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Two Little Swallows

Our adoption process is progressing...although it feels painfully slow to us. We have been waiting for about six weeks for a paper from immigration that will enable us to move forward. I'm sure the neighbors are wondering why I check the mailbox twenty times a day!

Meanwhile, we continue to be reminded of God's care for us and for our boys. If you can follow this story, it's really a neat demonstration of God's care. Hopefully, it's not too confusing.

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from our friend, Pam who lives in China. She has our little boy, Isaac, in her foster home which is called Swallow's Nest. She forwarded an e-mail from a family who adopted a little girl in April. This little girl, Lydia, was asking about our Isaac because they had been good friends while they were in Swallows Nest.

As I read the e-mail, I smiled because I realized that I have spoken with Lydia's mom before. Laurel put me in touch with her when we were first considering adopting two boys. Since they had several biological children and had just brought two girls home from China, Laurel felt that it would be helpful for me to talk with her. We had a good conversation back in May. But I never thought to ask her where her little girl had lived in China.

When I realized that it was our Isaac that her Lydia was asking about, I got in touch with her again. We were thrilled to realize that our two children who lived as brother and sister on the other side of the world, will live in the same city and be able to see each other again.

Lydia has been concerned for Isaac's well being. She has been praying that he would find a family. At one point she even told her mom that she didn't want to live in the US because Bao Tao (Big Head...yes, that is his nick name!) needed her to take care of him. There were four little ones about the same age who lived together at Swallow's Nest. Three of the four are now home. Only our little Isaac still waits. As Lydia's mom shared with her that we are going to bring Isaac home, she was so happy. I am amazed to think of the closeness of the bond that they must have shared for her to care so much about him. With tears in her voice, Lydia's mom shared that Lydia recently told her that she doesn't want to move back to China anymore. She is glad to live in America because Bao Tao will have a family, too. A lot of her longing to return was China was stemming from her concern for him.  

We are planning to send a care package soon to Isaac and Joshua. Little Lydia sent a note to include. This  is what she wanted us to tell him:


Xiao Hui (Isaac),

I am so glad your family has found you.  I am happy you will live in America in Colorado.  I live in Colorado, America too.  

You are so nice.  We will be friends in America.   

Be good in China.  I miss you.  I love you.  I am happy with my family in America.  My leg is getting better and stronger.

Your friend,

Lydia
(Gong Li)

Isn't that cute? I can't wait until the day that we can get these two together again. The Bible says that God sees each little sparrow that falls from the nest. This whole story reminded me again that He knows all of the details and cares so much for us and for our boys. Rather than being fearful or full of anxiety,  I can trust that He who sees the sparrows sees these little Swallows and every detail of their lives is in His care.

Our Isaac with a volunteer. This picture was taken about a week ago.

Isaac is on the lower right. He is the oldest child at Swallow's Nest now.  Look at all of those cuties!!

We've moved!

I'm now blogging at http://kcjmlfamily.blogspot.com

Miscellaneous Update

After Moriah's Dr. appointment, we

checked out the new American Girl

Doll store in Denver. Kimberly kept

saying, "Why didn't they put this in

a few years ago?? Moriah loved the

Bitty Baby section. (Andy's mom went

with us.)

We went to the Broadmoor with Andy's folks

for a Mother's Day dinner. I am so blessed to be

called "mom" by these four.

Lip stick girl. She knows she is allowed to

use this clear one.

Looking at flowers from our tree.

The grass is green now and the flowering tree in the front yard is in full bloom. It still seems cold to me, though; even this morning our furnace was running steadily. I had the fireplace on this week as a few snow flurries flew through the air. That is spring in Colorado! The weather never stops my boys from playing outside. They have been using their super-soaker squirt guns even when they have to have a coat on!

We are nearing the end of our school year. I have been reflecting on how far we've come. There are some goals that we have not met, but all of us have grown in many ways this year, so I am thankful. Both of the boys have made huge strides in math and language arts. Kimberly has almost finished her year of on-line school. She has gained a great deal of independence. We have worked really hard and we are so ready for a break.

