New pics...

Lots of things going on, some not so good but we are persevering and praying.  Wanted to load some pics so you can see how much the kids have grown.  Everyone is doing well and loving school.  We celebrated the last birthday of the year with strawberry cake and legos! What more would a 10 year old want?  At least I am getting better at hair!  And now, without further a due...

One year later....

we are a family of SEVEN.  During the month of June 2011, we brought home the littles and I met the princess for the very first time.  Life has changed so much, but in a good, albeit hectic, way!  It is easy sometimes to think that this is the way our family has always been, but, alas, this is not the case and each of our children has his/her own story with it's ups and downs.  Please rejoice with us as we look at how far we have come in one short year.

Sawyer then

Sawyer now

Shepherd then

Shepherd now

Sophie then

Sophie now

The change is not because of us - the change in each of them exemplifies the love our God has for all of His children and how He uses each of us to enrich the lives of another.  We are so blessed to be able to parent our beautiful children.

Blessings, 

S7

What's the difference...really?

To you, as the parent, there really will not be a difference in your children.  For some, it may be instantaneous, for others it could take some time but, in the end, the results are the same.  These are your children, period.  

I make this opening statement because we hear this question a lot.  I think this is, in part, because we have a biological child so people wonder why we would choose to adopt. In some minds, albeit narrow minded minds, adoption is only for those who cannot have their own children.  If you take even a peak into the adoption world, however, you find this is most often not the case.  For us, the motivation was both spiritual and a desire to build our family.  I also think we hear this because our family is made up of three nationalities, American, Chinese, and Ethiopian.  We equally acknowledge each and try to incorporate traditions from each nationality. Makes it fun for the kids because we have more than the normal celebrations in a year!

There are differences, however, when it comes to adopting an older child.  We have adopted a child at age 7, 5, 4, and 7 months and I have to say the baby has been the easiest in some ways.  Attachment issues as well as issues stemming from institutionalization are minimized at such a young age, and, although we have passed many hurtles with our older children, there will be more issues to come.  This type of trauma is not something they magically get over nor is it something we can "fix" just by being their family. 

We make mistakes as parents too because life is stressful and frustrating.  Some will have to adjust their parenting style - I did - in order to help your child progress and thrive.  Any negative emotion on my part, can trigger a tantrum for one of my children.  And, although I was never the parent to allow a child to have a tantrum, I now have to be smart about the battles I pick.  I have had to relax, and, for those of you who know me, you should know this is VERY difficult for me.  I am the traditional Type A, high strung, perfectionist.  

God is changing who I am through my children.  What an amazing way to be formed in His image.  I see and appreciate more of life through the brown eyes of my babies who had such a different life before us.  I forgot how wonderful grass feels between your toes or how fun it is to drink water and play in the water hose.  Life, even with the ups and downs, is far more precious to us now.  

Things you missed:

1.  Samuel is now an official MIDDLE SCHOOLER!!  Please pray...for all of us! :0)

2.  Simon is now in FOURTH GRADE and received 3 medals and 1 certificate.  We are so proud of him!

3.  Sawyer graduated Pre K and will be in the Big K next year.  He is so excited to be going to school                with is big bros!

4.  We have decided to keep Shepherd in Pre K for one more year.  This will give him one more year to mature both physically and mentally.  

5.  Sophie now RUNS everywhere and puckers up when she gives kisses.  She is also trying to sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider all on her own!  

6.  I have a baby girl clothes addiction!  Someone, please help me!  They make the stuff so stinking cute!

7.  Life is good!!!!

Lots of love and blessings!

S7

Found...

Missing blogger...

A missing blogger was located in the midst of a huge pile of laundry, surround by short natives with mud used as war paint... more info to follow...

Sorry for the lack of posts...apparently my desire to start a writing career will have to wait until someone is potty trained or someone is in college...

Here's what you missed in a nutshell

1.  Sophie had surgery to have tubes put in both ears on March 27th.  Results so far are promising - aka, Scott and I are now sleeping more than 3 hours a night.

2.  Sawyer can READ!!!  He is reading beginner books - think Dick and Jane and is LOVING it!!  He is very excited about school.

3.  Simon was voted Student of the Month for the month of February and Memaw attended his little breakfast banquet.

4.  Samuel was one of two students selected in his 5th grade class to attend a gifted program in North Carolina for a week this summer!

5.  Shepherd has learned to pet Daisy and is working on writing his name...he is so close and has a good grasp of SHEP...it's the HERD we are still struggling with.

6.  All children went to the dentist and the dentist and his staff survived!  Oh, and no cavities!!

7.  Sheila has lost 20lbs so far thanks to Weight Watchers and her new girlfriend, Jacklyn who's her WW buddy!

8.  Scott has finished ALL requirements for his Bachelor of Science degree and will graduate in MAY!!  No more nights away from home.

