The Big 5 Gotcha Day!

Yes it has been 5 years since we brought our little Micah home(October 4th) but he is not little any more. It is so hard for me to believe that he is getting so big. I see him with a buch of other kids and think that he can't be with them because they are so big. But he is growing into a sweet young man. He started first grade this year and is doing wonderful. He loves school and has told me that his favorite thing is music. I already knew that because it just comes so natural to him but I am glad that he is recognizing it. I am hoping to get him into a music program this summer to help keep him busy. This summer I realized that if he is kept on some sort of schedule he does so much better. Unlimited free time just opens up the doors for him to get in trouble. We are so blessed to have Micah in our family, I can't tell you how I love this little one. Thank you Lord for your blessings.

Three Years Home!!!

Wow! It is hard to believe that it has been 3 years since we first met our beautiful daughter Sophia( On September 6th). It seems like she has been with us forever not just 3 years. Here she is today:

It is amazing how big she is getting. In fact when we went through here drawers to see what cloths fit her, she only had one pair of pants that still fit! She is now in third grade and is doing amazing when you consider she didn't speak any english three years ago. She was not too excited about going back to school this year, she just did not like any of the subjects. But thanks to a wonderful teacher and some extra tutoring she is really starting to enjoy her subjects more and even says, "I really like math!" She is such a happy little girl! We are so thankful for her!

SEVEN Already!

Yes, I am only 3 weeks late in posting but my little Micah is now 7! I keep getting older and time keeps passing by so much faster. Here are some pictures on his birthday.

This last one really threw me for a loop when I looked at it on the computer. He looks so big! I can't even use the word little any more in describing him. In fact he grew so much this winter that I had to go up in pant sizes half way through the season. Things have been going really well for him this year. It was a little rough starting Kindergarten. His behavior was difficult to manage even with doing all the OT for his sensory issues. I thought he also has some auditory sensory issues because it always took me, Russ, the teachers 3 times of saying something before he would even recognize that you were talking to him. After talking with his teacher( who has been so wonderful with him) and another close friend. They suggested that it could be ADHD. I hated to go down that path but we had him anaylized and our doctor recommended medication. Natural things were not really working for him so we decided to do medication. Oh My! What a difference it made. It took awhile to find the right one to limit the side effects but he is now doing wonderful. No more behavior chart at school. He is now the student in the class that is doing the extra things to help the teacher out. No more having to go in the school to pick him up on days that there is a substitute( because he is so out of control). And he is such a pleasure to be around. Even the principle caught up with me at a school event and said how amazing the transformation is. Things are not perfect but they never are with any child but I can now see his heart in the things that he does. It is so wonderful to see the loving child that I know he is. In seeing all the heart breaking things that are going on with Russia banning American's from adopting there, I pray for those children. The precious face that you see above is the face of what could be with so many children that are still in orphanages in Russia. Lord, You are more powerful than any ruler of this world. Please Lord help those children get into homes where they can experience Your love!

Happy 8th Birthday!!

EIGHT YEARS OLD!! Yes, our little Sophia is 8 now. It is so hard to believe that just two years ago we celebrated her first birthday with us. We love you!

Micah's Gotcha Day #4 and Update

Wow it is so hard to believe that it has been 4 years since we brought Micah home(October 4th). Each day I see a little growth here and a little there but it is not until I look back on the pictures in Russia that I fully realize how far he has come not only in size but in all aspects.

Here is a picture of him when I got to take him out of the orphanage for the first time:

Here was last years Gotcha Day picture ( Year 3):

And here is Micah this year:

Oh he is just so big!

Since I last posted about Micah we have been on a vacation to Hilton Head where I am convinced he will be a surfer boy( even if he is from Ohio). He loves swimming and is so strong that we are putting him through closses year round this year to see if he can advance enough to be on a swim team next summer.

Then there was our Chirstmas Trip to Disney and Legoland, where he got his Lego license to drive.

Then there was his 6TH BIRTHDAY! So hard to imagine that my little one is 6!

We got him a mini trampoline to help with his Occupational Therapy that is going very well. Once I was ablt to get with someone who knew what to do with Sensory kids and with some trial and error, I could swear that the OT exercise are like magic with Micah. He can start off acting out of control and end up a totally different child!

Then we went backto Florida over the summer to visit Universal Studios. It was hot but it was fun. Here is Micah and the others with a Marvel Character.

And then there was the First day of Kindergarten:

He could not wait to go to BIG school like his siblings. I has worked with the school regarding his sensory issues and they were great. His teacher has Sophia and is just great with Micah. After only 4 days of school, the teacher decided to put a behavior chart together to help Micah with his behavior in the class. That day Micah came home so excited to show me his new behavior chart and that he was the only one in the class to get one! He was so excited. I just had to smile. He has been doing very well with his behavior and has some rough days but is really learning how to behave at school and around other kids.In fact I got to be in the class on a normal class day this week, helping out the teacher and he did not stand out at all because of his behavior. What a praise!

One of his favorite things to do is sing. His favorite song, which he sings ALLLLLLLL the time, is the Star Spangled Banner, how priceless!

And here is one of my favorite pictures of my little scallywag! Snaggle tooth and all!

It is such a blessing to have Micah in our family. It is a struggle some days but the joy is so great on those good days.

Our Prayer for Sophia

Since I finally have updated a few things on my blog, I did not want to erase the prayer we were praying for our Sophia back in August 2010 as we prepared to travel:

Dear Lord, we lift up Sophia Xin Yan to you. We pray that even though she may not even know about You, that Your presence and peace will be upon her. That You will give her an understanding of what is to happen along with the strength and courage to walk through this next step in her life. I pray that You will make Yourself known to her and that her trust in You will bring her the peace to get her through this very difficult change in her life.

In Jesus' saving name we pray - Amen

Gotcha Day 2 Years Ago!

Oh My! It has been a really looooong time since I have posted. Life is so busy and writing is one of my least favorite things to do. So even though I still won't be posting much, I do want to keep track of the "big" days for those of you who know us and for the kids to look back on someday. So Since Sophia's Gotcha Day was last week (Sept 6) I figured I would start with her. Here is the picture of her 2 years ago on the day we first met her:

Here she is on her Gotcha Day 1 Year later:

And here she is this year, Gotcha Day Year 2:

Oh she is turning into such a young lady. She is not my little girl any more.

Highlights for Sophia over the past year and a half are her 7th Birthday:

Her dedication at church:

Getting her new bike:

which she now rides without the training wheels. She was very persistent on learning to ride without training wheel and practically taught herself.

Then there was her first time visiting Disney World. Oh she has been wanting to go there ever since she saw pictures of it.

Then there is the first time she got to go to the beach and see the ocean:

Then this summer we went to Universal Studios.

What an amazing two years it has been. It seems like it was not too long ago when we first met her and had to struggle to communicate to her. But at the same time it seems like she has always been with us. She loves to talk, almost too much. Is learning so much and doing great in school. Has made many friends and is dealing so well with her medical issues. She loves being here and is comfortable enough to let her hair down and test the waters, if you will. She makes mistakes and will lie to "save face" which we are still working on. For those of you who have biological and adopted kids, there are things that your biological kids do that they "get" from you. Whether it is the ability to do math well, the love of reading, loving to be outside all the time... What I think is so great is how God gives you a connection to your adopted child too. For Micah and I it is our love of music. For Sophia and I it is our love to clean and organize. If I ask her to do something like clean out her toy box, Oh she gets so excited. One day I was wondering what she was doing in her room, she had been there a long time. She said "organizing my drawers"! What 7 year old would willing choose to do that? My daugter, that's who!