strandfam

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-29T22:28:00.001-07:00

Our little Star

2011-03-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

Esther is is such a gift to our family! She truly adds so much joy, love and laughter to our family! Esther is now a 5 year old! As I think of the little girl that was placed in our arms a little over 4 years ago I stand in awe of all that God has done in her little life, and all that He has done in our lives through her! She loves her family and Jesus with all of her heart! We love her with all of ours!

Here are a few sweet things that Esther has said recently....

When I asked Esther what she could thank God for she said

I thank Him "That He is my God and King!”

Esther prayed “ Jesus help all the children be in love with you.”

“Mommy you are allergic to cats, I am allergic to bad things!”

Our Blessings!

2011-03-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

I am overwhelmed with how blessed I am to be the mama to these blessings!

Thank You Jesus!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T09:40:00.001-08:00

Our Baby is 3!

2010-12-28T15:56:00.001-08:00

Our sweet Hudson turned three! How can that be?!

We celebrated as a family and had a terrific day at the park followed by a small party at home. Hudson wanted a "cars" party this year and was so happy to have the day be all about him!

We thank God for our amazingly fun, sweet, silly, energetic boy! Life just wouldn't be the same without Hudson!

Happy Birthday Hudsie!

We love you soooo much!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Praying you have you have a very blessed Christmas celebrating the gift we have in Jesus!

Sisters Forever

2010-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

We are alive and well, enjoying our new girl and trying our best to settle into a new normal. We are exhausted, but truly BLESSED! Bella is an AMAZINGLY sweet, and loving little girl. Her brothers and sisters love her very much and she loves them!

Here are a few photos sharing the results of little Esther's prayers.

Sisters

Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support! We would appreciate continued prayers as we settle into a family of 7! I am sure posts will end up being few and far between, but I do hope to update as I can.

We Are Going To China!!!

2010-10-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

We are going to China to meet our sweet Bella!

Please follow along at our TRAVEL JOURNAL

You can follow us by clicking HERE

Look What We Got Today!

2010-09-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

What a gift we received today! New photos of our precious Bella!

I just want to scoop her up and give her a BIG hug and kiss!

Her Daddy is aching to meet her too!

In all honesty we ALL are!

I don't think a day goes by that one of the kids doesn't ask when Bella will be home.

We would have been in China now, had we not had such a delay with our LOA,

so these are even more WONDERFUL to get this week!

We hope to travel soon and trust that it will be in God's PERFECT time!

We love you sweet girl!!
We are praying for you and can't wait to hold you in our arms!

This Precious Girl Needs A Family

2010-08-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

The adoption agency we are using to adopt Bella recently had the privilege of doing a camp for children at an orphanage in China. They were able to spend time getting to know each of the children, and then came back to advocate and find families for them. From the moment I saw "Beth's" sweet smile she touched my heart. She is still in need of a family, and her time is running out. Please read the blog post below about her, and please pray she finds her forever family! Thank You!

Beautiful, Bashful, Bright Beth

Beth is a wonderful 12 year old girl. We adored her from the moment we received her file from CCAA. Here is her referral photo. She is so pretty.

When we first met her she smiled shyly. We could tell that the foreign strangers were making her a little uncomfortable. I don't blame her. I can't imagine what I would have felt like at her age if some weird Chinese people were talking to me in gibberish and taking my picture. Despite her shyness, she was very polite. Right away we noticed the great relationship that she had with several of the other girls from her orphanage. I caught these great shots of them together. Madeline and Rudy's outgoingness seemed to help Beth and a couple of the other girls open up to us more. It was wonderful to watch them interact.

Later in the evening we were able to visit with Beth in her hotel room. During that time We got to see the giggly girl side of her. I absolutely love this shot of Cadence teasing her a bit, playing on her shyness.

During the interview we learned that Beth is a very self assured girl. She knows what she likes and doesn't like and has a very definitive opinion. Beth loves pineapple, and sour and spicy noodles. We learned that she doesn't like dresses and frilly things. She prefers t-shirt and jeans (a girl after my own heart LOL) Some of her favorite colors are pink, yellow and black. She loves ping pong, basketball and badminton. I guess you could say she is a sporty kind of girl. Beth told us that she would like a family with brothers and sisters.

Toward the end of the trip Beth really started to open up to us. While going to lunch or dinner, we encountered her several times in the hotel lobby. Through our facilitator she chatted with us freely. She was such a sweet girl and really captured our hearts. Beth is a healthy child no medical conditions. The only reason that she is a waiting child is because she is an older child. Everyone at our agency is shocked that this girl has not yet found a family. She is so sweet, so charming, so beautiful, so lovable, so full of potential, sooooo in need of a family. If your family feels that you are being led to add a child to your family. Please consider Beth. She needs no medical assistance. She only needs love and nurturing. Contact AAC 970-532-3576

Introducing Bella Jane Yong Mei

2010-08-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, and rich in love. Psalm 145:8

It is with great joy that we can share more about our Bella! Today we received our approval to adopt Wang Yong Mei! She is three years old and living in Baotou, Inner Mongolia.
Bella means beautiful and Jane means God is gracious. We are rejoicing in the gracious gift our beautiful Bella is and will be to our family!

She is described as very smart, a girly girl, likes to dress up, and make her hair pretty.

In the most recent update we received about her it said that Yong Mei knows her parents are coming to get her. She tells her friends all the time that she has a dad and mom now. She is very proud when she tells this to others.

We have longed for this day to come and we were so happy to be able to receive the news while we were visiting special friends! Friends that were instrumental in encouraging us in our first adoption of Esther. We all celebrated by going to Chinese for lunch. We all prayed for Bella and thanked God for hearing our prayers, His faithfulness, and for blessing us with the gift that she is!

Here are a few photos of our precious girl

Bella Jane Yong Mei

the first photo we ever saw of Bella

this photo was also in her referral information

Update photos from December 2009 It said she loves stuffed cakes.

She doesn’t really like vegetables.

Looks like she is very happy with her stuffed cake! :)

July 2010 Happy 3rd birthday sweet girl!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Still Waiting

2010-07-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting for news on our LOA. This last month or so has felt longer than the entire process. Everyday we wonder if today is the day. I would be lying if I said that it hasn't been difficult. We have looked at her sweet face since October, had our paperwork done since December and we still wait. In the midst of the waiting God has been good, He has met us and blessed us. We know our little one is happy, and we have been blessed to see those smiles on her face through pictures and video.

Thank you Jesus for taking care of our little girl until she can be in our arms. Bella's third birthday was July 1st, we sent her a cake and it looks like she loved it! Oh we wish we could have been with her to celebrate the beautiful gift she is! Please pray with us that we hear good news and can move onto the the next step of the process very soon.

Lord strengthen our weary hearts and give us patience and joy in the process.

WHEN MY HEART IS OVERWHEMED LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I.
Psalm 61:2

Wordless

2010-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Amos Story - Music Video - Aaron Ivey

2010-06-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

WE ARE PRAYING YOU HOME SWEET GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL THE LOVE OUR HEARTS CAN HOLD!

Who Is Bella and Where We Are In The Process

2010-06-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Bella will be three years old on July 1st. She is currently living in an orphanage in Inner Mongolia. She had the wonderful gift of living with a loving foster family for almost two years of her life , but was sent back to the Social Welfare Institute this last October.

We officially sent in our LOI (Letter of Intent) for our sweet girl On November 4th 2009 and received PA (Pre Approval) on December 2, 2009. We worked as quickly as possible to put together our dossier and were finally DTC on March 31, 2010. We received our LID
(Log In Date) on April 19th and are currently waiting for our LOA (Letter Of Acceptance).

What a happy day that will be! It has been a very long 7 months and we anxiously wait to meet our Bella! We are hoping to travel early fall of this year. Today has been a hard day, our agency received LOA's and ours was not included. We are not sure why, but we choose to trust that it will come in God's time.

Although we trust, our hearts ache to hold our little one. Today Esther saw that I was sad and asked me why. I told her I just wanted Bella to come home. She then asked if she was still coming. I said "yes that we just need to keep praying." She quickly stopped what she was doing and said "Jesus please keep Bella safe, it is taking soooo long, please help her come home soon!"

That is each of our prayers.

Jesus Said Yes! Part2

2010-05-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

This is the Lord's doing,and it is marvelous in our eyes

Psalm 118:23

Little did I know what would begin to unfold over the next few minutes, hours, days, and weeks.

“God, be bold!” was the prayer my friend prayed as she got off the phone with me. As soon as I hung up the phone I called my other sweet friend.

She answered the phone and quickly said, “Have you seen the list, have you gone back and looked at the waiting children’s list? “No” I said. She then told me that a few children had been added to a “waiting children’s list” I had sent her the day before. You need to go look NOW! I logged on to the computer, went to the website and she said, “look at who they added today!”

I then saw the name BELLA!

I about fell off my chair! Could this be happening? Could this be the Bella our little Esther had been praying for over the last few months? I think I just kept saying “oh my goodness!” Mike was in the living room with the kids hot gluing a football field costume for Hank, when I heard him ask “what is going on?”

I said “there is a Bella, they added a Bella to a waiting children’s list today! I think the words out of his mouth were “No, are you serious?!” Esther overheard the commotion and ran to the computer to see the sweet little face on the screen. She began to say over and over,”My Bella, my sister!” We quickly told her we didn’t know if this was her sister, as Mike and I looked at each other in shock!

“What do we do now” I said, “Should we request her file?” I knew nothing about this particular agency, I did not know how they handled their special need program. What I did know was that we would need to move quickly. With no hesitation he said he thought we should look at her file if it was available, pray and see what God does. I quickly sent an email to the agency requesting her information if it was available.

We put the kids to bed, and as Mike and I went to sleep that night we talked about all that was unfolding and we prayed together. I will never forget the prayer that Mike prayed that night. He said “I surrender God, I surrender my plans, if this little girl is our little Bella then save her for us and if she is not please bring her another family, either way may she have a family.”

Needless to say I had a difficult time sleeping that night. I was anxious to know more about this little girl, who was already finding a place in my heart. I called the agency the next morning to see if they had received my request for information. They received our request along with over 200 others for this list of children. We are working through them and will let you know where you are on the waiting list to review her file. A few days later this was the email we received from the agency

Hello Mike and Sarah,
Thank you for your interest in Bella. She is currently being viewed by two families; therefore her file is on hold. We are placing your application on a waiting list. You are #2 on the list. We will notify you if a family declines, making her file available. Thank you.

We just kept praying, knowing that God would indeed need to “save” her for our family. Honestly we knew the odds were against us, but we also knew that “nothing is impossible for our God!”
A few weeks had gone by, and I checked every day to see if her photo was still available. Finally I called the agency to ask a few questions. I did not want my heart to get anymore attached if it wasn’t even a possibility for our family to adopt her. I knew every agency had different rules on who they would let move forward with an adoption. I had a few concerns:

· It had not been a full year since we came home with Hudson;

· We had not begun any paperwork for another adoption;

· This child was only 6 months older then Hudson.

So I called and I asked about these things and I was told that Bella’s file was being reviewed, that she was going to be an “easy to place” child since her special need was minor and she was very young, and that they would give preference to a paperwork ready family (which I totally understood). They also said they like to have siblings be at least a year apart. I told the coordinator I think I know the answer then and thank you for your time. I called Mike and although my heart was a little disappointed, I truly did have a peace that God was in control and that this must not be His will for our family.

About a half hour later the phone rang and it was the coordinator from the adoption agency. She said “Sarah I know that I dashed all of your hopes regarding Bella, but we just found out that the first two families reviewing Bella’s file have decided not to move forward and you are next on the list to review her file. We have spoken as an agency and have decided that if you would like to review her file you can!!!”

I was speechless… ONLY GOD!!! I called Mike and he said that he had not told me earlier but that somehow he knew it was not over, that when he had seen Bella’s little face a few weeks earlier he knew she was ours! We said yes to our girl at that moment and praised God for choosing us to be her family!

We do NOT deserve this amazing gift, but with joyful hearts we say THANK YOU JESUS!!! Thank you for whispering Bella's name into Esther's heart and for hearing the faithful prayers of this precious three year old girl. Thank you for opening our eyes and for placing your desires within our hearts to accomplish your plan. Thank you for Bella, and thank you for loving her and for placing your hand upon her life.
We rejoice in all that you have done!

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12.

Jesus Said Yes! Part 1

2010-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

“Jesus Said Yes! “

These are the words out of Esther’s mouth the day we told her that Jesus had answered her prayers.

Since being home with Hudson, Mike and I had continued to pray for God’s perfect plan for our family. We would find ourselves occasionally having conversations about the many waiting children around the world. Sometimes we would talk about China, sometimes Ethiopia, sometimes adding a child by birth. But honestly, four felt right. We knew we would always continue to pray, help, and advocate for the orphans around the world, but we did not know if that involved us having more children.

In most cases we would end the conversation with “We feel complete, we are done.” If we did adopt again we thought it would be way down the road, maybe an older child. Even though this is how we felt, we continued to pray for God’s plan to be made clear.

THEN… one day in early June our little Esther with tears in her eyes told us that we needed to go get her baby sister! “She is in China, her name is Bella, she is crying and we need to go get her!”

Wow this was a surprise to hear! This is nothing she had spoken of before and the name Bella???? Where did she get this name??? We thought this would quickly pass, we were wrong! Esther began to pray for Bella EVERY day by NAME!!! When I say every day I am not exaggerating! She faithfully prayed for “Bella”. Pretty soon Henry and Mae were joining in and beginning to add Bella to their daily prayers.

One day Mike looked at me and said “do you think maybe “Bella is an imaginary friend”? Esther hears that one, and quickly and adamantly informed us that “no she is my sister and she is in China!” To say this got our attention was an understatement!

Again we began to pray more, but honestly our hearts were not that open. Truthfully most days we both felt pretty overwhelmed with what we were already responsible for. Our days were filled with the busyness of life with four kids. The laundry is a feat in and of itself! We had just finished Hudson’s second surgery, and were kind of settling in to our life so to speak.

Slowly God began to soften our hearts, and we became more open to the idea of another child, but we both prayed and agreed that God would have to make it completely clear that this was the direction He was leading us.

It is now October of 2009 and Esther has been praying since June for her sister, daily. We have been praying, but have no clear answer. Mike asks one day don’t you think that the name “Bella” would be a good name for a little Ethiopian girl? I said “sure” I don’t really care where our little girl is from if God shows us that is what we are supposed to do. Mike felt the same way. We keep praying… little did we know we would soon have a very clear answer.

One afternoon during the last week of October, I had taken Esther and Hudson to the park. We had packed a lunch, and Esther began her prayer, “Jesus thank you for this food and please keep “Bella” safe. She opened her eyes, looked at me and told me she was going to pray for “Bella” every day until she came home! Then with a huge smile on her face she says “I am SOOOO EXCITED!!!” Honestly I did not know what to say, part of me loved seeing her child like faith, and part of me just wanted to say I don’t think there is a Bella; maybe you should stop praying she comes home, because I just don’t think that it is going to happen. We can pray for the children without mommy’s and daddies but enough about “Bella”. Just being honest here, it was wearing me down!

During this same time I was doing a bible study with a very dear friend that has also adopted from China. My friend and I understand each other and we had been praying for months together regarding God’s will for our families. We were on week seven in our study and there was a scripture that we studied which really spoke to my heart.

“We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

The author then says “God did not save us so we could look attractive on Sunday’s. He saved us and left us here to do-very specific work. He has a mission to accomplish for kingdom gain in every generation all planned in advance and perfectly timed. In His sovereignty, God has chosen to do His work through us. If we miss our ministry, we will miss our entire purpose in remaining here.” Wow this was a powerful reminder that I wanted and needed to be in the center of His plan.

My friend and I were on the phone reviewing this study when Mike came in and told me I had a call from another close friend. He said to call her as soon as possible. I finished up the study and my friend asked what I needed prayer for. I told her they were the biggies… are we supposed to adopt again and are we to continue to live here, or move back home???

She said she was getting off the phone and praying for our family right then.

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
1 John5:14-15

Where Have We Been???

2010-04-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Life around here has been super busy the last few months!!! I am sorry I quickly closed down the blog. This mommy got a little anxious about having it open. We have some exciting new to share and so we are going to do that and then make this blog private. Our purpose in sharing, is that God be glorified for ALL that He has done! He is ALIVE, PERSONAL, ACTIVE, And SO WORTHY OF BEING TRUSTED! Part one of our story coming soon!

Esther Day

2009-11-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today we met our sweet Esther. She truly is our shining star, a bright spot in our days! She is such a gift from God! We love you Esther to the farthest star, back, and more sweet girl!

A Year Of Joy With Our Sweet Boy

2009-11-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

A year ago our lives were forever changed when our precious Hudson was placed into our arms. Thank You Lord for the gift he is and for the joy he brings to our lives each day. We love you Hudson with all our hearts and more forever.

One Year Ago

2009-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

It was a year ago yesterday when we got the phone call that would change our lives and our family forever! We finally knew who our youngest son was!

I am going to back up a bit because I know there is part of this story I have never shared.

I think I knew while we were in China with Esther that we would adopt again. She had changed us and God had changed us through the process to meet her. Our lives were so much richer, we had seen God work in our lives in such a personal way.

Mike was open, but not quite convinced that this would happen any time soon. But within a few months of being home I was talking about adopting again on a regular basis. We began to pray, and it wasn't long before we felt it would be a good idea to grow our family through adoption again. We knew that we most likely wanted to adopt a little boy (Henry had been talking about wanting a little brother for years). So if there was a little boy meant to be our son, where was he? Who was he? Ethiopia? China?

There was not a day that went by that I did not wonder when and how all of this would unfold. Our agency would not let us begin the process for another "special needs" child until we had been home with Esther for 1 year. A few months before we hit the one year mark Mike walked through the door from work just like any other night but said I THINK IT IS TIME! I think we should go back to China. We were all thrilled and the paperwork began. We knew we wanted a son and had asked that he be at least 1 year younger than Esther.

We were told that since we were requesting a special needs boy, the wait for a referral would most likely not take long at all. That it could happen before we were even done with our paperwork. You can imagine how excited I was; I might see his sweet face very very soon! A day did not go by that we did not pray for God's will, His hand, and protection to be upon the entire process. A few months into the paperwork, Our agency received an individual list of special needs children, and I knew there must be a a good chance that we would get a call. I called my sweet friend Amy, and we prayed together. I was so excited!

The call did come and our family coordinator began to share some information about this precious little boy, then she told me his birthday and my stomach sank. He was two months younger then Esther. The one thing both Mike and I felt strongly about was to have a little more space between our kids age. I told her we would want to review the file anyway, maybe God had something else in mind for our family and we wanted to be open to that. I asked her if we could have a couple of days to pray and seek His will for our family. I cannot begin to describe in words all of the questions and emotions that our hearts went through over the next few days.

We fasted and prayed and I cried like I have never cried before. The peace was not in my heart to say yes and yet I never thought I would say no to a child. How could I say NO!!! I was so confused!! I wanted to be in the center of God's will and I did not want to say no if this was our son. We had many people praying and one of the prayers that I kept praying was a prayer for peace. As I was sleeping this verse played over and over again in my mind

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding , will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

Anytime I let this little boy go, that is when the peace would come. It was still so hard, but I knew I was praying to be in God's will and I knew He was big enough to change my heart and Mikes heart if this was His perfect plan for our family. So I called our agency and let them know that we would continue to pray, but as of today we were going to have to say no. I never thought I would make that call. So we continued to pray daily and continued to wait.

We were DTC (dossier to China) in May and in June we received another call; this time about a little boy from the shared list. He was one year younger then Esther and had a very minor medically corrected special need. I told our coordinator I was 99% sure that we would want to lock his file and she told me to call Mike and get back with her in a few minutes, and she would lock it. So I called Mike he said it sounded good. We knew once we locked his file we were committed. Our coordinator told us she was emailing his info. We waited but it never came. I called her a few minutes later and she asked me if I had received his information. I told her no, and she then went on to tell me that she had sent it but the craziest thing happened right after. As she pushed send the power in their office went out. There was a storm in the area and power was down everywhere. We would have to wait.

That was the longest night of my life. We knew we were saying yes and yet we had not even seen his little face. Our coordinator said that she would try to lock his file from home. At about midnight our time the email with his information came through. We looked through it, prayed, and sent an email saying if this little guy was still available we were committed! We were excited, nervous, and just not sure how this would play out. We did know though that God could be trusted and if this was our son He would save him for us. We got a call very early the next morning from our sweet agency coordinator. She had done everything she could to access the shared list the night before but the power was down throughout the entire city and she was never able to do it. During this time, the little boy's file was locked by another family with another agency. My initial response was disappointment, but I knew that God closed this door.

I was quickly feeling like this "shorter boy wait" was beginning to take quite awhile. Shared lists came out again on July 10th and families from our agency were receiving calls. We were not one of them. We knew God's timing would be perfect and we rested in that. Well we didn't have to wait much longer at 7:30 the next morning on July 11, 2008 we got the call that would change our lives. Our coordinator told me about a 6 and a half month old baby boy with a cleft lip and palate. She sent me his info, I called Mike and we saw the first picture of his beautiful brown almond shaped eyes. No need to scroll down further, this was our boy! We locked his file and began to fall in love with our precious Gao Si Jin!

God was so good and so faithful to our family. He answered our prayers.He had a perfect plan. Esther would have a baby brother that shared the exact special need. The same week we said yes to Hudson another family said Yes to the first little boy we had reviewed! He had a family!!! Isn't God so very good?

There are no words to truly express how thankful we are that God has allowed us to be the parents and family of two beautiful children half a world away. They were once called orphans, but are now our BELOVED children. Thank you Jesus!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

Every good and perfect gift is from above James 1:17

Prayers Answered

2009-07-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Hudson this week. God has been so good and gracious to us! Hudson was in surgery for 3 hours Tuesday morning. We were told that Hudson's palate was very wide. (Both Esther and Hudson's palates were labeled third degree by China)

We got the call from our wonderful surgeon that things went well and I was on my way to the recovery room. Only one of us was allowed to go this time, so I went to be with Hudson.

He was not a happy camper to say the least. He was MAD!!! The nurses were able to adjust his pain medication to make him a bit more comfortable and a few hours later we were on our way to our room. He slept a lot of the day and really did amazingly well throughout the night. He was not allowed to have a bottle until Wednesday morning, and again once he ate he was a different boy!

Within a few hours we were released from the hospital and I am not exaggerating when I say Hudson was running the halls of the hospital. The surgeon stopped by and was laughing at him, joking about how he had surgery 24 hours before. Since being home he really has continued to be a happy boy, the biggest challenge right now is being on a liquid diet (or very soft foods) He wants to eat everything everyone else is having.

God has been so good! We thank Him for all that He has done and for His hand being upon this entire process. How blessed we have been to have a truly AMAZING surgeon repair both Hudson and Esther's cleft lip and palates. Another answer to prayer recently has been that we were approved to have financial assistance for any medical care Hudson or Esther need. We had no idea this was even available through the state, but three days before Hudson's surgery we got the final approval. Any costs involved after being billed to our insurance will be covered. We had no idea there was a program in our state that covers adopted children's medical care. The requirement being, we knew of their medical condition at the time of adoption. Thank You Jesus!

Thank you again for your prayers!

Hudson's palate surgery tomorrow

2009-07-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

Our sweet silly loving happy busy determined messy crazy climbing monkey boy is going into surgery tomorrow at 7:30 in the morning. Please pray with us that everything will go smoothly and that God will comfort our little guy. Oh how we love him, and are so thankful for him in our lives. Thank you!

Wordless

2009-06-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day and 6 months with sweet Hudson

2009-05-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

Being a Mom is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I am so blessed, and my heart is so full! What a wonderful life I have with these precious children. Thank You Jesus!

I am so thankful today for my Mom and the love she has given to me and continues to give our family. She is such an amazing example to me. I love you Mom with all my heart! I am also very blessed to have a wonderful mother n law. ( I like to say mother in love) Happy Mother's Day Theresa we love you!

Today I also am so thankful for the women in China who carried and gave birth to Esther and Hudson. There is not a day that goes by that I do not realize the privilege I have to be their mommy. Oh how I wish they could see the beautiful and happy children they are. Their smiles light up our lives!

Six months ago today we met our sweet Hudson. Our lives have been forever changed! He is such a fun, happy boy, full of life and energy. We spent the afternoon at the beach and he kept running to the waves, & getting wet. He couldn't get enough. Nothing stops this little guy! We are so thankful God led us to our precious boy, we cannot imagine our lives without him.

Mike and the kids made today so special. The kids drew me beautiful pictures, and made a sign. Henry wrote me the sweetest book about all the things he loved about me. I am truly blessed!

Here are a few photos from my wonderful day

Our Treasures

2009-05-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

God has blessed us abundantly with each of our children. They couldn't be more different, and yet each perfect for our family! I grew up in a family of four kids and my dad would always say we were north, south, east and west. It couldn't be more true with our kids. They each add something so unique and special to our family! I think you may see some of their personalities shining through the photos.

MEET SWEET MAYLIE

2009-05-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Almost 2 years ago God blessed us with the friendship of a very special family. God had been placing a desire within their hearts to adopt and we were able to share our story with them. Within a few months our new friends were beginning their own adoption process, to bring home a daughter from China.

Shortly after, we began our process to adopt Hudson. It has been such a gift to be able to share in this journey together as families. We have prayed together, cried together, and rejoiced together in all that God has done. He truly brought our lives together and we are so blessed!

Today our special friends met their beautiful daughter Maylie Grace! Oh what joy it brings to my heart to see them together! God is so so good and I thank Him for all that He has done!

What a wonderful day it will be when we see our girls playing together, and grow up to be special friends! I was just able to "meet" Maylie through Skype and what a sweetheart she is! She is full of life and PERSONALITY!!! Our girls will definitely be having lots of fun together! We miss you and love you W family!

You can follow the journey to Maylie here

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T10:02:00.001-07:00

There is lots to catch up on, but until then, here is a glimpse of the new entertainment at our house!

healing and haircut

2009-03-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hudson had his first haircut today. We all loved his crazy long hair, but it was time! I have a feeling we won't be doing it again anytime soon, because our little guy was crying some big tears the entire time. As you can see even when his hair is short it stands straight up! Hudson was all smiles again as soon as he had a taste of his first sucker.

Hudson has been doing really well. He got the tubes taken out of his nose a little over a week ago and is healing beautifully. He has the sweetest little lips and although he has filled out so much since being home he is a little guy. We go back to see the plastic surgeon in April, and Hudson will begin wearing a steroid tape on his lip to help the scarring. We are happy to have this surgery behind us, and the next one should be in a few months. Thank you again for your prayers.

Thought I would share a few photos from today

Hudson's sweet smile 1 week later

2009-03-12T14:57:00.001-07:00

What a gift Hudson's smile is! Thank You again for all of the prayers for Hudson! He has done so very well. The first few nights we had some sleepless nights, but we are on the road to recovery. We went to see the plastic surgeon a few days ago and he gave the ok to take the arm restraints off this week and the tubes in his nose will come out next week. It truly is amazing how quickly he has healed. God is so good!

Hudson has such a passion for life and does not let anything slow him down. He is such a love, and is now saying mama. Such a beautiful sound from my little boy's lips. Just amazing! I think the bonding process has been a little different with Hudson. This week really has been a gift. I am sure I would not choose to go through this if I was given the choice, but God has used this surgery to create truly a deeper bond between Hudson and I. He knows what we need, I think we both needed it. I thank Him for our precious boy, and I am so thankful that I could be with little Hudson as he went through this surgery.

I stand in awe of all that God has done, and I praise Him with all of my heart. Thank You Jesus.

Esterlyn On Tour

2009-03-05T21:42:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we were able to see my brother Luke in concert. He is on tour with his band esterlyn and was coming through our area. He recently wrote a song inspired by our sweet Esther. God gave us this verse when we received her referral.

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147

We knew this was clearly a word from the Lord to our hearts. It was His promise to us. Esther means star, He knew her, and He was going to bind her wounds physically, and emotionally. We do praise Him for all that He has done. It would be dishonest to say we did not have fears when we received her referral, but God gave us His peace. We believed that He chose this precious little girl a world away to be our daughter. We thank Him daily for the beautiful gift He has given us in our precious Esther Li Lyn. He has healed her, and she is a shines like a little star.

Luke used this verse and incorporated it into the words of this beautiful song. He wanted this song to represent all humanity. Jesus knows our names, He is our father and He wants to make something beautiful out of each of our lives.

So last weekend when we saw Luke in concert, He asked us if he could take Esther on stage with him, so he could share a small part of her story. He challenged the audience to consider making a difference in the lives of others today, wherever they are in their sphere of influence. He held little Esther throughout this entire song.

My heart was so full, and I once again cried tears of joy, thanking Jesus for all He has done. How full our hearts and lives are because of the precious gift we have been given in Esther. I have posted a short video, my brother Luke put together on our sidebar.(Esther and Hudson are in it towards the end) He will play this behind him on stage as he sings "esther". May we each be Jesus' hands and feet to those hurting in this world. May we see the world through His eyes, May we be willing to be willing to step out and do whatever it is He has for us. There truly is no better place to be.

If you want to know more about esterlyn or find out where they will be traveling during this tour you can check it out here
www.myspace.com/esterlyn

Here are a few photos of Li Li with her Uncle Lukie having fun and signing autographs. She loved every second of it. Hope you are blessed by the video.

We Are Home, God Is So Good

2009-03-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

"The Lord is near to all who call on him" Psalm 148

We are home! Thank You, Thank you for all of the prayers for our family, and little Hudson! God is so good and answered each prayer. Yesterday Hudson had his lip repair and it took about four hours. We met him in recovery and then went to our room at about 11:30 last night. We expected for a long night, but Hudson slept through the majority of it. A huge blessing and answer to prayer for two very tired parents.

I think Hudson was the most upset about the i.v. and not having his thumb. He woke up this morning and once we gave him a bottle through a syringe he was a different little boy. He was ready to go and get back to his busy playful self. We praise God for his successful surgery and being so close to each of us throughout our time at the hospital.

Hudson is resting at home now. We came home to the girls making a sign for Hudson with Mike's parents. I guess Henry had a very specific idea of how he wanted everything to look when Hudson came home. He loves to make things special. The kids have been concerned about little brother. Esther ran to the car the moment we got home and came to his side of the door asking to see her little baby Hudsy. Mae is upset, she doesn't like Hudson's new look. We assured her it would look very different in a few days.

Please continue to pray for his recovery. No big boo boo's on his lip and comfort without his thumb for the next few weeks. He has to wear the no no arm restraints for the next couple weeks. So far they haven't stopped him from doing what he wants. He is one determined little guy. Oh how we love him!

Thank you for your love you have shown our family. Here are a few photos from our day.

It Has Been A Long Day

2009-03-02T17:22:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone that has been been praying for Hudson. Thank you for the encouraging emails and comments, it is a gift to know that he is being covered in prayer. It has been a long day. We left early this morning for the hospital, Hudson was scheduled for surgery at 10 am today. We were in the pre-op room by 8:30 and he just went into surgery at 4:45pm.

He had not eaten since eleven last night, so we had one tired and hungry boy. Overall he has done really well. He is in surgery now, and should be done in the next few hours. Thanks again for your prayers, we will post asap.

Tommorrow is the day

2009-03-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

The day has come to have our little Hudson's lip repaired. Tomorrow he will have surgery and we will say goodbye to the sweet smile we have grown to love so much. Please pray with us that the surgery will go well, and that God will comfort and help Hudson.

I know that I have not posted much, but I have felt strongly that I need to focus my time and energy right here with the ones I love so much. I love being a mommy so much, and I know how quickly this time goes. I don't want to miss it.

God handpicked little Hudson for our family. He brings so much joy, life, laughter and ENERGY to our home. He is one passionate and determined little guy. NOTHING stops him. He has begun to stand and it won't be long until he is walking. Life wouldn't be the same without our special boy.

My heart is so full, and I have so much in my heart I want to share about adoption. It is by far one of the greatest gifts I have been given to experience. I want to shout from the roof tops about what a MIRACLE it is! I thank God daily for directing our steps, because I know we could have missed this! The one reason I want to keep this blog is to encourage others in the miracle of adoption. To consider it, to pray and ask God if there may be a precious little one waiting somewhere in the world, created to be part of your family. Thank You Lord for directing our steps. We love you.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will directs your steps."

Thank You for your prayers for our family.

NoiseTrade Widget

2009-02-15T20:20:00.001-08:00

My Indian Girls

2009-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Grandma was here for the week. She brought the girls some dresses from India that she got on one of her recent mission trips. The girls had so much fun dressing up, doing their hair, makeup and wearing their new pretty dresses.

They kept asking if they looked just like the girls in India. (Yes they did, and a little too grown up for mama's liking) She has taught Li Li and Mae special songs they sing with the children in India, they loved every minute! Thanks Grandma we love you!

Hudson's First Surgery Rescheduled

2009-01-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hudson was scheduled to have his lip repair done this coming Monday February 2nd. He along with the rest of us have been sick the last few weeks with a cold and flu. We met with the craniofacial team on Wednesday and they decided it would be best to postpone his surgery because he was too sick.

We know this is best for our little guy and even though we are disappointed we are trusting God's timing. My Mom flew in for the week to help with Hudson's recovery. We are blessed to still have her here and hopefully will have a fun and productive week. If you can believe it we still have not quite found a sense of normalcy since being home from the holidays. It seems with each new week someone else has been sick.

We would appreciate your prayers for Hudson and his upcoming surgery. It is now scheduled for March 2nd. Thank You so much! I get to have a few more weeks with my sweet boys big smile!

(On a side note, Hudson was 12 pounds when we came home from China, on Wed at his appointment he weighed in at 18 pounds!)

My Sweet Girl

2009-01-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

I know I am so so behind on posting photos, and I am really going to try and do it soon. I had to quickly share one of my sweet Li Li . She is such a happy girl, and brings so much love, joy and laughter each day!

2 Months With Our Precious Boy

2009-01-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

We met our sweet Hudson 2 months ago today! Our lives have been changed forever. God has truly blessed us exceedingly abundantly above what we could have asked or thought. Hudson is a gift from Him. Thank you God!

We love you Hudson, your smile and sweet spirit fill ours days with so much joy!

Home From The Holidays

2009-01-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We just got home from 2 weeks with our families for Christmas. Mike and I both thought we were pretty daring to drive 16 hours with 4 kids just weeks after coming home from China, but we did it and had a wonderful time.

We had a full two weeks, celebrating Christmas, Hudson's first birthday, Esther's 3rd birthday, and having Hudson dedicated. It was a special time and wonderful to have everyone meet our sweet Hudson. I have lots of photos to share from our trip, but it will have to be in the next few days as we are still getting settled in.

Praying this next year will be full of wonderful gifts from God in each of your lives!

And The Winners Are....

2008-12-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, to each of you who contributed to this small effort to help raise funds for the Cuozzo family! We earned a total of $950 dollars! I know that Jeff and Naomi will be blessed by your love and generous hearts! Here are our winners!

Item #1 dress: Angela Taylor

Item #2 dress: Tonya Torkelson

Item #3 quilt: Crebbin

Item #4 purse: Melinda Pierce

Item #5 backpack: Melinda Pierce

Item #6 doll: Sue Tunstall

One More Day!

2008-12-13T11:30:00.001-08:00

Thank You so much to each of you that have contributed to the raffle or have prayed for the Cuozzo family! My heart is blessed to see so many support them! With the help of everyone we have earned more than $800 dollars so far!!! This far exceeds any hopes we had! We plan to do the raffle at 6pm tomorrow the 14th of December. We will share the winners on our blog later that evening.

There is still time to purchase tickets, so if anyone would still like to contribute, it would be a wonderful gift to the Cuozzo's!

Thank you again for showing your love to this wonderful family! May God continue to bless each of you!

Sick, Tired, Life With 4 Kids and Rejoicing

2008-12-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:3-5

These last few weeks getting settled into life at home as a family of six has been wonderful and yet at times very overwhelming and a huge adjustment. Hudson is doing really well in the midst of it all.

Our days have been filled with exhaustion, sickness, doctors appts., speech therapy, more appts., football games, getting ready for Christmas, and just regular busy days. We are now trying to do it all with one more little one in tow. Remembering the bottles, hot water, diapers, and all that comes with having a baby again. It seems we are always running out the door forgetting something, and I hate to admit it but occasionally I find myself looking back to make sure Hudson is in his car seat as we leave the driveway! Sometimes I feel like I must be the only one so completely out of sync!

I know it will all come naturally again in time, but piles of unfinished laundry and a messy house seem to be the one constant right now! I could not do it without my AMAZING and loving husband. He is so gracious to help me and understands my weaknesses. I am thankful for sweet friends that have helped bring Henry home from school, so Hudson could finish his nap. I am thankful for all of the prayers that have been prayed for our family. God's grace is sufficient, and I pray for it each day.

As Mike and I got ready for bed last night, we were talking about our crazy day, & how overwhelmed I felt. Hudson was laying between us, and as we were talking Hudson leaned in for a kiss. In that moment all that I was overwhelmed with was literally washed away. I looked at Mike and said this is why it is so worth it! Then Hudson gave daddy a kiss, of course Mike agreed!

We have been so blessed, we are so blessed, and I cannot imagine life without our little Hudson or any of the 4 gifts God has blessed us with! I rejoice today in all that God has given us, and again I say rejoice! What a wonderful life we have!

FUNDRAISER RAFFLE for Lydia Hope Cuozzo

2008-11-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

As many of you know we just returned home from China. While we were there our friends Jeff and Naomi Cuozzo were unable to bring home their daughter Lydia. We were priveleged to get to know Jeff and Naomi, and see there love for Jesus. They are trusting Him, and are truly an example to us. Please continue to keep this beautiful family, Lu Ai, and Lydia in your prayers.

The Cuozzo's are hoping to travel to China again soon. Of course this will be financially difficult since they just traveled to China. We purchased a few items while we were in China and are donating them to raffle off in hopes of helping to raise money for their future trip. We know it is not a camera or a large ticket item, but we thought other adoptive parents would appreciate these tokens from China. We purchased them at a charity store on Shamian Island called A Gift From China. These items are all hand made and proceeds at the store help "special needs" children in China. All proceeds from this RAFFLE will go directly to the Cuozzo family.

The Cuozzos may be traveling within the next month or two, so there is some urgency to raise funds needed for their trip to get baby Lydia. The raffle ends Dec. 14, 2008. We hoped to complete this raffle quickly in time for Christmas.

RAFFLE RULES:

Raffle tickets are $2 each for individual items (i.e., dress, backpack, blanket, etc.). Every $10 you donate you will get one extra ticket: $10 = 6 raffle tickets, $20 = 12 tickets, and so on. Indicate which items you want your tickets entered in for the drawings.

If you would like to donate or participate in the raffle, please make your donation using the ChipIn button at the right side bar. Indicate if you are simply making a donation or if you are entering the RAFFLE in your comments when paying via PAYPAL.

THANKS FOR HELPING BRING LYDIA HOME!!

ITEM #1: A SLEEVELESS DRESS finished with Chinese silk on the waist & pockets make this a favorite and one for the family album photos. This dress would fit a girl between ages 3 and 5.

This raffle also includes a matching doll dress, hand sewn to fit an "American Girl" doll.

ITEM #2: A KIMONO STYLE DRESS made with "Michael Miller china doll" fabric. This dress would fit a girl between ages 3 and 5.

This raffle also includes a matching doll dress, hand sewn to fit an "American Girl" doll.

ITEM #3: Large size BABY QUILT using "Michael Miller china doll" fabric. This is the first women's co-operative product from the Good Rock micro-enterprise and is exclusive to A Gift From China store. Produced by 2 young women who have recently left institutional care and after two years of sewing school are now able to produce the difficult 'Dorcas' design. This is sold exclusively by A Gift from China.

Quilt dimensions: 42.5" x 49.5"

ITEM #4: Little GIRLS SHOULDER BAG. Made with a miniature China Doll in the purse pocket.

ITEM #5: Jie Jie & Mei Mei BACKPACK
Jie Jie & Mei Mei backpack is part of A Gift From China's exclusive line. The two sisters are hand appliquéd on the front of the backpack. This is one of their most popular items in the store. Mums and daughters love it!

ITEM #6: HAND KNITTED DOLL--Da Jie Jie. Approximately 10 inches tall.

Thankful Hearts

2008-11-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Today we have so much to be thankful for! We praise and thank God for who He is and for what He has done for us! Although we were not able to spend this Thanksgiving with our family, we were able to share it with our very special friends. They are such a special family, and a wonderful example to us in so many ways. We had a wonderful afternoon of fellowship.

One neat thing that we did together, was each write something we were thankful for on a paper leaf that was then hung from a tree branch, that was potted as a centerpiece on the table. Then later in the evening we read what each person was thankful for.

