A Whole New Meaning to Thankful

Our first real road trip is now behind us. For about the past 10 years, for Thanksgiving we fly to Chicago and spend it with Matt's parents, brother, sister-in-law and nieces. But with two more bodies to pay for, flying was not an economical choice. So we took to the highway for a 9-hour trek. Truly, the kids did great, or at least as good as we could expect. Andres was the only one who got a little antsy about an hour outside of Chicago. And when he gets antsy or tires, he jabbers non-stop and says "Mami" or "Papi" a lot. When you turn around and ask, "What?" he simply replies with a big grin or shrugs his shoulders and turns his hands over, palm-side up as if to say, "I don't know." Cute the first few times. But once you hit about 15-20 "Mami's" or "Papi's" well, I'll just leave it as it's cute at first. ;)

The kids loved the city and I think Luke was very excited to show them around. He did such a great job explaining what everything was and really kept Maria and Andres interested. Besides seeing Matt's family, the highlight of the trip had to be taking the kids downtown and seeing the Macy's window displays that move. It was topped off with a long, but worth it, wait (1 1/2 hours) to see Santa. But it was unlike any Santa visit I certainly ever had! We were in a room all by ourselves with Santa and could take as long as we needed (hence, the 1 1/2 hour wait). I was worried that we would wait all that time and the two little ones would be afraid of Santa. But here's another case where I think having a big brother's lead to follow helped tremendously. They both jumped right up on his lap and told Santa what they wanted. (Ok, we helped a little--well, a lot!). Then, Santa gave the three kids a lecture about how they needed to be good, etc. We LOVED that Santa! To top it all off, they got a GREAT picture with him--a rarity.

Luke and I were afforded the opportunity to fly back to KC to go to the Kansas vs. Missouri game with my dad. (Thanks, Dad!) And I am proud to say that my Jayhawks definitely made our red-eye flight home worth it! (We had to leave for the airport at 6:15am) There is no greater defeat than the one over a Missouri Tiger. Well, the NCAA title game against Memphis was pretty darn close.

Since Thanksgiving, we continue to be entertained by our children. Maria's dance class had their first watch night, and of course, she was adorable. I was shocked at how well she did. Just by watching her, you would never know that Spanish is her native language. She understands everything so well and follows directions beautifully. Now, if she speaks, well, there's no doubt that she's learning English, but she is trying SOOO hard! Luke has started his first year of basketball and he is outstanding. Although he is the smallest on the team, he plays like one of the bigger kids. His defense is fantastic and I believe he was one of the high rebounders in his first game. As I have said before, don't be surprised if you hear about a pesky little 5'9 guard from Olathe, Kansas, making the Jayhawks basketball team. (A mom can dream, right!!??) Andres isn't actually "involved" in anything but trouble. :0 He is extremely curious about everything. He's already broken two ornaments on the Christmas tree just trying to look at them and take it all in. Unfortunately, his #1 vocabulary word right now is "no." But I think I have also thoroughly confused him as I keep asking him, "Are you supposed to say no to Mami?" Well, the poor thing wants to say "no" but I just told him not to. He looks at me with this face like, "What is wrong with this lady?" His second favorite, and newest word acquisition is "mine." Oh yeah, we are clearly in the terrific two stage (with threes just a few months away). Still no interest at all in potty training. He did tell me he dirtied his diaper the other day. I thought that was a breakthrough, but he's not done it again.

We continue to thank God each and every day with our three, beautiful children. Maybe throwing in the holiday craziness has helped but we are finally starting to feel the demand of having three kids--tired a lot, everyone is getting used to each other and more sibling antics are going on. However, I would have it no other way. This is such a blessed time right now and we are looking so forward to celebrating the birth of Christ with all three kids. It will definitely be a Christmas to remember. We hope yours will be, too!

Maria has so much fun with her cousin Kate and talks about her all the time

Luke adores his cousins

Isn't she a beautiful, little girl?

As good of a family photo as we can get. Dre rarely cooperates.

Watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the hotel room

Maria's first subway excursion in Chicago

Andres enthralled with one of the windows at Macy's

Another in front of one of the windows at Macy's with Cousin Kate

Nana Judy and her girls

Santa

My two elves helping to put out the Christmas decorations.

Dance watch night

The one person who makes Maria's face light up like no other--Tio Todd

First basketball game was a success: 34-20

Dre helping Papa Bill celebrate his birthday

Falling into a new life

As we approached election day I found myself constantly thinking, "This is their first. . . " fill in the blank. It could be Andres and Maria's first time to go to the pumpkin patch, the first time all three kids played in the leaves together, the first time they went Trick or Treating. It was something different every week. (And I have more pictures than one can ever develop to prove it!)  Since I last wrote, not only have they experienced all of these "firsts" but more--the first time they met their great grandma from Iowa, the first time they experienced what they believe is COLD weather (boy are they in for a rude awakening!), the first time they experienced a presidential election. I'm overwhelmed by it and I'm sure they must be as well. But they are such troopers and have dealt with everything seamlessly with no issues. They exemplify a whole new, deeper meaning to resilience, and we love watching their personalities develop and mesh with Luke's. It's just a blast to be together.

I continue to realize how much life has changed for Luke and how well he is doing. Please forgive me, as I know I say it almost every blog, but I am so proud of him! I think it really hit me the other day when our morning surpassed hectic, and I hastily sent him off to school without a jacket on a 45 degree day! I was upset about it all day. When I was a mother of one, I NEVER would have done that! A mother of three, well, if I can remember where each kid needs to go on any given day, it is a miracle.  I'm not complaining. I love the chaos. But I can only imagine how much Luke misses when things were a little calmer and more organized. A time, when he was it and all energy was focused on him. There is no doubt in my mind that he does miss that one-on-one time. At the same time, he doesn't demand it. He has been so accepting and supportive throughout all of the changes. At times, he clearly dealt with it better than I did while we were in Colombia. I have also begun to experience a deepening relationship with him. I find that he is constantly watching out for me and checking to make sure that I am ok. He is developing into a wonderful young man of which I am so proud to call my son!

While I am incredibly excited for another "first"--the holiday season as a family of five--I am also amidst sadness.  I find that I am missing my grandparents more than I ever have.  Selfishly, I wish they were here, physically, to be a part of what's going to be a joyous season.  Outside of our adoption, I can't think of a single, pivotal event, good or bad, that Grandpa Gilbert and Grandma Helen weren't here for.  They were a central piece in every celebration and sadness that I have ever gone through in life.  And here I am, almost 3 years after Grandma has passed away and 5 years since Grandpa left the world, and I am grieving for them all over again.  I know they are with us every single day, and I know that they live inside of all of my children and me. Recently, with Maria's elation and approval, we changed Maria's middle name to Helen, as a way to honor the great grandmother that she never had the honor to meet.  I hope that by the time I leave this world, I can give Maria a glimpse of what a phenomenal woman it is that's her namesake.   She has a big name to live up to, but one that I am confident that she will fulfill because Maria is a brave warrior who has gone through so much in life, has overcome so many obstacles and continues to greet each day with a smile and goodness, just as Grandma Helen did.  I pray for strength every day when I feel the sadness, and God listens to my prayers.  That's how I know and have always known that I will make it through the days ahead and enjoy them, just as I have enjoyed all that we've experienced so far.  I am so blessed that God chose this family for me!  After you see the smiles, personalities and sweetness of each of the photos below, you'll see why!  Also, think of us in five days when we will be celebrating 6 MONTHS  TOGETHER!!!  

First time in the leaves together

First time to the pumpkin patch

First time to carve a pumpkin . . .

make seeds. . .

but not the first time to be a goof ball while everyone else is doing all of the work!

First time to meet Great Grandma Hazel

First Halloween together with 

Nana Sharon, Papa Ronnie, Mimi, Papa Bill and Tio Todd

Our Colombian, Santa Fe soccer player

Our sweet bat

And the most beautiful gypsy you'll ever see

And I couldn't resist this one--THIS is the happiness and 

love that adoption can bring to an only child

Time passes with little time to breathe

What a great past few months it has been. Luke is loving third grade, Maria and Andres can't get enough of pre-school, and I have finally gone back to work after being blessed with a long, but needed, leave. There have been so many changes in each of the kids. Luke seems to be so much older and is doing a great job at being the big brother. He is adored by Andres who asks where Luke is everyday. When Luke finally arrives home, you can tell Andres' day is at its best! Luke is so good with both of them. The way he plays, colors, draws, teaches English, wrestles, plays chase, etc. . . well it's just amazing. And he insists on reading their stories to them almost every night. It warms my heart to see how interactive he is. And if there were ever any doubts about whether or not adopting two more kids was the right thing to do (which there never has been), well, all I have to do is look at the three of them together to see that it was a true gift from God to bring us all together. It's also been a thrill to watch him play soccer and football this fall. With my declining KC Chiefs, Luke's games are now a highlight of every weekend.

