My Birthday!!

July 23, 2007

For my birthday this year we were planning to go to the lake and just hang out. Mike had taken off work early, but it poured rain all day long, so we put plan B into effect. Take the boys to the indoor go-karts!!! Gracie and I filmed while the boys, Mike included, raced around the track. By the end they had figured out how to skid around the turns to prevent slowing down. It was all about speed. We then went out for pizza and back to the house for presents and icecream. The boys all thought I had a pretty fun birthday. They want to go sky diving for my next one!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLAN

Rylan's Birthday

I can't believe I have a 15 year old!! Where did all the time go? As a mother, birthdays are always something of mixed emotions. It is so wonderful to reflect on all the amazing ways God has grown each child and the grace he has shown me despite all my failures. We rejoice at the wonderful young man Rylan is becoming and I am sad that our time with him in our home is getting shorter. We usually pull out the home movies and laugh at all the craziness when the boys were little. This is always a hoot and the boys love it. We are trying to take video of Grace as much as we can, especially since we have lost those first 16 months of her life. She is talking more and more each week and she seems to be more relaxed with all of us. When we look back at her improvement is remarkable how far she has come. She is such an amazing blessing to all of us and it has been so neat to see the boys protect,love and care for her. Grace truly loves them and she is all smiles when she wakes in the morning and is greeted by 4 enthusiastic boys saying good morning Grace in all kinds of cutesy voices.

EVEN MORE SWITZERLAND

MORE SWITZERLAND

Switzerland

Switzerland JUNE 16-18

We left for Switzerland early for the annual Trinity Reformed Church retreat. We had 3 days before everyone from the church arrived, so we spent some family time hiking and enjoying God's magnificent creation. Switzerland is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. On Saturday we traveled down to Geneva to tour the Reformation Museum and take in the rich history of the city. So many great men of the faith preached in Geneva despite all the corruption and persecution. The boys had a great time walking through the reformation museum and listening to the audio guide. There was a beautiful park where we sat and ate on the grass and the boys played chess with large pieces. Grace just ran around and was happy to be out of the car after traveling the entire day before. Little does she know we have a 2 hour drive back to the bible school tonight!!!

We got up on Sunday and went to an English speaking church in Beatenburg where the guy bashed the reformers and held the Annabaptist in high esteem. Needless to say we had a lot of discussions at lunch with the boys. It was timely, especially after just visiting the reformation museum and having long talks on how great and faithful these men of the reformation were. We then hiked up the alps and the boys wanted to hike up the boulder field so of course we did. It was a wonderful hike and the scenery is amazing. We are so thankful to be able to spend family time together.

We got up early Monday and went to the cave of St. Beatus. The legend has it that Beatus a monk who lived in the cave slayed a fierce dragon. The cave had lots of rushing water and it was a great hike.

WEEKENDS

A typical day at our house

What does a typical day at our house look like. Well it all depends what day your talking about they are all usually a little diffrent with something unexpected always thrown in. We are up by 8 and sometimes I let Grace sleep in. She has actually slept till after 10am some mornings. Once she is up and dressed her breakfast is prepared either oatmeal or eggs and bacon. Then it's all play till around 1. The boys work on school work and I try to keep Grace out of the shower. She likes to climb in and out or she also like to crawl into the dogs cage and sit in there. When she gets tired of that we usually go out to the sand box or swing which she thinks is great fun. I take a boy or 2 with me and we work on school outside while she plays. I'll be explaining something to the boys and say something like you add it and she chimes in addit!!! Then we just laugh. After lunch and a nap she is ready for more activity. The trampoline is still a hoot for her. She can sit still and we have lots of book reading everyday. Her favorite right now is Goodnight Moon. Today I went out to put something in the trash can by the car port and there is a baby bird just sitting there. We have a nest in the rafter of the car port and the little thing fell out. I know this bird doesn't stand a chance with 2 dogs and a cat living here so I put it in a clear Tupperware storage box as the mother swoops down at me frantically squawking. The nest is way to high to put it back in. I tell Eamon we'll wait till Dad gets home he'll know what to do. When Dad gets home we clear out the car port and drive the van in. The van has never been able to fit under our carport with bikes toys etc. Mike climbs up on the van followed by Eamon and one baby bird. Eamon is now up on Dads shoulders and puts the bird back with the other 2. Wow Dad and Eamon save the day and the mother bird was very thankful. Grace was also very thankful that her playmate Daddy was home. He is the only one who can get her to really laugh out loud when he tickles her. After dinner she takes a bath which she really likes and then book time and a bottle. She has a real love affair going with that bottle, just the name of it gets her all happy. I am so glad she will take the bottle so we can get some real cuddle time in and work on her giving us more eye contact. She is improving more and more each day and is such a joy to us all.

