Funny Joshua!

We slept in this morning....yes, all of us....again! I think we are going to be in BIG trouble when school starts again in another week. Anyway, I was woken up by two little squirming things in the bed with me.....kicking, crawling and banging....along with some squealing. After a few minutes of that, I groaned and shooed them out. So they made their way to Joshua's room and bed. Well, poor Joshua didn't know what hit him. Wham, bam...crunch...ugh! They were doing the same thing to him. Jasper peeked his head in the door and Joshua looked up at him.....and said....

I think it was a BAD idea to wake up today!

I heard him from my room....and we all burst out laughing...and laughing!

It was a funny way for us to start the day.....the laughing, I mean....NOT being used as a punching bag or a trampoline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my kids and how they are constantly making me laugh!

Another Family Day At Home

Today, I realized (more than ever) that I should NOT let the kids stay up way past their bedtime unless it is a very special occasion! We had some grumpy-heads hanging around! And so the bickering began and kept on......until three of them had naps this afternoon!! That seemed to do the trick and helped stop some of the fussing.

In spite of the tiredness, we did have a good day hanging out as a family with no real pressure or stress from outside forces. I love having time together like that! Jasper went downtown for a short time early this morning to do a little work and to pick up a stray package at UPS. The kids and I slept in and that was bliss. We had a nice brunch again this morning and the kids played a lot with the toys they got from Santa.

We had our post-Christmas BIG meal this evening and so there was some preparation earlier in the day for that. I put a small, fresh turkey in the oven and then Hannah and I headed out together to do a little shopping in the afternoon/early evening. We had fun together...mostly window shopping. When we got home, I finished up dinner and we had a very nice meal....turkey, green bean casserole, rice and giblet gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and rosemary rolls. For dessert......the cheesecake that Hannah and her daddy made a couple of days ago....and boy was it GOOD! Emmie LOVED it and wanted MORE!

The clean-up was a lot........and as I was standing at the kitchen sink forever, I was trying to figure out if the meal was worth all the dish and pot-scrubbing afterwards....but knowing how much my family enjoyed the meal, I can definitely say.....YES!

Tomorrow, we have our "family Christmas" where we exchange gifts with each other.....since Santa came on Christmas day. The kids are excited all over again.....and I'm glad that we had a few days between the two special days.

The Day After...and Still in Jammies!

How do you like the new photo for the blog heading? It's the kids on Christmas morning in their cute Gymboree jammies. We actually gave these to the kids last Christmas but I planned ahead and ordered Esther Marie a pair like MaryAlyce's in preparation for this year...size 2...and it worked out! They look so sweet to me all snuggled in their jammies. They stayed in them all day yesterday. We had a great Christmas....and the kids opened their presents from Santa after we enjoyed a brunch of cheese omelets, Sister Schubert's cinnamon and orange rolls, bacon, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. The kids let me know this was a real winning combination as they went back for seconds and even thirds. The presents seemed to be a hit as well. Hannah got some boots...and a purse and lunchbox (Vera Bradley which is apparently all the rage in middle school), Joshua got a computer game and a Navy Seal boat with some G.I. Joe action figures, MaryAlyce got art supplies, a Disney movie and a tea set that you can really use. She can't wait to have a "tea party!" All the kids got stockings and house shoes and some other odds and ends. We had a yummy "party foods" dinner in the evening and then called the grandparents to wish them Merry Christmas. After some more playing, the kids went off to bed....and so did we!

Esther Marie was really cute this first Christmas! She loves candy...we know that for sure! She enjoys candy canes and anything chocolate, which always seems to dribble out of her mouth onto her clothes. Her favorite thing at breakfast was the rolls and I got a thumbs up on that one. I guess she has a bit of a sweet tooth. She wasn't quite sure what to do with presents but the other kids were more than happy to show her how to rip open the paper, throwing it about the room. She got some pretend food items and cookware and a little kitchen. She also got an Esther Veggie Tales movie and some books. She has been having a fun time "cooking" and serving things to all of us...saying..."eat it!" I have loved watching her as she copies our expressions and reactions, and she joins right in with all the holiday fun!

Okay, Okay....so it's the "day after" and I will admit it....everyone but Jasper is still hanging around in their jammies today..and it's the middle of the afternoon. It is just SO fun to me to have such a lazy day after the busy schedule that we always have...especially in the few days before Christmas. I am headed to put little Emmie down for a nap in a few minutes after we have our pizza lunch, and then I will reluctantly dress. We slept in this morning and had another brunch...oatmeal, fruit, and German Christmas Stollen that we always have during the holidays. I think the hot coffee was my favorite part...a Christmas blend and I like it even more because Jasper always makes it and hands me a cup! Yes, he spoils this woman rotten...I admit it! (Hmmm...I seem to be admitting a lot today!)

Now I have to get busy because I have more work to do and more secrets planned for the continued celebration. The more children we have, the more we try to spread things out to make the fun last. We had "Santa" Christmas yesterday...and a day off today to play with all the presents. Tomorrow, we will have our "family" gift time and a big, cooked holiday meal....turkey and trimmings. Sunday we will go to church, and hopefully will have some outside play time when things are more dry...it's been raining a lot. Next week, we plan to see other family members and will have a New Year's Eve party with Uncle Patrick. We can't wait for that fun!

We hope you had a blessed Christmas Day and that the rest of your holiday is wonderful, happy and that you stay well!

Merry Christmas!

MaryAlyce...Age 6

Joshua....Age 11

Hannah....Age 12

Esther Marie....Age 32 months

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

These are the photos we used for our Christmas card this year and so we wanted to share them on the blog also. They were taken at the park near our home and we had to dodge the rain to get them! Have a wonderful Christmas Day!

