AnnaClaire Day!

Hard to believe it's been FOUR years since we walked into the Civil Affairs office in Nanchang, Jiangxi to meet our little girl. Little Zhuang Lu Qiao was sitting there when we walked in and when they called us up to take her she was smiling so big and her whole body was moving with excitement. At the time it scared me, because it didn't seem natural for her to be that happy to be given to us. Now I know that it was a sign of what was to come. It's hard to truly express how AnnaClaire has brightened our lives. She's just love...gentleness...sunshine. All the other kids go off and do their own thing a lot of the time but little AnnaClaire hangs close to mama and daddy. We joke that she is like a little lap dog. She's alway there snuggling and cuddling with us. You can't have a bad day with AnnaClaire around. She has her daddy so wrapped around her finger that it is laughable. I guess mama's pretty wrapped too. Thank you God for the amazing blessing that is our AnnaClaire.

Well, it was bound to happen...

I had to try on 4 pairs of jeans this morning before I found a pair that I could get over my hips...and booty...and belly. Apparently you can't eat like you're Paula Deen's biggest fan without paying for it big time. So pretty much all the weight I lost earlier this year has found me once again. Sigh. Good thing it's almost January because I tend to have great motivation in January. The thought of counting points again makes me crazy but it works for me, so I guess I'll do it. I apologize in advance to Jeff and the kids for the mean old grump I will be when I can no longer eat all the cakes and doughnuts and cookies that my heart desires. Bah Humbug!

And you can file this in 'things you never thought you would hear' (or is it 'things you wish you had never heard'?):

AnnaClaire: Mom, Brady is scratching his butt with his fork.

Give This Christmas Away

Love this! Warning: You might need tissues!

My Babies

Here are my sweeties on Thanksgiving Day


and here they are attacking their Grandpa at Cousin Mason's 3rd Birthday Party!

The kids were out of school today so last night Allie asked if AnnaClaire could sleep with her in her bed. I told her that her bed was too narrow and I was afraid one of them might fall out. Here's the rest of the conversation...
Allie: And AnnaClaire's bed is too narrow too?
Me: Yes, it's the same size as yours.
Allie: But your bed is big...Soooo...it would probably fit 2 adults and 2 kids...

Haha. Nice try kid.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am quite humbled because God has blessed our family so greatly. Allie brought home a Turkey from school that had 5 cutouts of her hand as the feathers. On each feather were the things she was thankful for. On the middle feather, which was highest up, she had written 'God'. As I was looking at it and blinking back tears that she mentioned God in her 5 things to be thankful for, she exclaimed, 'I put God on top!' God bless that child. I do love her so very much. Thank you God for all 6 of the wonderful blessings you have given Jeff and me. We know what great gifts you have entrusted to us. And so we are off to celebrate the Holiday-first to Knoxville and then to Nashville. Stay safe everyone!

Why Wouldn't I?

You'll have to scroll down to mute my music, but it's well worth it!

My Kids are SO Weird!

Brady and AnnaClaire have a dental appointment this afternoon. AnnaClaire has asked about 2000 times if we can go yet. I keep telling her that their appointment isn't until 4:00 to which she says 'Awww, I want to go to the dentist!' Ryan had his appointment on Tuesday and Allie went with us. All she wanted to know was how come Ryan got to go to the dentist and she didn't AND when was it going to be her turn. Weird I tell you!

Something Amazing Happened

:)

The other night after dinner we were clearing the table and Jeff pointed at the trashcan and mouthed something I didn't understand. I flipped up the lid and there it was-Cameron's cup (see The Experiment post). I looked over and Cameron was standing by the counter. I asked him if he had thrown out the cup and-as hard as it is to believe-it was him. Whoa! After only 11 days! I told him that we had intended to decorate it for the holidays. He told me no worries because he had several more in his bedroom. :eyeroll:

Both Hands Foundation

What an awesome idea!
http://bothhandsfoundation.org/

The Experiment

Cameron works at a fast food restaurant and every night when he comes home from work he brings home a drink. The cups usually sit in his room until I make him throw them out. On Halloween he set his cup on the bar in the kitchen. I told Jeff that I am not touching that darn cup and we will see how long it sits there. We are on day 9. I am thinking of getting some Thanksgiving stickers and letting the little ones decorate it. We'll probably need some Christmas stickers as well. Sigh.

This is so moving!

Click-Orphan Sunday Video

At the end when it says 'You need them even more' the tears were streaming because it's so true. We need these children!

