Recent pics

William's got 2 favorite Christmas Carols, Silent Night and Away in the Manger. At our Christmas Eve service, we had a candle light service - yes, Brian did let Will hold a candle!- and a family who had a new baby dressed up as Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and walked to the front as we sang those carols. A couple nights ago, he put a cloth napkin on his head, and said he was "Away in the manger daddy" and Gus was baby Jesus. LOL, He is so precious! What a joy to this old momma!

Here is our little craft project for preschool he did this morning. We are homeschooling preschool and just going through some speech therapy, colors, letter and number recognition. I got some pre-phonics booklets but we are needing to learn things before we can start them, like same/different, and small motor skills.

At church last weekend, Will was so cute. After church, he runs to all the teenage girls to get hugs. Everyone just loves him so much!

A message from a child once an orphan

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY


Not sure if these will work. They are the same youtube video, just trying to get it posted.

Uh Oh!

how could I not get my kids a puppy???????

It's a wonderful life...

We started our very own Black Friday tradition. The kids got to go sit on Santa's lap at the mall. :-) Will did great. He told Santa what he would like, then waited with his hand outstreached for his present!
I was so happy with how the picture turned out, I ordered one of the most expensive packages. That's always been an unspoken rule with myself that I order one pic, for the last 24 years that I've been a mom. Oops. How could I help myself tho! He's got his shoes that match his big brothers, black Converse. Yikes, I am letting all my tried-and-true parenting ideals fly right out the window!

Then last night we went on our first "pajama ride" in like, 16 years! We've always done this with our older kids, and that is, we'd put them to bed, wait about 15 minutes- the get settled down, but not fall asleep yet- and go in their room making noise and call "pajama ride!" Then we go somewhere, whether it's to a movie, out for an ice cream, or last night we went to see the Christmas lights at Candy Cane Lane.

It was sooo much fun!

Awesome Boy!

Look at what William did with one hand tied behind his back. Ok, well with one in a cast anyway. :-)
Thats his new 48 piece puzzle.

surgery day- friday oct.28

William had his surgery on his "club" arm on Friday. It went pretty well. The orthopedic surgeon had hoped to get the wrist centralized and the forefinger placed in the thumb position, all in this surgery, but it wouold have taken too long. There was alot he needed to get done and it turns out the finger one will be 4 hrs in itself. So that will be revisited in spring of next year. My teacher at Cricket Academy had asked a good question of me yesterday: Will he actually be able to use it after surgery as good as he can now? Right now he is good at using his first 2 fingers and kind of holding things between them and it he will not have that good use of them after than I wouldn't do it.

Anyway, right now William is in alot of pain. He is on 2 different pain meds and still in pain. The doctor said that doing surgery on a bone is extremely painful. He had his ulna worked on and it was shaved(?) a bit because it was bowed. There was also some extra bone at the wrist that was removed and for the next 2 months, he has a long pin from wrist to elbow keeping his arm/wrist straight.

He had a huge cast on and he absolutely hates it! He was throwing temper-tantrums in the hospital (I could hear him in the recovery room!) he was so mad to have that thing on. Periodically now, 2 days later, he pounds on it and tries to rip it off. You gotta figure that all he knows is that he went in to the hospital w/o it and now he's got it on. He doesn't realize that the doctor had to cut his arm! :-( Poor kid!

8 Month Anniversary

Oh  my goodness, has it been 8 months already? 8 months of William being William. 8 months of  him learning what it means to be in our family. 8 months of learning his new language. 8 months of being an All-American, 90 MPH, boy..

He is learning so much every day still. I bought this bike off of Craig's List and he was so adorable learning to pedal. :-) Now, you should see him go! I can actually get a jog in when we go for our walks! I sat there debating whether to buy a jogging stroller or not. I mean, they are so expensive. He is almost 4. But, as it was, there was no way for me to get out and get some exercise with him in tow. But then, God practically dropped this bike right in my lap! Yay!

Will is going to have hand/arm surgery October 28th. I am anxious for this to be over. He is going to be really sad when that arm is immobilized for so long. But in the long run, he will be able to do so much! He is very active! He loves to be a helper!

We picked up brother Josh from college last weekend, just me and the 2 littles. The whole way home, William sang "I like Joshua. I like Joshua. I like Joshua........." You get the picture. It was SO precious, and yet so LOUD! :-)

William loves:
popsicles
Liberty
The Lion King
Scooby Doo
Joshua (as said earlier...heehee)
birthdays. Everyones birthdays!
French Fries
helping momma
being tickled
eggs
his very own daddy - thats what he says too, waaayyy too cute!
pumpkins
watching the Packers with Joey

I am overwhelmed at God's blessings to me.