Getting stir crazy

That's what we've been doing this weekend. Going stir crazy. It has been relaxing too, and I have accomplished a few things on my to do list. We have all 8 been home together since Wednesday afternoon though, so we've been getting a bit stir crazy. We do go out Friday night and look at X-mas lights. We just stayed in our own neighborhood going very slow so we could all just cram in the vehicle together. Yesterday, I had to get out. So, I loaded up 5 kids, (one baby was asleep) and headed to Walmart. I had no expectations for the trip, and nothing I had to have but milk, so I was prepared. Everyone was very good, and glad to be out of the house as well. And guess what they want for Christmas?? EVERYTHING THEY SAW! LOL Which they will only be getting about 2-3 things each...and add up in your head, and multiply that times lots of other family members x 6 kids, and you've got a lot of stuff!

Over the weekend the kids have been on a puzzle kick. And that got me in the mood for a puzzle. When is the last time you sat down and worked a puzzle? I tell ya, it has been a while for me. So, I went back to WM by myself last night...(and picked up a couple of the left over sale items for presents) and got a 500 piece puzzle. I liked this one b/c it has a lot of animal with different patterns, so it that makes it easier to know where all the pieces go. I love puzzles. They are also addictive for me too. Just one more piece for a couple of hours in the floor, and you have one sore body this morning, I tell ya! So, I moved it to the table this morning, and worked all day until I finished it. Now I am ready for another one!

The kids got stir crazy today too, so they went outside for bit....it was a short bit though b/c it is COLD out there!
I found this scooter for her for only a $1 at a garage sale, and it looks brand new.
Theres a story about this hat....last time I went to the doc with baby Z, they forgot about me..I somehow didn't get on the board for the doc, and we sat in there FOREVER. I finally stuck my head out, and when they realized they forgot me, they were really apologizing. I guess they went rummaging for anything they could find to give me, b/c they came back with a coloring book and crayons, a little board book, and 4 of these crocheted hats. This one is my favorite b/c it is so colorful.

10 months

Hunter was 10 months old yesterday. I actually took these back when we did the family photos, and never blogged them. He is the silliest thing! His hair is growing, and he has these cute curls in the side. He just cut his first tooth, and that boy will be crawling soon I believe. He works so hard at it. His legs have gotten a lot stronger, and will stand on them now if you hold him up. (his legs used to just be limp, he wouldn't put any weight on them.) I feel like he is starting to bond, which is a really good thing. When he came he was so unattached to being held....and was just even personality to everyone. Now, he hollars when I walk in the room, (that can be pretty annoying, but it is showing him singleing me out) and loves for me to rock him. He is even becoming more fearful of strangers, turns away if someone new tries to hold him, will sometimes even cry. Those may sound like simple things, but he didn't do that before, and his sister doesn't seem to show attachments to anyone. I was talking to a therapist that leads a foster care support group, and he told me that as crazy as it sounds, I WANT them to cry and be upset when they leave us, b/c that means they have formed an attachment. I know Amber could leave tomorrow, and would care less. She stayed in respite care a couple months ago, and would have been just as happy staying there...(if not more b/c they totally spoiled her all weekend) than come to us, or to her mom. That's not healthy...I can't even begin to explain to her to be scared of strangers.

O.K...didn't mean to get off on that, this post is suppose to be about Hunter. Hunter is a big ball of fun. He LOVES to be played with. I can't believe he is the same age Noah was when Leah was born. Man, he seemed like a big boy to me at the time, but wow...that was young to have a newborn sister!

These pics are not the best quality b/c I took them without my flash b/c I had already taken down all my equipment. He had also hurt his face by falling over.

This one is pretty blurry, but it shows him in true action!

Can you believe it??

Zachariah will be 5 months old on Monday. Wow, it is going by fast!!! I talked to his dad the other day at a staffing, and he was telling me about the day he was born. He got teary eyed as he told me what a miracle it is he is alive. His mom didn't take care of herself at all while she was pregnant, and then she called his dad to take her to the hospital. He was born 4 weeks early, in his car while he was driving to the hospital. He had to pull over and deliver him. He said he was barely breathing. He also told me that he named him Zachariah, after his favorite profit in the bible. It was so special to get to hear that story from his dad, and to know how his life began. This beautiful healthy little boy is a miracle, from God.

