Where East Meets Us

Awe

2011-10-27T07:25:00.003-05:00

I know it's so like me to say we've been busy, but we have! If I sit down for more than a few minutes I will either fall asleep or be bombarded with requests for a refill on a sippy cup, or need to let a dog out. So, my motto is "Just Keep Moving." I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. How does that Duggar lady do it??? I bet she never sleeps.
Avery has come so far. Less than two years ago she was in an orphanage and now she's reciting Bible verses! I stand in awe at what only God has done in the life of orphans.

TWO Things Are Missing From This House!

2011-09-26T10:23:00.000-05:00

AND, we don't miss them at all!!!

We've had a crib {this same crib} in our house ever since Conner was a newborn. There were a few years when our friend Ben borrowed it, but it came right back to cradle two more newborns and a precious treasure from China. The CPSC would probably burn it because it's out of compliance for two things now - it has a board under the mattress, not springs, and it has a drop down crib rail. Other than that it could probably hold several more kiddos that might need it, but I bet it can't go to Goodwill because of those two things. It may have to go straight to the dump! Good bye precious crib. You were very good to us, but it's time for you to move on!!

The other thing that's missing from this house is diapers. NO MORE DIAPERS!!! I told myself that after I get this fifth kid potty trained I wasn't going to change diapers until we have grandkids. Grandkids are MANY years away - VERY MANY. I've changed diapers off and on for different kids since my sister was a baby. I think it's time for a break, don't you? Now, if you bring me a kid and it's REALLY cute, I might change it's diaper. Ha!

A Forever Family in Need

2011-09-09T12:33:00.001-05:00

mattmandi.blogspot.com

This precious family needs some financial assistance to bring their beautiful daughter home! They are selling chances for some gorgeous Vera Bradley bags. Go check them out!!!

A Brief Recap of Summer 2011 - Just Gettin' Caught Up!

2011-09-08T13:23:00.001-05:00

To say it has been a boring, uneventful summer would be an understatement. There were times that were definitely boring, but man, what a summer. I've heard that blogging is 'out,' well, I'm just going to have to be 'out' because keeping this blog is my only means of scrapbooking for now. So here we go...

I'm currently recovering from my 2nd surgery since June. I'm usually a healthy person, but apparently things decided to go a little haywire. After my partial hysterectomy I got myself all back together and we had a few weeks of summer lovin'. Then my gall bladder decided to rear it's ugly head and it wanted o u t. At about 2am Tuesday morning August 30 I called my mom and my only friend who doesn't have to get up with kids the next morning, Janet. Mom came to watch the kids (Dawna relieved mom at 6am so mom could get to work) and Janet took me to the ER. I was admitted and three days later had emergency surgery ;). The surgery schedule was backed up and my bilirubin was high so they made me stay until they could get me in. Apparently, my gall bladder was in pretty bad shape according to the doctor and she was glad we took care of it. Me too, frankly. Ugh. That whole week is kind of a blur . . . but we are back in gear! So, here is summer in a nutshell:

4th of July with some of our bestest of friends at Ft. Gibson

China Camp! This is Evan, he is Avery's 'orphanage brother.' We were able to take pictures of Evan for his forever family while we were in China. By the way, they don't remember each other, they were too young :(.

They started out clean! We had a giant mud party at church with 2 other churches.

First day at our NEW SCHOOL! This is Ethan my 1st grader and Nicole my 6th grader.

First day of preschool for the 'twins!' Freedom!

Avery's 3rd birthday! Her favorite character is Rapunzel from Tangled.

We have one more birthday coming up - Miss Carlie will be 4 Oct. 1. Then we take it easy for the rest of the Fall - does that sound right? Ha!

Ugh.

2011-06-28T23:18:00.003-05:00

So, I had a little surgery a little over a week ago. I guess I'm done with my uterus. It was a relief to have it done, but a little strange I'll have to admit. It's done a great job! OK, enough talk about that! I think I overdid it today. I'm not a person that likes to be out of commission AT ALL. I can take the 'being lazy in bed' for only so long and then I have to start tackling things like . . . say . . . LAUNDRY . . . or KIDS . . . or crap that seems to just accumulate on the floor in our living room magically. So, I sort of make myself bounce back pretty quickly even if the doctor tells me to cool it. This evening I was back in bed. Ugh. Pain. I just flat out overdid it. Thank goodness my sister and her family are here! I could not have done this surgery without the help of them, my mother, my mother-in-law, my friends, and my church family - they are all the best! More rest tomorrow. Trying to be productive in bed means a little more blogging and exploring a REALLY cool website called Pinterest! Oh. My. This is something to stay in bed for! Well, maybe for a little while.

I Am the Next Pioneer Woman!

2011-06-22T22:27:00.008-05:00

OK, so I may not be the NEXT PW, but at least I'm cooking and not burning things, right? I've been trying out her recipes and cooking them in order as much as possible. Sometimes I skip around, but for the most part I want to stick to my routine. But let me just tell you how DEElicious the cinnamon rolls were and those are no where near the potato skins or this corn relish stuff that I'm supposed to make next!

Our next item of food to attack were the potato skins. Frankly, the only tater skins I've ever tried were from Friday's or even the Friday's frozen ones you can buy at Target. My teenager son LOVES those things! Apparently, they aren't too hard to make :) just a little time consuming.

We made the Potato Skins for a Memorial Day cookout we were having and I put a few people to work helping out because I had several trays of potatoes going. If I've learned anything about this whole cooking thing is that it brings people together and makes you spend time with people. Not that that was ever a bad thing, it's just that I never saw it as a group project.

Well, when you have a BBQ you have to have a dessert, right? AND, it doesn't have to be anything chocolate, right? PW's sugar cookies sounded good to me and they weren't too difficult to make (have you noticed that I am always worried about the difficulty of recipes? weird, huh?). And, listen, I know you aren't supposed to eat raw cookie dough because of salmonella poisoning or whatever, but, this cookie dough was some of the best I've ever had! And you know what that means, riiiiggghhhhttttt?????

If the dough is good, then the cookies must be REALLY good!

Help Bring Alivia Home!

2011-06-16T14:49:00.001-05:00

whereourtreasurewaits.blogspot.com

Sweet Alivia needs her family! Please go visit their blog and see what you can do to help - chip in, bid on an auction item, PRAY! Be part of one more orphan being orphaned NO MORE!

I'm Still Cooking!

2011-05-31T22:42:00.010-05:00

Here we go, recipe numero 2 and tres. They kind of compliment each other and I needed to make the first to make the second.

I made Pico De Gallo and it was pretty good. A tad 'oniony' for my taste, but was wuuuunderfullll with the other stuff I made that needed the first stuff. But I must admit, I REALLY dislike chopping things. I'm just not good at it and I try to improve, really I do! So I did a little research on how to chop cilantro:

Great video :).

So, the Pico had to dive into a little treat that I REALLY like - guacamole! THAT was delicious! I will definitely be making that again, and again, and again. I'll suffer through the chopping, cause it's so worth it!

The second time I made the guacamole I cut my finger pretty bad trying to pit the avocado :(. Thankfully I was standing right next to the sink and rinsed it off in the water before it started to bleed. I did not get a single drop of blood in the guacamole! Six stitches later and I was back in business!

What's next?

Guest Bedroom - BEFORE

2011-05-08T22:38:00.004-05:00

Ugly mustard paint - gone. Boxes - gone through and organized. Leaning wood shelf left by previous owner - collapsed when I tried to move it and got hauled to the curb. Ugly fan - still there, but not for long :).

We have painted it a nice neutral color. I know what direction I want to go as far as decorating. just have to buy some furniture, window treatments, and accessories and we are done! This room will be peaceful, restful, minimal, and relaxing. Hopefully.

The previous owners had this room for just some odds and ends like college memorabilia and mismatched furniture. I think they also did some smoking in here because it didn't smell too nice. But we are on our way to getting at least one room done!!

The Displaced Small Town Girl Cooks - It's Not As Scary As It Sounds

2011-05-08T22:21:00.004-05:00

So, I purchased a certain person's cookbook. She's a displaced city girl now smack dab in the middle of rural Oklahoma. She married a rancher, started a blog about photography, cooking, and raising kids, and she calls herself The Pioneer Woman. Her blog is one of the most popular read blogs around and I am just in awe of how she gets it all done everyday with a smile on her face! I got something to learn from this woman! Numero uno would be how to cook better :)!

I remember a movie a few years back about a girl who decided to cook through Julia Child's famous cookbook (can't remember the name of the cookbook, that should tell you something), and she blogged about it, then it was made into a movie - Julie and Julia. Pretty good movie. I have no desire to learn how to cook like Julia Child, at least not yet. But I do have a desire to learn how to make good food like Ree (The Pioneer Woman)! Here goes with the first recipe in the book . . .

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers!

I followed the recipe exactly as the book said, even had to go to two different grocery stores. Not because her ingredients list was difficult, but because the first store had NO jalapenos. And since the title of the recipe has the word jalapenos in it, I figured that was something I could not leave out. I also have a bad habit of substituitng my own ingredients (like I know what I'm doing) when I either don't have what is called for or when I don't know what something is. And I wonder why I'm famous for NOT being able to cook!
So far so good. Dealing with the bacon was a little slimy and gross, but if I ignored the fact that I was dealing with raw meat and let myself go to my 'happy place' I was fine. Why does raw meat gross me out so much? Maybe it's the word 'raw.' Don't like it. I'm also not a huge spicy hot girl, so I was a little worried about all this jalapeno talk.

But I must say that these were absolutely delicious!!! I could have eaten the whole pan! But, I refrained. I did learn a couple things that I will apply the next time: try turkey bacon, and my oven's thermostat must be 'off' because it took way longer than what the book said it would to cook them. Other than that, these will definitely be tried again, like tomorrow!

What's Up With the New House? ATTIC That's What!

2011-04-19T11:36:00.004-05:00

Yeah, so someone around here has a Clark Griswold ball of Christmas lights to untangle, but for the most part the attic is done! I didn't take before pictures because . . . number 1 I forgot and number 2 you might cry. When the movers put the boxes in the attic they just shoved them in there all willy nilly, which was fine, but it had to be dealt with. Our old house had a teensy weensy attic and there was no way to even stand up tall in most of it. It was packed to the gills. This attic is pretty massive, thank goodness. Cause with 7 people in our family we got lots of junk to store. My trusty label maker was right by my side the whole time. I keep some of Conner's outgrown clothes for Ethan, most of Nicci's clothes for Carlie, and all of Carlie's clothes for Avery. Then there's the holiday stuff. And my husband's massive collection of wires, chords, cables, old keyboards, and old mice. Anytime we need a chord, cable, or wire we usually have it!

Now that this is done I can move on to the guest bedroom! YAY!

So, Why the Move?

2011-04-03T17:53:00.009-05:00

I'll give you two reasons . . . .

Number 1

And, number 2

Yup, a pool and six bedrooms for this gargantuan family. Everybody has their own room, except the 'twins' who get to share, which means we have a guest room (come see us!) and everyone has their own bathroom. Life is a little more peaceful around here with everyone spread out and stretching their wings.

