The Journey To Our Son

Max Has A Baby Sister

2012-06-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that Max has a baby sister! God has blessed us with another precious gift from China!

Gan An Na was born on October 20, 2011

We have named her Ellie An Na

She is living in the Jianxin Social Welfare Institute of Jiangxi Province

When Max saw here he kept looking at Eric saying "baby, baby"

Our Eyes Have Been Opened .... The Journey To Our Daughter

2012-04-28T19:55:00.002-07:00

When God laid adoption on our hearts we began praying for him to lead us as a family! When we felt God leading us to China to adopt Max we prayed he would open our hearts to what he would have for us on the journey. God affirmed over and over in our journey to Max that this was his story being written, his timing and his plan for our family! As we began our journey to Max we talked about being open to adopting again but trusted that once again God would open our hearts and open and close doors and lead our hearts and our minds. On our journey to Max God took my heart on a journey. When we were in China and went to Max’s orphanage our eyes were opened wide and our hearts were broken for the orphans we left behind. The transformation we saw in Max just hours after having him in our arms was something that was unexplainable. God continued to give Eric and I a heart for those we left behind and also gave us a love for China. In October Eric and I were on a little weekend get away and as we sat at dinner out of the blue Eric asked me where my heart and head were with adoption. I was a little taken off guard but began to share my heart with Eric. I was ready to jump in and start the process weeks after being home with Max and yet now months later God was telling my heart the timing wasn’t right for our family. I can only explain it as a God thing as Eric gave me the green light to start process again but God was telling me the timing wasn’t right, to wait and trust fully on his leading and his timing.

On January 17, Max’s Gotcha Day anniversary, Eric again asked me where my heart and mind was in the process. I shared with him how I felt ready but that I felt he had a ton on his plate right now at work and the stress level was pretty high. I felt a total peace about starting but also felt a peace about waiting if he felt like it was too much right now. I love Eric’s heart and his spiritual leadership in our family. He said let’s commit to praying for a week every night together and let God decided if the timing is right. We both felt like God had opened our hearts to step out in faith and adopt again but it was a matter of trusting in his timing for our family. For the next week we committed to praying for God to lead our hearts and minds, to take this desire away if it wasn’t his will for our family and to confirm his timing in this process if it was. Who knew this week would be a crazy week at our house. Eric ended up having to make the biggest and most stressful business decision in the history of his company. One night he was up until the wee hours working through all the details of this decision and as he crawled in bed at 2 am he rolled over and cuddled up to me and prayed that God would lead our hearts in our adoption decision. It would have been so easy to put off our commitment to pray this week and just say the timing wasn’t right and our hands are full. Our hands are full right now with 4 kids, a move in the next year and there a ton going on with Eric’s business. Yet, once again I love Eric’s heart, leadership in our family and trusting God’s plan for our family. At 2am he was committed to praying that God would affirm our hearts and make his timing clear.

On January 24 we both clearly felt God leading us to start the process to bring a little girl home from China. On January 24 Eric also signed the biggest contract in the history of his company! It was quite the day.

We can’t wait to see God’s plan unfold. He knows who our little girl is and knows how perfectly she will fit into our family. He knows the timing and all the details are in his hands. We are trusting completely in his plan for our family as we begin ...

THE JOURNEY TO OUR DAUGHTER

Follow our journey back to China at The Journey To Our Daughter blog.

The Journey To Our Son Video

2012-01-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

Max And The Journey Of My Heart

2012-01-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

As Max's Gotcha Day Anniversary approached I began going through all the pictures of our journey to him. Of course there were so many emotions that surfaced as I looked through thousands of pictures. Our journey to Max has been so much more than feeling like God was calling us to China to bring a son home. It has been a journey of my heart. Along the journey there was fear, excitement, joy, anticipation, pain, loss, brokenness, peace and healing.

There was a journey taking place within my heart from the very start. God had placed adoption on Eric and my hearts early in our marriage. We didn't know what God's plan was for our family but we knew it was by no coincident that he laid this desire in both of our hearts. When Eric brought up starting the adoption process I think I shuttered. We were coming off the hardest year we had had to date. The economy took a toll on Eric's business and all the stress in turn took it's toll on us in our marriage, on us financially, emotionally and spiritually. I questioned the timing, if it was really what we should be doing coming off of this tough year. Were we really ready as a couple to add another little one to our family. Were we ready for all the unknowns before us. Yes, there was fear in what was ahead and yet I loved how Eric continued to point me to God, his hand in our life over the past years and his plan for our family. If we waited for all the stars to aline and life to feel neat and tidy we would be waiting forever and never make our way to China. I felt like we were stepping out in faith. So that is where it started, trusting a desire God placed on our hearts even though it didn't totally feel comfortable. Little did I know what was ahead.

As months passed we gathered, signed and anxiously anticipated seeing the little boy that God chose for our family. In March we got a call that would forever change my life. My best friend had been killed in a car accident. I felt as though my world came crumbling down. Our adoption processed slowed to a halt during that time and in that moment I didn't really care. It was enough to get up and put one foot in front of another. As I continued to walk through the darkest days of my life our adoption process began moving forward. We got to a place where we were ready to send our Dossier to China which meant we would then be ready for a referral. I began to push to get our paperwork to China as fast as possible and when we were almost there Eric asked me if I thought I was ready for this or if we should hold off for a while. I remember being angry and feeling a sense of loss all over. I felt like there was a little boy born in my heart already and we were so close to seeing his picture and Eric was wondering if we should take a step back. After the emotions settled and we had more conversations I did understand my husband's heart. I know he wanted me to be at a place emotionally that I could handle the unknowns ahead with our adoption. He wanted me emotionally to be at a place ready to be a mother to four children and a wife. He had said to me, "Julie these are potentially two of the biggest events of your life and they are happening in the same year!" When I was honest with myself I wanted the same thing. I wanted to be at a place where I was emotionally ready for bringing a little boy home from China. How do you know when you are walking through tough stuff if you will be ready for what is on the other side? That was a time in my life that I vividly remember crying out and clinging to God. Asking him to take away my desires and emotions and let me see clearly what he wanted for us in this process. I began meeting with our pastor and began walking through this journey ... the grief, the adoption, our marriage, my relationship with Christ ... you name it we addressed it. We talked through where I was at in my grief process and all the emotions that the adoption could bring out related to my grief and loss. We talked about how it could push me through my grief faster than I was ready for and in turn would have guilt or resentment that was placed somewhere. We talked about the overwhelming feelings of loss I might feel after having Max in our arms because of not having my friend there to walk through it with me. We talked about the joy that Max could bring and the healing that could take place. It seemed as though I was in for a tug a war and no real clue what it would look like in the end. I wish there was a guidebook on grief and adoption but there isn't. So we made the decision to walk forward trusting that God would supply all we needed in the process.

When we boarded a plane to China I knew it would be life changing but I had no idea what it would do to my heart in the process. The day we traveled to Max's orphanage was a heart changing day for me. As we walked the halls that Max called home for 17 months my heart broke over and over for the little ones that called Jinan SWI home. As we saw these sweet faces I felt as though God reached down and placed his hand on my heart and a healing began in a heart that had been broken the past year. Just as the healing began I felt as though God broke my heart in a different way ... he broke my hearts for the orphans. I can't can't put into words the healing that was taking place with in my heart but the new brokenness I felt. It felt good to have my heart broken in a new way. My heart was on a journey of a lifetime.

My love for Max grew within my heart before I even held him but there were questions. In my human mind and in my own fear I wondered ... what would it feel like? Would I love him the same way I love the children I carried for nine months? Would I feel like he was mine or would love be a choice and would it grow with time? God gave me a love for this little boy that I can't describe. It is a love that reaches deep down in my soul. This love gave me a new understanding of how great the love is that my Heavenly Father has for me. He loves me as much as his one and only son! Now that is some kind of love. Do I really understand it, have I embraced that love? I am so thankful that he loves me and has adopted me as his own.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure." Ephesians 1: 5

When I look deep into Max's brown little almond eyes there is a love for him that goes deep within my heart and soul! I had no idea the journey God would take my heart on as we journeyed to our sweet son.

Happy Gotcha Day

2012-01-17T11:39:00.002-08:00

It is hard to believe that one year ago today we stood anxiously by our hotel elevator jumping at every beep as we waited to see and hold Max for the first time.

(You will want to pause the music on the side bar when you play the videos)

As I watch this video it seems so surreal that we stood and watched our little boy walk off the elevator with a director from the orphanage. I remember feeling overwhelmed how precious he was. It all happened so fast. After a few questions were answered the director left and there we stood with our little boy, he was forever ours.

It was so overwhelming for both of us as we held him for the first time. We both fell in love with him instantly. I still can hear Eric's voice saying, "Oh my goodness, he is perfect!" Yes, he was perfect but little did we know just how perfectly he would fit into our family.

We have watched a little boy with sad, hollow eyes transform right before our very eyes.

The sparkle in his eye, the dimple on his cheek and his love for life continue to grow.

We have experience so many first with Max this year. There have been special days, holidays, milestones, but there have also been hugs, playing in leaves, swinging at the park and touching the grass. A whole new life and world was at Max's fingertips this past year. We have stood with anticipation as we watched Max experience the world and life with a family for the first time. He soaks every ounce out of life and embraced it with every piece of him.

He is not just a happy little boy, he is a boy that is FULL of joy!

There are so many times Eric and I have sat and watched our son and stood in awe. How in the world can a little boy that never set foot out of an orphanage, laid on a red mat in a red room with out any toys day after day for 17 months, just had his basic needs met, did not get a lot of love or attention ... come out of that environment with a love for life and a joy that is infectious. Others are draw to him because of the joy he exudes. I often get asked if he ever stops smiling. No, he rarely stops. I know God held our little boy, guarded his mind and protected his spirit until he was in our arms.

Max has moved right into our family with ease. His sisters and brother love him to pieces. There is no doubt God's hand placed this little boy to fit perfectly into our family.

So today we celebrated Max's Gotcha Day. A day we will never forget. A day that changed his and our life. We broke out the chopsticks and enjoyed a meal around our table together.

We finished the night at one of Max's favorite places ... Cherry Berry. He ran in yelling "ICE CREAM" and also ran up to everyone in Cherry Berry yelling"HI!" We can't help but smile at how much life is in this little boy.

This video is a glimpse into Max's first year home! It pretty much sums up how perfectly he fits into our family and the joy he brings!

Happy Gotcha Day Max!

God's Plan

2012-01-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

As I tucked my girls in bed the other night Emma began asking questions about Max's mom and dad. She wondered if he had any brothers and sisters that they couldn't keep either. All those questions are so hard and break this mommy's heart. I tried to explain to the girls why kids in China are left at places like the train station. I have no answers and I won't pretend that I do. I know someday those will be the questions that Max will have and I am sure through tears I will share some of the same things. The one thing I do know is that God loves our sweet boy and has plan for his life. I have seen God's hand in Max life from the very beginning of our journey to him. His little life represents so much to me on my journey of life. I pray that someday Max will know Jesus as his personal Savior and will be able to rest in knowing that God has a perfect plan for his life even if there are unanswered questions.

There are so many things I don't know or don't have answers for but there are also things that I do know. As we have recorded our journey to Max I pray that he will see God's hand in bringing him into our family and the perfect fit that he is. I pray that he will know that a mom an ocean away loved him enough to make a hard decision that gave him a chance at life. I pray that he will know that this mommy has fallen head over heals in love with him. I also pray that he will know when he was an ocean away he was touching lives and changing hearts. God was working through him before he even knew who God was.

That brings me to this sweet family. When we were in China I got a comment on my blog from a mom who had found our blog and followed our journey to Max. Just like Andrew spoke to our heart Max did the same thing to this family. The started the adoption process to bring a little boy home. Today it is with great joy that I get to introduce you to sweet Hudson.

In just a few weeks his mom and dad will travel to China to bring him home. The other day Hudson's mom sent me this email and wanted to record part of it for Max some day ...

Congratulations on Max's 1 year anniversary. He will always have a special place in our hearts. When he gets older, you will have to tell him how God was using him before he even knew who God was. :o) His precious little life has forever changed our lives.

Soon I will turn this blog into a book for Max. I want him to know the way God has worked in and through his little life. I can't wait to see what God has in store for our bundle of energy!

A Surprise In My Inbox

2012-01-13T21:57:00.001-08:00

Today there was a fun surprise in my in box. At first I thought it was spam when I saw the chinese writing ... then I saw Zhida and I knew it was from China. It was Max's orphanage checking in to see how he was doing and asking for pictures. We gave them our email when we visited but didn't know if they would follow through. It will be fun to be able to stay in contact with them. I sent a little note that google translator helped me translate to Chinese and some pictures of our sweet boy. They wouldn't know Zhida back. I can't wait to hear back from them!

Dear ,

Happy new year.

In China, the most important festival-Spring Festival is coming! Rich blessings for health and longevity is my special wish for you in the coming year .We hope Zhida can take to you happiness after the kid joins your family, in this period, if you would like, we hope to see the pictures of the kid and your families so that we can know about his life status.

We appreciate very much for your love and support! Look forward to hearing about the news of kids often from you! And always bless for you all!

--
把爱心献给孩子，让孩子快乐成长！
济南市儿童福利院
Jinan Social Welfare Institution
地址：济南市历城区柳埠镇突泉村3区226号
邮编：250113
电话：0531-82153226
传真：0531-82153226

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

"This is our God, worthy of praise. The love of the Father, revealed on Christmas day."
- Matt Osgood

So Much To Celebrate

2011-12-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

There is so much to celebrate this Christmas season. It seems crazy at times that this is Max's first Christmas home. It feels like he has been with us forever and yet just a year ago we were anticipating our trip to China shortly after Christmas. God has blessed us in so many ways this past year through our journey to Max. We dragged our feet a little bit on the last batch of paperwork for the finalization of Max's adoption in the state of South Dakota. I love how the timing worked out though. What an amazing Christmas present and a great way to start the season of celebration with our family.

The kids were all very excited to head to court today to complete our last leg of Max's adoption journey!

I love this picture of Eric watching the kids! One proud daddy!

Brothers!

When Papa walked in the court room it was all over .... the rest of us were chopped liver. This boy loves his Papa!

Love this picture of Papa talking to Max on his big day!

We were very grateful that my parents made the drive for Max's big day! They have been so supportive of us on our journey to Max and since we have been home. They held down the fort for 16 days while we were in China and made it through flu with all the kids, a broken fridge and the business of life with three and their school schedule. Max loves his Papa and Grammy and is quick to run into their arms for hugs the minute he sees them. We almost had to tell Papa to leave the courtroom during our lawyer's questioning because Max kept yelling "Papa" at the top of his lungs and wanted to go by him.

On December 22, 2011 we celebrated Max officially becoming Max Lei Fu McDonald in the state of

South Dakota!

