This week’s topic is up: 10 Favorite Television Personalities

1. Alton Brown (“Good Eats” on the Food Network)
2. Steve Irwin (late host of Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet/Discovery Channel)
3. Jeff Corwin (host on Animal Planet/Discovery Channel)
4. Rachel Ray (“30 minute Meals” on Food Network)
5. Mister Rogers (late host of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” PBS)
6. Jamie Hyneman (Co-Host of “Mythbusters” Discovery Channel)
7. Adam Savage (Co-Host of “Mythbusters” Discovery Channel)

I’ll keep thinking about it – it is not a medium where I’m much impressed.  Notice not a single “Actor” – they are all hosts! lol

For most people this day is full of memories – not good ones. For our family this day is a celebration of our son. Today is his birthday! We are blessed to have you be part of our family!

Memories of you…

• The smallest baby I’d ever seen – with hair that stuck straight up in the air. Later we found out your foster mom would put a cap on you to try and get it to stay down…but it didn’t really work!
• I remember the first day you came into our home. There was so much chaos and your foster mom was trying to give me your schedule and tell me important things and all I could do was look at you.
• Your first Christmas, we put you under our Christmas tree. You eyes would grow huge as you would watch the lights twinkling.
• I remember you sleeping in your swing as I desperately tried to wind it up without waking you! You slept so little those first months.
• I remember waking up and coming out to find you almost totally nude on the changing table with an exhausted Grammy saying “he’s happier this way” and it was true!
• I remember trying to bundle you as you screamed and screamed due to hyperstimulation. Pacing a dark room, whispering quietly to you until you finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
• I remember watching you toddle after your big brother.
• I remember your first snowstorm after you could walk. You were bundled up so much you could barely move. But it didn’t really matter as we could hardly get you to walk in it!
• I remember you dive bombing daddy whenever he was laying on the floor. You’d scream and jump – never matter what daddy was doing – you were totally confident that he would catch you…and he always did.
• I remember your 5th birthday when I watched the planes fly into the towers before you woke up. I wondered how I could possibly celebrate on a day like that. But when you woke up I realized how could I not celebrate you on a day like this. You will make a difference some day.
• I remember trying to tell you that we now lived in California, not in Oregon. You had such trouble understanding that concept.
• I remember seeing you arrive at the hospital after Joshua died. I see your dad crouching down to tell you and your big brother what happened. I doubt you understood a word of it.
• I remember trying to teach you to recognize a letter from the alphabet. Frustrating us both until the point of tears.
• I remember you hiding behind the chair when the TRex comes on Juraissic Park but having you pick it out again and again as your favorite movie.
• I remember you telling me you want to be a director because you think someone needs to make (Insert obnoxious kids movie title here)2. Actually you said “I want to be the guy who yells “Cut”!
• I remember giving you our old video camera and you yelling orders to all the family members as you directed us.
• I remember you bringing me your latest Lego creation and totally being able to recognize what it is!

There is almost too much to remember…and we’ve barely gotten started! I can’t wait to see what the next several years bring us and who you become! Happy Double Digits!!

I did a mitered square – but it’s pretty boring unless you change colors.  So I’m going to do one tonight with two colors and then I’ll take a picture.  It’s waaaaay easier than I thought it would be.  I’m also going to try a mitered triangle, hexagon (is that six sides?), u and a few other patterns I’ve found online.

In other news — J2’s first pack meeting (Cub Scouts – he’ll be a bear) was a success last night.  I just need to figure out how I’m going to swing the $90 +/- I need for his uniform, patches and handbook before his first pack meeting on 9/19.  They are going to tour a police station – he’s really going to enjoy that!  And, I found out the meetings are from 5:30-6:30 pm so I can still do my knitting night on Tuesday nights!  Yeah!!

OK – I know I’m boring.  But I’m cleaning the camper and I needed a break – and this was the only way I could justify sitting on my butt for a few minutes! ;-)  Later Gators!

I’m going to do it! 

I’m going to knit some swatches of Mitered Squares!

I’m slightly scared.

I’ll try to post some pics of my progress later today!  If you have any advice – please leave me a comment!!

Julie asked about our J boys. J1 was named a J name when he joined our family at 17 mos old. We did give him a middle name though from us. As the other two were younger, we changed their names – for various reasons. We had planned to name J2 “Ian” but when we saw him we realized he was not an Ian. As he was only 6 weeks old and his adoption was 99% sure, his foster parents were willing to start using the name we picked right away. So we spent the 90 minute drive home trying to pick out names for our newest son. It turns out that our next favorite name was a J name.

And then we thought our family was complete.

But God had other plans for us. On J1’s sixth birthday we got a call that they had a new brother and their “tummy mommy” had not changed her ‘lifestyle’ and they would be pursuing an adoptive family for him. We had to decide if we were going to be that family. We prayed and talked and talked and prayed. J3 seemed to have more medical issues that the other boys due to his birth circumstances and we wondered if a pastors family would have the insurance and money to care for a child with so many issues. We finally decided that keeping the boys together (half brothers due to birth, full brothers due to adoption) was bigger than any of our concerns — and that the Lord would provide for our needs as He had all along.

Sadly J3’s given name was offensive to my husband. Long story short there was a nasty dog in his childhood with the same name. There was no way we were going to call our son that. So once again we needed to find a name. And, we wanted a good meaning again — all our boys have significant meanings. We never considered anything but J names. Not sure why – it would have been a perfect time to break the cycle. But we didn’t.

A couple of months after J3 joined our family – we found out we were pregnant. After 14 years of marriage!! I had lots of fears about any distinction being made between our first 3 boys and this new child. I remember talking to our adoption caseworker a few times about my fears and he gave me some good advice. When we found out Joshua was a boy, we immediately realized we needed another J name…but I only had one more favorite J name! I told the Lord – no more boys!! I’m out of names now! LOL Like you can TELL the Lord anything! LOL

So, that’s where our Js came from. I do NOT recommend that new moms name their children with the same initials — you end us stuttering “Jjjjjjjjj” and they all look at you like you are crazy.

Of course, if we had the opportunity to adopt again….I’ll have to stick with J names….but I’m all out of boy names….are you listening, Lord?? 😉