A Little Update

We had an email this morning from Holly and Trena (the amazing women who run His Hands) stating that they sent our translated documents out in the mail in Monday. So we should receive them sometime next week. I am hoping early in the week. AS soon as we receive those I will have to take them to the Secretary of State's office and haev them all certified (and yes, there is a fee the government charges to do that). As soon as I leave their office I will then go to Fedex and have them overnighted to TECO in Houston; that is Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office. They certify the documents for Taiwan governement. I will also send them a return prepaid overnight Fedex envelope for them to send the documents back to me. As soon as I receive all of that I overnight (more like 2nd day air) it back to Taiwan. Once Holly and Trena receive that paperwork they can go file for our court date. Some families have had to wait a long time for their court dates, while others have had court dates assigned in less than two weeks. Please, please pray that everything in this process goes smoothly and very quickly, as the quicker this process moves the less money we will end up paying. The monthly fee for Leia's care has increased from what our paperwork said initially when we applied. The House of Hope has moved into a new house, they have grown and have had to hire new nannies therefore costs have had to increase. We were not prepared for that major jump and as of now do not know how we will come up with the money. If Leia is in their care for more than 2 months we will then have to use our money that we have set aside for all of our travel expenses. And she will be there more than 2 months, if not it would be a miracle sent from God. So,needless to say we are very short on funds. We originally thought we had enough saved from our own saving, donations, and fundraisers. Now back to square one of thinking of more fundraisers. Sigh....
Holly and Trena said they do not have any new pictures at this time as Leis is staying with a foster family right now and not at the House of Hope. She will be staying with the foster family until they find a place for her birth mom to live. She is very young and they cannot just send her away. Since it would be too difficult for her to be near Leia all the time Leia is with a foster family. Please pray for Leia's birth mom as Holly and Trena try to make the right decision of where to place Leia's birth mom. They are going to Taipei soon to look at a ministry for her to live. They are seeking God's guidance in this decision as they want to make the right decision and do not want her to be tempted to go back to living her previous lifestyle. So, maybe soon we will have new pictures. But none for now. The above picture is one that we received on referral day, but I have saved since I knew that we might have drought periods of new pictures...lol. I know Holly and Trena and everyone else at House of Hope is busy and can't be my personal photographers all day long. LOL. I will not post this picture to facebook but have asked for permission to post it on my blog for those who might wonder if it is okay. This is Leia's birthmom. I am assuming it was taking the day she made the call to us. We later learned from Holly and Trena that they had prayed about the referral for Sin Yue (Leia's middle name)and had decided that we were the family for her. Xaio Chi (Leia's birth mom) afterward asked (she didn't know they had already made a decision) if she could choose the family for Sin Yue. They decided to allow her this choice, as she had grown so much in the time she had lived at the House of Hope. They gave her three families to choose from, a little information about all of them and allowed her to choose. She chose us, such a God Thing! She then even suprised them more when she asked if she could be the one to make the call to tell us we ahd a referral for her baby girl that she was giving us. Amazing tears on both sides; tears of sadness for Xaio Chi and tears of happiness for us. That is the bittersweet part of adoption. That's all I have for this adoption update.

So, yesterday Logan starts playing with this pretend cell phone that Carson got for Christmas and he tells David that "Mater" called and needs to talk to him. For those of you who don't know, Mater is the "best backward driver" from the movie Cars. Logan told Mater that he would get daddy on the phone so he could talk to him. When Daddy was done he told Mater he would talk to him soon. It is hilarious when they start pretending. On Logan's birthday he saw a car on fire with Mammaw, so last night in his prayer he added for God "to please be with the cars out there."

Carson for the last couple of months has had this need that he has to be noticed. Yoc can't talk to any other the kids without him screaming Mamma. When he has your attention he says, "Love You." It doesn't matter what is going on if you are giving someone else attention he does this. I wonder what he will do when Leia gets home. We can only imagine....Him and Logan got a train table and all the accessories for it for Christmas and all Carson can do is remove the tracks and carry the trains around the house.

TODAY we are cleaning out toys. Packing them up for rainy day and packing some to go to Mammaw's and some to leave forever. The kids are sad about this but this makes Mamma very happy.

Logan Turns 3

Three years ago Logan made his grand entrance into our lives. He was 6 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for 9 days. Everyday is a new day with that boy. One minute he is antagonizing his sister, the next minute he is consoling his brother who is in trouble. One minute he and Olivia are arguing and the next they are playing so sweetly. Here are a few milestones of Logan's:

First tooth at 6 months
First Word was Daddy
Crawling at 8 months- looked like a chimp moving around dragging his leg
Walking at 12 months
Big Brother at 14 months
Potty trained at 2 1/2 years
Big Brother again on December 25, almost 3
The Big 3 today.

His favorite foods are Totino's Pizza, Wendy's chicken nuggets, ice cream, pumpkin bread, grapes, strawberries, and soy milk.

His favorite movies are Toy Story and Lion King (He loves to yell, "Run Simba, Run." while watching the movie.

His favorite toy at present is Thomas the Train and his new motorcycle bike.

His first memory verse was Ephesians 6:1.

He would rather be outside.

