Floating on cloud 9...

We are still floating on Cloud 9 in our house that our LOA for Little Man finally came! It has been a long road, discouraging at time but God has been so faithful! Just when I was beginning to struggle with whether our Little Man would ever come home, God answered! How precious that simple piece of paper is to us at this point!

Today the UPS man delivered it. Poor guy, he about got ran over by the 5, 3 1/2 & 3 year olds who had been watching for him all morning because "mama is so happy about those papers!" When he got to the door, I answered it and was telling him thank you when Eli announced- "please let me have that package, my little brother is inside!" It was so funny! And it made the UPS delivery guy smile to say the least!Last night we went to celebrate our LOA finally coming. On the way home, we were all talking about Nate, traveling to China and how good God has been. Every night for months, our children have faithfully have prayed that God would bring our paperwork... in the midst of all talking poor Eli says... "Oh Man, I never get to say anything!!!!" We know he's ready to have another little boy in the house to play with who will like tractors, horses and playing in the mud instead of princess dresses and Fancy Nancy books:)

We recently watched "Facing the Giants" again. I appreciate what the coach has to say about his own life and what he shares with the football team when he states...
"We are going to Praise HIM when we win and we are going to PRAISE HIM when we loose." God has taught me much about trusting him and relying on Him alone in the last 6 months, but most of all, I am glad that I am learning to PRAISE HIM no matter what! I hope that you will too!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULAR SCHEDULED PROGRAM FOR THIS URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT....

After 185 days of waiting, we have received our Letter of Acceptance (LOA)!!! The paperwork we have been waiting on to bring our sweet boy home has finally arrived at our agency! It will be in our hands TOMORROW!!!! Our sweet NATE is coming home soon!

During the last 6 months, God has led me to the Psalms again and again! This is one that has blessed me so much... My God has heard our cries and answered!

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

More coming soon.....

The DC Story... Part 2... RACE DAY

The race began at 8 am in Arlington Cemetery, I knew I wouldn't find Shawn at the start so our friends drove me to the 2 mile mark and dropped me off. Watching this marathon was very humbling because of the military presence and pride that comes with those who serve our country, flight for our freedoms and those who have given much for us! When we got to this mark, the race had just started and there were not any runners there yet, soon after I arrived, the first participants began to crest the hill... you want to talk about bravery, pride, service and sacrifice, these competitors are shining examples for us...After the hand bicycle guys went by, the official vehicles that led the race came through followed by the runners. It was amazing, I was at the bottom of the hill and long before you could see the runners coming, you could hear the cheering and you could see the steam of their breath in the brisk morning air rising above the hill, then over the hill they began to appear, thousands of runners...I did see Shawn at this point, but didn't get a picture. After he went by, I headed out to meet my brother and we made our way to the 10 mile mark. We did see him there and caught him on film... He's in the middle in red with black pants.After Shawn ran by, my brother and I headed over to see some sights before moving to the 17 mile mark to cheer....At About mile 17, we waited and watched for Shawn, somehow he slipped by us! Here is Lyn though, it was fun to see her and other LWB runners go by!We realized we had missed Shawn and hightailed it on down to the 20 mile mark only to miss him there too! So we took off for the last mile and caught up with him there!My brother took off running with Shawn and they headed in the last bit of the mile!
There was a "Charity Village" set up at the end of the race so we met up with other runners there.All done and headed back for some rest! What a blessing the day was. We had fun, Shawn ran well, we praise the Lord that his leg held up well that he's been struggling with IT Band with. God is good, all the time!

The DC Story... the Marine Corp Marathon... Part 1, the pre-race dinner

This past weekend was amazing and such a blessing for Shawn and I. Back in July, Shawn joined the Love Without Boundaries Charity marathon team and started training. We firmly believe in the work of Love Without Boundaries (LWB) in China. Daily they are making a difference in the lives of orphaned children through nutrition programs, cleft & heart surgeries, education programs, foster care and much more.

As a family, we know the blessing of foster care as Abigayl spent the first 15 months of her life with a foster family that cared for her deeply and took incredible care of her. We will be forever grateful for the love they gave our daughter. Our little man who is waiting does not have the opportunity currently to be in a family. We know that the care at his orphanage is good and there are nannies there to care for him, but living in a group setting with a large number of other children with care givers that rotate on shifts is very different that living within a family. As a result, we know we may face some challenges ahead, but we also know that we have a gracious God who is taking care of our little man while we wait!

We really thought that our little man would be home from China by now so we planned for Shawn to go to DC with my brother and brother-in-law because I'd be home with our little ones. We had no idea then that we would be 6 months out from beginning the process of getting our sweet boy home and still waiting. Last minute, I did a little checking and found some great airfare to DC, talked with my mom and she offered to keep our kids and I flew to DC, totally in secret! You can imagine Shawn's surprise on Saturday night when he showed up at the pre-race dinner and I was already there! What a blessing it was to celebrate with him and others the work LWB is doing and the excitement of running the next day!

