Christmas Decorations...Better Late Than None

Well.....actually some people would probably vote for none rather than ours......BUT......the kids had so much fun putting them up that I just let them put up what they liked.....and that's the important part..right?.....painful as it is.

We started the morning yesterday in a Santa hat and the stockings.  Then Sherman BEGGED MERCILESSLY to put up the Christmas Decorations.  If you know Sherman......you know the decorations ARE going up.  He is Relentless!  His appetite for MESS in any form is insatiable.  And Christmas decorations in any form are a MESS!  BUT....I made him dust the living room before they could go up...and clean his room....even though no decorations were going there.....it's just good parenting ya know....and a good stalling factor. 

Trying out the stockings.

 The persistent Happy Decorator at work putting lights on the bushes out front.

 He had much enthusiastic help.

 But then he went in to try to find more lights......and didn't come back......and didn't come back......so we swung while we waited.......and the girls got cold, so we went and got gloves and hats.......

 ....and he still wasn't back yet......

 ......so we posed for a couple of pictures.......and waited........in our most lady like positions......

 ........and got bored.....(because ladylike is always boring)  so we wandered out to the snow patches.  Wren tried to scoop up some snow...but it was hard and icy.  This is the look she gave me:)

 She's pounding on it with her fists.

Then found a piece of ice in the bottom of the bucket and used it to carve with.  She's very resourceful if nothing else.

 ......never still.....she ran across every patch of icy snow...in and out of the trees....which was so fun to watch!  When she first got here, she could barely walk across the yard on the uneven terrain...now she's running on icy snow:)....then she moved on to the trampoline...

 Poor Iley is not allowed to jump yet so she had to sit on the edge and watch.  Wren kept trying to get her to jump.  I had to tell her several times before she understood that because of her ouchie, Iley couldn't jump.  She brought her this ball as consolation I think:)

We finally had to go find Sherman as we were getting a little CHILLY.  He had got distracted and totally forgot the lights!!!  HELLO!!!! This was YOUR idea, and WE are the ones freezing!  Oh well they had fun in the snow.......their leggings and bottoms were wet.....but no lasting harm done.  After renewed searching the lights were discovered....and put up.....everyone was dutifully screeched at by Mom for NOT putting the boxes and other stuff that was dislodged in the mad hunt, away......and we moved on to the Nativity scene.  The girls thought we had brought out a new doll house and dolls to play with.  They were so excited!  But they were so excited with every thing.  They loved the little tree that they could put all the ornaments they made at school on, they loved the lights.....they loved the TACKY old wreath Sherman drug out and hung by the back door.   Wren has rearranged her ornaments.....and probably Iley's...... MULTIPLE times already.....and will continue to until the tree is taken down I'm sure.

Wren looks like she's making a chess move here.

 

 There was MUCH confusion in Bethlehem tonight.

 Baby Jesus had his first camel ride.....the wise man got to hold him...Joseph gave him a piggy back ride....the animals took over the stable leaving the poor baby out in the snow........

 Did you know the manger makes a great sled?

After we got this all set up it was time to sweep up all the dirt and flakies (is that even a word?) from the packaging.....I put the sweeper away just as Ella arrived with Troy's brother Kip and his family, from Ohio.  Kips are hosting a boy from Russia for the Holidays.  It was so fun to meet him, but poor kid, he was a little overwhelmed at the masses of people congregated at our house!!!  I mean shucks.....I'M a little overwhelmed by the masses of people congregated at my house some days!  I can't imagine how He felt!  There were ONLY 15 of us....10 that were new to him and none who spoke Russian...... all smiling and staring......I'm sure he wanted to BOLT! 

May the Lord Bless each of you this Christmas.  May we each develop a deeper relationship with our God and grow more like Jesus each day.  Our Love to each of you! 

Beard Update

Remember the Beard that Thatcher was growing until the wedding?  Well he must have decided that it was as long as it was going to get.......He finally shaved it off!  Kyndahl was doing a happy dance....and offered to shave it for him...she said "I shave old men's faces all the time"....(she works at the hospital & worked at the long term care for a while)....he didn't accept the offer..... must have been some "men's ritual" they had to do it themselves?

BEFORE.. (Duck Dynasty wanna be's?)

 AFTER!! Mucho Better:)

 OOOH Sooo NOT pretty!

 Nope....NOT pretty either.....

Much Better!

 The girls love all the boy's friends.  The more people to hold us and pack us around the better is their motto!  Iley and Isaac.

 Wren and Isaac.

 Good night kisses for big brother Thatch

Equally PINK lips:):)  So thankful!

 These were taken out the window....it was cold.....and I didn't want to find all the necessary clothing to go out there.....so sorry about the extra poor quality.

Wren loved the snow, but then she just loves being outside period.  Iley liked it for a little bit but then got too cold and came back in.  She's much like a cat.....always finding the cozy comfortable spot.

We got Wren to make a sssssss sound last night!!  That was exciting!  We are working on the L sound, and she can do the Ma Ma Ma sound pretty consistently.  I'm going to take her to the doctor soon though to have them look at her tongue.  I'm pretty sure it's tied.  She CAN stick it out....but only a little.  If you compare hers and Iley's....a world of difference.  We had her put her tongue on the top of her mouth and I lifted it up.....you can't hardly!  It is tight.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Does it impede speech? Eating?  would that be why she can't suck out of a sports bottle?  She can drink from a straw.

