New Blessing

I know I never post to my blog anymore but mainly I'm never on my pc to sit down and write anything, but I should have posted this a long time ago (well, almost 3 months ago).

We have a new son - Griffin. He was born prematurely and spent 3 weeks in the NICU but is doing great and is a huge blessing to our family.

My older 3 are doing great with him and they truly love him. It is super cute to see. We have managed to stay on top of homeschooling as well. I did point out that most teachers get a maternity leave but that I did not. So I should get a big bonus from my boss (or husband :) ).

We also celebrated our 10 year anniversary a month ago. Hard to believe its been 10 years. We have had some highs and lows and I'm so glad we experienced all of them together. Its allowed us to grow closer to each other and to God. What a blessing that is.

Merry Christmas

Well, I have not posted in a long time so I'll try and do an update on the family. I find that it is hard to get on the pc these days and I find that when I want to write something that I think of it in my head but never find the time to write it down.

So the reason I have not been on the computer much is because of home schooling, but that is okay because I feel like so far home schooling has been a huge blessing to all of us. Not that it is always easy but boy has it been wonderful. Besides being able to challenge my children more academically I also feel that we are growing to rely on each other as a family more. I love spending time w/ all my kids and enjoy that I get to be with them more then their teacher. I am also noticing that as they spend more time together that they fight less. Not that they never fight (boy would that be nice) but I believe they have learned to work things out better and I find that another huge blessing.

I think the biggest challenge is entertaining our little guy but I have made changes and we are doing the best we can. He gets two a.m. when it is just him and me and I think both of us love that time. We take gymnastics one day which he loves (and he is working on cartwheels and can push up to a hand stand at times). The biggest problem with entertaining BT is that he never sits still and loves to throw things. We did do a big clean up of the play room and his toys are easier to find and we take turns playing with him as we work on school.

Logan and Kendra also did soccer this year and both really enjoyed it. It was both of their first years and I think they got a lot out of it. Logan began to blossom by the end of the season and Kendra, when she was not chatting, could get after it too. B is a natural and can already kick the soccer ball.

L & K continue with martial arts and are both doing great and in a few months L will be in their advance kids club which he is so excited about.

But besides that we are doing well. We are already on Christmas break so I am a little antsy with no routine and not knowing what to do in the cold wet weather but we are having fun and I'm enjoying some down time.

Merry Christmas

Catching up

I was looking at my blog and seen that it has been over a month since I posted last. At times I think of a lot of good things to post but don't seem to have time these days to sit down and actually type out what is on my mind.

Homeschooling is going great here. I am so incredibly happy with our decision and LOVE the extra days a week I get to spend w/ my older 2. I am really enjoying that they get to go to school 2 x / week and spend the other days with me. I have found that it is easy to get behind in house work, etc. now though but I keep telling myself my job is to teach and be their mom and the house work can get done later. Luckily for me a little girl came in my room at 4:00 a.m. and once she woke me up I could not get to sleep so now I am getting the laundry done in a very quiet house.

K's school is only 1/2 day so I get 2 mornings a week w/ BT. One morning we do gymnastics and he is crazy about it. Now, my little guy is crazy too when it comes to gymnastics. He can jump up in to a handstand and then can fall back in to a back bend. Now he is bendy and has no fear at all but he goes crazy. He runs and just does handsprings which sometimes end up as headspring and they scare me. But he just goes and goes and does back rolls. He loves picking up K (which we do right after gymnastics and some free play at the gym) and telling her he went to gymnastics. I have some video which I need to post of him.

We had a great Halloween. All 3 kids dressed up as Avatar, the last air bender (a cartoon on Nick). So, Ang, the Avatar, has a bald head, so we buzzed Logan's head to a 1. I was loving his hair but he looks really good w/ a bald head and I think he will want to keep it this way for a while. His new haircut gets him lots of attention too.

We just finished our 1st soccer season for both L&K. It was a really fun year. 1st off, B can kick a ball better then most kids and he is 2. It is crazy watching him dribble a ball. L really improved a lot during soccer and I think is really getting in to it. K, well, she had fun and had lots of energy to talk and play. Sometimes she was super aggressive on the field and other times she was picking flowers. At her end of season party the coaches did say she always was helping the other team up and checking to see if they were okay. I was telling her she needed to be a little more competitive and she informed me that God made us all different.

L&K are both also doing martial arts. It is fun watching both of them improve and how much they both enjoy it. At times I get burned out being at the dojo so much as L&K are in different classes and so we spend a lot of time there.