Our Day

Bike riding

Grace went on her first bike ride with our family. She thought it was great fun just putting on the helmet. We ride a lot in the summers to the Bike Inn an outdoor restaurant that is right on the bike path. They have some farm animals and a sled that takes you down a hill on rollers. We usually go at nights for ice cream and sometimes there are a bunch of kids for our boys to play soccer with. The summers are so great here and we are really enjoying the warm weather. Grace loves being outside and one of her favorite things to do is jump on the trampoline. She actually doesn't jump just runs and falls down,but to her it is great fun. I am sitting outside typing right now and Grace is joyfully singing as she pushes her stroller around the yard. The stroller is definitely her favorite toy. I can't get her to put her baby dolls in it yet, but she manages to put just about everything else in her stroller.
Grace did better with greeting everyone at church this week and I think she wasn't as overwhelmed by all the people. She sat in her stroller at church again and did great and fell asleep about halfway through the service. She is slowly letting us hold her more and loves to point at everything for a full explanation of what it is. It will be such a joyful day when she is truly able to freely give us love. We continue to pray for Gods guidance and wisdom in training our children we know we are so inadequate for this task, but God's great mercy and grace continue to amaze us.

Grace's first bike ride

Birthdays,Anniversaries and Performances

Mike and I have been married 18 years today WOW!! Where has all the time gone? We have shared so much of our lives with each other and have so many special memories. Each year I look back at where God has been working in our lives to refine us as a couple and am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband to lead our family. Today was an unusually busy Sunday we all went to church then back to our house to celebrate Bekah's 2nd birthday. Sandy made a wonderful icecream cake and the frosting looked spectacular. Brent must of worked hours to get the icing design just right. It was really yummy!!! The kids had a great time playing in the warm sunshine. We were just hanging out enjoying the celebration when we had to wrap it up and head to Eamons gymnastic show. He did fabulous and we got super pictures of his performance. Of course Grace couldn't be left out so we got some shots of her doing her first headstand. We had Rob Margaret and cousins back for dinner and cake. It was another great Sunday full of worship, great food, friends and fellowship.

May 20, 2007

The Sign of the Covenant

Having spent my entire Christian life in credo-baptist churches, I never had an understanding of the covenant - who is "in" the covenant, how you get "into" it, what it brings with it and what the responsibilities are of those God has made covenant with. I understand the sign of the covenant to be baptism and as such have applied that sign and seal to our children - this day we celebrated Grace's receiving of the same. Will this baptism alone save her - no; is it a means of effectual grace to be applied to the elect - yes. God added to our number and we obediently responded in faith by promising publicly in the sacrament of baptism to pray with and for her and to raise Grace in a home that provides Christian nurture.
Does Grace believe that a table is really a table? Yes. Why? Because I told her. In the same way, she can know that Christ died on the cross for her sins at a very early age. While faith remains a supernatural gift, God can use Christian parents as human agents to frequently communicate this gift as they fulfil their covenant obligations. I expect that Grace's understanding of her savior will continue to develop, mature and be personally embraced as she grows in stature (and wisdom)!
Praise be to God.

Grace is baptized on Mother's Day

Finally home!!!!

Living out of a suitcase for more than 6 weeks is way too long. We have been back in Germany 2 weeks and are finally over jet lag. Grace is doing wonderful and is a real trooper when it comes to traveling. She loves our boys and I think it was a huge relief for her when she realized she wasn't just stuck with Mike and I. She is such a blessing to all of us and a great joy. She imitates everything we do and say and is really a super easy little girl. We are still working on her giving us love and hugs, but we know that will come with time. We are so thankful for Gods abundant blessings in our lives and this precious child he has given to us.

