It Takes A Village....

I can't believe it is nearly Thanksgiving already! I am thankful for so much. This weekend, I have experienced yet again the joy of watching my kids being encouraged & doted on by friends. We have been at church quite a bit for Glorious Christmas Nights rehearsals. Even in their most restless moments, our church family has been nothing short of encouraging to them & to me. There were some funny moments, as well, like when the music indicating the scene change didn't start quite as quickly as expected & Marcie blurted out something like, "where's the music?" (Or was it, "we need the music?"). Marcie had a ball at a sleepover with one of her friends last night & then we had the joy of taking this little girl with us to Sweet Frog while Charlie rehearsed with the youth. This little girl is full of joy & spunk & just a delight to be around. While at Sweet Frog, we saw some other friends from church & just had a nice time with them. Friday night while Charlie was rehearsing, Marcie was at her sleepover & Kyle & Joanna were quietly playing their DSI XLs, I enjoyed being able to sit & talk with another friend -- it was so nice to be able to talk with another adult, relaxing, with the kids quiet. I really appreciated that time & the support & encouragement especially for my newest adoption quest. I am truly blessed with friends who are so actively involved in my kids' lives & my life both in my community & at church. They don't understand yet the value of having so many caring adults in their lives but I do & I appreciate each & every one of you. Thank you!

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday is coming to a close. Churches all around the U.S. had sermons & other activities to bring the plight of orphans to the forefront of people's minds. My church also did the same thing, beginning with a wonderful video that included the names & pictures of some of the adopted children in our church. I was so moved by the presentation, especially with seeing my children in the video! James 1:27 is one of the most widely shared scripture verses that calls attention to the responsibility of Christians with regard to orphans. Seeing the verse in the video along with some statistics about orphans is haunting. I've seen several numbers: 143 million, 147 million, 160 million.... staggering numbers of children who may have a name but no identity other than "orphan." The babies don't know they are orphans & maybe even some of the 4 & 5 year old children don't know that other children actually have parents and may have siblings but generally do not live in a home with large rooms lined with cribs or beds. Just think about how it would feel to lie down at night without knowing that someone really loves you, is committed to you, wants to sing happy birthday to you... wants to give you his or her last name. A name. A name that identifies you as someone's child, a part of a family. Some of the Chinese orphans have last names that are the names of the orphanages they are in. Sad. I find it really hard to get the little faces that I see on websites out of my mind every night. I don't know what it's like to be an orphan, to have no sense of belonging to a family, to not know how it feels to be tucked in at night by your mom or your dad. But, there are a lot of kids out there who do know those things & the numbers grow daily. We must pray for God's mercy on those children who wait, hoping for a new name, to be able to call out "Mom" or "Dad" & know there will be an answer to that call. May God bless them!

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

I actually never thought I would be going back to China for another adoption. I thought if I did go back, it would be to take Joanna back to her birth country & of course, bring the other kids for an educational trip. However, I couldn't get this little face out of my mind and when it was clear that a family was not coming forward for her, I had to ask. It seems that the Lord had me in mind as miraculously, the Chinese adoption authority gave me pre-approval to adopt her.

The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. Out of the millions of families in the world, He picks mine for this little special needs orphan and for her, a miracle. He will be plucking her out of an orphanage and uniting her with a family half a world away. Amazing!

She seems to have some physical disability in that she reportedly doesn't move and she does have club feet. So, why her? Why me? I don't know the answer to those questions. But I do know this, that God has His eyes on her, He knows her needs and He knows my family. And, now, He is putting us together. My kids are really excited and Charlie has been giving me his loose change to apply to the adoption costs. So sweet!

It will be a long process getting her here.... lots of paperwork and $. I will be doing some fundraising and also applying for adoption grants. The greatest expense is in getting her here and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't firmly believe that I am walking in God's will. As the scriptures say, we walk by faith and not by sight! So, I have to take a deep breath, jump in and get rolling on this paperwork.... and pray a lot! Please keep us all in your prayers!

A Stranger to My Blog

Unbelievable! It has been more than 2 years since I have written a blog post. Guess that's what facebook will do for you! I haven't written a lot because, well, anyone who knows me knows what I have been up to! The kids are growing like crazy. It seems like only yesterday that they were preschoolers & now they are well into their school-age years. Charlie started middle school & has actually survived the 1st 3 days. He says he likes it & is enjoying having chorus as an elective. Marcie I think would actually be happier if she could go ahead & do her senior year of high school. She is clearly not thrilled with the kids who sit around her & really would like her friends to be in her "pod." I told her that her teacher was smarter than that! Kyle & Joanna have enjoyed getting back into the routine of school. Kyle was actually ready to go back to school several weeks ago. Look out CCPS -- here they come!

Memorial Day Weekend, And the Best Money Ever Spent

So, after dance recitals, competitions, camp-outs, Mother's Day, and the busy-ness of May, comes Memorial Day weekend. Finally, a chance to breathe! Well, maybe not. Saturday morning began on a somber note for me as I went to Pastor Fred's funeral. It was beautiful and truly a celebration of his life and legacy. While I was so happy at the thought of his joy when he entered heaven, I was also sad because I will miss his kind, gentle spirit, his thoughtful ways, his wonderful teaching and music, and his joy of life. Okay, so back on track.... after the funeral, I took the kids to Marcie's bff's birthday party. The main attraction was horseback riding, which the kids loved. Even Joanna was willing to ride, and was much less afraid than the last time she had the chance to ride (and I made her ride around the small area that first time so that she would realize that she would be safe and it would be fun). Actually, Joanna might have ridden twice that Saturday.

