A Little December Catch Up

I always feel like I am saying I am catching up, whether it's blogging or doing the laundry.  

December is flying by...

Shelby is just about finished with her classes for the semester and she has recently started a new job at Bed Bath and B3yond.  Robbie is finished with football and has now entered "lifting season".  Matt and Grace are anxiously awaiting Christmas.  

Matthew has an ultrasound next week to see if we need to address anything in his cheek.  There are contemplating some schlerotherapy injections to destroy any larger areas of his malformation.  Jeff and I both believe there has been some regrowth, but being with him everyday it's hard to say.  He may also have to start wearing a face garment at night to keep any swelling down.  

Grace is getting a much needed break from weekly physical therapy.  She has come so far in her walking and balance and mostly just being able to participate in a full session.  When we first started therapy it was about the longest hour of my week each week.  There happened to be a change in therapists about a year ago and our new therapist Gracie really clicked with.  We are hoping to find some physical activities to take the place of therapy and probably will resume sometime next year.  We are looking also at her having a pretty intense bladder (as a result of her spinal injury) surgery in the next year.  No one ever likes surgery, but for our little guys who have had such a rough beginning it brings anxiety to the 1000th degree.    So it's not something we are taking lightly, Since the recovery is pretty extensive and our girl has only been less than 2 years. we are thinking about holding off on kindergarten for another year.  By the time she graduates, I will have had children in our school district for 30 years?!?!  

Below are a few pictures from the past month.

Visiting Dan's Dogs

Grace's favorite food is corn and she never did eat the hot dog inside.

Visiting Doebels

Matt asked if this was a camel

Santa

It took 2 visits to Santa, but Grace finally mustered all her bravery and sat near Santa.  

Football

We have really enjoyed watching Robbie's football games this season, even if at times it is in full sun-98°- sitting on aluminum stands-facing into the sun. We all really look forward to it.    It's pretty cool to see how far he has come over the past 9 years.  I like to think I had a place in how far he has come - I have given him a lot of training on how to catch bad passes many a day at the bus stop when he was younger.  It's still hard to see him get tackled though.  I continue to warn him that I will hurdle the stands and be at his side if he gets hurt.  Robbie has had some pretty sore muscles the past few weeks, but he is still pretty excited for each week's game.  

Show Hope Concert

 Last week,  we had the opportunity to go and volunteer with Show Hope.  Steven Curtis Chapman was in Youngstown playing for a concert along with Mac Powell and Brandon Heath.  Show Hope needed some volunteers to help pass out sponsorship information and sign up new sponsors for the children they take care of in their care centers in China.  Shelby was visiting friends in Florida so she wasn't able to come.  We knew it would be a really long night for Grace, so she got to stay home and spend "girlfriend time" (as she calls it) with Grandma.

Matthew spent about 15 months at Maria's Big House of Hope of his 23 months living in China.  He also spent about 5 months in a state run orphanage.  As an adoptive parent, its hard to picture what your child's life was like before you and what they may have endured without you.   We know his early life was full of a lot of losses, but to know he lived in such a beautiful God filled place like Maria's helps to make your heart rest a little easier as an adoptive parent.   We have had a couple of chances to speak with the amazing staff and volunteers at Show Hope over the years, it has been a blessing to meet up with them and hear small stories about Matthew.  Last night, we heard Matthew was always wanting his nannies to take off his shirt.  We were cracking up because this is so him.  Our boy is such a human sweat box, he is always hot.  

It was great concert! Afterwards we were able to go meet everyone backstage.  They were all so sweet and nice to us all.  Here are a few pictures...

First day of school

Summer time

 Yes I still do blog...  Summer is flying by and now it's time for school to start.

Shelby is home from Disney! Yay!!! She had a great time and she probably would have stayed if she had the time with her studies and extra finances.  The Disney college program is awesome, but not something that you do to grow your savings account.  She thoroughly had a great time though.  She probably spent 85% of her days there in the parks while she was there and tried just about everything there is to do down there.  (She is a great resource of all things Disney if anyone ever has questions).  Now, she is back working at the farm mostly on the weekends and watching two little girls during the week.  She isn't going to do marching band this fall, it will be nice to have her around more and not racing around so much.  I think she will appreciate the extra time as her program studies ramp up this Fall.  Can't believe she is already a junior. 

