The Big Catch up post.

I am quite behind.

So, I decided to just do a big random catch up post.

I am always trying to get a good picture of all the kids together. You know, a picture where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera. 

 I figure one day I'll  get that coveted picture, right ?

Maggie playing on my bed. So cute ! 

I love her messy hair look.

We took a trip to Tuscaloosa to visit Chuck's parents.

And we saw first hand the devastating damage done by the tornadoes. It was unreal.

Maggie loved to water Nin's plants with a cute, old watering can.

She was also fascinated by Nin's bird bath.

When we got home I put Maggie to work watering the flowers outside.  She truly is "mommy's little helper".

Besides watering flowers, she also loves to help put the dishes up and "clean" anything with a washcloth.

 Not sure what to say about this picture. 

 Maggie and Chuck love to be so silly !

 Our little garden is really growing.

The kids love to help harvest vegetables. 

 Maggie especially loves to eat the tomatoes.

 I made this cute dress last night.

 Here's the back.  

And one more attempt at a group photo.

Catching Up.

Happy Father's Day Chuck ! 

You are The Best Dad in the world and have three beautiful children that all agree !!

Our yard got rolled. 

We made the boys clean it up (they instigated it).

More of Maggie's silly personality that we love seeing !

 She's getting pretty good at smiling for the camera

 And she loves to imitate how her mommy stands - hands on hips with a little extra Maggie attitude !

Are You My Mommy ?

Please take a look at these beautiful children that are on the shared list (or will be on the shared list soon).  They all have a special need of hearing loss and are so cute.  I can't stand it !

Hearing loss can be a scary special need at first, but there is so much technology now that enables children that have all levels of hearing loss to hear. For example, Maggie wears a BAHA hearing aid on a soft band and she has wonderful hearing as a result.  There are also cochlear inplants that will allow a deaf child access to the hearing world.  Amazing !

Her age ? Well that's a little complicated.

Maggie's age is a little complicated and here's why.  We know for sure her birthday is right, that's not what I am talking about. She has several ages that have to do with being adopted, her hearing age, her emotional age and her cognitive age.

She received her BAHA hearing aid in August 2010.  So, that makes her hearing age about ten months old.  Meaning she would be expected to talk like a ten month old because she has only been hearing that long. Maggie's communication is beyond ten months for sure.   


She has a  growing list of words she can say and she can communicate with sign language very well. 
The picture above was taken on the day she got her BAHA and she was so happy to hear !!!

We adopted Maggie when she was fourteen months old, but she was more like an infant.  So really, it was like she was one day old when we adopted her.  Her life experience up to that point consisted  of a crib, bottles and a walker. She was not in foster care and it was obvious she was never stimulated or held. So, emotionally and in some ways physically, Maggie started out with delays. But, she is catching up amazingly in both areas. 

Then ,there is the fact that Maggie can not talk like most children her age - two and a half.  She signs great, but we know no children or adults that sign.  Which makes communication with others a little frustrating for her and makes her seem much younger than she really is.

And then there's her cognitive age, which is where it should be - at two and a half years old.  Maggie understands everything we say.  She knows most of her letters, numbers, shapes and colors.  She can spell hat, draw some great circles and dance her heart out.  She is a very normal two year old most of the time.

Which makes things interesting because a lot of people don't expect Maggie to be so smart.  They think since she has hearing loss and has trouble talking she must be  dumb. 


Ever heard the expression " deaf and dumb" ?

I think the first time I heard that was when I read about Helen Keller.  And she was so far from being dumb ! 

People also want to compare Maggie to their children that are the same age. But, you can't compare her to a normal two year old that was brought up in the United States with doting parents, normal hearing and normal life experiences.  You just can't !!! 

Then, sometimes Maggie seems much older than two.  She has great common sense, loves to organize and clean up, and she follows directions very well. 

She has a trait many call "an old soul". She has a deep understanding of things and seems to be level headed ( except when she is hungry and tired).

Maggie is such a gift. She has an amazing spirit of determination. Sometimes, I just watch her play and am so sad that her China parents will never know how perfect she is and how she just lights up a room with her presence. 


Maggie's age may be confusing and her past is still a mystery to me. But, I believe and know that God has a big plan for Maggie's life.
 I can't wait to see what it is !

"Today I know that memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.  I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do."

Corrie ten Boom from The Hiding Place

Personality.

Her referral only mentioned one word to describe her 

personality - active. 

That's all we knew about our little girl. 

Then, we met her and she was not active and had no personality. She was not silly, she did not dance or hop, she didn't giggle or smile spontaneously. We could tell she was a sweet girl and smart, but that was about it.  We couldn't wait until the day that Maggie showed us her real personality.

And boy does she have some !

  

Silly sometimes.

 Quiet and contemplative.

 A wild dancer.

A melt your heart sweetie.

And bubbly and happy.

I think she has personality now. 

 It just took a little bit for us to see it and for her to show us.

It is amazing what the love of a family can do in the life of a child.

The IRS and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

How's that for a title ? 

This is what Maggie thought of the IRS audit !

 The government has a wonderful adoption tax credit for qualifying adoption expenses.  So, we kept every receipt, cancelled check and statement that had to do with Maggie's adoption just in case we were ever audited.  And this was the year the IRS decides to audit almost everyone that has adopted recently. Which is funny to me because after you have gone through all the paperwork, Hague, governmental,adoption, jump through hoops yah yah  - you just kind of go with it. I think it is safe to say that if you have adopted Internationally, you are pretty organized now with records and paperwork and the IRS is not so intimidating.  Let's pray they think my record keeping is as good as I think it is !

And then if the IRS wasn't enough, Will had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Last Monday he went to a farm with Chuck and a friend. Then two days later we noticed two ticks, but three bites.  We extracted the nasty things and then prayed, researched tick bites and kept an eye on him.  He has had tick bites before, but for some reason this time we were worried. On Friday he started getting a bad headache, and Saturday he started running a fever and had joint/muscle pain. By Sunday, Will was feeling very bad and had nausea/vomiting along with the fever/headache/joint/muscle pain. I am so thankful his doctor was aggressive and we admitted him to the hospital for IV antibiotics because he couldn't keep anything down.( Usually, you can treat RMSF with oral antibiotics  - Doxycycline - and it is very effective). 

He is doing great now and bouncing off the walls. Thankfully, we caught it early and were able identify it because we saw the ticks.  It is very treatable, but unfortunately the symptoms of RMSF are much like a virus or flu and can go untreated  which can be fatal. So, we are praising God for His protection once again over our children. 

Summer Happenings Here.

Summer is officially here and we are loving the pool !

 My children live in their swimsuits these days and are brown and hungry from all the swimming.  

They built a huge "tent" in Walker's room. 

 I think they used all the blankets in the house !

Maggie is riding  this summer at Storybook farms.

I finally got Maggie's hair in some pig tails.  So cute !!!

 Let's see them one more time.

Some quality game playing. Just keeping it real !

Looking Back

China 2009

Our first full day with Maggie and not many smiles.

Maggie's first big smile. 

 Chuck was tickling her and she started laughing.

 My funny husband.

Maggie needed a couple of shoes.

I love this picture ! 

Three babies adopted from China and three different ways to cope. 

Favorites Friday.

Origins Vita Zing Moisturizer

Lord have mercy, I love this moisturizer. It has a tiny bit of tint to it.  So, it looks kind of like you have been in the sun and gives you a glow.  Plus, it has a sunscreen ( SPF 15) and Mangsteen - whatever that is.  You only use a tiny bit and it goes a long way.  

