Tis the Season!

Wow, it has been almost a month since I have posted! I have been doing some serious slacking! We have been busy little Freudenthal's. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and had a wonderful time. We ran the Turkey Trot and it was fun, not really but I like the tshirt! The funny of Thanksgiving this year was that Caryl put the turkey in upside down and we were all trying to figure out why the legs were so short until we finally realized what had happened! So funny, but we think we found the secret to a great turkey because it was our best turkey ever!

After Thanksgiving we headed up to the farm for some more family fun. I got to meet my precious nephew Lincoln for the first time and we hit it right off! I'm pretty sure he loved me!:) I don't think I hardly put him down the whole day, he was just too precious to put down! Ella had a tournament that night and so basketball began! Since then, it seems like we have been playing A LOT of basketball which is so fun to watch the kids play!

I have been amazed at how healthy my kids have been this year. This time last year it seemed like every other day someone was home sick! Not this year Praise the Lord! We have only had pink eye and a slight ear infection! I'll take it! I am so thankful that we got the girls' tonsils out. It has been the best move we have ever made!

The Christmas season is here and I love it so much! I love trying to make it special for my kids! Max is so awesome, he is so much like me in that he gets so into all of the fun Christmas things, activities, movies, lights, anything really! I love it. Last weekend we put up our tree and it was super fun.

One of my favorite days of the year is when Joe and I go Christmas shopping. We started shopping about 10:45am yesterday and didn't finish until 9pm. It was a LONG day of shopping. But we are so happy with what we purchased this year! We are done with junky little toys, we bought things we knew they would like and play with. I can't wait for them to open up on Christmas morning!

Today we had another ball game and then we came home and painted Christmas ornaments which was so much fun. The kids LOVE doing that and look forward to it every year. Then we put on our matching family jammies and took our annual picture! It was so much fun! I love doing that!

I wanted to remember a funny from Max, while he was watching a Christmas special Michael Bubble' came on and his name came across the screen and Max said, "Oh, there's Mitchell Bubble"!!! Cracks me up! Have a great night and hopefully I'll be better at blogging!

A Fun Harvest Season!

Well, it has been awhile since I have blogged! We have had such a fun Harvest season this year. It started out going up to Joe's sisters farm! Oh my, it was such a blast! The kids had sooo much fun! And so did I! We got to ride on the combine and it was really cool to see how all the farm equipment works. I'm pretty sure I would make an awesome combiner! I love staying in the neat rows and watching it empty into the bin. Pretty cool stuff. Not to mention on the farm that Denise has EVERYTHING cool imaginable for kids (and adults) to play with and play on! She is a great mommy and I'm pretty sure my kids would live there if they could!

Next we had our annual Family Fall Harv' with The Johnsons and the Benders! It was so much fun!!! I love my nephews so much I can't even put it into words. This year they brought their girlfriends and they were so delightful and fun. I love all my family so much. Joe has some pretty great brothers and sisters! We went to the pumpkin patch in our of course matching shirts and the boys were such great sports about it! I think the best part is walking up to the patch with all the matching shirts! It was a great day at the patch.

We finished our Harvest season on Halloween night at our friends the Austin's house! They have kids our kids ages and cousins and friends and everything. Our kids had a BLAST!!! It was so fun watching them run around with all their good buddies! Jojo sure knows how to throw a great party!

Yesterday we headed to KC to see Yo Gabba Gabba live! OMG, it was SOOOO MUCH FUN! ALL of our kids had a blast! Joe and I were rocking out as well. I mean it was such a great show. If it ever comes to a city near you I would encourage you all to go! It has been a great few weeks. We are ready to have a low key weekend!

Oh also I forgot to mention Max had his first basketball game on Thursday and they won! They beat a travel team! His little team was so cute and scrappy I couldn't take it! So much fun to watch little boys play ball!

I hope you all have a great week! I'm off to get kids ready for school!

Where My Heart Is

My heart is in ETHIOPIA. I was reading through a really cool blog last night and they just got back from a trip to Ethiopia. Seeing all of the pictures of the people, the kids, the countryside. I mean everything about it. I can't wait until March when I get to go again. I have so many ideas going through my mind. There is so much we could do for these people.

I see the pictures of the kids running around in no pants, no shoes and filthy dirty. And I picture Ade. He could have been one of those children. Wondering where their next meal will come from. I wonder how Ade's birth family is doing. I hope they are doing well and they are healthy. Or maybe he wouldn't have lived to be that old. I think the statistic is 1 in 5 kids in ET die before the age of 1 maybe. So sad. Thank you Jesus for sparing our guys life!

Just missing Ethiopia and counting down the days until I go again!

Where My Heart Is

Pics didn't upload for some reason!

Fall Fun

We have been having a lot of fun around here lately! A couple of nights ago the kids dug out all kinds of toys in Max's room and we played in there forever! It was so much fun. And such a mess. You should see it now! It looks the same. Max LOVES having all of us in one room just hanging out. They asked me to play with them and when I picked up an animal and started talking they told me to stop that they didn't want me to play! Ella has banned me from Barbies as well. She doesn't like my "Barbie" voice!!! Hhahahah. How funny is that. Most kids beg their moms to play with them and mine beg me to stop!!!

We were being silly and climbing on the bed and all sorts of fun things. Singing songs and just enjoying each other. I love those days!

The kids were out of school today and their out tomorrow as well. Today we had such a fun day on the farm! We went up to Joe's sisters farm. Oh my goodness, if that place isn't a heaven for kids I don't know what is. We did everything! We got in a plastic tube and rolled down a hill and yes I did do this! We rode bikes, played basketball, played on the swing set, teeter totter, barn swing, rocks, climbing AND we got to ride on the combine! I mean it was SOOOO MUCH FUN! Then Denise made us awesome meat ball subs. Max even got to stay the night! Tomorrow the boys get to come to our house and play. We are excited! Thank you Aunt Denise for such a fun day! I wish I had pics from today but I forgot my camera.