Now be patient with me as I paint every single room and closet in this house, cuz it ain't been touched since 1984. And we all know how the 80's were, right? Yeah, not good as far as decor and fashion.

More WITH Than Without!

2011-04-03T17:34:00.004-05:00

So, we reached another milestone in the world of adoption. We adopted Avery Lan when she was 15 months old. She was very much loved and taken care of, but small, had a skin rash, and an upper respiratory infection. Just some of the possible affects of living in an orphanage. Believe me it could've been worse.

She adjusted to us amazingly well, like she had always been with us. She was a perfect fit in every way! English is her second language and she speaks it better than most people (and a lot, too)! She's grown by leaps and bounds - from a 12-24 months size to a 3T. Her hair is now long enough for two, yeah, two pig tails! She loves going to preschool and being with her teachers and friends. She adores her older siblings. And she has the BEST belly laugh! Her eyes practically disappear when she smiles!

Avery has now been WITH us a month longer than we were without her! Time sure flies when you're having as much fun as we are. I think about and pray for her birth parents a lot. I can only imagine how much it hurts her China mommy's arms and heart that she does not get to hold her baby girl. And I pray that God will let them know how very much she was prayed for and loved and wanted WAY before she was even born.

"For you created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

I will bring your children from the east

and gather you from the west."

Isaiah 43:5

And We're Back!!

2011-03-19T22:08:00.007-05:00

So, moving day came and went. This first picture makes me want to throw-up a little bit in my mouth because it was just a tad stressful and the thought of our stuff being in boxes and everything in total disarray makes me a little yucky. But I'm good now :). This is our old house.

We hired these movers to move us (duh). They started out at 8am and weren't done until 8pm that evening on a Thursday. Our goal was to have beds or mattresses down so we could at least all sleep someplace comfortable that first night and know where our clothes were so we could all make it where we needed to go the next day.

And then . . .

The GREAT snow of 2011 hit. We moved in on a Thursday and snow fell that next Monday. For two whole weeks the kids did not have school. We got record amounts of snow. The USPS didn't run and neither did the UPS. I've lived in Oklahoma my entire life and have never seen so much snow for such a long period of time. It was beautiful and incredible and after a while kind of boring. You would have thought I'd gotten a lot of packing and decorating done while we were cooped up in side, but I had seven mouths to feed, wash up after, entertain (we had no cable, but did have the Apple TV), and manage. So, not a lot of unpacking happened during those two weeks, but we did have fun and stayed cozy warm and had full bellies. The kids have to go to school until June 1 and their school days are extended 30 minutes until then because of all the snow days. I guess it could be worse, right?

More to come later about the new house and all that comes with it. Just thought I'd get started back into the blogging world!

Gods Heart: Adoption

2011-02-13T20:45:00.002-06:00

This video is absolutely beautiful. It makes me want to adopt them all, but we can't do that. Our job now is to support others adopting, encourage those with questions, pray for the orphans, and listen.

I know you are waiting for pictures of the move and new house, but I can't find my card reader to down load the pictures off the camera! It's in a box somewhere. We'll find it eventually. You would think that with two weeks of being snowed in we would have had everything all unpacked and organized. But, you see, we have a few kids running around here. And, well, they require at least 'some' attention and feeding and cleaning and disciplining and loving on. So, not many boxes have gotten unpacked except the necessities! I did unpack the LAST of the kitchen boxes on Friday. What a great feeling that was!

This house was not left very clean at all. So, I've also spent a great deal of time scrubbing everything. I've even had to take down light fixtures to get the TON of spiders out of them - ew! Not pretty (the light fixtures AND the spiders).

I promise there will be pictures soon. Lots going on here!

Teresa Needs a Miracle

2011-01-17T21:33:00.003-06:00

There's this little girl that I have had the privilege of praying for and following for a couple of years now. She used to be known as Lucy, but when she was adopted by her forever family they named her Teresa. Teresa has a heart that is needing a miracle. Her parents have left no stone unturned for her and the doctors are saying that she might not make it through this year. But we know a God that can perform miracles and has a heart for orphans. Please pray for this precious child.

Hey!

2011-01-15T11:30:00.003-06:00

We went out to eat last night and while we were waiting another adoptive family walked in (we did not know them, we do not know ALL the adoptive families:). Avery noticed the little Asian girl and said, "Hey! She looks like me!" I was stunned that at the young age of 2 she realized that she looked a little unlike most people. One of the first things the orphanage director told us, in the few English words she knew, was, "She is very clever." When we see or hear of things Avery does that indicate how stinkin' smart she is, we both look at each other and say, "She is very clever."

Beyond Grateful

2011-01-13T22:23:00.005-06:00

It's a blessing really. We get to make this house our own, AND we got a REALLY good price on it for our family that is not getting smaller, only bigger (not by number just by physical growth, at least for now - I like to tease my mother in law ;). However (which is just a fancy way to say 'but' if you ask Dr. Phil, and I agree), there is some major updating that needs to take place in this new house. Unless saloon doors are back in style, no? What? Isn't the style of 1984 coming back around now? No?

Didn't we just get rid of an entry way chandelier like this one? Huh? (Yeah, that's Carlie up there!)

Yeah, that's a saloon door on the 'throne room' in the master bathroom. So for a while we'll just be able to look and see if we see any feet under the door instead of politely knocking. Maybe we'll keep it.

Pack It Up!

2011-01-10T21:27:00.003-06:00

The McSmurfy's are moving. Not too far away mind you. We were just stumbling over each other in the other house not to mention that our backyard was a little small for 5 growing kids. This is the new house:

Have we sold our current house? Nope. Some might say we are putting the cart before the horse. I like to say that we are stepping out in faith.

Wanna buy a house?

Master Bath Finished Product!

2011-01-04T13:25:00.010-06:00

Before. Blecchhkk. Ugly outdated wallpaper, gross carpet.

So, here is the finished product. Quite a change, right? MUCH better and simpler and beautiful, right?

Makes you want a bathroom like this doesn't it?

Ringing In The New Year

2011-01-01T23:03:00.008-06:00

Party at our house!! WOO HOO!

The day was spent in our jammies ALL DAY making some of our most favorite desserts and party foods. No body did any sampling or bowl licking!

Especially not me if I were to be totally dishonest.

Ethan was in charge of the pigs in a blanket.

Avery was in charge of barking orders from the couch, and demanding a sippy cup of juice.

Then smooches for all at midnight. Well, it was close to midnight if you think 9pm is close to midnight. I was yawning uncontrollably at 8pm. I think I lasted until 10:30. We are light weights around here!

Waking Up a Little Grouchy

2010-12-26T09:17:00.003-06:00

Carlie woke up this morning. She was still getting the puckers out. Avery comes over (who had already gotten her puckers out - the worst one to wake up with puckers EVER) to say, "Good morning Carlie!"

Carlie isn't talking to her or anyone else. Barely makes eye contact with anyone.

Avery (who just came home from CHINA a year ago, who's SECOND language is English) says, "Carlie doesn't speak English."

Master Bath Redo - Day 7

2010-12-20T22:52:00.004-06:00

You see that??? HUH????

It's the beautiful TILE!!!

AND the freshly painted base boards! So pretty! Almost done in here :).

Master Bath Redo - Day 6

2010-12-15T21:46:00.004-06:00

Well . . . not too much to report today on the 'ole redo, but I swear the handyman guy was working ALL day.

He spent the whole day prepping the floor and making marks on it so that he could do THIS tomorrow. Lay tile.

This is the tile that Lori bought. It will go in tomorrow, or at least some of it will go in tomorrow because this looks like a two day project to me. But what do I know, I just take care of these kids.

Master Bath Redo - Day 5

2010-12-14T21:47:00.004-06:00

It's getting a little more exciting!!

I'm combining two days into one. The other day he painted the walls and the cabinets.

Today he hung the lights/towel rings/hooks/tp holder, and ripped up the carpet. YAY!! And YES, to those of you who are thinking it, I DO use the hot pink exercise ball that we store in the tub. SO THERE!

One WHOLE Year

2010-12-13T21:13:00.009-06:00

December 13, 2009 A Hotel Conference Room in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China

A Few Months Later

October 2010

Today is our "Forever Family Day." The day we got Avery one year ago. She was very scared of us 'white' people, had an upper respiratory infection, a rash on her torso, ate only formula (she was 15 months old), spoke Chinese, was VERY well cared for (despite the infection and rash) in the orphanage, had endured open heart surgery, had never worn a diaper, and had never known what being in a family was like. She was found when she was a month old. The Chinese believe that after a mother has her baby she is to go home and stay there for one month to protect the Chi or luck of the child and family. After that one month they are able to go out. Most babies who are found are about a month old because of this tradition.

Now she has two older brothers, two older sisters, a Dad, a Mom, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, extended family, church family, and friends that all love her and care for her. She came into our home and KNEW it was hers - she never asked for permission to fit in. She has blessed us beyond belief. And we have seen why it is called "The Miracle of Adoption." Our family's life has been stretched beyond what we could have imagined. We are part of a population known as conspicuous families. We gather with other families just like ours so that we can feel normal. We love this normal!

Tonight when we said our prayers, we prayed for the nannies who loved her so much in the orphanage. We also prayed for her birth mother and birth father. My heart hurts for them so much. I want so bad for them to know that she is healthy, happy, loved, ornery, and such a blessing to us. I want them to have peace. God can do this.

We are so glad that we have been on this amazing ride. We would not have missed this for anything!

Master Bath Redo - Day 4

2010-12-10T23:57:00.005-06:00

A little color does WONDERS! Well, don't get too excited, it's just primer. But still . . .

So all "we" have left to do is paint the walls, paint the cabinets, rip up the carpet (who puts carpet in a bathroom??? Gross!!) and put tile down, put up new light fixtures, towel rings, and accessorize. WHEW!!!

I'm not quite sure what to do about the windows. Just the 2" horizontal blinds? Hmmmm . . . gonna have to think on that one.

Wow. Primer is boring.

Master Bath Redo - Day 3

2010-12-09T21:10:00.003-06:00

It's hard to tell, but here's what the troweling texture stuff looks like on the bathroom walls.

See? Cool, huh?

Tomorrow the paint goes on!!

Master Bath Redo - Day 2

2010-12-08T22:02:00.004-06:00

This may be boring. OK, it IS boring. But it just brings us one more day closer to the finished product!

Today our handyman guy primed the walls. See I told you it was boring.

Tomorrow he will put a troweling texture on the walls. WOO HOO!

Where is Your Mother?!

2010-12-08T21:37:00.008-06:00

I know . . . you are waiting for an update on the master bath room. That's coming, I promise. However, we interrupt this regularly scheduled programming on home improvement to bring you this special report . . .

Somebody (who shall remain nameless) (who's name starts with an E) got ahold of a pair of scissors while the mom (who also shall remain nameless, who isn't me) was on an important phone call.

This E person cut his hair. He informed me that he saw it (the hair) fall on the ground (which he knew was not in his best interest because the mom might make him clean it up), so he decided to finish the self-given hair cut over the trash can (I've taught him well).

After the hair cut that he gave himself we had to go for emergency hair cutting surgery at Super C*ts. E wants to know how they are going to fix his hair. He wants them to glue his cut hair back to his head. Unfortunately that is only possible in the Tyra world. There were lots of tears.

