Surgeries

We had yet to have surgeries on any children until April of this year and them we had two surgeries 1 week apart! JD had a minor mouth surgery with a tooth extraction and William had a significant eye surgery... a Bilateral Strabismus surgery. Unfortunatly I didn't take any photos of JD after surgery but I did of Will.  Will's surgery was very effective but we won't kow the full extent of the recovery for another 2 months or so.  We were able to see an immediate differene in his eyes of course as the surgery corrected laziness in both eyes and it is amazing to see him look at you with both eyes at the same time!  His biggest hope for success is that he might be able to see in 3D, something he has never been able to do as both eyes did not work together. We will see if his eyes will fully correct over the next couple months to allow 3D vision with glasses! I loved how the other children prepped the house in anticipation of his return.  I was especially touched by the huge amount of time Shelley spent reading to William as he rested.  He really was pampered by the others over the days of his recovery and he loved it!

 



Little Man

I know, I know… I am quite behind in my posts, especially about a little man who turned 6 last month!  What fun we had celebrating JD’s birthday, complete with a “SPAM-tastic” breakfast for dinner.  JD is Daddy’s true spam partner….hands down he loves the stuff!  Some of the other children will eat a slice here and there for breakfast when Daddy cooks it but JD will request a “SPAM-tastic” Saturday morning with Daddy.  Silly boy, he even chose it for his birthday dinner! 

Oh how we love our little man!  Yes, there are many days that are extremely challenging but there are many more days that are sweet, sweet, sweet!  God is growing and changing our little boy and we are reaping the benefits all the time. I love the precious relationship he has with his Daddy.  For JD, not one person on earth is he more connected to than Daddy. I cannot tell you how vital I think that is for every part of his development both emotionally and physically.  I know he recognizes Chad’s unconditional love for him and I so deeply appreciate how Chad has poured his heart and soul into our sometimes troubled little man.  He is longsuffering, patient and loving but oh so importantly, he is consistent

I love seeing JD grow into being able to play well with his siblings, especially his very patient older brother Will!   JD takes great joy in puzzles, Legos, KNEX, board games and anything to do with a sports ball….soccer, baseball, football, ping pong, golf, whiffle ball ….ANYTHING that involves a ball and a sport! He is doing fantastic in school and enjoys Kindergarten! He is an eager learner and is even doing a bit of a 1^st Grade workbook I got him and he loves it!

Isabelle wanted to do a little photo shoot for his birthday so we have some cute photos to share! We thank God for another precious year with our “number 5”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



REALLY?!?!

 

 

Well, a seed about the size of those pictured below spent the afternoon in JD's nose yesterday!  Somehow he got the notion to put an orange seed up his nostril!  REALLY?!!?? I had just stepped out of the shower when Shelley comes running up the stairs to tell me that JD had put an orange seed up his nostril!  As I stood there in disbelief, I started thinkin' about what to do. Of course he tried to pick it out, which as you can imagine did not help one bit! I tried to get it out myself with tweezers and then an opened paper clip, closing the other nostril and having him blow really hard ..... needless to say, nothing prevailed.  I started thinking I was going to have to take him in somewhere but our DR's office was closed for the lunch hour and I considered the ER for a moment but thankfully we have our dear friend Dr. Dan E!  I gave him a quick call and he calmed my fears and reminded me that the nasal passages open into the mouth and eventually with some flushing of the nasal passages it should come out in his mouth or he will simply swallow it! Of course this all happens just as we were getting ready to head to my class at church, so with no more available time to begin anymore extraction procedures we continued on to our class, orange seed in the nasal passage and all!  The end of the story is quite simple.  I was going to wait until the evening time to work on the flushing out when Chad was home. I knew we would need Daddy's expertise on this.  When we got home from class, I was in the kitchen when Shelley came in and said, "Momma, the seed is much farther down now, you can really see it."  JD had sneezed a few times in the van on the way home and I was hoping that because of the sneezing it had moved it down a bit and I believe it did!  I put him up on the counter and laid him back.  I could see it much better this time.  At first we tried to use a turkey baster to suck it out...thank you sweet Barb for the suggestion but it didn't quite get it out even though it did help to bring it down a little more. He was of course fighting me on wanting to lay still and allow me to get in there as I needed.  So, with the promise of a bowl of ice cream if he laid very still I was able to get the tweezers in there and wala...extract a VERY LARGE orange seed!  As I looked at it I began to wonder if it really could have made it through his tiny nasal passages! Thankfully we needn't wonder, extraction successful and mission accomplished!

 

"Never a dull moment", as Papa used to say.

 

 

 

 

(photo credit)

 

 

 

 

Cute Enough to Wear Pink

No issues with his personal “boyhood” here….



