Like I said in my earlier post I took the kids to the beach today, to my parents house actually. We had a wonderful time playing and the kids were exhausted when we finally left after dinner tonight at around 9, I'm tired too :) Today was a momentous occasion! For the first time ever Malakai rode a wave in STANDING UP! First off you need to understand that my family
is/are(?) huge surfers, literally my dad and brothers go out everyday. It has been a life long thing and even though I love to do it too, I am not obssessed with it like the men in the famile. Unfortunately because of where we live Jonah doesn't get out very often but that is initially how/why Jonah and I met ( that story for another time). So each time we are at the beach Jonah, my dad or one of my brothers takes the kids out on the board to ride around. Usually it has just been Sarah and Alana(who now refuses to go) but Malakai has been showing a fearlessness of the ocean this summer and so he's been going to. I must say that Sarah got a bunch of great waves today too and did an awesome job, but she's been doing that for a while now. Now, back to Kai. My dad was pushing him in on some waves and he was riding the board like he always does, laying down (cause of course he can't swim). But this time Grumpy (my dad's name by the kids) told him to stand up. Well, to our surprise he did. All in perfect form like he has practiced a hundred times on the sand with his knees bent and arms out and looked as cute as can be. None of us could beleive that he actually stood up. After a good ride (for a newly 3 year old) he fell on his bottom and tumbled through the waves before he stood up with a HUGE smile on his face. It was priceless. I think next time I will bring his floaties so that he can go out a bit further and we won't worry as much with him falling off in deeper water. Auntie said there is just something wrong with someone surfing with floaties on and my dad said, "that's because you don't see 3 year olds surfing!"
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Praising Jesus!
It is Sunday morning and we are not going to church this morning but instead heading out to go to the beach (is that bad?) since Jonah is at work. The kids are right now down stairs praising their little hearts out. They are dancing, singing and raising their hands to Jesus. What more could a Mom ask for than to see her children praising Jesus more enthusiastically than most adults do? It is a wonderful sight to see. Have a blessed day of rest.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
All sweetness
I just have to say that this adoption journey (with the boys) has surpassed all my wildest expectations. I can only say I can't wait to do it again. When Sarah came into our home she was the same age (almost to the day) as Isaiah was when he came into our home. Yes, the circumstances were different but I was expecting it to be like it was in the beginning with Sarah, difficult. I expected tantrums and anger and hatred and hard core grieving. I expected it to be BAD. While things haven't always been a basket of roses and there have been plenty of grieving moments it has gone much better with Isaiah fitting into our family than I had thought it would. The one thing he struggled with was giving "loves" as we say here in the Winger house. Jonah and I would have to force him to sit with us most of the time and seek him out to make sure he was getting the hugs and kisses that he needed. Slowly he began to respond and ask to sit on our laps or be held. I taught him how to give a kiss (which he did in the cutest way you can imagine with his little tongue sticking out just enough) and would ask him for them all day long. We told him we loved him and would never leave him. We assured him we would always come back for him. It has only been 6 weeks and tonight I saw some fruit from my "hard" (not) labors. The older kids have been going to VBS this week and Isaiah insisted that he wanted to go to. When I picked up Isaiah tonight he was all smiles, whereas before he was quiet and reserved. He chattered a mile a minute on the way home and was bouncing around in the room while I got Kai into bed. When I told him it was his turn he ran up to me and gave me a hug and planted a big wet kiss on my lips (not something he does usually). We undressed him and just as I was finished putting his jammies on he jumped in my arms and said "I love you" for the first time. I almost cried. I was noticing the other day at the beach the joy and happiness he has that he didn't have the first few weeks and I was told he didn't have in Liberia either. I was overcome by the miracle of family and being loved. My son feels loved and it shows in his face, in his actions and in his words. He is beginning to heal. It may take a long time but we are on the right path and I am confident that he knows we love him. Now I know he loves me too :)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The birthday boy
Here are some pictures of my sweet boy. Not gonna say too much cause there's too much sappy stuff running around in my head and I don't have enough time with nap time winding down any second here. Enjoy the pics! More to come of the beach and meeting great-grandpa for the first time.
Here you go Brandi!
You asked and you received. I still don't have pics of Kai's birthday though because Jonah took the camera to work like he does every week in case there is a good fire. Exasperates me he does...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The rundown
Not a lot of time but lots going on here.
1) went on a surprise trip to the Grand Canyon. Literally, at 6 am one morning Jonah decided to go and we were packed and ready by 10. Whirlwind trip, very crazy, sleepless night camping and beautiful veiws. Tiny story. Getting out of the car at one of the overlooks, we step out onto the curb and EVERY eye turns and gauks at us. So, what do I do? Say loudly enough, "Oh! Are we the main attraction?!" Only to realize that something like 70% of the people there were foreigners...
2) Kai turned 3! My baby is growing up FAST! I can't beleive the years have gone so quickly and so saddened that they will just keep speeding up...
3) Spent 4 days at my parents house on the beach while they were away on vacation. Had a fabulous time with the kids and Jonah was able to surf his heart out.
4) My Grandma got rushed to the hospital for severe colitus and a serious infection. She has been there for over a week now and they are going to try her on solids to see how her colin does. Please pray that she can leave soon and get better quickly...
5) My Papa (g'ma's husband) has been battling cancer for 5 years and they just found another lump on his arm that is cancerous. He is rocked right now and he and grandma are just trying to get back on their feet and figure out what to do now. Please pray for him...
6) The day before Kai's b-day was the 2 year anniversary of when the girls were legally free for adoption. Meaning that their parental rights were terminated. Wow, it's been a long time...
7) Isaiah's arm is indeed broken and had to have a cast put on. The ER is a joke and I will never go to them again. His ped said he should have been seen immediately by an orthopedic surgeon, the ER told us go to his ped in 4 weeks to have the splint taken off. All in all, his arm is fine and the cast will be taken off next week...
8) Jonah made the comment to me the other day that he's ready for the next one! Not sure if he was joking or not but I am no where near that yet. Who knows what God can do though? He always likes to surprise me.
9) All of this since I last blogged. Our lives are busy and FUN!
1) went on a surprise trip to the Grand Canyon. Literally, at 6 am one morning Jonah decided to go and we were packed and ready by 10. Whirlwind trip, very crazy, sleepless night camping and beautiful veiws. Tiny story. Getting out of the car at one of the overlooks, we step out onto the curb and EVERY eye turns and gauks at us. So, what do I do? Say loudly enough, "Oh! Are we the main attraction?!" Only to realize that something like 70% of the people there were foreigners...
2) Kai turned 3! My baby is growing up FAST! I can't beleive the years have gone so quickly and so saddened that they will just keep speeding up...
3) Spent 4 days at my parents house on the beach while they were away on vacation. Had a fabulous time with the kids and Jonah was able to surf his heart out.
4) My Grandma got rushed to the hospital for severe colitus and a serious infection. She has been there for over a week now and they are going to try her on solids to see how her colin does. Please pray that she can leave soon and get better quickly...
5) My Papa (g'ma's husband) has been battling cancer for 5 years and they just found another lump on his arm that is cancerous. He is rocked right now and he and grandma are just trying to get back on their feet and figure out what to do now. Please pray for him...
6) The day before Kai's b-day was the 2 year anniversary of when the girls were legally free for adoption. Meaning that their parental rights were terminated. Wow, it's been a long time...
7) Isaiah's arm is indeed broken and had to have a cast put on. The ER is a joke and I will never go to them again. His ped said he should have been seen immediately by an orthopedic surgeon, the ER told us go to his ped in 4 weeks to have the splint taken off. All in all, his arm is fine and the cast will be taken off next week...
8) Jonah made the comment to me the other day that he's ready for the next one! Not sure if he was joking or not but I am no where near that yet. Who knows what God can do though? He always likes to surprise me.
9) All of this since I last blogged. Our lives are busy and FUN!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Twists
My friend Jamie asked about doing twists and since they are SO easy I will try to explain with words how I did them. The hardest part in my opinion is making the parts with all that hair everywhere.
1. OK, first step is to start with clean, wet hair (although this is not necessary I think it makes it a bit easier). If it's not shampoo day then wet the hair well and keep a spray bottle nearby to spray sections as you work and they start to dry.
