Will it ever get easier?

You would think after sending Luke to school for four years now that I would be used to all that comes with the first day of school. But it seems in some ways it just gets harder. As always, last night, the evening before the first day of school, was a tough one. I don't know why I do this, but I get so heavy-hearted. I find myself poring back over the summer's events (and my wasn't this one eventful!) and how much Luke has grown. I reflect back on the things we did and the things that were left unaccomplished. And I seem to find myself wanting to freeze time, especially this year. He has matured so much over the past four months and he continues to amaze me every day. I'm so proud of the big brother that he has become--the way he loves his brother and sister. When I looked at his face last night as he was laying in bed, I couldn't help but cry. I am so grateful for his life, health, presence in my life. I hope to never find out what life is like without him. Although he is my oldest, now, I still see him as my baby and can remember the day he was born and placed in my arms. I think kids just show you how quickly life passes. I am enjoying motherhood more now than I ever have and I just hate that time keeps passing by so quickly. I know Matt thinks I am crazy. And he's right when he says, "Man, if you're crying about him going to 3rd grade, I can't wait to see you at this high school graduation!" And you see, that's why I cry. Because I know it will be here before I want it to be! This morning, however, I felt much better, as I always have in the past. To see his bright, shining face, so full of energy and excitement. How can you not be happy for him? The best part, of course, was seeing how excited Maria and Andres were to get their picture taken with him in his classroom. It was like Luke had rock-star quality. Yet another great day for a mom of three. God has truly blessed me!

IS HE REALLY GOING INTO 3RD GRADE? WOW!

MARIA AND ANDRES WERE SO PROUD OF HIM

THE FAMILY OF 5 CELEBRATING THE BIG DAY

ANOTHER YEAR AND OFF HE GOES

HAPPY TO BE AT SCHOOL

ONCE AGAIN, THE PROUD BROTHER AND SISTER
WHO DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE BIG BROTHER

The Power Above and Guardian Angels

Every day brings experiences where I realize how good life has been to me. However, there are certain days where I feel it even deeper and have a tremendous feeling of thanksgiving. Yesterday, we were having a great day--Luke, Maria, Andres and me. I consider a "good" day to be one in which the kids get along for the most part, and I rarely have to mediate. A "great" day is one in which there have been NO issues. Yes, they rarely happen--a "great" day that is. And when they do, I feel like I can conquer and accomplish anything! What's so ironic about this is that I started my day watching a lady on TV named Joyce Meyer. This is a woman who has been quite inspirational to my brother and I thought I would see what she was all about. Well, her premise of yesterday's show was "If you have not, you've asked not." Basically, she talked about how we shouldn't be afraid to pray for things even when we have been given so much. BUT when we pray and ask for things, we have to be able to handle the answer "no." Up until listening to Joyce Meyer speak, I have struggled with this. I have two wonderful parents, two fantastic step-parents, a brother who is living a happy life, a step-sister with a beautiful family, an awesome dog who is about to celebrate 15 years of life and of course an unbeatable husband (and in-laws!) and three fabulous kids. That's not to mention my happy upbringing and a number of experiences in life that I have been so blessed to be a part of, as well as an incredible group of friends, a beautiful house and most importantly, our health. It seems to me I'd be getting a little greedy to ask for more--things like getting Maria and Andres into a pre-school of our choice (they are both on waiting lists), help adjusting financially to our new additions, dealing with my feelings of wanting to be with the kids and already dreading going back to work in September, and yes, the need for a "great" day. Well, I decided to go ahead and try things out yesterday, and I said a prayer from the heart asking for help with those things mentioned above. Shortly thereafter, the kids were all out of bed and acting like best friends. They were playing beautifully, Andres was talking up a storm, Maria was inserting every English word she knew into her sentences, and Luke. . .what an awesome big brother!! He sat down with the two of them and played everything they wanted to play while teaching them more English words and helping both kids work on their pronunciations. Even after running errands in the HEAT (side note--Maria and Andres are having a hard time adjusting to the 90+ degree heat and have to say "hot" every time we walk outside) the kids were doing "great." As I watched Luke take Maria and Andres for their naps, all three of the kids were laughing and smiling. I realized at that point, that God had already listened. I immediately got my camera out to capture God at work. And here's what I saw:








