2012 Going Fast!

      I can't believe it has abeen a year since I posted. Life does get crazy. We get into a routine, or should I say we run the race. I now know the meaning of Mom's taxi. Adam is in 7th grade and Alex started all day kindergarten. All and all it has been a good year. Alex loves the bus, His teacher and His classmates. The weekends are the challenge for Alex. He likes his daily routine. Recess and lunch are the best...and riding the bus is a big bonus. Adam is taller than I am. He passed me in height at Christmas. Adam also turned 13 at Christmas.He is definately a teenager and is a very thoughtful guy 98% of the time. We will leave the other two percent for you to figure out! We lost Our good buddy Tanner in October. It was a sad time for all of us, He was such a lover of a dog. We now have Huck, and his buddy Rowdie to keep eachother company. Dusty thinks it is grand to have two playmates and runs around like a puppy.It is later in the day when he can hardly move from arthritis. It is tough when you are a dog and almost 14. We are making progress in many areas of Alex's growth,development and his attachment. We will continue to have issues.....They are mostly trust related issues and most of them stem from anxiety and the fear of abandonment. He says things like...."I won't cry when we go to the mountains, because I know we will come back home." also if Adam leaves for a night out...."I miss Adam, but I know he will be back." I can see his progress. He cried for the first time in response to a loss. His hamster Keiki died. He said he missed him,Tanner and Papaw. For the first time last night he said he was sorry for throwing one of his little "I'm fried" tantrums. He had been and angel for dinner out....and we decided to take a drive instead of returning directly home. It is amazing what anxiety that creates! On this Mother's Day, I continue to feel blessed and thankful for the blessings of a happy marriage with a sweet,compassionate husband; and the joys as well as frustrations from raising two very special boys.

Our Spring trip to Wyoming 2011

We had a very nice week. Alex has calmed down when we go on vacation. No more asking 100 times "where are we going. Are we going home? "

We visited all our normal stops. We saw many more buffalo, elk and moose. The streams are running fast and furious. Lots of snow still on the mountains.

We had one day in Yellowstone. The snow there is totally unreal. We had a super trip and a great ride home. Things are getting much easier where travel is concerned with Alex.

Happy New Year 2011

Since our last post, many things have happened. We lost Papaw Clyde in September and it was a crazy fall. I was surprised at how difficult the whole process of losing your Dad can be. We spent some time in Indiana and Mom has spent some time with us in Colorado. We enjoyed her with the whole Gratrix family for Thanksgiving. We also had a special 8oth birthday party for Papa.

We had wonderful holidays here and in Indiana. It is always action packed with Adam's birthday as well as Christmas on the 25th!
We came back from Indiana on the 31st,needless to say we didn't have big New Years Eve plans! We were all in bed by 8:30pm....after leaving Indiana at 6:00am........

We then celebrated Alex's birthday on the 3rd! He understood the whole thing this year. Last year he cried because he had to share his birthday cake. This year he could even sing the song!!!

We had a fun night.

Then on the 7th we celebrated my birthday! We celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory and finished the evening with Red velvet Cheesecake....One piece was enough for all of us!!

We are ready for a wonderful 2011! Ready for all that it has to offer. Adam is already 5-4" and Alex is 41" tall. He was only 35" when he came home. He is catching up and wants to be bigger like his big brother and Daddy!!!!!

Wow!It has been awhile!

We Celebrate Homecoming Day!

We have had Alex home for a year! What a year it has been. To see the growth in this guy has been amazing! He is growing physically as well as emotionally. We are so blessed. He is really a little character.

We can go places and return home without it causing major trauma. We are making progress. Alex loves to swim. Adam and Alex have enjoyed many days in the pool swimming. We started Alex in a support vest at the beginning of summer and have removed all the floating pads....so he is swimming all over the pool by himself. He will swim for hours given the opportunity.

It is fun to see Adam and Alex together. Do we have brother moments? We sure do! those moments when they pester and get on each others nerves.....but we also have the most loving moments you can imagine. That is what it is all about! A year of challenges but most of all of blessings!!!!BIG BLESSINGS!

See our you tube video:Russian adoption Alex's First year