We all have a favorite song. A lullaby. A work-out tune. The pure musicality of our song makes us happy and perhaps the words bear special meaning. Well, Hannah's favorite song does have special meaning...meaning she probably won't even understand for quite sometime. But, for us to hear this little cutie belt out her lovesong is sheer joy. So, as promised....
(You may need to quiet my music at the bottom...the current song allows some lead time, so it may not interfere)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Happy Easter!
"But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has been raised, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him. This is my message for you."
Matthew 28:5-7
But He rose on Easter morn
The battle He had won
Angels rolled the stone away
His work on Earth was done
Sing the glory of Christ on high
In Heaven He shall reign, until the day He comes to earth again...
The most meaningful of all Christian celebrations, blessings to you and your family for a wonderful Easter.
Matthew 28:5-7
But He rose on Easter morn
The battle He had won
Angels rolled the stone away
His work on Earth was done
Sing the glory of Christ on high
In Heaven He shall reign, until the day He comes to earth again...
The most meaningful of all Christian celebrations, blessings to you and your family for a wonderful Easter.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Bringing Hannah Home
Our delivery room was a crowded, noisy airport terminal. It was dark, not nighttime dark...rather, lack of appropriate lighting dark and the cold from outside seeped through the open doorways. For a brief time, Emily hopped on and off the pad that opened the automatic door, playing, waiting. She held up the sign. For a long time, she held it high in the air, putting it down only to inquire if it was time yet.
We looked like any other family awaiting returning members; except, we were waiting to meet our newest member. Rob had already enjoyed her giggles and sweetness for about nine days and I was more than ready to catch up. Emily nervously paced and jumped, she was beyond excited for her daddy to be home and she found herself contemplative about her raven-haired counterpart, whom she would be welcoming.
And then, we saw them, quite a distance away, but close enough for us to lock eyes. My first thought was, "She is so tiny!" And they looked so incredibly great. We mark these anniversaries in celebration. A celebration of the gift God showered on our family. We do not take lightly the fact that Emily was a part of every aspect of the adoption. Her little signature accompanied ours on our Adoption Letter and was notarized and sealed for all time. Her joy and enthusiasm at the airport were contagious and really sweet. Her help with every moment of Hannah's transition was critical.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Today was a wonderful day. Though the weather was cold for April, it reminds me of the day we brought Hannah home. Cold, damp, but simply perfect:) We went this morning to help dear friends and my parents. They run a mission and their goal this morning was Easter baskets and lots of them! The girls counted out jellybeans and carefully tucked them into eggs. They stuffed grass-filled baskets with toys and the sweet goodness of chocolate crosses. They watched their Nan wrap beautiful ribbons on the baskets knowing full-well their intent was not to receive rather to give back. And I thought about Hannah...our deepest desire to share our lives with yet another child. To give love away...the irony of parenthood. We want so badly to be "enough", to teach them well, to watch them emerge. And yes, that happens but somewhere along the way, we see love in a whole new light through the hearts of our children. And we are changed, forever.
The timid child who was placed in my arms two years ago today is a shadow of the child she has become. With her bossy, commanding presence and her smile bright with dimples (like her daddy), Hannah has rocked our world. She absolutely adores her Dora pillow and a popsicle before bed every night. She dresses herself and loves jewelry. She wants to do all things "Emily" and is convinced that she is one of the big girls:) She lets us know when we are going the wrong way and she offers hugs and kisses when we are hurt or sad. She competes with all of us to get her turn to pray and she tells anyone who will listen that, "She's got Jesus." She has plenty of moments that cause us to wonder if it is just her personality or is that truly a result of the first ten months of her life. Regardless, we don't care about the "whys" nearly as much as we care about the "nows". Now, she will know love, always and unconditionally. Now, she will have boundaries. Now, she will have her own things, but will learn how to give to others. Now, is the time to nurture her, enjoy her and giggle with her. Now, is the time to see the world through her heart.
So, though we choose to remember and to celebrate the specialness of those initial days, we forge ahead joyfully. We rejoice in who she is now, this moment... knowing that when we re-visit this time next year, there will be new things to capture the essence of Hannah.