I couldn't help but be euphoric most of the day. And I thought about the power of that prayer, and most importantly, the power of God to answer. I am mystified by how quickly things can happen (and I forgot to add that I also received a call from the pre-school of our choice to let us know they have an opening for Maria!!), but I am not afraid to admit that I think some guardian angels above are working for us, too. Yesterday, out of nowhere, Luke asked me about his Great Grandpa Gilbert and said, "Did I know him?" Part of my heart hurt when Luke asked this question. My Grandpa Gilbert was one of the most incredible human beings I have and will ever meet. And if I could ever pick two people that I could bring back to life just so that my kids could experience their tremendous goodness and love of God and life, it would be my Grandma Helen and Grandpa Gilbert. I miss them EVERY SINGLE DAY! To have Luke ask that question meant that he remembered nothing of Grandpa; therefor, it broke my heart. I explained that, yes, Luke knew him because Grandpa Gilbert didn't pass away until Luke was 2 1/2 years old. I also added that Grandpa Gilbert played with Luke all of the time, every chance he could get. Luke stared off into the sky for a while and replied, "I wish he could see me now." It brought tears to my eyes. All of a sudden, everything from the day just pulled together, and I simply said, "Oh he does. He sees you and watches over us every day." With that, a huge smile spread across Luke's face. Never underestimate the power of God and your guardian angels!

Fireworks, visits, birthdays, a zoo, friends and a lot of nostalgia

So much has happened over the past few weeks! We have been blessed by the large number of friends and family who continue to come and see us. It's been a wonderful, busy, overwhelming summer!

I woke up last Saturday, July 19, with immediate nostalgia on so many different levels. It was our 11th anniversary so we pulled out the wedding video so the kids could see what an American wedding was like. It was fun to watch and my how we looked young! But we also realized that we had another reason to be nostalgic. July 19th was the 2-month anniversary of getting Maria and Andres. Wow! Are you kidding me!!?? It seems like they have been a part of our family for so much longer, and being in Bogota seems light years ago. I was recently asked what I miss about Colombia. It's kind of funny because I hadn't thought about the fact that I would miss Colombia. So I have thought a lot about that question. I definitely miss the beauty of the country--the mountains, greenery, countryside, clouds and rain--ok maybe not that. But most of all I miss the incredible flowers! But I think I miss Colombia in a way that it's more for Maria and Andres. How tough it must be to come to a brand new country, knowing no one. What incredible trust and courage these little ones have! I think of how much we longed to hear English after only being in Colombia for 3 1/2 weeks. I can't imagine how their poor little brains must yearn for Spanish to be spoken. We have had a few people around that have spoken Spanish with them, and I have gone to the library to get some Spanish/English instructional videos from Sesame Street that they love. We've also continued to read some books to them in Spanish and speak to them in it each day. But we are so limited in our vocabulary that it's mostly English. I am so proud of how much they have accomplished!

Andres' vocabulary is increasing every day. He has gone from only saying Mama and Papa (for everything) to adding words like please, meow, cat, more, car and dog (which he pronounces god). But my a few of my favorites: 1) when Maria or Luke do something to him that he doesn't like and he puts his open hand out and extends his arm while saying, "Stop!" 2) He hits a lot rather than using words so when he does this, he has to say sorry. Until two days ago, it was pronounced, "Sorr" but he has now successfully added the "y." (We celebrate the small things!) 3) Finally, when we were leaving the gym last week, a man was holding open the door for us. As I walked out, I said "thank you" followed by Maria saying it and then Andres said it as plain as day. Maria and I both stopped, turned around and got overly excited, congratulating him for his words. The man looked at us like we were crazy. But I didn't care. If you could've seen the pride on Andres' face. . . Maria is doing incredibly as well. She likes a lot of attention when using the English language so much of the day is, "Mami, look at/listen to me" followed by a word, phrase or sentence in English. She has started showing her first signs of frustration with me when I don't understand her but we are trying to work through it. Since she doesn't speak her native language with correct pronunciations, I can't always pull out the handy Spanish-English dictionary to help me solve the mystery. My favorite word to hear her say is "oops" which is pronounced "opus" by her. Too cute!

