Celebrating At School 60/365

Of course we had to celebrate Hope's birthday at school with all of her friends.  For the privacy of her friends, I won't show any of them, but they were all so excited for Hope.  She was so cute passing out her chosen cookie cake.  One little guy dropped his piece on the floor, and Hope came back to us just fussing about it. Then I give her another piece to take to him, and I hear her say, "This is your last chance, don't drop it again!"  My eyes got all huge, and I said, "Hope, we do not talk to our friends like that."  Then her teacher interjects, "I think she learned that from me."

We also took goody bags for her to pass out to her friends at the end of the day.  She was so excited to give them each something.  So, now the birthday is officially over.  I heard her tell one of my bible study girls last night, "It's not my birthday anymore."  She is right, it is over.  She now has the longest to wait in the family to celebrate again.  This will be hard for her, she is rather fond of celebrating.  She will just have to settle for celebrating her siblings.  LeeLee is up next.

Association Race 59/365

Remember on Sunday when I said we had to go to a little car race before we could get Hope's birthday underway?  It was the associational race for the RA derby.  Hunter loves this race every year because he gets to go against his friends from school.  Two of his best buddies go to another church within our district, so they look forward to this time together every year.  We didn't have high hopes for Hunter this year, after all, he placed in third at our own church, and didn't have a unique car, so we felt like this would be the first year that a trophy eluded him.  We talked about how we were there to support friends and he was okay with that.  Turns out though, his friends supported him.  They got to vote on best looking and most unique, and his friends voted for his camo covered car.  So he had a big surprise at the end of the race....he came in third for most unique.  His buddies both walked away with trophies too.  So the three of them were thrilled and they were fun to watch as they encouraged each other and built each other up.  Such a wonderful picture of true friendship. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 


Update on yesterday, our sweet friend is still hanging on.  We would appreciate your prayers for him, his family, and for all four of our children.  If you would like to learn more about our special friend, just google Mr. Penny Auburn.  He is a great friend, hero, and superstar to our family.

Six Precious Years! 58/365

Six years ago today, I stood before some government officials on the other side of the world and promised to love, educate, and afford LeeLee the same privileges as my biological children.  Then after promising to do those things, the public official signed off on our papers, we signed our papers, and LeeLee's footprint was put on the papers to seal the deal.  She was ours!

Honestly, I can't believe it has been six years.  It seems like just yesterday that she was placed in our arms.  She has grown so much.  It is hard to look back at her pictures.  She looked at this one tonight and said, "I looked so lonely, Mom, was I lonely?  I think I was really lonely."  I just wanted to scoop her up and say, of course you were lonely, but I have to be careful not to project how I would have felt on her.  It was her life, not mine.  I can only assume that yes, she was lonely.  She spent 10 months in that crib waiting.  She ate in that crib, slept in that crib, and played in that crib.  The scars from being in that crib run deep.  She masks it well, but they are there.

LeeLee has come so far!  Most people who meet her fall in love.  She has more spirit than the average child.  She is dynamic, engaging, and very bright.  If I'm down about something, she is the one I want around.  She somehow lifts me up.  I only hope that I do the same for her.

Today has been a tough day for us.  Looks like we are going to lose a man that is very near and dear to our family.  We have so many questions about the circumstances, and unfortunately, they will never be answered.  I picked up Hope and Noelle from school early.  LeeLee and Hunter were already home sick, because I wanted to deal with with this loss as a family instead of anyone hearing anything that I couldn't filter first.  When we talked to the kids, LeeLee was the one that just looked directly at me and said, we need to pray.  She led the most beautiful prayer for our precious friend, then she asked me to pray.  I did, and then she was off like nothing had happened, while everyone else was falling apart.  Then later she came to me and crawled up in my lap and said, "Sometimes I don't look sad on the outside, but on the inside I am breaking.  On the inside is where my heart is, and my heart is broken."  That was such a huge statement for her, because while we celebrate this six years with her, it is based on a tremendous loss for her.  She does squash her feelings, and that is an ongoing issue for us, but we have come so far.  We have worked so hard to help her overcome her past, and her being able to label how she feels on the inside is huge.

