Sat Sept. 2

I'm sorry that I haven't done too well at writing lately.  I guess as things progress & life settles into a more comfortable pace, it's easy to get busy & forget to update everyone.  Forgive me if I begin to go longer between posts, but feel free to email me any time for updates.

The kids are all doing very well in school.  We found out this week that Andrew is Dyslexic, which explains a lot about his personality & why things work the way they do with him.  This website was an eye-opener for me.  Of the 37 "symptoms" they list, he's got about 20 or so of them!  Check it out:  http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm  He has begun attending a daily 45 minute learning lab at school that he will be in for 4 years!  The teachers are awesome.  They go back to pre-reading & try to work forward, filling in whatever gaps the kids have.  Andrew has already come home describing assignments that he's excited about.  It's nice to see him smile when talking about something from school instead of moan & groan & talk about it like it's torture.  He may still struggle with school, but at least he's getting into something that he can look forward to each day...something that will give him a sense of pride & accomplishment.  That's good for his self confidence!

All in all, we're doing really great.  People ask me often "How are the kids adjusting?".  I really must say they're doing VERY WELL.  A&K have lived in so many places, in & out of relatives' homes and those of friends, from one place to another...that I am sure our home is just one more place to them.  Larry & I are hoping that with major holidays, more stability will come...and then with the 1 year mark, things will become significant to them where they begin to understand that we're not going to move every few months.  Building some stability & structure into their lives is sooo important to us.  I think that, having boundaries & rules and regular routines in their lives is doing them a lot of good.  They know what to expect from us...they understand that we love them & want the best for them.  There are still some walls up, but they've got bigger holes in them every day.  The big bricks they once stacked between us are falling, one at a time, and I am dancing & singing with each brick that hits the ground.  Last week, one night while snuggling at bedtime, Andrew was just laying there hugging me when he backed up, looked me in the eyes & said "Aunt Liz, I like living here!".  That was it...no discussion, no further info... he just wanted me to know that he likes living under my roof.  :::sniff, sniff:::

Today we went to the circus.  The Shriners have an annual circus here & we went a few years ago when Savannah was in Kindergarten or 1st grade.  We really enjoyed it, but it was outdoors & it was sooo hot.  This time it was inside the Oil Palace, so it was nice!  We had a ball.  A&K said they had not been to a circus before, so it was fun to watch their looks of amazement as the performers did their tricks.  I took lots of pictures.  Email me if ya want to see.

As more time passes, I feel more & more like I've had my kiddos (all 5 of them) since birth.  I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to not have all 5 of them here now.  I loved being a mom to 3, but mama-hood to 5 is just as awesome.  It's hard to describe how your heart grows & you wrap yourself around however many God gives you.  Seeing the friendship & love grow between the kids is such a sweet thing for me.  God has really done a big work in them (all).  I'm continually amazed by His goodness!