Our Time IN New Jersey

New Jersey

We had a great time visiting everyone in New Jersey. We took Grace to the zoo; she loved the stroller ride, but wasn't that interested in the animals. She really enjoys following her brothers around and she is really trying to talk. She says about 10 English words now. Grace is beginning to realize if you eat enough finger foods it fills you up. Her favorite food right now is french fries, but we try not to give her too many. She also eats egg yolks,bacon and of course rice. She still is happy to eat baby food because she can eat it quickly and it fills her up. She is totally attached to her bottle and gets very excited when she sees me making it. It is the only time she really likes me to hold her so I am glad we have that time together.
Grace is happy to play and entertain herself all day so we have really been trying to engage her in play which she loves. She likes to get on the boys scooter and have them push her on it up and down the sidewalk. We went to visit my sister and the boys took the canoe out on the lake while I pushed Grace on the swings. She was afraid to look up in the beginning but then really enjoyed it. She has a great time playing with her brothers and cousins. We look forward to moving back to the States so we can come and visit more often.

New Jersey

We arrive in New Jersey

We are on the last leg of our trip around the world before we head back to Germany. We arrived at the airport in Philadelphia and Grace met her Greatgrandma (Mema) and Opa and Oma for the first time. My parents had a party planned with all the relatives to welcome Grace. We are truly blessed to have family that care so much about us. The party was wonderful and Grace was definitely the star. We then went back to my parents' house and since the boys' cousins were there we had a little party for Eamon's 8th birthday. We had been in China on the actual day so it was great to celebrate now with family.

Grace in Texas April 14-19

Grace meets her Nanny and Papa and cousins April 16

Mikes parents and our sister in law and their 4 children drove out to Texas from Alabama to see all of us. We all had a wonderful time and Grace loved all the fun. The hotel they stayed at had a pool so Grace had her first swim. It was so great to see everyone and all the kids loved playing together. We pack up tomorrow and head to New Jersey to see Grace's Opa and Oma, great Grandma and more Uncles, Aunts and cousins.

Trip through Hawaii and Texas

Traveling to Hawaii and to see our boys in Texas!!!

Wow what a long flight leaving Guangzhou flying through Tokyo with a 7 hour lay over and then a 10 hour flight to Hawaii. We got Grace's citizenship done in one day spent the night in Hawaii and left for Texas to see our boys. Grace was thrilled to realize she wasn't stuck with just Mike and me. We were blessed to be picked up in Hawaii by Mike's brother's secretary's family who were our personal chauffeurs in Hawaii. We are so thankful to our wonderful friends Landy and Richard who watched our boys in Texas for the 2 weeks we were gone.

Red Couch Day

Days in Guangzhou April 9 & 10

Only one day left and we will be leaving for home!!! It has been wonderful seeing China, but we are definitely ready to bring Grace home. She had her medical yesterday so they could confirm she is healthy to travel. It was a cattle call but being in the military we were used to that. We went to the pearl market and shopped for pearls to give to Grace when she is older. Today we got the picture on the red couch. Grace couldn't understand the idea that you actually were supposed to sit on the couch. She attempted to do many other things though. She is now sound asleep and did discover tonight how much she loves pizza. We are packing tomorrow and then have our swearing in ceremony and consulate appointment in the afternoon. Then we wake up and get on a 6 hour flight to Tokyo where we have a 7 hour lay over. A 7 HOUR LAYOVER!!!! Then we fly I don't know how long to Hawaii spend the night to get Grace's citzenship then fly to Minneapolis then onto Dallas. This means jet lag!! We are so excited to see our boys, this is the longest we have ever been gone. Grace is definitley ready to meet her big brothers. She had 2 older brothers in the foster care family she was in so I'm sure she will be excited to know she is not stuck with just the 2 of us!!! She is such a joy and we are so blessed to have our precious daughter.

Kunming and Guangzhou

We found Grace’s “finding place” under the Dun Ba bridge in Kunming. It was a very busy and impoverished area. It was hard to imagine Grace’s birth mother leaving her – and we wonder how many of the young girls here have abandoned their babies. It was amazing how many of them followed us and stared. We took some video and pictures and then headed to a nicer part of town for lunch.

We walked to the flower and bird market. Lots of people selling stuff.

We packed up and left Kunming for Guangzhou early Sat. morning. We got to the White Swan hotel and walked around town. It is very clean and nice here and everyone speaks English. I feel like we are getting closer to home.

