handsful

Remember this picture? Somehow, Dylan managed to always get in the middle of everyone else’s birthday pictures! The lucky girl getting “iced” here is named Hope. She was adopted a couple of months before Dylan, and her mom Amy is a cyber friend of mine. They live in Orlando, FL.

As only God could ordain, one of Amy’s travel mates lives in our small town, her son also being from Luoyang. Amy and her family drove down to spend a few days with them. Hearing that we lived here too, Nickie was gracious and invited us to their home for dinner, so we could all meet. Dylan and Hope would see each other again! This time, with their forever families!

I printed the above picture for Dylan, and told him about our upcoming visit. He was very excited, telling me over and over that he liked Hope and wanted to see her.

All the kids spent time playing while the adults talked and finished cooking. Hope has 2 older brothers, one of which became an instant friend of our boys. Nickie and her husband have 4 kids, including Alex from Luoyang (he’s younger and was in a different room from Hope and Dylan).

Hope and Dylan were obviously happy to be around each other, but they were kinda coy about it.

Hope has the biggest smile, and most adorable laugh ever.

After dinner, they played upstairs while Amy and I snapped pictures and talked about our Luoyang buddies.

Hope wasn’t too smiley, but every time Dylan would hug her, she’d blush and look away. It was too cute.

Speaking of smiley…gracious, we look happy huh? I promise no alcohol was consumed that night!

We ended the night with a take on the Red Couch pictures in Guangzhou…this time, it was the Striped Couch picture :) Alex, Hope, Dylan, and Lainey. Our China blessings.

Last shot of the night. Dylan decides to plant one right on Hope’s cheek. Lainey is laughing, thinking “yep, that’s my brother!” Alex is thinking “hmmm…why didn’t I think of that?!”

We LOVED meeting Hope’s family! We feel very blessed to be able to connect with an orphanage mate of Dylan’s. Can’t wait till we can get together again!

Before, they were just kids.

Now, they’re teenagers. Unfortunately, that word “teenager” can be viewed negatively these days. We prefer to think of Marley, Payton, and Ethan as entering young adulthood. Which, I honestly can’t get my head around.

Has it really been that long since they looked like this?

Care to guess who is who??

Can you stand the cuteness?!

And, today…

Marley becomes more like me everyday. People even say she looks like me. Lover of all animals, rider of horses. Requests regular late night talks with mom. Sweet and quiet, but can be grouchy. (you know it’s true, Marley!)

Giving their best teenager glare

Payton? He’s my height. Already has his own cartoon character (you’ll be seeing Harry the Stick Dude in print one of these days), is learning to play the drums, and has a heart for others.

Ethan desperately wants a growth spurt. He has a style all his own – shaggy hair, shaken just right. Skinny black (never blue) jeans, loafers, and plaid fedora hat. Musician is written all over him. And, he’s good.

All those years ago…coming home from the ultrasound that showed we were expecting three babies. We were so blessed. Given the privilege of carrying those three babies was awesome. I remember Sundays at church, when we would sing “I sing for joy at the work of your hands”…those words made me smile and cry, all at the same time.

How could we have imagined what they’d be like today? 13 and they are such wonderful kids. Such different personalities, and different likes/dislikes. We thought we were blessed back then? We had no idea.

Their day was fairly normal at first, since it was a work day for Randy. I did make them cinnamon rolls for breakfast, of course. When present time rolled around, Marley went first.

Abbey gave her a birds coloring book (the kind for big kids), and we gave her a tee shirt and Toms. Which means I got a new pair, since we wear the same size. Yippee.

Abbey gave the boys coon skin hats (they loved), and we gave them a dad/son day at the shooting range. They’re at the age where anything involving fire or shooting things is cause for excitement.

As a gift to all, they got a new pair of skis and a new knee board. Marley has really been wanting to learn to ski, and we only had adult size. These are junior size. And, our kids are all doing so well on our current knee board, this one will allow them to do more tricks. Everyone was excited over these!

After much discussion, we decided to head to Outb*ck for dinner. Given it was a Thursday night, it wasn’t busy and we got right in.

Big dishes of ice cream with cookies, and the standard quick clapping birthday song.

We were the last to leave. lol…

Another triplet pose…gosh, I like this one.

Heading home for cupcakes…

Directing our rendition of happy birthday…

Make a wish!

And now, it’s true. We really have the Bigs and Littles. I can now say they are the Teens and the Kids.

July 4th around here means more than red, white and blue. More than fireworks, corn on the cob, and watermelon.

It means our blessings from China are having a birthday! Lainey Q is now 5…the age she’s been DYING to turn for so long. And, Dylan Y is a big boy at age 4.

The day began just like last year. A July 4th parade that passes right by our house. We drag the chairs to the end of our driveway and wave :)

Of course, there’s candy to get.

Present time! Prior to this, Randy led everyone in an opera version of Happy Birthday. Yep, that’s my husband.

Birthday boy

Birthday young lady!

Laughing at daddy’s opera

Someone loves her new watch…she’s been asking for one for a while now. She also got an 18″ doll and clothes for her.

Dylan loves this, he’s played with it everyday. Highly recommended if you have a little guy who likes daddy’s tools!
He also got a watch, and a kid sized tape measure.

Next request for their birthday was to go boating. We were happy to oblige.

Dylan is fully on board now, as far as swimming and boating go. He bobs along in the waves, wearing his green monster floatie, happy as can be. We affectionately refer to Lainey as our “fish”.

That night, we made the mistake of asking them where they’d like to go eat for their special day. We had our hopes high. We ended up at Taco B*ll.

Since we have 3 other birthdays this week, I decided against making 5 full birthday cakes. Who needs THAT much cake? Cupcakes worked much better. Especially since they get to decorate their own.

Was the day done then? Nope. Another boat ride, this time at night. We went out about 9pm, and cruised around looking at all the fireworks. We felt like those tornado chasers! Instead, we were chasing fireworks. We got home around 10:30…don’t tell Randy I told you, but, we got LOST. Abbey pointed us in the right direction.

I think Dylan really enjoyed his first birthday with us. It makes me sad to think that he had those first 3 without us – and without anyone to really make it special. We’re taking care of that now. And, Lainey….I can’t believe this is her 4th birthday with us! She’s growing into such a beauty. This year has been difficult for her. Really. But, we’re working on the rough spots and I know God will honor her (and our!) hard work.

Happy Birthday, Lainey and Dylan!

Finally, all my kids are HOME! We picked up Marley, Payton, and Ethan from Hickory Cove Bible Camp this afternoon. The kids showed us around, we had a hot dog dinner, and a final service in the gym. They all had an amazing week…and, as a result, are all snoozing right now. :)

He rocks the hat, don’t you think?

She will NOT like me for posting this picture, just so you know. She turned away from the camera, and I snapped it as she twirled around. Marley was talking a mile a minute, telling us every-single-thing about her week. Then, she crashed! No matter what, she’s a beauty.

Payton has given me the most “I’m home” hugs so far. That’s no surprise to me, it’s how he rolls.

Dylan’s surprise attack. Notice the leg? He put it on when we got home from camp, and didn’t take it off again till bedtime. He walked ALL around the house, no problem. What a major difference from this morning, when I had to almost make him try it. He even walked upstairs (at first, we held his hands, then he held onto the railing all by himself!) He’s been hesitant about wearing pants with his leg…not sure why? But, he knows that he’ll have to wear them when we leave the house!

We stopped for ice cream on the way home. I had chocolate with caramel, pecans, and toffee. Oh my, was it good.

Our June was slammed, full, and scheduled to death! We enjoyed it all. But, I’m happy that it’s July – all the kids are home – and we can now look forward to five, fun birthday celebrations!

The UPS guy at the door, that is. I was so excited to be able to ask him “do you KNOW what’s in that package you’re holding?!?!”

But, I was at the Dr. getting a cortisone shot in my elbow….which, by the way, didn’t hurt at all. Dr. Licause rocks.

Anyway! Randy called me on the way home with the news…Dylan’s prosthetic leg came!! I was surprised, the techs at Shriner’s said it would be a long shot for us to receive it by his birthday. This is 4 days earlier than that. They must have really pushed to get it done. Have I mentioned how much I love the Greenville, SC Shriner’s??

Lainey and Dylan had just come in from swimming with Abbey, and we showed him the box. When we asked him what he thought it was, he broke out in a big smile and said “two leg walk”.

He looks pleased. The camo/lizard print came out wonderfully…it’s definitely a big boy leg!

Time to saddle up. Sock, liner, leg, pants.

Feeling a little weird!

Hey, I can do this.

He’s not in pain.

He’s got a case of the goofies.

Walking to mama…

and back to daddy.

A close up. The cord attaches to the bottom of the leg and then to another velcro strip at the top. He can pull it, which unlocks the joint in his leg so he can sit in chairs and his car seat. He loves that part.

He’s worn it for about 15min at a time, 3 times today. Every time, he does a little better. Tonight, he got himself up onto the fireplace hearth, and could stand up and sit down on his own. We were laughing at his wild arms, trying to balance himself. Randy taught him “wax on – wax off”. Ha!

