Chevy

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!

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

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

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 . . .

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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.