Noelle's Cross 91/365

I will update tomorrow on our last day of spring break fun.  It hasn't ended yet, and won't for awhile.  So, instead I will share this picture that Noelle painted.  I think it turned out beautiful, and I am very proud of her.  My friend, Shannon, opened up a business called Party Animals, and she runs the random craft class.  Noelle and her best friend, Caroline, went and made these beautiful crosses.  For anyone looking for a cheaper alternative to Sips 'n Strokes, look up Party Animals.  It was cheaper, and I think just as good.

Postponed 90/365

Sometimes God has plans that don't coincide with our plans.  Our last day of spring break fun has been postponed until tomorrow when we have better weather.

The kids did get to have some fun today though thanks to our amazing college students.  All year the girls have been talking about this new taco truck on campus.  Since we didn't have anything like that when I was in school, this totally interested me.  Not to mention the fact that they talked about having to figure out where it was, how great the food was, and how cute the taco truck boys were.  In fact, I think one of my girls was even going to ask the taco truck guy to formal.  We were so excited when the girls volunteered to feed the kids lunch today.  So we headed down to campus and met up with six of the most amazing young women you could ever meet.  As soon as we met up, God decided to unleash a huge wall of water.  We could see it coming and there was no where to go.  So, we huddled together under an umbrella.  Hunter and LeeLee are the only ones that didn't get under the umbrella, so they ended up soaked to the bone.  But the giant wall of water didn't stop our taco truck fun.  We all good some taco goodness and headed to the student center to eat.  What a blessing it was to eat with girls.  The kids had a great time, and it was definitely the high point of the day.

So, today we didn't spend anything.  Tonight we are praying the rain with head out, so we can dry out and continue with our last fun day tomorrow.

Coca-Cola Fun 89/365

Today was our big budget buster.  We headed out this morning to Atlanta for the World of Coca-Cola.  We paid $10 for parking and $64 for tickets.

We saw all kinds of Coke memorabilia.  The little girls were happy to see the "Chinese" Coke.

We learned all about Mr. Pemberton and the secret formula.

Hunter dreamed about owning a car like this one day.  He is my Coke obsessed fellow!

My favorite part of the day was visiting this polar bear made famous by the Coke commercials.  He was seriously adorable.  He could scrunch up his face and close his eyes.  It was the cutest thing.

After watching the history of Coca-Cola advertising, a neat 4-D movie about the secret formula, being part of the happiness factory, being granted access to the secret formula vault, and tasting popular fountain drinks from around the world, the kids looked like this.

When we came out of one of the movies we were chased down by one of the employees who had been searching for us.  We had to chuckle when we found out the reason they were looking for us was because they wanted to use my four precious children as models.  We agreed and signed all the releases and received some special free gifts. So, on your next visit to the World of Coca-Cola, look for us, you just may see us in their advertising.

We were blessed today in that Tita joined us on our adventure.  So she splurged on the kids and I and took us to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  She said if she was buying then it didn't have to go against the kids budget, so it saved them from having a picnic lunch packed from home. So, our total for the day was $74.00.  That leaves us with a grand total of $16.60 for tomorrow, our last day of our spring break budget adventure.

Pictures and a Picnic 88/365

Today we picked up a hot and ready at Little Ceasars and headed to the park for some play time.  I don't know how on earth the girls kept their lunch down as Noelle swung them around on the tire swing.

Noelle's amazing big sister talents showed themselves today as she really took care of the little girls at the park.  She swung them and helped them up and down off all the monkey bars that were to high for them.  She is also my second set of eyes when it comes to Hope.  We worry about her being naive and talking to strangers, but Noelle keeps her in line.  I am so thankful for her.

LeeLee and Hunter are more adventerous...LeeLee is right in her element in a park.

While we were out, we picked up some sidewalk chalk.  When we got home the kids each took a portion of the driveway.  I bet you can guess that Noelle drew the picture of Annie above.  She is a little obsessed with her Annie.

