Both a SAD and HAPPY Day!

Today was one of those days for me when I was feeling extreme opposite emotions....very sad...and then later in the day, very happy! This morning, I attended the funeral for a precious three-year-old girl from China. She was adopted 11 months ago by a family in the town where I live. I had met the mother for lunch one day before we both got our referrals for our precious daughters. Our girls were on the same special needs list with our agency. This couple traveled to get their daughter in March of last year and we went to China in June. We had not had a chance to get our girls together and now little Emme is in heaven with Jesus' arms wrapped around her. I feel SO very sad over their loss! I have been holding my little Emmie this week and cannot imagine the loss they are feeling. Please pray for this family. After the funeral in the morning, which was quite special but very sad, I had to switch emotional gears. I loaded up some of our China souvenirs and headed to meet up with some friends so I could loan the items to them. The "happy" emotions kicked in because I am overjoyed for this couple (our friends) who will be traveling to China soon to adopt a precious daughter who is less than a year old. This couple has been waiting for their referral for about three years and finally received it on Valentine's Day! On Sunday night, they will be having a fund-raiser to help raise money to cover the cost of the adoption. Please pray for this family also....they don't have the funds that are needed...yet! God is SO good and I know He will provide....in His perfect timing. Thank you for joining me in prayer for these two special adoptive families who are at opposite ends of the spectrum of life right now. Bless you!

Red Envelope Day...March 31st

I saw a group on Facebook about this event and joined, but I also wanted to let anyone reading my blog know about it. Because I am an adoption advocate, I am definitely also a "life" advocate....thus, I am against abortion!

What is Red Envelope Day? You send a RED ENVELOPE to President Obama, mailed on March 31st. Write these words on the back of the envelope....."This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world." If you are PRO-LIFE, I challenge you to visit the website and mail one or more red envelopes on March 31st.

For more information, click on the words "Red Envelope Day" above for a link to the website.

Strange Weather!

Only the 17th of February....and we had sleet today for awhile!! Nothing really stuck, but it surely was strange.......especially since we had weather highs last week of at least 70 degrees, maybe higher. The kids wore shorts and t-shirts to school, and I fretted that they were not going to be able to wear their winter clothes any more. They ALWAYS outgrow them before they get enough wear out of them. (sigh) Jasper says "don't sweat it" (no pun intended), but I think it's a shame. Anyway, back to the weather. Tomorrow, we will have higher temps again and it is supposed to rain most of the day, with possible tornadoes. Now it's time to bring out those umbrellas and boots! Whew...I can't keep up with it!

What's the weather like where you are? Getting snow or do you feel like you live in the Bahamas where you are? Curious here, so leave a comment if you would like to.

Winter Jam Fun!

Girls just wanna have fun!!! And we did...at Winter Jam last Saturday night! It was Hannah's first youth concert event and I was a chaperone. There were thousands of kids (and accompanying adults) jamming into the civic center for a night of loud Christian music, expensive concessions, and loads of fun. We rocked with New Song, Pure NRG and Toby Mac to name a few. We had a pretty good-sized group (around 35 or so) and ended up in what I call the "nosebleed section" so we could get seating together. If we do this again another year, we definitely need to line up earlier! Anyway, we had a blast and here are a few pics.

Being silly while waiting in line!

Hannah with her small group friends.

Wooo Hoooo....this is awesome!

Rockin' with Toby Mac...on stage.

Early Valentine's Celebration

Jasper treated me to an early Valentine's Celebration Friday night a week ago, and we took the kids to a "parent's night out" at a local church near us. We had three blissful hours to ourselves! We went to this fun Mexican restaurant that has awesome decor and great food. The music was a little loud, but it just helped you get into the spirit of the place. It had a party-like atmosphere and great lighting. We had a fajita special for two and dessert afterwards. It was interesting to try grilled cactus, but I don't think I'll make it a regular part of my diet. I enjoyed having that special time with Jasper, and really enjoyed getting to eat my food while it was hot...and not being kicked by Esther Marie the whole time!! (She likes to keep her feet on me in some way while she is eating.) I wish we had more chances for "date nights," but I'll take what I can get!

Don't Wait Too Long To Spend Time With Friends!

Last weekend was a great one...particularly because we got to visit with out-of-town friends we had not seen in a year. (advice: Don't wait that long to see friends, if you can help it!) They invited us to their oldest daughter's dance competition...this is our third year to attend, so I guess you could say it is becoming a "January tradition"! We met them Friday night at a Cracker Barrel and the kids had a blast getting reacquainted. It's amazing how much the kids have grown in a year. We were also happy that our friends could finally meet Esther Marie. We adults reminisced about our trip together to China when we adopted MaryAlyce and Ellie....and talked about their upcoming trip to adopt their next daughter. We are becoming quite a large group when we meet so people take notice and ask about the children. When Jasper and I go out with our whole family, it is almost inevitable that we will get into a conversation with someone about the children and adoption. That's never a problem for me though because I am such an adoption advocate at this point. I probably should wear a t-shirt that says...."Hey, if you ask me about them, make SURE you have time to talk!" (haha) Anyway, it was good to see our friends, the "H family," and we had a blast at the dance competition on Saturday!

If you haven't seen some good friends in awhile, pick up the phone and call to find out how they are doing and make plans to see them soon!

Happy Chinese New Year! (Year of the Ox)

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Ox (Ji Chou) or Chinese year 4707 which began on January 26th. The celebration goes on for two weeks and preparations are quite extensive. (You can click on "Chinese New Year" for a link with more information.)

Each year, we like to join in the celebration in a small way to celebrate the Chinese heritage of three of our children. This past Saturday, we attended a Chinese Festival and enjoyed Chinese music, entertainment, games, dancing and artwork. I was excited to learn there is a group who wants to build a traditional Chinese garden in our area. They are raising support for it now, so I signed the petition.

After attending the festival for a couple of hours, we went to a dance competition and were able to spend time with our friends who traveled to China with us when we adopted MaryAlyce. They are waiting for travel approval to go back to China to adopt another precious little one. Then they will have three beautiful daughters...Emily, Ellie and Elissa. Congratulations to Lewis and Pam....we still wish we could have traveled again with you!

It's been way too long since my last blog post, and I look forward to writing more soon! I hope you all have been blessed and staying well.

Well, I will sign out for now and wish you.....

Gung Hei Faat Choih

"bless happiness, and prosperity"	恭喜發財
This is a greeting of prosperity reserved for Chinese New Years. It is also the phrase required before gifts/lucky money is given by the host during New Years.

Obama's Inauguration.....A New Beginning....REALLY????

This morning, the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama, was televised and it was blaring on two televisions in the house....maybe three. No, we didn't vote for him. Yes, we were interested, as much of the world was, in watching this historic occasion. I have to be honest and say that I couldn't join in with the news commentators in the "ecstatic joy" they kept claiming that EVERYONE has for this new President, the "savior" of America. I felt a sadness for him that he has to lead our country in this very difficult time. I am praying for his safety and for strength....for his faith to be strong. I am hoping that he doesn't get disillusioned too quickly and become discouraged like so many of the people in this country are now. It is a very tough road ahead for him and you couldn't pay me to do his job.

I also felt sad for President Bush because I think people tend to blame one man for too much of the woes and failures in life....that is unfair and unjust. I hope he will have some time to rest and reflect but he won't beat up on himself.

I heard one newscaster say that Obama will need 50 billion dollars to get this economy jump-started and I had to ask myself what "new beginning" everyone was thinking we would have as a nation as we sink deeper and deeper into financial ruin??? Ummm...WHERE is this money coming from? Sounds like more of the same old stuff to me....entitlement and programs for all!

I think our nation needs a reality check! We "the people" need to force our "leaders" to trim the budget, tighten their belts, stop the perks and earmarks, and get out of debt! How will that happen if everyone thinks they deserve what they are "entitled" to??? Okay, I am not a politician (obviously) so I will shut up now. But I will keep praying for this nation to "see the light" of Jesus and come to their senses....so there will be a better world for my precious children when they are grown.

(Inauguration button shown above available for purchase...click here.)

Barack Obama's Half Brother Performs in China to Benefit Orphans

Here's a news article that caught my eye and I decided to share it on the blog. I like reading about people who want to help Chinese orphans. This person happens to be Barack Obama's half brother who lives in China and is married to a Chinese woman. Here's an excerpt from the article....

