Lazy Days of Summer

While this may be true for the girls, it has not proven true for the moms. Kim is working non-stop with the activities being held on the UT campus for the summer. She comes home hot and tired every night. I am working harder than I ever knew was possible. My self image has always included words like lazy and not so smart. Well, I have busted through the self image because I am working my butt off! The lesson for the month is self care, which neither one of us picked up along the way.

As for my darling divas, they are fantastic! The summer has been remarkably mild with an unusual number of thunderstorms that leave us sticky and everything else green. Kim let the girls play in the sprinkler the other night to cool off. Maddie loves the sprinkler, but it seemed to be McKenzie's first experience. Maddie, of course, showed her the ropes.

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We're headed to the Luling Watermelon Thump tomorrow. Kim and I have always wanted to go and have never made the drive. So now we're going. Of course, watermelon IS Maddie's favorite food. Remember the summer when she ate so much that her pee-pee turned pink? I am anticipating an awesome nap out of both of them! We are suppose to have a playdate with 2 of her best buddies from school in the afternoon. We'll see if they're up to it. McKenzie is playing well with friends. Maddie is getting used to not being the center of attention, which isn't easy. Kim and I are making efforts to spend one on one time with her. I tell myself all families go through this, right? Here are some other snap shots of my babies.

Presenting McKenzie Kathryn Rasmus-Ford

We are so excited to announce that Shawna is going to be a permanent member of our family! We received the call last week that she is eligible for adoption and we are completely in love with her, so the next step is to begin the adoption proceedings. Granted, her social worker is 3 weeks behind returning our calls, so I don't anticipate any of this will happen immediately.

Despite Maddie's pleas to re-name the baby Coconut Tree, Kim and I have chosen the name McKenzie Kathryn. We both like the name McKenzie and Kathryn is to honor my Aunt Kathy, who you all know I lost 3 years ago. Her given name was Mary Kathryn and I still miss her every day. It is still unbelievable to me that she won't know my children. She can never be forgotten now and that is why I love this name so much.

Of course, changing the name of a toddler isn't easy. The books we read suggest calling her Shawna McKenzie for a while before completely dropping the Shawna. That is the plan for now, and to keep Maddie from teaching her how to say Coconut Tree. This situation completely reminds me of my friend Mollie James (now Vickery) who once took over her little brother's room when he lost a hand in spades.

McKenzie is too young to know what is going on. She will be 2 in August. She is just happy and loves to be loved. Here she is dancing in the kitchen the other night.

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We will keep you posted on the progress of the legal proceedings. In the meantime, we'll be loving her like crazy!

She Smiles!

Shawna is having a great time in her new home. She continues to be joyful and happy. Maddie has finally shown her how to "work" the camera. Here are the results of Maddie's tireless efforts




Our home has definitely been in turmoil as we adjust to someone new. We bought bunk beds last weekend and they broke. No kidding, they broke. Of course, we were trying to save money and bought them at Big Lots. Kim and I took them back and bought new ones at a furniture store. In the meantime, Maddie is sleeping on a mattress on the floor in an empty room. There are doll babies in the bathtub and toys everywhere as we await the arrival of the bunk beds. I have stayed surprisingly calm during the transition. Normally, I would be nuts!

Maddie woke up slowly this morning. I was trying to get her dressed for school when she walked away from me. I asked where she was going. She said, "Crazy, wanna come?" This is a DIRECT quote from Kim and we both cracked up. She is hysterical! It made me want to sing the song from Nanny Golden and Mom "I'm going crazy, don't you wanna come along I'm going crazy just singing this song!"

National Geographic in Round Rock

Please meet our new tenant, Sammy the Snail. Sammy moved into the yard after all the rain began in April. Kim is completely fascinated by snails and she was able to capture Sammy in his glory.

Picture Day

Today is picture day at Mt. Sinai Christian Academy. Everyone had a bath last night and I lined them up for hair to be combed. I am so proud of my girls! They are just beautiful and so sweet to one another. Shawna hasn't had her picture taken nearly enough so Maddie is doing what she can to show her the ropes of working the camera.

