Faith In Every Footstep

~ Candy Making~

2012-01-27T09:29:00.001-08:00

I really don't know what to call these...I originally called the post baking... but no oven, then I switched to candy making ,but they are not really candy? Well what ever they are they are heavenly. I was asked to make some for a baby shower that I was unfortunately unable to attend because it was on my hubby's birthday.

It's a good thing because I would have eaten them all myself.

Oreo Truffles

for a baby shower

16 oz Oreo

8 oz cream cheese

1 bag chocolate chips

1 TLB oil

Crush cookies in blender mix in cream cheese. Refrigerate. Roll into balls. Refrigerate. Dip into melted chocolate. Refrigerate. There is a theme here :)

~Baking~

2012-01-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

This Post I can offically call Baking, here is the Pineapple Upsidedown Cake I make for Jeff's birthday!

Happy Chinese New Year ~ Year of the Dragon :)

2012-01-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

Flash Frozen in Seattle

2012-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

We have had some extreme weather here, but it is beautiful! I couldn't stop taking pictures of the ice that had formed on everything. Unfortunately this ice has brought down trees, power lines, carports, and everything else in its path. One night my son Dallin came running into our room, something loud had scratched against his upstairs window. After investigation we realized a limb had broke off our tree. We are so glad the windows didn't break. We were also very fortunate to have kept power throughout the week, and our children were fortunate to miss an entire week of school! We were the only neighborhood in our area that kept power and had a few extra guests throughout the week too :) Here are a few of my favorite pictures straight from the camera :)

Japanese Maple Tree in front of our house

Snowy Urn

This is a picture of the tree before it broke :(

another angle

Fountain in the front

Loving these pics!

The cul de sac tree

Flag :)

~ Snowed in...And Lov'in iT~

2012-01-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

It doesn't take much to be snowed in living in Seattle. They don't own many snow plows. So school is closed and most employers encourage their employee's to stay home if possible. I find time to do things I normally wouldn't on a school day like these...

Make strawberry cream crepes for breakfast

Have a real family home evening complete with Butter Beer...what is it?

"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it?"

—Hermione Granger inviting Harry Potter to the Three Broomsticks Inn.^[

And play with the white balance on my camera... fun fun and more fun!

Oh and of course we played in the snow. Faith was all excited and wanted to make a snow man, and a snow woman,and an igloo, and a snow dog, and a snow kitty, and a snow cone etc,etc,etc. Her and Kylee settled for making snow angels and eating snow...gross :(

What could be more cute?

2012-01-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I enjoy watching more, my older daughter Kylee finding outfits to match Faith, or Faith finding outfits to match Kylee...either way I love my girls! Here Kylee went to her closet and found something similar to what Faith was already wearing. Faith's input...the matching wristbands.

Kylee..."Mom you've just gotta take a picture of us!" :)

Gotcha~ Family Day~ 2011

2012-01-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

Here's my "Sweetie Heart" Those are the words Faith uses to describe herself, she will say, " I am your sweetie heart." She is my Sweetie Heart! Daddy is at work today and all the siblings are at school so she and I had a girls day out. We went shopping and I let her pick whatever she wanted. She ended up getting a BRIGHT peace sign swimsuit and a BRIGHT yellow shirt. Colors I usually steer clear from. She also wore the outfit her oldest brother Spencer gave her for Christmas, he picked it out himself. I think he did a great job! He just left again for college and she already misses him. We got to talk to him on the phone today, so she is happy. After shopping we went to Chuck E Cheese. Did you know what the E stands for in his middle name? Entertainment...ya learn something new every day. Faith had a great time. After lunch I took her to school. I bought cookies for her to share with her class and made her an adoption picture book to share with her class. She decided she didn't want to take the book to school so I let the teacher know when I dropped her off they would just be enjoying the cookies with no sharing time about her Gotcha Day. I am glad Faith can communicate her feelings so well at a young age.

Here is Faith's to do list for her family day, which is what she likes to call it instead of Gotcha.

Shop
Go to Chuck E Cheese
Go to McDonalds to eat fries
Play in their playland
And get a toy

Faith at McD's!

So guess where we are going for dinner when everyone gets home?

2 years ago today we boarded a plane to CHINA!!!

2011-12-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

For her!

Just after church Christmas morning~

2011-12-27T21:41:00.001-08:00

Pink * Sparkly * Bear *

2011-12-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Faith opening her present from Santa

at 6:30 in the morning :)

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's our family tradition to have a nice dinner then open one present from my mom who always sends new pj's and socks. Here is Faith with her new socks on :)

That Feeling~

2011-12-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

I love this kid! I know that feeling, it is why we adopted. God Bless you David!

Angry Frog

2011-12-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree is a hodge podge of ornaments collected over a lifetime. My oldest ornament is from 1986 and was a gift from a friend. We have McDonalds toys, broken 1st Christmas ornaments that can't be replaced, etc. It is a cheap, old fashioned Perfect tree. My kids love it! Every year I threaten to redo the tree and get grief from every person. This year Faith was admiring the many different types of ornaments and then noticed the "angry frog" ornament. I just loooove her so much. We just laughed and explained to her the story behind him. I am sure you know it well. Here is a picture of the Angry Frog on our tree.

And the next day we all sat and watched the movie together, Faith was so excited when she saw him on the tv she exclaimed, " YIPPY!" You will never look at him the same will you :)

Santa - I know HIM!

2011-12-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Faith is really enjoying the Christmas season this year. She was so excited to see Santa and tell him what she wanted. She wants a pink sparkly teddy bear. After she sat on his lap and told him, she had this terribly sad face while walking away with just a candy cane. She thought she was going to get her present right then :( Ahh those innocent moments. She is just so excited about everything. She picked out our tree this year, put the star on top of the tree, and has gone around our home hugging every decoration that is big enough to hug. She had an entire conversation with a Santa I have in our kitchen telling him how much she loves him.

