mj (creates): 9 MONTHS!

I have exactly 14 minutes to finish this post before I go pick up the boys from their ESL Summer School. It will never happen. I have never completed a post in 14 minutes. I will try.

It will be 9 months home with the boys in a couple weeks. Unbelievable! It has been so much easier AND harder than we could have planned for. I always feel like our adoption agency prepares us so well, and yet some things you just can't prepare for even when you know they are coming. You can prepare for a hurricane by boarding up, but you are still going to get battered and blown around if you choose to stay. I guess I understand those "stayers" a little better now.

On the other hand, we are (thankfully) a lot further along at 9 months than I would have predicted. They both jumped right into school mid-year and made lots and lots of progress. They will both be entering 2nd grade next year with modified educational plans (there is some acrostic or initial name for it, like IUD or ENT, but I can't remember what it is, hehehe). Micah Jude LOVES school and can't wait to go back. He wants to do absolutely everything! If someone else is doing it, he needs to try. Gideon groans at the mention of school, or reading, or homework. He would rather be hunting or fishing or digging stuff up or taking something apart and putting it back together. They are amazing individuals and I pray we can always recognize that and encourage them to be who God made them to be.

Short and sweet, my time is up in 2 minutes!
Well, shoot. I knew it was too good to be true. Because I have not been on here in 9 months, I have to re-learn how to post pictures. And there will be no blogging without pictures. It's just not right.

Micah Jude

Eden

Gideon

So, since I have already blown my deadline, let me tell you what happened while I was gone. So, I rushed out of here to meet the bus in a random summer school bus stop location. Why did it not occur to me that the boys are used to getting off the bus in front of our house?!? Why didn't I think when I told them they'd be riding the bus home and that I would be there to pick them up, that they were assuming it would be at the normal bus stop? First of all, I was not EXACTLY sure where the bus stop was myself. I drove them all the way to the school this AM because of that, but I was assured by the teachers that they'd be fine riding the bus home (true, all true).

Apparently the bus was a teeny bit early at the random bus stop and I was not there in time (because I was here blogging, of course). And because the bus driver did not know my two were new to this bus stop (we missed last week cause we were at the beach...priorities, I tell you), she dropped the regulars and went on. My boys just rode the bus all the way to the end of the line and back to the school! I sat in the parking lot waiting and getting regular phone calls from the school for about 45 minutes. I really need to call back up there and apologize. I am quite certain I was in Mommy panic mode and probably sharpish to her on the last call. Sigh.

So, since I was already in a bad mood, we just went grocery shopping on our way home. Usually the kids are fine in the grocery store. One had a teeny issue with obedience today so there was a chance for him to spend some quality time with me hanging on to the buggy while the other two had their freedom. He did not enjoy that. His lip was nearly dragging the ground. So, when it came time to unload the buggy, I asked them all to help unload and he promptly went to the bagging area to retrieve his chosen snack before one of us nabbed it, presumably. When I looked up and asked him to come back and help with the unloading, the bagger (we'll call him John...because that's what was on his name tag) said, "that's ok, he's fine". To which I replied, "No, it's really not ok...he needs to obey and come back here." John was mostly silent after that. I did not mean to scare him. I was not yelling, just adamant and stern as I am prone to be most of the time these days. I did try to explain that we are working on obedience today, but I think he is a single guy about 20ish so I am sure he had no idea what I was talking about. Oh well.

So, I have been snappish with two innocent bystanders today. Welcome to my life. I am a goob.

I was just asking my husband the other day..."when do I get to be the nice Mom again (maybe I should ask my older kids if I ever WAS the nice Mom or am I hallucinating)? When do I just get to be lovey and fun instead of just reprimanding and intensely training, and focusing on reading and language and honoring personal space and table manners?" He said easily, "2 years". Sigh. What if I have forgotten who I am by then? What if I really turn into a drill sergeant for real by then? I have to try to remember how to be fun and let the little things go. But not the personal space thing...for some reason that is a tough one in this household at the moment and about to drive almost everyone nuts. Maybe I will let housecleaning go...wait, I think I have already done that. Cooking? No, that's gone too. Hygiene? Blast...I think I have already let too much go.