Checking in for 2014

December was a big month for us!  On December 7th, we got a call that we had been picked by birthparents!  I was in total shock and then called Jeremy at work to tell him!  He was in shock and at a loss for words too!  It slowly began to sink in and plans were made to meet the birthparents!  On Saturday the 28th we drove to Ft. Myers for lunch.  I was super nervous but of course Jeremy was relaxed!  We met at Edison Restaurant with our case worker as well as the pregnancy counselor.  It was very empty and we had a corner to ourselves to chat.  Lunch lasted about two hours and went really well!
Baby girl's due date was January 23rd so it was much to our surprise when we found out B was in labor on January 1st!!  Hailey arrived on Thursday, January 2nd as we were at the Navy Exchange loading up on baby girl necessities!  Friday afternoon we drove to Ft. Myers to spend the evening and anxiously await the time we got to pick up our baby!  Saturday morning (the 4th) we headed to the hospital.  The paperwork was signed and now it was our turn!  What could have been weird, really wasn't.  The birthparents welcomed us (all of us) and introduced us to the newest member of our family!   She weighed 6 lb 5 oz and was so tiny!  I couldn't believe how skinny her arms and legs were.
It was very strange to show up at the hospital and leave with a baby but we did and then drove straight to Reddington Beach for a week long vacation with my whole family!  Vacation with a newborn?  Why not?  It was actually great that my family got to meet Hailey because who knows when they would have been able to otherwise!

My Littlest Daredevil

So, Jeremy had the day off today and we decided to take the kids to Pump it Up using a deal I bought on Living Social last month.  It was our first time there and it was great.  It was not crowded at all and the kids loved it!  It has kind of a "club" atmosphere with dim lights and loud music and when Addison first walked in she started shaking her hips and said, "I can shake my booty here!" Mackenzie blew us away by going down the biggest slide over and over.  Of course it took her 5x longer than everyone else to get up the "ladder" but all the kids seemed patient.  She flew down over and over and most of the time wanted her big brother and sister right by her side.  Actually, whenever she went to a new bouncy, she asked one of them to come with her!  I absolutely love how well all our kids get along (for now).  They definitely have their fights and get on each other's nerves but all three of them really love each other and you can tell!  
Toward the end of our jumping adventure Addison complained of a headache and even got her shoes on and sat down.  Uh oh, that's never good.  Last week she said she was freezing (it's August in Florida) and then she ended up with a low fever and went to bed at 5:30pm!  Well, today while Jeremy ran into REI to make a return, she vomited in the car (thankfully I got her a bucket just in time).  Poor thing.  I have to remember though that when she says she doesn't feel good, she really doesn't.  
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At bedtime this evening I was reading a book to Mackenzie and Zack and Mackenzie got on the ladder for the bunk bed and was just standing there talking so I told her to get down before she fell.  She looked at me and said something that sounded like "Bis Way"...what?...oh, "Bombs Away, is that what you said?"  She just said yes, looked at me and then jumped on top of me!  That girl's crazy!  I told Jeremy today that having Zack prepared me for her because he was (is) a daredevil too and I don't freak out at every little thing anymore!

Oh and the best thing was Mackenzie said her bedtime prayer all by herself tonight in her sweetest two year old voice: "Thank you God for my Daddy, Mommy, Dack-wey (Zachary), Aa-son (Addison), Kenzie, and baby-new baby" (yes, we will have a new baby someday.  more on that another day!)

