Coming home. It's been literally years since I last posted on here. in fact, I wasn't sure if I even remembered the name of my webpage, my password, or anything....but, it looks like things are still intact and the #jag7 is still in the cyber abyss.  So, you will have to bear with me as I re-learn how to blog, how to fix my beautiful homepage ;) and spend time on this again when it allows. But most importantly, writing and getting back to something along this avenue has been calling to me. And don't worry, if you followed me before, you can unfollow me if you aren't feeling the same calling to read anything I write, lol!

I've loved journaling since I was a kid, and I still love looking back and reading things and remembering how far life has changed, but also stayed the same. I love remembering the people who were in my life back then, now and seeing how lives have turned out so far. Blogging then became that next outlet for me, and it was perfect with the stories of our young family and our adoption process and meeting some amazing other people through it. Then facebook came and took on a life of its own and with the five kids, I think that became a quicker bandaid and solution...although, you will find many of my Facebook and Instagram posts are pretty longwinded, lol! I find myself scrolling through the timeline on FB to see when things happened because I have the worst memory and I just miss the order and neatness of this.

I guess I also feel like this is a point in my life that I have more that I want to share too. I have always felt that when I am open and authentic, it helps others and  I want to share and be open with the good and the bad of my autoimmune diseases constantly try and weigh me down. Sometimes they get the best of me, and sometimes they don't....I've mentioned in a previous post about my #alopecia . Some smaller, but annoying IBS gut stuff and Raynauds, and then the big mother fucker, Multiple Sclerosis, which I was diagnosed with a handful of years ago I think officially, but I haven't accepted it until the recent years (off and on).

*sidenote:Yep. I swore. Yes, I still believe in Jesus. I don't swear often but when I do, it's for effect or it means something big, but not all the time. I tried to teach my kids that there are so many words out there that they don't need to use the ugly ones, the ones that offend many and are considered swear words unless they really are needed in that part of the sentence. Why even use them? But my kids are now 14-20, so they have their own minds now and I can't control how they talk when I'm not around or even when I am, ugh.  So...there's my long sidetone,  I believe I needed it there for more than one reason*

So....this blog will be about this new season of life. 45years old now. 3 kids still at home with us. 2 off at college. Shop owner for me Flicka. Pastor for Daron at Alive Covenant Church. Multiple Sclerosis trying to kick my butt, but I am not letting it.  I will catch you all up in the next one, but many of my symptoms have gotten better after eating better and trying to eat as clean, organic, and GMO free as I can. There is lots more....but I need to get to work and I had to start somewhere!

2011 Christmas card

Picture Tree Christmas

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Hello!!! Remember me? :) I don't know what I have been doing lately, but obviously not blogging! I haven't even checked blogs in months. Shocking. I know.  This fall has been a fun one with lots of birthdays and soccer.  We have had four birthdays in the house in the last month, five if you count the summer, all five kids played soccer this fall with two on traveling teams, and all are in school(with three different schedules!).

Here are some pictures to help me document what has been going on this fall and catch you up to speed. That is, unless you are on Facebook! ;) Facebook is just so quick and easy!

Kir & I got to go to the store opening of Hot Mama and watch Kristina in action.  

At the end of the summer, Greta and Justus's soccer teams both came in first place in  a soccer tournament.

She just makes me smile, so I had to post this picture. :) This was her trial outfit for back to school(I told her she needed something longer on)

Kristina came to visit and Kwame(as well as the rest of the kids, love her).

This is how you do pre-teen bday parties. Give them airsoft guns and let them go to town. ;) Yeah  right! 

Kristina's protege's :)

Loved this idea that I stole from my friend Anji and Becky and I was so happy the the kids humored me.  If you wonder why Fia's number is so small, it is because I thought I had a 2nd grader and ran out of poster board, so I had to cut the 2 down to a 1. LOL! And yes, I am saving these numbers and just adding on the missing digits.

Our school mascot-an ORCA! 

My mom and I got to road trip down and do some shopping together too at Hot Mama.  Super fun!

Myself and these lovely ladies(plus Joyce  who's taking the picture) got to get away  on a Women's Retreat  for a weekend.  Lots of great times with late night chatting, worship, canoeing, paddleboarding, and maybe some trouble. ;)

Daron took his annual Fall Harvest trip back to the farm in MN and this year it was Greta's turn to go with and help.  She got on the combine a little bit, but I think she mostly helped watch the kids with Grandma, which she thought was fun too!  It's so neat that her Aunt Sarah is doing the farming with Grandpa now.

