blessed.

February 6!

2012-01-19T19:17:00.004-05:00

That's the day. Officially! Mom and Dad are leaving the 3rd with a CA on the 13th. And most importantly, they will be holding Ellie on FEBRUARY 6th!!!!! That's less than three weeks away!!!!!!!

The flights are booked, the suitcases will eventually be packed, the aunts and Grandma will be there to take care of Grace, AC, Charlie, and Kate. And Mom and Dad will be off to China one more time. They even have Amy as their guide again! Amy was our first guide back in 2006 when we were in Hunan adopting AnnaClaire. The Lord has literally brought us full circle... back to Chenzhou, back with Amy.

I'll be following along with the rest of you. :( I wish getting out of college classes for two weeks was possible. But I can probably manage two days, so this girl will be going home to welcome my adorable baby sister HOME on February 15!

You can follow along here: www.myadoptionwebsite.com/ellieatlast! Dad has promised to take pictures for me. And Mom will take over the rest.

Prayers are so appreciated as Miss Ellie leaves all she has ever known, and as our family grows once more. IN 18 DAYS!

Praising Jesus tonight for his faithfulness always. And for his perfect timing. He is so very good.

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-18T20:19:00.003-05:00

Rejoicing today that the Lord has been faithful to us in what he promised back in May. Miss Ellie is coming HOME!!!!!

I'll update as soon as we have a confirmed CA and travel dates, but it is looking like Mom and Dad will be leaving on February 3rd and holding precious Ellie on the 6th! Thank you for praying and journeying with us all these months. I know I've have been so distant, but I promise to post soon and catch y'all up with the family and also a little bit of what Jesus has been showing me!

But as for now, we celebrate the fact that Ellie is FINALLY coming home. We covet your prayers as we make the journey to China once more and adopt another precious treasure into our family!

"What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." -Isaiah 46:11

SO much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T12:53:00.002-05:00

But we'll start with naming one...

WE HAVE LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY.

170 days later and the email came on Thanksgiving of all days :)

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1

So many updates!!!

2011-10-26T15:00:00.003-04:00

Sorry for leaving y'all wondering about us for the past couple of months! I figured y'all deserve a little update on the happenings of our family, so here you go! Sorry it's SO long in coming!!

First up-- ELLIE! All our stuff has been super delayed because our entire dossier was lost, and so we are having to do the re-use process, but we are working on getting her home as soon as possible! Still waiting for LOA, unfortunately. The whole process has been extremely frustrating considering we sent LOI back in May and were already through review, but trusting God in HIS perfect timing! Our agency did tell us yesterday that we should have it in at least 2-4 weeks. Not soon enough, but at least a light at the end of the tunnel! But here are some updated pictures of our girl... isn't she ADORABLE?!?! The last 2 are from back in August and the first 4 we were sent yesterday from our agency! Our baby girl is now 17 months old and has 16 teeth and weighs 22 pounds! Can't wait for her to be a part of our FAM! Never thought we'd still be waiting...

As for the family, everyone is doing well!!! I was home at the end of Sept. for homecoming and it was SO good seeing everyone! AnnaClaire is doing soccer, Kate is loving dance, Grace is swimming, and Charlie just got his leg braces off so that is good news! They are all doing great with homeschool stuff and I'm sure keeping Mom very busy! I miss seeing their precious little faces daily, so it was good getting some time, although it went by much too fast! They're coming down this weekend and I'm so excited to show the littles off to all my friends and show them all around AU! AnnaClaire turns SIX tomorrow, which is just crazy! My babies are growing up without me!! They are all doing so great though!

Dad sent me all of these yesterday... they are from trips to the apple farm and pumpkin patch! I know they are all enjoying and embracing fall back at home! I may be biased, but I have the cutest siblings in the world :)

Yesterday was Kate's THIRD gotcha day!!! I can't even believe it's been 3 years since this precious little girl joined our family and changed my life! I remember it like it was yesterday... the screams, the tears, the heartbreak, the resistance, and the somber little 19 month old that slowly broke down her walls and let us in... and that same little princess is now 4 and a half and so full of JOY and LIFE no matter how small she may be! I love her more than words could ever describe and am so thankful that I have the absolute blessing of being called her big sister! I so wish I could've been there to celebrate her special day but am thankful to at least have some pictures to remind me of how thankful I am for HER and that God chose HER to be a part of our family!

My PRECIOUS roommate!

As for me, I am LOVING Auburn! I cannot imagine being anywhere else in the world! God has blessed me ABUNDANTLY here and I am so thankful! I have an incredible roommate who has become one of my very best friends and precious girls that I have met in my dorm and become very good friends with! I am in a sorority and loving that! It's so much fun though and a great group of girls! I'm definitely staying busy between balancing all of the social stuff and schoolwork, but getting used to the balance! I'm going to a Church that I love and hope to become more and more involved in. And of course football is great. Even though we aren't having the best season, it's still been so fun to watch and I've gotten to visit some of my friends at other schools for our away games, which is SO fun! I've seriously had such an amazing adjustment here and just love college life! Obviously not every moment is easy and there are definite lonely times and times when I wish I could just be home for a little (my own space, home cooked meals, my family, my friends from home, being familiar with everything and everyone would be nice... you know, those typical things that everyone misses!) However, I am extremely blessed and ADORE Auburn! My friends and I are always going on walks and we just stop in amazement that THIS is our school!

So that's about all I can think of for now. Sorry I just left you all hanging for so long and come back with such a long post!!! I've missed blogging and having a record of everything going on in our lives! I'm going to try and teach Mom how to blog so she can pick it up and keep y'all updated, especially as we get closer to completing our family!!

More Ellie Pics

2011-08-03T09:48:00.002-04:00

A family we know was visiting Chenzhou back in April and got these pictures of Ellie! She would've been 11 months at the time :) I can't even handle the cuteness :)

ellie updates

2011-07-30T16:46:00.001-04:00

We're 2 months into the LOA wait, while also working on renewing our i800a! We were fingerprinted last week, so we are getting there! We are ready to bring home our sweet girl! Every night at dinner, AnnaClaire and Kate alternate praying. And every night, the prayer goes something like this,

"Dear God, thank you for this food and our family. Please watch over Ellie as she waits in China. Please don't let her cry when Mommy and Daddy fly on the big airplane to China and she goes into their arms. Please keep her safe. In Jesus name I pray, amen."

Needless to say, they are very excited.

All three girls really are. They talk about her all the time. They tell people about her. They have her pictures in their rooms.

I don't know if Charlie quite gets it. :)

Just look at this sweet girl...

What's not to love?!

Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I just got back from a missions trip to Costa Rica (which was AMAZING!!!!) and have been so very busy with getting ready for college and trying to enjoy every last moment of my summer before I go! I leave on SATURDAY... a week from today. Which is just crazy!!! But we're having a great summer! Lots of time has been spent at the pool and swimming beach, and Mom has been loving doing Ellie shopping, too! Hopefully it won't be too much longer...

4th of july weekend

2011-07-09T10:53:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, the the day was spent back at the mountains! The mountains are always a hit with our crew and thankfully, they are not too far away! When they were leaving, they saw a flier for fireworks so stopped by and had a nice firework show before coming home! Good thing, because we had a huge storm on the 4th (power went out and everything...) so there were no fireworks until late! On the 4th, the whole afternoon was spent at the pool. Charlie is becoming quite the swimmer, which exciting! He used to be incredibly fearful of the water and would just latch himself on to people in it, but not he is putting his face under and swimming for rings! I'm so proud of my boy! Gracie has been in swim lessons the past 2 weeks and is really getting her strokes down! A ton of time is spent at the pool, so it's good that they are starting to swim so much! They really are quite the fish and all 4 absolutely love going to the pool! The kids and Dad worked on making ice cream (that ended up more like milkshakes!) and after dinner, we all had that. It was delicious! So the 4th was a very fun day for all :)

Just posted a bunch of pics below, too, so make sure to scroll :)

pictures, pictures, pictures

2011-07-09T10:05:00.003-04:00

I was looking through pictures and realized there are SO many I haven't posted... so here are a bunch of them!!!

The two 5 year olds in our house... they are almost the exact same size now!!

