Dear Arianna, (2 years)

Dear Arianna,
We have had an amazing year. You have learned and grown so much. Last year at this time you couldn't even walk. Now you are running, jumping, laughing, and chasing a new brother around the house. That is the biggest change you have had this year. In November we added Deven to our family and you are ecstatic about it. It is like he has unlocked a part of you that was hidden and now you shine even more brightly. 
You have overcome a lot of fears this year. You had a fear of walking and took about a month to face it and stand up on your own. 

• You developed a serious fear of water, but now absolutely love the pool and bath. 
• You had some trouble with textures and "fluffy" things and today you were prancing around in a tutu. 
• Just recently you developed some separation anxiety and have started to overcome that amazingly quick. 

As I go back through the year I can see some things that have stayed the same.

•  You still love music. You love to sing and dance and listen to music.
•  You still love to read and do it very often
• .You still love to be outside and exploring the world.
• You love to make people laugh and smile and you know when you are on "stage."
• You still bring light into everyone's lives.

 Arianna, you are my little girl and I love you more than I can even say.  
Love Forever,
Mom

Here are some pictures from Ari's Birthday Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom Party, which my wonderful friend Rebecca offered to host:

These three were all born within a month of each other!

Fun with Uncle Matt and the monkey in the box

Deven and friend Jacob

 And of course, no "Dear Arianna Letter" is complete without a photo shoot. This is a dress that Ari's birth-mom gave her for her birthday:

Our Family Has Grown

I don't even know how to start this post...it really starts over a year ago but the whirlwind started last week...
Meet Deven:

     
In July of 2012 we were approached by our friends who were fostering Deven and told that he needed a forever home. We met him, prayed about adopting him, and decided to move forward with an adoption plan. We moved to a larger house and waited for approval from Social Services. Because of some circumstances beyond our control, Deven was placed in another home. He had good parents, but didn't quite fit with their family, so they decided not to adopt him. 
We got a call on November 6th saying that Deven was available for adoption and needed a new home as soon as possible. We brought him home on November 14th. 
We have had him in our home for three days now and have loved every minute. 
We are technically his foster parents. In about 3 months we will be able to apply to be his pre-adoptive placement. Then, 6 months after that, we can file the paperwork to adopt him. 
So, I would like you to meet our son:

 Deven is a 6 year old who is ALL boy. He loves legos, blocks, trucks, balls, and castles. Frogs are his favorite animal and green his favorite color. He is a great artist and has already plastered his room with his artwork. He is very considerate of Ari but doesn't like her knocking down his buildings :)

He has had a rough start in life and has some special needs, but tries his best and brings a wonderful spirit into our home.

Autumn

Fall is slowly coming to a close here and we have had a blast. Ari loved all the pumpkins, leaves and her new boots. Fall didn't used to be my favorite season, but it is really growing on me here in the Ozarks...So here are some of our recent antics. 
First, Halloween:

I am a tree, Ben is a zoo keeper and Ari was our Monkey :)

 
Playing in the Leaves:

Visiting St. Louis:
The leaves were so beautiful. All of these pictures were taken with my phone...I thought they turned out pretty well.

We also rode on the carousel.

Ari had a so much fun. She is still is talking about it: "Horsey...Nanna (my mom)...Skyder (skylar)...FUN!"

And here is some Ari-ness:

This is Ari reacting to a picture that my friend posted of her son's passport photos...Ari thought it was funny.

Halloween Prep and Some "Ari-ness"

We have been having a blast with Halloween around the corner. Ari looks for pumpkins everywhere! She has also been starting to talk up a storm. She is rarely quiet. So here are some of the pictures and videos of our happenings:
We went to the pumpkin patch and carved pumpkins:

We also went to Ben's parents' ward trunk-or-treat. I promise I will get better pictures at Halloween....

Ari has also been learning a lot; I have captured some of it on video: