. . . a glimpse into my heart.

I was in the left turn lane to leave the grocery store parking lot. On the right, standing on the curb, was a man holding a sign which simply read "Hungry $1.00". The thought crossed my mind that I could give him a few bucks but I from where I was he would have to cross one lane to get to my window. So, I didn't. As I pulled out into traffic Gabriel says, "Mom, I saw a guy without a house and without food." I responded with something like, "Yeah, that's sad huh?" He then says, "We should give him money." I explain that it would be difficult to turn around from where I was in traffic. He drops the topic but only for a few moments before he says, "We should give that guy lunch." I again tell him that we're almost home and it would be out of our way to get him food and go all the way back. After a short pause and he says, "I'm really sad we can't give that guy lunch!" WOW! I cried. His heart is so soft and swe...

So, I googled my name yesterday and found my old Live Journal . My last entry was January 1st 2006. I blogged fairly regularly for a whole year. It's so interesting to read about that year of our life. I started the blog right after I had my surgery on my right elbow and was out of work for awhile. I was just getting into watching Season 1 of 24. Dave went to Seattle for his buddy's wedding and Nicki Loomis and Melissa Cramer (now Meyer) kept me company. We blogged about our fun adventures living in Dubuque and what newly wed life was like. I look back with such fondness although when I read some of my entries, I remember some of the very difficult things we went through. We had a wonderful, solid marriage but we went through a lot together. The blog begins in IA with Dave attending Emmaus Bible College. Dave graduated, we moved all our belongings to CO, we moved into my parents basement, we spent the summer at camp on Whidbey Island as Staff Directors for our 2nd summer in a r...

It's hard to believe that I once held Liam in my arms and nursed him and rocked him. I will never forget when we found out I was pregnant with our Little Liam. We were at camp, Lakeside Bible Camp. We had only been "trying" for a couple months. I took the test at like 7am while Dave laid in bed. I sat on the floor next to the bed and showed Dave the positive test. We were ecstatic! We had to go to our staff meeting that morning and decided not to tell the staff yet. We just weren't sure who to tell and when. It was tough to keep it in. I ended up sharing our news with Melissa Cramer (now Meyer) who was serving at the camp that summer. What an exciting time in our lives! We went home to CO where we lived in my parents basement for a couple months until we moved into our first home. Liam's arrival was amazing! I will never forget the emotions and love I felt. Now Liam is a little artist. He lies in bed unable to sleep because he has an idea for a picture. I let him ...

I haven't blogged in awhile and thought it was time for an update. Dave's job: Dave's last day at River of Life is May 31st, 17 days from now. We visited a church in Yakima, WA last weekend and really enjoyed our time and loved the people we met. God's been doing a lot this week and really stretching us on the trust we have in Him. More to come on this topic tomorrow! Gabriel: Our little man is FINALLY potty trained. He's been peeing in the toilet for a long long time now but was very stubborn when it can to pooping.It's probably been a good year since he woke from a nap or in the morning with a wet diaper. He has had great bladder control for so long that I thought we'd have this all said and done a lot sooner. But, now it's over. He's taking himself to the toilet and trying to wipe on his own and everything. Now, we have a ton of size 5 diapers left over. Oh well. Liam: Liam is still mourning the loss of our sweet dog Bailey who died a little over ...

Oh I love my boys. . .such a joy in my life. Judah is so full of life! He has a wonderful imagination and loves learning new things he's a sponge!! He loves looking through his Bible and praying. His heart is very soft. He loves to talk about things but is still learning how to communicate. Liam is such a funny boy. . . a little comedian really. He loves to act silly and make funny faces for the camera. He's very sensitive and cries easily over little things. He cried over me flushing a bug. :-) He likes to sit with me and be close. Gabriel. . .oh boy! He's a riot. Definitely the most challenging of all the boys but makes me laugh all the time! He LOVES to snuggle but it requires a blankie (any size), and his "Deedee" (stuffed elephant). Then there's Dave. He is the most amazing man! He knows how to show his love in so many ways and always makes me feel special. He's a servant and patient. He puts up with so much from me. He helps more around the house the...

Gabriel is hilarious and makes us laugh constantly. Here are a few of his most recent cute moments: We're walking through Wal-mart trying not to make eye contact with the lady at the Wal-mart credit card table and I hear "Would you like to sign up for a Wal-mart credit card?" We keep walking but Gabriel in a loud and very excited voice says "YEAH!" I told Gabriel to do something and he responded with a stern "NO!" and I asked him, "Are you the mommy?" and to which he replied, "NO! I'm Super Why!" Gabriel was swinging around a wooden toy snake and almost hit Judah with it. While telling him to stop and I asked, "Do you want me to hit you with it?" he replied, "NO! I will die!"

