They Remember More than We Think...

Last night when we were outside, Meghan noticed a "jet plane" flying overhead. We live below the route many planes take from Green Bay to Minneapolis, so we see many of these "jets". This one stuck out a bit, though, because it was flying lower than most, so you could see it more clearly. Anyway, she must have told Caleb to look at the plane, because all of a sudden he started crying very hard. He was honestly petrified. I finally was able to calm him down enough to talk to him, and he pointed to the plane and kept on crying. I then asked him if he was afraid that the plane was coming to take him away from Mommy and Daddy, and he said "yes."

Caleb flew home to us (with Keith and my MIL) when he was 18 months old. He's now 24 months old, and he still remembers. It really blows my mind sometimes, how much he does remember, at such a young age. Needless to say, we spent the rest of the evening reminding him how much we love him, and that we're going to be his mommy and daddy for the rest of our lives, and that we will never, never leave him. (We tell this to him all the time, and especially every night. We have found that it helps him sleep better, if he hears this right before he goes to sleep.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share that there are still times that his transition is difficult for him. I hope that he does remember Guatemala, and especially that his foster family and birth mother loved him very much. However, I do certainly hope that he eventually forgets the hurt, pain, and terror the changes must have caused.

Take care,
Kris

Funny Moments from Home

With four kids, every day is an adventure. Here are some recent funny moments from our home.

Yes, this is a picture of a Battleship board. Jared insisted that I take a picture of it after he played with Keith. Do you kids do this? I have to take pictures of the most seemingly insignificant things. Of course, I'm very thankful for digital cameras, I never have to pay to get these goofy pictures developed, yet they are saved forever. Just more things to bring up when the kids are teenagers!

Here's another picture of Jared. Guess what he's doing...yep, holding Mariah. He's only 7, but he has been the biggest help with her. There have been a couple of times when she will be fussy, and he'll start singing to her and rubbing her leg - and she'll go right to sleep. We're so proud of him...he had a rough go of it when Caleb and Mariah joined the family, and he's evolved into the perfect big brother.

Here are some pictures from the many times I had the kids play in the sprinkler in the yard. In this first picture, Meghan is bravely trying a taste of the water:

Caleb, of course, has to model everything his big sister does. Here is his first attempt at drinking the water:

And then, after he's figured it out! As you can see, he has no fear of the water! (another reason why we won't have a swimming pool for awhile....)

I know that this will surprise any parent who has ever adopted a child, or has had a two year old before. Caleb has the "terrible twos squared" syndrome. When he gets something into that little head, watch out! He is very stubborn and independent. Here's what happens when he wants popcorn - it's the entire bag!

And then there is dressing himself. I've learned I have to let him do it himself - and then fix the damage afterwards. Here's his attempt at putting on his own shirt. Like his face, it's saying "see, Mom, I did it just fine myself!!!!"

One day, for about the hundredth time, I caught Caleb playing with Mariah's toys. I wouldn't mind except that he tends to get rough and break them. Well, I'd had enough, so I put him in the exersaucer:

YES, as you can tell, this was "some" punishment. I think he played in there for about 30 minutes, and he's snuck in many times since then. Sigh, I can't win...I keep getting outsmarted by a 2 year old!!!!

Here's Mariah in her Jumperoo - the one toy Caleb hasn't climbed into yet!

And here's Mariah in one of her cute dresses. The phase of taking her picture when she's propped is coming to a close...she's only days away from sitting up herself!

Whenever I hear the statement, "kids have no imagination nowadays," I feel bad for the person who said it - because they have obviously not met Meghan. Here's her playing "dressup" with some of her dolls.

And finally, here is a picture of Caleb on the riding mower with Keith. This is a big accomplishment for Caleb. Since he came home, he has been petrified of snowblowers, tractors, and lawnmowers. He would run for his life whenever he saw one. The fact that he has built up enough trust of Keith, plus enough courage to actually ride the lawn tractor, is I think a good example of how well he has adjusted. Caleb is truly an amazing kid, and we are truly blessed to have such an amazing family of four perfect children.

Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for checking out our blog!

Kris

Birthday Party Pictures

I have to apologize for taking so long to get these things posted. We had Caleb's birthday party on August 3rd. It was a very fun party - and Caleb had a blast. He used to get so stressed out when family came over, but not any more. He even gave everyone a hug as a thank you for his present! That NEVER would have happened a few months ago. Anyway, enjoy some of his special day!

Everyone knows that Caleb is the biggest - and I mean the BIGGEST Diego fan on the planet. Obviously, we had to have a Diego cake!

Caleb had a really, really hard time keeping his hands off of his cake. You can kind of see his little mind working in this picture, "how am I going to sneak off some of that frosting if everyone is watching?"

Keith finally had to have Caleb put his hands behind his back so that he wouldn't touch the cake. Believe it or not, it worked!

It's always important to get the picture taken with cousins and friends who made it to the party. Poor Caleb, though, could not understand why he couldn't have his cake!

He's very patiently smiling in this picture:

Getting a little more restless in this picture:

And finally, head on the table, "JUST STOP TAKING SO MANY PICTURES ALREADY!!!!"

When Caleb first came home, opening presents was really a foreign concept to him. Caleb's foster family in Guatemala, who took such amazing care of him, were Jehovah's Witness, so to our knowledge, Caleb never celebrated holidays such as his birthday or Christmas. Trust me, it didn't take him too long to figure out how to open presents, however! Here is just a sampling of a few of his gifts. The boy is now stocked with Diego toys, that is for sure!

We joke that this truck will work well for Caleb to haul around all of his new Diego toys!!!

Coming up shortly: August pictures of the family. We wanted Caleb's 2nd birthday to be it's own special post.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading our blog!

Kris