My Poor Pips! 31/365

My sweet (or not so sweet) Pippa has a pinched nerve in her back.  It made her grouchier than usual, so I took her to the vet.  She is now drugged up and has to spend three weeks in a baby pen.  It isn't really hard to keep her calm when I have her out because she never really moves around much anyway.  She has been in chronic pain since we adopted her, so we are hoping that this may fix the problem.  I am enjoying pampering my girl, of course the rest of the family is rolling their eyes.

Oops! 30/365

Having a little sunshine is a blessing.  The kids head outdoors as soon as they finish their homework and get into all kinds of things. I am thankful that they put on play clothes before they head out, because they often end up dirty.  This picture is so typical of what happens to at least one child a day.....Noelle ran into the house and grabbed a towel.  She ran outside without telling me why, then I could hear it.  The crying coming up the driveway was getting louder and louder.  I grabbed my camera and opened the front door to find this little drowned rat standing there.  I'll give her this, the creek water is cold, and I would probably be making an ugly face if I had fallen in.

RA Derby Day 29/365

Today was the RA Derby Day at church.  Hunter loves the derby.  We normally go all out on the car, but somehow, I let the day creep up on me without getting an ultra unique car carved out.  So yesterday afternoon, Paul and Hunter just cut the old wedge. It looked like a door stop.  However, we dressed it up a little with a camo skin and some hunting stickers.  His is the fourth one back.

Noelle wanted to enter again, and we didn't have enough time to make a new one for her, so since she is in the open class, she entered the same one from last year.  The red VW Bug is hers.

Things turned out pretty well for us considering I put the wheels on once we arrived at the race.  He placed first in this heat.

The open class is always the hardest, Noelle had some tough competition in this heat, but she was a close second.

This is definitely my picture of the day.  This is the class that Paul and teach on Wednesday nights.  I was proud of all of our boys today.  We had the largest group represented, and I was proud of each of them.  However, you may be able to tell from the picture that we need to have a lesson on sportsmanship.

Noelle had an unlucky draw with her car.  She was neck in neck with the Batmobile, but didn't beat it in her race, so she wasn't up for the first place race.  So the best she could run for was third, which she ran away with.  She was happy.  So it is on to districts in the next couple of weeks.  I think we have some tweaking to do.

Showering Amy With Love 28/365

Today we had an honor of hosting a wedding shower for our sweet Amy.  Amy lived in our basement part time her senior year of college.  She means the world to us.  She is an amazing girl who strives to live her life for the one who gave up his for her.  We were thrilled when she found an equally matched young man.  He and I met first online.  He had to answer my series of questions that I give to all the boys who date my girls.  Brandon, who is now her fiance, did the best job of anyone at answering my questions.  In fact I read his answers last semester to my Tuesday night girls, and they were all ready to take Amy down for a chance at this guy.  The more we are around him, the more we adore him.

Amy the bride is on the right, with Sarah our sweet bride from a few years ago.  I miss having these girls regularly running through my house.  We look forward to reuniting again in about a month for what is sure to be a sweet wedding.  I bet I even shed a tear of two!

Let There Be Light 27/365

We were extremely thankful to see the sun today.  We decided to seize this rare opportunity and play at the playground, then when we got home, the kids were off to the creek.  Hope realized quickly that the water was cold, so she ventured by herself to jump on the trampoline.  She was just full of laughter and giggles with every jump.  I love watching her delight in such simple things!!  And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  Genesis 1:3 Okay, God, I know you said that the light was good, so I would love to see lots more of it.

It's Raining Again 26/365

I think we are all over the bad weather around here.  There has been rain, rain, and more rain.   I always try to give the kids a break before we start homework to play and get some energy out, but in this weather, they don't want to go outside.  So today, for fun, Noelle is teaching LeeLee her times tables.  LeeLee is a very serious student.

She takes learning to the extreme, as she does most things in life.  If LeeLee is going to do something, she will push herself to be the best.  It was no smiles for her until she was fluent at these four facts.  

I love how I look at Noelle's dry erase board, and it says, "Miss Noelle."  She may want to work with penguins, but if that falls through, she will make a great teacher someday.

