2 Down and 1 To Go!

This is the way we found Levi on Saturday after his afternoon nap. He does wake up with some of the craziest hairdos sometimes but this one was the best yet!

It was a crazy last week of school last week and so I didn't have time to post anything but pictures. I just finished my last day with students today(HOORAY!) and should be working on report cards so that I don't have to think about doing those tomorrow when I have to focus on doing several other things, like cleaning and storing everything in my classroom. It is such a pain!! But I thought that if I didn't post something now, I wouldn't have the energy to do it later.

On Tuesday, my father-in-law came over to help put together the wagon we received as a shower gift from his family. Levi is so curious and wanted to be right there in the midst of the assembly. I think if I would have let him, he would have gotten in and "helped" grandpa out.

Wednesday of last week was the second of our post placement visits. Because the social worker that normally works with us is on maternity leave, her supervisor did this visit. It went well. Levi was full of energy and was showing off all of the many things he has been learning to do lately. We still had the wagon in the house and he pushed it all over the place, including around and around in circles in the livingroom. Now we only have one more visit and we are finished with visits. Then, we can go about readopting here so that we can get a birth certificate in English and a passport all with his English name on it. That will be very useful as I went to open a savings account for him and couldn't do so because I didn't have a social security number for him.

I am so excited that summer break is upon us. We have great plans for the summer! We are planning to visit family in Wisconsin and Michigan as we usually try to do. But this summer we are also going to try to connect with some people in Wisconsin that we met on a missions trip a few years back. They live in Marshfield. I am very excited that we are going to travel to Oklahoma to meet the Dillon staff and Natasha, Adam, Avi Joy and Nehemiah. Nehemiah was one of Levi's crib mates in Can Tho and I can't wait to finally get to meet them face to face. I'm sure it will be the highlight of our summer!! We're also going to take in a few other sights along the way there. After I finish up with school, it will be time to kick into high gear for the summer reading program at our local public library. This will be the third year I have coordinated this program and I really enjoy it. This year is going to be the best summer yet!! I'll have to take some pictures of the Children's department once I get it decorated. The theme is "Take a Read on the Wild Side!"

If you think of it, please pray for Rachel on Wednesday as she will be having a small cyst removed from her back. I know she is a little nervous about it.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Wordless Wednesday

Allergies, Wagons, Talking and Pizza

It was tough going back to school today after the long weekend. I know many people didn't feel like being there, and I'm not talking the kids. We have three more days this week and then 1 day with students next week and I can't wait to be on summer vacation!! We are planning on making some trips to visit famly and friends this smmer. I also hope to do a boatload of scrapbookng!! I am so far behind!!

My father-in-law was over today to help put the wagon together. Levi was very anxious to play in it before it was together. I think he would have liked to get in there and help grandpa.

He is back to a really runny nose after having been outside quite a bit this past weekend. I am about convinced that he has allergies as the stuff coming out of his nose is clear and he is not running a temp. It could also be that he is cutting more teeth as he has been drooling a lot and wants to put his fingers and hands in his mouth all the time.

After school I stopped at my in-laws to drop off a small bowl of theirs. Grandpa went upstairs to get the Cheerios and when he came downstairs, Levi brought the bowl over to grandpa to put some Cheerios in. How funny that he knew that was what the bowl was for!

I stopped at Pizza Hut to pick up personal pans for Rachel and I because she had 2 free ones coming with coupons from the orthodontist. While there I ran into our babysitter. She was telling me that Levi definitely knows who I am. She was looking at the little photo book that Jessica bought us. When he looked at the pictures of me he said, "mama". She said he also defiinitely knows how to say "uh oh" and "ucky".

Rachel is selling Little Caesar's Pizza, Cookie dough and pie kits to help raise money for camp this summer. If you are interested, you can view the products at www.pizzakits.com. Then, just let me know if you would like to order. We appreciate any help we can get.

Family Gathering

Yesterday we were able to get together with my father-in-laws faily for a baby shower/family gathering so that everyone could meet Levi. It was a nice day so we were able to be outside for most of the time enjoying aunt Judy and uncle Skip's beautiful backyard. They have two ponds as well as many other beautifully landscaped perennial garden beds. I think I need to have them come to my house to help out. They even have fish in the pond that Levi liked looking at. My only fear was that he would want to jump in because he loves the water. Although my sister-in-law and her family and my brother-in-law and son were not able to be there, two of the other cousins who live in the area were there with their children and we enjoyed seeing how they have all grown and changed.






Levi had his first experience opening gifts. Rachel helped him a little and I think he liked the bags, boxes and papers better than the gifts inside. Who needs expensive toys? He got 2 new outfits, a wagon, a gift card to Wal-Mart and some money to start an education fund. I can't wait to get the wagon assembled. It has 4 drink holders, seats with backs and safety straps. After church we had stopped at my friend Aimee's house, who also happens to be my neighbor. Her 3 year old son has a wagon and several cars. He was playing in the car and got mad when he slipped out and Rachel didn't put him back inside. She put him in the wagon and he loved riding in it. I'm thinking he might like the wagon more than the stroller.


