Joshie's adoption video... Yay!

And we went to a traditional Chinese show with Yi tonight and had a really fun time with her, as usual. I even asked her to show me how exactly to use a squatty potty in China. Except for the fact that this was in an elevator and the door opened as she was demonstrating and I was copying the squatting position! Oops! Sorry no pictures of us making fools out of ourselves in the elevator. And I still don't think I can maneuver everything correctly to get it all right on a squatty potty either!

I am loving this weather!!

We had a wonderful weekend. There is a new park near our house. We spent Saturday afternoon there with friends.

Incredibly thankful!

Meet our newest family member...

That makes for an interesting title in our family doesn't it??!! Well, I don't want to cause any undue panic (for now).... Here he is, Snickers Guinea Dinn, the rat, I mean Guinea Pig....

 Joy and Faith saved their money and decided they wanted a mouse. Fortunately the person at the Pet Store talked them into a Guinea Pig instead. Kind of so ugly he's cute huh?!

Spend the night fun with friends!

Can't forget the big baby, MeiLi. She was laying there so nicely with the kids watching a movie until she saw me with the leash!

What do you do after a less than encouraging doctor appointment with your baby?

You remember how far you've come and the faithfulness of God! In light of that thought I went through the pictures of our first few days and moments with him.

Joshie had a follow up ENT appointment today. And well he has some considerable hearing loss, not surprising, he's been exhibiting some symptoms. Like whenever I say something in a lower voice he gets up to my face and says, "What did you say?"

The problem is that no one seems to know why or what has caused it. So... we go to an audiologist and make an appointment with the craniofacial team to see if whatever is going on is cleft related. This will most likely land him getting a CT scan of his head which will show everything about his head.

On the way home through a very large lump in my throat (not sure why I even try to hold back tears, it always seems to make it worse.) I told God I just wanted answers. Then He reminded me that He does know the answer. I decided after a few many tears to put on my big girl panties, remember God's faithfulness in my little guy's life and "pray my guts out" (as a good friend says). That the God who can already see inside his little head would just heal him!

So the same God who cared for him in China, has cared for him here, will continue to care for him!

A Devotion I Read Today Worth Sharing...

Seeing the Invisible


Every child of God who walks in the power of the Holy Spirit is "freed up" to enjoy incredible release from the things that would otherwise hold us in bondage. What great liberty! "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17).


Liberty is another word for freedom. Freedom from what? Freedom from constraint and from fear. Freedom from tedious perfectionism. Freedom from a confining, boring, predictable life. Freedom from relational bondage. Freedom from addictions. Freedom to be, to do, to become. Such freedom comes from simply having the Spirit and allowing Him to fill us. It is a quiet, gentle release from all that binds us so that we can be whole, completely authentic ... When in grief, we are free to cry. When experiencing joy, we are free to laugh. Authenticity flows freely and easily...


The metaphor Scripture uses is that the Spirit is like wind. You can't see it but you see its work (John 3:8) ... So, then, you may ask, "What is realistic to expect of the Christian life. How can I see this power at work?" ... Numerous things come to mind...


I have immediate access to the Father through prayer...


I have the capacity to bear fruit daily, continually, routinely...


I possess at least one (sometimes more than one) spiritual gift...


I love and need other people...


I continue to learn and grow in maturity...


I depend on and trust in my Lord for daily strength and provisions...


I live in anticipation of Christ's return.

Embraced by the Spirit: The Untold Blessings of Intimacy with God -by Charles R. Swindoll

Great Job Clayton!

Clayton created this video to use with church ministries supporting An Orphan's Wish. I am loving it!

Now we can make Joshua and Joy their adoption videos we have been wanting to do! WHOO HOO!

Some Verses I've Been Clinging to Lately....

