Happy Homecoming Day!

Six years ago today a beautifully sweet and scared little girl joined our family. She has brought such unspeakable joy into our lives. Many people tell us, "She is one lucky little girl." I always respond, "No we are the lucky ones!

I will never forget that first touch. It's hard to explain the emotions one encounters after waiting two years for a child. How can you put into words what is felt when you can finally touch something more than a photo? I wish I could explain how I felt when I was finally able to touch her hair, inhale her scent, put my lips on hers, and feel her heart beat next to mine the first time I held her in my arms. It's an experience that no words can fully describe.

I remember thinking over and over that day, 'She's real. She's really real.' A day that took forever to come was finally a reality. If a heart could explode due to overwhelming love and joy, mine should have burst that day.

Life is not without challenges. It's not always been easy. She has had her fair share of struggles and insecurities, but we continue to love her and guide her through.

She has a loving heart and a willing spirit. She is my constant companion. She brings a smile to my face each and every day.

I continue to marvel at this creation of God. I often pray for her birth mother. I pray she has peace in her heart about this beautiful child that grew in her womb. I wish I could tell her how much her daughter has blessed our family. I wish I could thank her for the gift of this child's life. I wish I could tell her how much I love this little girl.

I can't thank her birth mother, but I can thank God, which I continually do. He orchestrated our adoption journey absolutely perfectly. I am thankful!

Happy Homecoming Day Duchess. You are very loved!!

My Skaters

Saturday is my favorite day of the week now. (Even though it involves me being cold for an hour.) It's skating day for the girls. I love watching my girls out on the ice, improving their skills week after week.

They are oh, so cute! Duchess is a bit of a hot dog on the ice. If she falls, she gets right back up and continues on. She's always practicing moves that are beyond her skill level. Her goal is to pass the level she's in and move on. I have a hard time dragging her off the ice. Nothing will come between her and her practice time.

Maiden is a little more careful. She cries when she falls too hard and has to come to me on the sidelines for a few kisses and to dry her tears.Then she goes back out to continue on. She is more than ready to be done at the end of her lesson because her teeth are chattering uncontrollably. But she doesn't want to quit. She can't wait for the day she can do some spins.

Sitting in an ice cold arena is not my style. I really hate to be cold. But watching my girls and the excitement they have when they are out on the ice is worth it. (Thank goodness for long underwear!)

XC Girls

My middle boys have been running Cross Country (XC) this fall. Even though we homeschool, they are able to participate in school sports. It has been a great activity for both of them.

On Saturday they had a meet in Willmar. There was a special category at the end of the day for elementary aged kids. I thought it would be fun for the girls to run.

The morning of the race, the girls were very concerned about what they should wear. They wanted to look good, but still be comfortable. They didn't want to be too cold, yet they knew they'd get hot while running. They finally decided on these matching outfits--because all the teams wear matching clothes. Oh, and we had to fix their hair 'just so'.

Here they are before the race. I hope you can see Maiden's lips in this photo. When she heard the announcement that it was time for the Mighty Mites Race, she pulled her lipstick out of her purse and quickly applied it. Priorities, you know. A girl must always be prepared!

All the elementary aged kids ran together. The Willmar XC team ran along side the children in the 800 meter race. Here they are at the starting line.

Maiden toward the end of the race.

Duchess heading toward the finish line.

Everyone who finished the race received a participation ribbon. Duchess was a little disappointed that they were both given the same ribbon, since she finished far ahead of her sister. It really wasn't fair. She would have like to have been given a special award for her outstanding running skills.

On the way home Maiden complained of her legs hurting, but quickly forgot the pain when she realized her lipstick had worn off. Duchess was disappointed she got mud on her new running shoes and was trying to figure out how to get the stains out of them. I just sat back enjoying their conversation. After four boys, it is such a delight to be able to experience little girls. They are definitely different than boys!

My Children

Here is the most recent photo I have of all of my children. It was taken on Jouster's 19th birthday in July. I can't believe I have a 19 year old son. It makes it harder for people to believe I am only 29 years old when they see him by my side. There may come a day I will have to admit my real age.

Let me update you on what is going on with each of them.

Jouster: He is now 19 and swore he'd never step foot into a college. However, he is now a college student. He has worked out his schedule so he can be a full time student and still work his job at the hog farm 3 days per week. He still struggles from time to time with demons from his past but is really doing well. I am proud of the wonderful young man he has become.

