SUMMER FUN!!!
Time is flying by, Benjamin has been with us for 10 months. I can’t believe that we have not blogged since April!!! We are all doing wonderful and have had a very busy summer. We are so blessed to have Bryce, Elise and Benjamin love each other so much! The newness has definitely worn off, by the fact that Bryce and Elise don’t give him everything he wants now. There is some sibling arguing occasionally, which shows he is part of the family! This summer has been really neat due to all of the “firsts” for Benjamin. The whole family has loved introducing Benjamin to places and people that are important in our lives.
The month of June, we were on the road 3 of the 4 weeks. First, we were able to bring Benjamin to OH for the first time to visit Ahmah and Grandpa’s home, where Scott grew up. This was the first major trip that we have been on since October. Everything went very well. Scott and I even got a little (much needed) time away to Denver, CO!
Later in June, Bryce and I had the awesome privilege to go serve the Lord on a mission project in Clarkston, GA (right outside of ATL) with an organization called Global Frontier Missions. Refugees from all over the world are placed here, who have never heard the name of Jesus. It was a very special week for Bryce and I, and he did great with the early AMs and the late PMs. He made some friends from countries all over the world like Iraq, Nepal, Tanzania, Burma, Korea, etc. God is literally bringing the nations to us! During this week Scott took off work and had excellent father daughter and son time. I believe this helped Benjamin’s relationship with Scott tremendously to allow him to see that dad can provide his needs as well!
Right after we came home from the mission trip, my very special 92 year old grandfather, Lex, passed away, so I headed right back out of town for another week. Benjamin was able to meet my cousins and many other family members through this experience. Benjamin was unfortunately not able to meet Lex. He will be missed, especially by my grandmother Ruth, they were married for 63 YEARS!!
Another new experience was going to our pool to swim. Benjamin had never had the opportunity to swim, so we had many lessons to learn, like he sinks if he tries to go alone!! Our first time to the pool, we only had 2 incidents….. not tooo bad, right?
Fun on the boat
Elise lost a tooth at the beach!
My grandparents own a home in Destin, FL and I have been going there since my childhood. We go there several times each summer, so it has been very special when we went with Benjamin for the first time. We were able to go in July for the week, which was a great vacation. He absolutely loves the water. He loves the beach. He loves the sand and the swimming. He loves the boat rides and fishing. It is hard for him to tell which he like the best. “I like all of them….” is a common response we get from him. Bryce and Elise were so cute when we were getting to our place and wanted him to see everything at once. ‘Look Benjamin, there are the palm trees, there is the beach, there is the water, there is a kite” It goes on and on and on. My brother and his family were able to join us while we were there; so all the cousins were able to play together.
Fish on!
We were also able to go to my parent’s house, on Lake Martin, and let Benjamin see the lake and play on the boat and the dock. We were able to take a Super Mable (tube) ride, kayak rides, and boat rides, which all the kids love! Bryce and Elise started to learn to ski, which is so exciting for me!! =) I even got up for the first time in over a year (paid for it for several days to follow).
Nanette in action!
Bryce in action!
Benjamin in action!
So we have had a very special summer. Benjamin has been doing so much better with his behavior. The lying has decreased significantly and we are still learning to obey, but what child isn’t??? I do believe I noted a dip in his behavior after all the traveling, so maybe he was missing our home? Scott and I have to realize that even though Benjamin is not “special needs’, he does have unique and special needs that we need to be aware and conscious of all the time. He loves to be held, which is hard for me, at 38lbs, and he needs a lot of affection and attention. I am pursuing to have him assessed for speech therapy b/c he is having a hard time with his “s” and “th” sounds. He has not been pronouncing the words clearly. Overall, he is so sweet and kisses me all the time. He loves to help and share. He is a great fit for us and he has blessed our family tremendously! I praise the Lord for bringing him into our family. I do think back of this time last year with all the painful waiting to go get him. God has taught Scott and I so much through all this experience and I am sure we have so much more to learn!!
