\o/*\o/*Thanks be to God*\o/*\o/

for our newest blessing...



Coralie Selah WenEr Loos
Chinese name: Chan Wen Er
Birthdate: 12/15/2007
Orphanage: Foshan City (Chan Cheng District)

We have PA!

Happy Anniversary

Twenty one years ago Jeff and I were married. Hard to believe since we're both still so young. ;)

He took me to dinner tonight. Actually, I met him for dinner. I snuck out of the house since the littles were playing nicely together. We I got back home I had this exchange with Brady...

Brady: Why'd you left us?
Me: We went out to dinner because it's Mommy & Daddy's anniversary. Do you know what that is?
Brady: No
Me: It's like a birthday for when you are married.
Brady: But you can't dance!

All this happened after he whispered, 'Mommy, mommy, mommy....I missed you super super much.'

:)

Three year old heart baby needs a family ASAP

Lucy was sent to a foster family in 2007 where she got along well with the other children in the family. In the summer of 2009 she was moved to the China Care Home, which is managed by Half the Sky Foundation. Lucy has a very serious heart condition and needs a family that can provide all the necessary medical resources for her.
In addition to her heart condition, Lucy has an incompletely-formed left arm and hand with only two fingers. Despite this, she is adept at manipulating even the smallest objects and is very focused when working with tiny spoons, small balls or puzzles. She is fond of books. She doesn’t like a noisy environment. If she listens to music for a while, she will then ask her foster mom to turn it off.
Lucy has a large vocabulary for her age. She knows the names of fruits and animals and can count basic numbers. She recognizes pictures of her friends and speaks their names. She is quite attached to her China Care mom but is also friendly with others. She has two best friends and happily plays with them as long as her foster mom is still in sight.

Lucy needs a family that is already DTC, if possible. If not, she will need to come on a medical visa and get the treatment she needs for her heart. Lucy would benefit most from a forever family, no matter how long her forever might be. If you think you would be interested or know someone who would be please contact Marci at 503-224-1860 or marcisk@asiadopt.org


Feel free to repost this! Lucy needs a family!

03/03/05

It's hard to believe that 5 years have passed since we were logged in for our angel girl. It's even harder to believe that in the 4+ years that she's been home, the CCAA has only sent referrals for 13 months past that LID. I am so thankful that the winding road that we took during AnnaClaire's adoption led to her. She's such a blessing to us!

Three months ago today...

we first saw the face of the little girl that we hope will be our new daughter. Jeff and I had both realized that God was burdening our hearts for adoption once again. We decided it was God's will for us, but we weren't sure when. Since the process has changed so much since we last adopted, I started emailing agencies and asking questions to try and figure out the timing and the new process and how any of it might affect our timing of when to start. Along the way, I saw some children on Rainbow Kids and some agency lists but they were all dead ends. On December 2, I was sitting at my computer when I received and email from an agency that they had received a new list. Jeff happened to be playing pool with Brandon and standing right next to me. I immediately went to the site and saw an adorable little girl. I called Jeff over and asked if he was interested in inquiring about her. He said yes (to my amazement, actually) and I typed a short and sweet email as fast as I could. Then I scrolled down and saw another precious little girl. Jeff was interested in her too (maybe he should play pool more often!). I shot off another quick email. Both girls were already under review, but we were second in line for both files. The first families had a week to decide-though it seemed like a year if you ask me (and probably even longer to Jeff, who had to live with my emotional frailty that week and Brandee, my adoption friend, who had to listen to all my hopes and fears). When the week was up, we didn't get either girl. Jeff took pity on me, and taking into account the the adoption tax credit was set to expire in December 2010 decided that we could start the process at the end of December. We planned to request to be agency matched. On December 17, I picked up the homestudy packet from our social worker and started filling out the paperwork. Then on Monday, December 21, I got an email that one of the little girls had become available and it asked if we still wanted to review the file. It took about a millisecond to email them back with a YES! A week later we told the agency we wanted her and then we had our first homestudy appointment the next day. Our agency didn't want us to send our LOI (letter of intent, telling China we want this child) until they had our homestudy rough draft. They received our rough draft on 2/15 which was during Chinese New Year so they didn't send our LOI until 2/19. Recently, China has decided that they won't be sending agencies designated lists of children any more and they are taking back files of children that agencies already have. Some files that they have taken back were files that families were reviewing, some had families ready to proceed and some even had families that had sent LOI (like us). As far as we know, our daughter's file has not yet been pulled, but until we receive PA (pre-approval from China) we aren't sure if she'll be ours. We ask that you please pray for God's will in this situation. We are emotionally invested in this child and are looking forward to making her a part of our family.