What party would be complete without a cake? Levi loved the cake and a little ice cream to go with it. We were careful not to give him the frosting yet. This was the second day in a row he had cake as he had some at one of the graduation parties we went to on Saturday. He got mad when his piece of cake was gone!! One piece was not enough for this boy!

Enough

Levi walking and being silly from Tracy Senior on Vimeo.

Here is the video of Levi walking and being silly. Tonight we were at the chiropractor's office and he was able to walk all the way across the exam room without falling.

I received an email from a friend that included the following. I thought it was worth sharing. It's something I think that I could wish for everyone I know.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and
everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys
in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final
goodbye.

Updates

I finally picked out a plant to put in my new perennial garden in honor of Levi's birthmother. It is a weigela. It will be beautiful! I think that when he gets old enough, I will have him help me pick out the plant or tree and then plant it together.

Levi keeps growing and changing every day. It is amazing to me the new things he is able to do or say with each day that passes. This weekend he blew a kiss to his grandparents and then to me this morning as I left to go to school. Last night he looked down from his high chair and saw the dog sitting next to him and said "doggy". It wasn't as clear as you and I might say it but you could definitely tell it was doggy and not just "gy" as he had been saying. He is gaining more confidence in his walking as well. Tonight he was so cute! He would walk some and then when he would fall down, he would roll onto his back. We took a video of it because it was too funny. Rachel and I laughed and laughed. I'll try to post it tomorrow.

Speaking of Rachel, last week was Senior Pride week at the high school so there were dress up days each day. I have included pictures below. I think she really likes dressing up and she does a good job trying to stick to the theme. I'm glad that she is dressing up and tryin to make the most of her high school years. They pass so quickly. I hope that she will look back on these years with hapy memories.


Last weekend when I was mowing I came across a bird's nest in our yard. Over the course of the last week, 3 of the 5 babies have emerged from their eggs. We are enjoying watching over them. Here are some pictures of them.

11 Months Old

Today Levi is 11 months old - just one month away from being a year old already. Where did the time go? In many ways it feels like he has been home with us forever and in some ways it feels like he just got home.

He has been fighting a cold again or maybe its allergies, I'm not sure. Anyways, when I got him out of the car after getting Rachel from work last night, his nose was rather yucky. I said to him, "ucky nose" and he said back to me "ucky". Then this morning he repeated me again! What a crazy kid!! He is also working on blowing kisses. Last night when we went to the grocery store, I could hear him making the sounds for it but not getting the hand going. I'm sure it won't be long and he'll have it, though. He is a fast learner, that's for sure.

Last week we bought him a pair of sunglasses. I keep trying to get a picture of him with them on but because he is not too good about keeping them on, I still don't have a picture of him in them. Maybe I'll get one to post this weekend!

A Letter to Levi's Birthmom

Today in the United States we celebrated Mother's Day. It is a day set aside to honor mothers and grandmothers and those who are like mothers to us. This was the first year that I got to celebrate being Levi's mom. All day, though, my thoughts were drawn to you. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it was for you to make the decision to allow your son to be adopted, especially knowing that he might be adopted from someone outside of Vietnam. My heart aches for you! But I want you to know that you have given me a wonderful gift this Mother's Day for he is an absolute joy! I love his smile that lights up a room and brightens my day when I pick him up after work. His giggle makes us giggle. His big brown eyes and long lashes melt my heart and have caused many people to "ooh" and "aah" over him. He is very curious and a fast learner I think. He catches on to many things that we show him on the first or second time. He started crawling the day we arrived home and soon after took his first steps. It won't be long and he will be all over the place walking. He is strong and healthy. I want you to know that I will not ever let him forget Vietnam or you, his birthmother. In your honor, we will be planting a tree or perennial each year on Mother's Day so that when he looks at them he will remember you and your sacrificial gift! And one day I hope to return with him to Vietnam so he will know the beautiful country where he was born and the gracious and kind people who live there.

