Summer vacation has arrived here at the Minot Household and things are going good so far. It is a little crazy and having three children home in a condo 24 hours a day makes things interesting but I have to admit that not having to get everyone up and out the door make life a little easier and a little less stressful for this mom of a threesome. The noise level has dramatically increased since Grace and Cody’s school days ended and I am sure that the sweet couple who live below us are growing weary of hearing the pounding of Cody’s basketball bouncing in the playroom and sometimes the lively games of chase get incredibly loud but fortunately we have a few morning camps set up for Cody and my sister, Chrystal and her family just moved to a beautiful home on a small lake with fish and turtles which provides a lot of outside entertainment for all of our children if we can manage to get them off the GameCube.
The months prior to the ending of school found our calendars full of activities and events. There were lots of school parties and other functions. Cody ended a great season of Upward Basketball where we were amazed at how well he had grasped the concept of team effort. He ended the school year having grown and matured in many ways which brought so much happiness to me and Mike in that it further confirmed our decision to allow him to remain another year in the 4th grade another year. He said goodbye to a wonderful teacher and is looking forward to a relaxed summer of a few morning camps, having fun with his cousin, Camden and not having to wake up early. As he says, he is now in "double digits" having celebrated his 10th birthday last week. I truly cannot believe that our #1 son is 10 years old. Grace also ending her first year of pre-school with a heart full of love which was poured into her by a wonderful teacher. We were so amazed at how our little princess has grown up during this year and how wise and witty she had become. She enjoyed lots of fun activities to end the year and is also looking forward to being at home for the summer. She will be starting ballet and gymnastics this summer and will also be taking swimming lessons. After almost 3 months of having Emily with us, Grace continues to struggle with her position of being the "middle child". I thank all of you who have consistently lifted her up in prayer and ask for your continued prayers as well as prayers for Mike and I as we strive to give her exactly what she needs.
With busy schedules and living a life on the go, Emily continued to blossom like a spring flower. We had a grand celebration of her 2nd birthday where we enjoyed celebrating the day of her birth. At first she seemed to be confused by the whole concept of the cake, candles and all of the attention devoted to her and my heart ached that she had never experienced a celebration of the fact that she was born. After a week of singing happy birthday she was ready for her big party and she seemed to fully comprehend the celebration and soaked it all up. On the day of her party she seemed secure and confident and enjoyed all the aspects of the party including letting other people hold her for the first time. I think our family members loved the fact that she had finally seemed to connect with them in such a way that she was happy to have them hold her. Since my last update we have gone through 3 sets of casting on her feet and legs and just yesterday were told by the orthopedic surgeon that she did not need any more casting on her left foot. After almost a month and a half of having these large heavy casts on her legs it was so wonderful to feel those little legs again. I told her all evening what a beautiful foot she had and it is truly beautiful. It is almost straight and will further straighten with her wearing her foot braces. The un-casted foot is quite stiff right now and she will not bear any weight on the leg therefore I am certain that physical therapy is in our future just to help her learn to walk but as we were told, the prognosis is excellent. She didn’t seem to mind the casts at all and learned how to get around quite well with her scooting. She even mastered the art of standing with the casts on. We are truly amazed at her tenaciousness and her sense of determination. We know that these all are traits that she developed early in her life as a survival mechanism and pray that the Lord will continue to grow those traits within her so that she might accomplish great things for Him using these wonderful characteristics. Her language skills continue to explode by the day. She is speaking in sentences and although we are probably the only ones who can understand her she is quickly developing speech that is clearer and we are confident that her understanding of English is equal to that of a toddler born here in the US. Her expressions are uniquely Emily with lots of facial expressions which keep us laughing. She has cute little wink that she does when she eats something that is sour or has a unique flavor that makes me smile each time she does it She is incredibly loving and is quick to give and receive kisses and hugs and frequently says "I wuv youuuuu!" She now is eager to allow other family members the joy of holding her and we were surprised last weekend with the fact that we think she would have left our condo with my mom and dad. She walked out to the elevator in my dad’s arms waving goodbye.
In addition of Emily’s birthday celebration we treated her to her first Colorado experience about 2 weeks ago. She was a great traveler although I think that there was a bit of anxiousness within her as she recalled our time in China and was wondering if at some point during our trip she would be given to someone else. This was further confirmed as we arrived home to our van and she was absolutely giddy with excitement to be back in "her" van and then her excitement exploded when she awoke the next morning in her familiar bed and home. Our Colorado experience although refreshing was somewhat shocking in that for the first time we experienced disapproving looks and comments directed toward Emily’s presence with us. We thought that some of the disapproval might have been associated with the fact that her legs were in casts thus creating the appearance that her legs were broken and possibly the negativity was mere condemnation that we as her parents would have allowed something like that to happen. On the other hand I know that some of the disapproval was simply the fact that many people do not appreciate or celebrate the "saving" of an orphaned child from another country. Needless to say the experience made me appreciative of the fact that we live here in Florida where there is a greater acceptance of other races and cultures.
I have often heard other adoptive families speak of how it seems like their adoptive children have always been with them and I truly sense that feeling now with Emily. Even though it has only been a short 3 months I feel like she has been with us much longer. Her bonds to our family have been so naturally and it truly feels as though she has been with us forever. I am often questioned by people who do not have adopted children about how I can feel as though they are mine if I didn’t give birth to them and just as I cannot fully grasp what it is like to be pregnant and give birth to a child I know that the incredible bond to an adoptive child can only be fully comprehended by having personally experienced it. I know that each of our children were created especially for me and Mike and I continue to grow in my thankfulness that I was given the opportunity to experience this miracle 4 times. As with Cody, Connor and Grace our bond with Emily was instantaneous and continues to become deeper with each passing day. It certainly doesn’t mean that life is a fairy tale and filled with "Leave it to Beaver" moments. The reality of life is certainly very difficult many days. Emily is often very clingy and needy. There are needs within her which are the result of having lived almost 2 year of her life without knowing the love of a mommy and daddy. At times these longings demand a constant filling which with 2 other children, a husband, and the countless other things that fill my life create weariness, frustration and stress. There are moments when I deeply desire a quite moment of peace. Gone are the days when time allowed for there to be perfectly applied makeup and not a hair out of place, gourmet like dinners every night of the week and an orderly house but fortunately, I have a husband who adores me whether I look like I stepped out of a magazine or I am still in my pj’s at 5:00 in the afternoon, a sister who listens with such compassion to all of my "venting", a group of online friends who support and love me each day and a small group of precious friends who fill my spiritual cup and saturate our lives with much friendship and love.. I have come to appreciate this season of life which will pass all too quickly and that there will be a day when all the noise will be gone, the house will stay clean and I will have more peaceful moments than I know what to do with. So amidst the chaos of our days in which I am lucky to get a shower I try to bask in the joys of motherhood and the blessings of the gift of my beautiful children all created especially for me.
I hope all is well with each of you and that you all are preparing for a wonderful summer. Many of you will be vacationing and we pray that your times away from your daily routines will be refreshing and safe. We will be making our yearly trek to Callaway Gardens during the 4th of July and then to the Smoky Mountains at the end of July, both of which we are looking forward to sharing with Emily. Before I close this update, I would like to express a very special prayer request on behalf of two of our close friends, Roy and Tammy Powell. Roy and Tammy have been in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl, Angelina who is currently living in a Russian orphanage. As many of you know the foreign adoption process can take a long time and The Powell’s adoption of Angelina has been no different. There have been many delays and Roy and Tammy are hoping to be traveling soon to bring her home. Mike and I have grown to love Angelina and share this great desire for her to be home with her mommy and daddy. We are praying that as The Powell’s prepare to bring Angelina home that God will fill them with continued patience, that the adoption proceedings in Russia will go smoothly with no difficulties or problems, that Angelina will be protected and continue to experience good health and that the Lord will fill her with the knowledge of the great love that her mommy and daddy have for her. Knowing how powerful prayer of faithful people can accomplish great things I along with Roy and Tammy would greatly appreciate your prayers for them as they enter the final leg of their journey to their beautiful daughter.
Again, thanks for checking in with us and please let us know how you are doing. You can leave us a note in the guest book or send us an email at Nicholeminot@aol.com. We would LOVE to hear from you!
Have a great summer!