Crazy for Crazy 8 25/365

The girls love to shop.  They love new clothes as most little girls do.  I have a few store favorites that I love to hit for them when they run their clearance sales.  Crazy 8 has to be one of my very favorites.  The girls tracked their package every day to see when their new stuff would arrive.  So when it finally got here yesterday, they were ready to dig in to see what they had gotten.  There were lots of squeals of excitement.  This morning when I woke them up, they bypassed breakfast and ran to get dressed to make sure that they got to wear what they really wanted.  Pandas for Hope, Penguins for Noelle, and a LOL for LeeLee fit each of their personalities wonderfully.

Hope had the second half of her teeth tended to by the dentist yesterday.  She just really doesn't do well with cavities.  Last time you may recall that her lip and face swelled.  They decided it looked so bad that we would only do one side.  Yesterday was somewhat better, her lip isn't swollen, but she definitely has a chipmunk cheek.  Her little dimple has even disappeared on that side because her face is so swollen.  If you think of my sweet girl, she could use some prayers.

My Tuesday Blessings 24/365

I know, it's late.  I'm just now crawling into bed and opening my laptop.  Tuesdays are like this for me, but every second of my late Tuesday nights are such a blessing to me.  As my kids are putting on their pjs and slipping into bed, my front door opens and closes several times until my living room is filled with smiling young faces.  Some weeks all ten of them are here, some weeks it is only five or six.  But no matter how many are here, the day always ends the same....I end up feeling blessed.  These girls come to my house to dig deeper into the word of God.  We tackle it head on, and have fun in the process.  There is always lots of laughter. There is always a kitchen full of sweets.  There is always someone or something for us to pray for. I am always in awe of what God has for us.  I always pray that God would use me in their lives to make a difference, and I won't know how much God was able to use me, but this one thing is for sure.....God uses them to make a difference in me.  Thank you Lord for planting me in this season where I can watch your mighty hand move in the lives of these young ladies.  I am in awe of the generation that is coming up before our eyes. How blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because it is they who will be satisfied! Matthew 5:6

Our Rock! 23/365

We have a rock in our house.  He day after day works harder than anyone else I know.  He has hit immeasurable road blocks throughout his life, and always found a way to climb over them.  As we watched the movie Courageous the other night, I couldn't help but think about him on so many levels.  Despite all the odds, he is a father who loves his children and family in mighty ways.  He takes time with each child to make them feel special.  He dates his daughters and treats them on those dates as they should be treated by boys in the future.  He can often be found fishing or golfing with Hunter, and you can catch him any Wednesday night playing quarterback for ten to fifteen third grade boys.  He also supports me with the kids, supports my passion for orphans and missions, and tolerates my love of animals. All my girlfriends are jealous with how well we cook together too. What more could we ask for?  Today, our rock has been on my mind therefore, I thought he was worthy of a post just because we love him.  Today he finally got to the eye doctor to have a new prescription done....I hope when he gets the new glasses and sees clearly that he still finds me cute :)

Happy Chinese New Year! 22/365

Today we celebrated Chinese New Year.  This is the year of the dragon.  The girls tried their best to give their dragon impersonations.

I kind of think that maybe they look more like they are celebrating the year of the tiger, but hey, I've never met a dragon in real life....so maybe this is what they look like.

We were blessed today to be able to celebrate the new year with our sweet church family.  The Chinese Christians in our area have started meeting at our church on Sunday mornings.  They meet in the chapel while we meet in the sanctuary.  They have taken on a love for our girls, and invited us to eat with them during their special potluck celebration.

I can't believe I forgot to take my camera in to capture the fun, the singing, the food, and the celebration. Our Chinese Christian friends also got our pastor and his wife up to perform. They were precious as always.  My sweet friend Lucy from Beijing, whom I have become close to, wowed us all with her amazing voice.  It was sad to leave such a special event, because it is one of those things that just gives you a little glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. We gave lots of hugs and kisses on our way out.

So, from our family to yours.....Happy New Year!!  May your new year be filled with blessings beyond measure!

