5 Things for my morning routine!

A blog I was reading this morning is challenging moms to make their home a haven.  The first challenge is to create a morning routine so that the day can get off to a good start.  I have decided to take up the challenge of making my home a haven.  I really want my home to be a joyful place for everyone.....a place Tim can relax after all the business and craziness of work, a place the kids feel safe and love being, a place that encourages creativity and a place that is welcoming.  There is a balance between getting all of the tasks of the home done and making time for all of the members in your home and I can say that I do not have that balance: I am not nearly as organized as what I believe I need to be but I am sometimes selfish with my time by not serving the other members of my household in spending time with them.  So, I am creating my list of 5 things I want to accomplish each morning!

My morning routine:

- Quiet time with the Lord & Prayer

- Clean up the kitchen (put away clean dishes, etc.)

- Make my bed (I am terrible at)

- Morning devotional with the kids

- Get dressed and get myself ready for the day.

These things seem simple enough but I am terribly laid back about making routines and it generally does not take much for me to alter my plans for the morning.  I absolutely see the benefits of being disciplined and having routine, I would love to be that way but I find that when it comes down to it, I lean towards not having a set routine and instead opt for a more laid back and freedom/spontaneous type attitude.  I really want to change in that area and I believe it would be so much more beneficial to myself and the rest of the family!  So for all my friends that are reading this, feel free to ask me how I am doing!

Kaden wanted to go outside this morning with Joey after Joey got back from the hospital. I asked Kade if he wanted to watch a dvd or go outside. He responded in quite a serious voice, "I want to go outside and take care of business with Joey." We queried what kind of

business he wanted he and Joey to take care of and he responded, "Bookshelf business." He then

explaind to us that he and Joey have bookshelf business outside.

Later, they were playing and Kade told Joey, "Come on Joe, we need to take care of business." We are now headed outside to "take care of business."

Joey's Ear Tubes

This morning Leala and I took Joey to the children's hospital to have tubes put in his ears.  He has apparently had a number of ear infections that caused a differential in pressure that has led to some hearing loss.  With the tubes, the pressure should be equalized and his hearing should fully restore.

He was a real champ.  Before the procedure he was playing with the toys in the waiting room and driving a toy car around.  At the time of the procedure, he drove the car to the operating room and then very peacefully went with the nurses.  As always, Joey charmed everyone he ran into and had everyone fawning over him.

The procedure literally took about 5 minutes.  Afterwards, he was groggy but alert and he is now playing with Mia and Kaden.

Random thoughts and updates!

1 year ago this month, we had our court date to obtain custody of Melody and Joseph.  The picture above was taken when the kids received their passports!  They both look so little and so young to me now.  Joey doesn't even look like the same child to me.  Melody remembers a lot about her time in Uganda but a lot is fading from her memory, its kinda sad.  We go through pictures with her every so often and she is forgetting some of the kids names and some of the people.  There is always a excitement and familiarity she has at seeing the pictures but some things are a little vague now and yet some memories are very clear for her!  It is sooooo nice to be a year out from all of that and comfort that brings.  We are no longer acclimating and adjusting, everything feels much more normal now.  It warms my heart now when I hear Kaden say "I love my sisters and brother" or Melody say the same.  Melody is Kaden's sister and in his little mind that is just how it is and vice versa!  It doesn't really feel like its been a year since the bulk of our adoption experiences came to an end but when I look back to all the differences from then till now, it seems like a long time ago!

Joey will be getting tubes in his ears later this month.  He has some hearing loss in one ear and a severely retracted ear drum, so he will be getting tubes to hopefully help with those issues!

Piper is trying as hard as she can to communicate and do everything Kade, Mia and Joey do.  She understands so much and is a busy and full of personality little girl.  She keeps me on my toes!

Mia met a clown for the first time this weekend, she was very sketchy about it at first but she ended up handling it really well!

We are well on our way to having 3 kids potty trained.....still pull ups at night time but potty trained w/o diapers.......what a great feeling to only have one left in diapers!