All their pictures made me smile, but this one really made me smile.  I told them to draw something that was special to them.  Everyone drew several things except for Hunter.  This is a picture of me, when I was pregnant with him.  He knows how to melt my heart.

So today we spent a grand total of $7.52.  Than leaves us with $90.60 for the next 2 days.  Tomorrow is our big day, and I am excited.

Bubble Fun 87/365

Today we went shopping and this was the loot that we got for our super fun Tuesday.

First, we made these....do you know what they are?  Only the most super cool bubble wands in the world. (Notice the tarp hanging from the tree....that is from a game the kids made up. I'm sure the neighbors know by now that we are rednecks.)

Then we made our own amazing bubble solution.  This stuff is way better than anything you can buy in the store.

It didn't take long before Noelle got the hang of it.

Some people never really got the hang of it, but there is always tomorrow.

After some practice, some perfected it and could make a full circle.  Tomorrow we will work on putting the bubbles over people.

I guess we didn't scare our friends off today.  Sara stopped by and gave the girls a baton lesson.  While on the subject of Sara, we are very proud of her for making AU majorettes again for her upcoming senior year.  She is so special to all of us.

Day two is done.  We went a little over budget, but that is fine because yesterday was so cheap.  So today we spent $14.48.  So that leaves us with $98.12 for the next three days.

Let the Fun Begin 86/365

Day one started with a trip to the dollar store.  We each got a can of shaving cream.

Then the war began.  It didn't take long before everyone was covered.

The cars slowed down to see what we were up to, but no one dared to stop.

Maybe it was this guy that had them all scared.  For those of you that we saw, yes, we know we are crazy.

But we are fun and crazy.

So there you have it.  Day one cost us $5.40.  We now have $112.60 to last us the next four days.  Looking forward to seeing what else we can get into.

Spare Change 85/365

Our spring break is this week, so the kids are ready for the plan to be revealed.  They would love to know what we are doing each day.  But I decided to use spring break as a time to teach them about money and budgeting.  So we got the spare change jar down.

They started pouring it out.

 ......and the money kept coming.  They all made guesses as to how much we might have.

Each child grabbed a pile of money and they sorted.  Three of the four of them sorted well, one had a little trouble.  But they were all so excited with our result. So, this spring break we will have $118 to spend.  I haven't quite figured out how I am going to stretch that for five days of fun, but I'm sure we will and we will all have a great time doing it......I love the simple lessons in life.

Exhausted! 84/365

It has been a day!  We have had birthday parties galore.  This is one of the few times that I think maybe having four kids so close in age wasn't such a good idea.  They all have friends, and all those friends have birthdays, and my kids love to party.  So, while Noelle and her best friend were at a roller skating party, LeeLee and Hope were at a indoor inflatables party.  It has worn them all out, but Hope more so than the others.  She fell asleep downstairs, and when we called her up for bed, she could only drag herself to the middle level of the house, then she fell out on the couch.  God love her, she is exhausted.  Hopefully with a good nights sleep she will be ready for worship tomorrow.

She Got Caught 83/365

I know, this is one pitiful face.  This would  be the face of a little girl after she gets caught doing something that she knew was wrong.  I wrestled with whether or not to post this, but I know how many people stop by my blog each day, and I know how many of them are adoptive parents.  I also hope to look back at this one day, and think to myself, "Wow, we have come so far!"  We have already come so far, but days like today remind me that we still have a long way to go.

To understand it all, you have to go back to LeeLee's beginnings.  I won't go into her story, because it is hers to share, but I will say that the environment that she found herself in was less than ideal.  I can tell you that when we visited the orphanage, my heart broke that day.  Our guide cried....this is what she does for a living, and she broke down and cried.  She confided in me that she had never visited an orphanage that was in such bad shape and where the children were in such neglect.  LeeLee at the tender age of 10 months clung to me that day with fear of me putting her down.  You see, she knew she had found what she needed when she was given a momma.  Most would think that at such a young age, that her past wouldn't affect her, but it has.  Some of the issues from her past are so deep rooted that we can only peel them one layer at a time.

