Dreaming of Gardening...

When we moved into our current house three years ago, we said goodbye to our big beautiful cheaper than a therapist vegetable garden. Our new house came with beautiful landscaping in the front, a big deck in the back with a pergola, a pond & waterfall, but there was this funky piece of lawn on the west side of the house. It sat between two six-foot privacy wing fences - one from the front wall of our house to the edge of the property, and the other from the back wall of our house to the edge of the property. It was sort of a head-scratcher as to what the purpose of this little manicured, landscaped area was for. We decided to make the back wing fence into a picket fence (*poof*) and turn the green lawn into a vegetable garden (*blam*). So this is how it looks in the winter:

The sleeping garden

Jason with his magical *poof* and *blam* abilities built the raised beds and the picket fence and set up the sprinkler system, and even moved rocks (I haaaaaate moving rocks) to make a compost pile and a couple extra small growing areas. I call those the crop circles hehe. I wasn't sure what to use for mulch in between the beds. Rocks or wood chips would wash down the slope in the rain... I decided we should use green indoor/outdoor carpet in between the beds. It does look a little weird did take some getting used to aesthetically, but it does the job of suppressing weeds and doesn't slide around at all. I expect it will hold up for it's third season this year just fine. Not bad for a $30 investment, eh?

As soon as the holidays are over the seed companies have the most perfect timing by keeping our mailbox full of seed catalogs so I can start dreaming of next season's garden. In the meantime I feed the critters in the yard.

One of our well-fed fat squirrels

Check out this Coopers' Hawk ~ probably waiting for a little bird to come to that feeder...

So our plan this year is to grow the following:

• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Peppers - bell & hot
• Bush beans
• Garlic
• Onions
• Carrots
• Radishes
• Kale
• Dry beans (first time trying this) - both pole & bush varieties
• Zucchini
• Snap peas
• Cucumbers
• Raspberries (I want to add more - shhh don't tell my hubby)
• Melons
• Th-th-that's all folks

I usually grow lots of winter squash like spaghetti and acorn and butternut but decided this year to skip a year to rotate squash out of the garden so we don't get squash-loving bugs. I'll have the melons and cucs (those are squash cousins) and zucchini in another area of our yard.

We also have two pear trees and two apple trees. For the first two years, we grew lots of apples but the bugs and the squirrels got them. The first year we saw no fruit on the pear trees. The people who owned the house before us told us that the other two trees were peach trees, so imagine our surprise when a handful of pears grew the second year! Surprise! Late frosts must have killed the pear flower buds in those first two years. Last year we got smart and sprayed for bugs, and got a huge crop of pears. Some of you may remember my post that included the munchkins eating pears. For some reason we didn't get any apples last year, but I learned that skipping a year can happen in fruit-world. We'll spray again this year for sure, and wait and see if it is a pear-year or an apple-year at our house.

I'm heading outside to cut back the perennials now. Feeling the need to get my hands dirty :o)

(((hugs))),
chris


For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

Sam & Dave

This looks nothing like our Sam & Dave...

I am just in a strange sort of mood today  :o)

(((hugs))),

chris

Our Snow Day and more...

I forgot to mention that we had our second snow day of the year ~ it was fun! In the morning Jason went to work, so of course first I shoveled the driveway. It was a little too cold to play outside anyway at 7am. I shoveled almost half our driveway, when suddenly....

(~cue the angels singing~)

our neighbor came out with his mega-snowblower and finished our driveway AND sidewalk! Yahoo!!! When I came back inside 30 minutes later, the munchkins had wiped their little noses with the four boxes of tissues that they collected from all parts of our house. The previously empty kitchen garbage was now full with the tissues, and the empty boxes were all over the kitchen counters... they crack me up :o)

In their defense, their noses were runny :o)

We also started a painting that I had planned on them making for some time. They painted it all except the tree trunks. Here is the finished product:

In the afternoon when Jason was home... we played in the backyard! Here is what we did:

The start of a snow castle, but it wasn't quite exciting enough, so...

Daddy says, How about a snow CAVE?