SHENZHEN, China - The news release didn't say who Mark Ndesandjo was. Nor did the posters and emails promoting the concert Friday in this southern Chinese boomtown where he played piano to raise money for orphans. On Friday, he said he had visited a Shenzhen orphanage shortly after arriving in China and saw rows and rows of sleeping babies while a harried staff of two nurses tried to care for them. "One child with big black eyes seized my finger and would not let it go," he told the crowd.

If you would like to read the entire article about Mark Ndesandjo, click here. I find it interesting that he has chosen a life in China.

A Song for Moms......Motherhood is Exhausting but Learn to Laugh Often!

This has been one of those weeks where I truly feel like a "broken record." It is extremely obvious how many times I repeat things to my kids in a day...only to wake up the next morning saying the very same things all over again...and wondering how many times I will have to say these same things during their life-times before they will FINALLY get it! (whew..run-on sentence, but you get the idea)

I was whining to a friend of mine who sent me this link to a video by Anita Renfroe. It had me, Jasper....and the kids...in stitches...........with us pointing and nodding at each other throughout the lyrics.

Anita says she has figured out what a mother says to her children in a 24-hour period and she has condensed it into 2 minutes and 55 seconds. The lyrics are set to the "William Tell Overture" (Lone Ranger Theme music). Motherhood can be exhausting (and so can listening to the William Tell Overture music...haha). But as my friend Tracy reminded me on Sunday, if you are exhausted at the end of the day after taking care of your family, you MUST be doing something RIGHT!

Take a look and hopefully you can relate, smile, and perhaps laugh at yourself. Laughter is a good medicine...for sure! And in my opinion, every mother needs to laugh OFTEN!

A VERY BIG THANK YOU FOR A VERY SPECIAL SCHOOL !

(Hannah, Joshua, MaryAlyce and Esther Marie made this poster to give to OSMS as a thank you for their help.)

Blessings abound from all sorts of places, sometimes so unexpected....

Such was the case with a very special school and the student body at OSMS. One of my brothers (Patrick) teaches at this school and he shared with people there about Esther Marie and our family. The Science Club at the school decided they wanted to help us by having a fund raiser. They sold paper Panda Bears and because of the generous hearts of the students, parents and faculty at this school, they raised $1,526.17 !!! We were just "blown away" to put it mildly! The money will be used this month to pay down a credit card which houses the debt for Esther Marie's adoption expenses and medical expenses.

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say....

THANK YOU OSMS SCIENCE CLUB,
STUDENT BODY,
PARENTS AND FACULTY!

You truly have a very special place in our hearts and we hope you get to meet little Esther Marie soon so you can see how your generous support has helped her...and us.

Emmie's Speech Progress

It's been a great weekend and we ended it with fellowship at our church Home Group this evening. The kids (except Emmie) are tucked into bed and she is on the way. We have been snapping some photos of Emmie and enjoying some one-on-one time with her. She is fascinated with eyes and often wants to look into your eyes and examine them. Tonight she was practically sticking her finger onto my eyeball, touching my lashes and giggling. It felt very strange but I patiently let her explore.

It also brought to mind all the cute things she says now....so I thought I would share some of them with you....

I see...or I see it (especially when looking at photos that have just been taken...she is demanding to see)
Come-on (when she wants you to follow her)
Be right back (with her finger pointed out at you)
Just a minute (again with the finger pointed..she can be a bossy little thang)
I love you (that one just melts our hearts)
I help you (she is a great little helper)
Help me please or help me do it (she has good manners)
Clean up (she learned that quickly and actually does clean up well and with a great attitude)
bye, see ya (while waving at you)
Like that (Emmie tacks it onto things she tells you constantly)
Ready..Set..Go (this is one of the first strung-together statements she used and is SO cute)

Other words used frequently are: sorry, hungry, milk, eat, clean-up, thank you, me, mama, daddy, all of our other kids' names, uh-oh, night night, NO, wait, hi, hello, bye bye, etc. It is great to hear her using more short sentences too.

When we were having her speech evaluated this past week, Judy (the speech therapist, asked if she knew at least 50 words. We are SURE that she does. She babbles quite a bit, getting the number of syllables for words correct, even if we are not understanding her. SHE knows what she is saying!

