Archive for the ‘Photos’ Category

• One less….

  Date: 2013.01.30 | Category: Adoption, Maisey, Photos

  I’ve written a lot about adoption.  I’ve repeated over and over my wish for people to come together and make a difference for these children.  I actually have another blog all written out detailing some of the really horrible things going on in orphanages around the world.  I know that there is a time for that blog, but it is not today.  Today I’d like to talk about the littlest member of our household, well, she will be for at least another 2-3 months.

  Today I was thinking about what makes adoption so special.  The reality is, at the beginning,  you wonder “could I love a child that is not my flesh & blood”?  Those thoughts don’t make you a bad person, they just make you human.  You know you aren’t perfect and you wonder, “what if I care less about my adopted child than I do for my biological child”?  What if I somehow treated them differently?  Heaven forbid I made it worse for them (as if having a family could really be worse).  Doubt is there constantly making you second guess what you could and could not do.  Somehow it seems easier when you adopt an infant.  They grow up and all they have known is you.  Pretty easy.  Just the same as having your own baby – but less work in the pushing them out department.

  

  The agency calls and they present you with a one year old, who is labeled as deaf.  You pray and ask for guidance but you know from the moment you see her picture, that she is your daughter.

  Now here you are in the Registration Office, you’ve had a year of waiting.  A year of looking lovingly at that picture, dreaming about what her personality might be like. You wonder before they bring her in if you can be enough.  You wonder if she will love you too.  You wonder if you will overwhelm her with all that love you have been holding inside for a year.   You wonder if you will scare her.  You wonder if you can make her see her worth and just how beautiful she is despite the fact that her ears haven’t formed right and her chin is a little crooked.   They bring her in and your tears start.  It. Just. Feels. So. Right!  To hold her, to touch her hair, to whisper how much you love her – it is all so right.  She is your daughter.  You would do anything for her.  It doesn’t take a month, or a year, it happens right away, in truth it happened even before you meet.  But when you finally get to hold her in your arms, your heart literally overflows with love.

  

  But things aren’t perfect because you were in fact presented with a two year old.  Oh boy – two year olds – they are fun!  Delightful, always happy, ready to go along with anything you present them with.  HA!  Now this two year old doesn’t necessarily have anything against you in particular, they are just being 2 and they do”2″ really well.  Add to that a child who has never been taught how to deal with those emotions and it can be a trying few days until you both come to an understanding.   There will be many discussion on who is truly the boss.

  You still don’t know what her personality will be.  She needs time to grow and feel secure.  It is just like being pregnant.  You dream of what that child will be.  You dream of about their personality without really knowing what they will be like.  Then that sweet baby shows up and you look into that face and your heart is gone.   It doesn’t mean you have it all figured out.  It doesn’t mean every day is rosy.  It doesn’t mean that life won’t have many, many trials.   But what it does mean is you are family.  Your baby is loved.  You will be blessed in ways you can’t even fathom.

  When you adopt a child from an orphanage, things you thought you appreciated will take on new meaning.  The pure joy in watching a child truly discover they are secure is unbelievable.  When they finally realize that there is comfort when they are hurt, you will be amazed.  Everything has greater value to a child who has had nothing.  A meal is not to be taken for granted.  A second bottle leaves her dancing for joy.  Cookies?  Warm blankets and hugs whenever you want one? Well, of course, she”ll take those.  Something as simple as making cupcakes and adding sprinkles, brings on giggles galore.  She talks and she knows she will be heard.  She cries and she knows someone cares.  She slowly grasps just what family means and she blossoms.

  

  And then day after day she does the most amazing thing.  When you pick her up, she just stares at your face.  She places a hand on each cheek and tilts her head slightly.  She rubs her hand up and down and up and down, very slowly, very deliberately, all while staring lovingly into your eyes.  She then says “I wuv you” and lays her head on your shoulder and hugs you as tight as a little two year old can hug.  How can you put a price on that?

  Maisey is joy.  There is no other way to describe her and what she has brought to our family, just joy!  Now I will admit that she is 2 and wants her own way and has been known to take a toy or two away from Ben.  She can stomp her feet and can yell as loud as any other two year old, but more often than not, she is empathy and caring and joy and everything beautiful you’d want your little girl to be.  How lucky am I?  How blessed am I?  By taking a step past my fears, I ended up with blessings too numerous to mention.

