Happy 15th Birthday Annah!

It's hard to believe Annah is 15! We have two 15 year olds for a little while. Chad didn't get a picture but I made her a white cake with chocolate frosting covered in shaved coconut. Yum!

Merry Christmas!

w.w.

When is a home full?

Our week was wonderful. Normal and wonderful and somehow ended up surpising me completely. There were friends, Christmas lights, hot apple cider, pony rides, hugs, laughs, presents, home-made fudge, cookies and so much more. Caroling along the streets with a horse-drawn carriage, freezing in the rain at the Lights (lines) of Christmas, a gift exchange with no less than 15 kids at my sweet friend {newly family!} Corrie's. We've become family now that she is adopting Annah and Viktoriya's youngest brother Ven. Lidiya, Andrey and Ruvim were there as well.

Dampening the joy was the revelation that Lidiya's family does not plan on allowing her to stay in contact with her biological siblings. They actually went as far as to say that Lidiya should forget "her old family". Thankfully this is not how Lidiya rolls and hopefully she'll be able to stand up to them and stay in contact with her sisters. She stayed the weekend with us and she fit in well with our family. All five girls had a sweet sleepover in A & V's room...

{These walls may hold another sweet russian girls name but the closet won't hold her belongings, crowded as it is, so I think it's possible to make our bonus room/family room into the boys room and then move A & V into the boys bigger room so Lydia would fit; I would turn H&H's room back into an office....the current family room houses the tv etc. so I would put the pc into the new office making room to move the tv upstairs into the great room along with another chair and couch }

Annah told me Saturday night as she went to bed "Mom, I've been thinking, but we can talk about it tomorrow." :o) We talked about it the next day (yesterday) and she asked if we prayed about it, might we fit a bunkbed in her room and allow Lidiya to become part of our family too. I had already begun praying that His will would be done. I thought our home was FULL. As in even after Hope and Halle. Then after Annah. Then after Viktoriya.

As I was praying that morning (Monday), I felt the need to bring Lidiya down to Seattle to meet up with her family. {This made for a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Nana, Joyce and Sharon!} Their social worker came too and we chatted for a bit. After Lidiya and her family left, the SW and I discussed the fact that the state has no say or opinion on family size once you are not a foster parent any longer. Meaning that while we are foster parents we are limited to 6 kids and NO more. Unless God says different and changes peoples minds. ;) BUT, once you've adopted children (ie: Viktoriya and Annah which should be finalized by February or March) you can adopt as many as you want. This was news to me.

So from the Northgate mall, I called my sweet husband. Laughing as I tried to think of a way to ask him if he might consider yet another teenage girl to join our family. Thinking I may shock him, Chad turned the tables and shocked me... "Of course. I thought all along they should've stayed together." What a man. The world needs more men like him. I'm hoping that's what we're raising in Aidan, Ethan and Ryland.

And speaking of these three...we have three votes for Lidiya to join us as well. Now it's completely up to the Lord. But even if He doesn't have for Lidiya to join our family, I have a feeling our home isn't full for good. It begs the question...

When is a home full? When is our home full? Is 2550 sq ft too small for 8 {or more} children? I'm thinking not. I love our home so I have some ideas. One version involves finishing our basement which would add another 750 sq ft but another version does not. I think the second version (described above in turquise :o)) would work since we'll need to wait another year or so to get the work done. And I'm beginning to think the Lord can make anything work in us if it is His will. Am I a slow learner or what?

These little girls...

are so, so....girly! lol Yesterday, as Hope pulled her socks up as high as she could and said "Soccer Mama! Hopey play soccer!" I asked her if she wanted to do soccer or ballet. And she jumped up ran to the front door and said "Ballet Mama!!! Hope do ballet. Pleeeeease Mama. Now, ballet!" And that's all I've heard since then. We even ask her if she's sure she doesn't want to do soccer and she says, "No, silly Mama, Hopey princess. BALLET!!! Today!!!" So cute. And Halle agrees 100%. I've got two girly girls on my hands!

Galatians 6:1 Parenting

I'm loving the book I'm {slowly} reading right now... Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids! by Turansky and Miller.

It would be an excellent choice for a Christian Parenting class to do together because at the end of each chapter there are questions for discussion with scripture to help dig deeper.

