TWO months home :)))

It's hard to believe we have been home almost 2 months!!! Overall Kaleb and Khloe are transitioning so well! I truly believe that is mostly due to #1 the fact that they came from such a loving environment and #2 because we lived in their birth country for 3 1/2 months with them ~ so they've been in our arms for nearly 6 months!! 

We keep things pretty routine around here......breakfast, Bible time, school, outside play, lunch, nap, snack, more outside play, dinner, baths and bed :)

When we stick to this simple routine things go SO WELL! 

We've enjoyed LOTS of awesome time outside and we will keep that up as weather permits ~they play so well together and they LOVE exploring and riding bikes outside :)

Adoption experts teach HIGH STRUCTURE, HIGH NURTURE. This is our game plan for bonding and attaching right now :) 

Schooling at home is SUCH a blessing and I'm loving every minute of it. The big kids are all doing so well and the time we get together as a family and in God's Word is priceless! These are memories we will treasure forever :)

The littles are doing really well. Kaylee and Kaleb are doing Kindergarten curriculum and they do so well during school time. Khloe sits in with us every once and a while and then plays on her own at other times. She has come such a long way and is doing a great job of keeping quiet at school time :)

 

Brodie and I even got to enjoy a weekend away at the beach for some time to refuel and refresh!

All glory to Jesus for His amazing gifts!!!

Disneyland 2016

Brodie had a work luncheon that he wanted our whole family to go to so some of his clients who have waited years to meet Kaylee, Kaleb and Khloe could finally meet them and it was 5 minutes from Disneyland........so........

We went and had the BEST time! The littles all did amazing and all of us big people loved California Adventure and especially the new Cars Land :)

Aunt Abbie doesn't live far so she stopped by to visit us and meet Kaleb and Khloe :)

Disneyland was packed and really too busy for us but California Adventure was just right for all of us 

These two even got to meet one of their faves!

And then we went a few miles down to the beach to see our friends the Luginbills who came down south for the weekend........the littles had a BLAST at the beach ;)

And of course our bigs loved having some beach time too ;)

So much fun!!

A great week and a great few days off school ;). Love this season of schooling at home and how much sweet time we get like this as a family ~ thank You, Jesus! 

This morning we visited an amazing church called Mariners and loved worshiping with another church family :) 

Happy Birthday Kaleb Jasse!

September 8, 2016

Last week we celebrated Kaleb's 6th birthday and his FIRST birthday home! Kaleb is such a sweet and caring boy and he's doing really well at home.....and he loved our little family birthday party we had! 

He wanted pattes for dinner (I made calzones- which he thought were amazing pattes!) and we had a special donut treat for breakfast :)))

During school time we did cooking class and made his birthday cupcakes :)

Kaleb we love you and we had fun celebrating your special day!!!

He and Kaylee have become the best of friends and their very favorite thing to do is ride bikes :)

They could ride all day :)))))

These Two.........

I'm amazed at how well Kaleb and Khloe are settling in. The tell us often how much they LOVE being home :)))

Their transition has been very smooth so far ~ they keep us laughing and Kaylee will tell you how much fun it is having them home forever!!!

Their favorite thing to do is play outside ~ no matter how hot it is! Kaleb loves riding his bike and Khloe loves being pushed in the stroller ;). And they both LOVE to swim :). Keegan and Kolson are always coming up with fun and creative things to do (like above) so that makes playing outside even more interesting ;)

This is how they nap ~ all 3 of them in the girls room ;). Praising Jesus that they all play so well together!

HOME and Loving It!!!

It's SO good to be home! These two are adjusting so well. Our time living in their birth country was a huge step in bonding and attaching ~ we had 3 1/2 months of uninterrupted time together and what a difference it made!!

The 3 littles play SO well together!!

They missed each other the last few weeks as we were apart 

Welcome Home, Kaleb and Khloe!

Kaylee is an amazing big sister ~ showing them the ropes around here ;)

And as usual these big kids are AMAZING!! Jumping in to help, being fun playmates and having some fun of their own once the kids are down ;)

Kaylee Grace is 6!!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!!!

Kaylee, you astound us everyday & remind us what a BIG God we serve! He can do WAY more than we could ever ask or imagine & I'm so thankful that He has allowed us the privilege of being your Forever Family!!! It's been a little over 3 years since you came home & our lives will never be the same. We fought hard for love & trust......and by Jesus' Grace we overcame! It is a joy to watch you grow in the Lord :)))

Mommy face timed you to give you your 6 birthday kisses & it made you sad :( Kay, you're the bravest girl I know!!! Keep being brave ~ I'll be there in a few days! I love you and thank you for sacrificing for your little brother & sister!!

