Leah Update

Since we sponsored Leah we get a monthly e-mail about what she has been doing. The e-mail also includes a picture. I am going to get more pictures of her later this week. There are a few cute ones of very enjoying a tea party. I am going to send a package to her for Christmas. If anyone would like the add to it let me know! I hope that you enjoy this update as much as I did.


Leah turned 7 years old this month! She's been in our foster home 2 years now, and she's really learned a lot and grown up in many ways. She's our oldest child, and she is a big help to all of us. She is a clever and diligent little girl, but sometimes she's a big naughty… doing things like hiding people's shoes. One month ago the bigger kids went to an amusement park in Beijing. When they came back, Leah told me about what they did and played on at the park. They had a really good time.Recently Leah was able to go to a tea party at the home of one of our staff members. She had such a good time. She dressed up in a beautiful red velvet dress, and she really wanted to take something to the party. So, we let her take a bag of cookies. When she came home, she had stories about painting her nails, decorating cupcakes, and doing her own makeup. (Complete with bright blue eye shadow!) She had a very good time, and I was proud of her good behavior at the party.

Just Visiting

We have been enjoying our time here in Houston. We had Thanksgiving dinner with David's family. David went shopping today. I am not sure why he wanted to face the crowds. He said,"I walked into the mall and walked right out". David hates shopping. I have to drag him to go run a quick errand with me. It must have took some work to find a parking spot and then make the hike to the mall. I have a feeling that this year it will be online shopping for him. Hayden is getting used to the sleeping arrangements here. I guess he is used to our bed. He has been waking up and looking for David and me. When David is offshore Hayden sleeps in our bed with me. He has gotten used to it. I am not sure Hayden knows where he is. I think every time we go to a new house he thinks he is going to get left there. He has been such a mama's boy lately. I am starting to realize that it happens when David leaves. Hayden has been enjoying spending time with his grandparents. I have a feeling that by Sunday he will want to stay with Karen and Joe. It is taking awhile for him to warm up to them. He loves Micah though, I guess because he feeds him! We went to visit my mom today. She got Hayden a little rocking chair and he loves it. He climb up and down it several times. He loved climbing up and then sitting to read a book.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so excited that Thanksgiving is coming. I am going to eat! I am not sure what our plans are yet. David is going to be home with us! He has been offshore the past four days. In the last 2 weeks David has been home maybe 3 days. We will be leaving sometime tomorrow. I am not sure when. I want to leave early but David is going to go to work for a few hours. Hayden is not a good car rider so we are planning to leave around his nap time. I am not sure how long we will be staying in Houston. We are going to try to see everyone. Hayden might be getting his first haircut there too. I am so sad about that. My baby is growing up. I am looking forward to the time off and seeing family. I have been busy decorating the tree. Hayden has helped. He loves to take the ornaments off and hand them to me. He points at them and says ball. I am guessing since they are round he thinks they are balls. I am going to put up pictures when we get back. Hayden must be teething because he loves to bite everything. I keep feeling for new teeth but nothing yet. Hayden has begun to help clean up. When he sees things out of place he will put them back or hand stuff for you to put away. I need to start labeling things so that he can pick up letters and begin to read. I am thinking that will be something I will do every weekend. Pick a wall or a room and starting making labels.

Tree time

This weekend flew by fast. We were so busy. I finished all of our Christmas shopping. I bought a ton of stuff. I even began to wrap everything. I also went to Sams and picked up a Christmas tree. I love our tree. It is huge and takes up half of the living room! I picked out some ornaments and got the garland up. I wanted to finish tonight with Hayden, but he wasn't cooperating. He went to bed early and I feel asleep with him. So, we will attempt to finish it tomorrow. We also went to church this morning. The Pastor preached a good message. He talked about how we need to keep the momentum going in our walk with God. The best way to do this is to surround your self with people that belief the same way you do and getting rid of all the things that bring you down. Yeah, I am sure that many of yall have heard that before. The biggest thing that got me was the fact that you need to live your life for others to follow. You want others to be inspired and driven to follow you. I am going to buy the book, The Purpose Driven life. I know what my calling is, teaching. I love to teach. It is something that I am designed to do. I can't see my life without teaching. A mom told my that her daughter always wanted to be a princess. Now, she wants to be a teacher just like Mrs. Nicole. I find that priceless. I love the fact that I can inspire a 5 year old. I am not sure how to include God into teaching. I would love to volunteer my time in the nursery. On another note, Hayden now nodes his head to say no. When I ask him something, I say yes or no. His answer is always no! I asked him if he was poopy of course he said no when he really was. I buy a lot of books every month from a school book order. Hayden loves to get new books. I think it is a great investment into Hayden's future. This week I brought out the Thanksgiving books. He has been wanting me to read the same book. I must read it about 10 times a day. I have it memorized. He gets mad when I don't look at the words and point when I read to him. He points to the words for me and closes it so that I read it right. I love him wanting to read the same book. Some people think that reading to kids that don't understand and can't talk yet is a waste of time. It is actually the best thing for them. Hayden has always had tons of books around. When he was a baby I used to read to him while feeding him or when he was falling asleep. Many times he will choose a book over a toy. His favorite books are the ones that you can push buttons and music or sounds play. He has begun to match the pictures and sometimes pushes the correct button.

