Life's a Beach!

We shoudn't have gone.

We'd just gotten back from Disney.

We should've saved the money.

And done some yardwork.

Some cleaning out of closets.

But, the beach beckoned.

And so we ditched the laundry, the neighbor kids at our front door, the soccer fields and the yardwork.

And we posed for pictures.

We did some swingin'. 

Breathed in the salt air.  From our deck and private boardwalk.

Played in the sand.

Ate way too much junkfood.

"Worked it" in our swimsuits.

Laughed.

Introspected.

Tossed the pigskin.

And pouted when it was time to go home.

Thanks for the memories.  Spring Break, 2012.

you walked away

I was awakened by her crying. Hard. In the 18months that Junie's been home I can count on both hands the number of times she's woken up in the night. She's a great sleeper. So, I threw back the covers and made my way to her room. As I approached I could hear it was a big, almost frantic, cry. Unusual.

I went in to find her sitting, awake and crying. Not the lying down, still sorta sleeping, crying. I gathered her up, wrapped her in her big soft blankie and sat down with her in the rocking chair.

"What's the matter, baby?", I asked her. Then, not even knowing if she knows what a dream is, I asked her, "did you have a bad dream?"

An emphatic, "YES!"

"What happened in your dream, Junie?"

Through her tears, "walk away!"

Confused, I asked, "Walk away? Who?"

Very upset, Junie cries, "YOU walk away, Mommy!" And more big sobbing cries.

I was taken aback.

Often when Junie wakes up in the morning, before falling asleep at nap or bedtime, or even when driving in the car, I hear her repeating what I've told her countless times. "Mommy always comes back". Although she puts her own spin on it by saying, "AAAAAAALWAY Mommy come back!". It's so cute and I've always smiled and been so proud of the security this little mantra has given her.

But tonight it just hit me like a ton of bricks. She needs the reassurance. A dream of Mommy walking away can have this impact on her.

Of course it can. It's happened before. Whether she remembers or not, it's happened before.

I constantly marvel at the miracle Junie is. She is SO happy, silly, funny, feisty, smart, artistic. She is so secure. She smiles when I leave the house now and says, "see you soon, Mommy". She loves going to school and happily kisses me goodbye as she gets out of the car.

But somewhere in the depths of her mind she needs the reassurance. Don't we all?

Some just more than others.

Don't worry, Baby Girl. Mommy ALWAYS comes back.

Photo Shoot

Better late than Never...

Wait, have I said that before?

Oh well, just so I don't forget my summer,

some of our highlights...

a visit from the Drafts

my gorgeous niece's graduation from high school

cub camp

the fountain- and a magic show

4th of July at the lake, Junie's 1st fireworks

a visit from the Straights, honored to have Donna here on her birthday

a birthday celebration for sweet Maddox

a new pet, Pumpkin

a visit to Mayfield Dairy

a trip to Babyland General...

and Helen, Ga for my birthday

our last visit from my niece before she goes off to college (sniff sniff)

our one year (and final) post-placement visit from our social worker.

we passed, and we get to keep her!

trips to the park

Gotcha Day, 1 whole year of Junie-love!

Gotcha Day celebration which included a SURPRISE appearance from the Drafts family! good job David and Beth for keeping this a secret from me! i could NOT have been more surprised!

double date birthday dinner celebration for my sissie and me

a visit from "the boston cousins"

so much other good stuff, too.

swim team (way to go, Ty!)

Braves game for the boys, 3rd row behind dugout!

Anniversary celebration

lots and lots of swimming with neighbors and friends

lots and lots of playing

movie time in basement

Ok, it seems it's been quite some time since last blogging. Don't really think ANYone looks at my blog anymore, so this is more for me. This post has been sitting in my "Edit Posts" since OCTOBER! :) Now that summer is almost here AGAIN, I thought I'd better post it. We did have a great summer. And the school year has been quite exhausting. These pictures are making me all the more excited for the lazy days (well, not so "lazy" in a household of 6, but more relaxed anyway!) of summer!

Video time!

Click here to see Junie-girl in action!

LOVE her response to "Does Mommy love you?"...

"Yes, Ma'am Mommy!"

First Day of School- 2011

And in the blink of an eye, another summer is over and another school year begins.

Ty - 2nd grade

Jack- 5th grade. A "senior" this year!

Michael- 7th grade...

and oh-so-cool.

Wait, is he taller than me? Must be standing on a hill...

Bros.

Our street's middle school gang.

And they're off. This was as far as I was allowed to go... Sniff.

I guess it's back to napping and eating bon-bons all day long. ;)

Gotcha Day Anniversary

One year ago today, a scared and confused baby was placed into our arms. Her skin was pallid. Her body was tiny and limp. She felt like a little rag doll.

Not interested in eating, drinking or playing with toys.

We were unsure if she'd ever even been fed solid foods.

She was so brave.

We promised to love her and care for her. No matter what. And in the following days, as Junie grieved so very hard, we did wonder what the "no matter what" might entail.

She was scared. I was terrified. But as we loved her, day by day, pieces of Junie started to emerge. First it was a brief smile. Then longer, lingering smiles. Giggles. Belly laughs.

As we neared home (notably the flight from Detroit to Atlanta) I was filled with fear again. How would Junie mesh into the family? What if our family dynamics changed drastically and it had a negative impact on the boys forever. What if? What if?

And David, always the rock, said to me,

"I don't believe the longing for this child would have been placed in your heart if it wasn't meant to be".

He was right.

Watching Junie emerge from her shell this year has been amazing. Miraculous.

She has gone from frightened and insecure to feisty, "spicy", funny, goofy, demanding, loving, mischievous, smart, chatty, snugly.

She is a lover of books, baths, The Wiggles, pop music (especially Lady GaGa and Brittany Spears! :)), all fruit and ANYTHING sweet, being rocked and sung to at nap and bedtime, the game of chase, outside, bottles, her family (immediate and extended), shoes - most especially boots, ketchup, the back seat of the car, her bike, "pops" (lollipops and popsicles), animals (especially dogs and our new guinea pig, Pumpkin), her speech therapist, Ms. Laura, playing with her brothers, and American cheese.

She's no longer quite so brave. She doesn't need to be.

Watching Junie's change has been awesome.

And what has been just as awesome, but something I was less prepared for, has been watching the brothers change too. My fears on that airplane were all for naught.

They never missed a beat. They embraced Junie and our new family dynamics. The boys embraced their new roles as big brother, protector, cheerleader, educator. Even when they were getting hit by her. ;)

They have shown more patience than I.

More love and compassion than I ever could have expected.

They, too, have been changed.

And our family is complete.