As some of you may know, we were hoping that she would be able to be serviced through my school district. They had three different pre-school programs she could qualify and a lot of Spanish-speaking support since it is houses a large number of Hispanic children. Well, I just found out that they won't serve out-of-district children until they are in kindergarten. Bummer! So I have been looking at some other options, local pre-schools, having someone come in once a week to speak with the kids so that they can also retain their Spanish, speaking it appropriately. I have also found a dance class for her to take where the teacher speaks Spanish and English. I have to wait until Aug. 1 to find out is the school district that we live in has anything to offer if she doesn't qualify for their services through speech or language issues. I don't think they do. So, I have a lot to figure out between now and September when I head back to work!

You can definitely tell that the kids are getting very comfortable with each other. So there's a lot of whining, pouting, tattling, yelling. . . timeouts! ; ) But it's all very manageable and exactly what I expected. It's wonderful to see the bonds being formed. Luke and Maria are still in a love-hate mode but always end the day with kisses and hugs. Neither can go to bed until they have been given. No changes with Andres as he tends to get along with everybody. He's so laid back, goes with the flow--just a joy to have around! That's not to say that he's not doing the whining thing, too. He just isn't as verbally dramatic as the other two. Never thought I'd say that a two-year old was easy, but he has proven that it can happen.

We have taken both kids for all of their check-ups, blood draws, immunizations, etc. We just have the dentist left. Maria came out clear. Andres was found to be anemic, so we've got him on iron right now. He has to go back to get more blood drawn next week. Poor guy! But he was a champ last time. They took 6, full vials of blood from him last time. He barely peeped when the needle went in, watched the blood draw out of his arm, and they removed the needle. Ironically, it wasn't until they put on his band-aid that he cried. Hopefully, we'll have the same luck next time.

The hardest part of every day continues to be dinner. I don't know why I am struggling with this. It irritates me, really. But I am finding it's harder to estimate portions, I'm still learning how much of everything I need to buy to get through a week or two (so we are making multiple grocery stops each week), and it just seems to take me forever to get things done. On top of that, I am having to do at least a load of laundry each day, the dishwasher is full and it has to be run every night, I have to sweep off the hardwoods each day or our dog who can't process people food will get sick, and I am quickly learning why there are so many stay-at-home moms! I dread the thought of going back to work and figuring out how everything is going to get done. I guess it might not and I'll have to live with that. It's tough for an anal retentive person to accept that change! The good news is that Maria is a fantastic helper around the house which has prompted Luke to step things up a notch as well. She helps me do everything. I had no idea that a four-year old was capable of all that she does. Anyway, last week when I gave Luke his allowance, I also gave her $1. You would have though I gave her the moon. She looks at it every day. Can't wait for the day when she starts realizing that $1 practically buys nothing these days! : )

I'll end with more pictures of happenings over the last few weeks. (I realize I get a little crazy with the number of pics I include. But I do feel, at times, like a mother with a newborn, and it's tough to narrow them down!) The fourth of July was a blast with family and friends. They had fun watching the fuegos artificiales and sparklers. Enjoy! I know we have so far!!

July 4th

Luke and Maria with two of their favorite friends!

Sparkler fascination with Mimi

Finally, another family photo, but Andres isn't cooperating (only when he has the camera to himself!)

Maria with our friends' children also from Colombia

The drama and faces of Andres--yes, he's happy most of the time!

