The Princess Diaries!

Closing down this Blog!

2010-10-21T13:16:00.001-07:00

There's not enough time to keep 2 blogs going so we are closing down this one! Plus we will soon be adding a prince to the family so the name no longer works for our crew!

Blessings to you!

Washing Feet!

2010-06-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

The girls love it when I wash their feet in the sink. You'd think I was giving the a massage and a pedicure at the same time. All I do is run the warm water and apply a small amount of soap and they feel like a princess!

Today Sarah called me- "Mom, my feet are really dirty."

Mom- "Okay honey are you all done playing outside?"

Sarah- "No"

Mom- okay...?

Silence... pause...

Sarah- Mom, my feet are dirty!

Mom- Are you all done playing outside?

Sarah - No, but my feet are dirty!

Mom- I'm not washing your feet until you are all done playing outside!

Sarah - Oh... okay... (giggle, giggle)

I think she was trying to get more than one foot washing in a day!

Now that you see my girls feet in the kitchen sink I'm guessin you may not want to come over for dinner tonight?

Marmaduke

2010-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went to this movie. It was a cute movie! The best part if all was hearing Sarah next to me laughing!

This is her first movie that she sat through with out wanting to leave! This is the first time she sat and watched intently. This is the first time that she actually laughed at the appropriate times!

It was music to my heart to hear my girls sitting next to me giggling!

In the past she just hasn't been able to sit still, she hasn't understood the story and was unable to follow the plot.

This time it was different and it felt so good! I laughed because she laughed!

So we are giving Marmaduke a 4 star rating!

Going to school in the early 1900's!

2010-05-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I went on a field trip with our homeschool co-op group. The kids dressed up like pioneers children and attended a typical day of school for children in the early 1900's! It was really fun and I could tell Sarah really enjoyed herself!

Our friend Karen had an outfit for Sarah to wear. At first she felt silly but then everyone was wearing the pioneer clothes, so she fit right in!

This is the girls cloak room. The boys had their own room.

I love the politeness and respect that was expected from the children. However life was unfair and the punishments were very severe. Our school marm did not need to punish any of the students today- thank goodness! They all behaved very well and got "A's" in everything!

We spent 2 hours learning about what school was like long ago. It was fascinating!

Then we had lunch and shopped in their old fashioned store. I can hardly wait until Emma and Ellie can come next year! Of course I had to buy them a sun bonnet so they have one! I 'll have to get working on getting some of those adorable outfits for all the girls!

We played games in the afternoon! Even I enjoyed them immensely! They were similar to some of the games the children play now.

What a great day it was!! Have I told you how much I love homeschooling! Of course our school time is getting less and less as we prepare to head to China for the girls!!

Saying Sorry!

2010-05-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

The girls got this book from my sister for Christmas. They love it, it is an adorable story about Martha who has a real hard time saying she is sorry. Finally Martha realizes that saying your sorry isn't such a bad thing after all. The girls always ask to have it read to them and now both of them can read it! I think Anna has it memorized! It is absolutely adorable when she "reads" it to us! It's my cupful of cuteness for the day! This book has been VERY helpful to us and has helped our two girls to learn to say sorry!

Click Clack Moo

2010-05-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went to the play "Click, Clack Moo, Cows that Type"! It was adorable! The girls love going to the plays! They are very simple and only one hour long! They especially like the fact that the actors and actresses are kids like them! My sister and I take the girls and then we have lunch afterwards! It is so enjoyable!

Anna was there but she doesn't get into taking pictures with people dressed in costumes!

We feel very blessed to have such a nice little theatre so close to home!

Simple Pleasures!

2010-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

This whole vacation has been filled with simple pleasures! Like taking a walk to the beach with the girls!

Beautiful poses for the camera! I think she must be a ballerina!

Petting puppy dogs!

Then getting a big kiss on the lips from one of them- yuck!

Blowing bubbles!

The old fashioned way and the new way!

The best part of all is chasing them and trying to POP them!

Who knew two little girls would bring us such joy!

Playgroup!

2010-03-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

We had playgroup at our house last week! It is always so fun to get together with this group! Now that many of the children are a little older and in school we don 't get to see each other as much as we used too. The summer will be nice! We will see each other every Friday at a park or at a pool! I am so excited to bring Emma and Ellie this summer! I have already signed them up for a park playgroup with Sarah and a two other friends. Of course I'm not quite sure how it will work out, I will probably have to sit at the park while they play.

Both of our girls has been slow to get in the mix but they are not having any problem now- it just takes time to feel comfortable.

China adoption has slowed down with the long wait but we should have a new little one joining us in about 8 months!! This family has already waited 4 years for their daughter. That is a long, long wait but we all know how worth it- it is!! I can hardly wait for Nancy and her family to get their referral!

This August or September our friends will be bringing home their 13 year old daughter! Our playgroup is continuing to grow! I just love seeing these treasures come home to their forever families! Such Blessings!

Bits of Progress and an Award!

2010-03-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

No we are not adopting Ronald McDonald! I hear he already has a family!

Yippee! I got an award on this blog! Thank you to Gayle from A Hope and A Future! I will have to figure it out and get the award over here and then pass it on- but there is only one person worse than Gayle at the computer and it is me! It may take me a couple days!

I just have to share with you that we are getting some great questions from Sarah lately. Instead of "Do pigs talk" he is asking about the seasons, if it is am or pm, can we drink the rain and does Jesus love me? It is so awesome to actually have conversations with her! I am beginning to believe what I say does not go in one ear and out the other! I still have to repeat many things and concepts but she is connecting the dots and it thrills me!!

She is recalling many things that have happened over the last 16 months that she has been home. She is remembering details and she is understanding "Why" much much more! It has been a journey much like our birth children but it has been condensed over 16 months. It is so interesting to see things happen "in order" as she is learning, becoming more comfortable and growing in every way!

Sarah is like a typical 1st grader. writing little notes and reading every sign she sees! Her favorite toys are her American girls! They are perfect for her and she treats them very well. They get lots of love! Sarah is technically supposed to be a young 4th grader put we consider her an older 3rd grader.

She is telling us more and more about China. Not shocking things just things about everyday life. The weather, when they played outside, the clothes, the food, etc. I am feeling like I am hearing the true story now instead of confused thoughts.

Today is Thankful Thursday and I am so thankful for these children that are in our family and those that will be joining us!

Children's museum!

2010-03-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

It was Sarah's 10th birthday! We went to the children's museum with my sister and had a wonderful time!

They just happened to have a China exhibit there! The girls loved it! Anna seems to have a natural knack for the Chinese characters!

Here is Sarah in a Chinese classroom!

Onto the waterworks area!

Sarah has been to the Children's Museum 3 times. Each time she likes it better and is more interested in the different activities that are offered!

Yes! We already know what Anna will be doing when she grows up! She will be a cashier at a grocery store! She knew exactly what to do and did miss a beat! All items where scanned! It is especially funny because I order my groceries online! Sometimes she goes with Dad to the grocery store for a few items! That must be how she knows what to do!

It was a busy day at the grocery store! Lot's of shoppers!

It was so funny to watch because they all played together BUT they played separately!

Anna did not care much for the new cashier! She gave her "the look".

Go ahead guess where we ate lunch?

I have n ot introduced dinosaurs to our little homeschool. We need to stay in the present and be concrete! However this exhibit has opened the door to dinosaurs! We will be reading science books on it this week! What a great opportunity! Sarah was interested, Anna was scared to death!

My little birthday turtle!

They have an ant hill- it is so cool! The kids play in the tunnels!

This may have to be another one of our science topics!

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Salon Time!

2010-03-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last time we were in Florida it was quite cool so we did some different things! Both of the girls desperately needed a trim. Their hair was so shaggy on the ends.

One of the girls completely enjoyed the salon experience! She loved being pampered and cared for!

The other one was not so fond of it. She cried the whole time. Anna got 4 inches of shagginess cut off.

She had a hard time sitting still and needed to be in her Daddy's arm. Mom was too busy being the photographer! It may have helped if we would have washed her hair and removed a few of the meals that were caught in it! Oops!

It was traumatic!

But it's looking good and healthy!

Sarah loved every second of it!

After the cut they blew it dry!

And it felt so good!

They styled it!

Now Sarah's hair is healthy and looking good!

Everyone recovered and we were off to lunch!

The Year of The Tiger!

2010-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today was our local FCC (soon to be FCA) CNY party! The girls always have so much fun here!!

We saw lots of friends and met some bloggy friends, too!! Hi Maureen and family!!

Sarah has become much more coordinated and can actually kind of do this!

We met Amy and her family when we traveled to China for Anna! Their daughter Leah is 3 yrs old.

