Happy Birthday Calvin!

Calvin is now 8 years old. This means he gets to begin taking piano lessons, he starts cub scouts, and he is going to be baptized! This post is dedicated to his birthday party! Woo-hoo!

A quick picture of Calvin in his cub scout uniform. Isn't he adorable?! I need to figure out how to put on the patches he needs. I think I am supposed to iron them on? Not sure.

I found this recipe here. The cream filling and the caramel ganache were fabulous. The cake, however, was just...kind of...eh. I have thought to add the cream filling layer to THIS recipe. I think that would be a match made in heaven. ::drool::

Calvin requested the baked french toast casserole for breakfast. 

We had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed party. And since it was all things TMNT, we had pizza for lunch.

Time to light the candles!

Let's talk about Calvin! I was very worried about his attachment, as he was the oldest child we have adopted at the age of 5 years old. I think he is very happy in our family and has learned how to not have everything be about him - something we struggled with in the beginning. Calvin is a go-getter. If he sees something that needs to be done - letting the dog outside, picking up something that fell on the floor, changing the bedsheets on Saturdays - he just does it! Amazing concept, right?!

Calvin is very creative. He loves art projects and he takes his time to make his creations just perfect. Calvin likes affection, but I wouldn't say he seeks it out. For a while I took that to mean he wasn't very attached, but I think now that he simply isn't the most affectionate person - which is fine. However, I still give him kissing attacks and hug him as often as I think about it. And he smiles when I do. Calvin likes to look nice. He often lays out his clothes the night before, so he can be ready to look good for school or church. He now has inherited Keith's black Sunday suit and LOVES to wear a tie with it.

Calvin is enthusiastic about life. He wants to learn and is excited when he can piece things together in his mind. He frequently relays parts of movies to me - just after they have happened - so he can share that moment with me. (He doesn't really get that I have seen the movie several times and I already KNOW what is happening...)

I do worry some for Calvin's mental processing abilities. He doesn't have a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but the older he gets...the more I suspect some at play. He also has the most smooth philtrum of all of my adopted kids. Plus he was taken away from his mother at the age of 12 months, due to her incessant drinking of alcohol and not caring for him. Calvin only had one other family visit him prior to our adoption. The couple were told that Calvin would likely not survive his first heart surgery in Moscow, so the family changes their plans and looked elsewhere. I am so glad Calvin was waiting for us in Vyksa. I can clearly remember the first time I saw his happy face. Unlike the other 3 children we adopted, he KNEW why we were there. And he knew that if we liked him, that we would adopt him. Every other child in that orphanage was 4 years old or younger and he had probably seen other children be adopted and wanted to be one of them. I thought that this was a lot of pressure for a young man to have to take upon himself, but thankfully Heavenly Father knew he was meant to be our son and made everything happen to bring him home. In the last 3 years, Calvin has had his third heart surgery, moved twice, and has become such a wonderful boy. He has my heart! Happy Birthday, son! You are loved.