Luke adding his drama in the background

Oh yeah, he's pouring on the charm for his special Colombian, Crissy! (The marriage has already been arranged. )

Here Andres is again with Crissy, making sure she'll always take care of him. Just like a male, huh? : )

What you can't see is that he has take his spoon and flicked ice cream all over his face! (See below.)

Petting zoo with friends

Ok, this pic could've gone in the above category, too. Andres wasn't real hip on the smell at the zoo. Now he knows how we feel each morning we enter his room!

Maria with our friends' daughters.

My three, sweet children. Note the "Andres face" once again!

Love my girl!

Family time and meeting cousins Nate and Trent for the first time

The grandkids with Nana and Papa

Luke and Maria at a time when they think having a sibling isn't so bad

Proud cousins, Luke and Nate

Trent and Maria absolutely loved each other!

Trent and Andres--Trent realized this kind of play wasn't fun for long while Andres thought it was fantastic.

Nate and Luke sharing Nintendo DS secrets

Once again, you can just see the love in their eyes.

All the cousins with Andres having to be different

Dia de Las Chicas (Girl's Day)

Thanks to Papa Ronnie for taking the boys so this day could happen

Maria loves music and decided to bust a move to a song being played while shopping

Mami and Maria having a great day!

A proud Nana Sharon FINALLY getting a picture with a granddaughter

Shopping wears out the best of us

A Few Other Priceless Photos

As this hat was acquired on our Girls' Day Out shopping trip, this is "Hip Hop Maria." This is when her true Latina comes out!

Such a cute moment that was tough to capture. This was Andres trying to figure out what the rain was when it pelted the car windows. It fascinated him for quite a while as he tried to touch it from the inside.

Luke --proudly displaying his Jayhawk crocs

Our dog Max--I had to include this one. Not only is this poor dog 15 years old, but he has endured so many changes. He's been awesome with the kids.


This is Maria after I gave her the $1 allowance. The perks of being an American in the Jensen family.

I'm ending with one of my favorite pictures. Luke has done a great job with this HUGE life-changing event. However, it is very difficult for him, at times, when he can't have our full attention. This just shows that he and his dad will take their time together any way they can get it.

Two Weeks Home and Doing GREAT!

We keep being asked how everything is going. In a word--FANTASTIC! The kids have adjusted amazingly well. They have transitioned as flawlessly as we could expect, and we are so proud of the way all three of the kids have adapted to being a family of five. Time has absolutely flown by and I couldn't believe it when I noticed today that we have been home for two weeks. We continue to be blessed by visits from family and friends which has been wonderful. It's been a blast introducing Maria and Andres to all of these special people. They usually win over hearts very quickly as they love to greet people with hugs, kisses and/or huge smiles.

Matt eased back into work which was nice. The kids were able to handle his full-day absences once he got back into the swing of things. I wasn't sure how things were going to go with me parenting solo, but the kids have been great. Luke is a HUGE help, and I have to say that being a mom of three has been a million times easier than I ever expected. I don't know if it's because I prepared myself for utter chaos or what. But when I think back to how difficult it was to parent an infant, I feel so blessed to be in the here and now with a 2, 4, and 8 year old. They are all pretty easy going and I have thoroughly enjoyed every day I have spent with them!

There have been a number of things that make us laugh. For example, for the first few days at home, I kept finding Maria and Andres over by our air vents. They thought it was the neatest thing that cold air came out of them. I guess living in a stable climate of 60 degrees, they've probably never experienced air conditioning to that degree. They also find it fascinating when the garage doors open magically. I'm sure they have electronic garage doors in Colombia, but they clearly haven't seen any. Maria still squeals each day when we pick out a new outfit to wear. Andres--well he could care less. He just wants to get to his cars or the dog toys. Which leads me to our 15 year old dog, Max. He has done very well with the kids. Pretty much ignores them. Poor dog, I wonder how many years I have shaved off of his life by bringing three kids into his life. I have a feeling he'd be vying for the "oldest dog in the world" title had those factors not entered.