Back in May, a bunch of friends who have adopted and live in the area met for a picnic at the park. It was a fun day for everyone! Nothing like a day at the park with all of their friends! I think we'd all agree to say that the community of adoptive families here is absolutely amazing and something we are so very thankful for!

On Memorial Day, Grandma and Dad took the kids to the train museum. The train museum is a favorite activity and they had so much fun!!! There was homemade ice cream, of course, to top the day off!

At the end of May, Charlie finally got his casts off!!!!! That was an exciting day, although I have to say that he was becoming pretty amazing with his casts and was even walking around in them. The leg braces are much better/easier though and it was good to finally start giving him real baths! He has been such a trooper with his feet and they look great!

While I was in Orlando, Mom, Dad, and the kids drove up to Blowing Rock to visit some very dear friends who were there for the week. We traveled to China together when we adopted AnnaClaire and they adopted their sweet Claire and we hadn't seen them since our last reunion that was a year and a half ago! They've now added Lily, who we met last year in Chongqing!! and their sweet baby Jack! I was SO sad to miss out, but Mom and Dad said they had such a fun day playing in Blowing Rock and eating Kilwins ice cream-- our favorite! I know I say this all the time, but there is just nothing like the miracle of adoption. We went into it never knowing the lifelong friends we would have as a result. These families are like relatives to us and time spent with them is always so very special.

And finally, here are some pictures from the gotcha/father's day celebration! I was sad to miss this, too, as I was in Orlando. Lunch was at PF Chang's of course! It worked out perfectly because the Sunday was right in between Charlie's day and Gracie's day! It's hard to believe they've been home for a year already!

Amazing Grace

2011-06-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

I missed Gracie's gotcha anniversary, as I was in Orlando last week with my friend and her family. (Disney World in June... hot, crowded, long lines... but SO MUCH FUN!) so I'm about 8 days late on this, but of course can't forget about the year that has passed since we met Miss Grace!

June 21, 2010. It was a Monday. We were sitting at a restaurant with the other 2 families in our travel group when all of a sudden, someone says, "Oh my gosh! It's already 1:30!" We quickly left, went back up to our rooms to grab some stuff, and met back to leave for the civil affairs office.

One word to describe the bus ride. Anticipation. We had no idea what to expect. We were driving all over Nanchang, taking in the sites, pinching ourselves to remind ourselves that this was all real. That we would be meeting our sweet Grace within minutes.

The past 7 months of staring at her pictures and praising God for the MANY miracles he provided all along the way... and it was all coming down to this.

We walked in and I scanned all around for OUR Grace. She wasn't there yet. Babies were screaming as miracles were taking place all around the room. There truly is no way to describe the miracle of adoption. It's a beautiful thing.

Whereas our other gotcha moments have been less hectic, this one was incredibly crazy. The tiny room was packed full of people. 2 of our 3 were in tears, there was a leak in the room, kids were crying, parents were crying... it was HECTIC.

And then she walked in and everything stopped for a moment. All I could focus on was MY sister walking toward us. The precious 10 year old girl we had prayed for throughout the past months... with the biggest smile I've ever seen.

She walked over and just looked at us, slowly approaching each person in our family. And over the next hour, we stayed in that room, getting to know each other.

Adopting an older child is so different. It's awkward, but it's amazing. In her, we saw this DESIRE to be adopted and to have a family. She wanted to be helpful. She would always stay close to us-- holding onto the stroller everywhere we went without even being asked to. She loved to hold hands as she would walk around. She had grown up knowing how it is to be in a family, and as a result, she has adjusted beautifully to being in one. There was an absolute love of life that was so obvious then and continues to be incredibly obvious.

From the moment we met her, she has always been our amazing Grace. She is strong and brave. She is beautiful on the inside and out. She is helpful and obedient. She is HILARIOUS and always cracking us-- and herself-- up. She is such a tom boy and getting her to wear skirts and dresses is no easy task. She loves having a family, loves her siblings, and has an especially close bond with AC. They are a bit competitive with each other and have their moments of arguing, but since the day we met her, they have been best friends.

Her English has come so far. I remember Mom and I would wonder if she would EVER speak English, because the first couple of months it was just not there and she didn't even really try. Yet now, if it weren't for her strong accent, you would never guess she has only been home from China for 1 year and only knew the most basic English words prior to coming home. And although she admits sometimes that she has forgotten a couple of her Chinese words, she has still retained much of her Mandarin. She has a few friends that were also adopted from China that she talks to every once in awhile and I just love to hear her talking away in Mandarin, the beautiful language that is so much a part of her.

She has come so far in this past year. She is SO much a part of our family and it is shocking to me that it has only been a year. I am so thankful that God called us to her family on that day back in November of 2009. She was an unexpected surprise, but an amazing little girl that fits so perfectly into our growing family. And speaking of growing... she is absolutely overjoyed at the fact that we are returning to China to adopt again. She has asked for months now to return to China for another sister. Of course, she was hoping for a sister her age, but she is just as excited for a baby! :)

I love you, Gracie and am so thankful that God has placed you in my life. You are amazing and beautiful and don't ever forget that! Your strength and courage amazes me each and every day. The love of life and love of other that you have is truly something beautiful. The obvious growth you have had this past year-- both literally and physically-- is something I am so proud of. I love you so much!!

A Year of Charlie

2011-06-17T10:59:00.002-04:00

It was a Thursday afternoon in Chongqing, China. It was hot, humid, and we were anxious. We had been in this province for the past 3 days, wanting desperately to just meet our sweet boy. (Thank you, dragon boat festivals.) For the past year, we had been looking at his pictures, getting to know his features, and counting down until we could finally wrap our arms around him.

And the day was finally here.

He was 4 and a half years old and finally going to meet his family. The excitement was felt all around. Yet with it were nerves. We had only adopted baby girls. What was it going to be like to adopt a pre-school aged boy?!

The van ride to the orphanage was the longest ride I have ever been on. There was so much anticipation of what was about to occur.

I don't think anyone was anticipating what actually happened though.

We were quickly greeted and led from the car to an elevator. The moment we stepped of the elevator, there was a little boy. With a sweet little cowlick. OUR little boy. He was pointing to each of us, saying, "Mama. Baba. Jie Jie. Jie Jie. Mei Mei!" He was smiling as he pointed. And he never really stopped. There was an incredibly brief moment of tears when Mom tried to hold him in a picture and he wanted Dad, but that was really about it.

We played with some toys in the little playroom at the orphanage for a little. Charlie showed us his crib, got his pillow from it, and spent awhile pointing to the faces on the pillow and then to each of us in person. It was the most unique gotcha experience I have ever seen, but I do think it was incredibly good for him. Instead of being thrust into strangers arms in a strange place, he was able to get to know us in a very familiar place with familiar people around him. He got to show us his things, his nannies, his friends.

As the nannies stuffed his little hands with candies, coaxing him onto the elevator to come with us, I was sure the tears were going to start. Yet again, they never did. He simply smiled and squealed, climbing into the car with us. He and the little girls sang and laughed the entire way to the hotel.

In China, he would get into EVERYTHING and hold a pout like I have never seen before. But that was it. Other than that, he has always been an incredibly happy and go with the flow little guy. He has an AMAZING personality. He is tender, sweet, and incredibly loving. He is BRAVE. He had his club feet surgery in March and although in immense pain, didn't really complain all that much. For the next couple of weeks, he had casts from his toes to his trunk. At 5 years old, he couldn't move or walk for about 6 weeks. Added to that, we had some very hot days and the heat must've been immense on his legs. I can't even imagine. He had his casts changed again, this time shorter ones. He mostly scooched around, but he did have to learn to stand and take a few steps, as we cheered him on for overcoming something that he had at first been terrified of trying. Finally, he just got those off and is now sporting little Thomas leg braces. These he will wear for the next few months. He is learning to walk on feet that are straight... something that he is not used to. Through the whole process, he hasn't complained. He has just gone with it with a sweet little spirit about him that I adore. And he is already back to riding his bike! :)

He is an amazing addition to our family and I can't imagine life without this sweet little guy. IN a house full of girls, his go-with-the-flow and drama free attitude is very appreciated. He and Kate have an especially strong bond. If Kate is not there, he continuously asks, "Where's K Cakes?" They are so sweet together and always have fun together-- with very little arguing.

He has done very well this past year just transitioning into family life here. He loves having siblings and constant play mates. He hardly ever gets into things as he once did in China. He has had some struggles with the language and although you can understand what he says, he does stutter a lot so he does have speech therapy once a week. He is doing well with that :)

I love this little guy with all my heart and am so thankful that God chose US to be his family. There aren't many moments that a huge smile isn't on his face. He is just a happy little dude... always has been and I pray that he always will be. He is constantly just cracking himself up and I absolutely love his sweet little laugh.

To my little Charlie Man... I love you more than words can describe and my heart is very full with you in my life. I am so thankful that God called us to YOU and for everything you have been to our family. Happy one year together, little man!

Priceless

2011-06-13T11:51:00.004-04:00

Right after we received Ellie's referral, Mom remembered that Visiting Orphans was taking a trip to Chenzhou. She emailed the trip leader, Shannon, about our sweet girl and told her that any info and pictures would be so appreciated. Little did we know just how many pictures and how much detail we would get on our precious girl. Some of the pictures are above for your viewing pleasure. Isn't she a DOLL?! And then... one of the girls on the trip really connected with Ellie and has posted many detailed posts on her blog about our girl! So the following are her posts about Miss Ellie. They are more for me to have on here to look back, but go ahead and read about our beautiful, shy, sweet, puzzle loving little girl! I'm a little jealous that it's not me over there holding her and feeding her :)

One little girl who is being adopted didn't want anything to do with us. Anytime we would touch her she'd cry (I'm sure she'd never seen anyone like us). I tried to move her away from one kid who was on her back kicking, and out came the water works. I just sat her on the floor and rubbed her back for the longest time. I'm sure she hated it, but she eventually stopped crying, and we sat there together. Feeding time came, and I had the privilege to feed her the congee they had for her. This little girl scarfed down a HUGE bowl of this stuff. She got to the point where she was used to me and would actually look at me with a pleasant face... Not like she was about to burst out crying. By the time we had to leave, she was fairly happy. I got up to go and she started looking all around the room for me. I thought, what a great break through. She's getting out of her comfort zone and she's not scared anymore. It'll hopefully make her adoption that much easier.

..........

At the orphanage we played with the babies some more. I found the little girl I talked about yesterday. I played with her the whole morning. Her parents are naming her Ellie, so I'll refer to her as that from now on.

Ellie wasn't happy to see me. She was sitting by herself, so I figured she'd want some company, but boy was I wrong. She cried and cried. I rubbed her back again and then Katie brought out some of the toys that someone donated. She quieted down and became interested in the puzzles. Anytime I tried to move her, she'd get upset.

We sat in a circle and sang songs and played games, but she didn't want much to do with it. She held on to her two balls she had real tight and that made her happy. I knew picking her up and walking around would set her off, but I just wanted to try... Get her a little used to new things. As suspected, she cried, but stopped soon. She's a curious baby, always wanting to see what others around her are doing.

Feeding time came, and she ate up her big bowl of congee again. :) the kids at this orphanage eat well. Some get two or even three bowls if they're hungry enough. Many of the kids are chubby ;)

Ellie and I walked around some and sat down. She began to actually look at me more. She started touching my face... My eyes, nose, and mouth. Then she played with my hair. It was nice to see her making some physical contact.

By the time it was time for us to go, she was getting tired and rubbing her eyes. I think their nap time is right after they eat.

My goal for this week is that I'll get a smile out of Ellie. It may be hard, but I'm going to work at it.

...........

We went back to the orphanage, and we were told to go upstairs and play with the babies. I found Ellie, picked her up and walked around a little bit. She didn't fuss at all, and no tears formed in her eyes which made me happy.

Progress. Slowly but surely, progress.

We played for awhile. She loves balls and things that make noise when you shake. She found my toes and started playing with them, looking at the purple nail polish, it was funny. And she loves to observe everyone else. She's a very chill baby.

Its sad because they have heat rash all over their bodies. They sleep in a hot room with only two air conditioning units in the middle, and they keep them in long sleeves and pants. Ellie was itching all over today, so I scratched her back and arms softly and she liked it.

At one point we were just sitting there playing and a little smile started to form. We almost got there... So close. It made me happy. But then she went back to the same old face she has. Haha. I'm going to keep working on that.

..........

I found Ellie and picked her up and sat her down. No tears! We found some toys and she went about playing. She loves toys that squeak. After awhile I laid on my stomach and was at her eye level, then. She looked at me and grabbed some toys and put them on my face. I began to shake my head crazily, and she just gave me the biggest smile. She's such a beautiful baby. She kept doing that for awhile. Then she put the toy down and took her hand and started touching my eyes and my nose. Then she put her fingers in my mouth, and was interested in my teeth.

.............

Food came and every single baby in the room got food except for her. She sat there waiting forever. I felt so bad for her. As soon as that first bowl of congee comes out and is handed to a baby, so immediately stops playing and just waits. And she seems to always be the last baby to receive the food, ha. Poor thing.

And then the funny thing is, when she gets it... She's such a slow poke eating it. She takes a mouthful and slowly swallows it as she watches all the other babies play. Its kind of funny.

The Story of Ellie.

2011-06-09T20:23:00.065-04:00

(precious Ellie... taken YESTERDAY by a sweet woman who is at Chenzhou with Visiting Orphans!!!)

So I bet no one was expecting THAT! :)

I know y'all want the story of how this precious little girl became ours. The way that she became a part of our family is nothing short of miraculous and is completely God. 100% his doing. There is no other way to explain the events that have happened in order for sweet Li Meng to become our precious Ellie. She's our little miracle and what a gift God has given us already by bringing her into our lives. So without further ado....

Ellie's story starts with a date. March 31, 2010. Aside from being my 17th birthday, this was also the day that our dossier was logged in for Grace. Of course, if you have been following my blog for the past year or so, there's a good chance that you know that that dossier was never used. Right after we sent it, thinking we would take two separate trips to adopt Grace and Charlie, we received Gracie's LOA out of the blue. That was completely miraculous, and it still amazes me that we literally were approved to adopt Grace off of Charlie's dossier... a dossier holding a homestudy requesting that we adopt a 4 year old boy. That's all.

So here we are with this log in date for a daughter. A dossier just sitting in China. It was often brought up of what we were going to do with this dossier. We couldn't just let it sit there! I remember someone in our travel group said, "not using that dossier would be equivalent to having an abortion!" And so for a short time, we thought maybe there would be an 8th child in our family. However, it wasn't long before that thought had changed and we were done. A complete family of 9. I don't think the longing for a child ever really went away in Mom's heart, although the rest of us were perfectly at peace with our family.

In February, Mom had this sense that we weren't done. We actually started the process of renewing our homestudy, which was just about to expire. She asked our agency coordinator to look on the Feb. shared list, feeling like her daughter may be on it. However, it was not to be. Mom and Dad talked some more and decided it was really not the time to adopt. Mom let Diana know and started to try to feel some sort of peace that our family was complete.

So from mid February until May 26, we were sure our family was complete.

God was probably laughing. Because what was about to happen is something that we never expected. Typical of Him. :)

May 27, 2011. A day that had been anticipated for a long time. My high school graduation day.

That morning, Mom woke up to an email from Diana.

"I think I have found your baby girl!"

Wait, WHAT?

She was one year old. Precious and adorable. Mom showed Dad, who agreed that she was precious, but answered with a "no, now is not the time for us to adopt again." A while later, Mom sent a very hard email to Diana, basically saying that it was the perfect referral, but that now was not the time. Because that's the truth. The file of a 12 month old baby girl with a special need we are very comfortable with. What Mom had dreamed of. But it's also true that with three of us in college in the fall, it's truly not the best time.

After Mom sent this email, an email that as you can imagine had her crying, she actually READ the referral information. The baby's name jumped out. Chen Li Meng. CHEN. We know that surname. It's the same as AnnaClaire's. Mom read further and sure enough, she is from Chenzhou. While this might not seem like a big deal, it was to us. You see, it's been a pretty known fact in our family that if we could ever adopt another baby from Chenzhou, we wouldn't even think twice about it. I'm not sure why that is, maybe just the connection and emotion behind that being where we first adopted from, but for one reason or another, that has always been something we've dreamed of doing... adopting another baby girl form Chenzhou. Mom told Dad, and then sent Diana an email telling her we were going to talk and pray about it more, and ending the email by asking when the file unlocked. We were told that we had until Sunday night.

