Update on Nai Nai

Thank you to everyone for the prayers for my mom and our family. My mom has been moved to a rehab facility and is doing better, however, she is not able to get up and go unless she is assisted. It's so hard to watch her try to manouver around in the bed just to try to move over to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor. The stroke was on the right side of her brain, so it affected the left side of her body. Just last week, I took her back to her house on Thursday after she spent a week with us. She and Emmi and Maggie had made Christmas cookies and we had had a good time together. She was up and about like normal. Now a different story, but I'm just so thankful to the Lord that she's still here with us.





We are so, so very thankful that the stroke didn't affect her mind. She has dozens of therapists, and on Wednesday she met with a speech therapist. The therapist told my mom that she was going to ask a lot of questions and they would sound pretty trivial (ie what day is it, what Holiday is coming up, what was last months Holiday, etc.) Mom answered all the questions correctly. The therapist told mom that she didn't need her anymore (except speech). Really good news!! So now she just has to get her left side moving again. She wears a prosthesis on her left leg which doesn't help, but we are hoping and praying that she can get back to walking without assistance.
Please continue to pray for my mom. Not knowing what the future will bring is very, very scary. But, I'm following God and walking with Him one day at a time.

I'll have to say that it was tough getting up this Christmas morning without Nai Nai at our house. Even Jacob commented last night that it wouldn't be the same without Nai Nai here. But again, we are so blessed that she's still with us. We packed up the gifts and off to rehab we went. We can celebrate Jesus' birthday anywhere anyway. It doesn't have to be in our living room floor. Happy Birthday Jesus!!!



"But the angel said to them, 'do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 10-11

Prayers for Nai Nai please!

Hi everyone,

Last night I had to face something that I've absolutely feared would happen. My mom had
a small stroke. As we were having our traditional dinner at my in-laws last night (my mom has been going
with us for the last few years) she had a stroke. She was admitted into the hospital this morning and has been undergoing assorted tests for much of the day. We still don't have "all" the results back yet, however, she is very, very, weak and can not get around on her own. Now I don't know about your mamma's, but mine is very independent. So for her not to be able to get around is major.
Please pray that God gives her strength, patience, and perserverence to get through this obstacle. So far I've been strong, but fear has crept in tonight. Leaving her at the hospital & seeing her lie in the bed, well I just lost it. So please pray that God gives me strength and wisdom to get through the coming days. Also, please pray for my daughter Emmi. She just loves her Nai Nai dearly. It's so hard seeing her reaction to all this. I know she's worried and
scared. Nai Nai traveled to China with me to bring Emmi home in 2000 as well as Maggie in 2003. She's a tough mamma, but definately needs all your prayers. I'm an only child so we're all very close.
Mom stayed with us last week and made cookies with the girls. Everything seemed fine and I
would never have thought that a week later this would happen. I trust in God's plan and know that He is in complete control. We're walking with Him and taking one day at a time.

God bless,

Anita

Adoption books auction -ending soon!!

Wow!! God has been soooooo good during this journey. We have raised almost $800 so far and are still in need of another $1300 for the rest of our homestudy fees. I had forgotten that $600 of post placement fees were due up front.

I found two different adoption books, "Mommy Far, Mommy near", 4 hardback copies &
"Happy Adoption Day", 4 soft back copies, that I had purchased and put away. I had hoped
to start an on-line business and had accumulated different adoption and Chinese cultural items to add to the sight. However, the sight never did happen. But I do still have some of those items and am hoping to sell to the highest bidder to help with Faith's adoption fund. These are
both wonderful books and would be a great addition to your library.

There is one day left to place your bid. We currently have 2 of the "Mommy Far, Mommy Near" books with bids. We still have 2 with no bids and 4 of the "Happy Adoption Day" books without bids. Just e-mail me with your bid, anitavan@bellsouth.net and I will post your bid. Once the auction ends, tomorrow, Sat. 18 at midnight, I will e-mail the winners. Payments can then be made through the "donate" button on the right.

