2007 In Review

Christmas 2007

We had a very nice Christmas with our families. We always have to celebrate our own special Christmas the day before Christmas Eve because we go up north to our parents houses for a few days. Myah was so cute this year, very interested in opening her gifts and everyone elses for that matter. She has been with me when I purchased many of her gifts and I had told her that they were for Annabelle, so when she opened them she said "for Annabelle" each time, I had to reassure her that they were hers to keep. Dayton loved his Ipod Nano, he was thrilled to get it to say the least. I loved my gifts from Mark, we had told each other not to do much because we purchased an antique dining set and buffet in November as our gift to each other. However I loved my new little camera, I can just throw it in my purse and go! I was afraid to carry my pro camera around with me everywhere and my other little camera had broke. He also ordered me an awesome camera bag for my good camera online, I was shocked with that gift! I bought him a new drill set and had some special pictures of the kids framed that I had taken. We had a nice relaxing day at home together, we watched the Planet Earth dvd that we got for Dayton, it is very good, I would recommend it highly! We ordered out dinner that night, I was going to cook but was just too exhausted so I was relieved to not have to. We went up north the next morning to celebrate with my family. We stopped by to see my Grandma and my Uncle Mike on the way, it was a quick unexpected visit from us but it was fun! We had a fun time at my parents house with a great dinner, great gifts and lots of laughs. My parents bought all of the grand daughters real violins in hopes that they will take lessons, they were just precious! We ended the night with our traditional karoke singing on the big screen tv, it is always one of my favorite highlights during the holidays! The next day we celebrated with Mark's family, we were thrilled to have a Chinese student Ru Qing visit with. She loved Myah and was very interested in hearing about our adoption process. We have been busy putting the Christmas decorations down, playing with our new toys and enjoying being together. There is nothing I love more than having all of my little birdies home in our nest. Hoping you all had a very magical holiday with your families as well!

Merry Christmas From Our Family

Please keep them in your prayers...

My friend Lisa and her husband Don could really use your prayers right now. Don was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery last week to remove a lobe of his lung. He is a big strong police officer but this is causing him much pain. I just read Lisa's entry for today and she sounds just heart broken, his lung keeps collapsing and it is very painful, when it reinflates it is also very painful. They were hoping that today he might be coming home from the hospital, his surgery was a week ago Wednesday. Please pray that he may be able to come home in time for Christmas so he can spend it with his 3 little girls. Their oldest daughter Marissa is in many of Dayton's classes. My heart breaks for this beautiful family. I saw her the night before his surgery at the Band concert and she said they need many prayers. So please say a special one for them.

Christmas Happenings

We have been busy getting our Christmas preparations in order but we have managed to spend some time as a family. Here is a sample of what we have been doing!

Myah had a great time at her Christmas party at our mom and me class.

We went to Frankenmuth for dinner and shopping!

We have been playing in the snow!

I have waited so long to have more little pictures on my refrigerator!

We have enjoyed reading our 80+ Christmas cards!

Here is the Gingerbread house kit that we put together, Myah sees it and reminds me that she did it by "Myah's self".

Special Ornaments

Every year we try to find an ornament for the kids that represents an interest that they had this past year. This year it was a deer for Dayton because he got his first buck this year and for Myah is was a Nemo fish because she loves the movie Finding Nemo. We went to Frankenmuth the other night for dinner at the beautiful Zenders and had the tradtional family style chicken dinner. I crave their noodles! It was so yummy, Myah was in heaven, eating like a big girl with a big fork and sitting at the table with us, she loved everything! We then went to the famous Bronner's and bought our ornaments for this year. Frankenmuth is a quaint town that is very German, at Christmas time it is just beautiful, Bronner's claims to be the worlds largest Christmas store, it is always a perfect place to get in the spirit! You can find ornaments from all around the world. They actually had a beautiful glass replica of the Great Wall of China! I really wanted that one! Here are a few of my favorites from the past few years. The first picture is my favorite, Mark's mom had this painted for us a few years ago it is of our house and we are on there too! The beautiful Santa holding a pocket watch was the ornament I bought the year we thought Myah was coming around Christmas time (ok, so she came in June, who would have thought that!). It was funny because that year Bronner's featured that ornament on all of their billboards so everywhere I went I would see that same Santa hanging onto the watch and I knew it was a sign, keep waiting, your time will come!

A fun photo shoot

I took these of Myah last month. A China mom named Maureen compiles a photo album scrapbook to send back to our daughters orphanage. This year I sat Myah down with some of her items that we purchased in China and snapped away. I wanted to include these photos to send back to her orphanage and maybe to her foster family. Here are a few shots from that special shoot.

It's beginning to look ALOT like Christmas!

Today we woke up to about 7 inches of snow and when all is said and done we should have around 12-16"! We knew it was coming so we devoted most of the day on Saturday to visiting Santa, looking at Christmas lights and gathering supplies so that we could be snowed in today. We took Myah back to the farm where we bought our pumpkins and Christmas tree to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, it is the sweetest place. This family has turned the whole upstairs of this huge old barn into Santa's village. They take a picture of each child and donate all of the profits to a local church. Myah could not wait to tell Santa that she wanted candy and a doll. She sat right up on his lap and wasn't one bit afraid. There was a light crowd when we were there so we weren't pressured to hurry at all. We then went to the donut hut on their grounds and had hot chocolate and donuts. This place has thought of everything, we have found a new family tradition that is for sure! It is a treasure! On Friday night we had a beautiful date night out with some of our dear friends, we went to a huge church in our area and attended the Phillips, Craig and Dean concert. They were wonderful, so uplifting and inspiring! We have their first cassette tape, that is how old it is! So today we will spend building our Gingerbread house, baking cookies, candy and sipping on hot cocoa! Of COURSE the kids are begging to go out and play in this gorgeous weather! We have some good hills in our yard and I am sure the neighbors will be joining us in sledding! Daddy is off today and we are just going to enjoy the day together. If Dayton is lucky there just might be a snow day tomorrow! So as Myah's favorite Christmas song goes, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Happy Birthday Uncle Scott

Today is Uncle Scott's Birthday! He is Mark's older brother, they were just one year apart in school. He is a super dad, great husband and a crazy funny uncle! He also happens to be Myah's Godfather. Hope you enjoyed our singing yesterday Uncle Scott, hope you had a great day!

Chloe's 2nd Birthday Party and Baptism

We celebrated my niece Chloe's 2nd birthday a few weeks ago. We ended up going up the night before on her actual birthday due to bad weather. Chloe was baptized the morning of her party and Mark and I were her Godparents. She did so good! Some of you have asked to see pictures so here you go! My sister Melanie always has the cutest parties for her little girls.

Chloe's bday comments

You will crack up!

Ok,you have to watch this, I don't know how to make a link so copy and paste the information below into your browser. I saw this on our news station and my friend Lisa made one so I just had to give it a try, I have never seen Mark have so many moves! We are definately getting in the spirit!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1325952065

A Special Meeting and Alert!

A few weeks ago all of the Chinese adoption boards/forums and also local news channels were all a buzz with the sad story of the family who were in China adopting and the father passed away while they were there. Well, I don't know this family personally but I saw my Aunt Katie at my Grandma's party this weekend and she asked if I had heard about this family. I said that I had and she told me that she works with the Aunt of the little Chinese girl. Aunt Katie said that the other day the mom Sandi brought little Hannah in to visit her aunt. So my Aunt got to meet this special family. She said that little Hannah is adorable and that Sandi appeared to be doing alright, I am sure this is the most difficult time in her life. What scared me is that my Aunt told me that the dad was diabetic and that the Chinese government would not allow him to bring his pump into the country. They required him to go to the hospital 3 times a day to receive his medication. Evidently, he passed away under their care. Maybe if he was allowed to keep his pump this would not have been such an unfortunate incident. She said that the dad was cremated over there, per his wishes. I hope all of these facts are accurate, I am getting them 3rd hand, but I just wanted to pass this information along so if any of you know anyone traveling to China in the near future that requires any sort of medical devices, please let them know about this situation and maybe something can be arranged before they travel. This might be old news to everyone but I thought it was a pretty good source and I had not heard this yet so I figured it was a pretty important piece of information to pass along.

Happy Birthday Uncle Eric!

Mark's little brother Eric turns 29 today! When Mark and I started dating Eric was 7 years old! We spent alot of time with Eric while he was growing up, we would baby sit him when Lynn and Phyllis would go out and I would even hang out with him when Mark went away to college. Somewhere I still have a picture he drew me in about 6th grade saying that I was his best friends. Awwww. He has turned into a fine young man, he has a great sense of humor and is such a sweetheart. Happy Birthday Eric!

Grandma's Surprise 80th Party!