Adopting Older Children

I've recently been burdened by the plight of older children who need homes. There is an excellent post about Older Child Adoption on the Love Without Boundaries blog today.

http://www.lwbcommunity.org/adoption-of-older-children

Wo Ai Ni Mommy

I am looking forward to this documentary. Wo Ai Ni Mommy will have its World Premiere at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The film will be screened on Sunday, March 14th at 3pm and again on Wednesday, March 17th at 7pm.

God's Heart for Adoption

If you are like me, you're going to need some tissues. I am still crying.

How have I ever passed a homestudy?

Mom of the year here. Tonight Jeff had a business dinner, Cameron was working, and Brandon & Ryan had their small group meetings. I have to take Ryan over to the church which is about 25 minutes away from our house, so the little kids and I need to kill about an hour while he is there. Tonight it is snowing and cold. I decided to take the littles to a Mexican restaurant near our church. We couldn't find a close parking spot so I carried Brady into the restaurant while the girls held my hand. When we walked in to the restaurant there was a small area to stand and we waited for the host to seat us. It was really tight in the restaurant and I was trying to push the kids along to the table. When we got back to the table the host points at Brady and said something I didn't understand. I look down at Brady and there he is...BAREFOOT. In the restaurant. So while I am thinking 'um, Jesus, this would be a real good time to come back' the man at the table next to us is laughing so hard that I think he's going to pee himself. At least someone enjoyed it because I was mortified. When the laughing man left, he told me 'Good Luck'. Oh boy.

Ryan no longer has braces!

He got them off yesterday morning! Isn't he a cutie? ;)

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

We went to IHOP tonight (everyone but Cameron) and had FREE pancakes. Then we donated to a great cause-The Children's Miracle Network. It was fun family time and I recommend it. They do it every year. After we had eaten, Allie turned to me and said, 'Mama, what are you making for dinner?' DUH!

Sweet Little Lin!

This little one has stolen my heart. I would hate to see his file returned to China. Could he be your son? Please check him out. :)

http://asiahope.blogspot.com/2010/02/anyone-looking-to-adopt-deaf-child.html

I also happen to know that there are at least 3 beautiful boys from Shantou (Brady's Orphanage) that are on the shared list.

Amazing song!

Another photograph to wrestle in my head
Another sleepless night on concrete featherbed
These thoughts of you like bullets to my soul
We’ve got to find a way to get you home

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Lightyears away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Throw the clocks away and run out to the street
We’ll fly to distant clouds where it’s just you and me
A day will come when all of this is gone
You’ve got to find a way to believe

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Lightyears away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Close your eyes and dream of a better day with me
As angels hold you tight, may you sleep in peace tonight

So dream, dream, dream my child
Hear the whisperings of hope
It’s a song that you can sing, as you sleep in peace tonight

Gina needs a family!

In China, once a child turns 14 they can no longer be adopted. For a Chinese orphan, turning 14 is like a door slamming shut. Their hope a family gone forever. Gina is a beautiful 13 year old who will turn 14 in May. She has no family and no family working to bring her home. If you know anyone who has a dossier in China or is nearly DTC, please pass on the information about Gina. Her chance of having a forever family is slipping away. You can click HERE for some pictures and video of Gina.

