The Room is Almost done!

Whew! Our boys' room revamp has taken a bit longer than we expected.....especially since William has done all of it!  He is very handy and can fix just about anything around the house.  He has done a beautiful job so far, but it has been challenging for him with a new job, soccer season and tournaments restarting, and all of the other little things that pop up every day.  He has been invited to lunch by the boys almost everyday!  And, how can you turn THAT down?!

I wanted to post a few new pictures.....

Subfloor in

Painted with new trim, new ceiling, clean walls and almost all of the floor in!

Redoing all of the electrical work too

William and Alex and the first of the bunk beds

Jack and William

Helping Daddy

Takes a little longer but OH so worth it!

William and Alex

First bunk bed built!

The boys' new closet with space for all three

Floor in!

Ben and William get to sanding everything

Definitely no splinters around here!

Following directions

Special Gift....

We have a new picture of Florie with her best friend from her orphanage, "V."  V's family is in China now, adopting her, and were able to go to their orphanage one day.  They were able to see where our girls' finding spots were, what the streets looked like, what the orphanage was like, and they were able to see FLORIE!  They said she was very serious, and scared of them, but did take a piece of candy from them.  I am so thrilled, beyond words, really, to have this special gift!!  The last photos I have of Florie are from mid December.

"V" has the cute hair bow, Florie has the red shoes

She is beautiful! I cannot believe how much she has grown and I cannot wait to go meet her!!  We are waiting on our last piece of paper, the Travel Approval, before we can make further plans (like plane reservations!!).  We should (hopefully!) have that TA in the next two weeks!

Thank you so much to V's family....what a blessing, and we will keep these two precious ones in touch throughout their years.....friends forever!!

Love,

Eve

Ski Trip 2011!

A few weeks ago we went on our family ski trip to Colorado...it was a lot of fun, though my heart still longed for next year when our ENTIRE family will be there together!

We stayed at our normal place which is ski in ski out...it makes it nice because we can come in for lunch and not pay $40 for a baked potato at lunch!  All of the boys did ski school the first day this year.....Alex moved up to a Level 5 skier meaning he now has poles, and Ben was the only 7 year old in his group!  The rest of them were older.  The boys primarily skied with William the next two days, and as Ben said, waited forever for me!  Ben ended up skiing 3 BLACKs while we were there, and Jack came up on the mountain with us and even skied a BLUE!  We had a great time away, though I just got all of our ski stuff up today!

The View

Alex waiting

In front of our condo after a lunch break

Ben waiting on Jack, and eating snow

Up on the BIG mountain! ALL the boys!

God's work at its best

Silly guys!

Ice Cream in 10 degree weather...what else?

Crazy Fun with Brothers

William, Ben and Alex

Caught up with Jack at ski school

Well earned Relaxation!

Dinne at the Brewery

Last day Ride on the Gondola

Love,

Eve

Tick Tock....

I keep dreaming about Florie....it is amazing how vivid the dreams are!  On the first dream,  my friend Lindsay who is really close to me in the adoption "pregnancy" and I went to China together.  We were able to visit our daughters, but could not bring them home yet.  When we got there, we went to the orphanage and sat at a table and waited. We watched the kids playing and being loved on by the nannies in the orphanage and we were very excited to see that.  Then, Florie and Lindsay's daughter came out, and Florie had really blue lips, and I knew there was something wrong.  I was told that she would need heart surgery ASAP and if I could not get her to the US soon, then the surgery would be done in China......and then I woke up.  To me, this dream is in response to all of my questions that I cannot have answered until she is IN OUR ARMS....what type of milk/formula does she like?  Does she still use a bottle? What about a pacifier? How does she soothe herself?  Is she a good eater? What are her favorite foods? Is she walking? talking? sleeping well? and so on......the fear of the unknown......
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.


In the second dream, Florie was an OLDER child..although she was less than two years old, she spoke in full English sentences, was potty-trained, and used chopsticks.  She acted more like a 6 year old.  In this dream our entire family was in China, and we were all shocked at what she could do.  Again, I believe this craziness comes from my eagerness, my anxiety, my impatience...just to meet her, to learn her, to hold her, to learn what she likes, what she does not, how to rock her to sleep....
Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?


Our Article 5 was dropped off at the US Consulate in Guangzhou last week...it takes about 2 weeks for it to be picked up and then taken to the Chinese adoption officials who will then process it and issue our TA or Travel Approval about 2-4 weeks after that.  I know we are getting close....I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I even bought diapers today :)  Now, to get started on clothes, toys, and other girly things.  Most of all, I just want to have her in our home. Part of our family is away, and I do not do well with that.

