Marking Four years with our "little star" Esther!!!

So, July 4th marked Esther's Forever Family Day...her 4th year home with us!! Hard to believe 4 years have passed with our sweet little princess! She is a strong character...quiet...but STRONG! I think that strength is what helped her to be a survivor. There have been many sleepless nights, medical issues, night terrors, passive aggressive battles, attachment issues, developmental delays...just to name a few. But here we are at four years and can't imagine what our family would be like without her! The Lord picked this precious "Star" to be part of our family. We are so grateful to Him for the healing progress that has transpired in her little heart as she overcomes trust issues and learning difficulties. She is a fighter and a beautiful, compassionate, full of nurturing for her babies, sly sense of humor, girly-girl!! We love you sweetie!!

Matthias home for 1 year!!

We will have Matt dedicated at church this Sunday marking his one year home anniversary! We are calling it "Forever Family" day for both Esther and Matt as July 3rd and 4th mark their annivery of citizenship (day they stepped on US soil Esther 4 years ago and Matt 1 year ago) and the start of our lives together as a family. It is hard to believe a year has passed. Matt has grown physically, emotionally, cognatively, and brotherly:O) I recall our crazy summer last year when Matt was trying to figure out his new boundaries, learn English, taste new foods, and figure out his role in his new family. It was really a time of survival, chaos, and being flexible as we rolled with many aspects that were part of adjustment for all of us.


It is so fun to look at these pictures and see how this little boy has matured and changed. His glasses have changed his life dramatically as he is much more coordinated and loves to point out details in books he could previously not see. With how poor his vision was it is amazing how well he adapted and was successful at so many things. I believe that is just part of his "go for it" personality!
Matt also received tubes in his ears over the last year. The doctor described the stuff in his ears as "amber goo". Very technical, but said it was no wonder Matt was so loud...he could not hear very well. Again, it shows Matt's ability and aptitude to acquire language and communicate as well as he did. He is an overcomer for sure!! He loves to be the leader in anything that others will allow. He has quickly learned English and is making great progress on lots of difficult sounds for him each week in speech class. Some could call his budding leadership style "bossy", but I am sure the Lord has great plans for Matt's desires to be in charge.

Matt has learned how to be the littlest brother in a family with 5 kids. He loves wrestling with his big bros and fighting the "bad guys" as seen in the photo with his sister. We are trying to promote the idea of him attacking those dinosaurs and keeping them away from his sister princess instead of battling her. He loves to swing his pretend weapons with gusto and lots of boyish growls...we just need to make sure no one is near by :O)

There have been lots of medical visits for Matt this year and some surgeries too...not his favorite as you can see in the photo. But he really tries his best and always tells me how brave he is. His next event will be getting a specialized retainer called a palatal obturator which will give him a solid roof of his mouth for speech purposes until his cranial plate is large enough for his next major surgery between 7-10 years old. Matt really is quite brave and always shakes his doctors hands and can't wait to get his hands on any medical equipment they will let him touch.

Those of you who know Matt from New Day or here in the states...know he is busy and an explorer to the max! One of his funnest events this year was a fundraiser for the children's ward at the local hospital. It was called "The Big Rig" where kids got to get inside every large vehicle from garbage trucks to fire trucks, back hoes to police cars and push buttons, beep horns, and make things move with the help of the owners. Matt, who usually is being told to keep his hands from making poor choices, was free to try everything he could. He was sooooo happy!


I want to thank those of you who have visited Matt's progress over this past year and have continued to keep him in your prayers as he has grown and adjusted to life in our family of 7. Matthias - gift of God - is true to the name the Lord game him. We really cannot picture our lives without him. He adds spunk and personality to our family that some days just makes me laugh. He is known for his chatter style amidst any group of people with "hey, let me just tell you something..." and his same knock knock joke he likes to tell over and over...and then he comes up with phrases like "my mommy is the bestest and just loves me all day". How can you beat that? We love you Matt and are so happy to celebrate 1 year with you!!!

Spring Adventures

Brother and sister bonding!! We work on lots of social issues and cues all the time with these two :O) Nice to see some luvin' and protective natures going on. Although Esther is two weeks older than Matt...Matt now likes to tell us "Esther older but I Bigger" as he weighs about 8 pounds more. An awesome event held last weekend at one of our local parks. A big fundraiser for our pediatric wing of local hospital. There were about 40 vehicles of all kinds with their drivers there for kids to hop in, toot horns, push buttons, etc. As you can see by the look of concentration on Matt's face and his seat belt fastened...it is all about business as he pretends to drive the Bobcat!

Feelin' a little like an Ogre?

