thewilsonzoocrew

Christmas 2007!

2008-01-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Josh holding his webkinz-he's wanted one for so long!

We had a fun Christmas! It's always crazy with four kids. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents. My dad had set up a little shooting range of sorts down in his basement for the kids to shoot bb guns. It was a lot of fun, not what you'd call a normal Christmas activity but it was fun. We had a yummy dinner, my mom is the best cook, then we opened presents. We spent Christmas morning at my house, then the afternoon with Matt's family. My parents got the kids a Wii, so most of the presents were somehow related to the Wii. That is the funnest thing ever. My upper body is killing me from boxing, baseball, tennis, bowling, fishing, it's super fun!

My mom (the Nana), Emma and Faith

God was totally awesome and decided to let it snow during Christmas break. We headed up to my sister and let the kids play. You can tell they haven't grown up in the snow, they last about 10 min and then come in complaining of cold and needed hot chocolate. Those of us that grew up in K. Falls just put on all sorts of layers and go play.

Sam listening very carefully to papa's safety lecture regarding the bb guns and shooting.

I have to admit that I'm glad that they're back to school. Sam, the 4 yr old, was starting to drive me crazy. He's attached to me and is a total momma's boy. He wanted to know where I was every waking moment of the day. I went outside to take out the garbage, he came out after me crying, saying "why you leaving me, mom?"

Shelby and Auntie

I feel blue

2008-01-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

I feel blue. This was a hard year. For those of you that don't know, Matt moved out in May 2006. I've been a single mom for a year and a half to 4 amazing kids. They're amazing but they all have their special issues (which is common for adopted kids) and it's exhausting. I'm just going to pour it all out right now, since all that I feel seems to be pouring out of me lately in the form of tears. I'm lonely. Horribly lonely. I live with 4 great kids who I'm so glad I'm their mom, I really am. I know that before the beginning of time that God planned for me to be their mom. But I'm a lonely mom. I know that Matt isn't coming back. He blames me for everything. I wasn't a perfect wife and looking back, there are many things I should've done differently. Things that I did out of spite, but in the end, I want us to be a family. And he doesn't. He says he does but actions speak louder than words. He doesn't choose us, he doesn't choose me. Do you know what it's like to not be chosen, to not be wanted, to not be enough, to not be good enough? It hurts everyday. It permeates all of who I am. It influences my choices, my reactions. It's all inside me and I want it gone. But I can't make it go away. So I feel lonely and unworthy.And I feel sad. I feel sad because if he doesn't want me, who ever would, not to mention the four crazy kids with specials needs. I ache for someone to feel something for me, besides contempt, blame, anger. I want to feel loved and special and pretty and most of all, wanted.And then I feel scared, I know how to live miserably and in fear with someone who's an alcoholic. I know how to tip toe around and survive. I know how to survive as a single, working mom with four crazy kids. But what if I picked another trainwreck. What if I let down my carefully constructed wall and got destroyed again. That's scary.I'm having a hard time looking at the problems/trials/feelings thru the lens of God's truth. I find myself looking at God thru the lens of the problems/trials/feelings. My heart and my head don't match up. My head will confront me with God's truth. Trials refine us. If we are soft, and let God be in charge, trials will grow us, they won't be wasted. But my feelings are drowning the truth, they are too big for me rein in and keep under control. They seem to spilling down my cheeks, one slow, warm tear at a time.
draft

School pics!

2007-10-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling very creative today so I'm just going to post the kids pics of the first day of school. I can't believe all of them are in school. Emma is in 3rd, Faith is in 2nd, Josh is in kindergarten and Sam is in preschool. No one wanted me to walk them to class, not even Sam! They were just too grown up for that! But it feels good to get back in the swing of things. Although I totally miss hanging out at the pool all day!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

2007-09-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Trip to the zoo was in order. I had worked 5 days straight, a lot of time away from the kids so I decided to take them to the zoo last month, right before school started. We jumped in the car early that morning and drove to Portland. I missed the exit twice to the zoo, I get lost very easily, not a good thing for a realtor but third time was a charm and we made it. We saw almost everything! We couldn't find the elk or the rhino but we saw everything else and it was fun. I took lots of pics and some we're enlarging for the girls' room (it's cheetah-licous). Here's our day!

Faith is 8!

2007-09-21T16:46:00.001-07:00

It rhymes, I'm a poet and didn't know it! Faith turned 8 on Aug 26. We had a pedicure party for her. We soaked their toes and painted them. We had sparkling cider in champagne glasses and pizza and cake. They were really cute and we had a lot of fun. I can't take credit for the idea, a friend of mine did it for her daughter. Here's some pics!

more fishing pics!

