Family By Love

11 Years!

2011-06-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, my husband and I will celebrate our 11 year anniversary. We had no idea what marriage was going to bring us, but the Lord knows that sometimes it is best that we don't know what is coming. I never thought that I could love my husband more than on our wedding day, but I do. We have been through many, many joys together and many more trials. Some of our biggest joys have been the birth and adoption of our children. And yet one of those children has been and still is our biggest trial.
I just want to take this moment to thank my husband for being my leader and supporter through every joy and trial. Thank you for reminding me to put my eyes on Christ and deal with one thing at a time when millions of things are swirling together and making me overwhelmed. Thank you for loving me even though I still can't cook well and I can never keep up with the housework. Thank you for helping with the housework without being asked. Thank you for loving our kids and helping to raise them. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Raindrops and Lost Keys

2011-05-06T21:54:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in a very long time. It isn't because there isn't anything going on, but because I don't know what to share.
Michael has been home for almost 3 years now. We had always heard that when you hit the 1 year mark, you would feel like everything was "normal". Everyone would have settled in together and the family would be meshing into one unit. However, we still haven't hit that point. It has been a huge trial to deal with all of Michael's behavior issues.
However, over the last few months, the Lord has sent a few songs my way that have helped me to focus more on Him. One song is "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Battisteli. She talks about losing her keys, and her phone, and getting a speeding ticket. Then she talks about how this is the stuff that God uses in our lives. "It might not be what I would choose." But we have to trust Him. She also sings about how in the middle of her "little mess" she forgets how big she is blessed. Before marriage, I had been told I may never have children of mine own. But God gave me two biological sons that light up my life. He also gave me a princess for a daughter. I'm still not sure what He is teaching me through Michael, but He has placed him in our lives for a reason.

The other song is by Laura Story. Here are some of the lyrics:
"We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"
The trials of our journey with Michael definitely make me long for Jesus and heaven. There have many sleepless nights and many hard, very hard, very difficult, terrible days. But there have been a few days where we have seen hope.

This next week, I ask you to join us in prayer. I have a meeting on Monday to get Michael into a school for children with emotional impairments. We have heard excellent reports from this school and it has taken us a lot to get to the point of having an opportunity to get him into this school. It will get him away from the teachers that insist on continuing to feed him milk/cheese and sugar. We have found that when he is not getting the dairy and the processed sugars, he can control most of his behavior. However, his current teachers insist on feeding him graham crackers (which have sugar), milk, cheese, and other foods he shouldn't be eating. Then they lie to us about it, but Michael's behavior shows otherwise and he admits to eating those things while at school. It has been a long hard battle with the school and took calling the district superintendent to finally make some progress. Please pray that the Lord would help me to stay calm, yet firm in the meeting and demand in a respectful way for Michael to get the help and support that he needs to learn how to act appropriately. Pray that the new school will be cooperative with Michael's dietary restrictions and willing to keep open lines of communication with us. Please also pray for Michael's psychiatrist as she works with him and with us to determine medication changes and dosage changes to best help Michael be successful. It would be so nice to have a child that can really truly be a part of the family. Also continue to pray for safety for our family as we deal with Michael and the behaviors that he exhibits. Pray that even though blessings can come through raindrops, that we would see some rays of sunshine in the days and weeks to come. Help us continue trust Christ in every trial and joy that we face. Help Michael and the other children to see Christ through us.

It's been a long time!

2010-07-20T07:23:00.003-04:00

It has been a long time since I have pulled up my blog to write a post. I have been very busy and quite honestly did not know what to share. It has been a long few months. We have had great struggles with the school system trying to get Michael help in school. It amazes me that even after they saw how he was, they still insisted on rewarding him for doing bad things. It has made me struggle with the fact that we cannot afford to have me stay home or for us to send him to a school of our own choice.
At the very beginning of June, we found out that God had blessed us with another child and then on June 12th that baby went home to be with Jesus. I praise God that we were able to know that the baby was there before we lost her. The first one we lost, we didn't know about until he was already gone. Also on that day, Aaron graduated with his Associate's degree. A few days later, Alisha graduated from kindergarten.
Alisha has made great progress in school. In January and February, we though she was never going to learn to read. She would sound out every letter of word but could not put them together to form the word. But she ended up the school year reading simple books. She is so excited to read and is reading signs and books to us all the time.
Matthew is still doing well. He got an electric guitar for his birthday and is now taking lessons. He has found that is very difficult, so we have to remind him that the outcome will be worth the work of lessons and practice. I think most kids struggle with that part of learning to play an instrument.
Kevin is growing up so fast. I can't believe his 3rd birthday is only a few months away. He is so smart and cute. He makes me laugh all the time. (well most of the time) Now if only he would figure out the potty training thing. He loves to "swim" in the pool with Matthew. He loves going to the park no matter how hot it is outside.
Michael has challenged us the most. He has had a few good days here and there, but most days have been filled with challenging behavior and a nasty mouth. I'm not sure where he picked up a lot of what he says, but he has come up with some awful stuff. However, we have finally gotten some help that seems to be working. After he beat me up on Tuesday, Aaron talked to the psychiatrist and we adjusted his treatment. Since Wednesday, he has been doing pretty good. Not perfect, but manageable. I finally feel like there is hope. He has smiled more in the last few days than he has in months. He went to VBS at my parents' church yesterday and was pretty good.
Please keep praying for us as we seek God's direction in raising these precious children.

Michael Update

2010-02-01T19:55:00.004-05:00

our kids with their cousins on mommy's side of the family

our kids with their baby cousin (daddy's side of the family)

Alisha's new hairdo.

We are asking that everyone join us in prayer for Michael. We have kept somewhat quiet to the most for a long time, but we feel we need a lot of support at this point. Michael has struggled with some physical and behavioral problems since he came home almost two years ago. We worked with our former pediatrician to try to get answers for some of the physical problems to no avail. She didn't seem to be very interested in finding solutions. She wasn't really interested in listening and seemed to minimize any of my concerns. We have tried what seems like a million things to deal with the behavior issues hoping that once he had been here for a year or so, he would get adjusted and begin fitting in. But as the year mark came and went, we found that he wasn't settling into the routine of family life and was having more and more issues. Since he has been in preschool this year, he started getting better and then took a turn and seems to be progressively regressing and getting worse.
We started seeing a new pediatrician this last week. She listened to me and seemed very interested in trying to find some solutions. We talked for over half an hour. We have started doing some medical tests and she called today requesting a few more tests based on some preliminary results. We are hoping that they can find some answers for him.
We have also been recommended to a counseling center. I am going to try to call them this week and investigate whether they can see him and whether they take our insurance. So please join us in prayer for our little guy. He is obviously hurting inside and we want to be able to help him so that we can enjoy spending time with him. Pray for peace for our family as we face these trials and the turmoil that he can create in the home.
The other kids are doing okay. They get stressed out with some of Michael's behaviors, but I believe that they are really trying to help him most of the time. Matthew is doing fabulous in school still. Alisha is improving greatly over the past few weeks, but still has a long way to go. Kevin is learning so much lately. He really amazes me.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T21:22:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted. It has been very busy and stressful around here. But Praise God for wonderful friends and family that have helped out and continue to help out in many different ways.

Michael's behavior is like a rollercoaster. He is great one week and terrible, horrible, awful, etc. the next. It used to be a few good days and then a few bad days. Now it seems to change by the week. It is very challenging to deal with. I'm hoping he improves for the next few days so that we can enjoy the holiday together.

Matthew passed his level 3 Red Cross swim class. He is so excited and does so well at swimming. It gives him an outlet away from Michael. He needs that.

Alisha is struggling with school. It breaks my heart that I can't just poor the information in her head and have her understand it. I wish I could stay home and homeschool her, but financially that isn't an option.

Kevin is the light of our lives. He makes us all laugh. I love driving at night with him. He loves all the Christmas lights. It is great to listen to his excitement.

We have enjoyed reading through a special advent story the past few weeks. It has been a really good reminder to focus on the true reason for the season. Thank you God for sending Your Only Son to earth just for us. Thank you for loving us even when we really do NOT deserve it at all!!

Please Pray

2009-11-23T22:18:00.001-05:00

Please pray for Michael as his behavior has gotten worse today. We are facing new challenges and we don't know anything else to do except to fall to our knees before our Holy and Merciful God and beg for help.

Update

2009-11-16T21:34:00.002-05:00

I feel like I should give an update and yet I never have the time to sit still long enough to write one. Michael is still struggling with behavior issues. We had our first parent teacher conference for him last week. It lasted around an hour. We met with his teachers and then we met with the behavior specialist. They all seem to really care about him and about helping him be successful. They are already working on setting up a plan to help him transition into kindergarten next year and be successful. Keep praying!! He needs a lot of prayer!
Alisha is starting to make some progress in kindergarten. It doesn't come easy to her. But she really tried tonight when we worked on her homework. Praise God!
Matthew is loving school and doing very well. He is excited about learning.
Kevin is always sick. I get him over one cold or croup or strep, and then something else hits him within two weeks. It is very frustrating. He feels yucky all the time and he is very clingy when I get home from work.

