Classroom tour...and an attempt at an apology

so, it's been a year...a long and crazy year since this blog received ANY of my attention. i'm so sorry! as i wrote in the last post, we've been grieving normalcy around here. in addition to that, WE MOVED!!! yeah, like packed up everything and hightailed it out of our cozy little home, in our cozy little town (gotta love it when you're living in a small town and your child's biological family decides to drive by your home ALL THE TIME). so, it was time for a change.

now we're all settled into the new place and LOVE it! we increased our living space and got two extra bedrooms in the mix. we're much closer to my hubby's work, so his commute is only a few minutes...which he LOVES!

the kiddos are loving the yard, the neighborhood, and surprisingly, the classroom...which of course is my FAVORITE part of the house. our own little dedicated room in the basement that we've made ours. it receives TONS of light, but the kiddos can't see if their friends are outside playing, which limits distraction. i also have a tiny corner for crafts...gasp! perhaps one day, i'll be able to have a craft day in the near future...you know, when i have tons of time on my hands to eat bonbons and all that jazz.

here are some pics of the new classroom. and i'm gonna try and be better about this whole blog thing and post a home tour soon...cuz those are my favorite things to see on other blogs. But for now...here's a glimpse into...

Canyon Christian Homeschool Classroom

Main portion of classroom...shelving along back wall coming this fall and shelving being added to closet as well. our chalkboard table has been in use for two years now, and we couldn't love it anymore!

Reading Corner...and Baby Boo's play area for her blocks during school

These are full of busy bags for Gracelin Kayt to play with during school...gotta keep that little booger occupied

Saw this saying on Pinterest and had to make one for the classroom, as well as the new bunting, because we didn't want to block out ANY light from our basement window.

Our classroom rules...we implement them often...even on the teacher!

Picked up this desk from a friend's yard sale...one of my favorite finds for the new room...the kiddos LOVE it for their copywork and spelling time.

Bad view of the window, but you get the point. The rocking horse was picked up for a WHOPPING $1 at a yard sale...i threw some paint on it and it keeps Baby Boo occupied and is a great brain break for the big kids too.

More toys for the baby...she takes up the most space in here, and she's not even in school yet.

We implemented the ART wall this year too, to showcase some of the kiddos' work

The main hub of where things happen...we removed the easel from our Melissa and Doug easel and just hung the whiteboard and chalkboards straight onto the wall. Our adjacent guest room (viewed in another post at another time) has a huge chalkboard wall, so the kids head there often to practice writing, or drawing.

Hope you enjoyed the Classroom Tour, and hopefully I can get the rest of the home on here soon. Have a blessed day!

Tough Stuff

Life around here has been NUTTY and is about to get nuttier (is that a word!?!) my niece is heading to town, we are preparing to celebrate Gracelin Kayt's 1st birthday (sniffle, sniffle), and then I will be traveling with three children...and a teenager, to the west coast for one month...sans my handsome hubby! Oy! 

I'm super excited, albeit a little overwhelmed. I'm sure lots of pictures will follow, but if not...be patient, they will come! 

In addition to the coming things...we've been dealing with some heavy stuff at home lately. We began having Capri tested late last Summer to get a better idea of her delay, and how we can better meet her needs. As her educator, I'm always resourcing, trying to find the best things and ways for her to learn. No one knows her better than us, and I want to make sure that we provide her with every possible opportunity to catch up after such a difficult start in life.

We were recently contacted by Capri's doctor and told that she is severely developmentally delayed and that we need to be prepared for that to stay the same, or possibly get worse. The doctors aren't certain if it is caused from her stroke, when she had failure to thrive, the emotional turbulence she went through, or if it is genetic, as her biological parents are both developmentally delayed. 

I want so desperately to make it all better...I'm sure every mom would. I want to protect her from all the mean kids...and adults...that expect this beautiful girl to be "normal," then question why she isn't because she doesn't fit their idea of normal. In a sense, we are grieving normalcy around our house, and trying to prepare for the future the best we can. 

We know that GOD doesn't give us more than we can handle, and we knew that Capri had some special needs, it's just starting to become more of a reality with this recent news. My hubby is handling it all WAY better than I am...I guess I had on my rose colored glasses. I see her delay, but I also see that, since we started homeschooling, her emotional health is improving. Educationally, she's behind, but making amazing progress. We continually pray over our decision to homeschool...knowing that we always want to do what's best for the kiddos. We don't take the decision lightly. After much prayer,  we've decided we will continue homeschooling...and possibly add some additional outside resources. 

Capri takes a lot of work. We pour into her constantly...and often times feel like we are running on empty. But we're amazed at how GOD brings cup fillers into our lives. People who encourage us, pray for us, let us vent, and sometimes watch our kids so we can go on a date and regroup. We're forever grateful to you...you know who you are! 

