Madelyn

 Happy 10th birthday to our eldest daughter Madelyn. CJ and I feel so blessed to have this precious soul in our home. It's so nice to look back on her first year home but it's just as nice to have the first year over. That statement may come as a surprise but it's the truth. I love where she is now, she's more confident in her English and she's more settled in the family and best of all, her walk with Jesus grows everyday!

Thank you Lord for your gift to us.

Birthday morning!  Ready to open a special gift from Rachel.

A crystal nail file.  Madelyn has wanted this for awhile and Rachel remembered.

A sister hug.

Linzhi has a special gift for Madelyn too!

A beautiful snow globe.

Another sister hug!

Our 10 year old beauty.

Her special cake from mom and dad.

Her build a bear Jasmine with the build a bear cake.

Opening gifts (Mom and dad got her a shiny new bike).

I love her smile and laughter in this picture, it captures her sense of humor.

She was covered in LOVE by grandparents and extended family.  Madelyn chose the menu for dinner.... Fried chicken, mom's famous spaghetti sauce, salad, pickle rolls (thank you grandma sharon), french bread and potato chips (thank you,  Grandpa Bill).  Thank you to everyone who sent her cards and gifts, she was blessed!!!

Another step...

God is so good...All the time!   With every one's work schedule or school schedule, I was praying we would be assigned to get our fingerprints completed on a Friday as it would just be perfect for our schedules.  Well, He came through again.  We are all scheduled for September 23rd @ 8am!!!!

One step closer to our baby girl!!!  Hallelujah!! 

She knows.

Little miss gracie will be our third adoption in four years.  I feel somewhat of a "seasoned" mother as she will be my fifth child but I know one this for sure...She knows.  Gracie knows she is leaving her China family very shortly and by the look on her face she's feeling it.  I know in my heart she was told because her facial expression is all too familiar...First with Linzhi, then with Madelyn.  Linzhi felt the grief immediately, Madelyn covered it until we were back home.  I knew Madelyn's smiles in China were covering her pain, I knew it deep in my soul.  Linzhi was too little to make heads or tails of what was going on, Madelyn was almost nine and got it, quick!  Linzhi's grief lasted a couple of weeks, then like all little one's they forget.  Nine year olds don't forget, they carry it forever.  What about a six year old?  How much does she understand?  Did she look at our picture and freeze?  My guess, yes.  I look at her face and I see it plain as day.  She knows we're coming and to be real honest, when I looked at her face, I froze because it became very real to me that SHE IS COMING!  When we start a new adoption, I always feel like it's so far away and I don't "plan" things in my mind.  I don't often picture them in our home or prepare much because I know it's months and months away and I am not good with waiting so I trick myself into not thinking of it at all.  Well, now we're getting into the second phase and the idea of Gracie is becoming more real.  I am now picturing her in the house, looking through Linzhi's clothes to see what would fit little miss (we found out through the measurements, she only stands 37 inches), I am now getting her school books ready and wondering if she knows her ABC and 123's and most of all I am getting concerned for her emotional well-being.  I already see it in that precious angel face.  She knows. She may not understand it all but she knows something is going to change in her little world.  And as her mama my heart feels it too.

1 Peter 5:6-7

 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.


Jesus, cover her in your Grace.  Prepare her heart for her new life.  Hide her under your wing.  Cast out her anxiety and fear in your precious name.  Amen!

A notice

Today in the mail we got a notice from immigration that they have received our application, cashed our check and that our appointment for fingerprints will be coming soon.  Many of you know when we adopted Madelyn this is when all kinds of "issues" started to take place.  If you would like to read what happened, please go to the archives under "documenting our miracle" to get caught up.

