Oops...

It has been since April???  Wow...I'm sorry to anyone out there that follows this blog or cares about blogging, but a lot of things have been happening!!!

I have done my best to adjust being a work from home mom to a toddler full time.  I have to say that I didn't realize that it would be that much of an adjustment, but it just has.  There was a lot of transition all at once in life! Don't get me wrong, I don't regret any decisions that we have made for our family, but there was just a learning curve that lasted longer than I expected.  I consider myself a quick study, but there is nothing about adoption that is quick.  If I've learned anything over this journey it has been that fact!

I probably had my normal unrealistic expectations for myself and for how things would be to parent a toddler 24/7, maintain a home, carpool for 2 kids at 2 different buildings & run 2 companies from my home. I expected to come home and just be able to have all this time to do things at home, always be caught up on laundry, my house would be clean...you know...I'm such a realist! Obviously this hasn't been the case. Time management has been more challenging than it has ever been at any stage of my life, but hopefully I'm getting better at it as the days and weeks fly by.

MJ has done so incredible that I don't even know what else to say.  She speaks in sentences and amazes us at how much she has learned and retains. She is like a little sponge with a huge desire to learn more. She asks a lot of questions and is curious about everything and unbelievably observant. I can't say enough about how well she must have been cared for at the orphage in order for her to have had this smooth of a transition after being uprooted from everything that she knew in life.  We are truly grateful for Maoming SWI and Half the Sky organization who trains the nannies and helps run the orphanage.

Her language really took off when the boys were home for the summer and with her all day. She adores both of them and wants to be like them and do everything they do so I think this was motivation. I tried to keep them busy...remember that I've NEVER been home with ANY of my kids for the summer...much less THREE!!! I had a "freak out" moment weeks before school let out and my dear sweet hubby helped me get a list of things that we could do to keep them busy on a budget as well as maintain some type of normalcy with her nap schedule. Here are a few pictures from this summer:
Lots of time at the park...

 Time with orphanage buddy, Ayla at the park & some swimming...

 Ferrill time...MJ & Cricket love play dough!

Peach park fun!

Beach for the first time

 

There was a whole lot more, but those are a few.  Jackson started 5th grade this year (next year...middle school! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh) and Carson started 2nd.  They both love their teachers and are doing well in school so far. They both played football also which was a challenge to keep our little tomboy off the field!

 

Lots of firsts for this little girl and we celebrated her 3rd birthday, but her first one in America with her forever family! I'll post more pictures soon, but I wanted to at least say that I've done another post since she's been home! LOL. Roll Tide Roll, Go Pack Go and God bless you all!