That is kind of it from here. We had a great weekend w/ no soccer and went on a family hike on Saturday. It was great to get out and enjoy the beauty of CA w/ the 3 kiddos.

I would like a nice house

So, in NC Andrew and I skipped the starter home and bought a home we felt like we could be in for a long time.  Our house was nice and big and fit our family great.  It did not have all the bells and whistles of some homes but it had everything and more that we wanted.

Now, fast forward to CA where the cost of living is astronomical and houses are old and a lot of them need so much work that we would actually have to consider doing remodeling in a house we bought while we rented another home.

So, the other day I was taking a walk w/ the 3 kids and we were talking about houses and I was like wouldn't you guys rather live in a house like our friends in NC that is big and nice and has a pool instead of living out here where they are expensive and not as nice.  And they said to me "We had rather live here because this is where our friends are."

Then it hit me, what am I teaching my children.  That the size and the amenities of a house makes it a good home.  That I value bigger and better over friends.

Now, please don't get me wrong, NC has the best friends I have ever had in my life so a huge part of my reason I want to move back is to be with them so it is not just about the nice, big house that we can afford there.  But I realized I need to make sure I am teaching my kids the right values and for them their friends are in CA and so this is where they want to be.  They don't care that our bathrooms are so small and that our outlets don't have 3 prongs.  They just care that they can go next door and play w/ their friends.  I hadn't even realized the lesson I was teaching my kids.

So, now I will not try and convince them we should move b/c of housing prices b/c I don't want to be teaching them a wrong lesson.

Yes, I would still like a nice house but I'll just nag Andrew about that when they are not around :)

And I will trust that God has a plan for us and that one day we will own a house and will make it our home and we will surround ourselves with the love of God, each other and friends.

How it's going

So, we are in week 4 of homeschooling and so far it has been great.  I am enjoying all the extra time that I get to spend with L&K that I would not have if they were in school 5 days a week.  I enjoy time to laugh, play, pray, learn, grow, and just be together.  I am enjoying helping them and seeing what areas of school come easier to them and what areas they struggle with.  I am also enjoying all that I am getting to relearn again.

The co-op so far is going well.  I think they are both really liking their new classes and have started to get to know the kids in their class.  K's class is small - 6 kids and L's is 10 - 12 (I'm not for sure).  I am also enjoying the mornings I have just w/ B.  It is nice to have some quality 1:1 time to spend just with him as I've never really gotten that.

Andrew takes L&K to school the 2 days they go and I am loving that he gets special time with them and he is absolutely loving it too.  They talk and he listens, they roll down the windows and play music super loud, and they just enjoy that extra time they get together.

L is loving science.  He gets so excited for science class.  The other day he asked me if he could take another science class and there is a Bible study that does a science class for home schooled children so I signed up for the Bible study and for L&K to take the science class.  I am hoping to connect with some other homeschooling moms and L can't wait for another day of hands on science.

The thing that has changed is that at night I can no longer just veg in front of the tv.  I have work plans to get ready and workboxes to fill.  It is a change having to do work.

I also get to make a cake for Logan's science class tomorrow.  We will make it today but it is supposed to show the layers of the earth and have the continents/oceans iced on it.  I'll try and post pics soon.

So, that is a quick update of how school is going.  I know it sounds all yeah and only positive but that is the attitude I am taking towards it and I truly think we are all loving it.

School

So, L&Ks first day of school was yesterday.  It was L's 3rd new school and he is only in 2nd grade.  The decision to switch was hard and this was one of the many reasons but after dropping L&K off, Andrew & I both felt that we made the right decision.  We know L&K are both resilient and will do great.  K already had met 4 of the other 6 kids in her class so I know that helped her a lot.  She started off shy but that lasted about 2 minutes till she was speaking up.  I am not for sure the ratio of boys to girl in L's class yet as they start off with spelling and not everyone is in their grade for spelling.  I did ask him for a classmate's name and he was able to give me two.  K,B, & I went and met him for lunch and after that we played with the rest of her classmates for a bit (Kindergarten in only 1/2 day).

Today, was our 1st day of homeschooling and it went well.  I was up super late for me getting things ready but it helped to be organized.  I am somewhat doing  a system I found on line called the workbox system.  Basically, each kid has 10 boxes and they go through them 1 by 1.  Logan's boxes are filled and sometimes with more then one activity.  B was not too hard either.  He liked it when I got out two big bowls and filled one with cotton balls and he had to move them to the other bowl with a spoon.  When he got bored with that he did it with tongs.

