Twin skirts

I've been waiting for Hannah to be big enough so that the girls could wear their "twin skirts" from the legendary Ms. Carla. In truth, Abigail's is the one that is still a bit too big. 

So I got them all dressed (no small task) and hair looking halfway presentable (an even more challenging task.) So when Hannah started losing her mind, I decided, "It's now or never. We are taking a stupid picture for Ms. Carla whether she likes it or not.

What I didn't foresee is Abigail slowly getting more and more upset having to sit next to Hannah for the picture. Watch her little smile slowly fade away as she started to say, "Her crying hurt my ears!"

A Few Tidbits

So what is going on in our life? Well, nothing incredibly exciting. The days are pretty much the same as we try to develop a routine and get used to our life here. This week, JB is participating in a local Permaculture course and is also beginning some computer training for his job, which starts in about two weeks. I am home with the kids and trying to figure out how this house will work best for us. I am also continuing to homeschool everyday. I've decided not to take the summer off as I really don't feel like I need it. I also feel like continuing to work now, will enable us to take breaks at times that would be more advantageous.

One of our JB's projects last week was fixing up bikes. We found two of the bikes pictured on the left at Goodwill for $8 each. Honestly, the old bike looks better in the picture than it looked in person. Both of the bikes were pretty beat up. So JB let the boys pick a color that they wanted their bikes and they ordered some new handlebars online. Sidge picked green, and they worked on his bike first. The finished project is on the right. Isaac's bike was finished this week. His is blue and looks equally awesome. Total cost turned out to be $21 each! (Instead of the $100+ that any new bike would have cost!) We were proud of this project as we continue to find ways to cut costs and be good stewards of our money.

Another small piece of news to report was that I took the kiddos to story time at our local library. The library here is AWESOME and has SO MANY activities for the kids. I am seriously, so impressed. And, it is very close to our house as well. The kids have been doing a summer reading program (the boys read but Abigail gets read to) for prizes, and yesterday, they got to sing songs, listen to some dog stories, and make these Clifford puppets -- which they all loved!!! Also Sidge, who has been having trouble when not just at our house with our family, did pretty well. He had one moment that he got a little overwhelmed, but basically, really enjoyed himself!

We are really enjoying the leisurely summer days. We are riding bikes outside, going to the park around the corner, and taking small field trips as time and vehicle permit. (We only have the van so when JB has to go somewhere, I don't have a vehicle.) 

Article Published Online

Bethany Christian Services recently published one of my pieces on their Blog and is going to feature that piece in the August edition of their infertility newsletter. I'm very excited about this. One, of course, because I love to write and it has always been something I've done and enjoyed. But two because, it continues to spread the word about infertility, supporting those we love, and not pushing down grief.

You can read the article by clicking here. 

I'm also excited about an upcoming speaking engagement. I will be speaking to a church at my friend Angelica's church in Japan next month. I am also looking at a speaking engagement in the fall at a local church's MOPs group. For anyone is interested, here is a link to my Bio & Public Speaking page which details the type of things I speak on. I am trying to take on these engagements on a very limited basis but with the same mission: to keep infertility an important and discussed topic, to encourage people traveling the road of grief, and to remind people of the beauty of adoption.

Also, please remember that we are still selling shirts for our Because of Isaac organization. We have sold 17 shirts but need to sell 75 to reach our goal. Please spread the message of this awesome fundraiser. If we can sell 75 shirts, we will make $1,000 for our current couple.

Grrrrrr .....

We still don't have our big shipment of stuff.

And not only do we still not have it, but no one can tell us anything.

I take that back. One woman in the Azores, a fabulous military gal, did us a favor and put a trace on our stuff and thinks it was supposed to be on a boat arriving on June 11th.

But no one knows anything.

No one is telling us anything.

How is that possible?

What frustrates me is that the American company responsible for getting our shipment once it comes in, is communicating with us. They have not been paid yet, and are obviously hoping to do a good job.

The movers in the Azores have been paid and therefore feel that their job was done.

But the stuff that was already put on the ship seems to be no one in particular's responsibility.

How can that be a good way to get things done?

I'm trying to not care that much and just go with the flow. But it is hard when you are living without 90% of the things you own and no one can even tell you what to expect. Even if someone could say how long approximately we had to wait, I would feel sooooo much better.

Thank goodness we bought that couch at Goodwill for $40. It has made a WORLD of difference.

And thank the Lord for air mattresses .... but still ... I haven't slept on my bed since the first week of April.

I don't think my kids will even remember how to use a dresser.

We know that chances are, we will only live in this house for about one year. We are looking to buy land as we speak. This is a very temporary stop. And I'd like it to feel like home, at least for a little bit.

Prayers.

Appreciated.

I am currently enjoying ...

• carpet!
• a thermostat!
• produce!
• the ice cream truck! (Just so American!)
• food options!
• everyone speaking English to me!
• our community pool!
• 110 outlets!

Edited to add: 

• Thunder and lightning (there was relatively no thunder and lightning on the island)
• Cheap options (like buying the boys bikes at Goodwill)

Edited again to add:

• Rabbits (little bunnies we get to see everywhere!)
• Fast shipping (ordered something from Amazon and it was here the NEXT day!
• Squirrels (never saw those in Turkey or the Azores and they just feel "familiar.")
• Being on the same time zone as people I know and love.

