Max's Second Day of School

2nd Day was MUCH MUCH BETTER!!!
I walked Max to his classroom and he put his backpack away
and papers away then told me goodbye!
Then walked right over and sat down in the circle and was ready to participate.

The teacher said he had a great day!

Max's First Day of School!

Max was very excited to go to school today! All until we arrived there! I have never seen a child in such anguish!!! It was all I could do not to cry and just turn around and go home. We went to the nurses office for 15 min and I held him and rocked him and kept telling him Mama was staying with him and would not leave him. That I was going to stay with him all day. After about 15 min I asked if he wanted to talk to Baba? He shook his head yes so we called Baba and Dave reassured him he would see him and Mama after school! That seemed to reassure him some and it took about 5 more minutes to gain his composure.

We proceeded to his classroom and on the way he started crying again! Of course by this time we are late and the kids are all sitting in a circle with the teacher and we crying wailing! I sat down and he climbed on my lap and hung on. I kept talking to him quietly while the teacher explained to the children Max was a new student and he was just scared so he was crying but that he would be OK.

It took another 2-3 minutes until he stopped crying and then a couple more minutes before he turned around on my lap to see what the teacher was doing. She was explaining how the children are to behave in assembly and then we went to assembly, Max did everything right and actually participated in assembly. By the end he was sitting 2 feet away from Mom and not right against me.



From there we went back to the class room and they had free play time. Max watched for about 5 min and then decided he wanted to play also. He checked out the match box cars and then played in the kitchen for a while and was actually smiling. After that he checked out the art supplies and found paper and wrote out his name! All the while I sat in a chair by the door. After that they had recess outside. They lined up which stressed him out a little because I had him get in line with the other children. Then when they went out and I stayed in the room and told him I would be there when he got back. The teacher said he cried all the way to the play ground but as soon as they got there he went and played with the other kids and was happy.

When he came back to the room from recess he seemed very relieved to see that I was still there. He started to climb into my lap and I had him sit on the carpet with the other children. He kept an eye out to make sure he knew where I was. After school I had him walk out the way he normally would and I walked at the end of the line and he was in the lead. He did not let his guard down until we told the teacher goodbye.

When we got home he had to show his art work off and told Marc all about school and Kaitlyn and Baba although he was telling them in Mandarin and only Marc knew what he was saying.

Pray for a better day tomorrow!

Max is 6! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Max!!!
Max is 6 years old today!
It is the first time he has been able to have a birthday with his Forever Family!!!
We are so excited to be able to celebrate this special day. His file had a letter from his birth parents stating that today is the day he was born 6 year ago! Max is a very kind and gentle child. He is so full of love and fear at the same time. Wanting to be loved and afraid it will be taken away!

Max was so excited about his presents and that everything was for him!

Hot wheels cars are wonderful!

Putting Legos together with big brother Kurtis!

Happy Birthday Lexi!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY LEXI!!!

Lexi turned 3 today!!! We had family over, she had a lot of fun and so did the other kids.

She was much more interested in her presents this year and really knew what to do with them. Marc and Max seemed to take quite an interest in what was going on. Before everyone got there we fed the kids a lite lunch and then had Charlotte, our exchange student, explain to the boys that we would be eating again pretty soon for Lexi's Birthday Party! Max got very upset and told Charlotte he did not want a party because after the party we would send him away! My heart just aches for Max when I see how afraid he still is that we will send him away. We reasurred him that we love him and we are his Mama and Baba forever!

Charlotte was really surprised by all the food. She told us her parents have never bought her presents, that for your birthday they just take her out to dinner and have friends along but no gift exchange.

Charlotte is kinking the hose so that when the kids get close to the water she lets it go and it really sprays them. The little kids just loved it!

After the presents and the food we let the kids run in the sprinkler.
Logan really enjoyed himself but I really needed a video to capture all the squeals of delight!

The four little ones did some swinging after everyone left.
This is their favorite way to swing.
We only have two swings so they share and all of them can swing at once.

One of the gifts Lexi got was play dough with cutters and the works.
The kids had a lot of fun making all kinds of things.

We got this picture of Marc at the end of the day!
I think we wore him out!

Lexi Celebrated at Sabbath School!

Happy Birthday Lexi!


Lexi and another little girl at Sabbath School had their third birthday's.
The teacher gave them both gifts and balloons and we brought miniature cupcakes!

They have an artificial cake with candles and you put a penny in for every year!
I think they should change that to one dollar for every year!

The kids enjoying Sabbath School.

Lexi eating her cupcake, she was very intent on it,
unlike the boys who shoved it in their mouth so they could run off and play.

Our Exchange Student Arrived Today.

Charlotte, our exchange student from Shanghai, China arrived today.
The kids like her, I am sure she will have her fill of them pretty soon.
I made the mistake of painting her room pink and she hates pink so we are going to let her pick out some bedding and repaint to a color she likes.

Lexi's 1 Year Forever Family Day!!!

One year ago today this amazing little girl was placed in my arms! She was screaming and shaking in terror! The Ayi said she is afraid of strangers! She was not just afraid of strangers but she was afraid of everyone!!! She did not want Daddy or Katy in the room she only wanted Mama and would bury her head and did not want anyone to look at her, she would not make eye contact with anyone.

I was terrified thinking what have I done to my family! We had one beautiful, brilliant, loving amazing daughter from China that fit in our family wonderfully and now I had to ruin it by adding another child that had major issues?

Lexi had very autistic behaviors. She would not make eye contact, did not want any toys or people to play with, would not eat, her activity was what we called "spit art", she would spit on her finger and trace outlines, over and over again! Or she would play with her own fingers right in front of her face! She had boils all around her head and her hair was worn off from rocking her head back and forth. Then to add to that she cried all the time. Developmentally she was about 6-9 months and she was turning 2 in two weeks!

Well we have gone from that to an amazing little girl that will be three in two weeks and she is on target in every area except speech, in which she is making great strides!!! God has blessed us with a loving, affectionate and very smart little girl.
She has really blossomed in 1 year, touching many lives and showing them what love and God can accomplish!

I praise God daily that I had the courage to say "Thank you God for giving me your child to love and nurture" and then trusting Him to know what He is doing! I would have lost out on so many blessings had I given in to my original fears!




Forever Family Day Celebration!







Settling down for nighttime!





Having a tickling party!


This was in the morning after I got home from working all night.
Everyone thought they should go to bed with mom! I was the only one trying to sleep!

The kids have been getting along quite well! They love playing in the back yard and they are quite inventive.

Katy came and told me "Mommy, I love my Marc and Max!"

This is our grandson swinging!

Our son Jonathan teaching Max how to push the other kids on the swing.

We only have two swings so the kids decided to double up, I thought it was pretty cute!

Eating alomond butter and honey sandwiches and grapes! Yum!

It has been quite warm in Seattle and the kids have enjoyed the back yard and the water! Katy is our little daredevil. She was trying to show the boys how to run and slide on the slip and slide. Marc would never do it but liked to watch but Max was all game to try!

They really enjoy the water!

Kaitlyn's Forever Family Day, 3 Years Ago Today!!!

It seems like Kaitlyn has always been part of the family and then it seems like she was just placed in our arms. It has been an amazing and awesome three years that we have had the pleasure of calling her our daughter!

We love you Kaitlyn!!!


One of Kaitlyn's favorite pastimes! Swinging!


Being silly with big brother!


She found her horse!

Cousins graduation!