tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33950908323190365672024-03-12T19:52:37.624-07:00Becoming HumanMy Journey Towards Becoming HumanKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-81268505630971976272015-02-26T10:59:00.003-08:002015-02-26T15:49:21.971-08:00I've Moved!<div style="text-align: center;">
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-18844644153830254372015-02-04T12:16:00.001-08:002015-02-04T22:00:36.580-08:00A StoryThere's this remarkable story...<br />
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A few stories actually.<br />
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They all impact each other and come together in the end.<br />
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<i>Story #1</i> - About 56 (I think) years ago John K. became the big brother to a delightful little girl named Shirley. Shirley has Down Syndrome. I don't know all the ups and downs of that sibling relationship but I do know that there is <i>a lot</i> of love shared between the two.<br />
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More than twenty years later John met and married Mary Ellen. She had had a little bit of experience with people with disabilities before meeting John and shared his love for differently abled people. Their passion for people with special needs grew and after having three birth daughters they began fostering and eventually adopted 4 children from the foster system. Two of them have Down Syndrome!<br />
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About 6 years ago they decided it was time to adopt one more child with DS and brought Aiden home from Bulgaria! He is a big wonderfully comedic 14 year old boy now with <i>the best</i> Bulgarian accent you will ever hear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgfWr5WCvZYUVcSpv9_QFPON3LEMO-Rv5XHmR-ShxQQQtT8Iyj3VYBVnZlFR3hAXm-XyO_AbJKjXxNGcyFDiYxhnrLWyID4e2O2KjTrcwBmAKqwIMBHWq12whuQsVjVk282cuCXGDFz0/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgfWr5WCvZYUVcSpv9_QFPON3LEMO-Rv5XHmR-ShxQQQtT8Iyj3VYBVnZlFR3hAXm-XyO_AbJKjXxNGcyFDiYxhnrLWyID4e2O2KjTrcwBmAKqwIMBHWq12whuQsVjVk282cuCXGDFz0/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Story #2</i> - My husband Jon met the K family about fifteen years ago when their first adopted child with DS, Brent, was about 3. He remembers playing with and loving him at church each Sunday. They were good buddies. After high school Jon decided to volunteer with the K family at camp Amasa where they ran camps for adults and children with special needs. This was his crash course into the community of the differently abled. He can tell you many hilarious, life changing, perspective altering moments from that summer.<br />
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<i>Story #3</i> - I had always been drawn to supporting, teaching and befriending people with special needs. My mom remembers it as young as 5 years old. When I was 16 my mom made the decision to bring Maggy in to our house. Maggy has Down Syndrome as well and fit in to our family perfectly. She actually could be credited with getting most of us through our teen years relatively unharmed. No matter how mad we where at the world or each other, we were never mad at her. She kept us coming home and was a calming spirit in our house. She is everyones favourite sister. When she joined our family I started talking about wanting to adopt my own child with DS.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl91xAO7idzVCQo3_OR1l4uq0F7ApMUMySCS2nH5QH2H3_BoWpQRzM47x7UHCHqw6EeFQ4oPacvPoFJ43yWrH-GLO8LyJ6Xltn1-E3RVfsPFQZeimSCp1QeZbWriNey2aWj4qMXQECM4/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEl91xAO7idzVCQo3_OR1l4uq0F7ApMUMySCS2nH5QH2H3_BoWpQRzM47x7UHCHqw6EeFQ4oPacvPoFJ43yWrH-GLO8LyJ6Xltn1-E3RVfsPFQZeimSCp1QeZbWriNey2aWj4qMXQECM4/s1600/2.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Our stories coming together </i>-<br />
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Jon and I met in college and started dating about 12 years ago. I remember talking openly about wanting to adopt a child with DS and him being completely on board. His work with Amasa and watching the K family grow had prepared him for me!<br />
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We followed closely and watched the K family adopt Aiden. I was so happy for them and wondered when it would be our turn. Aiden came home in October 2009 and in January 2010 Mary Ellen sent me an email from her agency for a file of a little girl needing a family. We didn't end up adopting that child but it got our wheels turning.<br />
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It was time for us to adopt a child with DS. Jon and I jumped in. Although it was much earlier in life than we had thought it was the right choice. We have been so blessed by the adoption process and by Sofie, our own Bulgarian angel. In August 2011 we brought her home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDL0Yj4JeGnfDLwNNJKGU2r_JEipWAjVeRnNT4MTOLn6XJrKEu9duBMZx1WqdEoEJRKPhODPKqt2U9qHblHCGcDbQqZCpiXGacv4sb4RQWSaFzYc7mStYv7vXFi1zT93-dBTxuzCO1ok/s1600/DSC_5462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDL0Yj4JeGnfDLwNNJKGU2r_JEipWAjVeRnNT4MTOLn6XJrKEu9duBMZx1WqdEoEJRKPhODPKqt2U9qHblHCGcDbQqZCpiXGacv4sb4RQWSaFzYc7mStYv7vXFi1zT93-dBTxuzCO1ok/s1600/DSC_5462.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>At the airport, first moment together as a family.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhYRP36IzhFJzWklgLh7dyj9CoeqJJiM7nR8dfM7XKcz2YuheeNQZECYDNuqiY3DepdZvxwMN6quoFnEVcKtF9jUNI3P3P4rZ7w2tyubqL-HlfuD75M5do13fak4darldE73eYesS7TE/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhYRP36IzhFJzWklgLh7dyj9CoeqJJiM7nR8dfM7XKcz2YuheeNQZECYDNuqiY3DepdZvxwMN6quoFnEVcKtF9jUNI3P3P4rZ7w2tyubqL-HlfuD75M5do13fak4darldE73eYesS7TE/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Story #4</i> - John and Mary Ellen's oldest daughter, Heather, has known for a long time that she would adopt a child with DS too. My Jon was in youth with her and worked with her at the camps. We have been honoured to walk with her and try to support her in any way we could. She also chose Bulgaria to find her son. And yesterday, her own dreams came true.<br />
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Heather became a mom to Wyatt Timothy Vasil K and brought him home after more than 24 hours of traveling yesterday! (<i>His middle name, Timothy, is after Jon's dad who passed away 6.5 years ago. He was the K's pastor as Heather grew up and encouraged her, reminding her she would make a difference.</i>)<br />
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I got the privilege of being their chauffeur between the airport and ferry, as well as photographer for this momentous occasion! Here are the pictures from last night...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKYTQwjBJSztWgw1fKii_GVS3k7RCS8_DsUazaPKsnBXjsikOJpb5K7Fv3g8X4eZwxOSbdTvtUOs2BoJ-H72VnSG-IEzXLZ9O98MqQD-9pboHOzjTfAFg0I6Jmaqblq-YeyGQ686WpKc/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKYTQwjBJSztWgw1fKii_GVS3k7RCS8_DsUazaPKsnBXjsikOJpb5K7Fv3g8X4eZwxOSbdTvtUOs2BoJ-H72VnSG-IEzXLZ9O98MqQD-9pboHOzjTfAFg0I6Jmaqblq-YeyGQ686WpKc/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Waiting</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5FkIwoAAFrkz5XPohwPwGOvQGtppqfSAZzazaWTlgQyKm75aA9ibJbqZjC1SEahKJJJIMpNWexaD5hvmRYaVG-Z4ja3vyTYqZ_XvfmaYlzb5TeUNPxV_A7oB6FXKDOacSdtiPgQTBVA/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5FkIwoAAFrkz5XPohwPwGOvQGtppqfSAZzazaWTlgQyKm75aA9ibJbqZjC1SEahKJJJIMpNWexaD5hvmRYaVG-Z4ja3vyTYqZ_XvfmaYlzb5TeUNPxV_A7oB6FXKDOacSdtiPgQTBVA/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Nana's first sight. So much joy in her eyes.</i></div>
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<i>This moment is pure emotion. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrHlLuTVIQ6ErqY1mPnKqfP3smGSWBr-306HgDJizorU2jSK7loJk-tzEOVveApCko-RzM9DCko5j1ytpnm1ApVy7oCtiJo8te3FbCRfaApYRvl3xuIyHLUWeuiSs-K-ARqMe5MzQSPs/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrHlLuTVIQ6ErqY1mPnKqfP3smGSWBr-306HgDJizorU2jSK7loJk-tzEOVveApCko-RzM9DCko5j1ytpnm1ApVy7oCtiJo8te3FbCRfaApYRvl3xuIyHLUWeuiSs-K-ARqMe5MzQSPs/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Joy. Relief. Thankfulness. Wonder.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_c4DfHXntv-hJSUmuJbEjI1L9Tl6zuGngSK3hLdB2kx8afuI3lL4gLurT9QA0YMP5a6xsa3s2M__oZEkIb4wKDlGx-DRVABz205sJY1S2TS8QhWFm4PPx9Ent89ahf6nrsZtt65zL7s/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_c4DfHXntv-hJSUmuJbEjI1L9Tl6zuGngSK3hLdB2kx8afuI3lL4gLurT9QA0YMP5a6xsa3s2M__oZEkIb4wKDlGx-DRVABz205sJY1S2TS8QhWFm4PPx9Ent89ahf6nrsZtt65zL7s/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqmSjytNHoIy8jjNWbXs1dyM9ZWXNPwJiRVXo3MlXZ7rZikLXzpySJdl1O1dmn5mXNGCMwsrV078qogzF0jrJoINz5j7_LK9aNR-Wy95M1cHrVkjYUgS8VCuYKL7MR5djqyZvAFAT86o/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqmSjytNHoIy8jjNWbXs1dyM9ZWXNPwJiRVXo3MlXZ7rZikLXzpySJdl1O1dmn5mXNGCMwsrV078qogzF0jrJoINz5j7_LK9aNR-Wy95M1cHrVkjYUgS8VCuYKL7MR5djqyZvAFAT86o/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Welcome Home Wyatt.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnyVbWYaMjzuHtZ2d5vNfdna9pTmH8Gl6FJ6QdqYSDEEKyrKtx4Z-WlpNP0OEgOMfsf4fF25Hf_zL_h1_OUw5nIQe1pKiwPUVhbZs1DPEpqqccEkbua3PWs7HFM-6Q0D6Obid8SEPVWU/s1600/DSC_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnyVbWYaMjzuHtZ2d5vNfdna9pTmH8Gl6FJ6QdqYSDEEKyrKtx4Z-WlpNP0OEgOMfsf4fF25Hf_zL_h1_OUw5nIQe1pKiwPUVhbZs1DPEpqqccEkbua3PWs7HFM-6Q0D6Obid8SEPVWU/s1600/DSC_0060.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqR_Dwi0tvzKmw25l4xTNt8z_LGHyGiSS1lDWUx5XsCSj4UUBqM7jRSxxSIX9n0dUvOho9ZJCi2X2unjXxB0RyeHj7ykHQTiVXTRzUx4pZ4EnOaLBU9WmoEKOWrJ6gv7L-urDAtqi450/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqR_Dwi0tvzKmw25l4xTNt8z_LGHyGiSS1lDWUx5XsCSj4UUBqM7jRSxxSIX9n0dUvOho9ZJCi2X2unjXxB0RyeHj7ykHQTiVXTRzUx4pZ4EnOaLBU9WmoEKOWrJ6gv7L-urDAtqi450/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The family that made it to the airport. </i></div>
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<i>He has a lot more of them to meet today!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWoBM0Q6zd-5kUBwwBDHl0l7zV8SqraGfONZsugkp10Kji3yE1lOvxWRc8t0sFvZiiC0qqA93NBwOh1pVQNYqaqVIvjKzGJw2H3FvYZD4Jd2g1Ube6UkNycXTod2WBNEwKWCyBo1Vfbw/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWoBM0Q6zd-5kUBwwBDHl0l7zV8SqraGfONZsugkp10Kji3yE1lOvxWRc8t0sFvZiiC0qqA93NBwOh1pVQNYqaqVIvjKzGJw2H3FvYZD4Jd2g1Ube6UkNycXTod2WBNEwKWCyBo1Vfbw/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOhinkkmppHHbwqAoW28UEE9xAg-0x6xWxHXmw5xdj__QlrV59TXDOjOFNgYgXtzZjHYTFc6R_rkPR4QHjgcJsZYWVZ-tw1hyphenhyphenxaEflYYBzxDWOp_FIPoWYnwUdTsg63BHN9A5tDZjMYI/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOhinkkmppHHbwqAoW28UEE9xAg-0x6xWxHXmw5xdj__QlrV59TXDOjOFNgYgXtzZjHYTFc6R_rkPR4QHjgcJsZYWVZ-tw1hyphenhyphenxaEflYYBzxDWOp_FIPoWYnwUdTsg63BHN9A5tDZjMYI/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Congratulations Heather!</i></div>
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<i>I'm so glad that you stepped out and chose to adopt this little guy. You and him make such a perfect family together. I'm thankful there are strong women, like you, in this world who are willing to follow their hearts and make a difference. This is really just the beginning. Thank you for letting me be a part of this day and know that Jon and I will support you and little Wyatt in any way we can!</i></div>
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You can read her own blog and details of her adoption <a href="http://kenoadoption.blogspot.ca/">HERE.<i> </i></a></div>
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I adore how all these stories have wound in to each other. I'm tempted to say that Mary Ellen and John's story has come full circle with Heather's adoption now but I don't think that's accurate. I think lives are going to continue to change because they have witnessed or been a part of our stories. I think more stories are going to be made and I can't wait to see that happen. </div>
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Thank you Shirley for being born and igniting a passion in your big brother. </div>
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Thank you Mary Ellen for marrying John and building the family that you have. </div>
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Thank you to you both for setting such a beautiful example of love and acceptance and perseverance in your own adoption journeys and family. </div>
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Thank you for preparing Jon for my world and having a huge part in the amazing man he is today. The experiences he has had with you were also a big part of why he was hired in his current career. So really our entire family's well-being is, in part, thanks to you!</div>
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Thank you Maggy for being the wonderful person and sister that you are and solidifying a passion for adoption and DS in my own heart. </div>
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Thank you to my mom for bringing Maggy in to our lives and being the strong, supportive woman that you are. </div>
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Thank you to Jon for being the truly remarkable husband, father and man that you are. </div>
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Thank you everyone who has supported us in our own adoption and parenting journey. We absolutely could not do it all with out you. </div>
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Thank you to Heather for listening to your heart and jumping in to this with both feet. You are incredible and are going to rock this Mommy biz!</div>
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And a huge thank-you to our Bulgarian angels! Aiden, Sofie and Wyatt! You are three miraculous children who have been through more in your short lives than most adults ever will. You are survivors, brave, funny, joyful and loving kids. I can't wait to see what you do in your lives and how you change the world! You've changed our world so much already! I can't wait to see all three of you together one day!</div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-62005658621670390342015-01-24T21:39:00.001-08:002015-01-24T21:39:34.838-08:00Christmas 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christmas is always such a magical time of year. Growing up, I remember the season being magical. The idea of wonder and excitement has always been there, but good Christmas memories are non-existent. For one main reason, I remember more stress then wonder. I think that's one of the reasons it's so important to me that my kids don't experience stress at Christmas. I want them to live in the magic and remember that. </div>
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This year Christmas was our most laid back one of all. All my shopping was done by mid November. We had extra time to make homemade gifts to friends and family which was a lot of fun for the girls. We made salted caramel for our circle and a few extras, as well as the usual shortbread. The girls had the most fun helping me make glittery snowman playdoh that smelled like peppermint for their friends. We packaged it with some pipe cleaner arms and googly eyes so the recipient could <a href="http://buggyandbuddy.com/snowman-factory-homemade-playdough/">build a snowman</a>! </div>
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Our schedule wasn't packed. Jon had a week of vacation he needed to use so he was home in early December as well as almost two weeks over Christmas and New Years. We took the girls to see Santa in early December. The older two girls where happy and excited to see him. Evelyn was fine with waving at him but wanted no part in sitting in his lap. So this happened...</div>
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We apparently traumatized her pretty good because she woke up screaming "NO SANTA LAP!" once and would say it at any mention or picture she'd see of St. Nick through the rest of the season. Hopefully she won't remember for next year. </div>
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The big girls also had their Christmas pageants. I need to brag here... With kids in a fine arts school you don't have to suffer through their productions. They are actually GOOD! Like REALLY GOOD. Sofie is in Kindergarten and they had their own show singing carols one night. I was so proud when I got to watch her up there singing with her class and no teacher beside her. She knew all the actions and did amazing! I cringed/laughed my face off, when she went and patted the principal's butt during the closing remarks. He didn't miss a beat though, took her hand and let her say goodbye in the microphone afterwards. The timing of my picture was perfect...</div>
