Too Cute!

Way To Go Camden!

In February, the Demo Team at the Taekwondo studio (West Coast Taekwondo)

where our boys learn martial arts, had a fundraiser competition for the students.

Camden was the only one of our guys that wanted to participate.

His goal was to place in the Top 3.
He said that he would be totally happy to place 3rd,
amazed to be able to place 2nd,
and totally thrilled to place 1st.

He absolutely loves Taekwondo and gives it his all

each and every time he is at class or testing.

Well, not only did he place in the Top 3,

he was award 1st Place for the Forms Competition for Purple - Brown belts

and 3rd Place for the Sparring Competition for Orange Sr. - Black belts!

Needless to say, he was beyond thrilled!

Way to go Camden!

Birthday Photos

Kaden had a wonderful birthday being completely spoiled by everyone!

Lots of play time with Dad, Mom, brothers & Grandpa Cox,

dinner at Panda Express, more play time,

and a delicious Mickey Mouse cake & ice cream to top it all off!

Our sweet boy had been counting down the days for months,

waiting for his special day to arrive.

We made a paper chain back in January, right after Jordan's birthday,

so that he could tear off a link each day,

to help him understand just how many days it would be until his birthday.

That really helped him to grasp a little understanding of time

and made it easier for him to wait for his big day!

The excitement in his face, when he awoke on his birthday,

was enough to just melt your heart!

Here are a few photos from Kaden's 6th birthday celebration for you to enjoy!

 Our beautiful family!

 Let the opening of presents begin.

 He loves anything that has lights & make sounds!

 Remote control car from Grandpa Cox

 So excited to have money of his own

for the first time in his life!

Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Edge

 Building with Daddy

 Blowing out the candles on his Mickey Mouse cake

Yum! I love my birthday cake & ice cream! 

 Having fun playing!

All the Cox men!

Happy Birthday, Kaden!!

We are blessed beyond measure 

having the gift of you in our lives!

Happy Birthday Kaden!

Just a quick post to note that today is Kaden's birthday!
He's 6 years old today, and as far as we can tell, he has never had much - if any - celebration for his past birthdays.

It's kind of surreal to be standing in line at Party City and realize that this will be the first birthday card he's ever gotten (most likely). Wow. The things we take for granted sometimes.

The cake is made, the presents wrapped (by the time you read this), and the Happy Birthday banner is up.

Soon after the festivities, we will post some pictures so you can see Kaden in his wonderful, six-year-old SPICA casted self!

We are so proud of our littlest dude, and so thankful for the blessing of his life shared with ours. Thank you  all again for your support throughout this whole thing.

We are so blessed!

Kaden is Home! And we're finally telling you about it!!

Well, it's Monday night, and we've had Kaden back home from the hospital since Friday afternoon.

Whoo Hoo!

Sorry for the delay in getting this news up here on the blog - by the time things slow down to blogging speed, it's often sleepy time for mom and dad.

Anyhow, here are some basics on the situation as it stands:
1) Kaden is doing great. He is off all prescription pain meds, and only takes Tylenol or Advil as needed, which usually is only at bedtime. Amazing to think about - major hip reconstruction surgery, and less than a week later, no real pain. Wow.
2) The only thing that was not going smoothly was - shall we say - the end of the line for food. A bit of constipation is common, and it took until Sunday night for that system to get back on track. The praise is that there was no need for laxatives or any more extreme measures. Yay.
3) One unexpected praise: in the hospital, the nurses told us that a bean bag chair can be a great thing for kids in a Spica cast, since it allows for very even support over the whole body, and you can even turn the kiddo onto their stomach for a while. Well, looking at the prices for bean bag chairs the size we need was a bit eye-opening. Those things ain't cheap! A request was sent out to our homeschool group asking if anyone had one that we could use, and we got one that is perfect! Thank you to our generous support system!
4) One more praise: these same wonderful people are bringing us meals for the next couple of weeks! What a blessing! What a way to gain back those pounds I was trying to get rid of! So far we're 2-for-2 on absolutely delicious meals. Have you ever noticed that people never bring over a meal of raw veggies, protein powder and distilled water? It's always deep fried cream cheese wrapped in bacon and hot fudge fondue. Thank you all for letting us feast - we can eat the rabbit food on our own later.*
5) I (Steve) started back teaching for the Spring semester at OCC. So far, it's great (one day into it)! I really like my job - teaching scruffy college kids is an opportunity to be salt and light in a dark place (with a few lights here and there). However, the start of a new semester always is a time of re-adjusting to Daddy not being home as much, and Mom re-bearing the full burden of household things when I'm away.

