OUR BLOG IS MOVING!!!

Ok, so I have created a new blog.  I plan to post exclusively in the new blog, but I will leave the link up on here for a while.

Here's our new site:

www.ameriguatopia.blogspot.com

Come on over and see us!!!

Julie

PS  It appears you will have to cut and paste the new site, but you can do it!  Go on, do it now before you forget........

The Story Behind the Craziness!

I wanted to take a moment to explain how Ryan and I came to our decision to adopt again.....

While we were going through the adoption of Anna and Gee we very much considered that "it" for us.  5 was a good number and we agreed on that.  About month or so after Gee came home I mentioned to Ryan that I thought it would be cool to do it again.  You should have seen the look he shot me.  As amazing as our adoption experience was, the previous 3 or 4 years had been pretty rough on us.  We had to work harder than the norm to build our family and we were both exhausted.  So, after bringing it up a few times over a few months, we decided to pray about it.

We prayed about the possibility for 7 or 8 months before any decision was even made.  It seemed like every time Ryan and I would discuss it, we'd hit a brick wall in some way or another.  After a while I started to think that it just wasn't going to happen.  Adoption is obviously a major decision and I 100% believe that Ryan and I both needed to feel God move us that way or we ought not do it.  Well, pretty much "ought not doing it" became where we were at and I just decided we needed to be done with it and accept it was not going to happen.  Well, about a week after that conclusion was made, Ryan came up to me and said "he was really considering adopting again."  I tried not to get my hopes up, but that was really cool.  From then on out it just seemed our conversations led more toward another adoption than away.

We have had some big issues to consider, but we finally got to the spot where we were ready to dive in.  To be honest, I sit here amazed we are even at this point.  It is a beautiful thing to arrive in this spot, where I feel like both Ryan and I 100% want this.  We are just so excited!

Julie 

Out of the mouth of babes........

Ok, this is totally unrelated to our big adoption news, and I will post about that later, but.....

The three little ones were watching some cartoons this morning and it was on Nogin (pretty much the only cartoon station we watch).  Well, Nogin does this little blip about Barack Obama All.  The.  Time.  About how he is the first AA President and how historic that is and then it goes in to what kind of music, food, etc. he likes.  Well, this morning our dish reception got briefly interrupted and it "paused" the T.V. during the Obama blip.  I walked in and Madeline said "Brock Bama Broken."  Hmmmmm, I think I have a wise 3 year.......

Julie 

Big Announcement.........

Well, Ryan and I have some exciting news to share for those who actually still check in on us here ............

We are adopting again!  I don't have the time to go into all the details right now, but we are excited!  We are headed to Ethiopia this time.  Right now we are pulling together our massive piles of paperwork and we hope to have all that done in the next 6 to 8 weeks.

In the near future I will add some more details about how we got to this point and what kid of process we are looking at.  

For now though, you know more than most of the people we know in real life.  :)

Keep us in your prayers!

Julie

Gideon update

We took Gee to the Dr. today for  a well child visit and I was pretty happy with his stats.  His weight (fully clothed) was 26.6 lbs.  That's not too bad and it put him right at the 10th percentile for weight.  I can take that.  I was happy with his weight, but I was very pleasantly surprised with his height.  I know he has gotten taller, but he is in the 60th percentile for height.  It was a pretty accurate height check also.  He had very low profile shoes on and I even thought the nurse was measuring him a little short when she was actually doing it.  Our Dr. agrees that Gee probably has some sort of food intolerance/sensitivity due to his frequent, nasty smelling poop, but that is a very hard thing to figure out and sense he seems to be growing well, I think we are just going to continue watching it.

Ahhh, my little man Gee.  He really is growing up.  He was so good for the Dr. today.  I remember when he use to whine when he even saw a Dr.  He let the Dr. check all he needed to check and even almost smiled a few times.  Which reminds me.....  Gee does the cutest little "I am not going to smile," smile.  He can be so stubborn, but you can just tell he wants to smile sometimes, but won't for whatever reason.  That is what he was doing today.  So cute!

Julie

Madeline is bilingual!!!