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Livi's performance was at the Art Centre in town and in grade one to three kids, plus the whole school choir which is all grades and 100 kids. Livi's sang in the back-up choir the whole show and each class was featured in a song. Her class was dressed as the toys, Livi was a stuffed elephant, that the elves were making. She was also chosen for a part during another song where she had to stand very still and get made by an elf. She was hoping to be picked for that part so I was really happy for her when she did :) Of course she did wonderfully. She was a little nervous and told not to smile while she was being made, despite her Aunties best efforts in the front row. </div>
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Our Christmas gatherings were spread out this year which was AWESOME! I think it was the first year in our entire marriage we didn't have something on Christmas day. Boxing Day was free too! The Saturday before Christmas was my family get together. The crazies all together under one roof is never short on fun! </div>
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The Sunday was our Friends Christmas brunch. These three boys were room mates in college and us wives have been close since then. I adore this group. They are my safe ones. They are very important to me. Our kids adore each other and I hope we can continue our traditions as we all continue to grow up together!</div>
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Christmas Eve was church and lights, ended with a house that has a hologram of Santa in the window. It gets my kids to bed so fast because they think he is so close. I am in awe of their pure, innocent belief in Santa. It is such beautiful, uncorrupted magic. Jon went out and rang bells and called "ho ho ho" when Livi was going to the bathroom. She is so excited when she hears him. I was given strict instructions to get to bed right away, because everyone knows Santa doesn't come if you're awake.<br />
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Jon's mom slept over Christmas Eve and opened presents with us in the morning. I managed to get them matching pajama's again this year. I love it. I will try to do it again next year! The girls got a few gifts each. I've mentioned how amazed I am by Livi's care and kindness towards others. Well, Christmas morning she shone again. She was more concerned with assisting and making sure her sisters opened their presents than her own. We had to remind her to open her own. Pure love that kid. I think this was the first year that both Sofie and Evelyn were fully engaged with the Christmas morning festivities. It was so special to finally get here.<br />
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I love Christmas. It is just so magical and pure. We did a more homemade, relaxed, family focused Christmas this year. I need to do this more for my family. We gave out homemade gifts which were well received and we had so much fun making them!</div>
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I know this post is late. I wrote most of it a month ago but am just finishing it now. Merry Christmas to anyone who might still read this blog and I hope your new year SPARKLES!</div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-48540219017308893732015-01-03T05:55:00.000-08:002015-01-03T06:06:45.143-08:00My Baby is 2.2 years have gone by, and fast. My baby is 2 years old. This is the last time I will celebrate one of my children turning 2. It's the birthday between being a baby and being a kid.<br />
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I remember Evelyn's birth well and cherish those memories. I didn't like being pregnant with either of my kids but I loved giving birth. There are certain things about those early morning hours bringing Evelyn in to the world that are still so vivid to me...<br />
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~ I remember eating leftover chicken teriyaki while watching Downton Abby and sitting on an exercise ball at 2am. I would take breaks to stand up and rock through a contraction then get back to my show.<br />
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~ I remember Livi waking up early before 6am and sitting beside me on the bed where I was resting between contractions. I had prepared her as much as I could to see me labour and watch her sister be born. I asked her if she was scared or worried. She said no but her face looked a bit concerned.<br />
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~ I remember getting out of the tub the last time and Kristi (our doula) saying to me that I sounded "pushy" and "maybe we should go..." and me adamantly denying the possibility that I would be that far along already. It was still such easy labor after all.<br />
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~ I remember the moment I realized I was much further along than I thought. I was kneeling in the back seat of the car, turned backwards, hugging the seat and trying to occupy myself with texting people and calling the hospital. I had just got off the phone with the maternity triage nurse who had said they couldn't call my midwife until I was assessed in the hospital, even though I told her I thought I was further along than I should be. My body changed. I think the transition was actually over and I began to push. It was so apparent and shocking that I reached down to actually check if I could feel her head. I tried to hide it from Jon and remembered a breathing technique our aunt, and doula for Livi, had taught me which helped me not to push. Jon heard it in my groans though and realized what was going on.<br />
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~ I remember <i>Kristi's hand</i>. I didn't think I would make it up to the maternity ward from the doors where Jon was dropping me off. I had gotten out of the car and had to bare down immediately. Kristi said something about when the contraction was over, we would run <i>together</i>. <i><b>All I could see was her hand and I took it and we ran</b></i>.... We made it to the hand sanitizer station, then to the information desk, then to the elevators. Each time I thought I would collapse and my baby would fall out of me but following each contraction she gave me her hand, which I grabbed tightly and we ran again. I must have looked quite hilarious. I was 40 weeks, fully dilated and 0 or +1 station running through a lobby bow legged. (+3 is the baby crowning)<br />
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~ I also remember the nurses face when I stepped out of the elevator. Jon had jumped out first in a panic demanding assistance, but they didn't take him seriously... then they saw me waddle out with my legs spread apart like a cartoon of someone sore from riding a horse for too long. I locked eyes with one nurse in particular and she just stood there wide eyed for a second. It still makes me laugh.<br />
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Evelyn's birth was not what we had planned. I had hoped for both Grandmas, Livi and a photographer to be there and capture those precious moments. I'm thankful I have such vivid memories in my mind and I will hold on to them tightly. <br />
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First morning picture. We had been out after midnight in the ER because of croup.</div>
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She was a grumpy 2 year old.</div>
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We did salvage the afternoon and got some birthday pictures!</div>
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Evelyn is a passionate 2 year old now. She is very dramatic and quite the little goof ball. She doesn't sit still and is not big in to cuddling, unless she is sleeping with me, then she must be pressed up against me. She is always on the go, loves to climb and jump. Her motor skill seem very well developed. Instead of walking she will jump around the house which I'm sure my mom downstairs appreciates a lot! She adores being outside and would live out there all day if the weather allowed. She has her own way of doing things and we are not permitted to interfere with her process without repercussions. She enjoys the process of learning and figuring things out. I think she may end up being my academic child because she likes the process of learning as much as the end result.<br />
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Her favourite foods are probably yogurt and cookies. She goes in to the pantry and helps her self cookies often. I need to watch that better. She <i>adores</i> her big sister Livi and Livi adores her back, but Sofie and her have a love/hate relationship right now. Developmentally they are about the same age, but they don't have the bond that twins might have. It makes for some loud, screaming baby days. I've already been seeing the love re-bloom so I think it will just get better as they learn to share and give each other the space that they need. I actually think they'll be great friends... one day. </div>
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Evelyn is very tall and has been in size 3 clothes since around 18 months old. She can count to 10 reliably and then mixes up all the teen numbers. She has been in a big girl, real size bed for a few months now. That transition went much easier than expected. She is still very uninterested in getting potty trained but she will sit on it everyone once in a while, just to show us she is like her big sisters. Her language is coming a long, though it was slow to start. We are mostly working on using her big girl voice with the words that she has, because she tends to be quite whiny. She fits her role as the youngest well.<br />
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Evelyn LOVES watching music videos on YouTube. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Tragically Hip are currently her favourites. Jon is very thankful for her interest in the Hip. She also adores books with her favourites being the Olivia series and those big first word board books. She really will sit and listen to any book though. She has a blankie that is her favourite thing in the world and goes hand in hand with her soother. She sleeps with them every night along with an Eeyor stuffy and 3 fairly large My Little Ponies, two of which she has acquired from her sisters. It's quite the crowded bed.<br />
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How old are you?</div>
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"Two!"</div>
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Christmas birthdays are hard. So much else is going on and they get put off. I will need to do better with planning when she gets older. I managed to pull something together this year though. The BK's came swimming with us, then came over for dinner and cake. It was My Little Pony themed and I was pretty proud of the cake that I came up with and made :) Evelyn was very impressed too!</div>
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I suspect this next year is going to be filled with growing up and maturing. New skills and language are already turning up. I think she will be quite the little lady by this time next year but I hope she keeps a hold of her unique weirdness. It is fabulous to see. My kids birthdays are always a little bittersweet. I'm not completely sure I'm always ready for them to be growing up. Evelyn is my last baby so it is even more apparent to me with her. I'm so grateful for the passionate, strong-willed child she is becoming. Though strong-willed children are not the easiest to parent, I'm sure it will serve her very well later in life.<br />
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<i>To Evelyn,</i></div>
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<i>I hope you read this when you are older and know how completely loved you are. You were such a wanted surprise and I'm so thankful for you and how you have completed our family. These two years went fast for me. You are a very busy little girl. I want time to slow down so I can soak in these last baby moments with you. </i></div>
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<i>Your passion is inspiring and I can't wait to see how you use it in the coming years. Your strong-will is going to take you places and serve you well. I can't wait to see how you change our world. You have already changed it for us. </i></div>
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<i>Happy Birthday to my baby girl who is 2 now. You are precious beyond words.</i><br />
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<i><b>I love you fiercely</b>, </i><br />
<i>Mommy</i><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-81363018720358821812014-12-29T21:08:00.001-08:002014-12-29T21:08:44.841-08:00Overdue Update!Wow I'm behind in blogging. I get some great ideas of what to write about but sitting down to actually get them out just doesn't happen.<br />
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I guess I'll just have to keep it to quick family updates while I'm in these busy, little children years. I'm okay with that for now...<br />
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Halloween happened since my last post. My girls were adorable and, of course, went as Frozen characters. Livi was Elsa. Sofie was Anna. Evelyn was a ladybug, with an Olaf stuffed animal (I was going to use that adorable ladybug costume one last time! Jon was supposed to be Kristoff and I was instructed to find some antlers and be Sven but I never did get around to that.<br />
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Just over a month ago our cat, who had been gone for 2 months and a week, who we assumed dead showed up! We got a call from some teenagers waiting at a bus stop asking if we were missing a cat! He still had his collar on with our number. He was very skinny, had an infected wound on his leg and worms but otherwise is doing fine! He did sleep for about a week though. His leg has healed, dead worms are still coming out (so gross) and he is gaining weight. He had gone from about 12lbs (last time we had weighed him) to 8lbs. Skin and bone. Poor cat. He is still having a few toileting issues which is driving me nuts but he still needs a second dose of deworming so I think he still has an upset system. I'm trying to be patient.<br />
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Sofie -<br />
Sofie is doing great in school and making friends. She is thriving in music class. It is the only class she doesn't have modified or adapted for her and she is meeting expectations just like all the other kids :) I think they are lost in how to teach her to read but we are working on it. I think an iPad is in the near future. We had her first friend over for a play date in December, who was a classmate and over just for her, not a shared friend with her sisters. I was nervous, but they had lots of fun. I did learn that I would plan for a shorter playdate next time. Sofie was done after about an hour, but it was an awesome hour :)<br />
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Sofie and I got to meet the Canucks at Children's hospital last week. A friend<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span data-reactid=".q5.1:3:1:$comment10154882245315207_10154882524800207:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; line-height: 15px;">gave mer the heads up after coffee with her that they were coming in 30 mins to see the in-patients. I decided to hang around and get some pictures... for the sole reason to make Jon freak. They all walked by and waved nicely on their way to the elevator. One particular guy was the nicest an</span><span data-reactid=".q5.1:3:1:$comment10154882245315207_10154882524800207:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; line-height: 15px;">d most attentive to Sofie so I literally said out loud "this guy seems nice, lets ask him for a picture" I had NO idea who he was. No one on the team looked familiar and I even wondered if it was really them, just a bunch of fans or a farm team... HA! I totally didn't deserve to meet them. Turned out the guy we got a selfie with was Alex Burrows. My </span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">sister had to tell me who he was. I did recognize a Sedin as one of the twins but no idea which twin! Sofie kept saying Burrows and Sedin in the car home. </span><br />
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Livi -<br />
Livi is wise beyond her years and such an awesome kid. She is the best sister I have ever seen and loves her little sisters. She has taken a lot of ownership in making good choices for her body and not eating too much sugar. Sugar had been contributing to the meltdowns she had been having so we had to cut it mostly out. When she does decide to have a sugary treat she is more mindful about her attitude and choices she is making. She hasn't had a meltdown since the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend! This is huge by the way!<br />
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She is liking school too and I'm loving watching her get better and better at reading. Her report card notes said she is a kind and compassionate and all the kids like her but she can be a little too chatty sometimes... I suppose she comes by that naturally. She has two friends at her table in class who she has become quite close with and I love encouraging these friendships since they seem to be really awesome little girls. She is also in Girl Guides as a Spark. It was a slow start for her there but she is loving it now.<br />
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Evelyn -<br />
Evelyn is filled with fire. She is a very smart little one but plays the role of the baby very well. She is my baby. I can see how momma's end up codling their baby so much more than they should! She enjoys the process of learning more than Livi and Sofie. I think she may end up being my academic child.<br />
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Evelyn adores Livi but has a love hate relationship with Sofie. She wants to know where Sofie is all the time but doesn't want her to be near to her... or even looking at her. They evoke a lot of screaming from each other. I tell myself it will pass but it sure is frustrating in the moment!<br />
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That will have to be it for now since I have Evelyn's second birthday post to write, as well as Christmas!<br />
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Trying to catch up! I like blogging but have no time!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-22179977923319961082014-10-29T21:58:00.000-07:002014-10-29T21:58:03.169-07:00End of SummerSeptember was tough. October painfully slowly got better. I'm so looking forward to Christmas!<br />
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Parenting is so hard sometimes. Life is just difficult. I know I am in the season of little children, a messy house and no money but I have been feeling very overwhelmed.<br />
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Due to a teacher strike my girls where home an extra month from school. This also happened to be the month that my husband started his new position which is an extra hour commute each day for him. More kids, less family time and less help made for a stressed out Mommy, crabby kids who had meltdowns regularly, mommy too, and a very chaotic house.<br />
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The month got pretty bad for all of us. I ended up getting pretty depressed from being overwhelmed. Livi was having epic meltdowns a couple times a week and a bad attitude the rest of the days. Evie is all drama wrapped up in a little cute package. It got pretty bad for all of us. Too much yelling, lots of crying and I ended up using parenting techniques that I never wanted to use. That month destroyed me really. It broke me and made me dig deep. I needed to figure out how to be the mom I wanted to be again.<br />
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We made it through the tunnel and things are looking up. My kids are back in school which really helps their focus and my sanity. I've been able to spend some one on one time with each of them that we each enjoyed. I got to go out for a night with Jon, and spent some time alone for myself. It had been a REALLY long time since I had some time for myself. Self-care is so important. So is sleep. I needed more sleep too!<br />
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With the strike over my two big girls started school again. Livi is now in grade one and Sofie is repeating Kindergarten. Sofie had to wait to do the gradual entry thing for Kindergarten again which was really hard for her. She was very ready and excited for school. When we would drop Livi off each day she went and sat with all the grade 1 kids on the carpet and got very upset when she wasn't allowed to stay. The grade 1 start was a little rougher for Livi. Because they missed the first few "getting to know you" weeks she was thrown in to learning and having expectations put on her. She loves responsibility but on her terms. We went over some of the things that she was having troubles with and I spent some extra time at the school with Sofie for some things, so she knew I was close, which also helped.<br />
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In the 5 weeks that they've been in school now, both girls are thriving. Livi's reading and drawing has improved by leaps and bounds! I love hearing her read. I was getting worried she'd fall behind since she seemed to be so against reading by the end of the summer. She wrote me a note a few weeks ago though that said "I luv yoo mumee." Her drawings are awesome too :) She doesn't love drawing but enjoys it every once in a while.<br />
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Sofie is doing AMAZING! She is following all the routines, lining up, sitting and paying attention, and saying SO MANY WORDS! A few weeks ago, I had a full conversation with her! It was so exciting! We speak words to each other, but this was a real conversation! It went like this...<br />
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<i>Sofie had been crying and whining at Jon for some time, and then turned her attention to me. </i><br />
<i>Sofie "Mad"</i><br />
<i>Me "You're sad?" She had been crying so I thought she was mixing it up.</i><br />
<i>Sofie "No Mad!" (with the mad hand sign)</i><br />
<i>Me "You're mad. Why are you mad?"</i><br />
<i>Sofie "Music"</i><br />
<i>Me "You are mad that Daddy turned off the music?"</i><br />
<i>Sofie "yes"</i><br />
<i>Me "Do you know why daddy turned off the music?"</i><br />
<i>Sofie "No"</i><br />
<i>Me "because you were touching the computer"</i><br />
<i>Sofie "no touching. I sorry."</i><br />
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That may not seem like a lot but it was HUGE. We had her IEP this week at school and it went really well. We are starting two programs with her at school to hopefully help her start reading and writing. She really doesn't like writing... motivation is key. I'm very excited to see her grow with these this year!<br />
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Evelyn is talking so much more too. I love all her words. She still has that tiny high pitched baby voice but is starting to say choppy full sentences. It is so sweet. I sometimes just want to eat her up. Having a baby you know is your real last baby is hard sometimes. These are the last moments I'm going to hear those squeaky baby giggles from something I created. The last few "kids" firsts are still coming but they are coming too fast. It is an emotional thing. I can see how so many mom's overcompensate with their last to keep them their "baby." She is good at reminding me what a big girl she is though. She got her first black eye, mysteriously while lying in her bed. We think she sat up and folded forward on to the head board.<br />
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Jon is doing AMAZING at his new job. I'm so very proud of him. His boss has full confidence in him and his head is getting appropriately inflated. It takes him away from us an hour longer a day which has been hard but we are making it work. He leaves early and makes it home before 5:30 most<br />
days. He has most of Christmas off and a week in November too which is such a blessing!<br />
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Some days are still very hard. Evelyn is a very demanding baby. Livi needs so much emotional support and I feel like I don't do enough to teach Sofie. I'm learning to have grace for myself, and others. I am enough for my family. I do a lot of things wrong but I do a lot of things right too! I adore them all.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-71627662150505449192014-08-23T21:37:00.002-07:002014-08-23T21:37:10.142-07:00Livi's 6th Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Livi turned 6.<br />
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While I know I technically already have a six year old, Livi is my first child. She made me a Momma and started me down this most incredible journey. It feels like kind of a big deal.<br />
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Olivia was an easy baby and although she brings me her own challenges she is still a pretty easy kid to parent. She is spirited and passionate. She is emotional and empathetic. She is adventurous and cautious. She is helpful and compassionate. She is a better big sibling than either of her parents were. She adores her sisters while getting appropriately frustrated with them at times too. She can be shy and a leader, depending on her confidence level at the moment. She thrives in responsibility and protects her sisters fiercely. She loves school but is not loving reading yet. She is really just an all around good kid.<br />
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She is going in to grade one this year and is very excited. Earlier this year she wanted to be a queen when she grew up, but now she wants to be a singer. She is finally starting to sing a little louder and in front of people too which is nice to see. Her confidence is growing.<br />
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She can ride her bike like a pro now. She makes macaroni and cheese all by herself. She can get breakfast for herself too, if she is up before us. She puts all her own laundry away and clears and wipes the table. She is in charge of cleaning her own room at the end of the night and helps with the other toys. She has a few extra tasks that she can earn money for, like cleaning the litter box, washing windows, emptying the dishwasher by herself (they all help me when asked but if she does it alone she can earn money), washing the tub, etc. Some days she's really excited to do the extra tasks and sometimes she doesn't want any of it.<br />
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While 5 Livi lost her first tooth, just over a month ago. She finished her kindergarten year with flying colors! She enjoyed camping again this summer and got to see the dinosaurs in Drumheller, something she's been excited about for months. She had her first real flu bug and ended up in the ER a few times because of it. She passed all her swimming classes and has to wait until she is 6 before she goes on to the next level. It's amazing how much can happen and change in one year!<br />
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Livi's biggest struggle is perfectionism. It actually affects a lot of things in her little life. She expects things to be easy for her and wants things to be her idea of perfect. If they aren't easy or perfect she gets frustrated and gives up. This is one of the reasons she is still not enjoying reading. She screamed and cried through learning to ride her bike but we chose to finally push her one day and it only took half a block of riding for her to have full confidence in it. I remember that day as my best and worst parenting choice. So hard to hold our ground but she was so proud of herself afterwards! Sugar is not her friend. It makes her angry and have meltdowns. With all the vacationing and birthday celebrations she's had a few little episodes and a big one last night. </div>
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We had a small birthday party for her and a few best friends at the zoo. Not hosting a party at your house is SO MUCH easier by the way! She had a blast and got to see her current favourite animal, the Cheetah!<br />
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Then we had some cake on her actual birth date. It was actually a joint cake for me too since we didn't do a home one for my birthday 10 days earlier. 6 candles were for her and 3 for me! I did get cake in Alberta though :)<br />
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I'm so proud to be this kids Momma. She is turning in to the most wonderful little lady and I'm so thankful for her. I having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around her being 6, but she is proving to be extraordinary. I can't wait to see what else she gets to experience and accomplish in this next year. </div>
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I love you Livi! Happy Birthday Baby Girl! </div>
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-10394971392016955252014-08-17T22:29:00.000-07:002014-08-17T22:29:43.543-07:00Alberta Bound!This will just be a quick picture post about our vacation to Alberta. We made the long hike to see friends we hadn't seen in many years, to spend time with family on a farm where Jon has great memories and to take Livi to the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. We accomplished it all and it was beyond successful!<br />
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Where we stayed with friends was an over 12 hour drive that we made with two out of three of our children. Jon's mom flew with Sofie which was a big help! It was a very long drive and the kids did AMAZING... until the last hour... that was hell. On the way home they did great too but had a few more meltdown.<br />
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The first day we just spent hanging out with our friends and recuperating from our long drive! The second day was spent in the freedom of the farm. It was really special for my kids to see where food comes from, dig dinner out of the ground, pick berries and experience the freedom of open fields.<br />
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Sisters</div>
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Sofie</div>
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Evelyn</div>
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Livi</div>
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Water fight with Gramma!</div>
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Cuddles with Opa and DD</div>
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Getting Sofie wet!</div>
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The third day was dinosaur day! Livi was beside herself with excitement. In the end she said it wasn't what she expected but it was still fabulous. Her favourite thing was the 'alive dinosaur bugs', which were actually cockroaches. I guess they are the same as they were back in dinosaur times... or something like that! Sofie was overwhelmed with the museum at first but we brought her noise cancelling head phones and they helped settle her down a lot. Jon's mom kept Evelyn at the farm for the day so we could just take the big kids.<br />
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The final day was spent at the park and with our friends again. Their daughter is just a few months younger than Evelyn and completely adorable. We spent many nights with them playing games which is something we rarely get to do, and I love board and card games!</div>
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Thank you Dennis and Cayla!</div>
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I'm so glad we did this trip. It was a big one for us but travel and things are getting easier as our kids are getting older now. Finally!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-48493732717578856202014-08-16T23:04:00.001-07:002014-08-16T23:04:30.153-07:00Ten Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. This post is a little late because we ended up going on vacation the next day, but here it is finally! </div>
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It's been ten years since my husband Jon and I committed to share our lives together. We were very young when we got married. I was 21 and he was 23. We had no idea what we were getting into. Let me get a little nostalgic here for a minute...<br />
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We met at Bible College. He was studying to be a pastor when we met. I swore I would not marry someone from Bible College and never a pastor! Thankfully, before we started dating, he had changed his vocational goals at least. We got really serious pretty quickly and got married 20 months after we started dating. We had no money and a ton of student loan debt but Jon was still in school so we were able to pretend the debt wasn't there!<br />
