Summer has come. It is the best over here. It means every evening outside on toys, the slack line, and SPRINKLERS! Tate can get into a swimming suit faster than you can get the sprinkler going. He only needs a vague inclination that you intend to turn on a sprinkler and BAM he's all over that.
The splash pad is the best thing to wear out the babies and get them ready for naps. Tate was nervous about the splash pad, but figured it out in a second and loved it so much.
Tate and Emily are getting along better all the time. He makes her laugh so hard and she is very easy going about all of his antics and his alpha personality. Make no mistake, he is the big brother. He takes great care of her and keeps her in line whether she likes or needs it or not.
Outside is always best. If they get out the front door, this is my view 10 seconds later. Run run run!
Tate loved decorating graves on memorial. He loves to help. If he's not given a specific task he will look around, figure out what is going on, and put himself to work. He's very good at it too. He is wicked smart. And a little OCD.
Since Finding Nemo is the movie du jour we took the kids to the aquarium. It was all we could do to keep Emily from diving into the petting pools. Oh she tried hard. Tate saw Nemo and Dory at every turn and was in heaven. He loved it all!
Emily is still getting weekly speech and OT. She is doing so well. She has in the last month began speaking! Actual words! It is just thrilling! She uses several words and is like a parrot lately repeating everything we say. Sometimes with her, it is a little bit of a challenge. We obviously have no history on her what-so-ever. We have one medical exam from when she was in China and is said she was talking and crawling, so obviously massively incorrect. She will make amazing great strides, then hang out there for a while. I sometimes wonder if that's as far as she's going to get and then she'll jump in again and start this fantastic progression again. Sometimes you can tell her to say all of her stuff or tell her to get her shoes or give you a kiss and she will respond beautifully and immediately. Other times she will ignore you 150% or just stare blankly at you. I have to admit, I wondered if she would ever walk, then she took off running. I wondered if she would ever speak and now she is saying many new words each week and using them correctly. We truly cannot get enough of her. She is everyone's favorite thing. Her achievements are so happy for us all.
We went on a little mountain hike yesterday. Tate and Emily both intentionally dove in the water and got soaked just as fast as they could. Tate was again very nervous about the terrain, but had a great time. Emily is a tireless and great little hiker.
If Tate has Lily he is at peace with the world. Maybe he would have bonded with anyone, but those two have something so special. They needed each other very much. They need each other daily. They look for each other constantly. It is a testament to see them together that they were meant to be siblings.
Adoption has been such a miraculous blessing for our family. Sometimes I still can't believe that they are home. Sometimes I think back to that heartfelt prayer where I received the distinct answer that I had two more babies when I was in the most bitter desperate moments of infertility. I think back to the moment when I knew with all of my heart that my babies were in China. I think back to the awful phone call from my agency that we were only getting one baby and not two. I remember the exact moment when I realized that my last baby was a boy, not a girl. I remember the peace and calm that surrounded Gary and I as I asked if we could go back to China one more time and he told me I was crazy but supported me 110%! Now that my babies are all home, we are all together, we are finished growing our family, it feels just right. Adoption brought to me the most perfect peace that there is.
