"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!:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

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!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Gettin' The Heck Outta Dodge!
The van is packed and ready to go. All the headphones, Ipods, and cell phones are charged. The refrigerator is bare. Dogs have their designated homes to visit. The mail has been put on halt. The hotel rooms are calling our name!

Yes, I did say roomS, plural. Ya see, I refuse to get a 2 or 3 bedroom suite. Reason being is that it turns out when you have a kitchen and a washer and dryer, it no longer feels like a vacation to me. Even when I am booking the hotel rooms and their is the little disclaimer saying that their is no guarantee the rooms will be adjoining, I secretly hope they are on opposite ends of the building! Now THAT would be a vacation. Just think, I'd have 3...maybe 4 kids to handle? Piece. Of. Cake. Although my luck would be that Josh would hide out alone and I'd be hanging out with all seven kids anyway.

Their is the exception to my "NO SUITE" rule and that is when we take our annual Fall trip to Disney World. We typically stay at Saratoga Springs resort and go for 2 weeks. In that case, I like to have the 2 bedroom roomy suite to leisurely cook breakfast in. I know the day ahead will be packed with non-stop fun!

This trip, however, is going to be nothing but leisure and the thought of having to cook, clean and have a washer and dryer calling my name just makes the whole word "leisure" lose it's umph! We are road-tripping it for the first time (actually the kids keep reminding me that we did drive to South Dakota. Does that really count though? It's only a five hour drive!) We are really looking forward to the whole experience and are going out of our way to make this not just any "road trip".

First stop is about five hours away from home. We will be stopping at Arches National forest for a small mile and a half hike. I am sure by the time we get there the kids will be more than eager to get out and move. Not to mention my ADHD hubby! Once we finish that little adventure we will be driving another eight hours and staying the night near Zion National Forest....in a hotel...do not panic, we are not crazy enough to camp out on our already psychotic "vacation". Early the next morning we will be hiking the narrows, basically a really narrow canyon that you hike through in mostly water. It is supposedly beautiful! It is about a six and a half mile hike so it will take us a few hours to get through, but hearing our friend talk about it, I know it is going to be worth it! Once that feat is accomplished we are heading to Corona Del Mar for some beach fun (about another nine hours)! OK, OK I will confess we are doing a couple days of Disney while there, but it is not the focus of this particular trip!

We are so eager for this fun-filled family memory building experience. My parents are flying out and spending 7 days with us and flying back home. Big wimps, couldn't handle the thought of a road trip with seven kids. Actually they could've probably handled the kids easier than they could handle Josh and I and all our quirkiness! (who knows we may end up in a whole different sate by the time it's all said and done) Oh well, all in all Saturday morning can not come soon enough for this brood!

Eye Exam

Graysie has worn glasses since she was four years old. Everyone asked me when she got glasses how I knew she needed them and my answer was always "well when your child looks at you like this ..(I'd go cross-eyed here)...it's a pretty good sign that SOMETHING isn't right" When we had her first exam they told me that one of her eyes is near sighted and one is far sighted (that explains the crossed eyes huh?) so her eyes were having trouble working together. Now, personally, I had never heard of that, although I still have 20/20 vision so I haven't spent much time in the eye doctor office either. They also explained that in the next few years her eye sight could improve.



Yesterday, I took her to the eye doctor and her one eye did improve but her other eye had worsened so she is still in glasses. Like I told her birth mom, Amanda, I think she is adorable in glasses but I am also not the one that has to wear them. The good news is that Graysie is very responsible when it comes to the care of her glasses so it is no hassle for me.....which is very important of course!