DooDoo

Our beloved Doo Doo (aka Deby from Chicago) came for a visit over the weekend. We had a wonderful time and we miss her terribly already. Deby flew into Austin on Saturday afternoon and stayed through Wednesday. I wish we could stop time to play more. After picking Deby up on Saturday, we picked up the newest member of the family, Shawna. Thank goodness Deby was here because Kim and I spent a few hours in the ER Saturday with the baby, who had 2 ear infections and a fever of 102.3. Deby stayed home with Maddie and had a Disney film fest. When we came home, here is what we found.





By Sunday, Shawna was feeling 100% better. The fever was gone and she was ready to play with Maddie. Here they are playing with the empty diaper box.




By Monday, Maddie and Shawna had pulled out a million toys to play with in the living room. Shawna seems fascinated by doll babies, so I asked Maddie to bring the baby stroller out for her. Kim predicted it would take 5 minutes before someone new was put in the stroller. She was right!




Shawna's case worker is coming to the house next week to give us more details about her case. What we do know is that she has been permanently placed in our home as a foster child. Her previous foster mother ended up in the ER Saturday night as well with an asthma attack. Kim and I stayed with her as long as we could because she is a single mom and drove herself to the hospital. She doesn't have asthma and had never had an attack. She was eventually admitted to the hospital for a few days to get her breathing right. So, Shawna was officially moved to our home.

The baby is extremely happy and is becoming more verbal every day. She says Hi, Hello, happy, dog. She knows sign language very well and signs more, please, milk, yes, and bye. Shawna started school at Mt. Sinai Christian Academy, Maddie's Alma Mater, today. I know she will do well. Her case worker hasn't been helpful in facilitating this transfer. It has been over a week to get a phone call from him. It makes me so sad to know that Shawna could be lost in the system if not for Kim's persistance. My honey is an incredible advocate for children. Kim called today about a hair appointment for Shawna. She has very course, broken hair. I am confident in my hair-combing skills, but I think she needs some professional help in the hair department. It makes me laugh to think about how much hair Maddie had at this age! Speaking of, Shawna will be 2 on August 18. She shares a birthday with my cousin, Ginger!

We will keep you posted on the progress of our newest member. Please keep us in your prayers!

Easter Weekend

Depsite the freezing rain and bone chilling cold, we had a wonderful Easter weekend. Maddie didn't get to wear her Easter dress, but the forecast calls for temps in the high 80's tomorrow, so maybe next Sunday. Instead we wore long johns to church! Just kidding, we really didn't wear long underwear, but we did bundle up!

The bigger news of the weekend was little Schewanna. She is 19 months old and became increasingly verbal over the weekend. We picked her up on Saturday morning. Sitting in the backseat together, Maddie leans over and says, "So, do you know Lightening McQueen?" I swear, that child will someday lead seminars on How to Win Friends and Influence People. Schewanna didn't say much or come to life until we got to the Texas Jumping Bean (warehouse of inflatable toys), where she laughed and played and started babbling. She was wonderful and we had so much fun. Maddie was great with her and by the end of the weekend, she was hugging everyone and smiling and playing - complete change from Saturday morning.

We picked Schewanna up Saturday morning in the pouring rain. Immediately, both girls fell asleep in the back seat.





Next, we go to Texas Jumping Beans with Sarah, Stacey, Emery, and new baby Sabrina. We had so much fun! Schewanna is apparently a dare devil because her favorite thing to do was climmbing a steep ladder and coming down the slide at break neck speed. Then she and Maddie would come together. So much fun!






Easter morning dawned at about 4 Am, when Maddie woke up and was ready to start the day. Kim told her to play in her room until the sun woke up. Eventually, I joined Maddie in the living room to watch cartoons. Apparently, I fell asleep. So did Maddie.