  

  You can’t save every child, but adoption means “one less”.  One less child without a family.  One less child without the comfort of a home.  One less child abandoned and alone.  One less child questioning their worth.  I believe “one less” is a truly remarkable and unbelievably amazing thing.

• Benjamin

  Date: 2013.01.22 | Category: Benjamin, Photos

  Benjamin’s surgery has been scheduled for February 13th.  I’m frightened but excited at the same time.   The choices of trying to make his quality of life better or leaving things as they are and enjoying every single moment that you have with him, are not easy choices to make. Praying for God’s wisdom. I’m glad that Dan is able to understand and help make the best possible choices with the information we have. It is a blessing.

  I’ve been here before with Hope.  I know what to expect.  It’s a scary time.  I also know that God has plans for Ben and that God has always known the number of Ben’s days.  I want to let my little boy’s hands be pink.  There is a chance his sats will go from the high 60’s to mid 90’s.  That would be amazing. I want him to feel better.  But it is always hard to hand your child to another person and wonder if you will be able to hold them again.  Praying that God is not finished with my little boy.  Praying that God will heal little Benjamin in any way that He can.  Please keep Ben in your prayers during the next month.  He needs to stay healthy and there is a lot of illness going around right now.  We will keep you updated on whether or not he is allowed to have surgery, what the doctors say and how he does.   Thank you for keeping Ben in your prayers.  He is a sweet, sweet little boy.

  I just have to share this story, which shows his sweetness.  The other day Maisey climbed on a table and was trying to get some stuff off of a shelf.  (Turn your back on her for a second and she is into something.)  When I was telling Maisey not to do that,  trying to wipe off her hands because she found some markers and colored her hands, Benjamin was stroking her hair and saying, “Maisey, don’t do that.  You can get hurt.  Ok?  Don’t do that. I love you.”   He didn’t yell.  He just sat there, looking sweetly into her eyes, stroking her hair, and asking her to not do that because he didn’t want her to get hurt.  He is a sweet, sweet soul.  I love this little boy and no matter the outcome, I will praise God who let me share in his sweet life.  I am beyond blessed to get to have had even one day as his mommy, but I’m praying that I will have many, many more years to hear him call me mom.

  

  Blue, little hands

  

  Love this face. Who wouldn’t love to just snuggle on the couch when you get to hear his laughter?

  

  “Don’t go Hopey!”

  
  

  

  Have I mentioned just how silly Ben is?

  

  Dapper little man!

  

  Yes, he is a ninja in a cozy coupe with a cell phone.

  
  

• Baby Update

  Date: 2012.12.31 | Category: Adoption, Evangeline Faith, Lainey Rae, Photos

  Today we received notice that CCAI got our Letters of Acceptance (LOA) for Min and Lainey.  China, unfortunately, forgot to send Faith’s.  We will hopefully receive hers in the next couple days. It will be delayed a little bit because their offices are closed tomorrow too.  Once you have the LOA, it means that you get to travel in the next 11-15 weeks.  It’s the next BIG step and we are very excited.  Looks like, if all goes well, we will travel in late March or early April.  Faith’s 2nd birthday is March 25th.  I’m hoping we get her by then.  I’m not disappointed that it is delayed because God’s timing is always perfect and I believe there must be a reason.

  We are still trying to decide on a name for Min.  She is called by the American name Lauren on LWB’s page but she has not been called that name in her orphanage.  It is much harder choosing a name for a teenager.  We may make her name Jasmine Shuang.  Her Chinese name is Min Shuang.  That way we can call her Min or Shuang or whichever name she chooses.  Jasmine means “gift of God” – which seems very fitting.  I wish she could just tell me whether she wants an American name or to keep her given name.  We are still debating a couple of names.  We have to decide soon because it has to go on her immigration forms.

  On the subject of names, we have been going back and forth on whether to call Faith – Faith Evangeline or Evangeline Faith.  Everyone has started calling her Evie which seems fitting somehow.  It’s funny we started out with Maisey’s name being MeiLyn and then it somehow got changed to Maisey MeiLyn.  I love how names slowly evolve and fit the child.  It’s been a fun process.

  I just wanted to share our good news with everyone.  We are getting closer.  Although, sometimes it seems to be taking forever. I’m trying hard to be patient.  (Not my strongest suit.)

  Here are the newest picture of Min.  In one, she has the teddy bear we sent her and is sharing the candy we gave her to share with the other children.  In the other, it shows her new English tutor helping teach her.  What beautiful pictures.  I can’t wait to meet her and let her know in person how much she is truly loved.

