Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day!

I was finally able to love on my new great-nephew.

That sounds really old, doesn't it?

He is such a sweet, little pumpkin, and it was nice to have a little baby around again!

Gifts for our little nephew. I love this book and read sections of it often. I have the book for girls sitting on my shelf, too!

The kids had so much fun with their friends.

And the ladies chatted around the table after dinner.

Can you tell this is father and son?

Cheers for dessert! Grandma made chocolate dipped marshmallows on pretzel rods using

those HUGE marshmallows that I never knew what to do with!

Some of the diners lost the battle...night, night!

And some of the big kids had as much fun as the littles!

Thankful - Day 8

Tomorrow is it! The big Thanksgiving celebration. And, friends, we all have so much to be thankful for. I've enjoyed posting a few of my thankful thoughts this past week, leading up to Thanksgiving...a holiday that becomes more and more precious to me each year.

I'm learning to be thankful, and find the joy, in the little things each day...each moment. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, so I'm trying hard not to worry, because today can have enough challenges of its own. I'm learning not to be concerned about everyone else's opinion. I'm not here to please the world, but to please my God in heaven. And if I'm striving for that, then the rest will fall into place. And if along that journey, I please the world...fantastic. To God be the glory!

More thankful thoughts in no particular order

*little hands to help prepare for our Thanksgiving celebration

*creative boys that help their not-so-creative mom

*my husband...willing to run to the grocery store for those last minute items

*and his willingness to take Laura for a haircut...usually a loud, whiney, hissy-fit experience (for Laura, not Jamie!)

*that he stops frequently to fill the tires in my van that don't seem to hold air in cold weather

*brothers that enjoy one another's company

*recipes that turn out...OK...so it boiled over...it should still taste good, right?

*having all 5 of my children's photos hanging in our hallway...5 kiddos...sweet!

*a God to whom I can pour out my heart when it's aching for our travel approval to go to China, and then be at peace

*a gift from my youngest of almost dead flowers off the plant that has been in our mulch pile for over one week

*the big smile my youngest has as he hands me those half-dead flowers...along with a runny nose from playing in the brisk November air...too cute

*my oldest's ability to help me with our mountain of laundry

*listening to a Christian radio station while working around the house

*watching jobs get crossed off of my to-do list

Thankful - Day 7

We're excited that Thanksgiving is only two days away, as well as...

*baking cookies with my oldest boys...homeschool at its finest!

*watching their looks of unbelief as I had the nerve to lick the spatula after baking cookies!

*preparing Indian headbands with feathers for the kids to wear at dinner Thursday.

*standing back and looking at my freshly scrubbed carpet.

*seeing Amarin's proud smile after making his bank deposit all by himself.

*helping at Charlie's Thanksgiving party at his school.

*that Charlie's principal prayed before they ate, efforting to imitate the First Thanksgiving

*seeing Charlie interact with his classmates, as well as being the social butterfly with the other classes in the hallway. How does he know so many kids?

*cuddling with Laura as I read the Guideposts magazine to her by the fire.

*friends willing to take the older boys so I could help in Char's classroom.

*the homemade gifts Charlie handed out to everyone in the family...no matter that half of what he gave us came from his brothers' closet!

*my husband's heart, wanting to help those in need.

*heart-warming stories I've read today about homecomings of many children who are no longer orphans.

Thankful - Day 6

Today's thankful post is for Laura, and about Laura.

Today was such an awesome day for Laura. The staff at her school organized a "Four Seasons" fashion show in which she was able to participate. Her class was modeling the summer fashions, and her teachers wondered if Laura could model her ballerina bathing suit that she had worn earlier in the summer for "beach day." Well, I teased them, that was showing a lot of leg...but sure! She's so dog-gone cute in it!

We're thankful for Laura's progress...walking well without her braces, starting to potty train, trying to use a fork (well, for her teachers, anyway!), and that sweet and sometimes feisty personality that comes out more and more.

We are thankful for teachers like these, in the background, that care so much for and are such a big part of Laura's life now. Honestly, we couldn't have asked for more exuberant, energetic, and enthusiastic teachers. And I didn't just mean to use a lot of "e" words...just came out that way! God has surely blessed us with a host of staff members that truly care for these special kids. And see how Laura's teacher is right down at Laura's level? Well, I think Laura was protesting her entry a bit because she was slapping her leg like crazy, which is what she does if she's mad or dislikes something. But Ms. Mary got right down there with her and worked it out...and the show went on without a hitch!

We are thankful for this special young man who escorted Laura in the fashion show. He was so sweet and gentle with her, and even helped her turn in a circle to model her bathing suit. I'm guessing he felt like a very important helper...and he was!

Laura's helper gently brought her back into a sitting position when she tried to scurry away from the crowd. He took his job very seriously. And I think he's on to your schemes, Laura!

We are thankful for Grandma and Papa who came to watch your debut before heading off on their vacation...a warm vacation, I might add! And we're thankful that Daddy surprised us, too, because we didn't think he was coming today!

Thankful for Papa's cuddles.

Sorry, Laura, but you do have to go back to school...not Papa's house!

Thankful - Day 5

When I asked who wanted to do the Thankful blog today, Amarin called out "Me, me!"

So, here are his thankful thoughts...

*Friends at church

*Fun times with my brothers

*Lots of food

*Math

*When friends come over to play

*Playing piano for my grandma

*Cooking fried rice at home

*Art class

Thankful - Day 4

Since it's my blog...I get another turn posting my thankful thoughts for the morning! :)

*My husband who gets up at 6AM on a Sat. just to make coffee for his early rising wife!

*My hot mug of coffee.

*The peacefulness of a Saturday morning while everyone else is still sleeping...nevermind...they all just came downstairs.

*Morning hugs and smiles from all my boys after having a sleepover together in one bedroom.

*Time to shop yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner that we're hosting this year.

*Sitting as a family, reading our Thanksgiving devotional last night.

*Friends that in are in China now getting ready to meet their new daughter...though wishing we were there, too.

*A strong furnace on this chilly morning!

*My coffee...have I mentioned this yet?

*Our pastor at church. We've learned so much, and will miss him and his family. Tomorrow is his last Sunday with us.

*No formal homeschool lessons this week...just real life.

*Laura and her daddy having cuddle time in the morning in front of the fireplace.

Watch throughout the day for those "thankful" moments, no matter how small!

Thankful - Day 3, by Charlie

Hi. This is Charlie. I'm thankful for...

*cookies
*turkeys
*deer
*baby deer
*Brenden and Justin (my friends)
*my school
*my monkey (stuffed animal)
*Jacob, Amarin, and Laura
*going to China to get Jenna
*beans
*pizza and movie nights
*potatoes
*reading books
*chairs

Thankful - Day 2, by Jacob

Hi, this is Jacob and I'm thankful for...

*playing the tuba and sousaphone

*German butter brezels (big, soft pretzels)

*my rabbits, Cedar and Willow

*God's Word

*skiing in the Alps

*the ancient bristlecone pines, redwoods, and giant sequoias

*toys

*nature, especially trees, wildlife, and hunting

*fishing with Papa, U. Bill, Dad, and my brothers

*soccer with my homeschool league, and Dad

*chainsaws for cutting trees

*history lessons

*my family and friends

Thankful - Day 1

Thanksgiving is upon us, and it's so important that we take time to really be thankful for so many things with which we've been blessed. So, for the next week or so, I, or a family member, will be posting some thankful thoughts.

*My husband and boys who took over cooking dinner, cleaning up, and bathing the little ones last night so I could go to bed at 6:30 to try to sleep off a migraine.

*Waking up in the middle of the night to hear the rain hitting the roof and windows. Is there anything more cozy than being bundled in my warm bed, listening to the elements outside?

*Friends that stop by for a cup of tea.

*My children's friends who are respectful, obedient, and creative in their play.

