It's a Boy!

This week has been so beautiful! We found our new son, told our adoption agency we wanted to adopt him, received pre-approval and an update from China, and had Christmas with family--all in one week. Smiles are plastered on our faces!

We'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to our family, Qiu Lin (pronounced Choo Lynn). We will be naming him Daniel.

Little guy:

We are so happy! We want to blast the news to everyone! No wonder God sent the angels to tell people about His Son's birth! He was so proud! We are feeling that same way right now!

GOD BE PRAISED!!!

"He called me"

Andrew: “Mom, I saw God.” Me: “You saw God? What did He look like?” Andrew: “I saw God. He called me to Heaven.” Me: “He ‘called’ you? Like, He called your name? Did He say, ‘Andrew’?” Andrew: “No, He didn’t say my name. He called me. He said, ‘Come be in my family’ and I flew up to Him. I didn’t have to hold anybody’s hand. He called me and I flew right up to Heaven to Him.”

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Two nights later: Andrew gasped and said, "I saw God again!" I said, "What did He say?" Andrew replied: "He said, 'Come into my family.' And the angels said, 'Glory to God in the highest!' and Jesus said, 'Welcome!'"

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This boy gives me goosebumps.

So thankful...

...for the teachers who invest in our children's lives!

Wise"man" and Lamb

Our church had a Christmas party for children. One of the activities was the reenactment of the Christmas story. Our two little ones jumped right in to be actors. Hope was a wise"man" and Andrew was a lamb.

*****

Derek and I are so surprised at the change in these two children over the last few months. We now have two children who like to try new things and who are brave enough to be in front of people. We were so proud of them!

At the same time, we realize it is the loving attention of trusted adults who have helped these two blossom. We thank God for these special adults! What a blessing they are to our family!

To Help Sick Children

A couple of months ago I was called and asked if Hope would be interested in being a model for Wolfson Children's Hospital. The hospital was doing some fundraisers, and one fundraiser was a fashion show featuring children who had had surgeries in the past year.

Knowing how new Hope was/is to the U.S. and her uncertainty with people and her lack of knowledge of fundraising/modeling/fashion shows, etc., I told them I would be glad to have her be a model, but that I was unsure if she would do it. For months we prepped Hope and prayed with her.

She was sent for her "head shot" and fitting. Still she didn't commit.

The day of rehearsal, she walked the catwalk once and did great.

The second time she refused to walk. She crumbled in tears. Through guidance, she walked once more but had more than enough. She was no longer "interested" in being in the fashion show. (And, she had to walk the catwalk three times the day of the show!)

Even though some people asked her if she wanted to be a "princess for a day", she was not interested. She no longer desired to have any attention on herself.

We prayed for wisdom, and God granted it.

The day before the fashion show I explained to Hope what the purpose of the fashion show was--to raise money so the hospital could continue to help sick children get well. I asked Hope if she wanted to help sick children. She said she did.

The next day she told me she wanted to help sick children get well, and we headed for the show.

Pappy, Nanny, Grandma, Uncle Paul, cousin Kyle and some of their friends came out to support Hope. We were excited that she had been chosen to help promote the hospital, and we continued to pray for her.

Here's Uncle Paul and Andrew waiting for the fashion show to begin:

Grandma with her son, Paul, and her grandchildren:

Hope--first time out on the catwalk:

Intermission:

Andrew was spotted and taken up on stage:

Andrew danced and played along with the mascot--much

to everyone's astonishment!

We were shocked!

The boy--who would prefer to be invisible--had heard that the day was to help sick children, and he jumped in to do anything he could. We couldn't get over the brave boy who emerged when called upon to be a part of entertaining people!

Then, Hope came out a second time(!), and this time with her sponsor. She learned to trust the doctor quickly. Praise God!

Hope's third time out, and she was all smiles!

The after-party was beginning:

About 25 people participated in a crab race.

Here's Cherish ready to begin.

A few of the racers:

Cherish's crab "Rose" was one of the winners!

It turned out to be a special day for each one of the children!

(Cherish even got her picture posted on the

National Crab Racing Association website!)

We ALL walked away from the show and party with big smiles! Hope told me as we were leaving the building, "I helped sick children today, Mommy." I said, "You're right! And, you did great!"

She had "helping sick children" on her mind the whole time! What a sweet child who will put the needs of others before her fear of being in front of people--and that includes Andrew, too. God bless these children and the sick children who will be served next year at Wolfson Children's Hospital!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Cherish!

It has been with great joy that we celebrated Cherish today. What a precious day it has been being together as a family and soaking up lots of hugs and snuggles. Cherish is a blessing beyond what words could describe. She is gentle, patient, sweet, compassionate, tender, understanding, loving.... She is a dream come true for our family!

With our hearts filled with awe, we wish you a very

Happy 8th Birthday!

Dancing Bones

Andrew: “Mom, my bones are dancing again.” Mom: “Buddy, your bones seem to be doing that a lot lately.” Andrew: “My heart turns on the music and my bones start dancing.” smile emoticon

Holy Land Experience

Since about January, Cherish has been asking to go to the Holy Land Experience for her birthday. So, this past weekend, we headed down for a visit.

We had a relaxing time playing and watching shows. What great family day!