And the best thing I am enjoying is Hannah doing her first sign! About two weeks ago she started signing "milk" and it is definitely not a fluke now. I absolutely love signing with my kids. (Here is a link to a post I wrote about how this works in our family.)

Monday K.I.S.S.: Stay home!

Well, now that life is getting back to normal (sort of), I have decided to try to make sure I am doing my normal weekly columns.

Time to K.I.S.S. again!

Today my advice: STAY HOME!

Now obviously I love doing stuff outside of my house. Field trips and dinners and play dates are great, but here's the truth:

Staying home is SOOOO much easier!

You can't stay home all the time. I can't stay at home all the time. But I think we can try to stay home much more than we do. I am making it my mission this year. Not just to stay home but to keep life SIMPLE. 

Today is my first day flying solo. It's my first time since moving back to the States that I am the only grown-up for the entire day. We've decided not to jump right in and get a second vehicle. That means that whenever JB is working (or at a Conference like he is today), I don't have a vehicle. This means that I don't have any choice but to stay close to home and embrace what we have here. I can still walk to a park or go to the pool (if I am feeling very brave 1 on 4). We can ride bikes and go for walks and play in the backyard.

But we can avoid g-o-i-n-g.

Mannnnnnn is it easier to stay home than to go-go-go. 

Think about it. Try it. Enjoy it.

P.S. have a K.I.S.S idea? Please email them to me at wendi@wendikitsteiner.com!

Because of Isaac Fundraiser!

Update: We have sold 14 of our 75 shirt goal! Please help spread the word

We are so excited about this Because of Isaac fundraiser. My husband designed these t-shirts. We need to sell 75 of them to raise $1,000 for our currently adopting couple: Joel & Criss. Would you please take a moment to visit the fundraising page by clicking here.  We have 10 different color/style combos in both men's and women's designs! 

If you can't afford to purchase one right now, will you please take a moment to share these with anyone you know who has been touched or is passionate about adoption?! 

Thank you as always for helping us spread the word about Because of Isaac!

Adventure

We found a park not far from our house. Leave it to JB to turn a trip to the park into much, much more. The kids had a blast playing in the creek. We are really excited to take all the kiddos up to my friend Shea's land in Kentucky sometime soon so that we can spend many hours having fun in the water!

More reunions!

Me with Wilson girls: Jessie and Grace

On Saturday evening, I had the incredible honor of attending a baby shower for a very special young lady in my life. When we lived in Kentucky from 1995-2003, we were very good friends with the Wilson Family. We were actually asked to be the legal guardians of their children, and we called ourselves their godparents. We spent a ton of time with these awesome children during the years we called Kentucky home in our early years of marriage.

Well those awesome kids are now quite grown up. Sam is about to graduate from college and the youngest daughter, Jessie, is entering her senior year! Middle daughter Grace has some other big news. She is having a little girl next month.

The shower was an incredible time as it truly was a reunion of sorts for me. I only went with Hannah as we felt it would be a bit much for the other kiddos. I got to see some old friends and meet some new people as well. Just so fantastic to hug these girls again (and their parents). Our church in Kentucky, of which Mike Wilson was the pastor at the time, was a family to us during our time there, and I will always love those people dearly.

Good luck Grace! I can't wait to meet your little Bo!

My besties

I believe it was the incredible Winnie the Pooh who once said, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying good bye so hard."

From South Florida to Kentucky to Minnesota to Florida to Turkey to the Azores and back to Turkey again, my life since I left home for college in 1995 has been about hellos and good byes.

I have many friends that I love dearly. But I have a few friends that have stood the test of time. I always say that each place I live, I take between 1 and 3 people with me and keep them forever. This probably puts my "Tier One" people (as I like to call them) at right about a dozen or so.

These are women that I can call after not talking for months. They are people that love me absolutely unconditionally and I never fear something causing a rift in our relationship. They are my intimate and bosom buddies.

So you can imagine, after so many years overseas, the opportunity to see THREE of these gals in a matter of days was nearly cry-worthy. (In fat it was cry-worthy as I teared up many times during these visits.)

So, without further ado, the highlight of my year:

A picture of Sarah the last time I saw her -- Disney World -- right before we left for Turkey in 2010. Sarah is married to my cousin Josh. They lived across the street from us in Franklin, Kentucky from 2001-2003. We like to joke they were like Ethel and Lucy. Truly just kindred spirits that could talk and be together without any pretenses. I am so amazingly blessed the Josh and Sarah live just thirty minutes from us now! Of course, we have no idea where we will be heading after this year. But just to be close to them for a time is like a balm on my spirit! I have now gotten to see Sarah three times since we got back, and I know there will be many more visits. She has three children: Jordan (10), Tyler (8), and Mary Beth (4 almost 5).