Whew! We pulled it off! We had a suprise 80th Birthday Party for my Grandma Verna yesterday. She was completely shocked and surprised! She is not a person who likes to be the center of attention so it was extra fun to shower her with so much deserved attention. We had a wonderful day, I love my family so much, we laugh all of the time that we are together. We rented the hall that we usually have our family Christmas party at and we tricked her into coming inside, wow have we told the lies lately! It took her a while to figure out that we were all there for her. We didn't want the day to end, my cousin Penny flew in from Florida, many of us stayed at the hall after everyone had left just so we could catch up with each other. It just makes me miss them all the more! No one recognized Dayton, they could not believe how much he has changed, mind you, it has been probably about 6 months since many of them had seen him. Myah was a social butterfly, she loved playing with all of her relatives. They love her so much too, it just warms my heart. We have given her this family and she is so blessed, I feel the same way about them too. I think I can say with the utmost certainy that Grandma had a great day, I am so glad! Here are a few pictures from the day.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!!!

Today marks my Grandma Verna's 80th Birthday! I called her tonight to wish her a happy birthday and she had me laughing, my mom (her oldest child), drove down to visit with Grandma and took her out to lunch and shop till they dropped. I love my Grandma so very much. She is the sweetest person that I know, she always has a smile, the cutest little giggle and a song for everything! I love listening to her stories, she has a way of always putting a positive spin on things. I always think of the Dolly Parton song, She's an Eagle When She Flies, when I think about her life. She has always put other's needs before her own, she is the least selfish person that I know, she has tenderly taken care of my Grandpa, my Great Grandma, her best friend, and her son during their times of sickness, and made sure that all of their needs were met until their final hour. She is an angel! Grandma is also a huge country music fan, she loves George Jones and especially loves Chris Kristofferson! I used to love spending summer nights at her house, they had a swimming pool and always had baby kittens around, she also had sweets for us kids! She makes the best Texas Sheet cake, my mouth waters just thinking about it. Grandma also has a way of getting kids the toys they REALLY want for Christmas, we always knew that when we went up to her house, we were going to get what we asked for, she would let us all sit down with the Sears or JCPenney catalogs and put our initials on the items that we liked so she knew exactly what it was that would make us happy. I had to laugh today when she said that she went shopping with my mom that they started out at Goodwill, and then ended up at the mall going to Macy's and Chico's, they totally went from one extreme to the other! She said that they actually had more fun at Goodwill. Wow, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it?! So much of who I am comes from her and my mom, it is scary! She is so special to my family, we want to just wish her a super happy 80th and many more! We love you Grandma!

A Special Girl

Morgan and ChristinaHer dream come true
In her hospital room
Morgan and her mother Dawn

Well, I have been thinking about posting this for a while but I wasn't sure if this was the right place to or not. However, I feel an urgency in my heart now and I figured I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. My good friend Val brought to all of our attention a young lady in our community who has a rare and very aggressive brain tumor. Her name is Morgan and she is a best friend to Val's oldest daughter Christina. I believe that Morgan is 15 years old and was diagnosed in April. Val keeps us all updated through emails and today she shared the caring page/blog from the hospital with me. I am moved beyond words. Lately Val and others have organized a few events to help with their financial situation. The father is in need of surgery on his back and is unable to work, he just went back to work in order to have insurance for his family despite the pain that he is in. They are in a serious financial situation. Val has set up a bank account at a local bank for donations. They are also doing gift wrapping at a local mall to raise money for the family. They are in a gazebo in the freezing cold, but have warm hearts that is for sure. A few weeks ago they were featured in the newspaper because Val organized an outdoor Christmas decorating party at Morgan's house. That was something that Morgan was hoping for, her house to be decorated for Christmas. Morgan was rushed to the hospital yesterday with fevers and seizures, and trouble seeing. Please pray that the tumor is not growing. She is going through chemo and radiation. Six months ago she was just a normal teenage girl, now she is facing so much uncertainy. I am asking you to please pray for Morgan and her family right now, they are dealing with so much. If you would like to donate to the family please email me privately and I can get the information to you. Lets rally around this precious girl! Here are a few words that Morgan had posted herself after 30 people were at her house decorating. "There weren't just people there in the present. God was there, and he was there with me giving me the gift that i always wanted a house that is full with lights and joy and the Lord gave me a yard of warm hearted Angles last night and i really want to Thank all that have worked SO hard just to make my house look gorgegous. & I Thank My God also..... I'm so blessed.. and i don't know if i ever take it for granted but if i ever did God please forgive me. i've become another person learning from all these great Angels that surround me. Thank you everyone. You make my days get filled with joy and shine with light. " Wow at 15 years old, we could all learn so much from her.

