Coming Out Of Hibernation...

...SUMMER HIBERNATION, that is!! ;)

Hey there, fellow bloggy friends! How are all of you?! I’m SO sorry that I have been such a terrible blogger since returning home with our precious Khloe. I’ve had quite a bit of conviction over it, too. I feel a certain obligation to keep you all posted on how things are going… Not by means of guilt, but because I know how blessed I was to follow along on other’s adoption journeys both before their travels and after they returned home, and I know how priceless that was in preparing my heart for our own journey. Now it’s my turn to pay it forward. So I sincerely apologize for my absence and the lack of substance in my posts, but I want you all to know that things are well.

Better than well, really!

I received several concerned emails over the summer (thank you, btw!) worried that things might be a little tougher on the home front than I had anticipated. But rest assured, that is not the case.  It simply was the coincidental combination of returning home from China on Memorial Weekend and going straight into summer break. Our big kids only had 4 days left of school when we returned, and then summer was off to full-swing craziness! Couple that with re-learning just HOW busy it is having a toddler in the house again, and I was completely spent by the end of most days. My intentions were high, but my actions were low. I’ve fallen behind on reading into your lives, too…and for that, I sincerely apologize. I have missed you and think of you all so often,  and you have remained in my thoughts and prayers.

Anyhoooo…

How is life going with Khloe at home, you may be asking?!

The answer is: BLESSED and busy!! :)

We are SO grateful to have her home, and are finally adjusting to our “new” normal. We are completely smitten, head-over-heals in LOVE with our little princess, and truly cannot imagine life without her! It’s hard to believe we have been home for 2 ½ months now, as in ways it has flown by, yet in other ways, it seems longer.

Khloe has amazed us with how fast she has adapted to her new family and life here at home. Only a few short months ago, when she was still at New Day, she was in that state of not liking change at all. She wanted her routine, and did not like it being disrupted. She would fuss and act out during field trips, even with those she was used to being around and most comfortable with. So we knew that was normal behavior for her and not to be alarmed by it when she joined our family.

Naturally, I was a little concerned about this though, since I knew we would be busy going to the big kids sporting events and other activities over the summer. But I also prepared myself that I may have to miss many of those events this year, as I needed to make sure Khloe was comfortable first. And so establishing her stability at home and a new routine was on the forefront of my agenda. Yet we quickly realized that once she attached to our family and embraced us as her own, that she was okay with change and going new places. In fact, she enjoys it!

Our first weekend home, she kept telling me that this was “Khloe’s home” and would point out all of her things. Each night I would (and still do!) rock her and sing her to sleep, which she embraced almost immediately. But we always began with saying a bedtime prayer together and then would go through her photo album that we sent to her while she was still in China. She enjoyed pointing to the photos and then locating those items throughout her bedroom. This brought her comfort in her space and became a nightly routine for the first month or so. Sure there have been little bumps in the road here and there.  This 'change' is new for all of us.  But that’s just part of life with any child. She is blossoming into such a fun little girl and is one smart cookie!! She learns things fast and she doesn’t easily forget… this can be both good and bad!  ;)  LOL!

I don’t for a second take for granted how well things have gone for us, though. I know it’s greatly due in part to the amazing love and care she received at New Day and them preparing her for us… But also due to the many countless prayers that were going up on our behalf. Both Martin and I had a peace before we even traveled that things would go well. I know that’s God… THE Peace that surpasses all natural understanding! I can’t stress enough how grateful we are for that support. Just knowing that all of you were lifting us up before the Father… completely PRICELESS! There is no greater, more powerful gift. Thank you!!

So what can I tell you about our youngest daughter?!...

Khloe is a happy little girl! Her big brown eyes and bright smile lights up the room and she has such personality. She loves to tease and likes to be wild. She also has a good amount of ‘sass’ and stubbornness that emerges from time to time! On that note, I got the child I deserved!! ;)  She does not enjoy getting her picture taken and often turns away when mom gets out the camera…but she’s getting used to it, like it or not!

Khloe is a girly-girl who loves her kitchen sets, her wah-wahs (baby dolls) and likes to play pretend. She enjoys coloring, PlayDoh and stickers. She loves all things Ni’Hao Kailan. She likes to sing and dance…especially to action songs. She catches onto things quick and likes to be silly. She is truly a mama’s girl, but she loves ALL of her family and likes it when we are all together. She is often Breanna’s shadow! Khloe is a big fan of her extended families and her new cousins. She loves Dawson’s good friend (our neighbor) Jake! She likes talking on the phone ~ the REAL one! (Oh YES she does!!) …Especially to daddy, Grandma Sharon and Aunt Kami. And when she talks on her play phone, it’s usually to Aunt Kami!! She likes being outdoors, blowing bubbles, jumping on the trampoline and getting rides on the ATV’s and the lawnmower with daddy. She LOVES swimming! ...our girl is a FISH!!! She even goes down the water slide BY HERSELF, plunges under the water and I grab her when she pops back up. She doesn’t want me to catch her when she’s coming off the slide. She isn’t a bit afraid of water in her eyes and only wears her little blow-up arm floaties. Needless to say, I will be getting her into swimming lessons this fall, for safety’s sake!

I could go on and on and on… and now that I’m back on here blogging again: I WILL! …but I’ll spread it out in time over later posts. I’ll do my best to be more frequent in journaling and sharing our precious little bundle of love with all of you, so that my posts aren’t all long books. And I will try to be better about visiting your blogs and commenting once again, as well. I currently read more than I comment on, but I know how important it is to keep in touch and continue to encourage one another. There have been so many changes over the past few months, but I couldn’t be happier! We feel so blessed to be a family of five and have been forever changed by the miracle of adoption!!

Enjoy these last weeks of summer and be blessed!