Hello Darlin'

Nice to see you.  It's been a long tiiiiiiiiime...

Any Conway fans?

Ahem.  Is this thing on?

Oh hey!  Well it's been about a year, but luckily we are your average joes and the only significant thing you really missed was that we manufactured another sweet little baby boy!  I know what you're thinking.

Poor Lakey.

At first she was iffy about another brother, I'll admit.  Her enthusiasm was definitely lacking.  On more than one occasion she said to me, "Well, I wish it was a sister but I know it's not." 

But then one day she realized that she's got a captive audience, and let me tell you.  She is thriving under these circumstances!  Singing and dancing her way into Hayes' heart, no doubt.

 

And speaking of Hayes, let me formally introduce you!

 

 

What!?  You didn't receive Hayes' birth announcement?  That's because I was in a cloud of my own vainglory for actually getting professional newborn photos and announcements done this time around (none of my other kids had them).  I hastily sent the announcements to roughly a third of my list before we left for vacation, and then I completely forgot to send the rest!  #momfail  At this point it just seems like, why?  Social media really kills the anticipation of these anymore anyways.  Oh well.  I have a whole box to keep for posterity I guess.  You're welcome, kids. 

Life as a family of six is pretty wonderful.  And while it's a full on circus little bit chaotic around here, we are definitely smitten with our little lovey boy.  Every day my heart swells with thanksgiving as I hear little voices saying things like, "I love you Hayes-boy to the moooooon and back," or "Who's a good boy?  Hayes is a good boy!"

And then I hear Lakey's sentiments in her sweetest voice, "Hayes you're hard to have, but we do it!"

I'm sure she means it in the best possible way.  
 

I'm Bringing Store Bought Back

Yeah! 

You know where this is going.



Call it a total failure of modern motherhood if you must, but I bought the kids' valentines at the grocery store.  I'll pause while you say a prayer for our family.

I let each kiddo scrutinize every last terrible, poorly designed, manufactured option on the shelf.  The boys changed their minds no less than three times each.  Captain America!  No, Paws Patrol!  No, the sports balls with flames coming out of them!  Or, are those angel wings?  Lakey zeroed in on her favorite immediately.  I'm certain that her eyes saw a completely empty aisle, save for a single box of Frozen valentines that had to be hers!

Admittedly, I cringed a little during this entire process.  It's a composite of things really. 
1.  Jeremy and I aren't much for the Hallmark holidays.  Though, I do make our economic contribution to the machine in February on Gobstopper and Butterfinger Hearts.
2.  I appreciate one mom's creatively handmade valentine to my child as much as the next mom, and I self inflict pressure on myself to reciprocate sometimes.   However, something about bringing kiddo #3 into our family has alleviated my urge to creatively produce on behalf of my children, except for maybe on their birthdays.  I'm becoming much more okay with enjoying the creativity of others or enabling my kids to do their own thing.  I'm learning.
3.  I know that much of what I am about to purchase is going straight into the garbage.  That's just how it is these days.  The pendulum of my generation is swinging extreme in the direction of natural, organic, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, dye free, chemical free, fragrance free, etc.  Everything must be free! It's fine.  It's a reaction and possibly an overreaction to the era we were raised where the needle pointed to anything processed or enriched that made life more convenient, and consequently more unhealthy.  So, I get it.  But, until we eat from our own gardens daily again like our great grandparents, I'd like to take it down a notch and rest somewhere in the middle of the madness.

Wait, this post is about valentines!
 
You know what?  Despite my own inner struggles mentioned above, the kids LOVE their valentines.  They clung proudly to them all the way to the check out aisle.  They worked hard to write their own names on all 36 and sound out the names of their friends if they could.  They woke up yesterday morning THRILLED to take their generic valentines to school and deliver them to their classmates and neighbor friends.  It was so fun to watch them!

So, if a store bought valentine is all you can muster or if you have a surge of energy to create something unique, remember that it is really so simple for kids.  They want to give.  That's where they find their joy, and that's where you'll find yours.

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Knox Talks: To A Bully

In the car on the way home from school today...

K: Mommy, this boy was really mean to me today at school.  He kept pushing me.

Me: Did you ask him to stop?

K: No because I'm kind of scared.  He's a third grader.

Me: Well, tomorrow if he does it again, ask him once nicely to stop.  If he keeps doing it after that, tell the teacher that he's bothering you.

K: How 'bout I say this to him.  Then changes to his sweetest voice - his "kind" voice if you will.  Colton, please stop pushing me you lazy fool.

