Serious advancements in potty training....

I have not updated Skyler's potty training status in a while because nothing has been happening. TODAY we had some serious potty training advancements. I was laying on the couch after submitting resume after resume on craigslist(gotta love all those job postings on craigslist), when Skyler came up to me and said "I have to go bathroom." Boy you have never seen a big lady get up so fast. I couldn't believe my ears. He actually asked ME to take him to the bathroom instead of me fighting him to go time after time. I was shocked again when he repeated this wonderful behavior through the evening. I think we are making progress. Its about time for sure....because I was getting quite discouraged. GO SKY!!!!

Did I ever tell you what I almost names Skyler? I was really hooked on Luke Skyler for a long time...but after many people telling me that it was to close to Luke Skywalker...I opted out. LOL I guess it wouldn't be so bad to be named after a really cool movie character right?

The kids come home tomorrow. I was able to talk to there dad on the phone for exactly six minutes about it. He is not and has never been very personable. I should be thankful for the six minutes I got out of him. His computer games usually take precedence over everything. But I did get the information I wanted out of him and I will see my kiddos tomorrow.

And I leave you now with some nifty pictures that I took at the movie theater yesterday. Yes I did get some weird looks from people, who I am sure were wondering why the crazy lady was photographing the theater...but who cares. I had fun.

The movie was called "my sisters keeper." It was such a tear jerker. I'm glad I brought Kleenex.

Today!!

I am home for just a few minutes so I thought I would blog...because I'm just in a bloggy mood and I feel like i have so many wonderful friends out there. :)

So I had today all planned out and me and Sky got up and got ready and headed out the door. We had many three year old conversations on the way. Skyler has a new word.....its "WHY." Why mom, why? LOL He asks why for everything and even if you answer him he asks why again. Its so annoying....LOL I mean CUTE!!! No but really it can get tiresome so the cure for the constant whys is to turn the question around on him and when he asks why you just ask him a question in return and the why's stop....well for a while anyway. LOL

So I went to drop Sky off at daycare and we were about to walk in and my tennis shoe slipped on the wet cement and DOWN FLAT I went. Yes, someone was watching with a very concerned look on there face and my son said to me "mom, you fell." And then I thought "thanks son for pointing out the obvious." It was crazy weird, but I was OK and walked away with some of my dignity and a few scratches on my leg.

I went to a meeting this morning at church. It is for a ministry called "Crossroads." Many of you have asked me how the interview at Farmers went. Well, it wasn't really an interview it turns out but more just a connection. Mark (was his name) turned out to be a wonderful man of God and is going to give me lots of leads on jobs and he will pass on my resume. YIPPEE!!! Also, he gave me a connection to a lady named Kay who heads up this Crossroad ministry. I have long wanted to teach my kids how to have a servants heart...and what better way to do that then to volunteer at Nursing homes? So, at the meeting I got everything I needed and we will be (as a family) giving our time to those who don't have loved ones. I am so excited because I learned that the elderly women like there nails painted. The girls love doing that so we will put together a really cool collection of nail polishes and take them to the homes and let the girls go wild. How cool is that?

I'm so excited to see what God has in store for my family. I can see some of the pieces falling together and I just want to flow with it.

SIDE NOTE************
You all are wonderful. I have had lots of people ask me for my address so they can help with school supplies and fun things for the kids. I want you to know that your comments and friendships are priceless to me and you need not to do any more then that...but I know that some of you have BEGGED me to set up a PO box so you could send stuff. I don't have a PO Box but I will give you my address if you are to email me privately. lovmykids333@yahoo.com Again, your friendship is so precious to me and I thank you all for it. I hope I can do the same for all of you.

And now, I am off to see a movie. I am looking forward to it. Thanks for encouraging me to go. Time for some fun ME time.

Should I or should I not?

I feel like I have been running running running the past few weeks. I cant get my mind to settle down. I can hardly sleep and don't seem to be making much time to eat. By the time I feel like eating its to late and I am so hungry I feel sick. I just feel uneasy. Sitting down for any period of time wether to watch a movie or a TV show has always been hard for me anyway, because I always have to be busy but now that I am job hunting its even worse. I feel worn out.

If I had kept count of all the applications and resumes I have been submitting I am sure it would range up there near forty or fifty. Seriously, at what point does a person stop and wait? Should I give it a week? I just cant. I'm surprised my computer hasn't gone up in smoke by now from all the Internet searches and typing I have done. (sigh) I'm worn out.

Yet, I cant and wont stop looking....it feels foolish to stop and wait, and it doesn't match who I am. I'm a fighter and by golly I will make someone notice me if it takes marching in to the offices and slapping my resume ON their desks every week.

So, Ive been thinking about tomorrow. There is no significance to tomorrow except that it is Thursday and it again represents more internet searches and typing and calling. So even though I will still do those things, I was thinking of having a "mini me" day and spending five bucks and going to the afternoon movie. Saturday the kids come home and I wont get this chance again for a long time...so should I do it or should I not? The five bucks to get into the movie is what gets me...is it foolish? I mean, after all I don't have a job and going to the movies is a luxury. Still, I feel like I deserve a little bit of me time right?

OK enough of that...I have to mention this sweet peice of kindness that Rebekah and Ben sent to me. They caught me completely by surprise and sent me a HUGE box yesterday full of school supplies. Not only school supplies but also a 50 dollar gift card to Walmart to complete our school supply list. Many things ran through my mind when I opened the box....the first one was that these wonderful people have sacrificed so much financially to get a baby. I know that it was such a burden to come up with all the money required, and even though it all worked out I cant imagine how it has put a hole on them financially, yet they go and spend all this money again on me and my kids. How can I ever thank them for being so supportive. They owe me nothing yet they give me so much. Here is a picture of the inside of the box....everything that was picked out was so colorful and cheerfull looking...

