Tater Tots...growing up so fast

Although this is our adoption journey blog, I also want to write some updates on the older Tater Tots in our family! So, here is a brief synopsis of the current lives of Alex and Aerin!

This is one of my favorite silly pictures of Alex and Aerin. I took it around Christmas. They were clowning around outside, and the picture captures both of their personalities. My favorite name for them besides Tater Tots is Silly Geese or Goose 1 and Goose 2!

Sweet Aerin and her baby bear

I look at Aerin and refuse to believe that my "baby girl" is about to turn 5! Because she has been the baby up until we received Anderson's referral on February 27, it seems so difficult to believe that she will begin Kindergarten in the fall. She continues to run everywhere she goes, even when going from room to room in the house. And she gets more prissy every day. I have told some of my friends that God's sense of humor is evident in giving me a prissy girl who loves dresses, bows, pinkandpurple (Aerin rarely says one of those colors without the other), and princesses. I did have a Barbie phase growing up, but aside from that I did not have a prissy bone in my body and I despised pink. So, my little girl who thinks the most grand thing in life is a wearing a fancy pink dress while having a tea party with my best china, has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I am so glad that she has such a confidence in who she is (she will tell you she is God's princess) and knows exactly who and what she loves and loves to do. She has really loved preschool this year, thanks to her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Brenda. She continues to climb, flip, and dance constantly, and she is very athletic. She will begin taking gymnastics in the summer, and we can't wait to see what she learns. She still hasn't mastered swimming, even though she made great progress last summer, so she will be taking lessons again this summer.

Aerin's laughter and her sweet nature combined with her strong will and independence make for an adventure every day, and I continue to thank God for His grace in parenting as I strive to be a Godly and wise woman of character for my daughter. Our bond has really grown over the past year, and I am very convicted when I see that she is watching and imitating me in many ways. I am also thankful for Jeff's love for his little girl and God's gifting of him to be an affectionate, present Daddy who takes time to spend with her.

Dad and Alex building his new workbench

Alex is still a very tender-hearted, kind little boy who is also as rough and tumble as any boy has ever been. He is growing physically and spiritually, and this year he has developed a love for reading (which of course, makes Mom very proud). He also has his Dad's gift for dealing with numbers and he enjoys learning Math. He did not play any sport or do any extra activities in the fall, but played Upward basketball this winter. It was a learning experience for him athletically, but I think what he enjoyed the most was clowning around with his teammates and memorizing the weekly Bible verses that were put to music on the Upward CD. He was ready to play soccer again this spring, as last fall was the first time he has not played a soccer season since he was 3 years old. He had his first game on Saturday, and we were excited to see him back out on the soccer field.

He has always been a "tinkerer" at heart, enjoying taking things apart and putting them back together. And the tool set he got for Christmas has made this even more fun for him. He and Jeff built a workbench with his tools (and some help from Dad's), and he has helped Jeff with some small projects around the house. He is just as happy taking apart his Star Wars light sabre (which he has done 3 or 4 times now), down to the "guts" and putting it back together, as he is having a light sabre battle with his sister! His compassionate heart for others continues to grow, and he will tell you that he wholeheartedly loves God, his family, his friends, and his "dog" (the stuffed one he has had since before he was born). He is definitely my "sweet pea" and a mischievous rascal all at the same time. God teaches me about pure joy through Alex's laughter, energy, and enthusiasm, and Jeff and I strive to help him focus and direct his passionate spirit toward things that are true and holy and noble so that he may grow to be the young man who God created him to be.