Christmas time's a comin'!!!

And I am officially caught up on my blogging....for now anyway!!!

McAdenville Lights

On Friday night, December 4th, we went to McAdenville to see the lights. It is known as "Christmas Town USA". It's about an hour's drive for us, so we got there at 5:45pm, before the crowd hit. We were able to park and get out and walk up and down the streets and enjoy the lights up close and personal! We then got back in the long line of cars and was able to loop around and ride back through a second time. The boys really enjoyed it, and we did too!

Stephen's Party at Monkey Joe's

Well, this was almost a month ago, but I figured I'd get it on here eventually!! Stephen turned 3 on November 19, and we had his party on the 20th. We went to a seafood restaurant for dinner so the grandparents wouldn't have endure Monkey Joe's, which we went to after dinner for a 6:30-8:30 party with jumpin' fun and cake and ice cream! All the kids had a blast and Stephen thoroughly enjoyed himself, which was what counted the most!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Stephen!

I didn't have this blog 3 years ago while we were waiting and hoping for you, so I want to tell you your birth story:

Daddy, Silas and me were a happy little family of three. One day, I felt God's tugging on my heart that we should try to adopt again. Daddy took a little longer to convince! But, in February 2006, we made our 1st call to Christian Adoption Services in Matthews, NC. We really felt this was the place for us. We did our preliminary application, then attended our first info session on March 16th. We completed all of the paperwork necessary, a little easier this time since we had already done it once with your brother Silas! Mommy was SO sick all that year, I had Strep Throat 5 times and was sick through most of our time trying to get ready for a baby. I finally had my tonsils out on August 17th, and we went active into the pool of waiting couples on August 22nd. And so the official wait began. We went to the CAS golf fundraiser in Sept, and then a pre-placement workshop in Oct. The first week of November, Doris called from our agency and said that someone wanted to meet us. WOW!! We were excited! We didn't know any details until we arrived at the agency on Nov 6. That's when we met your birth mom, Nikole, and her mom Barbara for the first time. We talked for well over an hour and we all had a good feeling about the match. Nikole had the priveledge of telling us that you were a BOY and that you were due in ELEVEN days! WOW again!! We left the agency and hoped that they picked us to be your parents. We didn't know for sure until the next Monday when Silas and I went to visit with them, so they could meet him and see what your big brother would be like! He and Nikole (and you too!) slid down the slide at Chick-fil-A. So then we waited. You didn't come on your due date, but 2 days later on Nov 19th at 5:00 in the afternoon. We found out about your arrival the next day around 11:30am, so I had to call Daddy at work and let him know you had finally arrived! He was so excited he cried in his classroom right in front of his students. We went to the hospital the next day at noon and met you for the first time. You were SO tiny! We met Nikole's grandparents, Jim & Willie, they had come in from Savannah GA for your birth. It was hard on the family to let you go, but we promised them that we would love you with all our hearts and take care of you forever! We left the hospital at 5pm that day, in the worst downpour you could imagine! I was so nervous driving with you from Salisbury to home on the interstate, but God protected us as he always does. When Silas met you for the first time, he wanted us to put you in a cardboard box so he could play with you! We had to tell him that you had to grow a little before that would be possible!! And now, playing with your big brother is your FAVORITE thing to do! We can't believe how much you've grown! You are so loved by so many people and we are blessed to call you our son! WE LOVE YOU LITTLE BUDDY!!

CAS Family Day, Camp Walter Johnson

This past Saturday, November 14th, our adoption agency had family day at the Salvation Army Camp in Denton, NC. We had a great time, just as we did last year, and the weather was just WONDERFUL! We had lunch at noon, followed by all of the new families who have received placement this year introducing their new little ones. Lots of flowing tears as you see God's hand in the forming of many new families and growing of others. Praise Him for his blessings!!

Ups and Downs...

Wednesday I took Stephen to an evaluation to see if he will qualify for preschool services related to his speech delay. We no longer think he has a delay, but you know you do what the professionals tell you to do. He has been receiving weekly "Play Therapy" since before he turned two. He loves this time each week with Kelly, and has had a ball with her. In the last 6 months, he has gone from putting only two words together, to becoming a little conversationalist. He knows his colors, most of his shapes, and pretty much tells you anything you want to know. So, back to the evaluation. I guess a lot of the kids that the ladies at the evaluation center see are poor, disadvantaged kids, and that may be me making a BIG assumption. I don't say that to lessen their reaction to Stephen, but they were very impressed with him. The psychologist said that he has "a very high IQ" that he is "very smart for his age". If I recall correctly, she based it on his reasoning skills and his pretend play. Yes, of course we know this already!! So...no, he does not need any additional help before beginning school. The speech therapist said that the articulation that he is missing will come as he develops further. He can't do "f's" so fork is sork, goldfish is goldsish, you get the picture. Anyway, that was the up.

