thanksgiving and cousins!

Cousins!
This is on my Mom's side of the family.
And, technically, my brother, Christopher, and I should have hopped in this picture, too - and we were missing my cousin Mick - but this is the group of "little kid" cousins that were at our Thanksgiving celebration!

Starting in the back - left to right - and according to how they are related to ME (because it's all about me, right?):
nephew Grayson, cousin Caitlyn, Anna,
nephew Tate (you can't see sis-in-law Joy holding him in the chair), Abraham, Austin, Amy, Ashleigh (OMG! When did she grow up?!) holding nephew Reed

Good food. Good times.

gratitude

for:
-salvation through Jesus Christ
-Chris, Ashleigh, Austin, Amy-Hui, Anna and Abraham.
-my extended family
-our church (pastors and Body)
-good friends
-America
-China (and the gift of the children they have allowed us to adopt)
-a home
-provision of a good job
(this is ONLY a START!)

Happy Thanksgiving. Count your blessings.
I dare you.
Then stop.
And tell God "thank you".

i love him

i really can't even put into words how i feel about him already.
our guide in china - maggie - said we were destined for eachother - on the first day!
i tried explaining to her that we believe that when abraham was created, god created him for us.
i believed it that day.
i am living it today.

i took these pictures yesterday...

this one was when he was in time out.
he looked so cute sitting there, so i ran to grab the camera and when i came to take the picture, he signed "all done!".
even cuter picture!



this one was yesterday afternoon.
chris was going to take austin out to work in the yard for a few minutes and i suggested taking abe.
he had a blast!

My guys.
(And YES - Connie - Abe is again running around the house in his diaper! Just like Kaeleb and Kambry!)
Austin basically had to snag Abe as he was running past - under his arms - and pull him down for the picture!



We've been home three weeks! How is that even possible? It's so wierd to me how time has flown by!
I am still not terribly comfortable taking three little ones out of the house by myself, but that doesn't mean we aren't doing it. It just means that I am praying a LOT and prepping the girls with my expectations. That has actually helped a LOT!

This has been a pretty slow week and I will take that anytime!
We have spent a lot of time at home. The two bigs missed school a little this week because of colds and Abe and Anna both battled it, too. I am still hacking (even as I type) and am still looking for my voice (where DID that thing go?!).
Chris and Amy escaped it.
This time.

This week is Thanksgiving (just in case you missed that!) and that means family dinners and Black Friday Christmas shopping. I am SO excited that we got a babysitter this year and Chris and I are planning a day together! We also have a night planned with friends and my FAVORITE church service of the year - our Thanksgiving Eve service. A great opportunity to hear what God is doing in the lives of the brothers and sisters in our church. We have also been invited to join our friend at the Chinese church for their Thanksgiving celebration dinner and service. It is a busy week ahead! Not to mention that Ash's 12th birthday is a week from tomorrow
(and so is my Aunt Christina's!).

I just realized that this is the MOST BORING blog post ever.
I'm sorry.
Nothing too deep today.
Or exciting.
Maybe that's a good thing.
That might mean I have had an easy week.
God must have known I would need a down week this past week - in order to be ready for this next week!
:)

Yup.
I'm going to start rambling if I don't just say

"good night"

twice adopted!

Amy's now has TWO adoption days...
Her first - when she became our daughter - April 3, 2006.
and
Her second - today - November 19, 2008!

Amy has been asking a lot of questions lately. Questions about Jesus, sin, heaven and forgiveness. Chris and I could see that God was drawing Amy to himself. We have been praying (as we have for all of our children) that she would desire him and that she would only be compelled by his lovingkindness.

Today - while the littles and I were out running errands - Amy said "Mommy? I want to ask Jesus into my heart!"
I wanted to be sure that she knew what she was saying. She did.

So right there - in the Suburban as we were driving down Rock Rd - Amy asked Jesus into her heart.

And we thought she "glowed" before...
:)

By the way - we have told Amy that she needs to tell everyone that she is a Christian now. So when Amy tells you that she "can go to heaven now!" (her own words) - please be genuinely thrilled - as if you didn't already know ;)

thank you

Oh, man.
I love this little boy.
Big time.
Already.


(random pic that I love because I can almost hear him saying "huh? - which he says a lot)

He is a QUICK learner.
Every time he hears the words "thank you" he quickly signs them.
He is learning the attitude of gratitude.

He is also learning about loving.
We had saved a *few* things from when Ash and Austin were little (opting to get rid of nearly everything, because we were "done!"), and one thing we saved was a little blue boy doll that Ash gave Austin when he was born.
Part of Abe's bed time routine has been for me to kiss and hug the doll and then hand it to Abe.
The first few nights he just let it lay on top of him.
But the past few nights, he has starting hugging it, too. Kinda saying "hugggggggg" while he does it and then pats the baby's back. But last night he kissed it several times, hugged it and patted it's back.

I remember seeing these early nurturing moments with Amy and Anna and it just filling my heart with joy! I get to teach them what a Momma is!
But, here I am with Abraham, and I get to teach him the same things and I guess I never really thought about those kind of tender moments with a boy.

I tell him every night that he is precious.
That he is a treasure.
That I am so blessed that God chose ME to be his Momma!

I hope he knows how much he is loved.
I think he might be learning...
Not a bad lesson.

simul-broadcast

edit: I just tuned in to Focus and apparently they are NOT broadcasting the same as Family Life. So - tune in to Family Life Today - with Dennis Rainey in order to hear at least the first two messages in this series.


This entire week, Focus on the Family and Family Life will be simul-broadcasting the same series of radio programs related to the orphan and our response.

This is National Adoption Awareness month.

Adoption is SUCH a blessing, but adoption alone cannot solve the orphan crisis.

At least NOT adoption into earthly families...

Please join me this week as I listen to these messages and am challenged. What will our response be?

If you can manage to listen to the 1/2 hour radio program on the way to work or school - great! But if you are like me - it is impossible to carve out 30 minutes to listen to anything in the car! I often pull up the link on either website and listen to the daily radio programs streaming from their web-site when it is convenient.

Praying that God uses these programs to stir the hearts of HIS people this week...

deer!

I love Saturday mornings.
I can get up and drink my coffee and enjoy some silence...
I also get to enjoy the sunrise.

This morning, Chris was up starting a fire (in the fireplace - lest you be concerned that the pyro in him is out of control!) and I looked out the window and saw two deer! And soon - they were joined by a third!

Just grazing and trotting down to the pond.

This picture pretty much stinks - but those two lights - those are eyes. and to the right side you can see the bob-tail of one of the deer.

This - people - is why we moved to the country.

doctors

We get to see another one! Woo HOO!

(Did you sense that comment was DRIPPING with sarcasm?!)

It seems that Abe is blind in his left eye. It also appears that the cataract runs deeper than the lens - into the cornea. Because of that, the doctor would like a cornea specialist to see him. At that appointment, he will perform an ultrasound of Abe's eye. Abe will have to be completely put under for that. The ultrasound is used to see behind the eye.

So that's it.

Abe hates doctors, by the way. And riding in the car. Lots of screaming yesterday. Lots. But, hey - today's a new day! A new day to open cabinets, drawers, climb up the stairs, move child safety gates, etc.

:)

just playing

Do you remember when the hardest thing you had to do was remember to share with your siblings?



That is the biggest thing we are working on here on the farm.

Guess who won?

Abraham had his first doctor appointment of the week yesterday. Just a "well child" visit. The nurse came in with the little checklist of things he can do. I told her that we never get any further than the first three questions. That's what happens when you say "Point to the horse" and the kid doesn't have a clue what you just said.
:)
So, we put that away.

We weren't planning on a blood draw yesterday. Too much trauma, too soon. BUT - the doctor thought it might be helpful when we see the specialist on Thursday if we have his labs in hand. While we continue to believe that Abe only has a cataract, there is a possibility that his cataract is a sympton of something more.
So we drew blood. Oh, poor Abe. But, not sure if it was worse for him or Amy. She just sat and teared up as Abe was poked. When it was done, I think I had to comfort Amy more... She has such a tender heart.

I am VERY excited that a new friend of mine - Ellen - became a mommy on Monday! Her baby girl bounced into the world as an early birthday present (for Ellen)!

anna's first "friend" birthday party

it was a puppy party.
lots of fun.
four of her favorite little people got to come (in addition to her four siblings).



cute little birthday puppy

(Rauley, Isaiah and Peyton)

wanna know something pretty cool about her four friends?
they are all adopted, too (or in the process of being adopted)!


(Anna, Amy and Annie -who turned three this week, too!)

folks - that was FIVE three year olds in attendance.
we realized that we have 6 three year olds in our adoptive community life group from church.

pray for our babysitters
:)

she had a blast!
our little friend anna couldn't make it. otherwise, there would have been two annas and an annie!

this man

i am pretty crazy about him.
can you believe that this is the same guy that almost 5 years ago said
"two is good. adoption is great - for someone else"?



i think he might say he is "ruined", too.

i am blessed to be "ruined" with this man.

one week

abraham and i have been home for one week.
it's odd to me how normal life already feels.
don't get me wrong - i am not about to venture to the grocery store with my three littles in tow - by myself - yet :)
but it feels normal.

normal to have the kitchen abuzz with backpacks, cereal, milk (and soy-milk!), toddlers eating cheerios right alongside the almost 12 year telling me she doesn't "need" to eat breakfast.
normal to have my hair blow dried, but still hanging in my eyes - without mascara.
normal to wonder which diaper is the size 3 and which one is the size 4.
normal to cut every piece of food into micro size for the newly chewing little one.
normal to remember which sippy cup belongs to which child.
normal to tell two little girls to quietly lay in their beds and wait while i lay down the "baby".
normal to try and figure out where a special 5 minutes here and there will come for affirming two pretty amazing little girls in the midst of change.
normal to tiptoe around during "happy nappy" so as to not wake up three sleeping little ones.
normal to set the table for 8 (our seven plus our chinese student).
normal to assembly line bathe three littles.
normal to be utterly exhausted at the end of the day (and know i am blessed to be!).

