2 Years a Family of 6

It really is hard to believe it's been 2 years since we met Asher and Annalise.  They have grown and changed dramatically during this time. Long gone are the kiddos from the orphanage- here are drastically different kiddos who are thriving! 

UPDATES:

Annalise continues with her passion for all things Hello Kitty- clothing, stickers, dolls, puzzles, anything!  She swims like a fish and has finally mastered riding her bike with training wheels!   We discovered at Disney that she LOVES rollercoasters!  Medically, we have learned key information.  She has been diagnosed with dyspraxia, affects of prenatal alcohol (but not FASD as she doesn't fit all the requirements), and cerebral palsy.  Now that we know how to help her, she has started specialized therapies to help with coordination, learning, and speech.  She is an amazing, spunky, spirited and compassionate little lady!  She is really starting to "get" reading, is developing a love of "writing", and her favorite part of math is money.  Her speech is starting to improve- she is still mostly unintelligible to those who do not know her- and her vocabulary is through the roof!  She is excited to play on the Special Needs baseball league near us this Spring.  She loves her teachers- she is in co-taught 1st grade and receiving small-group instruction for reading, writing, and math.  She also receives speech and occupational therapies at school as well in addition to her specialized therapies to address her global dyspraxia.  She is the first to offer help or a toy to someone who is sad and to quote "Love is patient, Love is kind..."  Her compassion and kind heart are going to take her far in this life!

Asher continues to keep us laughing- and groaning- with his deep, deep, deep love of all potty humor.  He can out-burp any middle school boy and hearing anything resembling a fart has him rolling on the floor with laughter.  While at Disney, he got a kiss from every Princess or Queen we met- and he thought it was AWESOME!  Medically, he continues to struggle to sleep- getting to, staying, and waking way too early.  We met with a sleep specialist who agrees that his poor sleep is probably the root cause of some of his other issues- still soaking his bed at night, constant thirst, poor coordination, lack of academics "sticking."  In an effort to help this, he had his tonsils out and had another eye surgery.  Already he is sleeping better and his eyes are tracking together better!  We love his ability to laugh and forgive quickly.  He loves people, talking with them, making them laugh, discussing the movie Elf, explaining construction equipment to anyone who will listen- his desire to love and connect with people will take him far- and what a drastic change from the little boy who just sat in a corner and played by himself!

Last year, we watched "Annie" as a family to celebrate our "Tomorrow."  This year, Al discovered a great out-reach- Cafe 458.  During the week, Cafe 458 serves meals to the local homeless.  They also offer help getting the homeless jobs and housing!  On Sunday, they open a brunch- bring in a chef- and people like us come and eat!  The money from brunch is what they use to pay for the food for the rest of the week.  Our family was excited to help others reach their dreams!

It's been a bumpy year- moving from Virginia to Georgia- new schools, new doctors, new friends- we are thankful for our family and how God has been faithful in it all.  We have been able to share our story with others and connect with other adoptive families.   This next year promises to be full of adventures, battles, and happiness!