He wore a hat to church. He's talking about paying a dollar so he can wear a hat to school tomorrow (not gonna happen). Or I'm sure he may come up trying to be sick in the morning.

Either way, he's still just as cute as ever!

My friends (who are twins, but shall remain nameless) think it is just hilarious that this happened because I have two more right behind him. HA HA! They are sooooo funny!

Master Bath Redo - Day 1

2010-12-07T18:45:00.005-06:00

Our house was built in 1994. We've redone all the rooms except this one. This one had this lovely Jacobean wallpaper - very busy, and very dark. This is after our 'handyman guy' had sealed the seams on the paper, cuz the stuff is GLUED to the walls and it ain't coming down except in teeny tiny pieces. And I don't got time for teeny tiny pieces.

Isn't it lovely? Just a piece of artwork, right? It's so . . . so . . . 1994.

To be continued . . . .

Clothes to Wear

2010-12-05T21:20:00.005-06:00

Tomorrow I will tackle massive loads of laundry.

Towels, socks, jeans, shirts, and sheets will be run through my high capacity/high efficiency washer and dryer.

I'm not complaining . . .

Thank you God for laundry. It means we have clothes to wear.

See This Kid?

2010-12-04T22:02:00.004-06:00

This is Carlie Grace or, as she calls herself, Cawlie Gwace. She is a little spitfire. This morning she came to me and said, "Mom, did you see what Jazzy did?" I said, "No, what did Jazzy do?" She said, "She ate my cereal!" I ask, "How did she GET your cereal?" Carlie says, "I frew it on da gwound."

Christmas Parade!

2010-12-04T21:46:00.005-06:00

What a beautiful morning for a Christmas Parade! The Saturday before Thanksgiving (yeah, I'm a tad behind :) our children's choir paraded our beautiful selves down main street in Jenks. We passed out fliers for our upcoming church events. Waved our little hearts out. And sang our little hearts out.

After the parade we went back to the church for a cast party to celebrate how hard all these kiddos had worked. We did some turkey bowling (my team won, of course) and feasted on one fabUlous cake.

A Visitor from WAY Up North!

2010-11-15T15:01:00.003-06:00

We have a friend at our house for about 6 weeks. He's hired help - FINALLY!! The kids named him Carson Crash or Car Crash for short. Nicci thinks he looks like our cousin Carson (he does), but Ethan wanted to call him Crash Bandicoot. We compromised. And Ethan has fallen for it hook, line, and stinker. He talks to Car Crash, waves to him, and writes him notes (has his sister write them for him).

One morning Car Crash hadn't moved to a new spot. Ethan was very upset. He said, "Mom! He lost his powers because you touched him yesterday!" I had to read online to see how to get his powers back ;). What I discovered was that if Ethan does three nice things for someone else then the elf would get his powers back - piece of cake! So, he got busy making a bowl of cereal for Avery, then feeding Jasmine, and making our bed. Just like that Car Crash had hopped to a new spot!

Why hadn't we thought of this earlier?

Krazy Kids!

2010-11-10T21:48:00.004-06:00

I've got these friends. Let me just tell you how KRAZY they are . . . FIRST of all they have 8 kids. Yes, I said 8. SECOND of all they are bringing home their NINTH child in a few months (it will be their SIXTH adoption from China). THIRD of all their kids' names all start with the letter "K" and each name is six letters long - kooky, I know. FOURTH of all they are one of the biggest examples in MY life of someone who has AMAZING faith. They KNOW that God is going to provide for their family, for their adoptions. They just know it. Adoption is not cheap, but God always ALWAYS provides. Kurrently they are fundraising for their newest treasure from China, Miss Kasidi (isn't that cute?). If you wouldn't mind taking a peek at their blog just to check them out I would just LOVE that. They make and sell the most amazing kandles - great for teacher's gifts or just to make your house smell yummy. You will be blessed!

k6comehome.blogspot.com

Oh My Goodness!

2010-11-09T22:14:00.001-06:00

My "bloggy" friend Stefanie is having 30 days of give-aways!! WOO HOO!! Go check her out! But, don't do think link thing because the more people who do the link thing the less of a chance I get to win anything. Wait . . . is that selfish? Nevermind then, do what you want.

Orphan Sunday November 7 -Huk*u Papers

2010-11-06T22:25:00.009-05:00

Tomorrow is Orphan Sunday. We are an advocate whether we want to be or not (we want to shout it from the mountain tops, but what will Avery want? what will our other children want?) For now, we will be as vocal as we can. When Avery is older and more able to make decisions we will include her in how much she wants to be involved if at all. Like I said, we are a walking poster family for adoption even if we don't want to be. My basic message is for everyone to do something. There are MILLIONS of children who are orphans - they go to bed without being read to, prayed with, alone, they may or may not have access to the basic needs of food, clean clothes, regular bathing, medical care, nurturing, warmth, toys, they don't know what it means to have a mom or a dad, brothers, sisters, an extended family who dotes on them and loves them. Can you imagine what that must be like? If every Christian would adopt just one orphan there would be no more orphans. We are called to care for the orphans, it's Biblical. What does it mean to 'care' for an orphan? It can mean lots of things. Adopt. Pray for them. Provide financial assistance to organizations that help orphans like Half the Sky and Love Without Boundaries both help children in China by providing medical assistance or training for nannies and a lot more. Or you can search for blogs of people who are adopting. Families are always raising money to help with their adoptions. Some of my favorites are: k6comehome.blogspot.com www.redthreadstitches.com or orphaned-no-more.blogspot.com or www.wildolivetees.com or www.showhope.org. God knows every hair on their head, He is concerned with each one of them.

I've been waiting to post about Huk*u (pronounced who-ko) Papers until I had some time to give it. I hope I do it justice because it just dumb-founded me that a system like this still exists. And from the research I have gathered it has only been around since the 1950s. It is Ch*na's way of classifying people into mostly two categories: urban and rural. It is associated with your family history and surname, and it follows you where ever you go. It sounds to me like it's a bit like illegal immigrants in your own country who can't go from province to province. Imagine living in Oklahoma and not being able to go to Texas for work. From what I gather this is what Huk*o papers do - keep track of or control their citizens (the article I read compared it to apartheid in South Africa). If anyone who reads this knows more about this subject than I do, then please chime in! Occasionally they will perform raids and round up anyone who is working outside their province and deport them.

Well, what if you are an orphan in Ch*na? You have no home, therefore you are not tied to a family, or even classified as urban or rural. Forever you are classified as an orphan! Your Huk*o Papers tie you to your orphanage. You have an almost impossible time getting into college and getting a job (you are considered unlucky and people won't hire you). Amy Eldridge from L*ve With*ut B*undaries was our guest speaker at Ch*na Camp this past summer and she told us this (see the link here: chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com/search?q=love+without+boundaries, I hope you will read it). My heart was broken for these kids who have this stamp of disapproval for life in their country.

So, in honor of Orphan Sunday, let's recognize that their is so much we can do to get this number down and bring home one more.

Is that an Entomologist?

2010-11-05T18:30:00.004-05:00

The Butterfly Palace was one of the highlights of our trip to Branson. It was perfect for the little kids (and that one big kid we brought - the best big sister ever - NICCI!) There were all kinds of butterflies and lady bugs every where. They thought that the little girls' hair bows were flowers and would land right on their heads!

They passed out pith helmets and magnifying glasses so they could really get into it. How many legs does a butterfly have?
Such silly kids . . .
This was one of my favorite butterflies. Isn't she beautiful! (Aren't all butterflies girls?)

Falling In Love With Branson (Wow That's a Corny Title)

2010-11-05T17:52:00.004-05:00

We took the scenic route on the way there. Not sure there's much of a choice, but it was beautiful to see the Mark Twain National Forest with all it's changing tree colors and winding roads swirling up into the mountains. When I was a kid we used to go to the Rocky Mountains in the summer. My Dad loves the mountains, but doesn't like driving up into them on rural roads much. We'd get up about half way and he'd precariously turn us around. These roads weren't like that. This was God's country.

Our first day was spent at Silver Dollar City or Sinner Donner Cinny as Carlie called it. It was a beautiful day and we went all over that place more than once. There were only a few rides that Avery was tall enough to ride and she seemed fine with that. We kept her busy with the food and the sights.
This was fun! It went up and down and round and round. I made Nicci go with me, she wasn't too sure about it and I don't think she was too happy with me. She's more of a roller coaster type of chick!
We're missing one! Yup, Conner stayed back in Oklahoma with some friends so he wouldn't miss the church Fall Retreat. We really missed him, but he had a great time where he was. We stayed in a cabin in the woods where it was nice and cozy. After our days of exploring we came back here to make caramel apples, drink hot chocolate, explore outside, sit in the hot tub and watch movies. It was a wonderful and much needed break from our rat race.

It's Kinda Like a Church Family You Only See Once or Twice a Year

2010-10-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday was a great celebration. We celebrated the fact that less than a year ago a young man was just 3 days away from aging out of the orphanage (which means he would have been placed in a vo-tech type of situation and never known about the love of a family in a country where family means A LOT) and was adopted by his forever family. There were about 6 families all gathered at the N's house to meet face to face the children we have all prayed home. Several of these children weren't here a year or two ago! There are more on the way (not us, don't panic, but you never know!). The kids made new friends got reacquainted with ones they had seen last year or at China Camp and the adults chatted and ate and ate, and the adults ate, and then we had some food. Our big group picture is missing three China born babes (they had to head home early), so that makes 17 of 28 total children who are orphans no more. Technically, we are all orphans no more, right? Our heavenly Father adopted us all!

Making Friends

2010-10-19T22:25:00.006-05:00

Jessa and Carlie had so much fun. Carlie was trying to squirt the dirt off of Jessa's legs. I think these two might be quite the pair if left alone for too long ;). Carlie came home and named one of her babies Jessa!

Ethan and Kaeleb did lots of boy things. They had their own squawky language going and got all kinds of dirty.
Maggie and Avery kept a safe distance from each other. They both wanted the same toys a lot of the time, but kept a mutual respect for each other. I'm sure with time they will be two peas in a pod. Maggie just came home about 5 months ago!

TEN Months

2010-10-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

She's been with us just 10 months today. Ten months and one day ago she was living in an orphanage, with no Daddy, no Mommy, no brothers, sisters. Sometimes I forget that because the girl has adjusted so amazingly well - like really well. We have our moments of fear where we are all doing something that seems pretty much normal to us, like a helicopter will fly over, and she'll get nervous and cling to me, maybe whimper a little and say, "What's that sound Mommy?" Or she'll touch something that is unfamiliar to her - it used to be grass - and she'll completely balk at the idea. She's learned a new language, learned to take a bath, learned to ride in cars (and a few planes:), learned to eat food completely foreign to her, learned to get used to having her clothes changed, learned to 'go' in a diaper, and countless other things. She's been through so much and come so far,

and

honestly,

I can hardly remember life without her!

Being Three

2010-10-13T08:24:00.003-05:00

The "2's" are nothing for us. We can handle those like a breeze. It's the "3's" that get us every time. And seeing as how this is our 4th "3" to handle, and that she has 2 older brothers, and an older sister to stand up to - she's going to be nothing short of a challenge and a joy.

