Go Dukes

Before the guys headed to the JMU game on Sat. we gathered to watch our little "porcupine" play soccer. We lost count of his goals ;) My parents, Lissa, Alex and Tripp joined the cheering squad. We also had to take a pic of our spirit wear.

Loves the Game

What a weekend this boy had. The State Fair on Friday, JMU football with best friend on Sat and flag football on Sunday. Notice I left out the Eagles loss ;) 

He is the one in the white jersey and gray shorts with blue stripe up the leg.

He continues to live his life for sports. He is my walking ESPn update. Whether I want it or not, I get the important highlights of almost any sport. He rarely reads a book that is not sports and when SI for kids arrives in the mail, it's like Christmas morning. He is forever getting told not to bounce, kick or throw a ball in the house.

My mom watched the other 3, so I could attend the game. Most of them are during nap time. I had a blast taking pictures with no one clinging too me.

 I am loving the "hour" long games. I am not missing the 2.5-3 hr baseball games.

 Don't you love all these funny faces the boys make?

 Not all of these are actual catches, but they sure look exciting ;)

I am sure glad he has this outlet and a dad who "gets" his love for the game.

Royal Treatment

Her brothers spent most of Friday at the state fair with their grandparents. She was sad to see them ALL leave, but completely enjoyed her time as an "only child."

It does not get old, watching her "move." And she moves a lot! Never stops, except to sleep. Those first few days she was finally ours, I worried and wondered but there is no stopping her now.

 She just figured out the back breaks. Helpful :)

 After a super quiet dinner, just the 3 of us, she enjoyed a bath to herself and a pedicure by daddy.

It seems that as her attachment to me grows fiercer by the day, she puts more distance between her and EJ. 

We got this idea at the conference. She loves having her toenails painted and was ok letting daddy do it. Doesn't he looks so comfortable?

 

The hard part is keeping her still long enough for them to dry. 

Just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

He is amazing! He loves her SO well and without much from her in return. He is patiently waiting to win her heart.

End of the Week

I swear the weeks are flying by.

 

Thankfully our neighbors have "pets" for us to visit.

 Happy Friday!

Love him

For preschool :)

In the blink of an eye, I am gonna miss this.

Shifting

The shift from summer to school year has been rough on my girl. It's not super obvious to others, but I see the stress. That's a blessing in itself. She constantly wants to know "what we doing?" or "where we going?" (yes, we are getting 3 to 4 word sentences, amazing)

When she is confused she gets upset very quickly which can result in screaming or hitting. She is a tiny thing, but oh SO loud. Thankfully it stops almost as fast as it starts. I can usually calm her enough to use her words. 

She will get the hang of our routine just as we start a different sports' season ;) For now, I am trying to be very proactive in how we transition from one thing to the next. Often times it needs more explanation than I want to give or have time for, but I am trying to slow down and be conscious of her little brain.

She is playing more, but only when Ryan or I sit and stay. Occasionally she will play by herself, but very very rarely.

I can't say she is excited for school or the nursery during my bible study (CBS), but she isn't too upset when I leave and is excited to tell me what she did while I was gone. I'll take it!

She likes to "help." I have shots of Mason and Ryan doing the very same thing :)

I found a box of crackers in the back of fridge and shaving cream on the pantry shelf ;)

Last Week

Last week was a bit of a blur. I kept my head down and jugged along. EJ was gone M-TH, we missed him like crazy! And missed his birthday (in person). We were thankful he could be on the sidelines/field Friday and Sat.

 Check out the gorgeous sky, Fri evening. Ahh...

Sat. morning we watched our "porcupine" (team name) in action. This was his 3rd game and the first one that he has "looked alive" and oh, so much like his brothers at this same age :)

TRIPPle Trouble

Ryan + Avery + Tripp (and the other 2 boys) = lots of fun and noise and patience (theirs and mine)

 

Last week we got some extra Tripp time! My kids get so excited for his visit. Me too ;)

Love having my double stroller full (again). Ryan wishes he was ours for keeps ;)

 Even Owen got in on the action.

Preschool Begins

Ryan enjoyed his second day of preschool today. His (real) first day was Friday. 

Today was Avery's 1st day!

This picture better represents Avery, confused!

Not sure why he is stiff as a board ;)

Avery did great. Our being gone for 2 days set her back a little and I was nervous about today. Not really nervous that she'd cry, but that she wouldn't. "Attachment" is a tricky complex thing. I may have shed a tear or two, but then it was off to the elementary school to help in Mason's class. The distraction was good. Avery was happy to see me at pick-up and even more eager to see Ryan ;)

As soon as she woke up from her nap, Owen asked her about preschool. Oh my heart! He got a few words out of her.