we have honestly tried to lay low this week. it has been a good thing. while chris was home from work early this week, he and i took the littles to buy some clothes for abe. we never received updated measurements of him during our wait (and our referral measurements were when he was 9 months old), so we didn't buy very many things before we traveled. shopping was an adventure! we did manage to find a few things for him (and because daddy was along - a few too many things for the girls!).

the week ahead holds two doctors appointments for abe. his "welcome to america" appointment - as i love to refer to it as and his appointment at children's mercy with the pediatric opthamologist. that will set into motion his surgery (presumably) and the follow-up visits. still unsure when we schedule it, but realized that time is urgent. and it will be very convenient, too, right here at the holiday season!

:)

that's all for now. i am savoring the silence and my 2nd cup of coffee...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

-Nelson Mandela

Story of You updated - one last time

I just sent the final update for Abraham's Story of You site.
It should be updated soon.

Now I am going to tweak this picture for my new header... at least for now.

Blessings!

Happy Birthday Anna - Banana!

Technically, Anna's birthday was November 1 (Saturday), but I was fairly confident that pulling off a special day for my little girl wouldn't be possible upon re-entry. So we celebrated today! (I promise this is the last of our "season" of birthdays that we are celebrating on a different days!

It was a great day - made all the better by the fact that Daddy was home!

We started the day with presents - of course!

(she IS such a smiley girl!)

and birthday donuts!!!

(Anna chose mini-donuts)

The weather was so beautiful today that Anna even got to try out her birthday present!

I am unsure why this picture posted to the side :)

But - we also had Anna's dinner of choice - spaghetti, salad, bread and a vanilla birthday cake with chocolate frosting! Yummy!

I can't believe she's three!

And somehow - she really did grow up while I was gone. Relieved - as it seems that she is a little more responsible. Sad - because she isn't my baby anymore.

So thankful that we have enjoyed the last 16 months of her 36 months of life. Blessed to be her family.

seven months in the making :)

I snagged this quick pic this morning...



and I can't quite put into words the emotion it brings to me just looking at it.
And I am living it.

Five.
Siblings.

Already acting like siblings.
:)

I think Anna grew up a lot while I was gone. She aparently took to potty training herself and is well on her way!
Amy just wants to hold Abraham. Too bad he can't slow down long enough for her to catch him!

Austin has managed to catch him a few times and has enjoyed carrying him around as much as Ashleigh has.

These two brothers.
So similar.

I slept like a rock until Anna came scampering in at 7:45 this morning. I know that is the "traveled for 25 hours" sleep and tonight will not go as smoothly. I am sure I will be up - answering emails - at 2 or 3 am. It's ok, though. This trip was so worth it.

Already, proper "long view" perspective is returning and I feel normal for the first time in two weeks.
Not normal, as in "no jet lag" normal, but normal as in "this is the way it is supposed to be" normal.

I must say - because I am afraid I didn't do a great job relaying in China - that Abraham is adjusting BEAUTIFULLY! He is amazing. I observed so many healthy attachment behaviors from him - just in those two weeks. God has made him very laid back and he truly appears to roll with the flow. That's a great quality for the baby of five children to have :)

He made eye contact from day one. He comes to me for comfort. He relaxed and felt he had the ability to explore and test. I am in awe at just how well he is doing.

I think that being a single parent in China isn't a good idea for me.
There is only one person in this world that is obligated and committed to loving me when I behave badly and he was here in the States taking care of our other 4 children.
:)
I am thankful that Gail and Connie still love me (at least they say they do!).
I think culture shock is very real for me, but maybe comes across in a different way than it does for others.
If we are ever to minister cross culturally - in a different country - a LOT will need to change in my heart and a lot of growth will have to happen first (or in the process).

As of now, I have already rearranged the car seats in the Suburban (did I mention that we sold the mini-van and bought a Suburban while I was gone?) and started unpacking. In a few minutes we will be waking up the three littles and heading to Judgement House. I can't wait to hear what God has been up to on THIS side of the world.
More later on what he was doing on the other side of the world in the past two weeks!
:)

there's no place like home...

Oh, there's NO place like home!

We are home. All 7 of us.

Somehow, I did not get a picture of all of us together at the airport last night :( So, we will try to get something soon.

I slept well last night - no Tylenol PM. I think that was a detriment to me last time, so I will be up at probably 2 am tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Maybe I will post more then.

For now, I am going to drink my coffee - with cream :) - and enjoy the beautiful fall colors outside my windows...

Blessings!