Now, the point of this story is not to tell you Graysie has glasses still. No, the point in this story is what happens before and after the eye exam ( and any other appointment we have for that matter). Yes, we are like our own little traveling circus. When we walk into places we definitely stir up questions. Picture this, I walk into a quiet building with seven kids in tow. First thing people have to do is decide WHO the mom is, considering the height on Emma. Once they have it figured out they hesitantly ask if they can help me (I think they all secretly pray that they can't) when I say I am here for an appointment they always ask "for ALL of them?". In this case I say no, and they hand me a clipboard to fill out. Most people get directed to the waiting room, I , on the other hand am told that I can sit in the waiting room but that they are sorry for the small size and that they don't have enough chairs for all of us. I usually say something like "oh, their kids they don't mind" as I walk towards the waiting room. My kids love to look at the magazines and books so they are perfectly content to sit and look (and the ones who aren't are hopefully remembering my threats from the parking lot). Once they call us back for the exam I always give them the run down on our way to the room it goes something like "I'm sure you don't have a room to accomadate and audience of this size?" they say something like "it will be snug" where I proceed to tell them "what I'd prefer, so we aren't all crammed in and distracted, is for the children who aren't being examined to sit in the hallway and we will leave the door open so that I can still see them but we can stay focused on the task at hand" I am pretty sure they are always thinking "great six kids sitting in the hallway for us to walk over for the next 20 min" but they always let me do it, and I have to admit I don't know how it would work any other way. The great thing is that my kids are really awesome so they never distract other patients or get in the way. At our pediatricians office they know the protocol so they give us the room next to the book shelf so the kids have something more to do than wait. Again, the kids are so great that when we are leaving we have more questions than when we are coming in. I think partly because they are relieved to have their lobby freed up and because they have finally realized that as insane as I look, I am a pretty normal human being after all.



Yesterday, the funniest question I think we've gotten to date was "can you each say the kids in your family in order really fast?" Of course they can, so they each showed this extraordinary talent to the receptionist who was in awe. By the time Graysie's prescription was filled the receptionist could rattle off the kids' names in order too! Fun world we live in isn't it?

It's Better To Give

Sometimes the kids blow me away with their thoughtfulness and giving spirits. Mihya has been growing out her hair for many years. As a matter of fact we use her hair as leverage sometimes when trying to squeeze the truth out of situations. It goes something like --

"ok, so are you sure that is what happened?".

"uh huh" Mihya answers.

"So...if we find out ANYTHING in your story that is not totally the truth we can take you and chop that hair off your head?"

"uh....well....MAYBE, I hit him first and that's why he hit me" (or whatever else may be the issue at hand)

So, when we went to Sweet and Sassy for Mihya and Graysie to be the "Diva's for the day" (haircuts, style, manicures, pedicures, and facials) I was really surprised when Mihya asked how many inches she needed to be able to donate her hair to Locks of Love. We got our ruler out and measured 12" and she decided that she could handle short (shoulder length...ha!) hair. She was so proud of herself while donating and is thrilled to know she has given something that someone so desperately needs.

Now, I can't say she unselfishly gave. No, now, this is Mihya we are talking about and as I have explained many times before she is THE princess! The crown is worn daily (I am not joking she really wears a crown) and if you decide to touch the crown you will pay for it (just ask Kayela). So, when she is proud of herself, and she was very proud of herself, she EXPECTS all that surrounded her to understand that, they too, should be proud of her! We flaunted the hair all day yesterday. Today she woke up and asked when her "hair cutting party" would be. Ummmmm...thinking.....NEVER!!! Don't get me wrong, she is very honored to have given her hair and understands the importance of it but ya just can't take the "i" out of princess! Nope, we've tried!

To "honor" Mihya's donation I'm posting some pictures (although she may be disappointed that I am throwing in some pictures of Graysie, since she got to be a "Diva" too!)

Happy Campers

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe I should update my blog!

Father's Day

Good: We spent the day at Water World celebrating Josh's 11 years of being a great daddy!

Bad:It wasn't all about me!

Ugly: I had to wear a swim suit in public

Our New House

Good: Having two acres to play on

Bad: Having two acres to maintain

Ugly:Having two acres for the mayor to try and track me down on

Adoption

Good: We have the most perfect baby, who is thriving and has fit right into our family

Bad: As perfect as he is,he still poops and pees in a diaper

Ugly: Our adoption is still far from being finalized

Summer

Good: We have no schedule

Bad: We have no schedule

Ugly: We have no schedule

Baseball

Good: Kaidon made an All Star team and is thriving at pitcher, short stop, and outfield.

