3 Days and Swimming

Today was Noami's 3rd day of survival swim lessons (ISR). She has already learned that the side of the pool is her friend and safe place. She has learned to close her mouth and keep her eyes open under water and today she even swam a short distance by herself. I continue to be amazed at this teaching technique. After just 3 days to have my almost 2 year old swimming by herself is amazing. It is worth all the crying and not wanting to get in the pool.

An Evening With Daddy

A few nights ago I went shopping by myself while Greg took care of the kids. He always does a good job of engaging them in fun activities. While I was gone the Greg got out the finger paint and let the kids have fun with their hands.

First Pictures with my New Camera

I bought a new digital camera last week and it arrived on Friday. Unfortunately for me the memory card didn't arrive until today. It has been torture all weekend not being able to try it out. I bought a canon rebel xs. It is a digital SLR and is way faster than my point and shoot.
Here are some of the first pictures I took with it. Naomi doesn't look very good since she has been running a 102.5 degree fever for the last 3 days and is still not feeling very good. Josiah on the other hand was in a strange "posing" mood today.

Registered, Scheduled and Ready to Swim

For the last few years we have had Josiah in survival swimming through Infant Swim Resources. It has been very beneficial to him. He has learned how to swim and float in such a way that if he ever fell into a body of water he could rescue himself. Since we spend time at the water all summer, either just swimming or kayaking we thought this type of rescue swimming would be really good. After 2 springs of lessons he is a really good swimmer. this year it is Naomi's turn. I am a little more apprehensive with her since she is younger than Josiah was when he started, but I still think it is going to be money well spent. Check out this post about infant survival swimming and the stats on infant drowning in the US.

Where is Naomi?

When Naomi is outside playing and she gets very quiet for a time, the place to look for her is in the mulch pile of course. Pretending to be asleep. Silly girl.!

Four Years Ago Today

Just last week we celebrated Naomi's home coming. Four years ago today we brought Josiah home. I remember it like it was yesterday. With Josiah it was different than with Naomi. We were first time parents, scared and knew nothing about taking care of a child, let alone a 7 1/2 month old that already had routines.

We arrived at the adoption agency in Korea on our way to the airport to return to the States. We had a brief meeting with our social worker, got all the paperwork we needed to clear customs and immigration and then sat and waited for Josiah's Foster Mother to bring him in. She sent word that he was asleep and she needed just a few more minutes with him before she could say goodbye. Josiah was her 3rd foster child and the only one whose parents she met before he had to leave. She brought him in, she gave us so many gift, she gave us his favorite toys, bottles and clothes even though she did not have to. She loved this little boy with a love that I cannot even put into words. Her and his foster Dad handed him to us and they sobbed so hard that we all were in tears including Josiah. We said our final goodbye's and got into a taxi for the the airport.

Josiah pretty much screamed, kicked and scratched me for the entire hour drive to the airport (no car seats in Korea, so I was holding him). By the time we reached the airport I think he was exhausted and just could not cry any more. He stayed calm until we got on the plane and then cried again for a couple hours. He finally fell asleep and we were all exhausted.

We arrived home late at night to find welcome home signs and meals for several days at our house. Our friends took good care of us those first few weeks.

As you can imagine, life has changed a ton since that day and then again not so much. The tantrums and crying still come in full force when they come, but Josiah has learned so much and grown so much in 4 years. Josiah has very good language skills. He talks like he is 7 instead of 4 and keeps us guessing as to what questions he will ask next. He is curious about everything and has a desire to learn as much as he can. He loves to read, which thrills me so much. I think reading is so important for developing a well rounded child. Greg and he are reading Charlotte's Web right now, and this book has finally challenged his reading skills. He has a very sensitive side. He has a fear of anything new and doesn't like change too much. He loves his sister and comforts her when she is sad. He is strong willed and will definitely be a leader someday. Josiah will be starting kindergarten in the Fall and is going to be going to the Montessori school. I am excited to see how he will do. I can't believe my baby is growing up. The Lord has blessed us with two wonderful children.

Is Spring Here to Stay?

Today was such a beautiful day. I can only hope the warm weather is here to stay. We got out early this morning and went to the YMCA. I took a spinning class while the kids played in the adventure center. When we got home, Josiah and Naomi played outside all morning. When Josiah came home from school we played outside for a couple more hours, had dinner and then went to DQ for ice-cream. When we got home we played some more. I am so ready for the summer.