Home...the most important place on earth

Josiah Skiing

2014-07-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Though I was quick enough to get the longer part in the beginning of him skiing, here he is after trying to take a turn and hitting some waves. Thankfully he enjoyed it and wants to keep trying!!

Family Fun at Eagle Lake

2014-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

After coming back from the Black Hills we had a day for Dan to go to work and for me to do laundry and get food prepped and packed...then we were off for a weekend at the lake. It was a bit of a whirl-wind, but it was worth it!

Grandpa & Alayna

We were able to help get Emma up and skiing and Josiah learned to ski also!

Seth and Madison

Madison brought her dog JJ and there was no lack of people willing to love on this cute pup!

Black Hills, SD -- Vacation

2014-07-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a few days away with family and we drove to the Black Hills. It was a fun-filled time away!

Wall Drug

Swimming at the hotel

The Cosmos

Mt. Rushmore

Rushmore Cave

The zipline at Rushmore Cave

Mining gems and fossils at Rushmore Cave

The Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park

Little Devils Tower - near Silven Lake

Driving through the Badlands on the way home

Grandma Camp

2014-06-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Every year Dan's mom hosts a Grandma Camp for grand kids going into Kindergarten through grand kids going into 7th grade. They enjoy VBS in the morning and various activities at her house in the afternoon. They love time with grandparents as well as time with cousins (who are also their friends). At the end of the week we enjoy watching their VBS program and anxiously await giving them hugs after they are done!!

Music Camp

2014-06-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

After a week away at music camp Dan and I drove up to the International Peace Gardens to pick up Josiah and another friend from school. While we were there we enjoyed listening to their concert (it was very impressive!!) and then we toured the Peace Gardens. Though the 5 hours there and 5 hours back in one day was not the most fun, it was great to see Josiah, listen to their concert and enjoy hearing about the fun they had at camp!

Women's Weekend at River City

2014-06-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Women from the Missional Community we host and lead in our home.

I love these women!!!

Happy 12th Birthday!!

2014-05-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Josiah!! His birthday involved going out for supper with mom and dad and going to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier with friends from MC and their dad's. So proud of the young man God is creating him to be, my prayer for him is that he would continue following hard after God's desires for his life!!

Josiah's Band Concert

2014-05-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Josiah was in band this year and he played the trombone (just like his dear old mom did). He enjoyed it and actually received a scholarship to attend the International Music Camp located in the Peace Gardens this summer. Here's a pic of him and his cousin Emma who is also in his grade and in the same band, but she plays trumpet. I think more band concerts are in our future!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeDIWaE3Slw&feature=youtu.be

Graduation Videos

2014-05-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

For the grandparents, here are some videos of the extreme cuteness that can only be found at Kindergarten Graduation!

http://youtu.be/C4Od2k2kE3M

http://youtu.be/FWwp_OiNGF0

http://youtu.be/w6wrPtNhZWc

http://youtu.be/2ajcCdufIS8

http://youtu.be/eAHW63YyIbM

http://youtu.be/FU0EBxu6cww

http://youtu.be/D05PAGMSXLM

My Baby Graduated!

2014-05-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Wowzers!! I can't believe my 'baby' graduated from Kindergarten this year. It's been a year of ups and downs and lots of transitions as we loved on 4 different kids through foster care this school year. Seth had a few days that were harder, but overall he rose to the challenge of school this year and we are so proud of him! He was certain he knew everyone in the school and they all knew him...honestly, with his personality I wouldn't be surprised. It was rare that I walked with him through school and he didn't get multiple greetings. Thank you Mrs. Gehrke for being a phenomenal Kindergarten teacher for both Alayna & Seth!! As we transition out of kindergarten and look ahead to first grade...he is excited to ride the bus with Alayna next year and attend the same school as her. I'm excited for them to be together also!!

Easter 2014

2014-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

I keep this blog because I don't scrapbook and I've come to terms with the fact that I never will. It's not fun for me and I just really don't like it -- how's that for honesty??!! I have plenty of friends who find it fun and relaxing and that is TOTALLY not me. I appreciate uploading pictures, writing some captions and then one day paying someone else to make my blog into a book for me to keep. :)

Here are some pictures from our Easter celebration this year!

Weekend With Friends

2014-03-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dear friends are on a trip to Germany, while they are gone we are hanging with their kiddos (let's be honest, our kids are hanging out with them)!

Reading together in bed before it was time to sleep

Many lego cars have been made and after completion they bring them to the kitchen to test out how fast the motors can make them actually go

The girls continued working on the 'fort'/hole in the snow in the front yard

These 2 have been 'friends' since Josiah was born (he's about 6 months younger). We somewhat forced their friendship when they were young and yet as the years have gone by, they have continued building on that friendship and even though miles separate them, they still look forward to hanging out together. Someday I'll have to put a collage together of these 2 over the years (his mom and I would probably cry).

Isaac is older, but Josiah is taller, so here's Isaac trying to shrink Josiah for the picture. :)

They compromised and chose to kneel instead. :)

We took the kids sledding and they all had a great time. The weather was perfect and the hill was FAST! It was fun to take lots of shots of them going down the hill.