A Little, Little House

I love imaginative play and there is nothing like an old barn and castaway supplies to get the imaginations of children going! Myself and  ALL of our kiddos, including Mitchell (sorry honey), have long loved The Little House on the Prairie.  Many hours were spent reading the books and watching the old show... in fact we have all 9 seasons on DVD!  While the show was not perfect to the book, it was endearing all in itself.  Chad loves to joke that the only hymn they know is “Bringing in the Sheaves” and that Michael Landon takes his shirt off every third episode….I think the latter is a proven fact!  Nonetheless, this sweet series has been and always will be a family favorite.   So… we have this old red barn on the back of our property and boy have the children made a home away from home!  Unfortunately Chad’s desired storage space in the red building has been inched out little by little over the last couple years as the children have expanded their once “little room” to a full “little house” for play! I love that they will spend countless hours in sun, rain or snow playing out there!  They have what they consider a pioneer kitchen, a pantry, a fireplace and sitting area, a bedroom and a dining table. They have made everything from vegetable soup to banana mush to their own ink and quill…that actually worked for a while!  What I love the absolute most is that they have worked and played long hours together to create this “Little, Little House” and in the process, created priceless memories.

I guess SuperMan spans the ages! :-)

I love that in the midst of the pioneer home we have a cordless phone!



A Party

Well....better late than never!  Due to sickness and schedules, JD's birthday party was quite delayed but it finally happened!  When Mitchell was little we had friend birthday parties almost every year but as more children and more birthdays came along we decided to make a friend party something special, every five years....with the exception of the "big one" .... a 16th birthday!   Don't get me wrong, we love to have people over for dinner to celebrate birthdays as families but this is the official "do something special" friends birthday!  We loved it that JD chose a few of his big, big brother's friends along with his own little friends.  We send KUDDO's to the big boys and their interest and kindness to a little guy like JD... how we love Mitchell's buds! It was a fun afternoon of bowling, football cupcakes and laughs!  JD was keenly more interested in the arcade at the bowling alley than the actual bowling, but great fun was still had by all!

Little Man

…turns 5! Our “Little Man” JD turned 5 this month and we had a sweet time celebrating this milestone birthday.  There is something special about turning 5, stepping out of the toddler years and tip-toeing towards the “big boy” years. 

How do we sum up JD in one blog post….virtually impossible!  He is our treasured little boy.  He is a delight and a handful.  He can be the most charming little fellow and the biggest stinker all in a span of a minute or two!  He is definitely the baby of the family and seems to not only know his position but with his incredible smarts, he has learned to maneuver in such a way that he gets the most benefit from where he falls in the birth order!  Our tiniest treasure chose a fun birthday dinner…. homemade fried chicken, “legular” mac & cheese (“legular” means regular…. boxed KRAFT…. NOT momma’s homemade!) and baked artichokes with melted butter.  A unique meal for a very unique and precious boy.   Happy, happy Birthday Jeremiah Daniel, we love you and pray God will shape you into a man used mightily for Him. 

Isabelle took these sweet photos below...she wanted to do a "5 year old" photo shoot of JD!

 

Christmas Break

When JD was asked by the sweet mom of one of his little friends if she could have a Christmas hug, he promptly replied "no".  When she asked why he couldn't give her a Christmas hug he stated.... "I am on Christmas break!"  We got a good laugh from that one!

(A photo from last year.....one of my favorite's)

Caterpillar Cupcakes and a Cutie Pie

Our Little JD turned 4 this past Monday!! We had such a fun day spoiling him and he gladly soaked in all the spoiling! He got some sweet phone calls from family and friends, played games in the morning, played outside part of the afternoon and even got in a little Mario Kart time! He chose hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for his birthday dinner and caterpillar cupcakes for dessert! He took forever to pick his cupcakes, right up until the night before. There were so many cute options in our cupcake book…..monkeys, frogs, dinosaurs, fishies…..too many choices for a soon to be 4 year old, but he finally settled on the caterpillar.

I was reflecting once again how thankful we are for our littlest Honey. When we consider the devastating choices his birth mom made which resulted in this 4lb. little one being born 7 weeks early and testing Meth + at birth, we are so thankful for the sovereign hand of God in bringing this miracle boy to us. There is so much beauty in the journey of adoption and we are grateful to have received and experienced this gift, not once, not twice but three times!

Happy, Happy Birthday to our little Jeremiah Daniel… May God make you a mighty man who lives up to his namesake…..a worshipper of God whom Jehovah has appointed. We love you little buddy!

Going West

Quotable Kids

JD said something this morning that brought me right back to some sweet childhood memories with Papa.  My Papa loved and spoiled me like crazy, especially in the area of food, sweet treats and eating out…probably greatly contributing to my love of food!  JD was talking to Isabelle, right after breakfast, and trying to convince her to go into Papa and Gigi’s part of our home.  He petitions her….”Isabelle, me go say hi to Papa.” Then with the hopes of snitching some candy corn from Papa’s candy dish he says, ” I have candy… Daddy says NO but Papa says ONE.”

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns

one ha penny, two ha penny,

hot cross buns

If you have no daughters,

 give them to your sons,

one ha penny, two ha penny,

Hot Cross Buns

3 years, 2 months and 5 days...

I know...I know.... I am sooo late in posting a little somethin' about JD and his 3rd birthday! How do I describe our "lil' buddie"? I think his twinkling blue eyes, mischievous grin, distinct vocabulary, sweet knuckle bumps, petite singing voice and ear piercing scream says it all! He is all the love, joy, adventure, laughter, and "pull your hair out moments" we could ever desire in our last little "Honey". We are so very grateful for the tiny treasure the Lord gave us 3 years, 2 months and 5 days ago!