There were lots of games and prizes! The girls had so much fun!

Here are two of their good friends, Amy and Mia!

Waiting their turn!

Sarah is fishing for prizes!

We met Lani and Scott in the beginning of our adoption journey! Ruby is from Taiwan and was the first to come home from our group!

Patricia and her family were there at the celebration! All the kids are from China! The girls are twins!
Elizabeth and Taylan! We see them every year at the CNY celebration! Joan- I was looking for you so I could take a pic of you and your girls! I'm sorry- we didn't run into each other again.

The face painter does an awesome job! Anna picked NiHao Kailan and Sarah is a cat!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I had children making valentines cards! The girls had a wonderful time and did a great job! The baskets are filled and the Valentines are ready to past out!

Sarah is going to HS co-op classes on Wednesdays. She absolutely loves the classes and the kids she has met! There are lots of little ones for Anna to play with too!

This was Sarah's first time passing out Valentines! She loved giving them and receiving them!

Anna passed hers out, too!

The best part was eating all the candy! Sarah like the American holidays! Lots of candy!

Valentines day was a big success!!

"The Snowy Day"

2010-02-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

We went to a play today! It was based on the book "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats.

The did a wonderful job, it may be my favorite this year! The girls loved it and were engaged throughout the whole play! Auntie Barbie went with us. It is so wonderful to see their improved attention span- it gets better each time we go to a play! I tend to pick the ones for younger children so both of them can follow it and we read the book ahead of time! They are only one hour long. I am excited for Emma and Ellie to join us!

Sarah wants to be in a play now. I think we have a few hundred things to work on before we add that to the schedule! I told for now focus on doing your very best at Chinese dance, gymnastics and swimming!

This may sound odd but we are working at communicating accurately. Having the appropriate emotions that match the circumstance. Being considerate of others schedules (and realizing we are not the center of the universe). I can't really imagine encouraging her to learn how to pretend and fake her feelings when we are trying to do just the opposite- do you know what I mean?

Anyway- we had a wonderful time! I think we will continue going to the plays and not being in them!

One out of seven? (So far)

2010-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I have had 7 children so far soon to be nine- alleluia!

We have built sandboxes in many of our homes over the years BUT they have often gone unnoticed. We finally have a little one that is passionate about the sand! This little girl would play all day long in the sand- she loves it! And because she loves it- we love it!

I have been known to be a clean freak and immediately brush off the hands and feet but the Dear Lord is helping me to JUST ENJOY this sweet child as she plays in the sand! Sarah has even taken up a little more interest as she watches Anna who is so content with playing in this incredible tactile experience! What a wonderful sandbox- THE BEACH!

Again my mind drifts to Emma and Ellie- what will they be like? Will they tolerate the fact that their parents love the sunsets? Or will the want to chase the waves on the beach? Would they rather roller blade while the rest of the family stares at the setting sun? Or are they going to dig into the most wonderful sandbox in the world- THE BEACH!

Science Field Trip

2010-01-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

While we were on vacation we had a little science field trip to the rookery- a wild life area in Southern Florida dedicated to the local natural habitat both on land and in the ocean. It was fun to learn about the area we were in!

Sarah fed the fish in the large aquarium. I missed my photo op- her she is after the fact!

They had a cut out area in the aquarium where the kids could sit in and see the fish from 3 angles!

The girls loved the touching aquarium! Sarah was very hesitant at first but once she say Anna holding the animals she decided that maybe they wouldn't bite after all!

This is a sea star-they are no longer called starfish. Learn something new everyday!

Honestly if Anna hadn't done it first I don't know if Sarah would have done it! It will be interesting with 2 more darling daughters- who will be the brave and who will not! I am excited to see all the different interactions that will happen!

This is a spider crab. It tickles when you hold them!

This is a horseshoe crab. It was as much fun for hubby and I, as it was the girls!

I got to hold the king conch shell because it was a little too heavy for the kids! Oh yeah- I had fun!

When I grow up I want to be...

2010-01-20T18:12:00.001-08:00

To a mom and dad of an adopted older child those words are music to our ears! At dinner tonight Sarah was telling us what she wanted to be when she grew up. We have had many conversations about it and she is so surprised and excited with her options! Had our precious little girl stayed in China she would not have had theses options...

When Sarah grows up she wants to be a -

Doctor

Nurse

Teacher

Chef

She is toying with the idea of being a policeman/woman BUT she is not sure BECAUSE she is still afraid of them. She has also decided to be a Mommy!

As her parents we are very happy with her career choices! She will be very busy but we are encouraging her to go for it!! ;-)

I love that she sees herself as having a future, a wonderful and bright future! The possibilities are endless! Thank you Jesus

Update on Anna- 2009!

2010-01-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

We have sent an update to Anna's foster family! It feels so good when we do that- our dear daughter would not be alive IF it weren't for them! The took the time to feed her with her open cleft and made sure she got the care she needed to survive - God Bless them! She was left 4 days after her birth - her precious birth mom loved her and held her until she realized she had to let her go. Anne had a bilateral cleft- a double opening as wide as her little nose. She had no suck what so ever and could not get any food. For 3 weeks she lost weight until they put her in a foster home- then everything turned around and this dear lady did what she needed to do for our precious daughter- thank you Jesus! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We try to send her updated photos each year, a letter and a little gift. We are so grateful for what she did for our daughter. I know she cried for many days after our Anna left. ( I know because we called her). It is heartbreaking to love and bond with a child only to have the child taken away. These are very special women and very special families that do foster care. We hope to someday visit her and her family. Anna is only 3.5 years old. She would have to be about 7 yrs old before we would do a heritage trip. I pick the younger age only because her sisters will be older. Oh my, when Anna is 7, Sarah will be 13, Emma 12 and Ellie 11.

On another note I am so excited to have this done because the next gift goes to Emma and Ellie! We will not know if they receive it until we bring them home. Sarah received parts of the gifts we sent but was not told who it was from, it would be so difficult for them (the girls) to know too early. I do not think they would be comforted by our thoughtfulness but instead they would fear the unknown. I am okay with however they handle it- I will just pray that it is a fit for our girls. If they get something new and it makes them happy that is all that matters. They will soon enough learn about us, their new family and at that time we will begin our adjustment journey!

I know I say this a lot but "Thank you Jesus!"

Had to call 911!

2010-01-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today when we went out to lunch little Anna reached up onto the counter and grabbed a few things that were not meant for her. The were little sticks dipped in lavender oil. She took them out of the glass jar and they dripped into her left eye. She immediately started crying hysterically. We tried flushing it with tap water but she was so upset we decide to call 911. There is no local poison control here and we really didn't know what was in there. An ambulance came right away and they flushed it with sterile saline. She was not happy during the process but it really seemed to help her. She smiled and waved good bye to the paramedics!

The other kids were so worried about her and upset everyone lost their appetite. Once they saw she was okay they felt much better! The rest of our day went without incident, PTL!

Her Christmas Gift came in Handy!

2009-12-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago Miss Anna reached up into the spice drawer and grabbed a few spices. Of course once you have them in your hot little hands you have to open them... quickly!

But if you do it too quickly they may spill... all over! We all heard it happen and said "Oh No, get the vacuum!"

So Anna ran and got her new Christmas present- her vacuum! It was so cute! We let her work on it for awhile before bringing in the big guns!

She was on a roll! After the spices she went and found the chocolate advent calendar that we had not finished! All the hard work must have made her hungry because she chowwed down the rest of the month! Very sneaky Miss Anna!

The girls made these adorable tree ornaments with our friend, Karen! They have a picture of their own face on each of them- too cute!

Our Snow Angels!

2009-12-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

She loved getting outside with all the big kids and her Mommy and Daddy!

Anna could hardly move in the snow it was so heavy and wet! Her boot is falling off here!

Sarah was ready for the snowball fight! Distance was her only problem.. that and accuracy!

The snow angel worked better for her! She is a little stronger than her lil sis!

Next year I will be bundling up 4 daughters for outside, that's assuming Kate can get herself ready!

Joy, Joy, Joy!

2009-12-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Look at the face! The gift practically took her breath away!

This little girl was so genuinely thankful for getting gifts - it was such a joy to watch!

Beautiful American Girl pajamas!

Huuugh, What is this?

Matching jammies for my doll?

A double stroller for my dolls! I think I've died and gone to heaven!

This little girl need her Mommy to fix her hair again BUT then she may have cried? She hates to have her hair combed! I wouldn't want Christmas to get off to a bad start by combing my daughters hair!?!

She loves her NiHao Kialan doll! Seriously Hubby and I think she looks like Kialan!

