Hellos and goodbyes.

The new place. The main living area is set up like a studio sort of with our bed in the dining room. It could change later, but currently works best to accommodate the children sharing the rooms and to give ourselves our own space...Since we stay up for awhile after they go to bed this set up has been working great!

Letty chilling in the living room.

Our very small kitchen. We definitely feel the loss of space most here! I didnt realize how much smaller appliances were in the 80's lol. I remind myself that when Mason and I first got married we lived in the back of a building(with good reason lol) with no kitchen just a hot plate and toaster oven...we did that for about a year...so this is totally doable!

I do love the simplicity of it. It's small and therefore quick to clean.

Well we are about 85 percent settled into the apartment! It took a little longer to unpack the second time we moved because I had lost all enthusiasm lol. Mostly just some shelves to be hung and organizing of bedrooms left. We are not hanging up much decor because we don't intend to be here super long term and we just decided not to waste the time doing that this go around. Just trying to keep things as simple and de-clutered as possible.

Surprisingly 830 sq ft with all 6 of us has been going fine. Much better than expected truthfully. My only complaint is not being able to let the dog out in the backyard, but having to take her out on a leash;) Oh, and I'm proud we have been making it for weeks without a microwave since there is not one in the apartment. Really pretty easy to do without if you have a little more patience!

Our foster daughter was not supposed to be in the apartment for more than a few days with us, but that turned into weeks and it's been snug... but more than enough. God has continuesly given us peace that we made the right decision with this move despite many obstacles we have faced.  Many good things are ahead here!

Miss A does officially return home tomorrow so tonight will be her last night here. She came to us in August right before her birthday and so much has changed in those few months! It's all been far from easy, but oh so worth it. We've all been a little bit forced to give of ourselves to welcome in A and sometimes that's painful, but I truly believe it's in everyone's best benefit. Naturally I want to protect my children and make their lives easy...but if we take that too far by assuring they are always comfortable then are we really benefitting them or protecting them?? I want my children to be exposed to some of the heartache and brokenness of this world while we are still here to walk them through it. I want them to see how clearly life is not supposed to revolve around just our own happiness.

That often times love hurts, but we keep loving anyways.

I pray to protect them from dangers in this world, but also from the self entitlement that so many in the coming generations will have. Our lives are not our own and I hope that caring for the least of these just becomes the normal part of who they are because we made it a priority for our family.

So tomorrow we will have a mini celebration and write about special memories in a children's bible to send with A as she reunites with some birth family. Though our job of being her family she lives with has ended we will take up the job of praying for her protection and future. Most importantly that she finds her heavenly Father who loves her so very much!

So new hellos have come with this move and now we prepare to say goodbye to A tomorrow...or hopefully a see you later. All of it in God's good timing.

1/3 the space, so I will need twice the grace.

 Well, I just thought I'd write a post to clear up any confusion. Yes, we are crazy. This is not new!;) A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how we were feeling led to downsize. Instead of asking the question of "How much can we afford in our budget?" we decided to ask ourselves, "How little can we get by with, so that others can have enough?". You'd have to read my previous blog to see all the details of starting to pursue this thought of downsizing/simplifying. I can tell you it's all pretty much summed up with God, and really studying His word. (No, I can't tell you we are all called to do this same thing or that a certain size house is a sin etc, because no where in the bible does it list sq footage out for us;)....it's different for every person. That's between you and God and not anyone else. I can tell you when we dared to truly ask God 'what's next?' that I know this is what our family is led to do and we are going to be obedient in that. 

Just one week ago I had no idea how this was gonna play out. We just knew we had to sell our house. Now, God has shown us the next step. Not the whole staircase liked I'd desperately like to see!;)

Through Masons job an apartment security position becomes available on rare occasion. Without going into too much detail apartments can hire an officer to live in the complex to be their on call security. Your 'pay' is a free or very discounted rent depending on apartment size. He still works his regular job, but this is more of an after hours position. Anyways, last week a position opened up and Mason went for an interview and got the job! Prior to him going to the interview I was panicked because I wasn't sure that we could move our family into a 832 sq ft apartment! Yet, at the same time this would be an awesome opportunity to sell our house without a crazy rush and find land to build on. I just prayed and prayed that God would close the door if it wasn't his will and that he wouldn't let Mason be chosen if it was not his plan for us. Trust me I did not want to move into a tiny apartment unless is was undeniably Gods will!! Really I thought it was a long shot because who wants to hire someone that's moving three kids and a german shepherd in with them ha. 