Yesterday she was asking me for goldfish and we were already late to go get a kid at school so I started off nicely saying that we couldn't get goldfish just yet. Well, she kept asking and getting a little more demanding. Finally I told her to hush, that we couldn't get them right now. She said, "YOU HUSH YOUR MOUTH!" The nerve of her!

Guess Who Has Their Forever Family!!!

2010-09-19T21:59:00.001-05:00

This little girl is Wu LiNa. We met her at the Baotou S.W.I. when we visited there to see where Avery had spent the first year of her life. She was just adorable and I wanted to put her in my pocket right then! She now has her forever family!! You know what the coolest thing is? She ran to her FATHER first! We should all run to our Father first. You can go check her out at auburnkids.blogspot.com. I'm so glad the orphanage let her hair grow out - she has the cutest little pig tails. Can you imagine getting your forever family when you are 6 years old? What must be going through that little girls' head. Precious.
The orphanage sent her all dressed up so cute and with a bag full of momentos and even some examples of the work she had done in school. We have been so blessed to have our children taken such good care of. Thank you God. Go visit www.halfthesky.org, this is the organization responsible for training the nannies, the preschool, medical care, new building, etc.

Now, this sweet Pan Yue, she needs a mom and a dad. She's the same age as Avery, and just cute as a button. Just like the parable of the lost sheep . . . we'll go after that one.

It's been a great day in China! I know of THREE families who have gotten their children in the past 24 hours. My heart over flows. I want to go back to Baotou.

Preschool for the 'Twins' (I've always wanted twins:)

2010-09-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Preschool started this week! (I know, it's been a crazy busy week here!) The 'twins' go two days a week at a wonderful little preschool that we've gone to for many years (they know all of our kids except for Conner, he went somewhere else). The girls did so good! Miss Angela (Carlie's teacher) said that about half way through the day, Carlie came to her, clasped her little hands together and said, "I need to go check on Avery." So, they peeked in the window to see how she was doing. So sweet. Their two classes had rest time together and the 'twins' got out their nap mats and layed down next to each other. Ethan was even worried about Avery! When I picked him up from school the first thing he asked was how Avery did at school. Be still my heart!

Momma had a good day, too ;).

Our Kids!

2010-09-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Dinner for a TWO Year Old

2010-09-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

We are learning to LOVE Chinese food! There's a place called Chopsticks in T-town that serves it Chinese style where you order 2-3 dishes, bowls of rice or noodles, and it's served on a giant lazy susan. It was wonderful! Most of us ate with chopsticks the whole time (Ethan and Carlie would just stab their food with the stick to eat it - smart kids). Conner gave up REAL quick and grabbed a fork. Did we have birthday cake? Nope, not yet, we had Moon Cakes! DELICIOUS!!! Wait, I can't lie. They are not good at all. What the Chinese call a dessert we might call sand molded into a pretty shape??? But, hey, it's worth a shot, right?

Party on Saturday!

She's TWO!

2010-09-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

I love my blog, I really do! But, well, with 5 kids and a husband who travels a lot, there's just not much time. Well, today, I AM MAKING TIME! I brought the little kitchen play set and the play food and dishes downstairs so the little girls could play and get caught up on Blue's Clues and Ni-Hao! Kai Lan. They thought I had bought them a whole new toy! The squeals from them were so cute! Now, back to blogging . . .

Avery turned TWO (AR in Chinese:) on Tuesday. We are making a week of it because, well, she got to spend her first birthday with her nannys and friends back in Baotou - and not with us! So, Monday I took the girls (and later Ethan, because he pouted and because he's so darn cute) to Build-a-Bear. Avery still gets scared at some new places, especially where there's loud sounds, and this was one of those places. I mostly had to hold her while her bear was being made for her, but once we moved away from the stuffing machine she was OK (but still clung to me). Carlie had never been either and she was all about it! She's such a little princess/girlie girl. She named her bear Trinida :). Nicole was an old pro at this and I had to limit her on the glamorous outfits she wanted for her kitty cat. I said "T-shirt only sweetheart. You have other clothes at home that you can dress her in, right?"

It's REALLY Official This Time!

2010-09-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

I had a fun time telling everyone in a sad voice that I had to go to court. When they would ask why, I would smile and tell them that our adoption was being recognized by the state where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. The secretary at school made a copy of the court appearance because "this isn't the usual reason a kid leaves school to go to court." Anyway, Avery slept through most of it because it was scheduled during her nap time (could you blame her? If I wasn't an adult I would have slept through it, too.) The judge was very nice, asked us all sorts of official questions: "do you promise to take care of this child, providing her with education, health care, love, etc.?" Yes. Yes. Yes. And YES! He asked the other kids if they approved of this and they all gave a thumbs up (even Ethan, who at one time wanted to "send that screaming baby back to China!")

We are one big happy family! Glory to God!!

Heavy On My Heart

2010-08-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

You see this little girl on the right? I know, it's kind of hard to tell, but, yes, she is a precious little girl. She's in this picture with her very proud foster parents and foster aunt. She's lived through a lot and there is no doubt in my mind that God has BIG plans for her. Will you please pray that she finds her forever family very soon??? She was one of Avery's orphanage sisters in Inner Mongolia. She really needs a mommy and a daddy to love on her. It would do wonders.

Hey MOM! I Like it!

2010-08-24T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ebear started Kindergarten this year! Our youngest baby boy is now getting to be a big boy. He loves his teacher, she's so sweet! And if you could have your dream Kindergarten teacher wouldn't she look something like that?? When I picked him up he said he had gotten lost or separated from his teacher when they were outside waiting to go home. Thankfully Nicci found him and took care of him until I could get there. He reminded me of it a little bit all weekend, but he's good now! He says that Kindergarten takes a long time. I love this boy!

The Big Boy

2010-08-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

He's at the 8th Grade Center this year. He is taking Spanish. So, every day he gets in the van and tells me the new phrase he learned. Visions of my high school Spanish Class with Sra. Dickerson come flying back to me! He says he's got nice teachers and he really likes it! YAY!

School is IN!

2010-08-24T13:23:00.001-05:00

Ethan would have loved to wear those knee high Sp*ngeb*b socks, but I just couldn't let it happen on the very FIRST day of school. Maybe for crazy sock day. Bless his heart, he does like crazy socks! So, we all made it out the door on time and ready to go excited about another year! I've got one in the 8th grade, one in 5th, one in K, and two at home who will start preschool after Labor Day. Ethan was not too excited to go. He kept saying, with tears, "But Mom I don't want to go." And Carlie would pipe up, excitedly and say, "CAN I GO! CAN I GO!!" The kids have great teachers at two great schools. Gonna be a good year!!!

AND We're Back!

2010-08-12T15:43:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness. This summer has been so busy and crazy with all five kids at home (except for a couple of church camps and a mission trip) but it's almost over and WE MADE IT! I have SOOOOOO much to blog about, not just every day stuff, but also all the things I learned at China Camp. For now, I will just share a little about China Camp, not the heavy stuff. That will have to wait until I have more time and can sit here and type to my heart's content. Too many interruptions during the day to get all that down and out of my system.

Every year our agency holds a heritage camp for each country they support adoptions with. Obviously, we go to China Heritage Camp. This was our first year to go WITH our baby girl from China. She was only in the nursery, but she was there with other children born in China (except for her big sister Carlie:). So, Carlie got to learn a little bit about being the minority and Avery wasn't the only black headed beauty in the room! Nicole was with other fifth graders and Ethan was a camper for the first time. He was so nervous, but found a new friend pretty quick and loved it after that. It was three days of going, going, going. So much fun meeting new faces and catching up with ones that are not so new.

Until I can jump into the meaty stuff I will just tell you this: it is truly the hand of God working to bring these children home. We adoptive parents and our support systems (family and friends who provide prayers, financial support, help while we travel, etc.) do our best to meet Him half way. It is a battle to bring them home, but so very much worth it. One of the things I learned was that not all children who are found have their 'finding ad' placed in the newspaper. The 'finding ad' is a little picture and brief description of a child that was found, and where they were found. This is the CC*A's way of making an effort to find their birth parents. The 'finding ad' is a requirement of the U.S. so that the child can be declared, ugh, abandoned and then adopted by someone in the U.S. (other countries may have this requirement, I don't know). Obviously, Avery had her finding ad placed in the newspaper and her birth parents or birth family did not come forward. Some children do not have a finding ad placed in the paper. I'm not sure who gets to decide who does and does not get a finding ad placed, but I would not want to be that person. My hopes are that those children are then adopted domestically.

My head was spinning after our parent session on Saturday of China Camp. More later . . .

Oh My Heart

2010-07-05T17:39:00.000-05:00

See these three boys? They have been GREAT friends since birth. And now, here they are leaving with our church to go on their first mission trip together. They are precious to us and I am glad they are growing up together and doing lots of really cool things. We are so proud of them and can't wait to see what happens next. Funny boys.

FREEDOM

2010-07-05T17:31:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great 4th 'IN' July (as Nicole calls it and I'm not changing it:). We had lots of fun, with friends, food, and fireworks. It was Avery's very first 4th and although she loved the food and friends, she wasn't too crazy about the fireworks. The big boys had lots of fun putting firecrackers inside of different things and seeing what what would happen. I now have hot dog splattered all over the side of my van and my friend has watermelon all over hers - GROSS.

CUTE Bracelets!!!

2010-06-27T22:34:00.003-05:00

These are just delicious! They come in mommy sizes and little girl sizes, too! Daleea is trying to raise funds to bring Isabella home and these bracelets are being sold so you can help!

Chevy

2010-06-25T20:18:00.000-05:00

Nicole takes horseback riding lessons. We haven't been able to go in a while because of the weather or illnesses or just stuff getting in the way. But I LOVE to go to the barn. It's just such a different environment for the kids - ya know, us city slickers. It gives me a little taste of growing up and being around a big red barn and farm animals with horses, cats, birds. My Grandpa Stambaugh raised and raced horses as a hobby. My friends, sister's and I spent lots of time riding in buckets on a horse walker. There's nothing like the smell of being at the barn, even the yucky stuff smells good to me! Nicci loves to ride the horses. She usually rides a 20 year old horse named Chief, but today she rode Buddy. Chief was busy roaming around enjoying the grass and taking the day off. Buddy tends to have a mind of his own, but it was good for Nicole to have a bit of a challenge this morning.

This morning we had a treat.

A 5 day old baby colt!! His name is Chevy and I got to pet him, then shortly after the momma tried to nip at me :). It's OK, she was just protecting her baby boy. Isn't he just the sweetest! I wanted to take him home.

It's An Anniversary!

2010-06-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

It was six months ago today in a hotel meeting room in Inner Mongolia that we met Avery Lan face to face. Since then she has learned a new language (although I'm pretty sure she still remembers some Chinese), gained about 5 pounds, grown about 3 inches, gone from a 12 month size (barely) to a 2t, learned to like new food, gained 2 brothers, 2 sisters, a mom, a dad, and a whole slew of family and friends that love her.

