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!