One Beautiful Life

Hello...

Hello dear friends.  It has become so hard for me to have the time to blog!  And I hate it.  I have always enjoyed this creative outlet and also just "communicating" with my friends and family.  Nights I used to steal to have some blog time are now full of games and bedtime routines followed by me falling into bed as early as possible.  Days are quickly spent by going to free movies, the pool, laundry, cleaning, crafting, gardening, errands, school time, and the occassional nap!  I did actually hunker down a week or so ago and read a book in four days!  Oh sweet memories of when I always had a book OR two going!

Abby is doing well.  She had a seizure yesterday at 4:45 a.m. but it had been since May 26 that she had one and another month before that!  So one a month right now is great.  I am really also trying to help her learn to read this summer.  We work on sight words and a reading program about every other day and she is retaining some of it... that's the biggest problem.  So we are hopeful for her.  We are also decreasing her Klonapin in hopes to get her OFF.  It is the third seizure drug she is on and was supposed to be short term... four years ago... like only be on it one year... short term!  It's very addictive and any time we have tried to decrease it... seizures just erupted.  So we are decreasing it VERY little at a time and just covering her in prayer.  Your prayers for the removal of this drug would be so much appreciated.  We are praying for what is true in heaven to be true on earth... Abby is healed in heaven... we are praying for God's truth to come down from heaven and cover her here.  THANK YOU.

On another note, Abby has decided she wants her old room back.  This creates a MASSIVE project for me as the closet in that room is the ONLY place I have to store things like craft stuff, extra pillows, wrapping paper/bags, pictures not on the wall right now, sewing machine and sewing supplies, fabric, baby crib that was my grandmothers' and made by my great grandfather, you know... all THAT stuff.  SOOOOO... I am in organizing mode big time... with some purging as well!  In all my extra time, of course!  Abby and Brenda still get along great but it is a good idea that they have their own space.  There is such a gap socially and emotionally between them.  Abby needs to have all her toys around her and a place where everything there is hers.  Brenda needs a place to spread a puzzle out and not worry about it being bothered and to sit and read.  It would have been ideal to have them in one room... but we are now going to full occupancy!

Brenda is doing great.  Her english just amazes us and every one else.  She is reading english readers all by herself now.  She'll go through a magic tree house book in one day!  I love it.  Now that her vocabulary is good and her comprehension is good, we are going to be working on spelling this summer.  The hardest part is that the pronunciation of "i" in latvian is "e"... and "a" was something else so when we are spelling and I say "i", she'll write an "e"... it's hard on her little brain!  But once she see's it, she almost always notices it doesn't look right and catches herself.  "S" is also "C" and that one trips her up a lot too.  BUT she is a super fast learner!  I am so proud of her.  

She is very helpful, so sweet and kind with Marc and super patient with Abby.  She just amazes me.  We are hoping so badly that our next trip to Latvia will be at the end of July/very first of August.  We really need it to happen before school starts here so we can get her into school.  So you can pray about that for her/us! 

Marc, Marc, Marc.... we are having a trying time with him right now.  He is SUPER UBER SO SUPER HYPER EMOTIONAL and it is REALLY REALLY hard for me.  His language is just slow coming and he just cries and is in an emotional breakdown MOST OF THE TIME.  I am in prayer all the time for wisdom, grace, patience, energy, strength, and hope in how to be a good mother for him.  I am so exhausted with it.  I need a good book on how to raise a toddler that cries all the time.  I need to google it.  I am trying hard to teach him to "get his emotions under control" and to know when it is appropriate to cry and when to simply use words.  My biggest prayer requests for him is for healing of spirit, loosening of the tongue with an outflow of language, and self control.  He also still has little control when it comes to eatting.  And oh yeah... he still won't play by himself most of  the time.  Any prayers you want to offer up here are very welcomed!

Here I am with my new hair cut.  It's pretty short.  It super super easy (done in 5 minutes, dried and fixed!)and usually looks good.  And even though I do love it, I think I want a little longer length version of it... which should arrive in about 6 more weeks maybe!  I am a hair nightmare.  I never like my hair.  Never have.  It's a lie from the enemy and you think I would be over it by now... right!? lol

I am overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to run a household and manage three children... well.  It was a big jump to go from one to three in one year... and it hit when school was out.  AND that (school) gives me light at the end of the tunnel.  In August, both girls will be in school and Marc will be in school twice a week.  I'll actually have some time to myself again and I think that will help bring about some balance.  I am also learning that I don't have to entertain them all the time!  I had my AH HA moment and am going with it.  "Find something to do" is now an active part of my vocabulary instead of "how about you play with play dough", or "how about we play this game", or "let's do a craft"!"  It's working better for all of us. And we totally still do stuff together... but not all day anymore!

Here are some pictures from Brenda's birthday party... long over due of course.  My mom came and she made these gorgeous cupcakes for her.  It was so nice to have her here.  I love and miss you Mom!

I love this picture... one of my favorites ever!

And lastly, but NOT least, this is my precious Campbell.  She is my friend.  She is like a sister.  She is like a daughter.  I adore her.  I admire her.  I respect her.  And I love her.  She has become a big part of our family ever since she became my one employee with Georgia Jewels.  That's when we really talked and bonded.

She house sits, dog sits, and baby sits.  Last week she gave us a night of free babysitting, because she knows how much money we are spending on this adoption. And I think she may be really worried I am going to sell a kidney!  Because of her free babysitting, Don and I went to dinner (with a gift card from a friend I had from my BIRTHDAY in February) and ate free... then went to the Atlanta Braves game and had FUN.  It was a MUCH NEEDED NIGHT.  THANK YOU.  We have no family here and never have the gift of free babysitting! 

On top of that, Campbell has a love for the Lord that just makes me smile in my heart.  She has a hunger to draw closer to Him and experience ALL of Him.  She is not content to be like other young people.  This is an example of her heart.  She had a yard sale, made a lot of money, and then gave it to our friend who is hosting a child from Latvia this summer.  She could have used that money to buy new clothes, new music, go out with friends, or take it on her two week trip to CA... but no... she gave it to someone in need who is doing an amazing thing.  

She also took the beautiful top three pictures of the kids with the sunflowers as a gift for me.

Campbell, even though this little bio of you may embarrass you a bit... I ADORE you and love you crazy.  I think you rock in many, many, many ways.  You are like no other young person I have known.  You inspire me and I LOVE that you spend time with our family and that my girls get to see you... and see Christ in you.  I want them to grow up and be just like you.  I also want you to quit school and move in and be my fourth child... but we can't have everything can we!

I love you and I hope your trip to CA is amazing this weekend and for the next two weeks.  

Toodles...