Summer 2013

Wow, I can't believe this summer is almost over for us. Jeremy was in Japan for the month of June so that was rough but the kids and I hung in there and still had some fun.  Addison and Zack did two weeks of VBS that they enjoyed and it helped me get a little break. Since Jeremy has been home, we have really enjoyed our summer.  Addison finally got comfortable swimming under water so both "big kids" are doing great and passed Level I swimming lessons on base. The last day of lessons they got to go down the big slide! Addison was scared and almost didn't go but I convinced her to go down with her teacher. When she did, she said it was "so fun" and wanted to go again but we were out of time! I'm proud of her for going though!
On the 19th of July, Addison got tubes in her ears for the second time.  Hopefully this is the last time she will need them. The best thing for me is that Addison wanted Jeremy to take her to the surgery! There was a time when she preferred me for everything but she has become pretty attached to Jeremy lately and I love seeing them together. I really want my girls (and boy) to have a strong relationship with their daddy and it's getting there!
Mackenzie is still super attached to me but I love her! She's the cutest two year old I know! ;-)
I think it's also safe to say she's out of diapers!! First time as a mom with a diaper-free house...5 years!
Some fun things the kids have said lately:
M: "I need help here!" She says it all the time and it cracks me up! "Addison and Zack, I'm getting my swimsuit on so don't splash!" That was a long sentence for her. One of our favorites is how she says "I'm naked!" She does a little dance now too that is hilarious.  You can do that when you're two!

A: she has mentioned more than once that she wants to marry her friend Alex in New Jersey.  She says he's so sweet and she "adores" him! She even looks up and flutters her eyelashes!! What a goof! Now I really know what people talk about when they say girls start planning their weddings young!

And now, Jeremy and I will finish watching This is 40...or at least watch a little bit more before I start falling asleep!

So, this is my blog.  I was asked a few days ago if I had a blog...um, kind of...yeah, it's been almost a year but I have thought about it a lot over the past few months and I have really wanted to get going with it (again).  So, starting now I am going to do my best!  So many things I want to share.  I want to use my blog to record the crazy things my kids say that I always forget to write down!  I also want to talk about our adoption journey which is actually what got me thinking about my blog again! 
No time to get into anything today (of course) but at least I'm back! 
Okay, one thing: I took Addison shopping last week for a "girls day" and she said two things that I found funny.  As we left our neighborhood, a car passed us with bright green rims and she says, "Dude, I like your wheels!"  Then as we drove over the bridge, I saw a sailboat and was trying to show it to her.  I kept pointing and explaining where it was and finally she saw it and exclaimed, "Oh, a pirate ship!"

Moving Sucks!

Yes, moving sucks. Packing, cleaning, more packing, loading; none of it is fun! I have concluded at least one thing from our recent packing experience- we have too much crap! Yup, our young family has 19,000 lbs worth of household crap! Anyway, the act of moving is not the only thing that sucks. Starting over is not always fun when you are perfectly content where you are. This is really the first time that I am not more excited about what lies ahead than sad of what I'm leaving behind. Does that make sense? The words are not coming to me but all I know is that I have an amazing group of friends in New Jersey that I don't want to leave! Friends that are up for just about anything I can come up with and who will also put up with my energetic crazy kids! I am looking forward to new experiences in Florida and taking advantage of DisneyWorld being so close and chances are good that we will make new friends. Plus, the best thing about good friends is that you don't have to live in the same place to maintain the relationship! Enough moving talk for one day, time to enjoy sleeping kids!

4th Birthday Fun!

My first blog post will be Addison and Zack's 4th birthday party! We decided to have their party awhile before their birthday so they could celebrate with our New Jersey friends. We chose the park on base because the playground is great and we were able to rent a bounce house. The theme was Florida since that's where we're headed and that way I didn't have to worry about trying to fit in two themes! Jeremy and I made two cupcake cakes: a palm tree and a sun and they turned out great (and much easier than the cakes we made last year)! We had sme rain at the beginning of the party but it quickly cleared up and I think all the kids had a great time. We ended with a trip to Jeremy's squadron so the kids (and adults) could go on the airplane and even sit in the cockpit! Jeremy surprised me and all the kids with a name patch complete with Navy wings of gold! A great party overall. We really confused them though. After the party, they both asked me of they were 4 now and when I told them no, they asked why and just didn't get it! I can't believe they will be 4 in just over a week! Where does the time go?