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He proposed at a park while he serenaded me on a picnic table with "Green Eyes" by Coldplay. It was sweet. I totally knew it was coming. Our wedding was lovely. We planned it in only 4 months. It was in my Great Aunt and Uncle's backyard. We said our vows under a canopy of trees. Jon's Dad married us, Jon wrote our vows, and I planned the party. Our vows tried to captured expressions of the Love of God: Eternal Love of the Father, Co-suffering Love of the Son, Dynamic Love of the Spirit. The reception was an open air coffee house, complete with an open coffee bar and jazz trio. It was such a special day.<br />
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We thought the beginning was easy. We did not experience the hard first year of marriage so many talk about. We even bragged about how easy we were together. Jon was in school for the first few years and worked at 'the wood shop' when he could. I waitressed and eventually got more in to working with people with disabilities to support us. We had fun. We had great friends and we loved to host parties. </div>
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Just before our 4 year anniversary, our lives started to change. We were forced to really become aware of what our issues where. Our marriage had been easy up to that point only because Jon never let his real feelings be known and I walked all over him. I don't think it is much of a secret that I can be dominating and Jon can be passive. We are both overly stubborn. Resentment built in Jon and I was oblivious. Around the same time we had a lot of external influences push us down a different path. I was pregnant with our first child. Jon began experiencing deep and clinical depression which ended in him dropping out of his Master's program. Jon's dad died suddenly and unexpectedly. Livi was born a month, to the day, later. Jon continued experiencing mental health issues that manifested in different ways. My sister cut herself off from the family to be with an abusive boyfriend. I also, illegally, lost a job I loved but had no energy to fight for by that point in my life.<br />
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Livi was the one good thing in our lives in that time. I'm sure if it wasn't for her we would not be here together now. She is not the reason we are <i>still</i> together but she did help us not give up in the moment, which would have been easy. She gave me the motivation to change myself and something to focus on other than my frustration with Jon. She was a beacon and distraction for Jon too. We were as close to a divorce as I ever want to be. I had a plan to leave one day if our talk that evening before didn't go well. It did go well... as well as it could have I guess. We committed to and started some individual and couples therapy. We fought hard for ourselves and our life together. Over the next few months we worked hard, separately and together. Six months later we were a different, stronger, healthier and more respectful couple.<br />
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In the 5 years since our 'year from hell' we have continued to grow and shape our future. We became a real little family and our priorities evolved. Jon changed career paths and has been quickly advancing up the ranks of his new fulfilling career choice. When Livi was 18 months old we started our journey to adopt Sofie who came home in 2011. We moved twice and at the end of 2012 our precious Evelyn showed up! I'm a stay at home mom currently, taking care of my kids and playing domestic goddess and chauffeur. Jon works hard at supporting us and spending as much time with us four girls as he can! We are happy and content. It's a pretty good thing we've got going on here!<br />
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I asked Jon if he had any words of wisdom or for something he's learned over the ten years we've been together. He chose to be a dork and quote a Rolling Stones song, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need." Truth, but not what I was looking for. </div>
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I'll share some of my thoughts or wisdom instead...</div>
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1. <b>Understand and respect each others communication style and ALWAYS communicate!</b> </div>
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I know it's a little cliche but it is so true. You don't know what the other person is thinking, so ask. If you are the one who is asked, be honest! Initiate conversation!</div>
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Jon and I have opposite communication styles, and it took a while to figure each other out. He is passive and will let himself suffer to avoid conflict, where I will hit conflict head on and not back down. I also talk things in circles. We have learned to understand how each other "fight" and respect it. We negotiated a few rules, like me not bringing things up right before bed and Jon giving me a five minute warning for when he is needing the discussion to be over or tabled. Jon puts extra effort into initiating difficult conversations and apologies, as well as patiently listening to me talk it <i>all</i> out. </div>
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2. <b>Divorce is always an option, which makes you free to choose your marriage. </b></div>
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This was a big one for Jon. It sounds backwards to many who have been told to take the word "divorce" out of their vocabulary. I was raised by a single mom so divorce was a very real option in my mind but Jon felt trapped by that way of thinking. If there is no out when you are unhappy wouldn't that just breed resentment, contempt, fear and depression? To think that divorce is not an option in this day and age is just naive. If you have an out then you become aware that marriage is a choice. You can choose to stay and work on it or you could get divorced! It was a very freeing idea for Jon.</div>
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3. <b>Know what makes each other feel connected and practice that for each other. </b></div>
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I feel more connected to Jon when he puts effort in to making me and my efforts feel noticed. If he offers to wash the floors for me (a job I hate) or if her initiates and plans spending some quality time with me, I feel more connected to him. He would say he feels more connected to me when we have sex, which not an uncommon connection point for most men. When I feel more connected to him, we have more sex, which lends to more quality time and help around the house. It is circular :) </div>
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It's been a wild ride! 10 years ago, I didn't have a clear idea of what I thought my life would look like today, but I'm so grateful it has turned out the way it did. I am blessed to have a husband who is so on the same page as I am in our goal setting, finances, sex, life choices, and parenting. He has been willing to put up with so much of my baggage and pay for many of the sins of my father. I'm so thankful that we chose each other ten years ago and continue to choose each other today. </div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-56312277453801768262014-08-01T14:07:00.000-07:002014-08-01T14:07:33.841-07:003 years HOME!A girlfriend of mine once asked me if Sofie was what I had expected when we committed to adopting her. This got me really thinking...<br />
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<i>What were my expectations? </i><br />
<i>What are they now? </i><br />
<i>How or why have they changed? </i><br />
<i>How have I changed?</i><br />
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As I have said before, we went in to this adoption with our eyes wide open. As open as they could be anyway. We did not have the expectation of bringing home a typical child. We had no feelings of loss of an expected future we had hoped for her. We have high hopes for her future, especially considering what her future looked like before coming home, but they are hopes, not expectations.<br />
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We did our best to prepare by checking out resources, talking through parenting strategies for her possible needs, and informing those around us how the first few months might look. I would say we were more prepared than most.<br />
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I know of families who have gotten caught up in the excitement of adoption. It is hard not to see the innocent face of a starving child and not want to do everything in your power to help him. But there is a reality that needs to be understood when caring for an institutionalized child. I have seen parents bring these precious children home and not know how to handle the stim-rocking and flapping, the crying, the self-abuse, the drool, the stink, the food issues, the delays, the poop smears, the throw-up, the screaming, the hitting, the wild eyes and the mountains of other behaviours, not to mention the hurdles that come with any diagnosis that might accompany. That's not even mentioning all the paperwork!<br />
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We knew what caring for a person with Down Syndrome entailed. We knew that blindly adopting a child could bring challenges that might be a surprise to us. We expected therapies, health concerns, prejudices, laughter, hugs, tears, patience, behaviours, and love. We knew it would be hard but worth it.<br />
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Honestly the only concrete expectation I had was to bring home a hurt little girl who we would <i>love to life</i>. Essentially, that is what we got and what happened. Three years ago Sofie arrived to us as most children from institutions do. She was twig thin. Her eyes where sunken in her head with large dark circles under them. Her skin was pale and transparent. She thirsted for stimulation but didn't know how to play with a toy besides throw it. She had an open sore rash on her bum from not being changed for hours. She wanted food but screamed through the process of eating because it hurt her and there was a lot of trauma from the way she was force fed in the orphanage. She stank, so badly, from no dental care and her stomach eating itself. She seemed so fragile and still. Like she was stuck in a shell or seed and had to break free and come back to life.<br />
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In the orphanage, first day we met her.</div>
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One month home</div>
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I did expect more health problems. Sofie is basically completely healthy. She has no heart defects, even though we were told she did from Bulgaria. She doesn't get chronically sick through the winter. I know some kids with DS who basically go in to quarantine in the winter months. She has had one set of tubes in her ears but they are out now and so far doesn't need new ones! She has no cavities. If she ever does need dental work it will likely mean dental surgery but that's not really a health issue. She needed glasses for a while but with age her eyes have gotten stronger and she doesn't need them anymore! She is tiny for her age still, even by Down Syndrome standards, about 25th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height. We don't know how tall her birth parents where though, so there may be a genetic factor in her lack of growth. She was also a baby who didn't thrive for 3.5 years, and neglected babies frequently never fully reach their height potential. We have been so blessed with Sofie's health. It's been amazing to see how quickly proper nutrition can help a child.<br />
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One year home</div>
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What are my expectations now? I try not to have many concrete expectations for Sofie much beyond what she is capable of doing at the moment. It is reasonable for me to expect my other two girls to learn to talk clearly, hold jobs, live independently and be financially self-sustained. These may not be reasonable expectations to put on Sofie. Only time will tell. I hope for all these things for Sofie but I'm not sure that I expect them the same way I do for my other two. We work hard with Sofie to help her to grow and meet her full potential. She will surprise and astound us with her abilities, I'm sure. I'm just not sure they will be the same abilities as her peers... Something I should keep in mind for all my girls actually! </div>
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Two years home</div>
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I don't think my expectations have really changed because there was so much unknown when she came home to us. I couldn't have had expectations if I wanted to. It would have been very unrealistic of me. I have a more concrete understanding of what her needs and potential abilities are now, which have led to more realistic dreams for her, but not expectations. I have hopes and dreams for her, like I do for all my girls. Yes, hers are a little more painted in unknowns and potential adjustments but they are still there.<br />
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<i>I hope she will be able to speak clearly enough that everyone can understand her. </i><br />
<i>I hope she learns to read and write.</i><br />
<i>I hope she grows out of most of her behavioural issues. </i><br />
<i>I hope she will be able independently do all her own personal care. </i><br />
<i>I hope she has good friends. </i><br />
<i>I hope she finds a hobby that she loves and can fully participate in with her typical peers. </i><br />
<i>I hope she goes to her prom and dances the night away. </i><br />
<i>I hope she gets to do some kind of post secondary education. </i><br />
<i>I hope she can live independently. </i><br />
<i>I hope she knows love from people other than just her family. </i><br />
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She may not do or get all these things. She may get to experience them all but it may look a little different then it will look for her peers. She may learn to write but spell really poorly. She may go to her prom but need a support person to go with her. She may live independently with supports coming into her home a few times a day to assist her and check on things.<br />
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I think I've changed a lot in these last three years parenting Sofie. I would never have described myself as a patient person but I have been told that I am numerous times lately. I think outside of the box more. I'm so much more aware how fast paced and stimulating our world is. I live in the moment more. I don't worry about my kids being well behaved as much as I used to and don't get as wrapped up in the mommy competition as I used too. I feel more aware of my limitations as a person and a mother. I don't think I am always the best thing for Sofie but I am able to ask for help better. I have given up always trying to plan everything and be in control, though I still have a lot of work to do here. Mostly, I think I appreciate the little things in life more. Sofie finds joy in such simple things that I take for granted and loves life with her whole being. It is inspiring. She <i>is</i> joy through her whole body.<br />
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Three years have past. Sofie was born to be part of our family. She has come such a long way. While I am excited for her to meet some of her next milestones, like being potty trained and starting to read, how far she has come is never lost of me. It's been a wild, incredible, joyous and hard three years!<br />
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I am so blessed.</div>
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Happiest 3 Years Monkey!</div>
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<i>August 1, 2011 - met her for the first time</i></div>
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<i>August 4, 2011 - took her out of the orphanage forever! Gotchya Day!</i></div>
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<i>August 14, 2011 - Arrived home in Canada to sleep in our own beds as a family!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppvkCU_ZIuA7OILueVjpgHMZUPM8Q0Ave_tnzErorIIEoyi4IdvdgPSbHnSi1xP3vlGPbdVhwEZJpHpoq0vfdtz1tYyTN5-iEI_1XSX07Z929yeCaIVbWeZN-PWYv3Pa8Zf5NIkD7SQg/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppvkCU_ZIuA7OILueVjpgHMZUPM8Q0Ave_tnzErorIIEoyi4IdvdgPSbHnSi1xP3vlGPbdVhwEZJpHpoq0vfdtz1tYyTN5-iEI_1XSX07Z929yeCaIVbWeZN-PWYv3Pa8Zf5NIkD7SQg/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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Three years home</div>
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<b><i>Sofie's stats after 3 years home:</i></b><br />
