Sophie's Offical Alabama Adoption Day

One Year!

Wow! I can't believe it has almost been a year since we brought Sophie home. This time last year we were anxiously getting ready to leave for Ukraine. So much has happened in one year. Chase said today that he doesn't remember before Sophie was here. I think that is how we all feel.
Now Sophie will have celebrated every American holiday. Today was her first Independence Day for the new little American! She doesn't care. She just loved the fireworks. Actually, she just loves everything. She has no fear, which scares me a little. She loves water. It just amazes me how she just automatically could swim. Oh, she still needs me right there, but she will jump off the side, go under, and swim to me. And she will go down the two-story slide on her grandparents boat and fly right out into the water (with a life jacket on).
I guess you always think your child is the most beautiful child every, but I must say that Sophie is just a little doll. She tanned so pretty while we were at the beach. Everyone tells us that we are going to have to carry a bat to keep the boys away when she is older. I'm afraid they are right. She is just a little doll.
She has learned so much in one year. Her language has come along just great. I really will be surprised if she needs any speech assistance when the time comes. She has adjusted to her new family very well. She still is obsessed with gum. I have to constantly watch her to make sure she doesn't dig through everyone's purse and steals their gum. I'm afraid she will get someone's medicine instead, plus, it's just not good manners. So if you ever see us and I won't let her look in your purse, please understand that I'm trying to teach her. I'm not being mean to her.
(I'm afraid she's a little spoiled by EVERYONE in our hometown!)
I'll try to post pictures of her. You won't believe how she has changed.

Happy 4th of July, America!

We're still here!

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted. I do apologize. I know there are a few folks who still like to read what is going on with Sophie. It just seems we are constantly running here and there, so here I am posting at 11:45 on a Monday night.

Sophie is incredible! She turned three on March 11th. We had just a small party (Just Sophie, the boys, Lee and me) on the 11th to celebrate her first birthday with us. We gave her a cake for her to dig into... just like we did on Jordan's and Chase's first birthday. We were going to have another party this past weekend, but the weather was soooo cold, we decided to put it off until it warms up a little. I want the kids to get to play outside. I've bought dress-up clothes for Sophie and Charley (her buddy) to dress up and have a tea party. It should make precious pictures.

Sophie is talking up a storm now. She understands so much and we understand her. It is funny to watch her try to explain something and act it out at the same time. She has sound affects with her actions. She does this when she doesn't have the words to tell us what she means.

She has changed so much. My mom and I were just discussing how she has lost that little baby look. She hasn't really gained much weight since coming home, but she has shot up. Her little dumpy legs are now so long! She is so strong! I've never seen a two-three year old do this, but the other day she reached up and finally was able to reach the rings on the swing set. Before I could stop her, she had pulled herself up with her arms, pulled her legs up and did a back flip and never let go of the rings. It scared me to death. I couldn't get to her to stop her. She managed just fine without me though.

I will try to post a few new pics soon. But it is now mid-night and a room full of fifth graders will wear me out tomorrow morning if I don't get to sleep.

Chase is going to Montgomery to be a Page for the House of Representatives. He leaves tomorrow morning. I'll also try to tell about this when I post again.
Hopefully, it won't be another three months!

Shannan

Hello Everyone! It has been a long time since I've posted. We are so busy. I'm back at school, Jordan is playing on two basketball teams that keep us on the run, Chase is going to dentist or endodontist every couple of weeks to see about his broken tooth, and Lee is working out of town alot right now! Whew! Sophie just takes it all in stride. She goes to Mrs. Tina's house about four days a week and her grandparents all take turns keeping her the other day. She goes to ballgames and plays and eats candy and chews chewing gum. (Those are her favorite things in the whole world!) She amazes me every day! I can understand just about everything she says. She is potty trained. She has really accomplished so much in just a few months. Her tantrums have almost stopped completely, I guess because she can now communicate with us much better. Looking back, it almost seems like we brought home some little "wild thing" and now, she is just a little lady. She LOVES pretty dresses, bows in her hair, and her baby dolls. She likes to paint her finger nails and the folks where I get my nails done paint her nails every time we go! She wants her ear pierced because one of her little buddies (Charley) has her ears pierced. She points to Charley's ears and then points to her own ears and says, "Mine". (That's her favorite word.) She dances constantly! In fact, she's got more rhythem than anyone else at the Butler household.

Christmas was a ball! We hadn't bought just tons of toys after Sophie came home at the suggestion of odoption experts. Well, we made up for it Christmas. Rather, Santa Claus made up for it. She got a Baby Anabell that sucks water from a bottle and then cries real tears. When Anabell cries, Sophie's little chin quivers and she starts to cry. It is so sweet! She got a Cinderella vanity table and pretend make-up from Nana Jane and Papa Russell. She LOVES this. Sometimes she beats me out of bed and heads to her vanity first thing in the morning. She got "My Little Pony" toys, Weebles, doll high chair, and a Cinderella electric car. I just knew she would go right to her car first thing. Well, I was wrong. She just looked all around the room, spotted a little Princess purse and sang, "A puurrssee! She proceeded to put it over her arm and just walk around looking at everything. We filmed everything. But, can you believe, I didn't take the first picture! I was so worried about filming her, I didn't think to get the other camera out. I could really kick myself.

Tomorrow is a really big day. We actually go to court in Lauderdale County, Alabama to readopt Sophie. This will be our final step. Sophie is already a Butler, but this will give her an Alabama birth certificate. She'll be a true Bama Girl! This will make life less difficult when she goes to school...

Someone asked me the other day if we planned on telling Sophie that she was adopted. The answer to that is yes! (I don't think we could keep it from her anyway, because our whole community has gone on this journey with us.) I think Sophie has an amazing story. She comes from a beautiful country with wonderful people. She has come to a wonderful country and blessed our lives in more ways than I could every have imagined. I hope she will someday be proud of how she came to be with us. I couldn't be more proud of her!

Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone,

Time really flies when you are having fun! Alot has changed since my last post on Halloween. I can't believe it has taken me this long to post again. I went back to work on November 7th. I have mixed emotions about this. I love being with the students at school. I've got a really great class. BUT... I hate leaving Sophie. Things have really worked out well though. She stays with a neighbor (thank you Mrs. Tina!) She really is great with Sophie. I can tell that Sophie is happy there. It is also really great that she is right across the street. I don't know what I would have done without Tina.
Sophie is really talking alot now. It is so exciting and sweet to see her pick up our language. Sometimes she shocks me because I won't know that she knows how to say something, and then she just blurts it out. Sophie is really doing great in everything. We still have some behaviors left over from the orphanage, but she is doing better all of the time. She really has learned to defend herself and to stand up for herself. She takes NOTHING off of Jordan and Chase. I guess that is good in a way.


We are so excited about this Christmas. Every time Sophie sees anything with Santa Claus on it she exclaims, "MY SANTA CLAUS!" She knows he is going to bring her toys. I can't wait to see her Christmas morning. She is going to go wild.

I really don't have much more to tell. I just wanted to tell you all Merry Christmas!

Love you all!

Sophie's first Halloween! She said,? Tick a Lou? Just like her ?I luv Lou? She likes going to her neighbor's for candy! 

Oh Elvis! You look just like Chase! 

Jordan made a beautiful ballerina... Sophie is the blurr of a butterfly 

Papa Russell getting so sweet kisses from his little grand girl! 

Brother took good care of me when I was sick. 

Sophie is so pretty in pink! 

Cindy Crawford...Look out! I'm a Super Model in the making! 

I really love my La La(baby). 

Happy Halloween!

Today was Sophie's first Halloween. I couldn't wait to see how she would react. She went down for her nap late today. I was hoping she would sleep for a while, but the first set of trick-or-treaters woke her up ringing the door bell. She ran to the door and saw the kids dressed up and they were getting her favorite thing in the world...candy! So I asked her if she wanted to go trick-or-treating. She was so excited! I couldn't get her outfit on fast enough. She was a pink and green butterfly. Jordan was a fat lady in a tutu, and Chase was Elvis. They were so funny. People everywhere were taking their pictures. (Mainly because of the fat tutu lady.)
Sophie knew exactly what to do. At the first house she went to I told her to say "trick or treat". When she says it, it comes out tik or lou. Just like her "I luv lou". But she knew candy was involved. She wanted to eat it right there. And instead of taking one piece, she tries to reach in and get the whole bucket of candy.
After we made the round in the neighborhood, we went to Nana Becky's house. They thought they were so funny.
I think Sophie had a fun Halloween. I hope to put a picture or two on sometime tomorrow.

I can't wait till Santa comes!

OUR LITTLE BAMA GIRL!

OUR SWEET BAMA GIRL

I haven't really had time to blog lately. I thought you all might like to see some new pictures of Sophie though. Oh, and I have a couple of quick funny stories.
Sophie has been cheering "Row Tide" for a while now. Well, during dinner, she will only eat bread and leave everything else alone, so I usually leave the bread on the stove and ask her after she's eaten her veggies if she would like bread. Right after she learned to say Roll Tide, I walked over to the oven and asked her if she wanted a roll. Her response was... you guessed it... Tide!

She is really picking up our phrases around the house. When the phone rings she says, "I got it, I got it, I got it... Then she races me to the phone. Also, Jordan walked in on her while she was on the potty. She put her little hands on her bare hips and said, " Dordy (Jordan) Det outa here". She is just too cute!

She does something every day to make me laugh.