By the way...

I've been given permission to post photos of Amarin! Enjoy!!

Within the first few minutes that we met...he was very shy at first.

On the beach in Songkhla...me and my big boys.

His new panda from Build-A-Bear. He cozied up with him right away.

The first swim ever in a pool!

Playing on the beach in Songkhla.

One last photo before he leaves the Babies' Home.

Already buddies!

Lining up fruit peels at lunch our first day. It was SOOOOO HOT!

He lost a front tooth in Bangkok. Boy did he start wiggling that thing after our guide explained how the tooth fairy leaves money under his pillow.

My bloggy friend Sharon from Australia, along with her husband and two sons, both of whom were adopted from the same Babies' Home as Amarin....just a few years earlier. How cool was it that we were in Bangkok at the same time and could meet face to face! Her boys are so cute!!

New Every Day

I ventured out today with all four kids. I know compared to some families, that's not many, but as for me, I was a little apprehensive. But it couldn't have been easier. We went to find eyeglass frames for Laura and to sign her up for preschool. The boys brought a book and "guys" to keep themselves busy while I completed what I needed to, and then we went home. So, I bravely decided to venture out one more time this afternoon to pick up a few homeschool textbooks, and again...no problem. Also good to note...no carsickness during these rides today.

Amarin stuck close to me today. He did play with the boys, but this is the first day that he chose to hang with me by himself instead. He helped me vacuum, make spaghetti for dinner (which he loved), and helped set the table. Laura was also with us, so he pushed her on her little bike. She gives him the biggest smiles, and I think he really likes that.

As with all kids, when they are newly home, everything is new. Today...

*Amarin discovered first hand that when you feed food to Laura, your fingers are fair game for biting! Laura smiles at Amarin and he likes to pat her cheeks.

*Imprints on carpet are funny...especially when you start making designs all over the carpet with a sit-n-spin.

*Erasing the imprints with your hands is even funnier.

*Vacuums are very loud and scary when encountered for the first time.

*No matter how many times Charlie dumps his water over at the table, it's always funny.

*Mickey Mouse is known by children all over this world!

I love being a mom!!

Family of 6

We made it home Saturday afternoon after two very long flights...7 hours from Bangkok to Tokyo, and then 12 more hours from Tokyo to home. I have to admit, though, I rested better than I thought. I have very restless legs at times that prevent me from relaxing (restless leg syndrome?), but I was actually OK. Our flights were on time, and minus a bit of turbulence before Tokyo, all went well. The boys were excellent travelers, even waiting for over one hour to clear customs and immigration at home. At the last stop where an officer checks your immigration card, the officer saw that Amarin was from Thailand and greeted him in Thai. Well, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear!

It's actually pretty surreal sitting here at home...did we actually go to Thailand already? The four kids are doing well. There is, as we expected, some competition on all fronts and it's going to take a while to figure out the "pecking order" for the boys.

Amarin loved his oatmeal this morning, and all I added was raisins. I gave him a taste of brown sugar (because you just can't eat oatmeal without it!), and he really grimaced at the taste. And for lunch, a hot dog with BBQ sauce! Tonight, burgers and corn on the cob, and he finished all of it. We laughed when Amarin picked up the corn and stared at it...poor kid has no front teeth on the top. But he figured out how to eat it all! All the boys helped husk the corn earlier, and they each grabbed some ears to be sure they had their fare share to husk. I think I might try this with cleaning. Maybe they'll all want to clean more than the other brother...

Today I'm thinking that having four children is really not much different than three. I'll get back to you later on that one. The biggest "aha" moment for me today is when I told the boys to read books while I bathed Laura, and then it would be bedtime. Jacob and Charlie sat and read books while Amarin stacked them and carried them around the room. Now, our guide in Thailand had told me that kids do not have many books in Thailand because they are so expensive. So, now I'm thinking that maybe I asked Amarin to do something that he didn't really do before. Maybe I'm going to have to teach him how to sit and enjoy picture books. I read to the four kids before bed which I normally don't do (I give you moms credit that do read before bed because I'm usually too exhausted) and Amarin loved it...they all did. Except Charlie wanted to read his book to everyone and got a tad bit huffy when I told him that I was the reader tonight.

I know I have to be patient, but I'm looking so forward to having a schedule again. Maybe I'll start school early...or maybe not...four against one isn't really working in my favor.

We're Comin' Home!

I'm so excited! This morning we went for our appointment with the US Visa Office, and after waiting FOREVER...ok, it was only 1/2 hour, but it seemed like forever...they congratulated us on our new son, and told us to come back at 3PM to pick up his visa. Those of you who have gone through this process before know what I mean about finally being able to breathe a sigh of relief. Even if all seems OK, you still hold your breath at every meeting hoping and praying that they don't "catch" something wrong with your paperwork.