Bad: Kaidon has three nights of practice and two games a week

Ugly: Making six other kids sit still and watch him play a very slow game of kid pitch baseball

Soccer

Good: Emma has had a few weeks off from soccer

Bad: Emma has ADD and really needs to have something to do

Ugly: I've been trying to keep Emma occupied

Growth

Good: Our office is growing and Josh is still loving what he does

Bad: The kids are still growing and I miss their babyhood daily

Ugly: Emma has now reached to be over 4" taller than me

Outdoors

Good: We live in Colorado where we have so many fun things to do outdoors

Bad: Guilt sets in every time I am indoors and not taking advantage of the outdoor fun Ugly: Josh has gotten into road biking where he will go for 60+ miles on any given morning and he thinks I will enjoy it. In order for me to convince him otherwise I am going to have to try it at some point!

Denver Aquarium

Good: We hadn't been in years until last weekend and we really enjoyed it.

Bad: We got suckered into a years membership

Ugly: I will have to go once a week to make the membership worth the money

Well, I think that is all our updates!

Warning, Contents Under Pressure!
I hate school! Seriously, I HATE the kids being in school. Now, I'm not freaky enough to want them home ALL of the time, but it sure does make my life easier when they are at home. I feel like a time bomb waiting to go off when they are in school! From the moment we wake up at 6 a.m. until we hit the pillow at 10 p.m. (if we're lucky) I am running crazy from laundry, to girls hair, to soccer, to school, golf, tennis, daisy's, intramurals, baseball, piano, dance, doctor appt's, and you name it we're probably trying to work it into the schedule! It's nuts! The kids meet me at the van after school with a friend in tow and my answer is "NO!" They ask for a slumber I say "NO!" birthday parties are hit or miss depending on the friend but usually the answer is "NO!" Really, it is crazy to think about but some things are just not possible when we have so much going on. Do you know that when the teachers assign 20 min. of reading for each child a night, with only the five I have in school now, I am listening to 1hr. and 40 min of choppy,"See Jane Run" books EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT. It's so not a good place to be and on any given night I want to scream "GIVE ME THE DAMN BOOK AND I'LL READ IT TO YOU, JUST DO NOT TELL YOUR TEACHER AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT!" But how sad would it be for me to be doing seven kids' jobs behind their bosses backs in the next 20 years...so not pretty!

Then summer comes and now I just say "YES" to everything. "oh, you want to streak at your brother's baseball game? SOUNDS GREAT, HONEY, BRING A FRIEND!" I mean it I am like a totally different parent in the summer than I am during the school year. I am a YES WOMAN! I can handle anything! Even just Friday night all the kids wanted friends to spend the night and I was totally feeling good about having 13 kids in the house. Turned out we only had 11, but it was so fine. I know some of my kids friends probably went home saying "I think Mrs. Hunt is on happy pills finally 'cuz she let us do anything we wanted to do!" I even felt kind of bad for some of the parents who know that I usually have stricter limits than they do when I sent their children out the door the next day telling them "Oh, BTW, they wanted a few donuts for breakfast and I didn't mind so beware they may be on a sugar high for the next oh, say, week! Good Luck, come again!" Actually, they are probably trying to find the doctor who prescribed the presumed happy pills to tell him/her that they need to lessen the dose quite a bit!

Truth is, I am off the hook in the summer! I have no one to impress...or should I say TRY to impress (to no avail) I can put the kids to bed late and have them get up late. We have all day to read for 20 min. Most activities are on a summer break I am free to do whatever I want! It's great! No pressure all fun! Trust me I'm sure I'll be ready for school to start back in session by August, but for now we are enjoying this break...all of us!