I am amazed at these precious children. Such incredible gifts from God. Sometimes they leave me speechless. No, not cause they were naughty but because the are such incredible little human beings and have so much to offer a family. I am so thankful to Jesus for how he has guided us. It is not an easy road and every minute is not joyous but it is so worth the journey.

This was an especially fun Christmas with the girls. They loved every bit of the holiday activities and celebration! Everything just seemed to click a little more. We decided not to do Santa Claus but to teach the girls that Christmas is Jesus's birthday. I wasn't sure what we would do about this issue but it became very obvious what was the right choice.

Sarah has been home one year and building a trusting relationship is of prime importance. We just couldn't see pretending there was a Santa Claus with her and basically lying about the whole thing. Plus, she is 9.5 years old and then she would find out the truth from a friend and she may believe them over us - that is something we do not want.. we want her to know she can trust us to tell her the truth. We told her all about Santa and read a book on St Nick (thank you Tonggu Momma).

We of course we told Anna the same thing but she may not have understood! Here is her conversation with Johnny last night-

J- Anna you need to go to bed, Santa will be coming soon!

A- Should I hide under my covers?

J- No, he is going to bring you presents!

A- Soooo, he is nice????

J- Yes, Santa is nice!

A- I gonna get presents, I gonna get presents!

Oh well, she'll get it someday!

Downtown Macy's with the girls!

2009-12-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

Before I even get started I want to apologize for taking... rather posting too many pictures!

Mark and I took the girls downtown to Macy's . I don't know if they do this at all Macy's but this one was a Dayton's many years ago (then it was a Carsons, then it was a Marshall Fields and now it is a Macy's) and they did different stories each year. It is a highlight of the holiday season here in our town and many people come to see display, do their Christmas shopping and visit Santa Claus!

This year the story was "A Day in the Life of an Elf". It was very cute and worth seeing! This was Sarah's first time hanging out downtown! She had no idea what to expect and we didn't know how to explain it to her.

The little mouse would scurry across the floor and then hide in a whole! The girls noticed it right away!

Here the elves are in their classroom! See Sarah everybody has to do school! Even the Elves!

Today's lesson- how to say Santa Claus in different languages!

Nothings complete without singing Christmas trees!

Sarah loved it!! Anna she wasn't so sure about all this!

"I don't care if this is Mrs. Claus get me out of here!"

Santa's Workshop!

I did think this one was pretty funny! I guess those reindeer have to learn how to fly at some point!

This is Anna's deer in the headlights look! She actually did pretty well through the morning! No tears but she stayed very close to us... like in our arms close!

Isn't this cute! The letters to Santa are painted right into the floor! I tried to pick one up!

You know it sure would be easier if there really was a Santa Claus and little elves that helped him!

Sarah like this part! She knows that Santa is not real but we still have fun with it!

You are not going to make me sit on his lap are you? If I stop looking maybe he'll go away!

Each of the girls got a little toy and then we went out to lunch! We really had a good time and all went well!

Decorating Her First Gingerbread House!

2009-12-19T10:17:00.001-08:00

Auntie Barbie brought over a gingerbread house for Sarah to decorate!

She also brought over gingerbread decorations for Anna to decorate! Anna needed a little assistance! I think more of it went into her mouth than on the cookies!

Windows and doors done!

Roof is done and now she is working on the sidewalk!

She worked so hard she needed a little chocolate break!

Here is the hard working crew! The job is finally done!! Whenever we tell Anna to smile- she does something like this! The girls loved the project! It is so fun to be able to do something like this during the day!! Another perk to homeschooling!

An Update On Sarah Sent To Her Orphanage!

2009-12-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

We just sent pictures, a letter and a gift to Sarah's orphanage through Ann at Red Thread China. I am very excited for them to see the pictures- Sarah has grown so much this last year! She is now 9.5 years old, 64 lbs and 4 feet 5 inches tall. She is growing up too fast- why do they all do that! She has grown 3 inches and gained 12 lbs in this last year! Wow!!

She has grown academically and can now read at a first grade level nearing second grade! She is more than half way done with 2nd grade math and should start 3rd grade math in March! Her comprehension has taken a huge leap both when read too and when she does the reading!

Her balance, strength and coordination are improving by leaps and bounds! She can balance on the high beam, do the monkey bars all the way across and can almost do a back walkover (we are still working on it!).

She likes gymnastics, swimming, playing, arts and crafts, and being read too! She is now in Chinese school on Saturday mornings where she is relearning mandarin and she loves it!!

Next we will be working on an update for Anna's orphanage and foster mom!

Soon we will be adding two more princesses to this blog! Thank you Jesus!!

One Awesome Birthday Party!

2009-12-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

The girls were invited to a birthday party last weekend! It was at a cooking school! My two are the ones without the hats. They didn't fit over Sarah's hairdo of the day and miss Anna refused to wear one- it probably would have slipped right over her little face anyways!

They made Chinese food! It was so much fun! I enjoyed watching how they did it!

They started with pot stickers!

After pot stickers they made cream cheese puffs, then fried rice and candy sushi!

Sarah helped Anna close her pot sticker!

Sarah is really good at cracking eggs! She does it at home all the time!

Washing hands is a must!

All the kids got to beat the eggs! Now, it's Anna's turn!

Time to open presents! They are looking longly- I think everyone of them would like to be the one getting the presents!

The whole group! The girls had a great time at the party! We are keeping this one in mind for them. This year both Sarah and Anna will get a birthday party.

Twas The Night Before Christmas!

2009-12-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

We went to the play at the Stages Theatre- "Twas The Night Before Christmas"! I read the book to the girls ... probably 10 times! At first it meant nothing but then they became familiar with it and began to enjoy it.

Anna sat nicely for most of the play but there was a moment when I thought "what on earth was I thinking bringing a 3 yr old". Thank goodness I brought a snack in my purse for the girls! She actually ended up doing great! Whew!

They both really enjoyed the play! It was wonderful! Auntie Barbie met us there and then we had lunch after the performance.

Anna was not a willing subject to my incessant photography so I took this without her knowing!

Sarah on the other hand loves the limelight! She was right in there with the actors and actresses!

They all really got into it- how fun! Auntie Barbie asked Sarah if she would be interested in doing this someday... AHEM, ahem... this is not in the long range plans! We just want to enjoy the shows and our children!!

Everybody was trying to get Anna to pose with them... she had other thoughts!!

We all had a wonderful time!

She's All Grown Up!

2009-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our little Katie has graduated from college and has a real job! She grew up too fast for me- maybe that's why we are starting all over again with the our princesses from China.

She is a for real school teacher! I am so happy for her! The best part of all is she loves her job! Since she was the last hire she will get laid off at the end of the year but hopefully she may get rehired!? Her sisters helped her in the classroom over the weekend (kind of- the part they liked the best was writing all over the white board!)

It was so fun to see her classroom. She is working hard at decorating it and making it comfortable and efficient for her and the kids!

Yeah Katie!! We love you and we are so proud of you!! Have a wonderful school year!!

Sarah's First Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

We're off!

Playing Jenga... Anna's way!

Hanging out a one of the tables!

Playing more Jenga... Anna's way!

Anna's new recruits!

Cousins!

Our family... for now!

All the kids... for now!

My brother and his family (missing Meghan ).

Turkey in the afternoon can do this to you!

Another one bites the dust!

More chatting!

Another game... Anna's way !

One year ago on Thanksgiving Day we were eating cold rice on the floor of a hotel room in China. We had an angry and sad little girl and a Momma to the point of tears. Katie went to get the rice and I stood guard over the door and the little girl. We have come a long way since then- praise the Lord!

Sarah wasn't so sure about this holiday after all there are no presents and no candy- what's up with that? As it came closer she became more and more excited- after all it was her very first Thanksgiving! We read books on Thanksgiving (thank you TM) and we talked about what we were thankful for and what the day would include. What I love about this is that family being together actually meant more to her than the thrill of candy or gifts. This was a day that she and Anna loved. A day to play with a whole bunch of people she doesn't get to see that often. A day to try new foods and a day were everyone just hung out- together!

Who Me?

2009-11-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

When we started homeschool this fall we were all organized. Both girls had a box filled with the things they would need for school! Pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, rulers, etc.

Since then little Anna has had a few things taken out of her special box! The scissors had to go because instead of cutting the paper Momma gave her she thought it would be more fun to cut books ;-) The special super duper sonlight crayons had to go because the purple one fell on the carpet in pieces and well now our carpet in the school room has purple dots all over it. The markers were put out of reach because it is much more fun to color your arms than a coloring book. Oh, you are wondering about the ruler? Well, it worker well for hitting your sister! And just in case you didn't know pencils are good for poking people!

