Circus of the Kings

A blog-less year...

2010-08-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

I miss it. I miss writing about my family. I miss looking back at pictures and journaling the events of our lives. And they have been many. So, I am going to go back and write a post for each month of the past year. Times have changed...life has changed. God has been good...some of life has been hard. We have had such an exciting year....lots of love, lots of laughter, a few tears, lots of family, and a new baby! We are thankful for the gift of life and all that God has blessed us with.

I miss this...I miss my blogging days. It's time to make a come back!! :)

Happy Fall Ya'll...

2009-10-30T12:27:00.005-05:00

In an effort to catch up, I think I will just do a massive photo update of our fall so far.

We enjoyed the pumpkin patch.

We love football.

C and K are loving soccer.

And just having a good time with each other...

Happy Fall!!!!!!!!!!

The first day of school....

2009-10-29T12:53:00.004-05:00

So, it was forever ago, but I am still trying to catch up. :) The first day of school.... Well, this year was hard for me. C man is in the first grade. Wow...just to write that is difficult. C is such a delightful child and is growing up way too quickly. He enjoys school and learning for the most part. C tends to get very anxious about new beginnings and this year was no exception. We were very thankful that some of his friends from last year are in his class this year. And his teacher...well, she is just fabulous. She is exceptionally kind and quiet....just perfect for C. The only problem is that when his teacher is not at school for the day, he does not want to be there either. C has really begun to read very well and has always enjoyed math. Just the other day, Hubs asked C, "If I have nine coins that equal 25 cents, which coins do I have?" and C figured out the answer without a problem. What a guy!!

This year, K had the opportunity to attend preschool in the small town that we live in. She joined her brother at the elementary school, so she thinks that she is very big. And we could not have been more blessed for K to have Mrs. M (C's teacher from last year) as her teacher. K is so shy and struggles so much with large groups that we were a little concerned about her attending a full day of pre-k everyday. It took a little while, but little K is beginning to come out of her shell. Mrs. M is the perfect teacher for K...allowing her to be herself but encouraging her to let go and have a good time. We play more 'school' at home than I ever imagined. K is writing all kinds of words and often writes them right to left instead of left to right. She continues to enjoy any kind of artwork and loves to play with babies. Both of my 'school-age' kiddos are the biggest blessing to me. My love for them is endless...they are awesome kids. We have our moments of imperfection, but I am blessed to hear them call me 'mommy'.

My Little K Turned 4...

2009-09-21T13:29:00.005-05:00

Wow...it is such a blessing to watch my little munchkins grow into healthy young children. Little K is no exception. She turned four in August and is truly such a delight. As a mom, I look at her and see how big she is getting....and grown up. Wow. This year, she requested a fairy birthday party, so a fairy birthday party it was.

We had great family and friends to celebrate with and K truly seemed to enjoy her party. K battles with some seriousness shyness in large and unfamiliar groups, but there was not any stopping the birthday girl from having a good time. We had fun food, great fellowship, and a really special girl to celebrate with.

K tends to be mellow and quiet although very social once she trusts the person she is with. She has incredible facial expressions that are worth a million dollars. Another thing worth a million dollars? K's nurturing heart...she has a very big heart and loves to love others, especially babies. She is absolutely gorgeous and melts my heart with her smile.

This year, K started pre-K at our local elementary school and has surprised everyone. She is loving it and becoming quite social. We play lots and lots of 'school' at home, so we are quite certain that she enjoys her environment. She has an incredible teacher (which happened to be C's kindergarten teacher last year).

K's favorite things to do include playing with babies (especially her American Girl dolls), coloring or anything related to art, playing school and writing letters, reading books, and riding her bike. K is a bit of a picky eater, but has a deep love for chocolate, sweets, and PB and J sandwiches.

K had a tough transition when we moved to our little small town and seemed to lose a little bit of her spark. God is good...and we are gradually starting to see our spunky little monkey come back to life.

K, you are such a special little girl with an incredible heart. It is so hard for me to imagine what God has in store for your life, but I know that it will be amazing. I love your smile and the way your big blue eyes look up to me. You are one of the best snuggle bugs that I know and I treasure every day with you. I am so thankful to be your mommy....I love you sweet princess.

And Family Vacation was Fun...

2009-09-19T13:02:00.004-05:00

We have been blessed the past several years to go on vacation with Hub's side of the family. His mom chooses a place and we all head to our destination for some quality time and relaxation. This year we went to Great Wolf Lodge. It was AWESOME!! Wow...what a great time we had! It was definitely our favorite vacation spot yet.

We had so much fun and we are so thankful for the time together! Here are some pictures to prove it....

Followed by a Week of Humbling...

2009-08-30T20:18:00.004-05:00

It has been so long. I can't seem to keep the blog updated. Then, when I sit down to update, there is way to much to say. So, I am going to do several short and sweet entries to get us sort of caught up...

The very day following our week of heaven on earth, we left on a jet plane for chicago. For the first time ever, we left part of our brood at home with Nana and some friends. Initially, C was the only kiddo that was going with us. But, since we were blessed with the new little man (J) in our home, he tagged along for the fun.

Our purpose was to facilitate a vacation bible school for a group of kiddos living in a homeless shelter while in Chicago. Our purpose was to teach them the Word, serve them, and show them by our actions the love that Christ has for them. We had a purpose...but every time that I have ever had an opportunity like this, it is my mission to bless the socks off of these people. But I am the one who walks away a changed person. These kids...from all walks of life...living in a homeless shelter...some unaware of a Man named Jesus that walked the earth to save them...have joy, peace, happiness that only God can grant them in the situation that they are in.

C had a great time...it touched my heart to watch him interact with the kids. He stood up one day in front of the whole group and taught them a Bible verse. C wanted to serve...he, at the age of six, was on a mission for Christ.

But that is not all...Hubs went out on the streets and passed out sandwiches and water. He cleaned and painted at another homeless shelter. We also had the opportunity to have a lot of fun. In the evenings, we saw the city of Chicago. We had so much fun spending time together...seeing Mary Poppins off broadway, eating Chicago style pizza, shopping at the Lego store, and just bonding with the group of teens and adults that we travelled with. All in all, that week was another one to write down in history as unforgettable. The city, the kids, the time...all incredible.

And then there was a week of heaven on earth....

2009-08-03T13:03:00.005-05:00

Each year, we are blessed to spend a week at a christian family camp in east Texas. Each year we say it is our week of heaven on earth. I have believed whole heartedly for a long time in the mission of this camp and the impact they are making....so much that I worked for them when I was in college. It is a place where the love of Christ is displayed to us so strongly every year.

It is a place of encouragement, accountability, refreshment, challenges, learning, growing, friendships, and so much more that can't even be put into words.

The college kiddos that work there are different...serving others before themselves, all for the glory of God. Hubs or I did not get drinks for our kids all week. I'm not sure that we fed the baby a bottle or a jar of baby food. We did not cut up meat or clean up spilt drinks. We sat and talked with our kids and the staff and each other. We went on a picnic, listened to incredible speakers about Godly parenting, and had fun.

The arts and crafts room was a big hit this year.

Water rockets and skiing were on the play list.

We enjoyed a carnival and did lots of swimming.

Every day was full, but not exhausting. Thank you PC for another week of heaven on earth. It is a true gift to our family every year.

My Baby Butterfly Turned 2...

2009-07-23T12:28:00.004-05:00

Wow...it seems like yesterday, really. K-bel is the biological baby of the bunch and spoiled completely rotten by everyone in the family. She leaves a lasting impression everywhere she goes. K-bel is still tiny, but she is so mighty. Her verbal skills are insane...she can tell a complete story. For instance (one of her latest), "I go to Clara's house and I swim. Daddy go with me. I jump in the pool and I get my boat. Clara take me and I say I want my Daddy. I blow bubbles and I get out." Yep...not kidding...she says all of it and you can understand every word.

K-bel still uses a passy....although only at nap and night, it is so against the norm at our house, but this baby is good at breaking the mold. She also still eats us out of house and home...don't be surprised if she eats three meals a day and seven or eight snacks. No heads turn when she out eats her six year old brother. In fact, leave it up to her brother or sister to provide the snacks and passy at her request. K-bel still has her gastrostomy button. She seems to be doing quite well. We still don't have a diagnosis for our baby girl, but we hope to see her body really start growing soon....on its own. K-bel believes whole heartedly that she is in charge 100 percent of the time even if you tell her that she is not. That little bitty body is mighty. She is not afraid to tell her siblings that they need timeout or any other consequence. And most of the time, if they choose not to listen, she takes matters into her own hands. We celebrated K-bel's birthday with a butterfly party. We had lots of fun with friends and family.

She is such a funny funny girl that enjoys life so much. K-bel is silly and sweet, smart and witty, and just a ton of fun. Her favorite things include watering the plants and garden with mommy, tackling daddy, playing with babies, doing artwork, swinging, talking, and riding her baby bike outside.

I love you sweet baby girl...I couldn't be more in love. I want to scoop you up and eat you my little bitty. You make me laugh so hard so often. Happy 2nd birthday.

Time to play catch up...

2009-07-16T13:21:00.004-05:00

We have just been having such a fun and busy summer. I plan to play catch up this weekend. Here are some teasers of our summer so far!! :)

Happy Birthday F

2009-06-21T20:39:00.004-05:00

Wow...three years old. That is so hard to believe. In fact, in many ways it seems like it was just yesterday that she was born. In so many other ways, it seems like three years have turned into twenty. We celebrated F's birthday with a Candyland birthday party. It was so so fun! With the help of some great fiends and Papa, we drew, cut out (from foamboard) and painted the main characters from Candyland. I can truly say that I completely and totally enjoyed it. There were lots and lots of hours put into the project but it was very therapeutic and fun.

We played a game at each character station...and after each game the kiddos received a prize that went along with the character area. It was some serious candy filled fun. At the end, each kiddo went to "King Candy" and chose candy to put in his or her bag. I am sure all of the parents appreciated each gram of sugar that we helped their children consume that day. :)

Anyway...another year and so many memories. F has the best personality and is still so social. She loves being the center of attention and has no problem making people laugh. F still requires a lot of structure and discipline. We don't really know what God has planned for her, but she has the potential to be used in mighty ways! Happy Birthday sweet girl...we love you!

Oops...

2009-06-16T23:55:00.002-05:00

Oh my word. I cannot believe that I have taken such a huge blogging break. Wow...we are still alive and kickin'. I am totally going to get on the ball and do some super updating...including things like F's birthday party (pretty amazing, by the way), K's birthday party, a new kiddo joining our fam, a week of family camp (heaven on earth...not kidding), and an incredible opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ in a city far away from home. School is out for summer. My little C is another grade older :( . We have a fun summer planned so I should document everything so far. Promise to be back soon....with lots of cute pics.

This boy...

2009-05-10T21:05:00.004-05:00

is amazing. A few weeks ago, he accepted Christ into his life. He had been talking about it for about a year, and it finally clicked when he saw our Easter Pageant at church.

The very next morning (on our bathroom floor of all places), C prayed to accept Christ as his Savior, and to live his life for the glory of God.

Today, C was baptized. What a gift...in fact, the best mother's day gift ever! We are close to our pastor and his wife, so C was very comfortable with the whole situation. It was such a blessing to witness our oldest kiddo join the body of Christ. I hope all of you had a Happy Mother's day. Both of our sweet moms and my sister in law and niece came in this weekend. We always enjoy our time with them. We are blessed beyond measure for the parents that we have had. They are absolutely incredible...

She's 21...

2009-04-21T21:58:00.004-05:00

pounds, that is. K-bel did great this past month with weight gain. Her new gastrostomy button has been wonderful to her. No infections thus far, all night feedings with no pain, and even a baby girl that will ly down ON HER BELLY!!!! So hard to believe after several months of g-button nightmares. Anyway, for the first time in over a year, we are waiting 2 whole months to go back to the doctor. For me, that really solidified that she was looking good.

So, we will just keep cruising along, hoping that we will reach our goal in no time. And...that eventually, in a year or so...we can throw that silly g-button out the window!

He is Risen...

2009-04-16T19:25:00.010-05:00

There is truly no greater gift to mankind. Not only did Jesus Christ live a sinless life on Earth and suffer on the cross for us. But on the third day...the tomb was empty...Jesus had risen! Because of Him, even though I am a sinner, I will spend eternity with the One who came into this world to save us. So, a happy day it was. We had a wonderful Easter.

We traveled West for the weekend. We were at Grammy's house having so much fun playing outside and enjoying family. Nana came to visit on Saturday and Nonny and Mal spent lots of time with us too. We dyed Easter eggs on Saturday night, which is always fun and messssssy. :)

When the kids woke up on Sunday morning, they were surprised to see their Easter baskets full of goodies.

We enjoyed a wonderful service at church and came home for a great meal at Grammy's. After church, we all had lots of fun hunting eggs.

On our way through my parent's town, we stopped at my uncle's house to crash their Easter party/meal. He is an incredible cook anyway, but he truly out did himself. It was quite the buffet and the sweets were delightful. We enjoyed seeing my grandparents, my aunt and uncles, my great grandmother, and lots of cousins...and of course, our Nana. It was really nice to see everyone. I sure wish that we lived closer to all of them.

We hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend. Tomorrow is the day for K-bel to go to the doctor. She looks good to me....I think we can count on a good gain this month. Her belly looks big.I have been working for about 3 or 4 weeks, and I love my job. I could share some incredible stories about how God has already used this time in my life for special things. I have seen and talked to people that I haven't been in contact with in years. And it has blessed me tremendously....my only struggle is that I truly miss my time with the girls. They are well cared for and have fun playing with the other children. I just wish that I was the one playing with them.

It's not easy being cute...

2009-04-14T20:10:00.002-05:00

But somebody's gotta do it. We have really enjoyed the weather lately. It has been beautiful and a great time to play outside. Last week sometime we were playing outside and the kids wanted to show me all of their funny faces.

I can't blame them...I always have a camera in their face, so I am sure they wanted to escape the usual request of a pretty smile for mommy :) !

They were cracking me up...by the end, it was me that was smiling and they were having a blast.

And this look...

I wonder how many times I am going to see this over the next 17 years!! I love her...but she sure is a firecracker. We are going to an appointment in the old hometown this week. K-bel had to have her G-button replaced last month, and it really seems to be doing so much better. It is still tender, but we have been infection free for almost a month. She had not gained any weight from the month before, so hopefully this month, we made up for it. We would love to see her weigh atleast 21 pounds....we will see!! Ya'll have a great week.

Easter pics coming soon....promise!

Thankful...

2009-04-03T12:19:00.003-05:00

Look at them. I know C has a piece of grass in his face, but just look at them. I couldn't be more thankful. There are days that I wonder if...no HOW crazy we are, but it doesn't matter. We are a blessed family.

For the record...

2009-03-31T23:15:00.004-05:00

C talks in his sleep...loudly and often. Only moments ago I hear this as he rests his sweet little head. "On this campus. I saw her. I saw her pinky swear on the floor. I swear." First, really...really? Does he already know about pinky swearing...uggg. Second, did his monologue really just end with "I swear"? Oh my...

It's Spring...

2009-03-15T10:00:00.006-05:00

so let's take a break. So far, our Spring Break could not have been better. We had company that we love (love you Nonny and Mal), I took Friday afternoon to get some errands run, and well I have rested...really rested for the first time in months. Yesterday, I asked Hubs if I could have part of the day to just be in my bed and read or sleep. Wish granted and it was awesome!!

My little K is such a bookworm that she crawled up there with me several times to sit and read her books (and maybe talk me into reading a few to her) too. My kids are such a gift to me, but Hubs...even greater gift. I know that he would climb the highest mountain for me if I asked, but just a relaxing day was plenty.

This week is going to be a little bit busy, we are still going to try to keep the 'break' in our spring break. K-bel has an appointment in the old hometown tomorrow. I think her weight is fine (although she has several several pounds to gain before she is where they would like), but her G-button has still not settled down like it should. We will see what they say.

Later in the week, we will head west to visit family and attend Mck's wedding shower. Then home on Sunday to prepare for our week back to school and my first week of work!! Yep...finally landed me a great little job. Part time doing what I love...working to help people with special needs. God is good and His timing truly is perfect. Ya'll have a fun week!

I told you...

2009-03-07T16:42:00.003-06:00

she's getting fat. Look at those cheeks...those chins. I love her so much...it makes my heart so happy to see this chub stuff happening. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. We enjoyed our Nana and Pops last weekend and we are enjoying our Grammy this weekend...we are blessed.

"Watch this mommy..."

2009-03-05T23:00:00.002-06:00

As a little girl, I remember flipping off of our furniture all the time (you know, back in the old days). I guess this is still a fun trick for the youngsters! :)

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

2009-03-03T22:29:00.004-06:00

One of our very favorite people here in our new hometown has an incredibly generous heart and showers our kiddos with lots of love and gifts (Happy Birthday MM). One of the things that she did for our family was give us a family pass to the zoo in our area.

We have already gone...it is so easy to head over there after we get C from school. I love my kids and I love doing fun things with them. I feel certain that we will do this often, especially as the weather gets nicer.

Roar...

Such a slacker...

2009-03-02T11:11:00.007-06:00

I know. I just don't quite have my act together. I am trying. We are busy...a fun kind of busy. But, I still struggle. Nothing out of the ordinary after experiencing tragedy, but life as I know it is just a little different feeling these days. Pray for me. Pray that I will grow stronger each day. My faith, family and friends have truly carried me while I am missing Baby T. He would be almost 5 months old now...such a fun age. I have been going to a grief group for a few weeks. It has really given me a new perspective. Maybe I was too hard on myself, thinking that I had to act like nothing had happened. Maybe (since I am a people pleaser), I wanted people to think I was not hurting so they wouldn't worry. Or maybe I took everything they suggested and tried to do it so I wouldn't rock the boat. The grief group has really opened my eyes that it is okay to be sad...to have feelings that other people might not understand. Overall, I feel like my God has loved me and given me lots of grace and forgiveness through this. I have not been the wife, mommy, friend, daughter, sister, etc. that I usually am or strive to be, but I am so much closer than I was just a month ago. And for that, I am thankful.

But...on with the things that we have been up to. Maybe I will update several days in a row to catch up :) !! That would be such an accomplishment.

K started taking gymnastics. And oh my heavens, does she have fun! It has been such a great gift for me to watch her sweet smiling face doing so many fun tricks. Every day of the week, she asks when it will be her day to go to her class. She has already learned so many things...beam, bars, tumbling...all on a 3 year old level of course.

K-Bel is just busy getting fat. Yep...fat! We love it. She has struggled through several infections over the past couple of months with her gastrostomy button, which is frustrating. But we couldn't be happier about her growth. K-bel has gained about a pound a month over the last three months. She is over 20 pounds now. I know...still very little (not even on the chart), but to us, she looks HUGE!! K-bel is still not small in her presence though. She is mighty. She is firey. She is sassy, but darn cute. She talks like she is three years old and she loves to boss everyone around, especially F.

F is doing really well. I have noticed lately that her vocabulary is really improving. She is still my tough cookie...always up to something. But, she is really getting big. We love some of her quirks so much...you can't have a hug without a kiss, stalling before bed by telling EVERYONE in the family night night atleast once, asking for a drink while she climbs into her high chair, and announcing each morning when she wakes up that her hair is 'grouchy'. These are just a few things that we love about F. Oh...and you can't forget that each time she hears someone say 'swiper, no swiping', she will say, 'or swoopy no doopy...haha'. She is SUCH a funny girl. C...my sweet C. He is doing so well, as always. He loves kindergarten way more than I love being away from him all day. What ever happened to half day kinder...that would be great for this momma. I have had the treat of taking him to school on Wednesdays lately, so we have started a tradition that we use our McD's gift card to get some breakfast first. So worth it for my boy to remember our time together. Sometimes I just wonder if I am really good enough for C. No one is perfect, but he is perfect for me. Such a great kid with a great heart. He started playing youth basketball and Hubs is the coach. It is so fun to watch...we have really enjoyed it so much.

Hubs is hanging in there...busy being the best hubs and dad ever. And on the side, he is doing his usual teaching and coaching. We have really enjoyed doing a Bible study together lately through our church. That is something we have missed over the past few years. We are a blessed family. Have a great week!

Time flies when you're having fun....

2009-02-11T13:44:00.003-06:00

C celebrated his 100th day of kindergarten last week. Wow...yet another milestone that I wasn't ready for. I have not prepared myself for all of these big kid things that happen. But, C is embracing it all! He had a fun filled day and we (all the girls) joined in on the fun. I made cupcakes for the class and helped blow up balloons. The classes came together and counted 100 cupcakes and counted to 100 and then let their balloons fly into the sky. Of course, little K is already so grown up that she participates in everything that C does anytime that we are at school. She loves it.

Silly willies....

2009-02-05T20:20:00.003-06:00

Santa brought some Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys for the kids for Christmas. The girls have really enjoyed playing with them...and entertaining me with them as well. I love my babies. They are truly the greatest kids and being with them is such a gift to me. My family brings me such joy. I am a very lucky lady.

I don't get to catch C being silly as often as I would like since he is at school for most of the day. But here are a couple of his 6 year pics that we took a few weeks ago. I can't believe that my little man is so big. He couldn't be a better guy if you ask me, although some people might say I am biased...

Family fun...

2009-02-04T10:40:00.009-06:00

Not long ago, we decided to venture out to an area museum. And we had so much fun. We were able to have so much fun even though our hearts are still struggling. It was such a blessing to get out of the house as a family and enjoy each other.

We played in a sound area. Hubs and C talked to each other through a pipe from opposite sides of the room. The kids ran up and down a giant piano.

C showed off his long jump skills in the exercise room. And K-bel cheered him on from her daddy's shoulders.

We visited the room of the old west. C roared at the buffalo and we tried for a hook 'em in front of the longhorns. Look at K...haha.

Can you find our circus? We are in disguise...

We really had so fun. Hubs drew a great picture. The kids made life size bubbles (F's was the best). And C and I sat in the eye socket of a humpback whale.

Recently, I have realized so much more about life and family. And our day at the museum was good...really really good. We will have to go back.

I love my K

2009-01-29T17:33:00.002-06:00

Today, I said, "K, why are you so beautiful." She looked at me and simply said, "Because I AM a princess." So, I said, "And whose princess are you?" She said, "Mommy, Daddy, Mallory (her cousin), and God's princess." I hope she always remembers the most important one of those things. She truly is God's little princess...and I really do think she is beautiful. Not just on the outside, but her little heart holds so much love for others. She is growing into a lovely young lady.

We heart Wall-E

2009-01-20T07:50:00.005-06:00

so much that we ate him...and he made a tasty lunch.

If You Give C a Birthday Party...

2009-01-07T17:29:00.007-06:00

He is going to want a carnival...

And if he has a carnival, he will want to invite some friends.

And when his friends arrive at the party, they will want to play some games. And if they play games, they will think they need a prize. And when they get a prize, that will remind them that they worked up an appetite.

So, C and his friends will need to visit the concession stand.

After getting a snack at the concession stand, C and his friends will have more energy.

When they have more energy, they will see a pinata that needs to be busted. When they bust the pinata, they will run around and gather the candy. The candy will taste sweet, and it will remind them of a very yummy part of the carnival party...

Carnival cake.

And then, when it is all over...C will sit back and say....now THAT was a birthday party. Our big man turned six last month. He is an incredible blessing to our family...he blesses my heart daily. I am so proud of the little man that he has become...he loves the Lord, his family, his friends, learning, playing, and just being himself. He has always been an amazing child, and this year has been no exception. Love you, C...so much more than you know.

Still here...

2009-01-02T15:12:00.007-06:00

Still here. Still hurting. Still missing our baby. Still wishing. Still remembering and loving him. (balloon release pic)

But life is still happening...and there are still smiles and laughs amongst some tears. We have kept ourselves busy with some very important things....like my big boy turning six years old, Christmas, seeing family and friends, etc. So, we are making it...sometimes a little more gracefully than other times. We love all of you so much. So many people have taken time out of their lives to love us, serve us, help us and just be here. We are so grateful... We are also thankful that we have had these couple of weeks during the holiday to be together as a family. Hubs is amazing...it has been such a gift to have him here. I will miss him so so much when he goes back to work next week. (reading the story of Jesus' birth on Christmas Eve)

I promise to update much more very soon. I will back track and report on the past few weeks' adventures. Thanks again for praying for our family and loving on us so much this past month.

My Sweet Baby

2008-12-09T21:35:00.003-06:00

My little man. Precious little butterball. I miss him so much. My heart hurts so bad. For two months, I kissed those sweet cheeks and held him tight. I hope the memory of that feeling can carry me through until I see him in heaven one day.

The words to this song kind of summarize our feelings...our hearts are raw. But, we know that, in Christ, there are no goodbyes. Love you all...

"Homesick" by Mercy Me

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you

But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways

The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know

But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same

Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye

And in Christ, there is no end

So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have

To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Back in the old hometown...

2008-11-23T23:58:00.004-06:00

And it feels good. With my best friend Em...just sitting next to her in the white chair in her living room. A computer in each of our laps...just hanging out. She was supposed to be in bed a while ago because she has to work tomorrow, but she is still right here next to me. And that is just fine with me. I love her...she will throw up when she reads this. All that mushy stuff is not her cup of tea. But, the great thing is that I know she loves me too. She took me (and Hubs and K-Bel) to my favorite eatery tonight for dinner. And...she snuck a toy for K-bel out of my basket at Target because she wanted to buy it for her. She is sitting here making me cool CDs to listen to while we are in the hospital this week. It is just good. I love it and well....I really miss it. We used to live just a couple of streets away from each other...now, many miles separate us. And when I think about it, that makes me very sad. But, tonight I am just loving this time...knowing that no matter what, we are just us. She knows me. She knows the real me. And that is a gift. We could use prayers this week. Hubs and I are hanging with K-bel and the grandmas are hanging with the other kiddos. I am sure things will go smoothly, but it will be hard to be apart during this holiday week when we could be having such quality time together. We should all be together for Thanksgiving, so I am thankful for that.

