Marvelous in Our Eyes

Improvising

2012-02-10T00:25:00.001-05:00

After visiting her friend, Lily, who is taking violin lessons, Abbey decided that she would play her "violin"!

It's all His

2012-02-08T01:09:00.001-05:00

Yep, it happened to us this weekend. The thing that makes your skin crawl, to think of a stranger with ill intent rummaging through your stuff. The thing that makes you every so vigilant about locking doors and checking them twice. The thing that brings about uncomfortable conversations with your young kids about the fact that not everyone in the world is nice, as you try to paint a view that is accurate, but not one that instills intense fear in their little hearts. That thing is being a victim of a robbery!

Sunday morning as I got into my car, I vaguely noticed Elijah and Abbey yelling about something. I mean they often yell, and most often, it's about something inconsequential. As I was yelling back for them to just get into their seats, so we could get to church on time, I noticed the envelope where I kept my tithe money was on the seat, and it was empty! Immediately, I knew that they were yelling because their brand new, Christmas present, DVD players, were gone from the car. I knew that someone had gotten into our car and taken their DVD players and my tithe money. I began to look around and noticed the mess. They had taken everything out of the center pocket, taken the money and left the rest on the floor. They had even taken some of my mints that I keep in the car. Abbey yelled, "They took my Little Mermaid towel!" What??? But they hadn't taken the towel, they had just gone through her backpack and thrown everything on the floor. Her towel was on the floor, safe and sound. I wondered what in the world they expected to find in a pink, little girl's butterfly covered backpack? Who knows?

We called the police on the way to church. To say that John and I were angry is to put it mildly. How dare someone take what we had bought with our own money? It was ours, and they had no right! Going into church, I knew that they sermon was going to be on one of the "Fruits of the Spirit". I thought, yeah, probably on love, being that that is the first of the list. I sarcastically thought, "Now they are going to tell me that I've got to love the folks who steal little kids' toys?" To say I didn't have a great spiritual attitude, is to put it mildly.The music began and I begin to silently have a dialogue with God.

Me: I can't believe that they took my kids' DVD players. I was so looking forward to peaceful car rides, where we don't have to answer, "Are we there yet?", or "How much longer?" fifty million times.
God: Do they really need them?
Me: No, of course they don't. But, Lord they took your money. It was plainly marked, "Tithe". They took it, and it belonged to you. What kind of low-life would steal from God? Doesn't that make you mad? They stole from you. It was yours!
God: Everything is mine. Everything you have, everything you see, it's all mine. I choose to share with you, because I love you. I love them too!
Me: Hmm, well ok. Since you put it like that...

As I've chewed on God's message to me over the past couple of days, I can honestly say that my eyes have been opened a little bit. If it's all His and on loan to me, then I have an obligation to use it wisely, in a way that will bring Him glory. If I don't, I'm just as guilty of stealing from God as the folks that took my tithe.

For instance, the most valuable things in my life, my husband and children. I have been given the trust to make sure they have every opportunity to know and live for God. I need to make sure that my words and actions point them to God. Do I reflect the heart of my Lord regarding his love for all people? Do I encourage His highest will for my family, even if it means they aren't with me, or are in dangerous situations?

What about my material possessions? Do I use the resources that God has entrusted me with to show His love, or do I hold back in fear that some of my needs might not be met?

What about my time? Do I fret over not having time for myself, and look for ways to achieve it? Do I take the time to pray and study His word, or do I rush through so I can get on with my list of chores?

I could go on and on. Sometimes I feel that, yes, I can say that I'm using God's resources wisely. Then other times, I know He's shaking His head, saying, "Come on girl, you can do better than that!" But, you know what? He still keeps right on giving! Praise be to God! Whether I use it properly or not, He keeps right on giving, right on loving me.

So the thief in me has been shown her error by a theft. Just another example of God taking something bad, and working it for His (and my) good!

From the mountain top to the valley...

2012-02-05T00:27:00.000-05:00

Daniel is an avid swimmer. During the school year he spends more time in the pool and lifting weights than someone who works a 20 hour part time job. He is totally devoted to the sport and desires to continue swimming in college. Participation in the sport has taught him many valuable life and spiritual lessons. His favorite verse, Phillipians 4:13, became his favorite verse during his first Championship meet when he was 10 years old. Today he learned another thing about life. Things don't always go the way you want them to, and during the down times, you just have to trust in the Lord and just keep on plugging.

Last week he was on cloud nine. He swam at High School Conference Championship Meet and finished 2nd in 200 IM and 100 Breast. His time in Breast, which is his specialized stroke, was a great time of 58.71. This broke the school record he had set earlier in the season. He was particularly glad that a certain "friend" had not beaten him, because this "friend" has been bragging about how he was going to beat Daniel. The "friend" got 3rd. All was bright and rosey.

It was the last meet for Seniors, so Daniel and all of the other seniors were recognized before the meet.


With his "Senior Flower", which he gave to me.

Before this meet, Daniel had not had to go to school for several days because he was exempt from exams. He had plenty of time to rest.

Then he began the new semester. He has a grueling schedule this semester and has spent many hours doing homework. His year round swim team has also increased his weight training from 2 days per week to 3. So going into the regionals championship today, he was less than refreshed, and that translated in his swims.

When the waves settled and the hands touched the timing pads, Daniel had placed 3rd. Third behind, as you might guess, the not-so-good friend. His look on the podium spoke volumes.

He was not a happy camper. On the positive side, he did qualify to swim both events at State Champs next week. The top 8 finishers in regionals go to states. He has another shot at it. But, it still stings.

What a great lesson to learn! When things don't go the way you want, you have to look for ways to change in order to achieve your goals and keep on plugging. What next week holds, only the Lord knows, but I know that Daniel will do everything in his power to have a different outcome next week!

Win, lose or draw, I'm proud of my boy. He will learn from this little set back and be a better person because of it.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!! Part 2

2012-01-31T22:14:00.000-05:00

On Saturday John, Abbey, Elijah and Abbey attended The Chinese American Society sponsored a Chinese New Year celebration.

In their traditional suits, ready to go!

When we got there, we immediately met up with our "Gang".

Elijah, Corrie, Darcy, Abbey, Daniel, Caleb, Kylie and Lottie

Elijah and Corrie watching the dragon dance

There was constant stream of performances on the main stage.

The Fan Dance

Our kids loved the dragon dance.

With the non-dancing Dragon

They worked on their chopstick skills.

They got to keep the candy they picked up...motivation!

They played Chinese games.

I'm not sure what this is called, but it looked like a type of yo-yo.

After the festival, we went out to eat Chinese with the M family! A great ending to a great day!

Apparently, Elijah had a big day!

He crashed before we could get him bathed and in bed.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!!

2012-01-29T23:57:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

To the Chinese, ushering their new year is the highlight of their year. It's even bigger to them than Christmas is to us. It is a week long celebration. This year we participated in a few activities to give our kids a taste of their cultural heritage.

We started by going to Jody, Lily and Cali's house to have a party for OAKS.

Abbey and her good friend, Lily.

An interesting fact about Lily and Abbey is that they are from the same orphanage in China. When I joined the Yahoo group for Abbey's orphanage, I was amazed to discover that there was a little girl from Abbey's orphanage living so close to us. Even more amazing is those two little personalities are so alike. They discovered how much they enjoyed each other long before they understood they were from the same place in China. Another interesting fact is that Lily has four considerably older siblings, not adopted from China. They also have another younger daughter from China, and are waiting to bring home a precious little 2 yr old girl. Her mom, Jody, and I have so much in common with our families. I always enjoy getting a chance to spend time with her. I really believe that instances like this are arranged by God to help us as we walk this journey.

At the party the kids made and decorated lanterns.

After sharing lunch, the kids played and the moms got a chance to visit with each other. Great fun for us all!

They took a red tarp and played like it was a Chinese dragon.

Later that evening, the M family invited us over to make homemade dumplings, Jiǎozi in Chinese. These are often part of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.


Even Dad made some dumplings

We shared a wonderful meal and had a fantastic time with the Kristi, Ian, Kylie, Caleb, Darcy and Daniel.

The next day we went to the large Chinese New Year's celebration, sponsored by our local Chinese American society. Tomorrow I'll post all about that adventure.

Yes, he has!

2012-01-27T00:56:00.001-05:00

I recently treated myself to a t shirt with this on the front:

For playgroup last Friday, we went to Marbles, and I wore my new shirt. While the kids were playing and I was chatting with a friend, another mom came up to me and said, "Is your shirt true?" I was a little bit taken aback, but quickly said, "Yes, it sure is!" She then looked at me as if I had 5 heads and said, "Well, God bless you!" To which I replied, "He already has, six times!"

She walked away with a look of bewilderment, she was smiling, but still looked flabbergasted.

I could reply so quickly because I do love being the Mom of 6 wonderful kids! God has truly blessed me!

The Territorial Princess

2012-01-21T23:20:00.001-05:00

Abbey's new room has been finished for a couple of months, now. She's just tickled pink about her new room, it is a very girly room.

Her name over her closet

Back at Christmas time, I informed Abbey that when Beth and Greg came home they would sleep in her room and she would move in with Elijah for the few days that they visited. She very emphatically told me, "That. Will. Not. Happen." To which I replied, "Oh, yes it will!" So, giving just a little she said, "Ok, well, they can sleep on the floor." As I was shaking my head negatively, she said, "Look....", and she pointed to this sign on her wall:

"it says Princess Abbey sleeps here, only!"

Time for a lesson on hospitality, and making others feel comfortable when they visit, after which she nodded and then said, "Well, I'm a guest in Elijah's room, so he has to let me sleep where I want, right??"

In the end, she wanted to sleep on the air mattress in Elijah's room, so we didn't have to make a decision about whether she would sleep in his bed or not.

She's quite a piece of work, that little girl of mine!

Milly and Tilly

2012-01-19T00:13:00.002-05:00

Anna has always been enamored with animals. When she was little, she had a fascination with any living creature, so much so that we nicknamed her, "Ellie-May", from the show "The Beverly Hillbillies". So, it should come as no surprise that the man she married could be nicknamed, "Dr. Doolittle", and that they would begin to fill their home with animals. Anna has a leopard gecko that she has had for about 10 years, Lee. Being that I'm not Ellie May, the deal was that wherever Anna goes, Lee goes. That's animal number one. Number two is cutie-pie, Rocko, their little shorkie. Then this Christmas saw their little menagerie grow by two. Two sugar-glyders that is, Milly and Tilly. Of course, Milly and Tilly have visited at our house.

