My boys with RayDog headed to the big game!

Yes, my boys got to go to the World Series in Denver yesterday. No, it didn’t end like they wanted it to end, but they had a blast anyway. Their seats were awesome, and it was a “once in a lifetime” experience. RayDog, our senior pastor, played grandpa to the boys, and they both said he was a lot of fun. They were all about the game, regardless of the outcome. I’d imagine not too many people at that game would’ve stayed home if they’d known the outcome. They’re just fans - down to the bone.

I’ve never been a huge sports fan, but there’s something in the water here. I actually enjoy rooting for the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies. It just seems like people who live here are really happy to be here. Most of them are here by choice, not just because they were born here. They all seem to have this view that Colorado really is God’s favorite state, definitely God’s most beautiful! The enthusiasm is contagious. I wonder if those of us who call ourselves Christ followers could incite the same enthusiasm for God by being really excited to be His children. We weren’t born Christ followers; it’s a choice we make. How many people around me are actually choosing to be Jesus fans because of my passion for Him? I don’t really want to know the answer….

Here we are getting ready for our big Girls’ Night Out!

KeKe and I got to go to the Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus concert last night in Denver at the Pepsi Center. We were both so excited! And what a great time we had! The Jonas Brothers opened the show and were very good. They amazed me at how professional they were, how polished, and how much energy they had. I haven’t seen boys their age move with so much energy very often! They are definitely up-and-coming, in my opinion. By the way, they ARE brothers, and they are all talented.

Hannah Montana took the stage next and gave it all she had. The whole audience was on their feet, screaming, jumping, dancing, and singing the entire night. She had several costume changes, and each costume was appropriate for her age and the age of her fans. What a novel idea! She has some kind of voice, and she is more comfortable on the stage than even Faith Hill seemed to be.

After bringing the Jonas Brothers back out briefly, she changed into Miley Cyrus. Although most of the fans didn’t know her “new” songs, they stayed on their feet dancing the rest of the show. She thanked the audience several times for coming out to see her and seemed delighted with her success. Her songs as Miley were a little different, had a little more of a soul sound than the pop sound of Hannah Montana. Still, her costumes and lyrics were very age-appropriate. Refreshing!

On the way home, KeKe was reading from the program we had purchased, and it was obvious from the answers to some of her questions that she is a Christ-follower and is very well-grounded. What a change from many of the stars that little girls are emulating these days! She’s definitely a singer/actress I’m going to be encouraging around my house!

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!’” (Author Unknown)

I stole this from a friend of mine’s blog, a friend with five children in Colorado and one more in China, waiting for his parents to get there. I don’t think there’s much chance of my “arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body.” Most days, I feel like I’m skidding in broadside, “thorougly used up, totally worn out” from the moment I open my eyes in the morning. It’s not easy keeping up with all of these children if I want to actually participate in their lives. Today alone, I filled out two more field trip authorizations and signed up to chaperone one of them. Yesterday, I filled one out and signed up to participate in it, and I’m going on one on Monday. I spent an hour in Kitty’s class today, and I’ll be back in William’s class on Friday, then Jia’s field trip on Monday, and it starts all over again! The house is never as clean as I used to keep it; I never feel like making dinner by the time dinnertime arrives (and seldom do); I can’t possibly keep every appointment I seem to have each week; the laundry seems to be piled back up before I can get the “last load” put away; I can’t seem to be on time for hardly anything no matter how hard I try; I have a constant list of things that I need to buy at the store; I have an incredibly difficult time keeping up with all of the kids’ schoolwork, field trips, and extracurricular activities; Blah, blah, blah! What would I do without an amazing, incredibly involved husband? And some good drugs!

I’m definitely skidding in broadside. I only hope I have enough energy in the end to say, “Wow, what a ride!”

I spoke with Jia’s doctor a little while ago, and her growth hormones are great! She wasn’t even close to the minimums. I guess her birth parents were just very short people. The doctor feels confident that we have ruled out all medical problems at this time. She’s just our little bitty princess!!!