The day we landed in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on December 13, 2009 was incredible. We were told that we would meet her at 2:30 that afternoon. This would give us enough time to get settled into our hotel and for Lyndal to exchange some $$. When we got to the hotel the guide told us to go to our room and she would call us, and told Lyndal where to go to exchange the money. So, he walked out of our hotel room and not 5 minutes later our guide called and said that the baby was here! I had to find Lyndal! I wanted to catch him before he got to the bank, but I also didn't want to accidentally run into her and the orphanage staff before I found Lyndal. I wanted us to be there together to see her at the same time. Do I take the elevator or the stairs??? I was trying not to make eye contact with anyone so I wouldn't accidentally find Avery and her entourage first. Finally we found each other in the lobby and I told him that she was here and that we were to go to the hotel meeting room on the 2nd floor. We walked in and she was standing at the coffee table holding this wood block sign thing. She looked at us with her eyes wide. Then she looked at her nanny. Her nanny pointed to us and said, "Momma, Ba Ba." Avery looked at us again then looked at the nanny. I moved slowly and didn't want to scare her at all, or any more than she already was. I REALLY wanted to pick her up immediately, but knew that might not be the best thing. There was a chair behind her and I sat in that. She was definitely aware that something very serious was up and began to cry. I knew that if I were to burst into tears that that might also scare her, but my eyes were definitely wet. Then the nanny started to cry which made me start to cry. Avery was sobbing by now. I finally picked her up and she arched her back and fought me. They had to take a picture of her by herself. So, she was taken from me, sat on the floor, photographed and then I was able to pick her back up. By this time, the nanny is sobbing, I'm crying, and Avery is NOT happy. By that evening she was playing with both of us on the bed in the hotel room. It was one of the most amazing days.

The first time we met Avery was a lot like the days I met my children I physically gave birth to, but still very different. It's hard to describe. But this is a wonderful ride we are on, and I'm having a lot of fun!

Rotating Beds

2010-06-09T14:12:00.000-05:00

It's time. Carlie got promoted. Avery got promoted. Carlie is now in a big girl bed and Avery is out of our room and in a crib upstairs. It's nice to have my own room back where I can read at night before going to bed without holding a giant flashlight under my chin. What do the girls think? Well, Carlie gets out of bed just a couple of times for a kiss or a drink of water or to go potty (liar) or to tell me something. And Avery fusses for about 2 minutes then she's out. Ethan inherited Conner's gently used bed and he's just fine except for all those girls in his room. Sleeping in peace at the McMurphy house!

See, We Got This One Kid

2010-06-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

We got one of 'those.' A teenager. And he's grown and is still growing a lot this year. I had to buy him his FOURTH pair of shoes since August the other day - FOURTH! He is 5'10" and wears a size 11 shoe. He outgrew his twin bed so we had to go to a full. Don't get me wrong, if he's gonna grow then grow nice and tall son! But, it's the sleeping thing . . .

I know he needs a lot of sleep . . .

you know, so he can grow some more . . .

But how late is too late on a lazy summer morning?

Don't Give Up the Fight . . .

2010-05-23T22:46:00.003-05:00

When I read this Gathering Peeps post in my friends' blog it completely changed my attitude on our adoption process from being this poor, pitiful, waiting momma to a momma bear willing to fight tooth and nail for her child. It was when we realized that satan does not want families to be together. He wants an easy target and orphans are easy targets. And if you are wanting to bring an orphan home then you must EXPECT opposition, but KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God's plan WILL prevail. It may not be the exact plan you thought you and He were on, but His plans are always better than ours!

The Holy Spirit might be speaking to you about adoption - a little nudging. Be prepared to have an amazingly wild and very rewarding ride!

Lost in Translation

2010-05-17T19:03:00.001-05:00

Lyndal and I found some of the sign translations pretty humorous so we took pictures of our favorites. Hey, we understood what they meant . . .

These first three were at the zoo in Guangzhou:
This one sounds like maybe one of our mothers was telling us to 'don't spit your gum out all over the place!'

Dead Bodies. The bird looked pretty healthy. 'Nuff said.

How do you flap glass?

This was at the garden in Guangzhou. It says, "Take good care of life and enjoy nature." Perfect!

2010-05-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

The signs on the grass in the Olympic Village personified the grass. Our guide told us that they felt that if the grass had 'feelings' then we would be kinder to it. Works for me!

2010-05-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

These were at The Great Wall . . .

And who says God isn't in China? He's actually ALL OVER THE PLACE :)!

Sometimes Mandarin to English doesn't translate as we are accustomed to seeing it :).

We did NOT do this, but since we got one of these we thought we should photograph it for all posterity!

Chairman Mao says that you aren't a true hero until you climb The Great Wall. Apparently you can't get one of these unless you are a true man either.

Mother's Day Together!

2010-05-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

We may have a new tradition at our house! But, dummy me did not take any pictures of the actual event, thankful I at least had these very recent pictures of the moms involved. We had a "Mother's Day Extravaganza" at our house with my mom (can you tell which mom is mine?) and Lyndal's mom (Nicci's twin :) - their significant others were there, too. Lyndal cooked the burgers (he was a little demanding as to when the meat should be ready, didn't he know it was Mother's Day?) and hot dogs, Nicole and my mom whipped up the fruit salad, we opened a few bags of chips, snarfed down some yummy banana pudding and brownies and had LOTS of laughs!

Lyndal and I have wonderful moms!! Without them we wouldn't be who we are today or where we are today. Thank you to our moms, we love you very much!!!

She's Perfect

2010-04-28T22:09:00.001-05:00

This picture will forever be etched in my mind as the very first time we saw Avery Lan in person. She has changed so much!

I cannot tell you how much this child was meant to be ours. It is something only God can do - create a child half way around the world with two birth parents and join her with us P E R F E C T L Y. Avery is OUR daughter. It is like she has physically been with us since she was born and we just had to go pick her up at day care or something. She was MADE for our family, and we were made for her. Are you listening to me? She has filled a spot in our family. She is very smart (clever is what the orphanage director called her). She gives us all hugs and kisses and even shares some with close friends and family. I look at her sometimes and cannot BELIEVE she is here and that she is ours.

Her language has progressed by leaps and bounds. She says everyone's name except Ethan which is probably a Freudian slip or something. When she calls for Nicole it sounds like a bird calling "co COLE! co COLE! co COLE!" She even says the dog's name, "Jazzy." She's healthy - no bugs in the last few weeks. Her heart is perfect! She is eating more and more American food (she will actually eat an apple and a banana and not just smoosh them). She takes good naps. Her night time sleep is still inconsistent, but she has more full nights of sleep than not. She allows more than just us to pick her up now. She will stay in the church nursery with no problem (even though she REALLY likes Praise and Worship!). She used to somehow know when it was time for Praise & Worship and we would have to get her. She'd go with us to the sanctuary, clap and sing. Then she'd hop down, run to the back of the sanctuary and head to the nursery. Girlfriend knows who deserves all the praise!

I have mentioned to a few people that we don't want to be the 'poster family' for international adoption. But, FORTUNATELY we are whether we 'want' to be or not!!! I make sure we all look presentable before we go out in public because we get some stares and questions (no more wearing my pajama top with a hoodie over it:). Most people are very good and make sure to notice Carlie AND Avery (because it's usually those two I have with me). Few people ask questions, and to be honest I wish more people would! I am always happy to tell Avery's story. Thankfully with Avery's hair so short it is an easy way to bring up the fact that 'yes, she is adopted.' I'm always surprised when people say, "REALLY!!! She is????" Do I look Asian? I know my husband doesn't look Asian. I guess people are being polite. But I mention the fact that we brought her home recently and that is why her hair is so short because they kept it shaved in the orphanage. That is usually the 'opener' for a further conversation. I'm always willing and excited to tell a little bit about us and how we became a family. I will have to modify that as Avery gets older and more aware of herself and us and the fact that we don't look like the typical biological family. God makes families in many different ways!

To be with Avery and the rest of our children is an opportunity we would never have missed. I am so thankful that we were called and were obedient. We are blessed beyond measure. The joy these children have brought to our lives is beyond anything we could ever imagine.

There are so many orphans in this world. I know I get at least one email a week, if not more, about a prayer request for a family trying to adopt, or a child who needs a family. It breaks my heart to know that there are children out there who just want to know what it's like to have a mom or a dad. Someone to go to bat for them when they need it. Someone to give them hope, love, nourishment, a future here on this earth. Is it easy to adopt? No. Is there some red tape? Of course there is. satan does not want families to be together and he will make it even more difficult. If you feel a nudge to adopt then be ready for some opposition and spiritual attacks! Are we special? Nope. Is everyone 'called' to adopt? Nope. But as believers we are all called to care for the orphan - adopt, pray, provide financial support, volunteer, foster.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by this world. James 1:27

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Christ the Lord is Risen! He is Risen INDEED! Praise God! I don't know, well, I know that I won't ever be able to wrap my human brain around what God has done for us through His son, Jesus. My sins, ALL of our sins, are washed away by the blood of the perfect lamb of Christ. NOTHING stands in the way of us going to the Father anymore - the veil has been torn! How do we ever thank Him or repay Him? I don't think we can ever truly repay Him, but we should never stop trying. We can try and live out His commandments and love like He does here on this earth. Just love everyone no matter what.

Family. We were able to spend Easter with some of my family in Piedmont. We had lots of eggs to hunt (yay- more candy!) and more food to eat (forget about those 10 lbs. I lost). Again, Avery had a little trouble with the grass, but she now knows what awaits her in those eggs! Conner was in charge of 'the golden egg' and he buried it in the ground (NO FAIR!).

We hope everyone had a blessed Easter. Rejoice in the fact EVERY day that Jesus conquered death!

The Bunny Hop

2010-04-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

The Easter Bunny sent the kids on a scavenger hunt this morning! It was pretty early, our attitudes were not at their most joyous, but we managed and it was worth it. There were rules: they could not read a clue unless all of them were present, they had to work as a team, and they couldn't work ahead. In the end there was one big basket with some fun stuff inside for all!

The GREAT Hunt!

2010-04-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

We have these friends who put on this great big-O egg hunt every year. There are stuffed eggs everywhere, prize eggs everywhere, each kid got a goodie basket, and tons of food. We had so much fun! The kids went through the Resurrection Eggs and what each symbol means, and then each kid's goodie basket had symbolic items in it such as "hand sanitizer that can only get you 99.9% clean, but Jesus can get you %100 clean!"
This was Avery's first attempt at hunting eggs! She was very apprehensive of the grass at first, but I baited her with the basket and a couple of eggs - and she took the bait! Once she gets on the grass she is fine, it's just that initial contact with it. She's a hoot! She got lots of eggs and ate a lot of candy - which made her even more of a hoot.

A Day in the Life of Our Four Year Old

2010-03-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

I was upstairs. I hear a BANG then a CRASH. I run downstairs thinking something breakable fell off a shelf and broke, but no such luck. I found the door. I found the dude. I said, "Why did you throw the nozzle at the door?" He said, "I was aiming for Jasmine." He was OK, no blood, no cuts on anyone. Guess we are getting a new door. He was mostly shocked at the fact that he didn't get into trouble. I love this kid!

A New Addition to the Family!!!