Moriah is finding out that she is not in charge of the household. She was so mellow during the first year and a half that we had her that I was beginning to wonder if she would ever go through that defiant toddler stage. I didn't need to wonder for long. She is definitely trying to be more independent and is testing lots of limits. I remember with all of the children that the defiance increases with the vocabulary, and that has certainly been true for her. She is talking a lot now. We love the funny things she says. She puts an "um" on the end of a lot of words. Such as "read a book-um" or "have a snack-um." She has also learned lots of words from the older kids. "Dat is totawy awethom (totally awesome) "

We had our typical three month x-rays and appointment with the surgeon to check on Moriah's back last week. We were happy to find out that the curve in her spine has not progressed. Our physical therapist is convinced it's because of all the work we've been doing to strengthen the muscles in her back. We will go to Denver again next month to meet with a group of doctors who are traveling here from all over to see patients. They are all amazingly accomplished pediatric orthopedists, so we feel honored that they will look at our girl. This is the first time that Moriah has had the vocabulary to express her feelings about this whole routine. When we came home, I was looking at some x-ray pictures on the computer and she said, "That Mei-Mei's back. That scary! I don't like those pictures!" We just try to remind her that God made her just right and that we love her very much.

A couple of weeks ago, Andy's great-aunt Ruth died at the age of 93. She died at home peacefully resting in her easy chair. Even though she had suffered in recent years with heart problems, she was able to stay fairly active right until the end. Her mind also stayed very sharp. We went with Andy's parents just about a year ago to visit her. How thankful we are now that we did that! The kids loved meeting her. We will always remember laughing with her about the man who tried to ask her out on a date at the gas station. He was in his 60's and he was a little shocked when she told him she was in her 90's! She took us to Salvation Army where she loved to shop. She was a spunky, funny delightful, kind, generous woman who will be missed very much.

I have been thinking about how the pressures of the normal routine are used by God to refine me as much as some big trial. Just being faithful in the daily stuff is hard sometimes. But every time I cry out to the Lord, He answers with renewed energy and strength...not my own, but His. With that thought, I'd better get this day started. Homeschooling and laundry await!

Moments...

Precious moments seem to come and go through the course of every ordinary day. How often it is easier for me to focus on my worries or frustrations rather than treasuring these moments for what they are: gifts from God.

As I type Moriah is snuggled on my lap...still her favorite place to nap. Someday, she'll be too big to snuggle here. So I will treasure this today. The lunch dishes still sit. The laundry isn't done. The school books are still all over the table. But I want to treasure this moment.

Another moment to treasure (or at least to laugh about) happened yesterday when we were in the car. Caleb has a Beetles song on his i-pod. So he asked me, "when were the Beetles popular?" I answered that they were popular about the time that I was born, or maybe a little before. "Really?" he said, "I didn't think they were that OLD...like maybe they were popular about the time you and Dad met." It's funny to hear their perspective of time.

One more moment that I am holding in my heart today: Last night Josiah was reading Moriah a book about Chinese New Year. The words were a little hard for him, but he was really trying to read it with expression. It was cute and she was loving every minute of it. Both of my boys need a real reason to read. I love that Josiah is starting to see that it is fun to read and not just a school assignment.

Yesterday a woman at Moriah's physical therapy asked about our family. She said, "Those three all look like they go together, that one looks a little different, and none of them look like you!" Kimberly thought it was a little offensive, but I knew she didn't mean to be rude. And I felt happy to explain that "those three" don't look like me, even though they're biologically mine, because of their handsome half-Chinese father, and that "this one" is mine by adoption. I am so blessed by all of them.

Birthdays and Other Daily Blessings

Kimberly's slumber party friends with the ugly

cake that I made. It tasted good...but it sure

looked terrible.

Moriah is Picasso in the making! She stuck

with this project for close to an hour.

Happy Third Birthday, Moriah!!

It has been such a long time since I have made time to post some pictures. We are all still alive...and thriving at that. December flew by in a blur. January is gone, too. On to February!!