Thank you so much for all the prayers. And thank you, God, for letting our baby girl be healthy!

First, I want to thank everyone for praying for Jia and for Rowland and me. We praise God that she does not have Turner’s Syndrome. The doctor was at the clinic today and came in to talk with us after just a couple of hours there. She said that her chromosomes were normal.

We had a wonderful recreational therapist who explained everything that was going to happen in terms that Jia could understand. She then left us alone for a while for Jia to practice giving me an I.V. Jia decided that she wants to be a doctor. She seemed to calm as we talked about the procedure, but when the nurses came back in, she began to be afraid again. The first nurse tried to get a vein but was unsuccessful. As Jia cried and held her blanky against her face, the recreational therapist sang a frog song. I have to admit that I really wanted to scream at her, “Would you just shut up? That plan is not working!!” Instead, I held Jia tightly and prayed in her ear. After a few minutes, the nurse quit trying and left the room.

A new nurse came in and wrapped Jia’s arm in a heating pad for 5 minutes. Evidently, that makes the veins come to the surface. When the nurse came back in, she was a woman on a mission. She found the vein right away and got the I.V. started in about 5 minutes. Of course, Jia cried and cried, but I just held her tighter. The nurses were great and spoke so sweetly to her, letting her know that it would all be over soon.

The medicine that was put into her I.V. caused her to sleep for a couple of hours. Her blood pressure remained stable, which was great. The nurse drew blood from the I.V., and Jia slept through most of the rest of the test. Rowland went downstairs to get some work done on his computer, and Mommy curled up in bed with Jia and slept, too! That has to be the perfect example of God’s “peace that passes all understanding.”

When Jia woke up, she had about 30 more minutes and was starving. After the test was completed, the nurse was ready with a tray of turkey sandwich, chips, an apple, a cookie, and some chocolate milk. Jia loved it all. She slept on the way home and laid in bed and watched T.V. for quite a while once we got home. As I type, she and Carson are lying on the floor, rolling around, being incredibly goofy!! Obviously, she’s recovering well.

We’ll get the test results tomorrow, and I’ll post them here. Thank you again for your prayers. It was so reassuring to know that so many people were lifting my princess up in prayer as I watched her cry. How wonderful to be in the family of God and never have to be alone! Each of you lifted her tiny arms before God when she was not able to do so herself. At the end of the test, when Rowland stepped down the hall for just a minute, Jia said, “I’m not alone because you’re with me, and Jesus is with me.” I’m so thankful that even at her young age, she is aware of Jesus’ presence. I’m also thankful that my children know that God hears their prayers. This morning as we were getting ready to leave, KeKe came into my room and asked if we could pray for Jia. She prayed the most precious prayer for her sister. God has definitely shone His hand in this family! May He continue to receive all glory and honor and praise! And when we see Him face to face, I’d love to hear, “Good job!” That would be the ultimate reward!

I only got to talk to my buddy once today. We are all really missing him and can’t wait to see him in just a couple of days. And by the way, when I finally checked out his room, it was nice and neat! He rocks!!

Today was a great day! The Englishes took all of the kids sledding while Rowland, Jia, and I finished getting ready. The kids had a blast on the sledding hill and were worn out by the time we got there. I’d like to say that I’m sorry that I didn’t get to sled, but I like looking at the snow much more than I like getting into it! The last time I went sledding with the Englishes, Jia and I went face down in the snow. I’m not wanting to relive that experience any time soon.

We definitely have found the best burgers in town, maybe even in Colorado. We were back at Empire Burgers for lunch again today. Not only are the burgers delicious, but the onion rings are the best I’ve ever had.

After lunch, it was time for some more walking around and shopping. I know it seems a little crazy to take six kids shopping, but they were so good. The first stop had to be the most fun, though. We went into the wig shop and tried on wigs. Here are some pictures just to show how much creativity we have in the bunch!

