We've been having a good week so far. The last couple of weeks before Christmas, the kids were just misbehaving, not obeying, etc. Exhausting. Well, this week the kids have been doing so much better... obeying the first time when told to do something, being helpful, and having good attitudes. For example, tonight before bath time, Micah went and cleaned their room all by himself, and with a smile! I don't remember him doing that before! (I guess it helps when I have a good attitude and am patient myself!) I've just really been enjoying our kiddos this week and am so thankful for each of them.

Did I mention that on Christmas eve, Aria and Nina both came to have hope? It was such a beautiful moment together as a family. And now, they both are so excited that they are able to say with confidence that they know where they will go when they die. We know that there is a lot that maybe doesn't make sense to them yet, but they believe the important things, and we know that with time, they will understand more. We are so thankful that they both made this decision, the most important one they will ever make!

This morning, there was only one lollipop to be found in our apartment, and 5 little kids that all wanted it! So, I told them that if they shared it nicely between the 5 of them, then they could eat it. If they started to fight, it was going in the trash can. Well, our 5 little ones sat down and each took turns taking a lick. I had to warn them a couple of times that the trash can wasn't far away, but overall they did a pretty good job sharing. The lollipop quickly disappeared, and everyone was happy!

(No, we aren't that picky about germs at our place. We share everything from towels to cups. Don't worry though, we each have our own toothbrush!)

Speaking of germs, Hanna really enjoys licking things. She licks the kitchen cupboards, the floor, etc. But the other day, I practically lost my breakfast when I found her licking the toilet seat. That's just gross. Absolutely gross!

Our little H & H... they are quite the pair! They follow each other throughout the apartment all day long...

...getting into this and that.

While making supper tonight, I went and checked on them, and found them like this...

It appears as if Hanna is trying to "help" Heidi into the washing machine.

Hmm...

The other day, Nina came to me and said, "mommy, we just pretended that we ate lots of chocolate. Now, we are going to do lots of exercises and then eat lots of vitamins." :)

Yesterday marked the half-way point in our pregnancy! Yeah! It sure is going fast. I can not complain at all. So far, this pregnancy has been the easiest one for me yet. (Perhaps that's because I compare it more with the twins' pregnancy, which was very challenging for me?) We are so thankful, as I'm then still able to keep up with the other 5 and everything else that needs to be done.

Yesterday we went and had an ultra-sound done of our little one. Oh, and just in case any of you are wondering, yes, there is just one little baby in there! It is such a miracle, such a miracle! Our little one is so beautiful! And we are SO thankful that, as far as we can tell, our baby is developing and growing well. We are SO in love with this little one already! What a gift!

Still no word concerning our apartment. We are waiting. The potential buyer applied to receive credit from the bank, and we are waiting for her documents to be processed in order to hear if she receives that credit or not. Now that it is the New Year, all offices here shut down for several weeks (?), so we may not know anything until mid-January. Really, that is fine with us, as things were going a bit too fast for us for a while there. Yet, at the same time it can be difficult to wait... and wait... not worry... and stay flexible.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening... New Year's Eve. David and I are planning on having a little date night together here at home after the kids are tucked in bed. Not sure if I'll make it till midnight to see the New Year come in, but I'll try! (I don't do very good with late nights.) Either way, I'm sure all the fireworks will wake us up! :)

Happy New Year's Eve and day everyone! Thanks for checking-in on us! :)