I know I always state how busy we are but reality hit me once again when Colin made the statement, "Wow, tomorrow is Friday. Where did our week go?" I love the "always on the go" life that we have been given, never a dull moment. So, this week, what have we been up to? Well, for starters, the children enjoyed their first outdoor picnic of the spring season. All three of them loved spending time together playing and just hanging out. Of course, MK was in full force with her brothers playing "Clone Wars, Clone Wars".....she is well rounded. Basketball season is coming to an end just in time for baseball season to begin. When the boys were not chasing the big orange ball up and down a court, they were chasing a tiny white ball out on the field. And where was MK? Well, MK has her own little performance to do this weekend and we are all so excited for her. She will be starring in the Roar of Love ballet production as the most precious Cherub ever. She absolutely loves ballet! We went for a spacing rehearsal the other night, the entire family. MK was on stage doing her routine when she suddenly stopped, placed her little hand like a visor over her eyes, and peered out into the audience. Then she spotted all of us and waved the biggest waves ever. Three of us waved back. C made the biggest mistake by not waving. The moment she was done with her rehearsal, I scooped her up off of the stage, carried her down for the men in her life to oooh and ahhh over her when she suddenly put her hand up and cried, "Col-Col you not wave to me! Pryce waved to me, mommy waved to me and my daddy wave to me but not you Colin!" And with a big "hmmmphh" she was done and her point was made. That is our MK, always keeping us on our toes.

The dress up party before the rehearsal.....

Ta-Da!

MK is on the right. She did so good. She kept asking me on the way home if I saw her do both of her twirls and her ballet hands. She was proud of herself and she cannot stop talking about how Emma, Gran and Pop are coming to see her ballet. More to come!

Another little one united with their forever family! Our friends are currently in China adopting their baby girl, Cynthia. Yesterday was Gotcha Day for them and they are over the moon. Check them out at http://www.drakesofaugusta.blogspot.com/.

Our weekend, just like most weekends lately, was jam packed. Gone are the days that we used to nap when the kids napped and play while the kids played. Now are the days that we all go while the going is good and sleep when the sun goes down. Love it. Friday afternoon we chose to spend some time with just the boys. MK had a sitter who she loves to spend time with so she was happy as a lark. Saturday we had basketball games and baseball practice followed by a photo session with our babysitter. She just finished up a photo class at a local college and wanted some experience taking pics of children. Great for us as we needed some creative pictures to adorn the walls of the boys Star Wars themed room. With lightsabers in tow, we took a short walk and the picture taking began.

Following our photo session, we had our adoption group over for a gathering. We love having this group in our lives. It is good for all of us. The adults have adults to share with and the children all have each other. We are all same in that we have adoption as our common bond.

Big kids enjoying a game of soccer, little kids jumping and swinging, and the biggest kids chatting about life.

Our adoption buddies.....this time there were 6, next time there will be 9 - at least!

MK strikes a pose....

Mason-Kate was helping Ryan with laundry - you know that is what most dads do with their daughters, right?!!! In fairness, I was doing lesson plans and the boys were being boys and playing Rockband during this time. Anyway, MK broke out saying the pledge. Ryan realized what she was saying and he recorded it for us. Now, being that we are not so educated on how to do videos on the blog yet, I will write what happened.....so, it is MK standing all alone with Ryan video taping. MK has her right hand over her chest, she goes through the entire pledge, be it she was pledging to "the little flag" of America. Ryan asked her where she learned this and she said, "I don't know!" She then went on to say that she learned it in the "biiiggg gym" at her school down the "hallway." Ryan asked her if they had a flag in her room and her response, the ever so classic MK response, "Not so much!" The girl is funny. Pretty impressive though. Two years post Gotcha and she is reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Tonight we were in the car with MK. She loves to tell me that she loves me to the moon and back or to the store and back, etc. And she likes for me to reciprocate. I said, "Mason-Kate, I love you all the way to ballet and back." She laughed and said, "Oh, ok. You member I saw the peacock and Lucy and Tummus and Bambi? I saw them in the bigggg room with all those kids, member?" Last weekend Ryan took her to studio run through of her upcoming ballet production. The production is called the Roar of Love and is based on the Chronicles of Narnia hence the characters she was recalling. Anyway, she went on to say that she was sucking her thumb in the big room with the big kids. I asked her why she sucked her thumb and she responded, "Well, I was a wittle bit shy." I asked her if sucking her thumb helped and she said, "Well, no, not so much." That phrase seems to be key in her present life.

Gotcha Day - 2 Years Later

As I put MK down last night, I told her about the little baby that we met two years ago in China. I told her how we boarded a bus, drove what seemed to be forever to this unfamiliar city, rode on an elevator and there she was, there she was the little girl that we had dreamed about for years and prayed for and loved without even knowing her sweet little face, there she was. Our first glimpse of her was with her friend Chloe and they were eating some sort of cracker toddling around a couch in the Civil Affairs Office. Both girls were bright eyed. Both girls were not so sure what to think about the incoming strangers. One little girl, our little girl, shed a few tears. Wow. To think that it has been two years since that day. Simply amazing. I told MK that we would celebrate our "Gotcha/Family Day" and I explained to her that it was the day that we "got" her. She looked up at me in her MK fashion and said, "You not get me in China, I got YOU!"

