What a beautiful spring day!  The grass is green, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, I finished my 12th load of laundry, packed away the suitcases, Lydia is napping, Olivia is playing with a friend and I am counting my blessings.  It's amazing what a good night of rest and no laundry can do for you! 

I am so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. I love to watch Lydia discover and grow. She is learning new words every day and is so funny.  She makes the funniest faces and is quite dramatic.  She also loves music and the outdoors.  What a treasure the Lord has given us in our precious Lydia.

First time eating spaghetti

Can a person eat too much yogurt?

Watering the flowers

Feeding her baby

Lydia does EVERYTHING like her sister, so when Olivia received a call

from her friend, Lydia had to talk on a phone too.  Too cute!

We're Home!

Daddy and his girls!


Playing patty cake with nana.


I'm a U.S. Citizen!


She loves her carseat.


Sleeping on the way home.


Home Sweet Home!


Praise the Lord we are home! Everyone is doing well. Lydia is very content and happy here at Goshen Point. Thank you all for your prayers and comments. We serve a great God and I praise Him for each answered prayer. He is a loving, faithful and good God!

Enjoy the photos!

Monday, April 19, 2010

We made it to Guangzhou and are enjoying the warmer weather and slowerpace. Sunday we attended a bilingual service here on Shamian Island andate at Lucy’s. Today we have Lydia’s medical appointment and visa photo. Tuesday we apply for her visa, Wednesday we attend the “swearing in”ceremony and Friday we begin our journey home. There is no place likehome sweet home!

The girls are doing well. They are enjoying spending time together and Olivia is such a good big sister. She has matured so much over the pasttwo weeks. She loves to hold Lydia and take care of her.

We look forward to everyone meeting Lydia. She has a loving, outgoing and very strong personality. She is still enjoying exploring everything.Right now she is sitting on the floor unrolling toilet paper, pretendingto blow her nose and stuffing the paper inside the holder. I’ve got tobaby proof the house when I get home!

I’ll try to write once more before we leave Friday morning but with Mark headed home tomorrow I'm not sure I will have time. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Enjoy the photos!

Wednesday, April 14

This week we visited the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, a cultural park, saw a hutong, rode the underground subway, walked the streets of Beijing, and ate lots of Chinese food and McDonalds.  We only have one day left in Beijing.  On Friday we are visiting the Great Wall and having dinner with two other families who are getting their children today.  We are looking forward to going to Guangzhou on Saturday.  The weather will be warmer and we’re ready for a change of scenery.

Olivia and Lydia are doing well.  They are getting along well.  Olivia is learning to “give in” and to make sacrifices for her little sister. Lydia continues to imitate everything Olivia does.  She is a little talker, still loves to walk everywhere and decided on one cold food she likes…daddy’s vanilla milkshake.

The Lord has been faithful.  I have called on Him for help with even the smallest of things while we have been here and He has heard each prayer and answered faithfully.  He is God over the whole earth.  He is faithful and true. I will praise the Lord today because He is a loving and faithful Heavenly Father.

Thank you for your emails and prayers.

Monday, April 12

Let me begin by wishing a “Happy Birthday” to Katy Brown.  Katy you are an amazing young lady and I love you.  Thank you for living a life set apart for the Lord.  Thank you for being a role model that my girls can look up to.  Enjoy celebrating your special day ~ the day God created you!

Today was filled with appointments and more appointments.  Lydia is officially ours!  She was a little trooper through it all. She is doing so well.  Transitions are still hard for her so I tell her in advance when we are getting ready to do something different…we’re going to nana’s room, going for a walk, going to eat, going to take a bath.  And speaking of taking a bath – she and Olivia took their first bath together and that worked great.  When she saw Olivia sitting in the bubbles she decided she might like it and she did.  Anything Olivia does she wants to do.  You should have seen her walking around in Olivia’s shoes, it was too funny!

She is trying new foods but still loves her warm milk, steamed dumplings, rice and she loves broccoli.  She is crazy about he dada and calls for him if she is upset or crying.  She loves everything neat and in order. She lines up our shoes, folds towels and napkins and doesn’t like any messes on her mouth or hands.

We’re all doing well…tired but well.  We praise the Lord for His grace and strength that are holding us up.  He truly is our joy and strength. I will praise the Lord at all times!

Until next time…we love you and thank you for your continued prayers.

Sunday, April 11

We woke up to a rainy Sunday morning in Beijing.  We had church in our room – led by Olivia.  We each told 5 things we were thankful for, read scripture, sang and prayed together.  We have been blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

After breakfast we took the girls to a huge hall way that leads to several banquet rooms and let them play with a beach ball.  I think Lydia is going to be a soccer player.  She has a great kick!