Five Finger Discount

The other day Tait had an appointment across town where he gets dropped off and stays for a couple of hours. My choices are to sit in the lobby, sit in the car, or run errands. This particular day I chose to run errands even though this area is a bit shady! OK, OK, it's a lot shady. As a matter of fact when I said I was going to run errands Josh asked if I had brought my bullet proof vest. Anyway, I had to go grocery shopping like you wouldn't believe, and having empty cabinets in this household with these savages is much more risky than shopping in this shady area of town, trust me on that! I also just couldn't sit and stare at the walls knowing I had so much to get done and let's face it not having to lug around the car seat while grocery shopping was an added bonus. So, taking my life into my own hands I decide their is no other logical thing to do than to drop Tait off, hit the grocery store, grab Tait, head home and then put groceries away.



As Kayela and I pull up to the store it really does look pretty nice. It seems to have had a face lift in the past few months and looks just as nice as the store I go to on my side of town. I am on my phone with a friends so I have plenty of time to assess the people going into the store and unfortunately they had not had face lifts recently and they all seem to be a little more rugged than I am used to but I am confident they are all very nice people so it would be crazy for me not to shop here based on surface findings. I realize when I get off my phone that I didn't bring a purse just the diaper bag with my wallet in it. Although it may look a bit funny having a diaper bag and no baby I decide I really don't care and that I don't want my wallet just left out in the cart alone and so I proceed to grab the diaper bag and Kayela and head into the store.



While in the store I meander along at a snails pace because in the back of my head I am thinking that I have about two hours to kill so there is no need to rush. I take notice that shopping on a Monday morning their is really slim pickings or maybe it's just this location, I don't know. Then I notice that their is a benefit about shopping in this location because the prices are much cheaper! Kayela's a trooper and we spend every last second killing time in the store before I head up to the cash register. Once there, several people are ahead of us and I grab a magazine to read (Jon's side of the story of course) when I've skimmed the article and found out how I too can lose all my belly fat in 12 min. I start checking out the gum and candy. I throw 2/$1 candy bars in the cart, a reward for Kayela and I for killing time and saving money, and then it's finally our turn to check out. I walk around the counter with my big old diaper bag and no baby when my obnoxious 5 year old yells " I saw you steal that candy, mommy!" I'm thinking YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT! Now, here's the deal to anyone watching me take just about two hours to fill one cart of groceries and then to have a huge diaper bag and no baby and to top it off that I am in not the classiest of neighborhoods I probably looked like a person who may have a hidden agenda. I pull out my biggest mommy tactic and that is to yank the clarification out of the child so passerbyers don't misjudge me. So, I say to Kayela "I didn't steal the candy what do you mean?" Kayela says "I saw you!" I say "no, stealing is when you take something and you don't pay for it" she says "you did take it and you didn't pay for it" I realize now that the clerk is looking at me with condemning eyes and I have dug myself into a hole with my tactic. I finally jerk Kayela over to me by the arm (vulture death grip) and explain to her that if she opens her mouth before we get to the car again that she will definitely be regretting that decision. I proceed to show the clerk that my child meant she saw me sneak the candy not steal the candy and that I would never steal and how funny kids are that they get all mixed up and see the candy in the cart that's the candy she was talking about and on and on and on! Yes, I knew I looked shady! It was probably one of my more embarrassing moments as a mommy.

By the time we got to the car I was so fuming mad at Kayela! I told her that she should never be announcing things that she doesn't know about and that it could've been very bad had the store people thought I really stole. I told her that if it's IN the cart and I am in line to pay that I have not stolen a darn thing. I also told her that I had gotten a special candy for her and I to keep a secret since she was such a big helper to me. Yes, it was really embarrassing and then I recalled many embarrassing moments I have lived through and the amazing thing is that now, I can laugh at every one of them! (Even the time when Emma was about three and announced to the pastors wife that I wear little diapers because I still poop my pants.....luckily she knew exactly what Emma was talking about, but trust me it wasn't any less embarrassing)

"Toto, I don't think we're in Southlands anymore!"
Crazy, Crazy storm here on Sunday! Seriously, one minute we were gardening on a beautiful day and the next we were rushing to see what damage had been done to our office.