I love you my precious girl!  My life changed for the better the day you entered into it.  My heart was forever changed that day, and I will be indebted to you forever for that.  I am proud to be your momma.  I love watching you grow and change.  I love watching you overcome.  I love watching your achievements!  Thanks for being my precious girl.  I love you more than the sun, and the moon, and the stars in the sky!  I can't wait to continue to watch you grow and become the beautiful woman that God has designed you to be. I know it's been a hard day, but HAPPY FOREVER FAMILY DAY TO YOU!

Happy 8th Hopey!! 57/365

My precious Hopey turned eight years old yesterday.  For various reasons, we decided to do a family party.  So after she fell asleep Friday night, Hunter and Noelle stayed up and blew up 100 balloons to cover the dining room table and floor.  All those balloons made for a super happy face in the morning.

Then we loaded up the family (after a quick car race, another post for another day), and headed for Pine Mountain.  Then we loaded our sweet blessings into a rolling zebra striped jail, and headed into a wild animal park.

Hope got up close and personal with a variety of animals.  The giraffe gently grabbed a piece of food from her hand and left a trail of slobber that had Hope squealing.  

She and the giraffe eventually became good friends.  Hope loved the gentle animals.

And she stayed a little apprehensive of the big animals with the gigantic mouths.

After all, who knew that a bison tongue was so long.

After an hour and a half of feeding wild animals, Hope was happy to still have ten fingers.  She then got to go pet some calm animals in the walk about area.  By the end of the adventure, her slobber towel was nice and wet.  So, that would mean that the wild animal park was a huge hit.  But the birthday didn't end there.

Tita joined us once we were home and Hope enjoyed her presents.  Her surprise that got LeeLee so jealous was a hula hoop that lights up.  She enjoyed all of her presents, and her yummy Chinese dinner.  She said it was the best birthday ever! For my precious girl, I have a prayer for this next year, and it is...May Hope show aptitude for every kind of learning, be well informed and quick to understand. May she have wisdom, very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore (see Daniel 1:4; 1 Kings 4:29). It's a big prayer for my little girl.  But if God puts Hope on your heart, will you join me in this prayer for her.

Surprise 56/365

Today was such a big day, that you will just have to wait until tomorrow and be surprised.  This picture should give you a hint as to the fun we had....See you tomorrow!

Date Night 55/365

I decided to step out on my sweet husband tonight.   I had a really cute guy ask me out, and I just couldn't say no.  I mean seriously, look at him, he is adorable!

Hunter and I headed to church tonight for the mother son banquet.  We had a lot of fun.  The speaker was great, and his message was wonderful. I will remember this night for the rest of my life....you see, as our minister to children was up talking, I look over and see that the flame on the candle on our table seemed a little big.  It took a second to register that Hunter's napkin was in the flame, but once I did, I gasped and reached for the napkin.  I couldn't get it good with out the flame getting me, but I was able to push it back.  My friend Karissa jumps in, and she then grabs it, by this point, it is in full flames.  She is slamming that napkin all over our table.  Once it is finally out, she hits the table and soot shoots across our entire table.  Obviously no one saw it, but one young minister in the back who was coming to rescue us.  Once it was over we couldn't stop laughing.  We were getting some serious stink eye from the stage (who still had no clue what had happened), but the whole thing was funny, once it was over of course.  Our table cloth had a big whole in it, and Karissa looked like she was Santa and had just come down a chimney.  So, tonight goes down in the books as a night to remember!!  My little date was fun too!  I love that little man. Just so I can prove we paid attention, here was our memory verse for the night..... The word of the Lord lasts forever 1 Peter 1:25 

Kisses Goodnight 54/365

When darkness falls on our house, and bedtime draws near, I love to get my hugs, snuggles, and kisses from all the kids.  But tonight, LeeLee is sick.  So there will be no kisses for her, but we did have snuggles and hugs.  So, as she turned the corner for bed, she turned to blow a kiss.  Hope said she didn't know how to blow kisses, so LeeLee tried to teach her.  Hope was more worried about her beautiful smile than she was blowing a kiss.  Since Hope has been with us for sixteen months now, I often forget that she still doesn't know what simple things like a blowing a kiss are.  So, blowing kisses is a lesson for another day, because now, peace has already fallen over our home.

