Love this girl!

 Morgan is only the second girl in FIVE generations on my husbands side. 

Needless to say we were very surprised when she showed up LOL!! 

Our road with her has not always been easy.

 She was so far behind K-2nd grade.  Extremely slow to learn to read, her letters, her colors.  

So many years of endless worry.

I see her today and truly I stand in AWE.

She has found herself through our adoption

and most especially FeiFei.

Like someone said "Everyone should have such a cheering committee as those two!"

Today we got to cheer her again!

She is incredibly aggressive but her beautiful long hair always in place!

THe littles use her shoes to find her on the field.

Go, LALA, GO!!!

Ugh, not a goal yet!!

She has turned in to a very smart (yes smart LOL)

Beautiful

Competitive

Determined

Girl

Although she isn't our oldest, she soooo acts like to oldest.

We laugh because this girl of ours is big - we think she will be closer to six feet than not.  But she carries herself with such grace - I only wish I had a little of her confidence when I was 10!

Another First!

You know it is almost Easter at our house.

The boys got their hair cut - including Cav's very first haircut.

I have to admit it made me kind of sad.  Thinking of all the years of his hair buzzed basically shaved, no one sitting their holding his hand, calming his fears.  Almost 4 years old, but now he is home.

He came to us with straw hair, shaved close.

But with nutrition, love (ok not much to do with hair LOL!) and nutrition - his hair is shiny and finally growing but still sparser than my other kids.

Looking pretty darn handsome!!

Blessings, grace & humor

We spent Monday and Tuesday in Denver - I'll post later about our awesome crazy adventure LOL!  BUT most importantly we met with the Amputee Clinic at Denver's Children.

We met with NINE . . yes . . 9 people in one tiny exam room plus part of our family.  We let the other kids play in the waiting area and little man went back and forth between the two.  We have learned along the way that having everyone meet all together means everyone is one the same page.

A Blessing

We met with the orthopedic surgeon and his PA.   They also do all of the orthopedic oncology surgeries and we could tell by the time he spent with us and his overall caring demeanor.

Truly a blessing.

This was the man who looked at Cav's 3 pictures of his little baby legs contained in his original file and accurately diagnosed the Tibial Hemimilia which is a 1 in a million birth defect.  This allowed us the opportunity for our family to discuss caring for an amputee BEFORE accepting his file.

We also met with a Rehab Dr (we have met her before at little man's skeletal dysplasia clinic.) and she is wonderful.  She was so nice and also confirmed she wouldn't touch Cav's hands.  She said he was so functional.  She also said, as they were trying to figure out if he needed a wheelchair, that he would master it in no time, but she feared for everyone else's safety LOL!

Humor!

Little man and Cav are like two puppies and they were tossling all around her and I was mildly embarrassed while trying to listen to the surgeon, but she was so nice.

Grace!

We also saw 3 prosthetist and low and behold one visits down in the Springs.

Truly another blessing.

He said we can come by and he'll show all of the kids what Cav's new legs will look like.

Another blessing!

Sooo, we will be doing surgery June 4th

He will stay in the hospital for a few days to help with pain control.

He will probably NOT be casted since he is a bit . . um . . wild!  They will just use soft wraps.

This means he will be able to go swimming with the other kids by about 3 weeks.

He will fitted for his legs by 6-8 weeks.

By the time school starts HE WILL BE WALKING!!

Matthew 15:31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Ordinary people

If you haven't known us our whole journey let me catch you up.  Somewhere around the time our little man was 2 or 3 we became aware of the fact that little people are considered a bad omen in many countries, they have NO future in most countries.  Simply this was a seed that would eventually lead to FeiFei.  Yes, it took us 2 years but we finally began the adoption process.  We chose to adopt her because we had room for one more, we couldn't imagine our little man lost in a country with no hope simply because he is smaller than normal.

Cav - he was jsut plain old God.  God placed him in our path and even now I look at him and wonder what amazing things he will accomplish one day.

Yes, the journey is hard.  They argue, they still are trying to figure out the alpha of the group, Cav doesn't understand boundaries, um . . . really Cav is three LOL!

BUT, what I didn't expect was the reactions of strangers.

People I AM NOT A FREAKING SAINT!

I am an ordinary person, we are an ordinary family.  We had an extra room in our house, our hearts.

THe only thing we did different is that we said

 YES!

Would it have been easier to ignore the call

MAYBE

But even now I can NOT imagine our family

SMALLER.

I have been inundated with the fact that the disciples were also NORMAL ordinary people.

Maybe it is jsut the time of year,

Maybe it is just me,

But HE has made something very clear, in scripture

and in life ~

He uses ordinary people for His work.

My house is usually a disaster,

I am the worst cook, and I usually forget lunch until I'm reminded.

I run out of bread and milk ALL THE TIME!

We are late for school EVERYDAY!

There are days I just want to HIDE

So PLEASE stop calling me a SAINT, because really we are an ordinary family, with ordinary issues we jsut happen to have been blessed with a few more children, who's personal disabilities can be seen by the world but also who fill our lives with so much love, laughter and hope because of Him.

Water Slide!

It is the beginning of Spring Break, it is BEAUTIFUL out and my kids LOVE water.  

Nothing involving water opens until labor day -

 soooo, they begged this momma into turning on the water.

Go Fei Go!!

