New Additions

The Horse Proud owner, Shelby. "Oreo" as she named him is actually an early 13th birthday present for Shelby. She saved her money for almost 2 years to buy the saddle and all of the other long list of supplies necessary for horse ownership, and we gave her the horse. This was on May 22, the day we moved Oreo to our farm. What a happy day this was for Shelby as well as our whole family. David and I did not grow up with horses, but so far horse ownership has been a wonderful experience for our family. For anyone who "knows" horses and wants a little info. on Oreo. He is a 6 year old black and white paint, hence the name :), and although it took several months, lots of wasted time trying out many other horses, a few heartaches and disappointments, we finally found the right one! He seems to be the perfect fit!

The Minature Donkey (the free gift with purchase)

This is Bradley or Bratley as we now call him. He was Oreo's pasture mate at his previous owner's place. He has kept Oreo company and has not been all that bad. He does try to chew on the horse brushes and other supplies including the reins and saddle - Big No No! He is quick to get into mischief, but he is a big hit with the under 6 crowd at our house. He is really quite cute, and I think he is a keeper although we came extremely close to sending him up to Elaine's farm (thehortonhome.blogspot.com) By the way, Elaine and her family have exciting news happening at their house with children from Ethiopia coming to stay a month for CWA's Summer of Hope program. Plus they are adopting 2 girls from Ethiopia. Check out their amazing journey!

The boys dressed like cowboys all on their own. They came down stairs ready to ride - the donkey that is! We thought they were too cute for words!

The Kitten

On Friday, May 29 as we were reading our history lesson in Story of the World (so we can finish the book before the next volume in the fall), Katie says "What is that in our yard?" Sure enough this little guy was at the back of our yard near the trees. We live in the country so I have no idea where he came from. Of course, David and I tried to play the practical parents with many speeches like the following: "We don't need another kitty. We already have 5!!! cats. Plus we have 2 dogs, numerous chickens, and we just added a donkey and a horse. No, we definitely do not need a kitten!!!!" Then we got replies like this "But we will pay for it with our own money. We'll do all the work. He is SO Cute! He must belong with us because God sent him here!" Well, he is still here and yes, the oldest 3 children are paying for all of the vet bills (which are quite pricey for a kitten) as well as the kitten food. And they are doing most of the work. His name is Caramel by the way which was the only name Shelby, Fulton, and Katie could all agree upon.


The Baby Chicks

We have had chickens for a few years and enjoy the fresh organic eggs. We have even raised baby chicks from our eggs by using an incubator. Well, today for the first time ever, we had baby chicks hatch "naturally" meaning one of our hens sat on a clutch of eggs for 21 days. The children were SO excited. Today 3 little chicks hatched but the clutch of eggs has 23 eggs total so hopefully our 2 Momma hens will continue to sit.

Wedding Pictures

The wedding day was so hectic that I failed to get a good picture of the couple, my sister Michelle and Nick. Here they were looking fabulous together at the rehearsal dinner. Congratulations and Best Wishes!


(Just realized that I posted reception first instead of the wedding -sorry :)

Could we have a drummer in our future? I sure hope not, but isn't she cute? We were looking around for Lilly and then David spotted her making herself right at home on the drums while the band was on break. We all got a huge laugh out of that including the drummer himself who gave Lilly a few pointers too.

As close to the perfect family photo as we can get these days. At least the background is "perfect".

I love this picture of Ethan and Lilly peeking through the window to look at everybody dancing. Too cute!

Ellie was beautiful and did great with all the weekend's festivities. Of course she loved the reception- lots of yummy food and fun dancing!

My sister, Michelle, made such a beautiful bride, and her wedding gown was gorgeous! The wedding and reception were both lovely, and she planned it all while living 4 hours away and working 60- 80 hours/week as a resident physician. Superwoman!

Lilly did great although after standing at the front of the church for all of 5 minutes, just long enough for the bride to make it down the aisle (thank goodness), she then quietly bolted for her daddy and Ellie who were sitting on the second row. Did you guess that dad had lots of ammunition i.e. candy! Once or twice I heard "MINE!" and a whine or two. I'm sure if one looked closely they could have seen my whole body tense up, but other than that, the girls were really good!

Almost time to walk down the aisle. The stress of it all was so worth it because the children all looked so beautiful and did what they were suppossed to for their Aunt Michelle and Uncle Nick.

Don't they look handsome- despite the similar yet hilarious thing they are both doing with their mouths! At that point, I was just glad they were dressed and willing to walk down the aisle. Perfect picture wasn't important.

Our 2nd Gotcha Day with Lilly

May 14, 2007 in Changsha, China
With Jane, from CWA, being walked over to meet her family for the very first time ever!




In my arms for the very first time! Wow, how she has grown and blossomed since this day. And her hair, she finally has enough for pony tails!

Today is a busy day with David's birthday, Lilly's Gotcha Day, Fulton's baseball game, and Shelby's piano recital- Wow! Lilly loves the park so we did make time to do that after lunch. We have a small gift that we purchased in China for her that we will give her later today when we are all back together again after today's numerous activities. Last night, we were reminding her that today was her special day- 2 years since we became a family. She asked if it was her birthday and then we pulled out her mini photo album that is kept in a basket next to her bed with all of her books. We read it from time to time, and we read through it last night as well. It simply tells, in pictures, how we became a family. She seemed to understand a little more after that. This morning, she and I had a few quiet moments when we looked at the big album of pictures from her adoption trip. She loved seeing her baby pictures from the orphanage, seemed a little sad when looking at the pictures of her sick in the hospital, and enjoyed seeing some sights from her native country. After we closed the book, she smiled her huge smile and said so joyfully "That was a great story. That's my story!" I immediately thought of this verse: "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16b So, yes, that indeed was Lilly's story written by our Heavenly Father who lovingly watched over her and sustained her through 19 months of life with a heart defect in need of surgical repair and 19 months without a loving family. We thank God today for Lilly and all the joy that she has brought to our lives these last 2 years. What a blessing it is to call her our daughter and our sister.

This last picture (from my sister's wedding) perfectly captures our little Lilly: constant motion, pure energy, living life to the fullest all the time, full of joy (and lots of other emotions- good and bad :) ), and finally beautiful - both inside and out!

Recent Happenings

Easter Pictures:
I know that they are really late- sorry! Next post will be of my sister's wedding. We got some great pictures of all 6 of our little cuties dressed up for the big day! Happy Mother's Day!

Happy 8th Birthday Fulton!

Fulton turned 8 back in April. He requested his favorite- Zaxby's for supper followed by cookie cake. It's hard to believe he is 8. Wow, time sure has flown by. Fulton is a wonderful boy with a loving heart. He is such a good big brother to his little sisters. Fulton is enjoying baseball season and is having a great year. He has already hit a few homeruns, and we are so proud of him. He has really improved from the fall season when he was so ill from those pesky kidney stones.

Fulton trying out his new Pogo Stick. So far - no accidents! Great way to let out some energy.

Fulton wanted to go camping for his 8th birthday so he, Ethan, and David went on an overnight camping trip with old friends who have moved away from our area, Gabe and his son Luke. They had a blast although there was little sleep to be had especially for the over thirty group- ha ha! And check out the catch by the birthday boy!

Pickle Juice

Well, it has been a while since I've found the time to update! Life has been so full lately. My sister, Julie just had her first baby last week who is our first nephew on my side of the family. Congratulations Julie and Tripp and welcome baby Caleb!!! My other sister, Michelle, is getting married next Saturday to a wonderful guy, Nick who we can't wait to welcome into the family! Think 5 children in the wedding and mom too. Think of all the outfits and shoes for bridal luncheon, rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding. Add to all of that, homeschooling, spring break with a few day trips, horse shopping and paddock preparation, summer clothes shopping for all 6 kiddos who have outgrown lots of clothes, and well that equals some very busy weeks! I have lots of pictures to post from Easter and Fulton's birthday but that will have to be another day.

Now onto this post. . . Since childhood, I have always loved to drink the pickle juice from a dill pickle jar. Strange, I know, but very true. Well, who knew that little Lilly also had this same crazy taste. Recently, after we had finished eating all of the dill pickles, she asked me if she could drink the juice. I didn't think she would like it, but she did! Like mother, like daughter!!!

Ellie: Home 6 months & 2 1/2 years old

Wow! It is hard to believe that last Monday, March 16, we celebrated our 6 month anniversary since Ellie's Gotcha Day. Then on Friday the 20th, Ellie turned 2 and a half years old! Time sure has flown by in our house these last 6 months. Ellie is doing very well for which we are so thankful. Lilly and Ellie are also doing beautifully on most days now which is a huge blessing. Just today (when I did not have a camera close at hand), the two little girls were sitting on the sofa just having the best time. They were giggling, hugging, and just enjoying each other. It was such a wonderful moment to take in as their mother. Enjoy the pictures!