Our Whole Gang on Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas Eve service tonight. There were lots of Christmas songs and special music. The kids always get excited because they get to dress up and they know they will get to hold lit candles. Jasper sang and it was so nice....In The Bleak Midwinter was the song. Matt, our worship leader, played the guitar for him. Esther Marie did great for about half of the service, but then she got bored and wanted to talk. Out came the Cheerio container and that kept her fairly quiet for awhile. She fed them to herself and to MaryAlyce, occasionally saying...EAT IT...as she pushed it into MaryAlyce's face. I had to muffle my laughter! Then when she was done with ALL the Cheerios, she made the sign for "drink" and begin to say MILK in a loud voice. At that point, we walked to the back of the sanctuary...while Jasper was singing his song. I ended up taking Esther Marie in and out several times until the service was over. Oh what I would have given for a "toddler nursery"...ha! It's a family-oriented service so it was okay, but I wanted to focus more on what was going on around me. Several moms with toddlers were out in the vestibule and the kids had a "dance party". Anyway, the service ended with candles lit and Silent Night and it was beautiful. Afterward, we took a few photos, said hello to friends, and then left to come home...in the pouring down rain! It feels like summer-time here with a high of nearly 70 today. My kids might be "dreaming of a White Christmas" but as they say.....it ain't gonna happen!

What did you do on Christmas Eve? Will you be having a White Christmas? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Happy Christmas Eve To All !!

Greetings and Happy Christmas Eve to everyone!

Can you believe that tomorrow is Christmas Day? Hopefully you are close to being ready for the "big event"...but if you are not, and you are feeling a bit of panic like I am, then close your eyes, take a deep breath...and try to focus on what many of us are really celebrating...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. It's not just about one day, but about every day serving Him! And yes, as I am rushing about with lists in hand, I am reminding myself of this constantly.

Our family is having a wonderful holiday season so far, and we are looking forward to more to come. This is Esther Marie's FIRST Christmas in the United States with her new family.....as a U.S. citizen! What a special time to remember. She is full of wonder and is saying "wow" quite a bit. I had debated putting a tree up this year, but she is doing really great with it and amazingly, is leaving the ornaments on the tree. (no kidding) Emmie loves the lights on the tree and on the garland, the ribbons and bows, the candles on the mantle and the stockings. She loves the reindeer antlers (the ones on a headband that are red and green with bells) and yes, bows in her hair. She finally has enough hair for me to be able to pull it up on the top of her head to put a bow in it. She watches my every move and wants make-up too...but you have to draw the line somewhere! (giggle) I pretend to put some on her and she gets a little lip gloss for good measure.

We had a busy week during the last week of school before the holiday. Jasper was out of town for a couple of days, Joshua went on a field trip out of town, and MaryAlyce had three holiday parties in ONE day! On Thursday night after the Daisy meeting with MaryAlyce, Hannah decided she needed three gifts for friends, some candy canes, and she wanted to make Christmas cards for her friends. Yes, I took her to the drug store and Cracker Barrel for the items she needed. It is hard for me to say "no" to the kids at this time of year.

Christmas Eve.....we will follow our normal "traditions." We are in town this year and will cook and bake, wrap some presents, and go to the candlelight service at 5:00 p.m. at our church. Jasper will be singing as he does many years...which I always enjoy. This year he is singing with guitar accompaniment and I know it will be lovely. Afterwards, we greet friends, pass out Christmas cards, and then head home for our Christmas Eve party...just the six of us. We take pictures and then eat many of our favorite holiday snack foods....croissant sandwiches, stuffed eggs, chips and dip, cheese ball, jalapeno poppers, etc. I like to put out quite a spread for all of us to nibble on. We will bake some cookies for Santa (to put by the fireplace) and wait to see if he rides through our part of the neighborhood on the fire truck, throwing out candy. The children watch for him to come and get so excited when they see him! After that, we let the kids open a gift...and then it's off to bed for them so Mom and Dad can get things ready for the next day. Yes, it's a busy night....but a fun night!

I'm excited about this year with all four children...especially with the wonder-filled eyes of our latest addition...little Emmie! I hope you are having a very blessed holiday season and that these next days will be filled with joy, laughter and the happiness that only Jesus can provide.

Love to all from our family!

Thanksgiving in Texas...Emmie Meets Some More of Mommy's Family!

Our Texas Family Members....pictured left to right: Ellen, Uncle Daniel, Joshua, David, Aunt Annette, Hannah, Esther Marie, Jasper (dad), Sarah (me), Joseph, Aunt Lisa, Uncle William, Jonathan, and seated, MaryAlyce

Texas was our Thanksgiving destination this year, and the trip was alot of fun! Esther Marie met more of my family.....I have four brothers. She has met each one of them now (and their families) , except for Aunt Kari and cousin Ben. Ben is in France teaching English and hopefully she will meet him before too long. My brothers, Daniel and William, are the ones who live in Texas. Along the way, we met Uncle Stephen and his daughter, Jenny. Daniel and his family moved to the states from Germany during the summer, so it was great to see them again. While we were there, the kids enjoyed lots of good food, fishing, playing in the park, playing tons of electronic games, shooting pool, air hockey, playing the drums (both David and Joseph play drums in the band), and many other things. Joshua especially loved being around "the boys"! Of course, Esther Marie enjoyed all the attention see got as the newest member of our "clan." She did really well in the midst of 13 other people! It was a great visit and we look forward to the next time we visit Texas!

Esther Marie Met Her Tennesse Relatives in November!

Esther Marie finally got a chance to meet her Tennessee relatives about a month ago. Here is a nice shot of Grandma Alice with all of her grandchildren....Spencer, Isabell, Hannah, Joshua, MaryAlyce and Esther Marie. Our kids love to travel and spend time with family...especially grandmother. When we were there, the kids did some sewing, some crafts, worked on a big puzzle, watched movies, played with grandmother's toys and enjoyed the fire in the fireplace during the cold weather. They also spent a few hours at their cousins' house. We had a great weekend and hope we can go back again soon!

Home Study, Transitioning and Therapy...All In One Week!