Fia is the first of the fall birthdays and she turned 7!!! I can't believe when I first saw her picture she was only 3! Time has gone so quickly.

Fia is in 1st grade now and doing a fantastic job.  She seems to get an award every  other day for her hard work and helpful spirit.  She is such a good friend to everyone!

Fia had a birthday party and got to have some of her friends come and play for a couple of hours.  What a blast they had!

Ella was the next birthday and she turned 9!! I can't believe it! Ella is in third grade now and loves music and art.   For her birthday party, she decided to have a cooking party, so we made ice cream, smoothies, and had fondue.  We also went on a hike up to the local park and got to run around for a bit too on a beautiful October day.   

This was the last game of the season for Ella.  She had a great team and alot of fun.  Fia and Kwame had a fun season too with a few of their friends and a great coach(haha-me!) Greta  and Justus are still playing through December. 

Halloween-enough said. 

'Double you pleasure, double your fun' -Randi and I were the  Doublemint Twins for a GNO and we had a good time! She made the shirts and these awesome sparkly skirts for us, but I don't have another picture on my computer now, so this will have to do!

Greta and Daron's birthdays were next and they always go on a date  on the day between their birthdays.  They had a great time and I think Greta felt special on her 11th birthday.

And Daron, well, this was his 40th birthday!!!  Enough said. ;) 

One major downer this winter was that Grandma Bev broke her foot in many places this fall, so she has been  off her foot and healing for a LONG time.  So, one day off of school, we grabbed her and took her on our errands.  Of course, Starbucks was the 1st stop for us. :)

One major highlight this fall was meeting Steven Curtis Chapman again.  We went to his concert and got to volunteer at the www.showhope.org booth.  Show Hope gave us a large grant to help bring Fia and Kwame home and while we were at the concert, they asked if we could go up on stage as an example of where the money they raise for Show Hope goes. Of course we said yes and the kids were nervous and excited at the same time.  SCC is an amazing person, and we had the best time getting to talk to him again and listen to his music.  Josh Wilson and Andrew Peterson were also there too.  Amazing musicians and great storytellers, so we were also thrilled to see them in perform in person and also meet Andrew Peterson after the concert.

SCC performing songs and answering questions at a Q&A before the concert

Up on stage....

I was touched by this...Justus 'dressed up' on Veteran's Day in honor of his Uncle Joel who is currently deployed in the army.

Well, there you have it! There is obviously more that I have left out, but this is already a super long post! We are healthy and with have a lot of thankfulness in our hearts as we come up to Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and good food and football that we get to experience tomorrow.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our Toyota Safety Video

I don't know if you remember that we did a safety video for Toyota last summer, but they have it on their website right now.  There are actually two that they have on there that are smaller versions of the one they sent to us. So, just in case you wanted to see our Toyota debut, here it is:
Toyota Safety video

And here is the one that is specifically our family(they only problem is they spelled our name wrong!):
Jagodzinske Toyota video

Check it out and let me know what you think....if you are ever at our house, the full version is better I think.  Daron thinks I say that because I was showcased more, could be! ;)

Daron's Mayo Adventure

I am sitting in Caribou coffee now, waiting to get a page saying that Daron is in his angiogram procedure.  Technology is so amazing now with what they can do.  They are going to first do an ultrasound of arteries to test out the blood flow to see if the artery that is 40% blocked with plaque is the cause of his chest pains.  Then they are going to put the dye in to do the more common angiogram and hopefully we will get some answers with this.  A couple weeks ago, when he had the angiogram, they went through the artery in the groin, and it was a painful recovery that is still actually bothering him(maybe TMI, but this is all medical, so don't read if you don't want to-haha!) This time, they will go from his right wrist, and he will be able to use it fully again with no limitations on Sunday. He will be in a conscious sedation where the nurse said it will be like he drank 3 martinis-he will know what is going on, but won't care! All this makes me a bit nervous, to be honest, because they have to share all the risks- and they are working with his heart!!So, I am going to be very relieved when I see him in a couple of hours. All I can do is pray, trust, and try not to waste any time worrying because I know that will get me nowhere!