I got to see one of my other very favorite people in the world tonight. Talk about missing somebody. One of the hardest things has been not walking out of my front door and chatting with her while our kiddos run around like crazy between our yards. I miss picking my kids up from her house (the way too many times that she so graciously helped me out), thanking her, and hearing her say, 'anytime'. I really do have a lot to be thankful...that's for sure. Ya'll have a great week...

Out of the mouths...

2008-11-18T23:37:00.003-06:00

This babe is just growing up on me. She has become much more quiet and mature over the past few months. And she talks to me about a lot of things. And even though she is a rather intelligent child, she is rather ditsy sometimes. After nap yesterday, K says "Mommy, you saw that I couldn't open the door, right? That's because you crapped the door too hard." Yikes, but I knew exactly what she was trying to say. She was telling me that I had CRACKED the door too much...like shut it too hard, and she had a hard time getting it open.

Then, on Saturday after our soccer game, I was asking the kids which they prefer...indoor or outdoor soccer. C can make an educated decision about it because he has played both. He said indoor, but K said, "I like indoor soccer better because Dora is my favorite. That is a great movie right?" Hahahahaha....get it? Indoor--Dora...I just can't figure out the connection. Dora plays indoor soccer? Hmmm...funny girl.

The rest of the crew is doing well. We are getting excited about seeing our family this weekend...that is always fun!

This girl....

2008-11-18T13:26:00.004-06:00

I am telling you...she is hilarious. If you lose sight of her, it won't be long until she is into something. And it is very likely she has found a tasty treat of some kind. This is from a while back, it is just so cute that I can't resist. And my heart is loving her overtime right now because we have a surgery date set...for Monday! Eeeek!

Whoever liked candy corn anyway? Apparently one person in our family does. :)

It's fall ya'll...

2008-11-16T14:49:00.005-06:00

Today is a GORGEOUS day. It is absolutely beautiful outside. After church and lunch, we headed out to play outside. C is having a birthday soon and one of my very favorite things is having birthday parties for my kiddos (just ask around...some people think I might be a little crazy :). C has been saying for a year that he wants to have a carnival party, so this mommy has some prepping to do. Today, we started on our booths and games by spray painting some wood and cardboard. Hopefully (even though we have lots going on with K-bel) the carnival will start coming together soon. I am really excited and I know C is too. Here he is doing some bounce house preparation with his buddy that came to visit last weekend...

We are also getting excited about seeing some of our favorite people this weekend. Since the best coach in the world's team won their football game on Friday night, we might have a crowd this weekend to cheer on Hubs. That will be awesome...

All in all, things are good here. The weather is changing...it feels like fall...Thanksgiving is coming and we have so much to be thankful for....then C-man's carnival....and then we get to celebrate the birth of the One who would live a completely human although sinless life just to die later for our sinful souls. Indeed, this IS a great time of year....in fact, I think it must be my favorite. Ya'll have a great week.

Bummed...

2008-11-13T20:50:00.006-06:00

Sorry (mom :) for the delay in posting. I have not been myself in the past week or so...because I am thinking about this pumpkin...

eating like this all of the time...

and not gaining any weight. This past week has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. I am struggling with continuing the fight for K-bel to grow or moving forward with having a G-button (direct line to her stomach) surgically placed in order to provide her with extra calories. I am normally not a person to struggle with things, but for some reason I have taken all of this pretty hard. Life will go on and my baby will be ok, but honestly I don't really care for either of our options. And I am just afraid of the unknown. I will tell you one thing...she is hard headed and tough. I have always wondered about that spunk and sass; now I know maybe this is why she has it...to get through the tough times.

On other notes, we are all still hanging in there. Baby T is gaining the weight that little K-bel is not. Man...he is a chub. Every single one of his chins are adorable. Hubs is still the best coach ever and his team is playing their first playoff game tomorrow night. We are so excited for him and he is a nervous wreck. Ya'll have a great weekend...

Happy Halloweeny!!

2008-11-01T21:11:00.009-05:00

This year was a little tricky and treaty...five kids...five years old and under. Costumes, candy, fall festival, trick or treating...I'd say we had fun! C was Commander Cody (a clone trooper from Star Wars), K was an Angel (costume completely homemade--thanks Jennifer and Becky), F a pumpkin, K-bel a Tulip Fairy (whatever that is :), and Baby T was a Jack-O-Lantern (simply a onesie). Our church in the new hometown, which is significantly smaller than the old hometown, had a fall festival. I can honestly say that I feel like over half of the new hometown was in the church for some fall festivities. Thankfully, a sweet friend saw me walk in the door Hubs-less (football season, remember?) and helped with a couple of the girls. K gets a little overwhelmed and slightly withdrawn in big crowds and F, well F just can hardly handle all the stimulation, so after a few booth stops for candy, Gigi (our sweet friend) took them outside to sit and eat cupcakes. THAT was a lifesaver. Friday night, our sweet Gigi came over since I was obviously Hubs-less again (football game night) and we took the munchkins to a few houses to trick or treat. They were very spoiled with lots of goodies because we did some selective trick or treating. :) At one house, they were given gift bags with candy and a movie in them...each kiddo was given one! Crazy, but sweet.

This next week of blogging is going to have to include some halloween week pictures as well...pumpkin carving and boo cookies for starters! :)

Oh...and just so you know; here is what happens when you don't give this baby what she wants...

Surely he feels....

2008-11-01T08:18:00.003-05:00

Like a lucky duck.

Yo.

Introducing Mr. Bottle Bones...

2008-10-30T20:54:00.005-05:00

We had so much fun making Mr. Bottle Bones. The project took a wee bit longer than planned, so out came the camera for some entertainment. We used 9 old milk cartons to construct the boney dude. Hubs used a knife to make his face...it was kinda scary looking so we opted for scissors for the rest of the project. Any family resemblance here?

K-bel and F were playing so sweetly in the playroom during the bottle bones assembly. That was definitely a Kodak (well, Nikon really) moment. It was really cute...they are both starting to say, 'cheeeeese' anytime I have my camera out.

Once Pops got here for the weekend, he intervened and finished up Mr. Bottle Bones with some help. All in all, we had a great time. The kids have talked about him all week as he hangs outside on our back porch. F loves to say his name the best...'mommy, dats (that's) miiiister bones'. Ha...she really is a cute little pumpkin (oh...and more on that pumpkin stuff to come soon).

Happy Birthday Pops...

2008-10-28T19:55:00.005-05:00

Today is my dad's (technically stepdad's) birthday. There might not be a luckier little girl in the world as me. I always tell people that I have two dads. Thankfully, both of them get along like champs. And my real dad has thanked Pops several times for loving me and raising me the way that he did. That has been such a great gift to me. Both of them EVEN walked me down the aisle together.

Anyway...today is his special day. He is fifty something, but not quite sixty. He is probably the most hard working person I know (maybe besides Hubs). His heart...pure gold. His voice so soft and wise, but strong if absolutely necessary. Ask him how many times he disciplined me if you have the chance...the answer...exactly 1/2. I was so broken hearted that he was even having to talk to me about something that I told him to stop and leave me alone. He knew he made his point and it never happened again. :)

I have so many memories. I can't even list them all. I have two favorite to this very day. Each and every Sunday after church, Pops and I would run into the house and change our clothes real quick. We would play and play and play basketball in the driveway for as long as we could get away with it (Sunday was cleaning day ya know :). We truly enjoyed being together...we were best buds. Another favorite...as a young kiddo, I would holler for Pops after I had gone to bed. I would tell him that I wanted my back scratched and he would sit by my bed forever and scratch my back. The catch...he was so tired himself that he would start nodding off to sleep. So, I would jerk or move or something to wake him up and he would keep going. God love him...

Cause I sure do.

Happy birthday Pops...you are incredible. We will always be the best of buds. I love you! (and...you are an incredible grandfather....but I just wanted to write about us! :)

The Many Tricks of Baby T...

2008-10-24T07:46:00.004-05:00

He might be the most talented baby 'EVER...in the whole history of the world' (that is how C describes a lot of things these days). Here are some photos, in order as they occurred...haha.

I am very impressed with Baby T's skills at only two weeks old.

I am not exactly sure what you call these moves, but they are truly major talent. We got a great laugh out of the tiny guy that night especially since it was about 11pm when his show took place. Impressive...huh?

Laffy Taffy laughs...

2008-10-23T17:09:00.002-05:00

C just told me this joke off of a laffy taffy package... C: How do you fix a jack-o-lantern? Me: I'm not all that sure.... C: With a pumpkin patch.... Haha...I love clean jokes for the little kindergarten man.

A little ladybug turned two...

2008-10-22T22:05:00.005-05:00

This weekend, our good friends here in the new hometown had a ladybug party for their youngest child. The party was great and we had tons of fun. K-bel is obsessed with swinging and wanted to try the big swing. As I was downloading pictures onto my computer from the party, Hubs and I both had to laugh about this one. F by the warning label...ironic? Slightly...what a mess!! :) Can't you just see that she is always up to something?

We had a great time at the party and hopefully the birthday girl did too!

Men of the house...

2008-10-18T20:54:00.006-05:00

These guys are excited that their numbers have increased. Baby T is doing great. We are really enjoying him...the kids think he is fantastic (and well, quite frankly, Hubs and I do too). Yesterday, Hubs and I met up with C at his school for his Relay for Life walk with the American Cancer Society. With two double strollers in tow, we walked a half of a mile while honoring friends and family that have experienced cancer. C said that he understood the reason we were doing what we were doing. I was honored to walk with him...and for those that we love.

Our new hometown's football team did great last night...probably because they have Coach Hubs in charge of the defense. I mean, he is super incredible and all. I love him.

Today...first soccer game. For C, it was his first indoor soccer experience. For K, it was her first soccer game experience period. I must say that it was a lot of fun. C said that he thinks indoor soccer is a lot easier. He scored 3 of the 6 goals which is funny because he was not a soccer superstar in his previous life :) !! We were so excited that he had fun and we were proud that he played hard. K had a great time. There was only one glitch...her coach couldn't figure out why she wouldn't kick the ball at some point during the game. The coach brought K over to me and I asked her what was wrong...I am not kidding when I tell you that she said, "I can't play soccer because my bow fell out." I put her bow back in and all was well...haha. Then, after the game K said, "they never let me have a turn with the ball." I guess we need to teach the princess what team sports are all about...atleast the part about it not being all about her. :) Bless her heart.

F started her day out with this hairdo. Clearly, beauty rest has a whole new meaning.

Ya'll have a great weekend.

He's happy to be here....

2008-10-12T17:01:00.006-05:00

And we are so happy that he is here too.

This is baby T. We received a phone call on Thursday from our foster agency letting us know that a sweet baby had been born. And that sweet baby needed a foster mommy and daddy to love on him for a while (always an undetermined amount of time). So, Hubs and I had the honor of picking him up yesterday and bringing him home.

Nana and Pops came to see the family and, as always, we had a wonderful time. Sweet little K-bel was so excited to meet baby T and she was screaming, "I hold it. I hold it." over and over.

All of the kids have been great with him. They are awesome...we just love our little (maybe kinda big) family.

He is adorable. He is sweet. And he is the perfect addition to our crazy circus.

These days are coming to an end...

2008-10-05T20:06:00.002-05:00

Tonight's conversation in the bathroom went just like this:

K (while laughing as C was getting ready to get into the tub and she was getting out): "Ha...C, you have a tail."

C (slightly exasperated): "K, that is not called a tail."

K: "hmmm"

C (now decided he needed to go potty first...so, standing at the potty): "My tail does squirt water though."

Both went on about their business as I was hiding my face behind some clothes that I was folding, laughing so hard. Hubs continued his bath duties with no other mention of tails. Another sign that we are growing up.

The greatest and the latest...

2008-10-01T20:49:00.006-05:00

Last week was a fun week. We had homecoming here in the new hometown, which meant lots of small town activities. We ventured out to all of them. K-bel and the other two girls wore their new little tu-tus that Lanie made them and looked adorable. On Monday and Tuesday of last week, we kept our sweet little friend, Little J. She was so good and just walked around checking things out all day. The ball pit was a super big hit with her. We had a great time with her...but we are not sure if we bored her or wore her out. What do you think?

On Thursday our friends A and J came to play all morning. The girls played great together...lots of art work and coloring. F and J played some together but K and A (boy that gets confusing) really play wonderfully together.

On Friday night, we enjoyed a great football game. We were so excited that my aunt and uncle and Chris' mom came in to go to the game with us. It was an easy win...our new team is really playing well. District games start next week, and the schedule is tough, but we are hoping for some good wins. Our sweet babysitter, S.C. was on the homecoming court...and looked absolutely beautiful. We love having her over (mostly just to hang out since we never go anywhere...haha)...the kids, especially K, think that she is the best.

Yummy...

2008-09-28T06:24:00.005-05:00

Chocolate ice cream anyone?

Or maybe a couple of oranges instead?

Mmmmm....good.

Wonderful watermelon

2008-09-26T08:58:00.005-05:00

Last week, we cut some watermelon...and the troops arrived.

And it was yummy.

And little J brought his hulk gloves.

And that was fun.

We enjoyed our friends...they are great!