Today we went to a church in English a block from the hotel it was very crowded and we have heard that the Christian churches here are really growing. We have some great stories from people we have met.

Tomorrow is Grace’s medical appointment and paperwork day. Grace is walking everywhere but still falls down a lot. She is a real character!!! Most of the time she is happy, but she definitely wants things her way. We are slowly trying to teach her the world isn’t just about Gracie. We are enjoying Guangzhou but are ready to see our boys!!!

Kunming and Guangzhou

Apr 5 in Kunming

April 6 - Last day in Kunming

It’s Friday morning and we’re getting ready to head out for the day. It’s the first day without any agenda which will be very nice. Slept in until 7:30, leisurely breakfast upstairs, long warm tubby for you-know-who and now we’re off by ourselves to find some shopping. Yesterday we went to a tea ceremony and learned all about tea and climbed up to a dragon temple (Daoism / Taoism). Very beautiful hike up the steep steps on the side of a mountain overlooking the largest fresh water lake in China. It was sad to see these people climb all the way up the 400+ steps to touch this ‘mystical’ piece of rock and then pray to something that doesn’t exist. Kind of like Baal and Ahab’s people.

We ate lunch at a mushroom fondue kind of a place – very interesting. There are about 687 billion different kinds of mushrooms and they were all in our soup!

Today we will go to Grace’s finding place. It’s over by the silk factory we toured yesterday – we’ll go to take pictures and spend some time playing in the grass. Praise God that Grace’s biological mother left her to be found – only God knew what a blessing she would be to our family a year and a half later. His ways are so much higher!!!

We’re off to shop, good thing we brought all those suitcases!!!

Happy Birthday Eamon!!!

Happy Birthday Eamon. We wish you were with us, we'll be home soon!!! Have fun at Brahm's.

We love you!!!

April 3 & 4

Apr 3 & 4 - Days in Kunming

Yesterday we came back to the hotel and got take out food to eat in the room. We were all really tired. It was cold and rainy and we decided to go out to lunch and to Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart is not like the States. We then went to Parkson’s a really nice department store and bought a great stroller. We then walked back to the hotel about 100 blocks. It wasn’t that far but it sure felt like it!!! We bought Grace a little pair of cute shoes for $5.00. Today we were up early and it was cold again. We went to the Stone Forest. It was really neat to see all the rock formations. We bought some bags with embroidery work done by the minority groups. We then went to the Orphanage to see where Grace and Mei Lin spent their first 7 months. It is really a wonderful orphanage. Really clean and 60 full time employees and 200 volunteers. We saw 12 babies in the nursery with 5 nannies taking care of them. It seemed like all the children are very well cared for. Many of the staff recognized our babies and came out to hug them. We were given a book of the orphanage with many wonderful pictures and we got a lot of people who knew our babies to sign it. The orphanage was quiet and most of the rooms were empty that we saw. Three quarters of the children are in foster care. Grace had been with her foster family since she was 7 months old. We went into one of the rooms where our daughters had gone for game time and the women heard Graces cough and said we should go see the doctor who is part of the orphanage. I told her I was giving her medicine, but she still wanted us to go see him. The doctor we saw was the same one who saw Grace in foster care. He gave us some amoxicillin and also told us he did not hear her heart murmur anymore. He said he feels the hole in her heart has closed. We are rejoicing in God’s goodness!! The room we were in is where they bring all the babies right after they find them. So it was another neat opportunity to see where our little ones were brought at 1 day old. We were really pleased at all we got to see and know that our daughters were well cared for. It was late when we got back to the hotel and Grace and Mei Lin have been doing remarkably well for these long days. Grace seems to be attaching to us and did not want to go with the nannies at the orphanage. She has been burying her head when someone she doesn’t know comes up to talk to her. Grace’s favorite things to do are laugh, giggle and eat cheerios. We are really enjoying this time getting to know her little personality. She does get an attitude when it comes to not getting her own way, but otherwise she is happy and all smiles.

Gotcha Day!!!