My firstborn inside this snow cave before it was enlarged to fit two. Is this thing structurally sound???

David and Mama built a skinny snowman

And that was our fun-filled snow day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are more pictures I found on our camera:

Me and my boys (plus a friend) at another friend's birthday party ~ too fun!

The random pictures I find on our computer... welcome to my world...

Josh playing basketball (he's in the silver uniform furthest left)

David reading a magazine just like Baba

Sammy has to be right near his Mama all the time ~ even on the kitchen floor!

Have a beautiful day!

(((hugs))),

chris

Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!      ~ Psalm 98:4

Blissful Boringness...

As mentioned in my Healing post... boringness is beautiful :o)

No holidays.

No guests staying at our house.

No vacations.

No special anything.

Just every day like every other day.

Blissful = full of supreme happiness, utter joy or contentment

Boringness = dullness, tedious repetition

Praise God!!!

We so needed this. Space to breathe. Finding our rhythm. Growing closer as a family. Settling in. We are getting there, but bring on another five weeks of this before spring break. Sounds great to me!

I love that life feels like it is starting to get back to normal. It feels good.

Here are the books I have been reading lately:

Great book - puts the bible in chronological order and reads like a novel

Given to me by a sweet friend

An absolutely-positively-must-read for adoptive parents like me who are struggling

This one is next up... I bet I will love it

I usually fall asleep on them at night...

I have also been tempted to go back to my volunteering gig at the wildlife rehabilitation center... (oh, man, I do miss the critters...) but thought it would be best to first spend time at the boys' schools. I have finally started volunteering in Josh's class, and have helped out again in David's class at his school. That's always a hoot ~ I love getting to know the kids in their classes and the teachers.

By the way, blissful boringness does NOT include sitting on the couch eating bon bons ;o)

For example, this morning I was up at 5am marking items for a consignment sale (bye-bye maternity clothes sniff sniff), first child was up at 5:20am, other 2 were up at 6am, TV-babysitter for 30 min so I could finish marking items, breakfast for everyone but me, dress everyone and make them look presentable, leave at 7:40am to drive #1 to school, trip to the grocery store that included three stops in the bathroom, drop off #2 at his school by 8:55am, pick up prescription, home to unload groceries and give #3 a snack before his speech therapist arrived at 9:45am... and the whole day went just like that until right now when I decided to pick up the computer instead of starting dinner :o)  The munchkins didn't even have an opportunity to take a nap.

And I am so grateful for the ability to do all the things I did today.

You stay home with your kids? Aren't you bored? What do you DO all day?

I laugh in the face of those sorta questions...   BWAHAHAHAHA

Bring on the mundane, repetitiousness (is that a word?) of our family's world right now. Yahoo!!!

(((hugs))),
chris

1 Corinthians 10:31   So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.




P.S. Appointment with the surgeon is in two weeks... We'll find out about the next set of surgeries then... and then we're hopping' back on the roller coaster ride...

Random Things I Forgot to Mention...

Aunt Shel driving a minivan

David in his preschool performance~~see him in the red striped shirt clapping his hands
(and this was after only 4 days of school)

David taking 73 pictures with Jason's phone

David rode a horse with his Baba

Sammy snuggling his Baba

Our visit to the zoo (yes, this is the best picture of the three of them)

Josh with his obnoxious pile of Legos

Like Sammy's new 'do?

And then there was peace among the natives...

Playing the guitar with Brian

The view as you walk out of David's preschool classroom ~~ Hi Longs Peak!

(((hugs))),
chris


For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  James 1:3


...ain't that the truth. Thank you, Lord, for the difficult times so that I may grow closer to you.

Healing

Thanks for your prayers, whoever you are that prayed for me.

I totally felt them ~ felt God's hand holding me recently.

We are starting to heal. God is continuing to weave us together as a family one thread at a time. I am praying for blissful boringness now that the holiday decorations are down and we are in that January to March stretch. Praying for some sort of rhythm and more bonding time for all of us.

We all need it.

I need it.