This Little Light of Mine 21/365

Out of all my kids, Hunter is probably the most like me.  He and I have a special bond.  He definitely inherited my country side and he loves helping to take care of the animals.  Uncle Chris and Aunt Demetria gave him this pretty neat head lamp for Christmas, and he puts it to good use to go out and put the chickens to bed.  With this light he can check the chickens to make sure they are safe and sound, and check for any last minute eggs before bed.  Thanks Uncle Chris and Aunt Demetria for such an awesome gift! I can't help but see Hunter in his head lamp and start humming This Little Light of Mine to myself.  I hope Hunter will let his little "light" shine!

National Penguin Awareness Day 20/365

I live with a penguin fanatic.  Noelle loves everything about them.  She dreams about them, and someday hopes to work with them full time.  Today is National Penguin Awareness Day.  Noelle has been looking forward to this day for awhile.  She left today with penguins hanging from her ears, around her neck, in her hair, and on her shirt.  Her teacher had allowed her to write on the board the other day that it was going to be penguin awareness day, so everyone that passed Noelle told her "Happy Penguin Day!"  I almost hope this dream and love of penguins doesn't ever die.

100th Day of School 19/365

I don't think there is anyone in this house that enjoys school more than LeeLee.  She has embraced everything about school.  LeeLee is also my party girl.  She gets pretty excited about celebrations, so today was right up LeeLee's alley.  She got to wear her pajamas to school, and had to take a bag full of 100 of the same item so they could use it to celebrate the day.  She came home with this fun hat they had made too.  Can't you just see her joy?  It is quite contagious!

Hope got in on the fun in her class too, not to the extreme like LeeLee.  But see, now it is only 6pm and LeeLee has stinky blankie, because the fun has all fizzled out.  Poor Hope thinks stinky blankie stinks. (I agree!)

After School Lovin 18/365

There is a whole host of critters that get excited at our house when school is out.  This is Oreo, he is one of Noelle's loves, and a true snuggle bunny.  He will sit snuggled up with her for hours.  It is sweet to watch the sweet little relationship between these two.

Look Who is Riding 17/365

When Hunter was little, this is one of the expectations that I had to let go of.  It isn't that I didn't hope that he could one day do it, I just had to let go expecting things like this to happen, because we were told over and over that they probably never would.  Somebody forgot to inform Hunter of that fact.  We have gone through the last eight years with him, telling him that he can do whatever he sets his mind to, never letting onto the things that the professionals said he wouldn't be able to do.  We bought this bike for Hunter two years ago (I found it at a thrift store for $15, it is a $300 racing bike).  He has tried and tried over the past two years to ride it, but the balance thing just inhibited him.   However, yesterday, half sick, he was able to ride.  Today he was flying around the yard.  I am so proud.

Here is his motivation.  LeeLee has been riding well since November, and it was driving Hunter crazy.  Nothing like a little sibling peer pressure.  Oh, and yes, my kids are wearing shorts.  It is overcast, but 70 degrees and beautiful outside.  I love being warm in January!

I love this verse....  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint,   and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;   they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;   they shall walk and not faint.Isaiah 40:28-31  I hope that Hunter will continue to be lifted and strengthened our Lord.  Thank you Isaiah for the words of strength and comfort, they give this mom hope.  

Camp Awesomeness 16/365

Noelle's best friend, Caroline, spent the night last night.  The girls had to stay either on the bottom floor or the top floor of the house, because Hunter and his germs are currently occupying the middle floor.  So, they choose the top and stayed up late last night creating camp.  They outlasted me, so I don't know what time they finally got settled in, but they had recruited two excited little campers.  They got up bright and early and have been having camp activities all day.  They picked their hair styles, and their camp counselors did their hair.  LeeLee came down and I called out for her, she came to me, and I said, "Oh LeeLee, look at your hair."  In typical LeeLee fashion, she responded, "I know, it looks horrible."  I happen to think it is horribly cute!

These two camp counselors have been busy today!  They have done a great job running Camp Awesomeness!  I bet they could charge for this and make a killing.  They have totally freed up my day to take care of my boy.  Hunter is doing better by the way.  Thanks for the prayers!!

