Hi. I'm Sarah. He's Kevin. The little ones are Hannah and Hudson. We're a family, blessed with our children via international adoption. Hannah Claire and Hudson Ray were lovingly cared for in Taiwan, placed into our arms on 12.29.08 and 6.13.12, and things haven't been quite the same since. Hallelujah!
"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." - Author unknown
We have a Canon EOS 7D. The lenses I work with include a 24-70mm f/2.8L, 85mm f/1.8, and 50mm f/1.8.
I love it when my mom shares little funny things that Hannah tells her. This week while they were driving whey saw several motorcycle riders. Hannah remarked that "There are a yot of motorcycles in Taiwan."
Yes, baby. There are a lot of motorcycles in Taiwan!" Heehee.
It took me several days to find just the right song to make Hudson's video with. I hope he likes it! Hannah loves hers and asks to watch it regularly.
Celine Dion - A New Day Has Come
A new day
A new day
I was waiting for so long
For a miracle to come
Everyone told me to be strong
Hold on and don't shed a tear
Through the darkness and good times
I knew I'd make it through
And the world thought I had it all
But I was waiting for you
Hush now
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun
A new day has come
Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength
All in the eyes of a boy
Hush now
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun
A new day has
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun
A new day has come
Ohhh, a light
Hush now
I see a light in your eyes
All in the eyes of the boy
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
On June 29th we had a really bad storm rip through our area. We didn't get much rain from it to help our drought, but the winds did a lot of damage uprooting trees and some people were without power for 3-5 days. I watched the storm start up out a window at work, and the amount of dust flying through the air was crazy, almost like something out of a movie.
The winds picked up our huge metal and plastic swing set and threw it several feet until the fence stopped it. We haven't moved it back into place yet. It is going to take more than just Kevin and me to drag it across the yard and get it uprighted. We had a little baby pool that was filled with water and blew away in the storm. I didn't feel too badly about it because it was really two small for both of our kids and I was thinking of getting something bigger for them.
We picked up a much bigger 10 foot pool that is just right for the family. The kids can both touch, they can pick up their feet and float and swim if they want too, adults can sit and the water hits just below our shoulders, and all four of us can comfortably fit. We've been in the pool every day since we got it except one day when we went out of town. I love getting in with them because I can sit and relax, the kids are contained, they aren't messing up the house, they actually play together, and we're having fun together. We're singing songs and playing games. I taught Hannah how to play "Simon Says" last week and she thinks it is hilarious. I'm hoping that it is good for Hudson's vocabulary. I'm using all of my Mandarin body part words I know with Simon says. I *know* that Hudson understood me today when I said tóu fa and he pointed to his hair. Yay!
This little waterbug was quite frightened of water when we first brought him home. He screamed with fear when I sat him down in the bathtub. Hudson's foster mama had Johnson & Johnson bath wipes with his things, and it makes me think that she wiped him down and didn't put him in a tub or in the sink. We're come a long way in a short period of time, but Hudson is still quite afraid of laying down in water.
My older waterbug likes to float on her back and swim around with her puddle jumper on. She doesn't want to go under. I bought her some goggles yesterday. We'll see if I can convince her to wear them and try swimming under water again.
Everything Hudson's foster mama told us about him is spot on. He's easy going, playful, eats everything, plays well with other kids, and is very curious. He's comforted with a big hug. If he's crying, he is most likely hungry, so try a snack. She didn't say anything about screaming for pleasure. He screeches when he's bored in the car. He's so curious that he gets his hands on anything with buttons. He'll run straight for a box fan in a new room and attempt to stick his fingers inside it. We spend a lot of time running after him and preventing disasters. But what else would one expect from a curious and robust 18 month old boy?
Having a sibling has brought out aggressive actions in Hannah that we have never seen in her before. She does a lot of blocking, preventing Hudson from touching things or from getting attention because she wants more. It's all normal sibling stuff, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
