Merry Christmas!

I hope it's been a wonderful one for all of you. Larry worked hard to bring our day back to Jesus and I think we're both happy with how it turned out. This morning Larry read the Christmas story from one of Julie's books. At certain intervals he would stop and tell Julie to get a present and bring it to her table, each time repeating how Jesus came as a gift to us. When the story was done, the kids got to open the presents on the table. Julie's favorite gift was her gymnastics outfit. She put it on immediately after opening it and wouldn't take it off until bedtime. My guess is that she'll want to wear it tomorrow too!

She also really loved her new chef hat and apron!

Melody was happy about her Turbo Top...

...and her new bib!

The gift I was probably most excited to give the girls was a dollhouse. It's called My First Dollhouse and it's just perfect for young children. I am really looking forward to watching the girls expand their pretend play using the house. Fun! (As a side note, Julie is pretending SO much more recently. It is amazing to see, since that is one of the things that contributed to her autism diagnosis a year ago. Now she tells me "pretend snake" and we have to slither around on the floor, and that's just one of many examples! She has also finally decided that she wants to do nearly everything "all by self!" She has truly come so far!)


Other gifts included some CDs, DVDs, a few books, and pom poms. We tried to limit the number of gifts but they seemed to multiply anyway. It worked out fine in the end since most of the things were small with a few bigger items.

This evening we threw a birthday party for Jesus. We made birthday placemats, blew up balloons, lit 3 candles on a cake and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Finally, Larry read the Christmas story one more time before bed. Tucked into the last page was one more present: some glow-in-the-dark stars. We took them upstairs and played with them while talking about the wise men and the star one last time. It was a really nice day! Thank you Grandma, Oma D, Oma B, Tante and Aunt Noreen for your special part in our day. Your gifts meant a lot to all of us!

Once again, Merry Christmas!

Scrapbook Page

Every now and then I throw one of these together just for fun. I don't actually print them out or put them in a book, but I enjoy dabbling in the world of digital scrapbooking.

Credits: Paper and elements by Megan Farrow and Amanda Laborde as part of the collaborative Whimsical Wonderland kit.

Little Miss Photogenic

Many of you have commented on how well Melody photographs. I've gotten similar comments about her in real life, one from a grocery store worker who told me to go buy myself a shotgun for when she turns 16 and guys come calling. Eeeek! First I need to get through babyhood, thank you very much! As for Melody's cuteness, I have to agree. I don't feel bad doing so either, especially since I can't take any genetic credit for it. She is one pretty little girl! I wish her birth parents could see her now, but that's quite another topic. Here are some photos of little Miss Photogenic!






And finally, one of my all-time favorites...

Happy Half Birthday Julie!

Julie is officially 3 1/2 today! She was very excited all day long and kept repeating "Julie half birthday" and "I three half!" We let her open a Christmas gift sent to us by special friends in CA, which she loved. Thank you Cheyanne and family! We will have tons of fun with the CD and the game you sent. When I look back over the last six months I am amazed at how much Julie has grown up. In that amount of time she has gone from a crib to a bed, from diapers to underwear, from terrified of separation to confidently attending preschool, from only child to big sister, and from barely talking to making attempts at conversation. It is truly wonderful to watch her grow and change. I love her so much that it hurts. I know that all you mamas out there know exactly what I mean.

I want to share one cute Julie story in honor of her special day. Yesterday she came up to me trying to tell me something that I didn't quite understand. She finally had pity on my and signed it too (she gets that signing will help mommy understand her speech...smart cookie!). It turns out she was saying "hot mitten." Hmmm..."hot mitten?" After a few repetitions I finally realized that she was looking for her potholder mitt for her play kitchen! How cute is that? "Hot mitten" describes it pretty well, I think! It reminds me of how, as a young child, I used to call windshield wipers "wipe-drivers." I love how kids' minds work! It will definitely be fun to tell Julie about her "hot mitten" one day.

Today was also Julie's preschool holiday program. It was so very sweet. Her class and another class performed several songs and then there were treats for all. Julie got a gift from her teachers as well as from Santa. Here are some of the still photos from the day...

She was an elf in one of the songs, hence the hat!

Julie and her fellow elves make toys (she's holding a paint brush and a block).

Opening the gift from her teachers...

A Julie ornament!

What a special day for my special little girl! I look forward to many, many more.

Shades of Us

Snow Bunnies

Julie 2 Years Later

Here are some more pictures of Julie to compare to the ones I posted from December 2005 and 2006 (two posts below). Look how tall she's gotten compared to the counter!




And here's another comparison by our Christmas bell. Wow!
December 2005


December 2007


Finally, here is a picture of Julie's special "cake" for her Adoption/Family Day celebration. Each year we get or make a treat in the shape of a ring to symbolize the never ending love and commitment that we share. Adoptions and marriages have many common elements if you think about it. This year we made a chocolate chip cookie ring, yum!

We've Been Elfed!

You've probably seen plenty of renditions of this by now, but it's just so funny! Click HERE to check it out!

Two Years

Two years ago today I walked into a small room in Fuzhou, China and laid eyes on a beautiful little girl with a round face and very little hair. I just stood there and stared at her while she smiled back at me. The man holding her finally asked "do you want to hold her?" which, of course, I did! Little 17-month old Julie was then placed in my arms and I haven't let go since! So much has happened in the last two years. My baby has become a preschooler who continues to amaze me with her sense of humor and sweet nature. She will take any opportunity to laugh, at herself, at the situation, at her sister, you name it. I'm not just talking about a chuckle either. Julie laughs with gusto, squealing and bouncing and grinning from ear to ear. She brings such light to our lives! Julie is also one of the least selfish children I know. She has never been one to grab things from another's hands and she is very gracious when others grab from her. I have never heard her utter "MINE!" She is happy to share her food with Melody by breaking off small pieces and putting them in Melody's mouth. In the car, Julie gladly passes Melody Cheerios or fish crackers in between taking bites for herself. I have honestly never seen her be mean to another person. She teaches me so very much about life and love. I thank God every day for the blessing of being Mommy to my little big girl Julie.

December 5, 2005

December 5, 2006

December 5, 2007

I know, that's not a very good picture from today. I forgot to take more! I'll get some better ones tomorrow. For now, here's one from December 1st, after eating chocolate. Can you believe how much she's changed in 2 years?

Baby Fun

Good times with our littlest one!

Payback!

This picture is from November 20th. Compare it to the picture at the top right of my blog, which was taken this summer shortly after arriving home with Melody.

Winter Blues, Autumn Yellows

We had our first real snow and ice storm yesterday. The roads were pretty bad for a while and our porch/sidewalk looked like an ice rink. We even had to cancel our dinner plans with friends. Today it was in the 40s however, so everything melted away. Here's a shot from late last night after the ice coated things. I know it's hard to see because it's so dark, but all the shiny stuff is ice!

To remind us all of the lovely fall weather that has now slipped away, here are some pictures from November 16th. The first one is one of my all-time favorite pictures of the girls.