Here is our thespian with his cool outfit from Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. Awesome play and fundraiser for our son heading to Scotland next summer. He took out two of the good guys in a sword play fight scene and then died well! Way to go Evan! Next, is our two egg hunters. Both had full baskets and sugar highs by the time we were done. Some smart people at our church filled over half the eggs with non edibles...boy was I glad!! Matt being the go getter he is...opened all eggs by evening. Esther and Ruthie still savoring their basket even today. Too funny!

Prom...a stretch Hummer...16 high school students...all just friends...what fun! Matt thought the Hummer was the best...cup holders...jammin' music...lights flashin'. Was all I could do to keep him from hoppin' aboard with all the teens:O)

Spring is here!!

Well, this week marked my first week back to work and I believe spring has finally...truly arrived here. Matt, Ess, and our neighbor Paul (a sweet blessing just down our road) decided to visit our neighbors horses off our back acre. We took them some yummy grasses to share...but somehow the erratic motions of three 4 year olds scared them off the fence line:O) This is on a windy spring day down in a local park with a friend and her son. Our spring tends to be on the windy side here as we get winds coming in off the mountains with the large changes in temperature from night to day and moving fronts. Can you tell the wind that day by Esther's nifty hair style? She is very proud at how long her hair is getting. She still laughs at her baby pictures and says "Me no hair!"

Tennis anyone? This is Evan's first year playing. We are blessed with a friend who does tennis lessons and gave Evan some pointers over our spring break here. Can you believe he is 6'1" now? I am not sure he is slowing down either. Thankfully, his feet have steadied at size 12. All I can say is WOW!

Answers to prayers...Spring Sports...Esther's Fashions.

So, you can see me there with my buds and my IV pole...but here is the rest of the story! God is healing my body in amazing ways! After 12 days of IV therapy my blood results were so good, the doc pulled my pic line and I was done. Mind you, I was supposed to be on antibiotic therapy for 4 weeks. Miracle of God's healing power #1. This week, I went to ENT to have an invasive ear procedure, which ended up being cancelled because my ear was back in the normal ranges on all accounts! Miracle of God's healing power #2. I shared last entry that in my scripture/journaling the scripture I wrote down before I went into the hospital about the Lord bringing me to "wholeness and healing". Well, I testify to that on these two accounts! I am so thankful for all who have prayed and blessed our family in oh so many ways I could not begin to tell you! My brain is still healing and I am waiting to drive...but oh the joy of being able to walk, hear, play with my kids, eat dinner with my family, and be out in the sunshine again! Baseball is in full "swing". Yuck, yuck! My favorite outfielder making his moves around the bases.

Back to the soccer field. Ru scored her first goal this spring season over the weekend!!

So, Esther might look like she gained weight? But the truth of the matter is that she has learned the art of fashion layering. One night we counted her layers and she had 7 shirts on and one of them was a fleece jacket. Maybe she has taken to her heritage of layering clothes in the winter cuz she does hate to be cold. Anyway, I enjoyed many of her fashion shows while I was still bed bound...I mean who couldn't be wowed by a princess with antennae?

Sadie Hawkins Plus a Need for Prayer...

I will start with the fun photo of my son CJ with his Sadie Hawkins date. It was an 80's theme...they are so cute and they had a great time...they are great friends!!

The need for prayer I am asking is for my complete healing. Two weeks ago I went to the ER after two rounds of antibiotics battling a sinus infection. By the time I went to ER I had a tremendous headache. It turns out my infection had gone septic and I had bacterial spinal meningitis. The docs said if I had come even 6 hours later I would not have made it. I spent 8 days in the hospital and was released 1 week ago to come home. My recovery has been slow, but hopeful. I walked in to see one of the specialists the other day and he told me I was a walking miracle for all I am able to do all ready. I have tremendous headaches each day and have antibiotic therapy several times a day at home. There have been so many sweet people who have come to our aid with meals, rides for kids, taking the kids out etc...it has been a blessing to feel all the love that has been poured upon us.

My Mom flew in to help and will be leaving next Wed. This will be the true test when she leaves...I pray I am more functional by then. I believe the Lord is going to completely restore me through some scripture He gave me before this all happened. So, I would surely appreciate agreement in prayer on that end.

My second prayer request really is for Matt and Ess. This whole thing has been very unsettling and confusing for them to have me away for a week and sick in bed and not able to interact with them like usual. Meningitis has side effects of sensory overload so I just can't take alot of noise or light or jostling...so it is tough to interact even for short periods with high energy four year olds. Please pray for them for peace and security in their hearts through this season of recovery. Thanks so much for your prayers!!!