MK Gotcha Day 2008

MK Gotcha Day 2009

MK Gotcha Day 2010 - Notice the stance :)

MK Gotcha Day 2010 - Again, notice the stance as well as the flick of the hand.

Her little feet have grown too!

Round 2 with an ENT. We visited yesterday with a new ENT. The one that we have been seeing since coming home with MK did not please me to say the least, so we decided to abort ship and see another candidate. LOVED HIM! He was soooo good with MK - she even let him pull her one tube out while she just sat there on my lap. He talked on her level to her. He played games with her. He gave her prizes. Such a different experience. The ENT we had been seeing is probably just as knowledgeable but very adult mannered, not pediatric. Yesterday they chose to do another hearing test which stated that she in fact does not have hearing loss. YAY. She is on the lower normal side of hearing but no loss was indicated. That is the good news. The not so good news is that her eardrums are not vibrating as they should. The ENT seems to think that this is being caused by some fluid build up that he cannot detect with his instruments in the office. Based on the fact that MK has not had an antibiotic in almost a year, he chose to place her on one now and take the "wait and see" method. He will see her again in 4 weeks. He stated that this may be something that she will grow out of, or we may need another set of tubes. He just isn't sure but he wants to watch her and get to know her little ears very good before jumping the gun. YAY. (On a side note, there was a little boy, 3ish, who was in the office with us.....he had gently placed a Tic Tac up his knows that morning - I steared MK away from him for fear that he would give her ideas!)

Adoption

For awhile now, I have been trying to think of a way to TRY to make others understand/see why adoption is what we sought to do and what we plan to do again, God willing. I have always said that most people do not understand and cannot honestly give an opinion on something unless they have experienced it themselves. A family, who has become very dear to us, is waiting desperately to travel to meet their son in China. They saw his beautiful little face one whole year ago. To say that the process has been agonizing would be an understatement. They are ready to meet him, hold him and, most importantly, LOVE him. They received an update on him and please read what she posted on their blog, the last sentence being very well said.....THIS is why we do what we do.

"I have to admit it was a little weird/odd/sad-I guess I don't know what to call how I feel- to get my child's measurements, to see that he has grown since the last update and to not have been a part of that growth. My children are always measured at the pediatrician's office with me standing right next to them and writing it all down and then later transferring it to their baby books. I also don't know anything else about him except the standard form they fill out to describe the child's abilities and habits. I find it sad that a little boy has gone 4 years without a family to describe in depth his whole being, his little soul, his heart. It hurts my heart. Please, if you have ever felt your heart tug, nudge, inquire, wonder about adoption, PLEASE look into it. There are so many orphans with no one to watch them grow or care if they even grow. Adoption is an incredible gift to your soul and I can't imagine my life without the experience."

On this same note, we have friends who we met while going through the process for MK. I am a true believer in things happen for a reason. We met this couple while waiting in line to be fingerprinted, exchanged phone numbers and have kept in touch ever since. We were in a large city, hundreds of people in line, and in all that we met this one couple. That was two years ago. Last Friday they made the "switch." They were with one agency waiting for a healthy baby girl and they switched to a different agency and entered the waiting child program. They found their beautiful baby girl who is just like MK, cleft lip and palate. That little baby girl now has a family....a mom, a dad, and three big brothers! I spoke with our friend yesterday who was so sad. She is getting not so encouraging feedback from those close to her. I shared with her our experience. I shared with her how we desperately wanted everyone to relish in our excitement and there were those times that they did not. I did know in my heart all would be just fine and it is. But I do say to you, those who do read, as we venture into our future ahead, be it with adoption, please encourage us and encourage those around you who may be considering adoption. Adoption is a gift, an opportunity, a chance to give a child life.

Cellimeter

Great news in our house this morning! (That is a side note, but I state it because we are excited for Ryan and his new opportunity that awaits him - yay!)

Now, for the "cellimeter" story....Pryce is studying measurement today. He had some work to do in a workbook and then he asked if he could just measure some different things around the house. Sure. So, I equipped him with some paper and a clipboard and off he went to measure. He came to me minutes later and exclaimed, "Hey mom, I just measured a raindrop!" Curiosity got the best of me and I asked him how he did this. He explained that he took a paper towel, put it in his hand, stuck his paper towel-ed hand into the rain, drew it back in and he measured the water that had accumulated in the towel. Pretty clever idea. Then he declared, "A raindrop measures 1 cellimeter." I have explained to him that it is actually a "centimeter" but he continues to call it his own thing....so cute, hate to harp on that minor wording detail!