Meet Kitchen Santa, Faith's new best friend :)

Adoption...I wish more people got it :)

2011-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

The other day I was at the mall shopping with my older daughter Kylee. We ran into a Chinese business owner who was an artist. I want a painting of our family and began a conversation with him. Our adoption came up, and he was immediately judgemental. Words like " You white people think you can just save the world." He even asked my daughter, " You really treat her like she is your sister?" Kylee was shocked by his agressive and nasty behavior. This was the first negative encounter I have had with someone from China. Usually we strike up a conversation and talk about the country, the history, etc. He was so angry. He also said, " Maybe I will just adopt a white baby." I couldn't believe his anger. He just doesn't get it. So for the stranger at the mall, I hope someone emails you this link, maybe your heart will soften, and you will understand the joy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

So grateful almost 3 years ago I followed God's prompting for our family! She has been such a Joy in our lives! Happy Thanksgiving!

Play date with Li Ling

2011-11-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Lauris and I met in China, almost two years ago. Lauris's little girl Li Ling was from inner Mongolia, and I thought Lauris was so brave to come alone. Her husband couldn't get off enough time. Her daughter is blind and she has already had 4 surgeries to help her see. She is so darling! It was great to catch up and let the girls play.

1st school picture...where did my baby go?

2011-11-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here is Faith's official school picture. I am so proud of her. A few days before them she practiced smiling in the mirror. She likes to do silly faces and usually closes her eyes when she smiles. I just love this picture! She also gave herself a haircut 3 days before the pictures, so she now has bangs like mom and big sister. She actually did a pretty good job. Dallin found lots of hair hidden behind one of the chairs in our family room. One thing about Faith is she never lies. She will come right out and tell you what she did, when she did it, and why. So she showed us where she found the scissors, and where she "hid" her hair. She looks older to me with bangs. I am just loving this stage with her. She is doing so well in school and is a pure joy in our home.

Purple Princess~

2011-11-02T07:05:00.001-07:00

~Weekending~

2011-10-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend as a family. We went to the pumpkin patch. We also got some yummy fresh corn on the cob. Then Spencer and Kylee went the the University of Washington stadium and played several games of flag football with a church young adult group. It's a yearly event that draws people from all over the state. They had a great time. We also got to watch Dallin play soccer...I forgot my camera but he did great. Kylee I also went to watch Sergei play soccer for his UW team. That is always fun. Love our fall weather here in the PNW.

my little sweetie

five little pumpkins

pure joy at seeing gourds for the first time

the big boys

my girly girls

loved this tractor

searching for the perfect pumpkin

still searching

and still searching...

this is hard work...

loved the view of Mt. Rainier

We almost have all our pumpkins...just waiting on Dallin

Faith loves to pull the cart

Dad and the big kids

Faith and her kettle corn

Taking a break

Dallin has found his pumpkin, now he is scraping off the prickly parts of the handle so he can pick it up.

mud and boots...a perfect combination

My favorite picture of the day

Sweet Corn...Sweet Dallin

Love this boy, he is such a good big brother

Super Faith Stance...not sure what was going on here?

Back at the house, all business cutting into her pumpkin

Now they are both "all business"

Doing the dirty work

Exiting!!!

More dirty work

I wonder how it tasted?

All dressed up and ready to play flag football. Doing it big for Tucker!

We miss him. It's been 6 weeks.

Watching Sergei playing soccer for UW

He is so fun to watch. I was usually talking an missed all his good plays. We love our PNW fall weather, it's beautiful here.

Here is a picture of the moon at Sergei's game. A perfect Halloween MOON!

Asian Stereotype from the BBC

2011-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

The BBC is educating children about the primary languages of other countries. I love how the Asian child has a bowl of rice on his head...NICE.

Someone likes the camera!

2011-10-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, for almost two years I have been trying, coaxing, begging Faith to pose and smile for the camera with no luck. Last Sunday we watched our church General Conference on TV (which only happens twice a year) Since we rarely get to do church in our pajamas at home; years ago I started a family tradition of making homemade cinnamon rolls for conference. I was trying to take a picture of the rolls and guess what I got a picture of instead? Love this girly!

The Fair

2011-09-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Faith and her silly faces

Faith's 1st day of school

2011-09-14T11:03:00.001-07:00

leaving for school!

perfection!

watching another student arriving.

My little girl is growing up! I had such a hard time yesterday morning getting her ready for school. Enrolling her into pre-school was a huge emotional hurdle I had to overcome because I just loved every moment of having her home with me. But she was soooo excited. Fortunately she is in afternoon classes, so we had all morning long to talk about school, about meeting new friends, and about her teacher Mrs. Peggy, which Faith calls Mrs. Piggy. When we got out of the car to walk Faith to her class room she told me how she just loves her teacher Mrs. Piggy sooo much ( she hadn't met her yet.) After school was over Faith gave me the "down low" on how her first day went. I asked if she hit anybody and her answer was, " Just a little bit" Well I guess that's better than a whole lot! At least she wasn't in tears and is excited to go back today and I didn't get a phone call! Plus isn't she just so beautiful! I love taking pictures of her.

Sleeping Beauty :)

2011-09-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a problem. Faith starts pre-school next week from 1-4 and guess what time she always needs a nap? 1pm. Hey at least the rug was clean she fell asleep on !

Rocking the knit hat~

2011-08-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

I just love this girly! She found a knit hat that her auntie Jen made and decided it was her swim cap. How darling is she? A new trend possibly?

Ouch!

2011-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

Faith showing us how pretty she looks with her new face! She decided this was a bad idea after she tried to remove a few of these very sticky stickers.

My Favorite Picture from the party...

2011-07-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Pink Princess Party ~The Decorations ~

2011-07-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Faith wanted a pink princess cake, we like to call her Faitherella. Mama made this cake!

Photo opportunities for the mamarazzi!

Tea Party complete with heart sandwiches, lemon tea cookies, grapes, watermelon and chocolate.

Cinderella's Room

Belle's Room

The Rose

Tiana's Room

Belle, Tiana & Cinderella

The Princes arrive to dance with the girls!

One sweet prince even came after breaking his nose fighting a dragon!
( really it was surgery.)

Big brother Dallin gets to be a prince too!

More than just a number

2011-07-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

Adoptions from China to U.S. by year
Year Adoptions

2010	3401 = ( our peanut!)
2009	3000
2008	3912
2007	5453
2006	6492
2005	7903
2004	7038
2003	6857
2002	6116
2001	4705
2000	5058

I was doing some research online about adoptions and came across this table of statistics on adoptions from China to the US. I must be very emotional today because this was just so profound to me. My baby is so much more than a number...but that little number "1" at the end of 3400 is my daughter. She is my world, she is our world. I wish more people would realize how amazing adoption is. Her life has changed several lives for the better, and her gift to us is priceless. How glad I am that we were determined enough to pursue what was in our hearts. We love you Faith Hengsi Brown.

Someone is having a PaRTy!

2011-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Our little miss Faith is turning 4! I can't believe it! We are celebrating on two different days. For her actual birthday we will be camping and boating. She loves water and sand. But what she really wants is a pink princess party. Here are the invites. We can't wait!

2011-07-04T07:25:00.001-07:00

China Girls Hat ~ Hawaii

2011-07-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

Snorkeling in Hawaii minus the snorkel

2011-07-03T09:44:00.001-07:00

The 1st "Grad Party"

2011-06-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

My best friend Katie

The wonderful cake by Isaac

The three amigos...working our buns off!

the homemade cookies

These boys are next!

Jazz!

awww, this picture made me cry when I took it...Garrett is a cancer survivor!!! So happy for him!

Kylee loves appetizers! For her graduation party we served all of Kylee's favorites. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken sliders, beans, little smokies, meatballs, Caesar salad, crunchy fruit salad ( made by Jen), mandarin orange salad, Greek pasta salad (made by Kristen), Cisco's famous salsa and chips, and watermelon. For dessert we had a cotton candy machine ( Kylee's favorite snack!), popcorn, princess cookies ) with yellow frosting; her favorite color, chocolate dipped graduation fortune cookies, shortbread cookies and a custom cake from our good friend Isaac. We combined Kylee's party with her best friend Cady's since the two are inseparable. My dear friends Katie and Beth came to the house early and helped get the party prepared so I could enjoy graduation, and Mindy and Beth helped me frost all the cookies! Thanks to everyone who helped! Kylee had a blast!

Another Graduation

2011-06-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

We participated in a playgroup/preschool this year with Faith. Yesterday was their last day and there was a little graduation party. My pictures are horrible, but at least I got a few. It's been a busy time of year for us. My oldest daughter Kylee just had senior prom(pictures on our family blog) and she graduates this Saturday. Love my daughters!

Miss Sassy Frass

2011-06-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Fashion Faux Pau

2011-05-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Faith was strut'in her stuff around the house in her big sister's high heels. When she turned to walk away we all had a good laugh.

Mother's Day Hooray!

2011-05-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

I am a little behind on the ol'blog. But I did capture a few pictures from our busy events that I will get around to...eventually.
I just love being a mom. Over the last few weeks I have been in full mom mode, with two birthdays ( Dallin and Spencer), Mother's Day, six gifts to buy, volunteering and root beer float making, planning Kylee's high school graduation day and party, doctors' and dentist appointments, spring cleaning, two photoshoots, enrolling Faith in pre-school, getting Spencer to Utah for a funeral, along with helping him job hunt, coaching Kylee's church basketball team , going to regionals and taking 1st place ( yes I am proud of that ) etc. etc. etc. Those are all the extra things I do besides the normal cooking, shopping and cleaning for 7.
I was talking to a friend the other day about family life and I realized that I have 5 children in 5 different schools. Talk about a scheduling nightmare? And yet...I love it! I love being busy, I love being involved and I love having a life.

I called my mom last week when I literally had 10 minutes to talk. She told me the story of when I was born. She said , I was so eager to be alive, I didn't cry but just took everything in. Looked at the lights, the doctor, her , the nurses. I was ready to be here and live my life!
Thank you mom for sacrificing so much to bring me into the world, thank you mom for always telling me I could do anything I set my mind to, for allowing me to dream big. Growing up my mom always believed in me and encouraged me. I really felt I could conquer the world when I graduated high school. I obviously didn't, but her early confidence in me helped me weather my failures and press forward with a can do attitude.

I am also blessed with a wonderful mother in law who constantly shows support and encouragement to us. She is fun to be around and has a wonderful laugh. She is talented and crafty. If you want to learn a homemaking skill she's your gal. She is easygoing, a good listener and slow to anger. She is amazing. I see many of these same wonderful qualities in my dear husband Jeff and I thank her for raising a responsible and righteous son.

Being a daughter was effortless, I didn't really have anything to do with it, but becoming a mom is a different story. Motherhood to me is amazing, rewarding, exhausting, heartbreaking, intimidating and quite the roller coaster ride. I don't think I can even effectively put into words the emotions attached to motherhood. If someone had told me before I was a mother that every success and failure experienced by my children would equally effect me I wouldn't have believed it possible. When they have a success my heart sores, and when they hurt or have a failure my heart aches.

Each one of our children have brought joy and a unique personality. Spencer for his trust and obedience, Kylee for her attention to detail and her awareness, Jensen for his quick wit and his easy going ways, Dallin for his hard work ethic and his curiosity, and Faith for her imagination and her pure heart. As a parent I knew how much joy another child would bring to us. What I didn't realize is that our older children would experience that same joy when we adopted Faith. They just surround her with love and affection.

My sweet children when they were younger...

Faith bringing joy and laughter to our home by putting both her feet in Dallin's one shoe and hopping around the house as a baby mermaid.

I am blessed.

Easter Best

2011-05-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

What is Spencer's Amigo's?

