Now A Family of *gulp* Six.

There IS a difference. No matter what people try to tell you, or convince you, there just is. Charlie is more compatible with Doug and I, behavior-wise, because he is similar to us genetically. Roman has behaviors that, because of his genetics and environment when he was a baby, we find mystifying. We struggle daily trying to figure out what parts of Roman are just "him" and we have to adapt to. Sometimes we get so frustrated with a behavior and upon reflection later, realize that he has always been that way and probably always will be. I often wish we had a biological kid before we adopted Roman. I think we would have noticed much earlier that Roman wasn't like "regular" kids. On the other hand, we just soak up any affection given from Charlie because we never got it from Roman. Roman is also learning from Charlie, both in playtime and affection-wise. We have noticed that he is giving kisses and being slightly more spontaneous in telling us sweet things; I thin...

I have always been okay talking about death. Because it is unavoidable, perhaps because my parents handled my early experiences with it well. I had the privilege to talk to my Grandpa about his feelings about impending death when he was given just a couple months to live. It still remains as one of the best conversations I have ever had. My Grandma was the same way, very pragmatic about the whole thing. Because other family members were "too emotional" in her opinion, she asked me to write up her informal bequeaths, her obituary for the newspaper, and general directions in how her memorial service should run. It didn't bother me to do this at all - not only a favor to my grandmother, but also something I feel is pretty important anyway. So. I try to talk with Roman pretty factual about death too. It's not scary, it's not something to avoid - in fact, we refer to it as going to live with God . And for hard-believing Christians, is there anything better, really? Wou...

Swim is over Tuesday. While I've had fun, I'm looking forward to getting my day back to normal. I've missed picking Roman up and having an hour ro so to catch up on things at home before cooking dinner. Doug was told to expect a phone call regarding a career opportunity Tuesday. We both are excited to hear about it, but I haven't seen Doug this giddy in months. Doug is going to see Rush in concert with his best friend Sunday night. It's the last week of school before Spring break. We are going to Cleveland for a couple nights and looking forward to spending time with the boys with no real schedule. We would like to take in the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs!), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Museum, and of course lots of time in the pool at the hotel. Roman starts neurofeedback over break too. Hoping it helps with anxiety & ADHD. It's the 4th marking period at school. That means we're on the downhill slope! It's Doug's and my ...

In January I chose the word "time" to reflect on this year. I've done a lot of reflecting - just haven't blogged about it! Today I thought I'd do a fun post on the time I spent cleaning up the kitchen & putting groceries away - the music playlist I listened to while I did it! Life's A Dance by John Michael Montgomery I Feel Lucky by Mary Chapin Carpenter Our Song by Taylor Swift Viva La Vida - Coldplay Don't Stop by Wade Hayes The Nations of the World - Animaniacs Rock of Ages by Def Leppard Take A Look At My Girlfriend - Supertramp American Woman by Lenny Kravitz Stupid Girls by Pink Fruits by Knee Deep Shag Doug caught me grooving & singing at Coldplay and just laughed at me. All were good sing-along songs and the kitchen now looks great!