Sunday, November 10, 2013
Party Time!
Christi is a brave soul! She scheduled birthday parties for Sophi and Cali on the same day. Sophi from 3-5. Cali from 6:30-10:00. Both came off beautifully. Sophi had a "P" party, with pajamas, princesses, pizza and all things "P." Cali's was particularly fun. Christi took 12 girls to the mall and sent them in two groups on a scavenger hunt. They had to get physical items (a french fry you didn't pay for, earrings for Cali, etc.). They also had to get several different things on video (a random person singing happy birthday in a different language, all the girls in the group eating dessert together, etc.) They had a ball! Here are some pics:
Dressin' Up!
Halloween:
 |
| Ghost! |
 |
| Princess:) |
 |
| Taylor and Parker wore costumes they had when they were three years old! |
 |
| ??? |
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| Ninja! |
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| Cutest Cheetah Ever! |
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| Mulan:) |
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| Ready to Trick or Treat! |
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| Evil Princess? |
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Evaluations
Parents often lament that kids do not come with a manual. I think every parent could use an all-encompasing resource book that covered every possible question, situation and area of concern. Alas, this magic text does not exist. So we all do the best we can with what we have. Sometimes I get so caught up in the day to day responsibilities of life that I forget just how important being a father is. However, there are often little experiences that remind me once again that, second to husband, my most important title is Dad. This morning I had one of those little moments.
Taylor has started basketball practice. Gym time is hard to come by, so his team practices at 6:30am on Satudays. (BLEECH!) It has helped me to get up early on the weekend and get in some exercise of my own. In the car after practice we had a short conversation that made my day. I mentioned to him that due to a work conflict, I wouldn't be at home for the BCS National Championship game in January. You would have thought I had told him he was grounded for the next six months. He was so disappointed. He spent the rest of the drive trying to come up with creative ways to change my work schedule.
What a reward as a father. To know that he cared that much made me feel like I had passed an impromptu exam with flying colors. I'm so grateful for my kids and the relationships I have with them. They are amazing.
-Jer
Note: After we got home I was talking to Parker. I thought I'd see if I could go two for two.
Me: "I just found out I won't be here to watch the BCS National Championship game with you this year.
Parker: "Oh."
You win some, you lose some:)
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Sophi's Song
Today in the car Sophi was singing made-up songs with made-up tunes. Imagine her singing her little heart out with a melody that wanders all over the place without realizing she had an audience:
It's OK that I don't have any arms
Because I am fabulous
And high fashion
Like Jesi.
And when I grow up, I think I will have three kids
Not 100,000 kids.
Because that is too many to take care of and to feed.
Actually, maybe I will have four or five or even eight,
but not one hundred thousand.
Cuz' that will be too many.
:)
Conner Part Two
I just wanted to add my thoughts and feelings to Christi's post from yesterday. It has been such a difficult past few months with regard to Conner. The uncertainty we have felt has been so different from all of our other adoptions. A large part of this uncertainty has been focused around what Conner would want. Would he really want to start his life all over with a new family, a new culture, a new language and a new home? It was such a beautiful experience for me to view his two short videos yesterday. To hear him say himself that he wanted to be adopted and to have a mom and a dad! And to have him say it with such a beautiful and genuine smile! It erased any final doubts I had. I am SO excited to go get this young man and bring him home! We love you Conner! See you soon:)
-Dad
-Dad
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Conner
Pick yourself up off the floor...
I am blogging.
It's been a long time. Yes, I was waiting for the time when I felt ready to post about Conner-- and I kept thinking that time would be like, the next day. But it has taken me a long time to feel ready to write this post! In the meantime, I did decide to follow advice in the comments and just blog about other things, but every time I sat down to do so, something would come up. I would literally type one letter and the doorbell would ring or a kid would fall or some other interruption-- I guess it just wasn't meant to be!
But I'm here now, and I'm not only blogging, I'm blogging about CONNER. (Insert cheers!) And I'm ready to explain why I wasn't ready before. (:
As most of you know, we first fell in love with Conner WELL over a year ago after watching this video. Because his situation has been different than that of our other adopted kids, this process has taken a very long time. During that time, much has changed in our family. Obviously, our new home is at the top of the list of changes. It only makes Conner's adoption easier, knowing we have the perfect home for him. But other changes make adopting Conner harder. I won't get into those-- they are personal and involve many things, including sibling issues that we will keep private. Suffice it to say, a few months ago we began having doubts about whether or not adopting Conner was the right thing for us and for him.