After the angiogram, he will have a couple other procedures at the main Mayo building (right now we are at St. Mary's-a sister hospital).  There is something about the Mayo building that is so spiritual, so I look forward to the other appts. being there.  Most hospitals you go into and it doesn't necessarily feel 'good.'  They feel dark, scary, old, stinky, etc...here you walk in and it is just different. It is a gorgeous facility. The ceilings are high, the artwork is beautiful, and the rooms are state of the art....but there is something more, I really sense God there. As we were talking with our wonderful hosts last night, both Daron and the couple also separately said it is something they sensed as well.  I think part of it is that most of the people that are there are going through something very serious and prayers are being sent up like crazy every second. The physician was also a Christian, and you can just see it in how many of the staff intertwine talking about the doctors, as well as Our Physician and Our Creator.  Of course, they don't speak freely about religion until they find out Daron is a pastor, but you can sense it in them, they are more than just 'Minnesota nice.' Yesterday, in the beautiful atrium, there was either a patient or a family member that looked like he was blind.  He was playing the baby grand piano that they have there for people to play on and so many people had stopped to listen and enjoy.  It was quiet and no one was moving.  He was AMAZING and I got goosebumps. Each time I walked by the piano(which was at least 6 times), someone was playing, and it was so touching. And lastly, I know another reason we feel God's presence here is because so many people have emailed or responded on facebook saying they are praying/thinking about us. We really FEEL those and we are thankful for you. 

Still haven't gotten a page that he is in the procedure, but I am guessing it will be soon.  I'll update on the procedure either in the comments or with a new blog post here if you are wondering....oh, just got the page at 10;08am :) Pray please.

AMY WON!! WOO HOO!!!

She won!!! Amy won the Macy's Million Dollar Makeover! Thanks so much for helping her win by voting for her.  I know my kids and I got some callous's on our fingers, but they were well worth it! ;) Haha...We are so excited for her.  Watch the video and see ALL the amazing things she gets on top of the MILLION DOLLARS!!! Click here to see the you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbCfRBVHrbY&feature=share

VOTE for AMY!!

*** Update! Amy made it to the final 2 of the Macy's Million Dollar Makeover.  Voting ends tomorrow night and this address below attached to the NEW video is WAY faster! Go to this link to vote faster! http://www.facebook.com/Macys?sk=app_127966423934872

Please spread the word! Thanks! ***

My friend Amy, who is now a real friend, but used to be just a cyber friend ;), who also adopted from Ghana,  is now in the running to win a MILLION DOLLAR MAKEOVER from MACY'S! She was selected as one of eight out of almost a billion (maybe a slight exaggeration) people to compete in this contest.  The only way you can vote for her is to go onto Macy's Facebook page, so if you don't have Facebook, but want to hear all about it, you can click over to Amy's Blog here.  If you do have a Facebook account, you can also click over to her blog to learn more about her family and what she plans on doing if she wins...OR just click here to go right to the Macy's Page.  Please Vote! She has a few days left and you can vote as many times as you want! (Plus, every time you vote, you get your name entered in a $500 Macy's gift card).

A few fun facts about Amy to leave you with:

* She has lost 60 lbs in the last year (lots of it by playing the wii and dancing, WITH her kids!)

* She is a Kindergarten teacher and her husband is an art teacher

* They adopted 3 siblings from Ghana to add to their 2 biological!

* She is very FUNNY!

* She has a big heart and plans on 'sharing her wealth' by starting after school enrichment programs AND assisting in raising money for older children and sibling group adoptions.

AND LASTLY......

* They will need to move back into their 1000 sq. home with one bath soon, UNLESS we help her win this!

Adorable Handmade Dolls & More

Meet Thaddea!

If you are an etsy fan, you may have already seen this great new shop that has opened.  It is called Apple Strudel  and they make some of the cutest and most creative dolls and more!  Full disclosure: The owners of this shop are friends of mine, but I have always been amazed by their creativity. Candace has been making some of the most beautiful hairbands for the my girls, as well as snack bags, and her work is fantastic. Then recently, my other friend, ChristyAnn, made over a dozen brown skinned dolls to donate to an African orphanage and I think after all the feedback she got, she got the itch to keep going! Now, the two of them have joined creative forces and are working together as Apple Strudel! 

