Ethan's First Trip to Epcot

It was such a beautiful day today when we got home from church, that I suggested we take a drive up to Epcot.  I've been dying to get back to Disney World.  And Ethan has not been yet. 

So after some "begging", Bill loaded us up in the van and we were off.  Ethan took a nap in the car, which was great.  He woke up as we were almost there.  The girls did not know where we were going. They thought we were going to lunch, and they did not understand why it was taking so long. When they finally saw the Mickey Ears on I-4, they got so excited.

We arrived around 2 PM and ate lunch. Then we met Rick, Jenn & girls plus some friends for a few minutes.  It was fun to see them.  Then we went on Nemo. Ethan's first Disney ride. He liked it.  We walked around after the ride and saw the fish. He loved that too.  Then we went to ride Figment.  He was okay with this ride, until the end.  The girls & Bill rode Test Track & Ethan & I waited. He did okay.  Whenever he got fussy, I walked and he was good.  We left around 5:15.  It was a great afternoon. Ethan did great for his first time at Disney.  I'm looking forward to taking him to Magic Kingdom and meeting Mickey Mouse.

Enjoy the photos.  OH, Ethan is wiped out.  He was falling asleep on the way home, and got mad because he was not in his bed.  Then I tried to feed him dinner. He ate a little, drank some of his bottle, and wanted to go to sleep. I changed him, and put him to bed. No crying tonight. 

 

First ride on Figment

Hannah's Story

Please watch this video.  If you want more info on Bring Me Hope or if you would like to sponsor a child or volunteer at camp, please let me know.  Thanks


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7FIQdjiSD8

Jadyn's new haircut

Jadyn has been begging to get her hair cut like mine.  I was not too sure. Bill did not want her to have short hair.  Well, she has been begging again, so I thought "why not".  So today I took both Abby & Jadyn to get their hair cut.  Abby only got a trim.  But Jadyn got a lot cut off. She is so happy now. She is afraid of going to school tomorrow because she's afraid her friends will think she looks different. 
What do you think?  Do you like her new haircut? 
                                           

Outside Fun

It is a beautiful afternoon.  Mid 70's.  A great time to be outside.  Almost warm enough for the pool.  Maybe in another month.

Today we bought Ethan a new slide.  Bill put it together and we put it in the yard.  I think his big sisters liked it more than he did.  :-) 

Bill also got the bouncy house out.  This was Ethan's first time in it.  He had fun. But his sisters bounced a little too hard. 

I wish FL weather stayed like this all year. It's perfect.  But the reality is that the hot, humid weather is coming.  The joys of living in FL.

Enjoy the slide show.

Sick Kids & Hanging Out

We have 2 sick kids here.  Ethan has a little cold. And Jadyn has strep throat.  Thursday the school called for us to pick her up.  So I called the doctor and she confirmed strep.  This photo was taken during the day yesterday.  Jadyn was so bored. She preferred being at school. :-)

 

Zoe has found that she loves Ethan's little couch. Whenever she is out and has freedom, she crawls up here and sleeps.  It's so cute.  

 

Abby also loves the little couch. And Ethan came over and sat with her.  It was a precious moment.

 

Ethan has also decided (since we told the doctors that he can't do this) that he will hold his own bottle.  

We also met Ethan's Cleft Team today. We had a good visit.  You can read more about it on his website.  www.ethanwilliam.com  Below is a photo of the quilt & "cleft" teddy bear they gave to him.

We've been home 3 weeks. Life is getting easier.  We are sleeping. Ethan is eating.  And Ethan is so happy. I can't tell you how many times the cleft team told us that they are amazed at how adjusted he is.  They could clearly tell that he has bonded with us.  And they were happy that he did not want them to hold him.  That is a sign of bonding.  Ethan is a joy to our family.  And his big sisters adore him.  It's fun watching them all play together.  And I love watching them try to make each other laugh.  We are enjoying life and enjoying our 4 wonderful kids. 

Until next time.....