  Happy New Year everyone!

  

  

  
  

• Fun Friday Photos

  Date: 2012.10.26 | Category: Photos

  I thought I’d take today to show our two children that we have been matched with.  Lainey will be 2 in December and Faith will turn 2 in March of next year.  🙂

  

  Here is Lainey Rae named after her paternal grandfather (Terry Lane) and great grandfather (Ray).

  

  Daddy's favorite picture of her.

   

   

  

  Here is Faith Evangaline. We just had to have a Faith to go along with our Hope and Grace.

  

  We are waiting to hear about whether or not they will allow us to adopt Lauren who is 13.  They usually don’t allow 3 at one time but with Lauren aging out in June of next year, we hope they will give us the okay.  You can read more about Lauren on the Love Without Boundaries site.  http://www.lwbcommunity.org/laurens-last-chance-for-a-family   As always, if you are so inclined, please keep her in your prayers along with Love Without Boundaries, just take a look at all of those sweet faces on their site.  I don’t know how your heart could not be touched. They are so sweet.  LWB is doing marvelous things with orphans – surgeries, school, nutrition programs, etc.  It is a wonderful group!  We hope to hear about Lauren’s approval in the next couple of weeks.  We are all so excited.  I wish I would have thought to tape my children’s shouts of glee when they heard we received our approval for Lainey.  I love that they are as excited as we are to be adopting these little ones.  It is truly a wonderful blessing. Because we all know none of this would work if everyone wasn’t on board.

  Also, on a funnier note.  Cassie was discussing being part of our family in her special education class at ISU.  They were discussing who gets to decide what is normal. She had an interesting perspective in saying that in our family Zach and her are the abnormal ones because they are the healthy.  No one treats anyone any different because of their health issues.   I love that being in our house means you just get be a kid.   I always consider that one of the best compliments when people come in to our house and say you’d never know the kids have health issues because everyone is treated just like a regular kid. That is how it should be. You should be able to grow up feeling loved and happy.  That is my goal with all my children.  First and foremost, a strong foundation in Christ, which is essential to get through any tough times, and second, to know without a doubt they are loved and wanted.  You can accomplish anything with the love of God and family.

  Thanks again for all the prayers.  Our whole family appreciates them and know how much they truly matter.

• Fun Friday Photo or Silly Saturday Scenes….

  Date: 2012.10.06 | Category: Benjamin, Maisey, Photos

  I haven’t posted any new silly pics of the kiddos lately.

  

  How to tell when you are loved! Siblings wait in line to be held.

   

  

  The new loooonnnnnggggg table. Now we can all sit together.

  

  Love this face. Who wouldn’t love to just snuggle on the couch when you get to hear his laughter?

  

  Maisey and her BIG hat taking care of her BIG family (there’s 5 babies in that buggy).

  

  Cutest dog pile ever!

  

  Ben does not like sand or corn for that matter touching his feet.

  

  This is what happens when you let Gracie do your hair. 🙂

   

• Fun Friday Photo (silly edition)

  Date: 2012.08.03 | Category: Photos

  

  Silly children.

  

  Silly Maisey

  

  Sticky frog.

  

  Hospital hugs

• Fun Friday Photo (mini’s edition)

  Date: 2012.07.27 | Category: Benjamin, Maisey, Photos

  

  Learning rock, paper, scissors

  

  Finally need new clothes & I LOVE them!

  

  Have I mentioned just how silly Ben is?

  

  Too cute!

  

  Going for a drive!

  

  Photo bomb from Hope. Mei loves the noodles!

  

  "Don't go Hopey!"

  

  Yay for Hopey!!!!!

• Fun Friday Photo – (Cassie edition.)

  Date: 2012.07.20 | Category: Photos

  

  One of my favorite Cassie pictures...ever!

  

  

  My pretty little Boo!

   

   

• Fun Friday Photo

  Date: 2012.07.06 | Category: Benjamin, Cassie, Grace, Maisey, Photos

  

  

  

  
  
  
  

• Fun Friday Photo

  Date: 2012.06.29 | Category: Family Life, Photos

  I thought I’d take an idea from a friend of mine (thanks Lisa) and post a funny photo or two every week.  My topics can be a little serious sometimes so we will lighten it up with fun photos of my kiddos.

  

  Waiting for her sisters to come back upstairs.

  

  New beds are the best!

  

  Playing is hard work!