Fall 2013

Here's a picture of the three Vogt kids this fall!

I always like fall. Cooler temperatures and beautiful things to see in God's creation. And crossing the farming to do list off item by item reminds us that winter is on it's way and daddy will get to slow down and hang out more with us very soon!!!

Russia and orphans are never far from our hearts. But especially this fall my head and heart are spending a lot of time thinking of that far away place that God broke our hearts for. The place we spent a chunk of last fall that we will never forget. Honestly I still hug Karina tight and can not believe that out of all the people in the world we are the lucky ones that God allowed to love her and know her. So blessed.

But this fall we're busy making new memories too!

Addyson and Braden are LOVING preschool. Two mornings a week is perfect for them. They are so excited to learn and I love watching them. It also gives me some awesome one-on-one time with Karina. I'm realizing what life is like with one toddler. I missed out on that "first kid" phase because I got to spend my days with TWO awesome kids. Got to say this is pretty nice! And this preschool thing is getting us used to more of a schedule so I think the transition to every day kindergarten will be much smoother next year. So lots of good stuff coming from preschool!

But we are also enjoying the other times that we get to hang out together!

Corn harvest is underway. All three were attempting to make corn angels.

Addyson is definitely the best at it.

We are watching Karina and Addyson become sisters. It's taken some time but their bond is growing in big ways recently. One afternoon Braden was with Ryan in the combine and it was just us girls at home. It was SO good for these two. 

 They giggle and tell secrets. And then pull hair and scratch. Fun to see them love each other and watch God mold them into sisters.

The combine cab is a tad tighter with all of us in there but we sure like to go visit daddy in the fields!

And these two are still good buddies.

This day they were playing with the big matryoshka doll.

Karina has been busy working on teeth and learning how to throw a good old fashioned temper tantrum. She's got some pretty impressive moves. Two years old is quickly approaching!!! And of course just looking cute like always. Her brother has taught her to say "stinky" when I want to take her picture. She does it every time.

She's also been having lots of fun with daddy. They are pretty good friends lately. She is sure that daddy will save her from whatever trouble she has managed to get herself into. She has a way of suckering him into all kinds of stuff. :)

She still likes her puppy. She brushes its hair and talks to it so cute! But suddenly has decided that she does NOT want to sleep with it.

She wants to do anything and everything that her big sister or brother do. They've been drawing and writing a lot lately so she is working on her skills too and makes sure to do it just right. The way she observes and copies still amazes me. You have to be REALLY sneaky to get something past her and she catches on SO fast to new things.

Addyson still really likes to help me in the kitchen. I am enjoying it too. And she's starting to be able to actually do so much more. We already have some good conversations while cooking together which is my favorite part. Well, that and sneaking bites in between the cooking; that's probably her favorite part!

So fun to see all three of them scrunched up together! Proof they really do like each other even though the sibling fights are moving to a whole new level.

One day we went with Ryan to pick up some seed at a seed company and Braden is always has to go see what animals they have at their barn. Right now there is a litter of little kitties. And a sheep.

Braden is on a kick right now that he needs a pet. He thinks he wants one of everything. He was talking hard to get one of those kittens. So far he hasn't succeeded in convincing daddy; however, the latest additions to our farm are 3 caterpillars and a turtle. But he is on the lookout for more. He thinks he wants a guinea pig or a hamster. Oh boy. This boy LOVES animals.

Braden takes Karina by the hand and is so, so sweet with her. Such an awesome big brother he is.

Karina is not afraid of the animals. She just learned how to say kitty so she yelled it the whole time we were there. And she has the cutest meow if I do say so myself.

She was so gentle with the kittens. Usually kids are trying to be gentle but end up actually squeezing the life out of the poor little thing. But Karina is so sweet with them and cuddles them up close.

That's what we've been up to. Hope you are enjoying your beautiful fall days and taking time to make some memories with those you love!

First Day of Preschool

Today is the day!!!

First day of preschool for Addyson and Braden!!!

They were excited . . . and a little nervous. Braden had a hard time going to sleep last night. I can relate. I remember many nights before school started staying up into the wee hours of the morning trying to sleep. 

I wanted to remember how they wrote their names and some things about them. Hopefully I can remember to keep doing this every year with their first day of school pics!

Mr. Braden:

He can write his name much better but he was in no mood to sit and write. Boys. Good luck Miss Tonya and Miss Joan. 

And Miss Addyson:

They have NO idea how blessed they are to get to do new things with each other!!! I was trying to tell them that the other kids don't have a twin to come with them to help them not be scared. They looked at me like I was crazy. It's just their life and they assume everyone else is the same! What's the big deal.

Can you find Addyson behind that backpack that is bigger than her????

Daddy even came with us today!

Karina was bored with all the picture taking and loved on Maddie instead.

Then it was off to school!! They are going to Berean Academy's preschool that is held at our church. A familiar place helped it be much less scary . . .  and the fact that they already know some friends in their class doesn't hurt either.

They did so awesome. Hung their backpacks up and sat right down at their spots.

Busy coloring and putting on stickers.

Ryan and I were busy chatting with the other parents and Addyson looked at me and said "Bye mom" trying to get me out of there already! Braden said goodbye and was great too. So glad it went well. 