I am thankful for the gifts we have in Jesus, for the freedom we have, for our family and friends. God is so good and I am so thankful for the abundant life we have in Him. Thank you Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Home Sweet Home

2008-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5

We made it home! We left China Sunday night, and got home Sunday night, gaining even four hours. The flight went well overall, except poor Hudson threw up 3 times and none of us smelt very pretty getting off of the plane. We were welcomed by our friends and both grandpas flew in to meet their newest grandson. We are so very thankful for all that God has done and we thank him for His love and faithfulness in our lives. We are so very blessed.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for our family, and thank you again for all of your loving and encouraging words.

We have been trying to catch up on rest, and hopefully we will all be on the right time schedule within the next few days. Last night Grandma the kids and I were all awake at 2:30 a.m. I think Hudson's tummy is still upset and Mae has thrown up twice since being home. We are happy to have a few low key days with Thanksgiving this week. We have so very much to be thankful for.

I have so many more photos from our last few days in China I hope to post soon. I think I am beginning to realize just how much more full my days are going to be with our busy boy. He is so much fun and is doing so well.

Hudson Crawling

2008-11-20T01:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a short clip of our busy boy crawling!

We only have a few days left in China, What a wonderful trip it has been! We have had some full days and I will try and post a few more photos before we head home. We will be on our own the next few days. The rest of the families leave tomorrow morning. We have loved being able to spend the last few weeks with these wonderful families. We will never forget them! Thank you for your continued prayers for our family, we are truly blessed!

Miracle Of Adoption

2008-11-17T04:26:00.000-08:00

"In Adoption the fearful become beloved,

the scorned become adored,

the nameless become cherished,

the lonely become the laughing, and death becomes life abundant."

Museum, Tea House and Friends

2008-11-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

Today we all headed out as a group to visit a Chinese family dynasty museum, and a Chinese tea house. The girls enjoyed running around with friends, and Henry tossed the football around with Mike and Jeff.

We then went to see how traditional Chinese tea is prepared. The girls loved having a "tea party", and I think even Henry and his new friend enjoyed themselves as well.

We came back to the hotel and the kids swam for awhile. It was a full day of fun. Thank you again for all of your comments. I wish I had the time to respond to each one. The days are full, and having the entire family her in China really changes the dynamic and the free time we have.

Hudson is such a sweet sweet boy! His smile melts our hearts. It has been almost a week since we have met him and as I look back at photos without him it just feels so strange not to see him in them. He has made his way into each of our hearts, we love him so very much! We are truly blessed!

The Guys

Took the same photo almost two years

ago with my baby girl

Tea party fun

friends

Hudson and Nannie

Fell asleep in Jeff's arms

medical exam

2008-11-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Today we all ventured out to get our children's medical exams completed. This is required by the U.S. government before entering the country as a U.S. citizen. We all waited in line to get through three check stations. We saw an ENT, pediatrician,and then he was measured and weighed.

Hudson was not thrilled about the process, but he did pretty well. Our little guy is little. He weighed 14 pounds and was 66 cm.

The kids played at the park with grandmas while we were getting this done. I must say they are thrilled to have some other children here in Guangzhou now. They were all sitting on the back of the bus singing jingle bells.

Mike and I have been so very blessed by this group of families. It brings joy to our hearts to see them with their beautiful children.

Tonight we finished the day with a group dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the hotel. It was delicious, and a welcomed treat. The fellowship was even sweeter.

After dinner Mike and I were able to visit, pray, and get to know Naomi and Jeff over coffee. Please continue to pray for them, and God's perfect plan. We know He is at work, and has already gone before them. We are so looking forward to seeing all that He is going to do.

Here are a few photos from our day.

14 pounds

Mike and Jenny with their beautiful Emma Mei

The Walker's with beautiful Brooke and Katie

Esther with her new friend Leighanna

Our sweet happy boy

Free Day

2008-11-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a free day, and we decided to go back to Shamian Island with the family.

We visited our favorite shop "Jordan's". We were happy to see him and spent quite a bit of time visiting with him. He is such a kind man, full of life. He was a bright spot of our last trip and we were so happy to have the opportunity to see him again.We then went to Lucy's for lunch. It was a first for us, and the kids were very happy to share a hamburger.

Hudson, has been a little more fussy the last few days. He has broken out with a rash, and may be uncomfortable. We also know there have been so many changes for him. He does seem to be beginning to bond more to both Mike and I which we are happy to see. Thank you for your continued prayers for our sweet boy.

We have been so blessed! Adoption truly is a miracle! We cannot imagine our lives without our Hudson. We love him more each day, and are so thankful the Lord has allowed us to be his family.

Thanks again so much for your very thoughtful comments. They have blessed us each day! Here are a few photos from the day.

Visiting with Jordan

students practicing english

Esther had to push baby

Little miss LOVES her new phone

stomping through the grass

first burger

still on the phone

our gift

What Day Is It?

2008-11-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

Everything feels like a blur right now. I think everything is catching up with us, and we have all been really tired.

Hudson is doing really well overall. I do think he is beginning to get a cold, and at times he seems to not know what to do with himself. He has had so many changes and I know that it must be so hard not being on his normal schedule. Thank You for keeping us all in your prayers.

Hudson is a very happy, busy busy boy! He seems to be going with the flow, but I don't think he is recognising us as his family yet. We know it will take time. The kids absolutely adore him and all want to smother him with love. Today Esther ran into the room, just to tell Hudsy she loved him.

He sleeps well, eats well, and loves to play with toys. Developmentally he really seems close to being on target for his age. He just wants to explore everything! I have another thumb sucker. He loves his little thumb!

We have been out and about the last few days. Yesterday we went to a park near our hotel that had an amusement park for the kids. Today we went to the Guangzhou zoo. We had a good time with the other families. The kids loved seeing the lion, pandas, giraffes and elephant. After the zoo we went to Pizza Hut for lunch.

Tomorrow is a free day, and then all the other families will join us tomorrow evening. We are looking forward to meeting each of them and their beautiful children.
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We are blessed! Here are a few photos from the last few days. I am also adding a short video from gotcha day of Henry and Hudson playing.

Miss Personality

2008-11-13T03:27:00.000-08:00

We took Esther to Starbucks for some Mommy and Daddy time. She loved her vanilla milk. This girl is all personality, so sweet , happy, and fun!

Please Pray For This Family

2008-11-12T03:30:00.000-08:00

We have been very blessed to get to know this precious family during our adoption process. They have been an encouragement and an example to us. They are in China now, and need our prayers.You can follow their story at
http://www.lydiahope.blogspot.com/
Please join us in praying for them and for Lu Ai. May God continue to be glorified in and through them as they trust His perfect plan for their lives.

"It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

"And whatever you ask in My name, That I will do, That the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13

Hudson's Our Boy

2008-11-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Today was Hudson's official adoption day. Today we had two short interviews with Chinese government officials, signed paperwork, and as of today Hudson is officially our boy! We couldn't be happier, we are truly blessed.

The rest of the day we spent around the hotel, and continued to get to know Hudson. One thing we have discovered very quickly is that he is ALL boy! He is so ACTIVE! It comes as a surprise, because of his size. He is very strong and on the go. Today we found out that he knows how to crawl, and can pull himself up. Lets just say, I am not going to be able to take my eyes off of this little guy for even a second!

Each of the kids worked at getting their little brother to laugh today. They were successful. Today Henry said " It just seems like Hudson has been with us for months and years!" He has also mentioned many times how fun and active he is. It has been so much fun seeing him filled with joy over his brother. He couldn't be more proud of him.

I know there is more I want to share, but at the end of the day we are all so tired. Here are a few photos of our sweet boy. Thanks again for all of your encouraging words and your continued prayers. It blesses our hearts.

Hudson Day!

2008-11-10T03:43:00.000-08:00

This is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it!

I woke up at 2:30 this morning, and there was no way that I could fall back to sleep. There was so much anticipation for our big day! At 1:30 we met in the lobby of our hotel and we, along with two other families left to meet our babies.

As we waited, we saw our little ones come in with their nannies and we got our first glimpse of precious Hudson. A few moments later our names were called and he was in our arms. Within seconds he was smiling and showing us his sweet personality. God has blessed us with such a sweet little boy.

Hudson is very tiny, smaller than I expected. He looks healthy though, and has already had three bottles since we have met him. He has done amazingly well, and we thank God for hearing each of our prayers. Thank you!

