Some musings!

As I have been following what has happened in a hospital room in Texas I can't help think about little Chrissie. How her life has been nothing short of a miracle since the day she was born...and the miracles are continuing right up to this moment. But the biggest difference is she now has a family to sit by her side as her tiny body fights and fights to stay alive. What a story of adoption, of a family's selfless love for their new daughter, of a daughters love for a family she has only known for 6 short months. And of God who loves them all. I am overwhelmed with it all but grateful for the opportunity to follow along..watching one miracle after another.

I can't help but think of our sweet friend Grace..who left us this past November. How her short life had touched so many people and continues to do so. Grace's family will be traveling soon to China..to bring home their daughter Isabella. This adoption was started before Grace got sick and the family decided to go ahead and continue....because Grace had so touched their lives.

And I think of Sierra,,and what the future holds for her...and how in the space of one year she has brought such joy to so many people. I can't imagine our lives without her in it. I think about her past and hope that the wounds are not too deep. She is healing..that I know. But because there is so little I don't know its hard to predict how bad the scars will be. We see glimpses of the hurt. We see little snapshots of life in the orphanage. This week has been hard on me..she has pushed me away more times than I can count. All she wants is her Daddy.( I don't blame her...he is an awesome father!!!) I know its normal, I know she is testing and I tell her its OK, I love you. Today was better. We are together all day and I love every minute but I have to be the one to say "no" or to correct an unwanted behavior. But tonight she said Mama, I love you and I love Daddy!

Praying for Chrissie!

Thank you all.  This story has so moved me!  She had surgery today to close her chest and to try to get everything working the way it should. She has defied the odds since the day she was born and is continuing to do so!! Keep on praying!!!

Please Pray for Chrissie!

Please pray for this family!   What they are going through right now is unimagineable.
http://www.allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/

A little baseball and a little Spring!

The other night I went to Dave's baseball came...alone.  Sierra stayed home with Scott who watched the little boy I babysit for so I could leave for the game ( Thanks, honey!)  It was a great night for a game and a great game to watch.  Unfortunately we lost, but the boys played very well.  Believe it not I got to visit with a college friend that I haven't seen in 31 years!! He is the Athletic Director at the school we played and he came over to see if I was there. He knew from Facebook that I had a son who played baseball.
It was also a great night for pictures.  I took some of David and Paul.  The lighting was awesome.  On the drive home I passed through many apple orchards.  The trees are in full blossom! I actually pulled into one of the orchards to take some pictures.  Then I got a call from Scott that they had a fire call and Sierra was at the Firehouse.  So my picture taking ended early so I could go gather her.  It was such a pleasant evening on many accounts!!

My second baseman!

The two coaches sitting on their chairs!  Number 11 is my son Paul!

Big brother giving Dave some advice.  As a Mom I love these shots!!

Don't tell anyone but I took these next few shots while driving!

Orchards in full bloom!!

I don't know if you can tell but the orchard goes up hill and there are thousands of trees in bloom!

Morning Walk

I try ususlly, every morning to go for a walK while David and Sierra are still sleeping.  Sometimes I walk on the road so I can walk very fast ( better for my body ), sometimes I walk in the field ( better for my mind and spirit.)  So imagine my surprise when at 6:40 this morning I hear a little voice calling me on the monitor.  Sierra usually sleeps to 8:00.  So I brought her downstairs, got her dressed and by 6:55 we were heading out into the field.  What a treat this walk was.  Sierra was the one who noticed the bluebird.  She was the one who stopped to pick the flowers.  It was she who noticed that the dried up cornstalks looked alot like bamboo.  And she chatted away about everything she was doing.  I brought my camera and I am so glad I did. Today started with a thankfulness in my heart for this amazing child and an appreciation for the nature around me.

 Click on the link to see some early morning shots!!
www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=309598&l=eec010de58&id=100000005427805

I Heart Faces entry

 I am entering this collage photo in this weeks I love heart faces challege.  They hold weekly photo contests!!  For me its just for fun!!Check out their website at http://www.iheartfaces.com/!  

   

Tying shoes!

