Monday, March 9, 2015
A Need for Speed
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
It's Been a While!
Nothing like almost two years of catch up on our blog! Yikes! We got a little busy after the last post waiting for the placement of a newborn boy that fell through. Guess I lost my spark for blogging for a little while after that but then only three months later we received an email from a mother in So. California. Our profile had caught her attention and she had a 16 month old daughter that she had made the difficult decision to place for adoption. We flew down as a family to meet her and her baby girl and a few hours later we were flying home as a family of four! It was quite the whirlwind of activity and emotion to say the least. That little girl has kept us hoppin' ever since, buzzing around like the curious little bee she is. It's funny how we can imagine how things are going to be in our minds before they happen, but then when they do happen and it plays out completely different we are surprised at how much we can learn, how strong we can be, and how much better Heavenly Father knows us than we know ourselves. He is amazing!
We are in our second year of homeschooling Maysie. I love the flexibility of homeschooling, love the extra opportunities for learning experiences, and love knowing that my girl gets to express her bouncy, talkative, playful self. I'm grateful the girls have had this time to get to know one another and become more than just sisters but playmates and problem solvers and partners in crime at times :)
I never dreamed I'd be a mother to a child as busy and determined as Elise. There is nothing this kid can't do, especially if you tell her she shouldn't. She's a free spirit if I ever saw one! She dances to her own tune and I imagine she won't be easily swayed by anyone in her life. We love her fire and her spunk even though it gets her into trouble sometimes. Just this morning she climbed up onto the back of the couch where the window was open and proceeded to bounce against the screen. The screen popped out and she landed in the thick grass below the window. I am thankful at this time that we have a single story home. I think she was surprised.
My latest endeavor, besides trying to keep Elise from breaking her bones, is raising some of our own meat here on our little "farm". Our first experience with meat chickens has been successful so far and we hope to be eating our own homegrown, chemical-free chicken in a few weeks. We have also been raising meat rabbits, though we haven't butchered any of the offspring yet. I'll need to muster up the courage to do that eventually, lest Mark starts calling me the crazy rabbit lady. It is gratifying to know that I can feed our kids healthy foods and that they can learn to have an appreciation of the cycle of life and the incredible bounty that God has given us on this earth. It will be gardening time soon and I know a couple girls who love to dig in the dirt! Elise can't wait for the "matos" that she can pick right off the bush and Maysie has picked out some pretty flowers to grow from seed to bring more butterflies and bees to our yard.
Mark is busy! He works four days a week between Station 91 and Medic 85 as he is working towards his paramedic accreditation. His Jeep truck is getting an overhaul right now too so we steal him away for a fun family day every now and then. Last week we went to Daffodil Hill out in Volcano. It was a gorgeous day! A trip to the Sacramento Zoo is coming up and we still need to go to the IMAX theater as Maysie has a free ticket.
After a visit to the dentist last week we found out that Maysie is even more special than we thought, as she has an extra tooth trying to come in backwards. We will have to make the trip down to UC San Francisco to have it surgically extracted before it messes up her other permanent teeth that will come in eventually. We are planning on making a mini vacation out of one of the trips down since we will have to go twice. It's been several months since we've been to the ocean, hopefully Elise wont think that the sand is going to eat her alive this time :) There is a cool lighthouse and a beach with some old shipwrecks and a natural history museum that we want to check out! I'm bummed that we missed out on the monarch butterfly migration in Pacifica, maybe next year!
I've been reading "The Child Whisperer" again, by Carol Tuttle. This gal has the personality types nailed! I was a skeptic at first but seriously, if you ever feel like you need to get to know yourself, your spouse, your children, or whoever a little better, read her books. The adult one is called "It's Just my Nature". I'm trying to remember to implement all of the tools that help make my kids feel happy to be themselves and confident and loved.
Mark and I have been blessed in many ways by many people and are so grateful for that!
We are in our second year of homeschooling Maysie. I love the flexibility of homeschooling, love the extra opportunities for learning experiences, and love knowing that my girl gets to express her bouncy, talkative, playful self. I'm grateful the girls have had this time to get to know one another and become more than just sisters but playmates and problem solvers and partners in crime at times :)
I never dreamed I'd be a mother to a child as busy and determined as Elise. There is nothing this kid can't do, especially if you tell her she shouldn't. She's a free spirit if I ever saw one! She dances to her own tune and I imagine she won't be easily swayed by anyone in her life. We love her fire and her spunk even though it gets her into trouble sometimes. Just this morning she climbed up onto the back of the couch where the window was open and proceeded to bounce against the screen. The screen popped out and she landed in the thick grass below the window. I am thankful at this time that we have a single story home. I think she was surprised.
My latest endeavor, besides trying to keep Elise from breaking her bones, is raising some of our own meat here on our little "farm". Our first experience with meat chickens has been successful so far and we hope to be eating our own homegrown, chemical-free chicken in a few weeks. We have also been raising meat rabbits, though we haven't butchered any of the offspring yet. I'll need to muster up the courage to do that eventually, lest Mark starts calling me the crazy rabbit lady. It is gratifying to know that I can feed our kids healthy foods and that they can learn to have an appreciation of the cycle of life and the incredible bounty that God has given us on this earth. It will be gardening time soon and I know a couple girls who love to dig in the dirt! Elise can't wait for the "matos" that she can pick right off the bush and Maysie has picked out some pretty flowers to grow from seed to bring more butterflies and bees to our yard.
Mark is busy! He works four days a week between Station 91 and Medic 85 as he is working towards his paramedic accreditation. His Jeep truck is getting an overhaul right now too so we steal him away for a fun family day every now and then. Last week we went to Daffodil Hill out in Volcano. It was a gorgeous day! A trip to the Sacramento Zoo is coming up and we still need to go to the IMAX theater as Maysie has a free ticket.
After a visit to the dentist last week we found out that Maysie is even more special than we thought, as she has an extra tooth trying to come in backwards. We will have to make the trip down to UC San Francisco to have it surgically extracted before it messes up her other permanent teeth that will come in eventually. We are planning on making a mini vacation out of one of the trips down since we will have to go twice. It's been several months since we've been to the ocean, hopefully Elise wont think that the sand is going to eat her alive this time :) There is a cool lighthouse and a beach with some old shipwrecks and a natural history museum that we want to check out! I'm bummed that we missed out on the monarch butterfly migration in Pacifica, maybe next year!
I've been reading "The Child Whisperer" again, by Carol Tuttle. This gal has the personality types nailed! I was a skeptic at first but seriously, if you ever feel like you need to get to know yourself, your spouse, your children, or whoever a little better, read her books. The adult one is called "It's Just my Nature". I'm trying to remember to implement all of the tools that help make my kids feel happy to be themselves and confident and loved.
Mark and I have been blessed in many ways by many people and are so grateful for that!
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