2007-09-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics, mainly because I don't know how to change things so it will take more. The dog is my dad's dog. Yes, Les, my dad has a dog, can you believe it? His name is Blue Moon, because my dad gets a dog once in a blue moon. He's a German Shorthair Pointer and he's a hunting dog. He's really smart and my dad babies him more than any of us. It's funny to watch.

gone fishing!

2007-09-03T15:53:00.001-07:00

Few weeks ago, mom, dad, Gretch and I took the kids fishing. It was a beautiful day! We had so much fun. We didn't catch a single fish, but Cole did catch a snake. So at least something was caught! The fish, I'd imagine, ran away as soon as the kids went barreling down the path, yelling and talking and laughing. In the end, the worms were nibbled on and the kids got lots of practice casting and reeling in, especially since they were having races to see who could cast the farthest and reel it in the fastest. Super fun day with my babies!

Emma's 9th birthday

2007-08-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

The birthday girl, ready to roll!
Sam, he managed to get his ball stuck in the bumpers! Shelby had the highest score, go Shelb! Josh worked really hard and was getting good...
Faith, my little Squirt, after she bowled.

Emma, my baby, had her 9th birthday on July 26. I realize I'm posting this late but that's how I roll... She had her party at the bowling alley with some girls from the school and the neighborhood. Thank goodness my sister and my friend were there to help me supervise. I couldn't have done it without them. It was a lot of fun. We just couldn't use our flash because the senior bowling league was there and the flash was distracting during their game. The oxygen tank the one guy was dragging around wasn't a nuisance but our flash was. That's funny. We had a really fun day. Happy birthday, peanut!

Late 4th of July

2007-07-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

Don't get out of line!

Faith, Shelby and Emma came out looking like this. We never really did figure out why...

Mom and Cole laughing about something...

My little brown boys, Sam and Josh.

We spent 4th of July out at Gretchen's house with my parents and Gretchen's brother in law, sister in law and their kids. Of course, the kids couldn't wait till it was dark enough to start and someone (Emma) about got burned but we had a great time. It was the funniest thing. The kids were all picking out a firework to have lit. They formed a line and stayed in line thru the whole fireworks show. Shelby, my niece, was the line nazi and kept things under control. It was the funniest thing to watch. They'd stay in line and kind of tip sideways to see the fireworks, they didn't want to lose their place or have someone cut in front of them. Crazy kids!

More totally 80's

2007-07-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Jr Miss 1989, Miss Congeniality
Carrie, my sis Gretchen and Scott Cavender on our trip to Great America 1987

Totally 80's

2007-07-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Les and I!

Kirsty and Tonia at camp!

This was in Great America but I seriously can only remember Kirsty's name!

A trip to Klamath Falls

2007-07-04T14:58:00.001-07:00

Shelby (my neice), Emma, Blane (Rick's son) and Cole (my nephew)

Sam and Faith

Brody (Rick's son) and Josh- sorry I don't know how to turn the pic!

Shelby, my niece

Faith, the master pancake maker!

We spent the weekend in Klamath Falls. I forgot how brown that place is, mainly because that fact is squeezed out by all my memories, of a town full of people I loved and grew up with. We drove past Mazama High School- go Vikings! So much is the same, so much is different. It'll never be like it was, when we all went to school and church together. I love that part of my life. I wish and pray for that for my kids, to have friends like I had, to have a church like I had, to have the fun that I had.

We went for my Uncle Dave's wedding. It was hot and sunny and beautiful. We stayed at the Running Y Ranch. The kids played and swam. Here's some pics!

