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| Can't have too many tub pictures |
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| New Year's Eve with the Petersons |
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| Minion puzzle from Grandpa D |
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| Goodbye Rudy |
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| Hello! |
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| Last day of the pacifier |
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| I got a light saber! |
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| Caleb trying to play the wii, Lexi is helping |
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| 18 months old! |
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| Cousin playdate |
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| Julia doing some gymnastics |
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| Snow baby |
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| Wacky hair day |
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| Game time |
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| 37th birthday |
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| There's a hole in our kitchen |
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| Visiting the cemetery |
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| FL beach in the winter |
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| Weekend with Dad |
Caleb began playing indoor soccer this month. He has one game a week. His team is new to indoor soccer and many of the other teams have played together before. Caleb's team isn't winning their games, but they are having fun and becoming better players. Isaac is playing basketball on Saturday mornings this month. The high school coaches and players run drills with the kids. Isaac has enjoyed it. Julia spent an afternoon doing gymnastics. I met an adult Korean adoptee who coaches gymnastics and she was interested in spending time with Julia. Julia was hesitant in the beginning to try some of the equipment, but she warmed up quickly. Not many kids get unlimited access to a gym like that!
Lexi turned 21 months in January. Have I mentioned she is a climber? She spends most of the day moving items so she can climb onto them. She is an impressive jumper and she loves trying to put clothes on. Stephen is not very interested in putting clothes on by himself. Lexi can say most of the names in our family, but doesn't unless prompted to. She understands everything we say, she just isn't very motivated to talk yet. Stephen and Lexi can be cute together. Lexi was crying and Stephen said, "Lexi needs a friend named Stephen." Lexi's hair is growing into her eyes, but she yanks every hair tie out and I'm not sure it is a battle worth fighting. We took Lexi to the aquatic center for the first time. She loved walking around in the water and trying to float. She tried to hide in a locker while there, very cute.
This month we took the pacifier away from Stephen. We didn't have any travel plans or major changes happening, so we decided it was time. We told Stephen he could pick out a toy and pay for it with his pacifiers. While walking thru the store he stuck one in his mouth, one last time. He picked out a light saber, because the older boys have them too! He was happy with his new toy until naptime. He was so sad, I felt like a mean Mom. He kept asking to go back and get them from the store. He hasn't napped great since we ended the pacifier. He maybe naps a couple times/week now. He was waking early in the morning for a couple weeks after as well. He was our only child to use a pacifier so this has been a learning experience for us.
The kids had wacky hair day at school. Last year Julia wanted color in her hair. We tried hair chalk, but it didn't work. This year I bought some colored, fake hair online and it was fantastic. The hair clipped into Julia's hair and she loved them!
The big transition this month was our guinea pig Rudy moved out. Rudy has been with us for 4 years and guinea pigs can live up to 8 years old. The kids took care of him, but never played with him. And Rudy kind of smelled and took up space in the toy room. Rachael Small took Rudy as Lucas wanted a guinea pig for Christmas. The kids were very upset in the beginning about Rudy leaving, but the day he left there were no tears. Stephen is the only one who regularly says he misses Rudy. The kids have been campaigning for a new pet, but I think it is only because they don't want to be the lame family that doesn't have a pet. Ha!
For my birthday we went to the Peterson's house. Rebecca made a fantastic dinner and provided the cake- with the right kind of frosting too! The kids gave me a mug that says "the best mom ever" with a picture of our family. It's my daily self esteem boost. Nate gave me a weekend in Florida for my present.
I spent a weekend at Dad's house in Florida. Nate stayed home with the kids and they had fun doing what they do when Mom's not around. It was cool in Florida, but I won't complain- it was warmer than MI! I enjoyed relaxing and spending time with Dad. We visited the cemetery and saw the completed name plate. Mom's death still seems surreal, maybe it will always feel that way. Like she should be back any minute. We had dinner with some of Mom/Dad's friends and went to their church. I appreciated talking with Mom's friends.
The last weekend in January I taught a foster parent training again. The last time I taught was before Lexi came home, so it had been awhile. It was like riding a bike, it all came back. I am in the process of becoming trained to lead a Trauma Informed Parenting class for foster/adoptive parents. I enjoy interacting with foster/adoptive parents and sharing experiences. Nate is still working normal hours. He became qualified as a shift manager which is a big deal. So proud of him! And the last news from this month is we are changing things in our kitchen. We had a mason bust out the range top in our brick wall and make a hole big enough for a new frig. We were nervous about what if the frig didn't fit?! The frig reveal photo will be in next month's post.
