Pictures Times 20

Yes, our family pictures were done probably about 6 weeks ago.  Our friend Rachel Lott is a wonderful photographer and did them here at the house for us.  The kids did WONDERFUL!  I never would have imagined that getting a family picture and individuals of all the kids could be so easy, but my kids are awesome so I should have known. 

 

Our whole family

 Mom, Dad, and our six "Chromosomally Enhanced" Kids!

 Our 5 Bulgarian Blessings

 Keith 5 years old

 Cody 5 years old

 Julianne 6 years old

 Aleshia 6 years old

 Anita 7 years old

 Ezekiel 8 years old

 Destiny 9 years old

 Jacob 9 years old

 Nicholas 10 years old

 Ahnja 10 years old

 Dayton 10 years old

 Jose 11 years old

 Andrew 11 years old

 Crystal 13 years old

 Forrest 13 years old

 Denzell 17 years old

 Precious 19 years old

 Unique 20 years old

So that is the crew!!! Twenty people.  Eighteen kids.  Lots of fun!  Have you noticed the three more on the way yet? 

 

Go check out our adoption blog for more info!!  You can even see pictures and start Christmas shopping over there.  He is a link to the latest post, but make sure to go see the other posts too!  http://godsrainbowsinourlives.blogspot.com/2012/10/christmas-yet-want-one.html  You can even find out about how we do Christmas different! 

Some Little Peeks

I thought you all might like some little peeks into the life of a family with 18 kids.  lol  Things are going WONDERFULLY!!  I can't imagine how 5 kids could settle in and adjust so well, but they have.  I have some views into why that is that I might share later, but the main thing is that God is just AMAZING!

We all went to church for the first time on Sunday.  We only went to the preaching service.  We figured we'd start slow and didn't want them to go to class on the first time there.  The kids all did wonderful.  I few very small sounds from them was all that could be heard, except for Keith.  He was ready to get down and crawl, so I took him and sat with him in the nursery after a little while.  

 We walk to church, so it only took a double stroller and two wagons, 

plus lots of people on foot!

We got to a little church that is the equivalent of a couple blocks away.

We filled up 2 1/2 pews!

We were so incredibly proud of them!!!  Who would have thought they'd do that well????  Ahnja was very glad to have a new Bible, though I don't think she has any idea what it is yet.  Anita was very glad they play music and sing, because she loves to dance.  Julianne acted like a big girl and she and Anita were dancing side by side.  (So cute in their matching dresses!)  Nicholas found the whole thing very intriguing I think.  Aleshia was very glad to try to waller her Daddy to pieces.  The other kids were very glad to be back with our church family and show off their new siblings.

Now one more peek and I have to go to bed!  Here is a little of what it looked like tonight, right before we had Family Bible Time!

They got very quiet once we got started though.  

Afterward we sing three songs:  

Zaccheus Was a Wee Little Man

If Your Happy and You Know It

and

Jesus Loves Me

The little ones sit through a story and prayer, so that they can make it to the songs!  

More to come!

We had pictures done today, so I'll post those once I get them back!

Stay Tuned!

Julianne in Another Jam

Yes, Julianne surely does get herself into some mischief.  She really is so adorably cute that when we pull her off of the island in the kitchen or found her in that crib I posted about a while back - we can't help but laugh!

Tonight was no different.

I walked into my bedroom to put something away after we had been re-organizing my suitcases.

I came back to this:

Don't ask me how she managed to get in there!

She was managing to swing herself quite well!

She was not thrilled about us getting her out.  

I told her it was for her baby brother Keith who would be home soon after I got her out.  

She nodded "Yes".

I think she was just making sure it was safe for him!  (Wink!)

Julianne and the Crib Update

Well many of you probably read THIS post, where Julianne was climbing into the crib that was ready for Aleshia (coming home so soon now!).  I thought I'd give you an update.

For a couple weeks after that, we were taking the crib out of her room when we put her into her room at night.  During the day if she started to get into the crib we told her that it was for her sister Aleshia.

When we talk about the 5 kids who are coming home soon, she smiles now.  I think she understands that the crib is for someone else now.

See what you think?

She is so sweet! 

I can't help that she is impossible to resist!  

Don't worry, she didn't stay there long.  

I took her to bed with me!

By the way, if you aren't following our adoption blog

look for the link on the side.

Gotcha Days are coming up!

Love This! (What a Mom of Many Wants for Mother's Day)

Of course, what I want most is my 5 Bulgarian Blessings in my arms, but since that isn't going to happen by Sunday - this is a good one!

Well here is a picture that you should see!  This is my crew coming into Walmart with their Daddy.  He took them on his own inside the store to go get me some flowers for Mother's Day.  I just haven't been able to bring myself to go pick up flowers to make the front of the house look fresh.  All I can think about is the kids across the ocean and getting anything done that might made the trip a little smoother.  So they went to get me flowers and I think they are even going to plant them for me for Mother's Day!

I just had to take a picture.  Aren't they all cute!?!  

We had just left our homeschool group's Field Day,

so they are a little dirty looking and worn out. 

(There are 13 kids in that picture, 

but there was no angle that got them all 

and a few ducked. roflol)

I have to say watch my big family file in and then watching from a distance as they checked out, only to get to go through the entire parking lot in a huge train (they closed the doors on the side we parked on!) - 

was a wonderful Mother's Day present!

Watching them at the Field Day, listening to them jabber all the way there and home, listening to Dayton ASK to get to push the buggy with the two littlest in it, and watching them all tell me who liked which flowers - 

PRICELESS!

AS IS THIS PICTURE!

I am so blessed!

We Have a Little Problem

Ok, this post I will probably post to both blogs.  It is hysterical, sweet, and I really don't know what to do.

Julianne has decided she wants to sleep in Aleshia's crib.  The crib had been up for a good while already.  Julianne had been going to sleep in her own bed some nights and then we carry her to our bed.  Other nights she just goes to sleep in our bed to begin with.  We don't leave her in her room at night while we are asleep, because if she wakes up she doesn't cry, but instead climbs out of bed and rocks and hits her head on the floor between her legs.  I can't bear to wake up and know she left a place on her head while I was sleeping so I take her to my bed.  Even at that sometimes she bangs before I get to her when she is sleepy or when she wakes up from having fallen asleep and not yet in my bed.

So, I go in her room the other evening and this is what I see:

Do you love the "Poor me, I don't know how I got here" look above,

or the "You know you can't even think of scolding me when I am this cute" look below?

What about this next look?

This is the "You really did figure it out and explain to Daddy how I got here, 

so you really do know me well, so I'm sure you are aware that I am 

WAAAAAAYY CUTE!"

                                                 
Yes, my sweet and very smart daughter took the small chair over and used it to get onto the arm of the rocking chair, which she then used to climb into the crib!

Then the next night while we were getting the kids ready for bed (and after a very long day playing outside that made her tired before 2am evidently!) I go in and find her to have already put herself into Aleshia's bed and gone to sleep!

So the question is, "WHAT ON EARTH DO I DO?"!  She is nearly 6 years old and doesn't need to be in a crib.  She walks and obviously climbs quite well!  She still has the playpen, because she is unwilling to give it up.  

Do I let her continue this and pray that it gets old before Aleshia gets home?

Do I move the crib elsewhere so that she can't get in it?

Do I buy her a small portable crib like this one that I get for Keith and Aleshia?  (These are on wheels and can wheel into my room for those two at night which is why I bought those specific ones.)

Do I leave the crib there and fight with her to stay out of it?

I really don't know.  She wanted in Keith's highchair when I put it up and I explained it is for her little brother Keith.  She will still ask, but it is to get me to tell her that.  When I say it is for her "little brother Keith" she beams and giggles.  She's been interested in the walker, swing, etc that I've put together.  She tried to get into the walker, but when I told her that it was for "the baby", she didn't try to get in it any more.  

I don't know what to do about the bed.  

Opinions Appreciated Please!

Birthdaying Unroe Style

Jacob turned 9 years old today.  I'd love to show you what the day looked like and a picture of the birthday boy, but I didn't take any today.  Jacob will not look at the camera and it seemed a shame to waste time that we could be enjoying with him while trying to get him to do something that he is NOT going to do.  So I thought I'd paint you a "word picture" of Jacob's special day.

Jacob has RAD, selective mutism, and maybe a touch of Autism.  This was his 4th birthday home and the 1st time that he made it obvious that he definitely knew it was HIS special day and was excited about it!  When the first person told him Happy Birthday before church today, he took off dancing around the room.  He even tried to sneak and look in my Walmart bags when I came home from the store the other day and he heard the kids ask where to hide his presents!  (Come on special needs Mamas - you know that is big stuff!)  He also stood up for the Birthday Song at church this morning, but looked down like he was shy - yet had a very ornery smile on his face!

