FB Friday

March 23, 2013 ~ Today marks 6 months that Maya Kisanet has been in our arms for forever!! This picture was taken moments after she ran around the building and jumped into my arms!! I told her I would never let her go again!!

Maya K gets to go bowling today for the first time!! So we just finished watching a YouTube video on bowling :-). I have been on YouTube more these past 6 months than I ever thought possible!!

We had fun bowling today!!

March 26, 2013 ~ I don't like it when Nathan isn't feeling well enough to go to work (nothing major, just an upset stomach that makes him struggle to focus), but there was a benefit to it this morning :-). He went to pick up a red box movie to watch while he is resting and he brought me home a Mt. Dew!! Happy Tuesday to me!!!

March 28, 2013 ~ Nathan took over after dinner so that I could go spend an hour at Half Price Bookstore :-). I like the store and I LOVE my husband!!!

March 29, 2013 ~ Our morning science lesson / learning experience involved lighting a Bday candle during breakfast. She thought the candles melted because the cake made them melt :-). So we got to learn about wax and fire!!!

It's such a blessing when God gives us the desires of our heart. Long story short (I'll try). We haven't had the money for me to go buy Maya K an "Easter" dress. She has plenty of dresses that have been given to her, but not a truly EASTER dress. I have felt very sad about this silly desire of mine, but this week, someone gave us a dress that is the PERFECT Easter dress and in her size :-). And then today, I'm going through a box of clothes and find a perfect sweater to go with that Easter dress!! God is so good!!!!

Six Months Home (+ Homecoming Photos from 6 Months Ago)

Pam ~ It is crazy hard to believe that Maya K has been home for SIX MONTHS!!!!! Where has the time gone?!?! It's gone to learning English, trying new/strange foods, doctor visits, family visits, trips to the library, reading books, dancing, collecting rocks, going to Sunday School, eating chocolate, watching Curious George, sleeping, cuddles, time outs, building with blocks, making new friends, smiling. It's gone slowly. It's gone fast. It's done everything in between. It's been amazing.

Favorite Foods. strawberries. hot dogs. chocolate. corn on the cob. chicken. chocolate chip pancakes. pizza. mushrooms. crackers. black olives. bread. pineapple. gum

Favorite TV. curious george. daniel tiger's neighborhood. finding nemo. angelina ballerina.

Favorite Books. the three billy goats gruff. the gingerbread man.

Favorite Colors. pink. white. black.

Favorite Things To Do. dress up clothes. dance. tickle. books. watching tv. blocks. run.

Desires. swim. read. play in the sand.

Dislikes. tomato sauce. ham. soggy oatmeal. sitting on the stool. not talking.

Homecoming Photos
I have not yet shared any photos from our airport homecoming and I think it's about time I do that. I'm tearing up just looking at them and remembering how tired, emotionally spent, happy, and overwhelmed we were. Our trip home was not an easy one (I should write a post about that sometime) and I was very near tears getting off the plane. As soon as I saw my sister Debbi's face, I broke down and cried. She just kept telling me that it would be okay and that things would get easier and that it was so good to see us home.

Looking at this picture, I can't believe how much Maya K has grown!!!! She looks so tiny!!!! 

My sister Debbi and I crying together as she tells me that everything will be okay. I get tears in my eyes EVERY time I look at this picture!!!!

We spent our growing up years playing mommies together and it meant the world to me to have her at the airport to be the first person I got to hug and "introduce" my daughter to!!!!

This is Michelle. Over the years that I taught her three children how to read, she became a friend. I love seeing her daughter "M"'s hand on Maya K's leg :-). So gentle and protective!!!!

So tired and so thankful to finally have her HOME!!!!

We asked that people who came to the airport to greet us not stay around for very long and everyone was so very careful to respect our wishes. These are some of our closest friends/family who stayed until we were loaded into our car.

My sisters :-)

Maya K finally started waking up as we were leaving the airport. Her expression in this photo speaks to how all of us were feeling.

We are HOME!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

FB Friday

March 16, 2013 ~ We are heading up to MN for a quick weekend trip!! Maya K gets to meet her 93-year-old Great-Grandpa Munsen and her great aunts and uncles for the first time!! Now we just need to actually pack :-). It would help if "someone" didn't decide that TODAY was the day to sleep in!!

March 17, 2013 ~ We are enjoying time with family in MN today!!

Maya K got to meet her Great Grandpa Munsen this weekend!!

March 18, 2013 ~ We got home from our trip to MN around 9:45ish last night. It was the first time that Maya K truly fell asleep in the car!! She slept for the last hour of the trip, we carried her inside, and got her put to bed in her clothes and she stayed sleeping and slept until 7:30 a.m.!!!! When I went into her room this morning I asked her why she wasn't wearing her pajamas. She looked down, got a very shocked look on her face, and said "Oh no!! I forgot jammies!!" She then looked at me and said "BRUSH TEETH??? I forgot brush teeth!! AND lotion!! Why mommy no do lotion??!!"

