When the children pray

I often read on my friends blogs, some of the really sweet things their kids pray about and its great to see how their little hearts are softened to various things.  We pray with the kids every night before bed and Mia prays for her friends from the orphanage, our family and then she will often say how thankful she is for something we did that day or something she is looking forward to.  Joey will pray for everyone in the family by name and then "Mommy and daddy" an additional 2 to 4 times.  Kaden will pray for our family, our church, and sometimes "the other Kaden".  He met another little boy named Kaden one time and now he prays for him often.  I am very thankful for these little times during the day that we have with the kids to get a little glimpse at where their hearts are at.

Questions about skin color

First off, this is Mia next to her new best friend, Kira that cat.  Melody was initially very scared of the cats but over time she has gotten used to them and now she loves Kira.  Kira is a very lazy, very laid back cat that lets the kids pet her, tug at her, sit next to her, and squish her and she generally doesn't care.  Mia really likes to pet her and talk to her.  This is a pic of Mia laying next to her, watching a cartoon.

Mia has recently started asking me "Mom, what color is my skin?"  "What color is your skin, is it white?"  I kinda assumed that she probably noticed the difference before she said anything because of being in Uganda where the contrast between the Ugandans and the mzungu seems pretty pronounced.  I tell her that her skin is dark brown and mine is a very light color and that there are all kinds of people with all different shades.  She asked me why and I said thats the way the Lord made people.  I am sure this is the beginning of many conversations over the years.  I kinda look forward to it though b/c its a demonstration of the unique and beautiful way the Lord has constructed our family!

Life with 4 kids under 5

A constant issue that we work on in our home, is sharing and being kind to one another....so I took this picture because it is a wonderful example of the kids sharing and playing nicely together!  Even Piper is in her own little world on the side of the bus.  This was first thing in the morning, the kids are still in their jammies and they were pretending to go somewhere!  

People will often ask me how it is having 4 kids under the age of 5.  This picture is an example of one facet of what life is like!  We have a lot of conversations about being kind, sharing, using kind words, having a happy heart, being obedient, listening attentively and having self control.  We constantly answer a ton of questions......a typical conversation might go something like this:

Mommy, did you get your hair cut?

Why did you get a haircut?

Who cut your hair?

Where did you go?

Why did you cut your hair?

Can I get my hair cut?

Did daddy get his haircut?

Did Kaden get his haircut?

Mommy, when I get big am I going to get my haircut?

Am I going to be big like you?

Am I going to be big tomorrow?

When I get big, I am going to help you make pancakes.

When I get big, am I going to cook just like you? etc., etc, etc.

On any given day there will be a lot of laughing and giggling, some pouting and crying, some really sweet moments of sharing, a lot of hugs and sitting on my lap, a lot of eating and filling up cups, a lot of cleaning up, laundry, a lot of saying "Kaden, Joey & Mia come please", and of course, lots of questions!  At first it was overwhelming but like most things, you get used to it.  it is a lot of work to meet the needs of 4 small kids but once you get used to it, its normal.  There are moments of frustration and some moments where I have to take a step back but there are a lot of moments of smiles, and funny comments, and sweet gestures and fun!  It is a great opportunity to raise 4 children and I am constantly seeking to keep that in perspective!

Piper's Two Teeth!

Piper is showing off her two new teeth!

Mia loves Ethan!

Going back to a post a couple of months ago, Mia really likes a young 20 something guy at our church named Ethan! Almost from the first day she came to our church, Mia has liked Ethan. Ethan usually plays guitar or drums in our church band and has now become somewhat of a celebrity in our home. Kaden also idealizes Ethan because Ethan plays instruments! The kids often tell me that they would like Ethan to come over and I am lame and I haven't orchestrated that yet. Mia will often tell me she would like to color a picture for Ethan and sometimes will sing her "Ethan is my friend" song, but the other day she said "I love Ethan!" I asked her what she loved about Ethan and she said his drums and that he had nice hair! She asked if she could meet Ethan's family. When they are at church, they can't wait to see Ethan and give him the "Rock and roll" sign....... so, hear is a shoutout to Ethan.......My kids love you! I hope this makes it to Ethan because I don't have his email address!

Coffee & special time

I try to spend a little one on one time with each of the kids every once in a while so Friday morning I took Kaden with me while the other 3 stayed with our babysitter, Kim.  Kaden and I went and ran a few errands, and then had lunch!  Kaden was so funny while shopping with me, he walked around by himself like a big boy and had all kinds of things to say.  He wanted to buy me some lip gloss at a store, which was really sweet, but he didn't have any money.

On Saturday morning, I took Mia to Starbucks to have "special coffee" which means I gave her decaff.  When Mia was at the orphanage, she had a worker their that she was really close to and she and Holly used to have coffee together.  Mia asked to try it one time and she liked it ever since.  It was a special little thing they did together.  Holly even got Mia a tiny little coffee cup.  It kinda became a little tradition for Mia so on occasion she would have coffee with a few of the workers from the orphanage and it was their special time.  When Mia was getting ready to leave the orphanage, a few of the ladies had their last special coffee time with Mia.  Mia really likes black coffee so to carry on the tradition, every once in a while I am going to take her to Starbucks and have our own little coffee time!