Oh, the things kids say and do.....

Just had to jot down a few of the more precious things coming out of my kids mouths these days....

Katie.

Oh, boy. Today we are headed to school and Katie is just chatting me up like usual when she exclaimed something (can't even remember in response to what) that I'd never heard before......"Well, blast my khakis!"

After I stopped snorting with laughter, I asked her to repeat what she said, which she did, and then I had to laugh again! The rest of the convo went something like this...

Me: Katie, are you sure you want to say that?
K: Why? I think it's funny.
Me: Have you thought about what that means?
K: No, what does it mean?
Me: Well...it sounds like you are saying something about blowing your pants off, ya know, like poopin' out your pants!?!
K: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Later on this evening - we are going to the car after our sign language class, and she stops suddenly and says, "Whoa. I gotta go!" And, of course I couldn't help myself and told her, "Just don't blast your khakis!" We had quite the giggle on the ride home. She also proceeded to spit out such terms as "opposite regurgitation", etc...and I told myself that maybe my almost ten year old needs to be in advanced placement vocabulary. At least she doesn't feel compelled to go around saying 'poop', and 'tooty' like someone else I know....

Okay, you caught me. Of course I'm talking about Carter! Carter says hilarious things on a daily basis - and darn my incredibly lame memory, I rarely remember a single one. Today was just all around entertaining as he informed me of his deep fears of 'octopuses and tormadoes' (no spelling error;)). Also, apparently there are some underwater fire crabs that will kill you if you step on them. Not to hearken back to the whole sea monsters post - but I'm thinking the water theme is going a bit too far. Farewell, Spongebob.

Natalie - little punkin - has been discovered to LOOOVE ice cream. In fact, we sat on the floor today with a pint of Haagan Daz trading bites for words. She said 'more', 'mama', 'bye-bye', 'dada', and 'Carter'. They sound a bit like 'moh', 'mama' (that's a goodie:)), 'bu-bu', 'ah-ah', and 'ah-oo'- but darnit - I'll take it!! It's so adorable to see her trying so hard to talk. She is doing so incredibly well. Sunday was our 6 month anniversary:). She has had her hearing aids for 4 months, and so her progress has been phenomenal!! It is so amazing to see the changes in her. She is becoming more sensitive and girly, and is becoming a MAJOR Daddy's girl! She has been watching me sign our prayers at dinner, and has recently been signing prayers. I must catch it on video, she looks like the sweetest little evangelical preacher you ever did see. ;) She is signing like a champ, and strings many words together now. She's also responding very well to vocal directions, even without signs, and we have great hope and expectation that she will be talking in the next year or two. Right on track.:)

All is well - and may tomorrow see happy khakis for one and all!

A January Update

January update on Natalie

New Cousin

Natalie celebrated the arrival of a new cousin. She is enamored with her little baby cousin. Anytime she sees the baby, she signs, “baby” and asks that we “share” the baby and let her hold the baby. She is very gentle with little ones and loves to greet them wherever we go.

Christmas

She became very interested in identifying anything related to Jesus, and then would sign Jesus. She enjoyed when we read and acted out Luke chapter 2 with friends. She definitely knew that it was a special time of year. When she came downstairs and saw the presents she starting smiling, giggling, and then rolled on the floor ad jumped up. She was very appreciative, giving hugs and kisses, and running around signing, “I love you” to everyone. For Christmas she got a Dollhouse, indoor trampoline, and other items.

Birthday

A few of her little friends came and we had lunch and played in the backyard. When she saw the cake and candles she knew exactly what to do (we think because she remembered her brother’s birthday). We sang and signed happy birthday, then she blew out the candles and when everyone started clapping it then dawned on her that this celebration was for her! Her smile got bigger and she started laughing.

Pictures of her Birthday Party
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51441&id=1224591204&l=4171668fc0

School

She began attending ½ day of school for the Deaf. It’s a total communication program that teaches sign language and vocal speech. Her first day she ran to the front door of the school and was eager to go to the classroom (she had visited a few times before). Her teacher is phenomenal (also adopted two children). We watched through the window while they were in wellness/physical education. It was a hoot, one of the activities was walking in a circle to the song “Single Ladies” by Beyonce, when the music stopped they would get on all fours and make a bridge. Every morning she is excited to go to school.

During the holidays we went to a friend’s house to relax in their hot-tub and some of the kids decided to jump into the very freezing pool. Next thing we know Natalie is dipping her toes in the pool, and asking us to hold her hand and jump in, which we did. She is a bundle of energy and adventure.