Nothing Ever Goes As Planned! 15/365

This has become an all to familiar scene in our house.  Hunter is down for the count again.  He just really struggles with staying healthy. I am sad that our fun plans for MLK day tomorrow won't happen, but I am glad that he will have tomorrow to rest before school starts back.  He has already missed 14 days this year for being sick.  He has a sweet note from our physician in the office at school that basically says that Hunter is a wimpy white boy and that he will miss more school that the average child.  Hopefully he will bounce back by Tuesday morning, and he will be all clear to go, not that I don't love having him at home.  Prayers are appreciated for our sweet little man!

Did You Know? 14/365

Did you know that today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day?  No you say, it is only one of the funniest days of the year.  Our poor dogs are really good sports.  They don't mind being dressed up, or posing for pictures.  I really can't imagine our family life without the smiles that these three bring.  If you haven't already, and you read this post in time, make sure to dress up your dog, or if you don't have one, please think about adopting one!  There are tons of dogs in shelters just like these three were when we found them.

Eggciting News Again 13/365

I know from this picture, it may be hard to tell the difference, but this is another special egg.  Hunter's chicken, whom he calls Easter, laid her first egg.  Noelle and I call this particular chicken Sketchy, because she is the oddest of the chickens we brought home.  She has flown away twice, our whole neighborhood searched for her the first time.  Finally at 9 at night a neighbor knocked on the door to let us know their had been a chicken siting.  Sure enough, he had found Easter who then quickly flew into the creek.  So, there I was in the dark trying to find a chicken in the creek.  I finally caught that bird, and by the time I did, I was literally ready to wring her neck.  The next time she flew away, I was about to give up when I remembered that I have gotten quite good at casting the casting net.  So I made one accurate throw, and she was caught.  So, I don't have many warm fuzzy feelings towards this bird.  We have joked that if she didn't start laying, she would be on the dinner table soon.  So, good thing for Easter, aka Sketchy, she has now joined Marigold in being an egg producer.  Hunter is a proud father, as he should be.

So Loved! 12/365

Sometimes in life, we pick things that are special to us, sometimes, things pick us.  For Hope, since day one with us, she has had her special LaLan.  I searched for a soft baby doll that was light weight, that I could squish into her backpack full of goodies that we were to give her on forever family day.  One of the only ones I could find that didn't look to babyish was this Licorice doll by Corelle.  I was a little apprehensive since she had purple stripes in her hair, but I did think she was cute.  Hope's eyes started gleaming when she saw this doll.  Within the first hour, she had a name, LaLan (I can assure you I am not spelling it correctly, it is a Mandarin name, and it meant something to Hope.) That very first night, I tenderly tucked her in with our new daughter.

In China, LaLan and Hope were inseparable.  LaLan went to every meal, every tour, and on every plane, train, and automobile.  I love the picture above of Hope helping LaLan to walk through the Inner Mongolian museum.  She cared for LaLan in such a tender way.  Once home, LaLan has still remained a constant in sweet Hope's life.

So, here we are sixteen quick months later, and here is LaLan.  She is looking a little rough.  She doesn't have the kind of hair you can brush, so it is all matted.  Her face is caked with dirt.  And best of all, you can tell she is loved.  Hope propped her up this morning on this letter mailer.  Here, she will patiently wait for Hope to come home from school so their daily adventures can begin.  I know that Hope will one day forget to include LaLan in her day, and one night, LaLan won't be needed anymore.  But, I treasure these precious days where there is a little magic between a girl and her special doll. For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

She's Got Mail! 11/365

It is always fun to get mail.  Noelle got a very official looking packet yesterday in the mail, and she was excited to see what it contained.  Turns out, it was an invitation to the Junior National Young Leaders Conference.  She had been nominated by a sweet teacher at school.  Being chosen was based on exceptional scholastic merit, maturity, strength of character, and her leadership skills.   It is a proud parent moment to have her be chosen.  Noelle won't be attending the conference in Washington this summer.  She immediately looked at the information and said, I would rather save money and go to China.  And that ladies and gentlemen is why she is going to make such an amazing leader in the future. She isn't concerned about gaining more leadership skills in anything except missions.  She understands that her time could be better spent ministering to the hearts and needs of the fatherless.  She would rather carry a light into the lives of children that have no hope.  This is one of the many reasons that I love her. She at the tender age of eleven chooses the path that God has chosen for her. My baby gets this verse....In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16.  I am prouder of that than any nomination.