We looked like any other family awaiting returning members; except, we were waiting to meet our newest member. Rob had already enjoyed her giggles and sweetness for about nine days and I was more than ready to catch up. Emily nervously paced and jumped, she was beyond excited for her daddy to be home and she found herself contemplative about her raven-haired counterpart, whom she would be welcoming.
And then, we saw them, quite a distance away, but close enough for us to lock eyes. My first thought was, "She is so tiny!" And they looked so incredibly great. We mark these anniversaries in celebration. A celebration of the gift God showered on our family. We do not take lightly the fact that Emily was a part of every aspect of the adoption. Her little signature accompanied ours on our Adoption Letter and was notarized and sealed for all time. Her joy and enthusiasm at the airport were contagious and really sweet. Her help with every moment of Hannah's transition was critical.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Today was a wonderful day. Though the weather was cold for April, it reminds me of the day we brought Hannah home. Cold, damp, but simply perfect:) We went this morning to help dear friends and my parents. They run a mission and their goal this morning was Easter baskets and lots of them! The girls counted out jellybeans and carefully tucked them into eggs. They stuffed grass-filled baskets with toys and the sweet goodness of chocolate crosses. They watched their Nan wrap beautiful ribbons on the baskets knowing full-well their intent was not to receive rather to give back. And I thought about Hannah...our deepest desire to share our lives with yet another child. To give love away...the irony of parenthood. We want so badly to be "enough", to teach them well, to watch them emerge. And yes, that happens but somewhere along the way, we see love in a whole new light through the hearts of our children. And we are changed, forever.
The timid child who was placed in my arms two years ago today is a shadow of the child she has become. With her bossy, commanding presence and her smile bright with dimples (like her daddy), Hannah has rocked our world. She absolutely adores her Dora pillow and a popsicle before bed every night. She dresses herself and loves jewelry. She wants to do all things "Emily" and is convinced that she is one of the big girls:) She lets us know when we are going the wrong way and she offers hugs and kisses when we are hurt or sad. She competes with all of us to get her turn to pray and she tells anyone who will listen that, "She's got Jesus." She has plenty of moments that cause us to wonder if it is just her personality or is that truly a result of the first ten months of her life. Regardless, we don't care about the "whys" nearly as much as we care about the "nows". Now, she will know love, always and unconditionally. Now, she will have boundaries. Now, she will have her own things, but will learn how to give to others. Now, is the time to nurture her, enjoy her and giggle with her. Now, is the time to see the world through her heart.
So, though we choose to remember and to celebrate the specialness of those initial days, we forge ahead joyfully. We rejoice in who she is now, this moment... knowing that when we re-visit this time next year, there will be new things to capture the essence of Hannah.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Travel Group Reunion!
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Isaiah 40:31
When a family sets off into the adoption journey there are many unknowns. How long will it take? What does my baby look like? Will I be enough? Who will the Lord join us with that we might walk this walk together?
When I think about our travel group, I am reminded of how saddened I was to learn that we are very spread out...we span many miles. We have friends whose travel group members, literally, span exactly five square miles; Every family lives within one to two miles of one another. Our group, definitely not the case.
Not to despair though, somehow we do manage to keep our families connected. This weekend, we were blessed with the company of four of these families. An aside, Kim and Dave, we missed you and the peanuts terribly and cannot wait to be in your company again. Terry, Dale and Jenna, we remain in prayer for Terry at this time and will continue to do so until a clean bill of health is issued, we missed your presence.
It was really fun to watch the children enjoy one another this year, little girls and bigger siblings...they all got along so well. It is quite amazing how much these little cuties have grown and what a difference two years makes:) We waited collectively for our miracles...we grew our families collectively with little girls from the same province in China...we collectively share trials and tribulations all parents encounter and best of all, we collectively share the joy of our families in ways that only we can understand.
I am beyond thankful for these special relationships. I love these mommies and daddies and adore their children, all of them. I look forward to the time when we can all share the same space and in the meantime, we will assemble when and where possible and love on each other for a time.
Big girls loving little girls!
Emma and Emily
The whole wiggly bunch!
A bit blurry, but had to include these sweet little girls hugging away the day!
Who needs those pesky tables?
Our Flying Fish
Gorgeous Lyla!
Hannah and her mommy, just too pretty!