To complicate matters, along with the pre-approval we received a couple of months ago, we were able to get a very detailed update on Conner. It was a FANTASTIC report. He is doing remarkably well and seems like a well-rounded, well-adjusted, just absolutely wonderful young man. He has people who love him and take care of him, he receives piano lessons, he goes to a good school, etc. All of these things are so good, but they also left us with questions. Does he want to be adopted? Is it the best thing for him? Would he really be happier here if he has to leave so much good behind and start anew at the age of 13? Is there another child who needs a home more than he does? And the list goes on…
We requested that our agency try to find out what his feelings were about being adopted. We knew, of course, that even if we did get this information back, it might not be accurate-- how can he even begin to know what adoption would mean for him? But we had to at least try to see if he had an opinion on it. In the meantime, we went about updating our home study, filing for immigration approval and so forth. Last week we received our I171h-- immigration approval to bring him home. It's a BIG step in the adoption process and we knew it was time for us to make SURE that this is what was the best thing to do.
We have agonized over this decision. We have prayed and fasted and talked about it for months. I wanted absolute SURETY that we were doing the right thing. We know the tremendous blessings of adoption but we also know the trials, the heartache, and the many tough issues it can bring. We know all of the issues that go along with blindness and the time it will require. Most importantly right now, we know that we have a child who is really struggling with the idea of this adoption. It is one thing to choose to do hard things for yourself-- it is an entirely different thing to choose hard things for your family. To make a choice that you know will require sacrifice from those you love with all of your heart. It is a heavy burden and a big decision.
I wish this were the part where I could tell you that God sent an angel down from heaven to declare that this was indeed the right thing to do. I guess that wouldn't require the faith that our Father in Heaven wants us to exercise. Instead, He has been letting us know in small and simple ways that we are on the right track-- to keep going forward and to trust Him. We are relying on Him with all of our hearts to be with us and with Conner in the process.
Yesterday we received a wonderful gift. Two short videos of him declaring that YES, he wanted to be adopted and to know the love of a family. We were thrilled to see his countenance as he spoke those words. He is simply DARLING. And those videos helped us to finally reach the stage where we feel solid about sending him a care package to let him know that HE HAS A FAMILY. That he has a mother and father who will care for him throughout all of eternity, siblings who will love and cherish him always, grandparents who will spoil him and love him unconditionally, and a community and church and nation who will rally around him and lift him up during the tough times that are sure to be ahead. Yes, as long as he wants it, HE HAS A FAMILY.
We are so grateful that it is our family that has the blessing of adopting him.
And we want to be VERY CLEAR that we know without a doubt that all of you who have served and supported and prayed for and loved on our family have made this adoption possible. There is simply no way that we could do this otherwise. Thank you so very much for being part of giving this amazing young man a family. We are so thankful.
--Christianne
I am blogging.
It's been a long time. Yes, I was waiting for the time when I felt ready to post about Conner-- and I kept thinking that time would be like, the next day. But it has taken me a long time to feel ready to write this post! In the meantime, I did decide to follow advice in the comments and just blog about other things, but every time I sat down to do so, something would come up. I would literally type one letter and the doorbell would ring or a kid would fall or some other interruption-- I guess it just wasn't meant to be!
But I'm here now, and I'm not only blogging, I'm blogging about CONNER. (Insert cheers!) And I'm ready to explain why I wasn't ready before. (:
As most of you know, we first fell in love with Conner WELL over a year ago after watching this video. Because his situation has been different than that of our other adopted kids, this process has taken a very long time. During that time, much has changed in our family. Obviously, our new home is at the top of the list of changes. It only makes Conner's adoption easier, knowing we have the perfect home for him. But other changes make adopting Conner harder. I won't get into those-- they are personal and involve many things, including sibling issues that we will keep private. Suffice it to say, a few months ago we began having doubts about whether or not adopting Conner was the right thing for us and for him.
To complicate matters, along with the pre-approval we received a couple of months ago, we were able to get a very detailed update on Conner. It was a FANTASTIC report. He is doing remarkably well and seems like a well-rounded, well-adjusted, just absolutely wonderful young man. He has people who love him and take care of him, he receives piano lessons, he goes to a good school, etc. All of these things are so good, but they also left us with questions. Does he want to be adopted? Is it the best thing for him? Would he really be happier here if he has to leave so much good behind and start anew at the age of 13? Is there another child who needs a home more than he does? And the list goes on…
We requested that our agency try to find out what his feelings were about being adopted. We knew, of course, that even if we did get this information back, it might not be accurate-- how can he even begin to know what adoption would mean for him? But we had to at least try to see if he had an opinion on it. In the meantime, we went about updating our home study, filing for immigration approval and so forth. Last week we received our I171h-- immigration approval to bring him home. It's a BIG step in the adoption process and we knew it was time for us to make SURE that this is what was the best thing to do.
We have agonized over this decision. We have prayed and fasted and talked about it for months. I wanted absolute SURETY that we were doing the right thing. We know the tremendous blessings of adoption but we also know the trials, the heartache, and the many tough issues it can bring. We know all of the issues that go along with blindness and the time it will require. Most importantly right now, we know that we have a child who is really struggling with the idea of this adoption. It is one thing to choose to do hard things for yourself-- it is an entirely different thing to choose hard things for your family. To make a choice that you know will require sacrifice from those you love with all of your heart. It is a heavy burden and a big decision.
