ITS ALL GOOD!

Well, let's just say...."Bring on The Chaos!" Basketball season has begun for all 6 kids, 3 practices in the morning before school at 6:15 a.m. (older girls). The younger three practice after school at different times and different places...Yuck! I know...I know...these years will be gone before we know it!! I will enjoy... I will enjoy:) Troy is also helping coach the 7-8th grade girls team at school. So needless to say, my postings may become a little scarce.
We had a good week...here is the run down...
-Araya got his hearing aid...it looks super cool and he is adjusting to it. The other ear that he had surgery on is healing.
-I (we) sorted socks! Huge event at my house, you seriously would not believe it! The kids said we can now match socks by brand...who cares about the color...Champion, Nike, Hanes...they are as desperate as I to get these socks out of the basket...because once a week I holler at everyone and we all "sit and sort!" This picture..believe it or not is after the sort..these are the lonely's!
"CAN YOU FIND A MATCH?"

-We had 4 basketball games in 2 days!
-Went to Apple Valley for Thanksgiving and it was great! Sisters....Mom.....(Troys)

Pretend Thanksgiving!

Brothers playing cribbage!

-Put up the tree, wreaths and Garland with lights on deck!

-Went to Costco.

-Christmas shopped ...almost done..hallelujah!

-Troy and I bought our Christmas present to each other...T.V. (the kids will enjoy more than us!)

-right now I am being serenaded by Christmas tunes, that my girls are driving me crazy with!

-celebrated Syfah's birthday, which is Wednesday!

-Troy tiled the bathroom, thank heavens my parents took three kids over night, because we were down to one bathroom...I love it Troy...Thanks!

-church...good sermon..good songs..!

-I am now getting a sore throat! Maybe because I never quit talking...another thing...I should be skinny with all the running around we do....oh, well....

-MY FAVORITE SAYING IS...'IT'S ALL GOOD!"

Student of the week!

It is great fun to be student of the week! I have found too that it can be a little bit of a rough time for my kids that were not mine at birth. This weekend as we gathered photos of Araya to put up for his "student of the week" area in the classroom, I felt a sense of sadness. I must say first of all that all of my kids have had the same teacher for 4th grade, Mrs. Aleckson, she is wonderful and sensitive to the fact that we don't have a lot of past things to share or photos to post. We obviously focused on the past 4 1/2 months, but as we went through the pictures on the computer and he picked out the ones that we should print, I realized that he wasn't all that "into" doing this. I have 2 pictures of Seble, Syfah and Araya together, the day they were brought to the orphanage. He was positive those were not pictures he wanted his class to see, I was feeling like "what?" so cute, so sweet. I had to process a little bit about why? It should have been obvious to me. Those pictures that I see of cute, happy looking kids, hold extreme sadness. It was a couple days later that they were separated and to not be together again under the same roof until 6 years later. Those pictures, which I am thrilled to have are not ones that Seble, Syfah and Araya enjoy looking at. Oh, how I wish I could have a few more pictures or a few more conversations about their past. Every once in a while I will get a comment or two and it catches me, I want to know what I missed and then I think, no I don't....too much grief that my kids had to endure. Seble often talks of the day her mom was taken from the home and brought to the hospital to die, she said she remembers her screaming that she didn't want to leave her kids. I can't imagine anything worse. They never saw her again.......When we were coming home from Araya's last doctor appointment at the U of M, he asked me, " Mom, why doctor so much?" I said, "we want you to stay healthy and strong" He said, "Because I have HIV?" "yes" I said. He only knows that HIV is something but he is not sure what, he said "many of my friends died mom." As he proceeded to tell me some of their names....I felt the sadness at the thought of not having him in my car next to me. Araya lost friends to the terrible disease that we see so much progress in. I guess my purpose in writing tonight is that I never thought that I would ever be working on "student of the week" stuff with Araya, I had given up on him ever joining us. It was about 1 year ago that we started the process full speed ahead for Araya to join us. I am thankful tonight that we had friends and family that encouraged us. I am also thankful to the many friends and family who have decided to pursue adoptions...November is National Adoption Month.

When you are student of the week, everyone in the class gets to write something about you...here are a few...

Friendly, good runner, good at drawing, sweet, good at games, great smile...my favorite..."laughs like his Dad!" Thanks Mrs. Wold!!

Happy Birthday Corbin!

Well we celebrated Corbin turning 12 years old this weekend! It was a great weekend, Saturday was her "real" birthday, with Dad and Grandpa hunting we had decided to have Grandparents over on Sunday for a big dinner after church and celebrate. However, on Saturday we were at my moms for a visit and Corbin mentioned that it didn't feel like her birthday! Grandma to the rescue...Grandma went out in the kitchen and made her a chocolate cake with her homemade frosting, it was great. Then as Grandma's do..decided that she should open a gift. She got a pink camera!! So she was snapping away and that carried on throughout the day today! We even caught her posing a few times for herself and taking them herself. It was hilarious, her sisters were like, "look at her, taking pic's of herself." I said, "yeah, she learned how to do that from the best!"..meaning they did the same thing when they got their cameras.

Sunday dinner was her favorites...homemade meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans from the garden (Grandma Teresa),sweet bread and cole slaw followed by Ice Cream Cake (by Grandma Jane)

So, it was a good weekend! I am proud of the young lady that Corbin is turning out to be. She is dramatic, entertaining, has a great heart and as her grandma Teresa said today, "She lights up the room, with her smile." She is growing up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORBIN!!!!

