I Should Get A Sticker

I should get a sticker for surviving this morning.  Unbearably loud, screaming children.  A 2-year-old who knows what she wants and who makes my least favorite sound in the whole world when she doesn't get it.  I was feeling on the edge of losing it by 9am.  Not good.

I loaded everybody into the van and just drove.  They still weren't quiet...but at least they couldn't hit each other :) We needed a few things from the store and they are usually pretty well-behaved in public so we wandered the aisles and picked up milk and bananas.  Hannah wanted to walk but I wouldn't let her out of the cart...and the noise began.  I gritted my teeth and headed for the checkout.

I heard behind me, "Somebody's tired!" but didn't realize at first that the comment was directed my way.  I turned and saw three older ladies smiling at me and my cart full of children.  I smiled then turned and continued on, wondering to myself, "Did they mean Hannah...or me?!?"

Some days this job is exhausting.  Some days I feel like these little ones are sucking the life out of me!  After a snack (for them), a huge coffee (for me), a little more driving and an hour outside, things are looking a little better :)

Here's to hoping we are in for a better afternoon!!

She's Home

Please believe me when I tell you that this little one was totally thrilled about her pigtails and that she laughed hysterically when I picked her up and showed her in the mirror.

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but today we heard more laughter from this little one than I think we ever have.  I mean, hearty belly laughs, throwing back her head because it is that funny kind of laughs.  

It feels like a whole new level of home for our little darling.  She feels safe, and she is happy, and it is so good to see!

Now if only we could get a picture of that...

Today's Favorites

Telling the boys about our wedding that was 9 years ago today!

Matthew seeing his math book on the table this morning and shouting, "I want to do more math!"...and then watching him do it on his own!

Hannah sitting with her brothers and listening to 6 books!  Today was the first time for story time with all three...thankful for hearing aids and for all the progress this little one is making!

Taking a little breather from the little ones after Brad got home and coming out of the bedroom to find this...

I thought it was too quiet!!

It's been a good day all around and I am blessed!

Feeling Full

Lately that is the word I would use to describe life:  full.

My heart is full, my days are full, it seems as though I couldn't imagine adding anything else in right now.

This is a new feeling for me.  When Matthew came home, I knew there was another little one waiting for me somewhere.  Within 6 months of him coming home, I was spending my evenings searching online looking for him.  I found him, by the way :)

When Nathan came home, I thought that was it (at least for a long while).  He had such a difficult adjustment and life was so difficult for months and months, and I resigned myself to the idea that maybe two was it for us.

And then all of a sudden, about 7 months after Nathan came home, I started to feel it again.  That pressing, unrelenting feeling that there was another child out there who was supposed to be in our family.  I really can't explain it except to say that I could not get it out of my head.  I could not pray it away, reason it away, or stop thinking about it.  Every night I was again online, searching for our child.

She found us, by the way!

I wondered when Hannah came home if I would still feel like this.  I wondered if I would struggle because really, we cannot adopt again right now.  Our house is full (and then some!!) and we are focused on finishing to pay off our debt (a goal we set before we started adopting!).  

Somewhere in the last 7 months though, I have settled into the idea that this is what God wants for our family for right now.  In many ways it is a relief to just be living this instead of waiting for the next big change.  Before, we would just start to enjoy things getting easier and then we would bring home a new little one and it would get hard again!  This time, it's just getting easier!  Do you know what happened last night???  I slept 8 straight hours!  And the crazy thing is, that is becoming more and more normal!  For a person who was being woken up 2-10 times a night for years (oh I wish that were an exaggeration) this is a big deal.  

I am certainly not saying "We're done!".  But I am saying, "I think we're done...for now."  I honestly believe that God could bring us another child tomorrow if He wants, and that would be okay (a shock, but okay).  I hope and pray He brings us more down the road.  We are so blessed and there are so many children waiting for families, it's hard to imagine not being a family to more.  I can't wait to see what the coming years hold for us!  It has been an adventure unlike anything I ever imagined.

Weekly Wrap-Up

I forgot to share my favorite quote of the week yesterday...

Nathan just learned the words to "Jesus Loves Me"

but he gets a little messed up..he keeps going around singing,

"Yes, Bible loves me!  Yes, Bible loves me!"

I often hear him singing in the other room

followed by Matthew saying, in a slightly irritated voice,

"It's JESUS, Nathan!  JESUS loves you!"

Silly boys :)

I am super happy that we survived the week.  When I looked at my planner last Sunday I about had a heart attack as I realized the number of appointments we had scheduled.  Two speech therapy appointments on Tuesday, an out-of-town doctors appointment for Hannah on Wednesday that I had to take all three kids to, followed by Awana, more speech therapy on Thursday, and physical therapy for Hannah on Friday (thankfully this one got cancelled!).  Occupying little ones in waiting rooms stresses me out so I was dreading all of these appointments.  Thankfully with a lot of prayer and some planning ahead, everything went well!  

Life these days is very busy with therapy and doctors appointments and trying to make time for school has been quite challenging this week.  Somehow we managed to get it all done, mostly when Hannah was napping after lunch, and I am really enjoying it and not feeling too stressed by it at all.  Matthew wouldn't even be in kindergarten yet if he were attending school so I really don't feel much pressure at this age.  They play a lot, and we sit down for maybe 30-45 minutes a day for focused lessons like handwriting, reading, math, and pre-reading activities for Nathan.  This month I decided to add in some science and we are learning about plants.  It has been fun to do some Pinterest activities together and I don't seem to dread crafts as much as I used to :)

Today we got to see my family which was lots of fun.  We are enjoying some cooler fall weather all of a sudden and it was strange to put sweatshirts and jackets on the kids after it being over 90 degrees just a couple of days ago!

No reason for this picture...just his "cheese" face making another appearance.  This kiddo made me very proud this week as he worked hard and learned the "f" sound and went off with his speech teacher all by himself to work for half an hour without any fuss.  Such a big boy!

This made me laugh the other day - our basset hound was sitting staring into the big fan that was on and her ears were just blowing in the wind!  The boys thought it was hilarious!

Heard Around Here

Heard in our house recently...

Hannah:

"Shoes!!!"

At 6:30am this morning.

Nathan:

"I want to pet Tinkerbell!"

Said about my sister's baby girl, Isabella :)

And when I started laughing he just yelled,

"I want to pet him!"

Matthew:

"What is a blood cell?"

"What is bacteria?"

"How do volcanoes erupt?"

"What is 4 + 2 + 6 + 8 + 29?"

Oh sweet boy, it is 8pm and I just can't talk anymore!

Hannah:

"Ball!"

About 29,589 times a day :)

Brad:

"She's asleep"

Matthew:

(with his arm around his nervous little brother 

as they walked into Awana together last night)

"I'll take care of you, buddy!"

Oh, my heart.

I love hearing what comes out of their mouths each day!