Meanwhile, it is my graduation day. There are 15 people in our house. Mom and Dad are trying to keep this to themselves. Yes, that's right. I didn't even know. Mom didn't want to take away from "my" day. I think she was probably scared of my reaction, too. It might surprise you to know that I am the one who was totally against adopting again. I had my reasons, but in the end, that was just how I felt.

The day went on. Mom was an emotional wreck. She was exhausted and wanted time to herself and to really think and pray, but was entertaining a houseful instead.

I was woken up too early (considering the time I got home that morning from all of our graduation stuff) by Mom who said, "let me show you something, but don't say anything until I'm finished." It didn't take long for me to figure out that she was showing me a baby... and not someone else's baby.

I thought she was adorable. Mom told me to actually read the referral, and of course it didn't take long for me to read that she was from Chenzhou. Or to notice that her mug shot looked IDENTICAL to AnnaClaire's. Mom was crying and I was just taking it in. I kinda sat there for a second before asking what they were going to do. Mom told me they had declined it at first but had until Sunday to officially decide. At this point, I was crying too and told her my thoughts... "Mom, you KNOW I'm not for another adoption. You KNOW I think we have enough kids in our family. But there is NO WAY you can decline this referral. God couldn't make it any clearer that she belongs in our family. Saying no would be like slapping Him in the face." I think that is exactly how Mom felt, but I think she was glad to hear it from me.

Because here's the the thing. Her age... her special need... Chenzhou... and we never even asked. We had said we were done and not to look anymore. And here we have this beautiful child staring back at us with these little things we had prayed for for so long. God literally dropped her in our laps. There's no other way to describe it.

Dad was downstairs with the 15 people that were over at this point. I asked him to come up, because I know that me saying that I was okay with it was an answer to prayer in one way or another. And I wanted to tell him exactly what I had told Mom.

And the rest is history. That night, they wrote our LOI and started on all that needs to be done in order to update our homestudy.

Our LOI was sent on May 29 and PA came on June 7 while Mom and I were up at Au*burn for my orientation. And we are completely clueless on timing because of the fact that we are logged in and through review, but we have to update everything. Sometime this year though, Miss Ellie LiMeng will be coming home from Chenzhou CWI. Our first adoption from there, our last adoption from there. We've come full circle and are so excited.

And we're praising God. Because only He could do what He has done.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-07T20:21:00.003-04:00

Elisabeth LiMeng "Ellie"

Chen Li Meng

Born on May 4, 2010

Living in Chenzhou CWI in Hunan, China

Kate's Dance Recital

2011-06-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

On the 21st, Kate had her ballet recital! I was so sad to miss it, but was home the night before for her dress rehearsal and snapped some pictures. She looked absolutely beautiful. Our girl LOVES to dance. Isn't her costume so pretty? She wears it around the house daily. She is definitely our princess :) The pictures at the recital were taken by Dad, who treated her to a bouquet of white roses afterwards! The dance was to "How Great is Our God," which is in Kate's adoption video and she loved that she got to dance to "her song!"

Graduation!

2011-05-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

I was out of school about 2 weeks before my graduation, and my summer started early with a trip to the beach with all of my girl friends. We came home on Thursday and then we celebrated my high school graduation on Friday and it was wonderful! Both aunts and uncles and both of my grandmas came in for the occasion and we've had a great weekend with them all! It was definitely a bittersweet night for me, as I am very excited to be done, but sad to leave the school I've been blessed to go to for the past 4 years and the amazing friends I've made there! I still can't believe how fast these years went. It feels like just yesterday I was walking into high school for the first time. Now I'm done. I am so excited for the next chapter of my life at Au*burn though!!!! I leave the first week of August! Just wanted to share some pictures from my graduation night, so enjoy! The few at the end are the next day :) Decked out in Au*burn stuff, of course! :)

Thirty One Event

2011-05-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

This July, I will be going on a missions trip to Costa Rica with a team from my high school. I am so excited for this opportunity to serve in Costa Rica and cannot wait to be over there!! To make this trip possible, I have been working to raise support. One way that I have been supported is through being able to host a Thirty-One online party on Wednesday. Just thought this would be a perfect place to tell you about it and hope that you guys can find some things to shop for on Wednesday!! Here's the letter with all you need to know~

Dear Friends and Family, you have been invited to my Thirty-One Online Fashion Party and Mission Trip Fundraiser.

For one night only, Thirty-One Gifts is holding an ONLINE Fashion Party and you're invited! From the comfort of your home, log on to www.mythirtyone.com/jeanetter from 6 - 10 pm on Wednesday 5/18 to watch an exclusive video showcasing some of our favorite products, collections and special offers! Then place your order under Emily's Mission Trip Fundraiser and 100% of the commission from your purchase will go to help Emily minister to the people of Costa Rica in July! Please be sure to have all orders placed by 10 pm.

All orders will be shipped to Emily or you can choose to have your gifts shipped directly to you. Enjoy the show! (please note..."The Event" link below will not be activated until Wed. 5/18 @ 6:00. Until then, visit www.mythirtyone.com/jeanetter to browse the online catalog and start making your wish list!)

View the show here: The Event
Shop here: The Store

Happy Mothers Day...

2011-05-08T21:48:00.000-04:00

...to the best mom in the world. and all of you other mothers out there.

Spring Break!

2011-05-01T18:25:00.001-04:00

So I know I uploaded a RIDICULOUS number of pictures, but considering how awful I've been with pictures, this will make up for it :)

The week before Easter, we headed down to Pan*ama City for spring break. On the way, we stopped at Aub*urn, because Mom hadn't seen it yet and I was dying for her to see my future home! :) Anyway, we had SO much fun!! Will met us there for his Easter break and we had the best time. We used Dad's Mar*iott points and stayed at a beautiful resort and had so much fun on the beach, pontoon boat, and even jet skiing one of the days! (just Dad, Will, Grace, and I.) On Saturday, while we were jet skiing, Mom took the little ones on an Easter egg hunt the hotel did and they got to see the bunny! That was good since we had totally forgotten Easter baskets and everything... This was the first beach trip for both Grace and Charlie and they loved it. There is just nothing like a beach trip and we can all agree on that! Dad and I took Grace to play putt putt one of the nights and she was the only one of us to make a hole in 1! It was so fun. So our Easter and spring break were WONDERFUL. The water there was beautiful, clear, and the perfect temperature. Grace and AnnaClaire were body surfing all in the ocean and loved it! They are quite the little fish! We were so glad Will joined as, too, as we hadn't seen him since Christmas! We are all excited because he's coming home for 3 weeks before heading back to TX for his internship.

I'd have to say the best part was jet skiing! We went through the ocean and at one point were surrounded by 20ish dolphins. It was AMAZING. They were swimming all around us and it was so beautiful. There's nothing like watching little ones on the beach either :) We had such a fun and relaxing time and it was so good to be on vacation and spend some time as a family! (Although we missed Drew a lot!)

Hope you're all doing well! I have two more weeks of school, but no more full weeks since I have 3 AP exams. It's all starting to hit me that I'm graduating THIS MONTH and I am not sure how I feel about that... it's definitely a bittersweet time!!

Senior Prom

2011-04-17T10:36:00.002-04:00

I had my senior prom on Friday night :) Here's some pics... mainly for my grandmas, but I figured you'd all like to see them, too. It was SUCH a fun night and so bittersweet to leave prom, knowing it was the last time anything like that would ever happen. The next big event to look forward to is graduation, and I'm not sure I'm so ready for that. It was such a fun day getting ready with friends (although a little stressful because we were pushed for time!) My date and my best friend's date came and picked us up and we did corsages and all that fun stuff and then headed to the jewelry store we work at because they all wanted to see us. Then it was off to another friend's house for group pictures, which was such a good time. We took so many pictures, there was good food, and it was just fun seeing and talking to everyone. From pictures, we drove in my date's mom's minivan with all of my close friends and we had such a good time. My school always does dinner at prom and then the juniors, who always put the prom on for seniors, do presentations. They made a hilarious video where they interviewed seniors who were acting like people who are famous. Then a couple of them did this song where they changed the lyrics and put senior's names in and things they will be remembered for, and then it got pretty sad as the lyrics changed to how soon we are graduating. After that, we had so much fun just dancing and spending time together. It was definitely a memorable night and I'm so sad it's already over. But anyway, here's a ton of pictures. It was hard for me to choose so I'm putting a ton up. Enjoy :)

18!