I was wrong.

In a couple of weeks we will move from our 2400 sq ft home into an apartment 1/3 the size. We are now in serious downsizing mode. I've been cleaning out everything we don't use on a very regular basis. 

Another part of Gods timing is yesterday right before Mason called me to tell me he got the job our foster daughters case worker called to give me an update. Usually our caseworker does not just call to give updates... if you knew all the details you would just know it had to be God! Lol

Our foster daughter is scheduled to go home the very same week we would have to move into the apartment. Which is God reaffirming this step to me because I wouldn't have moved into the apartments if it meant having to 'disrupt' our foster daughter and have her placed with another family because of it. Thats one big question I had in all of this because she couldn't share a room with our boys, etc....then God just answered it all unexpectedly in one day. 

I guess we are gonna try out a tiny living experiment while we are in the apartment. I'll let you know if I stay sane through all of it:) Our 'plans' for the future are to build a 1600(ish) sq ft home. We already had people telling us that was way too small for our family. While I do appreciate peoples concerns I've found usually when God is telling us to do something we have to do it. Even if the majority around us do not agree. (Our precious priceless son we've now adopted is an example of this!) We can't miss out on what God has in store! I've come to the conclusion that I just have to ignore the pressures of society because clearly people get by with much less. And a lot of them are much happier for it.  I must admit I was starting to question it all as well! Now I feel like God is saying here live in a 800sq ft apartment for a bit and by the time you move out you won't be complaining about a house of any size! Alrighty, then. Here comes my lesson on being content in whatever circumstances I find myself in!

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)

Is there joy in trials? And is less really more??

There have undoubtedly been some tough days in this past month as I continue to learn to 'die' to myself and live in Christ. There have been a few times since A joined us where by the end of the day I break down in tears and say,"I can't do this!". Satan loves to tempt me with the thought that with one phone call I can have my life back to normal. Thankfully, God has provided some loving Godly friends  who tell me what I don't want to hear to confirm what I know God is telling me in my heart. 

Foster care is a journey in which I never know what to expect next! It's one day at a time. I used to pray God would give me opportunities to interact with people who were truly lost because my immediate circle didn't really allow those opportunities. How that has changed! We started the process of foster/adoption planning to have nothing to do with birth parents. God has changed our hearts in so many ways from having an open adoption with Sean's bio mom to talking often with foster kids bio parents on the phone.

On top of that almost daily I'm presented with opportunities to talk to complete strangers about why we adopted or do foster care. From the nurse at the dr's appt, to the hygienist cleaning my teeth, to the mom standing next to us at the park pushing her kid on the swing, the person behind me in line at the grocery store. 

People are curious and it leaves so many open doors. I don't think you can talk about adoption without talking about Christ! I just pray people see that.....none of this is about us it's all about Christ and what he did for us. That is the only reason we stepped into any of this. Trust me I feel like one of the least patient people that I know and always tell God surely someone else could do this better!!

God is teaching me what James meant when he said, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:2-5)

I am truly trying to learn to find joy in trials or persecution(because we have many around us who are not a big fan of us doing foster care and sometimes this is just plain hard.) When I cry out that I can't do this anymore then God always shows up. I know I've said it before but Christ is in the difficult places. I don't seek Christ or need him when I try to make sure my circumstances are comfortable and that I can handle then on my own. I truly seek and find God when I'm desperate for him.

The more I read scripture (and not just a few verses I pick and choose to suit what I want in life- which I've done in the past) I read about suffering for the gospel. Every book in the New Testament tells me we will suffer for Christ. Why does this surprise us so much when it happens though?! I listened to a sermon the other day where the preacher said instead of being surprised by trials we should wonder what is wrong in our lives if we aren't facing some sort of suffering. We should ask ourselves why is no one persecuting me? Why isn't the devil attacking me!? The answer could be because he doesn't have to. He doesn't need to worry about you. 