He is our trophy little fish in the summer; he loves the water. He can go under and everything.

He loves to play Chase with Daddy. He loves to play Hide N Seek with Pappaw. he loves to go fishing with Papa and ride his mower.

he loves to wash dishes and fold laundry with Mammaw. He loves to bake cookies with Nana. He loves to wash the car with Mama.

Logan started his birthday by snuggling in bed with Mama this morning. We had a very lazy morning. We slept til 10, shh don't tell. Then we ate breakfast. He had bread and butter, his request with soy milk. While we were getting ready Nana and Papa stopped by the house to wish him Happy Birthday. Then Mammaw picked us up and we went to Wendy's, Logan's favorite. Then we ran around Little Rock for a bit and then back to Mammaw's. I made homemade pizza tonight and he asked for a chocolate cake with icing that he was too busy to even stop and eat. He opened his gifts that Uncle Aaron and Aunt Lisa sent him. He loved his talking Woody, although he says he isn't talking because his mouth doesn't move. We got him a motercycle bike that he was too involved in to even stop for a piece of cake. Pappaw, Mammaw, Papa, and Nana went together and bought all three of the kids a very large playhouse that they received in the fall. But we have had so much rain that they have hardly gotten to enjoy it. Soon though!
We plan on having his big party in mid January. Hard to do it now with everyone gone for the holidays. So, I will post pictures of his real party soon.

To Love You Is Easy

I awoke this morning not even wanting to check my email, which by the way is my morning routine. I had had a dream, you know the kind you have when you are half asleep because you almost wonder if you are awake. I had a dream that I had already checked my email this morning and there was nothing new from His Hands. So, I layed in bed a while this morning before I finally checked my email. Sure enough, there was nothing from His Hands when I checked my email this morning. I knew there wouldn't be, you no those feelings of intuition that we all have.
So, I sauntered to the living room to join the rest of my family for Christmas morning. I sat and watched everyone start eating our yummy gourmet breakfast, prepared by mom, just enjoying my family. I noticed my cell phone was blinking indicating that I had a message. It was from Admin, which means Holly and Trena. I think my heart stopped for at least 3 or 4 beats. I checked it and it read, "Are you available to talk?" My hands were shaking so hard, I was typing a response and screaming for David to come look all at the same time. Meanwhile our kids are wondering what the chaos is all about. All I can say is Leia!!! I responded back, "Yes!!!" It wasn't even 30 seconds later and we received a phone call. Not sure if it was Holly or Trena that I spoke with, but they asked if we had a skype account and if we could skype with them. We didn't have one, but I asked if we could set one up really quick. So, David being the computer genius he is had an ac cont setup in about 5 minutes. We connected and there I saw Holly (I think, she was wearing a Santa hat) and another young woman. My heart stopped and I think my face was frozen. We were all crying. Holly said this young woman had something that she wanted to tell us and she was going to translate for her. We both exchanged greetings of Merry Christmas. She then began telling us that she wanted to give us her baby girl. She was born 2 weeks ago and weighed 3034grams (6lbs, 7oz), December 11 at 8:55am. She wanted to tell us herself. I was speechless. There was nothing I could say to make the moment easier for her. I know all too well, from our experience with Carson's birth mom that she was doing something so courageous by telling us herself. David was speechless too, not that hard to do though...lol. All he could say was, "Thank you." Everyone echoed the same thing. I told her we already love her so much. And that is so true. We loved her even before we knew her. Just as you love a child that you have conceived. She has been in our thoughts and prayers for so long, forever it seems, and forever I hope it will be. Leia's birth mom is like so many other birth moms, she is a selfless woman who is thinking not of herself but of her child. We love her too, just as we love Molly, Carson's birth mom. They will both be a part of our family forever.
God has blessed us with 4 Christmas miracles. Olivia was born January 4, Logan December 29, and we learned of Carson on December 31. And God blessed us so richly on this beautiful Christmas day with the knowledge that Leia has been born into this world and has indeed taken her first breath of life, 2 weeks ago. All we can say is, "Thank you!" to God and to Leia's birth mom.

2009 Winter Photo Session

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Quotes of the Season

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. - Hamilton Wright Mabie
May everyone be surrounded by love this season and all year long.

The Prayers of Children

Night time is so funny around here. It is the cutest thing to listen to the requests that small children petition to God. Tonight Olivia asked God to please make it snow at Christmas. She told me earlier in the day she was going to do this because that was the only way she would get to play in any snow. Logan had is funny prayer moment last night when he was thanking God for everyone and said, "and thank you for somebody else."
David found out today that he has like two weeks of vacation, and he thought he olny had a week of vacation. He also thought he wasn't getting anymore until July. We are super excited about that.
Trying to plan David's birthday. Do I be nice and just do small family get together or go all out against his wishes? We shall see what is to come....

My Favorite Song

From our House to yours..

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And let the festivities begin...

