Success!

Had a GREAT time at the Heart Walk today!

15,000 walkers...over $1 million dollars raised--over $1 thousand by Team George!

Thanks to our team this year: Jennifer and Kate, Bob and Nola, Virginia, Mum, Pam, and the 6 Montagues!

Some pics:

Heart Walk here we come!

Today is the day! We're walking in our sixth Atlanta Heart Walk to raise money for the American Heart Association. You can still donate--go to the link on the right for our team page!

We have about sixteen dedicated walkers this year, and we are EXCITED!

We will walk the Survivors One Mile Walk since none of the kid will do the stroller thing anymore!

Go Team George!

Donate! And watch Fox 5 Atlanta for coverage of the walk!

Kid thoughts...

George: "When I'm 40 years old, will I be a father? If I am, I am going to Ethiopia to get a baby. I'm going to get two and name them Fred and Daphne."

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Mimi--as Jason was on his way to a Visitation for a friend whose father passed away: "Is Daddy going to talk to Celeste's Daddy?"

When I explained that no, when someone dies they can't talk to you, she was concerned, which led to the next statement:

"Am I going to die soon? I don't think I want to die yet. I would miss talking to you."

M and G are both very sad for their friend Celeste. So are we.

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George, after touching the cookie dough AGAIN after being told repeatedly not to:

"What the heck is wrong with me today?"

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Vinny: "I think I gonna need hot sauce!"

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Natan: "I like you, Mommy. You're cute. You're doing a good job."

Thanks, Tan...I needed that!

Questions...

Do baby ants bite?

Where do ants go? Do they go shopping for ant stuff?

Why does that dog have big boobies? (referring to yet another stray in our yard that has clearly JUST had babies).

Do puppies get born out of a tootie? (To which Mimi says to George, the questioner: "George, it's not called a tootie. It's a bagina"

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nothing much...

Getting ready for our day trip to B'Ham for some much needed BFF'ing with the Ingrams! Of all the people to move, why them????? See? I am still not over it!!!!!

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Mimi and George are doing great in school--both reading and starting spelling. May not sound like much, but it's HUGE!!! Natan is also coming along very well--starting to write his name, and getting all his letters down. Some weeks are better than others behavior-wise, but that's true for anyone!

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The Heart Walk is around the corner--so glad Mum and Pam will be here for it this year! It's so much fun now that M and G understand why we walk and feel more a part of it.

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Our first Daisy Scout meeting was great!! Eight girls and we had a blast! So glad I signed on as leader--Mimi is so happy! Great group of Moms as well which is a plus!

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My blogging has been rather slow lately, but I suppose it's a good thing. Nothing to vent about is always good! Wish there was some adoption news, but alas, nothing. Some more babies have come into the agency's care, but we are still just waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

At least we'll be good and ready for her when the time comes! Still don't know who gets to go--Jason or my sister. Depends on the government of ET.

Monday, Monday

Had a nice weekend...

I was asked to be a preliminary judge for the upcoming"Henry Has Talent" on Saturday and saw some pretty great talent! Can't wait until the final show on the 23rd!

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We all had a great time on Friday night at Natan's school's Fall Festival--so much fun to see him with his friends! Picked up a couple of neat Christmas gifts as well!

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We are gearing up for Nana coming for the winter and Pam's visit--VERY excited! Lots of stuff planned while they're here!

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Saw a bumper sticker the other day that I haven't seen in a while: "Mean people suck." I agree.

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Getting out of dodge this weekend with a much needed trip to Birmingham to get our Ingram fix!

Randoms

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Anonymous.

Thank you for asking about all the kids' school yesterday at dinner. You have no idea how many people never ask M and G how school is going, simply because they are anti-home school. They only ask about Natan because he is in "real" school. But really, he is in a dream situation just like they are. 5 kid and two teachers. It sure makes a difference!

Anyway, your inquiry meant a lot. Thanks!

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We are all excited about going to Natan's school's Fall Festival tomorrow night. Cakes made for the Cake Walk, 4 pound bag of candy to be delivered, and four very excited kiddos!

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Big news: George walked Reg alone today! As in, he held the leash without any support. He's totally pumped about it and ready to conquer the world! Since Reggie is such a dopey dog (Sara & Dwayne...you know what I'm talking about!), it was pretty easy! Mimi takes Stanely, and I get Daisy who needs the most "help." But, she is improving very day!

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Break time is over. off to do some more reading and social studies!

Bring on the cool weather...

We pulled out our crates of "winter" clothes this morning. Mimi exclaimed, "Yay! My cozy track pants!" It's genetic....she gets it from me!