*Dark mornings so I can watch the stars move their positions over the past few months while I have some quiet time with God.

*Beautiful sunrises...reds, oranges, yellows, purples.

*Encouraging emails from prayer partners.

*Listening to my boys play the piano and tuba (well, learning!).

*Staying home to school my oldest boys, and care for my little boy, home from school with a bad cough.

*Watching Laura smile as her school bus arrives to take her to school.

*Hearing Charlie love on his little friend, bundling her in blankets and stuffed animals, asking, "Are you comfy, sweetheart?"

What you are thankful for this season?

Can I brag..a little?

Or maybe I should ask if I could toot my horn...it's for the kids!?

(pun intended...see below)

Jacob started band class this year at a Christian school. They graciously offer free band class for homeschoolers, grades 5-8. After 4 years of piano, Jacob wanted to learn another instrument, and we decided this would be a great opportunity.

So, for the first 2 months, they learned the recorder. The band teacher wanted to see how serious they were about band, if they would be disciplined enough to practice, etc. He also interviewed each student to see how well they could match pitch with their voices, hear differences in tones, etc., in order to give them some good instrument choices.

I don't know about you, but when I was in band, we just chose an instrument that we thought looked fun and went for it! Of course, I think we ended up with 40 flautists...

Well, like any "good" parent, I knew what instrument would be great for Jacob. He loves Christian rap and rock tempos, so why not play the drums? Besides, buying drum sticks is a whole lot more ecomonical than those big instruments! But Jamie and I decided to see what Jacob would come up with...

And he had a seriously different idea, and where he came up with it, I have no idea.

But his band teacher heartily agreed with him, and actually is letting us borrow the instrument for free. His teacher said he hasn't had a student play this instrument in several years, and thinks Jacob will do very well.

So, without further ado...

here is Jacob, my tuba player!

(could it be any further away from the drums?)

Jacob is sooo excited to play the tuba.

I am sooo excited that I don't have to haul that thing back and forth to band class each day...that thing is HEAVY!

So, this instrument stays at home for practicing, and in band class, Jacob will be playing the sousaphone...you know...the honkin' huge marching band kind of tuba? That weighs more than Jacob does?

Yep...

Jacob and I are both thankful that the band teacher has a special stand on which the sousaphone will rest so all he has to do is hold on and make some noise!

So, I am very pleased with Jacob for making up his own mind and choosing something that he's excited about.

Now, one more proud mom moment. And here's a hint: what does just about every mom use to bribe, I mean, encourage, her children?

Yes, the beloved M&Ms! And who might we be bribing...encouraging? None other than our sweet little Laura.

Why??? How about a guessing game?

Leave a note and tell me what you think!

He's 9!

Amarin turned the "Big 9" today.

Seems like his birthday has been going on for a couple of weeks now...a family party for both him and Char two weeks ago, then we celebrated over the weekend since Jamie wasn't going to be available today, and then we celebrated today, too!

Today, I took all 4 kids bowling, and then out for Mexican food.

We had a lot of fun, and Amarin was all grins as they put the HUGE hat on his head and sang Happy Birthday to him. Would have been really nice to have my camera there, too.

I forgot.

Again.

This was our little celebration last weekend. He was very happy just with a Star Wars birthday card. Star Wars rules in this household...well, with the guys, anyway. Me? I fall asleep.

Jacob made cut out guys (paper dolls, but don't tell them I called them that)

and backgrounds from the Bible.

A new music bag for his piano lessons.

And new golf clubs! This fall, the boys chose to play golf with their Dad instead of soccer.

Amarin loves to draw and to work in sticker books.

Oooh...we could do this, too, Jacob.

Ummm...yep...my boys.

Enough foolin' around...time to get down to business!

Drum Roll, Please

Thank you to everyone who entered our Kindle drawing. This was fun!

And we have a winner!

Amarin drew the name.

We figured that was the most fair since he's not able to read many names yet.

So, without further delay...

the winner is...

Becky Reilly!

