Lily starts ballet...finally.

I'm so behind on my blogging! So much has happened with the girls that I just have to go back and update the last month. I'll start with the most recent, though.
Lily has been begging to take ballet for a LONG time. She has been saying she wants to be a ballerina for about a year. She wears ballet outfits all the time and makes up dances. Early in the summer we signed up for Briarwood ballet. She was beside herself. They gave us a lengthy manual at that time. She made me read it front to back to her that night. She always wants to wear her hair in a bun or ponytail since that is what ballerinas do. The first day of ballet, she was asking at 6am to put on her ballet outfit. It was a LONG time until 2:30pm. She got there and was a little nervous from the newness, but warmed up very quickly and absolutely LOVED it! I can't wait to see her blossom there.
Kate has no interest in taking ballet. She and I sat outside and peeked in...honestly we were quite obnoxious...shamelessly peering in the window at her and trying to take inconspicuous photos. Kate's sport is going to be running. She and I are going to do some fun runs this fall together. This weekend we got to see her cousin, Megan's, cross country meet. Go, Megan!

Here is a picture of Lily before she relaxed and started having fun...



















Here is her sweet class. Her friend, Laura Joy is in her class (to the right of the teacher in the blue) and Lily is sitting with her back to me right in front of the teacher in the blue.

Another random update on Lily.... She just told me of her first dream. We were sitting around yesterday afternoon and she announced, "Mommy, I had a dream last night! Abby and I were at the candy store eating lots of gum." She hasn't asked to play with her good friend, Abby Barnhart, yet since she moved to UTAH! I'm waiting until she askes to see her to tell her about the move. She is going to be so sad.

Gymnastics photos

Kate is not into dresses, but way into Mickey, so her gymnastics outfit is very personalized to her. This was the best way I found to get her to enjoy gymnastics. She still says she doesn't want to go every week. Can't you tell from these action photos that she truly doesn't like it? :) The cutest thing about watching them doing gymnastics is that they always have to be together in line or sitting right next to each other so that they are touching. Every time they are doing their stretches in a group circle, the coach is always scooting them apart so that they can at least have enough space to spread their legs apart during the stretch. Katie, who is currently the more timid of the two, told me the other day that her sister makes her brave. I'm so glad she has her by her side!

Summer pictures

Backyard fun with our playgroup.

I wanted to see what Lily and Kate's hair looked like curled...


























Daddy reads to Kate and Lily's babies while MiMi, Minnie and Baby Bear listen, too...















































Phil brought the girls some new shoes from China. Look closely at Kate in this picture of the girls sleeping...












Katie REALLY liked her shoes!














More fun sleeping pictures...
Kate still loves her Doggybear.




















How can this be comfortable?!












Making muffins is always a highlight of the week!




















Grandpa is a hit with Lily.
































We miss Sarah!! The summer hasn't been the same without our Sarah. Lily made a flower puppet today and asked me what she should name it. I suggested Petunia, but she said, "No, I'll call her Sarah-tunia." Thanks for babysitting on Friday night. You are the best!

What we did while Phil was in China

First, Vacation Bible School...













I was so proud of the girls for standing in front of the class!




























Next, our little friend, Sam ruptured his appendix. We are so thankful he is ok now. While he and Karen were at the hospital, I got to spend lots of time with the precious Eddins' kids....






































Just had to post this picture of Kate for all of you who have never seen her wild side that she only shows at home.

