Monday, April 27, 2009

Levi's First Trip to Grandma's and Grandpa's House and Baylor University!
















This weekend we visited the grandparents! (Natania's parents) Levi had never been to their house, but he had met them when he first came home from China. While there, Levi got to meet his Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Chip and six of his cousins--Timothy, Ben, Luke, Anna, Lydia, and Seth. Levi had the best time playing with his cousins. He played "peek-a-boo" with Timothy's Texas A&M hat and was cuddled and loved on by Anna and Lydia. They took such great care of him. It was nice to have "babysitters" while Mommy and Daddy visited with the adults. :)

The kids rode the toy John Deere Gator, bikes, plasma cars and ran around in G'ma and G'pa's big yard. We thought Levi would enjoy driving the gator, but he was scared and would only sit in the seat and honk the horn without the car moving. My mom reminded me that Theo was scared to ride in the big real Gator with G'Pa when he was younger. I bet Levi will be driving the little Gator in no time. :)

The kids also chased G'Ma's two cats--Boots and Miss Kitty. Before we left, Levi was able to pet Boots. The cat laid down on the grass and let Levi rub his tummy. It was so sweet. :)

Levi had no problem sleeping in a new house and new bed or meeting new family members. He just thorougly enjoyed the attention he recieved from everyone. He truly fit right in with our family. He even ate Mexican food--our family favorite! The family is amazed at how quickly he has picked up the language in just the 2 months we've been home. We even attended G'Pa and G'Ma's church, and Levi sat through the service like a little angel. He's such an amazing little guy!:)

Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Chip and the cousins brought adorable gifts for Levi, Theo, and Ruthie. Each child received an Aggie baseball cap. Levi looked especially cute in his! He looks good in maroon. Rich (teasingly) was not too sure about this Aggie stuff since we are both Baylor alumni. He was a trooper though, and let the kids proudly wear their new hats. Ha! :) On our way home, we HAD to stop at Baylor to introduce (encourage, indoctrinate??? ha!) Levi to the bears and all that is BAYLOR! Sic 'em Bears!! Levi really liked peaking into the bear cages and seeing the sleeping bear and running up and down the river banks and over the bridge and playing in the fountains. It was a fun experience for all. Plus, it was a good stopping point for 3 wiggly children on the 3.5 hour trip back to Dallas.

It was a fantastic weekend and a very special occasion to welcome Levi to the family. We are so thankful for our family and for their love for and acceptance of Levi. Uncle Chip even prayed a prayer of dedication for his new little nephew, which meant so much to us. Levi was exceedingly happy being surrounded by such a loving and caring group of people. We know he will grow to know and walk with the Lord because he has so many people praying and setting a good example for him.

Great memories were made for all of us....especially for little Levi. He is seeing himself in more and more family pictures which pleases him so much! :)
Welcome to the BIG family, Little Guy!
We love you so much!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Wiggly Worms!









This week, we have been studying earthworms. The kids have enjoyed digging them up from the backyard. We even made a wormery in a 2-liter bottle with sand, soil and worms. The children are enjoying watching the worms wiggle their way into the soil and mix up the layers. When collecting the worms, Theo and Ruthie had no trouble diving right in and picking them up. Levi, however wanted nothing to do with the worms. He enjoyed watching them wiggle in the bucket but did not want to touch them. (I have to say that I am not fond of touching them either!) Levi kept saying, "Levi ladybug". He likes to hold ladybugs but not those slimy worms!

Today for fun, we did "Worm Art". We cooked spaghetti noodles and dyed them brown using food coloring. Theo, Ruthie, and Levi used tweezers to pick up the "worms" and arrange them on their paper plate to make an interesting picture. It was a good activity for fine motor skills. Plus we had fun! Boy, did those brown noodles look like worms. I think I'm going to have a hard time eating spaghetti now. ha!

For afternoon snack, we used Oreo cookies and chocolate pudding to make dirt/soil in a cup. The kids added gummy worms to their soil and ate them up! Levi loves chocolate but he didn't like this. I think it was because of the gummy worms inside. He ate some but not all of it. Theo gobbled his up, and Ruthie ate most of hers before her tummy got too full. :)

Back to more worm observations and activities....