2011-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our oldest son is Diabetic type I, insulin dependant. It was the summer before he would start middle school as a 6th grader. I remember well the realization that something was wrong. I sent him shopping for school clothes with a friend. He came home with a size smaller jeans than he wore the year before. By the end of the summer Spencer had lost 20 pounds, and was so lethargic, spending all his days and nights in bed...too tired to play with his friends, too tired to do anything but eat and sleep. He was always starving and thirsty. He ate 5 hot dogs and was still hungry. He drank 2 1/2 gallons of water in one day.   My sweet boy was dying. I was scared and desperate. Everyone kept reassuring me that he was going through a growth spurt and that is what teenagers do...sleep and eat. I knew in my heart that something was terribly wrong. Jeff and I decided to fast and pray for an answer.
That same day my husband Jeff heard the still, small whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father had answered our prayers. While driving home from church my husband said, " I know what is wrong with Spencer. He has Juvenile Diabetes."  This prompting from the Holy Ghost led us to the Internet when we got home. We read everything we could about the disease. My husband then gave my son a blessing. In that blessing I remember Spencer being told that Heavenly Father loved him, that he gives us trials so we may become stronger and closer to him. Spencer was told that Heavenly Father will bless him with the ability and strength to manage and live with this illness."
Tears were pouring down my face as I silently cried; Silent because I did not want Spencer to know or see how scared and sad I was.   The blessing confirmed to me the fact that this illness was a lifetime disease, which meant a lifetime of struggles and suffering.  I mourned for my son, for the quality of life he had just lost. For his youth, and freedom.
Diabetes is an all consuming disease. Once you are diagnosed, you life becomes subject to numbers; highs and lows. Peaks and Valleys. You are governed by time, food, calories.  The freedom that was lost that day was immeasurable, not only for Spencer...but for our entire family. I jokingly would tell people I am now his Pancreas.  I took over the roll of his ailing body, planning...preparing and measuring everything he ate.  I learned how to administer shots, and gave them up to 4 times a day.
Spencer went into shock. He missed his first week of middle school. Because of this he had no idea how to transition from elementary school with one home room to now 6 classes a day. At lunch instead of eating with his friends, he was in the nurses office...checking his blood and treating his new disease.   It was so traumatising for him; I remember offering to pay him a dollar a shot to give him something to work towards. He said "No way, it's not worth it." We ended up agreeing on two dollars a shot.  Times that by up to 4 shots a day. I paid him a lot of cash that fall. His grades slipped and it didn't matter to me. I told him, just focus on your health this year, you get a free pass for school work and stress this year. We will refocus in 7th grade. And we did.
Spencer was 12 when he was diagnosed. There is no cure. They are getting close...which is sooo exciting. Every year we walk and raise awareness and funds to cure this lifelong disease. My daughter Kylee is the team captain and I couldn't be prouder.

This year we walk May 7th, 2011. Please join our team or support us by making a donation.

Donate here to support JDRF and our family team.

Here we have our happy models Kylee and Spencer wearing our team t-shirts.

2011-05-01T17:20:00.001-07:00

Easter Weekend

2011-04-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

sisters!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had beautiful weather, and a wonderful party at our church for the kids. Faith loved searching for eggs and we loved watching her. Life is just more fun through the eyes of a child.

News in China

2011-04-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Chinese Christians held at Easter service: church
(AFP) – 1 day ago

BEIJING — Up to 30 members of a Chinese evangelical church were arrested on Sunday for trying to hold an Easter service in defiance of the officially atheist government, a member of the clergy said.

A large number of police began to gather early Sunday in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing where the Shouwang Church had said it would hold an outdoor service to mark the holiest day of the Christian calendar.

"Between 20 and 30 followers were taken away by police," senior pastor Jin Tianming told AFP by telephone from his home, where he is under house arrest. He said there were several police officers posted outside the building.

He added that the members of the congregation who were arrested had been taken to different police stations and that none had so far been released.

Jin had said before the planned gathering that the church considered Easter an important occasion and would stick to its decision to hold a service.

"This is our uncompromising position and a matter of faith. If they arrest our followers, this is the price we are willing to pay," he had said.

Police declined to comment on the arrests when contacted by AFP.

The defiant stance of the Shouwang Church, one of Beijing's biggest unofficial Christian groups, comes amid a severe crackdown on government critics that has seen scores of people detained, disappeared or facing charges.

Authorities evicted Shouwang from its previous place of worship, a rented office space, in November and blocked the congregation of about 1,000 people from entering new premises purchased with church funds, Jin said.

China's communist government has long frowned on religion and imposes controls on faith by requiring groups to register for government approval to gather, despite an official policy stipulating religious freedom.

Shouwang, which means "to keep watch", was established in 1993 and has sought government registration since 2006, Jin said, but has been repeatedly refused.

On April 10, nearly 170 church followers were rounded up by police after trying to hold an outdoor service in western Beijing's Haidian university district. Nearly 50 were detained a week later.

Most followers were released after up to 24 hours in custody.

The US government has repeatedly criticised China's overall rights crackdown, while the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, an autonomous government board, last week condemned the actions against Shouwang.

"Beijing has again responded with ruthless intolerance to peaceful religious activity," Leonard Leo, chair of the commission, said in a statement that also urged China to stop detaining members and allow Easter services.

Jin said before Sunday's service that all church leaders were under house arrest and would unlikely be able to leave their homes for the service.

Authorities have cracked down hard on dissidents, activists and rights lawyers since anonymous Internet appeals emerged in February calling for "Jasmine" protests each Sunday around the country.

The campaign was aimed at sparking public calls for government reform similar to those that have rocked the Arab world, but no public demonstrations have been reported in China.

Jin said Shouwang had no links with the calls for "Jasmine" protests.

In numerous Internet postings, other unregistered Christians in China voiced support for the Shouwang church.

About 15 million Protestants and five million Catholics worship at official churches in China, according to recent official data.

But an estimated more than 50 million others are believed to pray at "underground" or "house" churches like Shouwang, which refuse to submit to government regulation.

Pastor Yuan Ling said Shouwang's "sole desire is that we can awaken the conscience of our rulers through our peaceful and holy action of sacrifice".

"Only in this way can we really love our government," he added.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved

~Happy Easter~

2011-04-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Forrester was born with a twisted body and a chronic, terminal illness slowly killing him all his young life. Still, his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.

At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy irritated his teacher. One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Teresa's for a consultation.

As the Forrester's sat quietly in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five- year gap between his age and that of the other students!"

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forrester's. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why waste any more time trying? As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."

