Life Is Good

Keane learning English with Rosetta Stone

Hope doing school with the chickenpox

Gracie loves to read

Goofy boys

Happy birthday Curran

I love to see Keane laughing

Now that we have been back from China for two months,we are settled into a routine and things are really going great.  Keane fits into our family perfectly, God has truly been gracious to us. Keane is  diligent with all his school work, and one of his favorite things is  READING.  I really can't believe it, but he picks up his book every day and will read and read.  He has read 10 books since he has been home and the first few weeks he wanted nothing to do with reading or books.  All the books are in Mandarin and he loves the stories.   He is now happy to help around the house and is learning that we don't sleep much around here. He has his schoolwork for each day, and will work until it's done without complaining. He is starting to really enjoy guitar lessons and has started NCFCA a speech and debate club.  He got up in front of the class yesterday and read his speech. It was great to see all the kids giving him high 5's and encouraging him. He is also playing soccer and even though he had never played,he is pretty athletic and seems to be enjoying it.  I think he likes being busy and I am still amazed that the orphanage director said he was introverted.  She obviously didn't know him.  He has been copying passages from the Bible in Mandarin and English and we are praying Keane will see more and more of Christ and put his trust fully in Him.  It is great to see Keane come find Dad before bed and ask for prayer   We just found out he lived with a foster Grandma way out in the country until he was almost 9, then he came back to the orphanage for open heart surgery and to start school.   He said it was very poor area, but the grandma was kind to him. I can't wait until his English gets better and we can hear all these stories in detail.   I am so grateful to the people in Keane's life who taught him to love.  He really has such a wonderful spirit, I love this boy.

Liam is funny,full of energy and loves to climb on everything.  He was with the Half The Sky program in China, and he is not delayed at all. He loves to play with the girls and they had the poor kid dressed in a tutu with wings yesterday.  We may need to go back to China for a little brother!! The next few weeks we have doctor appointments. We had Liam's spinal cord ultrasound this week, and what a huge praise to God that everything is normal, and he does not have an opening in his spine.  Liam goes to the urologist and heart doctor in a few weeks, and we are praying for good reports.  Keane will also have his heart ultrasound done.  His repair was quite extensive and we want to make sure it has healed well and no other surgeries will be needed.

Curran and Hadyn had their birthdays last week and I added a bunch of pictures.  I need to get some pictures of Keane on his new roller blades.  He went to the skating rink for the first time a few weeks ago and he loved it,so we got him a pair of roller blades and he has been practicing and falling a lot less.  It has been so fun to watch him do new things for the first time,swimming,skating,guitar,jumping on the trampoline.  I think about all the joy we would be missing out on had we not took a leap of faith and adopted Keane.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful son.

Liam

Please let me go swimming

Another cake

Happy 17th Birthday

Hadyn's birthday party with friends

Lots of boys!!!