Our Greatest Gifts

Friday, September 19, 2008

Naps

I was checking my school work (end of quarter...YAY! TWO WEEKS OFF) and Marissa crawled under the table and fell asleep!

This is what happens when we miss our naps! It's 4:50pm and she just fell asleep. My dilemma...if I wake her she's a BEAR, if I let her sleep she'll be up all night!!!!! LOL I can't complain, she's just precious (sleeping)

So much is happening around here. I feel like my head is falling off. Brittany is turning into an academic/social butterfly! She has joined an:

after school theatre club; meets 1 day a week from now until December, then they are going to put on a performance.
Drama-Rama through our school district. She was chosen to participate in this group. They meet 1 day a week during their lunch recess and rehearse a play. In Nov. she will compete against other schools and her peers. Judging is done on individual and group performances. Voice, body language, eye contact, memorization and more skills are judged, but children cannot use props or costumes. She's really excited!
She's also joined 4H. In order for her to compete in the county horse show at the fair she needs to be in 4H. I'm signing Andrew up since I already need to take her and there's more to choose from than just animals. Meetings once a month...not too bad...yet
She's also in Girl Scouts. Been in since Daisy Scouts (kindergarten) and doesn't want to give it up. Meets once a month...I might of gotten suckered into being the troop leader! What have I gotten into????
She also has horse riding lessons once a week.
Too add to all this, we have choir on Wednesday nights.

Andrew has joined an after school magic workshop. He didn't want to do much else, except flag football but giving some past injuries, I'd rather not put in him at all, but I do realize it is inevitable. I'll hold out as long as possible though! Andrew just wants to "hang out" with his friends and ride his bike. He's doing excellant in reading and math.

Dominick LOVES school (as do the older two)!! He doesn't have school on Friday's and so far has been a terrible pain in the a**! I have to find some activities to keep him occupied or he gets bored and causes problems. He is joining gymnastics through our community ed program. He's really excited as am I hoping this will help relieve some excess energy he has. He's also incredibly flexible and can flip a somersault (w/o hands) like nothing (in the trampoline). Dominick will also be in our Church's choir with Brittany and Andrew. Sunday school started this past Sunday, all the kids were extremely excited to meet their teachers and get back into routine of going (we've been really lazy this summer :(

Marissa is POTTY TRAINED!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! She does have occasional accidents, to be expected. It was a breeze training her! Sometimes she is lazy and doesn't feel like getting up to go potty, but is getting better. Instead of candy rewards (she was getting too hyper) I've opted for stickers! I told her when she's potty trained she can start dance class...starting Tuesday she will be in a 2/3yr old dance class. She's really excited!

These kids have grown so much, I feel so old sometimes and yet I'm so blessed and happy to be able to see their journeys.

Friday, September 5, 2008

3 in school

School started this past week for us.

It was an exciting day as Dominick started the districts 4-K program (it's new this year). He goes 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. He gets on the bus in the morning with Brittany and Andrew and a separate bus filled with 4 yr olds brings him home.

The downside...he's on the bus 1 1/2 on the way home!!!! He falls asleep which is expected being on the bus that long. We only live 5 miles outside of town, but because of fuel cost they are sending all the 4 yr olds on one bus to go home. I'm thinking of seeing if another mother would like to carpool 1 day a week to pick our children up, then they would only ride the bus home 2 days. We'll see...

Andrew is in 2nd grade this year. He was excited but nervous. His teacher is the principals wife, so he's a little intimidated by that. We reassured him that she was very nice and so was her husband. He came home after the first day and said "she's so nice". Andrew has 17 children in his classroom; 10 boys and 7 girls.

Brittany's in 4th grade!!! I can't believe how big she's gotten (all 4 of my kids). I find it hard to believe I have a 4th grader. She too was excited and nervous for school to start. She got the teacher she had hoped for, so she was even more excited. She has 27 children in her class this year far cry from last years 15!

Now it's just mommy and Marissa at home...at least half the day 4 days a week.

I have to go Potty Training!

When the kids started back in school, I had told Marissa we were going to start potty training her. Today is day 4 and she is doing great!!! Yesterday she had 1 accident. Marissa kind of tells me when she needs to go. I'll tell her it's time to go potty and she says "no I'll try later". Then not even a minute later she says "I have to go potty training"! YAY!!

We celebrated yesterday by buying new big girl panties. She picked out Ariel and carries the package around with her.