Maya had soccer practice tonight and we took Ade. He got sooo excited and starting jumping up and down and yelling at Maya, saying, "KICK IT MY MY KICK IT!!!!" It was so cute and funny. He is talking so much. And Maya did awesome at practice. I think she is just a natural athlete! And Ella had a basketball practice. She is getting pretty serious about her basketball these days!

OK, I am signing off, Maya and I are snuggling in bed watching Aladin! We have never seen it before! Have a wonderful night!

I love socks!!!

So today is a better day. I am not feeling so gloomy! Please excuse my last post! I am fine! I sent Ade to MDO today and I had to run to Target to get some milk and things like that! I ran over to TJMaxx and got the kids some socks! I love socks! It is very important to find the right kind!:) They have great socks for great prices! I love it! It's the little things in life that make me happy! And socks are one of those things!

Tonight is SJCS homecoming so we are headed to the game tonight. That will be fun to get out a bit. And tomorrow is my mom and dad's 40 year wedding anniversary so we have lots of fun stuff planned for that tomorrow! I am excited.

OK, I need to get going, just wanted to apologize for my last couple of posts! I am doing fine, I was just having a pity party and you all got invited!:)

Crap Mom

So I'm feeling like "crap mom" right now. Having mono has made me so unmotivated to do anything. I just want to lay down. I don't want to get ready or get dressed or leave! It is making me crazy! Although this week seems better. I feel like I have some of my energy back! So hopefully next week will be a bit more normal!

All 3 of the big kids had field trips this week and I couldn't nor can't go!:( I feel like a loser. But I can't do everything. Maya told me yesterday that I don't play with her when she gets home. I go outside with them everyday. This past week I haven't played I have been too tired.

Joe's sister Caryl is here for a couple of days and she has been a great help. She is making me rest. Which is so hard for me to do when I have so many things going on! She has been awesome. The kids get out early today and she is taking them to the park so that will be super fun for them.

Please pray for me that I would feel better and not get sick again! Also I have a silent prayer request! I feel like I am constantly dealing with this so please pray that God would help me!

About to Break!

Well, Maya had her surgery on Tuesday and she is doing so well. I have been shocked, the middle of the nights and mornings are the hardest. Her throat is dry and she is in a lot of pain, but it doesn't take too long to get her feeling well again. I think she will probably go to school on Monday. We are thinking she may have caught a cold on top of it. It breaks my heart.

I have been super tired for a few weeks now and I have had strep twice, I went to the clinic yesterday and I have Mono! I can't believe it. At least I know I'm not crazy, but I feel like something is ALWAYS going on with me and it makes me want to cry. Why can't I be healthy? Why can't I be the weight I want to be? Why am I always sick? Jesus really needs to come into my life and heal me. So not fun!

Besides being sick we have been busy. We took the kids to see Dolphin Tale tonight. They loved it. It was a really sweet story. Ella went to a friends to stay the night and Max went to Joe and Lacey's to stay all night with the boys! They are super excited about that. And so were Joe and I. Although I don't really like not having all my babies under my roof at night! But at least they get to do something fun.

Ella has been having basketball practice again. She is enjoying that. Max has been doing Hap Ki Do and loving it. Maya is doing dance and soccer and Ade started preschool. He LOVES it! Well, just wanted to send a quick update!

We are still here!

Well, we are still here! I haven't blogged in a long time. We are super busy. Ella is fully recovered now and is in full swing of basketball!!! Thank the Lord that is over, now I get to do it all again with Maya!!! We have had so much going on I will just highlight a few of those things for you.

On Friday Max received his yellow belt in Hap Ki Do and he was so proud of himself. It has been a really good thing for him. They talk a lot about self control and respect. Which is soooo good for Max. I hope he sticks with it and gets his black belt. It is a pretty big commitment, he goes twice a week. Very proud of him.

Maya got to go to Grandma's with Ruby and have a puppy party and were they ever in heaven. Those 2 are so cute together, they have such a fun time together. I'm glad she has a cousin close to her age to be her bff! She has been a bit of a pill lately. Just having an attitude when it comes to her clothes and things.

Ella took of her friends to Max's ceremony on Friday and then we went out to Pizza Hut to celebrate. She really enjoys spending time with her friends. Joe and I had a date on Saturday and had a lot of fun. It was good to be outside in this beautiful weather.

Just these past few days Ade has been telling me when he has to go potty, not just me putting him on there. It has been so nice. He is finally getting it. Now if he would just go poopy in the potty! He is really growing up so much. He is starting preschool 2 mornings a week at UCP on Wednesday. I am very excited and hoping it will get him up to speed on his abcs and such!

OK, I need to go to bed. My eyes are closing, I just wanted to give a quick update!

Funny Maya Stories

Maya has done and said some pretty funny things this week. I wanted to get them down before I forgot them.

First she is playing outside and she says to me, "Mom, I didn't cut my hair in school today." Guess who cut her hair in school today??? Ahhhhhhh

Then the 2 Kindergarten classes got to combine for a day and her little friend Anthony whom she is VERY fond of is in the other class, she wasn't very happy that they weren't in the same class, anyway, Anthony's class got to pick a friend from Maya's class to sit with them. So it came around to Anthony and he picked Maya, when he picked her she did the ole' fist pump and said, "Yes, I knew you were going to pick me!" So funny and cute.

Today she found out she wasn't able to spend the night at Grandma's and she was in full on hysterics, she says to me, "I was attracted to going to Grandma's!!!" Almost got it right baby girl, keep trying!

These kids crack me up all the time. They are some funny little people with some sick dance moves! I love them!

Really???

So what's been going on around here you are wondering? Well, we have been in recovery mode. Ella is doing much better she went back to school today and she made it all day! Yay Ella! She is starting to be able to eat just a little bit more. It has been hard watching her pain. The worst part is we think Maya is going to get hers out too and she does not like taking meds! This should be fun!

