"What Do You Drive?"
As I have said many times before, we are total Disney lover's! We love Disney so much that we have even gone on a couple of behind the scenes tours while visiting Disney World. It always cracks me up when they say that the number one asked question each day in Disney World is "when does the 3 o'clock parade start?". Funny to me and you,but I'm not so sure that the Disney cast members really think its very funny, especially those who have worked in the Parks for longer than... oh... say...A DAY!

I am not as crowded as Disney and absolutely not as fun as Disney but I too get asked a TON of questions! Some are really funny and I can't help but laugh at people, some are just absolutely rude and others are just plain getting old to me. If I was really witty I could pop off a few one liners but I am always so preoccupied that I just don't have time to sit down and write up a script of how I'm going to answer people should they ask ___________ question. Wish I did though, I'd love to see people's reactions. I'm sure most of you have seen the Pokemon cards for sale on eBay little ad that is absolutely snort laugh funny. For me, it's funny because it's true! I love it when she says "no, I just gathered up all the neighbor kids to bring with me because it's so much fun bringing six kids to the grocery store" her comeback from the question "are they all yours?". Can you imagine how people would react? I'm sure I wouldn't be winning any friends. I've often thought about saying "how 'bout this....you think about what you just asked me and if it still sounds logical when you've had a few moments to process it, at that point I will go ahead and answer you. I'm almost willing to bet though, that once you've thought about what you just asked me their will be no need for me to answer you!" Really people I would never take my daycare kids from Colorado to Disney World so don't ask if I run a daycare at the 3 o'clock parade on main street!

Josh and I actually love telling our story. It is a good time for us to share our life with people and especially people who are thinking about adoption. I will drop anything I have going on to talk about our experience with adoption. I get questions everywhere I go about having a big family, adoption, organization, laundry,etc. You name it I've probably been asked about it. I get questions from other adoptive moms who are struggling to bond. I love, love, love sharing things with people about our life even though some of the questions get old and my kids can recite the answers I give verbatim it still doesn't ever really bother me. A little common sense from people asking questions gives me more patience but I deal either way.

Like Disney, we do have one question that is asked at least a few times a day....drum roll please....."what DO you drive?" (I want to say a 2-seater Lexus just to see what people do but I'm sure that too would get old.) So, to answer the number one question I need to start out by telling you to read my older post "All or Nothing" and then proceed. So, here's how the story goes.....

Josh and a good friend decided to go to the car show. I knew I was in trouble the second the outing was mentioned to me. When Josh had a big conversion van pull into our driveway just to "show" me the next day, I really knew I was in for it! He waited awhile to actually order our van and when he did it was all over from there. You see, we ordered a "church" van. We had two brand new suburbans and yet my husband ordered me a CHURCH van! It was getting a little tight I have to admit. I could never have anyone help carpool because I couldn't even fit one extra child in our car. We were maxed out, I was freaking out and Josh was pimping out....our van that is. Yes, he had a company in Ft. Collins "pimp our church van". For weeks (that seemed like years) he kept calling me into his office our conversations would go something like this:
"Do you want them to put limo lighting in the van?"
I'd answer "Josh, I will be no part of this you do whatever you think we need"
You see, I knew if I decided even the smallest tweak that I was giving Josh the freedom to say "WE pimped our ride" to this day he cannot tell you WE made any decisions about the van. No, he has to say "I pimped our van".

So, for all you curious people out there...I drive a pimped out van! I have (3) 10" t.v.'s, custom leather seats, custom carpet, vacuums, flashlights, navigation, dog bed, custom paint job, refrigerator, limo lighting, rear back up cameras, and seats....lots and lots of seats. (I'm sure I'm forgetting things Josh will be so bummed I didn't mention too) Not only can we take one extra child for carpool but we can fit 5 extra people in our van and luggage for 14! Basically, I look like a drug dealer or better yet with all these kids I look like I run an orphanage.

What Luck, A Duck!

