"Big Girls Do That...."

Hi everyone!!! It has been quite awhile since we have updated on Alyssa's blog, but yes, we are all still alive and kicking!! Alyssa is growing up before our eyes. She is such an amazing little girl. She is constantly talking and running around. Where she finds all of that energy, we will never know. We made it through the Spring and are looking forward to the Summer. In April we traveled to Michigan to see friends and family. It was so great to spend time with the Smith family who live just outside of Detroit. They had adopted a little boy from Russia the same time that we adopted Alyssa. We had spent the first and second trips together, so we became very close to them. They are like family and always will be part of our adoption journey. To see the children play together was simply amazing. They seemed to remember each other from when we brought them home in December 2008. Besides our trip to Michigan we have been gearing up for Summer by planting a garden and doing work outside on the house. On May 5th Alyssa turned 3!!! We cannot believe that she is already 3 years old!!! We had her "Dog and Cat" birthday party the Saturday before her birthday. We all had a really good time!!! We had many family and friends at the party. Alyssa had a really great time!!!
Alyssa is learning everything so very fast. She is starting to potty train and she is always so eager to try to do everything her self. She has a very independent soul, and can be very stubborn also. As adoptive parents we know that this is not always a good thing, because we want the child to be very dependant on us. It helps with the bonding process. But as far as bonding goes, we don't seem to have a problem with that. This child is so much a part of us, and us of her, that it seems like we have had her forever. She is definitely a "talker". She loves to talk all of the time, and it is so funny that you can hold a regular conversation with her. She has all kinds of phrases that makes us laugh and also brings us to tears. One of the newest and funniest is "Big Girls Do That"!!! We sometimes tell her when she is doing certain things that she is not a baby anymore and that she can do it, or she can help. She has come up with that phrase. It is so funny!!!
We are trying to decide where we will go to the beach this summer. We had planned to go to Navarre Beach in Florida along the Gulf coast, but with the oil spill we are not sure if that will be an option in August. We are also having yard sales this summer as a fundraiser to raise money for our next adoption. Hopefully by the end of the year the LORD will show us where HE wants us to go next. Our dream for Alyssa is to have a little sister from Russia. But who knows, we will see what HE plans for us next. Our journey as a family that began when Wade and I married in December of 1995 has been such an amazing journey. Our family has been very blessed along the way, and it makes we smile and wonder what will be next in our journey. For all of you that have kept up with our family, we are very grateful. We are grateful for the well wishes and prayers, and we look forward to sharing Alyssa's journey in her "Forever Family".
Blessings,
Julie