6 month update

So a post every six months seems reasonable, right?  I love the life we live.  Many times, I have so little time to sit and think, I completely neglect recording that busy, wonderful life.  I want to remember these days as we go along.  I want to remember the chaos that we lived in during this period of time, because I know it won't last.  I am enjoying so much of the time I spend with my sweet, crazy family, and I want the memories to last forever.
So life as we know it:
We are in the middle of our summer break.  We love the leisurely pace of our mornings together, but we seem to have busy afternoons.  The three boys are playing premier soccer. They practice year round, so they each have 2 or 3 practices a week.  Of course they are all on different teams, but they all at least practice at the same field at some of the same times.  Brandt is beginning to see soccer as a source of his identity and really grasping how hard he now has to work.  He has the natural ability, but that only gets you so far, so he pushes himself every time he steps on the field.  He has also begun to carry a soccer ball everywhere he goes.  We were on the pier in downtown Seattle last week and he was dribbling away.  I really don't mind as long as he keeps it under control and doesn't bother other people.  It keeps him from picking on his siblings as well ;).  He really is very good with his siblings.  We have used him as a baby sitter a few times, and he seems to do a really good job.  It is kind of freeing to know I can run to the grocery store, and the kids will be OK.  Crazy after all these years.  Holden is also playing a lot of soccer.  He has not yet decided if it is his thing.  We are going to continue to take him and allow him to remain competitive, but it might not be his thing.  He does a great job while he is out there.  Wyatt is an animal on the field.  He doesn't take practices very seriously, but as soon as he steps on the field during a game, you better watch out.  He may be the smallest on his team, but I don't think he knows that.  He will probably get the most fouls called, but he goes hard every minute he is out there.  It is fun to watch.  Now if his coach can get him to focus during practice, he may be unstoppable.
The girls are enjoying being girls.  Ainsley is learning how hard it is to sit still and pay attention.  She made it through kindergarten, but she doesn't really fit the mold of model student.  She preferred recess and PE.  She was a friend to every person she met.  She will see people in town and go and have a conversation with them.  When I ask her who they are, they are usually someone from school, or church.  She quickly gets to know people.  I saw a glimpse at what sort of person she is going to be the other day.  We were at Costco, and we were heading out the door.  She suddenly darted over by the pop machines.  I watched to see what she was up to, because stopping her is near impossible if she is on a mission.  She went around to the side of the machines where she can reach the lids and grabbed one and handed it to a woman who was sitting in a wheel chair and couldn't reach the lids.  I didn't even see the woman sitting there or pay attention to her struggle, but Ainsley did and I was very proud of her.  I see the person she will be someday and it is going to be neat to watch.  Grace is growing up.  I can't believe that she is a preschooler and no longer a toddler.  She has a very strong opinion about life and makes sure we know that.  She knows what she wants and she finds a way to communicate to us what that is.  She has a very limited verbal vocabulary still, but even people that don't know sign language understand what she is asking for.  She is so good at getting her point across.  She will be quite the communicator someday.  Her speech therapy is going very well, but I wish she was like all the other 3 year olds, and could tell us what she needs.  We still run into many frustrations.  She is precious though, and through all the time we have had her, we have thanked God for the opportunity to be her family.
Summer is lazy days and fun activities.  I am loving summer.  We lay around and sleep in until 7:00 (which really is sleeping in for us) and slowly start our day.  It is such a relief after the months of 5:00 and rush out the door by 6:45.  I am much nicer in the mornings now.  After my first year of teaching I am excited for my next one.  I love teaching.  I was excited to go to work every day.  It is neat to be in a position that just feels right.  It was hard work, but I loved it and can't wait for next year.  I get to have Brandt in one of my classes and I think that will be fun.  Mike and I are loving our new house, and the peace it provides us.  We love the privacy and the freedom we have here.  The kids are enjoying exploring and being country kids.  It is a  nice change.  It is also nice to finally settle in after 3 moves in a year.  I don't want to move ever again, and I could see us living here for a very long time.  I love the house more every day.  I am so glad we took the long route and patiently (or not so patiently) waited for this house.  It was completely worth it.
So onto pictures.

So there they all are at Easter.  Don't they look cute?

We enrolled Ainsley in horse riding lessons.  She is a natural and loves them.  She is confident and in control.  It is fun to watch.

I just think Wyatt looks so cute in this picture.  He has been losing all of his teeth, so he has the adorable toothless smile going on right now.

When we went camping over Memorial Day weekend, we found these huge ant hills and spent some time exploring them.  

This was also during our camping trip.  Not sure what Ainsley is doing.

The water was not warm, but does that matter to kids?