After church, we went to Gracie's house (mother of great friend Rebecca) for Easter fajitas. This has been our Easter tradition for 3 years. As usual, we had a wonderful time. Maddie and Schewanna had a ball. We finally left Gracie's about 5 Pm to take Schewanna back to her foster mom. I am fighting sadness because I have total faith that God is in charge and wants only the very best for me and my family. I know whatever happens, it is His will and I trust it completely. Needless to say, I love this baby. I hope she will become part of our family. She and Maddie really enjoy each other and I think they look remarkably alike. Here is the baby playing at Gracie's.






Maddie got to dye Easter eggs with Gracie, daughter DeeDee, and friend Scott. She had a ball! As usual, she had to put on Becki's shoes. What a diva!

Maddie and Emery Dance

We went to dinner last night with Sara, Stacey, and Emory. Sara and Stacey suggested this neighborhood Mexican restaurant that had great service and live music. Without trying, we were seated at a table directly next to the band. The band, who performed in Spanish only, was comprised of 5 young Mexican men. They were very cute and thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment our table provided. Maddie and Emery jumped up from the table as soon as the music began. You know Maddie, she can NOT sit still when music is playing! So, Emery makes ballerina arms and begins twirling. Maddie begins to do something I can only liken to interprative dance. As a result, the whole restaurant was sad to see us eventually go. Here she is - Maddie and Emery unplugged!

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She Works Hard for the Money!

They say impersonation is the highest form of flattery and here is the evidence. I found Maddie in my office (I moved my business home) working on her own laptop. She cracks me up! Isn't she the cutest! I love the work I do and I wish I didn't have to work so much, but I do. I can only hope Maddie will find a profession that she loves as much as I love travel.

Tea for Two

Jaylene invited Maddie over for a tea party on Saturday. Jaylene received this beautiful tea set for Christmas and has grown tired of tea parties with Bryce. I imagine Bryce is weary of the tea parties too! Jaylene's mom, Trina, put fruit punch in the pitcher and served strawberries, grapes, and other fruit. The kids had so much fun! I am glad we attended High Tea!

Easter Egg Hunt

Last year we started a tradition of hosting an Easter egg hunt for Maddie's friends. It was a big hit last year, despite the damage done to our carpet by the ground in jelly beans! This year we decided to host the party at our wonderful park near the house where her birthday party was held. It was a gorgeous day with perfect weather. Unfortunately, only a few friends came to the party, which is fine with me. We had a ball and the children had a ton of eggs to find.

In attendance were Jaylene (best friend from school), Bryce (brother of Jaylene), and Emery (new best buddy who went on vacation with us). Here are some pictures from the day.

Long time, no write

Yes, it is March now. It has been quite a while since I last wrote. My friends (Julie) will have to forgive me. We have been very busy. For today, I want to share with you how much I love my daughter. Maddie is 4 now and continues to be the light of my life. She is hysterically funny and grows sweeter by the day. Ok, sweeter by the day may be a stretch. She is wicked smart and knows exactly what buttons to push to get what she wants. I try to control this to some extent, but she is so dang cute. For instance, Maddie was going to take a nap with me on Saturday afternoon. I have learned it is best for me to lay completely still and quiet when trying to get Maddie down for a nap. I kept my eyes closed for a long time, but she wasn't going to sleep. I finally opened my eyes and this is what she did:

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I laughed so hard and she kept doing it to keep me laughing. The nap became impossible, so we just played. Maddie has incredible timing and it so funny. In talking to my friend, Cheryl, who was adopted as an infant and recently met her birth family at the age of 45, I realized Maddie's birth mom and I probably have our sense of humor in common. I would like to think Maddie gets her funny bone from me, but more than likely it comes from her genes as well. I doubt her birth mom had much to laugh about because life is hard for her. Maddie, on the other hand, has so much to laugh about. She has endless opportunities in life.

Right now, Maddie dances every Saturday morning. We are considering T-ball or soccer. Kim and I found a T-Ball set at Wal-Mart this weekend. We set it up in the front yard and she went to town on the t-ball. Granted, she did more singing and dancing around the t-ball than actually hitting the ball, but she did hit it. We have spent some time outside every evening so she can hit the ball - and dance and sing. Here she is knocking it out of the park, or the front yard.

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I promise to write more later. I have so many updates, including vacationing with celebrities!