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While We Wait
Our Kids
| May 2007 |
June 2007 |
July 2007 |
August 2007 |
January 2008
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A New
Year’s Prayer
May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
And by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
~author unknown
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January
2008
~Happy New Year~
…and so we welcome in a new year and say good-bye to 2007. It
has been a wonderful year! A year our family will never forget!
A year that began with a burst of excitement and joy as we were
in a full-steam-ahead paperchase for little Sophie, and the year
that ended as we hung her Christmas stocking on the mantle of
our fireplace for the first time. We anxiously look forward to
the day she will finally be home with us! Until that time, like
many of you, we wait, wait, wait and wait some more. In many
ways, the months have passed so quickly…while in other ways, so,
so slowly. It has truly been a year to more fully learn about
faith and trust and hope. Last summer, I had an opportunity to
listen to a devotional given by one of the leaders of our
church. Much of what he said seemed to answer many questions
that I had at the time. One thing in particular stood out to me
as he spoke. He said that as we accept our Heavenly Father’s
will as our own, we will be in the greatest position to receive
help and guidance from Him. It was a simple statement but one
that made me question and wonder if our will was different from
His. Since that time, we have opened some doors and opened our
hearts a little more. Only time will tell...
I have just about finished collecting squares and wishes for
Sophie’s quilt. At last count, I had nearly 200 squares of
fabric and am only waiting on a couple more! I am looking
forward to working on her quilt in the coming months and am so
excited to see how it comes together. Today I added the
fourteenth charm to my bracelet…14 months since we began our
journey to Sophie. Soon I will need to start on a second
bracelet as I only have 3 spaces left to fill. Since our last
update, we have filled three more mason jars to overflowing with
loose change! Thanks for your help Grandma Cathy! It has been a
fun way to involve the kids in saving for a special gift for
Sophie’s orphanage. We have been doing this for almost a year
now and are absolutely amazed how much money we can save simply
by not spending our change. Give it a try! It will surprise you!
What’s New with Our Crew?
Tomorrow the kids are headed back to school. Time again to pack
up the Christmas decorations for one more year. We had such a
wonderfully relaxing Christmas break and slept in almost
everyday! Knowing how busy the next few months will be, I really
hate to see it come to an end. Couldn’t we have just one more
week?
Jessica is thrilled that ballroom competition season is
just around the corner...just about three weeks away! She and
her dance partner took their very first 1st place medal last
fall. So fun! Of course, it was one of the few events I was too
nervous to actually video-tape! She takes her school work very
seriously, won’t settle for anything less than an A, and has
adjusted nicely to being in HIGH SCHOOL. I just wish I could
convince her that she really needs to get her driver’s permit. I
think she prefers my chauffeur mini-van service! Last week, with
a toss of her hair, she emphatically suggested that I write a
“letter of complaint” to China. C’mon China, Jessie with an “ie”
is tired of waiting! So funny…
Nathan lives for basketball! So, of course, this is his
favorite time of year! The more practices and games…the better!
He was excited to make the 7th grade basketball team at the
junior high this fall and has been invited to practice with the
varsity team as well. That not being enough, he is playing on a
community league team too! Like I said, his life is basketball…
always the happiest with a basketball in his hands, sappy 80’s
love songs on his i-pod (read Air Supply, STYX, Barry Manilow,
etc.), and a FastBreak candy bar in his pocket. He loves being
in junior high and didn’t disappoint with an honor roll report
card first quarter! He recently earned five more merit badges
and his Star advancement ranking in scouting. One step closer to
being an Eagle Scout!
Christian has been all but obsessed with everything
having to do with snakes lately. One of his teachers and a few
of his friends at school have pet corn snakes. He has spent a
great deal of time reading stacks of library books about snakes
and presenting us with various facts and tidbits of information
about them. It was all he wanted for Christmas…his very own,
little CORN SNAKE! When I told him that Santa didn’t usually
bring living things as gifts for Christmas, he said “but those
elves have been working ALL year long”! Now certainly, snakes
couldn’t possibly survive the cold temperatures in Santa’s
sleigh, or could they? Never have I seen a reaction from
Christian like I did Christmas morning when the last gift he
received was a little baby CORN SNAKE! Severus the snake…and his
habitat that can be locked with a padlock! |
and the stockings were hung...
Our "little" Christmas Eve party at Grandma Cathy's...
did someone say rum balls?
A momentary pause for a Christmas picture
at Grandma Smoke's...our cousins are so hilarious!
Just LOVE the lashes! Tango, anyone?
We just crack ourselves up!
Just one more...
I promise, just one more picture. Cheese!
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Michael, for the record,
loves the baby hermit crab that Santa brought and quickly,
without even a moment’s hesitation, lovingly named him Nacho. I
do have to admit that these creatures are quiet and don’t cause
much of a fuss, but I do think I will have to have a chat with
Santa before next Christmas. A story to remember…each quarter at
school, Michael has to read six books and write a report on
each. One day, Michael happened to see a gold coin in my
wallet…a “golden dollar” as he calls them. He asked me if he
could earn that shiny, golden dollar by working really hard on
his book reports. I told him that he could. He worked and worked
for a couple of weeks never losing his focus. On the day he
turned in the last report, I gave him the promised golden
dollar. A few minutes later, I happened to walk down the hallway
to find him washing and scrubbing that golden dollar to its
shiniest in the bathroom sink full of bubbly suds. He carefully
dried it off, walked to the kitchen, and with a huge smile on
his face, proudly dropped that golden dollar in Sophie’s
adoption jar. A definite “mommy moment”...
Happy 2008!
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“…and let
each new year find you a better man.” ~Benjamin Franklin |
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