The most wonderful time of year; family gatherings, sitting around the fire drinking your favorite hot drink, shopping for those you love, being in the shopping crowds with all the smiling faces of strangers, cooking candies and lots of others sweets, decking your halls, night drives looking at lights, and the list could never stop. So, our house is decked, inside and out. So excited, we have lights outside this year. We normally just do around the door, but we have expanded and it's so pretty. We have three trees this year, and hopefully will add one to the dining room next year. Such fun.....!
Shopping....sigh...shall we just say I am only half way done, but have big plans to finish Saturday. We have plans every weekend until after the first of the year. Always super busy. Right now busy is a semi-good thing; it keeps me from thinking about not having a referral as much, but makes me even more tired.
We are battling the never ending ear infection with Carson. We go to the doctor tomorrow and will make plans to have tubes placed, hopefully right after the first of the year. I don't think I can take too many more sleepless weeks, and I mean like 2hrs of completely interuppted sleep when i already only sleep very little. That makes for a grouchy momma. Carson is still not talking much, just a few words here and there.
Logan is still our little "Dennis the Mennace." He is always looking to stir somebody's pot, and it is usually his sister. He has his sweet moments too. He saw a picture of a baby the other day and started talking in this sweet, high-pitched voice saying,"Ah, sweet baby. Look at her...Ahhh." It was so quiet I almost didn't hear him. When he was saying his prayer last night he prayed for God to be with Mommy, Daddy, Logan, Olivia, Carson, and somebody else." He also told David and I, the other day on the way to church, that it was time to get baby Leia and where is she. He has been telling us he would like to have a Thomas the Train set for Christmas. We shall see what arrives under the tree......
Olivia is starting to ask about Leia everyday, which naturally only makes the wait harder for me. She is growing up way to fast. She has become very nosy too. When we are talking, she will ask, "Now what did you say?" I asked her if she wanted things to open for Christmas or if she wants to go shopping after Christmas with the girls. At first she told me she wanted to get presents, then the next morning she said she cahnged her mind and wanted to get money. So, I thinh she will be receiving both, because an almost 5 year old cannot not have anything to open on Christmas morning.
I will be posting our winter family pictures soon. I have edited all the ones that I have taken, but am waiting on the ones that Lisa has taken. They are perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better shoot with the kids, but they cooperated so well. And, they had a blast.
We spent Thanksgiving in Texas, at Kevin and Morgan's house. The drive down was miserable, due to not having any sleep from working all night. I felt like it took me 2 days to recover before I felt somewhat semi-normal again.
As far as adoption news...I have none. We wait, hoping everyday is the day. We tell ourselves everyday that maybe today is the day. I know it is in God's timing and constantly remind myself that he has Leia already chosen for us, and that she is perfectly made for us.

Fall Fun

Such a serious face....

Wow, they are all smiling!

My beautiful little girl!

He looks as if he is having a blast.

How sweet is that picture?

Here are some pictures that Mammaw took of the kids playing in leaves. They had a blast.

A Cheerful Giver

Here are a few pictures from our dinner fundraiser that we hosted Saturday night. My mom did an amaazing job of transferring the room into "Italian Villa Ristorante." Olivia was our hostess. Justin, Brittany, David, and myself were waiters. My mom, Linda, and myself cooked. And my mom, as usual, decorated the room. Daniel and Tera came down for the weekend and helped behind the scenes before the dinner. Thank you all!!

We have been so blessed with such wonderful people in our lives. We received an anonymous $2,000.00 donation last week that completed the rest of our financial need for the adoption. the giver asked that we please continue with our plans of our Dinner Fundraiser, that took place on Saturday, for any hidden costs in the adoption that we may not be aware of. We are so thankful for that cheerful giver and all others who have donated their time and money to help bring baby Leia home. We love and cherish each and every one of you. We will continue setting aside money every month for when we travel to Taiwan. David and I plan to make it a many mission trip. We want to see as many orphas as we can. We want to be able to bring firsthand stories that are real to the people here, so that they can know the needs and "cries of the orphans around the world." Justin and Brittany, Lord willing, will be traveling to Taiwan with us when the call comes for us to travel and bring our baby girl home. We are so excited about visiting the orphans in Taiwan. I watch videos and see pictures all the time about the orphans and dream about hugging them, smiling at them, singing to them, putting shoes on their feet, and the list could go on. I dream about doing these things, even if it is only for a few days. I know that if the Lord wills us to live to that day; that trip will be far better than any vacation I have ever been on.

Please remember the orphans of the world, as this is Orphan Awareness Month. They need out help one child at a time. Anyone can help an orphan, and I don't mean adoption. There are so many needs of the orphans and so many ways we can do the work that god commanded us to do. Sometimes you might have to go without something, or forgo plans that you have made, drop things that you think that need your attention. We need to prioritize our lives and see what things really need our attention. So many things consume us and our time, and we need to change, and change now.

Sickness, Fundraisers, and Laughs

So, this week has been quite the headache for us, literally. From excruciating headaches that are on the same level as a migraine, to raw sore throats, stuffy to dripping noses, loss of pounds because of no appetite, some with high fevers (so high causing broken blood vessels in and around the eyes), nausea and the oh so terrible diarrhea, a cough that stabs you all the way through, aches that make you move like a worm, and fatigue that makes you lay in the bed like the dead. That has been the week of myself and David. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Linda for keeping Olivia and Logan. We would have never made it. It took all of our effort to make it to and from doctors and the drug store. We were diagnosed with Swine Flu and for me, pneumonia as well. We are mostly all recovered, just a little weak from laying around like the dead for so long. The kids have survived with just an ear infection, and who knows what Logan has (he is just on antibiotics for swollen glands, sore throat, and fever). The doctor is arranging for Logan to be sent to an allergist, something she says they do not like to do at this early age but feels very necessary. He does not eat, has a horrible rash that will not go away no matter what we treat it with, multiple GI issues, and overall looks bad. He just needs something. So pray for the little man, he needs to feel better soon.
Tonight we had another fundraiser to help with the cost of bringing baby Leia home. Moe's, in Benton, donated a portion of their sales made from 5-9pm tonight. We will know sometime Monday the amount that will be donated. It was very generous of them to do this for us, especially since they do not even know us. David and the kids, my parents, Linda, Vickie, and April were there, and Anthony came for pick-up. I will be surprised if we make even $100.00. But Olivia said it was "a very fun night mommy...can we do this again...I like making money for baby Leia." She was handing out coupons to everyone, smiling from ear to ear, and saying thank you to everyone that walked out. She was the perfect little door hostess that you find at nice eateries.
And oh the laughs we have had over Carson this week. Every time you take his clothes off you find all kinds of treasures. We came home from Mammaw's house Thursday night and David changed his clothes and found all kinds of Jenga blocks in his pants. I changed him last night and had a panic attack because I found crushed and chewed chocolate teddy grahams inside and outside the diaper area. You can only imagine what I thought I saw at a glance. Exactly!!! David laughed so hard.
Logan has started continuing his sister's legend of singing himself to sleep at night. I heard him over the monitor singing I love you, You love me, Daddy Love me, Mommy love me, over and over. And then, of coarse, Carson echoing in somewhat harmony in the background.
A new Fundraiser is in the works. More info to come very soon. I think this one will be a blast for everyone involved. Hopefully details to come tomorrow or Sunday. Return soon for more info. So, save the date, November 7, 5:30-8:00pm.

Maybe tomorrow......

So, to all who are wondering and have asked, no we have not heard anything. We do not know if they have any babies, much less any baby girls. Olivia asked the other night why we ahve not gone to get baby Leia yet. She wanted to know if she needed to wash more cars and make some more money. I tried to explain to a 4 year old that we do not know when we are going to get baby Leia. And she went on to tell me that she has been waiting "hundreds of years for her." She prayed at supper that night that God would give her some money to bring her baby sister home. At church that same night, her Little cousine Lane brought her a ziploc bag of all their change they had been saving. She was so excited. You should have seen her little eyes.
We painted the girls' room this past weekend. We haven't gotten it decorated yet, but everything is organized. We have some baby things, but haven't really bought anything yet. Trying to wait until we have a referral. I have given in and bought a few things. when the room is all finished I will post pictures.
Carson has been a little toot lately. He is into everything. He gets out of bed every morning with a mission, I think, to get into anything and everything he can find. And everything is a ladder. He has more knots on his head. Logan is talking nonstop these days, and gets louder and louder if he thinks you are not giving him his undivided attention. By the way, the child only has 2 volumes as it is, loud and louder.
So, not much new around here. Hope everyone is staying well.

$891.48

That is the amount that the car wash and yard sale brought in. That is almost enough for one plane ticket to Taiwan. Thank you so much to all that helped this past weekend with the car wash and garage sale. I know there were so many other things that you could have been doing, but you came out and helped us raise money to bring our baby girl home. We are so grateful and appreciative for all who helped, whether it was time, donations, or prayers. Thanks. Olivia, Logan, and Carson came to the car wash to help raise money for their baby sister. They held signs, waved to all the passerbys, and Olivia worked so hard washing cars. She didn't ever stop to play. I came to the wash after the sale and took her home to go to the bathroom. She asked me in the car how the sale went. I told her it was okay but that we would probably be doing another one. She told me that she had been working really hard and making lots of money. "Momma, I can keep washing cars and do another car wash to make lots of money to bring baby Leia home, so you don't have to do another yard sale," Olivia said.
We had so much stuff left from the yard sale that we plan to have another one on October 16 or 23. We have not set a final date yet. My mom has more items to out in the sale, and some others have said that they do as well. For all those who are local, Moe's in Benton has agreed to host a fundraiser for us. We will be doing that on Friday, October 16 from 5pm-9pm. We will be at the doors outside passing out little coupon/flyers telling customers that 10% of the sales during that 4 hour time period will be donated for our adoption. I have spoken with Larry, the owner of Larry's Pizza, about doing a fundraiser. I am to call him back tomorrow about what he might be able to do.
Logan has been praying by repeating after us for a month or so now, but tonight he started praying without being prompted for a few small sentences. Yay. He said,"Thank you God. Bring Baby Leia. Forgive sins. Daddy help me pray." It was so cute. Today was fun day at our house. So, needless to say, the house is a wreck. We went to the Fitness Center this morning, then had a picnic, played outside on their playhouse, did preschool work, watched part of Sound of Music, then we went to Chick-fil-A before church tonight. They had a very good time today. Wish all my chores would do themselves so I could do that everyday.
I found out yesterday that all of our documents have been translated and are in our file at His Hands. I was very excited about that. Not that it brings us any closer to getting Leia. But hopefully by us being completely paper ready before we get our referral, maybe we will get to travel quicker after we get referral. Anyways, that is all I have today.