So, as we continue to process this whole thing...we are finding that we draw closer as a family, a couple, and closer to GOD...we couldn't get through this without each other and we'd crumble without an amazing GOD...who trusts us with this little Dollie. We CAN do this through HIM!

Pretty Lady

can't believe our little porkchop is ten months old already. she took her first steps last week and has been a bundle of naughtiness...all while being positively adorbs! this first year is flying by and this mama can't capture the memories fast enough (or blog them fast enough). here are some pictures from gracelin's 8 month photoshoot...she's a keeper for sure!!!

 love those kissable chubby cheeks

 what rolls!?!

such a happy, smiley, pretty lady

out of the mouths of babes

i have a spiral notebook that i keep readily available to write down the funny things that the kiddos say...i love to read through it on those difficult days to remember that even when they are cranky, they still have a heart of gold and a child-like innocence.

2012's funny quotes... (as well as some pics to wrap up the year....only 3 mos. late...no biggie)

-GOD is peeling my ouchies ~ gaven
-dad, i can't sleep, my feet are too stinky ~ gaven
-can i please have some lamb (clam) chowder ~ capri
-my name is baben and that's my sissy dapri (how gaven spoke in 2012)
-i love doing sprinklesaults ~ gaven
-gaven, do you want to wear a dress? (asked capri) do i what? of course not, so don't ever ask me that again, it's disgusting ~ gaven
-mom, can eleventeen be a number today? ~ gaven
-mama, while you were at work today, i decided to pull out my tooth (we didn't even realize it was loose) ~ capri
-BUT I DON'T WANNA CALL HER GRACELIN, CAN I JUST CALL HER PORKCHOP? ~ gaven
-ooooh, i'm gonna put that cash in my piggyback ~ gaven
-daddy, change the channel, i'm allergic to football ~ capri
-my favorite color is....um....pizza ~ gaven
-(when asked what does a turkey say) no don't eat me ~ gaven
-i'm not a sadowski, i'm a frog! ~ capri
-crap dadddy! crap! crap your hands ~ gaven
-london bridge is falling down arg matey ~ gaven
-mama, do you think annie loves her daddy starbucks (warbucks) ~ capri
-i love my lobster (Leapster) from auntie christy ~ capri
-(while explaining to gaven that sissy is adopted and was in "Val's" tummy)...you mean like 'val shall not steal?' ~ gaven
-yay! i'm so decided!!! ~ gaven

~CAPRI LINAY~

 ~GAVEN KEITH~

~GRACELIN KAYT~

 ~HARVEST BLESSINGS~

 ~CAPRI WITH THE CUPCAKES SHE DECORATED FOR HER 7TH B-DAY~

 ~GRACELIN SACKED OUT AT CAPRI'S B-DAY PARTY~

 ~GRACIE'S FIRST CHRISTMAS~

~LITTLE GIFTS~



genius!!!

have you ever had a "oh my goodness, i'm a genius" moment as a mom!?! i NEVER have them...i find myself thinking other moms have them all the time, but my moment came on sunday.

the monkeys are going through the name calling phase...you know, the one where every name ends with 'head' or 'bottom' and starts with silly words like 'pickle'...DRIVES ME WONKY!!! so, (enter genius moment) sunday, i'd had my fill and said, "picklehead, thats funny...but whatever you do...do NOT call me wonderwoman and i won't call you captain awesome!" they laughed, and we moved on.

today, gaven was getting mad at capri because she was touching his lego creation and i heard the magic..."LEAVE ME ALONE WONDERWOMAN!!!" DON'T TOUCH THAT! YOU'RE SUCH A CAPTAIN AWESOME!!!"

genius...pure genius

Harvest Blessings (even though it's winter)

(somehow this never posted...so sorry for the delay)...fall is my favorite time of year for photo ops!!! i LOVE it!!! we took the kiddos to papa's pumpkin patch...GREATEST pumpkin patch EVER...and picked out cute little pumpkins for the big kids...and one GREAT big pumpkin for our BIG baby!!! and did we mention it was 70 degrees outside...NICE!!!

LittleMan...BIG POSER

CHEESE

 Capri's perfect little strawberry shaped pumpkin

 Goofy Girl

 this was completely UNPOSED!!! while waiting for me to get my camera ready, Gaven leaned over and kissed his big sister...so glad my camera captured it...and so glad that my littleman loves his big sister...makes my heart sing!!!