As soon as LeeLee could walk, she would steal food.  She would take brand new cereal boxes and pour the food out underneath couch cushions, never really trusting that we were going to feed her.  In her precious little one year old mind, she was storing up for later, just in case.  Oh, how this broke our hearts.   It took over two years to break this habit.  However, food has continued it's strong hold on her.  When she sees food, she has to have it.  She can talk anyone, anywhere out of their food.  She can steal candy from her siblings, and she will justify it in her mind right up until the moment she is caught.  We have consulted with the best attachment specialists, and we have come so very far, but we still have work to do.

The other day, one of the teachers that works with Hope told me that she had not been coming first thing in the morning to her room like she had been for extra help.  I forgot about that conversation until today. Then today, I asked Hope why she hadn't been going to see the teacher and she replied, "Because, LeeLee told me I had to go with her to the breakfast."  Excuse me, what, breakfast!?!  They eat breakfast here at the house, and they take home lunches.  We do not eat any cafeteria food.  So, I call LeeLee up and question her about it.  You see what happened, the tears started flowing.  She knew it was wrong, she absolutely knew that she should not be going to eat breakfast at school, but because food was involved, she lost all reasonable thinking.  She lost all reasonable thinking to the tune of $50 worth of breakfasts.  I do not blame Hope at all in this situation as her mental capacity in these areas is along the lines of a three year old.  But LeeLee, my precious LeeLee, will be paying restitution for all $50 worth of breakfasts that she and Hope have eaten.  While I will still let her participate in our spring break fun, because the last thing I would ever want to do is make her feel rejected or not part of our family, she will also be doing tons of chores to pay back the money she wasted.

Oh my precious LeeLee how I pray that one day we can look back on all of this, and it will all have seemed so fleeting.  How I pray that you can let go of the deep wounds that burden your heart, and learn to always follow the strong voice of the one who is leading you.  You are a precious princess, and I am still proud to be your momma....you are my precious treasure!!

1st 82/365

Just in case you were wondering....Noelle got first place today in the photo contest.  She now moves onto the next level in April. So proud of my girl!

Noelle's Picture 81/365

Noelle is entering a photo contest tomorrow, and this is the picture that she has chosen to enter.  We went out yesterday with the camera and I gave her a few photography lessons and showed her some of the big mistakes that people make.  Then she chose her subject and her setting.  I wasn't surprised at all that she chose Annie.  She got several great shots of Annie, but this ended up being her favorite.  It is all blown up and board mounted.  I will be praying for her that she does well with her entry. No matter how she does, I'm pretty proud of her shot!

DARE Graduation 80/365

It's hard to believe my baby is old enough to graduate from anything, but alas, she is.  Noelle graduated this morning from the DARE program.  I have had the privilege of sitting in on this class while subbing, and I can testify as to how much the kids have really enjoyed the curriculum and their time with Officer Horne.  I think being educated about what is headed their way is so important.

Noelle was a little upset when she came home the other day after her class had talked about the graduation.  A boy in her class said, "It doesn't really matter, you all are just going to drink anyway."  Noelle said, "I'm not going to drink ever."  The boy responded, "Yes you will, everybody does."  Noelle  stated her view again.  Then she said, "My mom never has had a drop of alcohol."  The boy looked at her and said, "Yes she has, she is just lying to you, everybody does."  Noelle stood firm and said, "No, she hasn't."  You see, Noelle knows my close friends from every stage of my life.  Noelle knows that they will all confirm what she knows to be true.  As for the boy, I'll be seeing him this afternoon, so he and I will have a chat about how it is truly possible to be approaching 40 and to have never had a drink of alcohol.  I'm glad I can be that role model for Noelle.  I truly feel that she will follow in my footsteps.  Now as for the others, I'm not so sure.