Milly

At first, they made a horrendous noise when you disturbed them in their pouch. Elijah, in particular, was afraid of the noise. Eventually, they quit the noise, and Elijah, though skeptical...

Finally gave in and touched Milly.

Of course, Abbey, on the other hand, showed no fear...

even wearing their pouch around her neck

On the second visit, both of the kids were smitten with the little critters.

Interesting hats, aren't they?

To each his own...

I am perfectly content with the animal population in my house staying at 2!

Wordless Wednesday--Visions of Fairies

2012-01-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

Park Days with Daddy

2012-01-13T01:18:00.000-05:00

With our playgroup, I get to go to lots of parks with the kids. John doesn't often get this luxury, so we tried to make up for some lost time and get some "Daddy park time". The older kids had all left, Daniel was doing 2 a day practices, so strenuous that he needed to sleep between them, so we were all feeling a little bummed. Getting outside was just the answer to our doldrums.

swinging, Abbey style--must inject a little risk factor

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Plenty of risk factor

For Elijah, no risk factor is the way to go

Skipping Rocks

Elijah chatting with a goose

Daddy park time was pretty sweet! If only we were independently wealthy...I could really get used to having him around!

A Glimpse Into the Future?

2012-01-09T23:21:00.001-05:00

At a recent visit to Marbles, a kid's playplace/museum, I wondered if we could be raising a future.....

Builder?

Or automotive designer?

Or artist?

Or machinist?

Or hockey player?

Or wood worker?

Or soccer player?

Or gymnast

Or clothing designer?

Or basketball player?

Or surfer?

Or marine scientist?

Or truck driver?

Or hoola-hooper?

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

Heraclitus
Greek philosopher
535–475 BC

*Thanks to Nana and Gradndaddy for giving Abbey and Elijah a year's membership to Marbles!

Now with personality....

2012-01-06T17:06:00.001-05:00

The group picture on the last post was one of about 10 taken....

Here's a couple of my favorites!

That's more like real life!!!

The Big Day, Christmas 2011

2012-01-06T01:01:00.001-05:00

After sharing breakfast, we all gathered in the living room to open the kids' gifts from me and John.

Elijah wanted to help Beth

I like to disguise some gifts. This box held money for John, Jr.

Daniel's turn

Anna and Jamie opening together

Happy with "Baby Alive"

Greg's was really disguised. This round canister held gift certificate to a Broadway show.

Elijah's ready to go back to bed with his new bed spread.

Then we got dressed and packed the van with food, presents and 8 people! We were off to Nana and Grandaddy's house.

After a big meal, we opened a slew of presents from Nana and Grandaddy and my brother's family.

Then it was time for basketball

And Dance, Dance Revolution

Even John tested his coordination with DDR

Then, it was time to go home. I couldn't help, as I do every year, to feel a little let down. I work, anticipate and cook, cook, cook, and then it's all over. It really is kind of sad.

But I have to remind myself that it isn't the presents, the food or where we celebrate, that matters. It's all about the people.

Collectively they make a lovely picture:

Individually, they are each one just as wonderful!

Beth

Greg

John, Jr.

Anna

Jamie

Daniel

Abbey

Elijah

The proud papa and my partner for life, John!

So, now it's on with life, but the wonderful memories of Christmas 2011 are engraved on my heart!

It was "my favorite kind of day"!--Christmas Eve

2012-01-04T00:51:00.001-05:00

We have a super cute video of John Jr when he was about 5 or 6. It is Christmas Day, and as he was waiting for his turn to open presents, he is bouncing on the couch emphatically stating, "This is my favorite kind of day"! This Christmas Eve, I could echo John's words. It was a wonderful day. From the start to the finish, it was a dream day. The excitement began with Beth and Greg's arrival on Friday. Their flight was delayed, but not by much.

We started our time by going to an early afternoon service at church. They played a hilariously cute video of kids answering questions such as, "What do you want for Christmas? What do you not want? What does your Mom want? What is your favorite thing about Christmas?" To this last question, they showed our little girl, answering, "It's Jesus' birthday!" They also showed our neighbor and friend, Caleb, saying he liked to go caroling. That led to kids butchering Christmas carols and again, Abbey was on screen singing, "I wish you a Merry Christmas, I wish you a Merry Christmas...." The service was funny, touching and very appropriate. We all enjoyed it immensely.

When we got back home, John, Jr came with a box full of oysters. I'm not sure if John, Sr. was more excited about seeing John or the jellied sea creatures that came with him?? I'm just joking, but he was tickled to be able to eat some roasted oysters.

Abbey got her first taste of oysters, and she echoed her Mom's opinion...

First she sniffed it...

Then she tasted it....

Then she promptly spit it out! (Elijah couldn't believe she did that)

She declared, "Yuck, it tastes like ocean!" That's my girl!

When nightfall came, we gathered in the living room.

John was the first one in

She loves those sisters!

John, Sr. played the guitar and we sang some carols. Daniel read the Christmas story from the Bible.

The kids, me and John exchanged presents. Then we went out to walk around the neighborhood to admire the luminaries and lights.

My precious gang!!

So happy to have all of their family together.

One set of newlyweds


Another set of newlyweds.

My young men

Our house

When we got back home we gathered in the kitchen a pigged out. I had been cooking and baking all week, and we had a large assortment of yummy stuff. From cookies to cheese, from beef stick to buffalo chicken dip, it was a dieter's nightmare, but ohh sooo good. Even better than the food was the company. Everyone loved being together. There was no shortage of conversation and its resulting laughter. Oh, my heart just jumps with glee at the memory! Such a blessed family time we had!

Pigging out!

Then it was off to bed in preparation for further celebrations the next day. Always the last to bed, that night I reflected on the day. I made note of how incredibly blessed this Mama is, and how grateful I am to have my family all under one roof for a little while. I praise God for each member, ever unique and ever special! Every single one, a gift to me!

Christmas Traditions part 3- Parties!!

2012-01-01T23:40:00.001-05:00

Each year, just like most folks, we have several parties that we are privileged to be included in. The first party this year was our small group's 3rd annual caroling party. Our small group consists of 13 kids and 13 adults, quite a crew. When we get the young and old together, the noise level is deafening and chaos reigns. But, we all thoroughly enjoy it. All of the kids are adopted, so they share a bond. This year, we set out to go caroling around Betsy's neighborhood. What a picture we must have presented. The kids would run up, ring the doorbell and just stand there. We even had one house take our picture. (I'd have included more pictures, but my battery died very shortly after we arrived.) It was quite comical. My two kids remembered that last year one house gave them candy canes. They anticipated that every house they went to this year would be the house and give them candy. So they would stand there and smile until we would have to come up and shoo they away. Next year, we will have caroling lessons so that they are more prepared! Anyway, we had a great time.

Our kids surely can wreck a room!

Guess we were too much for the tractor, it promptly lost all air in two tires!


Our kids see each other as family! Here are Abbey and Corrie.

John and I went to a couple of adults only parties. The first one was our "young married" friends' party. Yeah, I know you raised an eyebrow at the term "young married" being applied to me and John! We have been close friends with these three other couples since the days when we actually were all young marrieds. We have been doing life with these folks for many years. We see each other occasionally, but consistently we get together as couples at Christmastime. I love all of these folks. The conversation just flows and we laugh so much. We got there and before we knew it 4 hours had passed by!

The second adult party was also with a group of old friends. For the past 24 years, every Friday morning at the extreme hour of 6 am, John and these guys,


The Friday Morning Group aka "The Guys"

meet together to study, pray and encourage each other. John loves these guys and rarely misses a meeting. Once a year the wives join them and we share a meal and conversation. I enjoy seeing the wives and listening to the guys tease each other. After dinner we played a game, "Mafia" that was led by one of the guy's college- age daughter. This game pointed out an interesting fact about me and John. I was the "mafia" one time and John picked me right out, goes to show that he knows me too well!

I'm very grateful to Daniel and Anna, who kept Abbey and Elijah so I could have a couple of adults only nights! It's easy to leave when you know your little ones are being well taken care of!

Christmas tradition part 2, Visit with John's side of the family

2011-12-29T00:27:00.001-05:00

Every year on the last Saturday before Christmas eve, we can be found with John's family celebrating Christmas. We rotate houses, last year ours was the gathering house, this year we traveled to Charlotte to Chuck and Kathy's.

We share a meal together and then just hang out. Hanging out, for my husband and boys usually means a rousing game, or two, or three, of "horse" or "pig". When giving out genes for competiveness, God graced the male members of John's family with an overabundance.

While the big guys played the younger set was playing also.

Kiera, Elijah and Abbey acted like they had known each other all their lives, instead of just a few hours.

Abbey discovered Wii bowling

When the games were over, everyone sat around and got each other caught up with the happenings in their lives.

Phoebe, Daniel, Chuck, Mark, Hannah and Sam

Matt, Kathy, Susie and John's Mom

David and John

Getting some loving from Aunt Kathy

Elijah being silly with Sarah

Everyone enjoyed reconnecting, and the best thing was that Abbey and Elijah slept the entire 3 hour ride home. Wonderful not to have to answer, "Are we there yet?" every 5 minutes!

Christmas 2011 memories, part 1..Cookies!

2011-12-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

The presents are all opened. The food's all been eaten. The older kids have all traveled back to their homes. Christmas 2011 was one of the best we've had in a while. It's now time to record the memories...

We always have lots of cookies to make and give away to friends, neighbors and our community helpers. This year, my cookie making crew was a little thin in numbers. Just me, Abbey and Elijah!

A few weeks earlier, we attended the OAKS annual Christmas party get together. Of course, I forgot my camera, but Kristi got a couple of pics for me.

I guess Abbey's growing up and realizing it it actually better if you can see and taste the cookie instead of a whole bottle of sprinkles!

Elijah opted for a swirl design this year.

Just a couple of our Christmas traditions more about the others later....

Wonder what his favorite show is?

2011-12-21T23:51:00.001-05:00

Rocko, that is..

He doesn't look too impressed, it must not have been his favorite channel?

You'd think I'd have it down by now!

2011-12-16T20:19:00.002-05:00

This is a line from one of my favorite songs, "Clumsy" by Chris Rice. You can hear it here. The next line is, "...been practicing for 30 years." I could apply this song to many circumstances in my life, but today, specifically, I'm being convicted over my lack of desire to let my children go.