2011-04-01T21:35:00.001-04:00


Yesterday was my 18th birthday and it was SUCH a good day! Just thought I'd share some pictures from my last birthday at HOME!!! (and since I never really post about what's going on with me on here!) As excited as I am for college, that realization does make me pretty sad. The fam and my friends made my 18th a very special one though! :) Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes on Face*book and the emails. They meant a ton!

Here are my friend Sadie and I at breakfast in the morning! Her family is basically my second family and her mom makes us breakfast every morning before school. We always have such good breakfasts and so much fun. Yesterday's menu was chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries!

Everyone at my school is paired with a buddy in lower school and yesterday was their fun run! We got to get out of classes and cheer for them and it was tons of fun. Here are some of my friends and our cute little T-k buddies!

There's nothing like having classes shortened so that we can go in the gym, listen to music, and cheer for the little kids! :)

My friend Blair made me a cake and it was delicious. Decorated in Au*burn colors of course :)

Mom and the kiddos brought me lunch and balloons and then we started our cat dissecting lab in anatomy.. definitely a part of my birthday I could've done without :)

I picked a new sushi/burger restaurant for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! Here are the girls and I at dinner with my birthday present and cards!

The little kiddos and I... I'm going to miss them SO much next year!

Dad and I!

There was cake, of course, made and decorated by Mom and the kids with heart sprinkles "so I'd feel loved." This is my favorite cake EVER and it was especially good last night after going three weeks with no sweets!

So it was a very good birthday :) It feels good to be an ADULT!

Grandma and the girls

2011-03-23T17:43:00.000-04:00

While Mom and Dad were off with Charlie, Grandma came in and watched all of the girls! They loved every moment of having Grandma here and absolutely wore her out! They adore her... thank you Grandma for coming!

Charlie continues to do well. Our routine is becoming a bit more normal, so that is good. There are times when he is in obvious pain, but his pain medicine turns that around quickly. He is doing really well with it all. Considering he's a 5 year old boy confined to a wheelchair, he is AMAZING.

The rest of us are hanging in there, too! We've had beautiful weather lately, so the spring clothes are out and we've been spending lots of time outside! LOVE IT!

home sweet home

2011-03-20T10:09:00.003-04:00

Charlie (and Mom and Dad) finally came home yesterday afternoon! We were all so excited to see our little man, and he was so excited to see everyone and show off all of the toys that Shriners spoiled him with :) He was in much better spirits than the other days, but obviously in a lot of pain. He ate and slept his best last night (all through the night) which was definitely good, as that was the first time he's really eaten and gotten actual sleep since his surgery. It's going to be a long 6 weeks, so please continue to keep our little man in your prayers. He'll go back to Green*ville in 6 weeks and have his casts changed and we are praying that he will be able to have below the knee casts at that point.

Dad said the hardest part of all of this has been the fact that he went through it all before... by himself. :( I can't even begin to imagine.

He's still his sweet little self and for that we are thankful. He really is amazing and SUCH a little trooper!!

still hanging in there!

2011-03-19T00:10:00.000-04:00

Today has been a little bit more rough, but Charlie is still doing okay. He got very little sleep last night and they removed his epidural today, so he has been in a lot more pain. He did cheer up a little when Dad let him play on his laptop! We are all ready to see Mom, Dad, and our little guy tomorrow! Thank you for the continued prayers!

surgery update

2011-03-17T19:42:00.003-04:00

The surgery is finished and Charlie is doing great! Everything went well this morning and his feet are all lined up! He was a little quiet and groggy after surgery but is feeling better now. I just talked to him and he told me "Sissy, my feet not hurt at all!" He sounded perky, full of toys, and Dad described him as a little prince with a constant smile and all the nurses are coming in because he's the "talk of the floor." He is pretty cute... :) They will be home on Saturday! :) THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYERS! They are so appreciated! Can't wait to see our little guy RUNNING! Just a few months of recovery and he will be!

our little dude

2011-03-16T17:44:00.000-04:00

Please pray for our little man when you think about it! Mom and Dad left this morning with him to head to Green*ville and tomorrow he will have his club foot surgery. His surgery is at 6 AM and it will take about 1-2 hours per foot once he is in surgery. Your prayers mean so much to us so thank you in advance! I'll be sure to update as I hear more from Mom and Dad!

Happy Birthday sweet Kate!

2011-03-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to my precious princess, Kate! I love you with all of my heart and am so blessed to be your big sister. I hope your 4th birthday was just as special as you are!

The birthday started a day early when Kate got to spend the entire afternoon with Sissy! We had lunch, went to this Disney store (where Kate picked out a Cinderella doll and a princess nightgown!), and had ice cream! We had so much fun together!

While we were gone, Mom was hard at work baking Kate's dream cake... She outdid herself :)

After Church, it was off to Chuck*ee Chee*se (Kate's pick!)

We enjoyed pizza...

and rides...

and more rides!

Grace was a huge fan of Chuck*ee Chee*se!! I'm sure she'll be asking to go there for her birthday...

Kate's favorite is the horse ride. She gets so into it and it is precious!

Kate loves Chuckee, too. :)

It was the perfect way to spend her 4th birthday!

Here we all are in front. They all had so much fun. As for me, I'm not a huge fan!

After naps, Kate declared that it was present time!

She had quite a few to open and was so excited about each one!

Her Ariel wedding doll was a hit! Mia and Emily gave it to her and Kate was in amazement that Ariel had a wedding dress!

Here she is in her new sleeping beauty dress! This child absolutely adores costumes. She has one on whenever we are home. She was so excited to add to her collection!

Did I mention that she is SUCH a little princess?

She slowly opened each gift and just took them all in... she is the most appreciative little thing ever!

Grandma gave her the Ivy doll (who Kate named Mei Ling!) and Kate is so excited to have a doll just like Lucy's!

Here she is with her cake! Truly fit for a princess...

She just smiled and smiled at her cake. When she asked for a barbie cake, I don't think she was expecting this :)

Make a wish, precious girl!

A visit from some friends

2011-02-28T19:29:00.001-05:00

AnnaClaire's best friend, Lucy, and her Mom came to visit for the weekend and we had the best time! AnnaClaire and Lucy were at Chenzhou SWI at the same time and for the 4+ years that the girls have been home, we've tried to get together at least every year. The girls have the most precious bond and they are absolutely adorable to watch together. When Mom dropped Lucy and her mom off at the airport, AnnaClaire cried the whole way home. She is already counting down the days until she gets to see Lucy again!

But anyway, we had a wonderful weekend! On Friday, Mia (who is also from Chenzhou), Emily, and their parents came over and there was lots of food and fun for everyone! It was sweet to have all the kiddos running around our house! They had a blast together! On Saturday, we woke up and headed to the zoo (and Sissy even joined along!) Gracie had a basketball tournament, so she stayed home and had a special day with Daddy, and the rest of us had a great time at the zoo. The kids all had a blast riding the tram, looking at the animals, climbing the statues, and having a picnic lunch! The elephants, zebras, and giraffes were the biggest hit! The NC weather was beautiful for the zoo and we all had so much fun! That night, the girls were so excited to all 3 bathe together! They had to show Lucy all the things that sisters do, since Lucy is basically their sister :)

We were sad to say goodbye on Sunday, but of course had a fun morning together before doing so. And we are already looking forward to the next time we get to be together! Thanks for visiting us Lucy and Laura! We had a BLAST!

Dancing and basketball

2011-02-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures of what we've been up to! Various sports for the kiddos and then over the weekend, we saw a beautiful group of Chinese orphans perform dances for us. Our four all had a blast and even met some friends :) I hope you are all had a great presidents day weekend! I promise I'll post an actual update/something longer soon!!! I know the blog is becoming completely neglected! If there's anything you want an update on, feel free to comment and I'll get to it! :)

Mom's Birthday and Valentines Cookies!