Hence the name....CIRCUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-23T18:54:00.008-05:00

My word, I just don't know where to begin. As I sit here, K-bel is hitting me saying, 'no hit'. Haha...it is nice to have children who discipline themselves. Effective strategy, I know.

So, the evacuation station is closed until further notice. We had fun with our company and ate some yummy meals made by Chef Lanie. My sister and her kiddos made their way to my mom's house and are still there because they do not have electricity at their house yet. K was quite the babysitter to the sweet tiny baby that was here. It was really cute to watch her be such a little mommy.

For the Circus family news...on Wednesday we drove home from church and pulled into the garage. Business as usual, I thought....until I reached back to unbuckle F. She was having a seizure...yes, a seizure. So, I went into emergency mode. Hubs was driving home close behind me, so he helped me unload all the other sweet little ones. Poor K kept saying, 'mommy, help F. Please help her.' Bless her precious heart, she was super worried. And I was really freaking out on the inside. Long story short, it was a seizure caused by a very fast spike in fever. She is fine now, but it was a scary evening. She must have been sick...she relaxed in my bed the next morning while watching cartoons. And we ALL know that F doesn't relax...ever...nor does she watch cartoons...ever ever.

K started feeling icky the next day...and ended up with croup. Uggg....and she was sick. Her voice went completely away. She didn't like to talk or eat or drink or function. She survived though and now----MORE POTTY LEARNING. It is a long road, but somebody has to walk it. And her name is K. When K was feeling bad, C (her sweet bubby) gave her a dollar 'to help her feel better'.

Do you think it worked?

Hopefully this week will be a little less eventful. Or maybe it will just live up to the name....CIRCUS! :)

Confused....maybe?

2008-09-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

Bless her heart....God bless her precious little heart. K has tried so hard the past few days to have success in potty learning. The conclusion is that she is just not ready. I really believe she is giving it her best effort. And we are not completely finished trying, but her best effort is just good enough for me.

PS...Check out the hometown from my childhood at www.kogt.com and see why we have an evacuation station going. It is pretty sad.

Evacuation Station, Numero Dos

2008-09-11T08:47:00.004-05:00

Headed this way....my sister and her two kiddos. Mandatory evacuation called this morning in her parts. Apparently Hurricane Ike thinks he is paying Southeast Texas a visit. We will see. Maybe that means that our AC will (better) get fixed today. Luckily we have two units, but tomorrow marks a week since our main unit has been broken. The highest temperature that the house has reached is 87 degrees, but that was only one day. Last night seemed super warmish, but the kids are nice and cool because their side of the house has AC. Maybe I should sleep with K...or C...

Edited to add:

Ohhh...just got a phone call...this is on its way too...

How do I look?

2008-09-10T22:30:00.002-05:00

Is highlighter yellow a good color for me? I know summer is turning to fall, but I just wanted to highlight my bright skin tones. (click on photo to enlarge)

I guess I've been busy...

2008-09-09T13:32:00.008-05:00

Well, it's been a while. It has been a weird week or so. It started out (week ago this past Friday) that I found out that I didn't have a job anymore. Then, I found out that my circus was expanding. No, not from my belly....ha. But, because of Hurrican Gustav. We are from the area that Gustav was threatening to visit, so we invited a crew of evacuees to stay with us. We had lots and lots of fun. There were eight children and four adults running around here. Sometimes, I wondered if the hurricane had landed in my house...haha. Great times though...and lots of fun play time.

And did I mention that this was one of the evacuees? Oh my word....was I in heaven. I even scored a little photo shoot with her.

C is doing well in kindergarten. He has had really good days for the most part. His sensitive spirit has shown once in a while, but he is holding up wonderfully. It has been hard for me to not be working at the school he is attending. I really wanted to be a part of his kindergarten year, and know the school system from the inside. Hubs, of course, works for the same district, but he is at the high school and clueless as to the happenings at the elementary. Anyway...God is working on me right now. He is doing a lot of things in my heart right now and one of them is having faith that C will be fine in his new surroundings. (here is C playing tennis racket guitar and singing a fine melody)

As for the three little monkeys....well, we are enjoying spending some quality time together. K and I have been doing some art projects, which is one of her very favorite things to do. One of my passions is preschool and child development, so I am enjoying trying to provide that at home with my sweeties. I found myself the other night preparing some thematic units and lesson plans for us to use...haha. I can be such a nerd.

K-bel had an apointment yesterday. Our home health nurse left a scale with us because K-bel had been losing some weight without her feeding tube in. Oddly enough though, yesterday, she weighed much more than normal. When I took her to the doctor, she was still weighing heavy. So, we were kind of hopeful. Then, I weighed her today to see if we could really count on it, and she was back under 18 pounds. Crazy... So, her saga is not over, but we are leaving the tube out for another week or two to see if she can atleast eat enough to maintain her weight...and then start growing again. We will see.

Happy Birthday Princess K

2008-08-29T14:44:00.003-05:00

Wow...today is a big day. K says that she is still 2, but I clearly remember that she was born three years ago today. Seven pounds, two ounces...only 18 3/4 inches long. And we were so in love. We are still so in love. What many people do not know is that we were pregnant with a sweet baby girl (to be named Olivia) before we were pregnant with K. So, having another chance for a girl was such a blessing. And we always joke with some seriousness, that K has so much personality that she must be both babies wrapped into one. She is such a delightful, yet sassy young lady. And I have never seen her daddy's eyes light up the way they do when she wants to play princess with him...and please know that her daddy can play quite the princess. C-man was a little apprehensive about attending a princess party. I understand. But, upon the guests arrival, he and his buddies became knights and helped to build castles made of blocks for the princesses. I think they enjoyed their time at the party despite being surrounded in pink tulle and tiaras. K received some really fun things including a super cool dress up trunk with fun things in it, a huge pig princess (that K swears is a bear to this day), a princess carriage that can carry princess people or star wars characters (we believe in diversity at this house...haha), a baby doll that talks, my little pony things, and playdough (that she has spent almost an hour everyday playing with). I think K's birthday party was a success. One of my hopes for our children is that they will be able to look back on their birthdays and remember how we celebrated their life every year. I hope they will remember a few special things that we prepared to help make their day just right. K had our best friends from the old hometown, our new friends from the new hometown, most of her grandparents, and all of our personal circus here to celebrate with her. At the end of the day, all I can do is look at her sweet (and gorgeous face) and know that she truly is a princess in my eyes and God's eyes. And there has not been one moment that I have not been thankful for the gift that God gave me when he gave me K three years ago.

We did it!!!

2008-08-25T21:40:00.005-05:00

Well, the first day of kindergarten was a success. And, my heart was so happy to hear C say, "Mommy...I had the funnest day!" Sweet boy. I am so glad that he had a great time. Several people stopped me on my way in to pick C up and told me what a wonderful day it looked like he had. My friend Becky called me at lunch to say that she had checked on my man and he had given her the good news that kindergarten was great. C told me this afternoon when we got home, "Mommy, I just gotta tell ya...Ms. M is the nicest girl I ever knew." Can anyone say possible crush? Haha.

I enjoyed my day with the girls. We were recovering (and helping the house recover) from a very princessey weekend. It was so nice to spend time with them and feel like my job was to love and nurture them all morning. (Another pic of the little man...already hard at work).

Just a little update on K-Bel. We are still keeping the food journal that we will turn in to the feeding therapist on Thursday. She is not really eating great, but I don't think she is doing terrible. She is certainly eating better than she eats when her feeding tube is in.

I will post a princess party blog entry soon. I need to go through all of the pictures and decide what to share. It was definitely a success in K's eyes. I really believe that she enjoyed her special day. Until then, enjoy your week!

Really?

2008-08-21T23:42:00.006-05:00

Is my princess really having her 3rd birthday party this weekend? This can't be true. We prayed and prayed for this baby and that she would be healthy. And now...she is here and she is healthy and boy is she sassy. There is nothing more fitting for her than a princess party because as she told someone a few weeks ago, 'I have to have a princess party because....I am a princess.' I love you K and I am so happy for you that you are God's little princess.

Did my biggest little man really have 'meet the teacher' night for Kindergarten tonight? This really can't be because he was just born last night. I have told many people that I might have to go to a therapy session after dropping him off. C is pretty concerned about this thing called Kindergarten. He went so far as to tell the principal of his new elementary school that he did NOT want to go to school and he would PREFER (haha) to stay at home with his mommy. Tonight, he finally said to me as we were driving to the school to meet his teacher, 'Mommy, I am trying to be excited, but I am way too nervous.' Sweet boy...I was proud of him for telling me how he was feeling. K-Bel broke 18 pounds this week at her checkup. Everyone was very happy with her weight gain even though it was not as substantial as last month. The expectation as a baby gets older is not as high as far as growth, so that is nice for us. K-Bel has a fairly new little issue though. We have noticed (we being my mom while she was here, hubs' mom while she was here, friends, and us of course) that K-Bel is not really eating anymore. And she is certainly not drinking her bottles. At first, we figured it was because her belly was full from her tube feedings. But, things have become worse over the course of the past month or so. Some days, she does not take a sip of liquid at all. Soooo....the little pickle got a surprise. Our doctors and feeding therapist decided to give her a little break from her tube and see if her oral food and liquid intake increases. The break is one week long, so we will see how that goes.

F....sweet F. She traveled with me to K-Bel's appointment this week. We persevered, but not very gracefully. I expected too much of her by being gone from home for 12 hours. And I expected too much of myself by taking her away from home for 12 hours. I was talking with my friend Becky and there is something special about F. She truly has no idea that she is any different than anyone else around her. She is such a happy and carefree child (aside from our moments that are sometimes hefty moments). F really just thinks that she is it and that is fine with me. Anyway....ya'll have a great weekend. We will be footballin', partyin', and prayin that mommy and C can make it through the Kindergarten dropoff...ha.

On a mission...

2008-08-17T00:14:00.003-05:00

made for walking!

K-Bel is finally taking a few steps here and there. Look out world...here she comes! :)

My Wish...

2008-08-15T18:36:00.003-05:00

C has a very sweet heart. Here is a conversation that I just had with him...

C: 'One of my feet feels taller.'

Me: 'Oh yea...is that a good thing?'

C: 'Well, for me it is.'

Me: 'How's that buddy?'

C: 'Because that means that I am growing up to be a daddy.'

As I type that WORD FOR WORD conversation that I enjoyed with my son, my heart is amazed. In the last six months, I have begun to realize how incredible he truly is. I am a biased mom, but I can't help it. He is so mature, and even though he makes many 5 year old decisions, he is wise beyond his years. C is truly a great kid and I am one lucky mom.

C, someday, you are going to be an amazing daddy. And the truth is son, that if you are even a fraction of the daddy that your daddy is, you will be incredible. And more than that, it really warms my heart to know that you are already focused on things like family...that is amazing. We love you and God is doing wonderful things with your heart. We always tell you that we are going to put a brick on your head because you are getting to big, but in all honesty, I can't wait to see what God has in store for you.

Singing in the Rain...

2008-08-15T00:17:00.005-05:00

Last week, we had several evenings of summer rain. It was great and we really needed it. K told me that she wished she could play in the rain, so off we went. She had so much fun and I was able to do one of my very favorite things...take pictures. She was soaked by the time we were finished, but it was well worth it.

On Friday, our old babysitter (and very close friend) came to play with us and hang out for a while. She spent the night...we did fun small town things like eat chocolate pie, go to a football scrimmage, and pull through the Sonic drive in for a slush. We had a great time...she is a very important part of our lives and our kids love her so much.

Still no nanny...are you wondering how I am going to work? Me too...let me know if you have any ideas. The girls are just so sweet...who wouldn't want to spend every waking moment with them. I know I do.

Grammy has been here all week....we have thoroughly enjoyed her, but she might be ready for some down time. After all, it is a bit of a circus around here.

What Happens???

2008-08-09T12:18:00.004-05:00

What happens when you thought you had a nanny while you worked and you really don't? And...you have to start working in three days? hmmmm....

And it all begins...

2008-08-03T20:41:00.010-05:00

Football's here. Tomorrow starts two a days. The start of the big season of the year: not fall, but football. To kick off the season, some booster club members had the coaches over for swimming, fishing, and burgers. We had a great time. The kids had a blast....I think C was probably in the pool for three hours. When he wasn't in the pool, he was fishing in the pond, where he caught atleast 12 fish. He was having a blast. The girls had fun swimming with daddy (except K-bel because of her tube...in fact in the pic below, you can see someone feeding her through her tube...oops). C and K finished up swim lessons this week, so K was really swimming like a big girl. We were really proud of her. They are so silly...

Hubs is getting ready for the season. I have seen him draw atleast 60 cards of some sort...something about defensive plays (ha...my football knowledge is lacking). The time that coaches put into the game is incredible and he is no exception. He spends more time with someone else's kids than he does with his own during football season. And the neatest thing about it is that he makes an impact. He is a great coach with an amazing head for the game and heart for the kids. We love you Hubs!!

While we were at the coach's party a few nights ago, two of the coaches decided to have some sort of a diving contest. They are a lot of fun to be around and that night they provided some good entertainment.