"The goal of life is not to be better than 50% of the other people on the planet. The goal of life is to be the best you that you can possibly be." - Becoming Minimalist website

March 22, 2013 ~ Morning entertainment - Watching Maya K rush around to pick up all the cat food she spilled on the carpet before Oreo eats it all!!

We had a mini photo shoot (just Maya K and I) this morning in anticipation of her 6-months home anniversary next week. Here is a little "gem" that makes me smile!!

FB Friday

March 11, 2013 ~ I'm looking for suggestions of the best home remedies/food to eat to help with growing pains. Maya K doesn't complain about her legs hurting but I can tell by the way she wiggles and moves often that her legs are aching (I think she's grown ANOTHER inch in the last month!!!) What can I do to help her not hurt???

March 12, 2013 ~ Here is an example of how the hours of questions go in our house. I did answer each and every one of these questions :-).

The Topic: Carrots
May I have carrot, please?
Why you do that? (I'm peeling the carrot.)
Why dirty?
Why grow in ground?
Why pull it up?
Why clean inside?
Why God do that?
Why we eat carrots?
Why carrots orange?
Why carrots hard?
Why bite carrots?
Why cold?
Why wet?
Why I like carrots?

The topic then moved on to why we call forks and spoons "silverware". Another list of questions. This goes on ALL DAY!! EVERY DAY!!

March 13, 2013 ~ I am introducing Maya K and her friend "K" to Bugs Bunny this morning :-). They are both sitting on the sofa with silly grins on their faces!!

March 14, 2013 ~ Someone should be tired tonight. We played at the park for over an hour this afternoon, went for an after-dinner walk/run, she rode her bike in the garage for a short while, and now she is dancing in the garage while holding my old umbrella :-).

FB Friday

March 2, 2013 ~ This is what is happening at our house this evening!!

Maya K just ate 2 corn dogs, 2 mini-ears of corn, a piece of chicken, and 6 large baby carrots. I think she is going through a continual growth spurt!!!

March 3, 2013 ~ Maya K got to eat at her first "real" restaurant (in the USA, that is) today - Hickory Park. She did FABULOUS (although she was very tired)!!!

March 4, 2013 ~ Cleaning out my cupboards, closets, etc. is fairly easy for me. I like sorting/organizing and getting rid of things. The hard part is when I look at the piles of things I don't want to keep. What do I do with them? Do I clean them, take pictures of them, post them, and try to sell them online, or do I just box everything up at take it to Goodwill or Hope Ministries. What to do, what to do??!!

March 5, 2013 ~ What do YOU do when your child asks for something to be done/added to their food and won't listen to you when you tell them they won't like it?? Me?? I do what she asked and then tell her she has to sit at the table until she has eaten it.

March 6, 2013 ~ The two girls are sneaking around the house, whispering, and telling me to not look. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I just asked what they were doing and was told "don't ask." I asked if they were being good and Maya K said "Good. Nice. Share. Obey. Have fun." I'm enjoying their friendship!!

March 8, 2013 ~ Nathan sent me to the library for an hour one evening last week. I was sooooooo excited to have a whole hour to sit and READ!!! I grabbed a new book (bought it at a used book store a LONG time ago, along with the other two books in the series and just haven't had time to read them yet) and headed out. A couple chapters into the book and I was still confused about what in the world was going on and struggling to follow the plot. I checked to make sure that the author was who I thought he was, because he is normally a very good writer. That's when I realized that I had grabbed book #3 in the series instead of book #1!!! The end of this long story is that I went ahead and finished reading book #3 (since I had already invested an hour into it; I'm a fast reader so I was about a fourth of the way done with it already) and started book #1 today. Everything is starting to make a lot more sense!!!!

FB Friday

February 24, 2013 ~ My morning conundrum ~ Whether or not to wake up the sleeping girl when she was up until 11 last night??? We want to make it to church on time, but we also want her to get the sleep she needs!!!

That was interesting. I just ate a spoonful of honey and cinnamon mixed together. Supposedly it will help my cold go away sooner??? I was willing to try it :-).

February 25, 2013 ~ We just framed a picture of Nathan and I with Maya K's birth dad to hang in her bedroom. She is happy!!

February 26, 2013 ~ I guess that I should have done my grocery shopping yesterday instead of waiting until today :-(. I don't really want to go out in the snow!!

My ET beauty has not yet eaten snow (we told her NO!!!). So, I just put a container outside to see if we can "catch" some clean snow to make snow ice cream today!!!

February 28, 2013 ~ We've been home with Maya K for FIVE months as of today!!!

Maya K: "Oh no!! Where the bacon?"
Me: "We didn't make any bacon tonight."
Maya K: (sad look) "But I like bacon!!"

March 1, 2013 ~ Someone, who shall remain nameless, is GRUMPY today. This anonymous person was given the special privilege of sleeping for 40 minutes AND of looking at books in a quiet room for an additional half hour. This person has continued to maintain a downcast expression on their beautiful face. A second person involved in this story needs to go to the store to buy some food. What would YOU do?!?!

I have been sent to my room and told to stay there until 7 p.m. I was allowed to take my computer and book. I was then brought a cup of raspberry hot chocolate. Somebody loves me!!!