The right blog address

Oops! I wrote the blog address for Phil's trip to China wrong.
Try this one...
www.angelsinchina.blogspot.com
Thanks, Jim!

Phil's trip to China and surgery

I haven't been able to post for a while since I've had my hands quite full. Phil went to China for 2 weeks to love on orphans. He dislocated his shoulder on the first day at the orphanage and had to be in pain the rest of the trip. As soon as he got home, we found out there was a fracture and torn cartilage and he had surgery today. He was such a trooper to finish out leading the group in China while in pain. I love that man and his servant heart!

Thought my fellow China orphan lovers would enjoy a look out the blog the team kept while in China.

www.angelsinchina.com

This is a project we have been working on now for three years. This trip really cemented our work there. (Phil's last trip was covered in this blog back in June). We have been given access to all the orphanages in Chongquing. (I'm doing little spelling errors on purpose which you will see throughout the blog for security purposes.) This access is such a priviledge as so many of you know! There is a lot that we could not post that I'd love to share. I'm going to try to find a way to get a more secure route and I'll let you know. Also, I'm thinking that we need to come up with a name for the project since we are hoping to go every 6 months now and begin to raise support and awareness. As you are reading, if you think of any snazzy ideas...let me know!

Supergirl and Spanish Princess out on the town

Happy Adoption Day!

Sept 19 was the 3rd anniversary of our becoming a family. When I look back at our referral pictures of the girls, I remember all the questions I had about them. So many unknowns! I remember how I longed to hold them in my arms. It is still wonderful to me that I can spend hours and hours with them, just doing nothing but being together... feeling their breath on my face at night as they snuggle in to me to go to sleep, laying on the trampoline together "wasting" time just looking up at the trees and sky, hearing their random "I love you, Mommy!", laughing at the surprising things that come out of those little mouths and watching them as they grow together and develop a love for one another that is a joy to be around. It is fun for me to finally know exactly who they really are. I know what makes them laugh and cry and what makes them nervous and feel safe. I know where their tickle spots are and I know the jokes that really get them going. Most importantly, I know how much they love me and Phil and how much they love each other. (Lily is on the right below.)














To celebrate our Adoption Day, we went to the State Fair. I'm a fair junky. I LOVE a funnel cake and a ferris wheel! So the girls are loving them, too! (Lily in the glasses, of course.)

I tried to get a family picture on Adoption Day, but between the waiter's poor English and 2 tired three year olds...this is the best I got.











Our first family picture is much better...

Random summer fun

I really don't want summer to end! We had a great summer filled with friends and family. Here are a few pictures of our fun this summer...

Fourth of July was spent at my parents' farm. Lily and Kate ate watermelon, Mississippi style.













The Nobles' family water slide. That is me going down on the float. I even got one of the girls to go down with me. (But only one and only once :))














Granddaddy took the girls for a ride on his motorcycle.














Back home, we had some "finger painting gone wild"...


















My sister came over with her crew...














Man, did they wear us out with all that playing!













We played dress-up with our girlfriends...













We watched our favorite videos with Zack, the cat...














We got to go bowling for the first time...












































We played dress up with Hadley and Gracie...

















We cooked in the play kitchen...



















Ate Dreamland ribs...














Played with playdoo in our pink power ranger costume...













Cooked in the real kitchen with Sam...

...and Hadley!

These are such fun memories. Can't we have summer for just 3 more months!!

First two days of "school"

Well, we finally started Mother's Day Out three mornings a week at our church (and Phil's office) and the girls LOVE it! Phil and I are in awe of how well they have done. We knew Lily was ready. The last 6 months she has turned into a social butterfly when it comes to other 4 year old girls and she has been bored around the house. Kate has not showed any signs of wanting to be anywhere away from Mommy. With both girls, we have struggled with extreme shyness, generalized anxiety and fears of being away from me. They got the best teachers possible who have worked so hard to make them feel loved and to have fun. The change we have seen in Kate is amazing since she started MDO. Phil and I keep looking at each other in amazement these last two weeks as she takes on, with grace, social situations that before would have really shut her down. Half way through the second morning, the school secretary called Phil and said, "You've got to come see this!" Both girls were talking and laughing in their class. They hardly ever talk in public. What a blessing!
Here they are leaving the house the first morning accompanied by their new school outfits, cool lunch boxes packed with hot and sour soup and Spiderman fruit roll-ups, pink backpacks and Mickey Mouse ("Super Mickey" as Kate calls him) ready to secretly hide in the backpack. Katie was SO excited about her school shirt. She has worn it everytime she has gone to school. It is a Mickey shirt with her name on it. It seems more important to her than Lily that she have her own idenity. When I put the shirt on her, she nearly busted at the seams. She said with the biggest smile, "Now everyone will know my name!"














Below are some pictures that one of their teachers took during the first day...














































The teachers let me come 15 minutes before the end of the morning and read to the class one of Kate and Lily's favorite books. This is the one they chose. They were laughing and so proud of themselves while I was reading it!




















Here they are leaving the house the morning of the second school day. I'm so glad they have each other!

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!