I wish this were the part where I could tell you that God sent an angel down from heaven to declare that this was indeed the right thing to do. I guess that wouldn't require the faith that our Father in Heaven wants us to exercise. Instead, He has been letting us know in small and simple ways that we are on the right track-- to keep going forward and to trust Him. We are relying on Him with all of our hearts to be with us and with Conner in the process.
Yesterday we received a wonderful gift. Two short videos of him declaring that YES, he wanted to be adopted and to know the love of a family. We were thrilled to see his countenance as he spoke those words. He is simply DARLING. And those videos helped us to finally reach the stage where we feel solid about sending him a care package to let him know that HE HAS A FAMILY. That he has a mother and father who will care for him throughout all of eternity, siblings who will love and cherish him always, grandparents who will spoil him and love him unconditionally, and a community and church and nation who will rally around him and lift him up during the tough times that are sure to be ahead. Yes, as long as he wants it, HE HAS A FAMILY.
We are so grateful that it is our family that has the blessing of adopting him.
And we want to be VERY CLEAR that we know without a doubt that all of you who have served and supported and prayed for and loved on our family have made this adoption possible. There is simply no way that we could do this otherwise. Thank you so very much for being part of giving this amazing young man a family. We are so thankful.
--Christianne
I think he is getting incredibly handsome, agreed?!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Tardies
Every school morning I drive Jesi and Xander to school. Usually I drive them there and then come home before leaving for work. Because of an early appointment today, I had to go to work directly after dropping them off. Both kids are very concerned about tardies. Not only do they not want to be late, they want to be VERY early. That gives them more time to play with friends and less stress from rushing to class. They often get a bit put out if I'm not ready to leave on their schedule. (In the first 2 months of school, I think they only have one tardy, so it's not like I'm getting them there late. They just want to be as early as possible.)
Last night before bed I told the two of them to be ready to leave for school at 7:30. That would give me plenty of time to make my appointment. Well, the morning came and things took longer than expected. They were both ready on time, but I had too many things going and couldn't get away until almost 8:00. The two of them were waiting in the car, and I was dreading the talking to I was going to get for making them late. But somehow, me wanting to be on time made a difference. I told them I was sorry and that things just hadn't gone right this morning. They both responded so sweetly. "It's OK, Dad." "It's not your fault, Dad." "You really tried, Dad." Etc.
It really made my day to have them be so understanding and sweet. Thanks, you two!
Love,
Dad
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Honk!
The other night Christi was gone and I was feeding the kids dinner. Elli was on the couch and she suddenly just completely flipped out. I'm not sure what frustrated her, but she started screaming at the top of her lungs. Usually when she gets that way Christi will try to comfort her. I am less adept at keeping my cool under those circumstances and will often just plaster a smile on my face and try to endure the experience. When I did this the other night, however, Christi was not there to rescue our sweet little girl. Elli kept screaming. After a minute or two, Parker went over to the couch and tried to comfort her. Taylor soon followed. I'm not sure how their method of helping her evolved, but it was the sweetest thing to watch.
Each of the boys took one of her hands, put it to their own nose, and said, "Honk!" She loved it. The did it in random rhythms and ended up doing it to the tune of various songs. Elli completely came out of her frustrated state and couldn't get enough of the boys. Here are some pics and a video:
Each of the boys took one of her hands, put it to their own nose, and said, "Honk!" She loved it. The did it in random rhythms and ended up doing it to the tune of various songs. Elli completely came out of her frustrated state and couldn't get enough of the boys. Here are some pics and a video:
 |
| I love the joy on her face in this one! |
So proud of these guys! They are such good boys.
-Jer
Friday, November 1, 2013
The Cutest Chef In the World!
There are some really great programs for visually impaired kids. One that Lexi just became old enough to enjoy is called the "Short Term Program." This fantastic opportunity comes once a month during the school year. It's basically an overnight field trip. During this overnight they do things like go fishing, swimming, and bowling. They've had a Halloween party, gone out to eat, and gone to Miller Motor Sports Park. They sleep on the floor of the cafeteria at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. The main point of the program is to help them learn life skills. Cooking, maneuvering through public places and other things those of us with sight often take for granted. It's been a wonderful for Lexi and she has really loved the two she has attended so far.
Last weekend she went and was supposed to wear a halloween costume. Voila! A most delightful chef!
Christi picked her up the following morning and Lexi went on and on about how much fun she had. Christi said, "See, Lex. There are some things about being blind that are good!" Lexi promptly responded. "Mom, I still want to see." Oh, Lex. We love you so much. Thanks for your example of courage and joy!
-Jeremy
Last weekend she went and was supposed to wear a halloween costume. Voila! A most delightful chef!
Christi picked her up the following morning and Lexi went on and on about how much fun she had. Christi said, "See, Lex. There are some things about being blind that are good!" Lexi promptly responded. "Mom, I still want to see." Oh, Lex. We love you so much. Thanks for your example of courage and joy!
-Jeremy
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