Thursday, December 27, 2012

Selling our house/ Christmas


So much has happened in the last few months since my last post. Seth turned 1. Malika started Kindergarten and is now able to read. We found an amazing speech therapist for Kaylee and she is even saying a few words now. We put our house on the market. I cleaned like crazy for all of our showings and it eventually paid off, we sold our house this month! The way it happened I believe was completely God. 
We had our house on the market about 3 months and had an offer, but it was way too low. We went back and forth with the people that offered, but we couldn't come to an agreement on a price. It was so stressful trying to keep the house in perfect condition with 4 little ones and having to pack them up and leave the house for the showings, so the same day we found out the other people walked away we decided to take it off the market for the holidays. Later in the day a realtor called to set an appointment to show the house. I told her it wasn't a good day and we were taking it off the market anyway. She said her clients were really interested and asked if we could just show it one last time. She was so nice and understanding, I said yes, but I wasn't cleaning it. They were the ones to buy our house! And it was at a much higher offer than we expected. 

We had a month to find a new house, move and close on our old house. Oh, how stressful and crazy it has been. We did find a house. It is a perfect house for us and we love it. I have been looking at houses for 2 years and haven't found one that I loved. Without wanting to knock down a wall or add a room, anyway. The house we found went on the market just a few weeks before we found it. When we came to look at it, I said it was the house and we didn't need to look at anymore. 

It is perfect for our needs. It is all one level, and we have doubled our space from our previous house. We miss our old house, but look forward to making this one our home. 

The kids love it. Seth especially, he can get to all the toys anytime he wants (the toys were upstairs in the old house to keep it neat for the showings). Justus says he wants to go back home, but I can tell he likes this house too. Kaylee has adjusted well, the first day she was a bit out of sorts, she just sat on the floor and did nothing. I think she just didn't know what was going on as it was completely different. Malika wasn't even phased at all about moving, she's just happy to have a purple room and a huge closet with a light:) The cat hates it, but we didn't expect her too as she is afraid of her own shadow. 

Seth playing outside in the sandbox, one of his favorite things to do. 

 Seth and Kaylee love each other. They are best friends. When Seth is taking a nap, Kaylee just mopes around waiting for him. And Seth gets excited when he sees Kaylee first thing in the morning. They really are double trouble together. They definitely keep me on my toes. See those puzzles in the background? This day, they decided to dump every last puzzle on the ground and laugh as mommy put them back together.
 
We dressed our cat, Liberty, up for Christmas. She wasn't exactly happy about it, the kids were though.

Malika had her first dance recital. She was a bunny in Narnia. I am so proud of her, she did an awesome job. She is so shy, I really thought she would just stand there, but she did her dance perfectly.




Kaylee and Seth had their second Christmas. This was the first Christmas that the kids woke us up early.

Poor baby boo. He had his first real boo-boo, he fell on his face on the driveway.

 Malika is so beautiful. She is showing off her favorite gift from her stocking, her butterfly headband.

 Whenever Kaylee has unwrapped presents she always gets this pained look on her face and grunts, it is funny to watch.












  When I look at this picture, I now see what others see when I am out. They all look the same age. No wonder people always say I have my hands full.

 With our Birthday cake for Jesus.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

pictures of the kids


I always take pictures every year on the kids birthdays. So, today we finally took their pictures. We went downtown to take them. They turned out sooo good, I love them all. I had such a hard time deciding which ones to post, so that is why there are so many of them. 

Malika is 5 and Justus and Kaylee are 3. Seth turns 1 next month, so I will be taking his one year pictures then. 

Recently we've started Kindergarten with Malika. We are homeschooling and are using the Sonlight curriculum. We love it. She is also learning to read using All About Reading. We have only been doing it for about a week, but she is picking it up very quickly.

Justus and Kaylee are learning along with Malika, but we aren't doing any formal curriculum with them. They of course listen to the books and learn the memory verse and sit with us when we are doing workbook pages. I make stuff up for Justus to cut and color, he loves it and calls it his school stuff. 

Kaylee is learning her colors. At least, I'm hoping she is learning them. We are going over them often and I hope she truly is picking them up. I've just started teaching her the signs for all of them. She is learning more sounds, still no "real" words. I do think she is trying to talk though. She is very smart though and understands all that we say to her. The other day she pooped at nap time. When I got her out of her bed I frowned and said "we don't poopy in our bed, that is yucky", after I cleaned her up, I was talking to her about it. I asked her where we go poopy, she signed "potty". I was surprised, we have gone over this many times and I never got a response before. Then, I asked her if we go poopy in our bed, she shook her head no!! I love it when she responds to me. Even though she isn't talking, I know she is so smart and I think she thinks very normally, so I am trying to add new signs in more often so she will be able to communicate better. I think we are well past 50 signs now that she knows and she uses most of them. I do still try to get her to say words. This is how it usually goes: 
she signs banana. Ok, you can have a banana if you say it.
Me: say ba
her: ba
Me: say na-nah
her: tah
me: no, say naah-nah
her: tah
me:nah-nah-nah-nah-nah (if I keep repeating it, she finally gets it)
her: (finallly)nah-nah
me:yay(clapping), now say ba
her: ba
me:na-nah
her: tah

Oh well, it is a start. I think she will get it one day. 


Malika got a new bike for her birthday. She loves it so much. The first couple days she rode it in the house. Now, every single day she begs to go out to ride it. Yesterday, we all went on a bike ride around the block, she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling. Justus has wanted a bike now too, we told him maybe next year for his birthday (he has a tricycle). Yesterday, we went to my parents house and they gave him a bike they got at a yard sale. He loves that thing. He keeps calling it his new bike. I love how kids don't see things for how much they cost or what they look like. 

Allright, allright, I'll stop writing. Here are the pictures. 





 Boys are great, so full of energy. Justus definitely keeps us on our toes.


 I love, love, love this picture of Kaylee. She is so beautiful.




 I think men carrying babies are so handsome. Don't you agree? 








I can't believe she is 5! I remember bringing her home from the hospital like it was yesterday. 









 And one of my bugaboo, couldn't leave him out :)

Monday, July 16, 2012

Kaylee is 3 today!


Three years ago in a hospital in Ukraine a little baby was born. She was not a mistake. She wasn't born for nothing.

Psalm 139:13-16. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. 



Jeremiah. 1:5. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart.


What was it like? Was she held? Did someone stare into her eyes? Did her mom have her heart wrenched from her body knowing that she could not keep her? Or did she just walk away and not look back? 


These questions bring tears to my eyes. I would like to think that her mom loved her and wanted her, but because of circumstances was unable to care for her. I want to think that the nurses surrounded her with love. However it really was, I do know one thing. God cared for her and loved her. He says He will never leave us or forsake us. He did not leave her. She was not forgotten. 


He put her in our hearts and brought us together. Our lives will forever be changed because of Kaylee.


I am truly honored to be called by God to be her mommy.

This is Kaylee a year ago on her 2nd birthday. She has changed so much.


 This is her now. Even though these pictures don't look too much different, she really has changed a lot. She does still love her food, but she also loves other things now. 

 This is Kaylee a year ago. Her expression in this picture is what I got most of the time, but now she has come to life...

She smiles and plays and enjoys life.







Happy Birthday Kaylee! We love you!

Do you have a child out there?  Go to Reeces Rainbow to see all the other waiting children.