The Carmody Adoption Journey

Forever Family Day - 5 year anniversary

2012-02-01T20:42:00.003-06:00

We interrupt this blog posting drought to bring you a very important message. TODAY has been 5 YEARS since we held Samara in our arms for the very first time. FIVE YEARS!!! Feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once.

A trip down memory lane:

February 2007 - Forever Family Day

February 2008 - One year home

February 2009 - two years home

February 2010 - three years home

February 2011 - four years home

And the present - the here and now - our beautiful blessing!

Thank you Lord for blessing our family with this precious gift.

Just for fun

2011-12-29T12:26:00.003-06:00

Austin was setting Denver up for being a really cool "skateboard dude" and I couldn't resist taking some pictures. Also a good excuse for a quick blog post.

Haircut time

2011-12-22T11:07:00.002-06:00

On Saturday Denver got his second haircut ever. I LOVE the long curls but it gets to the point where it's a huge challenge to detangle it. And it's not worth the fight . . . right Denver? I'm so thankful for the little place right in our small town where they know how to cut his hair. Not everyone, in fact very few people, can cut African hair so it's important to find someone good. And that we have. This is the same place where I buy the product I use in Denver's hair. After some trial and error when Denver was first home, we found the best stuff ever. It's one thing - I very rarely use something with it - and if I did, it would be in the same line. The stuff rocks. And when I go get his hair cut (both times), the stylist comments on how healthy his hair and his scalp are. So that's always proof that we're doing something right.

Here are a few pics from the cut. He wasn't super impressed. He would have preferred to sit on my lap again like last time but I told him that he was a big boy now and could sit all by himself. Telling him he could wear a black cape just like Batman helped!

Deep breath Mommy . . . it's only hair. It will grow back!

This is what I got when I asked him to give me a nice smile.

Busy Birthday Weekend

2011-12-21T13:49:00.007-06:00

This past weekend was our birthday weekend. I thought I better post some pics before they get even older! Austin was first on Friday - he turned eight! Oh boy - and I thought three was bad!
Practicing on his new skateboard makes up for having no snow on his birthday!

He even beat his mom at Settlers of Catan.

On Sunday Victoria turned 10. Double digits! Oh my . . . what am I going to do - all my babies are getting older! It's been a non-stop concert around here with her new karoake machine. So fun!

Sleeping beside Santa

2011-12-12T20:57:00.004-06:00

Okay, not really Santa. Much cuter than Santa really. This is what I woke up to this morning:

She came into our bed at some point during the night but neither Mike nor I realized she was wearing her Santa hat. Seriously, one of the best things to wake up to! I know I took a risk taking a picture of her this morning but I couldn't resist. And she slept right through it.

Hey look . . . it's me!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

It's been way too long . . . again.

The adoption workshop we hosted a few weekends ago went really well. We had such positive feedback and so we are planning to host it twice a year with the next one being in March 2012.

We are gearing up for Christmas finally. We got our tree and the rest of the house decorated today - about two weeks later than usual. We went to a great Christmas presentation yesterday with the kids. Click here to see the details. It was so well done and all six of us loved it.

I don't have much else to say so I'll try to post some pics. Mike took a few of the kids in front of the tree before bed tonight.

And here's a nice group shot. Seriously, it was the best one.

Adoption Workshop

2011-11-03T20:19:00.003-05:00

(Click on above ad to enlarge it.)

On Saturday, November 19th we are hosting an adoption workshop. It’s a one day event that will help people investigate adoption from a Biblical and practical perspective. It’s based on a DVD series from Hope for Orphans entitled “If You Were Mine”. The workshop will explore topics such as:

- God’s heart for the orphan
- The processes and challenges of adoption
- Agency selection and funding options
- How to prepare yourself, your family, and your home
- What to expect when your child comes home

The goal of the workshop is to encourage families toward wise, loving decisions that are rooted in God’s Word and based on healthy expectations about adoption. We want to encourage anyone to come – whether you’re sure adoption is in your future but you need some more information or whether you’re just thinking for the first time, “I wonder if adoption is God’s plan for our family”.

Looking forward to it!

Three!!!

2011-10-30T11:31:00.003-05:00

I tell my kids on a regular basis that they need to stop growing and stop getting older. And all four of them continue to disobey me on this! There's nothing I can do to make it stop and I'm not happy about it. On Friday Denver went and turned three! My baby. My little boy. Three.

He was pretty excited about his birthday this year. Every time we would talk about it coming up, he would say "I'm getting a scooter for my birthday". And when we questioned him on that one, he stated very matter of factly that he was getting it from Mommy and Daddy. Well, I guess when you're two, going on three, you can get away with it cause that's exactly what he got (thanks for the idea Denver!) He was one happy three year old riding that scooter up and down the hallway all day.

Seed Mosaics

2011-10-21T06:32:00.005-05:00

We’ve been studying seeds in our Botany unit and so I thought it would be fun to make a craft/art project that would tie in with it. I purchased a few different kinds of bean seeds and lentils and peas so we could make some seed mosaics.

The kids first drew pencil sketches on a piece of cardboard. Then, we covered each section, one at a time, with glue. We then covered the glue with the seeds, making sure it was fully covered and then let the loose ones all off.

Eventually the whole picture was covered and the kids each had their own beautiful mosaic.

Austin made a tree and a flower.

Samara made an orange tree (it was originally an apple tree but we had no red seeds). the picture keeps loading sideways for some reason.

Victoria made a fish swimming in water.

Cr@wford L@ke

2011-10-20T17:28:00.006-05:00

Last week we were able to spend an afternoon at Cr@wford L@ke with some friends. What a great time we all had. It was so neat to see, touch, and experience some of the things we have been learning about in our Canadian Natives study. I think our favourite part was the longhouse. It was so cool to see how people lived so many years ago – what they ate, where they slept, how they played, etc. Our guide was great and explained everything so well to the kids.

Actually I think the walk afterwards was just as exciting. The weather was so perfect . . . an amazing Fall day! We got to enjoy a really neat boardwalk through the forest and around the lake. Hanging outside with friends and enjoying God’s creativity in the beautiful colours of fall (and learning at the same time) . . . doesn’t get much better than that!

Little Artists

2011-10-20T12:21:00.004-05:00

I walked into the room yesterday to find this:

Doesn't she look angry? When I asked her what was wrong, I braced myself expecting to hear a story all about how one of her siblings mistreated her. But instead I was met with silence. Upon further investigation, I realized that Samara was standing completely still, like a statue, so that Victoria and Austin could draw her. She was being the perfect model. In fact, I tried everything to get her to smile or laugh but nothing worked. She continued to stand perfectly still, not even cracking a smile. I was the only one laughing!

Austin's masterpiece:

Victoria's masterpiece:

Samara's self-portrait:

And then Samara proceeded to draw Austin - superman suit and all:

Chores . . . the lazy way!

2011-10-12T20:22:00.004-05:00

Victoria and Austin usually take turns unloading the dishwasher. This is how I found Victoria the other day accomplishing the task when it was her turn. I guess it's one way to get the job done.

The run

2011-10-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

Another year, another run. This was my fifth year participating in this particular run and it was by far the coldest! Victoria was feeling bad for me that I had to run in this weather. She said, "poor Mommy, you're gonna be so cold". I explained to her that in fact, out of all of us, I would be the warmest as I was the only one running. I felt bad for them having to stand in the cold wind and even a little rain as they waited for me to cross the finish line. I do love having them there though and hearing their little "go Mommy" cheers as I run. I even got a few high fives as I passed by.

I wish there didn't have to be organizations and runs such as these but since there are and since we continue to fight this dreaded disease, the least I can do is run year after year. Thanks to all those who sponsored me. Your support means a lot and the donations go to a great cause.

I feel blessed

2011-09-30T20:42:00.005-05:00

For the last two days I've been completely spoiled. This year, our church was one of the host sites for the above mentioned summit. Mike and I were able to attend and let me tell you - it was AWESOME! We sat and listened to amazing speakers who inspired and challenged us. If you have the opportunity to go next year . . . GO! It was great to get away from the every day routine and listen to some incredible leaders.