For about a year now we have had our office opened in Southlands. It's energetic and a quick commute for Josh each day. Sunday however, it was hit by a tornado and it was devastating to see how quickly the place was turned upside down. Because we are business owners we were allowed through the police lines to see what damage had been done, if any, to our office. They had cleared everyone out immediately following the tornado because many of the buildings had gas leaks and severe roof damage. It was a very serious process and it was crazy to see how many looky loo's were trying to get in just to see the place. Each entrance and exit was being guarded and while giving our I.D.'s to the stoic policeman he asked the loaded question of "Do you have any kids in the car?" where I replied "yes, sir, seven!" We made him smile and he said "well that's too many for me to write down so just be sure you stay together" He guided us to the "command station" and I felt like I was a secret agent! It was great! I was acting like Emma does when she goes into the office. She once told Josh and I that she feels like the presidents daughter because everyone gives our kids so much attention when they walk through the office doors. When we are hanging out as a family she loves it when the security guards talk to Josh and our family, she feels famous even if just for a moment at Southlands....ha! Little does she know that we are one up on her when she starts to hang out with friends, she will not get away with anything since everyone knows us down there, she will eventually HATE what she now cherishes so much! Anyway, we meet at the command station where we are told to go ahead and enter our building to assess damage done. As we head over it is literally like a Disney simulated back stage tour! It was crazy looking at cars on there sides, HVAC units laying on the street, statues and benches all thrown about like Lincoln logs! To say it was unbelievable is an understatement and I can't imagine seeing a tornado that hit a whole neighborhood. Our kids were so quiet you could have heard a pin drop! One whole store was cleared out, leaving it looking like a wand wash bay. (see below)

I didn't take many pictures just because we were all in shock at the things we were seeing. We stopped and talked to one of the previous owners of the mall who said the tornado had jumped from building to building, and that was very clear. It was mesmerizing to see how one building looked virtually untouched and the next had windows, signs, awnings and doors just gone! With the rain yesterday, it brought more damage to many people because of the extensive roof damage. We feel very lucky in that our personal office was only affected minorly in comparison to what others have experienced. We were allowed to occupy the building again just a few minutes ago, so back to business as usual for us. Thank you to all who have shared their concern for us in the last couple of days, we appreciate it!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Nanny Diaries

We have found our new nanny! I really wasn't looking for a nanny considering that all of the kids except for Tait will be in school starting in the Fall but this guy kind of just fell in our laps. In the past we have typically had a nanny or AuPair, but I really felt like it was necessary with the amount of kids we have. I have always stayed at home but, again, with the amount of kids it was always nice to have the extra hands. Our family really cherishes our nannies and we feel like they are a part of our family. "Grandma Kathy" we had for several years and she was an amazing asset to our family dynamic. Having raised three children of her own, she really could be a step ahead of me most days. Zona, our AuPair from South Africa, was adorable and sweet and really became "friends" with our kiddos. She taught them to speak in her native tongue (they would make fun of Josh and I, I'm convinced of that although they say they weren't...hmmmm?). It feels a little silly to have found a new nanny now that I am through the toddler years with the majority of the kids but this guy came in and just took over and he works for very cheap which is always a good thing!

Let me tell you about him. He is much different than our previous nannies. Yes, for starters he is a MALE! (I never thought I would have a male nanny and he is VERY adorable) He was born and raised right here in Colorado and likes the outdoors with his family but doesn't prefer to go solo outside. He's somewhat lazy but it doesn't really bother me because Tait is so young he's been sleeping when Tait naps and it saves me from "entertaining" him. I've taken several pictures of him in action...HE'S AMAZING!

supervising tummy time:

To ensure Tait is getting in a full nap he prefers to hold him while he sleeps

He is very particular about prewashing each bottle

Proper head support is a high priority of his

When Tait is content in his swing our new nanny is still very cautious to not leave him unattended

He was thinking Tait felt a little warm and although a male, he still has a "motherly" side don't you think?

