Big Day!!!!

We started out our day by going to the Special Olympics and it was wonderful. All of the kiddos done such a great job and I couldn't be more proud of them! Ellee and Johannah really enjoyed it and Ellee even practiced for when it is her turn to do Special Olympics, she went right up to the tiers 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and went right to the 1st place ;) After a wonderful time at Special Olympics a group of us met up at Chick-fila and ate lunch. It was great because several of our group hadn't met the girls yet. The girls of course was spoiled and was hamming it up ;)
When we got home we decided to go get the girls ears pierced! It was exciting I think more for me than them lol They did great though! They have not tugged on them or anything since having them and let me touch them and turn and clean them without a problem. I am proud!!! :)
Here are a few pics from our day!!!

My cool girl

Johannah talking on the "phone" camera :)

Ellee cheering on one of the students competing

Mother hen :)

Before getting her ears pierced 

I had to post this one because look at Andrew's face 

After her ears were pierced 

Before Johannah got her ears pierced 

After and because my husband had the camera we didn't get one of Johannah smiling but it was like 10 seconds and she was smiling again!

Firsts :)

Today was a day of firsts for Ellee and Johannah. We started our morning off by going to the dentist. Both girls done great, again no pics of the dentist office because I had to hold them both, and Andrew had to work :( They both got a great check-up and cleaning and I was told that both of their teeth look good, and we don't have to go back until October! Yay!!! One of the first things I done after they left the orphanage was brushed their teeth. So I am really glad that we got good news and nothing major going on! Then after we left the dentist we headed to pick up the girls new glasses. They are both doing really great with them. They pulled on them at first, but after a couple of times of me telling them no, they have stopped pulling on them. They look so cute in them, the only downfall is that it makes them look older :( We do have to change out the temple pieces because they slide down their little noses because both of the noses are narrow. They had to order them so hopefully they will be in either the end of this week or first of next week. And last but not least the other biggie today was Ellee DRANK out of a straw!!!!!! We have been working with her for several weeks now, because she doesn't have very good sucking reflexes, and tonight at dinner Andrew got her to drink from the straw! I was so proud we celebrated right there in I*op :) Today has been an Amazing day and I am so proud and so blessed!!!

P.S. sorry these pics are the best but I took them on my phone in the kitchen and because it has been storming here so it was dark and then the lighting was horrible in my kitchen so I hope to get better pics tomorrow. :)

Easter 2011

Today was Great!!! We got up early this morning and got ready for church. I curled both of the girls' hair. :) We then traveled an hour to church. We went to church with Andrew's family today, and it was a great service. The girls went to Children's Church with our aunt and Bailey. And I know this sounds crazy but it was the longest I had been away from them, since they left the orphanage, and it was HARD lol I practically ran to get them lol ;) After church we went back to Andrew' aunt and uncles house and got ready for the family Easter Egg hunt. We had to have the hunt in the house because it has been raining like crazy here!!! When we left to come home it was awful, the weather was horrible, there was water on the road, and we even sound a cloud forming about 3 quarters of the way home! Scary!!! All in all the girls had a great Easter and we just celebrated their First Easter!!! :)
Update on how well they are both doing... They both know Please and thank you in and almost know more in sign language. Ellee knows eat, we are still working with Johannah on that one. We have been working on numbers, shapes and the alphabet. They are both saying more English words. Andrew said the other day they are fixing to take off ;) They are both so smart, and like little sponges. They learn so quickly.

Before we left for church

Our first "whole" family photo :)

Hunting for Eggs

Ellee looking at what she got 

Wow has it been that long since an update

I know horrible horrible blogger :( but in my defense I have 2 perfect little reasons :) The girls keep me busy!  But a good busy. :) The girls are doing AMAZING!!! Ellee has learned the sign for please and thank you, thank you isn't all the time the real "thank you" but we know what she means, and Johannah knows the sign for please. I am so excited they are learning and striving so much!!! We have been working on hard on words, and colors, and shapes, and they are both doing really well. We had doctors visits last week and they both are doing good. The Dr. was worried about Johannah's height but he called me later that evening and told me he plotted her on the Down Syndrome height chart and she is at the lower end but he thinks with time she will grow, if she don't then we might have to look into growth hormone shots. But I am really hoping we don't. He did give them both shots and drew blood and it was awful. They had me hold them down while they got blood drawn and their shots and I am really not sure who cried them or me :( Ellee had to have 4 immunizations and Johannah 3. The Dr. has called me and gave me the results of the girls thyroid test and they are both normal! Yay!!! We have eye doctors visits coming up this week. Then next week they have dental appointments. We also need to go back to the Dr. in the next week or so because he wants to do an x-ray on both of the girls necks and then also on Johannah's adenoids and tonsils, because while she is sleeping she stops breathing a little bit and that scares me half to death so we want to get that checked out ASAP. Oh and Ellee got her first hair cut this past week. She has super fine hair, and all they ever done at the orphanage was butcher it so I took her and had it trimmed up and her bangs cut. I didn't get any pics of her in the chair because I had to hold her. She did great though, started off rough, but by the end she was laughing. It is really cute and now here's to hoping it will grow out if not I see short hairdos in our future.
Tomorrow the girls are going to their first Easter Egg hunt and I am so excited lol Yes there will be lots of pics. However the Easter Bunny will be there but I don't know if we will get pics with him or not. I hope so but they are not big fans of things like that, and generally there is bloody murder screaming involved. So we will have to see. I really really really hope they do want a pic with him though!!! :) Now that I have jabbered on here are a few pics of some beauties

Patting the bears back and rocking him to sleep

Outfit from our friend Ms. Pat in England

Ms. Pat got Johannah one too ;)

Ms. Johannah modeling her outfit

Ellee's first hair cut bangs

the back of it..

what up :)

What has been up over the last few days??? On Friday we went to the park and the girls had a great time! They loved the swings and of course the slides! :)
On Saturday we went and had the girls pictures made professionally for Easter/Spring and they done so great and Anna done a great job with them. Ellee hammed it up it was great and Johannah was being a stinker lol she just was not into smiling and then we went outside and Anna got some really great shots with her smiling and they are beautiful. Even the ones where she was not smiling was beautiful. I can't wait to get them. :) Once we got home I got the mail and the girls' social security cards came in. Whoo hoo
Today was a gorgeous day so we went outside after church and naps and we played with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and the little windmill thingys lol I can't remember what they are called right now. This is Spring Break for Andrew's kiddos so we went to pick them up, and on the way home, my hubby caught me completely off guard and then I was in tears the rest of the trip home. He said you know what? I said What? He said Ellee sings, laughs, has learned so much since she has been home, we get to see new things in her everyday because her personality is really coming out, she gives kisses and hugs and is so lovely. He went on to say. A year ago we committed to her and had we not she would have been transferred to a mental institution and would probably be dead now. He said all of this with tears in his eyes!!! Oh how I love my husband! God has truly blessed me with a wonderful husband, and father to our children. We have been home going on 3 weeks now and they have been out of the orphanage for almost 4 and they have learned so much over the last few weeks, and they show us new things everyday. They are talking so much more and catch on to things so quickly. They are very smart!!! I could not imagine my life without them!!! 
The girls have their first Dr. appts.  this Friday. Ellee's is a well check and Johannah's is a 3 year check up. This will probably the first of many Dr. appts. so we shall see what the next step is. Let me leave you with some beauties ;)