I used to read the kids this book called "What Luck, A Duck!" when they were younger. Basically, It's a book about this boy who is painting in his garage and he's really just not very good. Luckily for him this duck comes along and steps in his paint and low and behold, he now holds in his hands a masterpiece. It's not really a very good book but I liked it just because it rhymed and I'm a sucker for rhyming books. Tonight however we had a not so lucky encounter with a duck, but it is so freakin' hysterical that if I didn't share it, I'd be letting all of you down.

First of all Josh is out of town. I am beginning to think it would be in the best interest of our children if he would quit leaving me alone with them without his supervision, but I will discuss that with him later. Emma stayed home with the kids tonight while I attended Kindergarten back to school night. When I got home she had all the girls showered and waiting for me to do their hair (yes, I do their hair each evening to make my mornings run smoother). Because it was getting a little dark outside I hollered to my mom, who stayed with me last night to be some relief as I single parent this week, and asked her to be sure the dogs were in the house. Remember we live on land where we do have coyotes howling on our doorstep each night and I do not want a vet bill ...ur I mean, I love the dogs so much I am extremely anal about getting them in before the coyotes come out. I hear my mom hollering for P.D. and then I hear the kids start hollering for him. Kaidon starts yelling at him to come in and then Emma gets involved and starts trying to get him. Keep in mind, I am in the little girls bathroom doing hair while listening to the whole ordeal. Next thing I know I hear them talking about a duck. I know exactly what they are talking about because for the last couple of weeks we have had ducks visiting our ponds and I had seen them swimming several times while thinking to myself "it's good that P.D. is afraid to get in the water or he'd have those ducks dead by now" . Kaidon starts hollering and laughing saying "ahhh the duck! No, P.D.! come here! Get in the house! MOOOOMMMM! "I continue to do hair knowing that the kids I've raised are so intelligent that they will just naturally know to stay away from the wildlife and my mom is out there hollering for P.D. to get in the house too so I know they have adult supervision. I had a lot of faith..... until....Emma comes barelling through the house holding the collar of a muddy, wet, swamp smelling P.D.!

What happens next will both frighten you and leave you shaking your head in disbelief, I promise! I start telling Emma....ok, so I was screaming like a patient in a psycho ward but that is a minor detail in this story, a minor detail that really doesn't change the ending at all so just go with it! So, I was telling Emma to take the dog and put him in my shower quickly and DO NOT LET HIM GET ON MY BED!!!! Once he got in the shower (after getting him down off the bed twice and me finally taking over) I realize I need to be in there with him in order to get him clean. I jump in the shower (fully clothed....don't go there with me) and tell Kayela to hold the shower door closed so P.D. cannot escape while I hold the shower sprayer with one hand, his collar with another hand, the shampoo with another hand, help Kayela hold the door shut with my other hand, scrub every inch of P.D. with another hand, rinse him with my other hand, keep soap out of his eyes with my other hand and keep the water away from his ears with my other hand....you're getting the point right? It was chaos! What does Emma do? She takes pictures with her Iphone. (I would share the pictures she took but I didn't have a free hand to hold up my pants and therefore you'd be looking at things I am just not willing to share with blog readers at this time). What does Kayela do? She opens the shower door and lets the dog out! Once I got the soaking wet dog off my bed again I start to wonder why I haven't seen Kaidon or my mom yet since the whole purpose was to bring the dog in and he was clearly in the building.

