IN NEED OF SURGERY!

Our poor old beautiful ash tree is infested with bark beetles! The tree surgeons are now telling us it must have surgery! The downer is that we can't operate until next year. I guess we have to treat the tree first w/ some special fertilizers both this fall and next spring. Then once the tree is out of "shock" and is more stabilized we can go ahead with the surgery to rid it of it's poor dying branches. Meanwhile the neighbors have to live with the eye sore it has become for a whole year! We are just thankful the tree can be saved. It provides us with much needed shade in the heat of summer and some lovely tranquility for our "in the works" front patio area! They told us since Colorado has basically been in a drought now for 10 years, this made for a perfect nest for the oh so gross bark beetles. Guess it takes a while for their work to become evident.

This June was the wettest June on record for Denver since 1892! We actually have mosquitoes here, we NEVER have them, thank goodness! I'm not thinking this means we are actually out of the drought, but it's a step in the right direction for all of the old beautiful trees in our neighborhood!

I was reading a recent post on the party of five blog and couldn't believe what I read! Fellow Haitian boys (home from Haiti since they were 8 months old) Kyle and Owen who just turned five in May went to the doctor for their annual well check. Kyle is 3'10" and 52 lbs. & Owen is 3'11.5" and 50 lbs. That puts these boys over the 95 percentile on the growth charts!

Our handsome boy who was 5 1/2 when we last saw him in April, stood only 3 ft. 7" and weighed in at just 33 lbs. This puts him at the barely 5th percentile.

I know the twins have been with their family for 4 years, with good nutrition, health care and tons of love, but wow they are huge in comparison! I sure hope home cooked meals, Dr. Aiken's attention and loads of love can give Morelson a much needed boost in growth!

It will most likely be amazing to see the transformation that first year I am sure. I've complained about buying too much for him w/ the thought that he'll out grow it all before he can wear it. I now hope my fears come true! Let's get you here and put some meat on those boys small fry!

We are thinking about you baby, you had two friends come home to Texas today. Their mom just posted on how amazing it is to see them sleeping in their beds. Just the thought of seeing you here in your bed, is so incredibly warming to me! It's those thoughts that continue to carry us through. I hope you enjoyed your recent care package, maybe we'll get a picture of you receiving it. I know how wonderful you are at sharing, I'm hoping that you left some of those cashews for your own tummy!

I am on a new kick to simplify my life! So what is the first thing I do, go out and buy a book titled Secrets of Simplicity. Ironic isn't it? The biggest goal I've set for myself is to simplify by way of not spending!

I've had the book for well over a week now and honestly it has inspired me. I still think practicing yoga has played a big role as well. I'm a spender through and through! And old habits die hard! I have however seen myself begin this transformation. Here is the silly, embarrassing, hard to put into print truth. I spend money on the dumbest things! Seriously, dumb crap! I'm a spender with a routine I've decided. By this I mean I have these strange rituals. 1. I go to Target. 2. I grab a cart. 3. I stand in line at the Starbucks. 4. I wander the store thinking about what I can possibly justify putting into my cart. 5. I then put items into the cart that I will probably use but not sure when. Mind you these aren't really "fun" things, more like shaving cream or a kitchen towel. 6. I checkout and leave.

This will happen again the next day, and the next and the next! WHY??? Why would a fairly confident, usually motivated, have plenty of things to do to keep her busy woman do this? I don't know if I'll ever know the why, I'm sure there is some deep rooted, ugly reason to the madness that can't possibly work it's way out without professional help or something! But, YEAH, I have my book and the beginnings of a real desire to change, maybe that will be enough. So maybe this week I won't roam Target aimlessly, I won't go to Starbucks daily or even twice daily, OUCH! Don't tell my husband about that one please! I won't buy stuff for Morelson that he'll never fit into by the time he gets here, and I won't continue to add to my stock pile of dish soap and ranch dressing. Oh I almost forgot, I also have an out of control need to eat out, and buy multiple colors of the same shirt that I really like that happens to be on sale! Okay, maybe that will have to come next week. I'm sure the shrink I don't have would tell me to take baby steps! Wish me well, I'm sure it's going to be a long work in progress.

Reality TV, UMH....... It's only TV viewing for millions, but harsh reality for this family of 10!

Many of you will find this post to be silly, after all it's only a TV show right? I find it to be so much more. Jon and Kate declared last night on their show that they will divorce after 10 years of marriage and 8 children! Maybe she was just too mean? Maybe he cheated? Maybe the fame went to her head? Maybe he was not motivated enough? Maybe she enjoyed her time away promoting the show a little too much? Maybe he had one too many drinks while out?

Maybe..Maybe.. Just Maybe..They were two people who fell in love many years ago, ended up with 8 children and no real way to support them, found out that our society is full of barracudas when it comes to reality TV and dove in head first!

I'm not saying it is "our" fault that Jon and Kate are divorcing. But man we sure can eat these people up and then spit them right back out! And all of this in the name of entertainment, you have to admit, something just doesn't sit right with that!

Yes, they made their bed, they chose to be players in this ugly game of reality TV. I have to say I don't blame them, and no I don't feel that the kids are being exploited, that's nonsense! This game has allowed them some freedoms and flexibility that we are all envious of I'm sure. No it's not all about money, but to quote Dr. Phil, "let's get real here" money is and always would be a huge factor when raising 8 children! No the kids don't have to live in a beautiful house, or wear a new outfit from Gymboree daily, or go on vacation, or have music lessons, or get braces, or go to college. But if I were them and I could "play" this game for awhile and bring these extras to my family and not have the stress of full time employment and wonder where the next round of 8 pairs of shoes are possibly coming from I would do it too!

Would they have divorced without the show? I think it's highly likely the answer is yes. And just what would that look like? It certainly wouldn't have afforded them the luxury of keeping that sprawling house w/ acres of land for the kids to roam. A real "home" base for them. It's mom and dad that will have to come and go and share in their time and responsibilities of their 8 kids, but the kids stay put, in their home, w/ all of their "stuff" a blanket of security in their now forever changed world! Lucky they are not, but fortunate enough to have these added comforts to help ease the hurt. As a once divorced mom of three little ones (glad it wasn't 8!) I would have "played" that game to offer my kids those kind of comforts in a heartbeat!

Lacey's sweet "little" find!

Lacey could not have been happier on Friday when she discovered that Pac Sun now had in stock skinny jeans! But they didn't not only have skinny jeans, they actually had skinny jeans in a size 00! This is HUGE ; well if anything that little can be huge! Lacey has been traumatized by the fact that her dear old mom is still having to buy her jeans at The Gap! In my own defense The Gap's jeans fit her well, and I find them "cute." Yeah, that's the problem no 13 year old wants "cute" jeans! I liked going into The Gap and picking out the little girl's 12 slims and calling it good. In Lacey defense however; this scenario has been happening for far too long now! She has been determined to find "real" jeans that she can actuallly manage to keep up. Her day has finally come, Pac Sun has pulled through for her! In all honesty, they are still a bit big, and the skinny on her isn't as skinny as the maker had in mind. But they do stay up, they are in style, and they aren't "cute!" They are Sweet and skinny, oh sooo skinny! If only mom had this "problem" as well!
Enjoy your skinny jeans Lacey!

Dear Dad,

It was truly a joy spending a few days with you this week. I can't believe that we have allowed so much time to go by. There just isn't an excuse good enough for that. So much has happened through the years & losing mom was so difficult on us all in very different ways. I think so often of all the things I wish I could tell her, show here, share with her even after all of these years. My heart is overwhelmingly heavy when I think of her never seeing any of the kids. Not knowing how much Brielle looks like her, or how Lacey would love to hear her sing or how Tyler would appreciate her gentle gestures of kindness. How much I would love to have her look at the pictures of Haiti with us and listen to our stories of our visits with Morelson.

But dad; we have you and are so thankful for that. The memories you hold onto and share with such pride are worth mountains to us. We love you, enjoy you, appreciate you and look so forward to never allowing this crazy amount of time to build between us. Happy Father's Day Dad! Don't change we really do like: the never ending stories, the infectious laugh, your inability to say the letter "r," the fact that you are insanely technologically challenged, your love of baseball and respect for hard work.

But most importantly, the piece of you that I cherish most is the immense love and sincere wishes of hope and success I see you carry in your heart for all of us!! That is what matters dad, and that is what you have!

WE LOVE YOU!

Singing the Adoption Blues!