Some Updates

We've been home almost 3 weeks.  I can't believe it. So much has changed in 3 weeks.
-We found a new home for our dog Zack. We were sad to see him go. But happy that he is with a good family who loves him very much. Zack is being spoiled and is loving each moment.  Zoe has adjusted to her brother being gone. She is now being spoiled and loves her new found freedom.
-Abby & Jadyn have seemed to grow up overnight.  Before we left for China, they were still our babies. We still helped with baths & getting dressed etc.  Ever since we got home, they have told us they can do it all themselves.  It's bittersweet.  I'm so happy that they are able to do it themselves, but sad that they are growing up too fast.
-Tiffani has grown too.  She is now the little mommy helper.  She loves taking care of her brother. I don't have to ask.  If Ethan is with me when I pick up the high school kids, Tiff will get out of the car at home and she gets Ethan out of his car seat and carries him inside.  She loves to take care of him.  And I love seeing her take care of him. She's such a huge help.
-Ethan has adjusted well.  It took 2 weeks, and he's finally eating & sleeping.  I love it. He is doing much better with the spoon in his mouth. And he is doing better with sleep.  Tonight, he did not even cry when I put him to bed. He was ready for sleep. I pray it lasts all night again.  He is walking everywhere, and even trying to run.  It's so cute to see this little boy walk.
Today I had a teacher conference with Jadyn's teacher.  She said Jadyn is doing great.  She has no problems with her.  She's quiet, but starting to come out of her shell (in a good way).  She showed me Jadyn's journal that they write in every day.  Jadyn has been writing a lot about Ethan.  It was precious to read.  She also talked about Jadyn's reading. They were given a test on reading comprehension.  Based on her performance, it is predicted that she has a high probability of scoring at or above grade level on the end of the year word reading task. Her probability of reading success score is 93%.  Her teacher told me she has not seen a score this high in her class.  Her reading level is 6/8.  Typically the kids in K are at 3/4.  So we are very proud of Jadyn.
The girls had their Valentine party on Friday. They loved it.  They also had donuts for dads.  Again a favorite to have dad come to class and eat donuts with them.

Here are a few photos of the kids from this week.  Enjoy!

 

  

  

  

  

 

Project Chosen

To read a brief summary of our adoption journey's, follow this link. 

http://threadsoffaithfulness.blogspot.com/

Family Life

Well life has been busy since we've been back from China.  Thankfully Ethan is getting on a schedule so life is getting a little bit easier.  The girls are all old enough that they are HUGE helpers for me.  So that makes my life easier too. 

Abby & Jadyn have been busy in kindergarten.  They love going to school.  And we are now seeing such an improvement in their reading and writing.  Jadyn is now in a program at school where she has to check out a library book, read it, and then come back to school and take a little test.  She is so excited.  Only 4 other children in her class are doing this.  Abby is reading, but not at the same level as Jadyn. And that's okay.  She's going at her own pace.  They both love to write. And they are excited that they can write sentences now.  I have taken some photos of their work. 



Friday was also donuts for dad's.  They were so excited that daddy was going to eat donuts with them. And yes, daddy had to eat 2 donuts. :-) 

Last Sunday, my dear friends came over for a visit.  We all met 6 years ago when we were adopting our 1st daughters.  It was great to see them all.  Our families have grown quite a bit in the last 6 years. So the house was full of kids. I loved it.



And finally for this update, Ethan went to church for the first time today.  I was nervous.  But only planned on going for the 8:00 service and volunteering in his class (this is my normal volunteer time).  Ethan had a great time. He wanted down and did not want to be held.  He ate 2 cheerios (his first) and liked them. But did not ask for more.  He was excited by all the toys.  Of course I took photos of his first time in the church nursery.



Today is Valentines Day AND Chinese New Year.  I hope to be able to get some cute photos of the girls & Ethan in their new China outfits today.  If so, I'll put them up on the blog. 

We are doing great!  Having 4 kids is not that much harder than having 3.  I do love that the girls can help me.  That does make a huge difference.  And Ethan is such a good little boy. He loves to smile and he loves to play. 

Love,
Debbie

Welcome to our new family blog

Well, since we've added Ethan to our family, I felt that I can't really keep up with "My Princess Journals" since he's not a princess.  And "Another Blessing On The Way", well he's here.  So I wanted to do a family blog to keep everyone updated on our every day life.  So I've started "Our Miracles And Blessings". 

I had a hard time trying to find a new blog name.  So many that I wanted, were taken.  I wanted to make a family blog that we can grow with.  If our family changes, I don't want to have to do another new blog.  So I thought about our family.  And I truly feel that our children are miracles and blessings.  And I was happy that the address was available. 

So welcome to our new family blog.  I will do my best to update often. 

Love,
Debbie