Max has been complaining the past couple of days that his ear hurts and he's not feeling the best. And Ade has been majorly whiney and had a yucky nose and things. So I decided today to take them to the clinic after school. Low and behold they both have strep!!! Really??? So Max will be home tomorrow with Ade and I and I have to miss Maya's first field trip!:( I can't even believe it. I am so sad about that.

So while we were at the clinic I had her test me because I have just been extremely tired and just worn down and not feeling the best. I thought it was because I have been getting up so much at night with Ella and taking care of her, NOPE- Mamma has strep as well!!! REALLY??? Can't we catch a break. I guess this is what happens when you have 6 people in a family.

The good news is, is that it explains Max and Ade's current attitude! The bad news is, another day at home and another missed day of school. I know some day I'm going to miss this time, not having a sick kid in my bed and all that goes with it so I will just take a deep breath and enjoy my sick day with my boys tomorrow!

"I wub you Mom!"

One of my favorite things about Ade is how he says my name and when I look down he has those luscious lips puckered for a kiss and says, "I wub you Mom!" It melts my heart every time! I get so frustrated sometimes with him constantly saying my name and then he does that and it is so sweet and makes me feel bad! I am so grateful for a healthy boy that can say my name!!! I am a blessed Mom!!!

Surgery is NO Fun!!!

On Tuesday Ella had her tonsils out and she had a hole in her eardrum that was repaired. They had to take a skin graft from above her ear! She has some stitches and it is so sore. Today is day 3 and today has been the worst day so far. She had a major meltdown earlier. I think she is just so sick of hurting. It is breaking my heart. Poor girl! Right now she is sitting here in a pretty pleasant mood!!! Grandma and Grandpa just left.

Today Grammy came over to watch her for an hour so Ade and I went to Pilates and when we came home she was melting! We are praying that this is the worst day and she will be on the uphill swing tomorrow! Please pray for my sweet girl, she is so tired of feeling like this!

I can't even imagine how people feel or do it that have kids with a chronic illness. I feel like I am ignoring the other 3 and they notice. They are all a bit grouchy! Pray for us please!

Happy 1 Year Home!!!

The 27th marked our 1 year anniversary as a family of 6!!! I know everyone says this, but I truly can't believe it has already been a year! It seems like just yesterday we were in Ethiopia! I got to talk to my friend Joy who travelled with us this week and it was so great talking to her, just like we talked everyday! And I'm so blessed to have another family close to us, the Sykora's!!! Love it! And I love my travel group!

To celebrate our family went to an Ethiopian restaurant called the Blue Nile Cafe. It was so yummy! It so fun seeing the other members of our family try the food! Ade dug right in. He LOVED it. And it made me really sad because I could smell the spices on his breath and it reminded me so much of Ethiopia! I can't wait to go back. I so wish I could see his family when I return in March.

This year has been such an awesome year. It has been such a blessed year. I can't even imagine our life without Ade. He is so funny and sweet and spunky. It has been awesome to watch little by little and see his personality come out. He really is a silly kid. He adores his family and he fits right in. It is awesome to me that God designed him to be a Freudenthal! He truly is just like us! Only he has beautiful brown skin! He does have my coarse curly hair though!:)

This adoption has been such a journey. I have grown so much in the last year and a half. God has shown me so many things. New ways to love, He has given us a passion and He has given us a focus for the future! And we couldn't be happier!

Ade is just such a bright light wherever we go. People are drawn to him. He is not only absolutely gorgeous, he is also charming. I pray one day he will have a passion for the Lord and get to tell his amazing story all over the world!

Here are a few things/thoughts about the past year:

-Ade is learning to potty on the big potty!
-He says all of his siblings names!
-He loves to dance and sing(Justin Bieber!)
-He is starting to be his silly self around others and not just us.
-He is a very obedient child.
-He is always very repentant when he hurts someone!
-He does NOT like the dr or barber. Not happy at all when we go and yells at them to "Just stop"!!!
-He is starting to say, "I wub you Mom!" I mean melt my heart!
-He loves his Papa.
-He knows how to annoy Joe and does it just to be annoying! Cracks me up! He's just like his mamma!
-Tonight he was outside playing and pulled down his undies and just went potty on his own!
-He eats just about anything.
-He still has his bottle and probably will start kindergarten with it because it is just so dang cute!
-He has us pretty much wrapped around his little finger!
-He talks so much now.
-He knows how to work any and all Apple products!
-He LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba and we are seeing them live in November!
-He gets attention everywhere we go!
-He loves being outside.
-He loves to go bye bye!
-He rides a mean scooter!
-He has the most adorable big buns I've ever seen!(Their wheat buns!)
-His lips are the best ever. Big wet and soft!
-I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART!!!

I could go on and on, but I think I will end it here. Basically Ade has been one of the 4 biggest blessings in Joe and I's life. We have 4 of the greatest kids in the world and we blessed beyond measure. I often wonder how we got so lucky and then I look up to the Lord and thank Him! One line I read in a book and it is the title as well, is "There is no me without you." And that is sooooo true!!!

Hi everyone,

Below is a message from my friend, Shonda, who is currently in the process of adopting her second child from Ethiopia. She asked me if I would post a message from her on my blog and I said, Sure!! So, here it is:

Hi friends,



This is Shonda from God Will Add.  Ali has kindly let me take over her blog to tell you about an awesome Baby Shower like none other.  A couple of my friends have teamed up and we're trying to raise funds for an organization called FOVC.  They help provide aid and hope to the immediate areas where our kiddos are from, an area that has been hit hard by this horrible famine.



Shameless plug:  Will you hop on over to my shower?  I promise I won't make you smell mystery diapers and  no I won't let you wrap toilet paper around my abdomen.



For $13 FOVC can feed one starving child for one month.  So far, this shower has raised $710.  If you're amazing at math like myself, you know that 54 kids who didn't have food today, will have food tomorrow and for the next month because of the generosity of a select few.  Wow!  Can we make it 100 kids?  Will you please help me spread the word? 

