Happy Birthday Matthew!

The past year has brought a lot of changes for Matthew. He started kindergarten, made new friends, was baptized and develop some new interests. Matthew has grown a lot this year as I realize all children his age do. It's amazing to watch how much young children change as they leave their preschool years and become school age children. It's a much harder transition than I ever realized. Both of my boys struggled at times during this transition but also blossomed.

Matthew turned 6 years old last week. It's amazing to look at him and think about how far he has come. He is no longer the scared and traumatized 1 year old boy who first came to stay at my house. I didn't know then if he would be here for a few days, months or years. I had mixed feelings back then. I fully supported all of the efforts to help his birth mother and allow him to return but I also quickly fell in love with him and didn't want him to ever leave. I look at him now as my 6 year old son who is here to stay and I am amazed at how he has changed and grown. Sure, we still have our challenges but the challenges are so much less than they were when he first arrived. His fighting spirit got him through some very difficult times when he was a baby and have helped him to be resilient and thrive as a young boy. I know there will be challenges ahead but I also know there will be many more wonderful times with a truly amazing young man.

Here are 6 things I love about Matthew. I could fill up pages of things but I will limit myself to 6 since it is his 6th birthday.

1) Matthew's smile. I know I don't need to worry as long as Matthew has that smile on his face. Even when he is in trouble, he is usually smiling and having fun.

2) Matthew's sense of humor. Matthew can make even the grumpiest people laugh.

3) Matthew's resilience. The kid never lets anyone get him down for more than a few minutes. I have never known him to be grumpy for more than about 10 minutes.

4) Matthew's enthusiasm. Matthew has never been a kid to settle for "good enough." If he decides to do something he does it all the way. Whether it is painting a picture, writing a story or learning to ride his bike. He won't quit until he gets it just right.

5) Matthew's brotherly love. There is no one Matthew loves more than his brother and no one who cares about him more. Matthew is always happiest when he is with his brother. It doesn't matter if they are fighting, playing or scheming together.

6) Matthew's compassion and love. Matthew just wants to have fun and he wants other people to have fun with him.

Jacob Is 6!

It is really hard to believe that next month will mark 5 years since I sat in my family doctor's office discussing Jacob's referral. The doctor gave me several reasons of why I should be cautious about accepting his referral. He spoke at length about Sturge Weber Disease and the small chance Jacob could have it. I knew in my heart he didn't and thankfully I was right. The doctor ended our meeting by handing me the information and stating, "I can tell that you already love this little boy and will be adopting him. I will be happy to help you care for him when he comes home." The doctor was right and over 4 and a half years ago I brought home an adorable and loving 17 month old boy.

That little boy just turned 6 on September 21. He has become a very funny little boy who loves life. He definetelly doesn't have Sturge Weber and none of the doctor's warnings have come true. I took him in to see that doctor last week for his 6 year old well-child check-up. The doctor examined him and talked to him for a few minutes. He then turned to me and stated Jacob has really settled down and is really mature for his age. I stated that I thought it was the age because Matthew is also beginning to settle down. He stated it isn't just the age. He stated it's not often he sees a child make the huge gains in maturity that Jacob has made over the past year. Way to go Jacob!

We celebrated Jacob's 6th birthday by going to a waterpark resort in the Dells last month. It was a lot of fun for the entire family. We met some friends up there and had a great weekend. It was fun watching how far all of the children have come in a very short period of time.

So stealing this idea from another blog I used to read. Here are 6 things I love about Jacob.

1) Jacob's smile. It's contagious and lights up his whole face.
2) His loving and caring personality. There isn't anything he won't do to please someone else (including his mommy).
3) How well he's doing in school this year. He's still ahead of many of his classmates and continues to learn new skills very quickly.
4) Watching him play sports. He is a good teammate and loves to interact with the guys.
5) The joy I see when I watch him work on a project with his Grandpa. There is no one he idolizes more. Whether it's cleaning out the truck, picking up sticks in the yard or walking through the store looking at tools, Jacob loves to spend time with his Grandpa.
6) Eating breakfast together. Matthew's school starts an hour before Jacob's and Matthew eats breakfast with his class so Jacob and I eat alone in the morning. It is a great time to talk about his school day and what he is looking forward to that day. We also spend that hour putting his lunch and backpack together.

Jacob is growing up quickly. Some days I worry he is growing up too quickly. He is becoming a big kid in front of my eyes. He will have his intake interview with Big Brothers Big Sisters next week. He wants a Big Brother or a Couple Match. He will make a great "little" for someone. His easygoing spirit and bright smile will be a great match for some prospective Big.

Why 4 Is Important

In our family, turning 4 is a very big deal. You get a new bike, a new car seat (if you weigh enough) and can chew gum. Matthew turns 4 in a little over a week. I gave him is new bike yesterday because I had time to get it and we won't be around much next weekend. He loves it. He rode it to the elementary school today for his soccer game and did a good job on it. He really likes having a "big bike" like his brother and be able to keep up with him a little bit better.

It's almost time!

It's finally Friday and I actually have the weekend off! In the law enforcement world, it can be very rare to actually have a work week Friday on a real Friday. This is one of those rare weeks and one that I will treasure.

Jacob and M have been doing really well lately. M's behavior began regressing at the beginning of the month when the daycare was moving a bunch of children and day care was closed for four days. The change in routine and unknowns seemed to throw him off a little and he was really testing my patience. He seems to be back to his enjoyable three-year-old self again and I have really enjoyed having some extra time with him.

Jacob is extremely excited to be celebrating his birthday tomorrow and next week. His birthday party with friends is tomorrow. He chose a firefighting theme. I was able to find a cake with a firetruck picture, a dalamation pinata with a fire hat and fire badge, firetruck tablecloths and silverware and a Happy Birthday banner with a firetruck theme. There were more things such as firetruck plates and goodies for the kids but it was getting expensive and money is tight as usual. His party will be tomorrow and if blogger copperates, I will have pictures soon (I tried to upload pictures last night but couldn't get it to work).

Jacob and M both have soccer games on Sunday. It will be M's first soccer game ever and he is super excited. He has been waiting a long time to be able to play on a team like his big brother. We are also touring a dairy farm with the church before the soccer games so I expect two very tired children by Sunday night.

Monday is my third day off (I work 6 days and then get 3 days off). The boys will both be at daycare so I will be doing homework, getting new tires on the van and just trying to rest a little after the weekend. Thankfully, my dad decided he wants to visit my brother Monday evening and has volunteered to drive us to Appleton for my class. I am very grateful since I will probably be tires and want to sleep on the way home.