Our Third Year Home

It is hard to believe that we have been a family for three entire years! This year, I'm just posting the oldest pics that I have of Zack and Sophia and then a slide show of pics from this past year. We continue to be blessed beyond measure.

Zack has grown a bit this year. He is now 47" tall and weighs 50 lbs. He continues to do very well in school and even made The Principal's List this past quarter. He still loves to skateboard and has taken an extreme liking to building things. He loves Legos, Lincoln Logs and anything else he can use to build things. And, beyond that, he follows the instructions and sticks with it until he has built every model that is shown on the box. Perhaps he'll become an architect or an engineer.

It is hard to believe that he is already 8 years old! He even got his own cell phone for his birthday and is thrilled! Zack is a happy and healthy kid who loves to live life to its fullest. If you didn't know he was adopted from Russia, you'd have no idea he had any different beginnings than any of the kids around him. He really is a sweet compassionate kid! At school not long ago, his teacher asked if any of the kids knew a different language. He raised his hand and said, "I know 8 words in Russian". His teacher said, "Oh, can you teach us"? Zack retorted, "I can tell teach you 6 of them". "The other two are inappropriate". LOL!!!!!

He has a couple of areas in which he'll be stretched this year - following verbal instructions and sharing his feelings. Usually, his brain is going a mile a minute pondering the minutia of life so he isn't fully listening and gets stumped as to what he was to do once he reaches his destination. As far as sharing his feelings, this is more of an item that I need to work on. I tend to be quite the task master when it comes to school, chores, and responsibilities. I need to slow down and really ask him how he's feeling and how certain situations impact him. I really want him to be able to communicate on an emotional level. I know his wife and kids will, no doubt, want to hear what is going on in his head and heart one day.

Sophia has also done quite a bit of growing. She is also 47" tall and weighs 40lbs. She was most disappointed that she did not grow to 48" before we moved from California because she missed out on going on California Screamin'! She in in kinder this year and according to her teacher she is the most well behaved student in her class. She also said that Sophia is a great communicator and isn't afraid to share what is on her mind.

Sophia is a super high energy child who loves to be moving. This can be seen on the soccer field. She has had 3 games and has scored 11 goals. She just has the drive to get things done. She is also very competitive and has her head in the game. She enjoys tactile activities such as playing with moon sand, digging in the dirt, and coloring. She loves to chase boys and especially loves catching them.

This year we'll seek to stretch Sophia in the areas of patience and reading. She tends to be moving so fast that she expects everyone else to move at the same pace including servers at restaurants and her mom in the kitchen. She is always three steps ahead and needs to learn to relax a bit and be courteous to those who move at a pace slower than hers. As to reading, she is very unsure of herself and for some reason, feels like she can't read well even though she knows all of the sounds she hesitates and shows "low self esteem" in this one area. We're hoping grandma can jump in on this one and make it fun for her.

I have been so very blessed to get to be a part of Zack and Sophia's lives! I mean it is hard work to be a parent, but the joys far outweigh the sorrows. If I had it to do all over, I'd do it all over just like we did it! :) I have never had the desire to carry and birth a child. And, I'll tell you that these two were born of my very heart and soul. I could not love them more!!!! I have those same pangs of hurt when my kid isn't succeeding at school or when I overhear a kid call one of them a name. I have tears when I see theirs. I hope for them; dream for them; pray for them. It truly is like wearing my heart on the outside of my body.

I pray that I can be the mom they need, and that we can be the family that they deserve. Everyone, in my humble opinion, deserves to have someone who truly LOVES them beyond measure with a selfless love; a love that will pave the way for them; a love that will create a path that resembles real life with all of its ups and downs and offer a safety net as they learn to traverse this course.

Zack and Sophia, I love you!

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