Okay, she really isn't as naughty as she sounds but her box is empty and the family is safe! (I still let her use them, they are just too high for even our little mountain climber to get!)

This was a good idea!!

2009-11-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last week hubby said to me "This was a good idea!" I wasn't quite sure what idea he was talking about but I soon figured it out as he was played patty cake with Anna. The IDEA- it was God's idea and it was a really really good one. Hubby was referring to our girls from China.

It was an idea that he planted in our heads in 2006. We may have toyed with the idea before that but in the summer of 2006 God gave us the courage to step out of our comfort zone. It was really a whole new world for us. We did not understand the process, the timing, the needs or his plan.

With each step we take we still don't know our future or our plan but our comfort and guidance comes from him, the words are written in his book. They are there for all to see. Over and over again he asks us to trust him.

I am so grateful to God for allowing us to take this journey- the journey of adoption. I wish that more people would take this journey. I pray that others will trust him and go for it. We are getting so much more than we are giving!

The joy that we get from "Life with our children" is insurmountable! Sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst! When I feel like that all I can say is "Thank You Jesus"!

I love the bond that has taken place between siblings. Not just these two but all of the siblings! I am a big family kind of person. This was a dream of mine as a child. I never thought that God had the same dream for me. I am grateful that he did and I am thankful that hubby is flexible with his dreams!

This was a good idea! I loved hearing those words! To know that hubby was as happy as I was felt so good!

There are challenges, everyday there are challenges. We need to walk close to our Lord so he can guide us through. We make mistakes. We keep on trying.

Now doesn't this look like fun! Such joy from such simple things!

Look at that smile! (the hairdo too- she did it herself!)

This was a very good idea!

Excuse me?

2009-11-09T12:22:00.001-08:00

MOM- Excuse me! Little miss Anna! What are you doing on the computer? You cannot play with the computer!

ANNA- Mom (eye roll and a big sigh), I'm writing my paper. (slightly disgusted tone) I need to be on it to write my paper...

MOM- Oh... well... of course... you are writing your paper.

What was I thinking??? Why else would she be on the computer???

Oh and please notice both hand are typing while she is looking at the screen. Isn't she amazing!

Double Standards?

2009-11-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Anna is very petite. She weighs 27 lbs and is probably about 33 inches tall. Much of what goes on at this house happens at a higher height. She often wants to be carried or will stand on things to get up to where the action is!

I would think it would be so frustrating always having to look up to see what everyone is talking about! When we see her up on the countertops we usually take her down and remind her she shouldn't be up there but it is pretty cute and she can finally see what's happening! Sometimes we let her be for awhile. Of course big sis Sarah thinks this is no fair. (Sarah is right- it is no fair. )

If we had more little ones we couldn't let it happen at all. She is so darn cute up there we can't help ourselves- I think it's resourceful of her!! When we have Emma and Ellie home I may have a mutiny on my hands and a countertop full of kids- yikes!

Okay, maybe she isn't resourceful... maybe it's just better viewing?

Cartwheel!

2009-11-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, others may think this is silly but when a little girl comes home at 8.5 yrs old and she cannot pump a swing, do the monkey bars, ride a bike, do a somersault or a cartwheel. In other words she cannot do anything that children her age in America can do. Instead she constantly runs into her mother, she is bumping into things and often falling (her record is 7 bandaids on her legs... at the same time!)- to us Sarah's accomplishments are huge! Seriously huge! As she has been home we have set little attainable goals and this little girls has enjoyed reaching her goals! We have had 11 months of amazement! Her latest and greatest is the cartwheel!! Yep!! That's right a cartwheel! She has been in the beginners class for 3 maybe 4 sessions and honestly there is some hope she may move up a level this next time! Woohoo! Just so you know her mom at 51 yrs old did cartwheels for her this summer! That was definitely a motivator!! ;-)

We are so thrilled for her because this is so much more than a cartwheel. It is her willingness to work hard to strive for a goal. It is her confidence, her faith in herself, her endurance, her strength and her attitude. For Sarah we could see that this is a possibility, that this may be worth the efforts. We do not know that we will feel the same way with all our other daughters. Meaning we may choose something else that better fits them? Time will tell. We will see what they are interested in! For Sarah, it has to be something attainable not something that will bring her down. For Sarah this works!

Sarah is not in gymnastics to see how far she can get or for any competitive reason. We are doing it because it is great exercise, close to our home, fits into our schedule, she seems to like it and seems to be making progress in it... that's all. As far as anything competitive- been there, done that and not planning to do it again! (Sorry Kate!)

Naptime!

2009-11-02T18:39:00.001-08:00

Anna gave up her nap when Sarah came home. I knew she would never stand for going to bed while her new big sister and her mother (who left her for two weeks) were up. So we did not even attempt reinstating the nap thing... That does not mean she does not need a nap. For 11 months we have been living with an over tired little girl! BUT she has solved the problem! Around 2:00 Anna goes looking for her Daddy! She fusses a bit, whines a lot, he picks her up, and she nestles in for a little shut eye! The only problem is he works five days a week! As far as Anna is concerned the weekends are where it's at! Thank you, Daddy!

Now, Daddy is no fool! He positions himself in front of the TV with a great football game on... such as a Vikings/Packer game! Both father and daughter are equally happy!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

Our trick or treaters! Johnny went out with his friends- he was a hot dog but I was unable to get a picture of him.

Our little ladybug!

Katie went as Swine Flu!

Our adorable trick or treaters! They were the only ones that came to our door- ;-(

I do miss seeing the other kids but for some reason they just don't venture over to our little driveway. I guess the kids nowadays are smarter- they go for the high volume spots!! Lots of houses = lots of candy!

She is already excited for next year!

The candy basket before-

The grand finale- the counting of the candy!

The candy basket after- not much difference other that what our own children took!

This was Sarah's first Halloween! She was very excited about it and thrilled that an American tradition revolved around candy!! She's liking America a lot- lately! I did try to explain Thanksgiving to her and she wasn't quite as thrilled about being thankful and eating a turkey dinner! But Halloween- it's the bomb!

At one point Sarah got really quiet. We could tell she was very nervous. She thought it might be too scary going out in the dark but once she found out that Daddy and Katie would not leave her side she felt better.

The evening was a huge hit!

Picking out pumpkins!

2009-10-30T06:53:00.001-07:00

We took the girls to a local pumpkin patch last weekend. It was very wet in the fields so we needed to pick our pumpkins out of the pre-picked batch. They also had hay rides which the girls loved going on... okay, okay, Hubby and I loved it too!!

Our three pumpkins are behind the girls, we got gourds and corn, too! I think gourds are so cool and unusual! The girls couldn't get over their shapes and colors!

Sarah wanted so much to feed the chickens but was afraid to do it. As you can see on the far right is Daddy's helping hand! I am not so sure Sarah appreciated his help!

She did get the courage up to do it, way to go Sarah!

Anna on the other hand did not get the courage up to even stand next to them. She is our scaredy cat! She wanted nothing to do with the chickens other than to watch them from afar! In the pic she is further away from them than it appears!

It was really so much fun going there with the girls and the weather was perfect! It was a cool crisp fall day!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder!

2009-10-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

It must be true that absence makes the heart grow fonder! When Mark left for college he was thrilled to have a much needed break from his special sisters. You see he worked for me all summer as a "manny" - male nanny! Even when he didn't work for me and was just in the house the girls just couldn't leave him alone. They were all over him!

I know it didn't take him long to start really missing them. They feel the same way about him- they love their big brother Mark! The girls love all their brothers but this one has been gone for 9 weeks- so right now he is pretty special!

When we adopted we never intended our older children to feel like they had to help us. adopting was our choice, our desire and our dream... not theirs. What has been so wonderful to see is that the older children just naturally and joyfully help and encourage the younger kids. I just love that about big families! It is such a joy to see them interact!

Cinderella!

2009-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Katie got the swine flu, too. She spent the first 3 days at her place laying low but then it got a bit lonely so she came to our house. We were all been exposed to it a couple weeks ago when Johnny was sick so I was fine with her coming over. The little girls loved it! We did school and they would take breaks and visit big sissy Kate and her doggy Penny!

We had just read the story Cinderella so I had the three of them watch the movie (I'm so glad I didn't have to for the 100th time!)! It was hard for the two younger ones to sit still but they saw most of it (kind of).

I asked Sarah when it was over if they lived happily ever after? Her response was "Who?" Oh well we still have a ways to go! ;-)

Prepping for Halloween!

