Our holiday in pictures

Christmas Eve getting ready to read "The Night Before Christmas"

Waiting to "attack" the gifts that await unsuspectingly at the bottom of the stairs and just around the corner!

Time for stockings

Blazen loved his new rope....it was shredded 2 minutes later!

This makes me laugh.....this headband was Sam's gift to Lulu...she wore it for hours this way....with the big blue Cherokee tag still on and sticking up! I laughed every time she ran by me!

Opening gifts from Nana and Poppy who always come and have lunch with us Christmas Day.

She was cracking herself up here....and everyone else!

My sweet Jaida just gets prettier and prettier! She asked for her 2 front teeth for Christmas but Santa did NOT deliver!

The girls got hats from my parents.

We celebrated on the 26th with Will's family. Some fun cousin time. Two peas in a pod..Anna and Jaida!

All the cousins on a cold southern day!

Ringing in the New Year with our awesome neighbors! Food, fun and fireworks...and we didn't have to go anywhere!

Hope your holidays were wonderful, warm and cozy and spent with those who bless your lives!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours........

Oh my sweet Lulu.......

Lulu is quite the character. And Lulu plays very well by herself...imaginary friends with dialogue and all. It is quite entertaining to listen to. Today as I was putting tonite's dinner in the crock pot she was playing with the Fisher Price Little People. We have the van and when a button is pushed in the baby seat a baby "cries". She pushed the button and said, "Mommy did you hear that? Did you hear that baby cry?" To which I replied, "I sure did. Poor baby." She then proceeds to tell me this:

"Mommy that baby cry cause she live in Beijing. She need a family. We need to get her cause we no have any babies. I a sister now not a baby and she need a sister. Mommy, we need go get her. She so sad she not have a family. I have a family right Mommy? Mommy, you hear her cry? We need go get her now! What she name Mommy? We so sad too cause we have to wait long time for her and we no have any baby now."

Oh my

To which I replied: "Yes, sweetheart you do have a family forever and ever and 2 sisters and 2 brothers and a Mommy and a Daddy. Do you like your family?"

Lulu: "All peoples need family or they so sad. She in Beijing and we need go get her Mommy! That baby need sisters and brothers and Mommy and Daddy. We need go get her or she be so sad. I be her sister and Sissy and Mei Mei too. And Gu Gu and Xin be the brothers and you be the Mommy and Daddy be she Daddy."

Oh my...what goes on in that precious little head of hers? Makes me teary and hurts my heart. How I wish I could give all the babies a family sweet Lulu! Sigh...............

The Holiday Season

It is that time of year! How can it be? Weren't we just in costumes knocking on doors begging for candy???? Thanksgiving came and went. My favorite holiday. It is just so simple. Eating, thankful hearts and people you love. What could be better than that? Then Christmas comes fast on the heels of that simple holiday with all it's glitz. I feel like we as Americans rush through that simple lovely holiday to get to the next...we even had stores open Thursday, Thanksgiving day, this year! REALLY???? Weren't we supposed to be giving thanks for what we have instead of out shopping for more of what we really don't need? I tried hard to hold on to that 4 day weekend but alas with Thanksgiving being so late this year, I had to jump right into the hoopla. And I wasn't really in "the mood" if you want to know the truth. I drug all the boxes and bags out of the attic Saturday and began the decorating while removing any traces of fall decor still up. I was hoping that getting our favorite things up would lighten my mood. I just wasn't ready to dive in full force to all the Christmas "stuff" we have on our list. I was still eating turkey and gravy leftovers for crying out loud! I managed to get it all up. Then Sunday we rushed out to get a tree and decorate it as a family as it was THE ONLY DAY we all had together over the next few weeks....crazy!

So now my house is adorned in all its Christmas finery. We have begun our traditions..the candy countdown chain, the advent calendar, Coco the elf has returned, the lights are twinkling, the candles are lit and the house smells wonderful, we are reading all of our favorite Christmas stories, the shopping is in full force, the parties, the events, and yes, the sports that stop for nothing. I do feel more festive. And I do like the way it looks and makes me feel when it is all up.I love looking at the "stuff" and all the memories it brings to mind. But I truly long for simplicity. Stillness. Reflection on the meaning of this great day. More family time, less distraction. I know I sound like a scrooge. But life is so chaotic and busy through out the year. Why do we add more to that during this time? Why don't we slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures? Sometimes I wish I were Laura Ingalls. Now that was a simple Christmas!

