We slept in this morning....yes, all of us....again! I think we are going to be in BIG trouble when school starts again in another week. Anyway, I was woken up by two little squirming things in the bed with me.....kicking, crawling and banging....along with some squealing. After a few minutes of that, I groaned and shooed them out. So they made their way to Joshua's room and bed. Well, poor Joshua didn't know what hit him. Wham, bam...crunch...ugh! They were doing the same thing to him. Jasper peeked his head in the door and Joshua looked up at him.....and said....
I think it was a BAD idea to wake up today!
I heard him from my room....and we all burst out laughing...and laughing!
It was a funny way for us to start the day.....the laughing, I mean....NOT being used as a punching bag or a trampoline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love my kids and how they are constantly making me laugh!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Another Family Day At Home
Today, I realized (more than ever) that I should NOT let the kids stay up way past their bedtime unless it is a very special occasion! We had some grumpy-heads hanging around! And so the bickering began and kept on......until three of them had naps this afternoon!! That seemed to do the trick and helped stop some of the fussing.
In spite of the tiredness, we did have a good day hanging out as a family with no real pressure or stress from outside forces. I love having time together like that! Jasper went downtown for a short time early this morning to do a little work and to pick up a stray package at UPS. The kids and I slept in and that was bliss. We had a nice brunch again this morning and the kids played a lot with the toys they got from Santa.
We had our post-Christmas BIG meal this evening and so there was some preparation earlier in the day for that. I put a small, fresh turkey in the oven and then Hannah and I headed out together to do a little shopping in the afternoon/early evening. We had fun together...mostly window shopping. When we got home, I finished up dinner and we had a very nice meal....turkey, green bean casserole, rice and giblet gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and rosemary rolls. For dessert......the cheesecake that Hannah and her daddy made a couple of days ago....and boy was it GOOD! Emmie LOVED it and wanted MORE!
The clean-up was a lot........and as I was standing at the kitchen sink forever, I was trying to figure out if the meal was worth all the dish and pot-scrubbing afterwards....but knowing how much my family enjoyed the meal, I can definitely say.....YES!
Tomorrow, we have our "family Christmas" where we exchange gifts with each other.....since Santa came on Christmas day. The kids are excited all over again.....and I'm glad that we had a few days between the two special days.
In spite of the tiredness, we did have a good day hanging out as a family with no real pressure or stress from outside forces. I love having time together like that! Jasper went downtown for a short time early this morning to do a little work and to pick up a stray package at UPS. The kids and I slept in and that was bliss. We had a nice brunch again this morning and the kids played a lot with the toys they got from Santa.
We had our post-Christmas BIG meal this evening and so there was some preparation earlier in the day for that. I put a small, fresh turkey in the oven and then Hannah and I headed out together to do a little shopping in the afternoon/early evening. We had fun together...mostly window shopping. When we got home, I finished up dinner and we had a very nice meal....turkey, green bean casserole, rice and giblet gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and rosemary rolls. For dessert......the cheesecake that Hannah and her daddy made a couple of days ago....and boy was it GOOD! Emmie LOVED it and wanted MORE!
The clean-up was a lot........and as I was standing at the kitchen sink forever, I was trying to figure out if the meal was worth all the dish and pot-scrubbing afterwards....but knowing how much my family enjoyed the meal, I can definitely say.....YES!
Tomorrow, we have our "family Christmas" where we exchange gifts with each other.....since Santa came on Christmas day. The kids are excited all over again.....and I'm glad that we had a few days between the two special days.
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Day After...and Still in Jammies!
How do you like the new photo for the blog heading? It's the kids on Christmas morning in their cute Gymboree jammies. We actually gave these to the kids last Christmas but I planned ahead and ordered Esther Marie a pair like MaryAlyce's in preparation for this year...size 2...and it worked out! They look so sweet to me all snuggled in their jammies. They stayed in them all day yesterday. We had a great Christmas....and the kids opened their presents from Santa after we enjoyed a brunch of cheese omelets, Sister Schubert's cinnamon and orange rolls, bacon, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. The kids let me know this was a real winning combination as they went back for seconds and even thirds. The presents seemed to be a hit as well. Hannah got some boots...and a purse and lunchbox (Vera Bradley which is apparently all the rage in middle school), Joshua got a computer game and a Navy Seal boat with some G.I. Joe action figures, MaryAlyce got art supplies, a Disney movie and a tea set that you can really use. She can't wait to have a "tea party!" All the kids got stockings and house shoes and some other odds and ends. We had a yummy "party foods" dinner in the evening and then called the grandparents to wish them Merry Christmas. After some more playing, the kids went off to bed....and so did we!
