- June 2018- Following in the footsteps of our dear friends, we hosted an orphan girl from Eastern Europe. She brought the life and joy back into our family.
- July 2018- After hearing our family's unique story, a dog breeder made it possible for us to afford a service dog puppy for Pepper, to help him manage his epilepsy! Padfoot joined our family and he is an incredible treasure!
- August 2018- We began the faith walk of pursuing adoption of "Joy" and her brother "Bean." The circumstances surrounding their situation were impossible. We were told it would be impossible to adopt them, as we would have to set an all-time record for their country. That was nearly impossible without a crazy set of hurdles that were pretty much unheard of. One adoption agency even turned down our case!
- September 2018- I rejoined the professional world and began teaching math part-time at an alternative school.
- August-October 2018- Paperwork. Prayer. Tears. Money. Trust God. Repeat.
- November 2018- Through the most astounding series of miracles, the impossible became reality and we traveled to Europe to bring Joy and Bean home.
- January 2019- I returned to Europe and finalized the adoption in court, just a few weeks ahead of the impossible deadline.
GOD DID IT. There's no other explanation.
- June 2019- We make our last trip to Europe to finalize details at the U.S. Embassy.
INTRODUCING....
Bean and Joy, our two newest additions!
Bean (18)
Bean suffers from the consequences of his birth mom's alcohol abuse and years of profound neglect. Life is not easy for him as he functions as an 8-year-old in an 18-year-old body. He can't read or do much math. But he loves all things mechanical and is good at puttering around and fixing things. He's a hard worker and earns a lot of money doing yard work for neighbors and family members. Last week he used some his money to buy an ancient riding mower off craigsli$t and he is having a blast renovating it. He also enjoys playing video games, riding his bike, drinking Dr. Pepper, and working with Daddy one day per week. He doesn't like small kids at all, but he does well with our family. He has a great sense of humor and loves to make jokes. He also really likes to help with house work. It has been challenging adding Bean to our family, but we all love him and we're so glad he's ours!
Joy (15)
Joy managed to dodge the FASD bullet somehow, and though she's quite behind in school, she's very smart and is learning at an astounding rate! Her English is progressing much faster than Bean's, though both kids have good enough English to function in America. She is quiet and gentle, and brings balance to our home. She gets along with all our kids and has helped soothe many tensions between siblings in our family. Joy loves to play volleyball and basketball. She's looking forward to playing on the high school team this fall! She also loves her pet bunny, Onyx. Joy is learning what it is like to have parents, as she has never experienced a loving mom and dad before. She has finally reached the point of being able to trust me with the things of her heart. We love this sweet girl so much!
Snapper (16 1/2)
It's hard to think that my precious Snapper was a little 5-year-old when I started this blog! Now she's taking full-time college classes for dual credit! She's just 3 weeks away from the end of 11th grade and the first meeting for senior class parents is next week. She has a stack of college mail a mile high, but she has already chosen her university, where she'll major in Vocal Performance. Her vocal honors have continued to stack up this year, as she has won numerous competitions, and brought home the top soloist award from Disney's music festival in Anaheim this spring! She has been accepted by our region's top vocal instructor, and she beings lessons in a few weeks. Snapper remains the sweet, tender-hearted, compassionate girl she has always been. She's a champion for the underdog and marginalized, a friend to all, and the encourager of so many. She's a hard worker, has a joyful spirit, and blesses me throughout every day. We especially love the young man in her life. They're not dating, but they are the best of friends and hope it will be more than that down the road. They sing together in their jazz and chamber choirs, in performances, and just for fun, too. His talent matches her, so they're a dynamite duo! (The photo of the two of them was taken last night at their high school talent show where they performed "The Phantom of the Opera."