We are also accepting donations if you already have these books and would love to help us with our journey to our daughter Faith. $5 donations add up quickly and we would so appreciate your help.

"Happy Adoption Day"

Book 1 High bid _____

Book 2 High bid _____

"Happy Adoption Day"


Book 3 High Bid_______
Book 4 High Bid_______

"Mommy Far, Mommy Near"

Book 1 High bid - $20.00

Book 2 High Bid - $25.00

"Mommy Far, Mommy Near"

Book 3 High bid _______

Book 4 High bid_______

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12

And the winner is . . . .

First, I must say "thank you" to everyone that contributed to this fundraiser giveaway. We were able to raise another $300 towards Faith's adoption fund. As yesterday drew closer, I wasn't sure if I would be totally stressed, or even hyperventilate (sp?) since we were so far away from our goal of $1800. And, somewhere down the road, I missed the additional $600 in post placement fees that had to be paid up front as well for the home study. But Friday night, I was at total peace not knowing the final outcome. I thank God for taking us one step closer.

So, the winner is . . . . . Debbie Ward.

Please check back often, I will be adding some great items to my blog to auction this week to continue our fundraising efforts to bring Faith home.


"You can be at PEACE about your future, when your future is in God's hands." This was
part of our sermon series back in the summer.
Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Only ONE day left to order!! Our Thirty-One fundraiser ends today, Saturday, December 11th at midnight!!!! Every donation counts!! Thanks so much for visiting our site.

If you are just stopping by, a very sweet friend, Anne Little, is hosting a Thirty-One party for our daughter, Faith's, adoption fund. She is donating 100% of her profits!!

Just by placing an order, you will automatically be entered into our current $100 Best Buy gift card giveaway too!! Just in time for Christmas. We will draw the winner on December, 12th.

To see the fabulous Thirty-One bags, totes, and goodies, just visit http://mythirtyone.com/AnneLittle

On the right at the bottom you will see "my events". Click on it and then go to Vantrease family. This way we will get credit for your order.

Thanks so much!!!

Walk of Faith pt. 2

Back in February when I first saw a picture of our daughter, not knowing what was to come, my heart flittered. I knew when I saw her that God had a special plan. Not being financially ready, my response was, next year. But that feeling never went away. I thought about Tammy (her name on the MAA WC list) every day and every night before I went to bed. I prayed about her every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times. So this went on for 7 months. I would ask God "but how?." She also has CP which scared the daylights out of me. And she's 10 years old. But after some research, I felt at total peace with her need. During that time, I found a very special blog where they put their adoption of 2 little girls in God's hands. They trusted that He would provide, and He did. I kept praying and knew that we had to do the same thing, "trust in God", it's His plan afterall. In September I wrote our agency that we wanted to be Tammy's family. So here we are fundraising to bring her home. This is our second fundraiser. It's a giveaway for a $100 Best Buy gift card. With each donation, your name is entered into the drawing which will be held December 11th. I hope you will help us on our journey to our daughter Faith (the name we will call her if she is o.k. with it).

"Are you a goer or a sender"?

I have a couple of bloggy friends that I love to check in on and read their posts. On one of the blogs, I watched a short utube video today about their adoption journey. There was a clip about older children aging out. I didn't relize how many older children age out, and how quickly it happens. These children will never have a family to love them, hold them, give sweet hugs, sit at the dinner table with a mamma and daddy. Can you just imagine? It's just simply not right. There needs to be more families. Where are their families?

Did you know there are over 140 million orphans in the world?

Every 2.2 seconds another orphan child ages out without a family to belong to.

It simply breaks my heart that there are so many orphans just waiting to find a family. Could you be there family? Would you go? A friend of mine wrote a post on her blog "Are you a goer or a sender"? Please visit her blog at http://www.morekids4me.blogspot.com/ to read it.