As it was, yesterday when we turned in our mountain of paperwork, they caught that Amarin needed some more vaccinations before they would approve the visa. So, off to the hospital we went, and poor Amarin whimpered as they prepared his shots. Could the nurse not have prepared the needles before calling us into the room??? But he was a brave boy and even watched the 2nd shot. Then, as we were leaving the room, the dr. said that the embassy just called and Amarin needed one more test. UGH!!!! Again, he was a brave boy, plus we promised that he could go swimming when we returned to the hotel. Jamie took the boys back after the test was done, and I waited for the paper results. A long day for all of us and we were very proud of the boys for being so well behaved and patient for so long....

Our day started with the meeting with the Thai Adoption Board. This was so enjoyable. There were only 8 families meeting today with the board, and normally there are 25 or 30, so we got in quickly. There were 7 or so board members, but only 3 asked questions. They asked about schooling for Amarin and were very happy to hear that we homeschool, why we want such a big family (ha! we know friends with 10 kids, Karin!), do we like boys better than girls, are we happy with Amarin. And then they asked Jacob what he thought about having brothers and a sister from different countries, what sports he plays, and told him that he needs to take care of Amarin now, and teach him to swim and play soccer. The fact that they were asking Jacob to help care now for Amarin made me cry...it was really a moving meeting with the board. Then they told Jamie and I the same...be sure we take very good care of Amarin now, teach him, love him and bring him back someday to visit his homeland. Oh, I have tears as I type. The people in this cafe must think I'm nuts!

The next stop was the US Visa office to drop off paperwork and to get an appointment for Thursday morning with a visa officer. No doubt, after the fiasco getting our paperwork approved a month ago, they know our name well! We waited about 1 1/2 hours to spend 3 minutes with someone behind a window. Grrrr....then to find out we have to go get more shots.

But, the day ended beautifully with a swim and dinner by the pool after dark. We were the only ones out there, overlooking the skyline as the pool is on the 5th story. Amarin never got a fever or much soreness from the shots, either.

So, we're flying home Saturday as a bigger, and very happy family. I can't wait to hug and kiss my little Laura and Charlie. We sure miss them! Thank you to everyone who has been praying so much for us and helping us in so many ways. God has answered EVERY prayer request we made, and I'll highlight those when I have a chance at home...because I'm sure I'll have a lot of spare time on my hands!!

A floating market with boats full of delicious foods from sticky rice in bamboo stalks to fruit to meat that's cooked right on the boat. It's really good food...honest, mom!

Jacob's first elephant ride. Amarin wouldn't venture up there!

At a restaurant Monday night, Amarin wanted me to write words in English and he copied them. You can see my writing on top, and his copied work beneath...not bad for never writing English letters before! And it was very sweet...he made me go back to his name and put Miller at the end so he had the same last name as the rest of us!

More from Thailand

I finally found an internet cafe with free internet service! Now I just have to type like mad before my battery dies.

I have so much to share, that I'm not even sure where to begin at this point. So, I'll share some highlights and photos...maybe I'll play "catch-up" later.

As of today, Tues. morning, all is well. Better than well....it's great! Amarin continues to transition well, has a great time playing with Jacob, and is a real trooper here in the big city...quite a contrast to the smaller, quieter ocean-side city where he grew up. Bangkok is HUGE...constant traffic and noise, but very, very clean. Yes, there are some apartment/living areas that are pretty poor, but it is the cleanest Asian city we have visited. The people are very friendly, polite, and smile all the time. We are near a ton of embassies, so it is also very international. The hospital we have been using for Amarin's physicals and for the gash on his leg is more like a shopping mall...sparkling clean, little shops, and virtually no wait time for the emergency room...not that his gash was an emergency, but that's just where they sent us. BTW, his leg is no longer oozing, and seems to be healing very well. He will probably have a dandy scar, though.

Big news...he lost his first tooth with us yesterday! He wouldn't wiggle that thing until our guide translated the whole tooth fairy thing. Then he wiggled it non-stop until it came out. He came into our bedroom this morning all excited because the tooth fairy left him 40 baht (about 70 cents) under his pillow. Poor kid...he has 4 missing teeth on top, and two more still waiting to come in on the bottom.

We have visited some absolutely gorgeous temples. The intricate designs, all done by hand, is amazing! We've traveled by boat, sky-train, taxi, tuk-tuk...all cool experiences. We also visited a rose garden last Sunday. Jacob rode an elephant, we saw a banana grove, saw a cultural show, fed the elephants bananas and sugar cane, and saw a HUGE lizard...about 4 or 5 feet long. Thankfully, we were still in the car!