Halloween

2009-10-31T13:14:00.001-04:00

2009-10-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

It never ends

2009-10-24T21:41:00.002-04:00

Well, we have been having a pretty good week with Michael. He has had only a handful of incidents and most of them have been "normal" 4 year old things. But then he has to blow it two of the last three nights by sitting on the rug watching a movie and just peeing on himself. The bathroom is only about ten feet away and yet he sits there and just pees. And not only does he pee himself, but then he just sits there in it for who knows how long until something happens that I notice he is wet. The first night I had told him to get up and get his jammies on and I noticed the wet pants and tonight it was when he put his foot up on my lap for me to cut his toenails and I got the whiff of pee. GROSS!! Please pray that he gets this figured out soon.

Trials

2009-10-15T20:30:00.003-04:00

Michael continues to put us through many trials. He is insisting on stealing things (mostly food and drinks). He is continuing to throw screaming fits if he doesn't get his way. He struggles with obeying anybody other than us and sometimes he doesn't even listen to us very well. He really isn't a bad kid, but he refuses to make good choices. The above pictures show the first time we could get him to go near goats at any of the petting farms. He fed the goat and got very excited.
Matthew and Alisha continue to do very well in school. They love it and are really learning a lot.
Kevin has croup. His medicine is making him even more hyper than he already is.

We appreciate any and all prayers on our behalf.

A Good Day

2009-10-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

Well, Michael has been up and down with his behavior since he came home. He threw a hammer at a girl last week at Lowe's because he thought that she had picked up his hammer (even thought they were identical and all belonged to Lowe's anyway). Then he screamed for 30-45 minutes because I made him come sit by me. So today he didn't get to build at Home Depot. But after the building was done he got to participate in the rest of the day. The kids played in a bounce house, played carnival games, checked out a firetruck, went on a horse and wagon ride, visited a petting farm (at the park), did a fireman obstacle course (the older two boys did this), got pumpkins, and watched Scooby Doo. Michael behaved very well all day. He was a little loud in the afternoon, but that is just being a kid. I'm praising God that Michael has made it through two weeks of preschool and had a good day today. Now if we can just get him to stop peeing his pants after preschool. They don't monitor him in the bathroom and he drinks crazy amounts of water while at school.

Riding Bikes

2009-09-19T20:15:00.002-04:00

Now that Alisha has figured out how to ride her two wheeler, she doesn't want to stop. Her and Matthew both rode their bikes quite a bit today. I am thankful we have space in the yard for them to do so. Michael has finally figured out how to peddle his bike as well and he rode it some today. He doesn't stay doing the same thing for very long though.
Michael went to an hour long orientation on Friday for preschool. He did really well. Hopefully, he will be very successful with his new teacher and learn some things in preschool.

School

2009-09-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

Alisha was very excited because she got a "music award" today. It didn't say what it was for, but she says it was for "singing good". She seems to be enjoying school. They have been having color days to review their colors and she has been really enjoying finding something to take in for each color and something to wear that is in each color.
Michael starts preschool again on Monday. He got kicked out after 8 days last year, so please pray that he will be able to stay in school this time. Pray that his teacher will be willing to work with him this year. He has a new teacher and my experience with the new teacher has been much better than with the other one.
Kevin is starting a new phase. He wants to watch monster trucks all the time. He took it to Aunt Bekah's today and then on the way home from church tonight, he was telling Michael that he was "going to Aunt Bekah's watch monster trucks".

Oh! Alisha taught herself to ride her two wheeler last night. We tried all summer to teach her, but everytime she realized that we had let go (even though she sometimes had gone ten feet on her own) would throw herself over onto the grass. The pedals on her brand new bike are very messed up from the bike landing on its side so many times. But Matthew keeps talking about riding our bike to Burger King, and I tell him we can't until Alisha can ride her bike. So last night she started practicing on the cement space in the backyard. She taught herself to ride her bike on the CEMENT in CIRCLES. What kid teaches themself on the cement going in circles?
Well, that is it for now.

Pictures

2009-09-12T14:26:00.005-04:00

Alisha started Kindergarten this week and Matthew started 2nd grade. Matthew ended up with a severe migrain headache Wednesday evening and spent the evening in bed, but other than that the week was good. Well, for the kids anyway. My first week of school was challenging!

Today we went to Lowe's and built a drum. I didn't realize when I signed the kids up that I would have to take them by myself because Aaron had choir practice. But I figured that Lowe's would have workers there assisting the children. When I got there, I realized that they only had one lady there passing out the supplies and not one person at all to help, I almost left without bothering with any projects. But I'm glad I stayed. I helped Matthew get started first and then he did the rest of his by himself. He even helped Alisha after I got her started. After I helped Matthew, I got Michael started because he was struggling with being patient and I didn't want a meltdown in the store. He did okay finishing hammering in the nails that I helped him get started. Then I got Alisha started. Kevin waited so patiently for his turn. He had been singing all morning about going to "make drum, make drum". He enjoyed using a hammer for the first time. They were all thrilled by the time they were done. Alisha concentrated so hard on her work. I've never seen her have such intense focus.

Praise God!!!

2009-08-31T06:56:00.002-04:00

My friend brought her son home this weekend. Check out the airport story on her blog and watch for pictures to come in the next few days.

Kevin Slept Good in his Big Boy Bed

2009-08-29T08:06:00.002-04:00

He slept in his big boy bed all night!!!!!!!!

2009-08-29T06:52:00.002-04:00

He cried when we first walked away. But it didn't take long before he was sound asleep. It is now 7am and he is still sleeping in his "big boy bed". Tonight he will have his sister sleeping above him, so hopefully she will not disturb him. Tonight he slept in a room all by himself for the very first time. He has been in mommy and daddy's room since he was born.

Big Boy Bed

2009-08-27T20:12:00.003-04:00

Kevin is very excited that we set up his big boy bed tonight. We will try some weekend naps in it to see how he does. He will be joining Alisha in her room for now as the boys room doesn't have much space. Kevin's "big boy bed" is actually the same bed that my dad slept in when he was a little guy. He pulled it out of the attic and sanded it down and put fresh stain on it. The mattress is a little short (possibly because they made youth beds a different size when my dad was a kid), but Kevin doesn't care. Once he takes his stuffed animal collection in there it should fill in the crack anyway.

Busy Summer

2009-08-26T13:56:00.004-04:00

We have had a very busy summer. We have visited the park a number of times, made a "beach" in the sandbox, went to the beach, cleaned house, and played outside. I have really enjoyed spending time with my kids this summer. Now I am back to work, but had today off so I thought I would try to give a quick update.

Matthew had his first official sleepover at a friend's house (one that isn't related). He is tired now, but he had a great time. He is getting ready to go to 2nd grade in a little over a week. However, he is going to spend a week up north with Grandma and Papa first. I will miss him greatly. He is such a good kid. He is generally quiet and reserved, but he entertains himself very well. He loves doing things on his "laptop" (netbook), swimming, and playing wii. He loves riding his bike and scooter. He has started a fund to save up to buy a 4-wheeler.

Alisha is very excited to be starting Kindergarten soon. She is excited about wearing her new school clothes (she is such a girl!). She is finally starting to learn some of her letters and numbers. She loves playing with her purses and dolls. Alisha doesn't care for the pool so much, but enjoyed the slip-n-slide. She is starting to "read" books to her little brothers. She is very bossy and is trying to learn that she is not the boss of her baby brother and cousin.

Michael just turned 4. He was so excited that it was finally his birthday. A few weeks before his birthday, he told me, "I am 3 now and when it is my birthday then I will be 4". I was pleased that he figured it out on his own. He has begun to try to identify letters and he counts very well. He still struggles with behavior. He often throws a big fit if he doesn't get his way and tends to be defiant. We are working with him to help him overcome these issues.

Kevin is a riot! He is such a fun kid. He is almost 2 and he already talks up a storm and is so smart. He loves stuffed animals and riding "Sandy" (the penny horse) at Meijer. He is finally growing some, but is still small compared to Matthew at that age. He loves music!! I think that comes from the Kevin we named him after. He definitely got the right name. He is generally very happy and likes to play around and make other people smile.

Much Prayer needed this week

2009-08-16T14:27:00.002-04:00

Please continue to pray for my friend that is trying to get her son home for Haiti. It is urgent that he come home this week!!!!!!!

Also pray for a friend of a friend. Her name is Herta Llusho and she is being deported for no good reason. You can go to change.org and search her name to sign the petition to help stop her deportation. But we also need everyone praying!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks.

Please Pray

2009-08-14T19:35:00.001-04:00

Please pray for my friend that has been waiting for 4 years for her son from Haiti. You can read more at her blog.

Summer

2009-07-18T14:20:00.003-04:00

I have really enjoyed spending time with the kids this summer. They love to play outside as much as possible. I have also enjoyed having time to get some housework done. So I haven't spent time blogging, but I have enjoyed my family and that is important.

Matthew is now 7 years old. He is a sweet kid most of the time. He loves swimming and he reminds me of my brother because he spends most of the time in the pool under water. He also loves riding his bike, but he scares me with how fast he goes sometimes. He is truly an outdoors kind of kid. He loves playing in the sandbox, the sprinkler, the slip-n-slide, and anything else outside. He enjoyed going up north for the fourth of July. We did some legal fireworks (you know the little ones that don't leave the ground), had a campfire, and slept in the camper. He also enjoyed going to soccer camp. He can't wait to go again next year.