Some recent highlights: we celebrated Moriah's Birthday on February 2nd. It was fun because she was so excited about everything this year. She had been talking about her Birthday for days. "Mei Mei presents?" "Mei Mei Balloons?" She loved being the center of attention. We made a simple flower cake and hung balloons. My parents came over to share the evening with us. The only bad part of the day was that Josiah was sick with a bad cold. He lay wrapped in a blanket on the couch through the whole evening. You know he is sick when he doesn't even want cake and ice cream! Due to his sickness, Andy's parents opted to celebrate with Moriah another day. We have decided to get a boquet of flowers each year to honor Moriah's birth parents and all of those who cared for her before she was ours. She doesn't really understand it now, but we hope someday that it will be meaningful to her.

Way back in December, we took a quick trip with Moriah to Shriner's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. We wanted to get another opinion about her spine. The doctor we saw is world renowned for spine care for kids. He was kind, humble and gracious. He felt that we should stick with the surgeon in Denver and confirmed that it is ok to wait awhile for surgery if we keep careful track of her spine with frequent x-rays. After traveling in snow going to Salt Lake and coming home, the idea of staying in Denver for her care was quite appealing. We felt very good about our trip and the confirmation that it gave us. So, last week we returned to the surgeon in Denver for x-rays. It was good to talk with him again. He was glad that we went to Salt Lake and talked with us some more about the various specialists who have looked at Moriah's case and all of their opinions. The good news from the x-rays was that her spine is mostly unchanged since October. We are hopeful that it will continue to progress slowly (or not at all!) and that we can continue to postpone surgery. The physical therapists has been working so hard with her. She is using muscles in her back that have really improved her appearance and flexibility. Another area of growth this time was that she was absolutely silly while they were trying to take the x-rays. In the past, she has been very flat-faced and distant. It made it easy to take pictures, but showed me that she was anxious and uncomfortable. This time, she kept giggling and wiggling. The x-rays were more challenging, but it illustrates how much more comfortable she is becoming in all kinds of different situations. So we will press on with therapy and x-rays every 3-4 months for now.

Kimberly celebrated her twelfth birthday on December 28th. This year she decided to have a New Year's Eve slumber party to celebrate. We got lots of poppers and confetti and sparkling cider which the girls enjoyed at midnight. We had fun snack-type foods and the girl's did a craft and watched a movie. They all had a great time...though cleaning up the confetti from the yard the next morning wasn't so fun! Kimberly is blessed with really nice friends from church. They are always a delight to have around.

We are pressing on with school for the older kids. This is a hard time of year to stay motivated. We have been at it for a long time, but we still have a long way to go! The boys and I are enjoying our study of botany this year, but talking about flowers and trees sure makes me eager for spring! We have decided that Kimberly's current method of school (on-line school) is not the best fit for her. We are looking into other options for her for next year. She longs for more direct instruction from expert teachers and more time with peers. Currently, she is on the waiting list for a classical charter school.

The boys have become lego experts. They used to need Andy to help them with complicated creations...but not any more! They have recently built about 17 sets of legos between the two of them. (All of them gifts for Christmas). The challenge now is how to store these large creations without letting them get broken. We have a medieval village, a large crane, several star wars ships, a plane, a fire truck, a semi truck with a race car...perhaps we have some future engineers on our hands.

Even the monotony of the routine is a blessing when I remember that God is sovereign over all of our days. The discipline of staying positive and focused in the ordinary is a process of Spiritual growth for all of us. It's not that life is dull around here...four kids make that impossible! We are always laughing (or crying) about something! We are thankful for the good gifts the Lord gives us each day.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

This was a comment that was shared on www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com in response to an unkind comment that was made toward their newly-adopted daughter from China. I loved this response and thought it was worth sharing. We have received a few insensitive comments ourselves toward Moriah. I hope that I am able to prepare her to respond with wisdom in those situations.

The family who writes on a place called simplicity truly have an amazing story. We met the father at one of our adoption classes while we were waiting for Moriah. It is a wonderful story of God's faithfulness through very difficult trials.

