I love the smell of sunscreen in the mornin'!

We started the Memorial Holiday with a Wedding! Yes, my dear friend Mike from the OC finally, FINALLY tied the knot to the beautiful Miss Wendy. It was really nice. Other than the part where the minister called Wendy "Lisa"...I totally wanted to laugh, but I restrained myself. Really, I did. He kept messing up so half-way through the ceremony he threw his book of notes on the floor and said, "I'm really glad this isn't being recorded."
Immediately after the wedding Saturday, I drove across town to watch my little girls "Bridge" from Daisy's to Brownies and from Brownies to Juniors. They've made several good friends and had a lot of fun with Girl Scouts this year. We'll be doing it again next year and going to a weekend retreat this summer.
Sunday we went to the ZOO with the Willmon's and cooked out. It was yummy! You can't go wrong with Salmon on the grill! Salmon is Emily's favorite!
Monday we woke up LATE and worked on the back yard ALL DAY. Mom and Dad brought watermelon over and it was delicious!
Tuesday...Ahhh the first official day of summer vacation. I have tons of things planned for the girls and they probably won't do half of them. They are pretty creative and like to come up with their own forms of entertainment. The first of which is a Lemonade Stand. I'll have to take a picture of it. They are quite the sales people. They wanted to sell one dixie cup of lemonade for $1. I talked them into lowering their price to a quarter. They made $2.80 on Monday. I know, it doesn't seem like I can count. I can. Sometimes. An old guy taking a walk gave them some change saying it was a tip. He didn't even take a cup of lemonade. Not that he could have passed our house without small children running out into the street, knocking him over with a big foam-board sign shouting, "ICE COLD LEMONADE ONLY A QUARTER! THAT MEANS IF YOU GIVE US A DOLLAR WE WILL GIVE YOU FOUR CUPS OF LEMONADE!" I mean, who could pass that up?

HAPPY SUMMER VACATION!

It's about time!

On April 15, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. we welcomed Robert Andrew into our family. This photo is of the whole family at a "shower" given by my work. It was awesome! Notice the MONEY Tree to our left. That was the best gift EVER! We really appreciate everyone who contributed to the Day Care fund! The tree was actually a hybiscus shrub that we lovingly named "Carol" (after my boss).

We have been settling down a bit at home. Drew was already pretty much aclimated to our routine already so not much change there. I think Lula Bug (the now-middle child) made the biggest adjustment. We've assured her she will always be our baby girl. This pleased her momentarily......

"My son" doesn't quite roll off the tongue yet but it sure sounds great!

Dear God, Thank you for all of the new baby animals...like baby horses and baby frogs

These were the first words of Emily's prayer tonight. She had already re sited The Lord's Prayer and went directly into her prayer without taking a breath. Impressive. I think she prayed for every species of animal known to man and a few species I've not yet been made familiar. I was about to verbally prompt her to say, "Amen" but I'm glad I didn't. I remember praying for every family member I could recall and only when I started praying for teachers past and present did my mom gently sigh, queuing me to end it. I think the important thing though, is that I remember her being there. Each and every night. I'm very thankful for that memory.
I have to remind myself of that when I'm very tired or if I'm in the middle of folding socks and I hear, "MOM! Come pray!" coming from the girl's room, I might really be hearing the voice of God leading me so that I continue to set the example I so desire to set.
You wanna know what I'm really excited to tell you tonight? Our adoption date has actually been set. It will be final in two weeks. I'm kind of stunned actually. I was giddy and tearful when the news arrived but then I turned into "Git-R-done" mom wanting all of the cosmetic things done to the house all in one week. Let me tell you, it AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. But, in true Sisk Style, it will get done, though probably in phases, and of course not one complete room at a time. Hee Hee. I wish all of my awesome ideas came with an awesome amount of cash, but alas, I am the "starving artist" and I only paint for fun and family...when they're lucky.

Spring is in the air...and in our closets!

