Progress

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the issues--and believe me, we have plenty--and overlook the progress.

Jasmine really struggles at school, but she's come a long way from this newborn in need of therapy and surgeries to a preteen who is figuring out who she is and where her strengths are.

She's my favorite drummer.

And she's just a good kid.

The twins still struggle with sassiness and acting out, especially at school or with Rick, but they've come a long way from this first day home when they would have a meltdown anytime someone left the house. They had only one volume--loud, and they'd disobey on purpose and run away laughing.

I haven't seen this face in a long time.

They are starting to realize that good behavior means you can be trusted to take part in activities and poor behavior means you'll probably spend part of your weekend in your room. They understand what is appropriate behavior, so when they choose the wrong behavior, they aren't surprised by the consequences. They have many more good days than not.

Adam has come a long ways from the days when I seriously did not want to get out of bed in the morning and parent. He still acts without thinking, but he doesn't argue about the consequences when that happens. Sometimes he makes the effort to fix the situation on his own.

This year, since I felt I could trust him to be where he was supposed to be, he took part in cross country and track. He didn't go to regionals, but he has a shot at it next year.

He acts more like part of the family, rather than being a separate family of his own. He interacts with the younger kids. He's at the point where he's looking at colleges and majors since he's now at the end of his junior year. He's been pushing himself to excel academically this year and has done well at it.

Jeff has gone from the point where I removed him from the home (but did not disrupt his adoption) for his own safety and the safety of his sisters to now being enlisted in the army and having goals.

If he can stay focused and avoid the junk behaviors, he should do well. He has the ability. He's been doing more with his running, taking part in some military 10Ks and half marathons.

Tyler has survived a year of college away from home. He did not want to leave. Didn't want to have to cope with stuff on his own.

Although he did not succeed academically so will be coming home at the end of the year, he did succeed in biking to get groceries for himself, doing his laundry and somewhat cleaning his room. He would be capable of living on his own. He does not have a clue what to do at this point. He doesn't want to continue college and doesn't know what kind of job he wants. He will continue at the local college though in order to keep his insurance until he figures out what he really wants to do.

Jessica has gone from a student struggling due to language processing disorder to a motivated student just two weeks from getting her AA.

She is very focused on what she plans to do--criminology with an underwater crime scene specialty. We just have to see how her ear is going to hold up with the pressure underwater. But if she can't do the scuba part, she'll still do criminology and specialize in forensics or another area.

So that is where we are right now. It's going to be exciting to see what God has planned for these guys. Hope you all come along for the ride!