Changes coming and a very busy next 3 days

The next three days are going to be very busy. Tomorrow on Friday there is a volleyball practice and a final rehearsal for Recital on Saturday for Max. Then on Saturday we have a 7th grade volleyball tournament in the morning, basketball practice in the morning, Recital at 3 and then I have an appt to meet up with one of the exchange students I supervise.

During all of this we need to get Max packed and round up all of his things to move him to a new home on Sunday.

This week has been hectic with Boyd not feeling well. Bad blood pressure, job layoff and then Kaci sick with a sinus infection, and Boyd needing new glasses.....
Max has been not 100% with a cold. But he is getting over it. I for once am well and so is Kali and Kole.

I have been thinking back on our time with Max and we have learned so much and he has as well. It is sad that this placement did not work out as planned, but I know we all meet people for a reason. People come and go in our lives for a purpose. I believe Max was put here to teach us what we can expect when our children get older. To teach us a new culture. I think he was put here to meet with his new family. They are going to be a very good fit for Max. The host dad is in the military and has been assigned a project with the South American base. So he will have a chance to really learn about Brazil and South America. The host mom is a daycare provider in her home. And she teaches aerobics class. They have a son Max's age and he attends the same school. It just seemed to fall into place after several failed attempts to find a new placement in town. The family was willing to take Max without even knowing his name. The family is very active in their church and the community. Max will have a little host sister there also.

Hopefully his new family here will be able to help him keep up with all his interests. We will miss having him as part of our family in our home, but I am sure he will still be family where ever he goes.

This will give us more time to help focus on Kole and give him the attention he so desperately craves and doesn't get. I may have more time to help with their piano lessons. I may even get a chance to read a good book and finish some projects since I may not be living in my van as much.
At least until summer when swim team starts up again.

Has it only been a week!

Wow, I thought it had been a lot longer since I posted last. That is how busy we have been. This week has been very busy with volleyball practices and games, basketball practices and games. Piano lessons, dance and orchestra. Whew! On Monday I went to the store and took 2 of the 4 kids with me and decided to check out this van in real life instead of on the internet. Well, I now have a new used van. a 2005 Dodge Caravan... Not the Grand Caravan. The one I really wanted was WAY too much money. O.K. I did not clear this with Boyd first, so there is a bit of a rift there... But it will go away soon. I went from a van that was 8 years old with almost 160,000 miles on it to one that is 4 years old with only 49,000. I feel better doing all the running now.

The kids are doing well. Kali is really growing up fast. She enjoys volleyball, while she does not enjoy 5:45 am practices. Kaci is getting so tall. I noticed yesterday that she is past my shoulder now. Kole is a hoot! At piano lessons we were waiting for Kaci to get done and we had a nice chat and snuggle. He told me how he wants to be a doctor. I told him he can be that if he wants to. Then I asked if I get sick can I come to him to get fixed... He looked at me very solemnly and said, "No, I think you would need to see a doctor." What a hoot!

Max is doing well in school. He is doing very well with his violin. He should probably practice more... ha ha It seems he really doesn't have to practice that much to be good. He enjoys playing basketball and going to the mall. It is fun to watch him and the kids getting along and acting like siblings. They race to the van each morning to see who will get there first to ride in the front. Yesterday the race was Kaci against Max. They got out there and the door wouldn't open. LOL It was locked! They stood there and Max is like... why are we standing out here for if it is locked.... So they came back in and I told them that the driver's side was unlocked.
Out the went again and Kaci won the front seat. I really love those times when they are getting along so well.

More later after the volleyball game!


We are back and Kali played two games. The second game was against 8th graders! They kept right up with the other team. They lost the game, but they didn't lose. They played a great game!




Kali is in the back row middle on the right side of the picture in black and green

Busy Weekend and Star Wars

Kole has become a Star Wars fan. He loves pretending he is in Star Wars and fighting the Storm Troopers with his light saber and sword. He wouldn't eat last night so Boyd and Max started saying Obi Kole Kanobi you must eat your star food to help you protect the universe. ha ha ha

Then I would say " Kole, I am your mother" "eat"

It was so funny to watch him.

Then today I drove to Peoria so Max could take a TOEFL test for college entrance. While he did that I hung out with my friends and had breakfast then went shopping at the mall. Then back to pick up Max and then I took Max to lunch and we drove home.

After we got home I just took it easy.

Below are pics of Obi Kole Kanobi, Princess Kali and Max Vader and C Kaci-o

Frigid Temps!!!

We awoke to temperatures at -17 Farenheit and windchill of -30 Fareneheit. The kids were excited to have another day off from school. We took a cup of boiling water and took it outside and threw it in the air. It was really cool. It turns to snow! I think there will be school tomorrow since it will get up to 18.... A heat wave! ha ha

I will try later when the temperature drops from 4 degrees to below 0 and get a picture of it.



But until then.... Here is a picture of Max in his Orchestra picture

Kaci's winter program

Before Christmas break, the elementary school had to postpone their Christmas program for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. So tonight was the night! We went and it was so cute! It was called 40 Winks. They sany several songs and had some speaking parts. Very fun.


Here are some pictures:

Gingerbread house..... Not! but a lot of fun

Check out the mess the girls made trying to put together a gingerbread house without reading the directions! LOL

What a sticky mess! However they did say the gingerbread tasted good! HA HA HA!

Brazil soda and candies

Max has a school friend whose mother is from Brazil. She has a sister who lives in St. Louis and a sister and niece from southern Brazil. Her relatives from Brazil and St. Louis visited and brought some soda and candies for Max. He was so excited! It was Guarana soda. We tried some tonight after dinner. It is very good. Now Boyd wants to go to St. Louis to purchase it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!!

It's 2009! Wow! I remember thinking back in 1990 how far away 2000 was! I knew I would have a family, but not sure how many children as I had only been married 3 months! Now it is almost 20 years since we moved to the Springfield area. We have 3 wonderful kids and an exchange student from Brazil. I am getting my training in teenage behaviour early. I am glad we are having this experience when at times I could just go and hide. We also have 4 really good dogs and a kitty that keeps the mouse population down.

2009 is a new year with a new start for us all!

We have new goals for this year.

1. Attend church more often
2. To do our best without feeling bad if it falls short of perfect
3. Cook heathier and eat healthier
4. Not to take on anymore responsibilities beyond what we already have.


On New Year's Eve we spent the evening relaxing here at home. Except two. Kali attended an overnight New Year's party at her friend's home. Max spent time with Danielle and her family and rushed home to be here before his 11 pm curfew to bang pans at midnight!
We watched the Dick Clark New York New Year's eve party on TV and basically really enjoyed our down time. I can't believe I actually made it to midnight. What I really can't believe is that Kaci and Kole made it too!

Below are the three; Max, Kaci and Kole getting ready to band pans on the back deck at midnight! The younger two were REALLY wound up!

On New Years day we went shopping at the mall. The girls were in heaven! They are mall rats!
We did find some good deals. Kole is now in a size 6 for pj's and Kaci went up to a 14 slim for length in her pants. Kali is growing too and needed a Medium at Aero for a hoodie instead of a small!