Mich Mac's Musings

eat your heart out martha stewart!!!

2012-02-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

so, i've been a very busy girl this weekend...friday night we purchased this table for $25 on craigslist (yes, i talked him down from $30...let's pretend the floor looks clean)
it's a much smaller table than what we currently have in the dining/classroom, but with my short arms and the kiddo's even shorter arms, we were always stretching like mad to hand things to each other...this just makes life easier for all parties involved.

i painted the legs white and top with CHALKBOARD paint!!!! saw this idea on pinterest (the site is of the devil...it consumes my downtime during naptime)
AiN't iT pUrDy!?!
(am i allowed to say that "legally" as a homeschooler? oh well...what's done is done!)

the classroom has now been "sorta" converted from a burgundy/gold/traditional boring dining room to a classy black/white/turquoise "almost" classroom.

i still need to paint the bookshelf and cover the back with a funky scrapbook paper and paint the dresser as well, but this preggo mama ran outta steam.
here is the semi-finished product (check out the bench i reupholstered with an old sheet too...i'm on a roll)

This is my world

2012-01-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

this video was taken a few months ago, but it's one of my favorites of capri showing off her mad geography skills...the girl can memorize just about anything if you put it to song...we've sang our way through europe and asia and started africa this past week and she LOVES it! so proud of the progress she's making with school.

the secret's out

2012-01-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

alright, the secret is out after my husband so eloquently posted on facebook "Just wanted to let you all know that my lady friend will be delivering my love child this summer." seriously, his love child!?! oh my cow, it's a good thing he's cute!!!

it's true, miracle #3 (as i prefer to call him/her) will be arriving in july...it's gonna be a H-O-T summer, but a fun one. it's so amazing to me that after nearly 10 years of trying to have children GOD not only blessed us with one, or two, but now three miracles.

we truly thought we were finished after gaven came into the world, not that we didn't want 20 more just like him, but we felt like we had one boy, one girl, one adopted, and one biological, what more could we ask for!?! don't ask...unless you want GOD to answer! and answer HE did. we found out on thanksgiving weekend that we were expecting again. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP THIS A SECRET DURING THANKSGIVING!?! you're sorrounded by family and food (that frankly made me horribly nauseated)...and can't tell a soul! but we kept it hush until one of the kids blabbed at daycare that "mom had to go the hospital because she was puking all over and then we heard a heartbeat in her belly!" so, since daycare found out, we decided to tell our family and then the world once i was 12 weeks just to be safe.

so, there you have it...2012 will bring us to full-time homeschooling, mama not working, and miracle #3!!! EEEEEKKKK!!! it's so exciting. alright, this mama has to go take a nap...this little one is tuckering me out!

i did it!

2012-01-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

after months of prayer and being amazed at GOD's provision, i did something that was very difficult, but will be oh so rewarding...i quit my job so i can be a full time mama!!!

we have been so blessed by my job at riverpoint church, but with homeschooling comes many late nights of preparation and a very wonky schedule for my kiddos. we're in the final stretch now, i have until the end of january and then we will be able to really conquer this homeschool thing! capri is so excited, i really noticed how much she wants me home this past week after being off for the christmas holiday. tuesday morning, when we were on our way to daycare and i was on my way to a LONG day at work, capri was being really difficult and disobedient, she'd been really good the past week so i asked her what was wrong, through tears she let me know she wanted to be at home and having school. this was the perfect time for me to share with her that we are almost there, that i won't have to work soon. this helped her and she quickly changed her attitude, now each day, she comes in and asks if today is the day that i'm done.

it's so exciting to see what GOD has planned, we've already been amazed by HIS provision...i know that there will be difficult days, but i also know that this is what they need right now, they are both excelling so much in school and have such excitement to get started each day, i hope i can keep you all posted on their accomplishments...and mine too, cuz we all know this is a learning experience for me too.

my beautiful capri linay

my handsome gaven keith

can't wait to soak up these little miracles

classroom re-do

2011-11-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

since we're still new to this homeschool thing i've been spending a lot of time researching homeschool rooms online. the kids both get distracted easily, so i know i want to keep it relativly calm in the diningroom/classroom. here's what we have so far, but it's still a BIG work in progress...sorry the picture's not the best quality, i snapped it with my phone.

are you smarter than a kindergartner?

2011-11-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

so, homeschooling has been beyond fun (challenging at times, but fun). not to toot my own horn or anything but i consider myself a relatively smart person and didn't see myself having any issues teaching kindergarten (5th grade, perhaps, but not kindergarten)...enter geography...seriously? she's in kindergarten. yesterday, we were continuing our study on europe and i had to look up on google maps where germany was...hello...is it too much to ask for a teacher's manual!?!

capri in all her sweetness looked at me and said, "mama, if you don't know where it is, how will i?" here i thought i was poker facing it rather well...apparently not. but at least i'm educating not only a 2 & 5 year old, but this old broad as well. fingers crossed, i'll pass.

we've come a LONG way baby!

