2010 Reflection...

There are just a few hours left in 2010.  Can't believe it.  What a year, what a year! This year started with a trip back to Kaz.  Along with that trip came lots of excitement, fear, anxiety, hope, basically every emotion ran through our bodies as we prepared to return to Kazakhstan in early January.  We spent the first months of 2010 in Pavlodar restarting the adoption process.  It was less drama than our 2009 trip but still...there was never a true stress free moment.  I will never ever forget landing in Kaz and Sveta (our coordinator) telling us, No, we couldn't visit Ava at the orphanage b/c she was in the hospital.  Heart. Sank.  When we saw her she looked so bad...bright red checks, bloated, histartically crying.  I remember crying after our first visit telling James that I missed our Ava.  I was so mad that she wasn't home with us months ago so she could be in a family rather than in a hospital BY HERSELF!  I didn't want to have to rebuild our bond, I wanted things to be the same.  Praise God that it didn't take long for "Our Ava" to come back to us.  We had another life changing 3 months in Kaz where we grew closer as a family, learned more about God's heart for the orphans of the world, and continued to form relationships people who would stay in our hearts forever.  So, the first half of 2010 can definitely be summed up as life changing!

The middle of this year was a time of adjustment. I went from no children to a very busy 4 year old who had special needs, and a very specific agenda of her own.  None of this, taking my newborn around with ME thing. I was immediately forced to change my life to fit her schedule, to meet her needs, to help her acclimate to a new life.  When going through it I never thought of it as hard but now looking back, it sure was!  But in those months I had so much fun finally being able to do all of the things I dreamed about doing with her.  We went to the park, the beach, the movies.  I was also able to see my parents become Grandparents, my sister become an aunt, and Ava become a Granddaughter and niece.  What a blessing those first months home with Ava were.  It is a time we will never ever forget.

And this last part of the 2010 year was so much fun!  Ava grew up so much and really turned into the sweetest, funniest, brightest little girl we could have ever imagined.  Her personality cracks us up every day, and her desire to be independent seems to only grow stronger.  This year has been nothing short of miraculous!  God is GOOD!!!!  

 

   We are excited to continue to see Ava grow in the coming year and to see what changes are ahead for our family.  So thankful to have such a great husband that along for this crazy ride with me :-)  We wish you all a very happy new year.  

Christmas

Well, this Christmas was very bitter sweet.  How great to have Ava with us on Christmas morning.  That experience was priceless and one we'll never forget.  On the other hand, my Grandfather was very ill and Christmas was spent at my grandparent's home so we could all see him and spend one last Christmas with him.  He passed two days later.  I plan to blog some more on my Grandfather and his wonderful life after his memorial on Saturday.  So, back to the lighter note with some pictures of our first Christmas experience with Ava...   

 The Palmer family tradition is to open one present on Christmas eve after church.  We always open our new PJS.  James isn't in his yet and you can't see the cuteness of my pink PJ pants but there are plenty of good photos of Ava is her fancy princess nightgown. 

 She is oh so cooperative for photos when she loves what she's wearing!

 Cookies for Santa and Lettuce and oatmeal for the Reindeer

 Christmas morning...she awoke at 6:45

 She was a little overwhelemed but she loved opening the presents and has already played with most of things enough to be sick of them :-/

 Can't wait to walk around Disneyland with my Princess in her Princess dress!

 She loved the bike!  And today (3 days after Christmas) she has pretty much mastered it.

 Usually we have lots of family photos from Christmas day when we are all together.  This year was different.  we all took turns going up to the hospital room to see Grandpa and the mood was a little sad throughout the day. 

The girl LOVES to read :-)

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas

Suggested reading for you little one

If you are looking for one more thing to get your little one for Christmas or if you are wanting a new devotional for your child to start in the new year I highly recomend the following...

This is a precious book called His Little Princess by Sheril Rose Shepherd.  It teaches little girls that they are NOT only pretend princess but they are REAL princesses since they are a daughter of the KING!  It is amazing and very inspired.  We have enjoyed reading it each night as a family!
 

I have never read this one but I'm sure it's just a fabulous as the her others.  This is for little boys!

Oh so fun

Yes, the Christmas season continues to be so much fun this year.  Here are some pictures of our latest happenings...

Ballet Recital...

 She was so darling as she got ready for her dancing debut.  She put on her dress and danced and posed around the house until it was time to leave.

Cheesy fake smile and all :-)
\

 Our little star!  We got the dance recital about a half hour early (as we were told) and the place was already packed.  We had to stand in the back but that was ok.  Ava had to sit with her class and was such a big brave girl.  She danced for the entire routine (to the surprise of her mother) and did it with a big smile.  By the end of the song she was basically on top of that poor girl next to her.  In her extreme focus, she wandered :-)


Disneyland...