Our daughter Abby has a physical disability since she had brain surgery at 3. We have had to teach her from the very beginning how to handle questions from people. I didn't realize how much we had prepared her until about a year after her surgery and we were on her make a wish trip to Disney. We were actually visiting Universal that day, and it was VERY hot, and being with a make a wish kid we got to skip the line and go to straight to the front of a ride. The people had obviously been waiting a long time, and the man who was first in line was none to pleased. You can't see her disability unless she is walking, etc. and she was 4 and in a stroller. He started cursing loudly and talking about how unfair it was that we got to cut because their was nothing wrong with anybody in our group. My tiny little 4 yo stood up, put her good hand on her hip and said (with speech difficulty - couldn't say r), "I am on my make a wish twip. I had bwain surgery and work real hard for my body to work. My bwain is bwoken, but yours is just mean and wude - and you shouldn't say those words." The rest of the line clapped, but that man turned bright red, and had to walk away. We saw him in the park later and he apologized.

Merry Christmas!

Just Pictures

Reformation Day costumes...two pink divas, a hunter, a German boy and cheerleader...the Reformers would be proud!

(The other Diva is my niece, Sophia)

Snow Fort!!

Moriah's first tea part with her big sister.
A "Madeline" outfit...She wore it a couple

of times last year, and we were so glad that

it still fits this year. She was very funny about

the hat...wanted it on ALL DAY!

The Next Step

We are all fully recovered from "the surgery that wasn't." It really did take us several days to readjust our minds and hearts to this change of plans. It wasn't that we were looking forward to the pain that Moriah would experience, but we were ready to be on the other side of it. We were really geared up. Andy took a few days off work since he had already planned to be out of the office. We just needed the time to regroup. After we had been home for a couple of days, as we were about to head out the door to get some Subway for dinner, our pediatrician called. He raised a lot of issues regarding the surgeon in Denver that we had not really considered. He was quite upset about the emotional roller coaster that this surgeon has treated us to over the past several months. He strongly suggested that we consider getting another opinion...out of state. We had considered this option previously, but we were really hoping to stay in Colorado if we could. So, our next step is an evaluation appointment at Shriner's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The date of our appointment is December 23rd. Crazy timing. But we are thankful for the opportunity for Moriah to be seen by a very experienced pediatric orthopedist. Shriner's Hospitals offer free care to their patients. They are even giving us some money to help us get to Salt Lake. God is faithful! We know He will continue to guide us through this process.

Meanwhile, we have received some funding for Moriah to be able to increase her therapy. Now she has PT twice a week and OT and speech each once a week. It makes our weeks extra busy, but it is a help to her growth and development. She is a hard worker. It is amazing to see her progress.

The older three have really been focused on school this fall. Most days it seems like that is about all that we do. And that is good. But we are all ready for a break. We had a piano recital with my brother's kids last Saturday. It was a really special time. I love living near grandparents at moments like that. Kimberly and Caleb each played several pieces. They did a great job.

Pictures to follow as soon as I get a chance to upload!

Thirty Years

Yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of my mom's homegoing. She has spent the last thirty years in the face-to-face presence of the Lord. What a glorious time she has had praising Him without the weight of sin. It is easy to think of the things I wish we could have shared over these past thirty years: my wedding, births of my first three children, and Moriah's adoption. But how much more glorious it has been for her to be with the Lord. I rejoice that she has not had to deal with life in this fallen world. And I rejoice that we will be together for eternity.

How thankful I am for the seven years that the Lord gave me with her. She was a wonderful mother who loved me and cared for me very much. She made my early life joyful and secure. I have lots of precious memories of life in our happy home. She was a very friendly and outgoing person who always looked at the bright side of things. Some of her friends have shared stories with me through the years of her optimistic view and her faith in Christ. I remember many of the things she taught me and I find myself saying those same things to my kids. "A soft answer turns away wrath" and "let's talk about something pleasant instead." It's amazing that I can hear her saying those things even though I was so small when she died.

Now that I have my own husband and kids, I can imagine a little bit more the sacrifices that my Dad made for us. His career couldn't be his focus as it can be for many men. He always made sure that he was available for us. He kept our home and gave a wonderful home life, even though we didn't have our mom there with us. The Lord blessed us with many people who helped my Dad raise us, too. How faithfulHe has always been to us! And now we have our wonderful step-mom, too. Though none of us like that term : )

Someday, my children look forward to meeting their "grandma in heaven." They know that she is waiting there for them. That will be a great day! Meanwhile, we rejoice in all the good things the Lord is doing in our lives here and we eagerly await all that He has planned.