On top of that, I got to hang out with my hubby - lunch dates two days in a row. Our kids were in the very capable hands of Grandma Carmody. It wouldn't have been possible without her - thank you Peggy, we appreciate you!

Anyway, I'm feeling very blessed. I'm so thankful that there are wise men and women willing to share their insight, experience and humour (there were a lot of laughs) with the rest of the world. I'm so glad I got to be part of it. I learned a lot.

It's time to run . . .

2011-09-28T12:25:00.002-05:00

Sunday is the day. If you're interested in sponsoring me and donating to a great cause, click here or on the link on my sidebar.

I appreciate your support.

Thank you!

Penguins

2011-09-01T20:27:00.004-05:00

We just finished reading Mr. Popper's Penguins together and when I saw this craft online, I thought it would be the perfect activity to wrap it up. I forgot to take pictures of the kids actually doing the craft. They used potatoes for the penguins and the tip of a small make-up sponge for the beaks and feet. The background was also done using a sponge. I think they turned out pretty cute and the kids had a lot of fun making them.

(By the way, I have no idea why blogger flipped my first two pictures. I tried multiple times to repost them but I couldn't get them the right way. If anyone knows what to do about it, please let me know. In the meantime, you'll just have to turn your head sideways!)

Denver and Maodo

2011-08-18T21:01:00.002-05:00

Denver is definitely going to miss Maodo. He loved having another big brother for nine days and Maodo loved him too. He always made time to tickle Denver or help him with something or give him a piggyback ride. It was so cute. I loved watching the little bond they had.

A sad good bye

2011-08-18T20:16:00.003-05:00

Bright and early this morning (notice Denver still has his pj's on), we were off to bring Maodo to the bus. The nine days went by really fast. We enjoyed having him at our place and by the sounds of it, he had a great time too. Hopefully we're able to keep in touch and this won't be our final goodbye!

Biking and Fishing

2011-08-14T16:50:00.007-05:00

On Saturday morning, I got Victoria, Austin and Maodo up to go for an early morning bike ride. When we bike the rail trail in the morning or the evening, we always see so many deer. I’ve taken Victoria and Austin before and so I thought it would be a neat experience for Maodo. Well, the deer didn’t let us down . . . . we counted about 15 or so and many of them were quite close. This time I brought my camera (takes coordination to bike and take pictures at the same time!) and got some good shots.

In the afternoon, we headed out to do some fishing again. We didn’t really catch anything worth mentioning (a few small gobies) but we all had fun. I so badly wanted Victoria to catch a fish in her dress – seriously, would that not have been a great picture?? But I have to admit, the pictures of her fishing in her dress are pretty cool too.

Mission accomplished

2011-08-13T13:16:00.007-05:00

At Grandma's house on Friday, the kids were able to catch some frogs and there was even a bonus . . . . a snake! (yes, I have shivers going up and down my spine just typing that!) Maodo held the frogs and the snake but made it very clear that he thought they were "nasty"! But at least now he can say he's seen a real live frog (and snake).

We also ventured across the road to feed and pet the horses. The kids always find that so much fun and of course the horses enjoy the attention too.

We ended the day with play time at a new play structure. We were there for a long time and it was hard to get the kids back in the van when it was time to leave. Always a good sign that kids are having fun!

More fresh air

2011-08-12T08:17:00.008-05:00

We spent yesterday morning hiking, running and exploring at the RBG. Austin was hoping to find a frog or two as Maodo has never seen a real frog. Unfortunately we didn’t find any so that will be our mission today! We did see a snake and caught lots of butterflies. The chipmunks weren’t too interested in being fed even though the kids sat and sat so patiently waiting for them to come. A few came to eat but mostly they just wanted to run around chasing each other.

The afternoon was just spent at home in the backyard blowing bubbles, running through the sprinkler and working together to build things in the sandbox. It was another great day getting lots of fresh air and everyone had another good sleep last night.

Meet Maodo

2011-08-11T12:48:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday night at 7:15, a bus pulled into Grimsby and we met Maodo, our visitor that will be staying with us for nine days. He comes to us from New York through the Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town program. He's seven years old (same as Austin) and so far seems to be having fun with the kids. The plan yesterday was to spend the day at a conservation area close by but when we got there, we realized it was quite cold. We tried fishing but it was way too windy and we definitely weren't dressed for the temperature. We planned to have an outdoor picnic but instead we put all the seats down in the van and picnicked in the back. We ended up coming home and just having some backyard fun instead. It's amazing seeing the world through his eyes - we take so much for granted . . . . hummingbirds at the window, frogs, fishing . . . even self checkout at the grocery store. These are all things he's never seen or experienced.

Last night, bedtime ended up being kind of funny. Maodo is used to going to bed quite late when he's at home and our kids go to bed quite early. Maodo is sharing a room with Austin and last night around 8:30, Austin called, "Daddy". When Mike went upstairs Austin said, "Maodo says he wants to go home because we go to bed too early". So when Mike tried to ask Maodo if that was true, Maodo didn't answer him. Upon further inspection, Mike realized that Maodo was fast asleep! And he slept right through until 7:00 this morning. LOL. The fresh air is definitely tiring him out! (There's been no more mention of home so let's pray he doesn't get homesick!)

The Icing on the Cake

2011-08-09T21:18:00.004-05:00

Last week Victoria participated in a cake decorating camp. She had a great time, learned a lot and made some very creative and yummy cakes and cupcakes. The second day they decorated cupcakes and unfortunately Victoria's all fell over when she picked up the plate. We fixed them up the best we could but it was pretty disappointing for her. Needless to say, she enjoyed decorating the cakes more than the cupcakes. Her siblings thought the whole thing was great too - dessert last week was always a treat! Austin has already asked her if she would decorate his birthday cake for him this year. She gladly said yes.

On the last day of camp, someone from the Hamilton Spectator came by to take pictures and interview the girls. Today the article was in the paper along with some pictures. You can check it out here:

http://www.thespec.com/living/healthfitness/article/575289--icing-on-the-cakes

Victoria was upset when she read the article. She said, "I didn't fill my mouth with icing and I didn't say that!" I told Mike we should sue the paper for misquoting our girl. LOL . . . of course I'm kidding!

Sunday Afternoon Adventures

2011-08-03T13:04:00.006-05:00

Not far from our home is this amazing spot for exploring. We spent Sunday afternoon here playing in the water, rock hopping, finding treasures . . . crawfish, bright green algae, wildflowers, etc. We weren’t sure if there would be any fish but we brought our rods just in case. And sure enough, there were fish. Only one person caught a fish (hey, look who it was!) but we all had fun trying. Soon enough, fishing and rock hopping weren’t enough and the afternoon turned into swimming for Samara and Denver. We were completely unprepared for bringing two waterlogged kids home and next time we will for sure bring towels at the very least.

We had never taken the kids here before but you can bet we’ll be back!

Twistin' the night away

2011-07-24T17:10:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it wasn't the whole night . . . . it was only about 45 minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the twists were done. This is my first "real" attempt at twists in his hair and I have to say it turned out great. One other time I did a few but they were a lot bigger and it didn't look as good and didn't last very long. Unfortunately I'm quite uncoordinated with the tool that's made specifically for twists so I have do it all by hand. But as I said, it only took about 45 minutes and it went well. These pictures were taken right after I finished so the hair is still wet.

These pictures were taken after sleeping a whole night on them. They're dry and I think they still look really good.

And then these last pictures were taken at the end of the day today . . . 24 hours after they were done. So they have been slept on twice - a full night and a long nap - and I think they still look good. I could probably touch them up a bit tomorrow but I'm impressed with how well they're lasting. I may have to teach Victoria how to do it too so she can work on one half while I do the other and it won't take as long.

Next up . . . . corn rows!

Sound asleep

2011-07-23T13:11:00.003-05:00

When all is quiet and three of the four kids are accounted for, it often means trouble (in our house anyway!). So the other day when Denver was the one not accounted for, Austin went looking for him. What a surprise to find him sound asleep on the bottom step. All that playing just tuckered him right out! So precious. I ended up placing some pillows on the floor beside him and he just had his nap there.