The kids played in the snow a while longer this evening, and we snacked around the house for dinner. Then, it was back to some really good wine, Milton Park, an Australian wine Grant found, and more cards. Yea, the guys beat the girls again, but we’re getting closer every night!

We got all of our stuff together, and Rowland packed the car Monday afternoon for our short two-hour drive to Breckenridge. We were not in any hurry because it wasn’t a long drive. Or was it?

First stop - the bank. We had to make a deposit and get money for the trip. The DVD headphones in the car wouldn’t work - the brand new DVD that we had installed ASAP for the trip. While in the drive-thru, Rowland was working on them.

Second stop - the cleaners. I had forgotten to pick up Jia’s snow coat. Oops! Oh, and while we were there, I ran next door to the hair salon because I was almost out of hair spray. Meanwhile, Rowland was working on the headphones.

Third stop - the veterinarian. Natacha is having surgery today so that she can’t have babies. (Jia says that if she doesn’t have the surgery, she’ll have babies and bleed. Obviously, my explanation wasn’t very clear.) Meanwhile, Rowland was working on the headphones.

Fourth stop - Chick Fil-A. Rowland needed a shake as did the three kids (Remember, Carson is in Arkansas.), and KeKe wanted some chicken nuggets. Meanwhile, Rowland got the headphones working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fifth stop - African Grey in Denver. We had to drop off the cockatiel to be boarded at the bird place. We arrived at 4:30, and they closed at 4:00 on Mondays! Now, we’re in the car with a bird in a little box……40 minutes from home…….Hmmmm……..

Sixth stop - PetsMart another 30 minutes down the road. We purchased a small cage for the bird as well as some food. And the bathroom was a big plus by then.

Finally, we were really on the road. We drove into town about 1 1/2 hours later, four hours after leaving home. We were so excited to see our vacation home. It wasn’t over yet, though. As we toured our new home for the week, we discovered that it hadn’t been cleaned. The sheets were still on the bed, towels in the bathtub, trash and food in the kitchen, and poop in the toilet! Yuk! We called the rental company, and they sent us next door to a nice, clean house.

After unloading the car, we drove into town to eat dinner at…..Bubba Gump’s Seafood place. Yes, Monterey, they actually serve seafood in the mountains, and it was good! We were exhausted at this point and headed to the grocery store to stock up the pantry. After a quick trip through the store, we headed back to the house and lost all oxygen unloading the rest of the car, putting clothes in the chest of drawers, and stocking the pantry.

William found me lying on the bed trying to get oxygen. Finally, we had arrived. The bird was happy in her new cage, and the kids were snuggled in their beds. Deep breath!!!! The day had come to a close!

Natacha in her new “tiny” cage

Natacha hanging out

Welcome to my beautiful new picture on my blog!!! Grant has returned!!! Anyone who needs help on their blogspots should contact him. He’s expensive unless you get the family discount, which I did, of course! The mountains are part of the picture Rowland took from the deck of our house here in Breckenridge. This really is God’s country!

(BTW, if you have the big white box that says Kittino’s Karousel on the left side of the heading picture, go to tools and clear your cache, or private data.)

We left Monday evening for a week in Breckenridge. First off, I want to say that where we live is absolutely gorgeous. Each morning when I take Carson to school, I am awed at God’s handiwork in the rolling hills and the incredible Pike’s Peak. As I round the corner to his school, I come to the top of a hill, and there before me is the most amazing view. Having said all of that, Breckenridge kicks Parker’s butt! We awoke Tuesday morning to beautiful snow-covered mountains, trees all around with branches heavy with snow…. Words truly don’t describe the beauty.

Here are a couple of pictures from the house.

Here are the kids in their snow gear when we were out shopping.

We’re having a great time, and the Englishes got here a few hours ago. After pizza at Extreme Pizza, we’re ready for a good game of cards, a glass of wine (or Starbucks for the rest of the gang), and lots of laughter!