Halloween Pictures

 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 was ment to be shared.

                                                "author unknown"

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN

10/10/10

Lincoln’s Letter to his Son’s Teacher

He will have to learn, I know,

that all men are not just,

all men are not true.

But teach him also that

for every scoundrel there is a hero;

that for every selfish Politician,

there is a dedicated leader…

Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,

Steer him away from envy,

if you can,

teach him the secret of

quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that

the bullies are the easiest to lick…

Teach him, if you can,

the wonder of books…

But also give him quiet time

to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,

bees in the sun,

and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him

it is far honourable to fail

than to cheat…

Teach him to have faith

in his own ideas,

even if everyone tells him

they are wrong…

Teach him to be gentle

with gentle people,

and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son

the strength not to follow the crowd

when everyone is getting on the band wagon…

Teach him to listen to all men…

but teach him also to filter

all he hears on a screen of truth,

and take only the good

that comes through.

Teach him if you can,

how to laugh when he is sad…

Teach him there is no shame in tears,

Teach him to scoff at cynics

and to beware of too much sweetness…

Teach him to sell his brawn

and brain to the highest bidders

but never to put a price-tag

on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears

to a howling mob

and to stand and fight

if he thinks he’s right.

Treat him gently,

but do not cuddle him,

because only the test

of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage

to be impatient…

let him have the patience to be brave.

Teach him always

to have sublime faith in himself,

because then he will have

sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,

but see what you can do…

He is such a fine little fellow,

my son!

~ Abraham Lincoln

one, two, THREE!!!

Alexis turned three last week  and with that a lot of changes. No more ET, ST,  Pull-ups, surgeries, zippy cups, bibs, high chair, wipes, etc.etc. done, done. I'm done..  Hello! boots, jeans,hats, purses, "I'll do it", "I'll get it", "my turn", 'I want..."
Her vocabulary has grown immensely. From "dog", "cat", and 'cow'; to "Alexis calculator", "Alexis underwear", "Alexis bicycle" '" etc. oh yeah, everything belongs to her around the house. The girl can't stop talking! when we reached the 250 words mark, we stopped counting. She  reached  the number of words expected for a child her age but she qualified for PK with a language based program which is part of the Exceptional Students Education (ESE).
This Speech\ Language program is for students who either have difficulty pronouncing letters or using  grammar and language correctly.  Fortunately the program is in the school that she is supposed to go by zone so we are happy that she will stay in the same school for Kindergarten. She started the day she turned three and so far so good. The best part of the day at school for Alexis is making the line for lunch. No surprise there. And now she is taking the bus to school and she is loving it.
We celebrated her birthday and enjoyed a sunny day by the pool. With kids all under three years old, we didn't have too much time to take pictures. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Just Pictures

First haircut

Alexis

2 years 10mo.

39lb!

Las Olas Riverfront - Fort Lauderdale

Surgery #3

 Alexis had her third surgery

 and within a day she was pretty

 much herself again. 

 It was a nose revision

and some laser. I will post more

 about it later.

Before surgery 4:45am

At home trying to move around

 with the arms restraints

Acetaminophen with Codeine... yeah baby!

Everybody is happy that the no-no's are out during the day.

She wears them to bed and in the carseat

God is good.

Look who I saw last week

 The male alligators produce a loud, low rumbling noise that is often mistaken for thunder. This roar or "bellow" can be heard up to 1 mile away. Females also make a bellowing noise, but it is softer and does not carry as far. This roar is used to establish territory and to call females for breeding. Young alligators make a chirping noise to alert others, as well as the mother, of approaching danger. They will also make a loud hissing noise by expelling air through their mouth as an aggressive gesture.
{turn music off to hear the video).

pretty cool huh?

See You Later, Alligator.

Hope everybody had a Happy 4th.  We opted to stay home, had a BBQ and a small fireworks show in the backyard. Alexis loved the sparkles.

365 Days With You

June 29th. 2010

One year ago today we hold you for the first time.

Lets Remember

June 29th.. 2009

It's been an incredibly beautiful journey. We love you John Francis and Alexis Nicole more than our words, actions, or lives could ever reflect. You are incredible gifts from God to us. May our lives together be a journey filled with grace, joy, and happiness.