May

Welcome May and occasional nice weather!  Having V at our house has definitely kicked things into high gear.  She has been staying with us for almost 4 months now!  She is really part of the family!  Each day has struggles of it's own as far as Kepler and V getting along and getting out the door to school on time.  Two kids bathed, dressed, fed and out the door by 7:00AM is harder than it sounds!  I guess my point is, life is difficult and busy but beautiful.

 

 

Kepler continues to grow, make us laugh and make us crazy:)  He still loves school and people in general!  Focusing on his work at school is challenging because he wants to be watching and doing what other kids are doing.  I really love that he really loves people.  What a beautiful gift to have. 

He's been in swimming lessons for about 5 months now and we've seen HUGE improvement in listening to directions, challenging himself and being brave.  I watch kids reach milestones every day for a living.  It never gets old.  HOWEVER, watching your OWN child push themselves and overcome fears and become confident and proud of themselves is the most amazing thing in the world.  The little boy who shook his head 'no' to instructors and wouldn't hardly get wet is now raising his hand to go first, jumping in the pool, dunking his head and encouraging the other kids.  I give him 'thumbs up' from the bleachers and he beams back at me and sometimes does it back.  It's awesome!  Last week I was telling him how proud of him I was for various reasons and he responded with a huge smile and asked, "Are you going to tell Jesus that you're proud of me?!". 

 

I love that he is starting to understand a little about Jesus and the idea of God.  We saw coffins for sale in Costco the other day and he asked what they were.  I explained that they hold your body when you die and that they get buried.  He related it to Jesus dying and he asked if a big rock was put in front of it.  Then he get really excited and said, "And then the stone was rolled away!!!".  Easter is starting to click too:)

 

It's been fun to talk to him about lots of stuff but our faith is one on my favorites.  He has a place mat with all his school friends pictures on it.  Each night he chooses a friend to pray for.  It's the sweetest thing.  We don't talk about Jesus that often and usually it's Kepler who brings it up.  But when he does, he's so curious and wants to know far more than I can explain.  It feels like such a natural thing.  Quite beautiful. It's a great reminder for me personally that amidst my busy life, there is a God watching over us and waiting patiently for me to acknowledge him.  Kepler is good for my faith...

He plays so nicely.  He has so much fun with V and also plays well by himself.  It's great to see his play get more imaginative.

We had a Bike-a-thon at school last Friday to raise money for a well in Haiti.  He called Grandmas, family friends and Uncle Jeremy and told them, "I'm riding my bike to get money for my school friends in Haiti to get clean water.  Will you sponsor me?".  He alone raised over $400 for the cause!  He rode his little legs off completing 6 laps around the track!  We are so proud of his big heart!

We also traveled to Atlanta last month to meet Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Mary and cousins, Savannah and Peyton for the first time!  We had so much fun.  It ripped my heart out to say goodbye knowing it will be a long time before seeing them again:(

Our dossier for Baby Sister has been in Ethiopia for 8 months!  The timeline for a referral is 6-12 months.  It could be longer and we are prepared for that because things have once again slowed down.  The good news is that things are moving steadily.  Our agency referred 5 kids to families in April.  We are still pretty far down on the list but we are hoping to be matched by Christmas.  It's exciting to think that there is a little girl, perhaps even a baby out there that will join our family!

 

 

February 2013

Welcome winter!  Thanksgiving and Christmas is passed!  Time is flying! 

Here's a shot of Kepler in his fancy clothes for his Christmas Eve performance at church.  He sang Go Tell It On The Mountain.  It's February and he's still singing it:) We are still in awe of how cute he is.

We are still getting out and enjoying walks when we have time and the weather is nice.  Kepler is doing so great on his bike! 

We signed him up for swimming lessons too and it's the best thing!  Taking him twice a week has been so good for helping him feel more comfortable in the water.  Washing/conditioning his hair is easier and going swimming as a family is so much more fun when he isn't acting like a barnacle! The first lesson consisted of lots of tears but it was a great chance for us to talk about being brave and listening to a teacher that isn't mommy.  He LOVES them now and has grown in so many ways besides just swimming!

Amos is getting lots of practice doing photo shoots with Kepler.  These are some of the results of our sessions.  You want to know a secret?  Kids that do what daddy asks for photo shoots get Scoobie Snacks:)

My ever faithful, cleaner upper is always up for chores.  He unloads the silverware from the dishwasher and of course, he vacuums the school!Another favorite lately is Starfall.  It's a game on the computer that teaches basic computer skills as well as phonics and counting.  He's getting really good at it!  He's very interested in telling me and asking me what different words start with.  He'll say "P-p-p-pumpkin starts with P mama!" or "L-l-l-l- elephant!  L starts with elephant!"...uh....very close!  I can see the reasoning:)

We have a little girl staying with us through Safe Families.  This has been a HUGE adjustment for Kepler.  V is not quite 2.5 and Kepler has had to share all his toys, our time and affection, learn how to get along, be flexible and be a good leader on less sleep (because they share a room!).  It's been so good for him but he has been a huge blessing in her life as well.  They have so much fun.  Our house is a loud, messy ball of action lately.  I like it:)  It's been tough but so rewarding. One thing I hope is that our family will live out what we hope to impress on Kepler.  I want to be a Christian that really does help others.  This placement has been tough and messy but I really do think this is the sort of "Love" Jesus talked about.  I pray that Kepler will learn this growing up in our home.
We all went to Seabrook last weekend and had a blast!  Kepler and V ran from the waves, got soaking wet and dug in the sand.  We swam in the pool and went for walks under the cold, clear skies on the coast.  It was so much fun. I'm not allowed to show pictures of V, so these will have to do...

Lastly, we get to adoption #2.  We have been waiting to be matched with Baby Sister for 5 months.  We got word this week that our agency was closing and that our dossier would need to be transferred to another agency if we wished to continue.  After much calling around, we learned that we would need to start over and pay thousands to submit another dossier and get at the back of a two+ year wait.  Our hearts have taken a beating this week.  Then, just last night, we got word that a donor had come forth and offered to finance our agency's expenses so they can stay open long enough to finish all in-process adoptions.  We were elated!!!  We were seriously considering giving up on this Ethiopian adoption.  There are a couple things in our life that are kind of up in the air lately but this dramatic change for the good has made our hearts soar.  We are so grateful.  So, after a week long heart attack, we are back up on the horse waiting again.   It's so crazy how adopting can be exciting, heart wrenching, boring, wonderful, hopeful and so difficult all at once.