What a great day!!! We got up early and left the hotel by 8:30 am. The ride to get our babies was about 20 minutes. We walked in the door and about 2 seconds later they were handing Grace to us. Our agency set up a video man to film everything and that was wonderful. Grace came out to us all smiles. She has been laughing and giggling all day. She seems to be having no problems letting us know what she wants and doesn't want. She has a spunky personality and is very vocal and active. She isn't walking yet, but is standing and trying to take steps. I think she was carried in a pack by her foster family a lot because we don't think she ever learned how to crawl. She is supposed to be asleep right now, but she is babbling and laughing in the bed. It may be a long night!!! We are so thankful to God for this wonderful opportunity to bring little Grace into our family.

Gotcha Day!!! 2 Apr 07

Kunming Pictures

Overpacked? I don't think so.....

Our first full day in Kunming brought with it many lessons. Our gracious guide Elsie finally told us that picking through the common bowl of food with your chopsticks is not very polite and pointing with your chopsticks is even worse. We had a good laugh and a great lunch.

Kunming has over 4 million residents, so there is quite a bit going on most of the time. Here are some photos of the people living their lives. This baby was in the checkout line behind us. The banana lady wanted us to take more than a picture. I think it was recess time at the restaurant – it looks like the entire workforce was running laps – maybe someone spilled the soup? The chickens were all lined up for dinner. I don’t think the motorcycle family stopped to smell the roses….

Chrysanthemum tea we had with dinner was very colorful. In fact, our travel guide at the hotel told us that tea was introduced first in Yunnan Province. They do a ton of tea here; tobacco and jade, too.

We are in Kunming March 31

We arrived today in Kunming. Elsie, our CHI guide, is great. We went to a Chinese cultural performance tonight. It was a representation of all the minority groups here in Kunming. There are over 25 and they all have different dress and customs. We walked around the city some today it is very crowded and the traffic is really bad. We didn't see any other Americans and we did get some stares, but the people seem really friendly. We ordered dinner and just had to point at pictures on the menu. When we got to our room there was Grace's bed. No crib!!! I can't believe we will be holding her in 2 days.

WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR GRACE

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord; Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. Psalm 127: 3,5.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. Ephesians 3: 20.

Grace Noelle

Psalm 139: 13 - 16

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are you works;my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

We leave in 9 hours!! March 29th

It's 1 am and I am switching to China time tonight, thats why I'm still up. I really just can't sleep, but it sounds like a good plan. Our flight leaves at 9am I think we are over packed, but I still left room for lots of stuff from China. There is no way we could go carry on only!!! It still doesn't seem real yet. I just got the boys bags packed they are leaving tomorrow to go camping for the weekend and when they wake up on Monday in the States we will have Grace. Our last pictures and updates of her were at 4 months and now she is 16 months. We know we will not recognize her. We are praying she will adjust quickly and learn to be flexible with our crazy family. We have to fly through Hawaii to get her citizenship since we live in Germany. We spend 1 night there and then back to Texas then to New Jersey then back to Germany. We really pray Grace can just go with the flow. We were told we couldn't leave the States until all of our relatives and friends meet her. We are so thankful for everyones prayers and support through this long wait. We praise God for His perfect plan in all things!!

Waiting for Mike!!!! March 26th

We are still waiting for Mike to arrive from Germany after 2 missed flights in Frankfurt he got a hotel room and waited till the next day. He made the last flight out, but it wasn't coming to Dallas it was going to Chicago so he managed to get the last seat barely, thats a long story. He got to Chicago and couldn't get on the flights to Dallas so he slept on the floor at the airport. The next day he flew to Cincinnati and then was able to connect to Dallas and we picked him up. After 3 days of trying to get here he arrived. The standby thing is not always the greatest deal. Only 3 days and we are on our way to bring Grace home!!!

Arriving in Dallas March 23

We arrived in Dallas without a hitch and my plan now is to get the boys settled and on some sort of routine. The friends they are staying with have other plans ,they think it's time to party. After the shock of how much food I buy and how much these boys can eat I think they are up for the challenge of a two week stay. We are so thankful that they are able to watch them and that we are totally confident our boys will be loved and cared for while we're gone. Mike will hopefully fly in tomorrow to join us.

Finally my luggage March 22

My luggage arrived tonight and I am feeling much better. After visiting my parents for a few days we leave for Dallas to drop the boys of before we leave for China. Mike will meet me there and we fly out March 29th. I can't believe our time has finally come to bring Grace home. We are so excited but it doesn't seem real yet and it probably won't till we have her in our arms.