Jester: We struggled with him over the summer. He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him. He has stayed in contact with Jouster so we know he is safe. We will keep our distance and allow him the space he feels he needs from us. He is a senior in high school this year and will turn 18 in a few weeks. I am sad that our relationship has come to this point, but all I can do now is pray for him. The little kids miss him. Maiden said last night, "I hope he comes home so he can sit in his spot again." (Meaning at the dinner table.) It broke my heart.

Squire: Is in 7th grade this year and is taking his homeschool studies very seriously. He started playing piano again which makes me extremely happy! He is in cross country and is begging to join the Civil Air Patrol.

Scribe: Not so serious about school. He's in 6th grade and hides from me a lot. We are working on him staying on task with getting his work done. He's also in piano again...much to his chagrin and is running cross country. He's a pretty good little runner.

Duchess: She has taken over the role of first born. She likes to "mother" the younger two around and keep them in line. She is a second grader this year and is still working on learning to read. She is now in charge of egg collecting and loves her new chore!

Maiden: My little Kindergartner. Her goal for this school year, "To finish Kindergarten." She only thinks she's doing school if she's working in workbooks. Me reading aloud to her is not considered school to her. She gets frustrated when I won't let her work ahead in her books. I need some of her enthusiasm to wear off on Scribe!

Prince Charming: My little boy is three--and--IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! He is my little snuggler and is never far from my side. The most common words out of his mouth are, "I want my mama," or "I need you mama." I love it. Hopefully his need for me follows him all the way through his teen years.

My Red (I mean White) Carpet Walk...Royal Family Style

One morning after telling Maiden I was planning to take a bath, I went to the bathroom and found this:

Maiden was standing outside the bathroom with a grin on her face.  I asked why she had spread paper towels on the floor.  She answered, "Those aren't paper towels.  It's a carpet for you to walk on, like princesses do."

Since it was morning, and I was in my pajamas, I decided not to scare you with the photos of me walking on the red white carpet leading to my royal bath.  I'll share the girls instead.   Maiden made sure I wore sunglasses for my royal walk. I'm sure it was to protect my eyes from the camera flashes of the paparazzi.

Duchess is a natural when it comes to walking the red white carpet.  Look at her strike a pose.  The best part of my carpet walk is that it served a dual purpose.  Once the paparazzi was gone and my royal bath was complete, I was able to use the carpet to clean the bathroom.  In royal style, of course. 

Learning to Read

Duchess really wants to read.  We've been using Alpha Phonics, but she doesn't seem to be catching on.  I don't think she is ready to start reading yet and I would like to put it away for a while.   She is not willing to wait.  She wants to read NOW!  So, I grin and bear (and repeat over and over) our reading lessons.

Today I asked The King if he could read with her.  They were working on the 'ad' word family.  She read aloud:  ad, had, dad, Tad, and then got the deer in the headlights look when she came to the word sad.  The King decided to give her a little hint, "If I'm not happy, I'm...."  Duchess beamed and loudly exclaimed, "Angry!"

The excitement of reading lessons doesn't stop there.  One day she and I were working on the letter P.   I said to Duchess, "The word purse starts with the letter p.  Can you hear puh when I say purse?  Other words that begin with p are pin and pad."  Duchess said, "Oh, I get it."  Then I asked her, "How about the word pig, what letter does that start with?"  She gave me the deer in the headlights look.  "I continued.  Pig.  What sound do you hear?"  She replied, "Oink, Oink."

What would I do without this girl?  She brings smiles to my face every day.

Work Out!

Sharing a photo from Duchess' homecoming.  I love this one of her and her Daddy.   There is a special bond between these two, she is his little sidekick.  She loves to be with him one on one.  If he goes to town to run errands, she is buckled in the vehicle before he has a chance to find his wallet.  If he's working outside on projects, she's by his side handing him tools.  If he's out for a walk checking out our property, she's walking right along side of him.  She loves her daddy.

She's also brutally honest.  Last night The King was relaxing after our evening meal when Duchess came up to him and rubbed his belly with her hands.  She lovingly said, "Dad, I think you should work out after every lunch." 

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Duchess' 7th birthday today. 

 

The only items on her birthday list were Tootsie Rolls and an American Girl Doll.

She really wanted Sonali, "Because she is Indian just like me."

She was very surprised to see that she actually got what she wanted.

She 'just knew' we couldn't afford Sonali.

Tonight she said to me, "Am I in a dream?  I can't believe I got Sonali for my birthday.  I must be in a dream."

