Mimi and Papa!!!!!

Aghhhh I loved everything about this night!!!!

Mimi and Papa stopped for Chinese on the way home from a meeting and brought it out to see "the new house"!
We started waiting by the door almost an hour before they arrived, too excited to wait for the doorbell to ring!!!
Pillows were fluffed, floors mopped, hair curled, dishes set out, cups "watered". ;-)
Mimi and Papa couldn't make it for the "big reveal", so this was the first time that they had seen all the "amazing" I'd been telling them about!
I think it's safe to say they were happy with all the changes, (good thing since the house is actually theirs.) ;-).
My mom and dad have been so gracious and understanding about rent and us not being able to travel back and forth. They were the first to offer us a hotel for the re-model and being able to show the generosity of others to our family, it was.... Wonderful!!!!!

We love you so much Mimi and Papa!!!
And check the last pic for our amazing house-warming gift!!!
I love it, and I can just imagine yrs from now our children saying, "We want that when you die!!!" ;-)

Where's the pizza cutter? Round 1

Ok, so gorgeous slightly overcast day, perfect for unpacking a bit more of the garage. In an ever pressing need to "FIND THE PIZZA CUTTER!!!" (Did you hear that in a dramatic, theater type voice over?!?)
The results of Round 1 are as follows:
*Master bathroom unpacked, (can't believe it's not even crowded under that new sink!!)
*Kids bathroom unpacked. (So thrilled to have all the yucky bath toy cups, and sponges "disappear".)
*Medicine cabinet unpacked
*Linen closet cleaned out, not yet refilled though. Ugh
*A few little treasures, like Miss Shirley's glasses and our sink scrubbie!!! Woohoo!!
It's funny the things you woohoo over when you're moving....


Join us next time for Round 2 of (cue dramatic voice) "FIND THE PIZZA CUTTER"!

Imitate and Grow

This last weekend was a blur of fun!!!!
Saturday we had a ladies luncheon at church. The decorations were beautiful!!!! The food was delicious!!! My girls and friends at church were fabulous company!!!
My sweet friend Laura gave the message, she did a great job!!! (They are moving next week, and I am going to miss her so much!!! She and I have one of those, instant friendships. Love you sweet friend!!!) As a church we are striving to imitate and grow, and as a mother I take this challenge very seriously. I have heard some momma's say, "Do as I say, not as I do." Course it's used "tongue in cheek" but how often do I model what I want for my children? Lord, help me to build a framework for my little "plants" to grow on!
After the luncheon we came and attempted more un-packing. :-P bleck! But praise The Lord it isn't too hot yet! I've got to get out there and get it finished before everything melts! (Note to self)
Sunday, Mother's Day!!! I had everyone's clothes laid out, so getting ready for church went pretty well!!! The kids are all "camping" in the family room, so there were blankets and sheets everywhere, but all in all a good start. :-)
Church was wonderful!!! I took some pics during the music, love it! All ten of us in a row. Makes my heart sing!
Pastor Smith gave the most moving message! Imagine, a man, beaten, rejected, spit on, and hanging on a cross, but his heart is for his mother, and making sure she is taken care of! What a picture!!! Not a dry eye in the place, I'm tellin' ya!
During church I received a text from Baby K's bio daddy. Went like this.
"Happy Mother's Day! You have plans for today?"
"Thank you! Enjoying church right this minute, then we're headed home to heat up some frozen burritos. Wanna join us?"
"Yeah! Sounds great! Be there around 1!"
:-D
Now to y'all, you're thinking, boring! Why the grinning face??? Because, we want this young man to feel like family. We want him to be as comfortable coming and going from here as our other friends and family!
Course, I show David the text, he grins and adds, "David says he'll Bar-b-q!!" Yum!!! And now I don't have to turn on my oven at home!!! Woohoo!
After a quick dash through the grocery store we raced home, and there are men working in the garden!!! The more the merrier! And Baby K's dad and girlfriend, and a friend from church!
We put the kids to work folding up all the "nests" they had devised to sleep in, and the oldest girls and I started lunch. Watermelon, baked beans, hamburgers, hot dogs and chips. The little-r girls put all my flowers out on the tables, (every man at lunch brought me flowers!!! Felt very loved!!) And sitting out on the deck, with good food, and sweet friends and family was better than any tangible gift!

Stay tuned today for a fun new game I call, "Where's the pizza cutter?!?"

Red Day

May 9th will forever live on in our memory as the day our family was forever blessed! I will never forget Keller Williams CEO's birthday! ;-)
It started months ago, with our home supervisor....then it became this amazing, "I can't believe this is happening to us" kind of thing!