2009-10-17T12:07:00.001-07:00

The girls have been trying on some costumes to see what they want to be for Halloween. The problem is when the day finally comes the kids have to wear so many warm clothes they end up being nothing other than a bundled up kid!! Every few years we get decent weather and the kids can actually be something- hope it's this year!

Just so you know I was always the kid without a costume OR not a very good one... Sorry Mom- you know it's true. I have no other complaints about my childhood other than my halloween costumes...

As it turns out Hubby's mom loved to sew!! Praise the Lord! Our older children were saved from my fate!! God Bless her!! The kids always had awesome costumes! Usually she would surprise us- which was great with me! Sometimes the children got to pick out what they wanted! We had a bunny rabbit, pumpkin, bear, doggy, tiger, leopard, Zebra, mini mouse, pirates, power rangers and many more! Dear Lolly thank you so so much!!

I do not sew but thank goodness they have cute quality costumes in the stores now! The kids are trying to decide between a ladybug and a butterfly! We had fun trying them on! They are not going to be the same thing- we will see who gets what??

An Interesting Question!

2009-10-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is the lantern that Anna made at the Autumn Moon Festival!

This weekend we went to the Autumn Moon Festival! Thank goodness for our Local FCC group- the make celebrating the Chinese Holidays easy!! There is always something planned. If it were just up to me I am afraid they would fall by the wayside. Here is Sarah getting her hair braided and then came the pink hair coloring AND the glitter! The girls loved the celebration! It was simple but fun! Of course my camera battery died right after the pic of Sarah- bummer.

They served both moon cakes and regular cake. Not too many people enjoy the moon cakes...

I was asked by another bloggy friend what Sarah remembered about the Chinese celebrations. At first she was surprised to hear that she remembers absolutely nothing but once you think about it - of course it is that way.

When you belong to a family they teach you about the celebrations. You may cook with your mother and grandmother. Our your grandfather will share stories about past celebrations. Without a family there is no one to teach you and no one to celebrate with. I do not think (and think is a key word) that the orphanage staff spends much time teaching the children. That is something we do in our culture, we are always teaching our children. I do not think the orphanage staff is educated. Sarah was not taught the simplest things- we are often so surprised at her questions. Can animals talk? Is that real or not?

So our darling daughter came to us having tasted moon cakes but having no idea what or why they celebrated the autumn moon festival. She saw fireworks but had no idea why people were setting them off. She had no concept of time, the seasons,her age or when her birthday was. Why then would it matter to her if it was a new year?

I Like Me!

2009-10-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the play "I Like Me" at a local Children's Theatre. It is from a children's book written by Nancy Carlson. It was absolutely adorable and at just the right level for Sarah and Anna. We read the book many times before going to the play. Comprehension is pretty tough for Sarah. We need to stop often when we read to her and repeat over and over. It can wear me down but it is so rewarding when the light bulb goes off and she gets it!!

Anna did spend a portion of the play staring at the people behind us that just happened to bring a snack in a crinkly bag. She knew the sound right away and honed in on their food. This was her first play and she did pretty well!! I think we can do this again!!

In the pic above she is posing with the cast! Anna did not want anything to do with those scary looking people or where they animals?

Little miss Anna did not drink her milk (she hardly ever does) so she lost out on her chips at lunch time. Sarah and I went upstairs to start a little school work when I heard a few questionable noises coming from the kitchen! I like to think of Anna as resourceful and not naughty. I came down and the kitchen was empty but there was a light on in the pantry! Of course I knew exactly what was going on so I grabbed my camera to get a pic of "lil miss resourceful" in the pantry stealing chips! It just so happen she pottied in her pants when she heard her mothers voice. Do ya think she was feelin a lil guilty??

So I was planning to announce this to the world because I am so excited and I am sure everyone is interested (not) but Anna is potty trained! (Kind of!)

Moon Cakes!

2009-10-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Eugene and his daughter Amy had it all set up for us!

This is the mold for the moon cakes!

We were all thrilled with how good the turned out!

This is one that Sarah made!

This one was my first successful attempt!

Anna just played and opted out of moon cake making!

We made mooncakes with our FCC group this Friday. One of the members had it all set up for us! We watched a video on how to do it and then attempted this amazing feet! I never would have even tried to do this alone but I was thrilled to do it with the group!

Sarah remembered eating moon cakes in China but had never had the experience of making them. She made 2 of moon cakes and then choose to play! A favorite pastime of hers! I can't blame her, they were tedious and tricky to make! It ended up being the adults in the kitchen banging the molds on the wooden cutting boards.

Thank you Eugene for this fun afternoon!

The Apple Orchard!

2009-09-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup had an outing to the Apple Orchard last week. It just so happened to fall on Katie's birthday so she (and her boyfriend) came with us. The weather has been unusually perfect UNTIL that day. We got some much needed rain but it put a damper on all the other activities that were available at this awesome apple orchard!

They had chickens, goats and pony rides. There was a hayride, huge corn maze, mini maze for the little ones, apple picking, a restaurant that serves lunch and all sorts of apple treat!! Sarah was excited to pick apples but we ended up not going out to the orchards because of the rain. We may try to come again next week or it will have to wait until next year?

Anna was not very adventurous in the rain. She clung to Devan - BTW have you met Anna's new boyfriend. He is supposed to be Katie's boyfriend BUT Anna is trying to steal him! After awhile I gave the poor guy a break and made her walk!

Queen of the haystacks!

Two happy daughters and one who doesn't understand why she has to walk! And why on earth she would ever need to pose for pictures! And TRY to look happy!

This place is so cute both inside and out! It was fun just being there even with the rain!

They have an adorable store inside!

We bought apples, caramel, whipped honey, homemade strawberry rhubarb jam, pumpkin bread, apple crisp and more! It was delightful!

Girls and their Hair!

2009-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

When we found out the child #5 was a boy I went straight home and started fixing Katie's hair! I knew I hadn't done a very good job with it so far and thought maybe girl#2 would help us get into it a little more but then we found out their would not be a girl #2. Some Mom's are such naturals with hair - a friend of mine had 3 girls and their hair was fixed perfectly ... all the time!

Anna came to us with a buzz cut that was beginning to grow. So there was no pressure- not much I could do with it. Sarah's hair was a mixture of lengths. We had it trimmed in China so she could start fresh growing it out! She let me know right away, even before we could speak the same language that she wanted really long hair! Down to the floor long!

Whenever I fix little Anna's hair she somehow ends up in tears. Whether it actually hurts or she just expecting it to hurt, I'm not sure. It isn't my favorite part of our day but still we do the task! Sarah, on the other hand loves for me to comb her hair- she complains too, but that's part of the fun for her! If I fix her hair it will be redone within 15 minutes. I don't mind, she really is much better at fixing her hair than I am. I guess if I was good at it I would have had Katie all done up right 20 yrs ago!

So yesterday we had a conversation, this is how it went-

MOM- "Oh Anna, we really need to do your hair! We forgot to do it today!" (notice I like to spread the responsibility!)

ANNA- no response

SARAH- "Mom, you forgot to do it yesterday, too!"

MOM- "NOooo, I didn't. I wouldn't do that!"

SARAH- "Yes Mom, I remember!"

MOM- "YOU must be remembering wrong honey."

SARAH- "No, I remember!" (and then we got an accounting of how it looked yesterday and today)

ANNA- Still no reaction, just happy I'm not combing it now!

MOM- "Now Sarah, I wouldn't forget to do her hair two days in a row." (Hey, I know I avoid things but I wouldn't do that? would I?)

SARAH- "No mom, I remember. It looked like that yesterday with that big bump on top!"

MOM- feeling slightly inadequate at this point. "Honey, I am sure I brushed her hair yesterday, it has only been one day. And lets be done talking about it." by now Dad is in the room... Certainly don't want him to think I'm not taking good care of the girls and their hair!

LATER THAT NIGHT...

Kids are sound asleep, I'm in the shower and I'm thinking "OH crud!! She's right. We had swimming the day before and I didn't comb it before swimming cause it was just going to get messy and wet in the water. And I didn't comb it after swimming... why? Welllll, I didn't want too! She was happy and I didn't want to make her cry!

Okay I know I will need to talk to Sarah about this tomorrow morning and admit I was wrong, ugh.

MOM- "Sarah, You know, you were right. I didn't comb Anna's hair for two days. I'm sorry."

SARAH- "Yaaa, I remembered!" big smile "That's okay it was an oopsy!"

MOM- "Yes, I made a mistake, you were right and I was wrong. It was an oopsy!"

I love the heart and spirit of a child. So easy to forgive and forget. On a positive note maybe she will notice that her Mom is not afraid to apologize when she is wrong. Okay, it took 12 hours but I did apologize!

