Post-Adoption Report Pictures

We need to submit eight pictures of each child for Kiera's and Matteo's one-month post-adoption reports.  They're supposed to show what our children have been up to since joining our family and how they are doing.  Since we haven't done a whole lot that's picture-worthy since coming home (we're supposed to be cocooning, and it's mostly been cold here in Minnesota), I've had to make a point to keep my camera on me and try to take pictures when we're out and about, or simply when I catch the kids in a good mood.  My kids have heard way too many times, "Smile!  I need a picture to send to China!"

When I finally uploaded all my photos onto my computer, I was combing through them when I came upon this one. This is what "real" siblings do, right?

Okay, really, I'm not going to let that one make the cut. Oliver and Soren actually play quite nicely with Kiera and Matteo and have been awesome big brothers.  There were so many other pictures to chose from that it's going to be hard to narrow them down to just eight.

Matteo

Clockwise from top left: 1. Guangzhou. 2. Playing with blocks at home. 3. Guangzhou. 4. Choo Choo Bob's train store.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Cruising the hospital in his car before his cleft palate surgery. 2. Family picture on Kiera's birthday. 3. Going for a walk pushing three kiddos. 4. Every time he sees the camera, he throws his arm around Kiera for a picture.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Matteo wearing his big brothers' hand-me-down overalls. 2. Donning their junior firefighters hats on a trip to our local fire station. 3. Posing with their siblings, friends and two friendly firefighters at the end of our tour of the fire station.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Kids love carrying their stuff in bags. 2. Snuggled up for a cold winter's walk. 3. All four siblings "smile" for the camera at the Minnesota Children's Museum. 4. Matteo "helped" me bake.

Kiera

Clockwise from top left: 1. Kiera and Matteo "helped" me bake. 2. Getting her teeth cleaned at the dentist. 3. Playing with trains at Choo Choo Bob's train store. 4. Getting a loving hug from Matteo while playing blocks.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Kiera on her third birthday. 2. Wearing the birthday crown Oliver made her while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. 3. Riding in a wagon at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 4. Trying on her new shades from Uncle Andy and Aunt Danielle.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Guangzhou. 2. Kiera with Matteo and Daddy in Guangzhou. 3. Family picture on Kiera's birthday. 4. Matteo and Kiera.

Kiera had no fear jumping into the ball pit.  As you can see, she loved it!

One day we were all sitting at the table eating when Oliver said out of the blue to me, "When you send those pictures to China, you need to tell them that Kiera and Matteo are really happy here and we love them very much."

I will certainly do that.  I have no idea if their foster families will ever get any of the information from our post-adoption reports, but I asked our agency if they can at least make sure the families get the pictures of their former foster children.  Kiera and Matteo were loved so much and if pictures say a thousand words, hopefully no translation is needed to convey that Kiera and Matteo are happy and they are loved.