The devil knows when our focus is on building our safe little comfortable life.  He sees we are not focused on what risks we can take for furthering God's kingdom.  

Honestly, this is all for me to hear, again. I want to look back and see how God stripped me from all this 'stuff' I want to hold dear and replace it with His best for us. Because I do like my nice safe house in a quiet neighborhood, I like my kids being in great school districts, I like saving back money for if an emergency happens(as if children starving today isn't an emergency!!),  I like wearing nice clothes, and driving nice cars. I really used to like the American dream. God is answering my prayers though and has been changing my eyes to see this world in light of eternity. I find myself seeing people who have more money than us, nicer things, and frequent dream vacations as they focus their life solely on pleasing themselves and I pity them. I no longer feel envy. I feel sorrow in what they are missing out on. I now know I'm not the one missing out! All these temporary pleasures around us are just a distraction for the only One that really matters. 

This all leads into different thoughts Mason and I have been processing over the past two years. Starting with this thought of selling our home and downsizing.

It's been heavy on our hearts for awhile now. We built this house over 2.5 years ago now and planned on it being our FOREVER home. (Or atleast until we wanted to downsize when our kids moved out or we retired, etc.) 

I remember reading books, like Radical by David Platt, and watching sermons by Francis Chan and being so drawn in by their 'crazy' faith. Over the past few years though their faith doesn't seem so crazy anymore. It actually seems like it's what's expected. The more I read and re-read the Bible I see the way I've lived my life and the way many Christians live their lives is considered 'lukewarm'. I don't know if you know what God says about lukewarm Christians in the bible, but it's not pretty.  In Revelations 3:16 God says, "But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have acquired wealth. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

Clearly, I don't want that to be describing me!!

Then it goes on to say, "So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference."

Then I've been studying this verse..talking about Sodom..you know one of the cities God destroyed because evil had consumed it: "Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16:49 ESV)

The thing is I remember listening about people being called to sell homes or possessions and thinking "Lord, please don't call me to do that."

I actually feared the thought of that years ago. I'm telling you something with as much honestly as I possible can- God has not specifically called me in some clear voice from heaven to sell our home. God already wrote all the answers I need in his holy timeless word. I've just been ignoring it or thinking that was reserved for someone else. 

We honestly desire to downsize our home and get rid of some material possessions. Our hearts have changed so much over the past two years as we have matured in our spiritual walk. I can't even fathom the change of mindset to go from God please don't call me to let go of all this stuff....to please take all this temporary stuff that keeps me from your best for my life. I can give it away with great joy! I have had a taste of what is truly good! I can't stand to see another picture or news link of children starving in foreign countries and not do something! There has come a point where giving away 10% doesn't feel like enough. 

I honestly don't know what the future holds! Whether we keep right on doing foster care in this season of life or take a short break to focus on the three children God has intrusted us with already. I seriously have to take it one day at a time. One placement at a time. 

We have clearly been feeling we need to let go of this home we thought we built to stay in forever.  Instead of asking the old question of how much can we afford in our budget(whether it's house, car, clothes, entertainment) we are starting to ask how little can we get by with?? How much in our excess can we downsize or give away just so others can have enough? I can't claim to know what is next! Just trying to really listen to where God may be leading. There could be many big changes ahead or we could be in a season where God is telling us to be still and listen. Either way- we we want to do the best we can with this one crazy short life we've been given! 

 

Updates on the Long crew:)

^^My crew that mostly insists on dressing themselves. Breyton insists on wearing that shirt that is two sizes too big! It may mysteriously disappear soon;)

We've been having plenty of changes around here, so I figured it was time to write a little;)

 Starting with adding miss A to our family a little over a month ago. We are finally adjusting...it takes some time for any big change to feel like the new 'normal'. She will be our first long term placement (that will leave eventually to clarify;), so we've been trying to settle in for the long haul! Really things have been going as smoothly as one could expect....it's of course always a 'disruption' of the whole family dynamic to add in a new member, but the kids adjust so quickly! It usually takes me the longest lol. Miss A is very sweet and for the most part a typical 4 yr old girl- the good and the whiny included. 