2. Some people use a little bit of gel for each twist, I did not do this but wonder if it would help keep the look longer? Don't know.
3. I started at the front of his head and parted the hair from the crown to the ear and from the forhead to the crown, does that make sense? Then I put clips in the rest of the hair to keep it out of the way. You will need extra clips as you work this section as well. Make the parts as small or big as you want. You can do boxes, diamonds, rectangles, whatever just try to make them all uniform throughout the whole head.
4. Make your first Box (or diamond, etc) and comb the hair out well. If you want to use a product or gel then dab a small amount on now.
5. Seperate this section into two even sections to make your twist.
6. Begin by putting the left section over the right and then continue this over and over again until you get to the end of the hair. It is kind of like braiding with only 2 strands. Once you reach the end(or as close as you can get) you can do a comb curl by wrapping the end around a rat tail comb (like you would a curler) or twisting it with your finger.
7. If you have girls you can put a little clippie at the end.
8. Some people like to put a band around the base of each twist but since I have a boy (that already looks like a girl) I think it would make him look more like a girl.
9. Does this make any sense at all?
If you don't understand Jamie (or others) I can take some pictures if that would be easier. Let me know!
1. OK, first step is to start with clean, wet hair (although this is not necessary I think it makes it a bit easier). If it's not shampoo day then wet the hair well and keep a spray bottle nearby to spray sections as you work and they start to dry.
2. Some people use a little bit of gel for each twist, I did not do this but wonder if it would help keep the look longer? Don't know.
3. I started at the front of his head and parted the hair from the crown to the ear and from the forhead to the crown, does that make sense? Then I put clips in the rest of the hair to keep it out of the way. You will need extra clips as you work this section as well. Make the parts as small or big as you want. You can do boxes, diamonds, rectangles, whatever just try to make them all uniform throughout the whole head.
4. Make your first Box (or diamond, etc) and comb the hair out well. If you want to use a product or gel then dab a small amount on now.
5. Seperate this section into two even sections to make your twist.
6. Begin by putting the left section over the right and then continue this over and over again until you get to the end of the hair. It is kind of like braiding with only 2 strands. Once you reach the end(or as close as you can get) you can do a comb curl by wrapping the end around a rat tail comb (like you would a curler) or twisting it with your finger.
7. If you have girls you can put a little clippie at the end.
8. Some people like to put a band around the base of each twist but since I have a boy (that already looks like a girl) I think it would make him look more like a girl.
9. Does this make any sense at all?
If you don't understand Jamie (or others) I can take some pictures if that would be easier. Let me know!
I forgot to tell you!
Judah is officially a walker. Last week he started standing on his own without any help for long periods of time and then slowly began taking 3 and 4 steps at a time. Now he can wobbly walk across a room by himself. Yesterday I caught him walking in the kitchen by himself while I was making dinner. I think he's starting to see that walking is pretty fun! 2 days before he turns 15 months old too! He's not late, he's right on time with walking as all of my "baby" kids (those I got young) walked during their 14th month. Why would Judah be any different? :)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Health and Baptism
2 things:
Health:
Isaiah no longer has pnemonia, praise God! I kinda suspected it just because he has been able to play a lot harder and didn't sound raspy anymore. On a bad note, the ER I went too didn't tell me that a bent arm is considered a fracture in a child and that he should have been seen within a week of the fall by an orthopedic surgeon. He told me that it was no big deal and to make an appt. to have the splint taken off in 3-4 weeks with his ped. Well my ped was furious and said that this has not been the first time they have had problems with this particular ER giving out wrong info. So off to the ortho tomorrow with x-rays in hand while we pray that we won't have something major on our hands to deal with.
Baptism:
We have been talking with Sarah about baptism since she became a Christian almost 2 years ago but much more heavily recently since our church did them a few times at church and not at someones house. Well, we haven't talked to her about it in quite a while and tonight at bed time she said, "Mom, I think I'm ready to be baptized." I was shocked that she said something, really. So we (S, Jo and I) sat down and looked up scriptures on what baptism means (which we've gone over many times before) and made sure that she would be doing it for the right reasons. I am telling you, my daughter is growing up. Before, the reason she didn't want to be baptized was because she was too shy and didn't want to talk to anyone about it or have anyone see her. Now, her reasons are much more mature except for the "I think it will be fun!" I'm proud of her.
