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!