2010-03-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

My Mother-In-Law is gonna kill me! But if she knows how much her son wanted this just as much as I did then maybe she'll be OK. It's just that she thinks I already have my hands full, that's all.

Oh well.

But THIS addition is JUST what we NEEDED. She's perfect in every way!

She has a beautiful shiny black coat, she's already housebroken, she sleeps in her own little space at night. She's a purebred and came with all her papers. The kids, for the most part, love her.

They are really gonna love her when they get to play with her, which is soon. Momma's not quite ready to let her loose yet.

We're gonna have her around for a good 12-15 years. Maybe one of the kids will take her to college with them? I don't know. We've bonded pretty much with her around here. She may not wanna leave her momma.

And THIS is Why We Went to the Mall

2010-03-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

Carlie got her ears pierced! Poor baby girl did not know what to expect even though I tried to prepare her. She cried for just about 2 minutes then she said, "I got my ear pierced!" She thought she was pretty big stuff with her Hello Kitty earrings. She's such a hoot and just so sweet. You just want to squish her!

A Trip to the Mall With Friends

2010-03-17T22:44:00.000-05:00

So, who wants to go to the mall with eight kids and 2 adults? ME!!! Sign me UP! That's what we did this afternoon (I'll tell you why in a second) - 4 of mine, all 4 of hers, 1 of mine was in Piedmont. We didn't lose anyone and didn't acquire any new ones - which is good cuz some might say I got my hands FULL. I'm good.
Check out what Ethan found in Macy's? A comfy bed! HA! He even kicked his shoes off :).

This is How Spring Break Started . . .

2010-03-15T23:31:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed our cereal . . .

but some of us wish we could've slept longer . . .

and some of us wake up happy no matter what . . . .

2010-03-15T23:29:00.000-05:00

Then we went to the church and did a little of this . . .

. . . with some of our church family . . .

where we did a little of this . . . .

OK, maybe a lot of this . . . .

2010-03-15T23:26:00.000-05:00

And ended with this . . . which I got from www.bakerella.com and oh my ganache. It is to die for!

Heart Stuff

2010-02-21T22:47:00.000-06:00

Avery was born with a hole in her heart. It was a small hole between her two ventricles, the most common type of heart defect. It was repaired in Beijing when she was 6 months old through the Half the Sky organization. Somebody (we have yet to find out who) sponsored her so she could have her heart surgery. We are so grateful! We are assuming her story goes something like this . . .

Her birth mother delivered her in a hospital and shortly after found out she had a heart defect. In China, if you can't pay for it it doesn't get done. Her birth parents could not afford to pay for the surgery. They took her home and loved on her real good for about a month (can you imagine what that month must've been like? the agony) then left her to be found and taken to an orphanage where they knew she would get what she needed. SHE IS ONE OF THE BLESSED ONES! We are grateful that her birth parents left her to be found and given the medical care that she needed. I'm sure they hoped for a family to adopt her and take good care of her because they were not able to.

My heart aches for her birth parents. I really want to let them know how grateful we are for what they did for Avery. I pray for their hearts to know and to have a peace about them. God is good, He can do it.

We've had lots of doctors appointments since we have gotten back from China. Avery's little immune system has taken a hit since being here and she's been sick with upper respiratory problems twice. Then we also have to get her caught up on her shots and meet with the pediatric cardiologist to check on the status of her heart and how the repair went.

When we first found out about Avery's special need my prayer was that God would show us that there was no sign of a heart problem. That the repair went great. That she would need no medicines, follow-up surgeries, or close monitoring because of her heart defect that she was born with. We met with the pediatric cardiologist on Friday. Avery was a great little patient, enduring an ultra-sound, EKG, a pulse O2 (ET finger), and four different blood pressures. The only time she cried was when I sat her on the scale for them to weigh her - silly girl. The doctor came in and said, "She has a perfect heart." Holy God are you serious? Did she say 'a perfect heart?' I think I asked her again and again about it and she said that her heart is in great shape. She doesn't even need antibiotics to get her teeth cleaned, she is not considered as having 'heart disease.' The repair went well, the patch looks good, it's not leaking, she's well oxygenated. SHE HAS A PERFECT HEART.

The only ONE that I know who is perfect is my Savior. And His heart lives on in His children . . .

Praise to Him!

Avery in Woodward

2010-02-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

I tell you this girl does not let much bother her. The big Golden Retriever, Rigger, not scared of it. Golf cart, not scared. New environment, not scared. Grass, well . . . still not sure of the grass! We went to Woodward last weekend, it was Avery's first time to be that far away from home, sleeping somewhere else besides her own bed (other than the 3 different hotel rooms in China and Dallas, but who's counting, right? me, still.), hadn't seen GaGa (Lyndal's mom) since we came home at Christmas, big huge dog, lot's of wonderful Woodward friends that came by to meet her, and the girl did not skip a beat. She is resilient and amazing and SO meant to be our daughter. I can't say it enough, but it is like she has been with us since her birth. We had a wonderful time at GaGa's and look forward to our next visit very soon - ready Ga Ga?

. . . Ending the Week on a Good Note!

2010-02-07T22:51:00.000-06:00

It was a rough week here at the McMurphy house. And when I say rough, I mean, rough. It all started when last Friday - you know the one, the one with the snow day? the billionth snow day this year? yes, that's the one - when I started feeling yucky. At first I thought it was something I ate, but no, nope, it kept getting worse. I ended up spending most of the next 24 hours in bed with a stomach virus. Thank God Lyndal made it home BEFORE the snow/ice hit. Otherwise, I would not have been able to spend much time in bed AT ALL. Then, about Saturday night the rest started getting sick. Nicci was down for about 3 days straight. She was one sick girl. The three little ones got a cold, but Avery's went worse. I guess her little immune system is really taking a hit. We spent 2 hours Tuesday evening in the pediatrician's office, got a chest x-ray and a breathing treatment. No pneumonia. Breathing treatment didn't do much. So, we had to go back the next day. She was finally diagnosed with viral bronchiolitis which basically means to 'go home and wait it out.' No antibiotics. No cough medicine. Nothing to help us get through our 4th night of not sleeping good. Nothing. And, I'm not much of a medicine taker anyway, but I just wanted her to be well! In the midst of that, Conner started feeling yucky with the stomach thing and he missed 2 days of school (that was really kind of nice, not the part about him getting sick, the part about not having to get up with all the kids, load them up, and take him to school at 7:25am. We got an extra 45 minutes of sleep. But this is about Conner, not me:) By about Friday we were doing much better. Oh! And Lyndal got sick while he was in Colorado working! Poor guy :(!

We were all well enough to go to Piedmont for my Grandmother's 86th birthday!

My cousin Peyton and Carlie - do they look like twins or what? They are about a year apart, but they are almost identical, minus the glasses!

I love this woman! I love my family! It was also the first time Avery had met my Grandma, Grandpa Kenneth, Aunt Cathy, Uncle Gerry, and a bunch of cousins. And we had not met my cousin's new little baby boy, Braylon! He is almost 4 months old and he's been sleeping through the night since December! He gets mad when you wake him up! Shut up! Avery clung to me for about the first 20 minutes then she was off singing and dancing, just be-bopping along! The only person who got to hold her was my cousin Kasie. We had a lot of fun together.

Trying to Get Back to Bloggy Land!

2010-01-31T22:03:00.000-06:00

Our first sight of Avery

Avery 1 month home

After following blogs for several years now, I have discovered why some of them fall of the earth after they come home.

They are either:

A) Too Tired to Tango

B) Overwhelmed with handling their new addition

C) Are "China-ed" Out

D) Don't think anyone is watching their blog anymore so they stop

E) Have SO much to do that they forgot they even HAD a blog and only use their blog to check on other people's blogs

Well, mine is a combination of A (the first couple of weeks), B (the new addition was great, but adding that one into the mix with 4 others was the tough part), C (let's just be honest), and E (I didn't exactly forget . . . ).

So, I am trying to be back on top of this thing because I do enjoy it. Since I don't make time for scrapbooking anymore this has become my scrapbook and I need to post the memories.

Let's start with the obvious . . . Avery. She is a remarkable little girl. She is a part of our family and there has been no question in HER mind or ours since day one. She came into this house and acted like she knew where everything was. The dog did not cause her fear except for maybe 5 seconds. She quickly learned to love baths and all her brothers and sisters. She comes to me for comfort when she gets hurt or just when she needs it. You would be amazed at how she has so quickly adapted to our family. She knows a few signs and learns about 1 new English word a week. She loves to dance, the dishwasher, and the dog water bowl. She gets along with Carlie pretty well - just like a typical sister relationship, sometimes they are partners in crime and sometimes they fight. She's kind of whiney, but we are getting better at that (I don't like whiners:), I'm sure it's because of her inability to communicate and the fact that she is coming down with another cold.

Shortly after coming home she developed an upper respiratory infection and needed some anti-biotics. The medicine not only helped her infection, but also cleared up this little rash she had on her torso that she was scratching so bad she was bleeding (poor baby). We had a follow-up appointment 2 weeks after the initial pediatrician's appointment and she gained almost 2 lbs. in 2 weeks! I knew she was putting on a little weight because her chubby little feet weren't fitting into her pink metallic flats so great anymore!

This adoption process has been rewarding, difficult, brought us closer to God, challenging, amazing, and I would do it all over again to get Avery. We had to go get our daughter and she just happened to be in China.

She's a true joy. God knew exactly what He was doing.

I Think I'm Ready to Talk About It Now

2010-01-16T00:07:00.000-06:00

Our grueling trip home . . . (the pictures will explain themselves in a little bit:)

We started home very early on Dec. 24 (China time), we checked in to get our boarding passes, went through immigration, and I realized that Avery had wet clean through her pants. We needed to find a bathroom but still had one more line to go through with no bathroom between one line and the next. This should have been my first sign. We finally get through that line and still have security to go through. Great, still can't stop to go to the bathroom. The security line wasn't too long, but still, when you have a baby who has wet pants any line is long. Finally a bathroom. No changing table. Ugh. I was afraid of this. I try to change her standing up, but she's very wriggly. I do NOT want to lay her on the ground. Huh? Look at how clean the floor is? Diaper changed, but jeans still wet because I, the dummy that I sometimes am, did not pack any in our carry-ons!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I was thinking that I needed to pack light and that she had never wet clean through her clothes before. So, to save space, why pack any?! We'll be home in less than 24 hours and we'll get all scrubbed up when we get home. See the logic? It's all there in my head. Again, this should have been my first sign.

Not an hour later and she does it again, and MY pants even have the pee pee on them. You have GOT to be kidding me. This time I go behind some rows of seats and change her. Now to shop for some new clothes for Avery in the Guangzhou airport! I love to shop! Nothing except these cute little satin traditional Chinese dresses. Totally NOT practical for a trip where the weather will be very cold. Ugh. They have every other store in an airport WHY NOT A GYMBOREE OR CHILDREN'S PLACE - A N Y T H I N G!!! That should have been my second sign.

Now we are finally on our first of four legs of flying (yes, she peed through her jeans TWICE before we ever left China). Off to Hong Kong, maybe there will be clothes for kids there? The Hong Kong airport is huge and we have over a 2 hour layover. Surely I'll be able to find something. They have every fancy shmancy store you can think of in that place, it's like a mall! I could spend a lot of time here! But not one single store with any sort of children's clothing! Not even the Disney store had any pants! Am I in the twilight zone or something? Has no one else had this problem? Am I the only one? Where can I file a complaint, give a suggestion, SOMETHING! No, we don't smell bad. Back on the plane for the 10 hour flight to San Francisco. This is the part I've been dreading, but at least it's only TEN hours instead of the sixteen on the way To Hong Kong (has something to do with the Jet Stream, I don't know, I just want to go to America). Let's just get it over with! At least we will land on more familiar territory for Lyndal and I - the strangeness will soon begin for Miss Avery. So far so good, no more wetting completely through the pants because we bought more diapers and are changing her every five minutes.

For future reference, Chinese diapers do not hold as much as American diapers. And you need them to hold a lot because you can't always change the kiddo when you most need to.

By the way, despite our slight odor and the ugh of travel, Avery is doing so good. The long flight was a little rough, but not as rough as another family had it where their child cried for 9 of the 10 hours. I kept saying little prayers for them because they needed it! Avery was a trouper the entire time! She is a go with the flow kind of gal and we are so grateful!

San Fransisco! America! Land of the free and home of the brave! We are closer to home and we can speak English to anyone without playing charades!! YAY! But our flight is delayed. This should have been my third sign (how many do I need?) So, I call the house, check in with everyone there. By this time my sister and brother-in-law and their two kids have joined our others and my mother-in-law for the big welcome home/Christmas bash of 2009. The phone call went something like this: Ice storm, snow, OKC, coming this way, do you want us to book you a hotel in Dallas 'just in case,' no. Those were the phrases we blocked, but still heard. I kept saying a little prayer that we would get home before the storm hit please God! Our flight from San Fransisco was delayed for 3 hours and the SF airport stinks! It was crowded, there were not many shops to browse through (still no kids clothing, except maybe a t-shirt, but I needed pants!), it was arranged wierd. I guess the Hong Kong airport spoiled me. So, we camped out near our gate listening to announcements. Another adoptive family we had met in Guangzhou was there also. They had all 5 of their kids with them so we chatted and the kids played (can you imagine a family with FIVE kids? Who would do that? Crazy). As the kids played I noticed something. What is that brown stain on the back of Avery's pants? That wasn't there a little while ago. Huh? Seriously? Here we go. Pee now poop on the jeans that we have now had on for almost 20 hours (what was I thinking when I didn't pack her an extra outfit or two or three? Shut up). Thank goodness she had on a long sweater over her jeans that hid the stain, that was my saving grace from being banished to the corner and sneered at. What is it with these Chinese diapers?

Let me stop and explain another thing. Avery had never been in diapers until the day we met. In China they use something called 'split pants' which is exactly like what it sounds. They do not use diapers, the children wear pants that are split in the crotch and they take them to the bathroom every 2-3 hours. No joke. Avery wore split pants and was 'potty regulated.' Her body was trained to hold it until it was time to sit on the potty. So, whenever she would 'go' she would 'GO'. Lyndal saw a little boy in the zoo squat and 'go' right in the middle of the sidewalk. Trail of stuff going down the path. We were in the restaurant at the hotel in Hohhot and this about 2 year old came up and was looking at Avery, smiling and playing (you cannot tell if a child is a girl or boy by the color of clothes they are wearing). The child turned around to run back to his mommy and fell with his hiney in the air - it's a boy! They will 'make note' of the fact that your child has no tights on under their jeans, indicating you have not dressed them warm enough, but they'll let ALL their nether regions be out there for all glory to see so they can more conveniently take their children to the bathroom. Makes no sense to me, does to them.

Finally we board for Dallas! The flight was miserable because I was just done, but we were getting close! My motto at a time like this is 'just keep moving.' Our plane is approaching Dallas and we are informed that we are waiting to land because there is only one runway open because Dallas has ice. Yes, my fourth sign. I didn't know it iced in Dallas?! What in the world? Is this the twilight zone or something? We circle, trying to land for over an hour. Let ME land the plane! LOOK an open field! I just want to go HOME!!!!! I'll walk! Finally, we land, we deboard, it's very crowded. Why is that golf cart thing hauling in cots? No. My heart sinks. It is as bad as Sean and Angie were saying. We may have to spend the night in an airport. Dear God. I am about at my breaking point trying to hold back the tears. We have been traveling for about 26 hours with no sleep for me and very little for anyone else. Lyndal calls the house and, praise God!!! Sean did not listen to us when we told him NOT to book us a hotel! We have a bed and a sink! We can shower! We can be warm! We can have a good night's sleep! Thank you God and Sean! But I still want to go home real bad. I cannot believe this is happening. It's Christmas Eve and we are bringing home this baby girl to present to our friends and family and we have to stay in Dallas?!

By this time, I am just trying to keep it together and 'just keep moving.' After wandering around for a little while we finally figured out where to go to catch the shuttle to the hotel. I call Angie to explain some Christmas hiding places and Sean answers the phone. He says, "Hey, how's it going?" And that was all it took. I couldn't hold the tears back any longer (it still makes me cry!) and had to hand the phone to Lyndal. Right after I handed the phone to him a young guy standing next to me asks if I have change for a $5. I am quietly sobbing, saying that I think I do *sniff* *sniff* just a second and let me *sniff* *sniff* check. Him and his wife ask me if I'm OK and I explain our situation through tears, but I had the change for the $5!

Come to find out we could not access our checked luggage. It would be on the first flight to Tulsa the next day (why can't WE be on the first flight to Tulsa?). We, however, will be on the 5:30 flight. Yay, all day in another airport, we can't wait. So, if you see that picture above of the suitcase you will notice that all we had that night was a camera, a pair of Converse, some travel pillows, a workbook for the adoption education to refer to (does it cover spending the night in a hotel on Christmas Eve with your toddler after waiting for 3 years for her? didn't think so), some infant formula, some snacks, our empty money wallets, and NOTHING else. No toothbrush, change of clothes, nothing else, did I mention that it had NOTHING ELSE? I do not want to travel EVER AGAIN!! But, hey, I can at least take Avery's soiled jeans and wash them with a bar of soap in the sink. It's the LEAST I could do, right? Jeesh, what kind of mom do you think I am? As you might have guessed, the hotel was crowded with people but we didn't care. A little American food and a good night's sleep and we will be like brand new in the morning. See that other picture up there? That's Avery in the morning. She is a bit of a grump in the mornings :)!

Oh no. I'm not done with our trip home yet! There's more!

Back to the airport first thing the next morning with a fresh attitude! Lyndal and I have decided that we are going to pretend like we are in a hurry to get to our gate everywhere we go (actually, I don't think Lyndal agreed to this idea). We are going to look concerned and rush! Rush to nothing! We do get our name on the stand-by list, but we are numbers 127 and 128. Oh yea, we are SO getting on a plane before our booked 5:30 flight! So, we didn't get on the first flight out. Lunch and there's a CHILIS! I have never wanted to eat at Chilis more than I want to right this very minute! Chicken quesadillas! Chips and salsa! I am going to eat the whole plate! It was the best meal I have EVER had! Chilis in the Dallas airport on Christmas Day with our newly adopted daughter from China in our pee/poop clothes! Heaven! This is just how I pictured it :)!

The rest of the day is spent 'rushing' from one gate to the next. We are getting to know the other people trying to get to Tulsa who are on the stand-by list. One of them is this little elderly lady with a walker, all hunched over from her back. I felt horrible for her. Why wasn't she on the first flight out of here? Why is she going from gate to gate? That is absurd! Do they not have priority for people like that? That is inhumane!! I think she finally got out on a 3:30 flight thank goodness. We did meet this one guy who had to spend the night in the airport. He said that they - listen to this - turned the heat WAY down at about midnight and it got real cold. He was walking around in the middle of the night and walked by a lighted up wall billboard thing and noticed how warm the billboard was, so he cozied up to it for while to get warm! Are you serious?! You turn the heat down on Christmas Eve during one of the worst ice storms in history? Who does that?

I know this a long post, but I have to get it out of my system. I'm close to being done. Not done until we are home.

So, 5:30 rolls around and it is time for us to board. YAY!!!! We are going home!! Only one more hour of flying and we are HOME!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!! "We have a warning light on the control panel. We are just going to have maintenance look at it and then we'll have you in the air," the pilot says (in nonbroken English I might add:). I'm thinking, 'OK, cool. Not a problem. Probably just need to replace a windshield wiper or something.' Twenty minutes later. "Uh folks, we are going to have to send this plane in to have it looked at. We'll deboard and have you a new plane here pretty quick," our English speaking pilot says. Thank goodness I had a decent night's sleep at a hotel. Otherwise, I might have gone postal at this point. Deboard. Call home to tell them not to come yet.

So, 9:30 rolls around and we finally get on our plane for home. Is it really going to happen this time? Who cares, right? I'm a little sick of this story, aren't you? But, yeah, we are on our plane flying through the air heading to Tulsa. F I N A L L Y. We land and are taxiing to our gate. "Uh folks, we are just waiting for a plane to be moved before we unload at our gate. It will be just a few more minutes," pilot says. I can see the freakin' gate. I can see the people moving around inside the airport. The LAST airport I need to be in for the rest of my life. I am going to bash my head through this window and crawl out and walk to the car. I am so glad I am not a violent person. And I am so glad I was around other non-violent persons at that time. "The wheels on the plane that is at the gate we are supposed to deboard from are frozen. We are waiting for another plane to be moved so we can let you all off," pilot says. Well, of course! Of course! We have been traveling from the other side of the world for a VERY long time (almost 50 hours counting the time in the hotel, and, yes, I do count those hours) so why shouldn't the planes wheels freeze on Christmas Day? Why not?! I'm OK, seriously, I am.

So, we deboard, see my sister and brother-in-law and our oldest son (it was so icy outside that the other kids stayed home with my mother-in-law just to be safe), grab our luggage and go home. HOME!! There IS no place like home. I can testify to that!

Little Miss Got a Haircut

2009-12-29T21:08:00.003-06:00

I'm getting caught up on some things that I wasn't able to blog right before we left, so hang in there!

Miss Carlie got her first real haircut a few weeks ago! She thoroughly enjoyed the princess treatment that Miss Jennifer gave her while she was in the chair. Nicci was a big help when it came time for Carlie to look down :).

Lyndal asked Carlie this evening if she wanted to be called "Pepper" or "Tink?" She said, "I'm a PRINCESS!" When Nicole was about the same age she said something similar . . .
"Nicole, why are you so grouchy?" I asked. She said, "I'm not grouchy! I'm a PRINCESS!"
I love it!

We Got Our Girl!

2009-12-29T20:34:00.000-06:00

We now have had Avery a little over 2 weeks. The above picture is our very first look at her in person and the bottom picture was taken Dec. 28 (after she was sharing the dog food with Jasmine:). I will post more details on our trip as I get time, but thought I'd at least start the blog up again. Avery fits perfectly! She has jumped into our household like she's been here forever. She eats a lot - constantly if we'd let her. She is sleeping pretty well and getting better at that even after recovering from jet-lag. We love her and still cannot believe she is here!

