Our weekend

Well I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't apprehensive and a little scared about the trip to Indiana.... trapped, okay let's be nice and say "in" the car for 6 hours with a 6 year old and 2 and a half year old. It went well. Outstandingly well. If I had to give Will a grade it would be an "A+." Now Miss Grace (who is the queen of traveling), gets an "A+" too. There was no crying, tantrums, whining or any of those not so positive events that happen on a long car trip. For William it was his first time sleeping overnight in a new place, and we stayed 2 nights. I came well prepared with entertainment and food products. We spent a large part of Saturday with Dan's mom and William was polite and very funny. We went out to a park and had a picnic and of course did lots of playing, made some new friends and enjoyed the early Fall weather. 2 little kids can sure make a mess in a hotel room, I almost took pics. I kept comparing this little trip to our trip in China. William is so much calmer now, and genuinely happy most of the time. He really is a character. Progress continues every week.

Favorite foto Friday

These were taken a few evenings ago when Dan and I took Grace, Will and our dog Molly to a nearby dog park for a run. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the dog. Grace and Will love to race, chase and run! The 2 of them are getting along very well...or as well as brother and sister can at times. ;0)This weekend we are traveling down to Indiana for William to meet his Grandma(Dan's mother) for the first time. Wish us well on a 6 hour car ride...we are ready with plenty of movies and treats. Hope your weekend is everything you want it to be!

25 minutes with a 2 year old

First...must adjust the 'superpower' boots. (that's what he calls them)

Must blow bubbles...

Take a little swing break...

Take a call from Spiderman...

Find a flag and wave it furiously, drop it and run to find something new...

a toy chicken. What's next? Only William knows what that is.... oh to be 2 again!

Autumn's Beauty

Autumn or 'Fall' as we say in the Midwest is arriving and it's by far my favorite time of the year. The above picture of Grace was taken by me almost a year ago, it's been all over my blog and I love it so much I had to post it again. Let's see...what do I love so much about Autumn? Leaves on the trees changing colors to gold, garnet and brilliant orange, going pumpkin picking and finding just "the right one," college football games, wearing sweaters again, going trick or treating with my children, and getting together with Grace's China travel group for an annual party in November. I'm also a little sad about Autumn's arrival. Summer is gone and Winter will be coming very soon. Enjoy this season of change.

"Strong Will"

We named our son William before we met him. Both of our Grandfathers had that name and it seemed perfect for our little boy. I just now looked up the meaning of the name William and it means "Strong-willed warrior." I had to laugh at the strong-willed part because I couldn't think of a more fitting description for this child. Strong-willed, hard-headed, stubborn, William wants to do things his way a fair amount of the time. You might say, he is 2! Yes...he is 2 but there's more to it than just being a 2 year old behavior. I believe some of it is here to stay and really just part of who he is and his personality. When I think of the word "will" I think of someone who is determined or resolute. Considering all the changes that this little boy has gone through those personality traits will serve him quite well throughout his life. Tomorrow we will have been with little William for 2 months. Each of my children have helped me to grow in ways I never imagined, all different and all very loved. Always.

New look

Thank you again to the very talented Becky who gave my blog a new look to include our William. This is the second time Becky has designed my blog and again I'm so pleased! You can check out her blog designs at http://ladyinwaitingblogdesign.blogspot.com/
Becky and her family are waiting for their daughter in China to come home.

Last full week of summer

Boy on a mission...

Stopping to hold the baby, don't look too close at the baby's hair...ugh. She has been well loved by Grace.

This is one of his "Spiderman" poses.

Getting blankie out, he attempted to wrap blankie around him but that didn't work.

Today Will and I went down to the basement to get out some Fall decorations. Can't believe in a way that this summer is almost over and Fall will be here. With the very cool weather it's felt like Fall here for about 3 weeks or so. In the basement which is one of William's favorite places to be BTW, probably because we have a large play area with what I call the 'big toys,' things like-- doll houses, 2 tents, a play kitchen and he found a new favorite toy for now....a doll carriage. We brought it upstairs and he put Grace's first and very loved baby doll in it and went for a walk outside. All of this was Will's idea. He even brought his blankie to cover up the doll. So off we went with our dog Molly for a walk around the block stopping here and there to re-arrange the blanket, pick up the doll and hold her, collect some rocks, pretend he's Spiderman and eventually carry blankie around too. Gotta love little boys!

A few pics from our week

This one was taken today, Will was so happy...he smiled and laughed pretty much all day.

Doing what he loves probably the best, riding his car up and down the sidewalk and driveway.

Miss Grace getting off the bus.

And my favorite pic of the week, William hugging his Jie Jie as she comes home from school.

Last night I put William to bed and read him his favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He fell asleep and I watched him for a little while thinking about what an amazing little boy he is. Every week we see so much progress and he is happier and happier. Adoption is a miracle.

Wordless Wednesday

Busy boy

Here I go!

Maybe I'll stop for a second...

Maybe 2 seconds...

Off I go! See ya Mommy!

This boy is so hard to photograph, always moving. I either need a faster camera or something. I remember Grace was just like Will at this age. So cute and ENDLESS energy! Yikes.

Home 5 weeks from China

Will with his little Spiderman figure. This boy LOVES Spiderman. It's so cute.

Today we've been home 5 weeks and have been with William for over 7 weeks. I can say that Will is a much happier little boy, is not nearly so angry as he was, is trusting us, and is definitely a part of our family now. To me the turning point was when he got sick 3 weeks ago and had to depend on me totally for his care. I held him most of that time. It's amazing what being sick can do for attachment, not that I want a child to get sick but that really was when he changed. The last week and a half or so he's had an explosion in language, is saying more and more English words and some longer sentences. He has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh, sing little songs in Mandarin and play. Grace and William are getting along much better and Grace is being patient with her little brother. Adopting a toddler can be challenging, but the rewards are immensely gratifying. William is the little boy that we always believed he could be. I love this child so much, he is such a gift to our family. And what a journey!

Back to school...

Purple is Grace's new favorite color, of course pink is one too. She loves purple and pink clothes.

Today was Grace's first day of Kindergarten. This morning we were up bright and early, I drove her to school and she'll start taking the bus tomorrow. She is so ready for all day school and has such a great attitude. Grace's teacher is everything a Kindergarten teacher should be...kind, soft spoken and nurturing. I'm so excited for Grace and know she'll shine!

I love you little girl...

Edited to say: Grace had an amazing day, loved Kindergarten and can't wait to return tomorrow! I did fine with it all...though tomorrow we'll see how I do when she gets on the bus....