The Dancing Continues

Some hula hoop and another dance party happened at the DeNeal's today : ) These kids are non-stop!!

We also have an unspoken competition happening between Nathaniel and Annaliese to see who can lose the next tooth. Annaliese got a turn today : )

Meeting the DeNeal's

We had more visitors today!

Nathaniel Gojam met Aunt Sarah, Bode and Keeley in the morning. Uncle Brian was not able to make it this time, but we look forward to them meeting in April. 

After lunch, he met Grandpa Dan and Grandma Gloria : )

So thankful for the gift of family : )

Never a Dull Moment

There was a Blues Brothers sighting at our house tonight : )

No music, but these 2 were makin' their own and dancin' up a storm. I can't believe how well they get along and how much alike they are!!

Visiting School

Annaliese enjoyed a special treat today when Nathaniel and I brought her Chinese for lunch (one of her favorites). It was nice to get to see her during the day and nice to let him have a first exposure to school. He was able to eat lunch in the cafeteria and then enjoy recess with her class outside. 

The other children were very kind to him. They included him, without hesitation, in the play. One little boy, in fact, offered him a hand of assistance when he was trying to climb up one of the ladders. I noticed shortly after that he turned around and did the same for another little boy. How precious to see!

While there, he was also able to meet Ms. Jenkins, who has a special place in the heart of our family. She was Annaliese's kindergarten teacher and will be tutoring Nathaniel this summer. 
Before leaving, we peeked in a few classrooms and in the library. He was impressed with what he saw and rigorously shook his head "yes" when I asked him if he wanted to come to school : )

He will be screened next week. We'll see what their recommendations are at that time, but we hope to have him begin soon so that he can have some exposure to the routine of school before the chaos of summer begins!!

"Old Fashioned" Hot Wheels

Forget the turbo charged feature that requires C batteries, this is Hot Wheels like I remember my older brother having. He and his friends used to spend hours racing and trading with each other. What fun to now enjoy with our own son : )

Another Tooth Lost

Someone lost another tooth tonight! We may have not been there when he got them, but we'll be here when he loses them : )

Our Little Girl is Growing Up

Wow - what a change!

October 2012

March 2015

So proud of the smart, creative, independent, compassionate little girl that Annaliese is becoming.

During the past several days, it has been impossible to not realize how far she has come since first joining our family in October of 2012. Watching her brother undergo his transition reminds us of the challenges she had and has since overcome. We still have our occasional glitches, of course, but she has grown so much - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - since the time that first picture was taken. What a joy to be a part of her life : )

Especially thankful for the people and events that God placed in our path during her adoption process that made her being in our family a possibility. 

Two More Firsts

Two more firsts for Nathaniel Gojam today - going to visit the doctor and snow!

We truly appreciate the staff at the International Adoption Clinic in Chicago and the work they do with our children. We are so fortunate to live so close to such a great team of medical staff!!

Snow? - seriously - in March? We thought he would not see this until next winter!! I will say though, he and Annaliese's reaction made it more tolerable : )

After his appointment, we ate at our regular Chinese buffet. We only eat out when necessary at this stage, but when we do, we love buffets since we don't know what to order him off of a menu right now! He finished with ice cream and promptly said, "America...yummy!!