Another big week

Jack's new touch board

Me and Ella

This week was Ella's 5th birthday. It was a big day- time with YaYa and then a big party with loads of friends. It was a great day and we all left the party completely exhausted. Jack had tubes put in his ears the next day and that was a big deal too! We're hoping this will help our little guy with his language skills and his constant ear infections.

The next day Scott and I attended a special conference for parents of visually impaired children. It was a great conference and we learned so much. We learned that our little guy practices a lot of normal VI behavior. We got some great ideas for activities for him- for independent play. There's a picture of Jack playing with his new touch board that Ella and I made for him today!

Big week

Scott and Ella in Branson

My Aunt B

We had a big week- we had to leave town for a family funeral. My Aunt B passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. We had a good time as a family together to remember her and celebrate her life. I was asked by our family to perform the service. It was an honor for me to have a chance to lead our family in such a time and to have time to reflect on her life. She was a beautiful woman with a sweet spirit and a great sense of humor. She loved her family and we will miss her- we already do...

Scott, Ella, Jack and I then headed north to Branson for a big reunion of families with children adopted from China. We met our buddies from Dallas for the event. It was great fun- the event was sponsored by the Shanghai Circus- it was a cultural event that allowed the children an opportunity to learn Chinese games and they prepared a traditional lunch and we had a private showing of the circus. The girls also had a chance to meet the acrobats. Our girls always have a great time together. It was a big weekend for Jack- his first road trip and his first dip in the pool! He loved the water! He also took 4 steps on his own! It was so fun to see him just take off on his own! We were thrilled.

The third girl- Tallulah

18 months ago Tallulah joined the family- she was all of 4 lbs. and the prettiest little thing we'd ever seen. She was from a litter of pups that my cousin Annette's beagle had. We saw the pups when they were 2 days old. Annette picked Tallulah out for us- when she was just 3 weeks old. Tallulah confounds us with her chewing habit- of our favorite shoes, and she has something for mermaid dolls- two have bitten the dust. She bays like a beagle and she trees squirrels and she has presented at least one deceased squirrel to Scott as a gift. When she was just a little thing- she swiped some of my new yarn- and had the time of her life- decorating the backyard with red and orange yarn- wrapping tangled yarn around treeand s the storage building- it looked like our entire yard was a large colorful spider web. That had to be in the artist in her- right? She serves as a warmer on cold days and she allows Jack a boost when he wants to stand and needs something to hold on to. She's the cracker buster- cleaning the floor under Jack's booster. She put on 4 lbs his first 3 months home! She loves crackers. She is our precious third girl and we're happy to have her. We think she's pretty great- our wonder beagle.

More pics

Ella's Graduation day from Pre-K

Jack's new quilt from Miss Jeanie

Ballet Recital

Holy Smokes how can he be any cuter?

Race for the Cure 2008

YaYa's 5th Anniversary of being cancer free!

Update: Home 6 months

Life has been good- Jack's been home almost 6 months and he is doing well. He's getting so big! Ella graduated from pre-k and had a big ballet recital that was very exciting. We've battled our share of illnesses over the last 6 months. We've literally had an illness each month- from a parasite to chicken poxes to the flu! But we've seen so much progress with Jack it's been amazing. His baby babbling is getting more complex and he can stand on his own and he's taken a couple of steps. He's a big snuggler- he will interrupt his play and come and find us for a little snug. He's started a special day program where he receives his speech, physical and occupational therapy on site. He is in a class with other children with special needs. He's the only visually impaired child in the class. His receptive language is growing and he's very responsive when we ask him questions. He is a happy, happy baby with a sweet spirit. We are so pleased to be settling in with him.

Ella is a great big sister- she's a big helper and she is very gentle and sweet with him. It's been fun to watch her bond with him. She is a generous child- willing to share time with mom and dad. Her birthday is coming up later this month and she has been planning the social event of the year- her 5th birthday party!

So life is good and I've decided to start updating our blog again.