2011-02-10T18:22:00.000-05:00

As Mom says, we are making the most of every "first" holiday here! The other day, the kids all made and decorated valentines cookies and made valentines! Everything turned out so precious! Mom's birthday was last week, too! She ended up with lots of cards made by her loving children :) Gracie was especially so excited to give Mom all of the cards she made! So I know it's a week late, but happy birthday, Mom! We love you!!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

With this being Gracie's first Chinese New Year not in China, we had big shoes to fill! Thankfully, some friends took care of that for us when they planned a Chinese New Year dinner for a bunch of adoptive families in the area. We had a blast both catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, too. There were so many kids there and they all had the best time together! I have never heard so many laughs or so much energy! There were crafts, cute decorations, amazing food that everyone brought, and of course nothing like the company! :) It was so much fun and hopefully it become an annual event :) Our four kiddos were having the time of their lives, and AnnaClaire said over and over again how much she loved parties. She is already counting down for the next one!

Then tonight, on the actual Chinese New Year, we did fireworks, sparklers, and had authentic Chinese food at a little place near us. So it has been fun, and hopefully Gracie is impressed with our efforts at making it all special and fun! :)

Dance

2011-01-30T20:34:00.000-05:00

Here's my sweet girl and one of the helpers in her ballet class. Obviously, dance is a big hit with our girl!

Here's one of her class on Friday! I love all those little girls in their tu tus :)

And thank you to Maia's (Kate's friend that is also in her dance class!) aunt for taking these pictures! The first one especially is priceless!

Basketball Girls!

2011-01-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

AnnaClaire and Gracie are loving basketball! They both scored their first baskets at their games on Saturday! AnnaClaire's team is the Magic, and Gracie's is the Storm!

Gracie also started piano lessons a couple weeks ago and is really enjoying them as well! I need to get a picture of her playing! She has even learned how to play a couple of basic songs!

As I mentioned, Kate has started dance and adores it! She has been showing us all of her cute little moves and dancing all around. I'll have to get Mom to take a picture of her all dressed up for dance, because she looks so cute!!! Of course, the little miss is sick right now :( so she hasn't been quite her dancy self. Her sissy is ready to see her curtsying around again!

Not to leave Charlie out, he's been extra sweet lately. He really is such a good boy when he knows to keep his hands to himself :) It's nice to have a little guy in a house full of girls, that is for sure!

3 days of snow!

2011-01-20T22:59:00.002-05:00

Our snow last week ended up getting Sissy out of 3 school days! :) It was a much needed break and so nice to be home for a couple of days, enjoying hot cocoa and snow! The kids all had a BLAST in the snow and played with our neighbors a bunch throughout the snow days. They stayed out in the snow for a LONG TIME, too! It's all melted now and it's back to the typical schedule. Of course, I have spirit this week, so it's been another fun and relaxed week for me!

Obviously, Au*burn won last week and there was a lot of celebrating here! I'm not sure if I ever posted on here, but I am for sure going there and I'm so excited!!!! I sent my housing and deposit in back in Oct. so I'm feeling ready... for the time being at least! I did get into Bay*lor, too, and I'm still waiting to hear back from one other school... but either way, I'll be at AU next year! So anyway, that is the reason for all of the Au*burn gear around here!

Everything is going well here. I know I've been so neglectful of the blog lately. All of the kids are doing well, although keeping Mom very busy! AnnaClaire and Gracie are loving doing basketball, and Kate recently started dance and absolutely loves putting her leotard and ballet slippers on and going to dance every Friday! Charlie's just our typical little guy... always getting dirty and into trouble, but still so sweet and has a smile that really will melt anyone's heart!

WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-10T17:41:00.000-05:00

Birthday Pictures

2011-01-07T17:49:00.001-05:00

Here's some pictures of our sweet little guy turning 5! It was just a year ago that we were celebrating without him and wanting so badly for him to be home...

How things change in just a year. Because on Wednesday, our precious boy was here, giggling as the birthday song was directed toward him, saying "Cha-ee! Cha-ee present!" each time he opened something, smiling the biggest smile I've ever seen and saying "oh cool!" as he saw each present... it was such a special day.

And he is now the proud new owner of a bike and a whole lot of electronic toys (much to Mom's dismay, and his absolute excitement!) I'd say he had a great birthday!

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

2011-01-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

So his birthday was actually yesterday, but I couldn't post on my blog for some reason.

Happy 5th birthday to our sweet little man! We love you so much, Charlie, and loved celebrating every moment of your first birthday at home!

And trust me... there is nothing like seeing a little boy, at 5 years old, celebrate his birthday for the first time. Truly no words to describe his excitement and joy! I'll post more pictures later, but here's one for now!

Happy birthday little man!

Some more misc. pictures

2011-01-05T16:56:00.001-05:00

Charlie and Grandma on the train!

Gracie relaxing downtown!

All four kiddos waiting for the train!

The kids got these cute mosaic crafts for Christmas and had a blast working on them!

AnnaClaire did a bunny, of course

Gracie made a fairy

Charlie made an airplane

and Kate made a teddy bear!

On Sunday, the guys took Gracie to a nearby college for a women's basketball game!

Gracie's team played a scrimmage at halftime of the game...

She did great and had a lot of fun! The actual game was exciting, too, with a win on game ending 3 point shot.

Charlie is sporting a new hat that he loves! He's pretty cute in hats :)

And then there's our princess Kate who is rarely seen around the house without her princess outfit on. Oh, my beautiful girl!

A White Christmas!!!

2011-01-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

So I guess it wasn't a completely white Christmas since it didn't start snowing until 8 PM on Christmas Day, but it was perfect for me! There was nothing like driving around with 2 of my friends that night to look at Christmas lights around the city (a Christmas night tradition) in the SNOW! It was beautiful! We woke up to a nice little winter wonderland with about 3 inches of snow, which is good for us! The kids all LOVED the snow and had a blast sledding, building a snowman, and making snowballs with some of our neighbors! It was an absolutely perfect day... have I mentioned how beautiful it is to see Christmas decorations covered with SNOW? This is a completely new phenomenon for me and I just loved it :)

Happy 2011!

2011-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

The boys and I started the New Year festivities off early with a trip to Ashe*ville to see our favorite band, The Av*ett Bro*thers!

I cannot believe it is already 2011! A lot of exciting things to happen this year, including my graduation!

Obviously 2010 was an amazing year in our family, as we went from being a family of 7 to a family of 9 in June as we met Charlie in Chongqing, and Gracie in Nanjing a few days later.

And there was nothing like celebrating the new year than making new, lasting traditions with the very two who have defined this past year. Mom picked up smores stuff, party hats, and sparklers and there was a little party in our backyard (a couple of hours early, of course) with smores, and all kinds of little fireworks... confetti poppers, sparklers, and the little popper things. They all had a blast and even said that it was better than Christmas!

We celebrated 2011 some more in the morning with doughnuts! Going to get doughnuts is always a hit at our house and Saturday morning was no different!

Our New Years weekend has been memorable and fun, and I will be the first to say that I'm SO not looking forward to heading back to school tomorrow.

Happy New Year!!!

And I'll try to be a little better of a blogger this year... starting with pictures from our White Christmas (sort of) and some other random pictures from this past week! I'll post them soon!!

The Christmas Show

2010-12-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

AnnaClaire is our little performer. We have known it since the day we met her, so the fact that she asked for a microphone for Christmas came as no surprise.

And she LOVES her microphone. She and Grace prepared a show for us after dinner and called us all down to watch it.

Grace would introduce and then AnnaClaire would go sing. It was precious. And the bowing and waving? All her.

Here's a video of her singing Frosty. It's not great quality because I took it on my phone from the video camera, but still cute :)

Then Kate got in on the action and did some dancing for us. She got lots of dance stuff for Christmas, including her beloved tap shoes which she wore all night long! :)

It was quite the show, as you can see!

Gracie was a little shy at first, but she had fun singing her ABCs for everyone! Their little show was a hit in our house on Christmas night as the snowflakes fell (and that post is coming...)

