2 Months

This picture was taken on 3-14-11, forever family day! What a change has taken place since.

It was 2 months ago on Saturday that we met Grace. I think it's difficult for any of us to imagine life without her. She is the icing on the cake, such a joy and a blessing. She definitely completes our family. I know I've said this 1,000,000 times but I am so proud of my boys and the love that they have for their little sister. We found out on Monday that Grace had a UTI. I am not sure how long she has had it because she has a very high tolerance for pain. But, her happy, funny personality changed and she was sad and irritated most of the time. The boys all had scratch marks on their faces from her. But, that didn't stop them for sneaking up and grabbing her for a quick smooch on the cheek before she took a swipe at them. I was starting to really worry about her, because she was either clinging to me for dear life or asking to go night-night at all times. We were actually kind of relieved (while still anxious) when she spiked a fever, and we realized this was physical and not some sort of problem with her bonding. So anyway, she is back to her usual self now and is so funny. She tried sleeping in the basement with the boys tonight and was very proud of herself, but ended up in her own bed for the night. Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I think by six months here she'll be talking in sentences. Her special need has been a total non-issue, though we are doing our due diligence and taking her to a specialist at UofM sometime soon. We are waiting for an appointment. Today Will asked me if there was anything else that we don't know about Grace. I thought that was kind of a loaded question and asked him for an example. His answer was, "Like that she has too much ear wax." (She had to go to the ENT to have wax removed in order to rule out an ear infection.) I laughed on the inside, but told him that there was lots we didn't know, and that hopefully we would continue to find out the important things.

Finally got a picture of all the kids together!

These were taken on Mother's Day. We took a bunch more, but it's taken me so long to download these that I have to give up now. The boys each wanted a picutre made with Grace and I wanted a picture of me with each child. I think they turned out pretty well- considering how fun it is to take picutres. :) I had to drastically reduce the resolution because our dsl is so slow, and it still too a long time to download these.

Duet

The boys decided to do their music practice together today. This is what they came up with. :)

Don't be jealous........

But we are now the proud (at least I am proud, Paul still acts a little sheepish) owners of a 12 passenger van!! I am actually so excited to get it. We can fit all the kids, their friends, their bikes, groceries, you name it! Kind of funny since I was the one who hated switching from my Montero to a mini-van. We are keeping the other small van, this is for trips, hauling things (and people) and driving the whole family places. We are glad that we won't have to have three kids squished into the back of our small van any longer.

Unfair

I finished reading Xinran's Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother the day before Mother's Day. I told Paul that I wasn't sure how to feel after reading it. It was written as a kind of offering or gift to girls adopted from China, to speak for their birth mothers and why they had to give them up. It is several true stories of women who had their girl babies taken from them or they had to abandon them. But, it's so horribly sad, that I think I will wait until Grace is an adult before handing it to her. After a few days reflection I think that it's left me with the impression that sin is so horribly unfair and senseless. It is unfair that any baby should be abandoned, and there are by some counts 17 million orphans alive today. It's unfair that babies born to families that love them but are too poor to raise them or to pay for surgeries that would correct their needs. It's unfair that children starve to death, and are abused. It's senseless that girl babies are killed a few minutes after birth, or ripped from their devastated mothers' arms - simply for being girls. It's unfair that children must be raised in orphanages, face major surgeries alone in the hospital, and the *fortunate* ones must be seperated from all that is familiar to them in order to begin a new and better life. I don't even want to ponder what happens to the unfortunate ones. The only hope I have after reading this book is that I serve a God who knows what it really means to be treated unfairly. To be abused, abandoned, and killed. My hope is that in the end I KNOW Christ will triumph over death and sin and all will be set right with the world. That every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Praying constantly that I can live up to the awesome priveledge and responsiblity of being a forever mom.

Mother's Day

What a poor blogger I am! I wish I had more time/creativity/pictures to blog. Life has returned to a new normal and we are all doing well. Baseball has just began and Sam is doing really well. Joe just had his big orchestra performance of the year and is a yellow belt now in Karate. Will is getting ready to start baseball too and is excited. Ben is starting baseball and is nervous. All four boys are ready for summer. They are at a birthday party all day today, and it's weird not having them around. Grace is asleep, so Paul and I have a few moments of quiet. Grace is doing really well too. She got sick the weekend of Easter, and it was rough. I thought that she would enjoy having a mommy to snuggle her when she was sick, and I think in some ways she wanted to, but she still resists being held too close, and went back and forth between crying and wanting to be held, and crying and wanting to be alone. She settled for falling asleep on Baba's chest. Once we got some medicine in her and she felt better, she became her normal charming self. We got some precious video of her with Paul's grandpa who has Alzheimers. She likes to sing, and jump on the trampoline, and swing on the swingset. She still hates the grass.

I am excited about Mother's Day tomorrow, it is always a special day, and we go to eat at a wonderful spot for brunch after church every year. Paul always spoils me. I think I'm getting a good camera this year, so maybe I'll have some pictures for the blog!! Mother's Day is bittersweet too. Thinking about birth mothers who gave my children life, and me an amzing gift. The big question now of "Why?" that will never be answered. I'm glad I have some quiet today to reflect on that.

Impromptu beauty shop

My good friend Emma T. shared lots of her jewelry and hair bows with me when I first came home. I had no idea how fun these things could be until tonight! Our good friends/neighbors came over for my first ever game night. While the parents were playing cards my friend Chase brought my little jewelery box downstairs. My friend Paige likes girly thing and she decided to fix me up with a new 'do. I had at least 10 little barrettes and three pony tails in my hair. Not to mention my fabulous jewelry. Here I am giving Paige advice on lipstick. Or I might be showing her my runny nose, I'm not sure. My big brother Ben helped Paige out some, here I am with my beauticians.

When my big brother Joe saw what fun I was having he had to get into the act. Daddy didn't like how Joe wore my barrettes for earrings, but I don't mind sharing.

Ms. Nikki makes very good no-bake cookies. Makayla may be afraid that Paige and Ben are going to make her over next!