Spring 2019

(It's been far too long since I've posted here. So, why not? Two in one day!) Check out my beauties!

Every year, we take pictures of them in Chinese dresses. This year, the photo shoot coincided with a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa in southern Florida!

My beautiful, big 9 year old! 

Elsie is now 8!

It also was Easter Sunday!

Mother's Day 2019

Thankful. On Mother’s Day 2019. I am so thankful. Thankful for my mom who is thoughtful and hard-working and selfless and so incredibly generous. Thankful she’ll bend over backwards to love and serve me and my family. I’m also thankful for a second mom I’ve gained through marriage. One who dropped everything and made arrangements to drive three and half hours with just 24 hours notice to come and care for my little bit sick and very crazy children so that Mark and I could attend a wedding this weekend.

But mostly I’m thankful for the two little ladies who make me a mom. It’s a title I yearned for for a very. long. time. And now that they’ve been mine for almost six years, I’m so thankful. Thankful for Emma who was absolutely beaming about the Mother’s Day gift she painted for me. Thankful for Elsie’s random kiss on the cheek while I read her a book this afternoon. Thankful that I was breaking down with tears as I read I Love You Like Crazy Cakes to them before bed. It’s not just a book, it’s our life. It’s our story.

Today was far from perfect. We’ve had a stomach bug ravaging our house for a full week now and I was on the couch for the better part of today. There was no Mother’s Day brunch, no flowers, no perfect pictures of us in beautiful dresses. But this day was wonderful because I chose to be so SO grateful.

Sharing our story

I recently shared part of our story on an adoption blog I've been following off and on through the years. October's focus was developmental delay so I wrote specifically about Elsie. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

https://www.nohandsbutours.com/2017/10/21/fighting-to-slow-down/

Easter 2017

Pretty girls!

Emma has learned to sit still and smile no matter what Elsie is doing...

...well, almost.

"All I want for my birthday is my..."

"Two Front Teeth"

says Emma this year!

Emma, you may be toothless, but you are still beautiful, inside and out!  We are so thankful God has chosen us to be your parents. You continue to learn so much so quickly. This is likely due to two things: You read a lot of books and you ask a lot of questions. You also love to pretend and play. You laugh easily and sing often. You do not like to be alone. If you're not reading, you want to be talking with others. You love cuddling and kisses. 

One of our favorite things is what you do each morning we drop you off at school, usually it's Daddy, but occasionally, it's me. After you walk around the car and get up to the sidewalk, you turn around. With a big grin, you raise your arm and stick up three fingers to make an "I love you" sign that your Nana taught you years ago. Our hearts melt each time. What a sweet little girl you are! We love you, too, Emma Hope, more than you'll ever know.

Jump for joy

Elsie is 6!

We celebrated a few days early at a trampoline park called Sky Zone. Have you been there? It's a blast! We all had so much fun!

 

 

 

Mark also captured our happy little princess the day of her birthday.

 

 

Elsie continues to learn and grow so much. She has more and more words ("Emma" and "happy" are so clear) and more and more distinct signs (the letter "e", and "want" + something). She is so observant. I pulled out a carrot the other day and she opened the drawer and reached for the peeler. And she's beginning to help me with household chores, matching socks and emptying the dishwasher (which makes my heart race each time!).  

Elsie, you are such a delight! Your smile and laugh bring us so much joy. We are so thankful God chose us to be your parents and we can't wait to see all your growth this next year. We love you so much! 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Happy Chinese New Year 2017

 

 

A return visit

This summer we had the amazing privilege to return to Emma's orphanage. This time we were only visitors. Many have asked us if we were going there to pick up another child. If only it were that simple! We were given a warm and hearty welcome. The directors treated us like family. They gave Emma gifts. They let us play with the children for a long time and they treated us to a delicious lunch. They sent us home with an extra special gift (but that too is another post.)

This is where Emma spent the first three years of her life.

Langfang SWI

The outside isn't much to look at, but the inside is filled with colorful walls, fun toys and equipment, loving caretakers... and children waiting for families.

The woman on the left is one of the directors. The women on the right cared for Emma since she was a baby.

Look at that smile!

Selfies are fun for everyone

lunch time for the littles

8x10s of all the children who have been adopted from their orphanage

Emma was especially interested in returning to see her friend "Rui Rui". She's never really stopped talking about him since she was adopted. We've always known there was a special bond between the two of them. Before going, we talked about how if he was there, it would be good to see him. But that if he wasn't, that might be good too, because hopefully that meant he had been adopted and was now in a family. Well, he was there. And she followed him around the whole time. 

Abundant smiles

 Sometimes he acted like he too was excited to be around Emma and sometimes he ran away and acted like he didn't care, or maybe he enjoyed being chased. He doesn't talk much. I know he enjoyed the attention. Emma wasn't too interested in saying much, until we had to leave...

Goodbye happened over lunch. 

Mark was busy with Elsie and so I was navigating this emotional moment on my own. She turned to me with a serious look and said, "Mom, why hasn't Rui Rui been adopted?" Tears. Immediate tears. I didn't know what to say. I think I said, "That's a hard question to answer, honey." And we both cried and she didn't want to leave. And the rest of the day she was asking me if we could adopt him. We wish we could, but we can't.

She was sad when we left...

I was sad too. Back in our hotel room that night I cried and cried. Tears for these sweet little ones who desperately want to be loved. Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful facility. They have resources that many orphanages don't have and we can see improvements they've made in the three years since we'd been there. They're using their resources to benefit these kids and that's such a special gift to these children. Still, my friend has a saying, "Kids need families." And they do, they each do. And so I cried for them, growing up in an institution with hired workers to care for them and not growing up with a mother and father who love and delight in them. And I cried for me too, wondering if God has another adoption in our future.  It's a complicated question, but one we keep asking because kids keep growing up without a mom and dad and babies continue to be abandoned. 

This is right at the gate of the orphanage, it's one of the "baby boxes" that you may have read about in the news. Men and women wishing to abandon their babies can do so here, in hopes that the baby will be safer than abandoning him/her in some other location.  It's all so sad. 

Would you pray with me that we would find our place in God's story for these children? 

East Asian Summer Adventures

The sweet women...

...and men we spent the summer with. 

the City and the Culture

Muslim men gather for prayer every Friday. They fill the Mosque and then the streets.

These women are having their fortunes told outside a local Buddhist temple.

A weekend outside the city in the mountains

retreat center where we stayed

little mountain climber

End of the summer sight seeing

It was quite hot, but she actually loved the freedom to run around.

Shopping is always fun!

It's the best family shot we got. Elsie is always trying to lick something. 

We had such a wonderful summer. We loved the food (well, three of us did). We loved the people. Emma would ask me how to speak to the people and then repeat exactly what I said. Elsie learned one phrase and made everyone smile when she said it. Returning to our old homes...Mark and I to the city where we lived for nine years and Emma to her orphanage (that's another blog post)...was bittersweet. We loved being there and seeing old friends, and we felt sad at times. God worked in our hearts and through our lives and we are so thankful!