And please don't forget about our fundraiser. This is our second fundraiser & we only have 2 contributors so far. We are hoping to raise $2300 for our homestudy and USCIS fees. When you donate, your name is entered into a drawing for the $100 Best Buy gift card.

Others fundraising too!

One thing is for sure, I have met some really wonderful people while trying to fundraise! I saw a link to a "Christmas Frenzy" sight and ventured over to check it out. This family is amazing by helping others with their fundraisers by posting the families links on their blog. All families are in the process of fundraising and have some great gifts just in time for Christmas. I wrote Stacy and she immediately
replied and welcomed me to her blog. What a sweet blessing to us fundraising families. As I am currently offering a fundraiser giveaway, $100 BEST BUY GIFT CARD, please feel free to check out the Christmas Frenzy link to the right. We are all desperately trying to bring our children home. My fundraisers so far have been tough! You must realize it's really hard to ask of others for help. I simply don't like it and it's hard for me to do. I know God has a plan for us, and our daughter waiting for us in Tianjin, China is part of His plan. We just have to get her home!!!

Don't forget, you are entered into our $100 Best Buy Gift Card giveaway each time you donate to the right. This fundraiser ends Dec. 11th.


Anita

Another Fundraiser!!!

Oh my!! Why does fundraising have to be so hard? Did I think it would be easy?
No!!! But wouldn't it be amazing if it was? So many more families would be formed and there would be less orphans in this world. I know with all my heart that God has called us to bring this sweet child home to become our daughter. We still have a long way to go, but my goal now is to simply finish raising the needed money for the first phase of our adoption expenses. We have currently raised $500, so onward we go.

To enter our Fundraiser Giveaway to help bring Faith home just click on the donate button. Each donation gives you a chance to win this awesome gift, $100 Best Buy gift card, just in time for the Holidays. Enter as many times as you like as each donation will give you additional chances to win.






This fundraiser giveaway ends on Saturday Dec. 11th. I will announce the winner on Sunday, December 12th. Thank you so much for helping us bring our daughter home!!

Journey to Jacob!

I wanted to share our journey in finding our "little man" Jacob 5 years ago. I never imagined that God would bless us with a son. In fact, I thought about adopting again after Emmi and Maggie, but honestly thought it would be another girl. Jacob was 3 3/4 when he ventured through the hotel room door in Xianyang in February 2006. What a brave little boy he was to see for the first time his momma and big sister, Emmi. Oh how time has flown. Jacob turned 8 this past June. I just can't believe how fast these past 4 years have gone. I had written a letter to announce Jacob, then named "Zander" on our waiting kids list and wanted to post it here. It's very special and came right from my heart. God works in wonderous ways. We just have to "listen" and "be patient". I try my hardest to listen but still need to work on patience. Here is what I wrote:

"It is with upmost excitment that we would like to announce we are the very proud
parents of our "little man" Zander. I couldn't figure out why I kept getting drawn to his
file. I was seriously advocating for this little boy and wanted him to have his own
forever family. Two weeks ago, I decided to print a copy of his picture and some information
regarding his hand and take it to our local orthopedic office in hopes that I could post "something"
to this wonderful group. I laid the picture on my desk as it would be a couple
of days until I could get by there. And then I thought, hmmm, wonder if my dh, Mike would
notice the picture. I even posted to Amy if Max and Zander were in the same swi. I thought well maybe
Amy's dh could check in on our little Zander man and give the group an update on him. Would that
be for the group or for "me"? I really started getting some mixed emotions.
Then after going back and reviewing his file again, I noticed his birthday. How
could I have overlooked that it was 6/18, the same as my dad's who is now deceased. That day
I looked at Zander in a totally different way. I had never really noticed which swi he was in, I just knew
he was in Xi'an, the same city as our Maggie. He is residing in the Xianyang swi and Emmi's middle
name is Yangxuan (very different meanings, but very close in spelling). As I was continually examining
his information, big old smiles came over my face. You know, I just can't explain the feeling, except that
it's very warm and fuzzy and feels right. All during this time I have prayed for Zander to find his forever family.
So I started praying a little differently. I prayed that if this child is suppose to be in our family please
give me some more signs.
This last Sunday me and the girls attended our regular church and I had already decided to move my
membership. We had been going there for years and it was something that I knew I needed to do. As
the service began and the congregation sang the opening song, we then watched a short video. Granted
we don't watch a video during every service. This video was about a man and his son. There was an accident
when the son was born and he could not walk or talk. The family enrolled
their son in school and even bought a device to help him communicate. He wanted to be in marathon's so
the dad pushed him in his wheelchair. The attitude and togetherness this family had was just remarkable. Today
the dad and his son have competed in many, many marathons, bi-athalons, etc. There were many teary eyes
including mine. I thought about Zander and his minor, minor need compared to this fellow. How could we not
scoop up this adorable little fellow, our "little Zander man"?
After church a friend of mine, who lurks on this list, and her daughter along with Em and Mag were off to
Nashville to the fcc Easter egg hunt. When my friend got in the van, and you know who you are, she asked
what we were going to do about Zander. I said "if we go to this egg hunt and someone hollers Zander you get
back over here", then that will be a sure sign that he's our son, jokingly of course. Well we went to the hunt, had a
great time and returned home. My husband was cooking and he asked how the hunt was. I said it was great,
however, there weren't any boys there. He said "can you not get boys"? I said "yeesss" in
fact there's a child on our waiting list now that just has something wrong with his hand. Let me back up a little.
I had not said anything yet to Mike about Zander, but I was getting ready to. I'm the type of person that has to
figure it out and then talk about it with my spouse. Mike is in no way a reluctant husband. I knew he would be
all for being Zander's dad. Back to the story. I told him I had a picture on my desk. He said Emmi showed me
his picture. Emmi and Maggie were o.k. with him being their little brother and of course the hand was no big
deal with them either. We talked about it a little more and I e-mailed Stefani that we wanted to "officially" review
his file.
On Tuesday, I received my e-mail from Chinasprout and decided to visit the sale page. There are these cute
little chops with animals of the zodiac on top. I thought the girls would love to stamp with them. Hmm, wonder
what Zander's zodiac is? I looked it up and found it to be the horse. That night I went back to work. I was
talking with a lady I did't know and she had this interesting necklace on. Can you guess? Yep, a horse. Then
the next morning on the way to work I heard an advertisement on the radio, "Zanderman's" law firm, something or
another. O.K. I hear you loud and clear God. This is our boy, our "little man" as I had been calling him. I just
wanted to be sure He wanted this little fellow in our family, and it certainly looks like that's His plan. So it is
with great pleasure to announce "WE ARE ZANDER'S FAMILY!! Yahoooooo!!!! Sorry to keep everyone in suspense
but I wanted to tell my mom first and in person. We're on our way to her house so I'm going to go ahead and
post our exciting news. Thank you so much for everyone who wrote about Zander's need and shared you're own
personal experiences with your children. I just love this group and can't wait to share our journey to our "little
Zander man".


Here's our "little man" Jacob today. This was taken at school a couple of weeks ago when he received a reading award. I just loooove that he will let me take a picture of him in front of his classmates. Oh how I dread that day when he decides he's too big to have his picture taken in front of his friends. I can just hear it now, "MA-A-A-M"! I know because his big sister Emmi does that now.

Finally!! We have a total!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my fundraiser to help with adoption expenses. Through Sarahs Treasure Box on her Etsy store and a very generous donation we have managed to raise $400 of the $1500 needed for our homestudy. I have to confess that I was a teeny bit stressful in the late afternoon when Sarah e-mailed me that we had only sold a few necklaces. As I began receiving e-mails of purchases and e-mails of encouragement it dawned on me that "yes" the money will come. It may not all be in this fundraiser, but it will come. I had started stressing over something that God has total control over. This adoption is in God's hands and He will provide. So onward we go. I have another fun event coming hopefully next week. Thanks again for helping us along our journey to our daughter, Faith!!!!

Trust in the power of the Lord:

"Do not be anxious about anyting, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".
Phillipians 4:6

Fundraiser wrap up today!

Well I had several sweet friends who were not able to place an order
last Thursday, the day of our fundraiser. I made a comment to Sarah that I probably would have had a few more orders. I checked my e-mail late Saturday and had an e-mail from her saying she would extend the orders through the weekend. What a sweet lady to do this for me. Thank you Sarah again!! So I hope to have the final tally tomorrow and will announce it here. What sweet friends I have made through this fundraiser. More to come tomorrow!! Stay tuned.

Fundraising today to bring Faith home

Well it's finally here!! Our fundraiser through Sarahs Treasure Box. I've not known Sarah for very long and in fact found her site through another mom's blog who did a whole lot of fundraising to bring her two sweet darling girls home. That day that I visited the blog, she had posted some of Sarah's necklaces as well as written that Sarah conducted fundraisers for adoption. I'll have to say that I was hesitant to contact her. I always have that fear of rejection. But I did and this sweet lady was very happy to work me in with a fundraiser date. She has the most stunning necklaces!!!! And she just added more Chinese pendants. I know you will love every one of them. So what are you waiting for? Click on the Sarahstreasurebox button on the right of this page & place your order before your favorites are gone. What great gifts these necklaces make whether it's for Christmas, birthdays, teachers gifts, etc. There is something for everyone! I'm posting a couple of my favorites. Thanks so much for your help!!!



God's tells us to take care of the orphans and widows. Do you think people know how many orphans there really are? It just breaks my heart when I see this number.

Faith

Fundraiser Our first fundraiser is through Sarahs Treasure Box. What an amazing lady to work so diligently to prepare her beautiful necklaces and give so much of herself to help others financially help bring their child home. Thank you Sarah again, and again, and again. I just can't say it enough. This is our 4th adoption and the financial piece is what was holding us back. I'm diving in and trusting in God that He will provide for us through this journey.
The fundraiser begins next Thursday, Oct. 21st. I have Sarahstreasurebox link on my blog. She is giving $5 of every purchase towards our adoption. Some of you may have already visited her etsy store and even ordered her beautiful necklaces. If not, you are going to be in for a real treat. I ordered two and am so impressed with them. They look beautiful with a t-shirt or dressed up. So pretty!!! These necklaces make great gifts for teachers, co-workers, family members, kids (my daughters just love them too), etc. And the price certainly makes them affordable to give as gifts. So I hope and pray that you will get out your Christmas list and start looking at Sarahstreasurebox. You can begin placing your orders at midnight, Thursday morning 12:00a.m. Again, it's a ONE day fundraiser and orders must be placed Oct. 21 in order to count for our fundraiser.
I'm also asking that you please post our fundraiser on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. Her link is http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

A little more about our daughter:
I title this post Faith, as that is the name we hope to give her. I guess we'll wait to see what she thinks about it. However, As I have pondered an English name for her, the first name that really popped into my head was Faith as I know this adoption is in God's hands as He has lead us to this sweet child. From reading my previous posts, you may already know that this child tugged at my heart the first day I saw her. For the last 7 months I have thought about her day and night and prayed earnestly to God that if this little girl is to become part of our family, that he keep her on my heart. Not knowing what my husband would say about adding a fourth child to our family, I also prayed that God would give him a soft heart. I honestly thought that my hubby would say "are you crazy?". I could not believe his positive, open reaction as he was so compassionate to her need of a family when I told him about her. That's my hubby!!
A little bit about our girl:
Wang - means "accumlate"
Xia - means "rosy clouds" "morning or evening glow"
SN - sequelae from brain trauma - cp
age - 10 years old