Congratulations, and happy reading!

What is Large?

So, what is the definition of a large family? I don't know...I used to think 4 kids was a large family. Now, it doesn't seem that big. 5 seems like a big family, but once Jenna's home, maybe that won't seem so large after all. Sometimes when we're around families with just a couple kids, I feel like we're crazy (literally) big...with kids running in every direction. I mean, Jamie and I are seriously outnumbered, and the older we get, the quicker they get!

But we've never been called "big." Until yesterday. And it wasn't even spoken out loud. No...it was in the form of writing. You see, when Jamie and I bought our first house, we bought a new kitchen table and chairs...4 chairs...which seemed ample enough. Ahem. Eleven years and almost 5 kids later, we do not have enough chairs. Luckily, at least we bought a table that expanded!

So, my friendly UPS man delivered the solution yesterday...2 kitchen table benches. We now will have plenty of room to seat our 7 person family. And as Jacob calculated, there is still room for the brother and sister he wants to adopt from Africa. Love that kid's heart! Just wish my pocket book was as deep as his heart!

So, here it is. "great for large families."

I guess this means we are officially LARGE!

Our Only Hope

I know my sweet friend, Cheryl, will not mind that I'm "copying" her blog post today. What an awesome video that speaks so clearly of the need in America today. Certainly, we have seen another turnover in our government in the past 24 hours, and I pray that these men and women who will hold office will do all in their power to uphold the Constitution and Godly values.

2 More Days

We are very thankful to those who have responded to our KINDLE raffle. The drawing is in 2 more days, so if you haven't had a chance to enter, click HERE for the details. Basically, for every $5.00 donated (use our Chipin), you earn one entry in the drawing. You can also earn an entry by blogging about the raffle, or putting it on FB. Let me know if you do so I can put your name in the drawing! Be sure to check back on Nov. 4th to see if you won!

Four Years Ago...

...we met our little Charlie for the first time in southern Taiwan. What an amazing experience...quite different from China in that we knew about most of his birth family, and had been sent monthly updates with photos and developmental milestones from the time we were approved to adopt him. What a treasure to have so much information to share with him as he grows. He was obviously loved by his birth family, as well as the nannies that cared for him during the year he spent in the orphanage. We are so grateful to all of them for giving him such a sweet start in life. He has been the baby for the past four years. We're excited to see him soon with his new little sister...experiencing adoption from a whole new perspective as he travels to China with us. We love you, buddy!

My baby's 5!

My baby boy turned 5 today...a full hand of fingers. That's a pretty big deal!

Charlie won't be the baby for long, so we're going to let him soak it up while he still holds the title!

Not that Char's one to sit back and let the world fly by him. Oh, no. I've never seen anyone with the zest for life that he has! He runs...and runs...full force to embrace every opportunity he can. He has the physical strength of a bull, the speed of a cheetah, the business of a bee, the energy of an ant, the stubborness of a mule, the heart of a lamb, and the cleverness and silliness of a little monkey!

With our Char, there is never a dull moment...not since we met him on Oct. 31, 2006...the day after his very first birthday. Even in those those first few days, we saw his personality...the insistance of playing by the toilet no matter how many times we moved him away, the determination to feed himself sticky rice only to leave a sticky mess for the waiters...and all over himself, and the speed at which he could climb on top of tables in the hotel room! And his tender heart that broke as he was handed to me, and had to leave his favorite nanny at the only home he ever knew. The nannies told us how intelligent he was...one of the most intelligent babies they had ever met. We understand now.

And every day I thank God for the way He made our little Charlie. And every day I pray that God will use all of those strong character traits for a mighty work for Him. Earlier this year, Charlie gave his heart to Jesus, and we're watching closely the way God is directing his path.

Charlie, we love you so much! You have added a special spark to our family...one we never knew we were missing. You have a zest for life that not many possess, and that's something so valuable and precious. I can't wait to see where God leads you, and how you're going to grow into a mighty warrior for Him.

Happy 5th birthday, sweet boy!

Gimmie 5

ARTICLE 5, THAT IS!

It was released today!

It's Here!

No, not our Article 5.

I think someone ate it.

Or it's buried on someone's desk who doesn't realize how

much we wanted to bring Jenna home yesterday!

So, what's here?

It's our first online raffle item!

Why the raffle? To raise funds for our travel to China.

We just got word that because of the Asia games happening in Guangzhou,

prices could double for transportation and hotels. Ouch!

And, when newbies visit the blog, perhaps their hearts will be touched for the orphan.

So, are you ready?

THE KINDLE

from Amazon.

It just arrived today, and it's ready for some heavy-duty reading, my friends.

So, here's the scoop of how you can enter the raffle.

1. For every $5.oo donated through our Chip-In, your name goes into the raffle 1 time.

2. If you mention this raffle on your blog, and link to this post, you get one entry.

3. If you faceb**k this raffle, with a link to this post, you get one entry.

Be sure you let me know if you blog it or FB it so your name can be entered into the drawing!

Very easy!

And with Christmas around the corner, it's an easy gift for an avid reader!

We will have the drawing on November 4th, so check back to see if you won,

and we'll ship it to you.

Your opinion, please...

I've been chatting with a young lady from my church about international adoption. Her name is Ashlee. She is the sweetest thing! As soon as we step foot into church, she whisks Laura out of our arms, and either chats or they head down together to the preschool room where she sometimes teaches. After church, she reappears, whisks Laura away again, and they go hang out with the teens. It's funny...if I can't find Laura, I know she's with the teens. Girls...they grow up so fast! What a blessing it is to have Ashlee, and some of the other teens, so involved and lovin' on Laura each week!

Anyway, Ashlee is a senior in high school, and has chosen to write a paper on international adoption. She told me how hard it was to narrow down the topic. There is so much information, and so many topics within international adoption! But she did narrow it down, and is writing her paper on whether or not children should have the right to locate their biological parents at some point. We've emailed back and forth and discussed some of the issues involved with this.

The latest question she posed was, what would be the benefit of a child being able to locate their birth parents? The two ideas she has so far is to obtain a medical history and to learn about their heritage.

So, here's my question to you.

Can you think of any other positive reasons for a child to locate their biological parents? Now, this is not a debate, and we're not choosing sides. I'm just trying to help find some more thoughts on this particular question. And what better place to get some feedback than from all of you, many of whom are involved in one way or another with adoption.

So, what do you think? Please share, as I know she'll be reading comments to see what you have to say!

Stay tuned!

We're getting closer each day to Jenna. Yes, I would love to get a phone call tomorrow from our agency saying that our Article 5 has arrived and that our TA miraculously was sent at the same time, and that we can travel ASAP. Yes, that would be nice...unrealistic...but a nice dream. So with a little extra wait time on our hands, we decided to have some fun.

You all know the awesome story of our first-ever adoption fund raiser...the rummage sale, last April. If you didn't hear the awesome way God provided every penny (plus one dollar) that we needed to send two days later, then you should read it HERE and HERE. It was an awesome story...a Memorial Box story if I kept one. But I don't have one...so it's in my bloggy memory!

So now we're getting ready and looking around at hotels and airfare to China, as well as the final payment to our agency that will be due very soon. We've been wanting to do an online fundraising "something," but weren't sure what to do. Some of you have had such great ideas, but it just wasn't clickin' with me. Then two days ago, it came to us, and it should arrive soon. Just in time for Christmas shopping...or whatever shopping. So stay tuned!

How many do you have?

How many do you have? Shoes, that is.

Most of us can probably say that we have some kind of athletic shoe, shoes for church, casual shoes, shoes for summer, maybe some slippers, shoes for doing yardwork, perhaps a pair of cowboy boots, snow boots, or fancy-schmancy-kill-your-feet-party shoes.

There are a ton of stores in which to find them, and usually at decent prices, so buying multiple pairs is not a problem.

And there's certainly nothing wrong with having multiple pairs of shoes!