Busy, busy....that is an understatement...and I am sure you can relate! On top of all the normal activities, we seem to be cramming alot of appointments for Esther Marie in before the "holiday break." Add Christmas and decorating to go along with that and my head is spinning! (Okay, I heard that! laugh I am kinda "dizzy" at times anyway without all that going on! ha)

Anyway, we had two appointments yesterday...Esther Marie's six month follow-up home study and also her "transitioning" meeting for her special services she is receiving....speech therapy, occupational therapy and special therapy sessions. The home study went great! Lauren asked us questions about Esther Marie and how she is doing. She will write a report which she will submit to the CCAA in China. She will also send them several photos to show that Esther Marie looks well and is doing well. Our final home study will be in June which will mark our first anniversary of "Gotcha Day."

Brianna, from the therapy program, came to the house next. We talked about "transitioning" Esther Marie from home services into services provided by the school system. We will have three meetings before April, and they will test her in five areas to determine her need to receive help. Brianna feels she will have no trouble qualifying. Hopefully, she will be admitted to the preschool program that is provided by the school. After Esther Marie's birthday on April 7th, she will be in the new program....hopefully.

Today (Wed.), Miss Tammy came to the house bright and early...8:45 a.m. Mommy and Daddy were still cross-eyed and Esther Marie was excited! Miss Tammy brought her special box of textured toys for Emmie to play with and it was pretty funny watching her face and hearing her reactions to all of the different things....feathers, sandpaper, squishy balls, gooey stretchy things, Playdough, Silly Putty, etc. YES, this IS therapy! You might be surprised at all the things that orphanage children miss because they are confined to a bed for so many hours in a day. The interaction with and manipulation of the different textures helps her fine motor skills and reactions to textures when touching and eating. We also discussed her deficit in some gross motor skills and how to help her in that area. She still is unable to sit up from a lying down position! We are working on that. It was a great visit and Emmie and I will be heading to the dollar store soon to get some thing so we can make our own fun texture box!

Esther Marie is making very good progress in so many areas and we are SO proud of her! This has been a great program to be associated with and we are SO blessed that she is in the "at-home therapy program!

Colder Weather in The South!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! We are having colder weather this month than I can remember in previous years. Although it does make it seem more like Christmas time, I am shivering more than I would like to. Part of that could be that our upstairs heater is broken right now...ah hmmm. Poor Jasper tried to act like an HVAC repair guy to save us some money, but no luck. Now we will call the repair guy and hopefully our hot water bill will go down when we shower! (haha) Anyway, last week when Jasper was gone on one of his LONG day trips, the kids and I sought out "comfort food" at a Cracker Barrel and I got a couple of cute pics of them in the spur of the moment. Thought you would enjoy seeing them. That night the kids were singing...."Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Check out the boots on my two wee ones! (grin) They were (and are) ready for the "blizzard in the south!!"

Happy Holidays...How Was Your Thanksgiving Holiday?

Happy Holidays to all! I hope you had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday and that your Christmas holiday preparations are going well.

It has been FOREVER since I have posted on the blog and I have been procrastinating about doing it. Why? So much time has gone by I am not sure how much "catch up" to do and I feel bad that I haven't been blogging. The busier life is, the harder it is to keep up with blogging. Anyway, I am back again and if anyone is still around to read, thanks!

The last part of November was SO busy! We traveled to Tennessee to visit Jasper's family and Esther Marie got to meet her grandmother for the first time and Jasper's brother's family. It was a good visit and we enjoyed it but it is always SO short to travel on a weekend.

For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Texas to visit two of my brothers, Daniel and William, and their families. Daniel and his family recently moved back to the states from Germany and this was the first time we had seen them since they arrived. The kids always have a great time when we go there and Joshua especially enjoys being around other boys in the family! The kids had the whole week off from school and so it made the trip easier. We also got to see Uncle Stephen and his daugher Jenny.

Esther Marie is doing so well these days and her personality is SO CUTE! She constantly makes us smile and laugh. She is a very sweet-natured girl. She is also talking better and better each week and we are understanding her more. Her therapy sessions are going well and her therapists are impressed with her progress. She still likes to point and grunt when she wants something, but we are asking her to say what she wants before we give things to her and that helps. One of the cutest things she does now is lean toward you, sticking her finger out while she says "be right back." Then she toddles off to get a new toy or book and brings it back to you. The expression on her face and the position of her body when she points would make you crack up. I hope I can capture it on video sometime before she stops doing it! She is also still continuing to work on her potty training and that is going pretty well. I say if a child can tell you when they have a dirty diaper and want it changed, then they are old enough to be using the potty all the time! Hopefully by this summer, we will have this accomplished.

If you check the blog and find this new post, I would REALLY love it if you would let me know you are still around. Just leave a comment and let me know. It is so much more fun to blog when those reading the blog respond back.

I have SO many new pics to post, I am going to have a hard time deciding which ones to put on here, but you should be seeing some soon.

More soon and love to all,

Sarah

Instant Grits?

Here's a sweet pic of Esther Marie that I wanted to share with you. She is wearing this cute hat that Hannah (now 12) used to wear at about the same age. I bought it at a store called Cracker Barrel (common in the south). So why does it say "Instant Grits" on the hat? Well, grits are something southern people love to eat, so "GRITS" became an acronym for Girls Raised In The South. And my girls are totally southern.....accent and all!

Sorry it has been a week since I have posted. Last week was unreal as far as schedules and activities and we went to visit grandmother on Friday for the weekend. Now home, I hope to catch up and post more cute photos.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon.....leave us a comment and let us know what your plans are. (Probably no one will, but I keep trying to prompt people to interact with me more on this blog! smile)

A "New" Room for Esther Marie

This weekend, we cleaned up and rearranged MaryAlyce's room. She is our six year old. I am always amazed when I tackle the kids' rooms because I find the most bizarre objects stuffed into the most unlikely places! Try to figure out a kid's mind!

So why the major clean-up and re-do? Well, we were making room for Esther Marie in there. MaryAlyce and she are going to be sharing a bedroom. Thankfully, it is the largest of the three kids' rooms. Up until last night, Esther Marie has been in her little baby bed in our room. I just needed her close during the first few months she was home. She is sleeping through the night now, and it is a good time to transition her to her "new" room.