The last time I had seen Kelsey -- right before she entered the convent in July of 2009. One of the highlights of my YEAR was the phone call I received on Friday morning. My friend Kelsey (who now no longer goes by this name) called me! John answered the phone and his face immediately entered a state of shock. He wouldn't tell me who was on the phone but then handed it to me. I literally began jumping around! Kelsey is not supposed to make phone calls but due to the fact that she had just gotten my letter with my phone number and only had two days before she left on a month long mission trip, her Mother Superior broke the rules on her behalf! Kelsey's convent is just 30 minutes from me! She is two years away from final vows and is working as a school teacher in Knoxville right now. She happened to be home, my card came, and she had two days before she was gone again. She only gets a set number of "family visits" a year, and as the godmother to my children, her Mother were allowing us to come as her family for the day. Could we come in an hour? OH MY YES! We got those kids dressed and out the door as fast as we had ever done. I was literally jumping out of my skin when Kelsey emerged from the long hallway and into the room!!! To hug her was seriously a moment I will never forget. I have loved this girl since our paths crossed in Minnesota, and she will always be a sister to me. We spent the entire day in the convent with her seeing the place she has called home for five years. What a fantastic moment! I hope I can see her more during our time here!!

One of the last times I had seen Shea -- October of 2008. On Saturday, I drove two hours to see my friend Shea in Kentucky. Shea was my teammate in college and is truly one of the most loyal, kind, giving, good-hearted people you will ever meet. She is a country girl at heart and is now the mother of two boys (Heath who is nearly 3 and Luke who is just 3 weeks old.) She and her husband Justin let me spend half the day with them on Saturday. To see Shea and hear her voice was something I could not wait for. She has really supported us during our years overseas and is one of those people that I could call at any moment and know she would be there as soon as she could. I am so blessed that I'll be able to see her more now that we are in the same region of the country!

I am one blessed girl to have these women in my life. Of course they are not my only great friends, but they are three of my very special people!

P.S. I also got to talk to my awesome friend Kristi on the phone the other day!!! Aaaahhh, the goodness goes on and on!

Free 8×10 Photo Collage with free in-store pick-up!

Through June 14, 2014, use coupon code DADCOLLAGE to get a free 8×10 Photo Collage from CVS Photo Center. Choose free in-store pick-up and shipping is free, too!

Friday Funnies

We use the phrase "naked as a jay bird" on occasion in our house. Yesterday after she went swimming, we found Abigail running around the living room naked singing over and over again, "Naked like blue jay. Naked like blue jay."

*****

We had the unbelievable privilege today of meeting with an old friend who is now a nun. She was telling Sidge about the habit she wore. Sidge looked at me and said, "Mom, is her habit a bad habit?"

*****

On the way home from visiting my friend Sister Joan of Arc, Sidge shouted "Look everyone! It's a giant pickle." When we all looked and didn't see one, he laughed and explained that his friend Noah, who came to visit the other day, taught him that. Noah must have also taught him what to say next. Sidge laughed and said, "Everyone falls into that." When I fell for it a second time he misused the expression again saying, "Mommy fell into it."

*****

Sidge asked us in the car, "Is it kinda great to be us?"

Air conditioning (and other surprises)

It's my kids who keep highlighting all the differences.

I know America. It is my home. John too. We grew up here. Aside from our four years overseas, most of our life has been spent in its borders.

But my boys were practically babies when they left. This country is not their home .... yet.

And Abigail has never lived in America until now. Hannah too of course.

Tonight we went to Olive Garden. This was our first "nice" dinner out since moving back to the USA -- just the six of us. 

Let me say that aside from the fact that the high chair belts are a bit screwy in this restaurant and Hannah fell out of her chair and landed on her head ... the night was a raging success! (Seriously, she fell out, landed on her head and didn't cry! I kid you not!)

I was so proud of how well my kids behaved. Most restaurants we frequented in Turkey and the Azores were small and not usually very crowded. In addition, waiters and waitresses overseas often took my kids out of their seats, carried them around, and let them go in to meet the kitchen staff or play with things around the restaurant. I was honestly a bit concerned that they might not remember how it is in America (especially when it comes to grown-up restaurants.) But they did wond
erfully.

During the dinner our kids kept pointing out differences -- little things that JB and I don't even think about. They didn't know they were showing us a cultural difference. They were just speaking the truth as they saw it.

Take coasters for instance. You know ... those little cardboard things that go under your glass. It was until Sidge said, "What is this?" that I realized I don't remember seeing those much (if ever?) in Turkey or the Azores.

Water bottles. Where are they? How can the waiter just pour water directly into a glass? (And of course, I noted the fact that water is now FREE!)

Another surprise? How C-O-L-D the restaurants are. The kids (all three of them) started rubbing their arms and telling us they were cold. "What is that blowing on me?" Sidge asked. We realized that they have probably never been in a restaurant with A/C in it. They didn't exist in Turkey (that I can remember) or in the Azores for sure. Toward the end of the meal Sidge said, "I want to get in the van, and I want you to not turn the air conditioning on in there."

Sidge also asked us why he is seeing so many overweight people. (Thank goodness he waited to ask us this until we were in private.) This is another big difference in switching countries. It may be where we are in the USA (i.e., the South) but obesity is much less common in Europe. It definitely exists but proportionately, you see so many more people in the USA who are overweight.

The thing is, JB and I have America "in our blood" and I have to really think about the differences. But our kids are pointing them out to us regularly. It makes for interesting dinner conversation as we try to explain to them why air conditioning is blowing or why you need these things under your glass.

