Okay, okay already!! Here is some photos!!

Hi!
I have had some requests for some updated photos. The boys are off for the summer. I personally don't want summer to end! I like having the boys home! We are having fun! Quinn is going into 1st Grade and Parker will be in 2nd Grade...can you believe it!

PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS!!!!

Hello, Just over due on some photos. So I am putting a few up...for a few people who complained...and you know who you are!!! Ha Ha Ha

So Behind on Photos of the BOYS!!!

Hi,
Here are a few photos of the boys enjoying Halloween 2008, making apple cider at Riley Farms, checking out a Praying Mantis and Quinn enjoying his first field trip with his Kindergarten class! We also had a visit by Aunt Traci...one of Tyler's sisters.

It is almost the end of 2008! It is hard to believe....but 2009 is just days away! I hope to get more photos of the boys as they grow and grow!!

We had a great Christmas! Those photos are next! I promise!

Almost Halloween!!

It is hard to believe that Quinn will be celebrating his 2nd Halloween (just 14 months HOME!) Of course he is very excited as is Parker. Last year it was all new to Quinn. Now he is an old pro! Quinn is going to be a Pirate...Arrrggghhhh and Parker a Firefighter!

Quinn is loving Kindergarten. He has 2 teachers and he loves them both! He is starting to make friends. Even though he and Parker are very good friends (for brothers) it is good for Quinn to make friendship attachments. He even has a couple of girlfriends!!!!! Wow!

Of course I will post some photos after the big day of October 31st!!

Just LOVE this Photo!

This was one of my favorite summer photos!!

A RARE photo of Quinn

Someone on the Kazakhstan Yahoo Group had this photo...and they thought the one child was Quinn. They sent it to us and sure enough it was Quinn. What a neat surprise! Quinn has no photos of his childhood as do most of these children who came from the orphanages. I told the director of the orphanage that at the very least take a photo of the children on their birthday! I am sure it fell on deaf ears! It is a money thing.
So you can only imagine how excited we were to get this! Really excited for Quinn!
The photo truly captures Quinn too! Mr. Happy!
Oh and by the way...the other two children were adopted by another couple here in the US! So all of these children will have a Happily Ever After story!

Quinn goes to Kindergarten!!

Quinn stared Kindergarten. When we came home last June 2007, we decided that we wouldn't put Quinn in Kindergarten until Sept. 2008. We think it was a wise choice. He still is a bit immature and at 6 1/2 yrs old he fits right in with the other Kindergarteners. We know he will catch up, but it does take time. He completely understand English and really has no memory of his native language. We also think he doesn't want to remember!
He now says he is in Big Boy school. Parker started 1st Grade and really likes it. It is fun to have them both at the same school.
Glad to get these little posts in...I am so behind on them! Yikes!!

Quinn gets readopted in California

When in Kazakhstan we changed Quinn's first name...Askar and put it as his middle name. Well as time past Quinn did not care for the name Askar. So we let him pick a new middle name. He chose Caden. so on August 6, 2008 we went to court and readopted Quinn. He not only got a new middle name but will also get a California Birth Certificate. It will make it much easier for him in life to have a more recognized birth certificate.
The judge was really nice and he even had Parker join in by signing a big brother paper too!
So as of August 6, 2008 Quinn is now Quinn Caden Turley!!

One Year Ago, Quinn came Home!

June 4, 2008..One Year!
It has been quite a year! We have had good times and unfortunately some bad ones, but we all got through it!
Quinn is DEFINITELY part of the family! Some of you know that we struggled in the beginning. We weren't prepared...like we thought we were! Adjusting to a new family member took time...lots of time! Quinn went through his own emotions. To us his adjustment was much tougher to go through! He couldn't speak to us...and he couldn't understand us! Poor little guy!
Today Quinn speaks with only a little accent. He starts Kindergarten in September. He is VERY EXCITED to be going to BIG SCHOOL.
Quinn and Parker get along so much better too! They of course have their moments...but they are far and few between...we are grateful for that!
We celebrated June 4th by going on a Duffy Boat down in Newport Beach. We ate dinner while cruising around the peninsula and Balboa Island. Quinn got to drive the boat...what fun he had! I will add photos soon!
We had measured both the boys when I got home with Quinn last year. Parker grew 1 1/2 inches one year later and Quinn a whopping 4 1/2 inches!! He also gained 12 pounds!! He finally looks his age! Parker still points out...I am still taller than Quinn.
So THANK YOU to EVERYONE...for all your thoughts, advice, guidance and patience! It really meant alot to us!!