We had Thanksgiving at my brother's house this year in Atlanta

My Family

Our Thankful Tree Nov 1st

And our Thankful Tree at the end of the month! LOVE this tradition and each year I remove it all and put them in a bag labeled with the year. Maybe one day someone will go back and read them and reminisce and feel very blessed!

On to the next set of decorations......

 All my little elves

Lulu's unique style of decorating..."the clump"

All my "gifts"...crazy bunch that makes my heart smile!

Celebrating Life and a Red Thread

November 7th our sweet little Charlotte celebrated her 1st birthday! This precious child has had quite the life so far. She was given up at 6 months of age. No doubt her family felt they could not give her the much needed heart surgery she had to have to survive. So they left her at the orphanage. Maybe they thought the orphanage could help. I can't even imagine having that sweet baby in my arms for 6 months and then leaving her "in hopes" she might get surgery and might live. I pass no judgement here. I will never truly know the real "whys" of her story  but I do know God impressed upon my heart to fight for her, to be her voice, to give her a chance at life. I truly felt I owed it to her and her birth mother. Enter the Red Thread....there is a Chinese proverb that states:

 An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break.

So "our Red Thread" began when we decided to adopt again, God led us to Lulu at Chenzhou CWI, through Lulu we met the Team Chenzhou gang, through that we fell in love with this group and this orphanage, we then decided to go on a mission trip with them to Chenzhou, while there little Charlotte had been left just weeks before our arrival, Julia fell in love with her, another amazing team member, Megan, already had some "fight" in her and wanted to get help for "her baby" Sarah, Megan contacted some friends, said friends made some calls, God moved mountains, Charlotte and Sarah were sent to New Hope in Beijing for some much needed care and surgery, Charlotte had emergency heart surgery and is recovering and doing very well according to the doctor!

So we couldn't let this momentous occasion of turning 1 go by. I contacted New Hope and asked if we could send a birthday party. They said that they usually have 1 party a month for all the kids celebrating their birthdays in that month and they were due for one! So we got to help with this special day and they sent pictures for us to see.

 What a FABULOUS place! Praise be to God these girls are there! As I looked at Charlotte's non-blue face, tears welled up in my eyes. I don't know what the future holds for this beautiful child but she has a future now. The orphanage told us she had a " very bad heart" and it couldn't be repaired. They did the best they could for her but they had no hope. She would have died had she stayed there. But God had different plans for this child. He saw hope! My verse for the mission trip was Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I had know idea just how appropriate this would be....but He did!

I pray daily for Charlotte. I pray she heals. I pray she gets a family. I do ask God if we are to pursue her...I haven't heard yet on that :) Wherever she ends up will be the perfect place for her because He has written her story and He has connected the Red Threads that make up her life. Happy 1st Birthday sweet Charlotte! We love you!

Our Charlotte

Sarah who celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago! She has made AMAZING progress!!!!

Their cake

They even had goody bags!!!

They had dress up play and face painting, parachute play and this tunnel too!! I love this place! And the staff seems amazing too! They seem to love their jobs and the kids. So thankful there are people and places like this!

Halloween 2013

1st shift of carving

Lulu refused to stick her hand in the pumpkin and pull the gunk out.

2nd shift of carving

Halloween morning about 6:50 am!

A Halloween breakfast

Oh these girls and their love of princesses and all things pretty and sparkly!

Goof balls!!!!

Zombie girl...yuk! The sad thing is she got a big black eye in her soccer game Saturday and all the kids at school  today joked that she forgot to take her zombie make-up off! Actually the make-up was less frightening looking than the real thing!!!! Poor baby!

The neighborhood gang all ready to set out!

I love this "holiday"! The kids love this "holiday"! So much fun and so simple really. This year was a little different as my 15 year old was not present for the pumpkin carving or trick or treating because she had basketball tryouts. Oh my heart! I guess I should rejoice in the fact that it lasted as long as it did. Those are just the "bumps" you have in a family with a large age span. We carved in shifts and Sam was sweet enough to carve Lulu's pumpkin and then wait and carve with Julia later that night. And Julia did catch up with us trick or treating and took the little girls to the doors. She got to dress up the next day at school where the sophomore class dressed as zombies. I even had to take a Halloween picture of all 5 in the wee hours of the morning before school in order to get all 5 together! Whew...didn't I say simple "holiday"?