Cross-country 9-29

Another great day for the Seahawks!

The boys team is at the top of their game.

They worked extra hard this week and came in with great improved times overall.


Isaac took off 47 seconds!  
Great job Isaac!

Again, the team, as a whole, performed excellent.

Just a couple more weeks of practice until the All-Island Meet!

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Meleah - two months

If you are behind the news on the baby girl in our home,
here are the links if you want to catch up.


Small Wonder

Introducing...........

New Normal

One month

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 days old

2 months old

Two month update   

This month Meleah really started developing her personality.

She is smiling at us and making baby sounds.

She is spending more time looking around as her vision improves.

She is crying real tears (so sad) mostly in the car.
She is not a big fan of her car seat.
And not a big fan of the swing either.

She loves laying under her activity mat and kicking her feet at the toys.


She will take a paci - but she really, really wants to suck her thumb,
she just can't quite get it yet.  (*as proof in the video)

She weighs exactly 10 lbs and sleeps from about 10pm to 4-5am regularly.

(*as a sidenote:  I can't believe how many people ask me if she is sleeping through the night.
Does anyone have a child that slept through the night at 2 months?)
I think 6 to 7 hours is good right?

ANYWAY.......

Her brothers have changed her nickname
(have I mentioned our family is big on nicknames??)

from Queen of Cuteness and Sweetness (last month's title)
To
SABP - 
Sweet Angel Baby Princess
(because, Zion decided,
since Dad is the King,
and I am married to him,
I should be the Queen)
THANKS ZY!
(I didn't get the cuteness and sweetness part though.)

The boys hold her and talk to her all the time.
It's adorable!
Sometimes they scare me - but most of the time, they are careful with her.

For the time I spend getting her to nap in her bed during the week -
the boys undo on the weekend.
But it's too cute to be upset about.
So I let them hold her as much as they want.



Maybe having a 10 year gap in the babies in this house
makes me really realize that the time is too short.



My baby boy holding my baby girl.....isn't that priceless?





Some people have asked if we are adopting Meleah.
We certainly would, but right now, she is still a foster child.
She is in the system, and the process is time consuming.
As with our foster son, Jonah - I can't give you details,
I just ask that you pray for paperwork to be completed quickly,
for all the details to be worked through,
and for the judges over the case to make their decisions based on what is best for Meleah.
If they feel that our family is the best fit for her, then we will happily be her forever home.

STOMP!

Sunday after church,  Isaac, Zion and I went to see STOMP!

It was a great show and if you have the chance to see it,
make space in your schedule and go!

It is amazing to hear the sound that eight people can make with everyday, household items.

Of course, you can't take photos during the show,
so if you haven't seen any of the clips,

click on the following links.

The show opened with something similar to this:
CLICK HERE


We also enjoyed THIS routine

and THIS one.

It's hard to pick a favorite,

The entire show was captivating.

Zion on the stage after the show
(he has been drumming on EVERYTHING since)

Seahawks Cross Country 9-22-11

Second cross-country meet was a  "MUD-RUN"

Bound to happen in Guam.

It rained most of Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

It was raining when the boys started running, but they finished up without being poured on.
(although, of course, they were already soaked)

Michael kicked it coming into the home stretch
we made a joke about the blue #455 looking at Michael's feet saying,
"I'll never keep up with this guy" 

Michael getting a nose ahead here,
did in fact pass him and come in milli-seconds before

Isaac sprinting through the home stretch

The boys team finished strong with 4 of the top 5 times coming from Seahawks.

Michael improved his time.
Last week:  12:17
This week: 12:04

If you don't want to do the math, that's an 8 minute mile for a 1.6 mile course.
If you run, you know that's decent.
My pace (on a good day) is a 10 minute mile.

This week,  I took some video.
I strongly encourage you to mute the volume on your computer,
because, as always, I was screaming.
I love sports,
really....I know, that's a rare thing for a woman to say,
but I really do!

THEN, add to it that it's my babies....and I am a freak show for an ESPN highlight reel!!
(*and I was keeping it calm because I knew it would be on the video)

Michael

If you don't take my advice, and you do "listen"
I want to explain that Michael's shoe was untied.
Hence my comment about his shoes.