Oops a little fast and a little top heavy!

Let's go again, Lala!!

A little lost with a change in schedule, 

and we have to figure out something for his legs.

Oh and we HATE being cold.

BUT, he likes the water table!

Did I mention I have to figure out something for his legs!

Cav's progress

We have had this little boy in our lives for jsut over 3 months - it seems like a lifetime.  

Today I was looking for some adoption paperwork and I came across his pictures

 that we treasured before we traveled.

Now, I can hardly look at them without wanting to cry.

We only SAW a little boy,

NOW, we see his sadness.

He came to us with this sadness,

he came home with this sadness.

NOW, everyone comments how much he has SOFTENED.

Such a strange word I originally thought.

Now, this little boy makes jokes, 

he laughs,

and BEST of all

HE gave his momma a kiss on his very own! (swoon)

Ok, not the best pic, gotta love that he has even started giving me the cheesy 3 ear old fake smile, but man has this kid, who we almost left behind, come a LONG way in 3 very short months!

Playing Hookey

SO little man went from being my baby to our exact middle.  We have seen our sweet little angel turn into a very difficult little boy.  My heart aches over this transformation.  In addition, he is a chronic pain kid (he has one of the few types of dwarfism that experience pain).  Although he is super smart he has a difficult time telling those around him that he is in pain.  Instead, we find he jsut doesn't have a reserve to deal with annoying siblings people around him.  Take into account his whole life being turned upside down and you get a monster a very difficult little boy.

I finally had enough.  Wednesday's are the only mornings that I have 2 hours totally to myself.  So I decided that we needed to play hookey today and have some special one on one time.  We mainly jsut went to breakfast but boy did he love it!

Reading from the menu!

Wow chocolate chip waffles and bacon!

Yummy - Hot Chocolate in a mug like daddy!

That's some good food!

Highlights

What do you do when the wind has been terrible this year

AND

we found great windbreakers at GAP that were 50% off'

PLUS and additional 30% off?

We buy THREE even if they are HIGHLIGHTER YELLOW/GREEN!

Atleast I can find them all at the park!

And this must bethe sale color of the year they match my jacket I got for China!

Yesterday started our post daylight savings long days!

At the last minute I realized that we wouldn't get home until 7:30 

so I threw together a heathy planned out peanut butter dinner.

Until we got to the playgrounds and realized that the school ones are peanut free zones UGH

On the go dinner advice would be awesome!

Sunday snapshot - sunny days

We have had some beautiful days here in Colorado.

I love how our house is set up for the littles, our front yard has about an acre completely fenced in with a play structure, playhouse, and lots of kids stuff in the front yard.

This is my view from my office.

I can work and watch them play.

THREE months as siblings,

Three months with as little K's

Man, have they come a long way!

Standing in faith

Today was the culmination of our terrible first days in China.  I didn't realize until last night that we have basically been holding our breath for almost 3 months - wanna take a gander at possibly why connecting with Cav has been jsut a little harder?!?!

To catch you up we had NO IDEA that Cav's hand were also affected.  In the dimness of that horrible time all I could remember was 4 limbs affected meant we were no longer looking at a one in a million birth defect BUT more likely a syndrome.

It was confirmed today ~

His "defects" crossed the midline of the body,
This meant
A syndrome that could affect the -
Kidneys
Eyes
and . . .
HEART!

Let me tell you we were specific on what we COULD and could NOT handle.  I have met some incredible people who are heart families, I stand in AWE of them everyday.  We pray for their kids, we learn from their unselfishness, we ARE NOT a heart family.

And now we just might be.

.
.
.
And we stand in faith.  Truly I do not know how anyone can go through this without faith - and I am not saying that to get in an argument, frankly, I don't have the strength.  I say that because the human parts of me are so lacking, so heartbroken.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.


And did we see grace at every step today.  I hate even talking about this part of adoption because I don't want people thinking we made a huge mistake.  This 3 year old is NOT a mistake, he is our son.  My heartache tonight is no different than the heartache we felt after finding out little man would have dwarfism.  It is a sadness for what this child of mine will have to face.  

Many have asked if I am mad China lied, and truthfully, I once again see it as God's grace.  I know myself, and I know if everything was laid out in his file we would have quite simply said "NO!"  And this little boy would never have experienced his very first school pictures, with a momma who never buys school pictures buying the whole pack - shelling out the money jsut because they are his first AND he looks so cute!


For tonight I will drown my sorrows in a bucket of Blue Bell and tomorrow we will face life head on trusting in Him.

Life has begun

Spring sports have begun . . . Without the spring!!

The big kids are just plain busy. Luckily we have help with rides some of the time - & the rest . . . A clone would be great! Seriously, lacrosse, soccer, confirmation, volleyball & oh yeah lacrosse. I know some are going to say cut some out. But we did in the fall, also our two big kids miss out on doing a lot because of the littles. So for a couple weeks until it gets warmer out they will spend the few hours like this - ugh poor momma - pleasant goat is just NOT pleasant be weds lol!!

Sunday Snapshot - Laundry

 This baby is so sweet and so happy, we kind of just play life by ear with her. She is sure that naps are for babies - like Cavanaugh.  Everyday, I make her play quietly and everyday I find her asleep on the floor.

But today I just had to laugh

Cuz, she looks like I feel with all the laundry!