This is the down. Silas is majorly struggling with 2nd grade, mostly the reading. Problem is, you have to be able to read well to do EVERYTHING else...like math problem sheets, science, social studies, etc. He is "Zoning out" on his teacher. She says he has "serious attention issues". He is SO not interested in what is going on in the class. I/We really don't want to go down the A.D.D. road, because we don't think that's it. However, it may be that we have to just to get that angle eliminated (hopefully). He can sit and play a board game, pretend play for HOURS, and remember things I don't remember. But....we will just have to take it one day at a time. Thankfully he doesn't seem to hate school, so that's a good thing. He is so smart and creative and you just hate to squelch that in order to make him "conform" to the structure of school. If I wasn't working, we'd be homeschooling...

Fall is HERE!!

It's that time of year where the leaves are changing and we had to break out the winter clothes! The view of our backyard has been very pretty this year! The boys enjoyed some scooter time when we got home from church and I made them suffer through a photo session, which resulted in the new blog header---I took at least 15 shots to get the one on the header! That's boys for you!!

Our new screened porch...

We're SO excited our new addition is done! We have been able to enjoy it some before the weather turns cold. Our deck was old and splintered, we never used it because the sun stayed on it from 10 in the morning until sunset, so we bit the bullet and turned it into a screened in porch. The boys LOVE it, and have used it every afternoon it has been warm enough. It will be wonderful this Spring, we're glad we got it done so quick!

Stephen....the silly side!!!

Had a photo session for Stephen today, man I needed a sedative after that one! There's more poses, but I'm not posting those yet. I did this session so that Nikole could have some new shots for the birth mother retreat she is going on in Nov that is sponsored by our agency, Christian Adoption Services. I think she will like them!

Silas...the serious side!!

He said the photograher told him not to smile....I guess 2nd grade equals missing and crooked teeth? Of course we would not care, who knows why they do that????

Our 21st Anniversary!

Yes, we have now been married 21 years!! Quite a feat in this day and time. We have been through many things together, good and bad. We were married for 1 year when we threw out the birth control and said whatever happens, happens! Nothing happend. We never went down the path of Fertility treatments, I'm not real sure why, but we never felt the desire. The desire to become parents, however, did lay dormant in both of us for a while. We accepted Christ together in our home (with the help of some wonderful Godly men from a local church) on June 13th 1995. From that point we sought God's direction for our lives. Scott went on an international mission trip in 1998, we both went in 2000, then he went again in 2001. It was that month when he came home that God laid adoption on our hearts. Just 9 months later, we welcomed Silas James through a private adoption, on none other than June 13th, exactly 7 years to the day of our new salvation. WOW, isn't God's timing perfect? In early 2006 we once again started down the road to adoption. You guessed it, 9 months later came Stephen Josiah! We are so grateful that their birth mothers chose life for them and chose us to be their parents. Bekah & Nikole, you gave us the children of our hearts!
And so we travel this road of parenthood, at the ages of 41 & 46, with a bright 7 year old and a precocious almost 3 year old. We just have to sit back and smile and thank God for the life He has given us in Him! Praise the Lord!

Just for fun: I LOVE the Duggar family in Arkansas. They are expecting thier 19th child! I am glad the Lord has blessed them and often think "What would I do if I had 19 children?"---go insane! But just for fun, I tried to find 19 "S" names (since theirs are all "J") that I would use for that many kids (not that Scott would agree):
I'll start with the obvious: Silas, Stephen, Sophia, Samaria, Seth, Samuel, Samantha, Sarah, Selah, Shiloh, Summer, Savannah, Selena, Shayla, Sydney, Selwyn, Sierra, Skyler, Sullivan!

When boredom sets in...this is what happens!

We've settled into our new routine of school days, homework and bedtime again. It's familiar, yet hard to transition from the carefree days of summer (well, for the men of the family anyway, I was working all summer!). Silas is trying to adjust to the demands of second grade, which involves a LOT of reading which he does NOT like to do. I got a very sweet email from his teacher today (God Bless her) and she has vowed to work with him this year and do everything she can to get him where he needs to be! Praying for a successful year!!

1st day of Second Grade and 10th 1st day of Middle School!!!

Silas started 2nd grade today, he's growing up WAY too fast! His teacher is Mrs. Cindy Helms at Fairview Elementary, which is just 2 miles from our house. I think that she will be a good fit for Silas, she has 4 boys of her own! Scott is entering his 10th year of teaching middle school, he started in Sept 2000 as a Lateral Entry candidate and got his teaching credentials for Queen's University in Charlotte. This will be the second year he has taught "Public Speaking" to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders!
We're praying for a good school year for EVERYONE!!

Dan Nicholas Park (Again)

We went with Nikole and Barbara to Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury on August 10th. I have been too busy to post the pictures!! It was a very sweltering 97 degrees, but we managed to survive the day! It is so fun there, the boys love it. We went there on Silas' 1st grade field trip in May, so we had been wanting to take Scott with us, and it's in Salisbury where Nikole and Barbara live. We rode the carousel, the train, paddle boats, played in the water in the splash area, and made it through a half of a game of putt-putt. Poor Stephen was so hot he laid down on the course while we were waiting for the people in front of us to finish. That's when we figured out that he was DONE! We've decided that Fall will be a great time for our next visit there, when the temps are in the 70's!!