Alisha is now 5 years old. She is getting so tall and is so beautiful. She is trying to learn to ride her bike without training wheels, but gives up very easily. She loves playing outside. She loves to swing and does so very well. I have to remind her not to swing too high. She loved going to VBS with her papa and can't wait until our VBS next week.

Michael is almost 4 years old. He is our challenging child. He likes things to go his way IMMEDIATELY! He loves to play in the sandbox with the trucks and shovels. He also loves anything to do with water.

Kevin will be 2 in September. He is an amazing little guy. He is full of smiles and has really enjoyed having mommy home this summer. He loves chocolate milk and horses. He got to ride a horse at my parents' VBS and has not stopped talking about it for weeks. He sleeps with a picture of him on the horse. Every animal says "woof woof" according to him. It is so cute. He is really starting to put words together and he comes up with some really cute statements. He loves when daddy comes home from work.

When we went up north for the fourth, Michael got to stay home with grandma and papa. So it was just Aaron and I with three kids. It was an adventurous night. We got to bed late after the fireworks and campfire. We put Matthew and Kevin on the one bigger bed, Alisha was on the top bunk, and Aaron and I each got a bed under Alisha. We got woke up about 2:30ish to a loud thud. Alisha had fallen off the bed. Aaron grabbed her as she was kind of standing between our beds. I went to put my arm around her and realized that she was soaked!!!!!! Here she had wet the bed (which she hasn't done in many months) and didn't realize it. She thought she still had to go and was trying to get out of the bed, but couldn't figure out how to get out of the zipped sleeping bag and ended up just coming down sleeping bag and all. Luckily, she didn't get hurt. The noise woke Matthew and Kevin also, thankfully, Kevin laid right back down and went to sleep. Matthew and I took the flashlight and went to the outhouse while daddy got Alisha changed. So then I put Matthew back with Kevin and put Alisha in my bed. I laid with Alisha only with my head at the other end of the bed. It got cold, so I had to unzip the sleeping bag and try to snuggle in by her feet. Then Kevin woke up and was scared and crying. So I had to switch spots with Matthew. While I dozed off with Kevin, Matthew had a bad dream and got up and went to daddy. So daddy gave his bed up to Matthew and went to lay on Alisha's bed. Only he thought Alisha had gotten up and gotten in bed with me, so he spread out on the bed. Then something moved under his legs and he realized that Alisha was still there. So needless to say, we were all tired the next day. But it sure was fun!!

J Has a Passport!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-17T18:37:00.002-04:00

My friend has been in the adoption process for almost 4 years now. Her son, J, just got his passport. Please pray that he will be able to get his visa and be home this month. I know it is a stretch for anything to happen that quickly, but I know God IS able. I have been praying for him to come home in July since about May and I ask that you join me in prayer.

I'll try to post about my kids later this weekend.

New Pictures

2009-05-31T21:18:00.003-04:00

Alisha right after her preschool concert.
The kids waiting to go into school for the concert.
Michael learning to play baseball.
Alisha's attempt at batting.
Matthew at his field trip.

I'm a Proud Mommy!!

2009-05-28T09:36:00.003-04:00

My sweet little Alisha has been with us for exactly five years as of this afternoon. Wow! Time sure does fly and things change so much. My little tiny baby girl is now a sassy, energetic 5 year old. Alisha has her last day of preschool today. They are having a picnic at the park and she is excited that Papa B. is going with her. Then tonight is her preschool concert. She can't wait to sing Miss Mary Mack for us.

Matthew is being honored this afternoon in their school assembly for being a "super bee" of the month. This is the monthly award for behavior and academics. This is the second time this year that Matthew has been awarded this honor. I am so proud of him.

Michael is still a challenge but is doing a little better each month. I can't believe it has been almost a year since he came home.

Kevin is changing so much. He is really starting to talk a lot and play pretend. He loves his John Deere tractor and playing outside in the sandbox. He is so much like Matthew. But I think he is definitely more verbal than Matthew was at this age and smaller in size.

Thank you Lord for allowing these four blessings to be in my life!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-12T22:26:00.002-04:00

Seven years ago today it was Mother's Day, my first mother's day as a mother. Because it was seven years ago today that Matthew was born. He has amazed me each year as he has become smarter and more inquisitive. He loves to learn. He is finishing up 1st grade and is already done with our school districts 2nd grade spelling curriculum, is at a middle of 2nd grade reading level, and is excelling in math (go figure!). He is already adding multiple digit numbers including carrying (there are 3rd & 4th graders at my school that can't do that). He is starting to multiply single digit numbers. He enjoys reading the Bible together as a family and reading Bible stories.
As I was going through college and as Aaron and I began our married life, I wondered if I would be able to have kids. I loved children and dreamt of the day that I would be a mother. God was very gracious and gave us Matthew right away and I will always be thankful for my wonderful baby boy.
I LOVE YOU MATTHEW!!!!!!!!!!

HE IS RISEN!

2009-04-11T21:56:00.001-04:00

He is RISEN indeed!! Thank you Jesus for dieing for our sins and offering us your free gift of salvation. John 3:16

She's Five Already!

2009-04-10T21:42:00.003-04:00

I can't believe my little girl is five already. We have enjoyed celebrating Alisha's fifth birthday today. We didn't get to celebrate quite how we wanted because Matthew is sick, but we had a good day anyway. Alisha and I went shopping together in the afternoon and bought eggs to color tomorrow and stuff to make cupcakes for her party tomorrow. The red dress in the pictures came straight from Germany (Thanks Aunt Nikki!).

Please Pray for this Dear Friend of Mine

2009-04-05T16:47:00.003-04:00

Read here for more info.

Please join me in prayer for this family and their adoption process. Please pray that God would allow J to come home very soon. Please a comment of support here or on her post to let us know that you are joining us in prayer for this young boy to come home to join his family.

Reading with Rosco

2009-03-28T16:30:00.002-04:00

Since March is reading month, the Alisha's preschool had a Reading with Rosco program. I took Matthew, Alisha, Brandon, and Ashley. Beck needed a break and Kevin has been really crabby lately, so I had Aaron keep two of ours and I took two of Beck's to give her a little break. The kids had a blast. Rosco did balloon animals, magic tricks, read stories, and did some activities with the kids. Then all of the kids got a free book and a goodie bag. It was really fun. Now Beck and I are working on getting Brandon and Michael into preschool in the fall. This will Michael's second try at it if he gets in. Please pray with us that the boys would both qualify for the free program and that they would do well in it once they are in. Michael has improved a lot since he came home, but he is like a rollercoaster. He has his constant ups and downs. Today has been a pretty good day for him. But he usually only has at most four good days in a row. Please pray with us that he would continue to improve. Pray that he will bond with us. He says he loves us, but sometimes it doesn't seem like he is really bonded completely with us.

A spring trip up north

2009-03-22T15:28:00.002-04:00

Matthew climbing a tree. I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I used to always climb trees together. Now I watch my son as he enjoys the same thing. Thank goodness for a Carhartt jacket that can withstand the branches scraping against it.
Matthew teaching his cousin how to shoot his BB gun. He was very good at telling him all about gun safety as he showed him what to do.
Three of my kids and my nephew on a log in the woods.
The woods looked more like fall than spring. But it sure was beautiful.

The kids enjoyed hiking through the woods.
Some of the kids sitting with Papa by his favorite tree looking out over the creek.
Hiking through the fields. It was amazing how many anthills there are. You normally can't see them all because of the weeds. But the weeds are all dead and knocked down, so the anthills were everywhere.
Hiking through the pines. We planted these pines as little tiny seedlings and spent several summers mowing the weeds down around them. Now they are huge and beautiful.

Kevin riding on Papa's shoulders in the pines.

Haircuts

2009-03-02T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well, Kevin is 17 months old now and other than a trim around his neck and his bangs, he hadn't had a real haircut. His hair is nothing like Matthew's was. Matthew was desperately in need of a haircut by his first birthday. Kevin's hair is taking its time coming in. But anyway, we took him to the barber for his first barber shop haircut on Saturday.

He got real upset at first, but only because he saw that Matthew and Michael had gotten suckers and he didn't get one. So once he got a sucker he was a happy camper. Michael had a few meltdowns at the barber shop because he kept wanting to be next. But he just needs his hair buzzed off all one length and we can do that very easily at home (and save the money). However, a three year old doesn't understand that reasoning and desperately wanted to get his haircut. So I thought all day about how I could make his haircut at home special so he wouldn't feel so left out. So when we got around to cutting his hair in the afternoon, I asked Matthew if he wanted to cut his brother's hair. Of course, what almost 7 year old would turn down an opportunity to use the hair clippers. So Matthew and Michael got an exciting time of bonding as Matthew cut Michael's hair. Aaron cleaned it up some when Matthew was done, but Matthew did a pretty good job for his first try (and for being so young).