You have grown up so much even in these last few months since Kaleb & Khloe joined our family. You are an amazing big sister and a sweet, joyful daughter. Your giggles get us all laughing! You are so smart and super ready to start kindergarten this school year :). You are starting to eat on your own a little bit ~ I think this will be the year you conquer this!  (you've had to work so hard over the years to overcome and we are so proud of you trusting us enough to push you & help you learn to eat on your own- I know you can do it!!!) You are THE MOST determined person I've ever met ;). Once you set your mind to something it WILL get done - no doubt about it!! Whether it's surviving these last few weeks without mom, learning your letters and sounds, being brave and calm and still for us to glue your head back together ~ you name it....once you decide we can consider it done ;). Your joy is contagious, your eyes smile with your whole body, Jesus' joy is your strength!!! You are so mature for your age, sometimes we feel like we have another teenager in the house ;). You are wise beyond your years....you want to follow Jesus with everything that's in you and we can't wait to celebrate another year with our sweet girl :))). We love you!!

Happy Birthday, Kolson!!!!

Kols ~ I'm so thankful you made it back to the US for your 12th birthday!!! Sad I missed your "best birthday celebration ever other than the celebration you'll have when you get to Heaven with Jesus" (as you said about this birthday since you got to celebrate it in the US), but I'm grateful you had a blast!!! 

You are described by your family as "thoughtful, helpful, compassionate, fun, creative, curious, and has a servant heart like Jesus". Your joy brings us joy! Your smile is contagious & I'm so thankful Jesus let me be your momma!! 

May Jesus fill you with His amazing love everyday & may His Ways take root deep in your heart as you follow after Him! You are strong in Him & I love seeing your faith grow daily!!! 