The whole gang!

I love this picture of the girls skipping away with their little brother. What a great day!

We finished our special morning with breakfast at the Cracker Barrel!

So thankful that we can celebrate the finalization of Max's adoption this Christmas season, what a gift! This little boy has brought us so much joy this year.

Eleven Months Ago ...

2011-12-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Eleven months .... what does it feel like? There are times that I forget that we really have only had Max for eleven months and yet other days it feels like it was just yesterday that we were standing by the elevator waiting to see and hold our baby for the first time. It seems crazy that Max has still lived without us longer than with us. As we were anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas someone said to me, "I totally forgot that these are his first holiday's with you! He seems like he has been with you forever!" I love the way that God has bonded our hearts together in such an amazing way in such a short time.

This month started off with a bang. One afternoon I walked into the room as something Max had thrown in the air had landed in his mouth and he was choking. It was one of those heart stoppers as he gasped for breath and then it went down. His brother confirmed that he had a dime he had thrown up and it just happen to come down right in his mouth. His doctor's office told us we needed to come in for x-rays to make sure it wasn't lodged somewhere or in his lung so off we went. Eric was out of town so with four in toe we headed off for x-rays. The x-rays confirmed that the dime was traveling safely through his system. The kids thought it was pretty cool they could see the dime in his tummy.

Just a few days later we were back for a little procedure. We had decided to move forward with the surgery for little boys that is common in our Western culture but not a common practice in Max's culture. It is getting more common not to do it around here but since his brother had it done we decided to have Max's done too. We know down the road we may be dealing with different issues that trans racial adoption could bring and we decided this was at least on more thing that could make him feel different. He looked pretty cute in his little hat and won the hearts of the nurses. He had no idea what was in store.

His daddy got to go up with him and stay with him until he was sound asleep. The procedure went well but he was not a fan of life when he was coming out of the anesthesia. He didn't want to eat or drink anything which in turn meant we couldn't leave until he did. He got more frustrated and agitated and then just got plain mad. He tried to pull his monitors off and his IV out. Finally a nurse convinced him that an orange Popsicle was really good. He downed it and we were all very happy to get out of there. He had a week or so of being pretty sore but he was still crazy and trying to jump off the back of couches and climb on things. There isn't much that slows him down.

Last year the holiday's were hard on this mommy's heart. There was so much anticipation of having Max home with us and around our table. We were getting so close to being able to hold him. We had been at home on Thanksgiving last year and I remember so wishing that our sixth spot around the table was filled. This year it is and we are so thankful it is little Max sitting with us, he is the perfect fit. We decided to have our own little Thanksgiving dinner and the big kids thought that Chinese would be the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for our family. Max loves Edamame. When a bowl comes to the table he screams with delight. He loves food and gets very excited about it but this is the only thing that gets the scream to go with it. He has it figured out how to pinch the little beans right out. He says, "I do it!" Yes, he is two and loves to do things himself.

Max grabbed his chopsticks and like a pro scooped up some rice on his first try. We all looked at each other like did her really just do that? Max couldn't even feed himself a cracker when he got him so we know he never had used a chopstick. So either he got really lucky on his first Thanksgiving home or it is just in him. We will see what happens next time we have Chinese food!

Two years ago around this table we told my family we were starting the process to bring a little boy home from China. A year ago we were so close to having him in our arms ..

and this year he was enjoying his first Thanksgiving at the table.

We have so much to be thankful for. Last year Shane was the only boy. This year he has his brother and my brother and his wife have 3 foster boys. We also added baby Mataya to the crew. That is 5 new additions this year. We have quite a crew!

We also spent time with Eric's sister and her family over the Thanksgiving. We hardly saw the kids as they were too busy playing. Life with cousins is good!

The last big first for Max in our family is Christmas. There is so much in the next weeks that Max will do, see and experience for the first time. He was in awe of the lights when we pulled them out of the box for the first time.

We opened the box of decorations and he joined right in. The first ornament he grabbed just happened to be a glass ball. Before I could say his name he wound up and gave it a throw because that is what you do with a ball when you are a little boy. It hit the floor and shattered and stopped the other kids dead in their tracks. It looks like we may be putting some decorations really high this year. Max quickly got into putting ornaments on the tree and was very proud when he got them to stay on the tree.

We have some fun holiday traditions as a family that the kid were very excited for Max to experience this year. We started the month with a fun breakfast at the North Pole.

As you can see Max thought the snowballs aka powdered doughnut holes were pretty good!

Our next holiday adventure was our trip downtown to see Santa. The kids were so excited for Max to see Santa. I was pretty sure he would be all over it. He is Mr. Social and will freely talk to anyone and everyone. In fact he is my greeter. No mater where we go whether it is the gym, grocery store, church, Target, school ... you name it he yells "Hi" to everyone along the way. The baby before us screamed bloody murder on Santa's lap and Max just stared at her so I wasn't sure how he was going to react then. He jumped right out of Eric's arms, ran to Santa and jumped on his lap.

It is our family tradition to stop for shakes at the Diner after our visit to Santa. Max thought this was pretty fun too!

Every year we get the kids ornaments for Christmas, pj's and a Christmas book. We started letting them open these early in December so we have all month to enjoy them. Max's ornament this year was an airplane which symbolizes the year we flew across the ocean to bring him home to his forever family.

The kids have had fun teaching Max how much fun funny face pictures are! Like I said ... he just fits!

We are anxiously anticipating Max's first Christmas home!

Ten Months Ago ....

2011-11-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

Ten months ago Max had never set foot outside of the orphanage. He has experienced so many firsts over the past 10 months. We are so thankful that we have been able to experience these firsts with him and see the wonder in his little eyes.

There are so many things we take for granted like the seasons changing, flowers blooming, leaves falling, the sound of the wind through the trees, airplanes flying in the sky, ants crawling on the sidewalk, worms in the driveway after a rain, hugs, kisses, I love you's, siblings, walking hand in hand with someone who loves you and of course in the fall the joy that playing in the leaves can bring.

Max experienced the joy that comes from gathering leaves in a pile, rolling in them with his sisters and brother and throwing them in the air so they fall like rain on him.

Max joined in on bedtime stories with Shane. What boy wouldn't love a book about Sharks.

The fall experience isn't complete with out pumpkin carving. Max wanted to be like all the other kids and draw a face on his pumpkin. He really had no idea what was in store for his little pumpkin.

Alexa and daddy were trying to convince him to put his hand in the pumpkin. I knew from his reaction to different textures this was one that would sure make him stop and take it in and really feel what was between his fingers.

He became very possessive about his little pumpkin and didn't want any help gutting it. He did decided he would rather do it with a spoon than his hand. I don't blame him.

He squeeled with delight when Eric carved his face in his pumpkin. He carefully carried it outside by himself and sat down right next to it with a huge grin on his face. It took a bit of convincing, kisses and good-byes before he would leave his pumpkin outside and come inside.

Max also experienced his first Halloween. As you can see he was a pretty scary lion with that big smile! The big kids have learned pretty quickly how Max reacts to new experiences .... like everything else he embraces it with everything he has. They knew he would love Trick or Treating and couldn't wait to see him in action.

Max reacted just as we would have predicted ..... he LOVED it. He would run as fast as his little legs would carry him from house to house. He would scream at the top of his lungs with excitement as he ran. He didn't even have a clue that people were putting candy in his bag. He is Mr. Social so just was loving the excitement of meeting and greeting all kinds of people. He won many hearts which in turn meant a bag full of candy. Eric would try to catch his hand on his way to the next house and often this is what they looked. Eric trying to slow our ball of energy down and Max trying to pull his daddy along a little faster. Look at that sunset ... could it have been a more beautiful night?

Max's night was cut short when his little feet just couldn't keep up with his body. I know this will be the first of many bumps along the way. When you have someone who lives life to the fullest and without hesitation you are bound to have some bumps along the way. This is what makes Max who he is so we will embrace our little man and he embraces life.

A Family

2011-10-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Our first "real" family portrait as a family of 6!

Love the energy and joy he has brought to our family.

His smile lights up the room!

Four blessings .... we are blessed!

He continues to blossom before our eyes.

His siblings love playing with him ...

he has added so much laughter and joy ...

they love watching him discover this new world around him.

This picture is worth 1000 words. This is who Max is .... the joy, the life, the energy, the blessing of walking hand in hand with our little boy! God is good!

Nine Months Ago ...

2011-10-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Nine months of being in our arms and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for this little boy, a precious gift he has given our family.

Max's personality continues to grow bigger by the day. One of my friends said, "It is like he has this new life and he is going to embrace it with every ounce of him!" Yes embrace life is exactly what he does. He wears his love for life on his sleeve. He continues to love being outside. Winter may get long when I have a little boy begging at the door to go outside.

From the time we have gotten home Max loves to buckle things. If he finds a buckle he will be occupied for quite a while. It is actually the thing that keeps him very busy while I try buzz through the grocery store. He often screams with excitement when he ties it or screams in frustration because he just can't get it tied. Like he said he wears his love or frustration for life on his sleeve and is not afraid to let others know how he is feeling.

This is what happens when life gets frustrating and he just can't get it tied.

But when he finally gets it tied his face lights up and the squeals of delight flow freely.

He is off once again, princess helmet and all.

Max is experiencing all the fun that fall brings. The Apple Orchard is one of the kids favorite fall stops and they couldn't wait for Max to experience it too. It has been so much fun for the kids to see things through Max's eyes.

Max loved the animals and took it all in!

Could he be any cuter? Love the wonder in his little brown eyes.

I loved seeing Max take off through the orchard .... once again a true picture of him letting go and taking it all in!

He would stop and shake any apple he found. There weren't too many apples because it was a really bad year at the Apple Orchard but when he found one he would check it out.

I love seeing how his relationship with each of his siblings continues to grow. They each provide something different to him. Shane is his playmate. The play cars, wrestle, ride bike, run in the backyard, play in the mud ... you know all the things boys do. Alexa is his nurturer. He looks to her when he is tired or sad. He will often will lay his head on her shoulder and cuddle with her when he is tired and has fallen asleep in her arms numerous times. This picture is a clear picture of his relationship with Emma. She does life with him. She slows him down and engages him in things around him. She will sit and talk with him. I often find him snuggled in a corner in his room with her reading books to him. She will play school with him and teach him new words.

She lets him experience life but is right next to him when he does it.

Max also experienced S'mores for the first time this fall. I am sure you can only imagine what he thought of those yummy treats?

He quickly snuck a marshmallow that hardly fit in his little mouth. He thought those were pretty tasty ...

but when he got the real deal in his hands he was all smiles and there were a lot of "mmmmmmm's" coming out of his mouth!

There was still more fall fun to experience as we headed to Papa and Grammy's house. We hit Pumpkin Land which is an annual stop and a treat for the kids.

Max stoop by the How Tall This Fall sign? Where will he be next fall! He has grown so much already ... it is time to slow down!

Max thought he was a pretty big boy when he picked up his pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. The kids love the pumpkin patch, the petting zoo, the corn maze, the store ....

and of course putting their heads through the cut outs around Pumpkin Land. What a cute little pumpkin we have.

Many would say Max is blessed .... as a family we would say we are the ones that are blessed. Our family and hearts will forever be changed.

Eight Months Ago ...

2011-09-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 8 months? Where does the time go? Life seems to continue to move at a warp speed. Max continues to fit like a glove in our family. He has found his place rather quickly and every one is pretty smitten with each other. I wondered if the "honeymoon" of the new brother would wear off but instead the bonds seem to grow deeper. There are days that there are squeals and fights especially between the two boys but more often than not the 3 older ones are fighting over who gets to play with their brother. We often pull out the timer so everyone gets a chance to be front and center with their brother.

Max finished the summer with a bang and went down the big water slide with his daddy! He wasn't sure what to think about this new adventure but when all was said and done there were lots of smiles.

He also loved the days daddy came along because that usually meant there were treats.

Max is a true boy at heart and loves his cars. It just seems to be something that is part of a little boys nature. He loves to line them up, zoom them down the ramp, make car noises and say "beep, beep, beep" when his cars go backwards.

Max came home functioning more like a 10 - 12 month old. He couldn't walk or feed himself. He was in the 5th percentile for weight and 10th for height. He was a little peanut with very little muscle tone. We just had his 2 year check up and his Dr said he has definitely made some ground since coming home. When he was home if he would have been evaluated he would have qualified for a variety of therapies. This little boy has some fight, drive, determination and a whole lot of life. He is now caught up and falls in normal range in all developmental areas. We are so thankful for the growth that we have seen. He loves his food and that shows as he jumped to the 60th percentile in weight and 50th in height.

He continues to love play dates with his friend Samantha. We are so blessed with amazing friends who have walked the adoption road with us. We swap date nights once a month which we all love. All the kids get to play and the moms and dads benefit from a free date night once a month.

This month brought some tears from this little boy and his mom. His three older siblings went off to school and this little boy was pretty lost for a couple days. He is happy to have is brother home two days yet until Christmas. The first couple days he would cry his eyes out when the kids got out of the van for school. He wasn't used to being left behind. He would also walk around calling their names. We settled in to a routine and I think he is liking this mommy one on one time now.

Shane and Max soak up their Tuesday and Thursday's home together. They often can be found building train tracks and playing trains.

Max experienced dancing at his first Christian concert at Life Light. The loves music and his head starting bopping the minute it started.

He has become quite the little copy cat. He is watching and taking everything in. He is often found copying his siblings. I love this picture of him and Emma lounging!

Max met his Grammy Sue for the first time in June. She is a missionary in Africa for 8 months of year and then resides in Sioux Falls the other four. We feel so blessed that she can be part of our lives for those months and is literally right down the street. There seem to be a mutual love between these two and Grammy Sue has been able to witness first hand Max grow and blossom these past few months.

At the beginning of September we had our first big transition since coming home with Max. We moved. It didn't seem to phase Max. It was good to see his sleep patterns and behavior stay consistent through this transition. It helped us to see the security he feels in our family. He is loving all the new room to run and play in the new house but what is even better is the new world that opened up to him in the front circle.

At our old house the kids spent most of the time in the backyard because we lived on a busy road with a very steep driveway. The kids rarely were out front riding bikes unless we were riding around the block or down the street. Max loves the new found freedom that that cul-de-sac offers. Him and his siblings spend hours in the driveway and on the sidewalks. His little feet seem to just go as fast as they can as he scoots around the cul-de-sac. His brother continues to rig up this little ride for him. They are quite the pair.

This little boy has no fear and seems to have the opinion, the rougher the better. He chooses to go off the curb with a big bang than use the driveways. He seems to love the thrill of new things and living a bit on the edge lately. We could be in store for a wild ride.

He is soaking up life .... and we are soaking up him!

