4 years and 3 months old

Some things have stayed the same in the last month of Rocco's growth. He can amuse himself for an hour or so playing with his cars, pretending that there's "Trouvle" on a broken bridge. Often he'll get his trains together and they will have a meeting. If you give him his Disney Cars, he'll race for hours on end. And he still loves the color yellow, chewing gum, eating candy, and loving on mommy's face. He continues to go to sleep while rubbing my mole.

But this month Rocco has seen a few first's. He shot a paintball gun, rode on go carts, saw a movie at a theatre, earned a trophy, got on a mechanical bull, got himself up on the kitchen stool without help, went to potty by himself at church, and counted to 100! That's right. If you alternate count with him, he can go up to 100. Thirteen through eighteen is a little tricky, but he's doing great with his math. He also uses a calculator to add simple sums, such as 8 + 8 or 2 + 2. And he knows many of the sums for numbers that are added to themselves (5 + 5, 1 + 1, etc.)

When it comes to letters, he is just as smart. Since he can recognize all of his alphabet letters when they are capitalized, we've been working on the lowercase ones. Rocco also knows many of the sounds that the letters make. Jason, Carolyn, and I have read to him a lot this summer. In keeping up with the time, we documented over 400 minutes of books read. He racked up on rewards from the library. The great thing is that after I've read to him for an hour he still asks me to read another. One of his favorite books is "All Aboard the Dinotrain." He's recently learned what a T-Rex is. He also likes books about Grover, probably because I read a book to him about Grover going to school. Throughout the entire book I referred to him as, "Grover Rocco." Now whenever he sees him on tv, he says it is him.

I am hopeful that reading will come very soon for him. Not only does he know his letters and sounds, but he's a great rhymer. He rhymes all the time, from sunup till sundown. "Cupcakes, mupcakes. Gum, shmum. Rocco, taco. . . ." He's also good at breaking syllables apart. While playing with his Cars, he'll tell us, "Say Oc. Say tain. Say gain. Say Octain Gain."

The other day I was on the computer. He came and sat in my lap, like he often does, and looked on the screen. "R-O-C-C-O. Hey mommy! Is that my blog?" Sure enough it was. (He calls the computer a "re-pooter.")

He's so observant, too. I took him shopping with me for groceries the other day. He was riding in one of the race car buggies. A few aisles over I noticed that he had a big bag of sugar in his hands. When I asked him where he got it, he told me, "Over at 5." I looked up at the signs, and underneath aisle 5 it said, "Sugar." He hardly misses anything!

Anytime he sees a picture and he's not in it, he questions where Rocco is. He hasn't gotten the concept of time real well in that there was once a time on earth when he wasn't here. That is a little confusing to him when I tell him he wasn't even born in Vietnam yet. "Well, was I with Jesus?" he'll ask.

Rocco is a snacker. If you're not careful, he'll snatch any cherries you have. He'll beg for chips, and when he gets them he'll eat half of the Pringles stack if you let him. You can always tell when he's been snacking because he leaves chip crumbs like a little rat. He has discovered a new candy that he really likes. Mike and Ike. He calls them "Miky dud Ikes."

What makes Rocco happy or excited? A new Cars shirt, getting a new train or car, when you agree to play a game with him, going swimming at nana and granddaddy's pool, and gum.

Mostly recently he's been calling me mom instead of mommy. He shortened things up a bit and decided he is Roc and daddy is dad. We'll see how long this lasts. Rocco is always coming up with new ideas and games. When we're on tile floors, he reminds me to stay on the water and not touch the lines. He'll also slowly close his hand and say, "Get my hand before it closes!" If I don't get him, he's "stuck in the mud."

I believe he has only child syndrome. Several weeks ago I was on the phone; he didn't like it. He turned to me and said, "Pay attention to me." He talks so much, but every now and then he'll stop and say, "Are you listening to me?" Hopefully one day a brother or sister will cure this!

When it comes to clothes, Rocco likes to be comfortable. If you try to dress him in a shirt that has a collar, he'll tell you that he wants to wear a play shirt. And when I do have him all fixed up for church or going out to eat, that little stinker will untuck his shirt right after I've tucked it in. If I'd let him, he'd wear his pajamas all day long.

Whenever he goes to sleep, whether it be for 9 hours at night or a 2 hour nap, he calls it a nap. He'll say, "Am I going to take a short nap or a long nap?"