We didn’t make it to Wal-Mart yesterday but we did go to the toy store. It’s not like Toys-R-Us.  Its row after row of vendors all selling toys. Olivia tried to convince her daddy that she needed a DS but she settled for a little stuffed panda instead.  She also had her first experience using a squatty potty!  She is great big sister and we are so proud of her.  She does miss her friends and looks forward to getting home and going to church!

Lydia is soaking in all the sights and sounds but she doesn’t care what we are doing as long as she can walk.  She walks like a little penguin but her legs are getting stronger every day.  She did let us push her in the stroller for the first time yesterday.  Today she has talked non-stop.  It’s Chinese of course so we have no idea what she is saying but we’re learning and growing together.  She has a mind of her own about the way things should be done and she doesn’t like it when she doesn’t get her way…of course none of us do. We’re slowly working through that too.  She is so petite…all the 24 months 2T clothes are big on her.  It’s hard to believe she turns three years old in May.  Although petite she is very capable and independent.  She loves to give us kisses and her laugh/scream makes us all chuckle.

We are not able to access our blog while in China so my dear friend Michele (who is coming to China soon to adopt a little girl) is doing these posts for me.  She forwarded some of your comments and we want you to know we are so appreciative of your thoughts and prayers.  We covet your continued prayers for the remainder of our trip.

It’s 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning and it felt good to sleep in this morning. Everyone else is still asleep for which I am thankful. With the time change we’ve all been waking up very early and feeling groggy all day.

Yesterday was a day filled with high emotions for both my girls. Lydia finally let nana hold her and it was too much for Olivia. I could tell she was feeling jealous and hurt but she was trying to be strong and brave. Eventually she couldn’t contain it any longer and she broke down in my arms and just sobbed. She said she felt that nana didn’t love her the same anymore. I held her close, let her cry and then shared with her that the special place for her in nana’s heart would always be there butnana has made another special place in her heart for Lydia. We talked and I prayed with her and she seemed to feel better. I found out later in the evening that she went to nana and told nana how she felt and she and nana talked and sobbed with each other. My little girl is all grownup! I told her last night how proud I was of her for the way she handled everything and went and talked to nana. Olivia is so tender hearted andI see God growing her again for His glory.

Lydia had a very reflective day and she cried several times. She is bright, talkative and incredibly smart so it has been hard for her to suddenly not be able to communicate - to understand and be understood. She was quieter than usual and we know that she is trying to process all that is happening. Before we went to bed last night she took her sweet little finger and pointed to herself and said i-d-u (Lydia). She seems to do much better when we’re out and about and she is really enjoying walking. She walks until her little legs can’t take another step, slows down to a snail’s pace and then gives in and let’s us pick her up.

She has decided that she doesn’t want mommy anymore she wants her daddy. As he carried her around last night she looked at him intently, felt of his face and seemed very content and safe in his strong arms. She had her first McDonald’s french fry and she liked it. She is such agreat eater. She is so cute. She opens her mouth really wide like alittle bird being fed by its mother. She isn’t crazy about her bath yet.She just wants to get it over with, even with the toys and bubbles it has no appeal for her. She isn’t potty trained but she likes sitting on the potty! She also likes looking at herself in the mirror. Such simple things bring her pleasure as she experiences them for the first time.

Today we are planning a visit to Wal-Mart! Also, there is a huge toy store we want to take the girls too. Next week we will visit the Great Wall and other historical sites. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Friday, April 8, 2010

Lydia woke up at 4 a.m. Her first words were “mama”. When she saw us she started laughing and giggling and doing her little laugh/scream…weall burst into laughter! You can see her in the photo sharing her cereal with daddy. She has a quart size zip lock bag that she carries with her everywhere she goes. She puts her special things in it and clutches it under herarm. We never leave the room without it! She had her first trip to McDonald’s for breakfast this morning. She ateeverything we gave her. She didn’t like the O.J. but she loves water andmilk. Olivia is adjusting well. Lydia went down for a nap, Mark and Nancy wentshopping and that gave Olivia and I time to talk and play together. Wedid each other’s nails and talked about what it’s like to be a new bigsister. She is adjusting well and it has helped that nana is here tolavish her with love and attention. Thank you for your continued prayers. We praise the Lord for theblessing of our two precious daughters. Children truly are a gift from God.

A Couple of Pictures

We have Lydia!!!