So, we're home from Ethiopia with our 3rd and oldest son. It's not quite how I thought it would be although it's amazing to have our family all together. The trip was incredible but tiring and it was so nice to get home. For more details on the trip you can check out my adoption blog becoming5.blogspot.com. It's so strange to see our two bio, super white and blond boys with Judah who's so small for his age, so very dark and speaks a different language. It will take a while for us all to get used to our new normal. It's exciting to think about the future and when Judah knows more English how much easier this will be. It's tough right now since we're all getting to know each other but it's so good to know God's in charge and we're following His plan. The boys interact a little more every day. I know this means they fight more like brothers the better they know each other. :-) But it's good to see Judah try to talk and interact more. He was ...

My baby turned 1 year old last week. I thought I should share some pictures. . . The afternoon before his party (which was the Friday before his actual birthday) we cut his hair for the first time. It was kind of getting out of control. We had my family and a few friends over the celebrate with us. Liam, of course, was a big help with opening gifts. Gabriel wasn't intimidated by the bear cake at all, unlike Liam at his first birthday party. G-man dug right in and LOVED the icing. He kept leaning in to bite the bears face. It was so funny!! Eventually my dad gave Gabriel a butter knife but he wasn't interested. Liam, however, wanted it and decided to start cutting some pieces. He sliced the heck out of that foot. Dave's grandma mailed Gabriel a quilt for his birthday. I LOVE it!! Once G moves into Liam's room we're going to hang it on their wall. It's the Brown Bear book! Dave's mom sent some money for Gabriel and this is what we ordered: Little Tikes Deluxe ...

till we leave for Seattle! Dave had a touch of the flu last week and we thought it missed the rest of us. Then last Monday during small group a little girl threw up in the play room with all the other kiddos. We aren't super worried about our kids getting sick because we know it's good for their immune systems to learn how to fight early on. well, Tuesday evening Gabriel was acting up and not nursing well. So, I offered him some peas. He just wasn't eating like he normally does and to be honest I was getting irritated and frustrated. I went to the sink to get a wash clothe to clean him up and can the feeding attempt when all of a sudden Gabriel pukes over the side of his tray all over the floor. This was no baby spit-up. Poor little guy! He hasn't been acting normal ever since. No more puking but he's just fussy and always looks tired. Since that puking evening I haven't felt so great either. All it's been for me is sore muscles and an upset stomach. Liam...

I LOVE cold weather. It has been chilly lately which is a nice change. This morning there was frost on the grass. However, I am struggling a little bit. Our grass is in now and just lovely. :-) It still needs some time to thicken up but it's so green and very exciting. A little part of me wishes I could fast forward to next summer when my boys will be running around together in the grass while I sit under our pergola at our cute little patio table reading and listening to my miniature men laugh and play together. I know I would miss so much if we could skip this upcoming season. I wouldn't skip it if I could. But I am very excited for next summer. 2009 will be a wonderful year and there will be a lot of super exciting things going on and new experiences and the 3rd birthday of my first born and the 1st birthday of my youngest. However, I MUST also live in the moment. Speaking of THE moment. . . Gabriel is still working on the crawling. He's been all over our living room flo...

This first one is Dave, my brother Alex and Liam playing Rock Band on the Xbox. Liam is singing to it although he has no idea what he's singing. Gabriel is getting on hands and knees now which is fun to watch. Liam likes to copy Gabriel too which makes the whole episode that much more entertaining.

Do you see it?!?!? It's like we just got a + sign on a pregnancy test. We are thrilled to see these little blades of grass popping out all over the yard. Very exciting! I know it is really nothing like finding out you're going to have a baby but we feel kind of silly for being so happy over some grass. teehee! My little man is so stinkin' cute! I absolutely love how his little ears stick out. And his dimples. . .ahh! Tummy Time for all three boys!

4 Days ago I put my finger in Gabriel's mouth and there were TWO TEETH popping out! I knew this stage was coming but it came so fast. Liam didn't cut teeth till around 6 months and Gabriel is only 5. We've also introduced fruit. He likes the tastes but doesn't yet know how to keep it in an swallow well. Every bite goes in and comes out at least once before he swallows it. :-) Liam is going potty on his own now. He's wearing big boy underwear around the house and when he feels like he needs to go he runs to the bathroom, pulls down his undies, goes potty, empties the bowl into the big toilet and he's done. If he leaves his undies around his ankles he can pull them back up but I'm still trying to get him it leave them there. He likes to take them all the way off. The only wet diapers I am changing are his over night and nap diapers. Otherwise he's not wetting himself all day long. YEA! I know we still have to work on it when there are distractions, like nu...

