Standing Tall

Our precious boy got his leg braces on Thursday.

Oh my goodness!

He is over-the-top excited!

He loves to show everyone how he can stand with his legs straight and doesn't need to lean against the wall or hold on to anything.

We've been telling him how tall he looks and he is so very proud. He can wash his hands now, without having to use a step-stool!

It brings tears to my eyes when I see how grateful Kaikai is to be able do the things that most of us take for granted.

Like this...

I'll tell you what...if you want to find joy in buying something, forget the fancy cars or diamond rings! Instead, buy some leg braces (or crutches or other adaptive equipment) for a child who has never had them before. That is something that will give you great pleasure. I'm quite sure that I've never purchased anything that has given me more!

péng yǒu

Kaikai had some special friends (péng yǒu) come to play on Sunday.

Elisha and Nehemiah are absolutely the sweetest boys. Their family (which includes five boys!) are a part of our church family. All of the boys in the family are so nice, and Eli and Nemo are the perfect new friends for our little guy.

These boys are gentle and kind, but they still like to be boys! Kaikai had a blast crashing plasma cars with them.

Nemo and Eli were so thoughtful. Kaikai was trying to teach them some Mandarin words and they repeated everything that he said with great enthusiasm.

I think Kaikai's smile in this photo (below) tells it all...Kaikai loves his new péng yǒu!

What about me?

This is Lanzo.

Lanzo turns eight years old this month.

Lanzo is an orphan in China.

This adorable little guy has no physical special needs (he had some kidney stones removed once!), but he does need a family.

The reality is that older boys are rarely chosen for adoption. I can tell you from experience, however, that adopting an older boy can be absolutely wonderful!

Please contact Heidi at CHI if you'd like to know more about Lanzo. I'm sure that his family is out there. Could it be yours?

Could I be your Valentine?

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All of these beautiful children are available for adoption through Children's House International. Each child is waiting in China for a family to call his/her own. Perhaps every one of these precious children could be home by next Valentine's Day! Wouldn't that be wonderful?! Please contact Heidi at heidigoestochina@msn.com if you are interested in knowing more about any of these special children.

Happy Adoption Day, Jadon! (A decade of love)

Happy Adoption Day

 

Oh, who would have guessed, who could have seen
Who could have possibly known
All these roads we have traveled, the places we've been
Would have finally taken us home

 

 

Chorus:

So here's to you, three cheers to you
Let's shout it, "Hip, hip, hip, hooray!"
For, out of a world so tattered and torn,
You came to our house on that wonderful morn
And all of a sudden this family was born
Oh, happy Adoption Day!

There are those who think families happen by chance
A mystery their whole life through
But we had a voice and we had a choice
We were working and waiting for you

Chorus

No matter the name and no matter the age
No matter how you came to be
No matter the skin, we are all of us kin
We are all of us one family

Chorus

©1992 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP)
Charlottesville, VA 1991.
from Family Garden (Rounder 8026)

Oh, our precious Jadon, you are such a gift to us. We are beyond blessed to have met you 10 years ago today and we are so grateful that you are our son! We have all grown and changed so much since that day that we first held you in our arms in a hotel in Zhangzhou. Thank you for teaching us more and more each day about what it means to love.

Happy Adoption Day, Jadon!

We love you with all of our hearts.

a few random loves

My mom just sent me this photograph of a picture that she painted. It's Lily, Grace and two of their cousins, braiding each other's hair.

I love it!

I sure love the husband that God gave me.

Kaikai's "fashion" hair.

*love*

And here's my favorite (albeit sideways) four second love of the day.

What (or whom) do you love today?

wonder and joy

Oh friends, there is nothing like the privilege of being able to give your precious, beautiful, amazing child his very first birthday celebration.

Our sweet son was overcome with joy when he realized that the singing, the decorations, the presents and the Chinese dinner were all in honor of him.

Everything amazed our sweet boy.

I don't think that I've ever seen anyone so full of innocent, simple wonder than our Kaikai was tonight, as we celebrated the day of his birth.

Nor do I think that I've ever seen anyone so completely brimming with joy.

He loved having his brothers and sisters share his new gifts.

And he loved that we made a special meal, full of some of his favorite foods.

Even at bedtime, he couldn't stop smiling and hugging people.

In fact, he wanted to have his picture taken with every single animal on his bed. Even the animals needed extra hugs and smiles tonight!

 Then, after Kaikai got under the covers, this little boy, who usually falls asleep within moments of lying down, continued to smile and quietly giggle over the memories of the day.

Oh Jesus, thank you for our amazing son! Thank you that we had the honor of celebrating his birthday with him today. We are beyond grateful, and are truly filled with wonder and joy that we could be Kaikai's mommy and daddy.What a gift you have given to us!!

Happy  9th Birthday Kaikai! You are a remarkable, handsome, wonderful, sweet boy! We are so glad that you are our son!!!

Living Water

 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" 

John 7:37-38

We come to Jesus for a drink,

and He gives us a river...

a river of Living Water.

(Thank you, Meredith, for the pictures in this post.)

My heart and mind have been consumed with these verses over the past few days.

Our Jesus is so wonderful.

He pours out His grace in abundance.

He never gives us stale or stagnant water.

He gives us Living Water.

The nine months preceeding Kaikai's adoption were difficult months for me. I had terrible, terrible insomnia, my spiritual life was weak and I was constantly striving to do all that I needed to do.

Our Jesus never wants us to strive.

He wants us to rest in Him. He longs for us to come to Him for a drink so that He can pour out His Living Water in our lives.

Last week, our Father, whispered to me, as His daughter, and told me that He had given me grace to come to Him...to experience His Living Water. This grace had come, in large part, through the adoption of our sweet son. The past two adoption journeys have especially been evidence of His grace in David's and my life. Literally, from the time that Grace and Stephen Yuankai were placed in our arms, we experienced abundant grace. Their gentle spirits, the trust that they offered so freely, the need to slow down and the miracle of adoption have all spoken volumes of the grace of God in our lives.

And within this grace, I can truly rest in Him.

And in the midst of this rest, I can simply come to Him for a drink.

And as I drink from Him, I am overcome by His River of Living Water.