Busy Busy

We have been so busy the last week an half. Last week Lisa, Aaron, Kevin, and Morgan were here visiting. We went camping over Labor Day weekend. I posted all the pictures on my facebook. The kids had a blast. David and I had fun too, but it is a lot of work to camp with three little ones. And there is no way to keep everyone clean for even a minute. Hopefully every camping trip will gradually get a little easier. We plan on making them more often. The kids loved being outside. All Logan wanted to do was ride in the boat with Pappaw or Papa, whoever would take him. Olivia loves to fish, so does Logan. And Carson, he just played in the dirt. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and wish it was more often.
David has had to work a lot of late nights last week and this week. So glad this doesn't happen very often. The kids and I are missing him like crazy. Feel like I haven't seen him in over a week. His project is due in the morning, so hopefully our family time will be back to normal.
We are busy working on getting our items priced for our fundraiser yard sale. I think we may have some more items coming. Everyone please pray that it will be a prosperous sale, as we really need to raise some money for this adoption. I have been looking at flights, and prices are higher than when I looked in the spring. Next week I am going to make our signs for the fundraiser car wash that is to be located at Ferguson drive in Benton. We really need some volunteers to help us run the car wash. All the ones I have seen there have always been really busy. And so far we have had no volunteers. Please, if anyone can, come out and help us.
I spoke with the manager at Moe's grill and he said they will help us with a fundraiser. We pick a date and a 4 hour increment, we hand out flyers that customers hand to the cashier, and 10% of all sales during that time period will be donated to us. AWESOME! I finally got an answer from the Sonics here, and they do not have any fundraiser cards to donate. While Lisa was here she told me that the director of the bank where she works own like 700 Sonics, so maybe we will have some luck that route. Once we get the yard sale and car wash done with I plan on making some items to take to a store in Sheridan to sale. We will see.
Our documents are being translated, should be finished. We paid for that this week, so one more thing down. Hopefully our baby girl will not have to stay in Taiwan for too long, and that will help with the cost as well. Keep praying for us that we will have all the funds to bring her home without having to put it on the credit card. Thanks to everyone who is praying for us.

Adoption Update

We are still waiting for a referral, but are actively trying to round up things around the house and from anyone who would like to donate items for our garage sale that we have set for September, 26. We are hoping to have a successful sale. I have contacted all the Sonics in the area, and am still waiting to hear back from them as to wether they will be able to donate any fundraiser cards. Also waiting to hear if we will be able to have a fundraiser car wash in the parking lot by our Wal-Mart. I have contacted the owner of Ferguson's furniture, and he has asked me to call him back tomorrow after he receives his water bill. If I have to pay $100.00 for the water for the wash then we will be unable to have the car wash, because I have no idea how much a car wash will bring in and wether that would be worth it after paying for the water for the wash. We will have to wait and see. I am thinking about making some hairbows and headbands to take to a store in Sheridan; my mom says they don't take very much of the commission. She has taken lots of things she has made in the past there, and has done very well.

On the layout are some bigger items that I have posted on Craig's List if anyone is interested. Please pray for us as we try to find ways to raise money for our adoption.

Papa and Logan

Logan getting ready to go back to

Papa and Nana's house. He was so

excited about riding in Papa's truck.

So, the kids are staying at Papa and Nana's house this weekend. My dad came over before lunch today to bring a free bed that I had him pick up. I found it on Craig's List and thought I could sell it in my fundraiser yard sale. When they got here I told Logan he needed to go to the bathroom before he left. He wouldn't let Papa out of his sight. He kept telling Papa, "No leave me." He made Papa take him to the bathroom because he thought Papa was going to leave without him. Papa and Logan were up at 6:30 this morning and outside washing the camper by 8:00. All three kids have ridden Papa's mower so much that he had to go get more gas. Logan worked all morning outside with Papa. He has been Papa's shadow this weekend. He told Papa at naptime to stay in the house until he was up from his nap.

Olivia, on the other hand, went outside rode the mower, started to rake the grass, then said,"I am getting sweaty. I am going inside." She and Nana made cookies and did things around the house.

Carson emptied a box of Kleenexes for Nana. I think he has been pretty good for the most part. if Kleenexes is all he gets into at her house then we are doing good.

Kids are having a blast at Papa and Nana's.

Smoothies

So, we had smoothies today after lunch. We needed to finish off the homemade ice cream that was in the freezer, some strawberries that were seeing their last day, and some bananas, some even sent to the freezer. The kids loved them, as you can tell from the pictures. Carson, as usual, finished his up before everyone else and was grunting for more.

One of these days I hoped to get all these pictures digitally scrapbooked. It will happen. I get a few pages done every once in a while. I need a full week by myself to make a dent in all the pictures I have.

So, we went to the library Tuesday afternoon and checked some new movies out. I think Olivia is obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles. Who would have thought? I mean, I liked it as a child too, but that is all she wants to watch. She has watched it over and over. And, of coarse, Logan has no interest in it. Carson will watch whatever is playing.