Esther Marie was really cute this first Christmas! She loves candy...we know that for sure! She enjoys candy canes and anything chocolate, which always seems to dribble out of her mouth onto her clothes. Her favorite thing at breakfast was the rolls and I got a thumbs up on that one. I guess she has a bit of a sweet tooth. She wasn't quite sure what to do with presents but the other kids were more than happy to show her how to rip open the paper, throwing it about the room. She got some pretend food items and cookware and a little kitchen. She also got an Esther Veggie Tales movie and some books. She has been having a fun time "cooking" and serving things to all of us...saying..."eat it!" I have loved watching her as she copies our expressions and reactions, and she joins right in with all the holiday fun!
Okay, Okay....so it's the "day after" and I will admit it....everyone but Jasper is still hanging around in their jammies today..and it's the middle of the afternoon. It is just SO fun to me to have such a lazy day after the busy schedule that we always have...especially in the few days before Christmas. I am headed to put little Emmie down for a nap in a few minutes after we have our pizza lunch, and then I will reluctantly dress. We slept in this morning and had another brunch...oatmeal, fruit, and German Christmas Stollen that we always have during the holidays. I think the hot coffee was my favorite part...a Christmas blend and I like it even more because Jasper always makes it and hands me a cup! Yes, he spoils this woman rotten...I admit it! (Hmmm...I seem to be admitting a lot today!)
Now I have to get busy because I have more work to do and more secrets planned for the continued celebration. The more children we have, the more we try to spread things out to make the fun last. We had "Santa" Christmas yesterday...and a day off today to play with all the presents. Tomorrow, we will have our "family" gift time and a big, cooked holiday meal....turkey and trimmings. Sunday we will go to church, and hopefully will have some outside play time when things are more dry...it's been raining a lot. Next week, we plan to see other family members and will have a New Year's Eve party with Uncle Patrick. We can't wait for that fun!
We hope you had a blessed Christmas Day and that the rest of your holiday is wonderful, happy and that you stay well!
Esther Marie was really cute this first Christmas! She loves candy...we know that for sure! She enjoys candy canes and anything chocolate, which always seems to dribble out of her mouth onto her clothes. Her favorite thing at breakfast was the rolls and I got a thumbs up on that one. I guess she has a bit of a sweet tooth. She wasn't quite sure what to do with presents but the other kids were more than happy to show her how to rip open the paper, throwing it about the room. She got some pretend food items and cookware and a little kitchen. She also got an Esther Veggie Tales movie and some books. She has been having a fun time "cooking" and serving things to all of us...saying..."eat it!" I have loved watching her as she copies our expressions and reactions, and she joins right in with all the holiday fun!
Okay, Okay....so it's the "day after" and I will admit it....everyone but Jasper is still hanging around in their jammies today..and it's the middle of the afternoon. It is just SO fun to me to have such a lazy day after the busy schedule that we always have...especially in the few days before Christmas. I am headed to put little Emmie down for a nap in a few minutes after we have our pizza lunch, and then I will reluctantly dress. We slept in this morning and had another brunch...oatmeal, fruit, and German Christmas Stollen that we always have during the holidays. I think the hot coffee was my favorite part...a Christmas blend and I like it even more because Jasper always makes it and hands me a cup! Yes, he spoils this woman rotten...I admit it! (Hmmm...I seem to be admitting a lot today!)
Now I have to get busy because I have more work to do and more secrets planned for the continued celebration. The more children we have, the more we try to spread things out to make the fun last. We had "Santa" Christmas yesterday...and a day off today to play with all the presents. Tomorrow, we will have our "family" gift time and a big, cooked holiday meal....turkey and trimmings. Sunday we will go to church, and hopefully will have some outside play time when things are more dry...it's been raining a lot. Next week, we plan to see other family members and will have a New Year's Eve party with Uncle Patrick. We can't wait for that fun!
We hope you had a blessed Christmas Day and that the rest of your holiday is wonderful, happy and that you stay well!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
MaryAlyce...Age 6
Joshua....Age 11
Hannah....Age 12
Esther Marie....Age 32 monthsMERRY CHRISTMAS!
These are the photos we used for our Christmas card this year and so we wanted to share them on the blog also. They were taken at the park near our home and we had to dodge the rain to get them! Have a wonderful Christmas Day!
