Our Christmas Break

~I just wanted to share what a blessing the break has been for my kids and I. I had wanted to do a little catch-up, but looked in their little eyes and thought better of it. Burnout was on our heels and we could all feel it! So we packed up the homeschool stuff, and put it away! We had some fun to be done! 

~ The week before I had complained to my bestie that I sometimes feel that I'm working away their childhood~ papers to grade, ASL vocab to learn, lessons to teach, breaking up fights, church responsibilities, housework(mounds of housework!), the laundry, household shopping, and the cooking...you know the list, the never ending list! Uhhg!

~My eldest is starting the early stages of becoming a little lady, and I can already feel our relationship starting to strain a little bit..time is so precious. I don't want my children to grow up and remember me being at home, but not really in their lives, you know? I want a relationship with them. I want to look back on these what now seem tiring, stressful, endless days as some of the best in our lives.

~So, I really used this break (2 weeks) to work on my relationships with our children.. We have played games, watched movies, modeled with playdough (anyone else have a love/hate relationship with play dough?), and just spent time talking...no not every minute, and at they still enjoyed quiet reading when I just needed a break! I'm human after all! I can honestly say I feel closer with kids than have in a good long while. I love that about homeschooling..I am here and we can change what we are doing when needed.

~I also spent time teaching my little ones chores, one on one. This is something I have been putting off because to be honest~ my little ones are lazy, especially my middle child! I love her to bits~ she is the most tenacious child I have ever seen! So I made learning to do a couple of new chores a fun 1on1 time with mommy! A time of lots of praise, and teaching her how good it feels to see a job done well.

Hopefully with the 2 littles doing a bit more it will free me up to spend more time with my little loves! Last year I wanted more fun in our homeschool and we did it! I need to go back and post about that soon!

~ This new year I simply want more time with my children! I want the closeness that I feel can be woven onto our homeschool experience.. I simply want:

Relationship.

Our Christmas Song

As Christmas gets closer...as well as our adoption I just can't seem to hold my excitement!!!!
My thoughts go back to last Christmas...some songs that got me through the hard times, and brought a smile to my heart. I felt like I was not alone..
So many times last year I would listen to this song...it was just how I felt. I prayed for my girls...and cried. I hung up their stockings on the fireplace with the words ~Till You Come Home~. I hoped, and dreamed.

Now I understand the last part of the song...the love and joy that comes from our children around the tree.

Picking Trees Along The Journey...

So our family decided to go pick out out Christmas tree today... I laughed as my two year old pulled on the needles just like her daddy, and smiled as the girls chased each other  through the trees..

We just had to pic the right tree... You see this was our first tree as a family. This is our first Christmas as a family. We want to give our children memories... We want to take our greatest joys in the simple, happy, little things in life. One these~ I think the greatest of these is picking out the Christmas tree!

So we found the perfect one... Had is cut and wrapped. Then they tied it on the van... We were on our way!

Creating a Princess Suite!

So we have started working on the oldest girl's room, which we affectionately termed "the princess suite!" We hope she loves it and if she doesn't well I just may move in there myself...just kidding!

We wanted to do something special and unique...something that had a story that we could one day share with our little girl. So we worked on a felt art board together every night and laughed & talked about the future.... We may not have made the best looking picture to go on the wall, but we sure made some wonderful memories!

We also needed a few gifts...for the rooms. So we hit some after Christmas Sales!

I should have pictured what all PawPaw picked out while he was in town as well, but that will have to keep for another day! It was wonderful shopping together for my girls and hearing stories of when I was a little girl...shopping with Mama...and giving little life lessons along the toy isle.  

My Christmas Prayer~

I am thinking of you, my darlings & I can only hope that your Christmas is wonderful...
To each of you, I want you to know~ I am praying for you especially at this time of year...


I pray that you are happy. I hope you are sitting around the tree with the people blessed enough to love & care for you till we can bring you home...I pray for them too.


I pray your Christmas is filled with music...songs of a Savior coming to earth that will guide your coming safely home to us. 


I pray that you have gifts to open, but more than that I pray The Greatest Gift Of All comes and holds you close if you are sad this Christmas.  


I pray that you see the twinkling lights, and smile.. I pray that one day you come to know the Light Of The World...I hope I am there to see it! 


I pray that like your stocking ~ you are filled with joy...God gave us you; getting ready for you to come home has already filled our home with joy! 


I pray you feel loved, and wish you knew how much I already love you. More than I, God loves you my darling. 
~He loves mommy too. He knows how much she wanted you home this Christmas. He dries her frustrated tears and comforts her whispering....next year, my daughter, next year. He gave us each of you and even if we have to wait, you are the best gift this Christmas. 


 I will see you soon~ I love you.
 Merry Christmas.


Love, 
Mommy

Christmas With Cats!!!

So this year we are doing the tree a little later, but I just thought I would share what happens pretty much every year...

Before~

We enjoy the tree, love the twinkling lights...so do our kitties!!

 Then the day comes when....

After!

Naughty!!!! 

It's a good thing they are so cute!!!! 