Calendar

Moriah is in print!! The foundation which is raising money to help in Moriah's home province has put together a calendar just in time for Christmas!! How fun to see that little face that we love so much on the pages!!

If you would like to see what the Henan Kids International Foundation is up to, or order a calendar, you can follow this link:

www.henankids.org

I am hoping to update more about Moriah's postponed surgery and where we are in the process of figuring out the next step for her. Maybe later today...

Surgery...Or Not

We went to Denver this morning for x-rays and a last pre-operative visit with the surgeon. First we checked ourselves into the Ronald McDonald House. Then we headed over to the hospital for x-rays. We have been gearing up for this day for months. The grandparents were set to watch our kids. Andy was off work. Snacks and clothes and movies were packed so that we would be ready for at least a week in the hospital.

We got the x-rays and went to the orthopedist's office. He began to talk with us about Moriah's x-rays. Then he told us that he had been at a conference this past week where he discussed Moriah's case with 12 other doctors. He said they had a split opinion about whether or not this is the appropriate time for her surgery. There are lots of pros and cons on both sides. If we do it now, the rate of correction will be better because her bones are softer. However, the pins have a greater risk of coming out which would require further surgery. If we wait, her spine will have more curvature to correct, but the bones will be stronger and will hold the pins better. Also, they may be able to use a stronger rod and pin because she will be bigger. We spent about an hour talking about these and lots of other issues. Finally, Andy asked the Doctor what he would do if it were his daughter. He said he would wait. Specialists had flown in from Massachusetts to help with the surgery. Special titanium rods and pins had been ordered. But we agreed together that waiting would be the best thing for Moriah. We will have x-rays every three months. If there is rapid progression, we will know it is time to do the surgery. If it continues to progress at the rate that it has been, we can wait awhile for her to grow.

It was such a strange thing to be so geared up for something so major and then to change gears so suddenly. We feel a little like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" because so many have been praying. One of our major prayers was for wisdom for the surgeon. So we are thankful for this answer to prayer. We are also thankful that the surgeon chose to share the opinions of these other doctors with us. We feel confident that he has her best interests at heart.

We had already made plans to have dinner with some friends who live in Denver, so we gathered our wits and enjoyed a great evening with them. About 8:00 we got home, sent my parents home and resumed normal life. It feels a little strange to be home again. But we are thankful for His leading in all of these things.

Butter!

Caleb and I were working on school in the dining room the other day when I heard a strange noise from the kitchen. It was a rustling kind of sound. I listened for another minute or so and finally decided I'd better see what Moriah was up to.

That girl loves butter!! She had the whole stick in her hand and was munching away with abandon. I like butter, too, on some toast or homemade bread. But eating it straight from the stick...ugh. I'm glad the camera was handy.

The evidence!

caught in the act!

Anticipation

We had fun at a farm! Moriah thought the hayride was great!

We are in a strange state of mind this week. The sense of anticipation is very strong. I expected to be feeling dread or fear as we draw closer to Moriah's surgery, instead I am feeling peace and eagerness to move ahead. I am thankful for the weeks that we have had to prepare and pray and think it through. Even though the waiting has been hard, I have needed the time to process it all.

Meanwhile, Moriah is spending each day in her usual joyful way. She can put her shoes and socks on by herself (not always on the right feet.) She is talking a lot and gaining more confidence all the time. All of her earlier attachment issues with Andy seem to be forgotten as she joyfully greets him at the end of each day. She stops whatever she's doing and runs up to him to be picked up and hugged. She loves to play outside. She must have gone down the big slide at the park twenty times the other day. She wasn't phased at all by the fact that it was crowded with kids three times her size. She loves to play with other kids and gets along very well with them.

Today will be our last "normal" day of school. Tomorrow we go to Denver for blood work and other pre admission stuff. Friday we have a pediatrician appointment. Monday we head up to Denver for the pre-op appointment with the surgeon. Then bright and early Tuesday morning, Moriah will have surgery. We plan to spend about a week in the hospital. Our parents will be holding down the fort here. (Say a prayer for them!) The goal is to straighten and stabilize her back so that she will be able to stand straight and tall. The deformities in her spine will cause her kyphosis and scoliosis to continue to progress, so action is definitely needed.

