Christmas time!

Collin with one of his RED tractors the he received for Christmas.

ANOTHER train track from Santa.

Collin opening a gift from Santa on Christmas morning.

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa.

Grandma and grandpa at Collin's school Christmas program.

Collin amongst his classmates at his program.

Busy days!

Unwrapping the "kisses" for the cookies.

He takes his job very seriously!


Proud of the finished product.

Nativity that Collin made at preschool.

Collin with his new Christmas train which he named "The Polar Express."

He really likes his train!

December has proved to be very busy already and we are not even two weeks into it. Collin VERY MUCH understands what Christmas is this year and is anticipating Santa's arrival..he can't come soon enough! It is hard for a four year old to understand time but we do the best we can in helping him to understand it will be a little while yet until Christmas morning.

He helped decorate the Christmas tree, which he loved doing. He enjoyed pulling out each ornament to see what it was and find a special place on the tree for it. He has his own "little" tree that only has HIS ornaments on it. So far he has 6 ornaments from family and one that he picked out this year for his tree..a Tonka dump truck.

We baked some of daddy's favorite cookies the other day and danced in the kitchen to Christmas music while making them. Collin loves to dance and he's a funny little monkey when he does!

The other day Collin came home from school with a homemade Nativity scene. He very proudly assembled all the pieces, which were stored in a plastic bag for the ride home, and told the Christmas story while he worked...well, it was his version of the story anyway. It was really cute and I'm glad I captured it on video. First he placed the "hay" very neatly into the scene and then carefully added each person one by one. Baby Jesus has to stay behind the scenes until Christmas morning, he said.

This week is our Christmas program at school and I am hoping to get some good pictures of Collin singing with his class. It's hard to believe Christmas is coming so soon. It seems like we were just at the pool enjoying a nice day of swimming!

What Collin is doing now: winding down with an episode of WonderPets.

Annual "special heart" doctor check-up

Collin was seen at Cardinal Glennon today for his annual cardiology check-up. He joked around with the nurses and was cooperative for all his tests. He had an EKG done as well as an Echocardiogram. He did wonderfully for both tests, helping take the stickers off when the EKG was done, and lying still for 30 minutes for the Echo. The nice technician put on Toy Story for him to watch while he layed there. He was very patient and when all was done he got to pick out stickers and airplanes from the prize box. He received a great report from the doctor, and he doesn't need to be seen for another year! We are extremely blessed!!!!

What Collin is doing now: watching Diego!

Collin at the K-8 Halloween parade at school. The prek students made "cat hats" to wear.

Farmer Collin at his preschool Halloween party. He had taken off his straw hat so he could dive into his chocolate cupcake.

Collin's preschool Halloween party was this week. He loved getting his costume ready. He chose to be a farmer, and he carried a green tractor because every farmer has a tractor! He said he had a lot of fun at his party and he brought home a lot of treats. His preschool class paraded through each classroom at school, and there were a lot of very cute costumes. Collin really got a kick out of the fact that one of his preschool teachers dressed up as a vampire and had purple teeth!

I had my first parent/teacher conference with Collin's teacher. I was not used to being on the "parent" side of it. Collin received a great report from his teacher. He mastered all of the concepts for the first quarter assessment, and is proficient in his cutting skills, writing his name, and drawing circles without lifting his pencil. We are very proud of him!

I will post more pictures from Trick-or-Treating when we'll get the full effect as Collin plans to go do-to-door on his pedal tractor. Stay tuned!

What Collin is doing now: eating a snack and watching Wonder Pets.

Pastry chef for the day!

Collin helped me make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. He put in the egg after I cracked it, stirred the dough up, helped roll out the dough with the rolling pin, and pressed the cookie cutter into the dough. When the cookies were cool, I iced them and Collin's job was to put on the sprinkles. This was the step he had been looking forward to all day! Why is it that kids like to dump all of the sprinkles into one pile in the center of the cookie? After a little "sprinkling" lesson, he worked those sprinkles like a pro. The cookies turned out very yummy, and Collin has decided that we are going to make more for his friends at school for the Halloween party.

Grandma brought over a Halloween book for Collin. He loves The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything. It has a lot of repetition in it, which he really enjoys. We had to read it two times in a row as soon as we finished the cookies. Thanks, mamaw and papa!

What Collin is doing now: playing outside with daddy.

Picnic and boat rides at the lake!

Collin and cousin Chloe looking out at the water.

Collin and Chloe playing prince and princess.

Collin driving the boat!


Poor Ella could only watch..but she looked cute doing it!

This afternoon Collin and I met Mamaw, Papa, Aunty Jen, and cousins Chloe and Ella at the lake for boat rides and a picnic. It was a beautiful, sunny, Fall day. The weather was gorgeous and everyone had a good time. The kids enjoyed the boat rides on the lake and running around in the leaves back on shore. We had a nice picnic supper and then the kids were off on another boat ride. I think we will have three good sleepers tonight. The best part of it all...no school tomorrow thanks to Mr. Columbus!

What Collin is doing now: crashed out on the couch watching Dora.

1 year ago!

He wasn't a tiny, pink newborn wrapped in a blanket and new to the world. He was a 3 year-old little boy wearing orphanage-issued sandals too big for his little toddler feet. Familiar with the world, but in surroundings unknown to him, he met two strangers whom he was told were his "baba (daddy) and mama". He ran into daddy's arms and let mommy hug him. He accepted us instantly, and we loved him at first sight. When I looked into the eyes of this little boy, I instantly knew this was the little soul I was always meant to meet. The little soul always meant to speak the word that was reserved only for him, and one I'd been longing to hear: "mommy". Celebrating Gotcha Day today..and rejoicing in our happiness. What a magical year it has truly been, and what a brave resiliant little boy we are blessed to call our own!