And here's another picture from Christmas! Our annual birthday celebration for Jesus!

A very merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:44:00.001-05:00

Our Christmas eve/day has been so much fun! We've all enjoyed having everyone home for Christmas! :) Dad and Grandma brought the kiddos downtown yesterday (I was at work, once again!) and we went to Church and came home to potato soup in bread bowls. After Christmas cookies for desert, we all got to open one present (new pajamas) and the little kids watched a movie and put cookies and milk out for Santa. The rest of us watched Christmas with the Kra*nks, a funny tradition of ours. We had lots of laughs :)

This morning, Christmas started a little after 8 with our annual Christmas picture on the stairs. We all went through stockings first and all had some good stuff in them! Gracie's big "santa gift" was roller blades, AC's was a pink microphone, Kate's was a Tiana costume, and Charlie's was this remote control dump truck (it's in the last picture with Gracie) For the next while, we alternated opening presents. Everyone ended up with some great stuff! AC is especially excited because she received the real bow and arrow she asked for! She also got a little popgun and cowgirl outfit that she has been really excited about! Kate got a bunch of ballet and princess stuff that she, of course, ADORES. It was so fun to watch Charlie and Grace take all of the Christmas festivities in. Gracie got into it really fast and was so excited about everything she opened and would run and bring it up to her room right away. Charlie's remote control truck was a huge hit and he spent most of the morning playing with it, but whenever it was his turn to open, he would excitedly say "Char-ee turn!" There was nothing like seeing these 2, at ages 11 and 4, taking in all of the aspects of Christmas for the first time.

We were all excited to give Grandma a phone FINALLY! Dad called her as she opened it so the whole box was ringing, and we've spent some time teaching her how to use her new sr. citizen phone :)

Mom made cinnamon eggnog french toast that was the perfect Christmas brunch! AND they are calling for snow later, which would just top off the whole day!!!!!!

So it's been fun, and we still have a lot of fun to happen! Mom is cooking downstairs and we'll have a little birthday celebration for Jesus later today! Because in the midst of all of the lights, decorations, and gifts, the real reason for it all is, of course, HIM.

Christmas festivities

2010-12-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

We are all so excited for Christmas! Will is home, Grandma is here, and we are enjoying everything about this season!

Mom and Dad took the kids to the Billy Grah*am Library the other night (I had to work... 39 hours this week...)

They had a blast on the carriage ride, drinking hot cocoa, and seeing the live nativity!

They also made gingerbread men with Mom the other day! They did SUCH a good job!

AnnaClaire and Gracie made some decor for our Christmas tree...

Paper chains!

We've played lots of Christmas carols on the piano and everyone loves singing along to the Christmas tunes

Gracie and Mom welcomed Emily home from China last week!

We are all so excited to have Emily home and can't wait for many play dates to come :)

Santa and Earrings!

2010-12-15T16:29:00.001-05:00

After my exam yesterday, Mom and I took the littles to the mall to go see Santa!

This was the first year that we got a picture of Miss Kate with Santa, as she has been terrified of him before.

This time, she was too excited to even tell him what she wanted. She just smiled in his lap and kept looking at him. So sweet :)

Charlie, being the sweet brother he is, told Santa that Kate wants a princess (costume). As for himself, he told Santa that he wants a car.

Gracie was excited to see Santa, too, and told him that she wants a snoopy clock! (Anyone know where to find one?)

Miss Annaboo was probably the most excited of all for her visit with Santa Claus.

I love this one of her and Santa... sassy?!

She wanted her presents to be a secret, so she whispered her wants into his ear. She later told us that a microphone and bow and arrow is what's at the top of her list :)

Then it was off to Clai*re's, as Gracie has been asking if she can get her ears pierced! Considering we never would've imagined our not-so-girly-girl asking such a request just a few months ago, Mom happily obliged.

She picked little blue flower earrings and smiled the whole way through getting them done. It put me to a bit of embarrassment, considering when I got my ears pierced, I had to be brought to the bathroom because I felt so sick.

Afterward and still a big smile!

A little closer where you can kinda see her new bling... love them!

4 years ago...

2010-12-12T19:35:00.003-05:00

It seems like just yesterday that our sweet little Booie was just a 13 month old baby being handed to her forever family...

But no, it was 4 years ago. And that 13 month old baby is now 5 years old and joyfully celebrating the day she joined the family that she loves with every ounce of her being. Because to her, there is nothing more important than just that: family. She reminds us of it every day, as she thanks Jesus, listing off every sibling, her mommy, and her daddy.

And so today was all about her. And the day in Hunan, China when she became a part of our family. Forever and ever.

There are no words to describe how my life changed on December 11, 2006. She screamed her way in, but it didn't last long. She has a joy about her that is infectious, a love about her that is so very real, the best smile, the most amazing hugs, the sweetest heart, the most precious personality. I cannot imagine my life without this sweet girl and I constantly praise God for allowing ME to be her big sister. How I love her so.

And here's her video. The story of AnnaClaire Chenhui (you might've seen her older video, but this is a newer one that I made shorter, added more video footage, and uploaded it in much better quality :))

AnnaClaire's Story on Vimeo.

More pictures from Thanksgiving break

2010-12-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

Dinner and card night with Kathryn and Will!

Raking leaves...

Gracie loved jumping in the piles!

I'm sure you can imagine that AnnaClaire did, too!

The kids were all smiles

as they helped rake the leaves

and jumped in the piles

and threw them in the air!

Even Dad got in on the action,

which caused for even more laughs!

Everyone was so excited to have Will home! He was feeling the love :)

Grandma and Dad took the kiddos

on the train

and they spent the afternoon downtown!

They had a blast on the ride up

and loved seeing all the sights of Christmas!

It really is the most

wonderful time of the year!

And here's one more of Charlie, who had another visit at Shriners today! We should have a surgery date in about a month!

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T22:14:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we continued the tradition of heading up to the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree. This year, we could all fit in one car and enjoyed lots of family time on the way up :) We had so much fun riding the wagon up to the hill, picking our tree, riding horses, having hot chocolate, talking to Santa, and eating at our favorite restaurant in Bo*one. It was such a fun day and out tree has turned out BEAUTIFULLY all decorated! I just love this time of the year!

A very blessed Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T22:37:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. I just love it. This year proved no different and we had a blast celebrating Charlie and Gracie's first Thanksgiving! We carried on lots of tradition and remembered back to the day when we saw this precious girl (exactly a year ago as of Thanksgiving day!)

What fun it was to celebrate this day with our sweet Gracie, whose picture was first seen-- and fallen in love with-- a year before. Amazing how things can change so much in just a year! Love you so much, sweet Gracie!

Anyway, our Thanksgiving dinner was slaved over by Mom and Grandma, with a little help from the girls. It was delicious, as always. It was complete with turkey, corn pudding, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin desert. We had so much fun riding bikes, watching football, being together as a family, and praising God for the many ways that he has blessed us. It was a perfect Thanksgiving (and yes, we even fit family pictures in there, which surprisingly turned out decently!) I think the 2 members of our family are loving all of these holidays... they were just loving all of the Thanksgiving fun!

To hold you over...

2010-12-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

I have so many sweet pictures to post from our Thanksgiving weekend, but here's one for now... we had such a wonderful weekend with everyone home and can't wait for Christmas break now! The kids have been SO excited putting all of the Christmas decorations up this week :) I can't believe we are already in the Christmas season... I LOVE it! Anyway, enjoy this picture of our family at the Christmas tree farm on Sunday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

There in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

-Deuteronomy 12:7

Someone is turning ELEVEN!

2010-11-24T23:17:00.001-05:00

Celebrating sweet Grace!

She was so excited to get to pick PF Ch*angs for dinner! She told Mom "I want K Cakes place... with lettuce," which of course means PF Ch*angs (we went there for Kate's gotcha day last month and had lettuce wraps, which she LOVED)

And Will came home last night, so we had the whole family home to celebrate! And Grandma is here, too, so Gracie is just feeling extra special! :)

The littles were all enjoying shoulder rides, and Gracie didn't want to miss out... :)

There was a big pile of presents awaiting when we got home!

But first we had cake... Gracie picked chocolate with chocolate icing, so that's what Mom made for her!