After church I headed to pick up the cupcakes and got some other stuff at the store, while everyone here had lunch.  When I got home, they were all very ready to get moving toward the wonderful day that was ready for them outside!  We got them ready quickly and out they went.  They played for quite a while.  I went out and got Cody to climb the dome climber all the way to the top.  That meant that suddenly Jacob and Zeeky wanted to as well!  :)  ( I love good peer pressure!)

Late this afternoon we went out to the picnic tables in the front yard and had Jacob's cupcakes and some milk. He was very excited about it and was very excited to open up the gift bag (yes, we've learned that especially with special needs kids that takes the stress out of it!) to see what he got for his birthday.  He was thrilled with the toys that you step on or it the little "thing" (very technical tonight aren't I?) and the Cars characters project from it.  I made sure to get 3 of them so that other kids would do it with him and it would be more enjoyable.

Then 7 of the kids and Brent played a game of wiffle ball out front.  I was putting on dinner, so I put Cody and Julianne in the plastic gate thing.  They'd only been in it 5 or so times ever, so they were excited about that even.  There were tons of giggles coming from that enclosure!  After I got dinner on, I went out to check on their game and bounce those big soft balls off of Julianne and Cody which was just a thrill full of continual laughter!  (Have I ever mentioned how much I love my life!?!)

I planned dinner to hit right after it got dark, since they weren't hungry from all the cake until late!  We took candles (real and batter powered both) out and ate on the picnic tables.  We had pork chops, asparagus, and stuffing.  The kids thought that was the best way to have dinner out in the dark!  Then, Dayton started sneaking up on people on scaring them while they were at the table.  Unique was laughing so loud that I had to make them quit.  The "non-homeschooled" neighbor children would have to have a hard time getting to sleep with all that loud squealing and laughter!

Then we started bringing some of the kids in for baths and showers, while the rest stayed outside in the dark with the glow sticks!  Yes, that is a favorite summer activity and they've been begging to since the first warm day.  Julianne, Cody, and Zeeky were done by that point and asking to come in, so they got to be first up for showers and baths.  The children managed to keep their squealing down to a minimum and played like crazy outside.  I was very glad that the gate was locked and I knew they couldn't get out.  I could however see glow sticks flickering all around the "ark" play structure.  :)

There is so much fun to be had in a large family.  Homeschooling gives us a flexible schedule that allows so much family time and we can adjust our schedule to what works best from day to day.  We don't take "snow days", but we can take a "Sun"day instead.  We can play out late, sleep in later, and still get a good days school in.  We get to spend time together and my kids are the best of friends.  The kids have a full "party" of kids here and can put together a game of about any size any day that they wish.  We don't need a bunch of activities, because their are enough of us to be active without the planned times.  :)  God has truly blessed us and right now all I could wish for us for our next 5 to be home with us too.

Now the children are all soundly asleep and the business day is beginning in Bulgaria, so I am going to head to bed myself and pray myself to sleep begging God to take care of my 5 Bulgarian Blessings as well as move our adoption through quickly so we can get them home.

The next birthday here is only 2 weeks away.  Destiny is exactly 2 weeks younger than Jacob and will turn 9 on Sunday two weeks from now.  I guess we really better get some rest!

A Great Sunday - Unroe Style

Sunday morning we got up and went to church.  We already had everything all laid out so that we could change clothes quickly right after church.  The kids were all excited because we were going to UNCLE GREAT AND AUNT KIM'S HOUSE.  Uncle Greg and Aunt Kim are the incredibly cool uncle and aunt that our kids adore.  We all also adore Caiden, Caleb, and Chloe!!!  Who wouldn't!!??!!  They just bought a new house and they have the perfect place for get togethers now too.  We've always enjoyed them coming here, but we got to go to their new house this time!

So we hurried over to their house and had hotdogs, macaroni salad, potato salad, cole slaw, chips, juice boxes, pop, and bunches of cookies.  :)

Julianne doesn't like to go new places very well, so she was sleepy and went to sleep on Daddy.  Then we woke her up to eat.  She tried to boycott again, but couldn't help the desire to sneak bites when we weren't looking.  lol 

Cody and Destiny especially loved playing with the "three C's"!  There was giggling everywhere!  The other kids watched movies, goofed off with Uncle Greg, and played a hunting game on Wii.  Then after everything else was done Greg, Brent, Denzell, Jose, and Dayton all went out to target shoot.  Everyone hit the targets right on too!  They were all pretty proud of themselves (even Brent!)!