Enjoy the pictures....

This was the LWB team members that were able to come to the dinner on Saturday night.With our friends, the O Family! Shuana & I met in a group of adoptive moms that were involved in a prayer group while waiting for our little ones. We have kept in touch and been blessed by them. They joined us for dinner with their sweet girl on Sat. night. It was so fun to see them again, we had dinner with them back in March and K has grown so much!This is Lyn, she and her family are with our adoption agency too. Lyn's story is amazing, she is proud mommy to 4 kids, 2 adopted from China. She is passionate about the importance of foster care and shared their families story with us on Saturday. A little girl at the LWB Cleft home was named after Lyn this week and she got a picture of this beautiful little girl!

It was a birthday!!!

Our sweet boy waiting in China turned 2 last week! We sent a cake through a service and we got pictures this week! We can't share the pictures here of him but thought you might enjoy seeing his cake....

Marine Corp Marathon....

Just a sneak peek... more to come... It was an amazing weekend (I surprised Shawn by showing up in DC for the marathon!!!!) We spent time with friends, enjoyed the marathon and the weather was beautiful! The LWB team raised $25,000 for foster care programs in China too!!!! More to come, but enjoy the pictures!!!Mile 26... only .2 miles to go!

Have you ever heard of a "Jesse Tree?"

My friend, Jen over at Kerrnal Journal, posted on her blog this week about doing "the Jesse Tree" during Advent this year and invited others to join her. The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." She is going to be using the book, The Jesse Tree.You have a small "tree"- it can be a branch, paper, whatever works best for you and you decorate the tree with handmade ornaments that represent Old Testament events from Creation to the Birth of Jesus. One is added each day of advent, with explanations of the symbols and a brief verse of Scripture from the story represented.

Want to join in our fun, check out how over at Jen's!

Another finished quilt top!

This quilt is a Korean Culture quilt, there are 28 different fabric lanterns in the quilt, each one represents something about Korea or it's culture. I made this quilt top for our friends, Rich & Shannon, who brought their daughter home from Korea in May. It is going to be auctioned at a fundraiser sponsored by their adoption agency in Nov.

It's fun to look back!
2 years ago this weekend, our friends visited us... here were our children then...In May 2007, we went to Dallas to visit them while they were at the Wycliffe Linguistics school. Here were our girls then...In April we met again in Oklahoma city for the guys to run the OK City Memorial 1/2 Marathon... Here are the kids right before they ran the kids marathon (April 2008)
Here is Shawn & Aaron after the 1/2 marathon...

And here are our kids together for the last time before our friends headed to Pacific Orientation Training for their mission! We had a blast but miss them so much! Hop on over to their blog to read about the adventures in their life! They moved to a village in PNG today!!!Look how much our little ones have grown!!!

2 years ago in Central China, a mother gave birth to a son... A few days later, a tiny baby boy was found and taken to an orphanage. He was small and had a visible medical need. They took care of him and have continued to do so.

I do not know this mother or anything more than this about her, but I think about her often. Is she crying tonight on the anniversary of his birth, did she think of him today and remember? My mommy heart has gone through childbirth and experienced the birth of a child with medical needs. I know the hurt, the worry and the stress, but I do not know the hurt of not being able to care for my child and having no other option but to leave them. Whatever her circumstances were, I wish I could tell her the we are thankful for her and that she will always be respected by our family because she gave life to our son.

I wish I could tell her thank you for choosing life for her little boy. I wish I could comfort her or assure her that little boy is growing and well taken care of. I would tell her that soon his family will be coming to bring him home. I wish I could show her pictures and let her know that doctors took good care of his medical needs. She would hear about his 2 big sisters and brother that pray every night for their little brother that he is warm, well fed and hugged today! I'd tell her that though we have not met him yet, he is loved and always will be. I would tell her thank you.

Today, that little boy celebrated his 2nd birthday and hopefully someday soon that little boy will be home in our arms! Our prayer today is for his health and his heart, that God is preparing it for the perfect day He is planning for us to be joined together as a family. We had hoped that time would be here, but God has a different plan, so today we celebrate anyway!

Happy Birthday my Son! We love you little man and can't wait until that day!

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalms 126:5-6

Creating smiles:)

Pumpkin Bagels... a new favorite at our house!!!

I love bagels! In my "pre-mommy" days, I worked in the professional world. We lived in a large city and I often had lunch meetings, often they were at nicer eateries. My favorite place though was this little local bagel shop that made the best bagel sandwiches. Fast forward to present... I am no mommy at home (and love it) and no longer live in or anywhere near the "big city!" Good grief, running to Walmart to pick up a few things takes well over an hour by the time I pack up the kids, drive almost 30 miles, get the kids out, run in to Walmart, get what I need and do the whole process then in reverse! One thing has not changed... I still LOVE bagels, but the nearest "bagel shop" is probably 180 miles away!

