Today was the day....

Yep. November 30th, 2005. We became a family of 5! I would have never imagined it would have happened 7000 miles away from home. Wayne and I have been talking a lot about our trip to China and the whole adoption experience. From start to finish, everything went smooth. Julia's transition was fairly painless for all of us. We can't believe the little girl that our once scared toddler has become. So here are some fun Julia facts:



1. She's left handed (so is Wayne...but neither Cam or Anna is...)

2. She's not a huge meat eater, she'd rather have veggies, fruit, rice or noodles.

3. She loves to paint, draw, color, and write. She's got momma's crafty side!

4. She can beat any adult at the game of Memory. Doubt me? Come on over!

5. She talks openly about being adopted, her foster mom and Baba Lu (the orphanage director)

6. She loooovvveeeesss potato chips. Not any chips. Yellow bag ones, momma. (Lay's)

7. She loves to sing and can recall lyrics as good as I can.

8. Tickle fights are her favorite thing to play with me.

9. She only likes orange juice boxes...and will scold me for not getting them if we run out.

10. She's very proud of being Chinese and loves to look at books about China.



So yeah...I thought about getting all mushy, but I think the picture of me and her together says it all (see previous post). You all know how the story turned out. (And to think I wasn't going to blog much after we arrived home. HA. HA HA!)



Wayne and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to parent 3 great kids. Yes, we have chaos; Yes I get stressed; Yes, I have clothes in the dryer that need to be folded; Yes, there are dishes to be done; Yes, my kids fight and fight and fight. But in the end, I woudn't trade my family for anything.

For Karen

It's a few days early, but Karen mentioned this photo and I wanted to repost it. Here's a very unsure Lu Yin Gui and a VERY happy momma sharing their first bottle together. Shortly after this bottle, she had an accident and got her first bath with us. It's unbelievable that this little one is sitting on the arm of my chair, talking about how it's ok for boys to wear earrings too.

To Jess and Tim...every bump, every road block, every extra day that you have to wait to get your little one is so worth it. I don't think there's a happier picture of Julia and I together than this one. :-) Love you guys, can't wait to see you tonight!! Yay!

3 years ago today...do you know where you were?

This is the baby I went to China for...

We were on a plane headed to China! Yep, it's been that long aready. Liz and Brion, Wayne and I boarded a small little plane in Grand Rapids which would take us to the big BIG plane waiting for us in Chicago. Once in Chicago we decided to eat a bite at Quiznos and that's when I think my nerves really started. I remember walking towards the sign that said "Flight 851 to BEIJING"!!! It was really happenening! We were headed to China! Wow!

I will warn you...the next two weeks of posts will probably contain certain memories, pictures and writings from our trip. Each day that we are home, I am still amazed at Julia. Last night, she was upset that I beat her in Memory. I have to REALLY try to beat her, otherwise she'd kick my butt everytime!

Maybe if I get real ambitious I can figure out how to get some of our videos loaded. :-) We have some cute stuff of Julia talking into the play phone. She loves to watch it too!

This is the little girl I get to wake up every morning!

Most disturbing....

I hear Anna plunkin' away on her little Barbie piano in her room. How cute you say? Well, she was using the legs of a bodiless Barbie. Yes. She was using them much like chopsticks, but to play the piano. Think Ted Bundy started out this way?

Crabbin'

If I hear of one more bailout, I'm gonna SCREAM!

Ok done.

If I let it, it will swallow me whole

As most parents this time of year, Wayne and I getting serious about Christmas shopping plans. We take a weekend and head to Grand Rapids for a few nights. My aunt Pam takes the kids during the day while Wayne and I run ourselves ragged looking for just the right PollyPocketiPodWiigottahaveitgadgetbecauseifIdon'tIwon'tbecoolwhenIgobacktoschool. I will totally admit, I love to shop. I love finding the right thing for each kid. This year, it's pulling me down. Budgets are tighter, but that's not really it...