Last night (Sunday), was the first night Esther Marie slept in her "new" room, and it went exceptionally well. First, I let her play in the room for awhile and then told her it was "night night" time. The glider rocker we have had since Hannah was a baby hasn't been used much since MaryAlyce was little. Since Esther Marie will now let me cuddle her more, I tried rocking her to sleep. With soft nature sounds playing in the background, I rocked and sang and she fell fast asleep in my arms. It is interesting to note that she usually doesn't like being held in the laying down position, but she let me do that while I rocked her.....and it thrilled me! Today went just as well when I rocked her to sleep for her nap. (Keeping my fingers crossed...so far, so good.) When I just try laying her down in her bed, she gets anxious and cries. I know it must feel funny to her to be in a different room after over four months in our room. She has not spent much time in this new room up until now. Eventually, we will have bunk beds for the girls...but for now, we will make do with what we have.

Wednesday morning at 10:00, we have our first home study appointment since we brought Esther Marie home. The social worker will come out to our house and check things out. Before the year is up, we will have three home study visits (post-adoption). I believe two of the three visits are required by China and the other one by the agency. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Our children are out of school tomorrow for Veterans' Day. What are your plans?

Friday Was Parents' Night Out...Yippie!

Last night, Jasper and I had a date, although not a totally childless one. We took the children to a "parents' night out" at a local church from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The church hosts this once a month during the school year, and we have taken the kids there many times. We took all four children in October and Esther Marie went to the teacher in her classroom without looking back. This worried me because of the bonding I was trying to build with her. Jasper and I needed some alone time together really bad so we left her that night. Well, when we took Esther Marie inside the church last night, she seemed to be really excited...UNTIL...she realized that we were NOT staying with her. She started screaming at the top of her lungs. I got Hannah to go in the classroom with her and thought her presence would work it's magic, but no luck. When I stepped out of the room again, she screamed and cried even louder. Okay...at that point, I decided she would go on the date with us! She's a good kid and did really great, charming guests and staff members alike at the restaurant. I was wishing for total alone time with Jasper for a few hours, outside of the house, but knowing Esther Marie was showing true signs of permanent bonding made me totally happy! We'll see how next month goes.

Our whole family had a relaxed day at home today. We have a very busy week coming up and so we were getting the house straightened up and some laundry done, etc. Jasper is finishing up a project and worked on that for awhile. The older kids helped me with Esther Marie and some housework. I am feeling better now after being sick but the cough is still not gone. Guess that is going to take some time.

I posted a slide show of some photos from Esther Marie's last Kindermusik class, so take a look when you have some time. (see below)

Hope you are having a good weekend and staying well!

Esther Marie in Kindermusik Class

Esther Marie's Progress...31 Months Old

Esther Marie turns 31 months old today. I had her weigh this morning and she was 26.2 lbs. on our scale. Yesterday she was about 27. I know weight fluctuates but that seems like alot for a "little bit" like her. She has a great appetite and eats quite a variety of foods. The only thing I have real trouble getting her to eat is meat, like chicken and fish. I think she doesn't really like the texture. If I help her, she ends up eating some of it.

Her early intervention appointments are going very well and she is progressing with language and motor skills. She still is way behind where she needs to be, but overcoming the cleft palate issue (even after surgery) and the language is going to take some time. She will probably be around 4 to 4 1/2 before she catches up to where she needs to be.

Our goal (for now) has been to get her to learn new words and to say them as clearly as possible. She went through a two to three week period of refusing to say much, but now she is back on track and repeating most of what we ask her to. Clarity...that is another issue, and it should improve with age and therapy. At her speech therapy appointment on Monday, she showed off quite a bit. She did puzzles and repeated color names. Our "homework" assignment is to offer her choices and to try to get her to pick which item she wants and to say the word......juice or milk, cracker or cookie, etc. She doesn't understand choices yet, but this should help.

She still is daring and wants to try things she is not ready to do! She doesn't seem to get it that throwing herself off of furniture can hurt her. After a cracked collar bone and a split open head, we are watching her more closely now than ever. A neighbor yesterday said not to be surprised if she calls me one day when she is older and tells me she is getting ready to jump out of an airplane! (laugh) Makes me wonder what she will be when she grows up! All this movement is helping to strengthen her mid-section and her thighs. Both were weak from being in a baby bed for too many hours per day. We figured she probably never really crawled and that skill is weak so we encourage her to do that to strengthen muscles.

Esther Marie's bonding with the family is going great! She seems to be pretty attached to me and won't just let anyone pick her up any more. We went to that birthday party a couple of Saturdays ago and twins' mom wanted to pick her up and Emmie refused. That made ME happy! She now "frets" when I leave the room and she doesn't go with me. This may not sound like a good thing, but it is. She loves her daddy a whole bunch too and that bond is stronger. She is especially thrilled with our other three children and has gotten into the habit of hollering out their names, looking for them when they are away at school. When we drive up for pick-up from the elementary school, she squeals with delight when she sees Joshua and MaryAlyce coming toward the car. She copies EVERYTHING that they do, or tries to...and it is very sweet.

We are very pleased with her progress and look forward to sharing more with you as time passes. It is amazing the changes that can be seen in a child once they are receiving love, attention and nurturing. We are very blessed to have her as part of our family!

Music Class and the Thrift Store

Esther Marie and I have been going to a weekly Kindermusik class for several weeks now, and today is our last day for this session. We have been able to participate for FREE (there's that word again that I like) through the Early Intervention Program she qualified for. Another class starts in January and we will be ready to start back...it's been fun! Ms. Tammy is the teacher, and she is really great with names and welcoming all the children to class. The kids sing, dance, clap, rock, listen and play. I like how it is so interactive between the child and the parent. It's mostly moms but dads have shown up too. Although I will admit that one week Jasper thought he might have to go instead of me and he was groaning. I'm sure a room full of preschoolers and their moms is not the ideal hang-out for dad! If you have a preschool aged child, I recommend this program.