Why? 

Of all the great charities out there, why have I chose to rally behind FOVC?  A few simple reasons:



1) There are a lot of other great charities that are working to fight this famine, and I (despite my cynicism of big organizations) have supported them.  But FOVC is the only NGO working directly in the areas my boys are from, and where their first families still live.  Even if I liked nothing else about FOVC, this one simple fact would make me want to support them.  Thankfully, there are lots of other things I like about them:



2) They are a very small grassroots organization and very conservative with their money.  All their workers are volunteers, and they do all their traveling on their own dime, which means all the money we give goes directly to feeding the kids and helping their community fight poverty with long-term goals in mind.



3) I have a close friend who has done aid work with them in Ethiopia (and is on her way back in a few weeks), knows many personal details about how they operate and spend their money.  She's a Dave Ramsey fiscal conservative like myself, and she fully endorses them.  They have an independent bookkeeper who verifies that over 96% of the funds go directly to Ethiopia.



4) Directly from the president of FOVC:  "We have an amazing team of volunteers! Our board members and officers (if I do say so myself) are doing outstanding work! We spend a lot of time and effort educating ourselves on best practices of economic development (it's what my husband does!) and strive to implement every program using best practices. This means we empower, not enable. Every effort we undertake is aimed at offering long-term sustainability, success...and HOPE



Have I convinced you they're great?



Click here and support them:



And then (this part is optional), click here and tell MB how excited you are about his arrival into our family.







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Happy Gotcha Day Ade!!!

Tody is Ade's Gotcha Day! I can't 1 year ago today we were at the Embassy making it official! Ade Joseph Tariku Freudenthal, I can't even begin to put into words what you have meant to our family! You have brought so much joy, laughter, sadness and love! You have opened our eyes and our hearts to so many things! You have given us a passion for the lowly, the oppressed, the orphaned and the widowed!!!

I thought I would reflect on some of my thoughts last year at this time. I remember taking him out of the orphanage over to the hotel and just crying! You could tell he hadn't been outside in sooooo long! It was here, I had him, this baby was finally MINE!!!(and Joe's of course!) I could wait to get him out of his too small girl pjs and his pink and green crocs and put him in some brand new GAP jammies!!! And the first thing I did was bathe him and change him! Joe and I laughed the entire time because he just had the funniest little body!!! Totally distended tummy and his eyes just looked so sick and lost!:( I do however remember the smell of their laundry detergent and I LOVE IT!!! I still smell Ade's clothes from the orphanage and it brings me back to that wonderful county, Ethiopia!!!

So the first night went great, he slept awesome and looked stunning in his new jammies! We woke the next morning to go to our embassy appointment and I dressed him up sooooo cute!!! He looked so handsome. He was terrified of the van ride and totally freaked out the entire time. The way back was better though. He was ours, now we were just waiting to go home and let him meet the rest of his family!

In this year Ade has changed so much. He is healthy, he has grown so much, he has had tubes in his ears. He talks, he sings, he dances, he is going potty on the big potty! He is just all together amazing! He loves his family so much it melts my heart!

Adopting Ade has opened up so many doors for Joe and I. God has given us such a clear plan that we can't wait to get started! Thank you Jesus for laying adoption on our hearts and thank you for choosing Ade to be ours!!!

Traumatic Morning Indeed!!!

WHOA!!! Was this morning ever crazy. I really feel like I could write a book about our crazy lives. So it was storming like CRAZY this morning when we got the kids up for school. They kept asking if they had to go to school because it was so bad out. I was like guys, it's just a storm, it is fine. Shortly after that, the lights flickered a few times and Ella's phone let a short ring and then the fire alarms started going off. I yelled at the kids to go downstairs and had Ella get Ade out of his bed and run to the garage. Mind you it is pouring down rain and totally storming!!! In the meantime I run downstairs to tell Joe that the alarms are going off because he is in the shower, apparently our roof has had ANOTHER leak!(that's a whole other story!) the hallway was soaked I fell onto my back, hit my head and jarred everything and somehow managed to really hurt my knee. I can't put pressure on it. Also have a small cut on my elbow. Joe jumps out of the shower and tells me to get everyone in the car and get out of the house. So I do that and apparently he did the same thing I did when he came running out the room. He fell on the same water and has a nasty cut on his elbow and hit his hip and wrist. Max also slipped on the same spot.

The kids and I are out of the house in the car on the other side of the street and Joe calls 911. My children are frantic. Except for Max, I was so proud of him he acted like a man. He was telling everyone to stay calm and stop crying. 45 minutes later the fire dept. shows up. We are in a volunteer fire area! I'm so glad the house wasn't on fire or it would have burnt to the ground!

Thankfully the Lord was watching over our house and there was no fire, and we are all "basically" alright!:) My mom took me to the dr. to have an x-ray on my knee and I may have a slight concussion, the eyes are dilated a bit and I am super tired!!! And a bit sick to my stomach. So please pray for us crazy Freudenthal's!!!

An important date!!!

1 year ago today we were on a plane to go get our baby boy!!! I can't even believe it has been a year. Such a great year it has been, this time last year I was so excited to actually see him. I hadn't even seen him yet. I was STILL on a plane! 1 year ago today, my kids started their first day of school and we were not there when they got home. They survived! Grandma did a great job!

Fast forward to today, I sent my baby girl to Kindergarten! Is it sad that she was hugging me and patting me on the back telling me it was going to be OK? Those first 5 years of her life just flooded my head. Where did the time go? My little girl who is seriously stuck to me like velcro was starting school and going to be away from me all day. There were times I would wish she was in school, I would give anything to have that time back because the years just keep on flying by faster and faster!

