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While We Wait
Our Kids
| May 2007 |
June 2007 |
July 2007 |
August 2007 |
January 2008
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“This is my secret
talisman, my act of faith, my leap into the arms of the
possible. I have shoes for Baby, waiting for her little feet to
fill them. They will be my symbol of hope, and a reminder that
sometimes we must walk through pain to get home again.”
~an excerpt from Forever Lily, written by Beth Nonte
Russell
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June
2007
~Little Shoes from China~
This month I received a wonderfully unexpected package from my
Uncle Mike and Aunt Kim! They recently traveled to China and
brought back an adorable pair of little, silk shoes for Sophie.
It meant so much to me to receive a gift for Sophie that was
actually purchased in her birth country! I often find myself
wondering what part of that great country she will be from and
what particular circumstances will bring her birth family to the
decision to place her where she might be found quickly and
safely. These are questions that we most likely will never know
the answers to. For us, Sophie’s birth and life will be such a
sweet blessing…an indescribable gift that I, myself, cannot
imagine giving. For Sophie’s birthmother, it will be a time most
certainly filled with sorrow and emptiness. I pray that somehow
peace and comfort might come to her at that time. I only wish
she could know how much we all love her already. In the
meantime, while we wait (and wait and wait…), we will put these
little, silk shoes where they can be seen by all of us each
day…our reminder, our “symbol of hope”.
We have come up with all sorts of ways to mark the time while we
anticipate bringing Sophie home. For Mother’s Day this year, Ian
gave me an Italian charm bracelet with a little box full of
charms. For each month since sending our initial application to
CCAI, I add a charm to my bracelet. This month I was able to add
a cute orange and yellow Chinese dragon. So far, I have the
symbols for beauty, love, prosperity, and happiness. I also have
a ladybug, the Chinese flag and the red thread charm. I think
I’ll add the panda bear next month…
It is so fun to get the mail these days! At last count, we were
almost half way to our 100 Good Wishes for Sophie! We have
received so many beautiful fabrics and wishes for her! Thank you
to all who have contributed! We hope to have collected enough
squares to begin her quilt by the end of the summer. As I have
never pieced together a quilt before, I will need all the time I
can get! To see the wishes we have received so far, click on our
“Wishing for Wishes” link.
We continue to add nickels, dimes, quarters, and pennies to our
jar. It is nearly full with only an inch or so to go before
taking it to the bank. The kids get excited when they find that
stray coin somewhere in the house and quickly deposit in “the
jar”. Michael estimates that there is nine thousand dollars in
the jar! I sure hope he’s right!
What’s Up with the Kids?
Jessica celebrated her 15th birthday this month! She had
a great time at the end-of-the-year Social Leadership Ball even
though it was hard to say good-bye to some dear friends who will
go to different high schools next year. She has started her
first “official” summer job and is enjoying the independence
that comes with that; although, she doesn’t seem particularly
interested in getting her driver’s permit. She has been enjoying
the company of friends at youth retreats and is taking full
advantage of sleeping in.
Nathan celebrated his 12th birthday this month and is
enjoying his status as “a youth”. He chose to go out for a
spaghetti dinner and to see the Fantastic Four movie (I’d have
to admit that it was better than Christian’s choice last year of
Shark Boy and Lava Girl). Nate has already been on his first
over-night camp with the scouts and loves spending time with the
older kids. He received an i-Tunes card for his birthday and
spends a lot of time planning which songs to add to his
ever-growing collection. We all love Carmen Rasmussen’s new
song, “Nothing Like the Summer”. It is quickly becoming our
theme song this summer.
Christian is anxiously anticipating his 9th birthday! He
has requested a Mexican dinner, a movie, and new fishing/camping
gadgets to add to his “gear-to-go” pack. Ian and the boys have
spent a lot of time hiking and biking this summer. They even saw
an awesome waterfall this month! Christian prides himself with
keeping up with the big kids and does not disappoint. He has had
a new bird family move into his birdhouse in the backyard with
more baby birds! He spends hours underneath the trampoline just
watching the birds fly in and out. He has assumed the dog
walking responsibility and diligently takes Uncle Rico out for
walks around the neighborhood everyday.
Michael, like his older brother Christian, is always
doing his best to keep up with the big kids. He usually busts
through the back door after each outing anxious to tell me of
his newest accomplishment. The latest being able to bike up
“Snake Hill” and “Stinker Hill” without stopping. Ian and the
boys have fun naming each landmark and hill as they go. More
than any of my kids, Michael loves to go to the library. We
always come home with a never-ending stack of reference book on
snakes, reptiles, spiders, etc. It’s kind of like reading an
encyclopedia. If I’m lucky, I can usually sneak in a story or
two. We just finished reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane—definitely a great summer read!
“If you
have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole
journey is pointless…open your heart…someone will come. Someone
will come for you. But first you must open your heart.”
~an excerpt from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,
written by Kate DiCamillo |
Little shoes from China
Pretty as a princess for the ball
A special Sunday with dad
Always ready with a smile for the camera
Nine thousand dollars!?! I sure hope so!
Hiking and biking with dad |
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