She is over 38 inches tall and weighs 36lbs.<br />
She can feed herself but it's messy and sometimes she just likes us to help her.<br />
She loves to boss her baby sister around.<br />
She adores her big sister.<br />
If she had her way, she would always be in a dress or skirt.<br />
She likes to play with baby dolls, dress up and hair accessories.<br />
She can identify some feelings, items, book characters, and a few colours occasionally.<br />
She can get dressed almost by herself. She just can't fix a problem like both legs in one hole.<br />
She clears the table after eating and helps pick up toys.<br />
She still throws, hits and pushes way too much, but it is moving in the right direction.<br />
She is a Daddy's girl. They connect on a deeper level.<br />
She can verbally say the alphabet and identify about half the letters.<br />
She LOVES music and dancing. It is her passion.<br />
She has probably close to 300 words that she either says, signs or understands.<br />
She likes to go out in the car, anywhere, especially if it is just her without sisters :)<br />
Most of her BM's make it to the toilet now!<br />
She loves the trampoline, and doing anything in water that isn't too cold.<br />
She is quite independent and social, but very attached to Mommy and Daddy and those in her circle.<br />
She likes to read books and colour.<br />
She comes up randomly to us to give us a kiss and a hug and tell us she loves us.<br />
She loves cuddles, eating popcorn and watching movies.<br />
She is very bossy.<br />
She is happy, and joy, and fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAxrI69kOdg0tP46YRVcrOsr8lqyhKuGvYKOy09_XGPE72S1rfUYhqcr271GnJmFVG8L1-MBW50doSGKOSPILfR3aIJjZahvQPom6L1C10csnXMISyN2x_HEjqWGb9up-UTQVV0eFNxI/s1600/DSC_0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAxrI69kOdg0tP46YRVcrOsr8lqyhKuGvYKOy09_XGPE72S1rfUYhqcr271GnJmFVG8L1-MBW50doSGKOSPILfR3aIJjZahvQPom6L1C10csnXMISyN2x_HEjqWGb9up-UTQVV0eFNxI/s1600/DSC_0023.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWrDTRia2ppCxT8XyJ_pR0Ne-TThybJmimNUNk40VLU56rsP5FAEzH5wm1_KTmSNKYC04OxOT73g-047YD-QBxZiAErFlIsDDXXgvDHLcnpF1E-o6gUVcsl-FM0jDUFqJevo5c2AayzQ/s1600/DSC_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWrDTRia2ppCxT8XyJ_pR0Ne-TThybJmimNUNk40VLU56rsP5FAEzH5wm1_KTmSNKYC04OxOT73g-047YD-QBxZiAErFlIsDDXXgvDHLcnpF1E-o6gUVcsl-FM0jDUFqJevo5c2AayzQ/s1600/DSC_0028.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-615460630505440272014-07-20T11:40:00.003-07:002014-07-20T11:40:54.089-07:00Through the Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We've gone camping at the property in Summerland every year since we've been married in 2004. Jon has gone every year since he was born and I think his mom has gone almost every year since she was a kid too! The pictures I took started in 2007 though. SO many happy memories.</div>
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I thought this was a quick and fun little time line of pics to share :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQHJ9SJq59EaLdur99NGE8joaLWb8DNT1addlXirli7W56FP1DM9zXBiFuGqI8QmRdQShAl66PBXtlEuZ6ro4VdgYkrUArxppA24ghDnjALMqLiO6xtD0h3kOd-xdcFBRxBmN1-ZjIYY/s1600/01320010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQHJ9SJq59EaLdur99NGE8joaLWb8DNT1addlXirli7W56FP1DM9zXBiFuGqI8QmRdQShAl66PBXtlEuZ6ro4VdgYkrUArxppA24ghDnjALMqLiO6xtD0h3kOd-xdcFBRxBmN1-ZjIYY/s1600/01320010.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>July 2007</i> </b></div>
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We were there with his parents then went back in August with our 4 best friends!</div>
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<i><b>July 2008</b></i> we went camping just for the weekend because I was 8 months pregnant! We slept on a mattress in the back of a minivan. No picture though. It was also the year that Dad died at the property from a massive heart attack, three weeks after we were there. The property was his place of peace. I remember him being so jovial and relaxed when he was there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgsaQB2RAL_zBvn1upKJ7VeSP_FQFqp7loav7Zs3Qwuu7G0STAEFdpBSOQrQVgOLHeDZkPSr200mqCRoFPL8-aMVeI7J2L90I4TWCq9RYiHq7rk-UADPpmOKubfDvklCVuoNYO_PBkn8/s1600/DSC_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgsaQB2RAL_zBvn1upKJ7VeSP_FQFqp7loav7Zs3Qwuu7G0STAEFdpBSOQrQVgOLHeDZkPSr200mqCRoFPL8-aMVeI7J2L90I4TWCq9RYiHq7rk-UADPpmOKubfDvklCVuoNYO_PBkn8/s1600/DSC_0367.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>August 2009</b></i> </div>
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We didn't camp that year because Livi was just 1 and it was the first time back since Dad had died there. We stayed in a hotel in Penticton but spent a day there. It was a quiet and healing trip. I felt like I was introducing Livi to her Grampa. </div>
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<i><b>August 2010</b></i></div>
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We had spent a few cold nights there with the BK's!</div>
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<b><i>June 2011</i></b> </div>
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We got word, while at the property, that we were legally a family of 4 and would get to pick up Sofie in a few weeks! This is our first family picture as a family of 4!</div>
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<i><b>July 2012</b></i></div>
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Sofie's first time camping! Lisa and Tony came with us this time!</div>
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<i><b>July 2013</b></i></div>
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Since Evelyn was only 6 months old we thought it best to do the hotel thing again! Spent the day at the property though with Jon's Mom!</div>
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<i><b>July 2014</b></i></div>
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First time camping with all three littles! The BK's came with us this year again!</div>
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SO. MUCH. FUN.</div>
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Can't wait for next year!</div>
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-57983161365775893202014-07-11T23:03:00.001-07:002014-07-12T07:58:20.866-07:00Summerland 2014!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summerland 2014!</span></b> </div>
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Seriously, so much fun! Children got dirty. We ate junk food. The kids played hard and stayed up late. Memories were made. Children where in their element!</div>
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We invited these guys this year... Mostly because they are awesome, and partly because an extra set of adults and playmates for each of the kids was really appealing for our first camping trip as a family of 5! We've known each other since college, nearly 14 years! That makes us sound really old. The husbands were roommates. We got married 8 months apart, had our first babies 3 months apart, our seconds 8 months apart and our babies 2 months apart. It's kind of awesome having friends you've known for so long, who you've walked through so many milestones together, and who has similar and complimentary challenging views on things like parenting, religion, and life in general.<br />
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Jude and Livi play so well together. </div>
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It is such a privilege to watch them. They are amazing. </div>
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Evie is not the biggest fan of getting dirty but she enjoyed camping too! </div>
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Outside is her happy place and she was outside and happy!</div>
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One hot afternoon we went to Summerland Sweets to cool off with some ice-cream! Sofie, who rarely gets sugar<i> really</i> enjoyed that :)</div>
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Along with Down Syndrome usually goes a certain amount of a Sensory Processing Disorder. Out in the elements, with no walls, wind on our bodies and in our ears, grass noises and birds and insects and boats all buzzing around makes me a little crazy sometimes. I can't imagine what Sofie's little body and brain were going through. She did so good though! I was amazed by how hard she was trying and able to self regulate. Falling asleep was really difficult for her, since it was hot, still bright out and the wind on the tent was moving everything. During the first two days she did amazing. She started losing it on the third day. Her eyes got permanently big and darting while her body stayed still.... like she was folding in on herself. She started whining a lot more too. The third night she was up until 11:30pm, so we decided not to stay a fourth night. She made it to our goal though and we didn't have to come home early so I'm counting the trip as super successful!</div>
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Bundled up from the wind while everyone else was in swimsuits. </div>
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Daddy's girl!<br />
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Livi adored everything about camping, except getting hurt. She got a few scrapes and bruises :) She is a water baby. She was in the lake as much as we'd let her and swam from the point to the dock by herself! (with a floaty... though she probably didn't need it!)</div>
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Her favourite thing about camping was the s'mores. On the last morning, we let the kids have s'mores for breakfast!... because we are awesome parents who make adult choices :)</div>
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All 6 kids together! Love them all!</div>
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I love these babies. Evelyn is actually the younger of the two.</div>
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They are growing up too fast!</div>
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Childhood unplugged.</div>
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(I secretly hope, just a little, that these two get married someday </div>
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and I get to show all these pictures at their wedding!)</div>
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These two are a little bit of forced friends for now but they </div>
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are both developmentally 2-3ish and still learning. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The crazy parents who survived 4 days camping with 6 littles under 6! And this is real camping, by the way. In a tent. No running water. No electricity. None of this posh living for us!</span><br />
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An incredibly lovely and successful camping trip done!</div>
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This spot in Summerland is our happy place. </div>
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I can't wait for next year!</div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-15999026780917600032014-07-10T14:57:00.001-07:002014-07-11T08:17:59.258-07:0018 Months OldMy dearest Evelyn is 18 months old. That seems so big too me! Her baby year just flew by and now she is almost 2!<br />
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Oh how I am going to miss these baby years of my life. They are almost done. That is both exciting and devastating. My last baby almost isn't a baby. More sleep but no more sweet baby smells.<br />
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Evelyn has such a little personality and fits her role as the baby of the family well. I say that a bit facetiously... she fits the baby sister who cries to Mamma a lot role well. But, I also say that with pride... She lives for her big sisters. They delight her and she wants to play with them always. Her sisters <i>adore</i> her. They must kiss her goodnight every night, love teaching her things, bossing her around and sharing things with her. I love seeing how much Evelyn looks up to both of her sisters.<br />
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Evie has not been the easiest toddler to parent so far but she makes me so happy. She is very attached to me and likes to play it close and safe most of the time. This proves very difficult to deal with when I'm cooking or cleaning or needing to go out. She does not have many words yet, though they are coming, and her frustration comes out as a shrill squeak or cry. Not the best noise I've ever heard. She has to compete for attention with two older siblings and some how the whining works for her. We are working on it though and as her words have been coming, the whines are lessening.<br />
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She is such a different kid than Livi and Sofie. It's so amazing to me how different they all are. Evie is friendly but shy. She has NO FEAR when it comes to climbing things. She climbs up and down from the trampoline by herself, up on to the chairs and counter, walks stairs like a big kid with holding on to the rail, and she climbs up her sister's bunk bed that just has the straight up and down ladder. Her gross motor and fine motor skills are way more advanced at this age than Livi was but she doesn't talk. Livi was saying full sentences. Evelyn's language is coming. She understands everything we say and can follow simple instructions. She is starting to say a few two syllable words now too, like "okay," "thank-you" and "soother" which comes out 'soo soo.'<br />
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She weighs 27 lbs and seems really tall to me. She is loosing a lot of her baby chub which I am going to miss dearly. I can still get a good squish of ticklish thigh though. She has all her teeth except her two year molars... those are coming.<br />
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Her favourite toys are balls, mega blocks, putting things in and out of bowls, her water table, and baby dolls. She adores the outside. She is at peace out there. Even as an infant, when she was upset, I would step on the patio with her and she'd calm down. She hates it when Mommy leaves and doesn't like not getting her way :) Who does?! She is a pretty good eater. She LOVES fruit and would eat it all day, every day if I let her. Not the biggest fan of meat though. I guess that makes her vegetarian Marmee happy! </div>
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I'm so thankful for this bundle of joy. She is a little smarty pants and I can't wait to see where the rest of her toddler years take her. I love watching her learn and explore. She is growing up and I get the privilege of being her Mommy!</div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-51530212019450514192014-06-14T15:00:00.000-07:002014-06-14T19:37:58.880-07:00Quick TakesI suck at blogging lately. I'm just too busy. So I'm going to put a glimpse of my life in to point form...<br />
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- The girls are off on their summer vacation two weeks early. There is a teacher strike in the province where we live and it is a big mess. The end of this year is a write off. I'm just praying that it is resolved before September.<br />
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- We were so happy with the girls Kindergarten years! They were both so successful! Their teachers were so wonderful!<br />
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- Despite Sports day being cancelled because of the strike the kindergarten teachers put on a fun day for the kids! They loved it :)<br />
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- We have some awesome summer plans that I'm excited about! Camping for a week, going to Alberta to visit friends and Drumheller (the Dinosaur museum)! It will be a lot of work but worth it all!<br />
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- Evie is finally starting to talk more! She is almost 18 months old and has close to 10 solid words but is trying to talk so much more too! A big part of helping her speech along is the music class we had her in. It was the same one that helped Sofie. Evie was very shy in class but at the end of the 10 weeks she did start venturing out more. We did see the benefits at home though!<br />
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- Sofie is having some behaviours but I'm hoping it is just the excitement and uncertainty about the end of school.<br />