This is dedicated to our beautiful translator Maria Grinchuk

We have been home with Quinn for 11 months today!
It is hard to believe that he came from a place so far, far away from here.
It has been an incredible time of learning for all of us. We have taught Quinn so much, but in turn he has taught us! He has completely forgotten his native tongue. We tried to keep a few words...but Quinn wants nothing to do with it. He likes to speak English he has said. We have a photo album of memories from Kazakhstan that he looks at from time to time. Every time he points to our former translator Maria...he says "I like her" and he smiles!
So in honor of Maria I dedicate this blog! She so deserves so much more! We truly could not have done our adoption without her love, kindness, friendship and commitment to us. She made all the difference in the world. She explained to us the customs, the area and the people of Ust-Kamenogorsk and most importantly she helped us talk to our son Quinn. There were times when we cried over various parts in our journey. She would truly be there for us. We are so completely GRATEFUL to a young girl...wise beyond her 21 years...helping us through a very emotional time in our lives. So Maria...We thank you and LOVE YOU and miss you very much! You will never be forgotten from our hearts!! Thank you, your second family!

Had to show everyone this one!

This is a quick little blog.
We had just gotten the Boys out of the tub. Tyler was holding Quinn. The photo just really gets to me! Finally he has a family and he is LOVED!!

Look Ma...No Cavities!!!

We took Quinn to the Dentist!
The boys Dentist really ROCKS!! Tyler and I wish we had a dentist like this when we were kids. This dentist has movies shown on the ceiling!! Super cool. When Quinn was done with his cleaning ...Quinn got to pick out a really cool toy. Since Parker was there too...he got one!
Quinn has an awesome set of teeth said Dr. Christian Lopez...located in Newport Beach...just in case anyone is looking for a GREAT Pediatric Dentist!
Quinn was a GREAT patient. I think Dr. Lopez was surprised...frankly so was I. But as you can see by the photos...Quinn is enjoying his movie and not even squirming one bit!
He had no cavities...probably due to the "no sugar" policy at the Big "O"...Now don't get me wrong...too much sugar is not good for you. When we were at the Big "O" they said Quinn was allergic to sugar. So not true. If he had his choice something nutritious or a piece of chocolate...guess what it would be...CHOCOLATE!
We have been HOME 10 MONTHS on April 4th!!!

Happy Birthday Quinn!!

Quinn turned 6 years old on January 17th. We all played "hookie" and went to DISNEYLAND!! It was Quinn's very first time! We couldn't have asked for a better day! We arrived early and closed the place down! Ha

Sometimes after a ride...Quinn would say.."AGAIN"...so again we went! It was his day...so whatever the little guy wanted (except we drew the line on 3 times on the Flying Dumbo ride..ha ha)

Quinn always admired Parker's cool remote control car that Parker got for Christmas. Little did he know we had gotten him one for his birthday! We thought he was going to pee his pants when he opened it! One word..."STOKED" was Quinn!! Thank goodness Dad charged it all night before the big birthday...because Quinn was ready to rock and roll with his new remote controlled car!

This was Quinn's very first birthday. At the Groupa "orphanage" they didn't really recognize individual birthdays. Plus they told us that Quinn had a sugar allergy (which he doesn't) and they would never let him have sweet stuff. Quinn is not a cake guy...so he wanted ice cream...and Ice Cream it was...his favorite....Soy Delicious Peanut Butter Zig Zag!! Oh sooo yummy...says Quinn!!!

Since Quinn has come home he has gained 5 1/2 pounds and 3 1/2 inches in height...WOW!!

Quinn's 1st Christmas

This was Quinn's very first Christmas...even though he is 5 1/2 years old. He loved having a tree in our house...even though he thought it was funny at first!