Ella started 5th grade and I can't believe that either and Max started 2nd. So far they have had good days. It is sooo quiet around my house. I think Ade is totally bored. I took him this morning and we had his picture taken at Krug Park and then we came home and he kept asking for "Mymy, Mackie and Edda"!!! So sweet. But when they came home he was really weepy! He took a 3 hour nap today and so I am hoping he isn't coming down with something. Although I did see his tube making it's way out of his ear, hopefully that doesn't mean more ear infections again!

Ade has been going potty on the big potty for about 3 weeks now. He is doing really well. He has only gone poopy once though! I am praying he will get that quickly. He is such a funny little guy! He cheers for all of us when we go! Well, I need to head to bed!

Busy Little Freudenthal's

We have been busy here the past few days. School starts tomorrow. It seems like this summer has just flown by! Where has the time gone? We had a great summer and did some really fun things, but mostly it was a summer with just the family. Just us at home hanging out. And it was great. We went to Florida, Branson and the Omaha Zoo. We had a couple of play dates with friends. We did some swimming and we spent a lot of time together. I feel like it was a great summer.

Yesterday was Back to School night and the kids had a great time. They are so excited to start school tomorrow. Maya starts on Thursday, I can't imagine having the 3 older kids gone all day! What will Ade and I do? He will be so bored with me! He is rocking on the potty training by the way. I am praying that by the end of the month he will be going both 1 and 2 on the potty! He is so funny! When we make a crazy face or something at him he says, "eeeeeck" which is sick, in this drawn out voice, so cute. He is repeating everything. It is adorable.

Tonight Maya said, "Dora is attracting me", she meant to say "distracting"!!! So cute and funny.

We went to WM today and picked out lunch stuff which the kiddos loved. And then I came home and went through all of their school uniforms. I guess I should've tried them on before the first day of school because Max's pants are all too small! OOOPS!!! Have to send them back and get a bigger size I guess. Got a lot of laundry done today, cleaning out of things and putting clothes away. It was a good day.

A Day in the Life.....

I thought I would give a sneak peak into a day in the life with 4 kids at home! It is not very detailed as far as the exact times, but here it goes!

Wake up- get Ade out of bed, take him potty, apply all lotions and hair products and get him dressed. Run to Maya's room get her dressed and do her hair, apply her antibiotic cream to the interesting fungus on her face! Move on to Ella and do her hair. Do Max's hair and instruct everyone to make their bed.

Head downstairs and wipe down the island, sweep up the floor and put dishes in the dishwasher, head to the laundry room fold a load and start another load. Clean up living room and into my room to get ready.

Do the things I need to do to get ready, wash face, brush teeth and hair, put a little makeup on, get dressed. Make my bed and head to the kitchen to get breakfast. Make everyone breakfast and clean up all their messes. While they are eating I pack a bag for Ade since we are running some errands. They finish, I clean up the kitchen for the 2nd time and it's only 9:30.

Load the kids up after I change over the load of laundry. Forget something, run back into the house. Get in the car, rock out to some Justin Bieber! And head to Sonic for my liquid sanity. From Sonic I go to Visions to get 3 haircuts for kids and 5 feathers for the girls! That took almost 2 hours. In those 2 hours I took Ade potty 4 times, referred, gave a spank and played with kids!

After hair we went to the Dollar Tree because Max felt like he needed something since the girls got feathers, I am tired and too weak to fight the battle so I take him. We drive through McDonald's and head home for rest time. Kids eat in the car. They talk to me the whole time in the car, thus I don't get to listen to Colbie Calliat!

Get home, unload car. Switch laundry again, take Ade potty make him a bottle and put him down for his nap. Get the other 3 situated and I sit on the screened in porch and do my quiet time and pray. Tell, the kids to stop being loud about 900 times and then I lay down to rest. Get up from resting and do more laundry and more cleaning.

Ade wakes up and we take him potty have a snack and head over to Grammy's for a swim. I sit while they swim which was wonderful, the weather was beautiful! Get loaded up come home eat dinner give baths give snacks and off to bed they go or something like that!

Wow, time flies!!!

I have been reading through all my posts from last year at this time. Last year at this time I had so many questions through my mind. I was preparing to leave for 10 days to go get Ade Joseph Tariku! I was so nervous yet happy and ready. We were preparing for a super long flight.

As I look back on those thoughts, I can see how awesome God is and how He answered so many of my prayers! Ade DID have an instant connection with us. He was a very easy baby and we had a super easy transition! I am so very thankful tonight that God laid it on our hearts to adopt this precious, spunky ornery gift!!! We love you AJ!!!

Ade's First Trip to the Zoo and Potty Training!!!

So this week Ade has been rocking on potty training! He has never had an accident with me and has been in undies! He had a couple at Mom's Day Out because they were asking him if he had to go and he said NO and they didn't take him anyway, so I told them to take him and he had no other accidents! Good boy! He goes every time I put him on the potty! It is so great. He has yet to go #2 on there, but he has got the potty down. Now today at church I sent Ella in with him because he has bitten once and I wanted her to take him potty. She said he went every time she took him but he also went 3 times in his pants!!! AHHHHH.... I guess it is just his first week though so he is doing really well. And Denise, we did get the "gabby gabby" undies and he LOVES them!

Yesterday we met our good friends Ed, Laura and Jax at the Omaha Zoo. They were in our travel group and Jax and Ade were at the orphanage together. We LOVE them. They live in Omaha so they met us there. The kids had a blast. They LOVE the zoo. Jax was sooo cute, he LOVED Ella. He wanted her to carry him and hold his hand everywhere. Which was a nice break for her since he weighs a lot less than Ade.

I remember last year when we went to the zoo we were leaving in like a week to go get Ade. I remember saying, "next year we will have a toddler with us!" And boy was he ever with us. I took him in his undies and he did so good. I am really proud of him. He was quite fond of the monkey's. He kept pounding on the glass yelling "monkey". He is a hoot of a guy. Our kids love the zoo so much. Max had a great time, he was really into the aquarium. It's all about sharks here people, so he was in heaven.

