My tough guys!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Just some recent photos
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The times they are a changing!
Ahhhh the Honeymoon seems to have ended and adjustment time is here. We are having some rough weeks lately but there are still plenty of good times mixed into the roughness. I have realized I dont like playing referee and just chucked Tommy and Luke in their bedroom yesterday and today for times to just figure it out for themselves (whatever that intailed... mom didnt open the door, it sounded ugly for awhile but they emerged yesterday as best buds... (they were told they couldnt come out until the figured out how to get along if that took an hour, a day, a week, a month or a year! mom didnt care just dont come out until you can make some peace...) they emerged from the room 3 hours later and were best inseperable buds again. No, I am not fooled and know that the tough times are just hitting but it seemed to work for the day. I used the same tactic today as I couldnt take the fighting over everything (and yes Myra this next line is for you..) even over the oxygen they were breathing.. I swear one gets more oxygen then the other..
We also have a pretty big case of the "MINE"'s going on.. Odd that I truly expected that when Luke first arrived and not now a few months later, but it is here either way. Luke has laid claim to just about every item one can claim in a house and outside the house and is fighting tooth and nail for these items.. only problem is that 98% of what he is claiming isnt his.. We are working on it and know this will go away but it is odd that he has been fine since we arrived home and this surfaces now ( it is also the cause for 90% of the fighting that is going on too)
Lukes signing has taken a turn for the worst and we are frustrated beyond belief. We feel part of it is the program where he goes (there is nothing wrong with the program for it is a good program) it is just that most if, not all of the kids there use their voice along with signing and have hearing aides and or cochlear implants and therefore are more oral then Luke and it is having an impact on Lukes signing. Plus he decided at home this week he is hearing.. sorta making it interesting around the house as he doesnt make any words ...just sounds when he speaks. (plus making his Deaf dad nuts). He has developed or picked up some crazy lazy signing habits here and there and we are working hard to correct them.... but it is making this momma want to rip out her hair. Stuff he signed beautiful when he came home is now replaced with some baby sloppy I dont know what sign....we are working on fixing things but he is continuing to use the wrong or baby sign of what he should be signing..... working on it.. working on it.....
I am soon to enter into a full on battle with my school district over Lukes education for next year. They are wanting to mainstream Luke in the schools 4th-6th grade Resource room (this is initially what I thought we wanted to do... but have since drastically changed our minds) with a teacher of the Deaf for 2 hours a day. Luke would be the only Deaf child there. ( I had originally said that if we kept Luke in my home district it would be with a full time teacher of the Deaf and a full time interpreter, so 2 hours a day teacher of the Deaf and the rest with an interpreter is not making me happy). Plus I decided that he MUST be with Deaf peers and be immeresed in the Deaf language of ASL at school as well as at home. We are pushing for the Delaware school for the Deaf (about 35-40 min away) but it is out of state and we are not getting a good response from that. I was told on Friday that them providing Luke with a 2 hour a day one on one teacher is them providing the Least Restrictive Environment and I should be happy with it as there are no other choices. Placing Luke with all hearing children in a 4th-6th grade school with his social, emotional and language immaturities (oftening showing at way younger then is soon to be 5 year old sister) is the MOST restrtictive environment at this moment in time... I told them I wont sign an IEP that places him in my home district and that we will file for Due Process... problem is I have no evaluations on Luke yet and that is going to make this fight very hard. ( I have been begging for our specialized CST for Deaf and hard of hearing to evaluate him but my district has drug their feet so bad and would not contact them until just this last week even though I have been asking for that since the beginning of February)
Enough of the negative stuff!!!!
I am getting ready for Summer and praying we get to head to the beach alot, Luke cannot wait to "go play in the mud" hahah. He is excited and cant wait to get in our pool. We are gonna get some good work in teaching him to swim. I am excited for the summer and all the firsts we are going to have.
This is a busy week for us as Paige turns 5 at 9:09 tomorrow morning hahah. She is so excited she cant wait! Next Sunday Aaron turns 19.. Wow where have all those years gone? It seems crazy. My babies are getting old.. there momma is too!
Yesterday Luke met his first police officer as he stopped next door to talk to my neighbor ( my neighbor is an Police explorer and this was one of the officers he works with) and I am so glad he was such a nice officer and that he stayed and took his time to let Luke ask him a ton of questions and even took him for a short ride with lights and sirens. Luke loved it, he checked out all of his "officer tools" too. Luke is finally now not horrified of police officers. Since the day we met Luke he freaks out every time he sees a police officer and I hate that he is afraid of those that live to protect us. I am grateful for Officer Adam for taking his time to ease the fears of a little boy!! Thank you!
Dont take this post the wrong way, we are having plenty of good times it is just that the tides have shifted within the last 2 weeks and our bed of roses has grown a few weeds hahah. I am 100% confident we will be able to pull the weeds and life will gain some sense of normallcy (I must tell you I am laughing as I type that word as my house is always far from normal hahah) at least we will develop a new normal around here anyway. Summer is a coming and there is MUCH fun to be had!!! Bring on the summer and the good times!
My goofy boy Tommy in his favorite "hiding" spot Gotta love his humor
Tommy signing "where is Paige?" hahah
Paige found Luke!
Luke likes to do his patrol, I mean turn for hide and seek on his bike hahah
My goofy trio... (Luke should be the hear no evil one. but remember.. he is "hearing" this week) heheh
Paige hiding (no this isnt really how my kids hide, it is just them being goofy!)
Luke taking a ride in the officers car! ( he thought he was SOOO cool!)
Lights and sirens too!
Luke wanted to know why there was no K-9 dog in there and if the officer wanted to take our dog, Chase with him for work,but was told that in no way could he keep Lukes best bud, Chase!!!
Luke and his new favorite friend! (here is hoping he doesnt dial 9-1-1 this week as he was fascinated with that being written on the cop car)
Tommy and Luke after they were tossed in their room to hash out their differences..
What a difference 3 hours makes
Yea they are strange....
But they are my strange boys and I love them!
This was them all crashed out.. they were having a "sleep over" pretty funny since they share a room!
We also have a pretty big case of the "MINE"'s going on.. Odd that I truly expected that when Luke first arrived and not now a few months later, but it is here either way. Luke has laid claim to just about every item one can claim in a house and outside the house and is fighting tooth and nail for these items.. only problem is that 98% of what he is claiming isnt his.. We are working on it and know this will go away but it is odd that he has been fine since we arrived home and this surfaces now ( it is also the cause for 90% of the fighting that is going on too)
Lukes signing has taken a turn for the worst and we are frustrated beyond belief. We feel part of it is the program where he goes (there is nothing wrong with the program for it is a good program) it is just that most if, not all of the kids there use their voice along with signing and have hearing aides and or cochlear implants and therefore are more oral then Luke and it is having an impact on Lukes signing. Plus he decided at home this week he is hearing.. sorta making it interesting around the house as he doesnt make any words ...just sounds when he speaks. (plus making his Deaf dad nuts). He has developed or picked up some crazy lazy signing habits here and there and we are working hard to correct them.... but it is making this momma want to rip out her hair. Stuff he signed beautiful when he came home is now replaced with some baby sloppy I dont know what sign....we are working on fixing things but he is continuing to use the wrong or baby sign of what he should be signing..... working on it.. working on it.....
I am soon to enter into a full on battle with my school district over Lukes education for next year. They are wanting to mainstream Luke in the schools 4th-6th grade Resource room (this is initially what I thought we wanted to do... but have since drastically changed our minds) with a teacher of the Deaf for 2 hours a day. Luke would be the only Deaf child there. ( I had originally said that if we kept Luke in my home district it would be with a full time teacher of the Deaf and a full time interpreter, so 2 hours a day teacher of the Deaf and the rest with an interpreter is not making me happy). Plus I decided that he MUST be with Deaf peers and be immeresed in the Deaf language of ASL at school as well as at home. We are pushing for the Delaware school for the Deaf (about 35-40 min away) but it is out of state and we are not getting a good response from that. I was told on Friday that them providing Luke with a 2 hour a day one on one teacher is them providing the Least Restrictive Environment and I should be happy with it as there are no other choices. Placing Luke with all hearing children in a 4th-6th grade school with his social, emotional and language immaturities (oftening showing at way younger then is soon to be 5 year old sister) is the MOST restrtictive environment at this moment in time... I told them I wont sign an IEP that places him in my home district and that we will file for Due Process... problem is I have no evaluations on Luke yet and that is going to make this fight very hard. ( I have been begging for our specialized CST for Deaf and hard of hearing to evaluate him but my district has drug their feet so bad and would not contact them until just this last week even though I have been asking for that since the beginning of February)
Enough of the negative stuff!!!!