While trying to teach him the books of the Bible the other night, he stopped me at First and Second Corinthians. "Mommy, like t-ball?" We laughed together at this. He heard me say 1st and 2nd. To him, those were bases.

And finally, Rocco is so aware of his surroundings and directions. He'll tell you, "If you turn there, you go to Nana's house" or "That's where t-ball is...." He knows what street he lives on as well as his grandparents, Will's, and Matthew's street. On a funny note, after his first movie theatre experience he asked me, "Mom, how do you get to this place?"

Adoptive Mom's Big Trip

Kim-Lan and I have a special bond. We both adopted our children from the same orphanage on the same day. You could say we went through the final stages of labor together and were there for each other's delivery. Here we are over 3 years ago anticipating seeing our babies for the first time in Vietnam.

In the past, Kim-Lan and her family have come to Georgia for a visit. This time, we left the kids and husbands at home. We met up in Las Vegas for four days of unforgettable fun. It was great just having some girl time - although I have to admit being away from Rocco for the first time was difficult. I was definitely glad to see my little fella on Thursday.

As a quick recap of our trip, we took in two shows. We saw Legends and Cirque de Soleil's "O" water show. Watching the Fountains of Bellagio at night was one of my favorites. We also saw the Mirage's volcano dance and spit fire to some cool drums. Walking the stip was an experience in itself; we hung tight to each other. It wasn't too scary, but I admit there were some weirdo's that we passed. I figured if we'd made it shopping in Vietnam in the midst of a language we didn't know and vendors constantly tugging at us, we could make it in Vegas.

I played my first (and probably my last) slot machine. As for drinks, we found that the cherry with cream soda Icee at Walgreens was the best! During the hot day, we took in a tour of the Hoover Dam and another day we went to Red Rock Canyon. Seeing the desert was unbelievable! We also had fun just trying on clothes in a boutique in Harrah's and cutting it close to get to our tours and shows (literally running through Vegas to make it on time).

Kim-Lan and I crammed as much in as humanly possible in those 4 days. We did manage to relax at the pool for a few hours though. Each night we'd go to our hotel room, try to talk, but just fall asleep from exhaustion.

I'm so grateful that God allowed us to meet on our adoption journeys and become such good friends. Through the long process of adoption I knew I would gain a child, but I had no idea I would also gain such a good friend in a fellow adoptive mother. Her friendship is truly a blessing.

Nana and Granddaddy's Pool

This is where we've been spending our time a good bit this summer. The pool is cool, clear, and blue. Rocco plays it cautious and will only jump to you in the water if you promise him he won't go under. He wears his life vest, holds onto a noodle, and kicks all over the pool. Every now and then he'll get out and throw in a torpedo or dive stick, but for the most part it is very hard getting him out of the pool once he's in. Nana and granddaddy join in on the fun!

Playdate with Good Friends

Rocco and I had a playdate with my best friend from high school and her 3 children today. Samuel and Rocco don't get to see each other too often, so when they do get together they always have a blast! We met them at the park for some play time.

Rocco is such a cautious fella. He wouldn't go down the slide without putting his feet against the metal. This ensured that he would go extra slow. Not Samuel. He would slide on his back, no skin touching, so that he could go as fast as possible. At other times he'd go head first. My friend, Heather, would slide down with her youngest two kids. George just smiled, but Lillian got really tickled. I laughed just watching her!

It was so hot, we decided we all needed to cool off with some ice cream. I just love this photo. All three of these kiddos are blessings through adoption!

After our nap, we woke up to a great surpsrise. Daelyn, my niece, was at mimi's house! We headed outside for some more slip and slide fun. This was new to Daelyn, and she wasn't so sure at first. When the water first came on, she toddled away as fast as she could.

After a few times down the slippery slide in a float pulled by her daddy, she was sold on the idea!

Mom had fun just watching her grandbabies playing and sitting around on the picnic table. That's how mimi's are!

My brother showed Rocco how to use his first Nerf gun. If anyone knows how they work, it's Tyler. He grew up playing with all sorts of water / Nerf guns.