The second thing that went through my head and probably it would seem odd to everyone else...but she sent the stuff in one of Ty's diaper boxes. I just kept thinking "his diapers were in there." LOL Now it makes me laugh but to me it was so sentimental and I am sure Rebekah didn't think that the box itself presented as a gift to me along with the school supplies but it did. Call me weird, but the box was cool.

I cant wait to show the kids the contents of the box....well I cant wait to see the kids. Saturday is coming. Thanks again Rebekah and Ben. (hugs from afar)

Six weeks!!

Baby Ty is six weeks old today. Can you believe that? Its been six weeks since I held him for the first time.... And kissed his toes.....

And felt his sweet hair brush against my cheek...

and I definitely remember looking down and only seeing this...Help me Jesus I was HUGE...LOL

Now I watch from afar...and so far...I have seen him smile...which made me cry my eyes out...

But you know what, its OK because baby Ty has this.......

I feel super good about it all. I do have my moments of sadness over what was lost, but I don't regret a thing. How can I? Everyone got the best of everything in the end...especially Ty. I love you baby boy.

I dont know what will come of this@@@@UPDATED!!@@@@

I have seriously been submitting application after application lately. I must have about 30 plus applications out there.

Today I got a phone call....my first phone call from a man named Mark. He said "Is this Rebekah?" I of course said yes. He then went on to tell me that he pulled my resume from monster.com and that I do not fit the profile of the job he needs to fill but there was just something about my resume that made him read it over and over again. WHAT? God was written all over his words. I was shocked. I asked him what company he worked for and he told me(its a very respectable insurance company). I didn't even submit an application to this company, they just pulled my app from monster. He went on to tell me that he has worked there for over twenty years and that they just threw about 300 applications at him and mine was one he couldn't put down.

You know...I always knew that God was taking care of me...but its moments like this that you feel like you are looking God right in the face and he is saying to you "I told you I would take care of you."

Me and Mark talked on the phone for thirty five minutes. We talked "off the record" about his faith and me about mine. He said that he felt the Holy Spirit was just guiding him and mine just stood out. I'm still shocked.

Like I said, I don't know if anything will come of this. He was very honest with me telling me twice that I do not fit the profile and that he will do the interview and then I am sent off to other people as well, but I have my first job interview tomorrow and I'm so grateful even to be considered for the position.

Here are the things I am worried about. I looked up the job and it is posted for full time and part time, so that is good, but if he offers me a full time position I am not sure I am prepared to accept it...but yet, I think I would be foolish not to. My concern is child care for the older three children. I DON'T want them to come home and be alone while I am at work. I would have to somehow make arrangements for them until I came home.

On the other hand, I don't know what I am worried about. Gods hand is literally in this situation, he has had his hand on my life since birth, and I am still beside myself on how well the adoption went and how it has blessed so many people lives...I feel like all I have to do is sit back and watch it unfold. This is amazing. I cant wait to see what God will do.

@@@@@@@@UPDATE@@@@@@@
I REALLY appreciate your comments. Your comments really got me to thinking. I went ahead and did a little research for myself. The company is Farmers insurance. I called the number that was left on my caller ID and it is for sure Farmers Corporate office. The man that called me is for sure on the employee list...but it goes down hill from there. I went to Monster.com and looked up all jobs concerning Farmers and did find the job posting. I am not all together sure how it all works but I am pretty sure that they are recruiting people to be sales agents for the company. I am also pretty sure (though not totally sure) that it is probably a commission paying job. This is not doable for me. So, tomorrow morning I will call this man and tell him how I feel about it and just confirm what I am thinking and probably will not go to the interview. Sheesh!! Am I a sucker or what?

Something fun...

I am feeling kinda BLA today so I thought I would post something fun. I got this comment from Rebekah and I thought I would post some comparison pictures of a few of the kids. Here is what Rebekah said, "I was going through pictures I had printed of you and the kids (from months ago) and stopped at the one of Skyler on the couch (the one where he looks like a stuffed turkey!). Ty looks just like him!! And then when I was looking through your blog, today, I was taken aback at Victoria's picture! I called Ben over and said, "Look at this picture of Victoria." He said, "Oh, my gosh. That's totally Ty!" We couldn't believe the similarities. Ben finished with, "Well one thing's for sure. She makes beautiful babies!!!!""


This one is of sweet baby Skyler.

This is sweet little Ty. Do you see the similarities?

I also think that the boys look a lot like Victoria when she was little. Here is a picture of her at about a year old (same one I posted before but for comparison.

Make my life a prayer to you.....

A friend of mine dedicated a song to me today and it got me to thinking about things (thanks CC). I don't talk about my faith nearly enough and although I am not going to make this a spiritual session on what I believe...I do want to share one of my favorite songs from my all time favorite artist (not counting Elvis...I am forever his biggest fan).

His name is Keith Green. He has long passed and gone to be with the Lord (in a plane crash, so sad) but this song that he wrote is my life song. I used to listen to it over and over again when I was a teenager. I know many people looking in on my life might not see much of an example...but my heart is so there.

My favorite line in the song goes something like this (keeping in mind that the words are directly to God)...."I want to thank you now for being patient with me, Oh its so hard to see when my eyes are on me." This is a significant lyric to me because so many times in my life my eyes have only been on myself and when that happens I cant see much of what God has for me. But I truly love the line in the song that says "I wanna die and let you give your life to me so I might live, and share the hope you gave to me, I wanna share the love that set me free." Its so true, although I have been burdened down lately with bad choices, and although I have taken the hard road on many occasions(don't we all at times?)...I have been set free.