From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loudly enough for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller!" the children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their Math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes that is new life, too" Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My Daddy helped me!" he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy's, she thought, and, of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"

Flustered, Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!"

He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, " Do you know why the tomb was empty?"

"Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then his Father raised him up!"

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

Faith's Re-adoption Day~

2011-04-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Please Pray for the Clarks!

2011-04-14T22:46:00.001-07:00

We just love this family. My dear friend Jodie has battled cancer before and she is facing the fight again. Please pray for her and them. You can read more about their family at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jodieclark
WE LOVE YOU CLARKS!!!

Faith's Spring Break...was no break ( Dental Surgery for 16 teeth)

2011-04-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Before we left for the hospital...I gave her an old binki to keep her mouth busy since she couldn't eat or drink.

Waiting for her turn in the playroom...

After 8 hours at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital...16 teeth fixed from decalcification, two crowns. :(

Lots of meds in this little girl...

she was kinda funny :)

It's been a long day

So glad it's over!

Found video of Faith in China on YouTube!

2011-03-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know?

2011-03-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

In the year 2003 Jeff and I went to visit Hawaii with some friends. It was 5 days of wonderful. At the time we had a 14 year old son, an 11 year old daughter, a 9 year old son and a 5 year old son. We were unsure about having more children and had the opportunity to visit the Hawaii temple. We thought this the perfect opportunity and setting to pray about more children. We went to the temple and had a wonderful time.

My husband had the strongest impression that there was another child for our family...he came to me in the temple and quietly told me. I on the other hand had not felt the same strong answer, but was excited that he did. I still wasn't sure, and after we were done inside we walked the temple grounds. We came upon this beautiful waterfall and sculpture. From a distance it seemed to read ETERNITY. When we got closer I just had to take a picture, because here was MY answer to our prayer. This experience happened 6 years before we finally took the first steps to adopting our sweet Faith. And what a miracle and a blessing she is to us. I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the sweet promptings we felt that day almost 8 years ago.

四千金~我的朋友在哪里＋棉布＋猪小弟

2011-03-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

歡樂童謠-王老先生有塊地+青蛙不吃水+上學

2011-03-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see Faith is not wearing the color GREEN. She has become very opinionated lately about what she wants to wear. We go through her closet every morning and if it's not a dress and the color pink we experience full blown tears. She is even refusing to change into her pj's at night and insists on sleeping in her dress.

Faith says, "Please adopt my best friend Pei Pei!"

2011-03-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of Faith's best friends. He, Faith and another little boy(Lan Lan) were inseparable in China. Faith and Lan Lan have already been adopted. Pei can name the countries where his friends who have been adopted have gone to live with their new families. I was reading my favorite list of blogs when I saw this recent picture and post about Pei, you can find it here. Thank so much Amy for advocating for him!

Pei is a fabulous four-year old who really needs a family. He is from the same SWI where Faith lived, so he has the advantages of coming from a great program where he has been very well cared for. Pei has been attending kindergarten, and has lived with a foster grandmother for some of his time.

Pei came into ICC's care as an infant. If you are unfamiliar with ICC, please see their link (english.chinaconcern.org) with info about their committed volunteers and all of their good work for these kids. Pei is described by someone who knows him personally as confident, outgoing, loving and affectionate. He loves kindergarten and wants a family -
While Pei was born w/ a sensitive special need, he has had surgery with a team of US doctors, and his future is bright!! With a family of his own, he can have a wonderful future. If you would like more info about Pei, please contact me. He is on the shared list, so any agency can request his file. I can put you in touch w/ someone who knows Pei and I also have several photos of Pei and Faith together.

Words of wisdom from Faith

2011-03-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

"Cows don't like to eat grass...they like to eat yogurt!"

A little behind

2011-02-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

My sweet father in law passed away a week ago today. It was unexpected and heartbreaking. I posted a bit about last week on our family blog. Blessings to all, and enjoy every moment of life!

Chinese New Year Celebration Pictures

2011-02-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

Year of the Rabbit Cookies and Red Velvet Cupcakes!

Kylee with Lucy and Faith

Faith is ready for a Party!

2011-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Gong xi fa cai) Means "Congratulations and Prosperity."

2011-02-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

Year of the Rabbit!

A long, long time ago, the Jade Emperor in the heavens was celebrating his birthday. Unfortunately, at that time there was no way of counting the years, so he couldn’t be sure how old he was. He decided to come up with a method to count the years.

He sent his servant into the forest to announce that there would be a race among the animals with a special prize for the 12 winners. When the animals heard the news they all wondered what the prize would be.

On the day of the race, the emperor arrived on a golden chariot. As he cleared his voice to speak, the animals fell silent. “There will be a race across the river. The first 12 animals to reach the opposite bank will have a year named after them. The first year will be named after the first animal across, and so on,” said the emperor.

On the day of the race all the animals lined up on the starting line. With the drop of a flag the race began, and the animals sprinted toward the river. The first to arrive were the cat and the rat, but they soon realized that it was further than they had thought. In fact, it looked pretty dangerous. They sat wondering what to do, when the ox arrived. Suddenly the rat had an idea. “Hey ox, do you mind carrying us across the river?” he asked. The ox was a kind animal, so he readily agreed.

The cat and the rat jumped on the ox’s head and together they crossed the river. Just as they were about to make landfall on the opposite the bank, the rat jumped off the ox’s head, making him the first one across.

“Congratulations!” said the emperor. “The first year shall be named after you.” The ox was furious about being cheated, but as the second animal across he got the second year.

There was a long gap until the tiger arrived, exhausted after a difficult swim. The emperor was pleased with his efforts and named the third year after him. The tiger was followed by the rabbit, which surprised the emperor. “Everyone knows rabbits can’t swim. Surely you cheated!”

The rabbit explained that it was true, he couldn’t swim, but he had managed to cross the river by jumping across the stones and sailing on a log. This impressed the emperor who awarded him the fourth year.

The emperor was delighted with what he had seen so far. All the animals had shown tremendous resourcefulness to cross the river, but he had expected the dragon, which could both swim and fly, to easily win. Yet the dragon was nowhere in sight.

