Well hello there....almost 20 months later!!

Eek!! I knew it had been a really long time, probably a year even. It's been almost two!! Here I am though with much to share, it's crazy what happens in close to two years. 

Ayla will be 7 years old in just six days. What!? Hard to believe I just typed that. She's in first grade. She's so, so smart. Scary even. She's also feisty, even scarier. Girls got attitude, and a lot of it. She pulls it off semi well because she is kind hearted and thinks of others. She loves God. She loves her mama and daddy. She's beautiful with sparkly blue eyes and long blonde hair. She is a fantastic little horseback rider and does well in gymnastics too. She loves boy bands, making bracelets with her rainbow loom and Monster High. I adore my girl!

Kellen will be turning 6 in about 6 weeks. Parental rights were terminated in June and Dailon now goes by Kellen Jon Splonskowski. We haven't adopted yet, still in progress but it's finally coming along. He is a devilishly handsome, charismatic little guy. Everyone who meets him likes him right away. He is in kindergarten this year and doing well. It started of rocky to say the least. His first month was spent in timeout/principals office/ suspended. Really. He was diagnosed with ADHD, we found a medication that is working wonders for him and his last 6 weeks have been wonderful! Praise God. His teacher said that at this point, if a sub came into the classroom, she wouldn't be able to pick Kellen out as the kid with issues. Best.news.ever! He is so much happier too, he comes home from school with a gigantic smile everyday and tells me about his great day and his friends and how well he's doing. He continues attachment and trauma therapy weekly and probably will for several years. My heart bursts with proudness for what this boy has accomplished in the last three years. I love him so much and feel so blessed that God picked Darren and I for him. Kellen loves Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. He ties his shoes and colors inside the lines all the times. He's a bit meticulous. He is so loving and like his big sister, has a big heart. He cares about people and how they feel. 

Chariyona now goes by Aria Jane Splonskowski. This girl is full of zest! She is diva like and a typical youngest child. Pretty care free and mostly goes with the flow although with turning 4 she's decided she'd like to be in charge instead of letting Ayla and Kellen run the show.  This is causing a little friction between the three of them but it's very good for all of them. Aria is in preK this year and for the most part, does well. She has a bit of a hard time with her fine motor skills - cutting with scissors, holding a pencil correctly, coloring in the lines. She's making progress though and hopefully will be caught up soon. She loves God and talks to and about him often. Her favorite part of the day is dinner prayers and highs/lows. She also loves the dogs. She pets them, puts blankets on them, feeds them etc. It's a good thing they're tolerant pooches because she can be a bit much at times :) she is also TALL. She skipped size 5 altogether. She literally went from 4's for summer to 6's for fall and winter. She's gonna catch Kellen very soon! She loves gymnastics and learned to swim fairly well over the summer. She can jump off the diving board in 12 foot water and swim to the edge all on her own. She's also fearless. She loves to be the fastest, highest, loudest etc. She's a wonderful little girl and we love her madly!

Cockatoo. Cockatoo!? I am currently 22 weeks pregnant(an all natural surprise if you can wrap your head around that) with a very active and healthy baby boy! The kids named him Cockatoo months ago, before we knew his gender so we went with it. We didn't see four kiddos in our future but couldn't be happier or more excited with God's plan. He's technically due March 5th but will be born in February(God willing). I'm hoping for at least 37 weeks of cooking time for him, remember Ayla was born at 30 weeks! I am seeing a high risk doctor this go around and so far things have been perfect at all of my appointments. Cockatoo is way more active than Ayla ever was in womb. It's amazing what he can do in there since he's only a pound! I can only imagine what he'll be like weeks and months from now when he's bigger. I haven't gained any weight yet although my belly is big and round. I've craved pickles and sunflower seeds then brownies. By 15-16 weeks I was all about grains...bagels, full grain crackers, plain sun chips etc. Right now I'm eating garlic and dill hummus like its my job. I guess it could be worse. Overall, I'm trying to eat nutritious foods that aren't too unhealthy. 

Anyway, I will be adding pictures soon and updating much more often. Hope to see you all around soon!