I have one more week until I go back to work. I am a little nervous and I will definitely be very sad to leave my kiddos. We have found a nanny that we are very excited about having in our home while I am at work. I plan to work half time this year...we will see how that works out. So, this week will be jam packed with finishing up that darn red kitchen and painting the entry way area. Then...tackling all of the little jobs that I saved for later :( !! I am thankful for all that I have gotten done, but I think we still have a long way to go. Here is a sneak peak of something cool in C and K's room (the safari)...it is incredible and we have Papa to thank for that.

Not Goodbye, But See You Soon.....

2008-07-31T08:09:00.013-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, some very sweet and generous friends threw a 'going away' party for us. It was really nice to have so many friends in one place and have the opportunity to hug their necks since we won't see them much anymore. It is hard to believe that after living in the same place for 6 years and seeing certain friends all the time (through church, sports games, or just around town), things will be different. We will have to make an effort to maintain friendships, which really stinks. One of my sincere prayers is that we will keep in touch with the people that we have developed relationships with.

Our Sunday school class was an incredible source of generosity and support while we were in the old hometown. There was never a "life event" where we didn't have them by our side...bringing meals, helping with kids or transportation, calling to give pep talks, or bringing things by for a kiddo that we randomly had taken in. :) They were truly incredible and blessed our lives like crazy.

We also had the best neighbors ever. We only got to see one of them (out of about 6 houses worth) at the party, but we were thankful that we saw Carrie. She is such a sweet friend and she and her husband loved our kids. C and K would always talk to them through the fence in the backyard or just go their house and invite themselves in. It was awesome. Our other neighbors?? AMAZING! But, I just don't have any pictures...

We were really excited to see some coaching families at the party. The great thing about having friends that are coaches and their wives is that you truly understand their lives. The group of coach's wives last year was very close. It was so nice to see them every Friday night...in fact, when football season was over, we really went through withdrawals. I am thankful that God placed us in the school that he did because it was a great experience for Hubs and me.

We really miss these guys...their son, A was our C's best friend. They were in the same class at school and we were down the street neighbors. They loved our C like he was theirs...and treated him like a prince. C has really missed his buddy A...hopefully we can see them soon.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening that meant the world to Hubs and me. Thank you to our sweet friends for doing something extra special for us. We will always remember this awesome night with such an incredible group of people.

Fun in the summer...

2008-07-28T23:02:00.000-05:00

We are so thankful to be settling into the new hometown. Believe me, we have a long way to go, but things are coming along. Last week, we were outside with the kids and our neighbors (and great new friends) were outside too. We got our wagons out and started walking around with all the girls. The boys were doing their own thing until they saw how much fun we were having. Here are a few pictures for proof...

Pretty much....

2008-07-26T23:47:00.008-05:00

He rocks....

And she is amazing... And we are already missing this lady...

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. And it was great. I am having a really hard time facing the reality that my 20's are almost over. I think next year will be a tough birthday for me...but I guess I will try to take the 30's plunge with grace. Last night we went to dinner. All day, I had been feeling a hidden feeling of selfishness about my friend Em. I knew I wanted to see her and hang out with her. That didn't seem to be happening....and...she hadn't even called to wish me a happy birthday! If I remember correctly, we have spent every birthday for the past 5 years together. She is one of my very best friends...and has definitely had the courage to stay beside me through thick and thin. And on birthdays (and ONCE in a while other special occasions), she shows up with the best chocolate cake you have ever tasted. Well, I guess I thought distance would get in the way. But Em showed up at the restaurant last night to celebrate my birthday with us. It was amazing...well, she is amazing. I completely enjoyed having her here...it was such an incredible surprise. And she even had chocolate cake with her. That made my birthday complete. :)

Nana left today and we will miss her. She was a tremendous help and loved on all of us a lot. I really hope we didn't wear her out too much here at the circus....

Goodbye to the old hometown...

2008-07-24T22:35:00.006-05:00

I know this is old news, but I am still trying to play catch up from the long blogging vacation that I took. Our last few days in the old hometown were pretty crazy. We loaded U-hauls, soaked up our friends, closed on our first house, shed a few tears (poor Hubs...it got the best of him), and said goodbye to a great place to live.

We had so much help packing up our house and loading the U-haul. God is so good...I am not kidding when I say that people were coming out of the wood-work just to help our circus. Family, friends, neighbors (lots of neighbors) and some of Hub's old football players came to help out. We appreciate everyone so much.

The kids had a blast playing in all of the empty rooms and jumping on lots of mattresses. They truly did great with all of the craziness...we are so blessed...our kids are amazing.

Then, it was time to say goodbye. And that was hard. We left the old hometown overflowing with memories. My hope is that we never forget all that was there and that the friendships we made will last a lifetime.

Big and mighty...

2008-07-23T22:49:00.007-05:00

Today I took K-Bel back to the old hometown for a weight check (the picture above is from about a month ago). She had her feeding tube placed about five weeks ago and we could tell that she had started to gain some weight. We just weren't sure how much. We are constantly making efforts to give her extra calories and recently had to start putting the remainder of all of her bottles into her tube also. She has been anti-bottle lately for whatever reason (I don't know...maybe a tube down my throat would do the same thing to me). Anyway, K-Bel shocked us all today...that sweet baby tipped the scale at 17 1/2 pounds today. WHOA!!! It was truly an answer to prayer since we have been working on weight gain for so long. Here is K-Bel with her sweet sweet cousin this past weekend (can you tell that she has some meat on her bones?)

As always, Dr. S was amazing and very encouraging. I can't say enough about the friend she has become to us. Her office staff is amazing and she truly cares about our family. I am not sure I will ever be able to switch my kids to a pediatrician in the new hometown...haha. The other kiddos are doing great. C and K are taking swimming lessons this week. I asked K when I got home today if she put her face in the water and she said...'no, not yet.' Everything is done on her own time. C is doing great. He really doesn't need the lessons (he is a great swimmer), but I wanted him to have the chance to swim and meet new people. I think he is enjoying it. The highlight of C's week however is getting to go to football camp at Daddy's work. Hubs started work full time this week, so we have been missing him. But, C has gotten to go to big boy camp everyday. F has done really well. She is still adjusting to the new house...it can be very stimulating. We are trying to get some sensory equipment ordered for her, which will be awesome. Nana is still here and working herself to death. Our new neighbor (and great friend) Becky helped out today with transportation to and from football camp and two different swimming lesson times. Nana was here to hold down the fort and do all that crazy cleaning that she is so good at. :)

Things are coming along. Soon...oh so soon, hopefully we will get some pics of the new house up for everyone to see.

Homelessness is restful...

2008-07-21T23:33:00.005-05:00

Don't worry....we are obviously not homeless anymore. But, we were for about four days. And it was wonderful. We have had so much on our plate for so long, it was nice to just relax at my aunt and uncle's lake house. The kids had a great time and so did Hubs and I. C fished and fished and fished. He loves to go fishing and he had lots of luck.

The kids swam in the lake with their 'light jacket's on...fun times. I passed on that activity because of the yummy lake water issue that I have.

And, oh my word, the jet ski. Boy was the jet ski a lot of fun too. K is such a little dare devil and hopped right on. I was even a little nervous for her.

Anyway...we had a great time sitting on the deck, seeing my aunt and uncle, coloring like there was no tomorrow and spending some much needed time together.

By golly, I think it's clean...

2008-07-18T00:49:00.004-05:00

I am so tired and I don't have any pictures of this. I will take some and show you our project from tonight. The house we moved into is about 22 years old...we really do love it, but we are accustomed to living in a brand new home. Needless to say, I think the people that lived here before us forgot to mop the tile in the kitchen for atleast the past 19 years. I tend to be a bit anal about my house being clean, but Hubs can vouch for me that the kitchen floor truly was gross. Every day, I would sweep, swiffer, and wipe a tile here and there....and every day the swiffer and rags would be black. I wasn't getting anywhere. Well, tonight I had had enough...my mom came in town today and we went to Wal-Mart. We bought grout and tile brushes and got after it. There was layers of disgusting dirt and grease and everything nasty in that kitchen. But now....oh sweet now....after about 3 hours of cleaning, half of the kitchen is DONE. And it looks so white and sparkly. I will show you a before and after picture....because I promise the floor made a remarkable recovery. It is absolutely amazing.

All that is to say that I am a bit weary from all the scrubbing, spraying, brushing, wiping, and shining the kitchen floor. I better rest up for the other half of the floor tomorrow...

Back to the real world...

2008-07-16T22:49:00.006-05:00

When we went to PC, we were able to block a few things out of our minds. Well, atleast that is what we tried to do. We sold our house in our old hometown a few days before we left to go to PC....so, what does a crazy family like us do? We drove through our new hometown to pick out a house on our way to PC. Haha...we laugh that we saw the house we now live in for 20 minutes before we made our offer on it. On Thursday during our week at PC, my mom called with some heartbreaking news. My sweet Aunt Melinda had passed away that morning. So, we packed our bags and headed West for her memorial service...leaving the greatest place on earth a little early. Melinda fought with cancer for several years and God finally took her home. The weird thing is that even though I truly knew this was coming, I was really caught off guard. Melinda was a beautiful woman with an incredible love for Christ and her family. I am so thankful to have lots of great memories of being with her throughout my childhood years until now. I never questioned how much she loved me or whether I was welcome in her home. I will miss her so much, but I am so glad that her fight is over...she persevered and now lives with the Lord. She LOVES children and received the greatest gift about 6 months ago when her first grandchild was born. I know that her heart was filled with so much joy because of him.

When we got home, we had lots of packing to do. Hubs was back to the new hometown teaching summer school, but my mom and pops came in town to help wrap things up at the old house. Then, we had a slight turn of events...K-Bel had a doctor appointment with the GI doctor. We knew that he was ready to put a feeding tube in her, but we did not know what that process looked like. To my surprise, he put her in the hospital overnight to get it taken care of right away. Thankfully, my parents were at the house to watch the other kiddos and Hubs came to be with me and K-Bel at the hospital. When we got home, we just packed and packed and packed....and tried to protect K-Bel from ripping her NG tube out of her nose/throat/stomach. She went to the doctor 6 days after her tube was put in and had already gained about 12 ounces. AMAZING!!! Next week, she has a check-up and we think she has gained close to another pound....we will see!

The Greatest Place on Earth...

2008-07-15T22:55:00.010-05:00

Oh how I could go on and on about the most incredible place on earth. We went to PC a few weeks ago and it was just as amazing as always. It is such a reflection of the beauty of God and the earth and people that He created. The staff (mostly college kids there for the summer) are in love with getting to know your family, loving your kids, serving you like crazy throughout the week, and just being there for any needs you might have. This is one of my fav. counselors...

F had her own personal counselor...and can I please mention that it was beautiful? She did amazing and the counselor really wanted to know her and all of her needs. F has never had a better week in her entire life. We were so excited to see her having so much fun and so thankful that she fit in so well. C had a blast....he was so excited to do the 'camp thing'. Our reserved little man was not reserved at all. He was pumped....helping with cheers, getting to know counselors all on his own, hanging out, fishing, doing the ZIP LINE (brave guy), going down the water slide, and loving the water rockets. He even got on stage and led a silly song in front of the whole camp. Those that know C know that he must have absolutely been SOLD on camp to participate like that! It was awesome to watch him love everything so much!

K thought that she was so hip. She loved her teachers so much and said that she had a lot of friends. One of her teachers that she called "Haha" (everyone has fun names at camp) really embraced K's personality and ran with it. I loved seeing that. We are still singing lots of fun songs and talking about how she could swim in the big pool all by herself because "Haha" gave her a 'light-jacket' (funny). K-Bel was so so sweet as always. Her actual birthday was while we were at camp, so that was fun. She shared cookie cake with the entire camp and got lots of love from all the counselors. She is too young to realize what an incredible group of people were serving her and praying for her that week, but she will know very soon I think.

We were truly blessed by the families that we knew at camp. I have known the camp director for many years...his family is super amazing. The speakers this year were awesome...wow...what a blessing they were. Two of the families there were actually acquaintances and we were able to get to know them better that week. What a blessing each of them was to us. I am sad that we moved away from our old hometown just as we got to be friends. I worked at PC when I was in college. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to go back there. One of my sweet sweet campers from the old days is now a counselor at PC. She has grown into an incredible young woman of God. All in all, that is probably one of, if not the best week, of our entire year. Each night has a theme, some with kids and some without...one of which was a concert by Anthony Evans. If you have not heard his music....PLEASE listen. He is absolutely amazing and was a PC employee in the days before his music career took off.

Anyway...that is a winded version of that week of our lives...hands down...it is the greatest place on earth!

She did turn 1...

2008-07-14T22:46:00.003-05:00

Well, my itty bitty baby K-Bel did turn 1 year old a little over a month ago. It is so hard to believe. I look at her and see so many similarities to her sister and brother, but many many differences. She is definitely the biggest 'mommy's baby' that we have had yet and I don't seem to mind a bit. She is also the most verbal 1 year old that we have had. K-Bel often uses phrases of 2-4 words...her vocabulary is incredible (I would say atleast 50 words). She has facial features just like her brother C, but expressions just like her sister K. She is beautiful and rotten...so very rotten. C and K, and even F treat her like she is the only person in this world. We will have to work on that, but for now, it is so VERY cute. Somewhere this precious love picked up a temper that is out of this world...she definitely stands up for herself and sometimes she stands a little too tall! :)

Her polka dot party was a hit. We had so much fun making round snacks...and decorating the house. The week after her birthday party (and a few days before her actual birthday), she weighed in at a whopping 14 lb. 14 oz. K-Bel, you are just such a blessing in our lives. I can't believe that you are 1 and God has given me such an incredible gift in being your mommy. I love you so much!!

