Friday morning update.

Well everyone is finally doing better health wise at our house. We have been pretty busy with three kids under 5 but it's all a blessing from the Lord. Our foster son is adjusting well and is a really good baby. Evi really seems to be loving all the babies we take in. Robert on the other hand is having a hard time. Poor guy, he is really going through some attachment stuff right now. I can't believe how challenging it is everyday to parent these three small children. People should really have to pass a test to become a parent (although I might have failed) because children are the biggest blessing in the world but at the same time the hardest people on earth. If it weren't for all the hugs, smiles, and "I love yous" I'm not sure how I would be doing it.

More pumpkin patch fun.

This weekend we went back to the pumpkin patch with all three kids. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. Here are some pics. that include our new addition baby boy.

A new baby boy joins our family today.

We are getting a 7 month old biracial baby boy today at 12:00. We are really excited because this will probably be a long term placement. We figure he will be with us for at least 6-12 months. check in later to see how we are all adjusting.

The Pumpkin Patch

I guess this gives away who we are voting for.

Our Baby Boy is leaving tomorrow.

The precious 4 month old baby boy we have been caring for since July 15, 2008 will be leaving tomorrow at 3:30 for his forever home. We had the opportunity to meet his adoptive mom and dad on Friday and we are so happy for them as well as baby boy. He will be loved and cherished in his new home and that is such a blessing. We are so glad to have been able to care for him, love him, and have him as a part of our family even if for a short time. This was our third foster placement and so far so good. Everyone always asks us "how can you foster these kids and then give them back?" We understand that not everyone could do that so we feel especially called to be a family that can. Of course it's hard to let them go and we love this little guy so much. But we know that God is in control and that he will give us all we need to care for each child that he blesses us through adoption or foster care. We thank all our family and friends for being so supportive of our call, we know it's not always easy on you either.

Halloween is coming.

Evi decided to be Violet Incredible for Halloween this year. For months she has been pretending we are the Incredible family. I am Elastagirl, Jeremy is Mr. Incredible, Evi is Violet, Robert is Dash and our little guy is baby Jack Jack. The costume is perfect for her and she is so excited. We are trying to convince Robert to be Dash but.... he doesn't seem interested in dressing up in anything so he will probably be a White Sox baseball player.

My Boys watching The Bears

Jeremy was very excited about the Bears game this evening and so we were getting the kids into the excitement of the season. After dinner they had baths and then we told them they could watch some of the Bears game with daddy. Evi thought it was boring adult tv and quickly asked for one of her kid shows. But Robert was getting into the true spirit of football. He learned several new phrases such as: "touch down," go "Bears," and "yes" (like when a great play is made.) They only were able to watch long enough to finish their nighttime snack and then it was off to bed. I think Robert is really going to get into this.

Apple/Berry Picking

Today we took the kids (and grandma and papi) to Orchard Farms to pick apples. Evi and Robert really had a great time. Evi did more eating then picking. She would pick an apple, take a bite, and then throw it on the ground claiming "that one was no good." Robert also enjoyed picking the apples. It was great fun for him because "apple" is one of the words he can say really well. We then moved on to raspberries which both the kids love. Evi knew right away that she could eat the bright red ones, Robert on the other hand was not sure what to do. As soon as he caught on though he couldn't get them in his mouth fast enough. Next were the blackberries. This time they had to pick the ones that weren't red. Poor Robert ended up eating some pretty tart blackberries. By the end of the trip both kids had stained hands and faces. It was a beautiful day to be out in the orchard and fortunate for us there weren't many bugs yet. We hope to make this an annual event.

Baby boy is 4 months today!

I took our baby boy in for his 4 month well baby check and he is doing really well. I can't believe how healthy he is and he is getting so big. We truly love this little guy and we will miss him so much when he transfers into his forever home. He did have a rough patch though this afternoon after receiving 4 vaccinations. Poor baby screamed for over an hour. He is feeling better this evening and back to smiling all the time. We will know more about when exactly he is leaving on September 16th. Our prayer is that his new mommy and daddy shower him with love (and I'm sure they will).

