Pierre's first birthday party

I wish I could record Pierre's squeal! He turns into a little boy all over again each time he gets excited. Although we try to remind him of "4th grade behavior," it is a precious thing to watch him experience everything for the first time. As quickly as he learned to ride bike, he out grew his bike! That is what he wanted for his birthday: a new big bike and a fishing pole. At 5 feet tall now, he actually "fits" this new bike!


He invited his new friends and cool little brother to a backyard birthday pool party the weekend before school started. It was encouraging to see how he fit in, and it was a joy to see how he enjoyed every single aspect of the afternoon. From the "froggy" ice cream cake, to the timed sports obstacle course (which he easily won), to the bubbles and silly bands he handed out at the end...Pierre was in heaven! He must have thanked and hugged us a dozen times that night. (As you can see in the photo, Ange-Laurette is doing ok with the long wait until her December birthday :)

Summer tutoring success ~

Both Pierre and Ange-Laurette were blessed with this special lady, who offered them tutoring in reading all summer. We found the perfect program (LiPS) to help them both hear the sounds in words by focusing on speech sounds related to the formation of our lips/tongue/teeth...while segmenting those sounds and syllables to form words and sound them out. (Not sure I am explaining this correctly :) The point is that we had the best luck yet in helping Pierre finally focus on sounding out words, rather than guessing. Even more importantly, he LOVED the tutor and continued to work "like a dog," as he likes to put it. For Ange-Laurette, it was tolerable. :) Although she loves books like the Junie B series, she would much rather be out front playing 4-square. Pierre's "pursuit of excellence" is not something she has internalized just yet!


Still, her efforts in other areas are admirable. Ange-Laurette has simply never been taught the skills of being a good friend or of offering encouragement to others, etc. It is not that she is not kind. She just did not receive the coaching we offered our other kids from Day 1. After being with friends, she will still turn to me to ask, "Is THAT being nice, Mom?" She admits that her birthmother did not smile much. Ange-Laurette remembers that she did like babies and little children but says she did not greet or stop to talk with others very often. So many stories like these are surfacing.

As I braided her hair the other day, Ange told about the only time she visited her grandmother. She and her birthmother traveled "about 4 hours" by tap tap (taxi). They had to walk a long ways even once they arrived. Her older birth brother lived there with cousins. She remembers that they had lots of good water and trees to climb. Ange-Laurette's favorite memory was climbing trees for "co co ay" or coconuts. They would throw them down to the ground. If they would break open, all the cousins would run to drink from them. Then, the ladies would take "the inside white and mix it with rice and mmmmm, that was so good!"

Adoptions Finalized !!

The day before school started, we were able to finalize the adoptions in South Dakota. It was a quiet morning at our local court house, with a couple close friends and one of our adoption workers from Sioux Falls present. The judge smiled and commented on our bright colors and smiles...a much happier sight than most mornings! He quickly signed the paperwork as he shared that he had followed our story...."a great story." As we walked out, the kids noticed the single file of the NEXT lucky few to enter the courthouse. Ange-Laurette asked, "Why are those guys all dressed the same?" (in black and white stripes!) Pierre said, "Yeah, why are their hands tied together?" We said, "Let's just say that this morning is the ONLY time you probably want to visit the judge!"

We celebrated with breakfast at Perkins...and looked forward to the much bigger celebration at our house that weekend. The morning only made official what we already felt: these two precious children are definitely already our own. Although we ALWAYS value their past and the sacrifices of their birth families, we feel all the love and responsibility any other parent should. Mostly "love"!!

Top 10 Reasons... this was our Best Family Vacation Yet!

#10. We girls conquered our fears of heights on the aerial tramway and alpine slide
#9. We had a 3 bedroom cabin at Palmer Gulch (rather than our usual 6 to a room)
#8. Dane and Ashley were able to make the trip from Minneapolis and catch up on some heated wiffle ball

#7. We found the balance of large group, family, and alone time over 6 days
#6. The Lears finished strong in the beanbag tournament, dodging waterballoons launched from oversized slingshots
#5. The kids got to finally meet cousin Jack (huggable one-year-old!), my brother, and lots of new extended family...and they were completely themselves at this "over 6 month" point

#4. We got to visit Diana, the adoption coordinator that matched us with Pierre and Ange-Laurette. They amazed her with their English and encouraged her with their healthy happy smiles!
#3. The kids climbed rocks, swam in Sylvan Lake, went on a hayride, toured Mt. Rushmore, rode horses, and just plain enjoyed the beauty of the Black Hills

#2. Our awesome teenage daughter did not so much as roll her eyes :)
#1. No (carsick) ziplocs were needed for either 8-hour ride or the winding mountain roads!

Haitian Adoption Decrees granted!!

Soon after the earthquake, our adoption coordinator told us that she and the orphanage director in Port-au-Prince would continue to work to complete the kids' adoptions in Haiti, amidst the chaos there. It was important for all future Haitian adoptions that they try to follow all the legal steps there. However, we were asked to proceed, at the same time, by completing the adoptions here in South Dakota. Bruce and I assumed that we would never have all the original paperwork for our kids, and we highly doubted that the steps could be completed in Haiti, considering the state of Port-au-Prince. (although we were VERY grateful for their efforts)

Early June, we received an email from our adoption coordinator that we had to read three or four times to believe it. She had located both children's original paperwork in the orphanage director's office in Haiti. Not only that, but enclosed in their files were each child's Haitian Adoption Decrees! Somehow, amidst everything there, our cases had continued to go through the legal steps, with birthparent signatures and attorney signatures etc. On March 30, 2010, our kids had been legally pronounced our children with Lear as their last names. We now have the original paperwork in our hands: blue ink, tattered and torn, certified and stamped! It was the best piece of UPS mail we'd ever received!!!

By late September, we should be able to have the adoption completed here in South Dakota as well. (Just a formalization of what already is.) There will be a HUGE party like no other on that day. :) The kids are already planning all the details. We received notification today that our kids are now considered Category 1, which will help with citizenship issues later on.

We know that other families have not been as fortunate in locating their paperwork or even in receiving their adopted children yet. We pray daily for an end to their wait as well. There are still 8 children waiting in Pittsburgh, who have been linked to approved families with beds and loving homes waiting. Pray that the officials involved will speed up the process. These 8 kids need to start their new lives with their families, like ours were able to do.

Interview with Grandma Pat

Our cancelled trip with my mom to Haiti in January did not stop her from pursuing a trip to Haiti and finding a way to help the people there. Late May she spent over a week with Helping Hands to Haiti. They spent time in Port-au-Prince and a nearby village, delivering donations, discovering needs, and offering a Bible School. When she returned, the kids and I headed to Sioux Falls to help with a mission project at her church. The community had donated hundreds of bags of t-shirts that would be cut into strips and crocheted into mats for mothers and their children in Haiti. During the event, various adoptive parents shared their experiences. The kids were able to listen to me share a slideshow and tell their story. I was a little leary at first and told them they could wait in another room. I explained that parts of the story were kinda sad and new...and that people would all look at them as I shared details. Pierre smiled and said, "People always look. It's ok." Ange-Laurette added, "Oh, I've heard the story MANY times!" So, they were there and hanging on every word.


I was so touched by the dozens of people who just heard about the project from the newspaper and came over to work for a couple hours out of their Saturday. It just plain feels good to be able to do something so tangible for such a desperate people a world away. I am proud of my parents and their commitment to mission work, but especially for their heart for Haiti. They not only care...but they are DOING something so vital for this place and time.

Nearing that 6 month mark ~

The gap in between blog entries speaks for itself! :) Adjusting to a summer routine all home together, just as we were exiting the honeymoon period as a family of 6, was a bit trickier than we'd thought...but we made it through! There is not any specific thing we can place our finger on that made things so rough...nor is there one specific thing that can account for the tremendous positive changes in the past week or two. What we know for sure is that the nearing SIX MONTH milestone will be a celebrated one!!


We also now can see that true "callings" carry true "trials." Part of God's purpose in that must be the indescribeable blessings we are all now sensing. The exhaustion we (and the kids!) felt in the teaching and reteaching is resulting in two very social and well-adjusted kiddos. Their humor is evident throughout the day, as if they are not having to work so hard simply to communicate. They are confident and totally independent in play dates. Ange-Laurette had a swim party with 5 friends and could not have been distinguished without her swim cap and great "tan." :) Pierre was invited to lunch and miniature golf with 3 boys this afternoon. You should have seen his face light up as he hugged me, said "thank you," and ran off. The spats around the house are the ordinary ones you would expect with 3 elementary schoolers looking for something to do. We get a kick out of them saying they are bored....and that they are too hot outside (in South Dakota?)!


The sweetest moments are those where they just "get it." They imitate a type of sarcasm with a smile; they learn a new family card game; they leave a note on the frig saying "Best mom in the world"; they answer the phone and take a message; they give the thumbs up across the softball field or basketball court; they "drum" out the beat as they sing along to the printed words at church; they wait to see their first fireworks; and even when they just greet us in the morning saying, "Hmmmm, looks like a pretty good day out there today."


Pierre and I were talking about privileges here in America and it led to talking about why he thinks his birthmother and birthfather chose adoption for him. He said simply, "They wanted me to have enough food to eat." I was expecting all those other things I list when people are surprised to hear that our kids do have living birthparents who love them still in Haiti. But we will never understand it as well as Pierre and Ange-Laurette. Pierre went on to explain that his birthparents wanted him to be able to see a doctor now and go to school. Then he added, "Maybe they knew I'd have my fun little brother Nate." Somebody knew. God knew. And, although we have a long ways to go before we can see all the pieces put together like God already sees, I sure like the "picture" better each day now!