Moving Blogs

Hi All,

I wanted to let you know that we're moving to a new blog address.  Please join us at http://promotingwhatwelove.blogspot.com

Exciting news announced there today so go check it out!

~Rachel

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to each of you!  
Wishing you the best in 2013!

An Attempt at a Photo Shoot

I am always amazed at how many shots it takes to get decent pictures of 4 kids - especially when one has autism and another is a toddler!  I gave up on "perfect" pictures a long time ago and now I count it success if they are all looking at the camera and have at least a pleasant look on their faces.  And Sunshine is often an exception to the rule below.  My favorite of her is the one where she is looking to the side but smiling. :) 

In order to get this shot . . .

And this one . . .

We also managed a lot of outtakes . . .

 (Munchkin was on her way outta there!)

(Cute shot of the other three but not exactly the group photo I wanted)

 (Back on the couch, Munchkin really just wanted to play peekaboo)

And my personal favorite . . .

(Munchkin has left the building!)

Side note:  Why is it that Chief manages to look perfect in every single shot?  He is amazingly photogenic!

Christmas Cuties

Paperwork Does Not Equal the Person

I loved this post called The Diagnosis is Not the Person, posted on a new blog I've been reading.  Sunshine is a perfect example of that statement.  Looking at Sunshine on paper, she is scary!  She has a long list of medical and behavioral diagnosis.  When she is evaluated and we're asked to fill out checklists, the results look overwhelming.  If I saw a waiting child with Sunshine's list of challenges, I would be scared.  But look at this face:

Does this child look scary?

Does this child seem impossible to parent?

Or can you see the light in her eyes and the joy on her face?

Can you read our blog and see the happiness she brings to our family?

Can you imagine what it might be like to have a Sunshine of your own?

The diagnosis is never the person.  Don't let diagnosis scare you.  Diagnosis are just words.  Sunshine is so much more than that and so are the thousands of special needs orphans waiting for someone to see past the words, past the diagnosis and to really SEE them.

Will YOU see?

Soccer

Soccer is another reason we've been busy this fall. We did Upward Basketball last year and assumed that our city's soccer league would be a similar commitment.  Boy were we wrong!  Twice as many practices and way more gear and travel were involved.  But, the boys also had a blast and we plan to do it again.  Both of the boys did a great job and seemed to enjoy it but Chief especially just took off and quickly became the star of his team.  He can't wait for the spring season to start. 

 Ace's team was called the Bulldogs.

Ace was a great all-around player but was an especially good goalie so he played that position frequently.

 Chief's team was the Predators.

Chief played mid-field and quickly became famous for being all over the field!  If someone needed to get to the ball quick, Chief was their man.   He is FAST but lopes across the field with ease - never looking like he's even trying that hard! We are looking into getting him in track this spring.

When I was a kid we didn't do many sports because of the time commitment.  I understand my parents' reasoning because it definitely does take some time and some creativity to make everything happen in the evenings that we have practice, as well as on game days.  But, we were impressed with what a great experience it was for the boys. They learned a lot about teamwork, pushing forward when they were tired, working hard to get something right, how to fall but jump back up and keep going.  It also kept them busy which meant that in their free time they were happier and more content.  I definitely think we're going to be a sports family - at least for the boys (not sure how much the girls will be interested - we'll see). It's been a good thing and I'm really glad we gave it a try. 

Munchkin's Birthday (way late!)

Our amazing, energetic, precocious daughter turned 2 on September 23rd.  Being the stellar blogger that I am, I decided to get ahead of the curve by making sure I posted these pictures before her 3rd birthday rolls around!

This adorable dress was a gift from Munchkin's birth parents.  I need to write sometime about our experience in an open adoption.  We were a little nervous about the idea but I'm so glad we jumped in.  We have been greatly blessed!

Stuck

Munchkin has been cracking us up lately by getting stuck places.  It seems like every time we turn around she is flailing like a flipped turtle. :)  My favorite is probably when she got her head stuck behind the entertainment center.  She was pretty distressed so I didn't get a picture but it was really funny!  Here she had fallen into one of the toy baskets in her room.  We really don't know how she manages to get in these predicaments!

Not Blogging

The problem with not blogging

is that you don't know how to start again 

because when you realize how long it's been since you've posted

you have no idea what to say first 

and if you have no idea what to say first

then you usually just put it off

and if you put it off

then the not knowing where to start gets even worse

and you just keep on . . . not blogging!

Definitely caught in that spiral.  About to do a bunch of posts to catch up on the 2 months (yikes!) of pictures I haven't posted and updates I haven't done.  Operation I-will-blog-if-it-kills-me has now commenced!

Speechless - Newton, CT Tragedy

photo link HERE