November, the month it all started

So I have an anniversary...I have had this blog for one year! How crazy is that, I looked back to November 2006 and on this day last year was the day Mateo had his DNA and SWI done, it was the first time his birth mom had seen him since he was 8 days old, and it was the day we finally saw some progress on his case. And today I woke up and snuggled with my boy on the couch, I got to see him do the motions to "I'm in the Lords army", got to make veggie soup with him, we got to watch the snow fall, and have dinner with his great grandpa. Wow, what a year can do in our lives!

Blogging has been such a blessing to me, I got to share this experience with friends and family along with all of you who have come to join and support me from blogland. All of you have made this journey so much sweeter. Thank you for following our family through the highs and lows of this roller coaster that the past year has brought. I am hoping that the next year will bring as much joy, all you have to do is stay tuned!

Blessings on each of your journeys!
Laura

So the fruit of a year of blogging...New friends, growth in faith and trust in the Lord, a place to share my thoughts and life, and of course the place that documents my journey to my two precious blessings~

Not 500 but a few more

So I got a tip for downloading the pics it is still slow but at least not taking an hour! So anyway here are some more pics of the Christmas tree adventure

More fotos

I know it is a bit crazy to not blog for weeks at a time and then two in one day but hey when the photo image is working I need to post the pics!
This past Sunday we went and got our Christmas tree. Growing up on a tree farm this was one of my favorite memories growing up and I was so excited to do it with my children this year. It was a bit cold but Te and El did so good and had so much fun! We started the afternoon getting the tree, then we came back to hot cocco and brownies. Then we got the music going and started to decorate the tree, you should have seen Mateo, he was in his glory he LOVED helping Scott and was just running all over so excited. We ended the night with watching White Christmas (the kids only got about 15 min in before bed) and a the story of the pine tree. It was an unforgettable night with traditions I hope we continue for a lifetime! Here are some pics!

Ok so I am so ticked, the photo think takes FOREVER! About 20 per pic so all you are getting is the one that downloaded, yes I am so ticked. Just wait one day it will work like it should and you will have to scroll through the 500 pics I have ready and waiting. For now just my cuties in the truck on the way to get the tree.

Can you guess what I am thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
We had a wonderful thanksgiving starting at…Herraduras a local Mexican restaurant. Traditional? No Fun? Yes! We went and had a thanksgiving fajita lunch with about 100 of the men and women (mostly Hispanic) that work on the Christmas tree farm my family owns. After that we put the kids down for naps and then we were off for another dinner at my parents. We had a great time eating and enjoying our family.

Every year we spend time going around having each person say what they are thankful for. This year I have more things to be thankful for than I can even begin to count. I just in the past couple of weeks I read through my journal I kept during the adoptions. I was again floored by the miracle it took to bring our children home. I still can’t believe that we got to bring them home together. He literally moved mountains and now this year I got to sit around the table with the ones I was most thankful for. And each time Mateo or Ellie reached up and said momma I was blessed all over again. Wow it was a thanksgiving to remember for sure.

And here they are...

Cazy good days

So today was crazy for sure! It started off with a groggy mom and tired baby girl. Ellie started off with a cold yesterday but it was nothing major. She woke up a couple times last night and I gave her some cold medicine and she went back to bed until around 7 this morning. Well I was motivated to get stuff done today, after the back problems I was feeling pretty good and wanted to catch up on laundry ect. Well I started to do that but sweet Ellie just keep getting worse. She woke up with a temp of 100 and by nap time it was up to 100.5. She was coughing and did not sleep well at all. She woke up and was really sick, she basically sat on my lap and slept off and on. By 5:00 her temp was up to 104. I was really nervous now, I hate more than anything being helpless to make my children feel better. My mom came over to see for herself and she though we should take her in. We bundled up the kids and off we went to the after hours clinic. Well thankfully her temp was down but she had and ear infection and congestion. On the way home we got some McDonalds for Te (he loves MD) and I gave El some crackers, it was the first time she had eaten all day. Well about 15 min later we were almost home and up comes the crackers, all over me. So fun times getting the sick baby and a very active three year old out of the car into the house and fully medicated. It was a wild night for sure. Thankfully Ellie’s temp has gone done and she is sleeping on and off. I may be in for a long night. The thing is, even thought this was not what I had planned today and I hated to see my baby sick, and getting vomit all over, I was thankful. I was so thankful to be at home with my little girl, to be the one taking care of her and rocking her. I was thankful that my husband supports and values me staying at home with our children and that no matter what sacrifices it will take to make it happen we are both committed. I was thankful that she is home with me and not in Guatemala. I was just thankful to be mom to both of these beautiful children. Yes it was a crazy day but it was a good one.

Please pray miss Ellie feels better soon! Thanks ya’ll
And one more side note, day three on potty training boot camp has good really good, Te make it two nights without a mess and only one accident today, bye bye expensive pull ups!

Potty Training Boot Camp

So we are up and running in the Powell house. I am feeling better every day and I think that the therapy in the pool is doing a lot to strengthen the muscles in my back. It is just a pain to find someone to watch the kids three times a week right now. But again our family has pulled through and they are so helpful.
So our new adventure this week is POTTY TRAINING! I was inspired by my blogging friend Bekah who just potty trained her son in three days! Mateo has been going po po in the toilet for at least a month and a half but the pee thing is not clicking. So we started yesterday and he only had two accidents and this morning he woke up dry! I am hoping for a good day today but I will keep you updated on the potty training boot camp.
Laura

I am walking!!!

Health is truly an amazing blessing. The Lord has been so good and I can tell you that I am up and walking around in my own home! YEAH! So a little recap on life the past two weeks. Shortly after my last post we moved into my sister Sarah’s house. After about five days there I was finally able to walk without a walker. Then this past Wednesday, after almost a week and a half away from my house and three weeks in my invalid state we were able to move home, without the walker. During that time at my sisters we had her three kids and my two all five and under, Halloween, Te’s birthday party, a baby shower for the kids at church, and both of our husbands working 12-14 hours a day. It was wild and crazy and if I wasn’t on my back most of the time I would have even called it fun. Now that I am home I have to take it “easy” (how might I ask does one do that with a 1 and 3 year old☺) and go to physical therapy three times a week for about two months. But I cannot tell you how much joy I get from dong the simplest of things. I am enjoying every moment that I can serve and love my two little ones and so thankful that mobility is again mine. I can’t wait to post some pictures from Te’s birthday party, it was so much fun! As we move closer to the holidays I am beyond excited to share Thanksgiving and Christmas with my now complete family. Thanks for the prayers and encouragement, we could not have gotten through this season without our friends and family.
Laura

On a side note, today my dad and I went and got professional pictures done of the kids for Christmas! They are so cute!
Here are a few photos now that I am home...

This is Mateo and Scott doing "fuerte" which means strong in Spanish. Mateo always says "papa esta fuerte", so cute!

This is of all the cousins going to the pumpkin patch