I feel very calm this time.  I know it is not up to any country, government office, USC!$ officer or the enemy to decide whether or not we are blessed to call Gracie Faith our daughter.  It is up to our Heavenly Father and IF it's His will, we will get our approval from immigration, DTC, LID, LOA and TA (all those lovely steps before we can travel).  What I learned through our spiritual growth during Madelyn's adoption is that NOTHING stops God from His plan and that we must be patient and wait upon Him for time and direction, not just through adoption but LIFE.  For me, this proves to be difficult as I look at my daughters face everyday and want her home, like yesterday!!!  :)

My heart jumped today when I saw that envelope in the mailbox... I felt some fear (a bit), excitement (lots), butterflies (a million)...Because as of today, we are one step, one more day checked off and one less hour away from having her placed in my arms.  <><



First day of school!

Another wonderful year of homeschool started yesterday.  I am just so thankful for the opportunity I get to be with my children.  I am going to be real honest here...It requires much Grace from the Lord above as this mama tends to need it in the patience department at times.  Still, I would not trade it for the world!  Madelyn blew me away yesterday with her reading skills, what a difference one year makes!!  August 2010 proved to be a challenge as I had to bring google translate everywhere just so my peanut could get some idea what we were doing and let me tell you she has worked very hard to learn English.  I love Language arts but there are SO many contradictions and for Madelyn to learn all that she has in a mere 12 months...Well, let me say CJ and I are very impressed with our eldest daughter. 

Trevor left for his first day of Jr. college, thanking God he's under my roof for one more year!  Next year...well, I can't say much about that yet as my heart won't allow.

My free spirit child Rachel Catherine likes the idea of school but sitting at her desk and doing it can be a bit of a challenge for my on the go girl. Rachel is such a big helper to me and her sisters, she just doesn't think school should be more than 30 minutes...LOL... :)

Oh my Linzhi Rose, she is a wiz in math and phonics and loves bible but Linzhi feels school should be "just crafts".  I laugh because I can see how different they all are and I know their strengths and where they struggle and it melts my heart to know I am the one learning about my children everyday in our little school room on the west side of our cozy home.

God bless!

First day of class with her baby "Jasmine"

My free spirit girly that came to school with hair unkept and her Jamacian baby.

Linzhi Rose trying not to laugh while I take her picture with her baby "Ice Cream"

First born on his way out the door to KCC

working hard in spelling/vocab

working just as hard in spelling/vocab

Linzhi Rose LOVES bible class

A note from daddy!

Look who was in my inbox...

Last night as CJ and I prayed, I asked the Lord for a glimpse of our little one that is so far away from her mama's arms.  I love it when the Lord reveals himself and how much he loves all of us.  I think he knew we needed this little blessing.  The pictures are poor quality but we were able to enlarge them and look her face over for any bluish coloring and I gotta say...She looks really good and pink all over!    We are in deep prayer for complete healing either by His hands or by Him working through the hands of physicians of His choosing...Either way, I feel so much more connected to this precious little soul.  She looks scared and probably not sure what the heck is going on.  I sent a picture and a card of our family so I'm not sure they told her we were coming for her???  Madelyn told us she knew for a long time we were coming, then she said "it took you forever to get here"...That's my very Chinese girl!!  :)

Anyway, we are just on cloud nine in love with her.  I can't wait to show the girls and Trevor when they get up. 

Today is our first day of school.  I'll post pictures later...for now, ENJOY my baby Gracie!

ps...my spell check is not working, please forgive any typos.  I haven't had my coffee yet. :)







CJ and I think she looks so sad.  She probably has no idea what is going on. :(




I just want to pick her up and bring her home.  My poor baby girl.  I'm also wondering if she was told she's going to be adopted?



This must be her foster family and maybe some neighbors.  I can't help but look at the background and seeing where she comes from. 



HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE!

WOW is the Lord amazing or what????  That urgent prayer request I posted about the other day has brought me to tears as I watched the Lord unfold HIS plan through the prayers of HIS people.   Precious Lilliana not only had her ransom money raised in a matter of 2 days ($23,000) but her forever family has come forward too!!!  Very soon she will be ONE LESS orphan in this world. 

PRAISE YOU JESUS FOR ALL YOU DO!!!

Here's little peanut...Remember she is 11 years old. 

Keep praying folks...Pray the Lord moves those mountains so her family can get there ASAP!!