Tooth Pain 10/365

My sweet Hope has had nothing but trouble with those teeth of hers since we got her.  We have never had dental insurance, but as I looked at a few of Hope's referrals pictures, I was figuring we were going to encounter some bad teeth for the first time in our family.  I scrambled before we brought her home and got insurance in place that would have to help us with her issues.  I am so glad I did, because it has paid for itself five times over all ready.  Today was the first time Hope has had to have this much dental work done while being awake.  Bless her heart, her lip is swollen, and she has tons of pain in her teeth.  While at the dentist, I also ran into another adoptive mom, and she and I told the dentist that our kids were keeping him in business.  At the rate Hope is going, I think she will have dentures by age twenty, so the big question is, do we invest in braces or not?  She has a ton of work to be done to straighten out her mouth, but I worry about her teeth being to brittle for all the movement.  Pray for us as we get through the next round dental work in two weeks, and as we consult the orthodontist.  I still count it pure joy that we get to deal with this....even if she ends up toothless, she will forever be ours!

You're my BFF! 9/365

Oh my goodness, what a joy and privilege it is each day to see what these two have in store for me.  When we felt called to bring Hope home, I worried about the effect that it would have on LeeLee.  I never worried about how Hunter or Noelle would react, or about how Hope's challenges would effect Paul and I or our schedules, none of that really mattered.  But LeeLee, she was a different story.  I had to believe that it would all work out, because I knew in my heart that Hope was meant to be with us. 

These two have surprised me in so many ways.  They are so very different.  LeeLee is strong, highly intelligent, an all around great athlete, and not your typical 6 year old.  She is energetic, and never misses a beat.  She is hyper vigilant, and quite the night owl.  Hope is weak, she struggles, and if you tried to throw a baseball in her direction, she would definitely get hit.  She is silly, and a bit nosy about what other people are up to, but never quite gets what she is supposed to be doing.  She is compassionate, and very much a girly girl.  She can play with a baby doll for hours just tenderly taking care of it. 

But, despite the differences, these two unlikely sisters, are best friends.  They play together amazingly well.  LeeLee has pushed Hope out of so many of her comfort zones, strengthening her is good ways.  Hope has calmed LeeLee's energetic spirit a bit by helping her learn to actually play engaging games.  She has also taught LeeLee a bit of compassion.  LeeLee roots Hope on as Hope meets her goals. Hope has helped to heal many of the things that LeeLee has struggled with. I love that they are best friends.  I can only hope that the sweet little girls who now say, "she is my BFF" will still mean that many years down the road.

Update:  When I was taking the pictures of the girls, I told them no peace signs, and no bunny ears.  If I don't tell them that, every picture would have them.  When Paul got home from work, they were excited to tell him that I had done pictures of them, and he had them gathered around as he pulled up the blog.  Hope for the first time saw that LeeLee had given her bunny ears.  Her eyes got huge, and she said, "LeeLee, did you give me bunny ears?  I didn't want bunny ears!  LeeLee this isn't funny!"  And, we all started laughing....they may not be BFFs anymore :)

Can't Leave Out the Boy! 8/365

As I looked back at last week, I realized that the other dogs were all featured in pictures with the kids. However, somehow Rags hadn't made a picture.  He deserves his own.  He is truly our Shaggy Dog from Disney meets Benji.  He is the all around best dog we have ever had.  I will never forget seeing his face on petfinder five and a half years ago.  It was like he was jumping off the page.  He looked like the ultimate kid dog I had always dreamed of.  I remember showing the picture to Paul, and him looking over at me and saying no.  I also remember getting the kids all dressed that next weekend, and he looked at me, and said, "Where are you going?"  I replied that I was taking the kids to Columbus so we could go meet the dog he had said no to.  He huffed and said, "if you give me a few minutes I will get ready and go with you all."  I wasn't sure whether it would be a good thing, or a bad thing to have him go with us, but at that point, he was along for the ride.  Turns out it was a great thing, because once he met him, he instantly knew that Rags was that once in a lifetime dog.  Rags has proven himself to be that and more for us all.  Our friends go in the search of their perfect dog, and we hear the same thing over and over....We are looking for a Rags for our family.  We have had lots of disappointed friends.  Ragsy, is our bear, our comforter, our protector, our snuggle bunny, our therapist, and our friend. So today, I want to make sure he isn't left out, because he is our love!