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- We had a very sick, germ, anti-biotic filled winter and spring. There was a lot of puke. Livi had a terrible flu. Evie has had tonsillitis a few times too. I'm hoping we are over it and never have a year like that again! If Evie gets tonsillitis again we will be getting a referral to an ENT.<br />
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- We've done some yard work this spring and took three huge trees down on our property. It was a lot of work to get things back to a usable condition! Loving our back yard again though!<br />
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- Jon was asked, or almost begged, to come work in another region as a supervisor. He is only there temporarily but it is a nice little ego boost and great experience. The negative affect though is he is gone before the girls get up in the morning and not home until just before Evelyn goes to bed. The girls and I are starting to really miss him!<br />
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- Livi had her final preschool swim lessons and passed with flying colours! Sofie also had some private swim lessons and loved them! She is way more independent in the water now too! SO proud of my girls!<br />
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- Evie LOVES the outside and this nicer weather. She is outside as much as possible and is really enjoying the water table we got her for the deck.<br />
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- Jon and I got to have a night away at a nice hotel. It was heaven. We got to do some much needed reconnecting and it was magical :)<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-85317135692711973632014-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:002014-05-24T21:30:16.206-07:00Sofie is 6!?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is so late. Birthday blogs are so important to me, to give to my girls, and this is almost a month late. Sorry future Sofie. This time of my life is so busy. I am assured it will get easier eventually!</div>
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Here is your 6th Birthday Post!!!</div>
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I can't even wrap my mind around how she is already 6.<br />
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6 seems like a big one to me. I'm actually having a hard time with it. 6 is a big kid!<br />
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<i>First morning picture, complete with whining.</i></div>
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I'm so proud of my 6 year old and amazed by what she accomplishes every day... well at least most days ;)<br />
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She is a spit fire of a kid and keeps us on our toes. She loves to laugh and keep us smiling with her often. She has such joy that just emanates out of her. She adores music and dances every single day, probably every single hour. Her favourite thing in the world right now is Frozen. She knows all the words to the movie, the soundtrack and sings it all loudly and proudly. She asks for "Elsa show" and signs for music or show every day after school. Some days it's cuter than others ;)<br />
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Sofie's skills and abilities are at an all time high! She is saying so many words now and tells us many stories... though I can still only pick out a few words from her long monologues. She understands most of what I say to her (receptive communication) but is still working on getting her point across with her verbal communication. She can do three word sentences now but uses two words mostly. She can put her jacket and rain boots on by herself. She is getting better at putting her shirts and pants on solo too. She knows about half of her letter and can count to 6 reliably. She also can spell her name verbally! She is also learning her colours. Purple is her favourite!<br />
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Sofie is my cuddle bug. She always wants us to sit with her or "sleep" with her. She plays with our hair and pets our face. I love how she tries to copy the way I squish my nose when I smile. She is so purposeful about it and makes sure I notice. I also love her eye lash and eskimo kisses she gives me when I cuddle with her before bed.<br />
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She loves baby dolls and the 'idea' of her little sister. They can be best friends and worst enemies. Sofie has actually been amazing putting up with Evelyn's antagonizing. Sofie does her fair share of instigating too. Developmentally they are closer to each other now than Livi and Sofie are. I love seeing them together though. All three of them are truly each others best friends. Tonight Sofie was learning how to play hide and seek with Livi. She LOVED it and Evie chased behind them giggling. </div>
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Sofie got three birthday celebrations this year. On the day we gave her the bean bag chair from Jon and I. She loved it. On the following Friday Jon's sister and brother in law came for a visit from the Island with Gramma, so we had cake then. She was so perfect with the cake...<br />
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"down"</div>
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"YAY!"</div>
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Then on the next Monday we had a big whole class birthday party. I was a little nervous about this. When we decided to invite the whole class I was scared either no one would come or everyone would come. Well everyone came... 19 out of 25 anyway! It worked out well. Lots of chaos but lots of joy. Sofie LOVED the attention. Elsa made an appearance. Sofie was a little afraid of her at first :)</div>
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We hired a friend to come and do a music class and the kids had a blast. They kept talking about how fun the music and dancing was :) The party finished a little faster than I had planned. The kids whipped through all the planned activities faster than I had thought so they kind of wrecked my house for the last half hour. I'll have to remember that for any future parties that we have! </div>
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My sister made the cake of course. Gorgeous. </div>
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Sofie was in heaven with all the attention. She handled the chaos amazingly and didn't try to rock until 15 minutes before the party ended! All her classmates were so beautiful with her. They truly treated her as a peer and loved helping her open each of their presents. It was kind of amazing to watch. </div>
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Happy Birthday my angel! You are such a light in our family and I can't imagine any of us with out you. We love you!</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-70931205344753061152014-04-21T13:47:00.001-07:002014-04-21T20:08:45.567-07:00Are People Good or Bad? An Easter Crisis.I'm having a bit of a parenting crisis. I had my kids come home from sunday school a few weeks ago and tell me they learned Jesus died on for their sins. Now this may not be as upsetting to some people as it has been to me this Easter week.<br />
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First, let me explain some of the theology that is leading to this...<br />
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At my core, I believe <i>God is LOVE</i>. With that and because of that, I believe the WE are<i> good</i> people but choose to do bad things... NOT that we are bad people who do good things. This goes against what a lot of churches teach. It goes against their total depravity doctrine where because of the Fall of Adam in the garden we are so enslaved by sin we can't choose anything but evil. The Evangelical church, the church I grew up in and have the most experience with, teaches that Jesus came and paid the price for our depravity and countless sins making it possible for us to go to Heaven and be with Him.<br />
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In that teaching, <i>who</i> is Jesus paying that price too and <i>why</i>? Evangelicalism usually says that Jesus is standing in the middle between God's punishment, or "justice" for our sin, and us. This model makes God out to be some horrific, blood-thirsty monster, in my opinion. All of humanity has angered Him so much by screwing up and not choosing Him in the garden, that He decided we all must die and forever be separated from our creator, our mother. He essentially has banished His children. I have a really hard time with this theology. I flat out believe it is damaging to all that I hold dear. God isn't very loving in this model, which doesn't add up to other teachings of the Church.<br />
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An argument I've heard to support this idea of "justice" from God, the justice that demands satisfaction for our sins, is that we don't understand His justice or that I am misunderstanding things. I think that's a bit of a cop out answer. In the Early Church justice was not about punishment as we, in our Western thinking, understand it now. Justice meant <i>restoration</i>. Judgement is a part of the depraved system we chose, not a characteristic of God. Remember, God is love.<br />
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I believe in an atonement theology called Christus Victor where Jesus is victorious <i>over</i> death. He enters in to the system of death, judgement and separation that <i>we</i> have chosen and conquers it for us, so that our relationship with God can be restored. It is an act of love. God is not subject to and did not create the system of death that demands judgement and satisfaction. We are the ones who chose it. God is still just, in a restorative understanding, but is not judgmental in a punishing sense. It is all about restoration. We chose the system of separation, judgement and sin, not God. The issue is not saving us from our sins, but saving us from death and separation from God. Sin is just a by product of that system. Jesus enters and beats death so that we can have our relationship<i> restored</i> with Him.<br />
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Jesus shows us that judgement perpetuates the depraved system. He puts an end to that judgement. St. Maximus says "the death of Christ on the cross is a judgement of judgment." It is a <i>pure act of love</i>, in the absolute purest form, from Jesus <i>and</i> God. It is not a payment to an angry God.<br />
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I asked my husband for a modern, cultural example that might help this idea make more sense and he gave me <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455275/">Prison Break</a>. I haven't seen the show but my understanding of it is that one brother is sent to prison and put on death row while the other brother gets himself trapped in the same prison so that he can set them both free, from the inside out. In Evangelical theology, the second brother, or Jesus would have taken the consequences for us to satisfying the judge, or God, and sit in prison to be put to death. With Christus Victor theology the second brother enters in to the jail, or system that humanity has chosen, and sets us free, from within our own system.<br />
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Obviously, this is a simple explanation. This is a deep and complex idea. But I think it makes more sense. I think the penal substitution idea, that is currently preached from most Evangelical churches, is also deep and complex but people just tend to accept it with out worrying about the repercussions or how it fits in to the other parts of their own theology.<br />
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I've been going to an Evangelical church with my children for over a year now, after some years of not attending anywhere. I believe there is so much value in church, in a community of faith and in having a place to develop our spiritual selves. We live in a Christian culture and even without a faith I believe it is valuable to have a certain understanding and knowledge of the Bible stories and Christianity.<br />
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Here is where my struggle lies... Livi came home last week with a sunday school paper teaching about how Jesus <i>paid the price</i> for our sins. This Easter Sunday she was again told that we are sinners and Jesus died for our sins. This way of thinking leads us to believe we are bad people, incapable of good. Well, I don't believe we are bad people. I can't. I see so much good in people, in my children. If my kids are raised in a church where they are taught they are bad people from birth and at their core what is that going to do for their mental health?<br />
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I've asked a few people this week what they believed about themselves growing up in the church and each one answered that they believed they were terrible people. I grew up with a similar teaching and understanding, but it never really sat well with me. It wasn't until my adult years that I was able to learn for myself, felt safe and confident enough to ask the hard questions and come to a better understanding.<br />
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Now, I'm left with wondering how do we deal with these issues for my children. I knew a crossroads like this would eventually come. I just didn't think it would come this early. I thought I had another few years of happy Sunday school, Bible stories before theology started impacting their lives too much. I need to protect my girls from the damaging idea that God hates them for sinning and Jesus had to pay God off. We would never ask anyone to accept a relationship where one person wanted to punish them and a third party had to intervene and take that punishment for us, in order for us to be in relationship with the first person. That's ludicrous!<br />
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<i>Where does that leave us on the church front though? </i><br />
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Do I continue taking them to church and hope to be able to counter all the damaging lessons that come out of it? Do I<i> hope</i> that more good comes from it that bad?<br />
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or<br />
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Do I stop taking them to church and hope Jon and I do a good enough job in helping them develop their own faith and biblical understandings with out that community?<br />
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I don't know what the answer is. I don't know if there is a church out there that has the community I'm looking for and teaches good, loving, accepting theology. I'm tired of searching. Why should we have to settle? Where do we go from here?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-75377615164158721282014-03-18T12:29:00.002-07:002014-03-18T12:29:16.138-07:00Enough Already!Since my last post where I took the girls to the clinic we have all seen our family doctor twice, had chest x-ray's for Livi and Evelyn, and taken Livi to the ER twice. The second ER visit was not out of necessity. We only have one clinic in our area that is open minimal hours. It was just as easy to go to the ER a second time as it was to wait in a clinic.<br />
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Livi and Evie got diagnosed with bronchitis and Sofie with laryngitis at our first GP appointment. Sofie started improving right away. Livi and Evie didn't. I had requisitions for chest x-rays to look for pneumonia. Getting an x-ray of a baby is barbaric! It was so hard for me to watch Evie in their contraption to keep her still. I took them back to the GP on Thursday for the results. He said they probably had allergies and the chest x-ray confirmed asthma. This diagnosis didn't sit well with me...<br />
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Why would Evie and Livi still be throwing such high fevers a few times a day if it where just allergies?<br />
Allergies and asthma didn't explain their lethargy unless there was an oxygen saturation issue.<br />
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Friday Evie was a mess. Her eyes were red and swallowed in drippy tears. And the snot... oh the snot. So gross. In the afternoon, she had a short nap then woke up for 15 minutes and fell asleep in my arms again... That NEVER happens. I was officially concerned but still trying to tell myself it was allergies, even though it was raining and should have improved that day.<br />