Oh and "Kan kew"

Well, Hayden has been saying the weirdest words. Many times it is very hard to understand him. This morning when he was playing he was telling me something and said oh. I said okay Hayden and he said it again. Hayden likes to hand us things when he does we saw thank you. He has began to say it too, (I think at least). It really sounds like kan kew. It is so cute! He said something else, but I can't remember now. It was something I haven't heard before. David got in Thursday night. He was offshore for a few days again. I am not enjoying him being gone so much. Hayden really misses him. He will go around the house calling and looking for David. Today, I was hollering at David to get up and Hayden yelled Da and walked into the bedroom to get him up. Hayden has a rash all over him. It really freaked me out so I took him to the doctor yesterday and she said it was caused by a virus like the cold. I never heard of such thing so I googled it. Yeah, there are some virus that do that. She said he was at the tell end of being sick. I guess that is good. His little face is all covered with blotchy red spots. I feel so bad. I must not bother him because it hasn't slowed him down any. I have finished my Christmas shopping for Hayden. We got him a ton of stuff. I have began the endless task of wrapping presents. I am going to try to do a few every night so that I don't overwhelmed.

Nothing Much

We have been doing a whole lot of nothing. Hayden is so smart. I say this all the time, but I really believe it. When David is offshore Hayden spends a lot more time with me. In the mornings, he is in the bathroom with me while I get ready for work. I must not pay attention but he is always watching me. I have a basket of stuff under my sink, it has lotion, a brush, hair ties, etc in it. Well, he picked up my brush attempted to comb his hair and then threw the brush down and put a hair tie on his wrist, like I do. I don't know if that is weird or being smart, but I am going with smart. I usually put the shoes I am going to wear right by the door. We try not to walk around the house in shoes to cut down on germs. Anyways, after I got dressed Hayden brought me my shoes to put on then said bye. He knows what is going to happen next. He is getting better about understanding what you say. He loves to wear slippers around the house. He always brings them for me to put on. They are getting to small for him and he tries to curl his toes so that they will fit. I have been busy with work. Tomorrow, I have a formal observation. I have been getting my lesson prepared and trying to adjust to Louisiana curriculum and standards. It is a little tricky when you learn something a certain way and have to be learn how to write lesson plans in a new format. We are planning to go Christmas tree shopping this weekend. I am thinking that we will buy an artificial tree. I am hoping to get a pre lit tree so we won't have to mess with lights while Hayden is around. Sams seems to have the best deal. I don't think a real tree is an option for us because of the allergies the boys have.

Christmas Shopping

We have been on the go. David left to go offshore on Thursday. He got back tonight. Since he has left, we have been busy. I hate staying in a house by myself. I get so lonely. On Saturday, Toysrus opened at 7 because they had a great sale. Yall know me, I can't beat a sale. We got there around 8. The store was so busy. There were tons of people filling their carts. I don't think I am looking forward to that. I can't imagine doing that for Hayden in a few years. Hayden threw a huge fit inside the store. I usually let him wonder around the stores and I follow him. Since it was so busy he couldn't. He was screaming and kicking his legs. I was so embarrassed. Needless to say, I checked out and left. I am hating the fits. I usually let him throw a fit and when he is done talk to him. When we got in the car he took a nap. So I am not sure if his tantrum was because he wasn't getting his way or if he was tired. The other day he threw a fit and hit his eye into a table. He has a scratch there now. We went to Chick Fil A for dinner. He loved playing and climbing up the slide. I am so impressed how kid friendly they are. He got a place mat that stuck to the table and board book for a toy. I love how the play area is enclosed, he doesn't get a chance to run off. They even have different activities the kids can do on Tuesday nights. That will be something we will do in the next year. Today we went to Bruce and Vicky's house, that is David's grandpa's brother. Mimi and Pop were passing through so we got to see them. It was nice to have some adult contact this weekend. Pop noticed how much of a Mama's boy Hayden has become. He said he has grown in the last month. I am not sure if I notice it. Hayden took two naps today and went to sleep at 9. I am hoping that it will make him sleep the whole night.