At the end of the chapter I read last night they talked about the godly ways of correction found in Galatians 6:1. I've never thought of this in relation to parenting but it is good, especially for teenagers.

Gal 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

Gal 6:2 Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3 If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.

Gal 6:4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Gal 6:5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Isn't this a beautiful and truthful example of how to correct a child or teen who is straying. One of own struggles is getting into an argument with my kids instead of focusing only on the behavior, being careful to not be led into a boxing match. So I am trying to more gently and humbly focus on the sin itself and what needs to happen differently, being careful to not attack their character, and guide them back onto the right path.

So we're aiming to 1) Help carry their burdens, while not falling into the same sin (such as arguing in my case), 2) Watch that you have an attitude of humility (they respond so much better!, 3) Test your own actions and 4) Remember the goal...Restoring them gently.

They show how to focus on what they did wrong, using your words only, and if they do not respond well to the discussion they go take a break to think about it. This is not the obligatory, punishment type time out. It's a break to calm themselves and return ready for correction. Then if they respond positively, great. If not you may need to add a consequence. Then, and I love this part, always strive for a "positive conclusion" where they have hope that they can make a better choice next time.

I highly recommend this book :o)

a happy good-bye to {toddler}babyhood

Doesn't she look so much older all of a sudden???

The twins new big girl bedroom is small yet perfectly simple and super sweet. Nothing new except 2 sets of sheets and a new bunkbed.

They love their big girl bed and the transition has been relatively easy! They decided amongst themselves that Halle would have the top and Hope would have the bottom.

Their conversations are absolutely adorable. Their budding friendship is beautiful to watch. More on that later...but for now some pictures of their nearly finished big girl room {all that is left is to finish painting their pink armoire!}...

w.w.

some serious sadness

Any guesses on why the long faces?




On a side note I figured out the html on making the pictures bigger. It's the little things sometimes. :o)

The answer is..."Sorry girls, we used up all our frozen shredded zucchini from our garden. We'll have to make do with store-bought now. And Mama needs to go to the store so we cannot make zucchini bread today." lol

aiming for even more beauty, cheer, joy

and love in our hearts than in our home...

Dinner last night

was delicious. Can you tell what is was?

That Mom

I'm that kind of mom...


The kind of mom who loves to be silly with her kids and allows pictures that prove it!

That mom that people have to stare at when she dares to bring many young children on a shopping trip to costco, then is brave {rather dumb} enough to eat at the food court afterwards.

The kind of mom who will go for coffee & drop a kid off at school in bright pink pajamas with sledding elephants on them, and not be embarassed.

The kind of mom who hates it when people say, "Wow, you have your hands full." or even worse "Better you than me! I quit at two which is plenty!"

The kind of mom who often hears "You don't look old enough to have 7 kids. I don't mind that one. ;o)

The kind of mom who still licks her finger then wipes her teenager face when they have a spot of something.

The kind of mom who has a child sleeping on her floor nearly every night, but none in her bed.

The kind of mom who thinks it's still a date when she only brings one (or even two) kids on a date with her husband.

The kind of mom who makes her 8 year old sit in a 5 point harness carseat because he's not yet 80 lbs. He's so mad!

The kind of mom who doesn't give her kids junk cereal for breakfast but let's them have it for dessert.

The kind of mom who wakes up to dishes from last night dinner and swears she won't leave them again! Until the next time!

The kind of mom who takes far too many pictures of her kids and resorts to goofy faces and jumping up and down to make her babies laugh for just the right shot.

The kind of mom who goes to bed wondering how she made such a mess of the day and prays about how to be a better mom tomorrow.

The kind of mom who LOVES to teach her kids about Truth in history, geography & science and enjoys coming up with fun projects to cement these truths in their little brains.

The kind of mom who writes appointments on the calendar and enters them into her phone calendar and still forgets them.

The kind of mom who loves each of her children equally, whether they grew in her tummy or not.

The kind of mom who is often late, even though she tries so hard not to be!

The kind of mom who steps on legos, yells and takes them away (for good!) then gives them back the next day.

The kind of mom who loves to play tag, hide-and-seek and build forts.

The kind of mom who makes mistakes and can humble herself and ask her child's forgiveness.

Inspired by Brittany who was inspired by Susie. Join in if you blog :o)

my heart's prayer today

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Prayer of Saint Francis

cheap fun in tight times