In the past we have been mocked, pointed and stared at, asked to return to the back of the line at buffets, falsely accused, investigated and exonerated, we have lost friends and tempers, we have cried over losses, and betrayals.
BUT(!!!!!) we have been encouraged, had meals paid for, made friends with law enforcement and officials. We've adopted, and been "adopted" by others. We've grown spiritually and in our relationships. Had family devotions and sleepovers and "prom"! We've seen children that don't speak become happy and communicative, and babies with no hope of a "normal life" grow into smart, loving and integral parts of our family. Keller Williams is a culmination of all those positives in our lives!
"Thank you" will never be enough!!
May 9th we woke up too excited to sleep!!! I thought I would be too excited to eat too, but the bagels and cottage cheese with fruit proved to be too much for the butterflies in my stomach to resist! :-)
After we fed everyone we headed back to the room so we could pack, and so our daddy could go to work. (What a guy!!! Daddy of ten, companion to the elderly and on TV at night!)
I took the littles swimming one last time, and then headed back upstairs to feed them quickly and shower before my sweet friend came up from Pueblo!
When she arrived with her 4, I instantly relaxed. There's something about being with a friend you've known your whole life that puts you at ease. She also just helped keep my grounded. Love her!
She helped dress the babies, did hair and told me how skinny I looked. :-D
As we drove out we talked about what we were most excited to see, what we hoped for, etc... Then David said, "Let's pray before we get there. Thank God for this last week, and for any help or upgrades that they might have done!"
Pulling up to the house is more than I can describe to you. There were gobs of people here!!! A banner! Cheering! As we walked through the throng of volunteers, familiar faces would come into focus. Our decorator, our pastor, home supervisor, and friends. We all gathered in the living room, (after donning 80 pairs of booties) and got the first glimpses of a house reborn!
First impressions?
*The carpet feels fantastic on bare feet!
*The new vinyl flooring is a beautiful sandy color!
*Maple cabinets in the kitchen that are the perfect honey color!
*The walls are a warm "sandstone" color with crisp white trim!
*The dining room table seats 10!!! At the same time!!!
*Isaiahs room fits his vibrant personality!
*The "foster" bedroom is a happy yellow with new furniture (that looks more hearty than the old brass bed)
*Our master bedroom is a haven of reds and grays!
*The basement complete with a school-room is transformed!
*The washer and dryer are the nicest, most beautiful things I've ever seen!

Course our fantastic cameraman was there. :-) David said, "Just seeing him makes me happy. I associate him with some of the best moments of my life!"
We appreciate you Brad!
I will be posting "before and after" pics as well as some little treasures we've discovered amidst our gifts, in later posts.
Here are some fun pics from that night!

Thank you again Keller Williams!!! You set out to help a family with a crowd of kids, but what you did means more to us than we can ever convey!

Here is the Link for the news spot!
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/more-than-40-volunteers-help-rebuild-elizabeth-home

Downtown aquarium final

Desirae was amazing!!!
The kids were trying to decide which 2 activities to pick, and she said, "Come on! Lets do them all!" You can imagine the children's reaction. :-D
We "Coconut tree" climbed, had our faces painted, fed the sting rays, watched/rode the 4d movie and did the carousel!
The 4d movie was sooooo cool! It's only 20min long, but it is worth the price of admission! The whole thing shakes, flies, bubbles, tilts and blows air! And for the littles, they can turn off the seats!!! All 10 of us could enjoy it!! Desirae held one of our 3yr olds the whole time of course! :-)
Thank you Desirae!!!! And I'm serious, you're welcome at our home anytime!!
Thank you Mr Oakie Mitchell! You brought us in to your aquarium, like a close friend would their home! You made us all feel so special, answering questions and helping us count noses! You went above and beyond to make it a day we will all cherish forever!
God bless you and your team for their compassion and friendliness! Your staff was helpful and courteous and we have seen you lead them by example!

Downtown Aquarium 5

Oakie took us back downstairs to the gift shop where we met up with Allison! Allison knows everything there is to know about.....
Drum roll....... Otters!!!!
She took us through a full spectrum of back hallways, (I swear that place is like a catacomb! A fishy, humid, catacomb.) ;-)
When we got where we were going and they lifted the rope, we started behind the rock wall, a little boy and his mother were walking past. He asked her why we got to go back there. None of us answered him, his mom was already taking care of it. But Benji heard the exchange between them and looked at me, giving me his little eyebrow wiggle, and you could just see the pride on his face!!!!
We walked back to a small room where Emmitt and Blue were being fed! (There is a 3rd little guy, but I can't remember his name.) Anyway, their trainers are feeding them fish in response to a series of tricks! My favorite was playing dead, but rolling over and standing up tall were great too. ;-). The kids were just in love with them instantly, and let me tell ya, even though they had been warned NOT to touch the gate, all three littles tried to, multiple times!! After we watched them being fed and trained , we went back out to their habitat and had a whole new appreciation for their antics in and out of the water!
I can not say enough about Oakie Mitchell, he was so amazing!! We have a little three yr old, with zero boundaries, and he held her hand the entire day!
After the otters Oakie took us outside to a patio overlooking downtown. The weather was perfect, warm, with a cool breeze.
Brad had a little interview station with 8 chairs all lined up for us. Here's where my nerves kicked in, film me being a mom, sure! Mic me talking to the kids and interacting, OK! But turn that camera my direction and I turn back into a 3rd grader that studders!!! Thankfully, David did great!!! And I was happy for him to take the lead!!!
Next, Oakie introduced us to Desirae! (He was literally right with us the entire day, and we are soooooo grateful to him for everything!!! But he had a meeting to attend.). It was Desirae's job to wrap up our day and she was FANTASTIC!!!

Downtown Aquarium 4

After the mermaids, Oakie took us through the exhibits. The whole time I'm mic'd and we are trying to "keep eyes" on 4 littles and 4 bigs that have NEVER seen anything like this! They were just enthralled! (Who am I kidding, David and I were having the time of our lives too!)
It is a very unique experience having a camera man with you. Brad was great!!! Very unobtrusive, and warm. And praise The Lord he was so good at his job he made us all comfortable. You know how on TV they say, "don't look in the camera, just pretend we're not here..." Easier said than done!!! But I think we got the hang of it. :-)
Oakie had another behind the scenes tour for us. The kids all asked if we can get one as a pet! Which animal do you think it was?