Year in Review, 2013

I have stayed so busy through the Holidays that I really haven't spent much time yet reflecting on 2013.  So, here are the highlights and lowlights...

After opening the Hong Kong program through Lifeline just before Christmas 2012, January and February were very busy months at work.

Me in Hong Kong with one of the amazing
social workers at Mother's Choice, Janice.

It was so fun to approve applications for our very first Hong Kong families. What a joy it has been to walk alongside them throughout this past year!
(You know who you are!!) 

Having an active role in bringing children into their forever families is so rewarding!

Me, Connor (with his tongue out!), Cameron and Cooper alongside
 two very precious adoptive mamas, Amy & Connie!

On the home front was a whirlwind of last minute adoption fundraising and international travel as we brought our newest sons, Connor and Cooper home in March.

Connor's Gotcha Day!
March 11, 2013

Cooper's Gotcha Day
March 13, 2013

It is mind-boggling to me that they will have been home a year in 3 short months!

The Spring all but vanished from view in the "adjustment period" for our new family of 7!

I did take a quick trip to TN last Spring to attend the 2013 Annual Orphan Summit in Brentwood.

It was an amazing time!

My first SUMMIT!  I was a little excited to be there!

My precious SC friends helping our comrade, Dan Cruver, set up for his meeting. 

Dr. Karen Purvis
up close and personal

We had fun taking "Ipad Jess" around the conference
with us since she couldn't be there in person.

David Platt and me!
Will never forget his preaching that night, it was so great!

Watch out, Charlie's Angels!
Why yes, that IS Nicole C. Mullen and me!

The incomparable Dave Wood with me and Sharon Lyon!

Adeye Salem and me!
Such a precious lady, Christ follower, adoptive mama and orphan advocate!

The Summer of 2013 was hot. 

Very hot! 

Our best summer activity was when all 5 boys joined Agape do Karate!  They have done so well and we just love the Christ-honoring, family atmosphere there!

Connor, age 14, on test day!

Tommy, age 9, on test day.

Sadly, my most prominent memory of this past summer was the day that my littlest, Cooper, wanted to learn to ride a bike. 

Hard as I tried, I really couldn't do justice to this simple request. Try as I might to ignore the truth, I had gained so much weight throughout the course of the previous two years, eye-ball deep in one adoption after another, that I couldn't handle the taxing task of running behind my child's bike in June!

I tried. I did. I wanted to be "that mom" that could hang with her kids.  But, sadly, these good intentions practically caused a heat stroke. 

I wish I could say that this was the wake up call that I needed, but it wasn't. No, I blamed my troubles on the heat in Charleston. It was just too hot to be bike riding, right?  

The weeks that followed were filled with busyness and other excuses why I didn't have "time" to help Cooper learn to ride that bike. 

The whole summer came and went and my 10 year old was the only one of our 5 boys who could not ride a bike. #momfail! 

July was the month when Colin and I traveled to Long Island, NY to help rebuild homes damaged earlier in the year by Super Storm Sandy.

What an amazing trip that was!  Colin and I had some good time bonding and we did a LOT of work. 

Of course, it happened to be the hottest week in July NY has seen in years, but who noticed?

I stayed on this porch most of the week because I couldn't handle the direct sunlight, but it was a blessing to serve and we had a marvelous time!

August brought a new home for our family, a hand wrapped gift straight from the Lord!

Much work was ahead, but it was one of those "chores" that changed things in our home.

In September, as we were having our big "move day" weekend coming up, Tom and Colin (without my knowledge) decided to move a refrigerator over to the new house. This proved to be a "stress test" of sorts for Tom's heart, a test that he failed!

Within a half hour, I learned that he was having chest pains and off to health first we went!  Fast forward and Tom is in an ambulance, and on his way to the Cardiac Care unit at our local hospital, and immediately scheduled for a heart cath.

In the midst of all that chaos, I had the privilege of assisting in Lifeline SC's very first domestic adoptive placement!
 (Let's agree that it was a hectic month!)

Even the excitement of our annual Lifeline Staff Retreat held each October was not enough to get me to pay attention to my health though.

While nothing could truly take away the joy of being with my co-laborers in ministry for three days (I LOVE those people!), it was tough to be there, a year after my last trip and be even heavier and more unhealthy than before.

But that was the beginning of the end. 

(The end of my unhealthy life, that is!)

I didn't even know it at the time. 

Just 2 weeks after returning home from that annual trip, I learned about Isagenix!  I wasn't certain if I'd ever really learn how to eat and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I wasn't sure I wanted to badly enough. But that was mainly because I still thought that "healthy" meant "depriving". 

That's where I was so wrong!

November was my first month of truly healthy eating- probably ever!

It was also the month three of our boys were baptized! What a special day this was for our family!

Cameron 

Cooper

Tommy

We also had a wonderful visit over the Thanksgiving holiday from Tom's oldest daughter, Krisha and her family.

So, despite the way that 2013 started, it ended Soooo much better!

The kids are adjusting well.

God provided us with a new house for our growing family.

Tom caught his heart issues just in time and is doing well.

The Lord has blessed our SC office with some amazing staff!

And I am healthier and having more fun with all the craziness that comes with being the only female in our home than ever before! 

PS... I can chase a bike now!

Thank you, Isagenix! 
I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for our family in 2014!

First Month Home- Connor & Cooper

Adjustment is never easy.

 

We don't like change, none of us, admit it.

 

Well, the kind of change that our two newest boys have experienced is among the most challenging.

 

Even for the most well adjusted child (which internationally adopted children are not), moving across the world with total strangers who speak a different language and look funny is overwhelming to say the least.

 

In the last month we've had lots of smiles, LOTS of noise, and yes, some tears.

 

But, despite some rough days...

 

they are handling it like champions!

The new boys jumped right into their English lessons shortly after arriving home.

We started with Leap Frog.


I know it is a little young for boys this age, but I have found nothing else that does as good a job teaching the letters and their sounds in a way that is so easy to remember.

Here is Cameron drilling the new boys on their sounds...

 

We already had our Homeschool version of Rosetta Stone (English) so we added two more accounts on there and they began to learn how to navigate this program.

It really is very easy to manage and does not require them to understand any English to get started.

Side note:  While all 4 of my adopted boys claimed to know the English alphabet when they came home, they didn't know ANY of the sounds that each letter made.  What they could do was recite the ABC song.  That was it, so if you are in process to bring home an older child who has had English in school since the 1st grade, don't set your expectations too high. Start from the beginning.

Once they mastered the sounds of each letter, we start in to the K book of Hooked on Phonics.

 Again, a little on the young side, but so far, no complaints and they are doing amazingly well!

Now that I am back to work full time, Tom is leading the reading, talking and handwriting instruction.

So, what else has the Rylands crew been up to?

Well, there was Easter Sunday...



a short trip up to Granny's farm...

 

a few hoops with another adoptive family

 

Our first visit to the local
Chinese restaurant...




An arsenal of nerf bullets flying near and far...



Our first bike riding lessons led by big bro, Colin...

Lots of family movie and game time,
complete with hand holding and cuddles!

 

 

 

 

 This video is from our "game night" when Cooper and Connor learned Farkle for the first time.
ADORABLE ALERT!

A little silliness from Connor at dinnertime is a common occurrence.

 

 

This next video is a little slice of "normal" around here...

 

 

Look who traded seats with Colin so he could sit next to Mom for family devotions...

 

Our most recent family movie night was great!

Cooper came over and cuddled into the recliner with his mama!

 

So, you may ask...how does Tommy feel about this new cuddle buddy of mine?

 

See for yourself!

 

 

 

Another fun activity is when Tom brings the boys down to my office to say hello.

 

They just get so excited about coming to see Mom and sharing what they've learned that day.

 

The first time they came by, each boy recites,
 "Hello Mom. How was your day?"
(with big smiles on their faces!)

Tom is very pleased with the effort that they are putting into their reading, Rosetta Stone and their handwriting.

But, there is plenty of time for fun too!
Thanks to our dear friend, Ms. Julie, the boys now have a huge pile of Legos! 

Here's to hours of quiet fun!

These are just a few of the things we have been up to as a family since adding to our crew.