A Day of Remembering

Today is the seven year anniversary of my husband's death. It is truly amazing for me to sit back and think that seven years have passed since that fateful night when my worst fears were realized. But as I think back this day, I do it not with as much sorrow as in years past. I am still sad for Brent for the years that he has missed watching his daughter grow into the beautiful person that she is. I am sad that he never had the opportunity to go through the adoption process and raise this amazing son of mine (which should have been "our" son). I am sad that I will not get to grow old with the man that I fell in love with in college. That was not the man who died 7 years ago today. That man died years earlier, I am sad to say. This year, however, I am reminded of God's faithfulness to me in the midst of life's trials. I am thankful that in the first year following his death, God provided me the strength and courage to continue to go forward with finishing my Masters and raising my daughter to the best of my ability. There were certainly times that I wanted to crawl in bed and stay there and let the world go on without me. I am thankful that in those times, God brought special friends and famly members into my life to give me the strength and encouragement I needed to walk on. I am thankful that Brent's family allowed me to continue living in the family farmhouse rent free until Grandma passed away and God told me it was time to move on. I am thankful that they have continued to treat us as family as much as if Brent were still living. I am thankful for the new house that we have and the great neighbors who have become good friends as well. I am thankful for my wonderful children! How can I even begin to describe how wonderful they are?! If you have never met them in person, you can't truly know what I am talking about. Let's just say that I have truly been blessed by the Lord!! So today, although there is sadness in my heart, there is also hope for what the future still holds in store for me. I know that God has many things yet planned for me and walking through the past seven years has only prepared me to minister to people that I never would have been able to if I had not gone through this valley.

The flowers that you see in the picture at the beginning of this post are from my chldren for Mother's Day. They were delivered to the school at lunch today. Rachel knows how much I like to be surprised with a flower delivery at work so she had my mother-in-law take care of getting them picked out and ready to be delivered. Although Rachel didn't realize until after the fact that today was the anniversary (only that it was coming up soon), I can't tell her enough how much it made my day. I told her this evening that I have actually received more flower deliveries at school since her dad died than when he was living. Sending flowrs was not his way of showing his love.

At the funeral, Psalm 27 was read. The following verses come from this beautiful chapter of the Bible. They are verses 4 and 5.

One thing I as of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in teh shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Levi news:
Today the babysitter told me she could have sworn he said "kitty" because they have a cat. After I left her house, I went to my friend's house who has two cats. Upon seeing the one cat, Levi said "kitty". Both of us heard him say it not once but twice. I'm waiting for him to say "doggy" next as he sees one at the babysitter's house and at our house. He also took 8 steps on his own tonight. He was able to walk a few steps, stop and stand, and then take a couple more. I think that if the toys wouldn't have gotten in his way, he would have taken more steps.

Rachel news:
Yesterday we were at the dermotologist for a recheck on her acne and how the topical medicine he prescribed was working. We also had him look at a lump on her back that we suspected was a cist. We were correct. She will be having it removed on June 3rd in the office with local anesthetic. He said that if it had been a little bit smaller, he would have done it yesterday but because of the size he wanted to make sure he got it all.

I am now off to read a little and head to bed as I am exhausted from a full week back at school. I am so thankful I only have to do 2 more full weeks, a 4 day week and a 2 day week before I am finished for the summer!

Dutch Days and Back to School

It seems that lately I have become a little less frequent in my blogging. Here I am again with almost a week between posts. So, now to catch up on what has been happening with us. For some time now, whenever Levi does something new we will clap our hands and say, "Yeh, Levi!" Well, on Wednesday of last week he started saying it after me. You can definitely tell he is saying "yeh" but the Levi you have to listen a little more closely to understand. It is the cutest thing!! He also looked right at me and said, "ma ma" several times Wednesday and Thursday. This was an amazing thing because earlier when I thought he was saying mama, he was actually saying he was hungry in Vietnamese. This time, though he was looking right at me.

All of the tests we had run at the doctor's office were normal. Praise God!! I am also happy to say that this time he did not run a fever. But we both did come down wtih colds - me more than Levi - and just in time to go back to school.

This weekend Levi got to experience his first Dutch Days festival. It is a festival that is held in our town each year on the first weekend in May. It is a time when our town celebrates its Dutch heritage, complete with klompen dancers, street scrubbing before the parade, an authentic Dutch dinner, and demonstrations on making wooden shoes and other Dutch arts. About 9 years ago, I believe, our town put in an authentic Dutch windmill along the dike that holds back the Mississippi River. They actually have millers who grind several different kinds of flours. They were trained by millers from the Netherlands. I remember when they were putting the top of the windmill on the base, our whole elementary school went down to watch it happen. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of Levi watching the parade. He was fascinated by the tractors most of all. Maybe next year I'll get him in a Dutch costume. Imagine that! My little Vietnamese Dutch boy!!







Today I had to go back to school. I am so thankful that I have a babysitter that lives just around the corner. It is so convenient. I am thankful that he did not cry when I left. I know for sure that I would have cried too! Rachel kept reminding me that it is only for 20 days with kids! This morning he only slept for 20 minutes. In the afternoon he did sleep 1-1/2 hours. When we got to the house, we got a big smile and then he didn't want me to let him down. That sure made me feel good! I did take a picture of him with his babysitter but I couldn't get it to upload. I'll try again another day. Hopefully it won't be a full week between posts this time.