The thing the kids looked forward to the most after the birthday party was swimming. I joined the pool in Hopewell right down the street from my parents. I used to work there as a teen-ager and of course, played there during my childhood and adolescence. The price was so much better than at the swim club near my house, so that's why I joined that one. Anyway, I had told the kids that since the weather forecast was for rain on Sunday, we would just plan to go to the pool on Monday. Well, they noticed that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and they really wanted to swim, so I took them on Sunday. As soon as we got there, it thundered and the pool was cleared. Since it really looked like it would blow over, we stayed. Sure enough, the sun came back out and the kids were able to play. You would never have known that they hadn't been swimming since last fall. They were so happy to be able to play in the pool, and I think they got about 2 hours worth before it began thundering again. Even though we couldn't see any lightening and it wasn't raining, it did seem that there would be a storm, so we left. I think a little while later, they closed the pool, though, there serious storms didn't come until much later.

Monday was beautiful, sunny and hot, but breezy. And, there was a cook-out at the pool -- $2 per person or $5 per family! So, we took advantage of that. The pool provided hot dogs, chips, drinks and folks were asked to bring a dish. I ate much better than the kids because I enjoyed the pasta salads and other dishes but the kids did eat pretty well (they like macaroni and cheese). After that, they played in the pool for hours and I was thinking as I watched them, "that might be the best money I've ever spent." Marcie's and Kyle's swimming skills (virtually self-taught) came right back. Joanna was doing really well swimming underwater some, too. Charlie was a bit braver this year than last year and the more time the kids spent in the water, the more proficient (at a basic level), they looked. Marcie was able to jump off the diving board and swim to the side unassisted. Kyle got brave enough to jump off once and I helped him to the side, but then he was too nervous, so he didn't try again. Swimming lessons begin July 5 and I am looking forward to the kids becoming even more skilled in the water. They do have a healthy respect for the water but it is really nice to see them enjoying the water with a bit less fear than they used to have. We are looking forward to a great summer in the water! :)

Dance Recitals, Camp Outs and City Kids

May whizzed by with all of the weekend activities. First was the dance recital mid-May. Marcie was in 3 dances, only 1 of which was in the first act. My nieces were also in 3 dances and their 3rd dance was the finale! So, we were there late each night. It was okay, really, because I enjoyed it and I think my other 3 kids enjoyed it, as well. Marcie was terrific -- she really enjoyed being with her friends and flitting around as though she had been doing that for many more than the 4 years she's been involved in dance. (Wow, can't believe it's been 4 years!). My nieces also danced well. They are so beautiful and among the sweetest little girls in the whole world! The very next weekend, she had another dance competition and the boys had a Royal Rangers camp-out. Charlie went on Friday night to camp until Sunday. Kyle was too young but they had a Ranger Kids field day on Saturday, so we went to that. It was so hot and at first, I didn't think we would make it for the day. I had planned to just drop him off but the medical person who would have checked his blood sugars and given him insulin via his insulin pump was not there. He had gone to the hospital with someone else the night before (an adult leader) and hadn't yet returned, though, I was assured he was on his way back. Kyle wanted me to stay and Charlie did, too, so much to Marcie's chagrin, we stayed. We all ended up having a great time and even Marcie put her DS away several times to play a few games. The funniest part of the whole day, though, was during lunch. They had hot dogs (grilled) with buns and condiments, chips, drinks and desert cakes and cookies (prepackaged kind). This was the kind of meal my kids love but there was just one problem -- no tables. Who would you expect would be the most finicky about sitting on the ground? Marcie -- right? Well, no, she got her plate, plopped down and started eating (rare for her because of the medicine she takes -- she usually has no appetite for lunch). She ate a whole hot dog! I think she was just really happy with a canned soda. Anyway, Charlie also sat right down. Joanna needed some encouragement but she finally sat on the ground. Kyle, however, would have no part of it. Surprisingly enough, he did not want to put either his hindparts or his food on the ground. So, a friend who was there with his son put out a large, green trash bag for his son and Kyle to sit on. I chuckled about that for hours. Who would've thought that my youngest son, all boy, would be too finicky to sit on the ground?

The next day was Marcie's dance competition. The kids were really tired and Kyle clearly didn't want to be there. In the morning, Marcie did the first 2 of her dances and I was able to see them. Her ballet took 2nd and her tap dance took 1st place for points scored in her division! I left her there and went to pick Charlie up from camp. Then, we went back. They were thrilled to be able to eat at the corner Subway, but not so thrilled to be spending the remainder of the afternoon watching the competition. Marcie's other dance wasn't until around 6 in the evening. Even Joanna got a little restless but Kyle was just beside himself and could barely hold it together by later in the day. Charlie fell asleep leaning up against me ... imagine the scent of a boy who's been on a camp-out for 2 nights with no bathing facilities. Hmmm... we survived, and Marcie's Rhythm of the Night dance took 3rd place! She was so grouchy after that so I was glad to be home and get my exhausted children bathed and in bed. They were asleep not long after their little heads hit the pillow. Sweet!