Charles Tucker's referral anniversary

One year ago today,at 12:00 p.m., this little 21 month old face changed our life forever...

It was so surreal seeing the face of the child the Lord ordained to be in our family...I can remember the feelings like it was yesterday...

I was definitely on cloud nine...looking at this beautiful boy, realizing he was going to be mine...

Who would have known, one year later he would be laughing and running around with his forever family, God is good.

Wow, has the Lord used this child in our lives in more ways than one, in some ways that we cannot explain on this blog, but ways in which we will never be the same. Just as God is healing and making him whole, he is also making us new creations in Christ.

 It is so strange looking back at these pictures...I see a totally different child now than I did a year ago. Now, I know he likes rough textured food more than soft textured food. His favorite color is red. He is fearless in new situations...but will often become scared once he sees their is something to be scared of. He thrives in high stimulation situations, which is strange for adopted children. Now I know what makes him sad, what makes him smile. How he has the softest skin of any human I have ever felt!When we saw these pictures for the first time, he was a world away, but now he is a child that we call son. A child that loves cuddling with mommy and daddy. A child that loves to run around and act crazy with his sister and brother. A precious child with the sweetest voice you can think of. A child that can make mommy go crazy, but one that melts her heart and draws her to Jesus.

Lord help me to be the mommy that Charles Tucker needs me to be. Help me to love him when he is unlovable and to care for him when it is hard. Give me the power to raise him up to be the man you want him to be. What a gift he is to our family and what a blessing he will be to everyone he meets. Amen

Happy Refferal Anniversary Charles Tucker!!!

                                                                                                                              

Just now the first day of summer?

Six Seeds informed me that today marks the first official day of summer and the longest day of the year, also referred to as Summer Solstice. Feels like it has been summer since April, considering the sweltering heat of Georgia.
Today we ventured to our newest fun spot in Atlanta, the Piedmont Park splash pad. We just discovered it a couple of months ago, when the babies and I were running around wasting time while Henry was in preschool. It is a new area just past the dog park. My kids love these fountains and it is a lot easier for mommy, than being at the pool, worrying about someone drowning. I failed to take pictures today because I was enjoying some much needed talking time with other mommies, but here are some from a couple of weeks ago.


Mary Taylor wasn't so sure at first about the fountains...I am learning more and more about her personality. She doesn't just dive in like Henry does, she first sits back, checks it out from a distance and then eventually tries it, I was a lot like this as a child, probably more shy than her.

Big brother Henry eventually came to her rescue and lead her into the fun..

Tuck Tuck, on the other hand, just runs as fast as he can to keep up with Henry...Whatever Henry does, there you will find Charles Tucker right behind him....

TuckTuck loves the "mountains", as he calls the fountains... It is amazing how well he communicates after six months of hearing English, he really can say anyword, and understands 85% of what we say. At this age they are like sponges...

He is all about the action, just like his brother...

Notice he is wearing his brother's swim suit, poor guy doesn't have any clothes monogramed with his initials...I guess I need to work on that...

One of my favorite phrases he says on a regular basis is, " I doing Mommy"? In his cute little voice, he is asking "what are you doing, Mommy?"

I have really been proud of Henry lately. Of course he still has his moments, but he has really taken an interest in really loving his brother and sister and trying to play nicely with them. In our house, we call it 'promoting peace,' which I got from my new favorite book, "Don't make me Count to three." by Ginger Plowman. I can really see that God is changing his heart and helping him to see his own sin. He seems to get frustrated that he cannot control the sin that wages war on his soul. One day I caught him holding my bible and trying to read it on the coach. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Mom, I am trying to figure out how to love my friend Bob(substitute name)." I often say this to him when I need to be alone, to recharge my love tank for the rest of the day to be able to love him and his brother and his sister. So cool to see God working in him. I love this child...

It warms my heart to see him love his brother and sister...Thank you God for little miracles...

And Mary Taylor on the other hand is a hamm, but whooo does she need some work in the disciplining department. We have definitley slacked with her, because the behaviors often seem funny and cute...but now we are paying for it. She definitely has a defiant spirit that needs to be rained in. Don't get me wrong, she is my joy and my kindred spirit, but it is time to crack down on her a little bit more. I am just taking it, one day at a time...

But, just look at this little princess pea...

just yummy....

As for Charles Tucker, he is very much still dealing with attachment issues and resorts back to orphan tendancies often. But, that being said, he is doing quite well. He is a lot of fun and just jumps in the craziness of our family like he has always been apart. He and Mary Taylor are best friends, they do everything together and he really looks up to Henry and wants to be just like him. Can't wait to see what six more months of healing looks like for our sweet boy! Like I have said before, adoption is beautiful, because it is redemption, restoration, and new life.

