Two Good Tips For A Hard Week

You want to know my two most favorite tips for a hard week?
Well, I’ll tell you,
in
just 
a 
second....
On Tuesday I took Kiana and Garett to the eye doctor because they seem to be having problems reading; as in, unable to do school work at all now.  The good news was that their eyes are just fine!  Which left me wondering as I headed home, “What’s wrong then?"
I have been really working and researching the last few months to determine if and who of the children might have learning problems.  I have mentioned Dianne Craft if past posts and am looking into her information because we just found out that Corbin is dyslexic. 
As I was driving home I had several questions?

Why has Kiana been reading for years, although with great difficulty, and then all of a sudden “can’t read”?  Why can’t Garett see the letters in a book?  Why does he rub his eyes and yawn when he reads?  It’s like watching gears that are rusting and grinding to a halt when I watch either of them trying to do their school work. 
As I was trying to come up with a new teaching plan for the children yesterday, I decided to do the Eye/Hand Dominance Check from Dianne Craft’s book, Brain Integration Therapy.  I knew that Corbin was “mix dominant” and now I was suspecting that Kiana and Garett might be.  Sure enough, both of them, and Corbin, are left eye dominant, and right handed.  A “mixed dominant” like this can create a great deal of stress and frustration for a child.  
I am grateful to know “what is wrong” and will now be focusing on Kiana, Garett, and Corbin with some specific “brain training” over the next year.  This should help them overcome these learning blocks.

I have found so much helpful information through Dianne Craft, and so much help for my children.  As is common in adopted children, there are learning difficulties with several of our children, and I always feel that I can get good support through her.
Today, I took Aiden to Denver for his occupational therapy appointment.  Long day, and no answers yet...we meet with a doctor next week and hopefully will get an auditory test done.  It will still be several weeks before we know anything about his sensory needs and what they can offer us.
SOOOOO,
what are my two good tips for a hard week?
1).  Go to lunch at your favorite restaurant with your husband!
2).  Come home and take a nap with your babies!!!
Yep, that’s it.  It is what I did today, and I feel much better already.

A Small Window!!!

 We had a small window of time in the stomach flu, as I would find out later.  So we packed up a picnic and went to a favorite nearby canyon to enjoy some unseasonably warm Colorado weather.  This was also a small window of warmth, as we are under a winter storm advisor today ... ha - love it.

 A gloriously hot day, in one of my favorite places, with some of my favorite people was just what the doctor ordered for this mamma who has been in the house for over a week nursing her sick family.

 And the fun was just beginning.  We hiked down to the river.  I laughed inside, knowing that soon those wet feet would turn into wet legs, and then wet tummies and probably more.  You know, you just gotta live the fun to the fullest, even if you don’t have your swim suits.  

 Kiana always thinks her momma is a little silly, but who can’t laugh at a little silliness.  

 Even this little sweetie got into the fun.

 Then the splashing begin....

 ...and who doesn’t want a daddy to play with.

 Our three puppies worked hard to stay with us.  Bluez cannot stand it when I start exploring without him!  Rider, below, just got as close as his five month old legs could take him, found a warm place to rest, and waited till the next time he had to move.

 Then I got this great fun idea to go UP the waterfall.  Some wetness was going to happen now.  WHAT FUN IT WAS.  Crawling up rocks, and exploring under rocks as we followed the water.  

 Helping each other and laughing a lot.  That’s what family is.  Noelani and Clive were a little afraid, and also laughing and yelling with delight.  They were real troopers for their first ever outdoor adventure.  And obviously we didn’t take it easy on them.  As we were hiking up Clive would cling to a hand, Noelani would squeal that is was so “high”.  What till I get them up to the real mountains!  

 This little face says it all.

 It’s a little tiring getting 10 children and three puppies UP a water fall, but boy, was it worth it.  

 Coming back, we were just about to get on the trail.  The three puppies were waiting for me to lift them down, and one of the little darlings got impatient and jumped on me as I was getting down from a rock.  I fell down, scrapping my leg as I went.  But I caught the dog, and he didn’t even get a scratch.  LOL, oh well, there is usually a price to pay for fun, and it was still worth every bit of it.  

Some time after supper, Landon, who had not had the stomach flu, began to get sick.  By bed time, he was in full blown misery, and Steve and I were up with a sick little darling.  Now, that’s what I call good timing.  
Thank you LORD for our fun day together!

Here’s a little poem to start our day....

Two by Two

Two by two 

the children get the stomach flu.

I’m to tired to rhyme,

and so this little poem is through.

Ha-ha, how did you like that?

I thought I would answer a few questions that I have gotten in the last weeks...

1)  Several of you have asked what kind of dog Kiana’s Rider is.  He is a mix called Shelchon (Bichon Frise and Sheltie).  


2)  Jean asked how I learned to change up my blog.  I learned some things from here - The Cutest Blog on the Block.  But mostly I just googled what I was looking for, like “free blog templates” or “how to - make a blog header”, etc..  I practiced a lot on a “test” blog before I ever touched mine.  I found cute backgrounds from here and here.  I know this isn’t a lot of help, but I searched so many places that I really just picked up pieces here and there...


3)  For Caresse’s shawl that I knit for her, I used this pattern called Gentle.    I loved working with this pattern.  It is easy and pretty.


If you have any questions that I have missed, please let me know.  Off to clean up a sick little boy and the floor that was in his way.

Her Love

I have been so proud of Kiana.  She has taken wonderful care of her new puppy.  And he adores her.  She lovingly named him Rider.  It is very common to hear Kiana say to her little pup “You are so adorable.”  
She saved up and waited for two long years to help buy her puppy.  She also picked out a breed that wouldn’t be too big (mommy’s wish) and not bad for Corbin’s allergies.  They are quite adorable together, and she will always remember her “1st love”.
In other news,
we have the stomach flu here and that it not so warm and fuzzy as a puppy is.  If ya’ll don’t hear from me by the weekend, send in a recovery team...LOL.
loves to ya’ll on your Monday.

Awesome!!!!!!

Kalyn and I were gifted to free movie tickets.  And I got to tell you, since Steve has been gone for 3 days, we were looking forward to the break!  Steve was wonderful about letting us go too.
What did we see?  I can tell you it was AWESOME.  I cried; I laughed; and I came away even more thankful than ever for the gift of life, and the blessings that adoption has brought to my life.  The movie was “October Baby”.   PLEASE go see it.  This isn’t a “political” issue.  The issues really are love, forgiveness, and living the beautiful adventure that the LORD has given us.  
I’m am so missing sitting down and blogging, or catching up, with all of you.  I miss reading your blogs and there are several emails that I want to answer.  I am missing connecting with you all!!  I must say THANK YOU for all of your sweet comments on the last few posts.  Several of you gave great suggestions for us as we walk this new road of CL/CP with Noelani!  I am so grateful, and would mention each of you in this post as a special thank you, except I can’t even keep the children’s names straight right now.  LOL....I wanted Corbin the other morning, only I called Aiden’s name.  When I finally got Corbin to come, he promptly informed me - “I’m Corbin.”  Hey, I was just glad that I had called the right “ethnic” group.  Speaking of that, Noelani is so funny...and cute...she pretty much divides people into “Asian”, “African” and “American”... so when she asked where each child is “born from” and we get to Corbin, we tell her that he was born in Oklahoma.  She adamantly and quick corrects us and tells us that he MUST have been born is Africa because he is black.  LOL  So we let it go for now.  When she sees other “African”’s (like at the Children’s Hospital in Denver), she is always afraid for them and will say “I don’t love you, Africa”, which translates into “I am afraid of this African looking person.”  
Thank you again for your advice and comments for us as we walk this journey of healing with our children.  I love you all and am so grateful for you.

The Plan

Yesterday was an important day for Noelani.  We went to the Children’s Hospital in Denver and met with a slew of Dr.’s to come up with a plan of action for her repaired cleft lip/cleft palette.  
Noelani is very aware that her teeth and her lip is different than other people.  Her teeth are a mess.  There are two in the roof of her mouth, and others that are in the wrong place in her mouth.  Even thought she couldn’t understand most of what we talked about, she understood that she will be getting her teeth fixed, and that is very exciting for her.

I didn’t know, but often children with cl/cp have other problems associated with this defect.  One problem is usually in the ears.  There was good news and interesting news in this area for Noelani...no fluid in her ears, which they see a lot.  That is great.  However, she does have “mild” hearing loss and might have been born with it.  That was the interesting.  However, also good, she may not need any thing (hearing aids or surgery) done since she seems to be doing so well.  The one concern is that her language development, her ability to say letters and sounds, is not very good, and there is a question that the hearing loss might be effecting that.  
So the plan....
-get a healthy mouth...that is going to take some time.  She needs some teeth pulled, braces, and a bone graft surgery.  
-The most important next, but more immediate step is speech therapy.  We are meeting with a lady on Thursday.  
I am really praying for the LORD’s leading in all these area’s.  There are so many puzzle pieces that I’m still not sure of, yet, we have a plan and I remind myself often of the LORD’s advice in the Bible; “Do not be anxious about tomorrow...”  Today has enough to deal with.  I get so stressed when I start trying to “take care” of all my troubles right now.  May be my “plate” seems so full because I take on problems and things that do not belong to “Today”.  
I know I haven’t written much about Clive.  I will be catching up on my newest little man soon.
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts for us.

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day for our newest daughter, Noelani.  I will share more later.
But for now, here are some cute pictures from our “Turtle Encounter”.  

 Wasn’t he (or she???) brave?  The turtle, not my children - LOL.

 Being a smart home school momma, I jumped on this educational moment for my children.

 Wasn’t it sweet of this he/she turtle to indulge us?  And, yes, I must look up how to tell if “it” was a he or a she.  

 This turtle was really not afraid of us, and I think was hoping we would share some food, which we didn’t have...
Still, it was fun to explore this little beauty.  And then we put it back by it’s water home.

 Noelani was very afraid to hold the turtle, but she did touch it.  I was proud of her for being so brave.  Both she and Clive are experiencing so many new things each day.

See ya’ll soon to tell you about the “exciting” for Noelani.