One thing is for sure she will eat anything. She mixed pickle juiced with milk one day and drank it( yuck!!). Then the pic below is from another day when she came up while I was chopping up onions for dinner prep and started munching on raw onion..saying, "Mmm this is yummy!".

Then Breyton started a full day of school last month. That has gone much smoother than I anticipated for both he and I! Oddly enough after he started school I haven't cried once. Not even a tiny bit! I'm surprised by this honestly haha. I really figured I might tear up a bit for at least the first few days. I did cry the night before and somewhat the morning of while getting ready to take him...after that though I've been good:) It is still strange that he is not with us when running errands or doing a fun kid outing, so that part is something I still need to get used to! I will call his name when picking up the kids at the Y or have a slight moment of panic thinking I'm a child short when getting everyone in the car. I do think my days are still so busy with three other little ones that the time flies by for the most part. Plus, he is loving it so that helps!! He looks forward to going everyday thus far and hasn't put up a fight yet. I hope this attitude towards school sticks around for awhile!:) 

Yesterday he and I had dentist appts though, so I got a babysitter and picked him up from school early then we got to enjoy an ice cream date just the two of us! It was so nice to get to just have a conversation with him without so many interruptions. Breyton has had to share his momma with many others, so he has definitely earned a much needed mommy/son date. I look forward to doing them more often with each of my kiddos as they grow!!

Sean just turned three and though he is by far my most laid back child the 'threes' have hit! So far with Breyton and Sean the threes are way worse than twos!! Of course this time around I will have a two and three year old...and then when Sean outgrows the threes it will be Lyla's turn:( Oh the joys having having kiddos back to back! Ha  Next month we will officially have a 2,3, 4 and 6 yr old in our house- which seems crazy to me! 

Despite the ever developing opinions/attitude that come with 3 yr olds Sean is an incredible little guy.  He always amazes me with how quickly he picks things up and his love for music is so fun. He quickly memorizes songs(and eagerly learns his bible verse for awanas) and loves to dance! He can sing along with klove all day long. So unlike Breyton who is not a fan of music or dancing really at all lol. It's so interesting to see how different each child is! Love this little man!

Then miss Lyla Grace has been up to all kinds of trouble and some sweetness;) She has become quite the talker and we all love to hear the funny things she says. She is still the most smiliest little thing and everyone comments on her smile when  she flashes them one when we are out and about....but she is pure ornery behind all that. She loves to boss her brothers around! I think she knows she's the princess and the baby of the family. It doesn't help that her daddy just can't seem to get her in trouble, sigh. In other annoying news she has also been twirling her hair and breaking it off:(. The front of her hair has actually gotten shorter over the past few months due to this! And much blonder... As you can tell here:

A few months ago...

And now...

Of course my first daughter would have to pick up this habit. Oh well, I have to assume she will outgrow this habit or I can at least communicate with her the problem down the road, so maybe she will twirl it more gently! Her hair has also been becoming curlier..Breyton and I both have stick straight hair, so I did not expect the little bit of curls she has going! No clue if the will stick around, but we will see!

It's been so long since I wrote any thing and I do have a lot more deeper subjects on my heart that I haven't had the chance to put into writing, so I may be back very soon;) I'm glad to write some quick updates on the kiddos though because I do love to look back and see all the seasons we've made it through! Having a almost 2 and 3 year old is much easier than the when we had a newborn and 1 year old at the same time! I love the new season we are moving into because I am thankfully ready to be done with the 'baby' season. I'll leave you with this quote I'm posting below and it so adequately sums up how I feel about motherhood! Thank The Lord we are exiting the almost dying of sleep deprivation stage lol! 

If I'm being honest....obedience isn't pretty.

It been a good long while since I've wrote anything! Life keeps me pretty busy:) 

Recently we said goodbye to our 9th and 10th placement(since January!) through foster care. A couple weeks ago in one day I received calls on five different placements! It's crazy sad really. 