I have to get better at this blogging stuff. The kids started school, 3 are in school now. So it's just Marissa and mommy home for half the days. Dominick is in 4-K program. He gets on the bus with Brittany and Andrew in the morning and comes home about 12:30. He goes 4 days a week.

I'll post pictures more later.

Monday, August 18, 2008

2 YEARS ALREADY????!!!!

Today is Marissa's 2 yr GOTCHA day! We arrived in Guate about noon. We were picked up by Freddy and driven to a grocery store to buy food and onto Eagles Nest. Paul, myself, Brittany and Andrew and Paul's mom, spent 3 days at EN with Dominick before we headed to Guatemala City for Marissa's Embassy Appt.

I cannot believe it's already been 2 years!! Time and just flown by. We brought home a 9 month old baby that was barely crawling. Now she's a running, talking, screaming, tantrum throwing 2 1/2 yr old!!! I am blissfully happy!!

This is my all time favorite picture of Dominick! He bonded SO well with us, and then we had to leave him. He didn't come home for another 5 months!

2 yrs ago. She's so little!

Now she's a big girl that tells me she pees and wants to be changed. I guess it's time to potty train! She wants to be a Rock Star when she grows up and buy a BIG boat and swim. She also wants to take dance classes but knows she has to be potty trained.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

5 years ago...

5 years ago was an anniversary, not the typical anniversary we have around here (wedding, Gotcha, Adoption). 5 years ago Saturday was the anniversary of an accident that changed my life and my families life forever.

5 years ago I learned to trust in God and trust the angels he puts before us.

5 years ago I learned no matter how hard we try to protect our children, sometimes we can't do anything but pray.

Brittany and Andrew were in a three-wheeler accident. You can read more about that at http//www.caringbridge.org/mn/shelstad/

5 years ago I made a promise to God. I promised to trust in him and his plans for my family. I still have a hard time trusting in God's plans for us, I have a hard time letting go and letting God lead my way. I'm a work in progress, but I know God is there every step of my way. I know God sets angels in our path, we may not realize it.

5 years ago God sent many angels our way. Two especially for Brittany and Andrew. While we were at Paul's parents, they invited some friends over for lunch. Immediately after the kids hit the tree, the two angels went into action. Larry and Sonya were paramedics, unknown to us at the time. They went into save mode and did what God asked them to do. They helped our children, they gave me a shoulder to cry on, they held me up when I couldn't walk, they drove us the 3 hours to the trauma center where Andrew was airlifted. They prayed with us.

5 years ago my parents were visiting our county fair. Within 10 minutes of when the accident happened (unknown to them at the time), they had walked past a booth handing our bibles. My mom took the small green bible, and shared a prayer with the woman giving it to her. God set forth an angel for my parents, unknown to them. The little green bible got my mom through the drive 6 hours to the hospital. The little green bible gets us safely to our destinations, wherever we go, our bible goes.

I learned we can't put our children in a bubble, even though we'd like to. I've learned we've got to trust in the Lord, it might not be O.K. but he is with us every step of the way.

Andrew is completely healed, his fracture has healed, no brain damage, no sensory damage. Nothing!

Brittany is also healed although she bears the constant reminder of that fateful day. As she gets older the scar between her eyes will get wider, we've contacted a plastic surgeon, if she wishes, when she's older they can cover the scar.

5 years ago, I prayed with my husband, my family and myself. I asked the Lord to heal my children, and he did. I asked the Lord to heal my heart, he is, if I allow. I don't want to relive the day, but I won't allow myself to forget.

5 years ago brings us to today, 4 beautiful wonderful children. After Brittany and Andrew were better (not healed), I realized how precious (I knew before, but needed to be reminded) my children were, how beautifully lucky I was to be their mother, a mother. God had a plan for my family, God knew our path was to help his children, his orphans.

After the accident we realized we wanted more children, we choose adoption as our path, God choose this path long before we knew.

An anniversary came and went, we recognized, we cherished, we celebrated with all 4 of our blessings!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Birthday at Park

We celebrated Dominick's birthday at a park. The weather wasn't too bad, it was humid but it's Minnesota, what do you expect?!!!

Wall-E cupcakes

He was SO happy he got a Webkinz!

It's almost bigger than me!

Dominick and Braeden playing catch

Uncle Bob and cousin Chelsie with Dylan (Bob is Chelsie's dad and Dylan's grandpa)

CAUTION: Cousins at play

The ball somehow broke, so Uncle Mat thought it'd be funny to put it on his head! We haven't laughed so hard in a long time! Anyone watch Doodlebops????

Doodlebop Mat