Such a joy...

We have now been home with Evan for 133 days. The scared little boy that we picked up at the orphanage that day has transformed into a tireless two year old, with limitless energy and enthusiasm that begins every day when he wakes up and doesn't subside until bedtime. No longer do we get the little baby cry when he wakes up in the morning. Instead, we get "mama...tu mere", or "daddy...I want out". His tantrums are extremly rare now and lead him to "time out" where he sits (as if his behind is glued to the floor) until we let him up. He wipes his eyes and says "no cwy", and then we get back to our activity as if nothing happened. He enjoys Thomas the Train, and he also understands that with TiVo, Mama and Daddy can never give the excuse that "it's not on right now". He loves to swim, ride in the golf cart, and go on walks with his mom. He explodes with excitement every time they go by a construction site. He loves anything that makes noise. He is almost completely potty trained now, with only the occasional accident, and even though it is an occurence that happens several times daily, he never hesitates to give himself a round of applause after a successful trip to the potty. We were warned throughout this process of the rough adjustments that many families face while the child becomes acclimated to his new surroundings, and while Evan is a two year old boy with a strong will and a hard head, he is such a joy to have home, and is completely adjusted.

My new favorite Evan story happened just a few days ago. He is recently recovering from a bout with strep throat. He woke us up crying late last Saturday night. Brandi and I got up and gave him medicine, sprayed his throat, and then put him in bed with us for a while. He cried and coughed pitifully until his medicine kicked in, at which time he became playful. Then, without any coaxing from us, put his hand on each of our faces and said "thank you mama, thank you daddy." as if to say...you fixed it.

He is begining to put words together to form sentences. His newest sentence is "I want____" not at all in a demanding way, just a sweet little boy telling you what he wants. He is loving school and looks so cute in his new school uniform.

Brandi completed her master's degree this month in Reading and Literacy Instruction but still has no desire to go back to teaching school. Right now she has the most important student she could ever have and is loving every minute of it.

On August 19th we went to the airport to welcome home the Groff family. Thank you all for praying for them. We met Anicka, and Evan was reunited with her. Evan instantly remembered her, they used to eat, play and sleep next to each other everyday. Evan began jabbering to her so fast...it was like he was saying "Welcome home, You are going to love it here....it is awesome." We have plans to visit them next week and can't wait.

Irkutsk Update: Our Judge, Judge Kotkina has retired and a new judge has been appointed. Her name is Mrs. Stepanova. Please continue to pray for families of Irkutsk and for the new judge also. With the new judge in office, we are hoping to hear of court dates soon.

Please leave us a comment, we enjoy reading them. Your comments will be part of this wonderful treasure for Evan one day.

The Hodges...family of 3!