Jingle Bells

glorianna's performance -- just love them at this age!!!

We need a little chirstmas

Check out Rosetta!! She did really great at her recital today!!!

If we just believe....

wow... it is December 13th already! Where has December gone? I know I have spent most of my month inside quarantined to the house! UGH! Of course my kids who all go to school and are around snotty and coughing kids most of the day came home with colds. Since R had a kid in her class with a confirmed case of whooping cough we thought we would go to the dr. right away to get checked out. The dr. suggested (since it took 5 days to get results back from nose swab) that the kids all stay at home while on antibiotics for 5 days so they don't spread whooping cough if that was what it was. So ALL last week, mommy and the kids spent their time inside a house that needs to have more insulation in the walls to absorb the sounds of the kids!!

We kept miss Lily in our bedroom and the girls upstairs as much as possible so they wouldn't give it to her since she isn't immunized yet. That was a task -- keeping the kids away from the baby as you can see they just want to love on her so much!!

So needless to say we celebrated X's 5th birthday at home with a quiet night. And since we have been overloading on cake, he blew out candles on a birthday strawberry and rhubarb pie.

We went through lots of hand sanitizer, tissues, laundry detergent (from washing everything the girls touched) and orange juice! By Thursday the girls were all feeling much better and their coughs didn't get any worse. Lily's congestion and runny nose was much much better and I was thinking it was just a BAD cold. And i was right -- at 3:00 we got a call from the dr. that it wasn't whooping cough!! YEAH!!!

Mommy has been doing alot of snuggling up with Miss Lily -- I can't believe how much she has grown already. She now more comfortably fits into her 0-3 month clothes and will be out of those soon!!! ;-) I spent alot of time with the little girl last week when she wasn't feeling well-- so she is definitely spoiled now! I am feeling the pain of a girl that doesn't like to be put down for very long.

On Sunday we woke up to a bitterly cold day! We had snow on the ground and single digit temperatures.It would have been a good day to stay inside in our pajamas, but we had tickets to go on the Polar Express to the North Pole!!

So we bundled up and headed on our train ride. The kids had a blast! When we got to the North Pole their were toy trains that you could control, snacks in the form of cookies and hot chocolate, crafts, and a visit from the snow princess and SANTA! They were all smiles, when they were warm. It was a little chilly at the North Pole and mommy's feet were frozen by the end of the journey!! ;-)

The three oldest kids sat on santa's lap and told santa what they wanted for Christmas. Xavier asked for a motorcycle, Rosetta asked for a camera like the one mommy was holding (yeah right sista-- it took mommy 27 years to get a camera like this!!! :-) and little G-Lo couldn't think of anything to ask for Santa for so Rosetta told her to ask for a camera too so they can take pictures too! heehee --- she will do anything to be like her big sister!

on the way home Rosetta why Santa had a big butt -- after trying to not laugh out loud -- i told her that Santa doesn't have a big butt he just has a round belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly!! That was proceeded by a round of giggles from the girls!!

The kids also got to meet the conductor and see his watch so he knows the train is on time for santa!!

Miss Lily was the warmest of all of us all snug in her snow suit & car seat. We all envied her for her warm fingers & toes!!!

The north pole -- we sang Christmas songs in the train on the way there and on the way back. I was teaching the girls all the words to my favorite songs.

It was a fun experience and I am glad we did it!

Our friends Ryan and Amber and their kids came along with us on the ride to the North Pole.

-- our girls were really cold at this point and X had just fell getting on the train and cracked his chin on the metal steps. Thank goodness he only knocked his chin and not his teeth or something else. BUT mommy was to the rescue with a band aid out of the diaper bag!!

We are counting down the days until Christmas and the trip back to Ohio. We cant' wait!!! Mommy has already started to pull things together to pack!! YIPPEE!!! I have all my Christmas shopping done as of Saturday and now just have to wrap a few gifts!! I even had some time when the kids were home all last week to make some homemade gifts with the kids!!! (mommy loves craft time!!! it makes me a very happy person!) It is especially important this time of year to not get caught up in the commercial part of the holiday but remember the true meaning of Christmas and I am trying to teach my children how much more meaningful it is to give a gift instead of receiving! Rosetta learned this by picking out gifts for a few people this year -- she is so excited and keeps telling me how much they are going to like their gift and how they are going to be her best friend forever!! ;-) At the end of meeting Santa he gave the kids each a gift -- a sleigh bell from Santa's sleigh:

"This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas - as am I. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart." said by Santa on polar express

I can't wait to watch the Polar Express movie tomorrow night with the kids again (it's bath night so they get to pick a movie and they all want to watch the movie sooo bad again!) I found this quote about the movie! It is sooo true!!!

“The Polar Express is about faith, and the power of imagination to sustain faith. It's also about the desire to reside in a world where magic can happen, the kind of world we all believed in as children, but one that disappears as we grow older.” Chris Van Allsburg

It is FUN to be a kids again!!!

Our Princess is 6 years old!!

