Water Park Fun!

The boys were NOT interested in the water features at the park...okay they were scared to death of the water features at the park! Lincoln dipped his toes in and that was about it! Camden pouted when we walked that direction! Little Lincoln has his big sissy wrapped around his finger! So she totes him around everywhere! Thanks for the pictures Gina! No more sunscreen mommy!!!!!

Strawberry Pickin'

This week was the prime week for strawberry pickin' so we loaded up and headed out to Huber Farm in Indiana. This was our first time pickin' and we loved it! Madelyn really got into choosing the best red ones. Carson and his buddy had fun finding "jackpot" berries, Annie had fun getting Grannys attention...and the boys well they had fun EATING!! Poor little Lincoln thought he had hit the food lottery, everywhere he looked there was an edible yum-yum!! He would have as many in each hand as he could and one in his mouth at all times!

See a few more kiddos would make my stairstep pics so much more fun! (thanks Trenton and Caleb for making Mrs. Bethany happy!)

My precious babes!

Hmm so what has Camden been up to????

This little boy is just a pleasure! Every day he blossoms more and more! I here from others he gets cuter every day...which does tend to happen once a personality emerges!! And boy does he have a personality!! He is extremely smart and picks up on things so quickly! He does love to entertain too!
He was afraid of the water (sprinkles etc) originally but now loves them! He had a blast with the water hose..and it was ice cold water!

Playing in the park at field day with his new truck!

There's the truck again! And he loves bikes...cars....anything with wheels!

So what is Camdens favorite thing to do?? Play OUTSIDE!!! (witchynuta)

My daughter went missing...

So I am in the master bath srubbing everything down this weekend when Paul comes in completely frazzeled...Annie is GONE! He has searched the yard and he said she was outside playing and now no one has seen her for awhile. He has about 9 neighbor children searching a a couple of other adults.
Well I wasn't quite as nervous yet and I had a feeling...so I run upstairs and sure enough this is what I find..... The funny part (other than the fact that the National Guard was called in) was that she had a pacifier (which she does not take anymore...but she will steal a suck from one any chance she gets!) and was in her old bed/Lincolns new bed! It was kinda sad...like she was swooping up some some baby time while no one was looking!

Oh and yes all the neighbors got a good laugh when I called off the search team by explaining that she was in her room taking a nap!

lets go random!!

Ughg no pictures again..the silly things are on the external hard drive (and well you already know I have no idea how to get them!!)

So this post will just be lots of rambling about absolutely nothing....

1.) So I feel like we are back in business..The Maynards that is...this is us a family of seven...a family that takes 2 carts through the grocery and they are both overflowing...a family that asks for one highchair and 3 boosters at the restaurant.... a family that gets 3 loafs of bread, 4 gallons of milk, 2 cartons of eggs, 3 boxs of pancake mix and wonders if it will last a week....a family that only eats a restaurant if it is kids eat free....a family that drags so many toys out of the garage that I am sure passerbyers think it is an in-home child care center.....but really it is us! I feel like we are on our A-game again I feel like these boys have been ours forever! The whole 5 kid thing has not been hard...really!

2.) Even Paul told his sis-in-law today that the jump from 2 to 3 children is harder than 3 to 5! (any of you want to weigh in on this?? Shanna ?? )

3.) Oh my goodness little Camden is HYSTERICAL!! He is just a dumpling! He gets so excited about well ...lots...and then he jabbers in his language at 90 mph! He loves to sing and dance..and his dance it is just adorable! He ends up with a toy a day...one day it was the "makeena" (car) his aunt April got him...yesterday it was a tape measurer..and today it was a pink princess microphone that sings "Bippity,Boppity Boo" and "Under the Sea"..yes we got some stares with that one today! He is TERRIFIED of dogs.....He is a VERY picky eater....He is a very good big brother to Linc....He is HAPPY...

4.)Paul and I were talking about how well the boys are doing and we looked into the back of the van and he said "They're happy, Bethany....they are HAPPY" it sounds trivial but seriously....they were dropped into an alternate universe! If Annie was dropped into Africa I would pray as her mommy that she was HAPPY, truly happy! I know their momma would be satisfied if she could hear that deep laugh from the bottom of their tummy. So happy is good.

5.) My little Lincoln, his little world revolves around food! We were in a cabinet store today and when he saw the refrigerator his eyes lit up, he wanted to open it and find some food! He picked out his own little snack at the grocery and held it tight the entire trip, when we got home he pushed his snack on his riding toy for about 20 minutes! We have eaten out a few times and he can eat 3 plates full but as soon as I begin to clean his hands off he starts to cry...he truly does not want to stop eating. He is a smiley thing, nearly everyone we meet comments on his smile!

6.) Tonight after returning from the grocery with LOTS of foods to put away, Camden was precious. He helped me put every last thing away. It was like a child pulling gifts from under the tree. He was excited to hold and touch every last item of food. He is so smart that he quickly figured out what went in the pantry, what went in the lazy susan and what went in the fridge! THe little things our kids take for granted! (picture of the pantry he loaded coming soon!)

Apologia Science

If you love Apologia science curriculum...you will love this great new edition to her line of books. The most fun and rewarding part of her Science programs are the notebooking activities...but as you well know that is also a time consuming part for moms...so here is the perfect solution!!!




Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. You can see samples on the Apologia website here:
These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.
Each of the notebooking journals include:
A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
Review Questions
Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.
See the sample pages here:
Botany: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=128
and
Astronomy: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=127
Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com

Quick Update

This will be way too little, way too late...but it is something!!

The boys are doing GREAT! So Camden Yishake is a HOOT! he is such an entertainer already I cannot imagine what he will be like once he can speak English! He does sing his ABCS and a cute little song they did at the orphanage but the cutest thing is when he sings " I like to move it, move it..." (from Madagascar I think..I guess they watched it in the orphanage?!). He is happy about 90% of the time and then the other 10% (normally when he is told no) he has a precious little pouty face. He struggles a bit with sleep time but we are leaving the lights on and it is getting better! He is most definitely a Maynard...he is a VERY picky eater (lucky me..another one!) He LOVES being outside (witchynuta) and LOVES cars (mekeena). He resisted the sprinklers all day until late tonight and then he finally ran through...and had a blast! He was giggling so hard he could barley breathe! We are really still very unsure of his age...is he turning 3 or 4??? Pedatrician is preplexed so we are anxious to hear what the dentist says.

Lincoln Yohannis is the most lovable, sweet, smiley boy in the universe. He is not happy until he kisses you about 15 times! He will eat ANYthing and EVERYthing you offer him. He LOVES bathtime. His big sisters are ridiculous with him...carrying him everywhere (even when the poor thing wants to walk!) We are unsure about his age as well..is he just over a year or just over 2 years?? They both did good at the doctors office today...although baby Lincoln does have an ear infection :(

Adjusting from 3 kids to 5 has been a breeze so far..really no big deal! Guess that is it for now!! Thank you all for following our journey to get these children home!!

Just a few pictures.....

An email from Bethany

This is Teaque posting for Bethany. She sent an email today with tons of details. I loved reading every bit of it.  Here are bits and pieces from her email. She included info for 2 other mom's that had kiddos over there so I have left that info out so it may not flow b/c of that, but you can at least get the gist of her trip so far. It sounds amazing and I wish I could be there to experience it with her. I am so happy for her and the fact that she is actually over there experiencing every bit of this!

Okay where do I start??

I will skip the OMG this country is awesome part and go right into meeting the boys!

We arrived on Sunday and the boys were at church.

We waited and went out to eat..YUMMY!! The food in Rome was less than delightful so we were ready for good food....our bill was $496.84 !!! (Oh that is only $50 in our money...including tip and appetizers and good ole coke in a bottle...YUM!

We arrived at the orphanage and my children were napping so we were introduced to the older children....upon walking into the room I saw Haile (beth's son) and immediately burst in to tears...to see that he was a real child was unbelievable..overwhelming..I look around and see many faces I know...the boys are hugging me and kissing me and shaking my hand...they are so well mannered and polite!

We walk outside and here they come bringing Yesak and "Baby" yes Mickey was right they call him "Baby"!! They were woke from their nap so they are a bit dazed and confused! They give Yesak to Paul and Baby to me. Yesak immediately holds Paul as tight as possible and looks at peace in his arms. Baby is scared to death nearly shaking and when I look at his face he has silent tears streaming down his face...Eyob tells me he is slow to warm up but once he does he is yours for good! (In less than 1 hour he will not even go to Eyob !!) We go inside and sit with all of the children crowded around..we hand out bubbles and candy...they LOVE it! Haile sits beside me the entire time...grinning from ear to ear every time I speak of mommy and daddy! Eyob tells me that Yesak asks every day when "can go"...Eyob tells him he gets to "go today"..(incredible that this tiny boy knows what is going on!) Eyob says he always asks when he can go to America! 

The staff prepare a coffee ceremony for us..the children sing...oh Yesak leads them in a "play/song" TOO CUTE!! He also prays for us. We figure out he is the youngest of the children in the older area so he is a bit doted on by the children! EVERY child there is happy and well mannered...they are polite and BEAUTIFUL!  Yesak knows his ABCs and a some writing of letters.

The boys are are very acclimated with us by the time we leave...and they are excited for the car ride! 

They came home and slept all night...they are good eaters. Yohannis is happy to just be around people...he rarely makes a peep! Yesak is a doll...he is not as active as I had heard...at least not yet...but truly the life of the party! He LOVES STUFF...he has unzipped and re-zipped his backpack a million times and keeps adding our things to it...you hear of children that hoard food...well he hoards toys! 

Seriously they are doing great! Oh ages..hehe they are younger and smaller than we thought. We were thinking Baby was about 1 1/2 and Yesak was about 3 1/2...then today we see the birth certificates and the judge gave them Dec. birthdays so it goes along with what we thought! They will be 2 and 4 in Dec.. Names: We will call Baby, Lincoln and we are a bit unsure right now on Yesak...I will have to get back to you on that...he will actually answer to Issac..so hmmm. not sure yet! Oh and Yesaks name is Yishake on paper?? 

We will also meet the boys mom on Thursday! She WAS critical the week we had court and the doctor had to be bargained with to let her out of the hospital...2 nurses accompanied her to court! 

I feel like I am forgetting something!! Well obviously i am!! (She was forgetting that both boys are potty trained which came in a later email.)

LOTS!!! I am in overload but I will end with this if I had to live in Rome or Addis...I am going with Addis!!!

Bethany