Purging 101

It's Purging 101 and Jason flunks miserably!! We are cleaning out a section of our basement...full of stuff we have had since before we were married.

Top 5 items that I cannot believe we found:

5. Box of stuffed animals (mine)--I can still remember each of their names and who gave them to me. Found my pink elephant, Elliot, which my Dad got me at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) one year.

4. MULTIPLE envelopesd of fake confederate money (Jason's, obviously--I would not have Confederate anything!!). I would like to take it somewhere and in my stellar fake Southern accent, try to use it to buy stuff. My counter part is not so sure.

3. At least 100 post cards (seriously) that Jason has collected over the years. And they're not good ones. He claims it's because a post card is always better than a photo. I begged to differ, until I saw his photos. How does your finger get in so many?

2. A giant key. Jason admitted it was his dorm room key. ??????

1. All the contents from the car that we collected from his parents' accident. Holding the items and smelling a smell I haven't smelled in almost 10 years...To this day, neither of us will ever forget the exact details of that day. And we realize that so much in so many ways changed for us in the day and months that followed. But we're still kickin'!

So...we are done for the night. Our stuff has taken over the playroom, but we are confident all order will be restored by tomorrow night. If I find anymore boxes of postcards, I'm moving out!!

Just stuff

Had a busy but fun weekend--Friday night pizza with friends, the annual Music Party on Saturday, and a day with wonderful old friends on Sunday up in Alpharetta. Needless to say, we were all pretty tired by Sunday night!

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Bug hit me yesterday...'nuff said! George offered me his pirate ship pillow today and Mimi gave me back scratches to make me feel better. Nothing sweeter!

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People keep saying, "I don't know how you can home school...my kids would drive me crazy." I feel so sorry for them. I am so happy to have all this time with the kids. They won't always be here. They'll be busy doing and going. Someone also commented, "Well, you'll have to put them in school at some point so they can learn to sit still and behave." What do you think our classroom at home is like?? We're not running around wasting time. They do math, language arts, science, social studies, french, music and art. We are set up like a classroom but without all the other kids and with a whole lot more freedom!

So, the consensus is that so far, so good. The kids are happy and we are happy. Isn't that all the really matters??

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First Girl Scout Daisies parent meeting tomorrow night--Mimi and are both very excited!

7 Moms and 10 girls! In keeping with the motto, I am prepared!

Darn Dinosaurs!

Mimi: "I am SO glad we do not live in the Jurassic Period."

Me: "Huh?????"

Mimi repeats.

Me: "Why?"

Mimi: "Because we would be eaten by dinosaurs..."

Life Lesson Learned (one of many)

One of the kids, who shall remain unnamed, learned a valuable lesson today:

Never fart if you think you might have diarrhea...always get to a bathroom!

Pretty much sums up what's happening in our neck of the woods...

Ewwww...and things unrelated

Something has struck in the Montague household. Three out of four kids have diarrhea. Yep. The only thing to top this would be some simultaneous barfing.

On the upside...no fevers, and it seems to be "running it's course" so to speak!

Vinny now tells us he has "medicine bum" because we put butt paste on his reddening bottom. And, his favorite new trick which I really should record: Snapping his underwear band to make a cloud of baby powder poof out!

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Excited about another guest coming to visit in October--the kids know and are super excited! My cousin Pam is coming and will walk for Team George in the Heart Walk. Remember, even if you can't walk, you can donate! The website is up and updated:www.teamgeorgeatl.blogspot.com.

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Some more pictures from our week with the Mattinsons:

sigh...

Dropped our guests off at the airport today. Everyone was very sad, and it is a little too quiet here...

We had such a fun week, and the kids can't wait to see them again in June in Nova Scotia! We love us some Sa Sa and Unca Dane! Now we have Nana arriving in about six weeks to look forward to!

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George announced this afternoon that if it's OK with me, he'll "just be five years old for a while longer..."

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Mimi told me on the way home from the airport, when we were talking about our favorite part of the past week, that her's was "just being with my whole family..."

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Received an update of sorts from our adoption agency--still waiting. That's the update.

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Happy Birthday (almost)!

6 years ago about this time at night, we thought my water broke. Jason had read somewhere that if you microwave "it" and it solidifies, it's your water breaking. Mine didn't solidify. It was pee. Ever heated up pee in a microwave? Probably not and I do not recommend it! With a house full of an odor that seemed to take forever to go away, we had a good laugh and went to bed.

