Etchings

I had the opportunity to pick up the etching we had done in China a few months ago. Another famiy brought it back with them when they travelled to pick up their little girl. The bottom etching was done when we first brought Lily into our family. At the time, I thougtht four would be it! Little did I know that when we had that etching done, another little girl about five months old was still waiting for us in China! The top one is of the most recent one done of the Fab Five! All of their eyes look the same...which I find to be quite nice! Dane thinks he looks like the boy on Polar Express! Sarah is slightly scared of the etching....I'm not certain why, but she is.

Snow Run Challenge 2007

Sarah's First Real Snow

Lily loved going down a snowy slide!

Having a strong brother comes in handy!

Sarah went down the slide, too!

Lily was ready to go.

Sarah wasn't so sure about the snow...at first!

Sarah was dressed and ready to go, but refused to walk on the snow.

This was the first real snow for us in Lancaster. We've had a few dustings over the past few weeks, but nothing worth getting bundled up to go outside. Sarah was born in Qinzhou City near Veitnam so she has never seen snow. She didn't care for it at first. She kept saying, "My boots are dirty, get my tennis shoes." We had a hard time convincing her that this snow wasn't dirty...not yet anyway. She started to have a change of heart as our older brother pulled her around on the sled. She was outside for about ten minutes and decided she rather go into the house and watch Mulan. I had enough of it myself so we left Ty and Lily out in the backyard and I took Sarah in and peeled the layers of clothes off of her. As soon as I got everything off, she went to the window to watch Ty and Lily have so much fun. She then decided that she wanted to go back out. In that moment, I would have moved to Florida in a heartbeat! I hate the dressing and undressing part of toddlerdom....sorry, but I do. I wasn't going to give in at first and then I decided to put Dane to work and let him help dress her. He also took her out to the backyard. This made for a great opportunity for me to make a run to the grocery store. I enjoyed the time alone....isn't that pathetic? Who would have ever thought pushing a cart down the aisles of a grocery store would be refreshing! When I came home, Dane was crying on the couch because Ty hit him in the eye with a snowball. Sitting in the corner, all bundled up, was Sarah. She was crying because she didn't want anyone but Mommy to take her snow pants and coat off. They are both watching Mulan before getting ready for bed. Me? I'm just going to cheer on my friend Idna's team.....the Colts. I'll cheer for them tonight because after tonight, I'm rootin' for the Bears!

Conference Crazy

I haven't had much time to post lately so I thought I'd at least explain why. Our church(Fairfield Christian Church) is partnering with A Helping Hand Adoption Agency in hosting a conference titled Midwest Summit on Adoption and Orphan Relief. I'm part of the conference planning team and we are really busy nailing down specifics of the conference. The website is being finished if anyone wants to check it out...go for it...just know that there are a few more things still coming. We will be offering over 60 seminars in eight different interest tracks...yes, that is a lot! There will be something for everyone in the adoption community. Our theme is "The Body of Christ Caring for the Orphans of the Nations" so obviously there will be an element of the Christian faith woven throughout most of the seminars. Feel free to pass on this information to anyone you think might be interested.

Kathy

A long, long time ago.......

It has been a while since I last posted. No real issues here with the exception that we are busy with basketball, music, school, basketball and basketball. I'm also busy trying to finish up plans for the Midwest Summit on Adoption and Orphan Relief conference that I'm helping plan for April 21st.

How about this photo of Tom and I? Yes, it was a long, long time ago! The year was 1987. We were just married and spent our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, TN. Gatlinburg was a different place then...you could actually walk through town and not dodge traffic! We've changed a bit since then, haven't we? We both have put on a little weight....okay, a little more than a little! It's hard to believe that when this photo was taken, the idea of children was just that....an idea. Who would have known that nearly 20 years later we'd claim five as our very own!?! God has truly blessed us!

Three Wooden Crosses

Tyler and Dane were a bit bored today so they decided to make a video. Ty is lip-syncing to Dane's singing. Dane was also the videographer as he sang! Too funny!