Daniel has returned from Jr. Nationals and, although not as fast as he wanted to go, he did achieve best times. He also was able to talk to one of the coaches that has been contacting him. This school is one of the larger programs that has been interested in having him join their swim team.

Getting in the car to go to the airport

Monday, he received a call from one of the coaches from this University saying that Daniel has been accepted and because of his grades, he would be able to get in-state tuition. While in the preliminary stages, Daniel is excited at the prospect of swimming for a large school.

Woo-hoo!! Right? Umm, not so fast, the thought of one of my babies going to school a good 10 hours away from home, makes me want to throw up!! My heart just wrenches.

It's far from certain at this stage, as there is a closer school that is going to make him an offer next week. Sooo the plot thickens.

But, as I told John, I must prepare my heart in case he ends up going far away from home. As I think about the prospect, preparation involves picking my sinking heart up. My mind starts the "what ifs". What if he gets sick and needs me? What if he gets involved in the wrong crowd? A million other "what ifs" go through my mind. Of course, none of these are good "what ifs". Added to these "what ifs" is the fact that I just plain enjoy being around this young man. When he was gone to Texas, I really felt his absence. He's really good at sharing his thoughts and what's happening in his life with me. (That being said, it's not just Daniel, it's all of my kids; and it's not just far away places. I found tears in my eyes when Anna moved her stuff out, and she only moved 3 miles away!)

I'm aware, from inside my pity party, that the situation could be a lot worse. He could be possibly going across the country or to another country. So, I do acknowledge that there are a lot of mothers who, appropriately so, would think I'm just being ridiculously silly.

But, that doesn't excuse me. As I fret and tell God how He needs to protect and guide my children, I hear that still small voice say, "Whose children?" To which I, being properly chastised, reply, "Oh, your children." Once again, I'm reminded that they are given to us by God and they belong to him. I know that, but I constantly find myself holding them out and saying, "I give them, their decisions and accolades to You and Your glory." Then five minutes later, I'm figuratively taking them back. That's the part of the song, "You'd think I'd have it down by now" that I identify along with this line, "I slip and I knock my halo loose." Hey, my halo is full of dents!

I must constantly remind myself that He loves them more than I do and has a plan for their lives. A plan that may or may not be close in proximity to me. They are just on loan to me. Their lives are to be to His glory, not my comfort and enjoyment.

So, on my journey, I chalk this up to a lesson learned (almost) and try to let go and trust God. We, along with Daniel have both prayed for the Lord to show us where He would have Daniel go to school. I need to rest in God's power and sovereignty to lead Daniel. And then, I just need to put on my big girl panties and be happy with wherever God leads all of my children!

What in the world? No broken ornaments?

2011-12-15T00:13:00.001-05:00

So strange. Usually if you smell coffee brewing, see kids jumping up and down, Mom on the floor narrating each ornament's story, and you hear Phil Keaggy's Chrismas cd playing along with the intermittent ring of shattered glass; then you know it's Christmas tree decorating time at the D***** house!

I say usually, because this year was different. John played other Christmas music in addition to old friend, Phil, and there were no broken ornaments. Not. One. Pretty amazing! Not even the swish of the mongrels' tails caused any damage.

Each of the kids with their 1st Christmas ornaments


After hanging the lights, he thinks he's done, so he just sits back and admires

Such concentration, attaching the hook

Daniel trying to keep the lethal tail away from the tree

Admiring their handiwork

Our tree isn't one of those with matching, meticulously places decorations. Most of ours are either made by our kids or have their pictures on them. All of the ornaments that we put on have a story. It's like a memory tree, and to me.....

It's beautiful!!

Christmas Tree Shopping

2011-12-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Time to find the perfect Christmas tree! We had to get a late start, as we waited for Daniel to get out of practice. Anna happened to be visiting with Rocko, so we were delighted to have them join us in our quest for a Christmas tree. Because we were so late, our usual spot was closed. Never fear, we went a few hundred feet down the road and found another place that was open later.

Strange, you never know where Daniel will "pop" up!

Elijah likes this one.

The whole "tree hunting"team (minus the photographer)

After we got our tree hunkered down on top of our car, we went for a treat at the nearby Starbucks. Everyone in our family is a Starbucks fan. In fact, when Abbey was little, she would yell, "Barbucks!" whenever we passed by a Starbucks.

Good Hot Chocolate!

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Because it was so late, we put off decorating the tree to the next night.

Thanksgiving memories

2011-12-08T17:11:00.000-05:00

Just like my life, these days, my bloggy life seems to be a day late and a dollar short. Here I'm playing catch up and remembering our Thanksgiving.

The night before, we all went to eat out. It was an interesting experience for John, Jr. He got to find out what a piece of plastic in his food would taste like. He wasn't a fan, and consequently got his meal and a dessert for free. Despite the interesting cuisine, we had a great time as a family!

On Thanksgiving day, we went to my parents' house. My Mom has been battling some sort of debilitating illness that has zapped her strength. My brother, sister-in-law and I did the cooking. We missed my Mom's specialties, but I think everyone had enough. Because Mom wasn't feeling well, we forwent our movie trip, but the guys (plus Anna) went to play golf.

The highlight of the day was catching up with family.

Betty and Jordan

Smiling, though she felt like poop!

The newlyweds were able to join us.


My big boys

My little guy


Me and my honey

(We greatly missed Bethy and Greg, but we look forward to having them for Christmas!)

The other favorite part was...

Eating!

and eating!

Of course, I did pause many times during the day to thank the Lord for His many blessings to me and our family this past year. My cup surely overflows, more than I could ever imagine or deserve!

An eye-opening video

2011-12-06T23:18:00.002-05:00

I just had to share this video. The mom of this young lady is a member of a yahoo group that I participate in. Here is her set up of the video:

"My daughter Xiaoyun, 14 yrs old and adopted in April (days before she was to age out), has done a video appealing to people to help the orphans. I was working on a web page about orphan care for our church, when she came and sat down beside me and wanted to know what I was doing. When I explained it, she said she wanted to tell people that they need to help the orphans. Our music minister came to the house, sat the video camera in front of her, and, without any prompting on what she should say, she started the talking."

I hope you visit this link and let the Lord speak to your heart as you hear her heart! Once on the page scroll down to the video titled, "The way it is"

Click here

I encourage everyone to listen to your heart and follow what the Lord prompts you to do!

Three out of four ain't bad!

2011-12-04T23:23:00.002-05:00

Returning home from playgroup on Friday. They really played hard at playgroup.

(I had a couple of extra kiddos that day, helping a friend out while she took their sister to the Dr. My kids practically lived with her the week before the wedding.)

Playing catch up.... Nature walk at Hemlock Bluffs

2011-12-02T00:08:00.002-05:00

The weeks leading up to Anna's wedding pretty much consumed my every waking moment. We did take time from wedding shopping and planning to participate in a "Nature Walk", with our OAKS friends, in the beautiful Hemlock Bluffs park. After tonight when my mom complained about my lack of posts, I figure I need to get caught up, so here is a memory from a playgroup outing we had.

That day was quite dreary, rainy and pretty chilly. The rain held off just long enough for us to complete our walk. The kids enjoyed a chance to run freely through the woods. Our guide was very informative and was comfortable with little kids.

She kept the kids attention, while giving them information about the surroundings


They got to see, but "not touch" a salamander. (You can't touch a salamander because their skin is so permeable and any lotion or chemical residue on our hand would cause harm to the salamander...at least Mom learned something new that day!)

Elijah's studying a nut

Abbey with her good friend, Lily.

Because the weather was icky, we decided to go to Chic Fil A to play in the playground and get some lunch. We didn't bargain for half of the town being there to get lunch. It was a zoo! I guess Elijah thought it was literally a zoo, because after he ate his lunch he went into the play/climbing place, and, since he had refused to go to the bathroom when I asked, he peed all over the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st levels in the playplace. You could tell by the ear-piercing squeals that some unlucky little girl had found one of Elijah's little "presents" So, we made our swift exit way before Abbey was finished playing with her friends. A not so great end to a great play day!

(On my way out, I did tell the attendant about Elijah's accident and she was going in to clean it up)

Woo-Hoo for Daniel

2011-11-29T23:37:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the first high school swim meet of the 2010-2011 season. Daniel started off with a bang by breaking his high school's 100 yd. breastroke record! The old record was 59.51 from 1993, and tonight Daniel swam a 59.16.

My swimmer-boy is heading to Jr. Nationals in Texas next week. His swim tonight hopefully is a good indication that he will swim well in Texas. He has just begun his taper, another week and he should be even faster!

Right now, he has a few college swim coaches talking to him. He is hoping that more will be interested after Juniors. I so pray that God will direct his paths and make it very clear where Daniel needs to go.

My boy in action

Wedding Day!! Nov. 19th

2011-11-27T00:18:00.002-05:00

Since I've had two girls get married in one year, I've labeled myself the "Expert Mother of the Bride". As such expert, I believe that time goes by extraordinarily fast on wedding days. Each wedding day has found me rushing around like someone who's lost her mind, (actually, that's not too far from reality). On Anna's special day, I thought I was doing really well. The bridesmaids had come to our house to eat breakfast and have their hair done. While they were primping, I ran to Wal-Mart to get one last thing for the reception, as we had done most of the decorating the day before.

Cake, ready and waiting

I came home from having my hair done, thinking that there was plenty of time. I decided to go ahead and get myself and Abbey dressed, still on time. Time for the shoes, and I could only find one. Calmly at first, I search for the missing shoe...no where in sight. The next thing I know I'm frantically throwing shoes everywhere, still only having one in my hand. Anna shouts for me to come to the living room that the "putting on the dress, photo op" is about to happen. Forgetting the shoe, I realize I have a more pressing problem...I have no makeup on! There's no way I'm going to be in wedding album pictures with no makeup on. I frantically put on the basic makeup and rush into the living room. Because he can't come in, Elijah pitches one of his famous, "hissy fits", screaming bloody murder. We take pictures and then the wedding party's female members are off to the church. I finish my makeup, when Julia, our wedding director, calls and asks for the flowers. Oops! They are still at our house. John has to run them to the church. Time for me to search for the shoe. I take Abbey with me, say a prayer and ask her to help me look. She picked up a shoe and low and behold, it was the missing shoe. I still don't know how I missed it, but somehow I did. (Definitely not discounting divine intervention). John comes back, and we are off. As we pull into the parking lot, Julia calls again, we are one boutonniere short. My wonderful son-in-law, Greg, graciously agrees to go back home and get the missing flower. Whew! We are finally where we need to be.

