We've found that a lot of our communicating with friends and family has migrated to Facebook, but we still like to occasionally update this blog. So with apologies for the large time gaps in information, we want to share with you what has been a very eventful few weeks in our home.
Kaycie and Ravyn seem to be enjoying being back in school, and both of them are working part time jobs. And we find ourselves taking advantage of the employee discounts they both get --- less expensive food at Moe's and a nice discount on all kinds of fun stuff at Party City. We love it!
Homecomeing dances (and the new dresses that go along with them) have been the focus in recent weeks. Kaycie has been asked to two dances at two high schools in cities 2,000 miles apart (here and back in Seattle...and yes, she will be going to both!) and Ravyn is looking forward to her first big dance. And the dresses they each bought are absolutely beautiful.
Both girls have hit significant milestones recently. Kaycie was accepted to Utah State University and is already planning her migration to beautiful Logan, Utah next fall, while trying to get us all to become Aggie football fans. And Ravyn is now driving, under the watchful eye of one of her parents, with a learner's permit. The curbs and shrubbery in our area will never be the same...nor will our hearts, which are still racing after some of the close calls that all new drivers seem to create!
Isabelle is loving her pre-school. We were really concerned that she wouldn't connect with a new teacher after having been so fond of Miss Jennifer last year, but, in her words, she loves Miss Penny (this year's teacher) because she makes her laugh. But the highlight of Izzy's week seems to be her ballet class. Not only does she give her instructor her undivided attention (something we're still working on around home) but she loves to watch the girls in the older classes. She has been blessed with a body that, at least at this point in her life, is perfect for dance (as opposed to her little sister who will probably need to settle for gymnastics or football) and she seems graceful beyond her years.
The Alabama Dance Company hosted a "Brunch with the Ballerinas" a couple of weeks ago, so Izzy and Bill had a daddy-daughter-date where there were able to meet some of the dancers and see a couple of sample dances from the Snow White ballet.
And then there's little Chloe. The strides she has made since the surgery to repair her cleft palate have been amazing. Did you know that with a cleft palate a child can't do something simple like drink through a straw? (The hole in the roof of the mouth prevents the suction necessary.) Needless to say it was a time for celebration when, after a few weeks of working on it, Chloe took several drinks through a straw. And her speech has become much more clear (for a 2 year old anyway), and she is saying words and phrases she couldn't form before the surgery.
But the highlight for her was this week, when she had two big days. On Thursday we drove to Columbiana (with Bill's parents who had come to visit for the week) to appear before Judge James W. Fuhrmeister to complete the last legal step in Chloe's adoption. Even though in the eyes of the Chinese government and the U.S. federal government her adoption was final in April, we chose to go through was is referred to as a "re-adoption" in order to have a U.S. birth certificate. It just makes things easier in terms of school, etc. Although the court appearance was little more than a formality, Judge Fuhrmeister took the time to make the experience memorable. He shared with us that he was an adopted child, so he looked at these occasions through the eyes of the child. When Chloe wandered up toward his bench, he invited her to sit on his lap...which she did with no hesitation. And when we were leaving, as the adults in the room were shaking hands Chloe wanted to give the Judge a kiss...which he did with no hesitation. It was a memorable experience for us all.
But the high point was Friday night. Those of you who are familiar with the Mormon Church will understand the significance of having Chloe sealed to us. That happened Friday evening, and although the experience was too sacred to share in a public forum like this we can tell you that, as President Monson has taught about temple attendance, the veil was perceptibly thin. And Chloe, who typically has the attention span of a humming bird, was remarkably attentive and seemed to grasp the magnitude of what was going on. For those of you not familiar with our faith...let us know if you'd like to know more!
We send our heartfelt thanks to those who joined us in the temple Friday. Especially Bill's parents and Diann's sister Leesa who sacrificed their time and resources to support us. Your love is greatly appreciated.
Kaycie and Ravyn seem to be enjoying being back in school, and both of them are working part time jobs. And we find ourselves taking advantage of the employee discounts they both get --- less expensive food at Moe's and a nice discount on all kinds of fun stuff at Party City. We love it!
Homecomeing dances (and the new dresses that go along with them) have been the focus in recent weeks. Kaycie has been asked to two dances at two high schools in cities 2,000 miles apart (here and back in Seattle...and yes, she will be going to both!) and Ravyn is looking forward to her first big dance. And the dresses they each bought are absolutely beautiful.
Both girls have hit significant milestones recently. Kaycie was accepted to Utah State University and is already planning her migration to beautiful Logan, Utah next fall, while trying to get us all to become Aggie football fans. And Ravyn is now driving, under the watchful eye of one of her parents, with a learner's permit. The curbs and shrubbery in our area will never be the same...nor will our hearts, which are still racing after some of the close calls that all new drivers seem to create!
Isabelle is loving her pre-school. We were really concerned that she wouldn't connect with a new teacher after having been so fond of Miss Jennifer last year, but, in her words, she loves Miss Penny (this year's teacher) because she makes her laugh. But the highlight of Izzy's week seems to be her ballet class. Not only does she give her instructor her undivided attention (something we're still working on around home) but she loves to watch the girls in the older classes. She has been blessed with a body that, at least at this point in her life, is perfect for dance (as opposed to her little sister who will probably need to settle for gymnastics or football) and she seems graceful beyond her years.
The Alabama Dance Company hosted a "Brunch with the Ballerinas" a couple of weeks ago, so Izzy and Bill had a daddy-daughter-date where there were able to meet some of the dancers and see a couple of sample dances from the Snow White ballet.
And then there's little Chloe. The strides she has made since the surgery to repair her cleft palate have been amazing. Did you know that with a cleft palate a child can't do something simple like drink through a straw? (The hole in the roof of the mouth prevents the suction necessary.) Needless to say it was a time for celebration when, after a few weeks of working on it, Chloe took several drinks through a straw. And her speech has become much more clear (for a 2 year old anyway), and she is saying words and phrases she couldn't form before the surgery.
But the highlight for her was this week, when she had two big days. On Thursday we drove to Columbiana (with Bill's parents who had come to visit for the week) to appear before Judge James W. Fuhrmeister to complete the last legal step in Chloe's adoption. Even though in the eyes of the Chinese government and the U.S. federal government her adoption was final in April, we chose to go through was is referred to as a "re-adoption" in order to have a U.S. birth certificate. It just makes things easier in terms of school, etc. Although the court appearance was little more than a formality, Judge Fuhrmeister took the time to make the experience memorable. He shared with us that he was an adopted child, so he looked at these occasions through the eyes of the child. When Chloe wandered up toward his bench, he invited her to sit on his lap...which she did with no hesitation. And when we were leaving, as the adults in the room were shaking hands Chloe wanted to give the Judge a kiss...which he did with no hesitation. It was a memorable experience for us all.
But the high point was Friday night. Those of you who are familiar with the Mormon Church will understand the significance of having Chloe sealed to us. That happened Friday evening, and although the experience was too sacred to share in a public forum like this we can tell you that, as President Monson has taught about temple attendance, the veil was perceptibly thin. And Chloe, who typically has the attention span of a humming bird, was remarkably attentive and seemed to grasp the magnitude of what was going on. For those of you not familiar with our faith...let us know if you'd like to know more!
We send our heartfelt thanks to those who joined us in the temple Friday. Especially Bill's parents and Diann's sister Leesa who sacrificed their time and resources to support us. Your love is greatly appreciated.
2 comments:
Congratulations on being sealed to Chloe! Such a big highlight!
I want to see dance pictures of those dresses! What a fun time in their lives. Congratulations on the sealing. Our little Hayden's adoption was finalized last Monday and we are anxiously looking forward to our own sealing next month. I've never been more excited to go to the temple in all my life. As I'm sure you can relate. It really is amazing how mmuch you can love a child that is not a part of you genetically. I'm glad to hear Chloe's doing so well. What a lucky family you are to have her!
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