It's knowing that there are over 1 million children in China alone who don't get a Christmas morning. It's knowing that we have soooooo much, that our kids get enough gifts to supply a small orphanage that doesn't have what it needs to care for the children. It's not even that...it's looking into face of kids who don't know the love of a family. It's something most people push away, they choose not to think about that. I include myself in that statement too. I get wrapped up in getting what I want. Not giving, but getting. Go to the CWA.org and check out the older children who need families, tell me they aren't deserving. On the bright side, there is one little guy who has at least 10 families that are interested in him. :-) But still many wait and wait.....

So for my friends that pray, say a little prayer for those kiddos that who don't know what the holidays are all about, that they too will come to know the love a family and a sense of belonging.

Lost on Planet China

It's what I'm reading and LOVE IT.

Check it out!

Saturday is party day

Cameron had a b-day party from 2-4:30, roller skating...
Julia had a b-day from 2-4, bowling...
Anna has a b-day party from 5-8, spa night...

I'm thinking Wayne and I need "Mom and Dad have drinks and play the Wii" night...

Gmail...I love you!

Gmail added new themes and I'm in love...This is the footer of my email account. It changes depending on the time of day. This is what I see after 9ish at night...

Life doesn't make any sense...

1. I have a great hair day today. So, yeah...I did have a meeting with Mik at church. I did have to go to the grocery store, but no one to really appreciate what it means to have a decent hair day. Plus, it's a blizzard outside, so within 3+ minutes of being outside, my hair was back to crap anyways.



2. "Holiday" Oreos. WTF? They are regular Oreos with red creme centers. Red is Christmas color. Holidays don't have a color association...depends on the Holiday. At least with Easter Oreos they call them Spring Oreos and have lilac or yellow centers. But Holidays? I dunno. Just call it what it is...Christmas.


3. I'm beginning to worry about my affinity for The Sopranos. I yelled out "Forgetaboutit" last night.

A big debate, and if you flame, I'll kick your....

Don't say I didn't warn you. This is a post I've been putting off for a bit. Not sure how I wanted to approach it. But today, I made up my mind.

Stay at home moms Versus Working moms

For most of you that read my blog, you know that I'm a SAHM (stay at home mom). I love it. I've worked part time on and off since Cam was born in 1997, but for the most part, I've always had the privilege of being able to stay home. I personally have felt that I'm better off being a mom than a woman climbing a corporate ladder somewhere. Isn't that the great thing about America...we can CHOOSE. At some point we all make decisions about what's best for our families. Some moms have to work, some choose to work, and some of us choose to stay home. So here's my question and the debate part:

Why do (some) working moms make comments to us SAH moms like "well, you have plenty of time, you're home all day..."??

Why do some SAHM make comments to working moms about "having it all"??

There are days that I want to work outside the house, I want to take my talents and use them in other ways than folding laundry or making beds. There are days that I'm very grateful that I can be home when the phone rings and Anna needs hearing aids batteries at school or Cam needs to come home because he's sick. But, I'm tired of people making me feel like because I don't work, that I have TONS of time to do extra shit like volunteer for every PTC meeting or school event. There are lots of things I love to do, but because of my fatigue, I struggle to do. Hell, I've had the same load of white clothes needing to be folded since Friday and haven't done it. I've felt like crap. (Does anyone really care if their socks are wrinkled?) I just hate feeling judged for my choice to stay home. Are working moms jealous? I have no idea. My closest friends (both working and not) have HUGE respect for each other and UNDERSTAND what the other goes through. However, I am guilty of making the "supermom" comments about working parents. Working is something that since I don't have a college degree, has never been something I've felt compelled to do, so understanding the need to work outside the home is foreign to me.

My nurse practitioner made a great observation...Working moms try to over compensate because they can't be at everything and SAHM's volunteer for everything (unless we're sick! LOL!) because we don't contribute financially to our household. I agree. Just wish more moms respected each other's choices.

So if there's anyone out there that wants to argue, go somewhere else to do it. It's my blog. I can write about whatever I want. You're entitled to your opinions, just not on my site! :-)

Latest pictures of random things....