Actually, she is trilingual (is that a word) if you count the dozen or so words she knows in Spanish.  Anyways, she speak English and Annerish.  Anna talks A LOT.  I can understand probably 80% of what she says, but that other 20% has me baffled.  That poor girl, I will have to ask her over and over again to repeat herself and then I still usually can't get it.  Well, it seems now that Madeline has become her interpreter of sorts.  Now Madeline will chime in and say "no mommy she wants X."  This is happening more and more and it is just funny to watch.  It is also very sweet to see my girls so close!

A potty update.......  Gee is doing not too bad.  To be honest, I have had to run lots of errands the last couple days, so we haven't been all that focused on it.  While when been home he's only had one big accident and he has pee'd on the potty a few different times.  So, all in all he is doing good.   It is way to early to tell if he knows he needs to sit on the potty BEFORE he actually goes, but at least he's not afraid of the potty.  And, he is learning how being a big boy works.

Julie 

Potty time????

So Gee is my only one not potty trained yet.  I feel pretty fortunate that my other 4 were pretty "easy."  I hate to use that word because I all too quickly remember the times when I unknowingly stepped in a puddle of pee or had to clean up poop smear.  I have had my share of messes (i.e. see last post).  In hindsight though, things went pretty good.  Right now Gideon is the only one draining our budget of diaper/pull up money.  :)

At one time I would have stressed about having a 2 1/2 yr old that cared nothing about using the potty.  I stressed a lot when Leah was small, I stressed a little with Logan but then I came to realize that I was working way too hard at it.  I think I had gotten caught up in the whole idea that people are just lazy if their 2 yr old cannot completely go diaper free.  A little judgemental, I know.  Now I am more laid back about it.  I really do try and look for signs that the kids are ready first.  Fortunately all the kids have done really well and have all been trained (through the night and all) by 2 1/2 ish.  I guess Gee is the exception to that rule.

I am still not seeing the "signs" I would like to see with Gee to get him started.  Although, he is seeming to know when he poo's better.  I am just sooooo tired of the poop.  No exaggeration, Ryan and I have probably changed 3 to 4 poopie diapers a day for the last week and a half.  That is NOT normal (but I will not go there).  That fact and the fact that he is "old enough" to be using a potty, has prompted me to get our little potty chair out and give it a try.  We now have a potty station for him, all prepped with reading material and a jar of M & M's.  I took his diaper off about an hour ago and I am going to sit him on it every 20 minutes or so.  We will see how it goes.  I hope he is more ready than I am thinking.  I am going to give it a few days and if at the end of that time I have cleaned up more poo and pee than I care to mention, back to diapers it is.  I will try to not feel like a failure and move on with life.  

Wish us luck!

Julie  

OH. MY. GOODNESS..........

So the kids have not been sleeping all that great.  Fevers are gone, but the coughs and runny noses are still there.  Well, by 12:30 this afternoon I was ready to put the little ones to bed.  They were ready also.  Or so I thought.  Madeline and Gee went right to sleep (which is not normal, so they had to be tired).  

Anna has been a little testy these last few days.  She's been feeling pretty good, but she has just been kind of a spitfire.  Being purposely naughty and doing the opposite of what I tell her to do.  She has been in time out a lot.  So, I put all the kids down and tuck them in and kind of forget about them.  Leah, Logan and I were doing some cleaning and we had music going.  At about 2:30 or so I hear a loud "thud" from upstairs.  Immediately I think "Anna."  She has been known to goof around in her room a little before nap time, to which she always gets punished.  But my goodness, it was over 2 hours since I laid her down.  So I get to the top of the stairs and I immediately see that her door is shut.  She hates her door shut when she is sleeping, she only closes it when she is playing and doesn't want to be seen.  So, I open my door and the first thing I notice is that the room smells terrible.  Then I see Anna, standing on her bed with no pants or underwear on (she went to bed with them).  Upon closer inspection, I see poop smeared all over her sheets.  It was very clear that she had not napped.  She has torn out every single toy in the room and had arranged them all around her bed.  Apparently she decided to play and didn't know what to do with herself when she had to go potty because she was suppose to be asleep.  Anna has been very successfully potty trained for over 6 months now (nights too).  She rarely has an accident.  Also, which is probably the only humor I found in all this (and only now as I am reflecting) was that Anna tried to hide the evidence.  Her very poopy underwear were hidden in the bottom over her doll crib with all their dress up clothes thrown on top and a bunch of toys.  I guess she thought I'd  miss the poop smeared everywhere, the stinch and a half naked Anna.

What a mess.  My disinfectants got a workout and the poop infested clothes/sheets/blankets are awaiting their turn at the washer.  Anna, well, Anna is kind of a sad little girl right now because she is lying on a bare mattress supposidly "taking a nap."  To top it all off, I have been upstairs twice this writing this post to take toys away from her that she has gotten out of bed to get.  What is her deal?  Oiy.

Well, I am off to go and see if she is actually obeying yet and staying in her bed.  Wish me luck!

Julie

Just a little update....

So life has pretty much gotten back to normal, which I like.  Saturday we celebrated my Grandma's 8oth birthday.  We had a big party for her and she was so surprised (a tuckered) by all the family and friends that travelled in.  It was a good time.  The kids seemed to have fun.  Most of the afternoon was spent running around like hooligans.  What kid wouldn't have fun doing that?  Leah did Gideon's hair and he ended up with a fauxhawk.  It was so stinking cute!  We may have to do that again.

We have had some sort of bug going through the kids.  Leah was sick a couple weeks ago, with a very high fever and just lying around and sleeping.  Then it seems Maddie got it a few days ago and then Annie came down with it on Monday.  It seems like it is all a little different for them.  Leah didn't really have much of a cold, just the headache, high fever and achiness.  Madeline said her legs hurt, plus she had a fever (not near as high as Leah's), along with sneezing and some coughing.  I thought Madeline was over it over the weekend, but she had a fever again yesterday and was complaining about her legs again.  She is also being a bear, oh my, she is  a whiney mess.  Anna had a high fever Monday and just kind of laid around.  She was quite pathetic, but now she is doing much better and it eating and acting pretty normal.

I have got to say, Anna is the best little sick thing ever.  Even when her fever was 103.5, she was smiling at us and trying to be silly.  Anna has kind of become my breath of fresh air.  She is still the queen of drama (the girl should seriously be an actress), but she is just such an easy person to be around.  She is full of energy and happiness and I can always count on her for a smile or a silly dance.  Anna is still extremely perceptive of everything.  Directions, a hard to see star, her sister from across the church foyer.  I call her my little eagle eye.  

Anna is starting to say some of the funniest/cutest stuff.  Like right now her and Gideon are eating breakfast right behind me.  They are carrying on and Anna's new phrase is "ha ha."  I am sorry to say, but it is from the "Simpson's".  No, we do not watch the "Simpson's" nor do we let the kids watch it.  However, back in the high school days, we were know to watch an episode or two and I guess some of the phrases have lingered.  So, now my 2 yr old runs around telling the other kids "ha ha" in the appropriate voice.  While I am a little appalled that she does it, I more so find it totally hilarious.  Let's see, Anna also says prayers with us, which is just precious.  Right now she is really into wearing little sleeveless undershirts under her clothes.  After her bath the other day I stuck one on her and she said "perfect!"  :) :)  So cute!  Oh yeah, this morning I told her and Madeline to go upstairs and wake up their sleepy head brothers.  Anna goes upstairs into their room and says "wake up, wake up, buenos dias, wake up."  It was soooo cute.  I love that she uses a little bit of Spanish.  Yes, thank you Dora the Explorer.  The only Spanish that I actively work with them on is counting from 1 to 10.  But I encourage them to use any new words they pick up or any of the few words they already know.

As for Gideon, he is doing pretty good.  He has avoided being sick, he just has a cough.  He has yet to start gaining much weight, but at this point I guess that is just going to be his way.  He is growing, just not all that fast.  He acts healthy, so that is the important thing.  He still has poo issues.  Like over the weekend Ryan and I probably changed a dozen poopie diapers (no exaggeration).  They were all stinky and nasty also.  Ugh.....  I am so tired of poop!  At some point we are going to potty train him.  He just seems to not care at all about whether he or poopie or wet, or about using the potty.  I guess I am just dreading the battle.  I usually like to get a feel from the kids first that they are ready to start learning.  I don't get that from Gee, but maybe I'd be surprised if I started trying. 