He loved meeting Santa Claus. He said he had never met him before. It was quite a night. We went to this place in Irvine called Irvine Regional Park. We took the train and met Santa...along with about 900 other families!! (I am not kidding!)

We had a quiet Christmas day. We didn't want it to be overwhelming for Quinn. He did really good. At first it was a frenzy of Christmas paper going everywhere and then we decided to have the boys take turns opening their presents....much better idea! Ha ha ha

We are now getting ready for Quinn's 6th birthday...January 17th!! We are staying at the Disneyland Hotel and going to Disneyland the next day! He is going to love it! This will also be Quinn's very first "acknowledged" birthday!! So we want it to be very special.

We have had Quinn home a little over 6 months. We were a little concerned with his height at first. He looked like a 3 year old when I first brought him home. He has grown 3 inches and put on 4 1/2 pounds!! He still is short for his age group, but we think he is going to catch up just fine. He is also finally liking our food here! So hopefully he will gain more weight too. Parker weighs 46 pounds to Quinn's 36 pounds!!

Quinn and Parker go Trick or Treating

Happy Halloween!!

Oh what fun! I told the boys...."Go put your costumes on"!! They screamed!! We have never seen them run so fast! Ha Ha

This was Quinn's very first Halloween! We think he caught on very FAST! He was so excited to run from door to door saying "Trick or Treat"!! All of our neighbors were great! They were just as excited as Quinn was! We took so many pictures!

Boy life has really changed for the little boy from Kazakhstan! It breaks my heart thinking of the ones still there!

Lot's of people that meet Quinn can't believe that he has only lived here for 5 1/2 months. His English is getting so much better.

Quinn has also grown 2 full inches! That is awesome! He is catching up to Parker!! But Parker said that he is still the "Big Brother"!! Ha

Quinn has SURGERY!!

Quinn has perforated eardrums and we had his left eardrum repaired. Due to the recent fires here in California, Quinn's surgery was moved to the Kaiser Hospital in Anaheim Hills. The ash and smoke were too much for the Sand Canyon Kaiser Hospital. What a week! The fires were awful...but we are thankful that we weren't in any danger. We were just surrounded by smoke and ash!

Quinn was pretty happy prior to his surgery (he's a pretty happy little guy) I was worried that Quinn would freak out before surgery. When he and I were checking out at the SOS Clinic in Kazakhstan, it took 3 of us to hold Quinn down just to draw his blood!

But Thankfully they do things differently with children. They gave Quinn a liquid cocktail and pretty soon he was a little drunken soldier. He started to relax and they whisked him away. Quinn didn't even know that we had gone.

He woke up and was very groggy and started crying. The nurse said he kept asking for his mommy. Soon I was there by his side. It was special to know that he needed me. I was happy to be there for him. He slept most of the day at home. He didn't really understand why he had to have surgery, since his ear wasn't hurting him. I am sure that was confusing. We tried to explain to him that he has holes in his ears and the doctor just covered them back up.

We won't know until 2 months if the surgery was a success or not. Then if it was, we will have the other ear repaired. This will help his hearing tremendously.

4 Months Home!!

We have been home 4 months now! Wow!!

Quinn is learning sooo much and really loves it here! Life is pretty cool for the little guy! We do alot of fun things with the boys. Living at the big "O" Quinn didn't know any better. But he says "We didn't do this or we didn't do that at the Groupa", referring to life at the Orphanage. We think he really understands what he was missing living there.

His English gets better every day! He says funny things like...Gosh darn it! (yikes he learned that from me!)

He is scheduled for his first ear surgery October 26th. I already know it will frighten him. He has very bad memories of ear infections. Quinn is very cautious not to get water in his ears. Basically he has holes in both eardrums and water just goes right through...very painful we have been told.

For Halloween Quinn is going to be Buzz Lightyear! He "thinks" he knows what Halloween is all about....ha ha ha!! Parker will be Spiderman! We will take more pics and post them. Lots more fun things to look forward too!

Big Day at the Turley household....school, school, school!!