There are some sounds she is still unable to make at this point, even with her palate repaired and closed up. She just hasn't learned yet. We are praying that God will totally heal her palate and more surgery will be unnecessary in order for her to have better speech. She has come a LONG way from not knowing any English (and from having a big hole in the roof of her mouth)...and we are SO proud of her. She is almost always willing to repeat words and sounds and a good attitude like that goes a long way toward better speech. Great job, little Emmie!!

Two Silver and One Bronze

A MaryAlyce story...brief but funny....

The kids were playing games on the Wii tonight and MaryAlyce was telling how she had "won some medals" when she was playing on her cousins' Wii...while visiting in Texas.

She then told us she had won "two silver and one bras medal." (pronounced like the undergarment women wear!)

It was so dang cute and spoken in that sweet little MaryAlyce voice, that we just HAD to ask her to repeat it a couple of times. Daddy then gave her a big ole hug and Mommy gently explained how to say the word correctly.

Kids can be SO innocent in those kinds of mistakes, you can't help but smile!

IT'S GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME!!!!

It's girl scout cookie time and sales start today!

(double click the cookie image to enlarge so you can see the cookies better and read the descriptions)

Hannah and MaryAlyce will both be selling this year and they are pretty excited about it. Selling these cookies helps bring in much needed funds for the troops and the girl scout council. If you are interested in purchasing any from the girls and are in our area so we can deliver to you, please email your order to the girls at 4everinourhearts@gmail.com . The cookies have gone up slightly this year and are now $3.50/box but are still a bargain for those tasty treats we all know and love! New this year are Dolce De Leche (caramel) and sugar free chocolate chip. A returning cookie is the lemon sandwich. These freeze great so you can enjoy them for months to come...so stock up now!

Girl Scout cookies can be used to dress up other recipes in a variety of unique and resourceful ways. Here are a few suggestions from the folks who bake the cookies for the Girl Scouts.

The first one is from one of the two bakers of Girl Scout cookies, the ABC Bakery:

Fudgie Peanut Butter Balls (Makes 28)

1½ boxes (24 cookies) Girl Scout Do-Si-dos (Peanut Butter Patties)
3 tablespoons butter or marga rine, melted
cup salted peanuts, finely chopped

Place cookies in food processor or blender; process until fine crumbs.

Combine crumbs and butter; mix well until blended. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls.

Place peanuts in a small, narrow bowl. Roll each ball in peanuts, gently pressing peanuts into balls. Store covered container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

This recipe is also from the ABC Bakery:

Chocolate Thin Mint Pizza Supreme (8-10 servings)

1 8-ounce package refrigerated chocolate chunk cookie dough
½ package (19 cookies) Girl Scout Thin Mints
½ cup white chocolate morsels
Vanilla ice cream, optional

Press cookie dough evenly in the bottom of an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. (Dough will barely cover the pan.)

Break Thin Mints into halves or thirds; press cookie pieces into dough, covering evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Place white chocolate morsels into a small self-closing bag. Microwave the bag of morsels on medium/high (70 percent) power for 40-50 seconds or until melted.

Snip one corner of the bag. Hold bag tightly and drizzle white chocolate stripes over top of pizza. When cool, cut pizza into 8-10 wedges.

If desired, top each serving with a scoop of ice cream.

This rather unusual twist on a favorite Girl Scout cookie comes from the other bakery, the Little Brownie Bakers:

Samoas Sweet Potatoes (4 servings)

1 box Samoas Girl Scout Cookies
3 pounds sweet potatoes
cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
pound butter
cup heavy cream
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Cool and peel.

Mash potatoes and ad rest of ingredients. Season to taste.

Place mixture in casserole dish, layer with Samoas and bake in 350-degree oven until cookies melt. Add mini marshmallows as a topping.

Let's Sell Cookies!

MaryAlyce and friends met tonight in their Daisy Girl Scout group to learn about the different kinds of cookies and how to sell them. They worked this cookie puzzle together and were proud to show it off. This is the first year these girls will sell cookies.

Great Clinic Visit for Esther Marie!

Dr. G checking out my cleft repair.

Drawing intently for awhile while we wait.

Dancing and silly faces while we wait.

If you ever want to have a marathon doctor visit, just go to a specialty clinic...whew!