Another great mommy/daughter moment...what a beautiful pair! Lily and her mommy
See Everyone Next Year!
When a family sets off into the adoption journey there are many unknowns. How long will it take? What does my baby look like? Will I be enough? Who will the Lord join us with that we might walk this walk together?
When I think about our travel group, I am reminded of how saddened I was to learn that we are very spread out...we span many miles. We have friends whose travel group members, literally, span exactly five square miles; Every family lives within one to two miles of one another. Our group, definitely not the case.
Not to despair though, somehow we do manage to keep our families connected. This weekend, we were blessed with the company of four of these families. An aside, Kim and Dave, we missed you and the peanuts terribly and cannot wait to be in your company again. Terry, Dale and Jenna, we remain in prayer for Terry at this time and will continue to do so until a clean bill of health is issued, we missed your presence.
It was really fun to watch the children enjoy one another this year, little girls and bigger siblings...they all got along so well. It is quite amazing how much these little cuties have grown and what a difference two years makes:) We waited collectively for our miracles...we grew our families collectively with little girls from the same province in China...we collectively share trials and tribulations all parents encounter and best of all, we collectively share the joy of our families in ways that only we can understand.
I am beyond thankful for these special relationships. I love these mommies and daddies and adore their children, all of them. I look forward to the time when we can all share the same space and in the meantime, we will assemble when and where possible and love on each other for a time.
Big girls loving little girls!
Emma and Emily
The whole wiggly bunch!
A bit blurry, but had to include these sweet little girls hugging away the day!
Who needs those pesky tables?
Our Flying Fish
Gorgeous Lyla!
Hannah and her mommy, just too pretty!
Another great mommy/daughter moment...what a beautiful pair! Lily and her mommy
See Everyone Next Year!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Reasons to Celebrate!
Today marks two years since Rob and Uncle Jim hopped on a plane to Beijing. They were fortunate to be on a flight that took them clear over the North Pole, so it did make for a slightly shorter trip to China. Jim and Gerry sat with us in church on Sunday and I had to laugh as I heard Rob say, "Yeah, I really wanted to come home when I was in China, but I'd go back in a heart beat to bring home another one." Heh, heh, a little like childbirth, that pain really does go away:)
Emily's teacher is expecting her first child any day now. We had the honor of surprising her with a fabulous shower last Friday. The kids had a ball and she was truly blessed and surprised by the outpouring of love and well wishes for her expanding family. We are very grateful for you Mrs. Morrison. We will pray for you as you begin this new adventure and we are grateful to Mrs. D, who will take excellent care of your students as you enjoy your son.
Emily's teacher is expecting her first child any day now. We had the honor of surprising her with a fabulous shower last Friday. The kids had a ball and she was truly blessed and surprised by the outpouring of love and well wishes for her expanding family. We are very grateful for you Mrs. Morrison. We will pray for you as you begin this new adventure and we are grateful to Mrs. D, who will take excellent care of your students as you enjoy your son.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Angels Walk Among Us
"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." Exodus 23:20
She is called "the stork". A professor in Beijing, Li Xinghong has a much higher calling. Though she teaches and shares her wealth of history, knowledge and experience, this is far from what makes her brilliant in the eyes of our family. A recent article stated that before families ever meet Li, she changes their lives forever. I could not agree more.
Li Xinghong is the facilitator for our adoption agency on the China end of things. When nerves plagued us about Rob travelling without me, when questions absolutely needed to be answered, when the staus and well-being of our daughter needed to be discussed, Li was a part of it. The first day Rob met Li, he felt a connection, a complete peace. That first weekend in Beijing, several travelers had the unique opportunity to sit into the wee hours of the night talking with Li. Rob was completely taken as she recounted major political times in China and bantered about Chinese culture and her views as she lives and works there. I know that evening changed Rob, softened him and educated him about issues he once doubted he would ever need to know about.
In so many ways, we have been blessed by the infamous red thread, but this red thread reminds us just how many details the Lord places Himself in to gain just the right result. Li is an integral part of the story that is Hannah. We are eternally grateful to her for countless reasons. Our agency assured us so many times that "our wonderful liason" would ensure the successful completion of our adoption. Their trust and devotion to Li is warranted, justified and completely heartfelt.