Boy was I ever shocked the other day when I told Sierra to go put on her sneakers.  She said "OK and I will tie them".  She has been trying forever to tie.  So a few minutes later she came in and said "I am ready Mom.  My shoes are tied!"  I looked down and sure enough they were tied.  I had no idea how she had done it.  I always show her when I tie hers but I didn't expect her to do it as she as just turned 4!!  Later on I asked her to do it again so I could video tape it!

So at the end you hear her say that Paul taught her.  I asked Paul and he said he showed her once about 2 months ago the double bow method.  She has been practicing ever since. Big brothers are great teachers!!!  And I laugh too that she is talking to John ( the little boy that I watch ) while she is tying!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catching Pollywogs!

On Sunday we stopped by Sierra's Mimi's house.  Since Sierra doesn't have any living grandmothers Mimi is her adotped one.  She lives up the road from us and is an incredible woman.  She and her husband Jack have had hundreds of foster children experience the joys of family at their house.  Her love for children is contagious and Scott claims it was her influence on him as a child which led him to adoption.  Well as luck would have it as soon as we pulled in the driveway Scott got called to a structure fire.  But Sierra and I opted to stay for a visit.  Our intent was to fly her kite but the wind was not cooperative.  Instead Sierra and Mim settled down on the bridge  by the tiny stream to catch some pollywogs.  And catch they did...for about 2 hours.  Did I mention that Mimi will be 71 this year  (and she drives a school bus!?)  The best part was to hear the occasional  "Oh fiddle!" when a tiny tadpole was able to escape their grasp. What wonderful people we have in our lives!!  God had a purpose for Mimi and it was all about the children.  She just loves on them.  She has had some of the toughest kids imagineable and she would say to people.."Oh I just love him!!!"  And she did and still does.  Her Mother's Day is filled with phone calls and cards from near and far from all of her "kids"!!  Sierra is so lucky to have Mimi in her life and so are we!! 
In case anyone is wondering...we let the pollywogs go before we left so they could "rejoin their families."

Although I love to fly kites, on this day there was nothing more enjoyable than to sit back and watch my girl and her Mimi by the stream catching pollywogs!

Baseball is under way!!

So its official...baseball season is under way and we are off to a great beginning.  Two games this week and two wins!!  And the second win wasn't "supposed to happen".  Way to go boys!!!

                     David playing second

Paul ( his brother who is the Asst. Coach )

Paul watching David up at bat

Yeah!!! David is on base!

Future player

Cheering because we won!!!

Memories at last!!

Duirng the year of 2009 I so enjoyed experiencing all of Sierra's firsts...her first Easter, her first trip to the zoo, the first time we went camping, her first trip to the ocean etc.  It was incredible watching her eyes light up as she experienced the world around her!.  In January of this year when we celebrated her Forever Family Day, I was a little sad. Although there were probably a few new firsts to come, we had reached the end of her first year home with us.
But during the last few weeks I have come to realize that there is no reason to  be sad!  Because now Sierra has something she did not have before.  She has memories, she has history.  Now we can say to her "Remember when we did that and remember when we went there??  And she says to us" Mama remember when you and I did this?" or "Dada, can we go there again?"   Its something we have taken for granted in the past but not anymore.  Every memory created is one more than she had before.  People ask me if she remembers being in the orphanage.  She has such an incredible memory I can't imagine that she doesn't.  But she doesn't share them with us, even when looking at pictures.  Maybe some day she will or maybe they will forever stay hidden.  But she does remember us coming to China and our time there together.  And she remembers everything we have done together since that time.Yesterday we went to David's first game of the season and she said "Mama remember when we came to David's game and I ate seeds?" ( sunflower seeds).  So it makes me happy to post these two pictures ...one of Easter last year and one of Easter this year.  Our traditional, yearly picture on the rock in front of our house!!!  We are so blessed indeed!!

Easter 2010

As always I LOVE being with family and Easter is the Holiday we do at our house.  Of course it wasn't great that Scott got up at 6:30 and at 6:45 his back went out.  He has a herniated disc.  Soooo Scott spent Easter in bed and I spent it with our 18 family and friends.  Thank goodness my brother in law and sister in law came early and helped.  It was a beautiful day.  I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy but here are some from Sat. and Sunday!

                      Saturday a local 4H club put on a Spring Festival

annual Easter pictures on the rock!

Easter Egg hunt at our house!

A fun day was had by all (except for Scott)!!!