Can you believe it, R is 6 years old!!! it has been like a celebration all week. On sunday when we got home from Ohio we celebrated her birthday with our family (just the 6 of us!) And then on Monday her actual birthday we brought cupcakes into school at the end of the day. AND then if we haven't had enough cake, we let her have 3 friends from kindergarten over on friday night to have even MORE cake and ice cream. BUT wair we are not done.... x's birthday is tommorrow!! LOL So mommy made an executive decision and X is getting birthday pie today!!

When we went to R's school on monday she brought everyone cupcakes and then Ms. Muchos gave her her birthday spankings!

Here are R's friends on friday night. It was alot of squealing and high pitched screaming. But R had a wonderful time and can't wait to have them over again. I think we will have to wait til it is warm enough outside so the girls can scream int eh open air!
I would have to say R had a pretty splendid birthday and got everythign she wanted!

Thanksgiving Holiday

We got to Grandma and Grandpa Schulte at 2 am on thanksgiving morning and to our surprise we found a plate full of smiling cupcakes that Megan and Grandma Pam had made. The kids wanted a cupcake right then and there, but we convinced them to get some sleep first.

For the first time my parents finally got to meet Lily in person. They had seen her using Skype but that definitely not the same as holding her.

Oh it was wonderful to be back in Ohio for the holidays. We hadn't been to Ohio since August since I was pregnant and not really able to travel. So it was really great seeing everyone and sharing thanksgiving with them. We had ALOT to be thankful for this year -- including the finalization of the adoption, adding one more member to the family (lilyana marie), gaining a new cousin/nephew (Mason Robert Warnecke), and much much more!

Lily got to meet so many new family members! She even got to go see my grandma Aggie who is 103 years old. I was lucky enough to get a 4 generation shot of us!

Here is grandpa and grandma Blankemeyer with the two youngest grandchildren. Lily was only the youngest for 7 days before Mason was born!

Of course, No blankemeyer get together is complete without someone playing cards. It was a heated match of pinochle, but Dad and Dennis ended up winning. Nate and Kathy will have to wait for Christmas for a rematch.

Here is the first introduction of Lily and Mason. They were both perfect angels all weekend. They will have many more years to get to know each other.

There also was alot of laziness on Thanksgiving and sitting around watching football. Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without football!

On Friday night we got to get together with Nate's family. It was a whole weekend of getting to see family and eating LOTS of great food. Too bad there weren't enough leftovers for us to bring home!! :-(

Joshy getting a peek at his new cousin -- Just wait Josh you will have a new baby brother here soon enough!!

My kids loved getting to play with their cousins. They had a blast and were up way past their bedtimes many nights!!!

Here is Aunt Stacy getting her first glimpse at her new niece.
All the grandkids goofing off -- playing dressup even the boys.

Grandpa Bill with the two youngest grandchildren
On saturday was the BIG game -- OSU vs. Michigan. Our whole family was decked out in our Ohio State gear even baby lily. We got an adorable picture of Mason and Lily in their OH- IO onesies. SO CUTE!

And of course I took advantage of being home for Aunt Stacy to snap a few shots of Lily that look a little more professional than what I can do at home. Check out the cute pictures. I swear Mason & Lily don't take a bad shot!!

Beware Stacy -- I already have ideas for her 3 month pictures at chirstmas time so get ready to take more pictures of my kiddos!!! LOL I can never get enough!!

O Happy Day

Okay it is official -- after 15 months, a truckload of paperwork, several court dates, and jittery nerves that something would go wrong along the way.... the adoption is FINAL!! Yippee!!!!

God sends us many precious gifts, But there none that can compare with the wonder of our children who were the answer to our prayer. The sparkle in those shining eyes is like the twinkling stars at night in which we prayed everyday for a family of our own. No miracle's as wondrous- As this "little bit of heaven," and it is our family!!! Who would have thought that a year ago we would have 4 beautiful children and be celebrating Christmases the way we do now!! it doesn't matter how these three angels came into our lives and that i didn't give birth to them. They are our children without a doubt. I am constantly seeing Nate and I in each and everyone of them, even if they don't have our DNA. R is compassionate and loves to read just like her mommy -- X is rambunctious and athletic (just like his daddy -- okay not really :-) but he loves to build things and Nate hopes he grows up to be an engineer just like him. Nate secretly hopes all 4 of our kids are engineers LOL -- and G loves food just like her mommy!! especially carbs -- that's my girl!!

Our family has grown (ALOT) and we couldn't be happier!!

Happy Adoption Day!!!

A beutiful Adoption Poem -- The Chosen Heart

Longing for a child to love, I'd wish upon the stars above. In my heart I always knew, A part of me was meant for you. I think how happy we will be, Once I adopt you, and you adopt me. I dream of all the joy you'll bring, Imagining even the littlest things. The way it will feel to hold you tight, And tuck you in every night. The drawings on the refrigerator door, And childhood toys across the floor, The favorite stories read again and again, And hours of games with make-believe friends. The day you took my outstretched hand, A journey ended, but our lives began. Still mesmerized by your sweet face, Still warmed inside by our first embrace. I promised to give you a happy home, And a loving family all your own. A house you've now made complete, With laughter, smiles and tiny feet. A parent is one who guides the way, Know I will be there everyday. Rest easy as each night you sleep, A lifetime of love is yours to keep. Longing for a child to love, I'd wish upon the stars above. In my heart I always knew, A part of me belonged to you. Teri Harrison