Couldn't resist capturing these cute toes. Yes, they belong to Ellie since our family did "grow by (her) two feet" this year!

This picture definitely requires a caption! Shelby and Katie will, from time to time, have "Spa Night" or offer massages for a quarter or so- very reasonable, don't you think? Well, on this night, the older girls were giving massages and look who had to copy their older sisters! It was hysterical!

Dress up time with the boys. Fulton is obviously a knight, but I'm not really sure who Ethan and Ellie are suppossed to be. Quite an assortment of accessories the two of them are sporting!

Look what Ellie can do!

A bubble! Proof that Ellie is learning how to use her new palate! For all of you moms of cleft children, I know you can understand our enthusiam over Ellie's recent accomplishments. For those who do not know, a child with cleft palate does not "know" how to suck or blow bubbles as non-cleft affected babies do. Once the palate is closed, the children have new sensations and new abilities, but of course, it takes time for them to build up muscle tone. It also takes practice to learn how to apply enough pressure to suck from a straw or blow bubbles. WE are so proud of Ellie!

Speech therapy is also going well. Ellie receives services through Baby Net, our state's Early Intervention program. She has therapy twice a week in our home. Our therapist used to work with Ethan, then Lilly, and now Ellie. Mrs. Jan is awesome, and Ellie is willing to work hard so she is making great progress!

Working so hard to suck through a straw! She finally did it! Yeah, Ellie!

A proud little girl who worked really hard to master blowing bubbles and finally sucking!

Happy Valentine's Day

Sisters sharing some love. They are doing so well together these days. What a blessing!


I do have to share one quick story about Ellie which is perfect for a Valentine's Day post. I have been teaching Ellie to say "I love you", and she has been repeating that phrase back to me for weeks or even months now. However, on Wednesday, as I was carrying her to brush her teeth, Ellie laid her head on my shoulder then lifted her head and said "I love you". She said it all on her own without any prompting at all. Oh, she melted my heart! What a wonderful early Valentine's gift!

Our 2nd annual Valentine's at Chuck E. Cheese. Rather than buying something for each child, we go to Chucky E. Cheese's where there is something fun for all of our children. This year was another wonderful night of family fun. At first, Ellie was a little scared. She never would ride on any of the toys, but she did have great fun with the toy phone and did manage to sit by Barney long enough for a picture. Lilly and Ethan went right up to Chucky as Ellie hid behind David's legs. I tried to get a picture of that, but as I got close to her, she ran over to hide by me. It was so cute! Eventually she said "hello" when she was secure in my arms.

Ellie's first Valentine's Party. This was with our homeschool group. All the children made crafts and then ate lots of goodies. Ellie had a great time as did all of her siblings.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Our first Chinese New Year with Ellie! I just love this picture of her. She looks so happy! Well, eating is still one of her favorite things to do, and she just had plenty! She has really gained the weight these last 4 months. I didn't realize just how thin she was when we first got her in China. Compared to Lilly at Gotcha Day, Ellie looked like average size as Lilly was malnourished for those who don't know. For Ellie though, I think she was underweight and is now where she should be. She's got such cute baby fat where as Lilly has never really had any! So cute!

Lilly and Ellie in their new outfits that we brought home from our recent adoption trip. I'm so thankful that God called us to adopt these sweet little girls and that He also gave us the courage to accept the call. Oh, the blessings we would have missed had we said "No!"

Our crew after eating way too much Chinese food! As you may notice, Shelby is not dressed in her Chinese dress. Being that she is 12 now, I guess she felt she was a little too old for that. Aren't the boys cute? This is their first time wearing their outfits together. Ethan actually wore his to school one day despite our trying to talk him out of it- too funny.

How cute is this with the big girls smiling down on the little ones! Family is such a beautiful gift from God yet so often we take our families for granted.

Brinley and Bailey look a little lost without their big sister who couldn't join the celebration! I love how these older girls look so very happy with their little sisters. (Ellie and I were in the bathroom which is why she is not in Katie's arms!) Sophie and her little sister Cate are in the middle. Cate just came home right after Ellie.

Aren't these Asian beauties just adorable? I was overwhelmed with God's goodness as I looked at this picture. Five precious children, made in the image of God, born half a world away, orphans by the world's definition yet now they all have loving families who cherish them. How beautiful, how amazing, how perfect adoption is!