OK so we are still alive and well but busy beyond belief. I do not want to total bore you all with the details but I will try to touch on as as many things as I can but keeping them short and sweet!
Home: We are moving!! HOORAY! we closed on our new house last Friday. First things first is the fixing up...we have lots to do to get it ready. Cleaning, flooring, painting, light kitchen and bath remodeling, electrical and some outside projects as well. We are hoping to have all of that done by July/August and the whole transition said and done by end of August! I haven't been able to do much of anything at the new house this week because we are waiting for the water to get hooked back up, so in the mean time I have been packing up and shipping out things around here. The Salvation Army was happy to see me last week. I stuffed my truck! We have managed to collect way too much junk over the past 10 years! I will get some before and after pictures posted when it's time!
Homeschooling: I went to the homeschooling conference in Lansing last weekend. Took my BF Rickie, and we made a girls weekend of it. We stayed at the Radisson which was attached to the Conference center and we had a really good time. I spent about 6 hours shopping and reviewing the curriculum. It was great to be able to get on my hands on everything and actually look through it instead of just looking at the catalogs. I am happy to say that even after going there and seeing everything I have still decided to keep with my original choices of materials. I did a great job keeping my spending under control as well. I did go a bit hog wild at the Sensory Store booth but it was worth it!
Olena: She is doing great! a bit sassy now a days, but I almost have my darling daughter back from the land of naught children. She is getting use to me being home with her, and she does really well with letting me work when necessary. She has started OT again and we are making a lot of progress. She has very weak shoulder muscles due to not crawling (the babies are kept in playpens during a majority of their crawling stage at the orphanage, because they do not like them crawling on the hard cold floors.) and her chest muscles are really tight and ridged. The combination of them both effect her fine motors skills so we have been doing lots of stretching and strengthen exercises for her. In just three weeks she can now start and zip her own zipper, snap her pants, click her car seat buckle, and she can use her scissors correctly and efficiently instead of cut and ripping. I am very happy with our OT and I love all of the hard work she puts into Olena. We will also be starting Therapeutic Listening. This is something that I am really excited about. There are still a few issues that we have that we have not been successful in overcoming and there is tons of positive feedback regarding this therapy with SID children. I have several success stories regarding internationally adoption toddlers and how it has not only improved just noticeable sensory issues, but attachment problems as well.
Babies: No babies yet, I am still having some strange female issues over the past month and a half but all tests are negative so I am assuming it is all just wacky side effects of the fertility. We have chosen to continue with the fertility but we are going to start working on becoming foster parents in September. We are doing this with the intentions of finding a child to adopt. Not necessarily a baby but most likely a toddler/preschooler. The new house is big enough for more kids so we might as well fill it! We knew we were going to adopt again anyway and since the homegrown crop is not here yet, we figured we might as well get a move on with it. If we get pregnant too during this process, then all of our prayers will be answered! I am really excited about what God has in store for us! :)
Mothers Day: Mommy bought herself a wonderful and marvous gift...the Canon EOS Rebel! I have been wanting this things FOREVER! so I finally gave in and bought it. Now I just have to figure out how to use it! LOL!
Home: We are moving!! HOORAY! we closed on our new house last Friday. First things first is the fixing up...we have lots to do to get it ready. Cleaning, flooring, painting, light kitchen and bath remodeling, electrical and some outside projects as well. We are hoping to have all of that done by July/August and the whole transition said and done by end of August! I haven't been able to do much of anything at the new house this week because we are waiting for the water to get hooked back up, so in the mean time I have been packing up and shipping out things around here. The Salvation Army was happy to see me last week. I stuffed my truck! We have managed to collect way too much junk over the past 10 years! I will get some before and after pictures posted when it's time!
Homeschooling: I went to the homeschooling conference in Lansing last weekend. Took my BF Rickie, and we made a girls weekend of it. We stayed at the Radisson which was attached to the Conference center and we had a really good time. I spent about 6 hours shopping and reviewing the curriculum. It was great to be able to get on my hands on everything and actually look through it instead of just looking at the catalogs. I am happy to say that even after going there and seeing everything I have still decided to keep with my original choices of materials. I did a great job keeping my spending under control as well. I did go a bit hog wild at the Sensory Store booth but it was worth it!
Olena: She is doing great! a bit sassy now a days, but I almost have my darling daughter back from the land of naught children. She is getting use to me being home with her, and she does really well with letting me work when necessary. She has started OT again and we are making a lot of progress. She has very weak shoulder muscles due to not crawling (the babies are kept in playpens during a majority of their crawling stage at the orphanage, because they do not like them crawling on the hard cold floors.) and her chest muscles are really tight and ridged. The combination of them both effect her fine motors skills so we have been doing lots of stretching and strengthen exercises for her. In just three weeks she can now start and zip her own zipper, snap her pants, click her car seat buckle, and she can use her scissors correctly and efficiently instead of cut and ripping. I am very happy with our OT and I love all of the hard work she puts into Olena. We will also be starting Therapeutic Listening. This is something that I am really excited about. There are still a few issues that we have that we have not been successful in overcoming and there is tons of positive feedback regarding this therapy with SID children. I have several success stories regarding internationally adoption toddlers and how it has not only improved just noticeable sensory issues, but attachment problems as well.
Babies: No babies yet, I am still having some strange female issues over the past month and a half but all tests are negative so I am assuming it is all just wacky side effects of the fertility. We have chosen to continue with the fertility but we are going to start working on becoming foster parents in September. We are doing this with the intentions of finding a child to adopt. Not necessarily a baby but most likely a toddler/preschooler. The new house is big enough for more kids so we might as well fill it! We knew we were going to adopt again anyway and since the homegrown crop is not here yet, we figured we might as well get a move on with it. If we get pregnant too during this process, then all of our prayers will be answered! I am really excited about what God has in store for us! :)
Mothers Day: Mommy bought herself a wonderful and marvous gift...the Canon EOS Rebel! I have been wanting this things FOREVER! so I finally gave in and bought it. Now I just have to figure out how to use it! LOL!
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Miss you guys!
P.S. So jealous that you got the Canon Rebel...I want it so bad!!!