We are all becoming somewhat accustomed(if that's even possible?!) to the come and go of 'friends' as my children call it. Breyton asks on a regular basis if someone is coming to stay today and first thing he wants to know is how long can they stay. The last placement we had of two brothers was the hardest for my kiddos to say good bye to. We knew they were just here very short term, but they just 'clicked' with my boys immediately. 

We always try to send something with the kiddos when they leave. I think it helps everyone feel better! Usually a note with our phone number incase they need it and recently I have started sending a children's devotional or bible with a message inside. One of our older foster daughters does call me to check in on occasion. It's always wonderful to hear from her, but sometimes it's a little hard because I don't feel she is in the best situation. However, I'm thankful she feels comfortable to call us and feel blessed to have that connection.

There is plenty of good lessons that foster care brings our family. There are plenty of hard ones as well! I find the 'sanctification' of it can really pull out the ugly attitude of my heart sometimes!! That's when I see how far I have to go:/

When a kiddo shows up and things go smoothly(as much as one could expect) and they just click with our family then I have an easier time keeping a joyful attitude. Then there are the times when you accept a desperate late call and your up till midnight waiting on two kiddos and when they arrive they don't seem the least bit tired, sigh. So your up till closer to 2am getting someone else's child asleep and then waking at 6:30 am when everyone else is ready go. Then there are the times your cleaning up someone else's child's vomit that covers their bed in the middle of the night. I find it's mostly when I'm physically tired that the devil tries to whisper lies into my ear....Like I'm missing out on some thing else because I'm obeying Gods will. That maybe this is all just too hard or not the right time yet.

Honestly sometimes I really, really just want to say 'no' and go on about my life. My three kids(my normal) seems 'easy' in comparison to taking on more again. I want to just stay comfortable. Sometimes I simply just don't want more laundry and dishes to do!! And since I'm being honest usually during each placement there are moments Mason and I look at each other and say, "Ok...this might be the last time we can do this."

Then when those kids leave we pray asking for Gods will. Sometimes I'm actually hoping He will give me permission to say no(I know that sounds terrible!)....but I never get it. Instead I'm reminded of James 4:17-"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." 

This is when I realize I have to get back in God's word to remind myself of the TRUTH. I don't see anywhere in the bible where God asks us to just do something when it's easy or comfortable. It actually says the opposite.

 So satan tells me to quit because all of this is just a little too hard.  But God tells me to run the race with endurance, my reward is in heaven, that this is all worth it.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 NLT)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 emphasis by me;) 

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18 NIV)

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT)

And incase I have those doubts creep in where I think I'm missing out there is this verse on my fridge: 

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matthew 16:26 NLT)

I share all this to show that we don't have to be perfect to be used by God. I don't need to have all the details figured out or even the perfect attitude all the time. It's a daily striving to 'press on toward the goal' of becoming more Christ like. God uses our obedience to a hard calling to refine and sift out the 'ugly' selfish places in my heart.  He can use it to do the same for your family.

This song has been on repeat a lot lately for me and sums it all up:

"The joy I find in facing every trial
Give me hope, and makes it all worthwhile
I’m looking towards all the plans You have in store
‘Cause the victory is Yours, it is Yours

So I’m not gonna complain
My lips will speak Your name
My voice will give You praise, give You praise
I’m not gonna give up
My strength comes from above
Your grace is more than enough, than enough." -You are Joy by Warr Acres

So....here we are waiting on another phone call:)

Because chaos is our normal.

These three cuties make my life a crazy-beautiful mess;)

So, I really don't blog anymore due to lack of time and after you read this you'll have a small understanding of why! Ha 

There is lots of random things to update on though! Mason's new job, foster kiddos coming and going, a four legged addition named Letty, etc;) 

Let me start by saying.....wow, so with Masons new job description we are welcoming ourselves into the 'day shift/normal people schedule' world and it's quite the change! I'm mostly loving it though! Breyton's whole life and most of our (almost) 8 yrs of marriage Mason has never worked normal 8-5 hours with weekends off. Since he started at the PD almost 6 yrs ago he has always been on nights and evenings. Now with that experience I definitely do not take for granted how nice it is to have him to go to bed with every night and when I kiss him goodbye for work it's not 'see ya tomorrow', but I get to look forward to him coming home that evening. Currently it makes the days seem shorter for me. Plus I have help at bedtime, yay! By that point of the day I'm typically reaching the end of my 'rope', so it's nice to have back up;) 