2011-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

upon reviewing our pictures from our recent family vacation to denver, co...i couldn't help but be in awe of what i was seeing. let me back up a few years. when capri came to live with us, she had been through quite a bit, to say the least. for some reason she was terrified of swings. she wouldn't even go near them. so we started praying about this phobia and trying to work with her through her fears. once we could finally get her on a playground, my husband would get on the swing to show her that if daddy did it, so could she. she has gradually moved closer and closer to swings but took years to get on one, and even then, she never smiled or enjoyed it...it was more like she was on them to appease us.

while visiting boulder, we stopped off at a playground for the kids to get some wiggles out while we visited with our friend. i looked over and to my amazement, this is what i found

yep...that's my sweet baby girl, swinging and if this were a video you'd hear...GIGGLING! she had so much fun on that swing.

it's so amazing to me that GOD blesses us, even in the little things.

unchartered waters

2011-09-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

we're preparing to take a HUGE leap of faith, like, boldly going where we've never gone before. it's scary, but it's also a chance for us to really let go and let GOD. HE has this, whether we keep taking it back from HIM or not, it's completely HIS.

whenever we take these steps, it's a chance for a deeper understanding of who HE really is. it's also a chance for our family to grow closer together and us to teach our kids what faith is all about.

we can't help but feel anxious about what's ahead, but we're reminded of Philippians 4:6, "do not be anxious about anything; but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD."

so here we are...presenting our requests to GOD..."FATHER, open the doors wide if it's YOUR will, if not, slam them in our face so we know without a shadow of a doubt, that this is not the way."

the journey has only begun...

TOOTHLESS GRIN

2011-08-26T11:35:00.001-07:00

so, after nearly a year of telling people she lost a tooth (since she has a cute gap between her upper teeth)...capri finally lost a tooth yesterday! she didn't even cry...just looked up and said, "here it is!" thanks to a little help from nina, the ever so wiggly wedge came right out. had to capture the precious smile. gotta love those little milestones.

fun with nana

2011-08-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

what a blast the last two weeks were. having my mama here made my month! there is nothing better than seeing my kids loved on, they seriously ate her up. each morning, nana would come to the bottom of the steps and wake the kids up by "mewing" like a kitten...they would squeal with delight and scream "nana kitty's awake!"

some highlights for the kiddos with their nana...according to capri...

*we liked feeding the turtles cheerios and then getting tucker (our newest shelled friend), cause he's so cute and we love him.

*we loved going to dolci and joe's, and i love the cranky turkey

*we liked going on walks to the neighborhood park and finding bugs and butterflies and seeing chloe (the neighbor's dog...i think)

*oh, and we loved going to kansas city and showing nana my loose tooth (my baby girl's so big!)

so, judging by what capri has to say, i would say overall it was an AWESOME visit from my amazing mama! she had her art show at mead's corner in wichita, ks...it's still going on and we're so proud of all of her work...check it out at itiswrittenonmyheart.blogspot.com...so proud of her as an artist and so thankful for her as my mama...GOD blessed me beyond measure with her and i pray we can live closer to each other soon.

act your age!?!

2011-07-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

i don't care how old i am, or the fact that i'm married with children and moved out of my parents house over 12 years ago...it does NOT matter. what does matter!?! MY MOMMY'S FLYING TO KANSAS TONIGHT!!!!!

it's amazing how being a wife and mother i sometimes lose sight of the fact that i'm a daughter, and i need my mama....even at 32, she makes me feel like a little kid.

so, what am i planning to do with my wild mama!?! here's just few of our plans
***i'm gonna talk her ear off...and she's gonna talk mine off.
***we're going to get our hair "did"...cause my roots are freaking me out
***girl's pamper day...complete with pedicure and coffee
***beinets and praline bacon breakfast...mmm bacon
***kingdom comedy club...christian comedy club, it's clean and fun
***the hubby's softball tournament...please GOD let it be under 100 degrees
***we're going to laugh...it's what we do best
***HERE'S MY FAVORITE...putting up her artwork at mead's corner in wichita

i'm so proud of her, not only is she one of my best friend's, but she's a VERY talented artist. if you get a minute, check out her blog www.itiswrittenonmyheart.blogspot.com

All About 'Pri

2011-07-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

you know those crazy facebook surveys? well, for fun, we thought capri should answer the questions.

1) What is your salad dressing of choice?
"um, well, i don't love salad."

2) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
"dolci & joes, maybe 5 guys"

3) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of?
"well, i like dinner"

4) What are your pizza toppings of choice?
"salmon in kansas city"

5) What do you like to put on your toast?
"nana's jam"

6) How many televisions are in your house?
"i don't know, but i like to watch fresh beat band"

7) What color cell phone do you have?
"pink with princesses"

8) Are you right-handed or left-handed?
"what does that mean?"

9) Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
"what were they called again?" (adnoids) "oh yeah, altoids"

10) What is the last heavy item you lifted?
"your purse, remember mama? oh, it's so heavy"

11) Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
"i don't remember" (hehehe)

12) If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
"i wanna be in the rat pack, how 'bout blue eyes" (not sure where that came from!)

13) How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
"oh, i love flit lops"

14) Last person you talked to?
"mama, i talkin' to you now"

15) Last person you hugged?
"daddy and gaven"

16) Favorite Holiday?
"my birthday cause i'm gonna be 6"

17) Favorite day of the week?
"monday"

18) Favorite Month?
"december 1st is my birthday"

19) First place you went this morning?
"dolci and joes for breakfast"

20) What's the last movie you saw?
"annie" (then she burst into "tomorrow"...ahh the joys of annie)

21) Do you smile often?
"i smile when i'm happy"

22) Do you always answer your phone?
"mama, you won't let me"

23) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic?
"oh, i love that cranberry one, with ice"

24) Have you ever had a pet fish?
"i like to eat fish and salmon, that's a fish, but i don't pet them" (PETA would not be happy about that answer)

25) Favorite Christmas song?
"maybe jingle bells"

26) What's on your wish list for your birthday?
"i want a new kitchen with a paddle that fits in my drawer"

27) Plans tonight?
"i wanna go to the basement and play with my toys"

28) Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
"we went to target, we bought a toy box, homework and big boy panties for gaven"

i think she needs to fill out my surveys from now on...her answers are WAY more entertaining then mine. have a blessed day!!!

manna for moms

2011-07-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

i've started doing a "mom" devotional each day while the kiddos have breakfast. it's such an amazing time to fill up my tank before i pour into theirs. at first i was just resourcing from biblegateway.com...which i liked, but then i fell upon an amazing site... called manna for moms. (www.MannaForMoms.com) the author, megan breedlove, has great mom perspective. i feel like she's real and i can also do a search for specific topics which is nice on those hard mornings when the house is a mess, the kids are a mess and i am a mess!

also, i want to report, that homeschool is still going great. i feel like the attachment issues we've been having with capri seem to completely subside during "school." i'm seeing her lightbulb go on right before my eyes, and there's nothing better!!! my relationship with the LORD has never been stronger as i feel that i'm a conduit for HIM when i'm teaching. capri keeps asking more and more about GOD...how cool is that!?!

THAT'S MY GIRL!!!

2011-07-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

after only four weeks of homeschooling...capri read her first word today!!!! i shouldn't be as proud as i am, but really, how can i not be!?! she's had such a difficult go of things and to see the lightbulb go on literally takes my breath away. i am SO enjoying homeschooling, sure, there are times it's hard, but i know that i'm doing what's best for them and GOD is giving me patience during school that can only come from HIM. I've loved seeing gaven get excited too. he's learning his colors and he's picking up a lot from the BIBLE stories too. capri can tell you every BIBLE character we've learned about since the day we started...her favorite...malachi!!!

St. Louis Arch

2011-07-04T11:51:00.001-07:00

we had a great time visiting st. louis and our hotel was directly across the street from the st. louis arch. the kids had a blast going up in the elevator to look out over the city...mama, not so much (i HATE heights), but i put on my big girl panties and pretended like i was enjoying it (even if the pictures say otherwise).

daddy with capri linay

the girlie against the arch

little man being a goofball!

i'm tryin'...

2011-06-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

i've been trying to post videos on our blog for months and it isn't working. the kids are getting so big and i feel like a failure that i haven't kept this up. so, here is my attempt at starting this up again.

what's happened since our last post...A LOT!!!

capri is growing up before our eyes. she completed "capri" school and is gearing up for kindergarten...kindergarten at home...yep, after months of wrestling with GOD, HE won...i started homeschooling before school ended and now, after much prayer, we are having school wednesday thru saturday (since i'm still working @ the church) and it's going very well. when asked if i have the patience to do this, my answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! but with GOD i do, because HE called me to do this. we're pleased with how quick she's learning and i love seeing the bond grow between the two of us. (she's been having attachment issues over the past year as well, but with prayer, patience and a CHRISTIAN psycologist, we're slowly overcoming this...being adopted comes with it's issues, but we wouldn't have it any other way with our miracle girl).

now for gaven...what a hoot! right now we are in the midst (or rather "mist") of potty training...i would say 75% successful (but the remaining 25% makes me want to throw in the towel!) he's been homeschooling as well and is picking up a lot of what i'm teaching capri. he's quite the entertainer & can sing "tomorrow" in it's entirety, which is pretty impressive at only 2...althought i'm sure his dad would much prefer a more manly song. i have a video that i will try and get on here...it's hilarious.

okay, so now, the plan is to keep this up. i have tons of pictures to post, so i will try and do that over the next few weeks. thanks for being patient!

here's why i do what i do...

SEPTEMBER

2010-11-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

so...CAPRI started "Capri-school" or preschool as most call it. here are some pics of her first day. please note...outfits picked out by katie bug, maddie girl, sammie reigh, and anah banana while we were visiting in washington.

RISE AND SHINE SLEEPY HEAD

GAVEN HELPING SISSY GET READY...BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GIRL

MINOR HESITATION GETTING ON THE BUS

THAT'S MY GIRLIE!

AUGUST

2010-11-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

pretend that this post was done in august...not november...i stink at this blog lately!

the month of august in kansas wasn't spent entirely in kansas, but rather...washington & oregon!!! we had so much fun as a family going to the beach and hanging out as a family, as well as visiting my family and seeing friends while we were there. pictures of our ocean journn ey are attached...wish we were there now...we miss it so much

slacker!

2010-06-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

so, i feel like a total slacker with this blog lately. for those following, or rather about to give up on me, since i last blogged...

gaven: has turned one, is running all over, got his 1st haircut, climbs EVERYTHING, broke his nose, attempted to hang from the chandelier, is learning how to jump (oh joy)

capri: is finishing up swimming class, has improved in her speech (and won't stop talking), has her first crush (on someone her age), is getting all ready for "capri-school" in the fall, LOVES dress-up and dancing to hip hop music.

birthday boy!

2010-03-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

gaven keith turns one next weekend! can't believe my baby is getting so BIG

our precious miracles

2010-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

can't believe all that GOD has done in the past year! what blessings these two are, even if they do keep us busy, they are totally worth it.

Beautiful 4 Year Old Girlie

2010-03-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

here's capri & all of her 4 year old cuteness!

just a few pics from our photo shoot

2010-03-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

my baby is walking!!!!

2010-03-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

gaven keith started walking this week and my eyes are constantly full of tears as i watch my baby take steps. i can't believe that he will be one on march 28th. this past year has been AMAZING! thank you GOD for all you've done for our family!