While waiting, we take more pictures.

Me and my big girls

The rest of the day flowed by as planned,(give or take a few plans). But all that mattered was Anna and Jamie pledged their love for each other and started their new life together!

They wrote their own vows. They both were very sweet and thoughtful.

Then the rings...

Introducing, Mr. and Mrs. Jamie *******

On to the reception

First dances....

Anna partied with the younger set at the reception

Pretty darn amazing, I still struggle to believe that I have two daughters that are married! What a relief to think that I have quite a few years before I'll need to don my "Expert Mother of the Bride" hat again!

*Thanks to our good friend, Merritt, for sharing her photos!*

Batchelorette Party

2011-11-23T01:01:00.001-05:00

Beth came flew into town on Thursday so she could give Anna a batchelorette party. Anna had asked that she and the bridesmaids get massages and then go out to eat.

Getting ready to go

Grandma also came to town on Thurs.


Notice the color scheme?

Bridesmaids- Hannah, Beth (matron of honor), Karri, Sarah (maid of honor) and Megan

Anna chose her bridesmaids from different areas of her life. There was a childhood friend, a high school friend, a cousin, a sister and a friend from cosmetology school. Over dinner and during the spa visit, they were able to bond and get to know each other better. They got to have some fun time together while they honored Anna.

Then there were 8!

2011-11-22T00:26:00.001-05:00

We now have a new son. Not the little boy/baby kind, but the grown up marry your daughter kind.

Anna's wedding day was this past Sunday. Whew! What a ride this year has been. God has been extremely faithful to us in many ways. The past few weeks have been terribly hectic and stressful. But the ending was good! Anna married her childhood sweetheart and we gained a son-in-law!

For the next few days, I'll be recalling some of the events of the past week. I don't have many pictures yet, but in a week or so, I'll have plenty and can supplement my words.

Halloween

2011-11-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

The weather on Oct. 31st certainly didn't get the memo that outdoor activities were mandatory, because it was nasty. There was a cold, steady rain putting a damper on the usual traditions. We didn't get to have our neighborhood parade and walking from house to house was hindered by the carrying of umbrellas. But that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the two little folks that live in our house. They were so excited.

Our Ramases was a little bashful at the beginning

But, our queen was not shy at all

The queen surely does love her Rameses

Our first trick or treater-


Rocko the pirate

"Look at all my loot!"

A few days before Halloween, we got together with our OAKS buddies. For some

Pumpkin decorating--

"Why, yes, I'm an expert sticker applier!"

Making crafts with pumpkin seeds--

Decorating cookies--

Still in love with sprinkles

and playing with friends--

Abbey and her good friend and former orphanage buddy, Lily

Abbey, Lily and Lucy

Despite the weather, Abbey and Elijah thoroughly enjoyed their Halloween night!

But where does he hide his wings?

2011-11-06T00:07:00.001-04:00

With the coming of cooler weather and the closing of the pool, we've been playing a lot of family hide and go seek. Daniel is the king of hide and go seek. Many rounds end with all of us looking for Daniel. When we find him, it usually takes John to go and pry the big galoot from his premium hiding space. It was during one such hunt for Daniel that Abbey turned to me and with a totally serious face said, "He must have really used his pixie dust!" I looked at her quizzingly and she said, "He's flown away!"
So the fairies now have a new addition, huh? Tinker-Daniel!

Of course you don't need a nap...

2011-11-02T00:03:00.001-04:00

and I believe that you aren't tired at all.

I'm sure you would never fall asleep in the middle of playing

or watching tv.

Because you just aren't the least little bit tired, are you??

Introducing...

2011-10-29T00:09:00.000-04:00

Our newest fur-grandbaby, Rocko!

Anna has a new baby...a little shorkie puppy. As a baby he is already an experienced flyer. He came on and airplane from somewhere in the midwest.

He's such a cutie! Abbey and Elijah go berserk whenever Rocco visits us.

Getting to know each other

Just Keep Spinning......

2011-10-24T23:29:00.002-04:00

Right now, in my life, I so identify with the person who kept the plates spinning. I remember seeing performers as an act, try to keep many plates spinning on little rods. They would quickly run back and forth. Just as soon as they got one plate stable, another would begin to topple.

Of such is my life right now. I'm not complaining, just venting a little.

I find myself chanting, "Just keep spinning, just keep spinning..." In the same vein as Dory from Nemo, "Just keep swimming..."

The plates that I've got to spin: a wedding in 3 weeks (my second daughter to get married this year), two preschoolers still at home, (one taking gymnastics once a week), one preschooler that will not sleep in the morning if any one in the house is awake, two older kids still at home, a husband who works a lot, working a very part time job (only 7 hours a week) myself, household chores that get worse the longer they have to wait, Bible Study Fellowship, a senior in high school who is applying to colleges and swimming in swim meets, (both high school and USA swimming), two very hairy dogs, who leave mounds of hair whenever they go, groceries that need buying and on and on.

There are some days that I run from one thing to another all day long. When I feel stress starting to rise, I try to remember what I used to tell my kids when they were stressing. "Inch by inch, life's a cinch, yard by yard, life is hard." I take a deep breath, pray for a calm heart and try to remember that these are all wonderful things and precious people and I'm very grateful to be able to have these things and people entrusted to me.

Just as long as I don't let any of the plates fall!!

One final picture on the fridge...

2011-10-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

Throughout the years, whenever one of the kids had achieved something or created something, I would put it on the refrigerator. I like the front of my fridge to be clutterless, so I limit what can be displayed. Only very special papers, such as first time they write their name, or a good grade in a difficult class, will find their way onto our refrigerator.

Anna came in yesterday and announced, "I've got one more paper to put on the fridge!"

She has passed both parts of the State Board of Cosmetology Arts licensing exam!! She's now as official cosmetologist.

In typical Anna fashion, it wasn't without some controversy. She went to take the practical/hands on test and forgot her practice hand (for doing manicures) in her car. They wouldn't let her go back and get it. Consequently, she started to panic and felt like she hadn't been able to follow the directions correctly on the rest of the test. She came home that day so battered, bruised and down in the dumps. She was certain that she hadn't passed. Then yesterday, she got the notice online that she had passed!!

This mama is so proud of her young 'un! My girl has struggled with school for years. She's had to work for every good grade she's gotten. She successfully sailed through cosmetology school, despite those old school demons hounding her before each test. She persevered and now is done with school, has a job and is getting married. That's a whole lotta livin' for just 20 years!

Way to go, my Anna B!!

Nana's Birthday

2011-10-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

My Mom celebrated her 72nd birthday this past weekend. The younger kids and I traveled to her house to spend the day with her on Saturday.

We took her out to eat. She chose to go to McDonalds...I wonder who she was trying to please, herself or Abbey and Elijah??? When we got back we celebrated with cake.

I enjoyed being able to talk to Mom and Dad for a while. I do get to see them fairly often, but we usually have something to go and do. It was nice to just chill at their house and be able to chat.

The kids played with their new puppies that Mom had gotten them. Ummm, her birthday and they get presents? That's how my Mom rolls. She is such a giving person, and has been all my life. She's always been ready and able to help me in any way she can. I've come to depend on her for everything from baking and decorating birthday cakes, babysitting, giving advice, to just lending a listening ear. She's a very important part of, not only my life, but the lives of my husband and children. We might not say it enough, but we love her dearly!

One highlight of Elijah's visit was his first taste of a hotball. My Dad eats them all the time, and the last time he was at our house, Elijah wanted one. Dad didn't have one to give him, so he promised to give Elijah one the next time he saw him. That was one of the first things Elijah asked for when he walked in the house.

At first, it was ok. Then....

It became a bit more than he bargained for!

I don't think he'll ask for another hotball for quite a while!

Anyway, we loved spending the day with Mom and Dad, and sharing in Mom's special day!

Happy, happy day, Mama! We all love you so very much!!

Elijah's special "prenn"

2011-10-13T00:05:00.000-04:00

Many times I have heard Elijah say, "Corrie is my prenn", but until the beach weekend I really didn't realize just how good of a "prenn" Corrie is. During our weekend, those two cuties were inseparable, whether playing, eating or posing for pictures.

A couple of times we had to reprimand them because they wouldn't allow other kids to play with them.

If you look back at the beach photos, Elijah and Corrie are next to each other. This wasn't just a beach fling....We were at Caleb's birthday party this past Saturday. While eating cake, Shannon, Corrie's mom pointed out that Corrie and Elijah were having their own private party. They were sitting on the floor facing each other as they ate their party treats.

So it appears that the chick-magnet has his first little crush. This is just fine with me. I love Corrie, she is adorable, and her parents are close friends of ours. But, Corrie, at least for right now, still has some competition. Yesterday, while at the kitchen table, Elijah looked at me and said, "Mommy, you're so cute!" Ahhh, be still my heart!! No wonder he's such a ladies' man!

The wonderful, wild, beach weekend comes to a close.

2011-10-10T23:09:00.001-04:00

We had some excitement Saturday night,

The folks in red are the "sea turtle experts". The nest was behind the pink tape.

We got to see some sea turtles hatch. Since it was so cold, they wouldn't let them walk to the ocean, they carried the little baby turtles down by hand. We only saw one, but it was still a treat to get to see even one.

The sky and ocean were beautiful at sunset!

Every good vacation inevitably comes to an end too soon, and our small group beach weekend was no exception.

Sunday morning brought us more of the same weather, but just like the day before, that didn't stop the die-hard ocean lovers.

The higher waves beckoned John and Ian with promises of great rides.

See the two black dots in the wave? That's Ian and John

While John did enjoy some great rides, he also endured a majorly sore neck and shoulder for the next week!

Darcy tries to warm up.

Elijah knew his place--in the sand and didn't even try to brave the water.

Others joined him. Notice the Moms in long pants and jackets?

Time for the group picture...


Raji, Lottie, Abbey,Kylie, Sena, Elijah, Corrie, Daniel, Caleb and Darcy

Beautiful, aren't they?

Of course, they had a "jumpin" great time being together!!

One more family picture (of the members of our family that were there)....

Then back in the car for the ride home. Each of us basking in memories of great food, meaningful conversation and great fellowship!

A wonderful, wild weekend--the friends come!