Check out their shop! I especially love all the dolls with brown skin, as I have had a hard time finding cute, unique ones! There are so many cute white dolls out there, but it is hard to find ones that look like my beautiful Fia. Remember that they are all handmade, so if they are out of a certain style, they will continually come out with more. And...if you know you want a doll with a certain hair color that you don't see, I would email them and ask if they have any in production. (Hopefully, if they read this, they will agree and not hate me!) :)

A Month in Review

Well, I have gotten very bad at keeping up here, but there is still so much that I want to document, so that when I look back at these blog posts, I can remember all that we did as a family.

At the beginning of February, we celebrated the Jag 7 two year anniversary! It was two years ago, on February 6, that my mom and I brought Fia and Kwame home from Ghana to join our family forever.  The time went quickly and at the same time it feels like they have always been a part of our lives. We are so fortunate to have them in our lives and all our kids are such blessings individually and together.  They LOVE each other so much, and I am proud of that. To celebrate this year, we had a Super Bowl Party! ;) I felt bad at first that it was the same day, but then I realized that there is nothing more that our family would like than to hang out with friends and family! So, it actually was really fun and special.  We also asked Fia and Kwame what they would like for a special breakfast and they chose Swedish pancakes (too bad I don't have any Ghanaian pancake recipes!).  We also gave them each a soccer ball that we had been saving from when we were in Ghana.  They were so excited to have their own and they couldn't wait to go and play with them.  



 

Love the slogans on all things 'Ghana'!

Later in the month, Mary and Maynad (Grandma and Grandpa Farm) came to visit from MN.  It is always a highlight for our family to have them come and visit.  This time they stayed at a hotel for the first couple nights for the kids to be able to take turns sleeping over, use the pool, and take part in the extravagent buffets that they have at this casino/hotel.  The kids loved it (and so did we)! We also got to take them to Greta's soccer game, Justus's basketball game, marimba practice, a OneStepIn project for church, and take part in a romantic(haha) Valentine's Day dinner(king crab legs) at our house.  One highlight for me was that they took us to a chinese restaurant.  I don't know the last time that I had been to chinese and I don't think the kids ever had, so it was so much fun for us all to practice eating with the chopsticks together, as well as try out some great new food.  Basically, they spoiled us with things we don't always get to do, so I was thankful.  Daron and Maynard also took care of some of our odds and end projects that needed to be done, so the house looks SO much better with the upgrades.



Looks like they had fun at the movies!



How lucky to have both sets of grandparents together in one place!



Ella, pretending she is a OLD! :) Cracks me up!



 These wonderful ladies came one morning, instead of us doing our Bible study, to help me clean out my garage.  It was AMAZING how fast we got it organized and straightened up so I could (for the FIRST in 4 years)get our car in the garage.  Very impressive! And, I have to say that three weeks later, the car is still in the garage! :)

 Last week, I took Greta for her bi-yearly check-up into the Children's Hospital to see how her growth plate was healing in her elbow area. Well, we had GREAT news.  They said that it looks totally normal now and we don't have to come back any longer.  When this happened, two years ago, they said she would have to come back every 6 months until she stopped growning and then she would need surgery.  Well, it's HEALED and we are thrilled.  The only problem...Greta and I were liking our guilt free trips that we had to go into the city for...we might have to keep it going to celebrate.

 We also got to throw a surprise party for my niece's birthday.  The cousins had so much fun and I think she was excited after the initial bewilderment of the surprise.  She didn't realize that all the questions about her favorite food and dessert were for this.  Super fun! And no, the adults didn't eat the mac n cheese, we got some delicious sliders that Brad made(right Dad?)!

 Overall, we had a fantastic month, full of family and fun.  Coming up this month....Alive Covenant Church is celebrating our 5th anniversary this Sunday! I am so excited.  If you live in the area and have ever wanted to check it out, this is the Sunday to do it.  4:56pm at the Sons of Norway!

Daddy Daughter Dance

 (Do I have posers or WHAT???!!)

 It's that time of year again and the three girls just left on a date with their Dad for the annual Daddy/Daughter dance.  The girls got ready without Daron seeing them and he drove around the block, rang the doorbell, and whisked them off to the dance.  I am sure they are having a great time together now dancing away with all their friends (and their dad) and I can't wait to hear all about it. The girls were so excited and they all looked beautiful! To be honest, the primping part was a little crazy and I can definitely wait to have three teenage girls getting ready for a dance!