Adoption Month

Love my sweet friend, Libby, that I've never met! Ha.  She's encouraged me SO SO SO much these past several months.  It's amazing how God brings friends together, and I'm thankful for her wisdom and crazy funny personality too!

She posted this on her blog, and I had to copy.  November is National Adoption month.  I've been scrapbooking, and when I look through the pictures and read about our trip on this blog, it seems like such a blur. Did that really happen?  Did we fly to Korea and bring home our second son???

MAMMMMMMMAAAAA!!!! MAMMMMAAAAA!

MAAAMAAAA! (Insert very loud Korean yell)

Ahh yes.  There's my boy....bossing me around:)

I fought a very internal struggle over adoption.  It was something that God just kept bringing up in my mind and heart and I was very heavy hearted for months before I voiced it.  I didn't want to follow through.  The burden became too great, and after several months of praying, we just couldn't deny the path God had us on.

If you are anywhere near this path...RUN RUN! Ha ha. Of course I'm kidding!  When you have your first baby, you have NO idea what you signed up for.  You lose a LOT of sleep, you cry a LOT of tears, but you feel an indescribable sense of joy in it all.  It is the same with this boy.  Every day that passes, I laugh at God's plan for our family....so unexpected, so not "planned", and such a perfect fit.  If He's put it heavily on your heart, don't fight it.  He knows what He's doing.

5 months

Beautiful child.

You have been home 5 months.

This past month for me has been the roughest yet.  About 5 weeks ago, David went through a really rough patch which lasted 3 weeks.  I know he's 2.  I've had three two year olds and this seemed very different than the terrible twos.  

His normal disposition is happy and light hearted.  He does have a hot temper, and when he doesn't get his way, he's going to tell you about it.

This was different.  Shrieking, hitting, scratching.  He just seemed so out of sorts pretty much the whole time he was awake.  It wore me way down.  I cried almost every day after the second week because it was affecting not only me but also the other kids.  The whole house was just very edgy, and this was coming after months of being more edgy than "normal."

Two weeks ago, his normal happy self returned.  He has been so secure.  We made some adjustments on how we discipline him, and he responded so positively.  He has been more secure and happy the past two weeks, than he has the past 5 months.  It's been such a HUGE relief.  

His language has just exploded lately.  He's not quite putting two words together regularly.
One of my favorite moments this months was when he was struggling to get up a hill.  I was clapping and tell him he could do it.

At the top of the hill, he shouted,
"Mamma, I did it."

I think it was his first sentence in English, and I cried then too. I cried not because he spoke a sentence but because when he said it, he was so very proud of himself.  I felt so proud of him too.

Adoption as anyone will tell you is such a process.  The paperwork, the wait, the coming home, the being home, the process of bonding and attaching.  I'll be honest, emotionally I've had greater highs and greater lows with this experience than with almost any other.  There have been times where I've thought, "What have we done, or Lord, what have you done?" Many times.  Yes, I said that. It's true. 

But there have also been many times, where I've thought, "What would my life be like if not for this child?" And there have been more times, where I've felt the Lord just saying, "Just rest in Me, and I will take care of all of you." And He really has.  I've learned more about myself, about God's faithfulness, about my husband and other children in 5 months than I have in years.   I've seen Garrett turn from a very upset, angry little boy, into a big brother.  He loves to show David new things.  He will play with him for literally hours now without a squabble.  Garrett is happy again.  He's proud to be a big brother, and he will tell you that!

It really is hard to put into words.  I really can't even imagine what 1 year out will be like.  I feel like at this point, I'm just now starting to breathe a little easier.  NOW, we are starting to feel more normal. (Are you laughing at me? Do I say that every month?)  

Thank you for letting me have my monthly ramble.  You only have 7 more monthly posts to endure!

What to do, what to do?

My "favoritest" (a garrettism) hobby is scrapbooking.  My favoritest accomplisment every December is pushing the send button to order our family yearbook that I work on all year long.

Right now. 

I'm on page 50 (out of 100).

It's almost November people.

I hate being this behind.

The last 5 months have been by FAR the busiest, and most chaotic seasons of my simple little ole life, and I want to get caught up.  I love to blog, but I'm having to choose between the book and the blog.  Oh the problems I face:-0

So I won't be blogging much for the next two months.  Gonna be on a shutterflycation.  

Two of the cutest 2 year olds I know.  (They are 1 week apart.)

Had a great weekend with the fam.  Katie and I SMOKED Jason on the tennis court.  He practically cried...right Jason?

It was Jason vs 6 kids last night since hubs working and Katie and I weren't crazy enough to swim.  No one drowned, and they had a blast climbing all over him.

Thanks for coming ya'll!!! We loved every minute!

What was she thinking?

The past two weeks have been pretty rough in the White house.  David has had among the hardest two weeks since he has been home.   The past few days have been SO much better, and I'm very thankful for a break in the storm.

Leave it to Mary to make me smile BIG during these times.

She constantly writes in her notebook, and she showed this to me yesterday.

That kid made my day!

Picture day #2

I remembered it was picture day this morning at 8:00 a.m. 

And since we moved 4 months ago, I still have several crates on the floor in big D's room.  (you know that's how I roll..there is not denying it.)

Like the duds I dug up! Oh yeah. 

Hope the photog had better luck than I did.

These boys....big sigh.

A Dozen

12 years!

Love you babe:)

Our friends of more than 12 years came to town for the weekend.  We are good to get in once a year, but we blow it out when we do!  LOVED EVERY MINUTE!

The kids swam, swung, and stayed up too late!

Nana got this tire swing for them for Christmas but we finally put it up this weekend.  Of course, the boys couldn't just hang it.  They had to make a whole pulley system to hoist them probably too high, but too fun!

Also for the young at heart!

Anish was so sweet to David. David has not had a stellar week..lots of fits, but Anish was determined, and David loved him.

Garrett must have said 10 times that he was really going to miss them:(

Our first pizza!

Kiss the chef!  

School pics

The girls school pics were this week.  I wish they weren't looking so old:(  

Mary's front tooth is loose!  NOOO! I told her I would not let it fall!