2011-08-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

We love spending time at the zoo. We have a fairly small zoo but the kids still love it. It is nice because we can buzz over there for an hour or two and see the animals and then we usually hit the park next to it for a picnic. The kids love seeing how the baby monkeys and rhino have grown.

We met Eric there one day after work. I was expecting it to just be another day at the zoo but it was far from that for me. It has been the first time we were at the zoo since bringing Max home from China. All the emotions and feelings came flooding back of the day we spent at the zoo with Max in China.

As I watched Max at the zoo there were so many different emotions that surfaced. First it was hard to believe that just six months ago we were in China meeting our son for the first time. Six Months ago Max was so little and helpless. I still remember our day at the zoo in China as Max slept through most of our visit on the pack on his daddy. He had no ability to interact with the world around him. It was like he was in his little bubble. He would interact with us and people around us but beyond that he couldn't process or follow anything more than that. As we fed giraffes up close and personal Max had not comprehension of what was going on around him. But everything has changed, Max has changed. It was so fun watching his reaction to the animals. He would squeal and giggle. He would watch the animals every move intently. I watched Max with tears in my eyes and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for the gift of a son God has given us and we continue to stand in awe of the way that he has blossomed since being home.

Max loved these little guys! As they would swing around on the ropes he would giggle and giggle!

He would often stand in amazement and just watch!

Max joined right in on milking the cow!

The kids had fun helping him feed the animals at the petting zoo! He wasn't sure what to think about the animals slobbering all over his hand!

The kids loved seeing the baby rhino and the new area that was just built for him!

It is always fun to get a closer look!

Max wasn't sure what to think of sister with rhino ears on!

Of course our little love bug is always willing to hand out kisses!

What a great day at the zoo, not just another day at the zoo but a day full of new memories with our new little blessing.

A Day To Celebrate

2011-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

We were so excited when we realized we were going to be with Gordon's, our dear friends we met in China, on Max's referral anniversary. What made it super special was that it was also their referral anniversary for Lulu. We knew we had to celebrate!

We planned a fun Chinese meal to celebrate the occasion.

It was actually more like a Chinese feast! We had orange chicken, shrimp bok choy and ginger garlic vegetables with chow mien noodles. It was so much fun to be together and to be able to celebrate this special day together.

We each took our referral pictures along to take pictures of the kids holding them.

Lulu sat so sweetly holding her picture and smiling.

Max on the other hand thought this was a fun game!

This was about as good as it gets before his picture ended up in the sand!

We then attempted some pictures of the two of them together. This was their "cheese" picture.

Love this one with Max's arm around sweet Lulu!

Just 7 months ago this was the 2 of them looking at each other ....

just look at these cuties now!

We both feel so blessed for God's gift of a son and daughter.

Just plain sweetness!

We also took their Chinese formal outfits that we bought for them in China. It was fun to reminisce about what our referral calls felt like and how we reacted. It also was fun to reminisce about our time in China together and how much they have changed since they wore these outfits for the first time!

They each have a new twinkle in their eyes!

I love this picture of both of them looking at Lulu's referral picture!

We are blessed! What a special day full of celebration and thankfulness for our little Asian blessings in our families!

Happy 1 year referral Max and Lulu! You two will always be part of each others story. I am so thankful that God worked it out for us to be together on this very special day! We celebrate the two of you today! To top it off it is also 7 months today that we held each of you in our arms for the first time! We have a lot to celebrate and that we did! You are loved and have changed our families in such a special way! We can't wait to see what else God has in store for your sweet little lives!

One Year Ago Today

2011-08-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that one year ago today we saw Max's face for the first time. I remember the moment so vividly. I remember seeing our social worker's number come up and hearing her voice and her telling us they have a file of a little boy for us from Shandong China. Tears streamed down my face as I called Eric who happened to be minutes away from home. As he pulled in Max's file was coming in on my computer. As we opened this picture the tears flowed harder. This was the face of our son, the little boy that God chose for us to love, to be part of our family.

Instantly God had given me a love for this little boy that was an ocean away, that I only knew from information and pictures on paper yet a love that was so real and overwhelming. It is a helpless feeling knowing you have a son and yet you are months away from holding him. Daily I had to surrender my anxious mommy heart trusting that God was holding our little boy until we could.

We are so thankful that God's has a plan for Max's life and feel so blessed to be part of it!

Happy 1 year referral sweet boy!

Happy Birthday Little Monkey

2011-08-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

When we were in China one of the first things we said was that Max was Mr. Personality and our Curious George! He was into everything hours after having him in our arms. The kids have totally taken to him being our little monkey so we decided that would be the perfect theme!

We decided to pack all the party stuff up and have the party at my parents house! He have more room for our ever growing family!

We went for the picnic type food for dinner. We had chips, BBQ pork sandwiches, chicken salad croissants ....

fresh fruit and veggies. I had found these cute little tent cards and other printables for his party! I had so much fun pulling his party together. Party of it is I love doing my kids parties ... it is my creative outlet but for Max I couldn't wait just to celebrate his life and everything he has brought to our family.

We had a room full of kids. I think you could call it close to chaotic .... but chaotic fun of course. When all was said and done I felt like I didn't get a ton of pictures and it was a big of a blur. It may be due to the fact of all the kids and that I now have 4 to keep tabs on or maybe because it was a party for my little boy that was turning 2.

Max enjoying his birthday dinner!

The girls and I printed these cute little water bottle labels for the water bottles. We took a variety of those shake up lemonade and crystal light packs. It worked perfect! The back of the labels said:

Look at our sweet little birthday boy!

He thought it was pretty funny to take off his birthday hat when mom was trying to take pictures.

Next it was time for Max to open presents. As you can see he didn't quite know what to do with it. He quickly embraced the situation in true Max style and made it into a slide.

With the help form his siblings he quickly realized what you do when opening presents.

After that he had it figured out!

As you can see he had quite the audience and more than enough helpers.

Max loves different textures so these were right up his alley!

He loved his new car ramp too!

Next it was dessert time. My friend Kathy shared some of her special recipes and they were a hit! We had banana roasted cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting .....

We also had chocolate chip cupcakes with butter cream frosting.

We couldn't have a monkey party without bananas so we had some chocolate covered bananas on the dessert bar.

And we rounded out the dessert table with some monkey puff aka cream puffs.

Max got his own little cake with Curious George on top! As you can see Max didn't quite know what to do when the cake with candles was in front of him and everyone started singing! He had help blowing out his candles and then just sat there. He didn't even try to dig in!

Eric gave him a lick of frosting and after that is was all over. He figured out what he was missing.

Now he has it figured out and thinks he is hot stuff!

mmmmmmmmm ... this is good stuff!

"I am starting to go into a sugar comma, I need a little rest!"

Max decided to let his cousin Bailey in on the fun!

He soon became a little possessive of his cake and the minute Eric would move it between them he would gently nudge back closer to him! We had a fun day celebrating Max's birthday. His first birthday with his forever family!

Happy Birthday little Monkey! We can't imagine our life with out you! We love you!

We Celebrate You Today Max

2011-08-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that today is Max's 2nd birthday and even harder to believe that it is his first birthday home. His birthday marked a day of celebrating his little life with cake, singing, candles, presents, hats and hugs like most birthdays. And in the midst of celebrating there are also feelings that I can't shake. There is a part of me that grieves the first 17 months of my little boys life that I was not a part of. There is a part of me that wonders what happened 2 years ago in China, the day my little boy was born. I think of his mom often. She was the one who carried him for 9 months, heard his first cries and cared for him his first 4 days of life. Then for reasons we will never know left him at a train station. I have a deep love and respect for a women across the ocean that chose life for her son and gave me the gift of a precious son. I pray that somewhere deep in her soul she knows her little boy is happy and healthy but most importantly is loved. I grieve that there is a piece of Max's story that is a mystery to me and yet I know God has written his story and has been a part of it from the beginning, it is no mystery to the One who created him.

When I look at our little two year old I stand in awe of the way that he is grown and blossomed in the last 6 1/2 months. His little eyes went from hollow to bright. He went from not being able to take a step to running everywhere. He went from not feeding himself to loving to eat and not being able to get food to his mouth fast enough. He went from not demanding a thing to knowing exactly what he wants. He went from sitting in one spot for hours to rarely sitting still. He went from rarely getting hugs and kisses to getting more than enough to make up for lost time and giving them freely in return. He went from not demanding to be held to standing at my leg and begging to be picked up. He went from being silent to screaming with excitement at the top of his lungs. He went from being an orphan to being part of our family.

While I stand in awe of the way our little boy has changed and blossomed I stand even more in awe of what God has done and continues to do in my heart. I knew that boarding a plane and traveling across the world to bring our son home would be life changing and yet for me it was heart changing. There is something deep and unexplainable in my heart when my little boy reaches up and wraps his hands around my neck and plants a big wet kiss on my mouth. There is something that stirs deep within knowing he sees me as his mommy and looks to me to meet his needs and to be loved. God not only gave me a love for a little boy from China but he gave me a love for his homeland and a deep heartbreaking love for those orphans we left behind.

So while we celebrate you today Max and your precious life. I also celebrate everything God is doing in my heart and in our family because of you. You are a gift, a precious treasure from God and we are so thankful that God chose us to be your family. We can't imagine our life without you.
Happy Birthday Sweet Boy
Love
Mom

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Six Months Ago ...

2011-07-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that we have reached the 6th month mark already. This month was full of celebrations and summer fun!

Max is starting to realize that his mom loves to take pictures and document life through pictures. Pictures are worth 1000 words right? Well Max experienced his first photo shoot disaster with his siblings.

His mom had this great idea for Father's Day picture and it happened to be the hottest day of the summer to date. The pictures didn't go quite as planned and Max was done! It is all about the memories right?

We celebrated Eric's first Father's Day as a daddy to four. I know Eric would say he is blessed even on the days when life seems crazy. Max has his daddy wrapped around his little finger.

Max put on quite a show as he fell asleep during our Father's Day brunch. When Max is tired it is all over and he falls asleep wherever he is. This is first time Eric and the kids had experienced the nod off at the table.

I just couldn't resist this cute little shot of our little man's bottom as he was so sad his mommy was making him come in for a nap and miss out on the fun outside. He was begging to be rescued by his sisters and brother.

Max has quickly been introduced to school. His sisters love to play school and they now have a cute little student that often cooperates with them. They better take advantage of it now because I have a feeling he may not be as cooperative in the months to come. It is so much fun to see his siblings loving on him.

He also got to experience his first birthday party. He just couldn't be left out at his brother's party and joined right in with those boys on their bug hunt.

Max loves to dress up and it just happens that there is easy access to princess high heals at our house so that is his shoe of choice at the moment.

It was pretty special to celebrate Max's first 4th of July this year as an American citizen. I love seeing him wave the red, white and blue.

He thought all the festivities were pretty great too! He got a kick out of the pops when he figured out how to throw them hard enough.

He also experienced his first sparkler with Papa. What a great way to celebrate Max's first 4th of July ... at the lake with family and all the festivities.

The lake is a little boy paradise ... there are bubbles ....

water ....

trucks ...

sand ....

swimming ....

and picnic lunches with brothers. Max loved his time at the lake and once again jumped right in to the action and let the fun begin.

Wild Water West was another highlight of Max's month. We spent a couple days a week enjoying the water on our hot summer days. There was no stopping Max when it came to life at Wild Water West. He had no boundaries, no fear and loved everything about the water park. This mom was often ready to crash when she got home from chasing her little ball of energy around the water park. I can take crashing at the end of the day when it means I have been chasing a little boy with a huge love for life and energy that pours out of him when just 6 months ago he was laying on a mat on an orphanage floor hardly moving or making noises. Love has breathed life into this little boy!

He often would attack the water fountains with a mouth wide open.

After he went through the fountain and was completely drenched he would come out on the other end with a huge smile.

We quickly learned Max loved everything about the slides and the bigger the better.

He loved playing with the big boys and they had a mutual love for him.

Every time he made it down a slide there was a huge smile and a squeal to go with it!

It has been fun to see Max experience so many things for the 1st time. He continues to embrace life with every ounce of himself and live it to the fullest. Next month is a big month for Max. We can't wait to experience more of life with Max through his big brown eyes.

4th Of July

2011-07-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July from our family to yours!

It was so fun to see our newest little American wave the red, white and blue this year.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 33:12

May God bless America.

Five Months Ago ...

2011-06-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? It is hard to believe that Max has been home for 5 months already. We love spring and summer at our house so this month has been so fun as we get to see life through Max's eyes as he experiences so many new firsts in the outside world.

He loves spending time with his sisters and brother outside. He often stands by the patio door when he wakes up and grunts as he tries to open it. He squeals with excitement when the door opens and he gets to go outside. He experienced play dough for the first time and he also quickly decided to eat some before anyone could catch him.

It has been fun to see Max and his sweet little friend Sam interact. We feel so blessed to be on this journey with good friends as we love on and raise our Asian cuties.

I love this picture of Sam and Max as it looks like she is instructing him how to drive already :) !

Max experienced all the fun festivities at the Annual Tulip Festival in my home town. I remember the anticipation last year as I took a picture of my 3 little blessings knowing more than likely we would have a cute little Asian Dutch boy this year in our family picture.

Cute he be any cuter?

It has been fun to see the boys' relationship continue to grow. Shane is so excited to have a brother to show the ropes too. He was pretty excited that he had partner in crime to scrub streets with him. Papa had his hands a little more full this year with 2 busy boys.

Max also had his first ride on the carousel. He had that look like he did on his first swing ride ... "I am not quite sure I like this!" When it came to a stop he shook the pole to try to get it to go around again!

As the weather warmed up it was time to break out the sprinkler. Once again another first for Max. When ever he sees water he runs at it full speed with his mouth wide open.

As you can see the sprinkler was a hit!

Of course he thinks it is a good idea to take a break and try get a little drink. The kids think he is so funny. Of course he then has to put on a show when he knows he has an audience.

A day in the sprinkler just isn't complete without lunch on a towel. Oh it is going to be so hard for this little man when summer is over and we spend most of our days inside. Don't worry we are taking full advantage of our time outside this summer.

Snack time on the deck is also a fun treat. I love Max's little belly on this picture. Yes he is eating like a champ and has added some good weight to his little body since he has been home.

Max loves to cuddle with his sisters. They love it when he sits by them long enough to fall asleep.

Max has mastered the spoon ... for the most part. Again looking back it is fun too see where he has come from and where he is going. When I look back to the first days in China and we would put food in front of Max and he didn't have a clue how to feed himself at the age of 17 months it is amazing to see how far this little boy has come.

Max also has experienced the lake for the first time. We were pretty sure he would love it and that he did. He didn't waste anytime getting wet and digging in to the sand.

As you can see he has a new love ..... THE SAND!

We are finally to a point that Max doesn't cry or pinch his lips as tight as he can when he sees his tooth brush. It was pretty obvious that Max had never had his teeth brushed in the orphanage. His breath was indescribable. It was plain awful. The first night we emailed our doctor and other adoptive families to see what we could do or if we needed to worry about something. We were informed it was more than likely just lack of care and probably diet too. Needless to say it became a fight to try to get those little teeth clean. It took about 2 week until his breath was at least bearable. Max saw the dentist for the first time this month and we were pleasantly surprised that there were no cavities. We did find out the poor little thing had gingivitis. His little mouth was just a breeding ground for bacteria between the gum infection and plaque build up. We are thankful for some good breath, healthy gums and clean teeth now.

Max is a little lover. He climbs on my lap often with a lot of kisses to go with it. He plants kisses on his siblings very freely. When Eric gets home Max runs to him and and often grabs his hands between his little hands and pulls him in for a kiss. When I think back to the day we stood in his room at his orphanage and heard from his nanny that since he was one of the better ones in the room he didn't get much love or many hugs. Hearing those words broke this mommy's heart in two but we continue to see how God protected our sweet little boy's heart. Today he knows what it means to be loved and to love. He gives and receives hugs and kisses freely. I will forever be thankful for all his sloppy little kisses on my lips. Here he is kissing all his little animals.

And of course there were hugs to go with it!

This little smile is something we see an awful lot of. Max is rarely grumpy and he still smiles bigger than life every time you pick him up. He continues to crack himself up with things he does or noises he makes. He is full of life ... you can see it in those eyes and that smile.

Happy 5 months with your forever family little man!

Four Months Ago ...

2011-05-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that just 4 months ago this little boy became part of our family. We feel so blessed that God chose us to raise this precious little boy. Don't those big brown eyes just melt your heart. Yes, he has this mom wrapped around his little finger.

It has been fun to watch him continue to blossom and grow this month.

After a long winter the sun finally came out and spring arrived. Max LOVES being outside. His brother continues to enjoy having a new little brother for the most part. He even gets creative and rigs up things like this to give Max a ride. Max of course thought it was great. They have spent hours riding in circles on our deck. Max doesn't understand when it is rainy or cold and will just stand by our patio door begging to go outside.

He has a love for slides and often makes things in our house a slide too ... the stairs, off a bed, the arm rest of the couch to the couch ... you name it he tries to make it a slide.

Max has experienced many firsts with his little hands and feet outside this spring. It has been fun to watch him explore different surfaces and textures with his tiny little fingers and those little toes of his. When he has bare feet he will often pause when he moves from one surface to another. For example when he moves from grass to the sidewalk he will pause and stick a toe out and then lay one foot down and take it in a bit before he crosses over. I continue to wonder what goes through that little mind of his as he experiences all these new things we so often take for granted.

We have continued to work on his sensory stimulation. His favorite is his pudding time. Often Shane and Max do pudding together. Max just digs in and works on getting those little hands dirty. Shane often practices his letters. They both waste no time with licking their little fingers.

Max continues to be curious and often gets into things he shouldn't. One day it was the box of rice which he poured on his head and ended up all over the carpet. I decided to let him enjoy the mess he made instead of rush to clean it up. I guess that is what happens with a 4th child .... you learn to relax a little and try to enjoy the little things.

Max continues to play hard and sleep just as hard. When he gets tired he crashes where ever he is which works well when he is the youngest of 4 and needs to be flexible.

Max's brothers and sisters can't get enough of him and love to help in any way possible. Big sister Alexa is helping with a little hair washing and styling here.

Max loves to make noise and figure out how other things make nose. When I have the vacuum out I can figure he will be riding it like a horse and turning it off and on with a big grin!

Max LOVES music. When he hears music his little head starts bobbing. He loves when his sister shares her little ear buds with him. He figured out in no time how those things worked. If the music isn't on he will shake them thinking that just may make them come on.

Max had his first opportunity to visit the South Dakota Children's Museum. He had so much fun playing and discovering new things. One of his favorite places to hang out was in the market. He figured out pretty quickly how to fill his little cart and push it quickly through the isles crashing into anything in his way.

He also loved planting and picking all the vegetables with big sister Emma.

Max welcomed his friend Samantha home from China and brought her the American flag to wave. We can't wait to watch these little Asian cuties grow and blossom together. We are already working on an arranged marriage.

Max made his first cut out cookies. He tasted flour and ate a chunk of cookie dough. It has been fun to see the excitement in his eyes as he continues to discover and try new things.

His sisters and brothers love experiencing life with him. As you can see everyone is pretty smittin' with each other.

Max celebrated his first Easter with us. We celebrated the new life Christ gives through his victory over death but also the new life that Max represents in our family.

We had our first official "family of 6" Easter picture taken.

Max quickly caught on to picking up eggs and putting them in his basket.

And oh the fun when he realized there were treats in the eggs.

He also discovered bubbles with his cousins.

This is one of my favorite Easter pictures. Max's cousin helping him to his feet.

He pet his first animal and Aunt Lori's house.

On Mother's Day we dedicated Max to the Lord at our church. I feel so blessed to be Max's mommy.

To think these little legs were so weak and Max wasn't walking just 4 months ago .... now these little feet go as fast as they can go!

There are still times that Max is just not sure of his surroundings and takes it in. This was the first time that Max was in the grass with flowers, well technically dandelions around him. He just stood in the place that I had placed him and looked around taking it all in.

After about 5 minutes he reached down to grab a dandelion ....

but when he figured out it was safe to run he was off. There was no stopping him! I have a feeling there is no stopping this little boy. We are in for a very busy summer.

Happy 4 month with your forever family sweet boy!

I Am Blessed

2011-05-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today, on Mother's Day my heart is changed and full. There is no greater joy in my life than being a mom. Traveling half way around the world to become a mom for the fourth time is an experience and feeling that is hard to even put into words. There is an overwhelming love that God has given me for this little boy that he has chosen me to be mom to. There is also an overwhelming responsibility that comes with that. Today we had the opportunity to stand in front of our church and dedicate Max to the Lord. We promised to bring him up in the Lord, praying for him and sharing with him his need for a Savior and the sacrifice that God made for him. I pray that Max will see God's hand in his life from the moment he was born and the days that follow.

I stand it awe of the deep, heart penetrating love that God has given me for this little boy.

God has taught this mom so much in our journey to Max and back again. God has showed me what total dependence and trust in him looks like. During this process there were so many times I wanted to control things or tried to do things my way and yet over and over again God showed me he was in control and his timing and plan are perfect. He has taught me about sacrifice, about giving more of myself. He has taught me that he DOES hold each of my kids in his hands and has a plan for their life. Having Max placed in my arms has helped open my heart to a whole new understanding of the deep, deep love my Heavenly Father has for me. Max has played a part in God breaking my heart and laying it wide open with love, passion and heartache for those orphans who have no one to call mommy. He has played a part in me saying "Here I Am Lord" how do you want use me, what can I do for those who don't have a mommy. I pray that I can continue to step out in faith as he continues to lead my heart. I know God will continue to teach me, stretch me and love me on my journey as a mom.