Happy Birthday Dinner

I am blessed with THE BEST grandparents in the world. Growing up they spoiled me with so much attention (I was the only grandchild for 11 years), took me out shopping or just to eat, let me sleep over and play all day at their house, and supported me in my every endeavor. They are still a big part of my life today. It was an honor to take them out to lunch today at Red Lobster. The occasion was my nana's birthday. (Her actual birthday is June 8th, but since we live out of town we had to celebrate a few days late.) Nana and papaw enjoyed this much needed and deserved day out.
There's nothing like grandparents. Rocco calls her "Grandnana." I've always called her "Nana." I think it's perfect because she is his great-grandmother and she's definitely grand! I'm always telling her she's beautiful. If you knew her, you would see she's not just beautiful outside but inside as well.

Slip and Slide

My it's been years since I went down a slip and slide. The great thing about having kids is that you have a good excuse to do crazy stuff like this again.


After shopping this morning with Rocco, we went to visit my family for a few days. One thing we bought was a slip and slide. I think we got our money's worth out of it in just one afternoon. My brother rode on it like an old pro.


We also brought up our small pool and filled it up at mimi and papaw's. Tyler was the only brave one to get in the cold water with Rocco. From here, they got the water guns and soaked my mom and me. So much for my mom not wanting to get wet.

I don't think I've ever seen Rocco and my brother have so much fun together. They played for a good hour or two outside. They dried off by riding on Rocco's scooter and singing, "You can't catch us we're the gingerbread men!" My mom and I just worked in her flower bed (pulling weeds - probably catching poison ivy ). There's nothing quite like summer time!

My Anniversary & Papa's Garden

Ten years ago today I survived open heart surgery. And I'm still going strong! Just last week, my cardiologist said that my valve repair was holding up great! I truly thank Jesus Christ for every heart beat He's given me since that day.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Psalm 57:7

Jason's side of the family gathered at Papa's today for Sunday dinner after church. Once we finished eating, I put the kids to work. The garden needed watering. Papa had an old barrel that catches rain water. We walked from the barrel to the garden several times toting jugs of water. Papa would have been proud of all that hard work, but he would have been surprised at how soon we tired. Within 10 minutes we were ready for a water break. You can tell from their faces they were hot. Rocco took off his shirt and Colston soon followed. Here's they are crouched in their favorite hiding spot. We have the cutest kids in our family!

Jason and I embarked upon fostering parenting earlier this year. We've had four girls come through our home thus far. In order to keep up with rigorous standards, we were required to take additional training. I took a CPR / First Aid class today; Rocco had a play date with my mom.

When I returned, he informed me that he had had a blast with mimi! They read books, played gator golf, Candyland, doctor, the spider web game, AND worked a Thomas the Train puzzle. They were busy the entire time. When I got home, they were hiding from me upstairs. She is such a fun mimi!

Later that afternoon, we went to our favorite Japanese steak house for dinner. A friend from church was turning 17! Yeah, Tyler! His family are good friends of ours. Rocco and Molly are sweet friends from church. She was one of the first girls to ever give him a kiss.

Swimming in the Hot June Weather

Friday is Jason's day off; we enjoyed the day together swimming at nana and granddaddy's pool. Gary and Carolyn weren't planning on getting wet. Their intentions were just to sit by the pool and watch us. Rocco had other plans.By the time he finished blasting them with the water gun, they were nice and cooled off. He got them good and wet!

Tonight was the last night for VBS. Below is Carolyn with Rocco and his "guh-luh friend."For our closing night, the kids quoted the Bible verse and sang the songs that they had learned for their parents. Rocco's group of friends were more into taking off their cowboy hats (and even hitting their friends on the heads with them) than they were into singing their songs. They were a sight.



It was a wonderful week. God's Word was sown into young hearts - several children accepted Christ as their Savior - we raised money to help local foster children - and the kids and adults had a great time learning about Christ!

Delicious Muffins, Painting, Nature Ride, and More VBS

Rocco and I started the morning by making some muffins with fresh blueberries. Rocco ate an entire one and was asking for another!

Then, we had some craft time with the new ABC stencils I bought at Michael's. When things got a little messy, Rocco didn't like it. He wanted a paper towel. . . fast! I encouraged him to keep painting and we'd clean up at the end. Eventually he agreed.

Once he painted his random letters, we chose characters from some Thomas the Train stickers to match each letter.