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, But we knew nothing about this, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it?" Proverbs 24:11,12

"May the Lord answer you when you are in distress, may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord saves Hs anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!"
Psalm 20

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater thn our hearts, and He knows everything."
1 John 3:19,20

A Much Needed Camping Trip

We got to get away this weekend and it is a little cold but I love camping when we get to have a fire going all day! I also just finished reading this book. It was hard to read because political, social, and religious pressures are so foreign to our culture but it was so nice to get a glimpse into my two China born children's birth moms possible thoughts. I really just can't imagine the decision and circumstances that surround relinquishing rights as parents but the truth of the matter is that I am having to help 2 of my kids walk through all the questions that surround their birth families. They could not be my children without those decisions and the pain and joy of those decisions walk hand in hand.

Snow Again?!

In North Georgia we woke up to about a half inch of snow... crazy isn't it?! At least we aren't snowed in this time.

Grace has been reading a book about missionaries in the Yukon Valley, Alaska. Let's just say I am glad to live in the south.

It was fun for the kids to play in a little snow while it warmed up! Since I am a mean mom and do NOT want to be doing any schoolwork this summer they had to finish 3 subjects of school then they could go play outside. It'll make for a longer school day but I enjoyed a few hours of peace and quiet (okay maybe a few minutes, Joshie came in about 30 minutes after going outside!) He's not much into the cold or snow.

And it's almost all melted... Yay, I'm ready for spring!!

Who's Missing?!

Yes, we finally did it!

We left a child, at CHURCH, I can think of worse places to be left, can't you?! That's what I told myself anyway.

Here's the chosen child...

Ya gotta love her sense of humor though. She didn't panic AT ALL. When she realized what her wonderful parents had done she went back in the church, found a friend, and said, "My parents just left me." My friend said, "Oh no honey they wouldn't do that!" Oops...

We got to our driveway and Clayton got a phone call from my friend's husband. He said, "Uh, Clayton, I have Faith." We both immediately said, "No you don't" Then looked in the back and realized when we had subconsiously counted 5 little heads we had counted Yi's head as one of our kids.

I told Yi later that from now on I will count 3 Asian faces and 3 white faces. :) Then we had a good laugh because earlier that day she had asked if raising 5 kids was hard with only one person working. After our child leaving incident I told her that providing for them was not hard, keeping up with them all was! :)

Chinese New Year celebration

 No that is not our dog, that is our princess daughter though. She loves Ariel and fairies so here she is with both. We are not big fans of ankle bitter dogs but Bella is our friends' dog and my MeiLi's doggie friend!

 A friend of Yi's that didn't have anywhere to be for New Year came. He used to work at an amusement park and made the most amazing balloon animals and things!

Gotta love Isaac... everyone else wanted to wear something Chinese, not him, he's his own man. He decided it was another SpiderMan day!

 Yi asked if she could read a Spring Festival children's book to the kids after everyone left. She's so good with the kids and Chinese stories are fairly violent so it kept the kids on the edge of their seats! Oh well, no one got up with nightmares.

My Twins

Happy Chinese New Year

Xin Nian Kuai Le!! Today, rather yesterday, in China was their New Year Day! It is like our Christmas in magnitude and celebration. Having Yi living with us has made it seem like Christmas. She gave the kids red envelopes with money in them and showed them how the kids receive their gifts. We have lanterns hanging in our living room and banners hanging on our front door. Tomorrow some friends are coming over for a traditional Chinese New Year meal. It has been really fun!

To add to the excitement on when some friends spent the night last Friday one of them started the adoption process from China. Yes, it is dangerous to send your wife to my house for the night! Here are some photos from the yummy meal and weekend.

And last but not least some classic photos of our Isaac not getting ANOTHER turn on the 4 wheeler when he wanted to. Yes, taking turns is hard for him. Good thing God put him in a family with four other siblings so he'd get lots of practice taking turns. When he was told he had to wait, he ran into the neighbor's yard, climbed a tree and started crying loudly. True to the sense of humor God gave me knowing that I'd have 5 kids I first went in to get my camera before going over to help him understand that taking turns is just part of life.

Does anyone else see the smile under that pout??

Also, I've asked everyone I know to pray for Yi before but we have done some studying the Bible together and talking about Jesus. She has a lot of questions. It has been so wonderful to share our lives with her. It's like you can watch her spiritual eyes being opened!