Here's a couple videos from the sledding fun!

Great Friends

2014-03-08T11:16:00.001-08:00

Do you have those friends that are fun for the WHOLE family?? That's this crew...they walk in and the kids all run different directions to play with each other and the parents look at each other and realize we survived raising babies and toddlers together and now we can truly enjoy hanging out. :)

This is what happens when you have kids trying to take pics of the adults...off center, a little blurry, yet...who cares, it's still fun! :)

School Music Program

2014-02-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

Alayna had her 3rd Grade Music Program. They sang songs from various kid movies, so you could tell the kids had a great time! She did a fabulous job with her speaking part as well, way to go pretty girl!!

It worked out that Grandma and Grandpa Kiedrowski were here during her program for other school activities that her cousins were in, so she had her own cheering section. :)

Grandma and Grandpa Holder were able to join us also...next year we'll make cheering signs and really embarass her. ;)

Finger debacle

2014-02-15T06:33:00.001-08:00

You might expect this hand to belong to a certain 6 year old in our home, but it's actually Alayna's hand. She received a tube of gum balls for Valentines day and decided to put her finger in it. She came downstairs letting us know she was stuck. We thought it would be a quick tug and she was good to go...not so much. We tried water, putting her hand between ice packs, cooking spray and cutting a hole in the tube to release pressure. The combination set her free!! She didn't freak out at all, but she was a bit nervous wondering what it would take to get her finger out. :)

Daddy-Daughter Dance

2014-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a tradition since she was 4 years old. She and her daddy dress up and go to the Daddy-Daughter Dance together. She looks forward to it every year and I love that my not-so girlie girl really enjoys getting dressed up for this special dance with her dad. It's so precious!! This year was extra fun because her cousins (along with Dan's brother) were able to join them. Friends from church also joined in the fun. They officially had a great night and I'm so thankful for these special memories she has and I love that each year she looks forward to this night. I hope she always loves dancing with her daddy!!

They have a grand march that the moms are welcome to be a part of to take pictures, then we are kicked out while they dance the night away!

Alayna's Birthday

2014-01-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe 9 years have already gone by! I was excited to have a baby girl, but to watch her grow and develop into a wonderful, beautiful young girl...it's truly a gift!! We enjoyed our extra 2 hours this morning before school and like every birthday I told her about what 'this day' was like 9 years ago...she LOVES hearing about her 'birth-day' and I'm blessed to share it with her and even more blessed to be her mom. I love you SO much Alayna!

She loves rollerblading and since she got a new pair at Christmas she decided a rollerskating party would be fun. She wanted to only have a few friends come (sadly one got sick that afternoon and couldn't come) and it turned out to be a fun night celebrating!

5 Kids...

2014-01-20T12:25:00.003-08:00

Last Wednesday we got a few calls and emails asking if we'd be willing to take in an emergency 'relocation' of a 13 month old boy and a 2.5 year old girl. We initially said we could take 1 child, but not both. The kids are quite bonded (as are most siblings) and so they were trying to keep them together. I imagined my kids being split up and asked Dan how he felt about helping in the short term. He called the social worker and said we'd take them for 2 nights so they could have more time to find another family. Here we are 6 night later and we're still a family of 7! The kids are totally adorable!

Friends of ours are in the licensing process and so if they were willing to take 2 placements once they were licensed we decided we'd be willing to keep them together until then. Foster homes in the area are so full that for most families (including ours) taking 2 kids so close in age is a stretch. We're stretching... Our friends look forward to having them in their home and are finishing their paperwork and then will begin home visits. We're hoping within about a month to have them moved to a home that will work more long term.

Our kids have been great about squishing together in the back to make room for 2 car seats in the middle seats of the van...the boys have a pack n play added into their room while Alayna is once again sharing her room. She's always willing and excited about having someone in her room, but for the boys it's more of a stretch. Thankfully they haven't complained and they have been great with the kids.

I have to say 0 to 1 kid was a big adjustment, 1 to 2 kids was doable, 2 to 3 kids didn't seem too overwhelming most of the time...we've had 4 kids quite consistently over the last 2 years...but 5 kids...if we always had 5 kids there would definitely be some things about our life that would have to change to make it more conducive to 5 kids. We'd be willing if that was the case, but I'm thankful that it isn't right now!! :)

Sweet Syd

2014-01-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

This girl will always have a special place in our hearts as well as in our home. She comes to visit each month and it's been great to continue our relationship with her. We love you sweet Sydney!

Family Fun...Amidst A Dr Appt

2014-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

Since we needed to go to the cities for Alayna's appt we decided to make the most of it and take some time away as a family... To say that my kids enjoy swimming would be an understatement!!

A little pizza action after swimming

Getting ready to swim...again...the next morning before her appt.

Christmas In Kindred

2014-01-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

I found the pics!! Ok, you probably don't really care, but someday when I print another book of blog posts I'll be thankful to include some pics. I realized I forgot to look on the SD card of our NEW camera!!