Julianne then became my first child ever to cry because she didn't want to leave somewhere.  Julianne has always liked home best of all.  If we stay somewhere too long she will even take me and put my hand on the door knob to make sure I 'get the point'.  lol  She was just sitting their quite until two of her cousins started to kiss her!!!  Well, every princess loves to be adored!!  So she was laughing and they thought they were pretty cool getting her to laugh so much too.  She would want them to do it and then act like she was going to push them away.  lol  Every girl wants to be pursued I guess!!  haha  When it came time to go out the door I had to pick her up and carry her out, because she wanted to stay longer!

Then we went to my mother's house to visit for a little while.  The kids had fun looking at pictures of Uncle Greg and me when we were little.  I was informed of how cute I was in some pictures and how weird I looked in others.  lol  We enjoyed our visit with Grandma Paula and then she jumped in her car and went to our next stop too!

Then we were off to my grandparents' house a few doors down from my mom.  We enjoyed some time visiting with them.  The kids went to their favoriate hangout, down in the finished basement.  It was good to see Mommom and Daddy Bill.

By the time we left there we had been having so much fun that we were hungry and exhausted.  We waited till the Wendy's closest to home and drove through for ice cream and milk shake treats.  About the time we got to the window, some people decided they were very hungry.  So as any crazy people would do, we went back around the drive thru to order real food.  When we got to the window the 2nd time, they asked us to pull around again to give them time to get it all together.  We were cracking up as we went around the drive thru for the 3rd time!!!  Only we could do that!!!

We then brought it all home and ate here. 

That is an Unroe Style Sunday!  We don't often hit 3 houses in one day and often have the company to our house, but whatever we do - we do it BIG! 

Family Movie Night Large Family Style

A few nights ago, we had a movie night.  We were watching Tooth Fairy 2 in these pictures I believe, but we watched The Muppet Movie most recently.  Movie nights are about the only time that we watch tv in the formal living room.  Our kids know that while it is rare we go "out" to the movies, we will buy movies that we can watch over and over.  I can buy 15 or more movies for the cost of going to the movies once!  We can still have "movie meals" too!  I will even let them "junk it up"!

Above:  Unroe version of "movie meals"

This one was popcorn, cheese stick, gogurt, pb crackers,

M&Ms (we still have Christmas ones!),

pb/chocolate Easter eggs,

and Hershey kisses (left over from Valentine's day!)

YES THAT IS THE CRAZY WAY WE ROLL!

Above and below are a couple shots of the kids.

There were more behind me, but you get the general idea!

If you notice that we appear to have two of the same kid, it is just an illusion.  lol  Zeeky and Jacob are often confused for each other by people who don't know us very well.  That is when they aren't dressed alike.  It cracked me up on this night, because they both ended up in the same pajamas.  You will notice that they are both zipped up backward in them.  This is because they have both been known to pull down their clothes and pee on things, which doesn't amuse me much.  Much harder to pull that stunt when you are zipped up backward!! 

Movies sure are fun with a big crew!!  Of course, most things are more fun with a lot of kids!!

Why Homeschooling is Better with a Large Crew

Yesterday I sat and listened while thanking God for my blessings. 

Destiny, Andrew, Crystal, Jose, Dayton, and Forrest have all been reading Charlottle's Web and doing a workbook about it from The Critical Thinking Company.  Yesterday I sat them all in a circle.  They were reading aloud and going over their answers.  They took turns without me having to tell them to while they read aloud.  They let each other all have input while they discussed the correct answers.  When they didn't all have the same answer, I got to listen to them reason it out and figure it out. 

My help really wasn't needed.  They had it under control.  I enjoyed listening to them so much that it was hard to concentrate on homeschooling the younger kids.  lol 

See, if I didn't have so many kids so close to the same age, I would likely have just graded those workbook pages.  Instead, I had lots of kids to talk it through together.  They learned MUCH more this way.  They learned more than just about Charlotte's Web too.  They learned so very much more.  How better to learn about thinking processes, teamwork, cooperation, including all viewpoints, and critical thinking!! 