It's also so strange to no longer have a police car in the driveway because his new car is unmarked and he wears mostly plain clothes now as well. The only problem so far with the new schedule is Mason is a night owl still and he's dragging me down with him lol.... because we stay up way too late then when they alarm goes off at 7 (or kids wake up before) I really regret my bedtime. Hopefully the newness will wear off where every night doesn't feel like his weekend, so that we get some better sleep!

Then I wanted to update on our foster care situation. We have had 5 placements come and go since January. After our last placement was transferred to a relative we decided to put our home 'on hold' because we had two weekends this month where we would be out of town and Mason has a big paper and finals coming up for this semester of his masters degree, so that's added stress and takes up a lot of his time. Then with his new job title he will be gone for out-of-state training coming up, meaning I'll be on my own, so I'm trying to not have as much to tackle on my plate during that time. We will be doing respite next weekend for another foster family and we'll open our home back up in the near future when the time is right.

The picture below is from our last placement--when I came into check on the kids rooms before I went to bed I found the boys in their bunks and our foster daughter had moved to their room and was sleeping on the giant bean bag. She told me she got scared and didn't want to be alone.

I mean why do you need all these bedrooms if the kids are all gonna sleep in one room anyways ha! 

Then we got an almost 2 yr old German 

shepherd a couple of weeks ago. Which has been an adjustment--mostly for me of course;) Letty is an awesome dog thankfully, but no matter how you slice it dogs are work! Finally she is becoming adjusted to us as well since it was a big change for her to move to a new home too. She is well behaved(that's if I leave out the story of her stealing the chicken breasts I grilled for dinner and set on the island one night and snatching food from the little peoples hands as they walk around with it ha;). She is an angel towards the kiddos which is the most important thing. I can already tell she is becoming very protective of all of us..which was one of Mason's goals in getting a dog. 

(Clearly the dog is loved. And yes when you have three little people and a dog you keep your couches covered to save you some sanity.)

Now we go places with three kids and a dog;)

With the addition of Letty we have been trying to speed up the building of our retaining wall, removing a few trees(since our backyard is a forest pretty much!), and having a fence put up, so our backyard can be a place for the dog- and the kiddos. If we had any spare moments before they are now spent on this project. It's almost done though!

When Mason was going through the testing process of becoming a detective I kept thinking after this life will be so much calmer...but then something else would come up then something else..so now I've just accepted that this is life currently. And it's probably how life will be for years to come;) I mean I do like to keep busy and I'm the type of person who rarely sits still....yet even I sometimes wonder how chaos became so normal. I mean sometimes I can say it's organized chaos, but most of the time it's not. It's a chaos full of good things at least:) Pretty much from the time I open my eyes in the morning till the little ones close theirs at night something is happening. Three (or more when we have foster additions) kids plus a dog will keep your house loud, busy, messy...and yes it is full of a lot of laughter and joy as well:) 

It's funny how I remember it used to almost scare me to take one child out in public lol and I only wanted two kids TOTAL. Now I load up mutliple kids for trips to the zoo, dentist, doctor, etc without much of a second thought. I guess God grows you and prepares you for whats next...even when you don't know what's coming! Lol God is having me re-learn that it's probably best I don't know what is coming because it would scare the crap out of me currently. Thankfully He prepares us and is with us on this crazy journey of life. One day at a time is all I can handle for now!:)

Random pics from the camera roll:

How Lyla looks every time she eats yogurt..all the way up to her shoulder and hair.

Fun at the zoo!

Breyton loves Letty!

Love this girl!

Lyla throwing a fit bc she saw me put her beloved 'blankie' in the dryer.

Hanging out one morning!(Breyton is not a morning person;)

Lyla and Letty:)

My sweet boy!

<3

All racing on the driveway!