The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion waiting for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8  If the DARE program was faith based, this is the verse that should be attached to it.  It is so true that drugs and alcohol are just a way that the devil can devour such good kids.  I pray for all my kids that they will find the conviction themselves to resist.

Creative Roots 79/365

 "Hey mom, look what I made."

Why yes Hope, it looks like you put a bunch of leaves on a stick. It is very pretty.

Oh, or maybe it is a tree you are making.

Or I should have known, it's an umbrella.  How could I have not guessed it the first time?  

I hope this keeps the sun off of you my precious girl! I'm glad to see that you have not forgotten your roots.  Your creative umbrella is prettier than any of the ones we saw in China, because it was made by you.

Favorite Sign of Spring 78/365

This has to be my favorite sign of spring!  The same sweet momma bird has come for three years now to our front porch to build her nest.  Her babies hatched earlier this year than usual. However, they are all doing well.  I'm not as worried about them this year with our great weather as I have been in years past.  I'm also excited that we will be here this year as they learn to fly and leave the nest.  We are normally at the beach, but since she was early, we will get to watch all the fun.  They are already stuffed into this nest, so things should be interesting to watch.  I just love the amazing little things of nature that God gives us to marvel in.

Fun Fortunes 77/365

Every Friday, we try to do something fun for the kids for making it through the week.  All week, the girls had been asking me for Chinese food.  I was excited about it too, but we had to put it off until tonight.  We have had a full day of parties, but they were still ready to go get Chinese tonight.  So after our bellies were full, we got our fortune cookies.  Of course, I don't really believe in the fortunes, but they are always fun to crack open and read.  These were all pleasant fortunes, Noelle especially liked hers, Your dearest wish will come true within a month!  She quickly said, "Yes, I'm getting a penguin!"  We quickly informed her that it wasn't going to happen!

It was this fortune that had me giggling though.  This was LeeLee's fortune.  She is a pretty good reader most of the time for a six year old, but her misreading is what made it so funny.  She said, "A bald and dashing, oh momma, you have to break up with daddy, because he is gonna be mine."  Isn't it sweet that as soon as she thought her fortune had a bald and dashing guy in it that she immediately thought of her daddy?  This little LeeLee of mine sure can be a pack of trouble, but she sure keeps us all smiling!

Bella's Blessing 76/365

God has shown us his blessings on LeeLee again through a little hamster named Bella.  LeeLee hasn't had a hamster in a while, and Hope just got one a few weeks ago (I will post about that another time, because there is a cute story there too.)  So, we I decided it was time for LeeLee to have another one, so we got one that looks like my all time favorite hamster George.  This one is a teddy bear baby, so she will be much larger than Noelle and Hunter's hamsters.  When we returned with Bella, we got her cage ready and got her in there, but we heard Paul outside, so being the smart girl that she is, LeeLee grabbed the cage and ran downstairs with it so he wouldn't know there was another hamster in the house.  I guess in the haste of trying to hide the hamster from Daddy, LeeLee forgot to fill up the food bowl.  She of course thought she had, so she didn't check it.  It normally takes the hamsters about 2-3 weeks to empty the bowl.  So, as the kids were doing their nightly hamster check, they came running upstairs with Bella's lifeless body.  She was cold, and could not open her eyes.  All the signs pointed to an imminent death.  I can't stand it however, so I will do just about anything to try and save them.  I got water in a syringe, and started trying to see if I could get that in Bella.  She wasn't swallowing, so I would breathe in her face to get her to swallow.  Once I got a little water down her, I crushed up some food and got it in really warm water then started slowing feeding that to Bella in the syringe.  We put out a heating pad and put Bella on it....she was lifeless.  Then Hunter told LeeLee that she better start praying.  She did, over and over with tears streaming down her face.  Then, between sessions of trying to get food in Bella, I prayed with LeeLee for Bella.  When I was done praying, LeeLee wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "I feel like God just put his hand on my shoulder and told me it was going to be okay."  LeeLee's whole countenance had changed.  Oh how this worried me, because I thought to myself, it would take a miracle to save Bella.  But, what I could not do on my own, God could do.  He had comforted LeeLee and given her a promise.  A promise that he kept.  Bella bounced back within about 4 hours and you would never have known that anything had ever been wrong with her.