I love having a lot of kids close in age!  It is a good thing too.  When everyone gets home, I will have 15 kids between the ages of 5 and 13, with all of the kids in that range having someone their same age at least part of the year.  Then I'll have the 3 older ones of course too!  :)  God is amazingly good and I am loving this life that He chose me for!

Friends and Fun

We had a huge great weekend.  Friday we had our homeschool Co-Op, which is highlight for the kids and also for me.  It is great to get together with other Christian homeschoolers!!  I even got to talk to a family about adoption afterward, which always thrills me!!

Saturday, we had a couple families join us here at our house for an "Unroe Style Egg Hunt".  That means that we hid over 600 eggs that were filled with candy and watched the kids run around like crazy hunting them.  We ate afterward and had the island full of junk foods, with sticks of cheese and chips included for a little healthy snack too.  Such great fellowship with other Christian families and all the kids had a blast!

Sunday, we had lots of fun and a little drama.  lol  It started with 13 Easter baskets full of devotional books, huge bubble makers, other small toys, and lots of candy.  Then we headed to church for a wonderful time of celebrating Jesus's sacrafice for our adoptions together with our church family.  The weather was beautiful, so we were able to walk and the kids looked absolutely amazing in the big line walking to church!  (I couldn't help but imagine how much better it will look with our 5 Bulgarian Blessings in that group!) 

Then came the "drama".  lol  I was opening a huge can of green beans and sliced my finger open with the can lid.  :(  I knew immediately that I'd have to get stitches, but I put a terri-strip on it and then wrapped it tightly.  I was able to finish dinner and enjoy it with the kids and Brent's parents.  Then I went to Urgent Care and got 5 stitches! 

After I got home, we made Resurrection rolls and watched the Veggie Tales Easter Carol dvd.  Julianne is to the point that she loves Veggie Tales and laughs hysterically at it.  All the kids enjoy it, but the older ones would say that they only watch it because of the younger ones.  Thank God for little siblings is all I can say!!  

Ok, so now for some pictures!

Julianne (above)

Cody and Julianne (below) both age 5

Destiny (above) age 8

Zeeky age 7 and Dayton age 10 (below)

Jacob age 8 and Jose age 10 (above)

Precious age 19 and Crystal age 12 (below)

Andrew age 11 and Forrest age 13 (above)

Unique age 20 and Denzell age 16 (below)

Hope your Easter was great!

Large Family Play and Things that were Never Suppose to Happen

Yes, one of my great joys is to listen to my kids play.  I love to listen to them all running about and making up this huge scenes from their imaginations.  The laughing and the giggling mesmorize me!  I catch myself just sitting so still and listening.  I don't want them to know that I am listening to every little word.  Yet as their mother it thrills my soul. 

Today's "players" in the big production running through my house were Julianne, Cody, Zeeky, Destiny, Jacob, Dayton, Andrew, and Crystal.  There was so much going on that my mind couldn't keep up!  Eight children, all playing happily without even ONE argument!  You must know that it thrills a mother's heart to have so many playing at the same time and not one argument. 

Zeeky, Destiny, and Jacob all have Autism diagnoses, along with other "labels".  They are all children who we were told when they came would never pretend play.  That makes me laugh!  All three were supposed to have "mental retardation".  That just plain out makes me mad!  Destiny is one of the brightest people in the world!  Zeeky and Jacob learn differently, but they surely do learn!  I love it when my kids break all the "rules" that were set for them and exceed all expectations!

Andrew and Crystal both have Reactive Attachment Disorder.  They sometimes have some very rough spells.  They've both been home for years.  They've both had good spells and then gone backward.  Its the nature of RAD.  Yet for several weeks Andrew has done the best that he ever has!!!  Crystal just finished a very rough spell and is back to the sweet daughter that I get to enjoy.  Both gave genuine hugs today.  Both laughed and played and ran about as if there wasn't even RAD there.  They'll be more rough times for sure, but today they were pretend playing and goofing off with their siblings.  :)

Then there is Julianne.  She of course didn't say a whole lot during the course of playing.  She ran right with the bunch of them though!  They included her and Dayton protectively made sure that she didn't get run over.  They gave her a part and made believe she filled the role even when maybe she was just a little too ornery to do it. 