2011-10-06T21:50:00.002-04:00

We had two wonderful days with just our family, but were excited to have beach time with our friends. They started coming in on Friday night. Abbey and Elijah only got to see Raji and Sena before they went down for the night.

The next morning they woke to a house full of friends. Jeremy and Deb made us all breakfast with a help from a couple of Jr. Chefs.

Abbey-"Now, Mommy, this is real cooking!"

Just as soon a breakfast was done, the kids were clamoring to hit the beach.

We had tremendous storms Friday night that ushered in a cold front.

The beautiful sunset before the storm.

Do you think that stopped our beach babies?

No sirree! They all ran into the ocean!

They played for a little while.

Abbey and Darcy enjoy the waves

Soon, they all started to trickle out. The water was plenty warm, but the air?? The air was a balmy 55 degrees!

Teeth shattering, Elijah makes his exit


opting for a dry towel

Kylie joins him

Kristi cuddles her little popsicle, Daniel

Abbey continued on riding the little waves.

Eventually, most of the kids opted for dry sand playing

Except for..guess who... yup, my water baby! Abbey was the lone child in the ocean for quite a while. Finally, even she decided to abandon the icy-aired ocean for dryer activities.

After naptime, we stayed on the beach for most of the day. The adults (guys) played football and were joined by the girls for a rousing game of corn hole.

Shannon fixed a wonderful dinner and we all enjoyed a cold, but fun day!

A wonderful, wild weekend! (day one)

2011-10-05T00:24:00.000-04:00

Our family loves the beach, and we were given a special blessing this past weekend. Our small group, which is centered around adoption and orphan care, planned a weekend at the beach. The owner of the house we were to stay at told us we could go anytime earlier. We jumped at that offer! With finances on the low side this year, we haven't been able to have a vacation. (The downside was that due to work and school, only the youngest two kids were able to join us for the whole time.)

Surveying the ocean

They both rush in,

but one retreats to less turbulent water

What fun!

John, Jr. came to visit for the day. He joined in the beach fun.

We did the usual "beachy things"....

Play football


Try to hook that allusive big one.

Play in the sand.

This is "D***** castle" and it remained standing for 2 days!


Mummy Elijah

The weather was gorgeous! We had a refreshingly great family time! On Friday our small group buddies began to trickle in. Ten kids ages 5 and under, two preteens, four sets of parents plus another couple of adults all together. It was quite a bunch and quite a wonderful time!

More about the rest of the weekend next post.

Look what she can do all by herself!

2011-09-29T17:22:00.000-04:00

Notice the concentration

Ta-Da!!

Now that was a new one.

2011-09-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

Regarding kids and their thoughts, there isn't much I haven't seen or heard. But a little while ago, Abbey came up with a new one:

While having our good night ritual one night, she said, "Mom what's heaven?" Now, I've taught kids in church for many years and have seen many accept Christ, so I have several pat answers to that one. I give her one of my standards. She then says, "I believe in Jesus. So, if I went and played in the road and got hit by a car, I'd die and go to heaven?" Cautiously, I replied, "Yes." Then she floored me and said, "Well, I want to do that!"

Mmmm, wait a minute, not the response I anticipated! Having to think quick on my feet, I then explained that God has a plan for her life, and no one should end an earthly life, but God. I also shared that she should keep herself safe so that she can do all that God has planned for her. I explained to her how heartbroken we would be without her, to which she replied, "Why? You'd know I was in heaven?" Very true, indeed, I acknowledged. But, I told her how much we would miss her. Whew! Finally she accepted that and we went on with our nightly prayers and singing.

I mulled over our conversation for quite some time. Then I remember the verse:

Matthew 18:3~
"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

I'm not sure if I told her the correct things or not. What she said was admirable in some respects, but no parent can allow their child to do something that would hurt themselves, can they? I do believe that God does desire us to believe and want heaven. At times I get so caught up in the trappings of this world, I have a hard time wanting to leave it. I need to remember that being present with the Lord is more wonderful than anything here on this world. It seems that Abbey has already figured that out!

A Party Despite the Weather

2011-09-25T00:34:00.000-04:00

When asked what Abbey wanted to do for her 5th birthday party, she said she wanted to have a Fairy Party at the park in our neighborhood. I was thrilled! That meant that I could plan just a few things and let the playground do its thing for entertainment. We invited 13 friends and were ready to party hardy at the park. The preceding week it became apparent that the weather on the day we chose was going to be more like December weather than September. Not only cold, but rainy. We discussed our options, and decided to move it indoors at our house. Not the ideal venue, but Abbey had had enough waiting and just wanted to have her party. She didn't care where.

We had several crafty activities planned:

Fairy wing decorating...

Caleb, one of the three boys in attendance, must be a builder fairy.

Trying out those decorated wings...

Some of the lovely fairies...

We played a couple of games: "hide and seek" and "barnyard guess"

Of course we had some good junk food...

Abbey blowing out her candles

Several kids "wore" their cake...

Regan

Daniel M.

Elijah

We had a couple of more crafts to make....

Of course, presents to open and give thanks for....

She particularly loved the present Nana and Grandaddy gave her.

And last but not least...

Sydney was the lucky string puller

A Pull the String Pinata!

All in all I think things went pretty well. We had 11 kids in the house for over 2 hours, nothing was broken(in people or objects) and there were no tears or arguments. In my book that's enough to label the party a success!

Looney Bonding

2011-09-23T00:03:00.001-04:00

My husband, being the good Daddy that he is, has passed on several traits and traditions to our kids which I recognize as wonderful. But, there is one that most of my kids share to which I just can't seem to recognize the appeal---watching Looney Tunes.

I'm just not a cartoon kind of gal. I've never really appreciated the fact that the Road Runner gets away every time. I feel sorry for the Coyote, poor sap. I'd want to catch that doggone bird too, with that incessant "Meep, meep!" Maybe I'd mix up a batch of "Acme Dynamite" for myself and try to blow that running feathered nuisance to "smitherinies"! I do think Porky Pig is cute, but Bugs, well, Bugs is sometimes just plain 'ole mean. Suffice it to say I didn't spend my Saturday mornings growing up watching cartoons. But, John on the other hand, loves the old cartoons. He's made sure that all of our kids have been exposed to a little bit of his childhood culture.

There are a couple of things that I can appreciate about this "Loonacy", though. The shows are always clean and they only last thirty minutes. The main thing that I've grown to like is the bonding factor between my bigs and littles.

It definitely does my heart good to see those two sitting together sharing a laugh!

So I guess I'm a little bit of a Looney Tunes fan myself! Just don't tell anyone, ok?

Five Years Old

2011-09-18T23:57:00.002-04:00


She asked for a strawberry with vanilla icing cake.

On Sept. 6th, my precious Abbey turned 5 years old. We celebrated a couple of weeks later with a party, which I'll write about in my next couple of posts. Today I want to celebrate the perky one that we know as Abbey.

She has made the last four years ones filled with joy and excitement. We never know what she will say or do next. This gal of ours loves, loves, loves to make us laugh.

"You've got it dude!"

She has quite a tool box of facial expressions and will use them as often as it gets a laugh.

"Just gotta love me!"

Smart as a whip, she can recite and write all of her letters and knows their sounds. She's able to read three letter short vowel words. She can count to 100 by ones and tens. (we're working on 2's and 5's). Several times I've watched her recite an entire book for her friends as she "reads" to them.

Abbey loves dress up and imaginative play. She adores anything to do with princesses and fairies.

She loves Rapunzel. The other day, Caleb, one of her friends, was over to play. She basically acted out the whole "Tangled" movie, playing Rapunzel. When they were through, she told him, "Now, lets do it again, but I'll be Flynn(the boy) and you be Rapunzel!"

Quite creative, she spends hours coloring and building with blocks.


Her airplane that was going to China


Chalk drawing by Abbey. The pink is an hourglass, she is standing beside it and a rainbow is overhead.

For her birthday dinner, Abbey chose to go to MacDonalds, for one of her two favorite foods~ a cheeseburger (the other favorite is Mac and Cheese)

Daniel and Daddy enjoy MacDonalds, too!

All's not always rosy in Abbey's life though, she has some real issues with being left alone, especially at night. Therefore, she doesn't sleep very well. We've had some really deep conversations about many things ranging from death to sin. (In a few days, I'll be relating one such conversation). She isn't all fluff, Abbey has some really deep thoughts, questions and insecurities.These all just go into the wonderful little girl that she is. We will work through any issues with God's help, and she will be stronger because of it.

Our lives certainly were enriched beyond measure the day we met this little one in Chongqing, China. Life would never be the same again, and boy are we thankful for that!

Miss Abbey, you are one loved little girl!!!

A "Tens" and "Ones" birthday for John, Jr.

2011-09-14T23:28:00.002-04:00

Once someone in our family gets past twenty, I no longer place that many candles on the cake. I then start to place them in "tens" and "ones". John, Jr. had a birthday Aug. 7th. His cake had 2 tens and 4 ones!

The cake may look a little strange, and it was. At our house, each person gets to pick the kind of birthday cake they want. John wanted plain yellow cake on one half and chocolate frosting on the other half.

They birthday participants

Everyone but Beth was able to be here for John's celebration. He was living with us for the summer while working for our swim club. It was great having him here and getting to see him every day. He actually had to work on his birthday, so we scheduled his dinner around his work schedule.

We are proud of John, since graduating from college, he has held down a job he despised. When the offer came to manage the swim club, he took offer. He's been mulling over his career path for the past few months. He's decided to go back to school to become a nurse. I think he would make a great nurse! He's always had such a tender heart. In our family, he is the peacemaker. John and I are thankful to have had the opportunity to have him home one more summer.

Before John left to go back to Wilmington, he arranged for Daniel to watch the kids, and he took me and John out for coffee. (Wow, he really is growing up!) We had such a nice time talking to him, and he told us how much he appreciated us allowing him to live with us for the summer. It was definitely our pleasure!

Happy, happy birthday, John! We love you!

Three cousins and a funeral

2011-09-08T23:33:00.002-04:00

My Dad's sister, Aunt Betsy, has always been very special to me. I have wonderful memories of spending time with her, playing games and laughing a lot. She moved to Mississippi many years ago, but we still keep in touch, and see each other for special occasions. When she called and said that she would not be able to come to Beth's wedding because of my uncle's health issues, I knew that it must be serious, and I was correct. My Uncle Earl was diagnosed with cancer. He lost his battle with cancer on August 30th. Since he and my aunt are both from North Carolina, they had decided they would be buried in Henderson, NC. Out of this sad time came a neat reunion.