Gideon is developing into the quirkiest little guys.  Not in a bad way at all, but in a funny way.  He has this laugh/cackle that will make even the most somber person smile.  Something will tickle him and he will just break out cackling.  It is very loud and extremely funny.  It usually comes in fits also.  He could be cackling about something for minutes at a time.  All Ryan and I can do it look at each other and laugh.  Gee is a very scrappy little dude and he is FAST.  Oh my, I never going to be able to keep up with him.  The other day, the three little ones were walking around like crabs, I swear Gee could walk like a crab as fast as he could walk normally.   Gee talks a lot and I really haven't noticed much delay in either of our two Guatlings at this point when it comes to speech.  Gee is a little more selective with his words than Anna, but they are both doing so well.

All in all, life is good, normal.  Our days are spent homeschooling, running around a bit, and just doing all the things you'd expect us to be doing.  

Until later.....

Julie

Being Dedicated

Last night at church (we go to church on Sat. evenings) we had our Madeline, Anna and Gideon dedicated to the Lord.  We do not believe in baptizing babies, but we do believe in publicly committing ourselves to raising our children to love the Lord.  We recognize that each of our kids have their own free will and ultimately it will be their decision to choose God or not.  Ryan and I though, will do everything in our power to raise our children to know God and to have a personal relationship with him.  Prayerfully, they will desire God and will accept Him into their hearts and then at some point being baptized will come into play.  But, that will also be their own decision.

Now that our little theology lesson is over, last night was really a nice time.  We go to the same church Ryan's family goes to.  His siblings also had some of their children dedicated.  So, we had all four of the siblings on stage with 8 out of the 12 grandkids up there.  We also all had some family there, so we were quite a large group.  We all went out to eat afterwards, which was a little chaotic, but still fun.  The food was really yummy and all in all it was a good time.  I left the evening feeling grateful for family and friends, but mostly I felt a deep sense of joy for our five beautiful blessings that God has entrusted us with.  May we do him proud!

Julie

Finally some pictures!

Opening presents...

The kids in Leah's bed getting ready to come downstairs Christmas morning.

Gee and Papa from Christmas Eve.

Gee, he's the cheesiest!

This is what happens when a bad hair twist habit gets out of hand.

The kids pretending to sleep on the stairs.

This is daddy's version of a bath.

From now on we will just have to a little matching game when it comes to what picture goes with what saying. That is fun, huh?.

Also, I will add Florida pics later because this post has gotten crazy long!

Julie

So much more...

You know I have been thinking a lot lately about our adoptions.  We first looked in to adopting in 2003.  At that point we were experiencing secondary infertility and we really wanted to grow our family.  We felt blessed to have experienced to two great pregnancies and births and we were ready to embark on a new journey to complete our family.  At that point it was a means to an end. Sure, we liked the idea of giving a child a home that did not have one, but honestly, we just wanted more kids.  Over the last 5 to 6 years though, adoption has become much more to me than that.

From a practical standpoint, it was our means to complete our family.  From an emotional standpoint, well, words can't even describe the beauty of the experience.  We have been through a lot to get our family to where it is today.  All five of my kids are a beautiful gift from God and I deeply treasure the way each of them came into our lives.  That being said, on an emotional level, our adoption experience has far exceeded my expectations.  I knew Ryan and I would love and accept any adopted child as our own, but to actually watch that process happen is amazing. 

Every day I witness 3 little ones playing together and loving one another as if it had always been.  I see two big kids melt when Anna cries or Gee falls down.  I see a little boy completely enamored  with a daddy that I have no doubt he thinks the world revolves around.  I see all these beautiful things and I then I think, a year and a half ago we were nothing to these two children. Now they are our lives, we are their lives.  It truly overwhelms me.

Over time a new aspect of adoption has sprung in me and that is the spiritual aspect.  Of course it is a good thing to take in an orphan, but I never really paid attention to how much the Bible really says about orphans.  Over and over again God calls us to be instruments of justice for orphans and to care for them.  Isaiah tells us to "Learn to do right, seek justice, encouraged the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."  This is just one of many verses I found.  I don't mean to sound preachy, but I really feel like part of God's heart is caring for orphans.  I guess I just feel so blessed to be able to love and raise two of those fatherless that God cares so much about.  And really it affects me more than that.  I think adoption is something I am pretty passionate about now.  Not for us to necessarily go out and adopt more kids, but I think a seed has been planted in me.  It is hard to explain, but I am hopeful that at some point in my life I can use this passion in a way that will please God.