One thing that made the night awesome included being able to ask about allergens and get concrete, solid, definitive answers. They actually gave us a 10 page booklet clearly defining what foods had eggs and what foods didn't. This is so amazingly wonderful to parents of a child with a food allergy -- and to that little boy. Isaac kept saying, "Are you sure?" He couldn't believe that we could be that positive about something that has always been so vague to us. We no longer have to try to ask whether the food has egg in it in another language and get some non-committal answer. There is no guessing! We can know ... for sure. What a blessing.

Despite all the learning curves and nuances, we remain incredibly blessed to be back home. We were also blessed today to have friends of ours from Eglin/Turkey/Azores (yes, we were in all three places together!) stop at our house and have lunch with us. The Seeligers were driving through and took the time to stop in! So wonderful to see them!

(The picture on the right is of the last time I saw Kristy. She, Carla, and I were hanging out at my house with our 8 children (and 2 in utero).

To Dry or Not To Dry

In both Turkey and the Azores, most local people do not use dryers. In fact, they do not even have dryers. This isn't because they are poor. It is simply because they consider it a very wasteful and expensive luxury item that they can easily do without. From rundown apartment buildings to luxury high rises to homes in the country and in the city, you will see clothes hanging outside. 

We lived on Base in Turkey so we had a provided dryer that we used. But in the Azores, living off Base, our dryer wasn't very good and when we ran it, our bill went up incredibly. I therefore got in the habit, especially during our second year there (when there was a lot less rain), to just hang the laundry. 

My pocketbook thanked me.

I did some basic google research during our transition to the USA. From what I could determine, not using our dryer could possibly save us about $30-$50 per month. So we asked our landlord if there were any HOA rules against laundry lines. He told us there was not. And we hung a line outside.

Twenty-four hours later our landlord called and told us he was mistaken. There was a rule, and in fact, he had already received a phone call from an irate neighbor. He was very frustrated with the neighbor for being so "in our business so fast" but said he had no choice but to ask us to take the line down. 

Now let me say that I know I don't live in Europe anymore.

I know I must accept the nuances of America.

And I know that those nuances are things that make me feel at home.

I am in no way slamming the USA.

And I am in no way saying that I don't want this to be my home.

I'm also not saying I am up on all the environmentally friendly things to do.

My kids wear disposable diapers.

Because I'm lazy.

And sometimes I buy paper plates.

I know that laundry lines don't look that nice.

And I know that we chose to move into a place with an HOA.

We respect our landlord and know this is his home.

And we are prepared to follow all rules.

We immediately took down the clothes line.

However, this little story really got me to thinking. 

How is it that we are so environmentally conscious in the USA in so many areas but we don't encourage avoiding dryer usage? We encourage moms to try cloth diapers and we recycle the heck out of things and we look down on using paper products. We get credits for using energy efficient appliances and we look into electric cars. 

But do you even know someone who doesn't have a dryer? Most places outlaw clothes lines in the USA. And even in places that they are allowed, who actually uses one?

I'm wondering if I am missing something? Again, please note that you will see posts from me in the days, weeks, and months to come discussing the differences I am seeing upon my return to America. These are not a slam on America. There are many things I think we do WAY better. It's just having your eyes opened a bit and wondering if we are just missing it or if I am missing something?

Comments?

Currently Reading

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Still MIA

As of today we still have received NO word about where our big shipment is. We have heard rumors that it may be on a boat that was late leaving the Azores. Rumor was that the late boat was due in on June 10th. But this is only a rumor. No one has told us anything! (We have heard this through other people who packed out around the same time as us.)


We bought a $40 couch at Goodwill. (Having somewhere to sit is really helpful!) Our neighbor has loaned us a dining room table so we can all eat together. A big octagonal baby gate from a friend of a friend and air mattresses from a bunch of different places have made this doable.


The post office gave us a hard time about the 32 boxes we mailed ourselves from the Azores. They thought we were going a little overboard.


I think not.


I am soooo glad I did that now. We have a lot of stuff here. It definitely isn't home without furniture or pictures or the "touches" that make a place feel like your's, but we are making it and those boxes were a huge part of that.


We also got our 1,000 pound shipment in that went by air. I am so glad that I put rugs in that shipment! It is so nice to have those in the house. I'm also glad to have everything we need to cook. I know some people skip that 1,000 pound shipment because it is a lot of extra work to separate your stuff. But man, this time it paid off.


If you think of it, please pray for our stuff to arrive as soon as possible. I am holding out hope that we can get it sometime this month!

I have a cell phone

I got one.


Hubby got one.


It ended up being a fancy phone because that was really the only way we/they could do the plan we wanted. We got a really low data limit which cut our costs and kept us spending under $100 a month which was my didn't-know-if-it-was-possible goal.


I think I have an iPhone. Hubby said he went with that because it was similar to the iPad so it would ease our learning curve.


The lady at the cell phone place got a real kick out of us. She said she had never met someone who had been cell-phone-less as long as we were. People immediately ask if we have been missionaries. We have to ask people explaining things to us very basic questions and we keep saying something like, "I know I sound like I'm from the stone ages..." or "I know it seems like I must have been living under a rock." Today I heard JB on the phone say to someone, "I know it sounds like I don't know much and that's because I sort of don't."