NOTE-please, pay no attention to the toys scattered throughout the room. we've got the lived in look going on

ENJOY!

january 2010

2010-02-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

we finally celebrated christmas with the sadowski's in january. here are some of our favorite january moments, including christmas, a day at the park, messy time, sleepy time, and more

More December Pictures

2010-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

just found my sd card with pics that we never posted...i'm fired, i know...enjoy, even though they're late...

Celebrating Capri's Adoption Anniversary - 12-12-09

2010-02-23T14:11:00.001-08:00

silly 9 month old

2010-01-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

christmas 2009

2009-12-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

Love Song

2009-11-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

we love fall

2009-11-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

woke up to beautiful sunshine and couldn't pass up the opportunity to go out to the arboretum for pictures and a picnic. grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, there's lots of pictures on this one

Cracking up with Capri

2009-11-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Capri LOVES the song "Love Song" by Sarah Barellis...so here is her version of it...i think

Love my daughter, but the kid is not always photogenic...she loves pictures, but never smiles & always squints so we've been working on her technique. it figures the one time i set the camera to "video" on accident, she smiles beautifully, at least we captured the memory...somehow.

Gaven says 'DaDa'

2009-11-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Gaven learned how to say "DaDa" but we've yet to tell him that he looks "special" when he says it...what a hoot

October Daze

2009-10-29T18:21:00.001-07:00

our little piggy

2009-10-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

so, we found out on tuesday, that gaven (our little 6 month old) has swine flu. poor little guy is coughing all over the place, but is finally starting to show improvement with the tamiflu. however, while he's been sick, he has mastered two new tricks. he is now able to put himself into a sitting position from crawling, and then this morning, this is what i walked in on...

we are from this point forward, referring to him as bam! bam! he's so strong, even when he's not feeling well.

Gaven's Giggles

2009-10-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

so, when it's late at night, gavey gets the giggles, and we had to capture it on film. enjoy and try not to laugh, it's pretty hard not to.

the kiddos

2009-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wheat and What Not

2009-07-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

this has been a fun month for photos...we had a photo shoot with gaven near paul's birthday...gaven fit in his daddy's baby clothes at age 3 months! we also took the kiddo's out to the wheat field for pictures before the wheat was all harvested. we had a blast out there trying to fight the enormous rain drops, but we were able to get some good shots.

wasington/oregon trip

2009-06-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

we just got back from a wonderful trip to the west coast. we had an amazing time with my family, a wonderful celebration shower for capri and gaven, we were able to attend paul's sister's wedding, and take a mini vacation with our two kids to the place we fell in love...cannon beach, OR. here are some pictures

we are so blessed

2009-05-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

posting, like sleep, is few and far between, but we feel so blessed to have had my mom here for the birth of gaven as well as having my sister come to help me in any way she could. it was wonderful to have them here to share in our joy, and in immense help as things were pretty shaky the first few days with gaven's jaundice and capri's jealousy. they've been gone for a week now, it's been tough, but i'm figuring this juggling thing out.

gaven's officially out of premie clothes and into newborn and capri is becoming her normal self again. we are gearing up for our trip to washington and oregon next month for paul's sister's wedding, our baby shower, and visit with my family...and then it will be back to work again (dreading that immensely).

on may 10th, we will be dedicating both the kids at church, we are ecstatic to not only have a church, but a church family. they too, have been a huge help over the past month and we love them all.

here are some pictures from the past month...

GAVEN KEITH HAS ARRIVED (3 weeks early)

2009-04-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

after a blizzard, an induction, 7 hours of labor, and an emergency c-section, gaven keith arrived on march 28th at 5:12 p.m. weighing in at a "not-so-hefty" 5 lbs. 12 oz. he was 19 1/2 inches long and has beautiful and alert blue eyes. sorry we are just posting these, but enjoy:

ANNOUNCEMENT

2009-03-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

make room for baby

2009-03-18T11:25:00.001-07:00

so with all of the posts about capri, i haven't posted much about the fact that she's about to become a big sister.

favorite capri and gaven moments (even before he's born)

-every morning she sleepily kisses my belly and says, 'bye baby gaven' and then she pretends to give my belly a drink of milk (gulping sounds included). she is very nurturing and we think she will be a great sister, however are a little concerned about some jealousy issues so we are trying to have her take care of her babies for practice, also, we have a bribe...we have told her that when gaven comes, nana is coming too, so this seems to help with the jealousy...now we just have to get nana here in time.

-a couple weeks ago, i was attempting to put on my socks and shoes and capri was watching me with her thumb in her mouth and started cracking up saying over and over, 'mama look funny' apparently i look as odd as i feel when putting on socks and shoes, and i don't recall her offering any assistance in the matter.

-capri thinks that everyone is pregnant, especially nina and grandpa, each time we go to leave their house, she runs over gives them hugs, and then pats their belly's and says, 'bye grampa baby,' 'bye nina baby...' it sure is a good thing they are understanding and don't take offense to this.

the next few weeks hold big changes for our family, we are thanking GOD for providing not one, but two children within the past 6 months. our family is growing by the grace of GOD and we feel so blessed. we will continue to keep you posted on the birth of baby gaven and the stories of his crazy older sister.

oops...haven't posted in a while...sorry

2009-02-07T20:19:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

ADOPTION FINALLY FINALIZED!!!