You know, as I sit and type this post, I am just amazed at what God has done in our lives over the past few years.  This time, almost 4 years ago, was probably about the lowest point in my life.  We had just gotten back from Russia without our twins and my heart was broken.  It had been a rough couple years before that, but that was a pretty severe blow.  Soon after we got home we did some high tech infertility treatments and were able to get pregnant.  By early March we were told that our new found pregnancy would end in miscarriage.  To be honest, at this point I thought God had completely forgotten I existed (there's some weak faith for you).  I was so bitter with him.  Well, that miscarriage became our little Madeline and when she was a year old we found our Anna and Gee and you know the rest.  I still have no clue why God allowed us to experience the losses we endured, but I am finally to a place where I don't have to know.  God never abandoned me and I can honestly say I am a stronger and better person having been through those struggles.  Praise God for allowing me to see this side and praise Him even more for bringing me through this with a newfound passion.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to share.

Julie 

Sharing a praise and update.

Something happened in Florida that I want to publicly praise God for.  We stayed at two different houses while there and they both had pools.  That is very typical for the houses in that area.  So, we spend lots of time by the pool, even if we are not swimming.   I am a weinie about being cold, so when it is 70 something outside, I do not get in.  The kids however would swim if it were in the 50's.  The four oldest do great in the water.  Last summer Madeline and Anna mastered swimming by themselves with just arm swimmies on.  At first I was scared, then I became very proud that at 2 years old they were doing that by themselves.  So the two little girls did lots of swimming with just their swimmies and we just kept a close eye one them.  The pool was not that big, so that was pretty easy.  Well, one day we did not see Anna.  Ryan and I asked each other and neither saw her.  All of the sudden we see Anne flapping her arms with only one swimmie on, swimming to the side of the pool.  It was obvious she had been under (the little ones couldn't touch anywhere in the pool, but the steps) the water and had brought herself back up and swam to the side of the pool with one swimmie.  I got to her just as she was reaching the side.  The poor thing was panicked and I pulled her out and cuddled her.  I was petrified at first, but then I was so proud of her.  She did an amazing job and God really protected her.

In general, the kids are just doing so beautifully.  We still have a few minor issues.  Anna still wakes up 4 or 5 times a month yelling out, like she is having a nightmare.  Gideon is having pretty major bath issues and he has for a few months now.  He hates having the water poured over his head.  He will literally scream and panic every time.  He did better his last bath, but I had to go extremely slow, hold his hand and talk him through every step.  Once his hair is washed he is happy and enjoys the rest of the bath.  It is crazy because he will start to audibly whine when I even mention a bath and he gets real sullen until the hair washing is done.

Speaking of Gideon, he is still very much a daddy's boy.  I know he loves his mama, but when daddy is around he doesn't really care to go to anyone else.  He still pretty much prefers men.  He goes to them more easily.  Gee still is not gaining weight very fast at all.  Way too slowly for my tastes, but the Dr.'s say he is fine, so we will just leave it at that.  He acts healthy, so that's whats important I guess.  His is moody though.  Probably my moodiest kid yet.  If he is tired, he gets very grumpy and irritable.  He is the same way if his feelings get hurt, like if he gets scolded.  He is just funny because sometimes he can be goofy and be ok with people egging him on watching him, but then sometimes he gets all quiet and doesn't want people to pay a bit of attention to him.  It is strange.

I still plan to add pics from Florida, but they need to loaded when Ryan is home off of his laptop.  So maybe this weekend?  Anyways, until later......

Julie

No, we did not drop off the face of the earth!

Oh, I hate that I am not getting to blog as much as I would like.  So, how fast can I type, as we are leaving in like 10 minutes to run and get dinner (no kids, woohoo).

Anyways, here is a very short version of life the last month.  BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.