Here is an email about Gina from the Special Needs coordinator from ASIA, the agency that has her file:

I am writing to try to find a family for one of our waiting children
from our Hope's Journey program who is about to age out in May. We call
her Gina, and you can see more information on our blog, listed below my
signature. We had a family for her, but they are unable to continue with
their adoption for reasons having nothing to do with Gina. It is for
that reason that I'm reaching out to try to help this child's dream of a
family come true. Because she risks aging out so soon, we have to find a
family that is already dossiered or very close to dossier ready to
pursue her. If you have any interest, or know of anyone who could be
interested, please have them contact me. Gina is a sweet 13 year old
girlie girl who likes dolls, is shy and studies hard. She knows some
English already and is seeing many of her peers getting adopted. She
wants a forever family of her own. She is bright, sweet, healthy and
likes reading and sports. We have lots of pictures and videos of Gina,
so please contact me for more information.
Sincerely,

Marci Siegel-Kittrell, MSW
Director of Social Services
Associated Services for International Adoption
215 SW Hooker St. #100
Portland, OR 97201
503-224-1860
marcisk@asiadopt.org
http://www.asiadopt.org/

The Love of a Father

Amazing what this man did for his children.


click: Man takes matters into his own hands to rescue adopted kids

Happy New Year!

Yeah, it's the 11th. I am a little late. I am still getting into the hang of blogging again. I totally missed Allie Day, Jeff's Birthday, Ryan's Birthday, My sister's wedding.... I seem to do that every December. AnnaClaire Day is the 5th and she gets a post. Allie Day is the 7th and it goes unposted. Here's a snippet I posted on my Facebook Page on Allie Day:

Six years ago today were learned that dreams do come true when we were given Qiu Xiao Lian, our first daughter. Jeff had been a reluctant adopter and had worries throughout the process but it didn't take long for Miss Allie to take care of that! The morning after we got her he was looking at her from across the table at the White Swan breakfast and said, 'everyone should do this at least once'. One sweet little baby girl was all it took to turn a doubter into an adoption advocate (who adopted twice more!). Today also happens to be Jeff's birthday. What better gift on your birthday than the gift of a child? Our Allie is a precious gift. She came to us with quite the personality and remains a diva to this day...but she also has a HUGE heart. Last night as Jeff, Brandon and Ryan prepared to go shopping for needy families with our church youth, Allie gave Jeff all her money from her bank. Jeff told her that he would take some of it and handed her back part of the money. She pressed it back into his hand and said, 'I want you to take it all'. I love that girl!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas~for the orphan

This is a fellow adoptive mom's own take on 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I thought it was so moving that I asked to share it here. Thanks Amy!

Twas the Night Before Christmas--for the Parentless.....


Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land
there are parentless children, with no toys in hand

No stockings to be hung by the chimny with care
no hopes for a family soon to be there

Their beds are not snug--but cold and quite bare
there are no goodnight kisses--no one to care

While we in our homes, laughing in delight
all settle down for a Merry Chistmas Eve night

When in someone's heart--there arises a clatter
there are children in need--who's lives really DO matter!

Away to the computer please go in a flash
to see the sweet face with whom YOU could be matched!

While a child you see--their beautiful face all aglow
could this be MY child--could I already know??

When in the dreams of the orphan--what always appears
is a family to love them, to care and hold dear

As you stare at that child--your heart beats real quick--
for you know in your heart that sweet face will stick

More dreams sweet children have--to call parents by name-
come mama! come daddy! come family to claim!

To the ends of the earth--your heart seems to call
now child--I'm coming--I wish for you ALL!

So on a plane to your child--over rooftops you flew
to hold this dear soul--a wish did come true

And then in a twinkling-I saw through the door
this child of my heart-that was waiting no more

As I got my camera and was turning around-
into my arms did he come with a bound!

He was dressed in many layers from his head to his foot
and into my heart his life was just put

there was no round face--no plump little belly
just sad little eyes, and legs shaking like jelly

In a swirl of a pen, and a stamp and a seal
my world became brighter--like I could suddenly feel!

We spoke not a word--they weren't needed at all
and I knew in this moment where I got this call

God layed his hands on my heart--and to the occasion I rose
and He could do it for you--this question He'll pose.....

It won't be a shout--no not even a whistle
it won't be real clear--but faint like a whisper

Can you make room in your heart--if you try with your might?
And make a difference for one--help them see the light?

I can see you exclaim as you hold your child tight--
Thank you Lord for this gift--you got it EXACTLY right!

I'm gonna be a.......

Brandon was accepted to the University of Tennessee this week. It's a good thing too because that is the only place he applied. I am so happy for him but also sad because we will miss him being so far away from us. I guess you have to let them go sometime....apparently no one ever told Cameron that little fact. ;)

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