Almost 1 Year With Liam in Our Lives

Daddy brought hats back from his trip to San Antonio, Texas. Meet Annie Oakley and Daniel Boone!

Annie is pickin' and a grinnin'!

Sophie thought Liam's hat looked like something to chase and eat!

Liam continues to make great strides in his development. We had him evaluated by the public pre-school program. Children who are below developmental expectations qualify for free services in the free public school pre-school program. Guess what! Liam did NOT qualify!

I find that so amazing and so wonderful! They did offer 1/2 hour per week of speech from now until the end of the school year due to his poor articulation. They had told me that I would not be able to go into the room with him because there would be another little boy in the class and they had to be concerned about confidentiality. I explained his separation anxiety issues and she said that if the other mother didn't mind, I could sit outside the door. On his first day of class, I anxiously waited for the other mother to show up with her son, wondering if she was going to mind if I sat outside the door. Who walks in but my friend from our adoption book club and her almost 3 year old son adopted from Korea! We had already had one playdate for the boys where they didn't really play together, but at least they knew each other! We were both ecstatic. So Liam and his friend go to class each week while his mom and I sit outside the door and chat. Liam always says he doesn't want to go, but when he gets in there he has a great time. The boys work really well together. Liam is very verbal in class and interacts with the teacher so well - always remembering to say thank you and usually remembering to say please. (I owe this special ability to his foster family - I wish I had done as well with Kyra!) At the end of class, Liam comes trotting out with a big smile, "I did it Mommy! I did it!" I just loooovvvveeee him.

Liam likes to do a lot of other things in his growing list of accomplishments. He climbs like a monkey at My Gym. 11 months ago he couldn't even stay sitting up while going down a slide.

He can balance on 1 foot!

This is his first face! (We're still working on circles....)

His imagination continues to expand. Here, he's Kyra's baby doggy.

He has developed a love for music, instruments and singing...

Just in case you couldn't tell, this was his very own Amazing Grace/Twinkle, Twinkle Litte Star Medley - apparently performed near a much needed nap time. And how about that voice!

Ya gotta love it!!!!

Easter 2010

Easter 2009, Kyra colored eggs with the referral pictures for her new brother, Liam Cameron ShuLi Brown. That's all we had. Pictures and a name. We wanted the real thing!

Easter, 2010, Kyra colored eggs with the real thing!!! Kyra enjoyed having her brother here and Liam loved coloring eggs... and his hands... and the table... He could have dyed dozens of eggs!
On Saturday afternoon of Easter week-end, after dying eggs, we went to a neighborhood egg hunt. We took video, but forgot to take pictures. : ( Liam loved it though. He picked up his first egg and it rattled. He opened it and there was a Hershey kiss in it. Rather than run and find more eggs, he sat there, slowly peeled the wrapper off and ate it. By the time he had eaten the chocolate out of his first two eggs- there wasn't much left to find except plastic eggs that kids and already taken the candy out of and left the egg. Liam didn't care. He was happy to run around and pick up empty open eggs. Such a sweetheart.

Easter morning was fun for everybody! Kyra was thrilled with her Easter basket. She took her time taking out each item and enjoying each one.
Liam picked up his basket and immediately dumped it on the floor. Such a 3 year old. Such a boy!
His favorite surprise was a plastic egg that talks until you find it. "Here I am! Find me! etc..."

When you finally find it, you open it and there's a bunny inside that says, "You found me!"

Liam was fascinated with it!
After a healthy breakfast of chocolate eggs and dyed hard boiled eggs - we were off to church in our color coordinated clothes. I wanted Kyra and Liam to match, Kyra wanted me to match her and daddy just went along for the ride...with a roll of his eyes.
Sophie even had a pink bunny bandana!
Easter lunch was a brunch buffet complete with the Easter Bunny. After we ate, there was no one waiting to have their picture taken - Liam kept walking up and hugging the Easter Bunny's legs and laying his face in Easter Bunny's lap. Poor Easter Bunny! But Liam couldn't get enough of the big furry guy. It was too sweet for words and I could never, for some reason, capture it on camera.
So the color coordinated daddy and son...
and color coordinated mommy and daughter...
went home from brunch on this warm gorgeous Easter Day, changed into play clothes, and finally blew up Kyra's Christmas present - a GIANT ball that the kids could crawl inside of.

Daddy rolled them all over the yard.

It was a HAIR RAISING Easter!

We are truly blessed.

And finally, to truly appreciate our Easter, you must enjoy Liam's Chocolate Dance.

He truly is the real thing!