The End

Ha ha, you know I can't say anything that short.  :)

I was busier than I think I have ever been the two weeks before Christmas.  Like couldn't sleep, out of my wits busy.  I am not sure how things got so out of hand, but they did.  We left for Florida the day after Christmas and we just got back Sunday night.  I have been reclaiming my house this week and I think I am winning.  I think I will be sweeping up pine needles from our very dead tree until next Christmas.

Florida was super great.  It was however very sickly.  We had pink eye, throwing up, a UTI, cough and colds and ear infections, all in one week.  I think I spent over 18 hours in hospitals and pharmacies in the last 3 weeks.  We seriously do not have that much sickness in a year around here.  Yuck!  

Well, my 10 minutes is up (guess I am a slow typer, although I did get the crescents out of the oven!).  I will blog more later with pictures.  I just didn't want you all to think I forgot about you all!

Julie  

Christmas Pictures

Well, we took our annual "by the tree" pics yesterday.  I was so proud of the kids.  They did really well.  They were very tolerant and patient. Madeline seemed to be the most troublesome.  She was being good, but she just kept smiling at the wrong time or when she was looking somewhere other than at me.

I must say here, what a beautiful bunch of kiddos!!  I am just so proud of all five of my babies!

Julie 

Long Time, no blog........

Well, it has been a while, sorry about that.  I normally try and blog more often, but we have been busy and really nothing too new is going on.  Christmas is rapidly approaching and we are very busy pulling everything together.  Not to mention, we are leaving the day after Christmas for a two week jaunt in Florida (yes, I know, life is rough).  Actually, as great as this Florida trip is (and trust me, we love it), is does make things a little harder.  It is always very time consuming to pack for all of us, let alone being busy with holiday stuff.  The good thing is that most are clothes we bring are summery, so I am can start packing now.  Well, not actually now because I have no where near that much for-thought, but you get the idea.

I will post some new pictures soon.  We are going to take our annual pictures around the tree today and while I am loading them up I will load some candid ones I have taken over the last few weeks.

I thought it might be nice to post what a typical day is like.  I do plan to eventually save and print this blog and having a record of a day in the life would be fun.  So, I must say, we are pretty boring.  We are all up by 8:00 and from 8 to 10 I get the little kids breakfast and changed/bathed.  The older kids have chores to do which include their household chores, plus practice piano and getting themselves ready for the day.  After things settle down a bit I let the little three watch cartoons while I find my spot at the kitchen bar.  This is pretty much my throne off and on for the next few hours.  I check homeschooling and get the kids' school work ready for another day.  We start homeschooling at 10:00.  From 10 to noon I check school work, do laundry, do dishes (yes, our dishwasher is still broke after over 9 months--can you tell I am SO bitter?) and just interact with the kids.  Often times one of the little ones sit beside me and "help" me do my work.  Lunch is at 12:00.  Leah and Logan eat at the bar and the 3 little one's either eat at their little table in the kitchen or I feed them.  Nap time is from 12:30/1:00 to about 2:30/3:00.  Also, the older two go back to work at 1:00.  Gee still sleeps in his crib and Anna sleeps in her big girl bed.  Madeline is still in her pack n play in our room because she is so untrustworthy unsupervised.  While the kids naps I usually have some free time (in between homeschool questions).  I will often times catch up on line or cut coupons.  These days I am sewing because I have lots to do before Christmas.  All 5 of the kids have an afternoon snack (if they ate lunch well) around 3:00/3:30.  Most days the older kids are done with homeschooling by that time and the younger ones are running around like hooligans after a nice snooze.  Dinner is around 5:30/6:00 which is about (I use that term pretty loosely) the time Ryan gets home.  Daddy getting home is a pretty big event and the 3 little one's get very excited.  "Daddy's home, daddy's home......"  The rest of the evening is spent eating dinner, cleaning up after dinner and just being together.  The little ones go to bed around 8:00, although they don't always go right to sleep.  We will often times chill around the tv then.  We tivo various shows like "Dirty Jobs," "Survivorman," "Man vs. Wild," "Planet Earth," etc.  We will usually pop one of those on, I will eat me daily bowl of oats and Ryan will catch up online.  The older kids go to bed at 9:30 and Ryan and I hit the pillows around 10:30.  That is pretty much it.  I totally realize that by now you are bored stiff, but this is my life and as boring as it may seem, it is pretty exciting and wonderful in my eyes.  Oh and this is really only how it goes 3 to 4 days a week.  We are gone pretty much every Wednesday from 12:30 to 8:30 (piano, Awanas, etc)  Saturdays are church days and we leave for that around 4:00.  And, we usually have another day or two interrupted by a trip to the store or some sort of get together.

