Surf N' Turf

So we live on the gulf coast and the boys have never been to the beach!  Crazy I know, but then again so our the boys and our lives.  We have just never gotten around to it, until today that is.  A few days ago Amy had the great idea to take a day trip to the beach for this vacation weekend.  We ran the idea past Amy's mom and Amanda and they we in!  But instead of Galveston we decided to head to Quintana, a smaller and quieter beach down by Freeport.  The boys have been super excited about it, asking every day if it was time to go to the beach.  Today the day finally came.  I don't know who was more excited, Amy or the boys because they all woke up at 5:00 this morning ready to go!  So, once the sandwiches (PB&J) were made and the car was packed, and everyone was dressed in their swimsuits we headed out to pick up Amy's mom and make our way to the beach.  

Once we arrived, we barely had time to set up our chairs and umbrella before all the kids were begging to go to the water.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about how the boys would react since they had never been before.  However, after a few moments of hesitation they were running, jumping, and splashing around like they lived at the beach.  The boys actually do enjoy water and swimming since they get to go with DD whenever they visit (thanks Mom) so this was like a huge pool to them.  Despite all the buckets, shovels, and other miscellaneous sand toys we brought the highlight of their day was definitely swimming.  It was all we could to to tear them away from the water long enough for lunch and us to sit for a minute before they were up and at it again!  

Because we had a bit of a drive back, we left around 1:30 once everything was packed and everyone was rinsed off.  A water bottle of Gatorade later and Braeden was crashed out.  Jack held on for quite a while before he drifted off.  The drive back was eventful to say the least with 2 bathroom stops - one per boy.  Braeden's was on the side of the road, Jack wouldn't go then.  That lead to the second stop, I kid you not, 15 minutes away from home so Jack could use the restroom at a Taco Bell.  They both went again at Amy's mom's house so at least they were well hydrated!  Soon it will be time for a bath to wash the rest of the sand, salt, and beach off (Amy and I took showers as soon as we returned home) and hopefully two tuckered-out little boys will drift off to sleep with fun dreams of their very first beach vacation.  Due to the success of today, we are already thinking about the next time we can head out.  Who doesn't love an inexpensive getaway that is so close to home?  So, another successful first and fun adventure here in Drosche Land.  Oh, where are the pictures you ask?  Well, of course I took many.  However, you will just have to wait until this coming Wordless Wednesday!  I'm working on editing and enhancing some of our favorites!  Stay tuned!  

All is well, and beachy keen, in Drosche Land.   

Wordless Wednesday (On A Thursday)

Well, this week has been crazy busy for us.  In addition to regular homework it is also the last week of school for us.  Needless to say it has been hectic here in Drosche Land.  Thus the day late post.  Last night was a very late night as we struggled, for the second late night in a row (and to no avail), to help Amy's mom with a Powerpoint and didn't end up leaving school until after 7:00.  Once homework was submitted we were exhausted and honestly I just plain forgot to post.  Hopefully with school coming to an end and my first summer off, I will have more time to post and more to post about!  May has been rough for the blog.  So, here is Wordless Wednesday on a Thursday.  These pictures (from my iPhone) are from tonight when we were all making pizza.  Today was Trinity's end of the year Splashtown trip and it was awesome!  Next year Braeden will be old enough to go!  Aside from being fun, it meant and early night for us as we were home before 4:00!  So we had lots of time to relax and hang out!  What better way to spend it than making pizza!  The boys love making their own and Amy makes incredible pizza so it is always a special fun family event! 

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How cute are they?

  Braeden takes his pizza making very seriously

 Can you tell Jack loves cheese?

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Putting on (and mostly eating) pepperoni

The pepperoni is their favorite part!

Back to Reality

Well, our kid-free weekend was great!  Amy and I kicked it off enjoying some great Mexican food and margaritas on Friday night.  It was great to enjoy a meal by ourselves without helping one of the boys eat a taco or blow on a chicken strip to cool it off.  Oh, and did I mention we got margaritas?  Yum!  Saturday morning we, as predicted in the previous post, woke up at our usual early time.  However, also as predicted, we were able to lounge around and enjoy a quiet morning together.  After a fun lunch with Amy's family we dropped the boys off with my parents and went out again for kid-free night 2.  This time we got to spend some time with some old friends from high school!  We once again enjoyed Mexican food and margaritas!  Noticing our favorites?  We ate, talked, laughed, and enjoyed some awesome company for 6 hours.  It was a great time!  I found it amazing that we could all just pick up with each other and it was like it had only been 10 days since we last were all together not 10 years.  Despite being in different places in life, we found we have quite a bit in common.  It was like a great new step in friendship.  We are definitely looking forward to doing it again and often.  Taryn, Dedrick, Cassie, and James - great friends!  Thanks!

However fun it was to be just the two of us again, there was no better sound than those two sets of feet running up to us before church this morning.  Nothing better that the hugs and smiles we instantly received.  Ahhhh, it was comfortably refreshing to have everything back to normal and as it should be.  This afternoon the house was filled with noise, toys, and the sounds of Alvin & the Chipmunks again.  It was great!  So, time together alone - awesome.  Time with friends - wonderful.  Getting back to Drosche, party of four - perfect.  This weekend we got to experience the best of both worlds and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
 
All is well, and back to normal, in Drosche Land.

Drosche, Party of Two

Ahhhh, those carefree days when we were newlyweds.  No worries, no stresses, just the two of us.  We could pick up and do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  Well, we may be revisiting those days a bit this weekend since we are KID FREE!  I feel like we can yell it like people yell, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!" on Dave Ramsey's radio show.  But our time for yelling that will come soon enough.  In the mean time, WE"RE KID FREE!  The best part though is that it came about quite by accident.  We had already planned on the boys spending tomorrow night with my parents because we had made plans to get together with some old friends from high school.  Then, out of the blue, Amy's mom calls her on Monday and asks if the boys want to spend Friday night at her house because she is watching Jared, Austin, and Audrey already.  So we said yes of course!  So, while Amy's mom is going for sainthood by watching all of the grandchildren at once, we get to have another kid-free night!  Our plans?  Who knows?  Kind of funny because we usually have things planned so well, but for tonight we have nothing.  Amy has not been feeling too well these past few days due to high blood pressure problems and is currently getting used to being on medication for it.  So we will see what we are up for once we leave work.  Dinner out with adult drinks?  Maybe.  Dinner in with adult drinks?  Maybe.  Movies?  Who knows?  The best part is we should sleep soundly.  Notice I didn't say sleep in.  We are no longer that naive, we have long since come to grips with the fact that they boys have changed our sleeping habits forever.  The bright side?  When we do wake up, early though it may be, we won't have to rush around to get someone pottied or chocolate milk or something to eat because they are starving.  So the best part of a kid-free weekend - the relaxation!  Hopefully it will help prepare us for the "last week" craziness that is sure to come next week!  So, here's to a kids-free weekend!  Let the relaxing fun begin!

All is well, and kid-free, in Drosche Land.  

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, so I have a lot of homework to do tonight so I am posting today's pictures early just in case I am too drained and exhauasted to do so later.  As promised in yesterday's post, here are the pictures of Braeden's brief performance in his May Dance Recital last night!  Enjoy!

 Here he is when he changed into his clothes for the recital, I took think thinking it might be the only picture we got!

 Here he is coming out, note the funny face - onthe brink of tears

 He finally sat down in order to get his ribbon!

His big moment - accepting his ribbon!

Stage Fright

Well, tonight was Braeden's May Dance Recital.  Or rather it was the May Dance Recital for TLCC boys.  Yes, Braeden once again succumbed to stage fright and would not participate at all.  I was sure he was going to dance since he excitedly got dressed and waved at me from the door prior to the recital.  However, walking out he got that usual look on his face of complete fear that then dissolved into near tears has he walked out into the room.  He came straight to us and shook his head.  What were we supposed to do?  We had figured this would happen so we were prepared and since this was not the first time it had happened, we were over the initial sadness/disappointment/embarrassment.  So he sat with us and clapped for his friends as they danced, repeatedly turning down the offers to join his friends.  Amy saw the rehearsal this afternoon and said he did well, until he saw he that is, then he started crying.  So what gives?  Is it us?  Is it me?  Is it the crowd of people?  Who knows.  The funny thing is that on the way home I asked him why he wouldn't dance.  Shrugging his shoulders he said he came out and "saw someone in a blue shirt with brown stripes, white pants, glasses, and a nose."  Yes folks, I was the "someone" he was describing.  So, for whatever reason he hates public performance.  We will continue to support him and encourage him to participate in things, and we will continue to support and comfort him when he decided he doesn't want to.  The most bothersome thing is the fact that it makes us leery of signing him up for sports.  It's a lot of time, energy, and money to invest if he is going to cry and refuse to go out on the field.  Luckily we have a long time, filled with opportunities, until then.  Only time will tell.  I did get a few pictures though, of his brief appearance at the recital.  I'm saving them for tomorrow's Wordless Wednesday post so you'll just have to check back in to see them!


All is well, though avoiding the spotlight, in Drosche Land.

Hanging by a Thread

So I think it's time to explain something that I have referenced in past posts and will often reference in future posts.  I'm talking about the red thread reference.  You may or may not be familiar with this, but it means a lot to Amy and I as we begin our adoption adventure so I want to share it.  It is based upon an ancient Chinese legend:

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.  The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.

Originally this referred to couples in love, a reference of how people are brought together and united in love.  However, it has come to be a symbol with significant meaning for those couples adopting children from China.  It is clear to see why, especially when looking at it from a Christian point of view.  It was not necessarily in our "plan" for our lives.  Yet it was in His plan for our lives and was revealed to us when the decision to adopt from China and then through the Waiting Child Program was placed upon our hearts.  So you can see how we are already connected to our child although we do not yet know anything about her, other than that she is the next addition to our family and we are her true forever family.  The journey (thread) will be long and will not be free of setbacks or trials (stretching & tangling), yet at the end of the journey (thread) we will find the daughter destined to be ours.  Not only does this legend symbolize everything about this adventure, but it also brings comfort and hope to us as we pursue it.  There is an end and a reward to our journey (thread) no matter what we have to do to achieve it, and it will be well worth everything.

So, now it is explained and in future posts, when mentioned will symbolize so much about this exciting adventure we are embarking on.  Now it is understandable why I included a red thread into Amy's Mother's Day card this year.  Something Amy and I can hold on to and look to as we pursue this next part of our lives together!

All is well, and connected, in Drosche Land.