Nice to Meet You! 7/365

You may remember that in October, we brought home our newest rescue, Annie.  You can read her story here.  We felt fortunate to have at least some information about her when we adopted her, because with all of our other rescues, you never really get the whole story.  You always wonder what they have been through, and what it was like where they came from.  Since Annie's story was so unique, and she was one of so many taken that day, their story had hit the local paper.  The news article even mentions our sweet Annie by name.  So, from the article, I was able to gain a little more insight into the life of our Annie.  But the more I learned, the more my heart broke.  See, it wasn't just about some crazy animal hoarder like you would see on TV, it was about a woman who truly wanted to do the right thing, and a husband who loved her enough to allow it.  Then when she passed away from pancreatic cancer, there was a man left with what his wife had loved, and he was overwhelmed.  For him, there was a sense of relief when they came that day to take the animals away.  His burden was lifted.  His life could for the first time in years be normal.  He walked away with his favorite dog, the one pictured in his arms above.

After reading the article a few times, I just couldn't stop thinking about the man.  Was he okay?  Or did he wonder every night when he laid down what had happened to the animals that had consumed his time, his finances, and his life?  I also selfishly wanted to find him, so I could get those questions that you always want to know about your rescues answered....mainly, how old is she?  So, I began my search.  I found a phone number, and called it, only to find it disconnected.  So then Noelle and I decided maybe we should search facebook.  We did find three gentlemen on facebook with that name, so we tried to learn what we could from the limited profiles.  We decided that maybe we had found our guy.  So, I sent him a message asking if by any chance he had lived in Alabama with a bunch of dogs.  He messaged me back letting me know that he was indeed our man.  I was able to share with him that we had adopted sweet Annie, and that we adored her, and I was able to get my questions answered.  We sent him a Christmas package from Annie with a detailed account of what she had been through since that day, but how she had landed herself perfectly into our family.

So this morning Annie and Rags ran to the front door barking. I looked out my window to see who was here, and there was an unfamiliar man on my front porch.  I cracked the door just a little because after all, I am well protected with Annie and Rags.  He peered in and said, you have one of my dogs.  At that, I threw the door open and Annie jumped over barking at him like crazy.  But then he said, Oh Annie, and knelt down.  That is all it took, with one quick sniff, she knew exactly who he was.  She gave him some kisses and after a few minutes with him, she came right back to Noelle and I.  I wanted her to spend time with him while he was here, but he was overjoyed to see that she loved us, that she was choosing us.  We got to talk a bit about Annie's whole story, and we have all the pieces to her puzzle now.  I can only hope that he left here satisfied knowing that we love and adore one of the dogs that he admitted that he worried about.  He said there were six that he wondered about, so for us to reach out to him about one of those six has given him a glimmer of hope that the others too have landed into the same type of situations.  So, to our new friend....it was nice to meet you!!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Am I Even Chinese at All? 6/365

After school, I always let my kids play up at the playground, and I sit around with a few moms and we chat.  This year we have an influx of Chinese and Korean students in our school because of the local Kia plant and all of their suppliers. 

There was two Chinese families at the playground yesterday and their two little girls were playing.  My youngest ventured over their way, and then this was the conversation that I overheard. It took some self restraint on my part, but I decided to let LeeLee handle it herself.