But since my minivan will be full once Jenna is home, I have to find other outlets to care for the orphans. I found a great one. Shoes for Orphan Souls, which provides new shoes for children who don't have, and most likely have never had, any shoes. Can you imagine walking around in some of those unsanitary conditions, like dumps and sewer waters, with no shoes? Can you imagine the disease that is absorbed into their feet that have been cut by rocks and garbage?

So, our family has organized a shoe/sock drive at our church for the month of November, coinciding with Orphan Sunday and National Adoption Month. These shoes will be shipped somewhere within the U.S., or sent overseas through Buckner International. We were not at church this past Sunday since we had to take Ruffey back to his trainer, but apparently the donations are already coming in at church. We had to get busy preparing our treasure chest for the collection!

The boys colored some paper shoes to decorate the treasure chest.

Then they cut them out...

and finally stuck them all over the treasure chest. Looks like we're ready to go!

Hello??

Hello? Anyone out there see an Article 5 floating around that could possibly belong to us?

A friend had this on her blog as she waits, patiently like me...ahem.

Farewell, Little Buddy

Well, we had to say goodbye to Ruffey today.

We were gone the entire day, driving him back to his trainer, and then back home again.

Ruffey just didn't match up with Laura like it was anticipated, for various reasons.

He's a sweet dog, but just couldn't settle into the work mode for her.

So, per his trainer, they will try to find a home for Ruffey with an elderly couple, perhaps, where there's not so much activity.

He gets to enjoy an early retirement.

So, now we wait.

We want to bring Jenna home and get settled. Then we'll talk with the training facility to get matched with another dog for Laura.

His Soft Heart

Our Amarin...home for 14 months already.

He's not often the focus of the blog.

He's such an easy child...obedient, happy, compliant, funny, and such a servant's heart.

And of all the kids, I think he has the softest heart of all.

He's so sensitive...actually all of our boys are...but Amarin especially.

Just "the look" can envoke tears.

But he's such a funny boy, too. Such a sense of humor, and a contagious laugh.

He loves to help in the kitchen, and wants to fly airplances someday.

I wonder sometimes what his life would be like had he not come home to us.

But God...He knew all along...since before Creation, that Amarin was to be in our family.

That we needed him as much as he needed us.

And that he would be the little brother needing a mentor, and also the big brother with a soft heart for his little siblings.

We are thankful everday for this sweet boy.

Laura's Field Trip

Laura was able to go on her first ever field trip today.

And I got to go with them!

It was the most beautiful, autumn day...

a little crisp in the morning, but we were peeling off the coats as the morning progressed.

Laura has 5 classmates, and 3 teachers.

I drove and met them at the pumpkin patch.

Here they are getting off the bus.

Laura's primary teacher, Ms. Mary, was helping her.

Laura watched the donkey and sheep.

And the corn table...that was a favorite for all of the kids.

Laura was chosen to dress up like a scarecrow.
The worker helped Laura bang the sticks together to "scare away the crows!"

I don't think she realized how much Laura hates anything on her head,

but Laura was a good sport.

Then the kids got to help stuff old clothes with straw to make their own scarecrows!

I think the kids had just as much fun rolling in it, and tossing at others!

OK...who tossed this on me??

This stuff is a little bit pokey!

One of Laura's bigger friends...I think she thought he threw straw on her. Look at that glare!

And a trip to the pumpkin patch would not be complete without cider and donuts.

"Look at mommy, Laura."

No, I'd rather look at you, Ms. Mary!

Laura's teacher is so sweet and patient, and has such a bubbly personality.

We are very blessed that she is Laura's teacher.

The other assistants in the classroom are very sweet, too.

I could tell that they all care so much for these precious children in their care.

Laura in the pumpkin patch.

My pretty little girl.

Laura had a tummy bug yesterday and missed the tailgate party at school...

for the big UofM/MSU game on Saturday.

So, we just had to show our UofM spirit today in honor of Daddy's alma mater!