It's happened

The boy who used to love posing for me has officially had his share of photo's in the last 15 months.  I really wanted to get some good ones in front of our quirky little tree but it doesn't look like it's going to happen!  The oldest boy who was always uncooperative has left and handed down the title! 

We are all missin Ryan andd wanting him home for Christmas!  It's going to be so strange...

I got a new camera for Christmas, a little early, so I've been practicing.  So far, I really like it!

Look at that perfect little boy!

He's getting so grown up!

Here is my charlie brown tree, sure, we could have trimmed down the long branches, but it adds to it's charm.  Right? 

5 more beautiful children added to WACAP's list!

1. ZHL 1 1/2 Male-treated syphilis-dossier first
2. FZL 3-Female-albinism
3 ZCH 1 1/2 Male-Limb difference
4. SSK 2-male-cleft lip/palate
5.  3-Male-hypospadia, hernia

ALL ARE ADORABLE!!!  Contact WACAP about them!

LOVE...

Can't imagine life without you Min Yao!

WACAP waiting children

ZQM 1 year old girl with cleft lip and palate not speaking yet and has eye issues. $4200 grant

ZYN, 1 and half year old girl, legs differences, premature, has sensitive need $4200 grant

ZXF 1 year old boy, toe and finger differences, poor mental development, epilepsy $4200 grant
ZCQ 1 and half year old boy, with Downs Syndrome $4200 grant
LXX 2 year old girl with Down Syndrome $4200 grant
SSX 2 year old boy, with Downs Syndrome $4200 grant
ZQT 2 year old boy, with Downs Syndrome $4200 grant
SSY 2 years old girl can stand while holding on to something diagnosed with CP, $4200 grant
FAY, 3 year old girl, finger differences, language developmental delays, sight in right eye only, $4200 grant
FSM, 3 year old boy, sensitive need and delayed language skills $4200
SRM, 3 years old girl, She can walk with assistance has been diagnosed with CP and poor hearing. She has a $2200 grant.
FXY, 4 year old girl with Downs Syndrome, $4200 grant
FXY, 4 year old girl with Downs Syndrome $4200 grant
FJC,7 year old boy, he can walk independently but is not a great runner diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, some cognitive delays $4200 grant
FXY 7 year old girl with skin disease ichthyosis, $4200 grant
ZDC, 9 year old girl, mental dev delays $4200 grant
ZQY 9 year old boy delayed language and communication skills $4200 grant
Lynne Mason Ph.D| WACAP | Research and Recruitment Manager | 206.575.4550 | (f) 206.575.4148 |

We loved working with WACAP-they were wonderful!

Home and gone...

Chad and I traveled to New Jersey to watch Ryan graduate from Basic Training for the USCG.  It was a short trip.  We were supposed to land in New York at 10:00 Thursday morning and drive the 3 hours down the ocean to Cape May, New Jersey.  Instead we had numerous layovers and landed in New York at 6:00 that eve.  We got our rental and followed our GPS all over the city....I'm not sure where it was taking us?  We are a little confused as to why anyone would live there???  We ended up getting to our hotel just before 11:00 Thursday night.  We were exhausted since we were up at 3:00 to get to the airport for a 5:45 flight.

Cape May, NJ is beautiful.  We got up the next morning and got ready for Graduation.  It was such a exciting, emotional event!  We were so proud to watch the man the USCG has produced, I'm sure I have never been more proud of my son.  He has grown up so much.   He gained 10 pounds and looked amazing (after he shed the government issued glasses )!  Ryan came to the hotel and changed, then we met his father and his family and had a nice dinner.  Then we had coffee and went back to the hotel, we were beat!  We watched TV and Ryan talked on the phone to catch up with all of his friends :)

Saturday we headed back to New York to catch our flight.  Again, why do people choose to live there?  We arrived home with no problems and he had a crew of girls there waiting for him-there was 1 guy :)

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday since he and my niece were home, there were close to 30 people in my house.  Yikes!  Monday he had dinner with his Father and today (Tuesday) we brought him back to the airport so he could catch a flight to San Diego where he will be stationed for the next 12-18 months.  It is so hard to see him leave but he is happy with his choice and anxious to start his new job.  I am happy for his but I'm feeling selfish and like it when he is home.  I was so happy to wake those mornings and know all of my kids were sleeping in their beds.

Here are some pictures from Arlington Cemetery-they put flags on the graves for Veterans Day.

Our agency

For those of you looking for a great adoption agency I would highly recommend WACAP, they were fast, responded to my questions quickly, and were always a step ahead of the paperwork.  I think they were average with cost but were worth every penny.  They also offer waiting child grants up to 4,000.

I received a email recently saying they had a short list of parents waiting because they were all recently matched with their child.  Check them out!  We truly loved them.  If I could ever convince my husband again...  ;)

Pumpkin carving!

Pumpkin carving went so smooth this year.  I hate to admit this, but it has been stressful in the past.

Maybe it's cuz the kids are older.  More mature?

 

Or maybe it's cuz I'm older.  And more relaxed?  Maybe it's because we had a weekend that only had a few projects to do and the house wasn't a total mess?

Maybe it's because Xander wasn't terrified of the gooey stuff within?

It was a good, fun and happy experience.

Xander wasn't afraid until the candles went in.  Then he stared far away from those goofy things!

My girls all have a creative edge to them, with many great ideas!

Here are a few Birthday shots!

Hopefully you have a very scarey Halloween!!!

"Is this Sandra Rice?"

That is how the call from my son came today, the day we celebrated Alexanders 3rd birthday.  I said yes.  "This is SR Ryan Etelamaki calling to tell you I will be stationed on the USCG Cutter Boutwell out of California."  Then there was a silence.  I could tell he was being listened too.  I knew the call would be like this but it was much harder than I anticipated.  I knew I wasn't supposed to aske questions, just listen.  I couldn't help it!  I asked, "how are you?"  Then he said, " I have to go Ma'am."  I told him I loved him and the phone went dead.  I have spent another day with a lump in my throat and tears streaming down my face....

Wow, San Diego.  It's a long way from home.  The weather is in the 70's year round I'm told.  Sounds nice.  The ship he is going to be on frequents Mexico, Dutch Harbor in Kodiak Alaska, Australia and Japan.  There were others too but I can't remember.  It sounds like he is out to sea for 3 months at a time.  They do several missions including law enforcement, search and rescue and national security.  It's an exciting place for a 18 year old to be-but I am feeling sorry for myself, again :(

On a brighter note, Xander had his party today and enjoyed every minute of it.  He got a remote control car, train, clothes, boxing gloves, a fire truck and other things.  He loved opening gifts and yelled, "WOW!" after every gift.  He was so cute!  He is tired and crabby and I am tired and sad!  We had our last football game last night and the bus didn't get to town until 1:00 this morning.  It's only 8:15 but I think it's my bed time.

I'll post birthday pictures soon :)

Halloween at 2??????

Xander is NOT SURE about costumes ;(

He loves his Spiderman undies so we thought he should have a costume to play in.  We had to force him into it...

He is NOT impressed.  At all.

I did get him to sit for a few minutes to take pictures.

Then he peeled it off.  I'm not sure if I should make him dress up for Halloween or not???

Or, if I should find him something without a mask? 

 Whatever he wears, he will be adorable.  Plus, when he starts collecting candy Halloween will be his favorite holiday!

He's on his way.

Wow-this was tough.  We had breakfast together, then snapped a few pictures together before he left.  There were many tears.  It is so hard to let your child go.

His beautiful friend Brialle stopped by to see him off this morning too.

It was such a emotional morning.

I really lost it when the girls, one by one came to say goodbye.

Madeline started to cry Friday, she has taken this hard.  She sat on his bed and sobbed after he left.  She has his pj pants and kept a few of his sweats out to wear.  She loves her big brother.

Here are my 3 favorite boys, together.

Sophia had to be coaxed out of the house because she was really upset.  She didn't want to tell him goodbye.

The girls put together a paper chain so they can count down the days until basic training is over and he can come home for a few days.

Tell me when...

I will stop crying?  It's a different kind of a crying....It feels like my heart is breaking.  I am completely happy for him because I think it's a fabulous opportunity, but I am going to miss him so much.  A part of me is leaving.  I'm worried about his basic training, how will he survive without me taking care of things?  I need to let go but it's so hard. 
The crying is the same as when my Father passed away.  It feels like I can't catch my breath.  Please pray for my boy that everything is okay...

I love him so much.

Another summer gone by...I don't know how it happened so fast.

It was a cool 36 degrees when I hauled these munchkins out yesterday morning for their first day.  It was so strange not waking Ryan for school.  I've had a sick feeling in my stomach since we got home from the Dells on Monday eve.  How am I going to handle that kid living on his own?

Miss Sophia entered 1st grade and has suddenly started to act grown up.  Last year she was a bear to wake and cried to come home.  Granted, this is only day 2 but she likes school and no tears were shed.  Thank you God.  She is adorable but can make for some miserable mornings!

Maija started 3rd grade yesterday.  I still think Josie is in 3rd, how did that ever happen???  She LOVES school and learning.  She already was asking in August to go back.  She came home with a new library book yesterday and read for hours to finish it because she didn't want to pay the late fee?  Does she not realize she gets it for more than a day?  Maija is so much fun and is very funny :)

Josie is in 5th....not 3rd.  She is a good student as well.  She came home yesterday and said, "well, nobody has changed.  The boys in my class are still annoying."  Hopefully she is still saying that in 8th grade!  She loves her teacher and has her bff in her class so it will be a good year for her as well.

Maddie started high school!  One left and one entered all in the same year.  The year Mads graduates Josie will be entering high school!  This kid can never leave home, she is such a sweetie and never wanted to leave her Mom.  I have told her for years I will look funny living in the dorms :)  She is in volleyball right now so she started the year busy. 

Bad photo of Fia, but look at Xander.  I swear there isn't a happier kid on earth.  He was at Grandma's yesterday and she said there was a bit of dirt from a plant on the counter and he spotted it.  Grandma said Xander got up and got 3 diaper wipes and cleaned the mess up, then threw away the wipes!  He doesn't like doors to be left open or things not put away.  He is always on the look out for things out of place.  He's adorable!

Alexander weighs 32 pounds (gained 13) and is 34 " tall (grew 6).  He is sprouting up and looking like such a little boy rather than a baby. 

He loves to swim, eat, play, tease, run, cuddle, his siblings, his grandparents and his Mom and Dad.  He is the silliest little boy and we love him like crazy.

His speech has gotten better, but certainly not perfect.  He started school a few months ago and has learned that I am coming back to get him.  That has made dropping him off at school much better.

He is putting sentences together, like when the ball rolled down the hill he said, "I got it!"  with his hands held up.  Too cute :)

He has some pretty good rythm and can pick up a beat of a song easily.  He loves to sing and to dance.  He has learned some sweet moves from the end of Dispicable Me.  Some including butt slapping???

He is working on hopping on one foot and thinks it's the funniest thing ever.  We can thank Maija for showing him.  She is a great teacher!  I don't think he needed to learn how to skate board on his lego car though...

He STILL throws everything.  Left handed?  Maybe a Major League pitcher???

I know I've said it all before, but look at this boy.  Is there anyone cuter???