All paperwork is complete up to this point. Tomorrow we have our meeting with the Thai adoption board and a trip to the US Embassy. Thurs. again to the US Embassy, and hopefully, Amarin's visa will be issued either Thurs. or Friday. We're ready to go home, and really miss Charlie and Laura. It will be so nice to have our whole family together again.

Now for some photos...

OK...a sneak peak at Amarin from the back! The boys were in the Gulf of Thailand down in Songkhla. The water was so warm...and for me to say that, you know it had to be like bath water!

One of thousands of temples in Bangkok. This is Cambodian style.

It's hard to photograph the intricate details of these beautiful temples. But here's a try...

Walking through a street market on our way to visit some temples. Thailand has delicious fruit!

We all got a 15 minute Thai massage one night. The boys giggled as they are both ticklish, I loved mine, and Jamie was tortured. Apparently in a Thai massage, if they think you have some tense muscles, that WILL fix it for you. Jamie was sore, seriously enough to take pain meds, for two days! See the name of their spa on the guy's shirt? It says "Relax." Yeah, right!

There is so much more to share, but I can't even begin to put it in this blog. I'll keep posting as we go, but just know that it has simply been a wonderful trip. Keep praying for the last few days that we stay healthy, our paperwork is completed by Friday, and for safe travels home.

I'm learning...

new things everyday. Here are a few:

** Amarin is a lefty. So much for him sharing golf clubs with Jacob.

** Amarin has really good fine motor skills. Yes, that's the teacher in me, but how cool for the "teacher" to know this for when we begin homeschool this fall.

** Amarin loves pizza! Awesome...my standby when I don't want to cook. See, it's not always popcorn, Aunt Julie!

** Amarin loves the water and the beach.

** Amarin has a great appetite (great for the grocery bill) and eats the food we give him.

** The word "nam" means water in Thai. So, words like Vietnam, tsunami...they make more sense.

A lizard friend we saw running around the park in Bangkok. We told our guide, and she laughed and told us that they have these things up to 2 meters long. I'd just die right there...

A beautiful sunrise off our balcony.

See the miniature temple? These are outside most buildings here whether it's a hotel, home, car repair place...whatever. People put food and flowers on these to appease their gods. Their hope is that the gods will live happily in these temples and not come into their establishment and cause trouble.

This is our morning alarm outside out hotel window. I'm firing him because he started at 5:30 this morning before the sun even rose!

This is where the workers are living right now that are building the new addition onto our hotel. We see this just to the right of our balcony. Kind of like squatters, I guess...

Our Amarin

Well, I finally am able to blog. I've been going through withdrawl! We met Amarin for the first time yesterday. He is beautiful...his personality and his sweet face. He spoke very little yesterday, though the smile rarely left his face. He and Jacob played so well at the Babies Home. They went swinging, sliding and played with Star Wars action figures. All boys, no matter what their native language, know how to make the noises that go along with action figures! We were able to eat lunch with him, visit his nanny and sleeping house, see some younger children as the older ones were in school and just bond with nothing planned for us. We were also able to meet his house friends right when they returned from school... about 6 boys. Then we left to return to the hotel. Amarin stayed behind one more night with his friends.

This morning we returned for 2 hours to finish some paperwork, give gifts to the caregivers, director and the cook. We played a bit, Amarin ate lunch and then we left. The director really loved him and we could see that she was so sad to watch him leave. But she told us many times how happy she was that her oldest boy found a family.

Today we took Amarin swimming for the first time, to the beach across the street, and for a ride in a tuk-tuk. He has been so sweet, starting to speak more and laughing a lot, especially at Jacob and in the pool. We're so glad we brought Jacob. The boys are so sweet together...Amarin watches everything Jacob does, and Jacob tries to teach Amarin new things. He's also gotten after Amarin for being too rough in the pool...such a big brother! He watches how Jacob drinks with a straw, swims in the pool, digs in the sand, brushes his teeth, pulls the heads of the action figures...yep...my boys!

I can't say enough how much I have appreciated so many prayers for us. Our flights have been super (albight, long), we're healthy, Amarin was very well prepared, transition is going well, our luggage arrived perfectly, and we are just enjoying our time here. We sure do miss Laura and Charlie, but we know from talking to grandma and papa...all is very well there!

We can't post photos of Amarin, and besides, the internet speed here has been really slow and hasn't allowed many photos to be shared! Just know that we all are doing great and it's been fun...and interesting...to be back in Asia!

