Swim Team

We had an out of town swim meet today.  I am so proud of all of my children!!  However, Haylee and Hannah have improved so much!!  It is truly amazing.  Two girls that could barely keep their heads above water 21 months ago are competing in swim meets and doing really well! 

Haylee is either really "on" or really "not one."  Today was a really "on" day and she looked great.  She was focused and determined.  They both really improved their times.  Their confidence was so amazing today.  I talked to all of the kids on the way to the meet about how a lot of younger kids that have never competed will be there.  Be alert and help them if needed.  All five kids were very helpful.  I was helping get the newer kids to their blocks to swim.  I was encouraging a little girl to finish her race.  I looked over a few lanes and our Coach had asked Haylee to jump in and help a little guy swimming finish his freestyle race.  It was precious!!  What a confidence builder for the Coach to ask Haylee to help a little guy not much smaller than her in the pool!!!  It was such a God moment!  I wish I had a picture.  He finished the race with Haylee encouraging him and swimming next to him.  God is so good!! 

All five kids swam best times and had fun. 

On the hard days, it is so helpful to reflect on how far the girls have come.  God is so good to us!!

Swim Meet Weekend

I forgot to say that Tucker placed 3rh overall in his age group and Alex placed 5th overall.  They were both in the Boys 13-14 division.  I am proud of them! 

Also, somehow this picture of Hannah didn't make it when posting pictures.  She is waiting for her turn to swim.

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We had a really long weekend this weekend.  We left the house Saturday and Sunday mornings before sunup and returned home after sundown.  Overall, we had a great weekend.  The girls competed in the swim meet in the mornings and the boys in the afternoon because of their ages. 

They all did very well.  Haylee and Hannah both completed each race and improved their times.  They completed some very long races.  I was very proud of them.  They did the best they good and didn't complain.  Because of their short stature most of the nine and 10 girls in their division are much taller than they are which means they automatically take fewer strokes to swim the same distance.  They each swam the 200 free, which is eight links of freestyle, and the 100 Fly which is four links of butterfly.  I probably wouldn't be able to complete either one.

Alex aged up to Tucker's category right before the meet.  They were neck in neck in many races.  Alex caught Tucker one time.  The other races Tucker won by seconds.  Once Alex hits his big growth spurt, he may just catch Tucker. 

Morgan did super this weekend.  This girl has decided she is ready to get down to business and compete.  She won first in the girls 9-10 year old division.  They swim 10 races in two days and the girl with the most points wins the high point trophy.  Well, she did it!!  I was very proud of her.  Even though I am proud of her winning, I am proud proud of what the mother of the 2nd place winner told me.  Morgan beat her daughter by one point.  It came down to the last two races.  She told me that after the last race, Morgan went and spoke to her daughter and told her it was a good race.  Wow, the heart is what matters more than winning any competition.  I thanked her for letting me know she told her daughter that and thanked the Lord immediately for the heart Morgan has.  I don't want any of my children to be arrogant or prideful.  I would rather them lose than to be ugly to anyone.  I am so glad what we are trying to teach is sticking!

Morgan, Haylee and Hannah and their wonderful swim coach.

Haylee waiting to swim.

Last minute advice from the coach before Haylee swims.

Morgan preparing to swim.

Morgan waiting to get her trophy.

Morgan and her coach with her 1st place trophy.

 I guess we didn't take any pictures of the boys this weekend.  Sorry guys!  We will catch you next time!

Olympic Swim Clinic

The three older kids attended a swim clinic this past Sunday led by two Olympic swimmers.  Mark Gangloff and Kim Vanderburg led the clinic.  The kids loved it!!  They raced each of them, with a huge head start of course.  They spoke about nutrition and a life as a swimmer.  It was fun for them and gave them a new excitement for a different level of swimming.

 Alex and the swimmers.

 Morgan and the swimmers.

 Tucker and the swimmers.

All five kids with the swimmers.