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas~

Because..........................Daddy is here!!!

 I love when daddy come to visit..I've always been a daddy's girl. ;)
We have been having a great time, and hubby loves have someone to talk with for hours on end about all kinds of "man stuff" as I sneak off to blog for a bit...

We are just so blessed to have family visit around the Holidays~

As I write this I hope all of you enjoy time with your family this year, and have a wonderful Christmas while making cherished memories.

Our Many Gifts...

God, not Santa came here this year, 

He brought with Him great joy and cheer. 

He heard our prayers & saw our tears,

He held us close through all of the years.

Now we are as happy as new parents can be...

Not just one daughter; He gave us THREE!!! 

Yes, that is right; we got the call that changed our life: WE ARE MATCHED!!!!  All of our Christmas wishes all wrapped up in a three set bundle!!!

  We are now matched to 3 beautiful little girls... Just when we thought it was out of reach; God moved in and worked a miracle! 

 We will be meeting our little girls~1 year old Baby A.~ 2 year old Sweetie S. ~ & our 5 year old beautiful N. ~ early next year, and bringing them home around the end of January. We are just so excited!!!! 

There are just not enough words...more than thrilled, more than loved, more than blessed, & more than we could ever ask for! 

Our Christmas Song

Lyrics:Merry Christmas -  By: Third Day

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the Holy Child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
To prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with Him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

~Our fireplace~

The one in the middle simply says~ Till we bring you home...

Merry Christmas

As many of you, our family has taken time to give thanks unto the Lord for all that He has given, and is now preparing to give back to others the great gifts we have received this year. We anxiously await the look of joy on the faces of those we love while passing out our little tokens of Christmas cheer. The time of year in which we write letters and cards to family and friends, and greet everyone we see with cheerful salutations. We prepare our homes with beautiful decorations, bake warm goodies, sit by a warm glowing fire, and say an extra prayer of peace to all the world. We sing songs that tell the stories of that first Christmas and how our Savior came to save the world. At times it seems the whole world is enveloped in a warm glow as we hold our families just a little bit 
tighter. 


This is also a hard time for many as they look back at all they have lost.. I look back at times with family that have long left this life. I think back to my childhood when I had all of my family with me as precious memories that remind me of how to treasure every moment. Christmas time was so special; my Mother would cook wonderful treats, and my Grandmother would always visit on Christmas day and it would seem that those days would never end… In my simple, childish mind I could never fathom that I might one day have my own family and would never again share those simple joys of having everyone together. Time moves us all forward and at times it moves us further away; it is the memories we take with us as we go … 


Beautiful memories are made every year. As we go about our little traditions that make the Holiday so special we are always adding new ones. Those little things that others will remember about you, and reflect on how much you loved them. Remembering what is important as we also give our gifts unto the Lord. Reading the True Christmas Story every Christmas Eve and sharing God’s love to all that darken our door. Singing in the kitchen till the Carols of Old fill your home with joy. Letting joy shine in our faces as it does in our hearts. 


I pray it is the same with you. Let the magic that seems to fill the air; fill your heart this Christmas. Remember those less fortunate, especially children… Love those around you as we celebrate the day love came in to the world. 


From our family to yours, 


~Merry Christmas~ 

Getting Ready For Christmas!!!!

Well, Thanksgiving was amazing!!!! Now we are on to Christmas....family, friends, lights, food, carols, sweets &  treats, the tree, decorating, and most of all a Savior.




We as a family are putting off getting the tree just in case we have little ones to help us decorate...just praying that our social worker is really Santa Claus in disguise! We shall see and we have a date in mind and we will get a tree, that is if we don't hear anything, but it is looking really good right now! More to come about that later... 

The rest of the house is mine.....the mantel, the walkway, and pretty much every counter-top in the house is in need of some decoration!!!! That of course means lot's of Disney stuff!!!! We try to go to Disneyland every year and usually at Christmas time so I add a piece every year...hoping to add another piece soon, maybe a few! 

So lets bust out the box of decorations, put on the carols, and beautify everything with the joy of Christmas!!!! 

....and for those of you that get snow; make a snowman for me! Because for now mine only comes by way of a snowglobe. 

'Tis The Season...Well Almost!

So we usually wait to decorate until after Thanksgiving, but this year I think I am going to need a little more time getting into the "spirit" of things. You see this year a few things are going to go a little differently...we are not going on our annual Disney trip for Thanksgiving, we are not going home for Christmas to see my family, and the hardest of all ~without a miracle it looks like we may not be getting placement in time for Christmas. .

We held so many hopes and dreams for this Christmas...

In all of this there is still the joy of Christmas. We celebrate that Our Savior came in the world, and as a part of that we decorate our homes, our rooftops, and okay and pretty much everything that will sit still!!! So this is where I started getting ready; with one simple decoration~

I love this little candle warmer with the little snowflakes, the warm glow, and the wonderful scent it reminds me so much of the Holidays...like the little things that makes life so special, love that warms our hearts, and the smell of warm goodies from the oven shared with family & friends.

So when were do you begin...what fills your home and heart this time of year?