This girl loves to climb and pull everything out. She is the reason my pantry is not organized;)

This little man will be 6 in a few months and I love that he still climbs up in my lap on random occasion and gives me hugs without me asking! Also, every night he has to have our bedtime kiss routine which includes a kiss on the forehead, an Eskimo kiss, a butterfly kiss on the cheek, and ending with a hug. He reminds me if I haven't done it..time is running out for those moments so I hope I can cherish them!

What Lyla is up to these days and random pics of kiddos:)

I decided to blog some random updates now that Lyla is approaching the 1 1/2 year mark! (She is currently 16.5 months:) Hard to believe it's been over 4 months since her 1st birthday and my monthly updates ceased.

I do love love this age! She is learning so much and keeps us laughing most of the time. In my household it's proving to be true that boys advance more quickly physically than they do with their vocabulary and vice versa for Lyla. My boys were walking early and running/climbing shortly after while Lyla didn't start walking till a couple of weeks after her first birthday. However, I don't remember the boys being able to say so many words and communicate as well as Lyla at this age--It's a tad harder to say with Sean bc when he was Lyla's age I was sleep deprived from having a newborn as well, so I didn't write very much down;)

Anyways here is what Lyla is up to currently:

• FINALLY sleeping through the night consistently as of 2.5 weeks ago(only done it about 5 times before this)! I didn't have to do anything to make this finally happen she just slept through one night and has been ever since. It was interesting, and tiring haha, to see how long it would take for her to reach this on her own. It feels GOOD though!!!

•She is currently weighing 19.5lbs(2nd percentile),not sure on height, size 12 months clothes, and size 2/3 shoe.

• Even though she is tiny she loves food, so her first sentence would have to do with asking for food- she is constantly saying "I want some" and "I want more". She is not too picky about food (unlike Breyton thankfully), but does not like reg milk still. I just try to get some calcium in other ways when possible.(Officially weaned her when I was gone on my trip last month-so I'm totally free! The bitter-sweetness has left and now it's just

 sa-weeet!:))

•Words she can say: Hi, bye-bye, night-night, drink(dink), daddy, mommy, bubba,  I want some, more, please, thank you, stop, nan-na(banana), ball, doggy, ruff-ruff, fishie, 'what's that?', nose(noe), eye, mouth, ear, outside, tree, shoe, sock, baby, sunshine(when trying to sing along to 'your are my sunshine'), and no(of course;). 

• Favorite things currently: saying 'hi' to everyone she sees whether in person or cars driving by, carrying around a baby doll, peek-a-boo/hiding, playing ball, reading/looking at books, and dancing to music, and most of all anything to do with being outside!

Random pics:

At church playing outside-

 

Being silly with bubba

He can always make her laugh.

Watching it snow! Yes, her shirt is on backwards because Mason grabbed a pj shirt and put it on while Lyla was trying to run away;) She avoids bedtime if at all possible. 

Waiving hi to the mirror:)

Carrying around one of her favorite baby dolls-

I knew they were being a little too quiet..Lyla is almost always pulling out wipes or unrolling toilet paper if she's quiet;)

Lyla being ornery and climbing up on the table to eat. She thought this was a fun game for a few weeks..thankfully she has finally quit doing it!

One of her many pout faces. She's not a fan of being told 'no'.

A sweet moment between these two! Breyton was singing/patting her and she just laid still:)

The boys playing a race car video game that they are obsessed with since the snow days came. I'm having to seriously limit time with this bc B asks to play way too much! I do love watching B's face when he plays- always so much focus and excitement. Haha

 

Helping momma cook:)

Trying to talk me out of cleaning out toys/stuffed animals to give away. This kid is a hoarder. Finally parted with some stuff--we are trying to do the challenge of donating a trash bag of stuff once a month for a whole year! Plus, we really need less clutter to clear out a closet for future foster kiddos.

Fun in the snow!

Just happy to be outside!

The boys after I took them swimming up at the Y.

Enjoying some snuggles with this kiddo while the other two nap. I have to take what I can get these days(he is more affectionate out of nowhere lately, but not actually still too often for cuddles lol).....impossible to believe that he will be SIX this summer;(