After music class, Emmie and I are headed to our new favorite thrift store. They give 100% of their profits to missions and we like that very much. We are taking our first load of donations since we are trying to do some "spring cleaning" of the house...just in the fall! I hope I can get more stuff out of here before the holiday decorating begins!

Thrift stores, yard sales or eBay...which do you use to get rid of your unwanted items? Drop us a comment and let us know.

A Historic Day After The Presidental Election

Since I was talking about getting out to vote yesterday, I thought I should make a blog entry the "day after" about the new President-Elect....Barack Obama. This is not the man we voted for, none-the-less, he will be in our prayers as he begins even now to make plans to lead this great country. I pray he will seek God as he leads our country over the next four years.

On another note, the stock market took a major dive....486 points. If electing Mr. Obama is such a great thing, what gives? I know it is a very complex issue and people are worried about the economy and their wallets, but this was pretty surprising to me. If he is the "savior" for the United States, I thought the market would soar way UP today.

Jasper tells me that gasoline in our area is $2.25/gallon and that makes me VERY happy! I hope it will stay low like that during the holiday travel season. Am I just whistling "Dixie" to wish that? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think the prices will do over the next couple of months.

One last note on this post....I have a VERY tender-hearted, six-year-old daughter who cried and cried because Mr. Obama was elected. But why? Because he does not take a pro-life stand. In this house, that is important to us! It amazed me that she was so passionate about that and cared so much! Mr. McCain...you have one precious little girl in our family who is your supporter all the way...and campaigned to make sure her mom and dad were going to vote for you. It worked...we did! We are sorry you were not elected!

GOOD LUCK MS. TERRI AND THE SCIENCE CLUB WITH THE PANDA CONTEST!

WE LOVE PANDA BEARS!

The outpouring of love and generosity just doesn't seem to end and is always continuing to bless Esther Marie and our family! Tonight, I found an entry in the guestbook that I wanted to share with you:

Hello Esther Marie and family. Just wanted you to know that our Science Club has started selling Pandas for Esther Marie to help raise some money to help Mommy and Daddy pay some of those doctors bills. We're having a contest here at our school to see whose TA class can collect the most Pandas. Wish us luck. (Miss Terri from OSMS)

Well, Miss Terri and the Science Club, we do wish you GOOD LUCK WITH THE CONTEST, and we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts! Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going. Hopefully, you will get to meet sweet Esther Marie before too long when we visit her Uncle Patrick.

God Bless You All !!!

Our Kids Say The Funniest Things!

We get a lot of laughs around here because of things the kids say which are cute and/or funny. Sometimes we are almost rolling in the floor laughing. So I thought I would share something funny each of our three oldest children has said lately:

MaryAlyce.....

Joshua and MaryAlyce had their school photos made awhile back and when I got the proofs, I didn't like them that much, so I signed them up to get their pictures re-taken. Last Friday was the day, and we got up earlier than normal so I could help Joshua and MaryAlyce with their clothes and hair. Once satisfied and having given the normal motherly instructions not to get all messed up before they had their pictures taken, I shooed them out the door. MaryAlyce was hanging back hesitant to leave so I asked her what was the matter. She said...Mommy, if we are having our "make-up" photos done, don't we need to put on our "make up" before we leave?? I just had to hug the stuffing out of her before I explained to her quickly what "make-up" photos were!!

Joshua.....

We have been talking about political issues around here quite a bit and the dinner table seems to be our best forum for that. I love family meal time! Tonight the subject of "abortion" came up, and I was preparing to explain it to the kids. Joshua looked particularly puzzled, so I asked him if he knew what that was already. He said "yes" and proceeded to explain......"Well, no offense, Mom and Dad, and I don't think it will happen to you, but if you decide to split up, then you would be getting an "abortion." Ummm....wrong word, sweet Joshua.

Hannah.....

I made a doctor appointment for Hannah recently and told her about it. When her Dad arrived home from work, she decided to fill him in about the appointment. "Hey Dad....Mom will be taking me to the "taxidermist" soon because I am going to have that mole on my back taken off.

Are you smiling yet? I sure am! Thank God for the comical relief we have in our family!

Do you have a funny "word story" to share? Please leave us a comment.

Election Day "Freebies"...Get Them While You Can!

There are a few places in our area giving away "freebies" on Voting Day! Who? Chic-Fil-A (their regular fried sandwich), Krispy Kreme (one plain donut), Ben and Jerry's (a single cone) and Books-A-Million (a cup of coffee). There may be others in your area. After we voted today, it was lunch time so we headed for Chic-Fil-A. We had to ask for the sandwich, but once we did....it was FREE! (lettuce and tomato extra) I just LOVE free stuff with a family this large. Anyway, thought I would just mention it here and encourage you to get out and vote. The places giving away the free stuff are not allowed to discriminate between voters and non-voters, so head for the free stuff even if you don't vote. Our voting place (a church) was a breeze..there was no wait...but that was about 11:30 this morning. I hope all of you don't have too long to wait! Drop us a comment and let us know if you found more Election Day Freebies. Have fun!

Presidential Election Day...A Historic Event...and Esther Marie's First (although not quite old enough to vote)

Happy Election Day! I hope you are planning to get out and vote. Although I say "happy," I guess for some it will be happy and for some, not so happy...depending on the outcome. I am just HAPPY that the political ads and the political phone calls will STOP!

This is one more historic event that has been going on during the year that Esther Marie was adopted and became a U.S. Citizen, so she will have a lot to look back on when she gets older and is interested....wacky ups and downs in the stock market, soaring gasoline prices, recession to borderline depresion in the economy, and this Presidential election.

The kids are off to school now and we have our coffee brewing and our voter guide out. Jasper got back late last night from a Florida day trip, so the 7:00 AM voting time was not so appealing. Hopefully after many people are at work, the lines they are anticipating will be shorter and we won't have that long to wait. I am thankful we are in the south and the weather will be warm today. My dad is working the polls in the state where he lives, so it will be interesting to get the scoop from him later about the crowds there.

Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin.......which one will be the new team? I guess by tomorrow morning, we will all know for sure....unless....there are more "hanging chads" this year! (haha)

Get out and vote....your vote does count! Have a blessed day!

From China to Chic-Fil-A....Best Friends Meet Again

Here's a sweet photo of Esther Marie, Emerson, and Amy in the Chic-Fil-A play area. We met for lunch and then the girls (and the moms) had fun playing and getting to know each other. This was Esther Marie's first time to crawl through the tunnels and come down the big slide. I was trying to get more photos uploaded at one time, but the uploader keeps crashing, so I will switch to Flickr and get a slide show going for you soon. We are looking forward to our next play date!

Friendly & Helpful / Honest & Fair......These Daisys Work Hard to Earn Petals 1 & 2!

What does it mean to be a good helper? MaryAlyce, Mary Virginia and Juliet talked about this and listened to a story told by me about "brownie helpers." They learned that they should be good helpers at home without being asked all the time by their moms and dads. They are showing off their "helping hands" pictures which they made.

MaryAlyce, MaryVirginia, and Juliet worked on a craft to earn one of their Daisy petals. They traced their hands, wrote their names on them, and then shared their helping hands with each other. They also got little papers they cut out that say .... A Daisy Girl Scout Helper Was Here. The girls signed their names on each slip and when they do a good deed for someone (without being asked!), they can leave one of the little paper to let someone know they helped.

I was leading the meeting this night and decided to teach the girls how to share "fairly" in a concrete way. Treats....what a motivator! MaryAlyce and I picked up a few fun items from the dollar store and filled a little basket. The girls had to figure out how to divide up all of the items in a fair way...and include the three girls who were unable to be at the meeting on this night. They created take-home, goody bags filled with erasers, candy, cookie cutters, headbands and pennies. They did a good job dividing things up!!

Happy November!

Well, once again life has bowled over me with all the activities that have been going on, and I have let more than a week pass me by since I posted last. Actually, I have been sick this week and that has made things more difficult. I feel like I have washed my hands a million times and they are very dry at this point. I am trying to keep the kids from catching whatever I have....so far, so good. So what is it? Not sure...cold, bad cough, something. I just wish it would go away! Of course, life continues...even when mommy is sick and the show must go on.

My lunch a week ago Friday with little Miss Emerson and her mommy was postponed until this past Monday. They had gotten a last minute appointment for early intervention evaluation and that was a very important appointment to keep. Kids born with cleft lip and palate definitely need some speech therapy very soon after their first palate surgery. Esther Marie has been in a program for several weeks now and I am very happy to learn that Emerson is now plugged in to a program as well. It was great fun meeting them and the girls seemed happy to see each other. We are not sure if they recognized each other from the orphanage though. We met at Chic-Fil-A and the girls enjoyed playing in the indoor play space. Ummm...the mommies enjoyed it too. Esther Marie dragged Emerson's mother through the climbing structure first and then I ended up going in too! Let me just say, at this point, that those little spaces were NOT meant for someone who is 5'8" tall! Whew!!!!!!!!! When I was coming down the slide with Emmie, I was basically laying down on my back so I wouldn't get stuck. That was my first and last time in there! We had a good time laughing, talking and getting to know each other and I hope we get together again soon.

Last weekend was a busy one with MaryAlyce attending an indoor swimming party for twin girls that go to her school. It was the most fun swim party we have ever been to. Joshua and Jasper went to Camp Haunted with the Boy Scouts and had a blast. It was cold but they toughed it out and made it home without any frostbite. This weekend, we were supposed to be visiting grandmother (out of town), but because I am sick, we had to cancel the trip. Needless to say, the kids were not very happy about that. They love traveling and visiting grandmother. We will have to plan that trip again soon. It will be Esther Marie's first time to meet her paternal grandmother.

Well, between washer loads of sheets and towels, I wanted to sit and write a bit. More soon and hope you all are well this fall season. Happy November 1st!

Only a few more weeks until Christmas.....(another week has gone by)

Well, another week has flown by and it's hard to believe it is only about 10 weeks until Christmas! Are you panicking yet??? I am trying not to think about it! Of course, this will be Esther Marie's first Christmas with us, so that will be very special.

We had Kinder music again today and Esther Marie still likes going. Each week her comfort level varies though. One week she was very shy and clung to me and then another week she was running around checking everyone out and dancing all around. Well, this week she was more on the shy side again and wanted me to hold her several times while she put her head on my shoulder. Up and down and up and down she went. It's a great little class for her because she watches the other kids with their moms or grandmoms and she imitates. She is also getting more language exposure while in the class. She is saying a few words clearly, but her language is still very delayed.

Hannah is thinking of joining the newspaper staff again at school since basketball didn't work out. She was on the staff last year. She enjoys it because she loves to write. I think this would be a good activity for her in addition to girl scouts. Joshua is finishing up a unit on the rain forest at school now and has been enjoying decorating his classroom. He did a project on the Harpy Eagle which is the type that lives in a rain forest, and he got to share with his class and several other classes. He is working diligently to learn his multiplication table. Remember when YOU had to do that? MaryAlyce recently learned a song and her teacher made a video of the whole class singing. They are submitting it for some contest and if they win, they might get computers and ipods. They are wanting to share some of the "technology" with a class in Tennessee...if they win. I think this is great! She is happily loving being a Daisy (girl scout), and she is now reading chapter books...Junie B. Jones is her favorite.

I am finding some time to spend on Wednesday evenings with a friend of mine while Jasper takes the kids to church, and that is giving me a much needed break during the middle of the week. It seems that it is harder to make time these days for some quality "mommy time." I must admit that the gym time is not going that well, but I am committed to sticking with it. Can the majority of us say that we just LOVE working out? (laugh) I think probably not! A couple of weeks ago I found this great Thrift Store. Why is it so great? Well, they are a 501(c)(3) business that gives ALL of their profits to missionaries and Christian missions groups. Not only can you shop there and pick up some great stuff for much less, but you can help others. And...I have found a place to take stuff from my house that I no longer want and I know it will be for a great cause. I feel like I have hit a bonanza! Perhaps when Esther Marie gets in school, I can volunteer to help there.

