The sea of swirly twirly gumdrops...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled travel journal posting to bring you this random thought process poured out into cyberspace by Chrissy.

Things in my brain (the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops) today:

When I take my kids out by myself 

and someone stares at them 

and then at me and then back at them...

I want to stick my tongue out and give them that 4-year-old glare.

I also have this line I am working on perfecting...

(in my best DEEP south southern accent...)

"I know... you think you know me, right? 

I get that ALL the time since we were on Maury!"

Paul and I have this on-going banter.

It goes like this:

(Dinner table time)

Me: "Who are we missing?"

Him: "um...4,5,6,7... no one."

This is precisely what happened when 

God put adoption on our hearts the first time.

Seven isn't that many kids.

I know because I have seven kids.

I do their laundry (well, except for the biggies.)

and I make their food,

and I drive them places,

and I clean up their toys.

No, I don't know what God has in store for us next.

He may be happy with us where we are, 

how we are, 

and the way we look...

but if I know Him like I think I know Him...

He will take us up on our offer of "use me".

There are old-fashioned 

compounding pharmacists out there still.

We have one near our house.

I did not know this until today!

They can make Flagyl into gummy bears.

That's just awesome!

I mean, come on... that's magical!

Sometimes other AP's (adoptive parents)

are real joy-sucking, cotton-headed ninny muggins.

Sometimes I think they want to see everyone else

miserable or make it seem like they 

are the only success story out there.

Yeah, we have ONLY been home 6 weeks.

Things are going well for us so far!

Be happy for us!

Sometimes I want to get a giant trash bag and dump everything from 

every flat surface in the house into it and take it to 

the trash and never look back! 

Then I realize that most of those items in the trash bag 

would be homework, permission slips, 

and greatly treasured Silly Bandz... 

and I rethink my de-cluttering plan.

I am SO ready for fall.

I want to drink chai tea on the deck in the morning 

when its chilly enough to see my breath.

I want to see orange and red sugar maples.

I want crunchy leaves in the yard.

I want to take pictures at the pumpkin patch

and make pumpkin pie

    and pumpkin muffins

          and pumpkin bread

                and pumpkin lattes!

Wait... Starbucks makes pumpkin lattes. Not me.

Some of the best things I have heard this week:

"Your son has the sweetest heart!"

    "I love having your daughter in my class!"

       "Mom... you are so WEIRD!"

          "I lub you too!"

"twinkuh, twinkuh, weedah tah...

ow I bunduh ut ooh ahh."

       "Can we adopt more kids?"

            "Mommy konjo!"

Playing at the school's park on Saturday

It was like a billion degrees in the shade... but my gorgeous daughter still wanted to pose for pictures!

And then her brother showed up.

Formerly known as "the youngest"!

So sweet... this kid makes you just melt.

The oldest - funny, witty, kind and compassionate...

and very, very 14!

My baby boy! He was so cute at the park! 

"Big-Little", the oldest of our new three... beautiful inside and out!

"Middle-Little" - our middle baby girl. She is VERY much a Daddy's girl! 

She is so sweet and precious and just adores her siblings!

And, no... I didn't miscount... I know that's only 6 kids.

I have a pre-teen daughter who refuses to be photographed.

I managed to sneak some photos on this trip to the park,

but she was equally sneaky and deleted them from my camera 

before they made it onto the computer.

Grr.