So, yes, I have combed Anna's hair today! Yes, she did cry, not for long, just enough to send the message- back off lady! Whatever will I do with 4 heads of long black hair? Please start setting your expectations really really low!

Half Way Around the World... In Thought...

2009-09-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

The root canal went well- so glad that these two teeth have been dealt with and they won't cause her any more pain. We had a lighter day with school- I figured if she went to public school she'd have at least half or all of the day off. We got through 2 math assignments in the morning and after the procedure we worked on a 500 piece puzzle- she is so good at them! I love puzzles too, so it is a fun, low key thing to do together. (Sarah and Mom put it together- while Anna takes it apart!) At one point I noticed Sarah had drifted off in thought. She had a sad but peaceful look on her face. I wished I could peek inside her sweet little 9 yr old mind and see what she was thinking? Where was she at? I watched her for awhile then asked her what she was thinking about?

SARAH- "Oh nothing" and she slowly came back to me.

MOM- "Were you thinking about China?"

SARAH- "Yes, I was. I was thinking about my friends and the people in China."

MOM- "Do you miss China?"

SARAH- "Sometimes..."

We went back to work on the puzzle and then headed to the kitchen for a snack.

MOM- "Sarah, do you sometimes wish you were back in China?"

SARAH- "No, I like it here"

I have asked this question before and the answers vary. This time it was different. There was a quiet confidence in her voice and certainty in her answer. Sarah loves so much about China. She loves the food, the language, the music, the people. But now I think she is realizing that she can love everything about being Chinese and still live in America. It was a small little breakthrough moment.

Root Canal #2

2009-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

I wonder if this candy jar had anything to do with root canal #2?

We were so hoping that this tooth wold make it BUT it is not to be. It started hurting a couple days ago and we went straight to the dentist. As expected Sarah has been referred to the Endodontist for a root canal on Monday. She is on pain meds and antibiotics to get her through the weekend- poor dear. This will be here second lovely silver crown. She is very proud of her first one I 'm guessing she will be thrilled with this one, too!

We normally don't give the girls candy but with the evening soccer games it has been so helpful. We have no problem getting them to want to come to the games. I know cheering for their brother should be their main focus but come on - let's get real! Sugar can beat that out anytime!

Ya, know how it says on ALL the referrals that the children brush their teeth twice a day... NOT!

They never brush their teeth, at least not in the orphanage. They may on the foster homes but Anna came to us with decayed teeth, too and she was in foster care. Oh well- teeth can be fixed and there are a million dentists out their ready to fix them! It is our way of adding to the stimulus package!

Clomp, clomp, clomp!

2009-09-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering what that noise is at our house it is our girls running around upstairs in their new light up tennis shoes. They are both so excited they can hardly stand it. Honestly, they thanked me so much that you'd thought I given them a much greater gift. I am trying to teach Sarah to walk more gently on her feet but these new shoes are not helping. They just want to see them light up and the harder they stomp the more certain they are to get their reward- the lights!!

Sarah has wanted light up tennis shoes since we met her in China. I was thinking they did not make them in her size so I told her she would probably not be able to get them. I was also thinking that she is 9 and usually 9 yr olds don't wear those kind of tennis shoes. She was so thrilled when she found them- I just couldn't say no plus they were on clearance and were only $10 each- yippee!!

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A fun Sunday with the family!

2009-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Our church held a country days celebration last weekend. They used to do this when our older children were little. We always had such a good time but then for many years they did not have it- now it is back and we are so glad it is! We all had lunch while listening to great country music and then we were off to participate in the many activities! The girls wanted to do everything- the parents did the best they could! We left with many prizes! The girls loved it!

Of course we had to watch part of the Viking game (sorry, if you're a Packer fan). Then out on the boat before the nice weather goes away for a very long time! The girls went into the lake this time- it was a first for them! Pools are no problem but the lake was a little scary. They finally were brave enough to give it a try!

It was a wonderful weekend! Thank you Jesus!

The Keeper of the Dogs!

2009-09-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Girls! Do you want to come in?

Maybe you are thirsty, hot or tired and you want to lay on your comfy bed? Oops, not so fast!

Wait a second, I haven't decided if I'm going to let you in?

It is so fun to be in control !

Being Thankful by Sarah and Anna!

2009-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love doing thankful thursday- even though half the time I do it on Friday! I thought it would be nice to do it with the girls. Here is what the had to say!

Sarah is thankful -

for her second grade math and her first grade reading.

for her brothers and sisters!

for her family!

and she prays for her Grandmas and Grandpas who are in heaven with Jesus.

Anna is thankful -

for her soccer ball.

for her snowman picture.

Penny, Missy and Mia (the dogs).

for her sister Sarah!

Can you guess what I am thankful for right now!! Wow, I sure love these two!

Kind of, sort of, Wordless Wednesday!

2009-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

So what's the pwoblem? I just wanted to fwoss my teeth!

State Fair!

2009-09-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Watching the dogs do their tricks! The girls love dogs!

Our little farms hands!

Riding the tractor! Anna feels that pedaling is over rated!

Sarah is winning the race! Yes, she is a little competitive!

Sarah and Princess Kay of the Milky Way!

Enjoying some serious ice cream!

Sarah's first ride!!

She loved this ride!

Anna is loving the bumper boats!

It is so fun to bump into your sister!

In Mn the State fair is big! We had a great time! I should have gotten more pics of the girls eating things on sticks! It seems like everything is served on sticks nowadays!

There were tons of people there- we realized we won't be coming back next year- with 4 little girls we would be sure to lose one- yikes!

We went home with full tummies and sore feet (lots and lots of walking). We were all exhausted when we got home... except for Anna who got to ride in the stroller! Sarah thinks we need to invent a stroller for bigger kids! I agree how about one for adults, too!

So Sad...

2009-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a happy little girl who just gave her Momma a beautiful flower for Mothers Day!

After 3 months this is what the mother did to the flower... bad Momma!

Obviously I do not have a green thumb- it's dried up and shriveled like the flower... thank goodness I don't care for the children like I care for my flowers! Don't worry - the children are thriving!!

Although I admire all those mom's out there that have beautiful flower and vegetable gardens- I have to come to the realization that I am not one of them. We will not be eating fresh greens from the garden- sorry Sally- you're still my idol- but I just can't seem to do what you do. (Please check my other blog for proof!) I won't be canning, pickling, freezing or whatever else it is that you wonderful crafty people do. Let me just make it clear though- I love that you guys do that- I think it is so cool!

Sorry about your flower Anna! I am happy I kept it alive for 2 of the 3 summer months!

A Day at the Zoo!

2009-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

We are ready for our safari!

Sarah loved feeding the goats! Anna liked watching the goats from afar!

She thought they were scary!

Sarah and Katie were loving the camera! Anna was not in the photogenic mood.

Hmmmm- a giraffe and a zebra!

The real thing!

I love the prairie dogs! All the rest of them where playing and having fun but this guy was on duty!

We went to the Zoo with the girls- Katie, Sarah and Anna! We had such a good time! The weather was perfect- 68-70 degrees and sunny!

There is so much to see that we could never get to all of it and be in a decent mood when leaving so we just get to some of the sites and try to see other exhibits the next time we come. This time we went to the farm and the african exhibit!

My Wild Olive Girls!

2009-08-30T14:14:00.001-07:00

Here are my two darlins in their wild olive tees!! They were thrilled to get them in the mail!! I love my tees and wear them all the time!! I don't think I'm getting anything for this post so I am just saying it because I love the tees, I love the message and I love wearing the message!! Now my two girls can wear them, too!! Praise the Lord! And it is all for such a good cause!

Just in case you are wondering Sarah is 9 yr olds and is wearing a size 10 and Anna is 3 years old and wearing a size 4.

Full House!

2009-08-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Happy sisters!

A competitive game of cards!

Hairdos!

The girls have loved having Katie home! It was a hectic household but tons of fun! She is actively looking for a job and preparing to move into a new place with her big bro Matt! Mark is preparing to head to school in Colorado and Billy's college is thank goodness close to home. The girls love their big siblings and will miss them when they return to school, move out and get jobs. All the big kids are such a help but I am looking just a little forward to our fall schedule. This will be a special school year with just the three of us home and Johnny in High School. BTW Johnny made the Varsity soccer team and we are all so excited for him! It will be fun going to the games!!

Next school year we will have 4 homeschooled this will be a new challenge for me- I will be begging for prayers from you. I'm not quite sure how others do it but we will figure it out somehow!

Off to a Birthday Party!

2009-08-15T09:58:00.001-07:00

Enjoying cake and ice cream!

A treasure hunt!

Of course this is where we would find Anna- at the sand and water table! She also loves bossing around little boys!