Maria definitely loves to learn. I don't know that I have ever seen a child try to speak the English language as diligently as she does. She can now count to 10, draw circles (WOOHOO--HUGE accomplishments, believe me) and acknowledges that she is 4 and not "ocho" (8) like she insisted for months. Yes, my friends, it's the little things, right? She can't get enough of pre-school and wants to go every day. And she is also in dance. For whatever reason, the first few times she went, she cried when it was time to go into the studio. I was baffled by this as she had not cried when put into ANY new situation and she squealed with excitement the few weeks preceding her first class. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine, but now, everything is fine, she has learned to do a turn and a scale (with much wobbliness). I'm sure there are other things but that's what we see after every dance class when we come home and get a "showing" of her dance skills. Outside of pre-school, I think her most favorite thing right now is soccer. She plays with other 4 year old girls. There is no skill and little understanding of the game but all of the girls do a great job of swarming around the ball in one big clump. So far, she has scored a goal in every game and two in the last one. As the proud parent, I must say that in those games, her goals are the only ones scored. As the humble parent, I must acknowledge that none of them have been a result of knowing to take the ball and dribble it down the field. Instead, she has just been in the right place and the right time. But who cares? It makes her so happy.

Both of the kids are getting speech help. Maria more for pronunciation, Andres due to lack of speaking. However, Andres has made incredible progress. He is now speaking two-word sentences that only I can understand but nevertheless they are two-word sentences. Pretty amazing accomplishments for the kid who only had about 3 words in his repertoire when we got him. He, too, adores pre-school. All of the teachers there constantly ask me if he is always so happy. Yep, that's our Andres. He also loves soccer and is amazing dribbling the ball. I watch him and can't believe is only two and can dribble with such speed and control. Maybe by the time he get to be 4, he will be the lone ranger who actually understands the game. : )

We've had some great family outings. We went to our local town fair where they tried a funnel cake for the first time and devoured it within a few minutes. They really got a kick out of a Japanese Steakhouse once they got past the loudness and fire. As yet another attempt to completely brainwash them (and keep them close to home when college time comes), I took them to a KU Jayhawk pep rally.  THEY WERE IN HEAVEN!  Every kind of Jayhawk imaginable--stickers, statues, blow ups, and of course Big and Baby Jay mascots.  They both got removable  Jayhawk tattoos on their arms that neither wanted to wash off.  It has been one of the best times I have had with them so far.  Just a GREAT night!  Also, we went to the KC Art Fair and just had a wonderful evening outdoors in the beautiful September weather. Maria and Andres got to meet another cousin who came in from Baltimore. It was fun to watch Maria and Kate interact since they are both four. The most amazing part was to see how they played with no problems even though the language barrier existed. It proves how resilient children are. We've also had fun introducing them to other new foods. Some of the favorites--powdered doughnuts, watermelon, chilled ice sticks, Chinese food. Some not-so-favorites--really just one, chili if it's "pica" (spicy/hot).

I can't believe in another week and a half that we will be celebrating five months of being together. I'm getting so anxious for Christmas. When I saw how much excitement putting a few Halloween items out caused, it made me daydream about the thrill of Christmas. I can't wait to see them open presents, meet Santa, etc. It will definitely be a Christmas to remember.

Finally, the first day of school!

Busting at the seems with excitement to go to "cool"

Not so excited that little brother will be at school for a few hours

Maria was SO proud of her first piece of artwork she brought home from school. You should've seen how much her face lit up when I put it on the refrigerator for all to see.

The muddiest football game of the year!

Andres' #1 pasttime

First soccer game

Big Day--Soccer!

All smiles at this point before heading into the dance studio

What is this crazy thing?

Pumpkin perfection

This is a kid who knows how to get INTO his powdered doughnuts

I just love this picture--he looks so much older now compared to when we got him!

Definite watermelon fans

This is piece #2. Pretty sure he loved it--check out the shirt . . .

. . . oh, and the mouth!

Perfect cousins

Fun at the park

Always the camera-hog ham

They adore each other--can you tell?

And yes, he's still a clown

Perfect indication of what we may have to contend with in the future.  The perfect flirt and lady killer!  But who wouldn't be attracted to a beautiful Jayhawk girl!!??

For Andres, the intrigue of my most favorite mythical bird has just begun. 

Does she look beautiful in red and blue or what!!??