As an infant, before 6 months of age, she had a head injury. Her reports state that she loves school and does well in school. She loves to dance and perform. I'm so fortunate to have pictures of her performing on Children's Day this year. I also have a video of her performing. Emmi, takes dance, so I hope Wangxia will be open to learning other forms of dance, ballet, tap or jazz. We'll see!!
I also have a video of her being interviewed during an agency camp. My heart just melted when she was asked what she most wanted and she replied "to have a family". Hopefully the paperchase will be speedy as we are so looking forward to bringing her home!

Again, I hope you will pass our fundraiser along and post it on your blogs and facebook especially the day of the event, Oct. 21st. I forgot to add that custom orders do not count on the day of the event. Thank you so much!

Maggie, our little gymnist

Oh my, I don't think I could do the flips and flops that Maggie does at gymnastics when I was her age. In fact, I can't even do a cartwheel (then and certainly not now). Out of all three kiddos, Maggie is the one that honestly can't sit still. I love that God blessed us with three children who are so very different. And out of the three, Maggie is Miss congeniality. I get so tickled when I go to school and see her in action. Every teacher she meets, she gives a hug. That's my Maggie!! Oh, and did I mention that she is a wiggle worm. Of all the activities that she could possibly participate in, gymnastics is just right up her alley. She loves gymnastics!!!! It amazes me to sit and watch her do the rotations. She has the upper body strength like no other in her little class. She runs at everything she attempts and keeps trying until she gets it right. In fact, she taught herself to do the cartwheel (in our living room). I knew she would love gymnastics when one day on our jungle gym at home, I turned around and she was sitting on the top of the swingset. I just about panicked. Nope, she didn't go for the little trapeze bar, she went for the top of the swingset. Just sitting there like a bird pirched on a tree limb. She has no fear, which scares me a lot. I hope this little video clip works. This was from this afternoons gymnastics class. I finally remembered to take my camera. And no she doesn't use up all that energy at class. She has plenty left over for the rest of the night. Me, I'd be plum tuckered out.
The video would not upload so I'm adding a couple of pictures. Unfortunately, the pictures are kind of dark, especially the one of Maggie on the bar.

Walk of Faith

Mike and I have been so blessed to have three beautiful children, all adopted from China. We will be celebrating our 25th wedding aniversary Dec. 21st. Wow, where does the time go? I remember thinking years ago about our 25th anniversary. What would be my dream getaway to celebrate such a milestone, Hawaii? When Mike and I married we openly talked about adoption. I'm adopted, my dad wasn't actually officialy adopted but found a family (I'll tell the story a little later) and so adoption just seemed right. We began the adoption process in 1998 and in 2000 I traveled with my mom to bring our first daughter home, Emmi. It's hard to believe that 10 years ago we were waiting on our TA. Emmi was 1 year old. As I was an only child, I knew she had to have a sister. So in 2002, our agency, Childrens House International, introduced the first waiting child list. There she was, our Maggie. I never in the world thought that I could possibly adopt a sn child. But I knew in my heart that she was ours. God had a special plan for our family and Maggie was part of that plan. I did all my research on cleft lip/palate. You know crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's. This need is so manageable. We traveled in Feb., 2003 to bring her home. She was 20 months old. In 2004, I thought maybe we could adopt another little girl. However, God had another plan. You see, there was a little boy, 3 years old, who's file was going to be returned soon. I started advocating for this little boy and never thought about adopting him. I just knew he needed a family. His special need was club radial hand. As I advocated for him, I started feeling a pull. Why couldn't we be his parents? So I started praying about this cute little man becoming our son. Was he our son? I felt that tug and at church on my Birthday, it all came together. We traveled in Feb. 2006 to bring him home and he was 3 3/4. Another manageable need, club radial hand, Jacob had surgery to straighten and lengthen his arm. We plan on another surgery next year. He can throw a football better than most boys in his class and loves to play basketball.
As we sit down for dinner, there's always that empty chair. In the van, there's empty seats. And for some reason, 4 has been on my mind now for the past few years.
Back in February, I decided to visit the rainbowkids website. Having a routine of work, school for the kids, homework, dinner, etc. I really didn't take the time to check my favorite blogs and groups or even post on my own blog. As I visited rainbowkids, I knew I could open my heart to an older child. There were two girls whose needs seemed so manageable (although I knew nothing about either one). I remember thinking, "I could adopt either of these girls and be their mom". How in the world would I decide. Now these were just thoughts, nothing serious. As I thought about both girls days later, I went back to rainbowkids. One of the girls was no longer listed. The other child, that I was drawn to the most, was still there. Her need was listed as CP so I e-mailed the agency regarding more information. Financialy, we just weren't ready to start another adoption, maybe next year. However, my heart just kept being tugged. I joined the agency's yahoo group. I found more pictures and even video of her as well as researched her need. Over the past 7 months I have prayed and prayed and prayed about this child. I've thought about her day and night, night and day. I know it's God's plan that she too be a part of our family.
We submitted our paperwork and received PA today. So now the paperchase begins. Her name is Tammy on the agency list, however, we're thinking about the name, Faith. This is a walk of faith. So I hope you follow along to see God's work. I have several fundraisers planned with the first one on Oct. 21st, more to come.
MY DAD - as I wrote above, my dad was never officially adopted. As an orphan, he rode one of the last orphan trains. I can just imagine it traveling through Kentucky and stopping in every little town. As the trained stop in one of the last towns, my dad with all the other kids walked to the courthouse steps (not far from the train tracks). There was a man there that saw my dad and took him home. Unfortuately, this man's wife didn't want a son, so this man called a friend of his. As this man too took my dad home, again he was rejected by the wife. Another call was made, and the last family accepted my dad. The first two men were pretty influential in the town. The family that finally found him, wasn't, but they had the biggest heart. I'm so grateful that that train stopped in my home town that day. And I'm so grateful that when my mom and dad asked for a boy to adopt and received an extra picture (of me, hee hee) my dad had a change of heart. Yep, I was a daddy's girl!! I love and miss my dad. The gift of family, what a treasure!
So for this 25th anniversary I can honestly say that I'm not dissapointed that we're not going to Hawaii, or probably anywhere else. But I'm so grateful that I have a husband that has a love for the orphans as I do. Afterall, I was one.

Maggie's reading award

Maggie received another reading award. She loves to have her picture made during these types of events, unlike big sis. Last year, I attended an award Emmi received and she would not let me take her picture in front of her classmates. I guess that comes with growing up. Although, I don't think that will ever bother Maggie.

Dance, dance, dance!

Last week was a whirlwind as we had dance practice every afternoon after school and dress rehearsal on Friday night, 5-9:30p.m. It is sooo worth it though. I can not believe Emmi is in 4th grade dance. Sitting there watching the pre-ballet classes work through their programs thinking, that was Emmi just 4 years ago. Emmi was in three performances and had the cutest costumes, Jazz, ballet, and tap. We opted to take pictures in front of the fountain again between shows. We had it all worked out, Ballet picture after lunch and before the afternoon performance on Sat.
And then Tap after the p.m. performance. Then Sunday we would take the Jazz picture.
Well it rained on Sunday. So there isn't a Jazz picture. The costume is the same color as the Tap, except the straps are different. I'm still not sure why the costumes looked sooo much alike. I do know the teacher let's the kids pick. So I guess their favorite color is green. They were happy and that's all that mattered.
Anyway, we had a great time! And Emmi really did a wonderful job. She wants to add Pointe this fall. And she is required to take 2 more ballet classes. We'll see!
I had to get a picture of her bun. I had the hardest time getting it up and getting it to stay. Needless to say, it fell down 3/4 of the way during her performance. I guess I needed a couple of more bobbie pins on top of the 20 that were already in her hair. Oh, I did use her hair doll book too. Hmmm, too bad it didn't tell me that I needed more bobbie pins. I have a whole year to practice.