Cuz We're Leavin' on a Jet Plane . . .

2009-12-02T09:53:00.004-06:00

SING IT JOHN DENVER!

We are to be IN Beijing by 6pm on Dec. 11! Dec. 11? YES!! Dec. 11!!!!!

From here on out I will be using our Chinastork site:

isaiah43verse5.chinastork.com

Password: AVERY

Got to go! Lots to do!!!!

Hunting and Gathering

2009-12-01T13:36:00.000-06:00

I started this pile a few weeks ago, just in case we needed to be ready quickly. And now it looks like we might need to be ready quickly! This is by no means everything, but it is a good start. Most of our foods, medical supplies, the front pack carrier, some Avery goodies, and other fun stuff are in here. The clothes will come later (if there's room:)!

We Have Travel Approval!!

2009-11-30T16:34:00.003-06:00

China called and they want us to come and get our daughter! YAYAYAYAY!!! We hope to leave about Dec. 10 or Dec. 17. If we leave Dec. 10 then we will be home in time for Christmas which would be wonderful! Hopefully, by the end of the week we will know for sure.

Excuse me while I go pack for INNER MONGOLIA!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T23:59:00.000-06:00

The Girls

2009-11-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

This weekend family came! And with that family my niece Reagan was here! My daughter Nicole is never more herself than when Reagan is around. They sing, dance, play, talk, giggle, and act goofy the whole time they are together. I love it when they are here! I wish we lived closer to them so they could spend a lot more time together, but I guess it makes their rare visits all the more special. We are thankful for family!

2009-11-20T22:56:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine told me that often in China they will shave their babies/toddlers hair believing that it will grow in thicker. Huh. So maybe the orphanage is doing it because they want her hair to be thick and luxurious? I'll buy that . . . may not agree with it or start shaving my own head, but at least they might be doing it for her best interest.

I have bought her a couple of hats. Very girly ones so that she will feel like the princess that she is!

can

not

wait

get

hands

her!

WAIT! There's More!

2009-11-18T10:05:00.002-06:00

Look at all those teeth! OK, I want her now! I want her here now! I know God is listening and his timing is perfect, but just thought I'd say it in case He wasn't sure what I was thinking :)!

Glory Be!

2009-11-18T09:05:00.002-06:00

This morning we received THIS updated picture! It is priceless, but not enough. It just makes me want to get her even more. She needs us! Looks like I need to get some headbands with bows attached since her little head is still shaved. She's also going to need some cozy hats! The temperature in Baotou is in the 30's during the day and the teens at night and it will only get colder. I think we will be spending quite a bit of time in our hotel room staying cozy!

Enjoy your day!

Listen to THIS

2009-11-11T22:01:00.005-06:00

^{1 Corinthians 12}

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

(emphasis mine)

So, when you hear a friend say that they have the gift of prophecy you kind of take it with a grain of salt. You sort of say to yourself, 'OK, I know this person, she's not crazy, but does she really know what she's talking about? I'll make note of what she is saying, but won't put everything I have into it.' But you definitely make note of what they are telling you.

I have a friend and she told me just that. That she thinks she has the gift of prophecy. I'm like, cool. She said that she thinks we will be getting a call on the 23rd of September. I'm thinking, 'Huh. Interesting.' She said that she keeps seeing Avery on the 23rd of September. She said that it has happened to her before, that she 'knew' something was going to happen before it happened. She told me this a few times. I remembered it.

My hubbie was going to be out of town. One of the dates he was to be gone was September 23rd. I held off telling him what my friend said for a while. I didn't want him to think I was losing it and following some weird psycho. But as it came closer to time for him to be gone, and the person told me, yet again, that we should expect a call on September 23rd, I felt it was time to let him in on what this person had been saying to me. I said, "I'm fixin to tell you something and I want you to just listen to me, sort of just hear me, know that I am not crazy, but I'm just putting this out there because I want you to be aware of it, too. . . A friend of mine at Bible study said that we should be expecting a call about Avery on September 23rd. I just wanted you to be aware of it in case you have to come home suddenly or just so you know." He said, "Huh, wow. OK, I'll keep that in mind."

September 23rd came and the phone rang at about 1:30, I think. It was our agency. She asked if we would consider a baby girl with a heart defect. We had not checked that when we did our special needs checklist because I had heard a horror story about this family. They had gotten to China and their daughter was in horrible shape and they had to fight to get her out of the country because her heart was so bad. I wanted to protect us from a situation like that. Denise explained that this particular child had a repaired ventricular septal defect. I said that since it had been repaired then we would definitely consider this child. She said that she would probably call us back in a few days. Huh. Well, that was the big phone call we were expecting. My friend was sort of right. I called the husband to tell him what had happened. That was the end of that.

At about 3pm our agency called again. They said that they think they have found a match for us. Would I like to see the file? YES! Do I want a picture with the file? ABSOLUTELY!!! How can I look at a file of a child and not see their face? I had to go get two kids from school while they were sending me the file. Drive fast.

I called Lyndal and told him what was going on. We agreed that when I got back home I would call him and we would both open the file at the same time. We did. She's ours. She's perfect.

The date we got THE CALL was SEPTEMBER 23, 2009. Just like God prophesied through my friend. HE is AWESOME.

Avery's Care Package!

2009-11-09T14:56:00.003-06:00

There are a few sites that will send your child a care package. You can download pictures for them to print off and put in a photo album with labels on them, and you can buy different things like books, a blanket, candy and nuts for the foster family, disposable cameras, and have a letter translated. We ordered one last week and got the picture of what we sent today! She did a great job!

We also received an update on Avery today! She weighs 18.7 lbs and is 22.8 inches long (which is in the 50-75% on the Chinese growth charts, and Nicole was about that size when she was 1, too). Her feet are 12 cm long which is about 5 1/2 inches or a size 5 shoe (she must have her daddy's long toes). Between meals she likes to eat cookies and she likes yellow cake (just like her momma!) She is walking and has 11 teeth. Again, she is perfect!

Hopefully we will get updated pictures this week.

Today Was WONDERFUL! (despite the head butting goat pictures)

2009-11-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

Today was an adventure. We trekked to OKC to welcome some friends in from China with their children. They had been in China for over 2 weeks and flew in just today! Their whole family was together for the first time and it was all good. I wish I could post pictures of the family, but I gotta protect them. Just trust me that it was so good to see them home after such a very long journey. After the airport we went to visit family. We saw my Grandma and Kenneth for a while. Carlie finally opened up a little bit and showed her sassy side to them! The older kids spent most of the time outside climbing the tree. Then it was off to my Dad and Leslie's house to play with the goats and shoot guns (just Conner)! They got some new Boer goats - Cowboy and Boulder. Cowboy is the one playing with Conner, Boulder would have very little to do with us. Cowboy is so cute! I wanted to take him home and he could be our new 'dog.' But Dad said that they were going to eat him! I protested, but am not sure if I will win or not :(. I hope they get a male and a female next time so they can have baby goats - Dad said they might. Wouldn't that be cute? Little baby goats? Then Conner did some skeet shooting. He's an excellent shot! It was a great day, and we are pooped.

We hope to get an update on Miss Avery this week!

We Are at %100!

2009-11-07T10:44:00.001-06:00

Well, I thought at least one of us would be clear. Apparently, I was wrong (ain't the first time). He's four and he needs glasses pretty bad. Not once in his beautiful four years has he ever complained or seemed to have difficulty seeing, but a trip to the ophthalmologist changed that. He's wearing them fairly good today, at least they are on his face even though they are hanging down on his nose most of the time.

He's just too cute.

And a Great Big BOO to YOU Too!

2009-11-04T12:55:00.000-06:00

So, we had a Zombie Lawyer, a Purple Cat, Darth Vader, and a Strawberry Fairy this year. We trick-or-treated around our neighborhood enjoying the bee-a-U-t-ful weather! The kids a had blast and the adults looked forward to an extra hour of sleep that night. All was great.

Anyone up for Inner Mongolia for Christmas?

Snapshot Sunday

2009-11-01T19:37:00.000-06:00

This snapshot is priceless. PRICELESS! It is the very first known picture of our daughter when she was about a month old. It's kind of fuzzy. I hope we get a clearer print of it sometime, but it is part of her history. That perfect round head. Those beautiful Asian eyes. That little bitty nose. That cupid's bow of a mouth. Priceless. Treasured. I could stare at her all day. I can't wait to hold her, smell her, and play with her.Those first few moments, I hope they go in slow motion.

This is my "Snapshot Sunday" even though I didn't take this snapshot.

What Now?

2009-10-30T14:01:00.002-05:00

You might be surprised if I tell you that what happens next as far as traveling and bringing Avery Lan home is - MORE PAPERWORK!! Yup, I have quite a pile of paperwork to attack right now. This is for immigration so we can legally take her out of Ch*na and legally bring her in to the U.S.A. It's not like the 4 inch thick notebook I already have, it's much more manageable, but still . . .

We also received this spiral bound book from our agency with the words "Ch*na Travel Guide" on the front of it. It will prepare us for what to bring, expect, customs, $$ to bring, how it all works, etc. It just all brings it home to me how real this all is and how close we really are to holding this child!

Thank you to EVERYONE who sent us an email, posted a comment here, or posted a comment through Facebook congratulating us on Avery Lan! I even got a comment from my 5th grade Science teacher who's husband used to make her chalk for her! She is the SWEETEST! Not to mention the precious friends and family who have left comments. They all mean so much to us! We hope you all follow us along as we continue on this adventure.

OH! A good friend of mine, who now lives in the South, called me to tell me that their son is from the same part of Inner Mongol*a! There is a small chance that we could be there at the same time! I haven't seen her since they left Oklahoma, and to possibly be reconnecting in, of all places, Inner Mongol*a - what a hoot!

We will be able to send a care package to Avery Lan! She will be able to see pictures of us, receive a translated letter, some books, a blanket, and a disposable camera so her foster family can take pictures of what her life is like there! We are so excited to be able to reach out to her and love on her. Hopefully this will also prepare her for the transition, this little girl's world is fixin' to be rocked, bless her heart!

Another thing I wanted to share is a little more about Miss Avery and a couple of prayer requests that we have. Avery is considered a special needs (SN) child. She has a repaired VSD (ventricular septal defect) or hole in her heart. She got it repaired when she was about 6 months old in the hospital in Beijing (and she didn't have her mommy and daddy there to love her through it). Usually, children with VSDs once they are either surgically repaired or heal on their own there are no lifelong complications. Our prayer is that when we bring her home and the pediatric cardiologist checks her out they will see a completely healed heart.

Another of our requests is that we are able to meet her foster family when we travel. We are so grateful for these people to take this precious child into their home and provide her with a bed, food, and love until she gets a forever family. Then they have to say good-bye and hand her over to these foreigners (but we are nice foreigners). I can't imagine being in their shoes! I want to hug on this foster mother's neck! How do you say thank you? What can I possibly do to tell her how precious she is to us? We want to be able to say thank you (xie xie) in person. Wouldn't it be so cool if we were able to pray with them? We do pray for them now and will continue to, trying to let Avery know that she had a China mom (besides her tummy mommy) who was very special to her and us.

ALL PRAISES TO GOD!