My Brave Boy!

Thankful for some good medicine and good movies!

Can I just say that I am so proud of Araya! Araya had his surgery today. It went well, lots of scar tissue in the mastoid bone was removed and his three ear bones were in tact so they were also cleaned up. The dr. was then able to reconstruct the ear drum...the dr. had told us to not expect him to gain any hearing from this surgery. We were thrilled when the dr. said that he expects him to get some hearing back and hopefully no more surgery on this ear. YEAH!!

Araya was very brave and did a great job, he has come so far! On the way to the dr. he said, " I am fine mom." He was surpised that we did not have to drive to the cities...on that note...one of my friends Barb, had written on her blog about writing in a journal about 1,000 things we are thankful for-Grateful to God for, everyday for a year! I am committing to it! I would also like to say that I was so blessed today at the hospital, we had great care, great nurses and I was really glad that we were close to home. #1 in the journal! Thanks Barb, great idea!

Oh Brother....!

Many of you know that I have only one brother, his name is Troy. Yeah, I know I married a Troy too! Must of been a popular name back in the day! Anyways, it's just my brother and I, and we are exactly 13 months a part to the day, I was born January 2, (A New Years Baby) and Troy was born Feb.2, ( A Groundhog)..I'm glad I was the New Years Baby!

Growing up I lived in a neighborhood of boys, so I was a last resort to play with. It's always interesting to see one of our old neighbor boys. The first thing they usually say is, I remember when you use to wrestle with us and beat us or I never wanted to mess with you..my brother use to wrestle and we had a wrestling mat in the basement. Hey, a girls has got to do what a girl has to do! I am not at all proud of this :)...it actually has become a little embarrassing. Anyways, I was not my brothers first choice for a playmate. I have to be brutally honest. I WAS A PEST!!

My brother now lives in Fargo, N.D. with his wife Michelle and my nephew and niece Mason and Madison. We don't see them very much. My brother is a State Trooper Sergeant and works odd hours. My sister-in-law works in the medical field in Radiology and she works odd hours too.

We see them maybe 3 or 4 times a year. This weekend they will be down for hunting and the girls and I usually Shop till we Drop! This weekend I will be at basketball tournaments with the little three, so I will not get to spend the time I usually do with them...it will save me some money:) But, oh will I miss them!

I love to hear my brothers stories about his job in the Big N.D. ...like the time a lady hit a moose with her car and when my brother arrived on the scene and took out his gun to put the animal out of it's misery, the lady demanded while she was crying that he call a vet...he told the lady "I am the vet." The many drunks that get sick in his car...one young college girl decided to pee and poop in the back seat of the squad, he had no idea what she was doing!! He said, "hey, what are you doing back their?" She replied, "putting lip gloss on!" Well that was not the case she had smeared it all over the windows and seats! He pulled his car into the Jail lot the next day, and she cleaned and scrubbed for hours...she thought it was funny at the time at the end of that day ..not so funny!

Today I received a picture of my brother with..."The President Elect of the United States of America!" It was taken in the Fall and he was with him for the day! I said was it exciting? "it was o.k." Was it great to shake his hand, "it was fine." Did you vote for him. "No". Anyways enough said, my brother is a man of few words! p.s. he did say he was nice!

a busy one!

It's been a good long weekend....It started out on Friday night with Troy's sister Priscilla, her husband Kevin and their daughter Tatiana joining us for a fun evening. We haven't been able to spend much time with them, they have lived in Milwaukee for years. They moved to Apple Valley this Fall and they were able to come and join us for the evening. We carved pumkins, which we realized was the first time Tatiana, Seble, Syfah and Araya have carved a pumkin...what is wrong with me. It was fun! We had pizza, pumpkin bars, candy..candy..and then some pumkin seeds that we baked! We ended the evening with a bonfire and also played with American Girl Dolls. We haven't had them out for a while and we don't have many "little" girl things around here anymore! Thanks for coming Priscilla, Kevin and Tatiana!!

Morgan was Missing in Action...she had went out with friends to the Olive Garden and to a Bonfire...

Saturday the boys got ready for the hunting weekend that is ahead. They put heaters in their stands! The little boys will appreciate that!

I have definitely realized that the girls are getting older...Morgan, Shelby and Seble were all at a friends house for a bonfire on Saturday night with lot's of kids from CCS (school)!

On Sunday we went to church ..it was an awesome service and time of worship. Troy and I had a date to Culvers....Yahoo...only 3 phone calls! Sunday afternoon Syfah was invited to an overnight, Seble and Shelby went to a friends for an overnight, I then brought Morgan to an overnight 10th grade girls party..they watched movies and ate. Corbin and I went and got her basketball shoes, came home to a husband who said he was a little "bored" a rarity around here. Him and Araya had been playing Wii. It sure is different when a few (4) are missing. I have had many people tell me that we need to enjoy these busy days, days with the kids, days running around, basketball games.....I think it's going to go fast.

While Troy and I were enjoying our peaceful conversation?!?! at Culver's, Troy looked at me and said, "Jody, I would have a houseful of kids if we had a bigger house..a little more money...." That tells me that things are feeling a little bit more normal around here!" Have a great week!