Grace had tubes put back in her ears and this was her post surgery picture.  She did very well.  

My little drummer boy marched in the Maritime Gig parade this year with his Middle school band.  It was really fun.

There is the front of our house.  We put in the flower bed and painted the door since we have moved in.  It is so fun to work on projects at this house.

Grace loves swimming and has started swimming lessons.  

There's my little dribbler.

Grace was snuggling Daddy after finishing the Mini Marathon with her uncle Ryan.  She fell asleep about half way through the race.

Brandt won the 10-14 age bracket of the mini marathon.  He's pretty speedy.

Jen took us blueberry picking while we were visiting her.  I think Grace thought it was blueberry eating.

And there is Ainsley with her blueberry bucket. 

There's my Holden.  Isn't he cute?

Holden used his Uncle and Grandpa to help him build a bunny hutch for the one bunny he was going to get.  Turns out he couldn't separate brothers, so he now has 2 bunnies.  Oh well.  They are enjoying their awesome digs.

Camping

All three boys cleaned up with the wrestling awards.  I think their fellow teammates were getting a bit annoyed that Kelly kept being called.  They are quite the grapplers.

First project in our new home was a fort in the yard.  It was awesome, but it has already been removed and they have moved to many different projects.

January

January has almost come to an end.  Where did it go?  Life has a way of rushing past.  I have been wanting to sit down and write down several of my thoughts for awhile, but I think God has been working on it in my brain, until I have a chance to write.
Last weekend, we decided to take the boys to watch a big kid wrestling tournament where Mike's cousin was coaching.  The boys have really enjoyed their time on the mat this season, and we wanted them to see some experienced wrestlers.  His cousin has a great team, and the boys loved being able to watch for a bit.  Well, the girl's weren't so excited, so I ended up out in the hall way for a bit following them around.  Ainsley and Grace were playing an impromptu game of hide and seek, and so Grace had hid in a little corner.  I knew exactly where she was, and was only about 10 feet from her, when this couple came walking by.  Ok, so to add to the story, ever since we have been home with Grace, we have existed with people like us.  They look like us, and do many of the same things we do, and believe the same things as us.  Well, we went into a much more diverse environment when we entered this school. The couple that approached Grace appeared to be Pacific Islander, or some other nationality, that has dark skin, dark eyes and dark hair.  Much more similar to Grace than her blonde haired blue eyed siblings.  We don't think about it, and the people we are with realize she is adopted and don't think much about it either.  Well, this couple instantly became concerned, because she didn't look like anyone around, so they immediately thought she was lost.  They approached her, and said, "Where is your family?", "Who are you here with?", even though I was standing right there, looking right at where she was.  She became concerned and ran and grabbed my leg, letting everyone know, that her family was close.  I also instantly spoke up, saying, "she is mine."  They looked at me, and looked back at her, then walked away.  This left me with a strange feeling.  I know she is mine, just as much as all the other children that follow me around, but from the outside, she doesn't look like she belongs.  I was heart broken over this, never wanting her to feel she doesn't belong, because of what other people think.  She is our precious baby girl, regardless of what journey she took to get to us.  I think God was teaching me something here.  When people see us, they see the same person we have always been.  Looking in the mirror, besides a few wrinkles and some grey hairs, I don't look a whole lot different than I did when I graduated from high school.  I am coming up on my 20 year class reunion, and I am fearful of attending, because people will see me as the same, even though I am vastly different.  I am thankfully not the same person I was when I was in high school.  I was judgmental, and so unkind sometimes.  I felt works were the way my faith was defined instead of love, and I regret treating people a certain way, because of what they did, rather than seeing them as Jesus does.  I don't want people to see me and instantly associate me with that person.  Here is what has happened since them.  I have developed a relationship with my God and know what redemption looks like.  I have been "adopted" by the God the universe.  Though my outsides may look like the same creature I was when I was in high school, God sees me as his daughter, and knows I am His.  I need to grasp that, and not let the way I am perceived shape how I feel about my family ties to my Heavenly father.  God took me as His own and changed me on the inside.  I may not resemble Him in my body form, but I pray he is changing my insides to look more like Him every day.  I want people to see Him in me, looking past the outward appearance that I have had for the last 30 some years.  Deep thoughts from the simple questions that couple asked.  I love when God lays something on my heart and I feel Him in my thoughts.
Here is what we have been up to lately.  We had a great trip to the beach with my sister and her family. We have been bustling through a crazy, and busy month.  Wyatt broke his nose, courtesy of his brothers very hard head.  We are having to examine our schedule, and look to make choices in what actives we are involved with.  The kids continue to grow, and change and become who they are.