The kids are so so happy, they have each spent some special time with him today. I must say though that he and Henry immediately had a special bond. Henry had Hudson laughing so hard while playing with him. I know they are going to have a very special relationship.

I am so tired, and need to head to bed, but thank you again for your prayers. God has done exceedingly abundantly above what we could ask or think. We are so thankful for the gift of Hudson. Our sweet boy is sleeping soundly as I speak. Thank you for all of your emails and comments. They have each blessed and encouraged our hearts. We are truly blessed. Until tomorrow, good night from China.

(At the end of the photos is a short video of our gotcha day. You can pause the music playing on the sidebar to hear it. We hope it is working, we can not view it from China. Thanks for sharing in our special day!)

Thankful Hearts

2008-11-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

"I will praise you O Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name O most High. Psalm 9:1-2

This morning Mike and I were able to have a wonderful prayer time together. What a privilege it is to come to the Lo*rd in pra*yer. Thanking Him, praising Him, laying our burdens & fears at His feet. There is an amazing peace that can only come from Him alone.

I was reminded this morning of what amazing gifts we have been given in Him. It is by His grace alone that we are able to be here experiencing this miracle of adoption. He has so gently and lovingly led us, placing His desires within our hearts to accomplish His will. We were both reminded of how Go*d has adopted us, and called us His children. What amazing benefits we have been given because of His love. "Ephesians 1:5-7"

Thank you G*od for your perfect love, grace, sa*lva*tion. Thank You for our children, thank you for the amazing privilege it is to be in our children's birth country. , thank you that tomorrow we will meet our precious baby boy. Thank you for the body of Ch*ris*t.

Please prepare Hudson's heart and mind, and give us wisdom as we meet him and begin to know him. Please be with each of the families preparing to meet there children tomorrow,bring peace to their hearts. May You also prepare their children's hearts and may they respond to the love of their families.

For each of you praying for our family, THANK YOU! It truly is the greatest gift. Thank you for your love. We will meet Hudson Monday afternoon. The next post should have pictures of our darling little boy.

Wonderful Day At Shamian Island

2008-11-08T03:38:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up to cloudy, cooler and windy weather. We wanted to do something with the kids so we decided we would take a taxi ride to Shamian Island. All seven of us squeezed into one taxi cab and risked our lives as we drove ten minutes to the island. We had just planned on walking around and maybe looking through a few of the shops, but were blessed with lots of neat experiences throughout our morning.

We were trying to make our way to Jordan's shop, and as we were walking we saw a playground/family exercise area. It was filled with families. We stopped and joined the fun for what must have been at least an hour. The kids had so much fun. Henry was racing the track with local boys and the girls were exploring the equipment. Grandma got right in on the fun as well! We also saw a set of adorable twin girls. When the kids saw them they thought of baby Hudson. It just does not seem possible that in a few short days we will have another child.

It was just so amazing to watch the kids play and interact with the other children. Esther in particular has really come into her own on this trip. We think she has decided that she is the queen of China. Let's just say little miss attitude, hands on hips and letting everyone know who she is.

Once again we began our journey to Jordan's and the girls spotted princesses in beautiful white dresses. Well they were actually beautiful brides and their soon to be husbands being photographed. There was a whole van of brides and groom's waiting to get their photos taken, so we had to take a few also.

We finally made it to Jordan's. He was not there today, but we had an especially fun treat as we sat outside his store. A class of young Chinese children came up to our family to practice their English. It was an English class for children, and the teacher's had them practice small phrases with Henry Mae and Esther. They each had a name tag on with their English name on it. They also wanted the kids to sign their notebooks. It was the highlight of our day. They were all so cute, and a time we will never forget.

We finished our morning with a snack and coffee at Starbucks, and headed back to the hotel for some rest time. I ventured out with our mom's to get a pedicure. That is another story for another day.

Here are a few photos from our wonderful day.

racing grandma around the track

I spy with my little eye

Li Li playing

sweet baby

this little boy wanted his photo taken

frogs anyone?

brides and grooms

chinese/english class

mommy and her girl

welcomed treat

our treasures

Fun In Guangzhou

2008-11-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your prayers. Everything is going really well, the kids have done wonderful and we are all enjoying being in China. The first thing Esther did once we got to the Guangzhou airport was yell "hi China!" We are on our own for the next few days until we meet up with the rest of our travel group.

Today we decided to go to Guang Zhou Yue Xiu Park. It is near the hotel and costs a few dollars to visit. It is well worth the cost. It was beautiful! It is VERY hot and muggy, but that did not stop the kids from wanting to ride on the paddle boats. Then we explored the park. There was so much to see that I think we will go back again another day.

The kids ended the day with a swim at the pool. It has been really nice to have these few extra days to get adjusted to the time change and have some special family time together. We are all so excited for Monday when we will meet Hudson. Wow we are in China again!

Here are a few photos from our day in Guangzhou.

We Are In China

2008-11-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

We made it! Our flight went well, and the kids did great. We rested yesterday, and hope to get out and about today. Thanks for your prayers! We will update later today.

on our way to the big airplane

fast asleep

Esther by Esterlyn

2008-11-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

My brother Luke is the lead singer of His band Esterlyn. He named the band after our daughter Esther and recently recorded the song playing. He wanted to write a song inspired by her life, and also share with others God's heart for those hurting and alone. I hope this song blesses the hearts of many people. May we each be God's hands and feet to those hurting in the world. Thank you Jesus for your love, thank you that you know our names, thank you that in you alone is our hope.

He heals the broken hearted
He binds their wounds
He is love
He finds those forgotten
Those who’ve been abused
He is love
He knows your name

A Father to the fatherless
A healer of the brokenness
You make beauty from the ashes
A helper to the helpless
A fighter for the hopeless
You Love those who are alone
He comforts the lonely
He hears their cry

He is love
He holds the children
Throughout the night
He is love
He knows your name
Give us your heart Lord help us love the unseen
Give us your eyes Lord help us love those in need

Thank you Luke for your heart, and for this beautiful song. It is a gift, and I pray Jesus uses it minister to the hearts of many people. We Love you!

My Mae

2008-10-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

My sleepyhead girl came in to give me my morning hug and kiss, and this is the first thing she had to say.

" Mama if I was going to play hide and seek with Jesus do you know where I would hide?" I said "where?" "His heart" she said.

Recently while we were driving I heard Mae singing in the back of the car. She was singing her own song to Jesus making up the words as she went. It was so sweet, I had to write down the words as I was driving.

"My helpful one

I love you God

Help me do the right thing

Oh yes I love you.

You are my God

You are my God

I love you God

Thank you God

Thank you God"

Thank you God for the gift of Mae, I know her little voice brings joy to your heart, just as it does to mine each day.

Ten Wonderful Years

2008-10-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

This is the verse we had on our wedding program ten years ago. How true it is. God has blessed me with many many gifts from Him. One of the greatest being my wonderful and amazing husband. I am so thankful to be able to share my life with him and our precious children.

We were married in this field of daisies, and this summer I took some photos of our kids in the same spot. We are so Blessed! That was then this is now.

I Have Been Tagged

2008-10-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Jana, so here are Seven Things about me:

1. I am a "PK" (pastor's kid).

2. Two things I said I would never do: 1) marry someone from high school, and 2) drive a mini van.

3. I went to junior high and high school with my wonderful husband.

4. I drive a minivan.

5. I was once held at gunpoint on a bus in Slovenia.

6. I went on mission trip in college with 20 friends to Europe traveling through Italy, Austria, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and ...Slovenia.

7. I was so shy I used to make my husband order Pizza. This year by God's grace, I had the privilege of speaking about our adoption to hundreds of women at a Christmas dinner.

I tag:

A few more photos

2008-10-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

If our kids could pick one place to be, Grandpa and Grandmas ranch house would win. We were able to have some special time together there this summer. The kids hiked, explored, swam, rode horses, slept in a tent under the stars and made smores at the campfire by the pond. The most special part of all was spending time, and getting lots of love from Grandpa, Grandma, Uncles, Aunties, and cousins. These are special days we will never forget.

I want to be just like my big sister

Esther leaning in for a kiss from Grandpa

Grandma and Li Li

Grandpa teaching Hank to ride the horse all by himself

brave boy

collecting bugs, and loving every minute with Grandpa

fun with cousins at Grandpa and Grandma's

We are going to China!