Is there a good place to start?

2008-07-13T23:00:00.003-05:00

Well, a lifetime of crazy has happened since the last post. Six weeks is a long time in this family. K-Bel turned 1 year old, we went to the greatest camp on earth, sold our house, K-Bel got a feeding tube put in, loaded and unloaded 2 U-hauls (with lots of help), were homeless for a few days (but relaxed at my aunt and uncle's house), bought another house, moved into the new house, painted 20 walls, went on a mini-vacation to the lake, and came back to the new house in the new hometown to do more unpacking.

Crazy, I know. I told C just yesterday that I felt the need to be better about blogging and journaling our life. So, hopefully as things settle down a bit (haha), I will take the opportunity (make the time) to blog so much more regularly. Right now, I am just hoping for some organization in our lives...soon...really soon....maybe?

Why?

2008-05-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

I know it is all over the news and many blogs. But, my heart breaks for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. His youngest daughter, Maria (adopted from China) was killed in a tragic accident at their home on Wednesday. Of course, I don't know SCC, but I have definitely been touched by his music over the years. In fact, one of his songs was played at our wedding. I am also amazed by his love for children and his support and advocacy of adoption.

The thought of losing a child bewilders me. The God that created this universe gives and takes away. But, I don't think I can grasp losing one of my sweet babies. C's heart, K's eyes and charm, F's eager approach to life, K Bel's tender love...all of these things are things that I assume are mine forever. Our kids are given to us for a season, and we don't know how long that season will be. Hug them a little tighter and for a little longer today. And please pray for the Chapman family...that God's peace and grace will cover them.

Here is the chorus of Steven Curtis Chapman's recent song, "Cinderella":

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh I will dance with Cinderella

I don't wanna miss even one song,

Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone.

Happy Birthday Little F...

2008-05-22T07:55:00.004-05:00

Two years ago today, I received a call from our caseworker at the foster agency. "We have a baby that needs a home" she said. I think I might have said yes without even calling Hubs first. We had been asking the agency for a baby for a long time. I received that call on a Monday, and on Thursday, I met up with the director of our agency to pick her up. I haven't stopped chasing her since. (Those are some cookies from her ice cream party)

I have always asked God for a baby with curly hair...F definitely has that. I have always said that we might need a little spunk in our house....F definitely has that. Hubs has always wanted a Daddy's girl....F definitely IS that. Our family needed someone who is not afraid to tell us what she thinks....F definitely is that. We needed someone who walks through a room saying, 'hi guys, how are you, good.' even when there is noone in the room...F definitely is that. F is definitely not a child anything like the rest of the kids in our house, but she is our child. I often look at her and wonder what the future holds...not just for our family, but for her as an individual.

Today F is two years old. I am thankful that she is a part of our family...she really is one of us. God has given us a gift. Some days, I don't deserve her. I am still learning how to handle her the best way that I can. But, I love her and I hope she feels loved.

So, happy birthday F...you really do win my heart day by day!!! I love you...

A sleepover...

2008-05-16T17:27:00.003-05:00

Generally speaking, I have not had very many opportunities to be gone overnight from my family. In fact, we have been involved in our Sunday school class for 5 1/2 years, and I have not done any women's retreats or conferences, etc. Tonight I am going out on a limb. When Hubs gets home, I am hitting the road to a friends' house where lots of Sunday school girls are having a retreat/sleepover. I told C earlier that I wasn't sure if I was going because we had so much going on. He said, "Mommy you really should go." I went, "hmmm." And he said, "You know you wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun." So, off I go. My little man is right. I wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun.

Ya'll have a great weekend.

Happy Mother's Day...

2008-05-13T20:55:00.006-05:00

I gave C a book for Christmas that is called 'I Love You More', by Laura Duksta. It is awesome. Tonight when I was reading it to the kids before bed, it really hit me how blessed I am to have a mom that is unreal. She is one of my very best friends. Somehow, it seems, that she always had time for me, she always had a perfectly clean house, dinner was always cooked and cleaned up, laundry done (practically before you had a chance to even take your clothes off), and more love than you can imagine. She set her expectations high and her tolerance for disrespect low. She whopped me on the hiny when I was naughty, but hugged me and told me she loved me almost immediately after. She is an amazing wife, mom, nana, sister, daughter, Christ follower, and friend.

Here is a little glimpse of the book that I was reading tonight...Mom, I do love you more!! :)

"I love you higher than the highest swing ever swung. I love you sweeter than the sweetest song ever sung. I love you longer than the longest lollipop ever lasted. I love you louder than the loudest rocket ship ever blasted. I love you taller than the tallest giraffe ever grown. I love you more, so much more than you've ever known."

Some people cannot talk about their mother in law the way that I can. Over the years, I have grown so much closer to her than I really thought was possible. Don't get me wrong...we had some years of warming up and learning each other's quirks (mostly mine, I am sure). But that time was well spent and well worth the wait. Talk about a woman of God...she has an incredible faith. I am thankful for the son that she raised and the character that she molded in him. I am inspired by her independence, loyalty, humor, and positive outlook. I am blessed that, even though she is my mother in law, she is one of my closest friends. Grammy, I don't have a quote for you, but you are loved and respected by many. And I am blessed to call you....mommy in law.

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's day. We had a great weekend, with Faithy's 2nd birthday party. More on that later.

At your service...

2008-05-06T09:06:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Hubs was out of school, so we all spent the day together. We kept C and K home from preschool because...well...playing with Daddy is fun. And no one wants to miss that. We even got to go to the 'ice cream store' for a little snack. Lots of fun. We were sitting in the living room playing restaurant. The kids were preparing meals for us. C went to Hubs and said, 'What would you like sir'? Hubs said, 'I would like a tall carmel macchiato.' C said, 'Ok, and what would you like to drink'? (Hubs looked at me and smiled). Hubs said, 'Hmmm...I think I will have sweet tea.' C said, 'Ok, with sugar or no sugar'? Hubs held it together without laughing and said, 'sugar please'.

Just a few minutes ago C said, 'Mommy, I know how haircuts happen'. He got a haircut yesterday, so it makes sense that this is on his mind. So I said, 'Oh yeah? How?' and he replied, 'The people use those tools to vacuum your hair off '. Haha. I love that kid. And I promise he really is very smart...

The Best Rip Off in Town...

2008-04-29T16:39:00.006-05:00

The carnival was in town this weekend. We decided to head over there for a good time. Lori brought Ja and we took our whole crew. It was a blast. The kids were so excited to ride all the rides and C played a couple of games. Hubs and C rode a roller coaster...he loved it!!!

The girls rode several smaller rides and had a wonderful time too. We decided to put F on one of the rides with Ja and K...it was hilarious. She would scream for a minute and then laugh for a minute, but I think she really enjoyed it.

Then K and Ja decided they wanted to go on this gigantic slide. Lori and I took them up and sat down and I was scared to death. Oh my word...it was so high and we went so fast. The girls loved it and wanted to do it again so Hubs and Lori took them the second time.

You can't go to a carnival without having some cotton candy, funnel cakes, and cheese fries. So...we let the kids go crazy. K ate atleast half a bag of cotton candy all by herself....she is a junk-food-aholic. That girl cracks me up.

We had such a great time together...it really was the best rip off in town. PS...K Bel loved the funnel cake too. Can you see her top tooth that just came in? It is bigger than she is! :)

Her way with words...

2008-04-25T10:01:00.004-05:00

That's K with Nana this past weekend. K is very social and charming when it is part of her agenda. I love the things that she says. She has tons of personality.

The other day we were playing with magnetic letters and she said, "Look...C says mmm, mmm, mmm for CAT." Haha...

This morning I asked her what she did with Ms. Haley last night and she said, "We played for 5 minutes with our friends. And then we played air hockey and PINK pong." Heee....I didn't correct her. That is pretty cute.

We were playing Candyland (the new shape version for smaller kids) a few minutes ago and she said, "Mommy, do you have a circle-a-gon?" Ha...yes, yes I do. Being a mom is the best. I wouldn't miss these moments for a million bucks.

Gone public...

2008-04-24T11:24:00.002-05:00

Well, I decided to take the plunge and remove the password protection from the blog for now. In order to protect our privacy, I have changed the kids' names to initials and try not to mention too much personal info. So, welcome if you are new around here. For those that know us well, try to keep your comments name free if possible. Thanks. We are having a good week. We have had lots of friends over. Ja and Hu stayed over on Tuesday night for a while. The kids had a blast. K and Ja played so great together. You never know what you are going to get with them. Sometimes it's great...sometimes, not so much. Last night, Mai and Ava came to visit, and we had a great time. It was a wild crew last night, but I really enjoyed visiting with my sweet friend Laura (until midnight...yikes) when she came to pick them up. Today, our little buddy Josh is here for a while. He is so cute...just following everyone around checking things out. Fun stuff. Tonight I am having a girls night...repeat...a girls' night. Haley is keeping the kids while I go to dinner with some coach's wives...at my FAV place to eat. I am pumped. Today, I am thankful for Thursday. It is my favorite day. We stay in our jammies for a while and play play play all day. God has given us such a gift in parenting these sweeties. I love being a Mommy...it is awesome.

Lost in time...

2008-04-22T21:38:00.007-05:00

I seem to be in a fog lately. I am lost in this time in our life. I am going through the motions. I miss my husband...I miss him walking through our door everyday. I miss his support, his love, his help. He is the best...we make a good team. I am ready to move. But, I will say that I feel like we are doing great with what we have right now. I am ready for it to be over, but it has really gone so smoothly. We are praying for our house to sell quickly, so we can get down to future hometown...hopefully very soon.

Part of the reason I feel like I am in a fog is because we are so busy right now. C is playing soccer and baseball. K is still doing ballet. The kids are still going to preschool a few days a week. I am still working a couple of days a week. F and K Bel are still receiving various therapies through ECI. And K Bel is being seen by every type of doctor, nutritionist, specialist that there is out there. The coordinating that goes on for all of these things is truly a logistical nightmare. That is when I miss Hubs the most...he is an amazingly supportive husband...and he knows just when to step in and help or take over!!

God is good all of the time though. I don't think I have called Hubs crying one time. I have such a peace about everything. I am having a blast with the kids. It is busy, but I don't think any of us feel stressed. Hubs has been gone almost 2 months now...wow...the time really has flown and we have made the best of it! Anyway...I have lots of cute pictures to post. C has really enjoyed playing baseball this year. This past weekend, he made an awesome catch. He was so surprised that he just burst out laughing. Everyone in the stands laughed with him because it was so cute. I didn't get a picture of his super catch, but I did get a couple of others. McKinsey and Whitney came to one of C's games...so sweet! Nana and Pops came this past weekend to hang out and catch some soccer and baseball action too. A couple of weekends ago when Hubs was home, we were all outside playing and had such a great time. Here are some cute pictures of our fun.

This past weekend, we had C's very good friend, Austin over for the whole weekend. It was so much fun. The kids had a great time and just played and played their little hearts out. Our neighbor, Jett had his boat out on Friday night and he let the kids get up there and play in it. What fun!

We are gearing up for some birthdays around here. F will be 2 next month and K Bel will turn 1 in June. Wow...it breaks my heart that my tiny baby is already almost 1 year old. That can't be possible. F is planning an ice cream party for her birthday and K Bel is planning a polka dot party for hers. We are excited....birthday parties are a pretty big deal around here...as many of you know. I am a bit of a party planner!

Please continue to pray for our little K Bel. She is doing GREAT. She is still very small and is seeing a genetics doctor next week. Then, we are making another trip to the nutritionist a couple of days after that. She is 10 months now and is working hard to crawl. She actually CAN crawl, but it is hard for her to go very far because of her little bitty muscles. I still believe in my heart that she is perfectly fine....just little. Also...please pray for our sweet little house to sell. Although I do love our house, I love my hubby more, and would like to live with him again, even though I don't know where we will live once we get to our new hometown....ha. We really are a circus of a family, aren't we?

This girl can talk....

2008-04-03T15:23:00.004-05:00

Look at her...already on the phone. And she doesn't even have to have a phone. She will just use her hand and put it up to her ear, saying "hello, hello, hello" over and over. Today, she was sitting in my lap using her hand as a phone and said (brace yourselves) "hello ommy (which means mommy)". This girl is insane. She is not 10 months old yet and she is talking like crazy. Then, she looked up on the wall where we have a bunch of pictures and said, "baby". Yep, that's a baby. She loves babies. She kisses them on the head and gives pat pats. Other tricks....she demands "row row" constantly to anyone who will listen. She holds up a book and says, "boo"...books are very exciting to our little K Bel. She started saying "bubby" (which is C) a few days ago. So, here is a list of her almost 10 months words: hi, hello, ommy (mommy), daddy, bubby, poo poo, shoooo-wee, baby (her favorite), ummy (yummy), boo (book), happy, pea (please), and bo bo (bottle). She also signs "more" and "please". She amazes me...growing up too fast. I do not want her to turn 1 year old, but it is coming quickly.