Just then a shadow descended over the animals as the dragon swooped in to land. “You finally made it. Where have you been?” asked the emperor. “I had to make it rain and then I saw a rabbit trying to cross the river on a log, so I had to create some wind to help him cross,” said the dragon. “Very well. You’re the fifth animal so you get the fifth year,” said the emperor.

The successful animals gathered on the bank and watched as the rest of the contestants swam across. Before long, the horse came into view. The horse was swimming furiously and was just about to make land when a snake slithered out from under his hooves. The horse was so surprised that he reared up in shock, allowing the snake to slither across the line for sixth place. The horse got seventh, and was happy enough with that.

Then came the most amazing sight of an amazing day — a rooster, a monkey and a goat traveling together on a raft. The rooster had found the raft and the other two had helped to navigate and clear away reeds. When they finally touched down on the bank, the emperor was delighted. “I have never seen such a remarkable display of teamwork!” and with that he granted the goat the eighth year, the monkey the ninth and the rooster the tenth.

There was long gap until the next animal arrived. The emperor was beginning to wonder if any other animals would make it across and if he had made his challenge too difficult. But he needn’t have worried because just then the dog appeared, nearing the shore. The dog explained that the water had been so clean that he couldn’t resist bathing in it. The emperor laughed and duly awarded him the eleventh year.

So it just remained to be seen which animal would get the final place. The animals were discussing the subject when the pig appeared on the bank, earning him the twelfth year. The emperor’s trumpet players issued a fanfare and the emperor began to speak. “Congratulations to all the animals that made it across the river today. Your names will be remembered forever because of your amazing efforts today,” he said.

But whatever happened to the cat that had sat on the ox’s head? The rat pushed him back into the river and he was swept back to the other bank, and since that day rats and cats have been enemies.

A Legend of the Chinese ZodiacHow the 12 animals got their months

Dawu Wang

Faith's Gotcha Party!

2011-01-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Picture taken by the Hubby...

2011-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

She just crashed...isn't it so cute when daddy's capture their favorite moments...

1 Year GOtCha Anniversary!

2011-01-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

The worst snow storm in 60 years almost kept us from her province. Ours was one of 7 planes out of 600 + that made it out of Beijing. Our sweet guide Amy (pictured) waited at the Changsha airport for us for 12 hours. That day and night waiting alone at the airport with no phone,no guide no hope was one of the most difficult days we have ever experienced.

It was so frightening walking out to a plane covered in snow with no plows or de-icers in sight. We boarded and deboarded twice, and waited on the plane for two hours until they brought a portable de-icer so we could take off. At one point I asked Jeff if this flight out was worth our lives, because the pilot was only twenty years old and had never flown in snow/ice.

After only 2 hours sleep we get to meet our daughter...it was worth ever moment of stress and worry! Here the assistant to the director of the orphanage is explaining to Faith that her mom and dad are here. He is pointing to a pillow we sent to her in China with our family picture on it. No Tears... this was fantastic!

Daddy showing Faith a picture book his sister Wendy made for Faith...she did so very well this day.

Leaving the Adoption Affairs office with Faith , notice that huge grin on my face...it's in every picture !

Us at our Hotel in Changsha.

Layers and layers of clothing on this little peanut!

It's official...signing the paperwork!

Beautiful zoo in Guangzhou...

2010-12-31T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time we were just arriving in Beijing...what a thrill it was to finally be in CHINA!

Looking out the window...still wearing her shoes from the orphanage

2010-12-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

Getting to know our baby girl!

2010-12-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

Meeting our Daughter for the first time...she is so beautiful!!!

2010-12-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

We were getting ready to meet Faith a year ago...

2010-12-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe it's been a year since we travelled to China. They say, "Time flies when your having fun." This year has flown by. For the last few weeks I have spent hours looking at our pictures from China. We loved the adventure of traveling to China, the history and the beauty are something pictures can't fully show.
The excitement and anticipation we felt a year ago at Christmas time is hard to put into words. I was nervous about the long flights ,I was nervous to be traveling to a foreign country where so much control is held over it's people. I was nervous to leave my children home alone for so long. I was nervous about my daughter's disability and her many transitions , I was nervous about our transitions.

Fast forward a year later...I am constantly amazed as I watch Faith skip around the house singing at the top of her lungs all sorts of songs, she sings all day long, and I love it. I marvel at her love for her siblings and their love for her. She is a joy that cannot be measured. I am daily amazed that I get to be her mom, and am constantly thankful for the opportunity. I wish that as a younger mother I would have had time to appreciate the small moments in each day as I do with Faith, or maybe I appreciate those moments because it was so difficult to get Faith home. It could also be that I have adult children now and know how quickly time passes and that gives me this different perspective. Whatever the reason, I welcome my new perspective.

Faith's official gotcha anniversary is January 5th, my oldest daughter turns 18 on January 6th and our oldest son Spencer goes away to college on January 1st. (tear, tear) With this busy household we might not have a big celebration for her gotcha day, it will most likely be life as usual, but with my new perspective we will enjoy it just as much as a big party!

I am hoping to post a few favorite picture from China each day, we have hundreds... here is my 1st. We are at the Buddhist Temple getting a blessing. Loved this experience, it was so sacred for us.

The Great Wall...

2010-12-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

No this is not the most flattering picture I took Sunday...but it is the BEST. Much love from the Browncircus that is my family!

Faith's Own Ornament...

2010-12-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

All of our children have their "year" ornament. We could not find a 2007 year ornament for Faith so we improvised. She just loves Hello Kitty and we used a pink sharpie and wrote the year 2007 on the foot. She was soooo excited to put her ornament on the tree. Another first for our little girl!

Proud little Peanut!

2010-12-22T13:52:00.001-08:00

Faith was so proud of her pictures...can you tell what they are? A pink be-nan-na and a pink fishing pole. The only time we can get her to smile when I am taking pictures is when she is naughty...I wonder what Santa will have to say about this?

1st Visit with Santa!

