Last night we decorated her chair with balloons and ribbon. We put a special plate, party hat, and a small gift at her place at the table. She came downstairs this morning well aware that today was her din-raj-dinya. Baba and Grandpa came over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Natalie was absolutely thrilled with the little stroller they gave her. At this point, pretty much all of the toys we have at the house are nasha egrushka or OUR toys. We were very anxious to see how the kids would handle a MY toy. As grandpa was assembling the stroller, Natalie continually reminded all of us that this was HER gift. In the end, it all turned out fine. Natalie played for a while, then gave Justin a turn with the stroller, and Justin gave Lexi a turn. No tears, no arguments... what happened to my children? Perhaps they remembered the treehouse I had recently taken from them because they were fighting over it... and the doll... and the blocks....
Here's a few pix from Natalie's special day. Stay tuned... Justin turns 5 on Saturday!!!
4 comments:
Happy Birthday, Lexi. I can't stop smiling - I'm sure I will be smiling all day. Love the pic with Baba, Grandpa and the kids. Smiles!
ITGFY. WEL,
Uncle Larry
Opps - Happy B-Day Natalie. I think you said Lexi's B-Day is soon. A senior moment.
Uncle Larry
Dear Chrystal and Scott,
Kacie gave me your blog address and I'm thrilled to see how you're doing. We met a few months ago at the adoption community group at Bart and Michelle's home.
Wow, what you have already weathered! Keep your chins up. I won't go into detail, but the home sample collections the doctors require for all of your medical tests are loads of joyous fun (not!) LOL. Somehow, you will muddle through and make jokes out of it with the kids. We thought that because we had adopted "older" munchkins, our duties with the potty were not required. Much to our shock, we were wrong. As you have already experienced with the juice episodes, and I'm sure on many other occasions, when the nannichkas say the child is potty trained, they are covering for something. That issue coupled with all of the samples the doctors require, well, the joys of parenthood must be in full swing for you at this point. LOLOL
My kids just got up and saw I was "chatting" with you and we had a good laugh together about the things we've shared in common with you and how far we've come. Please feel free to call or e-mail us to vent, question your sanity... We'll reassure you it's all worth it. You didn't get a "bad batch" it's just a rough patch, etc... We're here for you. You guys are welcome over here any time if you want to see the fun life you have to look forward to once you make it through this first year and a half or so. And, as you've already noticed, you'll have those bright shining moments during the dark times that will make it all worth it.
Hang in there. We're so thankful for your blog to stay posted on how to pray for your transitioning and blooming family.
Grace and peace be with you, over your home and may the the LORD continue to do a mighty work of healing and restoration for the munchkins. We pray for strong ties that cannot be broken between you and the kids, that your home and family would be a mighty fortress. May the joy of the Lord be your strength. We ask that He would continue to fortify you with sleep and nutrition as you teach the kids the same. May your marriage have roots deep and strong that will weather the storm and reach even deeper into rich soil for preservation and growth. May the Holy Spirit give you an extra measure of His fruit that your first instincts and reactions would be only from Him, for those times when there's just no time to stop and think. May you be filled with the wisdom of Solomon for each circumstance that arises that is new, for teaching and redirecting, for seeing that perfect opportunity to bond, to laugh, to say sorry, to open new channels, to recognize spiritual warfare and do battle. May your home be anointed with a holy peace that will afford you all a sanctuary, that you would walk through your doors and sigh relief. Lord, show Yourself mighty to save among these kids. Show us Your glory. You've brought them so far. Reveal to Scott and Chrystal the bent of each child, their divine purposes, their fears and hopes and dreams, their strengths and weakness, so that they may pray and teach and guide with holy wisdom and profound truth. Give them each unique and treasured ideas for parenting, ideas that are creative and get straight to the heart of the matter. Give them guidance for correcting the children's hearts as well as their behavior. Give them fun and exciting ideas for rewards for short and long term, things to suit each child.
And on that note, it is now an hour past my typing this because my girls came downstairs with an argument to resolve. And we're supposed to be at VBS in 10 minutes, yikes. Enjoy the younger kid issues that challenge you now. As they grow to teenagers, the potty and tantrum issues still exist, they just change form! ROFL!!!!
Much love,
Jennifer Hall
And why was there not a picture of papa with his hat on too??????
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