Some days are so much easier than others! This has not been an easy day. A fellow adopting family who are the parents of two boys from our orphanage were supposed to be granted the visa for one of their boys today. Yes, only one of the two was even given the shot at a visa today, and he didn't get it! I guess it's a long complicated story as to why, yet again there had to be ANOTHER set back!

One has to wonder just how many set backs a person can take before completely losing it?? You begin this process with such hope and amazement and it slowly becomes a daily struggle to hang on to all of that hope! Yet hope is all we have! All of us that are adopting from Haiti of course feel that our children are no where else, our kids are in Haiti, they sit there day after long day waiting and wondering why in the world it is taken us so long to bring them to their forever families. We first met Morelson 15 months ago, and as long as I live, I will NEVER, EVER forget that horrible, pleading, heartbreaking, earth shattering cry that he let out when we had to say goodbye to him. He was ready to go home with us right then are there! It was hands down the hardest thing I had ever done to say goodbye to him on that hot, humid & oh so loud Haitian street! I remember Marie, the orphanage director saying to us "don't cry, your turn will come."
Will it? Really? When? As each new family suffers a set back, as our file continues to sit in that black hole they refer to as IBESR for moving on a year now, just when will our turn come? As Morelson continues to grow and develop without the loving aid of his family, I ponder what is he really thinking? How could he possibly know that we think of him multiple times each and every day, that I have already cried so many tears over the fact that he'll miss the first day of Kindergarten that we so "hopefully" signed him up for! That his 6th birthday will soon be here, and he won't! That when we sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to remember all of the things we are thankful for he won't be here to look over at! It hurts, and yes on day's like today I'm feeling sorry for myself.

I hope that Morelson is happy today! I hope that he stayed busy with his "siblings" at the Orphanage, that he got to ride the bike the boys all seem to love, and that he goes to bed tonight will a full tummy and a warm heart full of thoughts of his family coming for him! A fellow adopting mom is on her way to Haiti today and she is bringing our guy a care package. My next few days will be filled with the picture of his beaming smile as he gets the goodie bag. He'll find his favorites: M&M's, salted cashews, a chocolate brownie cliff bar, a toy prism, a matchbox car and a picture of the mama and papa that miss him all the way to the moon and back!

MWEN REN MEN OU CHERIE!

The Boys Of Summer Are Back!




Our Colorado Rockies Won Their 10th In A Row Last Night!







The Rockies under new management are hoping to salvage what's left of the season. With 10 wins in a row I'd say it's a decent start!

Clint Hurdle was a really nice guy and is an awesome advocate for children with Prader Willi Syndrome, but just not well suited for being the manager of a major league baseball franchise! Here's hoping our new main man, Jim Tracy can continue to get our boys to perform!

My dad is coming from out of state and we'll all be going to the game on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to a warm summer day, a cold beverage, a not so good for me ball park frank, a good game of ball and most importantly the company of my FAMILY! TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL PARK!

13 IS THE NEW 30!

Here is Lacey sporting her new highlights! She has been wanting to highlight her hair for a VERY long time now and I haven't let her do it, well at least not professionally. But then she got this really cute new cut last week, and I could no longer resist the request for blonde highlights. My amazing hairstylist Cindy was won over by Lacey's charm and did her hair today on the spot! Needless to say Lacey was pleased with the outcome! The not so fun part; us trying to figure out how to style it as well as the hairdresser did!

Let the posing begin!

Brielle and I have taken up Yoga! I dabbled with it before, but this time we are in for good! For those of you that haven't tried Yoga or say "I can not twist myself into a pretzel and why would I want to?" It's SO, SO much more than that!

The international Association of Yoga Therapists groups the benefits of yoga into three categories: physiological, psychological and biochemical. The benefits of routine yoga practice is something of a recipe for eternal youth:

*Achieve a balanced, youthful figure
*Rev up your metabolism for weight loss for postures that create an aerobic effect
*Tighten your muscles to build strength and lengthen for flexibility
*Move your spine in every direction for a young and supple spine
*Build bone mass through yoga's natural resistance training
*Achieve a genuine sense of internal tranquility and peace
*Build an overall healthier body!

Anways; how can you argue with this union of body and mind that is 6,000 years old?
We'll keep you posted on our progress, maybe even post a picture if all goes as planned!