Last but not least, what is Jasper up to? He is still traveling some but not a whole lot. This travel gives him a nice break out of town, and I'm sure it's work he enjoys. He is working to finish up a project for his business also and that is keeping him busy. He does still have a lot of time for our family which is a super plus of having his own architectural practice. One of his bigger projects has been delayed further until next year and that is probably a sign of the times, so to speak. I think most building projects slow down when the economy is lagging. Please pray that God will continue to supply work and the necessary funds to sustain our family through this "depressed" time.

I hope all is well with you and if we can pray for you in any way, please drop us a note at our blog email address: www.4everinourhearts@gmail.com .

"Best Friends" In The China Orphanage

When we were in China visiting the orphanage where Esther Marie lived, the director brought out a little girl and told us that Esther Marie and she were "best friends" and really liked to play with and be around each other. They told us this little girl would be adopted soon, but I didn't really understand who was adopting her. Since they had told us Emmie was very close to the child, I took a bunch of photos and hoped I would be able to share them with this child's new family one day. Of course, things got busy here at home once we had arrived back in the states and I forgot to ask the agency about this precious little girl. Recently, I got an a chance to speak to this little girl's new mommy and found out we live close enough to each other to be able to meet. So, we are all going to have lunch on Friday! I am very excited about meeting little Emerson and her mommy, about seeing how the girls react to each other after four months, and about getting some new photos of them together. I'll let you know how things went so stay tuned.

A Younger MaryAlyce With Her Pumpkins

I ran across this photo of MaryAlyce, taken when she was 3-1/2, and I just had to post it since it was taken with pumpkins....and so appropriate for the season. Hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I did!

Growing and Changing

On the left is Esther Marie's referral photo and she was probably between 12 and 15 months old (a guess since the photo was not dated). On the right is a current photo of Esther Marie at 30 months. She's certainly blossoming and changing, and her personality is, to say the least, exploding! She's a sweet, happy child...full of smiles and wonder. Emmie, we are so blessed that God placed you in our family. We love you, little one!

Emmie, Pumpkins and Mums

Once you start the slideshow, move your cursor to the bottom of the photo to get options. Double click on the four small arrows on the bottom right to get full screen photos plus captions. Press escape to return to the blog.

Yes, We Are Still Alive and Kicking...In Case You Have Been Wondering!

The kids are safely tucked into bed, and I am unwinding here after a long day, sipping a cup of Chai Spice Tea with honey and cream. (Thank you, Patrick, for the tea!) I have a cinnamon-scented candle burning, right here on the computer desk...ironically, it is named "Reflections." I would like to be able to tell you that I hear crickets outside, chirping in the background, but alas summer has slipped away and the weather here in the deep south has finally cooled off a bit. The sounds I hear now are my own click-clacking at the keyboard and the hummm of the baby monitor. So where is Jasper? Downstairs on his computer, working away at a deadline. I am going to try to entice him upstairs now that it is more quiet with the kids snoring soundly in their beds. Hopefully, he will bring his laptop up to the kitchen table and plop it down so we can have our late-night, technological togetherness! (ha ha)

So you might be wondering, WHERE HAS SHE BEEN FOR OVER TWO WEEKS???...that is, IF you are still checking in on the blog every once in awhile. Well, I am still around but must admit to some burn-out that caused me to have to step back from a few things.....although probably not enough...including my blogging. It seems each time we add a new child to the family, we always have a typical post-adoption adjustment period of around six months where we are all trying to get used to each other and the new changes in our lives. I am sure most families experience this even with a natural-born child, but the adjustments necessary can be more strained, I think, when you add a child, via adoption, who is older than a newborn. It is very stressful at times trying to deal with each person's emotions and can be difficult to keep things balanced. With a pre-menopausal mother and a precious, little, constantly-meddling, inquisitive two-year-old in the family, I am sure any outsider looking in would wonder if the "play" they are watching is a tragedy or a comedy...or perhaps some of both. All that to say, we have had some stressful moments the last couple of weeks due to the adjustments, and we continue to covet your prayers during this time. Our initial "honeymoon" period has worn off and we are now having some true "reality-show" moments!! (Forget it, we are not going to start broadcasting! laugh)

Since it has been awhile since I have written and told you what is going on with the kids, especially Esther Marie, I am going to back-track some and post a few photos. Along with the photos, I will chatter at you and share some of the things we have been up to lately.

Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you will leave me a comment to let me know you are still around. I have to admit, I am envious of those bloggers who seem to get a lot of comments about their posts. (hint-hint) I hope all of you are having a pleasant fall weekend!!

A Prayer Request For Neighbors

Wow, time really flies when you are busy, busy, busy! I can't believe it has been this long since I have posted! Anyway, I will be putting up some new photos and filling you in on little Emmie and our family very soon. Until then, hope you are all well.

As a prayer request, I ask that you pray for our across-the-street neighbor, Larry, and his wife, Marlene. Larry was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and will probably be having surgery next week. The cancer has not spread to his lymph nodes, which is a very good thing. Please put Larry and his wife on your personal and church prayer lists....and I'll keep you posted when I have news. Thank you for your prayers!

Sweet Little Flowers...The Daisy Group

Tonight was the second meeting for our little Daisy Girl Scout troop. Daisys are Kindergarten and First Graders. There was no Daisy group at our school last year, so this is MaryAlyce's first year as a scout. The girls received their official t-shirts and books this evening and also earned the center of their Daisy Patch Set (see below). They also practiced the Girl Scout Promise. It's a fun little group, and we are looking forward to lots of exciting things this year. By the way, please make note that MaryAlyce will be on the look-out for you in January....cookie time! (hehe)

These are the petals in the Daisy that the girls will be earning each week. They will be ironed onto the back of their Daisy t-shirts. At the next meeting, each girl will also have a hat like the one MaryAlyce has on in the photo. Don't the girls look "too cute" ???

