One Year with Nora...

I haven't posted anything since the end of the school year...I wanted some time to just enjoy the summer, my children and life without wake up calls and schedules...but today as I was putting Nora down for a nap and watching her drift off I realized that I need to write a post about our first year home with her...So many emotions, so many moments of joy, frustration, giggles, tears, and triumphs...difficult to capture in words.

We are adjusting every day, we are learning what it's like to be a family of six, to share, to brush off hurt feelings, to miss nights of tucking in and reading to my boys, to go to bed before my 14 year old because I am just so tired...to realize that it will be close to another 10 years before we have a weekend get a way!! Despite all of those challenges we have the amazing priviledge to be this childs mom and dad, I have learned so much from this past year...I have watched my children become wonderful big siblings, they have changed diapers, shared toys, entertained Nora for endless hours, played hide and seek and chase, delighted in her accomplishments, and shared in her many "firsts" with us. In all of the confusion of life they have been my constant, they have taught me what it means to keep going, to turn the cheek and wake up with a new attitude the following day. I thought I had prepared myself for the challenges of adoption but it is more complicated on somedays then I could ever explain...but they underdstand and I am thankful for those moments.

Nora is a busy, determined, funny, curious little girl...growing up before our eyes and we love her with all of our hearts...

We had a great family day together at the beach, we shared one pizza on the beach and it wasn't enough for everyone...Nora finally decided she liked pizza! Life is never what we expect...

K