Their language continues to get better. They seem to understand quite a bit of what we say, or at least they are indulging us Andres tries to mimic sounds. He still points a lot rather than use word and says a lot of Mama and Papa for pretty much everything, but we have also added "choo choo" "dog" (which sounds nothing like dog but has the same vowel sound and "Dre Dre" which is what we call him sometimes. Unfortunately, with his speaking deficiency, he can't express himself when he gets upset so he likes to hit his brother and sister. If any of you have any ideas of ways to work through this, I would love it. I really am trying to get him to make sounds, even, but he's much more content and comfortable with hitting to express himself. Maria does a good job of repeating words and uses words like "chips," "water," "bubbles," "thank you," "please," and "I love you" whenever she has a chance. But I am most proud to say that I have two Jayhawks to add to the fan base. Maria loves to listen to the Jayhawk fight song and the Rock Chalk chant. Whenever they see a Jayhawk, Andres gives it a strong point of the finger while Maria screams"Jayhawk." It's music to my ears and they both look fantastic in crimson and blue!

People keep asking us what the most difficult part has been since we've been home. Well, as I could only think of two things, there hasn't been much that's led to difficulties. The first one is bedtime. The kids are not real hip on going to bed. I try to remind myself that I, too, was like that as a kid. Then I got married, had kids and, well, the rest is history. Anyway, they love to take baths and play in the water. They are pro tooth brushers (or at least Andres is a pro toothpaste eater) but they hate it when it's time to get into bed. We try to soften the blow by reading them stories. Matt reads to Maria, Luke, mainly, reads to Andres while I lay beside them. But when it's time to turn the lights out, mayhem. It took a few days to get Andres to stay in his bed. But now, he may squawk for 15 seconds and he's done. A real faker, he is! Maria, on the other hand, is a little different. She hates it and screams and cries. At one point, it got pretty bad (especially when I was out of the house--go figure on that one. She couldn't stand the sight of me the first few days we had her and now she can't stand to go to bed without seeing me--that's PROGRESS!) So, I decided to try some consequences. These kids love their fruits. So I promised her lots of fruits if she went to bed without crying. The first night, she cried/screamed. So, the next day, no fruit. The next night, NO CRYING! I was so excited. She's gone back and forth but we have gone two night in a row now with no crying. So, maybe we are making headway. The second part that's been tough is dinner time. You know, when it was the three of us, if Matt was going to be late, or if we were having a busy night (which is frequently) I shoved a Kid Cuisine in the oven for Luke and made myself a sandwich. Easy enough. Well, those days are gone. I have found it quite difficult to plan, prepare and serve a meal for five in a timely manner without it taking up a good portion of our evening and our real "family" time to go outside and play. I may have to look at one of those places that prepares meals ahead for you and then they can be frozen. I don't know. Something is going to have to change. Or maybe I'm just going to have to just give it time so I can adapt and get better at the whole thing. Thank goodness my in-laws stocked our refrigerator and pantry before we got home. Outside of running to Sam's Club for milk ($2.99/gallon which is why I go there since we go through 4+ gallons a week!) and a few other things, I have not had time to go to the store and do some full out shopping. I hoped to tackle that yesterday but it looks like it may be the weekend or later before I get the chance again. We have a pretty full weekend ahead.

Well, if you are wondering what else we have been up to here are some pics to show you:

Enjoying new toys

Playing dress up

Riding a bike

Watching balloons go up into the sky

Celebrating Luke's 8th birthday!

Discovering concrete can be beautiful

Learning what a sprinkler is

Slipping and sliding

Cheering on Big Brother Luke

Loving each other and our family every day

And eating like crazy! (Note for these final two pics: The kids acted like they had never had tacos. Andres decided to stab his with a fork, and Maria ate hers from the top of the shell.)