(By the way, doesn't he look HUGE lying there on that step? Waaaaa . . . what happened to my baby????)

Sailing

2011-07-21T10:39:00.005-05:00

Austin had a chance to take sailing lessons for three weeks in June and we jumped all over it! What an amazing opportunity for him to learn about something he wouldn’t normally be exposed to. He loved it and we enjoyed watching it. At first I was a little hesitant about the idea of him going out on a sailboat with another child that was also just learning. But after the first time, I realized that the instructor was right there in his motorized dingy if anything were to happen. The kids were instructed really well and also learned what to do in the case of an emergency. I have to admit that windy days still made me feel a little nervous but knowing that the little sailboats were pretty much impossible to tip, helped calm my nerves. On the last day, Austin’s sailing buddy quit a little early which left Austin all alone in his boat. I was proud of the way he maneuvered the boat all on his own . . . twice the work he was used to doing with a buddy. I never imagined one of our kids would ever take sailing lessons and I still can’t get over how cool it was. We will definitely do it again next year!

Two years ago today . . . .

2011-07-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Citrus Seeds

2011-07-15T15:23:00.002-05:00

I found and purchased this book from a lady that was selling a whole bunch of used books. It's called Get Growing - Exciting Indoor Plant Projects for Kids. It's a great book that teaches kids to grow houseplants from fruits and vegetables and their seeds. I love it. So today we started the first project . . . planting a citrus seed. We bought some oranges, grapefruit and a lemon so we could use their seeds. We ate the fruit today so that we can let the seeds dry out for a week as per the instructions and then we'll plant them. I can't wait to see if it actually works! Since I obviously can't post pictures of the plants yet, here are some of the kids trying out the lemon. Ha . . . they make me laugh!

Here are the seeds we collected. As you can see, one bucket is empty. Unfortunately our grapefruit only had the teeny tiny seeds in them and nothing worth keeping. Hey Grandma Z, do you think you could save some grapefruit seeds for us from your breakfast tomorrow morning?

M@rinel@nd

2011-07-07T20:26:00.012-05:00

This is also a long overdue post. At the beginning of June, Mike and I surprised the kids with a very fun day out. They knew Daddy was taking the day off so when they got out of bed, they asked, “what should we do today?” We told them we thought it would be a good day for a picnic. So we all got our picnic gear ready and away we went. When we had been driving for about 15 minutes, they started asking where we were going to which we kept answering, “on a picnic” They wouldn’t let up and really wanted to know exactly where this picnic was going to be. We finally told them that they weren’t allowed to ask any more questions because it was a surprise. When we got to Niagara Falls, Austin saw the sign for M@rinel@nd and said to Victoria, “hey, maybe we’re going to M@rinel@nd!” to which Victoria replied, “I doubt it!” LOL – we’ve told them in the past how expensive it is! Anyway, we were a tad early and so we took a little drive by the falls and the kids assumed we were going to picnic somewhere around there. However, when we pulled into the M@rinel@nd parking lot, they were so surprised and obviously so excited!

And we had such a good day. The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed the entire day. From the shows to the rides to feeding and petting beluga whales, it really is true: “Everyone loves M@rinel@nd!”

The kids (Victoria and Austin) are finally old enough to enjoy some of the bigger rides. Austin is definitely a wild rider and was so excited to try out almost anything. I’m so excited that I finally have company on rides (Mike isn’t a fan of most rides). Victoria was a little more hesitant, but once she tried a ride she loved it and couldn’t get enough.

The best part was because everyone else was in school, the park wasn’t busy at all and so there were no line ups at all.

This is the first ride we all went on. A very small ferris wheel. It was a good warm up and Mike ended up taking Samara and Denver back on it a little later. Definitely more their speed and something to do while me and the wild ones were being thrown this way and that on some of the other rides!

The killer whales were neat to see. What amazing creatures!

Samara braved the ladybug coaster. We kept asking her "are you sure" because doesn't even like going over hills in the van. But after the first twist and turn where she grabbed her stomach (and made me very nervous!), she was fine and even went on again later in the day.

Four excited kids!

Here's Austin swinging around in the air all by himself. Not sure I enjoyed watching my baby up there alone! But after he "tested it out" for us, Victoria and I joined him on the next round.

The kids (except Denver who had fallen asleep in the stroller) all got to pet and feed a beluga whale. That was a neat experience for them.

This was the most exciting part of the day for Denver. He got to ride in a rocket ship with Daddy . . . and he told everyone he saw! He still talks about it. I captured his excited in the third photo down. He had just gotten off the ride and was running toward me to tell me all about it. So cute!

As you can see we had an awesome day. We will for sure be back since we took advantage of purchasing the Fun Pass for all of us.

It's quiet around here

2011-07-05T20:50:00.003-05:00

We brought Victoria and Austin (and Grandma) to the train station on Monday to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa at the lake . . . two VERY excited kids! The train ride went well and they've already had a ton of fun. When we talked to them on the phone last night, Austin said, "Usually when we're having a really good time, the fun is over at the end of the day . . . but not this time!" So cute. We miss them here but thankfully we know they're in good hands. And it helps to know they're having a great time. Oh, and those who know our kids know that the title of this post isn't true . . . we still have Samara and Denver here! LOL!

Yay . . . my hubby is home!

2011-07-04T13:47:00.007-05:00

Actually he's been back since last Wednesday but I'm still celebrating! He really came in on Thursday because of a long delay in Edmonton due to lightening and hail. His flight arrived at 1:27 am . . . yawn! I'm so glad he was able to get away and visit his brother and family in Yellowknife. He had a really good relaxing time. Thanks D & T for your hospitality. We also had a good week here . . . but I have to say that single parenting is hard work! As you can see from the pictures below, he also had a hard week . . . or not!

Grandma's Birthday Surprise

2011-06-28T15:26:00.005-05:00

This post is long overdue. At the end of May, Grandma Carmody had a birthday. It was kind of a big one (kind of) and so I thought it would be nice to surprise her and drive down for the day. We don't usually see her on her birthday because of the distance so we figured it would be a good surprise for her. I let Grandpa know we were coming so that he would make sure they were home when we showed up. So off we went. Three hours later, we arrived and to say she was suprised was an understatement. I think we made her day! It was a nice treat for her to spend her birthday with her grandkids and her favourite daughter-in-law! (LOL . . . just kidding Tina!)

The weather threatened rain but it held off and we were able to spend a lot of the day outside. We had so much fun and of course the highlight was fishing off the dock. (especially for Austin!).

I tried to take a nice picture of Grandma with the kids and this is what I got. Now we know where our kids get their silliness from!

Picnic at the Park

2011-06-27T18:58:00.004-05:00

We've been totally spoiled with the weather lately. We were able to spend another beautiful day outside at the park with friends. This was an adventure for the kids as they got to wade in the water and explore with their nets. We didn't catch much but we all had a good time. At first Samara and Denver were content sitting on the edge and watching from there. But then that wasn't enough and they too wanted to get wet. So that lasted for a bit until I had enough. The kids could've stayed forever but I found it all a little too stressful. Watching four young kids around water and rocks is not so much fun for Mama! But it was fun while it lasted and I had four happy and wet kids on the way home.

A Sunday Afternoon Hike

2011-06-27T06:54:00.006-05:00

Another beautiful day meant we could get out and enjoy another hike . . . this time with Grandma Z. We tried out a place we had never explored before (thanks for the idea Heather!) and we loved it. The boardwalk was a particular hit and next time we'll be sure to bring our nets for catching frogs. We spotted a few frogs and even a turtle or two. Oh and next time we'll also bring a map so we know where we're going. The kids weren't too thrilled when they asked where we were and my answer was "I'm not sure" LOL! We'll definitely be back here again soon.