Our agency is sponsoring information meetings to answer questions and discuss International Adoption in the China program. The beauty of these most recent meetings are that Li is visiting to assist. We were blessed to be asked to speak at one of these meetings in our area. I had never met Li, nor had Emily, so for us, it was an especially tender encounter. Not to mention the reunion between Li, Rob and Hannah; it was fun to witness the mutual respect they share for one another.
Li and Emily were fast friends. Li was very taken with her red hair and sat with her the entire time. She remembered some very important details about Emily. We wondered, with all of the families she sees every year, if she would even remember Rob or Hannah. Not only did she remember, she anxiously wanted to reflect on memories from that trip and recalled details Rob had shared about us. Such a special woman, she called us "friends". A treasure of a friend and so much more, Li, we are so thankful for you.
And they lived happily ever after!
She is called "the stork". A professor in Beijing, Li Xinghong has a much higher calling. Though she teaches and shares her wealth of history, knowledge and experience, this is far from what makes her brilliant in the eyes of our family. A recent article stated that before families ever meet Li, she changes their lives forever. I could not agree more.
Li Xinghong is the facilitator for our adoption agency on the China end of things. When nerves plagued us about Rob travelling without me, when questions absolutely needed to be answered, when the staus and well-being of our daughter needed to be discussed, Li was a part of it. The first day Rob met Li, he felt a connection, a complete peace. That first weekend in Beijing, several travelers had the unique opportunity to sit into the wee hours of the night talking with Li. Rob was completely taken as she recounted major political times in China and bantered about Chinese culture and her views as she lives and works there. I know that evening changed Rob, softened him and educated him about issues he once doubted he would ever need to know about.
In so many ways, we have been blessed by the infamous red thread, but this red thread reminds us just how many details the Lord places Himself in to gain just the right result. Li is an integral part of the story that is Hannah. We are eternally grateful to her for countless reasons. Our agency assured us so many times that "our wonderful liason" would ensure the successful completion of our adoption. Their trust and devotion to Li is warranted, justified and completely heartfelt.
Our agency is sponsoring information meetings to answer questions and discuss International Adoption in the China program. The beauty of these most recent meetings are that Li is visiting to assist. We were blessed to be asked to speak at one of these meetings in our area. I had never met Li, nor had Emily, so for us, it was an especially tender encounter. Not to mention the reunion between Li, Rob and Hannah; it was fun to witness the mutual respect they share for one another.
Li and Emily were fast friends. Li was very taken with her red hair and sat with her the entire time. She remembered some very important details about Emily. We wondered, with all of the families she sees every year, if she would even remember Rob or Hannah. Not only did she remember, she anxiously wanted to reflect on memories from that trip and recalled details Rob had shared about us. Such a special woman, she called us "friends". A treasure of a friend and so much more, Li, we are so thankful for you.
And they lived happily ever after!
Monday, March 9, 2009
First Grade, First Grade
First grade, first grade
It is cool
No better way to be in school
I will celebrate with my friend
I will celebrate til day's end
With a friend, til the end
I want to do it all again!
Very obviously, I am no Dr. Seuss! But, I remember first grade. I had an amazing teacher, her name was Mrs. Kley. She was very funny and do you know what I remember most? She made me feel loved. I was six, I knew I had the love of my family, but after the debacle we called kindergarten, I did not feel much trust for teachers. Mrs. Kley healed an assortment of hurts I endured at the hand of Mrs. Radbill, a teacher who had probably long overstayed her welcome.
Emily has a great teacher, a loving, prayerful teacher who accentuates the positive and works hard to extinguish any negatives. She is pregnant with her first child and we are busily planning some surprises for her:)
I thought I'd dedicate a post to first grade...it has been quite a year. A year filled with activities, awarenesses and altruism. I have been blessed to be part of all of these activities and I have to be honest, it is exciting to be able to see our child in her learning environment in addition to all the other areas we hang with her.