We have our precious baby girl! We arrived at the orphanage around 9:00a.m. When we arrived we saw a few children outside playing then we were taken through a beautiful lobby into a meeting room. We had been thereabout 5 minutes filling out papers when in walked one of the care givers with Lydia. She is so beautiful and so petite. She looked so tiny still very much like a baby. She cried when they tried to put her down but when I broke out the snacks and sippy cup she stopped crying immediately.She loved the Kashi honey sunshine cereal and water. She let me feed her a few bites and she ate the entire bowl full quickly. We were there around 15 minutes and it was time to go. When I took her in my arms she cried but when I gave her more snacks she stopped. When we walked out the doors she started crying again. She was so scared. When we got in the van she buried her little head into me and didn’t say a word. She just stared at us. I sang to her and kept saying “boo koo” it’s okay. My heart was breaking for her. Then we had to stop and get photos taken at a photo shop and she started crying again. I don’t blame her…we had to walk up a set of dark stairs into a strange looking place for our photo. Before getting back in the van Mark went to a store and bought her a pack of Ritz crackers and a carton of milk. She ate until she couldn’t eat anymore. By the time we had reached the hotel she was smiling at us, playing with her toys and learning to trust us already. She was all smiles and giggles the rest of the evening. She has the cutest laugh and when she gets excited she laughs and screams at the same time.

I could go on and on but I will just give you a few highlights:


*She has personality with a capital "P"


*She is a very good eater


*She is a mommy’s girl right now (It's 4 a.m. and now she is daddy's girl, he is giving her Kashi cereal and milk)


*She has a sense of humor and likes to make us laugh


*She is soaking in all the new sounds, sights, textures, colors,…


*She is very bright and talking in Chinese but already saying Mama, dada, milk, baby, bye-bye, hello, …


*She is so petite but feels heavy to me. I haven't weighed her yet or tried on her clothes but I put 24 month P.J.’s on her and they were too long.


*She has a strong will and knows what she wants She went to sleep last night around 7:00. She was so tired but I could tell she was scared to go to sleep. She kept looking around the room and then at me. She cried when I put her in her crib…but she actually like her crib. So I sat her on the bed with her favorite book and we talked and then I said “do you want to lay beside mommy”…she let me take her in my arms and we put our heads on the pillow nose to nose. I sang to her and she fell asleep in my arms.

It’s now Friday morning and we have the weekend free. I think we are going to venture out and do some sightseeing. Olivia and Nana are doing well. They are enjoying their time together. What a blessing it is to have my precious mother-in-law with us. She is a jewel! Enjoy the photos and thank you for your continued prayers.

Almost time!

It’s hard to put into words the emotions, thoughts, fears and anticipation you feel when you’re one hour away from driving to the orphanage to meet your child. Will she cry, be silent, let me hold her,will she be afraid or will she be sick? She will be three in May and she is leaving behind everything familiar in her life…her care givers, China sisters, food, language, everything! She can’t possibly understand all that is waiting for her. How I long to hold her tenderly, lavish her with kisses, wipe away her tears, meet her needs, see her smile and of course put a big pink bow in her hair.

Dear Father I pray you will calm her heart and mine. Let her know that she is safe and loved and that something good is happening in her life. I pray for her little heart and mind to know quickly that we are her forever family…I am her mommy, forever and ever and I will never leave or abandon her. Thank you Lord for your promise to never leave or abandon me…you are a loving, good and kind Heavenly Father and I love you. You never cease to amaze me!

We're in Beijing!

Praise the Lord we made it to Beijing! When we checked in at Charlotte the lady that helped us was from Cambodia and is in the process of adopting a little girl. She said "oh you need more room" and gave us an upgrade from Economy to Economy Plus. I was so overcome with gratitude I hugged her neck and my eyes swelled with tears. Then while waiting in the security line she came back over and said I have taken care of your flight home...and handed us another upgrade to Economy Plus. Those extra 5 inches may not seem like much but after 8 hours of flying and 4 to go it's very nice. God is so good! We've all been awake since 1:00 a.m.! Remember we are twelve hours ahead of you. It's now 4:00 a.m. and we're getting ready to walk over to a 24hour McDonald's for breakfast. We leave at 8:00 a.m. for the orphanage to meet Lydia. We're all so filled with anticipation. I will send photos tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers!

Tomorrow...we are going to China!

TRAVEL SCHEDULE:

April 6 Charlotte to Chicago to Beijing (15 hours of flying )


April 7 Arrive in Beijing


April 8 Meet our daughter in the morning


April 9 - 16 Paper work and sight seeing in Beijing


April 17 Fly to Guangzhou


April 18 - 22 More paper work


April 22 Mark flying home

April 23 Mommy, Nana, Olivia and Lydia begin our journey home
Guangzhou to Beijing to D.C. to Charlotte

April 24 Arrive in Charlotte at 11:59 a.m.

Thank you for remembering us in your prayers!