I just love this little peanut. She is a doll!

Happy Easter (a little late)

2008-03-31T15:44:00.014-05:00

We spent Easter weekend with lots of people from both sides of the family. Sunday was spent with Grammy (Hubs' mom), Shannon, and Mal. The kids woke up to Easter baskets and lots of hidden eggs in the yard. We saved the egg hunt for after church. Before we went to church, we tried to get a group picture...it was a disaster (but look at C...haha).

When Grammy walked C into his Sunday School classroom, the teacher told him that they were going to be talking about the Easter story. He kindly told her, "I already know that story from my house." Ha...I am glad that the story was already familiar to him!! The kids had a great time hunting Easter eggs after we got home. F really understood what her job was this year. She was on a mission...she would dart across the yard for one specific egg and put it in her basket. I got the cutest picture of her with her easter basket on her head.

K Bel and Hubs just walked around to cheer everyone on. They did a great job.

C and K filled their Easter baskets up quite full and enjoyed looking through their loot. We had a wonderful lunch and then packed our things up to come back home.

Spring Break

2008-03-28T21:27:00.007-05:00

Well, it was a week ago. And I am just now getting to it, but here we go. We did a few fun things with the kids. While we were still at home, we did a lot of playing and catching up with Hubs because he was on Spring Break with us. One afternoon, we went to a bounce house place around here with Lori, Ja, and Hu. The kids had a blast!! I know this is unbelievable, but I forgot my camera. On Thursday, we headed West, where we dropped into the zoo for a while. Nana and Pops met us there for some making of a memory, and the job was well done. We have the cutest picture to prove it...

When all was said and done, the kids were worn out. Nana took the older ones into the gift shop for a little souvenier and then we were off to spend the night at Grammy's house. It was a day well spent. Thanks Nana and Pops...we love you!!

Heart of gold....

2008-03-24T16:10:00.005-05:00

Last night before we ate dinner, C wanted to lead our prayers. He has been doing that some lately and we love it. He has said some really cute things and also some things that have blown us away. Here is the prayer from last night: Dear God, Thank you for this day. God, please help Byron and Iris get food and toys. And God, thank you for letting us go to church. And God? You know the Easter story? It is SOOO fun. The best part about Easter is that you rose again. Amen. If that doesn't touch your heart, I am not sure what will. He is so tender and sweet. I hope you all had a great Easter...I will post some pictures soon. PS. Byron and Iris are the children that we adopted through Compassion International. C prays for them daily and always wants to send them money for food, water, etc.

She grew up....

2008-03-21T20:50:00.006-05:00

It seems like just yesterday that this young lady entered into my world. I was a young 19 year old dating a guy that I would marry one day. When I visited his home town, I met all of his family. Mal was an 8 year old strawberry blonde headed little girl with a great personality. We had lots of fun, and soon I became her aunt. Before my very eyes, she has grown into a beautiful young woman. Mallory is graduating from high school this year, and asked me to take her senior pictures. I was honored (and very nervous). But, we had a blast!!! I think they turned out fabulous....representing Mallory and the cool little town that she is from. Man...I think I feel a little old. For ten years, I have enjoyed knowing this young lady. My kids think she rocks their world...and I think she is pretty cool myself. Mal, we are proud of you, we love you, and we know that God has amazing things planned for you.

It really is sweet....

2008-03-18T20:45:00.003-05:00

Tonight, I was able to take the time to ly down with each child in their bed and snuggle, sing, pray, and whisper with them. It was so good for my heart. These kids are nothing short of amazing. It started with F...my little stinker. We were actually in my bed because I am not sure that I would fit in her bed :). She kept whispering, "mommy" and holding out her hand. Or "give me five". Surprisingly enough, she was so still and sweet. I didn't want to let her go, but Hubs came and stole her to put her in bed.

Next, I went to K's bed. She just looked up at me and smiled. I asked if I could ly down in her bed with her and she just giggled. I am quite certain that she felt pretty important. And I know for a fact from the look in her eye, that she felt a little extra love tonight and so did I. We sang her song (each child has a song that I made up specifically about them), ABC's (with her added rendition of "I am Z" instead of Y and Z at the end), Old McDonald, and Itsy Bitsy Spider. With some hugs and kisses, I was off to my next contestant.

C was in his top bunk, so I decided not to brave that. I should have, but didn't. I stood on his bottom bunk and held him close though, and it felt good. I told him how thankful I am that he is growing into such a strong big brother and faithful young man. He just smiled...I told him I loved it when he smiles. We sang his song and he did a little dance, which made my heart dance with him. That boy...he has my heart.

K Bel needed a bottle and some love too. Her eyes were heavy and she wanted her Mommy. Hubs gave her to me and we snuggled on the couch together (since I certainly can't fit in her bed). She had a little scope of her GI system done today, so she is a little irritable and needy. I don't mind...she is so tiny and lovable. It gave us an excuse to give her some extra attention today.

I guess that just leaves my sweet husband. I feel quite certain that he would gladly let me sing him a song or two...ha. Just kidding, but I know that we are enjoying having each other around this week. We actually sat down for some lunch together by ourselves today and that was beautiful. Maybe we can do that again soon (since it is usually a year or two between those occurences).

Have a good night everyone.

Life is different...

2008-03-15T16:17:00.001-05:00

My blogging commitment has not been very committed, eh? I could come up with a few excuses, but I won't. I do however wish my upload speed was faster so it was not such a long process.

Things are going well...well, different around here. As some of you know, J moved back with his family. He had been missing them for a while and thought that he was ready to reconnect with them. We discouraged the move, but understood and respected his decision when he chose to go anyway. Here is his 'goodbye' picture with the kids...ha.

Hubs has started working in our future hometown. Things are going well, although he is really missing his wifie and kids. We are missing him too. Hopefully the house will sell soon. We haven't had very many lookers, but I am sure it will pick up soon. It is spring break this week, so we are all together as a family. That is nice. We will head West for Easter to spend time with extended family.

I have really enjoyed spending time with the kids lately. It seems, all of the sudden, that they are growing up WAY too fast. I want them to remember all of the time that we spent together playing, reading, and enjoying the days that God has given us. One thing that C and I have been doing in preparation for Easter is studying the Easter story. We are using the neatest thing...it is called Resurrection Eggs. It is amazing to watch him have such a great interest in Jesus' sacrifice for us. His heart is really beginning to soften and seek God's will. He is growing into an amazing young man. I feel a great privelege to be his momma. Last night he prayed at the dinner table to thank God for our day and to thank God for his mommy, daddy, and sisters. I am thankful for him.

K...well, K just needs to learn to use the potty. But she doesn't want to. We might just tell her that we ran out of diapers and it is her time to shine...haha. Besides that, K makes my heart smile everyday. I love her sassy little personality.

F is doing fine. She is as naughty, but cute as ever. Her therapist has finally seen some of the behaviors that I have been describing and hopefully we will be able to help her. She is really talking a lot...and is very funny. Her biological mom has been contacted about our move but has not responded, so F will make the journey with us (not that we thought she wouldn't).

K Bel is my sweet little love muffin. She is nine months old now and getting so grown up. She is already talking...her list of words include, "mommy, daddy (addy), poo poo (ha), shoo-weee (haha), uh oh, no ma'am (poor faith hears it from everyone now), happy, owie, hi, and a few more. It is truly amazing that she is already saying all kinds of things. She is starting to move a little more with the help of her motor therapist, Ms. Linda. She just started 'army crawling' this week. Even though she seems to be getting so 'big', she still only weighs a little over 13 1/2 pounds.

We hope everyone is doing great. I am not sure how many people ever check this since I never update it, but hopefully I am documenting this circus we live in.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T16:01:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Valentine's Day. We have had a nice day so far. Grammy is here to help us out with our crazy week, so that has made the day even nicer. Even better, Hubs and I are going to go to dinner with some friends (ummmm...it might have been several years since we have done that without kids :) tonight, so that will be nice. Speaking of Hubs, I wanted to give a special shout out to him for being the best Valentine ever. Baby, I know you never read this blog, but just in case, I want you to know that I love you so much. Your heart amazes me all of the time. I am so thankful that God chose for us to be together because you are certainly my BETTER half. I love you.

We have been really busy this week (surprise surprise). I have really been working hard to keep the house perfect with all of these rascals running around. That is job all by itself. J had surgery this week, and it went well. He is recovering and hanging out at the house with me for the past couple of days. K Bel has a gastroenterology appointment tomorrow in the morning to see if we can figure out what is going on with our littlest peanut. She went for her 8 month well check up last week and she was only 13 lb. 6 oz. We have past the comfort zone for her as far as weight. She is well below the zero percentile, so we are moving on to the next step. We have already altered her diet with lots of extra fat and calories, so we are not sure what is going on. Maybe she is just a tiny girl!! An update on all of the kids:

C is really learning to do some neat big boy things. He brought home some "reading" homework from school. We have been listening to him read to us in Spanish and it is amazing. The really cool thing is that he can't always tell you exactly what it means (but he gets close)...that is what happens when you are bilingual at a young age. Haha...this is funny picture.

K is doing great. I really enjoy her personality so much. She is able to make me smile so often with her little spunky sparky character. I love to watch her pretend...her imagination is full of life, too. F is actually doing really well. We still have our moments (well, ok, lots of moments). But, she is growing up and started to talk a lot. She says lots of things and copies all of us all of the time. She loves to play in the little kitchen and draw on the magna doodle.

K Bel is doing great. She is just a little doll....so so sweet all the time. She is definitely a mommy's baby, but that is just fine with me. :) Her new tricks are sitting up, clapping her hands and saying 'yea', and patting us on the back when she hugs us. She also started saying 'happy' and 'uh-oh'. We are all definitely in love with her....she might be a little spoiled!

I hope everyone is doing great and having a great week. Today, the card that Hubs MADE (yes, guys, he made it) has the verse from 1 Corinthians in it....Love is patient, love is kind, etc. I am thankful that the Lord loves us with that love. It is a love that I don't deserve, but His grace and mercy is more than sufficient for me. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Traditions

2008-01-27T17:33:00.001-06:00

Something that is really important to me....family traditions. Among other things, every year we make a gingerbread house right before Christmas. The kids always enjoy it... and I love to watch them have fun. Here are some cute photos of this year's gingerbread house making experience... Hubs thought the icing was finger lickin' good. :)

What a great masterpiece it was!!

So much...

2008-01-26T22:58:00.001-06:00

to blog about. I guess I took a little blogging hiatus, but now I am back. We have so much going on right now. We are getting ready to move to a new town. With that comes, getting the house ready to sell, packing up extra clutter, and preparing the kids for the upcoming adventure. We have also been battling some sickies lately. C has had the stomach bug twice and all of the rest of us have had it once....except K Bel. Hopefully she is good to go. K Bel and F have had various therapists out to evaluate them for their various needs. K Bel is extra little with slightly low muscle tone, so she receives occupational therapy and nutritionist consultation. F is receiving services from the behavioral psychologist and the occupation therapist as well. J has an injury that is going to require surgery in the next week or two. And I have had swollen glands and lymph nodes for two weeks. I have been on antibiotics which have improved the situation, but have not remedied it, so now it is time to go to a different doctor. I am scared (to say the least) because the original doctor that I went to told me that it was only a very slim chance that I have cancer!!!! WHAT?? Oh well...God is good all the time, and I know that everything will work out according to His will. We just need to get some answers as to what is going on here. So, things have been crazy. I need to put some pictures up but I wanted to let all two of you that read our blog know that we are still alive and kickin'! Hopefully I will get better about updating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAL!!!

A few Thanksgiving pictures...

2007-12-01T07:43:00.001-06:00

Well, you will never believe but I did not take my camera for Thanksgiving lunch. So, I just have a few pictures of the kids and Mal to share and then a couple of pictures that some of the other family (thanks Glenda and Jay) took while we were there.

We were supposed to go to my birth town to spend some time with my mom's side of the family, but it snowed like 7 inches on Thanksgiving Day in Hubs' hometown. So, Thanksgiving night in birth town did not happen. I was very sad about that (and again, missed out on some picture opps). We did get to see my mom's side of the family on Friday for a little while and that was great. I am a family lover....it is so important to me for us to be with family, and I feel like we do not get to see everyone often enough. Hopefully everyone knows how much we love them!!!

We have had a very busy week...I will post about that later. Hopefully I can start keeping up with all of this a little better.

Playing Catch up...

2007-11-21T16:30:00.002-06:00

Well, we are back home from a little mini vacation to West Texas. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing lots of friends and family. It was very relaxing for us and the kids so that was nice. I never posted before we left, so I will devote this post to pre-Thanksgiving fun and excitement.

We had our last week of football and our first week of basketball. Here is a cute picture of the kids with the best coach ever after the last football game.