Turns out, I was in labor. The next evening at 8:00 during Hurricane Ivan and tornado warnings, George Williams came in like a whirlwind and hasn't stopped!

There are few moments in life worth remembering. Holding your newborn or having a newly adopted child placed in your arms for the first time are those moments for me. I am fortunate to have had four of them so far.

George has been counting down the number of sleeps until the day. He said today, "One more finger up and then down until my real birthday, right, mama?"

I love my kids.

Happy birthday, George!

Good times...

Our house guests arrived safely and on time. Been in the pool ever since! Well, in between eating!

Had a nice birthday party for George yesterday--he LOVED his Scooby Doo party but loved the remote control R2D2 given to him by SaSa, Dwayne, and Nana even more!

Super delish dinner at Buckner's Family Restaurant--even the kids loved it!!

Heading to the Aquarium and other fun ATL stuff tomorrow.

Having fun!!!

Eat. Swim. Doze. Repeat.

Ready or not!

Our guests are officially on their way--Jason picks them up this afternoon. Kids still have no idea! Beds made...pork butt cooking...making apple pie (thanks, Mary Liz--it's your recipe!) later today with the kids...

First, heading up to do a couple of hours of school, then taking Natan to school today so we can choose some books from the Book Fair for his classroom.

Tomorrow is the Ethiopian New Year. We will celebrate by having George's birthday party! Instead of Injera, we'll have pizza!

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All my trial and error regarding my vocal cords seem to be working. I am heartburn free--so here's to holistic medicine! Anyone taking Nexium or other similar medicines--read the fine print!

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Thankful

Some thought on being thankful:

I am thankful for a few nice people.

Mean people are all around, as I have sadly discovered over the past couple of years (yes, I was living in a bubble!). Folks who choose to be unkind when they have a different choice to make.

So it was nice to receive a kind word from a genuine person. A verbal hug. From someone I respect. I am thankful you took the time to make my day!

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I am thankful for Jason, who gives me a break to do stuff around the house or have some "me" time after he comes home from work. Not because he has to, but because he loves his kids and loves me enough to help out.

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I am thankful for my Mum. Lots of reasons but the tangible one is the adoption. We are still paying for two plane tickets, room and board, and the country fee from Natan's adoption! Without my Mum, there would be no number five.

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I am thankful for Jason and I sticking to our debt free budget. We are almost debt free. Yay!

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I am thankful for my secret co-venter. Meaning, she and I can vent to one another as needed and it stays right where we leave it. She was there for me today, and I am thankful.

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There are more, but the natives are naked, wet, and hungry. You know the ones--that I am INCREDIBLY thankful for!

Movin' Right Along...

Three weeks in and going strong!

Nailed our vowels, moving to consonants. Both kids are reading and more importantly, love to read!

The best part of school at home is that I get to be a part of their learning. I see the "click" moments and celebrate immediately.

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George is having fun counting the days (literally) until both his birthday party and his "real birthday day". The theme this year is Scooby Doo!!!

Spent part of this morning listening and watching Mimi practice her piano--without being told! YAY!!

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Preparing for our upcoming visitors (Another YAY!!!!!) who arrive on Friday! Kids don't know, so it will be quite the surprise!

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Having friends over for dinner--Jason cooking our weekly load of collards--mmmm!

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Good Times!!

Busy does not begin to describe this house now.

Loving our home school situation, mainly because we are working our tails off and seeing major results! It's a family effort for sure--I teach all four in the morning, then do "Specials" in the afternoon while Vinny naps. Jason does homework and piano practice each night.

We are finding our groove, figuring out what works and doesn't work, and basically having a great time as well!

I know there are families out there who give schooling at home a bad name--don't let them be the only impression you have. Take the time to see what others do and why we do it.

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Natan is still going strong and making great progress! He ran to the bus the other morning saying, "My friends! My friends!" Yes, there was a throat lump! To see him making connections outside his siblings, like the others have, blew me away and made it all worth it!

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I am an official Girl Scout Troop Leader! They needed someone for our district, and I needed Mimi to be a part of a troop, so I volunteered. Let the fun begin!!! She and I are both excited and also very amused by how pissed George is that he can't be a Girl Scout! He'll get his turn next year with the boys!

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After three years doing the dance thing, we have pulled out. We loved it and the kids seemed happy, but I have to tell you--it was killing our budget. We were also facing the two big kids wanting to try other things and trying to fit it all in. So...George starts three months of basketball this October, and Mimi is on board for Spring soccer.

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No vocal cord update and no adoption update. Still waiting on both...still not a patient waiter.