Off To Lunch With Daddy

Headed to lunch with daddy...purse in hand...and wearing a jacket too. What a pleasant surprise that a "cold front" had moved in yesterday, the first day of October. Finally, we had relief from temps in the mid-80s.

This "little model" was showing out a bit!

Check out how my hair is finally getting longer in the back.

A necklace can be all sorts of things....even a headband. The funniest thing is when Esther Marie hangs it on her ear and pretends she has on a earring. Wish I could have gotten a picture of that! She loves jewelry.

A sweet smile from a very sweet girl.

Like Father, Like Daughter?

Jasper, being an architect, scribbles and draws on napkins, envelopes, scraps of paper and yellow "trash" (thin architectural tracing paper). The kids have watched him do this for years and they, at times, emulate his behavior. Thus, Hannah's "house plan" drawn on a torn-out piece of lined notebook paper. We got tickled to see this and thought you might too. Like father, like daughter??? (click on the drawing to enlarge)

Update on Mom

Just a short note to let you know my mom's dental surgery went very well and she is not having much pain or discomfort. She sounds great and is in good spirits! Praise God for answer to prayer! She said she could tell that a lot of people were praying for her...so if you are one of those, thank you SO much!

Esther Marie is A Sponge...and A Ham!

Happy October! Hard to believe it is "fall" now...especially since in the South it still feels like summer.

Esther Marie had her second appointment with her speech therapist this morning here at the house. Ms. Michele was here for almost 2 hours playing with Esther Marie while working on speech. The idea is to get her to mimic speech as it relates to her, in her own environment. Michele was constantly amazed at how Esther Marie tried to imitate words and sounds and kept saying she was just like a sponge. Apparently some children she works with are not very responsive. And Esther Marie was playing music from a Leap Frog musical table she has and was dancing around and showing out...such a little ham! She loves attention and therefore will imitate to get it. Puzzles provide a good opportunity for Emmie to work on fine motor skills, cognitive skills and speech. Also good is using pretend dishes and utensils. A lot of different toys become a phone for Esther Marie and she enjoys talking on the real phone too. We have to watch her to make sure she is not actually calling someone!

We have three more therapy appointments this month and of course, Kindermusic class each Thursday. Esther Marie is fully emerged in the "early intervention" program at this point...and it will be interesting to see how she is doing at the end of this month.

It will be about six months after the palate repair surgery, which was on August 20th, before the doctor and speech therapist at the cleft clinic can fully evaluate how well the surgery helped her. The objective is to have her talking as much as possible, and making sounds, so they can properly evaluate this. Then we will go from there in deciding whether she needs more palate surgery. (I pray not!) We have a follow-up appointment at three months to talk about more intensive speech therapy.

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but Dr. G said Esther Marie will need to have surgery when she is four to repair and reshape her nose and her lip. She has too much scar tissue from her first surgery to correct the double cleft lip that she was born with. Her little nose is apparently too flat and her nostrils flare out in the wrong direction. I dread this surgery because she will be old enough to be more aware of what is happening.

Well, God is good and He will get Esther Marie, his little angel, through all this and also our family. Thanks for your love, support, encouragement and prayers!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

I just want to give a "shout out" to my mother who had a birthday today....Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!

The kids had fun calling tonight to sing to her and Esther Marie joined in the fun with a smile on her face....just belting it out....well, she was singing something.....we are just not sure what exactly! Then the kids took turns talking...telling Grandmother all about their activities and school. Even Esther Marie got on the phone and paced around, jabbering away, pausing here and there to laugh. Grandmother has a lot of patience, that's for sure!

Here's the funny part about the birthday call......

I was washing the dishes after dinner and because I had wet hands, I asked Hannah to grab my cell phone and dial Grandmother so we could all sing to her. So she did and put the call on speaker phone. When she heard someone pick up, she started singing away....and we all joined in. It was a boisterous and somewhat off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday" and when we finished, we heard this surprised and confused voice on the other end asking...."My Birthday???!!!" (oooops.....wrong Grandmother!!! Hannah had dialed her daddy's mother!!) We profusely apologized, assured her that she was not another year older, had a good laugh, promised to call back, and then quickly called the real birthday lady. So we had an embarrassing moment tonight that we could all laugh at ourselves about.

My mother, the REAL birthday lady, is having some major dental surgery tomorrow morning. If you think of her, I am sure she would appreciate your prayers, both during the surgery and for the next few days while she is recuperating. Her name is Betty...and thanks for praying!

I recently posted some new photos of the kids using a "Flickr Slideshow" (scroll down below) and wanted you to take a look when you get a chance. It's something new to my blog, using this slideshow feature, and I am trying to figure it all out. First click on the arrow in the middle of the photo. Then you can click on the word "Flickr" on the photo (upper left) and it will take you to Flickr to view the pics, OR you can click on the four little arrows on the far right bottom and it will open a full-screen mode of the photos. (I like this best.) If you click "information on" it will show you the captions/titles for the pics. Thanks for looking! Hopefully with this new feature, I can add pictures to the blog more often.

Help Recycle Items You No Longer Need and Perhaps Find Items For FREE That You Do Need...Here's How!

I met with a friend today who told me about these cool yahoo groups all across the country....called FREECYCLE.

"The Freecycle Network (TM) is a nonprofit organization and a movement of people interested in keeping usable items out of landfills. Freecycle also helps people find new homes for items that are "too good to throw away," but are gathering dust and taking up space in the attic or garage. Just post a message telling what it is you are giving away (or looking for), and interested members will reply. All items offered or requested through the group MUST be "free, legal, and appropriate for all ages."

You will need a yahoo mail account to join a group in your area. It is suggested that your email address be "non-identifying." To find a group in your area, just do a search for Freecycle with your town name and state....or another town close by to you.

Have fun RECYCLING!! And if you join a group in your area and have success, it would be fun to hear from you...so leave a comment on this post.