First Day of School- 2011

And in the blink of an eye, another summer is over and another school year begins.

Ty - 2nd grade

Jack- 5th grade. A "senior" this year!

Michael- 7th grade...

and oh-so-cool.

Wait, is he taller than me? Must be standing on a hill...

Bros.

Our street's middle school gang.

And they're off. This was as far as I was allowed to go... Sniff.

I guess it's back to napping and eating bon-bons all day long. ;)

Gotcha Day Anniversary

One year ago today, a scared and confused baby was placed into our arms. Her skin was pallid. Her body was tiny and limp. She felt like a little rag doll.

Not interested in eating, drinking or playing with toys.

We were unsure if she'd ever even been fed solid foods.

She was so brave.

We promised to love her and care for her. No matter what. And in the following days, as Junie grieved so very hard, we did wonder what the "no matter what" might entail.

She was scared. I was terrified. But as we loved her, day by day, pieces of Junie started to emerge. First it was a brief smile. Then longer, lingering smiles. Giggles. Belly laughs.

As we neared home (notably the flight from Detroit to Atlanta) I was filled with fear again. How would Junie mesh into the family? What if our family dynamics changed drastically and it had a negative impact on the boys forever. What if? What if?

And David, always the rock, said to me,

"I don't believe the longing for this child would have been placed in your heart if it wasn't meant to be".

He was right.

Watching Junie emerge from her shell this year has been amazing. Miraculous.

She has gone from frightened and insecure to feisty, "spicy", funny, goofy, demanding, loving, mischievous, smart, chatty, snugly.

She is a lover of books, baths, The Wiggles, pop music (especially Lady GaGa and Brittany Spears! :)), all fruit and ANYTHING sweet, being rocked and sung to at nap and bedtime, the game of chase, outside, bottles, her family (immediate and extended), shoes - most especially boots, ketchup, the back seat of the car, her bike, "pops" (lollipops and popsicles), animals (especially dogs and our new guinea pig, Pumpkin), her speech therapist, Ms. Laura, playing with her brothers, and American cheese.

She's no longer quite so brave. She doesn't need to be.

Watching Junie's change has been awesome.

And what has been just as awesome, but something I was less prepared for, has been watching the brothers change too. My fears on that airplane were all for naught.

They never missed a beat. They embraced Junie and our new family dynamics. The boys embraced their new roles as big brother, protector, cheerleader, educator. Even when they were getting hit by her. ;)

They have shown more patience than I.

More love and compassion than I ever could have expected.

They, too, have been changed.

And our family is complete.