Loving

Oh, how I love Hayden's hugs. They are so warm and heartfelt. He can truly make me smile and appreciate the little things. When I was putting him to bed tonight, he held on so tight and said ma ma. I just treasure those moments. Grandma Gilbert sent a package for Hayden's birthday. He loved opening the bags and pulling out the tissue paper. Aunt Marcelle I love his Tech outfit. That is his first one! I think I am going to frame it after he outgrows it. We all know he is a future Red Raider, its in his genes. Last night I went to a PTA meeting at school. Hayden loved it and was on his best behavior. Hayden was trying so hard to climb onto the pews. He loved driving his car on the brick floor. The other teachers were so shocked how brave he is. He would stand up on the chair and would walk to the very end and then jump. They were worried he was going to fall. I told them he does that stuff all the time. This morning he climb up onto the chairs at the table. He even managed to climb down with out falling. I am thinking we might go to the zoo this weekend. They have a petting zoo that he would love. It is supposed to get kind of cold so we will have to see. If not we are going to get some Christmas shopping done.

Mischievous

Hayden has been mischievous lately. This morning he woke up at 4:30. David and I take turns getting up with him. It always seems that the early mornings are my turn. Anyways, I was in the kitchen making a cake and breakfast. Hayden has learned to climb on to the couch and the chair. David always sits in the pink chair so Hayden loves to sit in it when his dad gets up. So he climb up onto the chair and them climb onto the side table that we have next to it. He would wait until he couldn't see me and climb onto the table. When I got back to the window he would be sitting on the chair. I caught him in the middle of standing on the table and said Hayden and he climb down really fast. It surprised me because he had to watch and wait. He put a lot of thought into planning this act. He is talking all the time. His words blend together and sound the same. I always try to get him to say different words. He has learned how to blow kisses, it is so cute. He has a bad cough so David took him to the doctor yesterday. We decided that he needed to be put back on Singular. I think he is going to be a seasonal allergy kid, just like David. We have an Allergy and Asthma appointment in two weeks. Hayden didn't take a nap at daycare so we put him to bed at 5:45. He fought us for awhile, but he was so tired. We finally gave him water and he went right to sleep. My mom said that when I was little, we would go grocery shopping and I would take things off the shelf. My dad would be right behind me picking up everything. Well, mom this is for you!

Leah Hope

Yup, you read right.... okay. We sponsored a little girl in China. David and I have been going back and forth about giving. We can give our child the world. We have spoiled Hayden beyond belief. There isn't a time when we go out that Hayden doesn't get something. I spoil Hayden a lot more. I have to admit that it is nice for Hayden to have lots of things. I have been reading Jake and Carrie's blog. I felt guilt giving my son formula. When I would make more formula then he would drink my heart would cringe; knowing the fact that some babies don't have formula. So, I told David we need to do something, something big. So the next day David went out and bought a ton of formula and food for them. (We need to send them the box of stuff). I felt like that wasn't enough. Although, I didn't know that we could sponsor a child. So David looked on their foster homes website and decided that we need to do this. He even picked Leah because she was the only one smiling in her picture. We have truly been blessed. God has opened a lot of doors and provided for us that it was time for us to give back. I knew tithing in the church was something I wasn't called to do. Children are my passion. I keep on telling David that we need to spend our summers in some type of missionary. I would love to teach ESL to children, after all that is what I am certified for. I don't think David is ready for that. When Hayden gets older and in school I think it would be a great learning experience for all of us. I can remember when I went to Mexico in high school. I don't think anything has filled my heart with such a fullness as serving for God in something I am called to do. Well, okay that's my second fullness Hayden and David are my first. So anyways, back to Leah. She is 7 years old and is a little person. She is matched with an adoptive family in Texas, so she will be adopted out at some point. I am hoping that if we enjoy this that we will be able to sponsor more children.

Fun Times

Daddy's back! David has been offshore for a few days. We missed him. Hayden slept so peaceful on Thursday night. David came in early Thursday morning. On Wednesday night, Hayden was up every 2 hours. On the way to dinner tonight Hayden threw up. The good thing was that I had a blanket in the car so I caught most of it. My cousin Lindsey is having a baby shower tomorrow. We were going to go but Hayden might have a bug. I think we are going to wait it out. I took Hayden to the park on Wednesday. He had a blast. Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

I love dirt! We had to walk across the track to get to the play equipment. So Hayden, stopped to play and scatter dirt everywhere. I really didn't stop him because all kids eat dirt.
This is Hayden climbing the slide. He loves to climb up the slide. He climbs up the one we have at home so I guess he figured that he can climb up all slides.