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Saturday, Livi woke up at 8:30am and was asleep on the couch just after 9. We moved her to our bed where she slept until after 12. She woke up and then fell asleep on the couch again right away. I was freaking out by now. We were coming on week 3 of these unpredictable days. Was it going to be a good day or a bad day? Thoughts of rare diseases and cancers came pouring in to my head. I took her to the ER again.<br />
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They did tests. Urine, blood and a swab. The diagnosis? A particularly bad strain of the flu, probably H1N1. It all made sense. Even though it means we can't do anything to help them because it's viral, it is an answer that makes sense. I had H1N1 a few years ago which is probably why I'm not sick now. Sofie has a crazy good immune system from her time in the orphanage and may have even had this strain of flu before too. Jon had the vaccine and Evie had half the vaccine a few months ago but I never took her for the second booster, which may be why she is sick but not as bad as Livi. Livi and Sofie and I did not get the vaccine this year. We will be rethinking that for next year though. Livi has asthma which is known to complicate the flu and especially H1N1.<br />
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Evie and Livi are on the mend. Evie is doing much better than Livi still. She still has a runny nose and is sleeping a lot more, two 2.5hr naps yesterday and 12-13 hours at night! But otherwise she is acting much more like herself. Livi is still having bouts of fever, weakness and crying. Her nose is still running and she has a nasty cough, but it is less than a week ago. She woke up yesterday screaming in pain because of an ear ache, which led to another trip to the ER since it was 5 am. They sent me home with a prescription for her but advised to hold off as long as possible since it is probably still just viral. Instead I am pumping her full of Tylenol and Advil.<br />
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I don't think they are contagious anymore but I do still fell like my house needs a deep clean. We will get there. It may be slow. This is not how I hoped we would be spending their spring break but thankfully they don't know much different. I bought them Frozen today and they are busy enjoying that with popcorn right now. Hopefully I can take them on a playdate and maybe bowling later this week. We are on the mend!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-1796268259416096832014-03-11T21:18:00.001-07:002014-03-11T21:40:27.252-07:00My Week. Sick Kids.My kids are sick. They are needy sick. They are gross and snotty and crying sick. They are lay on the couch crying, not eating and not be happy with anything sick. ALL THREE OF THEM. Except that Evelyn won't lay on the couch. She demands to be in my arms... but isn't really happy there. It's been 2 weeks like this!!! I'm going insane! My heart is breaking for them. Actually it seems like it's been three months. The winter from hell with numerous stomach flus, puke, snot and illnesses started in December!<br />
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The first week really wasn't bad. Just some runny noses. Nothing to really complain about. Wednesday, I picked Livi up from school with a cough. She and Evie had been coughing previously, but just at night. I decided to drive by the clinic, just to check on the line. Surprisingly, it just opened 15 minutes later. We were third in line. The doctor checked them all out. Sofie had a stuffy nose by this point and the other two had a cough as well. They did surprisingly well in the doctors office. Going anywhere with three is always scary, but a public clinic, with sick people, germs, small spaces and things to get in too is terrifying...<br />
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The Doc said they were all still viral, but that Livi had probably picked up a second virus on top of the first. Then the weekend came.<br />
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Livi got worse. Sofie got worse. Evie scared us with her wheeze. They are so miserable and it is ripping my heart apart! We thankfully got in to see our family doctor on Monday morning. I love our GP. He is so thorough, covers all the bases and listens too us. He even caringly answered Livi question about why he wears a turban.<br />
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Bronchitis and laryngitis for the lot of them. At least they have meds and that hopefully means they will get better... one day. It's been two days of meds now and they are still miserable. Praying they wake up much better tomorrow. Livi wants to go back to school so badly. I want her to get back before spring break too! They have been off for a week already. Then they are off all next week for Spring break! We are all going to be so sick of each other.<br />
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They need to get healthy. I need to stay healthy and sane. (My sanity is on the brink.) My house needs to be disinfected, but I can't do it with sick kids around!!!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-70582734796012241032014-02-24T21:27:00.004-08:002014-02-24T21:27:48.195-08:00Snow Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We don't get much snow here in the Fraser Valley. When we do, the area usually comes to a screeching halt. No one knows how to drive and everyone is worried about the weather. </div>
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We had our first, and probably last, real snow fall yesterday and today. I took the girls out yesterday morning to play in the fresh powder! This was Evie's first introduction too it :) She looked pretty cute. </div>
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Sofie was not impressed.</div>
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And Livi embraced it, as always!</div>
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I love these three. </div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-40413090915991002962014-02-13T11:19:00.002-08:002014-02-13T11:19:09.847-08:00Post-Christmas BluesYesterday was a good day. Last weekend and even most of this week has been actually pretty great. It was the first really good few days in over a month. It has been really rough lately. Stomach flu and cold for all of us, sleepless nights with the baby and many behaviours from Sofie especially... which didn't make my life particularly pleasant. Even Livi had a few meltdowns this month. They don't happen often for her but when they do, they are <i>epic</i>.<br />
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We expected some residual issues with the post-Christmas blues. Kids and adults, alike, generally have the 'blahs' afters Christmas. I feel like it hit our home, or at least me and Sofie, a little extra hard this year. Sofie had a mild form of the flu for the first two weeks back to school and Livi got it quite bad the next two weeks which ended with us taking her to the ER for dehydration. Then I got it.<br />
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I didn't realize what was going on with Sofie at first. She is quite disconnected from her body, so she doesn't always tell us what hurts. She wasn't really running a fever but was having some MAJOR behavioural issues. She was throwing everything, clearing table tops, hitting, screaming, flailing and she even pulled our hair, which she hasn't done in years! I was getting disheartening reports from school and she freaked out in her car seat and managed to get out while we were driving home one night in order to attack her sister. I ended up having to sit in the back with her. We've never had to do that before.<br />
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It's been hard with Sofie this month. At least I think we have a reason for her behaviours but it didn't make things any easier. I didn't know how to help her through it. She regressed. We were at a loss. I've found that my patience with her has been shorter since then too.<br />
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I felt alone.<br />
Parents of typical kids don't get it.<br />
I don't expect them to 'get it', I just <i>wish</i> they did.<br />
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It is a lonely place sometimes. It's hard to empathize and listen to friends complain about their kids not doing their chores or having to take all their kids to one child's doctor appointment, while I'm waiting for the day Sofie helps get herself dressed even and I, at least once a week, cart all my kids to some kind of appointment which usually interferes with Evie's nap time. I don't <i>want</i> to compare our lives but we live in such different realities sometimes. I do have a network of other parents with special needs kids, but we are all to busy and exhausted to actually put energy in to developing relationships! On respite weekends when Sofie is at my sister's house I have a taste of what it would be like to just have two typical kids. It is a completely different world. I think I would be bored. I'm sure I'd be back to work full time!<br />
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I don't mean this as any type of regret for adopting Sofie or judgement on others. We don't have an easy life but it is nothing compared to some others. We love our chaotically boring life, most of the time... It is just my life and right now I'm entertaining bad, yucky, blah-day feelings. They come every once in a while but they seem to be staying a bit longer than usual right now. I thought maybe writing them down on the blog might help me get over them.<br />
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Sofie is truly amazing. She seems to be mostly through all the upset. She is speaking so much more. She can spell her name. She is developing her pre-writing skills. She can run, jump, and of course loves to dance! She likes school and is learning what is appropriate. We are learning how to help her better too. Livi is incredible. She only wants to spread love. She adores her sisters and helps out so much. She lives for making Evie laugh and hugs both littles every day. She is learning to read and loves school. Evie is joyous and such a climber. She is loud and starting to communicate more. Her smile lights us up and we love hearing her laugh at her big sister's antics.<br />
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I do have friends and family who surround me with love, non-judgement, and support in whatever mood I'm entertaining at the moment. I got to visit with one of those friends on Saturday, which helped make last weekend much better. Although Sofie flushed her sons electric toothbrush down the toilet, there was no anger or expectation for me to replace it. I know that her response was genuine too, not just being polite. Friends like that are few and far between, at least in my world. I've never been one to have a huge circle of friends, just a small handful that I would trust all my deepest thoughts and fears with. I am so thankful for them.<br />
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Despite our household's sleepless nights, slight depression and ailments, there was real joy this last month. Jon and I did get to go away for a night. The first time we've had a night with out kids in over a year! It was lovely. We had a friends wedding in Seattle and decided to stay over night. Sofie was assessed for her letters and she knows at least 10 of them and can spell her name. There has been much laughter and love between my girls who absolutely and completely love each other. Sister love is a beautiful thing. Evie's hair is finally long enough to put in some adorable pig tails. I got a special, full shopping day with just Livi who continues to astound me with her courage, kindness and desire to help others. I am also just loving watching and listening to Livi learn to read!<br />
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This past weekend was Family Day long weekend. Although it is a new holiday and we didn't have any big plans, we got to visit with some dear, real friends we haven't seen in a while. Jon's sister and brother in law where in town so we had a family dinner and a good, much needed family meeting. Livi got to have 'respite' at her Gramma's house for a night. And, we got to take the big girls ice skating for the first time where they had SO MUCH FUN! Sofie was able to stand in the skates but hated them. Once we let her slide in just her shoes she loved it. Livi amazed me with her persistence and ability! She was zipping around using a bar and ventured out quite a bit without one!<br />
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I think writing this all down has helped. Not sure if I made any sense, but I'm not sure if I make sense on a day to day basis. I guess I'm okay with that. It's my life, in all that is beautiful and broken.<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-82735767917733894042014-01-26T22:58:00.001-08:002014-01-26T22:58:57.538-08:00Dear Evie On Your 1st BirthdayDearest Evelyn,<br />
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You turned one just over a week ago. This letter is late, I know. I will start by apologizing for all the late blog posts and the lack of pictures and posts devoted to just you. I tried my best to capture your every moment but it is just not possible when you are a momma to three little ones. Maybe one day you will get to understand the incredible joys and difficult heartaches that go in to being a mommy.<br />
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Always know that I love you. My love will always follow you. Wherever you are. Wherever you go. Just like the book says. Know and feel that I love you.<br />
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You were our beautiful surprise and I am so thankful that you came when you did. Your timing was perfect. I can't imagine having waited any longer! You have completed our family. What would I do without your infectious smile or the sparkle in your eyes? Now it's been a whole year since you came in to my arms and I'm begging time to slow down. I know that you are my last baby and I don't want to let this time go!<br />
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You are already on the move. You started walking so early and have not stopped. You will go places, I'm sure of it. I can't wait to see where. You love to explore and are constantly walking around the house. Such a busy little monkey. You are usually carrying some sort of bowl or cup and are putting things in and out of it. I don't get it but hey, you are a baby. I love watching you play in your little foam tinker bell chair. It is your favourite place to sit, aside from my arms of course, though you don't sit much.<br />
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You are such a Momma's girl right now. I am cherishing that. I have a feeling you might have a pretty special connection with your Daddy though, after we get through this nursing season of our lives. You adore your big sisters, most of the time. You want to keep up with them so badly. They adore you right back and do almost anything to keep you happy. I can't wait to see your relationship with them grow.<br />
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Evie, you have blessed us more than you will ever know. I can't wait to see where you go in life, to walk beside you as you grow, and to love the beautiful woman you will become. I am already proud of you. <br />
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I will miss this first year of your life, your baby scent and your pudgy rolls. You are such a gift. Happy Birthday Angel! I am so thankful to be your Momma.<br />
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Love Mommy<br />
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<span id="goog_1897911240"></span><span id="goog_1897911241"></span><br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-37258722517102454642014-01-05T20:07:00.001-08:002014-01-05T20:07:22.673-08:00My Baby is 1!Wow, where did the time go? My baby is growing up and I'm not completely on board with that! She is such a perfect little end to our family. I feel complete… though there is something at the back of my mind that still thinks of adopting one more :)<br />
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This year has gone by so fast and we were so blessed in it. I was reminiscing about Evie's birth the other day and remembering how crazy and incredible it was. Labor with her was so much easier than with Livi. It progressed much faster than expected and in the end she was nearly born in the car on the highway! I had hoped it would be quieter and everyone would make it to see her be born but the way it turned out was pretty epic. I distinctly remember the nurses eyes when I came out of the elevator. 3 minutes later Evelyn came in to this world. She was pudgy and bruised from her quick decent but still one the most beautiful things I have had the privilege of seeing.<br />