These are the photos we used for our Christmas card this year and so we wanted to share them on the blog also. They were taken at the park near our home and we had to dodge the rain to get them! Have a wonderful Christmas Day!
Our Whole Gang on Christmas Eve
We had a great Christmas Eve service tonight. There were lots of Christmas songs and special music. The kids always get excited because they get to dress up and they know they will get to hold lit candles. Jasper sang and it was so nice....In The Bleak Midwinter was the song. Matt, our worship leader, played the guitar for him. Esther Marie did great for about half of the service, but then she got bored and wanted to talk. Out came the Cheerio container and that kept her fairly quiet for awhile. She fed them to herself and to MaryAlyce, occasionally saying...EAT IT...as she pushed it into MaryAlyce's face. I had to muffle my laughter! Then when she was done with ALL the Cheerios, she made the sign for "drink" and begin to say MILK in a loud voice. At that point, we walked to the back of the sanctuary...while Jasper was singing his song. I ended up taking Esther Marie in and out several times until the service was over. Oh what I would have given for a "toddler nursery"...ha! It's a family-oriented service so it was okay, but I wanted to focus more on what was going on around me. Several moms with toddlers were out in the vestibule and the kids had a "dance party". Anyway, the service ended with candles lit and Silent Night and it was beautiful. Afterward, we took a few photos, said hello to friends, and then left to come home...in the pouring down rain! It feels like summer-time here with a high of nearly 70 today. My kids might be "dreaming of a White Christmas" but as they say.....it ain't gonna happen!What did you do on Christmas Eve? Will you be having a White Christmas? Leave us a comment and let us know.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Happy Christmas Eve To All !!
Greetings and Happy Christmas Eve to everyone!
Can you believe that tomorrow is Christmas Day? Hopefully you are close to being ready for the "big event"...but if you are not, and you are feeling a bit of panic like I am, then close your eyes, take a deep breath...and try to focus on what many of us are really celebrating...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. It's not just about one day, but about every day serving Him! And yes, as I am rushing about with lists in hand, I am reminding myself of this constantly.
Our family is having a wonderful holiday season so far, and we are looking forward to more to come. This is Esther Marie's FIRST Christmas in the United States with her new family.....as a U.S. citizen! What a special time to remember. She is full of wonder and is saying "wow" quite a bit. I had debated putting a tree up this year, but she is doing really great with it and amazingly, is leaving the ornaments on the tree. (no kidding) Emmie loves the lights on the tree and on the garland, the ribbons and bows, the candles on the mantle and the stockings. She loves the reindeer antlers (the ones on a headband that are red and green with bells) and yes, bows in her hair. She finally has enough hair for me to be able to pull it up on the top of her head to put a bow in it. She watches my every move and wants make-up too...but you have to draw the line somewhere! (giggle) I pretend to put some on her and she gets a little lip gloss for good measure.
We had a busy week during the last week of school before the holiday. Jasper was out of town for a couple of days, Joshua went on a field trip out of town, and MaryAlyce had three holiday parties in ONE day! On Thursday night after the Daisy meeting with MaryAlyce, Hannah decided she needed three gifts for friends, some candy canes, and she wanted to make Christmas cards for her friends. Yes, I took her to the drug store and Cracker Barrel for the items she needed. It is hard for me to say "no" to the kids at this time of year.
Christmas Eve.....we will follow our normal "traditions." We are in town this year and will cook and bake, wrap some presents, and go to the candlelight service at 5:00 p.m. at our church. Jasper will be singing as he does many years...which I always enjoy. This year he is singing with guitar accompaniment and I know it will be lovely. Afterwards, we greet friends, pass out Christmas cards, and then head home for our Christmas Eve party...just the six of us. We take pictures and then eat many of our favorite holiday snack foods....croissant sandwiches, stuffed eggs, chips and dip, cheese ball, jalapeno poppers, etc. I like to put out quite a spread for all of us to nibble on. We will bake some cookies for Santa (to put by the fireplace) and wait to see if he rides through our part of the neighborhood on the fire truck, throwing out candy. The children watch for him to come and get so excited when they see him! After that, we let the kids open a gift...and then it's off to bed for them so Mom and Dad can get things ready for the next day. Yes, it's a busy night....but a fun night!
I'm excited about this year with all four children...especially with the wonder-filled eyes of our latest addition...little Emmie! I hope you are having a very blessed holiday season and that these next days will be filled with joy, laughter and the happiness that only Jesus can provide.
Love to all from our family!