Parenting is hard. Some days I wish I could go back to the first grade where Dr. Seuss and a bologna and cheese sandwich cured the ills that swirled about us. As parents, we have to make the hard choices. We have to say "no" sometimes. We have to break their hearts sometimes or watch their hearts be broken (even harder), we have to be the adults, seek their best interest, share their joys and find the joys when their little hearts and heads are too in-the-moment to "see it". We are responsible for these beautiful creatures, we need to do our best to keep them healthy in mind, body and soul. We need to grow our children spiritually and grow ourselves spiritually that we might be an example to our little ones. We need to help them develop healthy relationships and pray for their friends and even for their spouses (many, many years down the road:)
As a parent, I am thankful for the opportunities to meet other parents. I take this responsibility with the seriousness that God issued it to me. For all the years I prayed to be a mother, I am thankful every single day for the manner in which God allowed me this gift. And it occurs to me that my heavenly Father approaches me in this very same way. He parents us and when I think of the love I have for my children, it is overwhelming to think of how BIG His love really is for us.
So, take this moment of Hundredth day, Snow days and Seussical celebration to go back to that time when you were six. It will refresh you, renew your spirit and help you as you make the big choices today. Whatever parenting point you are in today, you are not alone. We walk this line together, prayerfully and with the love of Him who loved us first. Oh, to be six again!
Celebrating 100th Day!
Threading 100 Fruit Loops - the sheer joy of it
Emily and her sweet friend Sarah
It's never a party until the cake arrives!! (Okay, that's my rule:)
Even Hannah loves a good snow day!
Our little redhead mid snowball fight!
Played all day...
Dr. Seuss Day began with the reading (and acting out of) The Cat in the Hat
There were green eggs and ham and plenty o' pink ink!
Em's friend Dieter, is he cute or what?
It is cool
No better way to be in school
I will celebrate with my friend
I will celebrate til day's end
With a friend, til the end
I want to do it all again!
Very obviously, I am no Dr. Seuss! But, I remember first grade. I had an amazing teacher, her name was Mrs. Kley. She was very funny and do you know what I remember most? She made me feel loved. I was six, I knew I had the love of my family, but after the debacle we called kindergarten, I did not feel much trust for teachers. Mrs. Kley healed an assortment of hurts I endured at the hand of Mrs. Radbill, a teacher who had probably long overstayed her welcome.
Emily has a great teacher, a loving, prayerful teacher who accentuates the positive and works hard to extinguish any negatives. She is pregnant with her first child and we are busily planning some surprises for her:)
I thought I'd dedicate a post to first grade...it has been quite a year. A year filled with activities, awarenesses and altruism. I have been blessed to be part of all of these activities and I have to be honest, it is exciting to be able to see our child in her learning environment in addition to all the other areas we hang with her.
Parenting is hard. Some days I wish I could go back to the first grade where Dr. Seuss and a bologna and cheese sandwich cured the ills that swirled about us. As parents, we have to make the hard choices. We have to say "no" sometimes. We have to break their hearts sometimes or watch their hearts be broken (even harder), we have to be the adults, seek their best interest, share their joys and find the joys when their little hearts and heads are too in-the-moment to "see it". We are responsible for these beautiful creatures, we need to do our best to keep them healthy in mind, body and soul. We need to grow our children spiritually and grow ourselves spiritually that we might be an example to our little ones. We need to help them develop healthy relationships and pray for their friends and even for their spouses (many, many years down the road:)
As a parent, I am thankful for the opportunities to meet other parents. I take this responsibility with the seriousness that God issued it to me. For all the years I prayed to be a mother, I am thankful every single day for the manner in which God allowed me this gift. And it occurs to me that my heavenly Father approaches me in this very same way. He parents us and when I think of the love I have for my children, it is overwhelming to think of how BIG His love really is for us.
So, take this moment of Hundredth day, Snow days and Seussical celebration to go back to that time when you were six. It will refresh you, renew your spirit and help you as you make the big choices today. Whatever parenting point you are in today, you are not alone. We walk this line together, prayerfully and with the love of Him who loved us first. Oh, to be six again!
Celebrating 100th Day!
Threading 100 Fruit Loops - the sheer joy of it
Emily and her sweet friend Sarah
It's never a party until the cake arrives!! (Okay, that's my rule:)
Even Hannah loves a good snow day!
Our little redhead mid snowball fight!
Played all day...
Dr. Seuss Day began with the reading (and acting out of) The Cat in the Hat
There were green eggs and ham and plenty o' pink ink!
Em's friend Dieter, is he cute or what?
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