Last post from China

Return as different people
Our team flew back to Chongqing on Friday afternoon. We checked into the Best Western Premier which was a great hotel. Situated right next to a Starbucks made it very attractive. Being back in a big city allowed us to partake in a non-Chinese restaurant. We ate a great Italian meal at Annie’s restaurant. Pizza, calzones, lasagna, and tortellini tasted extremely good.
On Saturday we toured the most famous sites in Beijing. We walked around Tiananmen Square where many historic events have occurred. Many of the team also visited the mausoleum of Chairman Mao. It was a surreal moment to being standing on Tiananmen Square very close to the Forbidden City. It was lightly raining the entire time which made visibility limited.
We also walked to the National Opera House which is right next to the Forbidden City. It is a massive complex shaped like an egg. The design was beautiful and unique.
What trip to China would be complete without the Golden Arches? Yes, for lunch we ate at McDonalds and savored the burgers and French fries. After lunch, it was time to do some serious shopping. We were dropped off at the Silk Alley and shopped for 3 hours. It was fun and nerve wracking to bargain shop. It is quite the experience to bargain for every item that you purchase. Every time you would pass a stall someone would yell out “Hey beautiful lady” or “you need new purse.” Some of the team were “accosted” by over-zealous merchants. There are great deals to be found on electronics, clothes, luggage, purses, silk, tailor-made suits, dresses and Chinese souvenirs. One item that is great to purchase in China is pearls. You can get quality pearls at a much lower price than in the US.
Another “must-do” in Beijing is go to a Peking Duck restaurant. We ate at a great restaurant with wonderful food and a Roasted Duck was sliced and prepared in our private room.
Beijing is a world class city which has so much to offer. It is very apparent that hosting the Olympics has energized the city and transformed much of its feel. It will be fun for our team to watch the Olympics in August as Beijing and China have become familiar friends.

On Sunday we checked out of our hotel and went to a church service at Beijing International Christian Fellowship. The church has many nationalities. Worshipping there was a great indicator of what to expect in heaven. We met some Alabama friends for a Chinese lunch at a restaurant near the 21st century hotel where the BICF service occurred. It was our last truly Chinese meal and we ordered many of our favorites. Although we are sure that we need a break from Chinese food for awhile, we will be better knowledgeable about Chinese food for the rest of our lives. We left for the airport and arrived in plenty of time for our trip. There were many familiar restaurants at the airport such as Burger King, Starbucks, KFC, and TCBY. Again we were blown away by the majesty of this airport. It is undoubtedly the nicest and largest airport in the world. Saying goodbye to our Chinese guide Fondona was difficult as she has been with us the entire trip. She has blessed us with her knowledge and love for her country and we hope to have been a blessing to her also.
Departing China was difficult on some levels as this has been a very meaningful trip. We have visited orphans in their distress and experienced true religion. As a team it is our desire to continue to fight for justice for the orphans around the world. Our desire is to see them placed into families and to experience the love of God. Words and pictures are not sufficient to communicate what we have experienced. Our invitation to everyone reading this blog is to join us on a trip one day. Anticipate a life-changing and life-giving experience. There are many children waiting to be held and to hear that they have value and are loved. Come and give away a part of your life.

Without our Daddy on Father's Day?!

For the last couple of years on Father's Day, we have shared our Daddy with children in Chinese orphanages. Through the work that we do and the children God has blessed us with to raise, Phil and I are repeatedly faced with the scars that are left behind on children from the loneliness of orphanage life. It is not something we share with many people in the areas where it affects our personal life, but it is something that forces us to take action. It forces us to not forget those that are left behind who may never find their forever family on this earth. It is something that grows out of our blessings of Lily and Kate. They have shown us the worthiness of each individual child. They have shown us how great the need really is. They have given us the urgency that we needed to begin what seems like an enormous task of being a friend to the fatherless.
So Father's Day without our Daddy is somehow more significant to me as it gives me a fresh thankfulness of the sacrifices my wonderful husband makes to heal and love my sweet Lily and Kate and to give of himself to those who know no earthly father. Here is a little gift to our wonderful Daddy. Our Daddy who has given us the most precious gift of all...himself.

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Last day in Jiang Jin

Today, we had a big birthday bash for all the kids! Phil, F, and Emily went shopping for supplies yesterday afternoon, and we came armed with wrapped gifts, balloons, streamers, and cake. We had our first "party" with the healthy kids, and it was so great to see them playing with all the donated gifts (while getting pretty hyped up on cake!). We were able to sing to them and get photos of each in their birthday hats. The special needs kids were also glad to have a reason to party. We were able to meet other Americans who study here in China during their weekly visit to the orphanage, who had the kids dressed up with colored paper masks to welcome us. We had quite a rowdy crowd, with plenty of icing smeared all over little faces. One of the best parts of the day was seeing little Yao-Yao, who has shown very little emotion during the week, smiling and giggling. She was also reaching up to people, which is a very good sign. It was encouraging to see our affection making a small difference in the life of little Yao-Yao. It was really hard to leave the special needs ward. There understood that we were leaving for good, and there were so many tears. One of the older girls, Jing-Jing, sobbed and told us (via an interpreter) that she didn't want us to leave. It was an emotionally tiring day.