Our early morning baby escape stopped this morning, because momma got smarter than the baby. He tried, but was unsuccessful. I out a dining room chair up against the opening, tied it with bakers towels, then stuffed the little hole that he was sliding in with stuffed animals and blankets. IT WORKED! He couldn't get out.

Adoption Update

We are still waiting for our referral. We are planning our fundraiser garage sale for September 26, so if you would like to donate something for the sale we would appreciate it so much. I have called all three Sonics in our local area and have asked if they would be willing to donate fundraiser coupon cards. I am waiting to hear back from their general managers. Hopefully they will. They did for our last adoption, and it was a successful fundraiser. We are wanting to have a fundraiser car wash as well. For you locals, I have asked Dr. Rosnermanz if I can have it in his office parking lot. Mr. Ferguson owns that. I called him today, and he asked me to call him next Tuesday after he receives this month's water bill. He allowed two different organizations to hold two last month, and that it usually raises the bill around 100.00 per car wash. Hopefully, he will allow us to have one. If not, I guess we will not have one. I don't know of another area that gets a lot of traffic where I know any of the lot owners. So, we shall see. So far, we have had several items donated from friends at church. Hopefully the sale will bring in some money. If anyone has any ideas for any other fundraisers please let me know. I thought about baking fresh homemade cinnamon rolls for the garage sale as well. We will see. His Hands is now outnumbered with boys, 4 boys to 3 girls. Maybe they will be getting some little girls soon. I pray for our referral, but then think how if I get a referral then there is a mother losing something wonderful, even if it is the best choice she can make. Something to ponder, as with anything in this life. Always some sadness somewhere. But one day there will be NO TEARS.

Boys Are Suck Little Stinkers...

So, Monday Carson decided at 4am he was going to get out of his bed, for the day. David and I put him back to bed 19 times. Finally I just got up. During the 19 times of putting Carson back to bed, I tried to doze. Apparently I did, because I woke up to Olivia telling me, "Momma, you have to come look at this mess." I walked into the living room where I found a pile of goldfish crackers (and I buy the box at Sam's). So, I clean that up, get the kids' breakfast out and take Carson to the bedroom to change his diaper. I come back to find Logan has climbed up on the barstool at the island and has turned over my storage container that my apple pie is in. Then, when Carson was taking a nap, or not I should say, he tore down the curtain and rod. He did this again this morning and climbed out of his bed multiple times early this morning. He is not getting the picture here. So, yes, these little boys are stinkers.

Legacy of An Adopted Child

Once there were two women
Who never knew each other
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother
Two different lives shaped to make yours one
One became your shining star
The other became your sun
The first gave you life
And the second taught you to live it
The first one gave you a need for love
And the second one was there to give it
One gave you a nationality
The other gave you a name
One gave you the seed of talent
The other gave you an aim
One gave you emotions
The other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile
The other dried your tears
One gave you up
That was all she could do
The other prayed for a child
And God led her straight to you
And now you ask me through your tears
The age old question through the years
Heredity or environment
Which are you a product of?
Neither, my Darling, neither
Just two different kinds of love
-Author Unknown

Monkeying Around Part 2

Olivia after we had the wrench removed from her finger at the hospital.

Logan and Olivia playing with scrap wood, aka "their toys."

Olivia

Logan

Daddy and Pappaw

"Play House Under Construction"

Carson & Mammaw

Monkeying Around

Busy, Busy week. I worked three nights this week......sigh. I was on-call. Will be nice when I get my paycheck; much needed for our adoption. Hopefully it will be enough to pay for our documents to be translated. I don't know how moms with children work full time or work during the day away from the kids. Needless to say, it has been a rough and different week around here.
Saturday the kids got their early birthday present from their grandparents. My parents and David's parents went in together for all of them, and bought them a playhouse/swingset. They are super excited. Their birthdays aren't until this winter, but thought they could be playing with their gift now instead of waiting til their actual birthday and it being too cold.
Pappaw and Mammaw actually went and picked it up. I think the thing must have a thousand parts, or more. The instructions said it would take 6-12 hours to assemble, depending on experience. Right now we are up to about 5.5hours, and we are more than halfway done. the kids keep asking when is it going to be done. Hopefully by next weekend.
The kids ran around outside and played with the boxes and pieces of scrap wood from Olivia's bed, that David is currently building. They had a blast. After dinner last night Olivia was begging her Daddy to let her help him with her swing set. So, he gave her a wrench, and told her to hand it to him when he asked. Well, the little girly girl in her thought it would be a beautiful ring. Apparently her middle finger is latger than a half inch in diameter. She put the wrench on there, and guess what, STUCK! Daddy and Pappaw tried to get it off. By the time she came into the house her finger was swollen. I tried to get it off with butter, pure soap, and then running it under cold water. By this point it wouldn't even turn at all. She was in hysterics, and her finger was a very pretty dark purple. So, out came the ice pack, and Mammaw and I headed to the ER. As soon as the triage nurse saw the color of her finger, we went straight back to a room, and I must say they were very busy. Fastest service I have ever seen in the ER. So, there is some truth that they treat the most severe cases first, not who came in first...lol. A female nurse looked at it with utter shock, she asked a male nurse to come to the room. He grabbed some KY-Jelly and shimmied it right off. I was shocked. I mean a $100.00 copay, and he did something I could have done at home, and he felt terrible that I was going to have to pay. he tried to get around us having to pay, but no luck. He said the ice had done wonders and had helped with the swelling. But really, I am a mom, I wasn't going to look at an eggplant purple finger for long. Only so long before that can turn into some damage. After the wrench was removed Olivia said she needed to use the restroom, I was walking with her to the bathroom andshe tells me, "Momma, i can't walk that fast. You are going to have to slow down because my finger is really swollen." Legs, finger, what??? All Linda and I could do was laugh; she was milking it.
So that was our story of the weekend. More to come this week, I am sure.