Seth enjoying a new dinosaur

this is my "I just woke up and already the paparazzi is working?"

-- paparazzi, a.k.a. my husband after we got a new camera!

Alayna & Seth enjoying time outside with their cousins playing in the snow

Josiah was out with 'the guys' hunting for some wild turkeys they saw out the window

a little xbox dance action

proof that I was the 'no fun, sick girl' part of the weekend

Alayna's Appointment

2014-01-07T09:27:00.001-08:00

Alayna has had hip pain for about 5+ months. She doesn't complain about it very often, but I know that it's constantly there. Sometimes it bothers her more than others, but for the most part it's a consistent ache.

We've tried a number of natural options as well as Dr recommended options and nothing seemed to change/affect it. So after seeing our regular Dr, 2 orthopedic Dr's and having an MRI here in town we were referred to Gillette Children's Hospital in the cities. After the sadness of saying goodbye to our most recent placement we decided to make a mini family getaway out of her appointment. We stayed in a hotel 2 nights at a wonderful rate thanks to Dan's brother and the kids enjoyed lots of swimming and just all around relaxation.

We spent the entire day on Monday at the hospital where she had her appt and they tried to aspirate the fluid from her hip (which was no longer there so they didn't get anything) and they also gave her a fluid filled MRI and took her blood. All the blood tests came back normal and since the fluid from the first MRI was no longer present they couldn't test that...they did however see a cyst in her hip area with this other MRI they used. She was sedated for all these procedures (as a mom, watching them sedate your child is NOT high on my list of favorite things...neither is waiting while they do the procedures!!) and she handled the entire day like a TOTAL rockstar!! The cyst they found was nothing to worry about, but because of the location removing it could do more harm than good. Since the pain is constant but manageable we're taking a 'wait and see' approach. If it gets worse we will find other options, but I'm praying that in time it gets smaller and God just completely takes it away. If that's not His will...then I trust He will give us wisdom as to what our next steps should be.

Here was our 'family bed' at the hotel...Alayna LOVED being sandwiched in the middle!

The boys did crafts, played Xbox and then played on these fun gaming TV's while they waited. I'm thankful the children's hospital was filled with options for them because it was a long day and they had fun together while they waited and I'm thankful it was one less thing for Dan and I to think about that day.

December

2014-01-07T09:12:00.004-08:00

Not surprising, December was filled with Christmas!! We had a wonderful month celebrating Christ's birth with our family as well as with extended family. Since we celebrated once in November, that meant we had 3 celebrations left.

Here are some pictures from our celebration with my side of the family...

the number of bracelets this girl has made is exponential and she never gets sick of it!

He loves wearing this hat and I love when he wears it. :)

He got some fun 'boy' toys and they have gotten plenty of use!

Legos, legos and more legos...he loves using the kits, but he also has had a lot of fun using the parts to make his own creations with the motors and gears he has...I have no idea how he does it!

Jonathan Park cd's are a MAJOR hit in our home. All the kids love listening to them, but Josiah and Alayna could sit in their rooms and listen all day long and listen to them over and over and over again. If you have kids similar in age I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

Next up was Christmas at home. We love our family day of celebrating. It's relaxed and low key and all about spending time together.

In the summer she loves to roller blade and listen to her mp3 player (usually listening to Jonathan Park), but she's outgrown her other roller blades. She tried them our in the kitchen and she can't wait to use them daily when the weather cooperates!

Both boys got these helicoptor balls and they had a blast flying them together all.day.long. :)

Lastly, we said good-bye to baby 'C' in December as well. It was heartbreaking to see him go, but I trust that it was the best decision for him. We could have kept him longer, but in the end I knew he would be moved to live with his half siblings (they were adopted by a family a few years ago). Though selfishly I would love to have kept him longer...I also loved him enough to want him to transition and attach to his 'new family' as quickly as possible. He, along with 'S' and 'K' will always have a special place in our heart.

We did have one last Christmas with Dan's side again and I'm sure there are some pictures somewhere, but honestly...I'm not sure if I personally took any. Between the sadness of saying goodbye to baby 'C' that day and then coming down with the 24 hour flu bug after that...pictures were not high on my list. It was a healing weekend with family and the kids as usual had a blast with their grandparents and cousins!!

Way to go Josiah!

2014-01-07T08:20:00.001-08:00

I want to be able to look back and I want the kids to be able to look back and hopefully see how God used them and their attitudes at school to be an example for their teachers and classmates. Josiah received a postcard in the mail from one of his teachers as well as this certificate from a different teacher. We are super proud of you Josiah...with or without these. Receiving these in the mail is confirmation of what we know to be true about you! We love you!

Great job Alayna!!

2013-12-12T16:10:00.001-08:00

Alayna has always received great feedback from teachers and every year we're told that she's the helper listed for the sub if her teacher is ever gone.

Since this is my blog and the information in here will be included in my blog books I wanted to include this letter we received today. She received this last year too and we're so proud of her leadership and example in her classes. We love you Alayna-loo....with or without this letter we love you and we're proud of you!!