9.  Sophie celebrated her first birthday in style, complete with a crown.

10.  Ge Ge...aka Samuel...turned E L E V E N...Oh My Goodness!!  He had his first overnight sleep over with four guests...I think they stayed up ALL night. They had a blast though!!  Just another reason to LOVE the new house!

Things you never consider when thinking about having FIVE children...

a.  Valentines at school - Samuel and Simon did theirs (25 each) but I had to do Shepherd and Sawyer's for a total of 124 valentines...YIKES

b.  Eggs for Easter - 48 eggs between the littles for school alone...not counting the baskets we did or our egg hunt - see pics below

c.  Summer camps are a racket and an addiction for mothers of multiple children

d.  Laundry truly can consume your ENTIRE life, especially on the weekend, averaging 12 loads per week...YIKES!

e.  Your daughter has no hope of not being a tomboy

f.  Your boys have no hope of not being whipped by a girl...especially one with brown eyes and long eye lashes

g.  Dishes...oh the insanity of dirty dishes...

h.  You will NEVER go to the bathroom by yourself again...

i.  Date night becomes more expensive...what sitter really wants to keep up with FIVE children for a couple of hours... (although we did find one through a dear friend - it is her daughter who we adore)

j.  The US government can't believe anyone in their right mind would ever adopt THREE children in one year...so they decide to audit you...crap

k.  Now you really have to rent a house to go on vacation just so you don't have to sleep in separate hotel rooms...or you start looking seriously at RV's.

L - Z to come later as realizations smack me in the face!

Now..onto more pics of my glorious children!

Moves like Jagger....

What a Valentine's Day present!!  Our baby girl is walking!!  Woohoo!!  And to think she will be a year in mere days....(sniff, sniff).  This has been an amazing time for us with our new family.  God has shown us His plan for us and keeps us uplifted with small miracles every day.  Less than four months ago our daughter could not sit up, crawl, and was wearing 3 month clothes.  Now she crawls, walks, sits up, talks nonstop, and is wearing 9 month clothes!!  She is growing so fast!
Thank you God for everything you have given us!

New baby

Our home has been pet less since June when our beloved Ginger went peacefully to our Maker.  And, since everyone knows we needed one more mouth to feed...

Introducing our new "baby" Daisy!! (Yes, we are well aware her name does not begin with an "S":0)

Daisy is a 7 week old German Shepherd pup.  She is from Appleridge Kennels in Cleveland, TN.  The owners are wonderful and have been breeding for over 30 years.  The fun part is the family is relocating to our town so we will be able to take Daisy to training at their local place.

Daisy is super smart and is already 90% potty trained - not paper trained.  She also responds well to the "come" command and is learning how to "sit" on command.  Daisy is also super patient with the wee ones, Shepherd and Sophie.  Shepherd is doing better with his fear of animals and we are teaching him to use a more commanding voice so Daisy will respond.  Sophie thinks Daisy is super cool until she licks her then she's not so sure.  Sophie has learned, however, to push Daisy away and no longer squeals.  Daisy is also very tolerant of Sophie pulling fur, ears, feet, etc. and has not nipped or growled.  This was the major reason we went to a breeder (this is the first dog we have purchased from a breeder in 17 years) is for the temperament.  With our large brood, we had to make sure we got a dog that would fit our family.

Daisy is convinced that she is the true baby as evidenced by the video below...

Chinese New Year

We had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant who were so thrilled we dined with them that they gave us a discount! Woohoo!  The boys insisted on wearing their silks for dinner.  Who am I to argue?  Please enjoy the pic of our clan! Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

Christmas and beyond

Christmas was wonderful.  Everyone enjoyed all of their gifts and Sophie loved the wrapping paper.  We were also able to have our first "gathering" at our new home.  We hosted Christmas dinner with our wonderful friends who are so much like family.

We all enjoyed the Christmas break, although Sophie seems to still suffer from a bit of the crud and both Scott and my Mom have been sick.  Scott and I rang in the New Year as we have the past few years, asleep!  With five children now there is no way we will ever be up at midnight!!

All of the boys are playing basketball through Upward.  Three of the four love it.  Shepherd, not so much.  The crowds are just a bit much for my little guy.  We will keep trying as he does ok at practice but we will not force it.  He has a wonderful coach (a dear friend of ours) who is just "letting it ride" and having fun.

Life is good but we feel there are some changes for our family on the horizon.  We are praying for direction and guidance from our Lord so that we continue to follow His plan for our lives.

As always, pics are below.