Right now, it is mid-morning in her world.  I pray that she has a fun day, with lots of hugs, and warmth, and colors in her life.  I pray that she too will not suffer from a fear of the unknown when we have "Gotcha" day....I pray that God will prepare her for the big change about to happen in her life.  I pray for patience and wisdom for William and me, and for love and joy for us all.

You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Psalms 10:14,17-18

Mixed Feelings

This week Florie turned 19 months old.....19 MONTHS OLD!  The boys were so excited thinking about her!  I am still hoping we will get to travel in late spring, so hopefully be there to get her in our arms around her 22 month "birthday."  That is THREE whole months away...three months of waiting....and then I think that is 12 WEEKS away..how quickly do 12 weeks go by with 3 boys at home?  I have some serious work to do in the next 12 weeks!!!

The other night my youngest son and I were talking about babies being born.  He wanted to know where Florie was born...yes, China.  Then he wanted to know HOW she was born, and to WHOM.  Even though we have talked in "general" about orphans, and how they become orphans through loss of their parents, extreme circumstances, poverty, etc, we had not talked SPECIFICALLY about Florie.  Their SISTER.....that they already love and pray for even though she is not HERE yet.  So, I talked to him...I want all four of my kids to be aware of Florie's beginnings, so we can all work together as a family to answer her questions when they come.  And, even though I have read how she became an orphan, I have not explained it to a young someone yet.   A young someone who developed the look of horror, and sadness, and shock on his face.  How could that be???  He knows she was an orphan, and we have worked to support and pray for orphans for years.  But, it just sank in with him.  The pain, the lonely, the hurt, the loss that Florie (and other orphans) all have.  And he didn't like it.  "It just isn't right, Mommy."

Since then, I have thought a lot about her birth parents....how did they make their decision?  I have a good guess as to why the decision was made, but who made it.....and who carried out the plan?  She was a little older when it happened, and was growing very well at the time as per her measurements.  She was well cared for, and well loved.  I can only imagine the heartbreak, the pain....the loss.  The "bravery" to leave her in an open place, where she would obviously be found.  The grief.  Day after day...the grief.  I pray for her birth parents...so they would know that she will be safe, she will have a family, and she will be TREASURED.  I pray for education for her country about specific special needs...what can I do to help educate so families will not be "broken."

I also grieve for Florie.  I grieve that she will one day have to process all of her beginnings.  She will have the questions I have, but to a millionth more degrees.  It just isn't right......that children have to be orphans, or homeless, or hungry.  When I think of my kids NOT having the circle of security of our family, or not having someone who cares....it breaks my heart.  My youngest wanted to know what would happen if every family adopted just one child....and I told him there would be NO MORE ORPHANS.  No child living in the dumps, no child having to prostitute themselves in order to eat, no babies who stop crying because no one can come or doesn't care if they cry.  They STOP CRYING!!!  Forever....not just for that moment.  I know adoption is not for everyone, but caring for orphans IS.  Everyone can do SOMETHING.  Pray, educate, donate, visit, volunteer, take meals or baby-sit friends who adopt, fundraise.  SOMETHING.

IT JUST ISN'T RIGHT




Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their 


names. 


They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.


It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold 


them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.