Thursday in Jiang Jin

The past two days here in Chongqing have been busy and emotional. Yesterday morning, we continued ministering to the kids in the orphanage by playing on the playground. It was strange to see kids who literally didn't know how to play: we had to show them how to climb, slide, and swing. Most caught on pretty quickly though, and it was exciting to see the smiles and hear the laughs of carefree children, especially from those who seemed so removed and listless at the beginning of the week. They seem to love getting downstairs and into the sun!Leaving the healthy kids to head back to the hotel for lunch yesterday was heartbreaking. Several people on our team have connected strongly with certain children, and saying goodbye was hard even though we knew we would see them one more time. Lunch was an encouraging time for each of us though, as we recharged and prepared for an afternoon with the special needs kids.

Wednesday in Jiang Jin...

"On Wednesday we reconnected with our wonderful new friends at the orphanage. They are warming up to us more and more each day. Each child is beginning to smile more and desiring to be held. It is amazing the long-term impact that one-on-one attention can have on these children. If only there were more workers to help out. The best thing is for these children to be adopted into a family with the second best option to be placed in a foster care family. The director told us yesterday that they don't receive enough funding from the government to place the children in foster families. They hope to in the future. We did see a Chinese couple come to the orphanage and appear to be looking at the two boys who were there. We hope that they will be able to adopt one of these children. We met a few American friends who lived in Chongqing and they spent the afternoon and evening with us. It was great to hear about life for an American "foreigner" living in China and about working here. For dinner, we had a traditional Chongqing hotpot experience. There is a boiling pot of water in the middle of the table with two sections. One section is non-spicy, and the other section is "slap-your-mama" spicy. Many of Team Alabama ate chicken feet and duck intestines. When in Jiang Jin, do as Jiang Jin does. It was a wonderful experience."

Tuesday in Jiang Jin...

"Super Tuesday

Tuesday was our 2nd day at the orphanage. We decided to do the same schedule as Monday which was to spend time with the non-special needs children in the morning and spend time with the special needs children in the afternoon. After our bumpy ride over the Yangtze, we arrived and were met by children ready to play. The toddlers had their shoes on and were just waiting for our arrival. The orphanage has a wonderful playground that was donated by an Australian group. It is neat to see the older children look out for the younger children. Some of us stayed with the toddlers and some went to the room with the babies. It was hot and humid today. To entertain ourselves, we sang songs ranging from country music to Elvis to Motown to Southern Gospel. I am sure the children thought we were crazy.
When it became too hot, we took the toddlers back up the stairs to the 3rd floor. Unfortunately, the orphanage increased by one today. A baby girl was found in the village and turned in to the police. The police brought the girl to the orphanage to be taken care of. The doctor cared for the fresh umbilical cord and the baby was wrapped up and placed in a crib. There is no words to describe the breaking heart associated with seeing a newborn begin their new life in an institution when they should be with their birth mother. Our team was impacted by the moment.
There was a positive as were asked to name the little girl. After we realized there wasn’t a Chinese character to name her “Alabama”, we decided on the name Grace. Her Chinese name will be Jiang Fu Ge. We pray that she will experience the significance of her name.
After lunch back at the hotel, we returned to the orphanage to spend time with the special needs children. Each one of the children have their own individual story and personality. Some have limited handicaps and some have severe. We are able to take some down the stairs to play which they love. They are unable to go downstairs usually because there aren’t enough nannies to properly care for them. When a group comes, they are enthusiastic in taking the chance to get outside. There are few sounds greater in life than some of the laughs of these children.
It saddens us to realize the life of some of these children. They receive wonderful care from the orphanage but will still struggle their entire lives physically and mentally. We remind them in word and song they are fearfully and wonderfully made."