I am getting ready for Summer and praying we get to head to the beach alot, Luke cannot wait to "go play in the mud" hahah. He is excited and cant wait to get in our pool. We are gonna get some good work in teaching him to swim. I am excited for the summer and all the firsts we are going to have.
This is a busy week for us as Paige turns 5 at 9:09 tomorrow morning hahah. She is so excited she cant wait! Next Sunday Aaron turns 19.. Wow where have all those years gone? It seems crazy. My babies are getting old.. there momma is too!
Yesterday Luke met his first police officer as he stopped next door to talk to my neighbor ( my neighbor is an Police explorer and this was one of the officers he works with) and I am so glad he was such a nice officer and that he stayed and took his time to let Luke ask him a ton of questions and even took him for a short ride with lights and sirens. Luke loved it, he checked out all of his "officer tools" too. Luke is finally now not horrified of police officers. Since the day we met Luke he freaks out every time he sees a police officer and I hate that he is afraid of those that live to protect us. I am grateful for Officer Adam for taking his time to ease the fears of a little boy!! Thank you!
Dont take this post the wrong way, we are having plenty of good times it is just that the tides have shifted within the last 2 weeks and our bed of roses has grown a few weeds hahah. I am 100% confident we will be able to pull the weeds and life will gain some sense of normallcy (I must tell you I am laughing as I type that word as my house is always far from normal hahah) at least we will develop a new normal around here anyway. Summer is a coming and there is MUCH fun to be had!!! Bring on the summer and the good times!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mothers day
Mothers day was an amazing day for me. I had all 4 of my babies home with me, (Aaron is now home from college until fall). It was nice to have everyone together. I have to say that Luke was more excited about Mothers day then I was hahah. He kept telling me that he had a surprise for me (for a few days) and he couldnt tell me but that it was for his "special mother". He would get so excited when he would talk about Mothers day that it made me well up with tears. It is so strange for me to think that this little boy, who for 10 years has had no mother to hug and hold him, tell him everything will be ok and just be there for him, is excited to celebrate this day with me (his new mommy of just 3 and half months). When we first met Luke he didnt really want me near him or to touch him.. OHHHH what a difference a few months makes! This might sound like I am bragging and I guess in a way I am, but I dont really mean it as bragging... just that this is NOT what I expected in this short time, Luke and I are inseperable and he is such a Momma's Boy! The radiating smile I get every morning when he wakes and comes in my room to see me and give me such a HUGE hug is delightful. The amazing joy I feel everytime Luke jumps on my hips wrapping both his legs around me and puts his head on my shoulder and just hums to himself with joy is undescribable for me! (mind you he is 80 lbs now.. 64 lbs when we met him).... I love the way he looks into my eyes when he comes up for a hug or wants a kiss or wants me to just wrap my arms around him or have him sit on my lap. Luke is the biggest cuddle bug ever! Which for this momma is a dream come true, as I am too! My 18 year old has never been a huge cuddle bug, my 9 year old is semi a cuddle bug even though he used to be a big one (he is getting to be a BIG Boy now hahah) and my 4 year old daughter is still my snuggle princess, but it is amazing to have Luke so attached and to see how he looks at his momma, I am SO PROUD that the Lord our God picked me to be his Mom that I cant imagine what I have done to deserve this honor!
When I think of all the years that my little man never had a momma to make amazing cards and drawings for (trust me they are amazing) it breaks my heart, I wonder if he even wonders who gave birth to him...... I sure do. I wonder what they were thinking when they laid this precious little boy on the steps outside the orphanage at 8 months old hoping someone would find him and take him in. I wonder if they ever think of this little boy that they gave up ( in my mind I believe she does). I wonder if they realized he would still be in that orphanage 10 years later after that day they laid him on the steps..............
I personally am grateful to our BIG BIG GOD for making the BIG decision to have Luke be my son and to have Luke have Tom be his father, have Aaron, Tommy and Paige be his brothers and sister! Only God could have placed Luke in our family and have known that he was the perfect fit for my crazy gang! Only God would know that a 10 year old Deaf child that had no language oe education for the first 10 years of his life would need a very specific family in order to thrive and do well! Thank you Lord for watching over my precious son for 10 years and delivering him to me this Jan 17, 2011 and making him officially my son!