There were a few things that surprised me about this morning. Addyson asked if the kids would laugh at her if she wore a dress. Oh. my. goodness. She is 4 1/2, not 14. Sigh. Turns out most of the girls were wearing dresses but I don't think she even noticed. 

She was excited about her jewelry and wanted to wear it.

Braden did so much better than I expected. He was so brave and did a great job!!!

So now it's just me and Karina. 

Apparently my babysitters are at preschool because Karina has no idea what to do with herself. Except look for trouble. Looking forward to some one-on-one time with her on Mondays and Wednesdays!

Four and a half

Addyson and Braden are officially 4 1/2. 

Braden is 4 1/2 too even if he was in no mood to get his picture taken.

When did they decide it was ok to get so big???

We started out the day with pancakes - packed with chocolate chips, cut in half and stacked, covered in warm syrup, and with candles. That's really the only way to do it.

And the kids asked why there weren't more decorations. Sheesh. Apparently the 4 1/2 balloons hanging  from the dining room light fixture or the streamers and ribbon on their chairs just weren't meeting their expectations. 

We celebrated the fact that Braden's fever he's had for the last couple days disappeared during the night. Because preschool starts tomorrow - eek!!! And that fever needed to be gone because one twin going to the first day of preschool without the other sounds completely awful. 

And on went the day. Some tractor riding, lunch, naps, fighting, arguing, sassing . . . . 

I made noodles and sauce for supper which is definitely a favorite around here. But Braden informed me that today he didn't like it. Whatevs. At least they liked the juice boxes. :)

Daddy joined us and we had supper together.

Then it was time for half birthday cakes!!

They blew out their candles.

And Addyson informed me that it wasn't that bad. In a way where she totally meant that she didn't really like it so much. Chocolate cake, cream cheesy sugary cool whip with Oreos - what's not to like???

It was just one of those days around here. The ones where you kind of wonder just why it was that you attempted to love on any of them today. 

Oh well, maybe when they're 35 they'll look back and enjoy it. Or maybe not.

But I hope they know they are loved. Because that is the main point anyway. I think it's pretty obvious I'm not looking to win a prestigious spot on Pinterest for my uncreative ideas. Loving them when it's all smiles and oohs and aahs is too easy after all. Where's the challenge in that? You're really loving them when it feels like it would be an easier and more tempting option not to.

I do love them all. Maybe tomorrow I'll find a way to show them that love in some way that they appreciate. Or maybe they just show their appreciation by whining and sassing. I think that must be it. And in that case they actually really appreciate every single little thing that I do :)

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to miss my two 4 1/2 year olds like crazy for the 2 1/2 hours they will be gone at preschool tomorrow.

Maybe that will give me more time to love on my not so happy 1 1/2 year old. Apparently she doesn't like getting left out of the half birthday celebration. Or she wanted to make sure I knew that she really, really appreciated me with some of that whining and sassing we were talking about :)

Happy Half Birthday Addyson McKinley and Braden James. I love you bunches and bunches. For reals. 

Kansas City

When it kept raining and raining at the beginning of August we decided that was going to be our chance to get away as a family.

We had been throwing around ideas for what to do for a while. But nothing ever seemed to work out schedule wise. We have frequent flyer miles from our trips to Russia but only enough for 2 of us and it just wasn't making any sense to pay for the extra two when we could book flights on another airline for all 5 of us for cheaper. We debated whether we really wanted to put three little kids on a plane with us anyway. Finally we ended up in Kansas City. It was good. I don't think we could have handled much more. 

The kids liked staying in a hotel. I got a break from cooking and cleaning up crumbs. But that's about it. As all you moms know family vacations mean you get to do everything you normally do just away from home without all your tools and the comfort of home. Oh well. Mostly we were glad to be together. The kids were super excited to have daddy to themselves for a few days.

Here were some of the favorites:

The aquarium.

Braden wasn't so sure at first and kept his distance.

But he got brave pretty fast. And even touched some!!

Braden and the jellyfish

Addyson and a turtle

Karina did so well. She does not got overwhelmed by all the noise and being away from home. She just loves to go. So not what we were prepared for with her but a wonderful surprise. She is our flexible kid. And she just took it all in!

Another favorite for the kids was just hanging out in the hotel room. I'm not sure why they think it's so fun but they sure do!

Maybe because they can eat Fruit Loops in bed and watch TV . . . 

But probably everyone's favorite was the Royals game.

In the outfield there was a fun play area for the kids.

They all really liked the carousel.

And there was a fun playground.

But they even liked the actual game.

Braden got his peanuts.

And Addyson got her cotton candy.

Yes, pink cotton candy bigger than her head. She was so excited.

And she ate every bit of it.

Karina just tried to steal licks from Addyson's sucker whenever she could. :)

Eventually they shared.

Ryan and I got our hot dogs and they had funnel cake fries. I am a big funnel cake fan but having them in the shape of fries so they were easier to eat made me a huge fan. Yum!!!

Karina loved the game. The clapping, the music, all the people in the crowd. She had so much fun!

And the weather was nice and cool. Awesome.

We did some other fun stuff (Fritz's, the Plaza fountains, The Legends) but honestly I didn't have time to get any pictures. It is crazy trying to keep three kids happy. Someone is always having a meltdown. The bigger two actually struggled more than Karina. So that's all we've got!

That was family vacation 2013!