NAMASTE!

The Family! Brielle graduated, Lacey turned 13, Tyler took his girlfriend to prom & Easter w/ Morelson in Haiti.

Friday, June 5th 2009

Where does one begin when introducing their family and the life their living? Let's just jump right in, I can't come up with a better way, so here goes!

I'm Lisa and I'll be doing the majority of the blogging. I work for the largest school district in Colorado, I'm a preschool director/teacher and work within the elementary school system. I love my work! It is immensely rewarding! There is certainly never a dull moment when working w/ preschooler's. But the best part of my job........SUMMER BREAK!

My Love! Rob and I have been married for 10 years now! Rob works as a civil engineer, more specifically a hydraulic engineer for the good ol' U.S. of A! We met at Washington State University, GO COUGS! I had been married once before(yes, way too young!) and brought to our union three amazing, well-adjusted, could not ask for better, fun to be around kids! Really those were not my words, that is how Rob viewed his "children" from the very beginning! Our kids are lucky! They have two supportive, loving, nurturing, involved families. The kids have always spent significant time w/ their dad and step mom, and the four adults in their lives "get it!" We have made it work. We are a truly happy blended family!

The kids! Tyler is now 19 & graduated in 2008. Honestly I can't believe it, every time I say his age or write it, I shock myself! Tyler is experiencing his first apartment w/ a buddy of his just down the road from us. He is working full time right now and will begin school in the fall. He says he wants to teach high school! I am proud of him, I have always viewed Tyler as being very nurturing, and think he would make an outstanding educator! Yeah, I am bias, a boy after his mom's heart, but really we could use more male teachers, especially one that is as passionate as I know Tyler will be!

Brielle is 18, & just graduated this May! She is beautiful and full of life! She's busy working this summer and will start school in the fall as well. Brielle is interested in becoming a nurse. Everyone she tells goes on and on about how "hot" of a career choice that is and how the demand for nurses is so high! Time will tell if it's the right path for her. I'm excited for her to experience college in a traditional way, unlike I did. Brielle is home with us and I do hope she stays! Boy, do we miss those high school lacrosse games though, four years as a varsity player, that was hard to see come to an end!

Lacey is 13 and will enter the 8th grade in the fall. She is a tiny ball of fire! She keeps us on our toes that is for sure! Lacey loves to experiment with all kinds of things, right now she is into cake decorating and very much enjoys TLC's the Ace of Cakes! Lacey loves spending time with her big brother and sister and they are amazing at including her in their lives! 13 is such an awkward age, most days she handles it well & let's just say we are working on those "other" days! She's cute, feisty and funny, it'll be fun and interesting to see where the journey of life takes Lacey! Her being in our lives has certainly spiced things up, way to keep us young Lacey!

Morelson! Oh, our sweet, handsome, funny face making, we ache for you to be with us Morelson! Little Morelson is living with his orphanage "siblings" right now in Les Cayes, Haiti. He is 5 1/2. We committed to Morelson in March of 2008 and went to see him for the first time that same month. This phrase is grossly over used, but SO true for this occasion, there are no words to describe how that first meeting went! I know it doesn't go for all families this way, but we had TRULY fell in love with Morelson before we ever met him! We had received many photos and accounts of him from others that had visited the orphanage at various times. The stories and pictures captured our hearts, we knew from almost the beginning of our adoption journey that it was Morelson that would enrich our lives beyond belief and boy, oh boy we were not wrong!! This little boy has become the center of ALL of our universe! There is not one of us that doesn't think of him multiple times each and every day! All five of us went on that first trip, and it was truly a life altering experience, hands down! To get to meet Morelson, our new son and brother in his environment, surrounded by the people that are lovingly supporting him until he can come home to us was an experience like no other! Rob and I have since been to Haiti three more times! Each visit with Morelson and the people of Haiti opens our eyes wider every time to the fact that we are all in this together. Thanks to Morelson and his amazing, resilient country men we are forever changed!

So.... That in a nutshell is who we are! We are a two career, four children, blended, inter/racial, adoptive family living each day the best we know how in the beautiful rocky mountain state! At this time in our lives we are consumed with waiting for Morelson to join us! Although we of course go on w/ the daily grind, when Morelson is here and "grinding" with us, well, that will be a glorious day!