the kids

man.
as soon as i feel like i figure something out about parenting or one of my kids in particular...it changes.

i guess that's just part of the job description as a parent.
but it's exhausting!
and never-ending.

i'm just going to go through them one-by-one.

rebekah:
i already mentioned that i bought some books to read for/with her about...you know..."stuff".
can't believe that we are getting to that point in her life.
i want to be in denial.
but even more than that.
i want to continue our desire with our kids to have open communication about things...especially those things...so that requires me NOT being in denial and taking the bull by the horns.
that's all i'm going to say or think about that right now.
{see...still struggling with the "denial" thing}

we are in a really good spot with her right now.
ahhh! {that's a sign of relief!}
seriously. i thought it would never come.
but the JOY that it is was worth all those minutes...days...hours of crying/discipline/praying/reading/talking...

she has been SO excited to share "our" news :-)
on the day that i told her she was free to tell anyone...she went to school, walked up to her teacher and said, "i need to tell the class something."
her teacher said, "what?"
she said, "my parents are adopting 2 kids from Africa."
so her teacher let her announce it.

she stood up and proudly announced that we were adopting.

she came home that day and told me. with a smile on her face.
she is genuinely excited.

but a couple hours later...at dinner...she said, "mom. what if people make fun of our new brothers/sisters because their skin is a different color?"

took me a second to collect my thoughts.
because, you know, up until that point the dinner conversation was about if we had to take a bath tonight and what we were having for breakfast tomorrow...

i tried to keep it short.
and very matter-of-fact.
and had the first of {i'm sure} many conversations.
it went something like,
"well. does joshua have any less feelings than you because he has brown eyes and you have green eyes?"
no.
"our new brothers or sisters have all the same feelings you do. they just have a different skin color. if people make fun of them you just need to react the same way you would if someone made fun of joshua for having brown eyes. it's silly. and not ok."
and we moved on.

rebekah is entering that place...where i never know what i'm going to get...a "little girl"...or a "girl trying to grow up"

i love what i see in the future...she is so beautiful inside and out.

the other night she left this on our bed.
what a blessing she is to us.

"night mom and dad. love you. see you in the morning. love, rebekah"

joshua:
he's the big surprise.
this child has been disciplined more in the last month than all the months of his life combined.
i know it's the transition to school.
and he loves school.
there don't seem to be any real issues at school.
it's just the whole transition.

he's difficult. and lazy. and complains. and instigates fights with his sisters.
it's unreal! {for him}

the first week i let a lot of stuff go.
but the other 2 1/2 weeks i've been very consistent (at least with pointing out his disobedience/attitudes) and we're not seeing much improvement.

i have his big sister's track record to go off of.
so he's not cracking me yet.
i will remain strong and firm.
he is worth me fighting for his sweet heart.
i will not allow him to give into this ugliness that i'm seeing take hold of him.

i just hope this doesn't last til 8 years old like it did for her.


my crew.
at the fountain nearby.

they are all in this picture.
can you find them??

bailey:
she is a joy lately!
really!
she still suffocates sawyer.
but not always.
sometimes he smiles when she comes towards him.
that's progress!

and i say her name more than anyone else...she just needs constant little reminders of...everything...

i've enjoyed the comments lately from her "teachers" at ballet and AWANA.
"she's so FUN!"
"she's ALWAYS smiling!"
"she likes to be in charge" :-)

i see her just thriving in the little time we have together after joshua gets on the bus.

i enjoy her so much.

sawyer:
he walks more than he crawls.
he can throw, roll and kick a ball.
seriously.

i think his first word is "ball".
very appropriate!

i love the sound his little pudgy feet make on the wood floor when he walks.

he would choose to only eat fruit.
but i choose to make him eat other things too.

he is so happy {most of the time...except when i'm making dinner...}
and cute
and pudgy
and i don't want him to grow anyMORE!