** I order mine from Origins online.

Seche Vite  Dry Fast Top Coat

This is advertised as the  "World's Strongest Nail Top Coat".  I am not sure about that, but I will say it does two amazing things to my nails that I love ! (You can but it at Ulta)

1. It makes your nails very shiny like acrylic nails.

2. My fingernail polish stays on about a week when I use it as a top coat.

QTICA 

Qtica Intense repair treatment for cuticles.  This is a seriously intensive moisturizing treatment I put on my cuticles before I go to bed.  I love how it makes my hands/nails look !

That's it for today.  Have a great weekend ! 

Who Needs Toys R Us ?

Potty Training Day 1.

My goal this summer is to potty train Maggie.  She has been waking up with dry diapers,she can sign potty and understands that is where you go.  She's been casually sitting on the potty every night before bath to get used to it.  How hard can this be ? Apparently,  this may be difficult because Maggie prefers to do the Chinese squat when she goes to the bathroom. Insert picture of Chinese bathroom below.  This is how it is done in China.  I took this picture at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

So far Maggie is floor trained ! She goes right when I take her off the potty all over the floor.  Ugh !!!

Favorites Friday.

I enjoy reading about other peoples favorites, so I thought I would start a Friday Favorites Post. Today's Favorites have nothing to do with children, toys, sewing or school.  They are things that help you look your best. I am not only a mother to three wonderful children, but I am a wife too and I think it is important to put a little effort in my skin and what I wear.  Not in a vain, think about it all the time way.  But, in a way that honors your husband. You know, like making a statement that says " I've not given up on myself". 
 Got me ?

 So, here it goes:

1.Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream

I am much, much closer to being forty than thirty and my face was really starting to show it. I did a lot of research on the Olay Regenerist products and just dove in and tried them. 

Without sounding like a commercial - They are wonderful and I saw results in a day.  Even my hubby asked if I had done something different to my skin. While they are pricey, they are very worth it and my cream has lasted a long time. You don't need much and I just use this cream at night. 

2.Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel

I love, love this kit ! It really smooths my skin out and helps with all that terrible sun damage I have.

Microdermabrasion, you are my BFF. LYLAS.

( In case you did not grow up in the eighties - that's Best Friend Forever, Love you like a sister)

3.Ulta - Pink-A BOO Nail Polish

I could not find a picture for this one, but trust me it is the perfect natural shade. Very flattering.  It's not very pink at all, but very natural without being white.  I don't know how to describe it, but it is very flattering. 

Love it !

4.Toms Kenya Stripe Wedges

These are the most comfortable shoes and so cute ! I got them for Mother's Day. I love Toms One for One program.  For every Toms you purchase they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need.  Plus, wedges really make your legs look good, don't they ?

Lived In Chic.

Last year, our family was invited over to eat dinner with a family that we adore and look up to.  They are a wonderful Christian family that has home schooled and is rearing five beautiful and Godly children.  They are an amazing family ! Their house is also beautiful and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like inside.  The dinner was perfect - fresh vegetables from their garden and a fresh peach cobbler with ice cream. It just doesn't get any better.  They asked if we wanted to tour the house and of course I said yes ! They had done many renovations on it and I loved how it was decorated.  But, the thing I loved more than anything was that there was laundry piled on the guest bed, the kids beds upstairs were still unmade, the master bath had towels hanging everywhere.  It was therapeutic to know that this family was a real, messy, family.  Their house was not dirty ( that's different), but it was beautifully lived in. And the best thing was that they never said " excuse the mess".  I loved that ! They were confident in the fact that they have kids and this is what it looks like most of the time. They were real.

Recently, The Nester posted about Lived In Chic and it was brilliant and wonderful.  Take a peek at the photos and watch the video at the end.  You'll love it. They are a reminder to me to stop worrying about everything not being in it's place, container, shelf or drawer and to enjoy the moments I have with my children regardless of the mess.  These are special times and one day the kids will be grown and gone and my house will be perfectly clean and quiet.  Then I'll be wishing there were Legos and jewelry all over the floor, dirty hand prints on the wall and sticky pop sickle wrappers on the kitchen table.   Oh the beauty that can be seen in the mess.

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