The story of Emma

2007-06-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

Emma has a very special story of her own and it goes like this. It was July 27, 1998. I had been at work about 15 min when I got a phone call from an old neighbor that knew we couldn't have kids. The neighbor had heard about a baby girl who'd been born the day before and would need to be adopted and did we want to adopt her, we'd need to take her home today or the next day. I immediately said yes, I didn't even call Matt, my husband to ask. The neighbor said she'd talk to the birth dad's sister and have her call me. That was how my Thursday began. Then I ran to a private little cubbie and called Matt and told him what had happened. Neither of us could believe it. It was craziness. Mom and Gretchen kept calling me and the birth dad's sister was. Needless to say I couldn't get any work done. I kept repeating the verse, Give thanks for everything, and with prayer and supplication make your prayers made known to the Lord and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds, over and over and over. I couldn't even find any other words to pray. So much could go wrong and it would all be over. About 2:30, I got a call from the birth aunt (?) and she said it a go and to find an attorney. I ran to the phone book and called the first person who was in Salem and told him our crazy story. He told me to go home and get ready and be at his office tomorrow at 9:30. I told my boss and she hugged me and said, "You're a mom!" Which hadn't occured to me yet. We went home, loaded up a list Gretchen had compiled for us of where to get what, since we had NOTHING! We went to Costco, Target, and Walmart getting a car seat, diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, bottle liners, and a few outfits. It was a whirlwind. We got home and there was a message from the birth aunt that we could go to the hospital to see the baby. It was already 8:15, but we dumped all the stuff out and ran to the hospital. The nurses knew we were coming and were so sweet to us. They brought us this tiny little package, with brown hair, beautiful lips and big blue eyes. She was tiny. She was our Emma Rose. We got on the hospital phone and called my mom's house. They yelled at us, where have you been??? I told them, "We're at the hospital and we're holding her right now." They cried. By this time, their nervous energy was at an all time high. They'd already planned a baby shower, written, addressed and mailed all the invitations. They were joyfully calling all our family and telling them the news. It was pandemonium. We reluctantly let her go back to her little bed and we drove home. When we got there, our friends Chad and Christy were waiting for us. They'd bought a little cake and balloons and a gift and we had an impromptu baby shower around 11:00 that night. Chad and Matt were cleaning out the office, which was now her room and trying to figure out how to put the carseat in the car. We finally went to bed. Friday morning we nervously drove to the attorney's office. Now, remember, he was the first one I called. He still had acne!! He was just our of law school and had opened his own practice! We told him what we knew. He told us to call the hospital to see what they needed us to do in order to bring her home. All we had to do was sign 2 papers, 2 PAPERS, that was it and we could take her home. We rushed out of his office, to the hospital and practically ran to the car and then drove as s l o w as humanly possible home. Our garage door had "Welcome Home, Emma Rose!" banner. My mom and dad and sister and her kids were there.

WE WERE HOME WITH EMMA ROSE LESS THAN 24 HRS AFTER WE GOT THE FIRST CALL ABOUT HER!

ISN'T GOD AMAZING???

And that is Emma Rose Wilson's story.

Why I love summer!

2007-06-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

Why I love summer!

1. It's hot and sunny and I have A/C.

2. The pool is heated and has lifeguards and my kids can swim so I can sit back and relax and not worry they'll drown.

3. Catching Sam as he jumps off the diving board at the pool (he's afraid to go by himself) as he yells "Canyonball!!"

4. My icee machine is fabulous and icees always taste so good.

5. Salem is green, green, green and beautiful. Not my particular yard so I enjoy other's beauty. I hate gardening. Girls as church exclaim, "I can't wait to get my fingers in the dirt!" Why, I ask, you just get all dirty???

6. Making s'mores at my sisters house over a bonfire.

7. Watching Cole play baseball in the sun (Josh's little league is over before it ever gets sunny).

8. Watching the OSU Beavers win another championship- go Beavs!

9. My kids play with the neighborhood kids all day and night and end up exhausted.

Here is a pic of Sam, he played and swam and tuckered himself all out. That's why I love summer.

LEMONADE- 50 CENTS!!!

2007-06-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

My kids had their first lemonade stand on Friday. I can't believe they're old enough to do that. It was so fun to watch them and the neighbor girls get organized, draw jobs out of a hat and then yell at the top of their lungs, "LEMONADE, 50 CENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" . They were so excited when their first customer stopped. The boys, of course, had to be included. They just pretty much yelled the advertisement. They were there for 3 hours, and five little girls made $6 each. Can you believe it? It was so nice to see that we as adults have not become so cynical that we don't stop for little kids lemonade stands anymore. They even got tips!! I think we have some budding entrepreneurs and I know that we'll do this again this summer. Yeah for summer!

I've been sucked in!!!

2007-06-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

I've been sucked into technology, specifically blogging. I love reading others, but I don't know how I'll manage my own. I'll probably yell at my computer a lot and spend way too much time here and not enough time cleaning, cooking, working, hanging out with my kids. Maybe this is too much for me. I still don't hardly know how to work my cell phone. I yell at it a lot, too. Right now, I'm feeling a little excited and nervous to see if this is something I can do. Enough rambling, it's time to round up the troops and head out tomorrow and I'll think of something more profound tomorrow.