Let the fall activities begin!

We are enjoying the start of school and with that  the start of fall activities too.  Here are Parker and Hayley enjoying soccer and dance.  From the looks of it we will get to enjoy a lot of soccer games and dance recitals in our future.

What a difference a year makes- -part 2

Hayley's first day of preschool (at least for this year).

Hayley's first day of three year old preschool last fall.

 Hayley's first day of 4/5  year old preschool this week.

This first picture includes Crew because he really wanted to be in all the pictures even if he doesn't look like it by his facial expression.

 Hayley posing in her new classroom.

Hayley is going to afternoon preschool year this (Monday/Wednesday/Friday).  She was so excited to start preschool that she wanted to make sure she had her backpack when we dropped Parker off at school at 8:45 a.m.  I had to of course tell her the bad news that she does not go to school until 1 p.m. Hayley is attending the same preschool but has all new kids in her class but one of the same teachers.  In classic Hayley style, when she came home she told me that she had met new "best friends" at school but that she did not recognize her teacher that she had all of last year.  She had a great time though. Looking forward to a fun year of learning.  Stay tuned for next year's tear stained post when I write about Hayley's first day of Kindergarten and Crew's first day of preschool.  

What a difference a year makes.

Parker's first day of first grade.

Parker's first day of Kindergarten.

Having Parker start school again brought back all the emotions of last year with the unknown of having my first child start school and the having to let go of a certain amount of control knowing he was going to be in school a large part of his day.  It was a rough start for the first few weeks as we both adjusted but turned out to a wonderful year.  Parker even was blessed with a Christian teacher.  I thank God for that Kindergarten teacher who took the baby from my home and turned him into an elementary school student.  I loved having Parker home all summer.  Getting to enjoy hearing him run through the house with Hayley, swim at the pool, go to parks, and all the other wonderful things that summer brings.  Now as another school year starts, I look forward to seeing all the fun things God will bring this new school year, what new things Parker will learn, and what new friends he will get to meet.  What a relief this year to know that Parker was also adjusted to school and so was I.  It was so much fun to see the smile on his face instead of fear when I dropped him off for his first day.  When I picked Parker up from school, the first thing he said to me was "remember last year when I cried.  I did not cry today."  The confidence in his voice was so fun and soothing to hear.  I pray daily that God will use Parker as a light for his friends and teachers at school and show them God's love through his actions and words.

Michels Adoption Story

We have worked up a video on Crew's adoption.  We have shown it to a few people and now we have published it for everyone to see.  Every time we watch this it brings us right back to the sights and sounds of our trip.  It is amazing to see how much Crew has changed in just one short year.

For better resolution than the video below, you can watch it through this link - Michels Adoption Story.

gotcha day

 The day has arrived, March 13. One year ago today we landed in Ethiopia and visited Crew at the orphanage but this time we were able to take him back to the hotel with us making him a forever member of our family.  What a wonderful and at times difficult year it has been.  Crew is such a wonderful addition to our family that I can't imagine our lives without him and I know our kids would agree.

This year we have seen Crew:
1. Go from crawling and pulling up on furniture to walking independently/running.
2.  Get his first tooth and now he has 8 plus two more coming in.
3.  Say his first word "Daddy."
4. Accept us as his family and this house as his home plus some Grandparents and aunts/uncles into his life.
5. Go from 7 feedings of 8 ounce bottles of formula to eating solid foods and drinking whole milk from a sippy cup.
6.  Sleep through the night (for the most part).
7. Dance to music.
8. Love playing with his siblings.
9. Enjoy climbing up and down the stairs safely.
10. Go to St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Rockford, and Disney World.
11. Feed himself with a spoon even if messy most of the time and sit in a highchair even if he screams at times.

I have also seen what a loving big brother and big sister, Parker and Hayley can be.  Parker is a very sensitive brother and loves Crew a lot.  Crew still cries when left with babysitters and the other night Crew was crying. I came upstairs to check on him and Parker was holding him standing up.  The next day Parker said to me "mom you should have come to get Crew sooner because my arms are hurting."  Poor Parker had sore muscles from holding Crew so long.  Hayley has also gone from seeing Crew as a competitor to a friend and play mate.

Here are some pictures from today.  Crew is teething so I couldn't get one without his hands in his mouth but here are the three kids together.

Crew enjoying our celebration at Culver's.  He really does love ice cream and could probably eat it at every meal.  A boy after his mom's heart.

Here are two activities that Crew really enjoys.  Crew is very good at riding his bike and other ride on toys that are feet powered.  He is a little short for a few but can stand in his tip toes and still move it some how.

Crew also loves this dog and a pig that is similar.  He loves toys that make noises and have piece you put in and take out.

Here are some pictures from the original Gotcha Day.  Oh how he has changed in a year.

Crew and us having a nap at the orphanage before we went back to our hotel.

 The nannies saying good bye to Crew before we left.  We thank God for the care they took of Crew for us before we were able to take him home.

 Crew sleeping in his stroller/crib at the hotel the first night together.

Crew looking very sad at the hotel when we realized how much his life just changed.  He cried for three plus hours before falling asleep for about eleven hours for the night.  I think his little body just shut down from the stress.  