Just Because..... 53/365

Oh how I love her just because she is LeeLee!  She is one of a kind and keeps us on our toes.  She is currently on what I call "mommy arrest."  She is my shadow, she has to be in what ever room I am in so I can keep my eye on her.  She is in "mommy jail"  because she can't keep her sticky little fingers from swiping every one's candy.   She has been my little jail bird since Sunday night.  At the end of Monday, she said, "this was the best day ever!"  So, to the world, it would look like my punishment is failing, but in the adoption world, we know this punishment is exactly what her little broken heart needs. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my week with my little prisoner working beside me to pay restitution to her siblings.  She still puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28

In His Arms 52/365

My heart was the one that God softened to desire so strongly to bring Hope home.  I never could place my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about her that I couldn't get out of my mind.  I wanted so desperately to be her mama, the arms that she came to for the good times and the bad.  Paul joked a few times while we were going through the process to bring her home that he didn't know why he had agreed to do this again, because we would just be bringing home another child that chose me.  And in all honesty, I assumed he was right, I would have three who favored me, and he would still have just Noelle.  But from day one, she picked him.  Hope still has this amazing desire to spend time with her daddy, her "Baba."  My "playground moms" group commented on how happy Hope was the other day when Paul picked up the kids for me.  They said she was all over him, and they saw a side of her they don't normally see.  I have tried analyzing this.  I have theorized that she has had several mamas, foster and nannies, but what she has never had was a Baba.  However, as I really look at this sweet connection, I see that she just loves him.  It's really sweet to watch.  Hope has changed Paul too, she has refined him, and softened him, in a way that only she could do.  I can't wait to watch their relationship unfold in the future, and I am happy for once to be in second place.

Connections 51/365

Here are three pals on the other side of the world.  They at this time were all three orphans.  Hope had been chosen when this picture was taken, and she knew that a family would soon be coming for her, but for the two little boys, the future was uncertain.  When Hope left China, she left part of her heart behind, and a big part of that was left with these two.  She loved them, they were her friends, her "brothers", and her classmates.  The connection was strong, and it was one that we knew we would never want to lose.  

For the first four months after we got her, Hope called back to China and spoke to these little guys and they shared stories.  She told them about us, and what life was like in America.  They told her about their day to day lives, and she listened.  They always ended by asking if a family was coming for them.  During this time, we knew a family had chosen the little fellow on the left, but we couldn't tell him yet.  Then Hope lost her Chinese, and the phone calls came to an end.  It was a sad day.

Fast forward a year, and now both little boys are home safe in the arms of their own families. They are wanted, loved, and cherished.  They are just where they are supposed to be.  I am thankful that they both found Christian homes, they will all be raised similar, and will be able to keep their connections that started in China.  Now that they can speak the same language again, their connections can continue.

So today, thanks to the wonderful technology of skype, Hope was able to see one of her dear friends for the first time.  He is the precious friend on the left up above.  He is younger, so his memory of Hope had started to fade, but as they talked and shared pictures, he seemed to remember her.  She was so excited to see him.  Her heart aches for them, and about once a week, she cries and asks for them.  So, her wish came true today.

Hope ended her conversation with precious Jonah by asking him to come here for her birthday.  That will be a little difficult since her birthday is this week, but I do hope to one day have these precious children reunited on this side of the world.

Chili 50/365

See Noelle, she has a friend too!

 See Chili, she is the hamster lovingly chosen and adopted by Noelle.

See Noelle appreciating Chili's beauty....there's a reason she isn't to close, she always takes things slow.