We know that lots of people are praying for our little Moriah. We are comforted by that and so thankful that our Sovereign Lord is holding her in His hands, as He has since her birth. When I feel fearful, I only have to reflect on all of the amazing ways that He has cared for her throughout her life. What comfort to know that she belongs first of all to Him.

We will try to update here from time to time next week.

Thanks for your prayers.

A Visit to a Special Place and a Dr. Appointment

How often I dreamed of taking a photo like this!

Last Monday, we went up to our adoption agency as a family. It is located in the south part of Denver. Andy and I have been there lots of times for parenting classes. We wanted to take Moriah there so that the ladies in the office could meet her. It was also a great photo opportunity! We have been very impressed with our agency, CCAI, since we started our adoption way back in 2006. They do a great job! They have a school there, too, where kids can learn Chinese culture, dance and language. They don't have classes on Mondays, but they opened up the little store for us and we had fun shopping. Moriah grabbed a cute Chinese doll with a pacifier that is held in her mouth by a magnet. She is a super cute. We got a couple of books about the Mid-autumn festival, because that is the time of year that Moriah came to us. Kimberly found a necklace she loved that has the Chinese characters for "sisters." After we shopped, we ate our picnic lunch on the playground.

The other part of our day wasn't as much fun. Our real reason for heading up to Denver was to see Moriah's orthopedic surgeon again. We took the kids this time because it seemed like a good idea for them to meet the doctor. The boys didn't seem to care, but Kimberly went back with us and looked at the CT scan and listened to our conversation with him. (And critiqued his fashion sense.) He gave us a few more details about the surgery and we set a date: October 27th. Now the waiting begins. We are convinced that this is the right surgery and that this is the right time, but it doesn't make it any easier. The Lord has been faithful to remind us that He is sovereign and that He is working all things together for our good and His glory. I hate the idea of the pain that she will experience, but we trust that it will make the way for her to have a full and healthy life in the future. We are constantly amazed at the treasure that God has given us in this brave little girl.

One Year

We celebrated the first anniverary of our forever family day a week ago. It is so amazing to reflect on the journey that this past year has been for all of us. A year ago a little girl was delivered to our hotel room door (kind of like a pizza delivery). She was scared. We were happy, but scared, too. Even though we had anticipated that moment for years, it felt surreal. A little, tiny girl in a big jacket, a couple of strange people, a pile of money. Everyone left within a matter of minutes and Andy and I looked at each other feeling amazed that we were now responsible for this little person.

We have reflected in new ways on God's sovereignty. He saw her unformed body in her mother's womb. He brought her into this world. He saw her when she was left that day on the steps of the hospital. He was with her when she went to the police station and then to the orphanage and then to foster care. He saw her when she went back to the orphanage and to another foster care home. And finally, on that day, September 8, 2008, he saw her as she was placed in our arms. And He is sovereignly in control of every day of our lives together. We have understood the wonder of our own Spiritual adoption more clearly. Not every day has been easy, but God has been faithful to us.

We decided to celebrate on Labor Day. We went to see the hot air balloons and to a potluck breakfast at church. Later in the day we went to Andy's parents for some crab legs. We put her gotcha day outfit on her again to see how much she had grown. She thought it was fun because she loves to play dress up. The shoes wouldn't even fit on her feet! We gave her a book wrapped in lady bug paper. We decided this will be our tradition. Each year we will give her an age-appropriate adoption themed book for Gotcha-Day.

We are so thankful for this year that we have shared. We are looking forward to seeing what God has in mind for this little miracle.

It was bit bright! We watched the balloons from

the top of Palmer Park.

Cousins and our kids watching the hot air balloons

Moriah modeling her gotcha day clothes...one year later.

Note the tiny shoes and short pants. Still plenty of growing room in the jacket, though.

A special book to celebrate the day.

One year ago...first breakfast with us.
In our arms at last! One year ago.

New School Year Underway!