This is our last week home before school starts. We better make it a good one. My kids started bickering so bad last week. We had a great summer until last week. Now they have been around each other TOOOOOO much! OK, I need to hit the sack, headed so spin in the morning. I can't figure out how to put pics on here from the zoo, so you can go check them out on my facebook page!!!

Power Thoughts

I have soooo much swirling around in my mind at this time. I have really felt convicted about some of the things that I think and that come out of my mouth. It seems like the past 7 years I have been a lot more critical and I am so hard on myself. I think all sorts of negative things and basically I feel like I pretty much suck at everything I do! I know it is ridiculous to think like that and I used to always take control of my thoughts and words and I have just let Satan in that door.

The Lord is really showing me I need to put on the armor of God every morning when I wake and change my attitude. I just started reading Joyce Meyer's Power Thoughts book and it is great so far. I'm not too far into it but I can see if I let it and if I allow God to work in me then it is going to be a life changing book. So my prayer is that I have an open heart and mind while reading this book.

One of the things she said in the book was "your mind can be a junkyard or a treasure chest, and you alone have the ability to choose what it will be." WOW, how good is that? I want a treasure chest!!! All of the junk needs to go. I need to remember who I am in Christ and that I am in His image. I don't want those "loser" thoughts to take root in my mind or heart anymore! It is time for me to start arming myself with His word and take control of my own thoughts! I need to not worry about what everyone else is doing and be concerned with myself and my own life. I alone can't change, but with the help of God I will change!

Ephesians 6:11- put on God's whole armor.... that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and deceits of the devil.

Swim day with friends!!!

We had a swim day today with some friends that I haven't seen in months! It was good to see them and reconnect with them. The kids had a blast! There were 10 kids between 3 families! It was awesome! And we had children representing all over the world!!! I love it.

I think I have mentioned before that Ade HATED the water at first. He clung to us and literally screamed if we would let go of him in his floaties! But now my boy takes running flying leaps into the water the whole time, and he also tries to go off the board! He is fearless!!! I love him. And Max is Mr. protective! He kept yelling at me to get Ade when he was in the deep end because he was afraid he would drown! Nevermind that I am the mom and he has a very safe floatation device on! I love how my kids love each other. They have their fair share of fights as well, but they really do love each other. We work A LOT on how to treat each other!

Another thing that has been going on is Ade has told me like 4 times he has to potty and then he really goes!!! It is awesome! I am just going to let him do it like that for awhile and when the kids go back to school I will start to train him. He LOVES flushing the toilet and saying Bye Bye to his pee pee!!! He is a hoot. Anyway, just wanted to update some of the stuff we have done in the past few days!

Jaws has joined the family!

So I'm thinking that we may be watching a little too much Shark Week! Because Jaws has joined our family! We went to church today and little Ade Joseph's number came up on the screen so I go to get him and he had BITTEN another child!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I have NEVER had a biter! I was horrified. He wasn't even mad when he did it, he just did it!

So the dad of the little guy he bit was standing there with his son and I told Ade to tell him he was sorry. He went to hug the little boy and he said, "I horry" and the little boy had nothing to do with him. So his dad proceeds to say, "well, he probably doesn't want to get bit again!" OK so that just added to my horrified feelings! He got kicked out of nursery. SERIOUSLY??? KICKED OUT???

I take him to the bathroom the whole time saying , "NO NO BITE ADE JOSEPH", we get in the bathroom and I put soap in his mouth and he smacks his lips together a couple of times and licks them! FAIL!!! So then I spank him and ALLLLLL DAY he has been told no no bite! Although he tried to bite Max and Maya again today. Seriously, what am I going to do with him. Then after Joe and I repeatedly tell him, "NO NO BITE", he looks up at us so cute and say, "ODAY"!!! I mean come on, how cute is that? And to add to his cuteness, he was running around in little skull undies! I mean really? That boy is precious.

But in all seriousness, please pray that jaws does not bite again. We can't be having him kicked out of nursery. Any suggestions of what to do with a biter?

25 Random Things About Me!!!

Just because I am bored I thought I would post 25 random things about me. I love reading this is my US weekly!!! Yes, confession, I love me some US weekly!!! So here we go......


1) I was on the AAU basketball All-Star team and I played in the National Tournament!
2) I am the baby of the family.
3) I eat some kind of candy nearly everyday!
4) I have had at least 7 different surgeries!
5) I am a freak of nature, anything that could go wrong with my body seems to!!!
6) I had my gall bladder out when I was 6 months pregnant with Max.
7) I had meningitis and lost my memory!
8) I married the perfect man for me!
9) I LOVE being home. Such a homebody!
10) Jeans are dressing up to me!
11) I could live in my sweats!
12) I like working out, it makes me feel so much better!
13) I have gained 5 pounds this summer.
14) I am very passionate about adoption.
15) I feel like I have the best life in the world.
16) I LOVE my travel group.
17) I have a habit of watching rerun shows from like 10 years ago.
18) I do not drink.
19) I am going to Ethiopia in March.
20) Sometimes I think I should have been a black person!
21) I take pride in making sure my kids are put together ie...hair fixed, half way matching and dressing cute!
22) I LOVE cars.
23) I love phone covers.
24) I have a super cool relationship with my nephews and I adore them!
25) I love Jesus!!!

Those are just a few random things about me. Please pray for my baby girl Maya she has a high fever and is miserable!:(

Ade

This week Ade has been doing some fun stuff! He went fishing for the first time and he HATED it! He got all stressed out when Joe was struggling to reel the fish in! And he was standing with his hands on his hips yelling at us!!! So funny. But then the second time he actually touched the little fish! He is a hoot!

Now when you ask him what he is doing he says, "Nossing"!!! So cute. And he says, Bubba where are you! I love him so much and can't believe how much he is learning and growing up! My baby is a full on toddler now!

Proud Mamma!

