Fingerprints

Did you know that getting your fingerprints taken does not necessarily involve inkpads and cardstock?  It sure was news to me.  Brad and I got our electronic fingerprints taken today.  It was surprisingly quick and efficient and only involved putting your hands on a miniature computer scanner.  We actually had loads of time to spare today.  We would have had a date except we are trying to save money for a certain handsome little devil.  Here's to hoping that the rest of the adoption "hoops" are as easy to jump through as this one was!

Paperwork anyone?

We just got our load of paperwork for our homestudy and decided to have a paperwork party.  My Mom, Dad, Brad and I all got together and worked on it after the kids went to bed one night.  I wish I could say that we are done, but no such luck.  We did make a good dent in it though and if I could just remember all the addresses of every place we have lived for the past 28 years, we would be in good shape.  (Did I mention that we have moved 10 times in the past 5 years?)

We're Official!

Check us out at http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=brandon&x=0&y=0

January 9th

January 9th has always been a significant day in our family...it is my birthday. The past two years however it has taken on quite a new significance. January 9, 2008 was the day that we received Elijah's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. We tried to eat cake and Brad bought me orchids, but at that time I made a mental note to never celebrate my birthday again. By the time January 9, 2009 rolled around Brad and I paused to reflect on how much our lives have changed in just a year. Last year I spent my birthday with a confused, frightened and out of control son who gave me a nasty black eye during an especially violent tantrum on the long trip to the child psychologist in Singapore. This year, after intense therapy and even more intense prayer, my son did something that we weren't certain he would ever be able to do...he started school. Even 4 months ago Elijah panicked, fought and hid when we tried to leave him for a few hours with his grandparents. But on January 9th, he took his little school basket said "Bye Mama!" and walked right to the car for his daddy to take him to school. As he was going into school he paused and looked at his daddy and said "This is awesome!" Indeed it is. Feel free to pause and reflect on the goodness of our Lord.

Birthday Boy

Elijah turned 5 years old this past December 9th. The post is a bit late, but the party was wonderful. He just keeps getting cuter by the day!

Hibiscus and Orchid Park

Living in a large city with very few parks, even a large patch of grass creates an urge in us to pause and take a deep breath. This past weekend we took the kids to a nearby Hibiscus and Orchid park to at least feel like we were in the countryside again. Here is a picture that fails to do the park justice, but is pretty cute of Elijah and Anna.