Natalie has had her second hair cut. She was getting a mullet, the back was long and the sides and front was short. We think her hair is growing so fast because she is eating so well.

Natalie continues to thrive.

Midnight Ramblings

Well, I guess I need something to do since my kid is rolling around happily in MY bed. Sleep would have been the first option, but I guess you can't have everything.
Sigh.

Thought I would post a few pics of recent happenings for any interested parties. Enjoy!

No really, we're bloggers now! (Tracey)

Well, dang. I think I intended to be a bit more regular in my blog entries....remember that whole, "it's about family history" thing I blabbed about when we first started out? Yeah. Oh, well. No use crying over spilled milk (and trust me, there is a lot of that around here).

So! In the latest news from the Lowe household, Katie has discovered skinny jeans (!) and is looking forward to moving into her own room again. Renovations are underway this week while my contractor (aka 'MOM') is in town. What is up with her being an almost 10 year old 18 year old already? I'm so lucky she is such a good, obedient, sweet, funny daughter.

Katie recently had a haircut that she is not too fond of - although I would trade both the hairs on my head for her thick shiny locks...be they 2 inches or 10! Thank you, Grandma Moses, for passing down your gorgeous hair to my daughter. I will one day forgive the oversight that happened at my birth.

Carter on the other hand has been VERY busy planning sea monster hunting expeditions. Apparently, we are to have a new family business on the front lawn that involves selling "sea monster burgers and light lemonade". Just FYI, our little marketing genius has already set the price for these culinary delights at $2. I don't know for sure what the nutrition label will look like for such a delectable morsel of sea monster goodness - but I would imagine the calorie count is to be offset by the light lemonade. Brilliant combination, Carter.

In other big Carter news - I actually saw my son wear a T-SHIRT today. I know, I know - seems insignifcant....but not when he has worn "handsome clothes" for the last several months. I'm pretty sure he finally got sick of waiting for me to iron his button down shirts. Just one more way he's like his Daddy.....:)

Little Miss Natalie has officially started school! The bus comes to pick her up in the morning around 7am, and drops her off again around 12:30pm. She is doing amazing!!! She runs out, well, hops out, to the bus in the morning - and blows kisses to the bus when it drops her off in the afternoon. She has been learning like crazy already and I'm continually amazed by what a sponge she is! I can already see how being in that kind of constant communication environment has been good for her. She is trying to use her signs more - and really seems to understand a lot more verbal communication. Just amazing! Now we just need to get girlfriend potty-trained!

Natalie's new favorite game is hide and seek. She LOVES to have me hide, and then I call her name or sing a song until she finds me. She gets excited every time - it is very, very cute. She is such a little love bug - and loves, loves, loves her Daddy!! She also loves to wrestle with Carter....those two are like two peas in a pod. In fact, we refer to our children now as Katie and the 'twins'. I've never seen two kids who like to poke, tickle, smack, tackle, zerbert, shove, dance, jump, or make messes more than they do! We mostly have to roll our eyes and buy lots of band aids when they start in on eachother. It's adorable how they love eachother.

Alright! I guess that's it for tonight! When the wrists and hands start to numb up - it's time to call it good! Until next time.......

Tracey

Our Family Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas!

We can hardly believe it is that time of year again – and what a lot of changes and happenings we have had! If you’ve already glanced at the photo, you may have noticed our biggest news of the year – our new little daughter Natalie!

Our sweet Natalie Kristina was born in Moscow, Russia on January 9th, 2007. She was brought home to our family on August 28th this year – and we haven’t sat down since! :-) Natalie is a ball of happiness and energy. She is such an amazing little girl – and we have been so incredibly blessed to become her parents and sister and brother. The story of her adoption is in itself quite a miracle, and if you would like to read the whole story (trying to keep the letter to a one (or two) pager :-), see http://loweandbehold.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-n-stuff.html for all the crazy, wonderful, miraculous details! More details on the little lady are found below…..read on for the Lowe family recap of ’09!

Denny…..oh, Denny. What a great guy. Our fearless leader has had quite a year! Not only does he work his tail off for IBM, but he also found time to do some awesome mountain biking with buddies at Palo Duro Canyon and other various Austin locations BEFORE having a major accident and a surgery due to the aforementioned mountain biking. I think he would tell you that most of March, April, May, and June are a bit of a haze. Ever the overachiever – we are proud of Denny for basically ripping his shoulder apart without breaking any bones. Even the doctors don’t understand it! But considering his 36 years with no cavities, we are beginning to think that he has teeth and bones that are made of titanium. In all seriousness – he was really a trooper through it all. Beyond that, Denny has been an amazing husband, father, Ward Mission Leader and was recently called to be in the Bishopric of our Ward. While I miss him terribly during that first hour of church when he is seated on the stand – I know he loves hearing Natalie squawk in the audience, and more than likely enjoys watching me wrestle her and Carter in my quiet, dignified way (ha!). Notice I didn’t group Katie in the wrestle fest…..for good reason!

Katie…..oh, Katie. Our sweet 4th grade, 9 ½ year old angel. Katie has been the most helpful, understanding, comic relieving child this year. We just love her! She has stayed busy with Tae Kwon Do (about to test for her brown belt), being elected to student council at school, and singing in the school choir. She has been teaching herself how to play the piano (no lie), and plans to start dancing again after the first of next year. Katie is queen of comic one liners in our household, and truly wise beyond her years. I personally do not know how we could have handled having an instant toddler in our midst without her help and loving personality. We are so incredibly proud of her! She would probably say that some of her highlights for the year were being able to see so many of her cousins at our family reunions in Utah and Oregon this summer, as well as the visits from our family throughout the year. It was a special time in October when all our family came to Texas for the sealing of Natalie to our family in the San Antonio temple, and I know that it is a special memory for Katie, and….who? Carter, of course!

Carter….Oh, Carter. The Big 5. Five years of energy, love, and profound statements rolled into the cutest blond haired, blue eyed package. Carter has grown into a BOY this year – and while I miss his chubby cheeks, it has certainly been fun to watch him grow up! He loves playing outside with friends, legos, playing outside with friends, playing outside with….oh, did I say that already? I think I should just pitch him a tent outside. He started Tae Kwon Do as well, and played his first year of t-ball and indoor soccer. One of the other highlights of the year has been watching Carter really enjoy dressing himself. He likes to dress “handsome”. Now, we are okay with the fact that it was initiated by a comment made by a little girl in his preschool class, but he has really taken it to a new level! Carter likes to wear suits, ties, blazers, belts, “church shoes”, sweater vests, and has recently been requesting some “re-spenders”. The first thing he does in the morning is get up and get dressed from head to toe in some fabulous creation. It is quite entertaining to see what he will come up with. I’m pretty proud that 99% of the time I don’t have to send him back up to change….but, oh, that 1%. We LOVE our Carter. And Carter has an energy soul twin named…..Natalie!

Natalie….oh, Natalie. Or Nattie. Or Nachito. So many names for our little blond cherub. Natalie has grown and progressed so much since August 28th, it has been amazing to see. She came to us knowing about 3-4 signs (she is deaf), and now knows probably close to 100! She has been in her hearing aids for almost 6 weeks, and can say “mama”, “wa” (for water), and a bunch of other crazy sounds we haven’t heard before. Girlfriend is smart!!! She loves to be outside. Remember how I said I should pitch a tent for Carter? Well, Natalie would just plain sleep under the stars. Going outside is the first thing she wants to do in the morning (after eating a cheese stick), and she would literally stay out all day if we let her. She takes us on long marches all around the neighborhood, waves to everyone we see, looks at the dogs, and tries to visit everyone by knocking on their front doors. Everywhere we go she has people wrapped around her little finger! She loves to jump on the trampoline, and play any kind of physical game….wrestling, high flying acrobatics, feats of gymnastic skill – you name it. She is a complete mimic, and we really have to watch what we do because she will immediately do exactly what we are doing. It has really brought the whole “be a good example” lecture to a new level at our house. We are so very grateful that the Lord saw fit to bless us with such a special daughter. Since I am the mother of that special daughter, I guess it’s my turn.

Tracey…..oh, Tracey. Will you ever fix your hair again? Remember when you could go to the bathroom alone? These and so many more questions are quite a representation of my life for the last few months. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world!! I feel like the luckiest woman alive to have such a wonderful husband, beautiful, healthy children, loving family, and kind friends. I have learned some invaluable lessons this year, and I find that I have become more joyful, more grateful, and more reliant on my Heavenly Father. What more is there really to say? Life is good – and it’s because of wonderful friends and family like you that it keeps getting better.

We hope your families are well and happy, and that you are finding all the blessings you can handle. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope that your 2010 is full of new adventures and lots of happiness.

Love,

Denny, Tracey, Katie (9), Carter (5), and Natalie (almost 3!) Lowe

A December Update

Below is the December update on Natalie, that we sent to the caregivers that brought her to the United States.

Natalie’s hair is now long enough to have pigtails, though she is quick to remove the rubber bands.  She was a cup cake fairy for Halloween, and had a hard time keeping the rubber bands in her hair, but she sure looked cute. Recently she has worn pigtails for almost the entire day which is a small miracle.

Natalie continues to love to walk outside and visit neighbors. She will sign to people that she knows well, “hello friend, I love you”. She continues to love dogs and will now pet them, and has even taken one for a walk. She is very loving and caring. She is quick to notice if anyone has a scratch or scrape then point and sign “hurt” and want to kiss it better.

Natalie is very physically strong, flexible, and has great balance and coordination. She can flex arm hang from a bar longer than most any girl her age or older. She can arch her back and bend backwards to a great degree, she can also almost squat while doing the splits. While an adult is laying on their back she can stand on their hands while she is bench pressed up and then she will balance standing on their hands, touch her toes and stand back up. She also loves to catch and throw balls. It is amazing that she can do all of this so well.

Natalie likes clothes; she will go from loving to dress up, with accessories including a purse to wanting to be half naked. One day while we were dressing her she jumped up and starting running around the house, wearing only red underwear. We laughed that she looked like a little Nacho Libre (movie with Jack Black).

Natalie is typical of a child her age in that she is curious about everything. She wants to know how everything operates. She likes to climb around in our cars and push every button. She likes to try every switch and button on every machine/appliance she can find. She recently likes unplugging and plugging in the lights on the small Christmas tree in the playroom.

We went to the zoo and she was delighted to see the animals, especially those that she knows the signs for. A pot belly pig oinked at her and she oiked right back. Her first verbal communication with an animal, it was hilarious. She was giddy to feed the goats, lamas, alpacas, and deer. She also tried to eat one of their food pellets.

We went camping and Natalie loved hiking around and sleeping in the tent. She naturally loves to explore so she was in her element. She woke up in the tent with a huge smile.

We have noticed that we barely watch TV, because we are always playing. Natalie loves playing with us and her siblings. Our son affectionately calls her, “baby” and is very protective of her. Our oldest daughter and Natalie are, “loving Sisters”, they continue to share a room and play well together. Natalie has made friends with our friend’s daughters and sons. She has her own friends and some appear to already be her best friends.

Natalie has worn her hearing aids a few times for almost half the day, including while in the car (would always want them off while in the car). She has made the sound “wa, wa” for “water” and she can imitate the play sound of car, “brrrrrrrrrrrr”

A few days ago she heard Jesus sung in a Christmas song and then unprompted looked up and made the sign for Jesus. This is the second word after Mama that she heard/recognized and signed without prompting.

Natalie continues to thrive.

A November Update

Below is the November update on Natalie, that we sent to the caregivers that brought her to the United States.

Natalie is doing extremely well. She is very healthy. She sleeps and eats well and has even become a pickier eater. She loves to eat fruit, certain vegetables, sliced meats, cheeses, and breads. First thing in the morning she wants her vitamins and breakfast.

Natalie is very active and loves the outdoors. She frequently asks for her shoes so she can go outside to play and walk around the neighborhood. She loves dogs and fears them, always wants to visit them and throw balls, but has only petted a few dogs. She enjoys bouncing on the trampoline and is quite the gymnast.

Indoors Natalie loves tumbling, play-doh, puzzles, legos, arts and crafts, and reading books. She wants to try everything on her own and do what her siblings are doing too.

Natalie is potty training right now. She is very close to being potty trained and has no issue using the potty. She loves her bath time. She is not afraid of the water and loves to splash around. One of her favorite things to do is put lotion on after she is finished with her bath.

Natalie is playing well with other children. She is not afraid to make friends wherever she goes. She knows she is part of our family and has bonded very well. She looks to us as her parents for comfort and reassurance and loves her siblings. She has expressed concern about strangers. All in all her behaviors are age appropriate.

Natalie had another ABR and confirmed she has moderate to severe hearing loss. She has had a few other tests; Hearing Booth, CT Scan (all good), and Play Based Assessments etc. All doctors state that she is in great health and is meeting her developmental milestones with hearing and speaking excluded.

Natalie loves to communicate, she knows about 100 signs, and we have noted about 60 that she signs spontaneously. Her communication skills improve daily. An Early Childhood Development Therapist visits once a week. She will begin attending school in January and has visited her school a few times.

Natalie has had her hearing aids for about 4 weeks. For about the first week she would only wear them for about 5 - 15 minutes (she liked to rip them out). Now she will wear them for about an hour or two at best. She is much quieter with her hearing aids. She knows her name in sign language, but not spoken. A few days ago she started saying Mama, and is getting close to saying Da da.

Natalie continues to thrive.