--David Platt Radical 

Bran Muffins and Red Wine

Whew.  I am there.  The Wall.
Do you ever have those days/weeks where strep runs through the house, or even the stomach bug? Those times when you pretty much drop everything else just to get through the day?  Those days I typically cherish (sounds weird, I know), because I AM able to drop everything and just take care of my family.  That is one of the reasons I stopped working to stay home WITH the kids.  So I could be....THERE.  And THERE is a wonderful place to be.  BUT we have had strep, the frigid winter where NO ONE including the dogs can go outside...where the kids are out of school more days than they are in.....when I keep telling myself  I will do a BIG cleaning tomorrow, or catch up on this tomorrow.  But, tomorrow has not yet come.  William and I have also started the renovation on the boys' room (please note I use the term "I" rather generously here....he has done nearly ALL the work).  SO, the playroom is now the boys' bedroom, their furniture is out in the hall upstairs, their closet is on Florie's future bed....you get the picture. It is all temporary and SO worth it, but I have used it as an excuse to postpone "things" until tomorrow....I know I am a procrastinator.  I need some stress and some pressure to get things going.  I thrive under some pressure....but there is a point when I realize that my weakness due to procrastination gets the better of me, and today is that day.
My youngest is sick with strep...big fever, no eating, barely drinking, and has wanted me beside him all day. Literally.  This is after two weeks of snow days, and colds, and diarrhea, and no form of set routine for the boys. I did get to run 7 1/2 miles outside early this am (even in 15 degree weather it was invigorating and WONDERFUL), and I came home ready to catch up on all of the things around the house that had been neglected the past few weeks.  My boys are really willing to help when I engage or challenge them....and I had a plan all prepared for my helpers.  But, Jack had other plans.  He needed me to sit, and just be beside him.  So I did.  And I cherished it.  The first 5 hours, anyway.  After that the afternoon sun shone through the windows, showing all of the dust on the hardwoods, and dog hair bunnies scampering around. I ignored it....I really did.  I even made homemade vegan bran muffins which the kids love and we all licked the bowl (Jack sadly forgot he loves the muffins but is pretty sure the batter tastes like poison, and was not happy with his lick at all!).  I got a glass of red wine my sweet hubby left for me, and we all curled up to watch a movie tonight.  But afterwards, my wall hit.  I found myself snippy with the kids.  The dust, the laundry waiting on me, the unflushed toilets (which are a fine now of 10 cents a pop at my house just in case you come to visit!),  the Legos all over the floor which really hurt when you step on them in the dark (surely I can sell all these Legos one day to the military to use as booby traps or something!)....it just sucked  out all of the being THERE, and the cherished sweet moments with my kids.  And I HATE that.
THE WALL is present.  Thankfully, I was able to apologize to the kids before they fell asleep for my snippy behavior.  I am also thankful that I can see there are choices for getting past this wall.  I can wake up as a tyrant in the morning, push through the day, and get as much done as possible, so that the house and laundry are in order and I feel "better."  OR, I can just start somewhere....15 minutes here, 15 minutes there...and a change will happen, albeit a bit slower, but with a lot less push and a lot more opportunity for being THERE. Who knows what tomorrow will bring...more strep?  SNOW?  SNOW DAY?  Freezing temps?  It is called LIFE....and I am so thankful for it.  The past few crazy weeks have just led me to refocus on priorities.....and that I cannot wait for tomorrow or the perfect time to do "things."  There is no perfect time, except for the time I can BE present with my family.  That is a gift.
So, my plan is to do a little here and a little there. Take time to smell the roses (or the soccer sock left under the stairs...).  In only 15 years, my kids will be 25, 22, 20 and 17.  Do I really want them to remember a clean house and "caught up" laundry (whatever the heck that is!)?  Or, do I want them to remember the times I dropped EVERYTHING just to be beside them when they needed it?  To sit beside them and know that tomorrow will be okay, no matter what, because we will face it TOGETHER.  That is what FAMILY is, and that is how we approach LIFE.

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.  Isaiah 66:13

LOA Baby! One step closer to Florie!

40 DAYS into the wait.....we received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China.  This basically means that YES, we are going to be her parents!  This is a big step in the process, and we were so excited to hear the news.  The Fed Ex man must have seen that it was from our adoption agency because he RAN back to his truck...missing the photo op.  But, I did catch this handsome dude who was home sick from school.

We have now sent our I800 application in..basically there are about 4 "steps" left, and each of them take 2-3 weeks to complete on average (average being the key word).  At the end of those 4 steps, we will receive TA (Travel Approval) from China, and will go BRING FLORIE HOME!

We had a peaceful Christmas....a few cases of strep throat and one stomach bug, but it was a really great holiday.  Christmas Day the kids even made it till 7 am while William and I were up at 5 am waiting on them!  I have lots of pictures, but since my boys tend not to wear shirts to sleep in (they have the warm body gene that I did NOT get!), they do not want their pics on here!  We stayed in our pjs the whole day, and ended up curled up on the sofa watching a movie that night.  My Mom aka Sugar was here to share in all the fun too!  We were happy to have her.

William has started his new job, and is able to tackle several of the projects he wants to get done.  The first is our DIY remodeling of the boys' room.  They share one room by choice, and we are ripping out the carpet, painting, changing the closet, getting rid of the train track that goes around the top of the room, and putting bunk beds made by William in!  After that, it will be time to decorate Florie's room!!

DESTRUCTION!

The old train track and its horrible dust GONE!

The boys temporary sleeping quarters

Jack likes to pile everything

Stuff to sort in Florie's future room

Florie's "things" to start!

New Year's Resolutions?  

1) Remain Calm :)

2) read the Bible in its entirety (not cover to cover but following a plan)

3) 1/2 marathon in March (last one for awhile)

plus the usual eat healthier, be more organized, you know :)  

I am so excited at how things are progressing with our adoption...Travel is not for certain until we receive that TA...we can guess pretty close now, but it hopefully will be mid spring!

I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday, and best wishes for a great 2011!!