You have to watch this video!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

A Sleepover

2009-02-13T20:32:00.002-05:00

Alisha is almost five and is having her first sleepover tonight. She has her cousin spending the night with her. We pulled the mattress off her bunk and put it on the floor. I had bought her one of those bed canopy/tent things for Christmas, but it doesn't work for her top bunk. But I thought she would enjoy having a tent for her sleepover. So the girls are very giddy and excited about sleeping in a princess tent together. Within the first five minutes, they were out with their "scary happening"... 1st they came running out together to tell us that something was moving like water in there ??? We told them it was them and they ran back in giggling and jumped into the tent. Then we could here them giggling that they forgot to close the door. 2nd they came running out to tell us that something was making a noise like an owl in there. They are so silly. It is exciting to see Alisha giggling like a giddy little girl. Being in a houseful of brothers, she doesn't get as giddy and giggly as some little girls and I am enjoying listening to her. I still dream about her having a sister, but daddy says I'm out of my mind.

Nothing Much

2009-02-07T19:32:00.002-05:00

It seems so hard lately to find time to post on here. It really does take a lot to work full time and care for four kids. BUT I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. The kids can use every ounce of patience that I have and then some, but they are such a blessing. I took Kevin to his third doctor's appointment in just over a week today. He seems to be doing very well now. It all started a week and a half ago when Matthew decided to walk on my parents treadmill (that he knows he isn't allowed to touch) with Kevin in the room. He was smart enough to not turn it on because then we would have heard it. Unfortunately, Kevin was the one that paid the price for his brother's disobedience. His finger got caught in the treadmill and got pretty mangled. There were no fractures, but it ended up getting infected. So he is finally doing better, we just have to finish off the antibiotics.
We have been fighting the flu alot around here ( alot of good the flu shots did). Hopefully, we are all feeling better now and will stay that way.
Please pray for families that are going through international adoption processes. I have one friend that has been in the process of adopting her son for over three years now. Please pray for continued patience and for the process to finish and her son to come home. I also have a friend who is in the process of adopting from Liberia and now the president of Liberia has suspended all adoptions. I can't imagine the added stress that all of these trials must bring. It makes me thankful that it ONLY took 28 months to get Michael home. I guess it could have been much worse. God has a plan in it all. Please pray that God's plan and grace would be evident in the lives of my friends and other christian families that are in the process of adopting children.

I can't believe it is February already

2009-02-01T10:45:00.002-05:00

I find it hard to post very often now. Working full time and caring for 4 kids keeps me very busy. Michael has had some ups and downs over the past few weeks. He is doing better overall, but he still does some very crazy things. He still has moments when he starts crying for no reason at all. He seems to be bonding with us now though. He wants hugs and kisses and he wants to sit close, where as before he didn't care whether we were close to him and he had no interest in affection. He's been home for just over 7 months now. He speaks english extremely well. However, like any 3.5 year old he has certain things that he can't pronounce correctly.

Kevin keeps fighting flu like symptoms off and on and is really struggling with Mommy being gone to work during the day. So it makes for some long evenings when he wants to be held all the time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE holding him. I think even more than I liked holding the others, but it is hard to cook, clean, or play with the others while constantly holding him. He is also learning to feed himself with a spoon. He is very messy!

Matthew is feeling better and is learning some hard lessons on how disobeying can hurt other people and not just himself. Pray that he takes it serious and learns to obey.

Alisha is struggling with wanting attention all the time from everyone and wanting to be in charge of everyone. She can be very bossy.

It'sCOLD!!!

2009-01-16T14:26:00.002-05:00

Well, the kids and I got to stay home together today because it is so cold. I am very thankful for a warm house.
Matthew has been sick this week with pneumonia but seems to be better today. He missed three and a half days of school, but his cousin brought home his work and he got it all done. He does really well on his math work. Alisha is really enjoying school. She seems to be starting to write some letters now. She is finally exhibiting a sense of imagination. She talks nonstop. Michael is a handful to put it nicely. He has had a really rough week after having me home for a few weeks over the holidays and then me having to go back to work. Hopefully, he will settle back into the routine and do better like he was before Christmas. Kevin is full of smiles and giggles. He is an excellent baby. He plays really well and entertains himself. He is starting to pick up a lot of words and follow simple directions.
My classes are going pretty good this year. I still have students that won't do anything, but I have quite a few that are working hard to do better. Aaron is driving now for his job, so I pray that God will protect him from this cold weather.
Sorry, I don't have much to post, but I thought that I would just try to keep you updated on our lives.

Swimming in the Midst of a Snowstorm

2009-01-11T08:45:00.002-05:00

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

2008-12-24T21:09:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas to all! I am praying that those of you that read my blog know that Christmas is truly about the first 6 letters of the word: CHRIST. Thank you God for sending your only Son to die for us. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. If you haven't yet, please consider accepting God's gift of salvation.

Here are some pics from our trip to cut down our Christmas tree:
Kevin did not like Santa at all. Alisha only asked for a purple tractor. Matthew had a whole list (a laptop, printer, John Deere tractor, etc.). Michael didn't know what to say.

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-23T22:09:00.001-05:00

6 months

2008-12-23T22:02:00.002-05:00

Can you believe Michael has been home for 6 months already? The time has flown by. Sorry for the lack of posts, but a full time job, 4 kids, and a house kind of keep us busy. My internet is also a bit slower these days and it takes forever to upload pictures. So I'll try to post some pictures while I am home over the next week or so.
We are all doing well. Michael is slowly improving but still has his bad days. He has started telling us that he loves us and telling people that we love him, so that seems like a good sign. He gets very upset at his sister when she asks him about when he used to be in Haiti. He does not want to talk about it. But he does like to sing. All the kids are anxious for CHRISTmas to get here. I tried to post here earlier today, but I had 8 kids all day so I didn't have time for the computer. But it was a blast having my 4 kids and my sister's 4 kids all day. The kids were amazingly good and had very few fights. They played trains, school, dress up, watched a movie, ate breakfast, lunch, & dinner, made buttons, took naps, and kept the living room clean all the while. It was fun. Tiring, but fun.

Michael's First Snow!!!!!!!

2008-11-16T15:44:00.005-05:00

Michael says the snow is "freezing". But he is very excited about it as long as it doesn't touch his skin.

Bailey has figured out how to open the garage door and get out while we are gone. So when I got home from church today, he met me at the gate and he was covered in snow.

God's Precious Word

2008-11-16T15:40:00.002-05:00

Scripture can be so encouraging and there have been many times that I have "run" to the Psalms in times of trials. Today our sunday school class spent the morning sharing encouraging passages of scripture. If you are facing trials, or if you have ever faced a trial, or if you think you might face a trial someday, please take some time to read God's word. Here is a list of the passages that were shared this morning in our class.

Encouragements from Scripture

Isaiah 40 (especially verses 10-11, 28-31)
Exodus 19:4
Deuteronomy 31:6
Hebrews 13
Ephesians 3:14-21
Matthew 6:25-34
Psalm 139
Hebrews 12:1-3
Psalm 23
John 16:33
I Peter 5:7
Psalm 18
Psalm 103
Proverbs 18:10
Zephaniah 3:17
John 17
Psalm 116:1-2
Lamentations 3:37
I Peter 1:3-9
Jeremiah 29:11
Philippians 1:6
Phillipians 2:13
II Corinthians 1:3-7
James 1:2-4
Romans 5:3-5
John 14:27
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 56:8 (KJV)
John 11:35
Daniel 2:20-23, 4:34-35, 6:25-27, 7:9-10,13-14,22

My precious Children

2008-11-15T09:56:00.002-05:00

Well, as you probably noticed, I've been very busy and haven't had a chance to post. But I have a few cute stories. First story took place last Sunday morning. Aaron was singing special music at church so we had to be at church at 8:30am for practice before Sunday school. We made it there only a few minutes late with all of us dressed and fed. I had the three older kids sitting on a pew watching the practice and Kevin was wandering around. He would stop every once in a while and direct the music or clap when they finished a song. Then Aaron got up to practice his song and Kevin just stood in the center aisle doing a little jig and directing his daddy with his hands. It was so precious. Then when Aaron was done, Mr. Kevin (the one Kevin is named after) got up there to practice his song. Kevin looked at him and took off for the stage. He crawled right up the steps and turned around and sat down at Mr. Kevin's feet. So Mr. Kevin picked him up and held him through most of his song he was practicing. My little Kevin just cuddled into Mr. Kevin and relaxed even thought everybody was watching him. It was very precious.
The other story is kind of embarassing for me. Aaron and I were going to get in the van with Kevin and Michael the other day. As I passed around the front of the van, I saw our mutt standing just inside the gate soaking wet. He has figured out how to get out of the garage when we are gone and had let himself out that day and stood in the rain instead of going back in the garage or into his doghouse. So I looked back and said, "You're soaked, retard." Now I know I shouldn't say that word at all, but the response from Michael was funny. Michael cam around the van behind me and said, "I not wetarded." I don't think he even knows what the word means, but it made me laugh.
Well, I have a lot to do today and I want to have some time to spend with the kids. I hate working full time and not being able to have time to spend with my kids. Stupid adoption debt! So I just have to take advantage of the time I have and that is why I don't post here as often during the school year.

