My little Artists

I just love to watch Elijah draw. He loves to write, color, paint and draw. I haven't had to work on writing letters with him because honestly he practices them all the time on his own. In our kitchen, I have paper, markers, pencils, and crayons on a shelf where the boys can get them whenever they want. It's not unusual for Elijah to be at the table drawing or coloring bright and early in the morning. Caleb has never been one to color or draw for very long, but he has been doing it more now that he sees Elijah. And it's so cute to watch him too:)

Making a beautiful rainbow

 

Showing how he can write his name all by himself!

 

Isn't he the cutest? I'm so proud of him:)

 

 

Elijah drew this today. It's a big birthday cake with his name written all over it.:)

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Christmas 2012

We had a perfect Christmas day except for the fact that Elijah was very sick (more on that at the bottom of the post).

 

Here are some pics from our Christmas 2012

A singing Christmas puppy was left unopened in front of the presents, just waiting for Liam. And as I predicted, he went straight for it. Dogs and music are his thing. He loves it!

Jimmy was all smiles and so darn cute as he opened his presents and then happily passed out the presents  he bought for us.

 

Caleb and Elijah were happy to receive an IPAD2. They know how to use it better than I do.:) 

 

 

Elijah has been running a fever since last Thursday. On Sunday, I took him to the ER only for them to tell me it's a virus. Then 2 days later on Christmas morning, Elijah woke up with mouth sores all over his tongue. He was miserable. On the day after Christmas, I took him to our pediatrician who had bloodwork sone to rule out the coxsackie virus and a chest xray to rile out pnemonia. Thank goodness, both were fine. So he concluded that yes, it's a virus (possibly 5th's disease but without a rash, he wasn't certain). We were told to come back in 2 days if he wasn't feeling any better. Other than poor little Elijah being sick, our Christmas was very nice.

 

 (We did miss Ben however who could not make it home:( ) 

Another visitor is coming :)

Not only is Santa coming to our house tonight, but................... the Tooth Fairy is also coming. Elijah lost his very first tooth today.:)

Feeling yucky

I had to pick up my little Elijah from school early on Thursday. He had a fever. :(

 

He soon fell asleep in Mama's bed while watching Dora.

On Friday, he started perking up.......but it didn't last long.

Here he is holding a book that his teacher gave him for Christmas. Liam brought it home in his backpack for Elijah.

Today is Saturday and my poor little guy is still running a low grade fever and not feeling very happy. Please say a prayer for him to feel better in time for Christmas.

With love..........

 

from

Caleb, Liam, and Elijah 

Santa and Jimmy

Is it Christmas yet?

There is no shortage of excitement in our house lately. Each morning Caleb wakes up and says, "It's Christmas." No not yet, sweet boy. And every evening Jimmy tells me,"Christmas is tomorrow." I think he is hoping that I will agree.:)

 

 

Liam's very first Christmas tree:)

The tree is up and the ornaments and lights are all on the tree. I hope I don't jinx it by saying the boys have been real good with the tree this year. Typically they throw things into it (socks, toys...) or bat at the ornaments. So far, we have had only a few minor attacks on the tree this year. Liam has decided that every little stuffed ornament is a toy put there just for him. But he has only taken a few and has no problem when Mommy puts it back. He's such a good little boy.:)

Embracing Every Magical Moment..Just One Mama's Musing's From A Little Corner Of The World..: A Christmas Warriors way of helping..2 Corinthians...

Please visit Alysha's blog. She is raising funds for her sweet little Angel Tree child. Isn't he beautiful?
She has some beautiful necklaces that you may get a chance to receive by just donating $5.

Embracing Every Magical Moment..Just One Mama's Musing's From A Little Corner Of The World..: A Christmas Warriors way of helping..2 Corinthians...: Ugh, I've been a lousy Christmas warrior for my little guy. Oh, Brant..I'm so sorry! But I promise to be better. You've not been out of my t...

DSST Christmas Party

This is as close as Elijah would get to the Christmas tree. He's so funny!

My beautiful Caleb. I just love his cheesy smiles. This kid is cute and he knows it!

Liam is just sitting here going with the flow. I made the mistake of putting his sticker name tag on the back of his shirt (so he wouldn't pull it off). I had no idea that would upset him so much. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out why he was crying and that he didn't want anything to do with that sticker, even on the back of his shirt. Poor little guy! Here he is, right after I took it off. Getting ready to be silly again.:)

Jimmy was looking forward to the food and who can blame him? It was delicious (Pasta buffet and treats that included a chocolate fountain)!

 

Caleb had been talking about the
Christmas party for the last week. He was so excited!

Elijah was so tickled when Santa walked into the room. He kept pointing and yelling, hardly able to contain his excitement. But when asked if he wanted to sit with Santa, he politely said, "No!". Oh well, maybe next year. He did enjoy watching the other children sit with Santa.

Jimmy loves Christmas and I don't think he will ever stop believing in Santa. A few years back, I remember telling Jimmy that Santa was not real. Jimmy said to me, "He IS real!". Guess he told me! I love that Jimmy still believes. I love that no matter how old my children get, we will always have a few toys under our Christmas tree.

