Time passes with little time to breathe

What a great past few months it has been. Luke is loving third grade, Maria and Andres can't get enough of pre-school, and I have finally gone back to work after being blessed with a long, but needed, leave. There have been so many changes in each of the kids. Luke seems to be so much older and is doing a great job at being the big brother. He is adored by Andres who asks where Luke is everyday. When Luke finally arrives home, you can tell Andres' day is at its best! Luke is so good with both of them. The way he plays, colors, draws, teaches English, wrestles, plays chase, etc. . . well it's just amazing. And he insists on reading their stories to them almost every night. It warms my heart to see how interactive he is. And if there were ever any doubts about whether or not adopting two more kids was the right thing to do (which there never has been), well, all I have to do is look at the three of them together to see that it was a true gift from God to bring us all together. It's also been a thrill to watch him play soccer and football this fall. With my declining KC Chiefs, Luke's games are now a highlight of every weekend.

Maria definitely loves to learn. I don't know that I have ever seen a child try to speak the English language as diligently as she does. She can now count to 10, draw circles (WOOHOO--HUGE accomplishments, believe me) and acknowledges that she is 4 and not "ocho" (8) like she insisted for months. Yes, my friends, it's the little things, right? She can't get enough of pre-school and wants to go every day. And she is also in dance. For whatever reason, the first few times she went, she cried when it was time to go into the studio. I was baffled by this as she had not cried when put into ANY new situation and she squealed with excitement the few weeks preceding her first class. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine, but now, everything is fine, she has learned to do a turn and a scale (with much wobbliness). I'm sure there are other things but that's what we see after every dance class when we come home and get a "showing" of her dance skills. Outside of pre-school, I think her most favorite thing right now is soccer. She plays with other 4 year old girls. There is no skill and little understanding of the game but all of the girls do a great job of swarming around the ball in one big clump. So far, she has scored a goal in every game and two in the last one. As the proud parent, I must say that in those games, her goals are the only ones scored. As the humble parent, I must acknowledge that none of them have been a result of knowing to take the ball and dribble it down the field. Instead, she has just been in the right place and the right time. But who cares? It makes her so happy.

Both of the kids are getting speech help. Maria more for pronunciation, Andres due to lack of speaking. However, Andres has made incredible progress. He is now speaking two-word sentences that only I can understand but nevertheless they are two-word sentences. Pretty amazing accomplishments for the kid who only had about 3 words in his repertoire when we got him. He, too, adores pre-school. All of the teachers there constantly ask me if he is always so happy. Yep, that's our Andres. He also loves soccer and is amazing dribbling the ball. I watch him and can't believe is only two and can dribble with such speed and control. Maybe by the time he get to be 4, he will be the lone ranger who actually understands the game. : )

We've had some great family outings. We went to our local town fair where they tried a funnel cake for the first time and devoured it within a few minutes. They really got a kick out of a Japanese Steakhouse once they got past the loudness and fire. As yet another attempt to completely brainwash them (and keep them close to home when college time comes), I took them to a KU Jayhawk pep rally.  THEY WERE IN HEAVEN!  Every kind of Jayhawk imaginable--stickers, statues, blow ups, and of course Big and Baby Jay mascots.  They both got removable  Jayhawk tattoos on their arms that neither wanted to wash off.  It has been one of the best times I have had with them so far.  Just a GREAT night!  Also, we went to the KC Art Fair and just had a wonderful evening outdoors in the beautiful September weather. Maria and Andres got to meet another cousin who came in from Baltimore. It was fun to watch Maria and Kate interact since they are both four. The most amazing part was to see how they played with no problems even though the language barrier existed. It proves how resilient children are. We've also had fun introducing them to other new foods. Some of the favorites--powdered doughnuts, watermelon, chilled ice sticks, Chinese food. Some not-so-favorites--really just one, chili if it's "pica" (spicy/hot).

I can't believe in another week and a half that we will be celebrating five months of being together. I'm getting so anxious for Christmas. When I saw how much excitement putting a few Halloween items out caused, it made me daydream about the thrill of Christmas. I can't wait to see them open presents, meet Santa, etc. It will definitely be a Christmas to remember.

Finally, the first day of school!

Busting at the seems with excitement to go to "cool"

Not so excited that little brother will be at school for a few hours

Maria was SO proud of her first piece of artwork she brought home from school. You should've seen how much her face lit up when I put it on the refrigerator for all to see.

The muddiest football game of the year!

Andres' #1 pasttime

First soccer game

Big Day--Soccer!

All smiles at this point before heading into the dance studio

What is this crazy thing?

Pumpkin perfection

This is a kid who knows how to get INTO his powdered doughnuts

I just love this picture--he looks so much older now compared to when we got him!

Definite watermelon fans

This is piece #2. Pretty sure he loved it--check out the shirt . . .

. . . oh, and the mouth!

Perfect cousins

Fun at the park

Always the camera-hog ham

They adore each other--can you tell?

And yes, he's still a clown

Perfect indication of what we may have to contend with in the future.  The perfect flirt and lady killer!  But who wouldn't be attracted to a beautiful Jayhawk girl!!??

For Andres, the intrigue of my most favorite mythical bird has just begun. 

Does she look beautiful in red and blue or what!!??

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.