Then, our sweet friend Ja had her 3rd birthday (Happy Birthday Ja). Lori (her mom) decided we should just pack up and go to the Ft. Worth zoo. It was so much fun. While we were there, the lion decided to roar a couple of times. It was absolutely amazing...his roar echoed throughout the entire zoo. I think the kids had a great time...they are like brothers and sisters since we are neighbors so they were just dragging each other around the whole time. It was great.

Then, C and I had a very special field trip with my precious student Natalie. I arranged for Natalie to have a tour around the fire station and our Safety Town the week before Thanksgiving. I decided that it would be okay to sneak C along with me because, we all know that baby is obsessed.with.fire.stations. There was something that I did not realize....the firemen planned on taking Natalie on a ride in their biggest fire engine. SOOOO...C was invited along. And oh boy, he was the most excited little man in history.

Then, we toured Safety Town, and the fireman asked C if he wanted to drive a little jeep through the town. Oh my word....now that is exciting. So, needless to say, C had a VERY special day. I loved seeing every minute of it...I hope he remembers that forever.

The kids both had Thanksgiving feasts at their school before the break. I took pictures of K's class....they were adorable. They were all pilgrims or indians...C was a pilgrim and K was an indian. Here is K ready to say prayers before lunch.

My niece, Amber turned 13 this week (Happy Birthday Amber). The kids and I headed out to my sister's house to celebrate last weekend. It was a ton of fun. The kids got to play with the horses and look at alpacas. I enjoyed taking pictures of them outside. Thanks Kim for having us over! So, I think that brings us to the Thanksgiving holiday. I will post about that in the next day or two. Hopefully you all had a blessed day with friends and family...

This is my friend Bubby, Mommy.

2007-11-12T21:11:00.001-06:00

I don't have a picture, but I needed to journal that those words came out of the princess' mouth today. K loves her brother and he loves her for that matter, but they are not ALWAYS friends. Tonight, when they were playing together outside...she said, "this is my friend Bubby, Mommy." And at that moment, my heart was happy. Another cute moment happened this morning in the car on the way to school. C sneezed and K said, "Bless you Bubby." C said, "Thank you Sugar Bear." Ha. They really do make my day lots of fun...the little things really do matter, don't they?

Lots of questions...

2007-11-08T13:20:00.001-06:00

Doesn't he just look like he is pondering the most important things. And...no, we don't make him mop the garage....that was his own doings. My C man is really growing up. He has been asking me a lot of questions. Just today he said, "Mommy, why do we have so many foster kids....and why are we are foster family?" Hmmm...that is a complicated answer. So, I just stuck with saying Mommy and Daddy really feel like that is a gift that God is giving us...to love other children. The other day he was listening to his Bob and Larry worship CD in the car and he said, "Mommy, what is worship?" Oh my word, son...that is a big one. I thought to myself, "God help me with this one...I need to prepare my son's heart for You." So, I answered to the best of my ability. Those are the questions that my sweet 'almost five year old' is pondering in his world. Wow....amazing. K on the other hand says "worshippy doo doo" when the CD starts playing. I think we need to start praying for that little princess people.

K has been busy too. Today, when we went to Target, she said, "Where are my Dora panties?" Hmmm...well....you don't have any. "Yes, I do," she said. Ha...So, I bought the princess some Dora panties. As soon as we got home, she wanted to wear them. Please let me tell you that she has NEVER gone tee tee on the potty. But, I will go with the flow and if she is interested, we will give it a try. She is taking a nap right now with a diaper and two pair of Dora panties on. I guess she might need an extra pair for something. That girl...she is one of a kind. The girls all wore their precious new shirts to the football game last week. My friend Laura and I got our girls black shirts and had 'go (mascot)' written in blingy (if that is a word) letters. They all looked precious. K wore a special shirt though that said. "I (heart) Rocky." Because you know she is IN.LOVE.WITH.ROCKY (the monster). I don't know if you can see the words, but here is a picture of her fancy shirt.

F started saying, "scuse-ooo (excuse you)" when someone burps, coughs, sneezes, etc. It is really funny. She is almost 18 months old and still has about 7 or 8 words, so we are going to give ECI a call. She did not qualify when she was younger, but I think it is time for some intervention. Hopefully, she will get some help soon...

K Bel is doing fine. She is lying down on the bed next to me sleeping...rotten baby. She is just so sweet. Her little smile is so contagious...all of the kids just love to be with her. And...quite frankly, I do too!! J is playing in his last footbal game tonight and will start wrestling this weekend. He is not getting much of a break, but neither is Hubs. Basketball starts tomorrow. We are excited about going to basketball games...that is always fun. I did something exciting this week...drum roll...I made home made icing for my friend Lori's birthday. I think it was pretty yummy...not perfect, but a good start. Of course, it wouldn't be true without a picture!!

Say a little prayer for us...we are having our family picture taken on Sunday. I know most of you are probably just laughing...7 people in one picture...four of which are four years old and younger. It should be interesting. This year might be a blooper photo, but that is okay with me. Just having a picture with all of us together will mean the world to me!

Trick or Treat!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-01T22:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a great time trick or treating around the neighborhood last night with our friends. S, Ja, Hu, Hal, and all of our kids trick or treated together. It was fun stuff. Here are the pictures to prove it...

Here is a funny picture from the night that we carved the pumpkin. We decided to put K Bel inside...she is our little pumpkin!! Hope you all have a great weekend...

Long time, no seeeeeee...

2007-10-29T12:21:00.001-05:00

Wow...I know I know. It has been a while. I just can't keep my head above water these days. Fall is settling in here and that means spring cleaning...ha! I have been gathering cool weather clothes for the munchkins and cleaning out closets and drawers of spring and summer clothes. And...that is a chore around here, friends. We are wrapping up football season and gearing up for basketball season. Football season has two games left...they have done great this season, only losing one game. I have lots of pictures from our time at one of the games. I am not sure if I have told you before, but K is in love with the mascot (she calls him 'the monster'). I mean, there is no greater love for her at this point....she spends a lot of the game waving to the mascot, yelling, "HIIII MONSTER!!!"...here is a picture of that:

She loves for the cheerleaders to take her down to the track to play with the mascot...she is just smitten for him (or her...I'm not sure about that one). Here are some pictures of Rocky (aka the monster) with some of the coach's kids (and K).

Here is how F felt about the Redhawk...

Here is a pic of the best coach ever and J...such cuties!

C has really been into football this season. He constantly plays it in the house and he wants to know if our team is winning, etc. After the game last week, C ran up to Hubs and said, "Daddy, when I grow so big, I am going to be on your football team and you can be the coach." Wow...you should have seen the smile on Hubs' face...he liked that idea!!! :)

The kids are doing good. C and K are enjoying school. I am continually amazed with their school. Our kids are loved on all day long while learning a whole new language. C has started reading and writing in Spanish...simple things, but he is just starting. He can switch gears so easily...for instance...he knows (in English) what letter words begin with, etc. Well, the other day he brought home a worksheet, and apparently he knows what letter some Spanish words start with too. I was really impressed. Then...little K got in the car the other day... I said, "K, what did you do at school today?" K said, "I eat. I sleep. I sit (she said 'sit' in spanish, i just don't know how to spell it)."

This weekend, Hubs sat down to play with some little animals with K that come in all colors (they are for sorting). She starting lining up all the 'patos' (ducks) and telling Hubs what color they were in Spanish. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! I am so glad that she is more open to speaking Spanish to us than C is/was.

And, here is my sweet little bitty girl...isn't she a doll??

Well, I have a bit of an update on F. Her mom has still chosen not to call. Whatever that means...no one knows. But, the caseworker and I talked about it last week. If F's mom does not call by early summer of next year, we are going to approach her with paperwork do start the process for the 'A' word. I don't even want to say it because it gets my hopes up. But, we will wait and see what the Lord has in store for us. But, we are not even going to worry about it right now...time is a virtue as far as a judge is concerned. It will look great that we have had her so long and it might work to our advantage if we wait until her mom has had many months to call and try to get F back....and just plain old hasn't done it. SOOO...there is the update...not much of anything, but maybe a glimpse of a plan. NOTE TO F: F, if you come back and read this someday, please know that Mommy and Daddy love you with all of our hearts. We want what is best for you. We support your birth mom in having you if that is God's will, but we also want to be your forever family if that is God's will. Baby girl...just hang tight...sometimes waiting is hard, but it will all work out.

Hmmm...well....on that note, I can't really think of anything else to say. The kids are excited about trick or treating. That is always a lot of fun. Stay tuned for pictures of Batman, a fairy princess, the bumble bee (some think of her as a wasp...ha) and the baby penguin.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Back up and runnin...

2007-10-17T22:54:00.001-05:00

So, now, dear ones, we are back. Hmmmm...where to start? Well, this past weekend I went to Southeast Texas (my home town) for my sister, Holly's baby shower. And wait...oh yes, let me tell you. I only took K Bel with me! I know many of you are wondering what could possibly be wrong with this mother hen? I don't know...I just decided that a six hour trip with four kids was not in the forecast. So...sweet mother in law volunteered her time as grandmother hen while my mom and I headed southeast. I think all went well back here at the house. K apparently missed me more than the other kids and kinda whined periodically for her mommy. Everyone else was just fine. K Bel and I had a great time. We stayed with my mom's best friend, Susie (I consider her my other mom) and her husband. Boy, did it feel good to be there. I just love them so much (thanks guys for letting us stay). I can't believe I didn't take a picture with them for everyone to see, but hopefully I can do that soon. I did however take a picture of Tammy and Mallory (their daughter in law and grand daughter)...they really enjoyed hanging out with K Bel.

On Saturday, K Bel and I went to Holly's baby shower over in Southeast Texas. It was very nice, and we enjoyed it. I always enjoy seeing my niece H too. She is such a cool kid...

And no worries...a pic of the fam at the baby shower...

Then...K Bel and I decided to head back up to the metroplex on Sunday morning. It was a long, but uneventful drive. K Bel was an angel as always. When we got home, we received a VERY warm welcome. Even though I really enjoyed my quick trip down to Southeast, it was great to be home to see all the kiddies and the sweet Hubs. What could be more fun than coming home to a house full of sweet babies?? How about a trip to the pumpkin patch?? So...we loaded everyone up for some pumpkin fun. We have a local pumpkin patch that has a maze made of hay, hayrides, bouncy houses, and face painting. The bouncy houses and the maze were of utmost importance for our kiddos.

This week has been very busy as always. Today, K Bel had her official 4 month appointment. Our itty baby is growing up. She still only weighed 11 1/2 pounds, but looks great. She got some shots but seems to feel okay. We had a football game tonight (odd that it was on Wednesday I know), so I will shower you with photos of that in a few days. Have a great week!

hmmmm.

2007-10-17T12:20:00.001-05:00

Well, I tried to post yesterday and today, but the website is not allowing me to upload pictures. That's no fun, so I will keep trying. Maybe later today it will be up and running properly. So...hang in there all ye internets...we will be back soon!! :)

We still love the Horns!!

2007-10-09T12:27:00.001-05:00

Isn't this a sweet picture? I have no idea who this little girl is, but she and K played so sweetly together for a moment at the soccer game. I think they were talking about the game...well, maybe not.

Speaking of games, our friend Craig to spend the night on Friday night before the OU game on Saturday. It was great to have him here. He and Hubs grew up in West Texas together, were room mates in college together, and they still try to see each other as much as possible. He was a real trooper and went to C's 8am soccer game on Saturday morning.

And...I finally took a couple of pictures, but not any good action shots. I will work on that again this weekend. This wasn't a great game for it...I was visiting with Craig and chasing the other kids.

On Saturday morning after C's game, we were all pretty sleepy, so we just relaxed and did some painting. The kids had a great time painting some little sun catchers and I had a great time pitching in.

We relaxed on Saturday afternoon and watched the TX OU game (Hubs went with Craig). Then, my friend Kerith called in desperate need of a babysitter for her kids for the night. Well, what's three more kids around this circus?? So, I told her to bring them all over...we had a great time. The kids played great together. Here is a picture of everyone except her baby, J, and K Bel.

F had a great time with everyone too...but here is a picture that will just help you understand a typical moment in F's world. She is acting like a nut in this picture but only moments before this, she was screaming her head off about something. Notice the tears on this silly girl's face.

So, here is F with a bow in her hair...I just don't know...maybe I am stretching it. I think it might be a little early, but as you can tell, this girl has no hair on top. We will keep trying...I can't wait for it to get longer. Any word from her mom you ask? Nope....and that is just fine! :)

Sweet K Bel was a busy girl last week. She started rolling over, so of course I had my camera ready and caught her in action.

She will be four months this week. She weighs 11 1/2 pounds...so little. But, to me she is so big and it is so hard to watch her grow up. She is such a little love. We are blessed with such a great gift in parenthood. I wonder sometimes...am I taking this for granted? Am I playing enough games of Candy Land, reading enough books, playing baby dolls and dollhouse enough, and kicking the soccer ball enough? God gave Hubs and me something so special and I want to glorify him in my parenting...is that what I am doing? I don't know...but I know that God is using my kids to work in my heart and bless my socks off. ANYWAY...here is baby K Bel covering her sweet face while she sleeps and sitting up like a big girl again.

And I found K in my bed the other day snuggling up with her horsey!!! She is so cute...