I think that's all for now. Kaden is alseep (along with the rest of the boys), and it's time to get ready for work tomorrow. Thank you all for the ongoing prayers and concerns for us - we are upheld by you all much more than we could ever deserve. We are unworthy of your care.

Blessings to you all,
Steve

*If anyone feels led to continue to send us the Trader Joe's Gourmet Peanut Butter Cups that Kathy included in her meal for us, we will not keep you from receiving the blessing of giving to others.

Coming Home Today

Our little Kaden is one tough dude!!

We just got word that they are releasing him from the hospital this morning!!

YAHOO!!

I came home last night to spend some time cuddling with our older four boys.

Went to bed with a major headache and accidentally hit off instead of snooze

on the alarm this morning. I am scrambling to get ready to head back to the hospital

so we can get our little man home.

Sorry for not updating last night, but we'll try to send out an update later today.

Thanks to ALL you awesome prayer warriors out there

for lifting our family up in prayer!!

You guys ROCK!

Kaden Update: 1-25-12

For more updates as we can, be sure to check either Annette or Steve's Facebook postings.

Kaden update: evening edition from Steve

It's my turn to stay home and actually get some sleep while Annette tosses and turns on the lovely bedchair next to Kaden.

By this evening, Kaden was still uncomfortable, a bit irritated and generally not wanting to be where he is. The pain meds weren't working as well as we hoped, but when I last spoke to Annette (8 pm) they were going to give him some morphine. This should help and help him to sleep for a while.

Hopefully, he and Annette will be able to get some good rest tonight. He was up most of the day, so he should be good and tired.

Prayer requests: Significant amounts of sleep for both Annette and Kaden. Also, that Kaden's pains from the surgery and the cast would lessen quickly, making life in the hospital easier, and would also lead to a faster return home. Finally, for the other boys as they have been real troopers dealing with mom and dad not around much - at least not at the same time. Life has definitely been disrupted for them.

That's about it. Thank you all for the continued kind words and deeds!!

Surgery Update

Just a quick update on Kaden's surgery - for more immediate and up to date info, continue to follow Annette on Facebook.

Kaden is out of surgery and in his room! Everything went really well, and the doctor was very positive and optimistic about things. Annette is with him now while I spend some time with the other boys. I will be spending tonight at the hospital.

Kaden will be in the hospital for another 3-4 days, and it turns out we don't have WiFi in the room, so posting both here and on FB will be on an as-we-can basis.

Thank you for your continued prayers!! I credit the peace and calmness throughout this whole day to God's favor shining through your efforts. Thank you so much!

-Steve

Surgery

Tomorrow begins a new adventure for our family. 

At 7:30am, Kaden is scheduled for surgery to begin the process

of repairing his left hip, leg & knee.

When he was born, his hip was not in it's socket 

and he also had some problems with his knee.

He is a very determined & tough young man

and was able to learn to walk in spite of his difficulties!

As Steve mentioned in a previous post, 

we have an amazing orthopedic surgeon, 

that the Lord led us to just over 6 years ago, 

who will be able to improve Kaden's condition by leaps and bounds!

The surgery with Dr. L and his team will take around 4 1/2 hours.

They will be rebuilding his hip socket, 

tightening up all the muscles and ligaments around his hip to stabilize the joint,

resetting his femur so that his foot points forward,

and doing a little work on the knee to help it bend properly.

There will most likely be more knee surgery in the future,

but this surgery should correct his hip problems.

He will be in the hospital for 3-5 days,

and will be in a partial body cast (spica cast) for 3 to 4-1/2 months.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for our little guy

and the surgery team!

We will try to update as we can.

Kaden is Officially Americanized . . .

5 minutes ago:

Daddy: I'm going to the store later to get some food for the family - is there anything you'd like me to get for you?

Kaden: Ummmmmmm . . . (wrinkles brow and thinks and thinks and thinks)

Mommy: Anything you want Daddy to get for you to eat?

Kaden: Ummmmmm . . . Pizza!

Less than 5 months in the U.S., and he has already assimilated the official kid menu.

One of those God things. . .

Steve here:

I just wanted to pass along something that happened yesterday- an interesting bit of God's work in our lives.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we had a visit with the orthopedic surgeon who will be working on Kaden's hip & knee. His hip is out of joint, his leg is slightly twisted and his knee doesn't bend correctly. This is why he was given up for adoption at birth and sent to a "special needs" orphanage.

The reason we went to this particular doctor was simple: when our son Hayden fell and broke his arm about six years ago, this was the doctor we went to. He was recommended by the ER people who initially set Hayden's arm. He was wonderful to our son, and his staff were great. Very competent, professional and nice folks. So, when it came to who we wanted to look at Kaden to see what could be done, Dr. L was an easy choice.

Our initial visit for Kaden went very well, and now after a CT scan on his hip and an MRI on his knee, we were back in Dr. L's office to make final plans on how to proceed.

The hip surgery will be significant, with a relocation of the leg bone down into the socket, a moderate re-building of the socket and a bit of rotating of the femur (by rotate I mean cut the bone, rotate and pin back together). A little work on the knee to straighten things out side-to-side, but any more on the knee will be at a later date, after the hip is sorted out. Like I said, significant surgery. 

While we were in the office, a staff member (Jim) was calling up some new X-rays onto the computer monitor. As he was doing this, he matter-of-factly mentioned that Dr. L is a specialist on hips, and other orthopedic surgeons refer their tough cases to him. 

Hmmmmm . . .

So, six years ago, we happened to be referred to a doctor for our son with a very average arm break - any good orthopedic doctor could have handled it fine - who happened to be a specialist on hips which happened to be immeasurably valuable because we happened to adopt a boy from across the globe who happened to be available for adoption because he had a hip issue.

Hmmmmm . . .

That's a lot of "happen"-ing going on.

It almost seems as if a mighty God was orchestrating some seemingly inconsequential circumstances (while Kaden was still being knit in his birth-mother's womb*) that would uniquely benefit him here and now. 

Yet another example of the deep truth of this verse:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

-Romans 8:28. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

*To paraphrase Psalm 139:13

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!

Last Minute Gifts

Looking for some last minute gifts?

If so, may I interest you in Scentsy or Cookie Lee ?

Scentsy has wonderful warmers that use a low-watt bulb

to slowly melt specially formulated wax.

With no flame, smoke, or soot, 

the Scentsy wickless candle system 

is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 Scentsy fragrances.

Click on the Scentsy catalog photo above

to view all available products & to place your order.

Order now through December 16th and receive a 10% refund

from me on your Scentsy order.

(I will need to mail you a check  for the 10% refund, 

because I am unable to give the discount from my online Scentsy account.

10% refund is for product cost & does not include a discount on sales tax or shipping cost.)

Cookie Lee - Quality fashion jewelry for any occasion.

Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, etc.

Click on the Cookie Lee catalog above

to view featured catalog items.

To order, please email me at ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com

(To view the entire catalog & to place an order,

please email me at ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com

and I will email you a link where you can view the entire catalog.)

Order now through December 16th and receive 20% off 

on all Cookie Lee purchases.

(20% off is for product cost & does not include a discount on sales tax or shipping cost.)

Please contact me at ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com 

with any questions regarding Scentsy or Cookie Lee.

Thankful. . .

Thankful for our 5 handsome blessings!

Holiday Boutique & Bake Sale

For all you Southern California residents,

you're invited to join us for a 

fun-filled Holiday Boutique and Bake Sale

for The Alvarez Family

A great opportunity to get ALL of your 

early Christmas shopping done in one place!

Mark your calendars for

Saturday, November 12th - 10am - 2pm

Vendors that will be joining us:

Feliz Flans * Scentsy * Mary Kay * Solomon Beads

Cookie Lee * More Than Words Photography

Homemade Wooden Candleholders & Birdhouses

Hairbows by MrsBusyLizzy * Holiday Ornaments by Julia

Gloria DeLaCruz Creations * Baby Cocoons, Hats & Gloves

The Still Picture Company * Thirty-one

Thanksgiving & Christmas Perler Bead Ornaments

SCD Posters & Prints * Baked Goods and More!

A portion of ALL sales will go towards Melody's adoption fund.

If you are interested in helping bake some yummies for our bake sale,

please email me at ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com

For directions & other information, please email

Annette - ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com

OR

Alexis - alexis.alvarez@verizon.net

Feliz Flans

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love FLAN!!

My friend Alexis makes the best flan on the planet - I promise!

Alexis & her beautiful family are in the process of adopting

an adorable 7 year old girl from China named Melody.

The Alvarez family is in the process of fundraising to help bring their daughter home.

One of the things that they are doing is making homemade FLAN.

So, if you live in the Southern California area and love flan,

would you please help them bring their little girl home by contacting Alexis

and ordering your flan(s) today?!?

alexis.alvarez@verizon.net

The small size flan will serve 2-4 people and 

the large size will serve 4-8 people.

Enjoy!!

Home for 2 Months

It's hard to believe that we arrived home from China two months ago today with our sweet treasure!

Life has been quite busy since arriving back home. 

Our first weekend together as a family of 7 was lots of fun watching Kaden interact 

with his brothers and getting to know them. It was like he had been with us forever!!

 

(Jordan & Kaden)

Four days after arriving home, Camden & Jordan came down with really high fevers

and a week later, after not getting better, were diagnosed with pneumonia!

 (Camden & Kaden)

The boys got well just in time for us to head to Durango, Colorado 

for a much needed family vacation!

We had an amazing time in Durango and were really sad to have to leave and head home.

We'll hopefully post some photos soon from our trip.

(Hayden & Kaden)

Kaden is a very happy, loving little guy who has the cutest smile that just melts your heart!

 (Brendan & Kaden)

We are overwhelmed by God's goodness and how He has knit our family together!

12 months and 10,000 miles later. . .

Yesterday (Saturday), after saying goodbye to each other one year ago in an orphanage in China - the only home either had known - Kaden and Solomon were reunited in Orange County, California. It was a moving experience for all of us - probably the moms most of all!

At first, the boys didn't quite know what to do - I'm sure it seemed strange and familiar at the same time - especially with "Parent Paparazzi" hovering around them, cameras clicking the whole time. Probably the most unexpected thing for Kaden was the fact that Solomon doesn't speak anything but English these days - he was so young when adopted that he didn't have much of a grasp of the Minnan/Mandarin mix Kaden speaks (we call it Minandarin - H/T to Brendan). When we asked Solomon what Kaden was saying, he'd say "I don't know!".

But, they figured out how to have fun anyway:

If you stop and think about it, how amazing is it that these two boys would end up together again literally halfway around the world? Gee, I wonder if God had anything to do with that?

Also, a health update on the family: we're all well! Camden and Jordan finished their final doses of antibiotics today, and except for an occasional cough and a bit of weakness from sitting or laying around for 3 weeks, they're doing great! Thank you all for your help - both physically (yummy food!) and spiritually (the prayers!).

We spent about 5 hours at the park - playing, resting, eating and starting all over again - until it was getting too dark to continue.

It was a great day, and by the time we were done, I think we all were satisfyingly exhausted.

Later last night, looking over the photos, I saw the one below, and thought of the final Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. So, to slightly paraphrase the great Bill Watterson:

It's a magical world, ol' buddy . . . Let's go exploring!

Posted by Steve, actually.

(With Annette's approval!)

Update on the boys

Steve here - just a quick update on the health of our boys.

Camden and Jordan went in to the doctors yesterday (Friday) and got a shot of antibiotics
(fun! - not!!).
They continue to be sick, but aren't getting worse, and are actually getting a bit better. The other boys were checked by the doc, and they are all fine (yay!).

The ongoing prayer request right now is for continued recovery for Camden and Jordan.
A more specific request is that they both take their medicine - thick, white, yucky-tasting antibiotic - quickly and with as little drama as possible.

Also, keep Annette in your prayers. It's hard enough integrating a new son into a family with 4 boys already, but then add to that starting the homeschool year, and add to that 2 sick kids, and then I'm gone all day teaching. Life is overwhelming right now.

That's all for now, we'll try to update after the weekend is over.

Thank you in advance for the prayers and support!

-Steve

A Quick Update - and Prayer Request

Greetings to all - Steve here.

This is just a quick post to update you all on how we are doing.

First, Kaden is doing great! He's bonding and integrating into the family really well. He seems happy to be here, and he's definitely enjoying his brothers! Of course, it would be great if he could be fluent in English by tomorrow. . .   (ha!)

Our next two youngest, however, are not doing too well right now, and we would appreciate any prayers you could send on our behalf.

Both Camden and Jordan (boys #3 & #4, respectively) got sick last week - high fever, tired, etc. - and have not gotten better. Annette took them to the doctor yesterday (Wednesday), and it turns out they have both developed pneumonia!

They are tired, coughing, not eating well, and generally feeling yucky.

Our prayer requests would be:

    1) Complete, fast recovery

    2) That they would be able to stomach the anti-biotics they are taking.
        The stuff tastes ICKY, and it's a challenge for them to get it down. Jordan got it down
        last night, and it came back up about 10 minutes later.
    3) That the other boys would not get sick, and would do well during this time.
        Kaden is understandably a bit of a challenge right now - curious and into everything as he
        explores and learns his new world.

Well, gotta class to teach!

Thanks in advance.
-Steve