More specifically, Anna and Gee are doing well.  I think Gee was struggling with something for about 3 to 4 days.  He was super moody and just not himself.  He also had pretty bad diarreha.  All 3 of the little ones have had the poo's lately, but Anna and Madeline have been acting fine.  Gideon was better yesterday, so I am hoping he is over whatever was bothering him.

Anna would probably be classified as my most low maintenance child right now.  At least out of the three littlest.  She is still a drama queen, but she is really just a sweet kid.  She's a little sneaky about stuff (getting into things), but Madeline is no help there, as Anna tends to do what Maddie does and Maddie can be just down right ornery.  Anna is extremely perceptive of her surroundings, probably more so than any of the kids.  She notices things like the "lit up moon"and the cat crossing the road.  She also has a great sense of direction.  She knows we are going to drive by the "poopie water" (the local sewage plant we sometimes pass going into town) roads before we do.  She can see daddy's truck coming from a mile  away, just stuff like that.  Anna has the most tender heart ever (very similar to Logan).  She is easy to cry and make the most pathetic face when she is upset.  She is also very sensitive to loud noises, scary images or potentially scary situations.  For the first time on Sunday she got scared by something on tv.  I was watching a show and a scary image came on and the poor girl coward to the corner of the room.  I felt so bad and I comforted her, but there she remained for like 10 minutes, even though the image was gone.  I didn't even know she was watching tv.  I was watching a movie while wrapping presents and apparently she was paying attention.  Anna's speech continues to improve.  Her favorite sayings are "I wuv you" and "I miss you."  She pretty much uses them interchangably which is super cute.

Gideon is chugging right along.  He is very good kiddo also, but he is a little more high maintenance than Anna.  He is more stubborn strong headed.  Both of those are characteristics I know and love, so that is fine, it just makes for a harder upbringing.  Gee is very funny, and pretty easy going most of the time.  In some ways he is pretty sensitive (somewhat emotionally and very much physically), but in other ways he is very rough and tumbly.  He is so wired up at times, it is actually pretty fun to watch him.  He jumps, runs, hangs off things, he is my little monkey.  Gideon is saying "no" to us more often than I'd like, but I know that is just part of being a stubborn toddler.  He is funny though because he doesn't just shout it out, he kind of says it under his breath and then doesn't do what he is told to do.  Don't get me wrong, on an everyday basis, he is pretty obedient and easy to get along with.  But, there are those times, usually when he is upset about something (like telling him "no" or scolding him for some reason) and he will not cooperate.  Example:  Yesterday he was done napping and yelling from his bed.  He knows he is not aloud to yell because it will wake Anna up.  So I go upstairs and go over to his crib and tell him he may not yell.  I wasn't overly forceful when I said it and he didn't get punished, I just stated firmly "Gideon, you may not yell."  Well, he then says "no mommy."  That starts like a 3 minute dialogue trying to get him to say "yes, mommy."  He is so stubborn it took forever to get him to say it.  This is a pretty typical situation with him.  First off, he does not like any attention that he perceives as negative.  Even if he is doing something cute and he thinks people are paying attention for the wrong reasons he gets real reclusive and won't even look at people.  So, I think when he gets scolded he internally panics at the negative attention and then his stubborness spews out "no's."  One last thing I would like to add about Gee is that is is such a daddy's boy.  He would choose Ryan over me any given day.  I am mostly fine with that because I get tons of love from him on a daily basis, but sometimes it is difficult.  I tend to be the disciplinarian with the little ones and Ryan is way more laid back with them.  That is tough when he wants to let things slide and I do not.  Then, I become the mean one.  Ryan doesn't make me look mean and he is supportive of me disciplining the kids, but I still often times look like the bad guy.  Ryan disciplines some (he expertise is the older ones though), but when he gets home and hasn't seen the kids all day, the last thing he wants to do is make them stand in the corner.  For some reason, Ryan tends to let things slide with Gee more than any of the little ones, and for the most part, I do not.

Ok, this post was way longer than I expected.  I guess that's what happens when you don't post for so long.  In summery, life is good and we are continually blessed.  Sometimes things seem very mundane and boring, sometimes things are way more "exciting" than I'd like them to be, but through it all, I feel so blessed and I love my little life.

Julie    

A very sad weekend......

This past Thursday Ryan's grandmother passed away.  I almost hate to say "Ryan's" grandma because I certainly claimed her if you will, as my own.  She was the most wonderful, Godly woman I have ever met and she is going to be severely missed.  She loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren dearly.  We were very fortunate to spend some additional time with her and grandpa this past year.  They went on all our camping trips with us and we loved getting to see them both more often.  When we got home with Gideon last fall, within days we went on a camping trip and they were there.  They celebrated all our children with us and Anna and Gideon were no exception.  I remember being at their house in Cincy and both grandma and grandpa prayed over them, specifically asking God to bless their health and to keep any past evilness from touching them.  At that time we were still really struggling with Gideon's health and Anna was still waking often at night screaming out.  I know those prayers were one of many that went out on behalf of my kids.   

Grandma was truly unique and had this way of making every single person she encountered feel special.  I miss her already, but I find great comfort in knowing that she is with her best friend, our Jesus.

So, this weekend was spent with family, remembering her life.  The viewing was on Friday and the funeral was on Saturday.

Julie 

Just a little election commentary.......

I am SO glad my hope is in the Lord, not in Obama and the steady downfall of our culture.  I am saddened and disappointed (although not surprised) that the US has chosen a leader that morally has no conscious.  I love my US of A, but it is making decisions based on man's selfishness. Nothing good will ever come of that.  Ahhhh, but such is life.  I will rest in the fact that the true King of this life is still in control, nothing happens outside of his will.

Julie 

The last couple weeks......

So, I cut Annie's hair. I really like it although I was skeptical at first. I usually prefer long hair on the girls, but I was cutting Logan and Gee's hair and Anna wanted hers cut also. I was going to just trim it, but I ended up cutting like 3 inches off. It is adorable on her (although it looks a little wonky in the pics). Ryan said that now she really looks like Dora. Tis true.

We also went trick or treating last Thursday. We went to my Grandma's nursing home and that was lots of fun. The kids got way more candy than they will ever eat. Anna was a pumpkin, Gideon was a monkey and Madeline was a frog. Logan went at George Bush and Leah and my two nephews went as hie secret service.

A cute picture of the girls. They really are best buds.

Making funny faces.





Apparently baby had to go potty also.

Anna's hair, pre-cut.






Gideon loves his Papa.

We keep busy these days. Home schooling takes quite a bit of time and man, my days just seem to fly by. The three little ones are getting more independant and are getting to do more things. Like go up and down the stairs freely, climbing up on the bars stools, stuff like that. They even have their own coat hooks and shoe basket in the laundry. They are learning to hang thier own coats up and to put things away. The don't totally have the hang of it, but they are picking it up quick.

Until later.........

Julie

Reflecting on a year ago....

I have been thinking a lot about Gideon these last few days because a year ago this time we were bringing him home.  I was so anxious to get back to Guatemala.  I thought having Anna home would keep me too busy to think too much about Gideon being away, but it didn't.  Don't get me wrong, it was so precious to have Anna home, but Gideon was definitely missing in our family picture.  I seriously felt like I had a hole in my heart.  I kept trying to convince Ryan to let me go over and foster, but it was not happening.  Having him in my arms was a dream come true.  It just seemed to take so long.  I still praise God for his amazing foster family!  At least I know Gideon was clueless as to my agony.  He was living with his beautiful family and loving life.

In the last year I have seen Gideon grow in so many ways.  He is so funny and loving.  Ryan and I call him our monkey.  He climbs and dangles off of anything ha can.  He is a loving brother and son and everyone ADORES him.

I will never be able to comprehend why God allowed our family to be blessed in such a way.  I have seen great Christian woman/families who's hearts ache for a child, even just one.  I have 5 amazing children who uniquely bless us and fulfill our lives.  I feel so honored.

Julie