Health:
Isaiah no longer has pnemonia, praise God! I kinda suspected it just because he has been able to play a lot harder and didn't sound raspy anymore. On a bad note, the ER I went too didn't tell me that a bent arm is considered a fracture in a child and that he should have been seen within a week of the fall by an orthopedic surgeon. He told me that it was no big deal and to make an appt. to have the splint taken off in 3-4 weeks with his ped. Well my ped was furious and said that this has not been the first time they have had problems with this particular ER giving out wrong info. So off to the ortho tomorrow with x-rays in hand while we pray that we won't have something major on our hands to deal with.
Baptism:
We have been talking with Sarah about baptism since she became a Christian almost 2 years ago but much more heavily recently since our church did them a few times at church and not at someones house. Well, we haven't talked to her about it in quite a while and tonight at bed time she said, "Mom, I think I'm ready to be baptized." I was shocked that she said something, really. So we (S, Jo and I) sat down and looked up scriptures on what baptism means (which we've gone over many times before) and made sure that she would be doing it for the right reasons. I am telling you, my daughter is growing up. Before, the reason she didn't want to be baptized was because she was too shy and didn't want to talk to anyone about it or have anyone see her. Now, her reasons are much more mature except for the "I think it will be fun!" I'm proud of her.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Warning: sappy post ahead
As I turned on the computer this morning to see how my day was laid out I saw the faces of my 5 children staring back at me just as they do every morning. Only today I was awe struck by what God has done in my life. People, God's grace and promises are so amazing! I am crying thinking of what blessings God has brought to me over the last 5 1/2 years. Not only did he bring me an amazing husband when I least expected it but when we were married 5 years ago I could not have imagined the blessings in store for me. Jonah and I went through 2 horrible years of heart ache and trials and I truly thought the ache would never end. But in the middle of that He started to show His will for our lives and the blessings He has in store for us. It started with our call to foster, and it was just that "a call", to both Jonah and I. It was so clear that it was what we were to do that there wasn't a question in our minds to go forward with it even though many people told us we were crazy and would get some messed up kids. Our girls showed up 4 months later and began to change our lives forever. They couldn't be more "normal" and AMAZING! The rest is history. Then along came Kai unexpectedly and then the boys. No, this wasn't how I had planned to build my family. I wanted and desired so much to get pregnant like everyone else and do it the "normal" way(I still do but the ache has lessened considerably). But that wasn't what God had planned for us OR our children. HE KNEW BETTER! He knew that I couldn't imagine my life without each of my kids. He knew that Jonah and I could love them as our own. He knew that they would bless the socks off of us each and every day and bring more joy than we thought possible. He knew the blessings He had for us and I am just so happy that we listened to His call. I wonder how many people don't listen AND obey and don't know the blessings they are missing out on. I am just amazed at the beauty of my children. To think what would have happened if we could have just gotten pregnant like everyone else... I would have missed out on 5 of the most wonderful children I could have imagined!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A bit of a brag
Sarah is finally home and I just wanted to say how proud I am of my littles (and myself) with how the whole airport scene went. It was a trek and would have made any sane woman crazy but I did it easily and am truly proud of myself. Let me tell you why though, and please don't think I am trying to be cocky. My success is in direct corrilation to how obedient my children were. First off, the last time I ventured to the airport by myself to pick up Sarah I only had Alana and Kai. Alana was 14 months old and Kai was a month old. I had the double stroller with Alana in front and Kai in back in the car seat (this was before I fell in love with babywearing). Well, they wanted me to take both of them out of everything, fold up the stroller and then walk through. The problem was that I only have 2 arms and NEITHER of my children were walking. How was I to hold them both and break down the stroller to put through the machine. Long story short, they weren't very helpful and I almost broke down and cried right there in line with everyone staring. It was AWFUL.