Connecting

On Friday morning, before the kids were awake, EJ and I hit the road. Thanks to my accommodating and kindhearted parents, we were able to go (away) to an amazing 2 day conference for adoptive and foster parents and/or professionals.

  

Even though sitting in chairs for 7 hrs had it's challenges, we limped walked away with some great insight into connecting with a child from a hard place. We also recognized plenty of our own personal quirks and nudged each other a lot about our boys too ;) We still have plenty to learn and A LOT of practice ahead of us, but we are thankful for these new resources to help us. 

At the end of the conference, most of the speakers came forward for some final comments. The crowd did not want it to end. Amazing, right!

 

I loved having so much quiet time with EJ during our car rides. We enjoyed lunch with Jill and MBM. I didn't get enough time with Courtney, will have to wait til Nov. for that.

EJ and I had the privilege of staying with my cousin Daniel and his wife Jessica and eating dinner out with them with no kids to interrupt us!

My parents survived! Hopefully they are recovering nicely today ;) THANKS AGAIN!

Beautiful Story. Beautiful Family.

*** update: with 697 supports they have exceeded their goal!!! over $35,000 raised to date

$35,998

$35,998

I have been following the blog of a family of 14, since we began the adoption process for Avery. They had just brought Lula home, their 7th child from China! Now they are making plans to bring home Sweet Clementine. Their beautiful story is a picture of His Amazing Grace and it is worth reading. If nothing else, pray for Clementine. She is a sick little girl and needs to come home as soon as possible. They are boldly asking God to raise up all the money they need through the sale of their "found" t-shirt. I can't wait to watch him do it. The sale ends this Sat. 9/13.
There are SO many amazing ways God works in and through adoption. I am blown away nearly everyday. The blessings are sometimes overshadowed and easy to miss, because let's face it, adoption is a long hard journey. Not just the paperwork and the waiting, but the long road of loving those from "hard places."
To think that He invites us to pray for little hearts SO far away whom we've never met is such a great reminder of his promise to be a Father to the fatherless. They are not forgotten. We are invited to participate in His redemption story.

For more, visit here. 

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Heart of an Artist

Ryan asks to "paint" nearly every day. I can't and don't always say yes, it has to be relatively calm in the house, which doesn't happen all that often. But since he and I share a love for art, I can relate to his need to fulfill his inspirations, and so, he paints! His favorite medium is fabric paint and tee shirts ;) Wouldn't be my first choice.
Some of his other works of art are on display behind him on the fridge.
His love for animals, specifically horses, is growing. This week we learned about pregnant mares and their babies. Ha! This wasn't planned, just happened during a nap-time story, from a more realistic than I expected, children's nonfiction library book. So glad I didn't give birth to a 100 lb baby!!

Hopefully preschool will help fulfill his need for painting ;) He met his teacher yesterday and has since asked a dozen times, how long till his first day. He won't have to wait long, it's tomorrow!

Fly Eagles Fly

Football season is upon us again. I haven't much luck recruiting a Bronc0s fan :) With 4 males in the house, I guess I had better just embrace it.

 There was no communication between poses ;)

Whether she likes it or not, she is an Eag1es fan, at least until she outgrows this size 18 mo onesie from Owen's days. Did I mention she is officially on the growth chart? 2%, go ahead, girlie!

And just for fun, 9/2008

So Funny

God has such a great sense of humor. Owen has been wanting to play football for a long time. He finally gets to play (flag) and his team is the Cowboys, his NFL arch-rival. He is cringing under that star ;) Oh and the handsome assistant coach (in the background) isn't eager to wear the star either.

It gets better, his buddy, Joshua (out of town) who LOVES the Cowboys was placed on the Eagles. Ha! At least they can trade jerseys when it's all over ;)

Owen's first practice was Sunday afternoon. His remarks, practice was way too short." :)

Hanging with the Boys

She is watching their every move.

She tries on their clothes.

 She tries to play their games, dressing the part, of course. This time it was soccer ;)

  She eagerly wears (very retired) eagles attire.

This little Miss keeps us on our toes.

Fountain Fun

The Littles and I met Grandma and Tripp at a nearby water fountain. The temperatures have been much hotter this week, we were spoiled with a cooler summer.

Avery played it safe, unlike her cousin ;)

 

It was nice to catch up with my mom too! I am so blessed to have them nearby.

One more week before preschool starts!