I am a proud Mamma. Max went to basketball camp at the college here in town and he won the "Mr. Hustle" award! It is really nice, a plaque and everything! It was good for him to win that award because being a little boy and a competitive boy at that he is always interested in scoring. If he didn't score in a game he would be upset and think he didn't do well! So we were talking to him this week about focussing on defense and just doing his best. And he did and he won the hustle award! I wanted to cry. He said his stomach was hurting because he wanted to win an award! Really seriously about broke my heart!

Ella has been doing iServe this week. It is where the local churches get together with 5th and 6th graders and do community service projects around town! She has had a great time and really seems to enjoy it! Today they all got to go to Worlds of Fun so she is having a great time!!! I am so proud of her for wanting to serve!!!

I have great kids and I am thankful!

Summer Time

So this summer has been crazy and it has flown by! Just wanted to post a few things to remember. Ade is loving the water now, IF and only IF he is in his boat. If we try to take him out and just hold him in the water her points to his boat and says, "my boat". It is so cute and funny. He puts his face in the water all the time but does not like the feeling of no control with floating devices! He is a crazy boy!

He is saying everything we say! It is so cute. One of my favorite's is when Joe says, "Ade where are you? and he says, "Wight heeeera!" So sweet. He LOVES and ADORES his big brother Max. He does everything he does and so much wants to please him! Max taught him how to do a cool walk and he struts around and moves his neck forward and backwards! He is soooo funny.

And his lips, oh those lips! Every time he puckers up and gives me a kiss it just melts my heart! What a little treasure he is to behold! He had a great time celebrating his first 4th of July. He wasn't real sure about the loud fireworks, but he loved the food and fellowship!

He is the perfect edition to our awesome little family! Thank you Jesus for putting us together!

How Do You Know?

This post is going to probably be very random as I have so many things going on in my head right now! How do you know if the feeling you are getting to adopt again is a call from the Lord or just a mother's heart wanting to help? Every since we brought Ade home I have just felt that the Lord isn't finished with us. We are a very blessed family and we have so much to offer another child. And seeing how much joy Ade has brought us it just makes sense to adopt again.

But adopting again scares me to death. The thought of all that paperwork and the waiting and the heartache. And now taking 2 trips to Ethiopia. And 5 kids? I mean am I crazy! Things are going so smooth now and I don't want to rock that boat but I also can't shake this feeling in my heart. What if the new child has a really hard time adjusting? None of the kids in our travel group have had that problem, but it does happen at times.

The kids are all for it. And I know it would be great for Ade someday to have someone like him. But maybe God is just calling me to help the orphans, to go on missions trips and to help others with their adoptions, but I just can't help to think that there is a little Millie waiting there for her mom and dad, or another little boy. I guess through prayer and time we will know!

Poor Maya Girl!

So this week has been a rough one for little Maya Jane! We headed into the church for Bible study and she opened the glass door into her toe. Her toenail was like half way bent back and it was dripping blood! I almost passed out. Thankfully my friend Amy who is a nurse came to the rescue. And my friend Christin was there for moral support. I mean it, I get all dizzy and sweaty and then I need to put my head between my legs and it is just awful. I am NOT good in these situations! Needless to say, she ended up staying in Bible study with me and added a lot of wisdom to our table!

As if that weren't enough, after Bible study a bunch of us were headed to the park with the kiddos. I had Joe's car because mine needed a new headlight and tires rotated. So I'm not familiar with his doors, you have to close the back one before you can close the front, so I was trying to get ALL the kids in the car and I slam the back door RIGHT ON MAYA JANE'S LEG!!! I mean really, she already has a bloody throbbing toe and I just smash her leg to go along with it? Let's all say it together..... LOSER MOM!!!

So then yesterday she and Max were taking a bath together and apparently concocted a soapy potion which she drank. A couple of hours later she was running to the bathroom and pooped her pants! There was a lot of drama there. I felt so bad for her. I hate to see her upset or hurt. She is just such a precious little scoot! Then after she said, phew I didn't poop in my favorite undies!!!!!

So tonight we were all playing and Joe ripped off part of her dangling toenail and she screamed it hurt more than she thought it would and Max came tearing into the room at full speed and smacked her right upside the head!!! I mean let's put the girl in a bubble right? She can't catch a break.

So I guess another year will pass where I will not be "Mom of the year" again!!!

Happy Birthday and Father's Day to an Awesome Guy!!!

Yesterday was Joe's birthday and Father's day! What a blessed guy he is! And what a blessing he is to us! I just wanted to say thank you to him for all his hard work and all the things he does for our family! We are very blessed. This father's day was especially special because it was the first father's day that Ade celebrated where he was no longer fatherless!!! I love to watch the bond he and Joe have. It is special! You can really tell he LOVES his daddy!

So some of my favorite things about J:

-He loves his kids.
-He loves Jesus.
-He can be a real dork!
-He is SUCH a daydreamer and scatterbrain at times!
-His eyes
-His scar on his eye!
-His work ethic.
-How he treats his employees!
-That he said yes to adopting.
-That he loves to exercise!
-That we are in this thing together.
-That he thinks I'm funny, sometimes!
-When he acts like an old man.
-When he dances!!!

Those are just a few things. So Joseph Wilen Freudenthal, thank you for being the man of the house and providing for us. Thank you for keeping me grounded like you do. And bringing me back to reality at times! I love you very much and appreciate you beyond measure! We are sooooo blessed!

My little Choco Baby is Turning 2!!!

Tomorrow is Ade's 2nd birthday! I can't even believe my baby will be 2! It doesn't seem like he has been home long enough. When I think back on his birthday last year I remember it being such a sad and emotional time. We were trying to get past court and I so badly wanted him home with us for his 1st birthday. But God's timing is perfect and I am soooo thankful we have him home this year.

His birthday brings up a lot of questions in my mind. Like what was his labor and delivery like. What did he look like as a newborn. Did he have hair? Did he nurse easy, how did he sleep, what kind of baby was he? The list goes on and on. Did his birth mom think she would be relinquishing her rights 8 months later? I mean so many questions. I don't much about the first 14 months of his little life, but I can be thankful that I will know the rest of his life story! We are writing his life story every day. His birthday will always be so special just like the other 3 kids. He will know that he is loved!

