. My goal is that they are doing their own laundry very soon. Okay, not Jonah. I'll give him some more time. He is good at clearing his table setting after eating..he frisbees everything up and over the counter edge and into the sink...no, he doesn't eat on ceramic plates yet!

Reading Seraph on the Suwanee for my book club. Author is Zora Neal Hurston. Have you heard of her? She is a great writer and most of her stories take place in our neck of the woods here in FL. She wrote in the 30s so they are fun to read now.

Oh, did you know that LegoLand is building an amusement park here in FL. No? You didn't know that? Oh...you don't have any Lego crazed boys in your house? Well then I guess the news would have missed your notice then. Yes, we are counting down the days. It will be 30 minutes away and we bought in on their 'buy-passes-early-and-get-extra-months-thrown-in" gimmick. I'm pretty sure we'll be living there.

Ah...well here I am again after a month. Not really improving my efforts at keeping a blog, am I?

My main goal, of course, is to use this as a way of remember the details of my kiddies that I will otherwise forget because I suffer from scatterbrainitis. Lately I have been (lamely, I admit) posting facebook status reminders to myself and now I'm going to compose them into a fancy list.

For example, what is about to follow is a series of extreme randomness:

‎"No wuvvin' mommy!" that's what I got from Jonah when I tried to wake him with kisses one day last week. Now its become a family line.

Yet again, our tooth fairy was lame...this time she forgot two nights in a row! Joseph: "it's ok, Mom..I think it's because it's Holy Week."
(and you should see the letter and diagram he left for her...he deserves a raise in pay really).

and then there is this. Can you stand it? Well, I can't. Jonah has returned to his beloved Infant Swim Resource teacher for a couple refresher classes. He loves the water. This is him swimming toward her under water.

This is the float that saves:

At 8 months old, she trained him to flip over and float if he fell into a body of water. It doesn't buy him a lot of time...maybe 3-5 minutes..but it could be enough for someone to find him and rescue him. However, now that he is bigger, he can get himself to an edge and pull himself out of water. Awesomeness, baby.

Jacob, eating a piece of candy: "Ow! My sweet tooth is getting me!"
Me: ???
Him: "You know, that tooth at the back that zaps you when you've eaten too much sugar."

(if the dentist hadn't just examined him last week, I'd be taking him in!)

Um, Joe what are you doing out there? (on my kitchen chair). J: watching nature while I eat my sunflower seeds.

Weird.

This was funnier on Easter: Jonah sees a mini chocolate egg and asks to eat the chocwat football.

Joseph gives me a huge hug around the neck the other day and lovingly gazes at me and says, "mom, I don't think you're stupid." (um...thanks...?)

Of all the songs on my iPod, Jonah's song of choice for the past 3 weeks: All Shook Up (Elvis)..how is that even on my iPod?? He keeps asking for it and singing it, puffing out his lips as he sings it. I hear it 12 times a day, on average. Why can't it be something "spiritual?" (just kidding...although he does ask for Amazing Grace every single night...kinda balances out Elvis. Yes, Elvis by day. Grace by night. I like it).

One day, upon changing Jonah's bed sheets we found that Jonah's bible story book had fallen behind his bed, "Get it, Mom! Jesus down there!"

Jonah before the pool warmed up and I kept saying it was too cold. "Wu go first, mom..." I'm encouraged that he is mastering ordinal patterning at such a young age.

As my friend Kalla was telling me about her son's plans to begin seminary courses Jacob got a strange look on his face and whispered, "what's cemetary school???"

Other Jonah phrases of late:

"mom, wu have a fiet time (you have a quiet time) and don't get off my bed!"
"don't sip my welonade!" (lemonade)

"watch me swide into home pwate and make a home wun"

Joseph: "Andy Pettit (Yankee pitcher) once wore church socks to his games, I think. So that's why I know he is a Christian."

Me: "joseph, I met your substitute teacher today at lunch. She seemed nice." Joseph: " she is only nice at those lunch hours"
I guess he'll look forward to his teachers return.

Picnic in Dobbins Park: I told Jacob we were having Cajun turkey sandwiches. "Oh! I LOVE Cajun turkey! I think...I've never actually had it..."

Joseph, upon watching two parachuters descend together, like a holding hands type of together: " ACK! I think they are smooching lip over lip!!! AAACCKK!!" (during our very awesome air show at the Lakeland airport). BTW, at this air show we experienced our first Blue Angels air show and it was fantastic!

Jacob: "I know I act tough...but I get really emotional." (a revelation). Ever since we had a tornado scare here, he has been really fearful about the weather. When the tornadoes ripped through the south last week, we barely mentioned it in front of him in hopes that it wouldn't make matters worse for him. So far it hasn't. Thankfully, we don't turn on the TV for him to see images of the devestation. He wouldn't sleep again.