 These fountains are pretty much the greatest invention for my age kiddos, so glad we found this treasure! As you can see I am trying to get into this bloggy thing again. We will see how it goes. Four more days and it is the anniversary of when we got our referral of Charles Tucker. Look for a post celebrating that special day one year ago, which seems like yesterday.

Happy Tuesday night!!

Our crazy crew in May..

Whoo...have I been a slacker on this blog thing...but I can say my life is in a little more order than it use to be. Sooo, I count that is a good thing and I try to get to my blog when I can, instead of forsaking all other duties for the blogosphere.Well, I guess I am due for a recap of the end of May and June so far. The end of May was really hot that's for sure! I think today was cooler than all of May, and it is June 13! Henry had his last soccer game of the season and he made his first official goal too. He seems to have alot of talent when it comes to soccer, but not enough determination. Initially he runs after the ball, but then about ten seconds later, he gets bored and starts just running around the field cutting up with his friends. Daddy has a hard time watching this,but I think it seems pretty normal for a four year old to be distracted, especially ours. He seemed to be more focused the last two games, which led him to score a goal...which was fun to watch.

Mary Taylor wishing she was out on the field playing with big brother...

Did not get any pictures of Tucker because he would not leave my side the whole game, I think he was tired because I got him up from his nap to go to the game. Couldn't miss the last game! And now it's trophey time....

Henry's sweet friend Nava was excited about her soccer girl trophey with a ponytail...isn't she a doll?

And this caps Henry's second soccer season...looking forward to the fall.

Remember I said we had some work done in our kitchen this spring, Well..here is the finished product! We tore down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and have this now! This has made my life soooo much easier the last couple of months...they can now eat all their meals at the bar and not make as much of a mess, they can see me, and I don't have to walk all the way to the table to give them their food. It is amazing how much the little things can make all the difference in the world.

Meal time can also be very exhausting because this is prime time for them to tease eachother, so lots of screaming, whinning, and crying happens, especially at the end of the day...

Sweet Tuck loving his sister...

Just a little too much for Tay Tay!

And then often it ends like this..

And then 30 seconds later she is back to this....

And this again... (yes, Tucker has green leave stickers on his face, if you were wondering)

When you are developing your "new normal" for a new stage of life, it is nice to find things that work for your kids...whether it be playdough every day before dinner, or getting out of the house twice a day because your kids will not get along and you can't take the whinning, crying, and fussing, or never leaving your house for weeks at a time to make life work with a really large family. So besides our new kitchen bar, the little ones have really enjoyed the baby pool and sand table out on the back porch. Henry is give or take, but Tucker and Mary Taylor can't be out there enough, which makes it easy for me to cook right inside the door. Both of the "babies" as we call them, like mommy a little too much, so they get the best of both worlds..."sand and water" and mommy.

Isn't he beautiful?!

She is pretty cute too, but a complete mess....

When ever I ask him to take a picture these days, he either sticks his tonge out, makes a mean face, or shows me his muscles...typical guy!

Pretty enjoys transfering water from one cup to the other over and over and over again....

smoothie break..

there's the mean face with the muscles...

now of course they want to show their muscles...

and stick out their tunges...

Then for Memorial day we spent the whole weekend at the lake with my family. I normally don't like going out of town for the weekend this stage of the game, but this weekend was pleasantly restful and fun. It was nice to be near water for the first time of the season. The kids especially loved riding in the boat or "goat" as Charles Tucker says. It was fun to see him swim for the first time too....he is fearless.




 Tucker loves his goggles...

Isn't this swimsuit the cutest??? 10.00 from Target!

 Tucker driving the "Goat" with daddy....

Could not resist...

 Our first baby, Milo...hard to believe he has been with us almost 8 years!

Precious...

sweet boy...

Two little munchkins sitt'n in a boat....

they really have become best friends...

TuckTuck loves the "Goat!"

Potty time! Tried to potty train both babies, but only one continued after two days...Tucker. He is still doing well, with a couple of accidents along the way. I would have waited until they were both three, but the doctor said Tucker could not go swimming unless he was potty trained, due to the little critters still hang'n out in his body. So we started the next day...

Little Miss Diva Mary Taylor with Aunt Leslie...

All the little ones want to drive the boat with T...

Baby Graham... as chill as ever..

 Priceless...

Graham was exhausted from the long boat ride....

Could not resist taking more pictures of sweet Graham...

My younger sister, Amelia with her neice and nephew...

 Isn't he a doll?!

Charles Tucker loved playing with this fishing pole...

It was good to see my sister Amelia and her long time friend, Katherine. It had been a while...

And then finally, we celebrated both sister-in-law's birthdays on the last night...

Happy Birthday to....

...Kelly and Leslie...

Love this one of me and Tuck...

This about wraps up May, more to come on June soon....