So, like I said before, I really wasn't in the market for a new nanny. P.D. clearly thinks that we cannot handle Tait on our own though so he has taken him on as his personal responsibility. He is absolutely sweet to him and very concerned with his well being. When Tait cries P.D. comes racing to us (like we can't hear), when Tait naps P.D. naps right next to him, and when we are holding Tait he "supervises". Hey, for a warm bed and a couple of bowls of food each day...he's the best bargain we've ever gotten!

Reprimanded!

Josh and I have been married for almost 14 years. I have not lived under my parents roof for 15 years, and yet I am still being reprimanded by my dad.

Last weekend my dad took Kaidon fishing with him up in Wyoming. Kaidon is a boy scout at heart and my dad was a boy scout so they have a really unique bond (being that Josh's idea of "outdoors" is a massage on the poolside in Hawaii). They fished until they had enough stories to tell to last a lifetime. We've heard about a hawk flying down and snatching a fish right out of the water, we've heard about them using the wrong bait, they didn't miss the over flowing hobo baths, one fish they caught spit out it's eggs and the fish Kaidon caught gets longer each time he holds his hands out to tell us how long it was. Although I packed Kaidon several clean outfits he wore the same thing each day. They had a GREAT time!

Then, I get this email from my dad on Tuesday, it says:

WENT TO THE BLOG TO SEE A PICTURE OF KAIDON & FISH ? NO KAIDON NO FISH !

I cut and copied the above straight from my dads email. He said nothing more, nothing less. He wrote all in caps to let me know the severity of my crime. I actually didn't even realize my dad read my blog. I truly am wondering if he really does or if he just went to "check on me" to see if I was giving this fishing trip any justice at all. I've always been very compliant so....here are some pictures of Kaidon and his Grampy's fishing trip. ENJOY!

Life's a Comedy!
As I've mentioned before several times and have made it clear for those of you who live life with me on a daily basis, I love to laugh, I mostly laugh at my own jokes and perceptions of things but that is beside the point.

More often than not my sense of humor is really an asset. I can laugh at the same thing for years and years and even lay awake at night sometimes thinking of crazy things I did as a kid. I laugh at so many things that should just really not be that funny anymore! I could go on and on about these goofy stories but trust Josh on this...YOU wont think they are funny! The great thing is that you can call me at any time laughing your head off and I will join you! Before I even know why you're laughing I will be laughing, and be laughing even harder than you are. I may even ask you to hold on for a second before you tell me why you're calling because I'm laughing to hard for me to hear you! Really, some people like my mother, cry when they see other people crying and don't need to even hear why. That is how I am with laughter. It is really contagious. I'm almost tempted to join people in public when they are laughing, just because I want to know why they are laughing...I KNOW I WOULD THINK IT WAS FUNNY!

There are times though when maybe, just maybe my sense of humor and uncontrollable laughter are just not appropriate! Like maybe when I'm trying to help Kaidon with his school project. Yes, he had to come up with a visual aide for his Martin Luther King Jr. speech. All I could come up with was a bunch of slap stick humor stuff that I'm almost positive his teacher would not appreciate. I thought it would be really funny to take a video of Tait all dressed up with the famous speech in the background moving his lips and hands like he was giving the speech. Kaidon is a little more reserved so he didn't go for any of the ideas I had, and now that I am away from the situation I'm glad at least one of us controlled ourselves and decided that maybe this wasn't a chance for Kaidon to have his first gig as a stand up comic.

I better come up with something good though because if we leave it up to Josh it will turn into an enormous project that half the state of Colorado is involved in. Yes, go back and look at my post about the bubble machine and you will know why I am suddenly sweating bullets at my lack of seriousness concerning Kaidon's project. It's just not good that I couldn't pull myself together long enough to focus on the task at hand.