Christian One Liners

Not sure where these originated, but they're good!

Don't let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited Until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, But only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons Than it is to live one.

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, But mosquitoes come close.

When you get to your wit's end, You'll find God lives there.

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, Middle of the road, And back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, But temptation bangs on the front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If a church wants a better pastor, It only needs to pray for the one it has.

We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.

God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until he is dead.. So why should you?

I don't know why some people change churches; What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

We don't change the message, The message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is By what it takes to discourage him.

Laura's blog

Check out Laura's blog...there's a new fundraising opportunity on there!! http://www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Aunt Shelly!

God's Word

I received my daily update via email from a Christian adoption agency today...not one we're using...but I keep in contact with a few of them. Anyway, this was the Bible verse they shared today. Could the timing of this be any better?

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Gen. 28:15

Leavin' on a jet plane

Actually, I don't know what kind of plane we'll be on because that's Jamie's department. I just know it has two really big wings, and hopefully a bit of leg room. Twenty-two hours travel time is a long time to be contorted like a pretzel. We have been spoiled with air travel. When we lived in Germany, we flew between continents on the corporate plane....LOTS of space. I remember traveling coach afterward and Jacob asking where the personal TV was. Welcome to the real world, honey. Then when we traveled to Taiwan to bring Charlie home, we had enough miles to upgrade to business class. This time...cattle class. I can hear the mooing now...

The two little ones are off on vacation with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and their two teens. Laura and Charlie will have a blast and come home totally spoiled! Should be fun "detoxing" them after 2.5 weeks being gone. Honestly, though, I'm not concerned about them one bit...they're in great hands. As I left them, they both were waving and smiling. They know how good they're gonna have it!

Jamie, Jacob and I fly out on Friday, and will meet our new little boy on Monday. I have butterflies...no, bats...in my tummy. I'm nervous and excited, wondering how he will react to us, how we'll communicate, and of course, hopeful that all of our paperwork will be complete and without delay.

I know I have a great group praying for us while we're gone. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel great comfort in knowing that prayers are going out for us all. Check back for updates!

Good Buddies

Isn't this the cutest photo? Great Uncle Jim and Charlie are good buddies. Can't you just see mischief in both their eyes? And what's one of the best things about the older generations of relatives? They let our kids get away with things we parents NEVER would (and they think it's very funny!). :) Great Uncle Jim lets Charlie play with his cell phone, and he always requests that Charlie order a pizza for him without anchovies. So far, no pizzas have arrived.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

Our little princess turned five years old today. She is such a blessing to our family, and as our pastor said this morning, the word blessing means to be happy. Laura makes us very happy and brings joy and laughter to our family every day.

Today we celebrated with about 50 family and friends. We feel so fortunate to have aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, grandparents, cousins, 2nd cousins, and friends to celebrate with us! The rain held off most of the afternoon so we could be outside and we enjoyed a yummy BBQ! Since Laura is 5 today, I'll share 5 things that make her extra special:

1. God made her exactly perfect...just the way He intended her to be!

2. She has THE biggest smile you have ever seen!

3. Laura started walking this year, on March 12 to be exact...right on Aunt Julie's birthday!

4. This little one will never outgrow cuddles...she loves to be held, carried, hugged...anything for a cuddle!

5. She has the cutest little temper. She gets a little determined look on her face and either slaps the table (if she's sitting by one) or her leg to get her point across. Sometimes she even lets out a little squeal if she's really determined!

There's so much more that makes our princess special...but for this year, I'll leave it at 5! We love you, Yi Yi!

I found my thrill...

on blueberry hill.

Ah, Michigan blueberries are ripe and ready for pickin' and eatin'. We just bought this year, though. With birthday parties this weekend, preparing for Thailand...well, taking the time to pick with the three little ones just isn't happening. But they taste just as sweet. I bought 10 pounds to eat, and to freeze for winter. Honestly, I could sit down and eat 10 pounds in no time. I always like to gross out Jacob by reminding him that if he eats too many, his poop will turn green. "Ah, mom, that's gross!" Yeah, like you've never said anything gross!! Laura helped me eat, I mean clean, the berries today.

Oh, yeah...while I was preoccupied with the blueberries, I also found Charlie trying to climb into the dryer again. At least he wore his helmet this time!

Mocha

Today was Laura's second session of therapeutic horseback riding. The first session I didn't get photos because my camera card was blocked...whatever that means. Jamie fixed it and I'm back in business.