So I was not looking forward to doing it again this time with a baby, a 2 year old and two 4 year olds. I had set up that they would escort Sarah to the baggage claim and I would just pick her up there. As I was on my way to the airport though I decided that I didn't really want to trust one more person with the safety of my 7 year old daughter and that I would be much more at ease with meeting her at the gate ( 4 kids with me and all). So I put a plan into action and it couldn't have gone better (truly it went perfect). My first decision was to pray HARD for God's peace. My second was to take my time and not get worked up about anything no matter how long it would take me to get through security and what the TSA threw at me this time. My third was to talk with the kids and let them know exactly what was going to happen and what was expected of them. I put Judah on my back in the ERGO, Kai in the umbrella stroller and Alana was instructed to hold onto the left side of the stroller and Isaiah on the right. When we were finally through security and my heart wasn't beating crazily and no tears were threatening to rain down I knew I had done well. I even had to take off all of our shoes of which I had NOT put on slippas (flip flops) because of all the walking they would have to do(didn't think about the shoe removal thing before we left the house).
Once through security we all went to the bathroom (which took 13 minutes). There was a mom in there that commented how she thought she had done good with her ONE baby getting through security and stuff but now she felt deflated. I encouraged her, but the look on her face was one of awe. I felt proud. All the kids where they were told to be and obeying the first time I asked anything. After getting Sarah and leaving I got 4 comments from different people about having my hands full. My response as always was "Happily" as they sit and admire my kids and continue to tell me how well behaved they are. Music to a mother's ears! Now those of you who are thinking that I only have 5 kids, please just let me share my joy at this. :) For me, right now 5 is a lot of kids. I am sure I will look back when numbers 9 and 10 come along and think this was a cake walk but for now, I'm pretty proud of my kids (and myself). :)
So I was not looking forward to doing it again this time with a baby, a 2 year old and two 4 year olds. I had set up that they would escort Sarah to the baggage claim and I would just pick her up there. As I was on my way to the airport though I decided that I didn't really want to trust one more person with the safety of my 7 year old daughter and that I would be much more at ease with meeting her at the gate ( 4 kids with me and all). So I put a plan into action and it couldn't have gone better (truly it went perfect). My first decision was to pray HARD for God's peace. My second was to take my time and not get worked up about anything no matter how long it would take me to get through security and what the TSA threw at me this time. My third was to talk with the kids and let them know exactly what was going to happen and what was expected of them. I put Judah on my back in the ERGO, Kai in the umbrella stroller and Alana was instructed to hold onto the left side of the stroller and Isaiah on the right. When we were finally through security and my heart wasn't beating crazily and no tears were threatening to rain down I knew I had done well. I even had to take off all of our shoes of which I had NOT put on slippas (flip flops) because of all the walking they would have to do(didn't think about the shoe removal thing before we left the house).
Once through security we all went to the bathroom (which took 13 minutes). There was a mom in there that commented how she thought she had done good with her ONE baby getting through security and stuff but now she felt deflated. I encouraged her, but the look on her face was one of awe. I felt proud. All the kids where they were told to be and obeying the first time I asked anything. After getting Sarah and leaving I got 4 comments from different people about having my hands full. My response as always was "Happily" as they sit and admire my kids and continue to tell me how well behaved they are. Music to a mother's ears! Now those of you who are thinking that I only have 5 kids, please just let me share my joy at this. :) For me, right now 5 is a lot of kids. I am sure I will look back when numbers 9 and 10 come along and think this was a cake walk but for now, I'm pretty proud of my kids (and myself). :)
Monday, July 09, 2007
One month home
Today marks one month since the boys landed on US soil. Things are going amazingly well and I can honestly say that I love these boys SO much and look at them in awe sometimes that they are finally home and that they are MINE! I am so blessed people, truly I am. OK, enough sap. I could go on and on.
Question for you? How do you answer an almost 8 year old when she asks if God is married? I'm curious to see what you all would have said. I also have some pictures of my cuties but I don't have time now. I am going to go sit outside with my honey and enjoy the amazing evening God gave us before he has to go back to work tomorrow. Just home this morning and gone again, I hate it when he works so much... Night.
