Merry Christmas

With each new season and holiday brings with it new words and first experiences. For example Naveia has always asked if she can pet any animal she sees in a book. So when she saw a ornament of Santa petting a reindeer she said “why can Santa pet a reindeer and not us?” I realized at that point she doesn’t even know that the reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh. That night we read The Night Before Christmas and she experienced the special connection Santa has with his reindeer.

Thanksgiving for Family

I entered my pictures backwards so go to the bottom of this post and look up. They all helped cut it down and we went straight home for some hot cocoa. Kai was crying and having a fit over being cold and walking so long. I don't think he is going to be our outdoorsman. We went Christmas tree hunting. Another first for the little ones. It was so cold today like 30'. They loved it and for a week it was the first thing they did when they got off the bus. The little ones first leaf pile to jump into.

Our 1st FF Halloween

Breakthrough! We have four kids and try to take them one/one when possible. It was Naveia's turn yesterday for grocery shopping. Then trick-or-treating with dad and little brother. Later that night she said "I am so happy to be here". This was very encouraging to us and melted our hearts. She has always seemed very happy to be a part of our family but has never expressed it through words. We took a family trip to the zoo. I met with teachers for the yearly p/t conference. Naveia's teacher just loves my child. She gave her and E (excellent) for conduct (behavior). That made me very happy because she does not receive and E at home, or in dance class, so I was a bit surprised. She has turned her behavior a full circle since coming home but there are still issues that we see daily. Also I guess she is the "popular" girl in kindergarten. All the kids want to be her friend and play with her but she also tells them when to back up and give her some space. Oh yeah, her academics are right on target if not advanced, but honestly we already knew that. She is so amazing from where she has come from.

6 months with us and Teeth

We pick the little ones up six months ago. The first two pictures are of now and then. The siblings have all grown to have your typical brother/sister, love/hate relationships. It finally feels that we have a balance and a new normal has set in around our home. They are both doing great with school, language, friends, and family. Their attachments are growing stronger every day. Kai still prefers mommy and Naveia still has her moments when she plays the reject mommy and see if she will stick around game. We just keep loving them and standing firm. This is our forever family through the good and the bad. September is the month of the tooth around here. First Zane finally lost his 1st tooth and then 2nd tooth two days later. The next week Naveia lost her 1st tooth. Then finally this week Kai had his dental surgery. He had nine stainless steel crowns put in. He is not a happy at all with what the doctors put in his mouth. It is hard to explain to him that they are making it better when it does not feel better.

Kai's Birthday

Naveia first day of kindergarten. I don't know what has happened to my background image. I am trying to get it fixed.

4th of July

They loved the fireworks. They were so excited to do another, another, and another. I love seeing them experience things for the 1st time. We made strawberry and blueberries with whipped cream on top. YUM YUM. Except for Kai he does not like fruit all that much. PROUD TO BE AMERICAN CITIZENS

Sum, Sum, Summer Time

Dance Recital

Our guy Kai.

This is the most recent picture. He just got his first haircut. I asked him to smile, he thought to take out his gum and gave me a great smile. I am glad he likes to show off that smile because it is going to cost us pretty penny to keep it. We suspected that he had bottle rot so we consulted with a pediatric dentist. It was worse than we thought ALL of his teeth but the 4 front bottom ones have major decay. The poor little guy will have to go under general anesthesia in August to have crowns put on. Kai loves helping me fold the laundry. He does an excellent job too. If the washrag is not perfect he starts over and gets it just right. Kai loves his sister's stuff; hair things, dress-up, ballet shoes you get the idea. Naveia just has a fit over that fact that I actually let him wear girl things. This picture was taken with my friends camera. I just love the natural color and quality of it. I am wishing for a new camera in the next year. This was our last day in Taiwan. Here he is in our hotel lobby holding his visa. He has changed so much in just two short months. He no longer drinks a bottle, no diapers, no more spitting out food, and he knows when we mean no. He still thinks he is 10 years old and can do everything on his own. That is just because he is so clever and smart. Mommy is still his favorite but he likes playing daddy's games too. He is our surprise blessing and I am so thankful God gave us our little guy Kai.

Mother's Day

I finally made it into a picture with all of my kids, even my furry one. They all gave me a wonderful mothers day. It was full of lovely homemade gifts and flower planted for me by my husband. He also had lunch all ready for us when we arrived home from church. We are getting ready to go hiking this afternoon. The weather is so nice and it is suppose to rain the next few days. Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there reading my blog. Wishing you as great of one as I am having.

Happy Birthday Naveia!

My little girl's 1st birthday with us and she is already FIVE years old. We have a tradition of celebrating the birthday the moment you wake. So we always give them a special treat for breakfast. I added fruit to the cake to add a little Taiwan culture. I found out that Naveia does not like cake, just like her older sister. However she did enjoy the fruit and icing. Zarra is so thoughtful, she spent the extra time to add some art and special words of love to the card she got Naveia. Zarra and I went shopping Monday night. She helped me buy the party goods and searched and searched for the perfect gift she wanted to buy her. It ended up being a life size princess puzzle. Naveia loves doing puzzles and I love them too, it keeps her focused and quiet for a little while. Snow White is her favorite book since we have been home. We literally read it everyday. She has picked up some English from doing this, such as; bunny, bird, deer, chipmunk, beautiful, have a bite, apple, and stinky. When we are out in public people now ask me if they spoke English in Taiwan. I say no this what she has learned in the last 7 weeks. They are impressed. It was a fun day. She was full of smiles the whole day, I think she even went to sleep with a smile on her face. She loves being the center of attention, so a whole day dedicated around her was just what she needed. When I was laying her down to sleep she told me that she had never had a party before. You could just sense this party deepened her connection to our family. She realized that she means so much to us and will be with us forever. It was a special day to remember.