Spectacular Seven!

 

This little ray of sunshine is 7 today. I can barely believe it.

Macy is our sweet and kind girl with a little bit of spice mixed in.

She loves to be with her friends and is happiest when everyone is together.

She is tackling 1st grade with courage and we are so proud of how she has adjusted to all the changes this year.

She is the best big sister to Maggie and knows what buttons to push with her big brothers.

Macy loves dancing and singing, and riding her bike with her friends. She loves to color and paint.

She loves to bake and make pancakes with her Daddy.

Macy is a lover of bugs and butterflies. She especially loves worms! She is not afraid to get into the dirt and  dig around. She also loves watering her little garden and the flowers.

Macy is funny and silly. She makes us laugh all day long.

We love her laugh!

Macy loves to be outside, playing with her friends. 

Macy loves fashion and make-up and loves to practice putting it on, even if her Dad is not a fan of the make-up part!

Miss Macy, we love you so much! We are so glad you are ours.

You light up our world.

Happy 7th Birthday, sweet girl!

3 Years! Happy Gotcha Day!

 Oh, our sweet girl. We met your serious little self 3 years ago today and our lives have never been the same.

No longer serious, your smile is contagious.

You are a light in our life and we can't imagine or remember a world without your silly little giggle.

We love how you tackle a challenge with determination.

That determination has served you well, and will take you far in life...even if it makes things a bit challenging on mom and dad right now!

You are thriving and we are so proud of your hard work.

You are fully attached to your family, and love to spend time with your sister and brothers.

You absolutely LOVE to sing and dance, especially to Disney's Zombies and Frozen.
Your favorite thing to do is stand directly in front of the t.v and mimic every single dance move. Usually you are in your preferred clothing attire, a swimsuit.

You like to do things by yourself, changing your clothes multiple times a day!
Only when you are tired do you want help from mom.

Life is strange and chaotic right now. Lots of masks, and distancing and pandemic stuff. We are not sure what the fall will hold for you, but we are sure you will work hard at preschool and with your speech therapy.

You love animals and to explore the world around you.
Playing with your dolls and Barbies is your favorite thing to do!

This shows some of your favorite pastimes, eating snacks and sleeping, all in one photo!

We couldn't image our world without your fun, sweet, silly self!!

 On August 7th, 2017, we first laid eyes on you. It was one of the most impacting, spiritual and profound days of my life.
The only other time I can remember feeling this way was when I married your dad.
You were placed in my arms and we were charged with caring and loving you for the rest of your life.
We will always honor the great sacrifices that others have made for you. We will always honor your beginnings, your country and your heritage.
While we gained a daughter that day, you lost everything that you had ever known.
This is something that we will never take for granted, gloss over or ignore.

Adoption is a broken hallelujah. Beauty from ashes.
It changes you.
It refines you.
It is pain and loss and beauty and life.
It is the acknowledgment of all of these, the acceptance of these complicated emotions, and yet, it is Grace defined.

We are so glad that we got you.

We love you, our Maggie Li Ya Fedell.

If you want to read more about Maggie's adoption and our process, you can check out the links below.

 Post-Adoption:

Post-Adoption: Month 2

Post-Adoption: Month 3

Post-Adoption: Month 4

Post-Adoption: Month 5

Post-Adoption: Months 6&7

Post-Adoption: Month 8

Post-Adoption: Month 9&10

Post-Adoption: 15 months-The Half!

Post-Adoption: 18 months

China Pack: Reunited

2 years!Happy Gotcha Day!

China Posts:

Day 1-3

Day 4

Day 5-Gotcha Day

Day 6-Adoption Day

Day 7&8

Day 9&10

Day 11&12

Day 13 &14

Other Adoption Posts:

We Are Ready

Kids Need Families

Daddy: An Adoption Post by Ryan

Elephants and Orphans

And then the phone rang

Her Name Is

Ten-tastic!!

 Oh, Colin. You are ten now. A full set of fingers on both hands. Your first foray into double digits.

You have handled this year with steadfastness and grit. You challenged yourself with new interests, stepping greatly outside your comfort zone.

This year, you tackled Invention Convention and amazed us with the time, precision and dedication that you and your team invested into your invention. It was inspiring to see just what the next generation can achieve. 

 You showed your leadership skills, both in not getting a much-wanted position at school and by working hard and not giving up when you wanted to achieve the next leadership position that you applied for.

You ended your elementary years in a midst of a global pandemic. You had to ride in a car to be clapped out, instead of walking the halls one last time.

You met your new normal of virtual schooling at home with quiet acceptance. Every morning, you would wake up, get dressed, do your hair, work out with PE with Joe and then tackle your daily school work without complaint (well, 95% of the time without complaint!)

 You are funny and silly and we love to spend time with you.

 You have discovered a great love of reading and have been devouring books left and right. We can barely keep up with your supply demand!

You are kind to those around and you look out for others. Now, extend that kindness to your sisters, please!

You are brave and will try new things. You even jumped off a cliff this summer, even though it was scary and new.

You still love soccer above all things, even when you can't really play.

You never complain about working in your 6'x6' grid, even though I know you are anxious for competition. You just put in the work. I know that skill will serve you well in life.

 You are going to venture into a new school, though we are not sure what exactly that will look like.

I know that, regardless, you will try your best.

 We are proud of you, Colin.

I know that one day your stubborn determination will serve you well, even when that same determination tests my own limits.

Happy 10th Birthday, my love.

I can't wait to see what is in store for you in the coming year.

We love you so!

Twelve-tastic

My baby is 12 today. One year shy of teenage hood.

  Jack is outgoing and loud.

He loves to be with his friends, on the go, involved in everything.

I can't get him to take a nice serious picture and he enjoys harassing his old mom like that.

He is a great big brother, and even if he won't admit it, loves to be around his siblings.

Jack is creative and enjoys collaborating.

He is our little night owl, who loves to stay up late, watch movies and sleep in late.

We are so proud of you and look forward to seeing you tackle middle school this year. 

Jack loves to be involved in all things, soccer, basketball, DI and more. This year, he is taking a cooking class in school and he is looking forward to that!

We love you, our funny, silly son. You keep our lives interesting and full of laughter!

Keep befriending those around you, no matter who they are. Keep sticking up for those who are picked on. Keep voicing your thoughts and feelings. Keep the Lord in your heart and continue to remain sensitive.

Happy Birthday, Jack.

We love you so!