Only 1 Mom!: Happy Birthday Annikah!

Jakob

Jakob is my first born, the one that made me a mommy for the very first time. He's 12 years old & is quiet and shy and likes to keep to himself. He loves all things military and can tell you more facts about military weapontry and past wars than you ever wanted to know!He's also a typical middle school boy with his love for PS3,Xbox 360 and spending his mother's money in Game Stop! He rolls his eyes every time I pull out my camera and the only reason you'll ever see him smiling on this blog is because he's learned that the quicker he smiles, the faster I will put the camera away!

Kullen

Kullen is 8 years old and is the newest member of our family. He was adopted from Bulgaria in March 2010. Kullen has Down syndrome, but despite spending the first 7 years of his life in an institution, he is developing very well. It's been an interesting journey with Kullen, as he's learned what it means to be a part of a family. We've struggled with attachment and behavior issues and it hasn't always been easy. But, we're seeing a lot of positive changes and continue to cling to the hope that there will come a day when the behaviors will all be a distant memory! Kullen started public school in August 2011 and is in an inclusive class with very limited pull-out services. We're looking forward to all the wonderful things that Kullen is going to learn this year!

Grifyn

Grifyn is 8 years old and was adopted from Serbia in April of 2008. He also has Down syndrome. He is ALL boy! He loves playing cops & robbers with his big brother, pretending to be a NASCAR pit crew member by changing car tires on all of his toys and will do anything in order to get to play outside.Some of his nicknames around our house include "our little comedian", "the politician" and "wild man". You should be able to figure out that he's constantly smiling, socializing and trying to interact with everyone he meets from those ;) This summer, Grifyn learned to swim and he's made tremendous progress in his independence. He went back to public school in August 2011 and is in an inclusion class with support.

Zoie

Zoie is 6 years old and is the baby of our crew....for now! She is fiesty and high maintenance and she'll gladly tell you that both of those things are 100% true. She's smart and funny and she talks at the level of a child much older, which often gets her in trouble! She likes doing anything that lets her be the boss and you better believe that with Zoie around, mom knows everything that everyone else is doing. She's going to be the one that gives me a head full of grey hair! Zoie is in first grade this year. She loves to draw and write letters. If you enjoy getting mail, Zoie is the person that you want to talk to. She's constantly sending letters out to grandparents and friends. Zoie is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her new sister....though she's not real sure at this point if she's actually going to "let sister be the baby of the family or not". She's still considering that she may want her new sister to be an "older sister" instead. We've just decided not to tell her that age determines that ;)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Happy Birthday Annikah!

Today, our baby girl turned 6 years old. It’s the first year that she’s had parents and siblings to celebrate her birth.
She has absolutely no idea what all the fuss was about.
But, I do.
Oh, how I love this little girl.
I am so very thankful for the privilege of being her mom. Though she’s only been home with us for 2 weeks, she’s already been such a blessing. She’s found her place in our family and I can’t imagine life without her.

My two 6 year olds. Zoie is SO excited to finally have a sibling that is the same age as her. At some point in the year, all the other kids are the same age as at least one of their siblings (except Jakob!). Zoie was VERY happy today to be able to say that now there are TWO 6 year olds in our family!
For the next 13 days (which is the next birthday), our kids are
12, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 6 & 6.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIKAH JOY!

10 comments:

RenaeDec 19, 2011 07:53 PM
She's precious Shelley! SO happy she's adjusting so well...you deserved the break;)!
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MollyDec 19, 2011 08:47 PM
Man, that JOY part of her name sure fits! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!
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AnonymousDec 19, 2011 08:55 PM
Happy birthday sweet girl!

Chrisitne over at Smiles and Trials
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IsaiahDec 19, 2011 10:18 PM
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! SHE IS BEAUTIFUL! YOU GOT IT RIGHT WHEN YOU GAVE HER THE NAME 'JOY'!
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Young Christian WomanDec 20, 2011 02:51 AM
Any plans to adopt a 12-year-old?
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AnonymousDec 20, 2011 06:42 AM
You need another 12 year old then! ;)

Karen
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Lisa LlewellynDec 20, 2011 07:56 AM
She's absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing...
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MelissaDec 20, 2011 09:45 AM
Happy Birthday Annikah!!
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ShannonDec 20, 2011 08:42 PM
Happy, Happy Birthday, little princess <3
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Mommy to those Special KsDec 28, 2011 01:32 PM
Happy Birthday, Annikah!! She is SO cute!! And her birthday is on our anniversary! I'll never forget it! :)
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