It is hard to believe that a year ago we were in China getting ready to meet Moriah for the first time. Kimberly and I have been re-reading our journal entries having fun remembering all of the details of that life-changing time. How far we've all come in a year! How much we have to be thankful for!

We have finished our fourth week of homeschool. It is beginning to feel like we are in a good routine. We have slowly added subjects and everyone seems to be doing well. Kimberly is doing an on-line based school this year, which is totally new for us. She is doing great with it and it seems to be the change that we needed. The boys go one day a week to an enrichment program through a classical charter school. It is a blessing to live in a state that is so friendly to homeschoolers. Moriah motors around making a mess most of the time that we are doing school. Her attention span is really improving, though, so it is easier to keep her occupied. We have some baby videos that she likes and she likes to draw or play with her toys while we do school. (And eat snacks and sing little songs to herself.)

Ready to go to in her ride (as she likes to say)!
Kimberly does her school work at her own computer in our bedroom. Not an ideal set up, but it's working.
Josiah's ready for his first day at TCA!
Caleb ready for his first day at TCA!

Moriah is a future scientist!

We are gearing up for another surgery for Moriah in October. They will fuse a section of her spine to correct her kyphosis. It's a pretty major surgery that is necessary to prevent paralysis in the future. She continues to have physical therapy and speech therapy weekly and occupational therapy monthly. It is amazing to reflect on where she was a year ago and see how far she's come. We know the Lord formed her in her mother's womb and all of her physical challenges are being used for her (and our) good and for his glory. We are honored that He chose us to parent this precious child.

Moriah calls almost every round fruit "apple."

She loves peaches!

Chapmans Bring New Hope from Sorrow

Chapmans Bring New Hope from Sorrow

Shared via AddThis

Check out this great clip about Steven Curtis Chapman and family's work in Moriah's home province!

Summertime!

It has been a busy summer so far. We started off in June with a trip to Washington DC and Pennsylvania. We felt like it was important to go to that part of the country to visit with Andy's great aunt who lives in Pennsylvania. We travelled with Andy's parents. After spending three days with her, we drove down to DC to spend about a week. Several days were spent visiting with family on Andy's dad's side and several days were spent seeing the sights. Andy spent the first eight years of his life there, so it was fun to see the house where he lived and some of his favorite places from childhood. It was a busy, exhausting trip, but a good one. Many of the relatives had never met the kids, and it was fun for the kids to meet their second cousins for the first time. There is so much to see there. It seems like we barely touched the surface, but hopefully the kids got a little taste of some of our country's history. They were all good travelers, but it sure felt good to get home!

We had dinner in Alexandria at a tavern where

George himself used to eat.

The boys with Abe

Aunt Ruth, 94 and still charming everyone she meets

Hot kids in front of the Washington Monument

When we got home, it was almost time for Josiah's 7th birthday! Hard to imagine that he could be seven already! He wanted a big cookie instead of a cake. We had both sets of grandparents over for cookie and ice cream and his cousin Stephen spent the night. The next day, we went to see Night At the Musuem 2, which was especially fun after having just been in DC. Josiah is a great blessing to our family. He has a gentle spirit which endears him to everyone he meets. He shows a lot of spiritual insight and makes all of us laugh. 

July 2nd, just one week later, was Caleb's 9th birthday. I guess as a mom it is always surprising how fast the years are ticking by. I found myself thinking that our time of parenting Caleb is now half over! (At least in the formal sense of him being a child in our home.) For his Birthday, we took cupcakes to a huge park and met some friends for a little party. We played a couple of games and let the kids run around a lot. They had a great time. We also tried to make a cake to have with the grandparents in the evening. But it was a complete flop, so we ran to the bakery and grabbed a beautiful and far more delicious cake than I could have ever made. It is handy to have the best bakery in town less than a mile from our house! (Even better that the owner is a friend from church). Caleb is quickly becoming a young man. He shows initiative and leadership with his neighborhood friends. He is concerned with doing the right thing. He is creative (quite a lego designer) and kind. 

What a blessing these boys are to our family!

We have also been taking swimming lessons, trying not to forget everything we've learned in school, playing with cousins, and generally enjoying a beautiful Colorado summer.

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Caleb and birthday friends at the park

Happy Birthday, Josiah!