Hi,

We have been home for 3 months now. Hard to believe! So much is happening! Quinn is settling in and learning so much! At times we see little gestures that Quinn does that he obviously got from Parker...ha ha!!

Quinn went back to Pre-K on September 4th. He was VERY EXCITED! His preschool didn't have openings in August.

Parker started Kindergarten on September 4th Too!! Very exciting day! We all went out to Ruby's on the Newport Beach Pier to celebrate our big day!

We also found out that Quinn does not like his birth name of "Askar". I called him Quinn Askar and he said "No Askar...I don't like Askar". Tyler and I are going to re-adopt Quinn here in the US. We are now thinking that we may not keep "Askar" as his middle name. Just thinking out loud!

It has been getting easier....but definitely one of the toughest things Tyler and I have ever done! It is the "getting to know each other" phase that really threw us for a loop! I guess we thought we were prepared...but there is no preparing. Also we had "instant sibling rivalry" by week 3...YIKES!! We definitely weren't used to that with Parker being an only child.

So it is good. We are taking one day at a time. Quinn definitely looks up to Parker. Parker is the BIG brother!

Finally I am updating our Blog!

Hello,
We have been home 6 weeks today! What a difference 6 weeks makes! We are adjusting of course, but it getting easier each day!

Quinn already sings the ABC song! Sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (a song I sang for him at the Big "O") He counts 1 to 11 and he is now recognizing letters! He knows that "Q" is the first letter in his name. By the way...within the first 2 weeks it was Quinn who dropped "Askar". We were calling him Quinn Askar and soon we noticed that he started calling himself just Quinn!

He has been swimming in several pools, riding his tricycle, enjoying the BEACH, playing with Parker, going to a birthday party (that was a first for him), many parks to play, library, Ruby's Cafe, walking the dogs, going to pre-school, going to Home Depot, racking leaves in the backyard, picking out a toy for himself at Target, saw "Ratatoulle" the movie and this Wednesday is going to Orange County FAIR (He is going to LOVE IT!)

Quinn is a very happy little guy! He really WANTS to BELONG to our family! We grow fonder of him every day!! Parker is getting used to having a brother. But that relationship will still need time to GROW!

Quinn is FEARLESS! His first time in a pool he was on the steps one minute and then under water the next minute! We grabbed him fast and he was laughing when we got him up.

He was JUST AMAZED at the Ocean! We took him to Laguna Beach for this big moment. We closed his eyes and then when the Ocean was in perfect view we uncovered his eyes! He just kept saying "WOW"!! The beach was perfect. The water was like bathtub water. I didn't know that it would be like that, so I didn't prepare. I brought no swim trunks and only one towel. Well Parker and Quinn went crazy and were soaking wet and full of sand in their short pockets within minutes of arriving! HA HA!!

This has been quite the journey. I thank all of you for your WONDERFUL support and friendship! Thanks to my family and Tyler's family for welcoming Quinn with open arms! He is still meeting everyone. We were told in the beginning to take it slow. We think it has paid off and we feel that Quinn understands that we are his FAMILY now.

Just cruisin along

Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to write something quick. We have been home 2 weeks 5 days. Quinn is settling in. It is definitely an adjustment....for all of us. But we have been reassured that this is all "NORMAL" stuff that you go through.

We feel bad for Quinn because it must be difficult when you don't understand alot that is going on around you. Tyler and I feel like "Orge's" most of the time because we have to say "NO" so much right now. We believe it is very important to help Quinn understand the rules of our house.

Quinn just finished his first week with his English tutor. He is picking up English pretty fast. We taught him how to play "Animal Bingo". Once he got the hang of it....he wanted to play it ALL DAY LONG! It is really a great game because he is learning how to take turns and he is learning the names of animals. Pretty cool.

Tyler and Parker went to Catalina Island for Indian Guides this weekend...lucky guys! So this weekend it is Quinn and I. So for fun I called Maria tonight in Kazakhstan. It was great to talk to her. She told Quinn a few things for me. Quinn is very familiar with her and I thought that would be good for him to hear her voice. The language barrier thing is hard. I can't wait for him to understand what we are saying. Soon...soon!

Just taking this one day at a time! Thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts!