Levi's FIRST day of Kindergarten!

I never excepted to send Levi off to Kindergarten SO soon. BUT...he has adjusted so well and LOVES to be around other kids. He is very smart and probably a little above the Kindergarten level in some ways. He is very neat at coloring and writing. With the language, writing and reading difference, I thought this would be the best choice for him. PLUS...then I will still have the afternoons alone with him:) I think he was a little nervous but really didn't show it. Our neighbor had talked to him in advance about going and he knew that it would only be for half a day. I stayed with him in the classroom yesterday. I wanted to make sure he understood the basics (where the bathroom was, how to line up, which cubby was his, etc.;) before I left him.

He interacted with the kids and seemed comfortable. I will not be staying today so please keep him in your prayers. I think he will be fine but I am a little nervous. LOL!

Levi before school...

Helping Mother make Chili after school...

Levi wanted to finish this coloring sheet, that he didn't get to complete during class...

I hung it on my "Wall of Fame" and Levi made sure to take this picture:) He was SO proud!

Lord, please be with my boy today and ALWAYS!

My SUNSHINE turned 11 yrs. old!

On Friday, Leytan turned 11 years old. We had a family dinner for him. His Grandmas and Grandpas came over and he chose the dinner menu which included homemade cheesecakes. YUMMO! He isn't a cake fan so this was a nice change:)

Levi helped me make the cheesecakes...

The kids made a box car;) VROOM!

Leytan blowing out his candles...

Singing "Happy Birthday"...

On Saturday, Lance took Landan, Leytan and 5 other boys to play paintball at Paintball Plex. They had SO much fun! I think they will definitely be back again;) I actually think Lance would LOVE to take a group of HIS friends too. LOL!!! Then it was back to the house for pizza and a sleepover. The boys played football, jumped and played looooong into the night...actually early the next morning;)

Pizza...

Trampoline...

Football...

Opening cards from his friends...

He had a GREAT birthday!!! We love you SO much Leytan!

Just Levi...and Me:)

Thursday morning, after we dropped the other kids off at school, Levi and I headed to the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo. Levi LOVED our time there. He especially likes the pony/horse rides and also the carousel. We rode them both twice:) I don't think I had been to the zoo with just ONE child since Landan was a baby...probably 12 years ago. It was SO relaxing and I really enjoyed my time there with Levi. The weather was perfect too. I took many pictures but here are just a few;)

Levi feeding the giraffe lettuce...

On the carousel...

Posing on the Komodo dragon...

Riding the BIG horse...

Levi and Mother...

Brushing the goats...

What a GREAT day!!!

Happy "Gotcha Day"!!!

Yesterday we celebrated 5 years with Lorelle. On September 20, 2005 at the civil affairs office in Guangzhou, China...we first hugged and kissed our beautiful little girl. What an AMAZING 5 years it has been:) She is such a blessing to our lives. We love you Princess Lorelle Yan Perry...always and FOREVER!!!

We celebrated by having Chinese food for dinner and a large cookie cake for dessert:) YUM!

In 5 more years, she will be 13 and officially a teenager...YIKES!!! LOL! They really do grow up TOO quickly:(

Levi's FIRST Soccer Game!

When we took Levi to Lorelle's soccer game last Tuesday evening, he REALLY wanted to get out there and play. SO...I contacted Tracey with KCSL (Kosciusko County Soccer League) and asked if she could get him on a team. She did! Thank you Tracey:) Levi LOVED it and did really well. He is aggressive and got right in on the action. I loved watching him have so much FUN. He smiled from ear to ear most of the game:) TOO precious!!! He will have games every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning. Levi is #14. Enjoy the pics below!

Singing AND Dancing...

My little man is quite the entertainer. He LOVES to sing and dance! I have no idea what he is singing? Wendy?! (Wendy is a friend/neighbor of ours, who speaks mandarin;) She has been a HUGE blessing to us. THANKS Wendy!!! Enjoy the videos:) Levi is such a FUN, FUN boy!

Levi singing...

And dancing...

We are in LOVE!!!

EDIT: Wendy sent me an e-mail saying that he was singing a sad, love song. She wasn't sure of the artist but is going to ask him sometime. At the end of the song he yells (like to the audience;) "How is everyone doing tonight?!" LOL!!! He is TOO cute! By the way, Lance is NOT the one commentating the dance video. That would be Lauren's boyfriend, Andy:) Lance isn't THAT cool or funny. LOL! We have enjoyed your visits Andy. Love you!

Levi Update!

My guess is, most of you reading this also followed our journey to China and therefore know...LEVI IS HOME! He is doing GREAT! He LOVES all his brothers and sisters! He has so much fun with them. He is also enjoying all the new toys and activities here. He has been asking to ride motorcycles. Umm...NOT quite ready for that yet. We need his English to be better first, for safety reasons;) He has also asked to go swimming. I need to check out the open swim times at the YMCA soon. We have still had no major meltdowns, like we did with Liam. Just occasional moments of sadness and the mention of his Foster Mama:( I am going to try emailing her some pictures and an update today. I know she must be worried about him.

Please continue to pray for both Levi and Liru (Yep, his Foster Mama AND her older son also have "L" names:). They will both need time to heal and adjust to this change. God has blessed me SO much! I still can't believe I get to tuck 6 of His most precious children into bed each night!

Levi on Landan's shoulders...

Liam and Levi in the tub...

My silly boys...

Levi is a pro on the bike now...just needed some help with braking;)

He did get his first skinned knee in an electric scooter wreck yesterday. Again...needs some work on the stopping part;) VERY tough, NO tears!

He made 6 of these Pet Pals yesterday. He LOVES them! He also enjoys Legos and Lincoln Logs:)

Fall Sports!!!

Fall sports have BEGUN! We actually missed Landan's first two middle school football games:( He did a GREAT job! The Lakeview Tigers won BOTH games. GREAT job guys! Landan mostly played on defense and got quite a few tackles. He is REALLY enjoying it. Thanks for taking the pictures below and for cheering on our son for us Jo;) And for making sure he got home from practices and games for us too. We owe you! We can't wait to watch him play this week. Lorelle had her first soccer game yesterday. She had fun and was SO looking forward to the season to start. She is on a co-ed team this fall so she will have to get used to being more aggressive with the boys and not being so concerned how her hair looks for them;) LOL! She actually played against a little boy yesterday that she has a crush on. She is TOO funny! I enjoy watching her play. Unfortunately, Lorelle and Landan's games are both on Tuesday evenings. Lance and I will have to take turns dividing and conquering the games;) It could get really interesting when Lance is traveling again. Bring it on!

Go Lorelle!

Hi Mom:)

Landan is #34...

On the kick-off special team...

After the game...