I am really proud of Isaac for doing cross-country.
He is not the natural athlete that Michael is,
and being "little brother" and following those footsteps is always hard.
He finished strong and didn't quit  (there were some kids who dropped out of the race)

Isaac coming into the home stretch.....

Remember my friend with Leukemia??

Hey!

Do you remember my friend, Mike Ansley?

If you missed my previous posts,

you can read about him

here

I wanted to give you an update.

He has received a bone marrow transplant!

We are so happy for his progress and happy to share with you that he continues to get stronger.  He has a long road ahead of him still and appreciates your prayers.

There are many more people out there fighting as they wait for a donor.

Have you signed up to be a bone marrow donor yet?

Don't know what to do?

Here you go: 

If you are in the military or work for the Department of Defense: 

Click here to find a local military hospital that is taking walk-in registrations

Don't see something close to you?  

Click here to get a kit mailed to you.

Not in the military?   Click this link.   You can enter your zip code and it will give you the nearest registry location and also drives happening in different cities.

THANK YOU

Cross Country Meet 9-15-11

If you read yesterday's story "These Days"

then you know that I didn't really make it to the boys Cross Country meet in time for blog-able photos.

Thankfully, Michael is on Yearbook Committee this year, and he is decent with the camera.

Here are (*some of) the photos from yesterday.  (*he took 300+)

My lame shot of Michael's back

Isaac coming down the home stretch

Go Seahawks!!!

These Days.......

There is a Mandisa song that I love,

that fits the day I had.

It's called, "These Days"
(words to follow)

So.....this is my crazy day.

Meleah didn't sleep well last night = I didn't sleep well last night.

When the alarm went off at 6am (of course, she was sleeping then)
I turned it off.
INSANE -
clearly a sleep-deprived move.

So without explanation, you can imagine that the morning getting the boys out the door was crazy.

Michael and Isaac had their first cross-country meet today -
so in addition to homework and lunches,
they had to have their uniforms and running shoes + extra water and snacks.

Michael tried on his uniform last night,
and the shorts were GIANT - like, not able to use them, giant.

So, on my "to do" list today was gym /
buy Michael shorts for the meet, make Gatorade for the team.

Doesn't sound too overwhelming right?

So - I get the boys out the door, feed and change the baby and head to the gym.

I managed 3 miles on the treadmill before she started crying, which is a record.
(The first time I went with her, it was 1.2 then next time around 2, the third time 2.7)
Maybe I can actually get enough of a work-out in to count soon.

I lift a few weights with the baby on the floor in front of me,
feed her a bottle
and then head back out for home.

She went to sleep in the car seat - so I made an attempt to shower while she slept in her car seat.
(yes, I brought the seat in the house, NO - I didn't leave my baby in the car)

By the time I got out of the shower, she was screaming.
Isn't that sad?
Babies don't cry at my house if I can help it.
I can't stand it.  (*you may have read that in my post, "routine")
It breaks my heart - for real.
I can't even watch Zion's birth video because the nurse is flipping him around banging
his head (he had a HUGE bruise from the vacuum thingy) and he is screaming -
seriously, I  can't watch it.  It makes me want to find the nurse and ......well,
maybe I shouldn't put that on the world wide web.

ANYWAY.......
I sat down on the couch with her and called Mike,
(*He is in the states this week, and the time change makes it tricky to chat)

After I talked to him, it was so comfy there on the couch,
I thought I'd just close my eyes for a second.

Been there?

Little Miss and I slept for 2 1/2 hours on the couch.
Right through her noon bottle and way through the dishes I needed to do,
and past the time I would do my Bible Study
and into the time I needed to be getting shorts for Michael.

Small Panic Attack

Feed the baby - email the cross country coach
Make Gatorade
Fly out the door to the Exchange with 45 minutes until school gets out
oh yeah, I needed gas in the van......

Find some shorts in Michael's size that will do
Call the school and tell them that Zion is a car rider
(ie, don't get on the bus, cause I am already at the school)

Get to the school
No Zion
Loop around the school, back through the pick-up lane
Still no Zion
Loop around the BACK of the school,
find Michael
give him the shorts
He doesn't want to carry the Gatorade (5 gallons is about 40 lbs)
so I loop back around to the front of the school
Still no Zion
Office calls the bus - Zion's on it
Loop back around and drop off the Gatorade where the team is gathering

Fly home to get Zion
Baby is screaming again
and doesn't really like the car seat anymore

Get Zion and Meleah in the house
Snacks
homework
comfort baby
Back out the door to the cross-country meet
The meet has already started,
but no worries,
the girls are running first
then the boys

Get to the meet and get this picture of Michael's back as he crosses the finish line
The boys ran first -UGH!!!