Waiting for our luggage March 21st

We are now waiting for our luggage to arrive and I have made several calls to the airlines. They assure me that the suitcases will be delivered later tonight. So another day in the same clothes we wore on the plane and slept in. The suitcases finally arrive all 4 boys have their suitcases except they can't seem to find mine. It is lost and they tell me maybe they will deliver it tomorrow. I really want my stuff. I'm just glad Mike has the suitcases for China.

Leaving from Germany to the States March 20th

We have finally arrived in the US after a loooong day of traveling. The flight from Frankfurt took off almost 2 hours late and as we landed in Cincinnati I knew we had to hurry to catch our next flight to Philadelphia. What I didn't know is the time they announced on the plane was an hour off. I think they had forgotten about daylight savings. We had 40 minutes to go through customs back through security and make our connection which we hadn't figured out yet. We came through security I checked the monitor and it said closed. "Closed" what does that mean? The kind women from Delta said that means your plane has left without you. I ran up the stairs with 4 boys running behind carrying very heavy book bags and violins. The agent at the counter called on the phone yelled a little and told them to hold the plane so we went running to a shuttle that took us across the runway, then we ran to find our gate where another agent stood yelling out our names she directed us down a long hall and out onto the runway. The plane was a small puddle jumper and as we boarded no one looked happy. We quickly scurried down the aisle and I told the boys to find an empty seat and just sit down. Then the pilot announced who we were and now they were going to wait for our luggage. One man threw his newspaper in the air in disgust. Glad the flight was just an hour!!! We arrived in Philadelphia and as we waited and waited for our luggage it became obvious that it had been left in Cincinnati. My parents were there to pick us up and then a 2 hour drive to the shore. One quick stop for toothbrushes and after being up over 24 hours we were ready for bed, even if we all had to sleep in our clothes.

We Got Travel Approval

We have TA!!! Here we come Grace!!! After the disappointment of not leaving for China March 8th we are thrilled to get TA today. We have a tentative date to travel March 29th arrive in Beijing on the 30th and get Grace April 2nd. It doesn't seem real and it probably won't until we are holding our little girl. It's been a long wait.

NO TA YET!!

We just heard from the agency that no TA's (Travel Approvals) came today and they will not be coming until after Chinese New Year. That means we will not be leaving for China on March 8th. We know God has already planned our dates ,but the wait is so hard especially since we have had her little picture out in the living room since Nov.13th and know she is not home with us. Praying TA's come soon.

Getting our visas

We went and got our visas today. It's a cool stamp they put in the back of your passport. We had some issues as we couldn't prove we lived in Germany and they turned us away. We walked out of the building after waiting in line for an hour and Mike remembered we had German drivers licenses and we ran back in right before they closed got our pictures taken waited back in line for the only gal who spoke English and we came back today 3 days later to pick up our visas. We really are going to China!!!

The Fed EX man arrives with Grace's paperwork and photos

We have been waiting today for the Fed Ex man. After 2 failed attempts to deliver our package they managed to arrive. Even though the man didn't speak English he was more than willing for me to take his picture with the boys!!

We get our seeking letter!!!!! Jan 31, 2006

Mike had a trip to England for business for a few days and I couldn't help wanting to come along so we left the boys at their cousins and Nanny and Poppa and flew the hour flight to England. We are staying at the Holiday Inn checking the computer to see if there is any news on our seeking letter, nothing so I read my e-mails and as I'm checking up pops an e-mail saying we have left 2 messages at your home and CHI has received our SEEKING LETTER!!!! YAHHOO!
We are soooo excited we started calling everyone in the States to tell them. We would have called people in Germany, but it's about 1am. Now we wait for TA!!! We will call the boys in the morning to tell them.

Happy Birthday GRACE!!!!!

Grace turned 1 today!!!! It is bitter sweet. We got an icecream cake and went to Rob and Margarets (Mike's brothers) to celebrate. We are praying for Grace and asking God to be with her,to keep her safe,to heal her heart and for her to know she is loved. We can't wait until the day we can hold her and bring her home . It is hard knowing we have already missed the first year of her life. We are trusting in God's perfect timing and praise Him that before the begining of time God had chosen Grace to be our daughter.