 Well, if there are two things about the Palmer side of the family that stand out from every other family it's that we love Padre baseball and we are nuts about Disney!  I have been dreaming about taking my children to Disneyland since I was a child!  I have played this moment again in my mind for years!  Well, the night before our big day Ava was up ALL night crying.  Our daughter has got to be one of the best sleepers on the planet, she has never had a night like that ever before.  She wasn't sick...no fever, no cold, no cough, just crying.  We played musical beds throughout the night and ended up getting about 4 hours sleep total (Ava got more then we did actually).  I was terrified that our day at Disneyland would have to be rescheduled.  But, Ava woke up cheery and ready to go so we decided to try it :-) 

 Good thing we did b/c we all had a great time.  It was rainy and crowded but it's just MAGICAL at Christmas time!  Ava was so excited about everything.  Good thing we now have season passes so can go again and again and again! 

 My parents treated us all to this great day!  Thanks Mimi and Papa.

 If you are not saying "AWW" right now there is something wrong with you.  Just kidding.  But seriously...how cute. 

 Dream come true...family photo in front of Cinderella's castle.

 The rain really truly didn't bother Ava
 

 Here we are waiting for a very special lunch with the Disney Princesses

 In awe of Ariel

 Pretty Pretty Princesses!

Belle was the girl's favorite.  Daddy and Papa took pictures...what troopers they are!

.  

 Lots of lines

 Small world is so wonderful at Christmas time.  This was by far Ava's favorite thing about Disneyland.  I had a feeling it would be

 Waiting for the lights on the small world building to turn on.

 "Come on Lights"

 We are so dedicated

 

Tada!  Totally worth the wait.  

 

Although D-land is only 30 minutes from our house, we stayed the night in a hotel to make a little vacation out of it.  It was really fun.  The hotel was a total thrill for Ava. What a fun trip!

Merry Christmas

What's NEW!

Well, I wanted to give a quick update on our family in general and what fun we've been up to this Christmas season! 

We always say it but it's true...Ava's doing great and she's such a blessing.  More specifically... 
-Occupational Therapy:  Ava's OT is someone I've gotten particularly close to.  She is always amazed at Ava's progress and how fast she learns.  Miss Wendy really "gets" Ava.  She knows how to get her to do things.  TELLING Ava to do something is not usually going to work.  You really have to make things a game and act goffy with her if you'd like her preform.  We have seen her using that right hand a whole lot more which is so encouraging. There is SOOOO much in the area of OT that Ava needs to work on and we are planning on moving up to three days a week once the new year hits.
- Physical Therapy:  We haven't pulled the triger on Botox yet.  We are just waiting waiting waiting untill Mama feel totally comfortable and until we've heard several different doctors suggest it.  We are seeing an orthopidist tomorrow and I'm anxious to hear what he says.  I'm sure he will suggest it since the muscles in her right leg are so tight.  She wears her brace like a CHAMP!  She's never complained about it or fussed about putting it on.  NOT ONCE.  I was warned by so many Mom's about the transition to the brace and I was very nervous about my little strong willed girl but, it seems there was no need to worry.  It hasn't seemed to bother her in the least.      
- Speech Therapy: Ava gets speech at school and we are working on getting her into private speech.  We are having trouble with our insurance right now but we will keep fighting it.  For now, I have decided to use a therapy called Beckman Oral Motor Therapy.  We are tying it at home and I'm hoping to get more professional training in the near future.  The testimonies from those who've used it are strong and we are excited to see the changes that these stretching exercises will bring.  So far Ava's been great about going through these stretches each morning and night.  I don't know how many five year olds would be ok with someone poking around in their mouth.  Again she's awesome.  It's funny with her b/c in so many ways she is delayed and behind but when it comes to therapy I think she's incredibly mature and brave.  It's almost like she knows that this is helping her grow and will help her succeed in the future.  That's God's Grace in her life for sure!  

We've had a wonderful time this December enjoying all the festivities with a little one.  Really this Christmas has been very emotional.  I am so happy that our girl is home but I've also had many moments this season when I've cried.  I've cried for those children ALL over the world who are alone.  I'm watching Ava love the Christmas season and we've been able to share with her the true meaning behind this holiday.  I cry that so many children will never have the opportunity to enjoy Christmas with a family or hear how Jesus loves them.  I have also hurt for families waiting for their child to come home.  We know that pain.  I know there are families waiting for a child who they've never met, but love.  And I know there are families who have met their child but are separated from them due to various senseless reasons.  Anyway, if you are reading this and you are in pain, I'm so so sorry.  If you are reading this and your world is all as it should be, hold your loved ones close and be thankful.  That's what we are doing during this very special time of the year. 

Okay, now for some fun stuff!
Mimi's Christmas Parade:
My mom won the teacher of the year award and got to ride in the Christmas parade in my hometown.  We had a blast and Ava was so proud of her Mimi.

 
Christmas Tree Hunting and Visiting Santa:
We had a great time hunting for our little tree.  And, surprise...Santa was there!  We weren't expecting that but Ava was very brave and sat with him for a picture! 

 

Tree Decorating:
We don't have much room in our new place and I wasn't even sure we'd have a place for a tree but we found a spot and really, I don't think she would have cared where that tree was or how big it was, she had a great time with it!

Exciting events on the horizon include; Ava's Christmas ballet performance, a school party, and Disneyland.  You can be sure there will be a post about those events! 

This is a really really fantastic video.  Please copy and paste it so you can watch it.  It's about 7 minutes but I would say, life changing...very very powerful!  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHJ6-YhSYQ