An indoor kind of day

2011-06-24T19:41:00.006-05:00

Since the sky (and the weather man) was threatening thunder storms today, our plans for a day outside turned into a day inside. We spent the morning at an indoor playground. The older kids had been there before for birthday parties but it was my first time there and also a first for the younger kids. What a hoot! They ran, jumped, climbed and slid for two hours straight. I enjoyed a coffee with my mom. Although it wasn't the kind of coffee you could just sit and drink the entire time. With four monkeys playing, it seemed we were called here, there and everywhere to watch, catch, take a picture or even climb up and rescue! It's always fun to watch the kids play together. The big kids enjoy helping the little ones and even when they say they've had enough of helping and want to run off and play, they can't help but lend a hand to a little brother or sister who needs a boost or a word of encouragement. It's great. Everyone had an enjoyable time and there were a few tears when it was time to go. Okay, maybe more than a few, but most of them came from a little curly haired boy who was having so much fun going down the "lellow" slide. Can't blame him really! (I had my camera on the wrong setting so my pictures didn't turn out very well).

Fun in the sun and water

2011-06-23T19:52:00.002-05:00

After Austin's last sailing class this morning (yes, sailing - more on that in a future post), we headed to the park for a picnic with some friends. The rain held off for the most part - we only had to take shelter for about 20 minutes right after lunch - and we were even able to spend time in a wading pool/splash pad. The kids all had a great time and I'm thinking (hoping!) we'll all sleep well tonight!

First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

Happy first day of summer! Every year on the first day of summer the same thing happens . . . I get another year older. I have to say, it’s pretty cool having a birthday on the longest day of the year. I had a great day hanging out with five of my favourite people. Mike even took the day off to be with us. I have to say, the highlight was picking up pizza and going fishing with the family. It doesn’t get much better than hanging out down by the lake and enjoying the outdoors together. Awesome.

Reptiles and Amphibians

2011-06-17T07:33:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was our last formal RBG visit of the school year. The kids are disappointed about that as they love it there. But we will still be heading out there for walks on a regular basis this summer. And they have their schedule for next year out and I’ve already chosen exactly which ones we’re going to attend – which is almost all of them.
So this week we learned about reptiles and amphibians. We spotted a turtle or two and Austin caught a few frogs much to his delight!

Here are some pics from the outing. The first one is obviously not a reptile or an amphibian . . . just an added bonus!

A Funny

2011-06-16T15:39:00.003-05:00

I had to share a funny thing that happened this afternoon. The kids and I decided to walk to the corner store for ice cream. On our way home, there was a car going by us really slowly and the man driving was staring at us. This was not completely unusual as we do get our fair share of stares when we're out as a family. I thought it was a little odd though how obvious he was being with his staring but we just kept on walking. Then, just as we were coming up to our house, I heard someone calling to me. I turned around and it was the same man coming toward me with his two young daughters. He started telling me that he and his wife are looking for someone to babysit their girls for the summer since they both work. And so because I live in the neighbourhood and have a daycare, he thought he would approach me. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I do not have a daycare and in fact the four kids are all mine. Ha! Priceless. I wish I had my camera.

I have to say, this isn't the first time people have mentioned my "daycare". It always kind of makes me smile and I do love the reactions of people when they find out that all four kids are mine. Too funny.

A full day

2011-06-08T13:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was one of those crazy days where we had something scheduled for both the morning and afternoon with not much time in between. We finished up our morning activity at 12:00 noon and rushed home to let the dog out and have a very quick bite to eat. After quickly getting back into the van, we arrived at the RBG right on time for the last program of the year . . . or so I thought. I soon found out I had the wrong day! Oh man, after all that rushing around! The kids thought it was funny and so we decided to make the best of it and just go on our own hike. So we picked up some seeds on our way out the door and off we went. We ended up hanging around for a few hours and had such a great time.

Here are the happy hikers.

We saw some wildlife . . .

. . . and even fed some of them.

At the end of the hike, just before we were leaving, the kids even got a little education about Lilacs. The perfect end to the perfect day!

You can bet we were all exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around and if it weren’t for the doozy of a storm we had, we might have even all slept through the night!

Look Alikes

2011-06-07T06:59:00.002-05:00

On Saturday Mike and Austin ended up dressing in the same colours. No one in our family even noticed but when they went out in the afternoon to do a bunch of errands, numerous people commented on how much they look alike. Even when they're not dressed like twins, people say Austin is a mini-Mike. I personally don't see it but what do you think?

Once the photo shoot started, there were three others that wanted their picture taken with Daddy too.

See, these are the crazy people I have, um I mean, get to live with.

Shaving Cream Spelling

2011-05-30T16:15:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd change things up a bit in the spelling department. Instead of doing it the traditional way with paper and pencil, we wrote out our words in shaving cream! Needless to say, the kids LOVED it and it wasn't even as messy as I thought it would be. It was fun for everyone although the kids were a tad disappointed when my answer was "no" when they asked if we could do this everyday!

Spring Birds

2011-05-25T19:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we spent another afternoon at the RBG learning about spring birds. The weather was gorgeous and we saw and heard many different kinds of birds. We went on a beautiful hike and had the opportunity to feed the birds and chipmunks. The kids had a great time again and we all slept really well last night!

Seriously, if you were a bird, would you not land here to eat the seeds out of this precious hand? He stood there so patiently for such a long time!

Victoria had at least one land on her hand. I just wasn't fast enough to catch it on the camera.

Pretty cute Canadians eh??

I love these pictures of my boys in the field together. I took about a million of them!

How often do all four of them sit so nicely in a row? Perfect photo op.

All tuckered out after a full afternoon!

Frogs and Salamanders

2011-05-16T18:56:00.004-05:00

Just because we didn’t have enough field trips already in one week (LOL!), we added another one on Saturday night. This time Mike took Victoria and Austin to this cool conservation area where they were having a Frog Watchers’ Hike. It started with a puppet show and little educational session and then off they went into the woods. The weather was wet but thankfully not too cold. They learned all about different kinds of salamanders and frogs. Unfortunately they didn’t find any salamanders (besides the one the guide had) but the Carmody team found the biggest and apparently the most interesting frog. They all had a great time and all three of them came home wet, tired and happy! They didn’t get home until 10:00 pm which is very late for Victoria and Austin. But thankfully they slept in an extra hour and a half the next morning.

Another Field Trip

2011-05-14T15:53:00.003-05:00

Who knew such a stinky field trip would be so interesting? I just took Victoria and Austin on the field trip to this place (aka the dump) and we learned so much (the little ones were at home with Grandma). It was kind of cool to see where all our garbage goes and especially about all the things that can be reduced, reused and recycled. Our tour guide was great and did a good job teaching the kids all about what goes on at the waste management site – on the tour and afterwards in a classroom setting.

Colds, Flu and Field Trips

2011-05-14T15:11:00.003-05:00

Seriously, that pretty much sums up our week. We’ve actually had sickness here in our house for about two weeks now. I think we’re pretty much over it . . . just a few lingering coughs and a 10 day course of medication that needs to be completed for strep throat.

Somehow though, in among the sickness, we managed to squeeze in a few field trips. The first one was to the RBG where we learned all about wildflowers and how to identify them. The kids fed the birds and chipmunks out of their hands. Despite the cool weather, we all enjoyed the hike and the fresh air did us good.

Get your craft on

2011-05-10T10:40:00.003-05:00

I recently came across a really cool website called Craft Hope. This is directly from their website: "Craft Hope is a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world."

The current project is making bracelets for Orphan Outreach in Russia. "For Project 12, we are partnering with Orphan Outreach and sending them with a little love to take to Russia. This time we will be making bracelets for them to pass out to kids. Bracelets are a huge hit with kids of all ages — hemp bracelets or beaded bracelets. They are going on a trip in August and have asked us to collect bracelets for them." Go here for more details.

So I'm challenging you to get your craft on and start making bracelets. They can be hemp, embroidery floss, beaded, material, etc. . . . as long as they're homemade. Let me know if you're willing and able to make some bracelets, even a few, and I will send you my mailing address. I will collect as many bracelets as I can before June 8 and then send them off to the founder of Craft Hope in time for their deadline.

Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:18:00.002-05:00

One of my favourite parts of the day was when Samara came up to me and said, "you know what the best part is Mom?"

To which I replied, "no, what's the best part Samara?"

Her answer: "You can never get fired" (said with the best smile . . . the one where her nose gets scrunched up and her eyes disappear - love it!)

Aaaww . . . thanks Samara.

So there you have it. Once you're a mom, you're always a mom. You can never get fired!

Chocolate!

2011-05-05T10:01:00.005-05:00

Upon feeling a little bored and unmotivated with our current curriculum, I was on the hunt for something different to bring excitement back into our learning. That’s when I came across this website and decided to try out a unit study. I had Victoria and Austin look over the different topics and choose their top three. They had one study the same on both of their lists . . . Chocolate! So I purchased the unit study and we began studying everything chocolate. The study is meant to be used in a week but it’s so jammed packed with stuff that it was easily spread out over two weeks. We continued with our regular math and some of our reading but everything else was put on the back burner. It was so fun and one of the best decisions I’ve made. The unit study covers everything including geography, history, math, spelling, reading, writing, etc. . . . and all from a Christian perspective. We learned all about the history of chocolate, the lives of chocolatiers like Milton Hershey, Rodolphe Lindt, Domingo Ghirardelli, Henri Nestle and John Cadbury. We learned all about the rain forest where cacao trees grow and how a variety of chocolate is made. The kids loved it and the best part (I’m sure the kids would agree) was all the chocolate treats we got to make: chocolate fondue, chocolate bowls, chocolate shakes, chocolate scented play dough and much more!

Here are a few pictures of us making and enjoying our treats.

At the end of the study, Victoria and Austin each put together a great lapbook to help them remember everything they learned.

Fish

2011-05-04T12:59:00.005-05:00

Last week we spent an afternoon at the RBG Fishway Program. Although the weather wasn't the greatest, the kids loved it and learned a lot about the program. The point of the Fishway is to restore the marsh by removing the non-native carp. They explained how this is done and how they monitor it. We saw how they catch the fish and count the different kinds coming through. They scan the ones that have been tagged before and tag some of the new ones coming through for the first time. They also weigh and measure them and take some scale samples. And then they release them back into the water. All the kids loved being there but especially Austin who loves everything related to fish.

Run for Wells Fundraiser

2011-04-17T21:10:00.003-05:00

Our family is participating in the Walk-With-Water Challenge in the Run for Wells fundraiser on May 28, 2011. The fundraiser is put on by Hope International and the money raised will go to help the people of Gewada in southern Ethiopia in their efforts to cap a mountain spring to bring clean water to their village.

We will be walking 3K as a family while carrying 11L (25lbs) of water. The staggering truth is that it is common for young children to carry 25lbs of water for hours a day for their families – instead of being in school. As you know, the country of Ethiopia is close to our hearts and we’d love it if you’d consider sponsoring us.

Click here to support our efforts.

Thank you!

More food fun

2011-04-12T20:29:00.003-05:00

Another idea from the below mentioned book - pudding or applesauce through a straw. So fun! Especially when the kids got these fun straws for Christmas. Samara isn't a big fan of applesauce so she just had water in a cup . . . which is just as cool when you're using fun straws!

2011-04-05T09:35:00.006-05:00

I recently purchased the book, "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder". I originally bought it to learn more about activites I can do with Samara but there are so many fun things in it that all my kids enjoy. Here's what is said about the book: Each activity in this inspiring and practical book is SAFE (Sensory-motor, Appropriate, Fun, and Easy) to help develop and organize a child’s brain and body. Whether your child faces challenges with touch, balance, movement, body position, vision, hearing, smell and taste, motor planning, or other sensory problems, this book presents lively and engaging ways to bring fun and play to everyday situations.

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WARNING: If you're not comfortable with kids playing with food, don't read the rest of this blog post.

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The first activity we did from the book was with spaghetti noodles. I cooked up a package of spaghetti and we made all kinds of things with it. It was so fun and relatively un-messy. Here are a few of our creations:

Magnetic Letters

2011-03-31T21:08:00.002-05:00

Samara spent a lot of time making words out of the magnetic letters the other day. She put together word after word and I had to take a picture of each one. I think she's ready to graduate to longer words. Here are the results of her work: (If you know my girl, you can tell she's not feeling very well in these pictures. She's been fighting a cold all week and hasn't been herself.)

This was one of my favourites. She had used up all the "B's" in other words and so thought outside the box and put together two "D's" to make an upper case "B". I love it!

Date Weekend

2011-03-28T13:27:00.003-05:00

Mike and I rarely get to go out for a date night at this point in our lives. It just doesn't happen with the way our life is right now. I'm not complaining . . . just stating the facts. This too shall pass.

Anyway, this weekend we were blessed to be able to spend the whole day and evening together on Saturday. We left the kids in the capable hands of Grandma and Grandpa halfway through the morning . . . just enough time to do a bit of shopping before lunch. Then we had lunch together. Table for two. No crayons. No cutlery being thrown around. No bathroom breaks every five minutes. And we actually had a conversation with no interuptions. Wow!

Then our afternoon was spent at an End the Wait seminar. "Come hear from adoptive families, Christian adoption professionals and churches making a difference in the lives of adoptive families; then join the conversation as we talk about the many ways believers can respond to God’s call to “look after orphans . . . in their distress” (James 1:27)." Steven Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore were even there sharing their adoption stories. After that we went met up with some good friends for dinner. Friends we don't get to see very often so that was fun too.

And then the day was finished off with this:

Mike's been a fan of SCC forever and I got him tickets for Christmas. We had great seats - three rows back from the stage, right in the middle so we were looking straight on at the stage. Just as we anticipated, the music was incredible and the stories and testimonies shared were so moving. We loved it. And the kids had a great time at home. Grandma and Grandpa took them to the airplane museum and all six of them had fun. It was an awesome day for everyone with lots of new memories created!

It is spring right???

2011-03-23T18:51:00.003-05:00

Well, we woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. Normally this would excite me but the little taste of warmer weather we had last week makes me not appreciate this stuff so much anymore. I just can't believe how much of it we have . . . and it's still coming down!

Here are a few pics I took tonight - that's why they're kinda dark. You can't really see his face in the picture, but Mike is SO happy about shoveling more snow! (or not!)

Adoption Magazine

2011-03-21T19:51:00.002-05:00

My friend, Sharla, put together a website all about adoption - called Adoption Magazine. It's a great place for pre- and post-adoptive families to go to for a large variety of resources. It's "a place to share information and stories about adoption's complexities, trials and joys."

Today one of my older blog posts is featured on the Adoption Magazine website. Go check it out!

Spring Reading

2011-03-20T14:08:00.006-05:00

Well, I’ve decided to join the Spring Reading Thing challenge posted on this blog. I have so many books that I really want to read and never get around to reading so when I saw this challenge, I decided to sign up. I have no idea when I’m going to find the time to read but I’m up for the challenge. Hey, I have a whole season right?!?!

So here’s my list. It’s not huge – there’s only five – but believe me, it will be a struggle to get through this many. We’ll see what happens. I'll post about this again around June 20th and let you know how I did.

Sweetness in the Belly – Camilla Gibb

When You Believe – Deborah Bedford

Michal (from The Wives of King David series) – Jill Eileen Smith

Mothers – Living a Life of Fulfillment God’s Way

Fields of the Fatherless – Tom Davis

Samara's Birthday

2011-03-19T06:51:00.003-05:00

On March 4, our baby girl turned five years old.

Samara we feel so very blessed that God chose us to be your parents. We are so proud of you. You are so full of life and you put your whole heart and soul into everything you do. We love you so very much and pray that God will continue to bless you in the days and years to come.

Warmer Weather

2011-03-19T06:39:00.003-05:00

I'm loving the warmer weather we're having over the past few days. There's nothing like seeing all four kids playing nicely together outside in the warm sunshine. We even had lunch outside! I know we haven't seen the end of the colder weather yet but we're definitely looking forward to summer.

