Home

Just a quick update...I am home....thanks so much for your prayers today!! The procedure went well....just in a whole lot of pain here once the hospital pain meds wore off. The surgeon got all the "numbers" he needed for September. Thanks again for the prayers and well wishes!



Please stop by and visit this site(below)....my friend has started this auction site to benefit the the little ones from China Little Flower. Take a peek...just make sure you don't bid on any of the items I have bid on. ; )

Reunited!

These two little cuties spent the first year of their life together in the SWI pictured below. Ella is on the right and her buddie Sam is on the left. They were born just weeks apart, had the same Ayi, same schedule and seem to be in several pictures together. They were both part of the Waiting Child Program and went home to their forever families just weeks apart. Sam's Mommy and I became good friends while we were waiting to travel and were sure that we would travel at the same time for our little ones. The CCAA had different plans, though and we did not travel at the same time....which was hard at the time. How nice it would have been for these two to have had each other nearby as they transitioned to their new families.





They live many states away from us and over the past 3 years, we have tried on several occasions to get Sam and Ella together, but it just has not worked out....the distance is far enough that it is hard to do.



To say we were THRILLED when they came for a visit yesterday, was an understatment!!! Our Mommy hearts were filled with joy to see Fu Li She and Fu Li Yuan together again!!! Aren't they adorable?












The picture below has Sam's beautiful big sister Emma...and Sophie who decided to take a dive as I was taking the picture.





Tomorrow, I will be in the hospital and have to be under anesthesia for a procedure that needs to be done prior to my surgery. Kind of part 1 of the surgery....the doctor needs to get measurements and such to prepare for the surgery. If you could keep me in prayer in the morning, I would so appreciate it!

Be Blessed, my friends!!!

Backyard Fun!

A cheap inflatable pool from Wal-Mart...$20.00
The smiles it brings from my little ones...priceless! : )
Isn't it nice when our kids are little and the simplest of things bring them such pleasure?
Lots of pics...enjoy!




















Ella loves the water, but you will notice her hair remained dry...still does not want her face in the water. Now, Sophie is using this to her advantage and trying to one up Ella by sticking her entire head in the water. Now, she does not really seem to like it when her face gets wet either, but keeps trying to master this before Ella. lol!







Our Crazy Daisy. She is such a good natured dog....always wants to be right by your side and literally in the middle of everything we do...especially the little ones.



Even when there is very little room for her! That does not seem to stop her.


Have a wonderful Sunday!!!!

Please Join In

Do you know how sometimes you stumble upon a blog and then realize the blessing you have received from getting to "meet" someone very special? That special lady is pictured above...a loving wife and mom to 10! Cindy is battling cancer right now and needs us to come together, at the foot of the cross, on our knees...TOGETHER!!! Read the link below for details about how we are going to do this for her!!!

Last week, I came across Cindy's blog and her story touched my heart more than I can say. Cindy's friend(Linny) has written a post that I am going to share with you if you have not already read it.

When you link to Linny's blog.....you will be able to figure out how you can go over to Cindy's blog and meet her....you will meet a very special Child of God!!

Okay....crystal clear? If not....just click on the link below and please pray about being part of something very special!!

Please Read

Para-Sailing and More!

Chels is home from the Outer Banks. This is one of her BF's...Erin. Chels and Erin have been best friends since they were 3...in pre-school together! She has gone with Erin's family to the Outer Banks for vacation for the last several years and it is always a highlight of her summer. Erin's Mom paid for them to go para-sailing, which was the first time for both of them.





Isn't this a cool picture?

For those of you who have never gone para-sailing.....they ask you ahead of time if you want to go all the way down to water level. When Dave and I went several years ago, we told them we just wanted our feet to touch the water. Apparently, the girls told the guys that this was what they would like to do, also...but as you can tell from the pic...the guys were having a little fun with them as there is def. more than their feet in the water. : )








Ryan just got back from Florida, where he spent almost 3 weeks with one of our good friends. He had to go this morning to have his wisdom teeth removed...so he is taking it easy for a few days.



I want to introduce you to my new friend! This is the ROBOT that is going to be doing my surgery....available in only one hospital in our area. Modern technology. If you look at the photo below the robot...you will see where my surgeon will be positioned during the surgery...controlling the robot! I don't know if I should be scared or what! lol! So, the plus side.....my new Robot friend will allow for me to have 5 smaller incisions as opposed to one very large one. Surgery scheduled for the last week in September and now I am just wondering if I can get my new Robot buddy to come to my house for a few weeks and BE ME until I am recovered. hee hee!!!