Can you believe that tomorrow is Christmas Day? Hopefully you are close to being ready for the "big event"...but if you are not, and you are feeling a bit of panic like I am, then close your eyes, take a deep breath...and try to focus on what many of us are really celebrating...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. It's not just about one day, but about every day serving Him! And yes, as I am rushing about with lists in hand, I am reminding myself of this constantly.
Our family is having a wonderful holiday season so far, and we are looking forward to more to come. This is Esther Marie's FIRST Christmas in the United States with her new family.....as a U.S. citizen! What a special time to remember. She is full of wonder and is saying "wow" quite a bit. I had debated putting a tree up this year, but she is doing really great with it and amazingly, is leaving the ornaments on the tree. (no kidding) Emmie loves the lights on the tree and on the garland, the ribbons and bows, the candles on the mantle and the stockings. She loves the reindeer antlers (the ones on a headband that are red and green with bells) and yes, bows in her hair. She finally has enough hair for me to be able to pull it up on the top of her head to put a bow in it. She watches my every move and wants make-up too...but you have to draw the line somewhere! (giggle) I pretend to put some on her and she gets a little lip gloss for good measure.
We had a busy week during the last week of school before the holiday. Jasper was out of town for a couple of days, Joshua went on a field trip out of town, and MaryAlyce had three holiday parties in ONE day! On Thursday night after the Daisy meeting with MaryAlyce, Hannah decided she needed three gifts for friends, some candy canes, and she wanted to make Christmas cards for her friends. Yes, I took her to the drug store and Cracker Barrel for the items she needed. It is hard for me to say "no" to the kids at this time of year.
Christmas Eve.....we will follow our normal "traditions." We are in town this year and will cook and bake, wrap some presents, and go to the candlelight service at 5:00 p.m. at our church. Jasper will be singing as he does many years...which I always enjoy. This year he is singing with guitar accompaniment and I know it will be lovely. Afterwards, we greet friends, pass out Christmas cards, and then head home for our Christmas Eve party...just the six of us. We take pictures and then eat many of our favorite holiday snack foods....croissant sandwiches, stuffed eggs, chips and dip, cheese ball, jalapeno poppers, etc. I like to put out quite a spread for all of us to nibble on. We will bake some cookies for Santa (to put by the fireplace) and wait to see if he rides through our part of the neighborhood on the fire truck, throwing out candy. The children watch for him to come and get so excited when they see him! After that, we let the kids open a gift...and then it's off to bed for them so Mom and Dad can get things ready for the next day. Yes, it's a busy night....but a fun night!
I'm excited about this year with all four children...especially with the wonder-filled eyes of our latest addition...little Emmie! I hope you are having a very blessed holiday season and that these next days will be filled with joy, laughter and the happiness that only Jesus can provide.
Love to all from our family!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thanksgiving in Texas...Emmie Meets Some More of Mommy's Family!
Our Texas Family Members....pictured left to right: Ellen, Uncle Daniel, Joshua, David, Aunt Annette, Hannah, Esther Marie, Jasper (dad), Sarah (me), Joseph, Aunt Lisa, Uncle William, Jonathan, and seated, MaryAlyce
Texas was our Thanksgiving destination this year, and the trip was alot of fun! Esther Marie met more of my family.....I have four brothers. She has met each one of them now (and their families) , except for Aunt Kari and cousin Ben. Ben is in France teaching English and hopefully she will meet him before too long. My brothers, Daniel and William, are the ones who live in Texas. Along the way, we met Uncle Stephen and his daughter, Jenny. Daniel and his family moved to the states from Germany during the summer, so it was great to see them again. While we were there, the kids enjoyed lots of good food, fishing, playing in the park, playing tons of electronic games, shooting pool, air hockey, playing the drums (both David and Joseph play drums in the band), and many other things. Joshua especially loved being around "the boys"! Of course, Esther Marie enjoyed all the attention see got as the newest member of our "clan." She did really well in the midst of 13 other people! It was a great visit and we look forward to the next time we visit Texas!
Esther Marie Met Her Tennesse Relatives in November!
Esther Marie finally got a chance to meet her Tennessee relatives about a month ago. Here is a nice shot of Grandma Alice with all of her grandchildren....Spencer, Isabell, Hannah, Joshua, MaryAlyce and Esther Marie. Our kids love to travel and spend time with family...especially grandmother. When we were there, the kids did some sewing, some crafts, worked on a big puzzle, watched movies, played with grandmother's toys and enjoyed the fire in the fireplace during the cold weather. They also spent a few hours at their cousins' house. We had a great weekend and hope we can go back again soon!Home Study, Transitioning and Therapy...All In One Week!