Let's not forget Dayton in it all of course.  He is so serious in so many ways, but he was so thrilled that he could keep the younger 4 playing along.  He went ahead and acted silly and pulled the little ones into the game.  He came every few minutes to report some great accomplishment of the younger kids.  He was so thrilled that they were playing along and that Jacob and Zeeky were following directions.  He doted on Julianne and Cody and made them feel important and he had a lot of fun in the process.  If Dayton didn't love his siblings so incredibly much, then he wouldn't have played because he is so "grown up".  Yet Dayton had a blast too!  He had a blast because of being with the brothers and sisters that he loves so much!

Then there is Cody!  Cody is the most recent addition and the youngest (by a little less than 4 months!).  Cody has CP.  I can remember talking to him on Skype before he moved in.  He was asking if someone would help him run the bases when he got home, because he "couldn't run".  lol  He sure can run now!!!  He was all over the place and didn't fall one time - well except for when he was spinning in circles!!  He kept right up with all the other kids and never missed a beat!

Now, do you see why my life is so wonderful!!  I got to listen to all of that while reorganizing my school closet!  All of those things that never were suppose to happen!  Not one fight or argument!  Just lots of giggling and running about, interrupted occassionally by a very proud older brother reporting to me the things that were thrilling him too.  He had no idea that I was fillled with the same thrill while I listened to him playing with them. 

Wow, how I can't wait to hear my next 5 blessings running about and doing things that they aren't expected to do!!  God is amazing!!!!  Being the mom of a large crew in which so many are considered "special needs" means that every single day I get to watch God's miracles unfold right here in my home!

One of the Things that Makes Me Happy

I guess this will tell alot about me in a strange kind of way.  One of the things that makes me VERY happy is organizing.  Yes, today I splurged and bought some organizers for less than $6 a piece at Walmart.  They are the things that hold shoes on the back of closet doors.  I have added them to every space that you can possibly imagine.  I'm in the process of moving some rooms around to make the kids better situated for our new arrivals. I am pulling down all the shoes and deciding who needs what.  There are very few sizes of even shoes that won't be down and I need to be VERY organized for things to go as smoothly as possible with our new arrivals on the way. 

I have almost the entire house completely organized!!!!  The only thing left is to paint one of our unused bedrooms that I am moving some of the boys into.  Then I can move those boys, rotate a couple other kids into that room, and put together the last crib.  :)  I can find every pair of shoes in the house and all the clothes that should fit Ahnja, Anita, and Aleshia are in the appropriate closets.  Even my room (always the LAST on the list) is even clean and organized.  Keith's tiny clothes are hung in the closet and the bibs are being added to the drawers.  Nicholas and Cody wear the same size shoes and clothes (which works perfectly since we have other boys who have two and have double clothes in that size!) and those have been divided between the two boys closets. 

My kids all jumped in and helped move things around and organize.  I heard Denzell saying in the laundry room that he was really glad he had learned how to organize from his mom.  He must have learned well too, because he did a great job reorganizing in there!  Forrest and Jose along with some of the other kids took everything off of the shelves that were in the spare room and then put them back on in their new location.

Dayton used the shoe organizer to get all of his small items up, so that the little ones coming will have less to get into and did all on his own.  Keith is going to be his little buddy and share his room.  We moved Cody into a different room that he will share with two of the other boys and Nicholas since they are the same size in what was our old master bedroom before we added on.  I think they will be great friends and I need to keep Keith in a room where there is no chance of him getting hurt while he gets stronger.  Cody is a rough and tumble little guy and I know he wouldn't hurt him on purpose, but Keith is likely going to have very fragile bones for a while due to the severe malnutrition he has suffered.  Dayton's room is situated right off the school room, which will also allow him to have a quiet place when needed while still being where I can see him during the school day while he adjusts to life outside of isolation. 

Yes, that is what makes the Mama of 18 children happy.  :)  I don't know if its the fact that it is organized, the fact it feels like I accomplished something of use to the kids coming, or the fact that so many of my kids jumped in and showed some WONDERFUL organizing skills that made me the happiest about it, but I sure do love that "organized" feeling and the feeling of knowing that my kids have the life skills that will make their lives easier as adults.  :)

The Rough Part of Large Family Life

I always try to be completely honest about our family life.  In doing so I will now share the rough part.  Here it comes . . . . Are you ready????? . . . . . . The dreaded part of our life . . . . . . 

LAUNDRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laundry must be in the process at all times.  It takes about 5 loads every day to keep it done and during times of sickness, heavy outside play, or extra stuff going on will require more.  Nothing is as bad as the SEASONAL CHANGE OVER though. 

Because of our family size, closet management, and keeping children from pulling out winter clothes to wear in the middle of summer - we put all off season clothing in the attic.  They are loaded into the big plastic tubs and put up until the next season.  When that season arrives, then we must pull them all down, wash them on a light cycle, and sort them to whoever will be wearing them that season.  We have piles of the outgoing season ready to go into those tubs and put them right back up as we pull them done. 

We have been working on this for the last 2 weeks now!  I've done about 50 plus tubs up to this point and I have another 8 to 10 tubs that will come down probably tomorrow.  :( 

Every seasonal change over, I begin to wonder about joining a nudist colony.  Anything seems better than this!  Then I look in the mirror and quickly realize that I wouldn't even be able to survive the first day.  Then I go back to doing the laundry!

This seasonal change I am very thankful for one thing.  I don't have any sizes that need to go back to the attic this year!!  I have children in absolutely every size known to mankind.  I am keeping down clothes for our 5 Bulgarian Blessings that are on the way, since they should arrive home before the next seasonal change!  Every outfit that I've loved over the years will be worn again this season!  If you by chance haven't met our newest blessings, then be sure and hop over to our ADOPTION BLOG and click on the names Keith, Aleshia, Anita, Nicholas, and Ahnja.  There are videos and pictures of Brent's visits with them on there!  There are also several opportunities for you to help us out and have opportunities at some great gifts through 2 giveaways that are going on right now.  There is an upcoming online auction to benefit our family starting soon.  We would be glad to send you a "Thank You" picture as well.  All of those things are list in THIS post.

Right now, I'm going to do more laundry!  I will thank God for it this year, because He gave me all these wonderful blessings to do the laundry for and they are all jumping in and helping which makes it much easier!

A Really Great Teenager

I'm sure most parents aren't full of pleasure over their teenagers.  lol  I hear parents complain about their teenagers a lot.  I have to say that it is rare I could find anything to say that isn't "great" about Denzell. 

So I am going to brag on him.  He deserves it!

Denzell is an all around awesome young man.  He participates in church actively.  He enjoys being called on to lead in prayer, take up the offering, and even sings in the choir. 

He is a great big brother!  I mean honestly, the boy could give lessons.  All the kids look up to him, even when they may not like what he has to say.  He spoils his little sister and before that spoiled Dayton even when Denzell was only 7 years old.  He just LOVES his siblings. 

He really does so good that I can leave the rest of the kids here when I need to run a quick errand or take a child for an appointment.  I left him here with the kids the other day and came home to a kitchen that he had cleaned, a dishwasher loaded and running, and dishes dripping dry in the dish drainer.  He had pulled the trash and had it ready to take out.  I DIDN'T ASK HIM TO DO ANY OF THAT!!!! 

Tonight he knew that Dayton was sick, we were gone all day, and I was waiting on a call from Brent.  I had determined that I was just leaving the kitchen for morning.  It wasn't bad and I could have loaded a few things that were left in the counter into the dishwasher and turned it on as I went to bed.  The dishes that needed hand washed could have waited in the sink until morning.  DENZELL WENT IN AND CLEANED THE ENTIRE KITCHEN WITHOUT MY ASKING! 

Honestly, I am so blessed.  I appreciate so much that he will just jump in and do stuff without being asked.  I've NEVER asked him to do dished that I can recall.  Yet, this is twice in the last week or two that he has just gone in and run a sink of soapy water and washed them. 

Some day you know that I am going to hear the woman God has planned for him gushing over how wonderful he is, right???  I know it!  As a part of a large family, he can do just about anything and jumps in to help wherever he sees a need without ever being expected too.  He will be a really AWESOME husband to some lucky woman some day (not too soon prayerfully) and I am going to be so thrilled to watch him be the most awesome "daddy" some day (even further off!).  I can't wait to see the huge plans that God has for him that will have to be awesome to watch considering his willingness to jump in and "serve" wherever needed.  God really uses people who are willing like that!

This picture is old, bc my normal laptop with all our family pictures on it is having a keyboard issue, but this just says it all.  He spoils his sister (even when that means looking a little goofy to amuse her) and is just the best!