2008-12-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

today we met with several friends and family at the harvey county courthouse to finalize capri's adoption! we felt so blessed by all who showed up. we were pleasantly surprised that the judge we wanted showed up instead of the judge we were assigned. judge walker has been the judge throughout capri's whole case and he really wanted to be there for the completion. we didn't get the best pictures, some were blurry, but it's hard to point and shoot with teared up eyes.

me and capri before court...check out that smile (but pay no attention to the remodel job in the background)

another picture of pri and mama before the big day....

we purchased special bracelets for the special day and gave it to capri before court

snuggling with daddy before heading off to court

ms. marcia, capri's former teacher and our close family friend checking out capri's new 'pretty' 'pretty'

capri also wanted to share her bracelet with dr. krasne, lindsay's boss

the courthouse was getting a massive shipment of paper and the guys and capri were watching them unload it...not to mention, capri licking the fly in the window (gross!)

our little lady playing on the floor while we waited for the hearing to begin

just before judge walker arrived

our new family with judge walker and our attorney marilyn

celebrating with nina and grandpa

some of the wonderful friends and family who joined us

these were all our former workers, melissa from s.f.a, our three c.a.s.a workers and ms. marcia (teacher/friend)

what a blessed day. and we can't wait to continue the celebration tonight as we take capri out and start a new adoption tradition with her. she will be going out for a sweet treat...she has selected ice cream with treats in it, so we think there is a cold stone in our future. thanks again to those who attended in person and those who were there in prayer.

bye bye two...hi twee!

2008-12-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

so on december 1st, our baby turned three. on the eve of her birthday she kept saying, 'bye bye two!' 'hi twee!' she is still telling people that she's two, hey, it's hard to admit that you're getting older, but she's doing great. she looks so big. we keep talking about how she's going to be 3 1/2 when the baby's born and can't believe she'll be a big sister, it's amazing all that GOD has done in the past year.

here are some pictures of our big girl on her birthday...
before going to church and lunch with nina and grandpa

a little grumpy 3 year old
when we got home from her birthday meal, we surprised capri by setting up her new ball pit...she was squealing with glee

officially official!

2008-10-28T09:23:00.001-07:00

we found out yesterday that as of december 12th...capri will officially be ours!!! we will be going to the court house for the finalization and then we plan to PARTY. we will be sending out invitations for the end of december/beggining of january to have a finalization celebration.

we feel so blessed to have successfully made it through this 2 1/2 year journey. thank you all so much for your prayers, encouragement and support!

fall pictures

2008-10-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

we love fall and have had a blast enjoying the semi-warm weather (until this week). we've enjoyed a corn maze, papa's pumpkin patch, putt-putt golf, and a day at the park with capri's buddy, abby. we've seen the leaves change, but more important, we've seen a change in the past year with our little angel. enjoy the pictures...

today we saw her name!

2008-09-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

we went to a meeting today which we thought was going to be long, drawn out and unpleasant...boy were we wrong. we were told that we needed to attend capri's subsidy meeting. this is a meeting to discuss funding for capri for the next 15 years. it is supposed to be a time for us to say why she needs subsidy, and they are supposed to basically negotiate with us. well, they didn't. we told them what we were thinking, they said, 'okay.' now lets sign the form...that was easy!!!

so then they brought in the form...it started like this...we, the undersigned, do hereby request to adopt cassandra, who will then be named capri!!!! how cool is that. that was the first legal document that has said her new name. so now we are on our way to adopt this little monkey.

we had no idea that we were supposed to sign our intent to adopt form. we are no longer her foster parents, we are now being referred to as her soon to be adoptive parents. what a blessed day!

Moving Right Along

2008-08-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

just wanted to post real quick to let everyone know how things are going. we started to read capri's file last friday, this is all part of the process of the adoption, although it's hard, there has been much needed information found in that 1000+ page file. i will be going on tuesday to continue reading through everything, so please keep me in your prayers as some of the things literally bring me to tears. it is so hard to see what all she's been through, but at least we know she's going to be ours, and all of that is in her past...THANK YOU GOD!!!

as for capri...she's a total nut and she's been catching up developmentally. still behind some, but making huge progress. she's learning her abc's and her shapes and colors...she's picked all of this up faster than we expected which is encouraging.

hope all is well for you and yours and thanks again for everything!!!

Finally...a sigh of relief!

2008-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

okay, we can finally let out that breath that we've been holding for years! capri is going to be OURS. we met with our attorney friday and she assured us that once she receives "the packet" we can officially proceed forward with this long awaited adoption.

it amazes us how things have changed over the past two years. we went from a couple longing for a child, to a couple fighting for a child, to a couple in love with each other as well as their child. GOD has provided so much, even through grief and heartache! we are stronger because of this fight, our testimony and capri's testimony can help others who are going through similar struggles and that gets us stoked to spread the WORD!

we are looking forward to what GOD has in store for us next. at the moment, we are requesting prayer that as HE brings other children into the picture, HE will lead us to the right child. we want to adopt again, but we want to make sure that it is with HIS leading, because we know how hard it is if it isn't HIS will. thank you for your prayers over the past two years with capri and the past nine years of our marriage!

July 25th, 2008

2008-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

next friday, july 25th, there will be a staffing held to see if we get to adopt capri. at this point in time, no other families have come forward to request to adopt her, so things are looking great! we will keep you all posted as we learn more and will appreciate your prayers too...thank you!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-07T11:03:00.001-07:00

My Hero

2008-06-07T10:38:00.001-07:00

Today I saw a precious moment that took my breath away
My husband and our baby girl pausing from their day

He held her in his big strong arms and showed her beauty all around
Then he kissed her precious head and placed her on the ground

I pray that you will always have the bond you share today
And the joy you share in each other will never fade away.

May your daddy always be your hero for he's my hero too
And each day we thank our Heavenly Father for the precious gift of you!

Mullet-Be-Gone!