We put up two ceiling fans this weekend. (Thank you Pa-Paw!!)I don't know why, but completing this task put me in the mood to do a little Spring Cleaning. This ritual makes me feel unbelievably productive. Giving me a "Look what I did all by myself" attitude that I can bring to work with me and gloat over with my co-worker.
I started in the girl's room of course. Beginning with the closet I had the girls sit on the floor and give me a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down to each piece of clothing. Painless for all parties.
We get to the shoes. The ease of the clothing toss was NOT to carry over to the shoe toss. Why? Because I have an Emily. For some reason, Morgan does not see the need to hold on to shoes that no longer fit. Maybe because the shoes don't actually leave the closet after she outgrows them, they just move on to Emily and she doesn't feel the emotional loss that Emily apparently feels.
I'm not kidding people. We often purchase the same style of shoe for both of the girls for the sole purpose of delaying the drama I am about to describe to you.
Picture if you will, me holding two IDENTICAL pair of black knee-high Sketcher boots with mock lacing up the back with pink beads on the end of the laces, also featuring a side-zip closure.
These IDENTICAL PAIR of boots were carefully chosen in August of '07 at the Grapevine outlet mall in Texas. These boots have a 1" heel. These boots make exactly the right sound when walking on a hard surface. These boots ladies and gentleman, were not just made for walkin'. They were made for Emily.
I (casually) say to Emily that the size 12 boots are too small for her and how awesome it is that she will fit into the size 1 boots. I glance up to see a look of what can only be described as "searching panic" on Emily's face. "Searching" because her facial expression quickly changes to a look of "My own reality is the ultimate truth."
I have seen this look before. This isn't going to be pretty.
She says HER boots aren't too small. Then she says she likes them snug. Then she says Morgan's boots don't fit, they're too big. They look different. She likes hers better. They're not the same.
I make a crucial mistake.
I actually hear myself say,"You know Emily, there are little children in Haiti that don't have ANY SHOES at all. Aren't you glad your biggest problem today is that you have so many shoes you have to give some away so you will have room for them all?"
She's still crying.
I regroup.
I say, "You don't really care about kids you don't know and you don't care about anyone Else's problems because you are seven and right now this is terrible that you are being asked to part with something you love."
Emily sniffles...and nods.
Emily says, "I just don't think you understand."
I scramble.
I ask her if she would like to call aunt Danie because she is a little sister and maybe she would understand better.
Another sniffle...another nod.
Phone call is made. More tears are shed. Temporary solution is reached.
The size 12 boots will be put up onto the top shelf of the closet where she can see them and know they are there. This Fall, we will revisit the boots and decide which pair is most comfortable.
I know, I know...I caved. I argued with a seven year old. I made a deal. I compromised. I undermined my own authority. Blah, blah, blah.

I wonder if the apostles thought Jesus was funny.

Seriously folks. I wonder if, after time and time again, Jesus said,"I told you so." the disciples laughed, or if they got irritated with Him. I don't mean to sound in the least bit sacrilegious or anything. I just know that Jesus was a human being and I know that every human being has a sense of humor. Was He funny "Ha Ha" or "Aw, man!" or "I almost peed my pants" funny. I wonder if He played any miraculous practical jokes. I can see it now. Simon Peter yelling, "OKAY, WHO PUT MY SANDALS IN THE TREE?" I mean, you would automatically know who it was, but would you really want to catch yourself saying, "I'll get you back for this Jesus!"?
The reason for my curiosity in the sense of humor of the Almighty is this:
Through the loss of our jobs 8 years ago, we sold our home, moved into my childhood home and began going to church with my parents at CH. Through the loss of a job in Colorado my friend Jessica moved here and started going to church with HER parents at CH. Through Jessica I'm hired for my dream job (though not dream hours). We discover through OUT OF TOWN relatives there is a local lady looking for a family to adopt her grandson. We discover this Local Lady actually works in the SAME BUILDING I work in. We get to know each other and we are now in the process of adopting her...and her grandson.
So I have the dream job, dream family and then I find that I'm torn between this dream job and spending more time with my family. It was becoming more and more stressful to juggle the demands of three kids, Girl Scouts and Kung Fu with a 9-6 work schedule. EEWWW! So, what do I do? I tell God that I want to have my cake and eat it too. This is the really funny part. He gives it to me.
He has blessed me with an economic crisis. Oh yes. A blessing. I know, I know, many people are out of work and are truly suffering in the U.S. I'm not down-playing the sadness of their situations.
I was just called into the bosses office today and asked if it would be possible for me to cut down to a 32 hour work week, working 9-2:30. WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU MEAN I WOULDN'T HAVE TO FIND DAY CARE FOR TWO OF MY KIDS? You mean you would like to provide me with daily social interaction with adults, health insurance and a really good ice machine? You mean I would be able to greet my children at the door every day and be able to help them with homework and get a REAL dinner on the table before 7? Hmmmmmm......All this for a low, low price of 32 hours a week. What should I say? Can I phone a friend?
This is totally awesome. I actually shed tears in this little meeting with my boss. They were happy tears of course. Talk about answered prayers. I've been able to see the "God-incidence" in many, many situations in my life but never this specific.
We've been so anxious to have the adoption finalized before now and it was like God was saying, "Would you simmer down so things will fall into place EXACTLY how you would like them to?".
I will leave you with a quote from the lyrics of a children's Bible song.

"My God is so BIG
So strong and so MIGHTY.
There's NOTHING my God cannot do."