When we received Abbey's referral, my cousin, Walt,(Aunt Betsy's and Uncle Earl's son) called me and asked about Chinese adoption. He and his wife, Joey, were interested in possibly adopting. Fast forward about a year; they brought home their son, Noah, from Guangdong, China. We've wanted to get our kids together for some time, but the distance is a formidable deterrent.

Finally, after a few years, Noah, Abbey and Elijah got to meet cousins that they had only heard about.
To say they hit it off, would be an understatement. They loved each other. They adored each other, in fact, it was hard to believe that they hadn't been friends forever.

Noah and Elijah

Abbey with Noah

The three cousins

So, this somber occasion was punctuated with the squeals and yells of glee-filled little ones. I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to bet there hasn't been many rousing games of "duck, duck, goose" in this funeral home previously.

I happened to look at the casket containing Uncle Earl's body just in time to see a little sandaled foot scoot behind the curtain covering the bottom. I rushed over and pulled a frustrated Abbey away from the casket. I had visions in my head of her knocking the casket over and my Uncle spilling out! She explained that she and Noah were playing "Hide and Seek" and was livid that I had spoiled her great hiding place! Then off she ran...

Aunt Betsy nabbed two wild ones!

The next day, before the burial, we all went out to eat at Cracker Barrel. It was also time for me to catch up with my cousins.

Cousin Ann with Anna

Cousin Walt surveys the crew

My Dad, Mom, brother Tom, Jr, John, Jr and Jamie rock off all the food they had eaten.

More laughter at Cracker Barrel

Noah and Abbey were like two peas in a pod. They both love to laugh and be laughed at, are fast as lightning, very agile, extremely bright, and as rambunctious as they can be! Elijah fit in perfectly as the straight man to either one of the two "wild things". The hour plus drive home was punctuated with many comments and references to Noah. They had a blast!

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Abbey and Elijah were not happy to see their new found buddy leave. I must admit I started scheming about ways to get Noah and his family to move to NC.

The reason we gathered certainly wasn't a happy situation, but the meeting of these three little ones surely did put a smile on many a person's face!!

Look out, world, here comes Anna!!

2011-09-04T23:38:00.000-04:00

On Aug. 26th, Anna completed cosmetology school! We are so very proud of her. She worked really hard and achieved several honors while at Paul Mitchell The School (formerly Emerald Academy). Whether homeschooling or going to public high school, Anna has always been less than thrilled with school. It was such a breath of fresh air, (for her and us), to see her actually enjoy and excel at school. She is quite talented and it reflects in her enjoyment.

Abbey and Nana outside the school

Anna's booth~ she was an honor student, therefore she had her own personal station, which they decorated for her last day


Why, yes, I'm special enough to sit here!

Waiting for the "clapping" to commence

Because graduation depends on a certain amount of hours in attendance, along with a certain number of services, the exact day varies for each student. The do have a formal graduation ceremony twice a year. But, each students' last day is celebrated by a "clapping out ceremony". My Mom, Dad, John, Jamie, Abbey and Elijah were able to attend the ceremony. It was a pretty neat event.

They cranked up the music, "It just takes some time", by Jimmy Eat World, chosen by Anna, and the folks started to trickle out.

Then Anna came out and everyone cheered and clapped

and hugged,

and hugged!

With Ms. Amy, one of her favorite teachers.

Of course, most folks(including Anna and yours truly) cried.

and then she was out of there, and on with her life!

Walking out for the last time as a student.

Way to go, my baby girl!!

There's a brand new Senior in our house!

2011-08-31T23:42:00.003-04:00

Daniel began his senior year of high school last week. He dreaded starting school, as he repeatedly stated in the days leading up to D-Day, but he is extremely excited to be a senior.

The night before school started, Daniel spent the night with a friend. I asked him to come home before leaving for the Senior Breakfast, so that I could get pictures of him beginning this milestone. Sweet boy that he is, he agreed to come by at 6:15 AM! It's still dark at that time, (proof enough for me that no one should have to be up at that hour), thus the dark pictures.


And he's off!

Of course, while praying and giving him to the Lord, I had to shed a tear or two. Well, if the truth be known, more that one or two. I don't think I'll ever enjoy this "growing up and leaving" thing. I know that I'd be devastated if they couldn't do it, but it is such a bittersweet experience.

His car displays the magic numbers!

Our high school has a few really neat traditions for seniors. The first day of school, there is a senior breakfast. They all wear the same senior t-shirt and after breakfast, they all caravan to the school. At the school lot they are greeted by a balloon archway.

Another tradition is car decorating. The seniors decorate their cars. There were some pretty creative ones this year.

Ones with stuff strapped on top:

This one was covered with tin foil. The are the Spartans, so this car is a spartan helmet.

I thought this was very creative

Daniel road with a friend and left his car at the breakfast spot.

He had a good first day. A bunch of the seniors converged at the same eating place for lunch. I'm sure the regular patrons really appreciated this invasion!

Their theme is "2012, the world's not ending, we're just taking over!"

Hmm...Lord help us all!

A Listening Walk

2011-08-27T12:50:00.001-04:00

Every week or so, we make a trip to our local library and bring home several books. The kids really get a kick out of picking out their own books and then reading them at home. One of the books that we got this past week was this one:

In this book, a little girl takes "listening walks" with her dad. During their walks, instead of talking, they only listen.

Since the weather has cooled slightly, I've been trying to re-institute my daily walks. Several times I've had to take Abbey and Elijah with me. On one of our walks, Abbey suggested that we recreate the story of the book. So we started our own, "listening walk". I was completely amazed at the difference. I'm 40+ years old and I've never really heard outside like I did that night. I heard all sorts of noises from crickets to cicadas to lawn mowers. It was mesmerizing.

After we got back home and sat on the porch sharing popsicles, Abbey, Elijah and I talked about the things we heard, and how we heard them. It really was a great exercise, and it made me think about listening in other areas of my life, especially my prayer life.

I wonder if I'd hear so much more from God if I would just be quiet for a spell? I became convicted by how many times my prayers consist of me telling God the things that He needs to do, or the things He needs to help me do. I'm convinced that I need to take time to sit and just listen. I think that I would be amazed and extremely comforted by hearing God, instead of hearing my own laments and suggestions, (as if the Lord Of All needs my suggestions)! Just as the usually hidden sounds of nature are suddenly out in the open when I stop and listen, God's whisperings within my heart would suddenly be loud and clear, if I kept quiet and just listened. It became apparent to me that my walk with Christ needs more often to be a "listening walk".

I could have written this

2011-08-24T15:53:00.001-04:00

I saw this article on a blog that I follow, and it resonated with me so much, that I knew I had to provide a link to it. I could have written it, as it expresses a lot of my feelings. I encourage everyone to read it!

You can click on HERE to read it.

Emotional Protectant

2011-08-21T00:56:00.001-04:00

Normally, Abbey's personality comes out like this:

She is bursting at the seams in everything she does. On the outside it looks as if she hasn't a care in the world.

Occasionally, though, that tough exterior cracks and I see a little bit of the vulnerability and self protective side of her psyche. Although she seems tough as nails, there is a part of her that is very fragile. Beth's visit and subsequent move to New York brought that fragility right out in the open.

Every night after Beth arrived, Abbey would say, "How many more sleeps until Beth leaves?" We'd tell her and, at first, she'd say, "Ohhh, that's a long time!" (any number more than 1 is a lot apparently). Beth was leaving on Saturday. On Thursday night, Beth came in to hug Abbey "good night". All of a sudden Abbey ran away from Beth and into my arms. Beth asked to lie down and cuddle with Abbey before she went to sleep. Abbey shook her head, replying, "Nooo, I want to lay with my mommy." I could tell it was hurting Beth's feelings and I was more than a little perplexed. I encouraged Abbey to cuddle with Beth, but Abbey wasn't going to give. Abbey loves, loves, loves Beth, so I really couldn't figure out what was going on.

The next night, Friday, after we got home from eating out, Abbey came home from the princess show. She was excited recalling the princesses she had seen. Beth and I were sitting on the couch. Beth reached for Abbey to sit in her lap, and Abbey bolted over to me and said, "I want my mommy!" I took her in my arms and started talking to her. I asked her what was wrong; she didn't answer. I probed deeper. "You know that Beth is leaving tomorrow, right?" She shook her head. I said, "That makes you sad, doesn't it?" Again, she shook her head, and then she said, "Are you going to cry?" I told her that I might, but that it was ok to cry when we are sad. I also explained that it is ok to be sad when someone we love is leaving. It dawned on me that it was the crying that was bothering Abbey.

Crying doesn't come naturally to Abbey. She very rarely cries. When she does, she doesn't burst into tears, she just sort of grimaces, and tears just ooz out. No bellowing or screaming, never. When she was a baby, I had to train her to show pain when she got hurt. So, now I think I need to show her how to express sadness and that it is normal to be sad sometimes.

This all is just another piece of the puzzle of Abbey. I'll never know what her life was like before she came into our lives, but based on what that I've seen--her big bald spot on her head, her lack of muscle control, her self-soothing actions, her high pain tolerance, her fear that I won't be here when she wakes up and her fear of getting hurt emotionally, all point to a time of neglect for my little princess. I wonder if she was punished if she cried? I wonder if it's just that she cried, but no one ever came to answer her cries? I always knew that early stimulation and love were essential to proper development, but I never realized how much is formed in the first year of life. (We got Abbey when she was 10 months old)

She has gotten better in some areas. She will now express pain and she openly loves her family, as long as they aren't about to leave her, then her protective mode takes over and she will ignore and distance herself from them. I feel certain that she will master and rise above her months of neglect, but I'd give anything in the world, if I could have prevented it from happening. The thought of my precious baby girl, (or any baby for that matter), laying in a crib and crying herself hoarse, to no avail, just breaks my heart! One of my friends said that adoption was a beautiful tragedy. I so agree. It is tragic that Abbey's life had to go through the start it did. But, it is beautiful how much we love her and Elijah and how much beauty they bring into our lives. God really does "make beauty from ashes" (Isaiah 61:3)

We love you so, Abbey Grace!

I pray for our little ones, that the Lord will show us how to overcome their issues. I am certain that He will do just that!

