Celebrating Gotcha Day!

Monday night, we were able to officially celebrate Isaiah's Gotcha Day.  Jackson had made a chocolate cheesecake, so we had a scrumptious dessert!  Oh, it was so yummy.  

Then, we headed down to watch Isaiah's documentary.  Our agency had offered us the option to purchase a documentary of Isaiah's birth history, his time in the orphanage, as well as our first meeting and going home experiences.  We were quick to jump on this, so we were so excited to watch this video for the first time.  

I was so disappointed that first viewing because they had left out our first meeting of Isaiah. Since we had a "professional" photographer, we hadn't filmed and just paid attention to what was happening.  So, I was just so disappointed that we didn't have any record of this special first encounter.  

Fast forward to Monday night.  We were watching, and miraculously, the footage was there!  I couldn't believe it!!!  It was sooo sweet to get to watch that first meeting, and I felt like God had miraculously put it on the video.  Thank you, Father! 

Gotcha Day--Isaiah

Two years ago today, we "got" Isaiah, thus the "Gotcha" term.  We have to wait to celebrate on Monday (which will be his "homecoming" day), but I wanted to at least acknowledge and remember this very special day in our lives. 

It's funny because yesterday, I put him down for nap in the girls' room.  (His cousin was napping in his room.)  He went down great, and I didn't go back until it was time to go get Jackson and Raegan from school.  As I approached the room, I smelled the distinct smell of fingernail polish.  It was strong! 

When I opened the door, I found more than I expected.  Isaiah was sleeping soundly, but his fingernails and toenails sparkled with several coats of every color of polish.  I should have taken a picture, but I have to admit that my anger management problem was triggered.  Then, I glanced down and saw 10+ bottles of polish, all laying on their sides--yes, with lids off--on the carpet!  Most had spilled, but the worst spill was, of course, the bright orange.

(This was after an hour of soaking up color!)

Some of you are just laughing and thinking, "How funny".  I wish that was me, but I have to admit that I was boiling mad.  I haven't been that angry in a long time.  And, today is Gotcha Day! 

Luckily, time has a way of soothing frazzled nerves, and today I can boldly proclaim that I will take orange-stained carpet if it means this little boy is a part of our family.  So thankful. 

So, I'll watch this with our kids tonight to help us remember.  :) 

School Started!

 August quickly passed, and it finally was time for the kids to return to school.  We "celebrated" with donuts one morning.  Celebrate is in quotes because the older kids weren't really celebrating.  It was more of a consolation prize!  

But, I think the excitement returned just a little on that first day of school.  Sydney headed to seventh grade--middle school! 

Jackson headed to fourth grade. 

 And Raegan to first grade.  This was her first time to be gone all day, so it was definitely a change! 

 Isaiah was dearly missing his siblings, so he was comforted when we got to get together with his friend, Tyler. 

 We went to Botanica, and he LOVED watching the trains! 

Now that over a month has passed, I am excited to announce that we have survived the "back-to-school transition".  It always seems to take about a month.  I have already seen growth in all of the kids.  That is just fun to see, of course usually more fun after the fact than during.  There has been lots of stretching this past month, but it has helped the kids to grow in their levels of responsibility, courage, determination, and diligence. 

Garden Update

 When we returned from Colorado, we found a few LARGE veggies growing in our garden. Notice the gigantic zucchini in Jackson's arms!  So, we made lots of these:  Chocolate Zucchini cakes.  YUM!

 Then, another time, we were so excited to get so many watermelons.  Our previous watermelons were so yummy and sweet. 

 Unfortunately, when we cut into them, they looked like this: 

What a bummer.  I'm sure there is a major object lesson in here somewhere, but right now, I am just trying to get caught up.  So, this is all I have:  white watermelons. 

Estes Park Vacation

 After Papa's, we headed west to Estes Park.  We had stayed in these cabins last year, and we were excited to return.  This time, we got the above cabin.  It is just so cozy and cute!  

One afternoon, the kids were excited to hold the first ever Colympics!  (Colorado Olympics) 

 There were several different events including pine cone toss, rock races and berry picking races. 

Walking Tacos were a favorite meal!  (Tacos in a Doritos bag.) 

In our free time, we all worked diligently on the forts.  There was one fort already established and another that had just been started.  So, it was our mission to finish it. 

Here is the final product! (On the right side.)

 As always, it is fun to see the wildlife in Colorado.  These turkeys were daily visitors, and the deer ventured pretty close one afternoon.  Jackson was excited to follow it and capture lots of pics! 

 The kids especially enjoyed our hike up the Alluvial Fan.  This is an area that was washed out years ago by a raging river (the dam above had broken).  The result is a cool waterfall with huge boulders on each side that are perfect for climbing. 

 Another highlight was driving up Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in (I think) North America.   
The view was spectacular, and we were thankful Chris bravely maneuvered the roads so that we could enjoy!  (I know--pictures never do it justice.)
 
At one point, we got to go on a little hike--in the very thin air!--and the kids climbed on these cool rocks. 

 Another day, we headed to Bear Lake and Sprague Lake.  These lakes are always so beautiful.  

 

 It was fun to have Chris's mom on the trip with us! 

 After all of the hiking/sight-seeing, it was fun to go into town to experience the "touristy" side of Estes.  The kids and I LOVED the homemade waffle cones/ice cream.  Mmmm, good! 

I am so thankful we were able to get away and enjoy the cool air and beauty of Colorado.

Farm Time

 In July, we headed west for vacation.  Our first stop was my dad's farm.  The kids always love spending time there, and they were thrilled when he suggested they all get to drive the tractor.  

Children of the Corn:  Wasn't this some horror movie a long time ago?  That's too bad because I've always loved playing in the corn fields.  My kids loved it, too, playing hide and seek for a long time! 

 Of course, we also had to pick some ears and try it for supper!

 One evening, we headed into Dodge City to visit Boot Hill.  The boys like the gun fight,

Raegan liked her saspirilla. . .

  and the girls liked the dancers at the Miss Kitty show. 

 Isaiah's favorite was getting into the train engine. 

Thank you, Papa, for a great time!