The littles...............

Happy Sunday!

Another good one:

Does anyone read these things besides me?  Please comment and let me know if they are at all valuable to you.
Thanks!

www.whatitmeans2beheld.blogspot.com.html

Feeling better~!

smiles.........

Back to her old self!

Merry Christmas ........

Dumpling's 1st Christmas

The Family !

Side note: The Vol did not want his picture taken opening presents.  Oh to be 14 again.... 

We are truly blessed this year!

Nicely written post....

The Kitchen Is Not My Office: Supporting and Understanding the Adoptive Family

Who knew........

...... watching your little one in pain would be so hard.
...... having major surgery involving your mouth can be a very rough thing especially when you are 2 1/2.
...... seeing your little girl ( who you just met three months ago) cling to you for dear life would make you cry.
.....  hearing your child speak a few new words would be such a beautiful thing.
..... countless sleepless nights could make you feel like a completely different person, but you know it is worth every minute.
.... during all of those sleepless nights, it would give you extra prayer time and time to reflect on the Reason for the Season.
..... a little girl could teach a family the importance of 'family'.
...... that friends who live very far away could send a sweet gift just at the right time.  :)
..... I could be stretched in enormous ways as a mother through it all.
..... that I would be unable to 'thank' close family enough for their help, prayers, and insight.
..... that a 2 1/2 year old with a horrific nose bleed could make people do a double take while visiting Santa ( long story).
..... that on Christmas 2011 we would be staring at a picture of a cute little girl half a world away and now Christmas 2012 we are holding her tight.

A little girl and her friends.......

My Christmas Present this year........

a little girl..... it doesn't get any better.......

worth reading........

http://followingourleader.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-call-to-adopt.html?m=1

Warms a mother's heart........

just to see two girls 'pretending' together.....They are sisters in every sense of the word.  On the eve of surgery, Dumpling has a family to be with her every step of the way!

Upcoming Palate Surgery....

As we prepare for Dumpling's palate surgery this Wednesday, I have to reflect on the past 3 months that she has been our daughter.  She has made amazing progress with ASL (sign language) and her understanding of the English language as well.  She desperately wants to be understood and to communicate.  I am awed by her resilience and determination.  She has taken on each new experience with grace and resoluteness.  She has come so far.  We started speech therapy this week and will likely continue for some time.  I am proud of my girl!  Please keep her in your prayers as we embark on this healing journey.

More basketball.....

The Vol in action!

Our elf is back...................

Eubie is such a jokester! 

Upcoming Cleft Palate Surgery.........

For those of you who have kindly asked about the Dumpling's upcoming surgery, here are some before and after pictures as well as info on what we can expect after surgery.  The surgery is scheduled for mid-Dec.  We will keep you posted.

What can I expect after surgery?

A cleft palate repair usually takes between 2 and 3 hours. Your doctor will talk to you as soon as the surgery is over.
Your child will wake up in the recovery room after surgery. This may take 45 minutes to an hour. When your child is awake, he or she will be admitted to the hospital. You can accompany your child when he/she is transferred to your hospital room. One or both parents can stay with your child the entire time he/she is in the hospital. In fact, we encourage at least one parent to stay with your child during the hospitalization.
After surgery, your child will have soft splints wrapped around the arms. These splints prevent your child from inserting hands and objects into the mouth. These splints can easily be removed when you are holding your child. The arm splints should be worn at all other times for 2 weeks after surgery.
Children usually start drinking 24 to 36 hours after surgery. Your child will receive fluids through an intravenous catheter until he/she starts drinking by mouth. Children are usually discharged from the hospital after 2 nights. In some cases a child may have trouble feeding or need a little more time in the hospital to control pain.

Here's another link to good info:   url.html

Happy Birthday to my spunky 4 year old!

Thanksgiving Fun.........

We enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving weekend with family.  The Princess also was thrilled to celebrate her birthday again! Unfortunately, we failed to get a group picture once again.  The cousins had lots of time together which they thoroughly enjoyed.  We certainly have lots to be thankful for this year.  Adding the Dumpling to our family and watching her grow and change has been nothing short of a miracle.  She is a delightful addition to our family.  We are thankful for all of our blessings.

our beautiful niece

attempting to get the littles to cooperate

well, this will have to do

wagon fun

fantastic candle from China (love that it plays 'happy birthday' for days)

birthday girl with umbrella cake

everyone need a pink Power Ranger!

Shopping with a purpose.......

Birthday Girl

Our sweet girl is turning 4~!  It seems like just yesterday when we held you in our arms for the first time.  You have blossomed into a girl full of wonder and imagination.  We are excited about what the future holds for you.  We love you Princess!

two little monkeys

smile

come on sis.....

girls busily drawing pictures of their grandmothers

Chinese Moon Fest

Beta Club Induction.......

So proud of my girl!

A look into the past...................

Finally downloaded some old video off of our camera.   Below are two videos from gotcha day.  If you listen carefully, you can hear them say her Chinese name. The middle video is a short clip from The Dumpling's birthday party before she came home.  The Princess wanted a full birthday party for her new sister so we celebrated in June before our travel in September.

A boy and his game.......

My big boy is growing up fast.  He is playing basketball - his true love.  He has been asked to play some varsity ball which is a little out of his comfort zone, but he is stepping up to the plate.

Trooper........

Seriously, my baby girl is a real trooper.  Considering her past ( a one month stint in the hospital in China) and her fear of all things medical in general, she is very patient with those individuals who want to poke and prod.   We have experienced our share of medical appointments.  We keep unraveling the mystery of Dumpling.  We pray for her continued healing as we gear up for her big surgery in December.  We hope that trying to keep her well in the meantime doesn't prove to be to difficult.

sporting a fashionable hospital gown

She continues to amaze us with her ability to learn new things.  She is picking up sign language and quite proud of herself when she realizes we understand her.  Given the fact that she has only been home 9 weeks, she is doing a terrific job.  She babbles non-stop and wants SO badly to communicate with us.  She is our hero!

ORPHAN SUNDAY!

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18 

The bright lights in our hearts and home~  !

AND:

a girl and her Popi happy together.........

Happy Halloween.......

The Princess and her friend the Mermaid.

class party

Princess and Dumpling
The big kids did trick or treat but did NOT want photos taken.

My little girls.....

always ready to smile

We've had a busy week but luckily this weekend was rather quiet.  We are finally getting some Fall-ish weather around here so I was busy going through the little girls' clothes.  The Princess LOVES to match the Dumpling!  

The Three Deadliest Words in the World: It’s a Girl

The Three Deadliest Words in the World: It’s a Girl
click on link....

Cross country with the Vol..............

what a face......

this is fun Mommy......

go Vol go.......

the JV crew.......

prayer........

starting line...

recovery......