Our appointment was at 9:30 this morning and we didn't leave until 1:45. I'll admit we saw several people at the clinic, but much of the time was spent waiting...and waiting...and waiting. In the end, Esther Marie just couldn't hold out any longer and laid her little head on daddy's shoulder while we were talking to her surgeon, Dr. G. Within minutes...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Today, Emmie saw the audiologist and had her hearing checked again...it is totally normal. She saw the speech therapist and had some evaluations done (and got to play with some cool toys as a bonus). The ENT doctor came by to check her tubes to make sure those are okay...everything checked out. Then we finally saw Dr. G and he checked out her palate repair. He thought it looked great and she had healed nicely. We spoke about future surgeries, but it is too soon to decide about more palate repairs. We also discussed the plastic surgery that she will need after age four and he explained it in more detail and even said we might choose to wait a little longer to have it done...perhaps age 6. There are several factors to consider after Emmie turns 4. It was a great visit and gave us a lot of information we were wanting. We also met some very nice families in the waiting area. Our next visit will be in May to check Emmie's speech progress.

Just to let you know, Esther Marie is growing like a weed...she now weighs 30 lbs (dressed) and is 35.5" tall (with shoes on). She is a great eater and we are happy with her progress.

Esther Marie is 33 Months Old!

(Double click on this photo to check out Emmie's great make-up job! She had a bunch of fun!)

It's hard to believe little Esther Marie is 33 months old already and she has been a part of our family for almost 7 months! She is growing and changing so fast...and cute as a button. Today she got into my make-up and put on some eyeliner and lip gloss. She also had fun putting some lip gloss on me...and daddy! (laugh)

Tomorrow, we have an appointment with her surgeon and the cleft team for a follow-up visit. Dr. G will check the roof of Emmie's mouth to see how it looks since the surgery in August. We are also expecting her to have some speech testing to see how well the surgery has helped in that area. Her speech continues to improve and we understand her better each day, but she still has a long way to go. I also am feeling anxious about the plastic surgery she will need when she is four..on her lip area and nose, so I have some questions for Dr. G about that as well.

Esther Marie will turn 3 in April so she will no longer be eligible for in-home, early intervention services. Therefore, we had our first transition meeting yesterday with the public school. She has some testing appointments set up in February and we will find out in March if she qualifies for the "special needs" preschool program in the public school. We hope this will work out if that's the program where God wants her to be in the fall.

A Belated New Year's Wish

This snowman may look "cool" but it was pretty warm on the coast for New Year's and felt like spring when we went out for a walk. New Year's Greetings from Hannah, Joshua, MaryAlyce and Esther Marie to you and yours!

Well, I am a little "late" with this wish for a "Happy New Year" but since it's still the beginning of January, I figure it's okay to post this cute graphic. We were visiting my brother on the coast...we headed his way on New Year's Eve. When we got there, we had a party outside because the weather was not that cold. He has one of those neat copper fire-pits, so we built a fire and gathered round. We roasted hot dogs and made S'mores and the kids (and adults) ate more than their fair share! Later, we came inside to play games and have some fun. The kids almost made it until midnight but when crankiness set in, we sent them to bed around 11:00. Uncle Patrick doesn't have television so we missed the ball dropping in Times Square. I'm sure it was about the same as every year though so we didn't miss much.

We were supposed to head on out on Friday to see Grandma and Grandpa, but the next morning I woke up sick with some type of virus..and I wish I had NOT enjoyed the hot dogs and S'mores so much the previous night. I am sure you get the picture! UGH! We ended up staying longer...through Sunday, traveling home that night. Monday the kids were off school and they started back yesterday. They were excited to get back to school so they could see their friends and exchange excitement with them over Christmas presents. Now we are back to the reality of a "normal" schedule and homework each night. Ahhh the joys of school!

We did enjoy a lazy visit with Patrick listening to old Christmas records (yes, I said records as in LP's), playing games, watching Christmas movies, reading and just talking and visiting. He lives in a very cute little artsy town and when I got to feeling better, we went out one afternoon for a walk....a slow walk. We also went to the thrift store and poked around....something we all seem to enjoy doing...looking for "treasures." We always have a wonderful visit with the kids fun Uncle and we look forward to seeing him again soon.

What did you do for your New Year's celebration? Drop us a note and share.

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.