That's when I hear it! I swear I hear my mom say "Kaidon, put the duck down" and I know right then and there that this is trouble with a capital "T"! Being the calm person that I am around wild creatures I quickly run to rescue my mom from whatever my son is doing with a duck. I follow their voices to the garage and come upon the scene: my mom holding a hockey stick, Kaidon in his tighty-whities and crocs, dog food (bait) all over the floor and they are both looking for something behind the refrigerator and freezer. My mom says "I told him to put the duck down, and he did, in the garage and now it's behind here" She jabs the hockey stick in the small opening and Kaidon is standing about 10 feet away looking at me shrugging his shoulders as if to say "oops!" I walk out closer to Kaidon and just about that time the duck peeks it's head out and I start uncontrollably screaming like I am being chased by a mass murderer! I swear I don't know what comes over me but as much as I tell myself I am going to be brave and calm, when the thing looks at me with beady eyes I can't help but want to curl up in a fetal position and suck my thumb! After I am done screaming Kaidon says "It's OK, Manny" ....huh? My mom says "who is Manny?" Kaidon says proudly "my pet duck" I say "we named it? We are NOT keeping that duck as a pet!" The whole time my mom is trying to get "Manny" out from behind the fridge and the whole time I shriek every time I see a feather or webbed foot peek out. "Grab it, Kaidon" my mom says each time "Manny" comes out from hiding and each time he chickens out. He then proceeds to tell us "it's scary!" WHAT?? Isn't this the kid who just picked a duck up out of the pond, named it "Manny" and plopped it down in my garage? Since it clearly didn't make sense we ask for clarification and Kaidon tells us "Manny's turned into a mad man!" I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard! The "pet" duck is now a mad man!

We never did get "Manny" out of the garage. No, actually, we were so preoccupied by the fact that Kaidon called him a "mad man" that somehow "Manny" escaped without a trace. I've searched high and low and no sign of him anywhere. I am ready though for the reappearance of "Mad Man Manny", I just know the thing is going to pop out when I least expect it and scare me to death!

Thanks to Emma, we did get a picture of Kaidon with Manny.....before he turned into a "mad man".

Middle School or Bust!

It's come to the day that I am going to have to get sappy on everyone! I know, I know you've been waiting and the time is finally here.

My baby girl EmmaLeigh starts middle school tomorrow. I can't believe that 11 (almost 12) years ago I held my baby girl in my arms and promised her that I would love and protect her and now I am sending her into the pit of middle school! No, I actually loved middle school and just seeing how her "trial day" went on Friday I am ready for Emma to love this part of her life. I thought it was a great time to share some of Emma's great moments up until this point in her life, enjoy!:

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Emma:

You are such an awesome part of each and every one of my days. I love that you love life to the fullest. One of your greatest assets is that you have compassion and concern for those that enter your life, and you seek to serve others before you think about serving yourself. When I imagined what my children would be like, never did I fathom having someone as fun, beautiful and giving as you are. You make me want to be a better person myself and I know that as you get older you will seize to amaze me with each new chapter of your life. I am proud to say that you are the one who made my dream of "mommy" a reality! I love you and know that you will bless many people!

"DO SOMETHING GREAT LOUIE!":)

I Love you,

Mom

Guilty!!
I don't know how many years ago, I read a book called "Motherhood, the guilt that keeps on Giving". At the time, it was a pretty low key book for me. I really didn't have any guilt. I really didn't see myself EVER even feeling guilty. It's not that I didn't get anything out of the book, I did. It had some really great information. I've recommended it often and I know it has probably helped many a mommies get over some hurdles. Today, for the first time in my 11 year's of motherhood, I feel guilty!

Funny because the reason I am in this "guilty state" is because I made a decision that I know will be best for our family in the long run. It stems back to our move several months ago. You see, we had lived in our old neighborhood for 8 years. One house for 6 years and our last house for 2. When we moved after our 6 year stay we downsized drastically and left our neighbors we absolutely adored. It was OK because we were still staying in our same school and upgrading with a pool and a beautiful yard, among other things. It gave us opportunity to let Josh pursue his dream..... so it was worth it. When we made this last move however, we've changed EVERYTHING! The reason? Well, many, but the main one is that with Emma changing to middle school and it being traditional and our old Elementary school being year round we had like 2 weeks that we could all be off together. It doesn't sound that bad until you figure in how long we have kids in school. Seriously, when Tait starts school Kayela will be going into 5Th grade! (gasp! for affect) So, for the next oh...say...40 years we'll be juggling schedules! Not happening! It's just insane to me. Makes sense with the family of 4 who is juggling 2 or 3 years but not us!

When we moved we had only a couple areas that we felt "worthy" of having our children...(pause for laughter).... Oh, and a school that was on a traditional schedule. When we chose our current neighborhood it was because the school is rated so high and has a great track record in our district. It has highly experienced teachers and has been around since dirt. After today at registration, I still feel GREAT about our school choice. I just feel like the worst mom in the world for moving my poor kiddos, not only from their neighborhood (where we brought 4 of our babies home to) but their friends, school, neighbors, etc. you name it the guilt is there over it! They were so nervous and Mihya was holding back tears the whole time. I began to think "what if Kaidon turns into more of an introvert?", "what if someone is mean to them and no one knows them to help them be defended","What if there was a real emergency, and they can't even look and find a familiar face". I know I've mentioned I am not a crier and I'm still not but I almost..sniff, sniff....shed a tear today. REALLY! Emma even asked "who are you?" as I was talking about this emotional transition. Do not get me wrong, I am confident we have done the "right" thing, it just doesn't mean today was easy on me, and it may get worse before it gets better(for God's sake they are riding a bus. A BUS! I've always walked or driven them to school! I only have 2 more days before they start this new chapter).

The catcher! Here's the catcher! I DID NOT MAKE THIS DECISION ALONE! So why is it, that as a mommy, I am feeling so guilty? It's really, quite frankly, insane! Crazy thing is, we all do this too! How many times have you heard a mom in turmoil over something while the decisions leading up to the turmoil were not her decisions alone? For me, I have talked many friends off of ledges over decisions they made with a spouse or decisions that were made that were totally out of their control that they now feel guilt over. Now, you see, it is my turn on the ledge and I am so glad that I remember reading that book and can go find it somewhere (if you're reading this and happen to be the person I lent it to, please bring it to me. Because although I remember reading the book I can't for the life of me remember who I loaned it to!) . Seriously, why is it so hard when I know the kids and our family will be better for this in the long run? Maybe the answers lie in the book I read so long ago. Maybe this is just part of the whole "motherhood" deal. Who knows? All I know is that my new mission is to FIND THAT BOOK!

School Shopping

Well, I tried to come up with a really creative title for this post and their just isn't any creative way to describe our evening out with all seven kids for school supply shopping. I know I probably sound like a broken record when I say we are like our own walking circus, but we really are! It is crazy how many people stare at us and comment loud enough for us to hear. ( I do not want to be bitter about it, but seriously people c'mon shut your traps until you are in the privacy of your own ignorant worlds! Oh, and by the way Asian children are not the only children who get adopted!) Being that it is just a week before the kids will be going back to school, we decided to get organized and shop for the kids supplies. What you have to understand, is that being a mom of seven would NOT work for me if I was not totally anal. No, I have most everything planned out. As a matter of fact Josh teases me about vacationing by telling people I know what he will be ordering for dinner at each meal and who our waiter/waitress needs to be. It's not really that bad, but it is pretty close! Anyway, I had each child grab a shopping basket and go at it. I read off the lists according to their grade level, had them show me the item so I could cross it off their designated list, and in just 2 short chaotic hours (that felt like an eternity) we had school supplies.

It is hysterical how the different personalities shop for supplies. Clearly, our kids have so many different personalities and it just shines through in our daily life. Yep, here's how it went with each of them:

EmmaLeigh: Although she looks just like me, she is her daddy to the very core. She was pretty much only concerned with a backpack that would be able to hold her iPhone! I don't even know if she knows that school is for learning, not socializing.

Kaidon: This is MY boy! He is very meticulous about what he will be choosing for his year of academics. He over analyzes each item and wants to see the list himself (just in case me, his incompetent mother, may have misread the information). Then he needs to know "why" the particular item is needed so that he can best make the selection.

Mihya: She is all about feelings! She wants to be sure she isn't leaving out the paper folders when choosing to go plastic. If she needs spiral notebooks, she is worried that the composition notebooks will still be on the shelf long after the school supply shoppers have left the building. If she chooses a folder with a dog on it, she wants everyone to know it is not because she doesn't like cats, no, it is because she just likes dogs better. Not better in a bad way, just better, or maybe she should get the cat ones since she has a dog......and on and on and on!

Graysie:This girl is all about the style! She choose every folder around the outfits that she has at home in her closet! She needs to "look" the part. She doesn't care if the list says only crayola markers, if Roseart has a better color in the box she will deal with the repercussions of a disappointed teacher later!

Mikael: Oh, Mikael! He is going to be an engineer! Enough said? Everything had to coordinate and fit perfectly together in a methodical way. If something was off then he was starting over from the top! No blue notebooks? Then all the items in his basket needed to be switched out for red!

Kayela:This trip was not even about school supplies to her! Nope, it was all about approval. If someone said her choice was strange then she was trading out for something they approved of. She is a pleaser through and through. Don't like the folder I chose? Should get the other one?....OK! This girl played out how her friends (that she has yet to meet mind you) will respond when they see each item she has chosen.

It's really entertaining living with so many different personalities.

Mt. Bierstadt

Josh and I are so totally different. I think it is one of the reasons that we have stayed married for almost fourteen years now. We just bring a new light to each others worlds in every aspect. For instance, when I am shopping, I shop strictly off the clearance rack. I have tunnel vision and head directly to the big red signs. If I can't find what I want on the sale rack then I don't buy from that store. Josh, on the other hand, shops off the manikin. He wants the latest and greatest at all costs! When I decide to do something it is because I have analyzed it and reanalyzed it until I have sucked the "newness" right out of it. Josh, decides to do something at noon and by 12:01 he is doing it and has everything necessary to do it with greatness. I laugh out loud with every part of my being until people around me are embarrassed for me. Josh barely ever laughs out loud (unless someone is totally humiliating themselves) it is almost uncomfortable how serious his facial expressions are sometimes (don't get me wrong, he thinks things are hilarious he just doesn't laugh...strange, strange quirk I have yet to figure out). Still, we are both serious about adventure. We may attack it differently but we are very much striving to live a full life full of great moments.

Our goal is to climb all 54 fourteeners in Colorado at some point (I say some point because again we have different goals in mind I say "let's do it in our lifetime" Josh says "let's do it next week!"). When we decided to climb the fourteener, Mt. Bierstadt this weekend you can imagine I had a totally different movie playing in my mind than Josh had playing in his. My thought was a nice leisurely stroll up the mountain. Stopping for lunch. Smelling the flowers and resting when we may become semi-winded. Now Josh thought we'd tackle the mountain in 2.4 seconds, eat lunch driving to the next fourteener and then race the clock to get it done before the afternoon rain showers hit. I was just a tad worried at how our visions could intertwine until our great friends decided to join us on our adventure.

In the end we had a blast hiking and camping out at clear lake this weekend. I laugh more with Pam than I do with anyone else, she is hysterical and we can talk for hours. Good thing too because we were on the mountain for 7 1/2 of them. Yes, we had the "front group" and the "back group"(aka "fast and slow group"). The three little girls and Tait hiked with Pam and I. Emma and Kendall fell somewhere in the middle. Josh, my dad, Shawn, Gunnar, Kaidon, and Mikael were the first to make it up to the top. We really ended just short of an hour behind them but stopped a good half hour to feed and change Tait (not fun changing a blow out at about 13,000 ft when it is smeared all over your jacket and the babybjorn...that's a different post altogether though). When we met the first group I handed Tait over to Josh so Pam and I could reach the top. With it full of big boulders and pretty tough terrain (I sound like and expert huh?) it was best if I wasn't maneuvering around a baby. Here's the timeline of my emotions:

• 8 a.m. excited for our adventure to begin
• 9 a.m. aware mostly of what great photo ops we had
• 10 a.m. not caring if we make it 14 feet or 14,000 feet
• 11 a.m. wishing I hadn't sent the lunch in Josh's pack
• 12 p.m. wishing I would've sent Tait with Josh
• 1 p.m. determined to go all the way
• 2 p.m. proud that we made it
• 3 p.m. angry at myself for thinking I needed to make it
• 4 p.m. relief that this hell..ur..or...adventure was over

Marketing Scam!
I have to admit, I am a sucker. Yes, I'm a sucker for a few things. If it involves animals, babies, Disney or a really cool gadgety hoodinky I am lured in like you would not believe. Seriously, I can spot a baby from across the room. I am an absolute mess if I see anything remotely bad happen to an animal. Actually, I just saw a commercial for Dawn dish soap that says they protect animals or something like that and I said to my whole family when it was over that we will no longer be buying the brand I typically buy, but that we are now strictly Dawn users, and I meant it. I don't care if it costs me two times the amount either. I have Disney facts up my sleeve. Lots of facts that your common human being can live a lifetime without. Now, really cool gadgety hoodinky's (technical term) I am the first to get my hands on. I don't know why, but I am a marketing and advertising magnet. They see me coming and I swear to you, they know they just have to push the button and I am taking the bait. All three payments of $29.99 each!

So, when I saw the advertisement for the new self administering air freshener, I knew right then that I would have one. Monday when we were at Sam's Club (that is where a mom of seven does her grocery shopping, for those of you with less than two kids) low and behold they had this new gadgety hoodinky on their shelves. It was even better than the one I'd get at the regular grocery too because it came with three, yes three, refill air fresheners. I snatched that thing up and put it directly into my cart. I was really thrilled (sick huh?) to have my new toy and as soon as the groceries were unloaded I opened up my new contraption and put the batteries in it. I read all the directions and made sure to set the settings just right. I verified that I liked the smell and good thing is, I did! I placed my new toy in the perfect spot...and that is when I realized I had been scammed!

You see, I have now seen this commercial several times. Never does it show the "reality" of the product. I know you are all thinking "how sad, Ambyr is so naive to think that what they show on the commercial is reality" but you have no idea how far off this product is from the truth. I know you are wondering if it doesn't keep the air fresh. It does. I know you are wondering if it doesn't only go off every 30 minutes. It does. I know you are wondering if it isn't as inconspicuous as the commercial says. It is. The only thing the commercial fails to show is how it scares the %$&*@ out of you every time you walk by it! I am not kidding you...this is NO joke. I have it placed in the foyer on a little table and I swear I will walk by that thing and, by design, it takes about 2-3 seconds and then sprays a puff of lavender scent into the air. The "puff" sounds something like this PPPFFFOOOOSSSHH!!! I about crap my pants every time I am around it. My house isn't even quiet and you've got to understand I am not a jumpy person. Really, it is just as bad as someone hiding in my coat closet and jumping out at me.

Again, like I said before, I've watched the commercial over and over and they never show a neurotic housewife duck for cover when the "puff" of air freshener goes off. I am really writing someone a letter about this false advertising!

What a Bargain!
Gas------$ a bundle
2 day park hopper tickets for 9---------$ a fortune
Food---------$ a pretty penny
Hotel---------$ a bunch
43 hours in a car with 7 kids--------$ quite a bit
Bryce Canyon---------$ worth a thousand words
Zion National Park----------$ under budget
Disneyland and California Adventure----------$ more than expected
Corona Del Mar----------$ mucho dinero
Grand Canyon----------$ a fast buck
Boogy Board----------$ cheap skate
Grandy and Grampy joining us-----------$ good as gold
Meeting a "blog friend"----------$ worth it
In and out Burger------$ a run for our money
Downtown Disney------$ cleaned out
Dolphins in the ocean---------$ filthy rich
Sandcastles---------$ laugh all the way to the bank
sunburns-----$ money to burn
Almost running out of gas------$ you can't take it with you
sand in all places-----$ there's gold in them there hills


Time as a family--------$ PRICELESS!

Enjoy the pictures!

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