We are back

We are back!



Well actually we have been back for over a week now. 

Time flies by for us in the summer. 

It seems every day is filled with a different activity.

I know I am kind of slacking on this blog. 

I always plan some time to write and something always

happens. 

Our trip was amazing and we did not want to come back

home.  The weather was perfect the week we were there.  It

was so nice to just have our family of seven together and leave

the cares of the world behind for the week. 

It was so good for us. 

Eli actually said to me several times on the trip

{which most of you will think is crazy}

"This trip would have been so boring with just two kids"

I totally agree with him. 

The kids had a blast and would have even if we didn't go to

any of the parks.  They all have such a special bond and they

had fun just playing with each other.  Sometimes I get really

emotional watching them all play together and imagine. 

I think about how lucky they are to have each other growing

up.  Sure they fight, argue and whine and sometimes

it's not a pretty picture, but it's as if they all complement each

other, push each other, make each other better. 

It is nothing short of a miracle the way we 

all found each other.

I know I say this all the time.

If you have ever considered adoption

DO IT



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All of us!

 I am so excited to finally have all of us in a picture!  Eli got

me a new camera for Christmas and I couldn't wait to get a

picture of all of us.  My dear, dear friend from Indiana came

down for a visit this past week with her two very little ones

and spent an entire day taking pictures of us. She is so

creative and I am so thankful to her because these pictures

are priceless to us.  Not to mention she was extremely patient

with our little crew and lets just say Max was in no mood to

take pictures.  We still managed to have fun.  I included some

of my favorites.  I love that I will always be able to look back

at us because some days life just seems to fly by and I don't

want to forget all of this.

Have I mentioned that my husband is an amazing percussionist {grin}

I love this one of the kids running free. 

I am hoping this is how life will be for them very soon at our

new house.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying

about our moving situation.  We decided not to move this

summer because it would be to much of a rush.  We are going

to start building our house in Indiana in the fall {if all goes

well} and then next year at the end of the school year when it

is time to move we will either sell or rent out our house

depending on the real estate market.  Oh we are so praying

someone will just knock on our door sometime in the next

year and want to buy our house {but not holding our breath}.

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Busy

I know I haven't posted in a while but we have been soooo

busy.  I have had doctor appointments, lawyer appointments,

school activities, lots of playing and big decision making.

It has been so nice these last few days we have actually gotten

to go to the park a couple times and get some fresh air. 

Hoping to get a zoo trip in sometime this week if it doesn't

rain.

Have I mentioned how much these two love each other? 

Seriously they are inseparable and they were perfectly made

for each other. 

I always wanted more then one daughter.  I have two sisters

and I always wanted that for Ayla. I never would have

guessed that God had two beautiful daughters out there

waiting for me.  I couldn't wait to get them all matching

outfits.  I happen to think it is the cutest thing.  Ayla already

had a few of these poppy dips made last year.  I love them

they wash so well and the fabrics are beautiful.  They are

made with love by Sallee who is raising money to go get her

third child from Ethiopia.  Go to her blog. Encourage and

pray for her as they are being held up by paperwork.  You can

look at her pictures of her beautiful boy Samson Jude that

they are anxiously waiting to bring home.

Here is Zoe in her Poppy Dip with me, nervously watching

her brother's and sister's go down the slide.

I know, I know I said we have been doing some big decision

making and didn't offer an explanation.  We are praying

about moving.  A lot of things need to happen for it to work

out.  We want to move back to Indiana where we lived 5 years

ago.  We have been ready to move out of this house since we

first moved in.  It is really expensive to live here.   Property

and state taxes are ridiculous here and in Indiana they are

much more affordable.  We moved into this house with only

Jackson who was 18 months at the time and obviously our

needs have changed.  I don't want a larger house but we need

a different layout with more space for coats, laundry and

shoes.  My parents are thinking about moving back there and

Eli's family already lives there.  We have some very dear

friends that already live there.  I call them my

soul mate friends.  They have prayed for me through good

and bad and have always been such an encouragement for Eli

and I.  We had a realtor come out yesterday and the house

values have depreciated so much around here that the huge

chunk of equity that we once had in our home would be

almost gone if we sell our home for what it is worth now

{ugh}.  That would really affect our down payment for our

next house.  On a positive side my parents have some

beautiful land there that they are wanting to build on.  They

said my sister's and I could build houses on it also.  It isn't

a for sure thing though because it will take time to see if the

county would approve of the land being subdivided.  I really

want to move in the summer so that it doesn't affect the kids

school year so we would need to list our house soon since it

will probably take months for the house to sell.  We also need

the adoptions to be finalized before we can move out of state. 