News you can use

I thought I would post about this new blog since many of you haven been going to our other blog through Shutterfly. I decided to switch back to blogger because I like the format better. In the favorite links section under the "the family photo album" section we still have a link to all our pictures on Shutterfly. I will keep that updated with pictures so you can click on the link and view the folders in a slide show. On blogger I like the feature that you can post a picture within a blog entry. Sometimes the kids do something so silly or interesting and that"s the only picture I want to post and Shutterfly doesn't have that option. Sorry for any confusion this has caused and I will try and stick with this blog for awhile (LOL).

Who are these scary monsters?

The other day I went to a local craft store to get some picture frames. Well ... I ended up getting a ton of Halloween crafts for Evi and I to do during Robert's nap. Here are some of our first creations. I hope you're not too scared!

Back to school

Evi was so excited to start school last week. She loves her new teacher and all her classmates. Evi attends school on MWF from 9-11:30. We also signed her up for a Microscope class through the park district. Next week Faith Weaver Friends begins at our church on Wednesdays from 4-6. Robert and I are going to do story time at the library again this fall as well. Here is a picture of Evi on her first day of school.

Spring is on it's way!!!

I'm so glad to report that i have actually taken the kids to the park 2 days in a row. it's been so great to get out of the house and play outside. this winter has been especially dreary here in chicago. we are planning a family vacation this spring to visit uncle willy and uncle bridget. we are really hoping the weather there will be nice enough for us to go swimming. i'm mostly looking forward to being out of illinois. I have just over two months left as youth director at cpc and i'm really looking forward to a break. the kids are each signed up for several activities this spring and we are really looking forward to watching evi play soccer. she is really fast so i think she'll love the running part. robert is beginning to say more words. just yesterday he said "uh oh' for the first time. it was really cute.

Robert's been home a year!

Robert landed in the USA on January 24, 2007 (Grandma Judy's 60th birthday). We celebrated his "Adoption Day" with Evi's birthday. I can't believe that a year has already gone by. Robert is such a joy to us and we love him more everyday. He truly is one of the sweetest people I know. Robert really loves the movie Cars and enjoys playing with his "shake and go" racers. He also loves music. Jeremy wants to get him a drum set for his birthday. We are just so blessed to get to be Robert's mommy and daddy. Thank you Jesus for bringing him into our lives!!

Evi turns 4!!

Well, This Friday Evi will be 4 years old. I can't believe how time flies. Sometimes I can't even remember her as a baby, infant or toddler. She just seems so grown up. Her birthday is a joyous occasion for sure but it's also a day that for me brings some tears. I always think of her birth mother on these special occasions. I wonder where she is and what she must be thinking about. I pray that she knows that her baby girl is loved very deeply. I wish she could see how beautiful she is and know how unbelievably smart she is. I will be forever grateful for the truly courageous decision Evi's birth mother made in placing her up for adoption. I can't imagine being faced with that decision so I have nothing but respect for all birth mothers.
On a lighter note I thought I would take a moment and brag about my amazing little girl. First off she she loves Disney moves. I know I let her watch too much television but... sometimes a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do. She also likes playing with her stuffed animals. She continues to loves books and we read to her everyday. The computer has also become something she has mastered and she loves playing her "Dora" game. It's crazy that my just turned 4 year old can use a mouse and name all the parts of our computer. She loves music and enjoys listening to her ipod (thanks Santa). I love that Evi can be such a "girly girl" one minute and ask you to paint her nails a sparkly pink and then the next minute she is collecting bugs and spiders she finds in our house. Evi loves swimming and will be starting her 3rd set of lessons in about two weeks. She wears a smile the whole time she is in the water. Preschool continues to be exciting for her and she is eager to go each day. Evi definitely loves being social and often talks about her many friends. We celebrated her birthday this weekend with family and friends at Chuck E Cheeses and she had a blast. Here are some pictures of the party!