The faith of this child amazes me.  LeeLee is so carefree, yet she is so spiritual.  She sees and feels God in a tangible way.  It is a gift.  I am often jealous of her child like faith.  I think sometimes life robs us of having the faith of a child because we doubt what God can do.  We see friends dying of cancer, we lose parents, we see people struggle just to have a home and put food on the table.  I watch and read about precious orphans who have lost hope, and I just want to cry out to God, WHY?  But then, I watch something as simple as LeeLee hearing and claiming a promise from God, and I am reminded yet again of Isaiah 55:9....As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Sweet Dreams 75/365

Today Hopey looked at me and said, "Mommy, I dreamed last night that you had a baby."
I said, "Oh no, Hopey, you are my baby."
She said, "No, mommy, you said, there is a baby in my tummy, a baby in my tummy."
I said, "No, sweetheart, there are no babies in my tummy."
She said, "Aww, but mommy, I want you to have a baby."
I just gave her the look and said, "It's not gonna happen Hope."
She hung her little head down and walked away.

But the thing is, I don't dream of little babies.  I do however dream of kids.  Kids just like her who are waiting.  When I see pictures of waiting kids who have some similar feature to either Hope or LeeLee, my heart always skips a little beat.  I dream about all the little friends she left behind.  My heart breaks when I see files of kids who are labeled as developmentally delayed or mentally retarded.  I can't help but think of this precious girl who now sleeps peacefully in the room above mine, who has so embraced being a part of a family. I think about a ten year old boy who has been waiting on the list for over five years, I think about how he has begged a volunteer college student to help him find a family.  I think about a precious little girl in a wheel chair that we met this summer who thinks a family is coming for her.  They were coming, but then the husband changed his mind, so she sits everyday waiting for their arrival.  I think about my precious Diana with Downs from camp this summer.  I think about her spunk, and how much she would benefit from a family.  I think about ZhuZhu and how much she wanted to be a part of my family, and how she tried so hard to please me just hoping I would scoop her up and take her home. Oh how I dream of them....the forgotten ones.

My precious Hopey, as you sleep tonight I wish for you lots of sweet dreams.  Dreams that do fill your head with happy thoughts and put smiles on your face.  But for me my sweet girl, while you sleep soundly in your nice warm bed, I will be dreaming by my own dreams trying to figure out what I can do to change the life of the children that haunt my dreams.  And I will remember that you were once one of the children that haunted my dreams.  Then I will look towards the heavens and thank my father above that he helped the dream of you, my sweet girl, become a reality.  Sweet dreams my girl!  Sweet Dreams!

Tacky Day 74/365

Noelle's class earned a special day because of good behavior.  The class voted and they agreed that today would be tacky day.  Noelle and her bestie planned their outfits, and I think they looked pretty tacky.  When we pulled up to the school this morning, I looked at Noelle and said, "Sweetie, it looks like you are the only one that remembered."  She replied, "It's okay, I don't mind."  That's my girl!  She had no problem getting out of the car knowing that all eyes would be on her.  Her bestie did show up in tacky stuff too, so they were the tacky twins.  Now, we will take off some of the tackiness so we can head to church.

Paul's Other.....73/365

Interest....I should be jealous, but I'm not.  He wakes up early and heads out to this building because he is doing some major renovations to get it ready to be a car dealership.  It isn't going to just be any dealership, it is going to be his, so he is spending long hours each day trying to oversee it all.  In addition to the construction he is interviewing and hiring people to fill all the positions.  At the same time, he is trying to keep our current companies going.  I am often in awe of how hard of a worker my husband is.  I think people would be hard pressed to find to a harder worker.  We are so thankful for him and how much he does for our family.  He is an amazing father and a wonderful husband. I'll update again when the dealership opens so you can see the difference.