While the older kids participated in the clinic, we took the twins shopping for some fall clothes.  It was a nice day for the four of us to spend together.

State Swim Meet

I realized I never posted about the state swim meet.  The kids are did very well.  Haylee and Hannah finished the race.  We only ask that they do their best.  Hannah improved and Haylee struggled. Haylee had a difficult night in the hotel the night before her race.  I was up during the night with her a few times.  We still don't know exactly what was happening. 

Tucker swam well and maintained his best times. 

Morgan placed 4th, 5th and 8th in the state in her races!!  Go Morgan!!

Alex was the state champion in the 50 free!!! He was first!!!  I have never had a child take first before!!  We are so proud of him and his dedication and hard work.  He also placed 2nd and 4th in his other races!

The Friday night of the meet they opened the spring diving boards and the water slides.  For the first time, we let the girls go play without one of us.  They weren't allowed to leave the pool deck.  We could see them most of the time.  They both went off of the high dive!  I was very proud of them!  I am proud they did well on their own.  They really weren't alone because they had quite a few friends there and their other siblings.  They were always with someone they knew, even though, it may have been a different person every few minutes.

State Swim Meet

All five children swam in our the District AARPA swim meet this weekend. I expected the older three to qualify for state, but wasn't sure about the twins. Well, the older three qualified in all three of their events and swam very well.

Hannah swam slower than her best time, but qualified in the 50 breaststroke becuase the third place was disqualified. The top three in each event compete at state. She was thrilled!!

Haylee was back on her meds and swam like a different child. She knew what stroke to do, unlike the last meet where she would swim the wrong stroke. Not only did she know what stroke to do, but she did it very well and cut off about 15 seconds and qualified in the 50 fly. I couldn't believe it watching her in the water!! She was placed fourth going into the race. She was so determined and focused! She placed second in the event and will compete at state.

I am very proud of all five of them!!! My kids are five of the ten that qualified from our team. We are getting a shirt with the kids names on them. Well, when you divide the group into two columns you would have all five on one side. I changed it to age order to mix them up, so it doesn't look funny.

We will travel about four hours north next Thursday and compete Friday and Saturday. The older kids love this pool because they have water slides and diving boards on the pool deck. They allow all the meet attendees to play on Friday night after the meet at no charge.

However, we will be stuffed into one hotel room. Oh well, chalk it up as attachment and bonding!!

Again today...

Haylee had a difficult day again. She was yelling at Hannah first thing this morning. We handled that and moved on. She was complaining about something or getting on to someone most of the day. She went on to swim team and said she had a headache. She sat out some of the workout. They played a game and she said she was better. After the game, she had a headache again. Interesting.

She came home, ate a very good dinner, showered and was in the bed by 7:15. Everyone else had sat around the bonfire outside and took turns making up funny stories. I am sorry she didn't get to participate, but if you are that sick, you need your rest. I don't know if she had a headache or not. She has never done this before. However, this week she has done a lot of things that aren't normal for her.

We aren't opposed to putting her back on her medicine, but we are trying to see if she is just testing the boundaries or what she is up to. Another new season on this journey of adopted older children from foster care.

Hannah is still doing well. She has had a few really good days.

Lock-in

We allowed the girls to attend the lock-in. I was not comfortable with them going without me, so I was locked-in with them. It ended up being only nine kids, which was good for the girls. They knew everybody, so they weren't uneasy.

Haylee did fine, except for the overload of baby talk. So, maybe she wasn't as comfortable as I thought. I corrected her nicely many times because we talked about it in the car on the way there.

I don't believe Hannah would have made it all night without me. She still gets up at night sometimes afraid. We usually have to walk her back two times before she stays. We pray with her and have her pray as well. She gets insecure very easily. With her history, this in not surprising. It will probably take years to overcome.

We had a fun time. We ate way too much junk and stayed up way too late! We came home early and slept for a few hours. It made it easier for everyone to adjust to daylight savings time.

This was the first time they have ever spent the night away with friends. This was a big treat. I am glad I was able to stay with them, so they could participate.

1/2 mile for the girls!!

The kids are all participating in a swim a thon to raise money for our swim team. Haylee and Hannah thought they would have a hard time reaching their goal of 1/2 mile or 825 yards or 33 laps. Well, Haylee and Hannah swam today and did wonderful!! (They had a few issues about getting to the pool with their swimsuits, but once they had their suits, they did well.)

They each swam the 33 laps with very little problem. Haylee did really well as this is the time she has a lot of energy because she is transitioning off her medication.

Tucker, Alex and Morgan will swim tomorrow. Tucker is swimming 3 1/2 miles or 231 laps. Alex is swimming 165 laps or 2 1/2 miles and Morgan will be swimming 1 1/2 miles. They will all enjoy pizza after the swimming tomorrow.

We saw the pediatrician today. It is official since May of 2010 they have each grown 2 inches. Haylee is 48 inches and Hannah is 46 1/2 inches. They are still small for their age, but growing. I was relieved that the meds do not seem to have slowed Haylee's growth. They have stayed about 1 1/2 inches apart since they joined our family. Yeah!!

We are still here...

Things have been busy around here. Tucker, Alex and Morgan participated in a swim meet in Auburn this weekend and did well. It began Friday night and ended about 4 pm Sunday. It was a looooonnnggg weekend. Haylee and Hannah did very well. They had to sit a bunch and watch and wait and watch and wait. We had to travel back in forth each day so that meant about 3 hours in the car each day after sitting forever. Everyone survived and all and all it was a good weekend.

All three children made best times. We have a new coach that we love!! They are enjoying swim team again. She is very encouraging to all of the children.

Alex qualified for the third year in a row to swim at the Southeastern Championship Meet in Nashville at the end of February. He is very excited. He made five qualifying times out of the seven events he competed in this weekend. He is very, very close in the other two events. He is a very strong competitor and athlete and it shows in the pool.

We praised the tw*ins on the way home yesterday about how well they behaved all weekend. Immediately after we finished, I thought, oh no, I hope we haven't jinxed ourselves. Well, Hannah didn't have a great night after we got home. We knew she was tired and tried to be gentle. However, she added extra drama to her situation and therefore we were less sympathetic. The good news...she didn't lie when I asked her if she was adding the drama to get more attention. She said she did. So, she was sent on to bed a few minutes before Haylee. Morgan had already gone to bed because she was exhausted from the weekend.

The girls are doing better everyday. They have vision checkups next week. I have no clue what is wrong with their vision. They both came with glasses, so I am curious to see our doctor.

Can any blog friends tell me how to make tabs on a blog page? Also, where do you get the cute designs? The choices I have aren't that cute. Thanks!

Friends

How do you help a 9 year old girl develop friendships? Hannah wants a friend so bad she smothers them. I don't know how to help her. We have a friend over today and I reminded her before the girl came to not invade her personal space and to not be pushy or demanding towards her. Well, we weren't home 5 minutes and I had to call her from the room and have a discussion wth her. Haylee doesn't struggle with this issue. It makes me so sad for Hannah. I don't want her to not be able to develop friendships.

Overall things are going pretty well in our house. I had a busy but nice break with the girls at my parents for two nights. The first thing Haylee said to me when she got home was, "We didn't get in trouble." Well, I guess she heard our repeated warnings before they left. My parents said they were super. I am so happy that they did so well. Hannah even said she wasn't scared at night. This is huge for her!!!

Both girls are doing okay in school. Hannah is completing her work more accurately and Haylee is doing her work quickly and accurately. I think her meds have leveled out and we can function on this dosage. She is transitioning better in the afternoons. She is usually at swim team or dance during that time and I believe that has helped. Morgan is regressing some in her diligance. I guess the newness of being the big sister has worn off. She is slipping back into her baby mode in some ways. I have to say, I was glad some of those days were behind us. Hopefully they won't last long.