Sunday Morning Pics

2008-11-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

This Week

Last Week

Soooooo Busy

2008-10-28T21:45:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in quite awhile. We have been very busy. I have a cool new picture that I want to share of the kids, but it is on the other computer (go figure).
Matthew got a student of the month award. Aaron and I were able to get off early and go to the awards assembly yesterday. He has now decided that he will get a student of the month award every year. Two down, many more to go!
Alisha is loving preschool. She can finally write an "A" and an "h". She is so proud of herself for "writing her name".
Michael is continuing to struggle with his behavior. We are searching for options that might help him. It makes things very stressful when his behavior is so hard to deal with at times. Although, he had a really good day today. I just wish that he had more good days. A few in a row would be nice!
Kevin is changing so much. He loves walking now. I am amazed at how quickly he has mastered walking. He loves to giggle. He gives the sweetest big baby open-mouth kisses and if you act silly when he does it, he comes back for more. Then he laughs and acts silly. I enjoy the time Aaron and I get to spend with him after the other kids are in bed most evenings.
Aaron and I are okay. It is very tiring to care for four kids, but God continues to give us his grace. I am just very thankful for my ipod and "Casting Crowns". I have also enjoyed sitting down and reading some various books about Christian parenting, God's love, and Karen Kingsbury books.

Alisha's First Fieldtrip & Various other things

2008-10-13T21:10:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been a long few weeks. Matthew & Kevin can't get rid of their colds/ear infections. We are starting the second round of antibiotics today. Kevin is really starting to walk a lot more. He can stand up without holding onto anything now. It is so cute to watch him. He has been giving us a lot of loves lately. Matthew is enjoying school. His teacher says that he is quiet. Alisha loves school. She can write an A now and is working on writing her name. She can finally get her age right (well, most of the time anyway). She went to the apple orchard last thursday for her first fieldtrip. I found out that she has a really good friend in her class (that happens to be a boy). My friend Kim (from college) was here for the day and got to go with Alisha and Michael and I on the trip. It was supposed to be Michael's first fieldtrip also, but they kicked him out of school before the trip. That is another long story that I don't have time to write about right now. But I need lots of prayers for peace, patience, and guidance as we seek to find a place to get him some help. But the preschool teacher he had refuses to use the word "no" in her classroom, says Michael is egocentric, and various other things. They were under the impression that we were getting paid each month for having Michael and that we should use that money to pay for a different preschool. Wow! Shows you how little they know about adoption. But rather than speak to us, they made assumptions and refuse to let Michael attend preschool. Aaron and I are also not feeling well right now, so please pray for healing for our whole family.
Aren't they cute!
Cousins. Can you believe that she is only 7 months and he is 12 months.
Awwww! He loves his "little" cousin.
Alisha & Michael at the apple orchard
Alisha & Michael with "Auntie" Kim
Alisha and her friend Josh
The kids favorite thing was this skeleton in the outhouse. It talked and moved and was really kind of funny. The kids wanted to stay there and watch it over and over again.
Notice Alisha is already at the top and Michael is still climbing up the first layer of hay bales. She is so fast and agile. Michael on the other hand is kind of clumsy. Poor guy, he tries really hard, but he just can't keep up with his sister. But they had fun on the "hay mountain".

Fun at the Park

2008-10-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

More Pics of Kevin's Birthday

2008-10-01T20:23:00.001-04:00

Kevin with my dad and my Grandma.
Kevin's new clothes from Aaron's mom.

Some very silly kids getting ready for church on Kevin's birthday.

A little more serious.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Kevin!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-28T16:01:00.000-04:00

Alisha's Hairdo

2008-09-21T11:01:00.001-04:00

So I can't part straight, but she still looks really cute.

First Day of Preschool Pics

2008-09-21T10:06:00.002-04:00

Alisha's pics show her dirty face. I almost forgot to take pictures of her on her first day because she does not go to school until after lunch. So I didn't even think about it until we were headed out the door. Michael was very excited about his school backpack. It is almost as big as him, but it sure made him happy.

Video of Kevin Walking

2008-09-19T18:22:00.004-04:00

Sorry about all the conversations, but keep watching and he really does walk.

Preschool

2008-09-18T20:45:00.004-04:00

Alisha & Michael have really enjoyed their first week of preschool. I didn't get to take them, but I think my sister and mother-in-law got some pictures of them. We got a few of them each when they got ready to go in the morning. So I will try to post some pictures this weekend. And I'm going to try to post some of Kevin walking also.

He's Walking!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-18T20:45:00.002-04:00

Kevin finally took a about three or four steps at a time last night. I was home with the kids and the other three had already gone to bed. So I tried bribing him with food, toys, me (of course he should want to walk to mommy, right?), but it didn't work. Then he was sitting there looking at some books and I got an idea. I bribed him with a book and it worked. He would walk to the book and get excited that he had the book. So tonight we showed my in-laws. Tonight he was taking about 9 steps at a time to get to his book. And once again we tried a food, but he would not walk to get the cookie unless it was by the book. So look out world, here comes Kevin...

A busy week

2008-09-14T14:43:00.002-04:00

Wow, this week was very busy. I'm not sure where the time went. It was my first full week of school and Matthew's also. Tuesday night we went out to eat for a school fundraiser. The kids enjoyed it alot. Aaron was at a contract ratification meeting, so he didn't get to join us. We are still waiting to hear if the contract passed. Please pray that it did. Wednesday, Aaron and I both had terrible headaches when we got home. So we decided to go grab some food and run to walmart to buy socks (don't you hate how socks just disappear!). So we were going to this chicken place that was having a super special for one night only from 5-7pm. We love their chicken and a chicken dinner was only going to be 2.99. So we would only need two or at most three of these meals to feed the whole family and it would be a great deal. SO we headed over there only to find a line all the way around the whole building waiting to get in. No way! We were not waiting in line with 4 kids. SO we stopped at a Taco Bell on our way to walmart. The lady rang up our order and the whole time, I was thinking about how this was going to cost more than the chicken I had wanted to get. So she went to run my credit card through (because I don't carry cash on me) and it wouldn't go through. ANother lady told her that the machines weren't working and she said they had started working a few minutes ago. SO she tried the other machine, but had no luck. So I asked Aaron if he had any cash and of course he doesn't carry cash either so I told the lady we would just have to go someplace else. At that point, I wondered why the Lord was making it so difficult to just get some food. And as that thought ran through my mind, the manager walked up and said that our meal would be on her for that night and not to worry about it. Thank You Lord! So we ate and went to get socks and got home and to bed early that night.
Thursday was my nieces birthday, so we went to my parents house and pizza and brownies. Then the kids played in the backyard for a while.
Now I saved Monday for last for a reason. Monday was an awful, horrible, no good, very bad evening. I needed to take Alisha and Michael for their physicals for preschool. Only Aaron wasn't off work in time to go with me. So I took FOUR children to the doctors. They were well behaved under the circumstances, BUT... Alisha did quite well for her physical and four shots (I didn't even know she was going to need any shots.) Michael did okay for his physical, BUT then came the needles.... They needed to draw blood again, because his iron was so low when he first came home. It took myself and three nurses to get the blood drawn. And everybody in the state heard Michael screaming that evening. Yes, that WAS Michael you heard on Monday evening. Then he needed 5 shots. We had been told he was missing a few of his shots, but then found out he had only had one shot. Fun, fun. Now he has to have all his baby shots at three years old. By the time they were done, Michael was exhausted and very very very very upset. Alisha was in tears asking if Michael was okay. Kevin was screaming and sobbing because Mommy wasn't picking him up and because his brother was screaming. Matthew was standing there with this look of terror on his face like someone had just died in front of him. Needless to say, I was emotionally exhausted by the time we left the doctor's office. It took almost two hours at the doctor's office with four kids ages 6 and under. What a terrible time. So we went to a playplace for dinner because it was too yucky to go play outside.
Alisha starts preschool tomorrow. And Michael starts on Tuesday. Please pray that things go smoothly. Michael is having issues with adults lately. Today, he got upset at his churchtime teacher and took his shoes off and threw them at her and then proceeded to kick and scream. Needless, to say they had to come get Aaron out of church to go deal with him. The fits seem to be so random that it is hard to predict when he is going to have one and what is triggering them. Please pray that he would adjust completely to his new life and not have these fits anymore.

Pictures!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-07T21:01:00.002-04:00

I finally got pictures uploaded today. There are several new posts of pictures from the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy them. We have been keeping very busy. Matthew has started 1st grade and is really enjoying it so far. His "girlfriend" (i.e. his best friend who happens to be a girl) is in his class this year and he is thrilled about that. Michael & Alisha's preschool teacher came to the house on Thursday. Well both teachers came actually. There are two teachers in the class with them. Michael will be going in the morning three days a week and Alisha will go in the afternoon four days a week. They start the 15th and 16th of this month. The one teacher did a project with the two kids while the lead teacher went over some things with Aaron and I. They had construction paper shirts and circles that the kids glued together to make a self portrait. Then they glued on hair and foam shapes for the face. Then the teacher gave Alisha another foam shape and told her to "glue it on your shirt" (of course she meant the paper shirt) and Alisha promptly glued the circle to the shirt she was wearing. So now the teacher has a little bit of an idea of what she will be working with. Alisha is very excited about going to school. I'm not sure Michael totally understands what school is, so we'll have to wait and see. The kids enjoyed taking a bike ride last night. We rode up to a church in our neighborhood and let the kids ride around in the parking lot. Matthew loves going fast. Alisha enjoyed having an open space. And I took the two little boys for a fast ride around the parking lot in the bike trailor. I'm not sure what Kevin thought of it, but Michael giggled out loud and cheered. Well, I am tired and I have another long week ahead, so enjoy the pictures and feel free to leave me a comment so I know that people are checking out the pics and notes.