The warm weather, lots of fresh air, picnic lunches outside, a good night's sleep after a full day outside . . . it all makes this worth it (I think):

Surprise for Victoria

2011-03-18T19:08:00.004-05:00

This blog post is well overdue but I wanted to make sure I documented it so here goes. Victoria had her birthday in December but due to the busyness of that time of year, we didn’t plan a birthday party for her. But we made up for it by planning a surprise in January. One Friday morning I stated that I needed to go out to do a few errands and I asked Victoria if she wanted to come with me. She said yes, as long as it was just her and me. Well, when Daddy came home at lunchtime, she changed her mind and decided she wanted to stay home with Daddy instead. I then proceeded to tell her that I really wanted her to come with me and because she already said she would, she should keep her word and come with me. So she begrudgingly came with me. As we were driving along, here’s how the conversation went:

Me: Hey, wanna see if Breanna (her cousin and BFF) wants to come over for a sleepover?

Of course that was followed with squeals of delight and a definite YES!

Victoria: Tonight?

Me: Oh, tonight? Well, uuum, I don’t know about that. Is your room clean? (LOL!)

Victoria: Oh, um, well, sort of” (ha . . . that made me laugh!)

We then pulled into Breanna’s driveway. Victoria got her seatbelt off and said she was so excited.

Me: Well, Breanna won’t be home will she? It’s Friday and she would be at school wouldn’t she?

Victoria: Oh ya. Oh well, I’m going to come in with you anyway.

When we stepped inside, there was Breanna all ready to go with her bags packed. Aunt Michelle took her out of school early and she knew she was going somewhere but didn’t know where. All four of us left in the van. It was hilarious because the girls didn’t even ask where we were going and why all four of us were going. We listened to them chat away behind us. They talked all about coming over to our place for a sleepover and all the things they were going to do. They also assumed we were going swimming somewhere because Breanna had bought a new bathing suit that week. It wasn’t until we had been driving for at least a half an hour (our house is only 10 minutes from Breanna’s) that Victoria asked why it was taking so long to get home. We told the girls we were taking the scenic route. We teased them the whole time saying that this particular road (the QEW) was Aunt Michelle’s favourite road. She LOVES driving on it so we thought we’d take a spin on it so she could enjoy it. (LOL!) We got a little confused (okay, maybe lost) and the girls wondered why we turned around at one point. We knew we were getting closer and as we got to the intersection of the place we were going (this hotel), the girls pointed at it:

Girls: Hey, look at that cool hotel! It’s so big!

Us: Ya, that does look cool . . . we should go there sometime!

Girls: YA!!! Let’s go now – just the four of us!

I turned at the intersection and pulled into the driveway of the hotel. The girls asked what we were doing and I said I just needed to stop and ask for directions. (wink, wink). I went to check in and when I came back to the van, I said, “Hey, this place looks really cool. Should we stay here?” Well, Victoria squealed and exclaimed yes but Breanna said she really wanted to go to Victoria’s for a sleepover. Ha! We explained to the girls that the four of were staying at the hotel for a night. They had a special sleepover package at the hotel that included a one night stay for four people, pizza and pop for supper, popcorn and a movie and breakfast for the four of us the next morning.

We had so much fun, swimming, laughing and just hanging out. Victoria loved it and said it was the best birthday party ever!

Royal Princess Tea

2011-02-28T09:41:00.004-06:00

Victoria and I had the priviledge of attending a Royal Princess Tea on Saturday morning at our church. What a great time! The organizers went all out and there was so much glitter, sparkle and bling. Beautiful! Victoria was in her glory and left feeling pretty special. The whole purpose of the morning was to teach the girls that they are God's princesses, daughters of the most Royal King ever. It was very well done and I think everyone had a great time. Victoria said next year she would like to volunteer at the tea so I think that's what we'll do.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-23T12:38:00.005-06:00

I know it was a while ago but I'm just getting to post about it now. Valentine's Day has never been one of my favourite "holidays" - in fact I never really used to like it. However, kids always have a way of making special days even more special. We had a lot of fun this year.

The day started out with a special message from Victoria on her white board:

The kids worked on special heart crafts and other activities relating to love. Victoria and Austin had a fill in the blank activity sheet - they had to look up Bible verses about love and find the missing words.

I think my favourite part though was reading what everyone wrote about each other. Everyone had six hearts of the same colour and had to write one thing they love about each person in the family. There were six because the kids insisted we do one for Frodo too - just in case he doesn't know how much we love him! The words written were all so sweet. Samara wrote: I love Mommy because she gives me strawberries and chips. (seriously doesn't take much eh??) The one Mike did for Frodo says: I love Frodo because he makes sure I never sleep in. (Ha - way to put a positive spin on it hon! LOL!)

Oh ya and I almost forgot. I posted the greatest love message of all times on the wall by my scrapbooking table.

The things kids say . . .

2011-02-17T21:18:00.003-06:00

Two things that recently made me laugh out loud:

Austin was cleaning his glasses and he had just sprayed the cleanser on each lens. Samara happened to be watching him and exclaimed: "Hey, it looks like you just sneezed on them!" LOL - that made me howl!

Yesterday, Victoria and Austin were sitting at the kitchen table doing their morning Bible reading. I was in the next room and Victoria yelled out to me: "Hey mom, come here! There's something wrong. Whoever wrote this Bible made a big mistake!" LOL! Needless to say (after I was done laughing), I went over to see her and we had a little chat about that one!

So cool

2011-02-15T16:12:00.001-06:00

The shirt says it all. He really can't help being this cool!

Two seconds . . .

2011-02-14T15:49:00.002-06:00

I seriously turned my back for two seconds this afternoon and this is what I found:

Honestly who's idea was that? Playing on the backyard ice rink - that's starting to melt I should mention - in your socks and with no coat! Notice Samara also has no boots on. I knew she was going out to play with her coat, hat, mittens and boots . . . but apparently by looking at Denver's face she somehow decided it looked like fun to take her boots off too. (???) Oh boy . . . never a dull moment around here.

(Is it bad that I ran to get my camera first before scooping him up and bringing him inside??)

This and That

2011-02-12T05:59:00.004-06:00

Denver has been sleeping consistently in his "big boy bed" . . . for naps and at nighttime. How does mama feel about this? Not sure. Am I ready for my baby to be a big boy? Hmmm . . . not really. But somehow all my kids keeps growing despite me telling them not to.

About Denver's new bed . . . Austin loves having a roommate. It's pretty cute. The girls have been together in their room for a few years now and Austin has been feeling pretty left out being all alone in his room. So now he's pumped that he has his brother in there with him. And Denver's pretty proud talking about "his" room. In fact he's been heard to say "stay out of my room!" to the girls. Okay, so maybe his roommate isn't always the best influence on him!

Today is day six of the cleanse. Yep that's right, Mike and I started a cleansing diet on Monday. The first few days were REALLY hard but it's better now. And the best news is that I haven't had a sore stomach since Sunday. Those of you that know me will know that's a big deal! So we almost have one week under our belts . . . six more to go.

Why is it that I can't keep up with emailing and blogging? I try, I really do. I have good intentions and then life gets busy. I've written about four blog posts in my head over the last week or so. Somehow transfering from my head to the computer doesn't happen. Oh well . . . such is life right now.

The adoption agency we used to facilitate Denver's adoption (yes, the one that went bankrupt and then was restructured) has just announced this week that they are partnering with another agency somewhat close by. Not sure how I feel about this. I have mixed emotions. I suppose it comes down to the fact that I don't like change. Not to mention, it saddens me that now there will be one less option, again, for those wanting to adopt internationally. It seems like over the last few years, there have been less and less options in Canada. Plus I feel bad for the employees that have worked so hard and now will be out of a job. But we'll hope and pray that it ends up being a good thing for both agencies and the clients involved.

Friends of ours are in Ethiopia right now. They were present at court in Addis on Friday. Unfortunately they didn't pass court. Although they knew this was a possibility, it's still disappointing. Praying that their next court date is a success and that the rest of the process goes smoothly.

We've been going through every room in our house and getting rid of things we no longer need or use. I love to purge! We've gotten rid of boxes and boxes full of stuff. I feel lighter and it feels so good! Even the kids went through their rooms and got rid of toys and things they no longer play with. Things that are just taking up space. It's great.

I think that's it for my Saturday morning ramblings. Have a great weekend!

My Boys

2011-02-06T08:18:00.002-06:00

And just because I can't resist pictures of my kids sleeping . . .

Notice the folded hands. He must've been saying his prayers before he fell asleep. :)

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T09:25:00.003-06:00

From our house to yours . . .

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Snow day!

2011-02-02T14:30:00.002-06:00

And it keeps on snowin'! Yes! I love it!

Four years ago today . . .

2011-02-01T15:42:00.003-06:00

God blessed us with this beautiful gift.

And just look at her now!

Thank you Lord for our sweet, sweet Samara.

(Happy Gotcha Day to our fellow members of travel group #244!)

Bring on the snow!

2011-01-31T15:47:00.003-06:00

It's hard to see in this picture but the forecasted snow has started to fall. They’re calling for quite a bit of snow to fall over the next day or two. Call me crazy but I’m dying for a doozy storm . . . you know the kind where no one can go out? Where we call snuggle up and watch the flakes come down . . . or bundle up to go out and play in it? I feel like we haven’t had one of those in a long time. Last year the snow was pathetic (at our place anyway). This year has been better but we still need more. I know the phrase refers to the month of March but let’s hope February comes in like a lion.

BRING ON THE SNOW!!!

The dog . . . a boy's best friend

2011-01-27T19:14:00.002-06:00

Couldn't resist posting these cute pictures of my boy . . . and his friend. Too cute!

Cozy Bed

2011-01-18T11:31:00.002-06:00

Speaking of the dog, his toys and bed are also pretty fun. His crate at first was a fun place to play and pretend to be a dog. We put a stop to that but still once in a while find someone sitting in his bed. This is what I found this morning after changing Denver's diaper but not catching him fast enough to put the rest of the clothes on.

Frodo

2011-01-16T12:39:00.004-06:00

Have I told you about Frodo . . . not the Baggins type . . . the Carmody type? He's soft, fluffy, buff in colour, well behaved, a great companion, and pretty much the best dog EVER! I was seriously hesitant about getting another dog. For those of you who know what we went through with our last one, you’ll understand my hesitancy. However, I have to admit, I’m glad I was persuaded. It’s been so great having a dog around again. The kids LOVE him and he loves the kids. He’s gentle with the kids and has so much fun playing with them. Denver even loves him (yes, we’ve come a long way since a year and a half ago).

Mike has always loved and wanted a bigger dog but I wasn’t raised with dogs. I guess you can say I’ve never been a dog person. And in particular, I just can’t do the hair. So a small, non-shedding dog is our compromise. Frodo is a Havanese dog and so won’t get very big. He loves being around people. He constantly seeks someone out and will lie on anyone’s feet. Even if I’m making supper and standing at the stove for a minute, he’ll come and get comfortable with his head on my feet. He fits perfectly into our family since we’re home a lot. He’s definitely not lacking attention.

We’ve had him since October when he was 11 weeks old and so the real test was the month of December with all the busyness and traveling here and there. He did really well. When we drove any distance, he would make himself comfortable on the backseat of the van in between Victoria and Austin . . . or on their laps. At one point when we were driving home at night, I looked back to find Austin fast asleep with Frodo also fast asleep on his lap. So cute!

It was kinda cute when he was at the groomers getting his hair cut. Samara kept saying, "I miss Frodo". So I explained to her that the lady was taking really good care of him and giving him a bath, combing him, trimming the hair around his face so he could see, cutting his nails, etc. I went on to tell her that the lady was making him look really handsome. Samara's response was: "Oh, so now we can take him to church?" LOL! No sweetie - I don't think that would go over very well!

Here he is after his haircut. The smudge on the top of the picture is because he licked my camera. LOL! (Thankfully it was my camera and not Mike's new one he got for Christmas!)

Here he is in the snow. He loves it!

So there you go . . . the best dog ever!

Interior Decorating

2011-01-11T15:23:00.003-06:00

It's nothing major but I finally got a few things done that I've wanted to do for a long time. Just a few little things hung up. I've had each of these items for well over a year or more.

When I went to hang up the border, I all of a sudden realized that I didn't know what the Chinese characters meant. I thought I should probably find out before I hung it up. So I asked my friend who assured me I wasn't hanging up anything crass in my dining room. Phew! (thanks MC) The characters stand for the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Nice. I like that.

The wall words I got from my mom a long time ago. It’s one of my favourite sayings and I’m so happy to finally have it on my wall. Thanks Mom.

The clock idea I saw a long time ago online somewhere and loved it. Again, I’ve had the clocks for a really long time but just got around to hanging them and cutting out the words on my cri¢ut. (The picture looks a little warped - the letters and clocks are actually all the same size).

So there you go. It’s the little things that make me smile.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T20:51:00.002-06:00

Okay, I know I'm eight days late on that but so be it. That seems to be the way my life ends up more often than not . . . a little late here and there with this and that. What can I say? I'm busy. :)

I’ve never been one for making New Year’s resolutions. Over the last year or more I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about picking a word for the year. So this year, for the first time ever, our family is choosing a word for the year. So for the year 2011 our word will be PRAYER. We will spend the year working on and improving our prayer life as a family and as individuals. And we will pray for God to help us in this area.

Here are some encouraging Bible verses (NIV) regarding prayer. These are just a few of my favourites. There are many, many more.

Psalm 5:3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and I will look up.

Psalm 55:17
Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice.

Proverbs 15:8
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Ephesians 6:18-19
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 14:15
So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

Colossions 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:1-4
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 John 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

May 2011 be a year that sees many more people around the globe crying out to God in times of need and in times of joy.

Melkam Genna!

2011-01-07T20:35:00.003-06:00

To all our little Ethiopian Canadian friends and our dear friends in Ethiopia . . . we wish you a very Merry Christmas. Melkam Genna!

Happy (Belated) Birthday . . .

2010-12-27T21:19:00.005-06:00

. . . to our two oldest babies.

Victoria and Austin turned 9 and 7 (respectively). I am very late with this blog post (birthdays were December 16 and 18) but better late than never right? Yep, it's pretty bad that they don't even get separate blog posts for their birthdays this year. I know it's not their fault but such is life when you have a December birthday!

Anyway, they both had great birthday celebrations and were made to feel special on their own day. It's so hard to believe that they're growing up so fast.

Victoria, we love you so very much. You are such a sweetheart. It seems like just yesterday that you were born and already you're turning into a young lady. You are beautiful inside and out and Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you.

Austin, we love you so very much. You are such a kind and loving boy. You often think of others before yourself and you love being a big brother. You are a handsome boy but you're growing up way too fast! Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you.

The things kids say . . .

2010-11-28T15:17:00.003-06:00

Overheard in the van as we were driving yesterday (spoken by almost 7-year-old Austin):

"I wish I had black skin like Denver's. It's so much more creative. White skin is so boring!"

Ha! I love it.

Picture Post

2010-11-08T06:44:00.008-06:00

This post doesn't need a lot of words. Just a bunch of pictures from a walk we went on last weekend with our photographer friend. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather for a family walk in the woods. The last four pictures are the ones I'm going to have developed in sepia for my four frames going up the stairs. I can't post the family picture because it's hopefully going out in our Christmas cards this year.

Field Trip

2010-11-07T07:31:00.003-06:00

Don't you love it when you study something with the kids and then you get to go on a field trip to make it a little more real? This particular field trip was just next door but it was cool nonetheless. A few weeks ago, we learned all about bats and then lo and behold, a bat showed up on our neighbour's house. So out we went with our camera and binoculars and saw a real live bat up close! The kids loved it and of course I did too (mostly because it was on our neighbour's house and not ours!).

Isn't he cute?

Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T21:07:00.003-05:00

Well our pictures didn't turn out that great but here they are anyway. We had Batman, Sharpay (from Highschool Musical) in her prom dress, an elephant and Tigger. They all looked really cute and despite the cold weather, a fun time was had by all! Denver was hilarious as usual. He wanted to walk the whole way and wanted nothing to do with even holding my hand. I was, however, allowed to hold his bag of goodies between houses! We drove to a few houses (including Grandma Z's) and then went to a few on our street. The kids aren't into all the halloween decorations and the scary aspect of halloween (obviously because their parents aren't!) and so when certain houses were too scary looking, they wanted nothing to do with it - even the older two. Thankfully no one had nightmares last night!

Our baby . . .

