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!!!
Next Gramps and I revisited days of old of snorkeling in the cold northern waters...but this time we were smarter and wore shorty wet suits :O)
As noted in the picture above...I had everyone choose a flat stone that we stacked in a little memorial as we threw rocks in a mighty glacial river (the brownish one) that was converging with a mountain river (the clear one). I spent some time reflecting here on this season of change...rivers converging into something new...Robert had just been layed off from his job of 27 years...thankful for all we have been givin' but on the horizon of something new?! At present, still seeking the Lord, job hunting, and waiting...excited and a little nervous for what lies ahead.
Ess and Matt made new personal bests this year in hiking. They made it almost 3 miles before having to be carried!! Way to go kids!!
In our area...summer means fresh cherries. A fun family event to go and pick our own...wish you coulda seen all the red cherry happy faces when we got back home :O)
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!
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!
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!
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! 
