July
2007
~Wishes~
It’s been a pleasure to get the mail these days! I have so
enjoyed receiving all the beautiful fabrics and wishes we have
received for little Sophie. Thanks to all who have contributed!
At last count, we had 75 different squares and wishes! I have
been participating in a few different quilt square exchanges
with others who are also adopting children from China. It has
been so much fun! The most recent has been a Chinese culture
exchange and there are 70 people participating. Each person has
a different topic and fabric representing one aspect of Chinese
culture. I have learned a lot and am so excited to have so many
Asian themed fabrics in Sophie’s quilt. I have decided to make a
depression style wish quilt (a pretty simple pattern for a
beginner quilter, I hope). I have sewn my first 50 blocks and
love how it’s coming together! I have met a very sweet lady at a
local fabric shop who is basically walking me through each step
of this wonderfully meaningful project. Her help has been
invaluable! I have always wanted to learn how to quilt, and this
has been the perfect way to start!
The kids were excited to fill our jar to overflowing this month
and were even more excited to find out how much money we had
saved! We had $119 dollars in pennies, nickels, dimes and
quarters in that little quart jar! Christian and Michael love to
plan what we can buy for the little ones at Sophie’s orphanage
with the money that they are helping to save. It has been such a
fun way to involve all of them! Grandma Cathy has joined in as
well and has her own jar that she seems to fill twice as fast!
I added the panda bear charm to my bracelet this month…a way to
mark the time since we began our journey to Sophie. While time
does seem to speed by, the increased length of time to referral
can be discouraging at times. Some may wonder why we have begun
our adoption journal so early in our process. There is a Chinese
proverb that says “The palest ink is better than the best
memory”. It’s so important to me that we document each step of
this process for Sophie so that one day she may look back and
understand how very much we have always loved her…helping to
make one of our best wishes come true.
What’s New with Our Crew?
July seemed to be over before it even began! Ian, Jessie, Nathan
and Christian went on their annual fishing trip with Uncle
Scott, cousins and friends! Lots of hiking (about fifty miles in
seven days), fishing and fun!! They always come home with many
stories to tell! Michael, who is not quite ready for that much
hiking, hung out with me at home. We planned outings for each
day and had lots of fun as well. Ian and I also celebrated our
18th wedding anniversary this month!
Jessica somehow managed to come home from the week long
fishing trip smelling as good as when she left. She impressed
all with her perfectly styled hair and surprisingly clean
clothes. She did get some harassment from her cousins who
claimed her dangly earrings looked an awful lot like fishing
lures! She’s as tough as the boys when it comes to hiking…it
must be all that Tango! She’s been dancing a lot with her
ballroom team this month and loving every minute!
Nathan had a great time at a basketball camp sponsored by
a local high school. He was able to meet up with several of his
teammates and is looking forward to basketball season again! He
is keeping busy mowing lawns and doing a little weeding for the
neighbors. He is thrilled with his loot and spends a lot of time
planning possible purchases. He was off to scout camp (his first
full week away from home) at the end of July and returned with
seven new merit badges! Keep ‘em coming!
Christian celebrated his 9th birthday this month! He’s
had a big month with lots of firsts. He went to his first ever
basketball camp with Nathan this year. I could see the pride in
his stride as left for “camp” each day! He was so impressed with
the high school players that he even had them sign his shirt on
the last day (I think he thought they were professionals)! This
was his first year to go on the BIG fishing trip. He was very
serious in packing all possible gadgets and gear for the
adventure. He hiked the entire way in (18 miles) and didn’t even
ride a horse!
Michael and I did many fun things while the big kids were
gone with dad. We went to a very cool museum and saw a live
reptile show. We went to the zoo, saw a magic show, went to the
movies, bought some new books and art supplies, ate out, and
bought snow cones almost every day! He talked and talked and
talked…like I’ve never know before. Every day when he woke up
he’d say, “Well, it’s still just me and you”. It did seem very
quiet around here. He has been taking swimming lessons and is
excited for an upcoming Back-to-School party for 2nd graders!
“If you
could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you
meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even
dream of.”
~Fred Rogers |
Having fun at Shannon's wedding
Waiting for the BIG one...
Just beautiful
It's all about the gear!
Chill'in on a summer afternoon
Just looking good... |