July Beach Trip

The Dobbins crew invaded the Dayton House at Myrtle Beach for a few days. Silas and Stephen loved splashing around in the walk-in pool and making laps in the lazy river. We made a few trips out and about. Silas enjoyed creating a new bunny friend at Build-a-Bear, while brother slept peacefully in his stroller. Stephen played on the movie theater steps while the rest of the family watched the action-packed film, "G-FORCE." One afternoon, Dad thought it would be a great idea to take Silas to the arcade "on foot." At the end of the never-ending journey, Silas proclaimed he would NEVER go there again "on foot", but instead would go "in car"! No trip to the beach is complete without a visit to Krispy Kreme---the boys donned their KK caps as they devoured their sprinkle-covered doughnuts. A new tradition was started as the family ventured out on the beach at night looking for crabs with flashlights in hands. No crabs were spotted, but we still enjoyed the hunt! It was quite a memorable vacation with fun for everyone!!!!

A day in the life....

The Architect....


The Wrecking Crew!!!

Dollywood, Pidgeon Forge, & Gatlinburg TN

We had a great time on vacation with the boys. We stayed at the Ramada Inn right in town and had a great view....of KFC, Krispy Kreme, and Cracker Barrel! We went to Dollywood on Tue and Thur, and went to Gatlinburg on Wednesday. We played Davy Crockett Mini-Golf for Stephen, as he is currently obsessed with it. The whole time he kept saying "Hit the golf!!!". We enjoyed the small hotel pool each evening after supper so we did not have to worry about sunburn.
Stephen is still talking about the beach from when we went at Spring Break. We go on our last vacation to the beach at the end of July, we're almost afraid to mention it, because he will drive us crazy until then. Life is busy with two wild boys!!

Happy Birthday Silas!!!!

On Silas' actual birthday (we had his party last weekend) we had his birthmom Bekah and her dad Stacy (G-Daddy) come over for lunch, along with Bekah's 2 children Taylor and baby Savannah. The kids all had fun playing together and we had a nice time chatting and reconnecting. Savannah slept through the visit!I made Silas some little mini bundt cakes with homemade peanut butter icing (I got the recipe off of the internet). Although they were not pretty, they were quite tasty. Of course Silas enjoyed licking the icing off of the beaters when I was done with the mixer!
We all can't believe this special little boy who is loved by so many is already 7!!

A VERY happy boy!!

Silas got off the school bus and we immediately had to put the newly charged battery in the 4-wheeler. He was off in a flash! I think he will get MANY hours of enjoyment out of it!! Hopefully he will take his brother a ride or two. As soon as he saw the 4-wheeler, he said "Stephen can have my Gator!!!". Thus the cycle of hand-me-downs for Stephen continues!

Field Trip to Dan Nicholas Park

I somehow managed to delete the slideshow I posted in May so I reposted it. Of course it is now out of order chronologically, but it is what it is!

Stephen had a blast hanging out with a bunch of 1st graders! The weather was great and we had fun! Can't wait to go back and take Dad with us!

Silas is 7 (almost)!

We had Silas' birthday party Sat June 6th, but his actual birthday is the 13th. He had his 4 best buddies from his class come-Braeden, Bohdie, Colby & Alex. He also had our parents and some of our friends as well. Everyone had a blast getting wet, riding our many vehicles, (battery powered and petal power), and killing a parrot pinata! His big present from us is a new battery powered 4 wheeler that he has wanted since he rode his friend Carissa's. Scott finally found one on Walmart.com and had it shipped to our local store. It's in process of charging so Silas is looking forward to riding it today when he gets home from school. I'll post those pictures later!

We cannot believe our little man is 7 already and a rising 2nd grader! Time goes TOO fast!

Easter time!!

We had a wonderful time at our church's Easter egg hunt in Waxhaw!

Silas really loved the animals, especially the baby goats.
It was a COLD Easter morning, but I made the boys where their new outfits anyway! Aren't they just the cutest little guys??!!!

The new man in my life...

Meet the new man in my life. His name is J.D. and it was love at first sight! He makes my life SO much easier. What used to take me 3 hours now takes me 1 1/2. That means I have more time to do the fun things in life, like take the boys to the park, go to our favorite restaurant

Chick-fil-A (lots of Polynesian sauce please) and hit Carowinds much more often!

Gotta love this man!!

Spring is coming!! Love these warm days...

Silas rode the bus home from school with his friend Carissa. They have been friends since birth. When Brenda laid Silas across her 6 month pregnant belly, Carissa started kicking furiously. We should have known then that they would be fast friends! Now that Carissa has a brother through adoption, I think that she will be a great and understanding friend to Silas as he grows and processes his adoption story through the different stages of his life. As adoptive parents we must try to provide our children with facts that surround their placements but also to surround them with support from other adoptive families. I am thankful that we have come to know many such families over the years and it has been very beneficial to share our stories and life lessons learned about how best to handle situations, both in the present and for the future.

That being said, the kids had a great time playing together!! When we got there to pick Silas up, Stephen readily jumped into the fun! As you can see, Garrison slept in Chris' arms and missed the whole thing! It won't be long though, and he'll be right in the midst of it all. Babies grow way too fast!