2010-10-28T20:49:00.006-05:00

turned two today!

Every time one of my kids has a birthday, I always say, "how did that happen?" But honestly, I mean it every time. I can't believe how fast it goes. Denver was seriously just a baby yesterday!

Denver: Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of the little man you're becoming. You fill our lives and home with so much love and laughter and joy and we are so blessed to have you in our family. We are thankful everyday that God chose us to be your parents. We love you two-year-old!

All dressed up . . .

2010-10-24T19:29:00.005-05:00

. . . and no place to go.

Hats and shoes - two of Denver's favourite things. He LOVES walking around the house in anyone's shoes and often has a hat on his head too.

Here he is one night before bed. It's so much more fun to dress up in shoes and a hat than it is to wear pajamas!

Oops - Victoria's shoes with a little heel aren't the easiest to walk in!

A purple princess dress is also quite fun to wear around the house. This is how Denver met Daddy at the door after work one day. LOL! I think the girls had something to do with this one! (But no worries, the yellow shirt underneath is a very masculine hockey shirt!)

Baking with Grandma

2010-10-19T20:12:00.005-05:00

Grandma Carmody came to visit last week which is always such a treat. However, it seems that so much is planned when Grandma comes to visit but the time flies by and only half of the things get done. But this time baking was on the list and baking they did. I love it when Grandma bakes with my kids because my poor children have a mother who is challenged in the baking department. Victoria particularly loves to bake and cook and I'm hoping that will continue. She loves to pretend that she has her own cooking show (just like on tv) and perhaps one day she'll have her own REAL cooking show on the Food Netw*rk - which is her favourite channel!

Here are some pictures of the baking fest. Don't worry, Denver removed the lego from the baking sheet before it was placed in the oven.

Oops - I forgot to take a picture of the finished product after it was baked. It was homemade granola bars and they were really yummy! Thanks Grandma!

Thankful for my Blessings

2010-10-15T13:31:00.004-05:00

I know it's not Thanksgiving anymore but I still want to show off four of my favourite blessings for which I am extremely thankful.

And what would a picture post of the kids be without some outtakes?

Denver and the bug

2010-10-12T21:28:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time there was a handsome little boy who was quietly enjoying a pretend picnic outside.

When all of a sudden he was distracted by something moving beside his plate.

He attempted to catch it with his little fingers . . .

but finding that next to impossible, he thought he'd attempt squooshing it with his fork.

When that didn't work, he tried one more time to pick it up and was successful.

The little creature crawled quite quickly all over his hand . . .

until he eventually fell off.

When trying to pick it up again proved futile,

he decided to try another method to take care of this little creature.

Yep, that did the trick!

Look Mom . . . I squooshed it!

Book Worms

2010-09-30T11:17:00.003-05:00

We're raising a bunch of book worms and I love it!

Hide and Seek . . . Denver style

2010-09-23T12:49:00.004-05:00

These pictures make me laugh every time I look at them. The kids played hide and seek on and off throughtout the summer and Denver also started to get the hang of it . . . sort of.

One day I walked into the kitchen, and this is what I found. Seriously, does it get much cuter? The dark little hands and feet sticking out of the cupboard were enough to melt this mamma's heart!

Is it possible?

2010-09-23T06:12:00.003-05:00

Have I forgotten how to blog???

Here are a few pictures from our summer.

Some backyard soccer:

Snack time:

Hard at work:

One of many puzzles worked on and completed this summer:

Daddy pile on:

Peek-a-boo!

July 13, 2010

2010-09-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe it’s been two months since I’ve blogged. My word . . . where does the time go??? A few times I wanted to post some pics but I first wanted to post about July 13 and my thoughts on everything having to do with that day. So here goes . . .

July 13, 2010 came and went just like any other day . . . oh ya, that’s totally not true! As mentioned in a previous post, July 13 marked the one year anniversary of the day that our adoption agency officially announced bankruptcy. Wow, it still seems as though it’s not reality but I know it is if I think about everything we went through.

For some reason (and maybe I was naïve not to expect this) July 13 hit me hard this year. I mean REALLY hard. I couldn’t believe it. From the minute I got up and realized what day it was, I couldn’t stop crying. It was crazy. I was completely emotional about everything. Friends on the yahoo board, some of whom I’ve met and some of whom I haven’t, were all posting pictures of the kids we’ve brought home since the bankruptcy. It was a great way to celebrate how far we’ve come and to not focus on the negative on a day that brought back a lot of painful memories. But every time new photos were posted, I cried. When I looked at Denver and my other kids, I cried. When I thought about last July, I cried. Seriously, a lot of tears were shed.

A wise friend of mine came up with a possible explanation for my emotions. She said that last year when the bankruptcy happened we just went into “get Denver home” mode. Nothing else mattered and we were focused on doing whatever we had to in order to get our son home to Canada where he belonged. It was scary and sad and frustrating but I didn’t have time to process my emotions at that time. Even when I came home, I was in baby mode. I was so happy to be home with all my kids and hubby and we spent the time focusing on Denver’s (and the other kids’) adjustment. Again, I didn’t have time to really process any of it.

And I didn’t have time to grieve. I truly believe that we suffered a lot of losses that we needed to deal with and in a sense grieve these losses. The main thing was that nothing ended up going how it was supposed to go. Now granted, international adoption is a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs and there are a lot of surprises thrown in along the way and we knew this when we signed up for the journey – both times. However, none of these surprises can be compared to the surprise of your adoption agency going bankrupt. Suddenly everything is wrong. Mike and I were supposed to travel to Ethiopia together (along with Samara). We were supposed to be there together when Denver was handed over and placed in our arms forever. Mike was supposed to be there for all of our first moments together. We were supposed to experience Ethiopia – the country, the people, the culture – together. It wasn’t supposed to be such a stressful trip. Our visa was supposed to be issued before we travelled. We weren’t supposed to have to worry the entire time whether our visa would arrive in time for me and Denver to go home. The possibility of me and Denver staying in Ethiopia for nine or more weeks away from the rest of the family wasn’t supposed to be in our minds. We were supposed to have agency support when we were in Ethiopia. We weren’t supposed to have to find our own way around and try to squeeze in some sightseeing between paperwork and visits to the Embassy. And it goes on . . . and on . . . and on . . .

Having said all that, I do know that we are truly blessed and our family has been truly blessed with Denver and the other children. I know that all the events surrounding Denver’s journey home happened for a reason. I know that God’s hand was on me and Denver and Mike and the kids during our time apart. Yes, it was hard but the end of the story turned out exactly how it was supposed to. Denver came home to Canada and is part of our family.

And that brings me to the matter of forgiveness. I absolutely do not want to sound like I’m preaching or that I am “holier than thou” but I can honestly say that I do not feel any anger or bitterness towards the woman responsible for the fall of the agency – S. H. Yes, she made some really bad decisions and caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. But (contrary to popular opinion) I truly feel sorry for her. I believe her heart was in the right place when she started the adoption agency and I know she showed love and compassion to a lot of people – particularly in Ethiopia. I don’t think the hurt she caused was premeditated. I believe that something, probably greed, got the best of her and caused her to fall into temptation. It got worse and worse until she was drowning and there was no way out. I do really feel sorry for her. There are so many people holding onto their anger and bitterness and living with it every single day. Even families that have come home with their child(ren) since the bankruptcy – there are so many bitter people. I just want to say – let it go. Forgive. Move on. I know it’s not easy but you’re only hurting yourself and your loved ones. I mean, honestly who can say they are better than her? Are we not all sinful people? Do we not all fall short? What makes my sin any less than hers? It says in the Bible that all sin is equal. And the Bible also teaches us to forgive. We’re all human and need forgiveness – no matter how great or small our sin. God is willing to forgive all of us – S. H. included – how awesome is that?

Okay so that’s it. That’s what I’ve wanted to post for two months but knew it wouldn’t be short or quick. Feels good to get it out. Now maybe I can post some pictures and lighter posts!

One year ago today . . .

2010-07-14T20:13:00.002-05:00

. . . I was on a plane bound for Ethiopia . . . on my way to find our son and bring him home.

. . . more on this later.