Anyway, Laura rides Mocha. It's the smallest horse they have, and she looks so sweet on his back...all 25 pounds of that sweet girl! Today there were only two horses in the arena, so Laura got lots of attention. The most they ever have is four at one time. One instructor moves among the horses, one person leads the horse, and one or two people walk beside Laura to be sure she doesn't fall.

Last week we met one of her "walkers." His name is Ed. To be polite, we normally put the prefix "Mr." in front of a man's name. But I just can't bring myself to call him Mr. Ed...not around horses, anyway.

Riding horses can be very soothing to the rider, works their muscles in yet another way and is just fun. The kids may come in not feeling very happy, but put them on a horse, and they are totally different!

Laura strongly dislikes hats.

Walking down to meet Mocha and Mr. Ed.

Still not happy about the hat...but I'll try to enjoy myself. Mr. Ed is so sweet

with Laura. He smiles at her the whole time.

Riding around the arena on Mocha.

Walking outside on this totally beautiful summer day!

Thailand, Take 3

How many takes before we get to Thailand? Hopefully, only 3! As of this moment, our paperwork is complete, the flights are booked, and hotel rooms are reserved. Suitcases need to be unpacked (yes, they've been sitting in our diningroom for 2 months) and repacked, checklists have to be rechecked and then, once I'm on the plane, I think I may take some sleepy medicine and vegitate for 22 hours. I guess I should wake up long enough to change planes in Japan...

Back in May, I posted prayer requests. These have not changed, minus the dates. Thank you for keeping us all in your prayers. We are so excited to FINALLY meet Amarin. He looks so quiet and shy in the photos (so NOT like the boys in our family). I just can't wait to see how this all transpires. Each "Gotcha Day" is so unique!

We will be posting updates on our blog from Thailand barring any firewalls. Unfortunately, we can't post photos until our court date 6 months after we return...that's the rule! So, you'll just have to trust me as how adorable he really is!!!

Surgery, finally

After postponing her surgery twice (because we thought we'd be in Thailand), Laura finally had it done today. It was a pretty simple laser procedure to clear the lenses that were inserted into her eyes last year due to cataracts. The right one was the cloudiest, and hopefully it will remain clear or the dr. will have to do another operation inside the eye...not just laser like this time. Laura did NOT want to wake after surgery. She stayed snuggled with me for quite awhile in the recovery room. I forgot my camera...she looked so cute in her bright yellow hospital jammies. She's still a bit groggy...that's OK...we'll just snuggle some more!

S'mores and more

Here's what we've been up to the past few days....

Laura was fitted for a helmet. She starts therapeutic horseback riding next week.

S'mores are sticky!

Laura must like graham crackers. She held it herself to eat it!

Roasted to perfection.

How do ya get this fire going, anyway?

Faces of America

(We're missing one, but he will be home soon)

Small Town U.S.A.

An old mill museum...

A traditional church (also where Jacob takes piano lessons)...

Tractors as far as we could see...

Have you ever seen a parade that wraps back around? We got to see it twice!

Jamie and Laura got soaked by the fire trucks and squirt guns that passed by...

Charlie hid behind Jacob so he didn't get wet...

Laura's Blog

Laura has her own blog now, and for a very special reason! Check it out at http://www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com/.

Frolicking fawns

The kids and I were getting ready for dinner yesterday, when all of a sudden I saw something zoom through our backyard. Jacob caught it on video. The mama deer was standing behind the play structure watching her twins. I'm thinking the fawns were boys because not too much later, mine were doing the same thing back there, and I usually stand back, too, watching in awe at the amount of energy that boys possess!

Be The Match

A few weeks ago, there was a drive here in our town for a little kindergarten girl who was diagnosed with leukemia. A much needed bone marrow match just couldn't be found for her, so a drive was held to give out kits to try and find a match. I was going to go, but I forgot...shame on me.

Now, in the past, I've thought about registering with The National Marrow Donor Program, but then I get busy doing other things and I don't do it. Well, today I did it. My kit came in the mail, I swabbed the inside of my cheeks four times, and wondered, frankly, how on earth they can match bone marrow through cheek swab samples. Sometimes technology is a wonderful thing!

How long did I procrastinate registering, when maybe there was someone out there I could be helping? And how much easier can it be to register, and possibly save someone's life? Have you registered? If not, why not? It's painless, and this simple procedure can't even compare to what it may do for someone else.

Amarin's coming home!

FINALLY! We received notice that our paperwork is complete in Thailand, and we now have official approval to travel to bring Amarin home. At this point, we only know that our board date is August 5th, and we will meet Amarin for the first time about one week ahead of that. We'll keep ya'll updated as plans are put in place, and specific prayer requests can be given. Happy day, happy day...