I plan to turn off data on my phone completely. (First I have to figure out how to do that.) I plan to not answer it when I'm out and to avoid getting sucked into it at all costs. I'll keep you posted on how well I can stay with that plan!


First thing I noticed when trying to type my Mom's name into the phone in my contacts: those little texting letters are really, really small. How do people do it so fast?


I talked to my buddy Kristi in New Mexico today. Received a call from my mom. Touched base with my cousin Sarah (who lives in Nashville.) Kristi said I don't have voice mail set up. I have no idea how to set that up. I'll try to accomplish that tomorrow.


Baby steps.


For now, it feels liberating to feel like I can call people when I want. It is amazing to think most people I know are awake when I'm awake. In a way, it's a bit disappointing as the morning used to be when I'd have a gazillion emails because everyone had been chatting and messaging me while I slept. Not, I get up, and there isn't as much there because people I know are sleeping at the same time as me.


Every day is a whirlwind of adventure for us here!

We are there

Today we went to the Nashville Zoo.

We weren't sure if the kids were ready ... especially Sidge. He's been doing better but is still struggling, especially when he gets around any other people. But we decided to take it slow and give it a try.

You can tell what a great day it was by this picture of Abigail in her car seat on the way home.

To say we had a wonderful time would be a huge understatement. At one point, I was pushing the girls on the swings at the park and the boys were running around and JB was laughing, and I, honestly, teared up. I just started crying right then and there. JB walked over to me and hugged me. And while he didn't cry, his face illustrated easily that he felt exactly like I did.

It was a perfect day. It was overcast. Not hot. No crowds. (Want to stress my husband out? Put him in a crowd on a hot day and watch him slowly lose his mind!) We strolled. All the kids were happy. There was no fighting. No crying. Just four kids taking it all in and seriously enjoying every minute.

Isaac was the navigator -- holding that zoo map and telling us where to go.
Hannah just rode in her stroller and took a nap in it and didn't make a peep the whole day.
Sidge was relaxed and able to enjoy himself without being overcome with thoughts and emotions. At one point he turned to JB and said, "This is the best day ... ever."
And Abigail just couldn't stop talking about those flamingoes!

I am not sure if I can adequately put into words how freeing it was to be doing something together as a family ... in America ... and to know that we didn't have to leave anytime soon. We could buy a yearly membership to the zoo (and we did!) because this is our home and we can stay here as long as we want.

I am so incredibly proud of my husband for his service to the military. I am very proud of our family for doing four years overseas. I will never regret or say one bad word about the military because they gave my husband his education and allowed him to do it debt free and gave us an adventure beyond our wildest dreams!

But there is something that hangs over you when you know, in the back of your mind, that your decisions are not your own. Any trip we have taken in the past, the military had to approve it. Any plans we made were always made with the possibility that the government might decide something different on our behalf.

Until now.

Now, we have picked where we live. And we can go where we want. And JB can go to work or he can quit work (without being arrested for going AWOL.)

In addition, while life in Turkey and on the island were wonderful ... we were so limited. There were no zoos or museums. And if there was, no one spoke English and taking a trip to these places took so much out of you that you often didn't want to go again.

We are a bit overwhelmed with life here. We got cell phones today and I'm seriously afraid of the thing. I also had a slight bit of panic when I entered a Chik Fil A at lunch time. The number of little cards people ask me to hang on my key chain is equally daunting. And how the heck do you get out of a Target without doing a happy dance?

But we are so, so, so, so happy to be home. Wherever it be in America, America is home. And we are there!

This is our life

JB and I often look at each other in complete awe:

How we went from a childless couple, married ten years, to:

• a barely rescued piece of corn up female Blondie's nose.
• a quick turn around to realize same Blondie had wrapped her pretty ribbon around Hannah's neck.
• Aforementioned Blondie redeeming herself by pointing out that Hannah had bitten off a piece of a quishy toy and was promptly chewing on it. 
• Smallest child reaching for the couch and completely missing -- landing her flat on her face.
• An incredibly colorful dinner of tomato, purple cauliflower, lettuce, corn, and brussells sprout ending up so caked into Hannah's face and neck and clothes that a bath would be the only thing that sufficed.
• (A realization for Mom -- just now -- that brussell sprout is actually brussels sprout with an s!) (What you can learn from spellcheck!)  
• a bath for Hannah resulting in her grabbing the spray nozzle and spraying Mommy and the entire bathroom before Mommy could rescue the nozzle.
• a total all-out brawl between boys over legos and free hits and too-hard-free-hits so that the other didn't tell. (Really?! They are old enough to figure this out?!)
• a runaway bike. Silly Mommy didn't realize oldest boy didn't understand how to use his brakes and that the hill she was pushing him down went d-o-w-n so steeply. Thank goodness he figured out how to jump off into the grass.
• a grab by boy number two of his newly painted bike handlebars.
• a dog chewing happily away on all the watermelon rinds four children left outside on a plate.
• a lego up the nose of oldest boy
• a breakdown in tears of worry by boy number two that our family would turn into the Pevensie children of C.S. Lewis' Narnia series because we too had four boys and girls in our family.
• a discussion of how Narnia allegorically represented the Biblical death and resurrection of Jesus followed by another breakdown because boy number two wasn't ready to go to heaven. 
• a question about whether there will be sleep in heaven. What about food? 