This one is blurry...but is so funny to me. Him and Hunter both do this all the time. They balance on their belly with their arms and legs in the air like they are ready for takeoff!! They aren't crawling yet, but it isn't for a lack of trying! It is so funny to watch them working so hard to go nowhere....and to be doing the same things!

This boy LOVES his hands. He is hilarious. He is playing with, moving, looking at his hands all the time. He can lie in the floor for an hour doing nothing but playing with his hands.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

We ate our meal last night so I don't have to cook today, and man, it is nice! It was so YUMMY! We have maccaroni squares, potato casserole, broccoli casserole, steak, and rolls. Not your traditional, but all our favorites from both families, and then steaks for our liking. Oh, and Clay made a pumpkin cheesecake that was So good! Have I ever told you what a good cook my husband has become! You know I am loving it!
I have been having a tough go of it lately. A lot of struggles, so it is nice to be snapped out of that and to focus on the positive in my life, b/c there is much to be appreciated. I am thankful for many many things today, but last night as we were getting ready for out Thanksgiving meal, as I looked around our home, these are some of the things I was thankful for. I am thankful for our new little boy that can sit up so well these days. He is so happy, and a joy to our family. He is very playful, and has a lot of people that love to play with him!! He does something new everyday, and his first tooth popped out this week!

I am thankful for our youngest boy. He is such a good sleeper, and slept through half the meal so that I could sit down and eat. (I am thankful to both my babies for sleeping through the night, so that momma gets the rest she needs!) He is growing and changing so much everyday too. He is a strong little fella. I have a feeling we are going to have 2 crawlers and 2 walkers about the same time. We are gonna be hopping catching up with these 2!

I am thankful for my husband that has been so willing for our family to grow. This was a huge step for him, and I am so proud of the father he is being to all 6 of our kids. I am also thankful of how helpful he is to me. He helped me a lot with this meal...cooking the dessert and the meat, and went to the store for me voluntarily in the middle of cooking b/c I needed something. Which is good since I stayed in my pajamas all day yesterday.

I am also thankful that my table is full. Our chair that was empty last year, and is now taken with a sweet beautiful little girl. That makes my heart overflow with joy as I sit back and look. I am thankful to our biological children for loving our new kids as much as if they were their own brothers and sisters. I am thankful for all the help the give me each day and caring for and teaching them. They so willingly share their stuff, their rooms, their space, their parents and rarely complain about it. They are such sweet, smart beautiful kids, I am so proud of them.

I am also thankful to my dear family that was understanding to us not coming down this year. I miss getting to see everyone on both sides of our family. We plan on doing the big trip...loading up 2 cars with all our stuff...packing the whole house to go down for Christmas, but we just decided that takes a lot of mental preparation, and not something we want to do 2 months in a row. haha

Thanksgiving spirit

I guess my pity party feeling sorry for myself party pooper pms mood is starting to lift, b/c I am very excited about celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. I did all my cooking today, and we are going to actually sit down for dinner tonight and eat that, and then just have left overs tomorrow. (although, there may not be the way these kids have been eating lately!) I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and one of many is the fact I have 3 more family members this year to share this day with.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! I am very thankful for all my blog friends that encourage me, support me, and make me feel good everyday. I love you guys!

My swap gifts

So, not long after my pitiful, "I am not in the Christmas Spirit" post on Saturday, I opened the door to check the mail....(and it was amazingly quiet in the house with 5 out of 6 kids down for a nap WOW). I had a package on my doorstep, and was so excited to see I already had gotten my ornament swap gift! It was perfect timing, I tell ya. Blake, got me these 3 ornaments, and they are so special. I cried when I saw the one that had all my kids names on it. That was PERFECT. In fact, after the kids got the tree decorated the other night, I was just thinking that I wanted an ornament to represent this Christmas for us. Who knows what next year will be, but this year is special b/c of the 3 beautiful additions to our family. The snowflake is beautiful, and different on both sides, I can't decide which side I like better. And the one that says very special mom, that one made me cry too.

Thank you so much Blake for the gift!! It truly made my day, and it did help my Christmas spirit!

(that's Leah's hand in the photo...)

What's everyone been up to lately?

This Flamingo is Leah's special ornament she picked out last year, and was so excited to put it on her tree this year. I found a bunch of cute stuff half price last year to match her tree, when her room was purple and green, and it was all so cute. She is currently sharing a room with Noah, and he has a tree, but match or not, we put hers in there too.
The 2 youngest girls were excited to get their tree up!

I feel so lonely these days. I haven't had the time to do much blogging, and I am missing my outlet. I have been sick, for the second time this month, and that is really getting on my nerves. I do not have time to be sick with all that's going on. And there is always lots going on, even if it isn't anything very exciting, I am busy busy busy all the time.

While being sick, our kids somehow talked us into hauling out the Christmas tree. I am so not together this year. I am not in the Christmas spirit not one bit. I always get so excited, play Christmas music, burn my spice candle, drink hot chocolate, put everything all up in one day. Not this year. I mostly sat in the recliner giving directions while everyone else put up the trees, and the boxes and mess are still all over my den. I am so not together, and it drives me crazy. Having the trees up hasn't helped me get excited about Christmas yet either. To me, it is just one more mess I don't have the time or energy to clean up.

So, who all has put their tree up? What are you doing to get in the Christmas Spirit?? Any words of encouragement to get me there??

And while you are answering questions, how many people are about sick of blogger and how pictures load these days....or is it just me?

Leah and Noah put the whole tree together, with just a little help from daddy. I just helped with some of the lights and garland, and they did all the ornaments.

Our tadpole is growing

Notice I said tadpole.....one of them has disappeared, and I don't know what could have happened unless this one ate the other one.

You can't tell in this photo, but you can start to see spots on our tadpole. It is going to be a leopard frog, and those are spotted. It is 3 weeks old, it will begin growing legs in about 3 more weeks. Yes, its habitat is dirty....who has time to clean out a frog cage?

Pulaski County Heart Gallery Gala

Saturday was the Pulaski County Heart Gallery Gala at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. I have been so excited about this event coming up. The Heart Gallery rotates to different churches throughout Pulaski County every week, and I have helped move it a few times, so I get to see it, but this time they were honoring all the kids that have found their forever homes! Back in September, (about 2 weeks after our family grew by 2 more so I was too busy to blog about it) I had the awesome honor of getting to photograph 13 familes that have adopted children through DHS. Wow. It was such an exciting time. Many of the ones I photographed, were children that I had photographed for the Heart Gallery, so to get to see them happy, with their new family, was just indescribeable. They played a video at the Gala of the family photos I took, and I was fighting back tears majorly. I get so emotional about all this! My parents came up and I was also there with my hubby and 6 kids, and it was so humbling, honoring, exciting, so many emotions rolled into one to see all the photographs I have taken of these beautiful children. I am not the only photographer, but I have been the main one this past year, so a lot of the photos I took. I have never had the opportunity to be a part of something so important! What is even more touching than that though, is remembering each of these children the day I met them, and the prayers that have gone up on their behalf, and the joy I feel whenever I hear they now have a family.

Also, the Pulaski County Adoption Coalition now has website that features all these children, so if you know of anyone that would be interested, please pass the website along to them. These children can be adopted by someone living in any county, and also any state, so get the word out! I am going to link it to my sidebar too.

http://www.pulaskicountyadoptioncoalition.com/

The above picture is of all the kids that are waiting for adoption in Pulaski County. There are around 50-60 photos I believe, but I know there are many more kids we haven't been able to get photographed yet.

The below picture is the one I am SO excited about. These are the children that HAVE BEEN ADOPTED! Woo Hoo! There are about 30 photographs, but there were over 50 children adopted this past year from Pulaski County.

What is even more exciting, after the first photo shoot Kelly and I did last year, I came home and looked at DHS's website, and cried over the children that had been on that website for 3 or more years, waiting to be adopted. I was so saddened to see they had been waiting so long to be adopted, and then we took new photos of them that day, and they had grown so much. Two stand out to me, one was a group of quadruplets, one having cerebral palsy, I thought, how hard would it be for someone to take on that responsibilty? . I prayed for these kids, b/c I knew they would be so hard to find a family for. Another boy, he was around 14, his picture had been on the website a really long time. I cried as I watched him on a video...and these have all found a home!! Can you tell how much I love these kids? They deserve a loving home...everyone of them.

I had a man come up to me and tell me that he was so excited to see what this Heart Gallery has done. He said that some of these kids that had now been adopted, had been available whenever he adopted his child a few years ago.

One of the adopted kids with his new big brother
And here are the boy's parents talking about their adoption experience. They are in the process of adopting 3 year old twin boys. Kelly was with me the day we took their picture, we had a TIME trying to get them to smile! She had to actually hold them, and me crop her out of the photo to get one of them still.
This is all the adoption specialist for Pulaski County honoring my friend Christie for all the hard work she does for the Heart Gallery. I don't know of anyone that is more deserving. She does SO much work for these kids. And, she has fostered over 40 kids in the past 12 years, has 4 bio kids, 1 adopted daughter, and 2 foster daughters, she moves the Heart Gallery to a new church every week, and totally organizes these events like this, and the Disney thing this past summer. She is an awesome lady!
Please, pray that all of these children find a home. Leah asked me when we got home, how many of them had I taken. I had no idea, so I went through my photos, and I have taken over 60 portraits of them this year. I didn't realize it was that many. Over half of those are sibling groups, so I have probably got to meet close to 100 of these children.

Today is National Adoption Day!

School pictures

While I was in the picture taking mood the other night, I went ahead and did some of our school age kiddos for their school pictures.

Rachel-The Kindergartner I can't believe my baby is school age!!! She is doing great, we are finishing up on her phonics/alphabet book, and are about to start learning to read. I am actually excited to begin with her. I was so frustrated last year at this time b/c Noah was really struggling, and I thought he would never learn, and I didn't know what I was doing teaching him....and now him and Leah are both reading chapter books, and all that stress is just a distant memory. I am glad to be beginning this with her having that knowledge so that I don't have to stress myself through this process.

Leah- My goodness.....can I say how this girl has been growing?? She has really changed this past year, and she is now a young lady, not a little kids anymore. Truly, most of the time she seems like my oldest child, not the middle. And these first 2 pictures of her, Noah took. Yep. He grabbed my camera and was taking pics of baby Z while I was sitting by him, and Leah came along, and I have to say..brother is a PRO! He did a much better job at getting a genuine smile out of her than I did.
Leah is my 1st grader. She is also the speller of the family. It comes very natural to her, and if she doesn't know how it is spelled, I only have to tell her once, and she will always remember it. She loves to read. She just voluntarily sits down to read throughout the day. She is also my colorer, and the child that takes her time on all her work, to make sure she does her very best. I can see a lot of myself, how I was in school at her age, in her. If she is interested, she loves it. If she isn't interested, then she just don't care in the least. That is so me.

And I just realized that I didn't get the b/w one of her on here, and now I am on the other computer. I will have to add that one later. This one below is the one I took. I like this one too..but the one above is just more genuine. Does anyone else think she looks older than Noah?? I do. She is not maybe a 1/2 inch shorter than him. She is gonna be tall like her momma.

Noah-I love how this one captures the craziness of his 7 year old teeth! It is about to get crazier b/c he has 2 more top teeth loose.

Ha ha...we don't really know if we are a 1st or 2nd grader! I know that sounds crazy to not know what grade you are in. I have him registered as a 2nd grade homeschooler, and that is his accurate grade. BUT...when I put him in public school, I put him in as a 1st grader, and after I pulled him out, I said he was a 2nd grader again, but he said he wanted to stay a 1st grader. So, who knows what we are! I would say he is probably somewhere in between level learning wise. I am thinking by the end of the year he will for sure be a 2nd grader. I am glad to have my boy back home. He is my child that remembers just about everything I teach, and gets excited about everything we learn. It is so fun!

And if anyone knows Noah, you can probably tell what he is doing in this pose below. He is aiming his pretend light saber at me.