Find Michael and Isaac and tell them GOOD JOB -
I'll be right back
Taking Zion to swimming and coming right back

Get Zion to swimming and we have a hungry baby again.
So I park
Try to make a one handed bottle and drop the top
it rolls under the van....

WAY under the van
I have to sweep under the van with my leg to get it
baby's screaming give me ulcers
I do the thing that you read never to do.......
I make a "sling" with a blanket to hold the bottle in the baby's mouth
so I can get back on the road
back to the cross-country meet and pick up Michael and Isaac

As I am almost there - I see the team bus
already gone from the meet
heading back to the school
I feel like most likely NOT to succeed as a mother
I know Michael and Isaac are big boys, (14 and 11)
but I never want them standing somewhere, waiting for me.

Of course, they were fine and hadn't been waiting long
but
I.  still.  hate.  it!

Another swimmer's family agreed to bring Zion home,
so the mom taxi pulled into home port for the last stop of the day.

Meleah was DONE with being in the car - pretty much from 2pm until almost 7pm.

I know you've all had a day like this one
and for you Navy wives - they always happen when the hubby is gone DON'T THEY!?!?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the words to the Mandisa song;
(*click the link on the title to hear the song)
These Days

I never liked Mondays or bad news
Or breakin in new shoes
And mornings when I can't find my phone
Nobody likes traffic or short nights
Or situps or long flights
But sometimes that's just the way it goes
It's funny what you use to help me grow...

So I'll learn to love these days
Life along the way
In the middle of the crazy
God your love is so amazing
Through the ups and downs
You're the only hope I've found
The Lord you meet me in the madness

I'll learned to love these days
I'll learned to love these days

I can see a silver linin
When the sun's not shinin'
Even when you choose to bring the rain
Oh, but I'm trustin your leadin'
'Cause your Lord of all my joy and all my pain

So I'll learn to love these days
Life along the way
In the middle of the crazy
God, your love is so amazing
Through the ups and downs
You're the only hope I've found
The Lord you meet me in the madness

I'll learned to love these days
I'll learned to love these days

I could wait the hundred years
You gave me here the days when you near
The days when I was out there
Lookin for what comes next
Oh, cause every minute,every hour, everyday
Is such a gift and I can say
I'm thankful for each day

So I'll learn to love these days
Life along the way
In the middle of the crazy
God, your love is so amazing
Through the ups and downs
You're the only hope I've found
The Lord you meet me in the madness


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


God,
Thank you for this crazy day
Thank you for your love
Thank you for meeting me in the madness
Thank you that your mercies are new every morning
Good night


 

PLUG IN to foster care on Guam

HEY!

Great news for you!

Did you know??

You don't have to be a foster parent to plug in and help foster care children on the island of Guam.

Here is a link / story about the foster care ministry that we are involved in.

It's called HARVEST HOUSE -

because the harvest is plenty!  

click for the Back to School Event


Coming soon we will begin to collect toys and clothes for the foster children's Christmas party.

There are over 225 children in the Guam Foster Care system.

Would you like to sponsor a child for Christmas??

If so, please email me and I will add you to the list.
If you have an age / gender request that you would like to shop for,
I can get you that too!

THANK YOU!

MikenMelda@aol.com

Routine

Well - if you read about the NEW NORMAL - you know what's been going on here.......

ADJUSTMENT

6 weeks 

Meleah is 6 weeks old now and the boys are back in school - 

and although I would really love to lay on the couch and hold the baby all day - 

it's just not practical.

So - we begin the process of getting into a routine, a schedule.

Not something I am good at, or disciplined to, but important nonetheless.

Not to bore you with all the details - 

all the parents out there have heard of it all from Baby Wise

to the Family Bed and everything in between.

So we are making an attempt to eat / play / sleep on a rotating 3 hour schedule without letting Meleah scream for hours, 

because, 

I don't care if you did it and it worked for you.  

I would rather spend 10 minutes holding a crying baby than give myself an ulcer listening to them scream for 30.......  

don't "tsk" at me - 

I just can't do it.

In between, I am making an attempt to keep up with dishes, laundry and the household chores in general.

(as the baby is sleeping now in her bed  ....and I am sitting at the computer, 

I would say, I need more discipline than she does)

Michael and Isaac have joined the CDR William McCool Middle School Cross-Country Team

(I know, the name of the school is a mouth-ful!)  

and their first meet is on September 15th.
(*pictures coming soon)

Zion is still swimming - although, honestly, he wants to quit. 

He has been at it for a year now, which is a long time for a Thornton to stick with something.

Especially one with my genes.

(*I have about 10 things started and nothing finished at any given time.)

The added downside to this swim season is that the ONLY public pool on the island of Guam is

in ill-repair and the funding to fix it does not exist.  So....no place to hold a swim meet.

........will there be a swim season this year?  
We don't know......

but I am trying to encourage Zion to stick it out anyway.




(*as a sidenote:  he still loves being a big brother,
and is always eager and willing to help ---- >   )

In other news,

Our foster son, JC - has moved. 

Last Friday was his last day with us.

I was hoping to hear from him - but not yet.

It's kinda strange around here without him......

but we hope to see him again soon.

The process of changing his room into a baby room is moving slowly.

Mostly, just a place to pile baby clothes and an extra bed to sleep in,
so Mike can get enough sleep to work the next day in a normal capacity.

That's about all I got for a update.......although, I admit, not really that exciting.

I hope everyone is moving into fall season back home,
and those down south are enjoying some changing leaves and some good football weather.  

And really, someone come visit us.  
I know it's a long plane ride........
But, I got here on it, so you can do it too.

PS....Mia, (the dog) is doing great with Meleah (the baby)

9-11-01 "I Will Not Forget"

I know, I know,

Blog-land is suffering here OOG,

it's the baby's fault.

But I have to have priorities - like food.

So here is a re-post of last year's 9-11 blog.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, September 11, 2010

September 11th

I recently read a book by Karen Kingsbury called, "One Tuesday Morning".  


It is a book about September 11th with fictional characters, but of course, the storyline and the events that take place bring tears to your eyes.


Each generation of humanity has a life changing event that can take them back in time instantly, without thinking, to exactly where they were when it occurred.


I remember my mom talking about where she was when JFK was shot.


My grandmother knows where she was when Pearl Harbor was attacked.


And I know where I was on September 11th 2001.

We lived in Port Hueneme, California and Zion was just a tiny little guy.  

Barely a month old.

Isaac was 19 months.

Michael was 2 months past his 4th birthday.

Mike was in the shower getting ready for work.

I padded into the living room and turned on the TV.

At that time, I liked to start my mornings with the "Today Show"

Of course, I couldn't have avoided what was on every channel.

It was a few minutes before 6am.

News reports were still speculating that the crash was some sort of accident.

I went back to the bedroom and told Mike.

When I returned to the TV, I saw this.  

Reports began to change.

Speculations were being made.

The feelings of terror begin to wrestle with the idea that this can't be possible.

Can it?


For the next 30 minutes, I sat numb on the couch - watching.

Then the Pentagon was hit.

The emotions involved with some level of denial start to fade.  

I felt sick.

Great friends from our first tour in Port Hueneme, the Medveds, are now stationed at the Pentagon.

Of course, the phone lines are jammed and every effort 
to call Maria and check on Marko are met with that annoying message that, "your call can not be completed as dialed"

The rest of the day turned into a blurr.

The rest of the week was spent on base.   

There was no real reason to travel off base, and I didn't want to.

That added bit of security somehow made me feel better.

I can't even remember how long it was before I heard from Maria that Marko was not in the Pentagon
that morning.  

Personal relief was still bittersweet, as people they knew lost their life.

The final death count was almost 3000.

Images of hope begin to replace the images of destruction.

The first time we left the base was as a family.

We went to church.

We placed more value on the little things.

We held our babies closer.

We called family just to say, "I love you"

Instead of getting caught up in the busy weekend hussle and bussle......

We should do those things again.