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Fun 2009

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He is Risen! Levi's First Easter Celebration







We had an amazing Easter weekend with Theo, Ruthie, and Levi. Theo and Ruthie had been explaining to Levi all week about searching for Easter eggs. Ruthie even cut out paper eggs and hid them around the house for a "practice run". ha! So, when Sunday morning came, Levi did not miss a beat. He collected as many eggs as his brother and sister. They had the best time searching for eggs and digging into their baskets. Theo was concerned that the Easter bunny had not come and that maybe his Mommy and Daddy had "filled in" for the EB since we had a stormy night. ha! He was fine either way--just as long as there were eggs to find. I don't think they even really care as much about the candy inside--it is just the thrill of the hunt! :)

After our traditional Easter breakfast of hot cross buns, boiled eggs, and sausage, we headed out to church. Theo attended a special service for K-6 grade where he was presented with the Easter story using "resurrection eggs". He got to come home with his very own special egg filled with tiny reminders of what Jesus did for us. Levi and Ruthie attended big church with Mommy and Daddy. They were so well behaved! Ruthie opened her Bible when the preacher asked us to. She asked me to help her find the Easter story in her Bible. It was precious. She also sang her little heart out! Then, they quietly colored and listened as best they could to the sermon. When we entered the church, the children got to put freshly cut flowers onto the cross. They enjoyed being part of this special tradition at our church. The cross looked beautiful with all of those brightly colored flowers. It was a nice contrast to the gloomy rainy weather outside! But...I have to say that later in the afternoon the sun came out to create a gorgeous Easter Sunday! God is good! He gave us the gloomy weather in the morning to remind us of Jesus' death on the cross (Good Friday) and then the sun later in the day to remind us of His resurrection! It made for a special and memorable Easter!

After church, we came home and ate a light snack while we all worked together as a family to prepare our Easter meal. We had fresh green beans which all of the children helped to snap. They really enjoyed this. Then, they made the resurrection rolls. We take a large marshmallow--which we say is Jesus wrapped in burial clothes--we dip the marshmallow in butter and then cinnamon and sugar. We tell the children this is how the women prepared Jesus' body for burial--with oils and spices. Then, we put "Jesus" (the marshmallow) in the tomb--(a Pillsbury crescent roll) and sealed the tomb. When these bake, the marshmallow melts and a hole is formed inside the roll--we then say, He is risen! The tomb is empty! The children really enjoyed making these as well as eating them! Although, Levi does not really like bread. He sure ate the green beans, though! ha! It was a precious time just being together and celebrating Jesus' love for us.

I looked over at Rich during our Easter meal and commented that I just couldn't believe Levi was really here with us celebrating Easter and learning about Jesus. Sometimes it still doesn't seem real. He is such a delightful and sweet child. We are so blessed!! Easter was even more special this year just because of Levi's presence.

On Saturday, the children dyed Easter eggs. Levi was quite the pro, which makes us wonder if he had done this before. :) There is a foster home in China that updates their website regularly and includes pictures of their children. They had their kids dye goose eggs so they would be easier to decorate and color for preschool hands. We don't know if they dyed eggs because it is something they do in China nowadays or if it is because this foster home is run by an American woman. My point is....maybe Levi has done this before--we aren't sure????? Maybe when he has fully learned English, he will be able to tell us. Another mystery yet to be solved.... :) Whatever his past experience, all 3 children enjoyed making their eggs coloring and sparkly. Daddy enjoyed it too! ha!

Levi is continuing to blossom. While there are some frustrating moments raising a 6-year old and two 4-year olds, our house is now filled with the sweet sounds of three precious children. My days are busier, but my life is also so much richer and even more fun. It is wonderful to see the three of them playing, celebrating, learning, and loving, and sharing together. Each day brings new and exciting possibilities and experiences! It is an ongoing adventure that Rich and I are priviledge to be a part of!!

We hope you had a blessed Easter and that you and your family celebrate Easter EVERYDAY of the year, remembering God's amazing love for us.