I am so happy to say Lukes first time to celebrate the love of a Mother was a huge success! I was given my amazing card and letter from Luke and it was with such Love and Joy that he presented them to me! My Tommy wrote me a card that had me crying like a baby, my Paigey gave me some beautfiul seeds that she planted in a pot she made and decorated with Love, Aaron went out and bought me flowers all on his own (that has never happend and this momma was very happy about that!). The kids Aunt Kimmy and Aunt Jenn drove up from Florida and spent the day with us (Lukes first time meeting his Aunts!) and my mom and dad came to spend time with us as well. It was a gorgeous day and I loved being with my family. The winds have blown my family members all over the USA recently and spending time together as a family has become a rare and cherished event, our whole family wasnt together but I am grateful for those of us that could gather! Thank you Lord for bringing us together on this day. Thank you for an amazing Mothers day! To my Luke, I am Proud to be your momma and promise to Love you endlessly, Welcome to the family Luke Xinhai Worrell!!!!!!!
Luke meets his Aunt Kimmy for the 1st time!
Luke and his bestest pal, Chase (who knew he would love this 135 lb King German Shepard!)
Aunt Jenn (holding Lexi), Aaron, Aunt Kimmy, Tommy, Me, Luke, Paige, Tom, Poppy, Nanny
Paige and her 3D sidewalk chalk glasses (way cool!.. but not cool when Luke wore them to ride his bike :/ )
My beautiful princess, Paige
My beautiful Mothers Day booklet from Luke!
My Mothers Day card (the cover)
The inside of my card (made me cry and I look darn good in his drawing!)
Tommy and Luke (goofballs!)
They were playing in the sprinklers and it was Lukes first time and he LOVED it!
It turned into an all out sprinkler war hahah!
Luke telling you how much "FUN" the sprinkler war was!
When I think of all the years that my little man never had a momma to make amazing cards and drawings for (trust me they are amazing) it breaks my heart, I wonder if he even wonders who gave birth to him...... I sure do. I wonder what they were thinking when they laid this precious little boy on the steps outside the orphanage at 8 months old hoping someone would find him and take him in. I wonder if they ever think of this little boy that they gave up ( in my mind I believe she does). I wonder if they realized he would still be in that orphanage 10 years later after that day they laid him on the steps..............
I personally am grateful to our BIG BIG GOD for making the BIG decision to have Luke be my son and to have Luke have Tom be his father, have Aaron, Tommy and Paige be his brothers and sister! Only God could have placed Luke in our family and have known that he was the perfect fit for my crazy gang! Only God would know that a 10 year old Deaf child that had no language oe education for the first 10 years of his life would need a very specific family in order to thrive and do well! Thank you Lord for watching over my precious son for 10 years and delivering him to me this Jan 17, 2011 and making him officially my son!
I am so happy to say Lukes first time to celebrate the love of a Mother was a huge success! I was given my amazing card and letter from Luke and it was with such Love and Joy that he presented them to me! My Tommy wrote me a card that had me crying like a baby, my Paigey gave me some beautfiul seeds that she planted in a pot she made and decorated with Love, Aaron went out and bought me flowers all on his own (that has never happend and this momma was very happy about that!). The kids Aunt Kimmy and Aunt Jenn drove up from Florida and spent the day with us (Lukes first time meeting his Aunts!) and my mom and dad came to spend time with us as well. It was a gorgeous day and I loved being with my family. The winds have blown my family members all over the USA recently and spending time together as a family has become a rare and cherished event, our whole family wasnt together but I am grateful for those of us that could gather! Thank you Lord for bringing us together on this day. Thank you for an amazing Mothers day! To my Luke, I am Proud to be your momma and promise to Love you endlessly, Welcome to the family Luke Xinhai Worrell!!!!!!!
My beautiful children!!!
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Our little boy!
Opening up my care package from my family!
Curious what he is thinking!
Checking out my Family for the 1st time ever! (this pic is of my new Brothers and Sister!)
His first reaction after seeing us
This is my Forever Family!
Some goodies from the care package
Some of my new books
This picture makes me cry every time I see it!
My 1st picture of my mommy and daddy! They say I love to look at my pictures again and again!
Studying our faces....
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Checking out my new family again!
Look at that face!
Checking out my new books
Aaron's Graduation
We are so Proud!
Xin Hai
Isnt he the cutest ever?
Aaron's Senior Prom
My handsome Son, Aaron
Aarons prom
Paige, Aaron and Tommy
My Family
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The Worrell Family
Our Precious one
Xin Hai in 2008 - so precious! Love that smile!
adoption countdown
