Glasses!

Summer So Far

Exploring local spots

A visit from cousins

Dueling haircuts

New script for first pair of glasses

2 weeks of swimming lessons

Backyard fun

Celebrating all the new things they have achieved

And this video is after only one week of swimming lessons-we are so incredibly proud of him-our Noah can swim all by himself now!

Show Hope Care Center Reunion

We had the best time this weekend in Franklin, Tennessee at the Show Hope Care Center Reunion.  We had the opportunity to meet the Chapmans, visit with the entire staff and connect with other families that have adopted from China.  The work that Show Hope does is nothing short of amazing! They have blessed us by the 3 months our Noah received care AND thru an adoption aid grant.  We were honored to attend and have the chance to say thank you in person.

Seeing The Beach and Ocean

We took our first real vacation as a family of five last weekend to Destin/Fort Walton, Florida.  We live so close now (literally less than 3 hours away); its hard to believe we've been residents here for 9 months already.  

Noah was very excited to see the ocean and play in the sand on the beach…what isn't he eager to do?!  He loved (trying to) ride the waves, finding sea shells and staying in the hotel.  

We opted for only 2 nights away and crammed everything we could into our time in Destin including half a day at Big Kahuna's water park, lots of fried seafood, ice cream and a Mother's Day breakfast at The Donut Hole.  We spent less than $500 total and since we do live so close now we promised the kids we can go back again later this summer.  It was really special to have a weekend together and experience more firsts with Noah.

Helping Others

This week I had the honor of helping another adoptive mom state certify 3 documents and it was quite the in-town adventure.  Beckett and Noah made for excellent sidekicks.  It was cool to play a very small part in someone else's journey and show Noah steps we took to bring him home (in Georgia of course). He is so obedient and loves hearing about adoptions. 
This is us with the documents right before we dropped them off at FedEx.

Box Fun

Hours of entertainment yesterday-these brothers loved playing in the box together!

Happy Easter!

Thank you God for your son Jesus-his perfect life and sacrifice.  Today we celebrate his resurrection and are so grateful you gave us the ability to know you thru Him.  What a gift Easter is to all of us.

Pinkeye

Noah is suffering from pinkeye (also called conjunctivitis). His right eye is pink and aggravated.  Today we visited the pediatrician and started a series of eye drops.  We are hoping to see results immediately and get him some relief.  The pinkeye has made him irritable and worsened the nystagmus (bouncing eyes).  I have also noticed that he is more "needy" and seeking attention from anyone and everyone.  yesterday was quite rough with a visit from a Comcast installer at our house.  Please pray with us that the antibiotic drops work quickly, Noah feels relief and that we (his family) can meet his needs instead of him looking for attention from other adults.

Dance Party

Really white boys love to dance! ;)  (that was a bad joke)  His older sister is an excellent partner.

Here Lately

I've fallen down on the job of posting new pictures again-here's a recap of the past few weeks: family time, fine motor, amazing outdoor play and a trip to the dentist

Happy Chinese New Year!

Noah loved waking up to find the red envelopes I filled with chocolate coins, chopsticks and Mandarin oranges.  We decorated the downstairs with lanterns (great $1 find at Target).  He asked me what the chopsticks were and laughed as we tried to eat the oranges with them.  :)

We continued our celebration tonight with a special meal, moon cakes, fireworks and a book that explains the cultural holiday.  I'm having trouble finding a local event to attend this weekend though there is a large number of Chinese that live in Tallahassee.  Here are a few fun facts about this 15 day long holiday:

-Also called Spring Festival

-2015 is the year of the Goat, Ram or Sheep depending on who you ask

-Fireworks are set off on New Year's Eve to send out the old year

-Red envelopes containing money are given to children for good luck

-Tangerines and oranges are displayed to promote wealth

-Red symbolizes fire which some believe keeps away evil spirits

-Dragons are featured in the celebrations and are also believed to chase away evil spirits

-It is traditional to repair broken friendships and relationships during the New Year

Happy Gotcha/Family Day!

A New "Chin" Doctor

I took Noah to a local dermatologist in Tallahassee, FL this afternoon instead of making the commute to Emory for his check-up.  On the drive over I was reassuring him (and brother) that no one would be receiving any shots today.  Lots of appointments lately have brought on some anxiety for both of them.  I told him Dr. Ford was a skin doctor and his nurses don't give shots...he misunderstood and thought we were going to a new "chin" doctor.  :)  Anyway, good appointment and of course Noah charmed the entire staff.  Dr. Ford recommended increasing the daily SPF I apply to a minimum of 50 and avoiding aerosol sprays.  He did see sun damaged skin on the back of Noah's neck and we had a lengthy discuss about how God brought us to our son (and yes we knew he had albinism).  The PA had to take a peak at Noah as well...sometimes I feel like our family is walking circus act-I told them just wait we'll be back in a year with Sadie in tow! ;)

A Trip to the Movies

This past Saturday the five of us went to a movie theater for the first time together and saw Paddington.  We sat in the 4th row so Noah could see really well and near the aisle for easy escapes to the bathroom.  Armed with popcorn, M&Ms and 3 waters I snuck in (the prices are ridiculous), the kids sat thru the entire movie.  There were a few parts that mentioned orphanages and abandonment (which we were not prepared for) but Noah seemed to enjoy the story.  It's crazy to hear these details/language in children's movie and used so casually...anyway, it was a fun family outing and one we had promised for many months.

Eleven Months As A Family

Yesterday our (new) social worker from Lifeline came and completed the 1 year post placement report for Noah.  She was at our house for about 4 hours interviewing Luke and I and observing the children.  We've gotten to know her pretty well in the past few months as she works for the agency that has Sadie's file so she has written our (new) home study in Florida.  And I'm happy to report that after 11 months we did finally leave Noah (for 2 nights) with paternal grandparents and he had a ball.  He didn't slow down enough to miss us and had no trouble going to sleep at night. Here are some shots from their adventures-

 He has only experienced one night terror lately and we are seeing much less self-soothing (sucking fingers to go to sleep).  He is proud of his fish and looks forward to feeding them each day.  He loves the new trampoline outside and continues to ride his bike often.  Preschool is going very well and we anticipate he will have no trouble adjusting to a full day of (free) VPK this Fall at the elementary school his big sister goes to.  Noah loves the church we attend in Florida (City Church)  but does still ask about Browns Bridge-what a testament to the foundation that was laid thru volunteers in his class.

Noah is excited for Spring and has asked to play a sport-likely t-ball or soccer.  He continues to enjoy household chores and be so helpful it's really just amazing.  He loves doing puzzles, Play-Doh and Legos too.  He can recognize almost every letter in the alphabet and numbers 1-12 on his own.

I would describe him as an eager child.  He's happy and joyful everyday.  This summer we plan to move he and Beckett into a room together as we prepare for Sadie becoming a part of our family.  It's hard now to talk about one without the other, really any of our 3-they are thick as thieves and although it can be very chaotic and there are still fights-our children are so much more compassionate because they have each other.  I plan to update again at Noah's one year anniversary of joining our family in February and then either transition this into a family blog or focus solely on Sadie's blog (http://givehopeforsadie.blogspot.com/)