Winds of Change

A lot can change in 6 months.

Six months ago today Ivan arrived to the United States. He became a U.S. Citizen. Our older kids welcomed him with wide open arms into our home, our family, our lives. These last six months have been filled with laughter, tears, frustration, joy, sleepless nights, babble-filled days, and a "fullness" that words can't explain.

Six months ago we had a boy terrified of animals--especially our less than 10-pound dog, Zizou.
Today we have a boy who carries Zizou, tries to walk him on his leash, lays down on him to suck his thumb and squeals with delight at the sight of ANY animal...no matter how large.

Six months ago we had a boy who was wobbly and unsure on his feet.
Today we have a boy who literally gallops around our house. He climbs everything and runs and runs and runs until he is either out of breath or laughing so hard his feet can't move anymore.

Six months ago we had a boy who only said "Nyet!"
Today we have a boy who is jabbering non-stop, saying quite a few word we can understand and about 6,532 we can not ;)

Six months ago we had a boy who was often clingy and a little nervous.
Today we have a boy who is full of life. He is confident, funny, brave (a little TOO brave sometimes!), charming, mischievous, and basically owns every crowd he is in.

A lot can change in 6 months.

The winds of change are blowing in our "family-life" as well...

First of all, I now look like this: (It still shocks me to see!)
AND, our family is moving to Texas! We are headed to the Dallas area in mid-summer for my husband's new job there. It has been a wild few weeks, but things are coming together and we are feeling hopeful about our new life and adventure there. We've sold our house here, I leave next week to house-hunt there, we are looking into programs, schools, etc. and trying to imagine ourselves in Texas...

Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of this new adventure is that we will be less than 2 hours from Ivan's little girlfriend! Though he hasn't seen Ashlyn since they were together in an orphanage on the other side of the world, I am certain they will fall in love, go to prom, and perhaps get married :) Of course I am kidding (kind of), but we are over the moon excited that they will get to see one another again and for me to meet Tracy, (her blog is here) who has been a treasured friend through our adoption of Ivan from Nizhny Novgorod.

So, as I said, things are changing. And the changes are feeling O.K. We certainly feel like we have our hands full, but our hearts feel very full as well. Sometimes change is good. Maybe even very good.