So, he might be coming home with a black eye tomorrow.  Keep you posted.

Three: Lakey Ming Jia

Our sweet girl turned three today.

Now she has lived almost half of her life with us.

She has surprised me.  I expected a meek and mild little girl for some reason.

But as she grows more and more comfortable, she has proven to be outspoken, good humored,  happy, loud and moody.

Oh, and hungry.  All the time.

 

At the age of three, her favorite things are...
Hello Kitty
Minnie Mouse
Gummy vitamins
Her "pack-pack" (backpack)
Her Hello Kitty "swim soup" (swimsuit)
Gymnastics
Her Hello Kitty "foam" (a musical toy iPod thing she thinks is a phone)
Her black/hot pink Nike shoes that her friend Ashlyn handed down after she outgrew them

Her favorite songs to sing are...
It's A Small World, Edelweiss, Hey Jude, Twinkle Twinkle and Thank You Lord. 

Her favorite color is hot pink. 

She wants to wear her hair in "Anna baids" (braids like Anna, from the movie Frozen) every day.

I can't think of a cooler three year old. 

Happy birthday Jodgy!  We love you!

Walt Disney World 2014

We did it! 

Jeremy and I took the kiddies to Walt Disney World back in May, and this is me rested, recovered, and living to tell about it.  Let's face it - I had my doubts. 

 

unknown source 

 

Brace yourselves for an onslaught of photos.

 

This trip was akin to having a baby.  You want to do it so badly, but thinking about what you're really in for brings about pangs of dread.  Once it's booked, there is no turning back.  While you are there, there are real painful moments (i.e. line management with a 2, 4 and 5 year old) that are quickly eclipsed by the overwhelming thrill of it all.  You come home exhausted, but after enough time passes, you forget and find yourself wanting to do it all over again. 

 

I might have predicted that Miles' favorite park would be Animal Kingdom.  I've heard some people ho-hum this park as being just another zoo.  But a zoo is never. EVER. just a zoo to Miles.  And AK has roller coasters too.  So this was pretty much heaven on earth for Miles.

 

 

Lakey's first encounter with a Disney character.  She was unimpressed and absolutely NOT taking her eye off Minnie for one second.

 

Animal Kingdom has a super awesome roller coaster called Expedition Everest that the boys talked about for days.

 

 

We spent two days at the Magic Kingdom, and this is by far the most remarkable, magical place on the planet.  In an engineered sort of way.  I'm sorry to be so dramatic about it, but there is no other way.  MK is so amazing, and every memory I have as a kid going to WDW comes from this park.  I beefed up our Disney DVD collection a couple of months before the trip and then forced the kids to watch a different one every weekend so that they could appreciate all the goodness they would behold at the Magic Kingdom.  I think it was a good move on my part.  Fist bump to myself.  Blow it up.

 

Side note: I wonder why The Sword in the Stone doesn't get any street cred at WDW?  It's one of my very faves.  Anyone with me?

 

 

We started everyone off slow with rides like Dumbo, Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan. 

 

 

 Then we high tailed it over to Tomorrowland and put the boys on Space Mountain.  Suckas! 

 

 

Who doesn't love Space Mountain?  Well apparently Knox, as evident from the tear stained cheeks and eyes as he exited the ride.  He was not happy.  And with that, I vowed to nominate myself for Mother of the Year another day.  Luckily, Miles loved it and was up for an encore round which meant I was able to ride it too.

 

 

The kids got their faces painted. 

 

I love how Miles carefully selected a superhero design that left plenty of room for his glasses. 

 

 

True to form, Knox went with something a little more dramatic.  Galactic Tiger I think this was called.

 

 

Of all the glittery fairy and princess options, Lakey was dead set on getting fixed up like her worst enemy - a dog.  A superhero dog.  Just whatever.  I had them sprinkle on some glitter anyway for good measure.

 

Character dining is probably the best way to experience and interact with all the different characters without forging the long lines elsewhere in the parks.  Here were some of our favorite friends.

Please note the absence of Miles with Sophia the 1st.  He was not into the princesses AT ALL.  Here is additional evidence.

See?  Wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

Knox was more than happy to represent with the ladies, however.

What can I say?  I drink the Mouse punch too.

Belle is my favorite because she reminds me of me.  Just kidding about that last part.  We actually had to coerce Miles into this photo, but I think his face reveals the truth.

Next up was Epcot.  Jeremy and I really liked this park but there weren't as many rides for younger kiddos.  We managed to make a full day of it though.

We saw some great flowers and sculptures.

