Nesting Over Here!

We are all getting so excited about our newest addition to the family.  I have been doing quite a bit of nesting here lately.  I will open up a closet or a drawer, see the disaster and disorganization inside and immediately want to fix it and put it in order....not too easy to do with 4 of who could possibly be the neediest children in the world!  Yeah, still working on those life skills.
Anyway, I am making good headway on getting some things organized and it feels good.  I guess I know adding #5 is going to throw us all in a little craze...in a good way, but if you have had a baby, you know exactly what I am talking about!
I have almost finished her room.  Nothing too fancy, but I KNOW it is a lot better than where she is now!
I have also been trying to prepare my kids for the time that we will be away in China and for how it will be when we get home.  They are a little apprehensive, as are we, about being gone for 2 weeks.  That seems so long to be away from my kids, so I will need lots of prayer because I know I will miss them so much.
The kids have been so cute because they are all talking about who is going to hold her first and who she is going to sleep with and who will give her a bottle and who will feed her.  I guess that leaves me with the diapers!  It makes my heart so full to see how thrilled they are about one more sibling. 
I will say that Kate is about to explode with excitement in getting a sister.  She asks me questions about them sleeping in the same bed and how she will "gently hug her if she is scared" and if I can start buying them both all the same outfits so they can be twins?  Ummm, a 5 year old American blond hair, blue eyed little girl and a 1 year old Asian dark hair dark eyed little girl certainly won't look like twins or sisters, but in her mind if they dress the same, they will!  Oh, the sweet innocence of a child. 
So, we are close....very close....so very close on getting that coveted travel approval and then we can bring Avery home!  A home with 3 brothers and 1 sister waiting to love her to pieces!

Drive In...Alabama Style!

I have wanted to this for awhile.  I have a memory from growing up of going to the drive in movie with my cousins in Powell, Wyoming.  The experience was so much fun that I will never forget it!

Well, we re-lived the memory many years down the road.

We loaded up our fam, and a few friends, and headed to the drive in movie in Harpersville, Alabama!

Cars 2! 

A pick up full of boys and 2 girls

 Does it get any better than this?

 Wild Boys

 The movie started at 8:30 and was finished by 10:00.

My car battery went dead, so we took a few extra minutes to get out of there!

Home by 11:00

In bed by 11:30

1 up the next day at 7:00

The other 3 slept until 9:00!

Perfect Summer Night in Alabama!

I will Survive!

Just hanging around these long summer days.  My first post in a while because things have been, well....rather boring around here.
Kate got to ballet camp this week with her bestie and had fun!

 Gray still thinks he is Superman and is under my feet ALL DAY LONG!

 The boys and I tried family Zumba at the gym on Wednesday, which was SO much fun.  I mean really fun.  I have never done Zumba and of course, neither have my boys, but we giggled and tried to dance the whole time through.  At one point, we had a dance to Baby, Baby by The Justin "Beaver" and I knew I was officially ":out of my mind", when I was singing along with it out loud with the other pre-teens in the back of the room.
When we are not Zumba"ing". which was all by one hour out of our week, I feel like this is all the boys want to do

DS!  Ughhhh...we got these gadgets last August and September, right after Summer was over, so we are dealing with our first Summer with video games.  I truly believe that if I did not set rules pertaining to these little toys that my boys just might sit on the couch for the rest of their lives completely unaware of the need to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or to hear anything that is going on around them. 

Adoption Update

Today, while at the pool with my kids, I saw a beautiful Asian girl (about 8 or so) and then I heard her Daddy call her by name....AVERY!  Oh, had it made me long to hold sweet Avery Grace in my arms. 
I realize with all the busyness of Summer, that I have not given an update of where we are at in the adoption process....well, guess what!  We are close!  The paperwork never stops and thinking about sweet Avery never subsides.  It is hard knowing we are her family and we cannot just go get her NOW!  But processes are processes and everyone must go through them to get from point A to point B.
With that said and our hearts So ready to bring her home, this is where we are at:
We received our letter from NVC (national Visa Center).  This means that we are what they call "cabled".
Now, we wait 2 weeks for a document from China called Article 5.  This takes 2 weeks.
Next we wait for out TA (Travel Approval)!!! Can you believe that?  They say TA's are coming quickly right now....I hope it stays that way. 
We went to a travel meeting last week and it really made Matt and I excited and anxious for our travels to China.
It is all still sinking in now that we are so so close to traveling:
1,  I am having another BABY!!!!  Help me Lord!
2.  I have to leave my babies for 2 + weeks
3.  I have to FLY across the world to get there.
4.  I have SO SO much to do to prepare to leave.
5.  I am feeling that ever familiar feeling of wanting to organize and clean my entire house, garage, closets, cabinets, car, my whole life....NESTING!
6.  Lastly, a little girl, who has only seen Chinese people, will be placed into my arms and no doubt be scared and unsure.  We are praying for God's favor on the situation.  For God to orchestrate an amazing connection right off the bat with our little girl.  That the transition will be easy for us all.  That God will prepare her heart for us to love her and her to love us, like only he can do.  We ask all these things in His powerful name.
Please pray with us! 

We Love the Lake!

I decided to take the kids to the lake for some F-U-N!  Matt wasn't able to go this time, so I made the trek solo.  Stopping in Atlanta to see my sisters and their kids, driving on up to the lake with Meme and Pop, and  then my sister, Mandi and her crew came up to hang out.  It was so much fun.

I love the lake.  When I get there, I instantly feel a sense of peace and easy livin'.

My parents recently added an awesome bunk room for all the grandkids, so that was a highlight to sleep in there with their cousins. 