See Chili has a story.  One that started before we brought her home.  She was chosen and picked out by another family.  They had a little boy, and they thought the hamster would be good therapy for him, but as it turns out, he was not nice to Chili, and couldn't be the pet parent that Chili needed.  So Chili was returned then placed up for adoption.  Noelle fell in love with Chili and decided to bring her home.  You see, it turns out that Chili's abuse left not only some emotional scars, but some physical ones too.  It wasn't long before we discovered that Chili was missing a leg.  She had a little scab where the leg should have been.

See Noelle loving on Chili.  With Noelle's sweet love, Chili has learned to overcome her physical disabilities, and her emotional scars are healing...Noelle can hold her now without getting bitten, and they can share in each other's pure joy.

This is so much what it is like for adoptive parents.  We adopt precious children by faith, not knowing what emotional and physical scars there may be.  We just know in our hearts that they our our children, and we will love them in spite of all the flaws they come to us with.  Then, with faith and lots of love, we watch them blossom into children, our children, whom our heart delights in and we get to share in each other's pure joy.  I think sweet Noelle's little heart is already being prepared to respond to God's call to adopt.  I think Chili is just one little tool he is using to prepare her for the future.

Daffy 49/365

I guess you have figured out that Daffy is not a duck.  Instead he is Hunter's dwarf hamster.  He is a sweetheart, and so fun.  Today however, he brought a little drama to what I had hoped would be a relaxing evening.  Paul rented a movie for the kids, and he rented The Help for us.  We were quietly watching our movie in our room (with my fuzzy blankie) when our door flew open, and four kids started screaming that Daffy was missing.  We are no strangers to missing hamsters in this house, so this definitely isn't cause for alarm.  We have always found each little Houdini.  I instructed the kids to go look while our movie finished.  Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in their search, so when my movie (which was wonderful) ended, I joined the search party.

Little Daffy had found a nice comfy spot under the couch curled up in a stuffed animal.  He was sound asleep.  The little girls had just been jumping up and down on that couch, so I said to Hunter, "You should be thankful for that stuffed animal.  It saved Daffy's life.  He was able to curl up in fluff and it kept him safe."  Then Hunter looks at me and says, "No, I'm going to be thankful to God, because I prayed like 50 times while I was looking that he would protect Daffy, and he did."  Thanks Hunter for reminding me that it is God who orchestrates and cares for even the smallest things. Do not be afraid, your prayers have been heard Luke 1:13

Sweet Blankie 48/365

One of the things that Paul loved about me from the beginning was that I was easy to please.  I'm pretty simple in my wants, I always have been.  I am also pretty practical.  So, it was no surprise to him when I asked for a fuzzy blanket for Valentine's Day.  He was super sweet and took Noelle in search for the perfect fuzzy blanket.  They got me one, but with my tactile sensitivities, it just didn't feel right.  So he let me go back and touch all the blankets until I found the perfect one.  I claimed that Pippa and I were going to love it.  And love it we do!!  Pips and I can be found snuggled up with my blanket most nights, in fact we are always snuggled up with our blanket when we blog.  As you can see, we aren't the only ones that have fallen in love with the blankie!!  I am thankful to my sweetie for my blanket, it is perfect and I would choose it over flowers any day.

Pizza Night 47/365

Our school does fundraisers with local restaurants in town to raise a little money for the schools.  This night was for Marco's Pizza.  We don't generally eat there, but I love their concept.  They bring a pizza box to every child in the school and the kids decorate them.

Then, during the fundraiser, when you call to order your pizza, you give them your child's name and homeroom.

So, when the pizza comes, it is in a personalized box that your child made.  How could we resist this?

So, we ordered two pizzas, and Marco's was gracious enough to give us all four of our boxes.  I have to say, Marco's messed up our order, we ended up with one large pizza, and a snack size looking pizza.  It obviously wasn't enough to feed our family of six.  So Paul called and let them know.  They said they would be right out with another one, but we had somewhere we had to be.  So, Paul and I didn't eat much so the kids could get what they needed.  When we returned, there was a hand written note on the door from the manager apologizing for the mix up.  He offered us three free meals in the future each consisting of two large pizzas, and  bread sticks.  We won't take them up on that offer, because we don't want to take from any small business, but we are very impressed with their customer service, and will give them future business because of it.

