Sportsmanship

Conner had his first soccer game tonight after 2 practices last week. After the game they had the players give each other high five. Here is Conner's reaction to a boy hiking up his shorts when he went to shake his hand. Below that is a video of him dribbling the ball down the field. We had a great time watching him play.
edited to add: Conner is in the red shorts.

Memories...

One year ago yesterday we met Biruk for the very first time. 5 families from our agency had to wait in a room and one by one we got to meet your little babes. Of course, we were the last one picked. They video taped the meeting and took some pictures so that is why we had to do it one by one. I still remember walking into the room and meeting him for the first time, in the arms of a nanny. He was so tiny. I knew he was little because his weight was only 12 lbs but he looked so proportioned in his pictures. You could hold him on the upper half of your torso and his petite body would snuggle up on your upper chest and shoulder. Which actually worked out quite well since I was nearly 6 mos pregnant at the time. He was breathtaking. Such beautiful features and the tiniest nose I'd ever seen. Everything about his was tiny (except his eyes). When he smiled his whole face lit up. And I'll never forget seeing and touching his gorgeous, dark, smooth as silk, skin for the first time. I had never felt such soft skin in my life. It was such a different experience then seeing Conner, or Landon for the first time. We were finally meeting this little guy that I had been thinking and praying about for over a year.

And the nannies were so in love with him. It was so evident. We only got to see him for an hour and Nathan and I just kept passing him back and forth. It was so hard to say goodbye that first day. We were not allowed to have our camera in the care center but here are some pics from later in the week. My brown eyed Birukee beauty...

Not my normal post...

Today I read an article on ZRecommends.
Click here to read it. This article really got me thinking about how I was before becoming a parent. How little I knew about what it took, how hard it was really going to be (even though I had 10 siblings) and how much I would struggle. Pre-children, I remembered hearing other moms in the ladies room saying things like "Ugh..I just needed to get away from the kids" or "I just need a break, my kids are driving me crazy". Whatever, typical mother comments. But I didn't know that back then. I heard them say these things and in my head I'd think 'that's awful. Who says that about their children? When I'm a mom I can't imagine wanting to be away from them.' Fast forward 12 months. HOLY SHIT. This is what these women were talking about. Conner had colic and I would literally have to lay him in his bed to scream and shut myself in a bathroom just to gain composure. Fast forward to 3 kids. I would love nothing more then to have a sibling or grandparents live nearby so I can get a break from my wee little ones. SO, one of the first lessons I learned after having a child. Judgement is a waste of everyone's time and accomplishes nothing. That's not to say I still don't find myself questioning decisions people make in their life whether it's in regards to carseats, vaccinations, food they eat, how they spend their money or other day to day things. But when I do, I try to remind myself that it does ABSOLUTELY no good for me to judge that person. It's stupid really. My husband is really good at keeping me in check in this department. He's a good man and a much better person then myself in so many ways. I love that about him. It's nice to be reminded from time to time, when he says "Chandra, judge not, lest ye be judged".

Okay, okay, he's right. So anyway, I read this post this morning and thought I'd share. My mom always said "It's amazing a child makes it until they turn 18". She's right. Biruk knocked over my night stand. Conner came and told me Biruk knocked over the dresser. My heart stopped and I sprinted up the stairs. It was my little nightstand but it could have been a large dresser. We can't always protect our children. We get out of bed in the morning and do the best we can and for every day we all survive I say thanks! I read someone's blog where a woman had forgotten to strap her daughter in her carseat. I've done that twice. I let Conner climb up, strapped the 2 little ones in and took off. From the backseat I hear "mom, you forget to strap me in". Sometimes as a parent we have so much on our plate we can't keep everything straight. So frequently, when showering, I can't remember if I've shampooed my hair. So I do it again and then maybe it occurs to me that I had already done it. I still have to subtract my birth year to come up with my age. And I find I am getting more forgetful by the day. And I know I'm not alone with this. There are a lot of busy parents out there that are doing the best they can. And for those that have had to endure such an awful tragedy, I feel nothing but sorrow for them.

Quality Photo

This was taken with the self timer and the camera setting on the foot of our bed. Nothing but the best :)

Take two...

I love these boys. I love their smiles. And I love my babes in diapers.

I don't know why I bother

Tonight I attempted a pic of the 3 boys. The picture speaks for itself.

I did get some good shots of Landon & Conner after the B-man went to bed.

Spring is here...

82 degrees. We spent the first half of the day outside enjoying the weather. Conner found out that our flowers have bloomed. Time to go for a walk. Spring is here and we are loving it! I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders this week with the warm weather and sunshine.