I've been slacking lately when it comes to new pictures...to be honest, not much has been happening. But here are some that I've taken in the past few days. Enjoy!


Our yard, looking south-east

Our trees in the south yard

Another of the yard, looking north-west and down Morton Rd

The "little brother" statue....he looks cold!

Anna in her favorite outfit.

Anna and me at the Thanksgiving dinner at school earlier today

Anna and Jordan

Me and Cameron

All of us together!

Anna and Cam

She's on fire!

Julia bowled a 201 in Wii bowling tonight. I'm not sure I can beat her! LOL!

Going minimal

As you may gave noticed...I have taken all layouts down. I'm kind of in a transition phase with what I want the blog to be. It all started out as a way for friends and fam to follow the journey to Juju. Now it's just the ramblings and pictures of our latest adventures. Rest assured I will keep writing and posting, just with less fanfare of fun backgrounds.

Note to self

There are some subjects that shouldn't be googled...well, let me rephrase that. There are some subjects that shouldn't be searched for in images. Like the Flesh Eating Bacteria....I know, I should have known better. Curiosity got the best of me.

Catagory: DUH!

Obama holds secret meeting with Sen. Clinton in Chicago....Not so secret anymore if it's a YAHOO HEADLINE.

Memory

Julia beat me 20-16 in a game of Memory tonight. She kicks @$$!

Whoa...slow the roll, back up the bus!

Just got outta the shower and realized that I had 2!! gray hairs in my eyebrows (yeah, I lack ambition to pluck more often, but I digress...) and 2!! zits on my chin! What is up with that? Apparently, my body doesn't realize that it's no longer 16 or that it's NOT old enough for gray hairs. Bah.

November is Adoption Awareness Month!

Our agency AAI (Adoption Associates, Inc.) just for a new paper list if you're interested. (Just don't pick Ethan! He's my favorite!) Here's a link to to their new WC list here.

While searching youtube for something else, I found my fave song from Tarzan sung in CHINESE with English subtitles! It's very very cool! Yes, made me cry AGAIN!!

One thing leads to another....

I've had a sore throat since Friday...Cam is home early from school with a sore belly. BEWARE! The Wagner house is contaminated. ACK!

Conflicted...

My email inbox looks like this:

1. Focus on the Family Success in California--Traditional Marriage Restored!
2. Victoria's Secret Boucle Sweaters $29 & Up. Shop 150+ Sweater Styles.
3. Blizzard Fan Club - Dairy Queen Blizz Prez says: Let's go nuts
4. Discovery Channel Insider Survivorman NEW SEASON, Bullet-Proof Belt, the Birth of Beer & More!


Sooooo...my conservative side like reads Focus on the Family, while secretly wearing naughties from VS all while eating Blizzards from DQ and watching Discovery Channel. And you all thought you knew me. Muuhahahahahaa!!!!

Busted!!

So, I'm at the grocery store today. Making my way through the produce when WHAM! I hit the edge of the nut display and 2 cereal boxes shoot off the bottom of my cart. Uhhh...ok. Hopefully the cute guy stocking lettuce DOESN'T NOTICE, but of course HE DOES. He politely laughs and jokes. Little does he know I was looking at him when I ran into the nuts. LOL! So, we laugh about the set up of the display and I go about my shopping. I head to the deli when I realize that I have to go back over to the lettuce because that was the way I was headed when I go side-tracked by the hottie's hotness. (And I think I was trying to read his nametag! LOL!) I sheepishly make my way back to his side of the produce and have to make small talk AGAIN. Such a shame, NOT! Anyways, he joked about me forgetting to get what I came for. Ugh. At least he didn't call me Ma'am. His name was Jon H. by the way.... ;-)

Julia's bowling form

This is Julia bowling with the Wii, I just love her form. In the background, you hear Wayne and Cam doing homework and Anna singing. :-)

Speechless

Because he says I never post pics of him

ADD strikes again...

Just got a wild hair about making clippies and this is what I did today instead of working on the house. :-)

Today is the Day!