Today was one of those days that we were absolutely in awe of these four miracles.

Thinking of those of you today waiting for your own miracle. 

Hannah at 9 months old

Hannah has definitely adjusted to the move the best of everyone. She still has crazy hair that must have a barrette in it or it will hang in her eyes terribly. She absolutely loves Abigail who lavishes her with love and attention nearly non-stop. This post is a few days overdue but due to the craziness of our life, I'm cutting myself some slack.)

• Scaling across furniture. (Abigail had just pulled up for the first time.)
• Standing for a few seconds without hands. (Sidge is the only one ahead of her on this.)
• Feeding herself. (Sidge was not really doing this yet.)
• Holds her own bottle.
• Beginning to wean off baby food. (Doesn't seem to like it too much but definitely likes it more than big sister Abigail who barely ate it at all.)
• Puts everything she finds into her mouth.
• Pretty go-with-the flow. Doesn't cry very hard very often.
• Definitely prefers to have people hanging out with her then to be left alone.
• Terribly ticklish -- especially on the bottom of her feet. (Sidge was just like this.)
• Sleeps through the night (from about 7pm until 6am everyday). Goes down in her bed and just laughs and giggles and plays until she gets tired. If you walk in once she is in bed (which we have to do often since she shares a room with Abigail, she just goes crazy laughing.
• Naps 2-3 times a day. Goes down without any help and just plays until she falls asleep. Never cries when you lay her down.
• Doing the sign for milk. Beginning to do the sign for all done. Seems to know the sign for night-night but isn't doing it.
• Doesn't like to get her diaper changed much. She tries to do the "death roll" as my sister-in-law Elizabeth calls it. (This was very similar to how Sidge was at this age.)
• Has very little stranger anxiety but definitely will go to a woman before she goes to a man. Seemed to like Daddy, Mommy, Grampa, Grama, and Hita evenly. (Abigail had terrible stranger anxiety by this age and turned out to be very stuck on me for a long time. Even today Abigail is pretty shy and takes a long time to warm up.)
• Loves her siblings. Especially seems to love Abigail who plays and talks and hangs out with her and wrestles with her ALL DAY LONG.
• Not that into Scrubby -- barely acknowledges him.
• Still just has her two teeth on the bottom.
• Loves to be in her stroller.
• Is wearing 12 month or 12-18 month clothes. (I would have her in more 12-18 month clothes if our shipment ever arrives!)
• Got in the pool for the first time the other day.
• Likes baths but tries to stand up in it a lot. And if I put Abigail in with her, she goes so crazy with excitement that bathing them together is barely possible.
• Is a great traveller! Loves her car seat.

Here is a look back at Hannah month by month:

Hannah at one month

Hannah at two months

Hannah at three months

Hannah at four months

Hannah at five months

Hannah at six months

Hannah at seven months

Hannah at eight months

And here is a look at her big brothers and sister when they were her age:

Isaac at 9 months old (January of 2009)
Elijah "Sidge" at 9 months old (September of 2009)
Abigail at 9 months old

How to keep big kids busy while feeding the little kid

My little boys pulling tissue out of the box while I am feeding their little sister Abigail.

My adopted son was 9 months old when my son joined us.

Then my boys were in the 2's when my daughter Abigail joined us.

And when Hannah joined us, boys were 4 and Abigail was 2.

So this has been the story of my life.

Firstly ... you WILL adjust to this. It will get normal at some point. Being overwhelmed at the beginning is normal. As baby sleeps more and you are getting more rest, it won't seem quite so overwhelming.

Secondly ... I have a link to blog posts I have done on activities for toddlers. I am not one of these really creative women so trust me, if I was able to pull off these activities, you can too. Some of these are things you can during feedings and some are just fun things to do when you have an extra hand (yeah right!)

Some other tips include:

• If you are able to afford a housekeeper, even once a month DO IT. I live overseas where EVERYONE has a housekeeper. Americans look at housekeeping so differently. We see nothing wrong with going out to eat multiple times or leasing cars, but to get help around our house is considered "only for the rich" and something you shouldn't need because you are a SAHM. I say ... HOGWASH!!!!! This is the BEST money I spend. It allows me so much more time to get other things done and keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.
• Don't be afraid to use TV or a great learning app on your iPAD ... a bit. I save it for times that I am just having a really hard time and need some help. I have a couple of really good learning apps for my two year old that she can do. This can buy me 15 minutes at an ideal time. I try to keep TV to under 1 hour a day and iPAD to under 30 minutes.
• Read to them while you are feeding. I did this a lot. Have them sit next to you and do the thing they like (maybe making you pretend food.

In the end, don't be afraid to have them somewhere safe (in other words feed in a room that they can't be making you have to stop feeding to deal with them) and allow them to cry. When you are feeding, they will have to learn to self-play during this time. But as soon as you are done feeding, let them know that NOW I GET SOME MOM. Put the baby down on a playmat and play with them after that.

It will get better. Hang on!

I put a post on Facebook and asked for the input from fellow moms. Here are some other good ideas for helping to entertain other kids when you have a newborn. These suggestions are primarily how to entertain other kids while feeding a newborn, but they can be used at anytime!

• Busy Bags! 
• Wonder Markers
• Melissa & Doug "On the Go Water Wow" practice boards
• Magna Doodles
• Tray of different Montessori activities places on a bookshelf 
• Forsmallhands.com 
• Read to them while nursing/feeding
• Soft/Quiet books
• Various iPad learning apps
• Ask to be a "Mommy's Helper" bringing things you need
• Time feeds when big sibling is napping or dad is home to try to keep this time to a minimal
• Puzzles
• Buckle them into high chair and let them paint with yogurt on their tray
• Consider a box of goodies or fun activities that kids can only do while mom is feeding

Have another idea? Please share!

Boy mom musts

Love this blog post sharing Ten Boy-Mom Musts. It is so odd to me that I am not just a boy mom. I think because the girls are still small, I think of myself as just that.

Friday Funnies

To say my kids have been impressed with the stores here is an understatement. Two different people in Target just sat and watched my kids oohing and aahing over everything. It is so funny to watch them walk down a toy aisle and then see that there is another aisle after that. Even the toothbrush choices had them aghast. I really think people must think we have been sheltering them from the world to watch them react.

Kroger has a "Marketplace" version of its store that has toys in it. Isaac was in heaven looking at all the toys. As we were leaving he said, "Mom, I really wish you didn't need money to buy stuff."

*****

While JB was checking on some things in the post office, I sat in the van with the kids. I started playing 20 questions with them.

Sidge: "Is it a tiger?"
Me: "No."
Sidge: "Is it a dog?"
Me: "No. But you don't want to ask questions like that. It could take all day."
Sidge: "Okay. Well, does it go woof."

*****
Sidge: "Am I weak?"
Me: "Of course not."
Sidge: "Are you weak?"
Me: "I don't think so."
Sidge: "But the song says we are weak and He is strong."
Me: "Oh, well in comparison to Jesus? That's a different story."

*****

Sidge: "You are sitting on Jesus."
Me: "What?"
Sidge: "Well, God is in everything. So you must be sitting on him."

*****

JB told the boys they
could have two more minutes to play before putting on their pajamas. I came into the room shortly after that.

Sidge: "Has it been two minutes?"
Me: "Almost."
Isaac: "See. That's what I don't like about two minutes."

Shortly after I told them that they could play a few more minutes if they first changed into their pajamas.

Sidge: "You are going to give us more than two minutes?"
Me: "Yep."
Sidge: "That's called mercy."
Me: "Grace. But close enough."

*****

JB: "You're so silly. Who made you so silly?"
Abigail: "I think Mommy."
JB: "I think God made you silly."
Abigail: "No. God made me pretty and happy."

Moving Madness

They can't find our big shipment (HHG).

• We received most if not all of the boxes we mailed ourselves. (I have six more at my friend Shea's house I will pick up later this month.)
• We received our storage shipment. (These were items we put into storage before we went to Turkey.) The exception is the king sized mattress that simply disappeared from the shipment. We can file a claim, but honestly, what we'd rather have is the mattress right now! Most of what was in storage was not useful to us. It was mostly books, some high school memorabilia, and my china.
• We received our 1,000 pound shipment (UB). This went by air and could include anything that was not furniture. We had things like folding chairs, TV trays, extra bedding, and a lot of kitchen essentials. There was a broom and some extra toys and our microwave. (We didn't know the house came with one.) This shipment was very helpful but obviously very small.
• We also, of course, have the baggage we travelled with.

But everything else was in our 12,000 pound shipment (12 crates). Everything else we own was in there. It was supposed to be delivered by June 3. Arriving late is not unusual, but as of right now, their tracers aren't bringing anything up. No one can tell us where it is.

I'm not worried about it yet. Glitches like this happen frequently. But it would make us feel better to know that our stuff was at least ... traceable. 

In other news, we tried to get driver's licenses yesterday but don't have anything that proves our address. So we have to figure out what we can get that meets that criteria.

In addition, we have an entire bag of important documents that travels with us. We need our van title and it isn't in the bag. This means that it is probably in our 12,000 pound shipment, and we can't move forward on registering our vehicle until that document arrives. 

We did, however, get cell phones. We decided on AT&T. The phones were ordered, and we should get them in the next few days. In the end, apparently, JB got me a snazzy phone just like his because the plan was better with the better phone. However, I plan to turn data off on my phone and am hoping I have the willpower to follow through!

Moving Miracle

Out of all of our children, Isaac is the only one who has his stuff. You know the stuff that a kid can barely live without? Nearly since he was born, he has had a Dalmatian he calls "Small doggy" and a Blue Bear that he calls, well, "Blue Bear."

During our first week in America, we stopped by a local Goodwill. I had screwed up on packing and only had four t-shirts for the boys with no washing machine. All those long-sleeved shirts they had worn in the Azores were in no way appropriate for the heat of summer here in the South. 

Wanting a cheap and quick option for additional t-shirts, we stopped in. 