2010-12-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

Faith was so cute when going to visit Santa. We prepared her well by showing her pictures of all her siblings visiting Santa through the years. She was so excited! While waiting in line and watching other families sitting on Santa's lap...she got worried, and wondered why the other kids were sitting on HER Santa. She thought he was just for her! When it was time to ask what she wanted she simply said two things, " Pink Presents and Pink Candy." Loving this holiday!

ok...how cute is this? Can u tell she enjoyed getting a tree!

2010-12-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

My baby girl a year ago in China...I can't wait until Christmas morning this year :)

2010-12-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

Faith's 1st snow and Snowman...

2010-12-01T17:36:00.001-08:00

Giving Thanks! and a long overdue update...

2010-11-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year...I have so much to be grateful for. Faith is just an amazing little girl.  When I read other family blogs about their adoption experience I realize how fortunate Faith was to be in such a wonderful environment before she came into our family.  She is smart as a whip, and spicy...she has a sense of humor and can tease with the best of us. She has bonded easily with all of us,  but still comes to me for all her owies and big cries as it should be.  When Spencer came home 6 months after Faith I was worried about their bonding; all unnecessary worry because it's like they never missed a beat.

We have a wonderful special needs/education program for preschoolers in our school district. Faith was extensively evaluated over a 4 month period.  She met with 4 different specialists and after all those evaluation Faith was deemed a normal 3 year old. I was in shock! I thought for sure she would qualify for the preschool simply because of her medical diagnosis...that was good news. I still worry that they don't fully understand her diagnosis, and that her difficulties will more likely affect her in her teen years. But they can't intervene unless they see a present need, and Faith seems at this time to be very typical. The bad news is because I had fully expected her to be part of that program I completely missed all the open enrollments for regular preschool. Poor Faith has been stuck with me and Nick Jr. Preschool. On the plus side she can count to 10 in 3 languages. Chinese, English and Spanish! Her language is still a mix of Chinese and English. She still watches videos in Chinese and understands them. Most everything she says we understand and she completely understands everything we say. The other day we were shopping and she pointed and said, "Christmas Tree!" We had not taught her this and were pleasantly surprised. Her memory is fantastic. She will remember words we seldom say and use them months later. When she doesn't know what something is, she will just simply ask, "What is it?" Or our favorite is instead of how come? ...she says, "How WHY?" Now we all say how why? She knows all her colors, and we are working on the alphabet.

Faith had a little adjustment when the kids all started back in school, she really misses them. Fortunately Spencer is still home and Kylee is doing the running start program at the college and her classes are done by 10 am. The three of us have a gym membership and have enjoyed going to work out together each day. Our gym also has a child care facility and the first day I dropped off Faith she went without issue. Goodness this little girl is so easy! She enjoys going to play for an hour and then we usually end up running errands and eating lunch. I am really enjoying "the moment" because Spencer leaves for college in 8 weeks and Kylee won't be far behind him next fall.

Faith has made so much progress in the 10 months she has been home. When she first arrived she was a constant thumb sucker; to the point that she had open sores on both thumbs, was not completely potty trained, and had some behavior issues like biting and hitting...mostly her brothers who deserved it...but none the less still an issue. Today she is fully potty trained, even nights...gave up her thumbs and a pacifier and rarely bites or hits. She does get this angry face, and you can tell she really wants to lash out, but we have been able to teach her , "mean face and nice face and we always say "a-oh, does Faith have a mean or a nice face?" And she usually will recognize it and say, " mean." Then we follow up with the question, " Does Faith want to be mean or nice?" She will then say, "Nice."   With the exception of the thumbs, we feel Faith is on target with our other children when they were her age, we see no difference. WHAT A BLESSING! We were prepared for so much more, and have had it so easy!

Faith is also very attached and affecionate. She loves her siblings and parents, and I have posted before that she has complete ownership of us...we are hers and she is ours! That knowledge is such a safety net. We are all happy and secure and feel so blessed this Thanksgiving. We are grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who knew our family dynamics and place this sweet little girl in our home. May you all have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

Sugar & Spice & Everything NiCE!

2010-11-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

Our little peanut found big sisters box of hair pretties and necklaces...

Sisters...

2010-11-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

Faith-isms ( Things Faith says...)

2010-11-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

Kylee to Faith, " You're a Princess."

Faith to Kylee, "No, I'm a Mei Mei !"
(translation little sister!)

Faith's many faces...

2010-11-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Where is my sheep?

I don't know?

Can you hear him?

Here he is!

Little Bo Peep!

2010-11-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Faith invites her friend over to make cookies together...another first for her!

2010-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Faith's first visit to the Pumpkin Patch...

2010-10-29T19:02:00.001-07:00

East meets West...what will she be for Halloween?

2010-10-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

God moves Mountains...

2010-10-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

I came across this video in the blogger world, it talks about the journey of adoption and the artists' inspiration for his song. Many, including us; that are blessed to adopt are not blessed with unlimited resources. We just have faith that it will all work out and begin the process not knowing how it will all come together. We take it a step at a time. I feel that adopting a child is a calling from Heavenly Father. I can say with every conviction of my heart that we knew without a doubt that we were suppose to have another child through adoption.

How can I be so sure? This is how it works for me. When I get a prompting from the Holy Ghost , it begins as a thought at first, then it grows into a constant thought, and finally that thought is all consuming until I pray and act. These promptings are how I and my husband live our lives. We have moved, accepted or not accepted jobs, gone to school, quit jobs, bought homes, had children, adopted, etc.etc.etc. all by the simple act of a prompting, praying/fasting then acting. I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that we can pray and receive personal inspiration regarding choices we make for ourselves and our family.

We have been blessed beyond measure when we chose to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. The more you exercise your faith the easier it is to discern between a prompting from Heavenly Father and just a thought. Our adoption was definitely one of the biggest leaps of faith we have ever made, and also one of the most rewarding. When you have an open heart, Heavenly Father can work miracles! So if you have had the thought to adopt and it keeps coming back, go ahead pray and fast...you too will be blessed beyond measure!

One Less by Matthew West (The Story Behind The Song) from emicmg on Vimeo.