This is Liam's first time seeing Santa. I don't think he was impressed much but it was still cute to watch him. Every child that sat with Santa, received a little stuffed animal from the box next to the couch. Way before Liam saw Santa, he saw that box full of floppy stuffed animals (his favorite kind) and he grabbed one early.:)


And yes, the boys all know the real reason for the season. One of their favorite videos to watch is The Drummer Boy. We also make Jesus a birthday cake for Christmas. They really love that!

Liam...10 months home:)

In the last couple months, Liam has really been coming into his own. He has a very spunky personality and he likes to tease. He's funny and sweet all rolled into one. But lately, he is more. He is understanding what we say and what he sees. Like the other day, while I was sitting in the living room, and he brought his juice cup over to me and signed "juice". Wow! That's huge:) Up until a month or two ago, he would just get irritated whenever he was thirsty or hungry. No matter how much I tried to teach him the signs, he would only use the sign "drink" and "eat" when I modeled it first. Now, he will come into a room and tell you if he wants a drink or something to eat.

He also knows that I am Mama. Yesterday while I was in the kitchen, he threw his glasses off in the living room. He was told to pick them up and take them to Mama. I waited quietly to see if he would actually do it. And wouldn't you know it, he came around the corner and handed them to me. And then he bolted out of there before I could put them back on.:) I signed and said "thank you" as he was leaving. LOL

He does sign "bath" and will often want a bath several times a day. And if he thinks I'm not getting the picture, he will take his pants and pullup off, as if to say "Do you understand now?" :)

I have started talking about things and pointing to them. He listens and looks to where I'm pointing. He is comprehending language and is taking an interest in what is being said to him. This is awesome progress, from just a  couple months ago.

The other day, I told Elijah to go get his shoes on. When Liam heard the word shoes, he signed, "shoes". :)

I could go on and on about my excitement over Liam's progress. I'll admit every once in a while, I became discouraged, thinking maybe he would never learn to communicate or even use ASL. But Liam has shown me that with time, love and lots of patience, he will learn. I'm so thrilled for him and for us. He seeks us out to play or pick him up. He wants to interact with us.

Another time, I ran to the store. When I came back, he walked into the kitchen and tossed his jacket at me. It was like he was telling me, "Remember, you don't leave home without me!"

At school, Liam is plugging away with puzzles, the computer, music, colors and letter recognition. Each day I get a report of what he did and how much he enjoyed his day.:)

So, 10 months after being home, Liam is beginning to show us what he can do.:)

If you are adopting, especially an older child with a  cognitive impairment...just keep in mind that the progress may come slow. But it just makes the day when they do something new, that much more spectacular!

Love you Liam,

Love, your Mama...... forever

Happy Thanksgiving

This is my very first Thanksgiving! Before this year, I didn't have a family. I was an orphan. This year, I am thankful for my family because they love me and will never leave me. :)

I am so thankful for these two stinkers. Even though they have been sick with the stomach flu this week, they still smile and laugh and love. Brothers forever:)

Jimmy is the one that put that spark in my heart for children with special needs. In fact, it wasn't just a spark, it was a full blown fire. He warmed my heart and opened my eyes and because of him, we have three precious little boys sitting around our Thanksgiving table each year. How blessed we are!

Kindergarten PowWow

Meet BLUE THUNDER:)

 

and his little brother YELLOW BUFFALO:)

Liam and Elijah had pow wows in their classes today. (They had much more to wear but didn't want to wear all the extra (necklace, feather....) They look pretty darn cute anyway!

One year ago

November 15, 2011

today, I met my sweet little Liam for the very first time. Such a teeny little guy who had no idea that there was a different world and life beyond the institution walls.




Liam's kindergarten picture. No, not smiling for that camera Mama. Not doing it!:)

 



I am so blessed to have him home with us. His spunky little personality keeps us laughing and he is such a loving little guy too. There's nothing like watching a child who has spent 7 years of his life in an institutional setting, explore the world for the first time. He has settled nicely into his routine at home and it's neat to watch him get up in the morning and do his thing.:) I will update more when I have some time, but I just couldn't let this day go by without sharing with you how thankful I am for Liam.

He is a gift like no other.

Orphans No More

 

 

Two little orphaned boys,

 born over a thousand miles apart.

Each traveled several thousands of miles to come home.

 

 

Brought together by the miracle of adoption.

Brothers.

Orphans, no more.

 

 

November is Adoption Awareness Month. Unicef estimates there are over 200 million orphans in the world today. There are over 2 billion Christians in the world today. The Bible says that we should take care of the widow and the orphan........so what is wrong with this picture??

 

God, make our hearts hurt for what hurts yours.

Pray, Support, Donate, Adopt

Adoption is one of God's greatest miracles.

 

 

 

www.reecesrainbow.org

Love

Here is Elijah when he fell asleep after school.

Here is Elijah after Caleb found him sleeping.
LOVE

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Transformers!

His buddy Garth

Jimmy wanted an Optimus Prime pinata. I can't believe we found one!

Go Jimmy!

Jimmy wanted a special cake with Garth and Trisha on it.:)

Happy Birthday Jimmy! You are truly an inspiration to me and so many others. You make this world a brighter place.
Love you!