Reading Fun

2008-09-07T20:44:00.000-04:00

Alisha's New Hairdo

2008-09-07T20:27:00.001-04:00

I finally gave in and relaxed Alisha's hair. It was taking me over an hour to comb through it because of the texture and she was starting to hate her hair. I couldn't even braid it much anymore, because she couldn't sit still any longer once I got through combing it. She hasn't stopped smiling since we finished this last night. I'll have to get better pics of it when it is dry, I didn't think to take any today.

Brothers

2008-09-07T20:20:00.001-04:00

Matthew put Kevin in the laundry basket with a boppy pillow and a blanket. Then they sat and giggled at each other for quite a while. It was very cute.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-07T20:02:00.002-04:00

Up north fun with cousins

Michael's Birthday August 21st

2008-09-07T19:23:00.001-04:00

These are pictures from Michael's 3rd birthday. It was his first birthday home with his family.

"Colored"

2008-08-31T15:00:00.002-04:00

I had an incident with Alisha Thursday night. I took her to work with me for the "family picnic" they were having for all of our students and their families. The school I teach at is about 90% or more African American students. So Alisha blended right in with her appearance. They had an inflatable obstacle course set up for the kids. Alisha thought it was really cool. She played on it for almost two hours. At one point, while she was waiting in line, some of the high school students were standing near her. Then she came running over to me where I was talking to one of our new staff members and just grabbed onto my legs in a tight hug. Then she looked up at me and said, "those kids said I'm colored". What??? I looked at her, not sure what her little 4 year old mind was thinking and asked her if she was colored. "Yes, mom, I'm purple." Then she took off with a huge smile and got back in line. I don't think she understood what they were saying or implying. Now she keeps telling people that some kids called her "colored". But she reassures me that she is pink and purple. I'm not sure if she will forget about it first, or if we'll have to figure out a way of explaining to her about skin color. I thought she had figured it out when Matthew came home talking about it after learning about skin tones in Kindergarten, but now it doesn't seem like she really understands. I hope she will always know and believe that her skin color does not change her value. She is important because God made her and He made her special.

Another long week

2008-08-31T14:51:00.002-04:00

Well, it has been another long long week. It was my last week of inservice and Tuesday my students will arrive bright (maybe) and ready to go (possibly). Of course, all of us teachers are exhausted after three weeks of inservice, so it is never a good thing the first week or so of school.
The kids have spent the week at my sisters and my mother-in-laws. Friday I got to spend the day with the three younger kids and my sister and her four kids and her husband. We went to the mall and shopped for school clothes for the kids and just searched for deals. Before we knew it, Aaron called and sounded shocked that I was still at the mall. I asked him what time it was and it was almost 3 o'clock. I was supposed to be home and ready to leave for up north when Aaron got home around 4 o'clock. Yikes! So I hurried the kids back through the mall and headed for the car. I expected it to take 45 minutes or more with traffic to get home. But we made it home in about 35 minutes and Aaron met us. We packed our stuff for camping and headed out the door. It was the first time that we slept in the camper with the kids. We had the three little ones in the camper with us. Matthew slept in the other camper with my parents. The kids enjoyed rides in the trailor behind the lawn tractor, playing in the creek, and just running around. The played under the pine trees for a long time. They picked flowers, shot the nerf dart gun, and played cars in the dirt. It was nice. I wish we had more time, but we had to come home Saturday night because Aaron was singing in church on Sunday morning. Plus, we left the rottweilers at home and so we can only leave them for one night.
Once again no pictures to post. Our internet is only working at our desktop now, so I need to put the camera software on it and download the pictures to post. Maybe I'll have time this week to get that done. I'll try.

Friday

2008-08-22T16:10:00.003-04:00

Wow! This has been a long week. It is tough getting adjusted back into the schedule of work and kids and everything else. But we had a great evening yesterday. We went out for pizza. Michael ate 3 or 4 pieces and he really liked it. My mother-in-law had made a cake with the two older kids, so after dinner we ate cake. Michael kept "stealing" my pop every time I looked away. After cake we let him open presents. Then I had him and Matthew go over out of the way to play with his cars, so we could put the tables back where they went. When I looked up again, Michael was running circles around the tables and giggling. He was on a real sugar high. He does not do well with sugar and the cake and pop was way too much for him. So when we left, we took the kids to the park to run off some of their energy. They had a ton of fun. Then we came home and all the kids played with Michael and his new toys. Michael enjoyed setting up the three trees that came with his jungle animals (after counting them) and then he would run them over with his new car. Then we sat and rolled the cars back and forth. It was a fabulous evening. It was so nice that Michael went a whole evening without throwing a fit about anything. (well he started to when his siblings wanted to take his toys, but he stopped when we helped explain to them that they were his new toys and he got to play with them first)

Happy Birthday Michael Jadon

2008-08-21T12:24:00.002-04:00

Michael is celebrating his first birthday at home with his family today. He is three years old and has been pretty good at telling us how old he is (Alisha still tells us she is 2.). We are going out for pizza for dinner and he is so excited as he LOVES pizza. I better take a bib!

I thought I'd share a cute story with you from the other day. I was playing with Kevin the other day and telling him, "I love you Kevin J ___." So Michael calls out for me and I asked him what he wanted. He looked me in the eyes and said, " I, Michael Jadon ___". He picked up that we all had the same last name and he added it to the Michael Jadon all on his own. I know we have said it a few times, but not many since he has been home. So I thought it was really cute that he made sure I knew he was a ____ also.

Back to Work

2008-08-21T12:20:00.002-04:00

Well, I need lots of prayers. I have been back to work for almost two weeks now. It is extra hard to balance everything. I am very tired. I am trying to figure out how to keep up with housework while still enjoying my kids. But by the time, we both work all day, we are exhausted. September 2nd will bring extra challenges as I will have to be to work earlier and Matthew will have to be to school. Then September 15th brings a new challenge as Michael and Alisha will be starting preschool. God is good and He will help us through it all. We are praising God that we were able to get both Michael and Alisha into the free preschool programs at the local elementary. So now we just have to figure out transportation and latchkey expenses.

Bike Ride

2008-08-14T21:38:00.002-04:00

Well, our family had another first tonight. We rode our bikes to Burger King for dinner tonight. The bike ride itself wasn't a first, but Matthew riding a two wheeler with NO training wheels on our bike ride was. He has practiced riding it about 4 or 5 times in the yard. But he did very well. It is about one mile each way. We really enjoyed it. Aaron, Matthew, Alisha, and I all rode bikes and Kevin & Michael rode in the trailer on the back of my bike. Then when we got home, the kids played in the sandbox while I cleaned the pool and then we all went for a swim. It was a little cool, but we had a lot of fun. It was great to hear the kids playing and laughing together.

Sorry about all the posts today, but I needed to get caught up. So I posted on my blog while Aaron, Matthew, and Alisha did the Wii Fit. Boy is that thing a lot of work.

Trip to the Bounce House with all the cousins

2008-08-14T21:02:00.002-04:00

Michael's first trip down the BIG slide.Michael on one of the smaller slides.
Alisha playing with her cousin Ashley.
Matthew at the bottom of the big slide. He was ready to jump over the side into the center to climb back up for another slide down.
Kevin driving the car. It was one of those motorized rides like you find at the stores. You know the ones that they want 50 cents to ride now a days. They have one at the bounce that is free with admission to the bounce house and Kevin LOVES driving it.

Trip Up North with All the Cousins

2008-08-14T20:52:00.002-04:00

Papa in his makeshift pool (a tarp and some 4X4's) with the bigger kids.
The little kids pool. The other pool was two wild for Kevin and Hannah. Then Alisha joined them when the other pool got too wild for her.
Michael took his nap laying on a blanket under the pine trees. He slept very well out in the woods.
Michael really enjoyed playing in the creek. He was picking up muck and building a pile with it in this picture. He loves his new froggy boots.
Michael holding the crayfish that Uncle Will caught for them. Michael insisted that he had to hold the crayfish.

Zoo Trip w/ All the cousins

2008-08-14T20:39:00.003-04:00

The pictures below are some that Matthew took. He was very upset that everyone kept getting on him for trying to help Brandon pull the wagon. He loves to help. Notice Brandon in the center of the picture pulling the wagon. I am to the left of the picture pushing Kevin and Michael in the stroller.