Hayden loved the swings. He didn't want to get off and threw a huge fit when I took him out. He cracked me up because when we were walking to the swings he kept on pointing to go swing. Once we were swinging he wanted to switch swings.

5 Are You Kidding Me

I have come to the conclusion that I hate the time change. Hayden has been going to bed at 6:45 and getting up at 5. I like to sleep so I am hating this. He is so awake. He has been sleeping in our bed. So he rolls over wakes me up and says ma,ma. I have been letting him watch TV in bed. I am not a big fan of letting Hayden watch TV, but if it means I can lay in bed for awhile. I will let him. I am hoping that he will sleep a whole night without waking up. I can't remember the last time that he has slept through the night. He has been getting up every 3 hours like he is any infant. He is hungry. I am not going to let him starve so I give him a bottle. I am hoping tonight that he will sleep good because he ate half a plate of homemade mac and cheese, half a chicken breast, and a cup of grapes. I have been giving him rice cereal in his bottle at night. I am hoping that it will help him feel full. I went to go get my oil changed today. It is hard to to believe that we bought our car 3 months ago. It seems a lot longer. I have been so busy with work. I am finally getting in the swing of things. I have been having time to plan and not taking any work home. That is exciting because it mean more time to play with Hayden. I am going to take Hayden to the park tomorrow. He loves the freedom. Well, I am off to watch who is going to be the next President. I didn't send in my absentee ballot. I feel awful, because I watching how close it is.

Look

Hayden has been so funny today. I have been playing kid songs on the XBox. Hayden loves it. On some songs he will dance by bending his knees up and down on other songs he will sway from side to side. Today he took one of his stuffed animals out of the dryer and held it in his hands and put it on his shoulder and patted its back several times. I guess he is imitating me. Everything I do Hayden wants to do. I was brushing my teeth and he wanted to brush his. So I gave him his toothbrush, that didn't do. He wanted mine. I was sitting at the table making a grocery list. He wanted a pen and paper too. He now holds the pen and colors. So when we were shopping he got some crayons so that he can color. He loves to sit in his high chair to copy me. When I cook I give him a pan and some spoons so that he can help. We went to Sam's he kept on pointing at the grapes. I kept telling him when we get home, later, wait etc. So I gave him an apple to eat. He loves fruit. Once, we got home I unloaded the groceries. He picked up the box of grapes and brought them to the coffee table to eat. He took out a handful of grapes and ate them off the vine. I also put baby oil gel in his curls. His hair was so cute. It is getting longer and fuller. He doesn't have a lot of the front of his head like he did when he was born. It is hard to believe that a year has gone by. I am not sure where the time went. It flew by.

Shocker

I sit here on Saturday night watching the Texas Tech Texas game. I am so excited we are winning. Texas hasn't been able to convert on third downs. Techs defense is kicking butt. So I have to do a little (lots) of bragging. Although it is only the third quarter, a lot can happen in 25 minutes. Like Texas getting a touchdown and now it is 22-13. I will have to watch and see. David and I are planning on taking Hayden to a Tech football game next year. I think he will love it. Today, we went to the park and played. We also fed the ducks. Hayden loves dirt. I am not sure what his obsession was. There was a gravel dirt track and Hayden kept running over to the track to scatter the dirt and then try to pick it up. When we went to feed the ducks he did the same thing in the sand. He was covered in dirt and dust. His hands were filthy. He loved feeding the ducks. I would give him a piece of bread he would chew it and when he was finished he would throw it to the ducks. It was hilarious watching him eat and try to feed the ducks. He wanted to chase the ducks into the pond. He loved climbing the stairs to the slide. I think most of all he he enjoyed watching the kids play. It was nice to let him run around and its okay for him to be getting into stuff. We didn't do anything last night. Hayden had fun at his Halloween party. He also got bit twice at daycare. Once, for taking and eating someone snack. The second time for stealing a toy. At first, I was pretty aggravated at his teachers for not keeping a better eye on the biter. I then realized that Hayden was aggravating the other kids. I mean yeah, that would be my kid eating someone cookie or taking their toy and running away. We really don't have the concept of sharing down. We are working on it. He does like to take things from you but doesn't really play with them. I think he loves the anticipation of being chased. Many times he will take things from the dishwasher and run and "hide" them. I find spoons and spatulas in the toy box or behind the couch.