Today...

Well, here I am, as promised!
Today was a typical rough day.
But I will not focus on that...
I will not focus on having to ground one of the kids for playing their DS after bedtime last night.

I will not focus on finding an entire bottle of soap dumped in one of the suitcases full of Sarah's camp supplies.

I will not focus on the tantrums that were thrown when I said no.

I will not focus on the grapes that became bullets or the string cheese I am still finding all over the house.

I will no focus the 12 pairs of poopy underwear I found (long story).

I will not focus on the book I slipped on that sent me flying across the room.

I will not focus on the cut toe that resulted from that flight.

I will not focus on the Starbucks and Reese's cup I downed at 10pm.

What I will focus on is this....

Isn't that smile the best!

That is the smile of a little boy who is proud of himself.
A little boy that is having fun helping Mommy.

Mikey gets home from school just before lunch. Today, as usual he ran to the kitchen and climbed on the counter to dig for the pop tarts. Pop tarts are his go to food. His comfort food. It doesn't matter where I hide them or how many times I tell him not to climb on the counters, he will find them. Today I caught him before they where opened. His response- his usual very loud scream. I told him it was lunch time. It just happened I had sponge bob and toy story mac and cheese and the cabinet. I asked him if he would pick for me. He continued to scream. I asked again. He stopped, looked and picked- toy story. We put it in the microwave and I helped him push the buttons. He stood there and watched- the entire time. I think the microwave amazes him. Then he helped me stir in everything and even scooped it out onto every one's plate. All the time excitedly tell his siblings who's plate was next. When it was his plate's turn he found joy in filling it with a small layer of pasta. I asked him how many nuggets he wanted, he told me five. I made him count out five and he did, by himself on the first try! I was so proud of him. One of my biggest fears for Mikey is that he will not have the life skills to survive on his own. Or, that he will not be able to communicate what he needs. Baby step by baby step he is making his way. I just need to be patient and remember the God will make a way. He always does. Who am I to doubt him.

That is what I will focus on.

Who...Me?

Have you seen "Julie and Julia"?
If not, go watch it now!
Last night I had the pleasure to view it for the first time.
Just like Julie, sometimes I feel like my life is in the slump.
So, at 1:30AM I decided I was going jump full force into blogging.
My blog has been around for about 2 years, but I have never fully embraced it.
I must give myself a little credit, lately I have been doing much better in sharing my little piece of the world with everyone out there in reader-land.
But you see- I tend to let life get the best of me.
There is so much baggage in my life that I tend to smile and pack it away,
this results in me feeling overwhelmed and like a failure,
which turns into more baggage...blah, blah, blah.
I stop doing the things I enjoy and super focus on things I cannot fix.
I know I cannot change this over night,
but I realize I have an outlet to dump some of that baggage and a place to share my joys.
Yes, even when that crap builds I still see the joy that is in my life.
So why am I telling you all this?
Well it just happens that there is a new reality series in the works that is based around blogging moms and I am throwing my hat in the ring.
You can read more about the project here: Project Mom.

So this is me...

I’m Lore and for me blogging has always been a way to share our lives with family, friends and those who may by chance stumble upon my craziness.
What is my story? What journey am I on?
Well,

I have two wonderful little boys that I had the pleasure to give birth to.
The oldest of which has a chromosomal abnormality and has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
My once quite little boy now has the super power of turning into a raving lunatic in 2.5 seconds flat. At times I am brought to tears.
I am learning what is best for him and how to adapt to his moods and demands.
Talk about a journey- Sometimes it feels like one step forward only to be knocked ten steps back.
My little one- well, he keeps me on my toes, also!

I also have another two amazing kids that God placed in my life.
I may not have carried them in my womb but I have definitely carried them in my heart. Currently we are a foster family but, come November 2011 we will be a forever family.
Their story is truly heart stopping and some day with their permission I hope to share the lengths they’ve traveled to become who they are.

I hope my blog can be a catalyst to bring myself and other moms together.
Together to smile, laugh, cry, complain and maybe slowly unpack that baggage that is holding us all back.

New York City!

Last weekend we found ourselves with nothing to do.

So we hopped in the car and started driving.

At first we were just going to go to a state park or a local park.
Pretty soon it turned into- Hey! Lets drive to New York.

So we did!

Along the way we stopped for doughnuts.

(As if kids stuck in a car need more sugar) We finally arrived at about 5:15 pm.

Our first stop was in Jersey City.

We were hoping to catch a ferry over to Ellis island and the statue,

but unfortunately we arrived just as the last ferry was coming back.

Guess we have to go back another weekend. We walked around the station for awhile and pointed out

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to the kids. Then it was time to head into the city. Notice all the cabs.. Yep we're in NY City. We drove around the city pointing out things like... the Empire State Building and.... Times Square. Then we hit the streets. The boys spotted Buzz....Big Buzz. We had dinner at Planet Hollywood. After dinner we headed home. Our spur of the moment trip was just perfect.

We were in the city long enough for the kids to get a taste of New York

and long enough for us to start planning out our next trip.

Strawberry Picking

A couple weekends ago we headed out to a pick your own strawberry farm. It was our first time at the farm so we didn't know what to expect. When we first arrived, each of the kids picked out a basket. Next we hopped on the tractor pulled tram. ( This was a big hit with the kids)

As we pulled up a worker gave us a couple directions and before he sent us on our way he said...

"feel free to eat as you pick, they strawberries are clean!"

Man, that was heaven to our ears. When was the last time you were able to sample at the grocery store? Off we went... The kids all did a great job. But, even better we had a blast. We ended up with over 40 lbs. ! So what did we do with all the strawberries? Well, we ate some, froze some, dehydrated some...... made some strawberry shortcakes... and then my fun started! I made 24 jars of jam. Yummy! I am going to make some homemade "uncrustables" for quick summer lunches and trips to the zoo.

Summer's Here!

Ok, I know this post is a little late but things have been a little hectic. A couple weekends ago we celebrate Memorial Day and the start of summer around here. We spent the day together as a family and had an amazing low-key day. Of course, we had food. Lots of food! Mikey and Luke both love corn on the cob.This would be our grill master, also known as my awesome hubby.Take note of the totally cool blue undies.

The Lukester is in full swing of potty training and I must say he is doing a great job.Did I mention that we like to eat?We ended the night with a couple fireworks. We weren't going to have any, but, the night before the neighbors shot off a couple bottle rockets and Luke insisted we had to have our own fireworks.

Oh how time flies....

7 years ago today I married my sweetheart.

This was us then.... This is us now...... I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be!

Its that time of year again!

Yes, in our family its that time of year again.

What time you may wonder?

Its geocaching time!

What is geocaching? Here is a little info from Geocaching.com

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

On Saturday we all piled in the truck and headed out. The weather was absolutely beautiful.
Our first stop was a wonderful little park in the middle of no where. Sometimes on our adventures we stumble on little beauties like this. The kids love running through the woods and jumping over streams.

We all enjoy the thrill of the hunt as we look for geocaches. Our first one was hiden just hard enough for the kids to find. The kids all took there turns looking through the "treasure" and then we were on our way. As we head to our next geocache we were lucky enough to be at the railroad crossing just as a train headed down the track. Almost a little too lucky! We ended up finding 3 geocaches that day, but, best of all we had an amazing day with each other. Which in the end is the best treasure!