Oh Happy Day.

It's official....Caleb has his forever family. Our friends have been in the adoption process for quite a while and now, something that they knew all along is official and on paper, Caleb is theirs!

These are a few pics from his "Gotcha" party. 

Check out the cool t's designed by Caleb's momma.

Also, I cried when she read the letter she wrote about Caleb. 

Can't wait for our very own "Gotcha" day for Baby "K!"

Peter Pan

An amazing production starring our friend Sara. She was an amazing Tinkerbell. Rinny wouldn't look up for a picture, she was obsessing about Tinkerbell instead. 

Things we learned at the Production:

1. Creed is pretty much a musical genius. Micah has confirmed this fact. A song would come on and within a few seconds Creed would know what the song was from. Micah says this is exceptional.

2. Rinny is afraid of skeletons. When she heard brother say that there were skeletons in the second half she refused to look up for about 1/4 of the first half. 

Ministry and a Busy Street

Creed is "rejoicing with those who rejoice" with his sissy as she accomplished going down the slide for the first time. No matter what anyone says (including them) they truly do love each other a ton. 

So, I have about 100 different variations of this same pose with Creed being excited after he slides down the slide. Have I ever mentioned that Creed has a lot of  spirit?.....

Rinn was cold....what a girl. (Okay, I must admit I stepped into the pool for all of about 5.5 seconds and hopped right on out of there. Freezing.
This one is hilarious. Rinny learned that she can pee outside like bubby. (Hope no one was driving by!)

Thank goodness you can crop photos the way you want to when you blog. There are some things that none of you need to see!

It is fun being in ministry (thus knowing a lot of people) and living on a busy street. It makes for good times when you want to go out in your backyard and do a little swimming with the kiddos. Let's just say I WILL NOT be wearing a swimsuit in my backyard this summer.

The kiddos and Micah and I had a little splashin' fun in the back today. I have explanations to go along with the photos this time. 

Owl Puke and other Ponderings...

So, we are learning about owl puke. Did you know that owls have several stomachs? When they eat a mouse or a rodent they swallow it whole. After that, their stomachs seperate out the "undigestible" and pack it away in their other stomach. After awhile they have this little compact "pellet" of hair and bones, teeth, nails etc. from their dinner and they "puke" up  a little ball. Hmm..interesting. 

Okay, so something else I have found that is kinda fun. Creed (if you know him, you already know this) is a very fun, energetic, and active child. I have watched a website for a while that talks about little kiddos like Creed and calls them "Sizzle Bops." 

Anyway, these are SOOOOO true for Creed in our house,that I thought I would share for any of you that have your own little "sizzleboppers" in your home!

Reasons to be thankful for the "sizzler" in your life:

*You will possess the truly worthwhile quality of being far less judgmental of the rest of the world as you will daily wish such grace to be bestowed upon you:)

*You have become a virtual encyclopedia of stain removal techniques

*You know that just as a survival-specialist know that you can go a very long time without food, you have further discovered that you can go very long, in fact years, without being permitted to complete a sentence or thought without fatal damage to brain function. (Impaired function, yes...fatal damage, no)

*You will never develop the unattractive, smug look of a parent who believes they have this parenting thing completely under control. ( I totally used to think this before I had kids...remember saying "I will never parent like that" or "My kids will NEVER act like that")

*When you actually get a peaceful and quiet moment, it feeds you soul in ways it never would have before, when you took it for granted.

*Your home zings with sound and energy (I would add the word CONSTANTLY)

*The sibling of your little Sizzler will be tougher in ways that they would not have been had they had a quiet and compliant non-sizzling sibling. That toughness and empathy may serve them very well in the life they will live.

*You have, by far, the best stories when moms and dads share about the funny things kids do. (THIS ONE IS SOOOO TRUE!!...MY FAVORITE ONE)

*Hyperfocus can be your friend. While this quality can be a nuisance when a certain objective grasps your child's attention and won't let go, there are other times when you benefit. When this kid gets the "bug" to get something done...it happens! (Actually, I am getting this blog journal in while he is hyperfocusing as I type)

*You will never stop learning..indeed, constant discovery will join your daily routine. Such as can a small child indeed, fit through a laundry chute? (answer: yes) Can a 5 year old make it completely from the back of the house, through four rooms to the front of the house with his feet never touching the floor? (answer: yes, and even more amazingly, with only one item knocked over in the process)

*You will always be given opportunities for self-improvement. Indeed, had you never had this child, you might never have known you had a temper in need of..um...well...tempering?

*Some couple, somewhere, longs profoundly for a child and would gladly hand away all their wordly posessions to obtain exactly the sound and noise that fills your home.

*You don't have to tell this kid to get up and get more exercise

*Aside from all the frustrations this child feels deeply, he also loves deeply, laughs deeply, cares deeply, mourns deeply. Seeing that kind of depth of feeling in this child is a privilege not unlike seeing a piece of art that takes your breath away.

*You know (even when others can't see it) that this child's passion and energy will one day take him to great achievement. And it's always nice to be in on a secret. It is a privilege to live with and laugh alongside these unique and precious kiddos. 

Enjoy em' and enjoy the small bit of info on owl puke. It's fun being a mom. (and a lot of work..)

Best Family Photo Shoot

Okay...so, I don't usually share my professional work on my personal blog but, I couldn't resist. But, this is the BEST family shoot I have had in awhile. I really fell in love with them, so I had to share. (maybe I should admit that I am a little biased..this is my sis and her clan!)...

So, the first are just a few from the actual photo shoot and the rest are for you to understand her family a little better.  These are her kids' favorite parts about the shoot. (in order of birth)

1. Max- Obsessed about the bugs the entire photo shoot. He was really interested in telling us the genus and species of each of the bugs that we saw. The kid's a genius (especially when it comes to animals)

2. Campbell- A girly girl and she won the obedience award for posing for the most photos with a smile. Her favorite part was the flowers (pink, of course!)

3. Landry- Hilarious little girl. Side note: Check out the gap between her teeth. She gets if from my sis...her gap was just like that (so cute!). Her favorite part was the promised slush and chocolate bar that she got after the photo shoot.

4. Jones- His favorite part was his "nunny" of course!! (that's me..his aunt..he calls me "nunny"). What a sugar bear!

Ramblings and Good News

Creed thinks these are hilarious and that we should share them.

Adoption Update:

Two of the families on the waiting list got their referrals (ie: babies!) Yippay De Doo Dah

So great for them, and so great for us. We are moving up on the list. That could mean we could get our baby call in as close as 3 or 4 months and as long as 8 or 9 months. Either way...that is fast! Yikes. So happy. So nervous.

Please pray for God to place just the right child in our family. He is way bigger than us. Also, please pray for finances. A big chunk is due when we get the referral. We have about 1/3 of that amount in the bank right now. God will perform miracles, we know it..without a doubt.

It's good to be home from the vacation. I need a vacation. heehee

Out

Little trip to the Ice Cream shop. Rinn didn't have time to look at the camera, because she was worried that someone would get more brownie than her. Creed was too tired to open his eyes but not too tired to eat just one more bite.One of the main reasons why we made the trek. My sis, Mika.
Creed hasn't fallen asleep in a restaurant, well...ever, I think. Except for here, he is tuckered.



Okay, Why am I up so late as we leave to head home in just a few hours? I don't know...but, since I am....I will post some final pics. That's a wrap.

Vacation+Road Trip+2 kiddos=Exhaustion

Rinny bird watchingRinny, deciding that the binoculars just get in the way
Blue Herons are really funky looking birds
Creed has been obsessed with the video camera this trip
Rinny in Sedona on the way back from bird watching

Grand Canyon....amazing

Things I have learned on our trip, part deuce

1. See the title....we are really really tired. We have learned that long family vacations that involve road trips kinda mean a fun time for the kids and a lot of work for the parents. (we're having fun too, just need a lazy vacation when we return from our vacation)

2. These types of trips are very educational. I have learned a lot and so has Creed. 

3. Taking steroids makes me not only hungry but a little on edge. I have been sick for a few days and thank the Lord, my OK doc called me in some steroids (asthma, bad) and an antibiotic (sinus infection). It had been awhile since I had been on steroids, I guess I had forgotten that they make me a little crazy.

4. Most of the stuff you do on vacation, you could do at home but just don't.

Things we have seen:

Grand Canyon

Canyon De Chelly

Navajo Indian Reservation

Hopi Indian Reservation

Sedona

Blue Heron birds

Albuquerque

Phoenix

My kids favorite parts about the vacation:

Seeing My My,Daga, and Bapa (this one couldn't be done at home)

Things that could be done at home by aren't as much:

Eating junk food

Playing in the dirt

Watching Birds

Staying up late and getting up early

Playing Uno and Card games

Having Big Breakfasts

Playing outside a ton

Sleeping all together

Making new friends

Forgetting to brush teeth, make beds..etc.

Hmmm...listening to my kids and what their favorites are makes me laugh. I love em'.

On the road again

Fun things I am learning on our trip:

1. Creed has a lot of energy. At Canyon De Chelly he hiked 3 MILES. On the return trip he played the part of "Hiker Mountain Lion Creed" and was our tour guide. He would tell us things like "if you will look to the left you will see a prickly pear cactus" and to your right you will see "horse poop." This went on for the entire 1.5 mile trip back to camp.

2. Rinny is a girly girl. She also loves being outside. At this campground we had no running water but both us girls had a little time to put on some makeup. She loved it. She has always begged to put on a little makeup and so we played and did it. She hasn't stopped asking for more makeup.

3. It is cold in Arizona in the mountains. Really cold.

4. Creed is super duper smart and has an incredible memory. He remembers things that I have taught him in school down to the last detail. It really is amazing.

5. Rinny is really a lovey dove. She has told bapa (my step dad) a million times that she loves him. She will just say "I love you, bapa."' At other times she will say "Do you like me bapa?"

6. It's kinda fun to eat junk food every day, not take a shower, and be dirty all the time.

7. It's hard to sleep away from home in an RV.

More to post later....with pics of course!

Trek Across America

Mommy and Rinny on top of Sandia Peak
Creed loved the top of Sandia Peak...his leg was all the way down in the snow. This kid has no fear, by the way.
Stop at a little cafe to have some hot chocolate on the top of the mountain.
Creed trying his hand at Navajo weaving.The real deal....a Navajo lady weaving a rug. She said it will take her about 2 1/2 months working on it every day to complete the rug. It was amazing to watch.

About to start the trek. Do we know what we are in for?
I think one of Rinny's favorite things is being in the RV and hiding behind the curtain. 
Daddy and Rinny looking out of the tramway going up on top of Sandia Peak.
Rinny and bubby kinda sorta posing for a pic before attempting to climb over the railway.
Creed is under there, see the center between Micah and me.
We are on a family vacation that I am affectionately referring to as our "trek across the southwest USA". We are on day 5 and have had so much fun so far. 

We have been without internet, so I have been having blog withdrawls. I am going to try to get you all caught up. 

This is basically day one and two. Travel and Albuquerque.