The To Do List is Shortening

So, I have this huge To Do list that I want to get done before our baby girl comes home. Slowly, but surely, things are getting done. Today I finsihed going through the entire house, with the exception of the boys closet. Now our garage looks like a bomb hit it. I will tackle that next weekend. I went through our closet, both bathrooms, Olivia's closet and bedroom, the pantry, the laundry room (or in my case, more like closet), kitchen cabinets, basement, and my sheet drawers. We are planning on having our garage sale in September, then I can get my garage back in order.

Hopefully we will start painting the girls' room soon, and get it all decorated. Can't wait to see the finished product. Still trying to figure out what I am going to do with the boys' room. I am thinking I might make their quilts. I have been looking, but cannot find what I have in mind. Katrina has inspired me to make their quilts. Hers are so cute.

Mammaw called this morning and asked if she could take the kids to a movie. They went, as you can tell I got a lot done. They went to see Ice Age in 3D. Olivia and Logan both said it was coming out of the TV. Logan now roars like a dinosaur. They had a "Fun Day," as they call it with Mammaw. Carson stayed home with me, and followed me around while I cleaned everything. He was such a good boy.

After the kids got done napping, we had our usual Saturday swim. I suer am going to miss this when it starts getting cooler.

Now, all is quiet in the house, and I think I will join in the Zzzzzzz as well.

The Blessing of So Many New Friends

The last several months I have made several new friends through the process of our adoption. It has been such a blessing to chat with each and every one of them. I started looking for missionaries in Taiwan, thinking they could help me find some contacts in which to do an independent adoption. You can only do independent adoptions through Non-Hauge countries. When I was doing this research I called, I think every church I could find that had missionaries in Taiwan. I finally got a hold of a lady by the name of Mary Agnes Minnich. Her family lives in Taiwan and does mission work there. She gave me the contact information from His Hands. I then joined a message board for people adopting independently from Taiwan. From there I found Lisa Wellman, of which we later discovered got their acceptance letter the same day we received ours. We started emailing and talking on the phone. His Hands gave me contact information for Gretchen Twogood. The Twogoods arrived home with their handsome Jack in May. She has been so helpful with everything and so supportive. Then just recently I joined His Hands on Facebook and have met so many wonderful people. It is so encouraging to talk with others who are going through the same things. All of us are just networking together. I have been chatting lots with Gina, who is mommy to Mylee for those who are following the His Hands babies. It has been so much fun. Hopefully when we all have our babies home we can get together somewhere centrally and really meet.
So, to all my new His Hands friends, you are a blessing to me and my family. Love you all and praying for you all.

Still Waiting......

We pray that you will pray for us as we wait for the referral of our baby girl. We are anxiously awaiting. David, who was the one that said it would be okay for it to take 18 months to a year, told me the other night that he is really ready to get our referral too. Logan has finally come around, and says that h is getting a baby sister, whereas a couple months ago he would tell you no. Olivia prays every night that her sister will come home safe and very very soon. Thanks.

Saturdays Are Supposed To Be Fun

Carson just walked around carrying a soapy rag.

Logan and Olivia helped wash the car and sling bubbles everywhere.

We started our morning outside in the 90 degree weather. Actually glad that it finally decided to warm up. It had gotten too cool for the pool. Logan and Olivia thought they needed to help me wash the car, and Carson just toddled around. He wasn't a very happy person this morning, because the two older kids weren't playing with him. They were working, as Logan would say.

After washing the car, we swam in the pool. I think kids could stay in forever. It was a perfect day for the pool; the water was the perfect temperature. And it was hot outside, but not too hot. Logan is such a fish. He is all over the pool. Carson has grown to like it much better than he did at the beginning of the summer. And Olivia, she likes it too, but isn't crazy about practicing her bubbles under water. Th kids swam for two hours, ate lunch, and napped like champs.

Logan is not a person who likes change. He is very much a ritualistic person. I took the crib out of the boys' room to take to Rhea Lana's for consignment. So, Carson was moved to the toddler bed, and Logan had to sleep on his mattress on the floor last night. He was not happy about that, but was apeased when I told him I was going to try and buy him a big boy bed today at the consignment. David is building all of the kids furniture, but will probably be another 18months til finished. And since I can't live in that disarray for that long, we had to buy something temporarily, but I will be able to sale it for at least what I paid for it. It is a sold twin sleigh bed that has a trundle and very boyish looking. So, Mammaw and Pappaw went and picked it up for his. Logan was very excited about it until it was time to go to sleep in it. But he finally managed to fall asleep, probably from utter exhaustion after swimming for another hour after supper with Mammaw and Pappaw. Fun times. I think Olivia and Logan wore Pappaw out.