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She was a very easy infant who nursed like a champ. Being able to nurse her for a year still feels like one of my best accomplishments. I was so scared I couldn't do it again. I'm not sure how much longer it will last now that we are past the year mark but I will follow her lead on that. I feel like it may be starting to end because I'm not producing as much as she would need to continue and have weaned her from night nursing for my own sanity. I'm happy with whatever happens from here on.<br />
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<i> Good morning birthday girl! Waking up on her birthday!</i></div>
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This past month held a lot of development for Evie, as usual. We tackled sleep training her which was very hard. I didn't have to sleep train either of her sisters. They both loved sleep! It was new territory for us. We pushed through the first two days which were the worst and now she is going to sleep much better and sleeping through the night without nursing. This makes for a much happier baby these days and is life changing for me!<br />
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Evelyn has 10 teeth now, her four front, top and bottom, and a set of molars, top and bottom. Teething has not been fun for her, or us. She has started talking a bit more with "mama, dada, done, and uh oh" She is definitely a not a talker. She doesn't have to be. There are four people who know exactly what she wants when she just points or gives a little whine. It will come though :) She is also a pro at walking now. She barely even crawls anymore. I love seeing it. She is too little to be walking as well as she does and is starting to tackle climbing now!<br />
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Evie still hates baths, or at least the part where she has to get her head wet. She screams, a lot. I hope she out grows this one day. Maybe we need to take her swimming more. She is an attention lover and between me and her sisters, she gets a lot of it. I'm hoping she gets a little more independent soon. I'm tired of the whining when she can't see me! She is fits very well as the baby of the family and has the personality for it.<br />
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This month we celebrated her first Christmas! I really enjoyed having a baby who was a little engaged in it. She liked opening the gifts with her sisters and really liked the <i>super annoying</i> remote toy they got for her. Although we were away with Jon's extended family for Christmas on her actual birthday, we did have a small family birthday party for her on Jan 1. My sister made an amazing cake as usual and I loved watching her devour her first birthday cupcake. She was covered in pink icing!<br />
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Stats… Evie is a beautiful 23.5 pound one year old. Her eyes sparkle and squint when she smiles. She has a toothy, open mouth grin. Her laugh is very grown up and Livi remains the only one who can make her laugh until she can't breath. I'm actually jealous and in love with that fact. </div>
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As per family tradition, did a birthday photo shoot! I had big plans for this one and had bought her adorable outfit a few months earlier. I am not a great photographer and my camera has bee dropped one to many times, so they did not turn out as great as I had hoped but I am happy. The short strand of pearls she is wearing around her neck are real and were a gift from my Grandfather to my Grandma. I think Evie wears them well :)<br />
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Happy Birthday Evelyn Jane! You are precious and adored. I am so thankful for you and am so blessed to be your mommy. </div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-2784181869550652392013-12-31T22:29:00.001-08:002013-12-31T22:29:19.680-08:00Christmas 2013Wow, Christmas week was busy for us this year! Despite all my best efforts to be overly prepared. Kids just make it chaotic. I love Christmas though. Chaos and all. It is a beautiful time of year. I prepared early this year and tried not to be so uptight about the little things. I'm learning to let go. It is hard, but worth it. So very worth it.<br />
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In the last days of school for the girls I got to volunteer in Sofie's classroom for their Christmas party. It was a lot of fun and I think Sofie really enjoyed having me. I was in charge of the gingerbread man station so I did have the best table :) I stopped in on Livi's party when Sofie's was done and she was having a blast. I had helped in her Halloween party so I'm trying my best to keep it fair!<br />
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Our first Christmas was with Jon's immediate family. It was a delicious ham dinner and presents under the Christmas tree. It was Evelyn's first Christmas celebration which made it extra special. I had hoped she would have come out by Christmas last year but at least she was out by the new year!</div>
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Checking out the tree with Gramma.</div>
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Crazy grandkids!</div>
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Reading with Uncle Jeremy.</div>
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I think I have started a new Christmas eve tradition, via Pinterest. I put together a gift bag filled with matching pajama's, hot chocolate, popcorn and a movie that they got to open on Christmas Eve afternoon. Plans changed a bit though and the older two put on their matching pj's and we headed out to the big theatre to see Sofie's first big theatre movie. We had gone to the little theatre a few months ago but I thought she was ready for the big one this time. She did amazing by the way. about half way through she spent about 15 minutes facing me on my lap but then she was recharged and finished the film in her own seat! I was so proud of her!</div>
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After a much to late church service, Livi was very careful to leave out cookies and milk for Santa and not forget apples and carrots for the reindeer.<br />
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The girls were all so engaged and excited on Christmas morning. Sofie understood that Santa had brought some presents and Evie was happy through most of it too. 9 am is her nap time and Sofie didn't wake up until after 8 so she was pushed a little bit.<br />
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I was so proud of my big girls. They did not immediately look for and ask for their presents. They first made sure that Evie got to open her present before them. They enjoyed helping her of course. The amazing thing is that it was completely Livi's idea. We had not mentioned anything about letting other's go first. She wanted to make sure Evie opened the first gift all on her own. She makes me proud every day. </div>
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I loved seeing Sofie so engaged in Christmas this year. </div>
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Ready for her nap!</div>
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Adoring sister.</div>
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My matching Christmas angels. I love being that mom that gets them matching pjs!</div>
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Our final Christmas celebration was this past weekend. Every two years Jon's extended family has a big three day get together somewhere. It is a lot of family all at once but it works… usually. This year was the hardest year for us by far. Three kids between 1 and 5 years old don't make anything easy, generally. There were 43 people in two great rooms together most of the weekend. The two great rooms in the lodge where bright and echoey. It was a sensory nightmare for me, let alone Sofie. I nearly crumpled the second day watching Sofie's entire body nearly collapse from sensory overload… and no one understood or "got it". Evie had a cold. Livi was fighting it. Evie has also never slept in another bed other than at home except for once when she was 6 months old. The family was also not used to little kids running around. Cords and electronics where left in their reach numerous times and unsuitable activities were planned at times that were NOT at all kid and nap time friendly. </div>
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Although we did leave one night early, spending time with a family like this is priceless. My extended family would never do something like this. It makes for some amazing memories and relationships that would not form otherwise. </div>
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Us grandkids also got to be educated on some of the family business this year. We were also given the opportunity to decide where to give a large some of money for charitable donations. This was a pretty amazing experience for me. From 25 people we had about 20 suggestions of where to give them money. Lots of great recommendations, all of which had a special meaning to the person suggesting it. We each had less than a minute to let the group know about our charity and why they should get them money before we cast some votes to see which charities could be eliminated. I was one of the last to make my suggestion. Mine was a little different since no tax receipt would be included for the company. I didn't suggest a registered charity but instead a person for her adoption of a little boy with DS from Bulgaria. She is also going in to this with no kids of her own yet and no partner. </div>
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(A little back story on this soon to be mom, Heather. She is the oldest daughter of the Keno family. The Keno's are the family that introduced Jon to people with special needs and have adopted 5 children with special needs themselves. 4 from the Ministry, 3 with Down Syndrome, and 1 of those with DS was an international adoption from Bulgaria just before us. They prepared Jon for my world and influenced our decision and ability to adopt greatly! Now Heather is on the same journey and we get to be a part of it!)</div>
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I was SO humbled by what happened next. With only my short explanation of why I thought Heather should get some money, it was unanimous that she would be getting some of it! I LOVED watching all Jon's cousins cast their votes. The only question was how much. We unanimously agreed in a short 30ish minutes that Heather would be getting 50% of our donation and the other 50% was divided between 5 other charities, some very big well known ones and some smaller ones that the cousins have personally volunteered at. I had tears in my eyes. I was so honoured to have been able to let them know about this adoption and see them all jump on board whole heartedly to support something that is so dear to my heart. It was VERY cool to see and be a part of. Something I'll never forget. </div>
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All in all this was a fabulous Christmas! I look forward to it being a little easier next year and learning to let more go in future years. It is happening and I'm loving it. I'm so much more relaxed! Merry Christmas to all and we hope you have a beautiful, joy filled, imperfect new year. </div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-81023170693462951852013-12-11T22:17:00.001-08:002013-12-11T22:17:34.547-08:00Santa Clause Is Coming To TownWe are in the full swing of Christmas preparations. Our halls are decked. The girls had fun decorating the tree, although Evie slept through most of it. Livi put the angel on top. All of my Christmas and White Elephant presents have been bought and everything but the ones from Santa are wrapped. I do have more cookies to bake and cards to hand out but that will get done soon.<br />
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I got the opportunity to help out with a special Santa event for kids with Sensory Processing Disorders. My friends NPO organized with the local mall Santa to have appointments with Santa before mall hours, when their aren't crowds or long waits in line ups, and with scent free staff. He also did not hand out candy canes, with sugar and red dye, but stickers and goody bags filled with sensory toys. This made it a lot easier for some kids to actually visit and get a picture with Santa! It was pretty cool. When I told Livi that I was going to help Santa she didn't believe me and demanded a picture as proof… Here you go Livi! Sorry, phone picture turned out blurry :)<br />
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We also got to enjoy the girls Kindergarten Christmas concert. They did AMAZING! I was so proud. Livi was excited and confident. She knew all her songs and action though she did miss a few cues because her eyes were wandering through the audience. Sofie brought tears too my eyes. She was bored in the first song but new all the actions and cues for the other three songs she sang. She didn't miss a beat. I was so impressed… I was a little nervous as to how she would do in front of an audience. The girls where both so proud of themselves. They had worked so hard and it showed!</div>
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Christmas is just two weeks away! Enjoy your holidays and don't get too stressed out with all the prep! I'll try my best not too either :)</div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3395090832319036567.post-757057220119097692013-11-30T22:21:00.001-08:002013-11-30T22:21:31.322-08:0011 Months!My baby is 11 months old! I don't know how we got here. Where did this last year go? I remember being so done with pregnancy this time last year… now I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Parts of me are very done with this baby stage. I'm not a major baby person. Another big part of me is not ready for my last baby to grow up.<br />
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Evie's had another big month. She now has 8 teeth, the top and bottom four. She always gets them in pairs which makes her teething super annoying! She is 22.5 lbs which is down from last month but I'm not sure lasts month's weigh in was completely accurate.<br />
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We've started noticing some curls in her hair when it is wet. It is not as pronounced as Livi's was by this age but it has potential. Maybe they'll both have curls!<br />
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Nov 9th Evie took her first step! Now she can take a bunch in a row without falling but still moves fastest when she crawls. She did this about 3 weeks earlier than Livi did as a baby.<br />
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This month had Evie having a really hard time with sleep again but these last few days she seems to have figured it out a bit. She is attaching to her blankie and falling asleep after being laid down in her crib awake. I hoping that this continues to improve.<br />
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She finally seems to be enjoying bath time. She still screams when we have to rinse her hair but she is enjoying the rest of it.<br />
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She still doesn't talk much, besides uh oh, dada, and all done. She can say momma but would rather just whine for me. She has the whine down pat. She is very much my clingiest child. She has made strange a few times already too. Not loving that part at all. I already feel guilty enough leaving my kids every once in a while. I hate having her cry or whine on top of it.<br />
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Evie had her first halloween this month and happily say in the stroller, watching her sisters. Not sure if that's going to cut it next year. She also was part of her first tree decorating for Christmas, but wasn't really allowed to help :) She has stayed away from the tree since yesterday when we set it up but we will see what the next month holds.<br />
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She also had her first visit with Santa! I wasn't sure how she'd do but I think her sister's helped. No smile but she looks happy :)<br />
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I'm excited for her 1 year pictures because I got the cutest little outfit for her, but I'm not loving the idea of her turning one. I'm not sure I'm ready for her to grow up yet!<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569317521579024694noreply@blogger.com1