She loved having a day all about her!

And Mom loved having the whole family around our table!

Gracie had lots of presents to open... here she is opening the Bop it that I gave her! She loves it :)

Gracie's big present this year was a rip*stick. She had been talking about this thing for awhile and telling us all about how her foster brothers in China had one and she loved it. Our neighbors have one and she rides it over at their house and is really good, and that was the one thing she asked for for her birthday. She is incredible on it! We were all trying it out and just couldn't understand how she's so good at it!

She was even riding around while looking at books! I'm telling you... she is amazing!

Tomorrow is not only a special day in our house because of Thanksgiving, but it is also Miss Gracie's birthday! Not only that, but it marks one year since we first fell in love with that big, bright smile and knew that Tong Jiao was a part of our family!

How fitting that her birthday should fall on Thanksgiving this year! We are oh so thankful for our precious (soon to be) 11 year old! I fall more in love with this sweet girl every day... her bright smile, her love for life, her confidence, her desire to learn... that's not saying that every moment is perfect, because it's not. But she truly amazes me. She is so loving, so brave, so sweet. She communicates more than I EVER thought would happen having just been with her for 5 months. She's beautiful on the inside and out and has such a sweet heart.

She has been looking forward to this day for so long and could hardly contain her excitement all day. And I don't think that it was a disappointment. She soaked the whole celebration in and loved every moment of her "birthday." She got to spend the day with her Grandma, go on a long bike ride on the trails with Will, go shopping for a bit with Sissy, have a delicious dinner out, open lots of presents, and eat chocolate cake... yes, it was a perfect birthday! :) Tomorrow the celebration will only continue as we sing "happy birthday" a couple more times, celebrate Thanksgiving, and remember a year back when we saw that precious smiling face for the first time.

To my sweet Gracie, I love you dearly and hope that your first birthday in America has been everything you could've asked for! I can't wait to celebrate more tomorrow! I love you precious girl!

Happy 11th Birthday sweet girl!!

Ready for Thanksgiving Break!

2010-11-21T00:14:00.001-05:00

That is all I have to say! I am so very ready for a nice break from school...

I just LOVE this time of year. The weather, the food, the beauty, the decorations... I love it all.

We are doing well! I know it has been forever since I have given a legitimate update, but we are doing great. Gracie continues to learn more and more English and she is now reading some, too. She understands pretty much everything and can speak enough to communicate with us. I so remember just 4 months ago when we questioned how she would ever be speaking with us. People just kept saying, "you will be surprised." And we are. She amazes me every day. Her birthday is on Thursday (Thanksgiving!) and she could not be more excited! It will be a little interesting considering Thanksgiving is that day, so I am guessing we will celebrate early. She is very excited that Grandma and Will are coming to celebrate with her :) and she seems to know exactly what a birthday is, as she asked for a Rip*stik! I just can't believe she's going to be ELEVEN! Her birthday also marks the 1 year anniversary of seeing her face for the first time, so there's a lot to celebrate that day! She blesses us every day, and although there are hard moments, she has been an incredible blessing.

And then there's Charlie. I don't even think he would understand if you spoke to him in his Chong*qing dialect. He is talking so much and understands everything. He is such a sweetie and has molded right into family life. He is really SUCH a sweet boy. He definitely has his moments, particularly some baby-like actions, but he has really amazed us. It feels like we've had him forever and he hasn't looked back since the day we met him... 5 months ago already! (CRAZY!) He is such a loving little guy, a sweet big and protective big brother to Kate, and a precious little brother, too. What a blessing our little man is in this house full of girls :)

It's hard for me to believe that it's already been 5 months since we've met these 2. It's really quite amazing, actually. They have molded in to our family so quickly and they don't miss a beat. I can't believe how smoothly adopting 2 at the same time, out of birth order has gone for us. All the glory to God for that. The only issues we've had are just small adjustment issues, but both Charlie and Gracie have done SO well. And I have to say that I am amazed by how AnnaClaire and Kate have adjusted to adding two siblings. 5 months really is not all that long of a time when you consider all of the changes we've been through, and they have handled it with such love. There is nothing like seeing the 4 of these together. Life is crazy, loud, and busy... but I wouldn't trade it for the world :)

They are loving school and learning a lot. Our ant farm just came and they enjoyed setting that up this morning and are loving watching the ants. (That's what the bottom 2 pictures are from.) AnnaClaire went to a birthday party last week, which was the highlight of the week for her. Today, she and Kate went to a princess party and just had a blast. They loved dressing up like "Annarella" and "Snow Kate." I must say that my two little girls make the most beautiful princesses!

So life is good. We are all looking forward to see Will on Tuesday, as it has been since the first of August since we've seen our brother! We are missing him! We can't wait for Grandma to come, too! Thanksgiving at our house is going to be especially fun this year, and we are going to have to figure something out to fit all TEN of us at our dining room table :)

A long name to write!

2010-11-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

But she got it down perfectly!

And she's starting to read!

Our little kindergartner is loving school!

And on a different note, can I just say that North Carolina falls might just be my favorite thing...

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-11-07T22:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Dad's birthday! He had to work in the morning and Mom and Dad had a wedding to go to last night, so we celebrated today! We all had fun celebrating with pumpkin cheesecake and Dad's new jacket :)

Happy birthday Dad!

(Oh, and make sure to keep scrolling because I've posted a TON of pictures this weekend!)

More pictures

2010-11-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

I'm FINALLY caught up on pictures! :)

The first couple are some that I forgot to upload when we went to Au*burn in... September. My aunt and uncle only live about an hour away, so after the tour, Dad and the girls headed there and spent the weekend with them. They went to the aquarium and had the best time! Dad didn't get too many pictures, but I posted a couple of them. The first one is at a frozen yogurt place that was SO good. AnnaClaire LOVES Liz and had so much fun visiting her at college!

The rest are from a fair that our Church had earlier in October. It sounds like they all had a blast at the fair and got their first tastes of cotton candy!

Anyway, enjoy these pictures!

Apple Orchard Pictures

2010-11-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the apple orchard! Mom and her friend took all of the littles a couple of weeks ago. This is a yearly tradition and they once again had a blast! We can't wait for next time when there are SIX little ones, as they just got their TA to go to China for Mia's sister, Emily! We are so excited :) :) Anyway, these pictures are pretty old... but better late than never, right?!

Lots of pictures!

2010-11-04T20:28:00.000-04:00

I have been so overwhelmed with pictures, but I finally went through some and posted. I still have some more to add, but for now here are some pictures from some of the things we've been up to! :) The first couple are from the circus on Saturday! Mom and Dad took the little kids and they all had a blast. It sounds like Kate was just glued to the acrobats. Saturday was also the last day of soccer for AC and the last day of volleyball for Gracie. They both had little parties, AnnaClaire's being a costume party. (She was little red riding hood :)) She got the hairbow award for "always having the coolest bow," so we all got a laugh out of that! :) Gracie and AC were both SO proud of the medals they got and they can't wait to start basketball soon!!!!

There are also some pictures from Mon*key Joes, which Mom and Dad took the kiddos to for AnnaClaire's birthday. They all had so much fun, as you can see. It was the perfect way to spend our big FIVE year old's big day!

And then there are some pictures from the pumpkin patch, which Mom went to a couple of weeks ago with her friend and Miss Sarah Mei. The camera was on a weird setting, so the pictures aren't great, but I was able to fix a couple of them and make them look decent! Each kiddo picked a little pumpkin that is now happily displayed on our porch!

So that's that. We are all doing well and hanging in there! Today marks 4 months since we've been home from China and I cannot BELIEVE how far Gracie and Charlie have come in these months. They are understanding and communicating so much more than we would've imagined this soon. It really is amazing! Charlie had his appointment at Shri*ners today and they did a lot to see exactly how to treat his feet. He has one more appointment in December. It looks like he will be getting surgery and then be in casts for 12 weeks!

A lot of people asked what the kids thought about Halloween... they loved it! They might've been confused at first, but Grace and Charlie both caught RIGHT on and were loving running up to all of the houses and saying, "trick or treat!" All four of the kiddos were so cute and we really had a fun night!

I'll post soon with some more pictures that I need to catch up on :)