We did a lot of this....off the top of the dock!

 my little outdoors man!

 meme and pop and the carrington crew!

 Ready to jet ski!  look at those mountains!~

 The newest "toy" for the summer.  THE HAMBURGER!!

This was so fun.  In fact, I cannot wait to try it out myself, with my sisters (in July when we are all there)!

 Sweet cousins.  These girls had a great time together, and the kid in the front was pretty much all up in there too!

 So, we did not take out the huge boat, because Mandi and I were not too sure if we could handle it with 8 kids in tow, but we did strap that Hamburger on the back of the jet ski and loaded everyone up and had a blast.

1 adult and 2 kids on each jet ski and 4 on the tube.  It was hilarious.

ReCap

First Triathlon of 2011...I reached my goal...to beat my time from last year!  I actually shaved off over 5 minutes so I was pleased.  The best part of triathlon season is getting to hang out with my friends doing something that we all love.  I love to encourage and support my friends and the competition is healthy!

Here, Lisa and I after the race.  We actually finished within 8 seconds of each other!

 As you know, Superman has been hanging around a lot this Summer! 

We spent a good hour or so playing with a plastic tub.  Who needs toys?

 We have put in some good hours at the pool. 

 Summer has really been off to a running start! 

O in the Kitchen...that would be OWEN!!!!!!

Owen's turn!  He wanted to cook his absolute favorite...breakfast for dinner.

Eggs, Bacon and toast!  Please excuse the naked kid in the kitchen cooking the food.  Aren't you glad your not at a restaurant and look back into the kitchen to see someone cooking your food with no shirt, wet hair, and pants almost on the ground (no underwear either, so I see). 

Thank goodness for Health codes!  We probably would not pass the dress code part.

 He was proud and took this picture of his plate.  In his own words...

"He never wanted to forget this night, so he needed a picture"

I think this little Life Skills thing is working out just fine!

My Superhero!

Tomorrow will no doubt be another fun day for Superman.   We have been sporting this costume now for 10 days tomorrow!  The first few days I did not say much and pretty much forgot he was even wearing it, until we would be out somewhere and every passerby would say;

"Hey Superman" or "Look it's Superman" or "Go save the world Superman" or I have actually had quite a few people take a picture of him with their phone.

I am smart enough to know not to make a big deal about it, knowing he is strong willed and will no doubt wear this until he is 10 years old, so I smile and laugh when we go to the dentist, to wal-mart, to the gym, to the bank, to Chic Fil a, to the post office, to the park, etc.... and people say, "Hey Superman" and Gray is grinning from ear to ear thinking in his little 2 year old head that "I am REALLY Superman....Everyone says so"

So, here is to my little Superman!

A little Camp

We started the Summer off with a little Soccer camp last Wednesday through Friday.  It is a couple hours in the morning and the boys have done it for the past 3 years and have always really enjoyed it! 

This year, Kate was able to go.  I knew she was in trouble when she announced right before we left that

"I don't really like to run, Mommy". 

Thankfully her best little friend, whom is also not too fond of running, was going to be at the camp with her.

All the kids (plus Superman) before enduring the 98 degree heat!

Kate and her BFF.  I was told by the coaches that they held hands while running down the field!

Life Skills Part II

Another life skill we are working on is making our beds.  We slack off during the school year because trying to get everyone ready and off to school makes for a crazy morning, but now that we have some time in the a.m., it is totally something the kids can do!  I admit that it drives me a little crazy to walk into their room as they proudly point to the bed they have made and I see this.....

We are a work in progress!  Bless our hearts!

Life Skills Part I

My sister had a great idea that she shared with me....(as a mother of 4 also).  She decided that this summer, she was going to teach her kids some "life skills".  I think we both realized that our kids might not even know how to pour their own glass of water (an exaggeration of sorts, but you get the picture)!  I would love for my kids to have a fun fun, happy happy ,no worry summer, but the truth of the matter is, when you have 8 hands and 8 little feet (yes that would be four kids) running through your house, making forts, walking right over trash on the floor to get to the door, leaving towels wherever they drop, capri-suns left on the couch, the front door wide open, folded laundry barely making it in the drawer, water running in their bathroom, toothpaste EVERYWHERE, dirty clothes left wherever they were standing when they stripped down, poo poo on the floor (ok--this happened today...pretty sure I noticed that one quickly, as Owen jokingly came down saying Gray left a piece of chocolate on the floor), shoes pretty much scattered across the driveway and garage, plates left on the table, an insane amount of crumbs under my table, no matter how many times I sweep....life can get a little ummm, ahem....messy and chaotic!
We need some life skills or their future spouses are SO going to resent me!
So here we go....the first idea is to let each child cook dinner for everyone.  And I mean REALLY do it!  Of course, I need to be close by or we will not have a house to destroy anymore, but the idea is to allow my kids to experience how to do everyday things that they will inevitably have to do one day.
I started with Wills because 2 were "swimming" in the tub and Owen was listening to my I-Pod....in a trance listening to my hip hop music that I down loaded for my spinning classes. 
Our first life skill is Cooking dinner for a family of 6.  Now we are not fancy here at the Carrington house, so it just so happen to be Taco Night, which comes around at least once a week.  He turned on the oven, browned the meat, added some spice, cooked the Taco shells, and made some cheese dip.  He laid out all the toppings for everyone and he actually did a really good job with everything.  It didn't go over without quite a mess of course, but that goes with having kids in the kitchen, I suppose.
So....now I have one child who will one day know how to make a mean taco dinner for that future lovely lady friend of his, all thanks to his Mama!

Taco Night!

 pre- a little help from mom on how to get all the shells on one sheet!

 Jammin to some Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas