Sweet Life in the City

We had some great days this past week but we have also had a few rough days. In fact, today we are doing something that we were hoping we would not have to do. We are helping my brother and his boys pack up their house so they can put it on the market. They are going through a rough time right now and I would ask that you would pray for them. I will post more about our week later but I do not have time right now. Here are just a few of the pictures from our three Christmas'.

Well yesterday was a very sad day for our family. Yesterday afternoon we had to make the decision to put down our beloved dog Maggie. I have been posting the past few months that we have been having several episodes with her and we were not sure what was going on. We were not super concerned because she would feel bad for a day and then be back to normal. I took her to the vet a month ago for that itching problem but there was not any other problems that we knew about. Well a few days ago she started acting sick again but this time she was a lot worse. She was vomiting and had blood in her urine. Her belly was swollen and she could barely walk or breath. Monday night she looked so back that I was sure that she would be dead when I woke up Tuesday morning. So I actually told her goodbye before I went to bed. Tuesday morning I got up and she was sitting up on her blanket wagging her tail when she saw me but I could tell that she was not any better. Jeremy took her to the vet because I kn...

OK so I have 3G coverage tonight so I thought I would go ahead and post the pictures with Santa. This man in our church plays Santa all the time at Christmas and he is pretty amazing. He almost makes me believe there is a Santa Claus:) Those of you that know Jeremy know that he is a pretty straight talker and that also applies to Samuel and the issue of Santa being real or not. Our take on the Santa issue is that we tell our kids that he is not a real person but it is OK to have fun and pretend that there is a Santa but I do not think Sam believes Jeremy when he tells him Santa is not real. So last night we left right behind "Santa" and Sam saw him going into the church. 'Santa" took off his hat and Sam said, "mom, why did Santa just take off his hat? I am starting to think that he is not really Santa or maybe Santa actually dresses up like a man." He then was convinced that he saw Santa's sleigh parked on the roof of the church. His imagination is amaz...

Christmas is near and you can feel it at our house. The kids have been bouncing off the walls and every few hours we hear the question, "Can we open a present now?"Yesterday the kids wore their Christmas outfits to church and I am not sure they could get any more cuter. My mom found the girls' dresses and it came with a matching dress for their baby dolls. They thought it was the neatest thing and Chloe said "baby" about 500 times yesterday morning as she carried her doll around. Last night was our Christmas program at church and then we had a fellowship time at church. The kids had fun and loved that Santa made an appearance after we ate. Emma and Chloe were scared the last time they saw Santa, but they were not scared last night. I had to work today and I have to work tomorrow but then I am off until the first of the year. We are having our Christmas at the house either Wednesday night or Thursday morning and then we are going to Jeremy's parents house Thu...

Can you believe that I am posting two days in a row?? Well I know that many of you have been praying for us and our decision about Sam's school so I wanted to share something that happened today. I went on my lunch break to the elementary school to register Sam at his new school. I was pretty anxious and was really seeking God's peace about this decision. I was at the counter filling out some papers when I heard someone come into the office and call my name. I turned around and there was a lady that I have known for many years standing there. She teaches music at the school and was so excited that Samuel would be going to their school and that she would have him in class. As we stood talking I felt the peace of God come over me and I knew that this was the right decision. It was nice to know someone that teaches at the school who will be looking out for Sam. I am sure once school starts I will realize that I know a lot of people that are connected with the school and I am excit...

Our week has been a little crazy all ready. Sunday night was the children's program at our church and my little guy Sam did so good. I was so proud of him. Yesterday was work and then I had a dentist appointment after work. I had a little piece of tooth that broke off because of a small cavity so I had to get that fixed. Work is finally starting to click a little bit better. After lunch I am going to some of the younger classes to fill in for those teachers who take their break. It is during nap time so it has not been too bad except for yesterday and today. They put me in the younger two room and it was like having 10 Chloe's running around. They were out of control! There was another person in the room with me but it was still a little unnerving. I think the person that usually comes in that room during that time has been out sick so I am hoping that she is back tomorrow. We also have a big change that is going to take place in the Riggs' household after Christmas that I ...

I guess you can tell that I have not had a lot of time to post this week. I have tried several times to post a few pictures from this week but our connection is so slow and is having a hard time posting. I will try and give a recap of our week. My parents came in Sunday night and the kids were so excited. Monday was Chloe's court date to finalize her adoption so she is officially a Riggs now. Our court appearance was scheduled for 9:00 AM Monday but when we got to the courthouse we noticed that there were a bunch of people in the courtroom at about 8:50. It turned out they were picking jurors and it was going to take a while. At about 9:30 we were told that the jury selection was almost over and that they would open the court with the adoption procedures (there were two other families also finalizing). We got in the court room and the kids were already pretty tired from waiting in the hallway for almost an hour and then the judge called a lawyer up and they opened the court with a ...

WOW it has been a busy week. I have tried to post these pictures the past few days but they would not post. I will try to give a quick recap of the week. Wednesday morning the girls and I started our new adventure at my new job. The girls did pretty good going to their new class. Chloe was a little hesitant do I stayed with her for a few minutes while she got used to the room. They brought me to my classroom and it was a little overwhelming. The class was pretty much a big mess. All the bulletin boards needed to be switched and the room needed a good cleaning. So I spent most of the morning getting the class room together. It turns out that I only have two boys in the KIndergarten class. I only had them for about an hour on Wednesday. I stayed until about 2:00 finishing up the room. Thursday I taught at PVCS and had another great day. I loved teaching at that school but I needed something more consistent. Friday I went back to the new job and had the boys all morning. I think I am goin...

Well I made a HUGE decision yesterday. I have decided to go back to work. I have been struggling for a few months now and have called several places looking for something that would fit me and the girls and be worth my time. I saw an add in our local paper this weekend for a part time position that a local childcare center. I called yesterday morning and found out that the hours were from 8-12 and it was for a new Kindergarten program that they started this year. I was really excited about that because I love teaching Kindergarten, but I did not think that those hours would work for me because I knew I would have to pay so much for childcare for the girls. The director/owner of the center called me yesterday afternoon and said that she would really like to meet with me and could work out something for me to bring the girls with me. I did not want to get my hopes up because I have heard several places say that they would give me a great deal for the girls and I had actually applied at ...

We do not have much going on today. The girls and I are going to stay home and I am trying to get motivated to get the house cleaned up again. I finally got the pictures taken at Thanksgiving to post.

We had a great Thanksgiving. My parents came into town on Tuesday. Sam was supposed to go to school Tuesday but woke up complaining that his stomach hurt. I got him some breakfast but he still said his stomach hurt. He was whining and carrying on that Jeremy told him to stay home. Sam got in bed with me and slept for a little while longer. He got up and was just running and acting wild. I told him that I thought he said his tummy hurt and that he should have gone to school because obviously his tummy did not hurt. He then responded, "Well mom, I just did not think it was fair that I had to wait to wait to see Grandma and Grandpa, and besides I already know my ABC's, lower and upper case." I wonder how many times he is going to use that to try to get out of school. Wednesday Jeremy and I went to the chiropractor and Sam kept asking us how things went at "choir practice" when we got back. We all went to my brother's house Wednesday evening and stayed the night...

Busy, busy weekend and busy, busy week. Friday I subbed for first grade. I wish I could say it was fun but it was actually kind of stressful. Friday happen to be Character Dress-up day at school and it was the last day before their Thanksgiving break. SO, the kids were completely CRAZY!! I made it through the day but determined I did not get paid enough on Friday to handle another day like that!! Friday night was the lock-in. I made it until 2:00 and I probably would have stayed later if I had not had a little incident at the first house. The first house we went to was way off the road Their driveway was gravel and muddy and a series of several hills. Well when we were leaving I started up the hill and my tires were just peeling out and I could not get up the hill. The van started rolling back and I thought we were going to end up in their pond. The more I tried to get up the hill the more the tires peeled out and the van was going all over the place. I finally got rolled back into a s...

Well I do not have much time to post because I have so much to do around the house and some errands to run after lunch. Yesterday was a pretty good day. The girls and I went to Sam's school for their Thanksgiving dinner (lunch). The dinner was not very good but it was worth the trip to see Sam's smile when he saw us waiting for him in the hallway. After lunch I brought sam home with us and I was able to spend a little time with him playing games and coloring. Last night was church so the kids got to bed later than usual and the girls actually slept in past 7:00 this morning. Today I am getting the house cleaned and trying to make a dent in my laundry. Since I started subbing one to two days a week I have gotten behind on the laundry, so today I am going to try and catch up. I am subbing again tomorrow and then we have a lock-in tomorrow night for the youth group. I am going to attempt to stay all night but I am not sure. The kids are staying at Gran and Papa's tomorrow nigh...

I have been trying most of the day to upload the pictures from Emma's party but they will not post. I thought I would go ahead and give a recap of the past few days and try again later to post the pictures, so here we go. Thursday- Emma had her three year old check-up. She did just a great job at the doctor. She weighs a whole 25 pounds and is 35 1/2 inches long. She is tiny but she is growing right on track. She had to get one shot (2 nd dose of Hep A, I think) and she got the flu vaccine. They were out of he H1N1 vaccine for her age so we did not get that one. She also had to get her finger pricked to make sure she is not anemic. Chloe also got a seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 shot. After the doctor we picked up a $5 pizza fro Little Caesars and then came home. Friday- The girls and I stayed home all day. I got my house mostly cleaned and worked on the laundry. When Jeremy and Sam got home we had supper and then headed out to Pleasant View Christian School's Tip-Off. They we...

We have been up around here since early this morning. Samuel fell asleep on the way home from school yesterday and stayed asleep until 4 o'clock this morning. He usually falls asleep and sleeps for an hour or so when he gets home and then wakes up, but last night he did not want to wake up. We tried several times to wake him up but he was so tired. We put him in his bed (which usually wakes him right up) but he continued to sleep. So at 4:00 this morning Sam was at our bed needing something to eat. So he ate a bowl of cereal and then got in bed with us. At some point he got out of our bed and got the girls up. At 6:00 all three kids were roaming around the house. I put Chloe back in the the bed and put Emma in our bed. Neither girl went back to sleep so we finally all got up. Well after the girls nap we are going to a few stores and the Emma has her 3 year old check-up this afternoon. Well Gran got the girls these play hair accessories and the girls love them. There were some plast...

Emma seemed to have a great birthday. She went to lunch with Gran yesterday and then we went out to Logan's for supper last night. We were going to go somewhere else but she wanted to go to the "peanuts" place. She opened her presents from us and my parents when Jeremy and Sam got home. She got a Dora scooter from my parents and we got her a Tinkerbell doll. I got her a little cake that we brought to Logan's with us to eat. Today we are just staying home until church tonight. Well the kids slept good again last night so I think me switching their rooms is going to work out fine. There was one little situation with Chloe last night. It was about 10:00 and Jeremy and I had just gone to bed when we heard this thud and then Chloe crying. I ran into her room but I could not find her. I could hear her but it was really muffled. She has fallen head first in between the wall and the bed. I could not tell where she was because only her little feet where sticking up. I felt bad...

Today my sweet Emma turned 3 years old. It is hard to believe that she is already 3! She has grown so much the past few months and it is becoming clear that she is not my little baby anymore. Sometimes I will be holding her in my lap and it is still hard to believe that she finally made it home. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was wait for Emma to come home. There were times in our journey with her that felt hopeless and the heartache was too much to take at times. Emma finally made it home and I was not sure what I had gotten into! She was so stubborn and was so different from Sam that our parenting skills were really put to the test. Now all that waiting and all those difficult days seem like they never happened when Emma smiles at us or we hear her laugh. She really has become a sweet little girl and we can not imagine our life without her. I am not sure if I have ever mentioned this but Emma has a biological brother that was adopted about 2 years before she was born...