Love.

First reunion!

CCAI Travel Group 1687 had their very first almost complete reunion.

6 or 7 families (boy how we missed the 7th) from ALL over the country gathered in DC for the July 4th holiday.

How JOYOUS to see our friends.  To be reunited once again.

We had the BEST travel group ever.

Seriously, these people are like family.

I just love them all so very much.

We are all different.  We all came to adopt our children for different reasons.  We are different ages.  and come from different backgrounds.

But, we just click.

I can't imagine what our time in China would have been like without them.  and now I can't imagine not having them in my life.

and to see those sweet children again, each of whom we met on the same day as Grace a year and 1/2 ago.   I can't tell you how awesome it was.

They all hold such a special place in my heart.

We are already planning next year! 

Speech

A few months ago Grace saw members of the cranio-facial team at our children’s hospital for a regularly scheduled visit. As we cycled through each of the eight doctors on the team, they all had one message for us….

Speech.

The time is now for intervention for speech.  Grace has been seeing a speech therapist for a year.  But, she has been at almost a complete standstill with progress for about six months.

It was time to make a change.

So, we are starting with a new speech therapist in a couple weeks.

And…

Grace qualified for early intervention preschool for the fall where she will have much more intense speech services almost daily. 

I have to admit.  While reading the reports of all observations and the evaluations on her in the past couple months… I felt like I was punched in the gut.  

“1^st percentile for articulation”, “significant speech delays”, “high risk”…

Ack!

It’s not like I didn’t KNOW this.  If I didn’t know… I wouldn’t have had her in speech all these months, I wouldn’t have been pushing the early intervention team to evaluate her, I wouldn’t have fought with insurance to cover her services. 

But.  Reading it on paper...all that clinical mumbo jumbo... 

Don’t like.

I just want for her success.  I don’t want her to struggle. 

Hasn’t she faced enough struggle?!

I’m confident once we find the right speech therapist and she receives services more frequently she is going to make a lot of progress.  

And then I’ll miss her cute little words. 

Her latest…  “bating puit” (bathing suit). 

Sure, I want for everyone to be able to understand her. 

But, I also love when she says “bating puit”. 

{Disney}

MAGICAL times!

Tiring. 

But oh so very fun!

Grace has a new love.  Her name is Minnie Mouse. 

Real or stuffed.  Either will do.

Kailey became a princess. 

and met some other princesses!

Her prince wasn't too far away. 

Braden a guest of the Hollywood Tower Hotel (Tower of Terror)

Devin a lover of high speed runaway mine trains (Big Thunder Mountain)

The team of Braden and Kailey became the family’s Toy Story Mania champions. 

We watched fireworks.  And parades. (and stayed up WAY too late!)

We swam in beautiful pools.

 

And slid down many water slides.

Played in fountains.  

Ate a little ice cream.  

Had fun being together as a family. 

We even went to China!  (well... kind of)

We also got VERY wet the first couple days because a tropical storm decided to sit over us and drench us.  Her name was Debbie. 

I don’t like her very much.

There were also some lows.  Bug bits, stomach bugs, RAIN, tired two year temper tantrums (a few Mommy and Daddy tantrums too). 

This is all to be expected on 9 day tour of Disney World with four kids.

I don’t usually think that having four kids is that hard.  I read blogs of people that have 10 or more.  Many friends of mine have four OR MORE.

But, four kids.....9 days in Disney.... 

Four kids felt like A LOT of kids. 

I need a vacation from our vacation. 

(Vacation Part Deux coming soon!)