We love you, bud!!! Happy Birthday!!! 

~~~ Dear Friends & Family ~~~

*Please read~ especially if you're part of our church family or our close friends!

We are excited to be on the downhill stretch of bringing home our whole family! 

Brodie will come home with the boys & Kaylee July 6. They are SO excited to be coming back to America after 2 1/2 months in Haiti :). 

They have been SUCH troopers & have truly grown roots deep into Jesus & His Ways that are not our own. 

Kennady & I will stay here until we get visas for Kaleb & Khloe ~ then fly home as soon as we can!!!

As we get ready to transition home as a family of 8, we need YOUR help!!!

First of all, NAMES~ 

We started calling them Kaleb Jasse & Khloe Enna after we asked them (mostly Kaleb) what they would like to be called & he DEFINITELY loved having a "K" name like the big kids ;). But as the weeks went on, he asked us to call him just Kaleb. And he asked Khloe (in creole to make sure she understood) what she wanted to be called & she said Khloe (well, technically she said Klo-Klo but we're sticking with Khloe ;). So Kaleb & Khloe it is :)))

Secondly, PLEASE HELP US BY NOT HOLDING THEM OR PICKING THEM UP & PLEASE DO NOT OFFER THEM FOOD!!  

I know, I know ~ super hard!! Especially for those of you who have come on a missions trip & know them!! And once you see their overwhelming cuteness it will be even harder ;) 

But here's the deal ~ they've had SO many different care takers & right now that's all we are....a couple more care takers in their lives. Research shows that children who have had multiple nannies over the years have an extremely difficult time learning what it means to have ONE mom & ONE dad that will meet all their needs which greatly hinders true bonding & attachent. We see that right now......our kids will go to anyone who has food or will give them attention & not even hesitate to leave us for someone that they think may meet their needs at that moment. Khloe especially has a difficult time with this. She is so used to "charming" missionaries who visit for food & fighting to get attention that it's just what she does. Once true attachent takes place then you can love on them all you want ;). But for now we are asking for a quick hello, high-fives and little attention other than that. (Yes, that means if adorable Khloe reaches her little arms up & wants to be held we are asking you to redirect her to mommy or daddy to hold her or feed her or whatever it is she's wanting). Sorry!!!

Third ~ KAYLEE GRACE!! 

She's doing AMAZINGLY well and we are so proud of her!!! She has been so selfless & caring these last months (even with getting chikungunya virus & splitting her head open). She reminds me often if one or the other of them starts acting out, "mom, they just need to get their cries out like I did when I came home from China". She's their biggest cheerleader!!! 

She is VERY excited to get home & see all "her people" & the BEST thing you can do to help her is LOVE on her ~ plenty of hugs, extra attention (as mom & dad are giving much of our attention right now to our two newest) & praise for what an awesome big sister she is :)))

Lastly, please pray for us! Please pray that our transition to America is glorifying to Jesus & that it is smooth for Kaleb & Khloe (LOTS of new & over-stimulating things all around them!). 

We have been so blessed to have these months here & so much bonding has taken place but we will still be in a very simple, hunkered down time as a family trying to help our two adjust to all that is new :)))

Thank you for your understanding, love, support & prayers ~ we appreciate it more than you know!!! 

All our love, 

The Johanson Family

Happy 14th Birthday Keegan!!!

We love you!!! Happy Birthday! Thanks for celebrating it in Haiti & thank you for your great attitude that keeps us laughing ;) (Thank you, Nathan, for the sweet personalized birthday cake to make Keegan's birthday special here!) 

Your joy is from Jesus! You are constantly thinking of creative ideas to make "fun" out of nothing with the littles ~ they greatly appreciate it & so do we!! 

You faith is steady & unchanging......it inspires us to live a more faith filled life & trust Jesus without wavering. It's awesome to see Him grow in you & a blessing to be your parents. Keep pressing on even through the hard. Keep believing that Jesus is good all the time. Keep your mind set on His Word & He will make your paths straight!!!

We love you :)))

Our Great Physician

So thankful that Jesus is ALL we need!!! 

"Every place you step your foot is Holy ground. You are on Holy ground because I am with you!" 

These are the words I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart as I stepped across the threshold of the medical clinic 2 cities down the road carrying Kaylee with her head split open. Other than the oxygen tank in the "emergency room" our bathroom at home is more of a "medical clinic" than what we walked into. 

Just an hour and a half earlier Kaylee was running down the stairs outside to have her picture taken and tripped and split her head open on the gate at the bottom. Worst case scenario is to be in Haiti for a medical emergency. No power, no wifi, no phone service = no way to call anyone and no car with no way to get ANYWHERE. 

Brod ran to the bottom of the stairs to grab her and yelled up to us hat he could see her skull & needed a compress immediately. We grabbed the one clean towel we had & ran upstairs for our first aid kit. Alese grabbed a clean, unopened bottle of water & she and Brodie went to work on her as I held her and tried to be as calm as possible. They were able to clean it & butterfly it pretty well but it was still somewhat open. (Which you don't want in Haiti where infection is more common). 

By this time Kennady had ran to get a Haitians phone to use and got us a ride into town. Keeg grabbed Kaleb & Khloe to keep them out of the way & fed them snacks & put a movie on. Kols helped us clean the cut then went to work making sandwiches for us adults that we're going into town to find a medical center. 

Each big kid was amazing & calm & so helpful! They stayed with Kaleb and Khloe while Brod & Alese & I went into town (soooo thankful Alese was back visiting!! She knew just what to do with cleaning & butterflying it!) 

The medical clinic we went to was empty 

& there was a nurse who looked at her head & said we did a good job. I'm thankful she couldn't see under the butterfly bandages because she would have seen how deep it was & I'm sure put stitches in (which I know she needed but thankful Jesus chose to help us take care of it at home ~ just didn't feel safe with this clinic. Nurse there seemed to know very little more than us (if any more at all) & I knew from others who have had stitches in Haiti that they don't numb at these small medical centers so would have been super traumatic). She put some iodine on it & told us to go get some amoxicillin to fight against possible infection. 

When we got back home we texted some of our US Doctor friends & they all said to use the crazy glue we had just bought at Giant Market along with the amoxicillin. We were given dermabond from our crèche's medical clinic but it was all dried out ~ so thankfully we had the Krazy glue! Which meant we had to take the bandages off & start over with cleaning & really flushing it out. By God's grace she was calm & completely peaceful & so still!! We could barely squeeze the skin together BUT when we went to glue it it came together perfectly!!

This is our attempt to squeeze it together

This is it glued ~ only Jesus!!! Our Great Physician!!!

She's doing well and we are SO proud of what a trooper she was all day!!! She is so brave and tough!!! We love you Kaylee Grace & we couldn't be prouder of how you faced your fears! Thankful for Jesus helping us all :)))

Resting peacefully today :)))

Kolson ~ Such a Sweet Brother!!

Kolson is always thinking of others & putting others before himself. 

His sweetness draws the littles to him! 

He is gentle & kind & patient (even with all the craziness that comes with adding two more to a family & teaching them what family means!) 

He has such a peaceful spirit that can calm any situation :)

He really wants to go home (we all do!) but him probably the most......but he works hard at not complaining & tries to find the good in us being here!

Kols~ I see Jesus in you! His peace is on you and through you & it flows out of you as you keep your eyes on Him. Thank you for trying to find joy in all circumstances! His JOY is your strength!! I'm so thankful for your calming presence as an example to your little siblings! I love your willingness to put others first & your thoughtful spirit that cares about ALL others!!  We love you :)