2008-06-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

we did it! we finally rid capri of her mullet! we took her to see the world's greatest beautician, kaley, and she worked her magic to rid our baby girl of her she mullet! at first, she was very scared, so i got in the chair with her, showed her my ring, and the cutting began. she looks so grown up now, and has an attitude to go along with it. she loves to show people her hair and say, "i cute!"

after pictures...isn't she cute!?!

tutu cute

2008-05-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

it's a beautiful day, so capri grabbed her tutu and we went outside for some pictures...enjoy

then she decided she was done, and was letting me know about it...diva

"bye bye mama" "c-ya" "all done" (i guess she's trying to tell me something)

why toss a coin in a fountain when you can pray!

2008-05-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

i have several things to be thankful for, but today, i am thankful for a new daycare!!! GOD is so good. we have been trying to get capri into carol's daycare for almost two years. people are always telling us how wonderful this woman is, and by the grace of GOD, three weeks ago, we met her. we were sitting next to her at a seminar for over three hours when we realized who she was, after the seminar, we introduced ourselves...not so subtly. i said, 'i've been praying for you!' normally i introduce myself first but hey, i was excited! so today, i phoned her and she has an opening starting june 1st. hooray!!!

let me tell you how wonderful this woman is...she has fostered SEVERAL children in her 22 years as a foster parent. she adopted a girl twenty years ago (named lindsay), and has TONS of experience with kids in foster care. GOD is so amazing how HE works things out. when we told our current daycare provider the news, she was ecstatic because apparently she doesn't feel like daycare is the right thing for her, so again, a GOD thing. we will keep you posted on capri's many adventures at daycare...we know there will be more to come.

Colbie Caillat, Kansas City, & A Cutie

2008-05-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

we went to kansas city this weekend to see colbie caillat in concert. capri loved listening to the bubble song, but we were all sad that colbie didn't sing 'capri.' oh well, we will be seeing her again this next friday and have hopes that she will sing it there.

on our trip to kansas city, capri zonked out in the back seat and i had to take some pictures of the sleeping beauty.
(capri sound asleep in the kansas city traffic)

bear made the trip to kansas city too. he even attended the concert and capri was making him dance on daddy and mama's laps. capri treated him like her little baby and was sitting in the back seat of the car giving him drinks from her sippy cup. however, he didn't get to play in the fountain with capri and daddy. (sorry, i didn't have my camera for that...i know...i'm bummed too.)

all in all, it was a great weekend with only a few minor meltdowns...which is pretty good considering we are officially a professional fit thrower! further blogs on being 2 to follow.

"i biva"

2008-04-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

sunglasses have become capri's new best friend. she loves them...indoors and out. the other day we were walking out of the house and a neighbor saw her with her sunglasses on and said, 'she sure does look cute in those glasses' to which i replied, 'yeah, she's quite the diva.' (mistake #1)

capri kept saying 'i biva' over and over. we went to her appointment, i set her on the counter and the lady at the desk said 'hi sweetie, how are you?' capri looked at her, pushed up her sunglasses and said with her chest puffed out...'i biva.' the lady looked perplexed, i then explained that my ever so confident daughter finds herself to be a diva. the lady said, 'well she sure is a diva, check out those glasses.'(mistake #2) capri then lowered her glasses, looked over the top and said, 'hey baby!' oh good grief what have we gotten ourselves into!?!

control freak

2008-04-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

i don't know what it is, but i have the hardest time with not being in control. i didn't always used to be like this, don't get me wrong, i love organization, but i never used to, my room was a mess, under my bed...i don't even want to talk about that. but now, i go nuts when my house is out of order, and crazier still when my child isn't in a "controlled" environment.

we went to the zoo today, it was wonderful and quite enjoyable until capri decided she wanted out of her stroller...'i out' she said over and over. finally i gave in and auntie laura pushed the stroller while i chased the 2 year old. it wasn't until about 15 minutes of this that i looked at laura and said, 'i never knew how much of a control freak i am.' laura just looked at me and laughed, apparently she knew.

it is amazing to me that after two years of watching GOD unfold this beautiful package that is 'parenthood,' i am still trying to grab it back from HIM. i need to let go and allow HIM to take capri in HIS arms. HE is guiding her every step, not me.

PAUL!

2008-04-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

capri loves paul, and she loves to call him daddy, but a funny thing has happened lately. "daddy" has become "paul." now, i know that all kids go through this whole calling the parents by their name thing, but capri has taken it even further. she only calls him 'paul' when he isn't present or she can't see him.

here are a couple examples: capri is put down for her nap, we hear the pitter patter of little feet, then we hear her at the gate at the top of the stairs, "hi!" if we say nothing, we hear, "PAUL!!!!" this of course puts us in a fit of giggles. she sounds exactly like me when i'm upstairs and i holler down to him. i wouldn't call it yelling, just really loud talking. i know that we don't help the situation by our laughing, but it is so funny to hear.

the other night paul went into the kitchen and asked if i needed anything, i hollered back, "no, i'm good." however, capri needed a drink, so she turns her head toward the kitchen and hollered, "PAUL!!!" from the kitchen we hear, "yes, pri?" to which capri says, "a dink." so ever so obedient daddy/paul comes in with a drink for his little girl with a big smile on his face. capri then looks up at daddy and says, "it daddy." since she can see him, he becomes daddy again - it's her own way of thinking to say the least.

i bowvow

2008-03-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

the secret's out, capri is officially addicted to wheel of fortune. over the past two years, capri as been an avid wheel watcher, she loves to watch 'pat' and claps whenever people solve the puzzle. she enjoys saying 'hi pat' and 'bye pat' (followed by blowing him a kiss) thus we are already concerned about her taste in men. she could care less about vanna white and all of the people on the show...it's all pat...all the time. she wakes up after naps talking about pat so we know she is dreaming about him...yikes!

so, with that being said, let's talk about last weekend. we took a family trip to the zoo and could hear capri in the back seat saying the same thing over and over again. we are always having her repeat things because she is still pretty hard to understand at times. she kept saying, 'i bowvow' when we would have her repeat it, it would come out the exact same way, 'i bowvow.' finally we gave up and said, 'honey, we don't know what word you are saying.' she of course moved on and didn't really speak the hidden word again.

monday evening, while paul was out for devotions, i was sitting with the little wheel watcher and she was completely drooling over pat. one of the contestants, from alabama kept buying vowels, to which capri would look at me and say 'i bowvow." finally it dawned on me...SHE WANTED TO 'BUY A VOWEL'!

does anyone speak two year old? i need an interpreter.

"I BIG"

2008-03-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

this weekend capri decided it was time to become a big girl and start sleeping in her big girl bed. on saturday night, i said let's get ready for bed, she climbed up into her big girl bed, hunkered down, and said, "migh might." i covered her up and she zonked right out. when she woke up on sunday morning, she sat in her room reading books until mommy and daddy woke up. when paul went in to get her she said, 'big bed' 'big girl' 'i big!' we headed off to church and she of course announced to everyone, 'i big!' she was so proud of herself, i of course cried on saturday night realizing that my baby girl is in fact big.

so this morning, i went in to see my sleeping beauty before we went to daycare, at some point during the night, she got out of bed to read, as books were EVERYWHERE! however, i found her standing up next to her bed, with her head on the bed, snoring away and drooling. i was turning to get my camera and she woke up and said, 'i read.' i said 'yes capri, i see that, and did you sleep good?' she looked at me, puffed out her chest and shook her head yes and said with a big grin. "i big mama!"

UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS

2008-03-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

WE FOUND OUT TODAY THAT CAPRI'S PARENTS SIGNED OVER THEIR RIGHTS THIS MORNING. WE CAN NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ADOPTION PROCESS. SUCH A HAB. 1:5 KIND OF DAY...WATCH, AND BE UTTERLY AMAZED, FOR I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING IN YOUR DAY YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE, EVEN IF YOU WERE TOLD"

THANK YOU GOD FOR UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS, WORDS DO NOT EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE

Praise Him!

2008-02-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

we had court this morning, and it was short and SWEET! the judge scheduled a 2 day termination trial for april 15-16th. usually this is scheduled about 4-6 months down the road but he wanted to expedite things since it's all dragged on so long. we are praising GOD that things went so smoothly. we will continue to keep you posted.

what we've been up to

2008-02-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

just an update on how the case is progressing. we go to court next week for what is being called a permanency planning/pre-termination trial. basically the parties will go before the judge and present why termination needs to occur. then, it's our understanding, if the judge accepts the reasons, he will set up a termination hearing down the road and rights will be terminated. so we are going in the right direction.

please continue to pray that all parties involved will do what they need to do before court. we've had a lot of feet dragging and had to babysit a few of the people involved, as this is "just another case" to them.

another change this week is capri will be starting a new daycare next week. with great sadness (see picture of capri crying), we said our goodbye's to debbie and roger, capri's daycare providers. they have made a huge impact on capri's life. they have helped so much with encouraging her as well as us. it will be a big adjustment, but we have found a provider that we feel has a heart for children as well. also, noah, another young boy from capri's current daycare, will be attending the new one so as capri says, "my buddy" will be there.

we will continue to keep you all posted as things change. thank you again for your prayers and encouragement.

Scrapbook

2008-02-15T19:11:00.001-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

I Need A Time Out!

2008-01-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

so...we've started using time out with capri because she's starting to test us more and we came to the conclusion that time out would work best for her, and us as well. this weekend was our first time out weekend, and we decided that we were going to stick to our guns and put capri in time out for 1 minute whenever she did something that she wasn't supposed to (i.e. shutting the door to the bathroom and fishing in the toilet...ahh parenting!)

it went something like this...

(door shutting...water splashing...something going kerplunk)

"capri linay...you'd better not be in that bathroom"
(bathroom door is shut...silence from the other side)

"alright young lady, you're going in time out."
(escort 2 year old out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, and place said 2 year old on the mat in front of the sink with her back to the counter...this is THE SPOT designated by us)

"capri, i want you to sit on this time out mat for 1 minute, on your bottom, and i will set the timer. if you get up, we start over again"
(blank stare)

"bottom, mama"

"yes, on your bottom"

"bottom"

"yes, on your bottom"
(this conversation drags on for several minutes)

"okay capri, you may get up, what do you say to mama?"

"soggy, mama"
(i take no offense to this, i know she isn't calling me soggy, at least i don't think she is.)

so, two days, and several episodes from above later...

(door shutting, very quietly...no splashing...Thank GOD)

"capri linay, if you are..."
(mid sentence...door opens, 2 year old comes out, plops down in THE SPOT, and looks at the clock, sighing loudly)

"good girl, you sit there for one minute"
(i begin unloading the dishwasher and look down at THE SPOT...2 year old is scooting across the floor on the time out mat...ON HER BOTTOM)

I NEED A TIME OUT!

January Update

2008-01-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

we are please to say that capri's visits with her bio parents have been cancelled! she will only have one more visit and that will be when they say goodbye to her, after rights are severed. she continues to have visitation with her grandparents until rights are severed, so please keep these visits in your prayers as they are once a month and are not monitored.

we head to court next month for what is still being called a "review." and we are being told that things will continue to drag out as parents are pulling more "legal strings." we feel confident that, although it could take some time, we are still heading in the right direction.

your continued prayers are requested as we endure the journey that GOD has chosen for us.

GOD IS GOOD!

2007-12-09T14:49:00.001-08:00

visits, with parents, are being decreased to only one hour per week. we are in the process of seeing if visits can be eliminated all together as they are so stressful on capri. we are currently scheduled to head to court in february, but are hoping to get to court sooner to terminate parental rights. please keep her in your prayers as we continue to fight for this precious little girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPRI

2007-12-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

my sweet capri, today you turn two! what a precious blessing i love you SO...love, mama

the name game

2007-11-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

since we were selected to be cassie's home, we haven't had the fondest feelings toward her name and have always talked about changing it to something that better suits her personality. little did we know that an adoption would take this long and we still have a long way to go before her name can officially be changed.

over the past 18 months, we've called her monkey, dolly, sweetie, pretty much anything and just recently started calling her cassie a little bit more. now, she's learning her name, so we have discussed with her teacher what to do about this since we can't change her name yet. her teacher suggested that we come up with a name for her that sounds similar to hers, but is a name that we love, and that our friends and family can call her as a pet name until it can someday become her real name. if people still call her cassie, it's no big deal, eventually that name will become more like her pet name.

last friday, paul and i went out on a date with the intent to spend time together, but also to come up with a name that we loved and that fit her personality. paul selected her first name, and i selected her middle name. with that being said, we would like to introduce you to...

capri linay

why capri you may ask: paul loves the name capri (as do i), and after some research, we found a myth about capri, italy. the myth says that millions of years ago (i know...it's a myth) the island was connected to a mainland and that through turbulent weather and difficulties, it broke off from the mainland and has been on it's own, working toward italy. cassie is an island, she's gone through much turbulence and we hope to become her secure harbor and that one day we can add sadowski to her name as well.

The Pretty Ballerina

2007-10-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

i haven't been much into blogging lately because i am doing something i should have done 18 months ago...i'm scrapping cassie's baby book!!! i've had a really hard time with this, as some of you may know. i didn't know how to go about scrapping the life of a child without my last name...a child, who, for a while there, we thought was only going to be with us for a moment. but the more i thought about it, and prayed about it, the more i realized that however long that moment, i need to embrace it!

so embrace it i am! i have finished three pages so far...and have over 20 in the works...my mom and sisters would be so proud! i've stayed up late, i've looked through scrapbook magazines, and listened to my scrapping c.d.'s (even the one's my husband hates)! i have a ways to go to catch up on where we are today, i feel led to scrap some of the hard times as well, because they make up who she is, with all she's gone through. however, i couldn't wait to share this picture with all of you...it is my favorite picture i've ever had of her...as my mom says, "she oozes with (my) personality."

so thanks to GOD for helping me with this, because, whether a moment or a lifetime...He's helping me scrap...my pretty ballerina!

pickin' a punkin!

2007-10-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

yesterday was just one of those wonderful days that you want to remember forever...it wasn't perfect, there were fits thrown, coffee spilled, and lots of dirt involved, but it was still wonderful!

it was supposed to rain all day, so we put going to the pumpkin patch on the back burner, but we awoke to a beautiful cloudy day, perfect for pumpkin hunting and picture taking. so we made our way to "papa's pumpkin patch" and found a wagon and hiked back to the patch, by the grace of GOD i didn't see any snakes!!! we got some great pictures, three beautiful pumpkins and family memories to last a lifetime.

cassie was enamored by all of the orange "balls" in the field, but she was too scared to touch them, but, with some coaxing from her daddy, she eventually felt comfortable enough to hold one in her lap while we snapped away taking any and all photos. after picking out our pumpkins, we headed back to pay for them and found three pigs chowing down on corn on the cob...apparently cassie's never seen a live pig before and couldn't stop saying how "ucky" the "dog dog" was. and laughing at the sounds they made...then she was saying "papa" because well, (sorry dad), it kinda sounded like papa when he sleeps!

we headed off to my favorite place, lincoln perk, for a cup of coffee and a sugar cookie for paul, he let cassie have a few bites at least. and then we ended the day with paul and cassie taking a long nap while i went thrift store shopping.

it is amazing to me how just an "average" day can mean so much...two years ago, a day like this would have been hard for paul and me...watching little kids running around while our arms were empty. now, we are so busy chasing after this little punkin' we hardly see the other children anymore. how wonderful is our GOD that HE brings about days like this, when, perfect or not, can take our breath away!?!

court report

2007-10-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

so, we had court this morning and all went exceptionally well! the judge changed cassie's case plan from "reintegration with adoption as back up" to "termination with adoption being the intent."

now we wait. we have court currently scheduled in february to officially terminate parental rights, but can request an earlier court date if all of the parties involved have their information gathered and ready to go sooner. we are, however, hoping that cassie's parents will see this as an opportunity to sign over their rights so that they won't lose additional children...this would eliminate a court date all together, so that would be the best!

we are encouraged that things are going in the right direction, but still request your prayers as things can still change. lift up cassie in prayer as her visits with her parents continue between now and court and they can be very stressful and her.

thanks for all of your encouragement and prayer!

CAFE MICH MAC

2007-09-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

THE PERKS ARE BEST HERE. SIT BACK, RELAX, AND CHAT. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR ASK QUESTIONS HERE.