Oh, and today marks 7 MONTHS since our adoption was finalized for Dylan. I usually post on the Gotcha Day (yesterday), but as you can tell it slipped my mind. What a great early birthday present/adoption day present!

After I put Dylan to bed, I went to a drawer in his room and pulled out all the left shoes that have been waiting to be used. They’re now with their matching right shoes, all ready to be worn. Two shoes. :)

Being short 3 kids certainly makes for a quieter house. And, a cheaper grocery bill. Just an observation.

Abbey, Payton, and Ethan were gone last week, with their Testify Youth Choir. They arrived home late Sunday night.

Marley, Payton, and Ethan left early Monday morning for our church’s youth camp for a week. Yes, the boys are crazy. They’ll most likely sleep away all of next week.

With less food to cook and laundry to do, my days have been lighter. That leaves more time to do summer things like yard work, projects (I will go through all the toys and school materials…), and just hanging out on the dock.

Everyone already knows that Lainey is part girl / part fish. She’s fearless.

Dylan, on the other hand, is more cautious and takes to things more slowly. We’ve had him in the water, but only in short bits and we’ve always had to hold him – a regular life jacket made him bob straight onto his face. The boy hates water on his face! I found a combo waist / arm float at the store and this one seems to work better. Plus, he’s finally understanding that he has to kick his legs to keep them under him.

This week, he’s made huge progress.

He’ll now go in the water “no help”, he says. He’ll let me count 1-2-3 and dunk him under. Randy has even tossed him in without him fussing. We’re not sure what changed his mind about water, but we’re glad he’s embracing the “fish” lifestyle of the other kids.

Blowing bubbles! Forgive the pics, I only had my little camera.

Today, he showed me he could swim on his belly without his face smacking the water.

Swimming is what they both want to do these days. Everyday.

Lainey learned to swim last summer, and this year she’s doing so well! We let her go without the life jacket in short spurts to practice. It’s harder in the lake, since there aren’t as many places to swim to.

We’re enjoying these slower days, but I’m beginning to miss having all my kids under one roof. Four more “night-nights” and we’ll be back to a louder house. And, bigger grocery bills.

Better go cut those coupons.

Happy Summer :)

How many times have we heard that phrase? At least once a day, for the last…oh…5 months maybe? “I want two leg walk”

The day finally came.

His first look. Apprehensive? He was worried it might hurt. The prosthetic tech, Crissy, is fantastic. She looks a little creepy here, but she was working hard to ease his worry.

A smile…she was joking about his smelly foot. The boy does have a stinky foot.

Explaining about the insert that goes on before the leg. The little brown part helps the socket of the leg to slide on easily. And the insert gives the leg socket some cushion.

And, it’s on. He looks a little unsure!

Time to bear weight and see how it feels. She asked him a lot “does anything feel funny, etc.” to make sure the socket wasn’t hurting him anywhere.

After this shot, she decided that the socket came up too high on his leg (and could potentially wear roughly on his skin, so she trimmed it)

Being silly while waiting for the socket trimming!

Lainey shows Dylan some love!

This shot shows how the leg is attached. The sock is pulled up and goes around his waist. Then, he’ll slide the leg on, kinda like a pair of pants. And then velcro the belt around his waist. Should make going to the potty interesting…pants, leg, sock, unders – unders, sock, leg, pants!

First step!

He had to be shown how to take steps (duh, he’s never done it before!)

This shot totally makes me tear up.

As the tech was watching, she realized that the socket was a bit loose. She took it back to the shop and added some extra padding inside to make it more snug.

Adjustments made, time for another spin in the hallways.

He was doing so well by this time, his walking looked more like walking. Initially, he just wasn’t sure what to do with that thing attached to his short leg!

Great job, little man!

A close up. The pattern (camo with lizards!) that we took with us will cover the whole socket. The white part here will be taken off, it’s kind of like a temporary cast material. It was just to give support until they could laminate the whole socket with the pattern. The cord will be attached to the front of the socket. When we pull the cord, the locked knee will unlock, allowing his leg to bend when he sits down. It clicks back into a straight position. The rod will remain exposed…no covering. I love that it’s a cool red and purple!

Now, we wait for it to arrive in the mail. They said they’d try hard to get it to him by his birthday on July 4th, but they stay busy and are short a tech right now. We’ll just be happy to get it when it gets here!

And, what did Dylan ask tonight as I dressed him for bed?

“Mama, I want two leg walk”