Truly a gray day

2011-08-16T00:23:00.000-04:00

I woke up on Saturday, 8/6, and saw this

don't know if you can tell here, but it was raining

a gray, dreary, rainy day. I thought, "Well, that fits. That is exactly how I'm feeling on the inside. Gray. Dreary. The day I had been dreading for months had arrived."

packing up

Beth was moving to New York. We've been so blessed to have her and Greg right here in NC for a year, but a job was dictating a move to New York.

Greg had to be at work the previous Monday, but their stuff would arrive sometime within the following week or two. So, Greg spent one night with us and then took a plane to the big city. The plan was for Beth to stay with us, then drive to DC. Greg was to take a bus to DC, and they would drive to NY together.

John and I thoroughly enjoyed our week with Beth. We had lots of talks, laughs, pool time, times spent with the little ones, and thanks to our good friends' taking Abbey and Elijah, we even got to enjoy a dinner out with Beth and John, Jr. Isn't it ironic that just when your kids become wonderful people that you like to be around, they up and move??

So, the day had arrived. I couldn't put it out of my mind anymore. Our oldest daughter was no longer going to be a few hours away. She no longer would be able to jump into a car and drive home if ever we needed her to. We no longer would be able to stop in and see her when we traveled to or through Charlotte.

She lollygagged as long as she could but there came time to do some "one more's"

Run for Bella

Picture by the mailbox

Hug

Kiss

and more hugs

Then, with Bella, the copilot

and one more wave,

she drove off.

Not gonna lie, we all shed quite a few tears. In fact, it has been a couple of weeks now, but I'm getting misty as I recall it even now. Not fun stuff. But, life sometimes isn't fun. I just need to count my blessings and remember that it could be worse. She could be across the country, or even out of the country. There are many other "could be's" which would make things a lot worse. The main thing I need to remember is that God is watching over her there, just as He did here, and He loves her more than I do.

Beth is doing well. After struggling to fit their stuff in a much smaller space, she is discovering her new home. Greg is working killer hours, so my prayer was for Beth to meet a friend quickly. It seems that the Lord agrees with that prayer, because the next day Beth called and said she had met a friend possibility. Yay God! She's going to be just fine.

As for Mama... she's still struggling with the distance and unfamiliarity of Beth's abode. But, I'm trusting in the God who gave her to me, that He will watch over her and Greg, guide them, and that He has a plan for their life that, at least for now, includes a little distance from us.

The epitome of egocentrism

2011-08-12T23:46:00.000-04:00

Elijah has something that he is so proud of these days!!!

He is officially potty trained!!

But, notice his big-boy pants, they are on backwards. No, it's no accident, he intentionally wears them that way. Let me ask you, have you ever tried to explain to a 3 year old that you wear "Mater", "Lite-lite queen" or "Buzz Lightyear" on your bum, and no, you can't see them when you're wearing them???

Let me tell you that concept is totally foreign to his egotistical mind. The way he thinks, if he can't see it, then it doesn't exist.

So, he wears them backwards, and I couldn't care less. As long as he doesn't use the bathroom in them, he can wear them any way he wants!!!

Besides, he's just too darn cute. No matter what he's wearing or how he wears it!

A full cul-de-sac .....

2011-08-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

Means...

Anna, Beth's and John Jr.'s cars

A full heart for Mama!!

All of my babies under one roof. Too bad it only lasted for a few days, and who knows when it will happen again??

Summer League Swimming is over

2011-08-07T23:30:00.001-04:00

Our summer league swim season is just 6 weeks, and boy does it fly by. This year, our team certainly didn't win as many meets as they would have liked (only one), but I think the kids had a great time. We celebrated their accomplishments this year at our end of the season banquet. As the swim team coordinator, it was my responsibility to see that this affair came off without a hitch. I had lots of willing help, and I believe it was a nice banquet.

The room looked festive:

There was plenty to eat:


Elijah certainly enjoyed his cake

And the awards were there:

Abbey, tickled with her trophy, stands with the other 6 and under girls


Daniel and the 15-18 yr. old boys

Awww, brotherly love!

Daniel won the boys' team high point, for scoring the most points.

He also got medals for placing first in breastroke and eighth in freestyle at the city-wide championship meet.

John, Jr. did an excellent job of MCing the entire evening.

I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over, but I actually enjoyed doing most of it. They also made it very worth my time. I was given flowers, a gift certificate to a very nice restaurant and a Starbucks gift card!

When we got home our two resident swim team members posed with their awards.

Road Trip to Athens, Georgia

2011-08-05T00:26:00.001-04:00

Last month John, the little ones, Daniel and I set off for the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

With the weddings and the slow economy, this little trip to Athens may end up being the only vacation that we get to take.

Abbey doesn't care where we go, as long as she gets to stay in a "hoe-tale".


She watched a lot of the "dv-go player"

Getting ready to take a nap.


Playing on their "magic carpet"

Happy boy!


Daniel getting ready to go swim.

The trip was a success for Daniel in the pool. He cut 3 sec. off of 100 breast to swim a Jr. National time of 1:07.71, and he cut off another 3 seconds on his 200 to swim to acheive 2:28.55. He made it back to finals in both events. Making it to finals is no small accomplishment at this meet. The top 8 finalists in almost every event had their Olympic Trial cuts. Daniel is 3 seconds away from a Olympic trial cut in the 100 breast. He talked with several college coaches while he was there.

On the way home, we stopped by the see Beth in Charlotte. Greg was at work, so we just got to see Beth and Bella.


Proud Daddy


Me and my grand-baby dog!

All in all it was a nice little respite from the every day life at home. Daniel swam well, and we had some fun family times together!

You just never know...

2011-07-29T16:43:00.001-04:00

What's going through their minds!

Abbey loves to draw and color. She has just recently started writing words. She will ask me to spell a word and she will write it. She has a notebook that she doodles in quite a bit.

The other day she asked me how to write, "God". After spelling it out, I asked to look at her pictures.
This is what I saw.

I asked her to explain and she told me that her drawing was God watching over Abbey and the second one was God watching over Elijah.

Pretty cool, isn't it?

Our resident "Chip Maggot"

2011-07-27T17:05:00.004-04:00

That's our Elijah Grayson JianYi!

Such a cutie-patootie!

No matter where we go, Elijah draws females to him like a light draws a moth. He looks at them, does his little wave and says,"Hey", and kaboom! The pretty young girl is chatting with Elijah. John and I just watch and think, "There he goes again.." The other day John, Sr. told him, "You are just a chick magnet, aren't you?" He grinned through the thumb that resides semi-permanently in his mouth, and while shaking his head up and down said, "I chip maggot!" After picking ourselves off the floor from laughing, we said, "Elijah, what are you?" To which he replies, "I chip maggot!"

We go to our pool and he has a harem of young beauties that follow him around!

The little fellow has also become quite a comedian. He loves to make funny faces and make us laugh.

Notice the car in his hand. He loves cars just about as much as he loves females. Our little auto expert will constantly pick out a car on the road and say, "I like that car." He even takes a car to bed with him at night. He will lie in the floor and play with his cars, lining them up just so. He really has an eye for detail. Of course, even cars can be subject to his explosive temper. If one of his cars doesn't line up just the right way, an irate Elijah has been known to scream and throw the offending car across the room. Cars aren't the only things that fascinate him, he's enthralled with anything that has a motor. He loves to see motorcycles and even handicap scooters. When we were eating at a hotel recently, a gentleman rode up in his scooter. During our whole breakfast, we heard "Look at that car. I like that car. I want that car." So, his taste in cars is, well, let's just say varied.

His speech has come leaps and bounds. There are still some times when I can't understand him, but overall he does well. The other day during a tantrum, I put him in the bathroom. I told him, "Tell me when you're done and you can come out." He screamed, "I done!" I said, "Tell me you're done nicely." To which he quickly replied, "I done nicely!" With that new found articulation comes new found ways of expressing his pleasure, with "I uv you!", as well as displeasure. For example, today he said to Daniel, "Daniel, weeve me awone, I just 'bout had it!"

Ahh, Mr. Elijah you are one of the reasons my life is so blessedly full!

And you will have to look long and hard to find a "chip" that loves you more than this one does!!!

Summer League Swim Meet

2011-07-23T00:54:00.001-04:00

Abbey, John and Daniel
Our 2011 Amberjacks (our swim team's name)

Tuesday nights you can find our family at a summer league swim meet somewhere in our city. This has been part of our summer tradition for the past 19 years. We've watched all of our children from the time they were little 6 and unders, who would start heading down the pool doing backstroke, get turned around and head back to the blocks, (this actually happened to Anna), to the time when they were basking in applause as they swam their last meet. Of course, that is only the older three, we still have 3 more to go!

This year is no different. We love our neighborhood pool, and enjoy watching the kids swim. John is the head coach. Daniel and Abbey are both on the team.

With Aimee, the assistant coach

Giving his pre-meet pep talk

At all of our home meets, the kids march in...

they all gather around the diving boards...

and cheer. Then Daniel gets up on the board...

and does...

a painful belly flop!

And the kids go crazy!

During the meets,

Abbey plays with friends,

until it's time to swim.

No more belly flops for Daniel...


Waiting to swim

And Elijah??

Just look for the pretty young girl and there he will be!

Nana and Grandaddy always try to come to at least one meet.

I love summer league swimming, good thing, too, because by the time Elijah gets to his final meet, we will have had kids on the swim team for 32 years! Amazing, isn't it??

The Fouth of July---on the third.

2011-07-18T00:20:00.001-04:00

The Fourth of July is always an important holiday for our family. Our neighborhood pool has games for young and old along with a cookout. We actually celebrated the fourth twice this year.

Dressed in red, white and blue and ready to go!

On July 3rd, a nearby town has a big celebration. We joined our friends, Battle, Shannon and their two girls, and Jason, Amy and their daughter, Olivia.

Jessie, from Toy Story, showed up.

This is what Elijah thought about Jessie.


It wasn't really Jessie that freaked him out, it was the blue faced genie,(from Aladin), that he was wary of.


All the kids in our group

Our family, minus our big four

The band, Liquid Pleasure played and then the NC symphony played.

Abbey danced...

and danced!

We had lots of time to just sit and relax and enjoy each other and our friends.

Then, of course, it was time for the highlight of the night-- the fireworks!

On the fourth, we started celebrating with a Kiddie Carnival of games at our pool. The highlight for Abbey was the slip and slide. For Elijah, the highlight was all the pretty pre-teen girl helpers, who were more than happy to carry him around to all the games.