 My Harvest Blessings

My Sweet Lil' Punkin...who's not so little anymore!!!



and here's what happened after the picture.....(so thankful for daddy and his muscles...it's pretty hard to rock a 25 lb pumpkin with a 15 lb baby inside...but he had it mastered by the time all was said and done...HEART HIM BUNCHES!!!

oh brother!!!

so there's this boy...he kinda stole my heart...and he calls me "mama" i saw this saying on pinterest and thought...yep...so true in the case of my gaven keith.

when we took our classes to become adoptive parents, we were told that it would take a lot of energy to raise a child who isn't your biological child, capri is a true blessing in our home, but it is true, she does take more energy, time, and patience. GOD knew this...and as if we didn't feel blessed already with capri linay's adoption...GOD blessed us with this sweet amazing boy. gaven overflows with joy, and it pours into both myself and paul. we get energized being with him...his smile makes us smile...his laughter is literally medicine for those days when our heart is heavy and our patience is low. he's full of compassion, and well...he stole our heart!!!

he's my little hero...

my bouncing baby boy...

with the sweetest heart...

the funniest sense of humor...

and the best big bro on the planet



and we couldn't love him more than we do...or we would EXPLODE!!! his big sister loves him...and this beautiful little bundle thinks he's the funniest thing on the planet!!!

the new crew

LOVED having my mama here (and niece too) after the birth of gracelin kayt...my mom is an amazeballs photographer. when gracie was 6 days old, we went out to one of our favorite spots to grap some pics of the new crew...

I swear, I have a valid excuse!

i hate when i visit a blog and it says, so sorry, i've been away from blogland...yadda yadda (i'm guilty too) but this time, i have a really good excuse... july 23rd @ 3:30 p.m. we met our sweet baby girl, gracelin kayt...weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz...she's a perfect little bonus baby...our cherry on top!!! after two weeks of false labor...umm...OF THE DEVIL...she finally arrived, even without her dr there, (but thankfully her nana and cousin were). here are a few pictures of the big day...trust me, it's only a few...compared to the thousands we have taken of this sweet little nugget...who is now 3 mos old and weighs over 15 lbs!!! (pictures to come of the months since she was born at a later date)

GOODBYE TUMMY

HELLO MUMMY

BIG SISSY ADORES HER

BIG BRO IS BESIDE HIMSELF WITH EXCITEMENT

OUR BEAUTIFUL LITTLE NUGGET...GRACELIN KAYT so thankful for all that GOD has done for us...can't believe that 5 years ago we were without kiddos and now, here we are, utterly amazed by all that HE has done.

T.M.I.

so, we have just about 2 weeks until our scheduled c-section for gracelin kayt, and even though we have a little ways to go, we are still on pins and needles. i've been experiencing WAY more braxton hicks contractions with this pregnancy and yesterday was no exception. last night i was up until well after 2:30 with my sweet little gaven keith who was having nightmares as well as major growing pains...poor little man is gonna be a biggun just like his daddy! i finally got him to fall asleep in his room and climbed into my bed and entered "coma mode." i woke up with a start at 4:10 am to find myself soaked from the waste down...i woke up paul saying, "babe, get up, my water broke!" he, of course, flew out of bed and turned on the light just as i was getting up to walk to the bathroom and realized that, while i was quite damp, something just felt a little "off." i looked at the bed and started laughing, because it wasn't my water that broke, but rather the three year old's who was sacked out in my bed!!! apparently gaven woke up during my "coma mode" and entered his own coma...in my bed...with a very full bladder!!! ugh! never a dull moment!!! needless to say, we will be having naps all around and the washer and dryer are getting quite a workout today! so gross, but you've gotta love the joys of parenting!!! poor gaven keeps coming up and hugging me and saying, 'sorry i did pee in your bed mama, but i do love you' like i could EVER be mad at that!!! he's so stinking...emphasis on the stink...adorable!!!

fun with room make-overs

the past couple weeks i've been putting my extra nesting skills to work and whipping up a bedroom makeover for capri's room and now gaven and gracelin's room. we had to completely switch rooms and it's been quite an undertaking, but it's been so fun and the rewards are worth it. in capri's bedroom, we painted the blue walls brown ($35), installed carpeting ($100), made curtains (got the fabric from a shower curtain on clearance at target for 1.99), and purchased a rug ($0.80 target clearance), pillow ($2 target), and her blanket we purchased at target on clearance for 2.97...for a makeover total of $142.76...here's the pics, (kinda blurry, since i just had my droid with me)

in gaven and gracelin's room, i've been resourcing out the wazzu trying to find the perfect mix of boy and girl...gaven has always had a sports theme, with memorabilia from his daddy's collection...while i love his room, gracelin will be a little on the foo foo girly side, i hope, so i want to have some feminine touches, so we went for a vintage look. here are just a few pics, as we are still adding some finishing touches...more pics to come in the future. (financial breakdown...paint $12, fabric $9, new changing table $50, milk crates for changing table $16...for a grand total of $87...everything else, we've had around the house...or garage (shutters)

(i took some extra fabric and glued it to the bottom of the crib)