What are we waiting for?

I posted a link to one of my favorite Christian artist, Britt Nicole. I feel like God's not done with us through adoption. I've struggled thinking that 3 is it, however, I think He has a bigger plan. I'm not sure yet, or am I(?), but I know He will show me the way. There's so much more we can do! And, for some reason, the number 4 will just not get out of my head. This morning in church we recited our monthly Bible verse, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." I sometimes get sidetracked and think about the "stuff". You know, a "new" vehicle, cause we're gonna need one and sooon. That is, Mike is gonna need one. He's driving my old Toyota, Camry with 200,000 miles on it. In 2004, he took the Camry, and I got the new van. So now the Camry is soon to be retired, and Mike's getting himself a 2004 Sienna. And he's quite pleased I may add. So instead of getting a brand new vehicle this time, I think we're going for a nice used, 2007, vehicle. Yep, another van. We have to have a van or utility for everyone to fit. It's not about the "stuff" anymore. It's about the necessity and God providing only what we need. I love Britt's song, A:"Walk On the Water"A: because it talks about . . . what are we waiting for, what do we have to lose, with God we can walk on the water. This morning Jason spoke about sacrifices, "stop focusing on ourselves, but on those God loves." A lot of times, let me rephrase that, most of the time, we get sidetracked and lose the focus God has for us. Don't you just know that God just wants us to pay attention? There are soooooo many orphans and God loves 'em all. I had heard or read not too long ago that if every Christian family adopted an orphan, that there would be no more orphans. Wouldn't that be amazing? Anyway, I love going to church to hear what God has to tell me. This morning was awesome. I pray that God uses me to my fullest ability. He knows the plan. I just have to sit patiently to see it unfold.

Britt Nicole

Britt Nicole

Jacobs birthday!

June 18, 2009

Wow, it's hard to believe that Jacob's turning 7 on his birthday. He was only 3 when we came home from China (3 3/4 that is) on March 1st. Now, 3 years later, it feels like he's been in our family since he was born. I know he was in our heart all along, we just didn't know it yet, but God did. It was His plan!! We love you Jacob!! What a fun day and we all enjoyed the confetti cake.

Dance, Dance, Dance

May 17, 2009

I just love dance recital week, first or second week of May. It's hectic and we're running here and there. Emmi takes tap, jazz, and ballet, so we have rehearsal at the Capital Arts just about every day. Then on Friday evening it's dress rehearsal. Sooo much fun. And yes, Emmi loves it too! I always ask her each school year if she wants to take dance again. So far I've gotten an energetic YES! Although about three years ago she did decide not to take dance. The next year she got back on board though and has done a great job and had a lot of fun. After rehearsals on Friday, the show began on Saturday with an early a.m. performance and an afternoon one as well. Nanny and PaPa along with Sandra and Alvin, came to the early a.m. show. I'm so proud of Emmi. It's so hard to believe that she was just in pre-ballet just a few short years ago, and now she's 9. Wow, where does the time go? I posted pictures of her in her dance costumes as well as of the performance. In between the performances on Saturday, she, Maggie & I walked across the park to have lunch at her favorite restaurant. It's was a beautiful day and we were able to sit in the park for a little while before we had to be back for the afternoon performance.

This performance was from May, 2009.

Easter 2009

As we had the Easter egg hunt and I posted all the fun, I forgot to post our Easter picture on Easter Sunday. It's not the best, but at least we were all together and we coordinated (ha ha). After church we drove to mom's house and went out to lunch. Notice Jacob's tie, he loved wearing it. I will have to say, he looked pretty sharp.