Christmas for Maiah and Seth's Friends......

Well, we will not forget the sweet friends and faces that Maiah and Seth grew up
with in Mongolia. We have a Christmas project going on and I am actually going to
Mongolia to bring presents for the children and much needed supplies. We will visit
3 orphanages and do an outreach to the many children that live on the streets. We are very excited to be doing this again and would love for you to join us in blessing the orphans in Mongolia this year. please email me at stacypetrin@gmail.com for more details as to how you can help. Below are some needed items:

Blankets
winter hats and gloves
chapsticks
vasoline (used for cheeks)
tooth brushes
winter coats ( new or gently used)
monetary donations for us to purchase antibiotics for the children when we get there
children in the orphanages will live with infections and in pain for weeks and months as there is no money in the orphanage budgets to purchase such meds

Thank you blessing a child this Christmas!!

Every Blessing,
Petrins X6

Disney, a broken foot and Halloween.....

WoW!! I feel like it has been forever since our last post. We have been very busy here keeping up with 4 healthy, active kids involved in soccer, volleyball and several other extra activities!!

School got off to an amazing start in September with Seth quickly picking up the English language and is now reading 4-6 letter words/phrases and small books!! He works very hard and we see his hard work paying off everyday!

In early October, we went on our first family vacation to celebrate Seths adoption and Maiah's 6th birthday!! Disney World is quite hot in October, much hotter than we anticipated. However, Seth loved seeing the Mouse with his own eyes. You can tell that Mickey Mouse was a figure in his head from movies he had seen in the orphanage but he never thought he would see him with his own eyes!! He was very cute and rode everything and anything that moved!! Well, toward the end of the trip, he jumped and twisted his foot wrong and managed to break his foot. Oh yes, so when we returned home, Seth had his first experience getting a cast put on. He has been in it for several weeks now and hopefully it will come off on the 10th. The orthopedic doctor mentioned that there were several other small fractures in his foot as well, a sign of his residual ricketts. The cast has not slowed him down at all....I have caught him trying to kick the soccer ball with his casted foot, as well as attempting to get up on the trampoline. He is all boy!! I cant wait to see what might be growing in that cast when it comes off.

Well, we cant believe how quickly time is passing by.....Seth had his first experience dressing up for a Harvest/Halloween Party. Maiah was Princess Ariel and Seth was a transformer. Was excited to buy him a size 6-8 costume....he has come along way from 3's and 4's in April!!!

Well, Seth is very excited about Christmas.....we are doing our best to teach him why we celebrate Christmas.....however he is quite caught up in the fact that he may get some toys!! My Mom came over with 2 Toys R Us flyers and gave one to Seth and one to Maiah. Maiah circled 6-7 things,very reasonable and even picked out some things she wanted to send to her friends in Mongolia. Seth circled every single picture on every page..he wants it all!!!He actually told me that he needed a few of the toys:) Well, we hope this finds each of you well.

We pray that you have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will be sure to post pictures of the Holidays.

Love,
Stacy
for the Petrin 6

Birthday Party Pics!!

Seth had a great birthday party this weekend surrounded by family and friends....he wanted a skateboarding party....not easy to find skateboarding decorations at all!!!!We did pull off the theme though with some checkered plates/napkins and a big balloon. Seth struggled a bit with understanding that everyone was there for him. At one point, he told me "Maiah has a lot of friends". I said, no these people are here for Seth, they love you and are here to celebrate your birthday today. He grinned from ear to ear. He was blessed with many sweet gifts and is really excited about using his ticket for Disney World from Memere Mad and Grampy. We are going to Disney in October and he and Maiah cannot wait!!! We will celebrate Seths adoption and Maiahs 6th birthday there. Thought I would share some photos, enjoy!!!

Stacy

Happy Birthday Seth!!

Happy Birthday Seth!! Yes, hard to believe that our sweet little guy is 7 today and starting the 1st grade today as well. Time flies. We have had a great summer.....lots of swimming, jumping on the trampoline, traveling, meeting new family and yes, Nathan is now teaching him to skateboard! Not to worry, I have him in full body padding!!

Seth is still adjusting very well....have had a few, lets just say "awkward" moments over the summer but for the most part, we are amazed at the transition and progress Seth has made in just 4 short months. I don't think anything will ever quite compare to the McDonald's play place shutdown experience!! We also worked really hard over the summer trying to get Seths reading up to 1st grade level so that he would not have to start school in Kindergarten with Maiah. He did it!! Last week, he tested 1st grade Reading and 2nd grade Math!! This was such a confidence booster for him and I think it really helped him establish his place. Seth knows that he is older than Maiah but she is much taller than him, was already reading and is constantly letting him know that she is bigger than him. I think he wishes that she would just stop growing so he can catch up a bit. For every half inch he grows, she seems to grow an inch. Since we found out that he would be entering the 1st grade, she has not been so quick to rub in the fact that she is BIGGER!! He quickly responded with "Seth going in 1st grade, I'm bigger". Not a word since. She is taller but he is in 1st grade, to them they are now equal!! Finally!!!! I think this has helped him tremendously and their relationship. We have seen a different kid since he found out he was going into 1st grade. He is so proud and we are so proud of him.

We will celebrate his 7th birthday this weekend surrounded by family and friends and that love him. Derek's sister in flying in this weekend from NYC to celebrate with us. Seth cant wait to meet his Aunty Sherry. This is the first birthday we get to celebrate with him and he with his family. A day all about him!!! He wants a skateboarding party!!! Go figure, big brother has quite the influence around here:) Here is a picture from this morning before they left for school....all smiles! Seth brought a box of birthday Munchkins to share with his friends.....not a bad way to make new friends on the first day of school. We are praying for a great school year and many more "firsts" for Seth this fall. Will post some birthday party pictures next week.

Many Blessings to Seth's faithful friends,
Stacy

Free in so many ways......

We have had a busy couple of weeks since Seth finished his ESL/school program the middle of June. We continue to see his funny, sweet personality revealed. Seth had his first dentist visit which yielded no cavities!! We were pleasantly surprised as his dental care had been very minimal to this point. We took our first road trip to visit some friends about 4 hours away in Western Virginia and Seth did great. He and Maiah watched movies the entire drive without complaint. We spent 2 days there and then Derek and I actually slipped out leaving Maiah, Seth and Kaytlin with our dear friends for 24 hours. Derek and I headed up to Baltimore for the day...we went to a Red Sox game, had a quiet dinner, slept in and then did some school shopping at the Potomac Mills outlets. As you know/have read, our little Seth has kept us quite busy so it was a much needed 24 hour break. Aunty Aimee and Uncle Bryan kept them quite busy swimming and swinging on the tire swing. I am not sure they missed us at all. We then visited for another day and then we drove home in pre-holiday traffic. Again, they were very good. I think after flying on a plane for 16 hours, 4 hours in a car is nothing!! We will see how they do on the 10 hour drive to MA in a couple of weeks:)

We also celebrated Seths first 4th of July with family, chicken, hot dogs,corn on the cob, lots of watermelon and fireworks. We tried to prepare him for the loud booms but Seth did not really know what to expect. He kept backing up on the blanket until he was finally sitting in my Moms lap. He watched happily and when the sky got quiet...he yelled out DO IT AGAIN!!!! He keeps saying "more fireworks"......I think he liked them:)

4th of July is always special and it was nice having Daddy around to celebrate with us this year. We always try to reflect and be thankful for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. This year we are especially thankful for Seth's freedom and his new Mongolian/American life....freedom from life in the orphanage, freedom from an uncertain future, free from abandonment......He is chosen, by God for our family. Although the first couple of months have been rough adjusting, we know that Seth is right where he belongs, forever!!

Seth and Maiah started day camp today at the Christian school they will be attending in the fall. Mommy is realizing that Seth is just one of the boys. Maiah went over and sat with her little girl friends kind of leaving Seth standing there by himself. However, Seth quickly noticed some boys sitting at another table and quickly went over and sat with them. He seemed to fit right in and looked very comfortable. He had a great day and cant wait to go back tomorrow!!

We will be very busy over the next 8 weeks enjoying some fun in the sun but also preparing Seth for school. We are working on his Reading and trying to keep his math skills at a 2nd grade level. We are hoping Seth will enter 1st grade in the fall. This would have him right on target for his age. He is determined to learn English but are sad to say that he will not speak or read Mongolian anymore. He just laughs when we ask him to. He laughed at our friend Ben who was here visiting from Mongolian a couple of weeks ago. Ben would ask him questions in Mongolian trying to prompt Mongolian answers. Seth would only answer in English. We were hoping to maintain both languages but are now realizing that it is probably not likely.

Hope you all have a great summer and thanks for following Seths journey home and his
transition into his forever family.

Love,
Stacy

Happy Fathers Day Daddy!!

My first Fathers day with a daddy to call my own......I signed my name in a card, gave daddy a present in bed and yelled Happy Fathers Day, got dressed up real cute for church, sang a song in church, took pictures in the yard(Mommy is a bit crazy with the camera) but nothing was better than being tucked in by my very own daddy!!!

Mommy, Pray Jesus?

Sometimes we get so caught up in the craziness of life that we forget the important things!! Well, this past week, it was a crazy night in the Petrin house ( I know, hard to believe) and I was trying to get Maiah and Seth in bed. This is a task in itself. We normally brush teeth, read 2 stories as they each have to pick one, say prayers and then hugs & kisses and lights out. Well, this particular night, our routine was a bit off and Mommy brushed teeth, got them in bed quickly, gave a few kisses and then attempted to close the door and leave the room. Well, I hear this little voice from the dark say "Mommy,pray Jesus"? So, I come back in the room to see Seth laying there with hands folded, ready to pray. So, I say...go ahead, your turn. He surprises me with "Thank you Jesus for pool, food, Mommy, Daddy, Maiah, Nathan and Katamin(this is how he says her name)and yells AMEN"!!!! We are not at all surprised at the order of things:) However, we are amazed everyday by this sweet broken yet beautiful little boy who just wants to be loved and accepted. Although he does not yet understand the love the Father has for him, he is beginning to understand that he is our son, forever and that nothing he does will change that. Unconditional love is what our Father grants us and so we, being the hands and feet of Jesus on earth.....extend this very same love to our son. Seth will have been home for 2 months on the 24th of this month and look at the impact Jesus is already making in his little heart. We stand in awe.