Happy New Year

I can't think of any greater blessing in 2012 than these 3 kids.  Love them each so much.  They are such a blessing to us and I couldn't imagine a day without them.  It is an honor to be called their parents.  We look forward to many more great adventures with them on the road God leads us down in 2013.  Happy New Year to each of you!

An Unexpected Christmas

A Month Of Adventure

This last couple weeks have been full of adventures and the kids have loved every bit of it (I on the other hand am still exhausted and recovering).

We did a unit on Van Gogh and finished it with a trip to the art museum where we got to see many of Van Gogh's paintings.

We enjoyed a fun trip to Dave & Buster's thanks to Luke's company Christmas party.

Kristin and I had a fun night out with my sisters and saw the Nutcracker.

The kids had their Tumbling Christmas Program.

We did our annual baking of Christmas treats.

I went to see one of my favorite bands in concert, "For King & Country."  It was an amazing night of worship and celebrating Jesus.

Our sweet little girl turned 6 and it was a weekend of fun celebrations.

Catching Up - October

I have been a terrible blogger lately, I think partially because we have taken multiple trips this fall visiting family, and then you add in school and everyday life, and there's not much time left for anything else.  Below are some pictures of our trip to Texas we took in October.  These pictures are actually scrapbook pages for our albums that I have been working on (just click to enlarge them).  I tend not to share these pages out of privacy for our family and friends, so I apologize that these pages are lacking more personal pictures of our kids.

Thanksgiving Break

This Thanksgiving we were blessed with the opportunity to spend time with family in California.  It was a busy week filled with lots of visiting, and it was so much fun to see everyone again.  We also surprised our kids with a trip to Disneyland, SO FUN.  As an adult I still think it's the happiest place on earth. =)

Thanksgiving Chair

How often in a day to we really take the time to be thankful.  Instead of just focusing on being thankful for this season, we really need to take the time everyday to sit and be thankful.  It's amazing how much this can change your perspective on life.

Never a Dull Moment

sick boy

watching football with daddy

more snow

There Will Be a Day

Thanksgiving Projects

I've been feeling extremely crafty lately, here are some of the fun things we've done:

Orphan Sunday

Depraved Indifference

Something to remember during National Adoption Month:

Happy Halloween

A Road Less Traveled

Adoption is a tough journey, especially when you are just waiting.  The unknown can be a scary thing.  It wasn't that long ago that we were in this place of waiting and I remember it so well, it leaves imprints on your heart that will never go away.  If you know someone in this waiting place give them a hug, pray for them, and remind them that they haven't been forgotten.  For those of you still waiting, my heart aches for you and your child that you long to hold, this video is for you:

Snow Baby

I do feel like it's cruel and unusual punishment for both baby and parent when it comes to bundling up for the snow.  I mean baby can barely move, and that is a lot of works on parents considering most babies only last minutes outside.

Kyler loved playing in the snow out front, but of course most of it had melted so it was more like playing in the grass with patches of snow.  I found it hysterical watching him try to move with all these layers.

When playing in the snow out back (2 days accumulation that didn't melt), he wasn't impressed.  He could walk in it and just cried.  I'd say this experience lasted seconds. 

SNOW!!!

We have had the opportunity the last two mornings to wake up to fresh snow.  The kids have loved it, it brings some great entertainment.  I've also discovered that it is a great motivator for getting school work done, because the faster they finish the sooner they get to play in the snow.  Here are some fun snow pictures, unfortunately Kyler hasn't had the chance to play in it yet, by the time he's done napping most of it has melted.

1st Day of Snow

2nd Day of Snow

(Kristin loves to accessorize her snowmen)

(happily eating snow, according to him it's clean, I beg to differ)

1 Year Ago

(click to enlarge)

One year ago today we sat in an open air seating area in Rwanda and listened to a judge read verdicts (all in French of course).  The tone of the room was very serious, and many cases that he read nobody was present for.  The room was mostly occupied by the 9 families awaiting their adoption verdict, leaving little room for the convicts in pink jump suits and their families.  When it was our turn, we stood before the very solemn judge and listened to him read our ruling in French, and then we signed (because that's what our POA told us to do. =)  We ended the day with a celebration dinner that we will never forget, at a restaurant called Zen (the best Asian food we have ever had).  So 1 year ago today this beautiful baby boy forever became a part of our family.  Today we celebrate this special day that we officially became a family of 5.  Kyler has been a blessing to this family so much more than we could imagine.  His smile lights up a room and his great sense of humor constantly makes him the center of attention.  We love this little boy so much and are so thankful that God chose us to be his parents.


In case you haven't seen it yet, here's a slide show of when we 1st met our beautiful baby boy:

Pumpkin Fun

In the last fews years my dad has taken up pumpkin farming.  The kids love it and look forward to picking pumpkins from Grandpa's pumpkin patch each fall.  This weekend they got to pick their pumpkins, and then they put their own scary faces on them (the big pumpkin we are saving for a fun night of carving with daddy).

Halloween Sneak Peak

I must confess I'm one of those strange parents that finds joy in making her children's Halloween costumes.  Here are some of their previous costumes:

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Bumble Bees

So this year I thought it would be fun to make them matching costumes again.  Kristin and Kade helped me look at costume ideas on the internet and they both really liked this one, here's a sneak peak:

Best Road Trip Idea Ever

If you are looking for a great activity for your kids to do while on a road trip that doesn't include excessive video games and movies, this is the one.  I got this idea from a friend (I love pinterest).  Just paint a cookie sheet with chalk board paint, then the possibilities with you new magnetic chalk board are endless.  These provided hours of entertainment for all 3 of our kids on our road trip.

magnetic popsicle sticks

magnetic doll clothes

magnetic letters

chalk created great roads for our cars

magnetic pom poms

pom pom activity sheets

Art

Friday's have become art day at our house.  This is something Kristin of course looks forward to, and Kade tends to dread depending on the project.  Today's project was very simple, exploring with finger paints using different parts of their hands.

Kade did exactly as directed, he explored.

Kristin's explorations were a little more detailed.  She made a picture of herself, Kade, Kyler, and the baby sister she longs for.