We are done and only have martial arts left for today.  It is nice being done by 3:00.  So, this sums up our 1st 2 days of school.  I also have to say it was not as hard taking Kendra to school for the first time since I know I get to see her 3 out of the 5 school days.  B also was super cute b/c when L&K put on their backpacks he went and put his on too.  You can't see it in the pics b/c the straps are the same color as his jacket.

Where we have been and what's new

So, it has been a while since I posted last and we have been super busy. We sepnt 20 out of 21 days away from home. The first journey in our vacation was to Ethiopian Heritage camp. We spent 3 nights in the Santa Cruz mountains with other families who have adopted from Ethiopia as well as many Ethiopians who came to help us learn and older adopted Ethiopian children who shared their stories with us. It was a great time. Great to be with families who love Ethiopia as much as you and who desire to share as much as they can with their children (both bio and adopted) about Ethiopia. We were able to listen to older adopted children talk and gained a wealth of information from them. We hope to store a lot of this information away for when BT gets to a point that questions come as we want to answer him in an honest and loving way that makes him feel secure in our love and secure that it is okay to mourn and miss the life and family he left behind. Some of the children talked about their journey back to Ethiopia. There stories were incredible and it was an honor to listen to them.

After we left the Ethiopian Heritage camp we came home for one night and did laundry and packed. Monday we took a red eye to TX to visit my family. We were in 100 degree Austin for 9 days and had a fabulous time. We then left TX to go to 95 degree Florida to visit Andrew's family. We had absolutely the best time with both families and want to hear something awesome - I did not have to cook or do the dishes or clean the whole 16 days that we were gone :) I did do laundry though. The 3 kids loved being with their grandparents and one of their Aunts so much. They miss them terribly and want to go back asap. So wonderful to be able to spend time with them for all of us.

Now, we are back in CA. It was nice coming back to cooler weather but it has been super duper hot the last 3 days and we don't have AC so 109 (what my temperature gauge said) is hot especially when you can't even open the windows to cool down.

School started here on Monday but we did not go. We made the decision in June to homeschool L&K. They will be attending a private Christian school MW and will be homeschooled 3 times per week. This was not an easy decision for Andrew and I to make as we felt like the local school was a great community and had a lot to offer but I have to tell you that I am so excited that I get to spend so much time a day w/ L&K (&BT but he would be home w/ me anyway). I get to be directly involved in their education. I do have some self doubts but oh I am so excited. We start on Monday.

So, that is where I've been. More stuff to come soon but here are some pics from our wonderful vacation.

Is she adopted? and picks from BT's 1st haircut

So, the other night Kendra was in a bouncy house and Andrew brought Brandon over.  This little girl went up to Kendra and asked who the little boy was.  Kendra said he is my brother.  The girl then asked if Andrew was Kendra's Dad and she said yes and the girl said "Oh you are adopted."

This is not the 1st time I have been asked this question.  A lady I knew from martial arts asked if Kendra was adopted b/c she knew B was and thought Kendra did not look 1/2 Indian (it was in the winter before her summer tan).

I think one thing interesting about our family is how people can't figure out how we all fit together but it does not truly matter how we all came to fit together but that we fit together so well and make a wonderfully beautiful family.

On another note, BT got his 1st haircut this weekend.  We went to an Ethiopian barber a friend had used.  I was hesitant about getting it cut but Andrew felt like it needed some shaping up so I gave in.  The barber took off a little more then I would have liked but it looks really good.  He did a great job w/ B's hair line and an AA lady at Church even commented on what a good job was done, especially at the hairline for a 2 year old.  And if you are wondering how his hair was cut.  They pick it out to be straight and then just cut around.  The barber never used his finger (like they do when they cut my hair) to hold the hair.  He would pick it out again and then cut some more (too much if you ask me but it will grow back).  You will notice in the 1st pictures (before) his hair falls in to ringlet curls but now that it is shorter they are more just curls and not so spirally.

 

Yoga

So, when Andrew and I first started dating he was really in to yoga and took classes often.  As for me, I ran, played basketball, etc.  Things I considered "real" workouts.  I kind of thought yoga was this easy workout where you just breathed and stretched.

Now, fast forward 10 years and I am the one who is in to yoga.  I absolutely love it.  It is such a great work out and I leave feeling like I got a great work out yet completely revitalized.

For the past 2 weeks I have had trouble getting up and working out except for my yoga days.  On those days I seem to have no problem waking up at 5:00 to go to the gym.  I get so much out of these work outs. I told Andrew if I was to do it all over again I would just join a yoga studio instead of a gym b/c I could do it all the time.  And as for running, well w/ a bad knee and 2 bad achilles it does not happen (well I did run on the 4th of July in a 4 mile race in our neighborhood b/c Logan wanted me to and I was not going to tell him no b/c I am too young to not be able to do what my kids want me to.  I ran w/ him through mile 2 and then he walked for about 400 feet and then said lets run and took off and I could not keep up.  He finished (at age 7 w/out training) a 4 mile run in 41 minutes and I was about a minute and a half behind him which was not too bad for a lady who has not run in 4 years).

Now, if I can get as motivated to do my other workouts as I am to do yoga.  

Lenient or strict??

So, I was talking to my Mom yesterday and she asked if my sister (Ashlea) had told her the question she asked her.  I said no (which surprised my Mom since she says we tell each other everything (which is pretty true)).  So, she told me she asked my sister if I was a lenient mom or a strict mom.  I asked my Mom what my sister said and she asked me to answer first.  So I said in the middle.

She did not tell me what my sister said (even though I called my sister and found out and she said I was fairly strict) but she told me I was between the middle and strict.  At first I was hurt.  A the time I didn't know why, but I was.  

So, Andrew came home and I told him about our conversation and he was happy that my Mom's answer was fairly strict.  He said that was a good thing.  So I started thinking and I realized when my Mom said I was strict I heard that to be that I was a mean Mom and that is what made me sad.  But really it is not the same at all and Andrew's response made me realize that it is okay that I am not lenient with our children.  Being a Mom is my job and I have to do the best job I can.  They are our legacy and we are responsible to raise them in the best way we can.  I also took strict to be a Mom that was not fun and I try to have a lot of fun with my children.  I try to play with them and love them but I also try to set boundaries and rules and want them to have manners, respect, etc.

So, if someone asked you what type of Mom you were what would you say and would you be okay with the answer?

Sometimes its just the small things in life

Sometimes it is just the little things in life that can make your day.

The other day K sat on my lap to kiss me.  So, her little brother had to do the same.  Then they both started kissing me and each had to kiss me more.  So I sat there and kissed them back and they kissed me so much that my lips were sore.  Talk about a small thing that brightens your whole day.

Laundry.  No laundry does not make me happy but summer does b/c the kids wear sandals and since they wear sandals they do not wear socks and that makes for a lot less laundry to do (and I don't like folding socks).

What small things make your day?

Different Cultures

We were out of town for 10 days for a wonderful vacation.  The 1st part was spent in our old stomping ground of NC catching up w/ many old friends.  It was also a time for the 5 of us to relax.  We stayed at a friend's house and they have a beautiful back yard w/ an incredible pool.  We spent hours there just swimming and hanging out.  It was so relaxing and very much needed.

After our time in NC we headed up to the DC area as my SIL was getting married.  Once we were in DC we were on the go almost the whole time but it was a good on the go.  K & I missed the 1st get together as she threw up but after a good nap she was talking non stop so we knew she felt better and luckily the boys did not get it.  

My SILs wedding was great.  The ceremony was beautiful and both her and her now husband looked wonderful.  Andrew & I both did a reading and L,K&B were the ring bearers and flower girl. They were all super well behaved :)  I told them they had to behave during the ceremony but could do whatever they wanted at the reception.  So what did Logan want to do with me at the reception while I was wearing a floor length gown - wrestle :)

The reception was a lot of fun and the kids and I changed into traditional Indian outfits.  When Andrew & I got married folks asked us if we were having an American and Indian wedding, but what most folks consider an Indian wedding is part of a Hindu ceremony which last several days and Andrew's family is Catholic so we combined their village traditions in to our wedding (as did my SIL).

I have to say that being part of a culture that is different than the one I grew up with is absolutely awesome.  I just get to experience things that I never would have.  And Andrew's family is so super amazing and they just embrace me and accept me and educate me  :)  I truly enjoy the difference in Andrew's and my family.  It is fun seeing how they are different yet both are rooted in love & Christ.  Andrew's family loves to party and dance and just have a good time.  So does mine but we hang out, play board games, etc.    And I get to wear beautiful clothes that I probably would not have worn.  Not that I could not have worn it but I doubt I would just wear a sari b/c it is beautiful.  But now I get to and I have an excuse (and even if I didn't having worn Indian outfits before I now have the confidence to wear them).

Here are some pics of us dressed up.  My SIL picked out my sari and she did a wonderful job.  I love the colors.  And my SIL looks gorgeous in her sari.  Really, she is stunning :)  And my in-laws picked out the kids last time they were in India and they did a great job.  Everyone looked so good!