Merry Christmas!

Next to Jesus, I can't imagine a better gift than Michelle for Christmas. A year ago today we had breakfast in China, lunch in Japan, and dinner at our home. It was a 36 hour Christmas, filled with excitement, exhaustion, some fear and a lot of relief. Reminds me of the Christmas story... I'm sure Mary and Joseph must have felt all those same emotions. Adoption reminds me so much of what God does for us. Before we even knew we needed Him, he came to earth to redeem us, make us part of His family.

Merry Christmas to all. May you celebrate this day with family, friends, and the love of Jesus!

Winter Pictures

Michelle's Pre-school had a Christmas program this week. Michelle liked the Jingle Bells and loved her "Ho! Ho! Ho! Dress"

We got a big snowfall last night and it is still coming down. Michelle had fun in the snow.

The big kids helped Dad shovel the driveway.

And Michelle kept playing!

Happy Family Day!

A year ago today we went to a municipal building in ZZ China. It was the moment for which we had waited over 2 years. I remember standing out in the hallway and a man walked by and saw Bill and I and said, "Bing Qi!". (Michelle's chinese name) He recognized us from our photos, and I realized at that moment she was just down the hall!

Our daughter Lizzy asked if we could pray before going in to meet her. I don't remember exactly what we said, but as we held hands and prayed, I remembered thanking God for his amazing blessing to our family, and I remember a peace coming over me that could only come from Him.

We walked down the hallway with several other families in our group, and as we peeked in the room it was already crowded. There were 4 children adopted from Luohe orphanage that morning, and we recognized 2 of the families already inside from pictures on our yahoo group. Then, suddenly, a couple of ladies walked out into the hallway with Michelle. She was so tiny, wrapped in layer after layer of clothes. As she stood before me, I looked at this precious little girl and said to her, "Ni Hao, Bing Qi. Wo shi ni de mama." Which means, Hello, Bing Qi. I am your mama. I had practiced these 2 phrases for weeks before our trip. She looked up at me and said, "Mama?" The nannies picked her up and placed her in my arms.

Just as she started to have tears in her eyes, Josh came to the rescue. He was standing on the side, with a "wa-wa" (doll) ready to go. He came over with a big smile, gave her the wa-wa, and she looked at him and grinned. I knew right then we would all be fine!

We had such a wonderful first day with Michelle. She was so sweet and fun from the very beginning. She decided right away I was her "person", but she still played with everyone. It still takes my breath away when I think back to that time I first saw her precious face, that God would grace our family in such a way is just so amazing to me.

It's incredible the difference a year makes. We had a little celebration last night, a day early because my oldest daughter has a concert tonight. We couldn't really sing Happy Birthday because it wasn't the right song, so we sang "Michelle" by the Beatles as we brought out her cake. She loves the Beatles, and grinned from ear to ear. She blew out the candle on top of the cake, something she wasn't able to do a year ago. Now that she has had her cleft palate repaired, she can blow out candles, drink through a straw, and say almost anything she really wants to say. Her speech is getting more clear and articulate each day. That in itself it a miracle.

We love you Michelle! You complete our family, and you were so worth the wait.

Still Growing

We had our one-year follow up appointment with our Social Worker last Friday. As part of the interview we had to weigh and measure Michelle again. She has grown another 2 and 3/4 inches and gained another 4 pounds in the last six months. The catch up growth hasn't been quite so fast as the first six months we had her home, but it is still quick! She has gone from being at the bottom of the WHO growth chart scale to being just a hair over the median. I credit goldfish crackers!

A little shout out to our peeps!

A year ago our not-yet-complete family boarded a plane to fly from Dulles to Beijing. We were so excited to meet this precious little girl we had dreamed of, prayed for, longed to know for over 2 years. Seeing her sweet face in pictures was no longer good enough. I longed to hold her in my arms.

But, before we would meet her, God held another special surprise that we had not anticipated. We met these amazing, wonderful families who would take this journey with us. We enjoyed their company, and we delighted meeting their precious children and seeing them become families.

We remember them all, and have loved following their blogs and their stories as their children thrive in their new homes.

So today, a special "shout out" and hug to the Mongolds, Bednars, Smiths, Altermatts and McClintocks. And all those who traveled with us.

Memories of Christmas Past

I knew I was really jet lagged last year after Christmas, but I don't think I realized the full extent of it until I began getting out our Christmas decorations this year. I normally pack my ornaments as if we will move the following year. Being a military family, we never know for certain if we will receive surprise orders in mid-July and have to pack up quickly. So I always want to be prepared, and for 20 years I have wrapped each ornament and placed them in a box, then secure them again inside a rubbermaid type container.

This year, I found all our ornaments inside leftover gift bags, all jumbled together! Then, it took me over an hour to search through our basement to find my nativity set. It seems Mary and Joseph were wandering through my basement boxes, lost, and certainly not on the way to Bethlehem! Yikes! But, the best part, where I truly sat down and laughed until I almost cried, was when I pulled out the stockings. The bottom of mine was completely full! Chocolates, a big bottle of hand lotion, all kinds of goodies. You know if I left chocolate uneaten, there was some serious jetlag going on!

Last Christmas was wonderful - other than the greatest gift of all, Jesus, I can not imagine a better way to spend Christmas than bringing home Michelle. She truly is the gift that keeps on giving. However, I must admit, I am looking forward to a little more "normal" type of Christmas this year.

Here's a little early Christmas cheer to brighten your day!