(((hugs))),
chris




Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7

Guess Who's 4 Now?

Happy Birthday, David!

Our #2 son turned 4 years old!!! David went to school that morning (he loves school!) and brought cupcakes for everyone, then we had a low-key birthday party at home with just our family in the evening. David chose our dinner ~ noodles of course!

D wearing his birthday crown from school

Hey, let me blow out my own candles!

Candles relit, sing again, and he blows out his own candles on his first birthday cake.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for
good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those
days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly,
you will find me. Jeremiah 29:11-13

The Trauma Center

I haven't been moved by the blog-o-riffic spirit lately... I have been in more of a blog-taker mode. You know, enjoying reading everyone else's blogs. It has actually been good for me. Cathartic.

Thanks to all the bloggy peeps continuing to share their lives with me. You have blessed me.

Here are instructions for "after the airport" that I am copying from a blog I enjoy:

For the next few months, do not assume the transition is easy. For 95% of us, it so is not. And this isn’t because our family is dysfunctional or our kids are lemons, but because this phase is so very hard on everyone. I can’t tell you how difficult it was to constantly hear: “You must be so happy!” and “Is life just so awesome now that they’re here??” and “Your family seems just perfect now!” I wanted that to be true so deeply, but I had no idea how to tell you that our home was actually a Trauma Center.

Do not act shocked if we tell you how hard the early stages are. Do not assume adoption was a mistake. Do not worry we have ruined our lives. Do not talk behind our backs about how terribly we’re doing and how you’re worried that we are suicidal. Do not ask thinly veiled questions implying that we are obviously doing something very, very wrong. Do not say things like, “I was so afraid it was going to be like this” or “Our other friends didn’t seem to have these issues at all.” Just let us struggle. Be our friends in the mess of it. We’ll get better.

So I'll add: When I mention that the boys came with quite a lot of baggage, don't tell me that everyone has baggage. No 3-1/2 year old should have to deal with so much. Not. A. One. And yes our boys are loud and rambunctious. They are boys. And two of them are traumatized and healing. The effects of adoption on little kids can look like PTSD or ADHD sometimes. So are they normal, crazy boys or feeling the anxiety? I don't know. And all the stories about biological siblings... at this point I just feel like it is comparing apples and oranges. I don't even want to mention how it has been hard for me to attach to the boys. I don't want to hear stories of how hard it was for you to attach to your biological child. It's not the same. And I don't want to hear about your twins. This is twins on STEROIDS. Right now, we're having our external "womb time". All the conflicting emotions you have during pregnancy. All the fears and what-have-we-done's and uh-oh-we-can't-turn-back-now's. But we get to do it with everyone watching. Good times, good times.

Our 6 year old has to deal with curious/mean kids at school staring and asking questions about the munchkins' facial deformities. I appreciate the curious ones, but even I am getting tired of the mean ones.  Every single time we go to school we are confronted with both. Every time. Our 6 year old handles it with grace and strength and pride. Not a bit of embarrassment or shame. I am so proud of him. And you know, I do like the stories about how our boys are acting just like regular siblings when they tease each other and fight. I like those. Those make me feel warm and fuzzy and like we're actually heading to that normal place. Whatever that is.

Now we're dealing with some new fears with one of the munchkins. Scary stuff. New trauma territory. I don't feel like sharing that here right now. But if you are in my real-life world, I just might hit you up for an ear and a shoulder :o)

Another bloggy friend who recently adopted shared how she has been feeling disconnected and melancholy lately. She let those feelings fester and they just got worse. Now that she has opened up to the people closest to her, she is able to start healing and reconnecting. I read this blog post a couple weeks after she wrote it, but it was perfect timing for where I am at right now. Thank you, bloggy friend, for helping me too.

So I latch on to the other adoptive parents around me. They get it.

I try not to literally latch on and grab them and hug them and cry sobbing on their shoulders. (sorry about that...)

"...this phase is so very hard on everyone". Yes, ma'am. It is. I gotsta be turning to the One who can help.

(((hugs))),
chris


Isaiah 41:10  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.