More old photos

Luke (26 months) and Chelsea (26 months), 5/25/94

Jamie on her 8th Birthday! Steven (4) and Jeff Rimkus, 5/20/94

The whole family at Drew's First Communion, 4/30/94

Lukey, age 2, 7/22/94

Stevie, age 4, 7/22/94

More yearbook pictures

Jessica, 3rd grade, 1993

Jamie, 2nd grade, 1993

Drew, 2nd grade, 1993

Jack, 4th grade, 1993

I think I've said before that I had three foster children that I wish I could have adopted. Ryan (Johnny) is one of them and Jessica and Jamie are the other two. I am now in touch with Jessica, via Facebook. She and Jamie are doing well and Jamie has two beautiful baby boys! This was scanned from Jack's yearbook, but I remember that Jessica had circled several people with a pencil. She circled Jack, Drew, herself and the boy she had a crush on, it was so cute! I'm not sure why she didn't circle Jamie, she must have been mad at her! I love the glasses in these early '90's photos.

Jack needs to start his own blog

He is now telling me what to blog about, so I think he should make his own blog.

Jack's perfect match

I REALLY shouldn't be blogging because I have to pack the car and be ready to leave for DC in an hour, but I wanted to say this before I forget. Jack and I went to Walmart today, where he was incredibly annoying, by the way, but that is another blog. When we were checking out, the cashier, a girl about Jack's age, asked where we had gotten the large Reese's Peanut Butter candy bar that Jack had insisted I buy for him. He told her where it was and that started a big discussion about Reese's Peanut Butter products, between the two of them. They went on and on about how Reese's Pumpkins are now out and right after that, Reese's Trees will be out and then they said there should be a new Reese's item for every month of the year. Then they were both calling out things for each month, Reese's Fireworks, Reese's Flags, even Reese's for Pi Day. Oh, they are so two peas in a pod and perfect for each other! I am already naming their children!

So on the way out of the store, I asked him why the heck he didn't ask her out when she is so perfect for him. He tells me, "She is a cashier at Walmart, I'm not asking out a cashier at Walmart." Says he, who has NO job!!!! Then he proceeds to tell me that somehow he always ends up in her line (I suggest fate at work, he pfffs that.) Not only that, she always compliments him on his t-shirts. Most people don't even "get" his t-shirts. Again, this girl is perfect for him. I wonder if she was his cashier the day I made him get the super-jumbo package of sanitary napkins because a hurricane was threatening????

Huge mistake correction

It has been pointed out to me, by Jack, that I have made an unacceptable error in my blog. Apparently, I made a horrible mistake when I said that Jack and Mike call Aurora "Little Black". Jack informed me that he does not call her that and he thinks that it is incredibly stupid. I stand corrected. Silly me!

25 years ago today...

At this time, twenty five years ago, I was in my 22nd hour of labor with my first baby. That is if you don't count the previous five days of labor pains! At the end of 31 long and painful hours, the nurse placed a beautiful baby boy in Mike's arms. I can't believe that tiny 8 pound, 12 ounce baby is now towering over me at 6' 1"!

Happy Birthday, Jack Daniel!!

Funny

Jack was telling Mike and I a story about his friend. Apparently they were all at a party at NIU and several of them were sleeping on the living room floor. Michael Summa (Jack's friend since kindergarten) farted really loudly and woke everyone in the room up, except one girl named Arcadia. Then Jack says, Michael's ass to wake ratio would have been better if Arcadia had woken up, too. Okay, that was mildly funny, but not the funniest part. So Mike then says to me, "Did you ever think, when we brought little Jackie home from the hospital, that the words "ass to wake ratio" would ever come out of his mouth? I couldn't stop laughing. This probably sucks in the re-telling, but I wanted to put it down for my own enjoyment in the future!

My First Blog

Jack (my oldest son) told me that he can't believe I don't have a blog, so I decided to start one. My fear is that I will blog for awhile and then not feel like doing it. I have a hard time following through with things I have started. I guess I will just try and see how it goes. Maybe I will surprise myself!

I have spent a lot of time, lately, reading the blogs of other adoptive parents. In them, they describe the struggles they are having with their kids and I was shocked to see that there are so many parents out there who are going through the same things that I am. Sometimes coping with my kids is so time demanding that I get really isolated from the rest of the world. Maybe this blog will help me to expand my horizons!