A few weeks ago, we were visiting my family for a birthday party and one of the dad's at the party mentioned that he makes homemade bagels and sells them at their local farmers market. The mention of fresh bagel was all it took to get my attention! I had never thought of making them at home! After lots of questions, then searching for recipes, etc. we now have fresh bagels at our house and we love them! Who needs a bagel shop... just stop by our kitchen and enjoy a bagel and a cup of coffee (milk for the little ones:) with us.

Lenna, the assistant "Bagel Chef"

Yummy pumpkin bagel:)

Happy eaters:)

Pretzel Day- October 22nd

My friend, Jen, over at A Kerrnal Journal, ask about the recipes for the pretzels we made this week. I was going to share it next week for Pretzel Day, but decided I would today so you can celebrate Pretzel Day too! They are really yummy and not too hard to make:)

A few years ago, my friend, Joanna, gave me a wonderful book entitled, Every Day a Holiday, Celebrations for the Whole Year, by Silvana Clark. I love book! It is full of fun "holidays" or ways to make each day "special. When my friend gave me this book, she also gave us a few things to celebrate "Pretzel Day" that week, so "Pretzel Day" is a special day for us! We enjoy pretzel and read stories about pretzels. One of our favorites is Walter the Baker, by Eric Carle.
Now for the Pretzel recipe....
Soft Pretzels

2 C. Warm Water
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Dry active yeast
5 1/2 to 6 C. Flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Baking Soda
1 Egg + 1 Tbsp. for "egg wash" (beat egg and add water so it is a thin mixture)
Coarse Salt or Pretzel Salt (I use a sea salt grinder)

Place warm water and sugar in mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aide to mix my bread), stir to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast in, let set for 5 minutes until it begins to bubble.

Add 1 C. flour and mix with a dough hook, add salt and 4 C. of flour to make dough. Mix the dough until it pulls away from the side of the mixing bowl. Add another 1/2 C. flour if needed. If the dough is still sticky, you can add up to 1/2 C. more flour. Turn onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Place in a a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise for for about an hour in a warm place (until it is about 2x it's original size.) Cover with a dish towel.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a couple of cookie sheets. After dough has risen, punch down and then turn onto a work surface that has a bit of flour on it and knead once or twice. Divide dough into equal small balls (about 12 to 15 depending on how big you want your pretzels.)

Roll dough in you hands to create a long rope (about 15 inches long- shorter if you would like them a little "fatter." Twist into pretzel shape...

1) cross ends of dough over with a few inches left on each end, making a loop out of the top part of the dough.
2) twist the ends 1 more time
3)complete the pretzel shape by folding the ends back over the loop.

Place pretzels on a cookie sheet and cover to rise for about15 minutes. While they are rising, place a large pan with about 2 to 3 inches of water in it on the stove to boil. Once it is boiling, add the baking soda and reduce heat. After the pretzels have risen, drop each one in the water for about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them back on the cookie sheet.

Brush the pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with course salt. Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Then ENJOY!!!!! (This recipe was adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook.)Here are our finished pretzel! They are a great treat!!!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Birthday fun... and other sweet memories from our week!

Shawn's birthday was fun. The evening was beautiful and while I went to a church meeting, he and the kids went to play at the park for awhile. When we got home we had his favorite cake. He also got some "Happy Birthday" phone calls, one was a call from a friend who lives in the Philippines. Technology is amazing and he appreciated it a lot!The kids really wanted to "go camping" for daddy's birthday! They talked him into us all camping out on the living room floor for the night, for the most part- they slept great! He and I didn't do so well:) Here are a few pictures from "camping!"There is something sweet about watching little ones sleep... so innocent and peaceful! This week it has really hit me how quickly my little ones are growing up! Here are some other sweet "sleeping" pictures from our week... I want to hold on to these moments forever, they seem to slip away so quickly!

Abigayl & Eli are quite the pair. I went to check on them during nap one day to find this... they both started in their own beds but but ended up snuggled up and fast asleep in Eli's:)All the kids love to be read to and I love the hours we spend reading together. When nap time comes, Eli always hauls a large load of books to bed with him, his favorite books are about horses.This is a common sight at nap time!

What have we been up to???

One evening this week this went from here...
to here...They will taste really yummy this winter:)

Here is a picture of a block from my current quilt project...This quilt is made of fabrics from a Korean culture swap. I am making it for our good friends who brought their sweet daughter, H, home from Korea in May. It will be auctioned later in the year at a fundraiser for their adoption agency. I'm excited about how it is turning out!

We have watched a few more of these in our garden, though fall is here with cooler days, chilly nights and brisk mornings so most of them have already moved on.This was a tasty treat in our kitchen this week! Next week is "Pretzel Day" so we tried out a recipe ahead of time to see what we thought... I'll post more soon!