Justin, Brittany, Mom, Dad, Jeff, and Linda all came over for dinner tonight. We had grilled burgers, the works, fruit, brownies, and tons of homemae ice cream. I am a terrible judge when it comes to food, and we have enough ice cream for another entire get together. Lol. Oh well, David and the kids love ice cream.

For all those who have been asking; we have no news about the adoption. As soon as we here something, we will let everyone know, trust me. I love to spread wonderful news. We cannot wait. Olivia prays every night that baby Leia will be home soon and she will make it safe when we go to get her. Tonight she told me she is tired of sleeping in her room by herself. "Everyone else has someone to sleep with except me. You and Daddy share a room and Logan and Carson share a room, but I have no one. Can't we go get baby Leia?," cried Olivia, literally. She was very dramatic tonight from all of the festivities of the day.

Hope everyone sleeps well, because we will. We are exhausted from our funfilled Saturday, the way Saturdays are supposed to be; Love and Laughter with the ones you love, that is when memories are made.

What would I do if they were always this good???

Olivia always wakes up before everyone else in the house and usually will watch her morning princess movie, but not this morning. I came in the living room this morning to find the tv off and her sitting at her daddy's laptop (he may need to check everything out, make sure nothing messed up). I asked her if Daddy started her hooked on phonics program this morning before he left, and she told me no, "I figured it out all by myself." I asked her "Really, and how did you do that?" She pointed to the keyboard, as if I should already know this, and said, "I just pushed these buttons and made it work. It isn't really that hard Mama."

After lunch the boys joined her for some hooked on phonics. Carson watched in amazement, Logan's eyes were glued to the screen until the game started playing music, and he decided he needed to dance with it. They did this for an hour. Wow, I got a lot done during that time.

What can I find tomorrow to hold their attention for that long???

And at the end of the day....Bedtime Snacks

Oops I think we dropped something, do you see it??

Logan, Carson, and Olivia

(and yes that is Carson's pose for the camera)

Everyone can't seem to get the smiles coordinated..lol.

The kids were at Linda's house today and went ahead and napped there, so I could get groceries. Yeah, like 2 hours of sleep for me, then the chores started. It was nice to eat lunch with my mom without the kids calling for "Mama" or "Nana" every other second...which really happens you know. So, tonight when we were getting baths I asked Olivia what she did at Mammaws's house this morning and she proceeds to tell me that she was a really good girl and she was the only one not to get in trouble. She emphasized it so much, I think I may need to investigate that further with Mammaw. She then dramatically explained that this morning she was very hungry and, "I just didn't know what was wrong with me Mama, I thought I was going to have a meltdown (yes she said meltdown), and then I realized I needed something to eat. Apparently Mammaw fixed the hunger problem and she didn't end up having a meltdown. I asked her what she ate for lunch, and she started laughing as she began replaying their lunch menu. Mammaw, she said, "Mammaw made us grilled cheese sandwiches, but I think she forgot how you are supposed to make them, because they had turkey in them. I had to eat mine really fast because I didn't really like it, but Carson and Logan didn't notice they were done wrong." I was about in tears over her real life problems of the day.

Logan is finally starting to understand potty training. We are now performing both the arts in the potty and having fewer accidents, thankfully mostly wet ones. The M&M rewards are increasing around here. Mammaw got a new washing machine today and Logan was all excited to watch "the worker men," as he called them. When we were leaving her house, he screamed at the men from the care, "Bye work Man!" Meal times are still horrible around our house. Logan does not seem to think we need to eat anything but gold fish and yogurt. What to do.........

Carson has decided in the last week or so that he isn't going to go to bed when he is supposed to or take a nap for very long or at all. I think he finally learned last night that you can cry all you want, but the bed you will stay. Not a peep out of him tonight. On the contrary from Logan, as you can notice from pictures, he will eat anything and everything. And I think has made it an art and hobby to eat. At least there is one person that will be easy to please in this family...

To all who have been asking, we have not heard anything about our adoption. Holly, Trena, and their families have made it all back to Taiwan. If you have never looked at their website, please do so, and read all the newsletters and watch the videos. They are so inspiring. We cannot wait to meet them all in person. They are such amazing people. The website is www.hishandstaiwan.org. Please keep us, Jason and Katrina Clayton, and all the others who are in the process of adoptions in your prayers.

9 Wonderful Years

David and Kalina

Celebrated 9 years of marriage on

July 21, 2009

God handpicked the most wonderful husband for me and I am so thankful everyday.

Swim Party At Mammaw's House

Olivia is always begging me to go swim...everyday. When I am out in the pool, she always seems to know and shows up outside in her suit ready to go. Mind you, she is usually supposed to be napping.

Logan is our little fish of the family. He is diving and going completely under water without holding his nose.

Carson is all smiles. He has finally warmed up to the pool. You would think so since he has been in it all summer.