Chinese girl #1- "You need to go play somewhere else"
LeeLee- "WHY?"
Chinese girl #1- "Because you are not Chinese."
LeeLee- "Yes I am"
Chinese girl #1 and #2 in unison- "No you are not."
LeeLee- "Yes I am"
Chinese girl #1-  "No you are not, I am Chinese, you are not."
LeeLee- "I am Chinese, I look like I'm Chinese."
Chinese girl #1- "yes, but you are not from China."
LeeLee- "yes I am from China."
Chinese girl #2- "you don't speak Chinese"
LeeLee- Ni Hao, Gugu, Mei Mei, Jie Jie, see, I just spoke Chinese
Chinese girl #1 now looking a little perplexed- "Well, we still aren't going to play with you because you are not like us."
LeeLee- "You are right I am not like you, I was adopted by people who chose me, your parents didn't get to choose you, they just got stuck with you, and it looks like they got stuck with a couple of brats."  then she happily skipped off in the other direction.

Oh friends, part of me is so proud of my girl!!  She has self confidence, that can't be shaken by some children at the playground.  She knows who she is.  The other part of me was a tad bit embarrassed that she called the girls brats, but I have always been a call it like you see it type of girl, so we had to have a conversation about that.  The good things is, the girls had limited English and I heard one of them say, "What is a brat?"


But this little display yesterday, just reminds me that my girls will face issues like this all their lives.  They do live in a complicated place....one that I haven't experienced before, one that I have no wisdom to give them.  Some would argue my girls are not Chinese, they are American, or Chinese Americans, while others would see them as Chinese because after all, they look Chinese.  And then there is this, that they will face a certain outcasting from some in the Chinese community.  For each of my girls, they have to find their place in this world, and find who they are. But as for LeeLee, I think she fully understands this verse....I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works, And my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14  If she can hold onto that verse for life, I believe she will find her place in the world, and I will be her spectator rooting her on.

We have Eggs! 5/365

Little LeeLee was all ready to be my model today...but she got bumped by something more important.  The kids have anxiously been awaiting the arrival of this since the beginning of October when we purchased our chickens for family day.  Our first egg was discovered.  I sent Hunter down with a box full of veggies for the chickens, and he came back in screaming, "We have eggs!" I think there was a bit of disbelief, but he had an egg.

Upon further investigation, we realized there was not only one egg, but eight beautiful eggs.  They weren't laying in the nesting box, so we had overlooked them.

Here they are, all cleaned up, and ready for a meal.  Tonight we will be having breakfast for dinner...and I am so excited!

The Pink Fuzzies 4/365

I have a pink fuzzy vest that I got years ago.  I think it could be considered a little tacky, but I love it.  I often catch the girls getting it out of my closet and wearing it.  I was so tickled when I found a coat to fit Pippa, and it matched my pink fuzzy vest.  It was a big deal to find a coat that actually fit Pippa because of her unusual shape, but I had the added bonus that we could be twins.  When I put my vest on, and Pippa's coat, Hope looked at me and said, "No fair, I want to match you all too!"  To which LeeLee replied, "me too!"  I found these sweet minky outfits on sale on the internet for just $15 each, so I knew that I could make their matching dreams come true.  Normally we only spend $5 per Christmas gift, but these outfits justified the extra money.  Noelle helped me wrap the gifts for the little girls, and when I pulled these outfits out to wrap, the envy bug got her.  She said, "Oh no, now I'm going to be left out."  I played it off, and said, "yes, but now you will be able to take a picture of Pips and I with the little girls."  Her sweet face fell.  So, it was fun to see her open her matching outfit up on Christmas morning.  They of course all chose to wear them today, their first day back at school.  So, I am wearing my pink fuzzy vest, and Pippa has her coat on.  Hunter thinks we have all lost it, I think he might be right!

At Home 3/365

When Hope curls up on the couch, it makes me smile.  When she opens my door in the morning, and peeks just to make sure we are here, I smile.  When she comes in and snuggles up with Paul in the evenings, I smile.  She is home, she is loved.  As I look at this new year, it is sweet, I get to enjoy more time being a mommy to four great kids.  BUT, there is also this deep hole in my heart for the thousands of children that we left behind that are just like Hope.  Some of them, who I personally now know and am invested in.  Oh how I would love to see them at home sitting on someone's couch...for them to have someone smile, just because they are there......Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27