(this is the corner to appease daddy...he loved jordan growing up, so we had to incorporate him somewhere.)

who you callin' porkchop!?!

i don't handle surprises well. and i really hate waiting to find out the gender of our baby...seriously, when you pee on the stick at the beginning, it should say...it's a __________________ and you're gonna have him/her on ____________@ ____________o'clock....i'm just sayin' life would be TONS easier. so, you can imagine my disappointment when we went for our sonogram 6 weeks ago, only to be told, well, baby doesn't want to show us the goods...ugh...(cue pregnancy hormone breakdown)!

so, we rescheduled...6 LONG weeks later! but, we finally got to see our sweet little acrobat, who decided to really show off and touch her shin to her nose everytime the technician tried to get a profile picture...that's right...it's a girl!!!

after hearing the news, gaven looked at the tech and said, "um, can you do it again, but this time, make it a boy!?!" needless to say, we are all...gaven included...ecstatic!

yesterday, paul and i (FINALLY) came up with baby boo's name...here is the conversation that followed when i told the kiddos..."hey guys, mama and daddy came up with a name for your baby sister" capri: "oh, what is it mama?" me: "we are going to name her gracelin kayt" capri: "oh, that's so pretty, i love it" gaven: (with droopy shoulders) "but, i don't want to call her gracelin, i want to call her 'porkchop.' me: "gaven, you can't call your sister 'porkchop.'" gaven: "nana said she's a porkchop and i want to call her 'porkchop.'" (mental note...nana's on the list!!!) me: "tell you what gaven, maybe 'porkchop' can be your special name for gracelin that only you call her." without missing a beat, he says, "then can i call her pickle head too!?!" I'VE GOT MY HANDS FULL WITH THIS LITTLE MAN!!!

can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going...and all that needs to be done before gracelin gets here, but for now, i'm enjoying my one pink and one blue and all of the entertaining things that they both come up with daily.

the joys of homeschooling

i've been feeling quite encouraged since my last post. things are going great with capri "re-doing" some of her phonics lessons. i've noticed her enjoying it more as well, which makes me one happy mama!

last week, we went off the lesson plan...just a smidge...we were wrapping up our south america study on the amazon rainforest and it was a beautiful day...my wonderful hubby called and said, "hey, it's so nice out, why don't you take the kids to the zoo to the rainforest there." (he's handsome and a smarty too). so we packed up and off we went. the kids had SOOOOO much fun...and i did too! we walked through the rainforest, looking at all of the birds flying around and the beautiful and lush green landscape. capri was super curious about the piranhas since she learned about them in class and got to see one in person...a little scared at first, but once she realized they couldn't nibble on her, she was fine. after that we headed over and walked through wichita zoo's "south america" exhibit. it was such a wonderful learning experience. and a great change of pace to our usually planned out day.

we've decided to go again in a couple weeks when we start our study on austrailia...fun huh!?!

ho hum

i love reading all of the blogs the world has to offer on homeschool, but i've kinda been sick lately at the thought of all of the "picture perfect" ones. as a homeschoolin' mama, i know that days are far from perfect. i know that there are those mornings when my head is in my hands and i'm literally begging GOD to help me teach these little hooligans (which i adore by the way). there are days when disrespect is high and patience is low. days when i question, "am i doing the right thing?" everytime i ask that question, GOD shows me that yes, this is the right path, albeit a difficult one.

lately capri has been struggling with phonics...she knows her stuff, but she wants to fly through it, and since phonics requires her to slow down and sound things out, she gets really frustrated at herself, and has been taking it out on me. being pregnant, i'm definitely feeling more emotional and being bullied by a six year old...yeah, i've had my fair share of tears over the past few weeks. (can you imagine why our BIBLE study has been on respect!?!)

last weekend, my wonderful husband knew i had had a rough week, so he took me and the kiddos on a last minute trip to kansas city...it was so needed and necessary to get out of the classroom and just be a family. it also gave us a chance to talk and me a chance to seek out GOD's will with my phonics phobia (cute huh!?!)

i've been going back and forth on whether or not we should do school through the summer. it's been something that i've researched but hadn't really prayed about. so, i started seeking what HE has planned for our homeschool. i feel led to do school our regular 5 days a week through the end of may, then beginning in june, we will cut down to 3 days a week. we will also be going backwards...crazy huh? we will be reviewing some of the more difficult phonics lessons from the past weeks. capri thrives on repetition, and hopefully this will give her the confidence she needs to get it even more. isn't GOD amazing!?! i seriously don't know how anyone can live without HIM in their life. HE gives me so much peace, even in the chaos of homeschooling.

looking at school over the next few weeks, i'm excited not scared of what we will see happen...it may not be perfect, and i may question my sanity at times, but ultimately i know that i'm doing what HE wants for my kiddos.