A year ago this month we got to see our daughter in a video...Walk the Wall

2010-09-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it was a year ago that we were sent a link with our daughter in the video (click here to see). This year it is again time to raise awareness and funds for orphans in China...here is their 2010 video. I seriously want to get a walk the wall going here in Seattle, and be a part of this great effort!!!

Happy Birthday LucY!

2010-09-20T21:52:00.001-07:00

Our dear friends hosted a party for their beautiful daughter Lucy! Happy Birthday sweet girl! She is 6! Her party was so darling...click on her name if you want to be inspired!

We have a model in the family :)

2010-09-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

A photo I took of Faith is on our adoption agencies web site...So excited! Especially since I have been dabbling in photography and am trying to make a name for myself. I just took our oldest daughter's senior pictures a few weeks ago and you can view them here if you are interested. And now we just got news that they are using a photo of Faith I submitted to our adoption agency for their main website. She is on two pages. The first is here...and the second is here. How exciting is that! I snipped the page to record here on her blog. But we are just over the moon excited that they choose our sweet Faith.

Families are Forever...

2010-09-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe that our family relationships extend beyond this life. We were able to take Faith to the temple and have her sealed to us as her parents for time and all eternity. Our other children who are already sealed to us were able to witness this ordinance. It was beautiful having all our children in the temple with us all dressed in white. Quite Heavenly!

In China when we visited the Buddhist's temple it was also raining that day. The Buddhists’ believe that when someone is visiting the temple and it rains they are considered distinguished guests. That is twice in a row we have had rain at temples...our little miss Faith must be something special :)

What are temples...you ask?

Hairy Scary Sundays!

2010-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is my confession... On vacation I forgot to bring a curling iron to do Faith's hair for church...so after her bath I seperated her hair into sections, twisted the sections of hair into little knots, and then rubberbanded those knots into place. She slept on her wet hair and in the morning we undid those knots hoping for some darling curls and instead we got this! Of course we all were laughing and she thought her hair was just beautiful. We on the other hand now know what she would look like with african american hair. Enjoy the photos!

Daddy ~Daughter Bonding :)

2010-08-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

This year for our family vacation we decided to get away from it all...we rented a lake front cabin, took our boat and just relaxed for two full weeks. It was divine! After our vacation we drove to a reunion in Garden Valley Idaho. I captured this bonding moment between father and daughter. It reminded me of the Children's Book Hop on Pop. She just couldn't resist jumping on her daddy while he lay helpless on the grass! (Somehow I don't think he minded?)

Loving the giggle!

2010-07-27T18:43:00.001-07:00

Dallin got a hold of some water balloons today. Faith got completely wet, and she could not stop laughing at Dallin when he would pop a balloon on his body. Check out the video.

Faith meets her big brother for the 1st time!

2010-07-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Faith's oldest brother Spencer came home from his two year church mission on Wednesday July 21st. Faith had been well prepared to meet him. During the six months home, she saw many pictures and videos of her brother. On the day of his return she helped make him a poster...this picture is her handing that poster to him. She loves to have us draw stick figures of our family. On her poster is a picture of him and her. They already have a great bond, and she went right to him. The following morning, she got up...asked where guh guh (big brother) Spencer was, went and knocked on his door and said, Hold you...) they are having so much fun. We are loving it!!! Welcome home son! We are so proud!

One of Faith's friends from her orphanage just met her mommy! Congrats!

2010-07-26T10:58:00.001-07:00

Visit her blog here...Junie!

Faith's 1st Tube Ride...check out Mt. Rainier in the distance!

2010-07-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Party! Happy as can BEE - Faith is 3!

2010-07-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

You know what they say about asian drivers...well this is proof... luck for her big brother and dad were there to save the day!

Faith and her friend Lucy!

Party favors, a little bag filled with fishy bubbles, a beach ball and a fish squirt toy or squirt gun.

We had a Bee theme party complete with Bee lollies, Bee-L-T sandwiches, P-Bee & Honey sandwiches, Honey sticks, Bit-O-Honey candy, and StrawBeery Lemonade and a fruit bouquet we called the flower patch. I also made the cake, she loves chocolate, so underneath the fondant there was chocolate gnache ...yummm. The bee theme ended there, because her favorite treats are Swedish fish and gold fish. We had beeutiful weather, and wonderful friends! Thanks to my dear friend Dawn who shared some of these pictures with me! I was so busy I missed many photo ops.

Mom and Me at my PaRtY!

2010-07-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Trying to get Faith to smile and look at the camera...

The Party DRESS!

2010-07-09T22:47:00.001-07:00

This is Faith the morning of her party trying to show us three on her fingers...it's harder than it looks!

Happy 3rd Birthday Faith!

2010-07-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

For Faith's birthday photos I decided to go on a little photo shoot down at our local park. It was a spur of the moment decision because the sun was out...which is a rare sighting this year. I just love how they turned out. Isn't she beautiful!!!!

Her birthday and her 6 month Gotcha anniversary are only a few days apart. It is hard to believe she has only been with our family 6 months...it seems like we have always had each other. Faith has made remarkable progress since that day in January. I would say she is completely bonded with our family...at night she sleeps in the middle of Jeff and I and will put out her little arms and grab our heads in them and say, " SiSi's mama and SiSi's baba"...translated to " My mommy and My daddy". Her favorite color is green. She loves chocolate and sweetish fish. She loves the movie Nemo. She loves shopping, and new outfits. We could sit and cuddle for hours, and we do. She loves it when we wrap her in a blanket and will say she is a baby and then she will say ,"Hold you" when she wants us to hold her. We of course can't resist. I would say the biggest surprise is our 15 year old son Jensen...he is absolutely smitten with her, and when mom or dad tell her no...she will find Jensen and he always caves...thus the chocolate fetish. It has been a joy to watch this sweet little spirit learn, adjust and finally flourish right before our eyes, also a joy to watch our other children love, protect and nurture her. What a blessing! The next chapter will be our entire family together for the first time on July 21st. That is when our oldest son returns home from his 2 year church mission...I can hardly wait! We love you Faith and are so happy you are part of our family! More pictures of her party today to come!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

This little darling was at our July 4th Breakfast celebration yesterday morning...how cute!