We are having my family here for Thanksgiving. My parents and my brother and his wife and their new baby will be here. I am excited about them coming. They will all be here for two nights. I think the girls will do okay. I am going to have to make an effort to make sure they get enough sleep. Our issues are much worse without sleep.

I was talking with the girls about the menu yesterday and Haylee's requests were cranberry sauce out of a can and pumpkin pie. I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, but I guess I will make one for her. I am excited for them as we celebrate this first Thanksgiving and Christmas with them.

All in all, they are doing great!!

Busy Times

This week has been really busy. My sister-in-law and her three boys were here Sunday afternoon until Monday. She was able to finally meet the girls. All 8 eight of the children played well together. We were able to plan our Disney trip. We are going to go in September. We will have about 2 days with them while we are there. It is totally unbelievable the cost to go to Disney. We were able to find a newly renovated hotel for abouyt $78 a night and it includes a full breakfast. Well, the included meal is worth at least $50 more dollars. We found a resort for not much more but it didn't include breakfast. We couldn't pass up the breakfast being included.

Monday night we had a swim team end of the year party. The kids had dinner and cake and awards. They all seemed to enjoy the party.

Tuesday we had counselor appointments. Everything was good until they started talking about insurance. We aren't sure if they are suppose to be on my insurance and Medi*aid or just Medi*aid. They have been added to our private insurance, but should they have been since we aren't their legal parents yet. Their name hasn't changed. One more mess to figure out. I am so ready for this two be final so we can just live our lives!

Today Tucker had his wisdom teeth removed. He did well, but always has blood pressure problem in recovery. It takes him longer to be able to leave. He had done well today. I hope he continues to improve.

The girls are doing okay. They revealed some new things to the counselor yesterday that were surprising to me. I am digesting these things and hoping they aren't really a big deal. The couselor did suggest Auditory Processing Testing for Ann. We weren't surprised about this at all. I am almost glad we now have this referral. Which insurance do we use?

I am hoping to start school again Monday. I am hoping to get prepared over the next few days. Our life has been so busy, I haven't been able to get my act together. We will have school next week and then the next week we have three doctors appointments. Two about three hours away, one on Monday and one on Friday. One on Wednesday about an hour away. Will this ever slow down?

All three girls will be baptized on Sunday. We are very happy and all grandparents will be here for the big day. Beth and Ann are new Christians. Morgan was saved a few years ago but has been afraid of being baptized. Now that she is the big sister, she isn't missing out. How sweet of God to work it out so they will be baptized together. My husband will baptize them with our preacher and elders around him. How awesome!!

Swim Meet

We have had a great, but hot two days at the state swim meet. All of the kids participating did well in their events and made personal best times. My parents came to cheer everyone on. Beth and Ann enjoyed the time with their grandparents. They so desire love and attention. My parents come ready to give because they aren't with them all the time like us. They don't hear the same thing over and over all the time. They have a lot more patience and endurance when we do. This morning they wanted to ride with my parents to the meet. (We had to travel about 1 1/2 hours to the pool.) Beth and Ann rode with them and Tucker, Alex, Morgan rode with my husband and me. It was weird, but a nice break. Well, it was nice after I regained my composure after backing into my parents van. They will now be getting their van repaired and I will be getting a new bumper. This was on the driver's side and the passenger side was already scratched up from a car hitting us in a shopping mall parking lot and not bothering to leave a note with their name. Anyway, I guess now I will get a new bumper. Not a good way to start the day. My father was great about it. He just hugged me as I cried. I was so mad at myself. We usually back into that spot to turn around in the driveway and I forgot his van was there.



At least nobody was in the car and of course there were no injuries.



The twins were great at the meet. They didn't swim, but the made it through the heat without to much complaining. They are slowly adjusting to our ways of doing things, I think.



Ann keeps calling Morgan mom. She always says they are playing when I ask about it. I have told them to not call her mom because I am their mom. Is that bad that I made that request? I want them to rely on me and not her. I guess this could show me how superficial the term mom is to them. What do you think?

Busy Days

I made it through my continuing ed classes. I had hoped they would be exciting, but they weren't. It was a VERY basic software class. I have used the software for years, so I didn't need the very basic stuff. It would have been okay but the teacher is very proud of his practiced and loved to tell stories to let us know that over and over again.

The kids all did great while I was gone. We are making progress. I was very happy to see all five of them when I returned home each night.

We had our district swim meet yesterday. The little girls did very well. My husband and I were working the meet, so I had all of our kids in a tent near me. They competed well. Tucker, Alex and Morgan each made state. You needed to place in the top three to qualify. he twins were very close. One girl placed third in an event, but did an illegal kick so she was disqualified. The other placed fourth in one event. She was so close. This is amazing for girls that could not swim when they came. They have been with us a little over three months and are swimming competitively. We are so proud of them!! They are proud of themselves also and they should be.

We had our first adoption support group get together in our county last night. We had a pool party. So, we were at the district swim meet all day, left there and went straight to the other pool for the party. It was a long day, but the kids had a wonderful time. Everyone behaved well. I hope we have crossed another hurdle. Usually when I say this, we take a few steps backward. I pray not.

My girls are continuing to adjust. We are having fewer and fewer battles. I can't say enough how proud I am of them!! I believe in a year, we may forget they were ever adopted. I am praying for this!! I am praying it will be as if I birthed them myself! One of the workers last night commented that they look just like our family. I have heard that so many times!! God is so good!! Looks are one thing that will not single them out as adopted. However, I don't want them to ever be ashamed about being adopted. It is all part of God's plan for their lives.

Swim Meet

We had our first summer swim meet today that the girls have participated. They did great! They each raced in three events, 50 free, 25 free, 25 back. They place fourth or higher in all three events. I am so proud of them. It was a totally new experience for them. One girl even got first in backstroke.

We still have our good days and bad days. I was gone all night Thursday night with my friend because her husband was hit by a drunk driver. I got home about 4 am so I tried to sleep in since my husband was home. The girls were concerned and confused because I didn't get up Friday morning before they went to day camp. I was up and showered when they got home so they were happy about that. They still come check on me when they haven't seen me in a while. We were eating out after the swim meet today. A couple families were there so we had the kids sit together and the adults sit together. There was a little wall between us. You could see each other if you were standing (and an adult) but not if you were sitting. One girl came over to make sure we were still there. I reassured her we would never leave her in a restaurant. Bless her heart!!

July 9th will be three months and we can begin pushing for the paperwork to make the adoption final. I think I will be lessed stressed and worried when that happens.

Swimming

I am so proud of the twins. They have wanted to be on the swim team with their siblings since they joined our family. They could obarely keep their head above water and only doggy paddle. They couldn't stand water in their face when they came. They have completed two weeks of swimming lessons and a week of swimming in the ocean with older and taller children. Needless to say, they have risen to the challenge. The swim teacher is doing private lessons again this week to work on their strokes. She worked with them this morning and we thought they would do okay tonight for tryouts. Well, they did much better than okay! They each swam a lap of freestyle without stopping and a lap of backstroke without stopping. I was and am so proud of them! I was cheering and clapping for them from across the pool! The coach was impressed. He had seen them swim when they first came and said they needed lessons first. They swam for 1 1/2 hours. Hopefully they will sleep well tonight to do it all again tomorrow.

Bible School went well. The teacher said one of the girls was the only one who would answer the question, "What is the first book in the bible?" She answered it correctly. They seemed to have behaved okay. One girl didn't participate in the game during the outside time. I asked her why and she said she didn't want to play. I told her she needed to participate tomorrow. She said she would. We will see.