Be Blessed, my friends!!!

Hugs From God

GOD'S GIFT
One day when God felt generous,
He looked down at me and smiled,
"Since I feel so magnanimous,
I'd like to give you something, child."

He asked me what I wanted,
I said, "Oh, really nothing more,
You've done so much already."
He said, "That's what God is for."

"You have been pretty good," He said,
I know there's not much that you seek,
I will pick a little something,
Just to make your life complete."

With great anticipation,
I looked forward to my gift,
I wondered what God had in mind,
That would give me such a lift.

"This gift," God said, "You realize,
Bears some responsibility,
So, if you accept my present,
You must be willing to agree...

"To offer unconditionally,
A section or a part,
Of more than half of you,
The larger portion of your heart."

"Okay, God," I answered,
"Since in You, I always trust,
I'll meet your obligation,
In the manner that I must."

To myself, I thought, wow, what a gift,
For so much of me, God's asked,
Now what could be so valuable,
That my share was more than half?

With both hands I sought my gift,
I still did not have a clue,
Then God put your hand in mine,
And said His gift to me was YOU!

Ginny Ellis~

I believe that friends are one of God's biggest blessings in our lives. They are a truly a gift sent from above. Our friends are His hands and His arms reaching out to us, holding us up, laughing and crying with us, praying for us, supporting us and being there for us....day in and day out. Oh, what a gift!! I know that you all have friends that come to mind when you read the poem above. I found this poem and I thought of my very dear friend, Robin.

Robin is there for me....always! If I need prayer, she is there, if I need a listening ear, she is there. She. Is. There.

Proof that our friends are a true gift from God......About a year ago, I was going through a stressful time and just having a very rough day...the doorbell rang and there was the florist with a delivery for ME. : ) What perfect timing that could have only been God's timing as she had ordered the flowers a few days earlier with no idea what my day would be like when they were delivered. A hug from God when I needed one.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday and I received some news that was overwhelming and I was really trying to process it..... the doorbell rang....I was handed a package with the basket you see above as a gift of love from Robin. Sent out much earlier than she knew what my day would be like. The only One who could possibly know what my day would hold, would be my Heavenly Father....and He used a friend to send me a hug. Friends are His gift to us that we need to treasure.

As Kim shared yesterday, a Blessing is not a Blessing until we speak it. I have had a long last few weeks and have been in and out of Doctors offices and testing centers and such. While I was being tested, they found an incidental finding...found something other than what they were looking for....totally unrelated to the reason I was getting tests done for. I have an obstruction(not a stone) that has caused one of my kidneys to enlarge to the point that it is unhealthy. I prayed and prayed that it was not a tumor and what a Praise when I share with you that God answered that prayer!!!! It will have to be surgically corrected and the procedure is much more complicated than I had expected.....BUT, I am thanking God that this was found!!! If it had gotten to the point of it being symptomatic, it may have been too late to save the kidney! Of course I am not looking forward to surgery and will probably be a big baby when the time comes nearer and will be asking you to cover me in prayer....however, I feel very Blessed that this was NOT a tumor and that I had the first problem(costochondritis) that lead me to be tested so as they found out about the obstruction sooner than later. Thank-you, God!!!!! God showers us with blessings each and every day....don't be too caught up in wordly things to let them go unnoticed. BTW...I pleaded with the doc to have the surgery after Disney and he agreed. yay!

Hope you all have a WAY cool week-end! : )

Parade

Hope you all had a good week-end! We were able to spend the 4th. with some special friends of ours and we had a great time. The weather in the North East is absolutely beautiful and we were rain free....FINALLY!



One of our friends lives in a town that celebrates the 4th. of July by gathering together to form their own parade....dressed in R W & B....singing patriotic songs along with musical instruments and flags. It was really nice and we had a great time! We marched along the canal...beautiful!
At the end of the parade, we gathered at the pavilion for a cook-out.



I like how this picture fell in place with the flag as the background.



My 2 Blessings....

Ella always points out to me that she is my Chinese AND American Princess. She is 100% correct!!





BaBa with his little girls....



Let's hear it for the Mommies!





Friends!







At the end of the day, we were invited to watch fireworks with our friends at their home. I think it helped Ella to have a friend to watch with. A great ending to a wonderful day!