My heart hurts for his birth mom on his birthday. I tend to think a lot of her feelings and the fact that she is his birth mom. But I know in my heart that I am his Mamma! I take care of him every day and I love him with all my heart! But she will always be a part of his story and I pray that she has peace tomorrow and that the Lord would just speak to her that he is doing great and he is the king of the castle!!! I love that baby boy!

So some fun memories about Choco's second year of life with us:

-He went to his first pumpkin patch
-Celebrated his first Thanksgiving and Christmas and Halloween
-He has started talking soooo much.
-Had his first dentist appointment
-Had his first Diet Coke
-First Ice cream
-He got a Daddy and a darn good one at that!
-He has grown so much.
-His legs have straightened out.
-He LOVES basketball.
-He flipped out in the water the first time.
-He has gone to the beach and seen the ocean.
-He has got EVERYONE we meet wrapped around his little finger.
_He is going to Yo Gabba Gabba Live in November!

There are so many more things I could share about our precious boy. He is such a blessing to us and he brings even more light to our already bright family! We could not have gotten a more perfect baby for our family! God has truly blessed us! I am so thankful that my husband finally said yes. I can't imagine our lives without Ade Joseph Tariku Freudenthal! We are so glad that God led you to us!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS BOY!!!

Dance Recital

My little dancing princess was in her 2nd dance recital this weekend! She was born to dance, I am convinced. She is such a HAM on stage. She looked darling and danced great. The second night she kind of got in her own little world and made up a few steps of her own which was adorable! I love that little girl with all my heart and I am so proud of her and what she can accomplish! I love you Maya Jane!

Summer is Off to a Good Start!

So our summer is off to a good start. We have really enjoyed sleeping in and not being on such a strict schedule! We have made "Freudenthal Focus" for the summer. It is to have a servants heart and look for ways to be a servant! My kids have dove right in and are always looking for ways to be a servant and I love it! We started our Bible study this week on Boundaries with Kids. It is such a great book and has so many useful tools! I think it is going to be an awesome group. Ella gets to be a youth helper in the child care and she loves that. She makes $5. Big stuff!

One thing I have been really been working on with my kids is how they treat each other. It amazes me sometimes how many kids are so mean and disrespectful to their parents and siblings. My kids are not allowed to act that way to one another, now don't get me wrong, I realize they are kids and around each other all the time, but that doesn't give them the right to treat each other like dirt! We have been doing a lot of work on that! And hopefully in time they too will see how blessed they are that God gave them to each other!

I took all 4 kids swimming by myself for the first time. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you all, but it is when you have 4 different kids with 4 different swimming levels and one who is like velcro to you! And 3 others yelling at you to stop making the baby cry!!! Oh boy do I have A LOT of help! By the end of the day though Ade was getting much more comfortable in the water which was nice. I can't wait until next summer when we have our own pool and don't have to haul everything over to Grammy's! But I love going to Grammy's we are blessed to have that pool!

Tonight the girls and I are having a girls night. We are going to meet our good friends the Scheerer's they are coming home with their 2 little Ethiopian beauties and I CAN"T WAIT to meet them!!! Then Maya, Ella and I are heading to Zona Rosa for dinner and some Charming Charlies!!! So excited to spend time with my little lovelies.

Joe is going to a Royals game tonight and then he is doing some scavenger hunt in the morning so it is a lot of mommy and kids time which is just fine with me. I'm glad he gets to go out and do something he enjoys!

Just a little story of amazement about Ade, we drove by Joe's office which he hasn't been to too often and he pointed out the window and started yelling "DADDDDIEEEE"!!!! I love that boy and he loves us!

Have a great weekend.

Our Awesome Trip to Florida!

So more on the trip! We SURVIVED!!! Haha! Actually the kids LOVED the beach. They played forever down there. We had an awesome pool as well at our condo that they adored! They are so much like their mamma! They made lots of new friends and so did I!

We did have a MAJOR meltdown on the last night and I have to admit it was MY fault! I needed to stop being crabby and get ahold of my emotions, but it didn't happen that night! We were all in tears. I apologized like 900 times and we ended up all having a fantastic night! I hate moments like that when I lose it! But God is merciful thank the Lord!

The travel back home was NOT fun. Joe had to go check in a bag he had forgotten and I got stuck with 4 kids going through security!!! Can I just tell you what a pain that was? 4 shoes off, 4 bags on the table, my shoes off, take the baby out of the stroller, fold the stroller, have to go back to the "special waiting place" while they check my diaper bag, all the while trying to keep track of 4 littles, and then having them THROW AWAY my 7 dollar tube of baby lotion for the chocolate chips skin!!! I mean REALLY?????? Not a happy Mamma. Finally got through all of that, got on the plane and Praise the Lord Ade slept through the whole first flight. Relief. The 3 older kids were no problem at all, they were awesome. We get to our first destination and Ade was a PILL. Oh my is he 2!!! He is in some baby boot camp due to his attitude!!! He was NOT good on the flight home. We made it off the flight and Max and Maya got the giggles and Max was not listening to me so I had to take him to the airport bathroom and spank him which he smirked at me, not a smart move little guy! He should know this by now! We made it home and immediately dropped the littles off to my parents house. Ahhhh at last peace and quiet. Joe and I went for a run and I finished unpacking! And all was better! I forgot to mention that the LOST my makeup/hair stuff bag and had to deliver it later that night!!!

I would have to say one of the best parts of our trip was how God opened up so many doors for me to talk about adoption! I met a lot of awesome people while in Florida. So many people asked us about adoption and I got to talk about one of my favorite subjects A LOT!!! Ade was a like a little celebrity! He is a treasure to behold for sure. My kids were great and I think we were successful in making memories with them. I am blessed, even in when I'm stressed!