More treasure hunt!

Time for the pinata! "Hey can someone help me out here?"

"Thanks Mom!"

It's a swing and a hit!!

Yippee candy!!

Sarah and her treasures!

The girls were invited to a birthday party today. They had a wonderful time. We only knew the birthday girl and her family but we met many other people at the party. It was lots of fun! I met other adoptive families- which I always love and the kids we had a blast- whether it was Anna at the sand and water table with the other 3 yr olds or Sarah riding bikes, scooter, fishing for treasures or on a scavenger hunt- she loved it all!

I am thinking next year she will be ready for her own kids birthday party! Anna... not so much... we will give her a little more time!

Rollerblading!

2009-08-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sarah took a rollerblading class this week. She had a lot of fun and definitely improved! We wanted her to take this for safety reason and to improve her balance and coordination. The teachers were very happy with her progress!!

I love it when kids get physical exercise- she was definitely tuckered out after class! They welcomed a quiet kids movie while cuddling with their blankets in the evening!! That works for me!

I am so thankful to our dear Lord with her progress in so many different areas- whether it is a physical activity or academics! To be quite honest she is thrilled with it too!!

Finally a Princess!

2009-08-07T16:58:00.001-07:00

We had a playgroup with our PAC (pre-adoption class) group. It is such a joy to see these wonderful families grow! For awhile we were concerned, thinking that many of us would never get our children but God is so good and dreams do come true! We are missing the boys of the group in this pic - there is one bio boy- 8 yrs old, an adorable 2 yr old from Ethiopia and a bio little guy only 8 months missing in our pic. Whether bio or adopted all are such a blessing and all are so pre-planned by our dear Lord!

We have one very special family left in our group to get their sweet child! They are in the Korea program and I am just guessing but that little guy should be home in about 18 months! Yippee Jesus!!

I will try to do a better job next time of betting everyone in the picture! Seriously, look at that pic, aren't they just precious!!

While we were at playgroup Sarah tried on some beautiful dress up clothes! It was so much fun for her we decided to buy some dress up clothes for our house! I held off because we were to young and too old ... I thought but whatever- let's just give it a try and have some fun! In this pic she is Cinderella (I think?)!

Her she is as Snow White! She makes a lovely Snow White! She is such a sweet blessing to our family! How did God know that our daughter was half way around the world!

Thank you Jesus!

We are in a BIG bed!!

2009-08-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

We got a sand and water table for the girls! Anna just has to get into the squishy touchy feely things so we thought she would enjoy it and I am guessing all her sisters will too! The sand and the water were all mixed together immediately. I really wanted them separated- I'm a little quirky that way so I have to turn my head and just let her play!

The other night Anna said she wanted to sleep in a big bed because she was a big girls now! We made it clear to her that she needs to stay in the bed and no getting out! I really didn't think it would work but much to my surprise she stayed in bed and slept the whole night!!

She is sleeping in Sarah's room- which will also be Anna's room. The extra bedroom will be for our new girls. I wasn't planning on moving her this early but she was ready so we went for it! I have learned my lesson with potty training- if they say they are ready don't stop the progress!!

So far it's been for 2 nights! We better get that crib out of here before someone changes her mind!

Sarah is so excited to have Anna with her at night however she was getting used to her stuff and her space- since this family is ever growing no one better get used to their space and their stuff. It is probably good that the move happened this early because by the time the girls come home they will be very used to sharing!

One more thing- have I told you how much I love these girls! They are such a joy- thank you Jesus!

Dog Training!

2009-07-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

While Sarah was training the dogs Anna was training Elmo!

We took Mia- the red head to puppy classes so she can sit, lay down and shake hands. However she did not graduate from puppy school because we neglected to attend the final class (we feared failure).

Here, Mia is demonstrating for Missy.

We have tried to teach Missy to sit, shake and lay down - she is not a good homeschool student. We also did not have time to take Missy to puppy school. Once we got her, we quickly realized getting a puppy was not going to replace our desire to adopt. So very quickly we hopped on the adoption paper trail!

It didn't take Sarah long at all to teach Missy how to shake, sit and lay down! We were truly impressed!! Sarah's chore in our home is to feed the dogs each day around 3:00. Consequently, they love her AND listen to her! Way to go Sarah!!

Happy Forever Family Day!

2009-07-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

2 years ago hubby and I were in China. A precious little 15 month old was put in our arms- she took one look at me and thought I was the scariest person in the world. The only other person more scary than me was that big salt and pepper guy taking pictures of us. That day was very traumatic for our darling little Anna Violet LeYi. She cried until we got back to the room and then exhaustion took over and she feel asleep.

I have a totally different perception of that day. For me it was the day I realized dreams really do come true! How could a couple 49 yrs old and 50 yrs old actually be blessed with a precious treasure from China? A precious little girl that was from that moment on our daughter! It was a down on our knees, thankful to Jesus day!

She is such a blessing to our family! We love our little Anna so much. This little girl was meant to be in our family, she was hand picked by God! We feel so blessed and so grateful to our dear Lord!

Conquered Fears!

2009-07-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

I am gonna do this! I am ready to go!

On second thought, maybe not! I'm out of here!

Okay, you said I can have candy! I guess I will give it a try!

Yippee!! This is fun!

Oh Ya! I did it! Now let's have the candy!

I gotta do this again! This is too much fun!

Yes, here I am attempting the diving board! All eyes are glued to me! (Well, at least my parents are watching!) The crowd is silent!

Yahoo!! I did it! Do I get double the candy now?

Sarah is making such good progress with swimming! They even told us she may be done with lessons in October and ready for the strokes class! She is doing the freestyle, backstroke and the butterfly! She still is working on getting her breathing coordinated with the strokes while doing the freestyle. She loves the water and is just like a little fish in it!

Today was a big day- she is jumping off the diving board and going down the slide into the deep end! She knows to go right into her stroke and swim to the side! She has been working on this and working on getting the courage up to go off the diving board and the slide! She is so thrilled with herself and her accomplishments this summer! She said tonight " Now I just have to do those monkey bars!"

One Step in the Right Direction!

2009-07-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

One year ago Anna was sitting on the royal potty and having success ! I was very excited but did not appreciate it as much as I should have! I knew we would be going to China in the semi near future so I decided to wait until we got home- huge mistake!

I took her until 11 months later to be successful again!

I shouldn't even say this BUT I did fear potty training this cute little 3 yr old. I know I have potty trained 5 before her and it all went pretty well! Our little Anna is not one that can be easily coerced into sitting on a potty hair IF she doesn't feel like sitting on a potty chair! And then being a nurse I started to thing of medical reasons why she didn't go potty in the potty chair. After that I thought of all the psychological reasons why she wouldn't go potty in the potty chair- really us nurses just think too much!

My next step was to buy everything potty related! We have potty Hannah and her movie and teddy bear. We have numerous potty books! We have two itty bitty potty chairs and one that fits on the big toilet. We have 3 potty movies that are playing on all the DVD's continuously 24 hours a day- okay just kidding!

I had always heard that they like the little potty best, where their little feet can touch the ground- oh no, not Anna she on the big potty and she likes listening to her potty hit the water in the toilet!! I had candy to give her when she was successful but she is happy enough with the sounds she hears!! Sarah keeps asking "hey where's the candy we get when Anna goes potty?" She figures I now owe her 5 smarties! I am saying SHHHHHHhhhhh- this is working, let's go with it!! I have promised them 2 smarties tomorrow. I'm buying her silence!

I don't want to get too excited here but I just had to share our good news with you- hopefully the progress continues!!

TA DA!!

2009-07-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

This pic should be an ad for sonlight curriculum!! Yes, we were thrilled to get the box and open up our new curriculum but it is more the case of "we just like gettin things delivered to our house" than us anxiously awaiting the new curriculum. In all honestly- I was very excited, Sarah just likes to have her pic taken! We are starting at a low level (P4/5) so our sweet girl can understand the stories. It is a new concept for her to be read too and especially for her to be read to stories without pictures. I am reading them twice and we are talking about them. I only have to remind her to listen carefully 4-5 times per story! ;-)

Has anyone lost a deck of card? I may know where they are?

Some may be scattered about in our house!

TA DA! but most of them are crammed in our printer/ copier!

Compliments of Anna!

Family Bike Riding!

2009-07-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

We went bike riding this weekend! It was so much fun!! It felt good for Jim and I to get a little exercise! There are many trails around our home. They are so pretty to ride on and they are safe!!

We thought this would be a wonderful idea now that Sarah is riding a bike! Once she saw that Anna was getting to ride in the Burley she wanted to get in there, too. We tried to let her know how cool it is that she can ride a bike. We let her have a try inside it and a brief trip around the block but she is too heavy to pull for a longer distance (and together they are over the weight limit).

