May is Busy!

We've had a busy month, full of things to do.  The out of town adult sisters and their husbands, Grandma, and some close friends have visited overnight to get acquainted with Isaac.  It has been an active household, and at times probably too much for our shy Prince.  He never complains though.

Early in the month Tikvah turned twelve, and had her first overnight party with a few friends.  They included the siblings in some of the activities and of course in the cake and ice cream! (Seems Isaac's life is full of girls!)

A couple of days later WE traveled to Indiana to celebrate a grand daughter's third birthday!  The theme - what else?  Princess!

 

Isaac DID go to the party, but he mostly hung out in one of the other rooms with some of the guys playing games.  Princesses, it seems, are not "his thing."  LOL!

Then we celebrated the ending of a successful homeschool co-op year with presentations from some of the classes.  This is a scene from Tikvah's musical theater class.  Yummy snacks followed the presentations.

We're thankful for the happy times shown above where our royalty can just be "kids."  The month has also been full of medical appointments.   These revealed some significant health issues in Isaac, which triggered even more appointments and tests, which triggered even MORE ...well you get the gist.  Our Prince has some health needs that won't get better overnight or with a dose of pills. All these tests and doctors are hard on adults, so I'm not sure how a child deals with it.  We'd appreciate your prayers as we go to nearly daily medical appointments with one or another of them.  I confess to feeling overwhelmed at times, and am thankful for caring friends who step in to provide a meal or play with the other kids while we are at appointments.  I truly couldn't do this without their support.  Thanks guys!

Silly String!

What happens when four children get Silly String in their Easter baskets?  A few minutes of hilarious fun!

And no, the Prince wasn't exactly cowering.  He very quickly learned the art of hiding behind his hood while he shot his sisters!  LOL!

A Look Back ... Resurection Sunday/Easter Festivities

It seems as if the days just whizzzzzzzz by us in a hurry! I just realized that I never posted the promised Easter photos!  Our family (like many) has a tradition of hunting Easter baskets before church.  Since this was the first Easter with us for three of our kids, they weren't really sure what to expect.  The Little Princesses just followed Tikvah around for awhile to see what this was all about.  They were surprised at the table all set for lunch when they got to the dining room. 

It didn't take long for them to figure out the scoop, and they found their own baskets.

I love our porch swing and the little bonding times that take place on it. 

The Prince got up a bit later, so he opened his basket after church.

After posing for some family photos and lunch, it was on to the candy hunt in the back yard.

The candy hunt was followed with coloring eggs - yes, Easter is jam packed around here!

The Prince took a lot of time and really made some creations of art with his eggs.

I love these kids, and love introducing our traditions to them!

One Year Anniversary - Abigail and Jen!

What a difference a year makes! One year ago Princess A was literally drug to us by an orphanage nanny on each arm. The video would be too painful to watch. She wouldn't let me touch her for an entire week. Princess J was invisible. I don't believe she had anyone (except for her friend Bobby) who was even aware of her presence. I'm humbled and honored to be a part of their lives.  And the Prince? Wow! What an unexpected bonus!  I'm a very blessed woman!

Official adoption day, April 23, 2013

Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014

Sneak peek at Easter Sunday

It has been a fun filled day of activities with children and grandchildren, and this Mama is T-I-R-E-D.  I just had to share a few photos as a sneak peak though....

 

I'll write more about our activities after I catch some sleep, but for now, Happy Easter!

Science Experiments aka Colored Rice and Tactile Fun

Monday was rainy and cool, and not so fun to be outside, so we decided to try coloring rice. For the older kids this was a science experiment, but for the young princesses, it was just fun!

We put a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, a small bottle of food coloring, and about 7 cups of rice in a gallon sized pitcher. Then we stirred and shook it until the white rice was colored. 

 After we'd each had a turn in mixing a color of choice, we ended up with two one-quart containers of each of five colors.

 Children who are raised in institutions are often lacking in sensory skills.  Jen especially craves textures and likes to feel everything.

 The rice was a little too large to go through the sand wheels as we had hoped it would do. That was ok though. The Little Princesses were happy with cups, funnels and spoons.

 

 

So on your next rainy day, give coloring rice a try.  It is super easy, super cheap, and super fun!

Neighborhood Egg Hunt

Sunday was another beautiful day (I'm going back a day in case the tub covered flowers in the last post have you confused!) and one of the neighbors organized an egg hunt for all of the children in the neighborhood.  Here we are on our way to the festivities.  Our Prince loves this particular walk.  There is an incline going, but on the way home he gets to zoom down!  There is a slight daredevil personality at work there! 

 The kids were treated to LOTS of candy and plastic eggs in the yard.

The somewhat wet ground made for hard going with Isaac's chair, and I had to help him get unstuck at times.  I know he doesn't like to have to have help, but he never complains. (not out loud anyway)

Some games followed the candy hunt.   In one of them they partnered up and tossed raw eggs. Jen and Agibail were partners, and it wasn't long before Abigail had an egg broken on her shoe! Isaac and Tikvah did VERY well! Their egg finally broke when it hit Tikvah's hand as she caught it from a long distance. 

This was the Littlest Princess' take on the festivities:

When we returned home, the sorting began!

 

Note the girls all took cover from the sun, as we were all pretty warm at this point.  But the Prince, not being used to Ohio yet, chose to sit in the sun, still in his hoodie.  Whew.

 

I'm pretty sure he would NOT have liked the winter we just experienced!  Here's hoping for a mild one next time!