There are times that I forget that this mom has only kissed, hugged, cuddled, fed, clothed, changed, provided for, rocked, wiped tears ...... for Max for only 3 1/2 months. I didn't know him or care for him the first 17 months of his life. There are times we are out and about and I realize people are doing a double take and look at Max and our other kids trying to figure out how they all fit together. It is those times that the reality hits that Max was born a world away ... not bone of my bone or flesh of my flesh but miraculously my own. This weekend was one of those times that the reality of Max's story penetrated my heart and brought out emotions from deep inside this mommy's heart. Last night I looked at Eric with tears streaming down my face and said, "I wonder if there is Mother's Day in China? I can't stop thinking about Max's mom!" We continued to have a conversation about Max's mom and the sacrifice she made. Today I can't help but have a broken heart for a mom I have never met, know nothing about and yet have a love and deep respect for the sacrifice she made even though we will never know the details behind it. She carried my little boy for 9 months. She heard his first cries and held him in her arms. She fed him and cared for him the first 4 days of his life and then she went to the train station and laid him there to be found. She laid him there for a chance at a better life. I have to believe that it broke her heart to lay her baby there and we will never know what led her have to make that choice. I wonder how many times she thinks about her sweet boy and wonders if he is ok. I wish I could tell her and show her how much he is loved and how happy and healthy he is. So today on Mother's Day I am forever grateful for the mom that gave our sweet Max life and I pray for peace for her today. I am forever grateful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to be Max's mommy and walk through life with him as my son. I pray for wisdom and strength along the way!

Today my heart is full ..... I am blessed!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another

John 1:16

Three Months Ago ....

2011-04-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Three months ago we saw our little Max for the first time as he walked off the elevator at our hotel. He looked so little and his eyes looked sad. The love we felt for him was overwhelming and there is nothing that could describe the feelings that we had that day. This little boy was handpicked by God to be our little boy.

Eyes are the window to the soul - an Old English Proverb

In just a matter of hours his sad, hollow eyes were big and bright. A transformation was happening right before our eyes.

And in just three short months it feels as though our baby has grown quickly into a busy toddler. It has been so amazing to see him grow and blossom before our eyes. We have experienced so many fun firsts since January 17 with him and this past month has been no exception. We will try to give you a peek into Max's life this past month.

Max got his first haircut. It actually was pretty traumatic for him. He was not a fan which isn't going to be fun since his hair is thick and grows like crazy.

And here is our brown eye boy after he was all calmed down after the traumatic first hair cut.

His hair isn't the only thing that has been growing. He has gained 6-7 pounds since we have been home. He loves to eat and eats almost everything. His love for bread has gone away and he has moved on to bigger and getter things. One of his favorite foods right now is strawberries.

He has picked up on signing "more" and "please" pretty quickly. Here he is signing "more" for more strawberries.

He is a buys boy but also loves to cuddle and give kisses. Shane is probably Max's favorite person to kiss and I am pretty sure it is because of Shane's reaction. The boys already have a special bond. Max often will sit on Shane's lap and just keep kissing him. Shane will giggle and laugh so Max will just keep it up. The other day Max kept signing "more" and "please" and then would kiss Shane. He would do that over and over again! I wish I would have gotten it on video it was so cute.

One of Max's other favorite things to do is to fly with daddy. Max now walks as fast as he can into daddy's arms when he gets home. After greetings and kisses Max reaches his arms in the air to be lifted up and then thrown the rest of the way. He LOVES it. The higher the better! If Eric stops he will grab his face and will try to butter him up by kissing him.

He loves his daddy and boy can he make him smile!

The biggest change in Max the last couple weeks is his WALKING! He started letting go of things and taking 5-6 steps a month ago and now he has mastered walking. He even thought he would show off last week and walk backwards for us of course giggling the whole way. He knows when he is putting on a show and when he has an audience.

When ever he falls he says "Oh" and then proceeds to clap for himself if no one else does first.

He also has picked up some new words. Last month he was just saying "uh oh" all the time. He has added mama, dada, bye bye, cracker, nana, and all done.

We live in South Dakota and so you can have a really nice day and then the next day it can be snowing. So when the snow finally melted and we had a couple decent days in a row the grass was dry enough for Max to venture out for the first time. It was the first time Max had been in the grass. He wasn't sure what to think at first but in no time he thought life outside was pretty great! He cried when it was time to go inside.

Max loves his bath time and had his very first bubble bath. He had so much fun and was even blowing kisses with a bubble face!

One thing that research shows is that kids who have been institutionalized struggle with sensory weakness because of their lack of sensory stimulation. We have tried to be proactive in this area. Max spends time in tubs of rice or beans to work on touching and playing with various textures. It was good to see him explore in the grass the first time outside. He will touch and feel various textures in books. You can tell he is very aware of how different textures feel. One of the things he loves is playing with pudding. The first couple times he was a little more hesitant to put his hands ALL in but as you can see he loves it now.

This is the face I get when our pudding time is over.

Max has had another visit to the urgent care for a fall and a sliced ear. They couldn't stitch it because there wasn't enough skin so we will see how it heals. The other day he fell face first on his nose and had blood pouring out everywhere. This little boy has had more bumps, bruises and blood coming out of body parts than our other 3 put together. He is one busy boy who has no fear ... that just might equal trouble! Good thing he is our 4th so we don't get quite so worked up about falls and blood. We are hoping he slows down in this department though!

Last week we had a beautiful 70 degree day. Max had his first morning of fun with his brother in the backyard. It included mastering the slide and playing in the playhouse.

His favorite thing to do is ride in the car and his big brother was more than willing to push him around.

He also had his very first picnic with his brother.

In the evening we had our first family outing to the park with Max. It was so much fun to see Max explore and experience all of this for the first time.

Max's sisters adore him! He doesn't show a preference to any of the kids but we can definitely see all their relationships forming with him in different ways. It is so amazing to see them all just fit together.

Max loves life and lives it to its fullest but there are times he still just sits back and takes it all in. There are times he can me mesmerized by an object or activity. It is those times I would love to know what he is thinking. The other night at the park he was in awe of this man and his son on this rocking toy. He watched and watched and watched! He took it all in and then some!

Max plays hard and he sleeps hard! When he gets tired he can fall asleep wherever he is. One day he fell asleep in the middle of lunch. There have been a couple days when we drop Shane off at preschool that he has fallen asleep sitting straight up and down on my hip. He is doing great at night. He is sleeping in his bed and has gotten to the point that we can lay him down awake and he will be able to go to sleep on his own. It has been amazing to watch his need for us present in his room or holding him as he falls asleep change as he continues to feel more and more secure! Nap time is a different story. He needs us to rub his back or rock him to sleep at nap time yet. We are not sure emotionally why nap and night are so different from him but they are. We often wonder what feelings is it about that time of day makes it harder for him to go to sleep on his own. He continues to show us how he is growing but also makes us aware of what he needs right now. I have to admit I do love my cuddle time with my baby before nap and some days it is hard to put him in his bed!

His big sister was all smiles when he fell asleep in her arms the other day!

One of Max's favorite things to do right now is to build with his blocks. He loves building but like most little boys his favorite part is knocking them down.

He also loves wrestle time with daddy and of course there is always a little tickle time in there too!

This little boy of ours continues to amaze us at the way he has blossomed and found his spot in our family. His smile lights up a room. He loves life and is very social. He loves to be picked up and cuddled. It never fails that anytime anyone picks him up he gets the biggest grin on his face. He is always making us laugh by the things he does and faces he makes. He knows how to put on a show and to pour on the charm. Max is such a blessing to our family!

If only those big brown eyes could talk. Oh how I wish they could. I wish he could tell me exactly what he needs, how he is feeling, the times he is scared, the things he loves, the things he needs. I keep trusting that God will give us wisdom and insight as we love and raise our little boy.

Max you have forever changed your mommy's heart. Happy 3 months with your forever family sweet boy!