Orphan Sunday

November is National Adoption Month and today is Orphan Sunday. For obvious reasons, adoption is very close to my heart. I remember when God first start to place adoption on my heart. It seemed like such a big undertaking. No way could *I* adopt a child. What about the paperwork, the homestudy, the money? And then there was Jeff. He thought I was certifiable. We had three wonderful kids already. Why mess with things? But God kept pressing on. Over time I realized that adoption was truly His plan for us. Eventually Jeff realized it too. Sometimes you just have to let go and take that leap of faith. It was still a scary thing but once we were sure God was in it, it seemed like something we could really do. We are both so thankful that we took that leap of faith because the blessings around here a plentiful. Many people comment about the number of kids we have and I understand that it's not for everyone-but it is for us. We enjoy the craziness, the closeness and the love of a big family. I know that God doesn't call us all to adopt but He does call us to care for the orphan. If you are considering adoption, I am happy to talk with you about any aspect-the good, the bad and the ugly. Even if adoption isn't for you, please think about what you might do for the 147 million children in the world who will go to bed tonight without a mother or a father. There are so many ways that we can help and I do believe that we can make a difference in their lives.

Just look at these happy faces:)

4th of July

Summer 2009 Lake Pictures

Help Bring Relief to Children in Southeast Asia

The devastating typhoon floods in SE Asia have affected some of Holt’s care centers. The children were evacuated and are safe from danger, but the care facilities providing shelter and warmth to these children are now in desperate need of repairs, food and supplies.

Holt has been in contact with our partner agencies in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam, and we are prepared to assist in the relief efforts to ensure the children in Holt’s care are protected and well cared for in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.

“The care centers are in need of infants clothes and milk,” said Kaisahang Buhay Foundation Executive Director Rosario Dela Rosa. “Our daycare center is located very near the Marikina River which overflowed and flooded all the neighboring villages. A new roof, chairs, tables and cabinets are also needed.”

Well Hello There:)

I have had several people ask me why I no longer blog. There were several reasons I stopped blogging, none really important though so I figured maybe I should try to give it a go again.

We are all doing well. I am not sure what has changed since the last time I posted because I can't remember. Cameron is now a Sophomore at ETSU and is still living at home. Brandon is a Senior in high school with plans to attend UT next year. Ryan is a Freshman and I swear he's growing an inch each day. Allie is in 1st grade and AnnaClaire and Brady are both in 4 year old preschool. AnnaClaire goes 5 days a week and Brady goes 3 days a week and to speech the other two. They are at the same school but in separate classes. We put our house on the market a year ago September but had no luck. We recently took it off the market for the time being. Maybe we will try again in the spring.

I'll try to add some pictures (including one of Brady's new haircut courtesy of himself) in the next few days.

Thank You Mr. President

New song from Steven Curtis Chapman

We voted!

Yes, I took my firstborn down to the county courthouse yesterday so we could vote. It was his first time and I am so proud of him. We had a heck of a time finding a parking spot because apparently everyone else decided to take advantage of the last day of early voting. Finally, we were waiting for a spot and this BMW comes out of nowhere and whips right in. I was beyond mad but Cameron reminded me that the driver of the car was a creation of God. Hmmm, should I slap him or hug him? It's been very fulfilling this election to see Cameron and Brandon interested in the issues and trying to educate themselves about the candidates. I would never push my political beliefs on them and it makes me happy that they are the type that will clearly vote their values. I am such a blessed mama.

Four Weeks Today

Our house has been on the market for 4 weeks today. The first few weeks were encouraging, but we haven't had a showing or a call from our realtor in 2 weeks. The first couple to look at the house thought it was too big for just the two of them and the second thought our dining room was too small for their large table. The third couple really liked it and even sent our realtor back over to measure rooms but we haven't heard another word. A realtor came by 2 weeks ago to check it out for some out of town clients and she seemed to like it and think it was something they would be interested in but we haven't heard back from her either. Fortunately, keeping the house show worthy hasn't been as hard as I expected. The worst thing right now is that our cooktop is cracked down the middle because the range hood cover fell down on it. Sigh. Nothing like spending $600 to have something like that fixed in this economy.

Ryan is now officially a contact wearer. He's been begging for them for years but freaked out last year when they tried to teach him to put them in. This year, he was ready and he's doing well with them. He has an appointment next Tuesday for a braces consult.

The Baby Whisperer

Two down, one to go. Ha! Unfortunately, we are leaving soon to go to a friend's for dinner. That's going to be fun when we have to wake these guys up. You NEVER wake these two unless it is an emergency. Trust me.

Fireproof

If you haven't seen it, GO! It's such a wonderful movie. I am buying it when it comes out on DVD to show to each of my kids before they are married. It's that good. Jeff went to the bathroom after we saw it yesterday and he said there was a big muscular guy in there that said to him 'I went through 12 tissues during that movie'. Seriously. IT'S THAT GOOD! Worth every penny of admission and the cost of a sitter.

http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/

Corn Maze~Pumpkin Patch

Yum! Apples!

 

First day of school...

Cameron's Girl

Go Vols!

Uncle Mike, Aunt Shelly and cousin Mason (he's no longer Baby Mason according to AnnaClaire because he is not a baby anymore) were her for the weekend. Shelly and Mason left this morning. I forgot to take a single picture while they were here-ugh. Uncle Mike will be here until Thursday...if he can stand us for that long!