One Big Happy {Back to School} Moment!
It’s Back to School time, y’all!! Can you believe it?! This summer has flown by for us, especially since we spent 4 weeks of it in Latvia! :)
Believe it or not, my boys were ready to go to school. They were looking forward to seeing their friends. It makes it a lot easier on me, since I will be missing them.
Luke is in 9th grade this year, and Jonathan is a junior. I love having them together in the same school again. :)
Eli is in third grade, and Sania Louise will be staying home with me so I can homeschool her. She was NOT happy that all of the boys were getting new school supplies, and she wasn’t. But I promised her I would get her some when we started school at home.
Adam is in 7th grade. Say wha?! How did this happen?
He is growing up waaaaay too fast! He and Sania Louise are super close, so it is killing him to be away from her during the day. He can’t wait for her to get up each morning before he goes to school so he can give her a big hug.
And you should see the lovefest that goes on when the boys get home from school. They RUN to see Sania Louise and there are hugs and kisses galore. She is ecstatic to see them as well. That is my ONE BIG HAPPY MOMENT for sure.
One thing that everyone says when they meet Sania Louise is that they can’t believe how much she looks like our family. Yep. We can’t either. Total God-thing. I am always blown away how much she looks like Eli. They could totally pass for biological siblings, and can you believe they were born only TWO DAYS APART?!
It has been a beautiful thing to watch Sania Louise become a part of our family. Every day I see her opening up, just like a flower blooming, and you can see her starting to accept and realize that she has a forever family.
One thing I know for sure…she will never go a day without her brothers’ love. They adore her and LOVE having her as their sister.
Last night, Jonathan, Adam, and I lay in bed with her and made up bedtime stories together. There was a ton of laughter and hugs. I watched in pure delight as she lay in bed with all of us around her. How must that feel? She has all the attention she could ever ask for on her now, and just months earlier, she must have wondered if anyone even knew she existed at all.
My ONE BIG HAPPY MOMENT?….she belongs.
And this girl…oh, she makes us laugh! She has a personality a mile wide, and we are constantly cracking up at the things she says. Despite all that she has been through, she has a ton of joy in her heart. She loves to love, and loves to be loved.
Okay, now can I just say something like a proud mama?! How cute is my girl?! I mean, seriously. She is such a doll!
The boys are always saying, “Oh mom, we are in trouble. She is pretty even when she isn’t trying to be.” hee.hee. And I have had a TON of fun dressing her up in all kinds of cute girly stuff. Which is why I love shopping at Gymboree. They have GREAT accessories.
And if you haven’t already noticed, this is a sponsored post by Gymboree. Working with them is a no-brainer, right? I do not have any fall clothes for Sania Louise, so I will use my gift card to get her some clothes for the cooler months coming up. :)
Funny thing is Sania Louise has no idea why I was taking pictures of her, Adam, and Eli last night. She has no idea that I have a blog. She has no idea that thousands of people around the world love her, pray for her, and are cheering her on.
But she will some day. :)
And that will be ONE BIG HAPPY MOMENT!
Now for the fun part!
Enter below to win a $50 gift card to Gymboree!
It seems like the video isn’t working?
Beautiful kidos! Mine are adopted as well and they are such incredible little people. I ❤️ Adoption!!
Traci she is beautiful, and her clothes are darling. I can’t get over your Adam! He has changed so much in the last several months!
Love shopping for the grandkids at Gymboree!
What a cutie. God is good!! I have to say I’m a bit jealous that you got a bow in her hair, my girls never let me do that 😕
Love Gymboree–shopped years ago for my girls and now I shop for my grandson!!
Love, love Gymboree! I shopped there years ago for my girls and now I shop there for my grandson almost exclusively!!
So sweet!! I just love reading about how your family is doing with Sania! Warms my heart!
Adorable in every way.
I love seeing her with the boys, Traci! She’s a darling! Have so much fun shopping & teaching her this yeat!
Your daughter is stunning! You are so right about them looking like biological siblings (I swear that happens a lot with adoptive families). So happy for your family and how much fun you have ahead with a new daughter. Enjoy shopping for those fall clothes.
Wishing your family well as you continue to adjust. God Bless!
What a happy post and great models! Love to see all the love and progress with Sania Louise.
So sweet! Great giveaway
She is adorable in that outfit! You can tell the boys love her. The best of life to her with such a loving family.
How long are you planning to home school her?
Your family is soooo cute! Congrats on your new daughter. I hope she will be very happy with you.
Sorry, I forgot to add I like the comment, “don’t walk me in and if you have to walk me in, don’t hold my hand!”
Shopping for girls is so much more exciting than boys!
Cute kids, cute clothes! So happy you’re all finally together.
What precious children you have. One can see the love they have for each other in their eyes. Continued blessings for your beautiful family.
Oh my great photo shoot. I have yet to do school shopping. Putting it off as much as possible. I’m in denial that school starts right after Labor Day. Don’t want summer to end.
I love your post! Watched the video~ I love Gymboree clothes! Their styles and accessories are so cute. Very well made and survive many washings!
Love the little boy in the back looking in his lunchbox. That would be may grandson. Always wants to be sure his mom didn’t forget anything and takes a peek at the note she leaves inside each day.
I think I love her as much as you do. What a wonderful family.
So happy for you all:)
Love all the Fall clothes in the video, and particularly enjoyed the end of the video when the kids decide after all that they do need us! : )
She is so beautiful and is so blessed to have y’all as her family. Hope everyone is continuing to adjust well! So happy you got your girl!!!!! Cute clothes from Gymboree! Would love to win the gift card.
Though she may not understand the pictures, she seems to have gotten the hang of it! They look great :)
Love all the adorably cute fall clothes in the video! Thank you for the giveaway.
As a mom of three boys, love seeing your well dressed little men!! They all look great!
Love your story. Blessed! Thanks for sharing.
What a Great post today! Your kids are all thriving, cute & Very photogenic! You’ve been Blessed!❤️
oh!! please keep the post coming about your family and how well Sania Louise is adjusting!!! Its so exciting to get on and check everyday (which I do!) to see if there is a new post up!! How is she liking American food? Does she seem more princess like for a girl or does she like to be out there playing sports and ruff housing with the boys? Does she take notice to having nice things now and things bought for her. Since I am sure she never saw that to much living in an orphanage? Its just great to see such a happy little girl and a happy bigger family!! Follower in Hagerstown, Md. Shawn
She’s beautiful. Your sons are such handsome young men; it’s so nice to see them all.
I don’t need to tell you this, but she’s a blessing to you and you to her. A match made in heaven❤️ She’s darling and I see why y’all are smitten with her. Precious!!! Love watching the joy in your family through your blog😊 I know it’s not all sunshine and rainbows but hopefully with each day the good continues to out weigh the not so good.
You are so blessed. We have a 7yr old adopted daughter & we get told she looks like my husband, too. So funny how that works out.
I love everything about this post!!
I loved the comment, “You do not have to walk me in.”
What a precious girl! You two are going to have so much fun homeschooling and watching her language bloom!
Thanks for offering this giveaway.
How great to see your kids growing and blossoming! I think your choice to homeschool Sania Louise is a good one……she’s had quite a bit to acclimate to and school would be a big one. Thanks for the update!
It makes me smile to see the joy and love that radiates from all of you! ♥️😍♥️😍♥️😍♥️
Beautiful pictures, they look straight out of a Gymboree catalog! :)
Thank you for allowing us to follow your story. What a blessing for your readers! Love gymboree. Continued prayers for you and your family this year.
Such a beautiful girl! I hope everyone continues to adjust well
Love all the cute outfits!
I thought the little boy’s comment about not letting him make his own lunch was cute :)
hope your kiddos have an amazing year!
So happy that your family has this wonderful experience! I’ve prayed for you all and love to read your updates. Can I just say, when did they get so big?!?!
Is a joy to follow your journey in adoption. Blessings to your growing family.
Too cute! So happy for you =)
Beautiful kids. Have loved watching Sania become partofyour family!
I love this company! The clothes are top notch:) And Tracl,I’m so happy your family is finally all together 😀
So happy for you and your family. Posts about SL make my heart smile. Your boys have learned to have compassion and that comes from what they have been shown- great job. The pictures are so cute. I really don’t know how you do everything you do! very impressive.
Such beautiful children! What blessings!
So excited to see how God has blessed you all! He is good like that!
What a beautiful family!
I love seeing how God is bringing your family together overcoming the time and distance you’ve been apart. Thank you for letting us follow your journey!
So happy she is loving her forever home! And how in the world did the boys grow up so fast??? Ahhhh!!!
Ca-ute clothes!!
Such a blessed family. Great pictures.
Love all the clothes and your beautiful kiddos. We need to get together soon, though I know you are very busy these days.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
What a beautiful family! Enjoy your precious girl!
Nothing I don’t love about this post Traci! What a beautiful addition to your already beautiful family. Love to you ALL and I hope the kids all have a fantastic school year! And, you get to put your teaching cap back on again, how fun is that going to be?? Love it!
Beautiful family! Hope they have a great school year!
She is just beautiful. I am so glad she is part of your family now. Forever!
I am having so much fun seeing Sania Louise and all your boys interacting and enjoying each other. Love all these clothes from GYMBOREE. Your children look great in them and I know you are thrilled to be buying clothes for a little girl! Yeah! God bless you all!
It makes me so happy to see how your journey had a good outcome. God bless you and your family!
I love the little girls in the back with the tulle skirts (or they might be dresses). Those are right up my five year old’s alley!
The video was cute – I loved the comment “that nickname you call me at home – let’s leave it at home!”.
Your kids are ALL great models and are looking very cute in their Gymboree clothes. Of course Sania Louise is cutest! Love the boots!
I look forward to seeing the posts about your sweet family! I’m glad your girl is home and everyone is well.
As a momma in the process of adoption, reading your blogs have been such an encouragement during my own journey. Thank you! 😊
I am always curious what is going on in your wonderful family! Your girl is adorable (and so are the boys)! I have one boy, and we love Gymboree clothing! So thanks for the great giveaway!
Love the pics and your crew Traci – but the best part is the prayers each moment, day and each month that led up to all of this that is so beautiful! Love y’all!😘
Love Gymboree – I just found your blog but I will definitely reading it on a regular basis.
Love the clothes you picked for the family!!
Beautiful family. You are truly blessed.
Fun! We love Gymboree in our house too!
Really Happy For your family and Bless you for saving her.
My favorite part of the video is that my baby is still a babe and I have a couple more years before back to school :) They grow up way too fast.
What a cute commercial! Gymboree has adorable clothes! Your kids are precious ❤️
I’ve enjoyed your blog for years. So happy for your family!
I liked the kids in the background of the video doing random things. :)
Love all of the girly clothes!
Can I ask why you are choosing to homeschool her? Not in judgement, just what your reasoning is.
Thanks!
No judgement taken. :) I have to homeschool her. She is not legally a citizen yet. Our adoption will not be finalized until December. After that time, I can put her in public school if I want to. However, I think it will be best for me to homeschool her this year because she is very behind in school and I want to help her catch up. (I used to be an elementary teacher.) She also has behavior issues she needs helps with before she enters public school. :)