He's So Big, I'm So Little 46/365

To try and enjoy the sixty eight degree weather today, I tried to let my kids play on the playground after school.  They were having fun until we got invaded by the kids from the running club.  They kept coming over and we would have to pull our kids off the playground.  My kids would migrate to the trees.  I have two climbers, LeeLee and Hunter.  Hunter climbed high into a tree, when an after school worker went over to fuss at him because she didn't know the kids she was watching.  Hunter informed her that I was there watching him, and that he was fine in the tree.  She takes a glance over at the picnic table and acknowledges me, then says fine....then things get interesting.......Here is the conversation that transpired.

After School Worker  (ASW) to LeeLee: You need to get out of here, and back to the playground.

LeeLee: Why?

ASW: Because your mom isn't here

LeeLee: Yes, she is

ASW looking over at the picnic table:  No she is not

LeeLee:  Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's my mom over there

ASW:  I don't see her

LeeLee:  He (referring to Hunter) is my brother.

ASW with a strange look on her face: What?

Hunter: Yes, she is my little sister.

ASW: Okay, well the rest of you kids stay out of the trees.

When we get in the car to leave, I question LeeLee about what happened, and she says, "I don't know why she didn't know that Hunter was my brother. Oh, I guess it's because he is so big, and I am so little."  Why yes, LeeLee, I am sure that is why she had no clue you were related, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that he is white, and you are Chinese!!  A few weeks ago this silly monkey was mad because people didn't think she was Chinese enough, then today, she has totally forgotten that she doesn't look like us at all....I love this child, she keeps life interesting!

Happy Valentine's Day 45/365

Hope you all have had a great Valentine's Day.  My girls were a little more excited this morning than my slow moving boy.  They all dressed in their pink peace and love shirts.  They headed off for a day of adventure at school.

Each of them had a party in their class.  I got to spend the most time in Hope's class for this party since I brought something.  It was cute to watch her excitement.

These three goofy girls can light up any Valentine's Day!!  I get to go on my special Valentine's Date another day, so you'll hear about it then.  As for now, I am off to bake brownies for a special group of young ladies so we can celebrate the rest of the night with our true Prince Charming, our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.  It doesn't get much better than that!  Hope your Valentine's Day is full of blessings!

The Making of a Valentine 44/365

We went to Sam's club and each child picked out their special Valentine's Candy for their class.  Then we came home and made wrappers for each of their candies.  They each got busy wrapping and tapping cute little Valentine's wishes to their candy.  Noelle picked push pops, she already knew they would be a big hit because she did them last year.

Hope picked a discounted box of sour patch kids (it said it was missing parts, but it had all 24 bags of candy.)  She is so excited to be making Valentines.  She said, "I love Valentines"  We asked her what Valentines is, and she said, "Hmmm, I really don't know."  But she does know it is special, so she is excited.

 Hunter got some extreme sour airheads.  He is so excited about giving these out.

 LeeLee followed in the footsteps of her older sister, so she too picked push pops.

Here are the end results.  I am happy with how they turned out, and the kids are even happier.  I am ready for these to go out the door tomorrow and into the homes of all of their little friends.  I'm looking forward to a great Valentine's Day.

Puppet Fun 43/365

I love Sundays, you just never know what is going to happen.  I was trying hard to catch a little bit of rest time from our weekend when this little character appeared at the end of my bed.

I guess Panda was lonely because it wasn't long before Barbie joined him.  Panda and Barbie entertained us, and had us laughing as they played tag and duck duck goose.

Then the master puppeteer showed her little face.  She really was more fun to watch than her chosen puppets.

Hope had fun having a little audience to watch her performance.  She was very happy when she finished and got smiles from us.  It really is precious to see her get so excited.  I on the other hand am just blessed to be able to watch her little shows.  She can interrupt my dreams of rest time any time, there will be plenty of time for resting when I am older.