Busy, busy....that is an understatement...and I am sure you can relate! On top of all the normal activities, we seem to be cramming alot of appointments for Esther Marie in before the "holiday break." Add Christmas and decorating to go along with that and my head is spinning! (Okay, I heard that! laugh I am kinda "dizzy" at times anyway without all that going on! ha)
Anyway, we had two appointments yesterday...Esther Marie's six month follow-up home study and also her "transitioning" meeting for her special services she is receiving....speech therapy, occupational therapy and special therapy sessions. The home study went great! Lauren asked us questions about Esther Marie and how she is doing. She will write a report which she will submit to the CCAA in China. She will also send them several photos to show that Esther Marie looks well and is doing well. Our final home study will be in June which will mark our first anniversary of "Gotcha Day."
Brianna, from the therapy program, came to the house next. We talked about "transitioning" Esther Marie from home services into services provided by the school system. We will have three meetings before April, and they will test her in five areas to determine her need to receive help. Brianna feels she will have no trouble qualifying. Hopefully, she will be admitted to the preschool program that is provided by the school. After Esther Marie's birthday on April 7th, she will be in the new program....hopefully.
Today (Wed.), Miss Tammy came to the house bright and early...8:45 a.m. Mommy and Daddy were still cross-eyed and Esther Marie was excited! Miss Tammy brought her special box of textured toys for Emmie to play with and it was pretty funny watching her face and hearing her reactions to all of the different things....feathers, sandpaper, squishy balls, gooey stretchy things, Playdough, Silly Putty, etc. YES, this IS therapy! You might be surprised at all the things that orphanage children miss because they are confined to a bed for so many hours in a day. The interaction with and manipulation of the different textures helps her fine motor skills and reactions to textures when touching and eating. We also discussed her deficit in some gross motor skills and how to help her in that area. She still is unable to sit up from a lying down position! We are working on that. It was a great visit and Emmie and I will be heading to the dollar store soon to get some thing so we can make our own fun texture box!
Esther Marie is making very good progress in so many areas and we are SO proud of her! This has been a great program to be associated with and we are SO blessed that she is in the "at-home therapy program!
Anyway, we had two appointments yesterday...Esther Marie's six month follow-up home study and also her "transitioning" meeting for her special services she is receiving....speech therapy, occupational therapy and special therapy sessions. The home study went great! Lauren asked us questions about Esther Marie and how she is doing. She will write a report which she will submit to the CCAA in China. She will also send them several photos to show that Esther Marie looks well and is doing well. Our final home study will be in June which will mark our first anniversary of "Gotcha Day."
Brianna, from the therapy program, came to the house next. We talked about "transitioning" Esther Marie from home services into services provided by the school system. We will have three meetings before April, and they will test her in five areas to determine her need to receive help. Brianna feels she will have no trouble qualifying. Hopefully, she will be admitted to the preschool program that is provided by the school. After Esther Marie's birthday on April 7th, she will be in the new program....hopefully.
Today (Wed.), Miss Tammy came to the house bright and early...8:45 a.m. Mommy and Daddy were still cross-eyed and Esther Marie was excited! Miss Tammy brought her special box of textured toys for Emmie to play with and it was pretty funny watching her face and hearing her reactions to all of the different things....feathers, sandpaper, squishy balls, gooey stretchy things, Playdough, Silly Putty, etc. YES, this IS therapy! You might be surprised at all the things that orphanage children miss because they are confined to a bed for so many hours in a day. The interaction with and manipulation of the different textures helps her fine motor skills and reactions to textures when touching and eating. We also discussed her deficit in some gross motor skills and how to help her in that area. She still is unable to sit up from a lying down position! We are working on that. It was a great visit and Emmie and I will be heading to the dollar store soon to get some thing so we can make our own fun texture box!
Esther Marie is making very good progress in so many areas and we are SO proud of her! This has been a great program to be associated with and we are SO blessed that she is in the "at-home therapy program!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Colder Weather in The South!
Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! We are having colder weather this month than I can remember in previous years. Although it does make it seem more like Christmas time, I am shivering more than I would like to. Part of that could be that our upstairs heater is broken right now...ah hmmm. Poor Jasper tried to act like an HVAC repair guy to save us some money, but no luck. Now we will call the repair guy and hopefully our hot water bill will go down when we shower! (haha) Anyway, last week when Jasper was gone on one of his LONG day trips, the kids and I sought out "comfort food" at a Cracker Barrel and I got a couple of cute pics of them in the spur of the moment. Thought you would enjoy seeing them. That night the kids were singing...."Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Check out the boots on my two wee ones! (grin) They were (and are) ready for the "blizzard in the south!!"
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Happy Holidays...How Was Your Thanksgiving Holiday?
Happy Holidays to all! I hope you had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday and that your Christmas holiday preparations are going well.
It has been FOREVER since I have posted on the blog and I have been procrastinating about doing it. Why? So much time has gone by I am not sure how much "catch up" to do and I feel bad that I haven't been blogging. The busier life is, the harder it is to keep up with blogging. Anyway, I am back again and if anyone is still around to read, thanks!
The last part of November was SO busy! We traveled to Tennessee to visit Jasper's family and Esther Marie got to meet her grandmother for the first time and Jasper's brother's family. It was a good visit and we enjoyed it but it is always SO short to travel on a weekend.
For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Texas to visit two of my brothers, Daniel and William, and their families. Daniel and his family recently moved back to the states from Germany and this was the first time we had seen them since they arrived. The kids always have a great time when we go there and Joshua especially enjoys being around other boys in the family! The kids had the whole week off from school and so it made the trip easier. We also got to see Uncle Stephen and his daugher Jenny.
Esther Marie is doing so well these days and her personality is SO CUTE! She constantly makes us smile and laugh. She is a very sweet-natured girl. She is also talking better and better each week and we are understanding her more. Her therapy sessions are going well and her therapists are impressed with her progress. She still likes to point and grunt when she wants something, but we are asking her to say what she wants before we give things to her and that helps. One of the cutest things she does now is lean toward you, sticking her finger out while she says "be right back." Then she toddles off to get a new toy or book and brings it back to you. The expression on her face and the position of her body when she points would make you crack up. I hope I can capture it on video sometime before she stops doing it! She is also still continuing to work on her potty training and that is going pretty well. I say if a child can tell you when they have a dirty diaper and want it changed, then they are old enough to be using the potty all the time! Hopefully by this summer, we will have this accomplished.
If you check the blog and find this new post, I would REALLY love it if you would let me know you are still around. Just leave a comment and let me know. It is so much more fun to blog when those reading the blog respond back.
I have SO many new pics to post, I am going to have a hard time deciding which ones to put on here, but you should be seeing some soon.
More soon and love to all,
Sarah
It has been FOREVER since I have posted on the blog and I have been procrastinating about doing it. Why? So much time has gone by I am not sure how much "catch up" to do and I feel bad that I haven't been blogging. The busier life is, the harder it is to keep up with blogging. Anyway, I am back again and if anyone is still around to read, thanks!
The last part of November was SO busy! We traveled to Tennessee to visit Jasper's family and Esther Marie got to meet her grandmother for the first time and Jasper's brother's family. It was a good visit and we enjoyed it but it is always SO short to travel on a weekend.
For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Texas to visit two of my brothers, Daniel and William, and their families. Daniel and his family recently moved back to the states from Germany and this was the first time we had seen them since they arrived. The kids always have a great time when we go there and Joshua especially enjoys being around other boys in the family! The kids had the whole week off from school and so it made the trip easier. We also got to see Uncle Stephen and his daugher Jenny.
Esther Marie is doing so well these days and her personality is SO CUTE! She constantly makes us smile and laugh. She is a very sweet-natured girl. She is also talking better and better each week and we are understanding her more. Her therapy sessions are going well and her therapists are impressed with her progress. She still likes to point and grunt when she wants something, but we are asking her to say what she wants before we give things to her and that helps. One of the cutest things she does now is lean toward you, sticking her finger out while she says "be right back." Then she toddles off to get a new toy or book and brings it back to you. The expression on her face and the position of her body when she points would make you crack up. I hope I can capture it on video sometime before she stops doing it! She is also still continuing to work on her potty training and that is going pretty well. I say if a child can tell you when they have a dirty diaper and want it changed, then they are old enough to be using the potty all the time! Hopefully by this summer, we will have this accomplished.
If you check the blog and find this new post, I would REALLY love it if you would let me know you are still around. Just leave a comment and let me know. It is so much more fun to blog when those reading the blog respond back.
I have SO many new pics to post, I am going to have a hard time deciding which ones to put on here, but you should be seeing some soon.
More soon and love to all,
Sarah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