For the pool games, Daniel tied in the belly-flop contest and John, Sr. won the 3 point shooting contest. Abbey and Elijah got even more candy during the "candy toss in the pool" game.

A major accomplishment was that Elijah let me let him go and he "swam" ie. kicked between me and John. He's been very reluctant for me to let him go in the water. He will put his head under, but wants me to hold him at all cost. This was a great breakthrough for him!

Happy Fourth of July!

The Bulls Baseball Game

2011-07-16T00:24:00.002-04:00

Having lived 20 minutes from a minor league baseball team for the past twenty-some years, it is somewhat unusual to never have been to a game. But, being that baseball isn't anywhere near my favorite sport, I'd never been to a game.

A couple of weeks before the wedding, our life insurance company sponsored a night at the Bulls stadium. They provided free food and tickets to the baseball game. John and I thought it would be a good family outing. But it turns out that there was way too much fun to be had, which, to me, would have been wasted if I'd watched the baseball game.

The main thing I had to do was to keep up with these two:


One of the few moments they were still


He came for the free food.


They also liked the food.

Not quite sure what he's thinking?

I also had to keep up with the fashion and get my face painted.

It was about a million degrees outside that night. It wasn't long before my paint colors began to all run together.


Twins??

But my little girl didn't care, she was so excited that I had my face painted like hers.

Elijah's "practiced" smile

The extreme heat didn't bother the kids at all. Pretty soon, John and I figured we'd had about all the "fun" that we could stand. We headed home.

And, about the baseball game... , I think I can still say I've never seen one of their games.

But, everyone had a great time!

Homecomings!

2011-07-11T23:32:00.002-04:00

I love airports, especially our local airport. I see them as delivery rooms. You know the feeling that you get when you go by the nursery at the hospital? I get that feeling too, but I also get it whenever I go to the airport.

I've had the pleasure, along with John, to visit the delivery room for two families this month.

The first family brought home two treasures from Ethiopia. Their journey to bring their kids home was full of roadblocks. I, along with our entire small group have prayed so fervently for these little ones to come home. When I saw this family coming down the airport hallway,

I just couldn't stop the tears from welling in my eyes. Their Mommy and Daddy had prayed and worked so hard to get them home.

These wonderful babies are certainly worth all the work!

A couple of weeks later we went back to the airport to greet this new family of 6,

They already had 3 children from China. We got to watch as God placed another precious little one on their heart.

I marvel at the children that have joined their forever families. The reams of paperwork, the financial sacrifices, the jet lag, the prayers, and the sheer torment of waiting, remind me of the relentless way that God pursues me and you. He will work and work until he has us safe in His family. What a beautiful picture of our God's love for us is painted by adoption!

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:1

And it begins again...

2011-07-10T00:59:00.001-04:00

So, one daughter married and another to go, IN FIVE MONTHS! Crazy, I know, but it is a reality in our family. Anna is getting married in November. We had asked Anna not to spend any money until Beth's wedding was done. So, with Beth's wedding done, we went wedding dress shopping. Anna made an appointment and we invited Nana and Grandaddy. With Abbey and Elijah tagging along, we went dress shopping. We arrived on time and were told to start looking that someone would help us shortly. Well, shortly turned into longly and we had waited quite a while, 1 1/2 hours to be exact! I was getting a little impatient and made that known. Someone finally started helping us.

Anna did find her dream dress. I can't reveal pictures of that one, but I can show you the ones that didn't make the grade.

Too poofy

Too frilly

I don't remember what was wrong with this one, but she didn't like it.

The very first dress she tried on was the one she wanted. She tried several one, but her heart was already stuck on the first one. She kept trying on more dresses,(I think to try to find one that my Mom and I loved). Finally I told her that it was her dress and she should get the one she liked, not us. So, she got the first one.

They took forever getting things all together. Our swim meet the previous night had been postponed because of weather. We were swimming that night. I'm the team coordinator, so I have to be there and be organized and ready to go.

I had just about had it with that store. First they made us wait an hour and one half after our appointment and now they were dragging their feet as we waited to check out. I blew a gasket. I started talking loudly about how we had to wait and how ridiculous it had been. Anna said I embarrassed her. I regret that, but they totally deserved every ranting word I said. They apologized profusely and gave me 40.00 in gift cards to Shutterfly.

Abbey and Elijah did wonderfully considering they hadn't had a nap and had been in that store for 3 hours. They did a great job of entertaining themselves.

A little Skittles bribery going on

They drew

Performed many shows in front of the large mirrors

They were also human vacuums going all over the floor looking for "Treasures", ie lost bead and sequins. They really did well considering.

Nana and Grandaddy

He got a little punchy with the wait

Oh, well, I wasn't please with the service, but Anna got the dress she loves and we all survived!

One item checked off, many, many more to go.

Best Buds

2011-07-06T22:42:00.001-04:00


Sing together on their fireplace stage.


Dance together (notice the show on the TV, they were acting along with the TV)

Play together, yet in their own pretend worlds


Play together in their own private place


Chill together watching, "Max and Ruby" kind of appropriate, isn't it?


And of course... fight with each other!

Basically, they would be lost without each other!

After Wedding Field Trip-The Zoo

2011-07-01T01:02:00.000-04:00

After an event like a wedding, one where you anticipate and work towards for quite a while, there is a bit of a letdown, (along with relief). John had the Monday after the wedding off, so we decided that our younger two needed a little bit of extra attention, besides the fact that our two littlest ones have never been to the NC Zoo.

So, off we trekked to the zoo, which is only about 1.5 hours from our home. We immediately hit snags. John had to go to the post office to mail Beth a belated birthday present. We needed her to get it before she left on her honeymoon. He thought the post office would be open at 9, but, they didn't open until 9:30. That put us 30 minutes behind.

Next we had to drop off the suits the guys rented. We get to the place around 10:15. They don't open until 11! That put us 45 minutes behind.

Then we had to take John's mom home, we had planned on that, but it just added to the time.

We finally got to the zoo about 2. By this time, Abbey was in desperate need of a nap. She hung in there, but most of our visit she was in "I'm not stopping, because if I do, I'll fall asleep" mode.

Therefore, she wasn't too much into the animals. She was into....


climbing rocks


playing in the misting maching


playing in the diplay helicopter

climbing into eggs

climbing onto statues

At the very least, John had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the kids.

as you've seen, Abbey didn't stay here long

they love their Daddy

Elijah did much better. He actually was interested in the animals.

Where's Elijah? Safe in Daddy's arms. When this cougar came walking toward us, Elijah took off running, screaming toward the safety of Daddy's arms.

Until we hit the polar bears, sea lions and seals. I'm not sure why, but both of our kids were mesmerized. They didn't want to leave.

But, we did finally leave. We were able to catch a ride with one of the workers who saved us lots of steps by letting us ride in her golf cart.

Both kids sacked out before we were even on the highway. They'd had a lot of activity and schedule changes over the past week and they were exhausted. But, they do recall their trip to the zoo with pleasure. Even though we rushed through it.

The Big Party (The Reception)

2011-06-28T23:04:00.000-04:00

I told Beth the day before the wedding that I was going to "boogie-oogie-oogie" at the reception. After seeing her give me a look that at best, said, "Suure you are, Mom." I had a point to prove. I have always loved to dance. Before we were married, John and I went to a lot of places where we could dance. (A nice way to say," bars"), and we did quite a bit of dancing. Once the kids came, we pretty much hung up our dancing shoes. But, I was bound and determined that we were going to dust those puppies off and put them on again!

And we did!

When we got to the reception we, the parents, and the Bridal party was introduced.

Elijah, Anna and Abbey waiting to be introduced

My beautiful Anna, this time with fellow Bridesmaid, Annie

Meghan and John

sister of the groom and brother of the bride

Then their first dance as husband and wife, to Cat Power's "Sea of Love"

We then chowed down on some Eastern NC barbecue, macaroni and cheese, baked chicken, hush puppies and slaw.

All of a sudden the wind started blowing ominously. We looked up and there was a big black cloud approaching. We had about 120 or so folks, and the house would only accommodate about 100. We were all very concerned about the weather. Several tables weren't covered by the tent. So, Beth and Greg rushed to cut the cake.

It was a beautiful cake. Beth had picked out some pictures and I'd given the vision to the lady who did the cake. She did a wonderful job. I'd highly recommend her.

(Funny story--when we pulled up to the reception from the church, she was just leaving after having dropped off the cake. John had to deliver some stuff into the reception, and I had Abbey and Elijah in the car. It was very humid and hot, so they had gotten out for some fresh air. Just then Beth pulls up and gets out, needing her dress bustled. Mindy, aka the cake lady, watched A and E for me while I bustled Beth's dress. It's not often you get a wedding cake maker and a babysitter all in one!)

Back to the reception recount. The weather was turning pretty frightful. The tent was creaking and swaying with the stiff breeze. Beth came up to John and said, "Daddy please pray for the storm to go away!" John and I went and bowed our heads and fervently asked the Lord to stop the storm.

Meanwhile, we went on with the festivities. Greg's Dad gave a very nice toast.

and Anna gave a heart-tugging toast. It was so sweet. I just bawled...again.

Then John danced with Beth. They had some sweet moments that he says will always stay with him, as they danced to The Beach Boys, "God only Knows".

Proud Daddy

Greg then danced with his Mom to "Stand by Me"

After the toasts and dances. Greg's Dad came up to us and said, "I believe the storm is going to blow over!" The wind had died down it just sprinkled a little bit and no more thunder! That night when we got home, John watched the weather on the 11 o'clock news. The radar showed this line of thunderstorms. As soon as they got to Raleigh, "poof" they dissipated! Coincidence?? I know not!

Then the "boogie-oogie-oogie" began in earnest. (A wonderful friend came, picked Abbey and Elijah up and took them home to a babysitter). I had a blast!

John didn't quite know how to take his normally very staid Mom, boogeying the night away!

Beth danced with my Dad

At 10:00 the bride and groom made their way through a line of sparklers.

After they left, John was standing with Beth's college friends, who were also bridesmaids. He started singing, "Hark the Sound", which is UNC's fight song. I, along with all of the girls, joined in and ended with, "Ra, ra, Carolina, lina ra ra, ra !" Such a fitting end!

The Carolina Bridesmaids

Such a wonderful time! Beth now says it was the "best day of her life"! That makes it all worth it!