We Found Our Daughter!!! NOV 13th 2006

Mike got home from work before 4pm our time in Germany. I have been crazy all day trying to keep busy till 5pm when the waiting children form is posted. We each had a lap top and sat down next to each other. At 5pm we were both glued to the computer screens NO FORM!!! refresh,refresh,refresh. All of a sudden the form popped up on my computer I was shaking trying to fill out the form as quickly as possible it kept coming back server busy on both computers finally at 5:20 our request went through for #412. We went in to have dinner and we thought it is in Gods hands, if this little baby is meant to be ours it will happen. I was truly thinking we would not be first to review her file. I brought the computer to the table and kept checking e-mails. About 20 minutes later we had a message from CHI which read Great News you are 1st in line to review #412. Thats when I lost it and the boys got out the video camera. We knew we had found our daughter!!! We left dinner on the table and headed out to Mikes work to receive the fax with all her medical and background information. Our neighbor is a heart specialist so he was at our house at 10pm reviewing her medical information. We called CHI at 12am our time and told them we had found our daughter Grace Noelle!!! Of course I couldn't sleep so I started calling everyone.

Visiting Rome Oct

We flew to Rome and when we arrived all the trains and buses were on strike. There was a huge line of people waiting for cabs. Mike got out in the middle of the street and worked a deal with 2 cabbys to take us and all our luggage to our apartment. Since the trolleys were also not running the cabby decided it would be alot quicker to take the trolley route with his cab. It was fast and also really crazy. We did make it to the apartment. We stayed right by the Vatican and only a few blocks from the subway which we were told would be running the next day. Most restaurants in Italy open around 7pm for dinner. We were always hungry around 5pm so we were told of a great Chinese restaurant down the street from our apartment. We walked down the block and they were closed so Mike knocked on the door. The owner, a sweet little lady, opened the restaurant for us to eat. So we ended up eating there 4 of the 6 nights we were in Rome.. We ended up talking to her and telling her we were adopting from China. Then she started giving the boys gifts and she gave me a small gold tea pot ornament. They were very sweet. There was so much to see in Rome and it's amazing how old everything is. We rode the subway everywhere and took the boys to an opera. We could of stayed another week.

Flying over the pond!! Aug 2006

We have been having a great time at Opa and Omas. We have been on the beach almost everyday. The boys spend most of their time riding the waves on their boogie boards. Our favorite meals to eat are pizza and hoagies. We come to visit every summer and are making such wonderful memories. We flew back with our friends that were here visiting from Texas and spent 10 days in NJ and then a few more days looking at land in Texas. We plan to move back there when we leave Germany. It is always such fun to visit the States. Everything is open all night and you can just go in one store and get everything you want. The conveniences of the U.S. Life in Germany is much slower paced everything closes down by 5pm and you have to go to several small stores to get what you want. Our refridgerator is the size I had in my college dorm room so I spend a lot of time back and forth to the grocery store. In the winter we use the back porch as a big fridge we really look like hicks.

June 2006

June 6 - a week in Normandy on the anniversary of D-Day. WOW. Talk about a great history lesson. The boys all got to hear first hand from many of the veterans tell first hand accounts of jumping in or driving towards the beach in their landing crafts.

We were happily surprised to see so many French flying the American flags as they remember that day that they and their families lived through. Our boys liked the "take the beach" time they had every day to charge up the sand and dodge the machine gunners nests. The top of Point du Hoc still has quite a few bomb craters that are perfect to regroup your troops in, then on to the next bunker!

The last puppy sold the day before we left for the trip! All went to good homes!

May 2006 - LID May 19!!!

All of our paperwork is officially done! Our dossier left for China, and our DTC is May 5. We got the call from CHI that our log in date (LID) is May 19! Let the official waiting begin... I think it all seems so much more real to us knowing that everything we need to do on this end is complete. While we are anxious to go meet Grace and bring her home, we know we serve a great and awesome God that has already planned all of these dates.

April 2006

Scooter and Dixie decided to help contribute to the adoption financial fund - they got together and have added four bundles of joy to our number which we will sell up the river next month. We love our dogs, talk about self-less!

Eamon turned 7 and manages to eat corn-on-the-cob and a big plate of ribs every Tuesday night at Chilis without any front teeth! Very impressive. Everyone came over to our house on the 8th and he and Tami had a joint birthday party.

We planned the KMC Christian Homeschool conference which took place the middle of April. Mark Hamby came in from the States as the keynote speaker.

