All about Lincoln...Happy 7th Birthday!!

One of the Lincoln’s greatest attributes is that he believes so deeply. He lives with passion. He is all in (just like his Daddy). He trusts the people he loves. I love this about him...but it also terrifies me. I fear his potential heartbreak and disappointment in life. I am so thankful that he has a foundation in Jesus, so that when the storms of life come he will have a faith to hold onto.

In the last year, he went from being the only boy and the baby... to being one of three boys and a middle child. The grace with which he has handled the transition from us being a family of 4 to a family of 6 is amazing. I have never heard him say anything that would allude to the fact that his brothers were not fully welcomed into his world.

Sometimes people will ask what has been the most shocking aspect of our adjustment over the last year and I have to say without blinking that it is the way that the four of our children are TRUE family.

Our Lincoln...

- passionately loves Jesus

- loves playing jokes on people

- loves all sports (he's trying out football for the 1st time this year)

- has a heart of gold (but when he's angry...he's angry! He'll tell you he's working on that though :-) )

His birthday request was to celebrate by going to the Fun Factory in the mall, so that's what we did...

Lauren won 500 tickets!! 

Katherine did not need help. ;-)

Caroline beat Linc in the race :-) 

Sharing prizes

The Crew (not pictured Collin, Nick, and Katherine) :-)

All about Agendo...Happy 8th Birthday!!!

For the last 8 months Agendo has talked about his birthday. He has practiced saying the date, March 23, which took some time (23rd is kind-of hard for him to say). He has learned SO MUCH since he has been home and he is a very smart little fella, but the concept of time (all calendar words) have been very difficult. He has struggled to learn the days of the week and the months of the year. So in anticipating his birthday he has regularly asked, "it's now?"

Finally...we were able to say..."Yes...It is now!!" :-) He is a silly boy and he certainly knows how old he is, but when people ask him in front of me he will smile and make up a number, usually 15 (which he skips when counting ALMOST every time!)

He did not make a single gift request for his birthday, but he did request a caramel cake. My mom had a caramel cake at her house the first time he visited after we came home. It was the first cake he had in America and it is certainly his favorite. It has no cool decorations or theme, but he didn't ask for any of that. He just wanted a caramel cake, which sounds like camel cake when he says it so it took me a little while to figure out what he was requesting.We plan to have a little celebration with the cousins tomorrow and it will have a Batman theme and cake, but I'm sure he will resort back to his favorite.


A little about Agendo:

-Possibly the hardest working kid I know

-Likes to be in charge (working on channeling that in the right direction)

-Likes to please people (he LOVES his teacher)

-Has a HUGE servant's heart...finds fulfillment in helping

-Has great leadership skills

Using our words :-)

Today was a watershed moment for Chancely (and for me). Our mornings typically go really smoothly. Molly and Lincoln are definitely "morning people" and Agendo is getting there, but Chancely usually moves a little bit slower and rarely has much to say in the morning. As a result of him not saying what he wants or needs (and my refusal to try to read his mind) there are sometimes a few tears and long periods of silence. A phrase I often use is "Use your words." His response to this can be a 15 minute stare down with some tears, him eventually giving in and speaking after a LONG period of silence OR me making him repeat after me what I think he is wanting.

I realize this all seems really confusing as part of a morning school routine, however this is where we are right now. BUT this morning was different...we made progress!!

Everyone was at the table for devotions but Chancely so I went to check on him and he was in his pouting position with his chin tucked and tears on his cheeks. I said, "Chancely, what's wrong? Everyone is at the table...please finish getting dressed." I helped him put on his pants and he still looked sad. I tapped my lips and said (as usual), "Please use your words and tell me what you need." AND within 30 seconds he looked at me with sad eyes and said so clearly, "I can't find my shoes."

To say that I was shocked and excited is an understatement. He has never offered up information (when he is upset) that quickly. I gave him a big high five and told him how proud I was that he used his words and that I knew exactly where is shoes were. As we went for his shoes he continued to smile because he was so proud of himself.

Tonight, he walked in the kitchen while I was fixing his dinner and said, "Mom...I say...I can't find my shoes." The fact that he was still so proud shows what a big deal it was in the moment. His English is getting much better and he talks all of the time, but he struggles in the morning and when he is upset and today he conquered both!!!

All about Molly...Happy 9th Birthday!!!

She was the first child to call me "Mama," the first child I recall throwing up on me, the first child I remember holding extensively (until I thought my arms would fall off), the first child to make me realize that God had trusted us with a very precious task in parenting.

To say that Molly makes me a better person would be an understatement. She is so many things that I am not...some good...and some well...we all have areas for growth. We are learning together. She challenges my thoughts and ideas (She is learning to do this respectfully). She is compassionate and has a desire to serve. She knows what it means to sacrifice time and attention. She loves people. She wants to take walks in our neighborhood when she thinks people might be in their yards to talk. She is a strong leader and fierce competitor. We have lots of conversations about the way we "want" to do things versus the way we "should" do things...and she gets it....and is working on it (aren't we all). 

I have a desire to live righteously to please God, but also because I am living life in front of her. I want her to know what it looks like to follow Christ. I want her to know how to handle adversity and disappointment, because we know life is full of both. I also want her to know how to find joy in all things. She is a resilient young woman of God who is willing to express her struggles and share them to gain knowledge of how to grow from them. She desires to be better everyday and that is a lesson for us all. 

Molly is.... 

A great big sister!! She is our Wonder Woman! 

Our hope for the future...yes... she wants to be the President. 

A motivated, high achieving student! 

A Competitor. 

A prayer leader.

An AMAZING daughter. 

I am so thankful for the 9 years I have had with this precious girl. There is no doubt that God has big plans for her life. I am thankful that I have a front row seat to see it unfold. 

Ahhhh...was this really 9 years ago!?!? Those cheeks! 

All about Chancely...Happy 5th Birthday!!!

In honor of Chancely's 5th birthday I thought it was appropriate to dedicate a post to just him.

 Since the boys have been home one of the things we worked on was learning their birth dates. They both knew their ages, but neither could articulate their date of birth. However, since they have learned them they have been anticipating the day of celebration.

As a 4 year old (or really no matter how old), there has been A LOT of adjustment for Chancely over the last 5 months.

He has taken things in stride. He has two speeds. He is typically reserved, however, when things get going he can really get hyped up. Usually he is found observing until he is really comfortable joining in whatever is going on. He has a set of lungs that you can hear a mile a way if he gets upset (this is getting MUCH better) and I would put him up against anyone (except me :-) ) in a staring contest. He also and more importantly is VERY loving. His hugs and snuggles are irresistible. His heart is so giving. I have had to tell him, "No...those are your birthday presents. You can share them, but you can't give them to your brothers and sister."   :-)

This weekend we have seen a new side of him. We celebrated his party on Saturday and made a big deal about it being about him and well...he kind of liked it! He has exuded a lot of confidence and has learned that being the center of attention is pretty fun. He has held his shoulders a little higher as he struts around. It has been fun to watch. No worries about his ego getting too big...his brothers and sister will keep him humble, but there is nothing wrong with a little attention.

Birthdays are important, they are a reminder that we have been given a chance at life. A reminder that we have been given an opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. I am thankful for the mom who chose to give our sweet boy life and for Chances for Children in Haiti, who celebrated our little man on his first 4 birthdays. Our prayer is that He allows God to use his life in a mighty way.