Birthday Cha-Cha

Today is Rob's birthday. Happy Birthday! Rob is so great. He could have slept in and had the whole house to himself for 8 hours. Instead he chose to escort Morgan on her 3rd grade field trip. They went to the Science Museum. He was even thoughtful enough to send me a picture of Mo via phone. I love technology. When I came home from work we all went to out to eat Rob's favorite...Mexican Food.
On our way home, Emily and Morgan sang Happy Birthday to their daddy. Morgan sang while Emily made fart noises with her armpit. This is not a new talent, and one I rarely tolorate.But tonight it was kind of funny because they were singing the "Birthday Cha-Cha-Cha" song they sing at school and Emily really can keep a beat with the uncooth noises she can make with her hand and armpit. I was slightly impressed...but only with her rythm...not the actual noise.
At home my parents came over with a Cookie Cake and we sang "Happy Birthday" again. Yes, Emily did the Cha-Cha-Cha armpit thing just for my mother and dad. I'm sure they were quite impressed.
He got $$ and an autographed ball cap, miniature football and piece of paper all signed by Rob's favorite Dallas Cowboy, Mr. Roy Williams. (Thank you Nanna,PaPa and MiMi!)
I've met him personally on several occasions and he's very polite. He doesn't act like a "spoiled celeberity" at all. He has a nice car too, except the car has curtains and I think it makes it look like a fleet vehicle for a funeral home. I'm not being tacky, that's just what it looks like to me. I was told later by someone that it's a very expensive car. I told that someone I am much more impressed by things like kitchen gadgets and flower-shaped post-it notes.
I hope Rob had a good Birthday. If I had lots of money I would have sent him on a manly getaway to some Hunting,Fishing,Martial Arts,Video Game,Gun and football camp. But, he got a day with his daughter, Mexican food and Cookie birthday instead. We love you Rob!

And we're STILL waiting

I have decided to abandon MYSPACE seeing how I never, ever keep up with it. Kind of like keeping up with this Blog thing I guess. I still need to load my pictures I have taken with my phone onto my PC so I can post some of them here. My old digital camera can't hold a charge anymore so I've resorted to using my phone as my primary way of capturing my fond memories.
Speaking of fond memories, tonight was so awesome. Our church hosted a Father Daughter Banquet. This was our first banquet of this type and I was asked to help serve for the event. Honestly I found this an easy way to spy on my family and make sure my hubby had both eyes on my Emily. I'm not stereotyping middle children but she sure can think fast on her feet and we are usually one step behind her. Especially in public. Morgan is more of an observer and she likes to sit back and watch the show. This was definitely the case tonight.
This is pretty much how Emily's evening went:
3 p.m.- Choose outfits
3:30- eat snack and brush teeth
4:00- plug in clothes iron, curling iron and flat iron
4:05- brush out hair, put on clothes, look up hairstyles on Internet
4:20- Have breakdown over realization that mother gave away favorite party dress because she says it was too small. Then tell mother you can't wear anything that has the color black in it. Even though the only dresses you own that do NOT have the color black somewhere on the dress are more appropriate for 100 degree temperatures.
4:45- Conveniently forget how to put on tights to delay putting on the dress mother has suggested.
4:47- Quickly remember how to put on tights to keep from being grounded from wearing favorite sparkly shoes to school.
5:00- Concede to the fact you DO look pretty amazing in sister's red dress from last Christmas and enjoy the great twirl action.
5:07-Insist you truly could not hear mother's voice beckoning because the act of twirling in the red dress made really noisy "wind" and it was so loud you could only hear yourself singing as you twirled.
5:08- Have hair curled up in a flip.
5:09- While having hair done,suggest wearing mascara would make your outfit complete.
5:13- Decide having mascara on your eyelashes was smelly, uncomfortable and very, very distracting but not wanting to hurt mother's feelings, you tell her you just can't describe it but you just don't want mascara on anymore.
5:15- Start crying because mother points out you wanted the stinky mascara on in the first place and she points out that not all choices we make turn out the way we want them to and she doesn't have time to wash it off because she has to drop off Drew and be at the church in 15 minutes.
5:17- Console yourself and wipe off mascara with wet washcloth.
6:10- Arrive at church in red dress and favorite short sleeved, cropped, hot-pink sweater in 24 degree weather.
6:11-Hear mother ask daddy why you are only wearing a short sweater and daddy respond by saying, "I brought them in what you put on them."
6:15-Pretend you are on the red carpet while you wait to have your photo taken with daddy. Run from imaginary paparazzi while leaping up and down the church foyer steps.
6:37-Served lasagna, try to pick out ALL of the green "specks", not trusting anyone around you that tells you the offending specks are just Italian seasoning.
7:00-Laugh and shout, "Hey Bread Girl! I want some more bread!" When you see mother serving other tables french bread.
7:15-Laugh hysterically when you're caught trying to put the clear, decorative beads in Morgan's ice water.
7:30-Along with all of the other daughters you are ushered upstairs to learn basic dance steps while the daddies stay in the make-shift ballroom to hear a guest speaker on the importance of the relationship between fathers and their daughters.
8:00-Come back down stairs and take turns with Morgan waltzing with daddy.
8:06-While taking a water break you notice mother weeping sentimental tears over the scene before her. Remind yourself to make further inquires at a more convenient time.
8:07-Go back to the dance floor and for the next hour and a half dance wildly, mimicking everyone you see only stopping for water and/or the occasional m&m.
8:19-Learn a fabulous new dance. It's called the "YMCA". Mysteriously, others have already heard of this dance.
9:00-Conveniently forget how to buckle your shoes when the party is over because you're just too tired from dancing to lift a finger.
9:15-Arrive home and collapse onto the bed having had a marvelous evening.

This diary of Emily's evening is strictly from first hand observation. I cannot know exactly what was going through her head at every moment. But from experience, if I ask her, she'll tell me. Straight up.

My favorite scene from the dance floor was of Emily and Rob in a mock-Tango. Too, too funny.