I think the biggest, most significant event of the month (and their lives) was the baptism of Hadyn and Eamon. On Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006. We have been learning about the Covenant, who is in the Covenant, how do you get in it, who it's for and what it means. And what the mark of it is -- baptism. For I, the Lord your God, ... [will show] mercy to thousands of generations, to those who love me and keep my commandments. Deuteronomy 5: 8-11

March 2006

We are now the official Chinese baby-stalkers in Germany. It all started when we heard our neighbor was about to travel for their second Chinese adoption. We were fascinated... "Sweetie, come quick! They're coming out of the house and getting in the car with their little girl." We also told a woman at Chili's that we had seen her on the internet with her little (also adopted from China) daughter at Disneyland. She absolutley denied it was her and assured us that she had no pictures of her daughter on the web. It turns out, it was the lady across the table from here that was in the adoption process for the first time that had this family on their blog! How crazy is that?

God is so good. The lady with the child calmed down and actually was able to help us out a great deal when we had questions about filing paperwork from overseas!

Feb 2006

We left for the States on Feb 10th and wen't to New Jersey, Alabama and Texas to visit just about everyone we're related to. Our first stop, of course, was to get a BIG COKE with lots of ICE from the Johnny Joes. That's right, there is no ice in Europe.

Jet lag isn't so bad; it's kind of fun waking up as a family at 4:30 in the morning at Landy's house. Of course Nathanael woke up all by himself, my boys had nothing to do with it.

70 mph is really slow on these nice, huge, straight roads!

Back to Germany on the 26th! Cold soaking happens when the heater has been broken for more than a couple weeks. You guessed it, 43 degrees inside! Another reason you should always live near a brother or someone you really like hanging out with. Manfred, our German landlord, fixed the heater and the house warmed up after three long days of homeschooling in one bedroom with the door shut and the space heater on full blast!

Jan 2006

The second Annual McQuade Ski Trip to Austria was a huge success. The boys all were in ski school while I followed Jenn over every bumb on the mountain. I'll let you guess who our neice and nephew called slinky on skis. Great snow the first night after getting there! Super vacation. We kept thinking we'll need a room for 7 next year.

I know we've been saying "the paperwork is almost done" for quite some time, but we think the paperwork is REALLY almost done.

Dec 2005

We had a wonderful Christmas in Germany. We went to several Christmas markets and also caroled with our church and neighbors. We also did lots of sledding this year. We are finishing up the adoption paperwork and waiting on our clearances from Texas to come back. It seems like everything takes 12 times longer than everyone else doing this in the states! Try to explain a customs form to the secretary at the Chinese consulate in Houston over the phone! There goes another Express Mail packet, this time with a signed customs form. It's good to know that God's timing is perfect in everything and that He has known the day we'll meet Grace since before time began.

Malaga Spain for Thanksgiving!!!

We just got back from a fabulous trip to Spain. We spent a week in a great timeshare on the beach. It was too cold to swim, but the boys got in the water anyway. We collected great shells and I got attacked by a giant squid actually it wasn't giant but it grabbed onto my finger and tried to suck it into it's mouth thats when I started screaming and the boys came to my rescue.
We went to Gibraltar and saw the coolest monkeys they were jumping all over us I think I did some screaming there also.

Nov 10, 2005

Still busy with the never-ending paperwork. We picked an agency out of St Louis, Missouri - Children's Hope International. We went to the US Consulate in Frankfurt to file our I600A so we will be able to bring our little girl home from China. Our homestudy is almost completed! We have decided to call our little girl Grace. The boys are excited about having a new little sister. It seems like such a long way off until the paperwork is finished. We continue to pray that little Grace is safe and healthy, even if she isn't born yet.

Dear Sweet Daughter

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday,
My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.

But now my dreams have been transformed, new visions fill my head,
Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round,
Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.

And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas,
they reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,
you're also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.

And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,
I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike, we're different as can be,
but still I know the Father has created you for me.

And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands,
And though we're half a world apart in very different lands,
I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows
But til he says the time is right, I give you this my vow.

We'll pray for your protection every day on bended knee
for God to hold you in his arms until you're here with me.

Oct 24, 2005

We continue to do paperwork!!!
We took the boys to Disneyland Paris and visited Versailles to learn more about those crazy King Louis' of France!