The kiddos

I thought I would try to post a few pictures of our kids activities and play.

Parker: 

Every Saturday night you will find us at Game Time Gym at either 5, 6, or 7 p.m. to route on Parker as he plays basketball.  These are pictures from Parker's first time in organized basketball.  He is really enjoying it.  It is a Kindergarten/first grade league so he is coming out on the small size but Parker is starting to understand the game more so he is able to position himself better in order to get the ball.  Parker has a great shot but needs to be more aggressive.  He hasn't hung out with his Dad long enough while he played in sports.  He could learn a thing or two about aggressiveness in sports.

Hayley: 

Hayley was in a Christmas dance recital in December.  She preformed on the stage at Central Catholic with six of her classmates.  She did a great job on stage.  Doing her best to follow the dance routine her teacher taught her. This pictures below is at her dance recital.  She would not move any closer to Santa Clause even with Santa and my prompting.  

Here is Hayley and Crew enjoying the box that my mom's Christmas tree came out of.  Hayley and Crew have really bonded in the fast six months.  It is so fun to see them play and enjoy each other.

Hayley has started to become interested in everything Disney princess.  She has not seen any of the movies because we are afraid that the "bad" characters are too scary for her but she enjoys the books.  That is what she is holding in her hand.  Probably our trip to Disney World helped spark this interest as well.

Crew:

Crew is a very sweet boy who is starting to explore more and enjoy playing with toys.  He loves to wear hats during play and so I have several pictures of him in different hats.  He was running around in a pointed princess hat today but was too fast for me to take a picture of him.  

Here is Crew playing at his new train table he got for Christmas.  He is trying to figure out how this "Cranky" the crane works.

Christmas in February

So things are busy around here as always so I never posted pictures of Christmas.  I am thinking that since it is still the middle of February it might be okay that I post those pictures now.  We had a great Christmas because we got to visit with lots of family and of course celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We spent five days in Geneva with my mom, spent Christmas Eve with my Dad's side of the family (the Skorburgs), and then spent two days in Champaign with Justin's parents.  The kids were having a lot of meltdowns by Christmas day but we had a lot of fun over all.

Our Santa Visit at State Farm.  This is the first year no one cried but I didn't try to give Crew up for this very reason.  Maybe next year he can be traumatized by Santa.

Christmas in Chicago- decorating my mom's Christmas tree.  I'm not in my picture because someone has to make sure Crew isn't eating cat food or drink cat water in the kitchen.

 Parker's gingerbread house we put together.  He did most of it by himself.

 

Christmas Eve with the Skorburgs.  Justin was done with pictures at this point so he decided not to appear in this one.

I don't have any pictures of Christmas in Champaign.  I think the kids were having a rough time especially Crew so we didn't have any free hands to take pictures.  A memorable moment was when Troy (Justin's brother) narrated the Christmas story and Hayley and Parker acted it out with my in law's nativity set.

Happy Metcha Day-One Year Later

I still can't believe that we met Crew one year ago today.  What a wonderful experience that was.  Here is what I wrote one year ago today about meeting Crew for the first time.

Then we drove over to the Transition Home to finally meet Crew.  They had us line up by last name (which we were last).  I started to cry for other people watching them be united with their children.  It was finally our turn.  It was amazing to see Crew and actually get to hold him in my arms (our arms but I of course hogged him).  He did not cry immediately but started to cry about 30 seconds to one minute after they gave him to me.  He cried for about ten minutes to begin with and then settled down to only cry intermittently throughout our time together.  I know Crew was just getting used to us today and we expected the crying.  I know in my heart that the crying really meant “Mom/Dad I really missed you and am so glad to see you guys today.”  He was interested in the toys we brought and smiled when we tickled him.  I also got to give him a bottle (which he could have raced Parker for fastest bottle drinker) and he took a little nap.  Actually Justin and I took that opportunity to take a quick cat nap as well.  We got to take Crew back to his room and meet some of his nannies.  They were all really nice and we could tell that both Crew loved them and they loved him.  It was a nice feeling. 

I have been thinking a lot about Crew and the last year.  Here are a list of things that Crew has taught me this year:
1.  Why walk when you can run
2. Standing still is not necessary
3. Everything is meant to be climbed onto
4.  All toys can be used as balls just throw them (this is especially good on the kitchen tile to hear the loud noise).
5.  marshmallows and ice cream are the best foods all others are optional
6. If you are bored in the car, store, or church nursery just fall asleep 
7. If you fall asleep and adults want to wake you up just keep your eyes closed and smiled it makes them do crazy things to wake you up
8. Cats are meant to be ridden like a horse or hit with baseball bats
9. Dancing is best when spinning in a circle and then falling to the ground
10. How to adjust well when people take you completely out of your comfort zone including everyone you know and the place you called home.
11.  How to be tough when you have an illness or procedure done. So tough others may wonder if you are really sick.
12.  How you can love three children exactly the same.  
13. How to parent differently when my traditional methods are not working.


We are so thankful that God put him in our lives.  Thank you God and love you Crew.  Can't imagine our family without you.