A weekend of Firsts!!!

One of the most exciting things for us is to watch our little Grace experience the big world and all that it has to offer. This weekend we had the pleasure of taking Grace to a "big movie" for the first time---we went to see "Up"--which is a great movie, by the way. She doesn't even watch TV nor does she EVER stay still,so we weren't sure how it would go, but we figured we had to do it sometime. So, equipped with 2 bags of skittles, we made our way to the 11:45 showing (before noon movies are cheaper!). We had really talked it up--she was so excited and she didn't even know what she was excited about. Well, I must say, she did incredibly well! She even watched a good part of it and laughed at a few spots! Of course, she went from Dave's lap, to my lap, to her seat, etc... but the skittles didn't run out until 10 minutes before the end and we were still able to make it. Another first this weekend was the pool!!! Again we talked it up and she was REAL excited to go----we had gone swimsuit shopping a couple of weeks before. She was so cute picking out her pink, shiny swimsuit and trying it on in the mirror. Grace, who has no fear whatsoever, went right into the pool with Emma and was jumping in and going under water within a few minutes. She will be taking swimming lessons with Hayden in a week and I figure she will have it down in no time. She's the kind of kid that things seem to come easily for her--she's pure joy!!! Emma and Gabe kept fighting over who would hold her in the pool---hope it stays that way for a while :). One last first---Emma, Gabe, and Hayden taught Grace how to play hide-and-go-seek. It was the cutest sight to witness---Grace would count and go find everyone. When it was her turn to hide she would hide and then yell "ight eya!" (translation, "right here"). What a gift to be able to experience these little joys with such a precious little girl!!!

LAST DAY OF HOME SCHOOL!!!!!

Can I get an "Amen"!!!??? Yes, today is our last day of homeschool, and I must say; I am probably more excited than the kids! It's been an interesting school year to say the least-----in fact, it's been an interesting year period! June 5th marks a year living in St. Louis---what an unbelievably eventful year for us. 2 MAJOR events in our lives in the same year--relocating and adoption! Oh yeah, let's not forget homeschooling 3 kids for the first time. All in all--it's been a good year and I'm glad we have all survived it. St. Louis has brought us many blessings. We like our church and have built some special friendships here. Though the school system is one of the top systems in the country, homeschooling is a very popular choice here and so much is offered that we can't possibly do them all. We love our neighborhood--we live on a cul-de-sac and there are lots and lots of children. As it gets warmer parents and kids sit out together on one of our driveways until dark and just relax and visit while the kids play. We all look out for each other and help out when someone's in need. The only one of us who hasn't adjusted as well is Emma. She has had the hardest time with the move. She has refused to make new friends because she feels it "replaces" her old friends. At the same time, I think it has been especially hard to make friends because of the stage of life she is in. She is on the cusp of teenager (turning 13 in July), but not like other girls her age at all. We are glad that she is not "boy crazy" or overly concerned about wearing the "right" clothes and that she wants to stay a kid as long as she can. However, that sets her apart from every other girl her age and she has felt quite lonely at times which breaks my heart. She wants to do everything with Gabe who has never found difficulty finding friends---in fact, he is the most popular kid no matter where he is, but he is getting tired of Emma "riding his coat tails" as he puts it. We are contemplating sending Gabe to public school for several reasons: he is very interested in going for one and it might be a good thing for Emma and he to be separated for a while. Gabe also does better in school than Emma which causes more heartache for her. Anyway, we are praying and praying to make the right decision. Meanwhile--I'm looking forward to the summer and all that it will bring to our family!

Thanking God for my 4 blessings

I know it's been a while since I last posted---it's hard to get a lot of "extra" things done these days. Everyone is still sleeping this morning (miracles do happen), so I decided to take a moment to update. A few weeks have gone by since my last post---a lot of ups and downs have occurred since then. We had a few tough weeks with Grace---she finally began grieving her loss which caused her behavior to be pretty difficult. By her "loss" I mean the loss of the life she had before--her country; her language; her friends; her "home"; her food; her smells and sounds; etc... It's a completely normal thing for an adopted child of this age to experience--especially one that has completely changed cultures and countries. We were also concerned that she might be exhibiting characteristics of attachment disorder and have been given the name of a therapist that specializes in this. However, at this point, we may have turned a corner. We are now in the second week of a much more pleasant and normal atmosphere. Grace's tantrums have lessened and are more like a pre-school child's would be and she seems to be falling in to a routine with us which has made school and piano go a lot better. It's also been better for the other 3--they were having a hard time dealing with the tantrums and the upheaval for a while there. All of these things are normal and to be expected, but it still makes life difficult at times for everyone. I have had to keep my eyes on the Lord more than ever these days to remain focused on the task before me and I have realized that, DUH, I should be doing that EVERYDAY anyway!! As Mother's Day has just come and gone I am reminded how incredibly blessed I am to be a mother to these four wonderful children. Each child is unique and wonderfully made by the Lord and I am so grateful to have been given the gift of raising them and watching them grow. Happy Mother's Day to all of you and bless you for the awesome job you are all doing!