I know that most of my posts have been about our precious Christian lately, so tonight I dedicate this post to my other three loves - AJ, Abby, and Adam. My down time, time before and after the kids are in bed, and a lot of the time in-between, is definitely filled with conversations and thoughts about bringing Christian home. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, just imagine how fond my heart is for our little man. Our lives have also had many moments of fun and laughter these days. With all the years struggling with infertility in our lives - whether trying to get pregnant, losing our babies, waiting in-between, medical needs, etc - there is such an inner peace and happiness knowing that every day brings us that much closer to having our family complete and just enjoying life as we will soon know it.
Adam's birthday was today. He has completely amazed me through this whole process. My Adam, if you know him, is a great guy. He works so hard and is so good at what he does. His business has done very well and he is still co-owner of a small tile business with his father. This is no easy task and unfortunately he has a lot of weight on his shoulders to keep his employees busy yet not overworked, companies satisfied, and to provide quality work at a good price while still making a profit. No easy task at all and I am amazed every day with his dedication to his work. Adam has really felt the financial strain of our adoption. Keep in mind, when we started our adoption process we were still paying off our last rounds of infertility treatment. He has given so much really to meet my needs of wanting just one more child. God has placed this desire on my heart to have another child and to adopt this child, and at the same time He placed a desire in Adam's heart to help make this happen. Adam got up this morning, on his birthday, just like any other. The alarm went off around 5:30 and he got up and was taking calls by 6. He worked all day, even a little late, but made sure to be home in time to join our family for a picnic night for AJ's class. He spent the evening playing ball with his kids and visiting with parents, and is enjoying a little snip of time on his motorcycle right now while the kids and I are in our beds. Adam is one of the most selfless people that I know. He loves the Lord and he loves his family.
AJ has grown so much this year I can barely believe he was once my little baby in my arms. He is reading chapter books now (short ones), is a whiz in school, is liked by his peers, has a great sense of humor, and loves cuddles - even if sometimes he pretends he doesn't. AJ initiates a hug with me in the hallway every chance he can get, and I can just feel sparks of love tingle through in those brief moments. AJ has a love for the Lord more so than just about any 7-year-old that I know. He talks openly about God with his friends, shares that he will pray for people - and does, and has such compassion when we talk about his little brother and what his life might be like. He is constantly sharing thoughts on things he would like to teach his little brother. I know I have shared this before, but it was his idea to name our son Christian. He was beyond excited when he learned that Christian will be able to learn about God and to become a believer when he might have never had that opportunity in China. He suggested the name Christian when he discovered that, and immediately we all fell in love with the name - even before we were matched with our son. AJ will share very openly that he does not like his sister if you ask, but honestly, he loves her. They play for hours together just about every night, they sit on the couch snuggled under a blanket and watch movies and share popcorn from a bowl together, and he loves to explain things to her. They also enjoy sharing potty humor together every chance they get. Their favorite most recent trick is to say, "Hey mom, look under there" and to try to get me to say, "Under where?" One will "trick" me into this response and immediately the other will try to get me again. I fall for it every time - how can I not when I see them laugh and smile together in their shared mischief? This Saturday AJ begins t-ball. Adam is one of his coaches and he has a great arm (leftie). I so enjoy watching these two together during t-ball season!
Abby has her dance recital next weekend. She looks so grown up and beautiful in her little tutu and tulle. She loves to dance and sing. She has such a great personality. I always wish at moments like this, when I am reflecting on her cuteness and how much the kids have grown, that I took more pictures or video clips of these two. I just want to capture every second and every minute so I can always remember these feelings and images. But, life is busy, and honestly they hate to have their pictures taken. Abby graduated from preschool today. I have been asked by people about whether or not we considered holding her back since her birthday is in the middle of June, but my answer is a solid no. She is so beyond ready for kindergarten. I give AJ a lot of credit for this. She loves to read and write. She can spell many words and she can read about the same. Her fine motor skills are great and she loves to learn and ask questions. We are blessed that both AJ and Abby are both very bright and absorb information like little sponges. Beyond that, they truly enjoy learning and have great confidence in their abilities. She also is a little social butterfly. Sometimes she acts like a teenager with sass and spunk, but I wouldn't have her any other way. I love thinking about what our kids are going to be like in the future. Right now Abby says she wants to be a gymnastics teacher when she grows up. Abby loves to play with our neighbors and to be outdoors. She is so affectionate and loving. She loves playing with babies and making people laugh. I swear that girl can contort her face into 100 different emotions with the snap of a finger just to get a laugh.
I look forward to adding a paragraph one day about what Christian is like and what he aspires to be. To be continued... :)
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