So often we think we are doing such good things but really you never know how the kids will react. We just have to persevere through some of it and stay on course. ( I think that is why I was frustrated this weekend- we just couldn't seem to please her) They will work it all out in their head somehow! We can't make our darling daughter younger or smaller- we love her just the way she is! I know she would like to be younger and smaller and to have those baby opportunities with her family but it is, as it is! So we will make the best of it and enjoy our time together!

Everyone did rally and had fun! It's always a good idea to bring a snack and a thermos with your name on it, especially if your name is SARAH or ANNA!!

Our Imaginary Friend!

2009-07-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our little Anna seems to have an imaginary friend! We have seen her play jump rope with her friend and wait for her while walking up the stairs! She also had dinner with us the other night! It is so cute- we all have to snicker a bit! Her imaginary friend's name is SALLY!! Yep and Sally has a friend named Bryson. Has anyone heard of these names before?? Well if you haven't - visit this BLOG !

All of the immunizations that Sarah had while in Ch*na were not effective, so she has had to have them all over again. She had 5 shots in the winter - all at the same Dr visit. She did not shed a tear. This time she had 3 shots and it was totally different. My sweet little girl cried at just the thought of it, she tried to fight it and then nestled in my arms and had a good cry. You know - it just seemed like that was the more healthy (if that's the word) response. I was able to comfort her- which felt oh, so good! And then we went and got gum ( I never let her have gum) as a special treat- sugarless of course!!

If your adopting an older child from China definitely have their titers taken! Sarah's records showed that she had all the necessary shots in Ch*na, but they did not seem to provide her with the necessary immunity she needs. She has 2 more coming up in August and then we are all caught up!!

Anna also had her immunizations in Ch*na. Half of them were good and the other half we needed to redo.

The pics are from our mini trip to Iowa. They were taken in the hotel lobby.

The "Brothers" to the rescue!

2009-07-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

Little Sarah was playing with the neighbor girl and her friend. You know, sometimes kids are not very nice. Everyone has their own reasons why sometimes they don't treat others nicely. Maybe a child is a victim in other areas of their life and when given a chance they victimize others to help their own self esteem. Relationships are complicated and I really can't even begin to analyze this one.

Sarah's time is limited with peers. It is time for her to focus on family and to understand what being in a family means. Even with this limited time she has learned a lot. There are many days she decides not to play with certain kids for the rest of the day because they were mean or excluding. Sometimes these lessons are painful but at the same time they are so valuable!

Yesterday, she came inside bewildered. She was trying to process what happened and why. At one point she just broke down in tears. She hid behind the a chair and sobbed. So, as her Momma I called in the troops!! "Hey kids come here, Sarah is sad and she needs us." Mark, Johnny, Anna and her Momma all gathered around her and gave her hugs, pats on the back and comforted her. It didn't take long for the tears to subside and she decided she'd rather play with her brothers! After a little mario kart the kids went on a bike ride! A really fun and long bike ride with her big brothers!!

I love big families!! It seems like there is always someone you can count on- and usually more than one!! Thanks guys!!

She did it!! She can ride a two wheel bike!

2009-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

She is very excited to give it a try!! The training wheels are off!!

A little wobbly at first but she's doing it!

Wow, she is really getting the hang if it!

She is picking up speed and having fun!

The neighbor friends are cheering her on!!

This is one happy bike riding girl!

Now we are going up and down hills!!

Look Ma, only one hand!!

We took the training wheels off!! I helped Sarah for about 10 minutes and then she started trying it on her own!! It was amazing to see her ride a two wheel bike!! She learned so quickly!

We are so proud of her!! She has accomplished so much in such a short period of time!!

Way to go, Sarah!!

Bike Riding Fun!

2009-07-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sarah got this idea from Johnny and thought she'd try it out with Anna. They were so cute, I had to snap a few pics!!

Being the worried Momma I am I kept saying "Be careful, Be careful!" But ride just a little bit more so I can get a good pic!!

Anna's shoes kept acting as breaks so Sarah decided to ride her bike. Soon the training wheels will be coming off! The only thing that holds us back is we can't find the tools to take them off! Did I ever tell you how handy we are... not!!

Our daughters in China!

2009-07-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

I can't say anything and yet, I want to shout it to the world! These girls are so precious- we are completely in love with them! This blog will be their blog, too- they are our Princesses from China along with Sarah and Anna! Our girls know about them and we often talk about them- about the changes that will happen in our house and about what they can do to help them adjust.

When they see their pictures they say their names- it is so cute. I have told them it will be awhile (quite awhile) until they join our family.

Their birthdays are coming up- we are praying for them- these sweet daughters of ours in China! If you think about it please pray that we find favor with China and the girls will be able to join our family. It is not a done deal, until we receive PA...

As soon as I can I will give you more information!

We have been contacted by the family that saw them having their pictures taken in China. They have given us 2 more pictures- they are beautiful! If I could I would like to receive a new pic everyday of our girls!

Please keep praying for Emma and Ellie! Yes... those are their first names!

Birthday Party Fun!

2009-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Slipping and sliding!

A new technique! This girl is a lot of fun! I am going to have to keep a close eye on her!

Who is the kid dumping out all the water?

The cautious crew safe in the kiddy pool!

She totally and completely can swing by herself now! And she can go really high!

The girls and their parents- that's us, went to a birthday party last weekend! We all had a great time!! This was Sarah's and Anna's first time on a slip n slide, a kiddy pool and a sprinkler! They were with their friends from China!

Anna still doesn't get in the mix of things. She likes hanging with the younger children or her mom! She is very cautious (until she is really comfortable that is). She has been known to hang by the table with the food on it and graze!

Sarah plays nicely with all the kids and is often in the middle of the fun. Most of the girls are younger than her. She seems to feel most comfortable with 7-9 yr olds.

Decided!

2009-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your responses- wow, they were so good and honestly I agreed with everyone of them as I read them. I feel like I know what God is wanting me to do and at the same time I have been reluctant, hesitant and fearful to do it.

We have raised 5 older bio children. They all went to preschool and loved it and loved their teachers. I didn't really discover homeschooling until the last 2 bio kids- at least it wasn't until then that I finally decided to take a chance and give it a try. After 2 years our financial situation led me back to work. I know that was also orchestrated by God because I hadn't worked in 14 years, didn't want to go back to work and yet I got the first job I applied to, one mile from my home and it was my dream job. Plus my kids could go to school there! (FYI- school nurse for 300 to 800 students-it was growing rapidly, it was a christian school and I was the only one in "my department"- I loved it. I did the attendance, too! I knew who was doing what and when! The faculty, staff, children and families were fantastic!)

BUT- I like my new job even better. Being a stay at home Mom to these darling children and having another opportunity to homeschool is a dream come true for me!

Again, I have mistaken the length of time it takes for bonding. It is a process that takes years not months and although we are doing great and on the right track- I need to keep remembering it is a process, a long process. I see insecurities and fears with Anna that where not there with our older bio children. She has never liked me leaving her and yet I have done Montessori 2x week fairly early on. I think it is time for me to keep her home. We can (maybe) have a preschool experience when she is older but for now she will be home with me. I am planning to do preschool at home! Time does go by so fast and these kids grow up in the blink of an eye. I am thinking at age 3 she is fine to be home. We will also most likely hold Anna back in school( if she goes to school someday). She has a spring birthday and many surgeries ahead of her (plus she is itty bitty).

Now, I sound like I know what I am doing , right? Well not really, I actually am a little hesitant to HS the 2 of them. Whenever I worry, I pray and the dear Lord tells me it will be okay! He doesn't say how, or when or any other info- it's just that feeling of he is with me and it will work out!

Over the years I have found that it just takes a little time to adjust to a new situation. I am sure it will be that way for us. Once we get used to our schedule I won't be able to even imagine not having them both at home. So don't expect any great reports from me in September- give me to at least October to find a rhythm.

So today I called Montessori- here is how the conversation went-

ME - "I just wanted to let you know that Anna will not be coming to school in August. We will be keeping her home. Welllll, she might not be coming back in the fall too, umm, I'm not sure yet but umm, aahhhh, yeah, I'll let you know.

What a wishy, washy, chicken I am... Courage, I think not...

Oh Yeah, I'll be calling her back... after hours when I can leave a message and then hang up!

I want to enjoy every minute I can with them so here we go!!

(BTW- I do have a babysitter- Karen come over for about 3 hours on Wednesday afternoon to give me a break, go to DR appts and run some errands- maybe even have lunch with hubby!)