Robbie is sweating his butt off for football this summer.  He has been conditioning a few days a week and freshman football started last week.  This is the first time in a long time that I am not a band-mom, I am now an official football mom.  He his so happy that I purchased "sparkle-mom-football jersey" with his last name on it.  His team is a little bigger this year and he is getting the chance to be a wide receiver and running back.  Robbie has always just had such a love of football and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up coaching in his life.  (sorry for the lack of a football picture, this is a much more handsome/less sweaty picture from his spring dance)

Matthew can ride a bike! We bought him a balance bike for his birthday.  During a recent camping trip, we had a spot near a cul d sac.  He is one determined boy and practiced all weekend.  By the time we came home, he asked to get out his bike with training wheels and have them removed.  To our shock, he was up and pedaling  away.  He got to go to safety town and will be going  off to kindergarten soon.  Matthew had an MRI in June and will have an ultrasound at the end of the year.  We are gauging  his need for sclerotherapy (injections to shrink some of the remaining tissue in his cheek).

Gracie is having a fun summer of speech and physical therapy.  She recently was fitted with additional bracing for her right leg.  She isn't a big fan of wearing it, but we are seeing a lot less falling. It offers more support to her weaker foot, but still allows enough flex ability to still build up the muscles in her leg.   She can now ride a tricycle really well and she is starting to work on Matthew's bike with training wheels.  Her language is really exploding and it's so sweet to have real conversations with her.  It's amazing to see her go from baby to preschooler in just over a year. 

Not sure if it's going to last, but both Grace and Matthew have been sleeping so much better.  We have spent the better part of the last 3.5 years dealing with a lot of interrupted sleep and having to sleep in their room.   Both of them have dealt with a lot of nighttime anxiety, rightfully so.  We are just down to Jeff laying down with them at night till they fall asleep  and just an occasional reassuring hug during the night.  It is so nice to sleep in my own bed, but now I am realizing it's time for us to get a new mattress, lol. 

Hoping to blog more, wish me luck! 

Disney

In early March we were able to go to Florida and see our girl.  Funny, around the same time last year our family packed up and boarded a plane to meet Grace for the first time.  We went right from the airport to the Magic Kingdom to see Shelby.  So good to hunt her down working and give her a big hug.  For the first few days of our trip, Shelby would hang out with us all day and then go to work mid afternoon and work till midnight.  Obviously she is a lot younger and has a lot more energy than us.

We stayed in the cabins at Fort Wilderness.  Both sides of our family were able to stay at Fort Wilderness  with us.  Grace and Matt were pretty thrilled with their new home.  They still keep asking if they can go back to the cabin.  Grace and Matt don't always do real well in new situations and this our first real vacation to take with both of them, we were a little apprehensive going down there.  They both did awesome.  It never gets old taking little ones for their first trip to Disney World, especially ones that have had such rough starts in life.  I can't tell you how many times my mind drifted away and kept thinking just a year ago, Grace was in an orphanage.  Now here she was a daughter and getting to be kid just like everyone else.  

Toward the last half of our trip, Jeff and I both ended up at Urgent Care places.  Thankfully, I just had a nasty chest cold, but poor Jeff had a frozen shoulder that wouldn't budge.  One day while we were at Epcot, his shoulder got stuck with his arm extended above his shoulder.  Talk about painful - we found an awesome urgent care about 5 minutes away and got him a cortisone shot and a little relief.  He struggled with it for the next couple of days and finally made one last park appearance on our last day.  We were so thankful for our familiy's help and especially to Shelby who traded some of her shifts to spend more time with us and to Robbie who provided lots of needed muscles.  

Shelby is in Florida for a couple more months.  She really is having a great time.  I was really proud of her.  I can't tell you how many times I saw her helping other guests and that was even on days she wasn't working.  She is also great tour guide.  Shelby pretty much knows where everything is at and knows many short cuts and the best places to eat.  

My heart was so happy to spend that time in Florida  being a family of 6 again.    The week flew by so fast.     I also forgot how much time little kid naps take up each day, I might have joined them for a few naps, too.  Grace and Matt had quite a few nights where we stayed out till midnight. Combine that with a time change when we returned, I think we are all still catching up on our sleep.  

Grace and her favorite "Mimi"

Daddy and Grace

Matt got to play a part in Belle's story time as Maurice.

We were able to celebrate Grace's family day while we were in FL.

Even Jeff had a part at Belle's story time

Shelby and one of her roommates

My "dabbing" son

Grandma and Shelby

We were able to meet up with one of the sweet families we travelled with to China last year.  Matthew and Calvin became fast friends when we travelled and Matthew kept calling them our cousins.  

Seeing Shelby for the first time

First day at animal Kingdom

This boy was so excited to visit Star Wars

Gracie didn't have much luck taking naps in the stroller, but Matt had no problem.  He makes his Grandpa Kissell proud 

This is the best picture - we love Leland's face

Finally a family picture, complete with Jeff's injured shoulder.

My favorite Disney employee