We also had a conversation of sorts tonight.....Wren and I (she signed, I signed and talked)

Mom:  Pickle....(pointing to the big dill pickle she was eating)  Mommy not like.

Wren:  I Like:)

Wren: Mommy not like.

Mom:  NO mommy not like.

I know  for any of you with 5 yr olds this seems really elementary!  But for a child with Zero language of any kind until 8 months ago...and no interest in using her little noggin for language for several months.....this made this mama very happy!  She is signing more all the time and hearing more and more environmental sounds.  We are working on spoken language too.  She will turn her head and look at me every now and then when I call her name.  It kind of depends on what she's doing, and how absorbed in it she is. 

We sat for almost an hour and looked at pictures on the computer today, Wren and Iley and Me.  I said the names of everyone over and over and over....and signed and said what was going on in the pictures.  Wren sat and listened the entire time.  Every now and then she would sign something.....but mostly she just sat and absorbed........at least I hope!

I'm reading a book called Children of Silence.  I have many times wondered whether Wren's behaviors  were caused by deafness, institutionalism, or R.A.D.  I'm pretty sure most of it is caused by the fact that she's deaf.  I could relate to SO SO much of what this mother was dealing with..and feeling... and her child had been loved and nurtured by her since birth.  It is hard to read...and makes me tired......but I can't stop reading it either.  To Quote one paragraph..."I was beset with self-doubt.  Is this the right way to do it?  What shall I do next?  Is there something more I could have done, more I could have said?"    This is THE hardest part about adopting kids with no language! They can't tell you what they want, and so many things are misunderstood.  It was X's 2... for months..... until Iley caught on to English and could communicate.  She is so much happier now.  She used to whine..a LOT.... and just be discontent.  I know Wren must feel bottled up and misunderstood most of the time, because on those rare instances that I totally "get" what she's telling me and sign it back to her...it makes her SO happy.  It's like an endless game of charades.......and I am so tired of Charades.  But there is HOPE, and tomorrow is another day. SO...... I will rest in the promise of my God:  I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord:  Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Iley is still doing wonderful!  I think she may have a little more energy than before....and she was NOT lacking for energy then.

Back to our "Normal"

Things are getting back to normal around here......well that is such a relative term.... My mom and dad left for their home in Ohio on Monday, We were sad to see them go, and so so so thankful for their willingness to drop everything and come and stay with our kids. 

Iley went back to school on Monday!  Just 11 days after open heart surgery!  She had a hole the size of a nickel that had to have a patch to close, and another hole closed, and a valve repaired.  This little girl is one tough cookie!

Houston....we have a problem......the new/extra balloon was a life saver....BUT.....the old balloon is going down down down......so is now being abandoned for the one that floats.....this could end up like the hot dog and bun problem....if you let it....it could go on and on....just sayin.  And have I mentioned before that I have a strong dislike for night roaming helium balloons?  They are left alone to wander through the house like silent ghosts....about head level....moving on the air currents......they will give you a nasty fright if you meet up with one in the middle of a bathroom run at 2:00am....like a silent stalker.....

 Headed to the Christmas program for Harrison and Sherman.  Have I mentioned that these boys are crazy about their lil sisters? I did not  tell them to pose this way! The feeling is mutual....most of the time.   Nice sunset out the window too:)

This is the 7th and 8th grade choir.  Harrison is in the back row with the pink tie. Can you believe I didn't get a picture of Sherman's class!  I was so aggravated!

And then Sherman came home and made this......can you guess what it is?



How about now? 

It's a Kazoo.....a giant Kazoo.  What kind of mind looks at a stack of homework papers, an empty pringles can, and a straw and says....I know......I'll make a Kazoo????  He's an original:) 

Two silly girls.....

 Very willing hindrances helpers.

 Yes....that is saran wrap around Iley's neck.  This was her "toy" of choice today. ???  I don't even know where it came from.

 They gathered all these lovely props and signed/said "Picture mom".  This one was totally unprompted by me!  I definitely would not have added the props:)

 The flower is even backwards:)

 Wren's first snow experience!  She wasn't too sure about it.....then just as she bent over and grabbed a handful, a huge gust of wind and snow swirled around the corner and she shrieked and ran for the house.

Iley had encountered snow up in Minnesota.  She was not at all impressed, we couldn't persuade her to go out!  She  didn't even like the snowmen someone made outside the hospital.  A car all covered in snow went by under our window and she said

"ice cream?"  No.....it's snow.  It's cold like ice cream though:)

 We got Wrens hair trimmed up tonight.  It was a straggly shaggy mess.  Now it's almost all the same length and  ready to grow for a while.  I think I'm going to let both of their hair grow out a bit...bangs and all....I'm seeing some cute little pig tails in the future.  Iley has never had longer hair than Wren! 

 And.....the saran wrap some how ended up in the tub!  It was like spa wrap.....draped over their tummies.....across their backs.....wrapped around their heads...so lovely wet and sticky.......it about went down the drain!!!