What a week

2008-08-04T21:17:00.002-04:00

This last week has been nonstop. My brother and his family are visiting from Texas. They arrived on Monday, so we had dinner together with the whole family. Tuesday we went to the zoo. We had all 11 grandkids (ages 6 and under) and all the adults except my husband (who had to work). Wednesday my brother and parents went up north. But Aaron had the day off, so we did a few things that needed to get done and then we took the kids bowling. Matthew bowled for the first time by himself (yes, we used bumpers) and bowled a 82. Not bad! Aaron won with 112. But I was amazed that I almost hit 100, I got a 92. Alisha got a 72 with a little bit of help, but she had never bowled before. Michael had fun, but he got a lot of help as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Thursday we went up north. It was a great day. My brother and I took the kids to the creek and found toads and crayfish. Then my brother found a snake for the kids. They took tractor rides (on a lawn tractor/trailor). They really had a lot of fun. It was a very long day. Aaron and I spent all day Friday preparing for Michael's welcome home party. I am always nervous hosting a party as we tend to end up not having many people show up. But it ended up being a great night. Including my family we had about 60 people show up. The rain waited until after everyone left and the tent was down (Praise God!). This morning we took the kids to the Bounce House. Michael did amazing. I was afraid of taking him as he has trouble controlling himself and tends to be way too rough with other kids. But he did very well. He loved the slides. I'll have to post pictures after I have a chance to download. My brother flies home tomorrow, so please pray for a safe trip for him and his family.

I'm Excited!

2008-07-26T16:02:00.002-04:00

I had a fabulous week working in VBS this week. I am excited about the closing program on Sunday morning and the picnic in the afternoon. It will be so much fun. It will also be cool to see some of my 3rd and 4th graders one more time.
THEN, my brother and his family arrive on Monday to visit for a week. We have lots of stuff planned and I am so EXCITED!

Stuff

2008-07-24T15:57:00.003-04:00

Wow, the summer is flying by. I have really enjoyed spending time with my kids and I really wish that the finances were different and I could stay home with them all the time. I would love to be with them more and volunteer at their school. My brother is coming to visit from Texas next week, so we are very excited and have lots of things planned. Pray for good weather for us to enjoy our family being together. We probably won't see my brother's family again for about two years (yuck!).
We went to the zoo as a family last night. Of course, I got the camera all ready and left it sitting on the couch. We had a blast. We took the kids in the butterfly house for the first time. We visited with the gorillas. At least three times, a gorilla came up nose to nose with the glass. It was awesome. We saw God's creativeness and love for color and beauty in His creation over and over all evening. Kevin loved the gorillas and watching the otters swim. He laughed out loud and squealed and got so excited. It was a very good family night. Then we sat in traffic because of an accident. It took us 45 minutes to get on the expressway and get off again at the next exit which is less than a mile. YUCK!!!
VBS this week has been totally awesome. My little boys have made it through being away from mommy and my older two have really enjoyed their classes. I have taken my niece as well. So it has been interesting hauling 5 kids to church every day. Today, I took all five of them to Costco on the way home. I pushed them ALL in the buggy for most of the time. I'm TIRED! And tonight I'll have 7 kids as I am watching two of my nieces and my nephew. That is just so weird. Of all 7 of my siblings kids, only one is a boy. So I have 6 nieces but only one nephew. Then my family helps balance it out as I only have one girl and then I have 3 boys. This is Alisha and my cousin's little girl. They live out of state and are visiting for awhile. So we went and spent an evening with them. It was a lot of fun. We hadn't seen this little gal since just after she was born. She has gotten big and beautiful.

This is Michael (almost 3 years old) and my cousin's little boy (5 years old). This is the little boy that I thought of when I saw the first picture of Michael. That is part of how God helped lead us to Michael as our son. Now they finally got to meet. They don't really look that much alike now, but Michael's baby picture looked so much like this little guy when he was younger.

Kevin Likes Playing in the Sand

2008-07-20T21:46:00.003-04:00

For a 9 month old, Kevin does very well playing in the sandbox. He played with Matthew in the sand about a week or so ago. The other two kids were sleeping. But Matthew and Kevin had a blast playing in the sand. I thought you might enjoy some of the pictures we took.

Kevin LOVES to Eat

2008-07-18T21:43:00.004-04:00

Kevin has decided that he likes to feed himself now. He does not like it when I try to feed him something. So here are some pics from him feeding himself spaghetti and some from feeding himself a cheeseburger. He definitely loves food. I wonder if all Kevins eat like this??? LOL

Zoo Pics

2008-07-18T21:33:00.002-04:00

These pics were taken when we went to the zoo with my sister and her family and her mother-in-law. It was a really fun day. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and a lot of animals. I loved the picture I got of the big frog.

Not Enough Time in the Day

2008-07-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated my blog. It seems like I never stop lately. I really enjoyed going out to lunch with my mom last Saturday. It was only the second time since Michael came home that I had any kid-free time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids. But it was nice having some adult conversation without having to stop mid-sentence and ask a kid to stop interrupting or to stop hitting someone or to stop touching something, etc. I'll try to post some new pics tonight. I did have a good birthday on Tuesday. I took my kids to the zoo and McDonald's (yes, I was the only adult with four kids. I got a lot of looks like I was crazy.). Then we went to dinner with my family and came back to our house for brownies (that the kids and I had made that afternoon) and ice cream.
I am trying to get everyone's Dr.'s appointments in before I go back to work in about three weeks (yuck!!!!). I am looking forward to spending time with my brother in a little over a week. VBS is next week and I can't wait. It is going to be a crazy busy week, but so worth it.

Matthew's Late Night Swim

2008-07-08T13:56:00.002-04:00

Matthew really wanted to go swimming yesterday. But by the time we went grocery shopping it was almost lunchtime and then my work called and we had to run over to my work. So by the time we got home and ate lunch, they all needed a nap. So I told him that we would try to go swimming after dinner before I left to go to my VBS meeting. But it was raining by the time dinner was over. I told him that we would have to wait and see what time I got home to see if we could go swimming. But when I got home and picked him up from my parents (and he had to finish watching ET) it was 9 o'clock and I told him that he could only go if his papa (my dad) would walk over and swim with him, because I had to get the baby taken care of. Papa said no at first but then had grandma call and tell Matthew that he was going to beat Matthew into the pool. Matthew has begged papa to swim with him for about 2 years and has had no luck. So we took pictures to prove to my brother and sister that papa DID go swimming. I haven't seen Matthew so happy in weeks. Enjoy the pictures.

We had a fabulous 4th of July

2008-07-07T14:55:00.003-04:00

We took the kids up to my parents property for a few days. 42 acres of freedom. The kids had a blast. Matthew loves driving the lawn tractor and the other kids (including his cousins) love riding in the trailer. Even Kevin got excited about riding on the tractor. Michael enjoyed hiking around and checking things out. We enjoyed a nice campfire and some fireworks Friday evening. The three youngest spent the night at a hotel with Aaron and I. Then we spent the day Saturday back on the property. It was so fun. It felt good to be out in the fresh air. Aaron had the "joy" of helping my dad repair the outhouse. I took the kids for lots of walks out in the fields. Matthew picked a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers for my mom. Alisha and Michael enjoyed fishing in the pond. They both held the fish and were all smiles. Matthew liked hiking through the creek. The weather was beautiful. We took the kids to the parade up north on the 4th. They LOVED getting candy thrown at them. Matthew loved the tractors. Michael just sat in the stroller and stared at everything.

I have not gotten lost

2008-07-02T21:57:00.002-04:00

I have just been a bit busy. I have spent time each day for a few days trying to get Michael added onto our health insurance. I kept getting told that it should be all set in a few days and then I would check and it wasn't. So today I was on the phone for over an hour. The insurance company wants us to send "official documentation" of when he arrived in the US, because the adoption documents are dated 2007 and Michael was being added as of the date that he came into the US which is 2008. I wasn't sure what they wanted, so I called them. But I wasn't allowed to talk to the lady that was requesting the paperwork because I am not the employer. But what she told my husband's employer didn't make any sense. So this customer service rep (csr) went and talked to the lady and came back and told me the same thing my husband's hr department told me. I told the csr that I needed more specifics. I eventually had to ask for a supervisor. She told me that I had to send them the letter that my son got when he went through immigration that stated that he was a US citizen. There is NO such document. I offered to send them the plane ticket, his passport with the stamp from immigration, and a letter stating when he came, but they said that wasn't good enough. So I finally asked for another supervisor after I had already been on the phone for over 40 minutes with just that phone call. She listened to part of my story before contradicting me and I kindly asked her to let me finish. She then told me that there was no possible way for them to add Michael to the insurance without this letter that he got when he went through immigration. Then she went back and talked to the lady I'm not allowed to talk to and asked her what was needed. She finally came to the conclusion that the passport with the immigration stamp should be sufficient to prove when he came into the US (DUHH!!!!) and asked me to fax it to them. So Lord willing, Michael will finally get added to the insurance tomorrow.

Am I Crazy?

2008-06-27T13:15:00.003-04:00

I just got home from walking to Burger King with the kids for lunch. It is about 1 mile each way. And it is HOT!!! (And uphill both ways! : )) Matthew & Alisha rode their bikes both ways. They are tired! Kevin was lazy and rode in the stroller. He slept on the way home, but he was so hot that he left sweat marks in the stroller where his head and leg were. Poor baby! Michael rode in the stroller on the way there and part of the way home, then I let him walk the rest of the way home. It was a long walk for him, but he made it and now he is taking a nap. Please pray that he will learn to communicate with us and follow directions.

