Photos of the Journey!

A year in review...with photos! I hate that I can't show their precious faces. We have so many awesome photos, but these will have to do for confidentiality purposes! Just a little fun photo scrapbook of a crazy year.

The first day these 2 little guys came to our home. November 17...my birthday :)

My nephew. K-man's instant best friend.

Painting pumpkins. I still remember these early days so vividly and laugh at them now. I had no earthly idea what to do with a 3-year-old...

That is a huge bowl of broccoli. Snack of choice on this day. The Lord blessed us with one good eater out of two :)

The zoo. Love these pictures of K-man and I, just getting to know one another...bonding as we watch a momma gorilla lovingly care for her little one.

And another fun zoo shot. This was a sweet day among many difficult ones in the beginning.

K-man...quite the builder and loves puzzles.

Would not stand still after a late-night visit from our agency workers caroling and delivering fun gifts.

A really sweet opportunity to join my uncle-in-law and ring the Salvation Army Bell. Teaching K-man to be generous, and he blew us away with his selflessness at the age of 3.

Family Christmas celebration with my husband's family, and we had some special visitors!

One of my personal favorite Christmas gifts last year. He loved this sooo much!

Gifts, gifts, gifts! This boy is so loved.

Baking...a favorite together activity for us :)

 K-man LOVES trains. Good thing my parents, Bebe and Doc, live nestled among countless railroad tracks! Makes for some very exciting visits.

 A guitar for Christmas just like my husband's. A really fun gift to give.

 Football on Christmas day with the family.

MLK Jr. Day at the Children's Museum. We made a fun craft and enjoyed a great day, until the worst melt-down ever as we tried to leave. Yikes!

 Easter! A fun day spent at a park with my husband's family. This was a real milestone when we really felt like we were starting to feel like family and were able to enjoy time with our extended family without feeling the need to hover over K-man and watch his every move like a hawk. This was a great day. 5 months after they came. It's probably taken close to the full year to really feel like a family.

The tricycle. Quite a task getting him to pedal forward instead of backwards. Now, he's all over the place on his big boy bike. Man, where does the time go??

 FUN!!! This makes me miss summer so bad! Such sweet times.

******************2 months at home******************

A dear friend met us at the park after he came back to our house. Sweet to see this friend love my boys so dearly.

The big boy bike for his birthday. Seriously...when did he get so big??

"Helping" the plumber who came to fix the kitchen sink.

Fun on the driveway! It is so wonderful to be able to let them loose to play together!

K-man was asked to draw a picture of his family. I adore this picture. Even Layla made an appearance!

B-boy putting the baseball bat into the basketball goal...a common occurence.

 Railway museum...another wonderful day. It was a good day, because it was nestled right in the middle of the really awful month we had after they returned to our home in June. I was so thankful to have my parents with us that weekend to help us endure and give out new mercies to these kids when we really didn't feel like it sometimes.

 Doc splurged and got K-man a ticket in the engine with the conductor. Let's be honest, the train hardly moved at all, but K-man was THRILLED!

 B-boy has already begun nurturing his own infatuation with cars, much to my husband's delight. Such a bundle of joy, this one :)

Yes, that is K-man driving a forklift. This evening is not an overly fond memory due to K-man's horrendous behavior, but the fork-lift ride, however undeserved, was really fun. Thinking back on this evening really makes me stand in awe at how far he has come. Wow, God has been so gracious.

 4th of July...an old fashioned water balloon toss.

 I got traded in for a new partner.

 First time to put his toes in the ocean!!! Now this week was AMAZING! I can't even tell you the blessing this was amidst very trying days. The memories made were invaluable in helping us to come through some of those attachment issues the second time around. Plus, my parents were with us! We really had the best time.

 K-man did a lot of digging. We kept him busy digging for treasure often and got a lot of one-on-one conversation while he worked.

 This supposedly said his name...not even close, but creative nonetheless.

 Apple Picking on the farm...among other things! K-man milked Buttercup, the cow. Still talks about this.

 Caption: "Please don't squeeze too hard, please don't squeeze to hard, please don't squeeze too hard..."

 I want a goat...bad. B-boy agrees. Husband does not...

 The super cape!!! For the Super Friend!! Couldn't have been more thankful to God on this day.

 Pumpkin carving...another fun first! No one is more shocked than me that K-man actually put his hand in there. It didn't last long...

 Best buds...looking at the fish in the pond at the pumpkin patch. Fish...another new love for K-man and B-boy. They both adore fish lately. It all started when Doc took K-man fishing at the pier this summer. Wow...what a day for K-man! We still talk about it often :)

 Poppy and B-boy with our neice. These three have a lot of fun :)

 Chilling with Uncle Bump. So sweet how they are very much a part of the family these days.