Question for you? How do you answer an almost 8 year old when she asks if God is married? I'm curious to see what you all would have said. I also have some pictures of my cuties but I don't have time now. I am going to go sit outside with my honey and enjoy the amazing evening God gave us before he has to go back to work tomorrow. Just home this morning and gone again, I hate it when he works so much... Night.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Busy, busy, busy
Yes, we are busy, or should I say "I" am busy. Jonah has been working away and hardly been home at all; good and bad. I guess you could say he is busy too. I am finding my way into a routine and it is going good. Monday morning we are starting "school" with the triplets (Alana, Kai and Isaiah) just to have more structure to the day AND to bring Isaiah up to speed. It will be a little slow for Alana because most of what we will be learning she already knows but I am going to put in some challenges for her too.
Sarah returns tomorrow from her houseboat trip with her friend. I talked to her yesterday and she just sounded SO grown up! She had a great time on the house boat, jumped off the top into the water, was jumping the wake on the tube and FINALLY lost a tooth we have been waiting for almost a year to fall out (no joke) by chomping down on some corn.
Can I just tell you how amazing my kids are. This includes Sarah but since she has been gone I am going to tell you all the amazing things about the little littles. BTW, that is 4 toddlers! I have taken them out to dinner on my own 2 times while Sarah was gone and they were SO well behaved. We took them to Chili's (Jonah and I) and got compliments on how well behaved they are by 2 people. We went to my parents for the 4th and they all had a blast playing in the water. When I was a kid I was terrified by fireworks but NONE of my kids are AT ALL! They loved them! We sat out on the beach and watched all the illegal shows people were putting on. There were some great fireworks to be seen. Isaiah wasn't so sure at first but then got excited and would point them out when he saw one he liked. They have been helping me left and right whenever I ask and (normally) do it cheerfully, this is something they know I expect from them and they are doing good!
Judah is finally understanding that he MUST be obedient to me when I call him. We have only been training him on 2 things since he has been home, coming when called and laying down when told. It's taken a month but he finally went down for his nap today without a peep or standing up to scream and has come to me all day each time I call him. This was a hard feat as he was SO stubborn and REFUSED to listen to us. Consistency is where it's at, that is for sure.
So life in the Winger house is going amazingly well. Things are settling in and we are so enjoying our new family. Already starting to wonder who the next Winger is going to be, hahaha. Oh! That reminds me, I am SO wanting a little Liberian girl. I decided to try something new with Judah's hair and realized it would be a BLAST to have a girl because there is SO much you can do with their hair. BTW, I put his in double strand twists and think I did pretty good for a first time. Still haven't decided what we're going to do with his hair but next week I'm going to give cornrows a try.
Sarah returns tomorrow from her houseboat trip with her friend. I talked to her yesterday and she just sounded SO grown up! She had a great time on the house boat, jumped off the top into the water, was jumping the wake on the tube and FINALLY lost a tooth we have been waiting for almost a year to fall out (no joke) by chomping down on some corn.
Can I just tell you how amazing my kids are. This includes Sarah but since she has been gone I am going to tell you all the amazing things about the little littles. BTW, that is 4 toddlers! I have taken them out to dinner on my own 2 times while Sarah was gone and they were SO well behaved. We took them to Chili's (Jonah and I) and got compliments on how well behaved they are by 2 people. We went to my parents for the 4th and they all had a blast playing in the water. When I was a kid I was terrified by fireworks but NONE of my kids are AT ALL! They loved them! We sat out on the beach and watched all the illegal shows people were putting on. There were some great fireworks to be seen. Isaiah wasn't so sure at first but then got excited and would point them out when he saw one he liked. They have been helping me left and right whenever I ask and (normally) do it cheerfully, this is something they know I expect from them and they are doing good!
Judah is finally understanding that he MUST be obedient to me when I call him. We have only been training him on 2 things since he has been home, coming when called and laying down when told. It's taken a month but he finally went down for his nap today without a peep or standing up to scream and has come to me all day each time I call him. This was a hard feat as he was SO stubborn and REFUSED to listen to us. Consistency is where it's at, that is for sure.
So life in the Winger house is going amazingly well. Things are settling in and we are so enjoying our new family. Already starting to wonder who the next Winger is going to be, hahaha. Oh! That reminds me, I am SO wanting a little Liberian girl. I decided to try something new with Judah's hair and realized it would be a BLAST to have a girl because there is SO much you can do with their hair. BTW, I put his in double strand twists and think I did pretty good for a first time. Still haven't decided what we're going to do with his hair but next week I'm going to give cornrows a try.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