I feel the same way about you, my dear.  I can't believe you are part of our family.  Am I in a dream?

Happy Birthday Duchess.  We love you!

Mom's Sick Day by Guest Blogger Duchess

Last week Mama had a horrible cold.  All she did for one whole day was lay on the sofa and sleep.  Maiden and I took really good care of her.  We brought her water when she asked, and more tissues when she needed to blow her nose (which was a lot).  When she was sleeping very soundly, we took a lot of pictures of her.  

That piece of striped fabric on her forehead is a sample of what she'd like to use for living room curtains.  Maiden wet it down and used it as a cold compress for Mama's feverish forehead. 

Here she is from another angle.  Every time she turned her head or rolled over we would take another shot.  Mom said I couldn't put them all on the blog because it would be too boring. The other poses she wouldn't let me post are the zoomed in shots of the redness around her nose and the up the nose shots.  I think she's a little prideful for not wanting those posted on the internet.  Mama thinks our viewing audience will appreciate her pride just this once.

Mom was having a hard time breathing through her nose so her mouth was hanging open.  We didn't like how the pictures turned out with her open mouth, so we put the fabric over it.  Then Maiden decided to brush Mama's hair.  I didn't think it was a good idea, but Maiden never listens to me.  She dug the brush into Mom's scalp which made her wake up.  Maiden always ruins our fun.  That's when Mama saw we were using her camera, and made us put it away.  That was the end of our fun for the day and why I don't have more pictures to show you.  I hope you liked my post.

Have a good day!

Duchess  

How to...

get your kids to say , "Mom, you are the best mom ever.":

1.  One day when you are out shopping, stop and look at all the fun colors of nail polish.

2.  Choose the one that you, as a mom, would never choose...or wear.

3.  Buy it.

4.  Bring it home and surprise your little girls.

5.  After you finish polishing the girls' nails, one will probably ask to polish yours.

6.  Smile and say, "I'd love to have you do my nails."  (Even if it is blue and you really don't want to have it done.)

7.  Ooh and Ahh over how good a nail polisher your little girl has become.

8.  Tell her you think she will probably be able to start polishing her own nails by the time she turns eight.

9.  She will then start talking very grown up and asking about all the other things she will be allowed to do as she gets older.  Tell her.  

10.  Thank her for doing such a good job.  Give her a kiss, but not a hug, because you might wreck your newly polished blue nails, and send her off to bed.

This is when she will pause and say, "Thank you for buying that cool polish.  Mom, you are the best mom, ever."  

Make Up

Maiden and Duchess this past summer after fixing each other's hair.

The girls and I were getting ready to leave the house when Duchess noticed that Maiden had an alarming amount of eyeshadow applied to her eyes.

Duchess:  (In a very disciplinary and accusing tone.)  "Are you wearing mom's make up?"

Maiden:  (Quietly and meekly.)  "I wanted to look pretty."

Duchess:  (This time much gentler and more understanding.)  "You don't need make up.  You are already pretty.  Only mom needs make up."

Mom:  (Confused and thinking to herself.)  "Why do I suddenly feel like crying?"

Back Yard Ice Rink

Today it is a sunny 18° and Great White is not stuck in the snow.  Quite a change from last week when it was -34° and Great White couldn't move.  Not being able to go anywhere for four days wasn't so bad.  It brought out the innovative side of Squire.  

One morning when he was out doing chores, he decided he needed to make a skating rink for Duchess since we weren't able to go to town and use the ice arena.  How would she ever keep up on her skating skills if she didn't have adequate practice time?  

 

He was a big ice cube when he came in the house.

He was grinning from ear to ear when he told Duchess what he had done for her.  She was so excited and couldn't wait to try out her very own ice skating rink.

He even helped her lace up her skates.  As he sent her out the door he told her,  "Be careful, it might be a little lumpy...the water kept freezing before I could smooth it out."

But she didn't seem to mind...the lumpy ice or the -34° wind chill.  She skated until she couldn't feel her nose or cheeks. 

 Then she came in to warm up just long enough to go out and skate some more.  To say she was thrilled with his gift to her would be an understatement.  She couldn't thank him enough.  Way to go Squire!  You are the big brother of every little girl's dreams.

Benefits of a Home Office

Yesterday I saw this beautiful sight.  The King was on the phone doing business with Duchess and Prince Charming in his arms.  (Psst...honey, could you turn around?)

I'd say this is multitasking at it's best.

Or is it mixing business with pleasure?