 

And guess who we found?  That would be the Figment of your Imagination.  I have no idea why, but I had a stuffed Figment as a kid and I think he's still loveable.  Knox did too and tried to snatch up all these wares from the gift shop after the ride.

 

The last park we went to was Hollywood Studios.  I would definitely say that this park is geared for adults and kids older than ours.  But it does boast one ride that was the entire reason we were there - Toy Story Mania.  Jeremy said this was his favorite ride of all the parks, and if we go back he just wants to ride it over and over and over again.

This is also the place to be if you're a Star Wars fan, which I am thanks to growing up with a sci-fi loving older brother and two equally enthusiastic parents.  Sadly enough, the rest of my crew doesn't have the same respect for the glory of the Jedi, but there was this glimmer of hope.

Lakey was totally digging all things galactic.  Such a good young Padawan.

Nonetheless, we only spent a half day at Hollywood and then hopped back over to the Magic Kingdom to finish up our Disney experience. 



See ya real soon Disney!

something sweet.

Last night after Lakey and I read a book together, I asked her if she wanted to talk to God before she got in bed.  She said yes, and this is what she said,

"God thank you, making me happy."

 

 

Then we sang, Thank You Lord, together at her request and I almost died of joy.

One Year with Lakey

One entire year.

Sometimes I go back and read my posts from China.  Every time I see the pictures from the first day we laid eyes on Shang Guan Ming Jia my heart jumps into my throat.  For the rest of my life she will, in my eyes, be the bravest girl I've ever known.  To remember her standing there in front of me that day, dressed in all her best layers, refusing even a sideways glance in my direction still makes me weep because I know that little 19 month old soul could sense change was coming.  And though it took her several minutes to mull it over, she finally mustered up the fortitude to turn and look me in the eye.  And literally, Lakey never looked back to the ones that brought her to us.

I can barely process it even still.  We are so thankful to God every day for creating this sweet girl and bringing us together.  This has surely been a year we won't forget, and the best is yet to be!

Christ The Savior Is Born







 

Merry Christmas with peace and love,
Jeremy, Lindsay, Miles, Knox, and Lakey Ming Jia

Crossing It Off The List

There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it.

There will be no Elf on a Shelf at our house this year.  Or any year after. 

Judge me if you must.  This is a decision I made about 5 minutes ago, and I haven't even discussed it with Jeremy yet.  But considering that he heaves a big sigh every time I send him to the attic to bring down yet another Christmas tree (We have five.  Keep on judging, Grinch), I can't imagine this news will disappoint him.

It's just too much for us (me).  The thought of one more task to complete every night makes me want to induce myself into a coma.  And frankly, isn't the idea of a miniature person flying in and out of your house every night, watching your every move, reporting to the Man in Red, and rooting around in your knives and marshmallows a little Creepy Creeperson?  I say yes. 

And, while I guess the main point is to add another layer of magical goodness to Christmas for children, it's undisputed that parents hope the elf will curb some bad behavior for a month.  Right?  Let's discuss this please.  Does this really work for any of you?  We had an elf last Christmas, and I am a mother of mischievous boys.  So at our house, Elf-Elf (as the boys so creatively named him) served as one more figure for Miles and Knox to defy.  Literally moments after I read them the passage from the book that says you're not allowed to touch the elf or he loses his magic, Knox went nose to nose with the little guy and put his grubby little finger about an eighth of an inch away from Elf-Elf's cheek, while Miles looked on screaming, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

This is drama we don't need, folks.  So I'm saying no.  I hope the kids won't be upset.  Is it too much to hope they will have so much fun with other things that they won't notice?  We'll see.

*I cast no judgment against those of you that enjoy this tradition.  I'll have fun seeing pictures of your elves on Facebook tonight while I watch The Voice free of all thoughts elfin.

lakey: six months later.

Today marks six months since Lakey became our forever daughter.  And in six months, I have learned some things about her.

She is delicious.  I could eat her up with a spoon.

Give her a snack and you've got a friend for life.

She takes a particular liking to corn on the cob.  It was love at first bite.

She is sometimes bossy and is slightly dramatic.  Her favorite phrase is, "Sit. Right. Here."

PoPo was spot on when she said that Lakey lets you know if something doesn't meet her mind.  I froze solid from this icy glare after I helped myself to a bite of her eggs one morning.  Yikes.

She has an adventurous spirit.

She is a beauty.

She mixes perfectly with her rowdy brothers.

She is loving, and she is loved.

I think she is happy with us so far.

And I am so glad about that, because we are 100% in love with her.