Soon after our craft, we headed to the farm to meet granddaddy; he was watering the cows. When we arrived, we got on the four wheeler and headed to the pond to feed the big catfish. Then, Rocco and I rode around the farm. We found a turkey feather, some black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne's Lace (granddaddy called them "Kiss me and I'll tell ya"), and a few blackberries that were ready to be picked. Both of us really enjoyed our nature ride. Later we showed granddaddy all of the treasures we'd found. It was very hot, so granddaddy gave us some cool drinks and snacks from his fridge at the farm.

After tonight there is only one more day of VBS. Rocco has really opened up this year; he has so many friends. Not once this week have I seen him acting shy. In his class, he hasn't depended on his nana. He plays with his friends during recreation and really gets down dancing and singing during our final assembly. Below is Rocco and his girlfriend (in the green shirt) AND Will with his girlfriend. Good grief! ( I think 4 is a little too young to be having a girlfriend. . .) They are all having a blast this week!

A Day of Great Things

I ...Love...This....Man.....

Dr. Pearson has been my heart doctor for about 14 years now. I trust him more than any doctor I've ever had. When we moved to South Carolina, I drove 4 hours and paid full price (my insurance didn't carry over to GA), just to see him. I've never told him this, but my cat is named after him "Tiger Vincent." It may seem crazy to you, but I still love this man. After all these years he's moving his practice. I'll be following him even though my drive will be a little bit longer than usual.

Speaking of my heart, I have to give God all the praise for how well I'm doing. This June marks 10 years since my open heart surgery. I'm doing GREAT. The fact that I'm doing so well is a testament to the awesome, mighty God I serve.

After my doctor's appointment, Jason and I went to the new pizza place in town, Johnny's. We both devoured our stromboli's. Delicious!

The other great part of today was the fact that I got my cell phone back. Yesterday I chalked it up as stolen, thinking I'd probably never see it again. In fact, I had the service suspended. Later that afternoon, someone at Verizon called to tell him my phone had been turned in. Not only was it amazing that it was found in the parking lot, but it was a miracle that a person would go out of their way to drive to the store and turn it in. I was so thankful I didn't have to buy another phone.

Carolyn was watching Rocco for us today, but I picked him up after lunch. He and Sydney were having a big time running around the beauty salon while Tonya was getting her hair cut. Those two are the cutest pair!

The absolute BEST part of today was helping out at VBS tonight. I was able to share what salvation means to 1st - 4th graders during mission time. This little girl was ready to give her life to Christ. Seeing the transformation in her life was a miracle. God is awesome! There's nothing any better than when someone accepts Jesus into their heart and accepts His forgiveness for their sins. Rocco had a BIG time at VBS. He certainly has come out of his shell. Carolyn is in his class, but she doesn't have to stay right next to him like last year. Here he is dancing next to his pre-K friends. They are wearing the western vests that they made.

While giving Rocco a shower tonight, he kept telling me something. When I realized what he was saying I just about fell in the floor. "Mama, I have a guh-luh friend. " Yes, this is the first time he broke the news to me. "Her name's Madisyn." When Jason and I asked him what they did or what this meant he infomed us that they ran together. (I think there is a little more to it than this. Last night I caught her kissing Rocco. She was also loving on his face during recreation time outside. They told me that when he went to the bathroom, he said, "When I get back I'm gonna play with that guh-luh!")

Here's a picture of Madisyn I took on Easter. She's a cutie!

Playing with Trains and Going to VBS

This morning I reorganized the train tracks. Any time we vacuum at our house it's a big deal in the living room because the tracks have to be taken apart and moved (they take up most of the living room floor). Rocco and I played with the mechanical trains for a while once I finished engineering the new track.

Vacation Bible School is well under way. We're having a blast on "Saddle Ridge Ranch." Rocco is in the pre-K group. The class has been so large that they've split the kids up during the lesson and music time. All of them get together again during outside recreation. Rocco's nana is one of the helpers. One of his best friends is Will. Jack is another prek-k friend in his class. They have played really well at church this week. Tonight, though, Rocco hung tight with a girl who took a liking to him. Her name is Madisyn.

Lori and I are a great team. I'm so blessed to have her help me with the fourth graders. I think we're the smallest class, but the kids are great listeners and get along well. We couldn't ask for a better group.

On a side note, today is my nana's birthday. Rocco and I called and sang the "Happy Birthday" song to her. Hopefully this weekend we'll get to see her in person and spend some time with her.