Evan's first year

We hope you will enjoy these snippets from the last year in our family's life.
Kim

Our first trip to Candlewood Lake

We have been blessed with some very dear friends who own a vacation home on Candlewood Lake, about an hour north of us. We got away last weekend for Father's Day and our 12th anniversary! Can you believe it has been twelve years and four kids later?

We went up with some friends of ours from seminary. They live near us and it was so nice since our kids get along so well.
Evan got his first taste of lake swimming. He was a little unsure at first, but soon was smiling and laughing.




There is a wonderful playground where the kids enjoyed swinging and climbing. Evan's favorite thing to do was play in the pebbles.


Ellyn wants to do the "baby thing" so her friend Jonathan gives her a push







Daddy, Kayla and Ethan had fun in the deep area standing and jumping off of Daddy's shoulders.

Evan took to the sand and had a great time playing with the sand and water. They say it is good therapy to play in the sand!

We are so thankful to the Lord for the family He has given us.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows"
James 1:17

Three months since Gotcha Day

Today it has officially been three months since Evan has been in our arms. In some ways it feels just like yesterday, in others it seems like forever. In the last few weeks, Evan has definitely settled into our family. He is full of smiles, laughter and joy. He loves to mimic funny faces that his daddy or the kids make. His most recent face, is raising his eyebrows. I wish I could catch it for you because it is so cute.
He is babbling up a storm. Kayla has commented several times, that he will not need speech intervention. He repeats a lot. His favorite words are apple(app-uh), diaper(biper), meow(oow), doggie(ruff-ruff), mom, or mamma, daddy, Nannie, Poppy, Ouch. . . with more new ones each day. His favorite things to do are play outside, ride his bike, and take a bath. He loves to snuggle too!


My favorite memory from the last month is this, I was typing on the computer one day. He was in the Ergo. He grabbed my face, turned it toward him, kissed me on the lips and signed, "I love you". I guess if you want to get your mommy's attention, that is the way to do it. He melted my heart.

We are so thankful to God for placing the desire in our hearts to adopt so many years ago. Now that we are through the process, we thank Him for allowing us to parent this special boy.

As for the rest of the family, the kids are rapping up a full school year. We are talking about all the fun things we are going to do together this summer. The weather has been beautiful so we head outside for walking, biking, front yard kick ball and such. We have even had two wonderful family picnics with cousins for birthday celebrations and Memorial day!

God is so good! His faithful love endures forever!




A flower from my garden! Isn't it beautiful!

Poem

This poem was written by my friend, Joni Gainer, who travelled with us to Vietnam. It expresses eloquently the emotions that flooded our hearts as we picked up our sons.

March 30, 2008 Quiet time reflections on Binh Duong Orphanage


They quietly watch the strangers
tour their familiar halls.
They listen to foreign chatter
as it echoes between the walls.

The lucky one, in the midst of them,
tentative and shy.
Hoping, yet grieving,
as a tear slips from his eye.

This lucky one has a home now
he’ll be going to,
But the others will stay behind
when the day is through.

No matter how old they are
the hope just never dies,
“Please, let it be me soon”,
lingers in their eyes.

How can I forget them
when this one’s in my arms?
How could I ignore them,
to never know their charms?

Lord show me what you’d have me do;
fill me with your will.
You are the God who does provide;
your purpose you fulfill.

You created my inmost being
and filled me with a vision.
Lord show the path and give me strength;
Lord use me in your mission.

Their longing eyes, their hungry hearts
are calling out to me.
I’m waiting, Lord, for answers
In your will...I long to be...
In your will, Lord...help me see.

Parks and plays

We have been having beautiful weather these past few weeks in Ohio. Spring has Sprung!
Evan is learning all about playing at the park. He loves the swing and climbing. Here he is with his friend Jonathan!











We needed pictures for our first post placement home visit. Don't they all look happy! The kids truly are loving having a little one around. I am appreciating all of their help!











Because Evan got a turn in the baby swing, Ellyn wanted one too! She is still struggling to give up that "baby of the family" position.












Can you tell he loves it! It was so cute to hear him laugh and laugh his first time in the swing!













Kayla, Ethan, and Ellyn were in a musical at church this weekend. It was called "Fish Tales" !
Kayla performed a song in the signing choir. It is so neat to hear the kids singing songs about Jesus and His wonderful deeds!


Oh, yesterday marked two months with Evan. God is so good and we are so blessed to be the parents of a wonderful, sweet boy!

Smiles and Such

Life with four children who are home most of the time(homeschooled) is very Full! We are all delighting in the little boy who has become very much a part of our family! Evan is full of smiles and laughter. He still prefers mom, but is warming up to his other siblings. Dad even kept him last night while mom had some much needed woman to woman talk time.































Evan's favorite food is small pieces of cut up apple. This week I put two bags of them in the grocery cart and he kept saying over and over, "Ma, Ma". Yes, this is what he calls apples. I say "apple" and he says, "Ma, Ma". Oh well. It is cute and he loves them. This is a picture after he just finished a tray full of them.



































Sorry for the sideways pics. Anyway, someone gave us this bathrobe and I thought he looked so cute. Kind of reminds me of "Rocky". Yes I am an 80's child!





































When his sister saw the bathrobe, she wanted to get a bathrobe picture with Evan too.















Evan found his blanket from the orphanage in the laundry and pulled it all around the house one day. He also pulled his homecoming balloons with it. It is neat to see how he loves the blanket that he knows from his first "home"!

First haircut

On Saturday, Evan had his first haircut by mommy. The deal in our family is mommy cuts everyones hair so mommy can afford to get her hair cut! It works out nicely, most of the time. I have learned that Evan enjoys videos that have children singing. So with our favorite "Donut Man"(if you don't know who the Donut man is you might want to check it out), we set out for our first haircut. I think it was the easiest first haircut of all the kids. Granted, he has definatly had haircuts before so may know the routine. Enough said, here are some pics from the event.