Bubbles (14 1/2)
The positive changes in Bubbles' life last year have stuck! She is a delightful young lady. I homeschooled her this year and she made more fabulous gains! She'll start high school this fall in all regular classes, with support in English. Never in a thousand years would I have imagined she could accomplish this! She is a really hard worker, and her work has paid off. Bubbles has an amazing best friend and a great group of friends. She stretched herself this year and auditioned for "The Jungle Book" at school. She earned a few supporting roles and had a blast being on stage! She tried out for high school cheer but did not make the team. She quickly wiped away the tears and decided to try out for color guard. I think she'll be great at it! Bubbles is energetic, funny, friendly, loyal, and is the voice of comedy in our home. I can't imagine how much quieter and more boring our life would've been if we hadn't adopted her!
Piper (13)
Piper continues to struggle with life in general. Despite having a great school year last year, this year has not been good. Her favorite teacher had a stroke in class early on during the school year, and that threw Piper for a spin. While she adores Joy and Bean, adding two new siblings was a disruption in her life and that is evident in her school performance. Piper is not naturally a kind girl, so we're working hard on treating others with kindness. We're making some baby steps in the right direction, and I just pray we can keep moving that way. Piper does have some wonderful strengths, though! She is very nurturing with little kids. She and Sweet Pea are joined at the hip, and she has basically given Sweet Pea a preschool education! Seriously...she needs to be a preschool teacher someday! Piper also has a beautiful voice. She has always been TERRIFIED of being on stage. But this year she decided she's tired of being afraid, and signed herself up for middle school choir. She has completely overcome her crippling fear of performing! She even auditioned for honors choir a few weeks ago and has asked her teacher to consider her for solos! This is such huge growth for Piper and we're really proud of her. She also loves to do hair and comes up with creative new styles almost every day. Her legs have straightened out some after a year with plates in her knees. The doctors will re-check in 6 months to see if the plates can come out. In the meantime, she's thrilled that she can opt out of P.E.
Pepper (almost 13)
My sweet little boy isn't so little anymore! He has grown 5 inches already this school year and will be passing Snapper in height within the next few months! He's still on track to be 6'3" or so! The huge growth spurt has messed up his epilepsy, though, and we've had a hard time managing his seizures. After spending a week in the hospital, the doctors found a new med that has made a world of difference! We're currently at 6 weeks without a seizure. We're thankful for Padfoot, who alerts Pepper of an impending seizure and barks until I come. He's such a good little dog! The seizures have been quite disruptive to Pepper's school year. Regardless, he's way ahead of where he needs to be, and is looking forward to starting high school classes this fall. Pepper loves playing his guitar, Pokemon hunting, spending time with his best friend, and reading. He's still the most gentle, patient, forgiving soul. He loves his sisters well and is thrilled to have a brother!
Sweet Pea (5)
Can you believe she is 5??? I can't! Sweet Pea is--without a doubt--my most energetic child. She is a constant bundle of energy, never sitting still for a moment. She is constantly dancing, singing, creating, playing, running, jumping, and climbing. She loves riding her bike and scooter, playing with Padfoot and our kittens. drawing, painting, doing ballet, playing with her dolls, and playing with Meghan. She says the funniest things and loves to laugh. She is soft-hearted and teachable, generous and kind, very affectionate and gentle, and very smart. She's looking forward to kindergarten this fall. I'm so glad God saw fit to give us this child, long after I thought my baby days were over!
Sunny (11)
Sunny remains the same Sunny. Her struggles continue, intensified somewhat by the onset of puberty. She is receiving excellent care and has good doctors working with her. I'm still so relieved that she can remain part of our family without the impossibility of having to survive in a large family. She is so much better off getting to be an only child! Because of the peace and security in her home, she's able to function decently outside of the house. She plays soccer (which she is crazy about), learned to snowboard this winter, and is excelling in school. Though she'll always struggle because of what happened to her in her early years, she's in the best possible place and we're so glad! I still have tears, wishing I could've given her what she needed. But I couldn't make her the only child. Ultimately, I'm happy that she's happy, and happy that she's able to live close to us.
1 comment:
So much news - and how exciting that you adopted again. Thanks so much for the update!
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