Happy Birthday Aunt Lora!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Lora! Not only is she a great mom and wife she is a great aunt and also Myah's Godmother! Hope you have a great day! We love you!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Today is my niece Chloe's 2nd birthday! Chloe is Annabelle's little sister. If you recall our story of how little Annabelle came into our lives (August), you will remember that she was adopted. Well, this is the story of how Chloe came into our lives. One day in September 05 I was shopping in Target (aka my second home), and my cell phone rang with a number I didn't recognize but figured I had better answer it. It was my sister's adoption agency calling me, they needed to get ahold of Mel and Chris but they were nowhere to be found. I was their emergency contact. Now you know if you are someone's emergency contact, it must be an emergency right? So I started to get worried, little Annabelle had just had her first birthday, I had hoped it had nothing to do with her! I tried frantically to get ahold of Mel, finally I did, she called her agency and then called me back . Her words were "well, Annabelle is going to have a little sister!" The birthparents were expecting again and not able to care for this child either. So on December 1st 2005 little Chole Elizabeth entered the world, a full blooded sibling of Annabelle. She was such a blessing! She was soooo tiny! This time I was not able to go to Florida with them so I ran out the door when I saw them pull into my driveway! She has been a little spitfire ever since! She is very spirited! Whenever I think of her I start to laugh. She has a spring in her step, a little bit of clumsiness, and the biggest smile! Mel and I are always laughing at her. She is the little sister, trying to follow in her big sisters footsteps, she does a pretty good job of it! She reminds me so much of Melanie when she was little! Right down to the curly hair! She loves to talk to me on the phone, she actually speaks very well, she always asks to talk to Myah too! We are going up north today due to a bad snowstorm, tomorrow is her party and also her baptism. Mark and I are her Godparents, such an honor. So happy birthday little Chloe and God Bless You!

We also want to wish a special guy in our lives Sean a Happy 13th Birthday!!!!

Thankful Thursday

I know you all know how thankful I am this week for all of your support and prayers over the past few weeks, I am amazed how a special note or a card can speak volumes to my heart. During all of the major events taking place in our lives, the small stuff still had its own voice. And I need to devote this weeks Thankful Thursday to those "small but mighty" acts.

I am thankful for
-Mark, for using your days off for funeral leave to still hang drywall in the garage, in the 30 degree temps! For bringing home a bag filled with our favorite snacks last night! For being such a loving Grandson to Grandma, she loved you dearly!

-Dayton, for the beautiful report card, we are so proud of you, you have adjusted to Jr. High just fine. For all of the great comments from your teachers at conferences, they really wondered why I even came. For loving to cook and for loving to do laundry! Yeah mom!

-Myah, for loving your big girl room and telling me "wow" when you saw it for the first time. For telling me "Aunt Mel painted mommy" every time you see that wall! For being so good about being shuffled around this past week during the funeral. For bringing laughter and smiles to everyone this week, you are a breath of sunshine!

-For my parents for watching Myah for us, I know you had fun but you have no idea what a treat it was for me to not have to chase her around a funeral home!

-For Aunt Mel and Uncle Chris, for being the shuttle bus to my kiddos, and for the hospitality while we stayed with you. Also for putting on a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner.

-For Mel for making my favorite chocolate cake and punch just the way Grandma used to. It seriously deserved it's own thank you!
-For Annaetta, for watching the girls while we went to the funeral, it was so appreciated!

-For Phyllis, the necklace of Grandma's will be a family treasure forever!

-For everyone waiting on their pictures, thank you for your patience, you will see them very soon I promise!

-For ALL of my in-laws, Mark has THE nicest family, I am so thankful to be a part of such a special family! We miss you all so much!

-For the sweet cards from Sherry, Sheri, Lori and Heather, thank you for thinking of our family!

-For Maureen for compiling the scrapbook again this year to send to Myah's orphanage, this means more to me than you can imagine!

-For Oprah, I love her show, especially favorite things and the Nate home show! She is my favorite!

-For the DVR that Mark had installed on Tues. Now we will no longer miss our favorite shows! Life is good!

-For the call from sweet Kim today, I was on the phone when little Kate said "wuv you" for the first time! I know your mommy was thrilled to hear those sweet little words for the first time!

-For the heat in my house, the down blanket on my bed, and socks on my feet, it is 21 degrees people!

-For Aunt Ginger. She looks beautiful, had her first round of chemo and is tired but feeling pretty good. Her hubby Uncle Billy just had bypass surgery on his leg with a scar from his ankle to his upper leg, he is sore but bless his heart, he and Aunt Ginger made it to the funeral home and the funeral this week. We are praying for you both! Thank you so much for coming!!

-For Denise at Matilda for brightening my day!

-For the Christmas season, I love this time of year, such a time of reflection.

-For photographs. I have looked at so many old photos this week, they capture life as it was, they are like crystal balls into the past, they make us laugh, make us cry, make us lonesome for how things used to be and thankful for how life is today. They are priceless.