Last Sunday all of the Houston Turpins gathered at our house. We had a really nice time. This is the closest we have come to a family picture in a long time. We said we just need to Photoshop Angie and her family in!
Then Monday was Valentine’s Day – and Grandma and Grandpa left us and headed back to Iowa. We will miss them. We enjoyed having them stay with us.
The rest of the week – we had to go to the doctor’s for TB tests, which of course required a trip to McDonald’s. Anything requiring needles necessitates the trip. My children won’t let me forget! Two days later we were back – five negative results – yeah!
Lizzy, on one of the days she was feeling well, being Lizzy.
Daddy cleaned out his closet – I was so excited! Young Women’s garage sale and the trash can is where most of his stuff ended up. And a sick Lizzy and Joy picture.
Playing with Valentine goodies and Bella’s crown from her mat. Playing with our girl.
Playing outside – including Bell!!
Jason and I taking CPR – only a few things left on the home study check list.
Sammi found a ladybug and brought it to me! I am taking it for a sign! Lady bugs are supposed to be good luck in Chinese adoptions, and while this adoption is not Chinese, I will take any luck I can get. We had learned about a little boy that would be perfect for our family. Well, we aren’t paper ready, so we couldn’t apply. But I heard 60 (yes, 6 0) families applied for him. Yeah for him! I hope he will be blessed with a wonderful family. But I wonder about us – who will choose our family against that many other families? The CEO of the agency we are working with told me, (can you tell he knows me?), “I think the best option for you is to relax, breathe and trust in Heavenly Father to put the pieces in place for you.” It all comes back to faith, and a little bit of luck won’t hurt!
On Thursday night Becca had a dress rehearsal for Solo and Ensemble. So we went and spent 3 1/2 hours at the Forum. I am always amazed at these kids – they play so very well!
For some reason, Joy was fascinated by this fountain on Friday morning. No amount of coaxing could move her away until she was ready. She loved it!
Which brings us to Saturday – the work day. We had to take down the trampoline – kids in state custody are not allowed to play on them, so therefore, we cannot have one – at least until Little Brother’s adoption is final. We plan on celebrating his adoption by putting the trampoline back up that day! To make peace with our consciences and our children, we promised them a bigger, grander swing set. So on Saturday, we took down trampoline, took down the swing set, ordered and placed 3 cu. yd. of dirt, had a doctor’s appointment, took and listened to Becca’s Solo and Ensemble, and took care of 7 extra children. Sounds tiring, huh?
That morning I sent Jessi over to ask the neighbors if they wanted our old swing set and she came back with two extra kids. We all had a good last jump on the trampoline and then took it down.
We started the new swing set by sorting through and labeling all of the wood pieces and hardware. Then Jason started on that. I raked the back yard and Sammi and I took down the old swing set.
Jason had to run to the doctor’s office for an apointment and labs. While he was out, I asked him to order the dirt for our gardens (not thinking that they would deliver TODAY!)
Somewhere along in here, my brother Bob called to tell us he was headed to the temple and could Becca watch his children? OK, and he was here ten minutes later. The kids were really good. They enjoyed Veggie Tales and we took them to the park to play. Meanwhile, Jason and Jessi kept working on the swing set and the dirt was delivered – now we had to deal with it so that Jason could get his car out of the driveway on Monday!
And while he was here, my brother taught me all about pruning. Our peach tree is budding and it’s pruning season. Jason and I were really impressed with his knowledge of fruit trees!
The day continued and we had to run Becca Lynn over to Solo and Ensemble. Their Ensemble played really well, and the then Becca did her solo. The judge told her that she was a very good viola player. Scores on Monday. Sonic to celebrate!
Meanwhile, more assembly, and Katie was dropped off while her parents went to the temple. Katie and Sammi worked hard trying to move three cubic yards of dirt from our driveway to our garden with only our trash can for a carrying container.
Let’s just say, Jason and I fell into bed about ten – it was pitch black outside and we couldn’t move anything else to keep working. The fruits of our labors are going to be sweet – the garden and the new swing set, and hopefully a new son.
Today I looked around and saw three little girls at home – Lizzy sick, Joy home because Jason and Becca had meetings before church, so it was just easier to keep her here, and Bella – and I decided we needed to do a nursery lesson. What fun! I am always amazed at the amount and quality of the resources the church gives to us! What a blessing! And no, Bella didn’t color that – she doesn’t know what a crayon is, but it was fun!