We could finalize as early and March and as late as summer. 

Eli would have a few things to do with his business to get

things settled for the move.   We would have to find a rental

house to live in while we build and of course we would have

to sell our house now before we could do this.    We all

have such a peace and excitement about the move.  How fun

would it be for my kids to grow up right next to their

grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins with lots of land to

run and play on.  I know God's plan is always so much better

then my own plans, so we a busy praying, praying, praying

the God guides us and lets us know if we should stay put, sell

our house or rent out our house.

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Cute

My life right now is so full of cute

Max loves to wear his sister's princess heals

Two little girls giggling and playing Barbie's

 

     Zoe and Ayla's new swimsuit

{you can see Ayla in the background trying to vacuum up play-do mess}

Ayla showing Max how to strut in heels

Jackson teaching his brother and sister's how to play

Candy-land

Max roller skating

Jackson reading Max a book about being a big brother



My life is really really busy but I know this time is going to fly

by and one day I am going to miss all this cute.



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Progress

When I think back to the first couple weeks with

Elizabeth, Max and Zoe

I am amazed with the work God has already

done in them.

 When Zoe first got here she was a timid little thing that

would barely let me put her down.  She would never fully

relax in my lap and she wasn't crawling.  Now she is a little

giggle box.  She still loves to be held but it doesn't have to be

all the time.  She is now crawling all over the place and trying

to stand.  The best change in her is that in the last couple

weeks she has finally totally relaxed her self in  

my arms and laid her sweet little head on my chest. 

It melts me every time.   

She is finally starting to trust me. 

We still have goals with her she still gets extremely upset in a

matter of seconds she will go from giggling to screaming and

crying.  Like if she is playing happily and she sees me walk by

she will be in immediate hysteria as if someone slapped her

just because she wants to be held.  We are really praying that

this phase will also pass soon because she seems extra fussy

at dinner time.  I always feed her first and change her but

the second I put her down if it is anytime after 5 she will be

screaming.  This makes it hard when my husband is still

working and I am trying to cook dinner for the other kids.  It

is to dangerous for her to be in the sling when I am cooking

over a hot stove.  I need to master wearing her on my back

but still haven't gotten that down.

I think Max has gone through the most changes.  The first

couple weeks he was here he spent most of his time on the

time out step.  Poor guy.  Any chance he would get he would

hit, bite, scratch and spit.  He barely mumbled a word.  The

only time he would say anything is if he was mimicking his

siblings.  Whenever it was meal time he would run to the

table and shove his food in his mouth with two hands and

guzzle his drink down like it was the first meal he had seen in

months.  I was so excited when last week he only took a bite

of his toast at breakfast and went to play before he finished

it.  Most parents want there kids to sit and finish there food

but I was so excited inside when he did that because it means

he is trusting us and knows that there will be more food.

 He has started to initiate communication with me by saying

"Mommy" to me and pointing and asking for things.  I heard

him say "I want that"  while he was watching a

commercial after he heard Ayla say it.  It wasn't perfectly

clear but even a month ago he wasn't saying two words

together and barely even one.  His communication is still no

where near where it should be but to see all this progress in

only a couple months amazes me.  He is barely ever in time

out any more.  All the aggressive behavior is almost

completely gone.  He actually comes and tells on people now

instead of hitting back right away.  And instead of spitting at

people we taught him to blow kisses.  It is precious.

I am so proud of him.

The first couple weeks Elizabeth was here she would only

stay in the same room as me.  She talked non-stop and would

get upset if anyone else got attention.  She also wanted to be

held all day.  Now she goes off and plays and then finds me

for a cuddle but then is quickly back playing.  She also goes to

preschool two days a week now and she loves it.  We are still

working on her hatred of vegetables. She eats fruit and corn

on the cob but any other vegetable she refuses to eat.  We are

working on this.

I think Eli and I expected it to be so much harder than it has

been.  Maybe it is because we were foster parents and the

challenges we had with that don't even compare with what

we are going through.  These kids were never in foster care.  I

am so so thankful for that.  They came from a loving mother

that knew she wanted better for her kids.  Elizabeth, Max and

Zoe just fit right in with us.  God created them just for our

family.  They couldn't be a more perfect fit.  This is where

they are meant to be.  They are so

affectionate, happy and sweet. 

We couldn't love them anymore.

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