Life's been a little crazy. We were out of town on a student leadership retreat for three days, I've been busy working on an anniversary gift for my parents, we've been hardcore potty training, laying our patio. So I have had little time to do anything else. This was during the SLT Retreat (Don't worry it's just a paintball gun!) We went to the cabin that belongs to the family of the boy holding the gun. It is over looking a lake. It wasn't as restful as I had hoped it would be. We left Liam with our pastor's family but taking Gabriel was unexpectantly difficult. It wasn't G-man's fault. He's a light sleeper when he's not in his own bed and to my surprize (sarcastic) teenagers aren't sensitive to a sleeping baby. They woke him numerous times during his naps and once after he was asleep for the night. UGH! It stresses a mother out! Potty training is going well. I think he should have it down soon. He pretty much spends his days at home nak...

I forgot to update that Gabriel had an appoitment before we left Grand Junction for Seattle. He weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs. 4 oz. and 25 inches long. He's been sleeping through the night since 4 weeks old which has been a huge blessing. He's been sleeping later in the morning here in Seattle although he hasn't adjusted to the time difference for bed time. 8 Pm rolls around and he's MORE then ready for bed. He slept past 9AM this morning though which is about two hours later then normal. He's such a good sleeper. Thank you, Lord! At the same appointment Liam weighed in at 28 lbs and 35 1/2 inches tall. I could tell he recently shot up an inch because he used to clear the island corner in the kitchen and now he doesn't. It's inevitable he will hit his head a few times. We will be transferring him to his booster seat soon which is too much of a reality check for me. He's growing up. Liam is outside right now in Dave's dad's yard playing with th...

We became MiniVan owners yesterday!! Woohoo! It's a Chrystler Town and Country, 2005 with 41,000 miles. It has automatic doors which is AWESOME!! With a push of a button I can open the back or the two side doors. It's fabulous!! Now I feel like an official mom. My boys can play soccar now, teehee! Dave's Dad and Step Mom just left this morning. They were here visiting for a few days from Seattle. It was nice having them here. Nancy taught Liam some new songs and helped him finish learning the alphabet. We have made any progress on landscaping cause life has been crazy. Hopefully we can get a fence in soon then a patio and some grass. I can't wait till next summer when it's all done! Gabriel is almost 10 weeks old already. He's so amazing!! He is sleeping anywhere from 9 to 13 hours straight at night. He already rolled over from tummy to back twice already, he can lift his whole chest up when on his tummy, he has such a strong neck! I think he's going to be a...

The weather has been so nice lately. The wind is a little annoying but it's not constant. I still am so excited to get our yard done and the grass growing. Dave's mom was here last week and left on Saturday. Liam had a lot of fun with "Gramma Susan". He said it so cute and warmed up to her quickly for not havuing seen her since Nov. I think he's at the age now when he will remember people even after not seeing them often. He was pretty upset when she left. I think that made her feel good though, that he loved having her around. It was nice having her here. :-) Next month Dave's dad and step mom are coming to visit. That'll be nice too. This will be the first time they meet Gabriel. Gabriel is growing fast. He's sleeping around 6 to 8 hour strecthes at night. He is already 12 1/2 pounds. He's a big boy but terribly cute! Liam likes him still which is good. No jealousy. Within the past few days Gabriel has started to interact more. He smiles and hold...

Life's been a little crazy lately with another boy in the house. I am very out numbered now. I have the cat, Cleo, but other wise there's Dave, Liam, Gabriel and the dog, Bailey. Too many boys!!! No, it's great, really. I love my boys. Gabriel will be 5 weeks old in 3 days. He's a big boy! He was 10 pouns at 12 days old so I can only imagine how much he weighs now. He has been sleeping 6 + hours straight the past few nights which has been WONDERFUL for me. I love my sleep and didn't expect him to been sleeping longer stretches this early. So, I am very thrilled. Dave's been working hard on landscaping on his days off. He got the sprinkler system put in which was a big job. Next is the fence and patio, then grass. I'm excited to get the yard in so Bailey won't have to be chained up all the time. It'll be nice to lounge in the back yard on the patio and watch Liam play. His grandma wants to get him a swing set while she's visiting next week. I wi...

BOY!! Liam is a big brother to a beautiful baby boy! Gabriel Asher was born at 8:55 PM on March 16th. He weighed 9lbs. 2.9oz and was 21 inches long. We were at church for a meeting with all the youth workers and after the meeting I (Kami) was having more intense contractions and just not feeling right. A mother of a couple of our high school girls offered to take me home with them and let me rest at their house while Dave stayed at church to run our Sunday night youth group. It wasn't long after arriving at their house that my water broke. I called for Dave to come pick me up and we headed to the hospital. It was slightly under 3 hours later that our little boy came into the world. It was quick and everything went smoothly. Gabriel got a 9 out of 10 on both his apgar tests which made us proud. He's nursing like a pro and so beautiful! ...