2008-10-26T14:41:00.001-07:00

We are leaving November 4th and returning November 23! In just a little over a week we are on our way to meet our precious baby boy! This trip will be very different because we have decided to make it a family trip! Our family along with both Grandmas will be flying for 16 hours in a plane and staying almost three weeks in a hotel with 4 kids! The older three are 7, 4 and almost 3, do you think we are crazy?

There have been times I have thought we have lost our minds even trying to attempt it, but we know our mom's will be a huge help and the wonderful memories will out way the challenges!

It has been a busy week trying to get all the last minute things pulled together. We would love and appreciate your prayers for our family! Two weeks from tomorrow and Hudson will be in our arms! We can't wait!

catching up through pictures

2008-10-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I would begin to share some photos from the last few months. I love taking photos of the kids. They are growing up so quickly, and I want to capture these moments with them. They are such gifts.

Travel Approval!!!

2008-10-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

"This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Today we got the call we have been waiting for! We got our travel approval! This is the approval that allows us to travel to China to meet our precious boy! Hudson we are coming very soon!!! We have tentative travel dates of November 6th - November 21st. We should have confirmed dates by the end of the week. Thank you everyone for your love and prayers for our family. We are rejoicing today!

2008-10-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

"I have found that there are three stages in every great
work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult,
then it is done."

J Hudson Taylor Of China Inland Missions

Hudson's Name

2008-10-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share how we came up with the name Hudson Robert. Ever since we began our adoption journey our oldest son Henry has been very excited! He has a huge heart and has faithfully prayed for his sister and now brother in China. To say that Esther is the apple of his eye is an understatement. He adores her, and he is so happy to soon have his brother.

After beginning the process to adopt a second time we began to consider some names for our little guy. One day the kids and I were reading a children's version of the biography of Hudson Taylor. I looked over to Henry as we were reading and I asked him if he liked the name Hudson. He said " I really like it, lets name our brother Hudson, and when he grows up he can go back to C*hi*na and give people b*ibl*es just like Hudson Taylor. I want to go with him too!"

Hudson just stuck, and we have been calling him by name ever since. Robert is after my Dad who is an amazing and Godly example in every way in our lives. He is a pastor and truly a servant. I am so blessed to call him my Dad, and couldn't think of a more special middle name for our son.

We love you so much Hudson and we pray you will grow to love G*od with all of your heart. You are a gift to each of us!

Hudson's Care Package

2008-10-11T16:14:00.001-07:00

We have had lots of fun putting together a package for Hudson over the last few weeks! Each of the kids got to pick out something for their baby brother. Esther chose the monkey, Mae chose the rattle and Henry picked the ball. We also made a little blanket and sent a baby photo album and toy with our family photos. There were a few extra things for the nannies and others kids. We also included two cameras in hopes of a few more photos of our sweet boy.

Hudson we hope you love your toys, we love you so much and are counting down the days until we can hold you in our arms.

Our gift from God

2008-09-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

" And He saw all that He created and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

It is with great joy and thankful hearts that we introduce our son
Hudson Si Jin Robert!
Hudson was born on December 27, 2007 in Gaozhou, Guangdong China.
Thank you God for the gift you have given us in Hudson.

This is the first and only photo we saw. His eyes melted our hearts!

The last three photos are updated photos of our precious boy. He is almost 8 months old in these photos. Please join us in praying for Hudson. Please pray for his safety, health, and that God would prepare his heart for his family. Thank you so much. We will most likely travel in early November to bring him home.

Summer

2008-09-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Our Adoption Story

2008-09-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5

Our adoption story truly is God's story. He has gently led and guided us each step of the way. It has and continues to be a journey of faith and trust in our Savior and His plan for our lives. After seeing a documentary in December of 2004 about orphan girls in China, it touched our hearts and we agreed that we needed to pray about God's plan for our family regarding adoption. We had not thought about adoption for a long time; we had two precious children in Henry and Mae. But we knew that if God was not calling us personally to adopt, we felt led to pray for the children in China. We prayed together that same day after seeing the documentary, but did not think much of it after that and did not share this prayer with anyone else.

About a week later, Mike's mom shared about a dream she recently had. She told us that in her dream we had three children: Henry, Mae, and a daughter from China. We were obviously surprised, and told her that we had recently began to pray for the orphan girls in China. We knew that we needed to begin praying more about the possibility of adoption.

As we began to seek God's will for our family we asked others to pray with us. One afternoon my sister Katie and I were talking about our kids and I told her about the dream Theresa had. I told her that we were continuing to pray that Jesus would confirm in our hearts His will concerning adoption. We would never want to adopt unless it was His perfect plan. About an hour later I went to a store. When I was inside, I saw a family with two little girls that were adopted from China; not an every day occurrence where we lived. At that point, I was not thinking about my earlier conversation with Katie, but was just admiring how cute and happy those little girls looked. I continued to shop and while I was kneeling down to look at something, the youngest baby girl came walking toward me. She came closer and I said hello. She stared into my eyes for a moment and gave me a big smile. It was at this moment when I new the Holy Spirit was reminding me of my earlier conversation and my prayer for confirmation. As I looked at this little girl, my heart was full and I was holding back tears.

Mike and I knew that we needed to continue to pray: Jesus is this You telling us that You have a plan for our lives that we have not considered? Holy Spirit are You softening our hearts and putting this desire within it? We have always said we would be willing, but is this really something that You are calling us to do?

As we continued to pray over the next few months, God used many different things to show us that adoption might be part of His plan for our family. There were many things that He used and so many details that only God could orchestrate.
Mike's job asked him to move to another state to help with a new office. With this move, it would help us to pay for the adoption.
God gave us the peace to move when it meant leaving our wonderful family and friends and the home we had always known.
Our daughters name is Mae, and we call her Mae Mae. We were told by some friends that Mae Mae means "little sister" in Mandarin.
In 2005 we both turned 30, an age requirement by China for adoptive parents.
We officially started our adoption process one month after moving. Over the next 8 months we put together our dossier and home study. We experienced doubts and fears along the way. Yet God was faithful and continued to use people, circumstances, prayer, and His word to give us His perfect peace. Thank you Jesus. Not our will, but Your will be done. Our dossier was mailed to China May 26, 2006.
One month later, after God worked in our hearts, we felt He was leading us to trust in Him and consider a "special needs" child. [In China 70% of the children placed for adoption are labeled "special needs." The majority of these children have a medically correctable special need].

He clearly confirmed this through some amazing & personal ways, and two months later we received the call about our precious daughter Esther. She was 7 months old and had been born with a severe cleft lip and palate. God gave us this verse, a promise we believe for our precious daughter. The meaning of Esther's name is star.

"Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite". Psalm 147

We met our precious girl a few months later, and our lives have been changed ever since! Adoption truly is a miracle! We are abundantly blessed to be Esther's parents. We knew almost immediately that we wanted to adopt again. Within months of being home we began praying for our next child and for God to lead and guide our steps. We knew we wanted to adopt a little boy. (Henry really wants a brother!)We were praying about possibly adopting from Ethiopia. As time went on our hearts began to be pulled back to China and the beautiful people of that country. God used the book Heavenly Man in a very powerful way at this time to see the great need in China, and to give us a greater love for those in this country.

Many people have been surprised that we can request to adopt a boy from China, but in actuality the little boys with special needs are most commonly the children not adopted. We turned in our application to our adoption agency in January of 2008 and will hopefully be traveling to China this fall. We thank God for ALL He has done! This is a video of Esther's first year with us.

Strand Fam

2008-09-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is our family of 5 soon to be 6! God is giving us another gift through adoption! Our little boy will be coming home soon from China. Oh how blessed we are!

Henry is 7!

2008-06-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Henry! Today we celebrate the gift of YOU!!!

Henry has had the themes planned for his birthdays for many years. He knew when he turned 7 he wanted a Jesus birthday. He wrote scriptures out for the windows, decorated t-shirts, read a bible story and had lots of fun with family and friends!

We are so proud of you Henry, and love the heart Jesus has given you! We pray you keep shining for Him!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the Best daddy in the World!
The kids had lots of fun celebrating Daddy with a game of mini golf!

DTC Dossier To China

2008-05-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Our paperwork is on it's way to China! We celebrated with special friends over dinner at PF Changs. Our friends are also adopting from China, they are waitng for little Maylie. What a special night with something very special to celebrate and thank God for!