On our way out the door, there was a bin of stuffed animals. As I was walking by, I spotted a baby version of his "Blue Bear." To say that I got visibly giddy would be an understatement. I was nearly jumping up and down. I grabbed the bear and held it up for Isaac. JB's jaw dropped. I was grinning from ear to ear.

The look on Isaac's face is one I cannot ever put into words. I asked JB how he would describe that moment and he said, "Honestly, it was probably the happiest I have ever seen Isaac." The last time I remember seeing him in that "realm" was when he first met Mickey Mouse at Disney World when he was two. Isaac is very reserved and not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. He, literally, could not stop grinning. He was so happy it was oozing off of him.

The bear was fifty cents. I would have paid fifty bucks for it I think. I would have paid whatever they asked of me to give that little bear to my boy.

Needless to say, "Baby Blue Bear" is now included in Isaac's stuff. 

It will be a memory I have always. 

The last week

We finally have a computer set up that I can load some pictures onto the blog. These are a bit random, but I wanted to share a few photos from the last two weeks of our life.

We left the Azores on May 25th and spent three days with my great friend Sarah Stebbins. From there, we would spend one night in Knoxville before heading to our new hometown. On the way, we made a stop at my cousin Josh's house. He and his wife Sarah have three kiddos and she is a bosom friend to me. I have not seen her in four years. It felt so amazing to give her a hug!! After that, we moved in!!!

 

When we first met in 2010, there were three kids between us. We have doubled our numbers. Here are the two youngest in our numbers: Hannah (nine months) and Graham (just six weeks older than Hannah).

I think I have more pictures that I would like to share later, when we get photos off of our good camera. (These are all iPAD snaps.) However, here is a fun one of the four oldest kids having a snack in the backyard. Sarah and Ryan were so amazing in putting up our big family of eight (nine if you count the dog!) In addition, it was so good to see the boys with their first real friend: William. I love that that relationship has continued. 

 

Now for some more randomness. Our house is AMAZING and fits eight people quite well. However, without our "stuff" it is very difficult to keep a baby occupied. Two new friends to the rescue. Stebbs put me in touch with Dave & Mary Beth -- friends they have known for years that pastor a church in our area. I reached out to them with a few needs: additional air mattresses, a folding table and chairs and THIS AWESOMENESS pictured above!!! This gate may just be my absolute saving grace!!  

Without any "stuff", we've had to eat out a bit. My biggest wish living overseas was answered: I GOT INDIAN FOOD!!!! Oh yum, yum, yum. Seriously, LOVE that food!

We have gotten in our little shipment (1,000 pounds) as well as the dozens of boxes we have mailed ourselves. A bit disturbing: take a look at Isaac's bike helmet. How does that happen just in a box?

While we don't think we'll be at this house for the long term of our life, we want to make it home. Best way to do that: a garden! It's looking great!!

"Dancing With The Fireflies” by Denise Hunter

Dancing with Fireflies tells the story of Jade, who returns home after years of protecting her fragile heart. Pregnant via date rape, she reconnects with a childhood friend who teachers her to dance again.


Did I enjoy the book? I did. I was interested and wanted to know what was going to happen. It kept me reading, kept me interested, and kept me thinking. It was an easy read and something I could easily read a few pages of even with children twirling between my legs -- which is important in a house with four young children.


However, can I recommend the book? Not really.


And here's why.


While the book is definitely a Christian book, I found the Christian message to be pretty watered down. The author really straddled the divide when it came to the sexual relationships of her characters. If I had a teenage daughter, I wouldn't let her read this book even though it was "Christian" and basically morally upright.


If I am going to read a secular book, I expect a secular message.


When I am reading a Christian book, while I don't want it to be so overt it is obnoxious, I am expecting some things out of the book.


And I thought Denise Hunter came very close to skipping that altogether.


In addition, I found the book to be a bit predictable. There were no big surprises. Everything got tied up in a nice package.


The author was not amongst the top Christian writers I have read, but I would definitely consider reading her again. I had previously read her book The Convenient Groom and had found it very similar to this book. A good, easy, fun read but nothing spectacular.


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Internet and UB!

Today we got our small shipment in. This includes things like rugs, folding chairs, toys, hangers, etc.! In addition, we also got our Internet turned on! Yesterday we got a refrigerator and a deep freezer! And on Friday we picked up about a dozen boxes from the post office!

It has been like Christmas around here!

I want to thank everyone for your prayers for our family. We can feel them! Really! Sidge is still struggling, but we can see improvements which is so encouraging! Yesterday, we could all see the old Sidge behind those big, bright blue eyes. And the days that preceded that had left us wondering where our little boy was! He is still having nightmares but things are moving in the right direction, and we are encouraged!

Isaac seems to adjusting the best. Abigail is still continually confused as to where all her stuff is. When some stuff gets here either via shipment or boxes, she will start crying saying, "Where's Abigail's stuff?" And then rattling on about various missing things .... Many of which we can't translate. And Hannah is doing well.

We are enjoying the community pool and a park around the corner from us. We also visited the public library. Mostly we are just trying to stay close to home and get settled.

Our big computer is not set up which means difficulty typing and no ability to post pictures. But at least we are online.

We've also begun exploring cell phone options. The lady at the cell phone place said we are a record for her of longest non users!