some photos from tonight...

Felt like snapping a few photos :)
The kids get to choose their ornaments every year.
Isaac bought Darth Vader, Ella pinkie pie, my little pony and Anna a care bear.
They all loved them! Then time for cozy jammies and we watched a movie!
Just wanted to share my photos!!!

WOW almost Christmas time!!!

WOW, time sure has flown since Anna came home!
December is a VERY special month for us!
Ella came home Dec 26th 2006.
Ella's adoption was finalized on Dec 7th 2007.
We saw Anna's face for the first time on Dec 1st.
Said YES to her on the Dec 3rd and on Dec 23 found out she is our baby!
This month is extra special to me.
I am so excited to spend this Christmas with all my kids.
Anna will be so excited to open gifts she is so into tearing things up! haha!

The kids are excited for Christmas break and to spend time outside in the snow.
We made some cookies and have a ginger bread house ready to be made!
here are some photos lately......

1 YEAR ago I saw Anna's sweet face for the first time.

WOW 1 YEAR has passed since I saw Anna's sweet perfect round face on the Holt WC site.
She had big eyes that drew me in. I felt like she was my daughter when I saw her eyes. I asked Holt for her file. Read it and couldn't believe she was a waiting child. She had nothing in her files to say she had anything going on. She was just tiny. She was developing right on target and was so adorable! Scott also said he was drawn to her photo. I wasn't quite sure if I was "missing" something in her file so I had a adoption Doctor look at it and she said she was fine but just tiny. On Dec 3rd we told Holt YES we would love her to be our daughter. 20 days later Holt called and said "You are her family!" it was so bittersweet as I knew 2 other families were getting told "no". But it is in all God's plan and he knows the perfect plan. I hope those 2 families were matched and happy.

I ALWAYS dreamed of telling our family on CHRISTMAS I was "expecting" and last year on Christmas we wrapped up Anna's photo in a frame for both of our parents and waited for the responses! It was amazing and we all cried! Pure joy and pure love.............




still the same beautiful eyes..........

Anna is almost 19 months old and has been home 4 months!

WOW on the 28 we have been home 4 MONTHS! I can't believe how time flies. She has done amazingly well. She sleeps so good. That was one thing Ella had a hard time doing when she came home. It made it very hard to travel. But Anna has adjusted and her sleeping is great! She is still tiny and petite. I LOVE having a small baby. EVERYONE tells me how beautiful and cute she is when we go into stores. They all coo over her and want to know how old she is! Anna is starting to say lots of words and her speech is taking off. She is very smart and likes to CLIMB. She is a dare devil and will try anything. She has lots of determination and she is soooooo very SWEET! She loves hugs and KISSES the most.
Anna has the most beautiful eyes!!!
now for some photos of my beautiful baby girl!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We had a great time at our parents house and celebrated Isaac's 11th birthday! It was a BUSY day but loved visiting our families!!!
This is what it is all about!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!

OHHH I SO don't like photos of myself but the girls looked ohhhh so cute!!!

HAPPY birthday Isaac!!!!!

UPDATE on us!!!

It has been awhile! I wanted to give an update on us all.
Everything is going so good. Anna has such a sweet personality and her transition has been so GOOD into our family. She really has been an angel. She sleeps good, plays hard, curious about everything, very smart, very strong and loves to giggle.
The older kids have really took on the big brother/sister role and love Anna so much.
I am so amazed at my little girl everyday. She has been threw so much and is such a sweet, loving, easy going, sweetheart! She has the most beautiful sideways, tear drop eyes. She still is tiny and I think she will always be very petite.
I had AEA evaluate her to see were she was cognitive age and they said she was 4 months AHEAD! She was a waiting child because of her size. She has been very healthy and is the light of my eyes!
Ella is still in preschool 2 days a week. She loves going but would rather hang with Mommy. Ella has such a sweet, tender heart, she loves to cuddle and get lots of I love you's from Daddy and I. She brought home a paper that was laminated and it said "I am thankful for my family!" I cried such crocodile tears. It was so sweet of her, to think of that. And nope the teacher told me all the kids thought of their own sayings!
Isaac's 11 birthday falls on Thanksgiving! We are having 2 parties for him and they should be fun! He is my electronic boy! He loves to plug things in and watch them GO. He has been asking for a lot of different things for his b-day and X-mas. Some of which I have no idea where to get. He makes shopping hard! He likes scanners (UPC codes like at Target haha) and hotel cards with electronic door opening gadgets. See... told you stuff is hard to find!

Scott and I have been going on little "dates" here and there. It has been nice to get some time out.
We are all excited for Thanksgiving and we have a BUSY day planned!!!

Now for some photos.....

Hello? Anyone still read this?

SO SORRY. I know I am behind!
Does anyone still read this?
Please leave me a post if you do.
I thought about stopping the blog.
I am trying to keep up but it is hard.
I like to update this blog from time to time to let people see how the kids are doing ect.
First, Anna is a dream. She really IS. IF ALL adoptions were like Anna I would have a few more kids! She is such a sweet baby and sleeps awesome.
She has been thru so much and adjusted so WELL. She really amazes me.
Anna is calling me Mama now and it is the MOST wonderful sound. I was waiting patiently everyday for her to say it. When you ask her for a kiss she gives you one.
Today Daddy asked for a kiss and she was so busy she just leaned her cheek to him! It was so darn cute! Anna is so very sweet BUT and here is the BUT she is JUST starting to cry and throw herself back when told no or she doesn't get what she wants. The "tantrum" is NOTHING like Ella's were when she was young. Anna really is easily distracted and it lasts for 3 seconds. It actually is so cute to see and I smile secretly!
Ella is doing great in preschool. She goes 2 times a week all day. She walks in and hugs me and tells me she will miss me then hug me again and wants 10 kisses. She is a very sweet girl but very strong minded. She really likes to be the boss. Ella is getting so much older and grown looking. She has matured a lot since Anna came home.
Isaac is doing good too. But he has been staying up too late and we are working on a earlier bedtime. He started speech therapy 3 times a week and is improving. He has braces on his top teeth. He choose red and blue for the bands! The 2nd day he had them on he wanted them OFF! They hurt so bad. I called the Ortho office and they said it was normal. The pain stopped and he is ok now.

Well that was in a nutshell! haha!!!
Here are some photos....
bye!