John Deere Pics

2008-06-27T08:15:00.001-04:00

Some Firsts & Some Pics

2008-06-25T21:01:00.004-04:00

I went for my first bike ride with four kids by myself yesterday. Wow! I was so tired at the end. Matthew & Alisha rode their bikes. I had Kevin in a baby carrier on my chest and my Michael in the bike trailer. I tried to keep a hat on Kevin to protect his fair little head, but... He had other ideas and threw the hat on the ground in the middle of the first street that we crossed. Luckily, it wasn't a busy street and there was a stop sign so it wasn't too big of a deal to stop and pick it up.
The kids are loving the chance to swim in the pool (thanks to some friends from church that gave us the pool and my in-laws for buying us a new liner for it) and playing in the sandbox. I think they are all glad that Mommy is home for the summer.
Michael loves to sing. He knows quite a few songs in English so it helps us connect when we sing together. He loves singing: ABC's, Jesus Loves Me, Deep & Wide, God is so Good, and B-I-N-G-O. Today we walked down the street and the kids played with some of our neighbors. It is cool because this family that we visited with goes to another local church and shares our beliefs. That is very important for me to have other kids for my kids to play with that are being taught the same things. Plus we both have four kids. They have a boy six weeks older than Matthew, a boy about six weeks older than Michael, and a baby girl that is about 5 weeks younger than Kevin. Their other daughter is older than Matthew, but Alisha loves playing with her.
Michael is really starting to adjust more and more to being in our family. He is starting to go to bed on his own (Praise the Lord!). Naps are still a trial, but the nighttime is getting better which is a true blessing. He climbed in bed on his own for the first time when we told him last night and he didn't get out until just before 7am. Not bad.
Oh, and I just want to share that my wonderful husband and I celebrated 8 wonderful years of marriage yesterday. It is so cool that God gave me a husband that was willing to go with me on this crazy adoption journey and has been so supportive of our family. Thank you Lord for providing the right husband and father for my family.

Band-Aids

2008-06-23T20:44:00.001-04:00

Alisha fell and scraped her knee while we were on our evening walk tonight. So when we got home, I cleaned it up and put a band-aid on it. A little while later, Michael comes over to me. He pulled up his pant leg and shows me this little boo-boo on his leg. It has been there since he came home, but it looked like he had picked at it. But he showed it to me and then looked at the band-aid Alisha was sporting and then pointed out his wound to me again. I cleaned up his boo-boo and put a band-aid on it. His little face just lit up. He was so happy to have a band-aid like his sister. It is so funny what little kids like.

Does He Understand?

2008-06-23T13:11:00.002-04:00

I would love to be able to be inside Michael's thoughts. Sometimes he seems to understand everything we say, and sometimes he just gives us a "dumb" look. When he wants to come to you, he understand "come here", but when he wants to do his own thing he does not understand "come here". I also wonder how much he understands about us being his family. He has been here less than a week and he know us by name. He even knows his new name. He had a blast giggling and being silly with Alisha on the couch earlier today.
I made my first trip to the grocery store today with four kids. We parked right next to a firetruck. When we got out of the car, the fireman that was sitting in the truck asked the kids if they wanted to see inside the truck. He even let them climb up in the truck. Michael enjoyed that very much. Then I put Michael in the seat of the cart and Alisha in the back of the cart. I put Kevin in an umbrella stroller and Matthew pushed him. We didn't do a huge shopping, but I needed a few things to make it through the next few days. And I didn't want to waste our time when Aaron is home by having to grocery shop with him in the evening.
Matthew confided in me today that he is very sad that him and Michael do not understand each other. So we talked about how much fun they had in the sandbox the other day and that in a few more weeks they will start to understand each other more.

Kevin's Eyes

2008-06-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

I just love this baby's eyes. If you click on the picture, it will get bigger and you can really see how wonderful his eyes are. He has my dad's eyes.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-06-21T15:16:00.004-04:00

Well, we have definitely been busy the last few days. Friday morning the kids were getting on each others nerves, so we decided to go out. We took Michael and Kevin's first trip to the zoo. It was a very warm and tiring day, but it was good. Michael seems to like the stroller. I think it makes him feel secure. When we told him we were going out, he went out the front door and climbed in the stroller. But he didn't argue when I told him that we had to go in the van first. Today, we went and bought sandals as his feet were a lot bigger than we expected. Then we went in the pool for the first time. He has no fear of the water and did not care at all that it was cold. He is still afraid of the cats and dogs but is doing better with the cats and even pet the one cat a little. It is definitely a challenge to deal with the language issue and we have to be patient with him since we know he doesn't understand everything we are telling him. Our little book of Kreyol has been very helpful at times. We just can't figure out what he is saying to the animals. He keeps pointing to them and saying what sounds like "poo poo caca". So if anyone knows what this might be in Kreyol, we could use some help.

Our first full day home

2008-06-19T16:56:00.003-04:00

Well, the start was smooth. But we have had some rough points today. Michael has to learn to share and not throw toys. And the other kids have to be reassured that they have not lost there place. Everyone is a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Please don't take me wrong. It has not been that bad, but we all definitely need to adjust to the new makeup of our family.

Pictures from Trip Home and First Day Home

2008-06-19T11:14:00.001-04:00

First Night

2008-06-19T09:31:00.003-04:00

Well, it took a little bit to get Michael to stay in bed. I ended up getting out a playpen and using that. It did not contain him though. The first time we put him in it, he climbed out shortly after we walked away. He was scared of the stuffed monkeys hanging from the curtain rod, so I took them down. Then he was afraid of the stuffed animals on the net in the corner, so I covered them with a towel. I finally had to lay on the floor next to the playpen. He then laid down and was asleep within a minute. I waited a few minutes before leaving the room. He slept 12 hours!!!!!!!!! So did the Matthew and Alisha. Kevin slept pretty good. He got about 8 or 9 hours. So it was very nice to get some sleep. When Michael woke up, he climbed out of the playpen and walked out to me in the living room. He had wet through so his shirt was soaked and he was freezing. He refused to wear the long pajamas and socks that I had on him last night. So he slept in a t-shirt and a diaper.
We are having a good morning so far. He is still scared of the cats, but he is starting to call us by name. He knows Kevin and is calling Aaron, papa and me, mama. More pictures will come later today.

We are home!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-18T15:42:00.002-04:00

We arrived home a little after two.
Kevin did not like being away from home, so him and I did not sleep much. The other three kids went to sleep rather quickly. Aaron woke up a few times to Kevin's cry. Michael woke up with diarrhea. So we went through a pair of shorts almost as soon as we put them on. And then had to be changed again before we left the hotel. We left the hotel around 9:15. When we got outside of Columbus we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast. Michael ate his pancakes very quickly and had to be changed again and went again in the bathroom. He was very fascinated by the lights in the restaurant and the two toilets in the same bathroom. He also is enjoying washing his hands. We then stopped at Walmart and got plastic pants to put over his diaper and some pedialyte. The kids each slept for a few hours on the way home. So the trip was very good. We got home and Michael made it in the door only to freeze and act very panicked. He had spotted our one cat laying in the living room floor. So the cats have been put away for right now. We ate lunch and then gave Michael a bath. He has a bit of a cold, but is doing okay. He is watching a baby einstein video. Even on the video he makes sure we know he does not like the cat. He likes Matthew sitting by him and just got very vocal at the fact that Matthew walked out of the room. He kept yelling, "hey". So we are teaching him names. Thanks for all of your prayers. I'll post more pictures later.

Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-18T07:42:00.003-04:00

Did anybody take note of the verse of the day today!

2008-06-17T21:22:00.001-04:00

“Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:4-5)

What an appropriate verse for today. By the way, I don't pick the verses, it comes from a website that automatically picks a verse for each day. So God chose that verse for me today.

We are at our hotel.

2008-06-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

We have checked in, swam in the pool, and now we are relaxing (as much as possible with two hyper/excited kids and a baby). We will leave here in just a few hours to drive over to the airport and meet up with Michael. Praise God for bringing us to this point.

Pray for a number of our friends that have been waiting longer than us to get their kids home. I have very mixed emotions knowing that their children are still in Haiti. Please pray!

2008-06-17T15:13:00.001-04:00

Michael is through imigration in Miami and is now a US citizen. We are now on our way to Ohio.

He is on his way!

2008-06-17T11:34:00.001-04:00

Michael's plane left PAP at about 9am (PAP time). I can't wait to hear that he has landed and has made it through immigration.

Michael is Coming Home Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-16T16:37:00.002-04:00

Please pray for a safe journey. Michael got his visa today and is flying home tomorrow. We should meet up with him at the airport after his plane arrives around 11:50pm (EST) Praise God for His love and care.

Please Pray with us This Morning

2008-06-16T06:38:00.001-04:00

Our orphanage director is going to the embassy at 9am to try to get Michael's visa. She has the form they wanted. So they have promised to print the visa as long as their machines are working. Please pray that the machines are working and that they actually print the visa. We are hoping to finally have all of our kids together tomorrow evening. Please pray and praise God for what He will do.